My mom made the front page of the Local section of the Lansing State Journal today. Thanks to Priscilla for spotting it right away. They do not mention her name but the photo says it all. Dance is very big in Mom and Fred’s social schedule. They get out quite often.

You can read the article online (time to again mention how much I appreciate the LSJ.com website). It’s about a “senior prom” which raises funds for senior programs (supported by a team of police agencies in the area).

Mom and Fred are dancing front and left, you can recognize mom by her beautiful long white/silver hair and her bright blue dress. I still say she has the prettiest hair I know.

And I wonder where I get my ColorJoy gene from? Hmmm…

Aaah. We were on the road 4 days last week and 4 days this week (we’d planned on 5 but came home half a day early). It was fun, but I missed home.

I am not very happy sleeping in a tent, but we do not want the hassle and cost of a trailer or RV. We are also committed to attending music festivals. That means, at least for now, it’s all about figuring out how to make a tent liveable.

We have a small Eureka tent that is great against rain. Also, when it’s really cold our body heat keeps it warm enough to sleep (last year we slept in it just above freezing temperatures, and we were warm enough).

We also love how easy our current tent is to put up. I can do it alone without any struggle, though Brian tends to be the one doing all the work.

However, we are considering perhaps a move to a tent just large enough to stand up in for changing clothes, maybe even some sort of portable bed. If anyone out there has any experience with this, I’d love to hear what you know.

We had a LOT of rain this week on the road, inches and inches on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. There was standing water after several of the storms. Fortunately, we could take shelter while the sky broke loose, and we did have more time without rain than with it; the storms were short but mean.

We got home after dark last night, and awoke to a perfect summer day. Such a treat!

So today is a little breezy, a lot sunny, and hot, but bearable (this is Michigan, not Arizona). My kind of day. While others are sitting around miserable, I am absolutely bursting with happy energy.

It was 90F/32C today when I looked this afternoon. I do complain all winter, but right now I am so delighted I can barely hold it in!

I worked in the garden for a while. The weeds are prolific this year, between good rain and sunny days. I can not keep up in the few days I’m home. I gave it the good old college try, anyway!

I made bubble/boba tea for myself. I make it just with tapioca flavored with brown sugar syrup, and black unflavored tea. No milk or “stuff,” just simple tea and fun large tapioca bubbles. Great summer entertainment.

Right now I am typing this on the porch, my absolute favorite place in Lansing. I’m in my Mexican hammock, watching my colorful hand wash dry in the breeze. I have the laptop out here, using wireless internet. There is perhaps not a better way to spend the day.

I hope you have a wonderful summer weekend, too!

I had much fun on the 4th of July! It started in Downtown Lansing (Michigan) with a parade. I danced with Habibi Dancers. Mom came out, all by her self with a little US flag and waved it and called to me when I passed. I stopped the parade to hug her, of course.

In the middle of the day I went home. I had to change personas from Eudora (my dance name) to “Lynn Heftone” (my singing alias). So I got a nice bath, and did my sort of Clark Kent transformation. I baked a rhubarb crisp dessert and took it over to Rae’s Yarn Boutique. I could not stay for the barbecue but at least I was there in spirit, and in dessert!

I do love costuming as an artform and as a joyful part of my life. Those who know me, know I have almost nothing in my closet either red or white, and maybe a small handful of blue items.

Therefore, I went to Goodwill on Thursday and found myself a blue skirt to dance in, and a blue gown to sing in (topped with a red sequined tunic I already had in the closet). I made it work out quite well.

It’s a good thing I did not yet dye the baby alpaca circular Peace Shawl that Alison Hyde knit for me. She suggested I dye it and I’ve intended to do so, but have not done it yet. Last night I wore it white for my holiday singing engagement. It was beautiful, AND it was a protection against a few mosquitos as well.

I was done with mosquitos when we finished singing at 10pm, and it was very dark. We headed back to the car and I watched the fireworks from there. Much better!

Luckily my camera has a setting for fireworks. If you can hold the camera steady, it works well. In the car I could lean against the frame, and that did the trick. I’m going to give you six photos that I am happy with.

It was really cool, driving to a good vantage point in the car just before the fireworks started. This town turned out in force! You can see the fireworks from the parking lots of a whole lot of stores, including the Meridian Mall, Central Park Place shopping area, Wal-Mart, Meijer (huge Michigan discount store/grocery), and many places between.

Everywhere you looked, people had set up their folding chairs on the sidewalks or front yards, just everywhere. They had policemen on bicycles patrolling, and it all looked quite civilized, but the amount of people I saw all at once? I haven’t seen that on the streets since I was in Africa.

