at last, here are the purchases from Purl, I was very restrained, or overwhelmed, otherwise if this was my LYS, I would be bankrupt!
I have some ideas what I might use the (small) amounts of yarn for, but I'm hoping to keep it for myself!
This is the "Green" issue of the Knit1 magazine, reduce reuse recycle - one lady made a wedding frock out of recycled sweaters!
...trying to get a close up of the yarn, from left to right, Koigu KPPM, Baby Camel, and Silk,angora,wool mix from Eden - aahhh!
Aren't they lovely!
Things are a bit slow on the knitting front just now - I'm still working away on the colinette shawl, which is so soft and lovely - so far its more like a headscarf than a shawl, but from little acorns grow might oaks ... or small skeins , large shawls . There are still a few WIPs in the basket (some for a longer time than others), so I am trying to refrain from starting any new projects (cough, splutter).
Still a bit jetlagged, body is completely confused and gets tired at strange times (lunch time???) Hopefully I will feel fighting fit this evening, in time for Flavaknits. We're trying to work out what to do for "Knit in Public" Day next Wednesday (June 9th). Rowan are advertising it, and encouraging knitting clubs to join in. Unfortunately the weather is not so good here, so it may need to be an indoor public place .
Most of the photos I am in are terrible, so I will not subject you to many (if any!). The buildings look more wonderful in real life , there are so many beautiful Art Deco buildings , which are my favourite.
The Chrysler building from 5th Avenue - it really is stunning, and you catch sight of it at 42nd Street/Lexington - if it wasn't so busy I could stand and gaze for hours.
This building was in the Financial District, not sure of its name or what its for but it looks wonderful.
This lady is stood on a wee island looking a bit lonesome, until you get up close . I was amazed at the traffic on the river, not something I associate with NY.
Now we're talking - this is Purl, enter at your peril! The contents of the bag will be revealed tomorrow
Also managed to fit in a visit to the Subversive Knitting and Lace exhibition. The two items that stood out were the evening gown knitted from dollar bills, and the clothes knitted from newspapers (Financial times). Also , the knitted pictures/photos - photos had been machine knitted, using black and white yarn to create the picture effect. It was quite amazing.
Yesterday was Memorial Day in the US, and there was a parade at central park, but somehow I missed it! However I did not miss the lovely (Kosher) Hot and Crusty Bakery and its delightful cheesecake ! It was so warm that sitting on the sidewalk in 3rd Avenue felt wonderful. I had made a last trip to the toy store FAO Shwarz (almost flattened in the rampage by all the kids on holiday!), and had a wee bite to eat in Trump Tower, and too soon it was Goodbye NY!
Newark Airport was great, I had checked in online, and everything went well, even the flight was fine I didn't get much sleep.
When I got home I was welcomed by lovely big hugs from the boys - tear to a glass eye stuff! Then poor Junior jnr took an upset tummy - welcome home mum indeed!
Will post pictures of yarn purchases etc. etc. ec. tomorrow, as in need of a sleep (and still to do Tesco shop - yep Hubby hasn't mastered the art yet!) Oh well, back to auld claes and purridge(old clothes and porridge) indeed.
Well this will be my last post from HOT and HUMID New York.... sniff its time to go home tomorrow. Yesterday the heat was sooo oppressive that no sleep was had last night - and it had been a busy (shopping) day ! Went to SoHo and found the knitting shop Purl - oh my , it was sensory overload, I didn't know what to choose. In the end I took a skein of baby camel yarn, some koigu and some alpaca/angora/silk tussah mix! I passed on the silken straw and Manos Del uraguy, but I may regret this later.
Well thats the rain on, but its still a bit hot and humid, hopefully this will clear!
Anyway, got my picture taken outside Purl, and had a lovely lunch in one of these wee fancy bakeries before heading to the clothes and makeup shops. Had a wee look in Dean and Deluca and got lots to taste before buying a coffee and cupcake....CUPCAKE it was more a MUGCAKE...HUGE! Fabulous! Soho is very arty crafty type place , and I'd definitely go back. Dinner was at a wonderful Sushi Restaurant called Sushi Seki - words fail to describe how good it was, but I did not need desert , and I'm a desert kinda girl!
