My bad...

Long time no post, eh? Not much to post today, either. Here is a swatch for my Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend Cardigan. I have been wanting a simple off-white cardigan for summer and when I read about the Amazing Lace KAL I knew the time was right. I will be making an entire post devoted to the Amazing Lace and my "teammate" at a future date. So, stay tuned.

Some shrinkage may occur

I have finished the felted bag I have been making for my niece. Here is the before photo with the Pursenality Plus book as control. The green and purple rectangles on the upper left are the inside pockets that get sewn on after all of the pieces are felted.

Here is the photo AFTER felting with the same book. Ain't it just the cutest thing? I will be shaving it a bit more to remove some of the fuzz. Yes, I said shaving. Doesn't everybody shave a handbag? Sheesh, you'd think I'd have said something strange. I am giving some re-think to the daisy button, though. Any suggestions?

Here is a lovely photo of Knit Picks (yes, the yarn that finally got here) Color Your Own-Natural in fingering weight. Tonight I am going to start experimenting with the knit-dye-reknit techniques. I will post photos as I go along.

Last, but not least, if you don't have one of these, for gawd's sake get one! I am continuously asked at yarn shops if I want them to wind that loose hank for me. What? And deprive me of the pleasure of doing it myself? NEVER!!! It is very meditative to see the hank get sparser (is that a word, sparser?) and the yarn cake get larger.

Gawd, sometimes I need a life...

Back on track

After my unscheduled jaunt off to Ben Franklin, I came home and wound up a couple of skeins of Cascade 220 in a bright orange. Add that to the purple, blue and green I already have knitted up and here's what you get:

I finally finished the bottom ribbing on my Somewhat Cowl I am making for the Sexy Knitters Club KAL.

Guess what FINALLY showed up in the mail today?

I can finally get started on my dyeing samples for DYE-O-RAMA. I have some different ideas about dyeing yarn for socks. I hope my swap buddy likes them!

RANT

If you are looking for reasonably priced yarn, go to Knit Picks. If you are looking for reasonably priced yarn AND want it here before the next millennium, DON'T GO TO KNIT PICKS.

I ordered yarn on April 25, 2006. I checked my order status on the 27th and was informed that it was shipped on the 26th. Well, hello! That's great!

So I wait
and wait
and wait.

Monday, May 1 I call KP and ask how I can track my order that was supposed to have left them on the 26th. I am given a tracking number with something called SmartPost. Now, SmartPost is neither FedEx nor USPS. It is the Mordred of the two. No way to track anything with SmartPost until it has been actually sent to USPS. Meanwhile, USPS has no record of the tracking number that I finally got from KP on Tuesday, May 2.

It is now May 4 (incidentally my one month blog-aversary!) and it has finally gotten to the USPS. The possibility of getting my long awaited order before the weekend and getting to actually work on my niece's present are slim at best. This is why I am leaving right now to take a short trip to the Ben Franklin store to pick up some Cascade 220.

Partially ribbed, but not for her knitting pleasure

Argh. If I thought that stockinette knitting on the Micro Spun was cramping my hands, I should have thought again. The k2 p2 ribbing is kicking my ass! I can only get around the circumference 4 or 5 times before I have to give up and go to another project.

I am also impatiently waiting for my Knit Picks order to show up. In it there is the yarn for my niece's felted bag (I have the handle and one of the I-cords already done) plus 6 skeins of dyeable fingering yarn for DYE-O-RAMA! I have lots of ideas about color combos and different ways to dye the yarn, I just need the stuff to dye!