Rebecca's Report

Rebecca says:

I accompanied Swatchy McPhee to meet the Yarn Harlot in St. Paul, Minnesota on Wednesday. There were about 400 people there. We got there when the doors opened, and already the line was the length of the building. We were jammed in like sardines. Knitting needles were flying all around.

In honor of Stephanie's home country, we sang "Oh Canada" in both English and French. There were door prizes for answering trivia questions about Toronto and knitting, for coming from the farthest, for being a daughter/mother combo (or in one case, a son/mother combo). Swatchy McPhee had an chance to meet lots of friendly knitters.



Stephanie came on right at 7:00. She made lots of jokes throughout about being so short. She could barely see over the podium. She talked about CHOKE (Cultural Humiliation of Knitters Everywhere) and how their operatives try to make trouble for knitters. She was brilliant. Her words are funny but also profound, and she mixes in doing good (e.g. supporting Knitters without Borders) with knitting. She explained that knitters are generous and sensitive in supporting such causes because they understand that, one little thing after another, you can make something big. And knitters also understand what trouble is: if you've knitted a sweater all the way, only to discover a significant mistake at the beginning, you have to frog it and everything is lost. Knitters without Borders has at this point raised $350,000 for Doctors without Borders. (It would be wonderful if someone would video her presentations.)

After Stephanie's talk, she signed books. A very helpful woman handled the slips that determined your order in line. I forgot to get her name!


Another very helpful woman moved chairs out of the way so I could navigate my wheelchair through.


Anyway, there was a huge line of people waiting to meet her - of course!


When it was finally our turn, Swatchy McPhee watched her namesake sign her new book: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off.


I introduced them to each other:


And then the big moment! Swatchy McPhee and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (and the travelling sock) together at last!

And the best part? Stephanie Pearl McPhee said she knew all about Swatchy, and had been looking forward to meeting Swatchy McPhee!

The event was held William Mitchell law school, so after we were done, Swatchy decided she'd like to see what law school is like, so we stopped by the student lounge to visit.


Quite an adventure for Rebecca and Swatchy McPhee both! And we all <3 the Yarn Harlot!

Where Are They Now?

We've been working on this project for less than a year, but many Swatchys are already out there! Let's check up on them:

1. Swatchy lives in Winnipeg with Noricum, and may go to Toronto and New Brunswick in the coming months.
2. Swatchy C lives in Virginia with Eliza, and will be off to Scotland this summer.
3. Swatchy Hugz lives in Pennsylvania with Celeste. I suspect Hugz may be visiting Cape Cod at some point this summer.
4. Swatchy McSwatchypants lives in New Jersey with Knittah's parents. He is just back from a second trip tp Costa Rica.
5. After conquering Rhinebeck and New York City, SwatchGrrl moved to Africa.
6. Swatchy Bean went to Las Vegas and then moved to California.
7. Swatchy McPhee met the Yarn Harlot!

In the Swatchy Queue are Swatchy Mama, iSwatchy, and Cycle Swatchy. I need to get knitting!

CFS Tuesday*

*Travels with Swatchy™ is not just about my knitted dolls and where they go. In fact, Noricum suggested this project as a way for me to go symbolically out into the world where I cannot go physically. Life with CFS is not as funny as the great pictures and stories on this blog, but should be discussed nonetheless.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What do you think of when you hear the name? Perhaps you associate it with denigrating terms like "yuppie flu." If you have no personal experience with this illness, you might think it means feeling tired all the time and that patients can be cured with sufficient rest.

Rest? If I had a dollar for every hour I have rested in the last 12+years . . .

Let me explain what "rest" means to a person with CFS. "Rest" is what you do when you are too weak to lift your head. "Rest" is what you do when you cannot bear the faintest sound or lightest touch. "Rest" is what you do when your body is wracked with pain. "Rest" is what you do until you are blue in the face. "Rest" is what you do instead of living your old life, instead of going out into the world. "Rest" is the euphemism for I-cannot-do-so-I-must-learn-to-just-be.

If "rest" was a cure, I wouldn't be writing this to you.

