Bad, bad blogger.

I'm a bad blogger. I know I am. I've just had a lot going on, and most of the people that even care about my knitting actually see it weekly .. twice, some of them. but I need to get back into the routine of blogging. It's something I really enjoyed doing, after all.

So .. what have I done? Well, there's a surprise gift for a certain James, that I really need to get around to mailing .. and let me just randomly say that I love the spellchecker feature of the new Firefox version. It knows when I meant to capitalize something. I'm working on a sweater now .. that I've had to rip back more times than I care to think about, and it's still not gonna be perfect but dernit I'm not ripping back that far again. I've started a wrap with sleeves designed by Stitch Poet .. the Wrapigan .. and I'm loving it and the pure alpaca it's being knit it. just a loose enough gauge to be a little loose and luscious, but when it's worn and washed and blocked that yarn will bloom into fluffy yumminess, and I look forward to that.

Hmm. What else. Oh! I learned to crochet. Like really and truly learned, and even made something with my skillz! I was hating my hair one evening and crocheted a quick headband to keep my annoying flyaways from tickling my face. Go me! And all thanks to MissMe .. who never updates her blog but I forgive her because she's always so busy.

There's also a mystery project that I can't safely talk about because its recipient might actually read this, so I'll just have to say that it's coming along .. slowly but surely it's coming along. If I knit more than I played World of Warcraft it might be further along .. but that's my stress relief, for now.

SAFF is coming up fast. We need to get our hotel soon, because we're planning on making a weekend out of it. I know that with money tight I can't buy much .. and to be honest I don't need to buy much becuase I already have so much yarn. but I do want to pick up some stuff from The Unique Sheep, from Miss Babs, and from Brooks Farm. Other than that, I intend to just look and drool, and to find Annette at the booth for the Skein and Garment Competition and sit there and knit a while, so I won't be tempted to buy everything I see. I have a very large stash, honestly, and I don't need to go spending money I don't really have.

Speaking of Annette, she's going to have a baby! Which means I have a baby to knit for! Yay! Despite Marie attempting her baby juju on me, Jason and I have no desire for a family now, so the only baby knitting I get to do is either for charity, or for someone else's baby, so the fact that Annette is having a baby is a delight. And not only because it gives me someone to knit for .. more especially because she really wants a child and now is going to get that wish.

SAFF 2007 Pictures

SAFF 2007

This year we went with the intention of only doing shopping; there were no classes we really -had- to take, and because of work and such, we couldn't stay but for one day. So Jason, Brandon and I headed out early Saturday morning, cash in pockets with the decisions made that we would only spend what cash we had.

It was, as it had been last year, quite overwhelming. My first stop, of course, was Brooks Farm Yarns, where I purchased a couple of hanks of simply gorgeous 100% mohair. I eyed some of their other stuff, but wasn't really there for wool, and I'm still working on my sweater so didn't need to buy yarn for another.

I then headed up to another of the vendors I liked last year, Yarnsmiths, and found that they had branched out into sock yarns .. specifically specialty ones. I picked up three different types, two of which had a good bit of Cashmere in them, one of which that was mostly silk and some nylon, which should make some lovely socks. Then I stopped at the booth of the woman who we took a couple classes with last year, Melanie Koenig, and I picked up a couple of pairs of birch DPNs and also, after being convinced that I should try out the Denise interchangeables - which she had me do then and there, handing me some yarn and letting me walk off with them - I purchased the pink Denise set. Later on at other booths I found the larger cables for the pink Denise's, so now I'm all set with those, and also got some Lantern Moon ebony DPNs, and the Knit Cards set I've been eyeing for a while... just to have them.

The only other yarn I got was some angora, which I'm going to, along with the angora I bought last year from the same people, make some hand-warmers out of; and some alpaca, one skein from a pinto and it's been spun and plied so that it'll stripe perfectly, and a couple of skeins of some beautiful cream-colored Suri alpaca, from New Era Fiber, I'm probably going to make into a lace shawl.

The really -big- purchase of the day though was Jason's. He went ahead and purchased himself a Kromsky rigid heddle harp loom. It's a big purchase, but it's a beautiful loom, a lot nicer than the Ashfords, aesthetically, and since he already has a Kromsky wheel, it was only fitting. I'm a little frustrated, because the stand was the wrong size, so we'll have to send it back and get a replacement. But I'm sure that won't be a problem. It looks like it came from the manufacturer that way, so we may have to go to them directly .. dunno though. He also got enough gorgeous alpaca to make me a pretty beautiful shawl, once he feels confident with the loom and stuff, so I'm pretty excited about that.

Fair warning, this post will be highly picture intensive. I took just over 800 pictures on our trip, between the drive up the Blue Ridge, SAFF itself, and pictures around the 'rustic' and 'cozy' house we rented, as well as the trip to the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens. So many pictures that I need to burn them to CDs to send them to people that want them. Which is just insanity.

