Pictures! Of Scarves!

Top row, L to R: Souffle Scarves, colors Currant, Pumpkin, Ginger, and Strawberry Cream

Bottom row, L to R: Cobweb Scarves, colors Fern, Stream, Storm, and Heather

See? Scarves! I've had them knitted for some time, but only today did a marathon photo session. Both styles are knitted on large needles, creating an airy fabric that traps warm air against your skin to keep you warm, but doesn't weigh you down with pounds of fiber.

The Souffle Scarves are knitted of brushed suri alpaca blended with a little bamboo and merino. What's that mean, you say? Well, suri alpaca is the rarer, silkier type of alpaca, and brushed makes it fluffy. You know those flannel sheets you love for the winter? Those are brushed cotton. Imagine silky-soft alpaca brushed in the same manner, and highlighted with smooth bamboo and snuggly merino! They really are as luxurious as they sound.

The Cobweb Scarves are knit of lustrous kid mohair. Mohair comes from angora goats, and "kid" refers to the fineness of the fiber, not necessarily the age of the animal (though as in many species, the baby coats of the goats are finer than those of the adults, hence the term kid mohair). This mohair yarn feels as though it has silk in it, but is actually kid mohair with a touch of nylon and merino wool (mainly as stabilizing components to hold the mohair fluff). It is even finer and lighter than the alpaca scarves, and would work equally well in Dallas or Duluth!

Both of these scarf styles are available in other colors--just contact me for a custom order!

Other photos are hopefully forthcoming--we are actually beginning to have "winter" weather here in San Diego, meaning it's grey and cloudy and sometimes even raining! What this means for you (besides jealousy that our winter weather is still warm enough for jeans and a t-shirt during the day) is that good lighting for photo sessions is harder to come by. I'll try for shots of the Horizon Hats tomorrow!

It's "Friday"!

Except it's Wednesday, which is why this is a randomness post. But since I am fortunate enough to have the rest of the week off, it's Friday! Hurray!

1. While I wouldn't call it a Black Friday sale, as I can't slash prices but so much, I will be refunding 20% of the purchase total to anyone using the code "TOFURKEY" in the message to seller when they buy anything (except patterns) in my Etsy shop. This deal begins at 12:01AM PST Fri 11-28-08 and ends 11:59PM PST Sun 11-30-08. Anyone can use this code, but you have to write the code in the notes to seller in order to receive your refund. Pass on the word to friends and family! Don't you all need to buy some Christmas gifts? (hint hint)

2. On that note, I intend to list some lovely new things in the shop this weekend (hopefully Friday), including:

• the long-discussed mesh scarves knit from the world's softest kid mohair and suri alpaca
  
• a few more Horizon Hats
• possibly some new yarns
• some Delight mitts
• patterns for the Horizon hat and possibly the T-Shrug
  

3. I feel smart. Despite the fact that it's just Big Man and I for our Thanksgiving, I decided I wanted to do a big proper meal. I chose recipes (and had Big Man approve them), made up a full shopping list, did the shopping last night (forgetting only one item!), and will begin cooking tonight according to the schedule I've made up. We're having

• Honeyed Pecan & Pecorino Salad (with Parmesan instead, as I don't like sheep's milk cheeses)
• Pumpkin-Black Bean Soup with Cranberry Guacamole
• Balsamic Roasted Red Potatoes
• vegetarian Sausage, Cranberry, & Apple Stuffing (but with all cornbread, cause it's better)
• Roasted Vegetable Cornucopias for the impressive dish

We're also having the el cheap-o brown and serve rolls because they're just so tasty. To top it all off, I'm making Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake and Caramel Bars. The Caramel Bars are Big Man's request--he will tolerate pumpkin, apple, and cranberry, but would rather have a big gooey pile of caramel any day. I'm wondering if my oven can handle it all...

4. Despite the fact that it's brilliantly sunny outside right now, last night (and hopefully tonight!) was cool and rainy. It was a wonderful change, and made waking up several times through last night ok, as I got to pet the cat and listen to the rain.

5. Having a wee car is not conducive to transporting a real tree home. While I will be visiting a tree lot for scraps so the house will smell good, we're bringing home this guy sometime in the next couple of weeks. My mom's Christmas present to us is to chip in on our buying ornaments and decorations, as we have none--the result of not having a Christmas of our own for 5 years now. After consultation with Big Man, we're leaning towards colors like this and silvers. Neither of us care for "traditional" Christmas colors, so bright and cheerful it is!

