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October 29, 2004
Back in business!
So, I don't know how many hundreds of people were knocking down the doors earlier today, but I thought I'd pop up a quick post to let everyone know that the store is open -- stop on by! Today is Friday, so tonight is knitting group -- and a finer group of cheerful knitters is not to be found anywhere in the city. We'll be at it from 6-9pm -- come join us!
Posted by Rose at 02:25 PM
Opening late today
Hey, y'all -- if you're thinking of stopping by Yarnivore today, please do after around 1:30 -- I've got to run to the doctor's office before that to pick up some medicine.
Sorry for the inconvenience, and hope I see you later!
Posted by Rose at 11:32 AM
October 28, 2004
you can tell me if you think I'm getting better on the drums
Francis gave me bongos for our first wedding anniversary, and although I've been fooling around with them for a few weeks now, I didn't really feel like I could get the hang of them without an actual plan. So I ordered a book from Amazon and I spent an hour today practicing.
Fun!
I feel like a couple of lessons with a real human would be even better, but I don't know any bongoceros, and I'm kind of busy -- it would be a pain to seek out lessons. So I'll just keep messing around with the CDs that came with the book, and then I'll have to figure out what to do with my newfound bongo skillz.
Posted by Rose at 07:04 PM | Comments (1)
October 26, 2004
380 Tons of Schadenfreude
The generally awesome get your war on has a particularly fabulous take on the whole Iraqi explosives debacle. One of my favorite lines is actually the first one, "Hello, is this the National Genius Association? I just wanted to confirm that the way to secure 380 tons of Saddam Hussein's old explosives is to not."
BoingBoing has endorsed John Kerry; so has the New Yorker.
The Chief Justice of the fucking Supreme Court has thyroid cancer -- what more of a reminder do people need that this is the most important election of our lifetimes? If all the Supreme Court justices who have been holding on by a thread either die or retire during the next presidential term, and if Bush is still president, this will be an astonishing disaster for anyone who is even just a little teensy bit liberal, much less crazy radicals like myself.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE. If you're in New York, and you're all, "I'm not in a swing state, my vote doesn't matter" -- first, please don't let me hear you say that, because it will be bad for the health of our friendship. Second, there is something you can do, so there! You can vote on Line E of the ballot, supporting Kerry for President but by voting on the Working Families Party line.
Lately I've heard a lot of people saying, "I wouldn't ordinarily spout all this political stuff, but right now it's really important." My response to that is that if people would talk about politics knowledgeably and productively the rest of the time, maybe it wouldn't come down to this sort of nail-biting, neurosis-inducing mess. But that's where we are now, and we're here for one more week.
One more week. Let's hope that's all it is, eh?
Posted by Rose at 03:37 PM
October 24, 2004
Day of the Dead! Party!
Mary had a party last night, and we made sugar skulls! (The skulls are at the 10/24/04 entry on the moblog.)
I can't wait until Mary puts up some photos of her own -- she was using a proper digital camera, so they should definitely be better shots -- but I still love my stupid little low-res cellphone camera!
Posted by Rose at 12:45 PM | Comments (2)
October 21, 2004
Come sew up some squares!
The nice folks who write Mason-Dixon Knitting have been collecting squares for the afghans for Afghans project, an unfortunately named but entirely sincere effort to show support and affection for the people of Afghanistan. My friend Amber has helped sew up squares on occasion, and she's gotten a big bundle of them for us to sew up this weekend. We can't do it all by ourselves, so please come help!
Friday night from 6-9pm, or Saturday afternoon from 12-3pm, bring a tapestry needle if you have one, any munchies or drinks you'd like to share, and your devotion to sewing up squares. If you'd like to knit a simple border, that'd be even more wonderful.
Hope to see you soon!
Posted by Rose at 05:14 PM | Comments (1)
October 13, 2004
Vendors to seek at Rhinebeck?
Hey, y'all!
Barring disaster, I'll be at the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend, affectionately referred to by everyone as simply Rhinebeck.
I've already got several vendors that I know I want to talk to there, about carrying their fibers and yarns at Yarnivore. Who do you recommend? Here's your chance to influence what gets carried here in Brooklyn!
Thanks in advance, and let me know if you'll be there -- I'll be the purple-haired gal there on Sunday.
