First. And you rock. :)

But at least you & Drew had fun while he was here, right? And we all know you're a crazy cracker lady. That is part of your charm. Whoops!

Yes yes we had fun! It was awesome. I do miss him.

Oh, the second video -- the Ellen video -- says "still uploading" whatever that means. You may have to try it in a few minutes before it works.

I'm with you! As long as it's not someplace too hot, or too cold. Or with humongo spiders - apparently living in The South for 8 years made me a little high maintenance.

If you ask me, making sure your guest has freshly washed towels is a mark of a good hostess. Well, that and giving 'em a good drink ain't too bad!

No underwear . . . just paper gowns. The "drawers" could be used as a weapon!

I'm so ready for the knitting/crocheting commune thing. I volunteer my town. Close to fried dill pickles. Close to a variety of yarn stores. (Sheila! Hi! Love you! www.threadedblissyarns.com)
We have 3 or 4 or 5 liquor stores with WINE.
Oh, and no property taxes.
And, cat friendly!
Yay!

I won't look at your dustbunnies if you don't look at mine!
Oh--make mine a Margarita on the rocks with salt!

oh no, it says the Ellen video is no longer available!!

But I loved the lei'd in LA comment - especially followed by the realization that your dad might hear it!!

Val, the Ellen video is taking a looooong time to process. It should show up later, I hope!

What a cute couple. Couple of crazy crafers.

Love the knit/crochet/cat commune idea!

I think Portland (in Oregon, not Maine) is the unofficial knitter's compound. There are too many LYSes to count. OK, probably there are not too many to count, but there ARE too many to count on both hands. Possibly too many to count on both hands and both feet.

It's also cold enough here in winter that I finally figured out why the heck anyone would want to wear a turtleneck (bear with me, folks, I grew up in SoCal). Ergo it is cold enough to get good use from your knitwear.

And! Portland is friendly & full of cats! Come join us, we're all a bunch of crazy cat lady knitters who use the rain as an excuse to knit more.

Helen

I heard about this lady who had to fork over her stick of deoderant before she could board a plan this weekend. C'MON now. Aren't we taking this crazy to a whole new level?

I'm glad you had a nice visit with Drew... Ya'll should come east... nice place to try out those knit items!

I'll come to the knitting commune! But, yes, not somewhere too hot (got to be able to wear the wooly knits.) We can raise farms of dust-buffalo and knit and live happily ever after...
I'll volunteer my town; there are already lots of people here nuttier than squirrel turds, copious amounts of alcohol, and it's in the warm part of Alaska (only 5-7 months of snow!) Only problem is you have to fly to most anywhere else... (but who's leaving?)

"Drew got lei'd in LA" just made icy cold seltzer come out my nose! Oooh the pain!

Glad you had a good time - can't wait to read his version of it too... Don't you just love dueling blog posts?

Come take over Minneapolis! Lots of use for those knitted items up here in Canada's Baja Peninsula!

Plus, Minnesotans desperately need to be taught the value of SEASONING and SPICING their food. Nice folks up here, but they can't cook worth a darn, and I can't teach 'em all myself.

Communes rock! Some of my best friends are delightfully scarred from growing up in communes. :-0

All those pretty white teeth could give Donny and Marie a run for their money! Great pics and fun video. Thanks!

This talk of towels and knitting is all very nice but what I want to know is if Soba levitated again. ;)

Oh, and did you check your mail? I am not trying to nag, really. It is just that there is something you might aprreciate that does NOT involve yarn or cats.

first of all, i love your little southern bell voice. so cute.

and did you catch the look the woman in blue sitting right next to drew gave you in video #1. it looked like she was saying "oh gawd!" in her head.

haha.

in honor of you, i videoed with my camera my husband driving around in the back hoe. i'm waiting for him to start digging holes before posting.

If your world has a City of Knitters and bourbon IV drips, I'm there! Where do I sign up?

I'm all for the yarncrafter city. Sign me up!

LOVE THE VIDEO'S!!!! However, your southern accent is nearly undetectable...you've been there too long!!!! LOL.

ps...do you have those crafter commune forms handy? Sign me up!

oh dear.

i'm on the internet. in motion.

on the bright side, i will gladly move to this new town. we can keep sheep and alpacas.

I won't look at your house, if you pretend the couch buried under clean clothes doesn't exist and there aren't laundry baskets of dirty clothes and "linens"(cottons more like) lining the hall.
I really wanna come to one of your SnB sessions.
I'm all for the city of knitters. Knitopia.

I'm on board for Knitterville, USA. So where will it be?

I love the knit city idea! Where do we sign up?

