In Lieu of Knitting Photos

I've been away from home since Tuesday night (at a conference) and was all set to take advantage of having an extra bed in the hotel room to use to take photos of my current on-the-needles knitting when my camera battery gave out. The photos taken with my iPod are crap.

So, instead, I'll leave you with photos taken at home when I was testing to see just how much lack-of-light the camera on the iPod can handle.

Our downstairs is getting chilly.

Can you tell where she starts and where she ends?

There's nothing like a footstool in front of the gas stove. 

"You woke me for this? WFT?"

How Do You Spell Relief?

Liz says it all here

and Helen, as always, made my day.

Peaceful Foliage

While in Bloomington, we stayed at a Buddhist retreat center. The grounds are incredibly beautiful. 

Inside this building is a sand mandala. The mandala is covered with plexiglass since it's in the middle of this open-air building. While I don't fully understand all of the symbolism of this mandala, just the artistry alone leaves one incredulous.

Folige

In mid-October, I met up with knitting friends in Bloomington, IN. While there, we had breakfast at a great restaurant - FARMbloomington. We also found a couple of local yarn shops. In A Yarn Basket is a homey place with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. The key is to look up at the knitted models - lots of inspiration. 

The other shop we visited is Yarns Unlimited which has a more urban vibe to it.  

Both interesting places, both worth a visit. 

As we were farther south than usual, the fall colors had not yet run their course. On the street outside of FARMbloomington, we saw foliage of a different kind. There was serious yarn bombing on trees up and down the street. 

This tree made it apparent that we were in enemy territory.

Improvisation

Have you ever been to a conference where they have a box of paper and pens on the conference table? I've been to plenty of conferences and always knit during them.

(And why the non-knitters who are openly reading newspapers or can't be bothered to look up from their smart phones because they're playing games, checking email, reading blogs, and obviously ignoring the speaker never get the strange looks I get as one who is knitting in order to focus my attention on the speaker is a whole other blog post.)

I never thought of temporarily converting the box to a knitting accoutrement.

But I will now.

Rocking Her Look

I was at an event last weekend where the usual look was everyone rockin' their knitted items. There were sweaters, shawlettes, and scarves a plenty.

But this is the look I found most fascinating. How I wish I could have seen this knitter from the front.

This look incorporated (from toe to head) shiny, glittery pink shoes, black leggings with sparkly pink decorations on them, pink plaid poodle skirt, white lace blouse, black cardigan with pink accents on the sleeve (and probably on the front), and plaid pink ponytail holders.

Oh, to be young enough again (but with my forty-something self-confidence) to pull off looks like this.

If age-appropriate was not a factor, what look would you rock?

Sheep and Wool

This September, I made the trek to the WI Sheep and Wool Festival. I didn't take classes this year. Just went for the day to scout vendors, look at sheep, and knit. (There may have been some blueberry pie from a local 4-H group, too.) 

Two barns of vendors.

Flocks of sheep, shorn

and unshorn.

I love a place where no one looks askance at a person carrying around a spinning wheel.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

I'm going to try it.



We'll see if I have enough material to last a whole month. 

Bets, anyone?