Speedy socks

I just finished Cookie A's Reykjavik socks with Stricken Smitten Sinful Sock yarn in Scheherazade's Sky (CC).  Not only are they beautiful, but I was able to complete them in 5 days. 

Phish - Kansas City Starlight 8/22/12

On Wednesday night, after 3 years of no live Phish shows, Kyle and I went to see one of our favorite bands.  We had a CPJS "Meet 'n Greet" at Shelter House 2 that was labeled "The Goldberg Family Reunion".  We saw so many good friends from all over the country.  My best friend from high school, Smithie, was able to come with us.  We went to our first Phish show together on 8/6/1997 at Riverport in St. Louis.

The weather was perfect, the lights were amazing, and we had great seats (house left, 15th row).

photo from Phish's FB page

Setlist:

Set 1: Chalk Dust Torture, Skin It Back, The Moma Dance > Rift > Bathtub Gin, Stash, The Ballad of Curtis Loew, Kill Devil Falls > Funky Bitch > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2: Tweezer > Piper > Mike's Song > Bouncing Around the Room > Backwards Down the Number Line > Heavy Things, If I Could > Weekapaug Groove, Harry Hood > Suzy Greenberg^[1]
Encore: Loving Cup > Tweezer Reprise
[1] Stairway to Heaven tease from Trey.

April yarn update

I've been busy with work, school, knitting, and spinning.  It's a careful balance, and I'm looking forward to finishing with school for the summer very soon.  Here's what I've been up to.

On April 15th I went to the last day of Knitting in the Heartland.  I took one spinning class from Jacey Boggs, who was fantastic.  Check out all of these spinning wheels! 

That was only half of the circle too!  I wish I would have gotten more pictures.  After the class I went to the market.  This was my take home.

Yarn: 
Corny Goodness - Fingering Weight in Blue Jay and DK Weight in Fern Green Medium (it's made from corn and it's really soft!)
Nerd Girl Yarns - <3 Heart You (100% superwash merino) in I'm a Knight

Fiber:
Esther Purl Fibers - Cormo Roving Braid, 4 oz.
Wooliebullie - 50% merino, 25% silk, 25% bamboo, 2 oz, in Raspberry Swirl
City Street Textiles -  two 1 oz. rainbow batts
Treasure Goddess - Superwash Merino braid, 4.1 oz in Mint 'N Teal and Fluffy Batt Superwash Merino Wool & Sparkle, 2.7 oz in Turquoise

So I need to get spinning!

-

So as far as finishing goes, I don't have a lot.  I've been working on some big projects lately.  Currently I'm working on my Evenstar Shawl, aka The Lace Monstrosity. 

Right now I'm doing the border, which contains almost 3000 beads.  I've been working on it since April of last year, so I'm really glad to be nearing the finish. 

I also have a Zora sweater freshly on the needles out of Malabrigo sock in Cote D'Azure.

I always have some socks going.  These are the Cookie A sock club April shipment, Nanaimo socks in Socktopus Sokkusu Original in River Styx.

I see a blue theme here, but that is typical for me.
-
Recently finished I have a pair of socks:

I used a sock pattern called Groovy Socks with Walking Wisti Travel yarn in Zombie.  I've been wearing them every day since. 

Also, I made a pair of booties for a co-worker:

This is my favorite bootie pattern, Christine's baby booties.  They used only a couple of yards of the Corny Goodness Fingering in Blue Jay.  I have plenty of yarn left over, so I'm sure that there will be more.

That's mostly it for my April fiber-y yarn-y adventures.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

 Kyle won tickets to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at the Blue Note.  I got off of work a little early, but we still decided to skip the opener. 


The stage background was filled with jungle plants and a stuffed lion.  They played some songs from the new album and I'm looking forward to checking it out when it's released on June 12th.

 

  

 

Wurstfest

Wurstfest is the best fest!

Here's our haul:

We had a wonderful weekend of camping, drinking wine, and eating sausage. The weather was rainy when we got there, and cleared up almost immediately.




We can't wait for Wurstfest 2013.

Crappie

Kyle caught some crappie, so we ate 'em!




Not only were they delicious, but it makes me want to go fishing more!

Lunch with Dirtfoot

We missed the Dirtfoot show in St. Louis because Kyle and I had to be responsible adults that finish their homework. Luckily we got to see the band as they passed through CoMo on their way to St Louis. I fed them potato leek soup, beer bread, and a romaine salad for lunch. My favorite part of the visit (this happens every time) was that one of the guys announced that it was time to leave. As most of them head toward the van, Scotty and Daniel each pour some whiskey and linger in the kitchen. Those two try to stay here as long as possible. It's not without threats to leave them here that they finish their drinks and load into the van.

James E. recorded their show, so you can listen for free here.
Dirtfoot at 2720 Cherokee in St Louis, MO
Thanks James for taping! It's not the same and being there, but it sure does help.

