FemiKnitMafia

My SockPal socks arrived while I was gone last weekend. What a wonderful surprise. My SockPal lovingly included two bars of chocolate from Trader Joes, extra yarn and a cute card. I would’ve take pictures of the box, but when I came home there was one chocolate bar and one empty wrapper. A little mouse in my house had PMS and ate one of my treats, so we bought a cruelty free mouse trap and set it up. Strangely, we haven’t found any mice. Hmmm…

Aren’t these beautiful? I am so impressed by her Kool Aid dye job, the pattern, the perfect short row heels and toes, and the length (half-calf). And the colors … oh, the colors. I am deeply in love. Swoon.

And they fit too. I wore them to work on Tuesday.

Thanks SockPal. I LOVE them! And thanks to Alison for hosting such a great exchange. I’ll certainly do this again.

I have reached a bloggerly milestone too! I got my first comment spam. I know … I know … it’s annoying, but I turned on verification. From now on, you must prove that you’re a human, not a droid spammer. However, if you’re a droid spammer and want to leave me comments about my stunning beauty and wit, I promise to knit a nice warm hat for your cold metallic head. Your choice.

It’s official. I’m a knitter. I have passed a milestone in my fiberly adventures. I have found a mistake in a pattern. Hooray. After much frowning, squinting, consulting the local experts, and poking my wayward cables with my needles, I am fairly certain there’s a mistake in the pattern. Without boring you with the details (although I reserve the right to bore you tomorrow), let’s just say that the pattern has an 8 row repeat, calling for a zig, a zig and a zag. Repeat. However, the picture looks like a zig, zag, zig, zag, etc. I tried to simply add the missing zag, but alas, it’s not exactly correct. So I pulled the knitting off the needles, introduced it to my trust stitch holders and will cast on for a long experimental swatch on the way home tonight. I’m determined to figured this out, damnit!

As for weekend news — I’ll be brief.

1. MY BROTHER IS THE BEST MAN IN THE WORLD (and mind you, I’m a nasty ol’ dyke, so that means a lot)

2. The Mafia-mobile has a new engine (well, its actually new “head,” but for all intents and purposes its an engine), a semi-leaky radiator, and a tweaked throttle. In spite of the Bro’s amazing skill, the Mafia-mobile ended up in our local shop again on Tuesday and Wednesday for additional work. Dear god, will this ever end? On the good side - the Mafia has a head full of car knowledge and the scratches, bruises and burns to prove it. And — I looked pretty hot with my head under the hood.

3. Taking a long bus trip is not that bad. The bus didn’t smell. Noone talked to me. There were only a couple incidents of old-man-fart-smell that quickly dissipated. I did a lot of knitting and watched a mainstream movie that I would’ve never watched otherwise.

4. I brought 6 projects (!).
- Little Man socks. I finished one, and left the other to rot in the ziploc. Second sock syndrome? For sure.
- Little Man chunky cabled sweater from Zoe Mellor.
- Roo’s socks. Didn’t touch ‘em.
- BFF&ExGF#2’s ponchette? Forgot the pattern at home, but still lugged all 6 balls of Karabella in hopes that I’d find an internet connection at my Mom’s house. No such luck.
- Mafia socks in beautiful ArtYarns purpley-olivey. No progress.
- I can’t remember the last one. Clearly there was no progress.

More errata drama to come. Stay tuned…

My bet’s on Sheer Stupidity.

I spent a good part of the weekend working on Little Man’s fancy Debbie Bliss merion aran “Chunky Cabled Sweater” from Zoe Mellor’s Adorable Knits for Tots. Unfortunately after two repeats of the 8-row pattern, I’m fairly certain that I’m doing something wrong. Either there is a mistake on the pattern (probably not), or I’m not doing a FC or BC correctly. Danielle and I puzzled over the criss-crossed center cable and couldn’t come up with a definitive answer. So I’ll search around and I’ll post some pictures tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll contemplate whether I should rip to a lifeline (thank god I finally started using a lifeline) or start doing it correctly now and call that section a learning experience. Hmmmm? Thoughts?

