If I were going out tonight...

I would wear this. All available on Etsy. Click the photos to check out more from these sellers.

1980s vintage sequined top

handmade cigarette pants

oxford heels

faceted hoops

Three Books to Inspire

I believe my love of reading came from a childhood where I was surrounded by books. I've never been a morning person and as a little girl my mom would read me awake. Goodnight Moon was one of my first favorites. I still find reading aloud comforting, even as an adult.

My mom would find me a book whenever I had a new interest. From Queen Elizabeth I when I was in 3rd grade, to Chuck Jones, the animator of Looney Tunes, in middle school, to marine biology in high school, to my first Stephanie Pearl-McPhee book as an adult, my mom fostered my interests through books.

Last week my mom turned me on to the Three Books... project on NPR. This special series chooses a topic and finds three must-reads. While there are no doubt a ton of books that could be celebrated, NPR chooses three because, "three is a number that allows for conversation, completion, and understanding."

In a past life I was a librarian who recommended books to middle-school-aged children. Here, I'll try it for adults.

My Three Books To Inspire

What do all of these books have in common besides being inspirational? They were all given to me by my mom.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I first read The Alchemist shortly after graduating college. While I had a college degree, a salaried job, and a steady boyfriend, it was a time of uncertainty in my life. I've always been a really creative person and the path I had found myself following was easy. And maybe my uncertainty was just that- I had settled.

Reading The Alchemist changed my life. "Everyone believes the world's greatest lie- that at a certain point in our lives we lose control of what's happening to us and our lives become controlled by fate." I was no longer going to be complacent. But as time passed, like the people in this book, my life faded into routine. And then one day the King of Salem visited me in the form of a divorce. And now, like the main character, Santiago, I'm walking down the path less traveled, going after my personal legend. And when I hit bumps in my road I find myself looking to The Alchemist for encouragement.

The Alchemist combines travel, adventure, danger, and hope. It is truly a life-altering, incredibly inspiring book.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency features a strong woman protagonist breaking out of the traditional female role to follow her personal legend. Mma Precious Ramotswe, a "traditionally built African lady" uses her inheritance to become the first woman detective in Botswana. While being the first of anything may daunt some, Mma Ramotswe takes it all in stride, using her intuition and cunning to make Botswana a better place.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is the first in a series of books that feature Mma Ramotswe. All books in the series are packed with exciting mysteries and beautiful portraits of Africa.

My Life in France by Julia Child

Being a woman, I'm empowered and inspired by reading the stories of powerful women who could. I'd like to introduce Julia Child. Need I say more?

Julia Child came into my life as a college student during a summer internship at the Smithsonian. I really had no idea as I cleaned and cataloged her kitchen tools, and helped to install the Julia Child Kitchen exhibit in the summer of 2002, what a huge inspiration she would be in my life. Her story shows that if you have an interest, work really hard to get good at it, and want to share it with others, it can happen.

In My Life in France Julia shares with us how the tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking(MtAoFC) came about. Did you know it took over 7 years, several rejection letters, and numerous re-writes for the book to be published?

My Life in France is also filled with Julia's experiences living in Paris, Marseilles, Oslo, and the US. It is not only a romantic, inspiring travel book, but also shows that perseverance pays off.

worldknits is partnering with madeline ruth to bring you knitting classes

Whether you're a new knitter, need a refresher, or are ready to take the next step in your knitting, worldknit & handspun offers classes that will get you knitting like a pro. Check out the list of classes being offered in February and March at Madeline Ruth (610 Caroline St., Fredericksburg, VA).

Call (540) 656-2865 or stop by Madeline Ruth to register

Follow worldknit & handspun on facebook to get the latest news and updates.

Beginning Knitting
$85 - 4 sessions

Learn to cast-on, knit, purl, and bind-off in this introductory level class. Classes will also include discussions on yarn, pattern reading, fixing mistakes, and ravelry.

Class will meet February 22, 28, March, 8, and 15 from 6:30-7:30pm

Space is limited to 8 students.
no previous experience required


Cables Demystified
$25 - 1 session

Learn how to read cable charts, create your own cables, and how to cable with or without a needle. This class will cover both English and German charts.

Class will meet February 22 from 8:00-9:00pm

Space is limited to 8 students
You must know how to cast-on, knit, and purl


Knitting in the Round
$25 - 1 session

Learn how to convert flat patterns to the round. You'll also learn how to knit in the round using both double pointed needles and circular needles. Great for learning to make sweaters, hats, socks, cowls, infinity scarves, and mittens.

