The house has felt empty since Wink was put to sleep. I made the decision to have her cremated so that I could hold her memory in an urn in my home. I knew that at some point during the next week or so the phone would ring and I’d be notified her cremains are waiting for me at the vet’s office.

On Tuesday, that happened.

The next day, I went back and forth trying to determine when I would go pick up her cremains [this is the correct term for cremated remains, often called ashes], and today, I decided it was time. I made a plan (take public transportation to the park, and then enjoy a walk through the neighborhood to the Vet). There was something comforting about the idea of having her cremains and being able to bring my Wink back home.

I walked into the lobby of the vet and waited my turn to be greeted. It’s just after 11 in the morning, and little worried pets surrounded me, along with their concerned parents… I studied the bulletin board full of community pet-related activities and looked at the collection of photos until it was my turn at the desk:

“I’m here to pick up Wink.”

“Wink?” A look of confusion…

“Yes. Wink’s ashes.” A moment of silence happened here where she processed the fact that I was picking up the remains of my dead pet…

“Oh. Just a minute.”

She went to the back and returned a few minutes later with a little wood box and a small heart shaped ornament. The ornament had Wink’s paw print, and her name stamped on it. These items were placed in front of me.

As I looked at the box and this little ornament (which she was now explaining to me) I asked “are the cremains in a bag inside the box?” She said she thought so, but hadn’t ever opened one of these boxes before. “Let’s do it” I said… and we proceeded to unhook the latch and lift the lid.

Inside was a small clear plastic bag filled with ashes and a little piece of paper that said:  Name: Claude

“Claude”, not “Wink”. Confused.

“Who is Claude?” I asked.

She glanced at the little note, gently closed the box, and said “I’ll be right back.” A few minutes later, she returned, explaining to me that Wink’s cremains were returned to the facility so that they could correct the spelling of my name on the box. After apologizing for the mix-up, she let me know that they’d be in touch in the next day or so to let me know when they were ready to pick up.

Now, I realize mistakes happen, and that things can be mixed up. I also know that this will get sorted out. The people who provide these services are obviously careful with the remains (exemplified by the name of the pet being included in the bag), and in time it’ll get sorted out.

What I don’t understand is why someone didn’t call to tell me there was going to be a delay in my being able to pick up the cremains because a mistake had been made in the spelling of my name. The service I ordered was a private cremation (which results in the delivery of your own pet’s cremains), and the encounter left me confused and unsure of what pet’s cremains will find their way home with me. I just have to believe that my name really was spelled wrong on the box, and that it’s a simple mix-up that will be easily resolved. I did a little research and found that the pet cemetery allows in-person cremation, meaning the actual cremation can be attended. Now this might be a bit morbid, but it seems to me the only way to be 100% certain that the cremains you get are of your beloved pet.

But beyond the mix-up and sadness and shock of losing her, I know that Wink had an incredibly wonderful life and gave so much love and laughter to me and my family. I was able to be with her in her last moments, and was able to hold her paw, kiss her head, and tell her goodbye in the very moment she passed.

Do I miss Wink? Yes. Every second. My heart breaks knowing she’s gone. But as time moves forward, I find myself smiling; knowing that she shared 9 love-filled years with me. I’m lucky to have had her in my life and the cremains that I receive (eventually) will take residence in the urn that will be used to remember and honor her life.

The street where I live is usually a quiet place.  Outside, you'll find people jogging, riding bikes, or walking their dogs.  On the 4th of July, however, everything changes.  This year marked the 6th annual Laidley St. parade!  

It is not a "city" parade... this is a true, "small town" parade.  It began with a marching brass band, then the neighbors with the vintage Mercedes convertible, followed by the neighbors who own a SF tour company (with all the safari animals in the back!) ... it went on to even include a horseless carriage!  After the vehicle contingents, the "real" parade stars started down the street:  kids and adults on bicycles and skateboards, marching carrying flags... walking pets.... and being cheered on by the spectators on the side of the street.

