It's Time to Vote
The Teeny Project Runway show is up! Go here to view the show and vote (for me, please!). Truthfully, there are so many stupendous entries. It's just an honor to be among them.
International Pajama Day
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A Bit of Fluff
All other works in progress were set aside this weekend in favor of creating an entry worthy of the Teeny Project Runway contest over at Mason Dixon Knitting.
It's a teeny tiny wiener Beanie Baby sweater. Just the antidote to a high pressure week at work. Thanks to Ann and Kay, I've had a fun weekend! I can't wait to see the other entries.
*edited to add:
Just to give you an idea of scale, she is posing next to my iPhone.
Not Much
Really? I got nothin'. But the Girlie sent me this link, and I'm passing it on. For your Cute Overload of the day. Oh. My. Goodness.
In Review
During my trip to New York, I visited two fiberholic haunts: Knitty City and Habu Textiles and enjoyed my visits to both.
Knitty City is a homey little store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with a great selection of yarn for all your knitting needs. The store's self-billing as the "friendliest" yarn store in New York (on the website) had me dubious, but I have to admit that Pearl Chin, the owner, was on site, helpful, and very friendly. She apologized for the wait at the cash register, took one of my Moo cards, expressed interest in what I was working on (socks for Brenda), and gave me a nice little promotional bag - even though I didn't have the coupon like Julie did.
Somebody was teaching in the back room and someone else was assisting those knitting at a table in the main room. Lots of activity, lots of yummy yarns, all in all a nice experience. Very like my LYS at home.
Habu Textiles, in the Garment District, couldn't be more different. I have to say, the first time I went there, in 2004, I was disappointed. I'd been to the Habu booth at Stitches West. The booth was mobbed, mostly because they had the most unusual selection of yarns at the show. I'd envisioned all those beauties in a roomy shop space - like Artfibers, with the yarn displayed so it just makes you want to buy it. Wrong. It's all about the textiles at Habu. The larger showroom is for showing off the unique textiles, not the yarn. The yarns are all displayed in hanks crammed onto one wall of a narrow closet-like room adjacent to the showroom. There is no friendly staff there to greet you, but you can hear activity in the weaving workshop beyond the walls. When you're ready, you have to poke your head in the back and ask for help - or ring a bell, which I noticed after the fact. So similar to the booth at a yarn show, except that you don't have to fight through the throngs to get to the yarn. And the yarn is discounted at their shop. And there's plenty of it.
With the above in mind, when I went back this time, I knew what to expect. I knew what I wanted to buy (this yarn to make this). I appreciated being in the showroom, and spent a lot of time looking at all of the yarn. And I came away with a spare 4 oz. of yarn for the sweater I want to make and nothing more. Nice easy purchase, plenty of time, no crowds to battle. I'll probably go back next time I'm in New York.
So here is the sum total of NY yarn purchases:
Two 1.75 oz. hanks of Shi Bui Sock 100% Superwash Merino in the Pebble colorway, purchased at Kitty City. Four oz. of A-174 Cotton Gima 100% Cotton in Navy, purchased at Habu Textiles.
I was a very good girl.
C is for...
CAT!
With all you've already read about the ups and downs of having dogs on this blog (and I snuck an entry of Timothy's into the links), you might never know there is a well-loved cat who lives in our home. Her name is Papi (pronounced "Poppy"), and she is a very social, talkative, and affectionate girl.
Papi loves to be picked up and scratched under her chin.
Soon as you start scratchin' she starts purrin'. It has been that way since the first time I held her at the Humane Society...twelve years ago. She also likes to have her tail pulled. Really, she comes back and asks for more - I'm not kidding.
It has not always been easy for Papi, living in this house full of dogs. Matter of fact, she nearly abandoned us when Zelda and Snooty were puppies. She took to hanging out with Fran, who lived around the corner. Though she was always considered "our kitty" (Fran never fed her), Papi loved the peacefulness of Fran's garden and the welcome into Fran's quiet house. For a while there, it became a nightly ritual for us to visit Fran, pick up Papi, feed her at our house, and let her out again to return to her refuge at Fran's. Fran even made up a little song, which she sang for me ("Who's that knocking at my window, tap, tap tap...?") on one of those nightly visits. And it was Papi who was keeping Fran company - sitting patiently at the foot of her bed - on the day Joe couldn't wake her up.
Now that we have become a one dog and one cat home, it's nice and quiet here. Quiet enough for our lovely, silky, chatty Papi to keep us company.
So, despite the fact that she is damned hard to photo,
C is for Cat.
And also for Change of Color.
It's a rich Port Wine.
One more thing...
Finally! Photos of the Harlot Poncho:
Cast on: December 2, 2007
Cast off: February 4, 2008
Pattern: A Very Harlot Poncho by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun - Gothic colorway (790-338)
Needles: US 10.5 circular
My first FO for 2008!
Sweet
I haven't got much time today - still trying to catching up with things that accumulated while I was out of town. Thank goodness this is Friday, and followed by what looks like will be a lovely, sunny, three-day weekend. That's sweet.
But this is sweeter. It shows the Girlie's beau and her dogs. And it has me sniffling.
Aw. Sweet.
New York In Pictures
Tea at MOMA
My pal Joan
Brother Tim
Monet
Julie!
Audubon's Aviary at the New York Historical Society - simply awesome.
Looking Back
Too late, it was closed.
Muji Soho
Coming Home
Just in time
A Little New York
I spent the last couple days in the company of my loved ones. Today is my last full day here and I'm on my own. First stop? Habu (Thanks for the suggestion, M-H! And don't worry, Bobbi, it's not a spree -but I am on vacation.) Then on to the discount stores: Loehmans, Filenes, Daffys, maybe even Century 21. You never know what you will find, you have to be patient, but it's sure to be a bargain!
I'd leave you with photos, but I don't think it's possible from the iPhone, versatile as it is. And now it's time to layer up and venture out into the bitter (11 Fahrenheit) cold and windy weather.
On the Road
Jet lag, combined with a tendency toward insomnia, is brutal. But it does not diminish my joy at spending time with my pal and my brother. Yesterday, the three of us toured the "new" Museum of Modern Art, the first time for all of us since it re-opened. Today, I'm off on an adventure planned by the Girlie's best friend. I think it includes a trip to Knitty City.
Posting from my iPhone and I haven't yet figured out if I can add photos. That adventure will have to wait for later.
