Ended up with Saturday off..

 So I dragged Curt out to sit in obnoxious bridge traffic (hate the  Mid-Hudson bridge)

 Made some new friends

 It was a gorgeous day!

 Waited in line for probably 40 min for a lamb sandwich that was oh sooo worth it.

Yes, you guessed it- I went to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Show.  I only bought one skein of yarn (really hadn't been planning to go, so no yarn budget) but I had a fantastic  time !

So let's see how good my memory is..

It's been 5 months since Rhinebeck.  I was in my not blogging funk at the time, so it never got blogged about.  Since January 1st - I've managed to put up a post every day (admittedly some of them kind of lame - but it's an attempt at habit forming thing)  But I haven't actually taken the time to sit down and try to organize my Rhinebeck thoughts.  On the plus side - I've forgotten a lot of the details - so you may have to look for comments from those involved to get the rest :p

So - where to start?? The beginning?  I was going to Rhinebeck with my friend M and her friend R.  They both live about 2 hours away- and were taking a mild detour to pick me up on their way up.  I had sent them directions - because GPSs want to send you up a most bizzare way - which takes much much longer than the thing's estimated time.  The obvious map route would be the turnpike - also sucks.  So  I sent the directions my friend C gave me - to try to save lives on the Turnpike. (seriously - if the universe even thinks I'm contemplating that road - there will be a fatal accident - usually between exit 9 and 7)  I managed to get it right all the way up to my exit on 80.  Where I told them to go left instead of right. ... sigh...  Fortunately they had been here before ( albeit with the f'd up GPS directions) and M realized that something was wrong.  Then M remembered my right/left difficulties. So they turned around and managed to find my house :P

We then headed north.  I managed (  I think) to actually stay awake through most of the ride (usually I have serious back seat narcolepsy- a childhood defense against motion sickness) My friend M, has been staying at the Super 8 in Kingsford for several years - so I just paid her for my share and joined them.  We get there, we check in, we head out for SUSHI!!! hey who am I to buck tradition - especially when said tradition includes SUSHI!!!  The place is called Kyoto Sushi - excellent food.

During dinner we have some discussion over some things that M was told.  That she had issues with "social cues".  By someone who has serious sociopath issues.  And it came up that due to recent circumstances R  lost her ministry in the future Kingdom (Queendom?) of M. and she needed to be reassigned. (me?  I'm the Minister of Mocking... such hard work there..) We were discussing the exact cues in question  - and decided the R should be the Minister of Social Cues - since she both needed a new assignment AND had a pad and pen with which she could score M, herself, me and the general public.  (I'm pretty sure that our server and at least one of the groups of diners got demerits before we even left)

The next morning we head to Rhinebeck.  After getting in - you know my prime mission is coffee.  Once I find my coffee, we are ready to go.  M had a list of Christmas projects she wanted to buy yarn for. ( She shops opposite of me - I usually find yarn and then decide what it wants to be later) R didn't bring any projects with her - and needed everything -a project, needles and pattern- so she would have something to work on while she drank her wine as we watched the NASCAR race on Sat night. ( I think not being a race fan should be a demerit myself - but that's her jurisdiction - my prerogative(I may have been saying that word wrong all this time)  is to mock her for not watching racing) My list was something for my friend Grace (her birthday is before Rhinebeck - but I tell her she has to wait until after - because I can find her cool stuff I don't see around here.) and a Knitting Noddy - so I can rehank yarn.  We also plan on stopping at the wine & cheese barn before leaving - so we can get dips (two really good dip vendors) and snackies (and R can get her aforementioned wine) for the race.

Now, remember this was October.  Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I am hoping that was the explanation for a LOT of people having their hair, or streaks or a streak of hair dyed pink.  They were everywhere.  If this was their plan to be able to find each other in the crowd it was a HUGE fail.  Pink dye does take differently on different hair - different base colors - whether the hair is previously dyed or permed.  On one guy it turned out purple - or else he just misread the memo and went with purple. Or he decided it was unmanly to dye it pink - so he added blue for boyness and got purple.  Either way it was PURPLE bright purple.  We saw him through the barns on a few occasions.  Mostly from the front.  THEN>>> we see him from the back.  