Only at concerts or sporting events do you see this sort of density around my corner of the world. It was quite the scene. It made me remember the two years I was in Boston and the one I was in Chicago, several when I was a child… just the whole gathering-together thing that happens on this holiday. It’s a lovely thing, really, the coming together… whether there are fireworks or not, no matter what your political ideals might be.

Boom! Happy 4th to those in the US. How nice it gave us a 3 day weekend this time!

(Photos: 1) Me as Eudora. 2,3,4) The Fabulous Heftones at Meridian Historical Village… thanks to Sharon’s SO, Lynn, for taking photos yet again. I owe him many favors back! 5-10) Meridian Township fireworks, taken from Meijer parking lot.)

Fun: Knitting with Beth

Last weekend I took a two-day workshop with Beth Brown-Reinsel. We learned about the Norwegian Fana Cardigan, a historical sweater type which is still worn today. It is knit in two colors, from the bottom up as a tube. Then you cut open holes for arms and the front opening. Yes, cut. It’s called steeking (though steek is apparently a Scottish word, not Norwegian).

After you cut openings for the neck, front and arms, you pick up stitches around the cut openings and you knit down for the sleeves (and up from the bottom ribbing for the buttonhole bands and neckband). You even knit built-in facings to cover up the rough cut edges. Brilliant.

The Goal

We made a tiny version of the sweater in two days. That is, some of us finished and all of us got a good part of the way. The first day I was able to finish the body of the sweater after dinner. The second day I sewed reinforcement and cut my openings, knit one sleeve , sewed in most of that sleeve, and knit one front band/facing.

I have other deadlines, so I could not go home and just finish (as I did when I took Beth’s Gansey sweater 2-day workshop, and her Norwegian mitten class). I have hope I will return to it and finish that up at some point this summer.

A Plug for Beth B-R

I really love being in Beth’s classes. She is very knowledgeable, focused, and a calming presence. This is particularly good for a class where people cut their knitting.

Many people really have a hard time with that one. I don’t know if they think it won’t work or if it’s just about “breaking” something they made. I know that one of the things I love about knitting is that I can unravel and rebuild it without losing anything but time.

However, I spent many years sewing as my primary artform. I can imagine my knitting as fabric that needs a shape cut into it. I also did my first cutting of knitting on a small tube I knit of some not-that-great yarn I had sitting around. I made the tube, reinforced on either side, and cut. And nothing bad happened. Knitting likes to run down, not sideways, it’s the nature of the fabric. And that test cut convinced me that the piece would not unravel.

Beth made a comfortable and supportive environment for those who had never cut their knitting before. It is interesting how many responses to the same activity can inspire. Even thinking about cutting handknits can be difficult at times, depending on the person.

There were a few who had a hard time starting to cut. Some knew they liked projects with this technique in it, and wanted the support of the group to get through that unfamiliar moment of the first cut. I want to pat all of those on the back, who took the challenge and got through it. We all have different challenges, but some run away. Good for you!

Meeting Gwynn

The best part about the weekend, though, may have been the fact that I got to meet Gwynn. She lives in Kentucky and came north for the weekend class. It turns out she reads this blog, and she was kind enough to start right away by introducing herself and letting me know she was a reader here.

We sat very near one another during class, and we got to take a walk one day to buy water on a break. I think we could chat a long time before running out of things to discuss. It was really a delight and an honor to meet her and make friends.

What a bonus, on top of the excellent class we both got to take.

Photos? 1) My sweater after the first cut (up the front, where button bands will go). At the bottom it looks funny, but we had made extra ribbing to attach to the button bands and put those few stitches on waste yarn to hold them until later. There is no sideways-raveling going on, no matter what it looks like.

2) The inside of my sweater, showing what the yarn does when it is not being knitted. We call that “stranding,” where the strands of the unused yarn float across the back of the fabric.

3) Gwynn cutting her sweater’s armholes.

4) My sweater, flat, with both armholes cut.

5) My sweater as it stands now, with sleeve partly sewn in and one button band complete.

6) My new friend, Gwynn (notice Beth teaching a few students in the background. I only got one shot of Gwynn that she might find acceptable (I blur everything when I’m distracted)… and trust me she’s usually even prettier than in this photo. You should have also seen the striped tee sweater she wore Saturday! she combined features from two different sweaters when knitting, and it fit her really well.

I have three things going on for the 4th. If you are in the Lansing, Michigan area, maybe you will want to join me for some of the fun.

