Monday, Monday...

(bah dah, bah dah-dah dah) so good to me.

Glorious breezy spring day here in the Twin Cities today! Kidlet had wanted to go to the Minnesota Children's Museum, but as it is closed on Mondays, we went to the park instead (even better). Between flying our pocket kite, exploring the playground equipment, rescuing an earthworm, and picking violets, a grand time was had out-of doors.

Bus fixation update: we were out at the perfect time this afternoon. Just today we counted 38 buses. Woo-hoo!

The planets are apparently lined up favorably for my stash (unfavorably for my wallet). There's an LYS just up the hill from one of my schools, and they were anticipating the arrival of an order of Flat Feet sock yarn. I've been a bit obsessed with the concept of this yarn. Anyway, I called most days last week with negative results. Then I dialed the shop today. Instead of ringing, I heard someone dialing their phone. "Hello?" I said. "Oh, sorry. Hello, this is the Yarn Garage." I told her I was calling about the Flat Feet yarn. She was dialing my number to tell me she had just opened the delivery box of - you guessed it - Flat Feet sock yarn. Dude.

I chose slightly safe colors this go-round, but I'm thinking this is likely not the end of my experience knitting from flats. Heh heh heh.

OH! I almost forgot to blog this: on Saturday I received my I-[heart]-Ravelry extra ball of Cashsoft Aran from Claire. Thank you so much!!!

Knit with gusto, people.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

DISCLAIMER: I haven't participated in one of these yet, so forgive me if protocol gets kicked to the curb. We're all making this up as we go along anyway, right?

I saw this meme on BabblingBrook's blog earlier today, and thought it would be interesting to see what y'all have used and like.

---------------------------------

Using the top 100 yarns on Ravelry (by number of projects):
Bold the ones you’ve used and would use again;
Cross out the ones you’ve used and would not use again; and
Italicize the ones you’ve never tried, but would like to.

Add comments as desired, and then pass the meme along to 5 knitters/crocheters. Link back to this post and to the person who tagged you.

1. Cascade 220 Wool
2. Patons Classic Wool Merino
3. Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted
4. Noro Kureyon
5. Caron Simply Soft
6. Lily Sugar’n Cream Solid
7. Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted
8. Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Solids
9. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solid
10. Noro Silk Garden
11. Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino (KPPPM)
12. Knit Picks Wool of the Andes
13. Lion Brand Homespun
14. Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
15. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi
16. Manos del Uruguay 100% Wool
17. Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky
18. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
19. Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock - Lightweight
20. Plymouth Encore Worsted
21. Cascade 220 Heathers
22. Lily Sugar’n Cream Ombres & Prints
23. Zitron Trekking (XXL)
24. Patons SWS (Soy Wool Stripes)
25. Rowan Kidsilk Haze
26. Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino
27. Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc. Peaches & Creme Ombres
28. Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece
29. Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock - Mediumweight
30. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick
31. Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc. Peaches & Creme Solids
32. Cascade 220 Superwash
33. Berroco Ultra Alpaca
34. Knit Picks Swish Superwash
35. Knit Picks Essential
36. Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Solid
37. Colinette Jitterbug
38. Lion Brand Lion Wool Solid
39. Knit Picks Shine Sport
40. Dale of Norway/Dalegarn Baby Ull
41. Lion Brand Microspun
42. Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino (in stash)
43. Knit Picks Palette
44. South West Trading Company TOFUtsies
45. Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool
46. Mission Falls 1824 Wool
47. Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK
48. Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Multis/Ombres
49. Rowan Felted
50. Rowan Calmer
51. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Heather
52. Knit Picks Merino Style
53. Garnstudio Drops Alpaca
54. Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Fingering
55. Knit Picks Andean Silk
56. Red Heart Ltd. Soft Yarn Solids
57. Elann Peruvian Highland Wool
58. Tahki Cotton Classic
59. Dream in Color Smooshy
60. Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton
61. Dream in Color Classy
62. Rowan Big Wool
63. Peace Fleece Worsted
64. Caron Simply Soft Brites
65. Plymouth Galway Worsted
66. Karabella Aurora 8
67. Rowan Wool Cotton
68. Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton
69. Knit Picks Shine Worsted
70. Brown Sheep Wildfoote Luxury Sock
71. Lion Brand Fun Fur Solid
72. Misti International Misti Alpaca Chunky
73. Handmaiden Fine Yarn Sea Silk
74. Mountain Colors Bearfoot
75. Lion Brand Jiffy Solid
76. Knit Picks Shadow (in stash)
77. Bernat Softee Chunky Solids & Marls
78. Austermann Step
79. Bernat Cottontots Solid
80. Cascade Ecological Wool
81. Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud (in stash)
82. Patons Shetland Chunky
83. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky
84. Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted
85. Malabrigo Yarn Lace
86. Bernat Satin Solids
87. Lily Sugar’n Cream Stripes
88. Knit Picks Gloss
89. Lion Brand Magic Stripes
90. Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk
91. Cascade 220 Quatro
92. Rowan All Seasons Cotton
93. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Solid
94. JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18
95. Novita 7 Veljestä
96. Rowan Kid Classic
97. Mission Falls 1824 Cotton
98. Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi
99. Cascade Fixation Spray Dyed/Effects
100. Patons Kroy Socks 4-Ply

I’m tagging:
1. eWAC
2. Jess
3. incaknits
4. Shea
5. Michelle
... and anyone else who wants to play.

Go forth and meme!

Location, location, location

I have THREE - count 'em, three - amazing, blue-ribbon LYS's within five miles of my home, not to mention several chain stores. I blame where I live for the stash event of last week. If I wasn't in an excessively creative metropolitan area, this wouldn't be a problem. OK, not entirely true - I'd still have online shopping, but seeing and feeling the yarn in person is the hook for me. Mmm, squishywoollygoodness...

At one of said shops of personal doom, I stumbled upon an awesome in-house pattern for felted candy corn. So cute! I showed Kidlet the pre-felted nugget I churned out last night, and her response was, "Ooh, is this going to be for me?" It is now, sweetie. If you're interested, the Woolly Candy Corn pattern is by Marie Mayhew, and results in 4" felted candies with worsted yarn (3" with sport weight).

Once you have been drawn to the Dark Side (read: Ravelry), come see me - I'm Meema over there, too. Happy fall knitting!

Black Holes and YOU

Hello, (insert your name here). It's been a while since we last chatted. I wish I could say I've missed you, but a certain knitting community's website has been calling to me at every spare moment, sucking me in like a giant cosmic vacuum of death. I think there needs to be a warning from the Surgeon General on the Ravelry home page:

WARNING: Excessive use of this website may impair your ability to clean your place of residence, feed your family, and in general communicate with actual people in real time.

Get on the waiting list if you dare...

All we like sheep

I received my invitation to Ravelry this morning. What a nice way to start a Monday morning, seeing the unofficial Knitting Knerd Golden Ticket in my inbox. Squee! In what little time I've been on the website this afternoon, I can tell this has the potential to suck up every spare (and not-so-spare) moment. It's the Perfect Storm for crafty procrastinators: you can itemize yarn/books/patterns you've amassed, projects you plan on starting, UFO's and FO's - all in freakish and geekish detail. Sooo many hours could be spent here just entering my own stuff, let alone checking out everyone else's. I have found my people. I am home.