Hodge Podge

Hey check it out. Crystal Palace has a blog.

You may not know that I'm entirely OBSESSED with Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille. It was one of my favorite yarns from the very beginning. In fact I don't know another yarn that I use more regularly. Its my go-to yarn for gifts. You wouldn't know it from it's fuzzy appearance, but it's quite versatile and you can make a fancy shmancy handmade gift with just one skein. Washcloths, baby hats, socks, baby anything really. The only other yarn I could possibly appreciate as much is Cascade Fixation or Cascade 220. I made my first complicated scarf (wavy from Knitty) in cream colored 220. It's really bizarre because I think their 220 is a little bit different than it used to be. I thought about buying some recently, but it seemed much rougher than I remembered. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just said that to myself to prevent Yet Another Yarn Purchase (aka YAYP).

Just so you know I am not allowed to buy anymore yarn this year. it's obscene the amount of yarn I have and it would be a crime for me to buy more, especially since I work for a yarn company. Unless somebody can give me specifics on my future reincarnation so I know how to address my leftover yarn, I will not be able to knit my current stash in this lifetime. OK well, at least not within the next 5 years.

Not to rub it in anyone's faces, but I had a fabulous day at work again. An overseas supplier came to visit and brought gifts, specifically the first samples of a new yarn.... it's so yummy! And there's nothing like it.. I would tell you more but I don't want to get in trouble. Let's just say that it's like walking on air, or walking on sunshine or strolling on cloud nine. Soft! Soft! Soft! Yarn!

let's see what else is new. I tried intarsia knitting and my bad, I knit an entire repeat on a scarf in the wrong gauge. It was much too tight and the image looked like someone had stretched it like saltwater taffy. Not a nice effect that. It's sort of like the Nicole Richie post-suspicious-conspicuous-weight-loss photo. So I'm trying again with larger needles.

This intarsia project is actually something of my own design, knitted with Jo Sharp DK wool (another favorite yarn). It's a series of violet magnolia blossoms and either I can't draw or something b/c the finished effect isn't quite what I envisioned, which as an aspiring kntting pattern designer is quite frustrating. Designing a pattern is a different kind of knitting entirely. I suppose I should latch on to the unknown. And be pleasantly surprised when I finally get something right. It's going to take a while.

And most of the stuff I've been knitting these days have been gifts, which means I haven't been photographing the progress. Which means my blog has been pretty boring of late. And I actually finished the sweater for Mr. G, but I fubar'd it and it's now the perfect size for me. Oh well. Izzy says that it looks cute, which I appreciate, but I fear that it has now become my video-gaming sweater. I have a bizarre outfit I wear in the winter, when my uninsulated house is freezing cold. It is my handknit hat, glovelets, and now my new sweater. None of these pieces match each other, and somehow I look like a refugee from the fabulous yarn company's trunk show closet, but I don't care because the only people who see me like this are the pizza delivery man and my husband. It is this outfit I wear in the winter while I play video games (usually Baldur's Gate). it's sort of like my costume. It helps me get into character when I'm ready for a new mission. I should really put that outfit on an make it my new profile photo...

Anyhoo I'm currently in my sleeping costume and I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep.

Good night.

GG