Baked Expectations, Artorama, and a really great dinner

Dear Knittah,

I'm sorry I haven't written much lately, there just hasn't been all that much happening in the way of exciting travel... and I admit, I've been a bit lazy. Sorry! The good news is that I'll be making a trip to Fredericton, NB, this spring, and will be stopping in Toronto on my way there. (I'll be sure to check out Lettuce Knit! Oooo... they're open late Wednesday nights... I wonder if that's when the SNB meets? I'd love to hang out with a Toronto SNB! And, of course, if I happen to meet the Yarn Harlot, I'll be *sure* to get my picture taken with her! Noricum has met her a few times now, but I haven't gotten to meet her yet. *sigh*)

Anyway, here's the small bits of excitement we had in March:

Noricum and I and Noricum's friend (HJ) and Noricum's friend's husband went to Baked Expectations early in March. Noricum hadn't seen her friend in quite a while, and HJ is *pregnant*! (Baby knitting! Noricum had some fun with baby knitting back in February.) Anyway, the cake was soooooo good, that we didn't manage to get a photo of it before it disappeared. Whoops!

However, HJ helped take this photo where Noricum is pointing to the cake she had a slice of:

It was *yummy*! It was chocolate cake with a layer of chocolate cheesecake and another of chocolate mousse, all coated with chocolate ganache. (Can you tell Noricum likes chocolate? Or that she couldn't decide between cake, cheesecake, or mousse? And that in a state of chocolate-indecision, this cake was perfect? If she goes back again, though, she plans on having a slice of "plain old" chocolate cheesecake. Not that anything is "plain old" there!)

Then nothing much happened for *ages*... Noricum worked on her dissertation, and I hung out in her pocket, waiting for interesting opportunities.

Today, something interesting finally happened! We went to Artarama, an art show of local artists put on by the Knights of Columbus. (Noricum's dad is in the Knights, and her mom is having lots of fun doing art... so she had two invitations to go.) here's some of the art we saw:






(Did you notice I actually met one of the artists in that last photo!?! I gave her a postcard.)


After a fun afternoon looking at art, we had a *yummy* dinner at Masa, a Japanese restaurant:

Mmmmm! This time I managed to get a photo before all the food was gone... although there was already a big dent in the edamame, and Noricum had eaten two of her pieces of sashimi. For dessert, we had puffed rice cake at home that Noricum's mom had made. Mmmmmm!

Well, it's getting past my bedtime now, so I guess I should go to bed.

Love,
Swatchy

Introducing Swatchy McPhee

Do you remember when I posted a couple weeks ago asking for someone to carry a Swatchy to the Represent Event in New York City? No one volunteered in time, and I was bummed. I am a huge fan of the Yarn Harlot, and CFS prevented me from going to the event myself. It was yet another cruel disappointment at the hands of this illness.

Rebecca has come to the rescue!!!!!! It turns out that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka Yarn Harlot, is making an appearance in Rebecca's home town next week. Rebecca emailed me and offered to carry a Swatchy to the event. Hurray!!!!!! I am so grateful, and the Swatchy Factory™ ramped up:



I am please to introduce Swatchy McPhee. First, a disclaimer: this Swatchy is not meant to be a representation of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I know that Stephanie is not shaped like a shoebox, nor do I think she has (or needs) purple hair. I hope she won't mind that I borrowed part of her name for this special Swatchy.

Swatchy McPhee was knit from a variety of stash yarns that my mom had on hand. Her hands and face are Scottish wool, her pants are silk, her hair is Manos. She was knit very tightly on US1 and US2 needles.



Do you see that she is holding something in her right hand? Yes, she has knitting. What else does a knitter do while waiting to see the Yarn Harlot herself? Swatchy McPhee is bringing her knitting along to the event. Let me give you a sense of scale.


That's garter stitch on straight pins with laceweight yarn.

Swatchy McPhee is now on her way to Rebecca, and should arrive with plenty of time before the event. I can't wait to see pictures! Maybe Swatchy McPhee will even get to meet her namesake!

Introducing Swatchy Bean™

Meet Swatchy Bean! He was designed by and made for my husband. David chose Artyarns Supermerino in color 138 for Bean's body. The eyes, heart and hair are similar to the other Swatchys.

Swatchy Bean is currently in Las Vegas with David for a professional conference. Hopefully Bean will behave himself, but bring back some good pictures!

