a fiddle dances

Where I've Been

2009-03-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Create your own travel map or travel blog
Travel Info at TripAdvisor

2009-02-22T22:56:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Us!

2008-09-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

My birthday is September 23, and I share a birthday month with two of my coworkers, Jan and Jennifer. Here's to us!

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Bei Mir Bist Du Schön

2008-08-18T22:14:00.001-07:00

For all of you who missed the Notorious House Concert on July 3, here's a taste! Go to http://www.AuburnHouseConcerts.org for more!

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

2008-08-15T18:46:00.001-07:00

When I first heard the lyrics to the song Carrick-a-Rede, I thought it must be a shanty. The chorus goes: One Step and Two, hold tight, let go, Twenty and Four, hold tight, let go...I'm nearly there, let go, let go.

Well, It is surely just referring to crossing this bridge!

How to catch a train in Japan

2008-06-10T07:49:00.001-07:00

The Capitol Corridor train hasn't come to this yet, but with the price of gas these days, it may not be that far off!

Sock Wars III 2008

2008-05-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

I signed up for Sock Wars III, and the pattern was released on Friday, May 9. Well. It was not an ideal time for me to knit my weapons, because I had THINGS going on. I had to work on Friday, but I managed to cast on the pair on 2 circular needles. I had a little issue figuring out the INC1 in the pattern, but I decided to knit into the bar of the stitch below the next stitch first, then knit that stitch to complete the increase. It worked, so I went with it.

I used Tofutsies yarn on size 0 needles. My gauge was right on. I had to carry one stitch around on the fourth row of the pattern on the leg, but that was accomplished by hanging it on a hook style stitch marker and picking it up with the other needle when I came around.

I got a couple inches done on both socks on Friday night. I had to work on Saturday, but I took the train to Berkeley, 2-3/4 hours each way. So I knit all that time, and a little more when I got home. Sunday I had yoga in the morning, and the In Harmony's Way song session at my house in the afternoon, and then our Irish session at Latitudes that night. I couldn't really bail on any of it, so knitting on Sunday was pretty light.

Monday was another work day, but my husband had a colonoscopy that day. So I had a couple hours knitting in the waiting room. I managed to finish the heel flaps on both socks, and that night picked up for the gussets. Besides knitting, I had to pack, because I was leaving the next morning to visit my mother in Tennessee! I also split up the socks, and put one on waste yarn, and one on doublepoint bamboo needles, that I could bring with me on the plane.

I knit for 5-6 hours on the plane. I wasn't even interrupted by a meal, because they don't feed you anymore! I finished the first sock, but I didn't have a needle to kitchener the toe, so I got the other sock onto three of the needles, and left the other one on the first two. Mom picked me up at the airport in Nashville, and took me out for lunch and shopping at Opry Mills mall. It was after nine when we got home to Clarksville, and I tried to knit, but I was pretty wiped out.

I got up at 7 this morning, and knit until 11:30, when I had to stop. We went to a luncheon given by a group my Mom belongs to, The Students. It meets once a month, each member takes a topic, studies it, and gives a report on it. This was a special luncheon, so they didn't have a program. We got home about 2:30, and I began to close in on the second toe. I finished at 5pm on the dot, packaged up the socks and we drove to the UPS store. I decided second day was the most I was willing to spend on this, so they will arrive at my Target's door on Friday.

Here is my weapon:

This colorway really grew on me as I worked with it. It has navy blue, brown and olive green in it, and it's really quite nice. I tried the socks on my Mother's size 10 feet, and they fit perfectly.

Meanwhile, I got an email from my Assassin. She finished her weapon on Monday, and she lives in Indianna. She didn't say how she sent them, but posted a picture here. She tells me the yarn is Scholler and Stahl Fortissima colori socka color 4010, and I think it looks fabulous. I emailed her to let her know I am in Tennessee, but I will have my husband let me know when the package arrives, so I can post myself dead.

Can't wait to die, and get my cool new socks!

Gearhart Sock Knitting Machine

2008-04-29T16:10:00.001-07:00

Wow! I want one!

5th Engagement Anniversary

2008-04-26T22:35:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, April 23, it was the fith anniversary of the day Jaya asked me to marry him. It was in Ireland on the banks of the lakes of Killarney. So when Jaya met me at the train on Wednesday, these flowers were on the front seat... one red rose for each year, and the bells of Ireland.

You can read about the day 5 years ago here.

And Jaya did his best to recreate it! He drove me to a Chinese restaurant in Sacramento, where we feasted on pot stickers, fried oysters, vegetable fire pot and boneless chicken with ham.

When we got home, we settled down and watched Johnny English.

I told you he was romantic.

Storm's done!

2008-03-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Finished! Here are photos:

This pattern wasn't easy to follow, because it requires you to keep the zig zag going without actually telling you where it is after the second bend. If that makes any sense.

The Personal Touch

2008-03-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

I'm posting about this on the Here Comes The Guide Blog, but it has to be edited. I'm posting the whole interview here:

A Very Personal Wedding Dress

The great thing about weddings is, it's all about personal style. Take wedding dresses, for example. New designs are coming out all the time, from designers like Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang. And they are gorgeous.

But what about the creative bride who wants her dress to be more than a fashion statement? What could be more personal than knitting your own wedding dress? Kathryn Ashley, who owns the Ewetopia Fiber Shop in Southwestern Wisconsin is doing just that. She is designing her own dress. with a bodice adapted from the Lace Edged Corset by Michele Rose Orne in LaceStyle.

The leaves on the corset-style bodice of this dress and those worked into the lacy skirt represent the season of the wedding (fall). She's using a 100% silk yarn called Cascade Petite in a soft offwhite.

When I asked what made her decide to knit her own dress, Kathryn laughed and replied, "I needed a really big, daunting project! I've always wanted to design a wedding dress, and so I decided I would knit one!" Kathryn has a love of costumes, and her design choices spring from her fondness for Renaissance and Victorian era dresses. "I love corsets and bodices and big skirts! But my design is not at all like those!" she says.

I asked what the groom would be wearing, and Kathryn replied, "I don't know. It's going to be an informal outdoor wedding in late September, really just a place for me to wear the dress! No bridesmaids, but the guest list keeps growing. For the ceremony we may have as many as 100 people." "Will you be making a shawl or a veil to wear with the dress?" I asked. "I'm knitting a shrug, the Lacy Hug Me Tight shrug by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark in Knit2Together.

For that I'm using a strand of the silk and a strand of an alpaca silk blend, so it will be warmer."

I asked Kathryn if she would postpone her wedding if she wasn't finished with the dress. She said, "No. We talked about that. But I have time. And I don't have to make it full length." True! She has enough completed for a minidress right now! You can follow the progress of Kathryn's wedding dress at the Ewetopia Fiber Shop blog.

Current Projects

2008-03-01T18:00:00.001-08:00

Storm
I just finished the back last night. Next it needs blocking, and seaming, and the last bit will be knitting the rest of the collar. I'll work on it tomorrow.

Here's a detail of the zig-zag pattern. And below are some buttons that Earin gave me,

Widdershins
I started these a while ago. I'm using Bare Superwash Merino from Knitpicks. It's turning out to be a good project to take on the train.
These socks are fitting me very closely, which I like, but SO much so, that they are difficult to get ON. That may mean I am knitting a GIFT. For a smallish person. I'm going to make them up to my knees, with a folded down cuff.

Potato Chip Scarf
I got this gorgeous yarn in Florida, and I got the pattern there, too. It's not the same as the Knit Picks potato chip scarf pattern, this one yields a double ruffle. If you click on the photo above, you'll probably be able to read the pattern.

Longcat Scarf
The Longcat Scarf is still growing. I'm using microspun acrylic yarn. It's VERY soft. This will be for Magda when it's finished.

Another Potato Chip Scarf
I decided to try this scarf in the purple mohair I recycled from the ill-fated shrug. I guess it's true. You can't knit just one!

Monkey Socks
I cast on for the Monkey Socks. My knitting group had a knitalong for them, and I'm way late. Well, it's not like I don't have any other projects!

Stitches West 2008

2008-02-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

Here's the loot from Stitches West!

I went down on the train on Thursday night after work, and met Jacky and Bo there in Santa Clara. We went to Bennigan's for dinner, and then Jacky and I went to the Stitches Marketplace.

There was a show special on Tofutsie's yarn. Four 100g skeins for $25! And a cd with 10 patterns included! Since I have signed up for Sock Wars, and SWTC is sponsoring the competition, Tofutsie's is the yarn of choice for the new sock wars pattern. These four colors are Stitches exclusives, so I thought, such a deal!

Jacky dropped me off at my hotel, and I met my roommate, Lesley, who found me on Ravelry. This woman flew from Seattle to San Jose, by way of New Jersey! She was flying standby, and her sister is a flight attendant, so she got to fly for next to nothing... except all the time on the plane! (I didn't ask her if she did any knitting on the plane—that might have made it more bearable!) We compared goodies, and then went to sleep. We had both had long days, and I had to get up at 6 for breakfast.

Friday, after breakfast with Jacky, I went to my class: Seamless Argyle Socks taught by Suzann Thompson. It was 6 hours of knitting, and I got the c-diamonds done. I still have the d-diamond and e-diamonds and the toe to do.

The technique is fascinating, but I wasn't super thrilled with the class. They cost lots of money, and I didn't feel like I had $140 worth of new skills when I left.

