knit and tonic

Thankful for Photos and for Hand Knits

A couple months ago, HWWV swung our duvet over his head while we were changing the bed and managed to knock down our faux antler chandelier, damaging it ever so slightly. In fact, one of the faux antlers literally broke off except its electrical insides stayed intact and the antler, along with its cute little lampshade turned down toward the ground due to gravity. It's a good thing he didn't swing with all his Chi intact (because he's a black belt times three or more, don't get me started about the first time I saw him fifteen years ago there in the dojo swooping up through the air doing some sort of fancy high kick, his waist-length hair swinging around his back and just about hitting him on his right cheek as he let out a whoop! that stopped my breath. I fell in love with him at that moment and he fell in love with me [or so he says] about two minutes later when I sat down on a chair by the wayside and took off my purple Doc Marten's and announced to the room that I needed to get into my Gi, first of all, and second, I needed to get to know that guy who just flew through the air and who happened to be wearing khaki-colored bikini underwear that showed through his karate pants).

Whew! Must start my thought again.

At any rate, he helps me take the photographs. And now, after taking pics of all my yarn and all my stuff and all my blog thingys the guy has started a new life as a photographer. I met him when he was a student from London (by way of Southeast Asia) and who came to California for college. In those days, he only dated Swedish girls . . .or Norwegian girls. (Heh. He thinks I'm sort of exotic, but I hate to break it to him: I'm both Swedish and Norwegian.)

I only say this stuff because I need to take a minute and mention that many of the pictures in this blog are ones that he takes for me. He takes them for me late at night or on a weekend when he'd rather smoke a cigar and listen to his music in the backyard. He'd rather do a lot of things instead of take pics of yarn, like take a run or sleep on the couch. Instead, he takes pictures for us.

On other news, I went to Yoga today. I was sick the past few days; I didn't tell you about it because I always feel guilty when I get ill. But I was sick. I'm well now and made my way to the class and while I was walking across the parking lot two yoginis got into a fuss in the busy parking lot and next thing I know, there they are, wearing fancy Los Angeles-type yoga gear and shaking fists and reaching into their car windows to honk their horns at each other and yell obscenities. Oy. (Or should I say, Ohm?) Next thing I know, I'm settling down for my class and the gal, the one with the louder of the two horns, settles down behind me with about 16 props. We're talking about three cashmere blankets, two or three things I can't even name, three layers of foam, two eye pillows; one in a brown, another in some sort of linen (yes; I stare), and I kid you not: a special neck pillow that she never used. She did, however, wave down the teacher and ask her for an extra rub of the lavender essential oil.

I wonder if her grandma knit for her like mine did.

Ads on Blogs

Five days ago, I wrote to Google asking about placing ads on this blog site. They said they'd get back to me within a day or two but they never did. Five days out and I'm rethinking the whole thing. I don't know what you think about seeing ads on blogs, but I'm not really sure I like it too much--although I understand that they help to compensate the blogger for their time, etc. so I'm not going to take a big stand on the issue--but what I'm thinking about is you, the reader. What do you think?

When Girlfriend was born, I had just ended a long stint--like a two-decade stint--in mostly executive-ish Fortune 500 positions in marketing which meant I got up early, curled my hair, wore nylons--the whole deal--and drove my totally necessary white BMW to work and spent about 10 hours of my day in an office and yukking it up with a lot of bald guys and full-haired girls with way too much testosterone or too much silicone, give or take, all vying for the office next to the CEO, which, in my estimation, is probably the worst place of all to spend the day. Give me the mail room, folks! In the mail room, I can play some tunes, do a little hand jive or a thumbs up and a nod of the chin when the foreman swoops by, and have a Pepsi.

Anyway. I left the corporate world and found that I got bored at home. Girlfriend was a handful but all those years in an office left me feeling like I should be sprinting from the kitchen to her nursery. That is how this blog was born.

