Now Norma Knits

The (Tangible) Things I Brought Home From Rhinebeck 2009

I had the unrealistic plan of buying nothing, but you know how that goes. I did spend more than nothing, but I didn't damage the budget too terribly bad, I think.

A really great tote bag:

It's great-looking, well made and well designed, with two outside pockets, two inside pockets, and a drawstring-topped liner in contrast color, as well as a carabiner on the side. From Sliver Moon Farm.

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Some really interesting soap:

 

They had me at "gin & tonic."  From a very cool Rhinebeck business called Merriweather's.

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Some Trekking sock yarn for Paula, because she is Trekking-deprived and I was on a mission.

 

This one doesn't count against the budget, since it's for Paula.

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A sweater kit to make a couple sweaters for you-know-who:

Charcoal grey alpaca, no less. From Style Hounds SoHo. I know I said I wouldn't, but if you saw this lady's pooch sweaters, you would have caved too. And I chose charcoal grey because it just seems to match a sophisticated little city-and-country Yorkie with a posh and proper name like Mr. Jefferies. However, for a small dog like Mr. J., the kit makes two sweaters, and I wish I had had my wits about me to ask her for two different colors. (she had a great selection) What is a guy gonna do with TWO charcoal sweaters, hm????  Perhaps I will have to use two different stitch patterns.   
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And a sweater's worth of Green Mountain Spinnery Mountain Mohair in Moss Green (I have in mind the sweater pattern Gaelic Mist for this yarn, a finished model of which I saw and admired this weekend)... 

...which they packed for me in a nice canvas tote.

 

And just before I was ready to hit the hay for the night before a very busy work week, I remembered that I forgot to photograph the pewter Celtic buttons I also bought for the green sweater. I'll save that for another day, and now I've got to get to sleep.

Answer to Yesterday's Question: Yes, Apparently.

Well, a little adversity adds to the storytelling and the fun memories, I suppose.  But Joan is my witness: I am a magnet for the bizarre. It's almost as if I'm walking around carrying a sandwich board that says, "Blogger needs work. Please give me something to write!" and the universe is ever-so-kindly obliging.

Ergo, if you wanna have a good time, call 5FR-EAK-SHOW, and go somewhere with me.  Guaranteed to be memorable or your money back! 

So after we had finished with one building, we hobbled through the mud and walked into a barn where there was a nice display of really great-looking felted items -- an amazing big dragon and some artistic figures of various kinds.  I was admiring a very realistic-looking (well, except for the twee Christmas froufrou stuff attached to it) felted Sorel boot. I picked it up to show Joan, because it was tight in there, and she was using a walking stick and having trouble negotiating the place.  A voice from somewhere behind me said, and when I say said, I mean shrieked, "Lady, can't you READ?  It says do not TOUCH."  I started to turn around and said, "What?"  She said, "ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!"  

Stunned, I dropped the felted boot and looked to see where this was coming from, with a huge smile on my face and a giggle.  I have a lot of friends with slightly sick senses of humor, and it could very well have been one of them.  But no.  It was just that Halloween had come to Vermont a bit early.  It was a lady sitting behind a barrier that we later not-so-affectionately referred to as "The Troll Lady."  

The sign that said "Don't touch" was a handwritten Sharpy scrawl on a piece of lined notebook paper, stuck onto the shelving with a little piece of masking tape at hip level (whereas the items on display that I was admiring were up at eye level) and curled up from the rain.  

Who ever heard of NOT TOUCHING THINGS at a fiber festival?  It's a TACTILE experience.  And if you don't want items to be TOUCHED, particularly at a fiber festival where touching is very much a part of the experience, put them behind glass.

So I put it down, and then she screamed at me to NOW, STAND IT UP! My sense of humor evaporated -- *poof* -- and I told her I shouldn't TOUCH IT, so I wasn't going to STAND IT UP. Joan and I both said, "We should LEAVE now," and made sure all the other booth minders in that barn heard us.  And we did leave, looking at their uncomfortable smiles as we did so.

We were still talking about it in the lamb burger line, and the nice lady with a slight southern accent (wish I'd gotten her name and photo) in front of me said, "Where was she?" so I told her which building and where.  She says, "Hold my place.  I'm going to go TOUCH EVERYTHING in there."  So I followed her in the pouring rain with my camera in hand, to record the fireworks for y'all.  

