If you're gonna play, you gotta pay, right?

I got to spend the whole weekend at Rhinebeck, sans husband and child, to indulge my fiber fantasies. And for the past 24 hours I've been working like mad to catch up on neglected housework/schoolwork/work-work. 'Sokay, though; NYS&W was well worth it!

NYS&W - Day One

If I learned anything from my first trip to NYS&W last year, it was GET THERE EARLY! The doors officially opened at 10am; I arrived on Saturday at 9:45. There were already so many cars that the lot closest to the entrance gate was full; naturally, the car right before me was the last one in. I was then shuttled across the way to a farther lot (but one closer to the exit, which served me well in the evening exit madness), where I parked and gathered my "survival gear" -- bottled water, empty tote bag for purchases, knitting project (of course) and, oh yeah, a wad of cash. Can't say I didn't come prepared. $15 and one two-day pass later, I was inside the gate with an estimated 10,000 other eager fiberistas (and -os, not to be sexist or anything). By the way, that number is no exaggeration; on Sunday morning the people at the gate said that's the official estimate of how many people passed through NYS&W on Saturday alone. Woo-eeee!

Iknew exactly where I wanted to stop first: Journey Wheel, though I did get sidetracked just inside the gate by the stand of NYS&W souvenir clothing. I remembered the line at that stand last year around the middle of the day, and wanting a momento that wouldn't get knitted, felted or otherwise fiber-ized, I made a quick purchase of a denim shirt with this adorable little lamb logo and (NYS&W-2006" over the left breast. Then, it was on to the Bosworths and their incomparable spindles.






























No photos in situ, sorry -- there was just no time! When I got there, my friend L was just finishing up a special order and picking out the at-hand spindles she wanted. I nudged my way between three or four other Bossie fans and picked out the beauties you see above -- no easy task as every spindle was unique and one was more beautiful than the next. I dropped a fair chunk of my cash right then and there, but it was justified (as if I need to justify this) because I got one of the spindles at half off -- half off! Buy 5 spindles in one year and you get a 6th at half price, and I'd already bought 3 this year; it would have been a shame -- no, more like a crime -- to lose the credit towards a half price Bossie. Sheila kindly held onto my spindles till the end of the day since I was far too nervous about breaking one to carry them around with me, and off I went to the Goldings, hooking up with my friend IV along the way.

May I just say that the ultimate, bar-none experience for me at Rhinebeck this year was spinning on Tom Golding's Flock of the Shepherdess spinning wheel? Here she is in all her glory, and let me tell you, the photo does not do her justice at all:





















I don't usually anthropomorphize objects -- my spinning wheels do not have names, nor do I refer to them by human-type pronouns -- but this wheel was a goddess. If I ever hit the lottery, I'm buying a Golding wheel and a new house with a raised dias under a skylight to put her in. Short of that, I'm starting to save up now and hopefully sometime before Tom carves his last wheel I'll be able to afford one. Feel free to donate to the Buy Splindarella a Golding Wheel fund any time....

After grudgingly moving aside so some other not-nearly-as-nice-as-me-but-I-realize-I-have- to-share-anyway person could try the wheel, IV and I bounced around the rest of the festival.

Actually, "bounced" isn't quite the right word; "were bounced around like ping-pong balls inside a washing machine" was more like it. Remember, we're talking 10,000 people here, folks! All crammed inside a handful of barns pawing over fiber like sheep had just been declared extinct. I swear, one line was so long I actually asked the people if the yarn they were holding was free. "Nope," said one woman, "It's Socks that Rock. We're here for the colors!" It's just that kind of madness that made me hit the Bosworths at the sound of the opening bell -- we all have our favorites, and that one happens to be mine...though one of these days I'll have to get my hands on a skein of Socks that Rock to see what the fuss is all about.

And now since DH is making let's-get-to-bed noises and I really should be somewhat awake tomorrow at work, I'll end here and pick this up later, at which time I'll show off my other cooler-than-cool purchases and recount my brushes with fame -- both of them -- at the fest.

All Hail the Moebius Scarf!
















OK, so it may be a bit early for hailing since the scarf isn't even officially finished yet. As you can see, it looks more like a wool bath puff (albeit a beautifully-colored bath puff) than an actual scarf, Moebius or not. But I do promise you, it's a genuine Moebius scarf, knitted all in one piece lengthwise along the outer edge of the Moebius curve. This means my circ is twisted into a figure-8 as I knit and made my hands cramp up for the first few rows, but otherwise this has been a real hoot to knit. It's plain ol' garter stitch, and I may finish it off with an I-cord edging, but I just can't seem to put this project down. (Maybe because I just can't wait to wear it!)

Well...on second thought, I have managed to put my scrumptious scarf down at least once this week; tonight, in fact. I stopped by Michael's today because I had a 40% off coupon just burning a hole in my pocket and much to my surprise I found both Paton's merino wool and SWS on sale for a dollar off per skein. Not dirt cheap prices, but a buck's a buck. I bought one SWS in a gorgeous blue colorway and four of the merino in four different colors (deep purple, funky green, denim blue and blue marl) to make Christmas gifts of felted bowls. Tonight I resisted the siren song of my Moebius scarf and so I could experiment with the SWS and add a slightly different twist to the One Skein pattern to keep the lip of the bowl from curling during felting. Now that it's all knitted up (boy-howdy, do I love how fast that pattern works up!) all I need to do is felt it and see if it's the final pattern I want to use for making my presents. Filled up with some nice chocolates and accompanied by a donation to Heifer International in the recipient's name, it should make a lovely holiday gift.

And if you've never heard of Heifer International, run don't walk to check it out. They help alleviate poverty by providing poor people around the world with domestic animals (cows, goats, chickens, llamas, alpacas, water buffalo, bees...you name it and they probably have it) and the training needed to make a living from them. If life has been good to you and you'd like to give a little to someone who has less, consider making a donation to Heifer International.

*climbing down off soap box*

And finally...ONLY TWO MORE DAYS TILL NYS&W!!! (But who's counting...?)

F.O.s Galore...?

OK, I freely admit that my promise to post about "F.O.s Galore!" may have been just a tad bit excessive. Perhaps "F.O.s -- Two of 'Em!" would have been more accurate. Lame, but more accurate nonetheless.

Anyway, I have two -- count 'em, TWO -- F.O.s to show off. I would have had three (would that count as "Galore" I wonder...?) except that I got so very excited to give the yellow/orange/pink baby kimono to my co-worker that I didn't even take the time to photograph it. So picture, if you will, a brightly-colored garter-stitch baby kimono with crocheted ties and an adorable little eyelet trim down the front. Got it? Good. Let's count that as Unofficial F.O. #1.

