A Game of Catch (Up)

Some members of my readership (*cough* Jon *cough*) have said that I don't update you enough on the 24-7, hustle-bustle, hedonist lifestyle that I enjoy in the East Bay, hence my new post. Last time, I promised some more detail on the Holly party and here she is.

I'm ashamed to say I'm not sure which birthday this was for Holly, but it's not her 30th and definitely not her 40th. The lovely Mrs. Rhodes-Garcia was feted with a first-class dinner party planned and hosted by Jonathan and Emily. Em lives in the glorious Presidio which is a protected state park in addition to being a new home to Letterman Digital Arts Center (Lucasfilm). Beside the exquisite epicurean delights, we enjoyed a state of the art Holly Video Installation, iPod karaoke and kick-ass champagne cocktails courtesy of amazing elderflower liqueur, St. Germain.

Instead of killing myself and trying to knit something last minute as is my regular modus operandi, I did what any self-respecting crafter does: purchased someone else's art. I still kept to a knitting theme, but I'm not quite sure if Elizabeth Zimmerman (Godmother of Modern Knitting) would have approved of the destruction of straight knitting needles for fashion. I hopw that EZ would agree that the necklace was a true masterstroke and an ingenious re-use of resources courtesy of the talented Liana Kabel.

We had Holly open presents early on and I was delighted when she oooed and ahhed over the necklace. An added bonus was Renecito's seal of approval. You gotta admit, it looks good on son AND mama.

During the main course, Rene wanted to hear our fondest Holly story. I shared the tale of the time that Holly and I had to drive an RV from SF to Indio/Palm Springs to attend Coachella for our artist outreach at Levi Strauss & Co. I asked Holly to go with me and to do the majority of the driving because she can't think of anything cooler than being a trucker. The day that we picked up the RV, I almost cancelled the trip upon learning about gray and black water.

My fear of driving an RV on the interstate is only exceeded by one thing, dealing with other people's poo. Now, you might say, "mikewade, everyone poos. Just deal". Which, being without fear, is exactly what Holly said to me. But, I reminded her that I, actually, did NOT (poo). And my job description did not include wiping Rock Star asses, even if I had to kiss them all in the name of glamorous PR. Fortunately, we had the option of paying other people to deal with the gray (sink) and black (toilet) water, so I didn't have to cancel the whole trip based on my fear of other people's bodily functions. Good Times....

All in all, a perfect evening made possible by the killer hosting duo of JPK and ER. Kisses to you two, as well as the birthday girl. MWAH.

A Game of Catch (Up)

Some members of my readership (*cough* Jon *cough*) have said that I don't update you enough on the 24-7, hustle-bustle, hedonist lifestyle that I enjoy in the East Bay, hence my new post. Last time, I promised some more detail on the Holly party and here she is.

I'm ashamed to say I'm not sure which birthday this was for Holly, but it's not her 30th and definitely not her 40th. The lovely Mrs. Rhodes-Garcia was feted with a first-class dinner party planned and hosted by Jonathan and Emily. Em lives in the glorious Presidio which is a protected state park in addition to being a new home to Letterman Digital Arts Center (Lucasfilm). Beside the exquisite epicurean delights, we enjoyed a state of the art Holly Video Installation, iPod karaoke and kick-ass champagne cocktails with elegant elderflower liqueur, St. Germain.

Instead of killing myself and trying to knit something last minute as is my regular modus operandi, I did what any self-respecting crafter does: purchased someone else's art. I still kept to a knitting theme, but I'm not quite sure if Elizabeth Zimmerman (Godmother of Modern Knitting) would have approved of the destruction of straight knitting needles for fashion. I hope that EZ would agree that the necklace was a true masterstroke and an ingenious re-use of resources courtesy of the talented Liana Kabel.

We had Holly open presents early on and I was delighted when she oooed and ahhed over the necklace. An added bonus was Renecito's seal of approval. You gotta admit, it looks good on son AND mama.

During the main course, Rene wanted to hear our fondest Holly story. I shared the tale of the time that Holly and I had to drive an RV from SF to Indio/Palm Springs to attend Coachella for our artist outreach at Levi Strauss & Co. I asked Holly to go with me and to do the majority of the driving because she can't think of anything cooler than being a trucker. The day that we picked up the RV, I almost cancelled the trip upon learning about gray and black water.

My fear of driving an RV on the interstate is only exceeded by one thing, dealing with other people's poo. Now, you might say, "mikewade, everyone poos. Just deal". Which, being without fear, is exactly what Holly said to me. But, I reminded her that I, actually, did NOT (poo). And my job description did not include wiping Rock Star asses, even if I had to kiss them all in the name of glamorous PR. Fortunately, we had the option of paying other people to deal with the gray (sink) and black (toilet) water, so I didn't have to cancel the whole trip based on my fear of other people's bodily functions. Good Times....

All in all, a perfect evening made possible by the killer hosting duo of JPK and ER. Kisses to you two, as well as the birthday girl. MWAH.

One Ball of Yarn!

One Ball of Yarn!
Originally uploaded by mikewade

Gosh, I'm so behind with updating that I'm not quite sure where to begin. I'll do a quickie bullet point list and then expound on them over the next few posts:

1. Test Kniting with Pagewood Farms yarn - Didn't believe it would happen with all the froggin' that was going on, but I perservered and I was pleased to turn in the fruits of my labor to Article Pract.

