Back to the Future

The thing about “Futures at Fenway” is that you are looking forward and back  all at the same time.

Looking forward, you get to watch two games, featuring some of the future Red Sox stars – guys who are currently playing for Portland Sea Dogs and the Pawtucket Red Sox, the team’s minor league affiliates. Hopefully, some day soon, we’ll be seeing a few of these guys playing in the bigs. (If one or two of them can pitch  middle relief, even better – but that’s a story for another day.)

And looking back? Well, you get to feel like a kid again, as the photo here shows so nicely.

Yarn Shop Owners Have the Best Jobs

I continue to make progress on the Rhea Stole, a little faster now since I switched to a pair of Addi Turbos. I had been using my KnitPicks Options, but continued to have difficulty with the joins unscrewing. So I did my little bit for the economy, visited one of my favorite local shops, and plunked down $16 for a new pair of the best needles on earth.

As a knitter and yarn lover, I know I’m not alone with my fantasy of someday owning my own local yarn shop. I imagine my days would be filled with  helping other knitters, teaching classes, selecting lovely new yarns for my inventory, and of course plenty of knitting.

There are a few local shops that I enjoy visiting and on occasion I have revealed to the shop owners that they are living my dream. Every time this topic comes up, the shop owner laughs and tells me that selling retail is so much more difficult than people imagine. The hours are long, there are no vacations, the profit margins are minuscule, and there is most definitely very little or even no time for knitting on the job. That is what they all tell me.

So back to my shopping excursion. It was about noontime yesterday, a lazy summer day in my little town. I drove downtown, found a parking spot,  darted across the street and entered one of my favorite shops.

Merry bells jingled as I pushed open the heavy front door. Inside the shop was quiet, aside from the sound of a radio playing softly. The cool air smelled sweet. The yarns were all stacked prettily in their bins, sorted by color and weight. I looked around for the needle display, and then heard a welcoming voice. “Can I help you?”

The voice came from the furthest end of the store, where there was a comfy sofa and overstuffed chairs. A fragrant candle burned on a nearby table.  On the comfy sofa sat the shop owner, with her feet curled beneath her. She was happily knitting away.

See, I knew it was true, all these shop owners do have the best job in the world. They just tell us its miserable and stressful so they can keep all the fun for themselves.

The Never Ending Rhea Stole

Despite all the work I’ve been doing at the shop, I have found a little time to knit this summer. My summer project is the Rhea Stole, worked in an alpaca / silk hand dyed by the Kangaroo Dyer. Pictures of lace in progress are not very exciting, but here it is.

This is (or will be) a long rectangular piece of lace, with two very pretty border sections at each end. The border strips are worked vertically, then attached to the seemingly never ending body, which is a very simple two row repeat.

I’m knitting this for a non-knitting friend, who asked if I’d knit it up as a gift for one of her good friends.

The project started in late May and it has been my constant companion while watching Red Sox games, the Deadliest Catch, and True Blood.

Hopefully it will be finished sometime in August, so the friend of a friend will have a lovely warm scarf this fall.

On the Green Monster

It has been far too long since I’ve blogged here, but my excuse is that I’ve been busy blogging over at Bristol County Dyeworks. Running an Etsy shop is a lot of work! It is fun and exciting, most definitely, but I will admit it has been taking a lot of time and energy. Sales so far have been (ahem) a bit slow, but it’s all good. I’m learning and that is good. And we do have some customers already, so that is wonderful. I love, love, love that other knitters can enjoy our yarn. Yay!

So when I’m not busy listing new products or experimenting with new colors, I have found some time to partake of my other favorite obsession, the Red Sox!

Last Sunday the sun finally arrived here in the Boston area, just in time for the biggest game of the year. Biggest that is for me and Jeff. We had tix on the GREEN MONSTER, FRONT ROW even. Oh be still my heart, it was so exciting. Some people go to Europe for the summer. We go to Fenway. It’s all good.

Because I’m a geek and took a bunch of photos, I share the following pix with my fellow Sox obsessed knitters. I know you are out there, I’ve seen you on Ravelry!

The funniest picture is the last one. Even Wally is on Twitter now.

I Love New York

Just to be clear I may hate the NY Yankees, but I do indeed  love New York.

I just returned from a business trip. The days were all work, but in the evenings I was able to enjoy some NYC classics, including a Broadway show (!), a stroll around SoHo, and dinner in a fancy midtown restaurant.

The train ride there and back afforded me some much needed knitting time. I made excellent progress on another pair of welted rib socks.

And the best part of a trip to NYC for this girl? Sitting in the lobby bar of the New York Hilton, watching the Red Sox, “continue their domination over the Yankees”*

* a quote from the YES network announcer, as Paps finished them off in the 9th inning on Wednesday night.

Don’t you just love it?

Bristol County Dyeworks Now Open on Etsy

I am pleased to announce the Grand Opening of Bristol County Dyeworks!

A little shop offering unique hand-dyed yarns.  Stop by and visit the Etsy store at www.bcdyeworks.etsy.com.

Slater Mill Exhibit

The Community Guild Studios of Slater Mill is presenting its first Student and Teacher Exhibit, now through June 26. I am so excited to have my hand-dyed yarn on display!

It really is an inspiration to have this fantastic fiber arts resource just around the corner.

