Black Dog

One thing I always say is that I’m not going to get caught up in the whole “MUST…….KNIT…..FOR……CHRISTMAS” nonsense. I see too many customers at the shop freaking out about hitting specific deadlines for the holidays and really losing their sh#t about being behind schedule.

And low and behold, this year I took on some gift knitting. Yeah, I’m a bright one…..

My good friends Joe and Gordy (saviours in my personal life….trust me on that one) asked about a scarf for Joe’s brother’s girlfriend, and I thought maybe we could get him connected with someone to make it for him. They came by the shop last Saturday (the 12th) and found a skein of hand-dyed foofie yarn (Great Adirondack POOF or FLUFF, I forget which) that was perfect. I cast on and whipped up a scarf in no time

Even Marcia helped with a few rows, cuz she loves “the boys” as well (and knows how important they’ve been in my transition this fall). So, gift knitting #1 out of the way. (UPDATE–I just heard that they exchanged gifts and “brother’s girlfriend” LOVED LOVED the scarf….awesome!)

Enter #2–a special project for a special person that I decided I just MUST MUST MUST finish in time for holiday gifting. Progress as of Tuesday evening

That’s something I started in November 2008, worked up about 12″, and promptly put back in a bag and buried it under crap in my office. I found it about two weeks ago, decided the intended recipient MUST have it for this Christmas, and got busy ASAP on it, almost non-stop. And here it is, as of Thursday about 10 p.m.

That’s nearly EIGHT FEET of finished fabric! There’s drama, however……..I had darned in all of the ends and was inspecting things, making sure it looked right, so I could wrap it up and mail it off on Friday morning (so it would arrive Monday or Tuesday at the home of the intended recipient). I found a loop on the back side that I thought was a poorly-hidden end, so I started tugging on it. The yarn is a woven merino ribbon and quite lovely. I pulled and pulled and pulled before I realized that the fabric was “condensing” and that it wasn’t an end, but a loose stitch that I was yanking on. I gave it one more tug and SNAP–the yarn broke and the entire “condensed” section unraveled for about 6″ of horizontal space, clear over to and including the edge.

I said a couple fairly nasty words. And I called Marcia for help.

She and I talked of putting it back on the needles, and possibly grafting the pieces back together. I did investigate that and thought it might work, briefly. But closer inspection revealed major damage (edge raveling, lace pattern kaput, etc.).

I said a few more nasty words.

And began to unpick the bind off edge, as the damage was about two feet down from the finish.

I unraveled yards and yards (and hours and hours) of knitting into two piles–one larger one and one smaller one. And I got the project back on the needles, figured out where I was in the repeat, and commenced forward progress. I wouldn’t go to sleep until the larger pile was gone, so I turned in at 2 a.m. that morning. And got up at 8 a.m. to finish, which I did at about 11 a.m. Yes, I power knitted about 1/4 of the project in the span of about five hours. I was booking on the project. It got wrapped and posted and should arrive tomorrow (Monday) or Tuesday. But there’s other drama, too.

Saturday of last week I went home from the shop and put my knitting bag in the back seat, but when I got home to work on the stole, I pulled out the piece and found a stub where about 2/3 of a skein of yarn should be. I chalked it up to having fallen out of my bag and figured it was strewn down Waverly Road (northbound) and gone. Imagine my surprise when I pulled into my usual parking spot and there was the skein of yarn, iced over and unharmed, in the parking lot (we had sleet and freezing rain that night). The project, while imbued with love, healing thoughts, and good vibes for the intended wearer/recipient, was not without its own issues. But it’s done, it will suit her perfectly (she loves wraps and loves neutral colors) and I hope it’s received with the love and well wishes that it was sent with.

Speaking of silly things we do in a holiday gift-knitting rush, one of my staffers at the shop was making a beautiful family heirloom stocking for a new grand-nephew……finished the personalizing, held it up, and showed me this………

The child’s name is FORREST. I asked her to run spell check.

She said a naughty word or two.

It turned out fine, two hours later (she’s not a fan of duplicate stitch)

and it will be well loved by the family for years and years.

