D is for Dance!

I'm getting my ABC-Along posted just in time! My D is quite easy, and it is for DANCE!

I started to take dance lessons when I was 3. I took tap dance first, and still today it is my favorite. This is me, at my first recital at age 4. The recital theme was the Circus, my class was Cotton Candy and we danced to "Ain't She Sweet". My mother would be happy to tell you I was the only one in the class who knew the entire dance (and song - we sang in part)! I was not like the kid you often see who knows it and tries to get the other kids to do it right, I totally didn't care no one else was doing it right and just went on so that everyone was looking at me :)
I danced until my junior year of High School. Mostly tap and jazz. I tried ballet but never had the patience for it. I was also in the studio company when I got old enough to audition. I quit dance then to join the Pom Pon Squad at school, which was MUCH cooler than dance. In college, I took a few random dance classes - modern and such - NOT my cup of tea, I'm much more traditional!

I really miss my dancing. I was never much for sports, so dance was my thing that I was really good at. When I lived in Vermont, I found a studio that was laid back enough to dance at as an adult. I really loved getting back into it, and I met some great friends. Since I've moved to Virginia, I haven't been able to find a studio that fits my skill level and my style. I still have all my shoes, though, hoping - I keep them in my very first knitted object (Fiber Trends Felted Bag).
You'll even notice my ballet slippers in the mix (the small pink blob!), I've tried it again recently with much more success than I had when a child!

When I was little my dream was to be a Radio City Rockette. Too bad there is no way to add 5+ inches to me so I could meet the minimum height requirement :( Did you know there is a max height too? It's pretty cool - they have only a 4 inch height range so that they can make up the difference in headpieces the girls wear so they all look the same height on stage.

OK, enough nostalgia :) I did mention I met some great friends from dance, Brittany is one of them. Go figure, she's a tapper too! (You'd be surprised how often this actually comes up!). She is amazing (but too modest to admit it) and she is part of the Boston Dance Company (website isn't up yet but I'll link anyway so you can check back!). She came down to visit for a few hours yesterday, which was awesome. Seriously, how many people would be in DC, rent a car and drive 6 hours round trip to come visit? I say not many! It was so awesome to see her, I wish she could have been here longer than 8 hours, but we had a great time catching up and had a nice dinner. She also brought me good luck in shopping. I mentioned a month or so ago that I found an awesome painting, but the store worker couldn't negotiate. We went back yesterday, and I am now the proud owner of the piece, at 10% off. Admittedly, this is not the best negotiation, but it's something and so I'm pleased with myself. And, I had my Federal tax return burning a hole in my pocket, so spending the money wasn't all that hard! It was hard to get someone to admit they COULD negotiate! Two workers both told me 'We aren't a discount store'. I don't even know what that means, but luckily I asked for the owner and she was there. She also told me 'We have two sales each year, but we don't do anything to our prices.' I told her 'Come on, everything is negotiable'. And she said 'Well, ordinarily I wouldn't BUT we have to clean out the store to have the floors redone so JUST TODAY maybe we could do it.' SUCCESS! I'll share a picture of it when it gets hung up!

My February is for Finishing goals did not go all that well. The final count was officially 3 FOs, no new projects cast on. Unofficially, I'm going to try to wrap up Sheldon (half the applied I-cord is done) and sew the lining in my bag this weekend before I cast on for something new. Not until I do my homework, though :) Here are the two socks I finished. Unfortunately I wasn't enamored with either yarn. The pink/brown is Lazy Perry Ranch BFL and it was a bit rough. The green/yellow is LotusYarns and, while I love the dye job, the base yarn had a loose twist that made it splitty. She has changed her base to Louet Gems since, though, so I don't think that would be an issue anymore.

I got some really yummy yarn from Etsy, I'll share on another day, though, as this post is getting really long!

I leave you with my Project 365 puppy shot - Zosia insists on belly rubs. . . when she sees you walk into a room, she immediately takes this position! Notice her head totally looks indifferent like "Oh, I just always lay like this, I'm not trying to make you rub my belly!" :)
(I missed last week, sorry!).