January One -- Rhinebeck


October 23, 2007

Movement

I am fairly certain I felt my baby move this morning. I was laying in bed and I felt a sort of roll. Not a flutter or a pop but a roll. I tried to squeeze out a fart (most of the time that I think I feel the baby I can let out some gas and that convinces me I'm wrong) but to no avail. Then I think I felt it again. And then, I poked my belly. DEFINITELY felt it. I poked my belly one more time, got the response I wanted and SPRINTED out of bed to tell Georgie. So I'm going with today, October 23, 2007 (exactly five months before my due date) as the first day I felt my baby move. Today I'm 18 weeks and 2 days.

The weekend was...well, the weekend was, in a word, EXHAUSTING. I have swollen ankles and more nausea than I've had in a few weeks and headaches and it was definitely worth it to spend four days with some of my favorite people - especially the ones I only get to see once a year. There were plenty of people I didn't get to see, people I didn't get to spend enough time with, people I saw only briefly and in the moment was overwhelmed or sick and may not have been my usual pleasant self (no laughing Annie!) I hope you'll all cut me some slack. I am most definitely NOT myself.

And thanks to all the people who stopped to congratulate me and ask how I was feeling. Norma said I should blog the conversation - which was pretty much the same. I'm only giving my answers - you can guess the other half:

ME: Thank you so much! I'm feeling okay.
ME: Yeah. I did throw up today (every day in fact.)
ME: No, we don't know what we're having. We're hoping to be surprised with a human baby.
ME: Yes. They're huge. Thanks for pointing that out.

I did buy some stuff - not a lot - and my most favorite item is on order. I fell in love with a stole I saw at Chris' Briar Rose booth. Sadly, she had sold out of the yarn, but I should receive it in a few weeks. If I knit only one thing to completion this entire pregnancy, I'm determined it will be this. Details when I can actually cast on.

More than anything else, the weekend caused me to be reflective about the blog. Which isn't surprising since all of the people I met or knew before, in fact my knowledge of the the existence of the festival itself, all came about because of the blog. My 3rd year anniversary is on Friday, and I hope to renew my commitment to the blog and what it truly means to me. I might also have a contest.

I'm extremely busy these days with very much diminished energy. I wake up in a panic around the time of the third trip to the bathroom and it takes me awhile to fall back to sleep thinking about all the deadlines and work coming up in the next month. The Spin Out prizes are making me feel awful as well so I appreciate your continued patience with that. I promise they will go out soon! At least, god help me, before Thanksgiving!

Honestly, the best part of my weekend was yesterday. Georgie picked me up in Long Island and we headed to the beach. I can't tell you how much I missed him - more than ever. Being pregnant just isn't as fun without him around.

And I'm so happy to be able to puke in my own bathroom this morning. It's the little things, you know?

Posted by Cara at 09:20 AM | Comments (61)

October 18, 2007

Bring on the Sheep! Bring on the Wool!

So I'm off. If you should need me at all this weekend, I'll be the one on the bench halfway between the bathroom and the food. I'm not planning on buying much, if anything, because honestly, I'm not sure I remember how to knit.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by Cara at 09:19 AM | Comments (28)

October 26, 2006

Cotton

Thanks for all the well wishes. I'm feeling a bit better today, but I think the cold has just stalled out a bit. I'm sure it will come roaring back right in time for the weekend. And thanks for all the remedies - I'm kind of a complain and bear it martyr when it comes to being sick. I can't really take any over the counter medications - they leave me in a state of panic with a rapidly beating heart and swirling head. I'm in the sickness is better than the cure camp. Eh. It's just a cold.

I didn't get as much done on my Pomatomus sock last night as I would've wanted because I treated myself to some Vintage Bruce. We're talking 1978 - what some might consider the Golden Age. I turned off all the lights in my bedroom and sat with my lighter in hand with the music blaring and made pretend I WAS THERE. I don't care if you think I'm crazy because I had the time of my life. And when G finally got home from work I played him some of the highlights and then made pretend I WAS THERE WITH HIM. Even better. God bless the Internets. Seriously. God bless the Internets. I've said it once and I'll say it again - if anyone ever invents a time machine the first place I'm going, without a doubt, is a concert on the Darkness tour - preferably one where he does the whole Sad Eyes/Drive All Night thing during Backstreets and with the KICK-ASS intro to Prove It - me and G. Together. At the age we are now so we can really appreciate it but back then. It's a dream. Don't kill the dream.

