Thanks Wash.Co. 911, Hillsboro Fire, NW Natural, and Garner Electric!

It was an interesting morning. As in the ancient curse, "May you live an interesting life."

This morning started as most of my mornings do. Get up, check email and a couple of other things online, head downstairs, turn on the TV to watch a show recorded the night before, and -- well, that's where the routine ended. As I was heading to the porch to get the morning paper, every smoke alarm in the house started screaming in that way that only they can do.

I quickly ran around downstairs. Nothing. Ran upstairs and looked around. Nothing. Back downstairs and I could smell that smell that comes with electrical things burning up. Getting stronger. Fast. At that point, I give. Grabbed the phone and call 911. The nice lady on the other end remained very calm, verified my name and address, and told me to go outside and wait for the fire truck to arrive.

Yeah, that makes sense. But first, grab the important stuff. Thankfully, due to the reoganization efforts around here (thanks again, Diane & Amy!), I knew exactly where the cat carrier was. Grabbed it and hastily put the cat inside, then grabbed the phone and the money bag with proceeds from the weekend's garage sale (things can be replaced, cash and cats, not so much) and went to the front porch.

In a matter of a minute or less I heard the fire engine coming into the neighborhood. Those guys are fast! Out of the truck pile about six guys (sorry, adrenalin makes the details a bit blurry at times). They ask me a couple of questions and head inside.

After looking around and seeing that nothing was visibly burning, they turned off the gas and circuit breaker for the furnace (can't be too careful with that stuff) and then used their equipment to try and figure out if any outlets had short-circuited. A couple of them looked suspicious, so another breaker got turned off.

By now, the smell was still around, but not increasing and the alarms had stopped blaring. Whew! I gathered myself a bit and asked one of the hunky guys friendly firemen if they were collecting toys for Christmas giving. He said they were, so I gave him a bag full of stuffed animals I had put together last night and had intended to take by a police station today (they collect bears all year to use on calls when kids are involved). Perfect.

The crew chief then told me I should call NW Natural to have them come and turn the gas back on (seems the firemen can turn it off, but aren't authorized to turn it back on) and had me give him some information. (I gave him a blog card, so if ya'll are reading this from the fire station, hi!)

Okay, so reluctantly I let all the hunky guys friendly firemen leave my house and head off to battle the next suburban situation. Stay safe, guys and thanks!

Back in the house, I opened up the windows to clear out that smell. It was about 38 degrees outside (that's F, not C and cold for here), but the cold I can battle; the smell? Not so much.

Called NW Natural and a very nice lady got some information and promised to have someone out today, but couldn't say when as they'd been quire busy after some light snowfall in the area last night. That's okay. I knit. I have wool things. I know how to stay warm.

Then I got online and used Angie's List to find a local electrician. Garner Electric had good ratings and they're right here in Hillsboro, so I made the call and another nice lady assured me that someone would be out between noon and 2:00.

By 12:30, I had both a NW Natural guy and the Garner Electric guy here doing their things. My apologies for not remembering your names! And thanks for making sure all was well. No worries about the charges from Garner Electric -- it's money well spent for peace of mind!

Even though it's still unclear what burnt out, the danger seems to be over with. I'm just thankful for -- well, a lot of things. Starting with the fact that I was home when this happened, proceeding to the fact that I got up and got dressed rather than just threw on a ratty bathrobe, and continuing on through the fact that my cat was calmer about it all than I was and that everyone who responded was so fast, nice, and helpful.

I did discover later that one of my external hard drives had tunred into a brick. Now I'm wondering if maybe that was what caused the stink in the first place. It wasn't anywhere near the smoke detector that went off first, but my house is very open, so the airflow could easily have caused the particles to go downstairs first, setting off that alarm. Oh, I'm also thankful that I had backups running daily, so I won't lose any data. :)

Did I mention that while the gas company guy and the electric company guy were here two guys from the Salvation Army showed up to take away the leftovers from my garage sale last weekend? Yeah, you guessed it, they were nice, too. And now my garage has a TON of room in it!

Let me say it one more time. A big THANK YOU to Washington County 911, Hillsboro Fire, NW Natural, and Garner Electric. All you guys (and gals, too) rock and you can stop by my place for coffee any time. :)

P.S. The stash is fine, nicely protected inside its bins in the fiber room. Yeah!

Like a kid in a candy store!

