yarntherapy

oh, what a night!

While I am green with envy reading accounts of the knitting cruise, I have to say that I had a pretty fantastic day myself yesterday.

The day began with the BCEFA flea market, which was a blast - perfect weather for hanging out in Shubert Alley. I worked our table for an hour and a half with a really fun group of people. Events like this are always fun because you run into people you haven't seen in ages, and this time was no different - I ran into my old partner-in-crime Amber and persuaded her to buy one of my knit flowers. Thanks Amber!

The matinee was the usual except we were all loopy because it had already been a long day and it wasn't over yet! After the show I grabbed a couple of slices of pizza with the stagehands (narrowly avoiding a nasty Yankee/Mets argument) and helped to set up the theatre for the benefit. I was assigned to the "VIP room" which was about as glamourous as a high school gym, since it's our rehearsal hall. Nobody seemed to mind. We had fantastic food catered from a restaurant around the corner and the cute chef kept running platters over throughout the evening.

I was officially supposed to be helping out with wardrobe as needed but since most folks arrived ready to go on stage, my duties were fairly minimal. I mostly helped people get around this maze of a theatre. And since the VIP room was right around the corner from one of the entrances to the house I was a able to slip in and out and watch most of the show!

And - Oh. My. God. What a show. Indescribable. It started out with remarks from four Broadway actors who were directly affected by Katrina - as in, some of their families are currently in shelters and living off FEMA money. I spoke to one of them, an actress I've worked with before, and expressed my relief that at least her family was safe. Her response? They're really not safe at all. They lost everything and the situation is still really grim. Food and water are still issues in some places, which is why she wanted to make this appearance - to spread the word and make sure people really know what's going on, and that aid will be needed for  a long, long time to come.

I can't even give you a highlight of the show. Liza Minelli and Ben Vereen singing together? Bernadette Peters making me cry with "No One Is Alone"? The cast of "All Shook Up" performing on what turned out to be the day of their last show? The cast of "Spelling Bee" and their hilarious "interpretive dance" about the Bush administration's reaction to the crisis? Liza again, looking amazing in white, taking the stage with one of her signature songs - "New York, New York" - then inviting the entire cast (including the backstage volunteers) onstage for the finale?

It was all awesome.

Some of my favorite moments from the VIP room:
    - Bebe Neuwirth chatting with David Hyde Pierce - hey, it's Lilith and Niles!
    - Bryan Batt demonstrating the difference between a New Orleans curtsy and a Texas Dip.
    - Bill Irwin, just being awesome.

It was incredible. I can't believe we pulled it off in three weeks.

progress? and some other stuff

Yeah, we're not going to talk about the part where I had to rip out a huge chunk of the upper left bodice of Hopeful because it wasn't that I bound off the wrong number of stitches, it was that I hadn't read the damn pattern properly and I missed the first set of decreases entirely. Argh.

Anyway, I'm cruising along now, probably halfway through the second half of the upper right bodice. It's going to be way cute, that Hopeful.

I'm really pissed right now because I jacked up my neck at work (don't be fooled by the knitting-at-work photo - my job requires a lot of heavy lifting, believe it or not!) and I've been seeing the physical therapist. My neck is feeling better, but one of the recommendations is that I not hyperextend my neck - in other words, don't look down - for a couple of weeks.

Huh?

How do I knit (or read, for that matter) without looking down? I've been trying , but I know I haven't been very successful, and my neck is starting to hurt again today, so I don't really know what this means. Probably that I will need to learn to knit verrry slowly with my needles held up in front of my face. For a couple of weeks.

I finished some cute flowers for the flea market - I'll try to get pictures tomorrow.

And yeah, I know - tomorrow is the day of the Knitting Cruise. Ugh - I was so tempted to take the day off for this when it was first announced, but as it turns out it's not only the same day as the BCEFA Flea Market, now we're having our benefit tomorrow night. So yeah - I'm insanely jealous of all the cool chicks and dudes who will be sailing around the city tomorrow - I wish I could be there. I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with Liza Minelli, Ben Vereen, Bebe Neuwirth, David Hyde Pierce........and a cast of thousands :-)

OK - CNN just showed a stray llama in Orange, TX after Hurricane Rita. I'm sorry, not funny - but: hee! Also weird for me during this storm - Baytown, TX is my dad's hometown, and though I have no relatives left there, it is still mighty odd to see it so prominently featured on TV!

is it soup yet?

Couple of almost-dones and a just-started to show you:

Miss Audrey just needs her side seams and neckband sewn on, and the temperature here to drop about 20 degrees, and she'll be ready to hit the streets. I attached the raglan seams last night using mattress stitch, which takes a bit of fiddling on reverse stockinette, but once I got the hang of it, it went quickly. Yes, it's true - I think I actually enjoy seaming!

