knit and tonic

Dooze's Second Knit Beret

I ran by the LYS today and saw a gal who hasn't been there for awhile on Tuesday mornings. She has had her second bout of cancer recently and is back on chemo. I think it has been at least four or more months since she's been in on her normal day. Her name is Angie and she already recovered once so I'm hoping for the best again. When I saw her, I didn't know what to say except how happy I was to see her again. She told me that she finally shaved her head but that she felt well enough to drive. I didn't see a knitting project there with her but then again, I didn't look for it. I think it's well enough that she showed up at the LYS. I go there these days without a project, too. My reasons for going there without a project are different.

So I finished Dooze's little beret (She's going to kill me because her tongue looks like it's folding over in this picture). Funny, her head measures 20 inches, which isn't that much tinier--maybe only and inch or two--than most women's heads, but there's something about her that is so petite that she couldn't possibly wear a total slouchy hat without conjuring images of the Olsen twins. She asked for an ivory version with gold-ish stuff throughout so that is what I did. Just one strand of natural Malabrigo worsted and another strand (which is actually three semi-plied ones) of the Trendsetter Dune: 60 sts cast on size 9 circs, 2x2 rib in the round for five rounds, then an increase of 1 stitch every other stitch and work that for about 4 inches from the cast on edge. Then, I separated the stitches into six equal sections with markers and *k2tog, worked to 2 sts before the next marker and ssk, sm, then repeated from the * to the end of round. After that, I knit a plain round, and repeated those last two rounds. (I switched to double points when I had to.) When there were about 12 sts left, I just k2tog all the way around and then thread the tail through the live stitches and pulled it tight and fastened it down. This is a petite hat for a petite gal. It even fit my five-year old, so it'll do well for your little one too. (Dooze is my little one in a lot of ways as I feel like I nearly raised her although we weren't always together. We're 12 years apart and I left the house when she was only five but when mom died it was like a magnet drew us back together and now she gathers my knitting as if it were our mom baking cookies or something. It's like magic, really, and I love her.)

Let's Change His Name to Houdini or Maybe Hiriuki

I have been tagged for a meme. I don't know why I don't normally do them. I think it is because I am convinced I have told you my entire story except for the naughty stuff, so why answer a meme? Still, all I have is dog news right about now, so the timing might be right. Susan tagged me, so here you go. Seven things about me (and I'll try to tell you stuff you don't already know).

1. I lived in Texas for a long time but never rode a horse, or touched one, for that matter.

2. My husband is a relative (something like great, great, great grandson) of a famous Malaysian warlord. Seriously. He's in the history books. (This one may not count because it is about my husband.)

3. One time, I pushed Madonna out of the way at a Gucci store in Beverly Hills. We were fighting over a pair of on-sale sky-blue mules. She won because she has smaller feet, like about a size 6, if that. (I told you this already, I think. She had greasy hair.)

4. Speaking of Madonna, I was once trampled by about a thousand Madonna wannabes at a concert. True story. I was walking toward the concession stand, they were running toward the stage. Lots of spike heels and lace everywhere. I still cringe when I hear "Holiday" or whatever the heck that song is.

5. I am blind in one eye and don't see in three dimensions, meaning, I can't really catch a ball. When I paint pictures, people say they look weird. I think they look fine.

6. My favorite day is Thursday. My second favorite day is Saturday.

7. I cannot, for the life of me, say "statistics," although for a number of years I was a statistician. I also marketed Statistics textbooks. I don't know if the authors and professors I worked with wondered why I never said the dreaded "S" word. Good thing I started knitting.

Home Life: When I say that this dog should go into the business of robbing banks or heisting the Hope Diamond or maybe into the business of Magic (hopefully not the type I see when visiting the Magic Castle or family restaurants who employ overly friendly magician wannabes), I am not lying. Talk about Houdini. This guy has managed to escape from each and every box or crate, and jump over the highest fence. Honestly, if only they made pole vaults for dogs, then we'd get him into the decathlon. Hey wait: Come to think of it, he doesn't need a pole vault. He IS a pole vault.

Someone should have told me what it is like having a 10-month old puppy around who has been running amok his whole life. Girlfriend, after discovering he tore the eyes and mouth off of one of her not-so-beloved stuffed animals, asked me when we'd be taking him back to his old family.