Our new compatriot in crime goes in with a great flourish, after I had pointed out to her the troll lady, and starts touching EVERYTHING (it was the cutest thing EVER, and made me giggle).  But the troll lady saw me, recognized me, and she slithered out of there, away from the display of felted items, past me, and, without making eye contact, said in a very teeny, grudging voice, "I like your sweater."   

Memo to Vermont Sheep & Goat Association, with huge apologies to the remaining vendors whose booths we did not visit because we were turned off from the festival and left shortly after that, because none of this was your fault:  If this had been my first-ever fiber festival, I would never go to another. Also, if this were my first visit to Vermont? NEVER, ever AGAIN.   Welcome to Vermont, indeed.

BUT!  I bought some wonderful things, and let's forget all about Troll Lady so I can show them to you.  

 

I wish I could photograph this clearly and without a glare, but I can't seem to manage it.  It was labeled "Celtic Agate," and it is stunning. I also wish I could tell you the name of the vendor, but I don't seem to have that info, either.  It was the first vendor we happened upon that took credit cards, and I said to Joan, "I'm going to buy something here, JUST BECAUSE they take credit cards," and lucky for me, WOW, this stunning pendant was there.  Score.  

 

Once again, the photo does not do this luscious "Autumn Flame" sock yarn justice.   It's Ivy Brambles SockScene 100% merino from Yarn and Fiber.  

Now, I know what you're thinking -- "You don't knit socks!"  

True, but I planned on making a cowl with it.  Well, as great fortune would have it, in the next booth I stopped, I got to try on one of Anne Hanson's wonderful neckwarmers, Spiraluscious, at the DyeDreams booth.  I loved it, and I also loved the sweet KnitSpot kits she had put together -- choose your pattern, choose your yarn, and it all came packed in a great see-through plastic tote bag.  Very neat.  Joan got one, and I would have, but I had already bought this yarn at another booth. I bought the pattern from KnitSpot as soon as I got home. 

Except for one other thing that I can't blog about, that's all I got at the festival, except for a few hugs and laughs and getting screeched at by Troll Lady. And that was followed by a wonderful meal -- complete with a really weird (but highly positive) experience of its own -- at a grill and pub in Waterbury called Arvad's.  Highly recommended.

Our (Diva) Cups (Almost Never) Runneth Over

Oh, how you had me entertained with your comments yesterday.  I'm so glad we could make each other laugh.  The comment emails are fixed now, thanks to the good people at Typepad who listened to us and answered our call.  They're a little different than before, in that they won't have the content of your comment inside, but at least we can answer them with a minimum of headache.  I still can't promise I'll answer them all, but I'll do my best, as I used to do.  And thank you for each and every one.

So it's another estrogenized day here at Now Norma.  Every now and then I do acknowledge that I am a woman (heh), and this blog is used as a vehicle to discuss women's issues.  So today, following the craziness that was yesterday, let's talk about menstrual cups, shall we?  (Sorry, men.)

Wow.  A good number of people who commented yesterday use Diva cups (or their other-branded equivalents)!  I'm pleased to hear that, because yes, I'm one of them. Here's mine, discreetly concealed in its cloth pouch.  

I never used to carry it with me until after the episode I wrote about yesterday, though, which explains why I was caught off guard.  Now, it's with me!

I kinda thought I was a bit odd for using this -- at my gyn appointment recently, I mentioned it to the nurse and doctor.  They both said they had heard of them, but had never seen one.  (I showed it to them; they were interested.)  This is Vermont, where just your average person is prone to doing all kinds of hippie and independent things, and yet they had not seen one before, so I figured it was just another one of my idiosyncrasies.

So all those comments and testimonials yesterday made me smile.  It sounds like a lofty claim, but it really has been life-changing, as many of you mentioned.  I discovered it about five years ago, and wish I had 20 years before that.  A fabulous thing -- hygienically, economically, and ecologically.  And the convenience can't be beat.  It can be put in and be untouched for a long day of working or shopping, or a night of sleeping. Only once have I ever had a leak with it, and that was because I had not put it in right.  And wearing it is MUCH cleaner-feeling than anything else, including tampons.  Sooo much better at the gym, in the shower, in Bikram yoga, on the massage table, or whatever.  Clean and invisible from the outside. No string!  No odor!  No wetness!  (Have I gone too far with the matter-of-factness? Sorry.)  

