Creativity and Ramblings from the heart of NYC and around the World

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Gotta Get Away...Glad I Did!


Spent 3 lovely days in DC...

Met some of Dan's friends (he lived there at one point)... they are wonderful. I can see why he holds them in such high regard. They had us over for a delicious and lingering dinner. All was tasty from the roasted chicken (loaded with garlic, shallots and spices under the skin), to the sauted veggies. The salad with the fresh herbs, crostini, cheese plate and dessrt - YUM! Pair that all with some fantastic wines and a a bottle of port and you get the idea! YUM!!
The gents...thanks for your wonderful hospitality!!
When are you coming to NYC?


A few of the wines we tried over the two nights that I have to pick up so I can try them again... some of them I didn't have paired with food! (A good excuse!)
2003 Chateauneuf du pape - Domaine du Pegau
2004 Rosenblum - Petite Sirah
Cabernet - Dunn - Howell mountain
2003 Pierre Usseglio Chateauneuf du Pape
2003 Kilikanoon Wines Medley Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre

We visited The Phillips Collection...The now have teh return of their Masterworks, The Freer...the Peacock Room and the ceramics were wonderful. They also were showing Small Masterworks by Whistler. The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden where I saw some fun pieces by Alberto Giacometti. Finally we had time for only one wing of the American Museum of Art. Wandered through a lovely garden and stopped by Stitch DC in Capitol Hill where I picked up some lovely sock yarn.

I've posted some favorite paintings & scuptures that we saw.




















Sunday Morning we met Brian at the Green Market. We had come to hear Michael Pollan speak again, and to get a few more books signed. He gave us an odd look when we got up to him. I had told Dan he would surely think we were stalking him since we'd just seen him on Tuesday! When we told him that we had just seen him in NYC he laughed and said "I thought you looked familiar!"


And...last but NOT LEAST!
Sock #1-- DONE DONE DONE on the return train!
See:

Friday, May 19, 2006

Yeowza

Time for bed but a moment on the blog first. What a loong day!
Worked from my home with my assistant while our office underwent some AC work.
Raced to mid-town for a hair appointment (which I was smart enough to make on the day I wasn't working a block away!) Dashed all over in my new cut & color running errands and then back here to wrap working around 2am then pack...

Pack?

Yep - I've a 7am train to DC to meet up with Dan for a weekend of fun!
Yeah!
I'll write when I get back -- it's a no computer weekend!
Have a great weekend all!

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

MORE PRESS -- YIPPEE


Twice in one week! Yippee! I love when that email comes thru from my press folk!

This is our Citrus Twist conductor's cap in June's Parenting Magazine.
Yeah!
It's one of my favorite caps - love the waffle pique. The two small fabric covered buttons are covered with this great dotted fabric...so it the lining! There's a velcro closure at the back for a perfect fit too! :-)

After I got THAT good news I found out dinner was ON and was able to have a long and lovely dinner with Michelle at The Indian Cafe (always yum!!) We've both been so busy! Always great to catch up!

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

The Cornification of America

After work I dashed uptown to meet up with Dan at his friend Carol's house for cocktails. There I had a lovely discussion with a wonderful woman named Martha about the book she and her husband wrote about Monasteries with guest houses to stay at across the US. I have to get the proper name of this book so I can post it. Apparently you can often stay at them (who knew.) Many of them have meals available and only one required that you attend services.


Following cocktails, we dashed across to the American Museum of Natural History for a lecture/ discussions led by Michael Pollan, author joined by guest Peter Hoffman, chef/owner of Savoy.
Tasted (see memo) while listening to some book exerpts and discussion on the Cornification of America. I'm reading his book: The Omnivore's Dilema: A Natural History of Four Meals.

Since high-fructose corn syrup replaced cane sugar in 25%+ of the foods in our supermarkets, our nations children have started to get type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes.
Drink soda? You're drinking corn. Eat a McNugget - mostly corn. The shiney glaze on the cereal box? Corn. Because it's cheap...because it's a crop that is government subsidized... our meat farmers often now feed corn to animals that should only be eatting grass, knowing the animal will get ill...but they mix in some anti-biotics and voila, faster grown meat... ugh I could go on and on... READ THE BOOK! I also bought a copy of his prior book, The Botany of Desire and had a few copies of The Omnivore's Dilema signed for birthday gifts.

Really - read the book.
Again - all too little knitting going on over here!

Monday, May 15, 2006

HAPPY MONDAY!

I'm starting todays post with a note about two of my favorite little things...
two websites on the go...

The first...
HOPSTOP.com This is a MUST if you live in NYC. Click on over and set yourself up an account. (It's free.) Then, you can send them an email or a text with your location and your destination and they will reply back with the beest subway route, subway/bus route or bus only route for you to get from point A to point B.