But look at him. We will not be taking him back.

Just When I Thought I was Going to Crack

This showed up and made my day. It's not the final, final cover of the book, but I wanted to show you what I've been working on this past year. I'll tell you when it will be available for preorder!

On other news, I had to rip out an entire half-knit sweater that is due to Interweave Press in less than two weeks! Ugh! Then, after I decided to get my be-hind out the door and get some exercise, the offramp on the freeway to my gym was closed, so I had to take a huge detour, then, when I pulled up in the parking lot, I realized I left my iPod at home. Argh! I cannot work out without that thing (it doubles as a "do not talk to me" device). Disgusted, I drove to the grocery store to do a little shopping, instead, and came home without the one most important item on the list: Tonic Water.

And now, instead of working on my project, I'm tempted to cast on for Lisa Shohbana Mason's Celebration Table Runner in Yarnplay at Home out of some delicious brown Allhemp6 (knitting for the home all of a sudden makes a lot of sense since I'll use something like this). But my worry is, that whatever planet that is in retrograde and causing all this commotion will give me a bad start. Maybe I'll wait until tomorrow.

Rock-Oh! is Home

Say hello to Rocko. He is shy and except for this picture, he has settled himself into his new crate and acted like he doesn't want to come out. I guess I don't blame him, with his background and all.

But he is here with us and I will let him chomp on yarn if he dares. Chuck doesn't even try to chomp on my yarn, and I think he doesn't try because he simply isn't interested (it isn't that sexy, after all; it is always around. Girlfriend and The Bunny don't bother it, either. But still, I wonder why, because the stuff turns me on something awful.)

I suppose having your yarn around all the time, and on the floor, and behind the door, and stuffed in the book case like nobody's business, means the doggies and The Bunny will be so used to it that their noses will eternally stick up toward the sun and the moon and everything in between, and they will never react to your stash. Let's hope this is the same story for our new addition, our Rocko.

What you Write When No One is Looking

I have to laugh because ever since I started blogging a few/couple years ago (I haven't kept track) I have carried little notebooks and memo pads along with me wherever I go just in case I have an inspirational sight or want to eek out a thought or two for further discussion on a post.

The funny thing is, I don't think I have ever actually looked back on a note I wrote down and used it for a post. Instead, I have filled a bunch of little 99-cent memo books, the ones that are maybe 2 x 3" and now they're stacked up here and there filled with my thoughts. Thoughts long forgotten. Today, I opened up one and on the first page I wrote:

"Hawaiian Dancers. No Fancy Shoes Involved."

Don't ask me what I was thinking.

On another page: "I'm wary of that girl wearing that visor to the gym. Hats? They hide the hair. But visors? All you get is a good forehead pimple hidden."

And: "Don't ask me why I get scared when someone asks for a 'cup of Joe.'"

And then: "Butt implants: A good way to be sure you'll never sit down again."

A few pages later, I wrote:

"Best conversation I heard all day: 'Is Winnie the Pooh a girl or a boy?

He's a boy.

So Piglet must be a girl.

How do you know Piglet is a girl?

Because Piglet wears pink.

Yeah, well, Piglet is a pig, so hence, the Pink.

I was talking about the shirt.'"

Makes me wonder if I should hunt down all those little notebooks and re-read them.

BTW: We may be getting another dog. We've already named him Rock-o and he is a 10-month old wiener dog with a nifty little beard. Will tell you more after our house tour and second interview (he's a rescue dog, meaning we're rescuing him, not the other way around). I wonder what Chuck and The Bunny will think.

The Frustration and The Brioche

When we first moved in the house eight years ago we decided that a certain Chinese carpenter would put up crown molding. This particular carpenter hadn't attempted to measure anything in his life much less cut a piece of wood on the diagonal, but my persuasive nature managed to talk him into the deal.

It took us two full days, many bent nails, lots of beers and words that were so vile, I didn't even know what they meant, just to complete a tiny room with only three pieces of molding.

But we did another room, the guest room, and when he was pounding in a nail, it hit something. No matter how hard he pounded, it wouldn't budge. Figuring he may have hit some sort of a pipe, he didn't dare pull it out for fear he'd start some sort of a geyser. So, he simply cut off most of the part of the nail that stuck out. Now, when you lay down in the guest room bed and look up, and if the light is just right, you can see a significant bulge where I put putty around the nail so it wouldn't be visible from the door.

