A Walk Down Main Street

The underside of a ramp onto the interstate. I have no idea why these girders are so meticulously numbered. I found it curious, so I took a picture.

So, last night, I met up with a few knitting friends to watch our Louisville Bats play against the visiting Gwinnett Braves. One of the reasons I was looking forward to it was because it was $1 Beer Night. I was also looking forward to it because it was a Stitch 'n' Pitch of sorts, albeit on a very small scale.

A Corinthian capital to fluted column. Both cast iron, I'm sure.

Happy hour(s) started at 5:00, and since it was only a couple miles from my office, I decided to walk there, which would kind of count as exercise, even though I was about to drink away any possible advantage I might have gained from a 2 mile walk in 90+ degree weather. From Seventeenth Street, I walked east to the stadium at Jackson Street and took photos along the way. Today's post is mostly photo journal, with just a little commentary from me.

This plaque is in reference to the original occupant of the building behind it. There are many more on this block and the next.

Base of a cast iron pilaster. I could look at these things all day!

Obligatory photo of the giant bat outside the Hillerich & Bradsby factory & museum. If you go inside, you can take a pencil rubbing of a major leaguer's signature, so long as he owned a Louisville Slugger.

American Life building, designed by Mies van der Rohe. I am a modernist at heart, although I love old things as well. Plenty of people dislike this building, but I like it better than Michael Graves' Humana building across the street.

Our new basketball arena. Pretty matter-of-fact from this side. The view from the north is much more dramatic.

Whiskey Row, as it's now called. Only recently were most of these buildings saved from the wrecking ball, because the "developer" wanted have them for a parking lot. I've never met the guy, but I suspect I'd be rude to him if I did, so better that I haven't.

This makeover seems to be going well.

So glad these buildings are being saved!

I've liked this building for a long time. I can't wait to see what becomes of it.

I like the composition of this elevation - they definitely maximized the amount of light. The empty space to its right used to be a building, until it collapsed from neglect.

Louisville Slugger Field, adapted from what was previously a depot.

Plenty has been written elsewhere about most of these buildings. Broken Sidewalk, in particular, is a great place to start. I took a few photos at the game, but funnily, no one had their knitting out. I was too busy drinking beer and eating fried bologna and Dippin' Dots to knit.

Mary and her Mimi. Sorry I cut off your head, Cindy.

Little Miss in her Knit Nook shirt about to be delirious from the sugar. She ate the whole thing.

This must've been during the warm-ups. Our guys lost this one, but got 'em back tonight.

I love old buildings.

Yesterday was a long day. Instead of going to the office, I attended the Vacant, Abandoned & Underutilized Property Summit, sponsored by the local government (sounds scintillating, don't it?). It was 6.5 hours of non-stop problem identification and problem solving. Our conclusions, in a nutshell: vacant property is a problem in our fair city, bankers & out of town tax lien purchasers are the bad guys and there Has To Be A Better Way. The Summit was a good start, and I think if we can get that kind of creative brainpower together again, with enough time to formulate concrete strategies, we can go a long way toward improving our blighted neighborhoods. (Damn, I'm such a freakin' optimist & do-gooder.)

Aside from all the great ideas we came up with at the Summit, one of the best things about it was that it was at Memorial Auditorium, an 80+ year-old theatre and ballroom. It has all kinds of great architectural detail. I've been to a few conferences here lately and I never seem to have had my camera with me. I made up for it this time!

Every time I pass this drinking fountain, I want to take a picture of it. It's brass and the water comes out of the dolphin's mouth. Or it would if the water were still turned on. There is also an awesome Greek key pattern along the sides, with a corinthian capital  and acanthus leaves. Gorgeous!

The ceilings in one of the side rooms are the original figured plaster, with medallions and egg-and-dart mouldings. It must be some kind of trick to keep it in good repair. I also love the mid-1920's relief above the exits from the auditorium. They are exactly what you'd expect to see in a place that was built to remember WWI veterans.

Another reason it felt like a long day is that last night was the last Stitch 'N' Bitch at my LYS, the Knit Nook. Tomorrow is the last day the store will be open, except for the final blowout on Oaks & Derby days. It makes me sad. I'm not much of a cryer, but I will miss this:

And this:

The shop was open until 9pm, but a few of us loitered a little longer, hoping it wasn't really the end. There was food and beer; gossip, bitching and joking; laughter and tears. A lot like a regular SnB night, but this time with a touch of the bittersweet. I know most of these women (and a few men) will remain in my life, even if I see them less often. I'll just have to work a little harder to make it so. The shop has been fantastic and I'll miss it very much. I'm not sure when I'll be able to bring myself to a new shop. At least I have a little yarn to last me awhile.

That's all I've got for this time. I have, indeed, turned the heel of the Vacation socks, but I forgot to take pics while I had good light. We'll save it for next time. Until then, friends.

My name is Sharri, and I'm addicted to yarn.

So, I might have mentioned before that my LYS is closing. Going out of business. Probably forever. I have heard that there have been casual inquiries from strangers that they're interested in buying the business. But even if the shop is sold, it will be in a new location, since the lease has expired on the current location. I have a very small hope that the shop might re-open in the neighborhood under new management, but I don't want to get my hopes up. It makes me sad. And being sad is not fun.

