WolfWeave

Had to drive downtown today (which I hate doing) for an unpleasant medical procedure (also hate doing) so consoled myself by driving over to out of the way slightly west of downtown yarn store Nina, which I had visited once before when I had to drive my youngest son downtown for a Japanese proficiency exam and spent the time exploring all the yarn stores the near north side of Chicago had to offer. Nina was among the best, if not the best one. It is a store with a little zen philosophy running through it–clean, neat, light natural wood for displays, artfully arranged products, etc. Sort of an art gallery for yarn and needles. It has a comfortable sofa up in the front window where the yarn books float on a shelf suspended from the ceiling. Anyway, on that visit, I had been seduced by Lorna’s Laces Lion & Lamb silk/wool in color #58 Valentine–totally out of character for me (the color, not the yarn). It must have served as an antidote to the grey Chicago winter I had sloshed through outside. I bought 3 skeins, which the saleswoman kindly wound into balls.

Flash forward nearly 3 months and I find myself thinking that I can’t possibly make anything out of only 3 skeins of Lion & Lamb and what could I possibly have been thinking! So, as you read, I phoned Nina to find, miracle of miracles, that they actually had 2 more skeins in the same dye lot just waiting for me to come rescue them.

So, by way of finally getting to the point, I drove to Nina to pick up my Lion & Lamb, which the kind owner (Nina) had wound into balls for me again. However, despite my “iffy” parking spot, I felt I just had to do a quick perusal of the store and suddenly I screeched to a halt in front of 5 skeins (different colors) of Regal Silk artfully laid out on the shelf halfway back in the store. “You weren’t carrying Artyarns before,” I said. “Oh,” she replied, “I just this morning received a shipment I’d ordered.” “Is there any more?” I asked (the Regal Silk colors were all sort of pink/purple, but I was willing to compromise). “Yes,” she said, “I believe there is some Supermerino in the box and we also got in a new yarn.” At this point, my heart started beating faster and I could hardly breathe. She came out of the back holding one skein of Silk Rhapsody in her hand, its purple/blue/green colors shining all silk and mohair softness in the spotlights of the store (I almost heard angels singing), saying, “Just before you walked in I was about to start winding this so I could see how it knits up.” I felt dizzy. “Oh no you don’t!” I said, snatching it from your hand. “Did you only get one skein?” “Well…Iris did convince me to order two of them.” “I’ll take them both, I said, so quickly I could almost see her head spin around. But, hey, if you’re a retailer, a sale’s a sale, right? Nina can always order more (and I hope she will!). The 2 skeins of Silk Rhapsody were mine! I felt like I’d won some sort of treasure hunt, for only a few retailers are carrying it and it hasn’t yet shown up at the online stores.

Footnote to 2/20 Things I Wants: I did finally call the yarn store–Nina–where I bought my Lion&Lamb and it (miracle of miracles) turns out that they still have 2 skeins left, in the same dye lot even! So I shall pick them up on Monday when I have to drive downtown for something else. Now comes the hard part–I will have 5 skeins or just over 1000 yards (all neatly wound into balls) of the loveliest shade (Valentine) of reds, pinks, purples, and WHAT shall I make with it? I thought I knew, thought I was going to make the Starburst Shawl (and wider than the pattern shows), but now doubt strikes! Suddenly 1000 yards offers all sorts of possibilities! Hmmmm…..

But I’d better decide quickly because I need a new project TODAY! I finally finished my Sheer One Piece (S1P) Shawl from Modular Knits last night, wove in the ends and tacked those slippery silk ends down with sewing thread. I started to steam it and was amazed to find how much the stitches and rows were opening up as the silk relaxed. Guess I should have followed Iris’s directions and used a size 7 needle no matter how tight and scrunchy the fabric looked, instead of moving up to a size 8. Oh well, it will be even more lacy, not necessarily a bad thing. Started to steam it…and found yet another mistake–a hole where I must have dropped a yarnover. Now I’ll have to pick it up and fix it. This shawl has so many mistakes (sigh). My hope is no one else will notice them. Memo to self: 100% silk yarn is a slippery bugger and deserves your full attention. Do not try to watch television (especially not Grey’s Anatomy) while knitting with it! Photo to follow.

Anyway, must pick new project this morning so I have something to work on at Bead Group (yes, I know it sounds funny) and take with in the car tomorrow on our drive up to Appleton, so middle son (who’s already been admitted) can attend a science workshop at Lawrence University Saturday while we’re relaxing at the Copperleaf Hotel and exploring downtown Appleton (unless it snows, which I’m sure it will).

