1. My computer is fixed. Turned out to be something that was covered by an extended warranty, so even though my computer is geriatric (in a modern electronic sense, which is to say that these things apparently have a lifespan just slightly shorter than that of a of a healthy gerbil) it was free.
2. Our home internet pretty much stopped working reliably the day after that. Luckily, we’ve called the company and they’ve assured us that it actually is working, we just can’t tell.
3. The baby blanket is still boring, but I estimate I’m a good 5cm past the halfway part of the centre section. I didn’t take a picture. It looks pretty much the same.
4. I decided to block some stuff, because I’ve recently finished tons of things (well – three) and didn’t blog them at all – so I set up blocking stuff in the dining room, and went to power though it all.
5. First up was this Phi for You. I finished it – I don’t know when – early April I think. Ever since then it’s been sitting on my dresser upstairs for weeks waiting for me to have the chance to block it. It’s a fun little pattern (I’m not a member of Laura’s M Club, but since I made the introductions to CaterpillarGreen yarns for her – she was good enough to send me a kit. I think that was very nice) but I wanted to block it with flexible wires to make the edge really swoopy, so I knew it would be fiddly and I kept waiting.
6. The other morning I took the time to soak it, and then squeezed the water out, and then stood there for about 40 minutes threading wire through every, single, stitch, on the edge of the shawl. With that done, I could put one pin into every element of the edge, and have it be wavy rather than pointy. (Because someone will ask, my flexible blocking wires are from Inspinknity, and are this set.)
7. I pinned out the wire around the neck first, then with that secured, I spread the shawl gently with my hands, and started pinning. One at the centre, one at each end.
One at the 1/4 way mark, 1 at 3/4, then back and forth, pinning them on each side until suddenly, as I hooked the wire with a pin and pulled towards me, the knitting burst.
That’s the only way I can describe it – I was pulling, and there was resistance, and then something gave, and a giant hole appeared, and my heart skipped four beats, and I looked down, and saw what can only be described as a blowout.
8. I stabbed some pins in to hold the two stitches that were bounding away. (Since the piece is under tension, they really wanted to keep going.) It looks to me like at some point I dropped a stitch, while missing knitting a yarnover. I don’t really understand what happened since there’s no broken thread- but later today I’ll do a little repair job, and I bet it will be clear then. (I’ll take pictures.) The whole thing is going to be lovely when I get it fixed.
9. I really wish I still had some of that yarn.
10. I’m sure there is another answer.
11. Karmic Balancing gifts? Let’s do some. A few notes to the generous souls who’ve sent me emails about gifts – there are a lot of you. I’m working my way from the bottom to the top in roughly chronological order. I’ll email you the day I’m going to give your gift away (or sometimes the day before) and let you know it’s the time. If you haven’t heard from me, it just means that I’m not at your spot in the list yet. Don’t panic early, I’m working on it!
12. A thousand thanks to those of you who have helped with this years mission. If you missed it, you can read this post to see what’s happening, but the basic upshot is this: Jen, Ken, Pato and I are riding our bikes from Toronto to Montreal (that’s about 660km – or 410 miles if that’s how you measure) in the Friends for Life Bike Rally, which is the sustaining fundraiser for the the People With Aids Foundation. There’s lots of ways to help, and we really, really appreciate it. You can make a donation to one of us here:
We’re “Team Knit”. Or that’s what we call ourselves in the text message group we have set up to keep ourselves organized.
We’re all knitters, and we understand that many small things can add up to a magnificent thing, so don’t worry about the size of your gift – it’s making it that counts. If you don’t happen to have money but you would still like to help – there’s other things you can do to make a difference. You can tell your family and friends who do have money, and send them the links. You can post the link that explains all this on social media, and help spread the word… there’s many things. Any thing you can do makes us grateful, and no matter how you help, make sure and send an email to me at stephanieATyarnharlotDOTca (replacing the words with the obvious things) with the subject line “I helped”. (That makes it go in the right folder.) That way, when I choose names for the gifts, you’ll be in there. One good deed deserves another. Time for gifts!
Jane has two beautiful gifts. First, two very pretty skeins of Fleece Artist Woolie Silk 3-ply in Walnut will be going to live with Rosalyn F.
Then Alicia R will have two skeins of Natural Dye Studio Scheherezade 4-ply in Exford, (65% silk/35% camel, fingering weight, 437 yards per skein) arrive straight to her door.
Nicole has decided she can part with not just one, but two sweater quantities of yarn. (Isn’t she lovely?) This tremendously awesome set of 8 skeins of Berroco Flicker will be on it’s merry way to Sharon L
And these seventeen (that’s right) skeins of Dale of Norway Heilo sport weight are on their way to Terri P.
Wendy did a little tidying, and she has two gifts off to greener pastures. These two skeins of Lambs pride in Onyx are for Azar M
and these two 3-oz. skeins of Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton; one skein Strawberry, one skein Almond are off to Wendy P.
Psuke has generously obtained Indigodragonfly’s permission to donate her April 2015 SAK Club skein to the cause. Not only that, but Indigodragonfly will also donate the associated patterns to the winner who is the very lovely Rachel M.
Rosemary, all the way across the pond from me, has a skein of Handarbeitskram sock yarn for Lacey R. (I have no idea how to pronounce the name of that yarn, but it’s very pretty!)
Jill has a very beautiful skein of Yarntini yarn (complete with a very cute cocoa mug stitch marker, and she’ll pop that straight in the mail to Stephanie W.
Last, but certainly not least: Longtime friend of the show, and all round good egg, Melanie, over at Black Trillium Fibres has three great presents.
She’s decided that it’s possible for three knitters to receive a Lilt Sock Gradient, in the colourway of the lucky knitter’s choice. Elizabeth A, Megan T and Sherry B will all feel great today.
That’s it! I have pizza dough to make because tonight me and the smaller of my nephews are going to take a stab at “firetruck pizza.” In the past we’ve done tractor shaped pizza, but the winds of change are upon us, and it’s all firetrucks, all the time. How hard can it be? (Said his auntie, hopefully.)