GOOGLE SMS...
Need the telephone # or address of that favorite yarn shop?
Send Google a text (466453 on your phone) with the name of the place and the city and you'll get a return text rather swiftly with the info.
(Yes - regular text rates apply.)



Secondly -- NEW PRESS -- YEAH!!
These are in the May/June Issue of the Bridal Guide! Yeah!

This hat, the For Shirred.

It's packable, made from delicately rouched grossgrain ribbon --- and you can wear the brim up or down.




Finally - and definately NOT LAST or LEAST -- tonight Jo and Emmanuel had us over for a WONDERFUL dinner. It was, of course, delicious!! Jo is a wonderful cook and I loved the company. Laughs and fun were had by all! Can't wait for Jo to return from Singapore so we can have more nights like this...it is nearly full-fledged BBQ season!

Only a wee little bit of subway sock knitting today... photos tomorrow I think!

Sunday, May 14, 2006

All that in one day?

Sunday -- Sunday was BUSY!!! For many of you, you were likely sleeping or perhaps preparing for Mother's Day at 7:30am...

...we...we were having this delivered! SOIL! COMPOST! YIPPEE!!! An entire pallet of soil!

How much is that... it's 2000 lbs!!
or... this (see left!) Add boyfriend posing for the Horticulture Calendar... and voila! Soil delivered!

After a nap we shuffled off to Brooklyn to see The Importance of Being Earnest (Directed by Sir Peter Hall.) Very entertaining! From there - we dashed over to the Brooklyn Lyceum to see the Asbury Shorts (An Evening of the World's Best Short Films) by way of this wee Mexican spot called the Mexican Cafe -- OH MY the Tamales!!! GO GO GO! YUM YUM YUM! It's just around the corner on Union from the Lyceum Theatre in Brooklyn. It's the little spot next to the bigger Mexican restaurant. YUM!
The day ended with my first offical GO lesson. Yeah!
Great weekend! Tomorrow's a new day! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Up to my Elbows!

After a fun night out last night we rose early and dove in to the garden. I got many pots planted in the morning while Dan worked on restructuring parts of the garden. Leveling out one section (right) to both prepare for the next gardening step as well as making room for the compost/soil to come.

What does a girl need with all of that soil/compost?
We're putting in a raised bed to the left of the big plank shown here (left). We also await the arrival of some special bamboo plants (clumping - don't worry they won't invade my neighbors gardens) as well as some bamboo edging. It's going to look SO COOL!

Bring on the soil!

Just as the day began to roll - the sun came out and of course...the boys loved that -- lounging up on the table out of the way but in the middle of it all... Getting just enough sun but allowing the Apple tree to block most of it.

Later in the night we gathered ourselfves together and dashed downtown to The Living Room for some live music and time with friends. What a great day!

Friday, May 12, 2006

I got Mo
After work I dashed home to plant up a few pots and met up with Dan to go see a coworker of his do Stand-up down at Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction.

From there we began the 0alphabet city food tour.
We happened upon The Dumpling Man on St. Marks. The Pork Red Monster dumplings were my favorite. The skins were quite good (not too doughy) and the filling, full of flavour. 18 dumplings later we start the journey towards the subway for the long ride home.

Mmm....what's that smell? OK, I'll share a paper cone of Belgian Fries with Curry Ketchup.

Walking to the subway we pass the Angelica, an arthouse theatre down on Houston. Sure, let's see a movie!
So we saw Art School Confidential -- entertaining for sure.


Then it was time to cab it home and sleep fast! It was going to be Gardening Saturday... even with the rain expected... gotta get the plants in so they can begin to grow! Today I was successful in ordering 50 40-pound bags of top soil and 15 HUGE bags of compost to be delivered at 7am on Sunday! I am using the services of VanHouten Farms again. The last 2 years I've bought my annuals from their stand at the Union Square Farmers Market. Their price per bag of topsoil was 1/3 of the BEST cost that I found within NYC. Yeah Van Houten!

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Hat bodies and Human Bodies
Today I made the near-final run through of my new line (Spring/Summer 2007 -- remember, I work a year ahead!) There were casualties as I had too many items, but I'm happy with the end result though. Now to wrap up all of the minutia...a huge job.

For those who have asked off-line...
My new assistant is moving along swimmingly.
Hip hip HOORAY!!!

Bodies!!!

WOW! If you live in NYC and haven't yet seen the Bodies exhibit at the South Street Seaport...you're in luck!

It was JUST EXTENDED thru December. I know there has been a bit of controversy over how these bodies were procured. That said, the things that these bodies are able to show and teach are amazing. Truely amazing. Go go go! (If you go before May 31st, use the code METROCARD on the first page ABOVE where the calander is on the screen to get $4 of metrocards thrown in per person!)

If you live in NYC - don't forget to keep an eye on the MTA's Promotions page! Showing your METROCARD can sometimes get you 2-for-1 admissions to museums etc!

