During the holidays, I seem to go to a lot of craft shows, open studios and art openings. This weekend I hit Paradise City in Marlboro (yesterday) and open studios at Brickbottom in Somerville (today). After dropping a king's ransom yesterday, I took all the cash out of my wallet this morning and told myself I would not be buying anything today. You'd think that after hanging around with myself for 45 years, I'd know myself a little better. A couple years ago while at Brickbottom, I saw an artist named Mark Luiggi and I liked his work. http://homepage.mac.com/markluiggi/PhotoAlbum7.html Today I decided to buy one of his small prints, but of course he doesn't take credit cards and I had taken all the cash out of my wallet this morning before leaving the house. Idiot. So I ran downstairs to ask my friend Ron, who was the reason for my visit to open studios in the first place (here's a plug for Ron - he's awesome http://www.rockrollphoto.com/) where the nearest ATM was. I take off to get cash, go back to Mark Luiggi's studio, he wraps up my print, gives me a receipt and off I go...without giving him the money. I didn't realize it until an hour later when I was in TJ Maxx (which was a whole 'nother nightmare) and had a bunch of cash in my wallet that wasn't supposed to be there. I'm not sure exactly WHEN my brain fell out, but I think it has something to do with the holidays approaching.

I have one more artist story from yesterday and then I'll talk about knitting. I went to Paradise City yesterday, which is a large art and fine american craft sale that draws artists from all over the country. Two years ago, I bought a print from an artist named Tom Barnes. http://www.tombarnesfineart.com/ The reason I bought it was because the woman in the print hat a white hat and matching hand warmer and he had painted hollys on both on the print. I didn't go to the show last year because my foot was broken but I'm standing there yesterday looking at a painting (that came home with me...Celeste) and he says, "Your name is Holly and you bought Sonia in Winter". I looked at him and said, "Jesus." Then he said, "But don't ask me what I had for breakfast this morning." I still find it remarkable - even today; but maybe a little unnerving as well.

So I've been working constantly on a French Market Bag for my mother. I totally got the date wrong on Boston Living Center's Thanksgiving dinner (it is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, not actual Thanksgiving Day - which doesn't make any sense to me - what are the people at the center supposed to do ON Thanksgiving??) so I'll be seeing my mother next Thursday and have to get this bag done and felted by then. I started this one from the center of the bottom and knitted out instead of knitting a straight rows and then picking up 200 stitches to do the body of the bag, as I have done in the past. This first photo shows the bottom, which I hope will flatten out when felted. The main color is beige and the bag will have a stripe of the royal and teal. My friend D is coming over in a bit and I have to find Thai and possible Sushi nearby before she gets here. We mostly have Italian in and around my fair town, so I'll have to get out the phone book and give this some thought...