Friday Night at Slater Mill

Just returned from the first of three events at Slater Mill's Knitting Weekend, and had to do a quick entry to say what a knitter's dream it has been so far. Last night was the book signing and Q&A with Annie Modesitt and Nora Gaughan.

Apologies for the dark photo of the mill, but I was sitting in my car, having arrived early, and took the photo without a flash. Thinking about it now, the flash probably would have not helped out at all. And during the evening I learned that the mill just might be haunted, so this spooky photo may be perfect after all.

Back to the book signing / reception / Q&A session. If you EVER have the opportunity to meet one or both of these lovely ladies in person, DO IT. Annie and Nora are so funny. What a joy to listen to how they both came to be shining stars of the knitting world, to hear them laugh and poke fun at each other with such friendly ease. And what a thrill to learn a tip or two or three from Annie.

Thanks to Ruth, Janice and Chandler for pulling it all together. Fantastic job! The Slater Mill Community Guild room is stunning, with it's beautiful wood floors (on which Samuel Slater did not stand, but stunning nonetheless), the dark beams, and the lovely old windows looking out onto the roaring Blackstone River.

In addition to Annie and Nora, I met Suzanne, who is starting her own knitting / fiber therapy group in Johnston, RI. I also met Guido of It's a Purl, Man. Be sure to check out his guild in Boston, Common Cod Fiber Guild, which on November 14 will be host to Susan Gibbs of Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm, the world's first yarn CSA.

[Sidenote - taken from Guido's blog- Susan Gibbs of Martha’s Vineyard fiber farm is in need of your clicks. Amazingly, she is in the lead for a technology grant from Intel which is based on votes. You don’t have to register, all you have to do is click on the “I like it” button at this site.]

It is with great great expectation that I prepare for the the rest of the weekend. Saturday morning I'll be learning Combination Knitting, and Sunday morning Lace Knitting. Both with Annie.

And I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for ghosts.

What's New in KnitSox Land

Still no word from the Nutella people, but nonetheless things are happening here in Knitsox land.

I've joined a knitting group at the local library. I'm not usually a "joiner", I usually do okay entertaining myself with the ramblings in my own head, but, I have to say this group is fun. We are about 20-30 women of varying ages and of varying knit/crochet ability. We've had two meetings so far and it's been fun to see what everyone is creating and to learn about why they joined. We've chosen a local charity, and will be knitting / crocheting scarves, hats and mittens to keep our community warm this coming winter. With the rising cost of fuel and the scary economy, I'm thinking these handmade donations will be much appreciated.

I've become a member of the Slater Mill Community Guild Studios and will be taking some combination knitting and lace knitting classes with the one and only Ms. Annie Modesitt next month. Oh joy I am so excited!!! And who knew that Slater Mill, just a few miles from my little house, is widely recognized as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution? Very cool indeed.

Of course the Red Sox are keeping me entertained. Jeff surprised me with SRO tix to Monday night's game versus the Los Angeles team with the too long ridiculous name. Here you can see a little picture of us, taken by the nice FanFoto man.

Notice that I am wearing a handknit scarf and holding my favorite hand knit (Noro) hat (hence the messy hat head) ! I am also wearing two pairs of handknit socks, not visible in this photo. Way to be toasty warm at Fenway in October!

SRO (Standing Room Only) tickets are a great inexpensive (a relative term in the language of Fenway) way to see the Red Sox play. We arrived just before the gates opened at 6:30 PM, climbed the ramp to the upper deck, staked out the best spot on the railing, and then stood and leaned for the next 5 hours, holding our collective breath as the boys pulled out a super exciting victory. We cheered and yelled and high-fived all the other SRO fans around us, including the very nice Romanian man standing beside me. Yes, I said Romania!!! Red Sox nation extends far and wide my friends!

So that's what's new in Knitsox land. Tell me, what's new with you?