In better news, it appears that I have almost tackled the gauge monster. This Little Man sweater is probably going to fit.

It appears that spending 8 hours on a bus will be the cheapest way to haul the Mafia-ass from MA to NY to pick up the newly repaired Mafia-mobile. Damn! I hate smelly buses.

However, that means 8 hours of undisturbed knitting time. Ah … the luxury.

Here’s a poll — how many projects would you bring on an 8 hour bus ride? What kinds of projects? How many projects could one reasonably fit into a backpack?

I’m thinking of:
- finishing a pair of Little Man socks,
- starting a Little Man cabled sweater from Zoe Mellor’s Adorable Knits for Tots,
- starting the ponchette for BFF&ExGF#2 from Poncho Loco, and
- starting the socks for Roo.

Would 4 projects be enough?? I’ll probably have to swatch for the sweater and ponchette. Should I bring my entire needle roll? What if I forget one small notion?

I find it absolutely astounding that ExGF#3 would call me neurotic on her blog.

Not mine … but the ones I knit. Karen over at K-Knit was my SockPal and she got her socks already. I’m such a horrible secret-keeper that I’m shocked I managed to keep this one quiet. Here’s a photo of the package prior to mailing:

See that spiral bit of paper? That’s where I hid the specs - appropriately placed in the extra yarn so she can redo anything that doesn’t fit quite right. After I completed the socks, she wrote about the shape of her feet on the blog. I spent Sept 13-14th trying to decide if I should reknit the pair to accomodate her shapely feet. Then I realized I was being insane. Fingers tightly crossed that they fit …

* Shout out to Danielle for letting me borrow her digital camera ‘cuz I forgot mine. Mommy brain.

My SockPal emailed yesterday with apologies for the delay. Thankfully she’s (he’s?) been reading my blog, noticed that I moved, and emailed to get my new address. Thank God someone is organized! It never occured to me to update my address with Alison. eek! So … Thank You to my mysterious SockPal (with a fake email address) for being so thoughtful. I can’t wait to see my new socks, especially because I have NO recollection of what I wrote in my original likes/dislikes email. A great surpise around the corner. Hooray!

I had a wonderful weekend in Philadelphia.

We are actively ignoring the super hard certification test I took on Saturday morning. I won’t see the results for 4 (!) weeks, and I’m not sure if I passed. Don’t even ask me why it takes 4 weeks to process the damned thing. Say it together now — if ballots can be read and tallied within hours of the polls closing, the same fill-in-the-bubble answer sheets shouldn’t take four weeks! 225 multiple choice vague, easy to misconstrue collections of text questions do not take 4 weeks to score. It was hard [insert whining here], and I’m feeling venomous! We are also ignoring the possible implosion of my homelife. Both are better left alone right now. Happy. Happy. Happy. Are you convinced? I’m not. But …

I had a wonderful weekend in Philadelphia!

We ate, walked, took pictures, fondled yarn, ate, walked, called friends, engaged in illegal acts in public parks, walked, slept a little, watched TV, ate, walked, shared fantasies of ideal sexual experiences, gossiped, theorized about the meaning of life, walked, and ate. It was divine.

Friday — Flight Boston->Philly. Startitis set in. I ignored my knitting and bought The Kite Runner. Couldn’t find room for my carry-on and had to check it. Got mildly bitchy with the flight attendant and felt guilty about it. Made up for bitchiness by being extra sweet later. [yes, I can be sweet. Shut up! I can!] Got SO many comments from strangers about The Kite Runner, and confirmed the comments by falling deeply in love within 20 pages. Arrived in Philly. Ate Afghan food. So yummy. Drank wine. Slept.

Saturday — walked about 2 miles to test site, proving that Danskos are the best shoes ever. Took evil test. Pissed and moaned about it while walking to Chinatown. Felt soothed by the amazing noodle bar we went to. Handpulled noodles at Nan Zhou. Yummmm! Hung out at the Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinatown, a production of Asian Americans United of Philadelphia. The organizers were 80% Asian, 20% lesbians with Asian kids. Saw adorable kids doing the Lion Dance.

