Links and Stuff

It's late so I'm going to keep this short. I'm going to try to not get sucked into the Olympics tonight. I didn't sign up for the knitting olympics this time around...once every four years is enough, thank you very much. But I do tend to over dose a wee bit and it's especially gruelling when the Games are on the other side of the world and the events are live right now. Did you see the 4x100 men's swimming relay last night?? Wait wait wait...I'm not going to get sucked in. Seriously.

I promised some friends that I'd post a run down of some of my favorite online shops for yarn and spinning fiber.

High Prairie Fibers -- Unfortunately, at the time of posting, they are sold out of Ugly Batts. Check the site often, they only have so many on hand. These are a blast to spin, you never know what you're going to get. I ordered 3 pounds a couple weeks ago. There is a bit of VM to pick/shake out, but it's worth it.

Webs or Yarn.com -- It's almost too simple, isn't it? I order from them quite a bit. Great selection of yarn and most is discountable. I ordered most of yarn for Zack's afghan from Webs and probably saved 40-50%.

Another good yarn site is Elann. They carry a lot of close-out yarns so if you see something that you have to have, order it. Don't wait. It might not last. Also, check out their "Sneak Peak" link to see what's coming up. You can ask them to send you a reminder when a certain yarn is about to go online....like I've done for the yummy thick/thin wool that goes on sale tomorrow.

I also order quite a bit from KnitPicks. Their undyed yarns are what I use most often as a base for the yarns I sell on Etsy.

And finally, don't be shy about checking out the local Goodwill stores for good yarn that has been knit up into a bad sweater. I have rescued lots of good yarn this way...cashmere, angora, wool. I shy away from mohair because it's a bitch to frog. With a little patience and a seam ripper, you can come up with a good amount of very useable yarn. Ravelry has a group that has all sorts of info on how to frog a sweater, what to look for, etc.

I apologize for the lack of photos. No excuse, just lazy.

Phelps is getting ready to swim again...I really need to turn off the TV, but this guy is unbelievable. He won a gold medal less than an hour ago and he's competing again. Has anyone checked him for webbed feet and gills?

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

I didn't knit as much as I would have liked for a couple reasons. First, it was pretty humid in Florida (bad combo with yarn). Second, our condo neighbor was a smoker.

I knew we were in trouble the minute we got out of the car and started unloading the car. We didn't even have the trunk open when the guy next door started asking where we were from and how long we were staying. We didn't even have the key in door to the condo and we already knew he was from Dothan and that his uncle owned the condo they were in. We were in for a long week.

The guy was about 85 years old, weighed about 120 pounds and smoked like a chimney. He sat on the front porch all day long and smoked. But who could blame him? He and his wife were accompanied by their three grandsons...ages 4 to 8. Good grief.

I knew my morning ritual had to be altered so instead of taking a cup of coffee and my knitting out on the porch each morning, I took a cup of coffee and a book, and I read. I hated to seem unneighborly, but by the first evening, I already knew that he'd had 8 operations, what prescriptions he was taking and what he could and couldn't do while at the beach. I'd walk out onto the porch, say a polite good morning and dive into the pages of "World Without End." It was my only way of escaping.

The mornings were spent rather peacefully. There was a nest of mourning doves and they provided a nice melodic cooing that was only interrupted each 4 minutes by the flick of a bic cigarette lighter. Dude could suck back some butts!

Like I said, I didn't knit much, but I devoured "World Without End" by Ken Follett. I highly recommend the book. It's set in the 1300s in England. (It's been years since I've written a book report.) The main characters are a builder and a nun who battle serfdom, the plague and the priory. It takes place about 200 years after Follett's "Pillars of the Earth", which is about cathedral building. (That's another great book that I highly recommend.)

A Three Hour Tour

Lucky for us, the boats were running to Shell Island today so we hopped aboard the Captain Anderson III for a three hour tour. We had a great time playing in the surf and looking for shells. When we left the island we searched for dolphins and found a pod of them right at the entrance to the bay. I didn't get any photos because it's hard to predict where they're going to come to the surface. There must have been about 10 in the pod. It was really cool when they all breached at the same time. It was a good tour...nothing like the SS Minnow's 3-hour tour!

Then I cast on this: It's the drop stitch scarf. I've got it in my "projects" in Ravelry. More details there.

I'll leave you with tonight's sunset. Life's a beach!