Class will meet February 28 from 8:00-9:00pm

Space is limited to 8 students
You must know how to cast-on, knit, and purl


Toe-Up Socks
$25 - 1 session

Beat second sock syndrome by learning how to do two socks at a time from the toe-up. This technique can also be used for mittens, gloves, and leg warmers.

Class will meet March 8 from 8:00-9:00pm

Space is limited to 8 students
You must know how to cast-on, knit, and purl


Finishing School
$25 - 1 session

You've knit the pieces to your garment, but how do you put them together? Learn the various seaming techniques, blocking, how to knit button bands, and the best way to weave in your ends.

Class will meet March 15 from 8:00-9:00pm

Space is limited to 8 students
You must know how to cast-on, knit, and purl

Happy Reminders of a Constant Companion

The other day I grabbed a pair of knitting needles that I hadn’t used in a while. As I began to cast on I noticed tiny little bite marks in the tips, complements of my tiny little girl, Marbles. Marbles of course is a cat.

Marbles passed away on December 28, 2010, marking a horribly crappy end to a horrific year. After eating her dinner she started acting strange, dragging her back legs and meowing. When we rushed her to the emergency vet (I was in FL visiting my parents) the vet told us she had cardiomyopathy and a blood clot had paralyzed her from the legs down. There was no cure and heart failure was next. Sobbing, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and signed the papers to put her down.

The supreme grump face.

I miss Marbles terribly. For the past 6 years she’s been my constant companion, from waking me up in the morning to falling asleep in the crook of my knee at night. She was my family when my husband left and was going to be my partner in adventure in Argentina. Of all of the loss I’ve experienced in the past year, she is the only thing I miss.

Marbles had an affinity for water.

Marbles helping design the Conundrum hat.

There are reminders of Marbles all over; in the things I do during the day to physical reminders, like her little harness (for outside time) and photographs. When I work out in the morning I see her lying next to me on her back with her two little fangs poking out of her mouth. When I go to feed Patches I imagine Marbles sitting there, waiting patiently for her breakfast and dinner. When I look at the girls' water dish I see Marbles splashing around in it. When I see her empty circle bed, I think fondly about how she spent 10+ hours in it a day. And when I knit with the needles with the tiny little bite marks, Marbles is there with me, even if her body is not.

My littlest one.

Fall Loves Fiber

The beginning of October in Virginia means two things to wool lovers- the Montpelier Fiber Festival and the careful unpacking of well-loved cold weather handknits.

This morning I woke to a cool, dry fall morning and put on a pair of hand knit socks that haven’t been worn since March. There’s nothing like the feel of a knitted sock. I love the way that it hugs your foot and the texture of the soft merino against your skin. In a word, lovely. It was going to be a good day.

After a short drive along country roads I found myself at Montpelier, the once home of James Madison. Situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Montpelier is the perfect backdrop for the Fall Fiber Festival and Sheep Dog Trials. With a little over 50 vendors, mostly from Virginia, the Montpelier Fiber Festival is a pleasant break from the madness of Maryland Sheep and Wool.

I ran into a bunch FredKNITSburg knitters, some of whom I haven’t seen in what feels like forever (we miss you at knit night). They were sporting some pretty nice handknits. A. had just unpacked her beautiful Zigzag Cowl by Mandy Powers, knit in a yummy deep brown handspun. H. was wearing her just finished Tempting by Jenna Adorno in a enticing deep purple. So many of the festival goers were wearing handknits that I came home with plenty of inspiration for my next project.

One of my favorite vendors, Misty Mountain Farm, had a beautiful collection of handpainted yarns and fiber, in addition to incredibly soft, natural-colored alpaca. After talking with Terry, the son of the farm owners, I learned that they offer classes in weaving, spinning, and felting. Be sure to check out their website for details.

While shopping the vendors is fun, my favorite part of the festival is watching the sheep dog trials. Boarder collies are amazing. They are incredibly agile and can run at top speeds of 30-35 miles per hour. The dogs appear to love what they do, chomping at the bit to begin herding the sheep around a field, through fences, and eventually into a pin, all while being directed by their owners with calls and whistles. Even if you don’t like fiber (gasp) the festival is worth attending for the sheep dog trials alone.

Happy knitting!

