I washed my yarn that I spun this week, to go with my “sherbet” yarn I spun a few weeks ago. I’ve been calling it hot purple. Right now I want to call it electric magenta. The pic is showing it too light and not quite intense enough. On my laptop monitor, the multicolor is dead-on for color, but the solid is not quite right.

I think I spun it thinner than the multicolor, not sure. I sure got more yardage than the other. It’s more thick/thin anyway. I spun it a little more tightly than the first yarn because it does not have mohair for reinforcement (it’s Romney from New Zeeland, a strong wool used often for socks).

It’s almost dry and I’m distracted by other things besides measuring wraps per inch to see if they are the same. When I do check that out, if the solid looks too thin, I may wind off enough of it for toes/heels and ply it with some sewing thread. Or who knows, maybe I will knit with two strands of the solid… this one and the tiny yarn I found on the bobbin when I re-found the unspun fiber. The tiny yarn that was no fun at all to spin. Might as well use it up, huh?

For now I’m hoping that plying is not necessary. My promise to myself about spinning is that it will remain fun. I am not going to push for perfection in that arena of my life… at least not this year. Just fun. Spinning is fiber but not my job. I love that, because so much of my knitting is for work these days.

Marlene Osborn, the owner of Yarn for Ewe in Okemos, once told me that she also started spinning (I think it was last year) as a way to have something fibery that was not work. It seems that when you run a yarn shop, most of your knitting is for samples to be shown in the store, and other obligations. I really relate. There has to be something you can do just for the joy of it, you know?

Don’t the colors here look nice together? I totally love magenta with hot yellow-green. Funny how we are about combinations, really. I also do not like turquoise and red together… at all. And others really love that combination. Color is so intensely personal, it makes sense.

My friend Mary S. keeps encouraging me to knit with my homespun yarn. What is interesting, is that since I chose to spin this relatively fast, and relatively imperfectly, I feel more willing to use it. The sox I envision will be mostly the multicolor. I have too much knitting for work right now for me to start these, and I still can not find my ballwinder so I’ll wait a while and just enjoy the yarn in skeins. Petting them off and on will be a great joy. I can go for that. For a loooong while! But then I will knit with it. Because my friend Mary is right. What good is spinning if I don’t let myself knit with it? I need to allow myself the luxury of handspun sox. I will do it… but it needs to wait a bit longer.

It was a gorgeous day. I had only a handful of knitting kidz and they were great. When I got home, Brian and I recorded two more songs for our CD. Our big shows coming up are next Friday and Saturday. We are in Midland on Friday the 7th, and Davison (near Flint) on Saturday the 8th. We sure hope the CD will be ready then!!! He’s really doing a great job, so for now we are proceeding as though it will work out. Cross fingers for us!

Well, the weather is an artform today. It’s 80 degrees F and mostly sunny. There is quite a breeze, but who cares? I’ll be able to open windows in my classroom today. It will be wonderful!

I’m hoping to get on the porch for a short while today. I get out of work at Foster at 6pm so maybe we can eat dinner out there.

Brian is working like crazy on cleaning up our recordings so that we can have a CD to release soon. It is just amazing to me how much you can do to make things sound different once it is already recorded, just by making a voice sing notes a little sooner or later. And I swear, I had a phrase I needed to re-record (I didn’t think I hit the notes as straight-on as I wanted) but I can’t find it any more. He makes me sound so good!

Off to teach knitting. Thursday is the slow knitting day and I really enjoy my time with my kidz. I am there for 3 hours. Two of those hours are officially computer time but I often have more knitters than computer kids. They come and go so it can be like four one-on-one sessions by the time I’m done. I love those times when it is just me and one child. They need time with adults and I love time with them. It’s a mutual-admiration society of a sort.

Off to work.

I made a hat for April’s baby. It’s a 6 month size, but that will be perfect when it gets cool this fall. It’s the eggplant color I used for Anne’s baby last fall (darker than shown here), but with a different green. I love this green, it’s very yellow and sunny. The yarn is Tahki Cotton Classic.

This pattern is the Ann Norling pattern so many people use. I tell you what, the pattern is written so perfectly I am amazed. She could have made it a LOT harder, a lot more fussy, but she made it simple. It looks great, and the pattern is simple.

One great thing about this pattern is that it is so fast, and looks so great when it’s done. I started the hat last night after dinner. I finished it tonight before dinner. Less than 24 hours, with sleep and 5 hours of work in there as well. It’s at 5st/inch which is sweater gauge, rather than my sock gauges. I love this pattern!

One of my knitting girls at Foster today wants to make it. I told her dad where she could buy the pattern (I’m not giving mine up and I explained to her… a sixth grader… why I could not make copies). She has already knit on double points, is working on a top down hat right now, and is OK with knitting and purling, although this hat is just knit stitches. She has never done two color knitting, but it’s only something like 4 rows. Easy!!! She doesn’t know it’s supposed to be hard, you know???

I think the dad will probably go ahead and get her the pattern. She really does knit at home and they really support her in this. A childhood friend of her mom picks her up and brings her to Foster, and then either that friend or Dad picks her up when she leaves. They really want her to enjoy it. It would be great fun to have her do this, I think she is ready to finish something. She tends to have multiple projects, and some are pretty big. For a sixth grader that is hard stuff, they tend to like finishing things. She plugs right away, though. I’m proud of her.

Got more needles from you folks, thanks so much!!! Again, the secretary has names and I just have the needles, but thanks a bunch.

Sharon P. writes (at her blog, Knitknacks), about guilt and knitters. It’s sort of an interesting thought to me.

I feel guilty about a lot of things. Mostly I feel guilty I am not currently willing to work a “regular job” which would make many things less worrysome. But here I am, working a lot of small jobs (I had six income sources in January 2004), and having a heck of a great time! I need to be a lot more desperate before I’ll go back to doing the same thing all day, five days a week.

But guilt about yarn? Guilt about projects? Maybe I should. (Should is a word that is about other people, not me, anyway.) But I don’t feel guilty at all about buying yarn… because it gives me pleasure, or entertainment value if you will, multiple times. I get pleasure dreaming about what it might be, in the store. I get pleasure looking at it, planning for it, showing it to friends. If I knit it right away I have the pleasure of touching it, looking at it, seeing it become something I dreamed. If I don’t knit it right away, it stays in my storage bins where I see it almost every day. I get to touch it again, dream again, smile and exclaim how beautiful yarn can be… and repeat in a day or two.

Maybe if I was going into debt for yarn I would be concerned. I choose to live on a cash basis, have not used unsecured credit for about 14 years. So if I don’t have money this week, I don’t buy yarn this week. If I have funds, I might go ahead. It’s hard to feel too bad about that.

I used to sew a lot. I figured the cost of some garments by the cost per wearing. If I was going to wear a skirt at work once a week for half the year, for at least two years, then I could spend a good bit on the fabric for that skirt and not feel bad at all. Ironically, that means that a gown for a fancy event reasonably should cost less than something for work… which is really hard to do in practice. It was a good concept, though, and I get it out from time to time as it applies to other places in my life.

So if I figure cost per minute of pleasure, for my yarn? It is pennies per touch. I touch it so much before, during and after knitting it… and even if I don’t knit it up right away I get pleasure from just having it and seeing it.