1. First, the City of Lansing 4th of July Parade. I’ll be dancing with the Habibi Dancers (photos are of 2006, dancers before the 4th parade, I’m third from left in front with cane, in the 2nd photo). There is a press release page with details on the parade on the City web page. This is the text that matters most:

Sponsored by the City of Lansing (Parks and Recreation Department) this family friendly parade will take place in downtown Lansing on Friday, July 4, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. - Parade will step off at the State Parking Lots on Allegan Street and travel east on Allegan Street to Capitol Avenue, north on Capitol Avenue to Ottawa Street then travel west on Ottawa Street to return to the State Parking Lot.

2. Rae’s Yarn Boutique is having a potluck, barbecue (she provides chicken and hot dogs) and the first day of her 3-day summer clearance sale. (I’ll be there for some of the knit in but probably not the barbecue) She sent out a notice and wrote it up on her blog, Extravayarnza. Basically, this is the important part:

Join us at Rae’s Yarn Boutique July 4th!
Knit-in All Day
Grill starts up at 5pm
Bring a dish to pass or a small donation towards the main dish
Remember your knitting & a folding chair.
We’ll head down to the riverfront for Fireworks in the evening!

3. Brian and I/The Fabulous Heftones will sing at Meridian Historical Village from 7:30 to 10pm (fireworks start at 10:15). The address I have finally figured out, it’s Central Park in Okemos, 5151 Marsh Road. That should help fans of online driving instructions/maps.

We are not the only thing going at this large gala… Meridian Township issued a press release/fact sheet (in Adobe Acrobat PDF format) if you want all details. Here is an excerpt:

• Children’s Area with giant inflatable games
• Live Music by the “Fruitflies” near Central Park Pavilion and the “Fabulous Heftones” in the Historical Village
• U.S Marine Corp Color Guard Flag Ceremony (dusk)
• Mascots from local businesses
• Food from Little Caesar’s Pizza, Ice Cream from Melting Moments, Tony’s Hot Dogs, Culver’s Frozen Custard, and Subs from Guido’s
• Meridian Historical Village Tours
• Fire and Police Department Demonstration Area
• FIREWORKS AT 10:15 PM

We got a LOT of rain on July 2. It came down so fast and so hard, it was a mess to drive on streets that are normally no problem in normal rain. There were flood warnings, and a bit south of us they had a lot of hail. Mom says they had enough to need shovels.

I drove home and found my car acting like a boat, just pushing water in big sprays on either side. It was hard to turn onto our side street. I remembered Brian going out there and clearing the street drain in the past. He was not home so I realized it was my turn.

For the record, I’m NOT a nature girl. I’d rather be inside or on a porch than out. I am all about open windows in house and car as much as possible, but I don’t like getting dirty or sunburned or wet. I also have a very strong aversion to being splashed with water. Not a good combination when you have to go out in a serious downpour!

I put on wool socks (they stay warm in wet) and my chaco sandals which are made to withstand wet conditions. I put on layers of light wool and my best raincoat (I know I looked a sight) and a thick wool felt beret to protect my head, and I went out.

As I walked around the house between our lot and the neighbor’s drive, I was in at least two inches of standing water. Houses are so close together in our area that there is nowhere for water to drain, pretty much.

I got to the corner with my small spade, and dragged the tool along the street next to the curb until I found the drain. I started pushing against the water to get leaves and sticks out of the way. It was almost instant, there was a sort of water-tornado like when you flush a toilet, and that water was SO happy to go down that drain!

By the time I went back to work less than an hour later, the street was wet but there was no longer water several inches deep on the street. It worked!

I am glad that when I had to go out and get that wet, it was a bit warmer than room temperature. I did not get cold, just wet. I dried out pretty quickly. I didn’t even get grumpy, though I was definitely entertained by it for a while.

I hope everyone out there did not have disappointing after-effects from this storm. I guess if I can look at it well, I did not have to water the gardens Wednesday!!!

Pardon me while I post a local announcement… to my Lansing-Area readers:

It’s official: Brian and I will perform as The Fabulous Heftones for the Meridian Township Fourth of July celebration. We start at 7:30pm on Friday and sing till 10pm, about when the fireworks will start.

It was in the Towne Courier paper Monday, according to my mother who watches these things carefully. No doubt it will be in the What’s On section on Thursday’s Lansing State Journal and perhaps the City Pulse and the NOISE as well.

The location will be at the border of Okemos/Haslett Michigan, behind the Meridian Township hall on Marsh Road (between Haslett Rd. and Grand River Ave.) at the street called Central Park Drive. It is just behind the Meridian Mall, in the Friends of Historic Meridian section of Central Park.

