A question to ponder today

Last year, Elvis asked us if the Easter Bunny and Charcoal chat with each other when the Easter Bunny comes to fill the kids' baskets.

Easter Bunny: Dude, how'd you get this gig? I have to run my ass off filling baskets all over the world, and you just get to sit here and eat hay.

Charcoal: Sistah, please. You only work one night of the year; I have to sustain this level of cuteness 24/7, 365 days a year.




Happy Easter, Passover or whatever you celebrate, from our family to yours.

New camera

I'm still learning how to use it, but after all my angst about adapting to a new camera, I'm encouraged. Lookit the nice photos I took of the laceweight I'm about to list on the BBF site (I'll update this post when everything is up, probably around 6 p.m. tonight):





What's interesting (to me, at least) is that these were taken at a time when the light isn't usually optimal for yarn photos. Which means that if I take photos when the light is best, the results should be even better, right?

Here is the very first photo taken with the new camera -- a great one:



Of course, I can't give all the credit to the camera, since they are two exceptionally good-looking models, no?

Update: Laceweight's posted.

Charcoal sez:

"I can't wait 'til those kids go back to school. It's impossible for a bunneh to get his rest with them running all over the place. I disapprove."

Happy Bun-Day!

My husband, with his Rain-man like capacity to remember dates, reminded me that today is Charcoal's birthday.

Here is Charcoal's cake (being that he is a vegetarian/vegan, we picked out one that the other members of the family will enjoy):



He sat in Tom's arms while we sang to him,



then adjourned to his pen for some edible flowers, organic Belgian endive and a scoop of fragrant botanical grass hay.

In a mood

This is the time of year when everyone in my house gets in A Mood.

I think it's partly because the novelty of the summer has worn off, and partly because the organized activities are coming to a close. But there's also something about this time of the summer. The summer feels used up. The flowers in the windowboxes are straggly and leggy. The grass isn't growing as fast. You can just start to see how the days are getting shorter. There isn't as much traffic -- lots of people are away -- and usual routines are put on hold (i.e., no piano lessons 'til September). It's a waiting game. We know the summer's rapidly drawing to a close and in a way, we're ready for it to end.

I'm sure my personal mood has also been affected by the family stressors I wrote about last month. I've definitely sensed a drawing inward in myself, a desire to be alone (hah! at a time when the kids are around more than ever!), and a desire to lose myself in reading and knitting. I've got emails to answer (so many), calls to return, projects to finish. One of the cruel ironies of the design world is that the big push for finishing spring projects happens at the time of year when the kids are lounging around the house, sick of their usual activities but not yet in school.

So this week I'll try to muster up some initiative to finish this:


A baby sweater for a shower I didn't get to (it's actually a very pretty shade of blue, but you can't tell because I took the photo in less than stellar lighting).

And I will show Charcoal his new bowl, which was on the clearance rack at Target:


Doesn't every bunny need a bowl with carrots around the outside? I may just fill it up with Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter and try it out before I give it to him, though. You know, just to make sure the bowl works properly . . .

Change can be good.

Yes, it's me -- Ms. Spontaneity-Has-Its-Time-and-Place -- beginning this post with a tribute to change. It is one of our beach weeks, but this year we are renting a different house in a different part of Cape May County. I'm very happy we made the change.

I had many fond memories of the house we used to rent, but last year was the tipping point for a bunch of irritations that had coalesced into major irritation. (And yes, I do realize how spoiled I am...) One was air conditioning, or more specifically, the lack thereof: the prior house had only 2 window units, one of which died last year midweek. It was miserable, especially for the bunny. Another was the bed situation. The master bedroom had a bed hammock instrument of torture that resulted in Tom and I being chronically tired and sleep-deprived. It got so bad last year that we brought down an air mattress the second week. After a night of the horrible bed, the air mattress seemed luxurious and we had a day or two where we each competed for the honor of sleeping on it, while the other one made do in the regular "bed" (which was slightly less uncomfortable with only one person sleeping in it). But even that wore off as we realized we were merely exchanging one kind of discomfort for another.

So we looked around and decided to rent a house further away from Cape May proper, in a more residential area. It is within walking distance to the beach but not within walking distance to the town of Cape May. However, I'm feeling very, very happy with the change. Here's the charming outside:



and the owners are clearly passionate about flowers:





This house has lots of excellent mojo, including the bunny-friendly doorway plaque:



and the owner's clear affection for handcrafts:

But, you ask, how does the most important member of the household like it?


No, not Elvis (although he got that nickname by fancying himself The King). He likes it, as you can see, but I was really referring to:

His Nibs.

He is very content, dreaming about all the gorgeous wildflowers in the front yard as he naps in air-conditioned splendor.