Sock update: knitting along on the subway in st st...and voila - I broke ANOTHER #1 dpn. It was almost time to swap back over to the 2s for the leg...sooner than later I guess!

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Tango Night
Tonight after a long work day we took an Argentinian tango lesson at Empire Dance!
I've always loved the Argentinian Tango... after the class there was an open dance session.
Some folks are so good!!!

Sock update -- heel turned!
One inch of st st and I'll be diving into the pattern as I cruise up the leg!

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

WOW!
Amazing...two weeks in a row I was able to stop by SnB downtown at The Point. Nice to see everyone...some more old faces that I hadn't seen in ages (my fault, not theirs!)

A woman from BBC Radio stopped in to ask questions for a broadcast.
I always find it interesting to watch someone interviewing strangers.

Dan met me there and we headed out for some delicous Korean food.
Yum as always!!
The busy week continues!!!

Monday, May 08, 2006

Monday Monday....


While watching the David Blaine special I knit away on the sock...
I'm knitting the foot and heel portion on size #1 dpns. I slipped the sock onto Dan's foot to fit it and when he flexed his foot one of the dpns snapped in half...and then there were 4.

My thoughts on David Blaine...
Although this seems to have been mostly a personal journey,
I can't help but wonder how the world of medical science watched it and how they will study the results which will no doubt be published in some medical journal. We're made up primarily of water but cannot be submerged in it for a week...that I find really interesting.

I read that people are dissapointed.

I find that odd. Would they have preferred to have watched him simply die before their eyes?

Sunday, May 07, 2006

We took a looksie...
After the round trip to Brooklyn to collect plants and containers from my dear BFs, we returned the car and enjoyed a wander thru a green market and some brunch on our way to view David Blain in his bubble.
People were waiting for hours for the chance to go up to the bubble and touch it... we simply walked around the other side and got pretty darn close...without waiting more than a few moments!

He's now wearing gloves & booties at the skin on his hands and feet are in danger.
Time willl tell what happens!

GARDEN -- BEFORE




Just a few photos to mark the BEFORE...
Except that...we had already begun a LITTLE bit of work when I remembered to take these...

We have planned to add a raised bed to this end of the garden (shown at the left)... which means that I need to find a way to get a LOAD of bagged soil into Manhattan without breaking the bank!

I need to get it all together so that I can host the June yarn swap that I have in mind...in the garden!!

Off to research soil and compost!

Saturday, May 06, 2006

It's THAT TIME!

What's that time? Time to get the garden going! Really it's overdue, but I've got to be IN TOWN to do it!

We rented a minivan and headed out of the city today -- up to the Matterhorn Nursery. This place is fabulous and just a wee drive up the Palisades to Spring Valley from Manhattan!

We FILLED the minivan with plants and raced back tot he city... got a bit waylayed and missed my friend Hank's gig (bad me!) as well as missing hanging out with a few friends... BUT - we DID get the plants for the garden!

Now to get them into the ground!!!

That will begin tomorrow!

BEFORE we rented the car etc we headed down to the Loews AMC for the last of our tickets to Tribeca Film Fest shows... and saw Jesus Camp.
WOW

You NEED to watch for it on A&E... it will be shown there as well as hopefully being show at some cinemas around the country. Go on over and take a look at the website.
Really - shocking and amazing. Done by the same ladies over at Loki Films that made The Boys of Baraka.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Hat Land

I stayed at the Seelbach Hilton Louisville down on 4th Avenue.
I thought I'd roll in to the hotel and have a nice quiet dinner out.
Upon arriving I found 10,000 people and a live rockin' band on the grounds around my hotel -- apparently this was where they had drawn the lots for which horse got which gate for the Derby on Saturday.
Enjoyed a lovely dinner at Maker's Mark Bouron House and Lounge, the only restaurant in the area that didn't make a face when I asked for a table for one. The hotel was rather nice too.

Hats hats hats - that what was sold today! Amazing the frenzy of people looking to buy hats for the 132nd Kentucky Derby and all of the events that surround it!!! To the left is a photo of the jockey's shirt that is hanging above the gate at the airport. There are also roses everywhere... and live bands (think banjos and trumpets)... very interesting!

This is as far as I've gotten on Dan's sock as of my boarding the plane home... I dropped a stitch...it was a wrapped stitch... and I didn't notice...
so I had to frog half of it back-- then I did it again...TWICE! Why do I knit when I'm tired?

All's fixed now and the toe is turned.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Knitting Night!



It was so nice to be able to get back to the Tuesday night SnB!
It had been WAY WAY WAY too long! Look at everyone workin' away!

Last night was also special because I got to meet Celia and her daughter!
Celia came all the way from California for a visit with her daughter and we were lucky enough to be able to have her join us for a few hours!

I WAS able to cast on Dan's sock -- using the short row toe-up method (first time I'm trying that!)

