ebay hangover

Wow - I bid on a hell of alot of yarn. Lucky for me that I lost several auctions. My hubby just got back in town today - poor thing had a stomach bug that had him sick for a few days. He was somewhat perturbed by my little shopping spree, although I have to admit that he is really being very good about the whole thing. Spent quite some time sorting through the notification emails and paying most of the sellers. They are going to know me by name soon at the postal outlet. I recieved my Schachenmayr yarn yesterday - more ultramarine than teal, but it feels nice and soft. I am swatching it - man, but swatching on circs is tedious. I think I've only done about 4 or 5 rounds - and I should do at least 40, I imagine. Will post pictures some time in the next few days I also registered for an Intermediate French course through Parks and Recreation; there is a French Immersion cruise on the St Laurence river this summer that I would like to take, and I am also just starting to plan a trip to Paris this September... My parents come to visit this Thursday for about 10 days, which is making my hubby stressed, and me triply stressed (because I have to worry about them enjoying themselves, how he is coping with them, AND whether or not they are bothered by something about him) One of the items I bid on was a novelty yarn that I thought my mom might use to knit something for my niece (AKA the golden child); it would give her something to keep her occupied in the evenings, at least.

Somewhat Cowl yarn #1

I stopped by the postal outlet today and picked up the Schachenmayr Micro yarn that I ordered from www.woolneedlework.com. It's a bit more of an electric blue than the teal I was hoping it would be; not green enough. But it is a nice soft yarn, and I think I'll start swatching it tonight. Will post a photo once the digital camera brings my husband home. I am cheating a bit - these pictures were taken a day into the start of the project.

Secret Pal

I just joined the One Skein Secret Pal Swap as well as the Blogger Secret Pal 8. Which means I should be blogging more - will have to give some serious thought to getting a new digital camera (so that the old one can be devoted to blogging photos). Since I just went wayy overboard on an ebay wool buying spree, it is a good idea for me to start giving things away. I am also very excited that I will be going to the Seattle Knitting Expo - and I am registered for 2 Cat Bohrdi seminars. I'm not only looking forward to learning how to make Mobiuses (what is the plural of Mobius - Mobii?), but to spending some time in the presence of someone who is so serene. I'm so pragmatic that I would usually roll my eyes at her description of the "magic" of mobius knits, but these days, I could use a bit of childlike wonder.

I need parental controls on my laptop

I have had about 16 hours of sleep in the last 3 days. I woke up at 4 AM, and went on an ebaying spree for yarn. My stash will son increase exponentially

Winter scarf almost done!

A post on Knitty inspired me to pick up my Danica inspired scarf and try to finish it. I took it to Blenz for the Wednesday knitting, but nobody else showed up, so I didn't stay very long. I have had crazy long days at the hospital - 13+ hours today, so I haven't had a chance to do the last 3 triangles which will complete it. I came across the Sunrise Circle cardigan today; another addition to my future projects list... I have registered for the Seattle Knitting Expo, and have put 2 Cat Bohrdi classes down as first choice. I bought some blue/tan yarn on ebay to use for a mobius scarf, and I think my treat to myself for surviving this weekend will be to buy her first knitting book. I just ordered the long cords for my Debbie needles tonight.

Yarn obsession

Well, I found the name of the yarn I saw at the LYS - Fauve. And it is damn expensive - too expensive for this project. I subsequently looked at Debbie Bliss Cathay, which is a bit cheaper, but not much. And then things got a bit scary: I have spent I am sure a good 4-6 hours in the last 2 days searching online for yarn for this project. I have looked at a zillion websites, done several ebay searches (including searching for "sport"), and have purchased one yarn that may or may not be the right colour, and have been very close to purchasing a few others. I forgot that the cats were out on the balcony (for at least 1.5 hours), and the muscles between my shoulder are starting to get tense. This is crazy - especially since I haven't worked on my current projects for a good week. I have an email in to an ebay seller, and if the shipping price is right, I will buy some of her yarn, but otherwise, as of right now, I am putting this search on hold. Need to go do some laundry.

