Elegantly Random

A treat from Down Under.

This week marks the beginning of the end of this summer's Parade of Visitors, which has been absolutely epic. But tomorrow, I must begin a new job (yay!) and go back to the real world. To cap off the manic and epic visitation schedule, my knitting friend slash all-around friend Ceylan came to visit. She arrived Friday and just left for the airport a little while ago, and we enjoyed several days of gabbing, sightseeing, shopping, pedicures, eating out, and of course, making stuff. But that wasn't the only reason for her visit.

I think everyone who's been a reader of this blog for a while knows that I'm a big, huge knitting nerd. I make wearable and usable items for myself and loved ones - much of it pretty neat stuff, if I do say so myself. And I get how, to the non-crafter, knitting might seem like an oddball hobby. But I've definitely made some of my closest friends because of knitting.

I've talked often here about Ravelry, which is basically a Facebook-esque social networking and hobby-sharing site for knitters, crocheters, weavers and spinners. It's a great website where you can post your project photos and notes, get ideas from others who have made what you're making, talk to designers and artists, and chat with other makers of things. It's pretty badass.

On the forums several years ago, I made friends with a lovely young lady by the name of Elin. She's Swedish-born, Singapore-raised and a current resident of Melbourne, Australia (and she will readily inform you that Melbourne is the best part of Sweden, bar none). We started chatting online after realizing that we liked a lot of the same knitting patterns and yarns and colors, and overall shared some style similarities and personality traits. We've been chatting regularly for a few years now. (I should mention that this is also precisely how I met Ceylan, who I now share an Etsy shop with). Ceylan and Elin were the first knitting friends I made online, and they also had been chatting for a good long time and are close.

A few months ago, Elin announced that she and her fiance James would be traveling to the United States for a couple of weeks, touring San Francisco, Seattle and New York. I was so excited! Finally, a chance to meet my Australian friend! I'm sure we both felt a little bit nervous at the prospect of meeting in person, but after such a long time chatting and sending each other little packages in the mail and generally getting well-acquainted, I was pretty sure that, as with my other knitting pals, it would be a breeze in person pretty quickly. Ceylan wasn't about to miss out on meeting Elin, so she decided to come up from Dallas for a few days to spend some time hanging out. So, on Monday night, after a few days together, Ceylan and I headed to SeaTac airport to pick Elin and James up...and we were delighted to find Elin every single bit as adorable and fun as we had expected. (Oh, and James is pretty great, too!)

Elin's visit isn't over yet - she and James will fly to New York on Saturday morning - but already I feel so lucky that my far-away friend was able to come to Seattle! We've done some sight-seeing and eating and of course knitting together, but I'm also making sure to give her plenty of time with her future husband, too. It's just so surreal, that this person who lives halfway around the world is finally here in the flesh! Each new friend I make is a gift, to be sure, but it certainly feels like special treat to get to meet someone from so far away. I'm already feeling a little bit sad that when I say goodbye to Elin, I won't see her again for a very long time! 

Which leads me to that all-important question...WHY hasn't the transporter been invented yet?!?! WHY?! I want to just step onto a sparkly platform and tell Scotty to beam me wherever the heck I want to go! That way, when I'm sick of the cold, dark weather in February, I can just get beamed over to Melbourne to hang out with Elin in the middle of her summer. Not to mention visiting all my other friends and family whenever I feel like it. Jay and I could have celebrated my new job by going out to dinner...in Paris!

Elin and I knitting on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, 9/13/2011

Thank you, internet.

Two and a half years ago, I joined this awesome website. 

   

The purpose of it was to have a place to document my knitting and crochet projects, find patterns, yarns and other supplies, and to have a forum to compare project notes and tips with other knitters and designers. It was basically Facebook for yarnies. Little did I know how big a part of my life this website would become. 

I've always juggled lots of hobbies - reading, writing, music, theatre, dance, fitness, cooking, and of course handmade arts like sewing, knitting, jewelry making and so forth have always been a big part of my life. I love that I have a variety of hobbies and talents - it means I'm never bored. But from the time I joined Ravelry, I became more and more invested in knitting as a primary hobby. Perhaps it's because it's truly a life skill, something I can do all my life, alone or with others...ok, sounding dirty to anyone but me? No?

