Sleepy week

By krose | August 12, 2010

Once upon a time  there was a little stitch and bitch that met at the sandbar in Taunton. One sleepy week in the summer, there was a very small group that was missing all of its friends. Where did everyone go? Come back! Cranky had her nose to the grindstone, Julz was off in the woods being crafty with things other than yarn, Tal dared to take a vacation, and Heather left us for an awesome future of adventures in Philly.

Only five stitchers remained, but they kept the spirit of the group lively with difficult projects and the interrogation of a new member! Wendy and Heléne worked on Tal’s hat, Kelly had some beautiful rainbow mittens going on teeny tiny needles and told tales of a knitting Mecca that she found in Maine, and Kat tackled the viney chart of Anney, which is terrifying to look at but not at all hard to knit!

The new member who got the interview spotlight tonight was Aurora, who found the group from the website. She taught herself to crochet with videos and then bought books and her husband decided she needed to get out and meet others who could help her out, where she’d have time for herself and have a few laughs as well — cue collective “awwww.” She has one step-daughter and three children. She was working on a beautiful baby blanket. She’s also a huge fan of True Blood, so she’ll fit right in to this quirky little bunch.

The knitters were also sad to learn that Kelly, one of the two regular waitresses was going to be leaving her post to pursue some other opportunities to do what she enjoys best – teaching dance. But, they weren’t too sad because this new development frees her up to knit with the group as a member now!

This sleepy little group looks forward to next week when the rest of the group comes back, and Aurora returns for her newcomer yarn and more laughs. Maybe the full moonish behavior of crazy people all around will go back to normal. Or maybe some folks will just pull a Steven Slater and remove themselves from the craziness – the knitters think he’s a hero! However it happens, they will go on happily ever after… until next week anyway!

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Summer Knitting, had me a blast

By Helene | August 8, 2010

SnB during the summer definitely has a flavor of its own. Summer somehow lends itself to our being even sillier than usual – perhaps its because we are in general a smaller group as so many of us take a week or two here and there for vacation. Perhaps its because we are overheated. Perhaps because its just light outside later so we’re more in our daytime energy mode. This week we indeed were all “full of piss and vinegar” – (go ahead – find a better expression!).

before we continue…a brief interruption just to make Kat laugh:

Even snark leads to support ok in our own way…with group encouragement I finally finished my fairhope for summer cardigan – 3 skeins of rayon metallic! Photos soon – its too damn hot for anything with sleeves right now! We also supported Annette as she fearlessly frogged an entire sweater while sitting at the table…see how alcohol helps your knitting!? The one thing we all agree on is dont bother working on it the way it is if you’re going to hate the finished project!

Casey was visiting this week thanks to her mom and summer vacation. She was working hard on her fantastic pot holders. This caused our discussion to turn to Karen’s latest class offerings at KG Krafts coming up – which included macrame…which led to a discussion of crafts, and our desire for a retro crafts evening! Macrame plant holders, woven clothes hangers, gimp lanyards, scrapbooks…it’s unanimous, we have all been crafting in one way or another since we were kids. Of course we also turned to games we played when younger too – like paper fortune tellers, mad libs and something I had never heard of – a mash up?! Cranky expertly had me list boys I liked and didnt like; places I liked and cars etc…and then did this counting thing with circles that was totally foreign… you’ll all be thrilled to know that I am going to marry Steve, live in vermont, drive a porche and have 8 children… I just want to know which one of you would like to tell my husband and children of this development?

And now one more word from a beloved knitter tool – if only we could get them to be a sponsor!!!

A final note – Heather and her crazy hat society are moving to PA….what a total loss for us! We’ll miss you more than we can say! We all know you never really leave Taunton SnB though – you just take a little break so we’re looking forward to the day that you come back for a visit!

Remember – we love newcomers and visits from those who havent been for a while….treat yourself to some fun and come join us!

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Saturday Aventures…Yarn Crawl!

