I'm a Gleek!

Yes, I'm in love with Glee. Last week the frenetic pace of Top Chef was making me so uptight I flipped the channel and accidentally found Glee. It's funny, heart-warming, satirical, dramatic and just plain old good storytelling! And there's singing AND dancing! What more could a guy want? I caught up by watching every episode on Hulu (love Hulu!) and when I ran out of episodes on Hulu, I turned to YouTube!

Every high school sterotype has been rounded up for this cast including the gay kid. I'm terribly gay-centric from the films I see, books I read and social activities/establishments I frequent so any program with gay characters is of interest to me. It's all about visibility and how it works to affect kids growing up where there might not be an gay visibility in their communities. If shows like this had been around when my generation was coming of age, we'd be different men and women of our age. And did I mention there's singing!



If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to watch, Wednesday nights at 9PM on FOX!

Rain and Autumnal Pleasures

Where to start? Rhinebeck has come and gone and my trip was great except for the non-stop rain. It really put a damper on the entire week. It rained in NYC, it rained in Rhinebeck and it rained in New Jersey when I visited my folks. I've been busy packing and unpacking, catching up on sleep and wondering why I haven't posted to my blog or more importantly, why hasn't the house magically cleaned itself?

My trip started in NYC, my hometown and favorite city on the planet. I got to see friends, Hair on Broadway and dined all over the city! I yarn crawled my way from the Upper East & West sides to 14th Street and back. There are some really interesting shops in NYC, even some in old brownstones that made for beautiful retail spaces that could easily be stupendous homes. What I wouldn't do? I drank too much and had a blast at old haunts and new favorites. No matter how long you live in NY or no matter how often you visit, there's always something new to see. In a single day you can visit a first-class museum, a yarn shop, listen to street music, watch old men and young studs play boccie, walk Central Park, shop on Madison Avenue, see a Broadway show, ride a carousel, eat a falafel and have a nightcap in a posh lounge. And that was just Thursday! Thanks to Susie, (she's following the blog now, hi Knitting Knoobie) for her recommendations as I traversed the city in search of shoes and sweets!


Early Saturday morning I headed up to Rhinebeck. I jumped in my rental car and had a lovely drive up the Taconic Parkway, one of the most beautiful scenic drives if you ever get the chance! I arrived at The NYS Sheep & Wool Festival in time to catch the Circular Sock Machine demonstration. I haven't given up on my antique baby and got a ton of helpful hints just in time for some Christmas sock knitting. Keep your fingers crossed!

One of the things I love about Rhinebeck is seeing all of the interesting things that people are doing in the fiber community but this year, not so much. For the most part, the vendors were the same as last year and showing the same things they showed last year. Honestly, it's a spinner's show with tons of fiber, fleeces and roving but not so much on the yarn end. The part of Rhinebeck that intrigued me last year were the unique/hand-crafted things going on in the industry. I had no idea that the same vendors simply come year after year with basically their same wares.

While in Rhinebeck, I found out that Woolcott & Company in Boston is closing. I know Sean, from the Men's Spring Retreat and I was truly saddened to hear about his shop. I don't particularly know him well and never had the chance to visit his store but local yarn shops, vendors and farms need to be patronized by all of us to keep them in the black. Next time you need yarn (so that means tomorrow) make sure you stop in on your local neighborhood shop. It may cost you a little extra, yes...but you'll be saving a tradition that's slipping away from us.

When I moved to Florida I really learned how much the local yarn store experience matters to the communal nature of knitting. I don't knit nearly as much as I did when there was a shop to go to on my day off, where I'd visit with like minded friends and learn something new in the process. If we don't patronize these stores, they can't stay open. It's that simple. ::end soapbox::

The rain held off long enough on Saturday afternoon to have a visit with the boys from the Men's Knitting retreats. It was great to see familiar faces like Joe, Stephen (who recenty honeymooned in Paris. If you haven't read his twitter updates you're missing out), Guido, Alasdair, Sean, Mark, Ted and John! (who'd I forget?) I even got to say hey to Will, one of our followers here at "HookedOnTheNeedle" and met Aaron and MMario (the lace King)!

From there, I was off to meet Jessica and Juli! Poor Monica got a case of the Hamthrax that was going around and didn't even make it to the show floor. She suffered so having made the trip all the way from Oregon. We got to hold hands on Sunday morning in the parking lot while she tried to convalesce in the car. Juli got a bunny, I chatted with Dan, I met Knitterotica (while lost from Juli & Jessica) and Wendy & I gave each other belated-birthday hugs. We share the same birthday! As I mentioned earlier, the show was a bit of a snooze but the Rav folks, especially the boys and the crazy kooks at CPAAG made it worth the trip!


