Girly vs. Arty

Josh G. is the assistant that worked on the Doggie Knits book at our shoot earlier this month. I had not worked in professional photography for 15 years, and was awestruck by the advances in technology. With digital photography, there is so much information in the "files", that in the images, you can see whiskers on the dogs and the halo from the mohair in the sweaters. Josh helped bring David and I into the 21st century. Besides that, he was an entirely delightful person. Very driven and artistic. When David and I went to Josh's place to look at our work up on his super huge monitor, he showed us the intricate beaded chandelier earrings that he loves to work on, when he is dating his current muse. He's in Turkey now, shooting some locations for a travel brochure. I wanted to send him a knitted token of my esteem, but as with many other things these days, finished late. This is the Duncan hat from my favorite hat book, Hip Knit Hats. I took the advice of one of my LYS proprietors and chose Merino Stripes from Crystal Palace. It's the self-striping version of Merino Frappe. The resulting hat (bottom left) was rather limp and loose, and would fit my big head. I asked the Man his opinion, and he said the hat was "girly". Even though David would describe Josh as a Gay Straight Man, I thought about it, and decided it may be too girly even for a San Francisco man. This hat will stay in the Lucky Penny hat crock, to be used as a nightcap for the Man when he has a chill. When he's in bed under a down comforter, two quilts, and perhaps wearing a parka. So, I went to one of my "go to" yarns for a second attempt. Kureyon, color #51, which I think is beautiful for a man. I asked my Man his opinion of the second hat (top right), and he says "arty." Okay. Arty is good. I am also working on some Knitted Alpaca Love for David, and I'm almost done! With the dogs, Agnes is now trying to assert herself, not always in a good way. While I am amused with dogs being naughty, I don't think the Man is liking it much. And Agnes does not like the Man. No word on the other adoption, and part of me still hopes that things will sort themselves out.

A Lifetime of Knitting, Continued

A few years ago, my mother told me that she had plenty of hand knit sweaters. I was a little surprised at that statement, but now my attitude is, okay, more for me! Until the last year or so, when now she denies ever making that statement. So for Christmas of 2004, I gave her a bag of Noro Kureyon #138 with the promise of knitting her a sweater. She chose the Ribbing is No Yoke design from Knitter's Fall 2000. Remember when Knitter's actually had nice looking patterns? This issue has a few. I modified the bottom to eliminate the shirttail, because with the random Kureyon striping, I didn't want it to be mismatched at the bottom. Some mismatch I can live with, like the sleeves, and I think the short row shaping at the sleeves and back looks kind of good. I was re-knitting the bottom here, because my first attempt, a garter stitch hem, kept flipping up, and I didn't want to have me or my mom fight it with blocking all the time. My mom lives in the woods in Southern Wisconsin, and with these bright colors, there is no chance of accidentally being shot by a deer hunter.

Out of the Way

Lesson learned from this experience. Piccolo should be the only dog in my household. She has colitis, the first time for her, which can be stress induced. Agnes will snarl at Piccolo when she's too close to the food dishes or too close to me. There was a little battle last night. While we are working out our issues, the rescue group that she belongs to contacted me about another adoption application for Agnes. I have decided not to stand in the way of this. She is a good girl, an adorable, happy little dog, but who knows if she and Piccolo will ever like each other? I would love to have things work out, but in the process, would Agnes miss an opportunity to be somewhere that would be happier for her? I'm not certain how much longer she is staying. She is groomed now, and her coat is shiny, and her feet are trimmed. She is walking so much better with her nails at the proper length. Sigh. It's a big loss. A failure.

A Lifetime of Knitting

I taught myself to knit from a book at seven years old. I was not really a play outside kind of child, and could amuse myself in my room reading a book, or doing some kind of craft. Both my grandmothers knit continental, which I could not pick up. The knitting skipped a generation with my mom. She does have plenty of hand knit sweaters, that I have made her over the years. I would often hand her a magazine and have her pick out what she wanted, and sometimes she chose patterns intended for "expert" knitters. "Well, aren't you?" would be her comment when I pointed out the difficulty level of a pattern she liked. This is my mom in the photo, taken a few weeks ago, wearing a sweater that I must have made for her when I was in high school, over thirty years ago. This is the time when the LYS was a rare thing, and yarn was mostly procured at a department store. Not being educated at all regarding fiber, I just chose yarn for color. I became a fan of the animal fiber when I happened to make the observation that my knitting looked better with the wool, rather than acrylic. I have no idea what yarn this sweater was knit from, but it is a combination of "space dyed", the precursor of the handpaints that I love now, and a solid color. I love that so many years later, the sweater is still alive! That, I think, is what all knitters want when they make a garment for others, to know that their hard work is truly appreciated.