I don’t go to movies at all, I just don’t like them. The last movie I saw in the theatre was the Lion King, and that was before I met Brian about 8 years ago. I have never owned a VCR. I do sometimes turn on the TV, but only to watch the Olympics (figure skating), watch the ball fall at Times Square on New Year’s eve, and a few times a year in search of the Teletubbies, if I remember to turn it on when I’m at home in the mornings.

Why do I mention that? The money that others spend on movies, videos, rentals, cable TV, satellite dishes… I spend much less than that on yarn. It’s a good thing I like knitting sox best, because that means many of my splurges are only two balls of yarn. That helps a person with an unsteady income like me, still have the pleasure of acquisition.

My only guilt, if you can call it that, is that I want to knit it up faster. I want to create more, finish more projects. I’m very end-product oriented. I finish most of what I start. I have never felt competitive in my life, but I’m sort of competitive with myself to see how much I can get finished within so many waking hours in a week.

I did start a Sigma Tank from Knitty (and Matt) last August and I have not finished it. That’s not because it was the wrong thing, but because Sarah Peasley was right, and I should have WASHED the cotton/wool yarn after swatching it (I did make a swatch but didn’t wash it and it really really changed gauges… like from 4 st/in to 3 st/in or something about that extreme). So now I need to either make it into something different than it started out to be, or rip it out. It only took 3 days to knit what I have but I’m waiting for the inspiration to feel OK with the ripping. Some ripping is harder than others. I can rip a sock without hassle, but I do so few sweaters I am waiting on this one for a confident day. Or some inspiration on how to make that size of a tube look good as a different style. The tank will not work on my small body in that large gauge, it just will not work.

But hey, I’ve done 92 pair of sox in about 3 years. On top of that I’ve done I think 4 pair legwarmers, at least a half-dozen hats, a pair of fingerless gloves, a small handful of wrist/handwamers, two adult sweaters, a teddy bear sweater, a baby lace sweater, and maybe things I’ve forgotten. All those by hand. And I’ve done a few dozen scarves on the knitting machine/frame and one baby sweater (which I have not sewed up, mostly because it doesn’t fit any baby I know… so there is no point in hurrying).

So I really do crank out knitting. I knit almost every day, mostly when I’m out in public. I would love to crank even more, but when I really look at my output I’m OK with it.

Maybe I *should* feel guilty about the yarn I buy. Much of it is for my business… teaching and designing for publication. Much of it is for pleasure, and it may turn into business later. My spending plan category for yarn is much larger than percentages would indicate was balanced… but my focus on knitting is also a higher percentage than most other people. I mean, I wake up dreaming I was knitting. I dream sock patterns in my sleep! So it seems reasonable that my spending would be proportional to my focus.

Guilt… yeah, I have a lot of it, more in my personal relationships/work arena. But I have very little of it in the knitting arena, for some reason.

I have a ton of unfinished projects and that doesn’t make me feel guilty. Most of them are stalled because something is really wrong and either they need ripping out or re-designing (I make up most of my projects on the needles rather than knitting from patterns). And maybe, as Sally Melville might say, I started them to learn something and I learned it before I finished the project.

And I have a moderate stash for someone who spends as much time as I do, knitting. I have two units that were designed for the back of a truck, intended to hold tools, but holding wool. I am in those bins almost every day. I also have about 4 rubbermaid-type clear bins of spinning fiber and sweater yarns, which I visit less frequently. And then there is some yarn for dyeing (a box or two right now), which is my business. I don’t get to knit from that most of the time. I think that amount of yarn is pretty reasonable for my lifestyle, personally.

The first time someone on Socknitters asked the sizes of people’s stash (the first time I read it) I had enough yarn for 13 pair of sox. Now I have more than that, I’m not counting tonight (of course, now I knit things besides socks). I do have enough yarn for 3 or 4 sweaters which is a 2-4 year supply at my current speed (I’m hoping the knitting machine will help in that department). But the sweater yarn I got on huge sales, or buying from other folks’ stashes, or in one case was from a friend who had been born in Germany and knew I loved turquoise (it’s absolutely gorgeous cotton yarn she brought back from a trip home, begging to be a sweater with Monet trim).

I started two projects today, and also knit on my ever-present sock project from the knitting bag/purse when out and about. I’m making an Ann Norling fruit hat for April’s baby (it’s already half-done, and she won’t be able to wear it until fall anyway), and then I made a swatch for my Summer Socks with LynnH class that Heritage Knitting & Spinning is offering on June 5 (it’s based on my Fast Florida Footies pattern). That yarn is gorgeous… Cascade Fixation in apricot. Gorgeous.

But I finished 2 sock projects last week, and a replacement wristwarmer. So starting two small projects today sounds right to me!!!

Photos today: Wristwarmer like the one I knit to replace one lost at Kroger a few weeks back; Socks (pair #80) I knit for my friend Rikki last August, but I never posted here. I dyed the yarn and designed the sock as well.

Wow. I woke up a little earlier than usual today. And it’s snowing.

I tried to take pictures, and there are not enough flakes in the air for a picture. There is nothing accumulating on the ground, probably because it is 35 degrees F (freezing is 32F, for you Celsius folks).

I know that I have never met an April that did not have some snow in it. Honestly, often it is this late in the month. But we had a good solid cover of snow on April 3 and I was really hoping that was the last time.

I’m glad I got out on the porch yesterday when it was in the 60s.

I slept in today (Monday), it was such a luxury! I woke up slowly with a cup of English Breakfast Tea, and decided to bake my Crusty Pumpkin Loaf as a treat (for what might have been breakfast if I had eaten it before noon).

Less than half way through baking the quick bread, Tony called. Tony, for those of you who don’t tune in here often, is my best knitting buddy. Lately we don’t see one another nearly enough. He works a full time job at MSU plus works at a bookstore on the weekends. I am busy Wed-Sun with different jobs. Fortunately, he works long days and thus gets a long weekend every other week. Today he had a day off. Of course, I invited him over for tea and pumpkin bread.

We had a great time. I am trying to solve a bit of a knitting dilemma… trying to make something look the same whether it is knit top down or toe up. Tony is great company for problem-solving, and I was happy to have his input.

I think the design goal I’m working on is very close to impossible, but we figured out a close match. Unfortunately, the solution we found requires sewing two tiny seams in a sock, and I am not very happy with that idea. It would not be where the foot would feel it, but who wants to sew a seam in a sock? One of the joys of socknitting is the seamless construction. I think I came up with a second solution that does not look exactly the same but is historically in the ballpark. We’ll see what my publisher thinks.

After Tony left, I spent some time outdoors weeding the yard (pulling the tiny tree seedlings which cause much trouble if allowed to grow). It was sunny and about 65 degrees F, warm enough in the sun to be pleasant.

When I tired of leaning over, I decided to look once more for that purple romney roving I wanted to spin, to knit along with the yarn I made a few weeks ago. I found it (last time I looked I was just too distracted by tasks to look completely).

I took my wheel out on the porch and spun about 2 oz of it, about a half of a bobbin. What is interesting is that when I found the roving, I found a 2/3 full bobbin of very thin single ply yarn in this fiber. I did not remember spinning that much of it. I do remember I worked on it several evenings and it felt as though I had spun forever without any reduction in the wool still to be spun. I’m not sure what I will do with that tiny ply, I”m sure I’ll ply it with something else one of these months, but it was far too small to work with the other yarn I wanted to match (even if I made it 2-ply).