NYE with Umphrey's McGee

Umphrey's McGee at the Pageant for New Year's Eve weekend was incredible!

Thursday, Dec. 29th

Set One
Jazz Odyssey > Cemetery Walk, August*, Resolution -> Anchor Drops, Tribute to the Spinal Shaft**, Wizard Burial Ground

Set Two
Bright Lights -> 1348 > Dr. Feelgood$ > Cemetery Walk II$$, Second Song%, Pay the Snucka, Sociable Jimmy > 1348

Encore
Hajimemashite

Notes
* with Paradise City and I Want a New Drug teases
** with In the Hall of the Mountain King ending
$ incomplete
$$ with A Love Supreme jam
% first time played, TV On the Radio

Friday, Dec. 30th

Set One
Jazz Odyssey > Conduit, #5, The Bottom Half, Uncle Wally@, Nemo@, All Things Ninja, Slacker > Dear Lord > Slacker

Set Two
40's Theme, The Triple Wide, Maneater*^, Night Nurse^, Plunger, The Fussy Dutchman, Nopener, Rocker Part 2

Encore
Nothing Too Fancy**

Notes
@ with Brendan and Jake on acoustics
* first time played, Hall & Oates
^ with Jeff Coffin on saxophone
** with Natural Mystic jam, including vocals

Saturday morning we had a Chompdown of grand proportions at the Spanish Society, including a bloody Mary bar

and pastries.


Saturday, Dec. 31st

Set One
Cummins Lies > Domino Theory, The Linear > The Floor, Kabump* > Divisions**

Set Two
Catshot^ > Dump City^, Don't Do It^, Ocean Billy, 2x2, Miami Virtue^ > 25 or 6 to 4^$

Set Three
Nipple Trix^ > Booth Love^ > Auld Lang Syne^, Let's Dance^$$, JaJunk > "Jimmy Stewart"% > JaJunk, FF%% > Hangover, Ringo^

Encore
Puppet Strings^, Late In the Evening^

Notes
* with Rocket Queen (Guns N' Roses) teases
** with Hajimemashite tease
^ with Mad Dog's Filthy Little Secret horns, including Jeff Coffin
$ first time played, Chicago
$$ first time played, David Bowie
% with lyrics
%% with The Fish (Yes) teases

Happy New Year!

Photos from Phil, Liz, and Darby. Thanks!

Brother Bagman

We spent another night out at The Bridge, this time for Brother Bagman. Cory came over from Kansas City to go to the show with us. It was nice to see Cliff, Cole, and friends.

Today Mom and Dad came for a lunch visit. We ate at Buckingham's, which is one of our favorites. Afterwards we looked around at the Subaru dealership. It really made me want a gray Outback with heated seats. Mom really likes the Foresters so if she gets one I'll be jealous.

Yarnblog, take 1

I try to keep my Ravelry project page as updated as I can, but I know that not everyone is on my favorite knitting website. I've decided to do an occasional knitting update here on the Camp BaconAlien blog for my non-knitting friends out there.

First, I'll start with things I have finished, aka finished objects or FO's.

-Gnomie Hat -

This hat was made with yarn that I received in a Loopy Swap from Naomi (yardgnomes) called Mochi Plus in Rainbow Trout. I purchased the pattern from TBFF Yarns and More, and it's the Braided Swirl Tam. It was a little big on me so I set it aside. The next night when Kyle's parents came to visit, Ruth Ann tried it on and loved it. It was definitely a good match.

-Thanks for all the Fish-
For these socks I used hand dyed superwash yarn in Woad that I dyed at a blue party at the True Blue Fiber Friends old location. I paired it with a self-striping Mini Mochi in 108 to make the pattern Swedish Fish Socks by SpilllyJane. I love how fast two color socks go! I made these in 12 days. I plan on taking better pictures outside with a sock model at a later date.

-Purple Twist Blankie -

This baby blanket was made out of one of the softest yarns out there, Malabrigo Twist. For this two color blanket I used Velvet Grapes and Plena. The pattern is the Carseat Blanket by Ruth Homrighaus, and this is the third one that I've made. They're simple, beautiful, and I will probably make more. I blocked this blanket today, so this is really just a preview pic.

-Tulip Cardigan -
This is a great little sweater, but it might be a little too big for the newborn I had in mind. I used Dream in Color Classy in various colors that I received in a kit. The pattern is called Tulips, a Colorful Cardigan for Baby by Lindsay Pekny. It would be a great pattern for scrap yarn.

That's it for my finished objects. Now, for works in progress or WIPs. I have several Christmas projects that I'm working on and it would be silly for me to post them. I don't want to ruin the surprise! So I will post them once they are finished and gifted.

-Christmas socks -

These sparkly Christmas socks are going to be for me. They're made with Dyabolical Bling Sock in the color "Closer than you Think." The pattern is CookieA's Wanida and I have modified it to make them two at a time. They're going very quickly and I love the colors.

