Evil Eye

I hardly know what to say in response to the generosity and kindness I have been shown, other than, of course, thank you. In the last few days I have been given 2 baby showers. The first, on Saturday, was hosted by Sara and Brandy, with the help of Lane and Dan. We had a wonderful time surrounded by family and friends, ate tasty food, and enjoyed a sunny (and windy) day outside. They were kind enough to not subject me to the traditional baby shower games, for which I am eternally grateful! Later on we went inside and lounged in Sara and Lane’s apartment and opened up the beautiful gifts. This kid is going to start out life surrounded by some seriously cute and thoughtful stuff.

Then, to my complete surprise, another party was thrown for me at the South Side Stitch n’ Bitch! I knew Karen was coming with a lovely blanket she crocheted for me:

But I had no idea that everyone was planning such a lovely surprise for me. And, can I tell you how impressed I am at how well they know me? For example:

Wow!  I should have kept taking pictures, more people and food kept coming, but once I sat down with a piece of that cake, and some chocolate covered strawberries, I settled down into a happy place.  Dude, the cake had layers of cajeta!  But most of all, I am really touched that my friends wanted to do this for me and the baby that we haven’t even met yet, it really means the world to me.

Whew, World Wide Knit in Public Day was already a week ago, I can hardly believe it! We had at least 93 people gathered in Millennium Park to knit, crochet, spin, swap yarn, and donate yarn, needles and books to Interim House. The weather was outstanding, and although we overwhelmed security, I think I can safely say that a great time was had by all, well, except maybe security.

You can read more about it at the YarnCon Blog, which Sara and I maintain. In fact, please head over there and read about how you can contribute to the shipping costs for all of the wonderful yarn, needles and books collected that day. It is way too much for any one of us to ship out, and we can really use your help.

Just look at all that stuff!

Or, you can donate from the comfort of this very blog! Just click on the donate button (or PayPal text since I can’t seem to get the button to show up here):

I was warned I would miss regular sleeping, and I do.  All in all, I have very little to complain about.  I feel very healthy, I am just having trouble getting a full night’s sleep.  Usually I have some trouble falling asleep if I decided to take a nap, something I still haven’t gotten the hang of doing.  But this time I was woken up by a loud engine starting outside, and a weird dream, and I have been up ever since.  Oh well, at least this time maybe the nap won’t interfere with sleeping later.  Honestly, I am getting enough hours of sleep a day, it is more the frustration of not being able to fall asleep when I want to.  When I was younger I really struggled with insomnia, and I get a little paranoid about going through that again.  But I know it is not insomnia, it is trying to sleep comfortably with a huge belly in the way.

Yesterday Scott and I took an infant care class, reality is really setting in.  It was a good class, it covered the basics of what to do with the little guy once we get him home, what to expect, etc.  Did you know babies lose weight for the first couple of days after birth, before they start to gain weight?

I’ve been knitting of course, and I have gotten back to my spinning wheel and bench after a short hiatus.  We went camping for a week, which was mighty relaxing for me, since I guess no one wants to be the one that made the pregnant lady do anything.  Honestly, I felt kind of lazy, I hardly even did dishes, since at least on one occasion Scott got them done before I even woke up.  I didn’t take my usual walk down to the creek, since that is a tricky hike normally, but we did walk around the woods on some of our well known paths.  When it wasn’t too wet out (of course we got rain) I sat around the fire knitting.  I am still slowly working on the 2 blankets, but I did finish a bib, and am working on this little bunny made out of a knit square.

Plans are coming together for this year’s World Wide Knit in Public Day in Millennium Park on June 14th.  Not only will we be knitting (and crocheting and maybe even spinning) in public, there will also be a yarn swap, and collection of yarn and knitting needles and crochet hooks for Interim House, a woman’s shelter, and the assembling of Afghans for Afghans (if you have any 7″ X 9″ rectangles, you can add them to the afghans.)  Plus, we will have some swag, so please join us.

Also, there is still time to sign up to be a vendor at YarnCon.  So, if you or anyone you know wants to sell goods to the yarn loving public, please apply!

I really have been knitting, and doing many crafty things, I just keep putting off posting about these activities. So, what have I been doing?

On top of not posting, I haven’t been great about taking pictures of what I have been working on either, but I do have a few pictures.

Do you sense a theme here? The first is the Fixie hat from the pattern by Larissa Brown. The Second is the Pinwheel Blanket, from the pattern in Knitalong, also by Larissa Brown. The third is an All-star sneaker bootie from the pattern by Brooklyn Handmade. Yup, baby items. Which brings me to the other project I have been working on:

(Picture taken at Yarn School, I was 27 weeks along.)

I’m busy making a baby.  This is part of why I have not been posting much.  I have been waiting to post about it, and when ever I sit down to write, it feels strange to withhold something so important.  It’s not like I reveal everything I do on this blog, hardly, but still, this is pretty huge.  But, having been through a miscarriage before (see, I didn’t tell you that either), I knew I wanted to be pretty far along before I shared the news with the blog reading world.  Now I am firmly into my third trimester, and feel like it is time to fess up.

So, there you have it.  But that is not all I have been doing!  I am also helping plan World Wide Knit in Public Day, which takes place on June 14th in Millennium Park in Chicago (and in cities all over the world, if you are not local to Chicago, go to the website, and see where you local event is taking place.)  Please join us if you can, and it’s not just for knitters, crotchers, spinners, and anyone making stuff with yarn is welcome.  There will be a yarn swap, a collection of yarn and knitting needles and crochet hooks for Interim House, a woman’s shelter, and 9″ X 7″ afghan rectangles for Afghans for Afghans (including a group you can join to sit around and assemble the blankets.)

