could you be the most beautiful...yarn? in the world

Seriously. This is becoming dangerous. I am entirely besotted; nay, infatuated, with this yarn.

And the best part?

I made it.




Shh, I'm busy peting the yarn...

tips for commuting on the TTC...

...brought to you by Me.

1. TTC operators: If you do not announce that this is a short turn train, you will have to be patient with those passengers who come flying at the closing train doors like a bat out of hell, after hurdling over two kids who clearly have nowhere to be, because they're 20 minutes late for work and believe, in all honesty, that they NEED TO CATCH THIS TRAIN in order to get to work at any respectable time. Forcing not one, but two fellow passengers to come to aforementioned running passenger's aid when her bag becomes entangled in the door and you won't reopen them for her doesn't earn you any brownie points with your customers. Neither will announcing that this is a short turn train AS it pulls into St. Clair West with a look of smug satisfaction.

2. Moms: I appreciate that your child is ill, and to you, this is a very important matter. HOWEVER, neither I, nor the fifty other people on the bus are interested in the consistency of your child's poop.

Stop talking about it.

A detailed list of every morsal of food or beverage that has even whispered near his lips is also unnecessary.

3. We live in a democratic society. We all have the right to choose what kind of music we listen to, which perfume we wear, what we belive, etc. That means that I have the right to choose not to hear your music. Aside from the emminent hearing loss that will result from the fact that I can clearly discern the lyrics on your headphones, you should at least consider the possibility that others may not share your taste in music. Also, if you feel the need to take a bath in your perfume or cologne, try to remember that some people are very sensitive to scents and your simple presence after this dousing may cause them to experience migraines, asthma attacks, or far worse, anaphylactic shock. A dirty look for getting up and moving to the other end of the train is both immature and unnecessary.

I'm glad we had this little talk...aren't you?

yumminess ahead. . .

So I promised you yarn in my last post, and I am nothing, if not true to my word:



I love Brooks Farm. Truly I do. I don't know why they don't make solids more often. I'd totally buy it. I'm just not into variegated garments - a shawl or wrap? - sure, sometimes, but a whole sweater? Yuck. That's just me.



Acquired off the wonderous and wonderful Destash!, these fabulous 100% silk mill ends are destined to be something lovely and snuggly. At 75 yards a pop, and 10 of these skeins, I seriously considered a big wrappy sweater/jacket thingie. And then I realized that I look terrible in this colour. It does, however, coordinate beautifully with my duvet and pillows. I'm thinking of making it into a throw...just as soon as I figure out how to keep the cat off it.



This, along with the next two, was acquired at the fabulous kpixie. I love them for their modus operandi of only carrying the stuff that cool knitters like me (wink) would wear. I'm very picky really. I won't put a lot of time and effort into something I could've picked up at Wal-mart for twenty bucks. Unique; original; detailed - these are all requirements for the investment of time necessary to knit a sweater in my book.

I'm not sure what I'll use this for yet, but I couldn't pass up black sari silk. As I said, I'm not a big fan of the wild varigation in yarnish items. Perhaps a scarf or a bag of some kind...



This lovely shepard sock will be mitts just as soon as I (a) pick a pattern - endpaper mitts, cloverleaf lace mitts, delicato mitts, oh my!, (b) figure out how to put the finger back into fingerless - I want mittens man! Hot Mittens!



This. This is special. For now, this silk rhapsody is pet yarn. It is 260 yards of silk core wrapped in 70% mohair and 30% silk. It. Is. Yummy. I had a BIGFATCRUSH on it for at least a month before I caved and bought the one skein I could afford at $35 US a pop. I want to have babies with this yarn. Someday, I will find just the perfect thing that I can wear like. . .everyday that this yarn wants to be.



Then there's the secret yarn. It is destined for a present. A present I can't show you because the intended receipient might see it. But it will be good. You'll see.



This 50/50 silk/wool was going to be a scarf for my mother. Until she showed up at my doorstep on my birthday wearing some acrylic machine-made, fringed contraption that made me borderline suicidal. When I nearly burst into tears over my ruined plan my mother replied, "Well, I could always use another scarf."

As if that would help.



And this is Fleece Artist custom dyed 2-ply cashmere. It is...it is...heavenly. It's sproingy and squishy and sosoSO SOFT all at the same time. I'm thinking a lacey mobius construction cowl/scarf/wrap thingie. Something I can find a way to wear ALL. THE. TIME.

