KNITTING WITHOUT DOG HAIR IS NOT AN OPTION

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Thanks for being the wonderful Mom and knitting idol! I can't believe you turned 70 today! Lots of many happy and healthy returns - I hope you'll be around for a really long time!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!!!

My dear godson - I remember holding you 11 years ago! You are growing up too fast. I can't wait for you to come to the US with your Oma and Mama in (exactly) four weeks! Keep your smile and interest in everything and stay as kind as you are!

So, two of my favorite people had a birthday today. Somehow my parents managed to squeeze 18 (!) people in their tiny living room. Just for coffee and cake...

Mom baked all the cakes herself and I had a hard time making her sit with her guests on her birthday. She usuals buzzes around to serve everyone and make sure all the cups and plates are full all the time. But eventually she gave up and stayed on her chair.

And this was only the beginning of my mom's celebration. On Friday, we will all go out to lunch to a very traditional Bavarian restaurant. More pix to follow. :-)

I am having a ball being home with Mom and Dad and the rest of my dear and crazy family. Mom is totally thrilled about her birthday gift - the trip to visit me at the end of the month with my sister and my nephew.

And she was also totally thrilled by the silk shawl I knitted. "Honey, you don't have to knit for me all the time. I don't know how you find the time", she said. Well Mom, you are worth every stitch and more!

I drove into Munich today to visit my very best and dear friend Mecky. Remember, I stayed with her this year when I was in Germany for 10 weeks.

We had a lovely evening - Mecky and her boyfriend took me to a very cool restaurant. It is called 181 - Werkstatt der Sinne and is located in a tower, 181 meters above ground.

The restaurant name translates into Factory of the Senses. The restaurant slowly turns and you can see all of Munich during dinner. They had a fabulous menu. Very classy.

The glowing lights in the back are from the Oktoberfest.

The BMW building

Yummy food

My friends - who will be visiting me for Thanksgiving :-)))

The evening was great. It was fun to look over Munich at night and figure out which building is which. I am so excited to see them in a few weeks .

And in case you are wondering how 3 blog posts have magically appeared overnight... Well, I have no internet access at my parents' place. You can call it an IT desert. ;-) But I am very happy to not be connected for a while. So, we got home from the lovely dinner and after Mecky and I finished catching up, I sat down to blog.

I'll be back with posts when I get back to Atlanta. Off to go to sleep now...

I took that picture last night before I went to dinner with my family - yes, all the white stuff on the mountains is fresh snow. I had to defrost the windows of my rental car this morning. The rain froze over night. LOVE THE WEATHER!!! I know, weird... But knitters like to wear knits (normally) and with those temperatures, I can wear several layers. ;-) We'll see what I find in Atlanta in 12 hours...

Local time at the Munich Airport: 08.15am

I am all checked in, waiting in front of the Delta gate. Boarding starts in one hour. Enough time to blog a little.

I am leaving with a sad eye and a laughing eye. I am ready to get home, cuddle with Hermione and Noah for a reaaaaalllllly long time and sleep in my own house. YAY! And of course, I am sad to leave my family behind. Even tho' this week was really stressful and draining at times. Too many people asking me how I am and how I am dealing with Irwin. Plus, the last time I left Munich I had just found out that Irwin died and I had to go home to a very sad and empty place. I still wonder if this is all a bad dream and if - when I get home tonight - he will be there waiting for me, yelling at me why I bought all that crappy IKEA furniture... I want him back so bad. I don't want to be the one alone at family celebrations. It is really tough to see how happy my brother and his wife are. Even writing this make me teary. Don't get me wrong, I am so not jealous that they are so happy - they deserve it. I just hate for my happiness to be gone. OK, Claudia, get a grip, you are at the airport and you still have a pretty decent life.

With fabulous parents

An adorable and feisty niece

And a very cool nephew

Since my mom had visitors from out of town to celebrate her birthday, every day was full of activities and the week flew by in a heartbeat. It was nice to see uncles, aunts and cousins again. But fitting so many people under one hat is truely a challange. I don't know how I always end up wearing the "event manager hat". I am sure egos were bruised and feelings got hurt, but that's life, people. If don't like what I do for you, do it yourself and stop complaining.

I am coming back for Christmas and I am looking forward to that. It'll be fun to spend some time in the snow, have lots of Gluehwein and watch the kids unwrap their probably gazillion gifts.

