Friday, September 28, 2007

Blah day

Saturday and Sunday are the Susanna Hansson classes down at Webs. I am a mite perturbed. One of the classes requires a piddling little twenty minutes of pre-class homework. Not a problem... but it needs to be done in Cascade 220, color 8010 (off white)... which has proven unavailable at all four of the LYSs within an hours' drive.

It is indeed annoying. This is an ubiquitous yarn, one of the most common elements in the known fiber universe. Isn't it some kind of licensing requirement to have scads in stock? I'm quite sure there is a regulation buried deep in the bowels of some massive federal agency that says if you own a yarn store, you must carry Cascade 220.

I'm going to have to improvise. Which puts a crimp in my plan to behave myself. I was at least hoping to enter the class fully prepared.

I had planned on disguising myself as Teacher's Pet, Good Student, maybe even Potential Honor Roll. No doubt I would have revealed my true self in short order - that disguise would not have held for long - but still. Leave me my little fantasies, OK?

I must now fume and figure out what to do.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Bad blogger. Just bad.

I've been a bad blogger. Sorry. Lots of stuff going on. First, the important news:
Forest Darkness, finished! O, frabjouous day! The totally craptastic picture I took does not convey how fabulous this sweater is. I believe once it gets cold I will put it on and wear it every day for the rest of my life. For those interested, I actually finished it a couple of weeks ago, and though I can't prove it I believe the day I bound off WAS the hottest day of summer. Always a wonderment to finish a three or so month project and then be unable to wear it for more than 30 seconds. Yeesh.

Of course I immediately cast on for not one, not two, not even three, but four new sweaters. No. 1 is this: a Kauni Turkish cardigan. Stitch pattern pilfered, then adapted from one found in the incredible sock book "Fancy Feet" by Anna Zilboorg. No overall pattern; just using my own wit and low cunning.

Detail of the Turkish cardigan. I am using Kauni yarn in the EP and EK colorways. Incredible stuff. My nonexistant photography skill does not convey the richness of the colors in these yarns.
Sweater No. 2: Blue Shimmer, in progress. It's just a baby. I didn't cast on for Bohus No. 2 immediately - kinda needed a break from Bohussing. Now that I'm started, I wonder why I waited ;-)

Sweaters No. 3 and 4 didn't want to be photographed. Sigh. No. 3 is a Dale in more or less the Lake Placid 1932 pattern, though not in any of the suggested colorways, and modified somewhat. No. 4 is something I'm calling the Tree Sweater. Truly faking it on this one. No pattern whatsoever. Using Green Mountain Spinnery's Green Mountain Green so it will be a hefty sort when it's done.

Quick bits of other news: The Beth Brown-Reinsel class was absolutely fantastic. I am now a steeking fool. Better than the class is that Beth decided to move to Vermont! And she's here! I feel like Mick Jagger moved in next door.

We're building a chicken palace. This has been taking up a lot of time. Rotten beasts had best appreciate it or it will be the crock pot for each and every one of the little hussies. At the same time I am refinishing a table that I've been meaning to fool with for, oh, three or four years. It's stripped; next step is to pick out paint and get that slapped on before the snow flies.

There's more, much more, but I hear the car coming up the driveway and I'm sure that means I'm going to need to give up the computer to hubby in a minute, so this'll have to do for the moment.