Frogputer down!

You know what they say, life is what happens while you are busy making plans.
I was working this morning merrily away in my notebook, making good progress, December all written up, edge coming along beautifully, when suddenly my screen turned really dim, and then black.
AAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!
An emergency visit to the Geek Squad turned out some bad news/good news: my hard drive is in good shape, however my monitor backlight is kaput. That means the computer would have to take a long drive to the repair shop, and $300 and a couple of weeks later, I would have it back in working shape.
Now, that hardly makes any sense. My computer is a dinosaur that was top of the line when I bought it seven years ago, but now my cell phone has already more memory and capability. Would I pay half the price of a new computer to have it back? hell, no.
You know, some people have green thumbs. I have a sort of an electronic thumbs. My small electronics thrive and survive forever. My cell phone was three years old and in great working order when I finally succumbed to the delights of the Android smart phone. My notebook was going to be 8 this Christmas. It had never been to the computer doctor. Never had a virus. It was missing some keys after my sons peeled them, but I managed to work around them. It has moved house three times. I have had the computer longer than the husband. I had been saving for a while to buy me a new computer for Christmas. And today suddenly I found myself having to make a hasty, joyless purchase and spend all my self-Christmas money. I harassed the poor Best Buy guy with many dumb questions, just because I had not had time to research, I gave my husband three emergency phone calls while staring at computers (he is not a very electronic-savvy person, and therefore he is capable of making a more common sense decision without getting bedazzled by the toys), and finally I wasted a whole morning milling around the store, filling out service papers and trying to extricate myself from the myriad service offers and warranties and such they try to slap on you every time you buy an electronic.
In the end, I came home a lot poorer and still without a computer. They have to transfer all my data to a backup disk, and make a recovery disk for my new puter (I was appalled when I found out they don't give you these any more). When I get them, I will have to spend a miserable couple of days re-installing all the software.
While I do have backup copies of most of my stuff, the charting program may or may not be recoverable, which means I would have to buy a new one. And I am broke. And it is expensive. But I will manage.
All this puts me hopelessly behind in my pattern writing, and with a couple of deadlines looming dangerously ahead. So I better get caught with the knitting instead!
Did I mention, yarn diet till next year???

Anyway, I would like to finish on a happy note. The minipattern is looking good.
Here is a little laugh. If you are not one of the thousands that has seen this YouTube bit, I hope you will laugh as hard as I did. Good, clean fun!

Grover vs Old Spice

By the Edge of November

A real frost flower

November is here! you voted! and it is Frost Flowers. With the help of ever-precise Kate the pattern has just cleared the first round of edits, and with just a few minor touches left, it will be released on October, 22 (tomorrow!).
December will be here sooner than you think, as I have started to churn through the knit sample. I have learned the hard way not to release a clue i have not knit myself thoroughly!

And guess who else is making good progress?

Finally, our Edge!
The edge has three separate elements: the narrow peaked Aspen Leaf edge, the center portion or Point d'Esprit, and two sections of Ric-a-Rac faggoting. The Aspen Leaf alone plus a faggoting section can be used for a narrow edge. In the above shown KnitPicks Shadow lace yarn, it measures about 1.5 inches blocked. The edge as displayed here has the former, and one repeat of Point D' plus another R-R. It would be considered a medium-wide edge, and it would add to about 3.5 inches.
You can widen the border further by adding more repeats of the Point D', as shown here, where 2 repeats were done

Each repeat adds and extra inch (never mind the irregular third tooth, I was testing out stuff...). BTW, this is the WRONG side, which comes to show the edge looks equally good in either side, and you may prefer one to the other. Very handy if you get a little befuddled about how to start the edge, just to realize a few repeats later, that the WS of the edge is showing in the RS of the shawl...ouch. No such trouble here. It is reversible.
the final touches to the pattern, meaning the hard math part, is almost concluded, and with minimal adjustments to the December pattern, everything is going to fit just perfectly if you knitted the shawl as per original instructions. For everybody else... you will have to do the worksheet!

