Whoops! I scheduled myself to teach a class and didn’t tell anyone about it. Thank goodness JoAnn’s told a few people or it wouldn’t be happening.

OK, so Joann.com has the yarn I wanted to have for my sock class. But the local JoAnn store doesn’t have any of that. So we are going to make toe-up footies with fat yarn, really nice 50% wool, 50% acrylic yarn called Kool Wool. It’s really decent stuff, surprisingly springy yet dense, many tiny plys (plies?) making it very smooth.

Another plus with this yarn: I made one footie, start to finish, in less than 24 hours from this yarn… and that 24 hours included things like working several hours and a decent night’s sleep. Gotta love that! So you can learn a new technique (toe up socks) and perhaps knitting on double-pointed needles. And it won’t take forever.

The cuff is just 7 rounds of stockinette that roll outward, and I put some eyelash yarn in my sample sock for the store. I gave them the sock before I took a picture so I can’t even show you, but trust me, it’s a good slipper sock.

The toe up means we can learn a new technique, perhaps, and not have to do a gauge swatch ahead of time. I don’t do toe up socks very often but that is just habit, because there are many reasons it is a good technique. Binding off loosely is the biggest challenge, which isn’t a big deal at all, really.

This class is at the Frandor JoAnn Fabrics, Friday August 1 (and August 8), 1:00pm to 2:30pm. Cost $25 plus materials. If you have double pointed needles, bring some in size 3 or 4, and yarn will run less than $15 or so (I’ll bring along some eyelash to share for those who want some, since it takes such a small amount per sock cuff).

OK, so this is too late for real results, but I might as well ask. I have two people in the class and I am delighted that a Working Women Artists Guild buddy, Maureen O. Ryan, is one of the two. I don’t know who the other person is.

Want to join us? It should be great fun with that small number. Lots of personal attention!

Hope to see you there.

Tracy (also known as Sweatergirl) is having a gathering this Sunday. Knitting and food, on a summer weekend, what else could a person want?

If you are in town, please join us. It would be nice to let Tracy know you are planning to come. Of course, I am willing to bet that folks dropping in unexpectedly would probably also be fine. However, she’s trying to plan for how many hamburgers and hot dogs to bring, I think.

Come on, join us, and have a good time!

I got to be in my hammock on my porch today for a little while. I love this porch, we built it a few years ago and it’s even better than the porch on my house that I had before I married Brian.

I had a hammock there, too. It was a different one, but I got both past and present hammocks in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. They make very fine hand-braided/woven hammocks there, just the best.

My first hammock (spelled hamaca in Spanish, pronounced ahh-MOCK-ah) was a tourist one, not too wide and not very long, in purple cotton. I got it in Playa del Carmen, around 1994 or so, on a trip from my then-boss.

The hammock we have now, we got with the assistance of my brother-in-law Pedro’s parents, when we stayed with them in February of 1996. It’s nice and wide, quite long, and some sort of synthetic or rayon shiny aqua. It’s a very fine item, indeed! In really hot weather in Mexico, they sleep in hammocks because it is the most comfortable way to deal with the temperature. Actually, some people sleep in a hammock every day. Pedro’s parents have a home that looks a lot like a home in Florida, but there are hammock hooks embedded into the cement walls above the built-in bed, for hot weather.

Here’s a poem I wrote while in my first hammock, on my last porch:

The Porch on Francis Avenue
By Lynn D. Troldahl Hershberger

Summer Day.

Cool iced tea.
Salty damp skin, yellow dandelions,
Bees buzzing,
Body baked by sunshine.
Sharp shadows, blue sky, white clouds.
Singing out loud,
Neighbors waving hellos.

Sunset.

Hammock, porch, children’s voices.
Warm sun on my skin,
Sleepy eyelids drooping,
A dog barking, birds scolding, the blast of a car horn.
Long shadows, a still breeze, the coolness of the evening.

Home.

Here is a picture of Mom wearing her new stole. I made it from five yarns I got at JoAnn Fabrics. She looks fabulous, doesn’t she? (Smaller picture is a detail of stole fabric up close.)

I stopped by Mom’s house late Monday night. One of her dear friends from the circle of women she’s hung out with since Daddy died, died this week of complications from melanoma. So sad. So I wanted to go and give mom a hug, and then give her the stole which can hug her when I’m not there.

I’m so glad I still have my Mom. She went through her own battle with cancer seven years ago, and now she has no sign of it. Knock on wood, we may still have many years together.

When your family is only you, Mom and brother Eric (and now our partners, makes six in the whole state of Michigan), you really know the value of one another.

And doesn’t she look just great? Go, Mom!!!

Finally, the headache has lifted and we have pictures. Too many pictures, maybe… but they turned out so well I’m posting them all. I am hoping I saved them small enough for those (like me) who still have a slow modem connection to the internet.

The first picture is Brian and I as the Fabulous Heftones, at Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine (East Lansing, Michigan, USA). This was Saturday, July 26.

Notice that I am wearing the blue and green JoAnn Stole. I have since given the stole to its rightful owner, my mother. She loves it, as I knew she would. It matches at least half of her dressy outfits, and will go with the rest as an accent color, I’m sure. She’s very fond of blues and greens together.

The next shot is Brian’s parents, Larry and Marilyn Hefferan. Larry invented and hand-built my instrument, the Heftone (that is where our band got its name).

This was their first experience with Ethiopian food. It was also the first time they had seen us perform on stage. We play music in their living room when we visit, of course, but this was a pretty special trip for them. We sometimes forget to tell them when we are playing out, but especially since this time Larry’s name was in the paper associated with the performance, we had to be sure they knew we were going to be playing. They had to drive about an hour to the restaurant.

Next is my mother’s table at Altu’s. Left to right: Fred, Barb, Barb’s friend (whose name is either Mary or Ann, I can’t remember for sure), and my Mom, Liz Troldahl. (Isn’t she pretty?)

Missing from the picture is Mom’s friend, Fai, who took the photo. She is an enthusiastic amateur photographer. I’m grateful for all the excellent photos that Fai has taken and sent to me, in the last several years. She does a great job.

Next is a picture of Brian with his parents. OK, you already saw his folks, but this picture of Brian is so nice I just had to show you!

(Oh, by the way: the basketweave pattern painted as a stripe on the wall, I did for Altu. I painted it mostly freehand, to make it look more authentic. We are pleased with how it turned out.)

This photo is all the family members that night: Brian, Larry, Marilyn, Mom and me. I know it is hard to get everyone in a group picture to love their own image, but I do love this picture even though it looks as though we were talking to one another (we were). The camera ran out of batteries right after this shot so we couldn’t take any more “insurance” exposures just in case.

Can you tell where I got my love for turquoise? Mom and I are wearing almost the same color!

The last photo is Brian and I as The Fabulous Heftones, at the Elderly Instruments employee picnic on Sunday, July 27.

The picnic was held at a city-owned park, Grant Woods park. The parks are run by the same city department which also runs the Foster Community Center. This one has a nice space for performing. Not all local parks allow amplified music, but this one is just perfect for an event like this. Can you see why I think Lansing is a wonderful place to live in the summertime? It is a wonderfully green place.

I wish you all could have joined us!

Here is a late-breaking photo of Marie and Corey wearing my LynnH JoAnn stoles. Aren’t they quite the Glamour Grrls? Marie and I dance together, so she was one of those who really encouraged me to start working with JoAnn’s. Corey is the education assistant at the store, which means when my supervisor is out, I get to talk to her instead. You know we get along fine, because her hair is my favorite color!

I think they are excellent models. We had such fun yesterday, Corey was wearing the purple stole as if it were a feather boa. They do feel that glamorous, and they drape well. Interesting point: one of the yarns in the stole is called “Boa.”

