Fast-forward

Heavens to Murgatroyd!  Nearly a month since my last post?  My knee-jerk response would be, “I’m not sure how that happened.”  But to bring you up-to-date, it sort of makes sense.  Since I last wrote here:

~ I have been head-hunted aggressively.  It has been most welcome, and deservedly time-consuming.  If the stars align properly the pay-off will be enormous.

Digression:  Since you are all aware that my skill with a needle and thread is inversely proportional to my skill with knitting needles and yarn, you can make your own mental picture of me, the night before a Big Interview, hemming my suit slacks by hand, having discovered at wise KnittingKittens’ urging, that even with heels, they were too d*** long.  At least it prevented me from obsessing too much about other things.  And if it didn’t go well, guess who was going to get a wake-up call and an Owl on her door-step?

~ I have been successful in the first step toward (depending on your POV) owning a white-elephant money pit we shall refer to as Owl’s Folly OR preserving an incredible piece of my city’s history.  This first approval has taken three months of meetings with contractors, bankers and other involved parties as well as waiting, and then waiting some more.  The process promises more waiting yet to come.  That’s okay, I have all the time in the world.  If it works out, NutmegOwl shall have her own Knitting Studio in her own owl box.  There, I said it.

~ The at-fault party finally paid for the last bill related to wrecking my car on December 1, 2010.

~ I completed not one, not two, but three shawls.  You’ve only seen a glimpse of one of them.  The blocking runway has been hopelessly jammed up.  (Which will never again happen if I am living in Owl’s Folly where there will be dedicated blocking space.)

~  Darling Bebe and I discovered that not only do Amtrak riders loathe sharing seats with other riders, but also conductors refuse to use their authority to make passengers move so that toddlers can safely sit in seats – much less sit with their mommies.  Nope.  Instead, the conductor in question told us to stand in the space between cars until the next stop – a half-hour away – until some people got off and try to locate seats then.  No matter that this was the expensive train, the Acela Express, and that we paid for two seats, as opposed to those fellow passengers who paid for one seat but were taking up two.  D’ya really think that was the safest place to tell a three-year-old to stand?  May a special place in heaven be reserved for the mommy who witnessed our predicament, moved her husband and herself to allow us to sit together.  And if you ever see a mother and child looking for seats on a train, do the right thing.

~ I started completing my commissions for Rhinebeck for Spirit Trail Fiberworks.  Yes – in July for October.  I’m ahead in one tiny part of my world.  Stay tuned for pictures and deets.

~ I received a big national industry award for my work.  Someone thinks I’m good at what I do, if not the person who employs me to do it and routinely castigates me for neither doing enough, nor executing it well enough.

~ Most importantly, during the most historic sweltering days New England can remember, I was able to see not one, but two of my favorite women in the world.The aforementioned award meant a trip to Boston to receive it.  Which meant some free time, too.  And a truly wonderful meal at Sel de la Terre with Hipparchia.   Hipparchia is wise and funny and the most fearless

A s'more is a s'more

knitter I’ve ever known.  Somehow she manages to churn out lovely projects while lecturing all over the world, teaching, writing and raising amazing young people.  I should be so lucky when I grow up.  And I only have so many friends who appreciate fresh duck liver mousse and take me places where I can get it.  Which is not to say that being a foodie means taking ourselves too seriously.  I mean, “warm molten chocolate fondant, toasted house made marshmallow; graham cracker ice cream” is really s’mores deconstructed, right?  Bring on the campfire!

Gather Here

A mere day later, with my business completed and the car-mometer well into the hundreds, it was time to meet cyber-sis Luann on her turf at Gather Here in Cambridge.  It was easy to see the appeal of — sewing — (There!  I said it!) surrounded by bolt after bolt of fresh bright prints.  Then again, with the AC not functioning well, it had to be in the upper ’90s indoors, so the thought of knitting or spinning was a little, umm, unappealing to say the least.

Luann's prezzie for Owl

No matter, for as you all know, when we are together, knitting is the least of it.  Of course, she had to blow me away with her new seamstress skills.  To wit, my new knitting bag – which she somehow knew I needed.  The fabric from her stash from her days in Hawaii (I only hope the writing doesn’t say, This idiot

Look! It's nutmeg!

paid too much!), and look at the lining – NUTMEG! – and with a perfectly centered pocket and magnetic closure, no less.  If she is not careful, Luann and KnittingKittens are going to be sewing an awful lot of drapes for Owl’s Folly.

Shall we call ourselves caught up, then?

Tags: hipparchia, knitting, knittingkittens, luann, sewing, spirittrailfiberworks, travel