Then we hustled home to rest. Bitching about the test really tired us out. Watched my first episode of Knitty Gritty on DIY network and LOVED it, although the host seems a tad disingenuous. Then discovered Craft Corner Death Match on the Style network and felt conflicted. Wow — I really want to be on it. Wow — it’s weird. Wow — the host is an insane screwball. Wow — that Craft Lady of Steel is kinda hot (in a weird tough Frau kinda way).

Then we walked back to Chinatown for the big Lion Dance and parade.

Walked back home again. Dealt with home-life meltdown lesbian drama on cell while walking (yes, I was one of those people - yuck). Immediately drank large raspberry martini. Cried. Called Mom. Drank more. Showered. Put product in hair. Donned lesbo-chic clothes. Waited for friends to arrive. Decided I looked hot.hot.hot. Went to dinner at one of Stephen Starr’s restaurants, Washington Square. Blocked out lesbian-drama by drinking a champagne and pomegranate juice cocktail and licking the rock candy from the glass’s rim like a stripper. I don’t think anyone noticed my efforts, so I’m probably bad at mimicking a stripper. Ate amazing food and a fabulous green apple martini. Giggled a lot. Chatted. Entered park across street to engage in illegal act. Succeeded in blocking out lesbian-drama. Walked to Tavern on Camac, to prop up the wall and watch all the young lovelies shaking their tight little asses. Drank another green apple martini (not nearly as good as the restaurant’s version). Started yawning at about 2am. Got home. Flopped on bed. Died.

Formula for Saturday — lesbian mom with ever-shrinking tolerance for alcohol + lesbian drama of the highest order = stunning ability to consume martinis and remain upright. Viva la adrenalin!

Sunday — woke up from horrible nightmare of Little Man dro__ing in a tub (won’t even breathe that into the universe). Threw nasty smoky cocktail-ly self into steaming hot water. Focused on project for the day — art. I spotted this beautiful sculpture in a community garden. I had to snap a pic.

Walked to Loop. Ahhh, and the angels sing from above, I loved this store. Clean design, all white shelves, periodic bursts of color in the chairs. Organized by company. Amazing selection. Best customer service ever. The owner was very sweet and chatty and his dog was adorable. We chatted about bamboo, fondling yarn balls, the injustice of wool allergies, and how both “Debbie Bliss” and “Lorna’s Laces” would be great drag queen names. I also suggested that he snag a date on the Yarn Harlot’s calendar for the bookbookbook#2 tour. That would bring some excellent exposure to the store. This is how much I loved Loop — see the owner standing there?

With her extreme generosity of late, I hunted high and low for something to make for BFF&ExGF#2. She settled on the Lace Poncho by Susan Sternlieb from the Poncho Loco piece in Fall ‘05 Interweave Knits. Then she settled on 5 balls of Karabella Aurora 8 in color 16.

Getting a highly sensitive girl to settle on anything containing wool was a miracle and a testament to Karabella’s loveliness.

Walked down South Street to Isaiah Zagar’s Magic Garden and took some pics. Unfortunately we didn’t catch a workshop because it’s a two-day affair. We didn’t have the time. But I want to try the workshop someday. However, I got some fun pictures of his work. Here’s to you, ChrisQ, I brought home some photographic goodies:

The main Magic Garden location

The walkway into the Magic Garden

A bug on the arch

The side wall

Art

Appreciation

4,000 Poets

Art is the Center of the Real World

This one is a good story. I saw bits of a deep dark blue mosaic over a tall wooden fence. As I got closer, I realized the fenced area was filled with Little Tykes toys, and the mosaic filled the entire wall of the playspace. I crammed the camera into a crack between two slats and snapped only a very small portion of the design. But, I may have captured the best part. Around the 2001 there were square white tiles, and each one was painted by a child. It was precious.

