MOO cards and MOOPocket

I have a couple of quick things to tell you about today.

First, I’ve been an admirer of those bloggers organized enough to actually have cards with their blog address, etc., to hand out at functions. It’s been a big help to me more than once because I’m truly name-challenged. I know that’s my issue, and not that of the lovely people who I meet, but try as I might I can’t seem to find the technique that will help me remember their names. 😥 So cards are such a great idea!

I finally have my own.

Here are the PI MOO cards. If you haven’t seen MOO cards before, this is such a cool idea. They are smaller than a standard business card, so you can carry a bunch of them. And you can put your own pictures on the backs. The pictures can be anything you want. I went with mostly fibery goodness. But I do have one of the beach at Lincoln City, because it’s so pretty, and one of Moo Cow, because she should be on a MOO card.

Although the cards are printed in London, they arrived safe and sound all the way here in the Pacific Northwest in only about 10 days after I ordered them. So now when I go to functions, I can hand them out. And because I have 100 of them, I can hand them out willy-nilly without having to conserve.

So I needed something to keep them in, I think you will agree?

The Clip-on MOOPocket is from Splatgirl’s etsy shop. She has tons of cool fabrics (or leather), and several different styles. Mine is not only clip-on, but has a little window in the front so I can display one of my MOO Cards, as the mood strikes me (currently it’s one of all my little sock bookmarks). Splatgirl had my special-ordered MOOPocket to me in just a few days. I wanted to show it to you last week, because it’s so cute. But I had to wait for the cards to get here, too.

Now, the second thing I wanted to talk to you about, gentle reader, is retirement. If you are in your 20’s or 30’s, please start saving for retirement now, because it will come a lot faster than you think. And remember that many people have to live on quite fixed incomes during their retired years.

Yarn doesn’t spoil. So go ahead and stash. It’s saving for retirement. 😆 In honor of this thought, Knitnana and I have created a new button: 401(k)nit. It’s over on the left-hand side-bar, right above the Yarn Collectors button. If you, too, are saving for your retirement, feel free to proudly display this button on your blog or website. But please don’t link to my image. Download the button and upload it to your own server, thankyouverymuch.

Same goes for the Yarn Collectors button, also. If you are a yarn collector, don’t be afraid to shout that out! We collectors and savers must stick together.

yarn crawl

The yarn crawl last Saturday was such a blast! If you have never done this in your city, you should organize something similar. We went to five LYS, a cafe (OK, that was in one of the LYS) and a patisserie — all in 7 hours. Whew. Sara did an awesome job of both organizing and herding us around from place to place to make sure we got everywhere we were supposed to be going. Maia was here from out of town, and it was so cool to get to meet her!

We all gathered at Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks. Because almost everyone was a blogger, there was a lot of picture taking going on. Here Cindy and Rodger are engaged in a shoot-out.

There was a bit of yarn shopping that happened at AY&D. And, since they also have a cafe, some lunch happened as well.

yarn crawl

Our next stop was PIX Patisserie for a little dessert. Because it was, like my birthday, and while I don’t really celebrate that any more, still some dessert is called for, dontcha know.

I know that this is a rather glum looking crowd, for some reason. Except for Chrispy.

Chrispy and Cindy braved my taxi-driving skills and drove around with me. Have I mentioned that I’m sometimes easily distracted? I don’t think we had to go around the block more than twice because I got interested in the conversation and forgot to turn.

But I’m really a safe driver. Mostly. Really.

So I don’t think it’s my driving that has caused the glumness. I think it’s because we’re waiting for our dessert to be served. It was well worth the wait.

yarn crawl

Here are a few of the dessert choices. I couldn’t decide between two different goodies, so Maia and I split them.

I can’t begin to tell you how good this stuff was. OMG

And, to make it just a perfect place, I looked up in the rafters and there was a sock monkey, swinging from a fake vine. 🙂

From there we headed up to Yarn Garden. They were a bit low on sock yarn, so I didn’t aquire any new things there. But I did have a great time petting the cashmere and silk.

I don’t seem to have taken any pictures there, either. I think I was overcome by yarn fumes.

yarn crawl

The next stop was Twisted. They have a whole wall of sock yarn there, and much of it is from indie dyers.

