European Holiday

Okay, it seems that there are still a few of you out there so I'll spill the beans. If you couldn't tell from my less than subtle, last post, I've been away. I spent 11 glorious days in Wales, London and Paris and had the time of my life! Several months ago, I decided to attend the inaugural UK Men's Knitting Retreat in Wales. It was 4 amazing days out in the country. As you know, I've attended both the Spring East Coast and Fall West Coast Men's Knitting Retreats in the U.S. and I loved both of them but there's something about the Welsh countryside that makes everything better. Alastair, our host, threw one hell of a gala - great food, amazing venue and a lovely, eclectic group of men to share a weekend. We blended as a cohesive group almost immediately. Thanks again Al, best to Andy!



I arrived in Wales to be greeted by Jack who hosted a quick tour of Cardiff. I loved it. It was rich in history that we just don't have in the U.S. This sculpture sits on Cardiff Bay and is symbolic of all the sailors/boats that have been lost at sea. Both sides here for you. It's so cool!


In the end though, it's always food that's key to travel. I loved Welsh cakes and I had my first, right here. Yummy little delicacies that I couldn't get enough of!


As you may already know from previous posts, I grew up in the city but I've always been fascinated by farm life & farm animals and our B&B/retreat locale was just that. This is "31", he liked me immediately. It's like I'm Dr. Doolittle with these amazing creatures. He ate grass out of my hand, I almost cried!



As the retreat continued, we visited Colinette Yarns and got to tour their dye studio. It was great and I got this cool yarn made with black Welsh wool that is destined for something warm and wonderful. It was fascinating to see their yarn process even though I was never really fond of their "fun fur" approach. The whole tour was more than I expected. Hey, hey, what happens at the retreat, stays at the retreat so you bitches can keep your mouths shut! LOL.



On the last day, we visited an alpaca farm. A little more Dr. Doolittle action and we were in the car and heading to London. Thanks Kerry for the lift. It was great having time with you, Martin and Bengt! By the way, Martin is hysterical, more fun than I ever imagined (thanks for the recommendation on NBS, it was great) and Bengt is the CSM genius I expected! Just for you guys...."enter roundabout, two hundred yards! I'm still having nightmares with that chick's voice in my head!"



Once I arrived in London, the first order of business was the British Library. I hopped on the #10 coach (that's British for bus) and made the pilgrimage trip to see Jane Austen's writing desk. It's in a really dark room where they do not permit flash photography and to make matters worse, it's behind glass. I sat in the dark room and read bits of Pride & Prejudice in an attempt to conjure Jane's spirit inside me.


I was so quieted by the experience that I headed out for traditional high tea -- scones, clotted cream, finger sandwiches and chocolatey, tasty treats. The little 3-tiered, silver tray in the most stately room I could find was the perfect match for my mood. I was stuffed, a precursor for the entire trip.


I walked to Buckingham Palace but missed the changing of the guards, Too busy enjoying the scenery and pasty people. oops.


I did get to see the guards perform their little, walkabout that happens on the hour or so but I felt bad for this guy. He marched with aplomb and right in sync with the other guy but somehow he didn't exactly hit his mark.



In a flash, I was on the EuroStar heading for Paris. Sorry but it's Amtrak with an accent. For the price, I was expecting the Orient Express! Anyway, the first day was quiet. I did a lot of journal writing and even wrote a short story along the Seine. I'm sure it's terrible (have not reread it yet) but with views like this, I'm Jean Paul freakin' Sartre!



I love the Louvre and am amazed how this building keeps up with the times allowing modern, rush hour traffic through its ancient arches! This is a commute I could handle.



For an hour, I watched this woman painting the painting on the wall. It was fascinating and I swear, I didn't see the sign that said, "No photos please".



Yes, I tried to sit on the floor to get this photo of the ceiling in the Italian painting gallery and was asked to get up. I just bent down, then I fell on my butt. I did not plan on sitting on the floor in the Louvre, well, maybe I did. Gauche American, fully achieved! It's the caffeine, I think? Really, have you had a cup of coffee in Paris?



At one point, I was totally lost and pretty sure I wasn't supposed to be here but since I had already photographed the artist with the "no photos please" sign and laid on the floor, I figured, what the heck. I thought I'd hear voices from the past but all I heard were the usual ones in my head.



