Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Dignity and Repose

The Loopy Yarns anniversary party, at which I photographed a further forty or so knitters for the 1,000 Knitters Project, was a quiet affair. Vicki Sayre, the foundress of our feast, served cucumber sandwiches and tea to the delicate strains of a string quartet. Guests bent gracefully over their projects, nimble needles flashing in the candlelight, as they spoke in hushed tones of motherhood, duty, and patriotism. At intervals, members of the staff mounted the daïs to read aloud from volumes of Improving Verse or lead us in such old favorites as "Onward, Christian Soliders" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Or not.

While there was not, as I had predicted, a naked conga line around the block, this was the first public shoot at which not one but three models offered to remove their tops. (I declined.) At times it was all a bit much for a humble naïf from the Pennsylvania hill country, but I managed to escape with my virtue mostly intact. Thank goodness for my old-fashioned upbringing, is all I can say.

Here are six of the newest additions, chosen at random. It was a delight to meet you all–or see you again, as the case may be.

Six Panels

Before the evening wrapped up, Vicki (seated, center) and her acolytes graciously posed (fully clothed) for a group portrait.

Les demoiselles de Loopy

There's no pretending that in the yarn business, fair prices and a good selection are important–but the personal touch is what puts a place over the top. Vicki knows it, and it was evident from the joyful tenor of the evening that in running her shop she has also created a terrific sense of community among her customers. It came across in the photographs, and I'm grateful.

Happy Anniversary, Loopy Yarns, and many more.

Knitting Notes

I don't want Abigail running around naked during the cold months in Maine, so I felt compelled to make her the kimono from Fancy-Ass Knits for Spoiled Rotten Babies by Debbie Bliss. (I'm not certain that's the exact title, but it's close enough.) The various pieces are all blocked and are drying on the living room floor. Here's a scintillating view of the lower corner of the right-hand front.

Unfinished corner, blocked

If the yarn looks at all familiar, it's because both colors were also used ages ago in the Seneca Sweater. I think the mauve (Jo Sharp DK) will look fetching on her. The kimono itself is so simple that frankly it'd be a bore to knit if it weren't such a tiny thing. What will give it va-voom is the embroidery. Debbie calls for demure little daisies, but I'm thinking of something a touch more exotic with a whiff of 19th century Japonaiserie about it. Something she can throw on when there's not much to do but recline on the Turkish cushions in her nursery and smoke Gauloises in the silver cigarette holder Dolores sent for the christening.

I'm also working down the leg of the second of a pair of cabled socks and clicking along a piece of lace. However, all may stop dead for a little while because...

I got my Ravelry invitation this morning.

BANZAI!

66 comments:

Rosane said...

How very industrious of you, uncle. What a fortunate little girl Abigail is. By the way, I wanted to say how cute the pictures of last post are.

Still 1263 people in front of me at Ravelry...

Rosane.
- waiting patiently...

PICAdrienne said...

Very lucky little neice to have you for an uncle. She will be well clad in (beautiful) handknits.

As for the book title, your version made me snort, you are not spoiling her, you are showing your love for her. Spoiling is the indulgence, at this stage in life, it would be pretty hard for her to be truly spoiled. And, she is very lovely.

Lis said...

No fair, Franklin! I spewed soda through my nose reading your initial description of the Loopy party!
Ravelry rocks!

dpaste said...

Mazel Tov on the Ravelry invite. That's a good thing, right?

I worried for Abigail. She already appears to be cultivating quite the air of sophistication, and that kicky kimono might just push her over the edge into elitism. Tread carefully.

Marin (AntiM) said...

Oh, Ravelry! You're so lucky! I think I'm in the nine digits for people ahead of me.

You're also the cutest uncle ever.

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see you over at Ravelry. That little baby is surely going to know you love her. I love the title of the baby knits book...very accurate.

Anonymous said...

okaaaaaaaaay i nearly peed myself over the d bliss thing... gods i love your blog :)
Did you see the delores lovers group yet :P
~laurie

Kristen said...

Oh my god--I nearly fell over laughing at the "title" for DB's book! {snort, giggle, titter, snort} I will also be mulling a mental image of a tightly corseted woman in a stiff, gray dress reading serious poetry while knitters toil away below her for the rest of the day. I suppose there are worse images! ;)

Anonymous said...

I have no idea how a mortal like me could end up ahead of you in the ravelry line...anyway...friended you immediately...thats the kind of sick stalking reader I am...

Janet said...

Franklin - your blog is a delight to read and what a punch line - the long awaited invite to Ravelry!

Anonymous said...

WOOHOOOO!!!
Can't wait for you to join the fray that is Ravelry!!!

Anonymous said...

WOOT! See you on Ravelry. I am going to friend you. So there.

Megan in stinkin' hot Texas

Anonymous said...

You're on Ravelry?!! Yippee! I'll add you as a friend (I'm BalletMommy)...I'm already a member of Dolores Devotees....