If you park behind the Township Hall, there is a covered area where they have a farm market. A different band will be playing behind that structure, but if you instead cross the footbridge to the right, you will walk a bit past a few historic buildings and will see the barn at left.

We will sing in front of the barn. If you want to sit down, bring your own chair or a blanket.

If you have not heard us before, we do the retro hits of the 1920’s… April Showers, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Paper Moon, Shine on Harvest Moon, For Me and My Gal, Jada, and more. It’s uplifting music, mostly love songs and a few novelty tunes thrown in there. For many of us, it creates a lovely trip down memory lane, but te young folks seem to enjoy the music on its own merits. Click the links on the songs to hear our version, if your computer is set up to play MP3 music (most are).

This is a totally family-friendly community event, bring the kids and their friends and let them dance while we sing. We love the kids. Little boys seem to be fascinated with Brian’s tiny instrument, especially when he plays it really fast. It’s wonderful to watch their little faces!

We are very excited about this concert. I grew up in this area, before it was developed (it was all fields and the Pilgrim House Furniture store was a real barn with animals in it). I will know some of the folks who come, and they will not expect to know me. Also my Mom is being her usual publicity chairperson self and has invited a list of her friends. Some of my computer students (the classes are a few blocks from the park) will be coming as well.

It is always exciting to play in a new place. Actually, we have played twice in their Wednesday night Historical society series, once as The Fabulous Heftones and once as members of Abbott Brothers’ band. But this was the first time we have been headliners. Having a 2 hour concert to ourselves? This is the most fun anyone can have on a 4th of July, perhaps!!!

Photos: Fab Heftones at RicStar Music Camp Benefit, VanAtta Greenhouse in Haslett; New York Ukefest 2006; Chicagoland Ukulele Jam Festival.

Saturday was World-Wide Knit in Public (WWKIP) Day. What a day it was in the Greater Lansing (Michigan) Area, especially for those who knit! (Warning: long post with lots of photos, I could not help myself.)

Unfortunately, that headache I had the day before? It stuck around. It was better than Friday but it hindered my fun more than I wanted.

Here’s an early photo of Dewitt Farm Market/Lavender & Peonies KIPping. (For the record, today I’m not naming names though I know at least half of those in most of the photographs… I work hard at names but I have so many people in my life!)

Later we had moved to the shade on the other side of the tent. We lost a few folks, gained a few more. Here’s a later photo:

Ironically, my hubby Brian was playing music inside one of the businesses on the same block where we knit. He is in the band “Scarlet Runner String Band” and they were at Sweetielicious Pie Pantry (otherwise known as Sweetie Pie by locals). Brian is playing banjo here.

When I went in to take this photo, the wife of the bass player was there. She’s a big knitter, mostly preemie hats for Sparrow Hospital. I told her we were KIPping so she grabbed her knitting and joined us!

One woman came from Buffalo, New York (blue shirt at right). She was in town for a wedding and Rob at Threadbear told her that the KIPping was starting in Dewitt at 9am so there she was! The woman at left came to the farm market not knowing it as WWKIP day. She ran home to get her knitting and came back to join us. Notice she’s doing a magnificent two-colored Christmas stocking for herself. It was really beautiful.

At 11am I went to the next stop on the KIPping tour. I went to Patriarche park in East Lansing, where Rae’s Yarn Boutique and Woven Art/Nancy McRay joined forces. It was not just a gathering, it was an event.

First park photo: the end result of over 20 minutes of a crochet-chain contest. Two teams of three crocheters knit 25 stitches before passing to the next person, and the relay required finishing an entire ball of wool tape yarn first. The second prize was awarded to the longest chain. There were three teams of three.

I held someone else’s camera during the race, for a video. It will take a bit of editing to be interesting to anyone who was not in the race, I’m afraid…

Then we had the “Extreme Knitting” race. Two teams, and two sets of size 75, 48-inch-long wooden needles. Very heavy needles, but gorgeous. And fun. And funny!

Here is team 1. One woman on each needle and one woman controlling the yarn. It was fascinating how this became a whole-body athletic event because of the heft of these needles. The feet were moving, knees bent.

Team 2, cranking out garter fabric as a team. The yarn was actually the crochet chain made from wool tape, from the last contest. It was almost too thin for the task.

Here is the final product (the contest was to cast on and then finish 5 rows fastest, I think they had a dozen stitches on the needle.

The other team. Not five rows.

En garde! This was sort of inevitable, don’t you think? Long pointy things will become play swords every time.