After class I met up with Meredith and Melissa, and we stood in line for the Fashion Show. Bo and Jacky joined us, and we got some great seats. The fashion show was just as much fun as last year. The highlight was when Rick Mondragon was describing a sweater on the model, and he said, "Have you got on the right garment?" Then he walked over to her and said, "No, you've got it on upside down!" She was embarrassed. She went backstage, and when she came out again, the sweater looked entirely different! It was green with a loopy cable midriff and a v-neck. Before, it was short, and had a cowl neck... not unattractive that way, but it looked even better the right way!

The next day, Jacky and I hit all the booths in the marketplace that had the garments we liked in the fashion show. We bought silk yarn and a pattern for this one, the Diamond Patch Sweater. I couldn't wait to start. I did the blue patch on size 7 needles, it's too big. The green one is on size 5's, and I'm liking the fabric those needles create. I may need to adjust how many stitches I cast on to get the right size. The pattern is ingeneous, you make a diamond that measures 1/6 the size of your desired bust measurement.

I loved the samples I saw at the JoJoland International booth. I was looking for Kauni yarn, which I didn't find, but this Melody seemed to have similar color changes, so I got enough for a scarf.

The Feather & Fan Wrap by Jane Thornley Knitwear looked like a good candidate for some tape and mohair yarns I have on hand. The pattern was a little pricey ($15), but looking through it I see it's actually a tutorial in free-form knitting.

The Diamond Girl Shawl was in the fashion show. I just love the pointed, entrelac back to this piece.

The booth also had a sweater displayed from last year's show that I really liked: Stairway to Heaven Pullover. So I bought that pattern, too. I was sad I hadn't bought it last year. You can see a photo of it in last year's Stitches fashion show here.

There were a lot of men's sweaters in the fashion show from this book: GuyKnits. It's a great one for menswear.

That's it for another fabulous Stitches West! Happy knitting.

My First Knitted Sweater

2007-11-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

This is the Sonnet sweater from knitty.com. For the garter stitch part, I used two yarns, and slipped stitches on alternate colors to create the mosaic look. The blue is a wool/acrylic blend I got from my friend Earin, and the multi is recycled sari silk yarn I got from ebay.

I made the extra large size. I did have gauge. And it looked like it was fitting. That is, until I put the sleeves on. The neckline is so wide in this sweater, that the weight of the sleeves pull it even wider, and it slips off the shoulders. (Notice how I have had to roll up the sleeves!)

This picture shows the sweater AFTER I washed AND dried it. It did shrink up quite a bit in the length, but that neckline is still just too wide for this sweater to be very wearable. I'm thinking of closing up the neckline a bit with a crochet border.

The other problem with this sweater is how WARM it is. Whew! I am sure I'll knit this pattern again, I love the way it goes together. But next time a lighter weight yarn and a smaller size.

I saw this pattern for a felted skull and I just had to make it for my friend Cher. She has a thing for skulls. Can't you see this fellow dangling from the rear view mirror, with a friend?

The Mermaid Scarf

2007-11-05T06:38:00.001-08:00

I made one of these scarves from leftover sock yarn. That one is all blues and greys. I was going to give it to my hairdresser, but she's allergic to wool. So I said I'd make her one. I asked her what color she wanted, and she said, anything with black in it. The hair salon is right next door to Filati's but they were closed. So I went down to Beverly's and I found this very soft acrylic yarn from Lion Brand, called Micro Spun. It splits like the devil, but if you are careful with it, it makes up beautifully. I'm not quite finished with the scarf, but I'm loving the look of it.

Here's a closeup. The crochet hook is a size E, and this yarn calls for an H, but it's working fine.

That's all I have time for. More projects very soon!

The Wooly Hat

2007-11-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

At Shay Black's Irish Session at the Starry Plough, he passes around a wooly hat to collect contributions for the musicians. I thought , we need a wooly hat to pass around at our house concerts! So, I decided to knit one.

I sort of went by the pattern for a knitted bowl, in One Skein, but I added stitches and made it bigger. I also used two colors of wool together (this is odds and ends of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes I had left over from other projects).

Here is the hat before it came off the needles:

You can see how big it is.

This is what happened after it was felted. A little small for my head, but I wasn't intending to wear it!

Perfect for the purpose. I love the way the colors heathered after it was felted.

It's almost time for evening meditation. I'll blog more tomorrow. Lots more to show! I'm finally out of the production tunnel!

The October Push

2007-10-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today I'm driving down to San Leandro. I'll meet Jaya there (he's been in Livermore for a black belt convention this weekend) and we'll do music with friends in the afternoon, and go to the Starry Plough for session in the evening (to see the video in this link, click 'Media' and then 'Video'). We'll stay over with our friends Joyce and Jim Newport. Then Monday, Jaya will go to work in Benicia, and go home after. I'll go to work in Berkeley, and stay over with Joyce... probably for the week.

We are down to the final stretch with book and magazine deadlines, and WE AREN'T DONE WRITING YET. It is very scary. I just have to believe we will get it all done, and I'll have time to put everything together.

I spent Saturday working on the magazine, which is only a reprint, but it still must be attended to. It feels like I have a good handle on it, now. A few more tweaks, then I can make the PDF files for the printer.

Jan is getting me the writups and rewrites as she finishes them, but there are still outstanding proofs. We're working on it, but.... whew.

So I'll probably be staying down in the bay area until all this is done. Hopefully I'll get to come home on weekends for conjugal visits. Hopefully. I'm not promising.

We are having our off season meetings the week of October 22. And we are scheduled for a spa day on the 24th. I'm supposed to get a 'red flowers massage ' which I will REALLY deserve after all this!!! But I would so like to be finished before I get it, and I'm not sure that will happen at the rate we're going.

Look for me to resurface sometime in November.

SEXY LOVING TANGO by Gustavo and Jesica Hornos

2007-09-20T10:20:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous.

Lego knitting machine

2007-09-19T22:03:00.001-07:00

This is amazing!

Alpacas!

2007-08-27T21:49:00.001-07:00

We went to Sid and Susan Crane's home in Chico for an Irish session on August 18th. They raise Alpacas. I took some photos of these comical, beautiful animals.

Doesn't this one look just like it came out of a Dr. Seuss illustration?

Susan said their care is not very time consuming. She spends about 20 minutes each morning, composting their droppings, which look like deer droppings. And then she throws hay around for them in the evening. That's pretty much it. She has nine animals in all. Two of her females are pregnant.

They don't require brushing. In fact, it's bad for the coat. Susan says there are two ways to go. You can purchase breeding animals, which are more expensive, or you can purchase non-breeders, and simply harvest the fleece. Susan sends hers off to a mill to be processed into yarn. They hire people to shear them once a year. These animals were all shorn in April. Their coats will get much thicker by next spring.

Alpaca yarn is very, very soft. Wonderful fiber. I wanted to buy some from Susan, but it was all spoken for!

The stag pillow is finished. Blocked, stuffed, and all sewn up. The widdershins socks are finished, too, but I neglected to get a photo. I sent them to my son, Andrew. He actually wrote a lengthy email (3 paragraphs!) thanking me for them. Now THAT was worth the effort.

Here's the way our parlor used to look.

And here's the parlor with the addition of the beautiful new round rug from IKEA.

Saturday was session day. We had a nice turnout and made some great music. For more details, go to loughhaven.blogspot.com

New and old projects

2007-07-04T18:09:00.002-07:00

Knitting

I have completed two swatches for the Bonita Shirt. I washed the one on the top. It changed gauge. I decided to do another one in the lace pattern, and I'm getting gauge before I wash it. I think I will wash it by hand this time, and hang it to dry, to mimic what will happen to the garment. The first one was washed on delicate in the machine.

I'm using KnitPicks Shine Sport. I LOVE the feel of this yarn.

This is the Intricate Stag Bag pattern from Knitting Daily. Instead of a bag, I'm going to make a pillow. I don't need another bag. I'll have to modify the size just a bit. I'm using Wool of the Andes I had leftover from my Felted Entrelac Tote project. I didn't actually use those colors in that bag, I had purchased more colors than I used, just in case.

The Widdershins socks for Andrew are still coming along. I want to knit until I have no more yarn, so they will be rather long. He can always fold them down.

Sewing

I went to the fabric store last weekend. They were having a fourth of July sale. I bought fabric for some drawstring pants in the Folkwear Sarouelles pattern. I think I am going to make the African version, but I guess I COULD make all three if I wanted. I think the fabric I got lends itself to the african version, though.

And the belly dancing costume is becoming more real. I bought fabric for the choli (kind of a short, open backed shirt) and pantaloons, and this wonderful veil stuff that is very UN-tribal, but so cool I couldn't resist it. It's sheer, and black, but shines purplish and teal on the edges.

I also bought coins to make a bra. Rather, to sew on a bra. I went to Cost Less Beads in Berkeley yesterday, and, while the store has changed, they still carry the materials I wanted. I got some antique copper coins, chain and a scarab piece.

Chairs

2007-06-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

We have a shortage of chairs at our house. This is bad, because we want to have music sessions and parties here on a regular basis. But instead of going out and buying a bunch of folding chairs, we are taking our time, and putting our creative juices to work.

I found four directors chairs at a garage sale. Here's a photo of one (I'm sitting in it.) You can see it's a bit worse for wear.