I did 20 repeats of the neckband, but I may rip one out - I want it to lie flat, which I'm not sure will happen just looking at it now, but I need to try it on first. That ribbing stretches a lot! I didn't block it, mostly out of impatience, but I did check the knitalong to see that a lot of knitters also did without. I might steam the neckband, but I don't want to distort the ribbing (I'm thinking my boobs will do that just fine!)

Next, Hopeful is starting to look more like a sweater:

I can't tell yet how this will fit. A lot of knitters are finding it too low-cut, but I actually do pretty well with low necklines, so we'll see. I did something weird and again ended up a stitch short after the armhole shaping - I think I bound off one too many stitches at the beginning. I have trouble counting bindoff stitches - I thought it was each one that was dropped, not each one that you knit into, but I think that's wrong since I have this problem almost every time. I couldn't bear the thought of ripping back so I adjusted the neckline decreases to even out the stitch count at the shoulder. Hopfully one stitch won't matter, and hopefully I remember what I did when I start the other side!

Just started? Bamboo Clapotis:

Cool colorway, huh? It's a little stiff right now but I think it's going to very cool when the stitches are dropped - the crispness of the yarn should make for a very sculptured effect.

I'm using Goody hair elastics as markers - these are a great find! They're just a couple of bucks for 250 elastics in 3 sizes and they come in neon colors. They're latex so they're flexible and not prone to flying off the needles.

I'm fighting the temptation to buy the School Products cashmere blend for the Lace Leaf pullover, at least until these two sweaters are done. I'll let you know how that goes.....

doing good

This is the benefit that I am working on next week. It's going to be amazing, trust me. The performers? Insane - Ben Vereen, Liza Minelli, Bebe Neuwirth for starters. Tons of Broadway stars and surprise guests. I'm really looking forward to it - both because I think it will be fun and because it feels good to be doing something to help besides writing a check.

This benefit will support two organizations - America's Second Harvest, and one that may warm the hearts of crafters everywhere, Quilts for Kids. The fundraising drive for Americares is also well underway at work, and it looks like we'll be sending them several thousand dollars.

So if you're in the NYC area, and you love Broadway and you think you might be interested, tickets are available at Ticketmaster or at the Gershwin Theatre box office.

If you really love Broadway and doing good deeds, you can make a day of it - September 25 is also the day of the annual Broadway Flea Market to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS - a fantastic organization that funds not only AIDS organizations but many other health-related causes, and they have already given over $300,000 to Katrina relief efforts, including a substantial donation to our efforts for Second Harvest and Quilts for Kids. The Flea Market is a blast, and if you're there you may even spot some knitted items I donated for sale!

So, if you really want to go all out, you could easily visit the flea market, catch a matinee at 3, and have plenty of time for dinner before the benefit at 8:30. Totally doable - that's what I'll be doing!

(More or less!)

you want pictures?

I'll give you pictures!

First, in non-knitting news, I headed out to Flushing Meadows twice last week to catch the US Open. This is such a fun event! The organizers really pull it off beautifully every year, and even when you're waiting in a seemingly endless line (really only once for me) the people around you are all so cool and the folks working there are so nice that it's just a big party. I saw Hewitt, Blake, and Ginepri play men's singles, had the great pleasure of seeing 18 year old Indian sensation Sania Mirza win her match, watched eventual finalist Mary Pierce beat Justine Henin-Hardenne in the big stadium and even got to see Martina Navratilova play mixed doubles. And on the back courts you end up seeing all the young-up-and-comers that will be owning center court in the future. So fun!

Pictures? Sure!

Navratilova serves:

Later that week, in Ashe Stadium (the gigantic 22,000 seat center court), Mary Pierce signed balls to toss to the crowd:

I thought briefly about bringing some knitting, but tennis moves too fast to knit at the same time, and anyway I don't think the tight security would have allowed me to bring my Addi Turbos in.

So, knitting progress. I'm almost to the armscye shaping on Hopeful:

This has been a surprisingly quick knit despite the size 3 needles. I can't wait to get it done & blocked - I am in love with the Rowan Wool Cotton and I think blocking will really make it look great. When I got to the increases I discovered that I was a stitch short. I hunted but couldn't find any dropped stitches or extra decreases, so I guess I started out that way. I snuck an extra increase in so that the bodice shaping won't be messed up. The color is so much prettier than in that picture - it's not that fuchsia at all. More like cranberry.

Oh, and I received my final SP5 package! My Secret Pal was Annie from Australia, and she sent the most fun bubble envelope ever:

It's Sydney! Inside was an Australian knitting magazine, some gorgeous grass green yarn, and a peppermint candy bar!

Thank you so much! I had so much fun with this - unfortunately I'm still a bit tardy with my last gift, but I am very pleased with how it all turned out - I hope my spoilee feels the same!