I managed to do a bit of stash enhancing at Twisted. Or non-stash-enhancing, since sock yarn doesn’t count. All of us petted the yarn and admired the lace scarf (a pattern for their lace class) and fondled the yarn some more, and then waited patiently to make our purchases, while fondling the yarn.

From Twisted we drove across the river to Knit Purl. Usually finding parking is a challenge there — although well worth the challenge! But I found a place right in front of the door. I like to think of it as a little b-day prezzy from the gods of parking. I don’t expect it to ever happen again.

The nice ladies at Knit Purl were waiting for us with cookies and iced tea. They have a wall of Koigu at Knit Purl. Just in case you didn’t catch that, it’s a wall of Koigu. I madly snapped pictures at Knit Purl, but none of them turned out.

I really, really want a new camera. But because I have other discretionary expenses that I’ve already committed to, I have resolved to learn to take better pictures with the camera I have. Sometimes that works better than other times. Ah well.

yarn crawl

Our last stop was Farmhouse Knit Shop. Despite driving by there on a fairly regular basis, I had never actually stopped in. It’s a really cute little shop.

Sara is fondling the Blue Moon. That entire display case is all Blue Moon of all different kinds. Just in case you didn’t catch that, the entire display case is Blue Moon.

And that’s not all of the Blue Moon, because the sock yarn is back in another room.

I showed what I consider to be a great deal of restraint. I did not get anything at Farmhouse. But they should expect I will be back.

birthday swag

The day ended with dinner at a Thai place with Maia and Roger. And fine company they were!

Chrispy and Cindy, bless them, both brought me a little b-day rememberance. Although I really felt I should be giving them something instead, for having put up with my driving the entire day.

I had a very, very wonderful day!

Top row L-to-R: From Twisted: Ashabee’s Fiber Oasis, Cheeta and Eclipse, Knitted Wit in Eat Your Veggies; from Knit Purl: Koikgu KPPPM in P117 and 116
Bottom row, L-to-R: From Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks: Araucania Ranco in 310 and 306 (love these descriptive colorways); a prezzy from Cindy: a cool little notepad from her blog and Shibui Sock in 3601
Right side: gift from Chrispy: Silk scarf, indigo dyed by herself! She also gave me a little hand-made soap that is not in the picture.

The Clapotis That… Ended After All

It’s done! It’s done! It’s done! It’s DONE! Oh yeah! Doin’ the happy dance, oh yeah!

Can you tell I’m pleased, gentle reader?

It’s been a long, hard slog over two years during which I was distracted by many bright, shiny new projects. But at last it is finished. The never-ending song has ended. Ah…..

I slogged away all weekend on the thing. All weekend. I kept wondering why I had decided to knit the thing in this rather unbecoming blah gray. I almost didn’t bother to weave the ends in because… meh. But in the end I did. Then I gave it a bit of a wash in my front-loader on handwash cycle, and plopped it in a pile on the rack in my drier on low heat. Because it’s a Clapotis, after all, and really doesn’t need any blocking. And then I realized that, if I wanted a picture I’d better darn well hurry because the light was going. And it still wasn’t dry. So I took the rack out and popped that baby in the drier and gave it a good go-round on medium heat, because really after two years and steady weekend knitting I was a little sick of the thing anyway and if it felted a bit… well… that would not detract from its charm because at the time I was feeling that it didn’t have any, and wasn’t the cotton content high enough to prevent that? And this is in no way to be construed as advice that you pop your Silky Tweed in the drier!

And then I took it out of the drier. Hmmmmm… it’s soft. Oh. It blocked itself perfectly in the drier. And look how nicely it drapes. It’s actually sort of the color of very faded favorite jeans. Not really gray. But blue gray with some flecks of other colors in it. Hmmmm…. And then I hung it over a branch of my cherry tree and watched it ruffle in the breeze as the late afternoon sun slanted through the grapes. And then I tossed it casually around my shoulders as I picked a few fresh strawberries and took a brief turn around the yard to see if the neighbors’ turtle (missing a week now) had decided to pay a visit after all. oooo… it’s just the right size to be big and cozy.

And then I fell in love.

I can’t believe I let this poor thing languish in a bag for two years! It’s slated now to go with me to work, where its destiny is to provide a bit of warmth on cold days (cold because of the weather or the deep-freeze air conditioner).