At the end of the parade route (also known as the end of the street; only 2 blocks or so!) there was an old firetruck that could be explored, and a baking contest being judged.  We also witnessed the traditional reading of the Declaration of Independence from a balcony.  Here's part of that reading:

Down with the King!  Then, we moved on to the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by an opera singing neighbor.  The crowd joins in:

Have I mentioned I love my street?!  The event goes on for a while and also includes BBQ and fixings.  It's a neighborhood fun day and I look forward to being part of it again next year.

It was during the celebrating that I decided to try to get my second 100 Strangers photo.  I looked around at all the people and, while I did see one person I wanted to photograph, I also saw this sweet, sweet dog!  (The rules say nothing about the 100 strangers being all people!)

This is Colbert (left).  He actually lives just a few blocks away from me on the same street with his buddy and family.  They were both very sweet and fluffy (and HOT!)  and I am sure they wanted to just go home and drink water and cool off.  Lucky for them "home" wasn't far away.  

I chatted with their owner (I think she said her name was Emma; I was so intent on remembering the dog's name I didn't write hers down!) and explained the project.  In the frenzy of the event I also forgot the other dogs name, and didn't even ask the breed!  My guess would be Samoyed.  Thoughts?

Photographing a dog in a busy place like the street party after a parade is difficult.  Emma said "you need to be quick if you want to get a good photo" - and she was right.  I lamented that I didn't have my "real" camera, and that I knew I would want to take photos for the project.  Maybe after taking 2 photos for this project with my phone I'll give in and start using a "real" camera.  Turns out, though... phone cameras are pretty darn good!

We said goodbye to the dogs and the friends at the festival and headed to a friend's house for some more food and friendship.  After that, it was home for me and some relaxing and knitting time.  

Once the sun went down, of course, it was time for the real show.  What's the 4th of July without fireworks?  Here's a video showing the view from my house with a glimpse of some of the the pyrotechnics.  Being up high overlooking San Francisco makes for an interesting view.  We get to see all the shows from all the different neighborhoods.  It was super neat to watch live... and like they say, nothing is better than "being there".

There's not much I can say on the knitting front.  I'm working on a few proposals that are on their way out the door... one design is in testing and should be released in a few weeks... some other designs are within inches of being published and announced (as soon as I get the word I'll talk with you about those.)  I'm working on a shop update... and that's about it.   I think it's so much more interesting when I can share images...

Have an amazing weekend!

I love the fair.  For me, it's a reminder to get out, enjoy the beautiful weather, have some fun, indulge in deep fried EVERYTHING, and to visit and even learn a bit about animals.  Over the weekend I joined my housemates on an adventure to the Sacramento County Fair - a few hours from San Francisco, it was a beautiful drive and arriving at the fair meant encountering the familiar sounds and smells of the fair!  As a child the fair meant the midway - rides and games and prizes.  

I don't know if I have seen this before - these big bubbles have kids in them.. zipped up for a few minutes of "walking on water" - it looked like so much fun!!  We stopped and watched them for a few minutes.. then on to more serious business.  There's sheep at the fair, right?  That means there's probably shearing.. and where there's shearing there's probably .... say it with me...

Fleece! (HOORAY!!)  - John and I ventured into the exhibit hal and looked over the small-ish selection - it's nothing like the CA Wool and Fiber Festival, but still there was a nice variety of fibers represented.  In the end, I selected a black medium corriedale ram lamb's fleece.  It doesn't have a ton of debris in it, and the tips are a touch sunburned but it's not tender (according to the scorecard).  Good uniformity and staple length of 4-1/2 - 5-1/2".

It's also a blue ribbon winner and the reserve champion.

What will it become?  Hopefully yarn.  I'm not going to give it an exact purpose yet... but my intention is to spin knitting or weaving yarn (2 or 3 ply) that can be worked up into something useful.  Weaving would give me more material, I think... but first thing's first.. it's gotta get cleaned.

John bought another blue ribbon winner... a Dorset cross fleece from a ewe that has no sunburned tips.  The scorecard on his says it's slightly yellow (and it is but not as much as shows in this photo).  The staple length is around 4".

We spent much of this weekend watching videos about spinning and fiber preparation while spinning different fibers.  I think we're both excited about cleaning our fleeces and perhaps this coming weekend will bring the time needed to try this for the very first time.  