Earnings on first day of training at the yarn shop: $20
Yarn purchases made the first day: $40
Joy of being paid to be surrounded by yarn and people who love it? Priceless

Yesterday was my first day at All About Yarn. It was just a couple of hours to start learning the inventory and the computer system and so on. It was a blast and I did not want to leave! I'll be back again this afternoon and on Friday for a few hours, then do my first full day on Saturday from 10-5. If you're in the Tigard, Oregon area on Saturday, stop in and say hi! I'll also be there Mondays from 5-8 and in January I'll be teaching crochet classes on Mondays from 3-5.

It bears repeating. . . !

In other news, there has been knitting progress here. I finished these socks for another Christmas present.

Yarn: Caryn's Creations sock yarn (75% wool, 25% nylon) in WSU Cougar stripes
Needles: US1 (2.25mm) KnitPicks Harmony DPNs (love these!)
Pattern: My standard 72-stitch top-down pattern with a 3x1 rib and slip-stitch heel

These are men's size US 8.5 (I hope) and the toes in the picture are folded under because the "feet" aren't big enough. :) They go with the other pair I made before in the fair isle pattern from the same yarn, except that Caryn made this version a bit darker to more closely match the Cougar colors.

The interesting thing with this pair was that the length of the colors changed as the skein went along. The sock on the right in the picture was the first one I made and you can see how wide the stripes are at the top. They then get progressively thinner, until the toe in the second sock (you can't see it in the picture, but trust me) is almost variegated instead of striped. Interesting. Fortunately, I'm not anal about having them be matchy-matchy. If it happens, cool, but if not, that's okay.

Oh, and Bobbie wanted to see my den that's turned into a fiber room, so here goes. (Take a deep breath and try not to judge the before pictures, okay?)

My den, before the organizers came in:





Scary, right? The dressers are part of my parents' bedroom set. They had that set my entire life. I don't know what the wood is, but it has a beautiful grain. They are now in my guest room, along with the bed frame that looks like a big wagon wheel, where they can be appreciated and actually used.

The reclamation of the den had this result -- a fiber room!





Better, right?? There's a little bit of clutter because I'm knee-deep in knitting projects for Christmas and there are still a few things that need to find their permanent "home," but isn't it grand?? I love the room now and like spending time in there. And this is just one room. The whole house is almost done and it's like I have a new home.

Thanks Diane and Amy!

I've been tagged!

No, no, not that kind of tagging! This is one of those meme tag things. I'm not sure I've been tagged like this before, but Judy got me this time. So, here you go -- probably more information than any of you really want! LOL

38 things about me that you may or may not want to know.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Peggy, one of the fun people I work with at Wild Bill's Casino parties. Anyone who knows Peggy knows that she's a peach. :)


2. What were you doing at 0800? Finishing this post before heading out the door to Scappoose to meet friends for breakfast before the Blue Moon Fiber Arts stash sale!


3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Showering and dressing. Don't try and picture it, you might hurt yourself!


4. What happened to you in 2006? Oh, geez, you really expect me to remember that? Heck, I don't know what I did last week!!


5. What was the last thing you said out loud? Good morning, baby (to Ellie, the cat).
   
6. How many beverages did you have today? A glass of water. Coffee is coming soon!
   
7. What color is your hairbrush? Black and silver.


8. What was the last thing you paid for? Taco Bell last night on the way home from working.


9. Where were you last night? Downtown Portland dealing blackjack (for funny money) at a party.


10. What color is your front door? Dark blue


11. Where do you keep your change? In a small can on the counter.


12. What’s the weather like today? Subject to change with each click of the clock, right now it's partially cloudy with some sun. The radio says the temperature is dropping and we should have rain this morning.
    
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Ben & Jerry's Phish Phood


14. What excites you? Anything fiber-related. Friends. Rainbows. Travel. Life!


15. Do you want to cut your hair? Heaven's no! I leave that to my stylist. :)


16. Are you over the age of 25? Oh, honey, that ship sailed -- twice -- and is en route again!


17. Do you talk a lot? Define a lot.


18. Do you watch the O.C.? Nope.


19. Do you know anyone named Steven? I have in the past, but don't think so right now.


20. Do you make up your own words? You mean intentionally, or all the times I start to say something and end up mixing metaphors? Does answering a meme question with a question turn it into a meyou?