And speaking of exchanges, I was one of the lucky folks who signed up for the back-tack II swap, and I am so excited! Well, excited and terrified......I've been reading the blog of the person I'm making for and the stuff she makes? Incredible! She's seriously talented and I worry that my final project will pale beside her own awesome work. Ack. I mean, I'm pretty good but right now I'm feeling a bit intimidated! I do think I'm going to "go back to my roots" in a way, and sew my project rather than knit it. And I am having a lot of fun checking out bags I see on the street and in stores to get ideas. I have a few thoughts already and I can't wait to get into the fabric stores for inspiration!

remember....

Friday, 14 September 2001, Golden Theatre, NYC.

lazy lazy lazy

Man, have I been a lazy blogger. I think it's because I feel like it's not interesting without pictures, and sometimes it's just too much to plug in the camera. Am I the laziest person ever to blog or what? So this will be a quick update and I promise lots of pictures next time. You know you can't wait.

Knittingwise, things are pretty much the same - plugging along on Hopeful and the Audrey neckband, which is perfect subway knitting - it takes one trip to work to complete one repeat. I don't think Panache will work for Lace Leaf, but it's tax free clothing (and yarn!) week here in the Big Apple, so I am going to hit School Products later to see if I can find anything that will work. I am obsessed with this sweater, people.

I got a final SP5 package! Thanks so much, Annie! This one came in a cool bubble envelope with a lovely photo of Sydney on it. Inside, an Australian knitting magazine and more yarn in my very favorite color - maybe this will become the leaf scarf from Scarf Style? Hmmm....

I still have a package to send my SP - I ordered something that took forever and a day to arrive, but it's finally here and will hit the mail on Monday.

There are a lot of things I would like to say about the situation down south but I am in the boiling-with-anger phase right now and I think it's all been said better elsewhere. I am organizing a collection for AmeriCares at work - our producers are matching what we raise - and we're trying to organize a benefit which I will post more about if it happens.

Finally, I would like to know how it is I can lose so much stuff in my apartment? In the last week I've lots my slippers, my keys, and two bras. I don't know. Maybe I have a ghost roomate or something. I found the slippers, but nothing else. I'm pissed about the keys, too - that ring had my Springsteen keychain on it!

Bummer, man - Part 2

I can be such a dimwit sometimes. That gorgeous Knitpicks Panache I bought for the Lace Leaf sweater? I'm not sure it's going to work. For some reason I was positive that it called for a gauge of 3 stitches to the inch which meant the Panache was perfect. So the yarn arrived, I fell in love, and then looked at the pattern again. 10 stitches over 4 inches = 2.5 stitches an an inch. Not the 3-3.5 on the Panache label.

Duh.

I played around with it last night and got the requisite 2.5 on size 13 needles, but I'm not sure I love the fabric this creates, or that it will suit this pattern. It's a bit floppy. I went ahead and cast on and I'm working on the ribbing right now......we'll see. I love this sweater, so if this yarn won't work I need to find something that will.

Everything else on the needles is progressing - Hopeful Take 2 is looking good, I'm a few rows from starting the decreases. I love the horizontal ribbing at the bottom of this! I'm halfway through the Audrey neckband lace so one of these days I'll sit down and start putting it all together.

Hey, ever go to the theater and wonder what goes on backstage?

L-R - Gayle working on a hat to match the scarf that one of our actresses made, me working on Audrey's neckband, and Susie working on the cutest diagonal ribbed socks in autumn leaf colors.

retail therapy

I'm having a hard time tearing myself away from the television, but I know I need to or I'll wind up like I did in the weeks after September 11 - curled up on the couch staring at CNN and feeling totally helpless. This time it feels worse actually - back then I was in the middle of it so there were tangible things I could do to keep my city going. Now, it's just so hard to look at those pictures and imagine that anything I can  do could make a difference. I'm helping to organize a Red Cross collection at work, so that's something, I guess.

OK, knitting. I restarted Hopeful and I'm glad I did - I can tell already that it will fit better, and I like the hand of the fabric with the tighter gauge. Just another lesson in paying attention to gauge, I guess! This is great backstage or subway knitting, perfect for putting on the headphones and listening to the Yankees or Coverville.

I did a little retail therapy last week. I ordered yarn fron Knitpicks for the Lace Leaf Pullover from Loop d Loop -

Knitpicks Panache in Moss - oh. my. god. This is so soft. I can't wait to knit with it and see how it feels next to the skin. It's a great color, too - prettier than I thought it would be, slightly yellower than on my monitor and with a lovely sheen.

Monday, after calling around (finally learned that lesson!) to find the needle I needed for Hopeful, I headed down to Yarn Connection to pick it up. While I was there some yarn whispered "you know you want me" and mysteriously made its way into my bag.......

As the Harlot would say, I got me some crack Kidsilk. This is Kidsilk Night, one of the new lines which has a bit of silvery sparkle in it, in the color Moonlight. What's it for? Hell if I know. Maybe River, maybe something else. It followed me home, it's not like I had a choice!