It was a bit chilly with the wind blowing on my east-facing porch in the evening, but I put my handwarmers on (tubes with a thumbhole, they are warm without being in the way of fingers). I was a lot warmer, and the handwarmers only were in my way a couple of times.

Another spring first: I heard the sound of an ice-cream truck when I was on the porch. I ran to get my camera, but alas! The truck never came by our corner. It was the same song playing as last year, so maybe we will have the same guy again. I never buy from him but there are plenty of children in this area who do.

Before Brian got home, I took a lovely nap. I went to our bedroom where the sun streams in as it sets. I felt like a very contented cat, curled up on that bed in the sunshine!

This evening Brian and I are recording again. It may be the final song for this CD. He has a lot of editing to do, to make the CD polished and final, but it is sort of exciting to be at this stage of the game.

Tomorrow I meet my friend Marlene Cameron to fold and mail the Working Women Artists newsletters for the month. We really enjoy doing this task together, it makes sure we meet at a coffee shop once a month and we can chat while we fold. After I meet her I may meet another knitter for lunch at Altus.

And at 3pm Tuesday afternoon, I will be listening to the Flying Ukulele Radio Hour again. Brian went to a tenor banjo (4 strings) event this weekend and met two guys who play in a band with the DJ of that show, Uke Jackson (who we met last October in Indianapolis). It’s so fun to have a connection, a human touch, when we use the internet. I think it’s so cool we can listen to Uke’s show online. He records it in Pennsylvania if I remember right, then it’s broadcast in New Jersey, and there were a couple of hundred people logged on and listening to the show last week via internet. Brian and I were two of those.

It was a great day off, and tomorrow should be another good day as well! I hope yours is just as fine.

(Pictures today: Garden across the street from Foster Center… notice how green and lush the grass is getting; Goodie box from Heritage Spinning, in preparation for a ColorJoy Stole class I’m going to be teaching for her… I need to knit a sample stole. How will I choose from all these wonderful yarns?)

What a busy weekend I had! I have not worked at JoAnn in two weeks but they had a sale this weekend so I worked there three days in a row. I am rethinking how this job, which I intended to be a 6 week committment, impacts the rest of my life. I may not be able to keep it up much longer, but it sure is fun while I’m there!

Last week, perhaps a week ago, I finished two pair of sox in the course of about 2 days. I started them at least a week apart but I finally had time to knit at home and I finished two pair. They are both toe-up, afterthought heel sox. I love this design, it just feels good on my feet and is super easy to knit in public for the most part. Gotta love that! In fact, my pair on the needles right now is another of the same style. I may tire of this someday but it’s just perfect for knitting on the road.

This pair, my 91st pair since I started knitting sox, is knit from the yarn I got in Florida when visiting my mom. Eric (my brother) and I were hoping to make it to a nature sanctuary but it started pouring buckets of rain before we got there. We got into the yarn shop just as the downpour began, so we stayed and I looked at the vast yarn stock much more in depth than I expected.

I really did not need afghan or sweater yarn, and I already had so much novelty yarn I didn’t know what to do with it all. I ended up with a ball of turquoise eyelash yarn and two balls of this sort of confetti type colorway from Regia.

This pair got a lot of attention when I was knitting it in public. I thought I’d grow to like it more, but I think I just don’t like white socks. I expect that I’ll wear them a few times with the white background and then do some sort of overdyeing of them when I get time in the studio. I have not decided yet what color might best work for the overdye, but I’m considering my usual suspects, fuschia and turquoise.

One of these days I’ll take a picture of pair #92, perhaps tomorrow or Tuesday. They are the same basic design but look very different. They are green and blue Eroica, a sportweight acrylic/wool yarn I got at Yarn for Ewe. They look great and feel good to the hand. I hope they are absorbent enough when I actually wear them. I haven’t worn them yet, but I will report back on that when I get a chance.

Someone on the Socknitters email list posted a link to a website about Kente Cloth today. It’s a new one for me. I have another link to a page about this incredible artform on my sidebar, but I just clicked it and it is not working. Drat!

(I guess it is long overdue to work on that sidebar. I’ve known that for a while, but it is such a hassle to do in Moveable Type, the program I use for my weblog, that I have put off that task too long. Sigh… one more assignment, I guess.)

If you have shockwave installed on your computer, you can even design your own virtual Kente Cloth at this site. I surf with a slow connection, so I didn’t play with that feature. However, it sounds fun.

I saw some authentic African Kente Cloth in February 2001, at a museum in New York City that highlighted African themes (I am going blank on the name of that museum, but if I remember right it was not far from Washington Square). What struck me about the fabric, was that it was woven in very thin strips and then sewn together into a larger whole. I had not figured that out from the trickle-down printed Kente-type-patterned fabrics I’d seen here in Michigan.

The real thing had such texture and depth, that I wanted to look at it for a long time. I would have loved to touch it as well, though I do understand why they would not permit that.

I tried weaving with a loom a few times and I just don’t enjoy it much. I had more fun with the tapestry/Navajo type weaving where I could sit on the floor, and push the yarn/wool/whatever through the warp with my fingers. I don’t like all that sitting on a wood bench and touching wood shuttles… I really prefer knitting while lounging on a couch or hammock, and feeling the wool flow through my fingers. I don’t like the feel of wood, and I did not like the sound of the loom rattling and clunking either, for some reason. I love the idea of Kente in strips, and it’s sort of sad that I did not like weaving enough to do something with that construction method.

Maybe sometime I’ll do something knitted into strips. I learned how to do that in my Anna Zilboorg class about a year ago. She had us actually connect the strips as we knit, so we would not have to sew at the end. It made some very handsome garments but it required a lot more purling than I enjoy, and a whole lot more thinking than I usually do when I knit stockinette tubes for socks.

Anyway… I really loved that site, maybe you will as well.

It is the gorgeous, but sneezy, part of spring here now. Every tree is blossoming, whether in pink or white, or just green pollen hiding in wait. It is beautiful, the perfect example of spring in Michigan. Yet at the same time, it is a big allergy time, and that makes it hard for me to be my fully enthusiastic self. I want to sleep all day, but that is just not going to work!

I took pictures of Foster Center on Thursday. I love the blossoming trees around the front entrance. It’s hard to see, but there are also red tulips blooming on the left of the entry as well.

I’m trying to catch up with all my old pics that never got posted. Here are two pics of my knitting kidz this week. On Wednesday, I had 21 kids and that was so many I did not think to take pictures while I tried to meet their needs. Thursday, however, is my slow day. It is only kids who bring themselves, by walking or by bike. I think I even had 9 kids this week on Thursday at one point or another, but it felt really quiet after the crowd I had taught the day before.

Here are the three who were there at the end of one of my days this week. The little boy had been cranking out crocheted wristbands in multiple colors of yarn that session. I think he finished three, and one was so big he could not wear it without pushing it up on his upper arm.

The girl standing in back rode her bike. She has been with me for over a year. She had a hard time getting knitting with needles, so I got her started with yarn by finger-crocheting, then finger-knitting, then a knitting spool, and then one day she asked to knit with regular needles. When she doesn’t feel like concentrating or I don’t have a lot of time for her, she goes back to finger-crocheted chains. She made me that necklace you see her playing with, by putting four strands, four different colors together. She gave it to me as a necklace after measuring carefully so I could tie it in a knot but get it over my head. I love the colors. I actually wore the necklace two days this week.