And the star of the show? He loved the extreme needles, too.

After all that excitement and all sorts of good food, folks settled in to knit and chat. It’s a beautiful park.

This was after some folks already went home. It was quite a crowd, and a lovely group at that.

By the time I left the park my headache was in full force again. However, I could not miss the goings-on at Threadbear. I ran over there and some classes were just getting out, there were a zillion people there and the chatter sounded like a great party. You know the sound… a whole bunch of people enjoying the company of the others in the room. I love that sound!

Maggie Jackson of Maggie’s Ireland was there teaching and we met briefly. I chatted with a lot of friends who were finishing up from their classes. I saw some folks I know because they have loyally taken several classes from me.

I saw a bunch of folks who I’d seen at Patriarche Park and/or DeWitt farm market. I ate strawberries and cherries from the farm market which had made their way to the barbecue at Threadbear. (They were cooking in the parking lot, those resourceful dudes!)

I bought a little Drops Alpaca (light sportweight) from them for a friend. I had already purchased some turquoise for myself the day before. I had planned that purchase days before, and then when I got there the yarn had been marked down from $8 a ball to $3 a ball… so I bought even more than I expected and it cost less than my initial plan. Happy me.

So then I showed a bunch of others the wonderful alpaca and they bought some, too. We danced happy alpaca dances, I tell you.

And somehow the headache was so bad that I totally forgot to take photographs. Drat. It would have been a bit difficult anyway, because people were scattered all over the store… they had planned it for the parking lot but with all that sun and no shade trees I’m guessing they just stayed in for comfort. I just looked on Google for photos of the Theadbear event and so far I can not find any posted.

I ran home, reclined on the couch for maybe 5 minutes, changed clothes and went to Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine to sing.

Altu told me that a knitting friend had come by for the first time to try her food. I think it was Jan who I talked to at Patriarche park. That was a lovely surprise. I love it when different parts of my life touch one another. When knitting and friendship and music all meet in one place, my life feels very right indeed.

I even knitted in public at Altu’s restaurant after our performance. Brian’s aunt, uncle and two cousins came to hear us (none of them live in Lansing but they meet here for our music) and my Mom and two of her friends also came. It was a party, though I guess I was the only one knitting at Altu’s this time. Not always, but this time.

What a day!

Saturday is going to be crazy-busy in the Lansing, Michigan area… with all the right happenings. For one thing, it is International Knit-in-Public (KIP) day. Then at night Brian and I will be singing at Altu’s. Here is the schedule:

9:00-11:00am KIP just outside Lavender & Peonies, right in the Dewitt Farmer’s Market (north of Lansing maybe 20 minutes).

11:00-2:00 KIP at Patriarche park East Lansing (sponsored by Rae of Rae’s Yarn Boutique and Nancy of Woven Art)

2:00-5:00pm KIP at Threadbear Fiberarts, the west side of Lansing.

Knitting no doubt will continue… but I then will switch into my singing persona (for The Fabulous Heftones) and sing at Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine in East Lansing, from 6:30-8:30. Great food, great company, a great way to end the day.

And my Mom is back in town for the summer so it will be wonderful to have her (and her friends) in the audience. Singing in the winter just feels a little strange to have her not be there. Happy me!

I am feeling pretty crummy today. I awoke with a mean headache, so took some aspirin which then gave me a tummy ache. Drat. Unfortunately, that brings a grumpy Lynnie.

I hope that tomorrow will bring an improved grouping of head, tummy and attitude. I like myself better when I’m genuinely smiling. I think I will be crashing extra early tonight, in the hope that I can get up early enough to go north.

Interesting, too… my Brian is in the Scarlet Runner String Band. They will be singing in DeWitt at Sweetielicious Pie Pantry starting at 9am. Cool, huh? All in the family…

Please, local folks… consider joining me for one event or all. It will be a fun day!

(Photos not Lansing… see note at end of post.)
It finally feels like summer in Lansing. It’s been crazy weather here as with most of the midwest states, with 50mph winds and trees tossed into the air like salad. I took a lot of photos but am too crazy-busy catching up after 5 days on the road to process them for you right now. Trees just broke in two.

They closed Mount Hope Cemetery to visitors (and several parks as well). There are unstable trees and broken branches blocking paths. I hope there is not a lot of damage to permanent structures, I can not see any from the street but it’s a very large place.
Several grocery stores lost all perishables. Even if they have insurance, they are all hitting their suppliers hard at the same time so we will no doubt have limited frozen food supplies for a while. In fact, one of my favorite stores has a supplier which was flooded and thus their buried computer lines were rendered useless so they had a delay getting their order filled. It is going to take time to get back in order here.

