Knitwits Blog

Long Time No Blog

2011-06-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

This is NOT my Living Room...but my spare bedroom is starting to resemble this!

It has been a very long time since my last blog.
I've been very, very busy but I can't tell you what I've been busy doing. Funny how that works. The pace of my life has been so frantic that I haven't had the mental energy to organize my thoughts enough to blog!

Today is the first day in a very long time that I don't feel like I'm running a race that I haven't trained for. I have a bunch of stuff to do but nothing that "has to be done" by a certain time. Phew! My usual breakfast is coffee and two Aleve, but today....just coffee!

Let me spend this Funday Monday quickly catching you up on my life.
I'm still trying to knit 12 sweaters in 12 months, I'm still flying, I'm still eating my way through Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with my Valentine and I'm still starting way more projects than I'm finishing. Friends have had babies and are having babies, have finalized adoptions and have watched their babies graduate. On the flip-side, friends have also had to say goodbye to loved ones. It's been an emotional few months. It seems that my "knitting completion factor" increases with my emotional state and the pressure of having a deadline imposed by Jill or an e-News commitment. The happier I am the more completion. The more stress I feel, the more scattered my attention becomes.

Writing a blog is very therapudic...it allows my thoughts to surface and my slow typing allows the thoughts to formulate. As I write this blog entry, I'm am thinking about quick and easy knitting projects for the summer and a Fall project plan to carry Knitwits through the Fall, Holidays and dreaded Winter. I am hoping that blogging will help me decide what to focus on.

I am blogging because I am inspired. Janet, Jill, Sheryl and I went to Columbus yesterday for the BIG TNNA yarn market. It used to be so overwhelming to see the millions of vendors and booths. This year, we walked the Columbus Convention Center with the intention of buying nothing and just soaking it all in. We ended up buying a few things, reordering a few things, and Janet and I had our hair done. We're real suckers for give-aways, good snacks and things that are sparkly. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves and realized that we had a pretty good handle on our inventory and offerings. The vendor booths were good sources of both inspiration and "what not to do".

As we formulate our Knitwits plans for the future, we're leaning towards doing knit-a-long activities that teach new skills and keep knitters accountable for completing projects. For the summer, we're knitting Monsters, doing freeform knitting evening bags, and working on the Knitwits Scarf-a-Long, In my mental queue, I have a Fair Isle bag or toy, a mystery blog-a-long colorwork baby sweater and assorted other baby stuff, and starting the "12,000 Gifts of Christmas". For the Fall and beyond, I'm thinking about Knitivities, a Stocking-A-Long, a sweater knit-a-long and a million or two other projects.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the Blog-A-Long. I think I'll spend the rest of the day working on the details. Ciao!

Triple Ds

2011-03-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

During my last trip, we had a three hour break to kill in JFK. We, the crew consisting of two flight attendants and two pilots, stayed on the plane and hung out. We all had iPhones, so the four of us sat in First Class, caught up on emails, texted, youtubed, facebooked and googled...and enjoyed each others company.

I do love my iPhone but I'm not very good at smartphoning. :-(
Is there an App Store at Kenwood Town Center?
How did we waste time before the smartphone?

It's fun to be with people who really know how to effectively use their smartphones. John, Chris and Katy (my Captain, First Officer and the other flight attendant respectively) really know how to work their phones with ease and grace. I, on the other hand, fumbled around looking for my glasses, hmming and hawing and continually asking "How do I.....?" Eventually, I ran out of iPhone skills and picked up my knitting.

The Captain is the crew member who sets the tone for the whole trip. Some Captains are all business, some are more laid back, some are resentful of the state of affairs in the airline industry and some are just plain weird. Capt'n John has been with Comair for 31 years. He is number 4 on the pilot seniority list and still enjoys his job. His attitude is that all of his crew members are professionals and should act accordingly but we may as well have a good time while were doing our jobs. Bless his Heart!

Capt'n John is passionate about searching for the best dining options available for wherever he is and he's generous about sharing his findings... and making sure that his crew never goes hungry or thirsty. He has an App that he put on my phone called GateGuru, that is a great resource that posts security wait times, airport food, shops and services and airport maps for over 115 airports across the US, Canada and Europe. He also put a link for TV Food on my phone so I can find restaurants that have been featured on the Food Network and Travel Channels.

Capt'n John loves his "Triples Ds". For those of you who aren't fans of the Food Network, that stands for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. During the trip he worked his trusty iPhone searching for "Triple Ds" in Boston. He worked his iMagic and arranged for a fabulous and memorable meal at Rino's Place in East Boston. He made our dinner reservation before we took off in JFK for Boston and was told that it would be a 3 hour wait--perfect timing! He then arranged for transportation and luggage storage all via iPhone and tipped our van driver handsomely.

Forty minutes after landing in Boston and five minutes after the hotel van dropped us off at Rino's, our table was ready! The restaurant has 14 tables and the 13 other tables were so engrossed in their meals that they barely noticed the Flight Crew in full uniform entering the restaurant. I loved the atmosphere, I loved the food, I loved the friendly wait staff and I really enjoyed the company of my fellow crew members (I would have felt silly if I were the only one in uniform). All of my expectations of this "Triple D" were exceeded from the Limoncello Shrimp and Asparagus appetizers to the Tiramisu and peach sorbet desserts! The portions were larger than huge--the homemade raviolis were bigger than my hand!

I took pictures of the fabulousness that was served but my iPhotography is terrible!

Capt'n John's Watch and iPhone

Clean Plate Club

The first photo is a great action shot of Capt'n John taking a photo of our food covered table. The second photo is what was left of the tiramisu. Someone needs to come up with a phone camera that I can use and a smell-o-vision app so you can get the full experience.

This four day trip was one of the rare trips that makes me love doing the whole flight attendant thing. When you have a good crew, good weather and an iPhone, it doesn't even feel like you're working. What other job could I have that pays me to have such enjoyable adventures while still on the clock?

What a wonderful and blessed life I have. I get into uniform and I get to see, dine and experience places that most only see on TV and I get out of my uniform and spend time doing what I am most passionate about- knitting and hanging out with Knitwits. I AM living the dream!

P.S. Thank you all for the concern that you had for my family members in Japan. According to my mom, everyone is accounted for and doing the best they can. Let's not forget how fortunate we are!

I Am....a Knitwit!

2011-03-07T02:20:00.001-05:00

I was given a writing assignment two weeks ago that I just can’t seem to accomplish. My Life Coach, Janet, and her Life Coach, Karyn, asked me to write two paragraphs, one titled “I Am...” and the other “I Am Not...”

This assignment should be very easy for a blogger. I really enjoy writing the Knitwits blog and revealing little “I Am...” and “I Am Not...” snippets. Over the years, this little Knitwits blog has morphed from a simple knitting blog to an online diary for me (a knitter and a Knitwit) to share opinions, ramblings and personal events. Last month, the Knitwits Blog had 894 readers. Yikes!

Why can’t I do this assignment? Why can a very private person blab so freely and reveal so much in a blog for the whole world to read (or at least 894 people) and clam up when writing two little paragraphs for a private audience?

When I get “The Flash”, the idea for my next blog and not a middle-age moment, I sit down at the computer and start typing. The words and thoughts just pour out of my head and three of my fingers start fumbling about the keyboard, hunting and pecking for the right keys, trying to keep up with the ramblings. It is much easier for me to tell the faceless keyboard my thoughts than it is to tell a person. Blogging is very much like revealing a secret but doing it in a very public manner. Perhaps, the revealed secrets are what blog readers enjoy.

So, why no blog last week and why no "I Am..." and no "I Am Not..." paragraphs?
Well....Last week, I was in the Knitwits office talking to one of our favorite yarn reps and a cup of hot coffee tipped over and landed in the keyboard of my treasured MacBook.

When the coffee incident first happened, I said some bad words, turned the treasured McBook upside down and yanked out the battery. In yet another act of newly found bravery, I turned the caffeinated MacBook on and.....bright orange, blinky stripes appeared and then everything went black! Ruh Roh!

I somewhat calmly made an appointment with the Apple "Genius" at the "Genius Bar" and I was off to the iHospital, the Apple Store in Kenwood Town Center. As you all know, I don't drive if it can be avoided, I don't drive in Ohio, I don't make left hand turns and I don't have any sense of direction. But, desperate times call for desperate measures! Off I bravely went.....

In my panicked state, I took the Columbia Parkway exit instead of heading towards Columbus. Mistake #1. Unless you drive over a cliff, there is nowhere to make a right hand turn on Columbia Parkway, so I was forced to make a left. Mistake #2. When I saw the "Welcome to West Walnut Hills" sign, I knew I was in trouble. I called Janet. Call went to voicemail. Mistake #3. Janet called me back when she found her phone and said, "Heeeeeey! Watcha doin?" and I rambled something about coffee, computer, Ohio, West Walnut Hills, and how'd I get to UC. I saw a sign for 75, so we discussed if I wanted 75N or 75S. I don't remember which one I took, but it was the right choice. Mistake #4 averted.

I made it to Kenwood Town Center 15 minutes before my "Genius" appointment. Phew. I entered the mall and looked at the directory to locate the Apple Store. Who is the "genius" who designs those Mall directories. The only thing I could find was the "You are Here" sticker. I eventually found the Apple store with 2 minutes to spare.

I explained the coffee situation to my "genius" and he took my treasured MacBook to the mysterious backroom. After what seemed like days, he returned with the verdict. "Your hard drive is fine but we'd like to keep your computer for a few days and blah blah blah". I didn't hear anything after "hard drive fine" and "keep computer". I was leaving for a four day trip in the morning and I'd be leaving without my treasured MacBook! I only got lost once on the drive home.

While I was on my trip, I tried writing stuff on my iphone with little success. I don't know what's worse, the teeny tiny keypad or the auto-suggest spelling feature. For this blogger, blogging without her treasured MacBook is like knitting with Red Heart Yarn...it just doesn't feel right!

I got back from my trip too late on Saturday Night to go to the Apple Hospital. So today, I was able to retrieve my treasured MacBook (thanks to the kindness of my Valentine volunteering to drive) and voila, like magic I blog.

Sorry that I've digressed from the original "I Am..." and "I Am Not..." problem. The real problem is that "I Am...a Knitwit!" and for a Knitwit... Nothing is Simple! We have this habit of turning simple tasks into monumental projects. For instance, knitting a Central Park Hoodie turns into "Knit 12 sweaters in 12 Months", writing two little paragraphs turns into writing a series of books, "What should I make for dinner?" turns into enrolling in the Culinary Institute, etc.

No wonder my email name is ufojunko. UFO in knitting speak is UnFinishedObject. Just staying true to the name! Writing a blog is like knitting a one-skein project-they are quick and easy to finish in just one evening.

Thanks for reading!

Gratitude

2011-02-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

William Arthur Ward

We wrote KNITWITS on a loaf of stale Italian Bread and stuck it between DAYTON and DENVER

I was deadheading (that's airline speak for riding as a passenger as part of your assignment) on a flight from LGA to CVG (that's airline speak for LaGuardia to Cincinnati) and when we reached cruise altitude, I had a light bulb moment...I complain way too much and express my Gratitude way too little.

Several things probably caused this relevation to surface. First, Janet has been studying to become a Life Coach. (She doesn't realize that she has been serving as my life coach for years.) She shares her studies and findings with me daily and it has resulted in some soul searching and surprising self discovery. Second, the week of vacation in the Caymans gave me the perfect opportunity to talk, dream, and reassess. And finally, when I expanded my "Comfort Zone" with my new found bravery, the number of opportunities that presented themselves also expanded and my abilities are unlimited when tested.

During a Cayman conversation, Janet asked me "What would you want to do if I weren't a flight attendant?" After a momentary pause, I answered "We're doing it!" I would want to travel, have a little yarn shop and share the craft I enjoy so much with others. How could I not realize that I was already living my dream?

I have so much to be thankful for and I have been taking it all for granted. I have my health, a home, a new car and an old car I can't seem to part with. I have a job that pays the bills, the "job of my dreams" and I am surrounded with family, good friends and good friends that are like family. Thank yous for everyone and the Powers that be!

While (somewhat unsuccessfully) Googling interesting fun facts, quotes and images for this blog entry, I came across the Gratitude Challenge, a 21-day project created to help you take note of life’s little blessings and to give thanks for the relationships, experiences and opportunities that make your life unique. Being an impatient kinda gal, I'm leaning more towards the "Fast-Track" Gratitude Challenge, a 7-day project created to help you take note of the brighter side of life.

On Day 1, you "Count your Blessings" and use the alphabet as a fun and quick format for taking an inventory and making your list of things you are grateful for. (Addi Lace Needles, Berroco Yarn and Cashmere...just kidding.) On Day 6, you acknowledge five people who deserve a little recognition. So, being an impatient kinda gal:

Dear Doug and Susan in Virginia, I have been wrestling with the proper way to thank you for the fabulous week as your guest in the Cayman Islands. Perhaps, a simple and heart-felt "Thank You" is a good start and I'll follow up later. I was long overdue for a vacation and our Cayman excursion exceeded every expectation. I so enjoyed meeting Elizabeth and spending time with all of you. The time away with you helped me prioritize the important things in life and filter out the unimportant things that litter my ever-growing to-do list.

Dear Knitwits, I get so much more than I give from you all. Your enthusiasm and support make it all worth while. Who knew that a little yarn shop could become such a large part of our lives?
For my Valentine, Thank you for showing me that chivalry is not a thing of the past. I am surprised by how much I appreciate white tulips, being treated like a lady and having doors opened, an arm offered when crossing the street, assistance putting on my coat, and everything else you do so naturally. I look forward to leaving the comfort zone of my zipcode and sharing new culinary finds, movies and good conversation with you.

Dear Janet and Sarah, I am grateful for both of you everyday. My life changed for the better the day I met you and you continue to make me better everyday!

Dear Blog Readers, Thank you for reading my blabs. I'm starting a Knitwits Gratitude Pledge, a super simple promise to complain less and express appreciation more. Stop by the shop, sign up and get a Frequent Buyer Yarn Card Stamp as a token of my appreciation. Now that you've reached the end of my post, here's the link for the real Gratitude Challenge.

Paradise

2011-02-15T10:18:00.001-05:00

20 years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So... sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Mark Twin, Author

Well, we’re back from the lovely Cayman Islands. We had a super wonderful vacation and had a chance to rest, relax, contemplate and knit (I tried crochet-and switched back to knitting.) We heard that the Caymans were the perfect place “to do nothing” and that was what we planned to do. But, on the first full day there....we found Bravery and changed our plans!

It took one simple act of Bravery to change the course of our vacation and our lives. Our vacation planners, Doug and Susan from Virginia and their daughter Elizabeth, arranged for a private island boat trip with Capt’n Chris. He would take us out on his boat from Rum Point and show us the beauty of the island and places to swim with Sting Rays and snorkel the reefs. Janet and I were excited to go and planned to knit and watch the others. We made a pact that getting into the water was not in our plans.

When we docked in the middle of the Sting Ray area, Capt’n Chris gave us the dos and don’ts of swimming with sting rays- there were more don’ts than dos. Janet and I were convinced that Sting Rays were not something that we wanted to swim with and spending the day in a wet bathing suit was not appealing.

I don’t know exactly what happened but when the others went overboard. I felt that if I didn’t go too I would really be missing something. I announced to Janet, “I’m going in!” Next thing you know, I’m having a back massage from a very large female sting ray. Janet joined us but was more reluctant to touch the sea monsters. Eventually, we both petted them, held them, swam with swarms of them and even feed ‘em. We really felt energized by the experience and our new found bravery. (It was a great adventure until Capt’n Chris decided to hold me like a sting ray and give me a back massage-but that’s a whole ‘nuther story.)

We pulled up anchor and went to a nearby coral reef area for snorkeling. Janet and I made a pact to sit out this activity and knit. We feared that we would get lost, confused and unable to see anything with the scuba masks and our “over-forty eyes” without eyeglasses. I must have feared being left on the boat with Capt’n Chris more because next thing you know, I’m gearing up and telling Janet that “I’m just going to stick my mask into the water ”. When I saw what was underneath the surface of the water an instant calm came over me and I was totally amazed by the underwater world. I eventually surfaced and yelled to Janet, “You gotta see this!” To actually experience the sights and sounds of the turquoise water, plantlife and colorful fish was amazing and I’m glad we didn’t miss it!

The rest of the boat trip was more of the same. The beautiful blue water held an unexpected world of excitement, color and amazement as did the marinated conch that Capt’n Chris concocted (conch-octed) for the ride home. It is very difficult to eat marinated conch on stale saltines while riding on a bumpy boat in gale force winds.

From our Cayman house, the ocean was 60 feet away and the beach was littered with shells, sea glass, hermit crabs and other sea treasures. We spent a great deal of time on the beach and in the water. We walked the beach every morning and collected “Brain”- washed up coral that looked like brains. I snorkeled ever chance I had and never got over the amazement of the sights. With our newfound bravery, Janet and I decided that it was time to stop talking about the things we want to do and start doing them. First up on our list was to start writing our “Knitwits Book.” With macbooks, ipads, iphone and intermittent internet service, we stopped talking and started writing. Stay tuned....

We practiced Bravery for the remainder of our Island life. Janet even drove our rental car which is amazing because on day one, she couldn’t even sit in the car with her daughter, Sarah, driving from the right seat on the left side of the road. I was brave during a moment of wi-fi connectivity and emailed a very nice man with the message, “Will you be my Valentine?” ( and “No”, it was not Capt’n Chris.)

Well, the trip home was bittersweet. It is hard to leave paradise (especially when traveling “non-revenue”-that’s airline talk for standby). I was subject to additional security screening at the Grand Cayman Airport. When the inspector opened my suitcase and saw more yarn than clothing, she had to ask “What’s up with that?” I told her about Knitwits and she told me than she was a crocheter but getting yarn on the island was very difficult. I asked her if I could give her a skein of Comfort from my aborted crochet project and she said that because there were witnesses and my search was complete, she was able to accept the yarn. The other inspector chimed in and mentioned that she was a knitter. So, it was lovely parting gifts of Berroco Yarn Company Comfort for everyone in the additional security room. Janet had a layover in Miami, which is now similar to being in a foreign country. With paradise behind us, we were returning to our lives but we were returning with our Bravery Awards and a bag of Brain.

I’ll now attempt to wrap up this rather lengthy blog post.
Since returning to the 41017, we no longer have to practice Bravery-it is now a way of life. I’ve been driving on the highways (although, I still don’t know which one is 75 or 275) instead of navigating circuitous routes that require only right hand turns, I’ve returned all of phone messages from the shop, and I’ve been working on the Knitwits book.

During one of our intermittent island wi-fi connections, I received the following e-mail response from the very nice man: “Absolutely :)”. No Singles Awareness Day this year!
Yesterday was Valentines Day and my Valentine showed up on time and with a bouquet of white tulips and a card. The very nice man took me to Virgils in Bellevue, a cozy little place that has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The menu is fantastic and the food is even better! Who knew that paradise existed in Bellevue?

I think paradise can be found everywhere-sometimes you just need to leave your comfort zone and experience it with good company.

SINGLES AWARENESS DAY

2011-02-07T04:31:00.001-05:00

February 14th can be viewed as Valentine's Day or Singles Awareness Day, depending upon your current circumstances. It's only February 7th...so there's still time for Prince Charming to come looking for me....but he better have GPS 'cause I'll be out of the country and on vacation!

We're heading to the Cayman Islands. They're the islands just under the under belly of Cuba (which Janet has taken to pronouncing as COO-Bah.) It has been a very long time since I took a vacation and I'm very out of practice, which is so odd since I spend most of my time traveling. We hear that the Caymans are the perfect place to do nothing!

When I finished up my Comair gig on Saturday Night, I TXTed Janet. We are very amateur TXT-ers and we've been practicing since this will be our main (aka cheapest) method of communication while away. Our TXT conversation went something like this:

Junko:       VACATION!!!!!
Janet: Hoooooo! Hoooooo!
Junko: Watcha packing?
Janet: 2 bathing suits, one Miracle Suit (hope it works), 2 nylon shorts, schoo-bah shoes, etc.
Janet:         and 12 lipsticks
Janet:        and a little sleeping bag thing. its soooooo cute...and flip flops.
Janet:    and I found my old prescription Schoo-bah mask so I can see if we schoo-bah with the sting rays.
Janet:        will you bring a Chibi? (that's a needle for sewing up loose yarn ends)
Janet:    I'm not bringing a raincoat are U?
Janet:        I forgot to diet :-(

All of that TXTing took a little over an hour because first you have to find the "over-forty" reading glasses, then find a place with decent light, and then your endlessly struggling with the auto-correct spelling feature that replaces "thong" for "thing" and George Clooney for Chibi. More practice needed.

I dump out my suitcase of "work" clothes and try to fill it with "play" clothes but I can't seem to grasp that I don't need to pack Cuddl Duds and Spanx. And more importantly what knitting do I bring?

I can't find my 95% finished Cockcrow. It has been MIA for about a week now. If anyone finds my red Cockcrow, TXT me.
I finished the sleeve for my Crescent Springs Hoodie in Debbie Bliss Gray Donegal Tweed and the shop sold the rest of the yarn while I was away. Is this a do-over or a re-order more yarn?
I goofed up something on my Girasole and I don't have the mental energy to frog a couple of rows (each row has 240 stitches).
I know what I'll bring...Crochet! I'm going to crochet a baby blanket.

So, there you have it. I'm on my way to the KMans (TXT talk for Caymans), I have 2 bathing suits, a Chibi, schooba shoes, flip flops, sandals, running shoes (I like shoes), 12 lipsticks, 5 skeins of Comfort and a Crochet Hook #H.

Good friends and yarn are always great company!
Should Prince Charming drop by the shop while we're away, tell him to TXT us and "Yes" we will be back in time for Valentine's Day!

The Method to the Madness

2011-01-30T15:22:00.000-05:00

There is sooooo much that goes on behind the scenes at Knitwits. We meet with various yarn reps to found the latest, greatest yarns and patterns, we dream up classes, KALs and clubs, we write blogs and agonize over e-mails and we try to promote everything with Ravelry, Facebook and anything else we can think of. But the truth of the matter is...we're Knitwits and things happen the Knitwits way!

Has this ever happened to you? You're looking up something on Ravelry and the next thing you know you end up on someone else's blog. It happens to me all of the time!

I start reading their blog (although I'm really looking for the Free Pattern) and I realize that they're blog is more interesting than mine, prettier than mine and really well organized. Well, Whatever! The unpredictability and randomness of our Knitwits blog keeps you on your toes. In what "appears to be a disorganized mind"*, there is a method to the madness.

*note: in flight attendant speak, someone who has had way too much to drink is referred to as a passenger who "appears to be intoxicated."

Here is a sample of "The Madness Method" in action.

I decided that it would be fun to do a non-sweater KAL for intermediate to advanced non-sweater knitters. My Mystery KAL has been going well and I'd like to step up game.

First, I troll around on Ravelry for inspiration. I look at various galleries, yarns, patterns and interesting groups and discussion boards. I type in a yarn, say Shepherd's Wool, and then I'll search the projects that Ravelry-ers have posted. Or, I'll type in a designer, Stephen West and Jared Flood are current favorites. Or, I'll be on the Knitwits Group page and see something in the Gallery. It really doesn't matter what the search is...I get distracted from the "real" task at hand and I end up on some random blog!

Next, I start reading the random blog. This morning, the random blog was Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Award Winning Blog. I was happy to land there because she's was blogging about "start-itis" and "finishup-itis", two "itises" that I suffer from too. She mentions that her favorite current designer is Spilly Jane Knits.

The next thing you know, I must know why Steph is addicted to Spilly Jane Knits so I click on the link. I'm back in Ravelry and I'm loving all of the Spilly Jane Knits designs. They are full of humor, whimsy, colorwork, cuteness and everything that makes me forget about a non-sweater KAL.

I'm just about to cast on a pair of Hippo Mittens called William it was Really Nothing when I stop myself-I stop myself because I can't find the right size needle not because it would be insane to start another project. I then remember that there was a baby blanket with Hippos that I wanted to knit, so I go searching through My Queue.

Alas, I found it! They we not Hippos, they were Monkey Faces. And the blanket is actually two blankets sewn together. It's very cute, but a lot of knitting and a guaranteed UFO that I'm probably the only person that would want to knit it. Non-sweater KAL for One? Back to the drawing board.

I return to my Queue and I see Girasole.

I remember Girasole! It's a round, lacy blankets/shawl, by Jared Flood, great charted pattern. You can knit it in any weight yarn. This could be it! Yay!!!!

I downloaded the pattern for $6.50 from Brooklyn Tweed and I think it would be perfect for a KAL. The pattern is really well written and charted out with big, easy to read charts! The lace is divided into sections and charted out so that each section can be a KAL assignment. The project looks intimidating, but many of the folks that knit it, commented on how easy and quickly the project knit up.

I really like the Girasole knit up in Classy, a 100% merino wool, hand dyed, worsted weight, superwash yarn by Dream In Color. We carry Starry, Smooshy and Everlasting from Dream In Color, but we don't carry Classy.......yet. So, you guessed it-I next click on the link to the Dream In Color (DIC) colorcards and I want to order every color!

I notice that Color Series 100 looks familiar and I remember the Tulips Cardigan that is in my Queue.

I really wanted to knit the Tulips Cardigan for a friend's new baby but it takes 8 colors of Classy. Wait a minute, if we order every color of Classy, I could knit my Tulips Cardigan. Lightbulb moment, we could kit up the Classy into Tulip Cardigan Kits because you only need a little bit of each of the 7 colors! Kit and Class! Brilliant!

Anyone interested in Dream in Color Classy, a Girasole KAL or a Tulips Cardigan Kit and class? I need some positive feedback in order to plug my desire to place an order for some DIC Classy.