By Wendy | July 27, 2010

It’s time for another yarn crawl and I’m like a kid going to Disney World. Friday night I was thinking of all the fun we would have on the yarn crawl and was counting down the hours.  Everyone else must have been excited too, because when I arrived at 9:00 a.m sharp (well almost sharp), everyone else was already there! Well…except for one..Tal. Where’s Tal?  Turns out,  Tal took the scenic route (495 was disguising itself as north and south). When we arrived at Helene’s we all got a nice surpise.  Today, there’s a baby on board. Baby A. is going on her first yarn crawl!  Okay, ready, set , Go! OOPs, who’s driving? That settled, we hit the road.   I know, I know,  you all want to get to the yarny parts, but I’d be depriving you of this adventure if I didn’t take detours.  A recurring theme throughout this adventures in yarn crawling, will be Driving, rules of the road, speed  and what a GPS can do for you…not!

Toni is quite the driver as in Mario Andretti or more recent Dale Erndhart. You don’t follow Toni, you eat her dust! And She has the protection of the Govt. and a few good moves…just in case. It’s quite funny, but we did manage to keep close tabs on each other and arrived at Black Sheep safely and all lined up in a row.  Black sheep has been a favorite since our first visit there over a year ago. Now there are five new owners and what was already a great LYS is even better! It has been rearranged making it seem larger and easier to maneuver. They have lots of lovely yarns to choose , books, and accessories. Like kids on a field trip, we quickly went from one orderly  group to all out separation as everyone ran (almost) to check out all the yarns.  The ladies who now own the store were very helpful, friendly, and made us feel welcome.  They had ideas to share and suggestions for yarns and patterns. Tal did a little modeling for us!   She spied a really cute fall/winter wrap that looked great on her.  I asked her to clarify whether it was considered a wrap or a poncho,  because if you didn’t know before, you know now- I’m deathly allergic to ponchos!  It’s a wrap (phew!).  She loved it enough to buy the pattern!  One of the owners was nice enough to show Tal a part of the pattern that could be tricky because of the wording.   While Tal was reading, what was everyone else doing? Kelli was looking at cute knitted baby clothing; Helene was checking out yarns and talking computers with owner’s husband.  He’s their IT person.   Cranky and Julz sat at the table knitting/crocheting and talking Malabrigo. I swear they have their own yarn code language!  Meghan joined in and then Darcy. I think Tal and Julz will win the marathon knitting award. They could be found knitting everywhere went!  Good thing neither of them drove. Who knows where we would have ended up.   Cheryl could be found dreaming of lace and fondling cashmere. In the meantime, the rest of us were spending money!  What was baby A. doing? Learning all about yarn. Doesn’t she make that yarn look cute?

It was now time to say good-bye to Black Sheep Knitting in Needham and head to Island Yarn in Waltham for the next part of our knitting adventures.  Outside of Black Sheep we synchronized our watches, GPSes and counted heads. Yep everyone is ready to go, but wait! Meghan was leaving at this point because she had to get home and ready herself for Bon Jovi. Enjoy!

We stayed in contact by phone as needed.  I did wonder why some of us needed 20 minutes to get to the next destination and others got there is 5 minutes (It seemed like it though I could be exxagerating a bit…not!)

