Under the Bridge

This Labor day I took the Seas Streak Ferry to Sandy Hook in NJ for a lovely, end of summer beach day. I highly recommend the (slightly pricey) trip. (Nothing beast a $4 subway ride to the Rockaways!!) Look at all the bridges you get to go under!!





Knitting for miles...

I've often stopped to wonder, just how many miles I've knit. Maybe someday I'll do the math and count up all the yarn used for my various projects to see how far my hands ave traveled. I'd have to look at old pictures and guess, but I'm sure I could get a rough estimate. In the meantime, here's a sneak peak at the result of my current mileage:

Of this I am sure...

Over the years we discover things.
Things we know to be true of ourselves and others that have a slim chance of ever changing. This unlikelihood of change is something I'm just starting to be friends with. Rather than view quirks/opinions/rules of mine as strange and unusual, I've decided to just embrace them and be proud. While I certainly acknowledge that there are a million ways to do any task and live a life, here are some things that I firmly believe to be true:

  1. One should always spring for the name brand cotton swabs. You know the ones. Anything less is always disappointing.
  2. Flavored coffee is disgusting, especially pumpkin. If it's presence must be tolerated because, your roommate always buys it or you just can't waste the gift basket- let it have it's own equipment and never mix.
  3. Nothing should ever be pumpkin flavored unless it has actual pumpkin in it. Breads= yes, Beers=NO!
  4. If no one is sleeping or sitting on it, a bed should be made. It looks better and will make things feel less chaotic in life.
  5. Giving children their wishes in fantasy, is a magical cure. What does that mean? Well, the next time you're with a child who throws himself on the ground because he doesn't want to leave the fun thing you're doing... just say to him, "Tell me all the things you'd rather be doing..." When he says "Get on a plane and fly to Madagascar" then by all means get on a plane and fly to Madagascar! At least until you reach your car. If a little one begs for yet another sweet treat say, "Oh, I wish we could eat a million of them! And cake too. And cotton candy. And... " I certainly can't claim this technique... I read about it somewhere, but man, it really works! And by work I mean preventing/soothing a tantrum while at the same time giving your child the reassurance that you do care about his needs/wants/feelings, rather than denying them, which is what we usually do: "It's ok. It's no big deal." "You just had a cookie, how can you possibly want another one?" "Don't worry, we'll come back to the park again."
  6. The best way to deal with catcalls is just to accept them and acknowledge the caller. Give them a dorky hello, smile or wave. I used to get super angry and just be bummed all day, but lately I've been using them as a way to engage. Once someone said something I didn't like and I just told them outright. They apologized and told me to have a nice day instead. It's so much better than being mad at them.
Wow, is that it? Just six. Well, I'm sure there will be more down the line. Anyone else care to share???

A long sentence....

You know those times when you should really be like, sleeping, but instead you're listening to Justin Timberlake, sending random envelopes of lined school paper to your pals across the the country? Yeah, me too.
It really is quite difficult to sleep with Justin serenading you after all.

Man, I really need to get some new stamps, mine are all 37 cents! How long ago was that???

Current Crushes

Walt Whitman
I heard a poem of his the other day while watching the PBS documentary about New York City and it peaked my interest in the guy. The documentary uses much of his work, as he was an early American-lover of NY -ahead of his time kind of writer. His poem, Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry, just captures the exact feeling of this city, even now. In a time before the Brooklyn Bridge, before Man had even envisioned building UP instead of OUT, Whitman seemed to comprehend this constant for all New Yorkers. Despite the changes to come for his New York and ours, this poem just gets it:

1.
Flood-tide below ! I watch you face to face;
Clouds of the west! sun there half an hour high! I see you also face to face.

Crowds of men and women attired in the usual costumes! how curious you are to me!

On the ferry-boats, the hundreds and hundreds that cross, returning home, are more curious to me than you suppose;

And you that shall cross from shore to shore years hence, are more to me, and more in my meditations, than you might suppose.