12 Sweaters in 12 Months

2011-01-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

I've gotten some flack about my New Year's resolution to knit 12 sweaters in 12 months. To clarify the goal, I plan to knit 12 "wearable" sweater during 2011. To define "wearable", I mean ends woven in, buttons sewn on, blocked and worn to the shop at least once. I think I should get half-credits for sweaters that were cast on in 2010.

While most of the comments have encouraged my endeavor, a few remarks mentioned my size. (The Barbie Doll comment hurt). Nonetheless, after 22 days--I am still on track!

As I write this, the first sweater, Cockcrow, is on the blocking board. That's right, I just wrote blocking board! I'm serious about this endeavor and I'm swatching (sort of) and blocking. This is my first time using the blocking board and I highly encourage sweater knitters to use one. I laid Cockcrow out on the blocking board and following the schematic from the pattern, I pinned it against the grid lines. No wonder I had to break into an extra ball of Chesapeake, I had knit the darn body a full inch longer than the pattern called for. Everything else could be scrunched or stretched to measure. When I got everything pinned down, I sprayed it with Soak solution and patted it flat. Voila! My Cockcrow went from crumpled, rolled pieces jammed into a ziplock bag to something that actually resembled the picture on the pattern. Love that Blocking Board!

Also on my needles are the beginnings of my Crescent Springs Hoodie (my celtic cable version of the Central Park Hoodie), Alieta with Extra Ribbing (my version of Alieta from Chic Knits), Tea Leaves Cardigan (Madelinetosh Pattern) in Mista Alpaca Tonos, and (2010) Tussie Mussie in Rowan Felted Tweed (Knitty Pattern).

Why so many at one time?
There are several reasons (aka excuses). First, I just love starting new projects! Second, some of the sweaters (Tussie Mussie and Crescent Springs Hoodie) require charts, concentration, stitch markers, doo dads and things that I don't have while I'm on one of my trips. Third, timeliness--the hoodie needed to move up in the cue for the KAL and the Chic Knits Alieta shows the loveliness of the Chic Knits patterns (we have lots of them cuz I love 'em) and Shepherds Wool. Fourth, I suffer from knitting ADD--new patterns, magazines and yarns keep coming into the shop and I can't wait to get my grubby little needles going. Fifth, total disorganization--sometimes you just can't find the pattern, find your place in the pattern or find which knitting bag you last left the project in. I can go on and on, but you get the picture.

I figure my start and finish ratio to be somewhere around 3:1. So, at this rate I should finish one of the above and start another 33 sweaters in 2011. Yikes! This could be a very expensive endeavor!

Why I'm Wearing a Coat

2011-01-14T10:16:00.003-05:00

One would think that someone who spends 85% of her life chilled to the bone, would like wearing coats or cozy hand-knit sweaters. I prefer to wear 12 layers of Cuddl Duds and Spanx, than wear a coat! So, why have I been wearing a coat all week? Hint: The answer is not because of the snow storm and low temperatures.

I am still dealing with the aftermath of the hot water heater explosion of August 2010. The work is coming closer to completion but life without flooring continues.

Just before Thanksgiving, I scheduled the carpet installation that would had completed the flooring repair. The new stainmaster, plush, thick, luscious carpet in a lovely shade called Montauk and the 3 carpet installers came and moved all of my living room furniture into my Feng Shui bedroom, then proceeded to rip up the old carpet in the living room. As they removed the old carpet, they uncovered several major potholes in my subfloor. They looked at me and then the potholes, and pressed down on each pothole with their boots and 250+ pound bodies and said, "Sorry Ma'am but we can't install carpeting over these potholes--we don't think it's safe."

The 300+ pound carpet guy says, "How much do you weigh?". The 250 lb. carpet guy hit him and says,"Sorry about him, but what he means to say is that if you were our size, you might just have direct access to your downstairs neighbor. You need a new sub-floor. There is nothing else we can do here today. Bye Bye."

Fast forward two months (why does construction work cease between Thanksgiving and New Years?), the living room furniture is still in my once Feng Shui-ed bedroom, the dining room furniture is now also in my bedroom, I can't get into any of my bedroom closets or dressers, there is now a fine, white powdery dust accumulating on everything I own... and they are finally removing the concrete rubble that was once my subfloor.

Because I have no access to my bedroom closets, I have been limited to wearing: A) things that were in my suitcase consisting of uniform pieces and a black turtleneck, undies, running shorts, etc. B) things that were in the dryer or C) garments from the spare bedroom closet, which consists of "Fashion Mistakes from the 70's, 80's, 90's-that I paid too much for and can't Goodwill" and the "Current Goodwill Pile".

I wore my coat all week to cover up some fashion faux pas. I wore "the world's shortest mini skirt-Vivian Westwood circa 1989 with holey black sweater", "the Skull and Cross Bones mini skirt-Jean-Paul Gaultier circa 1992 with turquoise Goodwill Sweater-Gap circa 2008" and for the other 5 days, my Justice jeans-circa 2010!

Finally, someone spoke up and asked, "Why don't you ever wear anything that you knit?' (were they curious or just being kind?) Truth of the matter is...for the amount I knit, not much is wearable! There is a bunch of one sock and one slipper wonders, baby sweaters, sweaters with only one sleeve, a really fun turtleneck sweater that I bound off the neck too tightly-I can't get my head into, a Kidsilk Haze cutey-pie sweater that I knit the pockets into on the back instead of the front,....it is too humiliating to continue.

I am hoping that progress will be made this upcoming week and: A) My Montauk carpet will replace the exposed concrete, B) my bedroom closets will soon be reopened for business, C) my resolution to knit 12 sweaters in 12 months, will vastly improve my wardrobe.

Until then, I am flying so I'm in uniform (sort of), I should have Cockcrow (Sweater #1 of 12) finished and it should stay cold enough for me too keep wearing a darned coat!

Notes to Self

2010-12-31T05:44:00.003-05:00

On Christmas morning, Janet, Sarah and I gathered around Janet's living room and Janet began the Holiday festivity with ye ole, "Hey, I had a really great idea last night! Wanna hear it?"

I have learned over the years that this could spell trouble or be a stroke of shear brilliance. This time brilliance prevailed.

Janet's idea was for each of us to write a note to ourselves, to jot down our thoughts, wishes and goals for the upcoming New Year and seal them in an envelope until next Christmas, when we will read our notes aloud. We decided to place our notes inside the "Memory Table" in Janet's living room so no one would be responsible for losing them.

I have not yet written "My Note to Self" and I'm pretty sure that Janet and Sarah are noteless too. But, I have been formulating my Note in my head. So, here lies the problem...my brain is like the "refreezerator" at the shop or my freezer at home. I keep putting stuff in it, but I never take anything out.

Now, if you have been following this blog for a while, you may remember that We (Janet and I) have "The Pulitzer Prize-worthy Knitwits Book" stored and our heads. Also stored in my head are countless inventions (Sheryl: remember the Mankerchief?), highly success business ideas (Knit-o-grams), unknit sweater designs, endless good intentions and large amounts of clutter.

Last month, I finally got 5 years worth of Knitwits website stuff out of my head. It felt amazingly good to get all of that out of my head and hosted on the web. It is also helpful that our new website has the correct address and hours now.

Blog followers will also remember that last year I spent a great deal of time and energy Feng Shui-ing my condo (and my colon) in search of a good night's sleep. With the help of books like "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" and books on tape like "Does All of This Clutter Make My Butt Look Big", I got rid of boxes of clutter, a closet full of poor fashion choices, stacks of outdated books, magazines and papers and undesirable toxins in my diet. Now, if only I could find an e-book on "How to Feng Shui your Brain".

My "Note to Self" could be a long laundry list of lofty ambitions and goals or it could be as simple as "Find Peace". Whatever the final form of my "Note to Self" may take, I'm just glad that I will take to trek into 2011 with Janet and Sarah and all of you!

Happy New Year!

Warm Wishes from the Wonderful World of Knitwits

2010-12-24T19:21:00.002-05:00

Well, the shop is now closed for Christmas and we don't reopen until Tuesday morning. I think this may be the longest span of time that the shop will be closed. It has been very hectic for the Knitwits and I am really looking forward to spending time in my pajamas unwinding and piddling around.

I have been dealing with a very stressful work schedule (Comair and Knitwits), car trouble, home repair and over ambitious knitting obligations. Without the support of the staff, my family and friends, I don't think I would have found the strength to see it all through.

For me, the true meaning of Christmas is not about shopping and giving and receiving stuff. It is about sharing, caring, spending time with or thinking about the important people in our lives and enjoying the moments.

As I write this, I feel almost overwhelmed by the caring, sharing and generosity that is shown in the wonderful world of Knitwits. I have been the recipient of so many gifts, cards, goodies, warm hugs and invitations not only for this holiday season but all year long. Please accept my many thanks and know that you all have a special place in my memory bank.

As our day wound down, Janet and I had her daugther, Sarah, bring down a wine opener and festive wine glasses and we cracked open a nice bottle of wine (we have a case under the desk). We sat in the collection of mismatched chairs at the wobbly round table in the front room and for the first time in way too long, I didn't feel stressed out, pressured or anxious. Was it the wine or the lively conversation?

It was probably both things, but more importantly, it was what we needed and wanted to do. We talked about our favorite vacations, wines, foods and memories. It was not the places, tastes or dates that were important...it was whom we shared them with that were most memorable.

Janet and I often ask ourselves, "Why do people like hanging out at the shop?" After parking ourselves around the wobbly round table for a few hours, I now know why our chairs are usually full. It's all about who fills the chairs!

The shop and the mismatched chairs will be vacant for the long Holiday weekend. We hope you all have a safe and wonderful weekend with your family and friends and we look forward to spending time with you around the wobbly round tables soon!

The Blog is Back..A Tribute to the World's Best Car

2010-12-18T02:58:00.003-05:00

After a very long break from blogging, I'm back to write a tribute to the world's best car.

Let me begin this tribute by setting the stage. I am a knitter. I will knit anywhere and everywhere. I can tell you about the subtle nuances of just about every yarn on the market, their strengths and weaknesses, their stitches per inch, the yardage, etc. I can decipher an intricate cable pattern and solve almost any knitting problem that arises. These are great skills for Knitwits. But, if you ask me for directions to the shop, I will have to get you someone else to answer that dreaded question. I have zero sense of direction and I don't know the difference between 71, 75 and 275 or KY 18 and 42.

To make matters worse, I only like to make right hand turns so I will often drive a circuitous route from point A to point B to avoid making lefts. To make matters even worse, I cannot knit while driving-so, I prefer to be a passenger. With all that said...I am going to admit to two things. #1: I know nothing about cars and have little interest in learning about them. #2: If you ask me to take you to the airport, I will pick you up and have you drive me and my car there.

I think the stage is now set, so let me begin my tribute. The last time I bought a car was 1990. I asked a boyfriend that I had recently broken up with to find me a new car because he loved negotiating and getting deals and he knew that I needed a good, solid, reliable car for the driving impaired. He wheeled and dealed and told me go to an Acura dealer with a check, so I did. I drove away with a Black 1991 Acura Integra R-something. Twenty years and 84,000 miles later, I am still driving the darned thing.

Last week, I got in a little accident on 71 or 75 (doesn't really matter which one). Someone a couple of cars in front of me slammed on their brakes and I ended up hitting the brand spanking new Jaguar in front of me. No one was hurt and the Jag had a hairline scratch but my beloved Acura Integra R-something had a smashed up headlight, a crumpled front bumper and the hood was smooshed down. The Acura didn't look good before the accident, but after the accident it looked---well, pathetic.

I drove my crumpled car to Don's Garage, a really great place in Erlanger if you ever need car stuff done, to see if the car would be okay to drive. They crow barred the hood open and checked everything out and said, "She's good to go but don't drive at night until you get a new headlight."

The new headlight would cost more than the car is worth. To the relief of my family, Janet, Janet's dad and probably my neighbors, I admitted that it was time for a new car.

The Acura Integra R-something is still running like a top and much to my surprise, the headlight that disintegrated upon impact still has a little flashlight bulb intact that lights up like a beacon. She's been stolen, keyed, neglected, rusted, spilled in and on and used like a heavy duty hauling truck over the years-she has served me well but it is time to park her.

Tomorrow, I will pick up my new ride-A 2009 Silver Honda Fit Sport. (Janet test drove it for me.) Tonight, the sadness of retiring the Acura is greater than the excitement of a new car. That will probably change tomorrow-but for tonight, the sadness was enough to break the blog silence.

Thank you Acura Integra R-something and thank you everyone (Steve, Not Steve, all 6,000+ others and especially Comair Steve) for helping me find her replacement.

A new Twist

2010-10-24T00:40:00.003-04:00

I've been spending way too much time knitting... and not enough time blogging! If you follow the Knitwits KY group on Ravelry, you know that the shop has been very busy, my list of FO's is growing almost daily and my WIP's is tripling. With all of the new yarns coming in, I have been knitting up a storm and Ive especially enjoyed knitting slipper. Single slipper syndrome is my latest illness. There are so many great slipper patterns out there to test drive that I haven't had a chance to knit any mates. I'll add those to my growing list of To Dos.

The collaborative effort of writing the Knitwits E-news every week has been taking up a lot of my blogging energy. Janet and I discuss the e-mail all week long and when it comes time to get it all down, we stall and freeze. I've been doing the 12 Gifts of Christmas (which of course we started way too early-it's week 13 and we're still in October.) I try to knit each of the gifts, matching the right yarns, patterns and needle sizes. Very time and energy consuming--but kinda fun. It has turned me into someone who actually finishes things (woven in ends and all). I enjoy the process of researching quick, simple, single skein projects and I enjoy the quick knitting. I hope you enjoy the gift ideas.

In doing the research, I try to find projects that have been popular with the Ravelry-ers and that use yarns that you all will enjoy working with. My newest favorite yarns are Cascade 220 Superwash, Classic Elite Chesapeake, Doubled Kid Silk Haze and Shepherd's Wool. These yarns are just delightful to work with!

Being October, I have officially entered the Annual Christmas Stocking Knitting Season. Every year, I have a handful of faithful customers who ask me to knit Christmas Stockings for their ever growing families. Every year, I ask Janet and the Knitwits to tell me not to do it! The stress of knitting under a deadline and the monotony of knitting with Christmas Green and Christmas Red is almost too much to bear. For a knitter who can only knit slipper, making two or three of the same stockings is really stretching it for me. To date, I have one stocking done and six more to go. Stay tuned for the progress...

Every time I log into Ravelry, I enter a black hole of time. I start researching one thing and hours later, I have added a dozen things to my cue, strayed away from the one thing I wanted to research and found myself on some other distant link, casting on another random project. Does this happen to anyone else?

My latest "Black Hole" destination is the Twist Collective. The Twist Collective is an on-line magazine like Knitty, but the patterns are sold on-line instead of being free. The Twist Collective is the brain-child of Kate Gilbert of the Clapotis Fame and it features great projects and articles from very talented designers and knitters. I actually read the articles! Many of my favorite designers Like Kate Gilbert, Connie Chang Chinchio, Ysolde Teague, Pam Allen and Elinor Brown (met her on one of my flights) regularly have projects featured. If you haven't looked at Twist Collective, take a visit!

Must finish knitting my apron for the Apron Contest (deadline next week), must get at least one more stocking knit by the end of the month...but I can't stop knitting on my Coquille---I'm using the new Unique Sheep Gradience Sock Yarn. AAAAGH!

The Knitting Club

2010-09-28T07:42:00.005-04:00

Wow! Almost a month between blog posts-very, very bad blogger! I don't know where the time went or what I was doing since I last blogged, but I must have been very busy and it must have been somewhat uneventful. Now, to get back on track.....

I finished my last trip yesterday. The other flight attendant, Pamela, was the bright spot of the assignment. We have flown together before so she was prepared for the knit-fest that occurs when I leave the 41017.

During the first day of the four day trip, Pamela mentioned that she would like to take up knitting. She watched me as I knit and purled, studied the motion of the yarn around the needles, asked questions about how the stitches formed a pattern and asked about classes. On one of our breaks, I fished out a project that I intended to frog (some Noro Silk Garden on Addi Turbos) and told her to practice knitting on it. She took to knitting immediately and by the end of the day, she had about an inch of garter stitch completed.

On day two, I met Pamela in the hotel lobby at 5:15AM and she showed me her knitting. During the night, she frogged everything, cast on by watching a YouTube video and had another inch of garter stitch reknitted. If she could cast on, then she was ready for "the purl". I had her knit 5 stitches, purl 5 stitches and repeat to the end of the row. When we got to the airport, we found out the our aircraft had a maintenance problem and would be delayed at least 2 hours. Argh!

We set up camp in the Dunkin Donuts and pulled out the knitting. I pulled out an intricate fair isle pillow that I had just steeked (yes, I steeked!) and Pamela pulled out the Noro and Addis. A Delta Flight Attendant and her son walked by our table and instead of asking us about the delay says, "Noro Silk Garden? That's the good stuff. I'm a sock knitter." Another gentleman commented that he would like a sweater in Noro. And a fellow Comair Flight attendant, Susan (who also knits) walked by and yelled, "I just bound off a felted slipper and I did something wrong! I need help! Is that Noro?" I had to explain to Pamela that the practice yarn I gave her was Noro Silk Garden, made by a Japanese company with an ancient Asian secret for dying yarn that had a sort of cult-like following and that the Addi Turbo needles were the Cadillacs of Needles.

A few minutes later, an older woman came up to the table and commented on how lovely it was to see fellow knitters. She was wearing a lovely cardigan with thousands of tiny flowers embroidered into delicate, intricate cables. I could tell that the cardigan was handknit but it was too PERFECT! She asked me about my steeking and shared a tip for future steek adventures. She explained that she was currently obsessed with embroidered knitting (like her cardigan) and was hoping to publish a book on the technique. She said her name was Anna Zilboorg.

Anna Zilboorg! Suddenly, I found myself blurting "The Knitting Anarchist!", "Magnificent Mittens?", "Simply Socks?" I had never really run into Knitting Celebrity before and I was awestruck! My steeking and Pamela's Noro seemed small and insignificant next to her embroidered knits. We talked for a few minutes and like a good Knitwit, I gave her a Knitwits business card. She was on her way to Wisconsin to knit with "some old knitting friends".

Susan returned to Dunkin Donuts with her goofed up slipper. Her flight also had a mechanical delay. I tinked her bind off and showed her how to do a three needle bind off. She was back in business just as her plane was now ready to go.

While I'm no Anna Zilboorg, I do feel that sharing, teaching, and encouraging the love of knitting is the best part of being a knitter. Pamela and the rest of the crew were amazed at how much attention the yarn and our knitting attracted during our lengthy delay. While I hope Pamela continues to enjoy knitting, I really hope that she will discover belonging to the Knitting Club the best benefit!

What's On Your Needles? An Apron?

2010-08-21T09:16:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy few weeks for me. Between flying 4 days a week, getting flooring quotes, working at the shop and knitting up a storm...sorry, no time for blogging. What I do have is a renewed obsession for knitting and I blame it on Janet!

Here's what has happened during the past few weeks. Janet and I decided to try some competitive knitting, we drummed up the First Annual Knitwits Knitting Competition with the Apron Knitting Contest. We were trying to come up with a way to move some inventory of the Aslan Trends Glaciar Del Cielo and a stack of Interweave Magazines and have some fun in the process. We fell in love with the idea of knitting aprons and the possibility of putting our creative energy to good use. I knew Janet's entry would be wacky, fun and totally unexpected (if she finished it) and I knew I could alter the pattern (as I always do) and perhaps finish something too.

Janet immediately started knitting away on her apron with enthusiasm I hadn't seen before. I started to get a little nervous, so I too stepped up game. I knitted the apron band and started knitting the apron portion. I then started scouring Ravelry for inspiration, ideas and a "theme". In the process, I found countless patterns and ideas for everything except my apron. I joined five Ravelry groups, added dozens of favorites, put at least 20 things to my cue, and started six new projects--a felted log cabin potholder, Jared Flood's Turn a Square Hat, Maine Morning Mitts, a striped mouse, the Knitwits 2011 Afghan project and a one skein lacy cowl called Pretty Thing.

I finished the felted log cabin potholder and plan to kit up the yarn and do a one day workshop for the 12 Gifts of Christmas program. I finished the Turn a Square Hat just in time for week #3 of the 12 Gifts of Christmas. I have most of one of the Maine Morning Mitts done (it's still week #4, so I'm not late yet). The striped mouse-don't know why I started this but I did and I just need to seam it up, stuff it and sew on ears and face. I've knit 3-1/2 squares of the 2011 Afghan project using Barbara Walker's Learn to Knit Afghan Book- a great book that has taught this old dog many new tricks and techniques. The Pretty Thing is a great one skein, lacy knit in the round cowl that is the perfect pattern for Road to China Light. The apron portion of my apron is still on the needles.

The more I scour Ravelry for my winning apron "theme", the more inspired I get to knit ....everything except my apron! Thinking that disorganization was the reason for not nailing down my "theme", I ordered a Namaste Hermosa bag to keep all of my WIPs (works in progress) contained and organized. I'm hoping that the new bag will also contain the answer to my missing "theme".

Several other contenders have joined in the fun and highly competitive Apron knitting competition. Entries are starting to show up in varies stages of progress and completion. From what I've seen and heard, I really need come up with something great and nail down my "theme". The pressure is getting too great to bear!

To make matters worse, Phil the UPS man and judge of the competition keeps coming in everyday asking for status updates on the competition. I've been talking "BIG" but I've got nothing but a bunch of finished Gifts of Christmas projects, and an unfinished striped mouse.

While my missing "theme" is frustrating, the fun factor of the competition has been very rewarding. Everyone seems to be having fun coming up with ideas and ways to execute them. I am really enjoying the resuscitation of the creative knitting energy and enthusiasm at the shop. Since the competition started, Janet and I have never knit so much!

Our plan to move Glacial Del Cielo, Interweave Knits Magazines and have fun has been a great success! So much so that we've had to reorder the yarn and magazines. As for the fun...the fun is just beginning! I think the evening at Janet's house for the judging and Soups and Sauces demonstration will be an event not to be missed! If you haven't yet started to knit an apron, it's not too late!

Blessed or Cursed?

2010-07-28T19:49:00.002-04:00

I'm feeling extremely blessed for my recent string of bad luck.

My July flight schedule has been just awful. With the exception of a string of days off at the beginning of the month when I was going to go enjoy some time away with my family-but the flights were so full-I didn’t get to go anywhere, I have been scheduled to work for six days on with one day off for three weeks.

I have underlined scheduled because “scheduled” and “actual” are two very different things. Last week, on day #6, I was scheduled to fly only one leg back from Philadelphia to Cincinnati-boom done, check out, go home. Sounds easy. Not so much.

Our airplane never made it into Philadelphia-so our outbound flight was cancelled and there were no other flight out that evening.

This week, my schedule was further complicated by water, ”the elixir of life”. On Sunday morning, the hose that connects the water supply to my toilet burst. According to my plumber, Bob Fish of Fish Plumbing, “several gallons of water can easily gush out of there every minute”. According to me, 10-15 minutes is enough time to create a wading pool in your bedroom and bathroom.

To make matters worse...much worse, during the wee hours of this morning (Wednesday), my hot water tank spontaneously combusted. I swear that a 30 gallon tank holds a river’s worth of water. I now had a wading pool in my utility room, kitchen and dining room.

So, why do I feel blessed?
For starters,

I am tired, but healthy.
I have insurance and a job.
I have kind, caring, sympathetic friends and neighbors, a prompt plumber who gives an airline discount, property damage but nothing of significance lost.
I’m one in a gazillion! What are the odds of two plumbing problems in one week and the odds of me being at home for both of them? I can’t even begin to do the real math but I know that the damage could have been significantly worse if I were away!
The insurance companies have been called, the hot water tank has been replaced, the toilet is back in commission and the last of the skanky towels are in the dryer. The 10 industrial fans and some monstrous thing called “The LGR 2800i” are running through the weekend to dry out the floors.
My soggy downstairs neighbors are very understanding and coping with the water damage to their units.
The recent Feng-Shuing of Condo made mopping and cleaning a breeze.
Not one skein of yarn, pattern or UFO was damaged or lost during the ordeal.
My stash is safe and dry.
I found 2 buttons, a Chibi, 6 stick markers, a #2 DP needle and 42 cents.
I have my knitting to keep me occupied while I wait for plumbers, repairmen, insurance adjusters......

Be well and Stay Dry!

Buying Stuff and Finding Another Perfect Knitting Bag

2010-07-24T06:38:00.006-04:00

Last week, we met with yet another yarn rep. Susan is our rep for several yarn and notions lines, but for us, she is the Cascade Yarn Lady. With our fall/winter budget blown for the year, we thought we would have a "look-see" and maybe buy a couple of bags of yarn to fill in our color gaps of Cascade 220.

Cascade 220 is a yarn shop staple item with 220 yards of 100% Peruvian highland wool, available in 220 colors. 220 colors! It would take way too much mental energy to start here, so we flipped the page to the Cascade 220 Superwash-I think there are only 200 colors and there is not one bad one.

The 220 Superwash is the yarn that was required for the Operation Gator Project. It really is one of the nicest superwash yarns that we've found and we need an all purpose superwash. (Mission Falls 1824 is a great superwash, but the color pallet has a blue-ish hue to it-no true shades.) An hour later and using most of the post-it flags from a Knit Happy Sticky Note Holder, we had selected 30 colors and really test Susan's patience.

