A curly haired knitter speaks from NYC
A little baby sweater can go a long way. This is especially true for my newest finished object, Poppy, a darling little bolero sweater from the Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora Collection and knit in Cotton Angora. This little sweater was shipped today to a sweet little girl named Julia who lives in Duxbury, MA!! How's that for a little baby sweater going a long way? [Now for those of you out there who are wondering why I did not give this sweater to Baby Jamie, fret not. Baby Jamie is going to have her own version of Poppy in candy apple red!!][I think that Baby Rosie is going to have one knit for her too!!]
This sweater was both QUICK and FUN!! I enjoyed it so much that it may become my default baby gift. The Debbie Bliss cotton angora was pleasant to work with and is v. cuddly and soft. It required minimal seaming and absolutely no blocking! A few shots of steam and it was good to go! If you need a baby gift and don't have a lot of time to make something, then this pattern is for you.
~**~
CurlsandPurlsNYC Guilty Pleasure # 103: Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Can I boo hoo any more during one show!! And Ty Pennington, if you are reading this, why don't you come up and see me sometime!!
NYC. Home of the grassroots protest march, among other things. As I ducked out of the side door of my apartment building last week to go to the gym, I found myself in the midst of a rather LARGE and QUIET protest parade, led by members of a Chinese religious group, the Fulan Gong. All I could hear on the street and later in my apartment that day as the protest wore on, was the steady gong, gong, gong of a lone drummer and the fall of rain. As I stood on my terrace and observed the activities on the street below me, a Dylan song ran through my head....for the times they are a changin'.
Don't. Even. Ask.
Score: Schaeffer's Annie: 1 vs. CurlsandPurlsNYC: 0
[Alternatively Titled-My Trip to Downtown Yarn, Part 1]
I have become my father. Of course, this is not to say that I have not always been like my father, but now, I think I am channeling his spirit. Channeling Proof No. 1: I talk to strangers now more than ever. ALOT. [My father talked to EVERYONE. He had a great sense of humour and a v. easy and open way about him. Beguiling, he was, and in only the nicest of ways. Honest, he could make the guards outside of Buckingham Palace crack a smile and talk to him.] Today, as I traveled about town trying to find the right crib for Baby Jamie, it seemed like I talked, at length, to everyone who crossed my path. And, thanks to CurlsandPurlsNYC reader and NYC resident Laurie, one of the paths I traveled on today took me to Schneider's on Avenue A to check out its crib selection. [Thanks, Laurie!!]
After chatting with one of the saleswomen at Schneider's, as well as her nephew, who was also an employee there, I headed over to Downtown Yarn to say hello to Rita, the owner. [The saleswoman, whose name I cannot remember, offered me a plethora of baby advice--"you don't need that crib sweetie, take a look at this one instead." As a mother of two biological children and two foster care children -- she eventually adopted them both-- I sort of felt that she spoke from Experience.][Nephew vouched for her expert Mothering and Nuturting Experience, despite the fact that when he was a child, she once left him in a local park.][By accident, of course.][!!]
At Downtown Yarn I met Lillian, pictured above. Let me tell you a bit about Lillian. Lillian is almost 85 years old and recently lost her husband to Alzheimer's. She is a survivor of breast cancer. TWICE. She is a retired NYC school teacher. Lillian has a beautiful peaches and cream complexion and bright, sparkling brown eyes. She is a spirited, lovely, lively, and sensitive woman. And, best of all, she is a knitter. A really, really GOOD knitter. Now, Lillian told me that she had just sold one of her handknits to a new children's store that had opened down the street from Downtown Yarn. She said that she had knit the garment that was sold, as well as the one she is holding up in the picture, for the children of one of her husband's caretakers. However, according to Lillian, after her husband passed away, she never heard from this one particular caretaker again. Although crestfallen by this, Lillian told me that as a matter of principle, she had determined that the baby garments she had knit would not languish in her home. So, on the advice of Rita, she undertook to sell them in local shops, going door to door in her cheerful pink Yankees cap and crocheted scarf. [Pink, the emblem colour of a breast cancer survivor.] [Her grit and determination in this regard touched me deeply. I suddenly felt v. protective of her.] One down, one to go. Enter, me.
