Ramblin' Ramblin' Ramblin'!

Hey Robin!
Hope your weekend-of-4thness was worthwhile and fun! We had our usual slew of fireworks shows here, but since it doesn't get dark until 10, the fireworks don't start until 9:30 or so... and tend to continue until the wee hours. I slept through the wee hours ones, and fortunately so did the Little Guy.

So I don't know if I mentioned to you before that I ripped the Jaywalker. It was sad, but had to be done. After reading the Mason-Dixon post last month about "letting go" of the unloved WIPs I had the strength to do it. I am so glad I did because I immediately cast-on a toe-up sock using Wendy's generic sock recipe and i am SO MUCH HAPPIER! After turning the heel I decided to use this as a test for a stitch pattern I liked and wanted to turn into a sock. I think it's going to work:

Don't mind the safety-pin... that's uuuh... it's nothing. No really...

The next pair with this stitch will have it going down the top of the sock I think... just for more texture. I love this yarn of course, I usually go on and on about it... Hazel Knits Artisan Sock yarn. Did I mention that Wendee has been kind enough to let me come be a pest for an hour or so tomorrow? (That would be Wendee of Hazel Knits... not Wendy of the generic-toe-up sock!) I get to see her studio! I hope she lets me help her for a little while, she's got a lot of work to do and I hate to take up her time unless I can help out!

I also finished the knitting part on another felted tote. Again it's me using up a bunch of leftover bits of unidentified wool (at least that's what I hope it all is!). I'm going to throw it in the wash with the next load of blue jeans... i'll let you know how it turns out! But for now it's like this:

I loves me some blue.

Last week or sometime around-abouts-then I sent off my second Malabrigo Swap package! Wahoo! No offense to my swappee, but she isn't very 'involved' in the swap board, and that sure doesn't make it easy for a swapper to stalk! Anyway, she mentioned she likes Pirates and I glommed-onto that like a suckerfish and had a hard time focusing on anything else... so PIRATE THEME it is!!

I found the darling pirate knitting-project bag on Etsy From Miss Fiber Fox! Isn't it great? So well made too... I love supporting artisans on Etsy... it really feels like I am supporting a great group of people even though I don't know a-one of them from Adam!

The ball itself (called a Magic Yarn Ball) is supposed to wrap up a whole-scad-of-stuff to be found gradually by your swappee as they knit from the ball.... yeah PHOOEY on THAT! I know when I get mine that I am unwarpping that puppy faster than Little Guy unwraps his birthday presents! Hopefully the swappee will realize that it's way more fun to just upravel the MYB than to wait. The yarn is Malabrigo worsted in the Stonechat colorway (She said she liked Earth-tones and that's what this said to me...) and there's also a skein of laceweight in intenso inside because looking at her projects page... she may SAY she likes the Earthtones but she sure has a lot of PINK!

There's all kinds of helpful little goodies wrapped up inside, and a box of Trader Joes chocolates (which is the real reason I hope she unravels the dang-thing soon!). I also wrote her a Pirate-note describing everything and I had a lot of fun writing that up. I would love to post the whole message but I already feel like I am boring you with all this drivel!

And after the pacgage has been there for 4 days (yes I tracked that sucker like a missile) i realized that maybe the reason I hadn't gotten a "Thank you" note was that i NEVER TOLD HER WHO IT WAS FROM! *sigh*

I hope she liked it

Later!