Souvenir Yarn

I've been trying to cut back on my yarn purchases but the one thing I haven't given up is souvenir yarn. When we were in Jacksonville, I had to get some yarn.

One of the yarns I purchased was this lovely yarn from J. Knits. Its superwash light sock in the color "Kansas".




(the true color is somewhere in between)


The vividness reminds me of Kill Bill, one of my FIL's favorite movies. When I mentioned to my MIL that I thought it would make a great scarf for him, she mentioned that she really liked the other yarn I bought at Knit Witz (the one I bought with a stole for me in mind). I think she may be a little jealous that I am currently working on socks for my FIL and am now thinking about a scarf for him. Gotta tread that line lightly.

On a different note, my niece and nephew called me last week and about 5 minutes into the conversation, they were talking about what they wanted for Christmas. My first thought was "eek, I can't believe its coming up so soon!". My niece named 2 video games immediately. My nephew on the other hand, asked if he could come see me (awww, isn't he sweet?). He said if that was too much to ask, then he would like a new blanket. (I crocheted him a toddler-sized blanket when he was about 1 year old.)

OK, if I didn't already love him to death, that boy has now won my undying devotion as well. Really, an 11-year old boy asking for handcrafted work from his aunt? I am currently searching for the perfect yarn/pattern combo so I can get started ASAP. This needs to be a twin-bed sized blanket at the very least. Aack! Will I make it by the holidays? Any suggestions? There are some pretty blankets out there but many seem too girly. I'm leaning towards the Knitted Garter Stitch Blanket but I'm afraid it might be too small. They live in MA so a very warm blanket would totally work.

"Hot for the Harlot"

That was what one of the signs read at the Yarn Harlot (aka Stephanie Pearl-McPhee) reading last night. I'd always said that if she ever came to FL, I would find a way to go to the reading. If you think her books and blog are funny, let me tell you she is even better in person. (Run, do not walk to the nearest reading, you will never regret it.) I laughed so hard that I cried. Amy (who kindly drove us to Jax and back) and I were one of the last to get our books signed. I told her that "I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats". She looked up at me and asked me to repeat myself. For a moment there was shear terror that I had offended her. It was too late, I'd already said it once aloud, there was no turning back. So, I repeated myself ("I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats") and she said that was the best thing she'd heard all day. She said I should put it on my blog. (She even remembered the photo I sent her of my snowdrop shawl. It was my first lace project ever. Did I mention that she totally rocks?)

I only wished I had remembered to bring her good beer. Next time, Stephanie, I promise you will not have to drink beer-flavored water in FL.

Eye of the Storm

You ever wonder where you fellow bloggers live? Well, from now on when I tell people where I live, they'll actually know. Unfortunately, they'll know all about "Melbourne, FL" because tropical storm Fay has been sitting over us for the last 36 hours or so. Thankfully, we are safely nestled away in our home with our storm shutters down over the windows. We only lost power briefly this morning and my DH finally figured out what was wrong with my internet connection so we're good. The only time we leave is to let the dogs out. There is some flooding of nearby roads so we can't get out of our community but our actual road is OK.

It also means lots of time for knitting. I'll be done soon with the body for my Licorice Whip (take 2). Depending on whether or not I'm tired of it, I may go back to working on the socks for my FIL or get started on the sleeves right away. I have some other things to share so as soon as it clears up long enough to take some pictures, I'll share.

ETA: DH just found out work is cancelled for tomorrow too because of all the clean-up and residual flooding tomorrow. Unfortunately, they also announced the make-up days-he'll be working a few weekends but that's better than taking unnecessary risks on the road. I hope everyone is safe.

I'm back!

I know I have yarn and fiber to give away but I am sorry to say that I have not picked the winners yet. Sorry! My inlaws are coming tonight so I'm thinking Monday will have to be the big day so I can try to reach winners via email over the weekend.

Alaska was beautiful and I highly recommend that if you ever have the chance, you should go. The marathon was tough and there were moments where I wasn't sure I would make it. Thanks to the support and reassurance of DH (who stayed with me the whole way, isn't he great?), I made it across the finish line. But best of all, I raised lots of money for a cause I believe in (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and I had a good time training. I may even do it again some day...

Have a great holiday weekend!

Last Raffle - Lots of Prizes

June 21st is my first marathon. As part of the fundraising effort to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I'm raffling off the rest of the prize yarn/fiber. Just a dollar gets you a chance at a prize and for every $5 you get 6 chances. Donate at http://www.active.com/donate/tntcfl/tntcflBGuzman. Technically, I get an email from the site but you can also send me an email at betzig AT gmail DOT com just so I know to be on the lookout.

Look at all this fiber goodness (and one could be yours):



Yarn: YarnAhoy Desert Song
Content: 50/50 silk/merino
Yards: 1250 yds



Yarn: YarnAhoy's Velvet Night
Content: Cotton/lycra (great for summer socks or for those with wool allergies)
Yards: 375 yds



Yarn: YarnAhoy's Royal Peacock (I think, she donated the yarn and it doesn't have a tag)
Content: 100% Superwash merino
Yards: 375 yds



Yarn: YarnAhoy's Hummingbird's nest (I have two of these skeins up for the raffle)
Content: 100% Superwash merino
Yards: 375 yds



Fiber: 100% superwash merino roving
Weight: 4.7 oz

The details: the marathon is this Sat. and we're hopping on a plane on Wed. so I'll use a random number generator to pick winners after we get back. We get back June 27th so that means all prizes will be awarded in 2 weeks. One person per skein/fiber. Remember, all it takes is $1 and every donation goes directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Thank you!!

For the love of ravelry

I know not everyone is on Ravelry or would care to be part of it, but it has saved my credit card from over use. Although I have bought yarn (for a good cause to be sure, but still) so my diet is a bust, I am trying very hard to stop myself from spontaneous/"must have now" purchases. I was cruising through some pattern pages and that, of course, leads to yarn pages and next thing I know I'm looking at yarn shops online. In fact, I was looking at some laceweight on a discount site when I remembered that I already had some of that yarn in my stash. I flip back to my stash page on Ravelry, and there it is--no need to get more. Phew! Because if I had bought said yarn, it would mean that I would have had to buy more just to get the free shipping. I mean, really, why not spend just a little over the shipping cost so there is something to show for that additional expense? (Yes, this is how the slippery slope of gratuitous yarn shopping happens.)

I've worked on the ABC afghan and finally finished the ribbing for some socks for my FIL but neither show any exciting progress. I'll work on them tonight so I have something to show for my time (other than leaving comments on everyone else's blogs).

C is for crochet

I gave in to the temptation and started a crocheted baby blanket. My college roommate just had a boy and another friend is supposed to have a boy next month. Since I don't have really boy-appropriate yarn in my stash (stop snickering, its true that despite all that yarn there wasn't anything just right for a baby blanket for a boy), I fell victim to the acrylic at one of the big box stores. Now, not all acrylic is equal. Sadly, I got some crappy acrylic because I thought the colors were exactly what I wanted. I am not enjoying the actual crocheting of this blanket but it is turning out lovely. I'll just have to steam the crap out of it so its not so scratchy.

A photo of the ABC Afghan:



From the side its easier to see the puff stitch which creates the outlines and letters:


Again, the colors were perfect for the recipient so I went with it. I'm sure she will appreciate the easy care acrylic but it sure is tough on my hands. On the other hand, it is such an easy project, it is just zooming along and makes for great TV crocheting.

Guess what came in the mail yesterday?



Yeah, because I really need another distraction from my work during the day. (It's actually DH's anniversary present. Wednesday marked 4 years since we got married.)