The headache is still haunting me but I took a long hot bath around noon today to encourage it to leave. We may go to a party for Elderly Instruments employees this afternoon if I feel up to it, otherwise I’ll lounge on the porch in the hammock.

More Goodies to Come
Mom’s friend Fai (who gave me the best flamingos in my garden as a gift) took some pictures of the Altus scene last night. Fai really loves taking pictures, so some of them just are fabulous. I’ll show you those as I get them edited.

I have a rough headache so will not post pictures today. Hope that works for you folks.

This morning Tony and I had another of our road trips, to the store In Sheeps Clothing, in Marshall, MI. Sue, who works there on Saturdays, is becoming a friend (she is in at least one of my guilds and we have spent a bit of time together, such as lunch at the Lucy Neatby workshop last spring). It’s always great to see her.

I didn’t buy much, just some turquoise acrylic/wool yarn at 50% off ($4.95 a ball, two balls, meant it cost less than $5, not bad) and a magazine, and one small ball of wild pink eyelash. It’s Tony’s company and the visit with Sue that makes it a good trip… not the yarn. The yarn is whipped cream on the already-great dessert!

I got back in time to go to JoAnn Fabrics to do a demo in order to create demand for my classes. The only real interest was in my stole class, because I had both a black/purple/aqua version and a blues and greens version on display. These are fabulous items to see and touch, and it’s no surprise they caught attention. I had one person register for sock class but I think three or four for the stole class, and that is being offered in late September and early October.

I got a major headache after 4 hours in that store, for whatever reason (could be my lack of sleep, could be the humid/mildewy weather caught up with me, could be the store where there are perfumed things that don’t agree with me). Went home and rested for a few minutes and got ready to be Lynn Heftone at Altus.

For the concert, my mom came and brought friends, she had a table of five. Brian’s parents came in from Grand Rapids (an hour’s drive). They all beamed with pride. Brian’s dad took pictures and video, and grinned the whole time. We had him sit in with us on one piece. We also made sure to announce that he was the creator/inventor of my instrument. He got a nice round of applause.

Sarah Stollak, the knitter/musician/writer who put our interview in the State Journal, came to see us as well, with a friend. They seemed to have a good time.

Another knitter, Charlotte, was there with her husband Bob, her daughter and daughter’s beau (or husband, can’t remember). We had a chance to talk after the music, and Charlotte and I finally figured out that we probably first met in about 1992 when I was teaching polymer clay classes. Small world.

We ended with great food from Altu and went home to rest the headache. Except we forgot that it was Abbott Brothers rehearsal/jam tonight. So I rested again for about 15 minutes and we went over to play tunes for a while. THEN we came home. I’m wiped out.

Pictures of the stoles and Altu’s tomorrow. I need to sleep this headache off.

Well, yesterday I bicycled along about half of the River Trail. I enjoyed every minute and today I feel stronger for it. I thought my legs were already strong from dancing but they feel a different sort of strong after bicycling. How nice.

On the way to work I was in a big hurry, which is typical for me. On the way home, though, I had time to stop and smell the flowers, in so many words. I took pictures and I’m pleased with them.

The first picture was taken from the very top of the Kalamazoo Street Bridge, near the intersection of Cedar Street, facing South. I was just ready to hop back on the River Trail (commonly called “Riverwalk”). I had detoured through downtown for a meal at Byblos, a mideast eatery that I rarely frequent because of its location.

This bridge was rebuilt a few years back and it does have a wonderful view, of the river to the south, and on the other side, a view of the skyline (such as it is) of Lansing. Some other time I’ll try to get a picture from that side for you to see.

The second picture here I took a while after jumping back on the trail. It is in an area that was built up I think around the turn of the last century. My friend Ulyana lives not terribly far from this picture. I get tempted to jump off at this point and go visit her, every time I travel this part of the trail.

Lansing is a very green city, for which I’m grateful. It isn’t as big of a city as I would prefer, but then the cost of living is significantly lower than most places this big. In the summer, this is a pretty wonderful place to live, as you can see.

Stephanie writes:

I finally got around to making your coconut tapioca pudding on Friday. It was soooo good. DH loved it. I did make it with organic milk because he doesn’t like soymilk. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Thanks for writing, Stephanie! For those who were not with me in February, the recipe is called LynnH’s Sinful Coconut/Vanilla Tapioca Pudding and I made it in late February as a treat for myself. I can’t have regular milk so I used soy milk and coconut milk. Hey, let’s face it: adding fat to sweets makes them taste better! Coconut milk has fat (some say it’s a bad fat, some say it’s good) and it tastes wonderful. It’s so rich I can’t make pudding with just coconut milk, so I either add soy milk or rice milk to thin it down some… usually soy, for an added small bit of protein.

I should make some tomorrow. I rode my bike to Foster and then home the long way today, and my tummy hurts. I think I just rode too hard and was not used to it, but who knows what it really is. Tapioca pudding would taste great, as long as it doesn’t get too hot here to enjoy it.

I took some photos of Lansing’s beautiful River Trail today when bicycling. However, I am going to rest this tummy for now and show you the pictures some other day.

In knitting news, I am blocking the sox for my friend right now, they may get mailed tomorrow. After she gets them and has seen them, I will post a picture of those as well. I’m only about 7 rows from finishing the blues and greens stole, too. I’ll have it to show off at the demo day at JoAnn’s on Saturday, from 1pm to 3pm (I think I said 4pm earlier but I was wrong).

Music news for local folks: Please do come see Brian and I play as The Fabulous Heftones at Altu’s restaurant this Saturday. Time is 6:30-8:30.

We are excited that for the Altu’s gig, I was interviewed for the Lansing State Journal’s What’s On section which was published today (Thursday). If you didn’t get one today, it can be picked up for free all week at State Journal Headquarters, downtown on Lenawee street one block east of Washington.

THANK YOU to Sarah Stollak, What’s On columnist, who interviewed me last Friday. She did a good job of distilling what I said into three paragraphs or so, and put our picture in as well! (Sarah is a knitter and musician, as well as a writer.) Her column (minus our picture, but you have already seen that) is on the http://lsj.com website (I searched for “Heftone”).

Today was a day for crossing things off lists. I went to a computer client in the morning, where we’ve been working on an issue for over a month. Went to another client in the afternoon and made a plan for installing a database product I made for them months ago but was delayed for several complicated reasons. Then went back to client #1 and finished that project. Whew. And I’m so very close to finishing all the ends on the sox for my friend!

I ended up getting to Habibi Dancers practice late but it was a very good practice. We are learning a dance I really like and have watched many times but never totally learned. I think I am going to really get it this time!

We are getting ready, also, for several performances at the Renaissance festival this summer. We will perform four different dates but I will be there only once.

I’m so booked on summer weekends it seems amazing to me. It’s usually good stuff, anyway. This Saturday afternoon I do the demo at JoAnn Fabrics, and Saturday night 6:30-8:30, The Fabulous Heftones (Brian and I) will play at Altu’s restaurant. Sunday looks peaceful, thank goodness. There may be a picnic with Brian’s co-workers, I’m not sure, but that is low-stress and very enjoyable.

Since I finished up my adult classes at Foster last night until October, I’m sort of finishing a lot of other things as well. I think I’m preparing for a marathon several weeks in the studio, we’ll see how that goes. It is definitely time for change in many ways. My life is so different than it was two and a half years ago, when I picked up those knitting needles again after over a decade. It is sort of dizzying to think of it, but I have no regrets and I’m not going back!

Last night when I finally sat down to knit before I went to bed, I didn’t even finish two rows on the stole before I fell asleep right in the middle of the row. Crashed all night on the couch in the living room (I actually love the luxury of sleeping on the couch sometimes, for some reason it is a comforting place for me). I slept like a baby.

