The Waiting Place

Military Ribbon Afghan

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Today I find myself in The Waiting Place; that pause between what has been and what is to come. Christmas overload has ended and the New Year is still patiently waiting its entry into the world. I reflect on what I have and have not done over the past 365 days and what I hope to make manifest with the birth of a new year. But there is a prevalent calm here in the waiting place.  I have the promise of something exciting to look forward to, yet no expectation that I must act upon that promise just yet.  I am waiting in pregnant stillness, like a runner at the starting line. Will this year’s race be for endurance or a flat-out sprint? I don’t know yet, only that I can and will run when it’s time.

While in the waiting place, I am keeping busy.  We are building legos and resting, taking things at our own pace.  I am resurrecting half-done projects (like the one above), hoping I can start the new year with a clean-ish slate. In a couple more days the time for action will arrive. I will make my lists, start my planning, and begin my journey down the road that will be 2016. Until then I wait. And that’s just fine with me.

 

What Condition My Condition Is In

Just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in….
~ Mickey Newbury

 
I remember my Mom singing this unabashedly tunelessly around the house when I was a kid.  Figures it would be about the LSD experience.  But it’s running through my mind on a loop as I get the urge to blog again.  I attribute this itch to the whole autumn back-to-school vibe that’s floating around.  I get it every autumn with the arrival of tumbling leaves and rumbling school buses.  And this year I have a preschooler on my hands (!).  How and when did that happen?
 
But I’m feeling a bit better, slightly less overwhelmed, and I think it might be time to get back our (somewhat) regularly scheduled dosage of Knittymuggins nonsense.  In keeping with the back-to-school experience I bring you:
 
What I Did On My Summer Vacation

 
• In June we took our first real family vacation!  We didn’t stray far, just 3 hours to Whistler, B.C., but it was almost like being a world away.  My BFF from college and her whole family were here from Kentucky and we stayed at their time-share with them.  The weather was gloomy (but we’re used to that!) so we just spent a lot of time swimming in the pool, playing on the playground in the village, and catching up.  I hadn’t seen Michele since R. Darling and I got married in 2004, and of her 4 children I had only met the oldest (when he was a mere 6 months old!) so it had definitely been too long.  The amazing thing is how easily we picked up where we had left off, as if I’d seen her only yesterday.  I wish they lived closer!!

 

 
• I quit Facebook.  I was wasting WAY too much time on it and found myself feeling truly depressed whenever I logged out.  Easy solution: give it up.  I feel guilty that I don’t know what’s happening with many of the people I care about (since everyone uses FB and people don’t seem inclined to communicate any other way anymore), but I also love not feeling bummed out every day.  Besides, I saw “The Social Network” and that Mark Zuckerberg seems like a total a-hole. Just sayin’. I’ve actually been pretty unplugged all summer and I feel much happier and more productive on a lot of levels.

 

• I participated in my first ever Ravellenic Games!  Well, not “officially”, but in spirit for sure.  My friends Jess, Troy, and I had our own personal knitalong conducted mostly via text, and it was so much fun I want to do it again :)  Each of us knit Leftie and though I was sure I wouldn’t finish it in 17 days, I totally did.  That was a huge eye-opener for me and has changed how I feel about my knitting.  It proved that if I stay monogamous with a project (and by now we all know I have a problem with that), it can be finished quickly.  On top of that this was the first project, probably since I was a beginner in 2006, where I picked out specific yarn and colors for this exact project.  Usually I sort of shop my enormous stash and try to fit project to yarn like a puzzle, with sometimes less than stellar results.  But I adore my Leftie and actually plan to wear it a lot this fall.

 

Leftie: In Progress July 2012

 
• I started Body For Life again about 7 weeks ago and have lost 7 lbs!  I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight and had the utter joy of being able to put my diamond wedding ring back on after not wearing it since about November 2009.  I almost feel like a newlywed because I cannot stop admiring that sparkling chunk of white gold and diamond adorning my left ring finger.  Knittymunchkin was shocked when he caught sight of  it replacing my plain old white gold band that I’ve been wearing since he was in my tummy.  I can’t explain how wonderful it feels to have it back (and a little of my “old” body too!).  I’d ideally like to lose another 5-7 lbs to get back to my pre-pre-pregnancy weight, but the progress I’ve made so far still thrills me on its own.

 

• I have a potty-trained toddler who is also going to preschool in a couple weeks!  I am just stunned he is this big already.  It’s going to be sad, exciting, and so much more, to watch him go off to school.  We weren’t planning on it just yet, but there was a last minute opening in a local co-op preschool that everyone raves about so we jumped on it.  I’m going to miss him like crazy, much as I will appreciate the break and the joy I get from watching him make new friends.  Wish me luck on this new venture!

 
I’m sure there’s much much more that I’m forgetting.  But I’ll be back with more before too long.  I hope you had a wonderful summer as well & look forward to catching up with each and everyone of you just as soon as I can.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy almost-Autumn!

Down Time

It’s been a couple weeks again.  This is becoming my thing.  And since it seems that there is a trend going on here, I guess it is about time I make it official: I’m taking a break.
 
There has been a lot of upheaval at Chez Knittymuggins over the last month.  I have a beautiful son entering the “Terrific Twos” and every day is a roller coaster of emotions, personalities, and power struggles.  Not only is he the biggest love of my life (besides R. Darling, of course), but he is also the most monumental challenge I will ever face.  Being a parent is HARD.  I am a huge ball of stress.  Normally I consider myself an incredibly patient person, and stable enough to weather the ups and downs that life throws at me.  But between mothering, trying to be a good wife, and trying to keep the household chaos down to a dull roar, I’m kind of losing it here.  And I have absolutely no support network to lean on when things get tough.  I’m holding it all inside and going it alone, and I can’t take it anymore.
 
Don’t worry, nothing drastic is going to happen :)  And I’m not telling you so you’ll feel sorry for me.   I just had to tell someone to relieve some of the anxiety.
 