Rough Seas Ahead

For the past two days two red flags have flown over the beaches here in Florida. That means the beaches are closed to swimmers because of dangerous conditions. Hurricane Dolly stirred up the Gulf of Mexico and the waves are about 4 to 5 feet. The problem isn't necessarily the waves, it's the rip current. Today a 60 year old man from Florida drowned after being caught in the rip current. Six people had to be rescued. That news pretty much stopped the boys from asking why they couldn't go into the water. Very sad.

If the boats are running, tomorrow we're going to go to Shell Island. Wheee!

Where Am I?

As one of my favorite poets says, "The weather is here, I wish you were beautiful..."
We can see the northernmost arms of tropical storm Dolly way off in the distance over the Gulf. The storm is too far away to cause us any grief, and so far the weather has been typical for Florida--hot. The surf is supposed to be pretty high today at 3 to 4 feet. I'm looking forward to good waves for boogie boarding.

The connection is very slow, so blogging must be kept to a minimum. More later!

New Flip Flops

You've got to have new flip flops for a trip to the beach. You'd think flip flops would be easy to come by this time of year. Nope. I wear a size 9, which, it seems, a lot of other women wear. I found black and red at Old Navy. I love Old Navy flip flops, but not in black or red. They're nice and squishy and the thingy that goes between your toes isn't very thick...important quality in a good flip flop. Well, anyway I was very disappointed in the selection of size 9 flip flops. Make that size 9 CHEAP flip flops. A pair shouldn't cost more than a gallon of gas. I have standards.

Beach knitting:
Question for my seven subscribers: what should I take to the beach to knit? Last year I worked on the Lorna's Laces socks. I really don't think I want to do socks this year, but I need something smallish. I'll take the Cabaret Raglan just because, but I need an official beach project. I'll be there over July 25th (think Christmas in July). Oh...and I just bought a new air conditioner/gas heat unit (ouch!!) so whatever I knit has to be something with yarn from my stash. That makes things interesting. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Beach reading:
World Without End by Ken Follett (about 1/2 way through with this, excellent so far!)
Pieceworks Magazine (pin cushion winners)
Knitter Universe (Summer 2008)
Unfortunately my best smutty beach novel is on loan...drat! (Dark Paradise by Tami Hoag)
Help! I need another book! Thoughts? Suggestions?

By the way...are there any good yarn shops in or near Panama City Beach? I know that about half way through the trip I'm going to need to get away from the testosterone!! Yarn will help.

Tonight I Blog

It seems like I have some catching up to do. I've been spending a lot of time at my computer at work so coming home to type hasn't been terribly appealing. I'm sure you can relate.

I thought about posting fiber photos, but changed my mind. Enjoy the random shots of what's been happening lately.

Wakeboarding - Old Hickory Lake, June 2008

Drumfish caught by Zack (from shore) - Old Hickory Lake, June 2008

Zack just returned from two weeks at summer camp. Yes, TWO WEEKS! He's been away from home for a week at a time but has always been connected by phone or some other means. There was no phone contact, just letters and post cards. Separation anxiety (on my part) kicked in around day 3 and left on day 4. I bought new bedding. Then I went yarn shopping. I ate sushi, read a couple of good books and played with fiber. I had a great time at home and Zack had a great time at camp! Win win!

The Cabaret Raglan is coming along very nicely. I'm starting on the front lace panel. I got the Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting magazine, and I'm finding it hard to focus on the raglan. The blue cable and lace shell is calling...loudly...I'm thinking green bamboo blend. I digress. Back to the raglan...believe it or not, I've never followed a chart before, which is the main reason I wanted to knit this sweater. The chart is pretty simple and it makes sense. Charts always looked so scary and complicated before. I feel like I've turned a new knitting leaf! Bring on the lace!

The Mama C shetland wool is now plied and off the wheel. I tried a 2-ply, navaho-ply and 3-ply. The 2-ply was too wimpy and Navaho was too inconsistent. (Navaho is basically a three ply, but you do it with one strand of yarn in an over-exagerated crochet chain stitch motion.) I settled on a traditional three ply and it's lovely! I haven't counted the yardage yet, but I have 4 pretty decent sized skeins. I'd like to get a vest out of it.

On the Ashford right now is an experiment in wool and silk. I'm loving it! I don't know if it will remain a singles, or if I'll ply it with something. Right now it's about a DK to worsted weight. I don't want it much thicker, but I think I need a "binder" to keep it all nice and twisty.

Upcoming road trip: Panama City Beach! Get out the black socks and metal detector, here I come!