I remember when I was in Africa; how people there had a sense that things can just take time. They enjoyed one another’s company while they waited for things to happen. I practiced the mantra “I’m not in charge” the whole time I was there (I did not speak any main language in any country where I visited, so I had to trust my friends to take me places and keep me happy, fed and safe… which worked just fine).

I learned from my African friends that focusing on people and relationship is something I *do* have some control over. Weather and red tape are things I must wait out. Though I have been back from that trip for over three years, I am still very much changed by that experience.

And right now, it is hotter in Lansing, Michigan than it was most of the days I was in Africa. I am really loving it. I seem to have a defective personal thermostat… my feet can be cold at 78F degrees. I love 80-86F or so. Once we get higher than that, I still am more happy than in winter but it is definitely important to slow down and dress differently.

I’ll be wearing African or Indian clothing today when I wander forth into society. I love those clothes, I wait all winter to wear them. I never liked summer clothing before… woven cotton shorts and T-shirts leave me cold, but flowy long garments which allow me to sort of “float” down the street? I can not get enough of them.

OK, since I am not developing broken-tree photos today I will show you summery photos of my African trip. I was in Ethiopia for 3 weeks, Kenya 1 week, Egypt 1 week… between late November 2004 and early January 2005. I went with my friend Altu who was born and raised and educated in Ethiopia, but is now a US citizen and who owns my favorite restaurant, in East Lansing, Michigan.

First photo is a fruit stand in Alexandria, Egypt. Second photo is the garden of Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa, in the Karen district of Nairobi, Kenya. Third is a beautiful street scene in Bahar Dar, northern Ethiopia, which Altu wants me to tell you is not a typical scene but definitely gorgeous.

Rae and I got home just before dark on Monday night. We had a good time on our ride home, though we did hit a mean thunderstorm just south of the Michigan-Ohio border. It did not last long, but we saw a lot of lightning bolts which went horizontally in front of us, really unusual and impressive.

We hit another smaller storm not far from Ann Arbor, which did not really slow us down much. Considering that others from the show we just attended were flying, which can be strongly impacted by storms of this sort, we really were lucky to have a 4.5 hour drive rather than a delayed flight.

Classes!

I start Tuesday with a full roster of local classes. Some are waiting to see if they might happen, others are happily already doing well. After five days out of town, I’m delighted to be back and ready to get going with my students. Maybe some local folks would like to join me?

(For the record, my calendar/class web page is woefully out of date. I aim to make it caught up within a week but meanwhile this will get you through the next 7 days of offerings.)

• Tuesday 6-8pm, First-Time Toe-Up Socks (first of 3 weekly sessions, same time each week). Rae’s Yarn boutique, East Side of Lansing not far from Frandor.
• Wednesdays starting June 11 through Labor day, 2:45-4:30, Summer KidzKnit with Ms. Lynn at Rae’s. Buy a punch card for 4 sessions for $20, and use one punch per visit through the summer, no need to attend each week if you are out of town. Ages 7-17, no pre-requisite, write me or call Rae’s 517-336-YARN for more details. (No refunds on unused punches, but you can sell yours to another kid.)
• Thursday 4:45-5:45 Knitting Study Hall at Rae’s. Adult knitting, learn from scratch or get pattern-reading help, walk through certain parts of a project, on a number of subjects. Again, come on weeks when you can make it, OK if you are out of town one week.
• Thursday night 6-8pm, Chippy Socks for Kids at Rae’s (week 1 of 3 in a row). Fun, multicolored socks for infant through child sizes (see photo at right). Knit 2 to 6 socks, designed to “go” together but not match, though matching is OK as well.
• Friday June 13 & 20, 3-5pm, ZigBagZ mini (either Bottle or Sport versions) at Threadbear. take a few afternoons off and knit this big hit, a bag to hold your water bottle through the upcoming summer.
• Saturday., June 14, Noon-2pm, one session. Darn that Sock! at Yarn Garden in Charlotte. Fix those socks you took the time to handknit. Keep them many more years!
• Saturdays, 3:30-5:30 pm, Double-Striped Socks at Little Red Schoolhouse. First of 3 weeks. A great way to use this fun new slowly-self-striping yarn. (See photo, top left.) No swatching, easy toe.

I hope some of you join me. Life is fun when I have active classes going, no matter what they are and no matter where I am teaching.

(…writing this from a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Photos are from Columbus.)

