Sicily Knitters

February 5th meeting

Well, it is down to just Wendy, Marina and me again! I will put an ad in the Signature to see if we can get new people.

As for this Saturday's meeting, I would like to cancel it due to the St. Agata festivities. I would like to take the boys into the city later that afternoon instead.

Should we reschedule the meeting for the next week or just skip this month?

Next meeting: 8 January 2005

Can you believe it is 2005 already?! Our next meeting would have fallen on the 1st of January, so I changed it to the 8th instead. I also changed the meeting time to noon instead of 10am because we learned last time that the upstairs of McDonald's doesn't open until noon. Please let me know if there will be a problem with this.

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Recap: 4 Dec 04

Wendy, Marina and I planned to meet at McDonald?s to have our knitting meeting but it turns out that it doesn?t open until 11:00am. Fortunately, it was a nice day, so we sat in the park for a bit and shared knitting magazines. At eleven, we wandered into McDonald?s, only to find out that the upstairs, with the indoor playground and lots of table space, doesn?t open until noon! Foiled again. The upstairs of McDonald?s is supposed to be our winter / bad weather plan, so I guess we need to change the time to noon.

I was able to get Wendy started on her first pair of socks using two circular needles (and the book ?Socks Soar On Two Circs?). Marina worked on the sleeves of a sweater she is making (for her daughter?). She is using some really neat yarn that looks like a cross between tape yarn and something slightly nubbly. It was one of the yarns that our LOYM (little old yarn man) had on his table the last time we met.

I almost forgot, Wendy gifted me with some truly gorgeous jewel toned yarn that defies description. Here is a close up shot of it. I absolutely cannot wait to get it on my needles. It is screaming to be made into a shawl. She also gave me kitchen towels with the days of the week in Italian. Now maybe I will get it right every once in awhile, LOL! Ahhhh, it is good to be the postmistress.

OH! I almost forgot a second thing - I got a half dozen I-cord pooping eggs. HEEHHEEHHEEEEEE Wendy put a very funny tutorial / commentary on her blog, so go read it to understand my glee(scroll down to the 11/26 entry). They are destined to be knitting gifts.

Recap: 6 Nov 04

Marina, Wendy and I met at the park and with kids in tow, made a trip to the market to see what the LOYM had in stock. He had some really different yarns and each of us picked some up. We then went over to Barone's to get some yarn for my Master Knitter program. I love that store, they probably have to wipe our nose prints off the cabinet windows when we leave! Market trip meetings mean that we don't get to knit though, but I did show Wendy the socks I am making. She said that the yarn is too skinny (it is sock yarn - a squidge above fingering but less than sport).

I would like to do a baby bootie along with our group to get the basics of socks down. Don't worry Wendy, we will use fatter yarn. Please comment here and let me know if you are interested in learning the basics of socks.

Also, I have extended an invitation to another group of knitters to join our meetings. As much as I like meeting with the four of us, it would be fun to have a bigger group!

LOYM

Good news from Wendy (or maybe not, if you are trying to stay on a yarn diet). Her LOYM (little old yarn man) has finally gotten bags and bags of yarn in stock. She told him that we are coming to visit him on Saturday so he will bring stuff in just for us!

I actually need (and I interpret the word "need" a bit differently than most, I admit) to get some yarn for a sweater I am supposed to be making for my oldest son. She says that he has this really, really soft cotton-wool blend that sounds perfect.

Those that don't want to go should just come to the park at 11:00am, we should be back from the market by then.

Don't forget, for bad weather we will be meeting upstairs in the McDonald's by the park.

******Update***********

I wasn't clear about what time to meet. We will still meet at 10 at the park and then go to the market. If you don't want to go to the market, you can either stay behind and wait for us or just come in at 11am when we should be back.

Meetup.com

I found a place on the web that coordinates meetings that has some cool stuff on it. I signed us up under the knitting section so that anyone searching for a group will find ours. I think it will be another good way to advertise (I still need to go place the ad in the Signature). I am also going to contact one of the other knitting group's members (the wives group) to see if they want to join us.

Anyway, the address of that meetup site is: Meet Up

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom half so you can answer the poll questions about how I will update about our group on the internet.

Recap: 9 Oct 04

Marina, Wendy and I met at the park yesterday, errr, I should say Marina and Wendy met at 10 am and I wandered in around 1030. I am NOT a morning person, so getting up early and then driving almost an hour is not high on my list of fun things to do on a Saturday, hahahahaha. But, since there is knitting involved, I go willingly, but tardily.

An internet friend of Wendy and I sent a couple of nostepindes in trade for some of my sister's handblown glass stitchmarkers. I simply love the barter system. Everyone gets something they want. I will be making a booga bag for my sister for the stitchmarkers. For those of you who don't know, a nostepinde is a wooden stick that allows you to wind up center pull balls of yarn. Click on all the links in this entry for explanations and tips.

Wendy worked on finishing a knitted (and soon to be felted) toy for submission to Knitty magazine. Marina forgot her knitting bag but did show us her progress on the knitted mohair roses she is making to be placed on a sweater for her daughter. I added to a wave and shell lace shawl that I was desperately trying to finish so I can get on with my other projects. (side note: I finished the shawl and you can read about it here)

After awhile, the kiddies got hungry and we were all hot, so Wendy and I herded them over to McDonalds as we usually do after our meetings. Wendy and I talked about what we were going to do meeting-wise when it got too cold or rainy to knit in the park. Upstairs in McDonalds is a small play gym for the kids with plenty of tables and chairs, which are always nearly empty at the time we go. We also decided to set a routine meeting date of the first Saturday in every month from 10:00 to 12:00. I will post a reminder and if it turns out that less than three people can meet, we can reschedule it.