I did it out of boredom, and then I found all of you. I guess the fact the Google-Ad people forgot about me or dissed me might be a good thing in the end. Although I think having ads on this blog might bring in some extra money, I just don't know about it. I just don't. Do you have any opinions about bloggers placing ads on their blogs? Is it good? Is it greedy? Is it a no-big-deal thing?

As it stands, I don't really have a strong opinion either way. I just want to know what you think.

And here's what I've knit in the past day or so, other than some "work stuff." Going through my stash, looking for give-away items for the local senior center (I think I have about 60 skeins of yarn for them) and to sell, I found a stray ball of Rowan Spray. I made the beret up top with it and it is just perfect. But don't be writing me emails reminding me that I always say, "Don't you dare wear two hand-knit items at the same time." In the picture, I am. But I tell you the truth, I wouldn't walk down to the mailbox with the getup. I'd wait and change out of my sweater first. (Yeah, right.)

BTW: Thanks, everyone for your interest in my De-Stash. There is more to come. We're waiting for the perfect kind of light for the lighter colored yarns. I also have a lot of sock yarn, but I'm dragging my feet. HWWV just announced he has a hole in one of his hand-knit socks. And, you know what that means . . .

You'd Think I'd Run Out of Yarn by Now: De-Stash III

Truth is, there's even more de-stashing to come after tonight. I am even donating to the Senior Center here, so all the ladies can enjoy some of the good stuff. I mean, even the bad yarn is good yarn to me, if you get my drift. In my mind, all yarn is good. Even string is good. Anything that resembles yarn is good. Good good good. As an added bonus to de-stashing, I am feeling a weight lifting off of my shoulders. I no longer look at the stashed up yarn and feel sad. I feel happy now looking at it, thinking how some of you can take it on and perhaps make something useful or not-so useful or re-stash it. My stash is your stash. My burden is yours now. Hallelujah.

So here we go:

Debbie Bliss Cathay Color 12011 (a gorgeous bright plum) SOLD!

22 sts = 4 inches on size 5 needles (50% Cotton, 35% Viscose Microfibre, 16% Silk / 100 meters per ball /  8 balls)

I think I bought this at my LYS two springs ago. I dreamed that Girlfriend would have a swingy cardigan, something with a cute knitted flower at the neck. I didn't care that there wasn't a pattern. I thought I'd make one up. The color is perfect for her but you know what? She wears a uniform to school and I don't have too much time to knit for personal reasons these days, so you can have it. You can have it for $37.00 including priority shipping. If you live outside the US and are the first to respond, we can talk about adding some extra dollars for shipping. Write to me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom and I'll give you my PayPal email address. If the first responder doesn't send a payment within 24 hours, the next person in line gets the deal.

Debbie Bliss Merino Aran Color 325104 - Olive-ish SOLD!

18 sts = 4 inches on size 8 needles (100% Merino Wool / 78 meters per ball / 6 balls)

I tell you what: I had such high hopes for this stuff. First it was going to be a nifty vest with cables. Next, it was going to be a little shrug. Then, life happened and next thing I know it has been sitting in my stash for probably three years. I have kept this in a nice Ziploc bag so no Chuck hair has found its way in. It retails for $6.50 or thereabouts but my guess is, this color is discontinued by now. So, you can have it for 4 bucks a ball plus some padding for priority mail: $30.00. If you live outside the US and are the first to respond, we can talk about adding some extra dollars for shipping. Write to me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom and I'll give you my PayPal email address. If the first responder doesn't send a payment within 24 hours, the next person in line gets the deal.

Cascade Yarns Bollicine Dolly - Color 567567 - A Lovely Mulberry SOLD!

22 sts = 4 inches on size 5-6 needles (100% Extra Fine Washable Merino Wool / 153 yards per ball / 7 balls)

It makes me sick to sell this stuff, but I gotta be straight: I live in California and who am I kidding? I wear a sweater exactly 4.5 times per year and I don't own a proper coat. I thought this would become something special, you know, a cropped cardigan or something that I'd need to stay warm. Problem is, there is too much warm in these parts and someone else could make something glorious with it to stay warm and sensational. My warm is yours, friends. This is springy merino and I just love it. I bought it less than six months ago but I'm being realistic. I won't knit it and I want you to knit it and feel the love. I bought it for $7.50 per ball, and I'll sell it for about 35% off with some padding for priority mail: $45.00. If you live outside the US and are the first to respond, we can talk about adding some extra dollars for shipping. Write to me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom and I'll give you my PayPal email address. If the first responder doesn't send a payment within 24 hours, the next person in line gets the deal.