21. Are you a jealous person? Uh, no, but if your answers are more interestingthan mine, I could have issues. LOL


22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Angel.


23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Karen.


24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Angel.


25. What does the last text message you received say? I don't do text messages. I have the barest of bare-bones cell plan and they cost extra.


26. Do you chew on your straw? No.


27. Do you have curly hair? Nope. A little wavy if it gets long enough.


28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? The Blue Moon stash sale!


29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? I'd tell you, but that would be rude.


30. What was the last thing you ate? The aforementioned Taco Bell last night.


31. Will you get married in the future? Been there, done that, escaped, got the t-shirt. Don't know what the future holds, but marriage? Not very likely.


32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Only movie - Blood Diamonds.


33. Is there anyone you like right now? Why you, of course!


34. When was the last time you did the dishes? The dishwasher does that, not me.


35. Are you currently depressed? No.


36. Did you cry today? Not yet, but I may shed tears of joy at all the pretty yarn in a little while.


37. Why did you answer and post this? Because Judy tagged me and I like her and I'm flattered that she tagged me and it would be rude to ignore it and I don't want to end up as the answer for anyone's question #29. :)


38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Michael, because I haven't seen her around for a while and she might need some blog fodder. Barbara, who is a fiber enabler of the highest order and a PDX knit blogger by proxy (she lives in Arizona). Rodger, who is always a joy -- and a good knitter, too! Alyssa, who will be adding a new knitter to the world in a April. Sharon, who creates wonderful hand-dyed yarns and beautiful stitch markers, among other things (which you'll be able to find online soon).

Not knitting, but entertaining!

Do telemarketers bug you?
Are you an avid fan of shows like Law & Order, CSI, Without a Trace, or read detective novels a lot?
Do you have a whole wheelbarrow full of nerve and daring?

If you can answer yes to all three questions, then the next time a telemarketer calls, here's something you might want to try (3MB Windows Media Player file). Warning: There is some "language" in this clip, so don't listen if you're easily offended. For the rest of you, enjoy!

Tomorrow, I'm headed to Scappoose to the Blue Moon Fiber Arts stash sale. The anticipation is definitely high!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

7 Deadly Sins

No, I'm not going to preach to you about the evils inherent in the world and how we need to rise above them. Do not worry.

Instead, I'm going to regale you with pics of the two new sock yarns that arrived in my mailbox yesterday as part of the 7 Deadly Sins Sock Club from Fearless Fibers.

This is my first sock club and boy am I glad I got in on it! Deb has outdone herself already and we're only talking about two out of seven sins!

The first sin on the table is. . .Gluttony! (Yes, I know that's punny. It's Friday, what do you want from me?) The picture is pretty true to color, but it doesn't capture the glow from this yarn. Shades of honey and chocolate and toast combine to make me hungry for more. (There I go again!) I think this would make lovely socks, but I have something else in mind that I'm going to keep under wraps for now.

Did I mention that each of these skeins has a generous 550 yards? Believe it!

Next on the sin list, we have Wrath. Now according to the dictionary, wrath involves anger on an epic scale and usually involves vengeance and/or belligerence . Artistically, anger usually translates into something related to red, as in "seeing red." In this instance, Deb has given us a fiery combination of red/orange/gold colors that seem to say, "You're gonna burn for what you did to me!" -- which of course, is in the best tradition of the sin of wrath. Excellent!

With this kind of a start, I can hardly wait for the next shipments of greed, sloth, envy, pride, and finally lust. This is going to be fun!

Yesterday, I felt the need to get something knitted and finished all in one shot. So I whipped out some Sugar & Creme cotton and made this cloth. Very satisfying!

And, my next test knit is now complete! I can't show you what it is or talk about how it's made, but here's a tiny glimpse of it. Makes me think of Christmas!

Tomorrow promises to be fun. A group of Portland knitters are going to meet at Abundant Yarn and Dyeworks and proceed to spend the day on a Sock Yarn Crawl. Rodger has the schedule posted on his blog.

Yeah, like I really need more sock yarn! Then again, can you ever really have enough? LOL The important part is that it will be a day with knitters and yarn and that's worth its weight in gold. If you're in Portland (Oregon, that is) and have some free time, join us!

Of obsession, gifting, Cat Bordhi, and reveling in Ravelry

Lots going on in the last few days! So, bear with me a bit and I'll try to give a Reader's Digest abridged version (no promises, though).

