Purls Beyond Price

Guilt Blogging

Ok, I admit that I am blogging today out of a guilty sense of obligation to my readership. Although I had intended to take a few days while I get my shit together, I found myself sitting at the computer worrying that my readers were worrying about me. (Narcissus? Who's that?) There's lots of stuff going on, not all of it pleasant. Most of it I won't go into detail about because, frankly it's TMI. Other parts of it I'll blog about later in the week.

I had a frustrating and exhausted weekend. I was tired and cranky and out of sorts. Kevin and I were snippy with each other and we had lots of things to do. We were double booked on Saturday night, but I was in such a state of exhaustion that we decided to skip the school staff party and just go to Britta's for Mardi Gras. I'm glad we did. Getting dressed up got me out of my head and though this was a smaller party than is usual for Britta's, it was a great deal of fun. Kevin and I got to wear the masks I bought in Venice and we played a rolicking game of Trivial Pursuit: Pop Culture with good friends.

Sunday we slept in a little, but the combination of staying up late and the previous day's tasks left me pretty much trashed. After eating breakfast and starting laundry I went back to bed for a nap before we had to run more errands and rearrange the stuff we have stored in the garage.

In quiet moments (or when I was just too darned cranky to deal with anyone or anything) I worked on Fitz. This piece was originally supposed to be the front, but I decided that I liked it better as the back. I finished it last night and just need to transfer the stitches at the back neck to a holder. I don't know how well I will like the live stitch collar as opposed to the cast off and picked up stitches that I usually do, but I'll make the pattern as written and if I see anything I don't like about it later I can always frog the collar and redo it. I'll cast on the front tonight.

I've started my gauge swatch for the Must Have in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, Shade 613. When I went to retrieve it from the stash closet I found not one, not two, but three sealed packs of this color. I was in utter shock. I pulled out the only size 7 needles I could find, some Susan Bates straights. Uck. I forgot how I hate straight needles. I need to look around to see if I can find a pair of Clover Bamboo circs or at least a pair of Addis. No way I'm knitting Must Have on straights. At least I get gauge with this size, so I should be good to cast on tomorrow for the official start.

Juanita, my latest knitting protogé (she of the size 17 needles sticking into her hair at the Knit In) emailed me a picture of her finished scarf. I'm so proud of her! It's Lion Brand Jiffy and simple garter stitch, but the girl is on fire! She wants to make her mom a pair of slippers, so I pointed her toward Knitty's Fuzzy Feet pattern. She bought the yarn, some new needles and she's off and running. She said she'd call if she gets stuck. I may have created a monster.

Lots of folks have been posting their Secret Pal 4 questionnaires. I don't want to bore y'all with it, so here's the gist in a Word file for my very own Secret Pal. Download secretpal4.doc

Storm Warning

I'm in for a rough couple of weeks and may not feel much like blogging. Trust that I will be knitting and will blog when I feel up to it, so don't send out a search party just yet. See ya on the flip side.

All About Me

I'm tired. Drug out, rung out, wiped out tired. I dropped the kids off this morning, made a sojourn into Target for a few essentials, walked the dog and now I'm ready to go back to bed. I'm taking a page out of Celia's book and I'm putting my jammies back on. Then I'm going to put on a DVD, grab my knitting and climb under the covers. I may even nap. I'm currently caught up on Must Have stuff and everything else can wait a day while I restore my sanity or at least my body's proper rest. In time for Britta's Mardi Gras party tomorrow.

A Bit of a Crush Now, Really*

When Holly posted last week about meeting Alton Brown I was pea green with envy. But I'm a smart girl and I immediately went to his website to see where else he might be. Lo and behold, he had a date for a booksigning at Books, Inc. in the Stanford Mall. I told the girls about it and they begged me to take them, so last night, we all headed to Palo Alto. We got there later than expected and had to stand in line for 2.5 hours, but it was worth it to hear him speak (he's every bit as funny in person as he is on his show) and to have him sign our book. Kaelyn claims she'll never wash her hand again and that she is his #1 fan. I already thought he was the ultimate in cool and pretty darn sexy for a TV chef/science geek (kind of in the same weird way that Bill Nye, the Science Guy is sexy), but he was far sexier in person. The guy has charisma just oozing out of his pores. Fortunately, Kevin was there to take a picture and to help me stumble home. All of us girls were sighing and mooning.

