Yarn Harlot in New York
OK, so I’m not the most timely blogger out there. But here’s a rundown of our trip to New York.
THURSDAY Well we made it down to New York in crazy good time. But we left really late. Bill dropped me and the kids off in Central Park 15 minutes late. And the big sock photo had already been taken. But we got to sign the big banner that Guido organized and then chat with a few folks. Ella, the social butterfly she is, enjoyed showing off her knitting to everyone.
Then the three of us spent most of the rest of the day at the American Museum of Natural History. We arrived right during lunch time when there were hoards of school groups there. Very overwhelming. It’s all I could do to figure out where to purchase tickets and which doorway to enter. This museum isn’t really my kind of thing. But the kids loved it. We had no map, so the kids led the way for the next three hours. Bill met us later at the museum, and we all checked out the dinosaur exhibit. Perfect for a family with two dinosaur fanatics.
Then we caught a cab south, dropped Bill and the kids off in Times Square and I continued to FIT to catch the Yarn Harlot event. I arrived just as they were letting folks into the building. It was tons of fun. Not quite full, but many, many people. I’m not good at estimating crowd numbers, but probably about 600 knitters. I actually didn’t recognize anyone other than the Harlot and Guido. But I had fun chatting with new people just the same.
In everyone’s seat was a bag with a ball of yarn, a pair of needles, and pattern instructions to make a 7″x11″ square. The Harlot asked us all to knit/crochet a square during the event to be collected afterwards. All the squares would be put together at the end to create potentially 15 afghans for Warm Up America. Pretty cool. I got my square done with plenty of time left over for some sock knitting. The event went till about 8:30. I bought her new book on the way out and walked back in the warm rain to the hotel. Sometimes I really miss living in a big city.
Despite all of the knitters that came to the event, I didn’t really see many elsewhere in the city. So I don’t know if we really flooded New York with knitters. But it was a great time just the same.
FRIDAY I got to sleep in a bit while Bill and the kids went to breakfast. Very nice! Thanks Bill. Once back, we packed up everything, tossed it in the van, and took the subway to the Museum of Arts and Design to see the Radical Lace, Subversive Knitting exhibit. It did not disappoint, though the definition for lace was a bit broad. I enjoyed the gown knit out of money, the porcelain lace pieces, the knitted lead bear, giant knitted American flag (It was knit with telephone poles!), and the very very tiny knitted sweaters and gloves. They were even smaller than I expected them to be. Holy crap! It was so much fun being there with the kids. They were asking really interesting questions.
On the way to lunch we stopped by a nearby knitting store, Stitches East. The store was small and had lots of novelty yarn, and absolutely nothing that interested me. No need to ever come back. After lunch we unsuccessfully looked for Habu Textiles and School Products. Maybe next visit. Off to Audra’s house to unpack our things and visit. Her whole family was so welcoming and nice. That evening we went to Lloyd’s birthday party not far from Audra’s house. It was a lovely evening, though we left just as the rest of the Dees were arriving. Life with kids.
SATURDAY We went back into the city to catch the Justin Roberts’ show. We hadn’t seen him play before with the full band. It was a good time, though Ella seemed huge compared to the rest of the toddlers there. I prefer seeing him at a small venue like Iota where you can get a beer and a juice box at the bar.
That afternoon while the rest of the family rested, and went to Brooklyn General Store, just a couple blocks from Audra’s house. I loved this store. And I could not help but think of Cirilia the whole time I was there. They had some awesome vintage fabric. I nearly bought some but then remembered I haven’t used the vintage fabric I bought from Crafty Planet yet. But I did nearly buy Sew U, and I’m a sewing hater. I think I’ve been inspired by Cirilia. Curses! What I did leave with were some cool tights (for me), leaf magnets (a gift), and some Euroflax since I’ve always wanted to try it and WEBS doesn’t carry it. Maybe they’ll become some lovely washcloths? This store rocks. I’ll be back.
Once I got my yarn fix, we went over to Jalopy to see Audra’s kids play, Toxic Muffin.
Aren’t 11-year old rockers cute? After them another area kids band played, Tiny Masters of Today.
Then the giant Hootananny began. It was such an incredible evening. And there’s so much to say, but go over to Spare the Rock if you want more details. Here are a few highlights of the evening.
Marty Beller (from They Might Be Giants) and Jen and Audra from Audrarox doing “D Is for Drums” with the kids.
This is for you Amy. No Steve hasn’t really let himself go. But he is wearing underwear on his head. I love the photo of Ella chatting it up with Steve Burns. She was really working the crowd that night.
Thank god Liam fell asleep before the end. It went well past midnight. Ella kept going strong the whole night. She really gets her energy from people, not like her mother.
What an evening. Bill was recording the whole show for the radio show. Hopefully he’ll have it all edited down by next weekend.
SUNDAY Sleeping in REALLY late. We were all exhausted. We made a leisurely trip back home, stopping at Flying Fingers. I’ve been wanting to check it out. It was a nice shop with great customer service. But there wasn’t a lot there that interested me. I did end up getting a skein of laceweight merino/cashmere yarn in a soft green. But the best part was that Liam wanted me to get him his first pair of needles. He’s ready for me to teach him to knit. Hurray! We haven’t sat down yet to do so, but soon.
It was all such a great trip. And great to get away from work for a bit. I’m looking forward to more weekend trips with the family.
(Thanks to Molly, Amy, and JP for some of the photos.)
New York High & Low
We’re back from our New York trip, tired but with lots of great memories. There were museums, yarn stores, the Harlot, and an incredible amount of kids music. But there’s no time to do a complete post right now. I’ll just tell you one high and low from the trip.
LOW
Waking up Friday night every hour on the hour to Wallace saying, “Wake up Gromit! Time for walkies.” Not a restful night of sleep. Could not figure out how to turn this alarm clock off. I used to like Wallace. I’m not sure anymore.
HIGH
Watching Ella play the drum machine for Steve Burns during the Hootenanny. It was incredible watching this girl’s confidence in front of an audience. And it was amazing that she kept going strong all night long, well past midnight.
OK, many more details later. Must get kids to school and me to work.
Update
OK, so it looks like I don’t have much time for things like blogs, and movies. But I have been doing a little knitting. I’ve finished a cardigan for the store, started a pair of socks for a class, and started a blanket for the store.
And we leave this morning for a driving trip to New York. I’m looking forward to getting a bunch of knitting done. But I’m most excited to go to the Yarn Harlot event tonight. Woo hoo! We have several other things planned too, and not just knitting related. I’ll have a complete recap once we get back.
Best Husband Ever, Again!
Bill found the camera, thank goodness! That makes for a much more enjoyable weekend.
I’ve got some books showing up on my doorstep soon: Fitted Knits, Lace Style, Victorian Lace Today, and Knitted Toys. I’m so excited; it feels like my birthday.
I’m taking two classes this month, Mittens from Measurements and Socks from Measurements. Should be fun.
And work is going well. I’m starting to really like my job.
Now I’m off to shop for birthday gifts. Liam’s turning 5 tomorrow.
Where Is My Camera?
I have two finished things to post, but I lost my camera this past weekend. I’m very sad about it. I feel I’ve looked in all the places it would be, but then where is it? So I’ll wait to write about the finished items.
But on the brighter side of things, I will be in New York in a few weeks attending the Yarn Harlot event. It should be fun.