I’m also, of course working on YarnCon with Sara, and we are still accepting applications, so please, if you make stuff yarn lovers would enjoy, or know someone who does, please contact us at: info (at) yarnygoodness.com
Whew!  That is a lot.  So, I am taking a little break.  I will be away from all things electric for a week, starting May 20, and returning May 27.  Needless to say, I am taking my knitting.

Yikes!  I almost forgot to mention that on Saturday Woodlawn experienced its first farmer’s market of the year at 61st and Blackstone, and all of the gardening we (mostly Scott) got done.  I am so happy to have a local farmer’s market!  But, I have much to do, and will have to post more when I get back.

I forgot to mention that I did finished the “Blue Ribbon Scrap Wrap” in time for Yarn School. It was just what I wanted, something warm but not too warm. Just right for those Spring days in which the weather can’t make up its mind.

Ever since I got back from yarn school, I can’t get enough of spinning.  I am thinking differently about my approach to how I spin yarn, how much twist to give the singles and the plies, and how to split up the top to get desired color effects.  I spun up the sample from Maisy Day, and I love the results.  The colors line up for the most part, but with lovely bits of overlap, that make for a very pretty 2-ply yarn.  And it is the most even weight yarn I have spun to date.

Today I started washing my alpaca fleece.  I did just enough to dry on a screen I use to dry sweaters.  I figured if I messed up, I didn’t want to waste the whole fleece.  I am pleased to report no felting at all, and it smells very nice now.  As if I was not already glad to own a washing machine.  As soon as it dries, I will try hand-carding some rolags and see how it spins.

Now to decide, sit outside and knit, or put up a couple of shelves.  It seems a shame to not get those shelves up, but it is an awfully nice day.  Hmmmm…..

I don’t even know where to start. Yarn School was an amazing experience. I left with new knowledge, inspiration, fiber, and friends. I have been more excited than ever to sit at my spinning wheel and try out new techniques (I am really enjoying spinning silk from the fold, and just used up my sample. Need…more…silk…), and can hardly decide which fiber to try next. There is the stuff I dyed in the dying workshop, there are the copious samples we were given from different dyers and spinners when we arrived, plus the batts I made when trying out the drum carders. Plus, once I decide what to spin, I get to think about how I want to spin it! I’m the one who is spinning!

Nikol Lohr, the teachers, and helpers were amazing. I was feeling a little star-struck about getting to take classes from Adrian from Hello Yarn, and Sarah from Maisy Day Handspun. I’ve been admiring their yarn, and reading their blogs for some time now. Not only do they make fabulous yarn and dyed roving, they are really good teachers, which in my opinion is much harder than just being good at something. Yarn School takes place in an old rural high school, with the grade school serving as the dormitory. It’s a great setting, and we had so much space to work and play in. We had access to fiber, and tools all the time, room to just hang out and practice our new skills or just relax and knit. They also did not mess around when it came to meals, the food was great! Every morning started out with good coffee, and a pitcher full of fresh waffle batter next to a waffle iron! How fresh is that? I wish I had taken more pictures in the cafeteria, but I was sleepy and/or hungry upon arrival, and ready to go do the next thing after meals, so I didn’t think of it then.

Here is a small sample of the pictures I did take, plus a picture of me spinning, and the class picture, both taken by John Wise, and I will leave it at that for now. I wish was more articulate about how great a time I had, but too many thoughts are coming to me at once.

Hey kids, I am off for a few days to learn all about yarn at Yarn School!  I’ve been busy taking pictures of inventory for Evil Eye for a new and improved website, and spinning the last of the mystery roving I won at the Michigan Fiber Festival last year (woo-hoo!).  Not to mention the fun a couple of weeks ago at the Bobmas Eve parties.

I’ll be back with yarny knowledge and pictures, of course.

Nothing like a couple of bright, sunny days to get me moving again. I feel like I just woke from a long slumber. The short winter days always make me feel like I am moving in slow motion, and sap the motivation to do anything about it. But this weekend it was Spring! I planted more seedlings, re-potted a couple of houseplants, cleaned up my sewing table at long last, and actually got some sewing done for the first time in far too long. The sewing machine and table had been buried with clothing needing repair or alterations for so long, it was daunting. But once I cleaned it all up, and got to work, I didn’t want to stop! Pants are hemmed, a dress was turned into a skirt, tears were mended, and now I am thinking I want to get to some of the patterns I have laying around.

I love feeling motivated like I did this weekend. I started a new knitting project (yes, I know I have 2 blankets in the works, but I want to wear the “Blue Ribbon Scrap Wrap” from Knitalong at Yarn School) too. I am excited to be knitting it with yarn that I spun myself.

On Sunday we met Khurshid and Amy for dinner at Siam in Uptown for some yummy Thai food. We decided to head over early so we could walk around the neighborhood, and take in some sunshine.

Don’t forget to visit your local yarn store this Thursday, April 10, to celebrate Bobmas Eve!  We have a list of participating stores on our YarnCon Blog.

prices for vinyl fencing test

I have to make this eventually, I don’t see how I can’t.

http://www.missginsu.com/2008/03/bacon-cake-yay.html

I already enjoy the Vosges Bacon Bar, but feel it can use more bacon. This cake seems like the ticket. Plus, I get to make cake!