gotta brand new bag

I need more yarn like I need a hole in the head, so of course, beginning the downward spiral with the yarn from Beaverslide Dry Goods, I promptly bought even more yarn—the problem with yarn purchases is their addictive quality. I start with one small purchase, and suddenly I’m snapping up every yarn I come across, most of them for no good reason and with no purpose in mind. I found someone destashing on Ravelry and picked up 2 skeins of Lime and Violet Sasquatch sock yarn. One is gorgeous green mix that will be for me, me, me; the other is a brightly colored mix I might pass on to a swap recipient.

I’ve been ignoring Josephine in favor of knitting up a few quick items for a swap—I volunteered to be a swap angel. Here’s a quick glimpse at the main item, a smaller version of the Fantasy Naturale Market Bag.

I’m trying to complete it with just one skein of Sugar and Cream, so I’ve downsized it a bit. It’s knitting up very quickly, so hopefully I can finish up and get the package in the mail Monday.

One of these reasons I hestitate to host a swap is that I don’t think I could deal with the flakes nearly as well as most hostesses seem to. We’re all (presumably) responsible adults; and as such, if we find ourselves unable to fulfill our commitments, shouldn’t we do the responsible, courteous thing and just say so? Instead, time and again we hear stories of swappers who suddenly up and disappear, refuse to answer emails, PMs, etc., and leave their swappees in the lurch, without so much as an apology. I can’t stand it. We all know life happens—things come up, or money disappears and we can’t follow through. No one will demonize you for that. But we will certainly call you out for being rude and thoughtless if you can’t take the 2 seconds necessary to send your swap organizer an explanation.

We’re off to Chicago for a long weekend. If anyone has a yarn store or anything else to recommend, leave a comment!