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

If you have a big ass baldspot on the back of your head - I understand - it is all about genetics.. it's not your fault.  However if you have a big ass baldspot on the back of your head and you dye your remaining hair bright ass purple - I will mock you. A lot. Everytime I see you. (also you risk embarassing your existing hair - and it may fall out as well) 

You get the picture?? Later in the day I regret not taking a picture of said fool.  However, the gods were with me on this one - because he ended up in line for food right in front of where we were eating lunch.  I decided that clearly I must take this picture.  But it was impossible to get a good shot from where we were.  So I got up, and walked just about behind him and took the picture...



While we were in one of the stalls that seemed promising - There were kits and patterns and samples of the patterns - R was strongly leaning towards a slouchy hat- a woman asked M if she could ask her a rude personal question (well those weren't her exact words - but it's what they meant DEMERIT!!!) M is somewhat used to this question so she told her how tall she was.   The woman kept talking.  Apparently she had an un-tall daughter who was tired of people treating her like a doll and picking her up all the time. (clearly the answer is to kick 'em in the balls or the t'aint and they will put you down - trust me I was usually in the 5th percentile of height until Jr year of HS) but what this woman REALLY wanted to ask M - was about her SEX LIFE!!!  As in did she get laid in college - does she have trouble finding partners - and I swear when I walked away - she was talking about logistics. Because her daughter was headed to college next year and her mom was worried she wouldn't get any!! Not wouldn't get a boy/girl friend (not sure her orientation) but if she would get sex.  Because in High School - she wasn't getting any.

WTF???  I spend my time worried that my daughter will - and for the wrong reasons - and without the proper protection...   My prediction - yes she will  and the guy will be well over 6   feet tall.  I don't know why freakishly tall guys prefer short girls but they are everywhere.  My dad? 6'7" my mom? 4'11"  My friend D? 6'4" his wife (who by the way has him SOOOOOO whipped) is 4'10"  Friend T? 6'5" wife? 4'11".

ANYway - we somehow missed what time the festival closed and sort of ended up having to leave.  R did find a hat pattern, yarn and needles. I had a Knitting Noddy and several hanks of yarn.  One is a yarn and weight I almost never knit with - but it was super soft and named Capricorn (the Angie is a capricorn) let's face it Scorpio would be prickly.  We had our dips , R had her wine - they didn't have any local brews :(  we headed back to the hotel.

M had a bit of a headache going - and she couldn't take any of my drug assortments.  there is a CVS a few blocks from the hotel - so we decided to stop there for pain pills, and since CVS's we were familiar with had basic groceries - like mayo and sour cream , cream cheese - stuff to make a dip with.  I'm not sure what people in Kingston find the need to run out quickly for - or what they crave when sick - because really? that's who buys food at CVS- people who want to run in and out and people picking up stuff while getting their prescriptions.  I think this CVS had to rely mostly on medicated people - because getting in and out of their parking lot was a pain in the ass - and trying to check out? you could read a book.  M had a coupon for CVS - so we got the things we needed that they had ... and spoke to the cashier.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Do not speak to the cashier if you go to the CVS in Kingston.  Especially do not ask them any questions.  Both you and the cashier will gain nothing from this exchange.

I asked if she lived around here.  She was confused. She said near the CVS?  I said no in this general Kingston area.  She thought about it... for a while.. I thought she zoned out and didn't realize she didn't answer. Then she said no. (I kind of wondered how far a person would be willing to commute for the wages CVS pays cashiers.) She asked why.  I said I was looking for something in the area and was hoping she could help.  She then tells me, until a few weeks ago she used to live in the area. **headcounter** So (not learning from my mistakes) I asked her (yup asked her another question) if there was a grocery store or supermarket.  She repeats with a very dazed look on her face grocery store? supermarket?  I answer (see I don't learn) yes, someplace we can pick up sour cream etc etc. (I'm thinking we're not that far from NYC - there can't possibly be some other regional word for this. Even NC, TN and TX understand these words) She says like a Hamferd?  I say do they sell food ? sour cream etc etc?  She says she doesn't know if they sell sour cream etc etc, but she THINKS they sell food.  **headcounter**

