Black Dog

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!!!

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