Alex

For more photos check out our Montpelier Fiber Festival collection on Flickr.

an American day in Egypt

Chile's has never look that good. It's funny how things that you would never visit in the US are so appealing after you've spent some time in a foreign country. We walked to Chile's in Golf City from our house in Cairo. After a lunch, including French Fries and unlimited refills of iced tea (that's right, ice) L. and I went to Starbucks where we sat for 3 hours sharing the computer to use the internet. After that we took a cab to City Stars, the best mall in Cairo, to catch Sherlock Holmes with movie theater popcorn. What luxury! The movie theater was nicer than ours in Fredericksburg and was way less expensive. We got our movie tickets and 3 popcorns (L. had two), drinks, and cotton candy for under $20. Recharged for the last week of our trip!

un mal dia

At midnight our driver, Muhammad, picked us up. We started our 5+ hour car ride to get to Taba, a city in northern Egypt that lies on the Red Sea and is nestled in the Sinai mountain chain. From Taba we were scheduled to take a boat across the sea to Jordan, then a bus ride to Petra. We arrived around 6 am, early for our 7 am crossing. The crossing, however, was on Egypt time, which meant that our passports weren’t checked until nearly 8:00. When we finally thought it was time to go we were told by our tour organizer that there was a problem. He said that Jordan wasn’t excepting people of our age today- we were too young and would have to wait until tomorrow- WTF?! First of all this made no sense and secondly if they organized tours they would have know this before hand, as they had received copies of our passports 4 or 5 days earlier. L. and I sat wondering what was going on and what we were going to do when AY. called. He said that the tour company would pay for a hotel and our meals and to only give them the $200 for the tour and 750EP for the cab ride to and from Cairo. We were put out, but after a night of car sleeping a hotel didn’t sound too bad. 

At this point it was nearly 9:30. Muhammad began to drive us to our hotel when the tour operator called and said the Jordanian government gave us permission to make the trip. We were rushed through customs and put on a boat with a bunch of Italians. L. and I were trying to make the most of it, as we had already lost hours off of our visit to Petra and the dead sea was totally out of the question now. The crossing took about an hour. It was pretty cool because if you looked north you could see Israel, if you looked ahead you could see Jordan, and if you turned your head to the right you could see Saudi Arabia. 

When we arrived in Jordan we were ushered onto a bus. The tour guide said, “You will be on a Czech tour, do you speak Czech?” NO. He said, “Okay so you can sleep on the bus ride.” Thanks but, I didn’t come to Jordan and pay all of this money so that I could sleep through explanations of what were seeing out the window. The part of Jordan we saw was all desert, which rose into mountains. The houses look very similar to those we saw in Central America- small, concrete structures that look unfinished. After a two-hour bus ride we were in Petra. 

We got our tickets to enter the site. Our guide, who spoke English, told us he could not break from the Czech tour group (they had their own guide). Because we had limited time from the visa mishap and because Petra is such a large place we decided to walk through the ancient city on our own. Before you enter the city you have to walk a few kilometers through a canyon. The canyon walls are beautiful, made up of red, orange, brown, and white swirls. You keep wondering around which bend the famous treasury building will appear. And then, there it was. It peaks through a crack in the canyon before it comes into full view. It’s amazing to think that this spectacular building was carved from the face of the canyon. 

After spending some time looking at the treasury we walked on to explore the rest of the city. All of the buildings were carved out of the stone and they are everywhere. As you walk further you come to the Roman amphitheater, created first by the Nebetians and then expanded upon when the Romans came. The theater looked like an optical illusion with the way that the coloration in the stones swirled. The ampitheater can sit 3000 people. The last grand structure that we saw was the church, which was just as stunning as the treasury. 

With an hour to go we walked back to the visitors center where we caught our Czech bus to start our trip back to Egypt. Before returning to the ship we stopped at the Marriot to have a buffet style dinner. The Czechs ate their food very quickly and it was only L. and I left at the table. I felt a bit like a piggy. 

Back on the bus we made two more stops, one at a shop, and another in the “tax-free” shopping district. This region of the world feels much like being at Disney World. At the end of each attraction your lead out into a shop or souq. Later we found out that the reason we stopped in the shopping district was to purchase their famous nuts. We did not buy anything. 

When we reached the ship the man that arranged our tour said, “You have to hurry, you are late. The boat would have left without you if I wasn’t here.” We gave him our passports and ran to the boat. We couldn’t get on however until we got our passports back. The ship operators said, “You’re late. What were you doing? We were waiting for you.” WTF?! We thought, they must be taking the piss. First of all you forgot to get our visas, you made us wait hours at the marina, you put us on a Czech speaking tour, arranged that we would go back on the same bus, and now you are making it like you’re doing some big favor for us by waiting, like we had control over what the bus did? At this point we were totally fed up. 

When we got back to the marina, it actually got worse. Our guide told us the price was actually $200 EACH. One of the wonderful things about Egypt is that nothing is as you are first lead to believe. I can tell you that our day in Petra was not worth the $550 we spent. And by the way don’t ever book a trip with Midland Travel & Tours.