navy blue silk yarn in a big heap of a mess I’ve been balling this yarn for three days now, and I have two small balls of yarn to show for my efforts. Sheesh! At this point my February Lady Sweater might never see the light of day. I love this yarn and I so want to begin! But alas, this hank that’s giving me all the trouble? It’s only one THIRD of the total amount of this yarn I have. Hopefully the other hanks won’t be such a disaster. But I have such terrible luck! I must be doing something completely and totally wrong when setting up yarn on my swift.
But that’s not the worst of my problems tonight. I have a hot wire on my chair so it’s out of commission until I can get it fixed. I have a backup chair, but that chair feels so clunky and uncomfortable. Something tells me it’s going to be a long week. Being in the wrong chair makes me grouchy, so if you’re someone who encounters me in the real world, you might want to stay away this week! I have an appointment next Thursday to have my chair worked on.
pinky orange laceweight yarnPerhaps this will make me feel a little better! I purchased this beauty from New York Yarns on Etsy. I love the pinky-orangey colorway that sort of reminds me of sherbet! It is superfine merino laceweight with silk. Now, if you know me, you know I’m not a lace knitter. But this ball of wonder totally called to me. There’s 1300 yards in here so I think maybe it has to be some sort of wrap for me. Someday.
Maybe tomorrow will be better. After all, it’s only yarn. It shall be a sweater. Someday.
navy blue silk yarn being balled up from a swiftYou’d think I’d learn, but apparently not. Never ever try to ball up a hank of yarn you’ve had in storage for three years unless you have a lot of time on your hands. Or when you’re really too tired to do it. Either of those two factors are a sure bet that the hank will be a twisty, loose mess. In fact, the more rushed and the more tired you are? The worse it will be. Trust me. I know.
The mere mention of the February Lady Sweater last night got my heart all a-flutter. I could not stop thinking about the prospect of starting that project all day. But I know enough about myself to know that I just dread winding yarn. Every time I try, it never cooperates. I even thought maybe I should wait until a weekend when I can have a friend over to help me.
Patience, however, virtue that it is, is something that I lack. Not just lack. Patience? I no haz it. So there was no waiting for the weekend, no pleading with some poor sucker one of my good yarny buddies to help me with the winding. So, start out on my own, I did, and this tiny ball, representing maybe one tenth of the yarn yet to be wound (from this hank; I have two more) is all I have to show for an entire evening’s work. I am not surprised by this, but I am nonetheless disappointed. I wanna knit! And I have miles to wind (literally) before I stitch.
My fingers are blue with navy yarn dye. It is the mark of a battle not yet won. I do so love this yarn, and the color, and the way it feels in my hands. I can’t wait for it to become something more than a pile of stringed frustration. Someday this beautiful yarn will be transformed, and perhaps I will forgive it for the trouble that it gives me now.
But it’s a long way before I’m there. For tonight, UGH!
stitch markers, double-ended crochet hooks, and colorful wooden buttonsI know I’ve said it before, that little things make me happy? Well, this week’s parcel post was no exception! Knit Picks has recently introduced their own line of knitting do-dads, and I happen to have the philosophy that one can never have too many knitting tools!
Most exciting for me is this little collection of double-ended crochet hooks. These little babies will be perfect for picking up all those dropped stitches. (Who, me? Drop a stitch? Pshaw, those things will never see the light of day! Uh-huh.) As sentimental as I am about my trusty red crochet hook, these will be handy to have with all the sizes I would need in half as many hooks. Not a bad deal!
The stitch markers are my favorite style, the rubberized kind. I find that these leap away from me a little less often than some of the other types, and I use them for almost all of my knitting projects. They also have locking stitch markers, split ring markers, and jump rings. Each of these is good for its own purpose and I am sure that eventually they all will find their way into my knitting bag.
The buttons are made from the same wood as the Harmony Needles. Oh my, they are pretty pretty! My heart goes all a-flutter at the very sight of these. I bought 8 each of the two styles shown here. I’m pretty sure I’m going to put the toggle-style buttons on a future February Lady Sweater. In fact, I love these buttons so much that I want to cast on for it like, NOW. But alas, I shall wait for the weekend. I have lots of yarn to ball up for it first.
Knit Picks has introduced lots of other tools at great prices, including a ball winder, blocking tiles, blocking wires, and lots of other stuff. And all at great prices, per the Knit Picks tradition. Oh, and have you seen their gorgeous new yarn? I’m surprised none of it has followed me home yet.
Hello, World! Newborn Diana’s Arrival, March 7, 1996
The Night You Were Born
On the night you were born
The moon looked down
Like diamonds on a blanket of deep velvet blue.
The stars were singing an ode to joy
And the snow crunched like clanging bells.
On the night you were born
The hands of angels
Lifted you apart from me
And you cried, “Welcome me world! I am HERE!”
And tears of thanks rolled down our cheeks
As God Himself delivered you safely to our waiting arms.
The day has come! Who would have ever thought that this little bundle, perfect in every way:
Newborn baby Diana
Would one day, just a mere 13 years later, become this:
Diana at 13
A beautiful, smart, funny young woman that I am so proud to call my daughter. I love you, Diana!
But today is not just about being all mushy and sentimental. (The Birthday Princess respectfully requests that I can the mush, like NOW!) It is a day of celebrations. Actually, it is the culmination of several days of celebrations. And I’d like to share with you some moments that helped us mark the occasion.
We had our first celebration at home on Wednesday. My mom and Tony are on a fabulous cruise that started today, so we had a lovely little birthday dinner with them. Of course there was cake:
Diana, blowing out candlesBudding photographer snaps a photo of the birthday girl
Then last night we had dinner at Diana’s favorite restaurant–Olive Garden. Grandma and Grandpa were able to join us and there was much good food, many presents, and lots of fun. Oh, and singing:
Riding Lessons for the Birthday GirlThen today we went with her friends to a horse farm, where we held a horse mini camp. There was education, and riding lessons for everyone! Some of the girls had never been on a horse before and had a little bit of trepidation. But, in the end, everyone did great! The weather had warmed into the 70s, which was nothing short of a miracle, considering the snowstorm we had last weekend. And the riding instructor was totally awesome. I overheard several of the girls asking their parents for riding lessons or the chance to come back to the farm for summer camp. Yay! I am so glad this all worked out.
Diana works on her balanceThe horse poses for a photoRiding LessonLearning to Balance
So, it has been a fun-filled few days around here. Although, if you ask me, I’m still not old enough to be the mother of a teenager. I’m not sure how this happened so fast.
Noro Kureyon squares in progressI’ve got the blues. The “when the hell’s this winter gonna be over?” blues. And, the “I really wish I didn’t have to work ever again and could just sit and knit all day” blues. Sigh.
Good thing I’m into color, because this blanket in all its weirdness is the bright spot in my days lately. I’m loving the simplicty of the garter stitch and the constant surprises as the colors unfold. Each time I start a new square I have to contain myself from squealing with glee, practically, even though most of the time, no one is listening.
The cool thing about Noro Kureyon is that the color runs are so long that I can switch off from one end of the ball to the other, thereby doubling my color choices. It’s like a wonderful game for the easily entertained. And that, my friends, would be me.
But I must stop. I have about three more hours of work to do before bed, thanks to a tragic brain fart I had while saving an HTML document preparing an HTML e-mail newsletter. I’ve got lots of code to strip before bed and I hate that I haven’t been able to face it all evening, so I’ll be up late again. Ah well, at least I can knit again before breakfast, which will be sometime after the customary three-hour’s nap that I’ve been calling an excuse for a night’s sleep lately.