It takes a little bit of getting used to (about two cycles) putting it in and taking it out, and you have to be fairly comfortable putting your hand "up there," but once you get the hang of it, it is the best thing ever.  So go buy one and stop throwing all that unhygienic crap in the landfill!  Have green periods! Save the earth!  And save a lot of money in the process -- all the while feeling much cleaner, more discreet, and more in control.  

Thus ends my infomercial about the Diva Cup.  I really oughta get paid for these things.  Srsly.  But I don't.  And I have no affiliation with the company.  They're just seriously cool.  

Chuckles and Fun

This, found in the sidebar of Erika's blog, made me laugh.  Also, made me feel soooo much better about my garden.

CHICKEN STATS

Cost: $827.92 Eggs: 49 Cost Per Egg: $16.89 Age: 24 weeks -------------------------------------------

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David asked the reasonable question last night, "Are these pears the size they're supposed to be?"

Also known as:  I harvested the Seckels.  Weenie little things, but so tasty.  

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At my last optometrist's appointment, the tech (or whatever the correct term is for the person who basically does all the work before the optometrist enters the room) asked me if I had any problems or complaints with my glasses.  Yes, I said, when I try to read in bed, I can't find the right place in the progressive lens (aka trifocals).  

"And you won't," she said.  "But you know what you could do... you could get some just plain reading glasses."  She proceeded to tell me that they had a special running for $35, to get a plain pair of readers.  OK, cool, I say.  Let's talk.  

So she brings me out to the person to talk about glasses, and long story short, of course my prescription is not included in the reading glasses special.  And.  Are you sitting down?  

Sitting?

.

Seatbelt fastened?

.

.

.

Headgear on?

.

.

.

Mine would cost $200 if I chose the cheapest frames they had to offer.  

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GASP.

"OK, well," I said.  "I'm not willing to spend $200 for a pair of reading glasses.  I'll read sitting up."  (I forgot to mention the trying to watch TV lying down, but that is an event that happens about .... oh..... let me see.  About three times a year, maybe.  So it's not a big issue.)

But in the conversation, she mentioned that, "Yeah, because no way are you going to find +5 power reading glasses in a drugstore or anything," so the idea was, "you're screwed."  

Well, I let that marinate and bounce around in the recesses of my mind for a couple of weeks, and then I thought, "Hm.  I wonder if I can find +5 power reading glasses on the internet."  

Doh. 

Of COURSE I could.  Many of them were pretty boring-looking, but they were inexpensive.  I hemmed and hawed, because I was worried they'd be crappy or the website wasn't legit or something, but I finally ordered a couple of pairs from here.  They came, quick as a flash, and OMG, they work!  And work GREAT!  For reading, that is.  I can't see more than two feet in front of my face when I have them on, but they sure are wonderful for reading when I have my contacts out and I want to lie down to read.

One pair is rather plain and no-frills, but actually quite attractive on the face, and at a cost of $9.99, I'm jumping up and down with joy and keeping this pair on my bedside table.

(These came without a case, but I've got plenty of old cases lying around here.)

The other is just plain unexpectedly ADORABLE:

I knew from the description and photo on the website that they were lime green and orange.  I mean, SOLD, right?!  

But I did not notice the rhinestones on the sides until they got here:

BONUS.  And they have a nifty hard case.

Total cost for two pairs?  $34.  Free shipping.  

Acquisitions

The other day I was headed to get my car washed and discovered that the Ben Franklin Habitat (ha, Franklin Habit-at, haha) store was plastered in "going out of business" signs.  You know I absolutely need nothing from a Ben Franklin type of a store, even if it's hugely on sale, and in fact I've been working hard to unload crap at the Goodwill, but of course curiosity got the better of me.  Because I don't read the papers much, I never know what's going on around me -- it's better that way, trust me -- so I have no idea how long this has been going on, but probably not too long, because though there were some completely empty aisles (I suspect certain departments such as the fabric was job-lotted out somewhere), there was still a lot of stuff left, and the discounts were only 20% off for 99% of it, with a sign that said 40% off books, but there weren't enough left to even bother looking.  And it was not hugely busy, either, just FYI.