Today was a wee bit cooler, and we took the
Staten Island ferry to see the Statue of Liberty/Brooklyn bridge - if you remember that episode in SATC where the sailors were in town - it wwas like that. Except the sailors looked young enough to be my kids! And the officers looked the same age as me (children of the sixties!) Saw the Statue and Ellis Island - got off at Staten Island, ran round and got the ferry back, along with the other 300 people .
Spent a pleasant afternoon in Central Park reading Vogue Knitting publications, then met up with Nicolas' friend to go to the cinema - first cinema I've been in that I could take coffee and cake into - film was lovely, had a wee sniffle and lady next to me handed me a hankie (she was sniffling too!)
Have had a fabulous time, and would come back, its been exhilirating, exhausting and FUN, but I miss my three boys! Get me a plane!
So I am walking down Fifth Avenue, heading for Grand Central Terminal, (Very Sex in the City, or for younger viewers Madagascar!) and who do I bump into but .... Jimmy Nail! So I do what every self respecting Scots person would do - I walk straight past (well he looked like he was in a middle of a domestic with the wife....and he was coming off the worst!)
Now for Nans' benefit, I am sitting in my pals apartment, drinking skinny latte iced tea, using my pals laptop. This morning I took my knitting and coffee to Central Park, where lots of cute doggies tried to pinch my scone
Hoping to go down to Greenwich Village this afternoon to shop, shop, shop! Then perhaps off to staten island ferry, to get views of the city - photo opportunity.
Almost forgot - went into chinatown last night and got the best
vietnamese dinner ever for only a tenner - am going back at some point, food was great.
Weather is Hot Hot Hot, so will sign off!
and me too! Boy the noise is something else! Its Friday morning NY time, its about a zillion degrees celsius and I am working out my route for the morning - 5th Ave, lots of shopping then lunch, then MoMA for the weird knitting design thingy (or exhibition if you speak proper english!)
I'd better get a move on or it will be dinner and drinks at this rate - but the exciting news, I found a knitting shop last night on First Avenue, right next to the restaurant where we had dinner (and a glass or two of vino). I saw Vogue Knitting mags, Debbie Bliss Yarn but not much else. Still I've got my list from the lovely Amber from Brooklyns' blog, so once the toy , jewelry, make-up shop is over, and if I've got time, its the yarn I'm after!
Got a picture of the empire State building yesterday, and a NY Fire Engine, but haven't worked out how to download it from my phone to my pals laptop (thanks Nicola!). I think I've left the connection cord at home, silly me.
Right, nothing for it to get out there, I'm starving and breakfast awaits me - the city that always eats!
just a short post before I fly off to New York tomorrow! I am totally disorganised, haven't packed much yet (or decided which suitcase to take never mind pack) . Junior Jnr enjoyed a trip to the bookshop and toyshop today (oh the guilt of a mother!) and did quite nicely out of it . Juniors Dr Who magazine arrived today so he is quite happy . And I've been asked for various toys (none American!) to be brought back .
The Fyberspates cropped cardi will be accompanying me, although I hear the weather is to hit the 80's on Friday so not sure if I'll get much wear . I'll be taking a wee bit knitting (Alpaca socks? seasilk stole? ) and I have a little contingency for some yarn purchase!
Thank You Tash and Sarah for your lovely comments - my friend always said I was a bit of a closet hippie. Must have been growing up in the 70's !
My (kind?)husband pointed out that a flight to the US kinda makes me a little less green , still I don't so it every year. And I intend to walk as much aas possible while I'm there .
If I get a chance I may even post from NY (I do love the internet, I feel like a six year old again)
I have just joined Freecycle and one of the things required is a description of yourself and reason for wanting to join - I put that I was a mother of two small boys influenced by Bob the builder, Reduce Reuse Recycle! And now three of my former items languishing in the Garage are going to good homes. Waste not Want not! Thank you Sarah for your good example .
I started this post last night but the internet bombed on me and I lost it all. Had another look at Kathleens wee feather and fan baby blanket here to cheer myself up. Also had a peek here to see the brightly coloured sock yarn lilith dyed, and India is going to knit up!