Mini Pattern Update
It seems that there is a lot of interest in a tutorial mini-pattern, and therefore, I will start working on it alongside December. 
No big surprise here, it will be basically a square center where we will apply the edge. I will include the worksheet and explanations about turning the corners and calculating repeats and such for either narrow or wide edge options. So you could end up with a standard washcloth with a little aspen leaf edge, or a more sumptuous and large lace piece to use as a table center (under a flower vase or a mini tree), or whatever else you want. I plan to turn mine into a bread basket liner. 
But of course at this point it is all just wishful thinking. At least, I did go stash-diving and came up with this bargain-bin beauty:

 Jaeger Trinity, a somewhat weird blend of cotton, silk and acrylic, a little knobbly in texture but with a lovely color. I bought them at a stash swap organized by my LYS, for a couple of bucks, and though i love the color, the gritty and rough texture did not call my name right away - but it sure would look nice for a bread basket liner or a tea towel.
I will come up with yarn requirements pretty soon! I think it is going to be a fun project to use up some partial cotton balls :)

Ready for tomorrow?Sharpen your needles!

Beaded Madeira Diamond for October

By now, thanks to the likes of speedy knitters like MarciaViola, you have all had a peek at the October clue all knitted up. Here is my version with beads. Many of you are probably cursing the p3tog, but keep your eyes on the prize! It is such a lovely pattern.

The jury is still out on November. I figured out that many of you may not know the specific name of the patterns that are being suggested, so I have been fishing for some photos:

Frost Flowers

 Frost Flowers is a perennial favorite. The stitch count may be a bit large, and it is a two-sided pattern with purl decreases on the WS. Really gorgeous though!

Print O' the Wave, Eunny Jang's pattern

Print O' The Wave(also known as Grapevine Trellis, and other names) is also a really gorgeous pattern, though not difficult at all, and only patterned on RS. Though it is made famous by Eunny Jang's stole (which is a free download!), it is an old, traditional stitch.

Lily of the Valley Estonian Scarf

Lily of the Valley is arguably the best known of the Estonian stitches - it has nupps, and nupps are not really optional because the pattern does not happen without them. But it is worth the effort!

My very own Ishbel!

Ishbel uses the Trellis Shell pattern, which is quite basic but still very beautiful.

Rose Leaf Pattern

 Rose Leaf, and the closely related Elm Leaf, are two very classic patterns. Neither one is hard to work. This one on the picture has some nupps added, but they are not part of the pattern itself.

Cat's paw pattern

 Cat's Paw is a basic element of the Orenburg patterns and others. Very basic. We probably won't be using it for November because, erm, there is a bit of it in December!

December  is progressing at a good clip. Here is a view of my table, strewn with swatches, sketches, charts, books and bits of yarn:

The edge is practically knitting itself. I had selected a few background stitches, linking combos and edgings, but at the very first try, I liked the result so much I decided that was "it". Sometimes, it is best not to over think a design! Now, we just have to teach it to turn corners...

Speaking of which, since this is going to be an educational experience for a few of you, how would you feel about a tutorial mini-pattern? I am thinking a little swatch with border attached all around. It could be used as a very fancy washcloth, or my favorite, with a bit of cloth for backing, as a potpourri bag that can be a Christmas present. It would give you a chance to practice attaching borders and turning corners before you tackle the big, bad shawl border.

Meanwhile... chaos ensues
Remember that little leak in my shower? well, it is turning rapidly into a major bathroom remodel. Something like the Sixtine Chapel of the bathroom remodels. We spent most of yesterday removing the salmon-and-sage wallpaper that came with the house. It must have been superglued to the wall, I swear!. Underneath, the wall is heavily textured, which means sanding and spackling until the cows come home. The tiles were made on Mexican time, which is to say a month later than promised. But they arrived yesterday! And painfully, the project progresses. 

 
And while waiting for tiles, DH grew restless and started to remodel baby's future bedroom (he is almost two years old, so he needs to get out of our bedroom... now!). Also disassembled the guest's bedroom bed, shuffled some other furniture and moved the computer around... so now more of the house is in disarray.

"look, mom, a wet bar!"

The toilet is temporarily relocated to the backyard so we can work on the wall behind, which gave the dogs some high hopes. They figured out quickly they could not drink out of it, though.

All of this has put a serious crimp on my knitting time. Sylvar is progressing slowly due to major modifications made to the pattern. First, I had to go a size up to a large, and trust me, I am petite. It is not so much a fault of the pattern but of the yarn, which is classified as worsted but seems to knit more like a DK. I have heard this before from Madeline Tosh yarns, so buyer beware. I also decided to do away with the 6-inch garter border, because it is unflattering to my Mediterranean hips, and instead carried the pattern all the way to the bottom with a narrower garter and a few increases to make it more fitted. I am starting on the sleeves, and I am worried I may have to add short row sleeve caps to avoid bunching at the armpits, but I will knit a few inches and try them on. The sweater made a trip to the Tuesday's knitting group and got groped a lot :)

MadTosh Worsted in Tannenhill for this Sylvar sweater

Cliffrose is pretty slow going, but I can't be happier with the choice of yarn. Soft, buttery, and with lovely stitch definition. My fear/hope is that I won't have enough yarn to finish and I may have to buy more in a contrasting or harmonizing color for the edging. waaah.

