......I guess "soon" in comparison to geologic times. Truly I am collecting many photos of various crimes against yarn for your horror/enjoyment or whatever. MY problem is my calendar; it has ganged up on me somehow (I think they must mate/reproduce in the corner when we're away or asleep). For the last six weeks I've been extraORDINARily busy; I feel like my calendar took me outside the joint and worked me over until I'm barely breathing!

Still, I have a new keyboard and that definitely helps.

AND if you happen to be anywhere near Chicago this Memorial Day weekend, you should absolutely come and hear this concert:

A skein of Wollmeise to anyone who can spot me in the above picture!*

I hope to take just a little time whilst in Chicago to visit a yarn store........maybe. Oh yeah and I'll be doing a groovy thing in June in Nashville on June 2nd. Stay tuned.

Yarn crimes....SOON.

___________________

*That's a joke, y'all. No Wollmeise giveaways here. :o)

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My 'puter isn't running very smoothly today, & I have an annoying head cold so I have even less patience than usual. And now the cat wants my attention and is shedding buckets full of her fine fluffy fur. Yay.

I had planned to write a proper post about my newest socks but since the Universe is conspiring against me today, I'll post a few pics (crappy phone pictures no less) of my latest yarn acquisition.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Lovely merino/cashmere/nylon sock yarn"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Same skein, different view"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Same skein, different view. I especially love that wine colored bit...."][/caption]

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Sorry I've been so quiet. There's lots of reasons.....but I won't bore you with all that. Just file it under "Depressive Episode" I guess and we'll move on.

TODAY is a lovely day and I got YARN in de mail. Wanna see? I have some crappy phone pictures for you...... :o)



The yarn is from Knit Picks and it is their new 100% acrylic line called "Brava"  This is the bulky weight - I'm making a baby blankey; yes,  another one!  The lighter green is 'peapod' and the darker one is called 'Dublin'.  I also got this:

This is....sock yarn!  Quelle surprise, n'est-ce pas? It is their Stroll Hand-Painted  in the now-discontinued color of "Nevermore".  I couldn't pass it up - I have a little Edgar Allen Poe thing...... I *did* take another, much better picture but I couldn't seem to get it up loaded.

All for now!

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So tonight I was actually writing when
BLAMMO!

the 'puter crashed. Some bad words were said. ..and then I sat at the piano and practiced for a good long while. Hopefully I'll have a decent post ready by Friday .





The Force of Nature chose this poster for her room when she knew
I would not permit it if I had known . She did, however, choose a humorous way to change it (rather than try to argue with me to change my mind - which is her usual tactic)

so she gets to keep it after all.

This entry was originally posted at http://helenkosings.dreamwidth.org/13983.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

....the First Lady of the United States - Michelle Robinson Obama. I had a lot of time driving around today to and fro, and was thinking a lot about her strength & grace.

And then I got home, and the first copy of the "More" magazine I've ever received (a dear friend gave me a subscription for my birthday) has her on the cover and a good story within.  I haven't known a whole lot about her; I have heard her speak on tv twice - very impressive! I think about how her family is in harm's way.....and how she's blazing this trail in such an amazing way - so amazing that the media have had very little to pick apart. Yeah, she's a good'un. This entry was originally posted at http://helenkosings.dreamwidth.org/13616.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I recovered the post I was writing when the "CRASH! BANG!" happened. It isn't complete but I wanted you to have it anyway 'cos I love you.

How are you? I know; it's been like for-evah! Too busy, too busy and crazy-busy is what's been happening with me. And some other stuff too. Since the husband & the chilluns are not here this evening (happens too rarely), I can share. Here's some in bullet point form:

• I could really use a new computer keyboard. This one keeps on messing up and messing up. It's hard enough to find time to write; even harder to find time to edit stoopid mistakes.
• Automobile follies. We keep our cars until they cannot be fixed. My fabulous Toyo is 15 years old and DH's Saturn is 12 years old so they need some babying and there's no $ to do it with....mainly because...
• No. 1 Son has flunked out of college for the 3rd time AND his Dear Fiancee got royally screwed over by her new employer and so now does not have a job - so we are feeding them & paying their rent. It could be worse.....but whatever cash there was after bills and such is now going to them.
• RuPaul's Drag Race season #4 has begun! They are so funny and wonderful - FASCINATIN'! Several seriously wonderful queens....but I think Sharon Needles is my top fave.

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I have been shockingly neglectful of my wonderful readers as of late; I'm sorry.  I think of you daily, but opportunities to write have come rather seldom in the last two months.   Since my computer is in the kitchen/dining area, the modest peacefulness I need to get my thoughts together has been nearly impossible to find here at the zoo/ Chez Oney.

I woke up about 45 minutes ago 3 something am)- hot, hot, HOT!  It's about 30% hormones, 20% the heat wasn't turned down at bedtime like usual and 50% the cat sleeping on my head. I adore my cat and generally I like it that she has decided to sleep up on my pillow instead at my feet where I can alternately not move whilst falling asleep so I won't disturb her or seriously disturb her by kicking her in my sleep. However, as the night deepens, she has a tendency to curl herself around the top of my head and I get overheated.  It's a nice problem to have: she purrs, is very fluffy and still smells like soap. So I put on a little jazz and settle into the keyboard.