Remind me again why we knit for the holidays, especially when they’re under a week away???

And remind me why I’m about to log off and cast on for a gift for my mother yet tonight? And why I’d like to knock out a pair of socks for a special someone after that? And also remind me why none of you, my gentle readers, have called the folks from the looney ward on me?

Probably because I dye pretty yarn

and you know that it takes a mental case to make pretty artsy-fartsy things. Yeah, that’s it……off to go cast on (we don’t need no stinking gauge swatches!)

I’ve had a busy couple of weeks in these parts, between my parents visiting for Thanksgiving (they stayed a week–it was an amazing visit and I was sad to see them leave, even after that duration), my continuing to settle into my new place, and the goings-on at ThreadBear. It’s been fun getting settled in at my new home, for certain. That’s where most of my time has been going, now that my folks returned to Missouri.

But before they left, we did do a little furniture shopping, and it arrived on Wednesday of last week. It’s all in place, the tables are assembled, and the living room looks (and is) comfy and cozy. See

And you get to see into my dining area (just behind the love seat–you can see fresh flowers on the table) and into my kitchen (off to the left). To the right of the dining room is my bedroom, with on-suite full bath (and huge windows!) and to the left of that mirror on the wall is the hall closet, another full bath in the hallway, and the second bedroom (where I sit right now, working on the computer). Here’s the other perspective

standing in the dining area and looking towards the sliding glass doors to the patio out front. Honestly, I don’t think I could be any happier with my physical living situation. It’s clean, bright, comfortable, cozy, homey, and MINE. I enjoy coming home now (versus avoiding heading to the house in years past) and revel in the opportunity to enjoy a nice meal at my clutter-free dining room table, relax in my living room with either tv or music playing, and sink into my ultra-comfy bed at the end of a long day. Sure, this would all be great to share with someone special, but that’s VERY premature right now. I’m enjoying having the place to myself, honestly, and any discussion of a significant other is WAY off base. I need to re-discover myself first, and then work on making myself a better person once again.

So, I did promise some knitting! Emma, a LONG TIME reader and LONG TIME mail-order customer from “over the pond” asked about knitting content over on my “personal blog“. That space is more for me the person, versus me the knitter/shopkeep, so the knitting will be over here (for those that want to see it) and the personal stuff will be over there (for those that don’t want it mixed in over here). If you wanna keep tabs on me, the human, that’s over here. On to the fiber….

We’re hosting a great big trunk show of Black Forest Naturwolle at the shop this month, including over 1,000 hanks of the yarn, around 30 model garments, and other tomfoolery. This past Saturday was the kick-off, including an in-store appearance by the local sales rep and tons of German food (including Christmas stollen, purchased at an amazing bakery in Rochester). Sharon (the rep) had a quick, one-skein scarf on that day that she had devised, and I thought it was not just attractive, but also a great way to get to use a single skein of this amazing hand-spun yarn.

I snatched a pretty skein Saturday evening and wound it into a pull-skein and took it home with me that night. I didn’t get started on it until Sunday morning, but it worked up quickly and was finished later in the afternoon

I’ve taken Sharon’s notes and turned them into a pattern that we’re offering FREE with the purchase of a hank of the Naturwolle to make it. Pair it with your favorite shawl/scarf pin or brooch for a great little accent that also keeps you warm! My chosen colourway is Wilde Rose, but there’s dozens upon dozens of other choices, too! And given the speed with which they work up, they’ll make GREAT holiday gifts (or something nice for yourself……be greedy, too!).

I’m nearly finished with “Tie One On” (no pictures, sorry), as I bound off the body portion last night while watching tv and just have the two ties to work up. It should be finished this week some time, and I’m very pleased with how it’s coming together, also. Another great project coming to a close, so I’m on the hunt for what’s next (I think it’s a shawl out of Urban Silk by Skacel, but I’m not sure–I’m also shopping for a sweater pattern, as I’m itching to make a garment after several accessories in a row). Stay tuned!