Tonight I am going to get going on the knitting earlier so I get a little done. I do hope to sleep earlier tonight, both because I’m exhausted and because I want to get up a little earlier tomorrow in case I can ride my bike to my lab at Foster Center. Right now the weather forecast looks promising for that, I’m crossing my fingers!

(Pictures are of the Ann Arbor Art Fair. First is my friend Deborah/Scarlet Zebra and her husband Jack, who surprised me with a hello. Next is the crowd. Last is the Ann Arbor FiberArt Guild, breaking down the booth at the end of a very fine show.)

Off to knit…

Well, I wrote this on Tuesday night but then I couldn’t connect with my web space so here it is a day late…

It was an almost impossibly busy day, but it ended at 9pm instead of midnight so that was helpful.

I had a short appointment in the morning, then went to JoAnn Fabrics to check in with supervisor there. We have a demo day for instructors this Saturday, from 1-4 at Frandor. I will be at the demo day, put pretty things on a table and chat up potential students.

It should be fun, I love demos. Knitting isn’t as easy to demo but I have some specialized classes coming up including a stole class and socknitting. I will want to intrigue as many folks as I possibly can.

Anyone local want to take my simple rectangular stole class? Eyelash yarn and fun colors? It’s gorgeous, and it knits up really fast. I need to have Brian take a pic of me wearing one so I can put it up on this blog.

At Foster, I had 4 knitters, all repeaters. It was peaceful. Nobody finished anything but all of them are close. That was lovely. I had finished the two sox for my friend finally, but they had a lot of colorwork so I had dozens of ends to work in. I’ve finished the ends on one sock and am about halfway with the second pair.

Then I ran to Altu’s restaurant for the quickest dinner I could manage. I had her artful lima beans, and she shared some green beans she had made with a spicy garlicky sauce, from beans given to her from someone’s garden. Yum.

Then back to Foster Center. I can’t believe it, I was gone less than 25 minutes but that was when Luann stopped by to see me. Drat. She dropped off some wool yarn for me (not the kids, how sweet is that) and left a little note. I need to corner her for a cup of coffee/tea someday, and we can talk forever.

I then had a “Let’s Talk about the Internet” class for two students, two retired sisters who have taken other classes from me last term. We had a great time! I don’t have an internet connection but it is amazing how much you can teach with a handout and a whiteboard.

Then I’ve been fussing with my emails today. I promised myself a half hour of knitting on my second JoAnn’s Stole (blues and greens). I had better go do that right away, don’t you think?

Today at Foster Center, I had two groups of CityKidz Knit! The first group is with the summer Kids Kamp program (the kids are with us until 3:30pm and get two meals, so knitting is just a small part of the program). In that group, four out of nine today were brand new.

Beginners usually do OK after a while, but with all the activity in the room, it was a very distracting time. If I stand there and say the poem we use to remember how to knit, they do fine. If they don’t have me standing there reciting the poem, they have trouble staying on the project.

The kids who end up coming back a few times do better, though I am powerless over making that happen. I did have one girl today finally “Get it” and she was delighted. She got to take her project home to practice. You should have seen her smile!

However, my second group (pictured with “shades”) is going to town finishing things. Some of these kids I’ve had since fall, some since January, and a few started this summer. All of these kids were registered specifically for the knitting program by a parent or guardian, so there is typically more support at home for knitting as well. Some of these kids do a lot of knitting at home. (I have a third group on Tuesdays, and that group is more like my second group today.)

Today we had several finished projects. My youngest, age seven, knit a ring (he just had to make a ring, so he did). The oldest, age 17, bound off a “baby scarf” (she was going to make a blanket but ran out of patience). One girl didn’t finish but made incredible progress on her first backpack and brought it in to show me (and to get more yarn).

The wristbands today are at far right in middle row, and second to right in front. Ring is second to right in middle row. The tall girl in the back made the baby scarf, and the girl dead center with arms brimming with yarn, is my new backpack knitter. The girl second from left, seated, has knit somewhere between three and five backpacks to date, and is helping others get started. The girl seated on the floor wearing turquoise (second from left), finished two small squares today and is ready to sew her next wristband (she bound off but we didn’t have time to sew it before the picture). The girl seated on the floor, front right, has knit several small purses. She loves eyelash yarn as an accent on her work. Two sisters who have been regular attendees did not make it today, and I’m sorry you could not see their work. They like purses with eyelash, as well.

I’m pretty proud of “my” Kidz! They are doing really well this summer.

My friend Vince and his family stayed the night, last night. I can not even explain how wonderful it was to have them all here, and to spend hours talking with my dear friend. He had many pictures of China which he shared with us. It was fascinating.

I could have talked all day, but the kids were definitely ready to get going to the cottage where they will be spending a week. I had to let my friend go, boo hoo. It was so great to have even a few hours with him. At least I got to give him a nice big hug (OK, I hugged the rest of the family as well, but I probably hugged Vince longer). He has never lived near us so it’s wonderful that we’ve been able to get together at least 5 times now, in 4 different states. What a world we live in, to be able to do that!

(Picture is, left to right, Max, Vince, Lynn, Carol, Asa… I know Vince doesn’t like having his picture taken, so am very pleased to have this picture.)

I got a new digital camera this week and Vince was experimenting with it. He took a few really great photos. They make my house look much cooler than in real life, or at least they let me see my space with new eyes. So here are two photos of the inside of our house, taken by Vince Budnick.

After Vince’s family left, Brian and I spent a lazy and relaxed afternoon together. I took a nap, even. I took a little ride on my bicycle because it looks like we are going to have rain for about 4 days straight. (I can hear thunder as I type this. Yes, I know I should shut off the computer but it *is* plugged into a UPS which is some protection.)

I knit a bit again tonight on those swap sox for my friend. I can not tell you how many times I’ve ripped out those toes! They just don’t look right or feel right yet. This time, I decided the foot was too narrow so I ripped back to the gusset decreases. That way, I could increase by 4 stitches.

I think I’m on a roll, now. I have one more inch on one sock to go before I do the toes yet again. I’m pretty sure what will look/feel right after all those false starts. We’ll see…

I did get some photos taken at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Perhaps I’ll put those up tomorrow, we’ll see what my muse tells me then.

Well, I guess I don’t get home alone much. I sure had a long list of things to do and I’m not close to getting them done. I did get to see my friend Altu today. She fed me Swiss chard, a vegetable something like spinach. I love it, my mom used to cook it, too. Altu had harvested hers fresh from a friend’s garden. Yum.

Today I am preparing for Vince, Carol, Max and Asa to visit tomorrow. Or that is, I should be preparing. Instead I ran around town. I visited Ozel Computer to see if I could get a used modem and instead talked with the three guys there for a long while… very good company. Went to La Perla and got some tortillas and black beans, and talked to the man who owns the store, had a nice short chat.

And *then* I went and bought myself a digital camera that was on a super-duper-deal at an office store chain. There are three locations of this chain in Lansing and there was only one (of this sale camera) left in the whole city. I had to drive all the way to the west side which took a lot of time. But:

When I got there, unbelieveably there was a funny tiny car, an Isetta, sitting right out front. And not only that, but the owner was getting ready to get in it and drive away. Fortunately he had his window rolled down and I ran over and said:

“My friend used to have one of those!” (Actually the “friend” was Vince, and I think the truth is that his dad had one when he was young.) Vince has a webpage called “Vince’s Favorite Cars” which talks about this and other cars.