Off to Africa

SwatchGrrl is off to Africa! She will be living with our friend Njuru in Lilongwe, Malawi. Njuru is from Kenya, but he and his family are in Lilongwe, where Njuru works on a public health program. I hope that we'll see pictures and hear stories about this far off place, so different from home!

Harloty Request

Knittah here. I have a request to make of any and all knitters who read this blog:

Is there anyone who plans to attend the Represent Event with the Yarn Harlot in NYC?

I cannot go. I desperately WANT to go, but I cannot go. Believe me, if I could convince someone to come along, I would hop a train and go to this event because I think it will be awesome. But I have a doctor's appointment the next day, and there is no way on this earth that I could go to the event in New York and then make it to the doctor's appointment on Friday. And since my doctor is out of the country five months a year, and I have had this appointment for three months, there is no way I can cancel this appointment.

So . . . the Represent Event is Thursday, March 22nd at 6 pm at The Fashion Institute of Technology in the Haft Auditorium, which is in the C building on 27th street just off of 7th avenue. Most current details are in this post, and the blog may have more details in the next few days.

If anyone reading this is able to attend, please contact me. I will find a way to get you a Swatchy in time for the party.

Day at the Beach

Dear Swatchy,

Nori and I went to the beach (with the help of Celeste and Knittah)!!! We had so much fun. First we checked out this cool statue by the town library.


Then the girls took us to the ocean!!! As you can see, it was a beautiful day. There was only a little breeze, and it was over 50 degrees Farenheit.


Even so, the girls got a little cold. Here's Knittah, who says she doesn't mind the cold at all.


We all sat on the beach for almost three hours. We were the only people there, at least who were sitting. There was a steady stream of people walking along the water, and some had dogs. But no one else was just sitting and relaxing. Celeste and Knittah talked and talked. Man, those two can talk! Nori and I got bored, so we played in the sand.


And I just couldn't resist. I buried Nori!


Hee hee hee! That was fun. Celeste got some strange looks from passersby when she took our picture. I don't know why. Doesn't everybody bury each other in the sand?


But don't worry, Swatchy. I didn't leave Norl there. Knittah made sure I dug him out and helped him clean off all the sand. Then it was back to the house for a yummy dinner, lots of knitting and a Battlestar Galactica marathon.

We had a great time! Wish you could have been with us!

Love, Swatchy Hugz

Sick Nicky

Swatchy and Unhappy Nicky

Dear Nori,

Did you know Nicky? Well, he's Noricum's dad's dog, and Noricum is taking care of him while her dad is away. Unfortunately, Nicky hurt himself somehow. We don't know what's wrong yet. (We're waiting to hear from the vet.) I'll keep you posted.

You'll be happy to know I helped to keep him company at the vet's this morning. (From a safe distance... Nicky is rough with chew-toys, and he thinks anything that'll fit in his mouth is a chew toy. I wouldn't last long as Nicky's chew toy!!!)

I hear you get to go to the beach this weekend with Knittah, Celeste, and Swatchy Hugz... I hope you have fun!

Love,
Swatchy

Dresssed For The Weather

Dear Knittah,

Although Friday was pretty warm, we've been having some awfully cold weather up here in Winnipeg. I just wanted to let you know I'm okay, and I have some great cold-weather gear. What do you think of my toque and longjohns?

The longjohns actually came free with Noricum's longjohns, it just took her a while to realize what they were for. ;) So now we're stylin' in our matching longjohns, and boy do they help with the cold! On really cold days, I can even pull them up further:

(Noricum can't do that with hers, though. Mine are definitely superior.)

Love,
Swatchy

For Noricum's Birthday

For her birthday, Noricum asked her friends to go out and enjoy the day and then tell her about it. Needing no more excuse than that, my husband and I had a Grand Day Out and Nori came along.

Because of CFIDS, my Grand Day Out actually took three days. We had a brief outing on Friday, I rested all day on Saturday, and then another brief outing on Sunday. In any event, here is what we did.

On Friday, we went to my favorite coffee place. Good music, great coffee, great ambience, and permission to sit as long as you like equals the perfect coffee house. Nori enjoyed the cookies, too.


One of the cool things is the mural painted behind the building but visible through windows in the back wall. You can't find something like this in any chain place.


