A curly haired knitter speaks from NYC
Love buttons? Ever wonder where they were made? Then this story might be of interest to you.
Hello! [stop] Back from vacation. [stop] Had a great time. [stop] All is well. [stop] Busy getting ready to start new job. [stop] Busy enjoying the waning days of summer with My Girl. [stop] Too busy to blog. [stop] Wish you were here. [stop]. Finished one orange sock. [stop] Baby Cable Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. [stop] Heard cables were in this season. [stop] Used Koigu KPM, a first. [stop] Wish you were here. [stop] Wish you were here. [stop] Wish you were here. [stop]
Some days I think I have the WORST luck! For example, back in the day, my bar exam was lost and I had to take one whole section of it AGAIN. I always stand in the wrong line at the grocery store. The freak on the subway always sits next to me. I always spill something on a new white shirt. Get the picture? And then some days I think that I have the BEST luck. I have a BEYOND fabulous kid! I live in NYC. I finally got a job that I like and can manage as a single mom. AND, Thomas turned out to be my Rowan Knitting Exchange partner. Thomas is a SUPERB knitter. Meticulous detail and stitching. He make lace knitting look easy. And, he knit me this absolutely beautiful log cabin blanket! The yarn is a handspun in colours that compliment the colours in our home. He varied the traditional log cabin construction by adding two contrasting borders. V. v.v.v. pretty.
The blanket came wrapped in this hand stitched fabric wrapper:
Absolutely. Beautiful. Really.
There was also a skein of handspun silk and wool yarn that HE SPUN HIMSELF. [You people who spin! Like, OMG.][Which reminds me that I bought a hand spindle during our ill fated trip to Rhinebeck last year and have not yet gotten around to trying it out!][How much yarn can I make using a hand spindle?] And, if that wasn't enough, he sent CHOCOLATE. [It was v. rich dark chocolate. It is now ALL gone. I ate it ALL!!][No apologies!!]
Thank you, Thomas, for a truly fabulous gift. I am honoured that the Exchange Moms once again bestowed me with such a fabulous partner.
Summer is coming to an end and we are surprisingly busy. One more vacation, this time to New England, and then, a new professional beginning. As always, despite the grim news reports, I am looking forward to fall.
Scandinavia House! A jewel of a place in the heart of the Murray Hill section of NYC. The Official Word: Scandinavia House is the headquarters of The American-Scandinavian Foundation, an American non-profit organization that works to build cultural and educational ties between the United States and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The Unofficial Word: Fabulous. If you are a mom looking for great, fun, FREE place to take your kid on a bitter cold day or a blistering hot day or ANY day, then Scandinavia House is the place for you! Costumes!! A play stage!! Books on Scandinavian Culture!! Trains! Legos! Crayons! Ikea furniture! The children's rooms are a rare gem in NYC, offering so much for free. And, when you AND your little one tire of the play rooms, have bite to eat in the lovely dining area, shop a bit in the gift shop, or just sit and relax. Did I mention that we love it? We do. You will too!
After insisting that she brush my curly hair, Darling Daughter declared that I looked like a porcupine!!
This post is brought to you by Extreme Heat, NYC Edition. There is no doubt in my mind that this weather was sent directly from Hell, for weather like this could not come from anywhere else.[And, for those doubters of global warming, my guess is that the Extreme Heat, Extreme Cold, and Extreme Hurricanes that have plagued the planet this past year, if not longer, is that your judgment is no longer clouded and/or you are no longer denial on this subject.] For those of you who were hoping that I was going to reveal what was in my package from Denmark, come back another day. It is too hot here to blog about a *******!! (Oppsss, I almost gave it away!)(Naaaa!!!!) I feel a strong need to blog about something else right now....how to entertain a Toddler in Extreme Heat, the NYC Edition.
The Summer of 2006 officially kicked into gear for me and Darling Daughter on July 28, when her school shut down for a five week, "give us a break from your kids" hiatus. Five weeks of Momma and Darling Daughter and only Momma and Darling Daughter!! [Roadshow!!!] So, last Friday, after we kissed Beloved Teacher goodbye and bestowed her with handmade and not so handmade gifts, our time together began. And, unfortunately, so did the heat.
With Extreme Heat upon us, we did what any other Momma and Darling Daughter would do! We had a houseguest!! When its hot and sticky, it is best to have as many people in tow as possible, especially if those people are dawdling children!! It is also good to get on the road early, especially if your destination is listed in Zagat's, Frommers, TimeoutNYC and every other guide book ever printed. This is especially true for the Children's Zoo in Central Park, which was our first stop. After visiting with a variety of artic animals who were appropriately lethargic in the blistering heat of their non-arctic environment in the main part of the zoo, we hiked over to the petting zoo and fed the goats, sheep, and spitting alpacas a v. large feast of unidentifiable food pellets. [If the truth be told, the only real spitting alpaca at the petting zoo is Frankie. Darling Daughter is enamored with Frankie, probably because of his bad boy image. Zoo handlers can be heard admonishing him, constantly asking that he refrain from spitting. Sometimes he obliges them. Other times unsuspecting tourists get a globby luggie right in the kisser!][But I digress....]
When all is said and done at the zoo, a good face painting is in order, as well as a balloon creatively fashioned to resemble a sword with a heart handle. Take the path right out of the zoo heading up town and get all your face painting and sword balloon needs taken care of by Paulette. Do not stop and get ice cream, unless of course you have a fondness for ice cream encrusted children, or want to do extra loads of laundry whilst you have a houseguest. Also avoid the guy who sells soggy pretzels as well, unless, of course, you like soggy pretzels.
When your wallet has been completely depleted of its cash, do not hesitate to resort to indoor activities. Indoor activities include large bottles of Elmer's glue, foamy animal and fish cutouts and stickers, watercolour and finger paints, washable markers, and scissors. And, band aids. Yes. band aids. A toddler can enterain herself for long periods of time with a small box of band aids.
If your toddler is permitted to play with band aids, just make sure most, if not all, of the band aids are removed before going out in public. People may talk. Or call Child Protective Services.
In a city where groceries mainly come now from the freshdirect delivery truck, a trip to the grocery store is now almost as much fun as going to Six Flags Great Adventure. Of course, only do this if the store has toddler sized shopping carts that your toddler can push around and fill up with all kinds of things she claims she likes but you know she doesn't and more importantly, you know that she doesn't even know what they are! Be firm! "[Put that back, you do NOT like freeze dried calamari!!"]
The public library is also a good venue, with or without a formal story hour. Sit and read with your toddler and pretty soon you will find yourself surrounded by several other toddlers who demand that you read that story AGAIN!! A ride on the bus to nowhere is good too, as is a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.
All things considered, we have been surviving our first days of vacay in Extreme Heat, NYC Edition, well. While we would prefer cooler temperatures, we are not letting the weather get in the way of our fun. Ok, well, maybe just a little bit.
On a different note, I have to thank EVERYONE who left me a comment regarding their favorite sock yarn and gave me the heads up on their favorite new, or new to me, blogs. Thank you all so much, especially you former lurkers who stepped up to the keyboard and left me a great comment. I feel a new knitting era dawning, an era devoted to socks!! And you my knitting friends are going to be part of that era, my Sockalution, so to speak. So stay tuned. In the meantime, l will leave you with this:
Does anyone care to Name That Sock? Yarn too!!