Moving on. My first Official F.O. of the post is this one:















The wrap/throw on top is Pebbles on the Beach, which I finished off last week and which I've decided to give DH for Christmas (or maybe his birthday, depending upon how far along I get on his handspun and knitted skullcap by November). You can also see Pebbles in the Sea peeking out from below, which was my first Pebbles throw/shawl and which I've decided will go to our friends the Js. These throws were so very easy and quick -- the most labor-intensive part was warping the loom -- that I really would like to make at least one more. Not just yet, though; I have to start concentrating on making more of these:















After many false starts and mishaps, I've finally found a yarn I like for the One Skein felted bowls. This is Paton's SWS (Soy Wool Stripes). One skein used doubled on size 15s is just about exactly enough for one small bowl. The colors get somewhat muddied in the felting (although the flash in this photo really shows off the colors to their best advantage), but overall I like the way the bowls come out. I'm going to fill them with some nice chocolates (Lindt? Bacci? Any other individually-wrapped favorites that people would like to suggest?) and that'll be this year's gift. The best part is they're super-simple and require relatively little knitting per item. Good for my wrists/hands, which are still somewhat dicey at best.

And now that that's settled, I can sit back and wait for the weekend, when I'll be off to enjoy the festivities up at Rhinebeck at NYS&W. Woo-hoo! Fiber arts mecca, here I come! :)

Another SP9 Survey

It seems I'm a sucker for a survey. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for the possibility of winning a prize, especially when the prize is a skein of handpaint...mmmmmmmm, handpaint........

This survey is especially difficult for me since I really, really hate to name "favorite" anythings. It always seems so limiting. But, I promise I'll do my best to answer all the questions with a genuine favorite, though I can't guarantee that in any category my answer will be my one-and-only favorite -- more like one among many favorites.

Anyway, here we go....

List your favorite:

Actor - See, right off the bat I'm stumped. Maybe that just means no particular actor really floats my boat? I'm just going to skip on down to the next question and then come back to this one.

Actress - This one's a cinch: Gong Li. She's brilliant in To Live and The Story of Qi Ju -- I think she really shines in films where she plays a peasant as opposed to her better-known roles as the haughty mistress-turned-wife in Farewell My Concubine or the evil geisha in Memoirs of a Geisha. There are lots and lots of American actresses I admire, but Gong Li is the one actress whose films I will watch simply because she is in them.

Animal - Now, I must admit that one of Shelby's answers on her poll caught my eye and I can't help but be influenced by what she said. Her favorite animal is the snow leopard, and believe it or not, I was once stalked by a snow leopard in Nepal. I went to a snow leopard breeding facility and they had a few of those majestic animals in a huge enclosed pen -- the only thing separating them from me was a single layer of cyclone fencing. I mean, no moat, no yellow "CAUTION" tape, nothing; I could have stuck my fingers right through that fence and petted that soft-looking fur if I'd been insane enough to try. While I didn't go that far, I did walk from one end of the fence to the other along one side, right beside the fence. And one of the snow leopards walked right along with me -- stalked me, really, looking at me as though I were lunch on foot, not so much as blinking an eye, just staring me down. Can I tell you I was scared? Fence or no fence, I was heart-pounding, palm-sweating scared; I had to take a few steps away from the fence just to put some more space between me and that leopard. So, I'm not sure that qualifies as my favorite animal, but it's definitely the animal I respect the most on a firsthand-experience basis.

Band - In my pre-baby days, I would have reeled off a list that included every genre of music from classic heavy metal to new age and nearly everything in between. Now, however, most of the music I listen to comes via the XM Kids channel and probably wouldn't mean much to anyone without kids. For what it's worth, I'm rockin' out pretty hard on The Imagination Movers these days. (Please don't feel the need to point out how very sad this is; I'm quite aware. Just move along, now...nothing to see here except a former hair band chick weeping quietly into her long-unworn stretch jeans.)

Book - Oooh, tough, tough choice. This is where I'm going to give myself a single "pass" on my earlier vow to give honest favorites for every answer. I simply cannot pick one favorite book, or even a favorite author. Instead, I'll say the book I'm looking most forward to reading is The Kite Runner. But I'm going to have to wait till I get it on CD so I can listen while I knit (must...not...lose...out...on...knitting...time...).

Bubble Bath - Don't use the stuff. I like bath oil beads (those big gumball-looking things filled with scented bath oils -- toss one in the bath, let it dissolve and mmmmmm...enjoy).

Candy - Dark chocolate truffles. *drool* Some days, I'd trade DH for some dark chocolate truffles. I mean, um, lots. It would take lots of dark chocolate truffles for me to trade DH away. Good quality ones, too. We're talking Godiva. The big ones. Did you know they have dark chocolate champagne-filled truffles? Mmmmmm.......dark chocolate champagne-filled Godiva truffles. Excuse me while I pull out my wedding album and remind myself why I got married instead of sinking all that money into a huge stash of chocolate truffles, all for myself.....
Color - My favorite color for a fancy dress is red. Otherwise, I'm more of a fall-colors kinda gal: oranges, rusts, golds, olives, deep purples (OK, maybe that's not strictly a fall color, but I still love it in the mix with all the others).

Drink - Whole milk is a treat since I mostly drink skim. Other than that, it's pretty much plain ol' water for me.

Flower - I love the smell of night-blooming jasmine. Heavenly.

Food - Um...didn't you catch what I said earlier about dark chocolate truffles...?

Lip Balm - I like Blistex in the little pot, the kind you have to scoop out with a pinky finger. Haven't bought any in years -- I've either been cheaping out with Chap-Stik or experimenting with various herbal/natural balms -- but I really should go back to what I know and love.

Lotion - I had a cucumber lotion from one of those bath products shops that I used all the time I was pregnant and loved. Of course, I can't remember either the name of the shop or the name of the lotion, but I'm sure I'd recognize it if I saw it.

Movie - Another easy one: To Live (see the reference to Gong Li, above).

Place - Sooooo difficult! I've traveled a lot, to some pretty remote places, and picking one favorite is very, very hard. I'd have to say, though, that one of my favorite places is China's Xishuangbanna, the tropical area in southern Yunnan province. Stunning scenery, beautiful people, simply a joy to be there.

Song - I'll narrow the playing field here and choose from my current fave kids' band, The Imagination Movers. I just love their song "Farm" and the clever little 80's reference: "The roosters -- the roosters -- the roosters are tired!" Recognize which famous 80's song line that's sung to and you know you wore neon knee-length sweaters and baggy socks over your ankle-length jeans when you were a teenager.

TV Show - Even though we no longer get TV reception, my favorite show by far is Jon Stewart's Daily Show. I watch it online I love it so much.

Yarn - My favorite yarn today is Paton's SWS (Soy Wool Stripes): beautiful colorways, soft hand, and it felts! Just what I was looking for to make the One Skein felted bowls. Ask me tomorrow, though, and I'm sure I'll have a new favorite.

Vacation Spot - One of the best vacations I've ever taken was to Boulder, CO. Having grown up on the east coast and despite all the travel I've done, I can honestly say I've never seen such endless skies as there are in Colorado. I would go out there again in a heartbeat.

And since I promised I'd get back to thinking about my favorite actor...hmmmmm..... I guess I'll have to go with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show. Seriously, I don't think I'm copping out here. The man gets me laughing hysterically at least once a show; that's gotta count for something.

