It’s a Purl, Man

I would like to introduce you to a new face in town. This little guy is San Mateo. He is my sister’s boy. He like sleeping and pooping and to spend time with his family, just like his mom.

My Pumkin and I got to visit with him on Saturday, and now we are both extremely smitten. As soon as I finish my chuppa this kid is going to get spoiled with so many knitted garments he may never know what it is like to buy socks..

In other news… my rabbi (funny seeing as I am unitarian that I have a rabbi) has pointed out that I should ask for help on the chuppa. So I am going to begin to reach out this month to all the wonderful knitting people in Boston for a little assist. i think I need to throw some knitting pizza parties.

finally, tonight… I think that the Boston Knit Out may have to be canceled. I think we may try to put on some other smaller event, but the big 3,000 plus event may have to wait until next year. I think that the Knit Out committee may need to grow a little stronger before was can take on this event again… but this does not mean the end of the Boston Knit Out, I won’t have that. I will not let another city loose it’s knitting price (ala NY/DC)

More on all of this in tonights episode… Belly Aching.. I hope I record the whole thing in one shot.

One more photo, this is what you get when my sister and I work on projects together. notice how calm Mateo is in all this madness:

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Let me introduce you to my new bag, thanks to the lovely Darcy at Tom Bihn
So this is a new knitting bag that they are going to release at the end of the week. They have sent me this sample to check out because they know I have real knitting bag issues (notice the lack of floral patterns… nice). Darcy told me about this like a year ago, so I have a long build up for this and am ready to gush about it all.

They have not come up with a name for the new bag, so I will refer to my new bag as Sam. Me and Sam have not had a lot of time yet to see if we get a long, but I will be posting progress reports as we become friends. Sam showed up with some friends that made me squee with joy… (I know this is not the experience thatDarcy was looking for, but like a child who recieves a gift and plays with the box, I was a little distracted)

Sam’s little friends are as follows:

Mark (as in holds stitch Markers) is ever so transparent and tiny, perfect for my colorful little friends.

Natalie (the notions holder) is an awesome way to hol many notions and needles

Jiles (my everything bag) is now going to be joining me on many trips, with all the things I need… I can seem them.. it’s awesome

OK… so this is the gang… I don’t know what to do with these guys yet, but I am sure that I will find something fun to do…

So I am really excited about all these things that they sent me. The clear plastic bags with the clips are ohh so useful. I can’t wait to attach them to my normal gear and stuff. I will be ptting these toys through some Boston trauma and get back to you all about how they stand up.

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Please help me in my plight to collect submissions for a 6 foot wide by 4 foot tall poster. It is going to be full color and laminated. Kimberly and I will be carrying it down to the today show to REPRESENT on the national morning news.

If you are so inclined here is what I am looking for in a poster/slogan:

• A call to action for for all knitters
• Knitting anthem
• Something that is clean (both in language and in copyright)
• General and inclusive of all knitters
• To the point
• Understandable to the muggles
• Clean design so that we can see what the point is
• Legible slogan text

Here are some ideas for slogan I have come across:

• Those who can, knit
• Don’t screw with the people of pointy sticks
• Got Yarn
• iKnit
• I am a knitter
• We knit

Please post questions to he comments…

The winning design will be brought to rockefeller center and I will try my damndest to get it seen.

Finally, please leave space at the bottom right for a WEBs logo, and please put your own credit at the bottom left.

If you have a submission please email it to me at 2skiens *at* itsapurlman *dot* com or put a link to it in the comments.

If you want to help, but don’t know how to design, please post slogans to the comments… This will help others as they look for a slogan for designing.

Break

Thanks again to everyone who submits to this and those who pass this message onto others.

 

 poster design: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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So I need to ask you all for a favor. Can you please take a moment to answer 10 questions about you and the show. I am trying to get a better idea about who listens and how you are listening.
Thanks for your time. I will be doing a drawing from the names/emails placed into the survey, the drawing will take place next month. I still need to figure out what is going to be given away…
The survey is here

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Well…

I went to the Porter Square Book’s Happy Hooking event and learned to make the One Skien Scarf from the new Deb Stoller book, Happy Hooker. I finished it in two days and it looks… well… it’s done I guess…

Try as I might I can’t get into this weird hooking lifes style. I have two issues. One, it’s maddening to work off a chain… I really don’t see how you can make things straight and tidy like knitting. Two, I really haven’t found any patterns that suit me in the Stoller book. ( I really wanted to buy a copy from the store, suppoerting them and all)
But I am now interested in returning to Kim Werker’s Get hooked book and try and maks some of the little crocheted anime figurines (I’ll be damned if I call them dolls). I know that most of the book is teeny-bop stuff, but I really like the cute little toys. I have some youngens I can make them for.