(I skip some here)

3.
I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence;
I project myself- also I return- I am with you, and know how it is.

Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt;
Just as any of you is one of a living crowd, I was one of a crowd;
Just as you refresh'd by the gladness of the river and bright flow, I was refresh'd;
Just as you stand and lean on the rail, yet hurry with the swift current, I stood, yet was hurried;
Just as you look on the numberless masts of ships, and the thick-stem'd pipes of steamboats, I look'd.


NYC, Brooklyn and the Bridge.
Thanks to this poem and the documentary, I've discovered a new love for the city. I can't quite get into it here, but am grateful. I'm especially amazed, yet again, by the Brooklyn Bridge. The thing that got me, was hearing that at the time of it's opening, May 1883, it was the tallest thing around. In a city just four stories high, people, had never seen anything from that perspective before. Because of the strictly pedestrian pathway, to this day, we are able to get an unobstructed, awe inspiring view of the city. I just can't get over the extreme intelligence and fore thought of the early designers of our country!

Like Alexander Hamilton

Bringing it back to the current century, this band called Bon Iver is really rocking my world. Check out their myspace page to listen! The song "The Wolves" has the best yet most subtle use of that voice changing effect thing (that Cher made popular) ever. See if you can hear it and agree with me!

What's new...

Books:

Thanks Garth for not liking Walt Whitman and giving yours to me!

Yarns:


These Blue Sky yarns will become Spring 09 projects/patterns! 35 skeins by the end of August... do you think I can do it? That's a lot of knitting, which leads to new thing #3:

Yup, I've broken down and gotten a wrist brace. My poor wrist is getting more action than ever and it's feeling it big time. I've also switched to using my mouse more than my trackpad. That means my favorite activity, snuggling in bed with the computer perched on my chest, is not allowed :( (we'll see how long that lasts!)

Being a sailor:

I got this lovely number at the Flea Market yesterday! Remember the "What about Bob" line?
"I'm a sailor. I sail." or something like that. The tag on th inside says...Wearing socks:


The other morning it was chilly enough with the breeze to warrant the wearing of socks. I took a picture because the first pair I grabbed just happened to match my pajamas perfectly. It probably wasn't all that accidental, knowing me, however.

*Update*
Another exciting thing:
That GIANT pile of laundry you can kind of see in the background of my sock photo, has since been done! I now have a 'normal' person sized pile of laundry in the works and I plan to keep it that way!

Music = Fuel

The new music purchases keeping me going these days...


She & Him
Volume one
2008


Steve Perry
Street Talk
1984
For this song

which became a favorite in college when I revisited and then obsessively listened to the We Are The World Soundtrack driving around Bennington.


King Wilkie
Low Country Suite
Listen to my favorite "Oh My Love" here
I have an extra ticket to see them at Joes Pub... wanna go?

New Blue Sky Pattern!

I'm really excited to see the response out there for this new pattern! I was really fun and fast to make... well, sort of. The blocking of these squares took a long time and pretty much covered my house. First, I didn't have enough towels to do them all at once and second, when your cats think blocking = bedtime, it makes your work take twice as long to dry. (Does anyone know why cats love laying on wet knitting riddled with pins?) But eventually it all dried and I pieced it together with a fabric backing. I look forward to checking out other people's color choices.

The interesting thing about this pattern is that it started out in my mind as a sweater. In fact, I actually made the sweater for Blue Sky, but it didn't turn out quite as I had hoped or imagined. Eventually Blue Sky decided to go in a different direction and suggested turning the motif into a blanket pattern instead. I think it was a smart decision on their part, but I do hope to develop this sweater idea somewhere down the line...

That's what friends are for...

You know your friends are the right ones for you when they get inspired gardening one day to stop and sew little catnip treats to give to your cats. Thank you Seth for embroidering this gem!

