Three years in a row: our springtime excursion to New York is becoming somewhat of a tradition! We only stayed for two days this year - Kris was in conferences, and I was out and about taking in the beautiful spring weather and sights, and meeting up with some old and new friends.Thank goodness for alternate work schedules and post-doc appointments! Without these things, I would have missed meeting with two special people. On Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Connie. We have corresponded for months, and I have admired her amazing parade of designs in several of the recent knitting publications… she designed the beautiful Printed Silk Cardigan that I knit for my sister, and her newest design was just previewed for the Interweave Knits Summer 2008 issue. We had a lovely Thai lunch, and headed to a local cafe where we knit, talked about yarn and her design process, and sipped on some coffee. In the mid-afternoon, Erin called us to meet up. We met her at Habu Textiles.

Habu’s selection was quite tempting, but I remembered the kit that I bought during last year’s trip, and resisted the urge to get more.

Erin had plans for a bag, so we headed over to Mood Fabrics, made famous by Project Runway. We didn’t have any celebrity sightings, but we enjoyed going through the store and looking at their HUGE selection. There were three large floors stacked floor to ceiling with fabric bolts of every imaginable fabric.

Connie and I were in awe - since neither of us regularly sew, we were overwhelmed by just how much variety there was! In the end, Erin chose a great corduroy. Stay tuned to her blog for plans and progress! After that stop, we headed over to School Products, one of my favorite NYC yarn shops. We got a little turned around, but luckily Connie’s husband (via cellphone) helped us find our way to the shop! I picked up a lovely cone… more details in the next post.

A few hours later, Kris called to say that his meetings were complete, and he walked down to West Village to meet us at The Point. We sat around the table, ate some delicious snacks from their cafe (Connie got the most beautiful cupcake - I wish I had a photo!), and I flipped through some of the new books on display. Erin played with our wide-angle lens (we have the same camera, so our lens fit on her camera) and the infamous baskets-of-yarn-wall. It was about this time that some strange wind blew through the city, and set me sneezing and sniffling. My allergies got worse throughout the evening, but how could I let them get me down while I was having fun?

Connie headed back home after our time at The Point. I was so happy to meet her and to learn more about her “real life” as well as her knitting and designs. She was such a great help to me while I was knitting the cardigan, and meeting her was a real joy! Thank you, C!

After a fun dinner at Cowgirl in the West Village (yummy margaritas and some good veggie options too!), we headed back to Times Square for some night photography. Of course, there were hundreds of other people there doing the same thing, but we still had a lot of fun.

The next morning, I went to Bryant Park to check out the new location of one of my other favorite NYC stops: Kinokuniya Japanese bookstore. Their needle craft (knitting, crochet, embroidery) book collection is larger than any other book store I have been to, and I decided to take my time and go through the books.

Sitting on the floor, I poured over dozens of patterns and stitch directories. Even without reading the language, it is relatively simple to understand the schematics and charts outlined in the books. I am hoping that when I cast on for one of these projects, it will be intuitive. If not, I can ask my Japanese friend to help me with some translations…

It was the perfect day for photography, so when Erin met me for lunch, we decided to head towards Central Park for a photo afternoon. On the way, we stopped by Gotta Knit! a great yarn shop on 34th Street, and talked to Goldie, the owner. I bought a beautiful skein of yarn… more details to come.

Central Park was filled with people, but Erin and I had plans for some improvisational photography, and we didn’t let the crowds stop us. With her handy camera remote and my wide-angle lens, we got some great action photos!

Down | Middle | Up

We did about 20 cartwheels before finally getting the middle shot with both of our legs in the Y position. The funny thing? there were several groups of people sitting within a few feet of us, but no one even looked twice when we did all the jumping and cartwheeling!

Kris and I were completely beat after the busy two days in the city. Once we got home (after a two-hour Amtrak delay) we broke off some aloe for the sunburn, and went right to bed. It was a short and sweet trip!

I came back with a full bag of souvenirs from New York. The city is truly a yarn destination: the Fashion District, boutique spinneries, little shops in the Village. So much to see! So much to fit in the suitcase on the way home!

Click for details about each yarn

A small disclaimer: two of the cones are not for me. The rest of it is.

The first stop was Purl in Greenwich Village. Kris and I were in the neighborhood on Thursday morning, and stopped in.