But first I have the Germans come visit me, for Halloween and Thanksgiving. I am totally excited and very inspired to get a bunch of projects around the house finished.

One last word on my knitting. I have been buying yarn, of course. I have been knitting. I am in the process of test-knitting two new sock patterns and I am wrapping up the pattern for "Dr. Bob's socks" with Jane's help when I get back. I want to publish the pattern soon. Very soon, if time permits.

When I checked in with Brett yesterday, he told me that Atlanta has gas again at the gas stations. Dangit, I thought I could stay home for a day or two... ;-)

While I was in Germany last week, I rediscovered a bunch of German bands and singers. Well, a bunch of them are actually Austrian. Maybe you heard of some of them: Constantin Wecker, Peter Cornelius, Falco, Herbert Grönemeyer, Georg Danzer and Rosenstolz.

Rosenstolz is a band from Berlin. Their music combines several styles including rock, pop and ballads. AnNa R. and Peter Plate form the duo. They had their breakthrough in 1998 with the song Herzensschöner (Heart's Desire).

Their lyrics are great and I realized how many of their songs remind me of Irwin. I like this one especially. It is called Lachen - Laughter.

And these are the lyrcis:

Lachen kann ich nur für dich - I can only laugh for you
Du bleibst stumm - You keep silent
und ich weiß - And I know
ich sollt´ wieder geh´n - I should go
Reden konnt´ ich nur mit dir - I could only talk with you
Nacht für Nacht - Night after night
Decktest zu mich mit ´nem Wort von dir - You tucked me in with yours words
und du warst immer nah - And you were always close

Lachen - hast du mir gesagt - Laugh - you have told me
Du mußt lachen - You have to laugh
komm steh wieder auf - Come on, get up
Vergiß die Welt - Forget the world
und laß die Augen zu - And keep your eyes shut
Meine Hand ist bei dir - My hand is with you

Lieben konnt´ ich nur für dich - I can only love you
Nur du weißt - Only you know
was ich mein´ - What I mean
kennst die Bitterkeit - You know the bitterness
Schweigen kann ich nur mit dir - I can only be silent with you
Jedesmal - Every time
Hör´ dir zu mit dem Bild vor mir - I listen to you with my picture
und du bist immer nah - And you are always there

Lachen - hast du mir gesagt - Laugh - you have told me
Du mußt lachen - You have to laugh
komm steh wieder auf - Come on, get up
Vergiß die Welt - Forget the world
und laß die Augen zu - And keep your eyes shut
Meine Hand ist bei dir - My hand is with you

The other song I like a lot is called Sanfter Verführer - Gentle Seducer. Sorry, I couldn't find a YouTube video for this one. But I have the lyrics for you. These actually give me goose bumbs...

Ich glaub daran, dass wir uns wiedersehen - I believe that we will meet again
Eines Tages stehst du dann vor mir - One day you will stand in front of me
sagst „Hallo“ und schließt die Tür - You'll say "Hello" and close the door

Ich glaub´ganz fest - I believe very strongly
Dass du nicht forgegangen bist für ewig - That you didn't leave forever
Nein – du bist verreist - No, you went on a journey
Auf großer Fahrt - On a long trip
Ganz allein - All alone

Du bist der sanfte Verführer - You are the gentle seducer
Das Eis, das nie taut - The ice, that never melts
Komm´dir nie nah - I can never get close
Bin ich leis – bist du laut - If I am quiet - you are loud
Sanfter Verführer von vielen geliebt - Gentle seducers are loved by many
du gibst nie zu - You will never admit
Wenn ein Wunder geschieht - When a miracle happens

Ich glaub´ ganz tief - I believe very deeply
dass ich dir folgen werde - That I will follow you
ohne Wille - Without volition
Sag nicht was du denkst - Don't say what you think
Ganz egal - It doesn't matter
Ich folge Dir - I will follow you

Was du auch tust - Whatever you do
du wirst mir nicht entkommen - You can't elude me
Eines Tages stehst du dann vor mir - One day you will stand in front of me
sagst „Hallo“ und schließt die Tür - You'll say "Hello" and close the door

Du bist der sanfte Verführer - You are the gentle seducer
Das Eis, das nie taut - The ice, that never melts
Komm´dir nie nah - I can never get close
Bin ich leis – bist du laut - If I am quiet - you are loud
Sanfter Verführer von vielen geliebt - Gentle seducers are loved by many
du gibst nie zu - You will never admit
Wenn ein Wunder geschieht - When a miracle happens

Find a rainbow...