Anyway, Pomatomus isn't a pattern I can knit in the dark. It also doesn't help that I had my hands clenched under my chin in a prayer-like position before the alter of my idol. Again. Don't kill the dream. Here's the sock as it stands right now:



The sock is STR - Sunstone - lightweight. I love it. Really and truly love it. I'm cruising along - got the pattern memorized and the yo/purl thing going good and I hope to get to the heel tonight - lots of good tv tonight. I know Cookie knit the pattern in a variegated yarn, but I really think it was made for a semi solid. Thanks again to Elli for inspiring me with her phenomenol P-socks! (If you're looking for the Sunspot color and you can't find it on the Blue Moon website - you're allowed to call or email and order it - actually any color you see here can be ordered through Blue Moon - whether it's on the website or not.)

On to the Rhinebeck stash! I think I did pretty good. Rumors abound that I bought a wheel, but I really didn't. All I did was put some money down on a Robin - but that gets me on the list. There's a TWO YEAR wait. I can get off the list at any time and get my money back. So I think of it as a maybe/maybe not purchase. A lot can happen in two years, so it's like insurance. It's a gorgeous wheel though - birdseye maple. Just beautiful.

Okay - now the real purchases!



The Sheep Shed at Mountain View Farm - 2lbs of Merino - 1lb each blue. I'm envisioning the two colors plied together for a gorgeous sweater - and maybe doing just a bit in the solids as accents. Especially the dark blue. The color isn't the best in this picture, but the dark is a very dark teal and the light is a very light teal. ;-) They are perfectly complimentary. This will be a big project, obviously.




Silk Merino blend from Cloverleaf Farms - 8oz. Celery colorway - I love how there are some blues sneaking in among the light greens. I bought this envisioning a shawl. Every festival I've ever been to I've bought something from Cloverleaf. I guess I like their stuff.




From Foxfire Fiber, I bought some GORGEOUS silk and cahsmere blend - 2oz. This is the Mt. Greylock colorway. I wish you could touch this stuff. It would make a grown man cry with its softness.

Then I came back to Foxfire on Sunday and went a little bit crazy!



This is a POUND of cormo/silk blend and it's like air. It doesn't even need to be drafted. I honestly would love to sit down RIGHT THIS SECOND and spin this until there is no more. It is that perfect.

I loved the gals at Foxfire! They were so great - and even better - they're totally into Spin Out 2007! So look for some fine Foxfire products in the prize packages this year.

Last but not least, I stopped at The Fold to say my goodbyes to Toni. I just love me a Toni hug! She wasn't there at first so I left her a note and then looked around the stripped clean booth. LOW AND BEHOLD!! What did I find?



SHEEP TO SHOE! It's a new kit from Blue Moon where in you can spin up the famous colorways for your own handspun socks. This is Carbon and I took the picture with my Carbon Jaywalkers on top. I just think it will be so very neat to spin up my own yarn and compare it to the socks I already have in this colorway. Call me crazy, but I'm loving it.

So, that's what I bought. Actually there was some sock yarn at Spirit Trail and some fiber from Indigo Moon but those are gifts so I'm not showing them and since they aren't for me they don't really count anyway. Now if only my WooLee Winder would get here I could start spinning! I don't want to start any projects until it's here!!!



Yesterday I told you today was kind of sort of special and it is. Today is my two year blogiversary and I'm going to get all mushy on your asses whether you like it or not. As you all know, I spent the weekend with some of my favorite people in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE and I met them ALL through this here blog. ALL OF THEM. How ridiculous is that? Over the past two years I have been inspired, moved and entertained more than I ever imagined possible. I have been amazed and awestruck. I have laughed. I have cried. I have been annoyed and angered. I have loved. I have hated. I have been loved and been hated. I have been taught invaluable lessons. I have been saved on numerous occasions. And I thank you all.

