Fluffy Shirt and Brown Sugar

Last night, I went to my first Sunflower Knitting Guild meeting and I had a blast. I love them. They are so cute. There's a couple ladies I can tell I'm going to get along with just fine. :) More about them as things unfold...

So, funny story!

*remind me to tell you about my cardio session with Abe prior to the guild meeting*
*anywho*

I waltz into Toto's Coffee and Cafe' and am greeted by the little girl, Johanna (I love you, Jo) who is standing in line to order something from the cafe counter.

Johanna: HEY! What are you doing here!
Me: *grimace*
Johanna: Well, I didn't think you were going to show up.
Me: *grimace* Well, hello to you, too Little Girl! Yeah, I'm here. Hi, Gwenie Gwen! *smile*

It was then that I noticed this man kinda making goo goo eyes at me, but I was distracted and concerned with washing my hands and getting something to eat.

*I greet the other girls and go into the ladies room to wash my hands*
*back to the food counter observing the signage trying to figure out if they serve sandwiches*

The guy is standing there in line in front of me and turns to me and says:
Guy: I like your FLUFFY shirt! *smile*
Me: REALLY! You like FLUFFY! *big grin*

*for the record the other flower fell off, so it doesn't look like I have two flower pasties on now* LOL!

Guy: *sheepish grin*
Me: HEY! My name is Carmen and you are?
Guy: My name is Dan.
Me: Hi Dan. So, what are you going to order? Do you think they serve sammiches here?
Dan: I'm just going to order a small latte to go.
*Dan orders his latte from the barista, Jesse*
Jesse: Hey, I saw you come in earlier and then you disappeared. I thought you left.
Dan: I saw that the line was kinda long, so I went and got cleaned up.
Me: I washed my hands, too.
Dan: *sheepish grin*
Me: Hey, Jessee. Do you have any sammiches.
Jesse: Just the ones listed on this flyer. *points to display*,
Me: *grimace* Me no like.
Jesse: Hmmm....ok. I can make you a grilled cheese.
Me: GRILLED CHEESE! I LOVE GRILLED CHEESE! I love you, Jesse.
Jesse: *smile*
Dan: So, what are you doing here?
Me: I'm here for the knitting guild meeting.
Dan: Oh Yeah. You should meet my friend. He's a male knitter.
Me: REALLY! WOW! You should tell him about us.
Dan: Well, I don't know. He's a crazy knitter. He's been in an asylum.
Me: WUH? FOR REAL! Well, I don't want to be fixed up with a real lunatic. *geez*
Dan: Well, I don't know what happened to him. I think his ex wife or girlfriend did some really bad stuff to him and he flipped out and went to the asylum over in such and such town. He's ok now, though.
Me: *grimace* Um Ok.
*Jesse is fast making Dan's latte*
Dan: *leaning against the pastry counter with 2 packets of natural brown sugar opened and ready to pour into his latte*
Me: I see you like brown sugar.
Dan: Yeah, it's really good. Here taste it. *gestures for me to poke my finger in the sugar packet and taste for myself*
*NO! I didn't taste it.*
Me: See, I'd have like 20 of those packets because I like my coffee sweet.
Dan: Yeah, I normally put lots of sugar in my coffee, but I didn't want to seem like a freak.
*Jesse serves Dan his latte*
Me: Nah. You're not a freak, besides who cares how much brown sugar you like in your coffee. *grin*
Dan: Yeah, I always say "You want some coffee with that sugar!"
Me: OH MY GAWD! I say the same thing about steak! You want some steak with that A1. WOW! How cute.
Dan: *sheepish grin*
*Dan finishes garnishing his latte*
Dan: Well, I guess I better get going. It was nice meeting you, Carmen *smile*
*Dan walks toward the coffee shop and tables*
Me: OK! *thinking Dan is just headed over to the commons to sit and drink his latte*
*it appears that Dan left out the back door leading to the back parking lot*

Then, I am struck with the realization that Dan has left the building. *pout*
I garnered from the conversation with the barista, Jesse that Dan is a regular customer.
I hope I get to see him at the next guild meeting. I thought about putting an ad in the Pitch Weekly. Something along this line, "Fluffy Brown Sugar seeks Dan from Totos Monday, April 16. 'member! You said you liked my Fluffy shirt."

Story of my life....
I console myself with the notion that maybe Dan already has a girlfriend or wife and that he was just being polite. I don't know...I wish guys would have the balls to just come out and ask a woman for her phone number or something. I mean we had a cute little conversation and we smiled and laughed and then *poof* he's gone. DAGNABIT! *pout*

So, now it's time to join the girls for the guild meeting and I am presented the "Diva" chair at the table where by my girls had convened. SWEET! I paid my dues and I am officially a member of the Kansas "Sunflower Knitters Guild" now. My pal Teri "T" is now the reigning Vice President. YEAH, "T". We paid for our membership and voted and Teri won by a landslide. ;)

I was admonished SEVERAL times to *shush* because people were speaking and making announcements. They were struggling to speak over the din of the other customers in the coffee shop and I wasn't helping things, but I just couldn't help myself. I'd look at "T" and ask a question and she'd give me the shush, then I'd look over at the little girl and say something and she'd give me the "You'd better behave" look and then my mind would jump and I'd blurt something else out. "T" asked me if I was ADHD which prompted me to chortle uncontrollably. Then, the little girl chimes in "Yeah, something something CR" I forgot the name of the drug she said. Then, I was shushed again. *pout* I'm like a 6 year old , a kitty cat and a waggly puppy all rolled up into one sometimes. I'm cute, fluffy and out of control! *evil grin* Eh. *shrug* I can't help it. It just comes out. So, then I say "WELL WHAT DO YOU WANT! A zombie? Cause then you'd be asking me every 2 seconds what's the matter and am I ok? HELL NO! I ain't ok. I'm doped up on zombie pills, dagnabit! " You know you don't want me to be all doped up and boring. You like the free range crazy that you see before you."
So, the needling, wrangling and shushing me went on for a time and then I say "If you prick me do I not bleed"? To which "T" and the little girl burst into laughter and re-proclaim their love for me. *smirk*

After the guild meeting, the little girl and I went over to the Salvation Army to scope out some crock pots and stainless steel stuff for the dye party we are supposed to have. Has anyone see the Knitty "Color to Dye For"? Absolutely fabulous!
As soon as I walked into the store, I spied with my little eye a cotton sweater and was instantly reminded that you can frog thrift store sweaters for the yarn and repurpose it.

Me: OH MY GAWD! Look! MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Johanna: *confused look* WHAT!!!!
Me: MINE! *rushes towards the sweater rack* LOOK! *grabs a sweater and begins inspection*
Me: Look, little girl. MINE!
Johanna: Hmmmm...let me see it.
Me: NO! MINE!
Johanna: I'm not going to take it, geez. Just let me feel it.
Me: uh ok.
Me: *begins selecting sweaters and inspects tags for all natural fiber content and hand sewn seams*
Johanna: *also, inspects the sweaters then goes in search of the crock pots and stuff.*
Johanna: Well, I didn't find anything.
Me: LOOK! YARN! *drool*
*it goes on like this for awhile. I narrow down my selections and pay for the merchandise.*

I love that little girl. She's so cute and bubbly and a little bit insane, but in a good way.

Cost me about $27 for 7 sweaters, most of which were 100% cotton, but I got one 100% wool and a couple silk/cotton blends. This is great because I can use it in my first attempts at dying yarn and it won't be that big a deal if it doesn't come out just right.

*Standby for progress reports and photos of the whole yarn re-purposing project*