She then proceeds to give me directions of turn left out of the parking lot and go to the end.  We thank her and leave... wondering how much neuro- cranial damage has been done.  Get in the car - get to the exit of the parking lot and there is a divider across the centerline of the road.  Basically - since R doesn't have a crane attachment on her Focus (seriously FORD?  Why don't you offer useful options?) it meant we had no choice but to turn right.  We realized that she may have meant turn left somewhere else because we came from the direction she was sending us and didn't remember seeing any Hamferds. And R & M had stayed there more times than I.  So we decide to try right and watch left to see what happened.  At the light there was a long strip mall on the left.  there was a pizzeria and some other stores - no Hamferd visible - but one of the stores stuck out and blocked the rest of the strip.  Not holding out much hope we drive down the strip. And see a BIG store with a sign that says Hannaford  AND AND AND under the big sign - was a smaller but still large sign that said - SUPERMARKET AND PHARMACY.

We went inside.  And as we entered we saw...



Food!!  So I don't know what entrance our cashier used when she went - but the confusion over whether they sell food was quickly answered.  It was a good thing that this store didn't start out with it's hardware or newstand section - we may have given up despite the giant letters spelling Supermarket.  We then realize part of the problem may be that Dan Quayle was somehow in charge of spelling and vocabulary in this part of the state ...



(when I pulled up their flyer to steal their logo for this post I realize they may have just took the S off of their flyer)

 While looking through the store for beer  I could drink (being from NJ having a alcohol aisle in a supermarket is a novelty - but when they cross merchandise alcohol on endcaps far away it really cracks me up -especially for what I would be accused of 'wrongness')



Might I add that I don't know what the beer tax is in NY - but it has to be pretty high. Because while I am used to paying those prices for Guinness and Smithwicks - it's a couple bucks too high for Coronas.  I ended up getting a 6 of Guinness.  We had some problems finding an appropriate container for our dip - but ended up with a ziploc container. And then we found ... yes... you didn't forget what our original quest was for did you?? we found...



An entire case of sour cream!!!! (Obviously they had to have a lot- people going to CVS would eventually end up there looking for it)I asked the cashier how they said the name of the store.  yes, this store.  She looks at me like I just got off the short yellow bus and am wearing a helmet.  The very slowly says HAN A FORD.  Yup just like it's spelled.  Not Hamferd. The CVS cashier strikes from a distance!  we went to the pizzeria on the other side of the strip before heading  back to the hotel - M still was hurting and ended up sleeping through most of the race.  R started on her hat, had her wine and pizza -  I had my Guinness and pizza - I think I knit on something. We never did make any dip :P

Redneck soapbox

R did have some interesting questions about NASCAR on tv - most memorable was over the comment that someone had 4 tires.  (sometimes teams will change 2 or sometimes all 4 tires at a pit stop)  R just heard them talking about one of the drivers having 4 tires.  She was confused - didn't all the cars have 4 tires?  how fast could you go on 3 tires?? or 2??  I had to explain.  I'd like to think I taught her something about racing... Maybe because it obsesses me so much - but I always believe the reason people don't like racing is because they watch sucky race coverage - that always seems to be at commercial when stuff happens.  And all they see is a bunch of cars going in an oval.  They don't see what happens to a particular car - or understand what affects the cars performance.  I always think if we teach this person enough about racing - they will understand the sport - and they will love it,

This post is long enough - look for part 2 about Sunday hopefully tomorrow.

Where's Waldo?? Sort of

I haven't yet blogged about my Rhinebeck Weekend.  It is coming this week. In the meantime, let's see how observant people are.  In this picture is something blog worthy from Rhinebeck. Let's see if anyone can guess what it is!  (Min - you and Rachel are not eligible to guess) And yes - I know it's been 4 months!

STITCHES PART 2

Sunday, we went to Stitches, specifically the Stitches Marketplace. Vicki and Renee were running late, so Min, Rachel and I went through the Marketplace.  We did bump into Vicki and Renee twice, but it was mostly just us three.  Remember yesterday when I said I didn't take any pictures because of the weather and I would take them on Sunday?  Well there were no photo's allowed at Stitches except for the Big Sock Booth.  So here are Min and Rachel outside of Stitiches:


Min and I outside of Stitches:


A bizarre sign - which was repeated inside , and they sold t-shirts!




