Guess what I got?

I'll give you a hint. It has a wheel on it, and it spins, and you use it to make yarn. Yes, that's right, I got me a spinning wheel! Woo hoo! I am terribly excited. It's a used Ashford Traditional, and I got it off of eBay. It is actually being shipped here from New Zealand, where they are made. I thought I wanted a Kromski Prelude or Sonata, but the Sonata was too expensive, and I hadn't tried a Prelude, and after perusing different groups on Ravelry and reading their posts, I decided that the Ashford was the one for me.

I just came into some spending money, and I wanted to buy something worthwhile, something that I would have for a while, something that would be useful or a keepsake. Not clothes, not food, nothing like that. So naturally, the first thing I ordered was another Blythe doll. How could I not? I should be receiving my new Can Can Cat early next month. Yippee! She'll be my first fantasy hair girl (for you non-Blythers out there, that means she has ridiculously colored hair; in this case, it's blue).

I was then torn between a loom and a spinning wheel. The looms that I was considering (rigid heddle looms) would have been more affordable at first, but I would have had to learn a whole new craft, and with that comes a boatload of all new supplies, and that costs a boatload of money. Once I've paid for my wheel, then all I really need to get is roving, and then I can make my own yarn, which in turn feeds my knitting/crocheting addiction. So the wheel made more sense for me, don't you think? And wheels are prettier than looms. ;o)

My dear neighbor and friend Regina let me try her wheel out the other night, and I actually did a pretty good job. I also used my new drop spindle that my dad made for me, and I really like it. Regina was spinning Suffolk wool. Many people apparently look down their noses at Suffolk wool, because the sheep are bred for their meat, not for their fleece, hence the fleece is really rough. However, it was really good for me because it is really sticky and very easy to draft. Drafting (pulling the yarn out and making it thin right before it gets twisted into yarn) is really difficult for me - I either don't draft it enough and end up with a huge slub, or draft it too much and it pulls right apart. The Suffolk made it easy. And of course, Regina being the generous soul that she is, gave me some Suffolk. Yay!

It's funny, if you had told me five years ago that I'd be knitting, crocheting, spinning yarn, and collecting Blythe dolls, I would have laughed in your face. And yet here I am. As I get older, I realize that I don't give two craps about what people think of me. I like who I am, and I am going to pursue my interests regardless of what others think of them. My friends like me for who I am, and I've made many good friends because of my interests and hobbies. What more could a girl ask for?

So what did you do this weekend?

I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool! Yippee! It was so much fun. The bus ride down wasn't bad at all (don't ask about the bus ride back; I-95 is bad). There were cool peeps on the bus, and we had a good time. I've heard many people say, via blogs and Ravelry, that Saturday was one of the busiest days anyone has ever seen at MDSW. I don't doubt it. The line to buy festival merchandise was 2 hours long (I did not wait in that one), and the line for food was half an hour long (I did wait in that one). I didn't wait in any lines to buy my yarn. Apparently, I was one of the only event-goers who didn't purchase any Tess or Socks That Rock. Oh well, I can't afford that stuff anyways.

So here are some pictures!

Everybody from Montco Sit n Knit knows these lovely ladies! My buddies Meg, Aileen, and Liz.

Here I am with Amy aka vismajor on Ravelry, and Jess herself!!

Here's me again with Kate, who I met at Loop when Doris Chan was there. Kate is fabulous, and I hope I get to see her again soon!

OMG, here's me with Lolly! She is way cool and is just as fantastic in person as she is in her blog, if not more so. Note the tree behind my head looks like a crown or an Afro. Either way, I'm stylin'.

Here's an angora goat! Goats are funny. Noisy, too.

Here are some nice alpacas. They sure are cute, but man are they dumb. Truly. Apparently the brown one on the left liked to kick, so we kept our distance.

