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Annie and I leave for DC at 6am tomorrow, but before we go off on this mad adventure, I just had to share this llama with you! It apears that even llamas are ready to party for Obama! (We went to the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo this morning- and today was llama and alapaca show day! I truly amazingly resisted buying any yarn. Really!)
Happy Inauguration, everyone!
I had *planned* a post about my latest quilt for this evening. I've been working with a fabulous pile of fat quarters from the Robert Kaufman Project Runway line. I was so sick of that quilt for my folks, you know, the one that didn't get done in time for Christmas? It was hanging out on my design wall taunting me with its dull colors and poorly matched seams (still not sure if it was me or a not great pattern...) So I taught it a lesson by ripping it down, and starting a new quilt, just for me and just for fun. It's been a while since I did that...and this fabric is so much fun, it was just the thing to break a slump.
But it's not at a good point for a photo, and besides, I have something way more interesting for blog fodder today. Remember back in August, when I had the absolute best night of my life, ever? Well, after Nov. 4th, I decided that the smartest thing in the world to do was to go to DC for Inauguration Day. And to take Annie with me. After all, a huge part of my family lives in the area, so we had a free place to stay. And we got not hideously expensive airfare, and a rental car at a decent rate. It appears 3-5 million other Americans had the same idea, however, and the big day looks like it will be beyond insane. But totally worth it. Annie is so excited and she really does have a great grasp of how historic it is. We can't wait to get there. We're going to at least one museum, one quilt exhibit, my favorite restaurant in the world, and during all this, we'll be catching up with family I haven't seen in 5 years, and also, one friend who had the nerve to move away from Denver.
Okay, Sam, that's nice and all, but you said you had some good blog fodder, you might be thinking by now. True, true. But you needed the backstory. Because, you see, through the connections of a good friend (who is a neighbor, co-worker, and book club pal Pam), Annie and I got to be interviewed for the local NBC new affiliate today! They wanted to talk to Denver locals who were headed to Dc for Inauguration Day- hey, wait, that's us! And so this afternoon, Pam, Annie and I headed into the 9news studio for our 15 minutes of fame.
All three of us were interviewed individually, Pam first, me in the middle, and Annie last. It was the high point of her life to date, I think. She was quite at ease in front of the camera, my little ham. In fact, the reporter called her a "sound bite machine." She is quite clearly the child of a raging liberal who plays too much NPR on the car radio!
Who knows- maybe this is the beginning of an illustrious public career for her? Meanwhile, the reporter was fabulous and treated Annie to a tour of the 9 news control room as well as the news room.
All in all, a wonderful day.
We were told the piece will air at 4pm (MST) on 9News Denver on Inauguration Day itself. It's also going to stream on their website, and of course, I'll post that link as soon as I can :-)
Now, to finish the army man blankie before Annie and I leave for DC on Sunday...
For your consideration today, I have the last socks of 2008, and the first sock of 2009.
The last socks of 2008 did not make me the happiest girl in the world, I must admit. Love the pattern(rav link). Love the yarn.
Do NOT love the finished product.
I was not going for the Camper Twins effect with these socks, FYI. By the time I realized the extent of the difference between Skein #1 and Skein #2, well, it was far too late to do anything about it, as sock #1 was completed. One is clearly blue, the other, purple. The amount and shade of green varies greatly as well. Darn these gorgeous hand painted yarns! Speaking of which, I just picked up a new book- and I quite like it.
But to look on the bright side- see the pretty sock blockers under the not-so-pretty socks? Hooray! I got them for myself AFTER Christmas. On Christmas itself, however, the wonderful and amazing Hubby got me this beauty:
I have no idea how I have knitted for 3 years without one! I tested it out with some more gorgeous handpainted sock yarn
and had two perfect yarn cakes after only minutes, all by myself, with no forcing The Hubby to sacrifice his hands!
So, when I got the cold of death just in time for New Years Eve (this cold has been making its way through my office with amazing efficiency), my time in bed was well spent whipping up this little beauty:
It's RPM from Knitty, and it is so much fun to do. The repeat is memorized in one round, and it is so much fun. While both skeins of yarn seem to match well enough this time, they are leaving me with another handpaint present- purple hands. As little as five minutes spent working on these socks leaves dye all over my right hand!
The second sock is on hold, however (it's ready for a heel), because I am knitting a very special request proejct. Henry has 2 security blankies, named Ki Ki. Each one is a feather and fan pattern, knit up by an aged auntie on The Hubby's side of the family. Technically, one was Annie's and one was Henry's but Annie never got emotionally attached to hers, whereas Henry has spent much of the last 5 years holding his. When we realized this, we gave him hers and swapped them out weekly so they would age the same way and smell the same- plus, one was always clean and ready to go in case of emergency (the kid is prone to bloddy noses when he sleeps, thanks dry thin high altitude air!) It turns out that the elicate baby blankets were not meant to withstand 5 straight years of daily use, frequent washing, and little fingers picking at them. Both are disentegrating at an alarming rate. We'd been testing out other blankies, but he approved of NONE. I had a blankie of my own, so I get it, but, I didn't want him to end up with nothing but a pile of scrap yarn one day soon...
Last Saturday, we were at Michael's, stocking up on cotton to make washcloths at work. And he saw it- Bernat Camoflague Ombre yarn. Have I mentioned that this kid is obsessed with Army Men currently? They have almost totally replaced super heroes in his world of all things cool. In fact, all he wanted from Santa was little green plastic army men!
So when he saw the camo yarn, he knew what he wanted- an "Army Man Ki Ki." He is quite the task master. Every morning, he checks my progress to see how much the ki ki grew the night before. He also smells it- he is quite concerned that it does not yet smell like the old ki kis. I am currently storing ki ki #2 in the WIP bag, hoping to transfer some scent.
I think I may be the only person in the world ever to make a lace camoflague baby blanket.
The goal is to have it done by the 17th, as Annie and I leave on the 18th for that little trip to DC...
And on that note, it's time to work. Real work, not army man blankie work. Happy Friday, everyone!
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