Socking It (but not Socking It to Me)

My knitblogger friend Vamanta put out a call for some help with an Afghans for Afghans project, one which will bring warm socks to some Afghani kids. So a bunch of us from the Elann Chat Center have hauled out our neglected sock-knitting skills and have been knitting in small circles the last few days. The link is to Vamanta's post on the socks project. Deadline for having them in San Francisco is next Thursday, March 7.

Here's my progress since Saturday. It is incredibly easier to knit socks in worsted weight with size US4 or 6 needles than to work with sock yarn and US 1-2. The green pair I did with size US5, and it is my very first effort at a toe-up sock. I like the concept, particularly since it doesn't involve my own nemesis - Kitchener stitching - but I'm not loving those short-row heels. Even though I carefully made every single wrap & turn, I still had decorative but unwanted eyelets. I will be attaching a mini-skein of yarn and a darning needle for future repairs, even though I've tried to duplicate-stitch or darn every weak spot. This is done with Paton's Classic Wool, in a lovely dark foresty green color, trimmed at the top with a bit of Paton's Decor wool blend. I did use some nylon reinforcement at the heel on this one.

The orange pair is done top down. The 'finished' sock needs some help with the Kitchener, even after 3 tries, and it will go, with its mate, to Unwind on Friday for a sewing lesson. I *know* how to do Kitchener (purl on, knit off; knit on, purl off), it just never seems to come out right. Both of these yarns are left over from my holiday hat-making, being Nashua's Creative Focus worsted weight superwash wool. This is done with the basic slip-stitch heel, but I forgot to go find some reinforcing nylon for this heel - I'm totally positive I don't have any in orange - though IMHO the slip-stitch technique makes a sturdier fabric than the short-row heel.

All the WIPs from my last post are still WIPs-in-waiting, but I'm a bit jazzed! Today's post at the Yarn Harlot shows that Stephanie herself is also doing an EZ ribwarmer, the same pattern as my lavender-pink project!!! Her pictures are better than mine, no surprise, and she's got both pieces done. But still, knitterly sisterhood, y'know.

A few weeks ago an online friend of mine had a little girl, nicknamed the Wee Imp by those of us who were helping the mommy wait and cheering her on. I knitted a little vest for the Imp, but I couldn't show it here till the Imp was born and the mommy received it. I got an official announcement this week with a big thank-you, so herewith are photos of the Wee Imp and my baby gift. The pattern is an adaptation of a pattern designed by the LYSO of Unwind; I modified it so I could knit it all in once piece. The yarn is some very nice acrylic I found at the Stitches from the Heart LYS; the camera has washed out the colors, which range from aqua to a nearly-forest green. The Imp has some growing to do before the vest will fit, but I'm hoping it will be useful by the end of the year.

I will finish with a completely off-topic bit of news: the Powers That Be who decide when a favorite, long-cancelled TV program becomes a DVD have smiled and the First Season DVD of Beauty and the Beast (not a Disney product) has been released. I got mine from Amazon by way of the TV Shows on DVD website, which is the source of information on all sorts of past TV favorites and the DVD release dates. (Follow the link from the website to Amazon; it's the same price and helps pay the people who keep track of these shows and DVDs.) So the tales of Catherine and Vincent are available for viewing in my house; just call to be sure of show times.

Elegant and Purry Pawsitude

Jen-La seems to be looking for cute pictures of furry feet, something she/they have written in the 2/27 post. As I've written before, our Midnight spends much of her time with her front feet crossed, even when she's sleeping on her side. It's such an elegant pose. So here's a cute picture of today's pawsitude.