We talked for a minute. I told the driver that my friend has a cut-fold-and-paste Isetta on the web. He said, Oh yeah, Vince… the pictures he used for the cut-fold-and-paste Isetta are actually of this very car! He knows Vince! Turns out the guy is Bob Nelson who has a great page on his own Isetta. Bob knows my dear friend, Vince!

I mean, Vince… who I met online when he lived in New Jersey. Who moved to North Carolina. Then moved to China. And who is going to be at my house in about 24 hours! This guy knows my friend. It is such a small world.

The moral of the story is: Sometimes it is definitely worth it to talk to strangers.

I won’t be posting tomorrow. I get to stay up too late talking to Vince and Carol while we hope the kids sleep. I can’t wait!

Meanwhile, here’s a picture I took with my new camera. It’s our house, with purple steps/porch and salmon pink trim. I need to paint the window trim someday but this is how it looks right now. When I hang my hammock on the porch, it hangs below the porch wall so nobody can see me. You can see our lot is small, not even 40 feet wide (a city bus is 40 feet long) but it is just the right size to mow with what Brian calls his “acoustic” mower. And it is just the right size that I can plant a few flowers without spending my entire summer in service to the goddess Flora, as a friend jokes she does.

Seeya Sunday night!

There isn’t much to say today. I worked at Foster in the morning and afternoon, and then headed down to Ann Arbor to work the Ann Arbor Fiberart Guild booth again. It was fun. I lucked out, it rained a bit but that was before I got there. We had only a few tiny sprinkles when I first arrived. And since it was late in the day, I found a parking spot much closer than usual. It was a meter spot but they stop patrolling at 6pm. It was a good day that way.

On the way home, I went to Zingerman’s deli for a cup of good tea. I have to ask for the Japanese teas, because they do have them in stock but for some reason don’t have them listed on the menu board. No trouble, I got what I wanted (Genmaicha, which is green tea and toasted rice).

I’m tired. Being outdoors is not something I do much and it wipes me out a bit, but I’m doing pretty well with it this year. I think riding my bike the last few weeks has helped somewhat.

Tomorrow I don’t work at Foster and I don’t work the Art Fair. My friend Vince and his family are coming to stay the night on Saturday after I get out of the Art Fair. Therefore, tomorrow I tidy the house (I call it shoveling, but it’s not as bad as that sounds) for their arrival. I also have a zillion errands and promises to handle now that I’m actually home for a workday. I’m sure the day will end before my to-do list does. That is the nature of my life, anyway.

(Photos are two pair of sox I did in spring 2002. I call them Pied Piper Sox because mine followed the inspiration of Brian’s… a stretch, I know. The yarn was Dale Freestyle washable wool, worsted weight. They have stood up well to wear. Mine are stockinette, Brian’s are ribbed, and his have an extra black stripe at the very top.)

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy Ann Arbor? Art fair or not, it’s a great city. What a fine energy it has! I’ll have happy dreams, very soon.

I had a great day in Ann Arbor today, but it’s all a blur. The weather was great and the company was wonderful. I found some really nice Indian food for my dinner break, which was a big plus. And then…

I got to see my brother, Eric. We met first at Borders (where we have knit ins) but they closed at 11 and we were just getting warmed up. We piled into his car and drove to find where our Grandma Illa lived when she was in Ann Arbor in the 1920’s. We found the address but now there is a 1960’s apartment building there. Across the street, though, are houses probably from her time. Eric may do a little research (in his “spare time,” of course) to see if there are any archived pictures of that house or the block, somewhere in Ann Arbor. It’s only 4 blocks or so from campus, on Walnut. It was fun to have the adventure, anyway. And I’m glad we had each other when it was disappointing.

He took me back to the Borders parking lot where my car was, and we talked in the car until 1:30am. So this post is really for Wednesday the 16th, but I’m posting it in the wee hours of the 17th. It was worth it. I’m not up too much later than on a typical night (I often go to bed past 3am and almost never before 1am) and I got to spend a really good several hours with my brother.

Off to sleep. Tomorrow I have a Foster Kids’ camp computer lab, then a computer class for one student, then I go back to Ann Arbor to close up for a second night. See you when I can get a minute to log back on!

I’m doing some knitting. Somehow it always feels like I’m not getting any knitting accomplished, but I think that is because I switch from piece to piece depending on how much focus I can allow for the knitting at the time.

Once a week at the Allergist, I have to sit for 20 minutes while they are sure my shot went fine. I can do some real thinking knitting there, but it isn’t long enough to do much. Today I worked on the toes of some sox for a friend who has been waiting what seems forever for her sox. I just can’t get them to look right to my eyes. The toe I normally use, when I knit it in two colors, seems too short and out of proportion to the heel and rib which I also did in those two colors. I have redone this toe three times and I just have to reknit it again, at least one more time. It’s so frustrating to be so close and not have it right, but I really want these well-balanced visually. They should be done soon, if I can find another few minutes to fuss with it.

I have a stole I need to repair (I used chenille for three rows and it is worming so I’m going to cut the chenille out and graft the two pieces that are left, back together again). You can imagine that grafting about 90 stitches is not something that I’m really excited about, and that will take a bit of time dedicated to it. So it sits, waiting for me.

Meanwhile I started Matt’s tank top from Knitty. I’m using the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece I got at Yarn for Ewe, with a knitalong strand, and the fabric is just gorgeous. It’s funny, I don’t wear tanks much because I get cold so easily. I’m clearly making this because a) I know Matt and am excited about his very lovely design, and b) it looks like it won’t take a real long time.

I think this will be the most expensive tank top I ever owned, and I am afraid I won’t wear it much… but I’m knitting it anyway. And I am enjoying every stitch! It’s my brainless knitting for now. I sort of wish the brainless part was at the end, but it rarely is unless you are talking raglan sweaters which I do not wear. For now, I’m enjoying the knitting round and round in circles. I’ve done about 20 rounds so far, it is about four inches long already.

Off to the Art Fair
You may not hear as much from me this week. I will be at the Ann Arbor Art Fair on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. It’s my favorite event of the year, I just love being there. I love the energy, the town, the artists, the kids, the crowd. I usually don’t like crowds at all, but this particular crowd is full of my soulmates when it comes to artful living, and I need to be there drinking up the vibes for another year.

I’m very excited about this. I don’t do well outdoors for many hours, but I will wear the best clothes I can for whatever weather we have, I will bring a bottle of cold water and some good food I can eat without worrying about ingredients, and I will expect that my allergies, which keep getting more and more manageable, will behave themselves for part of a week. Last year I got a headache one day but then things turned around. This year I’m doing better than ever, so I expect it to go much more smoothly.

I can’t wait to get to that wonderful crowd again. Wednesday!

Paula’s Footies
Paula M. writes:

Wanted to say Thanks for designing and sharing the Footies pattern - they’re great fun to make with your clear instructions - love the no-purl heel.

…I had the very same Fixation on hand that I believe you used - worked on 48 stitches for my peasant feet - sole worked over 20 purl stitches - extra comfortable without those purl bumps poking into the feet - my previous Fixation socks have been less than comfortable without reverse stockinette on the soles.

Thanks for writing, Paula. And thanks for sharing your handiwork. They look great.

Sunday Recap
Well, Sunday was fun. I did a demo at Woven Art on circular knitting. I had sort of expected at least one person to not know how to do this, but the crowd was quite knowledgeable for the most part.

I did show them the new “Magic Loop” technique by Bev Galeskas/Fibertrends that Tony had showed me, and that was new for some folks. I also talked about the two socks on two circular needles method Cat Bordi uses in her book, but didn’t demo it.

At least one person had not heard about the trick of knitting back and forth for a few rows before joining the circle. That can really help if you tend to get your knitting in a Moebius strip instead of a tube. I do this with my kids at Foster.