And that's the end of my list. Next post: Finished Objects Galore!

Wanna Design Your Own Knits?

Well, "Knitting Heretic" Annie Modesitt just posted a great little tutorial on how to use the computer to make pattern sketches to scale -- all you need is a swatch and a dream.

Check it out at:
http://www.modeknit.com/blog/2006/10/how-i-make-my-sketches.html

An Open Letter to My Supermarket

Dear evil minions of hell concerned owners of a nationally-recognized supermarket chain:

I am writing this letter to express my frustration at not being able to strangle you to death with my bare hands with your ongoing supermarket renovation plans. I realize you may not be aware of this, but I began shopping at your supermarket because it was cheaper than dirt priced with the cost-conscious consumer in mind. Even though your employees are obnoxious in the extreme and deserve to be beyatch slapped upside all their pointy little pinheads could benefit from additional customer-service training and your international foods selection has always been execrable somewhat limited, I remained a loyal customer of your supermarket for too many years.

This latest outright assault on common decency and consumer senses change in policy cannot be ignored, however. I appreciate that you wish to destroy upgrade the store by consolidating the organic foods into their own separate fiefdom section. I am willing to put up with the inevitable chaos temporary disorganization that such a move will create. What I simply cannot fathom is why the f*ck you also felt it necessary to move every item in the entire godforsaken store to a different place. Even your obnoxious pinheaded employees have no idea where to find common staples such as toilet paper and soap. To make matters worse, your prices have risen faster than a five dollar ho's skirt at a bachelor party to the point where the average consumer wants to start lobbing $10 heads of imported raddicchio at the cashiers is being priced out of the market.

In light of such utter lunacy these facts, I rejoice regret to say that I will no longer be shopping at your miserable rathole of a supermarket. Perhaps one day I'll see you roast slowly in hell your store will win back my patronage, but at this moment I doubt it. I wish you suppurating boils good luck with your re-organization and remain

Yours in disgust truly,
Splindarella

What I've Been Up To Lately

What I haven't been up to lately is getting my Christmas presents done. Once the felted bowl idea went south I sort of put extended-family/friend Christmas gifts on the back burner. But, with a chill in the air and Halloween right around the corner there's no more putting it off; I simply need to decide what I'm doing and then set about doing it.

I have been working on other things, though. Here's Pebbles on the Beach, the second shawl/throw made from the dollar store Pebbles novelty yarn I picked up earlier in the year:















DH actually really liked the first shawl/throw, Pebbles in the Sea, so I was thinking of putting it aside for him as a Christmas gift. Then he saw this one and decided he liked it better. So, this one will be for him and the other one will go to our friends the J family in Sweden. At least it's the first one completely finished (well, except for a final wash and trimming of the fringe) -- appropriate as it needs to be mailed and not simply given on Christmas day.

I've also been spinning up a storm for DH:





























He's been asking me to knit him a skullcap so I figured I may as well go whole-hog and spin the yarn as well. This is some nice, soft grey wool from The Sheep Shed Studio's Big Bale fiber. Although Carol advertised it as ideal for felting it was so nice and soft I really wanted to spin it instead. It's spinning up really nicely, too, and with the nice sunny weather we've had for the past couple of days all I want to do is sit out on the deck and spin.

But, nice weather or no, I really need to get gift knitting going. As soon as Pebbles on the Beach is finished, my next task is to get gifts for my two cousins' families finished. Wish me luck....

I Am An Enabler

S & J, two dear, dear friends, just came by tonight for a light dinner and to tell us they're moving to freakin' Japan for the next 5 years, so what do I do? I teach them both to spindle-spin, of course.

S is a knitter already, and as soon as she saw my RH loom she started asking questions. It was only a matter of time (nanoseconds, if you want to be precise) before I started thinking of pulling out the Louets and Ashfords and getting her going on spindling. But it was J who impressed me most of all. He's an architect and a photographer and secure enough in his manhood to offer to hold my spindle for me while I took care of Baby M and then, while I was occupied, to just copy what he saw S doing and go off on his own making yarn. He was good, too -- they both were, though S, a nuclear physicist who is quite used to being uber-competent in everything she does, did fret a bit at first about her yarn not being even (read: "perfect"). She relaxed when I told her to just go with the zen of it all, and whatever she'd get, she'd get. They left the house with two spindles, a big bag of goldenrod-colored Louet Corriedale and a wine tube to hold one of the spindles (the good folk at Ashford should be aware that their spindles, while perfectly serviceable, do not fit inside your standard cardboard wine tube, making them less than ideal from a storage perspective). I can't wait to hear how their adventures in couples-spindling go!

An F.O. for ME!

I finished my Elizabeth Zimmermann "Variations on Beethoven's Dickey" this past Tuesday while I was home sick from work, but I only got around to wearing it now. It's photographed on my dining room table because I was in no fit state upon completion to model it, but I'm terribly proud of myself: it's the first project I've completed for ME with my very own handspun (glitzy alpaca from Winding Creek). Here it is in its various stages:
















Glitzy alpaca being spun on my Louet. Absolutely dreamy....






















All skeined up and drying. It spun up so nicely it didn't even need weighting....

















On the needles, about halfway finished....

















Looking oddly like a manta ray in this pose, the VOBD dickie is all finished and ready to be worn.


The glitz is a tad bit itchy so it takes me a few minutes to get used to the feel of it around my neck and shoulders, but other than that it's delightful. I'll definitely be making more of these, maybe even with my current Winding Creek score, 3 luscious ounces of alpaca in a deep purplish colorway. Next time, though, I think I'll make the turtleneck a bit higher; maybe I'll even stripe it with the leftovers of the blue.

Oh, and I think I've figured out what I want to do with the green Nature Spun I picked up from Carol Lee at The Sheep Shed Studio. What do you think of this pattern? The only problem: it calls for a slightly bulkier yarn than the Nature Spun -- not bulky enough to double the NS, but too bulky to use the NS as-is unless I do a lot of converting. One thought: I may just make the smallest pattern size at my smaller gauge and get a sweater that Baby M can wear (or at least grow into). What do you think?

The Last Knit

Watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6ZjMWLqJvM

What to Do With a Pile of Zucchini

Up here in NY, we're mulching down the veggie beds and getting ready for the onset of really cold weather. Down by Ren in Florida, however, it seems that they're just getting started on picking their veggies (and they even offer vegetable gardening classes for credit in college -- how cool is that?).

Anyway, since Ren now has an abundance of summer squash and not so many ideas of what to do with it, I thought I'd share this recipe for Zucchini Brownies.

Yes, you read that right: Zucchini Brownies. Don't laugh; they are out of this world. You couldn't tell them from the "real," no-zucchini-added variety if you tried. And because they're packed full of nutritious zucchini, you can convince yourself that eating the whole pan at one sitting is actually quite healthful. Woo-hoo!