Follow-ups and WIPs

Several readers have inquired about my reference to Fleetwood Mac in the naming of the 'Knit Your Own Fleece' cartoon. I'm a huge FM fan, and had a great time a few years ago when I went to a live performance here in LA. Lindsey Buckingham wrote a song named "(You Can) Go Your Own Way", from which I took the cartoon caption. Here's a link to a performance of the song. Just in case you're not familiar with the band members, Lindsey is the dark-haired guitarist and singer on this song, Mick Fleetwood is on drums, John McVie is the guitarist in the hat, Christie McVie is on keyboards and Stevie Nicks is the long-haired blonde. John and Christie divorced many years ago. Both Christie and Stevie have solo albums, though they are some years old. This is the cover of their 1997 comeback album, the live performance of which was filmed here in Burbank.

I am now a member of the Wicked fan club. The picture of Elphaba in the link isn't Eden Espinosa, who plays the role here, but of all the actors I was most impressed with her voice. Megan Hilty, in the role of Glinda/Galinda-with-a-'ga', instantly reminded me of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, particularly with her entrance sitting on top of a mound of perfectly-matched luggage. Elle, of course, wasn't nearly as ditzy! Our seats were about 25 rows back in the orchestra section, on the left-hand aisle, so we had a wonderful view. In a lovely coincidence, the mother and daughter sitting next to us were there for the daughter's birthday treat, though they'd bought their tickets in November!

I wouldn't have wanted to be any closer, since some of the music is pretty loud. The headaches held off until just the last few minutes, so I guess that's proof that Tylenol lasts about 4 hours, lol! DH commented that he wished there'd been a song or two, like those in 'Cats' or 'Phantom', that had you walking out humming the tune. Friends who have seen 'Wicked' before say that you'll do that after a few times of listening to the album. I expect that "Defying Gravity" will be one of those. I did not buy any souvenirs except the $20 program; it's amazing what the show sale prices are!

I wish I could show the sumptuous details of the Pantages Theatre. The link shows a tiny view of the orchestra section and a bit of the theatre's history. This is a temple of Art Deco style, and the restorers seem to have missed no detail. The only complaint I've ever had, a purely female one, is that the intermissions need to be longer; getting the women of a 2500+ seat theatre into and out of the bathroom takes longer than 15 minutes!

Back to a bit of knitting content:
Here's a picture of the unfortunate baby jacket. When the scissors disaster happened, the entire jacket was done except for the seaming and the trim on the cuffs and collar. This should be finished in the next couple of days. I will be in the area of the Stitches from the Heart charity's LYS on Wednesday, and I can donate it to them. The tweedy yarn is Red Heart Fiesta and the solid is Encore. The pattern called for 400+ yards, and Fiesta was less than 350, so I added the Encore, which with the front panels, the cuffs and all-around edging, will be a good design, IMO.

Here's another project that's part-way done. This is Elizabeth Zimmermann's Ribwarmer, which can be found in her 'Knitting Workshop' book. In EZ fashion, other than a suggestion of knitting gauge, there are no dimensions listed nor instructions for re-sizing. So I just started knitting. It is all garter stitch, with shaping by short rows. EZ just writes 'Turn', but I looked up 'wrap and turn', which makes a lovely detail. This is one of two identical pieces, which will be sewn together on the straight vertical edge to make a vest. Sorry about the turned-under corner.

I'm thinking this will be too big for my DGD-by-love, but I can give it to her mom, and make another for DGD; they may not mind matching mother-daughter items. The yarn is Cascade's Cloud 9, 50% merino/50% angora. In the skein it feels a bit cottony, but as you knit and the fabric bends with the knitting, the angora begins to bloom into a halo and it feels softer and softer. I'm curious how it will be after washing. This is going to take just about 400 yards (4 skeins).

My Ribby Cardi is on hold; I'll take it with me on Wednesday to a huge fabric and decorator's shop to find the zipper. A knitter on the About.com Knitting forum asked me about knitting this in one piece, and I've posted my thoughts there on both the bottom-up and top-down approaches. I still have to seam the sleeves, and that will be more difficult, since the yarn is a much darker color and I won't be able to see the stitches as well.