Or two...

When I drove home last night (around 7pm through Lawrenceville on I-85), I stood in traffic for a while and this beautifully bright rainbow was in front of me. I could actually see the whole rainbow, both ends and all. And at some point there was a second one. It was so beautiful.

I just sat in my car in awe... And the world was all better. I am very depressed this week. A lot of stuff is coming together. I feel like I don't have any downtime and I brought a big nasty cold back from Germany. So, I am a cranky woman... No fun...

Irwin's gathering in Atlanta is coming up this Sunday and I have very mixed feelings. It'll be good to see all my/our lovely friends but it also brings me closer to another good-bye. I can't really describe it. I know he is gone but I can't let go, at all. Does that make sense?

I framed a lot of pictures last night and now I have a bunch of wonderful memories to look at in my bedroom. Some people might find that a little obsessive, but I like to look at him, more than ever. That's always what you do with things you can't have - any more. I am not bitter, don't get me wrong. I just think reality sets in more and more and I am facing the fact - slowly but steadily - that he is really really gone. He didn't just take off on a trip... Which I, in my stupid little pea brain, was hoping for... I don't have any regrets because we had a pretty freakin' good relationship, I just wish there would have been more time...

Anyways, I am going to stop blabbering now and let Nite Time cough syrup with 10% alcohol kick in...

Well, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it is nice to come home to a quiet house. You know how it is, it is always lovely when you have visitors from out-of-town, but it is also lovely to have your house back to yourself. Irwin’s sister and her husband were visiting from Vermont for five days to attend Irwin’s gathering last Sunday. And of course I tried to be a good hostess which was terribly interfered by the nasty cold I brought back from Germany. So I hope, they had some fun - at least they said so when they left yesterday morning.

And now, I need some serious downtime or better "Claudia-time" after all these eventful months and weeks - full of emotional roller coasters - with Irwin's gatherings in NY and Atlanta and all the travels and preparations for that. "Claudia-time" is coming up with a bunch of fiber-related events. More about that later.

So, now the doggies and I are back to our little family routine. They seem to be happy campers, snoring away at my bedside while I am typing away on this blog entry.

Yeah, don’t look at the wads of fur – I know I need to vacuum. Some other day…

I have to say we had a great time at Irwin’s gathering on Sunday. Lots of lovely friends showed up to remember my husband and we shared stories and just had a wonderful time sitting outside on a porch of a beautiful old Southern mansion with good food and drinks in a sunny Georgia fall day. It couldn’t have been better and I am very grateful for such a bunch of terrific people to carry me through these tough times.

Two people made the day especially great – y’all did – but they gave me something special that day.

Katey went to Alabama (or as I say Abalama) the day before the gathering to see Franklin. And she brought me back a copy of his new book, not available yet...

That itself would have been terrific but…

The wonderful friend Katey is, she talked Franklin into signing the book for me. And I got an extra sheep from him – HEH! Well, I was pissed, too, that I wasn’t there! I wanted to be one of the 1000 knitters on his tour . And the truly grateful friend I am, I scolded Katey right away why she didn’t tell me about the event. And she said that she had to sign up in July – just after Irwin died – and she didn’t know how and what I was doing on October 11. OK, that is a truly and valid point. Maybe I’ll catch Franklin some other time. And I truly adore my book. SO.AWESOME.KATEY!!!

And then Jane gave me a box and a card at the gathering. She said I should open it at home and she apologized ahead for probably making me cry. And I cried, but it was a very sweet cry because Jane is one of the most thoughtful friends. OK, get your tissue boxes out. Here is what was in the box.

And here is what she wrote in her card:

Dear Claudia,

Love,
Jane.

That is so beautiful, I had to stop several times while typing. What more can I ask for, if I have friends like Jane and Katey, and all the other lovely friends around me. And the rock (aka Irwin, my rock) is my new talisman in my purse.

I promise I will move forward. I am pretty sure there will be set-backs and yucky days, but then I have my friends to pick me up and a couple furry friends like these guys…

Those wet noses are still a very lovely welcome every day when I come home. ;-)

OK – let's stop with the syrupy stuff. After a glass of very nice port wine (18% alcohol and from Irwin’s stash), I could go on and on…

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am headed back to New York this weekend to attend a wedding. So, I was raking my brain what to wear… Here is what I am thinking about for an outfit.

