Sunday and a sock tale

I ordered a little bit of Fortissima Colori sock yarn from Elann this week: two balls each of "Irish Mists," "Harvest Apple" (Wowza! That's a bright one!), and "Tropica." I like the colors, and of course, the price doesn't hurt. Sock yarn hardly counts as stash anyway. I brought it home and set it aside for later, after I finish the second Go With the Flow sock. I'm on the heel flap, about to turn the heel, and it's good knitting. I'm plugging away on Dulaan hats, too, and I want to finish the knitting part of my Amazing Twining Lace scarf so that I can begin the necessary mental preparation for The Grafting. All in all, this is a good week for knitting.

But then, almost before I knew it, I had knit this:

It's the cuff of Nancy Bush's Rib and Cable socks from the Fall issue of IK. No matter how hard I try, I can't control myself. I have no will power. I am weak. Pathetic. Seduced and helpless.

The Go With the Flow sock, however, has other ideas:This is a rapidly developing story, so stay tuned.

~:~:~

My local knitting circle reconvened on Thursday, and it was, shall we say, interesting. I took my place at the table with much enthusiasm, thinking that this would be like a real live KR, and everybody would share and gab and become fast friends in that special Knitterly way. There was a strange vibe -- was it Shyess? Defensiveness? I don't know you so I'll just knit this sock-ness? I sat back and tried to be quiet (I had begun to feel like a Party Girl, which I am most definitely not). I think I'm hungry for some Real Woman Bonding, and I need to lower my expectations here. This is a diverse group of women who have come together because they knit, and they're probably looking for the same things I am, but whatever it is will have to develop over time. Isn't that how it happens in knitting circles in the rest of the world?

I had to stop listening to Sound and the Fury. It's not a listening book, it's a reading book. It's very powerful and strange (in a good way) and I'll get back to it soon. In the meantime I'm listening to Room With a View, which I adore because it is set in Florence, and I miss Florence. I've also joined the Knit One Read Too book group, and the October book is Yellow Jack by Josh Russell. I ordered a copy from my favorite local bookstore: me!

So it's Sunday. The Here and There scarf is drying (if Miss Annabelle can keep her not-small rear end off of it, it will be dry today). The laundry du jour is in mid-cycle, the weather is absolutely gorgeous, and I am going to a birthday party for J's mother, who is turning 91 years old. I've known her for 33 years, too!

I hope your Sunday, like mine, is just the way you like it.

Quiz time

This is RoseByAny's doing:

1. What is your occupation? Bookseller-in-charge at an independent bookstore. That's the same as manager, but I like the word "bookseller."
2. What color is your underwear? Purple. No. Pink. I had to check.
3. What are you listening to right now? The hum of the air conditioner.
4. What was the last thing you ate? A Luna bar.
5. Do you wish on stars? Not in a long, long time.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Burnt orange or periwinkle blue.
7. How is the weather right now? Muggy, after a bit of rain.
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My friend K, who was on the way home from work this evening and had a little time to yack while he was in the car.
9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes! Never met her, but I think we'll remedy that at the KR Retreat.
10. How old are you today? 50. Five-oh. Half-century.
11. Favorite drink? Morning coffee at Villa Vignamaggio in Tuscany, where you get your own little pitcher of hot steamed milk, and a little spoon that clinks just right as you stir.
12. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball and downhill skiing.
13. Have you ever dyed your hair? Hell yeah! (That was such a good answer that I had to borrow it.)
14. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Glasses. Can't see a thing without them.
15. Pets? One cat, but she is a handful. And a lapful. In a good way.
16. Favorite month? April or September. I love the changing seasons.
17. Favorite food? Sweet? Ice cream, preferably sinful chocolate. Not sweet? I second Amie's fettucine alfredo, only I like mine carbonara, with bacon.
18. Favorite day of the year? Winter Solstice.
19. What do you do to vent anger? Have a fit.
20. What was your favorite toy as a child? The dollhouse that had been our mother's. It had the original furniture, porcelain dolls, and real wooden doors that opened and closed. And little sheets and pillowcases. And tiny, tiny silverware.
21. Fall or Spring? Fall.
22. Hugs or kisses? Hugs.
23. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry.
24. Do you want your friends participate in this? Yes. But how will they find it? None of them knows I have a blog.
25. Who is most likely to respond? I don't know. Hello? Is anybody there?
26. Who is least likely to respond? See above.
27. When was the last time you cried? Last week.
28. What is on the floor of your closet? Dirty laundry, shoes, Ashford bobbins, a television, some books, a few baskets, and empty plastic bags. I don't know how it got that way, I swear!
29. Who is the friend you have had the longest? My friend J, who I met on our first day of college in 1972. Our little college made the roommate assignments alphabetically. What are the odds of that working?
30. What did you do last night? Watched TV, had a bit of dinner, talked on the phone and surfed online, knitted a third of a Dulaan hat.
31. Favorite smell? The ocean. The air just after a cleansing rain. Bread baking.
32. What inspires you? Seeing the inspiration of others. Creativity. Courage.
33. What are you afraid of? Being stuck in traffic on the middle of the Verazzano Bridge and it's bouncing and swaying just enough so that I actually notice that I'm sitting on a bunch of cement suspended from cables. Oh, and losing people I love.
34. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese.
35. Favorite dog? My sweet Jillaroo, who was an Australian Shepherd.
36. Number of keys on your key ring? Five.
37. How many years at your current job? Ten years this summer!
48. Favorite day of the week? Sunday, when I don't have to go to work.
49. How many states have you lived in? 5, plus Washington DC.
50. How many cities have you lived in? Actual cities? 2. Houses? 19, no 20.