One thing that I adore about Seth is his love of playing games. We were walking in a big group somewhere... going to get ice cream perhaps (yes it was after the Belmont Stakes race) when Seth announced he had a present for me. With the hugest smile and on his face he decided I should play twenty questions to guess what it was. He's infectious enthusiasm inspired the whole group to play along and for the entire walk we shouted out our guesses. We had narrowed it down to a dried plant of some sort and when he just had to tell me about the catnip treats he and Garth had crafted for their two friends with cats. This was many weeks ago and I had kind of forgotten about it until last night when Seth handed the gift to me.

Sometimes I am struck by the kindness and generosity of these two friends (who coincidentally have been pals since their single digit days.) To have friends who are thoughtful enough to give you great random gifts is one thing. (Garth has brought me back special Texan beef jerky on two occasions now.) But to have that thoughtfulness extend to your two, quirky cats is quite something.

Some of you might be wondering why the toy says "ANG" when my cat's name is Dinah. Well, that's because when Seth met Dinah he picked up on an uncanny resemblance....

Recent Find


The last time I was at the Brooklyn Flea I scored this printers tray (plus another one) for $10!!!!! Thats right folks $5 each! I was shocked. I saw them in a booth nearby and wandered over at the beginning of the day to see how much they were (she had 4). My hope was to keep my eye on them from afar and cross my fingers sell enough to bring one home with me. When I found out the price I wanted to buy them all! If I had had a way to cart them all home, I would have done it!
My mom spotted a similar tray at home in Maine recently for $60, which still a pretty a good deal if you ask me. I think I really lucked out and couldn't be more jazzed about my new little collecting place!

My new pal

There was quite a surprise waiting for me when I went home to Maine last week...My mom got a new kitten and didn't tell me anything about it! I walked in the house and he scooted on by like it was yesterdays news. Needless to say, I loved him immediately!

This was my temporary office on the one day I worked and sir kitten gazed at me through the screen...

Mom and I spent the week brainstorming names. My uncle was a big fan of the name trouble or Arizona. We considered a dogs name like Fido or Spot since, well check it out... he loves to play fetch!


My mom makes him these little tinfoil balls that he chases around constantly. He puts them in shoes, his water dish and every now and then right in your lap. Now, it's completely cat-style fetch, meaning he's in no way obligated to bring the ball back to you and you certainly can't expect it to be done quickly every time. He does love to play with the ball first, but then usually trots back and drops it beside you. This dropping, along with his little expectant wait for the your throw, just melts my heart. It make me feel proud. I can't wait to see him again!

Oh, the other names discussed:

Taz (I said no!)
Scribble
Arcade (this was a late contender that didn't get a fair chance)

but I think we settled on Rascal, right Mom? Or have you thought of more?

Uninspiration

First off, let me express my deep respect and awe for stylists. They are the ultimate merchandisers. They take products to new levels of desirability by placing them in dreamy lifestyle scenarios. Despite being completely fake and two dimensional, we covet these ideal lives and in turn, rush out to buy, buy, buy! Or so is the hope of companies like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Ikea.

All of the aforementioned companies make great stuff. Stuff that in the past I have really, really wanted, needed even. Stuff I was willing to stand in line for when my plate of Swedish Meatballs had all but won off. Seriously, it's not the stuff that bothers me. I love my Crate and Barrel Popsicle maker! The Pottery Barn shower curtain liner, that I got by ordering one too many for my friend's wedding, was the longest lasting liner I have ever owned. And dear Ikea, your cheese grater slays me! I wish I had cause to buy more, but alas, one is all you need.

In my opinion, this is how it should be. A girl or boy picking his or her favorite items based on need, desire and taste. The catalog images provide inspiration for the daily use of said items and maybe help you see things that you might not have noticed otherwise. Way to go stylists! For a while there you almost made me want to buy some giant wicker balls and cover all my books with white paper!

I feel a need to apologize for my first post in ages turning so negative. I don't want to be known as someone who tears things down, but after receiving the latest Crate and Barrel catalog, well, let's just say I'm offended and leave it at that.