We found some bright red cotton duck fabric, and I made new covers for them. To strengthen the seams, I put an embroidery stitch all around in yellow.

My friends Earin and Dick generously helped me paint them. Here's Dick setting them up for the final coat of paint.

I spent most of the day Saturday out at Earin and Dick's place in Penn Valley. Earin was griping over Claude, a sweater that she has been working on for some time. I think it may be finished very soon.

She showed me the grapes and fruit trees she's growing. If she can beat the racoons to them she'll have a nice crop of Thompson's seedless this year.

Eye candy from Earin's porch.

Knitting and Music

2007-04-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

April 14 was the potluck in El Dorado Hills. We had a fun session after we ate.

Here's Bo, our host. He has a set of whistles to rival Tim Hart!

The next day we went to session at Joyce's. I forgot the camera, though. We stayed until 8:45, and were too pooped to go to the plough afterwards!

Knitting News
I was browsing around the web, on knitting sites, and I found a link to this call for knitters in response to the shooting at Virginia Tech. Mosaic Yarn Shop is asking knitters and crocheters to create squares measuring 8" x 8" (after blocking) in any composition and send to the shop. They will be sewing the squares together and giving them to the victim's families. They will be collecting the squares through the end of May. Please help create these beautiful blankets and heal in the process...

Color choices for squares: Maroon, Burnt Orange, White, Black (school colors)

Please knit or crochet squares out of the nicest, softest yarn you can afford.

Deadline for the squares...May 31st, 2007

Please mail squares to:
Mosaic Yarn Shop
880 University City Blvd.
Blacksburg, VA 24060

I decided I'd like to do this. I imagine a square I've knit to end up in a blanket that might give some small comfort to a person who has suffered great loss. So I went out and bought the colors in the softest yarn I could find. And I'm knitting in a little personal touch.. see the heart?

I frogged my vest. I did more than the red ribbing I showed earlier, but the colors just were not working together. So I decided I would make up a pattern. I can't find one that I think will work, so I just cast on enough stitches to go around me, and I'm working in the round. We'll see what happens. I'm pretty close to having to make some decisions about armholes and shaping.

And I have started my 2 socks on 2 circular needles, toe up! The next thing I wanted to try.

I am very cleverly using one ball of yarn for two socks. One sock is being knit from the inside of the ball, and the other from the outside. I cut holes in either side of a plastic bag for the yarn ball, to minimize tangling. It's working pretty well, but I still do have to straighten it out now and then.

This yarn was a christmas present from my sister-in-law, Marcia. It's Superwash Merino, from JuJuknits. The colorway is 'pumpkin'. I'm using size 0 circulars, and my only problem was, I made them a bit too big. So I've started a 1x1 rib in the foot of the sock, and I'm making them for Andrew, who's feet are bigger than mine.

Here's a closeup of the colorway.

Garden Tour

2007-04-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

I opened the Auburn Journal this morning, and I found an article about a garden tour in this area coming up on May 12. 4 local gardens open to the public! The article is in the Auburn Garden Club column, by Sam Wiseman. At this writing it was not yet posted on their website, but probably will be soon.

For over ten years, the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program has unlocked the gates to hundreds of America’s very best private gardens by working with volunteers coast to coast to coordinate schedules, collect information, and get it to you. Many of these gardens are rarely, if ever, otherwise open to the public.

Jaya and I have lots to do in the way of landscaping our new home. Now, with income tax season nearly overwith, we will begin putting money aside to deal with the yard. But although we have some vague ideas of what we want, I think visiting existing gardens in the area is a great way to get ideas.

My friend Earin is an avid gardener. I think at some point she should open HER garden for viewing.

Current Knits

2007-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest. It's a Diamond Lace Cardigan, I got the pattern (now discontinued) on sale from Knitpicks.com. This is the back, I am just about an inch away from where the armhole shaping begins. In the process of knitting this pattern, I have discovered the importance of reading through the pattern before you begin. My first couple inches had to be ripped out because I wasn't doing the repeats correctly. And now I have discovered that I've made the edges incorrectly. I'm NOT going to rip this out. I'm going to modify the fronts so that the side seams will match. Since this is my first lace knitting project, I'm not sure I would have discovered this even if I had read the pattern carefully first, but I do see the benefit.

This pink yarn is some I got on ebay, and I have 6 300meter skeins. It has pictures of goats on the label, but everything appears to be in Russian. I think they are angora goats. The yardage works out to be plenty, if my gauge is right. I did do a gauge swatch, but I'm a little concerned about what will happen to this when blocked. Since it will be a lightweight cardigan, it shouldn't matter if it's a little large.

And because I can't have just one project on my needles, I started another one. This is another stash-buster. Did I tell you? My latest quest is to find projects for all the yarn I currently HAVE. Which is considerable.

This project is a striped vest, from Knitty.com. This project is DESIGNED to use up stash. I've decided to use my Wool of the Andes for the stripes portion, along with some cotton/linen/wool blend I picked up over a year ago at Stitches. The wool is leftover from the entrelac bag, so I have a bunch of colors.

I need a couple different sizes of needles to get on with this one, and I've ordered them. But they haven't arrived as yet. Maybe in the mail today....

And here's the waterfall shawl! All done! And guess what? It makes a perfect door hanging, covering the door-window out to the backyard from our bedroom. We have another of these doors in the great room... maybe I'll have to make another one.

Also, the boot socks are finished. I would show a picture, but I've been wearing them, and they are dirty. But they made my friend's blog last month. You can see them (and me) on the March 27 entry of EverythingEarin.

Stitches West

2007-02-26T06:47:00.000-08:00

Meredith and I just got back from Stitches West, a huge knitting convention held every year in Santa Clara. This is the floorplan for the marketplace this year. Can you imagine the size of this event? It's huge! We went for one day last year, just after Meredith and I began knitting. This time we stayed overnight. On Friday, we took a class in Norwegian Knitting by Beth Walker O'Brien. I learned how to hold the yarn in my right hand, so I could knit with two colors at once, and how to trap long strands. We learned about steeks, and I'm anxious to try this technique in a garment. We had time before class and again on Saturday to shop at the marketplace. There must have been 300 vendors there!
Meredith went over to the Dominknitrix booth while I was digging in the bargain bin for yarn. I had to wait in a long line, but I bought 60 skeins of wool for $1.66 each. I'm going to see about making the Arwen sweater with some of this wool, 20 skeins are in a pretty dark green.

Meredith got us both copies of the Dominknitrix book. Here I am with the author, Jennifer Stafford.

We went to the fashion show Friday night. Here we are, waiting for things to begin. I haven't mastered the technique of taking photos of myself, so here's the VERY flattering, up-the-nose shot.
This sweater is very appealing to me. I almost bought the pattern on Saturday, but decided I have too many projects to do first.

This fashion show featured a baby, who was a pretty good sport. There was a little unhappiness at the end, but all in all, this kid was a trooper.

Throughout the show, they were giving away materials and patterns for the items they were showing. At almost the end of the show, they called my number! I won! Here's a photo of the beautiful Victorian lace cape:

The pattern is in the book, Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby. I also won a copy of the book!

And here I am with all my purchases and winnings. I'm holding the practice swatch that we did in the Norwegian Knitting class. I also got a space-age ironing board cover. It is made of fiberglass, and it reflects heat, so you can leave your iron at a lower temperature and get great results.

Amish Friendship Bread

2007-02-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

We recently attended an Irish Music session potluck, and Christine (whistle and bodhran) brought packets of the Amish Friendship Bread starter. I took one home, and today, I made this recipe. It's a variation of the original recipe, because I didn't have the required amount of instant vanilla pudding.

The Recipe

Important Note: Don't use metal spoons or equipment. Do not refrigerate. Use only glazed ceramic or plastic bowls or containers.

Required Main Ingredient
1 cup live yeast starter (see above)

day 1:
Do nothing with the starter.
days 2-5:
Stir with a wooden spoon.
day 6:
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir with a wooden spoon.
days 7-9:
Stir with a wooden spoon.
Day 10:
Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to three friends. To the balance (a little over one cup) of the batter, add the following ingredients and mix well.
1 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ripe mashed bananas

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix and pour into two well greased and sugared bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Knitting Update

2007-02-13T18:34:00.001-08:00

Boot Socks

These are the boot socks, a free pattern from knitpicks. I am knitting them in Swish Superwash, which is suprisingly soft. I may use it for the Arwen sweater. The colors shown here are Dublin and Light Coral. The pattern teaches the two circular needle technique, but I mistakenly ordered the wrong size needles. So I am knitting them in the magic loop technique. I want to try the two circular needle technique on another pair, so it's good I have these instructions.

So, remember the shrug? I had it sitting in a bag all this time. I finally got an inspiration. I'm making a Waterfall Shawl. It starts by casting on with waste yarn. Then you knit in garter stitch for 70 inches (I'm not sure I'll make it that long, we'll see). And then you drop stitches, so it turns into a lacy shawl, see the page below from Ponchos & Wraps-a Knitter's dozen.

And finally, the Ming Scarf is done! My friend Karen and I went to ArtFibers store in San Francisco a few months ago, and I bought 2 balls of Ming, 50% silk, 50% extrafine merino wool. I couldn't invest in more than that, and I thought it would make a lovely scarf. I think it did! I used a basketweave stitch. Simple, but very elegant.