Fudgy Zucchini Squares

“single” 9 “ square pan

2 squares unsweetened Bakers chocolate

¼ cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

1 egg

¼ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup flour

Mix salt, powder and flour together

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Melt chocolate & butter in microwave set to defrost for 3 minutes. Add sugar, mix well. Add egg, beat in. Add flour mixture, then zucchini & nuts. Bake 25 min. @ 350 degrees. Cool on rack.

So, there it is...the contents of my small, lightweight "Mystery Box," my anniversary present from DH. Kinda hard to tell from the photo, but it's an opal necklace. I've never owned an opal before -- they're pretty amazing, shot through with all the fiery colors of the rainbow. Romantic that he is, DH said he chose it because he liked all the colors and because, in his words, "Everything else they had was really ugly." Ah, men and their silver tongues.

DH actually made me laugh when he told me some more about how he came to pick out this particular present. It was his second choice, he said. First, he'd looked up which anniversary the 7th was, and he discovered that it's the "wool" anniversary. Great, he thought; he'd get me some wool for our anniversary. Trouble was, he said -- get this -- he didn't know where to find any wool.

I nearly keeled over from laughing so hard. It's not like boxes of wool don't arrive with a rather shocking regularity at our house. It's not like I don't have a list of fiber-related bookmarks on our computer a mile long. It's not like there aren't bags and boxes and skeins of wool all bearing the stamps of a variety of shops, all of which are accessible by phone or fax or internet. But he didn't know where to find me any wool. Honestly, it's amazing that man manages to dress himself without help.

Still, his second choice was terribly sweet and very, very pretty. In fact, I haven't taken my new necklace off since he gave it to me. Wool I can -- and do -- always buy for myself. But, an opal? Only from my DH.

Pebbles in the Sea, Cobwebs in My Head, and a Happy Anniversary to Me!

What nicer way to spend an anniversary than home in bed...sick?

This isn't even the good kinda sick, the kinda sick that all those 1940's movie heroines got where they looked absolutely gorgeous with their hair flowing over their sickbed pillows, the wide lapels of their satin dressing gowns contrasting every so beautifully with their pale-yet-glowing complexions. Of course, they always wind up dying -- still looking ravishing right up to the very end, and saying something marvelous and witty and romantic to the hero as their dying words, something that he will remember always and which will make him, no matter how strongly the heroine has urged him to find someone else after she's gone, remain faithful to his one and only love forevermore.

This ain't that kinda sick.

No, my kinda sick is the go-through-a-box-of-tissues-in-an-hour kinda sick, the kinda sick that has me snorting Zicam like it's going out of style and wishing I were dead but not nearly getting there. Replace our 1940's film heroine's flowing golden locks with a rat's-nest wafro, her satin dressing gown with a ripped Hard Rock Cafe sweatshirt and the handsome husband/lover at her side with a somewhat smelly German shepherd mix and you've got me today.

But I did manage to finish my weaving before all this went down.

































That's how Pebbles in the Sea looked shortly before completion. In person, the stripes are somewhat more subtle and the color deeper overall, but what the camera's flash tends to wash out in terms of color it seems to enhance in terms of contrast.

Here's a shot of the finished product:
















Pebbles in the Sea in all her glory. I've been calling this a shawl but I'm not really sure that's what it is, or what it will stay. It's pretty big...big enough to be a throw, but long enough to do the whole shawl-wrap thing. And, I must admit, I like it enough that I'm thinking of keeping it, in which case it will most certainly be a throw for the livingroom. Never mind that our living room has not a shred of navy-blue in it; I could make it work. Of course, that won't help me get my Christmas gifts made. Maybe I'll live with it for a little while, just keep it draped casually over the back of a chair and see how strongly it asks to stay where it is. As long as I keep Baby M and her peanut-buttery fingers away there's no reason I couldn't wrap it up a week or more from now and put it in the gift pile.

Am I a bad person? I mean, shouldn't I just be able to toss this into the gift pile without a second glance, secure in the knowledge that I can make another one -- another as-many-as-I-want -- for myself? And of course I do know I could, which is why this one will probably find its way to the gift pile eventually, although I don't know that I'll be making another one like this for me. First I'd try to find colors more suited to my livingroom...then I'd balk at the price, because of course I found all this yarn at the dollar store and I will never, ever find it there again, especially not in colors that match my orange-and-red livingroom...then I'll debate about buying the yarn a skein at a time or something like that...and eventually I'll back-burner the project, at which point I'll move on to creating something completely different, giving this idea of a Pebbles shawl just for me only the most cursory of thoughts. Isn't that always the way?

For now, though, as I'm feeling somewhat fortified by carrot juice, a buttered bialy and half a pound of bacon (I should not be left to my own hunting-and-gathering devices when ill), I think I'll try finishing off the Beethoven's Variations on a Dickey (something I finally, finally knit all for my very own self!) so I can wear it sometime before fall is over and the true coldness of winter is upon us.

Oh, and as for my anniversary present...the small, light box from Washington State...?

Photos and story to come. :)

Who Got Custody of the Car?

So, I was reading Crazy Aunt Purl's blog today and between guffaws at her mad encounter with AAA couldn't help bristling at how women often get the short end of the stick when a marriage comes to an end. The short version: After 10 years as joint members of AAA, after her divorce Aunt Purl got herself a brand-new "solo" AAA membership...and was promptly denied the upgraded coverage (which she would have paid extra for) because she hadn't been a member for a year. Did her ex suffer the same fate at the hands of the evil car people? You betcha not, chica.

Whoever says it isn't a man's world any longer just isn't paying attention.

I remember about a decade or so ago when I took out a loan to buy my first car, the teller at my local bank who helped me with the loan -- and who was about my mom's age -- told me about how she was denied a loan at her very own bank...never mind that she friggin' worked there, they knew she had the capacity to repay the loan, etc etc etc. She said, "It's a good thing to establish your own credit history now, before you're married, or else everything gets tied up in your husband's name and you'll never establish your own independent record." Eeesh.

The scariest story by far, though, came from a book about hunger in America (the title of which completely escapes me now). The book was a collection of true stories of Americans who can't afford to feed themselves, and let me tell you, some of them were the people you'd least likely suspect of going to bed hungry. The first story is the one that made the biggest impression on me by far. It was about a middle-aged woman who did the classic put-the-husband-through-med-school-then-stay-home-and-raise-the-kids thing. One day, her big-shot husband came home and, as they were getting dressed to go out to a family party, told her that he was leaving her for his secretary. She was floored, and also aghast that there were family members waiting right downstairs for them. The husband said not to worry -- she should go to the party without him and they would talk about it all when she came home. When she came home -- did you guess? -- the house was empty. He had taken all his stuff and nearly everything of value and gone. He'd also taken the trouble to empty all their bank accounts. This woman who had literally given her husband the best years of her life was reduced to stealing food coupons from her synogogue's food bank to put food on the table for herself and her teenage sons.

Well.

When I got married, I decided there was no way in holy hell that I would ever be put in that position. No. Way. I kept a bank account in my name, in trust for DH, who knows all about the account. That way, if anything ever happens to me, the money will go to him, but till then, I'm the only one who can make withdrawls. Weird, huh, that I trust him enough not to smother me in my sleep for that money but I still need the security of having the account in my name only. I'm sure a shrink would have fun with that one.