Last but not least, here's a new pattern book I picked up at Unwind last night during our Friday SnB group. Stephanie, the LYSO, carries Nashua's worsted and superwash yarns, and just got in a big shipment with spring and summer colors. This is a very good basic wool, with a good range of colors. This kids' pattern book, Zoo, grabbed me, and I'm thinking the DGD and DGSs will perhaps benefit from the ideas.

This, That, the Other and Whee!!

Many thanks to all of you who've commiserated with me about the headache attack. It is passing, down to the OTC Tylenol level.

I have to suck it up big time today and get back to something resembling normal functioning. As some of you know, yesterday was my birthday; I'm 50-mumble again. Thanks for all the great good wishes, on the Elann Chat Center, at the About.com Knitting Forum and by email. My darling DH has once again scored big on a birthday prezzie: tickets to a matinee of 'Wicked' this afternoon. It just opened yesterday!!!! Generally speaking, the show is sold out until September, but he has astonishingly good luck with things like this. A year or two ago, he found seats in the middle of the 5th row for a performance of Madame Butterfly! I'm playing on the computer, dithering about what to wear with the black pants (what else??), and with about 2 hours to put myself together. With makeup and everything.

The baby jacket is still in time-out. Yesterday I cast on for Elizabeth Zimmermann's Ribwarmer vest. It's in her Knitting Workshop book. This is all garter stitch, shaped with short rows; the two identical pieces are seamed down the middle of the back. I have done this in the lavender Cascade Cloud 9 that I picked up at Unwind last week. Cloud 9 is 50% merino/50% angora, and seems a bit like cotton when you first knit it, but as the piece moves around the angora comes out and makes it softer and softer. EZ doesn't give size info, so this is sort of a test knit. I think this is going to be too big for our DGD-by love, but it also looks like this vest is going to be done in about 4 skeins (400yds), so I can either frog it and adjust the size downward or make a mother-daughter set. Unwind still has some of this yarn, and they're holding a couple of extra skeins for me at the sale price. I'm thinking to edge this in knitted-on I-cord.

Here's a tip I found in the current Reader's Digest magazine. There's a website called zafu.com that is supposed to help you find well-fitting jeans. I signed up (free, of course), answered the info about fit (no real measurements, just general shapes) and have ordered a pair of jeans from LL Bean that they've recommended. I'll let you know how they fit. This website doesn't include jeans from Lane Bryant, which is my current favorite source.

Interlude with Frogging and Painkillers

Yesterday something reached out and dropped a lot of fatigue and a large amount of headache on me.

I've been knitting on a nearly-mindless garter stitch baby sweater and almost had it done last night. I sewed up one seam, discovered a bad spot, tried to take it out and clipped part of the garment instead of the seam. Frogging happened. True ripping happened. Swearing, too.

I woke up several times last night with blinding headaches, though they seem a bit smaller in daylight. But I have to do laundry today: my mother may be lying in bed in hospital gowns at the nursing home if I don't send clean clothes.

This may be all for a day or two. Just knit and talk among yourselves.

Serendipity Blogalong

BaxterKnits clued me in to a different idea of a meme sort of thing. There's a Blogalong, and you can check it out at the link below. BK herself has an incredible series of coincidences relating to a particular volume of an unusual knitting book, well worth reading.

The topic for this month's blogalong at Blogger's Paradise is "Serendipity"

My own stories are much less extraordinary. I can cite several examples of meeting people I had known many years and many miles away: a Missouri grade-school friend met in Yellowstone Park while I was in college; a Wyoming high-school classmate met in Kauai, Hawaii 30+ years later, and so on.

My favorite happenstance relates to my DH and our mutual love of books. Twenty or so years ago, DH and I did a fair bit of tent camping, sometimes with a group of people here in the LA area. But one September we went on a tour of the Grand Canyon and the areas around it. While we were visiting a museum in Flagstaff, we came across some of the mystery novels of Tony Hillerman, with his lovely stories about the Native American police force on the Navajo reservation. DH and I both eagerly worked our way through the backlist, and snatched up the new ones as they were published.