This shop is small and sweet. It can get a little crowded in the small space, but it is worth a perusal: they have many lovely high-end yarns, and some wonderful staples as well. (Their window display is very springy too!)

Cascade Luna

I bought these four hanks for my International Scarf Exchange pal. Her favorite color is blue, and she lives in Southeast Asia, so I thought a nice cotton would be ideal for her climate. I am planning a bias-cut striped scarf. It will look like the ocean! I also picked up two skeins of chocolate brown Koigu KPPPM.

With fiber in mind, I headed uptown towards Habu Textiles. Habu is located near the Fashion District. I did some research online before heading into the shop and it was good that I did! Several boxes were packed up to send items to a show, but the ladies were very helpful and I came home with some beautiful and unique yarns that are not widely available.

Yarn Wall

It is a lovely and tranquil space with woven textiles displayed on the studio walls, and the whir of the spinning machines in the back rooms. Natural fibers and non-traditional fibers are Habu’s specialty. I came home with some lovely silks, bamboo tape, a sampler kit of raffia and paper yarns, and wool/linen blends. [See this photo for pictures of the other Habu yarns].

Naturally dyed wool linen blend

On Friday, I took in some museums (blogged about here) before hitting the fiber trail again. Gotta have some variety! Late Friday afternoon, I went to School Products, a shop owned by the proprietors of Karabella yarns (and the author of the new book, Runway Knits). This store is the perfect place for a knitter (or crocheter) with a plan. You know you need 3000 yds of laceweight? This is the place to find it - and to get a bargain. There are cones available at very reasonable prices, and a beautiful color spread. They also carry some other commercial yarns like Koigu, Lamb’s Pride, and a full line of Karabella (naturally). I got 2 skeins of speckled Koigu and a 1 lb cone of merino laceweight. [in photo].

Friday night fibery fun at The Point, a combined cafe and yarn shop. Sipping a cup of chamomile tea, I chat with some of the Spiders knitting group: Virginia, Lisa, Carrie, Katy, Marie, Courtney, Nancy, and Melissa. It was a nice evening! The Point is a cute shop with some nice variety. I loved their displays!

And I bought some kid mohair there too… all for this little beret number.

Mmmm mohair

After knitting group, I headed out to dinner with Carrie and Katy. We went to Dragonfly, an Asian fusion place (with some interesting “soul food” plates thrown into the mix) They have a lot of vegetarian food. I was happy to catch up with Carrie - such a sweety! - and to get to know Katy better through our conversations. It was lots of fun!

Goodness me, it wasn’t until I put it all in one place that I realized how much I acquired on this trip. It barely fit in my suitcase.  New York was wonderful - I guess it is a good thing that I only go once a year… now I must start knitting from the stash.

Kris and I took the train up to New York City on Thursday morning.

Train Station marquee *blurry*

He had a two-day conference in Manhattan, and I had time to explore.

We spent Thursday in Greenwich Village - it was rainy and overcast for most of the day, so I stuck to indoor activities, like yarn shopping (next post!) The sun poked out for awhile so I took advantage of the break in the weather and decided to walk the streets of midtown Manhattan. Stopped in some lovely little shops, and talked to some lovely people. New York is a nice place. Kris finished his conference and we headed out to a great dinner at Dervish, a Turkish restaurant on 47th near Times Square. It was delicious food and they also had a great wine list. With full bellies, we strolled around a bit before heading back to the hotel to see the last period of the playoff hockey game… our team lost and is out of the tournament. (Next year! the loyal hockey fan says…) Should be great to see the other teams though!

Friday turned into a glorious day - high 60s and sunny. A perfect day to be out in the city. I stopped and got some breakfast and headed uptown to the museums. Before my lunch date, I stopped in the Museum of Art and Design for the “Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting” exhibition. The show received mixed reviews on several blogs, so I was a little ambivalent. I am so glad I went. Totally worth it for me. I felt inspired and awed by the complexity, the simplicity and the sheer textures of the pieces in the gallery. It was not all about knitting - several of the blogs I saw complained about this - but it didn’t pretend to be. It celebrated craft and ingenuity, and the wonders of what can be done with knotting, looping, and threading pieces of material. If you are in the City before the the June closing date, I completely recommend a visit.

Museum Exterior Windows

I had a very important appointment/lunch date that I could not be late for: a high fashion photo shoot on the streets on New York.