Phildar Phil Eponge - Clementine SOLD!

22 sts = 4 inches on size 5-6 needles (44% Acrylic, 35% Nylon, 6% Elastic / 142 yards per ball / 10 balls)

I don't know how I scored this, but I'll be honest and say that I got this lot by the skin of my teeth, I tell you. I searched high and low and paid a premium for it and then paid International postage --the whole yarn-hog shebang--just to get my hands on it. I wanted to knit the Le Cardigan en Rayures Reliefees that appears in the book you see here--the Tendances Printemps 2004--but you know how these things go. I got sidetracked by some french fries and got to thinking I'd look like a sausage in it and next thing I know, two years later, I'm sorting my yarn and I come upon the book and an original "Phildar" paper bag and I'm selling it all off. It just has to go. I look glorious in the orange (which is slightly pinker in real life) but it ain't gonna happen. The yarn--and the book--is yours for a fiddly $54.00 including priority postage. (I paid $8.00 per skein for the yarn and probably over $12.00 for the book.) If you live outside the US and are the first to respond, we can talk about adding some extra dollars for shipping. Write to me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom and I'll give you my PayPal email address. If the f

De-Stash II

Fiesta Yarns Zia in Coral Reef Colorway SOLD!

16 sts = 4 inches on size 11 needles (Egyptian Cotton / 110 yards per hank / 4 hanks)

This stuff has the nicest sheen. I wanted to make a tank or something for Girlfriend but alas, I never got around to it.There are four full skeins here--I love the stuff so much that I sat in bed one night and balled one hank just for kicks. It goes for around $26.00-$30.00 per hank, but I got it at around 25% percent off. Still, I'm really wanting to de-stash, so I'll let the lot go for only $45.00 including priority shipping in the U.S. If you're somewhere else, we can talk about adding a few bucks for postage. First one to write me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom can have it.

Artyarns Supermerino #229 SOLD!

18 sts = 4 inches on size 7 needles (100% Superwash Merino / 104 yards per hank / 5 hanks)

I bought this last fall wishing and hoping I'd have the time to make a huge scarf or wrap. Oh well. The color is gorgeous in person, a little more blue than in the picture you see here. I would call it a deep Moroccan blue. Take a look at the picture from my post the other day--the one with the Barbie in it--the color is a cross between these two pictures. It retails for $9.00 a hank and I bought this lot of five at full price, but I love you guys so much I'll let it all go for $37.50 including priority shipping.  First one to write me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom can have it.

Berroco Softwist #9443 SOLD!

20 sts = 4 inches on size 8 needles (41% Wool & 59% Rayon / 100 yards per hank / 9 hanks)

I have been hanging onto the stuff for so long, this color is now discontinued. They do produce the yarn, though. There are nine full hanks and it's in good condition (I never took it out of the bag until two nights ago). I know people who are nuts about this yarn; I'm not, for some reason. The color is perfect for a little girl or a big girl or a guy who likes pink. It goes for $6.00 a hank but heck, you can have it, including priority shipping for $31.50, which is less than half price considering the shipping.  First one to write me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom can have it.

Please know that if you write me and say you want the yarn, if PayPal funds don't arrive in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the second person in line. Thank you!

Testing . . . Testing a Yarn De-Stash Event

So today at precisely 10:45 a.m. I found myself at the YJ (Yoga Joint) and while I was attempting to calm down like they tell you to do, the next thing I knew an amazon woman with a wingspan of a Pterodactyl unrolled her mat about three feet away from me. There was plenty of room in the center of the studio; maybe she thought we all had to line up perfectly or something, but I knew, based on very little experience, that she'd slap me in the face or her toes would be up my nose in maybe a space of 20 or 30 minutes while it was time to do that arm swoop move they ask you to do.

