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Oh Crap, I mean, Crocs.
There are a lot of things that make Boulder unique. Where do you start? The Thursday night cruiser ride, the fact that pot was growing in a flower planter on the downtown mall (item 15 on the page) and it was a long while for the Police to notice, the Flatirons, etc.?
One thing that has become part of the Boulder phenomenon is Crocs. The strange, funky, goofy, and to some, downright ugly duckfoot-like “clogs” worn around here in every color of the rainbow. A locally based business, Crocs introduced the clunky footwear as a new kind of boating shoe (they are cool at the hotsprings, but a little difficult to hike in). Now, let’s not let the fact that we are in Colorado keep anyone from developing boating footwear. I think I am one of the 25 or fewer people within the city limits who do not have a pair – but the rest of my family does – all three red.
So, imagine my shock and, well, dismay, when today the Washington Post ran an photo and accompanying article with “W” sporting a pair. This in downright un-Boulderly. And, moreover, the article states that the company’s Chairman is a Bush supporter. Oh, Croc.
Coming Soon: A few pix and mini report from last weekend’s Estes Park Wool Market.
What’s on my mind: aside from keeping my kids from killing each other (the 3 year old can take down the nearly 10 year old with little problem):
Knitting for my upcoming book, and knitting and knitting . . .
The Poudre River Pullover
A stunning Aran pullover originally debuted in the out-of-print Aran issue (Fall 1997) of Interweave Knits Magazine. If you happen to have that collectible issue around – the handsome fellow in the picture is my husband Bill! Traditional touches such as a cabled welt (lower body ribbing) and saddle shoulder are combined with a comfy modern fit.
When I first saw this beautiful handpainted yarn from Schaeffer Yarns, I flipped out. The rich hues, the autumnal colors. It immediately transformed into an image of the jacket above in my mind’s eye. Here, it is trimmed with Mission Falls 1824 Wool. The trim is seed stitch – knit on a needle two sizes smaller than the main body – a tip a learned from Sasha Kagan. This jacket features couture touches such as side vents, short row shaping and one-row buttonholes. Polished, stunning and fun to knit.
The Mindful Knitting Pattern Collection patterns are $5.00 US each and are downloadable PDF files. Once you have made your purchases, you simply save a copy on your hard drive. Payment is through Paypal – very easy to set up! Enjoy.
Well all be a sheep’s fleece, the Summer Knitty is up – Go Amy and friends. And, along with all the other goodies, is the Mindful Knitting Collumn contributed by MOI. (Click on the highlighted link or on the button to the right of your screen.)
The big question, am I still stuck? Well, a little bit, but I’ve been easing into letting things unfold for me. Especially in the corners of my peripheral vision.
rose fairy by Cicely Mary Barker from www.flowerfairies.com
They say, that’s where the Fairies are hard at work, and you can only catch sight of them by being really still. The crucial, and absolutely most difficult thing about setting out to practice mindfulness in daily life is restraint. I spoke to a very wise woman recently who told me – “being still isn’t inertia, it’s levity.” Right On! So, I continue on my continuing journey of NOT jumping in, but letting the tide rise around me.
Also – two more patterns are being added to the Mindful Knitting Collection on www.tarhandknitting.com. I hope you enjoy them.
So, here’s the thing -
I love knitting, I love the hot springs – and the two together are pretty awesome. But what’s got a big smile on my face is the way some folks are finding their way to my entry (below) about the mostly naked knitting in the San Luis Valley -
In the managment tools of blog writing, as most of you may know, you can look at a lot of things. You can view all kinds of stats – how many visitors have stopped by, where the are linking from, and what search engine terms were used to find your post in things like Google, etc.
I am really amused by how many people are searching for “Naked Knitting.” And, I think I’ve entered those words enough in this post that they will keep finding this blog. Really, searching on those two words – naked knitting. Here’s a little pic for you that nicely illustrates the idea – the cover of the lovely Amy Singer’s latest book – No Sheep for You from Interweave Press.
What else is on my mind. Well, knitting – but I am in fact clothed today. Zane, however, keeps asking if he can take off all his clothes – I think he digs the clothing optional/Naturist lifestyle. The little sweater I was working on at the springs is done and the neck about to be cast off. Now I start the grown up’s version.
More of what’s in my ears and on my mind:
“Robbie Robertson” self titled album 1987 (Sweet Fire of Love, baby!)
and in keeping with this impromptu favorite Canadians thing,
SeaSilk from Handmaiden/Fleece Artist of Nova Scotia
image “boar-rowed” (think Canadian) from the knitty blog.
And, our favorite Canadian Knit-edienne, Eh? 
So, this past weekend I was not in the American Midwest bonding and frolicking with my Yarnie buddies at the TNNA show. I would haved like to, and in fact had a fun dream about being there in Columbus, OH – something about Amy Singer dressed up in a fancy hat or something – did this really happen Amy?.
Instead I was with my family on our semi-annual jaunt to the hot springs in the San Luis Valley in South Central Colorado (Beautiful photos here). The Valley is so mystical and without time (literally – “oh, look, the sun is going down, maybe we should eat dinner – oh, the shade has gone away, maybe lunch and a nap. . . “- pretty rough, huh?)
So, at a clothing optional hot springs, seeing naked people is no big deal – but seeing naked knitters – very exciting. And, on Sunday, I think the count was five knitters hanging out around the natural spring pool. Here is me and my nearly naked knitting – with my Lexie Barnes Superstar of course (I don’t go ANYWHERE without it!)
Being the very-susceptible-to-sunburn redheaded Irish-American girl that I am, one can typically find me in the shade with my sarong. So you get nearly naked Tara – (sort of like Nearly Headless Nick from HP.) I think we need to know each other a little better before I give it all up! And you can bet your tush you will never see me in a knitted or crocheted bikini! (See KnitLit Too for more. . .) [And let's get serious, we really care about WHAT I'm knitting, right, not whether I am clothed while doing it. So for those of you who want to know - it's Blue Sky Organic Cotton and a little sweater that will be appearing in an upcoming book. The sweater, most likely, will in fact be naked.]