Rave

I did a little yarn shopping today, but not for myself. My dear niece B, who's just started college in Michigan, learned to knit this summer. Sort of. We were in a motel in Maryland, I was knitting, she said let me try, I said here, use these needles and this extra ball of yarn (Crystal Palace bamboo circs and Peruvian Cashmere!) and off she went. Sort of. Her knitting sloped, it slanted, it had amazing unintentional texture, but it was knitting, and she was having fun.

Then I'm back at home in New York, and the next thing I know, I get a call from her. They're in the car, driving back to Chicago, and the knitting came off the needles. It's dark, and she's bouncing around in the way back of the SUV, but she wants to start over. Three attempts later (three dropped calls, that is) and I have to hope that she's got it. Let me just say that telling someone how to cast on over the phone is not easy, and that hanging on to the phone, listening, and casting on is no piece of cake either.

I found out later that the needles broke (sat upon, I suppose) but B had gone off to college with a new pair of an unknown size, and that same old ball of cashmere. Good, but I can improve on it a bit. So that's what I did today. Two balls of Moda Dea Cache in a color called "Rave" and a pair of Clover straights, size 10.5. I started a garter stitch scarf for her, so that she could knit right away. She's a process knitter already -- she needs to occupy her hands -- and she can learn to cast on next time. Now I just need her address!

Oh, and B's wonderful sister R reports that all her house mates at her college have taken up knitting, and that they "don't do anything but sit at home and watch TV and knit." That sounds familiar to me!

Speaking of knitting and TV, which are best done together, last night I finished the Here and There scarf, and all it needs is a little blocking. I'm at the heel of the second Go With the Flow sock (finally), and then I'll be free to get to work on my Manos sweater (which at this point I am afraid will make me look like a Tutti Frutti Michelin Woman, but I'll keep going anyway). Knitting is good, isn't it?

A Sunday treat

I scooped up the R's, their mother J, and their pal I for a long-awaited watercolor afternoon at Morton Wildlife Refuge in Sag Harbor. I've lived here for 12 years, and yet I've never really explored this beautiful place. It has a maritime forest, dune bluffs, beaches, marshes, and shady paths where chickadees will perch on your hand if you have bird seed for them. [Okay, if you forgot to get seed, and all you have are bread crumbs, they'll light, stare at your palm in confusion, and fly away. Ask the kids how they know this. The path was declared "Chickadee Heaven" anyway.]

We set up our plein air studio on the deck (thank you, Park Service!) that sits on the sand between Little Peconic Bay and Noyac Bay. Here I, J, R and R are facing Clam Island, that mound of green in front of them. Three of the five of us immortalized that view. [We'll probably hold a group exhibition once we get an agent.]


So we became artistes for the afternoon. It was incredibly bright, and hard to photograph, but you get the idea. The day spent together and outdoors was absolutely delightful. [We're not counting the moment when one R tumbled backwards off the bench and landed on her elbow; but it's okay because nothing's broken, and she gets to wear a sling for the next few days.] Our paintings make us smile. The R's are my favorite people in the whole world, and their mother and I have been best friends for 33 years.

This is where I get to live. This is available to me every single day, if I choose it. My world still contains tragedies, sorrows and heartbreak, just like yours does; but I can always turn to these friends and these surroundings for comfort and reaffirmation. I'm blessed beyond measure. After yesterday, and after Katrina, I am counting my blessings and trying to share them.

:~:~:~:

Knitting, you say? Knitting? I am one foot away from finishing my cabled scarf; my knitting group starts up again this Thursday (yay!); I'm making a big old Rhinebeck Wish List. That's the knitting right now!