Twists of Fate

The sun moved into Cancer last Wednesday, and hey guess what? My Sun sign is Cancer. So as a happy early birday to me, and to celebrate the longest day of the year, I splurged.

First stop was Weaving Works to pick up the newest issue of Spin-Off. Love those sheep puppets! So cute! However, the best score of the day was as I wandered to the back of the store, while they were looking for a Schacht Matchless double drive band for me. Sccccooooooooooooooooooore! Lovely. 30% off. Mine!

All aglow from a nice find, I headed next to Third Place Bookstore. And look! They had the one thing I went in to find! I read about this in a story I was reading the other day, and Oh. I love Siamese (even if cat dander does NOT like me), and the book is titled Minou. I think it’s about the adventures of a fairly pampered feline in Paris who is turned out on the streets after her owner passes away. Or something. I haven’t read it yet, but will soon. I also picked up an obscene number of paperbacks by my favorite trash romance author. If you like fantasy and/or Buffy-type things, you should totally read her Dark Hunter series. She also writes as Kinley MacGregor if you like your commercial smutfic on the tall, dark and historically Scottish side.

Hitting an even bigger high, I hopped back in the car and hit Village Yarn & Tea for the first time. Oh! The lovely, lovely things!

I got my Hazel Rose Looms in the mail the other day, and will use the Encore for an afghan. That will probably match the couch that these pics were taken on. Whatever - it’ll look fabulous and very fall-like.

The colors of the Koigu just screamed Summer to me. Summer in the Caribbean with a frosty beverage, on a float, and a hot poolboy to serve me. Er, my every whim. Or something. Whatever. This makes me think of bronzed skin, taut muscles, drinks with umbrellas and the fantasy where I’m a size four and can turn heads for the right reasons. The other, lighter skein is one of two Lorna’s Laces that made me think of sherbert, which is something I really could’ve used about then, because it was hot and I was sweaty. And not because of the fantasy mentioned previously.

But the best score was the Fleece Artist sock yarn. Found at an actual store near me. I was so happy I nearly plotzed right there. I limited myself to three skeins, but man I could’ve picked up one of every color, and there were at least eight. I resisted mightily (mostly because I didn’t have a basket…I know, I was optimistic too…and was about to drop it all).

Temptation was rife, so I fled to my astrology class, by way of Alderwood Mall, the Sephora store and a Bare Escentuals kit.

My life philosophy - if you’re gonna splurge? GO FOR IT!

I’m hugely amused by the date today: 06/06/06.

While my co-worker thinks Satan and I are BFF (Best Friends Forever…it’s a long story about stupidity and religious intolerance that I’m not going to get into here), and I’m heroically resisting the temptation to do ebil things to my work cube with red food coloring and some feathers, I thought I’d take a moment and post about some stuff. And things. Stuff and things, you know.

I had most of this draft written up when The Harlot posted about her postman and the latest packages. She scooped me, dammit! However, my love for one of my most recent lovely mail packages has not dimmed, and I’m sharing with you.

My very best RL friend EVER sent me a packaged packed to the gills with wonderful things.

Like this brown merino lace yarn. So soft. Such a subtle sheen. So freakin’ amazing and fabulous and I LOVE EET! I’m not really sure how I’m going to ball this up with the winder. Is this where those toilet paper cores come in handy? I am vaguely recalling something about cutting a notch in one end, slipping the end of the skein in the notch, slipping the core over the ball winder center and away we go. Am I correct in thinking that? Help me out here peeps.

Digging a little bit deeper into the box, I gasped and then did an actual happy dance of glee when I unearthed these. Bundanaurriklaedid!!! Y’all, I’ve been DYING to get this book and the attendant English translation for at least a year, though I’m pretty sure it’s been longer. I really, really love the shawls in this book.

Something about the Faroese-style shawls really appeal to me. The book was OOP for a while, I think, and I lusted after them on the Schoolhouse Press site for a long time, and they were a little beyond my means at the time. I checked out the local liberry copy over and over again, but finally had to return it. Very reluctantly, but I did it. I was pretty proud of myself, even if no one else knew. Fear the wrath of the librarian, y’all. *nods*

Last but not beast, I mean least, is this handful of wild buffalo fiber. MVBRLF’s (My Very Best Real Life Friend’s) SO at the time gathered this on a hike through Yellowstone. This is so cool…I’m pretty much speechless about it. I’m also gonna feel really dumb if I misremembered and this isn’t actually buffalo, but I’m pretty sure it is. It was like an article out of Wild Fibers landed right in my living room when I got to that part of the box. So, so cool. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it yet - I’ve just been feeling it up like a frat boy at Mardi Gras for the first time, and I didn’t even have to buy it a drink first.

Presents rock yo.

In between eps of Season Six of SG-1 (I cried so hard at the end of S5 and my absolute favorite episode EVER in Season Six, “Abyss”…see my LJ for details), and actual spinning, I’m daydreaming and looking through the book and trying to decide which shawl I’m going to cast on for. Decisions, decisions.

Thank you MRLBF A!!! *peppers you with smoochies*

Next post - actual spinning done! I plied another skein of random singles, and did another bobbin of a fabulous blended batt. Stay tuned for actual spinning content, coming to a smart ass blog near you!

OK, I have about 920 yds of what is technically DK weight, but feels a LOT more like worsted weight 100% wool yarn. It’s handpainted in lovely shades of rose, a peachy color, and a light-to-charcoal grey. (Sorry for the craptastic shot - me and my camera are still getting to know one another.

I’m looking for suggestions for a shawl to make for myself. I had started out with a basic garter drop rectangle (the Sarah Blanch shawl in the back) as I was going to just work on it while watching TV, but I think I’d like to do something a little more challenging.

I’m a big woman (fat, oh yes indeedydo!). I was working the Sarah Blanch on 10s rather than the suggested 7s because the yarn seemed a lot bigger than DK.

Any suggestions? I’m open to a variety of shapes, as long as I can secure the finished item around my person. In a fit of sleep deprived frustration last night, I ripped the few rows I had and started tinkering/swatching for other things. I can’t find my copy of Three Cornered & Long Shawls anywhere, and the Stahman Shawls & Scarves book had some possibilities, but the few lacy patterns I tried out of it really weren’t working. I think perhaps I could try the first, mostly garter shawl in the book, and possibly get a feel for Faroese shawl shaping, but I’m not jumping for joy at the thought.

The only shawl appealing to me with regards to this yarn in Folk Shawls is the Sarah Blanch, and my binder of loose leaf patterns (mostly Fiber Trends and some Fiddlesticks Knitting shawls, most of which are laceweight) failed to thrill me. I think I’d like a triangular, Faroese shaped or rectangular shawl for now, as they seem better suited towards more ample figures, especially with the amount of yarn I have available to me.

Anyway, suggestions = good!