Was on the Eco-worriers' blog (courtesy of the Times paper), and she is on a wardrobe challenge - no new clothes for a year! One of the problems she foresees is when her socks wear out, can she buy a new pair. I sent a comment suggesting she take up knitting socks, as any purchase is non-clothing, she will gain skills and a new hobby (perhaps increase her social life) and she hasn't "bought" any clothing!
Perhaps I should have included Liliths blog in my comment, with all her little "monkeys"!
Better post before I get bombed again!
Alas, no photos' today, the battery in the camera needs recharged and I need to dig out the card reader (and can't be bothered!).
Was at the Tramway knitters group on Sunday and spend a pleasant afternoon chatting eating and doing very little knitting - just a bit of alteration on the fyberspates cardi and a few rows of my alpaca socks.
Just before I got into the Tramway I was trying to park the car in what I thought was a very tight space. I opened the car door a little to try and see how far I could go when a youth from a White Van shouted "Come on Darlin', ye've got loads a room, keep goin' darlin" ! Its been umpteen years since anyone shouted Darlin' at me, so I giggled like a fourteen year old school girl (come to think of it , that probably WAS the last time someone shouted Darlin' at me).
There is a slight knitting slow down just now - the raspberry mohair sweater is back in the UFO basket, and although I have now finished the cropped cardi, I haven't sewn in ends,or the buttons yet . And instead of starting the baby blanket for my cousins' baby to be, I have started a one-skein wonder shawl in Colinette Parisienne. Its post blanket blues!
Thank You all for your kind comments on the blanket - Kimberly made it even more special by saying that she understood and appreciated all the work that went in to making it (tear to a glass eye....)
Well after perusing the foodie blogs, I printed off some of the recipes and on Monday I made the Fresh Trout and Taragon pie from Cherrysenglishkitchen it was divine. Even my six year old son scoffed it down and said that we should have it at least once a week ! I made some slight alterations, mainly , using puff pastry as I couldn't get hold of the filo at the local supermarket.
And even more good news on the foodie front - the Deli in Gourocks Kempock Street is opening again - hurray!
Read an interesting article in the Times the other day about the (Craft) Village of West Kilbride. Had a wee giggle, as according to the Panopticon crafting is all about popsicle sticks (thats ice lolly sticks) and sticking and gluing things,
and now I have a vision now of a village made entirely out of Ice lolly sticks and fluffy pom-poms! Obviously he has never heard of the Arts and Crafts movement, anyway I digress . Apparently the village had a high rate of unemployment, the shops had closed down due to the big supermarket moving in and things were bad . A group of crafters (no popsicle sticks in sight!) got together and started Scotlands very first craft village, and have created employment for twenty two people! My friend Karen, visited the village once, but the crafters were at a craft fair that day!
Well I'm off to look at internet sites for NY Yarn stores, and work out how quickly I can get round them all!
Was visiting a lovely German Knitters blog and came across some gorgeous foodie blogs.This is not the first time I've ventured over to the foodies - my pal India is a bit of a foodie and has a fantastic listing over at her blog. Now,I'm no Delia Smith or Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall but I do like to potter about the kitchen.
The Cherrys' Kitchen caught my eye as she is doing recipes using seasonal ingredients, and they look divine! I now have all the ingredients for the Creamy Trout and Taragon pie - its a definite for Mondays dinner . There is also a lovely crafty shop linked into this blog too , with lovely eco-friendly bags (Anya Hindmarsh eat your heart out!).
Another lovely blog is Vintage Pretty - there is a lot about organic food/eco living which lead to me a site about handmade shoes - gorgeous. There was a very interesting article on British Farming and the difficult issues it faces today. Having grown up eating local produce, I still like to choose it over foreign even in the Supermarket (although meat is better from a butchers!) And don't get me started on eggs - my local Tesco can't keep up with the demand for the rare breed ones, I've got quite a few people, including myself, addicted to them now .
I spent a lovely evening (ahem! about four hours!) online just flitting from blog to blog, taking note of recipes I'd like to use , other sites to visit.
Tomorrow is Tramway Knitting group, haven't been for a while so it'll be good to meet up with the group again and see who's knitting what for whom. And what will I be knitting ?? I'll wait to see what I pull out the bag.
Apologies to Karen for pinching her quote, but today the secret project is revealed! It is the Sudoku blanket from Simply Knitting , and it was made for Kimberly and Lewis who are getting married next Thursday in Mull. Apologies now for the gratuitous photos of the Blanket !