Still, I'm not giving up that account. And I put money in it every month, too. Because you simply Do. Not. Know. You think you do...you hope you do...but you don't.

So, ladies, be smart -- and for you men out there, you be smart, too. Put whatever you want in joint with your SO, but leave something that's just yours. You never know when it may be the only thing you've got left.

Oh, and remember to put the AAA membership in your name.

'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy

The postman, that is. Look what he brought me today:
















Lest you think ALL that yarn is for me, here's my part of the score:
















The rest -- 20 skeins of assorted Lamb's Pride -- goes to IV for her triloom weaving.

So, now, here's my problem (well, not so much a problem as an, er, issue -- if it were a real problem, I wouldn't be buying yarn at all, 'kay?)...I have absolutely no idea what to do with all this fiber.

Except, of course, stash it.

Never mind that I've filled two bureaus, nearly half a dozen giant plastic tubs and part of the freezer with fiber. Never mind that my stash is rapidly approaching SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) proportions and I'm not even 40 yet. This yarn from The Sheep Shed Studio was too cool to pass up. I mean, check out those 4 skeins of Wildfoote sock yarn. Who could resist that colorway? And is it soft??? C'mon, folks, it's a miracle that I only came away with 4.

And don't get me started on the Lamb's Pride Bulky. I just love it...love, love, love the stuff. I had some vague notion of using the Black Cherry colorway with some luscious Mango Moon viscoise yarns I have in the stash -- for what, I have no idea, but black goes with everything, right?

And look at the pretty handpaint in the lower-right corner. It's called Sarah's Dress. Isn't that just too sweet? It'll make something stunning for Baby M one of these days.

The green Nature Spun, I must admit, looked better online than in person. Online I could picture myself in a gorgeous emerald-colored pullover; in person, I can imagine someone else in a kelly-green something-or-other, but I have no idea what. Oh, well. I can wait till the yarn speaks to me (and until then, it'll make for fine insulation -- wool holds in the heat, you know...yet another reason to buy more yarn).

And how could I forget the spinning/felting fibers? The rear-right bag is full of Big Bale fiber; dark grey and softer than I'd expected, I'd planned on using it for felting but now I'm not so sure. It may have a date with the wheel. The rear-left bag was supposed to be silver-grey mill-end roving but looks far darker than I'd anticipated. I've already written Carol at the Sheep Shed to see if I can send it back for the other, but the more I look at it the more it grows on me. We'll see what happens there....

And, of course, Carol threw in a little bag of fiber (the brown and white bag on top of the huge bags of grey) just 'cause. I do love those folks.

And if that wasn't enough excitement, guess what else arrived in the mail today?

A Mystery Box.

If you caught my post on surprise packages and the like, you'll know how much I love a Mystery Box. And this particular Mystery Box was ordered by my very own DH for my anniversary gift.

I have no idea what's inside. And I was given strict instructions this morning Not. To. Open. It.

But it's small-ish (about the size of a shoebox). And it's light. And it comes from Washington State.

Anyone care to guess what my anniversary present will be...??

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Office

I've read about people who get weird looks when they knit in public. I always found it odd; I mean, what's weird about knitting? It's certainly no stranger than staring slack-jawed and glassy-eyed at a handheld video game or mini DVD player, no odder than shouting with total disregard for decorum and common decency on a cell phone (bonus points if it's the walkie-talkie kind that lets everyone within earshot hear both ends of the conversation). I thought that whatever else New Yorkers may be, they were certainly too sophisticated (or at least too disinterested) to care about what anyone around them might be doing, especially if it were as nonoffensive a thing as knitting.

Apparently, I was wrong.

I've met two anti-knitters, both (oddly enough) women, both maybe in their 50s, both white. I don't know if any of that means anything more than mere coincidence, but there it is. The first was sitting next to me on the train as I headed into work. As I knitted, she turned to me and asked, "Do you have enough room?" I had just smiled (I love it when people talk to me when I knit) and opened my mouth to say that yes, I was just fine, when I realized that she wasn't actually smiling at me but more like sneering, and that her tone was decidedly sarcastic. I could hardly comprehend it. Was she trying to say my knitting was getting in her way?

I was actually quite disturbed by that. I tried to think about how I had been knitting. Had I been waving my arms wildly in her direction, maybe as I'd pulled yarn out of my skein? Had my needles gone flying out of my knitting and clipped her? Had the clicking of bamboo tips pushed her over the edge?

The second woman was even more aggressive and clearly a couple of stitches short of a full row. She sat down next to me on the subway (mind you, there were plenty of other empty seats and I was knitting when she sat down) and, after a few stops, demanded that I stop "waving those things" (I can only assume she meant knitting needles) in her face. Um...huh? I was perfectly sure that time that I hadn't absent-mindedly lost control over my needles, hadn't pulled yarn anywhere but out in front of myself...in short, I wasn't anywhere near her face. I did what any born and bred New Yorker would have done; I ignored the crazy person and kept on knitting. After a couple of more stops, she said, "Come on, give it a rest already! You've already started one fight over this."

Hellllloooo...???

Of course, there are the other, wonderful people I've met on the trains while I knit. I love the kids most of all...the ones who ask questions (What are you making? How do you do that?) and the ones who offer advice (You could make a small one like that for your baby....) and the ones who share their own knitting stories (I made a scarf/hat/sweater once....). I also love the men who talk knitting with me, those who knit themselves (rare) and those who have mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, wives or friends who knit. And the people who share their own talents with me: the man who learned how to sew from his mother; the artist who knitted new sleeves, borders, collars and other pieces onto vintage clothing; the mother who crocheted her daughter a peacock-blue party skirt as she commuted to and from work. I'm happy to say that these people far outnumber the knit-haters.

Good thing, too. I'm not about to give up my train knitting, and I'd hate to get in many more fights about it.

Why Ripping Out Rows (Or Postponing Your Heart's Desire) Can Regenerate Your Life

That's the title of the section I'm up to in the book I'm currently reading, The Knitting Goddess. How appropriate since I just realized the entire 32-inch warp I so painstakingly tied over these past three days will have to be completely re-done. Can you say AAAARRRGHHHHHH?!

Yeah. Me, too.

So, what happened is that I failed to consider how my nubbly, puffy novelty yarn warp would cling to itself. No matter how I tried, I just couldn't form a shed when I tried to weave. Instead of every other warp strand slipping effortlessly by the next, one up and the next down, to form the space necessary to weave within, all the strands moved as a solid unit, the nubbly strands sticking together like so much starchy spaghetti, completely useless from a weaving perspective.

Excuse me while I grit my teeth and groan yet again.
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OK, now that that's out of the way, here's how I've decided to resolve the problem. You might think I've decided to take a scissors to the entire mess and then heave the cursed thing, loom and all, out the nearest window. And you'd be close; I certainly considered it.

