Bingham Cup

So, I'm just finishing up at work, getting ready to go to the Opening Night Party for the Bingham Cup, which will be held here in NYC this weekend. There will be around 500 gay rugby players mingling with all of the sailors in town for Fleet Week. I don't know how I am going to be able to stand all of the testosterone!

The Bingham Cup is named after Mark Bingham, who died on United 93 in Pennsylvania on September 11th. He was a rugby player with the San Francisco Fog RFC who was working with the founder of Gotham Knights RFC to start a gay rugby club in NYC when he died. IGRAB named the gay rugby world cup tournament in his honor. I'd like to think that Mark would appreciate all the hot men in one place.

I went to the first Bingham Cup in SF in 2002 and had an amazing time. I couldn't make the next one in London in 2004, as I had to work, but I am so looking forward to seeing all of my friends on teams from all over the world.

Don't wait up for me...

Still hope for Canada

One of the little thrills of my trip back home was finding a tiny yarn shop called Stitcher's Cafe. I spent quite a few hours drinking coffee, working on the bamboo socks, chatting with the adorable shop owner, Marjorie, and meeting her equally adorable husband, James.

They really only featured one good brand of yarn, but that was more than enough for me. I bought four skeins of sock yarn and the softest, football-size skein of kid silk I ever had the pleasure of groping, both by Fleece Artist. (I justified the price by convincing myself it was only Canadian dollars.)





I also started the elusive pattern for the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf in Noro Silk Garden on the plane ride home. I finished it and added fringe to it up at the cabin during Monte's Birthday Weekend. (Rocky reluctantly agreed to be my model.)



On Mother's Day, I went to Men's Night at the Point. Still a great group of guys. I picked up some Lopi in bubblegum pink (just because) and another skein of Noro Transitions that I needed for the blues.





And, now, I think I have got y'all up to date on my recent yarn purchases and finished projects.

Don't blame me; the crap was on sale.

I never did get around to showing you all my haul from Canada. One of the biggest chains of craft stores, Lewiscraft, was going out of business while I was up there. (For a wonderful post on the demise of this Canadian institution, visit David at his blog, Knit Like A Man.) Most of the stuff is just so hideous, but it was all 50% off and even my in-laws need Christmas presents... (Can't wait to combine the orange and green together.)



My sister wanted a hat and scarf set and picked out this rope that my mother was kind enough to wind into a bowling ball.



Wanda also wanted a poncho, so I will be spending a few weeks with this dreadful stuff. (It's that bland in real life. I must really love my sister.)



I did get a few things done while I was up there. I got half of a scarf done for a friend of my sister. I call it my Aviator scarf, due to the large number of "landing strips".



Here is a close up of the nylon excrement:



I also made a matching hat out of twine that, for some unknown reason, has a remarkably similar colorway, right down to the black fuzzy crap. I even used the pattern from the ball band. (Her friend loved it, go figure.) My lovely twin sister is the model.



I don't want to leave my nephew, Tristan, out of the blog, so here is a picture of him throwing the gang signs I taught him.



Here is another cute shot of him imitating Zoolander, with a little coaching from me.



I also whipped up the Plain Jane Purse out of Noro Daria for my niece, Mariah. I actually enjoyed knitting with it, but weaving in the wire unobtrusively proved to be more than a little difficult. I am proud to say that I even managed to chain the handles with a crochet hook. (She gets her good looks from her mother, obviously.)



I did buy some nice stuff while I was home, but I knew that you'd all want to see the train-wreck stuff first.

A Little Respect

I hate to brag or rub it in, but the Erasure concert was fantastic! After an exhausting day shopping on Saturday, Monte met me in Soho at a small basement club that held about 200 people for a special acoustic show. While we were waiting in line to go in, I spotted Andy and Vince come in through the front door. (Who knew Vince was so short?) We worked our way through the standing-room only crowd to about 6 rows back from the stage, from which we had an excellent view of all of the action. It was very strange to hear my old favorites reinterpreted in a country twang, but seeing as I love bluegrass anyway, it was simply an amazing concert! The radio station from which I won the tickets announced that they would be recording it as a podcast, available sometime this week at www.ilikejack.com. You should be able to hear my booming baritone voice (Monte calls it my cop voice) after the first or second song proclaiming my love for Andy. ("I love you, too.")