Tell me – YAY or NAY?

I bought this coat before I knew about the wedding. It has a Tom Jones saying embroidered on the inside – Where there is love, there is life! So I thought that it might be good karma to wear it to a wedding. The skirt I bought in Italy when I was there with Irwin in 2002 and it has layers of chiffon and it's all crunchy ruffles, as well as the blouse. The shoes are black and dark purple, matching the embroidery. Sorry about the crappy picture… It is really awful when you have to take pictures of yourself in the mirror without a flash...

And to add some zing to the outfit, I will bring my Jeanie shawl (knitted with Tilli Tomas Disco Lights for another wedding back in December 2007 when things were still good and I had Irwin as a date for weddings). I figure I should bring that fabulous shawl for a wedding in Manhattan. Don’t want to look like a country gal from the outskirts of Atlanta or the Bavarian forests. ;-)

So, after extensively playing ball with the pooches, an impromptu knitting group meetup (because I could leave work surprisingly early - despite the firm event that finally took place today and we at the office were working on so frantically), three loads of laundry (washed, dried and put away!), cleaning the house, seriously reorganizing my closet and changing more light bulbs, I guess I should go to bed now. It’s early enough… I hope that cold is getting better soon. We'll see how I feel in the morning.

OHHHHHH – another example for impossibly fabulous friends… before I really let you go for tonight… When I mentioned that I would be in NY for the upcoming weekend, Jane and Jen said: "Oh, then we’ll see you at Rhinebeck (the famous fiber festival)?” Hahahahaha, and here is my scatterbrain, yet again…. I seriously totally forgot about Rhinebeck… And so I googled the directions… I will be 1.5 hours away from Rhinebeck. I would be a total fiber idiot if I wouldn’t go, right? Now, I just need to tell my friends who I visit this weekend that I will desert them Sunday for fondling yarn and roving AND I need to figure out what to wear. Knitted items, of course… But which ones???

That seems to be my motto these days.

The weekend in New York was simply fabulous.

I arrived late Friday night. Saturday I went shopping (for shoes, that's what I buy besides yarn...) and for a long walk through town. Not in NYC tho', but through the small town my friends live in NJ. The weather was terrific New England fall weather. Crisp and clean air and I was bundled up in a scarf and poncho. Yes, I do wear ponchos...

And in the afternoon we went into New York City for my friends' daughter's wedding.

They picked a great place, Terrace in the Sky.

The view over New York was breathtaking – it was also very cold. I was glad I brought my shawl. And these are the newlyweds with the minister.

You can find the complete album here. But this is my personal favorite.

This is my friend Susan, the bride’s mom, all dressed up and cleaning the house. We got dressed way too early and Susan was too excited to just sit around. A beautiful outfit to clean the house, right?

And – drum roll, please - on Sunday I was in Rhinebeck. OMG!!! Well, I have to say it was quite overwhelming for little ol' me from the south of Germany. Goodness, these people up there know how to put a fiber festival together.

BUT - SO MANY PEOPLE, SO MANY VENDORS, SO MANY ANIMALS!!!

It was another beautiful day – super nice fall weather. I met up with Jane and Jen. The Georgia gals hardly meet in Georgia, but they met in New York, heh. And I only bought a little bit of stuff because I made to NY with only carry on and I am going to make my credit card smoke at SAFF: ;-)

Blue Moon Fiber Arts - Geisha (70% Kidmo/20% Mulberry Silk/10% Nylon)
Colorway: Grimm's Willow Wren

There is a Grimm fairy tale called The Willow-Wren and the Bear

On the left: Spirit Trail Fiberworks - Penelope (50% Merino/50% Bombyx Silk)
Colorway: Blues & Purples

On the right: Blue Moon Fiber Arts - Socks that Rock (100% Superwash Merino)
Colorway: Sugarplums

And 2 ounces of merino/cashmere roving - I could not say no to that squishiness.

The most interesting and a bit scary picture from Rhinebeck for me is definitely this one.

Why in the world would one want to hang that thing up at home??? All the pix are in an album.

OK, I am tired now. I didn’t get much sleep this weekend. Too much fun all around and I am getting old.

Plus I need to pre-sleep for SAFF. Coming up next – this weekend! WOO-HOO – Hockeymom and I will be roomies. I can’t wait for her to pick me up Saturday morning!