The biggest thing is that via this website, I started making friends with people from all over the country, even the world. At first it was just messaging back and forth about a yarn or a particular pattern, but somehow, through forums and email and so forth, I started to become FRIENDS with people through this knitting website. It was through Ravelry that I met my friend Marianne, and together we decided to sign up for a spinning workshop last September. (I'm talking about spinning yarn, not spinning on a bike - another thing I do enjoy). Who could have guessed what that workshop would lead to. Two major things happened. First of all, I learned to spin. Second, I began having regular meet-ups with the girls I was befriending online. 

 

And so here's where that has led me, one year later - I have a LARGE group of girlfriends, all of whom I met online, most of whom I have now met in person, some once, some four or five times, all of whom I now consider close friends. Those meetups have been some of the most fun things I've done in the past year. First a get-together in November '09 in Charlottesville, VA...

 

 

...followed by a smaller get-together in Williamsburg, VA in Feb 2010... 

 

 

 

I got to see lots of my friends during my road trip out west, and then last month I got to spend a day with my good friend Megan while I was in New York.

 

...and most recently here in Seattle. Last week, 7 friends came to Seattle to visit my friend Chris and I, and it was fantastico.

 

 

This one here, Ceylan? I even opened an Etsy shop with her!

 

 

I feel like I spend a lot of time defending my knitting - although for proof of how excellent it is, visit my side-blog i make stuff. But if you still can't figure out what's so great about two needles and a ball of yarn, I can sum it up in a word: friendships. Like any other hobby, this hobby has led me to meet incredible people, one right after the next. I have a community of friends stretching from the west coast (hi, Rachel, Jen, Thayer et al!) all the way to Australia (hi, Elin!) and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I don't just chat with them about knitting, I talk to some number of them every single day at this point - on Ravelry, via other chat programs, text messaging, phone calls, and (as you've seen) visits. They offer support, they send birthday gift,s they make me laugh...At this point, these aren't just "knitting friends" or "internet friends." They're friend-friends. So go ahead and tease me, but you won't get a rise out of me, because I know how lucky I am to have this hobby and to know these girls.

So here's to you, Marianne, Ceylan, Megan, Erin, Lisa, Tracy, Kelly, Syl, both Kates, Greeley, Jen, Jocelyn, Chris, Thayer, Rachel, Brigette, Aimee, Catrina, and so many more, and to all of you who I haven't met in person yet - Elin, Carrie, Jeanette, Liz, Rachel, and so many more - thank you for being my friends! I know I am forgetting names, but seriously, there would be too many to list here, so to all of my Ravelry friends - THANK YOU AND BIG BIG HUGS!

Excuses, excuses.

This month has truly been a giant whirlwind of activity. Who knew that unemployment could be so bloody busy? Seriously, I don't think I've been this busy in years, truth be told. Ever since we moved to Seattle, we have just jumped headfirst into a frenzy of activity - I mean, we did travel to Paris and Warsaw just three weeks after arriving here, not to mention a pilgrimage to NYC last week - and this month seems to have been the craziest yet. I feel kind of guilty that I'm not writing more about it all here. But it's tough to make time for writing when you're...

Busy opening a store.

 

My girlfriend Ceylan (who lives in Dallas) and I opened our very own Etsy shop at the end of June, called Plied Together, where we primarily will be selling hand spun yarn. At some point, I'll do a much more detailed post about this - the art of spinning, what it entails - because when you tell people you spin yarn, usually a look of confusion spreads over their face. Something between "you mean like in Sleeping Beauty?" and "this chick must be a full-on grandma." But I do want to set the record straight - I knit pretty things, and about a year ago I also learned to hand spin yarn. I got kinda good at it and started taking custom orders for hand spun yarn just before moving to Seattle, and it's really sort of taken off. Who knew? This is why I like being a jack of many trades. Anyway, if you're a knitter, or you just like checking out handmade stuff, check out our store. It's pretty.

 

 

 
  Some of my handspun lovelies

And see, what you do is, you take the handspun yarn...

 

...And you turn it into a beautiful, beautiful knitted thing.