I have always wanted to do this, so hear is the set list from the concert:

1) Boy
2) Victim of Love
3) Oh L'amour
4) Alien
5) Breathe
6) Blue Savannah
7) Piano Song
8) Stop!
9) Chains of Love
10) A Little Respect (Encore)

First person to correctly identify the album on which each track first appeared gets a little respect and a little something-something from me. (Yes, I do have all 15 albums.)

Red Dawn

Well, I had an exciting weekend! It started off quietly, as Monte went up to the cabin on Friday to supervise the preparations for our new well. Left to my own devices, I had great plans to organize my clothes for the change in seasons, work on the blog, clean the office and get some knitting done. Instead, I just kind of relaxed and prepared myself for an extensive yarn crawl on Saturday with members of the Wolverinas. For those of you who don't know, the Wolvies are a knitting gang that terrorizes unsuspecting yarn shops throughout the Northeast, leaving biting social commentary and, as I discovered, numerous sales receipts in their wake.

I was feeling a little lonely on Friday night, so I went shopping and grabbed The Cure's "Pornography" CD (perfect for when you're feeling blue), yet another Steve Reich CD, a recent Einsturzende Neubauten CD, and the new Grandaddy CD, which cheered me right up. I also picked up Norah Vincent's "Self-Made Man", as I wanted to read it before I had lunch with her the next day. What a fascinating read! It was the first book that I had read in a long time that explored gender issues in readily accessible terms. You didn't necessarily have to read Judith Butler or Julia Kristeva first in order to follow her cogent arguments. Needless to say, I didn't get too much sleep as I couldn't put her book down!

Finally, the day had arrived for my introduction to Marilyn and Carol, two of the most informative (and opinionated) knitbloggers on my blogroll. I took the LIRR into the city and met up with them both, along with Lisa; Lisa's mom, Diane; Marilyn's granddaughter, Liz; as well as the extremely talented Kathy, who showed up in a stunning little cardigan that made me want to take up crochet, which is saying something.

We descended first upon this charming Japanese textile place called Habu. I think I scared the tiny Japanese ladies when I first stormed in, but they quickly learned that I was a pushover, especially when it came to all of the unique yarn on display. I limited myself to a single, yet costly purchase:



I bought it in order to challenge myself, which was my entire purpose for wanting to visit this store. A description of the yarn can be found here. I am going to try and whip up an outdoor mat of my own; that is, if my hands don't get too roughed up in the process.

We then proceeded to School Products, which is a hidden jewel for knitters in the Fashion District. I couldn't believe the selection of yarn (and the room to move around in after the last place). I momentarily lost control and picked up a book on the history of the Norwegian "lice" sweaters and a Vogue "On The Go!" book full of crocheted hats. Kathy had 5 of her patterns included in the book, so I bowed to peer pressure and decided that if I were going to learn how to crochet, I might as well start with small projects. Unfortunately, Kathy never did get around to signing my book. (No memorabilia, please.)

And yes, there were yarn purchases:

Looped mohair on sale for $5.00/skein.



This gorgeous, retro cashmere that cost considerably more.



The ladies decided that they were going to pop my Koigu cherry. I guess I now have no excuse not to make those (Hippo)potamus socks...



And finally, an enormous chunk of two-ply silk, which will be my first attempt at dyeing, if I can get Carol and Dave to give me some pointers. ("Is this your first time dyeing?")



If all goes well, it will be a gift to a Wolvie, who was sadly absent and who enjoys knitting with angel-hair pasta. Here is a close-up:



There was one regrettable incident in the shop when Carol insisted on showing us the new hat she knit on the train ride up from Philadelphia:



Even though I was off-duty, this fashion felony did occur in my jurisdiction and I was forced to order her to put her hands up. (Take off the fun fur and no one gets hurt!)

We then moved on to Tinsel Trading, which is where Martha Stewart shops when she is cranked up on crystal meth. Seriously, I have never seen so many tassels in my life! I had vowed, however, to buy something in every store we went into, so I did pick up a couple of priceless and simply perfect gifts for another missing Wolvie.

Marilyn was getting cranky from all the walking and the lack of food, so Lisa and I decided to make her walk another 20 blocks for our own amusement before we eventually felt bad and fed her. We tracked down Lisa's stunning wife, Norah, and settled in at a great Thai restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. I ordered the Duck Roll, which was served like sushi, and some spicy Drunken Noodles with calamari, mussles, and shrimp. Yummy! The only thing more tasty than the food was the conversation and celebrity gossip. (You just won't believe who's a 'mo in Hollywood!) I most definitely bonded with Lisa, particularly as we both share the same taste in men. (I'm a NYPD cop and her ex played one on TV...) Notice how forward I am with her while the other half is looking the other way:



From left to right: Norah, Marilyn, Carol, Lisa, Moi, Diane, and a sleepy Kathy. Photo credit to the extremely cool Liz, who certainly knows her music.