Today would have been our 4th anniversary! I will never forget the good times we had. Remember this picture? I took it on our honeymoon in October 2004 in Highlands, NC.

Lou gave me this poem after Irwin died and I think it is very fitting for this day.

Miss me - but let me go
When I come to the end of the road,
and the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free...
Miss me a little - but not too long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that we once shared
Miss me - but let me go...
For this is a journey
that we all must take
and each must go alone,
It's all a part of a greater plan
a step on the road home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart
go to the friends we know...
and bury your sorrow in doing good deeds.
Miss me - but let me go.

My poor puppies... OMG...

I got home last night and they were extremely clingy - to the point where Noah wanted to crawl in my lap all of last night and Hermione actually managed to crawl under my bed. Please keep in mind that Noah is usually not bothered by anything and just a lump on the floor and Hermione only pays attention to the ball and to you when you throw it.

So, at some point I got really annoyed with them because I needed to do a bunch of stuff around the house and they were getting my way the whole time. Literally getting under me feet because they wanted to be so close to me… So, where am I getting at with this?

Well, I found out this morning what freaked out the pooches.

I always have music or now (!) cable TV running. So, my horrible human ears did not hear – can you guess what? One of the smoke detectors in the basement… Yeah, the little battery inside died and you could hear a beep every once in a while. Well, obviously I couldn’t but the dogs did. And it freaked their sensitive doggie ears out. Just imagine how guilty I felt this morning.

So, I trudged downstairs into the basement half asleep this morning to find the source of the beeping (where is a man when you need one???) and eventually I found the faulty smoke detector and took out the little battery. I went back upstairs and there was another beep. The dogs ran into hiding and I went back downstairs. It just wouldn’t stop. So I took the whole plastic top off, thinking to myself: “Oh what the hell… if I have a fire now, all of Irwin’s puzzles are going up in some very nice flames.” But at that point the sanity of my dogs was more important. So, the plastic went upstairs with me and I thought it'll be a good reminder for me to buy a new battery, if I have it sit on the kitchen counter. The smoke detector needs those 9V sized ones, which you (at least I) never have at home. So, then it freakin’ beeped again in my hands – without the little battery inside and not connected to the wall. WTF! The dogs were even more freaked out because now their Mommy is holding the evil source of sounds. Good grief…

Finally I tossed the plastic in my car and figured it’ll hopefully die while the car is parked at work. So, I am hoping the dogs will have a more restful day today without the beeping.

Plus Uncle Brett will be there tonight to save them from Mommy Dearest… And why is he there, again?

Because I am going to SAFF tomorrow. I feel as bouncy as a terrier today. Most of my Atlanta friends will be there – sorry for you guys who can’t come! What more can a fiber freak ask for – fiber aka yarn and roving, new fiber toys, lots of animals to pet and your friends. Heavenly bliss!!! Plus a fabulous roomie and tons of goodies like wine and snacks in the trunk!

Some of my friends already left this morning to drive to Asheville, NC, the home of the South Eastern Animal Fiber Fair. Sandy and I will leave tomorrow morning. I hope I can get some sleep tonight. ;-) I am just so excited and at the same time a little sad because last year Irwin and I where there together for a whole week to re-honeymoon and celebrate our 3rd anniversary and indulge my fiber love at the same time.

To get started with the fiber fun, I am going to Knitch this afternoon for some knitting time. Plus, I haven’t been in the shop for forever… The last time was September 21… OMG… No wonder I have withdrawals…

Also, in case you were wondering… I am still knitting and while I was in NY last weekend, I finished a new sock. Yet another project to write up... The socks will be called Garmisch Socks because I started them in my home town, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the pattern is based on one of the patterns from my old Bavarian knitting pattern books.

So, take a peak:

I know, the pattern is not easy to see but I wasn’t in the mood to knit something boring with this yarn. So, these are the test socks. I will re-knit them with a more plain color, OK?

It is a really very cool and easy lace pattern, believe me! The yarn is Opal sock yarn. The colorway is called a variation after the works of Hundertwasser called “Der Blaue Mond” (the Blue Moon).

I think I talked about this Austrian artist on my blog before, but I can’t remember for sure…

Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser, born Friedrich Stowasser, (December 15, 1928 – February 19, 2000) was an Austrian painter, architect and sculptor. Born in Vienna, he became one of the best-known contemporary Austrian artists, although controversial, by the end of the 20th century.