Thank you so much for reading my blog. Cotton for everyone!

Posted by Cara at 01:13 PM | Comments (93)

October 23, 2006

Incense, Twine & Candles

My Rhinebeck post will be more boring than most. I swear to you I packed a camera, but somehow it never made it out of the suitcase. I bought no yarn, but regret not buying yarn at Briar Rose to make the gorgeous Casino Shawl they had on display. I can't stop thinking about this shawl - I'll be knitting it very soon. I bought some really nice fiber. And I had the most fantastic time with friends, old and new.

I got home from Ann's tonight and am physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, fiberly, laughingly EXHAUSTED. I want nothing more than to snuggle in my own bed with my favorite boy and sleep for days. Then I want to wake up and see all of your fantastic Rhinebeck posts with pictures galore. Be sure to leave me your links - I'm serious. I NEVER took my camera out of my suitcase. I need to see your pictures.

I will leave you with one thing: the Soundtrack of Rhinebeck 2006. I made a two volume CD for the car ride - it's deliciously GOOFY with something for everyone. We might have laughed more about these songs than anything else all weekend. I've got a couple extra copies - leave me a comment telling me you want it - and hopefully a link to your pictures - and I'll pick a couple of winners randomly. Trust me - this group of songs had us laughing our asses off.

Volume I
1. Little House Theme Song
2. We've Only Just Begun, The Carpenters
3. Spinning Wheel, Blood Sweat & Tears
4. Love Will Keep Us Together, Captain & Tenille
5. This One's For You, Barry Manilow
6. New York State of Mind, Billy Joel
7. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (Live), JIm Croce
8. Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper
9. Jive Talkin', Bee Gees
10. Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon, Neil Diamond
11. Maggie May, Rod Stewart
12. Everybody Wants You, Billy Squier
13. Could It Be Magic, Barry Manilow
14. Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen
15. Roller Derby Queen (Live), Jim Croce
16. Super Freak, Rick James
17. Holiday, Bee Gees
18. I Feel The Earth Move, Carole King
19. Escape (The Pina Colada Song), Rupert Holmes
20. Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond

Volume II
1. Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard, Paul Simon
2. I'm A Believer, Neil Diamond
3. Celebration, Kool & The Gang
4. New York Groove, Ace Frehley
5. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, Neil Diamond
6. You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet, Bachman-Turner Overdrive
7. Close To You, The Carpenters
8. Fight For Your Right, The Beastie Boys
9. America, Neil Diamond
10. Lovely Day, Bill Withers
11. You're So Vain, Carly Simon
12. Wanna Get Funky, C+C Music Factory
13. Will You Love Me Tomorrow?, Carole King
14. C'mon Get Happy, The Partridge Family
15. Tonight's The Night, Rod Stewart
16. Barrier Reef, Old 97's
17. Old Friends, Simon & Garfunkel
18. Fellin' Groovy, Simon & Garfunkel
19. Lonely Days, Bee Gees
20. Homeward Bound, Simon & Garfunkel

Hope your weekend was grand!
Thank you!
L, C

Posted by Cara at 09:35 PM | Comments (65)

October 19, 2006

Be there AND be square.



So in about an hour I'm heading out to Ann's so we can go pick up Vicki at the airport. Vicki doesn't know I'm coming out today - she thinks they're picking me up tomorrow - so SHHHHHHHH. We get an extra slumber party night!! YAY!

I'm a square both Saturday and Sunday at Rhinebeck. I'll be carrying that lovely tote bag up there. The knee socks are ready. The Almost Everyday has been shaved within an inch of its life (and I'm still finding fucking pills.) The Soundtrack has been burned, in more ways than one. Don't ask.

If you need to know what I look like, you can check here or here or even here. I won't be wearing the fancy dress but you might catch me in a skirt. I may have found a way to make the knee highs work. (At least G approved.)