First up, Thursday night was the Tigard Knitting Guild meeting. Trish Andersen from Tanglewood Fiber Cerations was the guest speaker. She's hilarious as well as very, very skilled at spinning. Her basket of hand-spun goodness was a joy, as was her talk. She even taught us how to spin using nothing but some roving and a bent paperclip, which came in very handy on Friday night -- but more about that later. Trish only sells her handspun wholesale, so if you want some, you'll need to find a shop who carries it. If you're in Portland, you can find some at my favorite LYS, The Knitting Bee. Trish will be teaching a drop-spindle class there soon, too, in case you want to learn more.

In addition to the basket of hand-spun skeins, Trish brought some items made from her spun creations. One of them was the Alix's Prayer Shawl from Debbie Macomber's Web site. It was gorgeous. So pretty, in fact, that I immediately knew it was perfect for the two skeins of Sea Silk in my stash in the lovely Berry colorway.

This is where the obsession comes in. When I got home from the meeting, I downloaded the pattern, printed it, studied it a bit, and determined that it truly is a simple lace that I could easily manage. Then I went to bed. Where I had dreams about the pattern and the yarn together and woke up with little on my mind except for winding those two skeins into balls and casting on for that shawl! Yes, friends, I truly can be that obsessed. Unfortunately, I had a lot of work to do, so the most I managed was winding the two skeins into balls and taking this picture. Today, however, I did cast on and start, even though I should be working. Heck, I have all day tomorrow to work on that Monday deadline! LOL

I showed of the Monkey socks at the meeting, along with the wonderful aromatic cedar blockers I got from Deb (more accurately, from Deb's hubby, Bruce). Both were big hits. The socks are now properly blocked (and smelling slightly of cedar - mmmm!), wrapped up and ready to be gifted.

Which brings us to Friday and Cat Bordhi's book-signing event. The PDX Knitting Bloggers were amply represented and, being the shy, retiring group that we are, we sat in the front row, baby! Most of us got there early and quickly purchased a copy of Cat's new book (New Pathways for Sock Knitters, Book 1) and got it signed before everything else started.

Cat was gracious and calm and wonderful, just as expected. She wears her socks well, don't you think? The book recommends that you make small socks using each of the new techniques to get a feel for them. Once you've done that, string them together and wear them, as Cat did, or use them for holiday decorations. Lovely!

There were lots and lots of sample socks showing the different techniques. If you haven't purchased the book yet, you might want to do so quickly. The first printing is already sold out (to stores, that is) and the second printing won't happen until October. So if your LYS or book store runs out of copies, you'll end up waiting a bit to get one. Even if you've knit a thousand pairs of socks, you are going to want this book. I can't wait to try some of the new techniques out. I just need more hours in each day!

Tina from Blue Moon Fiber Arts was our host and since traffic was terrible, the order of things got rearranged a little. Tina asked if we wanted to play a game -- a game that had skeins of Socks That Rock as prizes. Well, duh! When there's STR involved, who knows what we'd do to win some!

Tina asked us to look in our knitting bags ('cause you know we all had them with us) and pull out something unusual that is used in knitting. Kathy had just been showing us how to make i-cord using a plastic fork, so she was the first one up to the podium to claim a prize. I still had the paperclip and roving in my bag from the night before and demonstrated my spinning technique. That scored me the lovely skein you see here. More things appeared, including credit cards to figure WPI, hair clips to hold pieces together for seaming, and lots of other things. Lots of happy knitters went home with skeins of STR!

Oh, the color of my STR is Sherbert. It's very bright. I think I'm going to pair it with some black and do socks with some mosaic knitting pattern or fair isle or something like that. My mind is reeling with possibilities, especially given the new techniques in Cat's book!

By the way, Cat has created some YouTube videos showing a variety of techniques, including Judy's Magic Cast-on (which is mentioned in the book, BTW) and some of the techniques from the new book. These should help a lot of us! And finally, here are some more pictures from the evening.

I know this is a long post, but here's the final bit. . .

I'm finally on Ravelry! I spent a little bit of time today exploring and posting some of my FOs. There's a lot to explore and I think it's going to take me some time to get acclimated, but I'm so glad I made it there! If you're on, you can find me under the name Maxfun, which is the identity I usually use (sometimes with the number 47 after it) on the Web. Woo HOOOOO!!!