The girl who is seated, is knitting with the wool yarn we dyed with Kool-Aid during spring break. There is a close up of the project here as well. She is one of my regulars, and although she is fairly young, she is really doing very well. She knits at home sometimes as well. Actually, all of these kids come pretty regularly. They are “My Kids!!!” I really, truly love these children. I don’t say that to them, I just try to act it in every way. They know.

By the way, thanks to those who have sent packages and the one check (bless you, that is beyond what I asked or expected). I show the packages to the kids and they know things come from you folks. They know these are gifts to them, and I think it does make them feel special. I make sure they are reminded to be good stewards of the gifts they have received.

Thursday I went to the WRAP (Waste Reduction Awards Program) luncheon. I met Marie V. from the Freecycle list and we accepted the award for Aaron, the founder of MMFN (Mid-Michigan Freecycle Network). It was a pleasant event. Jane Aldrich, anchor on Channel 6 WLNS, was the master of ceremonies, and the main speaker was Dave Dempsey, from Michigan Environmental Council and author of two books on the Great Lakes and this area’s history of environmental action.

It was not as large of an event as I would have liked, it was sort of preaching to the converted. However, the folks in the room were interested in Freecycle. And one of the men who was there to accept an award (I think for Sparrow Hospital) said his daughter is one of my kids at Foster. Her name is Ashley… and I have several Ashleys, but of course now that he’s not staring at me I think I know which one is his. I go blank on names sometimes when it really matters. Sigh…

The awards were made of tin cans from the landfill at Granger, and were quite well-done. The artwork on the tables was made by children with scrap lumber pieces, and I really liked them. They remind me of the “Animalitos” made near Oaxaca, Mexico.

It was supposed to rain today but it was only nasty out early in the morning. We even had sun a few times, although it is much colder now (lower 50’s F).

The best spring news today is that the fruit trees appear to be blooming all over town. I’m seeing the ornamental crabapple trees all over. To me, this is the essence of spring in Michigan. The trees are so soft and feminine, and it is a totally different sort of beauty than other spots I’ve been in spring. Lovely and delicate, not in your face at all but full of creatiive energy, creating the beginning of a fruit harvest.

Here is a picture of my friend Marie’s ColorJoy stole. She started with my pattern and then lost the paper so had to go by her instincts. I think that her instinct worked great. The stole is for her grandmother, and I think it’s a perfect gift, a sort of hug.

By the way, the cool news tonight is that Marie and three other dancers auditioned to be Habibi Dancers… and they all got in! Four new Habibis. It’s very exciting! These women have been performing as students at our concerts for a few years, and have been doing some local performances at nursing homes to get experience working as a troupe. They also have taken enough classes from our troupe leader, to learn a good handful of dances they can jump in and perform for our upcoming summer performances. I’m very happy for them, and for us, that it all worked out so well.

Tomorrow is Earth Day. I’m going to a luncheon at the Clarion Hotel. Two of us from the Freecycle list are accepting an award on behalf of the man who started the list, Aaron. He is getting an award for reducing the amount of solid waste, in a very real way. Cool biz. He has insisted that the award should have been given to the group, that it takes us all to make it work.

However, we would not be there if he had not taken action to make the list exist. It is wildly active these days, and I surely have participated in somewhere between a half-dozen and a dozen transactions myself. My last acquisition was a knitting book. My last contribution, I think, was a pair of inline skates. And of course, I received, on behalf of the citizens of Lansing, the donation to my classroom of something around 15-18 computers (depending on if you count the ones that didn’t work and were for parts).

The extra benefit of going to this award ceremony, is that I get to meet another Freecycler and actually chat for a while. Usually you meet long enough to transfer whatever it is you are giving away/getting, and then folks are back on to their own lives. The woman I’m meeting is named Marie (not my knitting/dancing friend) and she, too, has been on the Freecycle list since the beginning. I think we will have much in common. It promises to be a very pleasant socaial event.

Do something special for earth day, OK? Recycle something, plant a tree, or perhaps donate your extra “stuff” to a thrift shop rather than tossing it out. I may plant some seeds in my big red clay pot, if I feel optimistic about the frost not bothering it too much. (I guess I can cover the pot if it gets cold, right? I’m not much of a gardener, I am more of a voyeur, enjoying the gardens of other folks… but I love flowers so much I bought seeds this year in a burst of optimism. We’ll see if I actually plant them.)

Wow, I’m still reeling with excitement! A week ago I got an email from Uke Jackson, the DJ of a show called the “Flaming Ukulele Radio Hour.” He asked for a CD of our music (The Fabulous Heftones, that is). Of course we got right on it!

We have had a low-recording-quality demo CD for a while (we made it originally as a Christmas present for my mother), but it is not broadcast quality. However, we sent him Brian’s two Heftone Banjo Orchestra albums, some of which feature ukulele. And we had one piece put together for one of the two albums we are putting together as The Fabulous Heftones. So we made a CD-single and sent it along.

I had just heard of his show only a week before he sent the email. It is broadcast out east (New Jersey) on Tuesdays at 3pm local time, but they stream the audio over their website so all online ukulele fans can listen. I was too booked last week to listen but today I did.

And what do you know? He played the theme song, “A Flaming Ukulele in the Sky” and then two songs by the esteemed Jim Beloff who I have mentioned here before. And then he played our version of the song, “Ain’t that a Grand and Glorious Feelin’?”

I was surprised at how emotional I was, hearing myself sing on the radio. It was so exciting! I spent my childhood singing along to records, into the mirror, for hours on end. I told everyone I was going to be a singer when I grew up, like Julie Andrews. OK, so when I was in early elementary school, her movies Mary Poppins and Sound of Music came out, and I loved her voice.

But today I had a little flashback to the years of singing into the mirror. Except today I was singing into a radio show (thank you, Uke Jackson!) and it could be heard all over the world… at least to those who love ukulele enough to listen in.

Then after our song played, Uke said about us, that we are “…a very talented husband and wife duo out there in Michigan.” Awww, flattery will get you everywhere!!!

From the chatter on Jim Beloff’s online ukulele bulletin board, it sounds like the show may be re-broadcast from wnti.org at 11pm Eastern Time (New York City time) on Wednesday/tomorrow. I hope it’s true, because my mom hasn’t heard this song yet and she will want to listen. Let’s hope her computer can do streaming audio properly. We’ve been warned that there is no guarantee the show will be repeated, but the word is to tune in tomorrow in case it works out. Let’s hope that we can create the right energy for it to come true, by acting as if it will happen!

Here is a pretty nice article in the San Francisco Chronicle about ukuleles… and another from USA Today.

Pictures today are more flowers my father planted about 33 years ago, a few years before his death. Thanks, Daddy!!! They sure are pretty.

Oh, and last but not least… My Godson, Michael (I call him my firstborn since I never had children of my own) turns 21 today. That is such a big deal. His mother and I went to first grade together!

I remember when Michael was just home from the hospital after being born. I held him and wondered what he would be like when he grew up. He’s a fine young man, likeable and friendly. He goes to Central Michigan University, where I went when I was his age. I’m proud of that kid!!!

Catching up a little: Saturday we had a dance workshop with MoMo Kadous, at the Hannah center in East Lansing. Here is a shot of some folks in the process of learning a dance. I really liked his dance, but I don’t remember dances until I’ve repeated a lot. I know some of the girls tried to write it down, so we will hope we can perform this someday.