Some knitting content(pictures will be added in the next 24 hours):

• A hat for the Duke of Curl's best friend. His birthday was 12/2 - I finished this on 12/23.  I enjoyed doing this and I think I might make one for myself at some point.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="Kali the cat shows her usual contempt for photos & knitting."]     [/caption]

• Lovers' mittens for the newlyweds.  Still in progress; about 2/5 done.  The wedding was New Year's Eve - I plan to get this done by the end on the month and mailed off
  
  [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614" caption="It's further along than this...but you get the idea."][/caption]
  
  .

• Hat for the Duke of Curl - he wants cables. I got it about 40% done, had him try it on - TOO TIGHT!  Had to frog back to the ribbing, then went up 3 needle sizes.


• I had planned to make a bunch of mittens for nieces and nephews for Christmas; still haven't made any.


• Had started a few Bandana cowls for my best girlfriends in NH and VT.  Now I'm aiming for the end of February


• My birthday is in December, so I got myself a few skeins in a Sundara "grab bag"; SO lovely.  And my friend brought me some Wollmeise from her business trip to Germany. Yay!

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="I messed around to try to get near the colors. FAIL."][/caption]

• I will be seeing my friend to whom I had promised the "Naval Knockoff"  sweater (for 11/11) in April, so I gotta get crackin'; I have only a tiny bit done ! She called me last night out of the blue - it was so good to hear her voice!


• I am still planning on making: the Aran afghan for Chez Oney, mittens for No. 1 Son's fiance, mittens & a cardigan sweater for me, a second "Naval Knockoff" for another friend, an afghan in yellow for another dear friend, mitts for dad, socks for Studmuffin......I already have yarn for all of these.


• The Yarn Harlot made things all year long for people so that her Christmas knitting wasn't so crazy; this is something I must try!


• Completely lost my mojo for hexipuffs. Maybe during the summer......


• I bought no yarn on our holiday travels though I did come close.  I was at a crafts supply store in Roanoke, VA and almost got some for a project I have planned for my dad. I decided not to get the yarn because it wasn't anything I couldn't get at home easily, which I did buy at Jo-Ann Fabrics this past week. (on sale y'all)

We've had a bit of a time with our cars - they are good and reliable but are aging and then one car was in a COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE ACCIDENT (I'm trying to let go of it - not very successfully I might add!) which was expen$ive in a BIG way for us.  So I'm back on the yarn diet and I hope to keep it for the ENTIRE YEAR . I don't think that will be too painful now that I have access to the stash, plus a dear friend gave me a gift certificate to my LYS for my birthday, so if I get really itchy for new yarn, I can use that.

Am planning this spring/summer's garden!  And am getting back into sewing. I may write a little about the sewing, and I will DEFINITELY write about the gardening.

My phone is charging right now so that's why the delay on photos. Should have them up by 1/17 (up 1/18!).  Time to try to go back to sleep 5:55 am (I'm yawning right now. yay!).

So how are you?  I LOVE getting comments. :)

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 ...knitting for Christmas like CRAZY!  And the iPod is broken at the moment, so cannot lie in bed late at night listening to my lovely books and knitting.  Still... life is GOOD.

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Oh! My stash! How I've missed you....there will be photos.....There's still LOADS of work to be done yet.

And I finally got to give away the Mystery gift to its intended recipient:

Ms. Sarah finally got to get "Miss Lavinia" to take home.  She will of course give her a new name in time (I didn't tell Sarah her interim name.  :o).

 

At the moment, I'm quite enthusiastic about:

• ukeleles - we used to have three cheapo ones around here that have all been destroyed by the chilren; I'm really missing them. In fact, there's some uke Christmas music that's really grown on me - it's begging me to download it. The sound of the uke is just so hopeful to me somehow.


• PG Tips Limited Edition tea made in my mini-teapot. It's really REALLY good. Come over sometime and we'll share some.


• Live365 on-line radio & Jango - type in an artist you like and they give you a "station" that plays it and other music by artists ya ain't never heard of but are great! Try this one: Renaissance Studio Radio


• Short rows - all my projects seem to have them at the moment, and I'm learning so many new techniques. I love it. Oh and Cat Bordhi is a flippin' genius!


• World Market - they gave me $10 because this is my birthday month. Yay!


• Sewing - as the knitting stash gets unearthed, so does all the fabric.  And I'm jonesing to make myself a new woolen winter coat.


• Podcasting - I got a couple of LOVELY emails from listeners. I'm starting work on the next Spirited Knitting podcast - should be done by Thursday. :o)

Off to go air out ze stash! This entry was originally posted at http://helenkosings.dreamwidth.org/12392.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

I think it's a cat skirt? EVERYBODY needs one o' those, right

Just

because

you

Its stated purpose is as a wine bottle cozy.

can,

I got no probs with the scarf, it's the knitted tank onesie....."]

it

doesn't

mean

What extremes ultra bulky yarn leads the designers off to...

you

should.

[

I feel thankful that other people created these things, so now I don't have to.

Here's the PLUS part:

If you enjoyed and/or cringed at today's post, you should check out these beauties:

Ugly Knitting Patterns

and

Ugly Sweaters

------

Happy Thanksgiving!



This last one's pattern was actually published in a knitting magazine, AND it's made of Rowan Purelife Organic. If that's NOT a yarn crime, I don't know what is!!

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