I don't know if he has specific plans for his fleece - my guess is he's like me... hopeful it'll become something beautiful but resigned to the fact that we've never done this before.  BUT... the thing that gets me through these starts to new adventures is this:  Folks have processed fleeces for thousands of years... and everyone had to start somewhere.  So... that's where we are.

What I did notice about this fair that was different from the others I've seen is that it has a tiny showing for fiber arts.  A few quilts, a few handspun skeins of yarn... a decent amount of photography.. but overall it was a small representation of the talent in that area.  I hope it's a fluke and that the fair will work more to show more pieces in coming years. 

OK Back to the animals.  We went to the barns and checked out all the different critters... We saw cute bunnies... this little lop eared one was tooo adorable!

...and this guy has a fun hairdo!  (and you know me.. I was wondering if I could spin his fur!)

of course we saw sweet sheeps... there was an auction going on in the building while were there.. the selling of sheep for market and butchering always makes me a bit sad but I realize that it's how the business keeps moving... and moving the line along helps to produce more beautiful variations and new stock.  It's just the nature of the business.  This one happens to be a fleecie sheepie!

I also think it's amazing that we can turn the fibers that grow out of a SHEEP (and other animals and plants too) and work them until they produce string or yarn and then weave, knit, crochet or even just felt them to produce fabric that's soft, beautiful and sturdy.  

While checking out all the different animals, we came upon these cute little babies! - I had to take a quick video to show.  (the horse to the left never moved... it must be some strange miniature breed that sleeps with its eyes open!)

What else did we see?  Chickens... we also saw chickens!! ..and ducks...and a petting zoo... and old tractors... and a beekeeper's exhibit... there's so much to see and learn at the fair... from the exhibits to the shows... it's a great day out and worth the time invested with friends and family.

My Woolee Winder arrived last week and I've been spinning CONSTANTLY. I had one bobbin (2oz) of BFL/Silk 80/20 spun up from the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat.  Once the winder came, I spun the second 2oz up and navajo plied each of them.  I managed to spin and ply the third bobbin as well.  I have 2oz left of this amazing fiber "Lunar Dance" (which I bough at A Touch of Twist) and I'll have fun spinning it up as well the same way.  At first I thought I would ply two singles together since the colors were a bit different but then decided that a navajo ply (3ply) would be better.  I'm happy with my decision... now.  what should I make?

Here's some of it at least.  I have unearthed the Craft Yarn Council's Certified Instructors Program from the depths of the studio - Level 1 is about 2/3 done and I just have swatches to knit and a some paperwork to complete.  Over the weekend I was able to complete 3 of the swatches in addition to everything else I did and I will continue to press on.  

The swatches aren't difficult... they just take time and some real paying-attention when it comes to execution.  These will be blocked, labeled, and included in the entire package.  There'll be more about that later.

Justine emailed me over a year ago asking if I might be able to re-size the Corydon sweater (Knitters K106) to fit a child.  I explained to her that once a pattern is sold to a magazine or book, the contract dictates what the designer can do.  In this case, I contacted Knitter's Magazine to find out how we could answer and Rick suggested we re-size it as a kid's pattern and use it in an upcoming issue.  What fun!  So... a year later, Knitter's Magazine issue K111 has some classic patterns re-sized and re-styled to fit little ones.  The model they used for my "Corydon Jr." is adorable!  Since it was released I sent an update email to the Justine and she's very excited about the result.  She tells me she's going to let her boys choose the colors for their sweaters and commented "should be an interesting result!" -  I am looking forward to photos!

I'll be the first to tell you I LOVE the view from my house.  It's probably one of my favorite things about where I live, and I didn't think it could get any better than this.  At sunset it's fun to watch the sunlight bounce off the buildings as the city and bridge light up.  See that big tree to the left?  It seems that although it looks beautiful and green, there were bits of it that had begun to die.  The owners of that property made the hard decision to remove the tree for fear that it would fall and cause some serious damage to the homes of their downhill neighbors. 

So, this week, the work begun.  Workers with ropes, chainsaws, big scary chipping machines and strong work ethic started to chop away.  After the first day (a full day!) of work, they had removed this much of the tree (see the photo below) - and you know what it means?  an even more expansive view of the city!

