from foreign lands

Dearhearts,
I have been visiting with the family in South Texas, and I'm having a terrific time.  Wednesday was arrival in San Antonio, which is a lovely town.  Dear Ol' Pup carried me to a shop called The Yarnivore, only a few miles from his house.  The folks there were lovely, and I really wanted to take some pictures of them.  I took out the camera, and it opened the lens, but then the batteries went dead.  So no pictures -- and I have their business card with the names of all their folk, but it's in another room.  Thursday Pup & I strolled through the San Antonio Botanical Garden, gorgeousness everywhere we looked.  I have pictures, and will be uploading them tomorrow.  But TODAY is the Princess' birthday!  and we're going out to celebrate in about 10 minutes!  She's eight today, and so much more mature than the last time I saw her, and so wonderful.  Happy Birthday, Princess Peerless!

Fly Girl

My Darlings,
If you do not hear from me for a few days, do not despair!  For on the morrow, I depart for the wilds of South Texas (Behar County, y'all) to reside in the bosom of my family, or what's left of it.  I have handknit gifts for the Princess, Miss A, and Sis.  I'll carry along Pup's Steelers socks, so he can see what progress I've made; also I expect there will be plenty of knitting time for me this week so I might actually get thru the  &*%$$^ heel -- which is all black with black reinforcing nylon.  It's enough to make my dry eyes really tired.  But I'm hoping there will be lots of daylight to knit by, always very helpful when knitting tiny dark stitches. 
Miss A's gift hasn't been photographed yet.  I used the Elegant Alpaca Fingerless Gloves pattern, but only worked three repeats of the lace -- I wasn't sure how far my partial skein of Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation Alpaca Love (Dusk colorway -- deep purple!) would go.  As it turns out, I probably could have worked one more repeat on each glove -- but oh well!  I have found some more of this yarn online, and expect delivery soon (likely while I'm gone to Texas), which I'd like to use for leg warmers for Miss A. 
While I'm visiting San Antonio (love that town!  and they love Volunteers, too: the Alamo is right downtown) I'm going to check out the Yarnivore yarn shop, which is on (near?) NW Military Dr.  I've read some good reviews of this shop, in Ravelry, and would like to visit & review myself.  Of course, I'll see the Riverwalk again, and maybe a museum or two.  Should be fun.  Then it's off to Austin, to see the gals there & deliver their gifts in person (be still, my heart!).  I may even make it there on the Princess' birthday!  Woot! 

"Just breathe normally..."

I need fireworks:  I've survived a week of health-provider visits!  Last Thursday it was the dentist (everything ok there), then Tuesday was a follow-up colonoscopy (everything ok there; the Dr. even gave me some nice pictures to take home [!?!?!? Why !?!?!?]), then today I had my annual check-up and a bone density scan.  BP's a little higher than it needs to be; have to wait on blood test results to know whether statin drugs are in my immediate future.  I've been taking niacin with supper for several months now, to help bring down my cholesterol--hope it's working! 
Gad, the hat craze has had me.  I made a rose pink cabled hat for Disco, with plans to make another for myself -- as part of our ensemble for Team Pink Ruffle.  I finished the second hat, and it was just a bit less deep than the first one.  So I added earflaps with i-cord ties, with tassels!  Good grief, but it's wacky looking!  Disco has claimed that one (thank you, Dog), so I'll just have to muddle thru with the original.  But I was having so much fun with this cable pattern, I had to make another hat--only NOT pink.  I cleaned out a lot of acrylic yarns from my stash (three 13 gallon bags of it went to Goodwill), and found this denim blue stuff.  I don't think it was an entire skein.  But I started another hat with it, with only two cable crosses.  Then I worked some increases (knit f & b) to increase each repeat from 11 to 16 stitches, and started on a floral lace pattern.  It's done, and again a little shallower than it should be -- but I ran out of yarn!  And Dog only knows how old that yarn is; I don't think one can even find that brand anymore.  I put in a lot of work on the "fruit salad" socks today, what with two appointments hours apart.  Still have about 2.5" of foot before toe decreases.  The heel flap on Pup's Steelers sock #1 is complete, just started the turn.  Sure hope I can figure out how to work the entire heel in a color different from the main color!  I'm sure this will be a learning experience. 
Bliss Yarns had a sale last weekend.  I fell big time.  I may be one of their favorite customers.....

With feeling

There's a "movement" (and how many of us think of Alice's Restaurant when we hear that word?) afoot, about helping crafty folk reclaim time for their crafts: http://cre8time.org/
The aim is to set aside 8 hours a month, for crafting.  Well, I think I already do that, but I like the idea of setting up a designated time.  I pretty much work on either knitting or crochet whenever I'm parked in front of the TV.  Last night was an exception, because I wanted the overhead lights out so I could watch a couple of episodes of Game of Thrones, season one.  Yes, we bought the DVDs.  The Plaidman & I are just completely hooked on the books, and have finished all that have been published so far.  I was reading a fan site last week, and the gossip seems to indicate at least two more books coming, but not soon -- it'll likely be 2018 before Winds of Winter makes it to the bookstore.  We are officially jonesing for more G.o.T. at Chez Plaid.  Last year it was the Malazan Empire holding us in thrall; at least we're dealing with (mostly) humans this trip.  Boy howdy, if someone could figure out how to turn Tales of the Fallen into a series, we'd be over the moon. 