-Evenstar -
This project is also known as the "Lace Monstrosity." I'm not a big wearer of lace shawls, so I'm really just making this for the challenge. I started it in April 2011 and I hope to finish it in April 2012. The pattern is Evenstar Shawl by Susan Pandorf and I am using Unique Sheep Marici in Midnight Forrest (which is a gradient colorway).

-Chemo Cap -

For my charity knitting of the month I am making the Bow Tie Cloche/Chemo hat by Debbie Anne and Susan Ann with leftover Cascade Ultra Pima in Magenta and Pink Rose. I had a bunch of extra yarn from a baby blanket. The Ultra Pima is super soft and washes nicely.

Next is stash aquirements. I just happened to catch an update for the sought after Dancing Dog Dyeworks etsy shop. They usually sell out in under 5 minutes, so you have to be quick. I purchased

-Twist Sock "In a Can"-

This yarn is self-striping and was inspired by Oscar the Grouch.

-Twist Sock "Sparkle"-


Another self-striping yarn that is crazy pinks and purples. It would be perfect for a pair of little girl's socks.

-Little Puppy Dk in "Cupcake"-


This yarn has all sorts of beautiful colors and I'm still not sure what I'm going to make with it. Possibly a Rebecca Danger Monster, but we'll see what happens.

Speakeasy Bridge Opening

I truly love Speakeasy. They played a killer late night set at Harvest Festival so we wouldn't miss them at our favorite hometown venue, The Bridge.

It was a great show that included Talking Heads' "Naive Melody -This Must be the Place" and Led Zepplin's "We're Gonna Grove". They also played Kyle's request, "Pablo". We really dug their sound at the Bridge and hope they come back to play again soon.

Bockman 10 year Anniversary

I first saw Bockman play at the Euphio Campout in August of 2006 when Kyle and I first started dating. I was completely blown away, and even more so because they are all Columbia guys.

Bockman played an anniversary show and we had a fantastic time at The Bridge. It brought back lots of memories. I didn't get any pictures, but I'll leave you with this video from that night back in 2006 (recorded by our good friend James Eberhart).

Amy is 30!

My sister had her 30th birthday party at my parent's house in Quincy. We ate chilli, wasabi snack mix (which I can't stay away from), and these Andes Mint Cupcakes (recipe at Your Cup of Cake) that I made.

This pic is from the recipe website, but just imagine that mine were that pretty.

We sat around the fire pit outside, had cocktails, and told stories. Amy wore a tiara that Mom got for her that had blinky lights on it.

This was the only surviving picture from the evening. Good times! Happy Birthday Amy!

Cardinals Birthday

The Cardinals won the World Series on Kyle's birthday. So this is a happy guy:

The next night we went to Heather and John's Halloween party dressed as a bumble bee and a bee keeper. Kyle contemplated dressing up as a flower, but this seemed a little easier.

John and Heather really know how to do a Halloween party. Here's some of the treats:

The eyeballs were peanut butter balls with icing and the mouths were apple slices with marshmallows for teeth.

John dressed up as Dexter, and the whole basement was decorated in plastic and weird tool kits. He even had a case of glass slides.
And the backyard was super spooky.

How can you ask for a better weekend?

Mulberry Mountain

Harvest Festival this year, Oct. 13th - 16th, was a lot of fun. As RV Upgrade camp hosts, Kyle and I got to greet everyone and pass out shower wristbands. We met lots of people, got to see a bunch of great music, and I even caught a nap in my hammock. Dirtfoot and friends camped with us, and we were right next to the St. Bernard's. It felt like a big family reunion. Well, it was really.

My highlights were definitely the making the Chompdown bloody mary's,

camping with good friends,

(Me, Sonya, and Andrea - pic care of Pauly)
eating the great food (Andrea's potato soup, Tony's chilli, Scott's spicy chicken and rice, brats, bacon, and Will's lunch every day), and having our own golf cart.

My music highlights were listening to Scotty G. whistling with Truckstop Honeymoon, late night Speakeasy, Dirtfoot playing "Underwater Turtle" with a special performance by a little hooper, Cornmeal, Todd Snider, Honkey Suckle, Rev. Peyton and his Big Damn Band, Deadman Flats, and Mountain Sprout. Did anyone catch Yonder Mountain? :)

Edited to add: Here's the late night Speakeasy show, free for your listening pleasure.

Current River Trip

We usually try to do a fall float trip, so we made some last minute plans for Shelly's birthday on the Current River. We have been to this spot several times, and the people at Jadwin Canoe are fantastic! Scott, Krissy, Shelly, Mike, Jen and Tom, Dan, and Amy were in attendance, and they were a great group to float with. Plus, the fall foliage was spectacular.


Kyle likes the front seat.

This is Welch Spring, which is the 5th largest spring in Missouri and is a conservation area for endangered grey bats.


After a long day on the river we all ate a potluck dinner, sat around the camp fire, and had a lazy evening.