CityKidz Keep Knitting
Speaking of Foster, two sisters today really wanted to make hats. I showed them the simple jester-like hat from the Kids Knitting book by Melanie Falick. No, they wanted beanies. I got them going on double points, increasing from the top down to make a hat. The younger girl decided it was not fun after about an hour and a half, which I told her was just fine. The older girl is really excited and she took her double points home with her today. We will see how it goes. I won’t be there tomorrow so I won’t see her for a week, perhaps (unless she brings the knitting to Thursday computer lab).

I did have three knitters who asked to knit in computer lab today, which pleased me. One is making a pair of socks on double points. She will be making an afterthought heel and short rolled cuffs. She is using bright yellow (almost schoolbus or maybe eggyolk) Encore worsted yarn and it is going well. She tried sox last year with some purple Encore DK but it may have been too soon for her or maybe the yarn was too thin, who knows. This time she is taking to it well. She’s a good knitter but she is in an honors program in middle school so at the end of the year I didn’t see her for months. I told her today how glad I was to have her back.

Riding the River Trail
Oh, and today I rode my “new” circa-late 1960’s Schwinn Suburban five-speed ladies’ bike to work, on the River Trail (my bike is the same color as the linked picture, but it has two fenders and the back fender is topped with a rack for packages, very handy). I rode one route on the way there and another on the way back (the trail goes near the Red Cedar River and the Grand River, and Foster Center is between them, so I took the east branch to work and took the south branch home again).

I enjoyed the ride very much, except for about 15 seconds after I actually already got off the trail. I wanted to go to La Perla, my favorite Mexican Store, for some Tortillas. Well, in order to do that I have to go under a pretty old railroad bridge, where the “pedestrian” walkway is very narrow. I am still getting used to my bike and I wobble back and forth a bit. Therefore, I got spooked by how narrow it was, and I sort of leaned over while I was in motion, scraping my arm near the elbow on the cement wall. Ick. It was like sandpaper, and I got a good scrape. It could have been much worse. When I tried to get back up and ride again, I scraped myself a second time.

On the way back, I walked my bike through that narrow passage. Maybe someday I’ll have more control, but until then I want to keep my skin intact as much as possible.

Tuesday Crazies Un-Planned
Tomorrow I had planned an impossible number of things to do and I finally had to give up a few so I could be sane. I was going to sell some yarns with the Ann Arbor FiberArt Guild, at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. They have a shared booth, which is juried. I did this last year. Well, inventory check in is 11-1 tomorrow and I’m supposed to perform for a luncheon as Lynn Heftone of the Fabulous Heftones, at 12:30. It is an hour’s drive, and I may not have been the first in line to check in my work.

The stress of trying to drive back and forth and be on schedule was too much. I don’t have that many yarns to sell at this time, so I am going to skip the selling part. I still am committed to work the booth as all participants do, but I love being there and that is not a big bother. I’m relieved, though, to not be flying down to Ann Arbor and back just before a gig. And I will get more sleep as well.

I don’t like having to make choices. I want do do everything I want to do! But in this case I gave in to the reality of so many hours in the day. I’m glad I had the chance to make that choice.

Wowie, what a day I had today! It was fun but I had no down time at all, from 9am to past midnight. Well, I had 15 minutes to sit still, and I fell asleep! I can see why that happened, too.

Morning
Around 9am, Tony came by and we went to Spinners Flock. Great fun, as usual! We sat with different folks this time but mostly visited with a lot of people. There were some free patterns on the table from about 1969 and I picked up one with a knit dress (a straight shift) and one with some ribbed wrist warmers. I also bought for $1.00 a Coats and Clark learn to knit booklet from 1968. This is the book that I had when I was learning in 1969, in Mr. Johnson’s class. It has a ribbed wrap skirt and a pillow, and a few hats among other things. Pretty special.

Noon
After the guild was over we decided to head into Ann Arbor for lunch. We decided we had a little time to check out Knit a Round and then find good food. Tony didn’t buy anything, and I just got some Ironstone fine rayon boucle to knit along with my Cotton Fleece I bought at Yarn for Ewe last year, so that I can knit Matt’s tank top.

Rayon boucle, who ever thought of that? It’s quite wonderful, in fuschia, purple, yellow, navy and aqua. It will look fabulous knit along with the “Cherry Moon” cotton/wool blend in a fairly loose gauge for summer wear. Should be fun!

After the yarn purchase (and lots of yarn-fondling experiences) we headed to a complex on the same road, which my friend Lili had recommended for ethnic foods. She said there were a few ethnic eateries there and a grocery. What a great recommendation! The place we ate, Exotic Cuisine & Bakeries, was a Syrian mideast eatery (1721 Plymouth Rd.). It was just fabulous, and different than the Lebanese mideast food that we usually get in Lansing.

I had a plate with Eggplant stew, okra stew, blackeyed pea salad and spinach with walnuts (they had other names but I don’t remember them). Tony also tried the tabbouli and a potato dish, plus rice pudding. Not only did we get this food, but there were four different types of tea to choose from, already brewed and ready for us in hot pots. There were free refills on the tea so between us we tried all four kinds, including anise tea (as I get at Aladdins) and black teas spiced with different spices including cardamom and cloves. Yum!

We sat outside. It was perfect weather for sitting outdoors in a shady spot. We watched people come and go from the dog grooming place next door, and people with their kids, and it was as pleasant a mealtime as I’ve had in a very long time. Great food, great company, great weather and interesting but not distracting things to view.

After our meal, we walked around the small complex and found the grocery Lili had told me about. It is called Jerusalem Market, which is a Halal market with all sorts of world groceries and halal meat products (1713 Plymouth Rd.). I got some cola from Yugoslavia, and raspberry preserves from Turkey, fresh figs and some sesame candy from Lebanon.

The gentleman running the place when we were there, said that they can hardly keep the figs in stock when they come in. He has fresh produce in season from the mideast and it goes very quickly. They had some really beautiful red bell peppers that were smallish, as though someone had grown them locally. I wanted to get those but was afraid they might perish in the heat of the car, as peppers seem so fragile. The market was jam packed even though small, with tall shelf units. I loved it.

Showtime
We got home about 6pm, just as Brian had to leave for his performance at Altu’s. I told him I’d meet him there. I sat down on the couch and fell asleep for about 15 minutes and then went to join him. Mom and Fred were already there. They tried the mild beef and liked it. And finally Altu and Mom got to meet! It was great.

The place did get really crowded as the night went on, which was great. The State Journal’s Whats On section had put a picture of the band in the center spread section and I speculate that this didn’t hurt the scene at all.

Night
OK, so we left Altu’s after 9pm. You’d think I was done… but I was not. I then proceeded to Yarn for Ewe’s monthly second-Saturday knit in. Several folks had already come and gone but several of us stayed until around midnight. (The picture above is Delores, Cheanne, me, and Wendy. Picture by Marcia… thanks!)

Well, today is Friday and there is a lot of music coming up this weekend.

“Wally Pleasant and Carl” will be playing at the Temple club (corner of Cedar and Old Grand River in Old town) tonight. “Carl” is the name of the band, made up of two guys, neither of whom is named Carl. That is so Wally! He just has to twist reality a little.

Brian has played backup for Wally on his more familiar acoustic gigs, for several years. The addition of Carl means that Wally now has a set of music that is more appropriate for a dance venue, a bar, a rock and roll gig. He says he will still be doing the solo acoustic gigs as well, but tonight should be fun. I can’t go, because I am teaching knitting at JoAnn Fabric (I am so excited) but it would be worth checking out. Wally’s website is http://wallypleasant.com

Tomorrow Scarlet Runner String Band plays Altus, 6:30-8:30. My mom is coming. This is cool because for some reason my Mom and Altu have not met yet. I am not sure how that happened, but I’m excited to introduce them. Last night Altu got to meet my friend JoDee, who is the mother of my Goddaughter Sara who I talk about here from time to time. Altu met Sara but not JoDee, until yesterday.