So I’m going to take some time off.  I need to focus more on my own inner peace, getting things done around the house and re-grouping.  I hope to be back when I’m feeling better, I’m just not sure when that will be.  Until then, thanks so much to all of you for all the friendship & support you’ve given me throughout the years.  It has meant so much more to me than you’ll ever know!  And if you are still here to read when I get back I will welcome you with a heart full of gladness.
 
But just so you know, I DO sometimes still have fun!  Check out my first hand-dyed yarn:
 

 
Best wishes & hope to see you soon,

M
 
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P.S. – Want to do something nice AND get free yarn? Ravelry members check out this thread. I’m already on my second pair of kids’ mittens!

Sock Summit 2011 Day 3: July 30, 2011 – Far Afield

Back to our regularly scheduled Sock Summit Update (warning – picture heavy)….
 
Saturday morning found us a little more leisurely than usual.  That’s not to say we slept in, but Jess didn’t have class at all that day and Troy and I didn’t have class until 1:30 PM so there was no rush to get out the door immediately.  We had decided this would be the perfect morning to do a little exploring and we thought the Farmer’s Market would be the perfect thing to do.  Jess was amazing and pretty much figured out exactly where we needed to go and which TriMet route we’d need to take to get there.  Luckily, we were in the free zone for where we wanted to go, so it was super easy.  All I can say is, kudos to Portland for their public transportation!  If only we had something this nice where I live.  Of course, it’s not hard to get around in my town, but there are times where I’d like to not have to worry about driving or parking.
 

Skidmore Fountain

 
We hopped the Trimet to the Skidmore Fountain stop which was a quick 5 minutes or less from the Convention Center block. At our stop, I was initially put off by the group of scruffy looking loiterers shouting obscenities at each other over their shopping cart, but we just walked the other way and I put it out of my mind.  What caught my eye first was the historic architecture surrounding us; buildings with flourishes, and the historic colonnade housing a portion of the market.  I never cease to be fascinated by old structures and their histories.  The stories are there, buried, waiting for me to discover them.  I wonder about the people who lived and worked here. What was life like for them?  Were they happy, sad, indifferent?  As I soaked it in I snapped a few photos for posterity.
 

Architectural Details of The Colonnade

 

The Saturday Market - Portland, OR

 
We wandered, we looked, we soaked it in.  I found a lot of inspiration at the market, seeing all kinds of items that had been re-created from vintage or cast off things; upcycling being the buzz word I presume.  This has always been an interest of mine and seeing examples of this in the marketplace gave me all sorts of ideas for future projects.  I bought a couple of leather cuffs made from old belts.  Because I needed to “toughen up my image” I told Troy.  Couldn’t hurt.  Before long we were getting hungry and we decided we’d all divide up and get the food that sounded best to each of us.  Troy and Jess convinced me I’d love pierogies, which I had never before tried, so I bought my lunch at a cute little cart just across the street from the Portland Saturday Market sign up above.  Mmmmm…. Potato and cheese filling with onions and bacon on top.  I have to say, my first experience with pierogies was a blissful one!  Troy, who was holding a table for us, had to have the same after I came back with mine.
 

My First Pierogies

 
The picture is a bit blurry you see, because I was salivating so hard I could barely hold the camera straight :)  I told Jess and Troy that I did believe my blog was starting to turn into a food blog as most of the pictures I took over the weekend seemed to be of food!  After eating and looking a bit more, we thought we spotted the mecca of doughnut shops – Voodoo doughnuts – on an adjacent corner, and had to have a look for ourselves.  As we got closer, we asked a few people what the situation was and they told us that the line was at least an hour long.  An hour long!  And it was mid-morning, not even breakfast hour anymore.  Of course, there is no bad time for a doughnut.  But none of us was down with waiting an hour just to say we’d been there.  We satisfied ourselves with snapping a picture of the sign and Jess even got a guy sitting outside at a table, about to bite into a doughnut the size of his head, to agree to having his photo taken.  I’m pretty sure one of his friends had one of those specialty maple doughnuts with bacon on top.  Oy.
 

All Hail Voodoo Doughnuts!

 
After that, we wandered around a little longer to see what we could see.  We thought maybe there’d be a fun little shopping district or some such somewhere near all this other goodness, but no such luck.  We did see this, which explained a lot:
 

Keep Portland Weird!

 
Coming up on Chinatown, we thought perhaps there would be something fun to explore here too, but it was all but dead.  I did find the entrance enchanting though, and thought a rather funny sign deserved preservation on film.  Do you think they realized what they were advertising?  Or did they think it was funny too?
 

Entrance To Chinatown

 

Hung Far Low

 
Perhaps this was old Chinatown and there is a new and bustling Chinatown somewhere else in Portland.  By then in our travels, it was getting close to time to head back.  So we boarded the TriMet and were on our way back to the Convention Center.  I’d had a raging headache all day and it wasn’t getting any better.  I think we got some coffee before our class and maybe poked around the Marketplace again and at 1:30 PM Troy and I headed to our Perfect Rib Class with Cookie A.  I have to admit, I wasn’t feeling 100% by the time we got to class, and there was a lot to cram into this one-hour wonder.  Despite Cookie A. being a friendly, knowledgeable, and all around excellent instructor, my brain was at maximum capacity and most definitely not firing on all cylinders.  So I didn’t get much out of it, unfortunately.  Through no one’s fault but my own, of course.  There were lengthy handouts that I brought home and I imagine I will study them later, the next time I get around to trying to design my own sock.  I loved the idea that you can incorporate ribbing into the pattern itself (the main idea of this class) and I think that is perhaps why Cookie A.’s designs are among the most beautiful of all sock patterns.  Her ribs never look just stuck on, in fact, everything flows seamlessly together into a harmonious design.  I know accomplishing this myself with my own pattern, will make much more sense when I can sit down and study it later with my brain in a more receptive state.
 

Cookie A.!