UPDATE!: I'll be there on Saturday, not Sunday, thanks to the kind folks at the NYC Stitch and Bitch who arranged a bus to go to Rhinebeck. My husband Francis (who knits!) will be minding the shop for me on Saturday.
Posted by Rose at 09:05 PM | Comments (2)
October 11, 2004
Offense intended
I saw a screening of Team America last night, and I don't know when the last time was I laughed so much at so many things that were just out-and-out wrong. Oh, wait, I know, it was when I saw the South Park movie.
After the movie, the friend I'd seen it with (a screenwriter and humorist) was marvelling at how Team America went against everything you're taught about the importance of Not Offending the Audience. He pointed out that this is just considered gospel: you don't offend people. If you want to get edgy, you can mock-offend them, but then you have to pull back somehow and make it clear that the offensive bit is over and that everything is safe again.
Team America seemed to feel that the way to deal with potentially offensive material is to offend everyone as much as possible, so that no one is left out.
I'm getting somewhere yarn-related with this, I promise. Hang on. Okay, here we go:
I've had several comments from friends and acquaintences over the last few months that boil down to this: "Now that you have a store, you better watch your step -- you can't afford to go around offending people!" The wonderful thing is, each person who has said something like this has meant a slightly different thing, based on what each of them finds offensive. Or "potentially offensive", my favorite weasel-phrase. "Oh, no, of couse, I'm not offended...but someone might be."
Is it offensive that my hair is purple and green? That I have an eyebrow ring? No? Funny, my mom thinks so.
Is it offensive that I often swear like a sailor? That I'm going to carry the girl-produced porn mag Sweet Action in the store, and that I'm planning a line of X-rated knitwear (to push things just a little further than the darling folks at knitty.com were able to do this past summer)? No? That's great! Submit some patterns then, will you?
Is it offensive that I'm an out bisexual polyamorist? No? Cool. Well, let me try again: is it offensive that I just read a book by Ayn Rand and thought she made some really good points, despite being a nutjob? There! I knew I'd get you!
Anyway, I figured it might be good to lay some of that stuff out there, so that I don't make the mistake of accidentally offending anyone. Because that would be a shame.
And to bring it back to politics -- if you don't like your choices for president (and do any of us really love our options this year?) now is a good time for me to remind you that in NY you can vote on the Working Families Party line, which will help us get just a little bit closer to the day when we in our soi-disant democracy can vote for a viable third-party candidate.
Posted by Rose at 01:27 PM | Comments (7)
October 07, 2004
Proof of concept
Strangers have now come to the store and given me money for yarn, thus providing hope that this crazy idea of mine might actually work out!
I've got magazines and books in the shop now, including the rock-themed current issue of ReadyMade and the silky-soft Fall 2004 Spin-Off.
On Friday, October 8th, I'll have the first TGIF Knitting Night at the store -- I know several swell people who'll be here working on projects -- so you should come hang out with the cool kids after work.
Posted by Rose at 05:39 PM | Comments (1)
October 03, 2004
Hello!
A warm welcome to anyone coming here after seeing Yarnivore at the NYC Knit-Out!
A fall class schedule will be up soon. In the meantime, please feel free to drop in anytime we're open -- Wed-Fri, 12-9, Sat-Sun, 12-6. Friday evenings are always our TGIF Knitting Circle -- come relax, have a drink (or some tea), and chat with other happy fiber folk as you kick off your weekend.
Posted by Rose at 02:22 PM | Comments (2)
October 01, 2004
Party! Come meet the new yarn store!
Hey there! If you're reading this, you're invited to a party at the yarn store this evening. Of course you're welcome to stop by anytime you like, but if you come by tonight, you can have a drink and hang out with all the wonderful Friends of Yarnivore, as we say to each other, "Wow, this looks an awful lot like a yarn store!"
Please get the word out: the store is open! I'm sending press releases, and putting my private army of hip, connected New Yorkers on it, but every little bit of attention helps!
Just in case you got here directly and didn't see the new page design, go take a look at www.yarnivore.com -- hasn't Iko done a swell job? I'm so pleased with how it looks!
I hope to see you soon, all 30-or-so of you!
Posted by Rose at 12:59 PM | Comments (2)