I started the scarf on the plane to Florida.

I had this much done on the trip home. I drew an arrow along the folds so you can see how long it is.

2 Hikes and Knitting Spoor

2007-01-10T17:31:00.000-08:00

This hike happened on Saturday, December 30. I am finally getting the time to do a post!

Here are Bruce, Anne and Jaya, getting ready to walk out to the Quarry Bridge.

On our way, we saw a couple bridges that got washed out in a flood, something like 20 years ago. The water was an amazing green color. I don't know what it is that makes that beautiful green, I suspect it's mineral. Possibly copper.

Here is the Quarry Bridge from a distance. It's an old railroad bridge, built in 1912, for the railroad to get to the Quarry. This bridge is still standing, while the two that washed out were built more recently. The railroad doesn't run here anymore, but you can walk out on it. We went across and down the trail a bit.

On our way back, something shiny caught my eye. It was a strand of sari silk! "A knitter has been here!" I cried. "It's knitting spoor!" So, of course, we had to take a picture.

When we got back to the road, I saw this sign. Cool is a town not far from Auburn. We took a drive out there a few days ago. Blink, and you'll miss it.

After the walk, we drove up to the bridge on 49, and we had this view of the other bridges.

Then we drove out to Lake Clementine. (We were actually in search of a bathroom.) Here are the falls.. very beautiful. See the rainbow?

Jaya had me take this picture of him scaling the fence. Looks like it's been done before.

On January 1, Jaya and I found another trail. This one was called Stagecoach Trail. It started out as a nice easy walk, and then we decided to turn onto Flood Trail. Then things got a bit more challenging! These trails were way up above where we'd been before.

At one point, we had a view of the Quarry Bridge from way up high. Just look at that green water!

2007-01-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

Janet, Jeff, Bruce and Anne came up on Friday for Christmas/New Years.

We spent some significant time taking pictures of each other.

We exchanged lots of Christmas presents. Janet and Jeff gave the America's Test Kitchen cookbook to Jaya, to his sheer delight. He had spent the night before and that day in the kitchen preparing the pork shank roast from that series. Here are pictures of the preparation. The recipe called for coca-cola to brine the pork, but as Jaya is a Pepsi fan, that's what he used. I have dubbed this the pepsi-pig.

We brined it overnight in Pepsi, garlic, pepper and bay leaves. The next day we rubbed it with a puree of sage, parsley, pepper and garlic, and roasted it, basting every 45 minutes with a mixture of Pepsi, brown sugar and jalapeños.

The roast took longer to cook than we thought it would, but it was bigger than the one used in the recipe, so we should have expected that. We had a wonderful meal of roast pork, collard greens and cream biscuits. Janet brought black-eyed peas, which were absolutely delicious. We barely had room, but managed to have some pie for dessert.

The Auburn house becomes a Home

2007-01-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Slowly we are turning the house into a home. Here's the bedroom. There's not much in the bookcase yet. Because all those boxes are still in the big room, waiting to be unpacked!

We decided, that since we are using the big room for live music and dancing, we would put the E-NOR-MOUS home theatre in the master bedroom. There's plenty of room for it back there, and it's nice to snuggle in bed and watch a movie.

If I'm too tired to stay awake, it's more comfortable to fall asleep there than on the couch. I do need some large pillows to use in here, to make sitting up in bed more practical, and staying awake a little more possible!

However, purchases are going to have to wait awhile. Moving expenses were substantial, so we'll have to fill in the extra's gradually.

Our big room is still crowded with boxes. We did not get it cleared out this weekend as planned. But we did get the office set up.

There is too much furniture in the office right now. But we are moving some out to the massage room as soon as we rent a hand truck.

And the kitchen is all unpacked and even semi-organized. At least the part where the pots and pans go. The pantry is still quite haphazard... I will need to spend several hours getting that in shape. But it's big enough that I can still find what I need, mostly. I made cookies today and it took me ten minutes to locate the brown sugar!

It's fun cooking in the kitchen, but it is a bit spread out. Not that I'm complaining, but I haven't found the most efficient way to do things yet.

Holiday Knitting

2006-11-23T21:43:00.000-08:00

The Irish hiking scarf is done. I altered the pattern to include a slit, so it can lie flat. I think it turned out well, the wool is very warm. The cables are almost lost in the variegations of the yarn, but it is still lovely.I have someone in mind to receive this scarf. I think it will make a good Christmas present.

Here's my latest accomplishment. Two socks at once!!!! I am thrilled with this technique. This is a 40" circular needle, #2, and both socks are cast on at once. Then you knit around and around the big circle, moving the needles along as you go. This is the 'magic loop' technique. I am SOLD. This is the way to make socks.

You can use this technique for top down or toe up socks, and any pattern. I'm using Cascade Fixation yarn, and I've used one of the four stitch patterns from Sensational Knitted Socks, Elongated Corded Rib. It was pretty easy to get the hang of this pattern, especially after I tackled the zig zag hat.

This picture is a bit blurry, but you can make out the the zig zags.

I haven't bought the yarn for my Cardigan for Arwen yet. I think I'm going to get the Swish Superwash from Knitpicks in Dublin (that's the color... it's green of course), but I haven't absolutely decided yet. Soon. Let me finish a few of these things first!

Thanksgiving Dinner

2006-11-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

Jaya and I had a quiet Thanksgiving this year, just the two of us. Magda and Andrew had other plans. Our non-traditional Thanksgiving meal was excellent. Jaya has been studying his videos from America's Test Kitchen, and this is the holiday meal he prepared:

We had Prime Rib, Potatoes Anna and Green Beans.
Everything was absolutely delicious!

I also opened one of my birthday presents, a bottle of Scharffenberger champagne from Meg and Kevin. Wow, it was delicious too!

The potatoes were crispy on the outside, and creamy soft on the inside. We had the heat up too high at first, so they are a little darker here than on the show, but they were still fabulous.

The Green Beans were cooked for four minutes, then put into icewater. When it was time to serve them, they were sauteed with some butter and salt and pepper. They were perfect.

The Prime Rib was aged in the fridge for 5 days. Then it was trimmed, and slow cooked for 3 hours.

Jaya is going to turn into a master chef before long. I have no problem with that!

We cooked, watched movies and ate. And I completely redid my computer... wiped the harddrive and installed Tiger and all the software I need to work from home. Getting ready!

Sales and Socklets

2006-11-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my friend Anne held a Craft Sale at her home. There were seven or eight vendors selling their wares. I brought scarves crocheted by my daughter, Magda. These are all beautiful scarves, but the shoppers weren't interested in scarves. What do they know?

I like the ones with the pockets.

Janet and I provided entertainment for the crowds. We wore similar colors, purely by accident. The customers seemed to enjoy the music. Anne will probably do this again in December. Maybe we should set out a tip jar next time!

I finished the secret project. I'll post them here... the sock-lets! I'm going to give them to my friend Meredith tonight. She's a flip-flop girl, and these socks are specially for wearing with flip-flops. I may make a pair for myself, because The only reason I don't wear flip-flops is because I don't like the way they feel between my toes.

I found a great project for the sari silk. I crocheted this little bag with a size F hook. It's quite dense, perfect for a little purse, I think. The multi colored silk has a lot of shine, it's very pretty. I had this half finished at the Craft Sale, and it got a lot of attention. I'm going to give some skeins to Magda.

I sewed a zipper into the top of the bag by hand. This picture is blurry, but you get the idea.

Presents and a Visit

2006-10-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

News Flash!
The pictures from the birthday party are posted. They were taken by photographer Zabi Towfique. I am going to have a lovely book printed of them, but I have to spend some time figuring out exactly what I want!

I got a box in the mail last week, from my mom! She sent these slippers, modeled by Jaya. They are a little large for me, but they fit him perfectly. I asked him what he thought of them, and he looked at me, smiled, and said, "Very gay." Apparently that's not a bad thing, because he likes wearing them! The yarn is by Regia, colorway is Crazy Electra. It's wool, but very stretchy stuff. I bought some to make some Short Toed Socklets for a friend of mine. I won't say who in case she's reading!
The other knitted item mom sent was a mystery at first. Then we figured out it was an ice cream cozy, made to fit perfectly on a quart of Hagen Daaz (the only ice cream Jaya will eat!) Here are Jaya, Marilyn and Dean in their usual positions, enjoying the evening.

The weekend of October 21st, I went up to Penn Valley to visit my friend Earin, her husband Dick, and their menagerie of dog (Omar) and cats (Otis, Ollie and Opie....oh, I forget if that's right. Forgive me, Earin if I messed up your pet's names!) Earin already wrote about our visit in her blog, I'm a bit behind!

When I arrived, Earin was not at the house. I drove over to the park to meet her where she was walking Omar. What a cute couple they make!

Here's Earin with hubby, Dick. Another cute couple! Dick took us all out for Thai food that evening. What a nice treat.
Here's me with Earin. We've known each other since college days. That means about thirty years. The friendship has weathered a few minor rainy patches, but we still have fun together. We spend lots of time knitting on this visit. Then we went to a YARN store!

Here's Earin, looking over the book selection at Fibers, in Grass Valley. I found a book of shawl patterns that I bought. I have to do something with all that Sari Silk!

After shopping, we went to tea in Nevada City at Shaw's Antiques and Top Floor Tea Room. It was delightful. I had a lovely salad, Golden Hunann Tea, and rasberry tart for dessert!