Oh, and for those willing to drive a bit, the Michigan ElvisFest is happening Friday and Saturday in Ypsilanti, near Ann Arbor. That could be SUCH fun!!!

Ypsilanti is a good town for food, too… they have a great Vietnamese (I think, or maybe it’s Thai) restaurant in downtown not far from the volunteer theatre where my brother Eric and his wife Diana, do theatre shows from time to time.

ElvisFest will include Elvis Autorama, lots of entertainment (Elvis impersonators and musicians who are booked as friends of Elvis), and a barbecue in the park. Gotta be good. The fest is 5pm-Midnight Friday and 10am-Midnight Saturday, in Depot town, a beautiful historic area.

Matt Waldrop used to live in the Lansing area. I think he used to teach at Yarn for Ewe in Okemos. I am not sure, because that was before I took up my knitting again. He and Rob moved away several years ago. They run Threadbear Fiber Arts together. I met Rob first online, he wrote me in response to some note I think I posted on the Socknitter list. Now I read both their weblogs and try desperately to not order any Koigu from them (I’ve resisted so far, but Koigu is my downfall).

Anyway, on Knitty.com Amy just put up a few days ago, the summer surprise patterns. Matt designed the Sigma tank which can be knit up in any yarn, especially DK weight to chunky. It looks so good I am tempted. I don’t wear tanks of this type much, but then again, it wouldn’t take long to knit especially in the fatter yarns (I usually knit sport or fingering) and it’s a tank top, which needs approximately 12 oz of cotton yarn for my size which is not much yarn. Like I need another project???

I *am* knitting a bit these days, on sox for a friend. I’m using sportweight yarns that I dyed myself. One turquoise solid, one purple solid, and one variegated without repeats. It’s coming along, although I sure have done my share of ripping out while trying to make the design suit me. It’s definitely easier to do a subtle pattern when using a smaller stitch gauge, and without all this high contrast going on. But hey, when I show my sock-in-progress to friends, they seem to like it a lot. I hope my friend likes them.

I’ve had a lot of computer work this week and I’m not done yet. I’m going to bed a little bit earlier than usual tonight. This early-morning sleeper (often I go to bed between 2am and 3:30am) needs to be up at a more standard time tomorrow, to connect with three clients during business hours.

And then: I get to teach beginning knitting at JoAnn Fabrics tomorrow (Friday)! I am so excited! I just found out yesterday and I’m thrilled. Then on Saturday Tony and I go to Spinners Flock guild (I’m going to see if I can sell the few bumps of roving I have hand dyed) and then Sunday I am doing a demo at Woven Art on knitting in the round. It’s going to be a great weekend.

Well, I got home from Habibi Dancers’ practice, and the Scarlet Runner String Band was rehearsing in our living room. What a luxury!

This is a band Brian has been in since long before we ever met. They usually play for contra dances in East Lansing, for the Looking Glass Music and Arts Association. We actually started dating after I went to a dance they played about 7 years ago, when the dances were still at Foster Center. A bunch of us went out after the dance for some food, and Brian and I talked until 1am. But I digress…

The Scarlet Runners, since they usually play for dances, usually play *tunes* rather than *songs.* In other words, they don’t sing. But this weekend they will be playing at Altu’s Restaurant and will be not only playing tunes, but some of their songs. I really like it when they sing. Show is at 6:30-8:30 on Saturday the 12th if any local person is interested. Oh, and Brian and I are playing as The Fabulous Heftones, on Saturday the 26th.

But, wowie, do I feel wealthy when I come home and there is this fabulous live music right here in my house! It’s just wonderful, and after many years I still don’t take it for granted. Lucky me!

Today I had a 17 year old girl fall in love with some yarn Jillian donated to my program. She has only been knitting three weeks but can picture this yarn as a vest. She and I will make that happen. We may make up a vest or we may adjust the Sally Melville sideways-knit garter stitch vest (which Sally made as an asymmetrical design but this student doesn’t like that particular idea). I told the student (she’s the oldest one I’ve ever had for more than one day) that she is learning to knit as I do… I find a yarn, the yarn tells me what it wants to be, and that is what I knit next. I’m excited because I’m sure this girl will actually finish. What a great thing to plan for the summer!

After work I got dinner at Altu’s restaurant and then drove to meet my brother and his wife, Diana (and two other friends) at Metzger’s restaurant in Ann Arbor. This German restaurant is in its 75th year. It is a quality place, where one chef won a state-level chef award and is going to nationals. I just didn’t want to hassle with trying to order something that might or might not nourish me. I am sure if I called ahead they would have accommodated my allergies, but it’s mostly red meat and heavy German foods, and I just didn’t want to hassle. So I went to dinner already full, and drank tea while enjoying the company. It worked perfectly.

It was so nice to sit next to Eric for an hour or so. I think I drove longer to get there and back than I was with the group, but it didn’t matter to me. Remember, I love driving anyway. Me, and the music, and driving in the dark. Perfect!

Oh, yesterday I submitted two patterns to Amy, the Knitty publisher, who will be editing a forward-thinking knitting book next year sometime. Wish me good luck. I know that many talented knit designers sent proposals, and there can only be 30 in the book. I worry I’m not hip or young enough, aren’t we silly sometimes in our insecurities? I’m crossing my fingers but not holding my breath…

My brother, Eric Oscar, has his birthday today. Happy birthday!

Eric is truly the best brother I could have. He’s my best friend who has known me longest in my life. Eric stood up for me at my wedding to Brian, he was my “Dude of Honor.”

I’m not sure why it took my Mom to think of that, because it made so much sense. We were breaking all the other rules about weddings already (my wedding dress was a turquoise silk evening gown, and we had a barbecue/jam session for our reception… the favors were hot pink plastic kazoos with our wedding date inscribed on them). But for some reason I didn’t think of having a Dude of Honor until Mom pointed out that our best friend should be our attendant, and Eric qualified. And How!

Eric knows me very well. I tend to have emotional ups and downs, which sometimes gets me stuck where I don’t know what to do next. I can call my brother, talk to him for a few minutes, and he’ll ask me a few questions. And after those few questions, I know what to do. What a friend he is.

Eric is about a year and a half younger than me (we were 2 years apart in school). He is my younger brother but has not been my “little” brother for decades. He looks like the Swedish side of the family as far as we can tell, and I look like the English side. He looks very much the viking, with a slightly reddish beard and gray-blonde hair… wide hands, wide feet. He is not tall, but he is tall in comparison to other men in our family - my dad was not quite 5′6″ and he was the tallest of the three brothers.

My favorite story to tell of our relationship is this: I used to sit on his back and beat him up, when we were very very young. However, somewhere in late elementary school he started to outweigh me. Once he could sit on *me,* we got along just fine, thank you very much! The diplomat in me came out very quickly when it was clear that I could not win. That was the last time I ever tried to solve anything with physical means, probably a blessing. Fortunately, it’s not Eric’s style to solve things that way either.

My father was a man who believed girls should not have to learn to fix things. He did teach Eric how to do tasks such as wire light fixtures and other dangerous or messy tasks. He would teach me the theory of electrical circuits, by building me a board with batteries and light bulbs and switches, but I was not allowed to crawl in the crawl space or work with real wiring. Eric learned a lot of carpentry, some electrical and plumbing, and an assortment of other handy skills.