* Today's title is a quote from Bridget Jones' Diary

I have been working diligently on the Fitzgerald front. I'm not quite halfway finished with it, but it grows steadily and I'm on the third skein of Silk Garden. I'm wanting to turn up the gas on Fitz not only to get it done so Kevin can wear it, but also because I need these needles to work on Butterfly. I have a pair of Clover bamboo straights in the right size, but I just hate working with straight needles. I think my other pair of US8 circs is currently occupied with my Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Jacket. Urgh. Tomorrow I'll make a big push to get this piece of Fitz done and then just the back and finishing work will be left. Hurray!

The Must Have Too KnitAlong is officially up and running. To our great pleasure, we already have lots of friends to knit along with. Come on. You know you wanna. Just email me if you'd like to be included.

Must Have Too KnitAlong

We couldn't resist. There's now an official Must Have Too KnitAlong.

The Universe Conspires

to get me to knit lace. Observe the "coincidence".

1. Michelle graciously sends me A Gathering of Lace after reading my Amazon Wishlist
   
2. Lolly gifts me with two yummy balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze at the Knit In
   
3. Jenanne sends me a luscious hank of laceweight cashmere
   
4. This:
   

Yesterday, I received an incredible RAOK from Violet. Included with the heart candles, card and book of prayers was a skein of laceweight mohair in a delicate peach shade. Over a quarter of a mile of it! Thank you, Violet! You made my day. I'm envisioning a summerly lace shawl, almost a swag shape, very open and sheer. You can't imagine how soft this is. And the color is just lovely. It practically glows.

Yesterday was a long day. Bud came to work with me, but had to stay in his pen because he goes completely nuts when the mailman comes through the front door. Normally Bud is the calmest, sweetest, mellowest little guy you'd ever meet, but show him a man in uniform and he turns into super protector dog. The hair along his back stands up, he barks quite loudly and actually snarls. In the interest of our mailman's well-being, the cagéd canine was relegated to the back of the office. Look at those sad puppy eyes.

At least he got snuggles from Jewel, who stopped by to pick up a few things to take to Lolly this weekend. Jewel is Bud's biggest fan and he's so content to just be swooped up into her arms and cuddled. I got the pleasure of meeting Jewel's son who was charming, although he was having a bit of difficulty talking through his post-dental appointment novacaine numbness. Poor guy!

I knit all of three rows on Fitz last night. I had a pounding headache and Karin had a project to finish for school. The rest of the evening was spent looking at finances (not pretty). The headache only got worse. Stressed out and unable to sleep, I peeked in on the girls only to find Kaelyn sitting up in her bed, suffering from a stuffy nose. I climbed up into the top bunk with her, soothed her to sleep and dozed until sometime in the middle of the night when I woke and made my way back to my own bed. The alarm at 5:30 was most unwelcome.

At least Norma makes me laugh. We emailed back and forth this morning, about our plans to start the Patons Must Have Cardi. We've both vowed to make it from stash yarn. We did a virtual handshake on the deal (we live 3000 miles apart, after all) and will start soon. Stay tuned.

Jenanne RAOKs!

I received a delightful RAOK in the mail yesterday afternoon from Jenanne. It's a hank of laceweight cashmere from a fiber festival she attended last year. Her note explained that she had intended it for a shawl or scarf for herself, but has found that she's allergic to most animal fibers. What a shame! I love the color. I'm working up a vision for it, after I make it through a few other projects. (Gosh, I keep saying that. I need to get moving!) Thank you, Jenanne, for the generous gift. I am so looking forward to playing with the cashmere. I'm also happy to note that just yesterday, Jenanne picked up some stunning Bamboo yarn, to make a shawl that she won't be allergic to. I have to admit, I'm intrigued by the idea of a silky soft bamboo yarn. Can't wait to hear her feedback on it.

I haven't taken more pics of Fitz. It's just more of the same. Once I've finished the front I'll post about it again, but really, what more is there to say about a stockingette panel? I had no time at all to knit last night. Rehearsal went well and the choreography for "Mathilda" is lots of fun. Our June concerts are going to be a real treat. We got home early, but I was tired, so I tucked myself into bed with my book instead. I'm nearly finished with Bernard Cornwell's The Winter King, the first in his King Arthur series. It's a new and very interesting take on the political life and times of Arthur. Very entertaining. As soon as I finish this series I'll move on to Rosalind Miles' Guenevere series.