On the needles

2006-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the Irish Hiking Scarf. This is just over one skein's worth, about 2 feet. I'm using size 8 needles. It's hard to see the cables in this photo, but it has a wonderful texture. This is a dense scarf, knitted with Manos handspun handpainted yarn in a gorgeous colorway. I may make it short, like 4 feet, and use my last skein for a hat or ear-band.

This 'necklace' was knitted with 'squiggle' yarn by Crystal Palace... on the drive down to San Diego! We went to Encinitas for Bob Hudson's wedding. Bob is Jaya's jujitsu sensei. What happened was.... I had begun to make a scarf from this yarn, and I wanted to wear it before it was finished. So I just pinned up the open stitches on a safety pin, and tucked the extra yarn into my bra, and wore the scarf with this outfit. Well, that was in January, and I wanted to finish it before I wore it again. So, in the car, on the way down, I tried to pick up the stitches I had pinned. Maybe because it was in the car, or maybe because it was squiggle yarn.. which is really just THREAD with squiggly fat bits hanging from it... I couldn't do it. So instead, I knitted from the other end, and made a loop about ten stitches wide on size 15 needles. I made it long enough to wear, and knitted the ends together, so it really is a necklace. Then I frogged the rest of the squiggle, and I will put it together with something else when I use it.. that will be a LOT easier to manage!

Look! The Caesar's Check mosaic sock from Sensational Knitted Socks is done! Well, one of them is done. And I have started the second one. And look! it fits! this pattern has been so much fun to knit. I like this heel, too.

And last but not least....

The shrug still isn't done. I look like I'm zoned out here, knitting away. I just have a little more to do. Then I'm going to try it on, and if I determine I JUST DON'T LIKE IT, as I'm afraid I will, it will go into my frog pond, and wait for new inspiration.

Oh, there's one other thing... I'm making a cabled hat from the zig zag pattern on Knitty.com. It's coming out quite well, but I don't have a picture yet.

I'm off to Penn Valley tomorrow to visit my friend Earin. I'm taking ALL my knitting, and plan to visit several yarn stores!

Party Pictures

2006-10-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the photos from the party. I am having a wonderful book made, and I don't want to post them all here. But here's a teaser for you.

This is my daughter, Magda. My son Andrew is behind her. He managed to not be in any of the other photos!

Here I am playing my fiddle.

And here are Janet and I, singing 'Dimming of the Day'.

It really was an excellent party. I'll post more photos later.

More Stash

2006-10-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here's more of the stash. I guess my oldest unfinished textile project is this blanket. I started it before Nora, my niece, was born. That was quite a while ago. At least six years. I've lost count. It's crocheted in broomstick lace. That's a size 50 knitting needle that you crochet around, and it leaves the lacy loops. Well. It is hopelessly uneven. The yarn is acrylic, but it's soft and nice. It would make a sweet little sweater. If I ever manage to MAKE a sweater.

The squiggle scarf up there isn't quite finished, either. But I wanted to wear it when I was in Florida, so I pinned up the stitches and stuffed the extra yarn into my bra. It worked just fine, but I never did finish it. How many projects are worn BEFORE they are finished?

I want to think of a good progect for the red wool/cotton/linen yarn. I have about 900 yards. What can I make with that? I'm thinking maybe a tank top. That apricot colored spool of yarn was in a bargain bin for $4. It's fine, laceweight, I guess. But it wasn't marked, so I'm not sure what it is. It was with some nice yarn, though. There is a lot of it, I could make a shawl with it.

I've started the Irish Cable scarf as you can see. Actually, I started it again on larger needles. I can't decide which to knit it on. I have it on 8s and on 10.5s. They both look good. I guess I'll knit up a few more inches on each before I decide.

FLASH!!! Party pictures are here. I have them. There are some gems. I will post soon.

Stash Organizing

2006-10-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my progress on the mosaic sock, from Sensational Knitted Socks. I am just starting to make the heel flap. This is an interesting technique. I've had a few stumbles, but mostly I'm figuring it out alright. I did find a mistake in the book, and when I went online I found the publisher had already posted a correction! Very nice.

I can't post all the pictures of my stash, but here is part of it. I'm just too tired tonight. I'll get it done later in the week. I couldn't take one photo of the whole thing, it's just too much!

I want to do something with all this lovely red yarn. I think I have about 900 yards. I wonder if that's enough for some kind of tank top or t shirt top? I don't think it will make a long sleeved sweater.

After I laid out everything... it took up most of the living room floor... I packed everything up into ziplock bags and tucked it away in the bins under the table in the living room. It is prettier when you can see the yarn, but it tends to get very messy on me. This will keep it protected and contained, I hope!

I go to the photographers on Tuesday to look at proofs of the birthday party pictures. I will probably bring some home to post here this week. Yay!

Finished!

2006-09-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today is Jaya's Birthday. I worked frantically over the weekend, and last night I finished the socks! Yay!

They are actually the same length, that's not plain in the picture, but they seem to fit.

The next socks will be a mosaic pattern I'm trying on #2 needles.

On Saturday we drove up to Auburn to look at a house. It's brand new, 3 bedrooms, no landscaping. But we loved it. On the drive home we were talking about moving there and commuting. It's a beautiful place, and I like the town.

Here's the front of the house. There would be room for guests, and a nice big room for sessions.

So, we're very excited about the prospect!

Sunday was Shay's birthday party. Here he is with his daughter, Shosie. She was one of the singers at the party.

I still don't have the pictures back from my birthday party, I will post some as soon as I get them.

My friend Brenda and her daughter Beth came all the way from West Virginia for the party. On Sunday morning we went to the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory for brunch and a tour. Here's Beth and Brenda.

Cooking, Sewing, Knitting, Playing

2006-09-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here's my Jaya, making a glaze for the meatloaf. He made the America's Test Kitchen recipe for a dinner we went to at Bruce and Anne's a few weeks ago. Isn't he good looking? And he cooks, too!

I am re-making the top of my wedding dress so I can wear it to my birthday party. It was always too big, so I cut quite a bit off each side, changed the pattern entirely. Here it is, almost put together. I have to put on the sleeves yet, but it will be ready for Saturday.

I'm not actually that talented at creating patterns. What I did was find a pattern that worked, and then took the top apart and re-cut it to the new pattern. I left the neckline and hem as they were, so I didn't lose any beadwork. The gold beads were on this when I bought it, but the green ones I added myself.

Saturday we went to the Pleasanton Scottish Games at the fairgrounds. When we walked in the Wicked Tinkers were playing, so we watched them.

At one point they played 'I want whisky', and lo and behold, 5 or 6 men came up to the stage offering flasks. All the band members got at least a swig, and declared this was the best response to that song, ever!

Here's another shot of the band.

Molly's Revenge played next, and David Brewer did his famous two-whistles-at-once parlor trick.

We were invited to the McPhersen barbecue after the games. I found some time to work on the Jaya sock. Poor thing, it keeps traveling around with me, and still isn't done. But I did get the heel finished, and I'm on the home stretch, working my way up the calf!

We got to session with Molly's revenge after dinner. That was great fun! And Joyce is holding her own on the pipes.
After the session, David Brewer and Jaya were admiring each other's bodhrans, each made by Del Eckles. David said, "It's like those guys who drive Ferrari's, they drive by and wave at each other." Acknowledgement of the best.

The Shrug

2006-08-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

I last posted on the shrug on July 13, and it's really coming along. I had to change to size 15 needles, the 10-1/2s were not giving me guage. It's much looser and nicer now.

The recycled sari silk and the purple mohair are knitting up quite nicely. The ribbing is done with pink angora goat wool, and the purple mohair.

As you can see below, I have completed all the pieces except the second sleeve. When that's finished, I can sew it together, and then another 5 inches of ribbing gets knit all around the front, neck and back.

It's exciting to see this project develop. I have no way of knowing if I'm going to like this on my body until it's finished, but I am enjoying the process. It will either be a great favorite or an utter failure.

If if fails, I can always frog it and try again, I guess!

Lark in the Morning

2006-08-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a moment to blog since we got back. We had a great time at Lark. I want to share some choice photos with you.

Here's my new fiddle teacher! Ok, I added the ears. This photo just looked too much like a faun in the forest NOT to! His name is Chris Knepper, and he's an entertaining character who can teach. Exactly what I need. And he lives in Oakland! So, as soon as I'm ready to switch my focus to my fiddle playing (right now I'm taking singing lessons), I will contact him. I went to 7 days of his classes at Lark, and while he's no Athena O'Lochlainn, he has enough of her style that I know I can learn from him. I'm looking forward to it.

Jaya and I camped in a two person tent, which I thought was quite large when I was setting it up. Once inside though, there was room for our mattress, and our duffels, and maybe a foot to spare.
Shay, on the other hand, brought a CONDO. This tent has ROOMS. It took him all day to set up, but he lived in comfort for the rest of the week.
He even had a back door. I have tent envy. But I don't envy all the setting up and packing up this must have involved!

Kim Hughes' Scottish Mouth Music Class
I have taken Pam Swan's mouth music in two previous Lark camp years. Kim filled in for Pam this year, and it was really interesting getting further into the Scottish area. Kim is the only person in the world who has a PhD in diddling.