Land of Pee and Poo

The Lucky Penny household. That's Agnes on the left, and little Miss Deal Breaker on the right. I thought things were well. No skirmishes. No hostility. Things learned today--Agnes can pee standing on her two front legs. I saw her do it in the hallway this morning. I blamed Agnes for a big present left in the bedroom this morning, the Man came home this evening and found another, and later in the evening, figured out that it was Piccolo all along. She's got some sort of intestinal thing. Could it be doggie irritable bowel? A stinky kind of revenge on her mom? So tomorrow, separation. Agnes goes to Sandy for a desperately needed grooming, and Piccolo goes to the vet.

Two Girls

I'll honor the two girls that I have in the house now, with some paintings of my two girls of the past, Penny, and Gidget Alice. These paintings are done by my friend Sandy Stutz. You may recognize the images from the Lucky Penny website. While I'm writing this, little Agnes is in the studio with me. She would spend the days at her foster mother's under the desk while Sara worked. I think that Agnes will want to be my little studio buddy. She's in need of a good grooming, and should have my vet look at her for some stiffness in her hind legs. I have four students registered for the four week class I start at Wigglyville tomorrow, and possibly a fifth. The project is a beginning dog sweater, two rectangles in garter stitch with the neckband picked up and worked in the round. Will be able to get them to cast on and knit their first stitches? Stay tuned.....

Arrival

I've tried for the last few hours to post a picture, but without success, so I'll just update to say that Agnes is snoozing on the sofa next to the Man. So far, except for a few little grumbles from Agnes, this arrival was super mellow. Again, I'm struck by how good and adorable Piccolo is. So, life on Carmen Ave. goes on. The book is late, my job situation is shaky, but I'm Embracing Life. The Man, and I, we do have enough love to go around.

Well, They Did Ask

The scene of the crime against Lucky Penny Hand Made. The Indie Designer Fashion Market at the Chicago Antiques Market in River West. This was my display before they moved me outside in 100+ degree heat. My display grids before they torqued in the hot sun. Before the sun damage to my exposed body parts. Imagine my surprise when the show promoters sent a 2006 contract via e-mail today. I can't imagine why they would, it must have been some sort of oversight, and my contact information left by mistake. With the sun beating down on my head, and sweat pouring down and stinging my eyes, I was pretty vocal at the show about how unhappy I was. The promoters stopped coming by and asking how I was doing after I told them off the first time. I told them today to remove my name from their mailing list, and exactly why I would not consider a contract. I think that the internet sometimes gives me a kind of courage that I might not have if I were face to face with someone. It lets me think about what I'm going to say, before the words are out there. I probably shouldn't have sent the toxic reply, but it was the perfect opportunity.

Wishing for a Snow Day

In the absence of newly knitted stuff to show, let's go back to David's apartment to take in the lovely view. Snow is predicted for tomorrow here in Chicago--I hope it starts in the morning! I want to stay home. There's things to do--besides finishing the book, I need to prepare for the beginning knitting class I'm teaching Monday night. It's a four session class, and the project is a dog sweater. I also need to prep the house for another dog. It appears that phone calls were made on my behalf, and now Agnes is set to move in on Saturday. Yes, there's knitting going on, too. Gifts for my photographer and his assistant, and finishing my mom's Christmas present, a sweater in Noro Kureyon. I gave her the yarn at Christmas in 2004. She's giving me a deadline of mid-April.

This is Only a Test

This is a test shot we sent before the actual shoot last week. The Lucky Penny basic sweater, knit from Blackberry Ridge wool, with wool chenille bands, and trim from Kimmet Croft fibers wool. This sweater is from Piccolo's wardrobe. The model is Lyubi, a nine year old Brussels Griffon, who David found on the street with his Man, Lonnie. Their story confirms my feeling that animals often choose the people that they're with. Lonnie was with a friend, had no plans of looking at puppies, when he found Lyubi, one of the final litter of champion Brussels Griffons. This little puppy went to Lonnie, and got his attention. When Lonnie picked him up, he snuggled in, and that was it. We would say Lyubi's name to get his attention, and the only voice he responded to was Lonnie's. Seeing their connection was really amazing. Lonnie describes them as "two old men together." My adoption of Yoda, my first dog, occurred in very much the same way. I had no idea that I was going to have pets, and ended up taking home a dog, when I went to a shelter with friends who were looking for a dog for themselves. I saw her little face, and knew I had to cuddle her. That was all.