Regarding the meet-up - I'm sorry if I didn't get your name up on the list - that doesn't mean you can't come - PLEASE - COME! EVERYONE IS WELCOME! IT'S NOT JUST FOR BLOGGERS! (Info in the sidebar.)

See you on the FLIP!

Posted by Cara at 10:41 AM | Comments (21)

September 15, 2006

The Wind Beneath My Wings

Way to make a girl feel better. Sheesh. I throw myself a pity party fully expecting no one to show and then you all come and I didn't clean the house, laundry every where and I didn't have SNACKS. How can you throw a party without snacks? I'm a terrible hostess.

Seriously, though, thank you all for your comments. It's all a matter of self-judgement and rationally I know that I will never be able to attain the heights I set for myself. I know I'm good. I'm just not GOOD ENOUGH. Over the years I've tried and tried to be nicer to myself and for the most part I'm succeeding. I'm much gentler than I was, say, ten years ago. But it's hard to recode the DNA. The whole families like me - some worse than others - but still it's there.

A couple of friends and I were talking about blogging the other day too and what kind of boundaries we set on the blog. How sometimes we can meet someone who reads the blog and they can ask us a question and we're sort of taken aback because WHOA! How do you know abou that? Kind of personal no? Even though we know full well we talked about it on the blog. The things I talk about on my blog are things you'd here me talk about anywhere. I find it very hard to hold back in my personal life and see no reason why that would be the case on the blog. I'm an open book. It makes me FEEL better to talk about stuff - get it out of my head. Always out of my head. So anyway, I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here, but yesterday's little tantrum wasn't meant to illicit comments on how great I am or anything (that's what I have Ann for honestly) but more as an expression of how I'm feeling at any particular time. Think of me as your favorite two year old. If I'm feeling it, chances are you're hearing it. Lucky for my husband he has a day job. ;-)

Things improved RADICALLY as the day progressed yesterday. First off, I made myself the most awesome bowl of oatmeal EVER. G eats oatmeal a lot and I sometimes partake but after a desperate phone call on how to make it his way (half cup oats, one cup water) I played around a bit and came up with my fabulously spectacular recipe: half a cup of oats (McCann's Irish), half a cup water, half a cup 2% milk. Microwave for 2 minutes. Put a TON of honey on the top. Taste. Put more honey in there. Then sprinkle with cinnamon. YUMMMMMMMM! It was so damn good.

Then I got some work done. Then I knit a bit to take a break. Then my sister called and told me how ridiculously cute my niece was at her first day of dance class. Then I was hungry again and I went into the kitchen. I eyed the box of Microwave popcorn. Nah. I wasn't into the kernels stuck in my teeth. Then I opened the freezer to find out what kind of processed goodness we had hiding in there. Frozen corn. Hmmmm. Could I eat a box of frozen corn for lunch? Corn was obviously calling to me for some reason. Then I opened the cupboard and looked through the canned goods and lo and behold - a can of CORN FREAKING CHOWDER?! How the hell did that get there? I can't remember EVER eating Corn Chowder and G doesn't really like soup or only eats lentil and I have no idea how long the can was there but my sister said it was still good as long as the can looked okay - like no dents or bloating - so I had Corn Chowder for lunch. Dudes. I licked the bowl. PERFECTION!

Then I did some more work and got a LOT accomplished (imagine that) and finally went back to my shawl. Somehow someway I managed to get myself 20 ROWS shy of the first lace pattern. Right now I have 207 stitches and I need 247 before I start lace chart 1! WHOOHOO!


The most boring progress picture in the world! But who cares?!


The 7s really are lucky - the fabric is nice I think - a good drape, but solid still and I'm loving knitting with the yarn. Not too many anomalies at all and it's pretty damn even. Excellent work spinner girl! But you want to know what I love the BEST about the shawl. The way it smells. I swear to god I'd be done with it already if I didn't stop every five minutes to bury my nose in it. I'm not exactly sure what it smells like - maybe a little like G to be honest. I made him smell it last night and he appeased me, but oooh! It smells good. When I rinsed the yarn after I spun it I used some dishwashing liquid (Dawn Apple Blossom) but only a little bit. I don't know what it is but I LOVE it. I hope I don't lose the smell when I have to block it because I'm going to LOVE wearing this wrapped around me. It's soft AND it smells good.