Since Daddy died, Eric has worked hard to teach me things he learned from Dad, so I could be more self-reliant and independent. He buys me power tools for Christmas! It was Eric who one day, when I called him about a computer problem, said “Do you have a screwdriver? Let’s open up the case on this computer and see if we can figure this out.” And thus, over a long-distance phone call, a techie was born. I don’t love fixing computer hardware, but it is a very good skill to have in a pinch. Thanks, Eric!

I’ve been contemplating my Great, Great Aunt Ingeborg lately. She’s the only relative I remember who knit, at least for me. She learned to knit in Norway, where she was born and raised. I believe she came to the USA when she was about 16, if I remember the story correctly. She always had a strong dialect, but we learned to understand her even as kids.

Ingeborg made a living as a baker for a Catholic hospital in Flint, Michigan. She was the only relative we had in Michigan, so she functioned a little bit as a third Grandmother (my “real” grandmothers lived in Minnesota while I was growing up).

I remember once we went to Ingeborg’s house for a holiday, perhaps Easter, and she had made apple dumplings. I was sure I would not like apple dumplings (we often had the dumplings that float on stew and I must have thought these the same). I was adamant I didn’t like it. My mother was mortified, as I was supposed to be a good grrrl (especially after Ingeborg had cooked all day for us) yet I often was not.

Mom finally insisted that I must at least taste the dumpling. And then I found I had been so wrong…. I LOVED apple dumplings. Hers were cored apples covered in pie crust and baked in the oven, with a cinnamon sauce. Now I always think of Ingeborg when I think apple dumplings. And I think of her when I see doilies on furniture, because she had them on her favorite rocking chair, the kind with arms carved to look like goose heads/necks. Now I realize she made those doilies. I wonder if they were knit or crocheted, I’ll never know.

This weekend I found a box of old toys from my childhood. It was not a particularly large box, but I found the one doll blanket I had remembered that Ingeborg knit for me. It was actually in pretty good repair (moths got one crocheted edge long ago but that looks repairable, see photo).

I also found a half dozen other handcrafted, knit or crocheted items in that one box. Funny how I tossed many things but not the handmade stuff. Even though my mother reallyreallyreally disliked wool (I’ve been busy convincing her to like superwash wool lately). Somehow I knew that handcrafted items were precious, wool or not. I will need to see if Mom can remember where the other knit/crocheted items came from. One baby cap (I used it for a doll) has a sewn in tag saying the first and last names of the woman who knit it, and I don’t recognize that name at all. It should be interesting to find out if I can find out the histories of more of the items.

I have to also show you the blanket sleeper I found, sized for my favorite doll. My mother made this, I assume freehand without a pattern, to somewhat echo my own blanket sleeper at the time.
Mine had a logo with a clown face on it, so Mom used the sewing machine freehand to embroider a clown face on the doll’s sleeper as well. Adorable. I had forgotten about this precious thing.

I’m so glad the moths did not find this box while I had forgotten it. The sleeper is in such good shape you would never know it was over 30 years old. You can see that Ingeborg’s blanket needs washing, but I dare not do that until I repair the crocheted edge. I’m delighted my precious items are still in decent shape.

Strong women in our lives, they are the stuff of stories. Stories worth telling.

Dancing Flappers
Tonight (Saturday) Brian and I had a private music gig as The Fabulous Heftones. It was great fun. The party was a large family gathering, with folks from Michigan and Canada. This family does a theme party each year, and this year they chose the 1920’s. We got to be the theme music. Such fun!

At the end of our act, some folks asked for some dancing music so that the women dressed as flappers could dance a bit. We did “Jada” which is a tune many folks have at least heard before, and we had three ladies dancing a pseudo-charleston. It was a blast!

We also had several requests and could at least somewhat sing a bit of all but one, not too bad. Brian did a great impromptu version of “Bye-bye Blackbird,” I was most impressed since I didn’t know he had ever done that song. It’s a goodie, we should work it up one of these days.

Four Seasons for Dinner
After we played for the party, we decided we might as well go out to dinner since we were dressed up so nicely (Brian in a tux and me in an evening dress). We tried a new place, the Four Seasons. It happens to be exactly next door to the Cappucino Cafe where Sarah Peasley and I had tea yesterday morning. I understand both businesses are run by the same folks.

It was a bit fancier than we typically enjoy, with a wine list and a martini list, and somewhat overly friendly waitstaff… but the food was good. I had a fettucini with tomato/garlic sauce and small bits of chicken, and a chicken rice soup flavored with lemon and mint. Brian had a manicotti stuffed with cheese and spinach. Brian said the bread was as good as it looked, and we did get refills on hot tea which is my test of good service.

We won’t go there often, as I honestly like Altu’s and Aladdins better as a regular meal, plus they are less expensive and I have relationships with the people running those restaurants. However, for something different this was actually better than I had expected. The tomato sauce was significantly better than average, for example. But I guess I prefer waitstaff who say things like “Hey, how are you doing?” over “It was my pleasure to serve you this evening.” Some things I’m fussy about doing “right,” whatever that is, but I like relationship over formality.

Perfect Summer Weather
The weather has cooled off and it is a gift. Yesterday was so hot it was hard to do much until the sun started to set. Thank goodness there has been a little rain. Right now it is quite comfortable summer weather. Sigh… I should sleep well tonight. I hope to get back to some knitting tomorrow. I seem to be in the middle of everything and done with nothing these days. I have heard other knitters say the same thing, so it must just be the season

A New Toy
I got a “new” bicycle this week. It is a Schwinn Suburban, I’m guessing from about 1966 or so. It’s a heavy and sturdy “girls” bike with five speeds, but it has a regular upright seat so I am not leaning too much on my wrists. I like it a lot. It’s stylish but not enough to get stolen easily. It’s blue, not purple or whatever, but it’s true to its own style. It came with a lot of surface rust but I’m doing a good job shining the chrome. I have a bit of experience with chrome! (My furniture is chrome, also, for the most part.)

Brian and I rode our bikes to Altu’s restaurant for dinner Thursday night, which is about 3 miles one way. Foster Center is about the same distance as Altu’s so I may ride to work, at least on mornings I get up early enough to get going. We will see how willing I am to get up 45 minutes earlier!

I can ride a lot of the way on the Riverwalk (official name is River Trail) so there is very little traffic and the scenery is lovely. I get off the Riverwalk less than half a mile from work, and I can mostly snake through the neighborhood south of Foster to get there, with crosswalks where I need safety. I’m happy about this. I have not had a bike in a few years, although in the 1970’s and 80’s bicycle was an important form of transportation and recreation for me. This is not a long-distance bike but I don’t want to go long distances for now. It sure is pretty, in any case!

Fireworks from our “Hood”
Last night we decided we didn’t want to go where a zillion people were just to see fireworks, so we walked about 5 blocks to Cedar street where there is an overhead crosswalk for kids to go to school. We and two other small groups from the neighborhood stood there to watch what we could of the fireworks. It would have been better if we had been maybe 5 feet higher, but we saw enough to feel we had not been left out, and that way we had no traffic jams.

I have enjoyed walking and riding bikes with Brian in the last two days. He is good company and sometimes we don’t take the time to do activities together, other than perhaps playing music.

Well, it’s Independence Day in the USA. Most places are closed today and many of us are going to gatherings of this or that type. We usually go to a picnic by a small lake nearby, but the couple who usually throws the bash has decided to go out of town for the weekend instead. I must say that I’m not disappointed. As much as I enjoy the people and the music-making that I will miss, I really am in a “space” where I want to be peaceful and quiet right now.

This morning I met Sarah Peasley for tea. She is good company, a smart woman with talent and compassion. I’m so glad we are friends. (Thank goodness that the coffee shops are open for business today… and the one where we chatted was busy).

