Stranded!

The title of this entry seems to impart a lot right now.

Strand is the German word for "beach," and in the past week, I've been beached quite a few time. It was so nice to go visit the ladies in Missoula, then have them come down here to visit. We did a lot of sunbathing, dancing, quatching and imbibing, so I figure between mental and physical health I should break about even. The girls left this morning, but I'm hoping to see them and the Missoulian soon.

However, they did manage to get me stuck at my house. I attempted to start the car to go into town this morning, but the thing wouldn't turn over. Low and behold, the dome light was on, and so I am stranded.

I decided to work on what I can from home. Luckily, my favorite wedding blog and dress-shopping center, Once Wed provides useful distraction. I can't lie though, I'm getting a little fed up with this wedding stuff. The dresses are ridiculously expensive, then I saw an inner tag from a dressmaker I had been jonesing after, Monique Lhuillier, and 40% of the dress was nylon! Thousands of dollars for nylon. Call me a fiber snob, but that crap is bogus.

The wedding venue is another source of frustration in that the place upon which my heart was set refuses to have us, and my second choice for a reception venue hasn't gotten back to me.

It will all just come together, right?

I'm also in the middle of knitting an Amber Vest for Knit/Purl, unfortunately the pattern is not incredibly detailed, so I'm looking forward to pulling out rows before I can continue. I want to get this DONE so I can work on my queue of knitting that I've ignored for months.

Current List:
1. Vest
2. Smoke ring for Aunt Lise demanded by father
3. Silk/Linen Vest for me
4. Veil?

Done with writing, now with doing!

Oh man...

Not nearly enough knitting these days. Still working on Mom's Mother's Day socks, now about 1/4 of the way on sock #2.

After a morning of indolence, I decided that since my downstairs roommates have left for the summer, their den would make perfect yarn storage. I put away yarn that I had no plans for and organized my knitting needles. I was v. happy to discover that I have nearly ever size of 16" circular needles, almost of full run of longer circulars, (including, very strangely two 10 3/4) and all dpns minus 4 & 5. AND. I now own my very own crochet hook! My first, currently only for provisional cast-ons, but I have a few balls of dk cotton that my roommate gave to me that might make a nice washcloth? Or whatever a good first crochet project is...

This week has been a great one for yarn! Radish has been asking me to knit a cowl for Auntie out of qiviuk and finally sent me 2 (two!) skeins of the Windy Valley Muskox qiviuq. I could have stretched one skein, but am very excited to experiment. Right now, I'm pretty sure I'll do Prickle.

On top of that goodness, just received a bag of yarn from Knit/Purl to knit shop models! Am making one simple fair isle sock and a Slouch hat out of their store brand, Shibui. The slouch hat pattern is available at their online store, I believe.

Am still working on the Powder Eights hat pattern.

 

The decreases are confounding me and I've been sick for a good 2 weeks, thus on medication, thus not thinking completely clearly. I planned on publishing the pattern for free on ravelry, but a good friend has asked me to save it for a possible book? Love this pattern, and can't wait to wear it. I might make a two-tone version as well!