Friday, April 07, 2006

Knitting Circle

So, instead of talking about my knitting today (but, just as a tease - there is major talking to come - hint: there's a whole lotta rippin' going on!), I'm going to talk about everyone else's knitting - while Podcasting may bring the global knitting community together, as Dorothy Gale most eloquently put it, "Toto, there's no place like home." And, of course, we're not in Kansas, we're at Rosie's Yarn Cellar in Philadelphia.

First, remember our free-for-all extravaganza at Stitches East? And this hug-full of Koigu, because Koigu is our most embraceable yarn (and, for you Koiguholics out there - a new shipment has arrived at Rosie's)? Well, that bundle of joys is now this Rambling Rows blanket. That's a blanket? you ponder - looks like a shopping bag to me. That's because Robin is currently on her super long circulars, knitting the border in a celery colored skein of Koigu. How many stitches, you ask? Way too many to mention - makes my Bozo mohair ruffle look trifling. I think she's on the last round before bindoff, and hopefully, I'll be able to get a picture of it before it is gifted to her friend, who had the baby back in, er, December. As you may remember, I've already knit this Rambling Rose in Noro Silk Garden, and the possibilities are endless. Judy, at Rosie's, is currently knitting one in a worsted weight, I can't remember what yarn, but in very fall colors - and Grace, at Loop, is doing one in Blue Sky Organic Cotton, in all neutral tones. For the unisex baby project - it just might be the way to go.

Next, we have Cathy and her Clapotis.I've seen a lot of Clap's out there, and I have to tell you, this is one of the most beautiful ones I've seen - and of course, it's cashmere, Alchemy Monarch, in a lilting colorway called Forest Waltz. Laura, over at Loop, also did hers in cashmere, Estelle, -- have I ever mentioned to you that I often have to dress my client's for trial? Frequently, they wear my brother's dress shirts and ties. Once, though, I had this old head client ask me to call his family to bring his burying suit to court. Huh? You know, the suit I'm going to be buried in . . . this was a totally new concept to me, but the guy was aquitted, so I guess the burying suit is also the lucky suit. Anyway, that ashes to ashes dust to dust thing, nah, I want to burried in cashmere - that will be my burying suit. And, maybe it will be Clapotis, because yarn for the project is definitely on my list for Maryland Sheep and Wool.

Speaking of Maryland Sheep and Wool, I'm on a strict diet - not to lose weight, but to save money. From now until the Festival, I am brownbagging both my breakfast and lunch. A no-brainer to most of you, probably, it's actually harder than you might think in my biz, because I never know when lunch is going to be, usually I'm grabbing something on the fly, and, of course, the Reading Terminal is right next to the courthouse. I should save between $50-80 a week. We'll see -- the other day I brought my lunch, and then bought a magazine to read with it - I think that defeated the purpose.

I wish I had taken a better picture of Beverly's project, instead of just getting a lovely shot of Beverly, because Beverly is knitting in a yarn that I thought had no possibities whatsoever, and that's a huge statement from me considering it's Noro. It's Noro's Sakura, a cotton Rayon blend. I just don't find it all that attractive in the skein, but knit up, not that I have a closeup, really looks great: Beverly is knitting a summer cardigan from Magknits, and I believe this is the back she's holding in her hands. And, speaking of Beverly, she will be providing us with a guest blog post from the Mason Dixon Girls book signing tonight, because unfortunately, I have plans to drink lots of margarita's at El Vez, and, um, possibility get intoxicated with my girls from work. One of my friends, Ellen, is paying a visit to Norristown State Hospital today (a mental health facility) to visit our civily committed clients, and I think, just maybe, she might need a stiff one when she returns.
And Marian. Don't let that look on her face deceive you. This vest she is making for her husband, in Rowan something or other, is really beautiful, I think she's just gosh darn tired of knitting it. Marian found an interesting way this winter of avoiding any knitting blahs. She knit the kitty cat from Knitty, and some other creature thing - I wish I had had my camera, but maybe some other day.
And, Merrill, this princess, is actually not knitting in cashmere. Lately, Merrill is obsessed with linen and bamboo. This is her Kimono shawl, in Alchemy Bamboo, in a colorway called unappetizingly enough, Sour Grass. And, hiding behind Kimono, a martini. Yes, after knitting circle, there's the City part - dinner at the Bar at Dmitri's. Grilled octopus, sauteed mussels, and grilled veggies - perfect after long night of knitting, that continues at the bar. Oh, and did I mention the maritinis.

And last but not least, Lisa, the proprietress of Rosie's. Lisa is crocheting a bag from Noro's Daria, a cordlike yarn, for her upcoming beginner's crochet class. I wrote down the start date of the class, but I left it on my desk at home. It definitely starts this month, and I think, but I'm not sure it's on Monday nights. So, if you have a yen for crochet, and you think this little bag is as cute as a button, go on over to the sidebar and check out their website.













And, that's all for now! Can't wait to see Bev's post about the Mason Dixon girls . . . Beverly, don't forget your camera!

5 comments:

Merrill Mason said...

Nice post in all ways!

btw, my word verification for this is zzahofzx...the ho' is foxy?

Lisa M. said...

Thanks for keeping up with Knitting Circle the way I can't!

The Beginners Crochet starts 4/24 (yes, Mondays), and details are here.

Anonymous said...

I called Loop today and Grace answered. I couldn't resist the temptation - I said, "This is Christine of the Pointy Sticks podcast and I just wanted to tell you that I love the Half Pi Shawl." Totally caught her off guard, and we were both laughing.

I really, really, really MUST visit Philly again soon. And that Koigu? *swoon* 3 out of the 5 skeins for my last Charlotte's Web came from Rosie's, so their Koigu holds a special place in my heart.

Ivy said...

Ooh, I can't wait until Maryland Sheep and Wool. I think I might have to give into the temptation to get a drop spindle and learn to spin...

Wendy said...

We really ought to come up with a way to have a Knitting Wendys meetup at some point during MD Sheep and Wool ...