Um . . . oh . . . hi!
In my determination to enjoy break and not spend the whole time on the computer, I've forgotten my bloggy friends, haven't I?
Well, it's 2008. 2007 was pretty good, can't complain. Much of the year so far has been registering students and fielding odd questions. Like the Business major who, upon hearing my recommendation for taking Intro to Business, said, "Why would you recommend that? I don't really like business stuff." Great, you'll go far. Oy.
Knitting has happened. Yay!
First, the x-mas birthday socks were finished and given to the proud recipient. Always knit for grateful people.
Then, I started some socks for me.
They are from the Sock Madness pattern Madtini, in STR medium-weight Love in Idleness.
And, I finished the handspun top-down cardigan (no buttons yet and the ends aren't tucked in, but the knitting is done).
It's never going to be light enough until April, so please ignore the horrid lighting.
And one more.
Okay, I guess that's the update for now. I don't know of anything else exciting to say.
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I've gone Loopy
For a long time, I have stalked the Loopy Ewe website. It's a site full of sock yarns - big surprise that I would be fascinated by it. The real surprise is that I hadn't ordered from there before.
But for x-mas, Ragged got me a gift certificate to the Loopy Ewe. And finally, I have placed the first of what will probably many orders.
The trick to shopping there is to be quick. Sheri 'sneaks up' yarn on the website, so you never know when exactly it will be posted. Some yarn, like Wollmeise, sells out immediately. Others might linger for a bit, but if you want it, grab it. And checkout quick, 'cause if someone else nabs something that is in your cart and checks out, it's gone. I missed some Claudia Handpaint Antique Jeans, which had been there a while, just from not ordering when I should.
I thought it would be good if my first order wasn't during the mass-hysteria of a sneak-up. My goal was to get some yarns I hadn't worked with before, and that I couldn't get from other sources. Okay, so my sources are basically Atkinson Farm Yarns and Greencastle (Plus Four Ladies and the Village Knitter when I can rouse myself to go to Evansville. I still haven't been to Yarn Along in KY. I'm pathetic.). My selections ended up being Claudia Handpaint Purple Earth and Apple Laine Grape Harvest (though later I realized I had wanted Pretty in Purple instead, and attached a note on the order). Gee, they're purple yarns, even bigger surprise.
This woman is in St. Louis. I can so drive there. Hoo-boy.
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Loopy Loot
Ta-da! There is the haul from my first Loopy order. On the left is the Apple Laine Apple Pie in Grape Harvest. The pink is quite a bit more pink than I care for, but it's a lovely yarn. On the right is the Claudia Handpaint Fingering in Purple Earth. I really love that yarn. And scattered amongst them are the little gifties that are part of the Loopy Experience - samples of Regia Bamboo and Silk, plus handy little needle inventories. Let's get a closer look at that Purple Earth.
Me likey.
While I'm stocking up on sock yarn ('cause if you will remember , I don't have much) ((and I just ordered some more from Stone Barn Fibers today)), I am knitting on other stuff than just socks.
That is the Lily Cardigan by Marie Grace Smith, out of Classic Elite Fame, which sadly, has been discontinued.
And then, there is Morrigan.
Here's a closer look, with a bit more accurate color.
The Morrigan, she is not a quick knit. For starters, she's on size 3. Second, instead of like most arans that have cabling and twisting of stitches on the right side and knitting the knits and purling the purls on the wrong side, you have to be alert on the wrong side rows as well. On her wrong side, some cables have work, some stitches are worked through the back loops, but not all. There are no 'resting' rows in Morrigan. However, I fully expect to love it when it's done. That's just going to be a looooong time from now.
Also, I bought even more yarn. So sue me. This week, 1) my mom's car got hit by a deer (when there is side damage only on the car, that means the deer hit you and that they need better brakes.), 2) I did not get the better-paying, more techie job I was hoping for, and 3) Ramblin sustained a knee injury at work. There needed to be some joy.
And you can't get much more joyful than alpaca.
Now, alpaca does not fix cars or heal knees, but it keeps me from getting too beat down by life, which makes me a more effective support person to others. Or it keeps me from strangling people who cannot read their e-mails which EXPLICITLY TELLS THEM HOW TO ACCESS THEIR COURSE AND OBTAIN COURSE MATERIALS. AND YOU DID TOO GET YOUR E-MAIL!!!!!!