Trying to quiet my mind as I waited for class to begin, I kept telling myself that I could scoot away a tiny bit when her eyes were closed but next thing I knew, another gal plopped down another three feet away in the other direction and now I really had no where to go.

My mind had no where to go, either. I was either thinking about ducking when she was swooping or putting my legs together when she was putting her legs out, and then the mind went to all that yarn we photographed last night, knowing that it would no longer be in those plastic bags within those zippered plastic bags and cartons under my bed, in my closet, in the luggage or in my wicker storage furniture (which reminds me, I have another few Rubbermaids and another hiding place that just occurred to me).

So what is it with all that yarn purchasing? Why is it, you go to the store in the morning and you find a yarn and think, for some crazy and illogical reason, you actually have the time to crank out a vest for your 5-year old that night? How could it be you think because the fact that it is on size 8's, then of course, there is time. There is time for a small-ish vest on size 8's. Of course there is! And then you cast on, join in the round, and after an hour realize you've made your daughter a mobeus instead of a vest, throw the project onto the ottoman, and grab a drink instead.

That's my life, friends. I spot some cool yarn and next thing I know I'm thinking I can complete a dreamed-up sweater or something or other and next thing I know I've made a mobeus or a mess or reality (meaning "work") presents itself and next thing I know I have a Stash on Fire. I have a Stash on Fire.

The only thing is, having such a large stash is weighing me down. All the possibility and the little time I actually have to knit for "us" is weighing me down. Having yarn on hold is a burden to me and I figure before the colors get outdated and the yarn is discontinued I might as well pass it onto another person who can dream about it. Maybe my dreams of what the yarn could be will become new dreams for you.

That said, I'm going to post pics of yarn for sale a couple at a time. I am very busy with all sorts of projects, so I'm going to work this process in little batches. Just stay tuned for more yarn. Some of it is great; some of it not-so. You be the judge. I'll take PayPal only and I will only ship outside the states if you agree to pay extra shipping. Shipping will be included in the total price (unless other arrangements are made). Priority mail only. First person to offer for the lot will get the deal. If they don't respond or send PayPal in 24 hours, then I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Oy. PLEASE: Once you write me to express your interest, wait for me to respond by email so you know where to send payment, since I have a very secret and elusive PayPal email address. (Just kidding; but do wait, please.)

Malabrigo Kettle Dyed Pure Merino Wool; Cinnabar-SOLD

Worsted Weight (216 yards / 3.5 oz / 4-5 sts per inch on 7-9 needles)

Amazing stuff: This is leftover from the pullover in my book, "Tang." I'd keep the stuff, but I swear, I knit the sleeves on that thing at least three times each. Bought it at my LYS. (Stinky Pickle Eater may have touched it so watch out!--but it does pass the smell test . . . I swear.) This is enough to make a huge scarf or maybe a cap and some mittens. Just don't wear them all at the same time.

Two full hanks plus just over 3 ounces of leftovers. So, nearly three hanks: $24.00 (I think the price per hank is around $10.50). Includes domestic postage. Be the first to write me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom and it's yours, baby.

Colinette Jitterbug, Toscana Colorway #55 SOLD!

Fingering Weight / 100g / 267m / 27-28 sts per 4 inches on  2-3 [3.25mm-ish] needles

The color in real life has a bit more avocado, but other than that, the picture rings true. This is enough for a pair of socks or some mittens or gloves or something like that. I dreamed of socks, but I just don't have the time. This is practically brand new. Please, if you buy it, send me a picture of what you make from it.

This one hank, $20.00 including postage. I paid $22.00 for it at my LYS. I'm sure the stinky pickle eater definitely did not touch this hank, although I have to admit she did make a pair of socks recently (but they were out of the Tofutsies.) Write me at knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom. The first person to write me with an offer and a PayPal transaction gets the Jitterbug.