At this point, we bid a fond farewell to Lisa, Diane, and Norah, who was gracious enough to autograph my book. The rest of us head on over to Kinokuniya, the Japanese bookstore in Midtown. Now, Kathy doesn't let something as mundane as Kanji script slow her down in her quest for cutting-edge knitting and crochet patterns. I picked up a book (with a lot of diagrams) on how to make purebred dogs out of fleece and 3 horror films on DVD. No one does creepy, twisted and sick like the Japanese. As was evidenced by a collection of cartoon illustrations that even freaked me out. I'm sure Carol is still having nightmares about poor, little Corkey.

At the end of the day, nothing relaxes like a visit to Starbucks to put our feet up. We stopped in at a Barnes and Noble megaplex; looked for Wendy Knits! new book (they must not carry it); and were shocked to find that they didn't even have a single knitting magazine! Can you imagine? I picked up the only Arvo Part CD that I didn't have in my collection and called it a day. (My wallet thanked me.) We all hugged and went our separate ways at that point, promising to meet up again sometime in the summer to wreak havoc once more.

Wolverines!

Rub my belly (for luck)

I have always been a fairly lucky person in life. I do very well at bingo. I have won more than my fair share of 50/50 raffles. I got a royal flush once on my first hand at video poker. I found Monte. Life is good.

Last month, you will recall that I won tickets to see Coldplay in an intimate setting. This Saturday, after the Wolverina yarn crawl, we will be going to see one of my all-time favorite bands, Erasure, in another win-your-way-in concert produced by a different radio station. It will be their last US stop on a brief tour for their new Unplugged album, Union Street. I have been listening to the CD all week and love the fact that they picked obscure album tracks to reinterpret in a bluegrass style. Andy Bell was one of the first out-and-proud performers and I have always respected his lyrics and soulful vocals.

This month has been all about nostalgia for me. More on that theme when I have the time this weekend.

Did I mention I bought a lottery ticket today?

The Prodigal Son Returns

One of the highlights of my trip back home was an interview with the local paper. My sister had been trying to arrange something like this every time that I have visited for the past couple of years. Nothing ever came from these attempts, so I wasn't expecting much this time as well. Imagine my surprise when my photo appeared on the front page as a lead-in to a story that took up the entire top half of page two! Here is a link to the online edition of the story:

http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=25153

I have already had some old friends contact me as a result of this "media exposure", so I guess some good did come from it after all...

Well, I'm back!

I am sorry, gentle readers, that I didn't take the time to post while I was on vacation last week. I promise you that I had the best of intentions. But it is surprising how quickly a week can go, especially if you don't have any structure for it planned.

As most of you know, I just love doing the extended recap thing of all of my trips, but if I waited to do that this time, I would never get around to posting anything. So, I am going to be offering little tidbits over the next few days in an attempt to get the info out in a expeditious manner.

I did manage to get quite a bit of knitting done. Stay tuned for all of the pictures.

First up is the mate to my bamboo sock. I worked on this last weekend while I had the brakes on my sister's van replaced, as well as during an afternoon concert at my old School of Music. In response to Michael and his question on the ribbing of these socks, I would say that they really don't hold up very well, which actually doesn't matter that much as I like the look of them as ankle socks.



I may have the hairiest legs of any knitter out there... Hence, the bear in the title of this blog. Let's just say the rest of me ain't too smooth, either.

While I was up in Brandon, Manitoba, I did manage to get my niece and nephew started on the path to stash addiction and yarn crawls. I gave them each their very first knitting lesson. Here is a photo of me and my girl Mariah. I will always treasure this moment captured forever.



Especially considering that my mother took the photo. She is doing much better.

That's all for now. Trust me, LOTS more to share with you.

Photos as promised...

My camera has recovered from my abandonment of it and has graciously captured the following photos for your viewing pleasure:

First up is my new sock and my decidely unshaven leg.



Next up we have a close-up of my horribly misshapen toes.



Followed by a shot of my extremely wide instep.