Baby sweater made with my handspun yarn 

Which leads me to another point - the knitting. Why is it people still persist in thinking of knitting as a granny sport? I assure you, it isn't. Sure, some grannies do it, and bully for them! But I know a HUGE PILE of awesome, smart, sexy and downright RAUNCHY ladies under 40 (some even under 25!) who are knitters. In fact, I would venture to say that knitting has led me to make some of the greatest friendships I've found in YEARS. And the meetups we plan are some of the most fun I have with anyone. Just next week, I will be welcoming a large group of "my knitting friends" to Seattle for a girls' weekend. It is going to be awesome-tastic. Our weekend plans include a hike, a Mariner's game (Stitch & Pitch Night!), wine touring in Woodinville, a ferry ride out to Bainbridge Island (albeit to visit the famous Churchmouse Yarns and Teas), and a big fat cookout. And yes, knitting.

 

Checking out spinning wheels in Williamsburg with Marianne

 So not only does knitting mean awesome girls, it also means awesome things. Please realize, knitting isn't terrifying garments - unless you have horrible taste. No, no - there's a whole world of high-end, high-quality yarn out there - luxury yarns, hand-dyed yarns, high-end wools from around the globe, all SORTS of stuff. Think of it this way - think how many luxe options there are in a clothing store. There are just as many and MORE options when you're going to MAKE clothes. And patterns don't have to be frumpy - they're often hip and cool! No, really, I swear! A lot of the things I make people ask me if I bought at Anthropologie. 

 

 

  

So really - knitting is cool. And so is yarn spinning. So before you tease me and give me crap about how I'm currently making ends meet by spinning yarn, at least check it out. I know how to do something that maybe .08% of the world still knows how to do. And it leads to knitting, which as we have established is awesome. So there.

Eating my words.

Sooo....remember back in November when I told you how much I oppose the Kindle and other e-readers? And how I didn't want one?

I've changed my mind.

That didn't take long, eh?

It's true. I want a Kindle. I have seen the light. It started when my Ravelry friends tried to convince me that I could love books and also love the e-reader. They argued that they, too, are die-hard book lovers and that e-readers are actually a great way to get CLOSER to your reading passion and make more time for reading. That made me grumbly and I thought about it for a while, but then my friend Erin came to visit. And she had her cute little Kindle with her, in its cute little green leather Kindle-case that served as a book cover and also a little easel for easy reading. And my heart warmed a little bit, because I do so enjoy cute little electronic gizmos in adorable little cases.

But THEN. Then she showed me what was ON her Kindle. The requisite books and magazines, yes. But what else? HER KNITTING PATTERNS.

HER ENTIRE LIBRARY OF PDFS.

And it was as though a lightbulb went off in my brain. I can put all my PDFs on this thing? And carry them with me wherever I go? And not have to carry around ratty sheets of paper? SOLD. I'm sold. I love that tons of rational conversations about the thing couldn't convince me, but when I saw what it could do for my KNITTING, it was over in two shakes.

So now that I've gone ahead and decided I want one of these things, what should I get? The Kindle? The Nook? The Sony Reader? Don't even SAY the iPad because that's the absolute stupidest Apple product that's been released in the past decade. I'm just curious - what kind of e-reader do you have, and what are the pros and cons? Bear in mind that Amazon definitely has the market share, the most books and deals with publishers, so that's a huge factor for me and certainly for my husband - it will be hard to change his mind from the Kindle. Tell me, people!

Internet friends are people, too!

Last weekend I did the most awesome thing. I got together with a bunch of my KNITTING friends from the INTERNET in Charlottesville, Virginia. For a weekend of YARN. And KNITTING. Hurray for nerdiness!

It was a get-together of about fifteen women whom I've been chatting with for the last couple of years on Ravelry, which is basically Facebook for yarnies. We're all members of a group called Yarn Snobs - loving the finest, snobbiest yarns and fibers. We all shacked up in hotel rooms and spent the weekend stitching and bitching and going on wine tours. It was magnificent. My friend Erin, owner of EatSleepKnit, drove up to my house from Atlanta, and we picked up another friend, Ceylan, who had flown in from Texas, and then the three of us gabbed all the way to C-ville. It was outstanding.

Probably the highlight of the weekend was the giant yarn-swap we had. Every woman brought many skeins of unwanted yarn to sell or trade, and we had an enormous bartering/trading/swapping/purchasing fair in the hotel suite. It was incredible. I was so overstimulated, trying to sort through all the gorgeous fiber and yarn and envision projects and work out trades. I almost died of multiple yarn-gasm shock.