I live in Lansing, Michigan. It is a rather ordinary place in many ways, but the people are quite fine. The artful folks all seem to know one another… knitters, painters, poets, musicians, theatre folks, dancers… we all overlap pretty regularly, it seems everyone knows everyone sometimes.

But as a professional making a living as an artful person? Mostly teaching knitting? Lansing is the best place of all.

For one thing, our guild is very strong. Often we have 30-50 people at a meeting. Weeks when we do not have a meeting, folks gather in member homes (the location rotates) and even in the summer when there are no big meetings, the knit-in’s happen every week.

And the most unique thing going on here? The yarn shops get along. They let their instructors teach at more than one shop.

Most towns require their instructors to be “loyal” and exclusive to only their one shop. Often those instructors are also regular employees of the shop, running the cash register and the like.

In Lansing, we currently have 4 shops in the contiguous communities which are the “greater Lansing area.” I teach for three of those four, and get along well with the one where I do not teach. I also teach at a shop 30 minutes south and am lining up a new relationship with a shop about 20 minutes north.

I have taught at regional and national events. Between those and the classes I teach at the local shops, guild retreats, non-local Michigan shops/guilds, and a little bit of other creative/teaching work, I make this my livelihood.

Sarah Peasley and Sharon Winsauer are also Lansing-area instructors who are on the national circuit. At least in my case, I could not make this my career if it were not for the far-reaching vision of the local shops.

We know we need each other. We know that when the whole knitting community is strong, healthy, friendly and well-served (no shop can have all yarns and fill all needs for any knitter), our entire industry in our area will be more healthy.

There is no sense thinking we are in scarcity. There *is enough* business for us all, abundance can reign if we all open up and see the big picture, the future.

I am here at the TNNA trade show. I’ve run into “the boyz” (Rob and Matt who own Threadbear Fiberarts on the West Side) and got a hug from Matt (when I saw Rob, he was seated and happily knitting with a group of friends and I was on my way to an appointment).

One shop in Lansing (Little Red Schoolhouse Yarns, run by Linda) did not come to the show this year. The shop north of town (Lavender and Peonies, run by LeeAnne) also didn’t make it.

However, I came with Rae and Cindy of Rae’s Yarn Boutique. Sarah Peasley came with Nancy McRay of Woven Art in East Lansing. Lindsay and Juli of Yarn Garden in Charlotte are also attending. And tonight, I wish I had taken a photograph. The seven I mention in this paragraph, went to dinner together and had a wonderful time.

This could not happen in most towns. I mentioned this to Beth Brown-Reinsel today. She just could not believe that not only could I teach at multiple shops in one town, but that we would go to dinner. It is just unheard of in this business. Probably in most businesses… you don’t go to dinner with “the competition.” I love breaking that rule!

Knitters go to any shop they can visit. We will always want to check out one more shop. Often vacations are planned or at least changed, to make way to a shop or three we have not yet experienced. Anyone who has a shop has done this, at least before they opened. Recently Rae bought yarn from Linda for a particular project. Hey, we are all in this together for the long haul, it makes sense to be friendly!

So tonight I am here to tell you how lucky I am, and how clearly I am aware of my great fortune. I have a wonderful job I would not trade for anything. I have good friends I’ve met in the business. And I do not have to pretend that I am loyal when few knitters are… I’m loyal all right: to knitting, other knitters, the lifestyle. The community of knitting. All of us, no matter which store I am in.

I am a very happy and lucky woman. I’m glad to be in this life. I’m delighted to share that happiness with you today.

Monday is the last day of the show… we do our last bit of ordering and take Cindy to the airport, then drive about 4.5 hours home. It has just been a wonderful experience here in Columbus.

Photos? Two views from the patio in front of our hotel (Royal Plaza). I love cities and that nice, tall, shiny building reflecting clouds made me smile. Yet looking directly around me, it was just like a garden. There are people walking in this area all the time, locals *and* tourists. These were taken around lunchtime and I saw a lot of folks walking to lunch with work colleagues. It’s an alive section of the city, for sure. I really enjoyed knitting on the patio for a while and drinking it in. My city is not big enough for this, and I loved every minute.

Ewe-kniss has posted about her set of six Chippy Socks for Kids today. She has been such a support to me, always interested in this design since I started with the idea over a year ago.

I love how her colorway worked out… more soft, and more boyish than other colorways I’ve tried since I started with this design. Hers are a silvery gray, a medium-to-soft turquoise and purple. Very fun and nice. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Rialto, a DK-weight washable merino, very soft. She says she’ll make a pair for her daughter from this same yarn (different colors), when the samples are done.

