Chag Sameach

Joyous Festival to everyone who is entering their Springtime celebrations.

On the Whiteboard

As some of you may know TAO and I have had a rocky history when it comes to vacations.

For about 12 years we've been saying "someday we're going to Sedona" but never gone because every year something comes up. So last July I got well, frankly, pissed, called TAO, told to put in for the time off, as we were going in March 2010. Booked the tickets, car, lodging, train, savings fund, etc etc.

And we didn't get to go, so we re-booked it. Then Midwest Airlines sent a notice "that flight is cancelled" "please rebook your flight". Actually what they did was cancel our cheap ticket. There is still the Exact Same Flight flying out - same #, same gate, same times but the tickets are now $400 more each. (insert nifty british swearword here). And, of course, customer service is designed that you give up and go away. We are now experiencing call wait times of 45 minutes. Our email system is experiencing heavy usage, it may be 3 weeks for a response, if you would like to remain on the list please reply. I know this because they cancelled the tickets but did not refund the money, because they were certain I would want it credited toward a different ticket. yeah, no.

Back to the Whiteboard. I came across a sock pattern titled Sedona. Which comes with a tale - shortly after the designer wrote it she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer and a group of people decided to knit the pattern while praying for her. I promptly bought the pattern.

Then I saw that J. Knits has an Arizona colourway. So I ordered it from an online store, which took a week to bill me, has never contacted me, and as yet no yarn. Did a yarn search and found 2 other dyejobs that didn't warm my cockles.

A couple of weeks later I had a bit of an ear prick up when I heard someone mention on a podcast that they had scored yarn at StitchesWest in the Sedona colourway. And lo! It was from a dyer I lurve Lisa Souza. Small snag...no yarn in that colorway available. Oh but wait - custom order. insert waffling for 3 weeks here. I drove TAO nuts-he finally exclaimed in exasperation "why the h-ll haven't you ordered it yet?!?"

I now have an email saying "You are on the Whiteboard, I'll email when it ships." Yippee! - now I just need plane tickets.

SSSS-Seduction

My prediction of not finishing my Sugared Serpents (Wendy Johnson's Serpentine pattern in Boomerang Sugar Cane) did not take into account the easy chart and portability of project that I've blown the chart up to huge then marked with highlighter tape.
It wasn't mindless walking around knitting, but it was a great lunchtime knit.
And it's even still cold enough to wear them. (sadly)

It's a lonely Roadside

In the distant past some of you may remember by struggles with Roadside Gerry and it's flashing, pooling, puddling that drove me bonkers and ruined the lovely colours for me. I even considered putting it on the Trade Page in Ravelry. Eventually I realized that Roadside was lonely and bought it a nice friend called Arauchania Ranco in Coffee.

My eye can still see a swirl that breaks the orange/yellow and the green/blue but because the Coffee yarn has hues that match Roadside, it all works together harmoniously. And, really, isn't that what happens in all the best relationships?

Marching along

I realized today that I haven't posted in a while. Not so much because life has been overwhelming and difficult, but more because it has been pleasantly full. Which in turn means it's been "really hardly worth writing about". I did finish the first Sugared Serpentine sock, and promptly cast on the toe for the second to avoid Second Sock Syndrome.

I don't think that sock will buzz along though, as I also cast on the Brandywine shawl in Pagewood Farm Denali in "Sky Blue Pink". Given the choice between charted knitting on tiny needles and charted knitting on 4.0mm needles...well... Don't expect a finished Serpent anytime soon.