They finished the visible part of the tree removal yesterday and now I can see the entire skyline of San Francisco from my front window.  There's still a smaller tree in the view and I think it helps to add a bit of scale to the view.  We can see the dome of City Hall now! 

In other news, there are lots of things going on in the studio, most of which I can't talk about; which can be frustrating!  I have sent in quite a few pattern proposals in the past few weeks and have a few more to complete and turn in.  In addition, a number of projects have flown off the needles recently and have found their way to their new homes for tech editing and publishing.  I want to share with you what I'm up to, but I have to wait.

The 2012 Men's Spring Knitting Retreat is over and it's difficult (as it is always difficult!) to put into words how amazing the experience was.  This year, 41 attendees made up the group, and we reconnected at the amazing Easton Mountain Retreat Center.  It's a calm space where everyone is encouraged to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature while being surrounded by creative people.  Recaps of these retreats end up being L-O-N-G and photo-heavy posts so I decided to attempt to divide it into 2 parts.  Welcome to part one: a retreat review and ramblings about the "official" parts of the weekend.

This year, I flew from San Francisco, CA to Albany, NY and met up with Aaron Bush.  The retreat actually began Thursday afternoon, so we're going to fast forward past the "pre-show" and begin there.

Driving to Easton Mountain is refreshing.  It's back roads that go from striped and paved to simply paved... to gravel... to narrow and what a city-person might think should be only one-way.  Returning to Easton for the retreat is a bit like coming "home".  It's walking into the large gathering room and hearing people call my name.  It's not having a chance to put my bag down before there's a group of guys waiting to give me a hug; excited and happy that we are about to share this experience.  Returning to a Men's Knitting Retreat is seeing familiar faces, recognizing people that I may have never met, but recognize through their blogs, twitter feeds, and facebook posts, and they feel like old friends.  It's re-uniting with people who, through fiber, have become a big part of my life.

Arriving at Easton, we are greeted with Easton Mountain (in the background of the video below).  The Center used to be a ski lodge and now it's just a beautiful space to retreat and relax.  The sounds of nature are so different from those I hear waking up in San Francisco!  I thought making a short video of walking down the driveway to the lake might help you understand how amazing and magical this place is.

...and here's a listen at the birds singing one morning during the retreat.  It really was a "change of pace" that allowed us to all decompress, relax and recharge.

During the retreat, we usually go on one field trip.  This time, it was to Ewetopia Farm in Whitehall, NY.  The drive through the beautiful country could have been outing enough, but turning into the driveway of Chris and Max Crossman was a true treat.  Chris had set up a small shop with a selection of fibers and yarns for us to peruse, featuring her Cotswold sheep locks!   It wasn't long before I started to explore the immediate area, taking photo after photo of this idyllic place!  Here are a few of my favorites:

We met one of the Rams and he was in LOVE with us because we all took turns scratching him on his back where he can't reach.  (That's Farmer Max holding the lead to this sweet animal.)  His fleece is beautiful and from what Chris said she is going to continue breeding him to hopefully get some more of his coat characteristics in the flock.  I remember last time I was at the MSKR we visited Alpacas of Easton, and the owner was talking about phenotype and genotype and it made me smile since that was what had just been discussed in my Biology course.  Years later, it wasn't a fluke.  That same talk was being given at this sheep farm!  Lesson here:  If you want to be a success at raising fiber flocks, chances are you'll need to have a good understanding of these topics.

In addition to the sheep, the Crossman's have a few horses and some adorable dogs!  These two were beyond sweet.  Leddie (on the left) is a bit of a guard dog and a BIG dog at that.  She's standing on the road that leads to the farm's sugar shack!  The other doggie was a fat old sweetie and just wanted its belly rubbed!  (Click any of the smaller photos to enlarge them).