Months later, my lovely carpenter discovered they have these nifty air compressor-hammers that send the nail into the molding and the wall effortlessly. He'd been using a hammer and giant nails all this time.

Speaking of frustration, I was talking to a friend of mine who happens to be quite the knitter. I can't divulge her name so her reputation will stand firm, but I will say she's a technical genius and well known in the "community." When she called me this morning frustrated that she couldn't figure out Brioche stitch, the one that appears in my Brioche pattern, I told her I'd go ahead and demonstrate it for her in a movie so she can figure out what she's doing wrong. Now, no matter what I do, I can't upload the movie to my email server because it exceeds 20MB. That said, I decided to high-jack this blog for a minute so I can share with her and with any of you who are wondering about Brioche stitch how it's done. (Note, there are a couple ways to do this stitch. This is not the kind where you knit into the stitch below.)

I sound like I have a lisp in the movie--I really don't--but if you're looking for a laugh today, just listen to how I sound with a lisp.

Download MVI_1803.AVI

Note: I work continentally; she works the other way, whatever that is called. I think the fact that she works the other way makes Brioche more confusing. You decide.

BTW: The yarn up top is that new Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Cotton. It is AMAZING. I'm so lucky; I have this yarn for two projects I'm doing for them. One that will accompany me on a segment on Knitting Daily TV (the free pattern will be available online at Interweave Knits) and another sweater I'm doing for this blog. I haven't yet decided, but I think it'll be a girls' cardigan or something like that.

The Corporate Life (Don't Get Me Started)

So, now that we are in the 80-degree area of the temps I wonder if Dooze is going to want this snowy beret, the one I rushed to get on the needles but neglected for two weeks, and then wouldn't you know, the cold spell died. She received the initial purple one and wore it about town and requested another one in white but with some added gold glitz and now that things have turned into warm, I wonder if I should put it all aside and cast on for cotton socks instead? HWWV just asked me nicely about how I'd go about darning socks, and if I could show him how; I'm thinking he's hinting there's a hole in one of his socks.

I told him that unless there were a tiny little slit, the darning would be impossible for me. For starters, I don't have one of those darning bulbs like Lucy had in "I Love Lucy," and I'll add with all honesty that darning sounds a lot worse than casting on for another pair even though I'm one sock short of a pair I promised for a gift for which I am at least 6 months late on the promise.

I owe so many people knitted items, and things have sort of sprouted up out of nowhere so now I've begun to wonder if I'm cut out for this sort of thing. Not that I get paid all that much. Because, in all honesty, when I was in the corporate world I made in the higher regions toward six figures but now that I'm the nether regions of finances with the knitting, which is probably a lot in the scheme of things, I look at myself in the mirror and know that I am a much happier person, not worrying so much about making appearances in a particular three-hour meeting with one director who spits tobacco into a cup, another one sleeping with his head on his stomach, and another one who raises his voice, beats his fist on the table and then excuses himself because of some unknown reason in response we can only look at each other and shrug. Oh, and the fourth person is most definitely a corporate climber who rushes out with their notepad and Mont Blanc pen ready to take notes on whatever calamity that caused the last person to rush out of the meeting (which was probably faked, anyway).

Me, being the fifth person, I usually just sat there and wondered how I could escape to a local coffee joint, buy a cup and add way too much half and half and an extra packet of sugar just to get through the day.

I will say, my only indulgence in all the years of corporate life was to "gaslight" the manager in the office next to mine. She used to place a book in her drawer and lean over with the drawer open and read her book throughout the day. I figured out her gig pretty quickly, so whenever I'd hear her pull the drawer out, I'd quietly hop into her office and, surprised, she'd slam her drawer shut and jump out of her chair.

I tell you the truth: I spent more time dreaming of ways to freak her out (like prying open her locked drawer and replacing her book with another one on some sort of esoteric art history, or maybe move her book out of the drawer and hide it in a different drawer, or even put her book marker in another place, like just one page before the end. I also thought of various and sundry other gas-lighting activities, but then one day I realized she was putting her cigarettes in an envelope and sneaking out the back door as if she were mailing a letter. I decided, then, that she wasn't that much different than I was, but maybe just a little bit more desperate).

