Let the Wild Rumpus Begin

Well, maybe not so much wild - maybe the Mild Rumpus? Shana is in Boston this weekend, so plans for the weekend include crafting, crafting, and a bit of crafting. Some will be publicly visible, and other items must remain TOP SECRET.

First item: Something Which Is Not Socks !!! Well, it is being knit on DPN's, but it is a pair of pink fingerless mitts with cables at the wrist and hand. The pattern is Fetching from Knitty. The pattern has a picot bind-off, which I did not do, as I think it makes the finger end roll outward. Also, I am doing it in a somewhat different yarn than called for. It calls for Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran on #6 DPNs. I'm using Wool Ease sportweight on #3's. Otherwise the same, stitch and row count, everything. They seem nice and cozy and fit my hand well. I had Shana try one on, and not only did she like them, she called them lovely and would like a pair for herself. (Mwahaha - another knitted gift victim is born!) They are fun to knit, and have an even better instant gratification factor than socks.


Of course there are always socks in progress. Blue Simple Stripes which are designed to have a roll down cuff, currently in the gusset stage, and just started some green and purple Opal. The blue ones are my lunchtime socks, and the Opal socks had to be started because of Lost. I did not have a project going at home that I could work on and watch a new episode. I needed something to work on which would not require me to look at it or count stitches or rows. The fingerless mitt was in a "pick up stitches for the thumb" state, and of course lace was out of the question. Still no pictures of the Kimono Shawl. It's not much farther along, and looks pretty blah in its current state.

I had lunch today at Jason's Deli with Samantha. This is where we usually go when we lunch together, as they really have something for everyone. This time I had Chicken Chili soup, and Samantha had a Chicken Panini sandwich with Pesto and a salad. We actually ended up swapping meals, so we each had some chili and some sandwich. Very tasty, and this time it was her treat, so even better. We had a pleasant lunch and good conversation. This enjoyable state of affairs is not always the case with our lunches, so when it happens we are both pleased.

Samantha was scheduled for knee surgery today, but it's been put off a bit pending some issues with Worker's Comp. She was not looking forward to surgery, but the knee has been painful since summer and she's getting tired of it.

I cruised on up to Sealed With A Kiss in Guthrie after lunch to see what was happening up there. They didn't have much in the way of sock yarn (and a good thing too, as I don't need any) but they did have Buffalo and Quivuit yarn, both of which I had read about but never touched in person. The Buffalo is a delicious brown, and feel wonderfully soft. That's the upside. The downside was that for a smallish skein (only 60 yards) of what the manufacturer calls worsted, and which felt more like thick sportweight to me they were asking $76.00. The fingerless mitts I am making call for about 98 yards. Luxury fiber indeed. In case you wondered (I did) no one has to work up their courage to shear a live buffalo. The fiber is a product secondary to the meat trade. Read about it here. Quivuit is made from Musk Ox fiber. Read about it here. The yarn is hypoallergenic, luxuriously soft, and unbelieveably expensive. The laceweight balls they were selling were $69.95 for 218 yards - for an example of how little that is, the yardage for my Creatures of the Reef shawl was 1,200. (I actually used about 1,000 yards). The ball is about the size of a ball of pearl cotton. It was a treat to encounter these yarns in person, but what I actually bought was a skein of tweedy mystery yarn which I am pretty sure is superwash wool in a DK weight about 50 grams - enough I think for mitts or ankle socks for 1.00, and two skeins of discontinued Wool Ease (green and a green/brown variagated) for 2.00 each and a magazine. I had a nice chat with the shop ladies and left well pleased with my visit.