Saturday night we had our Habibi Dancers’ 20th Annual Dance Concert! It was exciting. Our main feature dance was called “The Resurrection of Osiris” but it did not have any of the juicy parts, if you ever read the myth. The piece was choreographed by our troupe leader, Yasmina Amal. Here is a picture of our lead dancer for that piece, Amirah, with MoMo in his Osiris costume.

Brian took a lot of photos that day, but I haven’t had a chance to ask him where he stored them, so I can share them with you.

Absolute, total spring today! It got up to 83F! There were long lines at the Tate’s Freeze soft serve “ice cream” shop in Old Town, when I went to Working Women Artists. I saw a pre-adolescent boy practicing riding his bike without his hands. I got my first glimpse of dandelions. At this time of year they don’t seem like weeds at all!

But here is the ultimate: April came home with baby Isabel today. She caught me outside on my way to the Habibi workshop this morning. I stopped the car right on the side of the street, grabbed my camera and took a photo right away. I went into the house, printed it out and gave it to April in a matter of minutes. Aren’t digital photos handy?

So here she is: Baby Isabel, age 2 days. Isn’t she just as beautiful as a spring flower???

Today (Sunday) I am going to be dancing all afternoon at a workshop. When that is over, maybe I will pop into the Working Women Artists if I have time at all (they usually meet 2nd Sunday but with Easter they moved to this already-too-busy weekend). For sure I’ll end my public day with knitting at Emil’s, with my few friends who go there. It has never been more than 4 people but it is good food and relaxing knitting. That will be fun.

I’m dragging my feet going out this morning. We got home at nearly 2am from the concert and cast party. It was great fun but I’m wiped out. I always deplete my physical energy from the push toward our concert. But this year we also have a 2nd day of workshops on Sunday and it’s hard to get up and go.

I looked out the door today to say something to Brian, and lo and behold… our grape hyacinths which came up in the last few days, had some sort of bee or other stinging insect, actually two of them, enjoying the flowers. Here is a photo, I’m happy with the way it came out.

Brian says the thermometer says it is 80 degrees F. That is downright warm, true summer weather. Too bad I’ll be inside air conditioned buildings without windows, most of today. Sigh… Enjoy your day whatever the weather might be.

Friday I saw spring everywhere. Our thermometer read 77.5 F outside and 77.5 F inside. The sun shone all day. I saw three preschoolers going down the sidewalk with their hot-pink hula hoops. I put up the hammock for about 5 minutes and had my first hammock day of the year.

But proof positive it is spring: My friend April (who is also a Habibi Dancer, and now my next-door neighbor as well) had her baby! Isabel was born at about 10:45pm Friday night. Everyone is healthy and happy. Daddy was beaming! I am so happy for them all. Sigh… that makes it as perfect a spring day as I can imagine having.

Tonight’s post needs to stay short… I got home after midnight Friday after Habibi rehearsal and other responsibilities, and I need to be at the Habibi workshop Saturday between 8am and 9am. Whee!!! Luxurious sleep needs to wait until Monday, I guess, since we have workshops Saturday and Sunday, and a concert on Saturday night.

Photos are from last year… me on the hammock in August, and the Habibi Dancers in our annual concert last year in April. I’m second from the right, in a ponytail.

Someone named Jaye wrote me a note about my yarns. I returned the email and hotmail is bouncing my note back to me. Jaye, if you are out there, will you contact me again with a working email address??? Or leave me a comment here, if you would, about how to reach you, please. Thank you.

Wowie, what a glorious day it is here! This morning we spotted a woodpecker in our tree, the first time I’ve seen one although we’ve heard them for several years. Then I went outside and saw that our periwinkle (myrtle) groundcover was blooming already. Everywhere, there are bulbs blooming and forsythia bushes in full golden glory!

Yesterday it was around 68 degrees F, around “room temperature” which is a little chilly for me. Today it is 75 degrees, which means it is actually quite warm in the sunshine, which thankfully has been out a lot today.

We have a very large squirrel enjoying himself in our yard (and on our roof, unfortunately). He has never been this fat before. He looks almost as big as a small cat, I am amazed.

Folks are pushing babies in strollers. Kids are riding bicycles (or they were yesterday, it’s still too early for that today because they are in school). Yesterday near Foster Center I saw a retired couple planting in their garden. Today I heard my first lawnmower of the season (oh, well… there is some bad with the good.)

The Habibi show is this Saturday (tomorrow) and our guest star, MoMo Kadous, is originally from Egypt, now living in Germany. I am delighted he can see my city this weekend rather than a week or two ago. It just doesn’t get much better than this!!!

My camera is out of batteries and I haven’t found the right battery in the first two stores I tried. You will have to get by with my descriptions of the beauty, today.

In knitting news, I bound off my toe-up afterthought-heel sox I started in Florida, and started the heels. I thought I would grow to love this yarn, which is a Regia colorway, mostly white with flecks of colors I really like.

Unfortunately, I just am not warming up to white socks, flecks notwithstanding. I may have to overdye these when I’m done so I can enjoy wearing them. They are too small for anyone but me, really, and the knitting is quite uneven on these for some reason, so I’d not really want to give them out as gifts anyway. I’m contemplating what color of dye I would like to use to overdye them with. Or maybe several colors? We’ll see what I decide when the heels are done.

I realize I have some photos of classes I’ve taught in the last several weeks, that I haven’t posted yet. These two photos were even copied out onto my web server and I thought for sure I’d put them out for you, but I find them nowhere. I am *so* glad I finished my publication deadline and my taxes. I get to breathe a little (although I do have the Haibibi Dancers’ show and workshops this weekend). I’m finally coming up for air and it’s lovely.

These pictures are of my CityKidz Knit! special two-hour session on April 8. It was spring break for most of our kids, and we used crockpots to dye wool yarns I had in stash. We did not have much, but I found one beloved bag of small balls that took care of most of the need. I had fourteen kids that day, although not all of them are in the photograph.

The first picture is me with my Kidz! Now I see why Brian always notices this sweater when I wear it… it is even more colorful than the other items in my closet. I love wearing it when I’m working with kids, though, they love color as much as I do.

The second picture is some of the yarn drying on a towel in the window. It turned out just great. About a year ago I had a conversation on Socknitters about whether the US and Canada’s food colors were very different, especially the purples. Two generous Canadian socknitters sent me some Kool-Aid with labels in French and English (which fascinated my kids… grape is “raisin” in French, apparently). I think it is true that the Canadian Kool-Aid has better purple. I didn’t have any of my old purple KoolAid roving to compare it to, but I remember how disappointed I was that it was nearly gray when I used it a few years back.

By the way, I have received two knitting-needle donations from you lovely folks, so far. I don’t have the notes here, though Foster Center will send out receipts so you know things have arrived safely.

One person sent a large priority box stuffed with canvas bags and needles. Another person stuffed two priority envelopes with needles and a bunch of bright-colored worsted weight acrylic yarns. Thank you both!!! And thanks to the others who have written to say that packages will make their way here. Even a few sets of needles really help us. With fourteen kids last week and fifteen this week, the help is really appreciated, and makes a big difference.