Whose that lady?

Look at that skirt! Minty finished her Shocking! skirt and I just so happened to be meeting her for a early afternoon lunch date, so I got the honor of doing the FO photo shoot. I got to see this skirt when she was in Maryland last week, so it was great to see it evolve into a beautiful and wearable garment. Seeing hers makes me realize how accessible a lot of the knit skirts are now. I love the way it turned out. There may be one in my future…

Photo by a nice stranger

We went to the Museum of Modern Art : who doesn’t like a little art on their lunch break?

MoMA’s Sculpture Garden

Minty headed back to work and I headed into the galleries. MoMA was great. I think I enjoyed the people watching as much as I did the art.

Click on pictures to enlarge

We didn’t bring the SLR camera, but I was pretty happy with how the point-and-shoot camera worked in the museum photos.

Tomorrow: my NYC fiber adventures!

I finished my postcard for the Project Spectrum Postcard Swap last week. I did not really have a plan in mind before sitting down and making it - I knew I wanted to try some embroidery. So, I winged it. The finished project is simple and minimal, and overall I am pretty happy with it. Now it is off to Seattle to live with my pal, Ashley!

Flickr is so cool! Check out the Toys! (that is how I made it look like a stamp)

I have not made many cards or experimented with paper arts in the past; however, I am always drawn to the lovely card stock and papers in craft stores. I already have more ideas about what to do for next month’s card (orange and yellow).

Remember the Project Spectrum Postcard Swap signup deadline is the 20th (Monday). Please make sure that you have ** next to your name on the LIST if you want to participate this time around. Unless you tell me otherwise in a comment or an email, all previous postcard swap participants will be assigned a new pal.

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I am still reeling from our short New York trip - so much fun! Here are a few more pics that I snapped on Tuesday, our final day in the city.

(Yep, it’s Flickr Toys again - mosaic feature)
From top, clockwise - Bethesda Fountain entrance in Central Park, Rockefeller Center Plaza, Grand Central Terminal, and Radio Center Music Hall.

Since today is St. Patrick’s Day, here is the picture I snapped of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, right across the street from Rockefeller Center.

I brought some souvieniers home with me from the big city. As I alluded to in my previous post, I made purchases at both yarn shops that Carrie and I visited (School Products and Yarn Connection). Ahem, more sock yarn… yeah… it was Trekking XXL! and then I found the lovely kelly green Cotton Fleece that would be perfect for the new Zephyr Style Green Gable number!

I also picked up some books (Colorful Stitchery by Kristin Nicholas, and Knitting To Go by Kris Percival - I have my eye on this…) a box of origami papers and a beautiful Japanese craft magazine (both from Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore in Rockefeller Plaza), a touristy magnet, and a pink canvas satchel that I got on discount for buying lotions and soaps at a shop. It was perfect for carrying around all of my new goodies, and my current knitting WIP… oh yeah, and it’s pink

This weekend will be a little quieter than last weekend - I hope to finish my Strawberry Swirl socks, as well as finally finish the hem on my Sew? I Knit! skirt. Also I will be at the gym - yoga and aqua aerobics tomorrow!

I wish you all a happy and peaceful weekend! (and happy 19th birthday to my little sis, Sarah!)

Back from NYC (more on that below!) and I am playing major catch up! Loads of Project Spectrum admin, a few dozen emails, and the hundreds of new blog updates I missed while I was away…

I whet your appetite for this super secret sister knit last week…

 

Sissy Sarah’s One Skein Wonder
Pattern: Glampyre Stefanie
Yarn: Dancing Leaf Farm handspun / hand dyed wool
Notes: An ingenious pattern! Knit from the top-down in the round, the shrug’s shape magically appears.
Alternative view: back and shoulders

A super quick knit, and it seems to fit Sarah perfectly. This was an early birthday present - her birthday is this Friday on St. Patrick’s Day - but since she was in town for spring break, she got it early! and she even got to wear it that day, because the weather was so mild. (Isn’t she a cutie?)

Mom helped me when I started this knit - she measured one of Sarah’s looser t-shirts from shoulder to shoulder and gave me the measurement. I think this measurement may have helped the most in getting the proper fit.