 
After class, we met up with Jess again and decided it was time for another field trip.  We piled into Troy’s car this time (I think yesterday’s trek had taught us that it would be much more relaxing to drive just in case we got lost again) and headed to the nearest LYS, Portland’s Twisted.  What a sweet little shop!  They had all sorts of yarns my LYS doesn’t carry and a lot of local indie dyed stuff that was really fun to see.  The Twisted booth at the Marketplace at Sock Summit had been handing out 10% off coupons for the brick and mortar shop, so of course we had to take advantage.  I bought some beautiful Madelinetosh Tosh Merino in “Grasshopper” for a slouchy hat.  I love slouch hats, but don’t know if they love me back. I’m thinking this is a bit like shawls.  They look funny on you only if you feel funny in them.  You have to work it and just know you are cool and then, in turn, you will be cool.  It’s my new experiment.
 

Twisted Yarn Shop - Portland, OR

 
Jess asked the gals in the shop for a restaurant recommendation and they gave us a few.  Jess and I were thinking sushi, but after driving back and forth a bunch, with no sushi place materializing, we settled for the one place they recommended that we could actually find: Cha! Cha! Cha! Taqueria.  It was cool inside and inviting.  Most of the clientele were seated outside, so it was nice to have the place to ourselves.  The food was billed to be authentic and locally sourced which is apparently a condition for every restaurant in Portland.  But you know, I do believe it makes a difference!  Our meal was delicious.  Troy and Jess got something called Molcajete that Jess says is served at one of her favorite restaurants back home.  All I know is it arrives in a ginormous sizzling bowl of goodness and smells heavenly!  I got poblano chile and cheese tamales and we all got the requisite frosty adult beverage necessary to complete a summer meal such as this.
 

Jess & Troy

 

Mmmm... Tamales & a Margarita!

 
After dinner was consumed, we headed back to the convention center for a “special kind of baby shower” in honor of Ravelry founders Casey and Jess’ new baby Eloise.  Each of us had knitted a hat to donate to the cause and it was astounding to arrive there and see the sheer number of sweet knitted things that people had made.  There were several gift bags on the tables and I was a little confused as to what that was all about until Tina Newton and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee started looking into one of them and exclaiming over the huge amounts of tiny socks nestled inside.  I guess that one knitter had gone sock wild and knit dozens upon dozens of socks for donation.  Kind of made me feel a little subpar with my one measly hat :(  But I guess every little bit helps!
 

My Little Hat for Eloise's Charity Baby Shower

 
We kind of thought that, since it was a baby shower and all, there should have been some cake or something.  But no cake.  We settled for milkshakes from Burgerville (yum!) and some knitting in Troy’s room instead.  I’d all but convinced Troy and Jess to take on the Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2011: Earth & Sky with me so we purchased the pattern and discussed color choices while sipping our cool frosty treats.  After a while Jess and I bid Troy goodnight and headed back to our room for some shuteye.  A thoroughly wonderful, totally exhausting day.  And one of the best ever in recent memory! And tomorrow would mean goodbye :(

Sock Summit 2011 Day 2: July 29, 2011 – Class & Consumption

Poor Jess.  She was still on her “home time” (2 hours ahead) and I kept her up late talking about yarn and life and me me me.  For a shy person I can sure talk about myself too much.  Sheesh.  She still got up before me and I expected to hear her getting ready for her 9AM class, but instead she left the room.  Gulp.  Was I so annoying that she had to leave?  Did I snore all night?  I worry about this stuff.  But no, apparently she was up early due to that time difference thing and, polite as she is, she actually did some work (that’s a four letter word, yo!) in the lobby before coming back to get ready for class so as not to disturb me.  Too sweet.  I was up by then working on my homework for my Saturday afternoon Cookie A. class and it was still only about 7:30 AM.  I thought I’d find the time to sleep in once or twice while away, but apparently I’ve got my internal alarm clock set to Knittymunchkin time and it doesn’t reset no matter how many miles away I get.
 
Jess and I met Troy in the lobby and it was just a mere half hour before Jess’ first class.  We’d talked about walking to Voodoo Doughnuts which we thought had to be fairly close due to the frequent passing by of that most glorious of pink boxes containing warm frosted doughnutty deliciousness (or so we presumed, but we’d be schooled later).  But with Jess’ class imminent, we just decided to go to Burgerville again.  As if it wasn’t enough to have an eco-conscious burger joint nearby, it had to be one that served breakfast too.  I have to say, I’m impressed with the place!
 
Jess headed for class and Troy and I headed for the marketplace.  “Let’s just look around” turned into “Whoopee! Let’s go nuts and buy some YARN!”  At least for me.  We were very curious about the big fuss over Goth Socks.  Word on the street was that her stuff was one of the major draws for the massive line snaking around the convention center the night before.  Turns out, I think those rumors were right.  We headed to her booth first and I asked her about her stock.  Apparently they sold out between the night before and this morning.  As in everything that she brought was gone except for two measly little hanks of self-striping sock yarn.  Wowzers.  I ended up buying a super cute project bag there with bees on it (Oh how I ♥ bumblebees!) mainly because, after engaging her in conversation and then planning on walking away empty-handed, I felt kinda bad about wasting her time and figured the least I could do would be to buy something.  I am such a sucker.  But hey, I’ll use it.  It’s already holding my little sock yarn scraps and all my tools to make The Beekeeper’s Quilt.  So appropriate :)  I heard a lot of talk about The Sanguine Gryphon and The Plucky Knitter being big draws too, and if you gauged that by the sheer amount of people pressed into each booth, not to mention the rapidly disappearing stock, then I’d say it was true.  It’s kind of fun wondering who or what the next best thing will be.  Personally, I was really interested in Stricken Smitten and Sophie’s Toes and expect to hear more of a fuss about these dyers soon.
 

Ms. Newton And Her Friend

 
My first class of the summit was today at 11AM.  It was a one-hour lecture about dyeing yarn with Blue Moon Fiber Arts’ Tina Newton (also one of the co-creators of Sock Summit along with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee a.k.a Yarn Harlot).  It was entertaining and enlightening, though without prior dyeing experience, I don’t think I came away with much useful information.  I did feel inspired but also a little dejected.  That part of me that thought it might be a wonderful idea to start dyeing yarn and maybe someday doing something with the yarn I dye, like, oh maybe getting paid for it, has apparently been high on yarn fumes all this time.  Dyeing is hard work.  And it’s time consuming, and you have to love it.  Not to mention, you have to be good at it or people won’t buy it.  It’s o.k. to have dreams, but I suppose they have to be achievable.  Maybe we’ll just sleep on this one for a while.
 