Cliffrose in SG Gaia Lace

November and December theme announcement

You know what happens when you go on vacation... you get to pay when you come back. This month has been a little crazy and I have fallen behind with the updates. So finally, here it is... the rest of the year!

November: My Favorite Things

 

(For those that don't remember or have never heard the song: My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music)
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
 In USA, November is Thanksgiving month. The kids make crafts with pilgrims and cutout turkeys, and we eat one huge meal while watching football, to remember the meal the Pilgrims and Natives ate together in that first Harvest together a long time ago. Giving thanks for good things is a great habit. Psychologist say that thinking about our favorite things, the things we are thankful for, help put our minds get in the positive attitude that helps us overcome difficulties. So, indeed, when things are bad, simply remember your favorite things...
So, if you are stuck in a difficult lace pattern or having the finishing blahs (you know, when that project gets stuck in the "black hole phase", when you knit and knit and don't seem to get anywhere), think of your favorite lace pattern. That pattern that you just love to make, because it is beautiful and it is just joyful to knit.
I am looking for a classic, well known, wonderful pattern that just epitomizes lace knitting for you. The pattern you think a sampler should have.
So what is it going to be? Frostflowers? Lily of the Valley? Horseshoe? Feather and Fan? Arrowhead? Print o' the Wave?

December: A Perfect Snowflake

This is a perfect flake, preserved in 1974 in a drop of superglue!

 This is another obvious clue. I wanted the December theme to connect with January, which was Winter Wonderland. As it corresponds to an edge, it will be a little larger than the other month's clues, and we will try to preserve direction.

And then there is the Border...
I have been working long and hard to find a good border, and I think I have a good candidate. Sideways construction, check. Relatively easy, check. Expandable, check. Optional beads, check. Now I just have to do a whole lotta swatching, and the most difficult bit, get it to move around the corners. And fudging instructions, because i am willing to bet not two people in the group have the same row count!
Do you think you may be running short of yarn? Because I do. I like my edges wide. By the time I am done with December, I will have about 400 yards left which is probably enough for a narrower edge, but I don't want to work so hard to find out I am short in the edge. So I have asked Kate from Dragonfly fibers to dye for me another whole skein of Dragonlace in Cayenne. I plan to do my edge with the new skein, so even if there is color variation, it will be an accent to the center. So start planning ahead!

October clue...is still at the editors, waiting for corrections. As soon as it is done, it will be updated, so stay tuned.

Good Bye Old Friend!

  My unfinished shawl cache finally reached critical mass, and I had to get this one off the needles.It is the Frostflower Shawl from Vogue Knitting Shawls two: on the go!. It had a "difficult" rating, although except for grafting 100+ stitches at the end, it was easy, boring knitting. This was my travelling piece, always with me in the car, knitting one bit here and another there in short drives and flights. It has been to Tucson, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Zion State Park in Utah, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, and everywhere in Phoenix. Now I am really going to need another travelling piece!. Done in Malabrigo Lace in Sealing Wax color (I have a whole skein left, if somebody is drooling over it - open to trades). Whisper thin and oh so soft and warm. I am sure I will wear it a lot this winter.

And Hello new one!

Yes, my yarn diet is more like no-yarn gorges rule. I snagged this beauty on a destash:

Socks that Rock Mediumweight in Rooster Rock

  This is my first STR skein... and it is SO lovely I know I have STR fever now. The colors are just like a rooster tail, the definition of the color is lovely, the ply very uniform. Now I just have to find THE pattern to compliment this yarn.

Serendipity...

Design is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration... but sometimes it is 50% serendipity. You may remember when i was designing Cliffrose, I lost my initial set of charts and had to start anew, ended up with a totally different shawl. Well... I found them. Fallen behind a drawer. And all of the sudden, they are ready to become yet a totally different shawl!. If only the day had 48 hours...