Danny Carnahan's Songwriting Class
I didn't expect to take this class, but I was walking by and it just sucked me in. I haven't written a complete song yet, but I got a good start. The song I started hit a chord with me, as these things can, and I am really curious to know what it will turn into.

Danny kept saying how he was blown away by all the things coming out of this group. I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Shay Black's Expanding Your Repertoire and Songs of the Sea and More
I spent two hours each day with Shay Black, and I now have 36 new songs to learn! Most of them were new. This class was a pleasure to attend, I got to listen to Shay's arresting voice, and to sing! Singing was the focus for me this Lark.

Larry Sawyer's Tango Class
Jaya and I took the Argentine Tango class together over in Camp 2. After the week we were feeling pretty comfortable with each other on the dance floor. Now we have to get back to our lessons in Oakland so we won't forget!

Announcement!

2006-07-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

I am turning 50 this year in September, and Jaya and I are throwing a big birthday bash on at Cafe de la Paz in Berkeley. I am sending out my Save The Date emails, hope to get it all done before we go off to Lark in the Morning music camp.

I am planning a GREAT party, one not to miss! If you don't know this restaurant, you should. The food is fantastic. So, that's ONE reason to come. I am having a great band, Greenbridge, play. Tim Hart on whistle and bodhran, Michael Mullen on fiddle and guitar, and Tom Wagner on guitar and vocals. Michael does vocals too, and I've asked him to sing Isn't it Grand at the party.

Next, the White Rats Morris team are going to dance. When Jaya first saw morris dancing, he said, "Oh! It's Monty Python cheerleading." And for most morris teams, that's pretty accurate. But the rats bring a bit more to it, as you'll see. Their costumes, for one thing, are not the traditional morris garb. I'm glad I have become involved with the team as a musician (or Muso) and I've been very impressed with their dedication and skill.

After the rats perform, the party will continue with a regular open irish/celtic music session. Dancers are welcome to dance, singers are welcome to particpate, sangria will flow and great food will be available throughout.

Now before you all go shopping for a great birthday present for me, I have decided to ask folks to contribute a charitable donation instead of bringing a gift. I have chosen the Family Path organization (formerly Parental Stress Service), where Shay Black is Administrative Program Supervisor. This group offers a 24-hour Family Support Resource Hotline, a 24-hour Foster Parent Advice Line, Emergency Respite Child Care, CalWORKS support counseling and Positive Parenting Classes. They also provide counseling for infants, children, adolescents adults and families.

Shay helped produce a cd a couple years ago celebrating the parent-child relationship, “Hold My Hand”. This includes contributions from such noted artists as Joan Baez, Mary Black, John McCutcheon, Maria Muldaur, Steve Seskin, Linda Tillery, and others. The cd will be available at the party for a contribution of $20 or more.

I'm very excited to be beginning the second half of my own personal century on this planet. Gathering friends together to share music and good times is the best way I can think of to get it started.

Chained to my desk

2006-07-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well, at least it's a nice desk! OK, I'm not actually talking about the DESK, which is just a piece of laminated wood propped up on a filing cabinet and sawhorses. I'm talking about the SPACE. Thanks, Lisa! (Lisa moved to Boston, so I moved into the nicest space in the office.) I have a window to my right, and one behind me, so I have light and air and... oh yeah, work.

Which is why I'm spending an inordinate amount of time in front of this desk. For the time being. I get to sit on the big green ball, and bounce a bit. And when nobody else is here, I listen to Cast On, Brenda Dayne's knitting podcast, or I turn my Irish music up. So there are good things. And putting together the magazine is actually fun. It's just NEVERENDING at this point!

ANOTHER new project

2006-07-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

This silk twisted wonder yarn I got on Ebay has been calling to me. And the loopy mohair came, too. So I looked through all my books and magazines, and I found this pattern. I am thinking if It fits at all, I'm going to love to wear it. And it seems to be quite forgiving size-wise. So here I go:

It is knitting up soft. Mostly purple in appearance with every other color in the rainbow showing through. Jewel tones. I'm excited. And it's kntting on size 10 1/2 needles.. shouldn't take forever. I'll keep you posted!

I didn't have time to post this picture from our last session here. Jaya and Jason both do marial arts. At some point during the evening, Jaya stood on one leg while playing a tune. Not to be outdone, Jason stood up and joined him. I couldn't compete in THIS arena, but I COULD snap a picture!

Last weekend, the Dunsmuir House Scottish Games were held. I went on Saturday to man the session tent, only to arrive and find... No tent! My friend Vic Entriken has been arranging this session for the past several years, and he's tired. We had a circle of chairs under the trees. This was not the best, but we did have a lively session, at least for part of the day.

Our neighbor, the stone carver, decided to take a nap. The music must have been soothing, because he was out for a couple hours!

On the way out, I stopped to see Molly's Revenge. I bought their new CD, Raise the Rafters.

Here's David Brewer in his element. I did a motion blur in the background, so it really looks like he does, running around on stage. He jumped off the stage at one point, playing his pipes. This kind of energy is what Celtic music is all about.

Memorial For Sid

2006-07-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

We had a memorial for Sid the cat on Saturday, July 1. Attending were the three Sid moms, Janet, me, and Alison; Sid dad Jeff, and friends. Pictured above are Linda, Anne, Cordelia, Bruce, Janet, Alison and Jeff. Phil, Jaya and I were sitting at the picture vantage point.

Janet wrote 'The Story of Sid's Nine Lives' which she read. She and I provided some music, but although we HAD rehearsed, we didn't rehearse what we actually played, and I'm afraid I floundered around for the beginnings of the tunes. Luckily we were among forgiving friends, but I don't want to do that again.

From 'The Story of Sid's Nine Lives'

Sid found his favorite toy at Sharon’s – The Bear. When Sharon’s daughter Magda was born 22 years ago (or so) Sharon sewed this teddy bear for her firstborn. Sadly, “nobody really loved this teddy bear” said Sharon, “but Sid did.” Sid had been “fixed” a little late in his maturity and he would occasionally do this “happy dance” of kneading the bear’s legs and then gently moving his back end up and down. After he’d “done the bear” he would hop off the bear and give himself a short bath. The behavior seemed alternatively peculiar, amusing or natural – but it wasn’t the least bit messy and generally didn’t last long. It seemed to go along with Sid’s masculine physique. Anyway, once each of his Cat Moms got used to it – nobody really minded – and the teddy bear never complained.

Sharon's note: He may not have complained, but he showed the signs of being a REAL bear after he became Sid's bear. Notice the missing eye. Anyone who loves The Velveteen Rabbit will know what I'm talking about.

After the memorial, we went back to Bruce and Anne's for a potluck. Lots of Sid stories were told. Bruce threw some chicken and salmon on the barby, and we had a nice evening. Sharon and Julie joined us there, and we did a musical recap for them.

I made a chocolate cake in the shape of a bear, I should have taken a picture! It was frosted with whipped cream with ground chocolate mixed into it. I used the America's Test Kitchen recipe for Chocolate Sheet Cake. It makes the BEST chocolate cake.

Finished Projects!!

2006-07-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Jaya left yesterday morning for Tel Aviv. We talked on the phone this morning, but I won't hear from him again until tomorrow. I had a worried moment in the shower tonight, had to reassure myself that he'll be home on Tuesday, and everything will be fine.

I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on my blog. The first order of business is THE FINISHED PROJECTS!! I love it when a plan comes together. First: The BAG.

Here it is, handles and all. And filled it with the same kind (different colors) of yarn I used to make it. There are probably 12 skeins in there. I'm so proud of this. I know now that I picked up the stitches wrong when I made it, but after felting you can't tell at all.

Here is Andrew's scarf, all complete:

It's actually two stripes short, but I ran out of yarn! The last burgandy stripe is a couple rows short. I probably ran out of yarn because I made all the stripes one or more rows too long.. but actually I don't think that accounts for a whole stripe short of each color... there are only 9 burgandy stripes.

Anyway, i think it's plenty long. And because it was knit in the round, the fabric is doubled. This sucker is WARM. Andrew may be able to get by without a jacket when he wears this in the fall!

I have some leftover fringe. I have some leftover fringe from the very first scarf I made, too. I just saw a 'scarf' in the OneSkein book made from pompoms. What a good way to use leftover fringe! But it's either very edgy or downright hokey. I think the pompoms would have to be made out of very wonderful stuff for this scarf to be wearable. By me, anyway!

Next, is the whistle sock. MONTHS ago, Jaya asked me to knit him a tube that he could put his low D pennywhistle in. He was using an old knee sock, and he thought it would be cool to have a custom knitted 'sock' for it. He puts the whole thing into a plastic tube, the fabric cushions the whistle. This is the whistle he bought when we were in Galway.

I used some very soft yarn that I got in the bargain bin at the knitting show. Was it April? I still haven't used most of that yarn, but this skein was perfect for this project. This blue is the color of Jaya's eyes.

I used #3 DPNs and knit the tube in the round, just like a sock. He wanted it longer than the whistle is, so it can fold over at the top. I closed the bottom just like I make a sock toe, with short rows. And for a refresher of Kitchener Stitch to close it up, I went to the Knitting Help website. These movies are wonderful! They take you through everything with very clear verbal description and the visual as well. Just a fantastic resource. My mother found it, I've bookmarked the site, and I go back to it when I want to see something again. I wish she had a movie for Tubular Bind-Off. That's one I can't seem to master.