Hundertwasser's original and unruly artistic vision expressed itself in pictorial art, environmentalism, philosophy, and design of facades, postage stamps, flags, and clothing (among other areas). The common themes in his work utilized bright colors, organic forms, a reconciliation of humans with nature, and a strong individualism, rejecting straight lines. He remains sui generis, although his architectural work is comparable to Antoni Gaudí in its biomorphic forms and use of tile. He was inspired by the works of Egon Schiele from an early date, and his style was often compared to that of Gustav Klimt. He was fascinated with spirals, and called straight lines "the devil's tools". He called his theory of art "transautomatism", based on Surrealist automatism, but focusing on the experience of the viewer, rather than the artist.

And here is the painting the sock yarn colorway is based on:

With this – I let you go in your weekend – have a good one! I’ll be back on Sunday, probably all dizzy from the fiber fumes. ;-)

WOW - came and went...

I had a great time. What else can you expect when you hang out with great people?

Even tho’ I had a lot of thoughts about Irwin, it went much better than I expected. The 4th wedding anniversary came and went last week. Last year we were at SAFF together with the doggies. Irwin had rented a cabin for the whole week to indulge my fiber craziness and we hosted a lovely cook-out for my friends.

So, I will stop reminiscing. The past is unfortunately gone and can’t be brought back. I have wonderful memories which will never be forgotten. So, let’s look forward the future, because that’s what comes up next. One of Irwin’s goals in life was to make me happy – and even tho’ he is not physically here anymore to do that – I will try my best to make him proud of me and be happy. And there sure was a weekend full of happiness.

SATURDAY

The happy weekend started out with being picked Saturday morning by my fabulous weekend roomie and dear friend Sandy. We managed to drive up to Asheville in 2.5 hours. Very cool - the weather turned from rain into a beautiful fall day on the way and we drove into sunshine and gorgeous fall colors. We got to the fiber festival around 11:30am and were surprised about no wait to get into the parking lot.

First thing to take a picture of at the entrance:

A two-week old pygmy goat - OMG – how much cuter can an animal get?

INSERT HERE: Before we ran into the itty-bitty goat, we ran into Wayne, aka the famous Knit Witch Hubby Dude, which was a totally wonderful welcome at the fair!

Sandy and I met up with more friends, Regan, Jane and Grace, and we started working our way around the vendors.

Lots of vendors with lots of stuff – interestingly, not a lot of buyers.

I guess the economy makes people cautious. Well, I have to say I bought a bunch of stuff – but more about that later.

After a few hours at the fair, we were tired and checked into our hotel. Two hours of resting, knitting, spinning, snacks and Prosecco and we were ready to meet some 20 crazy friends for a Thai dinner. I don’t think the restaurant expected such a rowdy group when we made reservations there.

Doug, Kristy, JP, Knit Witch (Brittney), Steve and Lou

Cat’s mom, Sandy & Jim (Jane’s husband)

Jane, Laura and Jen

Regan and I (and my Alpaca sweater, knitted with yarn from SAFF 2006 – finally cold enough to wear it)

A very cute and tired Stuart

A very funny Steve – I wonder why he is wearing his hat that way...

Maybe because I asked him to show me his …? But you know, what happens at SAFF, stays at SAFF… I only know that the boys and their sheep hats were the hot item on Saturday. They all would be millionaires now if they would have gotten money for each time someone took a picture.

After dinner we had a fiber party in Sandy and my room. The girls were knitting and spinning and at the end of the evening (I started falling asleep around midnight and they all thought they needed to leave) we had also killed three bottles of Prosecco.

SUNDAY

We started out with a dozen knitters for breakfast at IHOP, a SAFF tradition. And then more shopping at the fair... I was really armed with a shopping list and my wallet and got quite a bit accomplished…

Sandy and Jane bought a little bit of fleece for cold winter nights in Georgia…

These are the bag ladies. Look at those big grins – they must be dizzy from the fiber fumes…

And here is Sandy’s and my SAFF damage in her van.

It really doesn’t look that ba-a-a-a-dddd. Sandy and I snuck out quietly around noon and we were back at my house around 3:30pm.

It was such a beautiful fall day and I got to work and decorated the house for Halloween. Good thinking to get it out of the way on the weekend, because I can already see that I have stuff going on each evening this week and then on Friday my mom, sister and nephew will fly in from Germany.

