The Big Eye

I received this happy little melange of snack baggies, yarn bits, Big Eye Needles and hand-written (HAND-WRITTEN) pages the day before yesterday from the very sweet and VERY "attentive to detail," Miss Kathy.

Normally, I wouldn't blog about a piece of snail mail. I can't even remember when I last received any snail mail. But, this, THIS...well, I couldn't NOT blog about it -- for two reasons: 1) It shows that there are others just as (if not more) obsessive than I; and, 2) It's just so darn charming!

Here is an Illustrated list of Reasons Why This Package Totally Made My Day and Quite Possibly My Week:

1. The dainty, perfectly spaced handwriting. FIVE pages of it! FIVE!

2. The little bits of yarn carefully placed, like thumbnails, next to their respective descriptions -- really, my favorite part (see how Hello Kitty is flying UP toward the yanr bits? hehehe).

3. The "colorway" feel of the whole thing. As if I'm pouring through a Designer's Yarn Journal.

4. The descriptions -- accurate and peppered with signature Grumperina humor (I particularly enjoyed the use of the words "spiffy" and "loosey-goosey" and may have to appropriate those word for normal everyday usage).

5. The cute little "snack size" ziploc baggies (LOVE the little snack-size baggies!)

6. The PERFECTLY ROLLED bobbins! (Nobody, but NOBODY  rolls those yarn balls and makes those bobbins like Grumperina!)

7. The LABELS -- all carefully handwritten (My God! She's even MORE thorough than I am!)

8. And, of course...the VERY best thing: HELLO KITTY STATIONERY!!! Just like mine! I even have post-its with this "Blue Angel Kitty!"

So, you can clearly see why I needed to blog about this package.

Included in the package are samples of KnitPicks Merino, Louet Gems and Alpaca Cloud Laceweight. I'm LOVING the Louet and will definitely be buying some soon.

Also included in the package was a Big Eye Needle. I forgot to pick one up -- despite the fact that Kathy reminded me TWICE -- at BeadWorks last week and couldn't start my beaded adventures without one. The place closest to me has odd hours and I wasn't sure when I'd be able to get to it, so Kathy kindly offered to send me one of hers.

Isn't she the Best Egg?

(I love how the needle package says "The Big Eye." I'll probably go around saying that all week. "Don't give me The Big Eye!" She gave me The Big Eye." Hehehe.)

So there you go. A peek into my snail mail and an example of just how nice and obsessive-in-a-very-good-way knitters can be.

I'm totally motivated now tofinally start that Yarn/Fiber Journal!

"Fun" Socks

Saturday was a fun-filled, bead-filled, Kntting In Public Day with these gals.

It was a HOT, HOT day -- the kind of day that typically makes me a massive crankypants -- but somehow, I didn't mind so much because I was in such good company.

You can see some of my booty above (my stash, my loot...not my butt...hehe).

These vials of beady goodness are destined for a secret project to be announced soon. For now, you'll just have to wonder...

While knitting and chatting, I managed to plow through the entire leg of the second Father's Day sock. Then, on the train home from Boston, I was able to finish the heel. So, really, there is only about half a sock left before Tuesday's Knitting Clinic where I can hopefully get them steamed and packaged for my Dad's gift.

I'm a little worried, though, because so far, most of the guys I've polled -- admittedly all in their 20's-30's, have said they didn't think this sock was what they would consider "manly." Instead, they described it as "fun." Clearly, my idea of a fun sock is wildly different. I'm just hoping my Dad likes them.

Progress continues on the IK Padded Footlet. It is fairly slow-going, so I won't take a photo until there is a drastic change in appearance.

Progress also continues on the Cool cagoule sleeves.

Tomorrow is scheduled to begin a new work week/blog posting schedule. Hopefully I can start to find my posting groove again.

You Knit How You Are

Am I the only one obsessed with these things?

I can't tell you how many chuckles I receive from fellow knitters when I pull out my labeled row counters! I have one for almost every project on the needles, and they're all labeled to ensure against any sort of accidental mix-ups when putting them in their respective project baggies.

Is this unusual? (I think I already know the answer to this one, so I'm considering this a rhetorical question).

See, I often work on a few projects at once in the course of a day. So, I may have three of these babies out at the same time on the same table or in the same bag. I need the labels!

And, as you've probably already guessed, I am very retentive about row counting. It's the obsessive side of me luxuriating in the opportunity to count knitting rows and understand the logic of how it all fits together. Plus, for some reason, I seem incapable of keeping visual track of the rows when trying to count them by hand.

Or something like that. (Most likely, I'm just really anal about my knitting).

Anyway, so I get these chuckles from my fellow knitters when I pull these out with their little labels. Pulling them out in front of a new group of people, usually initiates a whole discussion about how some people don't use them, or they use them but don't label them, OR they prefer ticks on the pattern itself, OR they can't remember to punch the counter after a row and the counter has the reverse effect -- messing them up as opposed to keeping track. Some people don't use anything at all and just count rows by hand when they get to milestone pattern sections (this fascinates me and one day I hope to BE you people!).

But always, ALWAYS, the discussion comes back to how funny it is that I not only use these counters -- apparently, if people use row counters, they mainly use the little barrel-shaped ones -- but that I actually LABEL them. And, always, no matter if I'm knitting with old friends or new peeps, there is a chuckle-wave when I pull them out. Even I chuckle now.

The other day, I had one hidden in my project bag as I was knitting my sock at the coffee shop. The person next to me kept looking over and finally said "What is that noise?" I was all like, "What noise?" when I knew full-well what she was talking about. Finally, when it was clear she wasn't going to drop it, I fessed up and explained about row counting and knitting and keeping track of rows, and again there was the chuckling.

I guess it's sort of how people think it's amusing that I date my water bottles so I don't accidentally pick up a FIVE DAY OLD bottle of unfinished water (what?).

I must say, however, that the main reason I love these counters in particular, is because they make me feel like I'm playing speed chess in the park. Or, timed Scrabble with one of those cool stop clocks. I LOVE, love, LOVE punching the counter after a row! It's BAM! -- another row under my belt! BAM! -- almost done with the shoulder shaping! BAM! -- (I just like the way it sounds when I punch it...hehe).

I also use them when casting on. Every ten stitches, I punch. :-)

What can I say? I'm a freak! My OCD tendencies just come flying out in my knitting process, giving weight to the addage that "You knit how you are."

So, what do you guys do? Counters? No counters? Ticks?

And, for the love of [insert higher power identifier here], does anyone, ANYONE label them?

Ok. I'm done.

----

And just so you know, I have been swatching with stash yarn.

I'm determined to find a use for the unbelievably soft, yet wholly unworkable laceweight Misti Alpaca in my stash. I tried knitting it up into a nice lace wrap and, well, let's just say that lace and I do not get along. YET.

But, I'm liking how it looks and feels combined with other yarns and am swatching to see if any brilliant ideas strike for a mitten pattern, or possibly some ultra soft house socks.

Cool Cagoule's front is about an hour from being finished and the Brightest Blue Sock Ever's second sock is half-way through. Pics to come tomorrow, for a week's end wrap-up.

Have a nice day.