Then, Susan says,"Don't you need a Chunky version?" So...we get out the remaining post-it flags and go in for another round. The best part of the process is writing the order. Janet reads off the color number, makes up a name for the color and Sue writes it down. Sue does a great job of doing this in an orderly manner and with a straight face as Janet will come up with names like "Pumpkin Soup with a Hint of Nutmeg, a Dollop of Sour Cream and Chives". Me?... I just sweat the cost of all of this and eat Chips Ahoy cookies to cope.

While Janet and Sue write down the "menu" of Chunky colors, I start rummaging through the Namaste knitting bag samples. Nothing is really hitting me....until.....Susan pulls out Hermosa.
The room goes silent.... until Sue breaks the silence by exclaiming, "I MUST HAVE THAT!", words I've never heard Sue mutter. Hermosa is THE perfect knitting tote-roomy top-opening for plenty of UFOs, organized inside and out, outside pocket for books, patterns, magazine, place for cell phone and water bottle, sturdy and ample handles and available in airline approved colors! We go gaga over Hermosa!

We also went gaga over the Circular Needle Case. The Namaste Circular Case is a compact, clever, and oh-so cute solution to storing and organizing circular needles. We placed a "Big" (big for us) Namaste order. The Circular Case is out of stock (of course) but Hermosa is on her way!

I'm not bellyaching over the $ spent with Susan, in fact I'm glad we dropped a wad. We all feel really good about bringing in some new weights and colors of Cascade and we can't wait to get to know Hermosa! I have plenty of knitting bags, a knitting basket, a knitting carry-all and a Jordana Paige knitting/computer bag...but I do need a knitting tote is an airline approved color. How's that for justifying a Hermosa purchase?

Now that you've finished reading, click here for a YouTube video review of the Hermosa bag.

Knitwits 24/7

2010-07-16T07:36:00.004-04:00

I got a reply on my last post from Robin Hunter in Toronto. Robin writes the blog "How to be a Professional Knitter". She blogs about knitting and happiness and often interviews other knitters and designers. Sweater Quest refers to Toronto as the "Knitting Capital of the World" so of course we put our spin on that and now refer to Knitwits as the "Knitting Capital of Crescent Springs".

Okay, back to Robin. Robin too is a professional knitter like Betsy Lee and so as are many of the people she interviews. So the answer to "Is Knitting a Profession?" is yes, but not a lucrative one...yet. You Go Robin!

I'm amazed that folks like Robin, Adrienne Martini and all of you actually read this blog. It makes me realize that there is such potential available at our fingertips. If you haven't noticed, I've added some new pages to the top of the blog. I've added an "About Knitwits" page for readers unfamiliar with the shop, a "Ask a Knitwit" page for reader questions (knitting, personal or otherwise) and a "Janet's Recipe of the Week" page so you all can enjoy some of Janet's wonderfully, delicious and easy recipes. My hope is that this blog will become more interactive. I love getting responses and replies to the postings.

Okay, now back to Ravelry for a minute. I love the interactive potential of Ravelry! Jill has done a great job of replying to the Knitwits KY group discussions and posts. She always has a lovely reply to my new project posts and often reminds me about UFO's like the Shop Owners Sweater in size M.

This week, we've added a bunch of new discussion feeds on our Ravelry board in hopes of utilizing more of Ravelry's potential to be a valuable source of information and entertainment. Check out the "A Special Thank You for Our Ravelry Group" on the Knitwits KY discussion board. Feel free to start a new discussion, reply to a previous post, comment on other knitter's project or try something else you can do on the wonderful world of Ravelry.

We are blessed to have soooo much access to information available at our fingertips 24/7. I hope you start to use this blog, Ravelry, Facebook and e-mail on a more regular basis or as places to find an answer for your knitting (and friendship) questions. Even when the shop is closed, your Knitwits friends are just a few keystrokes away.

And yes, it is possible to knit at the computer. I do it all the time.

P.S. Technology is not one of this Knitwit's strengths so if a link doesn't work or you don't receive a timely response, I apologize in advance.

Is Knitting a Profession or an Obsession?

2010-07-14T08:31:00.008-04:00

When I meet people for the first time and they ask me what I do, I usually answer, "Oh, I'm a flight attendant." And, the conversation usual goes as follows:
Do you like it?
What's your route?
How long have you been flying?

Someday, I'm going to truthfully answer the "What do you do?" question with "I'm a knitter and I fly so I can knit and pay my bills."

Is knitting a profession?
According to my MacBook dictionary, profession is a noun that means a paid occupation, esp. one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification. Hmmmm, paid (sorta), prolonged training (does self taught, years of hands on experience, trial and error and a few YouTube videos count), formal qualification (card carrying member of TNNA). It's a stretch.

Are there any true professional knitters?
When I Googled professional knitters, I found things like FairTradeKnitting, a cooperative of professional knitters in Ecuador who make a living by knitting, and How to become a Professional Knitter, a knitting blog about career transition, personal development and the search for fulfillment. I was hoping a picture of "Sweater Quester" Adrienne Martini, "Yarn Harlot" Stephanie Pearl-McPhee , or Uber Color Knitter Kaffe Fassett to name a few.

When I googled, "is knitting a profession", 6,950,000 results popped up in 0.35 seconds. The ninth option down was something about Jane Pauley (who I've always liked), Reality Check and (in Bold) Knitting- AARP.org. So, I clicked and here's what I found:

Reality Check: Knitting as a Career

Knitting is a great hobby, pastime and social activity. What it's not is a practical way to make a living.

Not many knitters are professional knitters. Betsy Lee McCarthy is, since she wrote a popular book on the subject and teaches the craft at events nationwide (and even on cruise ships). Yet despite her name recognition as a knitter, McCarthy, 67, is hesitant to describe knitting as her job.

"I don't make a lot of money from it," she says, explaining that after buying yarn and other supplies, her trade often incurs as much cost as it does income. "I'm lucky if I break even," she observes. When McCarthy left a well paid career in health administration in order to pursue her passion, she did so with both a nest egg and a clean financial slate. Her two children were grown, her home and cars were paid off, and her husband had a steady job that provided insurance.

"I knit because I love knitting," she says.

We have found our first professional knitter, Betsy Lee McCarthy, 67.
There is a lovely video of Betsy being interviewed by Jane Pauley that I'm trying to link for you---but it's not working. :-(

I guess for now, I'll keep answering the "So, What do you do?" with....flight attendant, it's okay, don't really have a set route and 13 years, blah,blah,blah... and my obsessions are knitting and googling.

Ravelry is the New Feng Shui

2010-07-12T06:29:00.005-04:00

The book Sweater Quest has been the subject of many recent blogs because it really opened the question "Did the Internet Save Knitting?" I think the answer is most definitely YES!

The scarf knitting craze of 7-8 years ago got people interested in knitting and
websites like Knitty and Ravelry created a vehicle to connect knitters with yarn and pattern resources, inspiration, instruction, and other knitters and fuel the passion for knitting. The timing was perfect.

Knitty was the first knitting website that I really got addicted to. Knitty is the longest-running free knitting magazine on the web. Launched in 2002, there are more than 7 years worth of fabulous knitting patterns and articles. What I really like is that Knitty gives new designers a place to showcase their talent, so the patterns are usually fresh, quirky, innovative and FREE. The newest edition of Knitty patterns was just released this week, so take a quick peek.

I think Ravelry is the BEST website on the planet!
Husband and wife Casey and Jessica Forbes founded Ravelry in May 2007. Their idea was to create a web presence for all fiber artists to keep track of their yarn, tools and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration. If you are not a member of Ravelry, you must become one! It's like Facebook for knitters only much, much, much better!

I've always loved Ravelry for the ability to quickly look up yarns and patterns (which we have to do quite a bit at the shop). This past month, I've spent way too much time on Ravelry learning how to use many of the other available features-like advertising, chat, posting pictures, joining forums and discussions. I've also been updating my project notebook. It is easy to use and it is fun to do!

On Ravelry, I'm adamsaunt, Sue is knitzzzky, Jill is NobleKnitwit, Krista is kristaj84 and Sheryl is dukesmama. There is also a Knitwits Group called knitwits ky and we have 128 fun members. You can easily see what your fellow Knitwits are working on and view their finished objects without feeling like a stalker. NobleKnitwit is great at keeping up with the questions, comments and postings. (i'm getting better).

I highly recommend keeping up with your "notebook". You add your latest project with yarn info, needle info, pattern info, etc. It tracks your progress (or lack of progress) and remembers things that I can never remember (where I got the pattern, what needle I used, what changes I made, etc.) I also recommend putting things in your queue. Whenever I see a pattern that I like I stick it in my queue so I can find it again without doing countless random searches on the web.

Since updating my Ravelry "notebook", I was able to feng shui my desk of piles of knitting patterns, little scraps of paper filled with cryptic pattern notes, bags of yarn bands, two stacks of Knitting magazines with sticky notes everywhere, a shopping bag of stash yarn, 3 UFO's, 1 FO, and a Twix candy bar.

NobleKnitwit and I would like to do some Ravelry workshops to show you all how to unravel Ravelry to organize your life--or at least the knitting portion. Any interest?

By the way, Casey the techno-guy of Ravelry must have a great sense of humor. Sometimes when you're typing a post and you type the word Coffee, a little appears. You can also have a Martini , Pizza , kitty ,fries , sushi , muffin , Beer and red wine . It's fun to figure out which words make the little icons appear. When you find a cutie pie icon-post it on the knitwits ky discussion board.

I know I was going to blog about The 5 Hour Baby Sweater, but I've been spending too much time on Ravelry to finish it. Stay tuned, less than an hour to go! But first, .

CEY Knit-A-Long Update

2010-07-07T12:44:00.002-04:00

Wow! Our Classic Elite Knitalong sweaters are going great! In fact, Darlene is the first one to have her sweater done. Good job, Darlene--you’re an inspiration to us all. Unfortunately, we have to wait for a little bit to get a picture of this fabulous sweater, since Darlene is off to the Windy City, her sweater in tow. We’ll have to find out if it was actually cool enough to wear a sweater…. It’s hard to imagine, but I guess it is possible.

This Saturday, we’ll be getting together again for a meeting of the knit along. I can’t wait to see how everyone’s sweater is coming, because I had to miss the last one. I was in New Orleans--actually, technically speaking, I was on my way back from New Orleans. So I didn’t get to see everyone’s sweaters last time.

I was there for our meeting on June 19^th. That was a great meeting. Several of us got together, and as usual, we had lots of fun and laughter. I had a chance to talk to some of our great knitters about how their projects were going and what they thought of the yarn they were using.

Claudia and Sue are both knitting a beautiful pattern out of Firefly--a lovely yarn with a subtle sheen that comes from the viscose in the blend. The finished fabric is really lovely! And, as is usual for our Knitwits knit longs, they are making changes to make a beautiful sweater even prettier. Both these ladies have been tinkering with the pattern to improve the fit of the sweater. Claudia, for example, added short rows in the front to make a sweater that will lie more smoothly across the tummy--a lesson she learned from a previous sweater she did. Both Sue and Claudia have heightened the neckline of the piece and made some other alterations to go with these. Sue even figured out how to put in a hem to make these sweaters look even better.

Truthfully, when I look around at all of our sweaters, I am wowed not only by our amazing knitters but by our fearless leader Sue. Sue has put a lot of thought into each of these sweaters to make everyone's experience go so much better.

Take me for example....in my case, I wanted to use a different Classic Elite yarn (Classic Silk instead of Solstice) at a slightly different gauge than the pattern called for. Oh, and did I mention that I didn't like the line of increases straight across the bust? Gee, Sue, is there a way to solve all of these problems and still stay true to the pattern???? Our amazing Sue found that there was a way to do it... and she not only figured out how, but she gave me a kick butt spreadsheet so I wouldn't screw it up. I know I am on track all the time. It really makes knitting the sweater easier. She did the same thing for Darlene, who was also using Classic Silk instead of Solstice--and at a different gauge than me. And the result is that now Darlene’s sweater is done and she is happy with it!

How does the woman do it? I don't know, but I know that Sue is a gem!!! I also saw her figure out Brooke's vest, going so far as to cut up an old t-shirt and stitch it together so she would understand how the pattern worked.

Go Sue, our sweater knitter extraordinaire!

FOs

2010-07-05T06:14:00.006-04:00

I'm really into finishing things right now. I've finished (that means weaving in loose ends and all) two things this past week. I finished up my Gold Necklace Camisole first and was so inspired that I cranked out the last section of my Road to China Citron. I also tackled another biggie....the draft for our new website! I feels really good to check stuff off the "Things I NEED to Finish List"!
The Gold Necklace Camisole is knit out of Katia Bolero using the Aran Necklace Pattern in the Spring 2010 Interweave Knits Magazine. TJ came in with the pattern and as soon as I saw it, I knew I would have to knit it. The construction of the top involved an intricate necklace-like yoke and straps and a short row bodice. The challenge was too great not to knit it and I immediately pictured it in the Gold Bolero yarn . In usual Junko fashion, I cast on and started knitting!

I should have had 8-1/2" after the first set of instructions, I had 6". No worries, I'll just knit til I have 8-1/2" and instead of making the XS, I'll follow the directions for a M. After knitting half of the Necklace Portion, I realized that I would now need to follow the directions for the L to get the correct dimensions. When I got to the pick up stitches for the body and begin short rows part of the pattern, I had to readjust again and was now following the directions for the XL. C'est la Vie.

After the short rows, it's all knitting in the round, so round and round I went until I started to see the cardboard ring that the yarn was wrapped around. Instead of following the pattern for the hem (why start following the pattern at this point), I did a seed stitch border to get as much length as possible without cracking into a new ball of yarn.

Conclusion: I love the sweater! It fits (although just a tad shorter than I want). It looks like the picture! In fact, I love the sweater so much that I took a picture and posted it on Ravelry for all to see that I can actually finish something.

I was in the middle of a trip when I finished the camisole, so I dug my Road to China Citron out of the bottom of my flight bag. I had put it aside after completing section three of the pattern (the shiny, gold cami called me). Citron is a popular, semi-circular shawlette/scarf from the Knitty collection. The pattern is uses lace weight yarn, so what do I use? Road to China Light, a fabulous dk weight yarn of course.

The Road to China Light is my new favorite yarn. It is a soft, luscious, gorgeous, yummy blend of Baby Alpaca, cashmere, camel and silk that knits up like a dream! The yarn felt soooo good after working with the schpoingy Bolero. Section Four went quickly. Section Five was another story. The pattern tells you to kfb in every stitch..well with 273 stitches, that's a whole lot of kf&b! But, I was determined to finish another wip (work in progress), so I put my head down and did it!

Conclusion: I love my Citron and I love Road to China. Although it doesn't really go with my Gold Necklace camisole, I'll be wearing both to death... they are my new favorite things. Bye bye clapotis, Hello Citron!

Next Up? Can a "5 Hour Baby Sweater" really be knit up in five hours?

:-)

2010-06-16T08:33:00.005-04:00

My blog mojo is back!

Much to my surprise, Adrienne Martini, the author of my new favorite book, Sweater Quest, responded to the last Knitwits blog post. She commented, " I can't wait to see how your own "Quests" progress..." She also sent me a message on Facebook. If I had read Sweater Quest on a Kindle or iPad, I would really feel technologically with it.

Blog, Facebook, Kindle and iStuff-phone,pad,pod and tunes?
Ten years ago, these words and concepts would be too confusing for my techno-challenged brain to grasp. Yet today, they are readily available and I'm keeping up with IT. What's next?

With all of these technology advancements at our fingertips, why do we continue to practice the ancient art of hand knitting? According to Adrienne, it is these very resources that have saved knitting by connecting knitters to other knitters and the wealth of information that they are willing and able to share.

We can have internet "friends" (like Adrienne) that we may not have met yet but share conversation, common interests and connections. We know their vitals-marriage status, hometown, interests, favorite songs, blah,blah,blah and we can follow their lives and current knitting activities 24/7 through blogs, Facebook and Ravelry.

We continue to knit because we enjoy the pleasure of creating something with our very own hands and a few simple supplies. We enjoy transforming strands of yarn into something tangible and totally different and we enjoy sharing our creations with others that can appreciate the effort. Like Adrienne, we enjoy the process.

Technology has opened many doors to the knitting world and transformed knitting from a solitary activity to a collective one. We now use knitting terms like Tink, Frog, Clapotis and Mr. Greenjeans in our everyday knitspeak. The endless possibilities of yarns, patterns and ideas that are shared on Ravelry cause my head to spin and wish my hands could knit faster.

My treasured MacBook and the internet may connect me to the world of knitting, but there is a deeper, more meaningful bond that occurs within the walls of your local yarn shop. While technology has made knitting exciting, there is no substitute for a LYS --they nourish the knitter's soul. LYS is knitter-shorthand for local yarn shop or local yarn store. It's good karma to support local businesses.

In the age of the Internet, it's difficult for your LYS to make a compete on price and selection, so when you're planning a project and don't have a particular yarn in mind, check your LYS. The sensory experience alone is well worth it. There is something special about touching, feeling and smelling the yarn. Seeing shelves full of endless possibilities of color, texture and fibers and rooms overflowing with knickknacks, notions, samples--now that's exciting. The feeling of "Being a kid in a candy store" can not be recreated while on the computer.

Another big thing that local yarn shops offer that isn't as easy to provide on the Internet is a sense of community. LYSes connect knitters and the community by participating in charity events and doing all the teaching, helping and handholding that many knitters require.

While the internet is full of possibility and potential, Knitwits is a live community. The experience is sensory and personal. There is no substitute. I love my Ravelry, Google and Facebook "friends" but Knitwits is true love! As Sue says, "There is nothing better that being able to give a friend a true hug. :-) is great, but we love to see real smiles and feel real hugs."

Knit, Vote, Read

2010-06-14T11:00:00.007-04:00

I recently finished (that's right, I finished something) reading two very interesting books. The first book was The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and the second one was Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini. Reading these two books in tandem, gave me great pleasure and plenty to think about.

The Tipping Point was a book that I have wanted to read for a long time. When a passenger left his copy of the book in a seat back pocket, I saw it as a sign that it was meant for me to read it. So, I did. In a nut shell, Gladwell describes the key factors that can make an idea "tip". By "tip" he means spreading an idea or message through the population in a sweeping and contagious manner.

Sweater Quest was a recommendation from Jill. It has been described as the Julie and Julia of knitting. As I read it, I felt like I could have written it. It was about a knitter (from Pittsburgh-my hometown) who attempts to knit an Alice Starmore Fair Isle Sweater just for the challenge of knitting it. It is a wonderful and fascinating read, that is so much more than just the adventures of knitting an authentic Alice Starmore Mary Tudor sweater. The importance of a "knitting community", the advancement of the internet in connecting and educating knitters and the key components that make knitting a popular past time are discussed.

While reading both books, I kept asking myself (and anyone else who would listen), "Does Knitwits have the ability to "tip" something? Is Knitwits the "knitting community" that Sweater Quest refers to? Can our Knitwits Community "tip" something and if so, what is it?"

The answers to the above questions my friends, is YES!
The day after we sent last week's e-mail, we peeked at the statistics that we get from Mad Mimi, our e-mail marketing service. Of the 655 e-mails sent, over a third of you had read the email. Of those readers, 40 of you had clicked the link to vote for Sue's Pepsi Project. And as a result...we watched the Narcolepsy Project jump from 57 in popularity to a ranking of 46 today. I don't think this is a coincidence.

We have gotten phone calls and replies to the e-mail telling us that the email has been forwarded to friends and family. The momentum is building and our request for votes seems to be working. If we all vote everyday and we ask at least one person each day to do the same...we can keep the Narcolepsy message moving up the leader board and I think we can "tip" Narcolepsy into the top spot by the end of the month.

We have ordered a bunch of copies of Sweater Quest for the shop. They should be available sometime next week. If you want a copy, let us know and we'll set one aside. Sue and I found a Fair Isle Scarf in the Fall Rowan Magazine that could be our "Quest" Knit a Long project for the Fall.

Knit, Vote, Read

Dr. George H. Haney

2010-06-10T08:16:00.003-04:00

Every once in a blue moon, we are fortunate enough to cross paths with someone that we know will change our lives. This is how I felt upon meeting Janet. We had an instant connection. We grew ever closer and I got to know more about her, her history and her family. It was months after meeting Janet that I met her husband George, a man that I had heard so much about. He was everything that I had imagined and so much more.

George Haney was a skilled dermatologist, avid fisherman and collector of friends. His love for life, wisdom, kindness and easy laugh made him one of the most influential men in my life and the life of many others. He lead by example of honor, grace, giving and teaching.

When Janet showed George a cocktail napkin with "open yarn shop" scrawled on it. George gave her the thumbs up and Knitwits was her birthday present that year. It turns out that it was a present for all who enter the Knitwit's door. His love for life, thirst for knowledge, kindness and pursuit of friends lives within the walls of Knitwits.

George died two years ago after a long battle of prostate cancer. I think of him and miss him everyday.

Today would have been George's 60th birthday. Whenever Janet and I have unanswered questions eating at our brains, we ask ourselves, "What would George do?" When Janet asked, "What should we do for George's Birthday?" George answered "Have a Big SALE for my Birthday and invite all of your friends!" I'm glad it wasn't "Go Fishing" although it looks like a beautiful day for that.

Raise your knitting needles for George this weekend to thank him for Knitwits and come by the shop to reap the rewards of a good birthday celebration sale. To George!

2010-06-03T07:17:00.005-04:00

Even if I didn't knit, I think I would still be a big fan of the little shop we call Knitwits. Knitwits has Super Powers.

On Tuesday, I had a doctors appointment to have a mammogram and ultrasound for a small lump I found in my left breast. Of course, the small lump had disappeared over the weekend and the test results showed nothing except that I have extremely dense and teeny-tiny breasts. I felt a tremendous sense of relief and good fortune and headed straight to the shop.

Janet and "Not Steve" were the only people who knew about my disappearing lump. I didn't even tell my mother (and still haven't). When I met Jill in the parking lot and blurted out the news of my favorable breast results, she became the third person to know. It was at that moment that I realized just how magical Knitwits is. It is not only the lovely yarns and tempting notions that keeps our customers coming back, it is the extraordinary collection of people that give Knitwits its soul.

Janet has become a best friend to myself and many others. She possesses an amazing way of looking at life with its many peaks and valleys. She has a way of connecting with people that few possess. When Janet had the idea of opening Knitwits, it was the spirit of friendship, sharing, caring and encouragement that appealed to her...the knitting part was secondary.

Jill amazes me in so many ways. Her development into the "Sock Guru" is just one of the many amazing traits. This year, her son, Brian, will graduate from Beechwood, and he will graduate with the honors of being Prom King, the lead in the school musical, valedictorian, and state debate champion extraordinaire.

I could continue to list the cast of characters and their ''amazing-ness" but I think you all know what I mean. I could try to list the customers (who by good fortune have also become friends) but the list is too long and ever growing. The true spirit of friendship, caring and character exists within the walls of Knitwits and the encouragement of creativity and love of knitting is just a common trait amongst us.

When one of us is celebrating or suffering, we share in the experience. We may deal with it by knitting more or less, but if you share the experience with us, our caring thoughts are with you. Yesterday, we got word at the shop that Sue Stoy is in the hospital and that Rita Arthur's husband was very ill. Our thoughts are prayers are with you and please know that if you need or want anything, we're a phone call or e-mail away.

Knitwits is a magical place where secrets can be revealed, triumphs and failures can be shared and caring is always present. Knitwits is a place that encourages growth, friendship, caring and support...... and like yarn, you can never have too much and you can always find it at Knitwits. May the Forces of Knitwits be with you all!

Back to Knitting

2010-05-11T08:41:00.002-04:00

Okay enough about my colon and feng shui, it''s time to blog about knitting again. I've been knitting up a storm again although I haven't finished anything lately.

I'm really excited about our new yarns, patterns and books so I'm suffering from a bad case of "let's start another new projectitis."

I have a Mountain Colors Blanket going and I really like working on it in the evenings. Similar to the Giant Skeins, the Mountain Colors kit has 10 types of various yarns all dyed in the same colorway. It's big enough now that I wrap it around me and knit away. I added some novelty yarns to the Mountain Colors kit to kick it up just a bit. I've used up half of the yummy yarn so I'm anxious to get it finished and enjoy the blanket sans needles. This project is at the shop so I haven't been working on it lately.

I also started a Juno Regina out of Arucania Chaiten, a hand dyed silk yarn. Juno Regina is a vintage Knitty pattern that makes a lace bordered wrap. The yarn is lovely to work with. I'm about one-third done with this project. The middle portion is slightly monotonous so I work on this project while I'm in the hotel after a long day of flying.

My current "at home" project is a Tussie Mussie Cardigan in Rowan Felted tweed. It is also a Knitty pattern that is very popular on Ravelry. It is knit in one piece which I love. I'm a little over half-way up knitting the body portion.

Also in the works is a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse Baby Booties. Of course I have one done and I just can't seem to knit up the second one. I used Aslan Trends Glaciar Del Cielo Cotton.

I thought I could whip out a sleeveless draped neck shell on my last trip, so I started a Petrie out of Sky Blue Classic Elite Premiere. I got the front 90% finished but I wanted to measure it up against a sweater at home to get the armhole length right. So much for just "whipping it out".

The moral of this blog is that even with a healthy colon and a new feng shui lifestyle, I still can't sleep and I can't stop starting new projects. Well fish oil help?

Classic Elite Knit-a-long

2010-05-03T20:57:00.002-04:00

Why didn't I think of this sooner...A Guest Blog. This post is courtesy of guest blogger, Jill.

Our Knitalong kicked off officially on April 24th, with Sue as the Captain of the team and me as her loyal sidekick. We had quite an impressive showing of wonderful, funny ladies. Not only did we have a lot of women, we have a lot of different designs being knit.