The particulars:

• Yarn: Elspeth Lavold Silky Tweed (40% Silk, 30% Cotton, 20% Merino Wool, 10% Viscose), color #13 (Cool Blue) (Note: ball band long ago lost, but that’s what I reported in a long-ago post.)
• Needles: Various over the years, ending with Knitpicks circulars, US#6 (4mm)
• Pattern: Clapotis, with a minor modification. I increased through one skein, knit straight until I had one skein left, and decreased through the last skein. It worked, as I used every inch of yarn and had to fudge the last couple of decreases to have enough, but the fudging isn’t noticeable at all.

cute little scissor keeper

In other new, I wasn’t able to attend the Black Sheep Gathering this year in Eugene. I can’t wait to see the reports from those who did. It’s always suck a fabulous fiberly time! Ahhh… all that yarn. It’s a yarn collector’s paradise, it is!

So instead I had to content myself with a little purchase from The Loopy Ewe. Just a little one. Because I needed yarn for my sock pall, you know. Yeah. That’s what it was. It wasn’t to assuage the pain of my BSG-less existence. No shopping therapy here, nosiree!

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I spent some very nice time looking at all of the wonderful things at The Loopy Ewe. Look at these little scissors with the little scissor-keeper on a fob that clips to the handle so it doesn’t get lost when carelessly tossed into a little sock bag and bounced around inside a purse. Isn’t that the cutest thing?

Don’t you agree that I needed to have this? Head over to The Loopy Ewe and look at all of the lovely, fun, bright colors it comes in. You know you want to.

Ack! I’m starting to sound like a pusher! 😆

java leaf swatch

There might have been some yarn involved in this purchase, also. Just a little. This is Cherry Tree Hill in Java.

I haven’t knit with this yarn before, but I now understand why people are raving about it. Lovely, lovely stuff. Fun to knit. This is the second swatch I’ve done. I found that I really need a size US#0 (2mm) to get a nice, dense fabric.

The stitch pattern is a vining leaf design from an old, old book I borrowed from V at Tangle. I don’t know if it’s also in one of Barbara Walkers books or not. I would be surprised if it isn’t. What looks like ribbing on the sides is actually a brioche stitch. I modified the pattern just a little — instead of cabling the stem stitches with the background, I did a m1, k2tog. It looks OK and will be less annoying to work than two-stitch cables every single row.

I’m considering this for my sock pal’s socks. Since I usually work an all-over pattern, and since I usually knit in brighter or lighter colors, this is a departure for me in more than one direction. But I think it will be a fun knit.

What do you think, gentle reader?

I’m not hopping on the yarn-diet, buy-no-yarn-in-2007 bandwagon that seems to be making the rounds. Those who are, I know, have their reasons for doing so and I respect those reasons. But I’d like a chance to express my reasons for choosing not to follow along.

First, my stash is just not that big. I don’t have a room for my stash or even a closet — I have several large plastic bins that I store on a bookshelf and in a corner of my dining room. Oh… If I knit nothing but lace and socks and maybe a sweater and a couple of hats, and finished up the projects already on needles, I’d have enough yarn to keep me busy this year and partially into next. About half my stash is sock yarn and I am not adding to that collection right now unless I find some unique fiber or amazing color that I really want to try. I’ve joined the STR sock club this year, so I already know that some lovely yarn will be coming my way.

I am usually thoughtful about my purchases. Not always, but usually. Sometimes the thinking goes very quickly — so quickly that it might appear to be an impulse buy. But I do think and consider and weigh what I already have against the desirability of whatever new thing has caught my eye. Even if I buy impulsively, I have a roof over my head and my bills are paid and I have money in savings and buying a skein of yarn does not take food from my child’s mouth (he feeds himself quite well nowadays, anyway).

I’d rather knit a pretty sweater than buy one.

I have learned the hard way that failure to buy a wonderful yarn when it is available might mean that quantities large enough for the intended project are not available when I get around to starting on it. With colorways and even fibers changing quickly from season to season, it’s sometimes best to strike while the iron is hot if a particular yarn is needed (or wanted).

Most of the yarn I have has already been earmarked for projects, even if those projects have not yet been started. Most often I decide what I’m going to knit and only then start looking for a yarn to knit it from. I’ve also learned the hard way that buying yarn in quantity without the actual project in mind usually means that I don’t buy enough.