And to prove that I'm in SUCH a good mood today (even though it's still MISERABLE out) I'm going to put up the sidebar sign-ups for RHINEBECK!! Kim P mentioned in the comments that it's only 36 days until the big sheep out and you know how I feel about the number 36 so today's the DAY!!! (Yeah, yeah it's early. But I've had my freaking hotel reservation for six months already and it can't get here soon enough!)




Meet-UP!
Saturday, October 21st, 1:00 PM
Outside Building E
(Which conveniently houses the Wine Tasting, the American Cheese Society,
Specialty Foods and an ATM. HUZZAH!)

I am aware that there is a Charka Demonstration with Jonathan Bosworth scheduled at 1PM as well - but it's in Building E, so maybe you can do both?

And don't forget BLOGGER BINGO!!! The Meet-Up is a perfect place to fill in your squares!

Leave me your name in the comments and I'll add you to the list in the sidebar! Tell your friends!

Have a great weekend!
L, C

PS - The sheep picture above was taken from the Sheep and Wool website. For more information about it, go to the website The artist is Jodie Rae Plaut.

Posted by Cara at 12:11 PM | Comments (85)

October 18, 2005

Wicked Nice



I think Alison has the same picture - great minds think wool!

I'm so not sure where to start. Do I begin with Thursday when Vicki ended up at my house, in the ridiculous rain, with me mid- job and mid-cleaning? I did shower to pick her up and thank god I had washed the sheets that morning. Do I tell you how Friday morning I ran around like a chicken with two heads (that seems worse almost than no head) trying to get the jobs finished so I could run to the post office, in the still ridiculous rain? Do I tell you how we stopped for shoes for Vicki - because she didn't anticipate the beyond ridiculous rain and only brought open shoes? (I'll let her tell you that.) Do I tell you that we got home and Ann called to say her and Peggy were down the block and I hadn't showered or packed yet? I just don't know.

How about I start with the 1.5 hours it took us to go about two miles (I'm being extremely literal here) because of flooding. Once again, I'm sorry girls. I wish I had read the directions better. I'd like to think I could've gotten us out of it. But still and all, I think that Ann is secretly glad we got stuck because somehow I got control of the I-Pod and Barry Manilow got extra airplay and now she has something ELSE with which to torture me. Blogless (but not wheel less!) Peggy was the BEST driver - a girl after my own heart - aggressive and pissed and the quintessential NY driver. Yay Peggy! She got us to Rhinebeck (and home) safe and sound under adverse conditions. Listening to Ann and I go back and forth cannot be easy. Thanks again!

We finally got to the hotel in Poughkeepsie (blogger central) about six hours later - including a stop for dinner - to find Kris and Michelle looking for Norma. We invited them in until the festivities started. The cake was delish! Thanks Norma - and congratulations Nathania! Bloggers flowed in and out of Norma's huge room all night. As Juno pointed out, I made the mistake of knitting something that I still needed the pattern for - not a big complicated chart - but a pattern, with like two YOs and some ribbing. I think I ripped 814 times. Next time, only socks for me (like pretty much everyone else) and st st ones at that.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early. I didn't know what knits to bring, since it was raining (AGAIN) and even though it was supposed to stop, it was going to get hot. I had brought DFS, AEC and my one and only pair of handknit socks. Saturday I threw DFS in the car and headed out. My one and only goal, as you may have already heard, was to get to the Socks that Rock Booth before anyone else. I succeeded.