Okay, with that, I'm back to typing. Gotta make my Monday deadline! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Not much to see here

But I'll post anyway, because you've got to get a move on and head over to the Woodland Woolworks site. TODAY ONLY they're marking all sock yarns down 20%. I've already placed my order, so feel free to go crazy and get a bunch. They even have the new Soxx Appeal on sale (and yes, I ordered more, even though I already bought enough for two pairs of socks just one week ago). I mean, where else are you going to be able to get enough yarn for seven pairs of socks for under $100???? I mean, really, how's a knitter supposed to pass up that deal??!!

Other than that, not a lot to report here. Oh, if you get a chance, head over to the Mason-Dixon Knitting blog and catch a star in the making. Or maybe you want to read all about it over at the New York Times. Whoo, doggies, but that's a creative bunch!

Knitting Guild meeting tonight, Cat Bordhi book signing tomorrow night. Pictures this weekend! Until then, knit on!

A Walk in the Park

The end of the summer approaches and with it comes a bevy of events. It always seems like August in Oregon is chock-a-block full of fairs and gatherings and concerts and all manner of activities to choose from. Much more than one person could ever hope to attend. Last weekend was no exception.

Right here in Hillsboro, there was a city celebration and a seemingly successful attempt to break a world record (the judges haven't issued their official ruling yet). I didn't make it to that event, but Bobbie did and you can read all about it over on her blog. CAUTION: Reading Bobbie's report may lead to wild fits of laughter. If you are in a cubicle at work where they frown on such outbursts of joy and delight, wait until you go home to visit Bobbie's blog

A short drive into the countryside leads to the small town of Carlton. That's where my friends and I headed because we wanted to see the artwork at their annual community fundraising event, A Walk in the Park. There were so many wonderful things there! Unfortunately, I only took my old camera, so I didn't take a lot of pictures because it's just not up to the job. The mounted Sheriff's Posse was directing traffic in the parking lot. Friendly people greeted you as you walked through a gauntlet of beautiful quilts into the park. The smell of lavendar wafted through the air as a nearby vendor was making lavendar extract right there under the trees.

And then there were the artists. Oh my, was there some beautiful stuff! There are lots of links on the Web site so you can do a bit of browsing if you like. I made one purchase of a mug by Roger Allen from San Angelo, Texas. The picture is one of his many beautiful plates. There's a story that goes along with his art about a StarKeeper. You can read that and see more of his beautiful suff on his Web site, which is where I borrowed the picture. I would love to have more of his work, but it was a bit pricey for me. That's why I only bought one mug.

Before we left the park, we got to see the March Fourth Marching Band make their entrance. Now how much fun are these guys! There were two guys on stilts running around and giving "high fives" to kids (some of whom were completely confused by the whole thing) and all of them were having one heck of a lot of fun.
I don't know how the stilt-walkers manage to keep their balance. The tips of their stilts were like crutch tips -- nothing there to help them balance at all. Don't you just love their costumes?

It was getting rather warm for us, so we decided to go into town and get lunch in some air-conditioned comfort. There's a little sub shop that looks like it used to be a gas station. I had a very, very good Ciabata Cabrese sandwich, which consisted of fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and very sweet ripe tomatoes on a ciabata roll. Yummy! That's a flavor combination that just screams summertime to me.

After lunch, my friends were kind enough to indulge me and we went to Woodland Woolworks. I mean, how could I possibly come to Carlton and not go there! We browsed through the miles and miles and miles of yarns and fiber and books and needles and spinning wheels and weaving implements and -- oh my! In the sock yarn section, I tried to contain my glee (with limited effect) when I saw that they had the new Soxx Appeal from Knit One Crochet Too. You might remember that I had received a sample of this and made a tiny sock from it and loved the results. My LYS has some on order, but it hasn't arrived yet. Well, Woodland Woolworks had all the colors right there! I limited myself to enough for two pairs of socks. I got Raspberry Sundae and Oceana. This yarn is very reasonably priced, too, at just $8.75 a skein. Each skein has 208 yards and should be able to cover my substantial feet nicely.