The big sock was there, and as Rachel was not with us at Rhinebeck she needed to knit on the Big Sock.  Min and I then found out the buttons they gave you for knitting on it were slightly different - the Rhinebeck buttons said  Rhinebeck on them, the Stitches East said Stitches East.  So we jumped in and knitted another section.





Renee wasn't at Rhinebeck either so we bumped into Vicki and Renee at the booth also





The best thing about hitting the marketplace on Sunday - especially later in the afternoon - was that the vendors were marking down their stock because they didn't want to pack it up and transport it back home.  So we did find some bargains.  Pictures of m y Rhinebeck and Stitches/WEBS/LYS purchase will be another post. later. 


I later told Curt, that overall I enjoyed Rhinebeck a lot more than my trip to CT.  Rhinebeck had a lot more indie spinners/dyers, yarn you don't find in brick and mortar LYS's ( I like to touch my yarn before purchase, my online purchases are ususally limited to yarn I am familiar with) there was a much bigger variety of food- from fair food and treats, to all the lamb dishes, to the wine and cheese building (and an hour wait for chicken pot pie?)  There were all the pre-yarn on 4 legs ( llamas and alpacas and rabbits and yes - sheep) Stitches was a lot more commercial yarn, but a lot of it.  No cool food - huge lines  for standard convention center food - we brought peanut butter sammies.  I guess if you take classes.... but I have never taken a class.  Mostly, I taught myself from books and magazines with limited internet video help.  Curt thinks at some point I should take a class just to see what a class is like and stretch my horizons a bit, after all I am only going to figure out on my own stuff that is already in my head.  


I definitely want to go back to Rhinebeck next year.  I can see going to RHinebeck every year.  Stitches I can see as an every few years event for me.




 

What Not to Knit

I must admit - Min got what must have been hundreds of shots in this category. I present 2.


She haD A FRIEND!!



In Retrospect, these are a lot better than what I saw on some heads!!

Pre-yarn

While I'm off in CT doing the yarn thing, and Curt is living life for the second weekend in a row as a single dad, I thought I'd leave you some pictures of not yet yarn from Rhinebeck!


This had to be the friendliest sheep. All he wanted was for someone to pet his nose!


These look like the sheep from Mary Had A Little Lamb!


I love yarn from Blue faced leicester sheep - but this was the closest I saw.


Cashmere goats!


Min made a friend!




The coolest llama there.

Giant Sock

We knitted on a sock which is going to be entered into the Guiness Book of World Records as the worlds largest sock!



Vicki and I



Min working on the sock.



Vickie with an E knits her share.


Ok - no more phone calls!! Yes I cut my hair!! What are you people the follicle police? For the record I cut 9.5 inches off my hair. I went to a new lady said - it has to be long enough to make a decent ponytail, and I very very rarely blow dry it!! She apparently didn't realize that you can't donate your hair for cancer wigs if it is more than 5% grey - Mine is about 80% in front 10% in back. And if your hair has been permanent dyed. So mine fails on both counts.


Heading up to CT for a yarn crawl tomorrow and Stitches on Sunday! At least it will be indoors.

Part 2 - Friends at Rhinebeck

One of the best things about the Rhinebeck trip was all the friends I was able to meet in real life. It was the third time I had met Min, but for everyone else it was a first!



This photo - from left to right Vicki (Mrsbeasly) Jen (Jinniver) Min (athenasowl) and myself. Hysterical story to go with this picture. Vicki, Jen and I wanted an apple treat. Vicki and I had apple crisps, Jen had sliced apples with caramel. We were sitting and eating on the hay bales, when Min decided it would make a perfect group shot. I then said we need to get one with Min as well, since it is the third time we've hung out, but I didn't have any pics. So a woman whose friends were buying some treats offered to take a picture with all of us. So we pose , she clics. Then Min asks her to take a pic with her camera, she complies. Then Jen wants one with HER camera. Finally when Vicki hands the woman her camera - the lady said can't you guys share??

Trust me it was hysterical!! We probably scarred the woman for life. She'll be strolling along the beach someday and someone will ask her for a picture and she'll go running into the shark infested water!!



Bonnie (tinkknitz) and I.



Vickie with an E and I

Part 1 of the Rhinebeck Saga

I will start my Rhinebeck tale with the story of the ride home!