[Jeez, it feels weird to sell stuff.]

Jaunty in PJ's: Yeah, Right.

My childhood was spent listening to a lot of Santana and Brasil '66 blazing in the family room. We had a TV but it wasn't on too much until we got one that'd show stuff in color. The first night we finally turned on our new color TV, Tom Jones was on and we all cuddled together on our lemon yellow vinyl couch to watch him while dad held those rabbit ear antennas so the snow would stop coming down and I could see him gyrate and belt out tunes I will never forget. My rat, Homer, roamed around on the floor and picked up all the old maids we dropped while eating popcorn.

That was just a memory written down because I happen to be listening to a bit of Brasil '66 right about now, and I sort of relate Homer to Brasil '66 and Tom Jones. Other than that, disregard what I just said. It has nothing to do with anything. It has nothing to do with anything because it is after 8 p.m. and I still haven't brushed my teeth or changed my clothes. (I've been busy knitting and I honestly wonder if I'll ever be able to segue into something other than sitting upstairs in my room and knitting like a banshee.)

Wait! There's more! I just remembered: During that Tom Jones time, me and Raylene Harvey used to put chalk on our lips, and then we'd wet the front of our hair with spit so we could swoop our bangs from a really deep side part over to the other side, and tuck the whole shebang behind our ears. Then, we'd climb up on a multi-level step-ladder (she'd be on the first step and I'd be behind her on the next one up) and we'd mouth the words to Brasil '66 or '67 songs and sway just like the girls used to in that band, facing an imaginary audience. I know, I've lost most of you by now because you are all much younger than I am but I just had to mention it. Not to mention, too, Raylene used to steal me blind. She took my drugstore sapphire ring and just about anything she could swipe, not to mention she'd take all the 'Frederick's of Hollywood' catalogs from underneath her dad's bathroom rug and hide them in a drawer, a drawer that was in their camper that they kept on the driveway. When her mom was at work, we'd go in the camper and she'd pull them out of the drawer. I never got the whole thing, but Raylene was a dangerous girl and I liked it.

Plus, one day, I told her a joke and she laughed so hard a piece of chicken and a noodle came out her nose--I already mentioned that a year or two ago, so, in the end, she gets a bit of a pass for ripping me off blind because she made me laugh. I wonder where she is today. (My mom used to comfort me whenever I lamented the fact that she took advantage of me by saying: "You know, her ears stick out of her hair.")

Oh, it's so hard sitting upstairs and knitting like crazy while your scalp itches. That's all I have to say. Except I knit that Chanel-ish suit for Girlfriend's Barbie awhile back using some Koiguuuuuu scraps. I used the book Knits for Barbie as a reference. (It's a good thing that dang Barbie gets out more than I do; otherwise, she'd be wearing her pajamas all day like me.)

BTW: The blue Artyarns stuff is some of the yarn that I will putting on eBay. I have a bit of a stash and we're feeling the money crunch, so I'm going to say goodbye to some well loved and coveted yarn. This is just a taste of what is to come. I hate selling off the stuff I wished would become something sensational.

 

The Stuff that Makes You High

I have this thing where I have to listen to a certain type of music to crank out whatever it is that I'm writing. If I want to feel kooky, I listen to David Byrne, or something sort of light and poetically funny or maybe some sort of a polka. (Go ahead and make fun, but other than tap dancing I can't think of another dance or beat that absolutely prevents you from frowning or think about death or floating fishes or that sort of thing). Which reminds me: Jed (our fish) died a couple weeks ago. He stopped eating and then I knew it was all over.

Say good bye to Jed. Good bye! (Those poor Beta fish. They just die on me every winter.) [Switching to Some George Jones now.]

There's nothing like watching a fish die. I guess it's bad enough when you watch a cat or a dog die, but those fish: I can't take it. Quite possibly, it's because that is where I sit and knit: in front of the fish. And after a couple of those Beta's, I began to look up from my knitting to check if they were swimming or if they looked interested or were pooping or doing whatever it is what I thought fish do when they're healthy. Could he have died because I was staring at him so much and he got all worn out from puffing out his gills at me? Or maybe he got sick of me constantly tapping my fingers against the glass to perk him up a bit? [Switch to Hole, Celebrity Skin.]