There’s a sock on the needles right now, but it’s just a couple rows past the cuff and not that interesting yet. I did finish some other footwear recently

and

Those are “Guest Socks” made with Jarbo Raggi, an aran-weight yarn that’s a superwash merino blend that comes in a wide array of choices–rag wool/marled, patterns, printed, solids, and more (the child version is made with one of their two holiday-themed designs). The pattern is fantastic and works up quickly and they’re uber-useful (like I want a pair to wear around MY home–ASAP!). The child and small adult sizes take just one skein (so under $9 to make) and the large adult is two (with plenty left over) and still just over $15 to make. The tradition in Norway (and much of Scandinavia and Eastern Europe) is to have a basket of these by the front door for visitors to use (thus the garter stitch on the heels for expandability for various foot sizes). GENIUS! I need a basket full of them!

And we’ll close with a quick and hearty THANK YOU to a certain reader out there who strikes again….

Behold the new neckwarmer/scarf that I am the proud owner of–it’s not only seasonal, but topical, too! And yes, this is from the same creative and fun mind that whipped up the cowboy and fireman pillow cases that I enjoy every now and then. Thank you, Bonney–you make me laugh aloud yet again, and I smile every time I see it in my bedroom, draped over the chair. I may just have to wear it someday soon (she suggests it is to keep me warm on my walks along the river…..hehehe). I am truly blessed with some of the most amazing friends out there. THANK YOU!!!

I have much to be thankful for, but since I’m trying to “keep it light” over here, I’ll recap that over at my personal blog. Suffice to say that I’m looking forward to an amazing year in 2010, as the latter months of 2009 have been months of change–lots of good change.

Speaking of change, it’s time for a change of projects in these parts. That would mean that Multnomah is completed!

Never mind that it took me over three weeks to finish it–that in NO WAY speaks to the difficulty of the project (it’s actually very easy to knit and a well-written design). Molly blocked it for me (THANKS, Molly!) and Betsy wore it all night long on Wednesday while she worked. It’s larger than a scarf and smaller than a shawl, but it’s the perfect over-the-shoulder, on-top-of-the-coat sort of project (I see many women wearing them this way–very stylish!).

With that one completed, I did cast on and start Tie One On earlier this week. There’s only about three inches of fabric so far, and I’ll share that shortly. I was briefly (one evening last week) distracted by the Magnum One-Skein, One-Evening Scarf

that–yes–is made with a single skein of Cascade Magnum, some US 19 needles, and a free pattern from us when you purchase the yarn. I’ve already seen at least three others start and finish this scarf in a SHORT time (one woman knitted one over the course of the evening at the shop last Saturday). So it’s not a great excuse (just an evening of distraction), but I’ll take it!

I was tempted to pick up my Lady Eleanor Stole, recently discovered on the archaeological dig that we call “unpacking the spare bedroom” this past Tuesday.

as I’m teaching a class on it in a couple days. While it was tempting, I put it on the back burner for now–but I know where it is. And yes, that’s the original yarn (La Lana Forever Random) that I’m using. And yes–we have a couple kits at the shop for sale, in the original color (seen above). They’re a little pricey ($300, I think) but for a hand-dyed, hand-spun yarn and an amazing finished result, who can argue???

I did grab a skein of Jarbo Raggi on the way out of the store last night. We had a HUGE shipment arrive on Wednesday, along with a cute pattern for “Guest Socks“. I cast on this morning and I’m already finished with the back portion and about to work on the foot part (instep to toe). I predict an evening finish later today, as it’s a quick knit.

Beyond that, it’s a quiet day around the house with my parents, who came in on Tuesday for a visit for the holiday. It’s been great to have them here this week and I’m thrilled they made the trek from Southwest Missouri to be with me. Dinner tonight should be great, with turkey and all the trimmings and family specialties. What a perfect way to break in my new home!

Yup–lots has happened since we were last together, two weeks ago. Much of it is recapped over at my personal blog, so if you’re interested, head over there. This blog is for fun and games and other happy stuff.

What makes me happy? This, without question

Yup–that’s a photo of Sabrina (ThreadBear store manager), which must mean she’s back from the nearly-dead nether regions of the H1N1 flu. Poor thing–she had the worst case of it that knocked her down for over a week. Still not 100%, she comes in and works short days while she regains her strength (I say she should be recuperating at home, but she will NOT have it!). I’m just glad she’s back among us–we TOTALLY missed her!