There is so much to think about today… a class I finished teaching yesterday, toe-up socks, at Foster Center, was great fun. Here is a picture of Anna and Moni showing off their socks. Anna is knitting with yarn dyed by Nancy McRay of Woven Art. Moni’s blue sock is my Cushy ColorSox which I had dyed as flammegarn, a technique of tie-dyeing that was done a lot in Norway (and perhaps other scandinavian countries) back a good number of years ago. I learned about it in Nancy Bush’s book, Folk Socks. Moni’s neutral-colored sox are commercial yarn, I don’t recall what it was.

Moni finished the blue pair in the three week course of the class, and she also finished one of her neutral-colored socks as well. She had made a Christmas stocking once, and has been knitting for years, so she was able to work quickly. Anna finished her first sock, her first ever, and she is a relatively new knitter who is also a busy Graduate student who chooses to take knitting classes on top of her regular schedule! I admire her.

I had such fun with these two ladies, that I hated to see the class end. I told them about all the knit-in’s around town, both at yarn shops and guilds, and I hope that I will see them at those gatherings some time.

I had 15 kids today at CityKidz Knit! I think that is a record, at least since September. About half of the children have only knit a few times, but it went OK. A few of the younger ones get very distracted when there is a lot going on in the room. They do really well when they say the poem that reminds them of the proper movements, but when they look up they forget where they are and they just start wrapping that yarn around the needle… several times. They end up with a triangle because of all the increases, but they seem to not mind at all. As long as they are having fun, I’m OK with it, but I do encourage them to say the poem out loud if they need to do so.

After Foster Center tonight, I went to help Habibi Dancers prepare for the concert on this Saturday. We did physical work today, setting up the stage set.

If anyone in town is interested in coming to the show, I do have tickets today but may not have many in a few days. The concert is at Hannah center, doors open at 7:30 and concert starts at 8pm. We expect it may sell out, so having a ticket before Saturday would be a smart idea, or I can leave them in an envelope with your name on them at the door if need be. It is sure to be an excellent show. I’m always proud when it is done.

When I got home, Brian was recording music again. We are actually working on two different CD concepts right now, and the one we are focusing on most is music from 1890 to 1923 or so, especially if they fit into the Moon/swoon sort of genre. A few days ago we did “Come, Josephine, in my Flying Machine.” Fun song, that nobody knows anymore. However, it is amazing how many of these songs we are doing are still hanging around… people know them after all these years!

After dinner tonight, Brian had me record the bass for “Shine on Harvest Moon” and the vocal for “By the Light of the Silvery Moon.” That last one is the mother of all Moon/June/Spoon songs. Here are the words to the chorus:

By the light of the silvery moon,
I want to spoon,
To my honey I’ll croon love’s tune,
Honeymoon, keep a shining in June,
Your silv’ry beams will bring love dreams,
We’ll be cuddling soon,
By the silvery moon.

That is eight times a word that rhymes with moon appears, in seven lines of text. It is impressive, even if it makes only some sense. I’m enjoying the singing of this one, though. It not only has enjoyable lyrics but a sweet melody. I just love singing this stuff! And I am counting my blessings every day that my voice is doing so much better that I can actually record now!

Last but not least, here is a picture of the yarn I spun Monday at Marlene C.’s. I measured about 182 yards/166 meters, *before* I washed and dried it. That would be enough only for some pretty short socks, although I am not opposed to that plan.

I *am* considering spinning some of my hot purple-red New Zeeland Romney wool as sock heels. I haven’t dug out the Romney yet to see if the colors will work together. It is more purple than the fuschia in this yarn. I’m not big on matching things exactly, but I do want it to “go” together. We will see what we will see. I had fun spinning the first yarn. It’s pretty but imperfect… maybe more pretty because of the imperfections, it’s hard to know.

Maybe I’ll get another spinning night after the Habibi weekend is over. I would love to get right on to knitting this yarn before I get sidetracked by something else!!! One day at a time, as they say…

I am so delighted with life today. I went to my mom’s house on the way to Marlene’s last night. I found one daffodil blooming, and perhaps a half dozen promising to bloom in the next week. These daffodils were planted by my father before he died, over 30 years ago. I just love that they are still coming up. He actually planted hundreds of bulbs. The delicate fancy ones stopped first, but the last two were the large, bold red tulips and the large, bold yellow daffodils. Now even the tulips have given up, but the daffodils are happy as can be. It makes me smile, he would really like knowing this.

I also had a wonderful victory at Marlene’s. I spun a full 4oz of colorful romney/kid mohair roving I had purchased in February at Spinners Flock. It has hot yellow-green, fuschia, blue and aqua. Really pretty stuff. I didn’t know at all how the colors would look spun but I had to try.

It is very pretty. I spun fast and thick (well, really a bit of thick/thin within a range of perhaps sport to DK). I wanted to just have fun and actually show myself I could finish a spinning project.

Four ounces of wool is considered enough for sox, but that assumes thinner yarn than I spun, I think. I’m going to weigh some fat sox I knit from wool/mohair worsted weight yarn and see what they weigh. I originally thought I’d knit toe-up sox from this yarn, as a single ply. However, Marlene showed me some yarn she plied with some really shiny sewing thread (we think it is rayon but there was no label). It looks gorgeous with the shine peeking out, and maybe is a little more strong that way. So maybe I’ll ply, we’ll see.

Here’s the bobbin, full with all 4oz of single ply. Isn’t it beautiful? I am very anxious to see how it looks knit up. It changes every step of the way.

Wowie… I’ve spent several days focused on doing my taxes… doing them ourselves this year which is not much fun. I didn’t mean to ignore you guys!!! We have finished the paperwork, so now you have me back.

Tonight my reward for all that work, is to go to my friend Marlene Cameron’s home and spin a bit. I have almost not touched my spinning wheel since it was warm outside last. I’m going to try and spin my pretty wool from the Spinners Flock Sale in February. If that isn’t fun, I’m going to knit. Spinning needs to be fun or I won’t do it. Some fibers are not fun at all and I just stop, it’s too frustrating. I like spinning fatter yarns so I’m planning to make a sportweight single ply and knit up fat sox when I’m done. I’ll have more fun that way, and that’s my goal.

I realize I somehow never showed you a picture of sock pair number 89. It’s Heirloom Easy Care DK I got at Heritage spinning. Love the stuff. The sox are toe-up, peasant/afterthought heel, and roll top cuff. These are really comfy, and a little warmer than regular handknit sox. And the color! It makes me smile.

Mom called. She has been awarded the Volunteer of the Year award, at the school in Florida where she helps kids learn to read. She has done this for years. She works with kids there when she is south, and then she also helps in Michigan when she can, at the beginning of the school year.

Mom helps them learn their letters, the sounds of the letters, and other important things like what a dime is, how much is it worth… and a nickel, and a quarter. She teaches them about rhyming. She helps them learn specific difficult words. She figures out what they are struggling to learn, and then goes after their issues until she can get them through the rough parts.

She is so excited to find ways to help these kids! She has figured out many good methods, and she loves to explain what she does to those of us who love her. I have actually sat in on one of her days in Florida before. The kids just love coming to see her, they don’t see it as demeaning or remedial. Once they learn a list of important skills, she “graduates” them so she can help someone new, and sometimes they are not at all happy with graduating.

She does it because it is in her soul to do it. She does it because reading was really hard for her, when she was that age. Not only did she fight dyslexia but she was legally blind and could barely see the words on the page. She wanted to learn so much that she kept on pushing, and she became a really fabulous teacher. She has changed the lives of untold children.