After I retired early, I did a lot of aimless shopping, and sometimes found little gems of shops. One of these was a small bookshop, carrying old and rare books, particularly about history and California. Along with some of the more-valuable books were often somewhat unusual modern fiction and nonfiction volumes. The owner was a wonderfully knowledgeable man, and I went back frequently, often at a slow period of his day, when we would chat about books and enjoy tossing puns back and forth.

I was looking one day and came across a couple of first editions of Tony Hillerman's early books. Great idea for DH's birthday and Christmas, I thought! The kicker was that they were autographed and inscribed to someone who had the Spanish version of my DH's name, a happy coincidence! The bookshop owner found a couple more of these books over the course of the next year or two, and they now reside in the CBM Private Library. Sadly, the owner died and his widow sold out the inventory. I still miss him.

LYS Super Bowl Sale Part 2

I stopped in at Unwind yesterday to see how they were recuperating from the big sale, and to order some of Sweet Georgia's hot red Slayer sock yarn. Yes, I am/was a big BTVS fan, and I've got all the DVDs.) Stephanie said she rang up over 150 sales that day, and it was not until 4:30 that the checkout line was temporarily empty. Yay! I love Unwind and I'm glad it's thriving. Stephanie had a raffle for those who contributed to the Half the Sky charity, and I was one of the winners! I won a copy of Knitting Out of Africa, a lovely book, with beautiful and intricate patterns.

Ahem. Blush. Astonishingly, she had not sold out all of the half-price yarns, so I took a look, since I had not looked at those yarns at the sale. I have no resistance to yarn at a big discount, y'know. I picked up some Encore for $3/skein, two shades of tan for Operation Gratitude, a local group that is sending warm caps to the soldiers. Plus two pretty pinks, a deep rose and a paler shade, which will be caps for the foster kids' group my charity group supports. I also fell for some of Cascade's Cloud 9 wool/angora mix in a great lavender, which will be a vest, perhaps, for our only DGD-by-love, who didn't get a knitted gift for Christmas. I'm glad there's a little girl to knit for, especially since she loves pinks and purples. ;-) The photo of the browns, which are sort of mocha. is color-truer than the pinks. The Cloud 9 is not; it's a true pale lavender, not a pinky shade. Your monitor may vary.

I finished the little shawl I was making from Lang's Mille Colori yarn (thanks, Curlerchik!) and blocked it yesterday. I wanted it to be proportionally wider than the usual 2:1 ratio, and I couldn't find a pattern I liked. Fiber Trends' Versatile Scarves pattern was close, but I didn't want quite that much curve - the pattern comes out in a sort of 'angelfish' shape. The Shape It! Scarf from Sally Melville's 'The Knit Stitch' was also close, but still not quite right. So I improvised, and I'm pleased with the result, though it's still not quite as wide as I had in mind.

About the 2:1 ratio, for those of you who don't know what I mean: usually a simple shawl's proportions are that it is approximately twice as wide across the shoulders as it is deep from shoulder to the point. When you start it from the shoulder, generally you make one increase at either side, and two in the center, often on each side of a stitch or two, with the increases only on the right side. This makes a nice eyelet design along the triangular edges and up the middle. When you start it from the point and want the eyelets in the middle, you decrease to offset the yarnovers.

To get a wider shawl, I knitted the 2:1 ratio for 4-5 inches, then began making increases at the sides on both the right and wrong sides. This turned into a shape somewhat similar to the Versatile Scarves pattern, which is achieved by knitting on separate sections at the top. You could also get this design by short rows, I think. Measured along the entire top edge, this is 40in, with a depth of 18in. If you measure straight across the top, it's 33in. I used 2 skeins of yarn, about 200yds. This is color 06. There are shades of lavender, green, teal, and brown. The second skein had only a little bit of lavender, but I don't find it to be obvious, since the additional width makes the color sections run only a row or two. Now that I've knitted this, I think I'd have been just as well off to have used the Versatile Scarves pattern. But, y'know, I've learned something I may use in the future.