Fortunately, I figured I'd try releasing every other warp thread so I'd have half the total number of threads spread out over the same 32-inch width. Lo and behold, it seems to work! With such large spaces between threads, there's no sticking problem. Of course, this still means I need to re-warp the entire loom (AAAARRRGHHHHHH!!!) and god only knows what a blanket with such a wide weave will look, feel or wear like.... But, hey, I'm nothing if not open to suggestion at this point, and so far this is about the best idea I've got.

Anyone else want to chime in before I delve into re-warping?

And the Winner Is....
















...the loom!

This is a shot of my current warp, which I put on while watching some of the second season of Lost on DVD last night. This is the widest warp I've ever used; it fills my rigid heddle loom from side to side for a total of 32 inches. I'm using a wonderfully nubbly, textured novelty yarn that I picked up for a buck a skein at the local dollar store. I bought a whole giant tubfull of the stuff with the vague idea of knitting some shawls on large needles, but I like the idea of a soft, puffy afghan much better (not to mention that weaving will go much faster than knitting and will be far easier on my hands).

Tonight's goal: get all those warp ends threaded through the heddle "eyes" while I watch yet more Lost.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: Weaving takes a whole heckuva lot more patience than mere knitting does. With knitting, I can pick up my needles and some yarn and boldly cast on; in as fast as that, I'm knitting. With weaving, however, the first flush of excitement of starting a new project wanes as the lengthy and time-consuming set-up process known as warping the loom takes place. It will take me at least two more nights of set-up work, maybe more, before I can actually begin weaving. If that doesn't teach patience, nothing will.

In other news, I'm almost finished with my current travel-knitting project: Beethoven's Variations on a D ickey (huh-huh...she said "dickey" -- right, Terri? *g*), and I'm practically bursting with the need to wear it AS SOON AS IT COMES OFF THE NEEDLES. It'll make for an interesting scene on the subway, I'm sure. Stay tuned for more details....

I Have a What?

A million, zillion public thanks to L & J for coming over today and ID'ing my floor loom! This, you'll recall, is the loom my friend IV gave me about a month or so ago, just before the new semester (and the associated insanity) started.

It seems that I possess a "counterbalance loom." It also seems that counterbalance looms are more difficult to use than the typical jack looms (naturally) and that mine has a few bends where no bends should be (which may require DH's newly-acquired metalsmithing skills to repair, a possibility that tickles him no end). But I'm so excited to finally have some information on this and some ideas of how to proceed with fixing it up and weaving on it. J & L, you rock!!

Aside from J's wonderful weaving advice, L also showed me how to spin long-draw, a skill I'd never been able to get the hang of myself. What a difference an in-person demo makes! I can't wait to pull out my lovely new alpaca roving and spin it up long-draw. Let me say it again: J & L, you rock!!

L also brought a boxful of toys with her, including half a dozen gorgeous spindles. We compared Bossies and I realized that I'm not totally insane to think my Moosie, while gorgeous, isn't necessarily the best spinner...L has found something similar with her Moosie. I still wouldn't trade mine -- it's so pretty to look at! -- but I don't know that I'll get much actually spinning done with it. At least I feel better now that I know it's not just me.

In fact, I'm so "fiber-inspired" that I can hardly decide what to do next. Do I start that alpaca before my fingers forget the feeling of long-draw? Do I warp up the RH loom and make the throw I've been planning as a gift for friends? Do I keep working on my alpaca dickey and try to finish it off in the next day or two? Decisions, decisions.

All I know for now is DH needs the computer, and if I want to get anything done tonight I'd better stop blogging and start fiber-ing. Guess I'll just head out to the living room and see which project calls the loudest....

Lemons to Lemonade

I admit defeat. Those White Buffalo things simply refuse to become felted bowls.

But I did follow through with my felted cloche idea:
















How cute does Baby M look? Kinda like a cross between a 1920's flapper and someone's grandma in her Sunday hat. To be honest, I added the Loom Bloom because without it, she looked more like Bob the Builder in his yellow hardhat. Still, I think it's pretty darn spiffy, especially since the alternative was burying it at the bottom of the UFO pile and denying all knowledge of its existence. Now I'm just waiting to see whether my co-worker's baby-on-the-way turns out to be a boy or a girl so I can appropriately decorate the small bowl...er, hat as a present.

I'm baaaaaaaack....

And no, I haven't been neglecting my knitting (AP, if you're reading, I'm wearing my hand braces and not overdoing it, so no evil looks-of-death, please *g*); I've just been squeezing it into my commute time these past few weeks while I've been working crazy hours with barely enough time to eat and sleep let along blog.

So, what have I been occupying my scant moments of free time with? Well, pretty much two things. The first is turning out rather nicely, if I do say so myself. It's a Variation on Beethoven's Dickey by *deep bow of respect* Elizabeth Zimmermann, high priestess of all things knitterly and an absolutely brilliant architect of knitwear design. I'm particularly pleased as I'm using my very own homespun -- sky blue alpaca from Winding Creek -- and it'll be the first clothing I've made from fiber I've spun myself. So, woo-hoo me! Here's how it looked a few days ago:


















I've done more since, so now I'm working on the front decreases and it'll just be one more short side and the second half of the back till I'm finished. Can I woo-hoo myself again? Of course I can: WOO-HOO, SPLINDARELLA! YOU GO, GIRL!

OK, I really did need those extra woo-hoos because I'm not nearly as pleased with my next project, and the woo-hoos kinda geared me up to facing my complete and utter failure with what must be the simplest pattern on the planet. A little while back I decided that I would have to simplify my Christmas knitting if I was ever to knit for the whole family and not put myself into terminal carpal tunnel-itis. I therefore decided to bag the idea of doing bath sets (MDK bathmats with matching washcloths and possibly hand towels) and try something small but sweet: the felted bowls from One Skein. I decided to substitute the recommended yarn with some White Buffalo 100% wool I had lying around in the stash. The White Buffalo is a 6-ply unspun yarn -- not terribly soft to the touch (hence my idea of using it for felted bowls) but pretty and fun to work with. It also turns out it's fairly water-resistant, which for my purposes means I ran it through a hot wash/cold rinse half a dozen times and only got from this:















to this:





























Not really my idea of nicely felted bowls; more like...geez, I don't even know what they're like. what they're not like is the photo of the beautiful felted bowls in the One Skein book. Sheesh. I was tempted to bury them on the bottom of the UFO pile but decided against it when Baby M grabbed the larger one, jammed it on her head and pranced around in it like she'd just found the Holy Grail. You have to understand that Baby M does. not. wear. hats. period. Rips 'em off her head like they're on fire. But this weird un-felted un-bowl she likes.

I'm going to slap a couple of handmade wool flowers on the thing and call it a cloche. How's that for lemons into lemonade?