Streets of San Francisco

Here are some street shots from my last day in San Francisco. One is North Beach, one of my favorite neighborhoods, and the other is downtown by the bay. I'm itching to show some shots from the actual photo shoot, but I'm restraining myself until the DVD is sent to the publisher. I checked the internet sites that had the adoption listings for little Agnes, and she is now listed as available. I surmise that I am not being considered at this point, it seems that there has been a lot of mis-communication regarding this whole procedure. I spoke to her foster mother today, and there has been a little interest, and she was at an adoption event yesterday. It appears that this situation is out of my control. I thought that the fact that she still had not found a home was a sign that I was meant to be her mommy, but the individuals who are handling this probably feel otherwise. Let's just say that I'm disappointed.

Project Spectrum--March

I was participating in Project Spectrum without knowing it! This is a project completed in March. I fell in love with this fuschia Blue Sky Alpacas sport weight when I saw it at Arcadia Knitting, and had to have it. I was not sure about what to do with it, so I went to my "go-to" shawl pattern. This is the Shapely Shawlette, designed by Judy Pascale. I took her class a few years ago at Stitches Midwest, and I've made this shawl a number of times. It drapes on the shoulders in a way that it for the most part, stays put. My organic San Francisco yarn may become one of these, as well. My April project is planned already--I hope to finish a sweater I started with some handspun mohair.

San Francisco Treats

Given the opportunity to shop, I gravitate towards my passions and interests. Of course, I must buy yarn when on a trip. Some purchases in the photo are Melenweit sock yarn purchased at Imaginknit, not far from David's place, and books purchased at Noe Knit. The books are Inspired Cable Knits by Fiona Ellis, and Scottish Island Knits from Rowan. I could have gotten the books on line or locally, but they will be a nice reminder of the trip. I especially love the cover jacket on Scottish Island Knits, and there's a Scotty sweater with a hood that might make me actually want to try intarsia again. There's some rich hand cream from L'Occitane, which I could have found at home, so was a total impulse purchase. The coffee is a dark roast from the Castro Cheesery--made some this morning, and it's great. The two grey hanks were purchased at an organic grocery stand in the Ferry Building. The name is Full Belly Farm, and I found a web site using Google. I have 500 yards, and will probably make a little shawl from it. I love that most of these things can be purchased via mail order, so getting more of these treats will be easy. One of the other great things about San Francisco is the delicious food. The pastries were for breakfast on my last day, and they came from an Italian bakery on Columbus Street. And, I did manage to get a pie baked, it was peach and blueberry with a hand cut crust.

San Francisco at Work and Rest

This is the lovely panoramic view of the city from my accommodations for the photo shoot, David's apartment. This is from a second floor, which may give you an idea of how steep the hills in this city are. I'm convinced that everyone there must have a very firm derriere from all the hill climbing. I would never tire of this view. In the studio, there's David, looking very handsome and professional, and Kinsey the Chinese Crested being prepared for the shot by her owner, Roz. We had a collection of eighteen dogs that participated, from people's mixed breed pets, to the top Cairn Terrier in the history of the breed. He would take breaks between shots to look for mice in the studio. Fortunately for me, none were found. It's been ten years since I had last made the trip out, and I'm so glad I booked the shoot out there. For the book's sake, I think the pictures came out superb, and it was fun to see my friend and actually work with him again, much like we did 20+ years ago. I love San Francisco, too. I could easily live there. If the Man and I break up, which may be more of a reality than I had imagined, I have very little to hold me in Chicago at the moment, since the rest of my family is going to be scattered all over the country. I'm pretty cranky at the moment, and it hasn't been the happiest homecoming. Perhaps this is pay back for leaving in the first place. I'm hoping that things settle down in the next few days. I have to finish writing the book, and have my writing be worthy of the beautiful photography. I'm hoping to change my work situation as well, because coming back to my current situation was difficult after all the fun I had.

Back Home

Got in tonight, to a quiet and messy house. The Man used my car for a few days, and I could barely get into it at the airport it was so full of junk. Never let the Man have access to a car or garage. That said, I'm happy to see him and my Piccolo, who didn't seem as thrilled to see me as I was to see her. I have some behind the scenes stuff from the shoot waiting to be loaded on a disc, not as much as I would have liked, because I let my camera battery run out on day #2 of the shoot. Things went really well, and the photos are beautiful. I can't let as much time go by without visiting my favorite city, San Francisco, and my good friend David. I'm hoping that this is the beginning of something new and good for both of us. We're working too hard at stuff that isn't fun. Before you know it, another ten years has gone by. Must have more enjoyment.