Today I'm going to start learning mattress stitching, sewing up my Ribby Cardi. Send positive thoughts, please??

Ribby Update and Feline Frolicking

My Ribby Cardi is blocking. I finished the sleeves last night and then basted the pieces together - scrap yarn, big stitches, just to see if I'd totally misjudged the size. It was OK, though strangely it doesn't look quite the same on short plump me as it did on the tall slender model. LOL! I didn't know quite how much to add to the width and length in the blocking, so I tried to be careful not to stretch the ribbing too far, just evening up the lengths and widths of the parts. Then we get to the tough part: my first ever venture into mattress stitching. After that, there's the front bands, the collar - should I do the rolled collar or the deeper one? Decisions, decisions. And after that, I have to brave the wilds of zipper installation. Eeeekkk! Grumperina has recently done one of her mini-seminars on this topic, and I'll go back and study that.

The snow depths in New York are so incredible, and there's apparently more on the way. Yesterday I saw that a place called Mexico, New York (named that why??) has had 115in in a bit over a week. When I lived in Wyoming, the wind generally blew the heavy accumulations east to Nebraska, though there was one storm when I was in high school that drifted clear to the roof of our house. But the biggest levels I've personally seen were in the Tetons near Jackson Hole, WY, where I went one February to cross-country ski. We went out into the foothills area, to ski up to a little lake. The snow depth was about 3 times as high as the car, and this was on the flats; the plows had just scraped away the parking area drifts leaving a flat surface, but the seasonal accumulation on the fields was untouched, and was probably about 15 feet deep.

The Denver area had several feet of accumulated snow in January, and that amount seemed horrendous. I cannot imagine a suburban or urban area trying to deal with that much snow in a week's time. I lived in Denver for many years, and less than a foot would virtually bring everything except emergency traffic to a stop. And of course lesser amounts would create fearfully hazardous travel - I escaped injury in 2 snow-related accidents totalling my car, and then escaped to LA. Do people in these New York areas go to work when there's this much snow?? I send lots of prayers that people in non-critical businesses will choose to be safe rather than on time for their jobs.

And for a bit of furry eye candy, here are a couple of shots of the lovely Midnight, the computer companion. More and more, she jumps up to the computer desk whenever I'm here, and does an excellent job of clearing anything piled in her lounging area, defined as the entire center of the desk. Frequently she demands petting, which she accomplishes by oozing toward the keyboard, and leads to my attempting to type one-handed, which isn't really successful.


Oh, and of the Famous Felines, I like my purrful self!

Which famous feline are you?

You're Hobbes. First of all, the makers of this quiz would like to congratulate you. You have our seal of approval. You are kind, intelligent, loving, and good-humoredly practical. You're proud of who you are. At the same time, you're tolerant of those who lack your clearsightedness. You're always playful, but never annoying. For these traits, you are well-loved, and with good cause.
Take this quiz!

Sharing Secrets

Marie has tagged me for this '5 Secrets' meme. I will try to avoid giving you too much information (TMI); I agree with another blogger friend, who shall remain anonymous, that sometimes blogs go too far with private thoughts and issues. Just my opinion, OK? So these are sort of anecdotes about which I get somewhat embarrassed, or don't often mention.

1) I worked in Yellowstone National Park for the US National Park Service in a clerical position for 3 summers during college. We young seasonal employees, mostly of college age, came from all over the US, and we had a lot of fun, some of it less than strictly legal. It is illegal to swim in the thermal features, but if several of the rangers are in the pool with you, who is going to arrest you?? We did not skinny-dip, at least not the couple of times I went there.

2) Also while in Yellowstone, I was told I learned to western dance on July 20, 1969, the day that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Several of us Park Service employees watched the landing on TV at a pizza and beer place in West Yellowstone, then moved on to a bar that had a pair of versatile musicians. I think we moved from beer to tequila about then. I did not remember how to western dance the next time I tried.