Otherwise, things have been good. My move went well (chronicled elsewhere) and I’m getting settle in to my new home and my new life. I’m really enjoying the new digs as well as the process of transforming it into my personal sanctuary. It will be awesome to have a restful, home-y abode to return to after busy days at the shop. Plus I’ve set up one (with at least one more planned) knitting corner for myself. Not that I’ve had that much knitting time–I’m ***STILL*** working on Multnomah (the shoulder scarf/mini shawl depicted here previously) and that’s about it. No intervening projects. No further progress on my “grandmother pullover” (for myself). No progress (not even started) on the multi-fiber shawl in Habu yarns. NO KNITTING TIME! (sniff sniff…..but soon!).

But I do have more boxes unpacked! That’s important because my parents are coming in under a week for the Thanksgiving holiday (or at least at last report, which was last night). I look forward to seeing them, as it’s been a couple years and I want them to see my new place. That’s why the five boxes I managed to unpack today are important….with more to come!

Sunday was my birthday, and I have to say it was one of the best I’ve ever had (and definitely the best I can remember in a LONG time). Big thanks to everyone

who helped celebrate

my special day

with two kinds of cake

one of which was your standard, delicious birthday fare, complete wth Tigger and Pooh

(Dad called me Tiger and Tigger growing up, and then I went to the University of Missouri for my education…..mascot? TIGERS!), while the other was a delicious tiramisu

Gordy pulled out all the stops and made this AMAZING treat for me for my birthday, and he and Joe were fun additions to the celebrations around the shop. Thank you to EVERYONE who made it such a special day! Gifts, cards, friends, cakes, knitting, surprise visitors (you know who you are!), and so much more. If this is what growing old is all about…SIGN ME UP!

I’ve been bad and I am cheating on my pullover out of Naturwolle. Yes, it’s true….my eyes were captivated by something new

It’s called “Multnomah“, a fun pattern that I included in our freebies section of the newsletter last week (it went out on Friday, the 30th). That very day, Marcella came in to shop over her lunch hour and she was wearing THAT VERY PROJECT! Joking with her, I said “wow, you knit that up FAST”. Turns out she had made it previously (DUH) and coincidentally had it on that day. Inspired by hers, I pulled out the Alchemy Juniper (two hanks) in their amazing colourway “Hidden Place” (oddly, it’s very similar to the picture on the pattern….but a different yarn). It’s coming along well, but I’m also seduced by another project

a collection of fibers from Habu Textiles, which have always intrigued me but that I haven’t worked with much, despite them being available at ThreadBear for a couple years now. Well, if I have my way, these three fibers (Tsumugi Silk, Paper Moire, and Silk Mohair) will be combined into lovely fabric to make this

It’s called “Tie One On“, a fantastic pattern from Knitty.com, one of my favorite pattern sources. Several locals have made this, including at least two of my staffers and it’s a GREAT project, in a wide range of yarns. No one has used what I intend to use, so I look forward to seeing the fabric develop. The top skein (the poofty stuff) is Tobi Moire, and I may or may not use it (see the green version, which has texture blended into the fabric, for an idea of how I would incorporate it….maybe). We’ll see how the fabric looks with the three yarns, and I may swatch with the fourth used randomly. You KNOW you will see pics here, as progress develops.

Off to hit the shower and head into the shop…there’s PLENTY to be done there today as well as the second session of my “Intro To Socks” class to lead at 6:30. Plus our “Santa’s Workshop” knit night (come knit/crochet/spin on your holiday gift things, away from nosy family and prying eyes!) is tonight, and I made one of my tasty standard recipies (Festive Apple Bread) as a snack for those showing up. Every Friday, between now and Christmas, there will be treats and a safe haven for creating. Come join us!

The back,

she is done. Details in my next post……….and more good stuff to share, too!

like one of those statues from my childhood…….the little guy standing with his arms WIDE apart…..THIS MUCH! Yes, that’s how much I love what I do. And then some.