So, today after a good workout I hopped into the toilet stall and after I was done, I reached for the toilet paper and it fell out of my hands, down to the floor, and rolled out of the area, through a couple stalls and halted only after it hit the wall, probably 13.5 feet from my feet. The good part of this story is that the roll falling out of my hands interrupted my thinking about some boxers I thought I'd crochet for myself.

When you pick yourself up off the floor laughing about this particular crocheted-boxer project, know this: I bought five balls of Catania cotton in a rusty color for the purpose and I announced to all the ladies at the LYS about what I was planning on doing. They all nodded while they were looking down at their knitting and said almost in unison: "How cute! What I great idea!"

The only thing I can imagine is that they either: a) are lying to me, b) forgot to put in their hearing aids, or c) understand that after knitting so many things no one ever wears, why not add a pair of boxer shorts to the stack?

I'm thinking it is c. [Switching to the Isley Brothers and recalling how HWWV informed me that it is totally uncool to crochet boxers for one's self. I told him to mind his own beeswax and he has no idea about any of that crap.]

BTW: Those pretty pictures of cotton are of the new Skinny Cotton by Blue Sky Alpacas. I am designing a children's pattern for them using this stuff and I tell you what: If you love the Dyed Cotton, you will love this even more. It doesn't pill at all. The colors are lovely, and wowee wow wow. If you can get your hands on some of this stuff, do. Trust me: I'm a cotton junky and this is the best cotton I've found--they have an organic color-grown version of it, too but do know this: Grab the greenish color as soon as you can because it will be going away very SOON. Apparently, the cotton grown in the area that comes in the greenish color is going to be replaced with a more lucrative crop, i.e., "the other stuff that makes you high," and it ain't yarn, friends. [Switching to a little Mary J. Blige.]

Crochet Edging, it is.

So it's done, the Preemie Blankie. It's done, and I tell you what: It was one of those things I just couldn't wrap my head around. I think it has more to do with the fact that I have been over-scheduling myself (like watching the View each day [that Whoopi is a hoot], sitting on the bike at the gym and staring straight ahead instead of pedaling, or falling asleep during Cheers re-runs) rather than dealing with my own personal experience with that business: Premature babies. I know, I know, I have one of my little girls in an urn next to my bed but still my mind doesn't go there very much anymore. Life does go on, although you never stop thinking you might be missing them even more if you actually really knew them or wondering what would have ever become of them, if they would have been the next Supermodel, or maybe the next Mother Teresa, or if they would just be snappy, cool and friendly like Girlfriend is.

The other day she asked me what was in that tiny urn as she picked it up and shook it next to her ear. I still can't bear to tell her. Instead, I grabbed it out of her hands and placed it on the far side of my bedside table to a place she couldn't reach.

On another subject. The underwear I spotted on, or just above, that bamboo Yoga floor the other day, well, they are pretty darn cool (not hers; mine). Read through the last post's comments for what type they are. I will say, if you're under about a size 4-ish, they might be too big. And if you're over a size 10 or so, go for the non-low rise type. The ones I got are the low rise and let's just say that if I decided to do a surprise back bend or maybe some other really cool sort of backwards flip which I wouldn't do even if George Clooney begged me to with the promise of a handshake (I recently saw an unfortunate closeup of his teeth), they'd fall down in the front and I'd have to run to the bathroom and fix them. Even so, I say go get them--but don't wear them with see-through white yoga pants unless you want to start another grassroots marketing campaign for them.

Back to the Preemie Project and the blankie (I'm calling it the "Tender Blankie"): I will post the free pattern on this site on or after February 8th, which is the day of their Craft-a-thon. They'll also post the pattern, so you can get it there, too. They are also hosting a contest for preemie and infant patterns, so if you want to submit something, go here.

