If you can... will you please?
On Monday I did something I should do more often. I left the house.
There's been a bit too much of the stay-at-home, "yes these are my jammies, thank you for asking" life lately, especially during the day. I have been working on some knitting projects and some web site updates, which give me no real reason to step outside the door.
Monday I was lured from my cave by Chelsea of the Santa Clara knitting meetup who has local knowledge of Santa Cruz. At our Wednesday knit night, she recruited me and Jasmine for a road trip to visit yarn shops "over the hill". Chelsea, Jasmine, baby O and I met up at my place and started off going the wrong direction -- we stopped by the Stanford Blood Center to make a little deposit. Feeling highly virtuous, we got back in Chelsea's car and headed out. I was seaming like a madwoman all the way over curvy Highway 17, because I had a mission.
I wanted to wear my new orange sweater to lunch. The "Lots of Options" top from The Knit Stitch in Rowan All Seasons Cotton was knit fully a year ago, seamed, ends woven in, buttons attached... and then I couldn't bring myself to wear it. It was a bit too wide and a bit too short and a bit too low in the armholes, and all of that we could overlook if the button bands hadn't gapped like the gap they warn you about on the London tube - "Mind the gap! Mind the gap! Stand clear of the doors, please!". Over Labor Day weekend, the bobaknit gang gave me a suggestion for fixing my doomed object: sew the button bands shut. That'll fix those gaps! Genius. Let me at it!
So I seamed both edges of the button bands front and back, using the project yarn, in the car, faster than I have ever seamed anything before. And I wove in the last of the ends just as we reached the parking lot. It's normal to dress next to your car, right? With the bands sewn shut, the Lots of Options top is a much better fit - a little of the width was taken up into the sewn-up bands, so it's a little less wide. I like the drape a lot. [Sorry about the lack of photos - I need some daylight to take them and will post ASAP]
Our lunch spot in Aptos was Gayle's Bakery - I should say "the legendary Gayle's Bakery" - where we ate baked goods and healthy lunch fare. My Fiestaware plate and my apricot galette matched my new orange top quite nicely!
After lunch, we made it to two of our three target yarn shops, starting with The Yarn Place, conveniently across the street from Gayle's. We allowed ourselves an extended prowl through their Noro-rich offerings and let the time slip away a bit. Eeek - is that the time? Must rush!
With our Yarn Place purchases wrapped up, we sped through town to get to the Golden Fleece before closing time. Golden Fleece has Kauni in stock and some nice organic and natural yarns, including Ranch Alpaca which looks really yummy.
Overall, I consider this a very successful day of field research. We have to do it again, gals! Maybe we can hit the third shop -- the Swift Stitch -- next time.
And now, a word from our author
I sort of glossed over the blood donation at the beginning of our trip, but I would like to make a serious plea to anyone out there who is able to donate: Would you please make a donation this month?
End-of-summer is always a tough time for our nation's blood supplies, since the captive donor groups (otherwise known as college students) are off-campus and probably not donating. Everyone is on vacation and civic-mindedness is temporarily forgotten at the beach.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. September 2001 was a time when Americans banded together to give blood in response to a crisis. Maybe you were you one of those donors. Are you still donating regularly? If not, maybe this anniversary is a good time to renew (or start) your commitment.
Call your local blood bank and get yer butt in there. In the south bay, that means the American Red Cross in San Jose or the Stanford Blood Center. Both are great facilities with easy access and great support and appreciation for donors. If you haven't donated before, would you consider it, please? Your donation could mean the world to someone in the hospital right now.
I'm spinnity, and I endorse this message.
There's been a bit too much of the stay-at-home, "yes these are my jammies, thank you for asking" life lately, especially during the day. I have been working on some knitting projects and some web site updates, which give me no real reason to step outside the door.
Monday I was lured from my cave by Chelsea of the Santa Clara knitting meetup who has local knowledge of Santa Cruz. At our Wednesday knit night, she recruited me and Jasmine for a road trip to visit yarn shops "over the hill". Chelsea, Jasmine, baby O and I met up at my place and started off going the wrong direction -- we stopped by the Stanford Blood Center to make a little deposit. Feeling highly virtuous, we got back in Chelsea's car and headed out. I was seaming like a madwoman all the way over curvy Highway 17, because I had a mission.
I wanted to wear my new orange sweater to lunch. The "Lots of Options" top from The Knit Stitch in Rowan All Seasons Cotton was knit fully a year ago, seamed, ends woven in, buttons attached... and then I couldn't bring myself to wear it. It was a bit too wide and a bit too short and a bit too low in the armholes, and all of that we could overlook if the button bands hadn't gapped like the gap they warn you about on the London tube - "Mind the gap! Mind the gap! Stand clear of the doors, please!". Over Labor Day weekend, the bobaknit gang gave me a suggestion for fixing my doomed object: sew the button bands shut. That'll fix those gaps! Genius. Let me at it!
So I seamed both edges of the button bands front and back, using the project yarn, in the car, faster than I have ever seamed anything before. And I wove in the last of the ends just as we reached the parking lot. It's normal to dress next to your car, right? With the bands sewn shut, the Lots of Options top is a much better fit - a little of the width was taken up into the sewn-up bands, so it's a little less wide. I like the drape a lot. [Sorry about the lack of photos - I need some daylight to take them and will post ASAP]
Our lunch spot in Aptos was Gayle's Bakery - I should say "the legendary Gayle's Bakery" - where we ate baked goods and healthy lunch fare. My Fiestaware plate and my apricot galette matched my new orange top quite nicely!
After lunch, we made it to two of our three target yarn shops, starting with The Yarn Place, conveniently across the street from Gayle's. We allowed ourselves an extended prowl through their Noro-rich offerings and let the time slip away a bit. Eeek - is that the time? Must rush!
With our Yarn Place purchases wrapped up, we sped through town to get to the Golden Fleece before closing time. Golden Fleece has Kauni in stock and some nice organic and natural yarns, including Ranch Alpaca which looks really yummy.
Overall, I consider this a very successful day of field research. We have to do it again, gals! Maybe we can hit the third shop -- the Swift Stitch -- next time.
And now, a word from our author
I sort of glossed over the blood donation at the beginning of our trip, but I would like to make a serious plea to anyone out there who is able to donate: Would you please make a donation this month?
End-of-summer is always a tough time for our nation's blood supplies, since the captive donor groups (otherwise known as college students) are off-campus and probably not donating. Everyone is on vacation and civic-mindedness is temporarily forgotten at the beach.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. September 2001 was a time when Americans banded together to give blood in response to a crisis. Maybe you were you one of those donors. Are you still donating regularly? If not, maybe this anniversary is a good time to renew (or start) your commitment.
Call your local blood bank and get yer butt in there. In the south bay, that means the American Red Cross in San Jose or the Stanford Blood Center. Both are great facilities with easy access and great support and appreciation for donors. If you haven't donated before, would you consider it, please? Your donation could mean the world to someone in the hospital right now.
I'm spinnity, and I endorse this message.
posted by spinnity at 9/10/2008 11:20:00 AM
1 Comments:
I've been to the Swift Stitch. It's teeny and adorable. AND they gave me a student discount. ROCK!
Also, I second the call for the blood donations. If any of your friends know me (and *like* me), I'll toss out that I was in a bad car accident many years ago, and long story short - I'm alive today because someone donated blood. So I thank you, Spinnity, and I thank any of your friends who step up to the plate.
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