l to r: Fire on the Mountain, Watermelon Tourmaline, ROCKSTAR, Petroglyphs



l to r: Hard ROCK, Azurite




l to r: Black Onyx, Obsidian, Black Onyx

Um. DUH! Ann's going to give me such shit for this, but in my haste to buy up all the SOCKS that ROCK, I missed. I wanted three Black Onyx to make a shawl - something dramatic with fringe (and maybe beads?) so I grabbed three. It wasn't until I got home that I realized only two of them were Black Onyx and one was Obsidian. Although for the life of us, Vicki and I couldn't tell the real difference. It seems like the Obisidian has a bit more brown in it and one of the Black Onyx has a lot of white, but really all of the them look pretty different. At this point, the only reason to get another Black Onyx is because of mental problems and packaging, not because of yarn and dyes. Thought you'd like that story. Oh and if you're counting up the skeins and want to call me a liar because there are only nine, not ten, one is a gift. That's right. Only one. Don't you wish you were the lucky giftee. ;-)

After SOCKS that ROCK, I really didn't care anymore about anything festival related. Oh that's not true. Please. I went shopping for a special someone and elicited the advice of many a blogger/spinner. Julia was particularly helpful. Thanks Julia!

When we finally got out of Building A, it was time for the blogger meet-up. I had mixed feelings about facilitating this one, to be honest. I wasn't going to do it. I did it for Maryland and it was disappointing to me. I think, having the 20/20 vision of hindsight, my expectations were too high. And the area we met was less than condusive to meeting. This fact alone I think contributed to the fact that the Maryland meet-up lasted like ten minutes. So I wasn't going to do it, but then Vicki was coming and she asked for it so I did it. It was great! First off, at MDSW, I picked a bad spot. It was right in the middle of traffic and the line for the t-shirts was still a mile long and, well, it just didn't work. I wanted to meet EVERYONE at MDSW because I didn't know anyone. This time, I was a little more grounded. I came with some great girls. I knew I'd see them (a little too much if you know what I mean.) Wendy and Elisa were sleeping with us that night (more on that later.) A bunch of girls I'd seen the night before. I knew I'd be seeing a bunch at the hotel later on. So for me, there was no pressure. Everyone I met at the meet-up was like gravy, you know? A very different feeling than at MDSW where I felt like if I didn't meet them then, I'd never meet them. And the spot I picked was right on. A big open thoroughfare with benches and plenty of space to linger and talk and move around. People thanked me for setting it up and really, all I did was put some names up on my sidebar. You guys did all the work - you came, you met, you (hopefully) got to talk to some great people who you really wanted to meet. That's all I asked for - and I received ten-fold. The only regrets I have is that there were people that I didn't get to spend ENOUGH time with - they know who they are and all will be rectified. Mwah! Just because I didn't hug you enough doesn't mean I don't love you! I do! I do!

Where are the pictures you ask? Welp, even though I carried that big ass honking camera around for two days, I really didn't take any pictures. Besides what you will see here - the only other ones I took are over on Kay's blog. The conditions at these shows are less than stellar for photography and I was too busy having fun with friends (old and new) to worry about getting the perfect picture. I should've left the camera in the car, but god forbid I should miss something like this:



Ann - you found the booth, right? (Kay actually spied this sign.)

So I had to have the camera. But, alas, I didn't even get a good picture of a sheep. Sorry to disappoint.

Where was I? Oh yeah. If you aren't bored out of your mind already, read on.

Midway throught the afternoon I met up with Kay and Carrie and became their personal fair grounds tour guide, if you will. Is docent more accurate? (Here on the left you have Norm Hall's wood. Large sheep testicles to your right. And there go those NUNS again! What was with the NUNS? They were freaking me out!) I hope I did a good job for them. We wandered from barn to barn to barn, meeting up with bloggers everywhere! (I can't believe I pretty much remembered everybody's name. Except for Kellee. I'm sorry Kellee. I kept forgetting your name and your blog. I know it now and won't forget! Obsession du Jour! Already in my bloglines!)

People accused me of enabling, but they didn't do too badly themselves. I got this beautiful merino barber pole yarn while wandering around with Kay:



Lisa Ann Merian's Licorice Twist yarn from The Spinners Hill Shop.
She calls the yarn Licorice Twist, not the colorway. She doesn't name the colorways. Hand-dyed and hand-spun.

