Wonderful Food
I’m in heaven. I finally went to the City Market today. I had been told by several friends that there was a good vegetarian mideast eatery there, but hadn’t tried it. Well, I went today. It turns out that the woman is from Egypt. Most of this type of food (hummous, mujaddara, grape leaves, falafel, lentil soup and more) in Lansing is Lebanese. I typically refer to this type of food as mideastern cuisine. Yet Egypt is a unique case geographically, because it’s in Northeast Africa plus the Sinai Peninsula and then shares a border with Israel. I didn’t ask her if she considers her food mideastern or if she has another way of describing it.

Whatever it is called, this woman’s food is goooood! I got a roll-up sandwich with eggplant and hummous (very garlicky, a little bit spicy, very good). And she even had green tea! The sandwich was generously sized, and the two items cost $4.50 total. Then she let me taste a stuffed grape leaf which was also very nice. Yum! I’ll be back for sure.

Wool Show Tomorrow
Today, I’m preparing for the Mt. Bruce Station Sheep & Wool Festival tomorrow, in Romeo MI (there is an admission charge of $6). It’s maybe a half hour east of Flint, quite a bit north of Detroit (map on their website). My friend Deb Harowitz/Scarlet Zebra has a booth on Saturday and Sunday. I’m helping her out all day Saturday.

If anyone wants to buy some of my Seaside cushy-sport yarn, I got back what didn’t sell at the retreat and I’ll be selling it at Mt. Bruce tomorrow. It’s $16 for a skein, approximately 100gm and appx. 225 yd (my palm device broke yesterday, holding the exact measurements, but I think that is right… new Visor on the way). I made a pair of sox, women’s medium, with one skein. After Deb sends me back the yarn that doesn’t sell at Mt. Bruce, it will go up for sale to the internet community.

Other upcoming public events I will have in the near future:

Singing:
Oct 11, (Sat) 6:30-8:30 Abbott Brothers Band at Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine
Oct 25, (Sat) 6:30-8:30 The Fabulous Heftones at Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine
Dec 6 (Sat) 6:30 Potluck before Contra Dance (dance till 11) with Fabulous Heftones, at Foster Community Center, 200 N. Foster, Lansing

Dancing:
Oct 15 (Wednesday Night) Habibi Dancers’ fundraiser, at 5th element in Grand Ledge. Dinner and dance, call Garnett at 517/483-4233 for details.
Feb 13 (Fri) Shows at 6:30 and 8pm, New Aladdin’s Restaurant, Frandor (me as Eudora with one other dancer)

Knitting Classes:
Nov 14 & 11/21 (Fri) 10am-12, Socknitting, JoAnn Fabrics, Frandor
Nov 23 (Sun) 1:00pm-4ish, Polymer Clay Gift in a Day, JoAnn Fabrics
Nov 5 & 12 (Wed) 10am-12 Basic Knitting, JoAnn Fabrics
Dec 1 (Mon) 6:00-9:00 Easy Textured Stole, JoAnn Fabrics
I actually have lots of knitting classes (Knitting 1, 2 & 3) scheduled at JoAnn, and another polymer class or two, so write me if you are looking for a specific class.

Computer Classes:
I have a whole boatload of classes daytime, weekends and evenings, mostly Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Classes start October 2nd.

The classes go from “How do I click a mouse” to “What are all those features hidden in Word?” to “How do I design an Access database” and a bunch of other fun things like Excel Spreadsheets, Microsoft Publisher or PowerPoint. Call 517/483-4233 (Foster Center) for registration information.

I hope to meet some of you at Mt. Bruce tomorrow! Please be sure to say hi and visit a while at the Scarlet Zebra booth.

Well, I’m inspired by Sarah Peasley‘s finishing binge lately. Now, I confess that she has been finishing big things like sweater after sweater after sweater, and a huuuuge entrelac bag that started out as a piano-bench cosy. She cranks, and I bow to her!

But I am impressed with myself anyway. That is probably a good thing because it keeps me going and motivated to keep knitting. So here is what I think is my list of completed projects since 9/5 (the first day of Wheatland Music Festival):

• September-to-September Sweater for me

• Pizzazz Stole
• Regia roll-cuff slouchy turquoise jacquard sox for me
• Fast Florida Footies for me
• Several dozen dyed skeins of Seaside Sportweight yarn for sale
• Pseudo-Turkish sox from Seaside yarn
• Mohair Beret
• Cabled Sweat Socks from SpinOff Booklet for me
• Mohair Wrist Warmers
• Regia Ringel Taupe Sox for Brian

Not too shabby, eh? And I tossed out one project that needed to never really happen, and I put another on the back burner until I can figure out what new life it might have in it. I think retiring something is an accomplishment, as it frees up the creative space in my head for new things. And I’m preparing for many new things, soon.

The only two socks on that list you haven’t seen here in pictures yet, in some form or another, are the Regia turquoise Roll-cuff slouch sox for me (these slouch so perfectly I am just thrilled) and my Fast Florida Footies. I’ve made these several times but never for me to wear. My turn to try out the Fixation yarn personally! I used leftovers from other projects and nearly ran out of the variegated yarn so I just put in a single stripe of what was left at the toe, to tie in with the roll-cuff and heel in that same yarn.

I haven’t taken any pics of the Pizzazz stole, either… but in pictures it will look much like the turquoise stole I did at the Allegan festival. In person they look very different but they both read “turquoise” at first glance.

Oh, and the highlight of my day was a new knitter at Foster Center. She’s probably in High School. She came in and asked could she learn (it was computer time but she was the only kid in the room at the time). Her grandma knits and she does rug hooking but wanted to learn knitting. She took to it like a fish to water. Finished a small project very quickly and took needles and yarn and a totebag home with her. I expect she’ll return, as she’s a regular on Teen Night (I usually work earlier in the day than Teen Night but on Thursdays I’m there till 6pm). Whee! What a rush it is to teach someone who learns so easily!