This week, life is very, very good.

Meanwhile

Ah, the end of the school year, chock-full of end-of-the-school-year festivities. Sunday evening was Elvis' piano recital:

He played beautifully, and based on his unruffled demeanor, I think I was more nervous than he was.

The week before that was his presentation on being a veterinarian:

Meanwhile, his brother continues playing T-ball:



For those who you who got a kick out of N's teammate Daniel: This weekend, when told by the coaches that he couldn't say "Bad game, bad game, bad game" to the opposing team, he informed them solemnly that he was going to kiss each member of the opposing team instead of high-fiving them. You can imagine how well that went over.

(Fans of G., don't worry; Little Miss has her ballet recital next month, so you will get to see photos of that, no doubt.)

In other news, the lilacs bloomed

I knit a boatload of pre-emie caps:

Charcoal got glasses (no, not really; he just needs to wear them for reading):

a sweet friend knit me a beautiful pair of socks



and we got our first customer review on Amazon.com! And it wasn't even someone related to us!

Later this week: a No-Bull Book Review. . .

I got Knothin'.

Elvis got strep this week and now G. has it. Can N. be far behind?

So basically, I've got nothin'.

Except some good Knews: A knew knitting magazine called Knotions, courtesy of SavannahChik. Jody is a smart cookie and a kick-ass knitter, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what develops at Knotions.

In the meantime, the only other thing I can offer you is Bunneh Schnozz:

Our spokesbun

Charcoal becomes a star of the prestigious internets here.



And for those of you who were wondering what the spoiled bun selects when it is his night of Speranza'a, allow me to enlighten you:



Salad.
With carrots on the bottom.
Radicchio in the middle.
And edible flowers on top.

What a weekend.

I am physically exhausted, but my mind is bursting with ideas. I got back from Stitches Sunday night (with a nasty cold, no less) and am still processing all that I saw and did. It was the first year in several that I didn't work at the show, and I must say, I really enjoyed being freed from the booth. I was able to play and I needed that.

I was a bit nervous about acting as Véronik's handler for the weekend, but suffice it to say that we got along like a house on fire. (She brought me a bag full of Canadian chocolate bars unavailable in the U.S.! How considerate is that?!) If you think I had a total crush on her before, well, you ain't seen nothin' yet. [And after hearing about her fabulous actor husband all weekend (he looks a little like Liam Neeson, only younger and way hotter), I think I have a crush on him, too.] Apparently the rest of the world shares my affection for Véronik. After the first few people recognized her and gushed, I began the official Véronik Gush-o-Meter:





Every time someone complimented her on her designs, I Kacha-kacha'd.

Charcoal -- who had never met a Canadian before -- was on his best behavior. He apologized for the fact that our president is an evil moron; he refrained from making any disparaging remarks about hockey; he did not hold Véronik personally responsible for Céline Dion simply by virtue of her nationality; and he showered Véronik with bunny kisses (which he's never done to anyone outside the family before). A superlative rabbit, indeed.

My overall impression of Stitches East -- and I've been attending pretty steadily for the past ten years -- is that this year there were fewer vendors and fewer attendees. Not that the X-Men give a rat's ass what I think, but they really need to consider moving the location again. I enjoyed Baltimore but from what I heard people talking about, the traffic (there always seems to be a Ravens game the day Stitches lets out) and the lack of parking (would it kill them to put up some more signs?) have deterred some folks from coming. I also noticed that a lot of vendors north of Baltimore didn't have booths. Even Philadelphia, which is a mere 2 hrs or so away, only sent one yarn shop, and places from New York City and further north weren't well-represented. I'm biased, of course, but I'd love to see the show return to Philadelphia, at the Center City Convention Center. Downtown Philadelphia has changed a lot and there is more than there ever was in the way of hotel space, restaurants, and a clean, revitalized downtown. It has much better access via train, too, and it is very easy to come from New York, D.C. or Baltimore to Philly for the day by train and return the same day.

My shopping was, on the whole, rather restrained. My big splurge was some garment design software that I was overdue to have invested in. I got some Socks That Rock yarn, and I scored a bag of Jaeger Extra-Fine Merino in a raspberry pink that would be perfect for G. for $35, which felt almost like stealing. (Bless you, Webs.) I met lots of nice folks and saw a bunch of people that I'd met at yarn conventions before, too, so that was really fun. I especially enjoyed seeing my pals at Westminster Fibers, and bought about twelve of the Nashua pattern leaflets that I had somehow missed. (Note to L.P.: did you steal this one from a Viagra ad?)

when the time is right, will you be ready....
(to cast on?)

