This is what happens when you spend time in Cookie’s storage unit, you are surprised by a box full of legs.
Creepy, but not that surprising.
legs!
knitters
NaBloPoMo Day 21: fizz fest
Cookie invited a bunch of the BobaKnitters over today for Fizz Fest: a bath bomb making party. I took the opportunity to bring the Costco sized bottle of tequila that I bought when I went with a group of the knitters to Tahoe in May. They didn’t drink as much of it as I had hoped and I keep trying to use it up and failing. I also brought my blender, because I don’t know how else to make the delicious Whole Fruit Margaritas that we all love without it. So…
first things first
Once that was taken care of, we could get down to business. Cookie taught us all how to make fizzy bath bombs and even provided a whole host of essential or fragrant oils with which to “flavor” them. The mixing included a step where you had to listen for the ingredients fizzing together.
cookie and jill demonstrate the listening step
I brought my cutesie Japanese egg molds to mold my bath bombs because I am hoping to give them to my kids. Because my molds snap together Cookie said to leave them like that until they are dry. I only had enough stuff left to make one small bomb, which refused to stay together, so I don’t have high hopes for the others coming out of the cutesie molds intact. You can’t tell from the picture but they are creamsicle flavor: clementine and vanilla. Cookie said someone did that last time she had one of these parties and it sounded good to me.
at least they’ll still fizz
Afterwards there was hanging around and snacking and chatting. Oh, and knitting.
rachel and jen
cookie and jill
lisa and her guava mimosa
While we were there, I finished the heel turn on my Wedge sock. You would have thought I’d take a picture of that but I didn’t. Oops.
quickie: knit. sock. love.
It has only taken me three days to realize I didn’t post a link to where you can buy Cookie’s new book. She self-published so if you order it online it’s better to order from her (also she sends them to Amazon but she hasn’t done that yet so if you’re ordering now you’ll get it faster from her). She has said that she’d rather you support your local yarn store than buy it from Amazon even though the same amount of money gets back to her either way. She’s also having a Book Launch event at Bobbin’s Nest Studio on December 4.
In going to her site to get those links I found out why she signed my book in Finnish. That’s what I get for not reading her new blog regularly.
Okay, I’m done advertising for Cookie, I just didn’t want anyone left out in the cold if they felt they had to have that lovely book I posted of which I posted a photo but about which I didn’t say much else. I blame the tequila again. Such a convenient scapegoat.
NaBloPoMo Day 21: why do I knit?
I started knitting in a misguided attempt to save money. My first son was a baby at the time, wearing cloth diapers, and there were all these beautiful hand knit soakers (wool diaper cover pants) you could buy but they were pretty expensive for something that would probably get pee, or worse, on them. Yarn, though, and needles? Not so expensive. Until you start knitting different things and you need different needles and books with patterns and more yarn, of course.
I didn't branch out until I started going to the Stitch n Bitch that used to meet in Campbell. I don't know if it still does, actually, it might. I went there to knit on my baby pants and I saw all the beautiful things the other knitters were making, like socks and gloves and even sweaters and I was hooked even further. Somewhere between that point and now I have gotten to the point where I feel like I need knitting and I need knitters. The knitters who have ended up as my circle of friends are smart, funny, snarky and wonderful. When bad things happen to people in our group, we band together for them. When good things happen to them, we celebrate with them. Through it all, we knit. We knit baby blankets for each other and chemo caps and go to birthday celebrations and send sympathy cards. And we knit.
One of my knitting friends who has, unfortunately, moved far away, is having something big and challenging happen in her life this week. I actually went onto Southwest's website to see if I could get there to be with her, to sit by her side, and knit. I couldn't, it's the week before Thanksgiving and the flights are too much. Instead, I'm sitting at home thinking of her and knitting. Selfishly, what I'm knitting is for myself but I think that's okay. I'm thinking of her and I think she knows it.
Jeni’s going away, old projects and new
Our dear Jeni, aka, The Knitist, is moving away. In true BobaKnitter style we gathered to send her off with champagne and cupcakes. Hannah hosted with Erin the owner of Bobbin's Nest Studio at the shop. It was a lovely time!
We gave Jeni gifts, giant cupcakes, and recursively blogged each other.
In other news, I finished a hat. It's the Slouchy Copycat Hat. (Ravelry details.) I need to figure out the right way to wear it.