All in all, the weekend was awesome. I got to make friends "in real life" with women I've been spending a lot of time - "virtual time" - with over the years, and not surprisingly, they were awesome. I think we all found it a bit surreal to be together in person, but after a few minutes it wasn't weird at all, we just picked up where we'd left off on the internet and away we went, chatting until all hours of the night all weekend long. It was just so exciting to get to be around people who GET my hobby - and the coolest part was, it turned out we GOT each other on a lot of other levels too. Probably not a big surprise!

When I explained where I was going to some of my friends and coworkers, they seemed pretty perplexed about the idea of me going off to hang out with people I met ON THE INTERNET. And I find myself wondering - is this really still such a weird thing? In an age where people often meet people online? Nowadays, a lot of people find friends, dates, jobs and more online. So why is it still considered weird? And some of the other girls also mentioned similar responses from their friends and coworkers.

And so I'd love to know - do you think it's weird to meet people online? I have had this go really, really well (hi, Kari!) and also really, really badly, but for the most part, I have made some amazing friends over the internet. I also got to know my husband online - even though we knew each other through a mutual friend, most of our communication was online. I just don't really think meeting online is much weirder than meeting in a bar - it's no more random, anyway.

And plus - the YARN! SO much YARN when you meet your internet friends! At least, in my world there is. There's already talk of a west coast Ravelry Yarn Snobs meetup in 2010 - Napa? Yes please!

Charlottesville Yarn Snobs Meet-up

Special changes...

I'm sorry - I know I have a whole other designated place to talk about knitting and handmade stuff, but this is just too rich.

I knit in the English style - meaning you hold the active yarn in your right hand. But many people find the continental style to be faster - you hold the yarn in your left hand instead, and it cuts down on the time it takes to complete a stitch. And you know, I'm a pretty skilled little knitter but being faster at it surely wouldn't be a bad thing.

I know that at some point I taught myself to knit continental style, but I wanted to refresh my skills. So I hopped on YouTube during my lunch break today, where there are tons of how-to videos. Just the other day, Jay and I learned how to patch a hole in drywall via YouTube.

This right here is the most outstanding how-to knitting vid I have ever seen:

I can NOT stop giggling over this video. It's nearly pornographic - they even change angles midway through! HA!

As my friend Cheryl so aptly put it, "I feel like they're getting ready to tell me about the special changes about to happen to my body."

The only thing that would make this video any better is if there were a blue screen of Antonio Banderas in the background, wearing a billowy white blouse blowing in the wind...

60 minutes! Is that too much to ask?!

I have a really bad habit of working through lunch. That's five extra hours I work every week - and for what? That's just stupid. It's not like I'm going to lessen my load with five hours, and there's no chance in hell that working extra would ever yield me a raise or a bonus or anything. So when you get right down to it, I'm basically wasting the 60 minutes allotted to me every day to spend some time with myself.

It's easy to sit at my desk and work through lunch since I bring my food almost every single day (the only way to be healthy and save cash). But I've been telling myself for a while now, "Sarah, you really need to take a lunch break. Every single day. Do it. Get away from the computer and have some quiet time. Read a book, take a nap, whatever." And then, along came the perfect thing to jumpstart my forced lunchbreaks - Jay's Mystery Gift.

I'm making something really, really neat for Jay for Christmakkah - which I clearly cannot reveal here but I can't wait to unveil. Trust me when I say it's cool. And time consuming - if I really want him to be surprised, I need to work on it when he's on business trips or - bingo! during my lunch break. So today, I brought the project with me to work (I started it yesterday while he was out for a few hours) along with several skeins of yarn and at noon, I sat down with my sandwich, some grapes and my knitting for a nice leisurely lunch break. Right...

I didn't even start my break till 12:20 because I was busily trying to find something for the intern to do. Then, when I finally got started knitting, my boss came in at 12:30 and asked for my help with something - 7 minutes. Then my coworker needed help with something else - 6 more minutes gone. By this time, it was 12:43. I spent the next 13 minutes working on my knitting, and then the phone rang. At 12:56. My lunch break was thus concluded, as I didn't get off the phone until 1:05 and at that point I had three people needing to talk to me.