So...tired...

Well, it was lovely to see everyone. I'm very glad I went. I do, however, wish I had the Zack Morris tool for stopping time so I could've slept to my heart's content this weekend. By the time I arrived home last night around 11PM PST, I had slept approximately 90 minutes since 2AM PST that morning--that's approximately 21 hours awake, since the "sleep" was dozing on the plane. I was so tired I couldn't see straight, and felt like crying. Bless my sister for sending me home with her version of chocolate toffee cookies--they gave me the energy to do things like get off the plane and find my next gate. They are delicious, and you should try making them despite the apparent messiness involved.

Also, my frazzled brain completely forgot to take pictures of the wholesale yarns before they shipped out. I do have more roving in all the colorways, though, and will share those when I spin them. Sigh. I want a nap, and by nap I mean I want to go home and go to bed till tomorrow. Thank goodness it's a short week!

Oh, and I finished a few more pairs of mitts for the show and got approximately 7" of the back of Starsky knitted for the Seester. She seems to love it, and I'm happy with it. Needless to say, I did NOT knit anything on the way back, cause it would've had to be frogged due to mistakes, I'm sure.

Randomness

I remembered, I remembered! Cookies for me!

1. I'm going home this weekend (back east). I'm going to freeze--I think the highest high is 43, and the lowest low is 24. Yes, 24 degrees farenheit. I don't have a winter coat anymore, and mom and sis are both smaller than me, so not so good for borrowing. As it's for a whole 36 hours or so, I'm just going to test the warmth of my own knitting. I am, however, considering seeing if I can use superbulky yarn to knit a sweater on the plane.

2. I killed my computer. There was a "planned outage" in the wee hours of Sat/Sun (thanks SDGE), and I forgot to unplug the damn thing. Big Man and I are hoping it's just the "ignition" (not the computery term), but a computer tech-y friend says he thinks it's the motherboard. However, said computer friend has a days old baby in the house, so I'm gonna forgive him for not inspecting it in person! Big Man is going to get the ignition and install it, and I'm crossing my fingers for it to be operational by the time I get back Sunday. I am ever so thankful that Big Man has a laptop through work, and that we have a wireless router. I am, sadly, completely dependent on the internet.

3. I am currently writing and posting patterns as fast as I can translate them from the chickenscratch in my pattern journal. So far, it's just the Delight mitts and the Pocket Scarf, but I'm hurrying. I plan to add the Horizon hat soon, as well as the T-Shrug and the Practical Wrap. I'm listing them on both Ravelry and Etsy, so look me up!

4. I am officially open for wholesale business with some of my handspun yarns. Feel free to contact me for a price list and terms!

5. I know I stink because there hasn't been a fibery post in some time. Well, not one with pictures, which is what counts. However, I am sending out a little wholesale order of my Squish thread-plied yarns before I leave Friday, and will snap some pictures (even if they're shot in the cruddy fluorescent light of my kitchen) before I wrap them up. That said, there will be nothing this weekend, because I'll be whirling my way to the east coast and back--but hopefully I'll get some good stuff knitted while I'm gone!

Wednesday Randomness

For the last, oh, 7 or 8 weeks, I've intended to do a Wednesday post about a few random things. Well, you know what they say about good intentions...oh. You don't? Well, they say the road to hell is paved with them. I would think, though, that if there were a road to hell, people would know about it and avoid it.

1. Using a leaf blower to push excess water out of the pathway is ridiculous. I'm looking at you, landscaper at Big Man's office.

2. There are an increasingly large number of people running the red light at the main intersection on my walk to work. It's rather amazing really. I have to admit, I enjoy (when there is not danger to my life and limbs) beginning my walk out into the intersection and making them wait and feel silly.

3. On a related note, on the drive into work a few weeks ago, we saw a guy smoking pot out of a "pipe" made from an aluminum can. This is unhealthy--you know, in case you weren't sure. Also, it is bad to do it while driving, as this fool was. Consider this a public service announcement--don't smoke pot out of an aluminum can while driving, m'kaaaaay?

4. It is supposed to reach temperatures near 80 again this week. That is just wrong, Mother Nature. I know I live in San Diego, but really? It's going on Thanksgiving. Stop with the hot.

