Because we get a fair number of questions about how much an item felts vertically and horizontally, I thought I’d post up a swatch that I did this morning preparatory to doing a felted bag for my kid’s kindergarten teacher.
The lovely and talented GM Nhia has made some upgrades to the Orchid Lagoon wedding area, including a fishing pier and a beach for building sandcastles. Buckets and shovels are available for purchase at a very reasonable price. Go Nhia! I’m very excited by this, and by other things we have in the works.
In other news, I was sick as a dog over the weekend, with the hubby taking over all child-care duties so that I could lie in bed lie the pathetic bump on a log that I was. I’m still hacking pretty good, but the holiday’s over, so I have to get back to work.
I’m swatching for the kindergarten teacher’s big felted purse. I always want to swatch when I’m using a new kind of novelty yarn, because you never know what’ll get ruined in the hot water wash. She’s elaborated that she wants a fairly large one with a shoulder strap, but kicky and fun, probably bright pink, with some kind of fur. I like felting, so that’ll be fun, if time-consuming. I’ll be alterating working on that with working on the hats for a bit. I didn’t get much knitting done over the weekend – I would knit a row, then drop the needles in my lap like it was just the biggest effort in the world for me to knit anymore. Sickness blows.
My secret pal has not contacted me, nor have I heard back from the one I’ll be sending things to. I’m hoping my mails aren’t being labeled as spam. It’s only been two days, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.
Hats completed: 4.7
I got my Secret Pal 5 info today. For those not in the know, this is a knitting swap among strangers. Looks like my giftee and I share a geographical connection, but I haven’t looked at her info to check for more details.
Now I have to put more knitting content up here, so my pal won’t check and go, “What’s this DR stuff? Where’s the yarn?”
I swear, I really do knit things other than the same hat over and over. Next on the needles, after finishing this hat, my kid’s kindergarten teacher has requested a felted bag. Something bright and pink and kicky with fuzzy parts. I’m slightly ahead of schedule on the hats, so the guys in England won’t be short-changed.
I swear, I’ll get to that pair of socks I want to make someday. Sigh.
And so, I look forward to thinking about what I can send to my pal, and also to the pleasures of Simucon, and avoid thinking about the Jerry-sized hole that’ll be there.
Hats completed: 3.8.
They start out fine, as an innocent query for information, then somehow turn to torturing players. Every time. It’s amazing.
What’s with the security system? Where does the hatch go? Charlie, just say no! The numbers, man, what’s up with the numbers? Jin of the Amazing Cheekbones had better be okay!
Can’t… wait… all… summer! AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!
I’m having to turn people away now. I don’t like doing that.
I have decided that I will need to employ a small Chinese orphanage in order to keep up with demand for Jayne hats.
Hats finished: 2.1
The woman I ordered my orange and red yarn from on eBay was cleaning out her storage area preparatory to putting in a new floor, and lo and behold! She found 3 cones of Sunburst Gold. That is the exact amount of the exact color I need!
I love it when things come together.
Hats finished: 2!
Went to the mammogram today, which was interesting. I’m a little scientist, and so when I go to this sort of thing, I’m always very curious about every aspect of it. It was also, of course, uncomfortable having my flesh smooshed into a pancake. At any rate, it looks like the lump is, in fact, just a fibrocystic doodad and nothing to worry about, so I don’t go back until I’m 40. Huzzah!
The parking deck had an elevator with an enclosed waiting area. The walls dropped down to encompass the entire column of waiting areas which were on every floor, by which I mean that it wasn’t compartmentalized boxes containing each waiting area, but instead there was room for air to circulate between levels on the sides, more like a long tube with concrete platforms.
The acoustics were amazing.
After I was done with my appointment, I went back to my floor and belted out “Dancing Cheek to Cheek” and “Honeybun” and a few other tunes. Fortunately, nobody came in, and I didn’t hear anyone on the other floors. MAN, did that feel good! If I didn’t have to pay $2 for parking, I’d go back there frequently just to sing.
In Jayne hat news, NOBODY has my Lamb’s Pride Bulky in Sunset Gold in stock. The mill apparently won’t be dyeing more for another couple of weeks. Allowing for that, it looks like the quickest I may be able to get it is 2 1/2 weeks from now. I’ve already ordered 1500 yards each of orange and red, so I can’t really change my brand of yarn at this point, and it’ll look weird to have the top in a different texture than the bottom and flaps.
I’m spending some time calling yarn shops in NC to see if there’s anyplace I can drive that may have the odd skein to tide me over. As it is, this is a serious impediment. I’ve only got one skein, and it takes 1/2 a skein to make a hat. This is Not Good.
Hats finished: 1.6
Well, the teachers will not be getting flower washcloths. I’ll probably do angel earrings, which I can slap together much faster.
Why no flower washcloths?
I got an e-mail from a guy in the UK wanting 20 Jayne hats by the end of July for a fan table at a convention in Birmingham. As near as I can tell, it’s the Memorabilia convention. Let’s see… 60 days, 20 hats, takes me about 2-3 days to make a hat depending on what else is going on (DR weddings come first!) so that’s… all my knitting time.
I wonder if I’d get tired of knitting the exact same thing 20 times in a row, even if it were a Jayne hat. Hmmm. It is enough money to cover my gas and hotel getting me to Simucon – but I probably wouldn’t have time to make anything new for my table there.
Argh! Decisions, decisions! I’m leaning toward “do it” but am uncertain. Thoughts?
ETA: I decided to do it. Hats completed: 1!