Sometimes I think I'll feel better if I buy more yarn. (Honey, if you're reading this, you might want to stop right about now.) It helps the LYS get out of the red. I get stamps on my Frequent Buyer card (which are good until April 30). And I get yarn. At a discount. Like 20% on yarn and 50% on books. Really, can you blame me?

Here's one of the yarns I've bought recently: Brown Sheep Legacy Lace. 1500 yard of washable merino and nylon. I don't have a specific project in mind for it, but I've been exploring the idea of knitting up something intricate & epic, then hand painting some color on it. Or I might make a monster of an Estonian lace shawl. I might be scaring myself a little.

Another of the yarns from the sale: Punta Yarns Merisock Handpainted. Mmm, pretty. I've said before that I'm easily seduced by handpainted yarn, and this one made me bring it back to my place for a little heavy petting. I haven't yet started hooking for these yarns, but I'm thinking really hard about what I might be willing to do without to get my hands on some Knitivity hand dyed. Soon, baby, soon.

The last of my recent acquisitions is Berroco Sox Metallic, which is a variegated yarn with sparkly bits in it. It's not something I would normally have considered, but with the sale, and the knowing that there won't be any more, and the sale, I bought it. I will eventually knit it up. I'm not sure when, but I'll get there. Not long ago, I counted up my sock yarn and found that I had so little, I could only make 4 pairs. As of tonight, my Ravelry stash shows that I'm up to enough for 12 pairs. Whew. That was a close one.

In actual knitting (as opposed to potential knitting, which is what stash really is), I have finished the knitting on the Veronica sweater. All that's left is the seaming and the collar, which will likely happen tomorrow night. The Lotus socks continue on, slowly, as I've been working on the sweater. I think my next big needle project will be a pillow cover, to go with the Umaro blanket in the basement. The cat likes that yarn so well, that I thought it would be nice for him to have something snuggle on that won't be entered in the Fair. I just have to find the appropriate stitch pattern that can coordinate with Umaro, but distinguish itself from it. This will require some thought.

Well, that's all for now. We'll be painting some more on Monday, but I hope to be able to post photos of the completed Veronica, sewn and blocked. 'Til next time, then.

The deep end of the pool

I really like variegated yarns. They're so beautiful, all twisty in their hanks. They even look good wound into a center-pull ball. Lovely. I keep buying these gorgeous yarns, even though there's a probability that they'll pool. For example, this pretty skein of Classic Elite Alpaca Sox

became this terribly pooled pair of Elfine's Socks:

And these two irresistible skeins of Shibuiknits Staccato

Became this pair of slightly-less-badly-pooled-but-not-as-stripey-as-I-wanted Sunshine socks:

 So, you can imagine my disappointment when, after turning the heel of the Milo socks, I got this on the foot:

It's not terrible, but certainly not as nice as the random bits of color that make the leg of this sock look so attractive. Don't get me wrong, I still love these socks. It's just one of those things. I am very happy at how well they fit the husbeast: just short enough that there's a little bit of stretch and that the heel fits snugly. The leg looks great, and I love the little X's & O's going up the back.

I'm also glad to have finished these socks, as I'm ready to go on to the next ones. I haven't decided on a pattern - I have a few in my Ravelry queue, but Lotus & It's Tea Time are the current favorites.


Progress continues on the Umaro blanket, although I don't have any updated project pics. I've gotten 4 chart repeats completed, with two and a half remaining. I still like the scale of the pattern and I love how the edge stitches are looking - I'm slipping the first stitch of every row. I'll probably have a few balls of the Lana Grande leftover once the project's complete, so I'll be looking for a little project that wants big yarn. What fun! Even though it can be a time-suck sifting through all the pattern pages on Ravelry, it's a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

That's all I've got for now. I have a busy weekend to prepare for, with a bunch of Knit Nookers coming over for craft day. Until next time, then.

Turning the Corner

Since the last time I posted, I've been able to get the heels turned on the Milo socks I'm knitting for my husband. For some reason it feels like it's taken ages to get to this point, but after looking at my Ravelry project page I've come to realize that I've only been working on these socks for 10 days. So, really, pretty remarkable progress for such detail on the legs.

I've also gotten through the second chart repeat on Umaro. It's not much progress there, mostly because I wasn't knitting on it that much. I can't remember what I did with all my time last week.

Sunday was my LYS' Super Bowl Sunday sale, which brings everyone out in droves. It keeps me away until well after lunchtime, because I really dislike crowds. The shop is small enough already: I'm not interested in having to sharpen my elbows to get to the yarn. I got there around 1pm and was pleasantly surprised to see that the bamboo/silk blend yarn (Great Adirondack Bamboo Silk Sport that I can't find a link to) that I'd been eyeing for a month was 50% off. I bought two skeins, though I haven't decided what those 750 yards of sportweight will become. Maybe Damask, maybe something else. I'll have to keep a lookout for a shawlette pattern that will look good in a variegated yarn.

Of note at the sale: they announced they're going out of business. It breaks my heart. I'm not sure what I'll do with all that time I spent there loitering, coveting and sometimes knitting. I might start going to the gym again. At least I've still got a couple months to build up my stash before I have to start looking for a new way to satisfy my habit. There are two other locally-owned shops in the area, but one is way out in the suburbs and the other is on the other side of the Ohio River. Neither feels like home. Maybe one of them could? I can't even begin to think about it until after my shop closes.