See?  I haven't even begun to talk about spinning or the workshops.... trying to explain what the retreat is like is a difficult process.  It's seriously something that simply must be experienced.  There were a number of workshops, and I was able to participate in two: learning how to spin (with Aaron Bush), and knitting and purling backwards (with Matthew Hesson-McInnis).  The spinning workshop helped me continue to hone my skills as I learn more and more about my Sidekick wheel.  Aaron was a gentle teacher, helping the guys wrangle fiber and spin it into yarn.  I was able to offer a little guidance to my neighbors, and I think that at least one participant decided to purchase a wheel by the time he had returned home!  Knitting and purling backwards with Matthew was more of a focused exercise.  His instructional style is suprisingly gentle; asking the students to follow a few simple steps to really understand what happens when a stitch is made.  With a little practice, we were all doing it!  (Slowly, but we WERE doing it!)  The technique will come in handy for ribbing or stockinette almost immediately.  All it'll take is a bit of work to get faster at it but will be well worth it.

Probably the biggest treat to attending these retreats is sitting outside, knitting, spinning, crocheting, and talking with new (and old) friends about ideas, experiences, techniques and, life in general.  The world often gets in the way and we don't find time to take care of ourselves; these few recharging days allows for just that.  It's rewarding, relaxing and inspirational to be at a Men's Knitting Retreat.

We have a tag sale during the retreat where we offer special fibers, books, magazines and finished objects for sale to the other attendees.  It's a chance for us to donate a percentage of the sale to a scholarship fund which helps some guys attend who otherwise couldn't.  This year, Bill Jones from San Francisco hand-knit this AMAZING teddy bear and we put it out for silent auction.  John Wise was the high bidder and the envied one who got to take this sweet bear home!  (If you enlarge the photo, you can see the intarsia around the eyes and inside the ears where Bill used subtle color changes to highlight these spots.)  Bill said that he plans to make one of these bears for each of the retreats.

A visit to this part of the country would simply not be complete without a visit to the Ice Cream Man!  They have been in business for nearly two decades and I can't imagine a trip to this area without visiting and getting a couple scoops of their amazing hand-crafted ice cream.  We also got ice cream from the Ice Cream Man for movie night - where we all gather and knit/spin/weave/crochet our way through a movie (or two!)

...speaking of eating, the food at Easton is certainly worth mentioning.  It's healthy, thoughtfully prepared, and, quite frankly, delicious.  They are considerate of dietary needs and I never went without a full tummy while visiting.  There's no soft drinks, so it was also a great opportunity to stop drinking so much Diet Coke!  

Gosh.  There's so much to talk about - and even if I wrote 100 pages about the few days we were together, I'd still be leaving a lot out.  Once more: It's impossible to express what this retreat means.  It is an amazing experience and for those men who might want to find out what it's like to attend one of these retreats, there are a few coming up!  Visit the Men's Knitting Retreat website to learn more.

I'll be writing more in a few days; sharing about the excursions before the retreat including our visit to one of Aaron's favorite yarn shops and a fantastic local mill.

Knitting is my "go-to" activity whenever I have a few free minutes.  I knit on my lunch break at work, I knit during down time when volunteering, I knit when riding with friends places... at the beach, at the movies... it's the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning (after checking email and ravelry) and the last thing I do usually before going to bed every night. 

Recently, I have been doing some design work for publication and it has taken a lot of my time away from some of the other things I like to do (like my goal of posting more frequently on the blog about knitting).

Those who have designed for publication know what it's like... coming up with an idea, swatching, swatching, swatching and then swatching some more... figuring out what the stitch pattern wants to be, then spending hours and hours knitting, ripping, knitting, ripping and knitting some more until a knitted item is born.  LOTS of notes are made and revised, and once the piece is complete, knitting becomes a sort of math "word problem" where the goal is to calculate the various sizing requirements for the project.

All of this takes so much time, and the publication process takes  a few months more... so in the end, there's LOTS of knitting that becomes secret and takes up time and can't be talked about... what that means is sometimes I am working like crazy on projects and while I want to post about them I can't. 

I have also been working on a commission project that I prefer not to talk about until it's complete... (It's a fun knitting project and I can't wait to share the finished item with you!)

I have to get back to knitting - but that's what's going on right now.  Thanks for reading, subscribing to the newsletter, adding my blog to your blog reader of choice, and for sharing my website and link on your blog!

Have a fantastic week!

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