New York, Event Horizon

There is a public art exhibit going on in New York right now called "Event Horizon". It's a bunch of life-size naked-ish male human forms just standing around. Some are on rooftops (which have caused people to call 911 to report jumpers) but most of the statues are in and around Madison Square Park.

This kid was sitting at the foot of one of the statues, screaming his head off.





It cracked me up.

I've been doing this fun Thursday night yoga in Bryant Park for 3 years now. It's very chill and relaxed. I like the idea of doing yoga outside on a lawn, and because hundreds of people are doing it around you, it makes me less upset/distracted of the hundreds of people watching and taking pictures of everyone when they are in happy baby pose. Perverts.

That said, it would be cool to get good photos of hundreds of people doing yoga in the middle of New York. I'm too shy to start snapping away during, so here's some pre-yoga shots.







It's really amazing to see the city at a different angle as well....



...like upside down

DC

I was in DC over the weekend. It was hot and humid and perfect for museum hopping and catching up with friends.







Disapproving man DISAPPROVES.




By the way, the National Gallery had a Hieronymus Bosch painting called "Death and the Miser".



Very few of his paintings are outside of Europe. It's always a thrill to see one up close.






These Mules were taking a break from towing a flat-bottom boat down the C&O canal.



The new breakfast of champions:



Sloe Gin fizzes and homemade donuts and whipped cream. What a wonderful way to start the day.

I got to see some of my knitwear recipients, although it was waaay to warm for any of that nonsense.





I did get quite a bit of knitting done on the 4 hour train ride each way. More exciting than that, I went to the Dupont Circle Farmer's Market on Sunday morning and stumbled upon this:



Solitude Farm had a booth there. They specialize in breed-specific yarn from locally raised sheep...Clun Forest, Shropshire, Tunis, Suffolk, Dorset, Karkul, Romney, Border Leicesters and Leicester Longwool yarn. I'm a sucker for breed-specific yarn and I love the fact that they are utilizing rare sheep breeds. Plus, the women who were running the booth were super sweet and knowledgeable about their product and willing to chat and share their enthusiasm. Super score...if you are in DC on a weekend, I would highly recommend checking them out.

Naturally, I couldn't resist taking home a souvenir from my trip:



It's 120 yards of DK weight yarn that's a blend of Clun Forest and Alpaca. Cluns are a hardy,medium-sized sheep from northern England. They are a down breed, meaning they have short, dense, elastic fleece.

I didn't get home until the wee hours of Monday morning, but the sleep deprivation was totally worth it.

New York, from a tall place

Sometimes work sends me someplace really cool for a meeting.















You don't realize how large central park really is until you've seen it from a height.



They also tend to keep me there quite late.

WIPs

I'm trying to get a few sweaters finished up before the humidity makes me forsake them.

First up: The Hey, Teach sweater from Knitty.com. I picked this pattern based on the yardage alone...it requires a small amount, which is perfect for this:



I bought 14 skeins of Elsebeth Laavold Silky Cashmere last year when the Yarn Connection in midtown went out of business. I got a really good deal on it, and 14 skeins seemed like it would be enough to do something with. I didn't dawn on me that having only 44 yards per skein means I purchased a mere 616 yards total. 14 skeins sounded like a lot at the time.

Aside from the skimpy yardage, it's super luxurious to work with. It contains 55% Silk, 45% Cashmere and it's Aran weight, so it's thick and cushy and so soft. It's a 4-ply yarn, but it is so loosely plied that it's almost like knitting with 4 strands held together.

So I picked this pattern because I wanted something that I could squeak by on minimal yardage. I still might not be able to make this with sleeves- it might be some sort of funky button-up vest. Plus, it will still count towards my 12 sweater challenge, right?





No matter though.

I also cast on for the Wanida socks for the man who deserves them. It's from Cookie A's book "Sock Innovation", which I can't find a picture of. These are part of my A-Z Stashdown Challenge...B is for Blue Moon Fiber Arts.



I'm using a skein of BMFA Socks that Rock lightweight in "Obsidian". It's a good, manly color. I'm doing these toe-up, two at a time.



I had a good chunk done but we both decided they were too big at 72 stitches. I tinked back and now they are 64 stitches and they look much more reasonably sized. I am doing the foot plain and starting the pattern once the heel is turned. As much as I love cables and lace on a pair of socks, they can be really uncomfortable to try and fit in shoes. It's a good bet to make a plain foot and then do the ankle and cuffs more interesting if you are going to plan on wearing the socks.

The Queen of Beads socks are the most awesome socks I've ever made:


But I can not wear them with shoes since they have both cables and beads, so they make imprints in the tops of my feet. They are my designated "Spinning Socks". Plus, they are too pretty to cover up so I wear them to show them off.

I have another FO that I need to block and get ready for its closeup, plus another couple summery sweaters that I'm plugging away at, plus my handspun oatmeal, and a really cool dye job I want to show off...I'll get to all that soon.

Memorial Day

We spent a beautiful weekend in Eastern Long Island.




Sun, sand, surf. Good friends. Good food.






The weather was perfect for sleeping outdoors, and waking to the chorus of birds each morning was amazing.




© Cheryl Pawlowski



© Cheryl Pawlowski

It made everyone have a collective sigh of, "Ahhhhhhh...Summertime" with a blissful smile.

Also, I cast on for a pair of socks. It's the only project small enough to fit in my bag when I'm traveling and I couldn't resist.