Oh yeah, and I bought some yarn. Heheh. The first booth we came to was actually the one I wanted to visit the most, Cestari. I have purchased their yarn at the Lamb's Wool in Lansdale, and I really love it. It feels nice, it smells nice, I love the colors, and it is mostly cotton, which is good for me because wool is just too dang warm sometimes. The color above is Blackberry; I haven't decided what to make with that yet. The color below is Raspberry, and I think I want to make the Tussie Mussie sweater with it.

Below is some Peruvian Alpaca which I purchased from the Yarn Barn. It is soooo soft. Each skein has ~650 yards!! Holy moly, that right there is enough yarn to make a whole sweater. I'll be making another cardigan out of this, I just need to decide which pattern. Probably something simple.

And for my last purchase, we have some roving from Bartlett Farms. I said I wasn't going to purchase any roving, but each bag is eight ounces, and cost only $7! Resistance was futile.

Honestly, what post would be complete without pictures of my girls? Above is the newest member of our screwy little family. She is a Prima Dolly 2 Saffy, and I've named her Twyla. I made her dress and curled her hair; isn't she cute?

Here are all of the girls together. Hibou is on the left, Dulcinea in the middle, and Twyla on the right. Note that Hibou and Dulcinea are both sporting new tights, sneaks, and necklaces. The tights I ordered from Shopholican on Etsy, the necklaces are from ArtSchoolDropout on Etsy, and the sneaks came from Mimiwoo on eBay. Woo! This is fun. Really, it is.

Well thanks for stopping by, everybody! *mwah* <3

Stash enhancement and Stitch 'n' Pitch

Thanks to the generosity of the parents of the student I work with, I was able to purchase some yarn for specific projects. Usually I just buy whatever tickles my fancy, but this time I was on a mission - a project-specific stash enhancement expedition:

Here's some fabulous Hemp for Knitting Allhemp #6 in the Brick colorway. This is going to be Orangina. The yarn is kind of stiff right now, but I hear that washing it makes it much softer, and that it has wonderful drape. Even if it's still kind of rough, I'll be wearing a tank under the Orangina, so I ain't worried none.

Here we have some lurvely Koigu KPPPM for the ever popular Chevron Scarf. This project is a bandwagon, and I am happy to jump on, simply for the fact that it allows me to buy Koigu. What the hell else can I afford to make? The Babette? Mwah hahahahahaha. I think not.

My neighbor Regina is muy generosa (yeah, I made that up, deal with it) and for watching her cats she gave a whole freakin' box of yarn!! Yay!! I'll be rippling til the cows come home with this Rainbow Classic. It's soft and fuzzy and perfect for an afghan.

Haven't decided what this TLC Amore is going to be yet; perhaps a layette? I'll think of something. I love this yarn too, so soft.

This Red Heart Kids is going to be a baby sweater, hat, and afghan for a pregnant friend of mine. The colors are perfect because she's not finding out if it's a boy or girl, so this will work either way. And hello, can you say machine washable and dryable?

Now this - this is something special. I love Twinkle's Big City Knits, but I don't like the price of her yarns. This here is Misti Alpaca Chunky, and can I just tell you how lofty and soft and dreamy this yarn is? Oh my God, I love it. I can't wait to make the Best Friend Cardigan with this stuff. The pattern also calls for size 19 needles, and guess what? I got some bamboo Clover 19s in my Stitch 'n' Pitch goodie bag last night! Woo hoo! I was meant to make this sweater.

This is Tahki Cotton Classic, and I'll be making the Lotus Blossom Tank from last summer's Interweave Knits. I have a brown velvet blazer that will look great over the tank, so if I don't finish it by the end of the summer (which I won't, given the projects I have on deck already), I can still wear it come fall.

I am in the home stretch with the Crochet Crop Cardigan. Another few rows on the bottom, a few rows on each sleeve, and then it's just a matter of a few finishing touches such as snaps and buttons. Can't wait to post pictures!

Last night was Stitch 'n' Pitch in Philadelphia! It was really a lot of fun, despite heavy traffic and 95 degree weather. That's WT in the pictures above (tank top and cap), and Liz all the way on the right with her cool pink tote bag.