With that, I was off to New Jersey for some family time. I even got to go to a pumpkin patch, my first ever! I knit a pair of fingerless gloves for my sister while I was home but of course, didn't get a chance to sew them up. I hate finishing. Have a mentioned that? One more early morning flight out of Newark and I was home again, sweating my ass off in Florida! It is November, yes?

Rereading this post it sounds like I didn't have the greatest time. Honestly, I'm traveled out. I was in Arizona for almost 3 weeks. I came home for 6 days and headed out to NY. The trip unexpectedly came entirely too close to too much work-related travel. I couldn't really enjoy my splendid NYC digs while jonesing for my own bed back home. I loved seeing the Rav folks and the boys of the retreats and wouldn't change my exhausted state for anything....but next year, I may pull the plug on Rhinebeck or convince myself that it's okay to sleep in and miss a moment or two. Lisa/Mel are you listening? It's all up to you. That's all I'm going to say. ;-)


For now, I'm glad to be home, knitting my fingers away on too many works in progress and waiting patiently for the house to magically clean itself!

Out & About

I'm just popping in to let you know I haven't died, it just felt like it! I've been away on business and glad to be finally home. If you haven't figured it out from the photo, I've been to the desert and I have to say, 3 weeks was enough for me. How'd the Jews do it for 40 years?! Remarkably I was not inspired to knit much in the balmy 110 degree heat but I did my best. The teddy bear is done but her little Fair Isle sweater is still a dream in my mind's eye.

I hope you're enjoying the Autumnal chill in the air and looking forward to Halloween. What's everyone dressing up as this year? I accepted an invitation to a Halloween party, my first in 30 years. Don't ask me why, I hate Halloween...except for the chocolate.

Welcome Will & Robert to the follower's list. They're both knitters and Men Who Knit Junkies, need I say more!

Go West Young Man!

I was in Seattle last week for the Men's Fall Knitting Retreat and had an opportunity to spend a few days on my own in the city. It's a great city, alive with culture and energy in a way that speaks to this city-kid's sensibilities. The weather was surprisingly accommodating and for most of the trip I was in shorts and t-shirts which was a bonus I did not expect. I saw all of the typical tourist sights. I got up early and trekked down to Pikes Market and was overwhelmed by the crafty goodness that is offered up on a daily basis. Fish were tossed, I went to the top of the Space Needle and enjoyed the afternoon at the Seattle Art Museum. Brian, thanks a ton for the tour of the city. I could never have covered so much ground on my own.

For a guy with a fear of heights, The Space Needle is an imposing sight from the ground.

It's equally scary from the top but totally worth it. I could see a glimpse of an outline of Mt. Rainier but not one that would photograph. This vantage point will have to do.

All over town, the city was alive with talented musicians and flowers on every street lamp.

Behind that post is a blurred flash that is actually a giant fish hurling through space towards the guy on the left. And he actually caught it!

I visited a local yarn shop in Kent, WA for a signing of Franklin Habit's book, It Itches and was able to connect with new and old online friends. If you have a chance to take Franklin's photography class, do it without a second thought! While I was there, I purchased some amazing Blue Sky Suri Merino in a burnt red colorway that will make a spectacularly soft hat for my niece using the Hermione Cable Hat pattern seen in the recent Harry Potter movie.

From the hustle of the city I headed out to Dumas Bay with Keith and Stephen (of hizknits fame). Thanks again for the ride Keith!

At the retreat I made amazing progress on the teddy bear and will probably have the individual pieces off to the finisher by next weekend. It's been a tough knit using worsted weight yarn on a size 5 needle but the end result should be worth the pain. I'm still a bit apprehensive regarding the Fair Isle sweater but I'm working diligently on my Continental knitting skills that should produce the sweater in fine fashion.

Simply put, the highlight of these retreats are the men who attend. Their talent is truly overwhelming and seeing their finished pieces really charges my knitting batteries. I also had the opportunity to meet Cat Bordhi and won her Moebius Scarf book which she graciously signed for me...BONUS! To meet a knitting icon in the flesh was a real treat and she's as kooky, talented and inspiring as expected. The one road trip I attended was to Skacel, the Addi Turbo folks and apparently a huge yarn distributor, who knew? I bought a pair of lace needles and we'll see what that produces in the next few months.

I didn't really take any photos at the retreat nor did I take a ton of classes. I just enjoyed the company. I spent my time with the guys and knit like the wind (I love that tag from Brenda Dayne's podcast. Indulge me, it's my blog). I wish I lived in closer proximity to some of the guys so meet-ups and the like could take place on a regular basis. For now, I'll look forward to the next trip and being in their company again. Those of you with built-in knitting communities where you live have no idea how much these events can mean to isolated knitters in traditionally non-knitting locales!

I'll leave you with this shot from Dumas Bay. It's really an idyllic setting for a creative and social exploration.


Thank you Michael and Brian for an amazingly organized event and one I will remember long into the future.