After the lecture I didn’t have enough time to go back to the hotel so I went on a huge shopping binge in the marketplace.  With no witnesses to stay my hand I powered my way through the booths in a shocking flurry of cash and credit.  And I won’t lie.  It felt good.  It takes a lot of energy to blow through so much money at once, so I needed to refuel before my 1:30 PM class and bought a sandwich at the little lunch counter inside the convention center.  It took forever so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are in dire need like I was.  Sandwich finally in hand, I headed for my next 3 hour class: Judy’s Magic Heels.
 
This class was a revelation. Seriously, I shit you not.  A flap heel without picking up any stitches or working any short rows.  Sheer genius!  Well sheer magic, really.  Judy was an excellent teacher. Friendly, knowledgeable, approachable and patient.  I highly recommend her class should you ever have the chance at another Sock Summit.  I, for one, will be most definitely trying these heels on the next pair of socks I start.
 
Troy met me in the conference room as class ended. He’d had a class himself during the same time frame, in a room just adjacent. We went back to the marketplace and texted Jess back and forth until we caught up with her.  We all had tickets to the Sock Hop which would be later in the evening, and decided that maybe we needed to have a little dinner first and that perhaps it was time to explore a bit further afield.  What would follow would be an epic struggle to find sustenance in a mysterious concrete labyrinth filled with sketchy-looking locals, firearms dealers, and forlorn shopfronts.
 
O.K.  I’m kidding.  Well, a little.  I believe Jess actually referred to it as “The Death March”.  We were most certainly not prepared for the trek we ended up having to take.  Guess we took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and got ourselves all turned around somehow.  I don’t know about Jess but personally, as a woman, I get nervous walking around places I’m not familiar with.  Especially as the more populated areas drop away and you find yourself in something industrial or when you see a sign that is clearly advertising pawn items and firearms.  Not to mention, when you are clearly not dressed for hoofing it, are carrying a knitting bag the size of Texas, and look really scared.  Which I was trying not to do.  Thanks to Jess’ map function on her smartphone, we finally managed to get turned around and happened onto the restaurant she had enjoyed the night before we arrived: The Farm Cafe.  It couldn’t have materialized at a better time.  We were hot, tired, and ready to end our journey.  I felt badly that Jess would be eating here a second time, but she seemed enthusiastic about the food and probably more than ready to eat too.  We all had pretty much the same thing.  Green Salad (two orders were enough to share between the three of us) and Goat Cheese Ravioli.  It was well worth the journey and the wait.  This was one of the most delicious meals I have ever had in my life.  And from the “mmm’s” and general hush at the table, I think Troy and Jess concurred.
 

The Farm Cafe's Goat Cheese Ravioli

 
Perhaps it was the company, or all the energy I burned learning, knitting, shopping, and walking today, but I actually suggested ordering dessert.  I never do this.  But it felt good to linger in Troy and Jess’ company and having something sweet is almost always one of life’s biggest priorities (in my book).  So we each ordered something different and then shared tastes around the table.  Jess ordered the Sunken Chocolate Souffle, Troy ordered the Marscapone Cheesecake with Pecans and Dulce De Leche Sauce, and I ordered a seasonal Rhubarb Crisp.  Heavenly.  All of it!  I savored each bite and the simple joy of being among friends sharing a meal and conversation.
 
Tonight’s final event was the Sock Hop.  It was already in full swing when we dropped in after the much shorter walk (going the correct direction this time) back from the restaurant.  None of us had costumes, though to give Troy and Jess credit, I believe they had each brought something.  Yet again we realized we’d paid for hors d’ oeuvres included in the price of our tickets.  But I don’t think a single one of us would take back our meal at The Farm Cafe to eat deli meats and crackers and cheese, no matter how nice those snacks probably were.  After a few minutes we decided to ditch the party and go back to the lobby of our hotel for some knitting and drinks.  None of us had spent much time knitting yet and it sounded much more appealing at the moment than checking out everyone else’s costumes at the hop, no matter how fun and nostalgic the music was.
 
We stayed up late, knitting, drinking and just hanging out.  It was a wonderful end to a jam packed day!

Sock Summit 2011 Day 1: July 28, 2011 – Goodbye & Hello

July 28, 2011 was probably just another Thursday for most people.  Instead I awoke exhausted, to find myself both excited and anxious.  This would not be just any day for me.   At 8 AM my super knitty pal Troy would be picking me up to attend that most glorious of knitterly events:  Sock Summit 2011.  Today would mark the beginning of four days of intense yarnophoria (yarn + euphoria = yarnophoria!).  But it would also mean leaving my nearly 18 month old son for the very first time since he was born.  I felt more than a little guilty as I showered, ran around packing last minute things, and remembered final tidbits to tell R. Darling about household stuff.

Before I knew it the doorbell was ringing and it was time to say goodbye.  There were no waterworks, but there were lots of hugs and kisses and “just one mores” as we headed out into the cool summer morning.  One stop for caffeinated beverages (mine chock full of sugar of course!) and we were on our way.  I didn’t knit on the drive down, though I sat with knitting at my feet most of the way.  Ever since I was pregnant I get car sick very easily, most especially when I knit.  How sad is that?  5 hours in the car and I could have accomplished so much.  But getting to know more about Troy and keeping him company was just as important as knitting a few more rows on whatever I’d brought to work on.  Not to mention keeping his car a barf-free zone.  But Troy is a gentleman and a professional driver, so I’m quite sure he would have gotten me to the side of the road safely, and in time, to blow my chunks somewhere more appropriate should the need have arisen :)

Mid-way, lunch was consumed at the Red Lobster in Kelso, WA and the fuel tank refilled.  I was afraid that Troy would be disappointed with his first visit to a Red Lobster (I’d never eaten lunch there before and the menu was different from the dinner one that I am always slobbering over) but at least the biscuits were good and the place was clean enough to impress him thoroughly.  We arrived at the Convention Center in Portland, OR sometime around 2PM – 2:30PM, made our way past the construction and into the parking garage.  We were to meet Jess for the first time in person at 3PM near the statue outside the convention center.