And now, THE STASH

I have discovered shopping for yarn on EBay. I have to stop, because I now have purchased 3 lots of yarn and some needles, and I just have to pledge I will use it before I buy anything else. Well, SOME of it.

I have only received one of the lots so far. This is 10 skeins of handspun silk from Sari remnants. So it's recycled. And the colors are gorgeous. See?

The yarn isn't very soft, and the seller recommended knitting it up with mohair to add some softness. So the other two lots I bought are to use with it. They should arrive next week. I got 10 skeins of Purple and Blue loop 80% Mohair, 20% Wool.

I think it will be gorgeous with the Sari Silk. I'm thinking of knitting a kind of loosish shawl, but I really haven't decided.

And then I got some 50% Angora 50% Wool yarn, 6 skeins. While I was shopping for the Angora, I discovered a seller who spins 100% Angora yarn from her own Agora Bunnies. Drool. But it is much more expensive than the commrcial stuff I bought, and I've gone a bit overboard as it is. I'll buy from her another day.

The angora yarn I bought is pink. And I think this will work very well with the bright Sari Silk colors, too. So maybe two shawls? Scarves? I have enough for a larger project, so I'm not sure. Anybody have any pattern ideas?

Now, of course, this isn't everything. I'm still working on Jaya's socks and the Christmas socks. But I couldn't help myself, I started ANOTHER sock. The mosaic pattern from the Sensational Knitted Socks book by Charlene Schurch.

I think this pattern is yummy, but it's late, and I am not going to take the time right now for a picture. I'll post one later on.

I have more catchup to do, but I just am out of steam, so I'll tell you all about the Dunsmuir Scottish Games and Sid's memorial service another day. Probably Monday. Oh! and I learned how to spin last night! My first lesson, anyway. More pictures to follow. Goodnight.

Pride Parade

2006-06-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday, I marched in the Pride Parade with the White Rats Morris team. I had an amplifier plugged into my fiddle, that I wore with a guitar strap. I was one of four musicians, Lee on fife, Shay on banjo, Richard on clarinet, and me on fiddle. The parade goes for about nine blocks on Market street in San Francisco. It seems that each thing you see is more outrageous than the last. It was a lot of fun!

Before the parade, the White Rats bell-up. For most morris dancers, this means strapping bells attached to leather thongs around their shins.

The Rats do this too, but as an addition, we also attach bells to our arms. With monofilament. Yes, through the skin. Yes, it does hurt. But the reactions on people's faces are more than worth it. This is Laura getting her bells attached with Ari's expert help. This was Laura's first bell-up, and she's taking it in stride.

Here's a shot of the whole team. We had 15 dancers this year! That's gotta be a record!

In Memory of Sid

2006-06-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, our dear friend Sid was killed by a car. He lived with Janet and Jeff since May of 2003, before that he lived with me in Hayward since Mothers Day, 1999. He came to me from Alison, with whom he had spent a year in San Francisco. Alison got him from the SPCA when he was five. He was extremely wary of people then, especially men. But he became much more trusting with time.

Sid was a gorgeous animal, with a regal bearing. He was a good companion. The only annoying habit he had was a loud meow, which he used when he wished to go outside, which was frequently. Sid enjoyed attention, and loved to be combed. He was the best company.

He will be missed.

Please add a comment at the bottom of this post, to share memories of Sid.

Sid with Janet and Jeff

Sid and Jeff

Sid in the Fiddle Case

One of Sid's favorite places. If my fiddle case was open and available, Sid would curl up in it.

Sid on the Piano

I have another picture somewhere of Sid sitting on the piano resting his chin on the edge. He loved to rest his chin on wood.

Knitting Update

2006-06-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

I continued knitting the second Jaya sock at Ardenwood. Another inch or so, and it will be time to make the heel. Size one needles make this project very slow, and when I do finish, they will be a pair of warm wool winter socks. Jaya won't be able to wear them until it starts getting cold, anyway, so I'm not in a super hurry.

Here's the second sock next to it's future owner.

And now, on to some exciting news... the felting of the entrelac bag!!!

Here is a photo of the completed bag, before felting. I put it on paper, and drew an outline around the bag, so you will have a reference.

As you can see here, the bag is quite large (about 30 inches across if you were to stretch it out) with a loose knit.

After I took the picture, Dean decided he would try the 'needle method' of felting.

I didn't let him get very far with this, but I think he would have continued as long as I allowed it!

Here is Dean, before I shooed him away. Very industrious, isn't he?

I put the bag inside a pillowcase, and then into the washing machine with some other clothes to balance the machine. Short wash, hot water wash, cold rinse. I just set it on the maximum time, which is 18 minutes agitation in my washing machine, and let it go for the full cycle. Here's what came out! It is a bit bigger than I was expecting, but the felting worked great, nice and tight.

Then, I stuffed the bag with plastic bags, to get the nice round shape I want. I just have to let it dry that way, and it will be a perfect round basket to carry my projects in. I may make another, smaller one for my socks.

The only problem with this is, I didn't make the handles yet. I was impatient to see what the felting would do, and I thought I could put them in later. However, now I can't find all the holes I made in which to insert the handles! They have felted up too tightly to find!

I shall have to poke new ones after I get the handles done. Next time, I guess I need to make everything and assemble it before I do the felting.

I'm really enjoying the felted results of this bag. What a difference!

Another Packed Weekend

2006-06-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was another fun-filled time... first, Jaya and I went down to San Jose to deliver the Daewoo to Melanie. We had a nice visit, and lunch across the street at Alberto's. Then we drove over to Guitar Center to get me AMPLIFIED!

I'm playing fiddle in the Pride Parade for the White Rats on June 25. It's hard to hear the music over all the parade noise, and we've always used these little tiny amplifiers. But I didn't have one of my own, and the tiny ones aren't a whole lot better than nothing. So I went shopping.

I almost bought another little fender amp like the ones Lee has. But when Jaya heard it, he said my fiddle was drowning out what was coming out of the amp! So I went for the BIG one! Granted, this isn't exactly a large amp. But I have to CARRY it through the parade, and it's 10 times bigger than the little Fender. I got a nice padded strap for it, and a cord that plugs into my fiddle pickup. I am SET.

Saturday night we went out drinking and dining with folks from work. Lisa is leaving us, so this was kindof a goodbye dinner. Meredith and Lisa both took the DRINKING part seriously, having 4 martinis and 3 margaritas respectively.

Sunday we went to Connie Doolan's house concert. She was excellent. At the break, when I told her it was going well, she said, "When I look out and see you, I think about my posture and my breath!" I've been her student for a couple months, and we're working on that with me.

This little girl just couldn't stay awake. Connie teaches kids, and I don't know for sure if this is one of her students, or the daughter of a friend, but she was just too sweet for me not to snap her photo. They're all angelic in sleep, aren't they?

After the concert we went to the movies. Our choices were: Thank you for Smoking, or RV (Robin Williams). We saw RV. It was cute, a little like the Chevy Chase vacation movies, but I prefer Robin William to Chevy Chase, so I enjoyed it.

And then we went to the Tango! There sure are a significant number of people who can really do the Argentine Tango. I was impressed. Jaya and I danced, and we had fun, but we're still working out how to do it.

The Expanding Bag

2006-05-29T23:27:00.000-07:00

Would you just look at the size of this bag? It is very loosely knit, I'm using size 10.5 circular needles, But as you can see, it's over 30 inches wide! Now, this is supposed to shrink down to something like 11 inches, so, we'll see!

Memorial day weekend was mostly stay-at-home for the Carls. We were going to go to San Jose on Saturday, but I wasn't feeling well, so we didn't. We had people over Saturday night for session, (see posts below) and that was fun. And then Sunday, we were going to go to Niles on the train, but Jaya wanted to stay home and sew, so we stayed home. We did get to the Starry Plough that evening. I sang 'I can see your Aura'. I said I learned it from Stevie Coyle, which I did, but Lonnie Herman admonished me for not giving credit to the author, Mark Graham. I hadn't known he wrote that song. Since I'm learning another song by Mark Graham, when I sing it at the plough, I'll give credit to him for both of them.

Today we saw The DaVinci Code. I enjoyed the movie. It kept me engaged, and I enjoyed it as much as I had enjoyed the book. I have to review the book, though. The ending in the movie is not quite as I remember, so either I am misremembering, or they changed it. My recommendation is, if you enjoyed the book, you will probably enjoy the movie.

Ballydesmond Polka

2006-05-27T22:15:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture to see me playing the Ballydesmond Polka (in another window). Now, if I had a newer camera, we might have sound, too!

Session Saturday

2006-05-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest shot of the bag! I've got one diamond in each color complete, that's half of them. Then comes another row of yellow triangles, and then back to the main color and closing up the bottom. It's half done! This project has gone quickly.

Today is the fourth Satuday of the month... EBSP session day! EBSP stands for East Bay Slow Players, we're a group of folks who like to play Irish and Scottish music. We are all different levels, so depending on who shows up, we play at various speeds. Turnout was pretty good for a Memorial Day weekend, seven of us counting Sharon S., who's taking the picture.

Jaya also took a movie of me playing the Ballydesmond Polkas. But this site won't let me upload it. So if I figure out a way to link it here, I will. For now, here's the picture.

I do realize none of us are smiling. That doesn't mean we aren't having fun. Playing music is WAY fun. It's just that it also requires concentration. And smiling just isn't that important when you are concentrating.