I think we have someone knitting every single design from Curvy Knits, although Claudia who is knitting the beautiful tunic from Allegoro was unable to be with us. Chris and Krista are pluggin' away on the ribbed tunic in Classic Silk. They both chose lovely springy colors--a grass green and a corally pink. Darlene and I chose to do the Solstice 3 Button cardigan, although we are both being rebellious and doing it out of Classic Silk instead. What can I say? I guess we’re non-conformists, and bless our Math Whiz Sue--she’s helped us figure out how to compensate for the different gauges. Tracy is doing the beautiful long cardigan in Soft Linen. The fabric she is producing is stunningly beautiful… maybe someday I’ll get over my fear of doing so much stockinette and make one!

Then there are the women who are using the other booklets. Sue is knitting a gorgeous piece out of an olivey green in Firefly. Her sweater is so lovely that one of our participants decided to knit that sweater. Brooke is doing a great job on a vest in the soft linen in a gorgeous red. Also in soft linen is Kathy’s sideways lace vest--that is going to really lovely. Mary is knitting a cardigan in Premiere--it will be fabulous, as is everything she knits. When I grow up, I want to be as good a knitter as Mary or Sue. I’m not picky--I’ll be either one of them!!!

Last Saturday we had a smaller group… lots of people could not make the meeting. We had a lot of fun anyway and got a lot of knitting done (except for me, who was having difficulties focusing that day--not to fear, though, I’ve got my groove back and am knitting away). It was the Curvy Knits crew plus our Fearless Leader Sue.

Besides the ladies who have come for the knitalong sessions on Saturday, we have a group who are participating in the Knitalong in Sweater Club. Vicki is doing the cardigan from Curvy Knits in soft linen… I know it is going to be gorgeous. Joyce is doing the same cardigan as Mary in Premiere. I know one day I’ll see her wearing it while I am still plugging away on my sweater!

I can’t wait to see everyone’s WIPS as they get further along. Next time I’ll have something to show!

The Search for a Good Nights Sleep Continues

2010-05-02T06:09:00.003-04:00

Thank you all for the Birthday wishes and thoughtfulness. I had a great birthday week. It seems that the older you get the longer the birthday celebrations stretch out and I do like that.

The purpose of the whole feng shui, cleaning and decluttering thing was to be able to sleep better. I've not finished feng shui-ing my home (the knitting area of my life is taking longer to organize than I had planned). But, my sleeping has not improved as much as I had hoped for. I thought maybe I had missed something big in my feng shui crash course so I took out every book on feng shui ( and a few knitting books) from the library. I also checked out a book called "If Buddha Came to Dinner". I liked the title and I really liked the book. It is essential a book on feng shui-ing your body through proper nourishment.

The premise is that rather than just "eating" you should "nourish" your body and soul. With the proper food combinations and an awareness of how your body reacts to certain foods, your body can more easily digest and eliminate and spend far less energy doing so. That makes sense, so in my continued search for a good night's sleep, I figured it was worth a try.

In a nutshell, the book says that the fundamental purpose of food is to provide energy. By eating processed, fried, sugary, chemical treated foods, complicated food combinations and too much food, our bodies work overtime to try to digest everything that we've put into it. So, if you nourish your body with pure and vital food in the right combinations it is easier for the body to break down food, absorb the nutrients and expel waste matter. If elimination doesn't happen regularly or efficiently, toxins build up and block the flow of energy.

For a little over a week now, I have been changing my usual feeding habits and caffeine addiction. After a couple of days of headachy caffeine withdrawl I'm down to just one cup of coffee in the morning-I can't get myself to give that up....I just savor that first morning cup of coffee too much. I have not had fried foods-french fries were a food group onto themselves. I'm even drinking "Green Juice" and find that I really like it. But, what I really like is the result! I don't feel sluggish or foggy. I feel light, rested, and energized. I no longer feel the need to down a cup of coffee and/or grab a sugary treat when I'm feeling sluggish and tired---because I'm not feeling sluggish or tired!

Th next phase in the Buddha program is a cleanse (sorry Jill). I'm not fully comfortable with the idea. But, the author explains that even with proper tooth brushing and flossing, a sticky plaque forms on our teeth so imagine what's going on inside and further down. The same sticky plaque forms on the intestinal walls and since we can't brush or floss down there, so the cleanse is the only way to go. Rest easy, I won't blog about the cleanse that I am preparing for.

I think of my inability to organize my yarn stash and knitting chaos as needing drastic measures like a cleanse. So, for the next 21 days, I'll be decluttering my colon and my knitting room.

The search for a restful night of sleep continues. Could it be that I enjoy knitting more than I do sleeping? We'll find out in 21 days.

Birthday Blog

2010-04-20T08:02:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't be blogging very much. I usually blog when I something on my mind. Perhaps I've been much more focused lately. The flying thing has been uneventful (as it should be.) Perhaps it has been feng shui-ing my life and getting the taxes out of the way. The feng shui thing is going well. I've decluttered my condo-although I'm still working on the yarn/knitting organization. I'm working on feng shui-ing my colon ( but that's a whole other blog topic). And, I've been knitting up a storm without starting any new projects. Yay!

So, what's the deal?

Well, the deal is that I'm pretty happy. I'm not feeling weighed down and stressed out. A few weeks ago I found a poem that has helped me find peace, order and meaning and I'd like to share it with you.

DESIDERATA
-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Today is my birthday and I'm not usually one to talk about my birthday. In fact, I usually keep it on the very down low. This year is different. I'm in a good place in my life and I feel like I deserve my special day.

2010-04-08T08:42:00.003-04:00

In the practice of Feng Shui, your home is a metaphor for your life. "Life" is organized into 9 areas or Guas which create the Bagua. The basic idea of the practice of Feng Shui is to allow Life Energy or Chi to come in through doors and windows and move freely through each area thereby enhancing those aspects of your life. The position of the Bagua areas in the bagua grid correspond to the position of the areas in your home or apartment.

Each area of the Bagua represents a different aspect of your life; Career, Self Cultivation and Knowledge, Happy Family, Prosperity, Fame and Reputation, Love and Relationship, Children and Creativity, Helpful People and Travel and Health.Each area has colors associated with it and several have elements associated with them. The colors and elements are used as enhancements to Chi or as cures for anything blocking the movement of Chi.

Since discovering Feng Shui, I've self diagnosed myself as being slightly Obsessive Compulsive with Attention Deficit Disorder. So, does that also make me a Hypochondriac?

Phase One of my new Feng Shui life is DECLUTTERING. For the last two weeks or since my last blog, I've been obsessed with decluttering my life and I must say that I'm very pleased with the progress. My fear is that like so many other projects in my life, I'll get 90% completion and never total free myself of mental, emotional and spiritual clutter.

The original plan was to find feng shui in the bedroom for improved sleep. Following the feng shui guidelines, I removed all non-bedroom related stuff out of the bedroom, decluttered, rearranged furniture, cleaned out closets, bought new sheets and bedspreads, etc. As strange as it may sound, the feng shui guidelines made decision making much easier. Color choices became more obvious, placement of items became more obvious-the guidelines just seem to make sense.

With my new found feng shui expertise, I went to Knitwits and started my Feng Shui magic at the shop. Like a whirling dervish, I decluttered, stacked, tossed, rearranged and drove everyone in the shop crazy. I must get a possessed look about me because everyone just stays clear. Jill described the experience as "Scaaaaaarrrrrry!" That's "scary" with 6 a-s and 6 r-s.

As scaaaaaarrrrrry as it may have been, we can now walk through the office without straddling or moving any obstacles and we now have visible desktops. Yay!

After my bedroom and Knitwits, I did my Feng shui magic in my kitchen, living room, dining room and bathrooms. All the "bad" Feng Shui stuff (aka "clutter") was tossed out, given away or moved to the spare bedroom.

According to the Feng Shui guidelines, my spare bedroom is the place of Skill and Knowledge in the my bagua. So, it seems fitting that all of my knitting related stuff (2 bookcases full of knitting books and magazines, 6 very large moving cartons of stash, 2 Tupperware tubs of needles and notions, my Circular Solutions wall-hanging circular needle organizer, baskets, baskets and more baskets filled with zip locked UFOs and more) were relocated to the spare bedroom. The problem is....now I can bearly open or close the door. The room is filled from floor to ceiling with my "little knitting hobby".

For now, I'll keep the spare bedroom door closed.

I'm hoping that my Feng Shui will be so impressed with my progress that I'll get a little grace period in the Skill and Knowledge department. On my next free day, I'm going to lock myself in my Skill and Knowledge gua and make order out of chaos.

Finding my Feng Sui

2010-03-19T08:26:00.003-04:00

I've never been a very good sleeper and I've been tired for thirty some years. At the brink of exhaustion, "Not Steve" suggested that I research making a Feng Sui bedroom. I've heard of Feng Sui and sort of understood what it is was but ignorant as to the what's, hows and whys so I shot him one of my glares. But as soon as I had a free minute, I googled "Feng Sui Bedrooms."

After 0.32 seconds, my search results were in front of me and I clicked on the first one, Feng Sui Bedroom Tips-How to Feng Shui Your Bedroom. I scanned down the seven rules listed and said to myself, "Okay, I can do this. It's worth a try."

As I read the finer print, things got more difficult. "Avoid sloped ceilings, have nothing hanging over bed, avoid "pointing arrows", remove all clutter......" Yikes, I have all those things. My Feng Sui is sunk!"

In a mini panic attack, I turned off the ceiling fan/overhead lighting fixture that hangs on my sloped ceiling and over my bed (thinking that I could trick my Feng Sui by making it less obvious) and turned on a table lamp. The energy immediately felt better. I cleared off my dresser and night stand and moved the piles of clothing into the other bedroom. Ahhhhh-even better energy. I closed all doors and opened the window to get fresh oxygen. Wow, this Feng Sui stuff is easy-good energy is really flowing now.

As I scanned my bedroom with my new Feng Sui eyes (as if I were now an expert), I was pleased with my results until I saw my "western bagua" with the floor stacked with magazines and the bookcases crammed and overflowing with knitting books, thirteen years worth of unfinished projects, miscellaneous skeins of yarn, unmatched knitting needles...and you get the picture-and it isn't pretty! All of the good energy was instantly zapped by my "western bagua"!

Light bulb moment-the biggest problem with my life is Clutter!
It is not the ceiling fan over my bed or the sloped ceiling-I have clutter everywhere-and not just in my Western Bagua! All of this clutter is disrupting my good energy!

I said to myself, "Junko, Free yourself from physical, mental and emotional clutter!"

As a go from shelf to shelf, drawer to drawer, room by room, I am clearing out the clutter and as a result I'm finding the mates to the unmatched knitting needles, the lost stitch markers, the forgotten projects that were started with good intentions, books and patterns that I thought I had lost. I'm also finding that by replacing the lost items and by starting new projects because I lost "the flow" (aka Feng Sui) of the previous project, I am creating even more physical, mental and emotional clutter. Clutter has a snowball effect.

I may be missing the hows, whys and whats of Feng Sui, but this Feng Sui thing has really motivated me. Now, if I could only learn the correct pronunciation maybe I'll sleep better.

Neti Pot

2010-03-02T19:40:00.002-05:00

I'm sick! I came down with "the crud" on Sunday night after flying with my sick friend and fellow flight attendant Nancy. The Crud is that horrible hot and cold, achy, stuffy nose, puffy eyes, weak as a kitten, don't know if its a cold, flu or sinus infection, maybe I was hit by a truck feeling. You don't know if you're hungry, tired, cranky or all of the above, but you do know that you can't get comfortable and you can't function.

Desperate times call for desperate measures! Most people will go to the doctor or medicate with OTC drugs, I bring out the Neti Pot! If your not familiar with the Neti Pot, brace yourself-it's not for everyone. Sheryl knows its not for her-she gave me hers after giving it a few tries-so now I have a spare.

The Neti Pot is a complete sinus cleansing system. The ads read, "It naturally cleanses, refreshes, and protects the nasal passages, one of our body's first lines of defense against illness. Recommended today by doctors and pharmacists worldwide, the Neti Pot^TM has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to alleviate sinus and allergy problems. The Himalayan Institute introduced the Neti Pot^TM over 35 years ago."

The translation of all of that is "You stick the spout of a little blue plastic teapot up one nostril and "Neti tea" and nastiness dribbles out the other nostril and into your sink." For those of you who want to see how it really works, you can YouTube it. But, I think you can imagine just how NOT pretty it is.

The good news is that I really like the Neti Pot. It does clear up the nasal passage and leaves you feeling unplugged and fresher. Sarah Haney's friend, Brittany, introduced me to the Neti Pot. I want to be like Brittany so I tried it. After the first rinse, I was hooked! I actually had a mild addiction to the Neti Pot for a week or two. Since I know my addictive tendencies towards the Neti, I don't Neti regularly as they recommend, I only Neti when I'm sick.

I took advantage of a real day off yesterday-no shop, no Comair, no phone calls and no knitting (too sick to even knit)! I stayed in pajamas most of the day, Neti-ed, showered and put on clean pajamas. Today, I was semi-functioning thanks to the Neti Pot and Steve and Belinda for bringing me "A Feed a Cold Buffet" from Frisches. I went to the shop and quarantined myself in the office. Janet took one look at me and said, "WHoa!" I didn't think I looked THAT bad. After a few hours, I came back home to my pajamas and Neti Pot. I know I'm on the mends because I started knitting yet another new project- a faux ribbed baby sweater from the "Sweetess Book" in our new yarn called Crofter DK. The self patterning yarn looks and feels great and I don't want to put it down-but I did for the sake of the blog and the Neti Pot!

P.S. The Neti Pot is available is Walgren's and Wal-Mart in the Cold/Flu/Allergy Section.

Living the Dream-The Conclusion

2010-02-24T19:49:00.002-05:00

We wake up early yet again and the crew meets in the hotel lobby. Captain Steve says, "Hey, I checked the company website this morning to check on our flights. Did you see that flight attendants have to re-enter their bids for next month?" Our jaws drop. "What?!!!!"

Nothing we can do before our flight, so off we go to the airport. We have two flights to work and a deadhead flight. A deadhead is where we just ride as passengers to get repositioned. We get through the day without a hitch. Amen.

Once we get to the hotel, I check the company website- and there it is flight attendants have until Thursday at noon to re-enter bids. Good. I can do it when I get home and I don't have to scramble to get on-line (no free internet in LGA). Oh and what's this? There is a change to my assignment for tomorrow. All three of my original flights have cancelled due to weather and all we have to do is deadhead back to Cincinnati. My luck is changing!

We get to sleep in (9:00 AM report instead of getting up at the crack of early). Beverly and I report to the lobby and find out that our pilots had to work a flight to RDU (Raleigh Durham). We head out to find that the flight is delayed by one hour. We don't have to work it, so we don't mind the delay. After an hour, the plane shows up and we board early to get away from the crowds. It's the Vomit Comet!

The crew of the Vomit Comet informs us that there is a maintenance issue and that there will be a further delay. The mechanic is shaking his head. Never a good sign.

Four and one-half hours later, the Vomit Comet is ready! We reboard and two hours later, we arrive in Cincinnati! Boom Done!

Thank Goodness for knitting!

Living The Dream-Day 2

2010-02-17T14:56:00.005-05:00

Day 2

It's Valentine's Day and I have just one flight to work today. Go from JFK to ORD. Sounds easy, but the flight leaves at 7:00 AM, which means we report for duty at 6:00 AM, which means wake up at 5:00AM.

We get to the the airport in Kennedy and the "Vomit Comet" awaits us for another day of flying.

I must find the mental energy to put my March bid together and get it entered today. In addition to another warm Doubletree chocolate chip cookie, our hotel in ORD has free wifi in the rooms so this should work out well. Stay focused!

So much for focus, my Captain (his name is Steve, of course) wants to take the crew out for a Valentine's Day Lunch of Chicago Style Pizza. You may remember my Blog episode "Food Wars" where Janice's Chicago-style pizza beat my LGA Killer Canoli. Well, Captain Steve was treating at Giordani's, the exact site of my Canoli defeat. The March bidding can wait!

The Deep Dish Pizza looked more like Cheesecake than pizza! Beverly and I did NOT order the Heart Shaped Deep Dish Pizza pictured above. We split a thin crust spinach and vegetable loaded pizza (which in the rest of America, would be considered deep dish).

Needless to say, a 5:00 AM wake up, carb overdose with chocolate chip cookie chaser spells NAPTIME! The March bidding must wait!

After a long winter's nap, it's time to get serious! After two and one-half hours of hunting, searching, adding, subtracting, conferring with Nancy and dinking my MacBook trying to figure out how to get free wifi, I'm ready to start entering my bid! Entering the darn bid takes another hour, most spend watching the little hourglass spinning around-asking my to wait patiently.

Mission Accomplished-The March Bid is entered! In another week, I'll know if I did it right when the results are published. Wish me luck!

Living the Dream

2010-02-14T21:26:00.008-05:00

I thought I'd give you a little taste of my Flight Attendant Life.

Day One-February 13, 2010.
I start out cranky.
It was to be an easy day-2 flights.
Fly from CVG (Cincinnati) to ORD (Chicago O'Hare) then from ORD to JFK (New York and you may have heard me refer to JFK differently-but I'll keep in family friendly).

Our airplane was late coming in so we knew we would be a little late going out. What we didn't know was that a passenger had gotten very sick and had proceeded to vomit all over Seats 19C, 19D, 20C and 20D. The seats and the carpeting would now need to be replaced and the Aft flight attendant jumpseat was now unusable. We named the plane the "Vomit Comet".

Have you ever wonder why your flight is delayed when the weather seems fine? The answers are too numerous and for the most part, you really don't want to know.

It would seem like a great time to get some knitting done while we waited-but NO. I just picked up my Bid Packet. The Bid Packet is the Flight Attendants' only chance to plan for the upcoming month and ask for days off, specific trips and so on. The packet comes out on a Wednesday (it's now Saturday) and the bids must be submitted by Monday at Noon. I don't have the mental energy or the time to go through the whole packet which lists in detail all 1300 possible trips.

I usually cross off the days I want off, then I cross off the trips that start too early or end too late. I also cross off trips that involve Canada (too much hassle with customs and paperwork), and the list goes on and on. I touch base with my friend Nancy, we try to fly together as much as possible but sometimes are schedules are too hard to coordinate. I want March 6th off for the Free Form Purse Class and I want the 19th-22nd off for a possible road trip. With those dates crossed off, I do some quick math and realize that it will not be possible to build my March schedule with those days off. Back to the drawing board-I may need to put Canada back into play :-(

After an hour and a half delay, we were ready to board. The passengers are all concerned about making their connecting flights. We try to address their concerns but we have concerns of our own. We only have a little over an hour to provide a full service to a full plane with a full first class cabin-we'll have to move fast. Luckily, I'm flying with Miss Beverly and she's easy to work with and delightful.

We make it to Chicago and quickly try to get the plane ready for the next flight to make up some time. Luckily, the plane is only half full. During our rushing around, I somehow broke my "Wings", my flight attendant name badge thing that sits over my left chest area. The protective backing of one of the prongs has partially broken off and the sharp point is exposed. I can neither get the pin off or cover the sharp exposed point. Needless to say, I spend the next two hours trying not to play with my chest. Good thing we're only half full and its dark!

We get to JFK and were now only an hour late. It is bitter cold and we wait over 30 minutes for the hotel van to pick us up. I'm now crankier, colder and suffering from multiple stab wounds. Once we get on the van, it proceeds to make three more stops to pick up more cold and cranky guests. I get my room key, my DoubleTree Chocolate chip cookie (the best part of the day) and head straight for bed.

Knitting for Those in Need

2010-02-13T11:13:00.005-05:00

Wow! Almost two weeks since the last blog. Very Sorry :-(

Well, several of you have been coming into the shop and crabbing about the lack of postings, so here's the scoop. I've been flying too much with nothing fun to report. I've been busy at the shop with ordering, paying bills and closing out paperwork for 2009. And, I've been knitting aimlessly and not finishing a thing!

When Lisa Hatton and Rita Arthur told me that they were tired of looking at those darn needles from the last post, I knew I was well overdo. It's time to put fun and blogging back into my life!

When I ask Rita for some inspiration, she told me that she has been doing a lot of charity knitting for her church. She said is involved with Prayer Needles. They knit blankets and hats for the Children's Home, where are currently 64 children ages seven and above. They also knit prayer shawls for the sick.

Five minutes later, TJ Dixon called with questions about the free form knitting class. Next thing you know we're talking about ways to use up stash and miscellaneous scrap yarn. She said she had been knitting lots of newborn baby caps with her leftover yarn for the Rose Garden Ministries in Covington. She has been cranking them out and shares the following pattern with you.

"You can knit this cute little baby hat in under two hours. All you need are worsted weight yarn scraps, #7 dpns, and a 16” #7 circular needle. Instructions are for newborn (0-6 months). Using a #7 circular needle, cast on 56 (64) stitches. Join for working in the round and knit until the hat measures 5 ½” (6”) from the beginning. On the next row, K2tog across. Switch to dpns and k2tog across the next 2 rows. Cut yarn and thread it through the remaining stitches. Weave in ends and voila! Add a pom-pom, make I-cord loops on top, etc."

As most of you know, we work closely with Tammy Simpson and Scarf It Up for Those in Need and other causes like Celebritrees. This month we have been asking for your support for Scarf It Up by donating $1 with every purchase or buying a chance to win a beautiful watercolor painting that is displayed at the shop. The support has been great. The Watercolor tickets are sold out!

When your thinking about your next project or in my case, you just need to start something new- we have lots of charities that would appreciate your generosity, kindness and talent.

I'm off on yet another four-day trip. I'll try to blog while I'm away!

Get the Point?

2010-02-01T08:44:00.003-05:00

Knitting needles are like shoes--they can make or break your desired look. Some outfits require heels, some knitting projects will require a sharper point. If the shoe fits, wear it! If the needle gets you gauge, use it! I can go on and on with the analogies because I love shoes and needles, but I think you get the point. Bottom line-you can never have too many shoes and needles!

Knitting sounds like such a simple concept--You use two pointed sticks to pull loops of string through one another. But, there are so many different kinds of yarns and needles on the market. From plain plastic needles to metal, glass, bamboo, woods and many other materials-the choices are plentiful. Then, there are straight needles and circular needles (not to mention double-pointed needles). And further more, there are the varying lengths. All of this can be pretty confusing to a beginner. So, how do you know what needle is right for you and your project? Answer: Ask a Knitwit!

Knitting needles are generally divided into three types: straight (with one pointed end), circular (with two needles connected by a cable), and double-pointed. Each has its purpose.
Needles come in thicknesses from 0.75mm to 25mm. Most commonly you'll find needles also marked with U.S. sizes that correspond to the metric numbers, but to make matters even more confusing, various manufacturers use different metric equivalents for U.S. sizes.

Different knitters like different needles for different reasons. We stock only what we think are the best needles on the market. They may not always be the cheapest option.

Many knitters love bamboo or wooden needles because of their warmth, the natural feel in the hands, and the comforting but quiet clicking sound they make. They’re also good for knitting slick yarns because the needles have a bit of friction, which can help keep the stitches from sliding off the needles. Our Clover Bamboos and Velvets are a great choice for beginners.

Metal needles are smooth, can be found in both sharp and blunt tips, and are wonderful for yarns that otherwise tend to stick, but can be used with all yarns. We really really really like the Addi Turbos and Addi Lace Needles and find that they really improve the speed and the appearance of your knitting. The Addis are slightly more expensive but if you're planning to have a lot of knitting in your future they are worth the investment.

Plastic needles are like eating with plastic utensils. They get the job done-but...you deserve better!

To start your needle collection, I suggest buying circular needles with 24-40" cables. You can knit anything on circular needles. As the need arises, buy the DPs for hats, socks and sleeves, the shorter cables for the same reasons. If you're doing a lot of knitting, buy Addis. I prefer the Addi Lace for the sharper points but I do a lot of yarn overs, k2togs and I use a lot of textured and splitty yarns.

A common misconception is that you'll only need one pair of needles in each size. The truth is, you can never have too many duplicate sets of needles. Not only do needles have a habit of disappearing, but they also like to stay in unfinished projects. If you like to work on more than one project at a time, or if you like the freedom of being able to sort through your stash and begin a project at 3am, you'll need lots of available needles.

Because they spend so much time in your hands, needles can quickly become as cherished as your favorite pet or piece of jewelry. Many knitters, once set on a favorite needle type, will defend it with the same vigor usually reserved for religious or political debates.

Some will touch nothing but birch or rosewood, others cry, "Give me bamboo or give me death!" And many Addi fans would rather switch to decaf than use any other type of needle.
You may find that you prefer several types of needles depending on your project.

Now, if only we could find an attractive and organized way of displaying our knitting needle and shoe collections.

Have You Been Anywhere Great Lately?

2010-01-30T08:05:00.003-05:00

Before Knitwits, I used to travel a lot. I would finish my trips and head off to take full advantage of my free flight benefits in a quest to find the perfect yarn shop. I carried a yarn shop directory in my rollerboard suitcase and I would research of the closest yarn shops in each state and city that I visited. Yarn shops are like snowflakes-there are no two alike!

When I discovered Knitwits on my way to workout at Better Bodies, my life changed. Back then, Knitwits was a teeny tiny yarn shop in the back of a pottery painting studio. The shelves were stocked with lovely novelty yarns and large knitting needles since scarf knitting was all the rage. For me (a sweater knitter) Knitwits was not the perfect yarn shop---but, there was something very special about the shop. The people in the shop were smiling and laughing and you couldn't tell who actually worked there. I ended up spending the rest of the day and most of the next day at the shop. I bought some Araucania organic cotton yarn in circus peanut orange because this was the only yarn that they had a sweater quantity of.