Ah yes, the corporate life. Don't you love it?

BTW: The yarn up top is Malabrigo Worsted in Natural and Trendsetter Dune held together. I cast on only 40 or so stitches. I'll have to go back and count when I'm done, if I ever do get done. I may end up waiting until next winter to finish it. Good thing is, Dooze is full grown and her head won't be growing unless she goes and acquires a fab-o-licious weave of some sort, so I guess that means it can definitely be put on hold when all is done and said. (P.S. Thank you for all your nice comments on the Preemie thing. I appreciate all you said.)

De-Stash Number Four (and there may be more)

Just when I think I've cleaned out, more stuff literally jumps out at me, like one of those spring-loaded snakes we'd push into the can of fake nuts and watch the recipient--more likely than not, our "unsuspecting" grandmother--jump three feet when she opened it while the snake leaped out of the can instead of the pecans she expected.

So anyway. Here goes:

Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino - 5 balls total - 3 lavender (the pic shows only two) one purple and one in a nice avocado green - $32.00, including Priority Shipping
55% Merino, 33% Microfiber, 12% Cashmere / 50 grams - 125 meters SOLD!

I bought this maybe two years ago, thinking I would make a little striped sweater for Girlfriend. You know, one that was mostly lavender and with green and purple stripes. It didn't happen. And since she's grown so much and there's no way I could use what I have here for a proper sweater for such a big girl (and a tank won't make sense), you can have the lot for $32.00 including priority shipping.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Twisted Sisters Jazz Hand Paint - 2 hanks - Color 12 - a blend of dark and medium khaki, and grey - $26.50, including Priority shipping

100% Wool / 50 grams - 163 yards per hank SOLD!

I bought these hanks recently for $14.20 a hank, when I had a hair to make about three hundred of those sideways short row caps that Veronik Avery designed (what's up with that price point? Ever thought of rounding it to maybe $14.25 or maybe $14.00 or maybe $14.50?). In reality, I made one and a half of these caps, but now that it's 85 degrees and I haven't yet worn anything but a funky beret this winter, I have to pass this on to you. It's good yarn. It's great stuff. I just love it. And it is practically brand new, meaning, there isn't one Chuck hair on it or The Bunny's or even mine. I swear.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Cotton Sock Yarn Extravaganza! - 3 Pair or more at your disposal - 2 Plymouth Sockotta (colors 11 and 21), 1 Regia Cotton Color (color 92) - $21.00, including Priority shipping

Sockotta: 45% Cotton, 40% Superwash Wool, 15% Nylon - 414 yards per skein / Regia Cotton Color: 25% Polyamide, 37% Cotton, 38% Wool - 450 meters SOLD!

Talk about guilt. I bought all this cotton-filled sock yarn because HWWV said he liked the cotton socks I knit for him. Thing is, all the wool socks wore out, but the cotton ones didn't. Therefore, I have a lot of cotton yarn that I don't need, but I'm convinced at the same time I need to run out and buy some more wool to keep his toes warm. Oy. You can never win with this knitting thing. The Plymouth runs for about 9 bucks a ball, so this might be a pretty good deal.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Semi-Manly and Manly Socks, both Regia, from left to right: Jubilee Color in a blend of off-white, tan and gray; the other, Line Steps Color in a deep taupe with muted gray and neutral stripes - $17.00, including Priority shipping SOLD!

Both 75% machine washable wool, 25% Polyamide / 100g - 420 meters

These were meant to be socks for HWWV and although I just bemoaned the fact that I had more cotton in the house than the wool, these have been on the shelf long enough to skip over. Don't ask me why, but I think you know what I mean. Sock knitters know this and will nod voraciously when they read this.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Rowan DK Soft - The picture is deceiving because there are actually TEN balls of the off-white and THREE balls of the blue, a total of THIRTEEN balls - $43.00

85% Wool, 15% Polyamide - White is color SH171, Blue is color SH174 / 50 grams - 190 yards / DK Weight or thereabouts SOLD!