5. I'm doing a craft show in a few weeks! It's the North Park Craft Mafia's Holiday Hit List, and it's Sunday Dec 7th. Click here for more info! I'm going to bring plenty of handspun yarn, of course, but also loads of accessories like scarves, mitts, hats, neckwarmers, and cuffs. I think more people will buy accessories for quick Christmas gifts than they would yarn, don't you?

Another kitty update (pictures!)

I found Ms Tortie (now named Henna) on Petfinder (through the SPCA shelter). Check out her listing, and her adorable mug!

Isn't she GORGEOUS?!? Look at those green eyes.

I think she's saying "take me home! I'm out of my annoying teen years, and I'd be an excellent cat for someone who doesn't want tooooo much energy in their kitty, and who would enjoy chilling with me on the couch watching movies!"

Won't you consider giving this adorable, small, sweet, quiet kitty a loving home? She'd do best in homes with older children or no children, and would be a wonderful companion. She's only about a year old, so you would get to enjoy many lovely years with her.




I must say the quiet thing is high on my list right now--my little jerk...erm, cat started waking me up at 3:30 this morning. Why yes, I will be napping this afternoon.

Even if it's Mickey Mouse...

Go cast your vote. It doesn't matter who you're voting for, just go do eet! I'm out the door right now myself to go wait in the rain (yes Virginia, there is rain in San Diego) for my crack at the ballot. This is the third presidential election I'm old enough for. It's still amazing to me that I get a say in who runs not only my local school board, but in who becomes one of the most powerful politicians in the world. Wow.

See--pictures!

I promised you pictures, and here they are. These are some more FunkYarns I spun last weekend (I think), as well as a pair of Squish thread-plied merinos. As usual, FunkYarn batts were made by Hobbledehoy, and the merino was dyed by FatCatKnits. There are more after these, so keep scrolling!

I was thinking Mind Eraser for this one--it's a shooter drink made of Rumpleminze mint schnapps, Jaegermeister, and 151. It seemed appropriate. And no, the drink isn't *quite* as bad as you think.

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Any suggestions for names?

Earth Wind and Sky--longer than normal, and not *quite* the name of the band, but...

Sheena is.... (a punk rocker)

I'm thinking about keeping this one, ostensibly to knit up an example of a pattern to show LYSs when I convince them to buy my yarn. Plus, I just really like it.

Sunshine of Your Love?

I already did one called Twilight--what should this colorway be called?

Here's a first for me--my first corespun! It's done out of the September installment of the FatCatKnits monthly merino club, and I looooove it. I only used 2oz of the wool in this, and can't quite decide if I want to do another 2oz of corespun (which means I need to buy more core thread), or if I want to do an equivalent weight of another type of yarn so they can be used together in the same project for visual texture. There are also 1/2oz of matching dyed locks to use somewhere too. Then, too, there's the question of if I'm keeping it or if I can bear to part with it :).

I decided to call it Lily Pond. Ginny, I won't mind if you make this a regular offering!

It is by far the softest and loftiest yarn I've ever made. I really enjoy corespinning, and if I can figure out a way to do it without doing all the prep of the fiber, I will do it all the time. After the prep, I think it's even faster than regular spinning, plus you're only running the fiber through the wheel once, saving time that way too.

We also watched Frida tonight. It was EXCELLENT. The movie was beautiful, in scenery and cinematography, and the story very well told. Salma Hayek was, of course, fabulous and sexy, and the other actors were terribly intriguing. You should go rent it if you haven't already.

brain is mush.

I have just spent several hours compiling a list of yarn shops to whom I can mail a promotional postcard. I have 249 shops right now, and 250 postcards. I think I'm stopping for the evening. My eyes are bleary, my shoulders sore, my elbows angry (leaning on the desk), and I can't think straight anymore. I also spent a little while making some photos pretty so I can post them for you tomorrow. They're yarn, of course. On the plus side, the monkeybutt (aka cat) has been sleeping in her bed on the table next to me, and has been quite adorable (she even snored) the entire time, making it a bit nicer.

Also, I have been meaning for several weeks to begin a random Wednesday entry tradition. Perhaps a list of things I see on my walk to work, or various things I'm thinking about, or who knows what. However, I have forgotten every. single. Wednesday. for about 6 weeks now. I even try to remember and just do it on Thursday to no avail. I can't imagine what my brain/memory will be like when I'm 40 or more if it's this bad at 28!

Pictures tomorrow, I promise. Oh, and Seester--I did a swatch for your Starsky, and I think it's nearly perfect. I'll begin on it sometime...possibly after the craft show.