My knitting buddies from MontCo Sit 'n' Knit! From left to right, we have Aileen, Liz, Debbie (hiding behind Liz), MJ in the red top, and Robin in the sunglasses! These people are friggin' awesome.
Here we have Maria in the sunglasses and purple shirt, and her friend Carol from work. Thanks for coming out Carol!

Here's me looking like I haven't slept in 3 weeks with my darling husband WT. Who's such a good sport? WT is!

Here's the Phillie Phanatic looking at a Phillies' butt. The Phillie Phanatic never ceases to amuse me.
Here is the one gajillionth reproduction of the Liberty Bell. It swings back and forth and lights up when the Phillies hit a homer. It was lighting up a lot last night!

Ah, the chokingingly beautiful haze that signifies the arrival of summer in the tri-state area. Gotta love it. Actually, it was nice last night, because if there hadn't been any haze, the sun would have been shining directly into our eyeballs, and that just would have been really unpleasant.
Yay for the Phillies! Yay for knitting!

Whoever came up with the idea to combine baseball and knitting deserves a pat on the back. A good time was had by all, even though not much knitting was done due to the ungodly temperatures. I cooled down with my $6.50 beer and my $4.50 ice cream, and we sang and talked and laughed and took pictures, and dammit, we had a rockin' good time.

If only the Schuylkill and 95 weren't under construction and it hadn't taken more than an hour to get home...

Knitting goodness

Last night was our second Sip n Knit of the season, and let me tell you, it was great. We had a small group, but we had a new chica come out and join us, and Banana got to play with Liz's kids, and the food was sensational, and a good time was had by all. We sat outside as it got dark, knitting, crocheting, sipping, watching the kiddies catch lightning bugs, and making each other laugh. It was lovely.

I got to go to the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute on Tuesday with my dad, his friend JoAnn, and my good friend Heather. We had a really good time. My only disappointment? You know the famous death mask that is the epitome of King Tut? THE DEATH MASK, in gold and lapis lazuli and carnelian? Yeah, it wasn't there. There's pictures of it all over the place, but no death mask. There was a miniature of it, a coffinette (really, that's what they called it) to hold Tut's liver. But no death mask. *Sigh*

Afterwards, we went to the Nodding Head and pigged out on burgers and French dips and beer and fries with spicy mayo. YUM. We then went to Anthropologie, where I purchased a cute little bird decoration thingy and a mug with my initial on it for a mere $6. For some reason, their clothes are positively outrageously priced, but their housewares are quite reasonable.

Heather and I then went to Loop, where I purchased some Hemp for Knitting to make the Orangina, and two skeins of Koigu KPPPM for a Chevron Scarf. Yay! We also got to meet Craig, the owner of Loop, who told us that about 1100 seats have been sold for next week's Stitch n Pitch Phillies game! It's going to be a good time, I just know it. Craig is a super duper nice guy, and his employees are friendly and oh-so-knowledgeable. I love that store.

Today, WT is in Newark, DE, interviewing for a job, and Banana is at school playing on the Slip n Slide with her little friends. I will be going to either Yarnings in Skippack or The Knitting Basket in Phoenixville to find some stuff to spend the rest of my gift certificate on. Yippee! Pictures to come, I was too damn lazy to post any today.

Talk to youse guys soon!

Lotsa pictures n stuff

Can you tell I have a master's degree from that title I just typed? I bet you can, cuz my English is so good. Anyhoo, here is a massively long post about stuff in my life. Aren't you glad you visited?

Ah, Brown Sheep Company's Lamb's Pride Worsted in colorway Blue Magic. To become a sweater at some point this year. Purchased at Twist Knitting and Spinning in New Hope, PA. Thank you Regina, for this lovely yarn - I purchased it with the gift certificate you gave me!