Whoops! I am listening to Led Zeppelin 1. The song, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" just came on and I need to sign off. I once had a boyfriend who used to sing that to me whilst strumming on his guitar whenever we went camping. Go ahead and laugh your heads off, but I honestly thought it was a love song until he broke up with me.

I Need to Get a Life

I was just thinking about how I wrote about how some yogini in front of me reveals her underpants and next thing I know I see the very same ones in this book I've been reading. Word on the street is, they're the most comfortable ones in town. Next thing I know, I'm ordering four pair for myself. Well, whatdoyaknow. Who'd have thunk? I guess you gotta say good things sometimes come out of bad although the jury is still out. I haven't received the package yet.

The Preemie blankie is coming along and has been sewn together. My next hurdle will be to decide if there will be a knitted edge or a crocheted one. My experience is, or at least once in awhile I'll hear someone groan about crocheted embellishments in knitting patterns. I have said before that I just don't get it and it's understandable that not every knitter can or wants to crochet, but I've been seeing the two together more and more, and I really like the way it looks. I even asked Drew (The Crochet Dude--I ran into him at TNNA) what he thought and he said although he's mostly a crocheter, he likes to knit, too, and you're seeing the two together more and more, so why worry?

Still, I do. It's just that I've heard the groans and I don't like it.

But you know what? I think I'm going to crochet an edging on the thing. It'll be quicker, more fun, and it's my pattern. And it's for free. So there.

BTW: Speaking of TNNA and how I'm the biggest knitting dork around, meaning that I'm clueless about who's who, etc., a lovely gal walks up to me and says, "You're Wendy Bernard. I know you. I've been reading your blog for years." So, I stick out my hand and say: "Yes, I'm Wendy. And you are?"

"My name is Marilyn Murphy," she says. "I'm the president of TNNA and the publisher of Interweave Knits."

Kill me now.

Knitting for Guys

Totally off-topic, but I think I am a homing device for all things/situations weird, wonky, or whatever else you'd want to call it. I ask you: Why is it, I go to yoga classes because I know that practicing yoga helps me to take my mind off of knitting, but why oh why is it, I get myself all organized and laying on the floor minding my own beeswax and no matter what, even though there are only 8 or 9 people in the room, the most annoying character will lay down six inches from my face when they could just as easily plop down their stuff six feet away? Why?

And I don't quite know how to say this without being too scandalous, but girls who take yoga: Please don't wear see-through tight white yoga pants with your lacy g-string and do Downward Facing Dog at all the wrong times so my head is lined up precisely at your personals. And it's not that I'm prone to stare or anything, but I tell you what: When you're presented with such a sight, it is impossible--impossible, I tell you--to look away, even if you knew you'd surely go blind like you would if you stared into the sun. (I will say this, however; I didn't think about knitting once the whole time.)

On topic: I managed three squares for the preemie blanket and I need to finish just one more. I have knit each one of these squares at least twice and I'm convinced I keep making these mistakes because the pattern is what most knitters would call a "no-brainer." For me, there are no no-brainers. I make more mistakes on these than I do on more intricate patterns.

BTW: Yesterday, I was at the LYS and a young couple popped in to look for men's sweater patterns so she could knit him a sweater. They picked up Debbie Stoller's book, Son of Stitch 'n Bitch, and while they thumbed through the book and blew into each other's ears, us old(er) gals gave each other a look and rolled our eyes a bit, and one of us whispered: "She should knit him something small and get it over with." Then, I realized that there was a day when I wanted to knit my man a sweater, too.

I just got a copy of Son of a Stitch 'n Bitch myself and have to say that it is a pretty decent book, especially for beginner knitters. And if you're like me and a little less likely than our young lover to knit a sweater for a guy, there are so many non-sweater projects in this book that if I had the time, I'd definitely crank out the Uncle Argyle Scarf, the Half-Pipe Hat, and Tubey--a pair of tube socks that look just like the old school types I used to wear in P.E. . . . all for myself! Except for a color-work vest, the sweater projects are perfect for beginners and straightforward and many of them will appeal to younger knitters/sweater wearers.