If you have any of those gorgeous Rowan magazines hanging around, chances are, you will have seen a pattern or two made from this yarn. I started a sweater as a beginner in the blue you see here (in real life it is more of a medium blueish gray) but sort of got sick of the whole thing because I was using size 6 needles and I needed some instant gratification at the time. Hah! Five years later, and I'd rather knit on size 6's rather than 8's or 9's or anything else, for that matter, unless of course, you wiggle a pair of 5's in front of my face. I really need to get a life. This stuff is discontinued, hence the deep discount. It's all in good shape. Everything has been in little plastic bags since I bought it (except for the blue stuff, but those were in a Rubbermaid thingy.)

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Thank you yarn-friends. I think there might be one more big De-Stash-arino, but I promise I'll give you a heads up. I'm nearly done, and I swear, I haven't bought one skein in a long time. This feels good. Like I said before: My stash is yours, friends!

On Early Babies and Knitting for Them

I'm writing this post because the Preemie Project is hosting their  Craft-a-Thon and I designed a little preemie receiving blanket for their cause. You can find the pdf under "Free Patterns" on the sidebar to the left.

Some of you already know about Girlfriend and how things went with her. My uterus ruptured at 29 weeks or so and we almost bit the burrito as my OB said to me about a week later when I was recovering. He delivered my twins a year or so earlier, one stillborn boy (Luke) and Eden, my girl, who passed away only 2 weeks into her young life from an infection. When people say, "Oh, I had a premature baby who was three weeks early!" I bite my tongue and show compassion and understanding because what some of us go through is really transforming, and not always in a good way, and there is never any room for shaking a finger at someone who hasn't experienced the same thing.

Just about every day, I still wait for that third or fourth shoe to drop, nearly six years after Girlfriend was born and who was finally brought home after two months in the NICU, a week before Thanksgiving. I always laugh a lot and I joke and find a lot of light in this world but I tell you what, I understand the darkness other mothers and fathers feel when faced with a tragedy or a sick baby. I know this and I lived this and if there is anything at all I can do to bring comfort to others, I may as well knit. I have tons of yarn and just thinking about that little blanket someone gave to Girlfriend when she was in the NICU still brings me joy. Others, a year earlier, gave Eden a quilted blanket and a little dress that she was eventually cremated in, but I'll be honest and say that today, I can't wrap my mind around these gifts, nor do I want to because it is so, so hard (but I do still appreciate and can't believe how kind others can be and feel touched whenever I think of these items).

Some days, I want to shut the bad things away and if it is okay with you, it is okay with me. I have never subscribed to the idea that you have to live with sad or bad things and face them immediately. Sometimes a little Thing here or there shut in a closet is a good thing. I mean, you can always take them out a few days/weeks/years later, you know?

Anyway, I know this is a knitting blog and I will go back to the knitting tomorrow--there will be another stash sale starting early Saturday--but for now, I want to say to those who are knitting for the preemies or those little ones who don't make it, the Tender Blankie pattern is an easy one. Not to mention, it is reasonably quick and portable. If you can knit one for a local charity or NICU (call them and see what fibers they'll accept if you want it to be used in the hospital), you'll make a huge impact on a couple's life. Trust me: You will.

The yarn I used in this pattern is available at Elann.com for practically nothing, like three or so bucks a pop.

De-Stash Numero Three-o

After donating to the senior center and packing up two boxes of yarn for some high-schoolers learning to knit, I still have some leftovers. Although I dreamed of living a Shinto lifestyle while dating a nice Japanese boy back in the 80's, I never really caught on, and he was a pack rat anyway. Still, these days, we don't wear shoes in the house yet the yarn has stacked up and it is ready to go to new homes and onto new needles. I had dreams for each and every skein here. I probably took each one to bed with me at one time or another so I might conjure up some great project. But, based on my current schedule and climate, I have to be true to myself and to you. This stuff needs a new home. I will not replace this yarn because I already have too much hidden here and there. My stash is your stash, friends.

Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool - 2 Hanks - $33.00
100% Peruvian Highland Wool / 478 yards per hank / Shade 8049 - A Medium Warm Gray SOLD!

I used two hanks of this stuff for a pattern that will be in my book (Late Summer! Yowza!). I bought this at a semi-local yarn store that I just love because this particular store happens to carry a lot of the yarn I can't find at my more local joint and they have a lot of red licorice that I can eat when no one is looking. (And I have to be honest and stupid at the same time: I hardly asked for free stuff for the book. People tell me that I can, but I felt too bad to ask.)