Props

This is the first night this week that I haven't collapsed exhausted into bed at the end of a long day of dealing with students, problems, problem students...you get the picture. Yesterday I had to scold a middle-aged Korean man as though he were a naughty child because he simply WOULD NOT stay in the class he was supposed to be in. One teacher threw him out of her class when he tried to intrude; I had to drag him out of another class whose teacher was too kindhearted to bar him from the door. This is the same student who wanted to attend his wife's classes with her for the first week so he could "take care of her." Geez. Someone save me from this madness.

But, enough about me. Believe it or not, and contrary to the usual all-about-me-ness of my blog (it IS my blog, after all), this post is about DH. And he, who usually teases me (gently, of course...I get snippy otherwise) about blogging actually suggested I make this post; that's how I know it's important to him, and so I'm happy to oblige, if only in recognition of the fact that he would never, ever try to follow his wife around like some obsessed lunatic in the guise of protecting me...er, her, unlike at least one other man I have the misfortune to know. But, I digress.

This past weekend, DH finally did something he's been wanting to do for years but never put aside the time to do: he took a blacksmithing class. My husband the pen-and-paper artist is now officially an iron-and-steel artist as well. Take a look:




















Is that not cool? It's a fireplace poker. DH came up with the design himself, and he's especially proud of the ergonomic design of the handle, made to fit in the palm "just so."



















Close-up of said ergonomically-designed poker handle. Impressive, no?


I must say, I'm very proud of DH. Despite all his artistic talents (remind me to post photos of some of his sketches one of these days), he never really thinks of himself as an artist, but he's always wanted to be an artisan, at times in wood, at times in stone, of late in metal. I'm so glad he finally took the plunge. Of course, this does mean he's now pricing out forges -- can you imagine a forge just hanging out in the backyard or the garage, ready to be cranked up and turning out ironwork at a moment's notice? No odder than a house full of spinning wheels and looms, though, I suppose.

So, for all you spinners and weavers out there, all you fiber-folk who share space with a non-fiber SO, I've found the secret to forging (pardon the pun, I just couldn't resist, ya know) a successful relationship with a person who will just never, no matter how hard you try, really understand why you need another bag of fiber/drop spindle/spinning wheel/floor loom taking up space in an already overcrowded house: Get said SO a hobby of his/her own, preferably one that requires large, somewhat unsightly equipment (but takes place in a totally different type of space than your fiber hobbies, so as not to compete for limited storage room). Once DSO is firmly addicted to his/her new hobby, s/he will be powerless to criticize your hoarding tendencies because s/he will probably have developed similar ones him/herself.

Now if I can just figure out where we'll be able to store all that raw metal....

Tired....

Rough, rough day at work today. I have stuff to blog about and photos to take and post -- and a special post to make for DH, to show off something very, very cool he made yesterday -- but it won't happen tonight. Was up at 5am today; will be up at 5:20 tomorrow. Time for sleep now. G'night, all.

Ode to A Knitting Needle

To be sung to the tune of "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone"

Why don't they make nylon circs any more?
Why don't they make them for me?
With their points so sharp
And their joins so smooth
Why don't they make them for meeeeeeeee?

*****

Last weekend, I lost one of my favorite knitting needles. It was a vintage, turquoise-colored size 6 straight, which is kind of odd since I usually knit everything on circs and love them to death. Nevertheless, this pair of needles was one of my favorites -- they were made of some sort of nylon-ish material (or maybe some sort of coating over metal), but whatever it was, they had just the right amount of grip vs. slide, just the right feel in my hands, they never split my yarn...in short, they were great.

Losing one has made me think about what I like in a knitting needle, especially since DH asked -- quite reasonably, I might add -- why I didn't just go out and buy another size 6 pair of needles (never mind the 4 or 5 other pairs I already have) and I was forced to explain that I would never be able to find another pair like that pair, and of course I then had to try and quantify why that pair was so darned special.

Here's what I figured out:

Aluminum knitting needles are classic. They take me back to my earliest days of knitting with my mom. They let yarn slide like crazy...so much so that my knitting often slides right off the ends and onto the floor in a cascade of live stitches and inappropriate language (mine, not the knitting's). They are also cold, and I vaguely worry that one day I'll be knitting with aluminum straights in the car when we'll get in an accident, the airbag will go off and I'll be impaled with my knitting.

Wooden needles are also classic, but in a different sense. If aluminum needles feel nostalgic in a vaguely 50's post-war-era sense, wooden needles hearken all the way back to our ancestors who knitted by candlelight through long, dark winters. Wooden needles are slightly grippy, which is great for working with slippery yarns. Wooden needles also splinter, and I just don't have the patience to break out the sandpaper and wax every time I want to knit.

Bone, shell, tusk and similar needles are impossible to find these days and probably illegal, although I do own two hand-carved bone crochet hooks of such impossibly tiny gauge that I can only imagine pixies used them to make itty-bitty little doilies for faerie tea parties. They are incredibly brittle and delicate and I keep them in a case where I can take them out to look at occasionally but never, ever use them.

Nylon circular needles are, for me, the absolute best knitting needles that money can buy. Circulars in general are far better than straights in my opinion (and yes, I'm sure there are people out there right now who insist straights are far better than circs, to whom I say I've got a stack of straights I'll trade for your circs right now, and we'll both be happy). First of all, it's far easier to knit with circs on a crowded subway than with straights -- I always wind up sticking someone with an errant end of a straight, and let me tell you, the looks people give you after being poked with a knitting needle are never pleasant. And, of course, it's nearly impossible to lose a circular needle or have it accidentally fall out of your knitting -- as Elizabeth Zimmermann wrote, unless you deliberately yank a circular needle out of your knitting, it's pretty much in there to stay. And I've found that nylon circs are the best of the best. The points are nice and sharp, making them ideal for lace work and other patterns involving lots of K2- and K3togs. And the joins...well, there really aren't any joins per se, just a length of nylon that goes from thick and sturdy to thin and flexible, unlike every other kind of circ that has some sort of lump or bump or groove at the join to snag your knitting and make your (ok, MY) life miserable. Nylon circs don't splinter, they don't break if you sit on them, and if I'm ever in a car accident while knitting with them, I figure the worst they'll give me is a minor flesh wound.

Of course, since nylon circs are the ideal knitting needle, they are no longer being manufactured. Anywhere. By anyone. So, short of haunting ebay and snapping up lots of nylon circs whenever I see them, I'm at a loss for finding the knitting needle of my dreams.

*sigh*

What's your favorite kind of knitting needle? Cast your vote in the poll on the sidebar to the right.

All Work and No Play...

...makes Splindarella crazy!

It's the beginning of the semester, and I'm losing my mind. I've been working long hours and extra days getting students tested, placed, registered, oriented.... And it won't let up for at least another week, probably two.

The only knitting I've been doing is for my friend's baby shower, to which I just found out I've been dis-invited. Let me hasten to say it's not my friend's fault. Her party is a surprise, and the person throwing it is the one who dis-invited me. Get this: The baby shower is a cocktail party. When I spoke with the hostess to RSVP, I asked if I could bring Baby M with me as I didn't have a babysitter. The hostess said she preferred to keep it an adult party, but if it was a choice between coming or not coming, I should come with the baby.