Today (well, Thursday) was a l-o-n-g day. I got up without an alarm around 7:30 a.m., putzed around my room for about 30 minutes and came out to use the communal Mac around 8. Did some minor business stuff, a little Facebook (including chatting with Taiu Landra, of Koigu fame), and then got down to brass tacks on getting the newsletter finished so it would go out today (didn’t happen–it’s going out EARLY on Friday).

I had a 9:30 a.m. appointment with a sales rep (hard to believe that it’s still October and they’re out on the road, schlepping Spring/Summer 2010 merchandise, but that’s how this industry works). We had a good visit (she’s also a very good friend, and not just someone who sells me stuff) and Sabrina and I made some really good decisions for the upcoming season with respect to the companies represented today. This is my first real, full buying season without having Matt around as a sounding board (he was absent for several vendors last spring, as we had another one of our patented BIG ARGUMENTS in April, just before fall/winter buying season and he opted out of several meetings at that time). I feel good about what I’m doing, moving into 2010–both with me and with the shop. And that’s important, as attitude/perception is a BIG part of what comes through in how the shop is managed/run.

I did spend some time swatching on Tuesday evening, sitting in my room with candles burning and listening to some great music

That’s the full monty–the entire piece I knitted to not just test gauge but also to audition the two options for the contrasting color (the white tweed was immediately nixed by me–too stark). Let’s check out the two, separately

That’s the green/blue/purple as the main color, or what the vast majority of the garment will be knitted in. And in the middle, you’ll notice two rows of a more vibrant pinkie/fuchsia shade (it has black and teal color neps). That’s the solid fuchsia tweeded yarn used as it would be in the garment–just two rows for accent. And here’s the other option

the black tweeded yarn (with fuchsia and teal neps) as contrasting shade. So which would you go with?

I like the fuchsia option, but I’m afraid it’s too similar to the pink/plum tones already in the main colourway, so it doesn’t read as CONTRAST to me, but more matchy-matchy. The black, however, makes a pretty strong statement and definitely BREAKS the color. So black it is!

I did get to knit a little bit while looking over yarns and patterns and accessories and needles and more. I cast on and worked the first three inches of ribbing and a few rows of the stockinette (body) of the garment. I kept holding it up and feeling like it was HUGE-NORMOUS (I typically make nothing but shop models, and they’re usually 38″ to 42″ finished bust, and I’m making this to fit….ME; I’m no tiny person, mind you). So, I re-thought the garment and decided to drop down one size, to a 52″ finished chest (instead of the 56″). Even after intended weight loss, that should prove to be a comfy, albeit slightly oversized, garment that will be great to wear around. I really should knit more for myself, but the garments are always so HUGE and there’s always something needed at the shop, to help move more product.

I reknit the ribbing tonight, while watching Project Runway. Matt offered to make dinner for me, which ended up being a Thai dish with basil and lots of chilis. He apologized for it being too spicy, but I never noticed–it was quite tasty and I liked it a good bit. We sat and watched TV while eating, and afterwards there was basically no conversation and not much interacting. Granted, both of us were tired from our respective days (tho I’m not sure what he did all day, I know he painted a window for a friend of ours, and I’m sure he continued to work on his business plan to open a yarn shop). It might have been nice to visit and talk and interact a little, but it appears to have not been in the cards. But here’s the take-away from this paragraph—-I have a progress shot to share with you tomorrow (Friday), as there’s not just ribbing but a few rows of the body completed as well!

After a little bit of lunch this afternoon (yes, I’m jumping back in time), I had to hit it hard and get the newsletter finished. There were lots of other small distractions during the day (making stickers, visiting with custo-friends that came by today, running to the bank, and more), so it was slow going and didn’t get completed until late tonight; it will go out early on Friday morning.