I loved the coffee at this little cafe and the view up the street was a classic, Paris neighborhood. Everyone was so friendly to me. "He drove me on his motorbike through the crisp evening air and kissed me under the lights of the Eiffel Tower." WAIT, I already told you about the short story, right?



Paris was a eat-fest. I visited shops like this regularly,
constantly, don't quibble. I wanted to ring the bell and ask how much it would cost to live above the shop for a month. Look at those windows!



In the end, there's nothing that says Paris more than the Eiffel Tower other than a chocolate croissant, cup of espresso, chocolates at Maison du Chocolat, creme brulee, profiterols, anything with real French butter or a Croque Madame sandwich. Did I mention it was an eat-fest?

Cheers mates and a tout à l'heure!

Yes, I've been MIA but I've had good reasons...




More to come, details to follow and there might even be a giveaway! Post a comment to let me know there's still some of you left out there!

Go Home Young Man...

I just got back from a trip to see my family. I flew into Atlantic City and rented a car. I wasn't in NJ 45 minutes when a woman in ginormous white sunglasses, driving a monster Escalade flew out from behind me and passed me going 90 miles an hour. She gave me the finger as she flew by and I knew it was going to be a perfect weekend. Classic!

The entire weekend was a harmonious blend of my favorite things -- family, friends, Mom's cooking, NYC and Winter weather as cold as 13 degrees. Winter is a character in my life that doesn't visit often enough. It's so sensory, full of life and I love everything about it. The reason for the trip was a celebration, my niece turned 16! She's a great kid. Before the party, I had absolutely no concept of what 16 year old kids were like but I was surprised that a lot of them seemed like really good kids. There weren't any obvious nose piercing, tattoos or use of vulgar language so I was pretty impressed and surprised.

I spent Sunday in the city with my oldest and one of my dearest friends. We walked through Central Park, had lunch at the Boathouse, went to the Met and had drinks at the Oak Room at the Plaza hotel. It was an exceptional and lovely day. I love everything about the city, especially this time of year. I was all bundled up in my hand knit scarf and fingerless gloves. And yes, they survived the trip and got tons of use!

I know so many of you live in cold climates but for this Florida guy, it was paradise. The only really beat part of the whole weekend was I forgot my knitting. I must have said 10 times before I left, "get something out of the ottoman to bring on the trip." Never happened! I did have my Nook so the trip was not lost. Just for fun, I wanted to try knitting with twine and two pencils at my parents. I could hear my Mom, "Joseph, give it a rest already!" Gotta hear it with the New Yawk accent ... Classic!

Coffee Talk 2

I love how more people emailed or Rav-mailed me about the penis-cozy girl rather than actually leaving a comment! I got a real kick out of it. So much so, that I thought it could be a fun weekly piece, "Strange Knit Tuesdays". Okay, fine, I didn't really think the name through. I thought, hey, it might even make me a better blogger or that's how I was selling it to myself. In the end, it will not be a regular piece because surfing the web for stuff like this is a ridiculous waste of time. The cursory search did bring us this darling and I'd be remiss if I didn't share it with you. It's a crocheted, anatomically accurate birth doll with a removable umbilical cord! (not pictured,, you need to head over to Etsy for all the glory). I love it. I'd spend the $15 for the pattern but it's an advanced crochet pattern and I can barely chain stitch.

Garret, I can't help ya, I just came across Penis-cozy girl in my travels. I swear (hand raised in boy scout fashion). And Krystal, a woman of few words, glad to see you back! To all you others, too scared to attach your monikers to this insanity ... I can't blame you!

I picked up the new Vogue Knitting and have been pouring over Josh's (aka Boy Meets Purl) fair-isle cardigan. I think I'm really going to try a sweater this year! It's gorgeous and I can totally see myself on this guy in this sweater. Oops.

Coffee Talk

I give you this ... talk amongst yourselves! I'll start you off...

Why? Just why?
Why is she praying? Could it be for a new outfit?
Why would a woman wear a full body penis cozy?
Do you think there's a pattern?

You're on your own from here!

I trust your holidays were wonderful! I enjoyed entertaining friends this year as I did not get home but truly enjoyed new traditions and tons of wine, excuse me, laughter. Tons of laughter!

Since the holidays, it's been quiet times at casa knitguyla. I fiddle with my CSM and Twitter but mostly enjoy long walks in the "cold". Actually, it's been absolutely chilly and a few nights have even required long pants!