When I realized that she had one more sweater for sale, I bought it immediately. She was overjoyed to make the sale. I was equally overjoyed to have the opportunity to present this beautiful handknit baby set to Baby Jamie, who, in my humble opinion, will look darling in it. Lillian showered both me and Baby Jamie, in abstentia, with many wishes of love, health, and happiness. I loved that, almost as much as I loved meeting Lillian.
~
Lillian's fabulous sweater is knit from Classic Elite Provence yarn. The buttons are especially darling --purple pansies.
Thank you, Lillian, for knitting this beautiful sweater and hat. Baby Jamie and I will cherish them always.
Ahh, you knew it was only a matter of time before I shared this picture didn't you? Macy's!! The self proclaimed largest store in the world! More importantly, it is also the host of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade!! Marching Bands!! Theme floats!! Hundreds and thousands of participants. And, last but not least, the fabulous big cartoon character balloons. In years past, the parade has featured such beloved cartoon characters as Underdog, Snoopy, Garfield, Bart Simpson, and Spiderman! My favorite thing is to watch them being blown up the night before on the Upper West Side, a pre-Thanksgiving tradition and treat! Lucky me, if I stand on my terrace I can see the big balloons float down Broadway on the day of the parade!! I. Love. That.
I KNEW there was a reason why I had a big butt! NYC Marathon anyone?
Motherhood has kicked into high gear here at CurlsandPurlsNYC. I feel v. much like a cross between Kirsti Ally in Look Who's Talking and Diane Keeton in Parenthood. And, in all honesty, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed...not by Baby Jamie's impending arrival, but with the consumerism that has invaded Kidville. [OMG!! When did that happen?][And, yes, I DID see that article in the New Yorker!!] For those of you keeping track of my likes and dislikes, add this to the dislikes category: Superstores. Of. Any. Kind.
So, now that you know my aversion to superstores, you might be able to guess what my first experience was like at We Want you to Buy Buy Buy for Baby. [Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore] Overwhelmed, sums it up nicely. Who knew that there was a store that had one whole wall devoted to baby spoons? BABY SPOONS!! Ditto for bibs, pacifiers, strollers, and high chairs. [Why? Why? Why?] [What happened to plain vanilla bibs, spoons, binkies, and nappies?] I wandered about the store looking completely befuddled for about 30 minutes. When I was finally approached by a salesperson and asked if I needed help, I felt as if I had been rescued by a St. Bernard during a botched ski trip in the Alps. ["Ma'am, do you need any help?" "Yes, yes, just tell me what I need so that I can get the heck out of here."]I was so overwhelmed that it didn't bother me until much later that evening that someone actually called me "ma'am." [MA'AM!!??]
Several hours later I understood that my Baby Jamie's life would not be complete without the McLaren Stroller, the Super Duper High Chair, and the Oochie Scootchie Car Seat. Oh, and let us not forget the Diaper I Dream of Genie! I needed one of those too. I suddenly felt quite faint.
The trip to the clothing store was much easier for me. Outfitting a baby is more fun than deciding whether or not to buy the Super Spooner Spoon and/or the Flows Like Lava Baby Bottle. Much. Easier. I was finally back in my element. Here's some of my bounty:
Out of all the things that have been purchased so far, this is my favorite! [Thanks, Kay!!] Baby Jamie and I may have to take turns playing with it.
With all the excitement going on here, there has been little time for knitting. I did, however, purchase this:
Yep. One lonely skein of Noro Kureyon, buck naked without a ball band. Shade Unknown. It's anyone's guess which critter it's going to knit morph into:
Kidville. Here. I. Come.
Meet my niece, Nicole, the closest thing I have to a little sister. For as long as I can remember, we have always had a special bond. When I was in law school, she was a toddler. She would creep up to my room while I was studying, shoo aside my faithful canine companion, and demand my attention. To appease her, I would sit her on my lap and read to her from my casebooks. [Constitutional law!! Criminal Procedure!! The other stuff was toooooo boring!] She would listen intently, so serious and attentive, nodding her head in agreement every few minutes with whatever I was reading aloud. During my study breaks, I would hold her in my arms and dance with her to 80's new wave hits!! I would let her try on my make-up and walk around in my shoes that were many sizes too big for her. I always had presents for distribution as well as some special story to tell her. In her eyes, I was her Cool Aunt, a label that pleased me to no end.