2. Liana Kabel necklace given to Holly for birthday - Holly (and Renecito) were THRILLED with the necklace. Liana was a bit chuffed as well.

3. Habu Scarf to Emily for Graduation - It was a delight to see co-worker, Karen's daughter shine at her graduation party. I think she looked quite fetching.

4. Test Knitting with Twisted Sisters yarn - This was such a quick knitand very fun to do. I'm sure I will do several proper Chevron scarves because the pattern is effin soooooo easy.

Now all I need to do is start massive amounts of baby booties, hats and toys for all the lovely ladies in my life who are preggers....

I promise real posts and updates very soon.

Until then,
knit on my brothas and sistas

We Interrupt This Blog For.. THE YARN HARLOT!!!

Sock Mojo Twins Power Activate
Originally uploaded by mikewade

Yes, dear readers, I was fortunate enough to catch the only appearance in our fair state of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Readers the world over know her as author and blogger, the Yarn Harlot, and this past Thursday she dazzled us with amusing anecdotes, amazing touch knitting and, of course, a book signing. This last bit was kicked up a notch by being able to procure copies of her new audio books (I couldn't find anywhere online) which are of "At Knit's End..." and the new book, "Casts Off" read by the author herself. She thinks she sounds like a chipmunk on meth, but I think she sounds great. All of my pictures are here.

The whole thing was organized and produced by wonderful independent bookseller, Copperfields, in thriving downtown Petaluma. It was mercifully streamlined and the event went off without a single hitch. Considering there were over 250 audience members and standing room only, there was surprisingly little congestion or drama. My hat and knitting needles salute this noble bookstore.

I made some new knitting friends: Jenn and her charming friend, Johanna. Jenn was working on a fiendishly lacey sock that would have kicked me to the curb. Johanna was knitting without looking (a feat that still makes my jaw drop). The Yarn Harlot can do this too, in front of many people AND tell jokes. I'm not worthy...

So, Linda, my work compatriot and veteran knitter, and I, waited in line, gave our presents and got our goodies signed. We presented Steph with some Scharffenberger chocolate, a cute card, and a vintage knitting needle bangle from Liana Kabel. There were so many people that she didn't get a chance to see the jewelry but I hope she likes it because Liana is a genius.

As you can see, I got to hold the sock and Steph held my simple sock in progress. I left my adventure in baby lace knitting at home since I knew that I would muck it up royally and I want to be able to give it to Article Pract sometime before summer is over. I refuse to rip it back anymore. REFUSE!

I promise some good pictures of it in my next update!

Arcade Fire Rules My World

arcadefire
Originally uploaded by mikewade

This past Saturday, I took a little break from knitting the interminable wooly cake of Pagewood Farms (don't you love how I manage to keep the knitting references) and joined my good friend, Matty, for a rather exceptional performance from Montreal's Arcade Fire. They were recently written up in the New Yorker and I heard an encore presentation of Fresh Air today with them as the main guests. You can even check them out by going here for a concert presented by NPR.

Matty hadn't seen our new place in Berkeley and, much to my shock, he informed me that he hadn't seen Anthony since Robert Allen's birthday in New Orleans (and well before Anthony's aneurysm in 2004). That was about 4 years ago, if memory serves correctly, so it's been way too long. The main reason for the delay has been Matty's adventures overseas in Japan & Italy and on the other coast, but as of late, there haven't been too many wheelchair accessible events for Anthony to join.

Matty and I had a lovely dinner at Venus in downtown Berkeley and then headed over to the UC Berkeley Greek Theatre for some AF loving. The weather wasn't too terribly cold in spite of the fog and we warmed up after dancing around a bit. I'm so impressed with the wall of sound that Arcade Fire create and the even more amazing ENERGY of their live performance. If you don't have their album "Neon Bible" yet, run don't walk to your local independent music purveyor.

Sunday was almost as lovely, but it's hard to compete with Venus and Arcade Fire. Running a close second for a most fabulous time was brunch with Scott, David and Robert. We took advantage of the GORGEOUS sunny weather (anyone who knows SF in the summer should realize this is an extreme rarity) and walked ourselves over to Luna for nibbles. I enjoyed the french toast with a side of crunchy bacon and I even snuck a couple of Robert's garlic fries. I didn't have a mimosa (cafe creme pour moi)... but that reminds me of my new favorite drink (special thanks to Scottsky for this one): champagne with a St. Germain float.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

St. Germain is a liqueur made from elderflowers and it imparts the most lovely refreshing goodness to what already is the perfect brunch beverage. I had two before leaving Scott's which is why I opted for coffee at Luna.

After the repast, my arm was twisted and we retreated to Robert's secret garden where I had too much to drink (wine, campari cocktails) and not enough nibbles to balance it all out. The highlight of the day was playing in Robert's thriving succulent garden (many pieces were cuttings I have given to him from our old garden). Even though the brisk winds started flinging the lounge chairs around, we were able to enjoy the last bits of summer weather, before heading into the apartment for show and tell from Mr. Allen.

Next up, my lace-y knitting progress.... don't get your hopes too high.