Holly Goat Lightly

This quizzical creature is part of the Wild About Cashmere promotion at Saks Fifth Avenue. Her stomping ground is the Saks at the Short Hills Mall, roundabout Exit 142. She made her debut on the blog two posts ago.



Wednesday night was the first of two opportunities to knit in public as part of the Wild About Cashmere promotion. There was wine, tasty snacks, live music, many covetable items, a shameless advertisement disguised as a children's book, and the cutest stuffed animals, life-size and child-size versions of cashmere goats. The small size comes with a box equipped with air holes, as in The Little Prince, and is $90. I was afraid to inquire about the life size.



Most of the seating was on the sales floor, but one could take a turn sitting and knitting in the display window, if one desired. I tried it for a while, knitting, smiling, and waving at passersby, who variously looked amused, disconcerted, or mildly puzzled. That's my Sockapal-2-za sock from Lou and one destined for my sock pal (now overdue – eek) draped over the window dressing. I'm extraverted enough to sit and knit in a department store window, but become camera shy on the World Wide Web.



While I could never quite shake the feeling of being the carnival freak at a strangely snooty carnival, it was fun, in a bizarre way. I hasten to add I wasn't the only one knitting in public, but I don't have anybody else's model release to publish their image.

Clever Meredith of Yarnware coordinated this knit in public. If you'd like to KIP at Saks tomorrow, RSVP Meredith at Yarnware at 973-669-0372.

Meanwhile, many of the stores in the mall are supporting the Susan G. Komen Foundation by handing out all manner of swag, including excellent donation books. I'm afraid I'm far too déclassée and didn't quite get the concept of a donation book. "Ooh, great coupons!" I said, causing a bit of a scandal. Well, a good cause by any other name is still a good cause.

While I do try to stay current, the educational material on monthly breast self-examination still surprised me. Most women who do regular BSE first detect lumps when they are about the size of a quarter (0.8 in or 2.1 cm). Women who do not do BSE first notice lumps when they are the size of a silver dollar (1.4 in or 3.6 cm). Yikes. Monthly BSE is one way women of all ages can be proactive in their own health care.

I leave you with not one but two ethical dilemmas. Should I have stayed home and worked on my sock pal's sock instead of brazenly knitting in public (and devouring some excellent chocolate covered strawberries)? And should I be worried about showing my face on my own blog? Discuss amongst yourselves. I still have lots to catch up on.