So without further ado, some of my favorite pictures:


Or .. not. (*$*#(*%@#(* Blogger.

Three Bags Full

I'm back from the whirlwind that was my weekend at SAFF. I will have to post a more in-depth review later, probably tomorrow, when I've had more cold medicine in me or something, but for now, I wanted to post, say hello, and let everyone know what they missed!

To let ya'll know just how much fun was had, I took something like 850 pictures. That's how many I used up on the two memory cards while we were gone, starting on the trip up and ending when we went to the zoo on Monday. I'll have to take some time to go through them all. I'm sure a large protion of said pictures will be not keepers, but I know for certain that some will be good. There's a lot of scenery shots, some from the fiber fair, and a bunch from the zoo. Some of the animals were much more cooperative this time.

SAFF was wonderful. Cold and rainy on Friday, though that was alright because we spent all our time in the fair, and then at dinner. Saturday it cleared up, and we spent a few hours perusing the vendors. Afterwards we drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway as far as Mount Mitchel .. which was covered in a hoar frost and had a 19-dregree wind-chill factor. Sunda .. my birthday .. was spent in workshops for all of us, with a little shopping in between, then dinner at a perfectly wonderful place in Asheville, then back to the cabin for s'mores, and Monday we headed to the zoo, and spent the evening at Jason's parent's house.

The house that was rented was ... well, quaint and rustic and cozy. And had me in literal tears once I got there and realized just how far out in nowhere we were. I was fine once Jason and Larissa got there safely .. I talked them in. But it was still not our best home-away-from-home. Not by a longshot.

I'm getting tired .. cold medicine is kicking in. I'll talk about my yarn haul, and other stuff too, tomorrow. When I'm rested .. and well medicated.

SAFF Countdown

Hi Tania,
'Just a note to let you know I have received the registration form and check for your 2006 SAFF Workshops. You are confirmed for:

* Cable Ready / Melanie Koenig Sun., 10/29, 10a-12p
* Color Knitting The Easy Way / Melanie Koenig Sun., 10/29, 1p-3p

Both classes will be inside the McGough Arena, on the upper level, right, in the back, across from Melanie's vendor booth, #10 , Royal Fibercrafts. Just go to the booth about 5-10 minutes before the classes.

'Look forward to see you in October!

I will note, that -both- of those workshops are on my birthday. Happy birthday to me!!!

- - -

In other news, I really have been knitting. See!



Currently, the -only- thing on needles in my house .. at least the only thing on my needles, is the grocery bag I started a while back. Yes, the one I screwed up knitting, and had to frog several rows and managed to pick up the right number of stitches. There's been no laddering at all, and the pattern's still working just fine, so I must have gotten it right.

These pictures, btw, were taken with my nifty new phone. Have I mentioned yet how much I adore my husband? Let me say it again .... I adore my husband. He spoils me!!

And then some ...

First of all, I know it's Monday, but I took Saturday Sky pictures this weekend, and I just never got around to posting them. So .. here!






The top two are of a high-tension power line tower being used by vultures to cool off, it looks like. They were perched with their wings outstretched .. rather creepy if you ask me! The other two are of a house not far from Brattonsville that's in the process of being restored. It was just a really cool house, and I had to take pictures.

So, yeah. I'm alive. I'm not entirely over whatever it is that's got me coughing all day long, but I'm better than I was this time last week. I've been eating cough drops like candy, and drinking more water than a body has a need to, but I'm feeling better, so there's got to be something to it.

I've also got weight loss to report. I have, as of Saturday morning, lost 10% of my starting body weight. 20.4 pounds, to be exact. In Weight Watchers, you get a little keychain to celebrate that milestone, and mine is currently sitting on my keys, where it will stay as a constant reminder of my progress. I'm not going to let it slip now, that's for certain. I've been able to buy clothes in a smaller size, which is a delightful change, and people have begun to notice I'm getting smaller. Pretty soon, I'll be able to wear my own hand-knits!

Speaking of knitting, I have a bit more progress to brag about. I've finished the knitting on Brandon's Mini-Booga, and it's ready to be felted. I've also knitted two skinny scarves for my nieces, and finished the Mid-month KAL dishcloth from last month. I haven't yet had time to work on the 'mystery' cloth from this month, though I'm about to start working on one.

I'm spending the afternoon trying to catch up on all the blogs I read. If I've been noticably absent from commenting, it's because I've been sick and busy busy with work and school. Things have levelled off with both though, so I should be posting and commenting more regularly.

Countdown 'till the SAFF: 47 days and counting! Yay!

(SAFF, for the non-initiated, is the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, to be held in Asheville, NC at the end of October. Jason, Brandon, Larissa and I are going .. I believe we already have the house rented and everything, and she has her plane tickets. And .. shit! I forgot to send the check! Gotta Priority that tomorrow!