Random Monday

1. When I started the stash toss, I was looking for one skein. One. In February, before going to Madrona, I had dug out this skein, wound it and put it in a ziplock (yes. Knitters use more ziplocks than anyone else in the world) together with the pattern, the beads and the needles. I even put in the stuff I needed to thread beads on the yarn. Then I tossed it in my suitcase and was promptly overwhelmed by other projects and that was the last I saw of it. Since my stash has archaeological layers, I knew that if I could find the strata of yarn that represented February ’08, I would likely find the skein. No dice. I searched the surrounding area, thinking if it wasn’t in there it must be near there…nope. No matter how much of the stash I ripped up and organized, it totally wasn’t there. On Sunday, when I had ripped up not just the yarn stash, but the spinning stash, and the only place I hadn’t looked was the “sweater stash” (where there is only sweater yarn and nothing else) I had to admit defeat. The stash was cleaner, better organized and smaller … (there’s tons of stuff that I pulled out as giveaways for all of you on the 14th) but I still didn’t have the skein. I went to bed, lay there for a while thinking. C’mon. It was in the suitcase. That’s the last place I saw it. Then I came home and unpacked the suitcase and put away the yarn. I know I did that because the other yarn is put away, and because the suitcase is empty. I know the suitcase is empty because I put it away, and I wouldn’t put it away until it was empty. I didn’t take it to the cabin, I didn’t leave it somewhere because I didn’t take it somewhere. It wasn’t in a knitting bag (I checked all of them) and I didn’t put it on a table or in a box (because I checked all the spots I put things.) I had just about given up hope, decided to accept that maybe I left it in my hotel room in Madrona, when I had a thought. Got up, walked to the closet, unzipped the pocket on the front of the suitcase where I NEVER put things, and lo.

Shcae2605

I’m really not as smart as we had all hoped. Seriously. How many days of my life and it was right there?

Schabeads2605

Dumbass. On the upside, the stash is tidy. (This is Schaefer Heather in “Gertrude Ederle” and it is going to be #334H “Undulating Waves Scarf”. Ravelry link here. Mine came from Schaefer, but there’s a kit at Earthfaire.)

2. On Saturday I (well, Rachel H drove) went to Kitchener to adjudicate the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters’ Guild annual show. I walked away believing that judging knitting is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It’s so subjective. I spent a lot of time trying not to bring my personal taste into it, and judge each piece based on the skill of the knitter and how well it fit the category it was presented in. Overall, the quality of the knitting was really, really high (if a few of the knitters had sucked it would have helped a lot in narrowing things down) and some of the pieces were so incredible, the workmanship so high… You’d have to see them, and actually, you can.

The Adjudicated Fashion Show & Awards Ceremony (where everything is modelled) and I give “colour commentary” and explain why I did what I did is June 10th, at 7:00, and all are welcome, even if you’re not member of the guild. I’m thinking it’s going to be interesting and fun.

3. I’m getting ready to leave again, this weekend to LA for BEA (Book Expo America) where I’m signing all over the place, (this book, and this book and a sneak preview of essays from this book) then to Kingston on the 4th June, then to Columbus for TNNA, then the show in Kitchener the 10th, then Franklin arrives for the Birthday/WWKIP/1000 Knitters party on the 14th, then the calendar comes out the 15th, but I don’t think I have to do anything about hat except worry about it, then BEC (Book Expo Canada) here in Toronto on the 16th, then Chicago on June 20th, and then I’m going to have a lie down and celebrate the official end of the tour and my survival of same.

4. 4…I forget what 4 was for. (Just totally flashed on the Violent Femmes there, oh, except that was eight, wasn’t it? )

5. I remember now. I plied the spinning from last week, and made this yarn.

Greenyarndone2605

The green is a very neon green, and I was a little flummoxed by what to do with it, right up until Samantha saw it, and she went batty for it but had no idea what she wanted it to be, just that it should be hers. There’s not a lot of yardage, it’s 100g, probably about 250- 300m (but I’m guessing) and it’s about a dk weight (in most places)…. any ideas?