Anyhoo, I was tempted to pick up some Cascade 220 superwash in various reds, (they had quite a few) and had some in my hands, but decided that at 20% off, they weren't worth it and put them back. I've always felt 220 Superwash is overpriced, (though it is a nice superwash, I'm just not that big a superwash girl)  and even at 20% off... well, meh.  Instead, I bought regular Cascade 220 in a great brick heather kind of a color.  

Great color, less expensive than the superwash, and though it's not machine washable and maybe a teeny tad less soft, still it'll be nicer and more fun to knit, I think.  Of course it's destined to be another Red Scarf, but that heathery color is going to be so fab I might want to keep it myself.  I am so bad like that.

When Diane H. was visiting a couple months ago, we shopped in Montpelier, and I fell in love with the shop model of this:

This picture does NOTHING for this wrap, I'll tell you.  The shop model is done narrower, with only two buttons, and in a tan color that is 

♪ a-MAZE ♪-innnnng!! ♫.  

 And the yarn is so soft and elegant and drapey, I'm tellin' ya - it's gorgeous!  I tried it on and it looked tres chic and elegant, but I decided I wanted to make it a bit longer (also the narrow version) and omit the buttons, wearing it with a black shawl pin that I also bought at the time.  I had to order the yarn, and it arrived just in time for my birthday (what luck!), and also just in time for the arrival of this stunning wooden shawl stick from My Margene.

I can't wait to wear this.  But of course I'll have to knit it first. Not sure when that will occur, but every time I walk by the yarn, I yearn to knit it, so that's got to be a good sign. The pattern, by the way, can be purchased here.

When I was in Utah last spring, you may remember I bought this wonderful turquoise necklace.  I've been searching ever since for the right earrings to go with, and I was almost ready to give up.  I couldn't find the right disk-shaped pieces of turquoise, the right casual feel, in any turquoise earrings.  Then one night I decided to see what I could find on Etsy.

Hot damn. The color is not quite the same, but they wear very well together.  The only thing that would make these better is if they had matching, but not too matchy, little pieces of those red coral chips dangling off of them.  

I luv these so much I'm hardly even annoyed at all by the liberal use of the twee word "luv" in all of the seller's notes and stuff.

Dog-Walkin' Shoes

I've kvetched a lot lately about my poor feet and knees and hips and ... you name it.  I blame it on all the dog-walking, but I've never been a "good" walker or runner. My body does not seem to be built for those activities. I'm more a hiking-over-uneven-terrain-or-up-hills kind of person. The down part of the climbing hills equation hurts like crazy, too, so I should probably hike up and roll or slide or take the tram down, I suppose.  I can use the elliptical machine at the gym without any problem, and I can jump rope with the right footwear, I can do aerobics and lift weights and do squats like nobody's business, but ask me to use the treadmill?  It hurrrrrrrrrrts.

So I was out shopping yesterday and happened upon a shoe store with all "comfort" shoes. Of course as we know, one person's "these are so COMFORTABLE" or "I looooooove my Berkenstocks" is my "there is no arch support," "those are too wide and flat," or "these kill my feet or give me blisters." 

I tried on a pair of MBT shoes:

Yowsa!  Life-changing!  Really!  I knew these had to come home with me.  Expensive as all hell, but hopefully worth it.  I figure if I walk Mr. Jefferies three times a day for the next three years pain-free, or even with substantially less pain, these things are downright CHEAP. Free, even.  They're paying ME to buy them. 

Or maybe I'm just cracked.

 

Show and Tell -- My Utah Economic Stimulus Package

These days are busy.  I am spending a lot of time (and money) on professional development and self-improvement and not working (gainfully) too much.  Such is the life of a freelancer.  At least right now I have the time to do the education and training that for so long I hadn't been able to find a good time to do.  And because I'm also tired from my whirlwind trip, I'm glad I have some show-n-tell to make a little blog post.



Left:  Red coral necklace and earrings, from the Sundance Catalog Outlet Store.

Right:  Handmade turquoise necklace from the T.P. Gallery in Salt Lake City.

*Love*
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The green, leaf-shaped, and round brownish red buttons are from Unraveled Sheep, but I bought them all so there are none left.  Sorry.
 
The red oblong buttons are from Blazing Needles, and they are for my red cardi, which is soon to be finished.

ShiBui Sock Yarn (for making a summer tank) from Blazing Needles, also.