new KAL

I had decided to give up buying yarn for Lent - and instead work on finishing some of the things I have going, and possibly start something I already have the yarn for. Then the Sexy Knitter's Club KAL came along - the winner was the Somewhat Cowl - and I was the one who nominated it. Yay for me. Which leaves me with the following dilemma - if I'm not buying yarn until Easter, and the KAL starts April 1 and ends mid May, what is a poor lapsed Catholic like myself to do? Well, first I have to find the yarn that I will or will not buy. I had thought about using some of the Fiddlesticks Country silk, but I don't really want to do it in a variegated yarn. I wanted a teal yarn, maybe a cotton/silk blend. I managed to stop by my LYS en route from the hospital to the office today, and was initially despairing that anything in gauge was eitehr pastel, black, or white/cream. I then found a ribbon yarn that will work, and has a nice matte texture that supposedly looks like suede when knitted up. Will have to look at my Vogue reference book to see how alpaca behaves in terms of stretching; since I have a 37 chest, I can either go up to 38 or go down to 36. From looking at the Craftster thread, I might incorporate some shaping at the waist. Since I don't have a big chest, it is nice to accent my relatively narrow waist (and ignore the fact that this may also highlight my not so narrow hips - at least I don't have a flat butt) And Lent? Maybe I will give up chocolate once I actually buy the yarn (no does that mean once I pay for it, or once I receive it...good thing I'm not religious or I would fear burning in Hell for playing the semantics game)

a week without knitting

I haven't touched my knitting since last Sunday; not on purpose, but just a combination of being busy and fate. The fate aspect being that I went to my Wednesday night knitting group with my projects in my brand new knitting bag, only to find that I did not have the needles to use! My tank top is on both of the 4mm needles, and I didn't have a spare needle to use as a stitch holder. As it happened, nobody else showed up, so I just drank my chai and headed home. The other non-knitting opportunity was the fact that I drove up to the ski hill on my own rather than being a passenger. We flew to Vancouver this weekend, and I ended up sleeping on the plane both ways. I was wearing a big heavy "curling sweater" that my Grandmother knit for my Dad; it worked well for the weather we had. I think this sweater is several years older than I am. As you can see, it is great to cuddle up in: For a moment I considered frogging it and knitting something new, but I do actually get wear out of it. So I decided I might as well keep it as is. On the plane today a woman across he aisle from us was raving about how it was such a classic. There's a dropped stitch in the back that I will have to figure out how to fix.

Mamma's got a brand new bag!

I got a great bag to use for my knitting. No more using carrier bags from yarn shops or from Simons It's a nice pale green colour; like mint sorbet, with a chocolate brown lining inside. There are 2 separate compartments that both zip open, so it can hold alot of stuff. There are some small inner pockets - one that has a zip. There are 4 pockets outside; one front, one back, and on each side. It also has a shoulder strap. the outside is PVC, but that's fine - it only cost $45. It can definitely hold one large project or a few small ones. I've already loaded it up for tonight's SnB with my Tivoli (for show and tell) and another tank top that is 3/4 complete. I also decided to fight the post Olympic blues by getting these. Yes, it is very Imelda of me to buy the same shoe in different colours, but I can never find cute trendy shoes in size 11. And they only cost $50 each. I have 3 weddings this spring, and possibly a 4th in the fall. I am going to wear each of these shoes to at least one wedding. I have a long wine coloured taffeta skirt which will look smashing with the red ones, although that's more of a winter skirt, and I'm hoping they will work with a shift dress I have that is white with red roses. I have another long gauzy silk skirt that is the exact same colour as the greenish "leaves" in the pink shoe embellishment. Possibly pair it with a white wrap top; it will be on the casual end of wedding outfits, but the shoes will dress it up nicely.