I've also settled on a yarn for Wedgette. It's a pattern by Norah Gaughan that she is giving out bit by bit in the Norah Gaughan Fans Ravelry forum in celebration of there being 200 (I think?) members of the group. There are more than 3000 now. We love Norah Gaughan.
Anyway, I swatched in Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton thinking it would work because it is DK, but I think it will be too heavy and stretch out so I'm going to try it instead in Soy Silk, which may also be heavy. I'm going to take Janice's advice and make the skirt shorter than I really want in anticipation of it stretching out. We'll see how that goes! In the meanwhile, here's a swatch.
finished and unfinished
I finished a scarf for a friend's birthday tonight. It was crochet, so I feel like it's cheating. Crochet goes so fast! I actually crocheted it two times, once with a single strand of the yarn (Art Yarns Regal Silk) and then again doubled. It works better doubled. I don't have a great photo of it, though, because it's totally not my style and I feel silly in it. I think it will look great on my friend though. I hope she likes it. (Ravelry details)
I still have finished either Oblique or the February baby sweater. I did get some buttons, though. I also started working on my Amy Butler bag but my mom needed her sewing machine back, so I will have to wait until Friday to make any progress. This Thursday is my last Textiles class and then I'll have to hand sew the binding on the quilts. I might recruit some help for that one because they need to be done for the Arts reception on the 24th. That doesn't feel like much time for a lot of tedious hand sewing.
I've also been contemplating the general demeanor of knitters. Maybe it's knitters on the Internet, maybe it's knittiners on Ravelry or maybe it's just people in general but everyone feels somewhat hostile recently. Then again, maybe it's me? Don't worry knitters, it's not you, it's me.
more stitches goodness
I guess I posted too soon about my Stitches haul! I went back today for a while and remembered that I wanted to get some gift yarn, enough dk weight organic cotton for a kid sweater for a friend. It's the same yarn that I bought myself one of yesterday. I love this color but have a feeling I couldn't pull it off, but my friend's daughter can.
(I have no idea why this photo isn't showing up.)
I also had a hank of Sea Silk just jump at me and I had to buy it to defend myself. Okay, it didn't jump, CJ picked it up and handed it to me. It's pretty though, isn't it? I think it is going to become a scarf sized Sarcelle. I think it will be gorgeous!
Yesterday evening, Cookie IMed me to tell me that she found my avatar on the Ravelry thingy. I had no clue what she was talking about. I somehow had not noticed that the giant Ravelry icon on the wall next to their table was a composite of avatar photos! Lucky for me, mine was easy to spot. Although, you might have to click over to Flickr to see where it is.
I got to have a yummy Indian dinner out with some of the BobaKnitters, including Kristi, so that was good. The food was really good and so was the company. The only downside of today was coming home to a pukey Stefan. It can't all be good, eh?
some days it doesn’t pay to knit
I was trying to convince myself that since I finally came out of the knitting black hole with the body (I swear it was 16 inches forever and then jumped to 20 inches), that I could finish Erik's sweater by Thursday, our anniversary. To that end, I took the three pieces of it to BobaKnit this afternoon, prepared to join them and start decreasing for the yoke. On the plus side, I did actually manage to join them and begin the decreases. On the minus side…
I know, you're looking at it wondering what the problem is, right? I'll give you a hint, look at the decreases on the sleeves. Yes, they are both facing the same direction, to the left. Now look at your arms, do your thumbs both face left? I thought not.
We decided that it must be Janice's fault for not noticing that I was doing it, since she has an eye for detail. Oh, and she left early, so we all got to blame her. It's good to have a scapegoat.
Now, if you need me, I'll be on the couch, disconnecting the sleeves and trying to at least reconnect them tonight so that I will have made some progress on this sweater tonight.
anyone missing a needle?
I was walking to BobaKnit in downtown Mountain View tonight and found a single 4mm bamboo DPN in the middle of Evelyn Ave. I picked it up, assuming it must belong to a BobaKnitter. No one claimed it though. Now I feel bad that some knitter went back and looked for that needle and it was gone!
Anyone missing a needle?
someone stole cookie’s face
I was in the Starbucks in Carlsbad a couple of weeks ago and was staring idly at the employee photos while waiting for my drinks. For a couple of seconds I started to think that Cookie was secretly working there.
She isn't, of course, but that lady certainly does a good Cookie crazy face.
the sheep free knitter 