Aloha-hai, until we meet again

View from the hotel just before sunrise - Kohala coast

Photo Album at the Big Island of Hawaii

Coconuts on our way to Hilo

Koi pond at the hotel

Yay! Glorious Kona coffee cherries

Even chickens like good coffee

Akaka falls plunge 400 ft in a lush tropical garden

Falls in the even lusher World Botanical Gardens

Giant Heliconia plants and their alienspawn flower

What's Shakin' has the best smoothies from homegrown fruit

 Kilalua Volcano in Volcano National Park. Ollie was disappointed with the lack of fireballs

The real Tiki room - at the National Refuge

Honu (the protected Hawaiian green turtle) were a frequent sight

A few photos of the fabulous orchids and exotic flowers. I probably brought back over 50 pictures of orchids, all different!

Cliffrose KAL kickoff!!!
Just like that, the Cliffrose KAL is upon us! After being inspired by the Hawaiian orchids and lush gardens, I fully expected to come up with a glorious pink or purple for my choice of shawl. However, once I was ankle-deep on lace stash, I had a change of heart. I thought I would make a shawl as a Christmas gift to my mother. With practical eye, I picked up two lace samples on the brown range, which should go great with the Autumn and Winter favorite color this year, the Camel, and I made up for the lack of color with drop-dead softness.

 Rowan's Kidsilk Haze in Goldenrod should give a nice punch of color to a camel sweater or coat.

I am also quite partial to this Gaia Lace DK from Sanguine Gryphon. It is a one-off color, a taupe with highlights of green, which is supremely soft and has a lovely, silky sheen.I believe SG does not carry DK any more, but the lace weight is available.
The Kidsilk however was the winner of the Husband Petting Test, so I will probably start with this one. However, time permitting, I would like to use up the Gaia as well, and make two shawlettes. Pretty ambitious, considering that my FO drawer overflows with unfinished stuff again.

Sock-bsession!
I feel like a dolt. After packing my knitting bag carefully for the trip, I forgot the needles for one project and the other project needed needles two sizes smaller. So I ended up working exclusively on the Cuban Cockroach Bugga! wrestling it into socks. I was hooked. Grab the basic stitch of the Talinay gloves, mix in some of the September clue, and give it a twist, and out came the most gorgeous sock. I was so obsessed I had to knit it all the way to the tip even though it was too big, just because I HAD to see how the pattern unfolded. Then, (anathema!) frogged back to the heel and fixed the size, refined the flow of the pattern... I am an inch from the toes, and I MUST finish it, because I have it in my head I need to have this entered for a submission. I am even going to buy me a sock blocker for the occasion!
So between the sock, and giving my just-finished secret project the last finishing and packing, the poor KAL is a bit abandoned. But - an idea has already caught fire, coming from one of your suggestions. As soon as the sock-bsession is over, I vow to commit myself to getting this clue out on time.

And just a parting thought... just when I thought I had more projects I could manage, along comes this fabulous Blue Moon Fiber Arts Traveling Sweater. Just the most interesting construction and it would show off a variegated yarn so beautifully. I bought the pattern immediately, but darn it, I don't have just the right yarn... there goes the yarn diet again!

September Leaves

Embossed Leaves

Maple Leaves

September clue is out! We made it through another month. We are arriving to the final stretch of our shawl. How exciting it is to see it grow month to month! I feel such pride when I look at the intricate, delicate openwork, and such joy to know I am sharing it with so many people.
For this month, I challenge you to walk in my shoes: put together the clue using a few elements. When you think how many combinations and permutations you can create out of just two patterns and a few filler stitches, it is mind-boggling. It feels a bit like a Sudoku game, trying to make all the math fit together. I really hope you all have loads of fun with it.
You may recognize one of the patterns - the Maple Leaf is based on Maple Leaf Socks by Heartstrings, a pattern proposed by Raveler Lizavietta. I am sure our Canadian neighbours will be amused!. The Embossed Leaf is a classic Barbara Walker pattern, which shares commonalities with many embossed patterns. It seemed to fit well in size and nature with the maple leaves. Both have a textural, tridimensional quality. Also, each leaf runs in a different direction, which makes the pattern non-directional - no upside or downside. Once I had the patterns, I found I could combine them in so many ways I could not make my mind up. I remembered how much fun you all had combining the "hard" and "soft" love features, and I decided to let you all play with the patterns again.
And reading all your suggestions for October has been enlightening - I think I have a definite direction on the clue for next month. However, keep the suggestions coming, since I can just as easily change my mind!