About #1 and #2, I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations for illegal swimming and western dancing while drunk have long since run, lol!

3) I almost drowned, or felt like I did, during a swimming lesson when I was in junior high school. We were at the town pool, and we were jumping into the deep end off the diving boards. The two teachers got to talking, and when I went off one of the low boards, one of the show-off boys jumped off the high board at the same time and landed on top of me. I made it to the surface and the edge of the pool - obviously, else I wouldn't be boring you with this story. But I couldn't convince the teacher of what had happened or that I was badly frightened by it. I suppose he didn't want to admit he hadn't been watching. This probably has a lot to do with my swimming phobia.

4) I got married the first time in September, 1969. The morning of the day I got married, we attended the memorial service for my DH's best friend. Robbie had been killed in VietNam a week or so earlier, less than 2 months after he arrived there. His family and his fiancé (my college roommate) told us we should not go, but neither DH nor I would stay away.

5) I don't play many computer games, because I can get hooked really easily. I can play Bejeweled 2 for a couple of hours. My personal high score is on the 'Action' version is 561,750. Since I discovered Sudoku online, I haven't broken 300,000. I've completely given up on Tetris - I need to knit! I can usually keep my Sudoku playing down to Morning Edition and All Things Considered (NPR).

I don't know many bloggers who haven't already been tagged, so I'm only tagging Sknitty and Knitdevil.

Yarn with Unicorns

What mythical beast are you?

You're a unicorn. You're very pure and innocent. Almost everyone loves you and you love almost everyone. You may be naive to the point of gullibility. You're pretty much incapable of violence, the exception being when someone you love is threatened. While your intentions are nothing but good, some might call you a "straight-edger." Your alignment is EXTREMELY *good*.
Take this quiz!

Some of the quizzes that make the rounds in blogland come out rather oddly for me - I am so NOT James T Kirk!! - but this one rings a big bell. That is, while I'm not 'very pure and innocent', I don't like some people (sometimes instantly!) and some don't like me, and I'm finally not so naive, though office politics totally escaped me. Guess I'm not an a**kisser by nature. I AM, however, pretty much a 'straight-edger'. Is there a female counterpart to Dudley Do-Right or Benton Fraser, that adorable Mountie from the TV series "Due South"?

Having said all that, I am a somewhat-retired Unicorn Collector! I have, stored away, carefully swathed in tissue, over 2 dozen unicorns. None of those blown-glass fripperies, either. I was very particular about the ones I chose, although my best-loved cousin gave me 3 of the very best and most elegant, ones he found in museum shops. I suppose this can stand as one of the Weird Things About Me, and as my vocabulary word for the day, somewhat jejune. BTW, the picture above is rather more of a horse than a unicorn by my standards; it's pretty, but it has a distinctly Arabian look.

Moving on to knitting, I've been busy. The back of my Ribby Cardi is done and the two fronts are ready for shoulder shaping. My stockinette is rather less even than I'd like, but I realized it's been 20+ years since I did any significant amount of plain stockinette. Practice will improve the purl problem. I finished and blocked the Malabrigo scarf, and it was received with great happiness! My friend's reaction was all a knitter could ever hope for. Working with the yarn was a joy, and I was pleased with the way the Vine Lace pattern looked, even with the heavy-worsted gauge.


Earlier I posted a picture of a swatch from the Lang Mille Colori yarn my online friend Curlerchik enabled me to get. After several changes of pattern and design to best show off the color changes, I've got a good start on a shoulder-shawl. I got only 2 skeins of this color, and I'm very pleased with it. The picture shows the deep purple most vividly, but the shades of green and teal are just as beautiful. This yarn is 50% wool, 50% acrylic, but it gives no hint of the acrylic content, and feels very much like the wool/silk Cherry Tree Hill yarn I used for a scarf a couple of years ago. Plus it's machine washable!