Diana also wrote to say that she sent out her six sample Chippy Socks in the mail today. Typically that would mean I get them tomorrow/Saturday, so I will plan to photograph them for you as soon as I can.

Diana’s socks are in a very different yarn from Ewe-kniss’: Cascade Fixation cotton/lycra yarn. Same gauge, a DK weight knit at 6.25 stitches per inch for socks. These are brighter, more my style… hot pink, yellow, and turquoise. Sort of primary colors but more ColorJoy.

I am eager to see Diana’s socks. Maybe I can stand at the post office at 8:30am, the time when they promise the day’s mail has arrived?

Not likely, but I will pop in to see my Post Office Box after I go north to DeWitt and then go on Tourist in Your Own Town. (Saturday 10-5 they are opening up the Board of Water and Light building at Cedar and Michigan in downtown Lansing, to show the FDR-era murals painted in there… first time open to the public since 9/11, I’m hyped, I’ve never seen them.)

Mary is either done or nearly so… she is working in pastels. If I remember right, she has a soft greenish-teal, a soft purple and either a mauve or a silvery-gray. Her yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (mmmm).

I had wanted to do a fourth test knit in Louisa Harding Kashmir DK. I ran out of time, knitters and cash for sample yarn by the time I got to that idea, but I may do it on my own when I get a little more wiggle-space in my schedule. I love that yarn deeply, it machine wash/dries perfectly without pills for just about forever, and wears like iron if you like socks that are a little thicker than normal socks (we’re talking socks for me this time, the Kashmir is wonderful in both the DK weight and Aran weight).

All three knitters provided excellent input. Not only did they all find the spot where I said “Knit” when I meant “Purl” (whoops) but I even got some good input on rearranging the content of the pattern so it would flow better for a knitter. Let’s face it, when I design, I am working on one bit at a time and I can sometimes benefit from fresh eyes as far as how things might best be laid out.

I am really excited about my Chippy Socks design. If you see the ad on Ravelry from June 1-15, I’d love to hear about it.

I’m getting excited. I think this pattern will be out perhaps within a few days. Send good vibes if you would.

(The photo here is a pair of Chippy Socks that Diana knit over a year ago… using worsted-weight Cascade 220 washable yarn. These do not fit the current specifications of the pattern but I do really love the colors. These went to Isabel the other day with the 6 smaller magenta/turquoise/purple socks. For the record, Diana’s husband Eric, my brother, decided he wanted some Chippy socks after seeing these. Diana made him a pair out of this yarn. The pattern does not go up to adult sizes, so Eric is the only grown-up kid with a pair of these at this time!)

Not long ago, Brian and I (The Fabulous Heftones) sang for a banquet honoring the adult safety traffic crossing workers of Ingham County. It was really great to see these people honored, who endure nasty weather and have to wake up at an hour not pleasant for most of us. It was amazing to hear how many of them have worked this job for 20, even 30 years. Good folks.

I was really impressed with how many Police Chiefs from different local municipalities were at the event. How wonderful that they were there, showing their true appreciation for these essential workers.

We sang fun songs that the crowd was likely to know and enjoy. After all, we are about nostalgia and when a familiar song can make people smile… well, we want to encourage that smile. We had a great time, and by the looks of the faces, the audience liked it, too.

It’s worth taking the time to say thanks to all of those who work this sometimes thankless job on behalf of the kids of our communities. I remember the guy who was on our corner for years, I always waved at him every time I went by (I was on my way to work with kids after school, myself).

Finally one day I stopped and introduced myself. He was a retiree with a lot of grandkids who just liked kids, it just fit who he was to do this sort of work. He told me that on the last day of school, he would hire an ice cream truck for the handful of kids he was there for. He told me that so many kids are taken to school by parents that very few walk anymore. As a non-parent, I don’t notice that trend except when I pass by a school after the final bell.

So thanks to the folks with red hand-held STOP signs. Thanks to the police chiefs and the Lansing Safety Council. And thanks to the person who thought to ask us to perform. We loved every minute.

For Lansing residents who have not been inside the new Pattengill Middle School on the corner of Saginaw and Marshall, here is a photo of the entry hall, outside the cafeteria/auditorium where we sang. Nice, huh? The kids were in a school nearly 100 years old and showing its age, and now they have this. I’m sure they enjoy it.

Thanks to the Police Chief of Lansing Township, Chief Kay A. Hoffman for taking photos with my camera while we sang. It is pretty impossible to take photos of ourselves. She did a wonderful job!