a heart-felt post

Well, the stall on Sunday was quite a joy to behold.
Sadly, my camera's batteries ran out rather early on, so i only really got a few shots before the markets technically opened (I say technically, because as anyone who has ever run a garage sale knows, there are always the overly keen who show up at 7am).
We had a variety of my yarns, wristwarmers care of Taph's Mum, pears, pods and pendants care of Olivia, beautiful bags from the Shopping Sherpa and of course Jejune's gorgeous knitting art cards. Everyone's offerings received many lovely compliments and new friends were met. I don't think i speak for myself alone when i say there may very well be another stall in our future.

I would also like to take this moment to thank everyone for saying such lovely things about my seashell shrug :D While i know i would love it if it fit like a potato sack, it's heartening to have such great feedback for something i cherish so dearly. so, thankyou!
Olivia said: Looks like more than a shrug to me...did you add to it?
No, this is one of the few times I knit exactly to specs (except for the yarn substitution). Although I would describe it as a wrap jacket, it is still technically a shrug i think, because the construction (as discussed here) is about knitting off a central sleeve-shrug bit. Definitely not a 'little shrug' type thing though!
Tinkingbell said: why aren't you modelling it!
Err... because. The pics I took where while it was still wet... and I'm having one of those weeks (seasons?) or feeling slightly podgy and pimpley. Keep at me to model and I'm sure I'll feel up to it sooner or later. Another lady who made this pattern has blanked her face in the pics on rav, maybe i should consider that option?
Kate said: Did the ribbing drive you compeltely nuts?
Yes, yes it did. Which is probably why it took me six months. By the end though it became kind of subconscious and therapeutic. I think this is down to having such a nice yarn to work with and of course nice shiny addi turbos - if it had been 8ply acrylic on plastic ponys I may have been a little less zen towards the end.

As usually occurs with me, finishing the shrug left me with the what-to-knit-blues. I have several socks on the go, but i the shrug left such a big gap in my knitting basket. And i really felt the need for something... new.
I finally settled on a pair of felted clogs. I've been putting off making them, partly because the pattern is printed on green cardboard and i hate reading off dark coloured backgrounds (is this just me or does it seem a little stupid to print instructions that need to be followed carefully in black ink on a bottle green background?) and partly, i think, because Brenda Dayne has mentioned several times how much trouble she has with the pattern and i didn't really want to be made to feel stupid. I was also always a little torn as to what yarn to use - it seemed silly to buy yarn for this pattern.. but now i have such a big stash of woolbale, the stash is my oyster!
Put it down to my OCD but i didnt actually have any trouble with them! They knit up quickly, with enough chops and changes to keep you awake. They are so big pre-felting! The final 'buffer' bit on the sole was the only thing that was weird... and really that was just because it looks a bit obscene. If you've made a pair you'll know what i mean, I'm not about to corrupt any innocents by explaining myself.
Right now one of them is spinning around in the dryer. I did try them in the washing machine but because it's a front loader I'm never game to put them in for longer than the 30 min cycle because i cant fish them out before they shrink too much.So this evening I had a go at Olivia's method with the plunger and it was a) very fun and messy and b) quite effective. It got them going enough that i think i can finish them off in the dryer. Of course, one is more shrunk than the other (which is why there is only one in the dryer right now) but i find this happens often... whenever Monkey shrinks a pair of socks, they are never identical!


Before i go to wrestle with more felting, I will leave you with this thought. If you market a product as "New! Completely Reformulated!" what does it suggest to you about the old one? Especially when they also add this:For the record, it's still pretty gross (and I am not the caffeine fiend in this house. But on such a lofty promise, i had to test to save my gentle readers. Stear clear... it's like raspberry cough syrup mixed in with a melted down zooper-dooper icy pole thing... only worse. The old ones tasted like stale rum and coke that someone had accidentally put a cigar out in, so i dont know if i would call it an improvement. )

Happy Monday!
Peace out,
Ms Spider xo

PS. Yarn left over from the market is being slowly added to my trade/sell page on ravelry, for those who are so inclined.