Maryland Sheep and Wool - May 2008

My first knitting-related festival. Awww. It was all that I'd dreamed of and more. First off, there were indeed sheep.


And other fiber-producing critters.

But it wouldn't be the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival without yarn. OMG - Yarn!!!! Here's my haul.


Just kidding. I went with three other yarnies - that above is our collective purchases. Here's mine.


I got some absolutely gorgeous seasilk blend from Tilli Thomas' booth. I'm thinking it will be a clapotis shawl. Mmmmm. Seasilk. Clapotis.


It was a good time. But kind of crowded - so many yarnies!


Good thing the Yarn Widower decided to stay home - maxin' and relaxin'.

My dig cam sucketh

Yeah. I'm going to blame it on the equipment.

I really have been knitting. Like a fiend (yes, my elbow is doing much better, thank you). But it feels kinda dumb to post without a picture to go with it - I like a little visual with my web browsing, ya know? Too much verbage and my head starts to swim.

But my digital camera is old and clunky. I keep trying to drop hints to the Yarn Widower that baby needs a new Canon Eos SLR but he stubbornly ignores me while I bide my time.

But maybe bad pictures are better than no pictures at all... And maybe posts with bad pictures are better than no posts at all...

Yarn Elbow?

I think I have lateral epicondylitis. Or more commonly known as Tennis Elbow. Except I haven't picked up my tennis racquet in 6 months. Now, my circulars - that's another thing entirely.

I'm a thrower. That is, I knit English style with my right hand, wrist and elbow leading the way. When the Yarn Widower sees me wincing while knitting, he tries to show me what I look like by swinging his entire arm around his left hand. He says helpful things like, "yeah, well, it looks like you may have to stop knitting for a while." What?!?!?!??!

F-that. I will knit through the pain.

But yesterday while participating in an anatomy workshop with a renowned body-worker Ashtanga guru, the teacher noticed my elbow brace (yeah, I had to buy one, no it's not really helping) and said, "Don't let that get any worse."

And in my head I started whining softly to myself, "But. I can't. NOT. knit." After the panic died down, I meekly asked him what I should do.

1) Ice baths - helps bring down the inflammation
2) Wrist stretches - those forearm tendons are like metal rods, they're so freaking tight (not his exact words...)

I got these images from a drummer's website - the first picture shows how to stretch the wrist flexors. The second shows how to stretch the wrist extensors. Owie but a good kind of pain.

Anway, the anatomy guru made no mention of knitting cessation. Hurray! As soon as I got home, I popped some advil and stretched my aching joints while softly moaning for effect (it's hard to get any sympathy from the Yarn Widower; I've really got to work it. Even still, all my efforts got me was a cocked eyebrow and a skeptical "Are you coming down with something? sigh.)

This morning I'm back at the knitting. It's a bit better but I may have to switch to Continental for a while. As for the ice baths, I think I'll wait until it's warmer out. Or until I can't take it anymore.

Fukakta

Current favorite curse word. Very good at calming the nerves when muttered at various fukakta people and fukakta things. Kinda like a mantra. Fukaktafukaktafukakta.

Ahhh. Now I can knit. Er, rather, write about knitting. Actually, I'm kind of in a knitting slump. Yarn Widower has been requiring more 100% concentration time which means no knitting while conversing with him and I've been trying to cut back on the Lost/knitting ritual too. (Yarn Widower gets annoyed when I ask, "Wait, what just happened? I missed it. Rewind." Fukakta addictive television show that never really answers any of the important questions - Gah!) And I've been driving a lot lately which is great for my audiobook listening but bad for the knitting. (I can highly recommend Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys and for all those YA fans out there Buddha Boy is pretty good too).

But I feel a knitting resurgence coming upon me. Now that it's getting to be very Spring and mud-lusciousy outside, I want cotton/linen everything! Last night at SNB, my new friend Bugheart showed me her latest project - the Buttony by Katie Marcus. Pattern available here. I did a little scouting around on Ravelry and found a gal who did it in Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton. And I do believe I've found my next project. I worry a bit because the pattern seems a bit obtuse but am comforted knowing that Bugheart will be available for knitting consultation. And while I've started sweaters in the past, I've never actually finished one. It would be nice to actually finish one. For me, even? That would be nice.

But then Yarn Widower asks, "What about your brother's socks? And my scarf? And I've been waiting ten years for that sweater...."

Fukakta.

Stitch n Stretch

In the grand tradition of social knitting (stitch and bitch, felt and belch etc), I give you DC's Inaugural Stitch n Stretch - yogis who knit and knitters who down dog. Who says knitting is the new yoga?

Here's a picture courtesy of Lolly (aka Lauren Weinhold; see her most excellent blog at lollygirl.com)
As it was a holiday weekend, turnout was on the low side. But it was a fun few hours on a lazy-day Sunday. Later, the Yarn Widower asked me about the event, "So...you just sat around and knit?!?!?" Yes, we did. We met at Inspired Yoga in NW DC. There was hot tea, cookies, carob bars and various other goodies. Introductions were made, projects inspected, and knitting-revelations made. (I, for one, had never heard of the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and now look forward to it with all my yarnie might.) Knitting and light conversation occurred over the span of an hour and a half. Then we cleared our needles and laid down our mats. Lolly and I (aspiring yoga teachers) led a light yoga session that got our blood moving. After savasana, we said our goodbyes and promised to do this again.

Knitting and Yoga - two great tastes that taste great together.

New and Improved Super-Duper Tuesday!

I voted today. There was such a large turnout that I waited an hour and a half to cast my ballot. There were shocked expressions of disbelief as people entered the polling place where the line snaked along both sides of the hallway, around the corner and down another hallway. Some in line were quiet, some were grumpy and some nattered on their cellphone until they got shut down (no cellphone use in the voting place! Text messages are okay but only if your device is on vibrate. No noise pollution within 5o feet of the polling place!) The Yarn Widower was there, shifting from foot to foot, muttering impatiently about the inefficiency of the Man. I merely got out my knitting.

Halfway through the line, an older woman eyed my yarn and wistfully announced, "I should have brought my knitting." A younger woman further down the line looked at me and agreed. The Yarn Widower suggested I hand the knitting over and let them do some rows - maybe they were faster knitters. I threatened to poke him with my needle tips.

May the best man/woman win.

Phew! Yarn Fast is OVER!

I did it. No yarn buying for the last six days.

Wait. Now that I think about it - I did place an online order for some Noro that I need to finish a project. Shee-it.

Does it count if I haven't received it yet?