These two hanks are huge and enough to make a small-ish cardigan or a large-ish something or other. I would keep it for myself, but I already knit that thing that will be in the book about three times and frankly, I can't stand the thought of it anymore.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Noro Aurora - 5 balls (one has been messed with and re-wound) - $40.00
55% Wool, 20% Kid Mohair, 20% Silk, 5% Polyester/ 104 meters per ball / Color #2-a mix of grays and browns with a green metallic thread SOLD!

When I purchased this lot of yarn, I thought I'd knit a little cardigan out of it, you know, something with sleeves that ended just above the elbow all in seed stitch and a body that was also in seed stitch but that was a bit cropped and snappy and cool and if you were to bend over while wearing it, you'd sound like a really fresh snap pea, the kind you can buy at the organic-y store, not the ones that are already trimmed and sorta limp and wasting away in a plastic bag.

Anyway, that day is gone and the dream has died. This stuff has sparkled and sparkled in the back of my mind but it just won't happen. Note that although these balls look a little messy, they're just that way because I handled them too much, plus, I figure it's the nature of the yarn.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Claudia Hand Painted Yarns- 2 hanks - $24.00
100% Merino Fingering Weight Merino Wool / 185 yards per hank / Color #006-Pink Dot SOLD!

Call me some sort of nut or just plain too free with her money, but I ordered this online and saw it in a yarn store probably the day after I ordered it and bought it in the exact same exact color way. So now I have four hanks. You can have two of them for only $22.00, including Priority shipping. If I were smarter, I'd ask for more, but I can't do that based on my current and really real feelings of shame.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Elsebeth Lavold Designers Choice Silky Tweed - 8 hanks (1 wound already) - $35.50
40% Silk, 30% Cotton, 20% Merino, 10% Viscose / 131 yards per hank / Color 09 - A Nifty Oatmeal SOLD!

This is the same yarn I made my mom's namesake sweater out of, the Marilyn's Not-Too Shrunken Cardigan. I love this stuff because it isn't too sweat-inducing, what with the cotton added, not to mention that viscose. It sure does feel like a limp rag in the hank, but it knits up beautifully. For all of you wishing for a sweater but sweating it out in a warmer climate, you will love this yarn. I got it a 25% discount, so I'll pass it on to you, plus some more because I think this color may have been discontinued. This lot should make a small cardigan or maybe a nice short-sleeved number, something that shows off your assets.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Steinbach Wolle Strapaz Norweger Ringel - 2 skeins - $18.50

80% Wool, 20% Polyamid / 164 yards per skein / Color 2337 - A Really Retro Blend of Oranges, Greens, well, look at the pic and see for yourself SOLD!

Just a couple days ago, we were walking across a parking lot and I spotted a bumper sticker on a car that said, "It's hard to be humble when you're Norwegian."

While I cracked up, understanding the sentiment exactly, HWWV sort of stared at me for a minute, and then started laughing, too. I asked him how the heck he understood it (because it wouldn't be funny if the bumper sticker said: "It's hard to be humble when you're Chinese") yet he reported that he knew exactly what I was laughing at because he went to college with a bunch of Swedes and Norwegians and had a taste of what I would consider the Good Life, what with all the pale food and pickled fish and dill and humor no one understands except for your relatives.

Any rate, the yarn above is something I bought after trudging through the snow to a yarn store about two blocks from a family vacation home in Lake Tahoe--and don't ask me what "Norweger" means. Maybe "Norwegian"? It was snowing so hard but I was absolutely driven. When I got there, a nice dog greeted me at the door and I wished that I brought Chuck along to say hello. Although these two skeins are supposed to make a pair of socks, please make girl's or women's socks, or little tennis socks with pom poms for a man. I knit a pair for HMMV from the same manufacturer and worried all along that I might run out.

The first person to claim it can have it at the price above. Please know that I accept money through PayPal only and if I don't receive the funds in 24 hours, I'll offer the yarn to the next person in line. Priority shipping is included in the price above. If you live out of the U.S., mention it in your email and we can figure out a way to get the yarn to you in a mutually acceptable way/price. Email me at: knitandtonicATgmailDOTcom

Okay folks. More to come tomorrow or the next day or the day after. It is feeling good, lightening my load and spreading the yarn love. Like I said, my stash is yours, friends. Peace out.