We, of course, parked about as far as humanly possible from the check-in area for Sock Summit 2011.   However, this afforded us the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the attendees of the other major convention being hosted by the Convention Center that weekend: OSCon.  Everywhere we were greeted by hordes of computer nerds and signs featuring wildlife (is this a reference to the Safari brower?).  Most prominently featured was a little lemur of some sort with big eyes that I kept insisting was slightly creepy, which Troy kindly said he thought was cute.  What surprised me most was the complex demographic of the OSCon group.  Not just scrawny twenty-somethings in t-shirts with programming jokes, we saw a man in a kilt, a grandma or two, stuffy-looking gents, and regular schmoes.  I pretty sure I even saw a hoochie or two.  What made us laugh most was the fact that we considered ourselves nerds too, just of a different caliber, and figured we were probably just as mystifying to the computer hackers as they were to us.

The Goji Concourse inside the Oregon Convention Center

After coffee was procured, we headed outside to meet Jess.  I suddenly felt afraid I wouldn’t recognize her were I to see her from afar.  Even after all these years, seeing pictures of each other on our blogs, I wasn’t sure I would know her.  But then I saw a blonde walking up the steps towards us and I knew it was her without hesitation.  I couldn’t help myself – I gave her a hug.  Not everyone appreciates a hug I know, and I’m not always a hugger myself, but after all this time a handshake just didn’t seem appropriate :)

Space Age Mushroom Lights Outside The Oregon Convention Center

After introductions, we headed back to the car and off to The Crowne Plaza to check in.  Jess had stayed there the night before (she had classes on Thursday as we were driving down) and mentioned that one of the indie dyers (The Grinning Gargoyle) had made a point of leaving samples for Sock Summiters at the main desk, and could we please have a few?  I loved mine; a beautiful silvery color which will be added to my most current obsession (The Beekeeper’s Quilt – more on that later!).  The lobby was classy and the room was stylish and modern.  I felt spoiled!  Troy was quite satisfied too, though he’s had the opportunity for much more opulence than I and didn’t swoon quite as hard as I did :)

We packed a few things into our knitting bags and headed back for the early, students-only, opening of the marketplace at 4:30PM.  We’d seen people lining up even as we were checking in a couple hours before.  By the time we returned, the line had grown out into the convention center, circling into a meeting room and still more were adding themselves to the growing string of slavering shoppers.  We chuckled and plunked ourselves at a table to wait our turns.  There wasn’t much we could think of that would warrant needing to be first in the doors.  So we chatted and knit and soon enough the line was moving.  As we entered the marketplace, a warm miasma of sheepy wool smell with a hint of vinegar enveloped us.  Only a smell a knitter or fiber-lover would welcome as if it was the finest perfume.  I was dying to get to the Sanguine Gryphon booth first thing and Jess and Troy were kind enough to humor my mania.

The Saguine Gryphon Booth at Sock Summit 2011

Oh joy!  A giant bin of one-offs and overweight specialty colors!  I dove in headfirst and only came up for air after I was satisfied I’d done my best to blow my wad ‘o cash in nearly one swipe.  I felt dizzy with the ability to spend freely for once, in a veritable fiber paradise.  After all, R. Darling had told me to spend it all!  We went from one booth to the next, intent on the ones that interested us most for our first trip through the maze.  There was so much to see and not enough time to do it all.  It was overwhelming and astonishing and simply fantastic.

After our 2 hour preview was over and the marketplace was closing, we had just enough time to get something to eat and then Troy and I would be attending the opening ceremonies.  Jess would head back to our room where I’d meet up with her later.  We took the short walk up the street to Burgerville and had a surprisingly delicious fast food meal.  Leave it to Oregon to have a fast food place that recycles, composts, and serves up local produce and free-range eggs and meats.  A little overboard, even for someone from my crunchy little town, but the positive effect on the flavor of our meals was truly eye-opening.

If we had known that hors d’oeuvres were included in the price of our opening night ceremony tickets, then perhaps we wouldn’t have eaten beforehand, but that’s o.k.  Now we know for next time.  There were some speeches and some antics, and a lot of it was funny.  But I frankly wasn’t really paying attention.  I wanted to pet my yarn and call my son and husband and finally fall asleep after a long, fun day.  There would be so much more to explore the next few days and I, for one, couldn’t wait!

Sock Summit 2011 Preview

And much gluttony was had by all!
 
Or, at least by me!
 

Loot!!

 
Just a little preview of the mad yarnage purchased by my very own sweaty little paws at Sock Summit 2011.
 
From Top Left to Right:

1. Limited Edition Dancing Sheep project bag complete with pattern & 1 hank Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in “Jam Session”
2. Overweight hank of Sanguine Gryphon Codex in unnamed colorway (turquoise)

 
From Bottom Left to Right:

1. Project Bag purchased at Goth Socks Booth
2. MissPurl notions tin
3. 1 hank Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in “Jam Session”
4. 2 overweight hanks of Sanguine Gryphon Eidos in “Monadology” (The Gold Bug equivalent)
5. 1 hank Hazel Knits Divine; a  red “Rogue”
6. 3 hanks Sanguine Gryphon Gaia Lace in “Owlets”

 
So much more to show you and share with you, but that must wait for another day….
 
Last but not least, Troy, Jess & I jumped on the Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2011: Earth & Sky bandwagon while at Sock Summit.  Yes, I have fallen down the slippery slope that is shawl knitting.  I blame Mr. West for that completely.  Sock Summit added fuel to the fire with a new and exciting shawl spotted covering shoulders everywhere you looked.  Oh dear.  What happens next?  Do I start wearing housedresses that zip up the front and putting out bowls of congealed hard candy?
 
It was a joy to, for once, pick out yarn specifically destined to become a certain pattern.  What better place to drop my wad ‘o cash than The Sanguine Gryphon booth?  Here she is, Clue #1 all finished and ready to be continued:
 

Clue #1 - Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2011: Earth & Sky

 
Back soon for more Sock Summit 2011 fun!