Oh please, please let's have a crafty-crazy person take over! Can't think of anything I like better right now. Don't suppose it could be Balboa Pennisula in Newport Beach, do you?

I love, love, love your accent. And I especially loved the "good Lord, my father's gonna hear this. . ." LOL!!

A takeover -I'm in. Just let me know when and where and I'll be there armed with my needles!

Maybe we could have our own airline for Knit City? i've said before that you might as well just strip before you get to the airport . . . it becomes closer and closer to the reality!

Laurie can you really wind a center pull-out ball out of a yarn thingamajig? (I assume a hank of some sort). Please Please share in your own words because I am not so good at it and just got a big ol box of hanks in the mail that I forgot to have wound...d'oh!

Ya'll should come to Brazil, what about that?

Have a great week!

I'm onboard for the commune idea! I think we should do it in a ruralish setting not far from a city though, so we can grow our own sheep and alpacas for those who spin the yarn we like to use. We can support ourselves with the fruits of our labor!

Portland,OR does have some great LYS, BUT just across the river, to the north, in a swell, much smaller town with very little traffic (unless you commute to Portland), we have a couple of AWESOME LYS's. Weather is just right to wear your knitted items in the spring, fall & winter. Lot's of Birckenstock wearing folks to show off knitted socks. You all could move here, we could knit, bitch & have cocktails. We also have great brew-pubs & wineries. Knit-on.....

Ya'll are so cute! And I'm very glad to hear that Drew got lei-ed while visiting. ;^)

I am totally in on the knitter-neighborhood. Can we arrange it so that yarn is delivered daily and that no one has to have a "real" job?

Oh, sign me up for the commune!!

Oh, my god, you have the exact same accent as my whole entire family! Maybe we are cousins?

Sounds like fun was had by all. And, as the mama of a soon to be 7 month old, babies do look totally stoned. Even my 2 year old looks stoned occasionally. :) Sign me up for Knitopolis! I'll work with the sheepdogs.

Can I join your compound of knitters, crocheters and crazy people? Seriously, I was in LA with Drew filming the Uncommon Threads show and isn't he just a hoot?!!! What a great guy. Glad you had fun, he thinks the world of you Laurie. Cheers! -Pam

THERE IS A SNB ON SATURDAY MORNINGS? Why didn't I know of this? Was it a secret you just revealed by mistake? My twin sister and I have longed to attend a Stich N Bitch but she lives in Riverside and I live in Huntington Beach and we feared it would take us 9 hours to get there by the time I got off of work. Can someone give me the details of said Saturday morning SNB, please?
And of course, please sign me up for the Knitty City. I can't wait to raise Buffalo, Alpaca, Sheep and Cats. This should be an interesting undertaking for a couple hundrend inebriated woman and one Drew. (People will think we are Mormon!) (I am Mormon, so I can say those things!)

I am so on board for Plan B!

Durham North Carolina.
I have spoken and I am FIRM on this one. My husband is dragging my poor west-coast ass back to live there as soon as my schoolin' is done, and so the rest of you must come too. Come ON- cheap land (out of the Triangle ara) great medical centers, and we can take over the bleachers in the ice-stadium where the 'Caines play during the hot weather so we can knit wooley things and get drunk in icey-cool comfort!
I say we buy a HUGE tract of land, surround ourselves with farms that grow sheep, llamas and angora goats (to ensure our yarn source will NEVER run out) and call it "Knittington- Home of the yarn Loons".
Done.

Did I mention that I'm applying to medical school out there, so I would be on hand to offer FREE medical aid for any and all knitting, stitching and or bitching related injuries?

Having had the priviledge of spending a weekend with Drew, I can totally identify with your crying all the way home from the airport. Your two southern accents (although his via Michigan) must have cracked everyone up.

Rock on with the video - now stalk the cats!

Oh My God that was funny! My favorite is how the video cuts off your last word. And who said you don't have an accent because you've been there too long? You do so have an accent. It's adorable. Count me in on the craft compound. I can bring the gin and vodka!

A knitterly commune? I LOVE IT! Although that many people with pointy sticks could certainly result in the loss of an eye.

So cool to hear your voice! Your S n B looks fun!!! Glad you enjoyed your visit with your friend.

OMG...what a great idea....a fiber commune. Some can tend the flock, some can spin and the rest can knit, crochet and grow square watermelons. I would so be there!

OMG...what a great idea....a fiber commune. Some can tend the flock, some can spin and the rest can knit, crochet and grow square watermelons. I would so be there!

