Saturday, March 31, 2007

Cool Link of the Week: Grocery Bag Ensemble!


Via Craft magazine comes this amazing 1950's-style outfit hand knit entirely from recycled grocery bags! It was accomplished as a thesis project by Cathy Kasdan, earning a well-deserved Masters in Textiles at Kent State University. Wow. Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz would be proud (I was instantly reminded of one of my favorite I Love Lucy episodes where my girls work a Paris catwalk dressed in feedbag hats).
In other news: A PACKAGE FROM MY SECRET PAL ARRIVED TODAY!!! Beautifully wrapped (I took care of that post haste), loaded with knitterly goodness, Easter swag, and CHOCOLATE. DH has absconded with the camera, so I'll post in great detail later in the week. Must...resist...eating...chocolate...before...photo...session. I love you, Secret Pal!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

US Passport Agency--A Cautionary Tale


Like most knitters, I live in constant fear of having my handiwork confiscated by government agents. Some people shudder at the thought of Jack Bauer cutting off that Russian guy's pinky; for me the ultimate horror would be watching my work being ripped from the needles and cast aside.
Well, dear reader, today I came close...too close. A last minute need for a passport for DS (OK, so I've known he was going away for Spring Break for months now--gimme a break) necessitated an emergency trip to the US Passport Agency on Hudson Street here in NYC. I'm not proud to say I've been in this situation before (shut up), so I knew it would take awhile, so naturally I looked forward to some knitting time. First pass-through, no problem...but on the pick-up the security agent dug in my bag, pulled out my 16" Addi circ holding my precious warshrag (probably a good thing it was not the Terror Alert Ballband from last summer pictured above, but it makes my point better than the sweet little colors of Spring-inspired number I'm working on) and insisted on keeping it. I'm not inclined to argue with authority in any case, but the bomb sniffing dog and machine gun toting ninja police standing by were pretty convincing.
Anyway, it all worked out in the end and my knitting was returned intact upon exiting, but if you ever have to do the last minute passport thing, make sure you bring something else to do while you wait...and wait...and...OK, I know I have no one to blame but myself for procrastinating, but oy, the agony--a girl can only do so much Sudoku.
The last minute passport thing is pretty cool, BTW. You call to make an automated appointment (lines are perpetually busy so you need to do this in the middle of the night, seriously), show up with the application you've printed off the internet, requisite proof of identity, and an airline ticket showing you're traveling within the next 14 days, and they do a same day or next day turnaround. Just don't bring any knitting you're afraid of losing. Whew.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Happy Spring!


Like the lady at left, I've been distracted from my knitting, peering out the window for harbingers of Spring, but there's still ice on the ground here in NYC. I guess I have spring fever, because I've been having a hard time concentrating...even my beloved TV has failed to hold my interest of late, save for The Power of Bauer. My DVR is groaning with back issues of Grey's Anatomy and Lost. Survivor has been pre-empted by March Madness. I have yet to start watching The Riches. I tried Dancing With the Stars, but it failed to catch my interest since Heather Mills' leg failed to fly off. Sigh. And bad week in knitting news: I'm going to miss the Yarn Harlot's big shindig at F.I.T. because it's effin' parent's conference night at DD's school and I can't exactly say "Sorry, darling daughter--can't hear about your progress, gotta knit!" Sigh. Anyway, I am getting pleasure out of getting the first package together for my Secret Pal, and...it's Spring! Knit on.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

City Snow



The view from my living room window on the day after a near-Spring snowstorm. I love NYC snow before it turns gray and yellow and brown. And since we have a churchyard across the street, if you squint and tilt your head just right you can block out the cityscape. Anyway, the kids actually had a snow day yesterday, so I'm taking one today. A good time to start on a little something for my Secret Pal, catch up on Grey's Anatomy, and generally chill. Heh heh...snow day...she said "chill"...heh heh.



Oh, and to those of you who observe and indulge: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Knit something green and kiss a fireman!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Secret Pal--Woo Hoo!

Doing the Happy Dance because I have a Secret Pal and my Pal has me. I am ready to spoil and be spoiled. It's a fun break to plot this out, although it makes blogging a bit problematic, since I can't really blog too much about what I'm doing lest my receiving Secret Pal reads my blog. C'mon...it could happen...

Anyway, my spoiler sent me a fun e-card, and I sent one to my spoilee--anyone looking for knitting related cards, check these out.

The ingenious way my Secret Pal hostess, Heatherly, made our match will be evident at the reveal, but I wanted to take the time here to publicly thank her and the other Secret Pal hostesses for their hard work. Let the spoiling begin (and somebody make some cool buttons already)!

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Process Not Product


Don't you hate it when life gets in the way of knitting? My day job has been keeping me insanely busy of late. True confession: I am an admissions director at a NYC nursery school, and this is our season. The time where I select the incoming class for next September. Yes, folks, I judge two-year-olds for a living. I'm not proud, but it pays the rent and keeps me in stitches in more ways than one. Anyway, my current WIP is a Moebius Scarf (I use the Elizabeth Zimmermann "transverse" method--knit a long strip with a removable cast-on, twist once and weave the two ends). In this case, acres and acres of Farrow Rib (behold the Lower 40). A comforting project for a busy time, but s-l-o-w progress. I'm loving the yarn, though--a very soft green confetti worsted gifted by a friend (thanks Caroline) who found it at Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool. Label says "A Touch of Twist", 1286 Weast Road Box 51, Pattersonville, NY 12157.