Apparently, she changed her mind, but didn't want to tell me about it. First, she "lost" my RSVP. The husband of my friend, the expectant mom, phoned me asking if I'd gotten my invitation and if I'd be able to make it. When I said I had and that I'd RSVP'd already, I also mentioned that I'd be bringing Baby M. Just yesterday, my friend's husband emailed to say that the party hostess told him that children weren't invited -- they wanted to keep the "atmosphere of a cocktail party." And so, I said I wouldn't be attending.

Now, can someone please explain to me how one throws a cocktail party for an expectant mother???

Anyway...I suppose the good thing is it's one less thing I have to do at a time that's already busy and stressful enough. I can finish my baby knitting at my own pace and not have to sit through what already seems like it's going to be a pretentious, pain-in-the-a$$ event. (Not annoyed much, am I?)

Meanwhile, it's back to the grind for me. Send good knitterly thoughts my way, if you would, that I keep my sanity over the next few days....

Getting to Know Me

Blogger's not playing nicely and refusing to publish my photos today, so instead of blogging about the baby bunny that DH and I took to the wildlife rescue over the weekend and the wonderful MDK Swapcloth package I received today, instead I'm going to steal a list from I Don't Blog and share a little different information about myself.

Items in italics are things I've done. What would YOU mark in italics on YOUR list?

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said 'I love you' and meant it
   
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
    
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
    
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
    
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
    
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Alphabetized your cd's
56. Milked a cow
    
57. Sung karaoke
58. Pretended to be a superhero
    
59. Lounged around in bed all day
    
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
    
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Gotten married
    
72. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
    
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
    
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
    
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
    
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
     
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
     
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
     
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
     
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
     
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
     
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
     
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school and read all their books
     
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
     
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
     
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

And the Winner Is....

My last post started out as a commentary on the generosity of fiber folk and ended up as a contest asking people to post answers to the chicken-and-egg-type question of whether generous people are somehow drawn to the fiber arts or working with fiber somehow makes people more generous. An amazing 21 responses came in, and I was incredibly impressed with everyone's thoughts. I was touched by wavybrains' story of how she learned to crochet in order to make Christmas presents; I smiled at robin's image of fiber gremlins and fairies flittering around her stash; I loved the strong feminist ethos underlying terri d's comments about the "culture of domesticity" and "true womanhood" vs a non-gender-specific desire to nurture. In fact, everyone's comment contained something wonderful and inspiring, and picking just one writer to send a surpise to was really tough.

But, I kept coming back to one comment, I think because I was moved by the fact that the writer started out knitting because she wanted something for herself, and through the process of knitting discovered that she wanted to give to others. Here's the comment as written by its author, in full:

"I started knitting because I saw a pair of fingerless gloves I wanted to make in a book. I never thought I would want to start knitting things for other people. To some extent, I think that having the ability to knit has caused me to look beyond just knitting for myself and, instead, see places where I can bring a smile to someone else's face. Giving a handknit is much different to me than giving money because part of me is in my knitting... the love I have both for knitting and the person I am knitting for, the time I spend choosing a pattern and yarn and knitting it up makes a handknit so much more valuable a gift. I would hope the recipients agree. Maybe that is why generous knitters are drawn together; they understand the work put into creating and can appreciate that at a level many other people cannot. To answer your question more directly, I think that truly having something to give makes many people who work with fiber more giving."

So, congratulations, REN -- you're a winner, in more ways than one! A little surprise will be winging its way to you in the near future.... :)

Contest: Secret Pal 9 and the Lure of the Swap

Yesterday, I signed up for the Secret Pal 9 swap. I haven't participated in any of the previous 8 Secret Pal swaps, but I've enviously been reading posts about Swap 8 and thinking to myself that I have to get in on the next one. I've participated in smaller swaps hosted by Spindlers and MDK Swapcloth...it was only a matter of time before I went for the big 'un.

I've been wondering why I like swaps so much, whether of the anonymous, "secret pal" variety or the more straightforward, barter-type "I send you something and you send me something of equal value in lieu of cash" swap. After all, I recently got burned pretty badly when I sent off 3 pounds (yes, you read that right -- 3 pounds) of superwash merino in a barter deal and got absoltely nothing back for it, not even after many emails, a list mom intervention and a certified snail-mail letter. (Laurel Smith of Adkins, TX, if you happen to read this, I'm still waiting for my alpaca.) DH asked me as much after the "Superwash Incident," as it's come to be called in our house, and I think I've figured it out.

As a kid, I always loved surprise packages. I would dutifully send off my $1.99 (or $3.99, or -- if I managed to save up enough of my allowance for the giant-sized package, which in all honesty I don't think I ever did -- $7.99) for a Mystery Surprise Package from one of the knick-knack catalogs that my mom always got in the mail around Christmastime. I would then wait with anticipation until the day that my package arrived in the mail. They were always full of junk, whatever the mail-order company ordered too much of or hadn't sold enough of, but I loved it all nonetheless. I pretty much just loved opening up a box with no idea of what could be inside, knowing it was full of...stuff. Maybe great stuff, maybe kitschy stuff, maybe (probably) stuff I never would have bought if I'd seen it out on a shelf. No matter; if it came in a Mystery Surprise Package, the experience alone was enough to justify the expense.

As an adult, I no longer send away for random boxes of Carol Wright-esque crap. But, I still just love a surprise.

And so I'm willing to take a chance that the bulk of the knitters and spinners in this world are honest. I'm willing to send something off to someone else and get something back in return, sight unseen. And even moreso than in a barter-type exchange, I'm willing -- no, not just willing, actually eager, truly looking forward to -- putting together packages of stuff for a person I've never met; stuff picked with thought and care in the hope that the recipient will love getting that surprise box just as much as I enjoyed getting my surprise boxes all those years ago. And judging by the popularity of fiber swaps of all types, I'm not alone.

Are we fiber-folk just weird? I mean, I don't see the people on DH's listservs (mostly martial-arts and weapons-related sites) arranging to swap personalized gis or handmade pocketknives.

Hmm. I wonder what it is about fiber-folk that can account for that level of generosity, that degree of joy received in the giving. While some knit-lit writers (the Yarn Harlot comes to mind) write, mainly in jest, about not wanting to share their stash, I find that for the most part, fiber-folk are more than willing to do just that, whether in the form of sending stash yarns to people who had lost theirs, knitting for a variety of charities, or just making and giving handmade gifts to those they love. There must be some sort of chicken-and-egg conundrum going on here: Does working with fiber make people more giving, or are generous people somehow drawn to working with fiber?

In the spirit of giving, therefore, I'm creating a little contest. Leave a comment with your answer to the question above (Does working with fiber make people more giving, or are generous people somehow drawn to working with fiber?) and why you think it's so. I'll pick one answer that I think is particularly nifty and reward the writer with a surprise. The surprise will be a good one, and I may just check out the writer's blog a bit to get an idea of how to tailor the surprise to suit his or her likes and dislikes. So put your thinking caps on, everyone, and let me know what you think!