Did I mention the new term started?
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Eeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eeeee, eeeeeeeeeeee,eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Loopy Ewe had the sneak-up tonight and I got Wollmeise!!!!!!!!!!!!! Two skeins!!!!!!!! (If I can believe the checkout, and I think I can) EEEeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Picture me running around the room in circles screaming EEEEEeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!, 'cause Ramblin has a headache and I can't do that in real life)
The non-knitting readers of this blog have no idea what I'm yammering about, but that's okay, because WE know, don't we knitters? Yep, it's 'Freak out the muggles' time!
EEEEEEeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was about 8:40 when I discovered it was snuck up, and by 9:00, it was all gone. I have no idea how many skeins she moved, but let me tell you, that stuff flew.
Eeeee!!!!!!
In other "for-the-love-of-Herbert-will-you-quit-shrieking-about-your-yarn-and-post" news, this extra long weekend will find us traveling south for a visit with our favorite folks, Ragged and Cynical. The temps might actually force us to do what we always say we're going to do - stay in, drink coffee, visit, and knit (Ragged and I, anyway).
And also, I'm out of love with the Lily cardigan. Love the pattern, but the yarn is not inspiring for this particular sweater. And it's got this pink in it that's getting on my nerves. It could be a rip out, overdye, and pick some other neat yarn for the cardigan.
'Cause you know, it's not like I have any other yarn. :)
This really needs to stop
Okay, so I believe I mentioned I ordered yarn from Stone Barn Fibers .
That is Gypsy Girl Creations Goblin. Yum. Then, in the process of waiting for that, I believe I mentioned I ordered this from The Loopy Ewe .
Yes, Wollmeise (eeeeeee!!!!!) is even more vibrant in person. That's Lowenzahn (Dandelion) on the left, Rittersporn (Delphinium) on the right. That should be enough to satisfy a person, shouldn't it?
Well, when you go to the yarn shop to pick up a skein of yarn for a friend and in the midst of your good samaritanism, you happen to pick up a skein of some yarn you have admired for a long time. The devious yarn shop owner says, "Oh, funny you should pick that up, I'm marking it 30% off. The Artyarns, too" which of course is another yarn you've been admiring.
Uh-huh. See how she is? Totally not my fault.
Now, if you've been paying attention, you will have noticed a theme.
I'm not predictable in the least, am I?
I would love to say at this point, "Oh yeah? Well my current knitting project isn't green or purple!"
But it simply wouldn't be true. Sigh.
This blog post brought to you by the colors Green and Purple.
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Eleven Years Ago Today . . . . .
I love you, Ramblin'!
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Random thoughts from my interesting mind
Well, a whole week went by and I didn't purchase any green and purple yarn. But I am working on a project with some of it. Pictures soon, I just forgot to take them when the light was good.
Yesterday, I completed a monumental task - I posted the Koigu stash on Ravelry. I have 42 skeins of Koigu. Decadent, isn't it? I really have to make something with it. I know I want to do the Keepsake Shawl. Do I make it in the shades of red or shades of purple? Okay, stop laughing out there, I have enough of either one to make a go of it.
I am actually enjoying the class I'm taking this semester. It's online, as it's supposed to be, and we have some really good discussion board posts. It's Literature and the Environment, and the readings have been very thought-provoking thus far. And last weekend, we all learned that sometimes a honey tree ain't a honey tree. Don't ask. Trust me. Don't ask.
In an attempt to do small things to have a good impact on our health, Ramblin and I have switched to Splenda-sweetened tea. No, we don't drink it that sweet, we just drink that much of it. If you figure one cup of sugar has 770 calories, one cup to a gallon, five gallons a week = 3850 calories. Divide that between the two of us, and you have 1925 calories consumed. On a beverage. That's just wrong. And yes, I know ten years from now they will discover that consuming mass amounts of Splenda leads to your arms falling off and your skin turning green, but right now I can't worry about that.
And even though it's almost over, I'd like to give a birthday shout-out to Brando. Hope it was happy!
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Lea
Maybe you should throw all that Koigu in the tub that has been dried and cleaned and prepared to have his senses awakened by the beauty and feel of superior yarn, and have Ramblin take a pic of you cause that is alot of GOOD yarn.