I left around 8pm and dashed up town to meet Dan... we'd planned to stand door hoping to get a ticket to the sold out showing of Color Me Kubrick... We deemed the line too long when we arrived and ended up having a lovely meal at Monsoon instead. (YUM!)

Today I'm off to Kentucky to do a trunk show at Dillard's at the St. Mathew's Mall in Louiville tomorrow from 10-3.
If you're in the neighborhood, stop by!

I'm still searching for something fun to do tonight... I'm hoping to find a lovely spot for dinner! And I'm looking forward to some knitting time on the plane. Back Friday! It just keeps rolling! :-)

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

THE END OF KNITTING?
SAY IT ISN'T SO!


There we are, having a lovely dinner on Saturday night. Discussing plans for Sunday brunch and a stop by The Point... thus the topic of KNITTING came up.

We all know that knitting has come and gone as a hobby of choice in the past...
Dan tells me that he thinks in 18 months knitting, as a favoured way to spend ones crafting time, will once again be a flash-in-time. Gone. Replaced by macrame or crochet or quilling (ok, so I added quilling...) because crafters can be fickle...

I told him that now it had become more than just a hobby, but a lifestyle to boot... and that I thought in 18 months it would still be thriving.

Then it happened.

We put money on it.

In 18 months -- January 2008 - I believe knitting will be kicking at it's current rate or better.
Dan thinks it will have fallen...
The question is -- what will be our scale?
How do we know? Dan thought sales of knitting books, but I wonder how much more will be available online and how that might sku the information. (This also feeds into the "should I continue to write the knitting book I've begun or will there be no more knitters by the time it's published??)

Here's where I need your help!
What should we use as a scale?

What shuld we use as a scale?
I don't know if Dan knows the amount and power of all of your voices...
He thought it would be a great idea to throw this out to blogland and see if there is a response... so... pass it along to your friends... show your response.

Are you all planning to quit-the-knit??
No more casting on? No more frogging to get it just right?
Will there be no more SnB's?
Will the population suddenly stop approaching those KIPing to ask questions of how and what?

Wow -- if you are - let me know what your plans are for stash distribution!

3pm UPDATE:
In an effort to clarify Dan's view... (ehem):
He writes, "I have no doubt there will continue to be knitting and that as a trend it has been rising, but the key word is trend. When you see in 2004/5 knitting being the hottest thing you know your in trouble and the end is near."

...and yes, he provided the link too...
Time will tell! Keep on knitting on!

Monday, May 01, 2006

Ahhhhhhh...


What a wonderful weekend! Friday night we checked out ribot on East 48th and 3rd Avenue -- YUMMY! I'd guess the place is packed during the work week, but seemed rather empty for a Friday night (the neighborhood is a bit of a ghost town after work on Friday.) Kobe beef carpaccio, fresh imported buffalo mozzerella, lamb chops, fava bean salad, pork shoulder...to name a few tasty things we ate... oooh and a lovely bottle of wine. YUM!

Saturday while Dan was volunteering his time to speak about plant conservation at NY Grows in Manhattan, I journeyed over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for Sakura Matsuri (the Cherry Blossom Festival!) The photo on the left I took as I wandered around... the photo on the right I took as I looked up from reading Yarn Harlot while seated beneath the tree. Every few minutes the wind would pick up and a steady snow-storm of cherry blossom petals would flutter all around. So lovely!

I finished Yarn Harlot this weekend! Parts of it had me laughing so loud that people on the subway seemed almost offended that I was enjoying my book that much.
I met up with Dan later and we walked over to Park Slope for some dinner. We stumbled upon Coco Roco, Peruvian cuisine. Yum. Ceviche, roast pork, flank steak, veggies... also mojitos and pisco sours... yum! The service was very slow - but the place was PACKED. (Can you tell that I enjoyed the food enough to make excuses for the staff?)

Sunday we met Jo over at ino's on Bedford. I really love that place. Great paninis! Gonna miss Jo when she returns to Singapore in a few weeks. I'm hoping she returns SOON! Keep those fingers crossed that the job she has applied for comes through!

From there we wandered to The Point (it's only 1/2 a block from 'inos!) I bought 1 skein of Austermann Step (color 06-silt grey/schlamm) for a pair of socks for Dan. This yarn has Aloe and Jojoba oil in it? He liked the colors... I wonder how it'll feel to knit with. I'll keep you posted! I'll head back to The Point tomorrow night to meetup with Celia (of Unraveling fame) who's visiting here from the West Coast! Yeah, it's been too long since I was able to make it to an SnB!

We went to see another Tribeca Film Festival Screening --- Street Thief. I really enjoyed it! Perhaps it'll be picked up and distributed!
Tonight were off to another Tribeca Film Festival Screening --- Animated New York -- curated by Bill Plympton.