In the upstairs weaving room, there are shelves and shelves and shelves of yarns on cones. There are even ginormous cones of Jaggerspun Zephyr in a rainbow of colors. I decided to get a couple of small cones of Bamboodle, a 100% Bamboo yarn that's hand-washable. Total yardage, 880 in the Bleach color. I see a really pretty shawl in my future from this yarn. I love the feel and drape of bamboo.

When I got home, I had a lovely package in the mail from The Loopy Ewe and inside were two skeins of Handmaiden Mini Maiden in the Rose Garden colorway. Put this side-by-side with the Sea Silk and you have a marvelous combination of silky goodness. Mini Maiden is 50% silk and 50% Merino Wool. It's so soft and shiny! I have some plans for this that I hope work out. We'll see.

There was some knitting, too. I started a Monkey sock (my first one ever) and I love the pattern. Thanks to some time spent waiting for my car to be serviced today, I'm about halfway down the foot of the first sock. I'll post a picture when I finish the first one.

Now, this weekend, there's the Clark County Fair, the Oregon International Air Show (which is practically in my back yard), The Bite of Portland, the Tualatin Crawfish Festival, and probably a whole lot more going on. As for me, I'll be working in Keizer on Saturday night and then participating in The Hunt on Sunday, an annual rolling scavenger hunt my car club holds.

See what I mean about how jam-packed August is. I tell you, trying to keep up is no walk in the park!

S.E.X. on a Sunday

Did that title make you go, "Huh?" Well, fear not, I'm only talking about yarn pQrn here, not the other kind!

Not a lot of knitting going on here lately, but my fingers are sore anyway from all the typing I've been doing. Work is keeping me way too busy lately.

Then yesterday I spent the day in Redmond (the Oregon one) dealing cards for a bunch of RV enthusiasts who had gathered there for a really big rally. Really big. We're talking some 9,000 RV enthusiasts and I don't know how many vendors. There were all sizes of RVs, including a couple that are worth more than $1 million. Yikes! It was a long day. Three-hour drive each direction and six hours of dealing cards standing on a blacktop floor inside a sheep barn at the fairgrounds. Now that is a glamour job, eh? LOL

There's more typing going on today, but I had to take a break and run downtown to Lint for a bit of a Stash Enhancement eXpedition (the aforementioned S.E.X.). The shop is going out of business and everything is 30% off. The sale started on Friday, but there was no way I could fit in the trip until today. Lots of good stuff was gone, but I think I did okay anyway.

Let's see, here are descriptions of my purchases, starting in front:

Koigu Painter's Pallette
3 skeins in a blend of pale greens, blues, purples, pinks

Panda Wool from Crystal Palace Yarns - 46% bamboo, 43% wool, 11% nylon
3 skeins each in Lacquer Red and Ultramarine

Lanna Grossa Cotton Fantasy - 45% cotton, 42% wool, 13% polyamide
1 skein in color 809 (red/burgundy/orange/yellow/white)

Lanna Grossa Multieffekt - 80% Virgin Wool, 20% polyamide
1 skein in color 3070 (blue/red/purple/green/black/white)

A copy of Nicky Epsteins Knitted Embellishments, which has all manner of fun things inside to spark my creativity in using lefover bits of sock yarn as well as other endeavors.

And last but certainly not least, another Lantern Moon Silk Taffeta bag in a pretty green. I have four of these now and I love them all! I even got one for my Sockapalooza pal's gift box, which will be heading out the door in just over a week.

Okay, that's all for now. Back to work for me!

Bits and Pieces

Need a quick diversion? See how many sheep you can keep from escaping and test your reaction time. Go play a bit. I'll be here when you get back. . . . So, how'd you do?

I've been slowly acquiring the Barbara Walker Treasury books. I have the first two volumes already and the third one is in transit to me from Amazon (courtesy of the $25 rebate I got for using my Amazon.com Visa). Oh, and I have a copy of Mosaic Knitting, too. These are wonderful resources for stitch patterns and more, but all the pictures are in black-and-white. Okay, so I'm a knitter and I can use my imagination and put color in the right places. Fine. But sometimes I'm lazy and I'd like to really see the patterns in color. It just makes the stitch definition even more beautiful. Enter The Walker Treaury Project. I found this via a link on Alwen's blog and boy, am I glad I did! If you love the Treasury books, check out the project site. Better yet, pick a pattern, knit a swatch, take a great photo, and add to the collection. What a cool idea!