But no matter what we do, no matter why we do it… it is great to be noticed. Congratulations, Mom!

It was an amazing, beautiful, glorious day today. I left Foster Center after 9pm and I didn’t need a coat. I had needed one at noon when I left my home, but it kept getting nicer and nicer, and stayed lovely even after the sun went down. I was not out much today but the kids at Foster informed me it was perfect outside. I chose to open some windows a bit in my classroom, and that was quite a luxury.

It’s spring break for most of our children, so I had a lot of kids. I was busy both for computers and knitting. I am very excited because Thursday my knitters will be dyeing wool yarn with Kool Aid in crockpots. I only have so many skeins of wool/animal fiber yarn, so we will stop letting kids in the room when I have the same number of kids as skeins. I think we will have great fun. I just love love love “my kidz.” They are wonderful and I hope I let them know that.

Oh, I’m getting horribly low on knitting needles again. If anyone out there has any needles they don’t need any more, I can give you a tax deduct letter. We need sizes 6-10, straight needles either short or long, any material whether wood, metal, or plastic.

Yes, I know I can make needles from dowels but I just can not handle one more thing to fit into my program/budget/schedule. Actually I don’t even have a budget. They pay me 2 hours a week and all supplies are donated, that’s it. I do a lot with very little, and I’m proud of that! But I’m afraid making needles would be the straw that broke this camel’s back, I just can’t do it.

So… if anyone has it in their hearts to donate needles they no longer use, we would really appreciate it. We could also use worsted weight yarn in variegated or purple (or very bright colors), and any clean canvas tote bags you got at some conference your boss made you attend years ago, even with advertising. We can not use any thin yarns, any neutral colored yarn, or yarns that are in bad repair such as mildewed or moth eaten (it happened once… only once).

We really need needles and tote bags (when they carry knitting in plastic grocery bags, they lose the needles on the walk home). If you choose to send yarns also, we need smooth-textured yarns only, and worsted or thicker. No textured yarns (ie homespun or jiffy mohair-look), although short lengths of eyelash yarns are fine. We also take accidentally-shrunken items (commercial sweaters, for example) which the kids cut up as fabric, and hand-sew into purses/bags, mittens and bean bags.

Needles are the biggie. (Did I say that too many times already?) When kids are good enough to knit without my assistance I let them take their knitting home. If they come back without their knitting, they start a new project that stays in the building as a backup. That means each new kid potentially gets 2 sets of needles. I had something like 8 new kids last week and two today. I’m really short on needles again, even after some wonderful donations in the fall/holiday season. (Today these are older pics of my kidz, I’ve been so busy teaching new children these days I haven’t taken pictures in a while.)

Our shipping address is:
CityKidz Knit!
c/o Lynn Hershberger
Foster Community Center
200 N. Foster
Lansing, MI 48912 USA

If you choose to send a donation, please leave a piece of paper in the box with your address -or- email address and proper name, so that we can send you a tax letter. I don’t have my computer at the office even if you let me know it is coming… we go with what is in the box when it comes receipt time.

If you have nothing to share, or can’t bear to let go of your beloved knitting things, I understand. I’ll stop begging now, for as long as I can go with the supplies I have. And meanwhile, I’ll bring you photos of my kidz again soon.

There was no forsythia bush blooming that I could find today. However, I did find these two pictures in my friend Ulyana’s front yard garden. Aren’t they pretty? The ones on top at left are very tiny in person. The ones at right are hyacynths, normal size for that type of flower.

I noticed, too, that Dairy Queen is open. I figure if they are open, summer is close by. I really miss eating that stuff, it does not sit well with me and I may never eat it again… but there is something about dairy fat. It really *does* taste better than about any other junk food item I can think of. If you get to DQ yourself, have a baby-sized German Chocolate “blizzard” for me!

I had a good day today… started with more hours on taxes. They could be done already if I had done more work on my numbers during the year, but that’s how it went so I’m plugging away at the figures now. Soon, very soon…

I had tea with Sharon P. of Knitknacks today. She works for a school so had the week off for spring break. I spent the time with her, doing duplicate stitch on a sock that needed some patterning work (a la fairisle but after the knitting was completed). It was good to have her company while I did that.

After that I got a massage… aaaaahhhhh. Loved every second. I don’t do that for myself very often, and I was really having trouble with my back and neck. It really helped me. After my massage, I went home briefly on the way to my Ann Arbor Borders Books “Common Thread” group.

When I was home my bell rang. It was a neighbor, someone we say hello to when she takes the baby for a walk in the stroller… or if we all go to the corner diner at the same time. She thought maybe I was the one offering classes at Foster Center through Parks and Rec, and wanted to request a beginning knitting class. I referred her to JoAnn where I”m teaching basics at this time. I hope she comes!

Then… on the way home from Ann Arbor I had to stop and get gas. A woman stopped me to say she liked my ColorJoy stole. Turns out she’s a knitter. I gave her my little schedule sheet that I had printed out, with my knitting and music appearances. She might check out the Allegan/Michigan Fiber Fest classes with a friend. Could be fun!!!

The weather report is this: Sunday morning the snow had melted. It was warmer but the wind was so strong, it blew my beret off my head twice in one day. The nice thing about berets, is that they fit so well and close to the head, that they stay on almost no matter what. Those gusts were rough!!!

Monday at 11am the temperature was just barely above freezing. However, in spite of that, a daffodil which is sheltered next to the house, bloomed. It is on the South side where the sun warms the side of the house if it shines. I’m delighted with my new daffodil, even though it is leaning over almost all the way to the ground.

This morning I was outside and I heard a bird song that I have never heard in Lansing before. It had the voice of a mourning dove, but a different song. It was just beautiful! I hope the bird sticks around so that we can figure out what it is.

A few forsythia bushes in the neighborhood are really close to blooming. The flowers have not popped open yet, but you can already tell they will be yellow. I’ll bet if tomorrow is warm at all, I’ll have photos for you of beautiful yellow flowers.

I’m alone at home all day today (Monday). My first instinct is to put music on the stereo, but I am actively resisting that urge today. I think some silence is good for me after such a busy and public week. I did talk to my friend Altu on the phone, and I had to go to the allergist, but other than that it’s silence for me today until Brian gets home. I think that is the right move.

I hope your weather is beautiful today, that either your spring or fall weather (depending on what side of the globe you are on) is beautiful and refreshing!

I usually avoid online quizzes. For one, they often do not have answers I can even choose. After I got told I was brown Doc Marten’s I swore I was done with all that (I wear Converse All Star high-tops, anyway… I’m not a clunky boot person). The only quiz I have taken since, was a “how similar are you” to Annie Modesitt and it showed we were 97% compatible. Almost spooky, since we really enjoy corresponding but our design styles are very different. But I digress.

The sockyarn quiz actually let me choose licorice as my favorite sweet snack. Totally amazing! It didn’t have 20’s popular ukulele music as a fave, but had swing/jazz/unplugged which was in the right ballpark. I sing early jazz songs by Annette Hanshaw though I don’t like instrumental jazz with dissonances at all. It didn’t have turquoise. purple or fuschia, but it had hot raspberry or red and that was bright enough for me. So I got this answer, to “What sock yarn are you?” - Fruity. OK, it’s an odd word for it, but I like the vibrant picture.