]]> I was going to give Wendy and Melissa a ride home (they live a few blocks away) but we discovered that my car alarm had been going off for so long that it was not even very loud anymore. Sure enough, the battery was dead. But not so dead that the car alarm would stop. I discovered that I couldn't even turn the alarm off (you have to turn the ignition on to stop the alarm). The parking lot attendant and his groupies gathered around and pushed the key button ninety billion times because obviously I didn't know what I was talking about, being a girl and all. I waved my arms around and showed the jumper cables to them and Wendy translated for me. They conferred with each other on how to use the cables while I got very nervous. Sure enough, they hooked the cables up backwards and big sparks and smoke came out of my battery. They then motioned for me to start the car, which of course, did not. And likely will not ever again. So then, I did more international hand signals for getting a tow truck. Nope, can't. Chiuso (closed). Of course, it is still reposo (Italian rest period from about noon to 4pm). I knew that the tow truck guys would still be open though because I have had my car towed two other times (this makes me a subject matter expert, you know). So base security arranged for a tow truck to come and get us. The tow truck was there in about half an hour and took us back to the base and parked it at my favorite fix it shop across the street. I rented a car and finished my day's errands. Monday just happens to be a holiday for the Americans, which is very good luck. I needed a new battery anyway and hopefully that is all that it will need.

Saturday, 9 October, 10 am to about noon.

Time for some more knitting in the park! Come show us what you are doing - I will be demonstrating how to use a nostepinde to wind up a center pull ball. If the weather is bad, we will plan to meet upstairs in McDonalds (the one next to the park and the parking lot) so the kids can play.

If you need directions or a ride, give me a call: 624-0154 (home) or 624-4678 (work) or 347-746-8757 (cell).

Next Saturday, 11 Sept

I am hearby putting my foot down! 10am, under the arches (by McDonalds and Elephant Square).

Bring your current WIP (work in progress) or be prepared to start one. We could also do a quick walk to the market to check the yarn tables and see if Mr. Barone is back from vacation yet (yarn shop), if anyone wants to. If anyone wants a ride, let me know. I drive past both bases and don't mind a bit.

Pizza for lunch in the Square? Or McDonalds for lunch?

My boys will be there and they expect to see Melly! And we all expect to meet baby George!

And by the way, I need to get a phone number from everyone in the event short notice meetings come up. Please send an email to me: fiberfairy@shriekofnature.com (or my other one!).

Hello gentle knitters

I am back from vacation and wondering when you all want to do something knitterly. My calendar is shockingly (and refreshingly) clear at the moment, so feel free to chime in with what works for you and we will pick.

Wendy and I tried to find yarn at the market last Saturday (21 Aug) but not only was it hot as hades but all the yarn folk, including Barones (the yarn shop) are on vacation. Let's hope they are on yarn expeditions.

Recap: 18 July 04

The park under the arches by the market and McDonalds in Catania turned out to be a great place to sit and knit. I think it would be a great place even if we didn't bring our kids. Of course, we need to get more aggressive about taking a bench hahahahahaha.

One thing that I really like about knitting in a group setting (aside from the companionship), is seeing how we each do things. I am completely self taught through books and the internet and am discovering, one project at a time, easier ways to do things (notice I did not say "the right way").

Wendy wants to learn to do socks. I am up for that. Socks are very addictive and hard to stop at just one pair. Maybe we should do a baby sock knit along? Those are like potato chips. One sock takes maybe a couple of hours. Maybe I will try baby socks using the two circulars technique. Hmmmmm.

Jessica, I hope you are able to come to our next meeting. We are looking forward to helping you move up in your knitting skills. Our next meeting will be sometime during the last half of August. There is another person, Jill who may be interested in joining in - she wants to learn also, so you guys could learn together.

Next Meeting: 17 July at 5pm

ATTENTION!! Because I am a knucklehead, I originally said it was for the 24th when I meant the 17th!

That is this Saturday. The place will be the park in Catania that is right near the arches and Plaza Duomo (Elephant Square).

Wendy will have to post more specific directions if anyone needs them. There are benches and a small playground so that Wendy and I can bring our children and not have to worry too much about them.

Jessica (and anyone else), I will be driving my van and would be more than happy to give you ride.

Bring your current knitting project (or if you are like me, choose between the ones you are doing) and we will knit and chat. Plan for an hour to two hours. I am going to take my boys into Catania to eat when we are done, everyone is welcome to join us.

Trying to coordinate

We have enough people now to have a very interesting group but unfortunately trying to get people to commit to a date (or even just reply back to me) is like trying to get the white peeled off a grain of rice!

So here is my suggestion: Wendy and I are going to agree on a date and publish it (here and email). If others can come, we will do a happy dance. If someone needs a slight change of schedule to be able to attend, we will see what we can do.

Wendy, do you want to try for next weekend? Maybe an early evening KIP (knit in public)?

Back to the drawing board

Okay, I am looking for new suggestions for the next meeting as it looks like Father's Day is going to be an issue.

Also, I would like to have other people be able to make new posts here. What this involves is for me to list you as an author. Let me know if you are interested. I see this as a way to discuss meetings, brag about finished objects and ask questions. Anybody?

So our next order of business

Is to decide when and where to meet next.

How does Friday the 11th of June sound? I get off work at 4pm and could do something up to about 6:30pm. Please feel free to suggest something else. I have something to do Sat the 12th but could do something on the 13th. I know we had talked about knitting at a park, which would work for me that Sunday.