My camera crapped out on this trip.  I am done spending big money on cameras.  I am not a photographer -- I just take pictures -- and fairly crappy ones at that.  I am not careful enough with my cameras, the lenses get wet and dirty if I take them out to the garden with me, etc.  I can't be bothered to try -- I've got too many other things to do -- and I don't want a heavy or large thing to lug around.  I am strictly a point-and-shoot person, and I am finally at peace with that.  So Margene took me to Costco, about three minutes from her house, and we were in and out in five minutes.  For $129, I got a camera that will do the job -- 'til I ruin it again, I suppose.

And then we have this mystery object, a gift from Cheryl:




Here I am, showing it to the stitch-n-bitch group at The Jitterbug Cafe. Please note the protective posture.

Have You Ever Been Spanxed?

Great Idea Week continues here at Now Norma Knits. 

The other entrepreneur featured on the same show as the granola guys is Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx.  Well, having grown up on the tail end of the girdle era (my mom's girdle still gives me nightmares) and having tried various body-shapers over the years that were not worth the money -- and hot and uncomfortable and poor-fitting and generally just not helpful -- I have been very reticent to try Spanx since I first heard about them a few years ago.  But after that show, I am intrigued! I must be one of those $150 million annually in sales! I can't be left behind!  (pun, well, yes....intended!)

I went out and bought some trouser socks (AWESOME!  No tight binding at the knee!  Smooth and soft and wonderful!) and two pairs of tights, one of which I wore on the cruise on "Elegant Night," and yeah, I felt elegant all right -- and they were comfy and pretty and breathable. 

I've shunned pantyhose for five or more years for everything except tying up tomato plants. After having worn them every day for 15 years at work, I just.could.not.wear.them.one.more.day.of.my.life.  But Spanx might just bring me back to believing in having something to "finish" my legs.  And now I've ordered two of these and one of these.

Ooh, baby, I think I've been bad. I might need a Spanxing. 

What about you -- have you ever tried Spanx?

Supermarket Economics

In my quest to keep the plastic bags out of my life, I have done well.  I remember my reusable bags greater than 90% of the time -- actually, darn close to 100%. Once in a while I will forget to bring it to the drugstore or a store like TJMaxx, but most of the time I either remember or I ask for no bag if I have forgotten.  I'm straining so much to pat myself on the back, I'm probably going to throw my shoulder out, eh?  But anyway...

 

I bought these cotton mesh produce bags a while back, to eliminate the thin plastic bags in the produce department.  [Edited to add:  The bags are the Garden Sac from here, but this looks like they're only available wholesale. I bought them from the produce department of my local "healthy" store.]  I'm not as good about remembering to use those, but I have been redoubling my effort.  For some reason, it's easier for me to remember when I shop at a "healthier" store than it is to remember at the regular supermarket.  Yesterday, though, I did remember to use them when I bought my asparagus and radishes. 

The clerk rang up the asparagus in the bag.  I said to her, "The thing is, this bag is heavy, so would you please take the asparagus out of the bag to ring it up?" In a way, I felt like I was being too petty, and I said to her that it will just be interesting to see what the difference is. Thankfully, she did not flinch or treat me with any disrespect or such. She canceled the first transaction and rang it up again, outside the bag.

 

Look at the difference!  Plus, she credited me 5c per bag.  I don't remember how much these bags cost me, and it would probably take me eons to recoup the cost of them, but still, it feels good trying to be plastic-free.

It'll feel even better in *mumble-mumble* months when I can grow my own asparagus and radishes.

Please note, Cynthia commented this:

They are available on Amazon from Greenfeet.

http://www.amazon.com/EcoSac-GardenSac-Reusable-Produce-Bags/dp/B000E8X3JS

$4.95 for a set of two.

 

 

Mini

Look! I have a new toy for blogging and emailing on the road:

 

  

It's the HP Mini, on sale at Staples for $299.  My regular laptop is in the back, and the BlackBerry is in the front, for scale. It's like a wee Mr. Jefferies kind of computer.

I'm writing this blog post on it, and I loaded the photos on it, to give it a test drive.  LOVE IT.  It's a tad on the slow side, or maybe that's just the IE I'm using because I have not yet downloaded Firefox, but for travel, it is going to be perfect.  Tee-tiny, will fit in a backpack, only 2.5 pounds, really slick!

SWEEEEEEEET.