Knitters are a very philanthropic bunch. Not only do knitters give a lot, but they do a lot of things to encourage giving. I'm a firm believer in giving back, and I do it via my wallet whenever I'm able. There are lots of options out there for you to do the same. If you're so inclined, check out the effort Deb is making to raise funds for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. It's a worthy cause and if that's not enough to entice you, she's got some lovely prizes she'll be giving out, too.

I confess that I have not yet started the Mystery Stole Clue 2. In my defense, I've been sidetracked by my new sock. It's coming along quite nicely. I've started the heel using the eye of partridge slip-stitch pattern. I haven't used that before, but I think it looks great with the simple lace pattern where the 'regular' slip-stitch heel would stand out too much. I'm making the leg of these fairly short, simply because I don't like tall socks. It doesn't have anything to dowht the fact that my size 11 feet push a 50-gram, 195-yard skein to the limits if the leg portion is too long. Nothing at all, really!

There are a couple of things I'd change about the pattern for the future. but generally, I like how it's coming out. I'll probably do another pair with those changes, though. For now, I'm obsessed with finishing this one, so I'll be back later!

Life is only a Paper Lantern Moon

It's seriously hot here today -- well hot by Portland standards, anyway. It's hovering at 100 degress Fahrenheit right now. I know that doesn't sound hot to lots of you, but for those of us in the "mild" Pacific Northwest, it's absolutely roasting.

But I digress. Today was the warehouse sale at Lantern Moon. Thanks to Peggy and Mims over at the Oregonian's Knitting blog, I knew about this and planned to go. If it wasn't for them, I probably would have found out afterwards via the grapevine and then kicked myself for missing it. Thanks Peggy and Mims! :)

Anyway, the sale started at 11:30, and I found the place (after a couple of u-turns) by 11:45. There were baskets and bags and silk scarves and table runners and some straight knitting needles and all manner of things. There were also, of course, knitters, including Darcy from Knit Purl who was our gracious host on Sunday for the PDX Knitting Bloggers meet.

I couldn't stop myself. I started picking things up and soon I had quite a haul.

I confess I have a bit of a love affair with bags and baskets and cases of all kinds. But the ones from Lantern Moon are so functional as well as so beautiful that I just couldn't resist.

First we have a lovely round basket that cost me a whopping $5. No, that's not a typo! That one will end up in my to-be-cleaned-out-and-rearranged knitting room (right now it holds a variety of other things that will soon be exiting the premises). The bag in front of it is awesome. It's got a large center compartment and then small compartments in each section around the edges. Perfect for holding a project, the cell phone, a few other small necessities in easily-accessible outside pockets while stowing the wallet and other things you really don't want idle hands accessing on the inside. With projects stowed in the outside pockets, anyone trying to reach for a wallet is liable to be stabbed by knitting needles!

And now we have evidence of the depths of my bag addiction. In my defense, I have to point out that blue is my favorite color, particularly that lovely turquoise blue, and that a few of those items may just find their way into the package that will soon be winging its way to my Sockapalooza pal. I feel the need to share the Lantern Moon love!

Anyway, there are two more silk tafetta bags. I just love those for toting around socks in progress. I have two already, but I usually have at least two pairs of socks on the needles, so having one or two more as spares isn't such a bad deal.

Then there's a lovely bag that's about the same size as the silk tafetta ones, but doesn't have a handle and a slightly larger version (the pink-topped one) that has a pair of long handles and a snap closure.

The fan is perfect for stashing inside any bag, as it collapses into a nice small size. It will go with me everywhere this summer.

The small grey holder is a wallet with just enough room for some cash, a few credit cards, and an interior change pocket. Perfect for going to the Flock and Fiber Festival or the next shop hop since it will have everything I need to make purchases, while not taking up much room in the bag, thereby maximizing space for yarn purchases!

Definitely for my Sockapalooza pal are the sheep tape measure and the butterfly sequined appliques, which just happen to be in some of her favorite colors.

So how much do you think I paid for all this loveliness? Take your time and calculate. I can wait.

While you make a guess, here's a picture to help make us all feel a little cooler. This was taken in July 2005 at the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC, Canada on a day that alternately rained and was sunny. In other words, a great Northwest summer weather day. :) Ahh, I feel cooler already.

Okay, do you have a number in mind? Does it have two digits or three? If you said three, you are way too high. Yes, my friends, for all that loveliness, I paid $67.

Color me happy.