Heartache from Vogue Knitting
I did promise to tell you about a little designer fit I had reviewing the last VK issue. I usually love reading VK, though some of the last issues have been disappointing. I look at it as an aspirational magazine. The garments are usually not practical or wearable by most regular people, and they can be fussy and hard to knit. Not to mention you'd spent a small fortune knitting some of them - lush, expensive yarns. The styling is very haute-couture-ish, which is nice but does not always show the garment to its best advantage (good thing they have the 360 feature!). However, it often has a few daring, cleverly constructed, inspirational garments. This issue is full of such - things I would NOT wear but I just love how they are constructed. 
Unfortunately, one of the sweaters is almost a distillation of a design idea I was actually working on - I mean, bought yarn, worked on swatches, made charts. So close, I could see there is no way to use my original idea without it looking like a ripoff. I almost cried, specially because it is the one idea my sister had been very sold on, even to the point of working the charts with me. WAAAAAHHHH!
(A good illustration of the evolutionary law called the Red Queen Effect (for Alice in Wonderland) - sometimes, you have to keep running faster just to stay on the same place, as everybody around you evolves and gets better). 
At least I can tell my sis her idea was good enough for Vogue. It is a consolation. 
And once I get over it, I can probably use the kernel of the idea for something different.
Go ahead and browse VK. I loved the article on Project Runway winner Irina Shabayeva ("Head of the Class"). I just love her concept of movement and texture. 

Travel Companions
Already busy packing for Hawaii!!! And before I even pack my clothes, I pack my knitting bag. I have assembled a few kits for small items, and for the first time I am actually bringing design work with me. I can totally see myself feeling inspired by the beautiful nature around the island and working away in the lanai with the sound of waves crashing. Reality check, there will be two children staging Lego robot fights in the background.

Taking my sunglasses...

This project is so much fun I could not wait to get started. I was immediately in cute overload. I love colorwork! . KP Palette is a great yarn for that, but is a wee bit rough to the touch, which worries me because it will be a baby item. Hopefully it softens with wash. Expect some calls for test knitting soon!

A cockroach that I actually like

After the whole pink-monster-cockroach incident, I decided to put a positive spin on cockroaches. This Cuban Cockroach Bugga! skein is going to become a sock version of the Talinay gloves. Lush greenness, perfect for island knitting.

This here is Dragonflyfibers Dragon Sock in Dark Star colorway. I dug it out of my stash a while ago when the husband suggested he would like some manly fingerless gloves. Of course he shot straight for the darkest yarn he could find. I have a good idea of how to take the best advantage of the flashes of color in the yarn, and I really would like a very architectural quality for the gloves, but otherwise this one is still pretty much up in the air.
Naturally, some Dumb Knitting and UFO that Never Dies will go into the bag as well.

And to keep track of it all - Barnes and Noble recycled version of the Moleskine notebook. I have a full sized version with graph paper pages, where all my design babble goes, but I got this small sized one for the travel bag. Bright enough I won't overlook it!. I would die if I lose that notebook, seriously!
Test knitters wanted!
My submission project is moving along at an amazingly fast pace. Due to a sudden and uncharacteristic attack of neatness, my pattern is almost fully written. The release schedule probably won't let me enough time for full test knitting, but there is a small portion that I really feel i need tested just to make sure it makes sense. It is this:

  Confused? don't worry, it will all become clear. Here is the deal: you work two small pieces that look approximately like this (you need just scraps of worsted weight yarn, it takes an hour or two to make) and i will send you the full copy of the pattern pre-release, which you can choose to test or not. I can tell you it is a fun garment for boys age 3-8. 
I really just need a couple of people, so email me at neverfrog@aol.com if you are interested and I can give you more information, including an approximate picture of the finished garment. You will have to be sworn to secrecy, LOL!

Now... get those needles clicking for September 

October Earth

Elemental Animals by Shadow Wolf

It is time to unveil the October theme.... Kudos to Susan, who guessed it!
November is the last of the "officially beaded" clues. If you track back those months with beads in the clue, March represented Wind. June, Water. August, Fire. And therefore, October represents the element of Earth.
I know this clue is very vague clue, and possibly a hard to represent. So think hard!

Here is another little bit of inspiration. The most "earthy" place I have visited, Yellowstone park. It has some of the most gorgeous formations that earth, water, fire and wind can create - mountains, prairies, streams, geysers, "paint pots" - a fantastic place. I hope it inspires a fantastic clue. I have absolutely no preconceived idea of what to do yet!.

Happily,  September is all done, and in the mod's mailboxes waiting to be proofread. Right on track for release  September, 1st. Whatever you may think of this clue, it promises to be interesting and I am fully looking forward to see what you make with it.