Mel said...

Fancy-Ass Knits for Spoiled Rotten Babies is an excellent title. I bet my LYS would carry it for the title alone if someone actually published it.

Good to see you on Ravelry, as well. They moved everything over to the new servers last night, so I expect invites will soon be going out at a much faster pace. It's quite the phenomenon.

errs said...

For a second, I thought your brain had melted under the hot light or mine got lost in all the yarn-goodness at Loopy because I don't remember no string quartet...

Anonymous said...

Dude, you crack me up! Love the book title, love the photos. say you'll still have time to blog, now that you've been Ravelry-ed!!
I've heard it described as a time-sucking black hole!

Anonymous said...

I like your title much, much better. You should write it!

I'll see you on Ravelry, yay! We've been waiting!

Anonymous said...

Franklin, you KNOW I clicked on the link of your title, without reading the rest, first. Needless to say, I'm a fan of Debbie's books, but I think your title version is more interesting.

Be careful about Ravelry; don't let it become something ELSE to do.

Sandra said...

I've got to carve the time out for Ravelry... (I'm in, I just haven't done anything yet...)
The picture in my mind of Abby repsoing on Turkish cushions with a silver cigarette holder is just too much!

calicokitty6 said...

The kimono colors look great together. She is going to be quite the fashionista in the nursery.
Welcome to Ravelry. Glad you finally got your invite. :)

Anonymous said...

dearest; the portrait sitters look at you with love in their eyes and now i'm off to add you to my Ravelry friends!!

Josette said...

I think you're totally right on the kimono. Already, Agigail (who looks smashing in that sweater!) has a look of wisdom and repose that suggests a kimono with a design ammendment by her favorite uncle.

Puttermeister said...

Congratulations on fantastic knitter photos, keeping your virtue intact, snarking Debbie Bliss (whose patterns are nifty and cute but horribly written and infinitely recycled, hence, the snarking is well-deserved), and--joy!--getting onto Ravelry at long last. Can't wait to see your page!

Cheri said...

You really should be in charge of naming knitting books...or perhaps not because I'm not sure that my pocketbook could afford the books that would catch my eye simply from the clever title!

Ravelry, oh Ravelry, I will be there sometime in the next several years as there are 10,123 people ahead of me. I hope you're still there!

Cindy, aka Maxfun said...

Welcome to the Ravelry playground!

knitography said...

Dude, Ravelry is totally going to take over your life. The ability to put projects into a queue is both useful and dangerous. Where I think I will find the time (not to mention the money) to knit all the things in my queue, I do not know. They need to change the name to "Ravelry: Enabling Knitters and Crocheters since 2007".

La Cabeza Grande said...

Too bad about the conga line, but I totally didn't by the Women's Temperance League action either...

I made that kimono by the way and the parents loved it.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to Ravelry!!! See you around the playground.

Anonymous said...

One more week. One more week and I shall be in Ravelry too. Guess I'll have to start actually knitting things or risk being outed for the pretender I really am...

Carol said...

What a great photo of the community! I know of a couple who could take lessons from Vicki, but hey I play nice. Thar Dolores sure has spensive taste in baby gifts! ~snort~

Unknown said...

Welcome to the Ravelry party!

Abigail said...

totally awesome to meet you at Loopy!! What fun joining the 1000--good luck using up all of your stash at Ravelry

Happy Pattern hunting!

Anonymous said...

I've noticed how the tiny size of children's knitting makes even boring styles bearable.

CPAKnit said...

I'm a firm believer that there is no such thing as spoiling a baby! But the name of the book is pretty catchy!

Sarah said...

Oh, you must make sure to post your ravelry name! Or make sure to friend me, colorfulsheep!

TurnipToes said...

Stop making me want to knit baby items! I don't have a baby to give anything to, haha.

That Loopy event sounds like a blast. Keep up the good work.

Elizabeth said...

The reason your virtue was mostly intact may have had something to do with the fact that those offering to remove tops were women?

Or not...

Not that I think you're a man of loose morals. Just sayin' maybe they weren't offering the right goods.
;)

Lisa said...

YAY, welcome to the "club." Ravelry is time sucking, but worth it! Love reading yoru blog and you are a fantastic knitter. Does this mean I can friend you on Ravelry now?!?! *giggle*

Kris said...

Have fun on Ravlery! I got totally lost for about a week;)

Bevin said...

Franklin that is the best name for those Debbie Bliss books! I am glad you didn't get sucked into the cashmere for a being that has the natural tendency to barf on itself that is the Debbie Bliss directive.

Will Dolores have her own Ravelry account? Does she knit or crochet?

Anonymous said...

Ohmigawd, do they have stabilizers or lifeguards or earthquake repellers on Ravelry or something? [bg] Have fun! (Only 12,200 to go before I make it...) Wonderful photos in your samples; simply fantastic! ROFL re the tops, and now I'm wondering if despite declining, if anyone then asked you to remove your top. Only being sort of a lady, I'd never ask that question straight out, you understand. ::tries the innocent look:: Nope, not me.