Ok, we take over the city, but then EVERYbody is out of town at the same knitting conferences AT THE SAME TIME which is when Sobakowa begins her campaign for World Dominance with a city FULL of knitters' Kitties as her army and absolutely no opposition. We need to rethink this... Come to Seattle. We'll talk.

Nice post, Sweetie. BTW, thanks so much for the lighted knitting needles! Love 'em!

I suppose we'll have to re-shoot my demo of the herringbone half-double crochet stitch! Alas, I am used to this sort of thing, being in show-biz and all.

Hugs!
Ellen B.

Miss Kendra has the cutest tongue.

I nominate you for mayor of knitville.

I didn't pay much attention to the videos at all. I was so swooning to that sexy accent! Whose voice was that? Is Scarlet O'Hara still alive?

OH!!! The Ellen video is FINALLY working. Thanks, you tube ;)

I am bereft. I want to meet Drew!

Of course I love the idea of a knitcommune - that's why we're thinking of moving to the Twin Cities (sssshhhhh, don't tell my husband that's the real reason...)

Do you have to be a knitter, crocheter, AND a crazy person? Can it just be a knitter, crocheter OR a crazy person? Pretty please? 'Cause I wanna be in on this plan, and I'm only one out of those three. No brainer which one of the three it is, huh?

Rebecca has a good point. Damn! I was all set to move. You gals (and guy(s)) have a really good turnout at that SnB!

"Damn, we've got MOTHER EFFIN' juice on a plane!!"

What does "URL" mean? Anyhoo, Aunt Purl - I JUST LURVE YOU!

Laurie, your voice is so lovely! Not just your accent but your voice. I am a Texan, and it reminds me of the best parts of home.

url- universal resource locator

Lord only knows how I know that!!

I have got to start coming to SnB again! I totally miss the ladies!

Totally lost it laughing at the camera going to the ceiling during the dad comment.

Best laugh all day.

url =

Crazy Aunt Purl without the Crazy Aunt P.

OMG WE HEARD YOUR VOICE.

I don't know why I find that amazing. Also that LOOK that people give you, the "who's that weird lady" look. I SO KNOW THAT. I get that all the time. We're not weird, we're just drawn that way. oh that sounded to wierd.

time to say good by, good night,is it to early for G&T?

love the cam vidio thingy

Oh we were also talking about that up here the other day. Knitting commune. Bra-less,knitting, spinning, yummy food eating,commune. this could work. Thats the scary thing.

Please count me in for the Knitty Kitty City! With mucho adult beverages, of course. Love the videos...I know you say you are not good with the technologies, but girl you are loading up videos on your blog like a pro. You are a techno wizard in my world!

Great photos & video! It's almost as if I were there!

hah. you funny.

thank you thank you... I'm here through thursday...

You should add producing podcasts to your many talents. You'd be terrific at it with a voice like that.

May I petition for the allowance of dogs as well in the Knitty City? With that many cats there's no way my poor pup would get out of line. Soba wouldn't allow it.

I'd like to second the vote for somewhere in Minnesota. I just moved to Wisconsin and let me tell you, people from this region of the country appreciate knit wear.

A COMPOUND of KNITTERS? I am so in. Seriously.

Laurie, you are the CUTEST thing! I'm beginning to think that you're actually half-human and half-little pink bunny!!!

I'm so glad that you and Drew had a great weekend! The Sobakowa looked quite evil in the photo on Drew's site!!

Could I use any more exclamation points today??!!

OOOH!!!! Crazy-Cat-Lady-Knitting-Crochet-People-Compound. I'm IN. I don't care what city, just tell me where. I'm there!!!!!

Ah yes, the knit/blogger compound. It is a subject of much conversation here in Boston.

But of course, I am usually trying to convince everyone that the compound should actually be in California, because, well, California has way better hot sauce (um, and I grew up in San Jose, so, y'know, it makes sense to me).

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your videos ... I'm kn Korea right now, and LA videos are JUST what I needed to bring me a breath of US air. Thanks!!

elisa would be wrong though -- the knitting commune needs to be where there is winter. and don't tell me you have winter in the mountains. that's cheating.

Thank you for the videos, although it was kind of weird hearing your voice. You know how you imagine what people look like when you've only talked to them over the phone? And when you meet them in person they don't match their voices at all? Well, I guess I had this imagined Crazy Aunt Purl voice in my head, and while your real voice is very lovely, it's just not what I was imagining. Does that make sense?

I'll moved to your new planned stitch and bitch community anyday, girlfriend!

I'll MOVE, not moved, anyday. Too much vino. (o:

you guys look lik eyou had SO much fun!!!

