Our wonderful friend Chuck turned 40 in January, 2010 - and to commemorate the event, he arranged for 21 of his friends and family to meet and spend a week in a 17,000 square foot villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!  (I know, I know; we're LUCKY!) - the weather was AMAZING, views spectacular, and the experience will stay with me the rest of my life as one of the best trips EVER! 

Now, in this season of snow and cold across much of the United States, I know some of you will be envious of the 80 degree weather with clear skies... take a gander at some of the photos and just try to remember that winter doesn't last forever; soon it will be spring again and you too will have the sunshine and gorgeous days!

While on the trip we also went on a forest canopy tour, using ziplines hundreds of feet above the forest floor to travel from one mountain to the next, we played with tiny cute monkeys, and even went on a day cruise to a remote beach where we were served a gourmet meal... we snorkled, frolicked in waves, shopped and had more fun than we deserved!  It was a memorable birthday celebration and the best vacation EVER.
During the visit the majority of our time was spent lounging at the pool or sitting on the gorgeous patio and visiting with friends.  I, of course, was knitting... along with our friend Kenny from Houston and John from San Francisco.  I brought my fair isle vest to work on and got a lot accomplished during the flight down, but while at the villa, it seemed difficult to concentrate... maybe it was the friends and fun conversation, or perhaps it was a result of the amazing hand made frozen strawberry margueritas that our bar staff (yes, we had STAFF!) made -

The food was incredible - all made fresh from local fare brought to the villa by Vinny (the house manager) and the cook prepared everything to order - we had an incredible birthday cake on Chuck's birthday and I could have probably eaten the entire thing myself...

In knitting news, I am working on the fair isle vest, and a few other goodies... including knitted boxer shorts which were designed by Brian Kohler of Skacel.  I'm quite into the knitting groove as of late; just in time for school to start back up.

Yes, school.

This semester offers only two courses for me: Abnormal Psychology and Ceramics (which I guess would be considered an intermediate course this time; I'll be required to make a plate, a pedestal bowl, and 4 pieces of tableware (cups, bowls, butter dishes, whatever) - all themed around the inspiration of an artist which I must still come up with - any ideas?

I decided not to take a 3rd course this semester and instead will dedicate THAT time to my circular sock knitting machine.  I must make that thing work!  I am hoping to get proficient at it so that I will be able to make socks for others quickly and beautifully... and the only reason I don't do it is because I "don't have time" -- so, I'll make time! - that way, I can spend a few hours a week dedicated to the machine and with any luck that'll get me on my way!

Of course, I'm still running - last week, we ran 20 miles (yes, 20 miles!) - we were up and running at 6AM and I can not begin to tell you how amazing it feels to have accomplished this!  Next week I'll be running the Pasadena Half-Marathon - and then on March 21st I'll be running the Los Angeles Marathon!

I am hosting dinner at Marie Callender's on March 3, 2010 in Toluca Lake, CA - if you are in the area, please print out this flyer and present it to the cashier when paying your bill - 15% of the total will be donated to my efforts and in turn to AIDS Project Los Angeles! 

There will also be a WONDERFUL raffle held the same evening - raffle tickets are $1 each, and there's a coupon for 2 free tickets when you buy 20 on the flier.  Winners need not be present to win, so if you want to buy tickets and place them on an item, feel free to email me and let me know - I will have you donate through my online donation page - once I see the donation there I can mark and place your raffle tickets.  The only stipulation is that if you can not pick up your item, I will ask you to cover the cost of shipping. 

Please cross post and share this event with your Los Angeles family and friends - the more people who bring these flyers on March 3rd, the more money we can raise to help improve the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles! 
 
 
What have I been up to?  Lots.  Seriously.  School 3 nights a week, working full time, preparing for the training for the LA Marathon... playing with all my animals, and oh yeah... knitting... ceramics... and even some painting.  Here's a quick overview of some of the things I have been doing:
Organized knitting

I have been haunted by unfinished projects. Bits and pieces of sweaters sitting in part of my studio, and other pieces half completed were stuffed in my closet. There were unknown “WIP’s” in bags with other knitting, and some projects that were so lost that I forgot they even existed! After a few hours of organizing last Sunday, I was able to eliminate most of the mixed up projects and get them organized so that I know what is what – and where most of the pieces are. I took a deep breath and frogged a big part of a sweater that I started a few years ago (because I am unsure if I have enough of the yarn to complete it!) and ripped out a scarf that was coming out too wide – re-rolled the yarn and put it back in the stash. I feel good about these changes and it helped to take inventory of what projects were in progress. I’m a big fan of the plastic buckets holding my WIP’s – I wish I had bought all of them at the same time so that they weren’t so different in style, but they do the job… one plastic bin = one project… pattern, yarn, notions – it’s a good way to stay organized and to place projects in and out of hibernation.  I have been busy knitting, but this will be a long post, so I'm giving the Reader's Digest Condensed Version - more about most of the other knitting I have been doing soon... (with any luck some of those pieces might even be finished objects by then!) but it woldn't be the kylewilliam.com blog without a little knitting, right? 

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Seahorse Cardigan

After a year of experimenting and being frustrated, I finally was able to get close to gauge on the famed “Seahorse Cardigan”~ I was hoping for 6 stitches / inch and got 5.5 stitches / inch – it seems to be working so far, since one size was *almost* too small, the change in gauge should make it fit perfectly! The intarsia is a bit frustrating at times with so many repetitive color changes in one row… but I was able to get through the first part of the sleeve and now it’s smoothe sailing to the sleeve cap in one glorious (boring) color and stockinette all the way! - I am anxious to see how this one turns out; loving it more and more with each stitch!