This Is Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  I can’t believe that tomorrow is November 1st.  It’s really tripping me out.  I haven’t even managed to watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas” my usual 16 or so times during the weeks leading up to Halloween.  How sad is that?  This month just went way too fast.  We did make a little time to take Knittymunchkin to a local punkin patch on Friday though.  It was so much fun tromping around in the mud with him in the backpack, and taking the little tractor ride out to the corn maze.  Everything was pretty well picked over, but the main reason I wanted to go was for the photo opportunities anyway.  I never seem to take enough photos and who can resist dressing up their little guy or gal and nestling them in amongst some nice orange punkins?  Next year will be awesome when he’s able to stand and walk around on his own and maybe even pick his own punkin.  It’s a good family tradition and I’m glad we started it this year so we’ll have something to look forward to as Knittymunchkin grows.  We broke in the new fancy baby backpack and he even took an inaugural nap in it while R. Darling and I ate apple pie :)
 

Boo!

 
It is with great sadness that I have to announce a planned blogging break here at the Knittymuggins blog space.  As much as I love my blog and all of your wonderful comments and support, I just don’t have the time I need right now to put into writing quality posts that people might be remotely interested in reading. I hardly have time to knit and I’m so exhausted, overwhelmed, and generally bummed out lately, that I can hardly stand my own self.  I have struggled for most of the 4 years I’ve been blogging to keep from letting those down times show in my posts and I don’t want to start now, so I’m taking some time off.  Blogging is supposed to be a source of joy for me but lately it feels like one more thing on my list that I can’t possibly hope to keep up with or accomplish well.  I hope that I will be back, and maybe I will surprise myself and find some inner reservoir of energy and inspiration that will allow me to come back sooner than I hope, but for now I don’t expect to be blogging again until the beginning of the year (though I may not be able to resist posting some pictures of Knittymunchkin now and then ;)  I am still going to be working on my Day Zero goals in the meantime and hopefully knitting some things that I can share with you when I’m back again.  Until then, thank you so very much for your understanding and support and I wish all of you the most joyful holiday season imaginable!  January will be here before  you know it :)
 

In the Punkin Patch

Today….

Today…..

• I have forgiven (mostly) my dog
• I am sore from yesterday’s strength-training session (the first in many long months!)
• I am happy to see the sunshine, but also charmed by the frosty patch in the backyard that just won’t melt
• I’m grateful for one last paycheck from my job to help us get by as we adjust to one income
• I am listening to Christmas music and feeling happy that it’s “that time of year” again
• I am finishing one last sweater for Warm Woolies

My forlorn, but nearly finished, July Mystery Sweater

• I am wondering why that guy at the bank felt safe letting his daughter hand me books and play with me while he was in an office 2 doors away signing paperwork – do I look trustworthy?  Or is it just because I’m a girl?
• I am going to be packing for a weekend inVegas
• I’m wondering what kind of kung fu master my baby will become as it kicks me over and over
• I was pleasantly surprised to find the snow back on my blog for the month of December
• I feel like the real reason I like Facebook is for the games ;)
• I’m hoping that you have a wonderful weekend and life is good!

See everyone when we get back from Vegas on Monday!

Babymoon

The view from our porch

 
Why hello!
 
Yes, sadly, we are back to normal life once again.  Our 6 days in Maui almost seem like a distant memory already, though it was only a mere few weeks ago when we set foot on that sun-kissed isle.  Every time I arrive on Maui, or any of the Hawaiian islands (and yes – I know I’m incredibly lucky to be able to say “every time”) I am instantly transported by the tropical sun, palm trees, white sand, and bronze-skinned locals, to a timeline that could have been.  Once there was a girl who dreamed of a carefree life not her own; if only she had the guts to make the leap, the confidence to turn wishful thinking into reality.  I entertain these thoughts quietly upon each visit, wondering if we could make it work even now.  I could get a job at a luau shakin’ it for the tourists and R. Darling could spend his days at the beach spearing fish for supper and pretending not to look at the local hotties while working on his tan.  But under the mystique of island life and the glossy tourist facade, lies a place rife with poverty and an astronomical cost of living.  So we settle instead for an exotic sampling every few years or so and then make our way back home with happy memories, gaudy beach towels, and smatterings of sand packed in our bags to remind us of time well spent and much enjoyed.
 

An unusual rainbow

 
Given that I was just over 5 1/2 months pregnant during our trip, and that it was our second time in Maui, we didn’t plan anything too strenuous for ourselves.  We had chosen to stay in a condo this time instead of a hotel and were instantly pleased to have made the decision as it was quite like staying in an apartment but with many of the wonderful amenities that come with staying in a hotel.  Because our digs were so cozy, we found it easy to laze away our mornings and even our afternoons just dozing, sitting on our ocean-view porch (so glad we paid extra for that!), or reading inside when it got too hot outdoors.  The weather was somewhat uncooperative when it came to swimming as the winds were rather high while we were there, but the intermittent rain didn’t bother us at all.  With temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s and low 80’s, the rain was actually kind of a nice contrast to the heat.  We were rewarded with rainbows the first 3 days of our visit due to the showers and the one pictured above especially fascinated me.  It was situated directly over the surface of the ocean, quite close to the shore, and I can say I have never in my entire life seen anything like it.  Truly spectacular!
 

Giving the palm trees a haircut

 
One lazy mid-morning after breakfast on our balcony, there seemed to be a quite a lot of commotion going on down below on the grounds of the building.  Peering curiously, and vertiginously, over the edge we spotted several workers beginning their ascent of the assorted palm trees surrounding the pool area.  We watched them climb fearlessly up these palms, swaying in the somewhat stiff breeze, with nothing to keep them safe save the spikes on their boots and a single chain attached to their waists.  I watched, both fascinated and increasingly queasy, as each man swung his giant machete lopping off huge limbs and tossing them down to the velvety grass below.  Over and over they climbed up, chopped and hacked, then made the trip back down. And on each return trip I sighed with relief knowing that they would be safe on solid ground and their families would be able to welcome them home that night with laughter and a warm meal.  Until, there was one remaining palm.  The palm directly in front of our balcony, 9 stories up.  It swayed more heavily than the others, its rubbery trunk set in motion by the winds that picked up throughout the day.  The picture above shows the poor man whose job it was to trim this beast of a tree.  Did they draw straws to choose who would have to wrestle with this leviathan?  I could see him almost directly in front of us as he casually went to work sweating in the sunshine.  And once he made his trip back down I remembered how to breathe.
 