Well it seemed only obvious that you meant "lei'd." Also I am glad to hear that I am not the only so-so hostess. Perhaps it is a Cancer trait. I'll start scrubbing down everything but then get tired and say to myself, "Eh. They're my friends. They're used to it."

I kind of like where I live now so I don't know about moving. However the People's Republic of Berkeley is down with the communal thing so maybe I can convince my neighbors to move. hehe

Hmm...as for the official airline of Knitopia, shouldn't it be KnitBlue? Or Virgin (Merino) KnitLantic?

Could we do some ecologically sensitive housing to go along with the vast grazing acreage? I would love to design a network of Craftsman cottages - they would all have solar-paneled roofs, bamboo flooring, biodiesel or natural gas-powered stoves, fluorescent lighting, big soaking tubs, etc. Just my $0.02.

P.S. on the eco-building: we could use recycled materials (like bricks and decorative beaming). And there are lots more ecologically sensitive home products now, too. Looky here if you're so inclined: http://www.greensacramento.com/

Laurie-it's 3:54 AM in Va-I can't sleep because I have been thinking about how this Knitville idea could be YOUR BOOK!!! Crazy cat loving knitters, or crafters of any kind, start a trailer park commune. You could craft all kinds of stories about the people who live there! Is this brilliant or am I really, really tired-I'm not sure.

I wanna come visit this knitopia. Now I just need to find an airline that will allow me to keep my knitting needles and iPod..

Oh yeah.. thanks for ending that funny post with the travel tidbits.. I'll be thinking on that all day since I'm supposed to be going to EGYPT in about 8 weeks...

Instead of a passport I may need ammunition... Just sayin..

I heart you, CAP. Reading your entries always make me smile.

Sounds like fun? A man doesnt cross a country for nothing. Is this man single? Hmmm
Mia

Sign me up for the Knitville/compound/cat-sitting/yarn people place. Just tell me where to move.

I think I'm crazy enough to fit right in! I need to be with my peeps. ;)

>Ok, we take over the city, but then EVERYbody is out of town at the same knitting conferences AT THE SAME TIME which is when Sobakowa begins her campaign for World Dominance with a city FULL of knitters' Kitties as her army and absolutely no opposition.<

This just cracked me up! It is so true...my Ticia would be at Sobakowa's right hand whipping the troops into shape. LOL

None of my babies looked stoned.

I think we should all chip in and buy a remote island somewhere. We could have our yarn flown in weekly - or heck daily!

Count me in for the commune! Although, with a severe allergy to cats, I may have to rely on Susan's medical assistance to get through the day.

Count me in for the commune! Although, with a severe allergy to cats, I may have to rely on Susan's medical assistance to get through the day.

I volunteer Rangeley, Maine, where we are currently on vacation and of which I have so far posted several zillion pictures of lake and sky, but it's so gorgeous no one has complained yet, or maybe I just have very polite commenters. The 1122 people who actually live here (year round, presumably, the brave souls) don't know this yet. The bad news: when it's winter here it's really, really winter. The good news: lots of opportunity to knit warm things.

I volunteer Rangeley, Maine, where we are currently on vacation and of which I have so far posted several zillion pictures of lake and sky, but it's so gorgeous no one has complained yet, or maybe I just have very polite commenters. The 1122 people who actually live here (year round, presumably, the brave souls) don't know this yet. The bad news: when it's winter here it's really, really winter. The good news: lots of opportunity to knit warm things.

Dang. Sorry about the double post. I should know by now that an error message saying "sorry, I can't do that" doesn't necessarily mean it didn't do it.

Oh Laurie, you crack me up! Your SNB looks like a fun time, lot of talented people.

Laurie, honey, I have a baby -- I am too distracted to actually hear anything anyone says to me. I just smile and nod. Plus, just being around grown-ups is like Christmas! I AM STARVED FOR ADULT HUMAN CONTACT. Nothing you say will make you look stupid to me.

Also, that center-pull ball was AWESOME.

Oh Laurie, you make me laugh and laugh and laugh! Thank you SO much for posting those height of hilarity videos. Ellen and her 70s crochet book, poor Drew and his Lei, but really I could listen to you read the phone book with rapt attention! I have a baby too and a 4-year old so I'm often in need of cheer. Too bad the LA S'N'B is SO far away from Toronto. Cheers. ps. We've been shrieking 'snakes on a plane!' all week. It just goes with everything.

oh dear me. i hear you narrate and film and really, i know you know this already, but WOW are we cut from the same cloth...

almost eerie. it's like, me, in southern form.

(um, in a way that is meant to compliment you and not make me seem horrific and ego-centric or scary or whatever.)