Philly is a city of murals. Everytime I go there, I’m amazed by the number of murals, the quality of them and how well they’re preserved. On the way to lunch, I spotted this beautiful mural. It reminded me of New England.

For lunch, I experienced another first - a creperie, Beau Monde. Love. ‘Member what I said about anything wrapped in dough? Me loves it. First of all, the menu was divided into sweet and savory. The sweet crepes were made with wheat flour, the savory ones with buckwheat flour.

I had a crepe with egg and andouille sausage inside. Here’s the boobalicious headless Mafia shot. Boobs are a wonderful invention.

After lunch, we walked down to Fabric Row. Unfortunately every shop was closed. It was Sunday afterall, but I was a little bummed anyway. Then I spotted this mural and rejoiced.

Then we started the hunt for Sophie’s Yarns. I heard from Kathy (via my comments) that it was worth checking out. However, ahem, Kathy, it was neither on Walnut Street, nor near the Liberty Bell. After wandering a bit, I called my trusty 16-year-old-always-on-the-computer-and-loves-me Sister in Law for directions. I must say … I didn’t like Sophie’s Yarn. The customer service was dreary and totally unengaging. But they carried nice yarn and tons of books. If you’re in town, try it out. Perhaps you’ll have a different experience.

After a disappointing yarn experience (don’t you hate those?), we checked out a couple of funky antique shops in the area. For that, I thank Kathy for bringing me to the area. Fun.Fun.Fun. But I still had wool on the brain. I yearned for some nice sock yarn, and I had $15 burning a hole in my pocket.

You see, I earned $15.50 by participating in a study at MIT last week. So my Philly yarn budget was $15. Damnit, I wanted to spend it! After bitching about being broke, and enjoying a luxurious all-expenses paid trip to Philly (love that BFF&ExGF#2!!!), I was buying sock yarn if it killed me.

So back I went to the glorious Loop and had to confess that I was back for “another fix.” So I bought two skeins of ArtYarns Supermerino in a glorious wine/brown/olive colorway, #114.

OK, you caught me — I over-spent my budget a little. Two skeins were $18.

Then off to the airport, to stick my head in The Kite Runner and await my quasi-public reunion with my little family.

Usually Wifey parks at the airport curb to avoid the parking fees. Unbeknownst to me, she and Little Man were waiting in the lobby for me. Little Man spotted me first, and started yelling “Mommy! Mommy!” and running through the terminal. We performed the Hollywood arms-outstretched-running-spinning-hug.

I’m home, and my boy’s soft little cheek is so nice to cuddle up against.

I’m off to Philly this weekend to take a professional certification exam, and chill with the BFF&ExGF#2. She’s already scoped out some excellent Mafia-worthy activities. First of all, The Loop yarn shop is a short walk from her house. Secondly, we might check out this weird modern dance thing, which sounds SO interesting. I’m super excited about the self-guided Mosaic Mystery Tour to look at Isaiah Zagar’s amazing mosaic murals in the South Street area. Everytime I’m in Philly, I walk past these enormous murals in utter awe, so it’ll be great to spend some time with each one. If you love these mosaics, look at Philly Magic Gardens for information on the preservation project. Of course I’ll take a swing by Giovanni’s Room and the amazing Chris’ Corner kids book store. I’ve never checked out Fabric Row before, so if I’m super inspired by these shops, I might have to drop the knitting for a couple months and focus on the machine. Speaking of, I need to find a pattern for a frog costume for Little Man’s halloween. Note to self - get thee to Joann’s.

Of course, there will also be food and wine. Apparently there is already a bottle of wine waiting for my arrival, and the Indian food restaurant on speed dial. I wouldn’t be surprised if the wine is breathing when I show up on her stoop. She’s good like that. Her tiny Italian Nan has taught her many wonderful tricks with flour, egg and water, so there’s a batch of homemade potato and parsnip gnocchi waiting for me. Also, there’s rice milk in the fridge, and a Trader Joe’s down the street. Ahh … the love. I’m going to have a great weekend! Hooray!

Check here.