And when I got home, there was a new station wagon in the driveway. I kid you not. While I was at Stitches East, my husband got a new car.* Um, I have to go now: there's a knitting machine I suddenly feel no guilt about purchasing.

*Okay, the lease was up so we had no choice, but work with me, people.

A timely reminder

Charcoal









wishes to remind you that it's Fire Prevention Month. At our house, Elvis handily drew our Evacuation Plan so that we might study it in the event of a "fire event" (as I'm sure they call them now).




Everybody got that?





Charcoal also reminds you to check the batteries in your smoke detector.

We don't want your house to turn into a lump of you-know-what...

Happy birthday, Bun!

Hard to believe, but another year has flown by and Charcoal turned two on Saturday. (He's a Libra, in case you were wondering.*) What does the spoiled bun-bun get for his birthday?



A hula girl (left) and beach basket (right), made in bunny-friendly, edible, chewable materials, from the fine folks at Bunny Bytes (where the urban rabbit shops). Charcoal was a gentleman, though: he bought the hula girl dinner before ripping her skirt off.

Of course, there was cake (or at least cupcakes):



In knitting news, I finished the Kaffe socks for N.,


and started the next pair, for G. It's "Chewy Spaghetti" sock yarn in the colorway Sporty. G. chose it because pink is her first favorite color and blue is her second favorite color.



With Stitches and Rhinebeck coming up, I'll need lots of mindless sockknitting to carry along.

Dyeing News

I've been busily dyeing, and I'll have a Black Bunny Fibers update on Wednesday, around noon-ish. In addition to sock and laceweight yarns, I've got three batches of pure silk DK (which I did once before) and a couple of skeins of worsted-weight Columbia yarn from a Michigan farm (it's nice and soft).

I've been trying out some new yarns, including some 50% tencel/50% merino wool sock yarn. I was pleased with the way the dye took so I'm hoping to have some skeins of the merino/tencel in the update after this next one. (Believe it or not, I'm still waiting for a backorder of the half wool, half silk that Liz so charmingly used for her Clapotis,** I'm waiting on a delivery of roving, I'm waiting on a backorder of superwash merino, AND I'm waiting on a backorder of merino/silk. Feh.)



*According to a pet astrology website found on the prestigious Internet, "Libra pets are easy-going and like lots of attention. These pets divide their attention equally among all members of the family. They make wonderful companions and hate to be left alone. These pets love good food and soft music. They can be stubborn at times, and may disappear to sulk."

**I got together for a quick cup of tea and some knitting with Liz last week. You should see her phat ride...

Catching up

Here, in no particular order, are a bunch of things I've been meaning to mention on the blog but keep forgetting:

Surprises

I received two great packages in the mail recently. One was from Carol B-R, who blogs here, and contained Charmed Knits, by Alison Hansel. Not only is it hot off the press -- it's autographed, to me, by the author. Thanks, Carol!

I also received a box of undyed merino yarn from blogless Barb K-Y (these ladies with the hyphenated last names rock) from a small farm near her in western New York state. I can't wait to get it into the dyepots. Many thanks!

You guys are the best.

Thinking Blogger

Eons ago, two blogging blogreaders -- that Italian broad Bridget and sleepycat -- nominated me for a Thinking Blogger Award. I'm sorry it took me so long to acknowledge it -- I am very appreciative. The idea is to nominate five blogs that make you think, that have real merit and substantive content. Several of my first choices have already been tagged, and I'm going to try really hard not to duplicate, so I will nominate:

1. The Hanged Man, my friend John, who is one of the most intelligent and hilarious people I've ever met in my life. He's also a damn fine photographer and writer. Plus, he spills things on himself a lot.

2. The Girl From Auntie, who is a kick-ass knitter and designer, but also makes me think about pointy-headed things like copyright law, sometimes so hard my head hurts. But in a good way.

3. The Knitting Curmudgeon, my friend Marilyn (who I thought was tagged but wasn't). I've learned a hell of a lot about knitting from her, and even though I don't always agree with her completely (although I often do), her posts are irreverent and usually hilarious. Check out her sidebar for some excellent tutorials, like the ones on blocking and lace.

I'm going to reserve the right to add some more if I can find some that haven't been mentioned already -- so many of my faves already have.

Little League Socks

Book knitting proceeds apace, and is likely to run, ahem, a bit behind schedule. However, my mindless Little League knitting resulted in this:



It's Trekking ProNatura, a 75% wool/25% bamboo blend. No particular pattern, just a rib variation on my usual mindless, patternless sock. The yarn is interesting to knit with. It's a bit splitty and fuzzes a little if split, but overall it has a nice hand: crisper and more like cotton than pure wool, but not as stiff and without the white plies that a lot of cotton-blend sock yarns seem to have. The color won't photograph well: it's shades of aqua and light teal with taupe. I think these socks will be wearable much of the year, and the bamboo content will make them a bit cooler to wear in hotter months. Its mate is on the needles.