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Painted kitchen

The kitchen needed a bit of a makeover. The biggest issue we had was the chairs around the breakfast table… to put it mildly, they were falling apart. The chairs were also digging into the wall, so something really needed to change. Since the walls were damaged, and since the kitchen hadn’t been painted for 8 years, we selected a new color and dove headfirst into a kitchen mini-renovation this past weekend! We patched and painted the walls, edited some of the accessories from the walls and counters, and replaced the old table with a new taller table and stools from Ikea – Stainless steel with a dark black/brown wood top which will soon be covered with glass. We are pleased with the results.
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Ceramics

Working diligently on ceramics, I am continuing my experiments with combining clay with the fiber arts, expanding these projects to the include crochet. I plan to have a few pieces up for sale in my etsy shop soon, and I am also working on pieces for a couple upcoming exhibits.  No photos of this stuff yet... it's all "in the works!"
Yarn Bowls

The first series of cast metal yarn bowls are in finishing and should be available fairly soon. I decided to post these on etsy and will be notifying those who added the yarn bowls as a “favorite” on my ravelry page (my ID is kylewilliam) as soon as they’re posted.  Be sure to purchase quickly if you’re interested in one – I’m unsure of how long it’ll take to get the next set ready!  I'm expecting to get these photographed and up on the site next week! 
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Marathon Update

The date is getting closer to begin training for the 25th LA Marathon (which happens in March, 2010) – The kickoff party was yesterday, and I am pleased to report a friend from school has decided to join me in this adventure! I’m still a bit frightened that I decided to tackle this quest but it has been on my “list” for quite a while. I have never taken time to write an official “bucket list” – you know; the list of things you want to do before you die, but when/if I do ever write one, running a marathon will be on there. (and come this time next March, it’ll be crossed off!) Thank you to the people who have been able to donate! I am amazed at the level of generosity I have discovered through my online friends. If you have yet to donate or can spare a few more dollars (remember, it’s all tax deductible!) please visit my website and make a donation. The proceeds go to AIDS Project Los Angeles who desperately needs the money. Times are tough for all of us – but a few dollars can make all the difference. I made a commitment to run and love it every time I see someone donate – not only is it that you’re giving to a great cause, you’re also supporting me!

Training (actual running!) starts October 11th – just under 2 weeks away. Standing here, today, I feel like running 26.2 miles would be impossible. I am confident that throught this program and with your support, I will be able to complete this task!  Raising the funds to help support APLA means a lot to me, especially after listening to the message they shared at the kickoff party, stating that the recent CA state budget cuts slashed their funding by over 1 Million Dollars!  I won't be able to fix the problem, but the few dollars I can offer will certainly help.  I know that come March, crossing that finish line, I will be a different person (and I can’t wait to share the journey with you!)

Hunting for Charities

Please email me with any information regarding non profit organizations in the United States that might be interested in auctioning off a blanket made from the extra squares from Jason’s blanket {LINK TO POST} – I’m hoping our efforts will help raise much needed money – the squares are created, they just need to be joined and donated. I’m glad to make this additional effort but prefer to do this with charitie(s) in mind. If you know of a group that could benefit, let me know. With the squares that were donated, I believe we can make 4 throws.

I would like to donate 2 of these throws to charities as listed above, and I’d like to gift 2 of these throws to knitters in need – if you know a knitter or person in your life who might appreciate a blanket crafted with squares from knitters around the world, please email me {EMAIL} with the story and your contact information – I’ll review these stories and select two individuals to receive the throws. It’s not always about raising money… sometimes; it’s also about giving back to our community. I believe these throws might mean more to fellow knitters but invite everyone who might be interested to submit their stories.

One last note – if your person is selected, I hope I will be able to post their story on the blog along with the blanket that was made for them – People who made these squares sometimes read this blog, and I think it might be nice to hear the story behind the person receiving a blanket made with our squares. Sharing these stories gives us power and helps us all to heal.

Happy October, everyone!!
 
 
I did it. I took the first step - today is August 20, 2009 - the one year anniversary of my losing my Grandmother to Alzheimer's... I spent the day at work, and while at work a voulenteer came into our showroom and asked if we could put the AIDS Marathon Training Program brochure stand in the store.  It offers a program of training to help raise money for AIDS research while helping participants train for the Los Angeles Marathon.  I looked at it again... ominous. It's back. Year after year, I have witnessed the opportunity to become part of this process - to join, run, grow strong, raise money and eventually run a marathon!

And each year, I let the chance pass me by.

This year, I made the decision. I didn't think about it - it's easier to just do things sometimes, and to freak out later. I know I'll freak out soon... school is about to start - I'm working full time... I still love my knitting and must find time for that as well... but here I am - signed up and ready to jump in!
Please help me raise the money needed. I know it's a long way from now - but if you can help me by giving even a few dollars, it'll help me see who is behind me.
Thank you! Please check back often - and email me if you have any questions or stories you'd like to share with me...I have a few I'll share as the days pass... and as we get closer to March when I'll do what I never thought I could!
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click on the graphic to be directed to my personal fundraising site - and if you have a few dollars, please give what you can - another big help will be to help by sharing my site with others - email your friends and ask them to give... $5 is a big help - it tells me you care about me and this cause and you support my efforts to do what today feels ominous and impossible.  I know that with your support I'll succeed and that come March, I'll look back at this day and smile as I remember how scared I was - and by then I know I will have learned that anything is possible with a little bit of determination and the support of your family and fri
Thank You!