Can you see my baby belly?

 
As I mentioned, we spent a lot of our time lazing, but we did make it to the beach several days for some swimming and snorkeling.  Maybe you can tell by the face I’m making in my photo up there, but I was absolutely miserable this day.  It was the first day we went swimming and I was wearing a new maternity swimsuit that we purchased in Maui seeing as it wasn’t exactly the best time to find a swimsuit here on the mainland.  Without going into any TMI gross-me-out kinda detail, let’s just say my skin is uber-sensitive these days.  And what doesn’t feel so bad to the fingertips can be excruciating in other places.  I thought I could live with an itchy swimsuit, but it turns out, I really can’t.  I tried everything and frustrated, finally resorted to cutting out the lining on my tankini top.  Ah, so much better.  Who woulda thunk it?
 

Say "Howzit!"

 
Our best day of snorkeling came with an early morning and some crappy weather. This pretty much guarantees the tourists will stay home.  But not us – we love adventure!  By just before 9 AM we had found ourselves a nice parking spot in one of ten public parking spots near the Sheraton (where we stayed on our honeymoon). Black Rock in front of the hotel is one of the best snorkeling spots on the West side of Maui, or so we’ve been told, and we’re inclined to agree.  The wind made it difficult to spread out our mats and towels, and the lack of sun wasn’t exactly picturesque, but the water felt just fine and the fish rewarded us with plentiful attention.
 

A Pufferfish!

 

Unicornfish

 
The most wonderful part of the day was being able to swim with a turtle.  It made the whole $36 snorkel gear rental completely and totally worth it.  We had the good fortune to swim with one for quite a while when we were in Kona a few years back, and we felt incredibly lucky to get to do it again here on Maui.  Later in the day he apparently made his way back, quite close to shore, and the resultant swarming horde of snorkeling tourists made us feel rather sorry for Mr. Turtle.  We were glad to have had a more private glimpse of him earlier on.
 

Mr. Honu

 
On our last day we treated ourselves to a lovely dinner and show at the Hyatt called Cirque Polynesia.  We decided to splurge a little and pay for the show package that included dinner and, honestly, I almost enjoyed the dinner more than the show.  Though the show was quite spectacular, it really wasn’t nearly as glamorous and big-budget as the Vegas productions we’ve seen.  Perhaps if we hadn’t been spoiled with the “real” thing, it would have been a wee bit more exciting.  But having dinner on the veranda in front of the Hyatt with my sweetheart, while watching the sun sink into the ocean, was possibly one of the most romantic things we’ve done in a long time.  A fitting end to our Babymoon.
 
Though our traveling days aren’t over forever, the time with just the two of us is fast coming to an end.  It’s bittersweet because, as much as I cherish the trips we’ve taken and the time we’ve had as a couple, the arrival of our little one is going to be a journey that will outstrip everything else we’ve ever seen and done in our lifetimes.  And it will be wonderful!  But best of all, it’s a journey will be taking together, one step at a time.

Last Day

Goodbye flowers from my work "family"

 
Wow, so I like totally forgot how this whole blogging thing works.  It’s amazing what you lose once you stop doing something consistently!
 
Today was my last day of work.  I’m 5.5 months along now and it feels like time for some rest and relaxation before my real work begins.  Everyone keeps joking about my “retirement”, but really, my work is only just about to begin!  It was bittersweet saying goodbye today.  Though I’m happy to be moving onto a new phase in my life, and grateful that I get the chance to do it at my own pace without having to worry about going to a job every single day when I’m exhausted and worried about other things, I really am going to miss my good friends at work.  I’ve been with them for a very long time now (years!) and they feel more like friends and family than simply co-workers.  Though we say we’ll stay in touch and still see each other, I know it won’t be the same.  It never really is.  But I have a good feeling we’ll at least give it a try and that’s comforting.
 
Speaking of friends, one of my very special bloggy friends has recently moved her blog!  My pal formerly at Knit One, Blog Too, has now newly re-opened her bloggy over at Knitting Up North.  Please stop by and welcome her to her new corner of bloggyland!  She never fails to make me laugh and inspire me with her beautiful knitting projects, darling stories about her 2 little girls, and now – lovely forays into the spinning world.  I hope you’ll visit and admire her projects and enjoy her wit as I do :)
 
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my big announcement!  I am sorry that I haven’t had the chance to write back each and every one of you as of yet, but I surely will just as soon as things slow down here (which I hope will happen sometime soon….).  September was (and always is) a crazy month for us and I wasn’t home much, not to mention still struggling with morning sickness (ha! it’s not just for mornings!), and trying to work without passing out from exhaustion.  But I’m doing much better now and I hope to be in touch with each of you very soon.  I do so much appreciate all of your kind thoughts and congratulations as well as sticking with me through all the recent gaps in my bloggy history.  I hope to be back up and running at some kind of normal “schedule” soon.  I kinda remember saying I might not be back here again, but I guess I just can’t keep away ;)  Besides, I’m pretty sure that I’m going to need some human interaction very soon.  Being at home all day every day is likely to make me a little stir crazy!
 
But first, to celebrate all the good things, we are headed to Maui!  Hooray!  I’ll be back soon with pics and until then I hope you are all staying well & healthy!

I Think An Alpaca Slipped Me The Tongue

And it might have been a girl alpaca too.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Last Thursday I mentioned that R. Darling was taking me away for a much needed surprise weekend getaway.  It was so nice to have that prospect to look forward to at the end of the week!  So when Friday morning rolled around, we put on our workout clothes and loaded up R.Darling’s kayak on the truck to take to Sterling’s shop.  R. Darling needed a few repairs done on it in time for his next kayaking foray (which happens to be tomorrow) and the shop is close enough that we could take it in quickly on our way to our workout.  Fridays are “long run” days on R. Darling’s marathon workout training schedule so after dropping off the kayak we headed for one of the amazing trails scattered around our town and put in a 6 mile run (I rode my bike).  After cleaning up, packing an overnight bag (and some knitting of course!), we left the house and made a beeline for our favorite coffee stand.