Couch Potatoes and Fiddles

2006-05-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

All the triangles are finished. I had to show you what this looks like. All the triangles are still on the needles, one side anyway, so with ten of them all around it looks like some kind of flower. Now comes the fun part (I hope), filling in the colored diamonds.

There is a spot near where we live that Jaya and I like to go walking. We took a rather brisk walk up there last night, a nice thing to do before coming back home and being couch potatoes. Am I still considered a potato if I'm knitting?

Yesterday I picked up my personalized plates. The car is now complete! Royan is the name of my acoustic duo (Janet Lenore and myself). And the fiddle quote is one I found when I was looking for the difference between a violin and a fiddle. I love that quote. I don't feel that my playing exemplifies it yet, but I'm working on it!

And actually, maybe it does. I play because it's fun. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it. If practicing alone was more fun, I would probably be better than I am!

Earthquakes and Entrelac

2006-05-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as I was waving goodbye to Jaya, Dean tore out of the front door. He does this on occasion, and comes back shortly, but it wasn't until I was actually leaving for work that he came back inside. There I was, armed with a can of catfood to lure him in after I had dumped my stuff in the car, and he just pranced inside. So I went and dumped, and came back to give him the catfood anyway.

Last night, when we returned home after our Argentine Tango lesson (maybe my feet aren't both left ones, after all), I heard a ruckus in the office, and as I opened the front door, Dean raced out. Marilyn ran from me once I was inside. I opened the front door twice, and each time, Dean took off again. He's usually the calm one! He came back inside when Jaya came in, and a little while later, while we were sitting on the couch, we felt a small tremor. Aha! THATs what had them spooked! I have always heard stories about animals and earthquakes, but this was my first actual experience with it.

The entrelac works! I had read over the instructions, and I just couldn't envision how this was going to work, but it does! I made a triangle! Look!

Now I just have to make 9 more, and then we start the colored diamonds. This will be interesting! It's all so loose now, but the felting will fix that. I hope it tightens up enough to be a thick-walled bag.

Colors

2006-05-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

When the colors I had chosen for this bag first arrived, I was disappointed with the yellow. It didn't seem to contrast enough with the other colors. So I ordered some other choices. They FINALLY arrived yesterday (Knitpicks takes 14 days to get to California... and then another couple days to get to me!) and now I think I like the yellow better than any of the new choices. What do you think?

Marilyn doesn't care. She just likes to watch. Or is she sleeping?

The Bag

2006-05-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I just had to start it last night. There seems to be something magical about starting a new project. Nevermind that I have four others that aren't finished yet. No, I won't abandon them, but I have been waiting to start this one and I just didn't want to wait anymore! And there is also something wonderful about using size 10.5 needles, after using size 1s. It's so gratifying, how quickly I see progress with the project.

This is a felted entrelac bag, that I will use to carry my other knitting projects. I have made felted things before, but I have not made anything with the entrelac technique. We shall see how I do following a pattern! I tend to jump into things before I know what's what, luckily I know people I can go to for help if I get into trouble.

The holes you see are there for the cord to knot through. Everything will tighten up nicely when this is felted, it will be very dense, and a lot smaller. This will be my sock-project bag.

I have some more yarn on order, I changed the colors from the original design, and I don't like my choice for the white. So the daffodil yarn will probably be replaced when I get the other yarn. I figure I can make felted slippers with the leftovers from this project!

Here's a closeup of the bag as it will be, taken from the picture on the pattern. My camera made a mess of the colors, and I can't focus very well up close, but you can get a general idea.

The Knitting Projects

2006-05-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

Home again. And I did get some knitting done in Tennessee. These are the adorable Maryjanes I have now completed for Meredith's daughter, Devon. I ran out of the red yarn just before it was time to make the strap of the second one, so I tried using my red eyelash yarn (see red rope, below) but it was a disaster. So last night I spent an hour with the scissors and a lighted magnifier, cutting it off. There just is no frogging eyelash yarn. Not worth the trouble. But I'm glad I saved these, I think they look great!

This is the third pair of socks I've started. I did finish the first two. This one is taking forever, because 1) I'm using size 1 dpns, and 2) they are for my husband. He has an extra wide foot. These socks are 76 stitches around. So it's easy to get bored and set them aside. However, I have completed the first one, as you can see, and the plane ride home and my BART ride to and from San Francisco today got me as far as you see here on the second sock. On size 3 needles I'd probably have finished a whole sock in that time! I shall perservere, and after this, probably retire my size 1 dpns until I am seized with another fit of insanity.

Here's the Christmas sock I am making on size 3's as a respite from the 1's. I have started the second, and put arrows showing my clever little trick. All my socks are being made with the short-rows toe up technique, which I learned from Ellen Graves in her class at Skein Lane in El Cerrito. However, I have discovered that if I use a marker after each wrapped stitch, I neither have to count, or be able to tell what my wrapped stitch looks like. I just knit to the marker, and then wrap the stitch right before it on the way to the top of the toe, or knit the stitch after it and wrap the next one on the way back, replacing the marker in front of each wrapped stitch. This cotton has no elastic, but I have had this yarn for years, so I thought, what the hell, I might as well use it.

Here's another neverending project. I ordered yarn for this two months before my son Andrew's birthday. I thought I could whip it out in time for his present. It arrived two weeks before his birthday... in January. Here it is May, and I'm down to the last few stripes. The weather is getting warm, now. This is going to make a lovely drawer liner. But the colors are Gryffindor, so he's excited about getting it, anyway.

And my last WIP, a fuzzy red rope. My friend Jan couldn't understand what in the world I was making this for. I told her it was for Jaya. It won't leave any marks.

Car Shopping

2006-05-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

Mom needs a new car. She has been driving her 1985 Cadillac since 1986. Yes, she has taken excellent care of it, it is in great condition for a 20 year old car, but it will soon be more expensive to insure than it's worth. And it's becoming difficult to get parts.

On Saturday we looked at a 2004 Cadillac, that she liked. And then we went over to the Toyota lot, and looked at some Camrys. Today we went back there and drove a 2004 Avalon.
Now, I'm leaving tomorrow, so Mom is on her own. I think the salesman will pester her until she makes a decision, he's called twice since I've been here!

Mother's Day

2006-05-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Mom and I are having a nice Mother's Day. We went to church to hear Carol play the organ. She played beautifully. Carol is my cousin. Here she is at the organ in the Presbyterian church in Clarksville.

After church, we all went out to lunch. Mom, me, Aunt Nancy, Carol and Will. Will is Carol's son. Aunt Nancy is her mother, and my great aunt. Mom kept introducing me as her daughter from California to everyone we met.

We had a nice lunch and took more pictures. Above is Aunt Nancy and mom. And below is Will, Aunt Nancy, me and Carol.

After lunch, mom took me shopping. We found a lot of things. It's nice being able to fit into normal sizes again, even if I'm still at the top end of them.

Now we're back home, and I'm going to make a stirfry with the leftovers from lunch. Then I'm going to see about some knitting!

Tennessee

2006-05-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Finally I have found a time of year to visit my mother when it is not oppressively hot or insanely cold. I'm a California girl, not used to these drastic weather changes! May in Clarksville is quite pleasing, and I think May will be the visiting month. Since it also just happens to have Mother's Day in it, that seals the deal.

Carol and Will and Aunt Nancy and mom picked me up at the airport yesterday, and we saw them again today at the movies. We went to see An American Haunting, about the Bell witch of Tennessee.. it turns out that this haunting happened just 11 miles from here. Mom said she spent the night in the house when she was 12, with a group of girl scouts. The movie would have you believe that the house is still standing, but it was torn down years ago. I enjoyed the movie, but there were some rude teenagers sitting behind us who were laughing at the scary parts. It killed the mood just a bit.

Mom and MacTavish are doing fine. Here's a picture of MacT, he's 12 years old, and does a lot of sleeping these days. He snores, too, but don't tell him that. He'd be embarrassed.

We're doing some knitting... well, I am. Mom says she doesn't like to knit unless it's January! I'll try to take some pictures that I can put up here tomorrow.

Working, working, working

2006-05-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

The White Rats still haven't posted my picture on their web page. So I'll put it here. This was taken last summer at the Dore Alley street fair.

I am taking a short break at work. I've been here since 10, and it's now nearly 5. If Jaya is true to his word, he'll pick me up in three hours. Loong day, but I'm getting a lot done. All the proofs for the magazine have to be printed. My goal is to finish everything before I leave for Tennessee on Friday. I'm doing South Bay now, so there is a chance it will actually happen! We have over 500 to print, in total

After work tonight, (Jaya had to work today, too.. and it's Saturday!) we are going to the San Francisco Contra Dance. We were talking about exercise last night, and dancing is a really fun form of exercise for me... and contra requires no skill!! So we're going to see how Jaya's hips take it.

May 5

2006-05-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

I played out in Santa Cruz and in Alameda for Mayday. That's me in the furry red hat. This photo was actually much darker, being before dawn and all, but I lightened it so you can see something.

Looks like I won't make it to Karflugifest this weekend. Rats. But there is just too much to do at work. I will go to the Starry Plough on Sunday, though, if all goes as planned.

Next weekend I'm off to Tennessee to visit Mom for Mother's Day. I haven't had luck finding any sessions there in Clarksville yet, but I'll keep trying. I know they must exist.