So, you are probably thinking to yourself, Guido… Why have you not posted pictures of this awesome new talent?

This time I have a real excuse (no more using that tired I forgot or the dog ate my image excuse anymore). My pumpkn and her pumpkn posse have taken over all rights to my digital camera for the next three weeks while they go wedding dress shopping and take super secret photos. So I am powerless to rebel against the powers that be and will have to wait to post new images.

Finally, a little show house cleaning… I have removed the explicit tag from my show. I dont’ think I am that explicit and if other shows don’t do it, why should I. It’s not like I’m dropping the F-Bomb or discussing the intimate relationship my privates and yarn have…(not that it isn’t amusing to hear this on other shows, but I am way less explicit than that) Anyhow, while I am not completely family friendly, I am friendly enough for most families.

So that’s that…

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I decided I would try and write something. A year end type of affair. But I find it hard to look back on the last year. It was full of hope and promise… and now it’s over. Not that it was all bad, quite the opposite, but I cannot tink back now, there is no safety line to which I can repair or change the pattern of the year.

A lot of great things have happened

• I joined a gazzillion knitting groups
• I went to a couple knitting events
• I met many knitters from all over
• I started a podcast
• I became an addict to knitting blogs and podcasts
• I fell head over heals for Elizabeth Zimmerman
• I started a knitting group for guys
• Building a park (most awesome event ever)

But… I feel a little empty. I feel like there are so many more things that I could have done this year. So many oppurtunities missed. So many possibilities in the universe. So many questions I cannot answer.

Did I make a difference in 2006?

Am I making the world a better place?

If 2006 were a chapter in a book what did I learn? What was the point?

I always threaten to take some time to write a mission statement, take stock in who and what I am and where I want to go. But, I never do. I hit a road block about this, so many conflicting interests. How do I know what I want and how what I want fits in the bigger picture of who I am?

Well… this concludes Guido’s deep thought… there is never a satisfactory conclusion to this line of thought, because time marches on and choices are made either for you or about you.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is doing something wonderful to bring in the new year. I have many ideas in the hopper for the new year. And will put together one more by the end of the weekend.

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So if I was tagged and now have to list six weird things about me. Problem is… I’m not that weird.  Beyond the knitting thing, which you don’t think is weird, I am not really that weird.

This is not to say that I am not a freak and that I don’t like to get my freak on, but it’s silly fun freak… which isn’t that weird. So here is my list as far as I can think of my weirdness…

1. I am a geographer - really, how many of you know a geographer
2. I have family in Chile - really, how many of you know a Chilean
3. I’ve eaten Llama and like it - This is one of those Chilean things
4. I use a shoe horn - I use a show horn for everything, sneakers, slip ons, soup
5. I like cheese dogs - You know, like the oscar-myar hot dogs with cheese in it, now I have really turned you off…
6. I really like children’s books, for me - They make me happy

so thats the weirdness…

I have started a cafe press store to start to do a little fund raising for the show. Next year I would like to travel across New England and re-make the site design and all these things add up, so I thought I would try my hand and making silly t-shirts. Please let me know what you think.

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I am thinking about updating the website with some new graphics. Don’t know what direction I should go with yet though. I would like to do something about me, my friends, and my community.

Because I make maps I am thinking about some sorta collage background with knitted objects that represent the three towns that I knit the most in (Somerville, Cambridge, Boston). But beyond this I do not know yet how to encorporate other knitters in my community and build in the concept that I am not the star, but simply the host of the show.

Like Kermit says, it’s not easy being green.

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I just got this picture in an email from my friend who received the baby suprise.

My pumkin always noted that the sleeves always seemed a bit too small, now looking at the image of the garment in use, I have to agree. It’s looks like it’s some sort of sweater t-shirt. Which is not bad, just not right either.

So there you have it, my one FO in a long time.

In other news: With the holidays fast approaching I have decided I want to help others by sending them books filled with ideas. (Or you could read this as… some publisher sent me a lot of books, and I think I should share). At any rate… There will be a drawing every week that I have books to give from here until December. So listen in to find out which book is up for grabs.

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So in case you haven’t hear yet, here are some links to the BIG YARN story that is floating around the podcasts this week. POSSIBLE PRICE FIXING!!! I do not plan on covering it because i think that these other podcast ladies have already expressed my own opinions about it.

Enjoy:

Lime & Violet
Cast On
Sarah’s Yarns

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