Next up we have some Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy in the Cool Blue colorway, which very shortly will become the Summertime Tunic from the Summer 2007 IK. Can't wait to cast on for this one. This yarn is nice and shimmery and pretty and I like it.

Et la piece de resistance, Artyarns Supermerino in colorway Irises, produced exclusively for Yarnmarket. Thanks Dad, for the gift certificate! Yay, I love birthdays! This is going to be a short-sleeved top-down cardigan.

Progress on the Green Gable is being made. One more inch, and I'll be able to do the ribbing at the bottom, finish the sleeves, et voila! ca sera fini. I love the way this yarn smells. It's all, like, sheepy and stuff. In a good way. Not a barnyard way. That would be gross.

Here is the yoke of the Crop Crocheted Cardigan I'm making for Monica. How stinkin' cute is that? I have only 2 more rows, then I can start the body. Her instructions are perfect. I'm using Brown Sheep Company's Cotton Fleece for this. It's kind of splitty, but it's easy on the hands and it's so pretty, who cares?

Here we have some pictures of paradise. This would be a Memorial Day barbecue at John and Regina's house, with our neighbors and family. Our neighbors and family rock.

Here's Anne Marie, Marilyn, Jack, and Todd talking it up.

Total barbecue carnage. Not for the faint of heart.

What barbecue would be complete without cheese curls and knitting?

Warning: Gratuitous cute kitten photos

Carlos sleeping upside down

Joey all stretched out

My pre-birthday present - one index fingered slashed to ribbons

The goddamn utensil that caused the mayhem

So I told you my baby brother graduated from Rutgers, right? With a degree in meteorology? And he already has a rockin' job? How proud am I? Very. I'm very proud. So here we are: me, Glennjamin, and Daddy-kins. I love my family.

Here's a picture of me with the hair I wish I had all the time.

*sigh*

And now for some random flower pictures, courtesy of Regina and John's back yard.

Siberian iris

Peony (my favorite)

And gorgeous red poppies. Who's up for some opium?

Here's the Banana at her 'graduation'. I got pretty darn choked up, I must say. She's known some of these kids for more than half her life. Time to move on though, to the big, bad-ass world of kindergarten.

And here's why I get up every morning, and smile.

Me, Banana, and WT

Yay, my computer and my camera are on speaking terms again!

So these first two pictures are of the granny square scrapghan that I blogged about two posts ago. See, the colors aren't too atrocious are they? Are they? I like them.

Following are some pictures of our MontCo Sit n Knit in wonderful Ocean City, NJ. We had such a good time. I arrived on Saturday afternoon when several of my co-knitters were at a knit-out in Ventnor. Bev and I met them at the Knitting Niche LYS in OC, and we cleaned out the back sale room, ridding the store of many back issues of Vogue Knitting and Knitter's Magazine. For 50 cents each, 3 for $1! We can't resist a sale. Here are pictures of us knitting and perusing the aforementioned magazines.

Sharon reading up.

Bev making a cute denim hat.

Robin working on a kick-ass sweater with lovely colors.

MJ knitting away.

Maria working on a blankie strip for charity.

Everybody brought enough food to feed their entire extended family. There were five of us. I, for one, was not complaining at all.

Fermented libations to get us through.

Delicious snacky-wackies.

One can never consume to many Entenmann's products.

Here are two pictures of the condo. Right on the boardwalk at St. Charles Place, it was heaven. We could walk right out of the condo and straight onto the boardwalk. Woo hoo!

The sun room.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, shining happily right into our dining room.

The rest of the pictures are just ones I took for the heck of it, because I just love Ocean City so much. You can see a bazillion more on my flickr site (link in the side bar).

Looking south.

Itty bitty shell.

It's funny, the things people leave behind...

This weekend was so restorative. I took two long walks, one on Saturday with Robin and MJ, and one on Sunday, all by myself. Each was about 5 miles long, meditative, with only the sound of the gulls and the waves and the wind. I don't think I could ask for anything more. Thanks to Robin and MJ for arranging this weekend; it did this body good!!