Trip to Vermont

We just got back from a lovely trip to Vermont. We needed a little break from NYC. I never really think of myself as stressed out, but after a day in the country, I realize the difference between what I call "relaxed" at home and what relaxed really feels like. After two days in vt, I felt not only relaxed but also really awake.

I also wanted to go there because I wanted to go to the cute little yarn store in Woodstock, the Whippletree, and get some more of these:



The further we drove north, the more autumn-like it became. It was still very warm (79 deg one day!), but the trees are turning. By the time we arrived, we found ourselves amidst hills mottled in rust orange, various vibrant reds, warm browns and greens. This picture really doesn't do it justice at all.



Which all made me want yarn the colors of autumn foliage. This is what I found:



I finally got invited to Ravelry, so I know what I will be doing this rainy afternoon.

Middle Men

I finally finished this sweater for my landlady's daughter. Alexander, my LL's son calls it the elephant sweater because of the sleeves...




Some scarves I've finished for selling on 7th:




And, a new project - this is a scarf for a friend, who commented in-depth, helpfully & brilliantly on a story of mine. I wanted to give something in return, and I'm a big fan of barter. She's just moved to Maine.



On the subject of barter, I have this idea that it's the middle men (middle people I suppose I should say, but I was worried it would sound like I was talking about elves or something) that have led to the atomization / destruction of community. This is related to F. Tönnies ideas about the change from face-to-face communities to groups of interacting strangers, and probably also to Benedict Anderson's work. Ask for more and I'll explain more. Think about the difference between buying from keyfood or the farmer's market. Face to face is always better. Always? Maybe not always; I thought there have to be exceptions - not all middle men are bad - and of course, the best example of a great middle man is the yarn store!

Ow

My fingers hurt from knitting so much.

Selling stuff

Actually, I knew Miss Mildred & I would be selling our stuff in Park Slope, but I didn't want to jinx it - now that we've done it for a couple of days, I feel I'm jinx-safe!

It was fun - maybe my long-dormant entrepeneurial (no, I don't know how to spell this word) spirit is finally awakening...

New Activities

I can now run all the way around Prospect Park! I've done it twice...

Some new FOs made from various leftovers and loose ends... I'm trying to use up my stash, so I'll be able to more reasonably rationalize buying lots more yarn. I love these wood buttons - I got them on a trip to Vermont during the summer - I'm hoping I can find more just like them.

Before:



After:




Of course, what am I going to do with so many felted purses? I guess they'll end up either as gifts, or mayble I'll try to sell them on Etsy.

Projects

I'm in the middle of four projects, more if you take into account all the things I'm already dreaming about starting.

First, there's the secret log cabin project. I'm halfway done, and I haven't started the second half yet. Right now, it's feeling a little like a chore. I'll start it again in October. Here is Miss Mildred's post about her part of the secret project.

I'm also working on Rog's annual birthday scarf - I'm almost done. I'm knitting it as I write (write a bit, knit a bit). I have to finish it by tomorrow! Luckily, it's a half hour subway ride to and from teaching tonight, so that should give me enough time. It's the men's cashmere scarf from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts".



This is half a sweater for my landlady's daughter. It's these projects that work in halves that get me - it's such a good point to take a break... but then the break lasts for months.



Finally, I'm making the l'il red hoodie. This time I made a proper swatch and matched the gauge, and so far, I have to say, it looks pretty good!

The next project I'm thinking of making is a hat for Rog's niece (my niece-in-law?) Lily. I know I'm an anthropologist and I should have this categorizing-family-members thing down, but I don't. Lily, who's 5, has just as good a system as anyone I know: she calls me "Uncle Jasmine" (admittedly, just once, but it was so cute) - this makes sense - I fit in the same category as her Uncle Rog, who lives in the faraway land of NYC. I can see how that makes more sense than categorizing me with her dad's sister, (whom I've never even met) just because we're both women. Besides, to me, family is only loosely tied to blood relatives - as far as I'm concerned, some people who are related to me aren't family, and some people who aren't related to me are definitely family. So I'm just going to call Lily my niece, ok?

Here's a picture of Lily wearing some mittens I knit her a few years back:



And lastly, only 14,431 people ahead of me on the Ravelry invite list...

The Slink

I'm taking it apart.