After Knitwits opened, I found myself spending more and more time in the 41017-it was no longer just a place where I picked up mail, did laundry and repacked my bags. Suddenly, I had friends in the 41017-not just an address. Crescent Springs, KY began to feel like home to me.

Six years later, I leave the 41017 only for work and the rare special occaision to venture off to a new restaurant or movie (with someone else willing to drive). My quest for finding the perfect yarn shop is over. The perfect yarn shop for me is right in my neighborhood!

On my last trip, a co-worker who knew me from my travel days asked me if I had been anywhere great lately. They were expecting answers like Italy, France, Miami, Las Vegas, and Maine. The new me answered, "I went to see Avatar in 3-D." Boy, have things changed!

Knitwits was a birthday present from George Haney to Janet and what a great gift it has been for all of us. This weekend marks the second anniversary of George Haney's passing. He is dearly missed!

Janet and Sarah are hoping to spend the weekend together in Ireland. I will be manning the shop. If you're looking for somewhere great to go this weekend, join me in sharing George's memory and gift.

The New Year

2010-01-25T18:40:00.003-05:00

Well, this New Year is off to a bang.
The shop has been busy and the classes are full!
Work (Comair) has been busy and the flights are full!
My needles have been busy and my project queue is full!

So, has anything changed? Well, yes they have. This year, things just seem more fun and purpose-ful. I seem to be enjoying myself more and stressing less. :-)

This year, we've planned things for the shop that we're really really excited about.
The Sweater Workshop that Ashley is leading is a great, laidback way to learn some tips, tricks and helpful skills that really bone up your knitting. If you missed this go 'round, be sure to sign up for the next session. Ashley is a great teacher and the Dr. Suess-like project is totally stress free knitting.

The Block of the Month KAL is a great way to create a family heirloom over the course of the year and the friendships made will last a lifetime. The skills involved grow with each block and each block is a manageable amount of knitting.

The Freeform Purse Class is a great way to learn to knit flowers and embellishments while using up your stash and scrap yarn. I'm really excited about this class because I need to learn to knit with freedom and go "outside of the box" (patternless). We are also planning a purse finishing workshop that will cover linings and adding purse handles like a professional.
The girl from Jul, a really lovely line of buttons, handles, buckles and knitting stuff, will be teaching this and having a trunk show of her lovely creations. So...pull out all of your unfinished felted bags, knitted purses and purse patterns that you have dreams of making and have them ready for the purse finishing workshop and trunk show.

Also in the works is a Knitting Retreat. We had one year's ago and we think it is time to plan another one for this spring.

We also know that life is made up of more than just knitting time, so we're working on some programs to indulge our other hobbies---like wine, movies, food and fellowship. A Wine Tasting Event should be on our schedule in the next few weeks. I'll drink to that!

Well, so much for stressing less--that roster of exiting things in the pipeline makes me realize how much easier it would be to announce these goodies if we had an updated website! I'm going to move the website project towards the top of the to-do pile.

Only one more day of flying and I'll have some time off!
See you soon.

Breaking All The Rules

2010-01-12T23:27:00.003-05:00

I truly tested my knitting skills, luck and sanity with my latest project. In one single project, I broke ALL of the rules every written about knitting!

Here’s the deal, someone knit “Not Steve” a wool hat several years ago and he loves this hat! He describes this hat as “Perfect”-he really likes the color, the fit and the warmth. He mentions this hat often and I finally got a chance to see the coveted hat about a month ago when we went for a long winter walk. When I saw the hat, “Perfect” was not what came to mind-I envisioned the Sublime Best Guy Hat or the Lima One Skein Hat. I didn’t envision an oversize yarmulke or extra deep knitted Frisbee - but I hid my surprise because I knew that this hat was THE HAT, the standard that all other hats would be compared to.

When “Not Steve” mentioned that he needed a basic black hat for work, it was a bittersweet moment. I would love to knit him something-but do I dare? They say “Never knit your man a sweater.” I don’t know who “they” are and I know a black hat is NOT a sweater-but knitting for a man is tough.

All of my current projects have gotten too large to tote around on a four day trip and still have room for a decent supply of clean clothes. I needed some yarn to keep me entertained for 4 days so I grabbed some yarn from the shop. For "Not Steve's" hat, I took one skein of defective, black Baby Alpaca Grande-this would be warm and cozy and the choices of black yarn are quite limited. It was defective because Jill had been trying to wind it for a customer and it refused to wind in one piece, so we set it aside. I could only locate one set of 16” circular needles before I left on my trip- size unknown but somewhere around a #4 or #5. The Baby Alpaca Grande ball band recommends using a #10 or #10-1/2 needle-oh well. I had no pattern in mind-so I was going to have to wing it and trust my hat knitting experience to guide me. Nothing but the best for Not Steve--defective baby Alpaca Grand, mystery knitting needles that are way too small and no pattern. This should work well!

I cast on 122 stitches to insure a good loose fit. After thinking about it for a minute or two, I took off 2 stitches. It still sounded like too many so I started over with 80. This sounded like too few so I added 8. Eighty-eight was the magic number! Round and round I went. Then, I decided to add a personal little touch and charted out a 2SOAR2, a phrase that he uses. Round and round I went again and again. After about 8 inches, I started my decreases and with about a yard of defective Baby Alpaca Grande left, I was finished! I tried the hat on and it fit me pretty well and looked good! :-)

Knitting for a man with one ball of defective yarn, no swatch, wrong needle size and no pattern--there is no way that this hat should have worked! The knitting police should have arrested me!

I talked to “Not Steve” about this chance knitting endeavor. The analogy I used was driving across the country with no map or GPS and one tank of gas. He was not surprised in the least that I was able to accomplish the nearly impossible when it comes to knitting. (He knows me well enough to know that driving to Ohio without a map, GPS and one tank of gas is NOT possible for me.) He has always been very supportive of my knitting obsession and encourages me to think about taking my knitting to higher levels like possible knitting business opportunities.

Back to the hat. As pleased as I am that I was able to knit a hat while breaking all of the rule of knitting, I think the Defective Baby Alpaca Grande Hat will only serve as a prototype for “Not Steve’s” real work hat. It is probably too fitted and not Frisbee-like enough for his liking. I’ll have him try it on and make adjustments from there.

If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.
Katherine Hepburn

Pajama Time

2010-01-08T09:02:00.004-05:00

Almost a week between entries? Bad blogger! I got so busy with inventory, year-end paperwork, flying and knitting up our gorgeous yarns that this poor blog just got neglected. But for those eagerly awaiting an era of more frequent posting, some good news -I have lots to blab about.

I have been knitting like a fiend. After knitting a bazillion Christmas stockings, knitting something fun and with luscious yarns is so exciting. I'm totally inspired by the yarns we carry and the patterns we rediscovered during inventory.

I just completed a Bolsoi Beret out of Sublime Wooly Merino. This wasn't really planning to knit this hat - in fact, I followed the wrong pattern- I meant to knit the Russian Hat. But, I really love the beret. I took a ball of Glimmer on my last trip and knit a sample of a Scarf from the new Vogue Knitting. This is a super great pattern for learning lace, bobbles, cables, pattern and chart reading. I'm also close to finishing the crazy Norah Gaughan pentagon shrug from the cover of Winter 2006/07 Vogue Knitting (see above). I'm using Winter White Rowan Cocoon because I really like this yarn! This project was easier and more fun then I thought it would be. Norah Gaughan is a genius and I had to knit one of her patterns. While I vowed to finish unfinished objects and knit projects that have been in my cue, I can't help myself from starting new and totally unplanned things!

Yesterday's snow day provided me with an unplanned day off. I stayed at home all day with the fake fireplace on. I stayed in my pajamas until 2:00, showered, and put on a fresh pair of Pj's. I piddled around getting little accomplished all morning and then I knit (knitted? ). I can't remember the last time I hunkered down at home for a whole day! I'm feeling slightly guilty for
indulging my current knitting obsession-and not blogging-but it was the perfect day for it.

I'll really try to be a more disciplined knitter and a better blogger. I need to blog about some of the great stuff we're working on like Ashley's Sweater Workshop, meeting with reps for Spring yarn buying and our future KALs, but for now, my car needs to be scrapped off, the shop needs to be opened and I need to get out of my pajamas!

Ciao

Happy!

2010-01-01T06:18:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year!- and I'm not just saying that to be polite, I really mean it!
It is very hard to believe that it's another New Year and the start of a new decade! As you know, I'm not really a holiday person and New Years is one of those holidays that I don't really enjoy-too much anticipation and too many expectations. This year is different! I must be excited about it because I'm up early (again) and looking forward to enjoying every minute of today.

2010 kind of snuck up on me and with our new motto "Aim Low", my expectations are not too great as to disappoint me in this new decade. I excited about today and this new year because I feel like I am starting this new year with a healthy attitude and positive outlook. I have chosen to accept my crazy life and be responsible for my ability and inability to complete the tasks at hand. I am no longer my own worst enemy.

I will always have a growing to-do list, I will always have to juggle two jobs and too much to do in too little time, I will always have too many knitting projects to finish and a stronger desire to start new ones--but these are the things that make life exciting and challenging. With help from our many friends, our loyal customers, and family....things will get accomplished and we will have fun doing them.

There are many great things about blogging. It is easier for me to share thoughts, comments and observations through the blog than it is for me to express them verbally. Blogging helps me organize the noise in my head and filters out the nonsense (for the most part). And finally, blogging makes me accountable for my actions-by making a public announcement in the blog, I feel like I am responsible for seeing my actions through. So, we will get things done and we will have fun!

Today's To Do List:
Eat something "long" like spaghetti or sauerkraut-this is for a "long life" according to my mother.
Drink 7 glasses or more of water
Knit
Finish something-anything big or little
Do something fun
Enjoy the day!

Kung Fu Christmas

2009-12-25T06:03:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It is 4:00 AM on Christmas morning and I am wide awake and excited. I remember being a little kid and waking up at the crack of early on Christmas morning full of excitement for the long awaited Big Day! But, I have no “Big Day” plans or expectations for today, there is no Christmas stocking full of trinkets to discover, there are no presents under my tree to unwrap (in fact, there is no tree), so why am I excited and up so early?

The answer my friends is in a quote from the movie Kung Fu Panda.
You are too concerned about what was and what will be. There is a saying: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the "present."

I watched Kung Fu Panda last night. A dear friend recommended it and she has always steered me in the right direction. As you loyal blog followers know, I have been conducting my own home study on personal growth-trying to figure out how to make the most of each day with the resources I have, trying to find “Awesomeness” like the Panda.

In an hour and a half, this sweet, entertaining, enlightening movie summed up everything that I have found after spending the last few weeks reading library books, googling the internet, “connecting” with people, meditating, and making some major attitude changes. Spoiler alert- if you haven’t seen the movie and plan to-don’t read the next sentence!
“There is no secret ingredient. It's just you.”

Today truly is a gift- I don’t have to be anywhere at a certain time, I don’t have to do anything! I think I’ll enjoy my morning coffee, knit, nap, knit some more and finally venture over to Janet’s for our Christmas Festivous. Who knows how my day will unfold-it is full of possibilities and "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."

I came home last night after a exhausting 4-day trip to find my mailbox and front door littered with gifts and cards, my phone was full of messages containing invitations that included me in Christmas festivities. I found my “Awesomeness”! Thank You!

“To make something special you just have to believe it's special.”
Enjoy this special day with special people-I know I will.

Skadoosh!

Ordinary vs. Extraordinary

2009-12-19T00:48:00.003-05:00

This personal growth stuff is really powerful stuff! And I like it!

I’ve always done physical exercise like yoga, running, weight training, adult competitive kickball, etc. to strengthen the body. Now, I’m exercising my mind and spirit to build my inner strength and attain some personal growth. This is something that I'm going to do from now on and it requires practice, time and energy. I am so very lucky to have wonderful personal trainers like Janet, “Not Steve” and so many of you to guide me and who lead by example.

I know that this is going to be a slow process with tremendous rewards and some aches and pains. But, I have grown more in just a matter of weeks than I have in twenty years.

Many of you may be asking “What do you mean?”
Well, for starters, Janet and I developed a mantra, “Aim Low.” We figured that any step forward would be a success, even if it is only one tiny step in the right direction. Instead of feeling the weight on the world on our shoulders at all times, we would break the world down (in my case the world consists of lots of To-Do piles) into tiny pieces and deal with each piece one at a time.

In the last blog, I blabbed about being stalled in our website and book writing efforts. The next day, I opened my brain extra wide and the website question, “What is Knitwits?” was answered. Janet must have done the same thing, she came to work with several pages for our book. We found our direction and focus again and we can now keep moving forward. Our roadblock has been unblocked!

Then, I put a little extra into my flying duties. I interacted and made connect with my passengers and crew instead of just trying to do my job and get through the trip. I enjoyed getting to know the different people on each flight and it put the fun back into flying again. When you spend most of your time doing something, you better have fun doing it!

My last example is a biggie. I took the first step in mending fences with my family. For many reasons (some known and some unknown), my family and I have grown distant and remote. We’re not great communicators and our pride built walls around our true feelings. There was a perpetual pattern of my mother talks, we listen, we get mad, she gets her feelings hurt. To avoid this cycle, we just stopped talking to each other. I sent an e-mail to my mother, brother and sister-in-law about my Christmas plans to stay in the 41017 and included that the best gift for me would be to forgive and be forgiven for any differences we may have, set pride aside and repair this family unit. I received immediate responses back-all wishing for the same gift!

I read a quote the other day and I want to share it with you all:

"The only difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." Jimmy Johnson

Isn't this why we knit!

Personal Growth

2009-12-12T21:23:00.004-05:00

It fascinates Janet and I that the state of Knitwits parallels our personal lives so closely. We have stalled in our attempts to write a book and design a new website for the shop and we have stalled in our personal growth. Our ideas, desires and dreams keep flowing, but nothing is coming together.

Writing our book and designing our new website forces us to define what Knitwits is. We can't seem to get our arms around "What is Knitwits?" Knitwits is such a big part of us that the "What is Knitwits" question has stifled us and snowballed into personal reflection about ourselves.

(It's going to start getting a little New Age-ish here-but bear with me.)
Janet and I had a heart-to-heart talk the other day and we discussed and shared our somewhat beaten down states of mind. We both want growth for the shop and our souls. We both want happiness from the shop and our spirits. We both want something more from the shop and our lives. Instead of waiting for change to magically happen, we vowed that for change to occur--we had to change. So thus begins our journey.

(Now, it gets pretty deep-again, hang in there.)
I have never given much thought to personal growth until recently. It causes you to become very reflective and analytical. I'm trying to get to know myself again by making myself a friend and having conversations with my clone. Some exchanges are very powerful, others are subtle, many are painful, some pleasurable, sometimes the messages are cloudy and sometimes they are amazingly clear. While this may sound totally insane, it has been very helpful to me. I'm a whole week into this personal growth thing and I think I'm onto something good.

This last trip, I tried to connect with my passengers and fellow crew members instead of maintaining a professional yet disconnected air. The difference was amazing and rewarding-many high points and one low point. But, I know that it's a long, slow process that will occur with little changes and many readjustments that will have to be practiced.

For me, this blog is therapy-I get to sort out all of the disjointed noise in my head and try to put these thoughts together and share them with you, our loyal blog readers. Thank you for reading, this is much cheaper than therapy.

I've digressed. Now, to get back on track. "What is Knitwits?" Many have told us that Knitwits is a yarn shop that is fun and special because of Janet's caring heart, her colorful personality, her good energy, her flair and keen eye for color and concept and her self confessed lack of advanced knitting knowledge. If anyone can help us define Knitwits for our book and website, the phone lines are open and the comment box is ready!

Watch us grow and prosper in 2010!

The True Meaning of Knitwits

2009-12-06T12:03:00.002-05:00

The blogs have been kind of blah lately because I haven't been feeling very chipper. The end of Daylight savings time, the return of cold weather and putting together 2010 budgets and plans for the shop have taken a toll on me. I'm like one of our Dancing Flowers, I need to be removed from the box and given sunlight to operate and do my thing.

Yesterday was my day to have a pity party for myself. I don't do it very often (thank goodness) and I try to do it in the privacy of my own Kleenex box. I've been dealing with "Big Girl Stuff" like car trouble (no heat) and the furnace in my condo not working properly (I have to choose between heat or hot water). HVAC and cars are waaaaaay out of my area of knowledge (kind of like IT) and waaaay out of the comfort zone for this "always cold in the summertime" gal. Give me lace weight yarn and a complicated cable pattern in German that calls for chunk weight yarn and I'll some how figure out a solution. Give me something with a motor, coils, power source and switches and watch me revert to a child.

Well, yesterday I went childlike and had a pity party with tears and all. If you find the need to do this, do it at Knitwits. I had offers from Janet, Jill and Belinda (and many others) to move in with them until the warm weather returns. I had offers to borrow vehicles, have vehicles donated, offers for rides, bus passes and more. People offered to pay for repairs, loan space heaters, bring over coats, buy Slankets and everything else (chocolate cake and cheesesteaks) imaginable. You are all too kind and generous and I am not used to such caring and giving. I touched me to tears.

While I was having my pity party about being cold, I listened to others in the shop sharing stories about their lives. They too had come to the shop for comfort, to escape and perhaps find an ear that would listen. My problems suddenly seemed so small and selfish.

What was different about yesterday was that I opened up. The usually closed up and in control me asked others for help, guidance and advice. I got a lot of it from lots of different sources and your caring souls warmed me up. I let go of control and let tears and emotion flow.

I stopped at Janet's after we closed up shop. She gave me an early Christmas present...a warm and cozy Slanket. I then came home after my emotion filled day and the heat was on and working. Instead of putting another layer of clothing or my new slanket on when I walked in, I took my coat off.

Amazing things happen when you open up and let go of control and amazing things happen at Knitwits.

Knitwits is so much more than a yarn shop--it is a place that makes you feel like you belong, it is a place that helps you create what you never thought you could make, it is a place filled with your knitting family, it is where true friends are made.

If balance sheets and P/L statements had columns for caring, sharing, mercy and kindness, we'd really be on to something good! Thank You Janet for opening the doors and allowing us to be a part of your vision.

Back in the 41017

2009-12-02T21:38:00.004-05:00

It felt like I've been away for 2 weeks but it was only a 4-day trip. Glad to be back in the 41017!

I'm still knitting up a storm--I knit the little Christmas tree on Thanksgiving Eve, his crazy Dr. Suess-like brother on Thanksgiving Day. The patterns are fun and they should be in the shop anyday now. I knit the Candy Cane Hat with two skeins of Mission Falls 1824 Superwash wool from the Holiday Handknits book. It is pretty easy and quick--a two-hour mechanical delay and a flight from JFK to Houston and back to JFK--boom done.

Also in the works are a Baby Alpaca Hat and a Inca Marl and Bee Sweet Cowl. I didn't bring the right needles so both of these projects got put on hold while I was away.

I'm going to have to put the needles down while I'm home this week, the end of year paperwork and planning for 2010 are quickly knocking down my door. It's hard to believe that we're already in December. For 2010, we have some great ideas to keep you and your knitting needles busy. Stay tuned for more details.

For now, we have lots of last minute gift ideas and some fun shop activities and festivities. Read our e-mails for all the details. I'll be back in blog form after I go through my mail, pay bills, unpack and do laundry.

Gratitude

2009-11-26T09:31:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. In fact, it is the only holiday I really like. I can't believe it's here already--I last remember celebrating the Fourth of July. Time is going way too quickly. I'd like to reschedule and postpone Thanksgiving for another week or two.

For many reasons, I'm not very excited about this year's Thanksgiving. Perhaps it just arrived too soon, and perhaps it has been an especially rough year. Time, money and motivation seem to be in short supply. My family in Atlanta will be feasting without me. It is too difficult to fly standby to Atlanta at anytime let alone during a holiday. I didn't even check the flights. Keeping up with my two jobs (Comair and Knitwits) has kept me incredibly busy. All that aside, why am I just not feeling it this year?

To answer that question, I've been reviewing my mental list of things that I am thankful for and my long list keeps growing--family, friends, a home, jobs, yarn, plentiful food, laughter, my MacBook, health....on and on. At the top of list sits our beloved Knitwits. I am overwhelmed by the number of invitations to Thanksgiving dinners I have been offered by my Knitwits family and friends. I am grateful beyond words. Knitwits stands for so many things that I enjoy--knitting, acts of service, creative thought, social interaction, use of my skills, abilities and experience, blah, blah, blah. But most of all, it is the sense of belonging that I feel at the shop. I feel very blessed to have a place like Knitwits--we do what we like, we buy what we want, we laugh and it makes me feel alive.

Blogging is very therapeutic. Through blogging I get a chance to sort out my thoughts and put words to my inner feelings. In writing this morning's blog, I realized that I have been celebrating Thanksgiving each and everyday. I am constantly thinking about the things and people that I am thankful for. I think about the best part of each day (thanks Not Steve), I savour each yummy meal as if it were a Thanksgiving feast and I know that I am cared for and loved by many, even though time, distance and other things may keep us apart.

I have chosen to stay in the 41017 this Thanksgiving. I am thankful that I had the choice to have the day off- many do not. I am looking forward to a yummy turkey dinner at Janet's. And, I look forward to seeing all of you!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The Needles are Clicking

2009-11-23T00:41:00.002-05:00

I have been knitting up a storm and the knitting needles are clicking away.

Right now, my condo looks like a little knitting factory. This week I knit a little kid's sweater out of Plymouth Tweed. I blocked it, wove in the loose ends and everything. It's super cute and super easy!. I knit the One Skein Lima Hat because I love, love, love this yarn. I knit a Christmas stocking---good thing I only have three more to knit before Christmas. (You all know how much I enjoy knitting Christmas stockings.) And, I'm halfway through a Colourscape/Cocoon Slip stitch scarf and half way through a baby Alpaca Grande Hat. Whew! That's a lot of knitting!

Of course, there are still other projects on the needles like a kid silk haze sweater, a Felted Tweed vest, the shop owner's sweater in size medium and a Raggi sock. But at least I'm finishing some things!

It feels good to have my knit back. I had taken a little hiatus to take care of computer stuff and paperwork. The computers are up and running and the paperwork keeps piling up. C'est la vie!

The knitters at the shop have been clicking away too. Janet finished a super cute Ribbed Cowl in Misti Alpaca (this one you gotta see) and a Royal Llama cowl that ties up into a hat. Several Sock clubbers knit and kitchenered their first socks on Saturday. Mary Jo is cruising on her Cocoon sweater. Belinda has knit hats for every head in the 41017. The list goes on and on...but the finished projects are AMAZING!

Can't blab too much tonight-too busy knitting. I'll post pictures soon.
Keep the needles clicking and come buy!

LIMA-Yarn of the Week

2009-11-19T11:14:00.003-05:00

This week’s yarn of the Week is Rowan Lima. I can’t say enough good stuff about this yarn--I Love, love, Love It! I can't say enough good stuff about Lima. The Lima Collection pattern book has sold out but it is on order. The generous ball ( 110 yds) for $12.75 is a little pricey-but I think the finished product is worth it.

Lima is a new introduction from Rowan for Fall 2009. The Kosher Cowbay showed us this yarn in the Summer. The ball was somewhat unimpressive but the knitted swatch sold us and we all ooowed and aahed over it. Rowan Lima is a beautiful, heathered, worsted weight yarn with a unique hollow corded construction for maimum loft. It is incredibly light and airy. It is 84% baby alpaca,8% merino wool and 8% nylon and knits at 20 sts over 26 rows for a 4" square using US #9 needles. Yardage is 110 yards per 50g ball.

I knit a little half sweater in it and I just finished designing a one skein Men’s Hat. The hat is a really quick knit-no frills hat, designed for the man who is more function than fashion. It is fairly loose fitting to prevent "hat head", ear covering for warmth and compact enough to fit in a pocket when not worn.

I knit the hat in the round on a #7 needle. It was fun to design and fast to knit but I had to do a little tinking (aka: ripping out, tink is knit backwards) because I wanted to make the most hat from my treasured ball of Lima. Lima is a little difficult to tink-so try to avoid the process. When I knit it again I may use a #8 needle to make it slightly bigger.

Treat yourself and your special guys to a skein of Lima. This weekend (let's start the weekend on Friday), Rowan Lima will be 20% OFF and we'll throw the One Skein Hat Pattern in for FREE.

Come Buy!

Words

2009-11-16T01:23:00.003-05:00

In an attempt to make a dent in the ever growing “To Do Pile”, I have resorted to diversion.. some may call it procrastination. I figure that if I can make some progress in other areas, I will feel a sense of accomplishment and I will then have the mental energy to tackle my awaiting To Do List.

My current diversions include iPhone Scrabble with Not Steve, crossword puzzles, knitting up a storm, reading and watching countless dvd movies.What do all of these diversions have in common? WORDS. Yep, I said words. I have forgotten how fascinating and lovely words can be and how much I enjoy them. I was taking them for granted.

I like to start my day doing the USA Today Crossword puzzle. I think of this as an indicator of how my day will go. As an ongoing activity, I have "Words with Friends", an iPhone app that allows you to play interactive Scrabble with others. This activity certainly changes how you view words and letters. I am so obsessed that I now look at words and calculate their Scrabble point values.

I like to watch DVDs with the English subtitles on. Why? Because I love to read words and I sometimes don’t catch everything the characters are saying. While watching Pride & Prejudice (thanks Krista), I also picked up several useful words for Scrabble.

Why I’m I sharing this? Because I found that knitting is similar to the fascinating world of words.

Knitting stitch patterns are created by the combination of knit and purl stitches used, just as words are combinations of letters. When I read a knitting pattern or chart it is like figuring out my crossword puzzle. What are they really saying? I figure out the directions one clue at a time. I have been working with Mary Jo on our Cocoon Sweaters and I have to admit, the directions are really quite cryptic (17 points-good scrabble word). Together we decipher (16 points) the instructions and abbreviations and hope we get the right stitch count and the right measurements. Sometimes we solve the puzzle, sometimes we're stumped.