By the time we got within the vicinity of Island Yarns, Kelli’s group (Julz riding shotgun, Cranky and baby A.)was outside of a Dunkin Donuts. We’re all suprized by that! After all Cranky’s in da house.  Toni was at Island yarns already and in the door with her hands in the yarn and Darcy’s group (Helene- shotgun and me, Kat and Tal ) was at CVS waiting for Tal to get some sunglasses.  Do these sunglasses look good with my hair (new haircut)?  In the meantime, Mario Brothers theme music …Julz calling..anyone want coffee? We met at DD and decided we’d rather eat first before decending upon Island Yarn.  Tal went into Island Yarns to let Tone in on our plans when… BOOM!!!!!!!!!  ZAP !!! POW!!! Toni was hit with Jet Lag and the need for a nap. So, she’s heading home.  Our group has shrunk to ten.  Mexican food got the final vote and we went to a restaurant in Waltham called Marguritas (I think or may I had to much tequilla ).  It was very cool and the food was good! While waiting for a table , we had a few minutes to chat and explore the scenery. Hi everyone we miss you!  Cheryl and Helene are catching up. For anyone who hasn’t met Cheryl, she’s our traveling SNBer. Her job takes her around the world ! Yah, our table is reading!  We raised a toast to all of us and our knitty friends . While Kellis baby took in the scenery and had her own commentary about yarn crawls.  Her cute yawn says it all. Yarn crawls take lots of energy!  She was sharing a moment with one of her aunties (Helene). Kelli has the best baby. She barely fussed and if she did there was a reason. Once her needs were met…she was good to go! Even her protests were minor.   I may be biased, but she was the cutest and most well behaved baby in the restaraunt. Definitely not exercising her lungs the way the baby behind us did.   I did get a picture of Baby A. checking out the cute hair bow on the other baby (what a girly-girl 8-> ) or maybe it was just an excuse for a little snuggle time!

Having filled our bellies and quenched our thirst it was time to head to Island Yarns.  The constrast in stores was in layout only.  Black Sheep was open and full of light, while Island yarns was smaller with more ambiant light. She offered a good variety of yarn brands and types and some new ones we hadn’t seen yet. In fact, Helene bought one of the newer yarns and I can’t wait to see the shawl she’ll be making.  The reception at this LYS was very welcoming. She was friendly, helpful and obviously enjoys having a LYS.  Her excitement over yarns and knitting is contagious.  She made kits with her dyed yarn and pattern for anyone spending over 50.00 in the store. You know how what kind of shoppers we are!  A few of us left with our purchases and free kit in hand.  I spent time  with the baby while the others shopped.  My head stuffed with visions of yarn, books and the need for coffee. So I sat this one out. I did buy a booklet of summer patterns that I really liked.  Here’s a little view of Island yarns.   There was something there for everyone.  Tal was attracted to the more bulky yarns and some of the newer yarns. Madeline Tosh was calling Kat.  Cheryl was checking out lace yarn (the girls fallen hard for laceweight!). Kelli was exploring all kinds of yarn and we know Baby A. is going to look scrumptious in all her future handknits.   It was time to leave for our last store of the day.  We all still had energy to  shop. We do believe in the shop till you drop method.   Remember I said driving and rules of the road were a recurring theme. Well… here’s more of for you.  We discovered that Darcy is a secret city driver, even though she claims to not like city driving. She really knows how to maneuver and get where she’s going despite the fact her Phone GPS refused to join in the fun! I think its mad at her for removing the phone cozy. We suggest a phone cowl. that way she can still use the touch pad and keep the phone in good condition at the same time.  Well we don’t need no stinkin GPS. Here’s some modified rules:1.  when going around an island to get on the right side of the road, it’s acceptable to go to the the left of the island diagonally if no ones coming toward you. It saves time and gets your where your going.  Red means -STOP, Green means -Go and Yellow means HAUL ASS. Got it? good. Just watch out for any smokeys (cops for the new kids on the block er.. younger ones).  Helene pulled out her GPS  to tease Darcy’s into cooperation.  Just as we get on the highway towards brookline…no way…can’t be…something doesn’t sound right 8-( . Darcy pulls over to the breakdown lane and peeks under the car. See Darcy’s face.  See Darcys frown and scrunched eyebrows. This car is about to get an ass-kicking!  Tal says:” let me take a look.”  YUP, the muffler’s detached. But, its not hitting the ground and except for the noise, we’re good to go. Darcy gets the takes a licking and keeps on ticking award for today!  and we’re off to a Good Yarn!  The owner of the store couldn’t be there today, but the staff there were helped us find what was needed and pointed out all the sales and discounts (whoopee!). Tal could be found up to her elbows (literally ) in the discount yarn bin.  She knows how to scope out all the good yarnns (aslan trends, rowan, cashmere…) . There were lots of sweater samples around the store so people can see how yarn looks knitted. Julzs found some books and yarns to browse through. Kat discovered the buy one get one free (or half off)shelf. While Julz found a basket of free disontinued booklets.  There were some knitters hanging out knitting and getting knit help and thought it was cool that we got together to go yarn shopping. So there was some chit-chat with local knitters.  Again there was something for everyone at this store too. I managed to leave with the latest summer rowan book and some get your sunglasses out yarn. Kat found yarn for a sweater (abby) and there was other yarn buying.  I bet your wondering what’s going on here? Why it’s the Koigu yarn summit. There was lots of koigu yarn in varigated and solid colors. I have to say another of today’s draws at all the stores was the large selection of buttons. Darcy found buttons for a hat she’s making. Finally it was time to head home for show and tell and a bit of knitting to wind down from our busy day. We made it home safe and sound with visions of knitting dancing in our heads. (sorry damn X-mas in july themes on tv and radio this past weekend- stop it already!)   I do have one little aside about driving that made me chuckle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Helene levitate in a car and I don’t think I’ve ever been speechless, but both happened when Darcy took the exit to Helene’s.  Remember the rules of the road are only a suggestion.  When we got back to Helene’s everyone was pretty wiped out and many headed home. Helene , Kat and I hung out for a little show and tell of our purchases and had a mini SNB.  Thanks everyone for a fun time and those of you who couldn’t come today, we missed you and hope you can join us for the next one!