Then there was dinner, Project Runway, and now here I am, upstairs MUCH TOO LATE, blogging. But here’s yet another reason why I love what I do so very much. I logged onto Facebook when I first sat down and I saw Trisha Malcolm was on line (she’s the editor of Vogue Knitting, a fellow scorpio, and just an all-around GREAT person who’s terribly witty, wonderfully understanding, and a great sounding board about things). Trisha and I had about a 30-minute chat conversation on everything from the Phillies to my life to the yarn business and more. I’m just flabbergasted that I have that kind of access to such amazing people (and it’s across the board in this industry–I have cell phone numbers for MANY owners of yarn distributorships/companies, consider many of the “movers and shakers” to be close friends, and get asked my opinion and more by wonderful and interesting people all the time). I lead a very charmed existence, and I’m thankful for it and am working harder and harder all the time to hold up my end of the equation–I’ve not been the best, most reliable business person in years past and I’m working HARD to rectify that now and into the future. And that, more than anything else, feels really really good!

Oh, and that holiday sock I showed you on Tuesday–in embryonic stage? It was completed yesterday evening, and it’s 90% dry from a good wet blocking to even everything out. See

It’s funny–we’ve had this yarn on the shelves for over two months, and not a single skein had sold. I decided it was close enough to the holidays to have one finished, so I started it on Tuesday afternoon and by mid-day Wednesday it was all sold out (with TONS more on order, to be delivered in about ten days to two weeks, as even the distributor is out right now). The yarn is Raggi, an aran-weight blend of 70% merino superwash and 30% nylon in 165-yard skeins for around $9 (two will make a pair of socks for most adults). There’s a darker (almost inverse) holiday version that wasn’t selling until this week, and only four skeins of it remain as of this writing (with more coming in two weeks, also). Ah, the power of a good model garment!

In closing, here’s a shout out to a friend who’s got a rough go of it right now out east. Buddy, you’re in my thoughts, as I can somewhat empathize with you on what you’re going through, personally and professionally. Just know that I’m here for you, whenever you need me……by phone, in person, as an oasis should you need to get outta town–whatever. As I told you earlier today, via text message……..friends are here to lift us up when we’re feeling down and the world is kicking our ass.

This one brought a beautiful day, with clear skies and sunshine. A beautiful day along the river. And time to get out and about. And I did…….lovely morning for a walk on the Riverwalk.

I broke my string of four days off in a row without any contact with the shop, but I had at least two good reasons. First off, I had to drop off change and a bank instrument, and second our UPS delivery guy and I spoke this morning and he had a big delivery for us today, including some stuff I was waiting for.

(which comes with a long story that I’ll share over at my other blog, shortly). In the mean time, there were lots of goodies in the shipment (chronicled over at the NEW ARRIVALS blog for ThreadBear. Yes, our UPS guy Ben is a cutie-pie, but even better he’s a good guy and REALLY funny. Always good for a joke or two, and he takes teasing quite well, too. And he gets it from me, from Sabrina, and from staff. All in good fun.

This weekend was a holiday knitting kickoff party at the shop, as Sunday was the 25th of October–two months until Christmas (even less before Chanukkah!). So I fired up the trusty red mixer

and baked a ton of stuff, from cookies to bars and more, plus made some spiced cider (kinda like non-alcoholic wassail).

my famous peanut butter kiss cookies. YUM! They turned out great, so I was told, and I love that simple recipe!

I did get some sock knitting time recently, and finished my Meilenweit Merino Print 2110 sock

and it hangs by the yarn at the shop. So I now have a new “dum-dum knitting” sock on the needles

in “plain vanilla” pattern (stockinette) using Jarbo Raggi in one of the holiday-themed shades we received recently. It’s coming along QUICKLY as it’s aran-weight yarn (70% merino superwash, 30% nylon) and knits up on US 6 or 7 (4mm or 4.5mm) needles. FAST! And cute.

A big delivery of something JUST FOR ME came in today

that’s going to be turned into a sweater for me…..all me……

it’s a simple pullover from Melissa Leapman’s (older) book called “A Close-Knit Family”. I like it alot, and it’s just simple stockinette, but the yarn makes the difference, as it’s a handspun fiber from the Black Forest of Germany, called Naturwolle. LOVELY stuff, and amazng color. I’m looking at the options for the accent color, and my friend Kirsten (owner of the US distributorship) chose these for me

I like the black the best, and I like the idea of the green with the black for accent. Just now, however, I’m reviewing the colourway options and I think the black is now the body of the garment and the purple/fuchsia is now the accent color. I called the distributor in the Bay Area and they have ten hanks of the black tweed on hand, so I’ve asked for it to be sent Priority Mail so I can get busy busy on this sweater ASAP (I can work on the two skeins for starters, but they won’t last long, as it’s big needles…..). There’s a story on the garment (again, over to my personal blog, later today, for that tale).