If only we received bonus points for SSKs, M1s and YOs! I think a good cable deserves a bonus like a "Double Word Score".

Putting IT in KnITwITs

2009-11-09T20:13:00.005-05:00

I often blab about not getting IT-meaning information technology or whatever IT stands for. Well, I still don't get IT but somehow Knitwits now has and uses IT.

My new MacBook makes it easy to get IT, cuz I don't have to do IT-the MacBook just gets IT. My iPhone keeps me in constant contact with IT. Having Krista on board makes IT easier, she gets IT. She put Knitwits on Facebook with just a few keystrokes. Became a Fan and get instant updates and posts. Our new e-mail system called Mad Mimi uses IT. All we have to do is enter the text and Boom Done, you guys get a snappy looking e-mail and we get feedback on who's reading the e-mail, who isn't, and who's not getting the e-mail with the address we have. I love IT!

We are so into IT that we even have our staffing calendar on-line. I still manage to show up even when I'm not scheduled but I'll soon catch on. We are so into IT that we were featured in an local on-line lifestyle magazine called Cincy Chic. I'll post the link later so you don't wander off just yet. But, make sure to take a look. (I'm a little late-they have a new issue out already. Go to archived issues at the top and press on November 2nd.) Thank goodness they didn't use the picture of my hands!

We still have a long way to go with this IT thing...but we're getting there. Next on the list is updating our website. We cringe every time someone mentions that they were on our website but we're slicking it up and updating the info (it still has our old address and hours).

With this blog, Facebook, Ravelry, Mad Mimi, e-mail and other assorted IT options we have so many ways of sharing information with the world at our fingertips. IT is a very powerful and wonderful tool. IT is also very inexpensive if you have a computer or iPhone/Blackberry or all of the above.

If you're not yet on Facebook or Ravelry, I strongly suggest that you join. You can use it as much or as little as you like and it's FREE! You can control who can contact you and what information is given out. It's a great way to stay in touch with friends and family and reconnect with friends from yesteryear.

That's IT for now....you are now free to go to www.cincychic.com , www.ravelry.com and Facebook.

Blog Blab

2009-11-07T07:09:00.004-05:00

What is Black and White and Read all over? Well, it's our little Knitwits Blog!

This little blog has really taken on a life of its own. I am amazed that we have so many loyal readers and followers and I am shocked by how many responses we get to new posts, pictures, and comments or the lack of all of the above. I even have attained pseudo-celebrity status at the shop because of the blog. It's weird and very cool at the same time.

I love that there are no blogging rules and regulations that I have to follow. I get to blog whenever I want, about whatever I want and from wherever I am. There are days that I want to blog all day and there are times that I am a bad blogger and nothing gets posted for a week or so. My favorite time to blog is really late at night. That way I know that Rita Arthur will have a new post waiting for her in the morning. When I fall a little behind in my blogging, I hear about it thanks to all of you loyal but high pressure readers/addicts.

There is no rhymn or reason to when I blog or what I blog about. It just kind of happens. It started out as a way to jot down thoughts for our Knitwits book. (I also wanted to be appear young and cool like Sarah Haney's hip hop happening friend Brittany in Charlotte, N.C.) She is also why I'm on Facebook and I tried Tweeting. Gosh, to be half my age again!

I often get blog related comments like, "Are you The Junko from The Blog?", "I check my computer every morning to see if you blogged (Rita Arthur)." or "Were those really your hands? " (heard 3 times), or "My husband said he would help...but only if you blog about him" (2 anonymous spouses). But, my favorite blog comment is, "Love the blog!" That one never gets old.

Well, I gotta run. I'm in Detroit on my way to Providence RI, back to Detroit, and then to CVG. Boom Done. Four days of flying, all but one sleeve and seaming of a new sweater completed, ate way to much airport and greasy food----feels like I've been gone forever but it's only been four days. I'll be in the shop tomorrow.

Helping Hands

2009-11-02T21:34:00.004-05:00

What the Heck? Apparently, I borrowed these hands from a one hundred year old woman. Last week, Janet and I had a photo shoot for Cincy Chic, an local on-line lifestyle magazine. They took some pictures and e-mailed us the proofs. I got proof that I need to do some serious moisturizing!

I've titled this blog "Helping Hands" because we have been very blessed to have so many willing and able hands helping us at Knitwits. There is our Handsome Bill, who has just been recruited for pumpkin removal and disposal after generously gifting us the behemoth pumpkin. There is Comair Steve, who after reading the blog about Handsome Bill sent me a e-mail with just a hint of jealousy as noted by signing off "Formerly Steve". Of course, there is Handy Steve of Belinda and Steve who is going to be "part-time Steve" as he has taken a new (paying) position at Beechwood School. We wish you all the best and know that you'll look after our little Knitwits. Pandora Steve has been a little scarce lately but we know that you're only a knock away. "Not Steve" has been giving us a hand with the new computers and keeping me sane-while at the same time making me insane. There are many others...too numerous to name...but, Chris, Jim, Dick, John, Harold, Andy and all the other husbands/others who loan us your girls-Thank You.

How can such a little shop need so much help? How can so many people be willing to help our little shop? Is it better to offer help or be helped?

I've only mentioned the men tonight because it is easier to start there. All of you (staff, friends, faithful customers, blog readers, Bills, Steves, Not Steves and UPS/FEDex guys) bring so much to the shop and make Knitwits a remarkable, rewarding and magical place. Random acts of kindness occur every time someone walks through our door. Yesterday, someone (Brooke?) left us a bottle of super duper, non-greasy, non-smelly hand lotion-boy, am I loving and needing that! I sure hope that Knitwits is able to offer helping hands to all of you in return.

Not Steve always asks me "What was the best thing that happened today?" At first, it was a little annoying and hard to answer. Now, I think it's nice to reflect upon the many good moments and pick the best single bright spot of the day. Not Steve's question is much easier to answer when I've been at Knitwits. Your many helping hands provide many Best Things.

A Knitting Lesson

2009-10-29T08:40:00.004-04:00

After being away from flying for almost 3 weeks, it was a little rough getting back in the jumpseat. It feels good though. I had a 3-day trip, a day off and now I'm on day 3 of a 4-day trip. Somehow, this feels more normal to me. There has been so much going on at Knitwits, that the distance helps put things in perspective.

I took up knitting when I started flying 12 years ago. My knitting has been the one constant factor in my flying career. The cities are always changing, the crew you fly with always change, the rules and procedures change, but my knitting has been my constant and loyal companion. It fills the time when flights are delayed, it makes time in the hotel room enjoyable, and I have something to show for otherwise unproductive time. Knitting quiets my brain and makes order out of chaos.

Knitting has changed me. I am a much more patient and methodical person because of knitting. Knitting is a very simple process, it becomes more complex with the desire to achieve something beyond the basic knit and purl. From the get go, knitting has been very easy for me - I just seemed to get it. I can crack the code of reading and understanding patterns, decipher charts, symbols and abbreviations, master the k2togtbls, sl1 pssos, and so on.
If only life were as easy!

When I run into a roadblock in my life, sometimes it helps me to look at the problem in terms of knitting. I set it aside for a little while, try to figure out what went wrong and assess my options. Do I have to rip out and do it over? Can this be saved? Is this going to be yet another UFO? What would Sue or Janet do?

The answers eventually come to me and I get back on track. It is usually a matter of deciding if this project is important enough to continue or if my time, energy (and yarn) are better used on something else.

I've been working on my Cocoon sweater and it is really a delight to knit. I have the sleeves and back done and I think I'll get a good portion of the front finished today. This sweater has an interesting motif on the bottom of the body. I had never done anything like it before. Who said you can't teach an old dog a new trick?

In life and in knitting, you're always making the same stupid mistakes but sometimes you learn something new. Let's keep the mistakes to a minimum and try to learn as much as we can about ourselves and our knitting!

(I wanted a picture for today's blog and I liked the knitting needles on this movie poster. The picture above is from a great movie called Young at Heart. Janet and Sarah and I saw it last summer at the Merrimont. I watched it again recently on DVD and it was just as enjoyable. )

Control+Alt+Delete

2009-10-24T16:33:00.003-04:00

With all the computer hassles we've dealt with lately, my first course of action has always been the ole' reliable Control+Alt+Delete. This term is also known in the PC world as the "three-finger salute". We often resort to these three keys with the hopes of interrupting a malfunctioning computer program. You hope that this will be the quick fix that will get you back on track. Some times it works, you press the magic three keys, reboot and voila! Sometimes, it's much, much more serious..... like a malfunctioning motherboard.

Don't you wish more things had a Control+Alt+Delete function. It would be nice if my car had this feature. Or if I had a headache, I could give myself the three finger salute and suddenly feel better. There are so many times that I wished there was a chance for a fresh start, a "do-over" or a quick, painless "delete".

I was knitting my Cocoon sleeve the other day and I noticed a series of wonky stitches about 3 inches down below. I couldn't tell you what happened, but it looked bad and I wanted them to disappear. Could I not "edit", "cut" or "paste", with a couple of keystrokes and have the wonky row go away like a typo on a document? Wasn't there a magic tool, needle or "stitchcheck" that would detect wonky stitches and fix them?

Well, Control+Alt+Delete does not apply to my knitting needles, so I tinked (ripped out-it's knit spelled backwards) the offending stitches. My knitting also does not have a "save" function, so I had no clue as to where I was in the pattern. I had to keep ripping until my exact location could be found...and that was on row #4, just after the ribbing. I went from Row 47 to Row 4 in just seconds. It was kind of like the "delete" function that I'm quite fond of.

There is no magic knitting program on the computer, and Steve, Steve, Steve, Not Steve and Bill can not fix this setback. They are not knitters (yet) and I'm glad. There is nothing as soothing to me as a lovely yarn gliding over and around my knitting needles. I look forward to re-knitting the sleeve and the rest of the Sweater.

You want your computer to be fast and obedient. Can you imagine having to send all 555 eNews-emails to our mailing list by hand?

Some things are best accomplished the slow and old fashioned way. Knitting is one of those things. Sometimes you just knit wonky and you have to go back a few rows in order to move forward.

Bill

2009-10-20T08:42:00.004-04:00

We are very blessed to have a bunch of Steves and a "Not Steve" in our arsenal of people to depend on when we get into a pickle. They are always ready and willing to help and advise us and we love and cherish them. They have magically come into our lives to fill the voids of our knowledge, skill and abilities while providing peace of mind, good company and a lot of laughs. They don't knit (yet) but they endure our yarn addictions and like that we have our knitting and the joy it brings us.

A new face has arrived on the scene in the past few months-Bill. Bill is Krista's husband and both Krista and Bill have become important members of the Knitwits team, pitching in to do whatever they can. Bill can often be found in the shop accompanying Krista or alone just dropping by to take care of something we mentioned in passing. What a guy!

Bill has retrieved and installed lighting fixture, fixed locks and doors, picked up lunch, set up our new coffee station, moved fixtures and furniture and everything else you can think of. And he does it all because he can and he wants to help. I don't think we can thank him enough.

The other day, Bill was in the shop and someone asked, "Are You Steve?" He answered "No." Next question, "Are you Not Steve?" To this, he answered "No, I'm Bill." So, if you see a good-looking, tall, young, and helpful man in the shop, ask "Are you Bill?"

On Sunday, a gi-normous magic pumpkin appeared on the Knitwits patio, bearing the message "Happy Halloween". Janet and I are not really fans of Halloween but the pumpkin changed our tune. The Great Pumpkin was a gift from Bill and we love it!

To Steve. Steve, Steve, Not Steve, Bill and everyone else who puts up with us, thank you-the shop wouldn't run without you and our lives wouldn't be as full. XOXOXO.

The Office Computer Meltsdown

2009-10-18T07:08:00.006-04:00

Well, it happened again-the office computer has joined "Lappie" in ole computer Heaven. We came in on Tuesday and found the office computer unresponsive and without a glimmer of life. Pandora Steve tried to resuscitate it with CPU CPR but we were unable to save it.

You would think that after the motherboard meltdown of my laptop last month, we would have taken the precautions of backing up important stuff and saving all of our files and folders onto disks...but no..we didn't! That task was on my ever growing "To Do Someday When I Get Around To It List". For the most part, the only important things on the computer were the Knitwits mailing list and our library of patterns.

Without access to the current mailing list, we were unable to send out a weekly e-mail. I have a new mailing list in the works so we'll make next week's e-mail specials extra extra special. Hopefully, our new computer will have arrived and we'll be able to figure out how to use it.

Being technologically challenged makes dealing with anything computer related very difficult. When trying to decide what computer to buy to replace our old workhorse, Janet and I first selected a Dell Inspiron that came in great designer colors-we liked Tangerine.

Well, we were told that buying a computer because they looked fun wasn't always the best way to go and we would have to wait too long to get it. So, we decided to go cheap and "down and dirty"- our new HP desktop has no bells, whistles and no designer colors.

Next, the task of retrieving our mailing list was painfully agonizing. We knew we had it stored somewhere in cyberspace-but where? Our provider had no record of any on-line back up service. I scoured every piece of paper, statement and bulletin board full of notes for clues as to it's whereabouts. Nothing! Comair Steve had taken care of this and he was unavailable.

Our new POS system keeps customer names and -mail addresses, so I figured that would be the place to start building our new mailing list. But, how do you get all 1000 names and addresses into your e-mail address book? Well, trust me--importing, exporting, sorting, templating and trying to understand what "as easy as 1-2-3" instructions ain't easy!

We may have lost a few names and current e-mail addresses, but I think we're well on our way to having a new mailing list. If we pester you for your name and e-mail address over and over again, please bear with us. If you don't get our e-mails, please let us know. If you get a bunch of the same e-mails, I'm testing the new e-mail system and again-please bear with us. We're Knitwits!

Being a techno-geek, computer nerd is too hard and not fun, I'm looking forward to getting my life as a knitter/sky waitress/blogger back.

Cocoon

2009-10-14T21:07:00.004-04:00

Last week, I blabbed about Misti Alpaca Yarn. This week, the feature yarn is Rowan Cocoon. Cocoon is a gorgeous blend of 80% wool and 20% mohair that knits up beautifully on a #10 or #10.5 (3.5-4 st./inch). It is my favorite bulky yarn ever! It is incredibly soft and quick-knitting and it is perfect for sweaters, afghans, scarves, hats and you name it! After working with Hacho and size #3 needles, I feel like I'm knitting at the speed of light.

Ultra-soft merino and a subtle twist of slightly fuzzy kid mohair lends uniqueness to Cocoon and the color palette is to die for! With lovely names like Emerald, Polar, Quarry Tile, Cloud and Shale-it's hard to pick just one. There is a whole book of Cocoon projects and plenty of other Rowan patterns to pick from or gather great ideas and inspiration. Each ball 100g ball has 126 yards of loveliness and costs $16.25.

Mary Jo Rose and I decided to knit a sweater together. This is going to be Mary Jo's second sweater and we wanted an easy, quick knit, fun and fashionable sweater that would become a Fall favorite. We chose to knit Lyra from the Rowan Cocoon Collection Book (picture above). It can be made with a round or V-neck---I haven't decided which one I'm going to do but I'm doing mine in Emerald, a deep, rich, Christmas green with silver gray highlights. My size calls for 6 balls.

This morning, I sat down with a cup of coffee and cast on 29 stitches for the sleeve. Five minutes and a half-a-cup of coffee later, I had the 4 rows of ribbing done. Next thing I knew, I had 3 inches of sleeve done---and it was on gauge--I measured! Sue taught me the trick that if you start with the sleeve, you can knit and swatch at the same time. (I think she was trying to trick me into swatching). In short, I just can't stop knitting with my Rowan Cocoon!

Sorry, Mary Jo--I just couldn't wait to get started--I'm really excited about knitting with you and I had to get my needles test driving this yarn! I'll try to stop so you can catch up.

I give Rowan Cocoon 4 cups of coffee out of a possible five. I docked a cup for the price (although a 126 yd ball is quite generous.).

A Shot of Adrenaline

2009-10-13T07:26:00.008-04:00

I've been away from flying for a whole week now and it's been a little weird. I had big plans for getting all caught up with my ever growing to do list, getting my life in order, and getting some quality knitting time in. I finally made some progress on Saturday night after too many days of getting further behind. My apologies to those who witnessed the crabbiness.

The turnaround occurred on Saturday morning while I was talking on the phone to Janet's friend Matt. He is like a shot of adrenaline and his good energy is contagious. Matt is currently working on a big website launch as are we. He and his wife, Kate, had spent some time in the shop the day before (Friday). In our phone conversation, he talked about his shop experience and the little gem that we call Knitwits. His view of Knitwits was greatly different from mine and I realized that sometimes we get too caught up in the muck and mire of things to clearly see the bigger picture.

He soaked in and captured the essence of the shop during his wife's knitting lesson with Janet. He saw the caring and sharing of a craft that we want all to enjoy, he saw everyone (except Janet and me, Janet was teaching Kate and I was too crabby) helping others with yarn selection, solving knitting problems, finding pattern ideas, etc. - and we were the only two on the schedule. He saw a world of good and endless possibility and in one brief conversation he was able to get me back on track.

After the shop closed on Saturday, I went home to my new computer and banged out the layout for our new website. After struggling with the new website design for years, the muck and mire that had paralyzed us from doing anything for years was cleared and the ideas just poured out.
Boom Done! With that task completed, the weight of everything that had been bogging me down seemed to vanish-everything seemed clearer.

When my old computer (piece of #$@*) went down, Laura and Laura's husband, Pandora Steve and "Not Steve", were in the right place at the right time. Belinda and Steve always have good timing. Having Matt and Kate showing up was a true blessing. Now, if only a little cleaning fairy would show up and get the rest of my life in order, I'd be able to get some quality knitting time in!

Misti Alpaca

2009-10-08T07:13:00.003-04:00

If you've been following this blog for a little while, you may remember the blabs about our meetings with the yarn reps this summer for the big fall buy. For you newcomers, here's what happened in a nutshell. We met with our reps, we placed orders, we cancelled our orders, we were told by Janet to "Land This Fish!, we went to TNNA, we regrouped, we re-ordered, and we "Landed the Fish!".

Well, the Fish has Landed and the Fall yarns are now on the shelves. Each and every one of them was selected, de-selected and then they made the final cut. They are the best of what we saw. One line in particular really excited us, Misti Alpaca. We selected Hand Painted Chunky and Hand Painted sock.

Our favorite Rep. Linda (sorry Kosher Cowboy) showed us this line. She pulled out rings of the most beautiful colorways we have ever seen-we wanted them all and we wanted the rings for display. The handpainted sock was shown to us on a ring of tiny knit socks in every colorway imaginable. What a presentation! We loved the intense colors, the feel of the yarn and the warmth properties of the alpaca.

Misti Alpaca is a family-run company that was founded in 2003 and imports the finest alpaca yarn directly from Peru for the enjoyment of the North American knitter.

Here's their story. Eighty years ago the peasants who lived in remote Andean villages did not have a market for their wool and alpaca fiber. So grandfather Alberto started to buy the fiber and to look for markets in local cities. The annual sale of alpaca fiber and wool represented a large portion of peasant's income. Many of them didn't want to receive money for their precious fiber. They would rather barter for supplies such as charki (a special kind of dry meat), chuńo (freeze dried potatoes), salt, oil, coca leaves, etc. This barter system was so common that Alberto opened a grocery store in Nunoa to barter supplies for alpaca fiber.

Today the family remains linked to the alpaca industry in all its stages from raising alpacas to processing and marketing the alpaca yarn.

Their website www.mistialpaca.com has a lot more history and information as well as a slew of free patterns.

Big Sigh of Relief

2009-10-06T08:51:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was a good day. I finished those darn Christmas stockings and I passed Recurrent Ground School! I can fly for another year and I no longer have to those stockings hanging out in my "TO KNIT" basket. I can now officially enjoy some time off.

With the big stuff (stockings, ground school and computer meltdown) out of the way, I can start knitting some fun stuff. Sure, I still have some ufo's spilling over my "To Knit" basket and an overflowing "To Do" basket of paperwork, but I really need to start knitting something new. First in line is the Jane Austen dress from Mason Dixon Knitting Outside The Lines. I'm going to do it in Mirasol Hacho. Cathy Michael made one for the "non-sock" sock yarn knitting project last year-it is adorable.
Janet has already wound the yarn and it's waiting for me on the desk. I can't wait to get it on my needles. I see this one knitting up quickly-the sewing may be another story!

I'm planning some new blog ideas including a Yarn of the Week. This week 'll blab about Misti Alpaca. We carry the Hand-paint chunky and sock. Also in the works is a Gift Registry. With Christmas just around the corner, this should help me get the Jordana Paige knitting bag instead of the Roomba.

Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted!

Awwwwwwwww....Some Time OFF

2009-10-03T07:17:00.002-04:00

I'm back and looking forward to a long stretch of days off! I have recurrent ground school on Monday, but after that I have two and a half weeks off. I'll probably pick up some flying to pay for my new MacBook, but it's flying by choice (very different from flying the regular schedule).

Wow, Fall has blown in quickly and without transition from summer to fall. I don't quite know how to dress myself-I'm not ready to give up the flip flops and sandals. Be prepared for some interesting get ups while I figure it out.

Once I get Ground School wrapped up, I'll be ready to get my knit back on. Ground School is an annual event for flight attendants. We review policies and procedures, aircraft equipment, CPR and first aid, HazMat, Security issues, blah blah blah, get tested on our knowledge and perform aircraft evacuations. If you pass all tests and you can stay for another year. I don't want to know what happens if you fail. Wish me luck!

I'm still knitting those (darn) Christmas stockings. For a knitter with a bad case of "single sock syndrome", completing 3 Christmas stockings is really a stretch. I have 1 done, 2 done down to the heel and I just need to put my head down, avoid temptation to work on fun stuff, and finish up! All of the new Fall yarns are just waiting for a test drive-must be disciplined and patient.

I can't wait to see you all. Working weekends at the shop, I get to see some of you but I miss out on Sweater Clubber, Lunch Bunchers and Kid's Clubbers and a slew of others. Come by and encourage my to finish up my Christmas stockings and assorted other ufo's. I'm also planning to do a little Malabrigo Loafer Workshop while I'm off. If your interested let me know.

Knitwits, where friends are made and you can kill time like nobody's business.
Happy 16th Birthday Nathan Hatton!

Mornin'

2009-09-29T08:17:00.003-04:00

Mornin' y'all! I just pack my bag for another 4-day trip. My time off flew by! When I get back in town, we need to have someone slow down the clock-I'm not nearly ready to flip the calendar page to October. Although, we did manage to get the October staffing schedule done.

Two of my three days off were spent at Knitwits. Yesterday was spent with 2 hours of shop errands and a four hour lunch with Janet discussing the shop. I did managed to get some home repair done thanks to Not Steve. I came home from my last trip to discover a pool of water on my bathroom floor. Not Steve managed to disassemble the toilet (I didn't realize that they came apart), replace the innards and wax ring, remove rust, de-gunk the mystery crud and put it all back together (I watched). He also hung an Addison Mac light fixture in my kitchen and put a dimmer switch on my dining room chandelier. What a Guy-he lights up my life and does plumbing!

As I watch him bring in tools, gidgets and gadgets, I realized that his "stuff" was to him as my knitting stuff is to me. The big screwdriver and the little screwdriver were like #10.5 and #7 needles. Same tool, different use. Does that make Home Depot the LYS of "Not" Steve?

Speaking of the Steve's. They've been a little scarce around the shop. Hope you're all well and just too busy to pop-in. Maybe, they're hangin' in Home Depot!

My last blog entry triggered a few comments from the "Mean" Girls group. To clarify, they are not mean and they don't talk about others, they are our Cookie A. Sock knitters and they pride themselves on their high standards of yarn selection, pattern choice, needles, notions and craftsmanship. The "Mean" girls are actually just the opposite, they are loyal, loving and funnier than all get out!

See you on Saturday!

Great Weekend at Knitwits

2009-09-27T22:47:00.003-04:00

It sure is nice being back in the 41017! After four days of flying, nothing beats your own bed, a washer and dryer, your familiar shower and full-size bottles of shampoo. There is no place like home!

This weekend, there was no place like Knitwits!
The Scarf It Up Brunch was a BIG success. I had to man the shop so I missed the fun, food, lively conversation and prizes. Everyone came into the shop after the event to give me the details-so I didn't miss out on the friendship. After the bustle of the Brunch crowd, the Everyway Wrap Crowd came in for the first KAL (Knit-A-Long) session. The next meeting may be BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) as every seat in the house was taken. The star of the KAL was Laura's Jordana Paige Knitting Bag. We passed it around, ogled and awed, and picked styles and colors for our "Wish Lists". It holds an amazing amount of knitter's treasures, is well organized...and best of all...it looks like a fashionable purse! Gotta have one!

Today was a good day at the shop. It was Christmas Knitting day and with the cooler temperature outside, it really made me think about Winter. I hate that I don't enjoy the fall because I'm dreading winter so much! Our ball winder got a good workout today-lots of Malabrigo, kool-aid dyed yarn, and Misti Alpaca. The new fall yarns are going out as quickly as they came in-why do most of them need to be wound?

It's time to finish knitting those sweaters and socks. Sweater weather is here! Dust off the boots and don the handknit socks (or...sock in my case).

This week promises to be just as activity-filled as this past weekend with crochet classes, lunch at the Alpaca Farm on Thursday, Kid's Club, Sweater and Sock Club, and "Mean Girls Knitting" (that's what the Cookie A. Sock Knitters call themselves because they talk about you if you don't attend). There's something for everyone and the coffee is free!