I liked it so much, I went back for more:



I've got about 1000 yds of the red/orange and 500 of the blue. I'm going to make mittens out of the blue - for Sandy's Mitten A-Long. Maybe for me. Maybe for the kids. Not sure yet.

All too soon they were making announcements that the fair was closing for the day! I met back up with my cohorts and we went back to the hotel - exhausted and satisfied.

After watching Vicki and Ann get drunk on Sheep Shearer wine (there may or may not have been talk of penis tape measures. I don't know for sure - I was trying to KNIT!), we headed to the lobby for pizza and knitting. Sort of a Pepperoni laced Stitch N' Bitch. The pizza guys would come and deliver pies and we'd send them back out for more. TJ's, right? Good pie. Not NYC good, but good. We knit and spun and laughed and laughed and laughed. There was A LOT of laughing. The good kind too, not where people are pointing at you and laughing. Although, to be honest, there was some of that (not mentioning any names ANN!)

Here's where I get all philosophical and goofy. After Maryland, there seemed to be a dearthplethora (thanks Debi!) of posts lamenting the high school atmosphere. People felt left out, it was too cliquey. I was one of them. It was a hard thing, Maryland (and that's not to say I didn't have a great time!) As I said before, my expectations were very high - I knew practically NO ONE and I wanted to know EVERYONE. It's not like I didn't want to know everyone at Rhinebeck, I did. But at the same time, I didn't feel the pressure. And I would be VERY surprised if posts pop up about high school after this one. That's not to say that people didn't have that feeling. I'm sure people felt left out and snubbed and excluded (and I'm SO SORRY if you feel like I contributed to that in any way - I SINCERELY DIDN'T MEAN TO!) But the whole event had such a warm, sisterly atmosphere. People were friendly. They WANTED to see what you bought, what you knit, tell you how lovely it was, rub you up and down and ooh and ahh over your knit. They wanted you to have a good time, to have a good time themselves. I was very nervous about going - because of the feelings I had after Maryland (that this group wouldn't get along with that group, etc.) and because of the anxiety I suffered over the summer and it ALL WORKED OUT. For me, at least. Thank you Vicki, Ann, Peg, Wendy my love, and Elisa, who I didn't manage to ask about her sexual history until AFTER we slept together, for making me feel so comfortable and cared for that I NEVER HAD TO TAKE A XANAX!

I'm all verkelmpt. I MISS YOU GUYS!

You know you're all sympatico when you're safely snuggled all in bed and Vicki says, "Hey, what side of the bed do you usually sleep on?" AND WE'RE ALL FOUR OF US ON OUR SIDES OF THE BED! No discussion about who will sleep where or who snores or nothing, we all just climbed in and were immediately where we needed to be. In case you're wondering, if you're facing the bed, Vicki and I sleep on the left, Wendy and Elisa on the right.

On Sunday, when we got to the festival, I went off on my own for a bit - too much togetherness and honestly the girls were a bit slow with their shopping. At that point I was in stealth mode to try and make sure I didn't miss anything. I thought I hadn't (although reading through everyone else's blog entries it might seem that I had. I don't remember half the vendors they're talking about!) I think I went through those barns like ten times each. Don't tell anyone, but by noon I was bored. Eeek!

But before I got bored, I tried one of these:



A Majacraft Rose Wheel




Uh oh.

No, no sillies! I didn't buy it, but Peggy did! Yay Peggy! Hope you love it! But I was very, very intrigued. So intrigued that later in the day I made my way over to Robin Spinning Wheels and had Kim give me a lesson! Kim, thank you!!! It was so great to meet you! The wheel was gorgeous and I think I warmed up the seat just enough that Laurie might still be there. Or maybe she just put her name on some list. Apparently Gilbert only has a two-year wait for his wood. ;-)

I've got to say, I think I want a wheel. I'm leaning toward a Lendrum because Toni says they're fabulous and Ann loves hers and it can do everything! AND, they're not too expensive. I can get the double treadle with the works for under $500. My birthday, you may know, is only 75 days away. We'll see. I want to try some more - Jen and I might head out to The Spinnery. She thinks she's going to buying a wheel soon, so maybe I can play with hers for a bit. Or rent one. And Ann says I can come over anytime if I can brave the dogs. We'll see. I'm not making any promises to the coven, but I think a wheel might be much better for me than a spindle.