I’m impressed, they did well. I’d buy that yarn, for sure. Wonder what yarn it is… does anyone out there know? It’s entirely possible they made the determination based on the color question alone, but it worked in any case and the questions were reasonable in their variety. That was fun!

Today is 04/04/04, no matter if you notate it American or rest-of-the-world/military style. I just LOVE number patterns. Not as much as I like color, but I find it very exciting to be living on 04/04/04. The number four sometimes signifies solidity, stableness (squares and rectangles have 4 sides and cubes, which are related, are very stable… hard to tip over). I could use a touch of stability myself, these days.

I also watch the numbers on my car’s odometer, do you do that as well? I remember where my old car, Martha G., was when it hit 234,567. I had that car for 14 years and about a quarter-million miles. I had many fun odometer moments with that car.

Oh… my brother, Eric, had his 17th birthday on 07/07/77. We thought that was cool, too!

Anyone else have any number stories?

I wonder… how could I knit in a way to commemorate this date? Knit a rib in K4, p4, k20, p04? Might look strange, could look really good, actually. What else? I don’t really feel like actually creating the arabic number shapes in colorwork. I wonder what symbolic way I can mark the date in my knitting, either socknitting or something else that doesn’t take a lot of time to put together. Hmmm… ideas, anyone?

Yuck. This morning I did not need a coat in Lake Orion at 9am. I didn’t even need it when I left town around 4pm. By the time I hit Flint on the way back (maybe 40 minutes), there were sputters of rain. By the time I got back to Lansing, another hour later, it was raining steadily.

I went into JoAnn at about 6pm. I got out at around 9:40 and there was enough snow that we had to brush it off our cars before driving home. It is slushy but it is building up a little.

I got home and my lone daffodil appeared to be covered in ice, although it was pretty dark to see details. But look at the photo I was able to get with a flash on my little digital camera! My sweet daffodil and my beloved violets, behind the snow line (the house protected the plants for the most part). Proof indeed.

I have noticed that we always get snow at least once in April. It may not build up much, it may not last long, but we get snow. I’m just hoping that today, the third day of the month, might be the last one. I’m crossing my fingers for good luck on that.

Speaking of April 3rd, today marks either 48 or 49 years since my parents were married. My dad died after they were married 18 years, but we of course still remember the date. Happy Anniversary, Mom!

It was another glorious spring day. It was in the upper 50’s F and sunny, although the wind was really blowing. I found this garden of crocus blooms at my bank while running a long list of errands. I just stopped dead in my tracks and got out the camera. It was the only right thing to do. I wanted you to see these, too!

I’ve spent much of my day organizing for upcoming classes, the next of which is my Polymer Clay class tomorrow at Heritage Spinning. However, around dinnertime I switched to dance as a focus for several hours. We had a rehearsal (preparing for our annual show which will be on April 17 at Hannah Community Center, anyone want to go?), and then we headed over to Aladdins. Tonight the leader of Habibi Dancers, Yasmina, danced… with Eshta. It was an all-star show any way you want to see it!

I can not tell you how lucky we are in Lansing, to have Yasmina as our troupe leader and teacher. Her background is in ballet and other danceforms, and she is very focused on technique. She is an incredible instructor and choreographer. When we go to other areas of the state and dance with other troupes, we are always welcomed by the other dancers with high respect. It is not that other groups love the dance any less, but we just have a fabulous instructor and she makes us look good!

Eshta used to live in Lansing, and she was in Habibi dancers (she still is technically a Habibi, but hasn’t been rehearsing with us for a few years). Then she moved to Egypt and other locations in the mideast, and danced professionally there for a couple of years. She’s home for a bit, I’m not sure her exact plans but I know her intent is to return there sometime after the Habibi show.

In any case, tonight Yasmina and Eshta put on quite the show at Aladdin’s!!! I didn’t get any good photos of Yasmina (I was so busy watching her dance that I didn’t take many photos of her) but here is a studio shot of her balancing a sword on her head. She can keep it there while doing a lot of moves, as well. I did get a shot of Eshta tonight, in a feathered costume she got in the mideast. Doesn’t she look great?

When I walked in to Aladdins, I got a huge surprise. Susan Eyde, one of my friends I used to dance with, was there. (Before I was a Habibi, we had a small apprentice troupe called Banat Habibi, or sisters of Habibi, and Susan and I danced together in that.) Susan has lived in Tucson, Arizona, for at least three years now, maybe four or more. I have not seen her in at least two years. And there she was at Aladdin’s! Her brother got married Thursday and so she was up here for that, just the right timing to come to the Friday show. I got to sit with her and her sister during the performances. I was so excited to see her after all this time. She looks really happy.

Susan has started doing performances in Arizona, with a magician. They call their act Magic Dance Theatre of Sarlot and Eyde, or Dance of Illusion. She seems to really enjoy doing that. She has always danced, even as a little girl she would dance for hours in the yard. It is so great to see her doing the life of her destiny. I’m happy for her.

Cool belated news… Brian has been working on many recordings, as I’ve mentioned here. The one he did for holiday gifts for family and friends, he called the “Music Box Rag” by his Heftone Banjo Orchestra. It actually was his second album for this concept. The first album of Heftone Banjo Orchestra is called “Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay!”

Both albums (in CD format) are instrumental only. They feature Brian overdubbing himself, playing several different tracks on different types of banjos. He has a banjo ukulele, a banjo guitar and the Heftone bass which looks like a bass banjo. The first album he played lead with a banjo mandolin as well.

The first album was a compilation of fourteen different numbers, all of them in the public domain except one that Brian wrote himself. Many of them are familiar tunes: Oh, Susannah, Buffalo Gals, Pop! Goes the Weasel, Yankee Doodle, Can Can, and Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here.

The second album is mostly rags, twelve in all. Lead is on the Banjo Ukulele, no mandolin. Lots of tracks, so that it sounds like a lot of folks playing. The album cover is amusing, it shows eleven guys playing in an ensemble. However, if you look more closely, all eleven of them are Brian. Some of them he has long hair, some short, some with glasses, some without… but all Brian. He did a good job editing these photos and making them look like one.

So what is the coolest news about these yet? Brian works with Bob Blackman, who I wrote about a week or two ago… he has had a folk radio show on WKAR (The Folk Tradition) for twenty years, every weekend.

Well, Brian is pretty excited about his recordings, so he of course shared one with Bob (and other folks he also thought might be interested in his project). We found out after the fact, that Bob played Dill Pickles (click title to download in MP3 format), a piece on the second album, on his show this weekend. I guess he sort of did it at the last minute, so we didn’t know about it until it was over. Maybe we would have been near a radio and maybe not, but it’s sort of exciting! Brian got on the radio with his one-man band/project.

Brian has a website set up for his Heftone Banjo Orchestra. You can find it at http://heftone.com/orchestra

He has all the tunes from both albums at this site, available for download so you can listen to them one at a time (in either ogg vorbis or MP3 format). He has information on all the instruments he used on the projects. He also has links to Elderly Instruments, the music store, where you can buy his two CD’s on their site.

OK, so I’m proud of my sweetie. But hey, he’s an amazing banjo player. He’s an amazing ukulele player. That’s how I first learned who he was, around 1990. I went to the Ten Pound Fiddle coffeehouse concerts where he sometimes performed. And I loved his music even then, when my life was very much different than it is now.

If you have a minute, perhaps you’d like to go over to Brian’s page and download a cheerful tune? You’d be more than welcome to visit!