From the Slater Mill website..”celebrate the work of our students and teachers and success of the Guild Studios in it’s first year!” The Slater Mill gallery is located at 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, across from Slater Mill.

The works on display include quilts, knitwear, dyed silk, chair caning and baskets. Stop by and be inspired.

A Perfect Weekend

Friday Night at PPAC to see Spring Awakening. A bit shocking, a bit dark, with spectactular music and energy and a story I can’t let go of.

Saturday at Gore Farm Up early, on a lovely Saturday morning. Wearing shorts, a t-shirts and a PawSox cap. Tote bag in hand – off to explore my very first Sheep Festival. Watched the sheep hearding demonstration. Incredible display of instinct and skill. Walked through the vendors area, more jewelry than fiber, unfortunately. But did see a few notable stalls

Alpacas of Springbrook Farms – softest lace weight. Yum

Yarn4socks.com – some hand-dyed and some shiboui yarns

West Elm Farms – iceland wool and rovings, goats milk and lanolin soaps

Traveling Rhinos – hand dyed and hand spun yarns

Ate lunch at the Boy Scouts tent. A giant cheeseburger with mustard and ketchup, and a soda. All for $4. Delicious and cheap. Who wouldn’t love that?

Wrapping up the day, a stroll to hear the music in the performance tent. A lace demonstration in the mansion. Home to enjoy the sunshine on the patio, knit a bit on the Honeycomb vest, wander through the garden to do a bit of clean up, some time with Stephen King in my head (don’t you just love audio books?!) , a short little nap, delicious dinner, Sox vs Yanks on DVR, and off to bed.

Today will be more knitting, walking through the woods with Max, enjoying the sunshine and our first trip to Fenway this year. Altogether a very lovely weekend.

Local Talent

Who knew that little Pawtucket, RI was such a hub of artistic bounty?? There are so many talented folks in my little corner of the world. I feel it is my duty to spread the word.

At last night’s Guild meeting I had the pleasure of chatting with Leah Cherry of Emmaline Designs about her very cool project bags.  We shared ideas on the best attributes for a knitting bag. She is designing a line of knitting totes and accessory bags in the most dazzling array of colors and fabrics. She is still in prototype stage, but plans to offer her fantastic creations at the South End Open Market opening this summer in Boston. (Leah, I hope I have the correct link…) She may be a California transplant with no hint of a Boston accent, but she sure does know what we cold-weather knitters are looking for as we schlep our projects about in the snow!

I also met Iris of Cutie Pies, who made the most scrumptios little mini sized treats for all us knitting and crochet addicts. Iris and I only spoke for a few seconds, but it is clear she is a spitfire of a baker, with a quick tongue and a clear vision of what people want in a pie. Look out, Iris is here and she is the master of yummy pastries!

If you need need a project bag or a tasty treat, please visit my friends Leah and Iris. Rest assured, I have not been compensated at all – these are just my personal opinions. Of course, pie and tote bags are always welcome, though not expected.

What is the Italian Word for “Dog”?

In these tough economic times, everyone is searching for a bargain, knitters included. At last night’s meeting of the Slater Mill Knitting and Crochet Guild meeting I do believe I found one.

The smart ladies (and man – Hi John!) of the Guild devised a wonderful way for us to raise money and share some fiber goodness and yarn love. At each meeting members donate skeins of yarn to the “Buck a Ball” table. Other members peruse the table and can find new yarn delights for merely $1. All the money goes to the Guild. Such a deal!

These “Buck a Ball” donations are special.

You know these yarns. That one skein of colorful sock yarn that you just had to buy because it was on on sale and how on earth could you pass up such a deal?! Who cares if it’s not enough for a pair – you’ll find a use for it. Or how about the freebie ball of lime green fuzzy eyelash yarn with orange speckles that came in a gift bag you were so excited to receive, but upon closer inspection you realize it is  not enough, not the right color, too scratchy, too slippery, too glittery…You know these yarns. Think the Island of Misfit Toys, only yarn.

So what wonderful fibers did I uncover from the Buck a Ball table? Look at these lovlies! (Click for big)

I was especially coveting the mohair on the left. Despite my recent frustrations with Swallowtail, I am still determined to make a floaty, ephemeral lace stole and this forest green lace-weight looked like just the right yarn for the job. The Regia sock yarn on the right was a no-brainer. They don’t call me KnitSox for nothin’ you know. And yes, I realize it is only one ball and not enough for a pair of socks. Be quiet. I know. It was only a buck – you expect me to pass it up?

Tonight, because I am a Ravelry geek, I had to immediately photograph my new yarns and log them into my stash.  As I was lining up the artistic shot in the viewfinder, I looked closely at the label on the hunter green mohair beauties.

It appears that there are two puppies on this label. An Irish Setter and a Poodle. Now I don’t speak Italian, but I’m wondering if “seta” is the Italian word for dog.

I know there are talented people who spin yarn from dog hair, but honestly, I’ve never understood that particular hobby.

I spend endless hours of my life combating the persistent fuzziness of the Max hairs that cover every surface of my home and my clothing. Jeff and I are sometimes lucky enough to travel to far-off lands and we always laugh at the amount of copper-colored Beagle/Boxer hairs we deposit at various stopping points along the way. Max barely leaves the family room, but his hair has covered most of North America, the Caribbean, and parts of western Europe.

Did I just get an amazing deal on two balls of Italian dog hair?? Please say it isn’t so.