We are blessed in Portland buy having probably more local yarn shops per capita than almost anywhere else. Each is a unique shopping experience. All carry wonderful yarns and amazing fibers. Whatever you are looking for, be it acrylic or qiviuk; whatever shopping ambiance you prefer; there is something here for everyone. But our LYS exist only because they are sustained by the yarn needs of Portland area fiber crafters. If we all stopped buying yarn for the next nine months, by October we might find that our choices were fewer and some wonderful local businesses were no more.

I love yarn. All the yarn. I feel that I show admirable restraint by not buying all the yarn – even the yarn I don’t plan to knit with. OK… there are those three balls of pink KidSeta. But that was an aberration. Really. For the most part I am content to stroke and fondle and smell and squeeze and simply visit the yarn without bringing it home.

But I will not feel guilty when I do. 🙂

Actually, I didn’t do too badly in Las Vegas. I have a fairly low tolerance for feeding my hard earned cash to the one-armed bandit, and I’m fairly good at sticking to my vacation budget which includes a line item for how much I am willing to lose. You don’t go to Vegas and expect to win. Well… maybe there are some out there who do, but I’m not playing with the high rollers.

The pic is the view from my window at the Aladdin. Not bad, eh? What this picture doesn’t show is the daylight view. Everything from the Bellagio down to the Monte Carlo is now a big hole in the ground, soon to be filled by a high-rise casino/shopping/condo/timeshare thingy. Every time I got off the elevator, some joe tried to sell me a timeshare. Or, if I wanted, they’d be happy to sell me the whole condo. Sure… I have a few spare millions just lying around. On Thursday morning, sick and in need of coffee, I told one sorry, I’d rather knit. He looked rather startled, and I have to admit it makes no sense to me either. But afterwards, that particular salesman backed away whenever I entered the casino by his assigned station.

I took that picture the first night after I had checked into my room and settled in. Not much sleep came my way that night, and I finally got up at around 5:00 AM with a splitting headache and a pouring nose. Yep. The cold that I had been holding at bay for days and days finally got me. With no energy and flagging spirit, I never made it outside the casino. Ah well. Them’s the breaks.

The Aladdin is undergoing renovation on its way to becoming a Hard Rock Hotel. Part of the casino is walled off while the renovations proceed and a lot of the games have been moved up to the mezzanine level. The better restaurants are closed, also. A few new ones have opened off the mall, but I didn’t try them out. I found that the mezzanine is very quiet because hardly anyone plays up there, and the slots looser than on the main floor. I found a slot machine that payed enough that I could play for a long, long time on $20. I will have Walk Like An Egyptian going through my head for days now, but the quiet and repetitive button-pushing suited my cold-addled brain quite well. The casino nicely comped me some free slot play, and I almost won enough back to break even. Not quite, but close. I consider that a successful casino visit.

The Aladdin has one of the better casino malls, in my opinion. So, a little shopping was done. OK… a lot of shopping, but very little buying.

So now I am home and feeling a little better. I slept last night in my own bed with my own cats piled around me, and life was good.

The Snake River socks are progressing up the ankles. No, I have no pictures. Yes, it’s still raining. No, there is no light. It might stop raining briefly this weekend, at which time I will madly snap all kinds of pictures of anything I have knit lately.

Yes, I would like some cheese with that whine.

I just found out that I need to provide a $10 – $15 gift for a gift exchange. I’m thinking that knitting a quick hat (need to have it by Monday) would be much preferable to venturing out into the malls and shopping centers of America amidst crazed shoppers looking for that perfect bargain with only 10 shopping days left before the immovable Christmas deadline. If I use something stripy like Noro it will look a lot harder and more expensive than it was. What do you think, gentle reader? Can this knitter, to whom deadlines have not been kind lately, actually produce something on time?

Since I still have no real knitting content here, I will offer this picture of my lovely and wonderful niece Z at her school’s Christmas program. (She attends a private school so they can still call it a “Christmas Program.”) The kids were all super cute and the program was fun. I’ve sort of missed this kind of thing a bit since #1 Son has grown up and stopped doing school programs.

Lovely Z is in the middle row, 3rd from the left. Bro and Sis-In-Law are rightfully proud of their little girl! (And so am I!)