Physics phenomenons applied to everyday life
Do you know that there are many phenomenons of physics that apply to daily life? For instance, the Black Hole of the domestic appliances. Once one appliance breaks down, it seems to create a well of gravity that causes all other appliances to fall apart under its pull. Example in point: as soon as we came back from our trip, the caulking of the guest shower collapsed and caused a massive leak which ruined part of the floor of the kids room next door. The black hole effect immediately caused the pool pump to quit working, the car radiator to spring a leak, and my husband's phone to spontaneously crack across the screen. Odd, uh?

Let's move on to the Butterfly effect, where apparently small events have wide and unforeseen consequences. After the shower leaked, the whole place smelled rank and damp, and my husband had to rip this full-sized wall ceramic plates that form the shower enclosure so it would not mold out. High fashion in the 80's, mind you - real imitation marble. Of course, he went at it with gleeful , primeval glint in his eye  that every woman has learned to fear: the larval stages of the House Remodeling Project.

My sadly gutted bathroom

uh yeah baby, you know you want this wallpaper...

We thought things were under control, gutted bathroom notwithstanding, until my eldest son Ollie came pelting into the living room with his eyes big as saucers to announce that there was "a pink animal" in the bathroom. Boastfully we marched, thinking it would be one of the baby geckos that scurry around the house. Nope. It was a gigantic, nasty, flying sewer cockroach, the kind that lurks behind bathroom walls. Battle ensued, husband emerged victorious, monster roach squashed, but we had to dig Ollie from under the pillows. It soon was obvious that Ollie was so traumatized by the incident that he refused to use the bathroom. Instead, he would go in his clothes, then find creative ways to hide the soiled clothes, which we would find by scent. We hit rock bottom when he desperately tried to hide a rather large, um, poop, and instead succeeded in fingerpainting all over the computer room. Heck, even I was traumatized. It has taken a lot of bribing to retrain him, but he still wants to use the master bathroom all the time. There goes the privacy.

Which takes us to the nuclear fusion effect. Where a small explosion causes things to collide around creating a huge explosive force. Really, this was just supposed to be a small remodel. Get a new shower head, re tile, some painting. We dutifully visited Home Depot. Checked the supplies. Then made the mistake of visiting a designer fixture store. I never knew before people is willing to pay upwards of 5K for a new shower!!! and of course they are so gorgeous... And tiles??? We went to One World Tile and spent two hours shuffling and reshuffling the most gorgeous hand painted Mexican tiles. And oh, you should see their painted sinks. To die for. We came home with a loot of little tile pieces to play with

Even before we start the little remodel, I know we are going to bust the budget. Stay tuned.
So finally, the Fight or Flight reaction. When facing a lenghty bathroom remodel, choose to fight (and face the remodel) or flight (and use the money you saved in the honeymoon trip it was intended for). Guess what I chose. Aloha Hawaii!!!!! We bought the tickets before we could succumb to the instinct of sensibly spending the money on the remodel.

And yes, knitting happened too
Soon after the last update, I got this on the mail:

King Cole Merino Aran

  My long awaited yarn for the secret submission project! I had to drop everything to get working on the sample, so most of my other "personal" knitting is hibernating while I power through this one. This is a very soft and supple yet hardy superwash merino, with excellent stitch definition, and it knits like buttah. Excellent workhorse yarn and moderately priced. A bit short in the color range though.

I have a few ideas prickling in my head for a while. I knew I had an unused Cascade skein with the receipt still in the bag, so I headed to my favorite LYS, Tempe Yarn and Fiber, just to exchange it for another color. I should know better. Fred and his minions are so evil. I walked out of the store with:

DIC Smooshy in Lunar Zazzle

Crystal Palace Kid Merino in pure white

Shepherd's Wool in Hot Pink

And a spiffy 30-pocket Nantucket Bagg. For my travel, you understand. I am absolutely in love with this bag!!! Stylish enough to carry as a handbag, it can be unzipped totally flat, and you can cram a LOT of knitting there.
As much as I love to shop for yarn online, there is no doubt that yarn shopping is a highly tactile experience. Nothing compares to being able to pet the yarn. Then it follows you home.
My, erm, excuse is that i have a pattern projected for each of this yarns... good luck guessing what, because my sister's visit seems to have awaken my inner corky.

Stay tuned... sharpen your needles...
And learn why the latest Vogue Knitting issue reduced me to tears. Real tears with sniffling.