And What A Fine Morning It Is

I'm telling you, Sheri at the Loopy Ewe has her act together. This week's Sneak-Up was massive, and so was my order. It arrived today in all its' yarny goodness, soft and smelling delicious. Much to my surprise, it also came with a sock pattern. I thought perhaps you'd like to see a picture of it, so I arranged them on the Monster (I've decided that a chair that large needs a proper capitalized name). Following the picture, I'll identify the yarns for you by dyer and color.

Beginning from the upper row and going from left to right are two skeins of Lavender Sheep (all yarns are fingering weight) in "Midnight Rose" and "Mountain Sunset". Next is J. Knits Superwash Me in "Happy Anniversay to Ewe", dyed especially for the Loopy Ewe. The next two are by Duet Skinny Sock in "Urban Bean" and "Wild Sunflower" (these are cool because the smaller skein attached to the side of the large one is meant to be used for toes, heels, striping, or wherever you want contrast). The last two skeins in that row are by Woolly Boully in "Sunflowers, Texas, Fields of" (that's how the label spells it out) and "Moonflowers". The bottom row (again left to right) contains two skeins of Woolly Boully in "Luna Moth" and "Sunshine Family", followed by Lime & Violet Sasquatch Sock in "Hideaway" and "Spooky Pooky". Hm. An unintentional theme seems to be presenting itself. Sunshine and Sunflowers. Sun. I hate the sun. Well, sorta. I like the sun when I can lie in my floatie in the pool and turn the color of most people's furniture (the dark variety).

The pattern propped up in the back came (I believe) along with the anniversary skein and is entitled "Celebratory Chevrons Socks" by Debbie O'Neill, (c) 2007. Since it wishes the Loopy Ewe a happy anniversary on the back of the pattern, I'm fairly sure that my assumption of it coming with the yarn is a good one. And, of course, there was the little sack of peppermints which Hubster devoured. It's his part of the package - he buys me drugs... uh... yarn, and he gets candy. Sounds like a good deal to me. The Lavender Sheep didn't come via Sheri; I got that one directly from the dyer by way of Etsy (I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but Etsy has become a dirty word around this house; I've spent enough money there (and with Sheri) to buy another 'Vette.). So now I have to put it all away safely in its' Rubbermaid container (assuming, of course, that I don't have to buy yet another one). After that, I have to decide which of the myriad of skeins I'm going to cast on next, since I found a pair of size 1 needles and am getting tired of the socks already on the needles, as well as the poncho.

Ah yes. The poncho. It's almost done - I worked on it all night - so you'll be getting a picture of the two of them soon. The kids are going to love them, and I'm going to love getting them out of the house. It's a very simple pattern - definitely for a beginner - so I knit it while I'm asleep or watching TV. After the knitting is done, then a row of single crochet goes around the neck, the ends are woven in, and I'll fringe both of them. Then off they go with their knitted bear backpacks (also an Etsy purchase - a custom job which matches the colors in the ponchos) to the little monkeys. Actually, I can't wait to see their little faces when they put them on. I'm going to take those girls in hand and teach them the finer arts of knitting, crochet, and sewing, not to mention cooking. They're old enough. I was two when I was first taught.

I also went to the doctor today and have to have a battery of tests done for all kinds of things. I'm not well, nor have I been for a long time now, so it doesn't bother me to have to give blood. Besides, I have enough tattoos to cover a building (I have a LOT of flesh for the artist to work on), so it's not like I'm afraid of needles. In two weeks, I go to see my pain doctor in Sacramento - a two-hour drive from here. I'm ambivalent about the trip. There are many bad memories there because of the way we had to move, but he's a good doctor and I'm loathe to try and find a good one here. I also get to go to my old manicurist, sit in the giant vibrating chair, and fall asleep while my nails (hands and feet) are worked on and said appendages massaged (ah, the pampering). If I have time, I'll head over to my old LYS in Elk Grove, The Yarn Shoppe, to see everyone. I still have a key to that shop. Maybe it's time to give it back. If you're ever in that area, stop in and say hello to Anna, the owner. It's a warm and wonderful place to sit, knit, and drink coffee from Peet's. Even that store has some bad memories. I started the Elk Grove chapter of TKGA at that shop and was only able to chair it for two meetings before we moved. Since March, they've grown quite large. I'm proud of that fact, but what really gets my panties in a wad is that my vice-president (now president) acts like it was all her idea. Oh well - the story of my life. Today I have to call a lady about joining the local guild here. Then when I go to TKGA's conference in September, I'll get some sort of fancy ribbon for my name badge and two goodie bags because the guild is over 20 years old or something like that. I love that shit.

This weekend is work outside and get the flower bed looking nice weekend (as well as beginning to put my studio together). Gack. I hate gardening, and I especially hate digging holes to plant new plants. I've got 12 bush plants in their little containers (they've been there for four months), a giant Bird of Paradise, two lavender plants, and some kind of mini-tree to plant. At least the dirt here is real dirt, not the ultra-rocky crap we had in Sacto. They had a hard time digging through it with a Bobcat, so you can imagine what it was like for me with a shovel. Something else I've noticed about the flower bed, too. It's suddenly filling up with plants that are like offshoots of the big plants already there. I'm not complaining, mind you - they're filling up the planter bed. And all my indoor plants are sitting on the front porch waiting to be brought inside. I guess I'll really have to make this joint into a home. We can't stay here for three years having it look the way it does now.

Enough rambling. I'm actually sleepy, so maybe I'll get to bed before this afternoon. It would be nice to cuddle up next to Hubster (aka The Blond Love God) instead of sleeping with my face pressed on the keyboard. I've found some interesting things that my face has typed. Too bad I don't read Hindi.

Make some comments, dear readers. Let me know you're out there. My counters all tell me you are, but you're the quietest bunch of knitters I've ever seen. Say hello. Say kiss my ass. Say anything. I'll be here.

Have a lovely Saturday - I'll post again tonight (or actually, in the morning).

Well... I'll go to bed after I check Ravelry.