Of course, now that she is all grown up, she is a bit harder to impress. [She drives a cool car, has a responsible job, and is a v. good mommy to her dog, Eddie.] So, in order to stay on top of the heap, I have bestowed her with many a fine knitted gift. A Noro scarf! A hat made of Rowan Cork!! And, last but not least, an IOU for a warm and fuzzy blanket made out of Cascade Magnum. That said, you can imagine how pleased I was to discover that the thing she wanted more than that fuzzy blanket was some private knitting lessons!! Be. Still. My. Heart. My girl wanted to learn how to knit!! She approached me one day with a skein of Rowan Polar, in a shade of v. hot pink, with matching metal needles and demanded that the lessons begin. [Yes, my friends, my girl chose Rowan yarn without any help or encouragement from me!!] And so, the lessons began. Unfortunately, we didn't get v. far with them and her project, a scarf, has languished on the needles. Worse, when she did work on it, she sort of forgot what I had taught her and made up some kind of funky stitch that she tried to pull off as "you know, that Knit Stitch." ["Nice try," I said, as I frogged the whole darn thing, much to her shock and horror!!]
So, this weekend, we started anew! A trip to Downtown Yarn for more Rowan Polar in v. hot pink, some US 13 bamboo needles, and three hours of private knitting lessons from yours truly! It was a fun day that included a cameo appearance by my pal Katherine!! This time, she took to both the knit and purl stitch like a duck takes to water, although her purling technique, is, well, WEIRD!! After a few minutes of refresher knitting, she began what will one day be a v. nice scarf in the "broken rib stitch." Have a look:
She was so pleased with her knitting progress and was quite taken with the way the broken rib stitch plumps when used with Rowan Polar. In addition to the lesson, she rummaged through my stash. Since she fancied some bits and pieces of my stash, I gave them to her and now she has a stash of her v. own. As she packed up her things to leave for the evening, I hugged her and said "Welcome to the Coven." [Although she laughed at my joke, she did look around to make sure that she hadn't walked into the real life version of The Witches of Eastwick][Kudos to Kay and Dianna for that line!]
Now, if you'll excuse me, my knitting awaits and the caldron is boiling....[GRIN][Cue to Michael Jackson's Thriller, emphasis on Vincent Price's ghoulish laugh!]
MANY, MANY, THANKS!! ....for all of the kind words and well wishes I received for Baby Jamie!!
GOOD VIBRATIONS!! Had a wonderful time meeting up with some members of the Knitting Blog ring on Saturday. Jackie! Alison!! Cari!! Em! Jenn!! Valentina!! Iris and Sasha!! Our new male knitter friend!! Thanks everyone for a lovely afternoon!!
Chocolate. Lately, I seem to be obsessed with it. I went on a bit of a chocolate bender last week...paid a visit to Neuhaus Chocolate and bought a big bag of them in order to drown some of my sorrows. [Last week marked the one year anniversary of my father's death. Lots of tears all around. We miss the big guy around here alot!] [Yes, my friends, this is how I self medicate. Bartender, get me another caramel cream, will you?! On second thought, make it a double!] Since the Chocolate Show is in town this week, I may not come out of my dark chocolate induced stupor for a while.
My chocolate obsession has transcended the delights of the palate. I am also obsessed with chocolate brown, the COLOUR. For the past few weeks, I have pulled out every chocolate brown garment I own, inspecting it for wearability, as well as plotting when and with what I will wear it. [Three pullovers, two short sleeve sweaters, one turtleneck sweater, one pair of jeans, one suede coat, one pair of shoes and one pair of boots.] [Last season I lost two beautiful chocolate brown merino sweaters to moths, who feasted on them all summer! Seems like I am not the only one with a hankering for chocolate!] I think my Love Affair with black is officially over....well, at least insofar as for it being the primary foundation colour of my wardrobe. Why the obsession with chocolate brown? Well, for starters, chocolate brown makes my fair skin look rosy and bright. It compliments my hair and eyes. It looks great with red, orange, purple, pink, and green, some of the colours I love to wear. It's fun, its different, and more importantly, it is just NOT black.