Yarn crawling is thirsty work!

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Another Wednesday full of laughs

By krose | July 15, 2010

For what this post lacks in pictures, I hope it makes up in swiftness!

Tonight was another great Wednesday, filled with snark and laughs. Cranky sent out a mayday on Ravelry for yarn and patterns help for a crochet garter. Supportive knitters that we all are, we showed up in droves with bags filled to the brim with yarn and patterns perfect for the best wedding garter. But was Cranky there? No! She dared to ditch us again, our guess as to why – the rain. We analyzed Cranky’s pattern of absences and realized she skips knitting when it rains, is too hot, too cold, is PMSing, or when Charles is making something Tastefully Simple. Let’s just say it, we’re feeling neglected. Cranky, come back!

Tal also showed us a new side, a whiney side, a selfish side. Who’d have thunk it? She vented loudly about false advertising in one of the latest contests she’s entered and we all encouraged her just as loudly. We had some noise complaints from the neighbors. Tal calmed down and explained to us the situation, and we all felt her pain, but we’re sure she’ll be amazing, as always!

Tal also enlightened us all with some very technical designer terminology when describing her newest bag. It is both bumpety and rectangly. Please make sure to use those properly when describing your knitting.

Other highlights of the night — Julz completed a pair of baby booties… as soon as she finds the first booty to truly complete the pair!

Finally, some LYS talk. As a group, we’ve decided to stop patronizing Knitting Treasures in Plymouth. The owner has been rude or unhelpful to several of our members, and the rudeness she showed Julz’s little one, Chloe today was the last straw.

As for happy LYS news — we’re heading on our Yarn Crawl on July 24! We’ll be visiting Black Sheep Knitting in Needham and Island Yarns in Waltham, both have given us 10% discounts. A third stop will be determined next week before we embark on our next great adventure. Be there or be square! Join the discussion on Ravelry and let us know if you’re in!

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Another new addition

By krose | June 27, 2010

Our newest knitter paid a visit this week. Kelly brought little Alexis with her. We all know she is a true knitter because she was born on a Wednesday and demanded she be introduced to us just two weeks later! We all took turns holding the baby and she was perfectly behaved! Kelly looked great and proved that she’s going to be a great mom.

It was a quiet group aside from Miss Alexis, we tried to decide where we’d go on our Yarn Crawl on July 24 but most of the group was more excited to get out and didn’t really care about where we went. It sounds like we might be headed up to Needham and Black Sheep. Does anyone have any other must sees?

We also learned this week that many of our members are speed demons when we traded our ticket stories. I won’t name names, but come to knitting and you might learn some tricks to get out of tickets!

Come next week and take part in the fun!

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