And now, the piece de resistance. The lovely Megan has rented me a spinning wheel for a week (or two?) and I am making the most of it. After the wobbly first steps that are inevitable in any new relationship along with some very unbecoming and foul language involving both it and the horse it rode in on (which, incidentally, since I carried it in, would be me, I think) the Ashford Joy and I are getting along swimmingly. I don't want to give it back. I know I have to, but I really don't want to. Seriously. Somebody should really start leasing to own these puppies - people would go for it!

And so, without further ado, my very first skeins:





It should be clear which is the first attempt and which is the second. Also, yes, I am well aware that there are still some plying issues, despite the improved consistency in the second skein. Finally, the third skein is sitting on my desk as we speak, which demonstrates ever greater improvement in consistency, as well as an marked improvement in plying. It'll take some practice, but we're getting there, we're getting there...

I've discovered the side-effect of spending so much time spinning over a 48-hour period is that you develop the knitters version of sea-legs. Despite the fact that I am sitting here typing in a fairly relaxed manner, I keep looking down and discovering my foot still treadling as I rock slightly, gently, as if still spinning. Do you think this is a bad sign?

In other news, the ladies over at Blue Moon have gotten up pictures of the new colours. I. Want. Them. All. As a sock club subscriber and voracious sock yarn consumer, I have absolutely no justification available to me for buying sock yarn. Yet still I pine for Lemongrass and Lucy and G Rocks, and...

Yarn is the new smack, man, and I'm hooked.

dear birthday powers that be...

This is not the way I wished to begin my twenty-fifth year on the planet.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate all that you've done for me. After all, there are worse days and ways to be born.

I am most especially grateful for that birthday back in grade school on which you granted me a most glorious Snow Day. That, dear birthday gods, is what I'm talkin' about!

However. . .

Thing One: I am awoken at 6 am by the guy down the hall, in the midst of what was clearly a domestic quarrel of some kind, screaming at his partner to let him back into the apartment as he tried to beat down the door with his fist. The only good I can find in this is that I was awoken from a nightmare in which I was dreaming that a certain someone was at my door instead of down the hall and a perfect stranger.

Thing Two: I woke up feeling like arse. Birthday. Arse. Do not despair. The irony of this is not lost on me. Please note that I specifically stated that I did not want birthday arse of any kind. I didn't get greedy. I eagerly await notice of what misdemeanor has so greviously vexed you, birthday gods, for which I must be punished by being knocked, to borrow the harlot's turn of phrase, "arse over teakettle", on my Twenty-Fifth Birthday. I eagerly await the opportunity to rectify it post haste.

Thing Three: It's snowing. It's the first real snow of the year. While some like snow - even me sometimes, I am somewhat concerned that this will put a damper on the turn-out for my birthday celebration tonight.

Therefore, I would like a redo. I'm going to curl up with a cup of homemade (by me!) chicken noodle soup and my knitting in the hope that you come around to my way of thinking.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

Yours very sniffily,
Tiff

happy birthday to ME!

So, technically, it's not my birthday for another few hours yet, but I just couldn't wait to share...at least a bit.

The moment has finally arrived.

THIS arrived in the mail today! *insert me squealing like an over-excited thirteen-year-old here*


Please show due appreciation for my incredible demonstration of self-restraint and patience in that I not only read and gathered the import of this:


I also took the time to photograph it as I went along in order to better preserve the moment for you folks at home.


I love wood - the natural material combined with the careful and considered attention that I know Jonathan puts into each and every one of his pieces is clearly visible in this piece and it's that touch that makes this book charka all the more special to me.


And here it is open on my desk. Note that, although I did take time to take pictures of this process, I did not bother to:
a) hang up my sweater - observe house right
b) nor properly arrange my composition - observe corner of lamp in upper right-hand corner

My sister also bought me my very own skein of sea silk *insert another squeal here* and there's some other birthday-ish yarn pørn fun to be shown in the coming days...

As for me?

I'm off to roll around in my yarn...

more christmas FOs

I'll try to make this the last time I talk about JMas FOs, I promise...

Here are Amanda's jaywalkers all done, and funkifying her feet:

Now, remember when I blogged about that secret project I had to disguise? (scroll down) Well, here it is in all its glory...

Can you tell what it is?

How 'bout now...?

Pictured here with the awesome armwarmers that Em knitted for Natalie. Cute, eh? I call the colourway of those socks "Electric Strawberry Shortcake." Apt, no?

And finally, for comic relief, the small-headed Emily being a very good sport and posing in one of my kids' hats before it goes up for sale on the site...

Doing the demure fashion pose...

...and losing her composure over aforementioned attempt at demure fashion pose:


I promise to be more wordy (and less picture-y) soon. When I start school again, I'll go back on the coffee and actually be able to get my brain to turn over on a regular basis.