I remembered to take a picture of the Debbie Bliss Club kit. There are the 4 skeins of Alpaca Silk in Ruby. As mentioned yesterday, I'm underwhelmed by the free pattern, but thrilled to have more Alpaca Silk to play with. I'm tempted to just get more, so I have enough to make a top out of. I'm thinking a cute cap sleeved little top with maybe some cable detail to give it quasi princess lines. I'll have to do some drawings and see what I come up with. For now, I'll content myself with petting it.

Monday Blah-Post

Not feeling particularly creative today, so blogging will be at a minimum. It was a lowkey weekend. I worked on Sleeping Beauty and cast on the front of Fitz. My Debbie Bliss Club kit (4 skeins of Ruby Alpaca Silk) came in the mail on Saturday and I've decided that it needs to be put to other use as I am not thrilled with the beret/cravat set that is the free pattern. It needs to be something lush and exotic, but not until I work through the current list. My cold is getting better, though my sinuses ache something awful when I try to sing a high note. I'll be digging into the decongestants before rehearsal for sure.

I had intended to show you progress on Fitz and the Bliss kit, but the girls just came home from school with tummyaches and I have music to memorize before tonight. We have a choreographer coming to help us with one of the pieces, so I need to know it cold. Hasta mañana.

Under the Weather

They say that stress weakens the immune system. My stress must be higher than usual this year, cuz I keep getting sick. I have a cold: stuffy head, sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat, all the fun stuff. Last night Cyd brought me chicken soup from La Fiesta and we started watching Season 3 of West Wing. I haven't knit a stitch since picking up my cross stitch again, but the progress, while an accomplishment to me, will seem miniscule when compared to what I can accomplish in an evening's uninterrupted knitting. I'll show you more when there's significant progress. In the mean time, I'm heading back to the sofa for some quality time with Sleeping Beauty and a movie.

I Couldn't Say It Better

I will not rant about politics today. Kerstin quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in her post today. His words are far more eloquent than mine. In the mean time, I am quietly supporting "Not One Damn Dime Day" and keeping my wallet holstered.

On the Home Front

Bud's apparently feeling guilty about snagging my spot on the sofa and curling up with Fitzgerald. I got up to make a pot of tea while Cyd was over last night and I came back to find him guarding it proprietarially. The little stinker is taking liberties.

Alice, on the other hand, looks on with total disdain, as if to say, "You knew Mom was gonna get mad when you got up there. Neener, neener." Of course, we're not counting the number of times I've had to carefully extract her from a WIP or a finished sweater, or the clean laundry, for that matter.

I started coming down with a cold last night. I was sniffly, sneezy and having to blow my nose every 5 minutes. I could've continued on Fitz but the front is mind-numbing stockingette with no shaping until I get to the armholes. Cyd had brought her cross stitch over, so I decided that I'd work on one of my ancient cross stitch WIPs. I started Mirabilia's Sleeping Beauty when I was pregnant with Karin and before I did much knitting. I was trucking along on it, making good progress when Kaelyn (then 2) took the highlighter I was using for marking my pattern and drew all over both the pattern and the linen. In a panic, I consulted people on RCTN (the rec.crafts.textiles.needlework list) and decided to try washing it. Lo and behold, the highlighter ink was water soluable and came out. The sizing on the linen did too. I now have to stitch very carefully so as not to pull the linen threads too taut. I'm not quite halfway done with it, but I hope to be able to complete it this year. It'll take some doing, as cross stitch of this size is far less portable than any of my knitting projects and it requires a different kind of attention. Bug me about it so I keep working on it, 'kay? This is what she'll look like when she's complete:

I've completed the entire top border, about half her skirt, and her torso. Cross stitch is a real labor of love for me. It takes ages to complete a project and when one is finished, the framing often costs double (or more!) what the materials cost. Therefore, I don't finish things very often. And I won't allow myself to start any more cross stitch projects until this an a couple of other projects are finished. Then watch out, because this is next in the cross stitch queue. I have it all kitted up and ready to go. This is also a Mirabilia design (I adore Nora Corbett's work. I think she's phenomenal.) called A Mid-Summer Night's Fairy. Nora designs a lot of fairies, mermaids, queens and mothers. Each of her designs seems more rich and glorious than the last. And her color choices are a feast for the eyes. All in all I probably have twenty of her designs somewhere in my stash, half of them at least kitted. I'll never complete them all in my lifetime. As my dear Margene would say, "It's in the process...."