Cool, overpriced, tasty coffee drink in hand, we hit the highway.  All I knew about the day’s activities was that there were creatures involved, it didn’t cost much, and R. Darling had “no idea there was anything like this here”.  My first thought was a whale-watching tour, but since those aren’t cheap and there are tons of them around here, that was sort of out of the question.  Imagine my surprise when I found out we were going to The Outback!  The Outback Christmas Tree & Kangaroo Farm, that is, not the restaurant.  Creatures!  Hooray!  We arrived just in time for the 2 PM tour, paid our $8 each, and wandered around seeing what we could see before the tour started.
 

Awww.... what's more precious than baby duckies?

 
There were several peacocks in the yard, as well as these adorable little ducklings, and it was all I could do to resist snagging one and kidnapping it.  But cute little baby ducks grow into big ducks and we all know what that means – big poops and a lot of biting.  Nobody wants that.
 
The tour started with a cute little introduction and feeding of the resident lemur family, and then we headed back to the wallaby homes.  After everyone received a piece of bread to feed the wallabies with, we were led inside the enclosure and introduced to each wallaby in turn.  I wanted to tuck one of these little guys into my bag too, they were so adorable.  When you feed them they take the bread so gingerly and snuffle your fingers for more afterwards, sitting still for pets and cooing.  It was so amazing to be able to get so close to such an exotic creature!
 

A sweet boy wallaby

 
Next, our tour guide tried to wake up “Kangaroo Jack” a young male kangaroo that had been born at the farm.  After poking, prodding, and even good-naturedly wiggling his appendages (gently of course), he finally stood up for us and allowed us to come over and feed and pet him.  Amazingly, kangaroo fur is even softer than wallaby fur and dense and downy like a rabbit’s.  I expected it to be more coarse than that, and was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t a bit like I’d imagined.  We also learned that kanagroos have developed a permanent squint due to the bright glare in their natural environment.  What I mistook for a sleepy roo was actually how he protects himself from the sun.  I learn something new every day!
 

Not sleepy, just squinting

 
Next, we were introduced to their Patagonian Cavy (or Mara) which is a large relative of the guinea pig.  This creature was a bit more shy and would come close for bread, but wouldn’t tolerate any petting or too much closeness.  It had the skinniest legs I’ve ever seen on a creature of this size.  No idea how it supports itself on those!
 

Meet the Patagonian Cavy

 
After the exotic creatures we met some more pedestrian creatures, though they were no less fun to feed than the exotic ones.  There were miniature donkeys, pygmy goats, regular goats, emus (too mean to feed!), and a variety of other farm animals.
 

Hey, does that shirt look familiar Ravelry fans?

 
Last but not least, me met Fuzzy Butt and Mr. T, the farm’s friendliest alpacas.  We were told to take a food pellet, place it between our lips, and kiss the alpacas!  I missed one critical part of the instructions though – pick a long pellet.  Needless to say, mine was rather short and Fuzzy Butt got a little familiar.
 

Aren't you going to buy me dinner first?

 
Not one to be outdone, Mr. T decided he needed a kiss too.  The tour guide assured me that Mr. T would be much more gentle to me than Fuzzy Butt, and he was right.  I barely felt him take the pellet from my lips.
 

Aw, Mr. T., you're so sweet!

 
And with that last alpaca kiss, we said goodbye to the creatures and made our way to our final stop for the night.  I still hadn’t guessed where we were going to stay the night, but once we reached the off ramp I had a good idea where me might be headed.  In sleepy Anacortes, WA we checked into the historic Majestic Inn & Spa.
 

The Historic Majestic Inn & Spa

 
R. Darling had booked us a package which included 1 night’s stay, champagne and chocolates in our room (which we ended up just bringing home with us – I know – we’re lame), dinner at the hotel, and a massage the following morning.  Truly maximum spoilage!  We checked in, took a peek at our room, then went to the dining room for dinner.  We were hesitant to eat in the dining room, feeling underdressed as we were, but we were assured that we were dressed appropriately enough and ushered to a well appointed table.  Dinner was served by our blonde Miley Cyrus look-alike waitress and we both felt completed sated after an appetizer course of fresh steamed clams, salads, and a main course of prime rib for R. Darling and razor clams strips and chips for me.  Afterwards, we got our things from the car and settled into our room for the night.
 
What a stunning room!  How I wish it was mine!  It reminded me of a summer cottage with shuttered windows and a cheery yellow and white color scheme.  I would love a yellow and white bedroom, or just a yellow and white room in general; it looks so crisp, clean and cheerful.  But I’ve been told that yellow’s not restful so I always shy away from it.
 

Our bright and lovely room

 
We curled up for the evening with books and knitting, pausing briefly to make some coffee and take a glance at the sunset.  Then we turned in for a wonderfully peaceful night’s sleep and the next morning woke up ready for our massages.  The spa in the hotel is a sister spa to one we’re familiar with up here where we live called The Chrysalis, so we knew we were in for a relaxing visit.  We each had a one hour swedish massage which was lovely, though I found out later that R. Darling got some special heated stone action thrown into his that I didn’t get.  Bummer, since I’ve always wanted to try that. Maybe next time.
 
After checking out, we walked down to Ana Cross Stitch where, if you can believe it, I didn’t buy a single thing.  Then to the Island Cafe for a greasy spoon breakfast, and off to our final activity of the weekend which turned out to be a jet boat tour of Deception Pass.  It was a beautiful day to be out on the water and R. Darling was so pleased for me to be able to see what he sees when he goes kayaking there.  Though we didn’t see as many creatures as I’d hoped, we did get an amazing view of the area in the pass and learned something about some of the history of the islands and pass area nearby.
 
Driving home after our lovely getaway, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband who does such unexpectd and thoughtful things for me.  Thank you honey, for everything!  You’re the best :)
 

Because I can never resist hamming it up for the camera....