And here are some close-ups from the damage:

Sock yarn from Knit Witch – A Starry Night (Awesome, because I have the painting as a jigsaw puzzle in my living room – now I can knit matching socks)

Half a pound of Miss Babs merino goodness

Miss Babs roving

Politically Incorrect – One Night Stand Batts, called Hernandez and Keenan

I met Nanney – one of the fiber farm owners in Shear Spirit – and she signed my book.

12 ounces of Ozark roving

One of Knit Witch’s fabulous yarn bowls

A cute felted hat

And now – drum roll, please – the new mega toy:

A Jumbo Strauch ball winder. I feel very professional now. ;-) and yes, I am a geek when it comes to knitting related tools…

So, that was most of it. I am still dizzy from all the fun. It was wonderful meeting all my old friends and making new friends. I am also very grateful for all of you who remembered Irwin and gave me hugs.

And this was the icing on the cake on Sunday. I got a phone call yesterday afternoon at home while putting out the pumpkins, the skeletons and the tumb stone. Brittney aka Knit Witch called me and told me that I won the raffle at her booth – THAT IS SO FREAKIN’ AWESOME… Seriously, I never win. I really don’t. So, that call really made my day.

Now lunch is over – I wanted to give you a quick update on the weekend – gotta get back to work now.

OK, I am in a little cleaning frenzy because in two days my mom, my sister and my nephew will be coming in from Germany for a week of vacation. I started cleaning up around the house last night. There has been a bunch of stuff been laying around for a while because busy little me has been traveling like my last name is Columbus…

So, this afternoon I have to scoot over to IKEA after work to buy more duvets and linens. I realized last night that I should have a duvet for each person. I don’t think I would have too much fun sharing my covers with my mom. ;-) And neither would she...

I also have a funny "Mom" knitting story for you. Remember, I am working on publishing a sock pattern with the Boomerang heel. It’ll happen very soon now. I met with Jane, my fabulous test knitter, yesterday for lunch and we went over the heel again.

But here is the funny story. When I was in Germany in spring, I showed my mom the Boomerang Heel. She is a very visual learner and when I showed her how to knit that heel, she was fine. But then I had to leave and we never got around knitting the second sock together. Well, she couldn’t remember and the sock book she has with the written instructions is not of any help to her.

So, I asked my mom this week what she is going to bring for a knitting project for her visit. She said that she has knitted four (!) socks to the point where she can work the Boomerang heel. How funny! She said if she can’t remember it after knitting it four times in a row, she’ll give up and will knit flap heels for forever. And then when I asked her what else she is going to bring and if she wants to start a project with some of my stash, she said that she would just finish some of my many UFOs. Oh, she is so funny and knows me so well. I guess I should start hording them into one room. And you know what the scary part is with this? Mom and I knit to the same gauge… I really think that is scary… You can't really tell who knitted what, YAY.

Oh, and I have something to show off - a finished knitting project. Imagine that - on a knitting blog... This weekend I finish a pair of fingerless mittens, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. And I think my friends seriously consider hating me a little… Oh well, I know they lovingly hate me for knitting fast sometimes. But I had a purpose, it got very cold and I don’t really own any cool mittens. So, here they are:

Project Stats:
Name: German Stulpen
Pattern: Fingerless Gloves / Stulpen by Petra
Needles: US 3 / 3.25 mm Knitpicks Harmony 32-inch circular
Yarn: Alchemy Synchronicity
How much? 2 skeins = 220.0 yards (201.2m)
Colorway: Rose

Modifications:
I changed the thumb construction to an afterthought thumb, out of shear laziness and because I think it works just as well, even tho’ it might be totally anatomically incorrect.

OK, and then I totally forgot to report the funniest story that happened to me at SAFF in my last post. Remember, Sandy and I shared a room and when we checked in, I let her pick the bed because of her arm in a brace. One of the beds was higher and one was lower, really a bit weird. Anyways, Saturday evening, when the girls were over for our little party, we found five … stuck between my spring box and my mattress. I won’t post the picture on my blog, but just link to it – it’s not PG13… I guess this is what the hotel offers instead of chocolate on the pillow. And we found a used one sticking out underneath my bed as well (sorry no picture of that – it needed to leave the room fast…). Someone who rented the room before us must have anticipated a lot of fun and didn’t get as much accomplished. And someone else did a horrible job as a room maid…

That was truly exciting for us (only in a weird and gross way) and we came up with all kinds of stories who might have been in the room, yadayadayada… It was funny. ;-) But I didn’t take them home, no worries. ;-)

I am so excited that Mom is coming tomorrow, with my sis and my nephew (11). I made a big dent in the cleaning disaster at home last night, thank goodness. I wonder how one person can produce such a mess. Well, I know... I just put things down and go on with something else that is more interesting.

