More Progress

As you can see, I've made real progress on the Oriental Lily dress for Linny. The skirt is finished and I'm slogging along on one of the sleeves. This project is going to need some heavy blocking. I worked hard to keep the hem from curling in order to take the photo. As soon as I picked it up to work on it, the bottom curled right back up.


Last night was really fun. It was the fifth Tuesday and the Union County NJ Crafters Group does something celebratory whenever that happens. We meet the first and third Tuesdays at Starbucks and the second and fourth at the Coffee Beanery. For the fifth Tuesday in June, we decided to convene at The Tavern at The Stage Coach Inn in Scotch Plains. Shortly before we were scheduled to meet, there was a thunderstorm with heavy rain. We had hoped to eat on the patio and wondered if we would be able to do so. The indoor portion of The Tavern was crowded and it would not have been possible to get a table big enough to accomodate all of us. Fortunately the storm ended, the sun came out and The Tavern staff set about drying off all the outdoor tables. We did some eating and drinking as well as knitting and crocheting. The group ebbed and flowed as members arrived and left.

Here's a photo of the appetizers and the "pay what you want" barbecue (the dish on the right in the photo) which was delicious, a combination of chicken, ribs, brisket and sausage. You pay as much as you want and you get a gift certificate for a future meal.


We did some knitting and crocheting as well as eating.

WWKIP Day 2009

The Union County NJ Crafters decided to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day with a Picnic at Nomahegan Park in Cranford. It's been raining for days now in NJ, but this morning dawned sunny and dry. The park was quite muddy and we had some difficulty locating a picnic table that was in a relatively dry spot.

Hillary, Jess and I arrived around 10 AM and began knitting at once.


As the morning progressed, more and more members joined us.

The park was an active spot today. There seemed to be three large groups that had reserved the picnic groves. We could smell chicken and hamburgers grilling. People walked back and forth to the playground, passing close to our table, but no one approached us to ask about our activities. We had prepared for some interest and members planned to teach knitting and crocheting to passers by if anyone expressed an interest.

Our group ultimately became large enough to require the extra table I had brought from home. And, the party chairs that Dick and I bought years ago for an event that was canceled finally found some use. Around 11:30 we decided to break out the food. Each member made a dish to share and there were some very delicious offerings.

Here we are, clearing our knitting away and setting up to eat.



There were chips, salsa, salads, fresh fruit, drinks and brownies.


Midway through lunch, Cindy arrived. Here she is demonstrating her soccer chair. She explained to us that the built in canopy protects her from sun and rain. That's an important accessory these days. And, there has been a lot more rain than sun.

The weather was somewhat threatening. At one point, it seemed as if it would rain any minute, but the dark clouds passed over and the sky brightened. Around 2:30, it became threatening again and we decided to pack up our gear and head home. As I was unloading all the gear and getting things stowed in the garage it did begin to rain--and it's continued to rain all afternoon and evening.

We had one new member, Joan, and she promises to join us at our regular meetings on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

All in all, it was a successful day. Of course, we knit in public, at Starbucks, Coffee Beanery and Panera all the time. It was nice, though, to share food and be in the outdoors.