FemiKnitMafia

Thanks for all the wonderful birthday comments. I feel so loved.

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The weekend of Nov 5-6 was SO fun it’s taken me this long to post about it. I know … I know … it’s terrible blog etiquette, particularly when other people have posted about it.

My Mom came out for the weekend. Mom and I are all about the New England art chase. Every visit is scheduled around exhibits, craft fairs, museums, and workshops. We map out the places and jump in the car.

Nov. 5: first stop, the Paradise City Arts Festival. It was our second time attending this amazing show, and I always carry my sketch book so I can jot down ideas as I’m sparked. More accurately, I start sketching at the sound of my Mom’s voice, “Oh, I love the lines of that. Can you make it for me?” How can I say No?

This year was a little different. Little Man added the most delightful ingredient to the day. I barely had time to sketch. First of all, he had zero interest in the stroller. Seriously, who would? It’s so low, you can’t see anything down there except adult asses. So I carried him most of the time (not conducive to sketching). In the process I discovered his love of metalwork and abstract landscapes in vibrant colors. He pointed. He identified images (water, moon, sky, cloud, leaf, moon, moon, moon…), he counted obsessively, he exclaimed loudly (”Wow! Oh! Whoah!”). One painter was unimpressed with her two year old fan, but I was the Proudest Mama ever. Mom discovered lithe Man’s love of mobiles, and she was one Happy Gramma:

Little Man was most obsessed with Cincinnati artist Chris Seeman and his large metalwork pieces. After Little Man stood in front of one piece counting the moons and stars and repeatedly saying “wow!” for about 10 minutes, I asked the artist if he made little pieces so I could buy one for Little Man’s bedroom. He didn’t. But he disappeared behind a curtain and emerged with a gift (!!) for Little Man:

Who was the Happiest Mama ever?

While waiting for Gramma to finish looking around, Little Man and I explored the piles of leaves in the grassy islands in the parking lot. We stuck so many leaves in our hair that by the time Gramma emerged, we looked like wood nymphs.

Next stop: The Old Deerfield Craft Fair. Although Mom loved it, there wasn’t much for me. Except this exciting new project:

a Needle Felted Pumpkin Kit from Decadent Fibers*

Next stop: Webs and the much-anticipated MamaCate meeting. The moment we entered Webs, Little Man found the huge basket of toys, and Mom disappeared into the store. Yep, my babysitter abandoned me at the precise moment when I planned to sink into wooly goodness. MamaCate found me, and Gramma returned in time to be led down the Enabler’s Highway: “Mom, this is Cate; Cate, this is my Mom, Shannon.” At that moment the Earth shifted on its axis, and I was knit-bound to my Mother for at least 6 months. By the end of the Mom-Cate Mohair Affair of 2005, I had orders to make one poncho (with explicit modifications) and one shawl for my Mom:

Mohair for the Perfect Pie Shawl from Weekend Knitting*

Mohair for the #31 Multicolor poncho in Filatura Di Crosa’s Fall/Winter 2005 Collection*

Shortly after the pile became truly obscene, I squealed like a spoiled little girl, “Mom, I didn’t bring you into this amazing yarn store so I could play with toddler toys! You’re the babysitter, now come play with your grandson and stop shopping. It’s my turn!” Although slapping me would’ve been justified, Mom shrugged, agreed and plopped down next to the boy. Perhaps she was simply sated and therefore, pliable.

So Cate and I embarked on the clearance hunt for Eris yarn. She introduced me to the extraordinary warehouse room, where I fondled every bolt and skein and ball in sight. [speaking of, I've been meaning to create a list of knitting expressions that would be dirty in other contexts. note to self: the list began here.] Cate found this:

amazing Valley Yarns Brora Softspun Shetland on HUGE discount*

In spite of my bitching about enabling, I am very grateful for this! I can’t wait until post-holiday knitting so I can cast on for Eris.

The Webs folks indulged us for a couple minutes past closing time, and when Mom whipped out her credit card, the skies opened and the angles sang. She insisted that since I’ll be knitting for her until June, at least she could pay for the supplies.

After our Webs feast, Cate joined us for a Tibetan feast at the Lhasa Cafe. Cate and I met at 4:30pm and parted as friends at 7:30pm. Knitters are the best! [In saying that, I'm actively ignoring her repeated suggestions that I take up dying, spinning and weaving. Did I mentioned that she's Queen Enabler?]

Two hours later Mom, Little Man and I arrived home, and dumped the two huge Webs bags onto the living room floor. It was only then that I fully understood the extent to which Cate is an enabler: this ball mysteriously fell from the bag and rolled across the floor:*

The Mafia: “Hey Mom, what is this?”
Mom: “Well, your friend Cate asked if I liked handknit socks. I told her I liked those colors and she said it was great sock yarn.”
My eyes huge, excited and overwhelmed, all I could think to say was “Damn that Cate, I’ll be knitting for you until June.”

Perhaps I’ll camp out at Cate’s house and make her help me.

*extra special thanks to Roo for loaning her camera to me while my computer was dead.