The Train

I took the train to New York when I was done in D.C.  I figure what with security and getting from LaGuardia to the city it took about the same amount of time as a flight would have.

The station is nice.   Well, was once nice.  It's pretty chopped up now but there were some old style grand station bits still visible.

There was good people watching too.  I'm not sure how these stockings work, but they were impressive.

There was tagging along the way :)

More than anything else I was impressed by the number of states you cross on such a short train ride.  

Colorful Stop

Spotted this while driving down the parkway yesterday :)

Odds and Ends

A knit-tag I made ages ago has finally found a home :-D

The Family continues to thrive:

I have been knitting, but not a lot and not very well.  These Christmas socks turned out ok though:

And this is a new pair I started for myself, because I need vanilla socks on the needles.  Yarn: Miss Babs in Deep Sea Jellyfish, purchased at Fibre Space in Alexandria, Virginia.

And a note on talismans and good-luck charms, or "signaling" if you prefer.  I usually wear this when I am flying Delta.  It's a 15-year "pin" from Northwest Airlines.  Sometimes the crew recognize it.  Good things sometimes happen when they do:

This was our gift for the 25th Yarnover; it's a needle gauge.  When I was at Fibre Space it was noticed and jealously admired:

This is a good-luck symbol that I purchased in Istanbul.  I tried to use it for good luck today when I went to American Rug Laundry, but alas, I did not find anything I liked.  I'm in the process of redecorating Boy-child's room.  Since I'm in no rush I find no need to purchase anything unless I love it.

Which reminds me.  Last time I went to American Rug Laundry I found a very unusual round rug.

I call it the fish bowl.  For obvious reasons.

That's it for today.  I have new countertops going in this week.  Wish me luck!

Knitting Machine?

I've never been attracted to machine knitting before.

But I discovered something this week that could change my mind.

Take a look at www.knitsforlife.com 

Their yarn bomb page is available here.

These are some of my favorites:

True not all of them are knitting machine scale, but still...and this discovery comes on the heels of Silvernfire suggesting the new stadium could be yarn bombed .... hmmm ....

LFL Tagged

Did I mention I made a sweater for The Girls' Little Free Library?  It's rather ill-fitting but will do for the winter, I think.  In the spring I'll work on one that accommodates that big support piece that goes so far down the main post!

Today I am at University hospitals again.  One last biopsy for Auntie.  Let's hope it's the last one...

Art and a Little Food

I heard about a gallery exhibit of Hot Tea's stuff in Minneapolis so I went.  I was a little underwhelmed, although this self-portrait was kind of cool.

Especially close up.

I liked this figure rappelling down the wall with yarn.

Maybe I was underwhelmed because the exhibit is small.

Other than that, nothing exciting here.  I made chili using a new mini mortar and pestle for spices.  It's the first time I've made chili in the new place (you can tell Boy-child is back).

And I have a new Kandinsky print that just got back from framing.

It's called Balancement

Tags

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I found a corner in South Minneapolis that has all four stop signs with knit tags. It's on 36th west of where it turns into a two-way but before Bloomington Ave (I think). Check it out; it's a delightful corner.

I closed on the condo Friday.  Once again I have a home.  With quiet neighbors.  And that's Taco Taxi's truck out there on Lake St. mmmmm......

I have an old-lady shopping cart - my first house-warming gift.

And what do you do first thing, when you're moving?  Set up the new swift and wind a hank of yarn into a cake, that's what.

I also got an awesome shower curtain. The place needs color, and I plan to remedy that issue.

I was going to replace the fugly counter tops in the kitchen first thing, but it turns out it's not in the budget.  Other sprucing up will be done.  Stay tuned.

International Yarn Bombing Day

Smart Car

Check out the "tea cozy" for a Smart Car - turned it into a roller skate, of sorts:

The full article can be found here. Apparently they were looking for activities to bring young designers and older crafty folks together.

Thanks, Pato, for finding the NPR story.

Graffiti Art Extraordinaire

The most amazing thing!

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Found it here.

What do you do during lunch?

Odds and Ends

Hot flowers taken with a flash, indoors, at night:

The tags continue to multiply on the fence:

I finished a Montego Bay scarf:

There was a very unusual passenger on the bus the other day:

Blinker's Hat

The first of the baby hats is done - second one has been started in pinks. Matching booties will follow. We don't know what the gender of the baby is (due in July, hat and booties won't be needed before September/October so plenty of time).
And the first ball of yarn is used up on the cardigan. Unfortunately, it's been languishing for a few days.
Some tagging was done too. I like the fact that by doing it in pieces the new bits will always be brightening it up. We didn't get questioned by the police today; too gloomy out. Who's going to argue about a splash of color on a gray fence on a gray day?

The fish and glitter are in honor of Sue Fisher; she used to say she was part crow.

Urban Beautification

Quite a few people working on the fence now. We were even featured on a U radio show.

Yarn Bomb Extraordinaire

Beautification Project

You may recall that last November, on an outing that was art filled and inspiring, Girl-child and I tagged a bleak corner of our fair city, leaving a small splash of colorful fun over I94:
This week Girl-child, Friend and I went back to the fence. We hope to add to it regularly, in an attempt to transform the drab space into a cheery corner. We chose the brightest yarn we could find.
Although interrupted briefly by a friendly police officer who was concerned that we may be throwing ourselves or objects off the overpass and into the oncoming traffic, I reassured him that such was not the case. I also took the initiative to educate him on what we were doing. The nice young man, seeing that I was not unlike his mother, took the lesson well and drove away while we finished up.

Hopefully there will be more to come.

Art

Girl-child and I had an artistic outing today.

It included an illegal shot inside an exhibit with venetian blinds, lights and a drum kit:
The freshly painted cherry-spoon bridge:
Calder sculptures, which Girl-child loves:

I got a framed Basilica shot, which I've never done digitally:
And I visited an old favorite:
We even left our own artistic imprint on a much less beautiful corner of town: