Stamps, Harlots, Dragons and Pennsylvania

Things are crazy here. Crazier, I should say.

So, what's new?

Mailed off my Ankh-Morpork Knitters Guild "I'm sending my partner some cardboard for their shoes and I was guilted into putting stuff in the box" swap box to CC. I hope I put enough postage on it...

I work all the freakin' time. I put in 13 hours this past Sunday (Easter, for those who celebrate it). My aunt and uncle, who are awesome, brought some leftovers from the family dinner to the office for me. Deviled eggs, potato salad and four kinds of cake. It just wouldn't be a family dinner if there weren't more desserts than main course and sides.

I have my very own, brand-spankin' new Epi-Pen to carry around wherever I go! It's so thrilling to know that at any time, I could be accidentally exposed to something that causes a life-threatening allergic reaction and I get to jab this handy big honkin' needle into the side of my thigh. As annoying as it is to no longer be able to carry some of my favorite evening bags (I love carrying itty bitty evening bags that are just big enough to hold ID, credit card, some cash and a lip balm), I suppose that, on the whole, having to take a slightly bigger bag along is probably better than dying. Maybe. Last time I died wasn't all that bad; it was the violent, sudden, waking up part that sucked. But that's a bad memory, and we're going to discuss pleasant things now.

There are a lot of exciting things coming up in the local fiber area. First is the Homespun Yarn Party, which I'm sure you've ready about on Ravelry. I wish I could go, but I'll most likely be working.

Yarn Harlot, Live! in a couple weeks.

Kennett Square Extravaganza, to see Franklin.

And maybe, at the end of the month (true story: as I was typing that, I had to backspace, because I typed "at the end of the money"), a Pennsylvania spinning wheel trying/buying tour!

Knitting news:

I've turned the heel and am on the straightaway for the foot of Nutkin. I've started calling them my Dragon Socks, because that's what the colorway looks like, to me.

Jojoland "Melody" in colorway MS29.
Image property of JoJoLand.

Pictures when I remember to buy new Li batteries for my camera.

Knitting Adventures in SC, continued

I left off with a description of the jacket and wrap I intend to make. This post continues with the other things I bought at The Elegant Stitch.


PART IV - Wild Stuff

Just inside the door was a mannequin wearing a gorgeous jacket made of Prism "Wild Stuff." I fell in love with the yarn and decided I wanted to make one. Rosemary informed me that it takes 4-5 full skeins of "Wild Stuff," and while she did not have enough currently in stock, she would be happy to order and mail the yarn to me. Difficulty: "Wild Stuff" is $92 a skein (6-8oz/300yd). Think I'll put that one on the back burner.



PART V - Feathers

I also bought one skein of Anny Blatt feather yarn:



and one length of marabou with guinea feathers:


Rosemary had more available, and I almost bought all she had, but I have no idea what I'm going to do with these trims...


PART VI - Island Knits

The Island Shops remind me of the Channelwood Age in Myst where you had to turn the taps a certain direction... and I never got it right. Sometimes I think I spent half my childhood playing that game with one of my friends, but it was probably more like 3 weeks altogether. Now I feel like going out and buying it--and like the recovering alcoholic, I must say no, no matter how badly I want it, because once I pop that disc in my computer I'd probably be hooked into it for a month--and that would result in lost knitting time, which would be bad. So, ah, no Myst for me. I remember liking the books, too... but that was in elementary or middle school, when I thought Anne McCaffrey was the best thing to ever happen to the written word... who knows, I may still think the books are good if I gave them another read, but until then I'm reluctant to account for my taste back then...

ANYWAY, the Island Shops reminded me of that... except the Island Shops have a massive flock of ducks, geese and swans swimming in the swamp--of course I didn't manage to get any in this picture--which tended to hang out towards the front shops, where the feeders (and tourists) are. It's calm and peaceful. Even the sweltering mid-August afternoon didn't seem so bad there. But you didn't come here to read about the non-knitting shops.

Island Knits has an excellent variety of yarns for a small shop. They are organized in bins according to yarn, and grouped roughly by manufacturer. Of course, that all could change as I came in just after the owner had finished unpacking a shipment of new yarns. I was tempted by some baby alpaca, but I was also conscious of my yarn diet, and my resolution to not buy yarn without a purpose (hence why I've been buying projects and kits lately).

I settled on two things for my nephew:
(1) Basket weave-style sweater in navy blue Reynold's Wash Day Wool. Pattern 1521 by Sirdar. I saw the pattern worked up in a rougher wool of a different color and loved it (although not the feel of it). The Wash Day Wool is surprisingly soft and, as the name implies, is machine washable--I imagine this is a plus when knitting for a toddler... although his parents would send his things out for dry cleaning if I told them it was necessary. Dry cleaning is a damn sight easier than hand washing everything. I wonder if the dry cleaners have little bitty wire hangers and miniature clear plastic bags for babies' clothes...

(2) Cabled pullover in Baby Bamboo, also by Sirdar (1731). I'm using the color and yarn illustrated on the cover of the pattern, because that color will look excellent on him. I ended up buying a lot more of the Bamboo than I would have needed in the wool (also recommended by the pattern), but I have wanted an excuse to buy bamboo yarn for some time and I figure a baby sweater is perfect. The bamboo is deliciously soft...

Jacket for Miranda Priestly--I mean Mom

PART I
For those who have seen The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep's character Miranda Priestly is scarily similar to my mother--in both looks and attitude. My mom is beautiful, formidable and classically chic.

While in South Carolina, I visited Rosemary of The Elegant Stitch, near Pawleys Island. Rosemary is semi-retired and operates the shop out of her home in a private, gated golf community... all visitors must be pre-screened by security before being allowed to enter, so you have to call first. I called by accident because Google maps' directions, which did not account for the 10' barbed wire-topped gates blocking off Maintenance road, landed me in a golf cart repair shed.

After following some circuitous directions, I passed through the gates and arrived at Rosemary's home. I was feeling a little disoriented, because I expected that perhaps the shop would be in a little strip mall/storefront, similar to those in large planned communities. She smiled and welcomed me in and showed me upstairs to the Yarn Room. The outside of the door, sure enough, had a large wooden sign which read, "The Elegant Stitch." Turns out that Rosemary used to have two retail stores--one in Pawleys Island (in a group of upscale shops--along with a wonderful jewelry boutique and the Lilly Pulitzer shop) and one near Myrtle Beach. I wasn't sure what to expect, but about three seconds after entering the Yarn Room I knew I had come to the right place. Luxury yarns from floor to ceiling, impeccably organized, arranged by color. There was Anny Blatt, Missoni and Adrienne Vittadini everywhere. Silks, alpaca, metallics, chenilles, cottons--the finest of everything. After spending a few hours browsing and chatting with Rosemary, I settled on a jacket kit for Mom and a chenille wrap kit for myself. This, however, is not the end of the story for these two projects.

S. Charles Belled-Sleeved Cardigan in MICIO

PART II
This morning I received an email newsletter from my favorite LYS. Among the offerings was a notice that they would be at Stitches East. I had heard mention, through other knitting blogs, of Stitches West and Stitches Midwest--however it hadn't occurred to me that there might be a Stitches East. I decided to check it out. Most of the classes were already sold out. Then I saw, "Lining a la Chanel":

"Learn how to assemble, sew in a lining, and finish a jacket in the manner in which Chanel couture garments are made. . . . get hands-on experience in lining and finishing your jacket like a pro!"

This might be overkill. I might have to make another jacket for it, but we shall see. I know it might be a bit silly, making this for my mom, when she can buy her own (real) Chanel jacket. But I showed her the pattern and she really liked it, once I explained that the beauty of a hand-knitted sweater is that it is customized to fit the wearer's body--it's fully custom. Even St. John doesn't do that.


PART III
Rosemary gave me a copy of Vogue Knitting's Fall 2007 edition. While flipping through, I saw an advertisement for real fur yarns. Now, I adore fur. Weather cold enough for wearing fur is my absolute favorite thing about winter. How is this relevant? Back to the chenille wrap. It's made from a Berrocco yarn called Chinchilla and edged in a fluffy eyelash yarn that mimics fur. When I bought it, I thought how beautiful it would be were it edged with real fox. So I'm considering ordering the fox yarn from FurYarn... guess I had better knit it first. This story to be continued.

Not the End
This is only one part of my knitting adventures in South Carolina.
Up Next: Feathers and Marabou, Wild Stuff, and Island Knits.


photo credits: (1) imdb. original photo here.