And a picture that focuses on the open, lacework pattern and border. Note that this is how my legs normally look at rest. (Bodybuilding tip: Don't work your quads at the expense of your hamstrings; bowleggedness will result. For example, I can leg press over 1200 pounds, but, as a result, I also walk like a penguin now.)



As I was taking a photo of the lonely sock, I caught The Squirrel in an adorable pose. He sits like this all the time!



Here is the beginning of the Log Cabin pillow cover for Monte, with all 5 colors of the palette shown.



From time to time, I will throw in a gratuitous tourist pic from my travels through the years. This one is my "postcard shot" of Devils Tower in Wyoming from last June.



A close-up of the new Noro Big Kureyon...



And a similar shot of my new Noro Iro stash.



Finally, I offer this photo of some of the sumptuous Noro I picked up last weekend. My inspiration was one of my favorite websites, Stuff On My Cat.



How pitiful does Rocky look in this shot? You know your stash has reached critical mass when it starts to assimilate living organisms...

My two favorite words...

YARN SALE!

OK. So I have a lot to catch y'all up on. I got over my fear of dog attacks on my knitting and picked up the pointy sticks again. With renewed confidence, I finished the first Fish Tale Sock in the gorgeous Turquoise Pool colorway of the Alchemy Bamboo. (Pictures tomorrow; the camera batteries are recharging.) Love the light feel of them; they will make perfect booties for around the cabin. Also my first attempt at a lace pattern. God, I think I am hooked.

Monte and I went up to the cabin last Friday to close on the lot next door to us. This will allow us to have room to drill a well and make the property a year-rounder as opposed to a seasonal. We are very excited! Of course, I had to stop into the Upstate LYS to have the second skein of the Alchemy balled up and Monte picked out a palette for a seat cushion that he wants. So I just had to pick up 5 balls of Dalegarn Tiur (and a couple of books). The woman who owns the store, Susan, said that she was happy that I felt comfortable enough to have her wind yarn that I didn't pick up in her shop. (I had already explained to Monte how that was considered gauche, but I was desperate to keep working on the sock!) If you are ever in the Catskills, be sure to stop in at Knit One, Needlepoint Two (www.k1n2.com) and tell 'em Lars sent ya!

The next day, I finally got to play softball. We won one and lost one, but we sure had a hell of a good time (that didn't end until the wee hours of the morning.) In between the games and the drink-up afterwards, I made a special trip to the Village LYS because they were having a YARN SALE! 50% OFF NORO WINTER YARNS! I had actually planned to hit The Point before I went out to Jersey for the games, but I didn't wake up in time. So, when I finally got to the shop, they had sold out of the Kureyon. (I knew that I should have gotten there sooner!) I still managed to pick up enough for 3 sweaters: Transitions in Pinks and Greens (gone already), Iro in Lime Greens and Purples, and (unusual for my current color choices) Big Kureyon in Browns and Greys. I am so excited about the Browns and the plans I have for a bold design using new techniques that I have never tried. Let's just say my Camel Toe Hat is paying out dividends already...

Unfortunately, Monte took the Jeep in to get serviced on Sunday (with my knitting bag and my new Noro purchases still in the back!), so I was in a panic, going through withdrawals, when I started on the seat cushion. As a result, I have also started on a Log Cabin design inspired by Mason-Dixon Knitting. I hate picking up stitches on the cast-off edges, but I am loving the ease with which I can pick up the garter-stitch edges. Of course, I will let you know how I feel about the process once I get a little further along (and before I have to weave in all those ends!)

Now before you start worrying about all of these unfinished projects I have going on right now, I'm headed back home to little, old Brandon, Manitoba for a week of uninterrupted knitting and chatting with my mum and my twin sister. Mum's been in the hospital off and on for the past couple of weeks and she isn't doing too well, so I wanted to make sure that I went back and visited before it was too late. She's at that age and state now where you never know if this is going to be the last time that you will get to see her. Like most Canadians, my family is fairly reserved and detached emotionally, but I will be devastated when it is her time to go. She has become more of a best friend than a mother as I get older and it's nice to acknowledge that I will miss her when the time comes.

Anyway, before this becomes a Hallmark Special, I just want to say that I hope to be able to put some pictures of the new knitting and purchases up tomorrow and post some more stories while I am relaxing in the Canadian Prairies. Now, I just have to decide what I am going to smuggle on the plane to pass the time...

P.S. I wish I had a snarky alter-ego.