On Monday, I met Knitdevil Madge in Montrose for coffee and lunch and a short visit to Needle in a Haystack [no website yet], a very nice shop, carrying a lovely selection of yarns, many I don't find in my usual LYSs (including the Lang Mille Colori!), and lots of goodies for those who love needlepoint and cross-stitch.

Sadly, Monday evening I was attacked by some sort of cold virus, and I've been fighting that off since. The worst part is the big lump in my throat, that's making it hard to swallow. My remedies of choice are Zicam, Traditional Medicinals' Breathe Easy and Throat Coat teas, and the occasional Tylenol. I don't feel really miserable, just annoyingly subpar. And I'm hermiting for fear of passing this along to anyone.

This is a flashback to pre-blog days. DH drives a little Ranger pickup, and he likes to have the rear window open just a bit. But he gets headaches when the back of his neck gets cold. Regular scarves just didn't cover his neck enough, so I had an idea. This is a modified version of the Aibhlinn cowl from Knitty. It's less than a foot wide and works very well; the width and the shape help it to cover more of his neck. I knitted it from Wool-ease and Encore, just some oddballs I had on hand. This came in for a laundering, and I took the opportunity to snap a photo. It is a very easy knit and the texture is quite interesting.

Knitting Knowledge and Yarny Goodness

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!

Guru, hmm? If that's the definition of a middle-range knitter who knows a little bit about a lot of things, I guess that's me. I know about more things knitting than I have yet done, I'm stubborn enough to try to do a lot of things on my own, and I suffer from KADD (Knitting Attention Deficit Disorder), so I often spend much more time posting about knitting than I do sitting down and producing knitted items. My non-blogging knitter friend Calamintha says I'm knowledgeable and talented, which always makes me blush; she's one of my Knitting Goddesses, my source of learning for all things lacy done with tiny threads. I have learned a huge amount about knitting in the last three years from Calamintha and the other Knitting Goddesses at the About.com Knitting Forum and the Elann Chat Center, though the Knitting Forum is somewhat more technical in nature.

Like a lot of LYSs, my LYS Unwind had its No-Football Super Bowl Party Sunday. Having forgotten to bring a camera, I am sorry to say that I have no pictures of the fun. The 50 or so of us who showed up before the doors were opened at 11am were rewarded with an extra 10% discount - Wa Hoo!! Yarns of all sorts in the 'Back Room', from Plymouth Encore to Karabella's Gossamer and in-between, were at half price. All the rest of the yarns in the shop were 30% off, except for the early arrivals, who got them for 40% off.

Knitblogger friends Sknitty and Knitdevil were there, too, as we'd planned, and Knitdevil was so organized she brought a detailed shopping list! Both of them scored some of the 'Back Room' yarns and were still shopping when I left. They have posted about the sale, and have some great details of the fun.

Most of the people in line ahead of me just stayed in line to be among the first to get to the 'Back Room', and the rest of us spread out to grab our personal favorites and items from our shopping lists at the best prices of the year. It was nearly Standing Room Only. I had been thinking that the discount was only 25% on non-sale yarn, and so I had only planned to get a couple of skeins of Cascade's new Baby Alpaca Chunky in a gorgeous blue/green colorway, which normally retails for $14.50 per 109yd skein. Ouch!!. But at 40% off, there were just a few other yarns which hopped into my bag to come live at Chez CBM. I grabbed some of Rowan's Tapestry, enough for a good-sized shawl, a couple of lonely leftover skeins of Cashsoft DK in a pretty teal, and three skeins of Odyssey, enough for a shoulder shawl or mid-sized scarf. The Odyssey is a pale blend of lavenders and greens, and the swatch was the selling point. I don't know what I'm going to do with the Baby Alpaca Chunky, it may exist only to be a FPY, a Frequently Petted Yarn.

I got home in time to have a leisurely lunch at a newish place in downtown Burbank with my DH, something we don't seem to manage to do often enough. Then I had the fun of watching The Game with my DH and working on my Ribby Cardi. And petted the Baby Alpaca Chunky, of course, lol!