Monthly Archives: July 2008

This afternoon I saw two absolutely charming
tiny spotted newborn fawns, eating a neighbor’s
flowers.  In the dappled sunlight, they could not
have been more entrancing – yet, they remind me
of the canary in a coal mine.

It’s almost August.  There shouldn’t be newborn
fawns now.  And, of course, they should have
somewhere else to eat besides a built-up suburban
neighborhood.

Is it overdevelopment ?   Global warming?

It’s true.  I’ve noticed that, like Madame Defarge before me,
I’m completely unnoticed as long as I’m knitting in public.

When  one is winding yarn into a ball, because one forgot
to ask the person at the LYS to wind it on an automatic
yarn winder thing, HOW do you know if you’re winding it
correctly?

“Correctly” means winding it so that when you knit with it,
it doesn’t twist endlessly, requiring you to stop every
five minutes & hold the knitting from above, watching it
ever-so-slowly twirl back the other way.

Y’know?

Bet most of my (three?  four?) blog readers don’t know that MOI really stands for My Own Igloo.  And here, a toast to my favorite (*cough* only) Comment-er:

THANKS!!

I’ve solved the striped sweater problem from a few posts ago. I decided to knit the sweater in just one of the colors of yarn, and chose Custard:

Anne, the owner of my favorite LYS, the Hillsborough Yarn Shop graciously allowed me to exchange the unopened balls of yarn for enough to make the sweater in one color.  Onward!

I’m about ready to send my July package to my yarn swap pal.  I’ve really lucked out in that I expect to meet both of my yarn swap partners in person.  I’ll keep you posted.

More on the trip to Bellingham.
First, without getting too dramatic, it was a much-needed visit. Our family Christmas was – not so good. Since then, I’ve thought/read a lot about the adjustments and changes required on all sides, if parents and adult children are to have a good relationship. It was delightful to find her more grown up on this visit! A nice, *appropriate* boyfriend, working hard, hanging with friends, healthy and happy.
Here are a few
Pictures of Nora and her new beau and her/my new matching tattoos!

While I was there I offered to buy her some yarn, since we both knit. She didn’t want any, saying “I’m not going to be done the scarf for Josh for awhile, and I don’t know what I’ll be in the mood to knit then.” Well, of course. She “likes to knit one thing at a time.” This has given me more to reflect on . . . why do I acquire so much yarn just because I like it, with no actual plan for what I might do with one or two skeins of this or that?
Thoughts?

I had a wonderful time out west, found something for my yarn swap partner, walked miles and miles, knitted several miles, drank gallons of fancy coffee, bought a book of lace knitting patterns, and bonded anew with my daughter.  We even got matching mother-daughter tattoos!

1. Baby Sweater – all the pieces are finished.  I’ve decided to wait until the next time I’m at my LYS on a Sunday before I sew the pieces together.  I made this as part of a class and, even though I fell hopelessly behind the official schedule, I’m hoping the teacher (who works there on Sundays) will kindly advise me on the finishing.

2. Striped Lousia Harding sweater – Stripes?? WHAT WAS I THINKING?? But, I’ve spent a lot on the yarn in four different colors . . . I’ve started it, but to my eye the “carrying the yarn up the side till the next time you use it” looks ragged.  What to do?
Should I  –
a. Ditch the whole thing and not throw good time/money after bad?
b. Carry on and see how it looks after six inches?
c. Frog the two inches I’ve done so far and start over, this time being more careful about the carrying?
The yarns are pretty, the colors are pretty, I just don’t usually wear stripes . . . something came over me in the yarn store, like maybe if I bought this I’d become the kind of person who is on a sailboat, blonde hair blowing in the wind, pastel striped sweater gracefully over my shoulders . . . except I’ve never had blonde hair, get seasick on boats, and don’t wear pastels or stripes.  I don’t know.  Is it stubborn to continue, wasteful to abandon it, or too soon to tell?

3. Nora’s socks.  I’m taking them on the plane and won’t leave Bellingham till they’re done!

Hey!  The list of UFO’s is shrinking!  Maybe I’m forgetting something . . .

Just in time for a trip out west, a finished object.  Photos to follow . . .

My Yarn Swap secret spoiler was so attentive to my answers to the questions that everything was perfect!  I gave my camera to my son for the summer, so imagine photos of two summer tank tops, a (very silly) magazine that I’d confessed to liking, yarn, knitting needles, candle, sachets, a pretty card, and even bubble bath!!

Christmas in July!