Brett and I bought some nice linens and duvets at IKEA and we had to treat ourselves to Swedish meatballs at the cafeteria for dinner. So yummy! I also bought a bag for my freezer at home. ;-) We were shocked tho' how deserted IKEA was. There were only a few people shopping.

So, after several loads of laundy, some major paperwork filing and moving things around, I fell on the sofa and watched some German TV. I finally figured out where the German TV channels are hidden and I also managed to compile my own TV channel list. Pretty cool for a TV virgin (in the US only) to manage that, right? And by just using the manual and not calling Dish Network or a friend. So, in case my family gets bored (which I doubt, but you never know), they can watch German TV.

After therapy tonight, I have to do a final vacuum and a few more last things and then I am all set for the German entourage. I can't wait. Maybe, if time permits, I will pull all the UFOs out in one big basket for Mom's review or not... We'll see.

OHHH - and I already had a very happy trip to the gas station this morning. I couldn't believe my eyes, when I saw that I only had to pay 2.89$ for a gallon of premium... I needed a sports car fix this morning and the tank was almost empty - I just love driving the Supra... I wonder how long those gas prices will last... And I snapped a cool picture coming up 14th Street.

Yep, that's what the city looks like when you get to your office at 7:30am...

With this - have a happy Thursday!

The house is finally quiet. Everyone went to bed, except me and the pooches. We are still hanging out, me blogging, they not so much but just laying at my feet. I think they are glad to be out of the bedroom. I had them locked up while the neighborhood kids came ringing the door bell for Trick or Treat.

So, Mom, my sis and nephew got here this afternoon - 50 minutes early!!! My coworkers were joking with me that she must have been threatening the pilot with her knitting needles to make him fly faster to get to her daughter sooner. ;-) I wouldn't put it past her...

Immigration was also easy - my nephew took the time, 1 hour and 18 minutes. That is pretty darn good. Around 3:15pm we met up. It was so good to see everyone. Traffic wasn't bad either and we got home around 5pm. All very uneventful – I love that. And we had to stop at the supermarket. Guess what I forgot to buy... CANDY! That is how German I am and how much I was organized for the event... Geez... So, we got tons of candy which is now sitting at my house. And chocolate fudge my nephew picked out - I almost (just almost) get sick looking at it...

Even tho' we had a lot of really cool and cute kids in costumes, they were all extremely polite and only took a few pieces of candy. I am guessing that I will have to save my nephew from eating too much candy and take a bunch to work on Monday. We’ll see.

While it was still light out, Michael and I did a little photo shot in my front yard.

He is so cute and my mom and sister raved about him how well behaved he was on the plane. Well, what can I say, like aunt, like nephew, hehehe... But no, he is really a great kid and I am so looking forward to spend this week with him. He has no idea what I have in store for him tomorrow morning. I bought him this gigantic LEGO Star Wars ship with 700+ pieces. He will have to share with me because I so love Lego.

And then we went trick or treating and I was surprised how much decorating some of the neighbors did.

I like this picture because Michael looked really scary from far away.

The three Witches from the South ;-)

Michael had a nice loot of candy.

He was so polite and said thank you to all the people he got candy from. One time he came back and he said that the people talked to him some more and he didn't understand what they were saying. So, we told him just to tell them that he was here from Germany with his aunt. But shortly after he got really tired - no wonder, my folks were already up and running for over 20 hours straight. I am really surprised that he wasn't cranky at all.

I guess having the biggest cookie ever for dessert helped. ;-)

I think I should finish my beer and go to bed too, before I get into the candy...

More German activities soon on this channel - stay tuned! Mom brought so much knitting that my Dad actually teased her if she packed anything else... Like clothing... He should know his wife better - who needs clothing... ? ;-) She is knitting on a sweater, hello. ;-) For herself, I would like to add...

PS: Have you seen this video from Mason Dixon Knitting? OMG... SO FUNNY...

Found it on Knitterboy's blog!