Love the idea of Japanese-inspired embroidery on Abigail's sweater. Start looking up the Ukiyo-e prints and the kimono embroidery! (Actually, there are a lot of simple, beautiful designs from Japanese mon... Ok, shutting up. I'm a nut for Japanese and Chinese embroidery. [g])

dragon knitter said...

quid eratum demonstrata. like uncle, like niece, i always say (and it sounds like this is one well-dressed babe!)

Paris said...

How the hell did I get into Ravelry before you?

Loopy Knits is so reasonable about their prices that they are dangerous to my bank account. Lucky I don't live in Chicago anymore!

Rabbitch said...

I got my Ravelry thingie weeks ago but alas, the relentless pursuit of filthy lucre has kept me from that particular time-suck. Either that or I am resisting manfully. Personfully. Rabbtichful- ... you get the idea.

Once I finally get my daughter house-broken and my husband either trained or divorced, watch out.

Unknown said...

Congrats on your invite to Ravelry. I'd love to add you to my list of friends. I guess Dolores wasn't very forthcoming about her "invite" eh?

Five Ferns Fibreholic said...

One day the light will go on over Abby's head, as she is works on her first knitting project. She will understand that her uncle spoils her not with handknits but with his time and talent.

Unknown said...

Great title for a book and I love the idea of adding an exotic touch to kimona . . . I looked at the book and thought Ohhh, maybe I should get it . . . ohhh, that would be stupid since we don't have any babies around lately, and hopefully won't for a couple years yet!

The pics are great and your humor always brings a smile to my face.

Eileen said...

Great photos, Franklin!

Naked conga line, indeed ...

So, what's your user ID on Ravelry? ... so all us fans can stalk you there

Nana Sadie said...

Gorgeous photos Franklin! And whoohoo...we'll see you on Ravelry!
(((hugs)))

Lorraine said...

Spoiled rotten in a good way, I assume.
Can I ask this? What is it about women who want to remove their clothes? Former Playboy Bunnies?
And they are usually the last ones you'd want to see naked.

Ew!

Liz said...

Every baby should be spoiled rotten with handknits! Of course, what this breeds is a child who looks at all knitting and asks, "Which one is mine?" At five, mine is now picking out yarn and telling me, make me something. Brat ;>

LaurieM said...

There goes the neighbourhood! ;-)

swan/dragon said...

But will he shoot at Rhinebeck?

Joanna said...

Just finally found you on Ravelry ..... and am so glad you have joined us!

Anonymous said...

Any chance your coming to Rhinebeck for a photo shoot? I would love to be a part of your 1,000 knitters project.

Anonymous said...

Ah! A picture of me is on your blog! Sorry for gushing over you on Friday, the trip to the bar I took pre-Loopy probably helped loosen the tongue, but all the love was genuine, I promise. Hope to see you again at Loopy some Friday!

FuguesStateKnits said...

Hi - hope you don't mind me posting into the midst of what sounds like a fine time had by all - just wanted you to know I "friended" you on Ravelry because I love reading your blog and really enjoy following your work - of the photographic, fiber and literary variety!
Take care,
Joan G a/k/a FugueStateKnits

Rooie said...

At this point I have about 53mazillion people in front of me in the Ravelry queue. I am hoping that my nursing home will have good internet service.

You take such good photos. Wish you were coming to Baltimore sometime.

And Abigail remains awfully damn cute. Like everyone else, your retitle of the Debbie Bliss book made me laugh out loud.

Sarah R

Zabet said...

.:weeps from jealousy:.

Anonymous said...

I am sure Abigail will look great on the kimono outfit... but be carefull with that... I have knitted from that book of Debbie Bliss the jacket when my goodsister was 6 months and I have to repeat it every winter...in her new size.

Great photos of knitters...

Seanna Lea said...

I love seeing the photos from the 1000 Knitters project. The diversity of people is a wonder, especially coming from some of the smaller more insular communities I've lived in (present one excepting, because Boston isn't small).

Anonymous said...

I tell you now what I told the Yarn Harlot when she got her invite: you realize five million people are going to friend you now, right?

Including lurkers like me. :)

Anonymous said...

I loved the "Dignity and Repose" description, I'll recognize it now when I see it.

As for the people still waiting for Ravelry: the longer you must wait, the better it will be. The bugs will be worked out and there will just be more "stuff" that works. And of course, you will be there, ready to play.

dale-harriet said...

Oh I DO fancy Dolores...and you know, I've assiduously avoided looking up this "Ravelry" thing (I know, I must be some kind of piker). But it sounds so Exclusive - also, if one should happen to come to Chi-town to visit the Natural History Museum or Art Museum or...say...American Girl Place - what're the chances of buying an idol a cuppa?

edawne said...

I wish you were my uncle...

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