Come Buy! The Fish has Landed!

Jordana Paige

2009-09-24T05:57:00.004-04:00

The other day, my mother called and asked me what I wanted for Christmas. She asked if I would like a Roomba, the thing that looks like a gigantic, out of control, yoyo that aimlessly vacuums your house while your away. I said I would think about it.

My mother must have something to worry herself sick about in order to be happy. She usually worries about her dog, Ruby, or my brother and his family. Ruby must be fine. Good. And my brother, his wife, and my two nephews must be over the H1N1 virus, that was last week's Hot Topic. For her to be worrying about Christmas, is a good sign that she needs to be making stuff up to worry about!!

A roomba may be a nice thing to have but I picture coming back from a four day trip and finding that my roomba has choked to death trying to digest yarn, dust balls and some of the unfinished knitting that lays around the floor like an obstacle course. Thanks mom, but I'll stick to Ole School and let the cleaning lady (me) use the upright vacuum cleaner.

What I really want for Christmas is a Jordana Paige Knitting Bag! Laura Fant has one and I drool and covet it everytime I see it. Jordana Paige Knitting Bags are stylish, functional, hip, to die for cute PURSES that just happen to have cool knitting features and plenty of room for projects. Check out the web site! (If you click the underlined Jordana Paige, it will take you there. But finish reading the blog first.) They retail for under $90, so they're cheaper and better looking than most of my purses! Perfect! I want the Black Onyx Rio Bag.

Here's the problem. I did some research on getting them for the shop. Their minimum order is pretty big, so we can't justify bringing a bunch in just so I can have a great Christmas present for my mom to get me. Here's the solution. If enough of us want a Jordana Paige Knitting Bag for Christmas, we can place an opening order that meets our minimum and have them in time for Holiday Knitting season. If we have enough special orders, we may be able to offer a Knitwits Super Introductory Special Order Pre-Pay Offer Discount! We all win--I get my bag, you get your bag and our bag gifters get a discount! If you're interested, let us know at the shop.

Please.... don't make me get a Roomba!
http://www.jordanapaige.com

Whew! Whoa! and Wow!

2009-09-22T08:09:00.006-04:00

Whew! Escaped the Motherboard Meltdown with minor bumps and bruises and I'm now cruising right along on my new MacBook! The new MacBook allows you to run Windows so I can do everything I used to do on "Lappie" with the cooler, smoother, easier, faster Apple operating system. I'm really diggin' the new laptop that the staff has named "Mackie". With the important data retrieved from the brains of "Lappie", I just need to reconcile some accounts and we're back on track!

Whoa! With the cooler nights, I can really feel summer coming to a close. I will not let Fall pass me by! We're going to kick off Fall with the Scarf It Up Brunch on Saturday. The prizes are AMAZING-diamond necklaces, designer handbags, $100, good food, good friends, good cause! Please try to attend. For me, knitting is a year round sport. For many, Fall officially starts the knitting season. Most of the Fall yarns and projects are now in the shop and they are going quickly!

Please take a few minutes (or hours) to backup your important stuff on your computers (call Pandora Steve for advise) and have projects lined up and be ready should H1N1, Beechwood Stomach Flu, computer virus or some other funk hit. You'll be really glad you did.

Wow! Jill finished knitting her Malabrigo Everyday Wrap (all but putting on the buttons) and it is a work of Art. She was struck by the Beechwood Stomach flu yesterday and had to miss Sock Club last night. Elizabeth's Beaded Bracelet Class at Janet's house was a really nice event. With enough interest in doing it or something like it again, we'll set it up! Kool Aid Yarn dye-ing was really fun or all ages- in fact Aiden's (age 5) yarn might just be my favorite.

All of these shop activities and events are a great way to meet fellow yarnies and expand your yarnie worlds. The conversation is always enjoyable, the laughs are free and the end results are priceless.

I'm off on yet another 4-day trip and will return to the shop on Saturday. I'm taking Mackie, a suitcase full of paperwork, and those darn Christmas stockings. Let's hope I can get something done!

Aaaah haaah! The Conclusion

2009-09-18T23:17:00.003-04:00

It's been a long ride but I'm going to try to wrap it all up in a tidy little summary for you.

We take our computers for granted. We assume that they'll do what we want, when we want them to. But when they don't, they become our own worst enemies. Our computers know everything about us - our social security numbers, our finances, our account numbers, our passwords, our music tastes, addresses and phone numbers of family and friends, our photo history and so much more. They are capable of so much more than I am even able to comprehend. Yet, when our trusted computer goes kaput, life still goes on- the shop still opens, the banks still bank, my friends are still my friends and pen and paper still exist!

Laura explained to me that for her husband, Chris, computers are his knitting. I guess that it is the same for Pandora Steve and "Not Steve", they get IT. I'll stick to knitting but I'll be much more diligent with computer maintenance and management.

Back up the important stuff, do it often and leave a paper trail just in case! Computers can be repaired or in my case, replaced.

What can't be replaced or repaid are the people who rallied around me during the Motherboard Meltdown. No purse-no problem, Janet to the rescue. No truck-Steve of Belinda and Steve to the rescue. No idea about what's wrong with Lappie-Laura, Aiden and Chris to the rescue. Not enough muscles-Steve and "Not Steve" to the rescue. No tools and no electrical know-how-Bill and Krista Lahner to the rescue. No food, no IT, no clue.....on and on...at every turn there were people offering an assisting hand. How am I so blessed?

A wise friend described Knitwits as a "Vortex", a place where people, places and things merge together. It is within the walls of Knitwits - the Vortex-that something magical happens. He says, "Magic is not to be explained or understood--it is just to be enjoyed."

This post is written from my new Mac book and it is a heartfelt thanks to all for getting me through a week of technical difficulty.

Technical Difficulty-Part III My Peeps to the Rescue

2009-09-17T19:44:00.002-04:00

Sunday Night. With my computer off for advanced diagnostics, I waited anxiously be my iphone for some news from Chris, Laura's husband. No news is good news, right?

Without a computer, I had no access to my patterns, my on-line banking , Facebook, Knitwits record keeping, and my life as I knew it. Time seemed to crawl at a snails pace. No news from Chris so off to bed for some quality tossing and turning, teeth grinding and night sweats.

Monday Morning. "Not Steve" called and told me that he was putting his day on hold to take me for a picnic lunch and computer shopping (if needed). Janet called to let me know that she and Steve (of Belinda & Steve) were taking Steve's truck to Addison Mac to retrieve our stuff. She would call if they needed my muscles. Well, "the call" came a few minutes later--so off I went to meet them at the shop. Just as I was about to roll up my sleeves for some heavy lifting, "Not Steve" called and to say he was in the 41017 and driving down Buttermilk Pike. His timing couldn't have been more perfect! Two thugs and a truck-just what Janet and I had wished for!

In typical women's fashion, we had no idea where to put the new large furniture acquisitions-we just knew that we hoped that the new pieces would give Knitwits the grace, elegance and style that we had admired about Addison Mac. Somehow, redecorated happened fairly quickly and everything fell into place. Thanks for your patience and brawn Steve and Not Steve.

Janet went off to a mammogram (the fun never ends for her), Steve went off to do Steve stuff and "Not Steve" and I went our own way. Our first stop, coffee! Ordered coffee, decided to have lunch instead, returned coffee, went to Sweet Basil for lunch. I had never returned a cup of coffee before, but the barista was cool with it.

During lunch, news from Laura sprang up on my iphone. DOA- no chance of revival, no how, no way. Instead of mourning the loss of Lappie, I tried to get excited about a new computer. "Not Steve" is an Apple kind of guy. Comair Steve has been crabbing at me for years about getting an Apple. Janet and Sarah, Apple people! Did they all know something I needed to know? After lunch, it would be off to Ohio and the Apple Store.

The Apple Store for "Not Steve" is like a yarn shop for me, full of endless possibility, want and desire. Since I just don't get IT, he promised to do all of the talking and translate computer speak into non-IT talk. I promised to stay focused and not have my eyes glaze over when they spoke Megs, Ram, Intel, blah blah blah. Just tell me how much and where to sign!

Boom Done. My head hurt a little bit, but we left with a cute little computer box and a bag of discs and dats-"Not Steve" knew what all of it was and what it did. Yay!

The Wingate in Jacksonville doesn't have a 15 minute time limit like the Courtyard by Marriot in Kansas City, but the light switch is on a timer that goes off every 5 minutes. Can you say annoying!

I'll wrap up this little tale of woe and conquest when I get home tommorrow night! Stay tuned for the stunning conclusion.

Not Kool!!!-Part II of Technical Difficulty

2009-09-16T17:04:00.003-04:00

The non-responsive laptop computer situation had left me incredibly sad- inconsolable in fact. Even knitting did not bring me peace. (The pattern I needed for my most current knitting project (Heirloom Christmas Stockings) was saved on my computer and no where else!)

I arose early on Sunday morning and ran straight to the unresponsive laptop. I was hoping that it was "just a baaaaad dream", that Lappie would have magically repaired itself after a good night's rest. No such luck.

Sunday was Yarn Dyeing with Kool-Aid Day at Knitwits, and I knew it was going to be busy and hectic. I wouldn't have anytime to deal with my unresponsive laptop. This was Not Kool!

I talked to "Not Steve" and he recommended going to the Geek Squad to get a quick diagnosis. I also called Little/Pandora Steve on his day off. No answer. I pleaded for him to call me back as soon as possible. I thought about calling Comair /Mac Steve but I knew he would be at Church . Will call him later. I wanted to Google Best Buy to find out what time they open-can't Google-no computer! Not Kool!

I sat in the Best Buy parking lot for 20 minutes, waiting for the store to open. FYI, they open at 11:00 on Sundays. I was third in line for the Geek Squad. At 11:00 am on Sunday's, the only people in line for the Geek Squad are the truly desperate. The people further back in line would have paid good money for my place in line, but I too was very desperate! Come on Geeks-a little less chit chat with #1 and #2 in line and get to me!

Was it the power cord or was Lappie suffering from something far more serious. Please, please, please--just tell me that I needed a new power cord!

What???? The power cord works fine? How can that be? If it's not the power cord, is my ON button stuck? Oh???? Motherboard????It that important? Yes???
After that.....It was all a blurrr!!!

I went to the shop. I bought Kool Aid-lots of it. I held back the tears and told my tale of woe to anyone and everyone. Luckily, Laura and Aiden came in to dye yarn. Laura looked at me with compassion and a glint in her eye and asked, "Do you know what my husband does?"
"He is the Computer Whisperer, he makes dead and sick computers well."

We wrapped Lappie in his power cord and sent him home with Laura and Aiden.

Stay tuned for Part III.
My fifteen minutes is up again.

Technical Difficulty-Part I of III

2009-09-16T10:58:00.004-04:00

Where do I even start? Since the last blog entry on Saturday morning soooooo much has happened!

I hit the ground running as planned but I opened the shop and RAN over to Addison Mac for the Big 70% off plus sale. Everything was for sale!--the display pieces, the cash desks, the lighting fixtures, my favorite underpants and Spanx, clothing, jewelry and teacups. What a day to forget my purse!

The Knitwits was unusually busy, but Janet promised to come to my rescue with money and a vehicle as soon as the crowd thinned out. When she did finally arrive, we decided to pick up a few more things for Knitwits and personal use. We would now need a truck and a few thug-type guys with electrical knowledge, tools and a ladder.

Back to work and the energy level kicked up a notch or two because we had lost 2-3 hours of valuable time shopping for things we didn't know we needed. Steve of "Belinda and Steve", stopped in just in the nick of time with Pee Wee Burgers, Onion Rings and Potato Skins. He was overdressed for "Thuggery", so he went home to change.

In the meantime, Krista and her husband, Bill, stopped in as if a gift from above. We told them of the shopping trip and our need for "Two Thugs and a Truck". Bill offered to go to Addison Mac and look at what tools would do needed to disassemble our new lighting fixtures.

An hour later, they return with our lighting fixtures in hand. Krista and Bill are the young, hip members of the "Knitwits Family". Love Them.

Around 4:00, Steve of "Belinda and Steve" returned dressed as a thug and holding hot fudge sundaes. It is truly amazing how that man can sense our hunger levels and cravings. It amazing that in the 41017 you can shop, buy, and dine well without a purse.

Somehow between shopping and eating, we had managed to ring up quite a few sales at Knitwits during the day. When Janet and I pressed the "End of Day" button on the cash register, our jaws dropped when the day's take tallied up and then we pretended that we knew exactly what had transpired during the day.

Since nothing on my action plan was accomplished during the day, I went home with the portable office and plans to bang out a crazy amount of work that evening. Got home, went to turn on Laptop computer and ........NOTHING. No blinky light, no whrrrrrrr, no nothing.

May Day! Control+Alt+Del! Something! Nothing! How can this be? I need to bang out a crazy amount of work and I need to put in my October Bid, check e-mail, blog, pay bills, Facebook! Control+Alt+Del! Nothing! No lights-anywhere, anyhow. My life as I knew it was over!

End Par I
Fifteen minute time limit on Marriott Courtyard Public Computer.
Stay Tuned!

Hit the Ground Running

2009-09-12T07:28:00.003-04:00

I'm back from my last trip and ready to hit the ground running. Well, sort of. I did take most of yesterday as a day off. I finished flying fairly early yesterday and planned to head to the shop but I selfishly spent the rest of the day just enjoying the day with non-shop related activities. (Thanks "Not Steve".)

Lots happened while I was away, and there is plenty of activity planned for the shop this week.

My telephone updates and text messages keep me posted of most of the stuff I miss, but the inbox and the POS system are the true measures of the shop's activities while I'm away. I'm anxious to see the new Madelinetosh sock yarn and other goodies that arrived in my absence and I'm bracing myself to tackle the inbox, emails, phone messages, invoices, to-do pile and miscellaneous notes that will need to be deciphered and dealt with.

My plan is the go to the shop a little early, make coffee and clear off some desk space. From there, the day is unclear and the course of activity unknown. I see coffee (lots), a trip to the scary basement, and coddling of Tosh Sock somewhere in my day. I also see a whirlwind of activity in preparing for tomorrow's sock dyeing event. How can we misplace the squirt bottles every time we use them?

After a much needed day off, I'm ready for a few days of Knitwitting! I'm mentally prepared for what ever comes our way and I'm looking forward to catching up with Janet, the Gang, the Steves and Belinda and everyone else that ventures into the shop.

Come buy!

Mini Panick Attack!

2009-09-10T05:53:00.001-04:00

This summer is one big blur. Where did it go? How did we get to September-my Daytimer (my personal organization system of choice) is still bookmarked on May.

My last lucid memories date back to the Spring. I remember this Spring pretty clearly with the setting up of the POS System, the double ringing at the cash register, adding Peaches & Cream to the yarn line up, Sheryl having a normal looking finger and adopting my Godcat, Grace and the birth of this Blog!

Mini Panick Attack! How did it get to be SEPTEMBER? What happened? I never even made it to the pool- it opened and closed before I even got bikini ready.

My Friends, the answer to the question of "Where did my summer go?" is this.... "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines." My summer has been ruined by "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines." It is almost like the powers that be at Comair got "The Look!" Everytime I reported to work, I would find out that someone had moved everything in our galley, changed all of the snack and drink options, turned us into vending machines and wanted us to do so much more with so much less.

Even with the "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines", I think the passengers still know that they are flying on Comair Regional Jets. The First Class meals and stemware aren't fooling them into thinking that Delta, Northwest and all of the Delta/Northwest Connection carriers are now operating as one seamless company.

The snack options now stocked on board include: peanuts, mini pretzels, Biscoff cookies, pretzel chips or Sunchips, apples, bananas, twix bars, Pringles Potato Chips, Peanut M&Ms, Planters Trail Mix, Snack Box with Healthy Snack and deck of cards, Snack Box with Un-Healthy Snack and on random flights on the CRJ900 Full Meals complete with china, silverware and stemware. With all of this extra stuff in our galley, I have no place to store my knitting bag! I have no time to knit and more importantly, my head is spinning and I don't have the mental energy to knit!

This week is bidding week, when you enter your next month's schedule requests. I think I'm going to go "Ole School" and bid for the 50-seat trips, with no JFK, ORD, EWR and PHL and NO "Enhanced Passenger Service Guidelines."

I need to spend as much time as possible in the 41017, and in the calm, relaxing, stress-free Eden called Knitwits!

Labor Day

2009-09-07T06:43:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure I get the true meaning of Labor Day except that it gives us a good reason to close the shop for an extra day. The "extra day" for me really meant more work because I got "The Look" and felt the need to totally revamp Knitwits.

Today (Labor Day), I am going to work at home on Knitwits paperwork, bookkeeping, ordering and other tedious, time consuming activities. But, I don't view this as "labor"-I do this because I want to do this. This is the stuff that makes Knitwits maintain our well-oiled machine efficiency (don't laugh). Knitwits and knitting are Labours of Love. We don't HAVE to do it, we WANT to do it!

According to the Department of Labor, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

So today, raise your knitting needles, enjoy the company of family and friends, eat way too much, and rejoice in a Monday away from the office!

Change is in the Air!

2009-09-05T23:06:00.005-04:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year-sweater weather, Cuddl Duds and layers of knitted goods from head to toe. With the thoughts of fall dressing just around the corner, I've made my must knit list of projects to add to my cue. Most of the inspiration comes from Rowan Magazine Number 46. The magazine and the Rowan yarns arrived yesterday and today we put them front and center in the store.

With each new arrival, we have to make room on the shelves--it's a lot like playing chess with someone who doesn't know how to play. The staff cringes when I get that look in my eyes that says, "Move or get moved." It begins with clearing off one shelf and quickly turns into a massive mission of destruction, disruption and rearranging. The goal in rearranging the shop is to leave nothing in its original place. I can't ask for assistance because I have no idea or plan for what is about to transpire. It just happens. Here's how it generally goes:

Step one. Get "The Look", the look that says big changes are about to happen. The staff and most customers know that this means stay clear of Junko. I tried to suppress "The Look" until Sunday when the shop is closed for 2 days for Labor Day, but I couldn't help myself.

Step Two. Remove anything and everything that can be removed. Place all clutter in office even though there is not space in office for one more thing.

Step Three. Move largest fixture to furthest point in room. Why is this always part of the plan? Where does a 5' 100 lb. female in high heels find the strength and dexterity to do this with little or no assistance?

Step Four. Go to garage to find a cutie pie fixture or display piece. Take phone in the event of something baaaaaaad down there and a buddy for support. Return empty handed and glad to be alive.

Step Five. Wash and sanitize all exposed skin.

Step Six. Create challenging obstacle course from entryway to office, back through front room and finish in classroom. Be sure to block access to bathroom and cash register.

Step Seven. Snack. All of this activity makes a girl hungry.

Step Eight. Stack as many books, magazines and balls of yarn on tables as possible. This is necessary to make insure that no one else can get anything done either.

Step Nine. Get too tired and too cranky to think. Pray that a "Steve" will show up.

Step Ten. Quitting time. Close up shop and hope that magic fairies (or a Steve) will appear and clean up mess!

Well, I have two days to get the shop back in working order or at least in some semblance of order. Miracles do happen and I've seen them happen at Knitwits!

Proper Fit

2009-09-03T09:57:00.006-04:00

Okay, those of you who know me at all know that I'm far too impatient to knit a gauge swatch. I so admire Sue for her diligence, patience and disciplined knitting technique, but it just isn't me. I watched Sue knit swatch after swatch for her Silky Wool Summer Cardigan. She swatched gauge, color ways, more colorways, different needle sizes..on and on.. I could have had the sweater half-way knitted, started five other projects, and dreamed of ten more projects to add to the cue by the time she finished swatching.

But, Sue's labour of love created the most stunning, "To Die For" Silky Wool Cardigan with perfect fit! I have four knitting bags full of unfinished objects.

Jill has championed the Everyday Wrap Knit-a-Long with great gusto. The response is somewhat overwhelming. Her wrap is being knit in a jewel-tone blue Malabrigo on a size #8 needle and she has almost a foot of loveliness completed. Elizabeth is also knitting her wrap with Malabrigo but she is using a size 10-1/2 needle. Same yarn, same pattern but different hands.

The point of all of this is that patterns, planning (or lack of planning), gauge, swatching (or lack of swatching), and needle size do matter but it is the desire to knit something badly enough that you make it work and fit the way you want it to. The pattern is just a blue print to be used as a guide. You make it your own by choosing the yarn, the needles and altering the pattern along the way. (Sue is probably cringing.)

It may take a few attempts and a bit of patience to get it right but Knitwits is there to help and encourage you along the way!

Too Much On My Plate!

2009-09-01T21:12:00.004-04:00

Okay Janice and "Not Steve", you guys may have won the last few rounds of Food Wars but I have a restaurant in Des Moines named after me! So there, top that!

Today, Janet and I were working in the office and we became overwhelmed by everything we had going on. I put my head down on the desk and Janet said "I Quit" and threw her hands up in the air in defeat.
Then we laughed,...regained our composure and we made lists of everything we had going on.

Here's my list:

Flight Attendant
Do Knitwits Stuff
Write Knitwits Book
Wine Rep. for Engine House #24
Launch Big $ Idea-So Super Secret I haven't even told Janet about this
Design New Web Site
Get a Life
Schedule Implant Surgery
Call Mom
Knit 3 Christmas Stockings for customer

How will I get all of this done? Have I bit off a little too much?

Good thing we have "Our People". Being such busy executives, we need our people and we have surrounded ourselves with a top notch staff and a great bunch of caring, capable, and giving Steves.

Maintenance Steve delivered lunch just in the nick of time. The Pee Wee Burgers and onion rings saved us from starvation and were a welcomed relief from a diet of pretzels and animal crackers. After the lunch drop, he then went over to my condo and shampooed my carpets. He is the Best! Eating and carpet cleaning weren't even on my action plan. Little Steve/Pandora Steve saved my day by fixing some computer glitches that had been tripping me up in my Knitwits duties and he's helping us design our much needed new web site. Check and check-things now moving forward. Towards the end of the work day, Comair Steve and his family showed up for a visit. He added a number of friends to my Facebook account and downloaded all of the critical updates on my computer. Again, not on the action plan but greatly appreciated! "Not Steve" had left some Newton Claret Red Wine for 5:00 refreshment. It paired well with our Hot Fudge Sundaes and we considered this research for our new career as wine reps for Engine House #24 Winery. We have Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as our territory. "Not Steve" is also assisting me with my Super Secret Million Dollar Money Making Project.

Items #7-10, I'll just have to deal with on my own! Would it be wrong to have a "Steve" call my mother?

Without the support of all of you loyal blog followers and our many Steve's, we couldn't and wouldn't do it all. You make us better Knitwits and you help me "Get a Life!"

Coffee, Tea or Malabrigo?

2009-08-31T23:08:00.004-04:00

I'm back after flying around for four days in crazy weather, dealing with aircraft mechanical delays and ground hold delays, crazy passengers and pets (read on), and way too many airport meals. Why? Why do I do it?

The truth is that I love being a flight attendant as much as I love being a Knitwit! If I didn't love it, I would still be doing it. My usual job retention span is around 5 years....12 years is by far the record. I may hem and haw about being away so much but in reality I only work four days a week, I don't really work that hard when I am working and I usually get to pick where and when I go. It is not so much about the serving drinks and snacks, blabbing into a interphone speaker-thing or proudly wearing the wings that I enjoy, it is the people that I meet, the places that I explore, and the quality knitting time. I am truly blessed for having two jobs that I enjoy so much.

I usually blog about the weird and unbelievable stuff that happens while I'm flying. I like to share my Comair misfortunes and adventures because it seems to make the shop more sane ...plus it's far more fun to crab about the dark stuff.

A fellow flight attendant friend was telling me about his last trip (yes, my fellow flight attendant friend is a fellow and his name is "Not Steve"). He had the good fortune to have a nearly perfect trip. He had a great crew, great layovers and as a team they formed life-long friendships and memories throughout the course of their trip. The highlights included a pet fox escaping in the cabin and a 30-hour layover in Philadelphia complete with a city-wide search for the best Philadelphia Cheesesteak. Okay, "Not Steve" wins this week's food wars! So there, Janice!

The point of all of this is that like knitter's, flight attendants all have a story of their own. We all have different reasons for being a flight attendant and we all have different backgrounds. Next time you're on a plane, put your knitting needles down, look beyond the uniform and ask your flight attendant what they like to do on their time off. The answers will always be interesting and will give you a better insight into who they really are. If they're knitters, they'll tell you where to find the best yarn shops at your final destination!

Wheels Up and Yarn to the Needles!

Where Friends are Made

2009-08-26T22:13:00.005-04:00

I had lived in Crescent Springs for six years before I had any friends here. I had lots of acquaintances but no one that I would call a true friend. Most of my free time was spent out of town traveling and visiting old friends, family and yarn shops...and knitting without purpose. All of that changed when I found Knitwits.

I often say that Kentucky didn't feel like home to me until I met Janet and her family. We knew we would be friends the minute we met each other. Since then, my knitting now has a purpose and my circle of friends has grown by leaps and bounds and most of these friendships started at Knitwits.

Yesterday, Janet told me that I looked like "a used bridesmaid". From anyone else, I may have been slightly offended. But from Janet, it was extremely funny and somewhat true. Perhaps the lace dress, puffy flower pin and gold sandals were a bit much. Only a true friend would correct your poor fashion choices. (She admitted today that her first outfit of the day was slightly bridesmaid-ish in keeping with the theme-she did change into something else before showing up at the shop. I too stepped up game and went back to the usual little black dress.)

For me, Knitwits is so much more than a yarn shop. I laugh more in the shop than anywhere else, my face sometimes hurts from smiling so much, I witness more acts of genuine kindness from the staff and customers there and most of the time there is no place I'd rather be.