I did not modify the pattern, although there were many opportunities to add personal touches or slight changes. I have some ideas for more OSWs that I am bound to make… Stef’s pattern is really great on its own - simple, fun, and very flattering. The yarn was beautiful and unique - it was a gift from my friend, Donna. Thanks D!

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Our New York excursion was short and sweet - of course, there are a million billion things to do in the city, and we were only there for 2.5 days, and one day was sloppy rainy slush… but we managed to have fun anyway!The absolute highlight of the trip was the amazing opportunity to meet three blogger friends on Monday. Although the time was short, we packed it with fun!

I met Carrie at Grand Central Terminal before lunch, and we walked over to meet Marie at her workplace. When given the choice of fiber or food, we chose fiber - and swiftly headed over to School Products on Broadway. Their prices were so reasonable and I was tempted by many cones of lovely wool, alpaca, and silk, but without a definitive project in mind, I decided to take the high road and resist the cones… but resistance did not work on the sock yarn. New stash enhancements photos are forthcoming.

Marie and Carrie are “ewwing” the tank top made out of ladder yarn - I guess it was not quite our style, although the other tanks were very cute!

We grabbed a quick lunch, and unfortunately, Marie had to head back to work (she took her lunch break to come and meet us - how sweet is that?) Carrie still had some free time before heading off to investigate the late-breaking NYC news stories, so we headed over to another yarn shop in Manhattan. Cozy and cute with a lot of yarn packed into a small space - the Yarn Connection on Madison. The service was wonderful - each of the employees spoke and were very approachable. I came out with some yarn - I consider it a NYC souvienier

*You will know us by our hand knit scarves*

Thank you so much Carrie and Marie for taking the time out of your busy day to show me around and hang out for awhile - I am so grateful! Not only are they both wonderfully kind and hospitable people, but they are fantastic crafters - Marie spins and dyes extraordinary yarns (remember Chocolate Covered Cherries? That’s her handiwork!) and Carrie churns out beautiful knit and crochet pieces left and right. She is working on Wendy’s Somewhat Cowl now. (and both are in Project Spectrum!)

Hold on, because the fun does not end there! After parting ways with Carrie and Marie, I headed back to the hotel to drop off my loot, and turned right back around to meet up with Jessica, who was just getting off from her job at an illustrious institution.

She was kind enough to take a later train (she has a 2-hour commute home to CT!) and meet me for some delicious fruit smoothies and some talk about all things library, hockey, and crafty. Yes, we have that much in common! Jessica is a *real* librarian after graduating last year - a true hockey fan - and an extraordinary knitter and crocheter. Plus, she is taller than me (that never happens, I swear!) I recognized her right away (I think I have “knitdar”!) In the past month alone, Jessica has finished two cabled sweaters and a beautiful Fair Isle bag - that deserves major kudos!!

Busy and extremely rewarding day - I was worn out from “pounding the pavement” (my pedometer measured 6.7 miles yesterday!) and worth every step!! I loved meeting all of you and hope we can see each other again - I know another NYC trip is in order - I did not even make a dent in the list of NYC yarn shops!

What else did we do?

Well, I will show you…

View from our hotel room - Times Square facing north

New York Rangers v. Atlanta Thrashers (ATL won 3-2)

Kris in Central Park

New York Public Library Main Branch

Many pictures and some great memories! It’s amazing what you can pack into a short time period. I got some quality knitting time on the train, and a few new purchases that I just have to share!

I also finished my postcard for my pal, Ashley. If you are participating in the March Project Spectrum Postcard Swap, please try to finish and mail your card by tomorrow (March 15th)! I want your pal to receive it in time (I am talking to myself on this one as well - the card is done but not yet mailed!)

One last thing - this news is just too exciting to wait until the next post!! The wonderful people at Hill Country Yarns have decided to join Project Spectrum in their own way - every month they will release Project Spectrum themed yarns in that color for knitters, crocheters, and other crafters to purchase!

They just released the pink and red combination in DK and Fingering Weight (the colorway’s name is Project Spectrum March!) - as well as a great pink/white combination that donates a portion of their proceedings to Breast Cancer research. The DK and the fingering/sock weight yarns come in self-striping and variegated options.

They are supporting Project Spectrum in this extraordinary way and I plan on supporting them in return!** Remember you can make many things with these weights of yarn - you are not limited to socks. Self-striping yarns make fun hats, wristlets, gloves, legwarmers, and baby items.