So, last week, after I assessed my wardrobe needs, I determined that a new scarf was in order that featured this colour. Fortunately, I remembered that I had some fabulous yarn in my stash -- Bouton D'or Flocon Bo -- that would make the perfect scarf. A few hours later, VOILA!!
Fluffy boucle scarf, featuring not only chocolate brown but also cream, silver, and a modest shade of orange!! Blue too! The yarn is v. soft and springy.Have a closer look here!! [Don't go looking for it though, for I think it was discontinued last year. Many thanks to Kay for recognizing that I needed this yarn while she was in Paris!] All I can say now is: bring on the colder weather, for I am ready!!
Those were the days....check out a vintage photo over at Kay's house, that captures us when were runners, pre-knitting!. Do we still run? Only our personal trainer knows for sure!
Long May You Run!! Sending good wishes and hopes for cool weather for everyone running in the NYC Marathon this weekend! Enjoy the journey!!
KIM HARGREAVES....my designer idol [yours too??!!] has launched her own range of handknit kits, not to mention her very own website!! Finally, some good news.
What are you going to do today? VOTE first, then knit! VOTE first, then go shopping! [You could go to ABC Carpet and Home! And, if your nose were pressed against its window, the v. same window where this civic minded plea can be found, you would see my friend Ganesh][Hello Ganesh!!] VOTE first, then go to work. VOTE first, then carry on about your day. And if you cannot VOTE first, then VOTE whenever you can. Whatever the order, please just VOTE. [Bring knitting]
Of my Noro Entrelac Blanket!! Say it with me: Two More Rows!! Two More Rows!! Here it is, up close and personal, 18 skeins of Noro Kureyon in Shade 90. Two skeins remain. This is my oldest unfinished object!! It was started in November 2002 on Project Fantasy Island, with the intention that it would be a Christmas gift for my father. [The Knitting Fever is rampant on Project Fantasy Island and causes knitting delusions. On Project Fantasy Island, you think, "Of course, I can knit an Alice *more sweater in a week, just get me the yarn!!" The fever breaks once you leave the island and in 48 hours you come to your senses.] When it became painfully apparent that there was NO WAY that I could knit an entrelac blanket in four weeks, I knit my father another blanket on big, honkin' US 17 needles [In one day!!][He loved it!!] and left this goregous heap of Noro Kureyon at the Claim Check on Project Fantasy Island. [Note to anyone interested in know just to how labor intensive entrelac knitting is. For this curly haired knitter, each block takes about 10-12 minutes to knit. There are 15 or so blocks per row. The side triangles are much quicker to knit. When you do the math, it ain't pretty.] In the past two years I toyed with picking it up many times, but quickly lost interest....until this weekend, when I was overcome with love for this project, as well as the desire to rescue it from the Project Fantasy Island Claim Check. Fortunately, I still had the claim check ticket.
As of this moment, I have only two more rows of entrelac knitting to do. Say it with me my friends, TWO MORE ROWS!! TWO MORE ROWS!! [As opposed to my other favorite chant, which is TWO MORE DAYS!! TWO MORE DAYS!!] Hmmm, two more rows of entrelac knitting, with two skeins of yarn remaining. Will I be able to knit two more rows of entrelac knitting, as well as a border, with only two more skeins? Only the Knitting Gods know for sure.
~
For those obsessed with geography, please note the following. Project Fantasy Island should not be confused with Sleeve Island. Sleeve Island is a much happier place, where productivity reigns and is governed by the lovely Fluffa! Project Fantasy Island is a dark, mind altering place, where a shortage of Knitting Fever vaccines threatens those who visit and is governed by the Knitting Electoral College. The popular vote means NOTHING there. I hear a Coup de Knitting is in the works. We are all hoping for the best.