I can't help it - I'm pissed off. Irrationally pissed! I cannot believe that out of a 60 minutes break, I was only able to enjoy 23 minutes to myself. And you know why I was so rudely interrupted? Because I didn't go OUT to lunch. That is so unfair! I shouldn't have to leave my office to take my break if I don't want to, but I can't close my door since the intern sits in my office. I guess tomorrow I could try sitting in the conference room, but I just know the same thing is going to happen again. I'm so angry! I hate to use the big e-word, but I'd say I am entitled to my 60 minutes, regardless of whether I take them in my office or at Applebees!

First scarf of the season

Here it is - the completed Lace Ribbon Scarf, which I'm really, really pleased with.

4 skeins Sublime Soya Cotton in Indigo, size 6 needles
(and yes, that's actually my scarf pictured there!)

Onwards and upwards...I've about got my fall projects lined up. Here's a sneak preview of what's coming...

The Wrapigan, 3 skeins Joseph Galler Peruvian Tweed
(this will be my big, ongoing fall project)


Spring Forward in Art Yarns Ultramerino 4
(a pinkish/mauve hue)


Liesel, in either a gold or orange-ish fall color, Malabrigo yarn

Foliage, in the same yarn as the scarf above

Perfect Baby Booties, in several shades for several newbies
(I'm throwing in the towel on time-consuming baby projects for now, seeing as how the little rugrats just keep coming)

I'll keep you posted! Oh, yes, and I have to finish my Razor Cami (getting close, this photo is a little behind where I actually am in the pattern):

Ravelympics update

The Olympics have come to a close - and so have the Ravelympics, which were a lot of fun. I'm pretty pleased with myself, as I finished several of my projects and made progress on the others.

First, I had promised myself I would finish my portion of a baby gift for my friend Nicole which I'm making with my sister - and I did. Maggie got the short end of the stick on this project, as it's primarily she who has made the gift, so when we present it, we'll give credit where credit is due and make sure to inform Nicole that I'm only responsible for about 30% of this gift. I can't wait to share a photo with you, but it's not totally finished yet.

Second, I finished my Lace Ribbon Scarf. It's still blocking right now, but when it's totally dry, I will get some pictures up. It's gorgeous!

Third - I completed my first sock, and it looks grand! I'm so pleased with it. I'm about 25% through with its mate, but I'll go ahead and share photos of the sock. My goal was to learn to make a sock during the Olympics, and I succeeded. This is a very simple pattern, and from here on out I'll use nicer yarns and more interesting patterns, most likely, but the point was to get through it and I did. And it's quite cozy.

As for my camisole, it's not done. But I did do some work on it. The baby gift and scarf sucked up most of my time. I'll finish it soon, and then there will be pictures. Keep your pants on.

Friday randomness.

TGI-freakin'-F, people! I am so tired! I have been nearly killing myself staying up late every night to watch the Olympics (and for what, really? Michael Phelps wins everything, it's suuch a yawner! I jest, I jest). Monday & Tuesday I'll thankfully be out of the office - I'm using my last two vacation days, and Dog and I are hitting the road. We're going to Georgia to see my auntie in St. Simons Island - BEACH! Thank you, beach!

Now that we're a week into the Olympics, a few thoughts:

• Do you think the Chinese have a firing squad waiting outside each event to dispose of the useless team members who can't seem to win medals? Or do those people just eliminate themselves after failing their team and country?
• Eastern European men = terrifying.
• Beach volleyball seems to serve no purpose aside from nudity - and I don't really have a problem with that, per se...
• The coolest sports are still the original Olympic events - more on this in another blog...
• Does it really matter if the Chinese gymnasts are 12? Or 9? Or 5? Because it could be worse - they could be making a penny a day in a sweatshop somewhere. At least this way they have makeup.

Okay, I might be going to hell for that statement.

To update any of you who care - The Ravelympics are going well! I knitted all last weekend, it was awesome. No, really, it was. And I'm about 20% done with my scarf (I don't know if I'm gonna be able to finish that one by the end of the Olympics, but I'm trying), halfway through my camisole, and almost done with my first sock. I love socks! I have also purchased an incredible amount of yarn this week, because I realized that I need to start working on Christmas gifts. Seriously. Art takes time, people. And I have more babies to make things for...*sigh*

For your Friday pleasure, please enjoy the following awesome blog. It will make you giggle. It's about cakes. Trust me. And then you can check out Fail Blog - if you haven't already, then FAIL!