Min and I left Rhinebeck, had to do two U-ies and pull over to take a picture of a political slogan- I have to get the picture from her to share - you must see it to believe it ( btw - did you know that in some areas Highway Comptroller is an elected position?? imagine that debate - are you for fewer potholes or less traffic?) We then headed home, we had some serious issues understanding Miranda ( Min's GPS) she kept telling us to turn on street A but the sign was for street B. Then she said to turn in 80 feet, we passed the turn and THEN she said turn now! As she continued to recalculate - and at one point stopped talking altogether - we were about to turn around in a roadside farm stand, when I saw the sign for roasted corn and wanted some. So we turned BACK AROUND to return for the corn. We walk around the store looking for the corn, Min finds the sign on the RAW corn. SO I was kind of pouty cause I thought it would be roasted already, wondering if there was a certain kind of corn one is supposed to roast, when I saw a cooler behind the corn. I opened it and found the roasted corn. The two women behind the counter are watching us, one with a wtf look on her face. Min makes a comment about not being able to take a girl out of Jersey or something like that. I ask about this





it is a pumpkin cannon!! Like I saw on one of my geeky tv shows!! It gets fired at 1 pm but it started raining so they stopped. now I'm out in the middle of the parking lot taking these pictures, Min is in serious hysterics - she couldn't even stand up straight she was laughing so hard - heading into the car. The one woman is laughing at me. I get back in the car, and we pull out. We get maybe a half mile, and Min is wondering if she should have gotten some corn. We then think about how funny it would be if we went back and Min took a picture of the cannon. i tell her I'll BUY her the corn id we do it. So we piss off Miranda some more ( we pissed her off so bad she fell off the windshield- coincidence I think not!) and turned around again. Min took the picture I got her 2 ears of corn. The unamused woman nudges the other one and points at me!!
I get to the register and the laughing woman says - that was a quick trip to NJ - we were gone less than 10 minutes - so I said we were still hungry. Then as we are getting back on the road, another guy, who was in front of me on line, pulls out in front of us from another exit, and is eating an ear of corn as he goes past!! Min was going to follow him but he turned on a really weird street.
At the end of all this - we passed the hotel on our way to the tollbooth an hour after we left Rhinebeck!!

Knitting updates

I realize the only 2 posts I've had in the last 8 days have been the quiz results which auto post on Mondays. I'm sorry. I really haven't been up to posting. Between physical therapy, Angie's stuff trying to figure out what jobs to apply/interview for when my job position ends on 11.23 I just haven't felt like posting. I've done an equally horrible job at keeping up with my favorite blogs. So, I'm here, breathing, living and now posting.

Here are some knitting updates:

My Every Way Wrap is 25 out of 59 inches done. At this point, while I haven't given up, I am kind of dubious about it being done by Rhinebeck. I did about an inch today at lunch, but really can't do much knitting in the evening after PT. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better evening!



The Member of the Month in my dancing dishcloth swap received her package so it is safe to post now-




I just mailed the package for my spa swap partner so no pictures or hints at this time!!

I know I have said in the past that I don't do Mystery KAL's. I think in the entire time I've been knitting I May have done 3, and they were all dishcloth/ potholder type KAL's. But my friend Jody had let me know about Sharon Dreifuss's Mystery Bag 2 KAL. Sharon designed the dumpling bag in Interweave Knits I made last year, she is also the designer of the LaPorte Ave Tote in Fall 2009 Interweave Knits, which I'd like to make. The mystery bag is another felted bag. The yarn kit for the KAL was very reasonably priced (although optional - but I really didn't have time to drag Curt around to help me match up 4 yarns for an unknown pattern) and I loved the color choice for BOLD. so I signed up and ordered it. I still have to wind my yarn, which I received last week before Wednesday when I get the first clue.



The yarn on the left is actually a silvery grey, the multi colored yarn is soooooooooooooooooooooooo soft, I don't want to knit with it, I just want to pet it.

I got the weirdest titled PM the other day on Ravelry - it was OCT MOM. I was like octomom? why am I getting a rav pm about octomom? It was actually the October Member of the Month in my dancing dishcloth swap. The OCT MOM is grace!! How cool is that! I'm going to have a great time finding the perfect pattern to make for her!! It's so much more fun when you know the recepient well.