The five knitters look on to their masterpiece !
Marians bed is missing the blanket already !
Kimberly being presented the blanket (Lewis had to work late or he would have joined us).
Karen knitted two extra squares (assisted by a couple of glasses of wine no doubt), and made a bag for the odd bits of wool in case any darning is required .
Marian mentioned that her daughter is getting married soon, but we asked that she present a grandchild before getting married as a shawl is a much smaller undertaking! (or to put it pointedly - NOT LIKELY!)
Had finished my fyberspates cropped cardi - but frogged it back to make minor alterations and should have it finished by the weekend. I'll need some material to back the button border as the buttons are very heavy, and I'm also reducing the number to three instead of four . I have a pattern for a one skein shrug, and I think that may be the next project. I haven't decided what yarn to use, but I still haven't used my New Lanark yarn, so its a contender!
MY friend who lives in New York was over just now due to family circumstances, so it was nice to catch up before I visit her in a fortnight! And she has the address of a very good yarn shop (I'm sure they are several in NY, but time is short).
Nan, over at Stitching Time is having a Fifth Anniversary Party for her Shop, most annoyed don't have time to pop over . She is also got May specials (10% of this that and the next thing) - how much temptation can a girl stand! MUST BE STRONG (oh forget that, where's the email address ?? )
Its done, sewn up ,finished etc. etc. - the secret project. Can't publish the photo just now, just in case you know, someone sees before they are meant to, but there WILL be one on Thursday. And I just know they are going to love it.
Have finished the fyberspates cropped cardi - I like it a lot however I think I need to adjust the collar (i.e. remove completely as superfluous), add a little more to the sleeves (sleeves ?? what sleeves) and find a way to affix the ceramic buttons more securely. The buttons look great but they are a little heavy for the yarn, however I wore it to Afternoon Tea at Turnberrys' (a little Christmas gift from parents & Sister). Still, I feel after adjusting it , it will fit and wear much better.
I've also been doing a bit of frogging rippit rippit - enigma sweater from last summer is now about 2 big balls and 3 smaller ones! I plan to use it but I'll be knitting in the round as this is one yarn you do NOT want to be sewing...at all.
Last Thursday seems a long time ago, but Flavaknits night was great - Kimberley even managed to tear herself away from her Wedding preparations to join us, and Marion and Moira managed to join us again after a short break.
Kimberley knitting her Scottish Tweed Bag
Gale and Karen clicking away .
Val, Marian and Moira concentrating hard .
And the photographer finally gets captured herself! Thats the fyberspates cardi half done.
For those of you who can - take a look at the Glasgow Knit'nStitch website, not long to Thursday now!
Well last evening a few of us gathered to see the secret project to its final phase.... however a few cups of tea/glasses of wine/sudoku/hours later it still wasn't completed. Karen took a photo of the unfinished item !
We finally came to realise it may be a few more days before we see it in its completed form, but it WILL be done!
Tonight is Flavaknits night - some secret project work may be done , then again, not much is ever achieved on Flavaknits night! Much oohing and ahhing over projects/magazines/books etc. etc. etc.
I've got my cropped cardi to do now, and the slouch socks, its nice to get back to them . I think I may use some stash for another wee cropped cardi pattern I've seen, need to get my wardrobe all sorted for my NY trip!
As usual it was a beautiful 22degrees celsius today, always bright and breezy on election day . I bought all the (Scottish) papers to read up a bit more before making my final decision and thought I saw a misprint.... why was there a picture of a farmer with 4 different coloured sheep ? Outside Bathgate 4 woolly sheep were dyed the colours of the main political parties - wonder if the fleeces will get shorn to be spun into political wool ?
And in my local paper (God Bless her and all who sail in her !), there was an article on an eighteen year old first time voter, and a Granny who was the oldest voter at One hundred and three years old. When that Granny was born women didn't even have the vote, now thats a thought! It was good that both gave their reasons about what would influence their voting instead of the usual "they all tell lies, no point voting for any of them (politicians) vox pop thats being going around of late.
Will try and get some photo's this evening - Morag was knitting a doll last week and I think we may be near the finished item!