I finally finished, meaning "sew the seams" on the fingerless mitts from a while back. They are quite comfy and I have to say that my mattress stitch skill is clearly improving. The join is actually good in the stockinette portions but marginal in the basketweave sections. I wanted a quick knit for my weekend in NYC and this free Rav pattern fit the bill. They are charcoal gray/black and knit in Cascade Superwash. If they don't fall apart on the trip, I'll consider them a slamming success!

Little Colonnade of Stephen West designs also begins to take shape. I found myself with the wrong number of stitches and the center YO's veering toward the right so it had to be ripped back about 6-10 rows. I'm back on track, keep your fingers crossed!


I finally received the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice on Netflix and I'm totally crushing on this new Mr. Darcy. His voice is so sexy, you should rent it just for the listen. This version has some "teeth" and really humanizes Miss Austen's characters. I like it but when have I been known to not adore anything Jane. Make fun but I embrace the 15 year old girl inside me! You're all just jealous. The closing scene in the U.S. version is a mess, be warned! If you like, listen a bit here to Matthew but definitely click ahead to 3:29 and deny you don't want to be Keira Knightly!



In the comments, we welcome Pam! She said the nicest thing, "Gabbing with a friend about knitting, I agree, that's nice. That's what started me reading your blog." That's exactly how I hope my blog seems to readers. I'm so pleased to hear that! Thanks again for stopping by!

And Dave, please don't use dirty words in my comment section like CSM. ;-) A full post about the nasty varmint is pending. Enjoy the snow for me!

Happy 2011!

I'm 33...

That's enough laughing from the peanut gallery. I received an email from a stranger the other day telling me that I'd been chosen as one of the top 40 knitting and crochet blogs. At first, I thought the whole post was about garnering more traffic to her site. I'm sure that's part of it but it was an awful lot of work researching the 40 blogs so I decided to post her link all the same.

I find it fascinating that I don't know who the #1 knitting blogger is (anyone read her?) but I'm pleased that several of my friends made the list. The fact that I was ranked #33 and Marilyn was #34 is ludicrous!

She said this about my little place on the web, "This blogger is dedicated to small projects, making his site the perfect read for the newbie knitter. We love the blog because it isn’t too formal, so you feel like you’re gabbing with a friend about knitting."

"Gabbing with a friend about knitting", I kinda like that!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Harry Potter and a New Project

Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 1 is without a doubt the best in the series! I saw it last week. I loved it. Keep your eyes open, there are some great knits in there! In between, I ate tons of turkey and took 4 days off from work. All in all, it was a great week! Is it wrong of me to want a iPhone just so I can play the Harry Potter theme song on it?

Knitting...couldn't muster the energy for the cast-on in my last post, too lazy. I wound up a skein of Hazel Knits yarn that was gifted to me at the Fall Retreat by the fabulous WonderMike. As soon as I saw it in that perfect, center pull ball, I knew it had to be a westknits design. Little Colonnade is safely on the needles and just above the 100 stitch count. That's about halfway through section one in just an afternoon! This is my kind of pattern. I'm using the blue because I love all blue tones [footnote for your Holiday lists]. Knitting with this yarn has me thinking of Seattle and the most recent retreat. Even though I was sick times eleventy-million, I did enjoy one afternoon and even discovered a wonder of nature named after me.

It must have been the fever, I'm usually far too afraid of heights to lean over the edge like this! Missing Seattle and hoping you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Up Next...

Cast on 346 stitches. Oy!

I waited for my new Addi Clicks to arrive to start this project as it requires two needle sizes. The pattern called for a cobweb lace weight cashmere yarn (used doubled) but I'm opting for a fingering weight all by itself. I don't have the patience for doubled cobweb lace yarn nor do I have a LYS that carries it so I went stash diving and came up with an alternative in a pseudo-tweedy wool/silk blend. I think it'll work if I can get beyond the cast-on edge -- all 346 stitches of it! We begin ... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 marker.

3 ingredients and 45 minutes

+

+

= dinner tonight.

YarnHarlot and Hizknits made me do it. I don't think I'll make it on Christmas Day but it is the most excellent Wednesday night dinner. Try it...it's so simple, really yummy and has butter in it! Need I say more? Details over at Smitten Kitchen. While you're there, check out the chocolate cake as well. You won't be the same, swear!