Nancy Drew and the Case of the Disappearing Blogger

I've been gone because I've been working! Working like crazy. On good stuff. With good people. Now I'm not saying it hasn't been hard work--there's some stuff that is just craaaaaazy--but it has all been good and interesting and intelligent and I am so happy.

So here's a brief update:

• Knitting on the subway rocks. No one wants to sit next to the lady with the point sticks so I get some peace.
• Listening to my podcasts on the subway while I knit is even better.
• It's f*&)ing hot in NY right now. I hate the heat and I honestly don't think I could sweat more than I have in the past three days. I have my air conditioning up so high I'm surprised it doesn't thunder when I open my front door.
  
• On the upside of that, I noticed yesterday that my living room air conditioner actually "goes to 11". I almost wet myself laughing. Have I mentioned how I feel about Spinal Tap?
• The Hastings Farmers Market is open for the season. I am in veggie/chicken/fish/wine/bread/cheese/flowers/strawberry/duck heaven. It's amazing to me that as soon as they open their doors, my biological clock gets me out of bad at the crack of dawn on Saturday to be there early. There may be a Farmer's Market recipe in the future.
• Granny's birthday was last week. I took her out for drinks, appetizers and dessert and we sat at the bar at Jake's and had a ball. I recommend it. It's a favorite spot of mine.
• I'm considering letting my hair go gray. I've been dying it since I was 17 and I would love to know what it really looks like.

I promise I'll try to get back to posting regularly. With photos. I have lots of pretty knitting in the works right now. I also have two beautiful colorways coming from Three Irish Girls. I am very very excited about them.

Don't sleep in the subway darling!

I got a job! A real job! With real people! And real work to do! And enough room for everyone's egos (hmm--I'm not bitter, no, not me).

It's a three month contract gig which may turn into something longer. In the meantime, it suits me just fine.

And I have a solid 40 minutes to knit on the subway. Oh happy happy day!

The Crazy Cat Lady Dinner

Tonight is my favorite night of the year. A friend of a friend runs a cat assistance program here in Westchester County and they have a fundraising dinner every spring. Picture this--about 300 crazy cat ladies in a room together with wine, music and raffle prizes. It's a hoot and a half.

So in the spirit of the Crazy Cat Lady day:

Here's Buddie.


Isn't he a handsome boy? He's one of my sister's four cats.

Here's Tiny Cat and Heather.


Two of my three beauties. They are all about snuggling up together lately. They're both rescue cats and, honest to God, there is nothing that loves you more than a little animal that you took home.

Now onto things in my house that probably have some cat hair knit into them.

I finally finished my Monkeys but they are in the laundry so we must wait for a photo. And I finished Bratty Girl's Ogee Lace Skirt a few weeks ago. Here's a quick photo. It's unblocked but I let her take it on vacation anyway. I'll block it this week. I've got a blue one on the needles for her cousin in Ireland.


She tried it on over her sweats just to make sure it looked great on her (which of course it does because she is 14 and has a fabulous figure). She'll make it the newest style craze of The Rivertowns.

And on a sad note, a friend of mine was moved from the hospital to a wonderful hospice today. His life is coming to an end and, although I am comfortable with death being a part of life, I am sad about it. I will be filling his wife with wine tomorrow and celebrating a life well lived. If you read this, it would be lovely if you could take a moment and shine a little white light for a peaceful passage for him.

Actually talking about knitting today! What a surprise.

I have finally been uploading photos and have some wonderful things to show you.

First: Kathleen's birthday scarf from the Knitty breast cancer issue. I love it. It is Blue Sky Alpaca and so soft (probably has a little cat hair knitted in but--so be it).



Cornelia's birthday scarf. Berrocco (sp?) alpaca. It is so soft and just fuzzy enough. And, can I tell you, the price is right! Picked it up at Flying Fingers and breezed right through it.


I like this pattern a lot. It's ridiculously easy to remember and a lot of fun to make. The scarf is redder than it looks in this photo but I am still getting the hang of digital photography. The pattern is the Falling Waters Lace Scarf that I switched to four repeats instead of three.

Then there is this.


This is the yarn that I got from Denise. She didn't care for it. I am in love with it. It's going to be socks very soon (as soon as I finish my Monkeys which are (really--I swear) almost done.

More finished objects and in progress pieces coming tomorrow. For now, I am making a wonderful dinner for Boy. We had a rough weekend. I fully admit that I acted like a lunatic. I am usually very normal but for whatever reason, I was very vulnerable on Saturday night. I blame the full moon.

Anyway, all is well now. I am making a beautiful prime rib with au gratin potatoes. It smells amazing. It's drizzly and damp here right now--the perfect night for a cozy, warm dinner for two.

Has it really been over a month?

Lot's and lot's of knitting going on. It's the beauty of being out of work!

My monkey socks are almost done and I love them. Bratty Girl's Ogee Lace Skirt is done and it is really beautiful. Her cousin's skirt is cast on. Rockin Sock Club March package has arrived and I got great new sock yarn from this wonderful woman.

But today let's talk about food. Fabulous food!

Last night I went to the Westchester Italian Cultural Center They had a culinary evening in their kitchen space. Four tables of eight people each facing a full amazing kitchen. And the chef was the wonderful wonderful Dave Dibari of Zuppa in Yonkers.
I have been a Zuppa fan since they opened. The family who owns it (and the new Mima in Irvington) are delightful people and their food is beyond fabulous. Dinner last night was amazing. We had four courses--each one better than the last--paired with two wines.
My friend Cathy and I sat at a table with a group of strangers (two of whom thought they were cooler than we were but they found out they weren't--poor women). And even though I am as Irish as you can get without being born in Ireland I fit right in with all the wonderful Italians.

They are showing the movie "Life Is Beautiful" on Friday night with a speaker afterwards which I think I'm going to go to. It should be fun.

Has Anyone Seen The Cord For My Camera

I finally took some photos of nicely finished projects and now I can't find the cord for my camera. It'll probably turn up as soon as I finished posting!

Here's what's done:
1. Kathleen's scarf--it's beautiful. It's the Heart scarf from Knitty's breast cancer issue. It's in beautiful pale pink Blue Sky Alpaca bulky yarn and I love it.
2. Rockin' Sock Club--my Dragon Dance socks feel so amazing on my feet. I am in love with them. The pattern flew by and I can't wait to make it again although I am going to play with the size of the heel a little bit.
3. Renee's Wrist Warmers--same old pattern but they are such fun to make. I'll have to mail them to her since I started them before I canned from the old job.

And onto the job front! I had a good interview next week and am sending out more resumes today. Keep your fingers crossed for me. In the meantime, my pal unemployment insurance is my new best friend.

Snow Day

So much has happened in the past few weeks. Still don't have a new job but had a very good interview this morning. Of course it was raining cats and dogs so I left way too early and had to sit in the parking lot and knit until it was time to go in. It was at the Wildlife Conservation Society which is headquartered at the Bronx Zoo and, let me tell you, you have not seen anything until you have seen the American Bison in the fog. They were amazingly beautiful. Big huge brown humps floating in the mist. I was moved.