Which came first, the carpet, the chair or the lime green books?
I think it's pretty common for lovers of green, especially when it comes to the pickle varieties, to always be drawn to items of that color. If I had an unlimited income, I might fall into this category myself, so maybe there is some truth to this styling technique. Still, I think it's pretty basic to stick to one pretty bold color. If you're going to go that way, really go that way and fill the room with even more green. If I were given these exact same props to use, I would have made the wall white or an almost yellow green to allow for another accent color. Then I would have added a few more props that weren't green. Maybe something pale yellow or blue. Then I would have tried putting all the green books on one shelf, because that seams like something a normal person might try.

Maybe people dream of color coded rooms, where book bindings match the carpet and the pen you leave angled just so. I dream of spaces that leave breathing room for all colors and the parade of items I'm sure to drag home from the flea market. I never want to be limited to jusst one color extreme. Yikes. What else can you put in this room?

It would have to be bright orange, green, or turquoise, right? Is my problem that I'm just not into bright, solid colors? I think the quilt is nice, but the room just reminds me of a transitional summer patio collection or something.

This room tells a similar story only at a different temperature.
Even a flower arrangement would look out of place up there. And flowers look good anywhere!

This carpet would be GREAT if it were the only colored thing in the room.
And this last room is just the hugest pet peeve ever! I can't really name it or put my finger on it, but I know it has a lot to with the shaker posed on the little shelf.
I never thought I would praise the Pottery Barn catalog, but at least their rooms are more neutral and inspiring [to me]. Ikea has the corner on inventive/inexpensive/stylish design and at least they send out fewer catalogs. The trees and I are very thankful for that.

I survived Renegade 2008!

Someone make the tee shirt already! I survived Renegade 2008!

Scheduling a craft fair in a drained pool is an awesome idea...until... the thunderstorms come and the pool fills up to your ankles! Well, that might be an exaggeration but not for my corner at least. I'm telling you, by the end of the first day, the Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair had turned into one of the most fashionable wet tee shirt contests imaginable. Picture it, insanely cute gals in their summer frocks and high waisted shorts bearded boys in their shortest shorts, all running around soaked to the bone. I'm just saying, nothing like giant rain storms to bring people *ahem* together! My friend Anne told about how she and a bunch of kids gathered in the small, drizzle free entrance to wait it out, when all of a sudden one dude says, "Ok... townspeople!" and he spontaneously inspires them all to play Mafia. Way to make lemonade, Mr. and by the way, are you single?

But we survived! All and all, it was a blast! I made new friends and found some sweet new things, which I'll post soon.

Our booth on Saturday before the rain:




The cute kids across the way weren't scared by a little rain, they set up camp like pros!

Love the rolled up jeans and sneaks on dudes, btw...

The rain begins and NEVER ends!!

Slightly freezing...

The next day was a little less rainy. We decided to condense to one table, just in case it rained again. I think it made things cuter! There were many reactions to my Fathers Day sign... the most common being "oh crap! I forgot to call my dad!" Followed by immediate dialing.



I made this tie last minute Sunday morning and it sold right away. I'm glad I grabbed a shot of it. More cattails on the way I think.

How cool is this?

I pulled out an old package of seam binding tonight to make something and discovered the sweetest thing on the back of its label. You might have to enlarge to the photo to see it...

Basically the gist is that for three discarded wrappers and 15 cents they'll send a bag of clippings for your child. I think it's so rad that the company is willing to do that and advertise it! Wouldn't it be nice if that were the way today? I would so be all over that grab bag!! Maybe I should see if they still do it... hmmmmmm...

*update

When checking out the address above, I noticed it didn't have a zip code. I of course thought this made it very old, you know from before zip codes! Then I did research to find out that the United States started zip codes in 1963! So, the package is probably not that old. Although, 15 cents is a pretty small amount... any guesses out there. How old is this offer? Will it still stand? (Ha)