Reader Questions

Several astute readers introduced me to Stacey, the knitter of those fabulous socks I saw at Maryland. I'm looking forward to seeing what she creates next.

Many of you commented on Charcoal's harness and leash (we will ignore the opthalagomorphobes among you; clearly some of you drank your Haterade this morning) and asked how we got Charcoal to put up with it. I don't really have a good answer for this. Charcoal is an extremely friendly and trusting bunny. I think some of it is just his personality, and some of it was the environment in which he was born (he lived in a big shed with a bunch of farm animals, including squawking chickens and curious kittens), and some of it is the fact that we handle him a lot and he trusts us. He wiggles like mad when you put the harness on, but once on, he seems to understand that he's going to get to see a bit of the world. I do notice that after a short while outside, he seems ready to go back to his cozy pen and stretch out on his fleecy bed, overwhelmed by it all.



Ah, the life of a beloved -- and ever watchful -- bunny. (I suppose this wouldn't be a good time to tell you that bunnies often sleep with their eyes open, would it?)

Pulling from the center

Okay, let me 'fess up: I hardly ever pull from the center with center-pull skeins of yarn. I know this is contrary to the conventional wisdom (pull from the center and your ball won't roll around!) but every time I do, I end up with a tangled mess. The outer part of the skein collapses into the empty center and I spend half an hour trying to detangle it. Feh. This just happened to me, and I swear, I swear, I am never pulling from the center again. So there.

In other news, guess who went for a walk around the yard this weekend?



Why, yes, that is a rabbit harness/leash.



And that, my friends, is one cute bunny.

Easter preparations

Perceptive reader Mel notes that I have sold my 666th item on the Black Bunny Etsy shop. Just in time for Easter, eh, Mel? I may have to do some devilish color names in my next update... *

Speaking of Easter, a couple of days ago, we did the annual Easter egg-dyeing extravaganza.



The kids had a blast, as you can see.





Although I felt a great deal of pressure this year to turn out some spectacular eggs, being a hand-dyer and all, this was the best I could do:



In the meantime, Charcoal worked on redecorating his pen. He feels very strongly that he is entitled to his own bay window. His pen starts out looking like this:



and by the end of the day, he has completed the renovation.



It's quite funny; if we have the temerity to push the pen back in, a little while later you will hear clunking noises and when you return to the kitchen, he's got the bay window back again.

A most superlative bunny, who wishes you and yours a Happy Easter, Blessed Passover or enjoyable whatever else you do or don't celebrate!


*Religious readers may rest assured that I am a perfectly harmless, non-Devil-worshipping Episcopalian.

Update

My tooth is fixed, at least for now. The dentist said he was going to give me a crown, and although it wasn't quite what I had imagined,



it'll do. See?*



In a sweet show of sympathy, Charcoal is going to the vet today to get his back teeth filed down. I am told that bunny teeth continue to grow and if the bun doesn't chew on them enough to file them down, they can get overgrown and cause difficulties. Charcoal is doing fine with the front teeth but there are some spots in the back that he's not gnawing with enough. Here's your piece of bunny trivia for the day: bunnies cannot vomit. So if they have veterinary procedures, you don't need to deprive them of food or water beforehand. Back me up on this one, Dr. Mel. (Clearly this is why rabbits are notorious for having so many babies: unlike me, who vomited for 4 months, they don't get morning sickness.)

On the knitting front, progress has been slow. I am mainly working on book stuff (last night I had a dream that they were doing a photo shoot of the garments in the Bahamas and we got free tickets to come and watch. Hah! That's what I get for reading about Anna Nicole Smith's autopsy before going to bed) which I can't show you. My co-authors and I sent out our first wave of finished garments to our editor over the weekend, and I'm extremely nervous about my contribution. I hope she likes them and doesn't regret giving us a contract.

My back-up knitting project is this sweater




done in Koigu Kersti. I'm using a Cabin Fever pattern for a baby sweater, knit in the round from the top down, raglan-style. I got this Kersti ages ago at Rosie's, and there wasn't enough to do something for me, so I figured this was a good use for it. Alert readers may recall that one of my knitting goals for the year was to knit a sweater for the first grandchild of the judge I clerked for, and this is it. Having learned my lesson from prior projects for babies, I am making a large size: 2-3 years.

I've been doing some more dyeing. I've got some really cool wool/nylon sock yarns like these:



and I'm planning to do an update this Friday, March 30th.

*No, of course that's not REALLY my tooth.
Mine's silver.