Breaking In

Howdy there Mare,
I started my infiltration of the Linden Hills Yarn Shop yesterday. I went there about 2 o'clock and the place was packed. Jan got me a chair and I pulled up to a 6 inch space at the table and started working on Jim's scarf. People were knitting and talking and after a while the lady next to me asked everyone to help her choose yarn for a blanket sized throw. She wanted calm colors and had in hand a sage green that she liked.
We all gave her many opinions and she couldn't decide so eventually we had about every color out. She was looking at that greek cotton ( I don't know the name) that is cabled not spun. It has a red paper label. Jan has about 20 colors in it.
Eventually 4 o'clock came and as we were all tired of trying to get her to make up her mind I left. Four is officially closing time.
I know the names of two people there. Michael and a woman named Shawn or Sean. Hard to know how people spell that one.
I will continue my infiltration efforts next weekend.
I only got a few more inches done on the scarf, but that is secondary to my main purpose; finding a knitting home in Minneapolis.
Love,
Yr sister,
Nancy

PS Junice has reported to Mom that her blue cap it too big. So I am swatching for a smaller one with cables. That woman thinks she has a head the size of a softball. Well, maybe an Indian River grapefruit.
Love again,
N.

Giant knitting & Teeny knitting

Howdy Woody Woodpecker,
Omigosh, you have got to read about these two knitters. I found out about them in different ways at different times, even though they're in the same art show in NY right now. Check out giant knitting, and teeny-weeny knitting. Which do you think would be more fun? mare

AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHHHHH echo

Hi Nancy,
For some reason, when I do the taxes, I become enraged no completely unreasonable no totally pissed off how about a little tense. So…er…tense, that when my loving husband called to check in with me last night I curtly told him that I was too busy to talk to the likes of him! My god, I’m doing the freaking taxes for godsakes didn’t he know better than to call then?????

And this morning I was not much better. No, I was not better. Because while I was doing this:

PJ the cat was doing this:

And the toilet was doing…well I won’t show a picture of that. But the toilet was not being nice. And I was not nice either. And I couldn’t find lots of tax stuff that I can always find, like, for instance last year’s taxes. Ai yi yi.

Well I made it down to my tax preparer (Elaine I love you) and to calm myself down so that I wouldn’t babble while she was making sense of my pile of paper, I knitted on this:

It’s just a cotton swath with some twisted stitches that is going to be a headband. It took me awhile to figure out exactly how I wanted it to go, but that doesn’t matter because I’ve cleverly decided to keep the mixed up part in the back, under my hair, heh heh. When I think about my new headband, I feel much nicer. So I’d better go call the ol’ bear and not be such an old dog, if you know what I mean. I'll let you know how the tax thing goes. Ugh. Love you, Mary

More Cranes and Junice's hat

Whoopeee!!!!!

Today they found crane #615 alive and hanging out with two Sandhill Cranes. They hadn't found his body at the pen and just thought he was buried in the mud. Then they heard the transmitter he was wearing. How wonderful that somehow he escaped and lived.
I am so glad that he did. I wonder how. I suppose we will never know.
This is a much better night than yesterday.

I read it on their website when we got back from visiting Junice. She seemed good to me but told us she was not good today. But she liked her hat so hopefully that made her day happier. God almighty I hope someone kills me off before I have to live in a home. Although that home is not nearly as depressing as Jim's mom. But of course she was so paralysed that she couldn't even feed herself.

Anyway here is a picture of the hat. Simple round with a K2together decrease to make a spiral on the top. Junice asked what color it was about 8 times.
Love,
Nancy

More About Cranes

Hi Mary,
Yes, Now more than ever I will go to Necedah to watch them. Hopefully anyway. There is no guarantee that they will be able to fly during the time I am there, but I will try.
You ask how the cranes learn to fly behind the ultralight. They go to 'flight school'. From before they are hatched at Pawtuxent in Maryland they hear the sound of the ultralight. As soon as they are able to walk they are led around an ultralight to become familiar with it. And they are trained to follow it in a circle at first and then later on, in Wisconsin, they learn to fly behind it. It is a fascinating story and you can see the basic training idea if you watch the movie 'Fly Away Home'. Operation Migration people helped with that part of the movie. Also if you go to this link you can see their photo and written journals of each years migration.

Well, I finished a cap for Junice this morning so I am going to give it to her this afternoon. Hopefully it won't be too big. It is of a very light fluffy Scheepjes wool acrylic and mohair blend called Voluma. One of my ancient yarns. Junice thinks she has a tiny head so we will see if this fits. If it doesn't I am going to measure her and make the next one all cables so it will really look small because of the stretch.

Mom and I are going to see her as soon as I get ready. I have been dilly-dallying here at the computer instead. I will send a photo later. I seem to be bad at photos lately.
Love,
N.

Cranes

Because of your last post, Nancy, I spent time browsing the Operation Migration website. On the field notes page, they have some great videos of the birds flying behind the ultralight, learning how to migrate. But how do the birds figure out that they should follow the ultralight aircraft? Anyway, it's fascinating, and so sad that they all died.

Last time I looked at pictures of cranes like that, I was struck by how beautiful their spread wings were, and ever since have thought about how to make a shawl like that. I found this picture on National Geo's website (although it's credited to Operation Migration). Do you think we could design a shawl like that?

Will you visit the Whooping Crane place in Wisconsin this year? Love, Mary

Whooping Crane disaster

Dear Mary,
It is really sad here today. I went to operationmigration.org as I usally do each morning to see if something new was posted and found out that all 18 of the young whooping cranes that flew down behind the ultralights last fall were dead. They were lost in the bad tornados that hit central Florida two days ago.
I find it horribly hard to believe that they all died.
I thought that it might make me feel better to get out and so I went to three knitting stores today. NU was having a sale, like always, so I went there. That wasn't enough so I went to Creative Fibers and to Linden Hills Yarns. I see what you meant about Linden Hills Yarns when you talked about them last fall. It has sure changed from when I used to go there 15 years ago. The same lady, Jan, owns it but the whole feeling of the store has changed. It used to be very high toned and snooty with only the most expensive yarns. Now it was the only one of the three I went to that had a table with people sitting around it knitting. They just come there and knit. Some were experienced and some were terrified beginners. They were all eating and talking and knitting. Another knitter came in with her young daughter to just touch base. She had been sick. It was like home. I think I might have to go there for Saturday knitting myself. I need my hand held for a while.
Anyway I came home and decided that I need to donate another mile to Operation Migration in honor of the '06 cranes. Yarn didn't do it for me. Although I did buy some.
Soon I will let you see what I got.
Love,
N.

AAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHHHHH

Isn't that what Charlie Brown says when Lucy removes the football and he falls on the ground? Well I am at my point here when I say it. I had to get up at 6 today! SIX!
It has happened (we knew it would) and 'peak' is upon us. The office started to ZOO yesterday and will only get zooier today. I only spent 11 hours there yesterday.
I really love your posts with its pictures of hair and caps and lakes. And I needed it to start the day. Gotta go make breakfast and lunch and LOVE YA'
What scarf?
Nancy