That’s about it for now…..over to populate the other two blogs I referenced above……

Bad news……they just called and there’s not enough of the black in the warehouse…..so that will have to be for another sweater project, another day. Maybe something I can design for myself…… The black is a little somber, and (according to my Grandmother–a long story) this is not to be a somber project.

I’ve been focusing on garments of late, which means I haven’t been doing much in the way of sock knitting. That stinks! I love making socks, and they’re my “go to” project for car knitting, bank line knitting, reading blogs knitting, and more. I did finish a sock a couple weeks ago

made with Meilenweit Soja Print–a blend of wool, soy, and nylon that comes in great shadesBR>

and was part of the massive Meilenweit delivery that came recently

and

On Wednesday of this week, I started another sock (during my monthly pedicure/reflexology appointment–NEEDED when you’re on your feet all day like me, especially now that I’m also walking every other day for fitness/personal reasons). It’s a new line of Meilenweit called “Merino” that’s merino wool/nylon instead of ??wool/nylon, and it’s UBER soft

and uber-beautiful, too! I couldn’t be more pleased with how it’s working up–the colors are crisp and clear, the stripes are WELL defined, and the resulting sock fabric is a joy to fondle (and I’ve fondled–trust me I’ve fondled). I also recently started (and tore out) a sock made with the orange version of this

which is Meilenweit Solo, another amazingly-soft sock yarn from Lana Grossa, only this time it works up into a beautiful degrade color ramble of goodness. I didn’t like how wide it was turning out (toe up, just to mix it up a bit, and this time for ME, where the others above are shop models). Hopefully I’l get it back on the needles over the weekend.

That’s about it from these parts–I’m out of here for now, as I’m having a late breakfast and it’s getting cold off my right elbow. Have a GREAT Friday!

Yup, that wonderful feeling of a day off–third Tuesday in a row where I didn’t call into the shop, drop by the shop, or do anything really heavily shop-centric. I’m trying–really trying–to have a more balanced life. A full day off is restorative, and that means I’ll be better at my job of helping run the shop with some time away. I’ve had to learn this, and it seems to be working! Plus, it shows my staff that I really DO have complete faith and confidence in their ability to keep things running smoothly with me staying away.

After sleeping in, running a few errands, and hitting Horrock’s for some provisions, it was time to head home and whip up some dinner. I watched Guy Fieri last night and one of the places they visited made baked ziti. That was a slam dunk for dinner tonight, so I looked at buying some sauce in a jar and couldn’t bring myself to do so. For the cost of a couple jars, I picked up canned tomatoes (crushed, sauce, and diced) and added a bit of my own seasonings and touches to create this

Not only was it 100% better than anything out of a jar, but I also got double the amount that I would have (so leftovers for the freezer, to use another day) for about the same money. I’m so frugal (NOT!). While it was simmering, some delicious Italian sausage was browned up and drained

to be added to the pasta and sauce and cheese before baking. It all came together to make one delicious big casserole dish of tasty goodness

It went well with a nice, big salad made with fresh lettuce, shredded carrots, red onions, almonds, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, and diced fresh roma tomatoes

Double YUM! Finished with a light vinaigrette, this made for a delicious dinner. I really enjoy cooking and making people happy with food.

Oh, and there was knitting (but not enough….yet)

It doesn’t look like much, and it won’t until finished. I’ll show more later, as it grows. The finished project is gonna be cool. Soon…soon….soon. I didn’t get my sock started today (YET), and it is calling out to me. Plus, it’s nice, bright colors (my inner crow is calling to me…..cast on…..cast on).

Stay tuned for another post, ASAP. I’ve got LOTS to say and share!