Knitwits is where Friends are Made and it really was voted "The Friendliest Yarn Shop in Town."

P.S. Don't tell anyone...but Janet, Sue, Kirsten (former employee), Tom (former employee) and I were the only ones that voted.

Enjoyment per Hour

2009-08-25T20:51:00.006-04:00

Night at the Movies

VS.

Be Sweet Mohair

With all of the new yarns coming into the shop, I feel like a kid in a candy store! The Be Sweet Loopy Mohair Wrap is calling my name. So is the Malabrigo Everyday Wrap. And the Sublime Wooly Merino Russian-looking Hat. Argh! How to decide?

I was on the phone today with TJ and we came up with a unique new way of justifying our yarn habit. It's based on enjoyment per hour. Here's how it works. If you go to the movies, you get roughly two hours, maybe two and a half hours of enjoyment pleasure for the ticket cost ($8.00) plus popcorn and a drink ($6.75) equals $14.75 or roughly $6.00/hr. One skein of $6.00 yarn will yield an evening or two of knitting pleasure or let's say 4 hours of pleasure or $1.50/hr. Its a no brainer-buy the yarn! You can't knit in the theater!

A $60.00 hank of "the most beautiful silk lace-weight yarn that you've ever seen" might sound expensive at the get go. But with our new cost per enjoyment ratio, $60 for 6 months of lace knitting is downright cheap! That's $10/mo. or $2.50 per week. Skip the Starbucks, Baby! It's that simple.

Young Steve from Pandora came over today to discuss our website or the lack of up-to-dateness of our current website. God Bless Him. Neither Janet nor I could find our notes and the office was such a mess that we had to move over to his office.

From his office next door, he gets to see all of the strange goings on at the shop. Last week he witnessed an impromptu haircut on the front porch. Today, he witnessed Big Steve (Maintenance Steve) delivering Hot Fudge Sundaes. I know he was thinking, "What kind of racket do they have going on over there?" Well Young Steve, it goes back to the enjoyment ratio. The laughs and coffee are free! Haircuts and refreshments are always appreciated but not required.

We love all of our loyal blog followers! Cost of Blog=PRICELESS!

Our Knitwits Book

2009-08-21T10:57:00.003-04:00

For a couple of years now, Janet and I have been talking about writing "Our Book". You all know "Our Book"...our New York Times Bestseller and know all, tell all, be all book of knitting and everything adorable or delicious. The book that is totally great and rolling around in our heads that just needs to be slapped down on paper. Our timeline was to have it slapped down by 010.

When one of our favorite customers mentioned that she was now working at F & W Publishing, we told her about our big book plans. She then told an editor at F &W about "Our Book". Yesterday, the editor e-mailed us with some interest in "Our Book". YIKES! Her e-mail mentioned things like areas of expertise, experience, percentage of patterns vs. content, etc. YIKES! Okay, "Our Book" that in rolling around in our heads may need just a little tweaking.

Experience? Sure, we have lots of that! We've read lots of books, we've bought lots of books, we've bought lots of books from F&W, I'm on a couple of book covers, I've edited a book, I have a Borders Rewards Card and a Barnes and Noble Corporate Discount Card. Janet is almost an audio book expert, and we think "Our Book" has vast audio book potential since it allows one to knit and read simultaneously...and last night a passenger told me that I have a great broadcasting voice-perfect for reading "Our Book". He said he could listen to me read the phonebook. (In retrospect, that's now kind of creepy).

Original Patterns? Sure, we have lots of them!

Knitwits Scarf Pattern

Go to Knitwits. Pick a yarn. Go up 2 or 3 needle sizes from the recommended needle size on the ball band. Pick a number between 10 and 20. Cast on that many stitches. Knit until almost out of yarn. Bind off loosely. Ta Da!

Knitwits Wrap Pattern

See Scarf Pattern but increase one stitch at beginning of each row. Change Ta Da to Voila!

See, we have the basics figured out and done....We just need to figure out the "Knitwits" part-the part that makes "Our Book" different from all of other knitting books. The part that describes what makes Knitwits more than just another LYS (Local Yarn Shop). The part that explains why Knitwits as our LYS of choice. The part that explains how we came to embrace knitting as a part of our everyday lives and Knitwits as part of our extended family.

I may have just answered my own questions. Perhaps the missing "Knitwits" part is the part that explains how being a Knitwit means inviting and welcoming all who have an interest in yarn to enjoy the many opportunities that open up when you associate with others who don't judge your skill level, budget, size/shape, abilities and disabilities, etc.

We all have our own stories about why Knitwits is our LYS of choice. For me, Knitwits is so much more than a LYS-it is the source of so many pleasures in my life. It is the place where I can give a little and receive so much more, a place where I can share my knowledge and learn so much more from others, and a place where laughter abounds and coffee flows. Knitwits is my idea of Eden.

Feel free to share your story with us. (We'll call it reseach and development.)

The Food Wars Continue

2009-08-18T08:36:00.004-04:00

I took a few days off from knitting. I few minor set backs had me put my needles down and regroup. I guess I've been too obsessed with Food Wars to concentrate on my knitting.

My lovely Ishbel was bound off too loosely and ruffled instead of laying flat so I had to put all 345 stitches back on the needles :(-binding off the second time is not as fun and is now downright laborious. My side cable pullover also went south-I didn't bring the right needles with me and tried to make due with a size 7 instead of an 8. Ripped out all the 7 stuff.

On Saturday, Janice calls me raving about the Walt Disney World Shortbread that Jill had brought to the shop for Cookie A. knitting. I was eating yet another Doubletree Chocolate Cookie. Janice wins round three!

Yesterday, Janice called to invite me to a Chicago Hot Dog Lunch. Being from Chicago, Janice knows her dogs! I am also a Hot Dog Gourmet, New York Style is my specialty, but I do enjoy a Chicago-style hot dog that I order saying "Drag it through the Garden" meaning with everything-tomatoes, cucumbers, relish, teenie tiny hot peppers, etc. I have to decline because I have an appointment with an Oral Surgeon. Hands down-Janice wins another round of food wars!

If I can't beat Janice at Food Wars, I'm going to her kick butt in what I do best (I thought it was eating well, but I guess not) -KNITTING. I'm going to hunker down with my yarn and needles and show her that I'm a better Knitwit!

PS: Next month I'm getting implants. Not the fun kind that make the Miracle Bra obsolete but Molars #17 and #18. Gotta start thinking about the Soft Food Wars.

Food Wars

2009-08-15T08:22:00.010-04:00

It's Saturday morning and I'm in my second home, JFK Doubletree Airport. This week there is a sign on the patio that reads, "Absolutely No Smoking on Patio!" Do you think I should sign the bottom of the sign with my employee number? Or better yet, add "And no loud gum chewing!"

One of the perks of flying around is holding our own version of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", the object of the game is to eat well for the least amount of money.

I spent the first night of the trip in LGA (New York-LaGuardia). Joe's Shanghai was the ritual of our old LGA Hotel but since we changed hotels last year, my new ritual is to have dinner delivered from this place that has Killer Cannolis. I ordering a whole bunch of food like a Greek Salad and Gyro or a pizza with 3 cannolis so they think I'm ordering food for a whole family- but I really just want a bunch of canoli and don't want to sound like a little piggy.

Round One. I ordered my cannoli, hung up the phone (it is preset in phone under Killer Cannoli), and no sooner does the hotel room phone ring, delivery man in downstairs. On the way downstairs I call Janice (Flight Attendant/Knitter) to boast about my Cannolis. She's is flying with our friend Noel, is overnighting in Boston and it at Santapio's eating pizza. She's totally trumped me. She has an incredible crew, Boston beats LGA hands down, and Santapio's is listed as one of the Top 10 best Pizza Places in the country. Round One goes to Janice. I enjoy my cannolis anyway.

Round Two. I had a very early report yesterday and finished up in JFK around lunch time. I text message Janice and she blabs that she and her crew also finished early and they're enjoying a super fun day in Chicago and are just sitting down to another pizza. Next text reads," No question about which pizza is better!" Trumped again! Chicago beats JF'nK, Chicago Style deep Dish Yummy Pizza beats Warm Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookie-no contest! Round Two: Janice Again. Small consolation, I do have the better fitness center.

Our schedule requests for September have to be entered by Monday. I'm going to bid based on the quality of the overnights. I'm going for good pizza or other noteworthy local cuisine, quality knitting time, free wi-fi or business center, comfortable bed, nice treadmill. Just wait til next month Janice!

Ysolda

2009-08-12T23:25:00.002-04:00

When we met with the last round of yarn reps for the big Fall buy, we especially enjoyed our meeting with Linda of Classic Elite. She has always been a favorite and she is a pleasure to work with and a class act. Linda used to sell Makita power tools and knit on the side. Now, she sells yarn and rarely has time to knit. She really fits in with the Knitwits bunch. I always get inspired by her finished objects and ooh and awe over her samples. On this last visit, Linda showed us a book she had picked up at a Chicago yarn shop, Whimsical Little Knits by Ysolda Teague. The book was darling and we knew we had to have it-but she didn't carry it and didn't know who did!

After our meeting, I was trolling around on Ravelry and I kept seeing the name Ysolda Teague popping up in various places. Ysolda has a pattern called Ishbel that is very popular. It is a simple, lacy, triangle scarf that can be made as a neckwrap or shawl. It is listed as having 2414 projects in the works and the pattern just came out in January! This is the new Clapotis. I must get on the bandwagon and knit an Ishbel!

I spent hours on the internet trying to locate Whimsical Little Knits which includes the Ishbel pattern. All of my surfing kept leading me to her homepage and not a distributor. I googled Whimsical Little Knits which led me to several blogs raving about the book and my little Ishbel--but no one seemed to have the book available. It was like trying to find a Wii two years ago.

I finally cracked and ordered the books through her webpage. The books finally arrived last Wednesday and I immediately grabbed my copy and the last lone skein of Pagewood Farms Yukon in yummy tangerine to take on my last trip. I got a good bit of my Ishbel knit up, ripped it out due to operator error, re-knit and came home with about half of it completed. In the peace, quiet and mess that I call home, I have spent the last few evenings alone with my Ishbel and I'm halfway through binding off the final 345 stitches.

There is something delightfully challenging yet rewarding about knitting lace. With each pattern row you hold your breath hoping the stitch count comes out right. Ahh, the satisfaction when it does! Or the agony of defeat when you have seven stitches left and the pattern says you should have six! (I immediately think "This pattern is wrong.") But, the pattern was always right and it is well written.

Well, I'm off to finish my Ishbel-I hope to drop it off on my way to the airport in the morning. I have really enjoyed knitting my little Ishbel and hope to enjoy wearing it for a long time!

911

2009-08-11T00:47:00.003-04:00

Okay, I'm back from yet another trip. Except for a couple of incidents, this trip was fairly smooth. I was flying with a good crew (which is really important-yet rare), the other flight attendant was the poor soul who was with me for the Coke Bomb experience. Ailsa (she calls herself Lisa) seemed to have recovered from that incident and was happy to see me.

The first leg from CVG (Cincinnati) to ORD (Chicago O'Hare) went without incident. It was the next flight from ORD to JFK that put a glitch in our giddy-up. We boarded up most of our passengers and we were told that we were waiting for 2 more. Well, a 30-ish man showed up and he appeared to have had a few cocktails. After a few more minutes a 50-ish year old woman showed up and she too seemed to have had a few. We referred to them as Drunk 1 and Drunk 2. We got them to their seats and closed the boarding door.

As we're doing our demonstration routine, we notice that Drunk 2 is on her phone and crying hysterically. I stop my thang and ask her if she is okay and tell her that her phone should be turned off. We proceed with the seat belt thing and again she is on her phone and sobbing even louder. I ask her if I can get her anything and through her crying she yells, "Alcohol! Liquor!" I say no and tell her to hang up the phone. We finish our schpeel and start to taxi out to the runway when the flight attendant call buttons start dinging. The passengers seated around Drunk 2 are ratting on her that she's still on her phone. At this point, Lisa decided that we should return to the gate and she can get off and finish her phone call in ORD. I call the pilots to go back to the gate to remove Drunk 2.

When we arrive back at the Gate, the baggage handlers have already removed Drunk 1's suitcase and have it on the Jetway. (They apparently knew the condition of the late arriving passengers). We tell them that Drunk 1 is staying and that it was Drunk 2 that was being removed. At this point 4 policemen, assorted Delta, TSA and airport people swaarm the plane. I guess they mean business when you ask to return to the gate. Drunk 2 was escorted off the plane but she did leave us a little note on her now vacant seat apologizing for being such a problem.

The rest of the day was uneventful-didn't get much knitting done. Day two went without incident-started my Ishbel from Ysolda Teague's Whimsical Little Knits. But day three was another story.

I had a fairly late report so I ripped out my Ishbel (read pattern wrong) and started over again and I was eating my lunch on the outdoor patio at the Doubletree JFK Airport. Behind me was a woman chewing gum and smoking. She was chewing like cow and cracking that gum like a machine gun. I had to shoot her the stink eye a few times and she finally left. AAAh, peace and quiet, a nice sunny day, a delicious hamburger with crispy french fries .....and I smell smoke-not like cigarette smoke but FIRE! I look around and notice the garbage can where the gum cracker was sitting is now on fire. I run inside and tell the bellman that there's a fire outside and go back outside to retrieve my burger. By now, the fire is now engulfing the garbage can and shooting out the side. I run back inside and the bellman tells me that help is coming. As a flight attendant and trained in CPR, first aid, self defense and fire fighting, and put on my thinking cap and got into fire fighting mode. I crashed a Mary Kay Cosmetics Convention in the Ballroom, grabbed 2 pitchers of water and doused the flames. By the time help arrived, the fire is extinguished and just smoldering.

The fun never ends. I thought the Doubletree would at least give me an extra Chocolate Chip Cookie or buy my lunch-but no such luck. :(

I'm glad to be back in the zipcode for a few days. I have really enjoyed working on my Ishbal-I think I'm about eighty percent done. It's just enough knitting and just enough lace to keep your attention without feeling overwhelmed. It does require some concentration-not great for fire fighting. Side Cable Sweater got put on hold, didn't have necessary needles in notions bag. Ipod cozy may be too snug for ipod-I stuck a banana in it and it protected the banana from bruising while in my flight bag. Brilliant!

Someone please remind me to pick up some Goosepond Stitch markers for Socks-my stitch markers are too big for #2s, some double points for Side Cable Sweater and the new Interweave Knits!

Twitter

2009-08-05T00:30:00.003-04:00

Lately, I've been very easily distracted. All it takes is a shiny object, a new shipment of yarn, a cute pattern, a penny on the ground...whatever it was that I was busy doing is now forgotten. Stay focused!

The latest distraction is Twitter. I don't know why but I was impelled to get on the bandwagon. I haven't tweeted yet but I have been twitted...by our friend Steve (of course). Not Pandora computer Steve or Maintenance Steve but other Steve-- Comair Steve and dear friend of Janet's. Comair Steve was kind of the last person I thought would be on Twitter--he's my age. He does send text messages and he is on Facebook--Let's call him Hip Steve. Hip Steve's tweet really caught me off guard. I had no sooner pressed the enter key and my iphone ting-ed me that I had a new message, lo and behold Hip Steve was saying "Hi" and welcoming me to the Twitter Generation.

Signing up was easy, coming up with a screen name was a whole other story. I guess I could have used my name like most people, but I wanted to be somewhat anonymous. I tried Knitwit-taken, knittertwitter, can't use twitter in name, my usual screen name, taken, on and on--even Junko was taken. I choked and typed in "knitteratnight". I had no intention of being "knitteratnight" but that name was accepted-just my luck :(. They didn't even ask me if I was sure that I really wanted to use that stupid name-it just suddenly appeared on my screen. So "Knitteratnight" it is.

So..where was I?

Oh yes, I casted on and started a bunch of new stuff this home stretch. I started an ipod cozy in Soxx Appeal. The yarn is really fun to work with-it's like knitting with bubble gum. I thought it would be a one night wonder but, on #1.5 needles-not so much. I'll take it on my next trip as a kill time project. I also started a Side Cable Pullover in Kathmandu Aran. This is a new pattern that just came in and it looks like the PERFECT weekend, lounging around, comfy, no-frills (cables don't count) sweater. It is knit entirely in one piece, in the round, from the bottom up-no seams. Somehow, I managed to get about 6" done between my distractions this evening. Considering that it is knit in the round, this is almost a one night wonder. Now, its too big to take in my flight bag.

Raisin Bran, Q-Tips, Oreos and CuddlDuds---accept no substitutes! I'm jumping around because we are meeting with the Kosher Cowboy tomorrow morning. He called this evening and said he was riding through town tomorrow. He is the Rowan yarn rep and they carry a yarn called Kidsilk Haze. This is the only mohair that I like and I've been pining for it for years! Like Raisin Bran, Q-Tips and Oreos, there is no acceptable substitute!

I hope I like tweeting as much as I like blogging. If I do I'll tweet you the update on Kidsilk Haze and anything else that distracts me from knitting Janet's Waistcoat Sweater in size M.

Guinea Pig

2009-08-03T00:44:00.003-04:00

I'm back and a little tired from killing time for four days. And No, I wasn't bored enough to knit guinea pig sweaters! Ya Gotta Love Google Image Search!

I've decided that I have turned into the shop guinea pig! I'm the one who tests the new patterns, and yarns and anything else that comes into the shop. I'm the "Mike-ey" of the yarn kingdom. Its kinda fun being the guinea pig-I get to test the square knitting needles, the new yarns, the mystery punch that Janet concocts, etc. I'm also guilty of rooting around in the office for leftover kid's club snacks, microwave popcorn, Frito's, girl scout cookies and anything else left behind.

The square knitting needles were fun to knit with. The cable on the square circulars (if there is such a thing) is really flexible like a red licorice shoestring. It doesn't spoing up like some cables do. The square needle part is very easy to hold and seems to be easier on the forearms when knitting for long periods of time. I used them for six straight hours to knit the Baby Bolero sweater in the car on the way back from Janet's cabin in Montreat, North Carolina. I give them the thumbs up and I wasn't expecting to like them. I thought they would be gimmicky.

Malabrigo was another guinea pig project. The first test was the Amanda Hat. Love at first stitch. Next, was the Malabrigo Loafer. This was true love-the perfect marriage of yarn and pattern. I'm now obsessed with researching patterns for Malabrigo. I think anything would be lovely in the stuff--but I'm thinking of something along the lines of fingerless gloves for texting in cold weather ( no thumbs and open finger tips). Two thumbs up on the Malabrigo. I foresee new colors in the very near future.

I've also been doing some pretty thorough research on Noro. This stuff is fascinating and the possibilities are endless. I've done a bunch of Noro experiments from the Faux Fairisle Hat, a Lizard Ridge Pillow, Rippled Silk Garden Vest, Kimono Jacket to a Log Cabin Wall hanging. If you need some ideas for Knitting Noro, I have them.

We just got a whole bunch of new patterns in and I'm test driving the Baby Moc Socks in Comfort DK-really cute. I didn't get the gauge quite right on the first one so the second one is still on the needles. I hope I don't have second moc-sock syndrome. I'm also guinea pigging a Heritage Fiber Publication Handwarmer Pattern and I'm using Panda Soy sock yarn. Really liking the yarn. It is very soft and lovely. The handwarmer is knit on #2 needles in K1P1 rib and is slightly tedious-good for killing time when your flights are cancelled or delayed. The Heritage Patterns are well written and instructional-we will be using them for many fall classes. They are the source for our Knitting Boot Camp Materials. Two thumbs up again!

With all of the new arrivals from our TNNA shopping spree, this guinea pig has lots of knitting to do. Llama, alpaca of all shapes, blends and weights, Glimmer, glitz.....I'm like a kid in a candy store. Thank goodness I'm the flight attendant who doesn't fly!

The Flight Attendant Who Doesn't Fly

2009-07-31T17:19:00.005-04:00

Dear Readers... I so enjoy finding free computer time while I'm out on one of my trips. Blogging really helps me remember the important things (friends, family and knitting) and allows me to share the strange and unusual moments and thoughts that happen while I'm away from the 41017 and Knitwits

I fly 4 day trips. I do this because this gets me the best schedule and I like to get my flying done in long stretches of time a couple of times rather than many times a month for short stretches like Janice, a fellow flight attendant/knitting friend. Besides, I cannot hold decent 2-day trips (With a couple of years more seniority, Janice takes them all!)

Every week when I'm packing for my trip, I am faced with the following dilemma when it comes to blogging:

Lugging around my laptop computer and all associated accessories (a real pain in the knitting bag going through airport security).
Trying to blog on my iphone (impossible without a magnifying glass).
Breaking down and getting one of those cute new netbooks (even though they are fairly inexpensive-will the novelty wear off?)
Bidding for trips that have overnights in hotels with free business center use.

My final decision comes down to "How long are the layovers?".

I love my layovers! I bid for double-digit layovers, meaning ten or more hours on the ground. The perfect morning while working includes getting up without an alarm clock or wake up call, a cup of strong coffee, a few rows of knitting, about an hour in the fitness center, an easy USA Today Crossword puzzle, another cup of coffee, a hot shower and a FREE computer to blog on!

Some days you hit the jackpot...all of the above as well as a complimentary breakfast bar and a crew room with private crew use computers! Other crew perks are in-room refrigerators or microwaves, Tastee Cakes upon check in, Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies and good bedside lighting for late night knitting. Tonight isn't bad--the Renaissance in Philly has plenty of FREE computers available, yummy chocolates on pillow, a packet of Forget-Me-Not flower seeds and cool soaps and shampoos. It's the little things!

Back to the blogging logic. After analyzing this week's trip, I decided that this trip wasn't very blog worthy-layovers too short, computer use should be available on days 2 and 3. Not worth trouble to lug laptop, bring an extra pair of shoes and two balls of Classic Elite Sprout instead.

Little did I know...what was on my schedule and what I would actually do...two totally different things! All of my flight assignments have either cancelled or turned into deadheads. I've only worked 4 flights in 3 days. I am the flight attendant who doesn't fly! Good thing I knit! and good thing I packed enough yarn!

I am scheduled to finish my trip tomorrow morning. I am supposed to work a flight from Philadelphia to Cincinnati. However, they also have eight other crew members scheduled to work the flight. (This week's crazy weather has really messed up the flight schedules.) Perhaps, I will get out of working yet another flight!

Until tomorrow.........

Malabrigo Loafers

2009-07-28T07:41:00.003-04:00

Every now and then I can get overly excited about something and today it is my Malabrigo Loafers-so allow me to have a Roxy moment about my Malabrigo Loafers.

Junko (Roxy referred to herself in the third person) bought a skein of Malabrigo yarn a couple of years ago at a yarn shop in Pittsburgh. Junko just had to have this skein of Malabrigo and justified the guilt of a non-Knitwits purchase by thinking of it as a research project. Junko brought it to the shop to show Janet and the gang its loveliness. Since then, this skein of "outsider" yarn has been sitting in top of Junko's stash, just waiting for the right project. It was going have to be used for something really special to prove that it was Knitwits-worthy! Junko would pick it up every time Junko found something that it may work for, then Junko would put it back down-not special enough. This lonely skein of Malabrigo remained on top of Junko's stash as if it were sitting on a throne just waiting for it's call of duty.

After years of living with the guilty pleasure of owning this lonely skein of "outsider" yarn, we finally ordered Malabrigo for the shop. What a wonderful day! I tracked the order from order confirmation, to delivery notification, from mentally rearranging the shop to showcase our new Superstar yarn, to anxiously waiting for the rumble of Phil's UPS truck and finally the clang of Phil's accordion doors slamming shut. While our mother load of Malabrigo turned out to be three boxes, it was worth the wait. Three boxes of the most fabulous, intense shades of buttery soft puffs of merino wool had arrived.

Junko grabbed a skein of Malabrigo to test drive and knit an Amanda Hat (Free Ravelry Pattern) that evening. One skein would make two Amanda Hats. The yarn was everything that Junko had hoped for. Each stitch glided from one needle to the other and it was silky soft and luscious.

Before deciding on the Amanda Hat, Junko Ravelry-ed Malabrigo Worsted Merino yarn projects and found thousands of lovely ideas. The Amanda Hat was something Junko could do immediately, but the real deal was the Malabrigo Loafer. The Malabrigo Loafer pattern was not a freebie and would have to be ordered. More research and more waiting.....

The Malabrigo Loafer pattern arrived while Junko was on her last trip. As soon as she returned, Junko grabbed the pattern and two skeins of Malabrigo (loafers are knit with 2 strands together). That evening, Junko finished the first slipper. It was a Cinderella moment. It fit like a dream and felt even better on her foot. This was a HOME RUN! This is what Junko was dreaming about for years. This was the perfect match of pattern and yarn-a perfect match like peanut butter and jelly, Fred and Wilma, Oreos and milk.

The pattern was straight forward, easy, quick to knit and produced the most unbelievably comfortable, cutie pie slipper. No second slipper syndrome for Junko-Junko will be knitting a dozen of these things. Junko is not usually a slipper person. Junko loves to piddle around in her bare feet, but she's having a tough time taking off her new Malabrigo Loafer, dreading the thought of hard shoes. Junko actually knit the second slipper while wearing the first one. If Junko can part with her Lettuce green Malabrigo slippers, they will be on display at the shop.

Malabrigo Loafers are definitely going to be a Class at Knitwits! There are some stitches to pick up, some short row work and you will be working on 2 circular needles--but they are too fun to work on alone!

The heck with glass slippers, if Cinderella had known about these things she would have asked Prince Charming for a pair of Malabrigo Loafers. Even better, perhaps my Malabrigo Loafers will bring me my Prince Charming!