We did a bit of show and tell. She had not seen my pink froofy stole that I made for the ColorJoy Stole class at Woven Art, and she had also not seen the one I finished from JoAnn Fabrics yarns. And I’m about 1/3 through the second JoAnn’s yarn stole so I could show her that, too.

She didn’t bring much, but she is working with an alpaca yarn that is unevenly spun which is making her stitches look unevenly knit. I used the yarn (different color) for my cropped-finger gloves last January, and I loved it. I felt it looked a bit handspun and I liked that about it. She is working in a looser gauge and feeling that it just looks uneven. I think she may change her mind when she sees the big picture. She did see this sweater knit up in the same yarn before, and loved it. That is a good sign.

She also helped me through a design snag with some sox I’m doing for a friend out of my own handpainted yarns. For some reason I just had a hard time getting a design I liked. I got something started last night (perhaps my third or fourth swatch/draft) but halfway through it looked funny. With Sarah’s help I figured out something I could live with and I finished the motif on one cuff, ready to dive into the second one as soon as I post this note.

Happy Dance for Summer!
Summer makes me exceedingly happy. I don’t care if I perspire like crazy, it seems like a high-class luxury to be warm. It is true that I don’t want to do a lot of physical labor in hot weather, and sleeping is more of an issue, but I love every minute it isn’t cold in this state. I have always been more creatively inclined in the summer, when I don’t feel like I have to protect my body from the environment. I can shed that issue and just create. (Image is a postcard I sent to my friend Luann Udell in March of 1999… I hand-carved all the stamp images except the dotted texture on the underlying card.)

I hope I spend the day knitting in the hammock, interrupted by good food and maybe a little jam session with Brian later on. We are performing for a private party on Saturday Night, and I like to run through a few tunes when preparing for a gig… and besides, it’s great fun.

I’ll leave you with the lyrics to a favorite James Taylor song:

Summer’s here, I’m for that.
I’ve got my rubber sandals, got my straw hat.
Got my cold beer, I’m just glad that it’s here.

It’s my favorite time of the year,
And I’m glad that it’s here.

My friend Vince has been living in China for a year. He has his own domain name, digitallydo.com, but while he was in China and having difficulty getting online, something happened with the web hosting service which was handling his domain. His pages and email stopped working. Poof! No way to reach Vince, no way to know he was OK, no chance to hear how China was going.

I actually first met Vince online, when the web was new and there were very few sites about polymer clay. He had a site up about his polymer night lights. I checked them out and then later Mike Buesseler (I hope I spelled that right) and I corresponded (last I checked, Mike’s web pages were not there any more) and Mike said I really needed to “meet” Vince. So I wrote Vince and we started a correspondence that has not ended. This was perhaps 1995-96 or so.

Somewhere along the line I experimented with UseNet newsgroups and found one I think was called rec.crafts.polymer-clay where I connected with a few other polymer artists. Now there are 4 of us in a core of friends and two others who say hi from time to time, who write long missives about art, life, and anything else on our mind. It has slowed down, but I remember when Brian and I were engaged (and I was stressing out about planning the party that was our reception) the group, which we call “artcafe,” was the most important support I had. Some days I would get up and check email thinking, “Oh please, please, a message from artcafe!” The first time I talked to Vince by phone rather than email was I think the day before my wedding, when he called to offer love and support.

We met in person later, when there was a pretty fabulous polymer clay show in New Jersey (he lived in that state at the time) called MIPCES, though I don’t remember what that stood for. I did the website for it but that site has since been pulled. That weekend I stayed with Vince’s family. Since then Brian and I visited his family in North Carolina when they had moved down there, and Vince has visited us in Michigan with his family (wife, Carol, and sons Max and Asa). A year ago they moved to Shanghai China where they knew Carol had a job teaching, and they hoped Vince could also find work there… he ended up teaching as well.

Anyway, I was disturbed when I had no way to correspond with my dear friend. But in the last few days I found his site was back up again, although in a different format. And it said I could contact him through a different email address than I’d been using. So I wrote my other Artcafe’ friends and told them my wonderful find, and wrote Vince as well. And today he wrote back!!!

It turns out they have been in the US for a couple weeks and will be even travelling to Michigan. (Yippee!!!! Maybe they will stay with us again.) They think they will probably go back to China for another year. I think it would be super cool to go visit them there. After all, going to another country when you know someone to show you around, is infinitely superior to taking a package tour!

Sigh… my friend is back. My friend is fine. My friend might come see me!!! Ahhhhh…. I feel better already.

My friend Marilyn Pender wrote a few days ago that she made a version of my Barberpole Sox.

Her version is very creative, as each is its own color and the cuffs are different. my standard pattern calls for three bands of texture. Marilyn writes that she knew she was short on yarn, so she went with one band on each sock, but each sock has a different pattern. She also did a different toe than I specified, and I think the extra texture looks great.

I think she did a great job of working with her yarns! The ribbed parts are both pink and then the rest of the sox are mirror image to one another. Looks great, Marilyn!

It’s so exciting to see people knit my designs. The personalities just jump out, and it is delightful. Maybe you remember when my friend Deborah Harowitz (Scarlet Zebra) made this same pattern in two different colorways. Hers were of Cascade Fixation where the background color was a variegated yarn with aqua and purple, white and hot yellow-green. Then the texture/contrast color was dark blue on one pair and the yellow-green on the other. As I recall, a female relative (daughter?) basically talked her out of one pair.

And my pairs on my website are navy and red (the yarn colors were chosen by a local yarn store to sell the pattern and a class) for an adult pair, plus a periwinkle and aqua babysock. I also have made these with Debbie Bliss washable merino DK weight, in raspberry and black. Too bad black doesn’t photograph well, because that pair is just wonderful. Isn’t knitting fascinating? The same pattern can really turn out to be very different depending on the interpretation of the individual doing the knitting, and their yarn choices/limitations.

Tony and I went to Borders today. Great fun. Of course, it was even more special because we went to Zingerman’s Deli first, for dinner. Yum. That place does food as art! Pricey but worth it. We both had salads. and I made more than my share of “yummy noises.”

The Borders crowd was small but as always, delightful. This group is a home to me. I showed off the stoles I’m working on with JoAnn’s yarn (finally figured out a blue/green colorway that really works as a second choice). Forgot to take the beautiful sox I made for Brian and finished this weekend while camping.

Oh, I had a couple knitters who stayed around for an extra few hours today (they knit through computer lab as well as knitting time) and I really enjoyed their company. They are fairly new knitters, sisters, who are doing an amazing job of tidy and even knit stitches, and they knit a lot at home so they are finishing projects pretty quickly. I let them both choose a ball of eyelash yarn for the next project, while there were not a zillion other children in the room.

These girls are so quiet and shy I just showed them what their choices were and did a swatch so they could understand what it might look like to knit the different eyelash yarns with a base yarn, and then I just let them sort of look over the yarns with me not looking over their shoulders. I’ve never been shy so I just have to imagine that they would be more comfortable if I was not watching their decision process. One girl ended up with some cream eyelash with very long polyester eyelashes. The other chose a slightly shorter but more dense eyelash in white with holographic synthetic fibers. Pretty exciting for kids ages 9 and 10!

I’ve been struggling with what to do when I have more newcomers than I can really teach to knit in one hour. Tony came up with the perfect answer. The younger ones, or those waiting for me to get to them with how to knit (I really have to hold their hands as they form the first half dozen or so stitches), I am going to show how to finger crochet a chain.

Some of the kids will like that better than knitting with needles, and if they are happy I have honored them. I feel as though when they have to wait what I deem “too long” that I am not honoring them properly. Finger crocheting will be perfect. Some kids just like to see how long of a chain they can make, competing to see whose chain is longer. Yippee. Tony came through for me again. Thanks, Tony!