Josephine

There are issues. Sigh. But I'm wearing her today anyway. Will do a complete FO post later.

is yarn hoarding instinctive preparation for winter?

Someone take away my credit card. I was just innocently browsing KnitPicks and noticed that the sock DPN set I've been eyeing (6 sets of sock-sized DPNs--a must have, since I currently have only 2 sets, and they're always tied up in hibernating, half-finished socks) was on super sale--only $19.99! But it seemed silly not to purchase at least $50 worth of items to get the free shipping. So, yep, I bought even more yarn. Out. of. control.

Finished one sleeve on Josephine. Just need to do sleeve #2, neck trim and seam her up--hopefully all today!

in the bag

Still playing the waiting game on more yarn here. I'm so anxious, even though I really have no plans for the yarn. How silly.

Here's how my market bag turned out:

Sorry, I know white on white--under electric light, no less--doesn't provide the best contrast.
I decided to brighten it up a bit with some red along the top. The top seemed a little flimsy though, so to make the handles sturdier I double stranded them. I didn't expect it to turn out quite so . . . peppermint-y. But there you have it. Ultimately the additional color/mottled effect on the straps isn't really my style, but hopefully my swap recipient will like it. I will finally get her package out tomorrow, so I can turn my full attention to the Falling for Ewe Autumn yarn swap. I got my swappee's name today--and oddly, I had a sneaking suspicion that she would be my assignment, I'm not sure why.

In other news, I had a bizarre day at work, due to a confusing half English, half Spanish conversation with our computer guy, who came over to my desk to tell me he was told to move my computer--"porque no estas portandote bien";"because you're not behaving yourself." I thought that was a joke, so I chuckled and said I preferred to stay put. But no--while completely unrelated to my behavior in any way, he said he was in fact told to move my machine. The hell? I trekked off to find my boss, who of c ourse wasn't in her office, and then spent an hour wondering on what planet it is ok to decide to move my desk without even telling me. She finally returned, and yes, it turns out I am moving--she had been in meetings all day, with no chance to talk to me, and actually didn't expect them to move on it so quickly, given the speed with which things usually get done. Apparently due to the high performing economy, some cuts are being made in the office, and my formerly-pregnant-co-worker-who's-moving-back-to-Spain's position isn't going to be filled, leaving her former desk unoccupied. So instead of sharing my cube with an intern, I'll now be sharing with one of my team members, which makes sense--I just didn't need to find out about it through the computer guy.

back to school shopping, knitter style

Thank you all for your kind reassurances regarding my depraved yarn buying downward spiral. Now for some show and tell. While I'm waiting patiently for my Beaverslide Dry Goods and destash Lime and Violet yarns, I'll show off my Chicago purchases:

Koigu Premium Merino (for some socks for J, albeit small ones, since I only bought 2 skeins; I guess we'll see if he likes anklets):


Some warm snuggly Ultra Alpaca Light, for what I don't know:


And my beloved Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend. Love love LOVE this:

I also got my latest installment from the All Raveled Up sock club, this gorgeous mix called Rainy Day:

Now, with all this yarn, I should probably try knitting something! Still plugging away at Josephine, hoping to have her done in time to wear for LABOR DAY (yes, summer top number 2, barely squeaking in before summer ends). Windowpanes still on hold. I finished up the bag, at least, and will have to snap a picture of the angel package before I ship it out (still on the lookout for a few trinkets to include). I decided to add a little color to the bag, and I'm undecided about how it looks. You can pass judgment on my next post.

Oh, and some photos from Chicago. Loved it!

somebody stop me!

I'm back from Chicago and I bought MORE yarn! I took a (somewhat lengthy) detour to Loopy Yarns and picked up some Ultra Alpaca, some Koigu and some Malabrigo. Pictures soon, I promise. This yarn purchasing must stop!

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!

in which i've accomplished nothing . . .

Things I am not blogging about but should be: a finished Josephine.

Yep, that's right, still not done. My very good reason/lame excuse for this delay is that I forgot to bring the back with me to the beach, and since it's fairly important that the back and front match up, I couldn't get very far without it. I just passed the split for the neck:

You can see I've now reached a point where I have to have two balls of yarn attached, which is annoying and tangle-y, and very not portable (Could I simply have started knitting from the opposite end of the same ball of yarn? Maybe, but I'm not that bright).

I actually returned from the beach on Wednesday, but made a very misguided promise to my sister that I would watch her new dog while she's at the beach. Moby and I have been inseparable since Wednesday night--not voluntarily, mind you--which hasn't left much time for knitting. You can read all about my dog adventure here.

But, I do want to show off some of the pretty, pretty pictures my new camera has produced, so let's venture once again into the world of gardening!

Here's yesterday's harvest:

That's 3 tomatoes (I picked a 4th the previous day), 4 jalapeño peppers, 2 tomatillos, and a big bunch of basil, my third of the year. Sadly, we came home to find one tomato had already fallen off the vine and was bug eaten, but I've got at least 12 more out there, a few that are ripening, and some still green (I'm ready for fried green tomatoes!). I have at least 4 more peppers coming, and about a zillion tomatillos (although, I swear I just saw a squirrel hop off with one; hopefully my eyes are playing tricks on me). I'll chop these peppers and tomatillos up and put them in some guacamole, I think. I used the basil to make this delicious Lemony Zuccihini and Basil Quinoa Pilaf (sans chicken), and here are 2 tomatoes I sliced up for (veggie) burgers:

There's something so satisfying about growing your own food. Once we move to a bigger house, I hope to have room to grow zucchini, as well as sugar snap peas, which I love. Too bad you can't grow your own yarn, but I think alpaca farming is just a bit beyond my reach.

Ah, I also managed to be swindled into ordering some yarn by brooklyn tweed's latest post, in which he mentions yet again the wonder that is Beaverslide Dry Goods. I ordered 2 different shades of the worsted weight, one for possibly the Wheat Ear Cable Yoke sweater, and another for a boy sweater, maybe Beau. Can't wait to try it out!