They arrived today and I've already knit a test swatch! I know there are all sorts of fancy needles on the market these days. Addi Turbos are all the rage but personally I like straight needles when the project allows. I typically knit with Bryspun plastic needles. I can hear the groans from you needle snobs but I like them. They are extremely flexible which equates to "easy on the hands" and the bonus, they have a superlatively pointy tip. When I saw the Signature Needle Arts "stiletto" tip, I knew someday I'd own a pair. The hype is true. They're light and the tip doesn't split the yarn. They even came packaged in a custom tube wrapped in colored craft paper. If you're ever in the market for a beautifully turned knitter's gift, look no further than www.signatureneedlearts.com. I couldn't get a good shot of my new #6, 10", stiletto tip, bell cap needles so photo credit is due to the wonderful folks at Signature Needle Arts. My new needles look just like the green ones on the left. Pretty nifty, huh?

On other fronts, I took another trip to the Butterfly Gardens. It's my favorite place in town to meditate and best of all, there's tons of photo opportunities. They let me sit in the garden for hours, converse with nature and read. I love it there and sometimes the butterflies land right on me and sit for a spell. It's magic!

As for knitting, I've been testing increases and decreases for the teddy bear project and working on finding the perfect gauge so that when it's stuffed, you won't see the stuffing itself. All of this could have been avoided if the pattern simply offered a specific increase/decrease, not to mention gauge. Isn't that knitting rule #1 or am I living in a parallel universe?

70 years! I love stuff like this! Click here for the whole story.

Reasonless Ramblings

found on MWK, couldn't resist. Happy Friday! J.

He's definitely, maybe straight!?

The toggle closure, the piping and the pink accents are, well ... I have no words, at least not any nice ones. We know there have been rumors but this get-up proves he's either the biggest fag or the most mis-guided straight guy who evidently pissed off some Hollywood stylist!

Regardless of what Mr. Radcliffe is wearing these days to premieres as he jet sets about the globe (do I sound bitter, I was going for bitter), I can't wait for the film's release here in the states. I've enjoyed the while series and it's so sweet to see how the kids grow up with each film. Look what's happened to Neville Longbottom. He's the awkward, nerdy one. Hello!


On the knitting front, I broke all the needles on the CSM with an overzealous whirl around the cylinder. They didn't actually break but bent ever, ever so slightly making it non-operational until new needles arrive. They're being ordered so until then, the machine just taunts me with nearly 10,000 yards of yarn sitting next to it. I think my CSM may be a yarn snob because my expensive sock yarn knit right up on its maiden voyage and then this little fiasco with the acrylic.

I was missing hand knitting anyway. I'm progressing slowly on the Red Herring scarf and gave up on the MSKR socks but more on that later. The scarf will obviously have to be blocked and since I've never blocked anything, I think this will end up being a perfect practice project. And the later...do I dare say it? Okay, fine, I don't like hand knitting socks, maybe that's why I'm so enamoured with the CSM. It's tedious to me and honestly, I didn't really understand the pattern altogether.

This photo stinks (a little better if you click on it) but it was the best I could do with limited time/desire. In person I love the pattern; simple but timeless and the color will look great with my black dress coat. So if I don't get to NY this Winter, I'll just crank up the AC and wander around the condo this Christmas dressed for the looney bin. That sounds like me!

On the other hand, I'm loving the stuffed bear project and the yarn. I finished an ear and I'm very proud of my semi-round brown coaster that will someday hear it's not meant to protect furniture but instead give love to a child. It's unlikely that these pieces are going to look like anything until the whole thing is put together so take my word for it, it's progressing. If one ear is progress.

And welcome Willy, he's my pal over on Rav but you'll find him in the thick of it over at MWK!

P.S. Isn't it funny how none of the girls commented on the Go Commando post? Do girls go commando other than Lindsay Lohan?

Friday, 7/31 - Go Commando!

Now that I have your attention, I hope you'll join me in going commando on 7/31 to help support prostate cancer awareness.
Jason, this is in part, for you.

Excerpt below from National Commando Day website

Friday July 31, 2009 will be the first ever National Commando Day -- a day when people across the nation will support prostate cancer awareness by not wearing underwear to raise funding for the Prostate Conditions Education Council. 28,000 men die each year from prostate cancer, that’s one death every 19 minutes. 35% of men are more likely to get prostate cancer than women are to get breast cancer...yet there is little to no awareness about prostate cancer.

National Commando Day is when people will practice being unbound by their underwear together. A new level of freedom and unity will emerge knowing that others have also decided to free themselves. Going commando, being freed, is a great statement to make for prostate cancer which is a taboo subject for men. Even though prostate cancer does not affect you, it can very likely affect those who are close to you. So free yourself and make a stand...participate on National Commando Day.