We sat for an hour or so, me knitting, of course. Nori and I lobbied hard for a trip to the local yarn store afterwards, but nap time won out. I didn't bother to take pictures of that, nor of all the resting I did on Saturday. Use your imagination.

Sunday, we went to the local mall. Believe it or not, this is Nori in front of the small mall.


We went to the bookstore, and I got some great stuff: Folk Bags (which is gorgeous stuff), a moleskine, and a new knitting journal.


After shopping, we had lunch. Nori helped.


Then my husband expressed the need for toys.


Among other things, he got himself a lego monkey. A monkey, made out of lego! I'm not sure why that is necessary in life.


And that was our Grand Day Out. It may not seem like much, but for us it was a lot! Happy Birthday, Noricum!

Knitting In Winnipeg

Dear Nori,

We haven't been doing anything too exciting here lately, but there has been some fun in the past week.

On Saturday we went to Leona's Sweater and Wool Shop. Here's Leona:


It's a nice little store... there isn't as big a selection as at Ram Wools, but there is quite a wide variety. If you go in there with a project in mind, she's bound to have something suitable. All the walls are covered floor to ceiling with yarn:


Can you spot me in these photos? ;)

It's kind of sad. There used to be four yarn shops (besides big box stores like Michaels and Walmart) in Winnipeg, but two have closed in the past year. Leona is getting closer to retirement, so she's cutting back on her hours. Ram Wools is a really nice store, but it's nice to have choices. Ram Wools has it's specialty (higher end yarns), and Leona's is different. Variety is the spice of life!

Noricum wasn't planning on buying anything (in fact, she didn't think to even look for the store until she was already out running errands), but caved when she saw that the Sugar 'n Cream was on sale:

She says it's okay because she cast on right away:

By now she's used nearly all the purple on one project, which currently just needs seaming, and the green project should be just as quick. She used the lovely ebony needles that Knittah gave her, but discovered that the long straight needles still aggravate her wrists. She's very unhappy about that, because the needles are so lovely and nice to use otherwise.

After Leona's, we also popped into Michaels:

We didn't take any indoor photos, because if you've seen one, you've pretty much seen them all. Noricum bought a bit more yarn:

The SWS was planned (40% off coupon), but the blue cotton yarn was impulse. She has a project in mind, though, and at least it was an inexpensive impulse purchase. She made it out of Michaels with less than $10 spent, which is pretty good for her.

We took a few more photos while we had the camera out in the Michaels parking lot. Here's the Blue Bombers football stadium:

and here's a big movie theater and mall:

These photos remind me... you can see lots of sky in Winnipeg. When Noricum was down in Chapel Hill, she liked the trees, but missed the sky. There's trees here too, but also lots of sky.

This week has also been full of SNB! We went to the St James library on Tuesday night, but it was a rather small gathering there (three knitters, a librarian, and me). Here I am posing for Nicole:

She seemed thrilled at her "brush with greatness". I hadn't realized I was great! How cool is that? Or perhaps she was just teasing me. Nicole and Noricum talked lots about internet stuff, for some reason. Did you know that Nicole is also in the Lime and Violet Sock Marathon? She also has a son who must be related to Houdini somehow!

Wednesday night at Chapters had a lot more people:

We had a wonderful time!

Is Knittah able to go to a SNB, or is that too much for her?

Hugs,
Swatchy

I'm Bored!

Dear Noricum,

I am really really bored. *whine* Knittah is being very careful with her activity levels, so I haven't gone anywhere in a long time. She promised we would do something fun this Saturday - your birthday! - but until then, I'm just lounging around.



Here's a pile of books Knittah got from the library. She says the library is a great way to read knitting books that she can't buy. So here is what we got: Confessions of a Knitting Heretic, Toys to Knit (there were some great toys in this book), Angelita's Magic Yarn (I didn't like this story much), Knitting Out of Africa (Knittah really likes some of these sweaters but they look very complicated), Maine Island Kids (I thought these sweaters were a little weird), Yarnplay, and Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting. That last book got Knittah very excited. She says she wants to visit Shetland some day.

So that's about it from here, Noricum. Hopefully, we'll get out to do something fun soon! Until then,

Nori