Did I buy anything else? I did - some more sock yarn, if you can believe it! Some of this will be gifted away:



Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm
100% wool on the left, 80% wool 20% nylon on the right. Hand-dyed.




l to r: Dorchester Farms Handpainted (Wendy and Elisa's neighborhood!) and the last of the Spirit Trail sock yarn!
Next year, I'm hitting Spirit Trail first. You've been warned.


And last but not least, possibly my favorite purchase of the weekend:


My sheepy hat (the last one!) and Llama shirts for the kids!

The ride home was uneventful thankfully. Vicki and I vegged on the couch all evening - and I finally cast on for the second Sunshine Sock. Now that it's cast on, though, I might just have to knit a ROCK STAR sock. It's calling to me in bright pink fuschia sounds.

We had lunch with Jen on Monday, then it was off to the airport for Vicki and back to reality for me. I can't say it enough though, what a fanfuckingtastic time! Thanks to all! See you next year!

Posted by Cara at 11:48 AM | Comments (29)

October 17, 2005

Did you hear the one about the wood?

See, now, this is how rumors get started. Laurie doesn't remember who said it, but it sure made her laugh. Wendy's taking credit for it. Kay thinks it was Juno who sent us over there, but I remember it being Knitty Amy. I'm setting the record straight right now. Whatever got us there, I was the one that went over to Norm Hall, looked him straight in the eye and said, "They told me I needed to touch your wood."

Believe me, I swear on all that is holy in knitville I had no idea what I was saying.

I won't, however, swear on a stack of Shirret rugs that I didn't know what I was saying when I told him, "I hear there's a seven year wait for your wood."

Ah, Rhinebeck. How I miss thee.

Posted by Cara at 03:56 PM | Comments (15)

Knitters That ROCK!



The weekend was so fabulous, so amazing, so inclusive and warm and fuzzy I want to throw up and I was there. My apologies to all of you that weren't. I'd be bitter too. If you feel the need to tell us to shut the fuck up already, I will completely understand and in no way will you be held accountable. But, the truth hurts sometimes and it ROCKED!

The purpose of this post, though, is to set the record straight. As you read on and on and on about the glories of this past weekend, and there were many, people may, in their excitement, tend to exaggerate. For instance, if you should read a post by a blogger that you usually trust to tell it like it is in their accounts, and you begin to read about how a panic may (or may not) have been started by the intrepid blogger that goes by the quirky name of January One that might have had something to do with SOCKS THAT ROCK and Toni at The Fold - RESIST! It's ALL LIES! I did not yell FIRE in a crowded fiber fest, I merely preformed a public service announcement. SOCKS THAT ROCK sock yarn simply ROCKS and since I had already purchased the TEN skeins you see above, I thought everyone else should get the opportunity. But that shit sells faster than Brooks Farm in the hot Maryland Sun and if you wanted your preferred colorways, you needed to get your ass over to Toni's. I was HELPING. And anyone that tells you differently didn't get the color they wanted. ;-)

Besides. A hug from Toni was one of the highlights of my weekend. Man, she ROCKS!

And yes, Vicki is still asleep in the room across from me. And no, I did not sneak into her room today (so far.) I took Georgie's pants out last night. Just in case.

More later. When I'm not so, so tired.

Posted by Cara at 08:25 AM | Comments (25)

September 29, 2005

Shouting from the rooftops....





Meet-UP!
Saturday, October 15th, 1:00 PM
Outside Building E
(Which conveniently houses the Wine Tasting, the American Cheese Society,
Specialty Foods and an ATM. YaHOO!)

Leave me your name in the comments and I'll add you to the list in the sidebar! Tell your friends!

Posted by Cara at 01:34 PM | Comments (36)