Oh look, the folks over at AllFreeKnitting ( http://www.allfreeknitting.com/sweeps/sock-yarn-shawls-book-giveaway/ml/1 ) have another really nice giveaway!  I have a little shawlette I made last year, that I wasn't wearing because it jest seemed too tiny, but lately I've been using it as a scarf.  I get lots of compliments on it!  It's Wendy's Seriously Simple Shawl, worked in sock yarn from the Loopy Ewe.  I like it so much, I would like to have several more.  So heck yeah, I want this book!

Silken prize

How'd you like to win some yarn?  Did I mention it's hand dyed silk?  Check out this giveaway from
http://www.allfreeknitting.com/sweeps/silk-cloud-yarn-giveaway/ml/1

The yarns are purple, green and blue-green -- my very favorite color combo!  Good luck, and if you win please send me a pic of what you make from it!

Number 200

I've really been holding back on this one, as I've no idea what to say.  I wish I had a poem to give you.  Failing that, how about a brief book review?  I finally finished The Map of Time, and boy howdy was I surprised at the final chapters.  I really had no clue as to where this story was headed.  I understand there's a sequel; for the first half  or two-thirds of Map, I figured I wouldn't bother with the sequel.  Now I believe I'll have to read it!  I don't want to put out any spoilers, just say that it this book may "start" slow but you will be hooked.
I'm still working on Shadow of Night, the sequel to A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness).  I'm interested, but I keep putting it down to work on other things.  One of those things is a Mercedes Lackey book, Crown of Vengence -- which has totally sucked me in; I have a very hard time putting it down. 
The Plaidman & I have been "jonesing" for the last book in A Song of Ice & Fire, which as far as I can tell hasn't been published yet.  So he bought the first season of Game of Thrones!  We'll be watching that whenever we can.  I'd like to get ther first seasons of Downton Abbey too.  And just to be sure I get enough variety in my reading, I finished Mary Roach's Packing for Mars (HILARIOUS! I laughed out loud about every third page.), started her book Stiff, and just yesterday picked up Catherynne Valente's The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland.  Not realizing that this is actually a sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making; so I suppose I'll have to request that on from the library too.  God bless the library; the Plaid Patrol loves to read. 
I have been knitting too; still working on the Cenote socks, and the fruit salad socks, and the large lace beret (Janet's Beret, if you want to find it on Ravelry.)  I knocked out a hat to match the ruffled scarves I made for myself & Disco, and have more than 1/2 of another knit (we must match!).  All small projects, although I keep buying yarn for larger projects.  I need to destash, or ask Disco to move out (not gonna happen!).  OR -- and here's a radical idea -- I need to knit up some larger projects.  EEP! Time to knit a vest, maybe?  I don't know why it's so difficult to decide what to make with a pile o'yarn; could it be that once the decision's made, the loss of other possiblities is disheartening?  But there's yarn everywhere; it's not like I live on a desert island with only "this" much yarn available.  And heavens, I may have reached SABLE status already. You don't know that acronym?  It's Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.  Yarn, I haz it.  Some of it can go bye-bye (I'm looking at you, acrylics!), and some of it is in single skeins that have been admired for years without being knit.  I've started making pom-pom sheep with some of that.  I'd like to bring about 1,000 pom-pom sheep up to the office.  Or maybe I could make up a mix of sheep & bunnies, and call them Easter decor?

199 notes to self

This is my 199th post.  I am knitting a good bit anymore, having finished Disco's pink hat, finished the heel flap for the second fruit salad sock, and added another inch or so to Pup's sock #1.  No two-color knitting yet!  But I've been looking at patterns, from extremely simple to (only) slightly more complex stranded patterns.  I'd like to start with something small, like a hat or mittens.  Of course, now that she's got the hat & scarf and gloves, we need to be thinking about legwarmers for Disco -- and for me, the hat & legwarmers.  After all, we're a team in the Komen Run for the Cure; gotta have team togs!  To that end, I've been to Bliss Yarns to get some pictures of "the ladies" holding my socks and to pick up an Addi Lace 40" circular, size 8 (5 mm).  Disco's hat was worked on birch dpns, which developed splinters & splits before I was finished!  I kept having to stop & sand down the points again.  I've worked the Thistle Hat's cable crosses on my hat, now just need the crown. 

the wall of Cascade at Bliss Yarns!  And they were getting ready to add more.....

I may have put this one up before, it's Disco nearing the finish line after her 5K walk for the cure last October.  I made a scarf for each of us, and I figure I'll add to the outfit yearly. 

I don't know why no one has left a comment in like, forever, but please don't be shy!  I usually try to say hello or "nice work!" whenever I visit another blog.  But whatever you say, please say it nicely: I moderate, and I don't publish comments that are derogatory.  It's my blog, after all.  

Happy Valentines Day! XOXOXO

ETA:  I can't put up pics of Bliss Yarns, without a pic of my "other" home away from home, the Haus of Yarn on White Bridge Road. 

Today's their 10th anniversary celebration, and they had cupcakes (Disco indulged!), and dark chocolate with pomegranate (I indulged!).  And I found something fun that had to come home with me:  Zauberball!

Is that wild, or what?  I see some rather snazzy socks in my future...