1. I have a cold. A cold where my eyes and nose are constantly running and my head is all stuffy.
2. I am suddenly infatuated with the new Black Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke. It is so sweetly delicious that I am trying to restrict my intake to 1 BCV to every 2 regular Diet Cokes. (of course I am also trying to drink 1 bottle of water to every can of Diet Coke…and almost succeeding.)
3. Whenever I am feeling down…or have a cold…I have decided to read some of the Yarn Harlot’s archives (I am on April 2004), as her writing invariably causes me to laugh and cheers me right up (and I have run out of her published material to read. Great books–check Amazon for Stephanie Pearl-McPhee). I apologize in advance for sounding even the tiniest bit like Stephanie. It’s contagious.
4. I should be lying in bed under the covers finishing up the last few rows of my Sheer One Piece Shawl from Iris Schreier’s Modular Knits color 117 (grey, black, white). Then I can steam and photograph it and claim my prize–see front page of Iris’s Multidirectional yahoo group–the P90 pattern–Diamond Triangle Top, which I have been wanting to make for a long time. There is a new color (144) of Regal Silk that is just black and grey I would like to secure for it before the group’s 3/15 knitalong starts.
5. I should also be taking a shower, paying bills, dropping clothes at the cleaners and going to the grocery store.
6. Just got my computer back from the Apple Store after it suffered a nervous breakdown. It kept overheating and shutting itself down. I can’t remember what was wrong (power module?) exactly but they fixed it for free. Now we are still working on recovering all the things (read: mostly photos) that were lost when the hard drive crashed and burned a few weeks ago. When they have been found, I will post (or re-post) lots of photos to the blog. If you are lucky, I will go back to mostly posting photos and hardly talking at all.

Back to my bed and my BCV. If only our resident woodpecker would end his obsession with hammering holes in the cedar siding (which forms the outside wall of our bedroom), which necessitates my jumping out of bed, pounding on the wall, and yelling out the window at him approximately every half hour. I mean, it’s not like there aren’t any number of attractive trees in the immediate vicinity that he could use and, besides, he’s already peppered both sides of the bedroom walls with enough holes to house his entire extended family. And yet he is determined to continue his renovations and expansions, as he returns despite our shouting, throwing water bombs, even despite our high-tech Bird-X machine with its annoying “woodpecker-in-distress”, hawk and kestrel calls. I wish we could find such a dedicated contractor!

Guilt gets the better of me and I get dressed (no shower) and pay the bills. I look out the kitchen window while making my peanut butter sandwich for lunch (someone really needs to go to the grocery store!) and notice how blue the sky is today and how lovely the stark tree branches look standing in relief against the blue sky. Such a nice piece of uncultivated land behind our house, going all the way down to the ravine. Of course, the scene could be quite different this time next year, as the man behind us wants to subdivide and sell his lots and the trees would get chopped down and I could be looking out onto the building of yet more McMansions. Just what we need. Guess the woodpecker’s hammering won’t seem so bad in comparison.

I think about driving to the post office to mail the bills, the cleaners to drop off the cleaning, and the bank to make a deposit…but am feeling chilled and my nose is running again so maybe I’ll wait until later. Back upstairs to bed.

Things I wants:

1. A new Boby cart

Designed by Joe Columbo, the Boby trolley or artist taboret (great word) has served me well as an art cart and then bedside table since the early 1970′s when I bought it (for, what, $79 or so?). On the plus side, it has lasted more than 30 years. On the minus side, it is now all stained and yellowed and the drawers stick and one caster keeps falling off because the threads are stripped where it screws into the long metal post. Anyway, I crave a new Boby and they now cost about $350 (discounted retail), so it’s on my wish list.

Yarns I wants:

1. At least 3 skeins of Schaefer Yarn’s Laurel in the Frida Kahlo colorway. I bought 1 skein (and have already wound it into a ball) at one of my local yarn stores back in December because that was all they had and the more I look at it, the more the color grows on me (especially after I went to Arizona in December) and now I want to make it into a sweater but for that I need at least 3 more skeins and it is getting pretty hard to find. Has Schaefer discontinued the Memorable Women I colorway set in favor of Memorable Women II? Anyone know where I can find some Frida Kahlo Laurel? (and, yes, I’ve written to LittleKnits). This is quite a breakout change for me from my usual color set (black), but that’s what I’m going for now.

2. At least 1 skein of Lorna’s Laces Lion & Lamb in color 58-Valentine. Why did I buy only 3 skeins (which the yarn shop was nice enough to wind into balls while I waited)? Could it have been the price? What was I planning on making with this? Whatever it was, I surely would have needed a fourth skein! Why don’t I just call the yarn shop where I bought it? (could it be because 2 months have passed and I’m afraid to find out that they have moved on but I haven’t?) Anyway, I love the color and I will call…today…maybe…if I can find the phone number. (Note 2/21: I tried to phone but they’re closed on Tuesdays.)

3. More skeins of Schaefer’s Helene in the Mary Breckenridge colorway. I have 4 skeins and ohmigod the colors are gorgeous–it is like a peacock in captivity. But that is only 900 yards and a decent sweater would require at least 1000-1200, so I need another skein or 2. Why am I suddenly attracted so to silk/wool combinations and amazing handpainted colorways? I am inclined to blame Iris Schreier for this (and have the box of Regal Silk to prove it). Anyway, where can I find more skeins of this yarn? (Note: 2/21: just scored 1 extra skein on ebay–yeah!)

4. WHY do I need so much yarn and when will it stop? Where will it end? Why must there be so many gorgeous yarns on the market? Why must they be so irresistible? And why, oh why, do I never buy enough when I see them, or why am I attracted to those skeins that are ineveitably too few in number (and am then left to search endlessly for the remaining skeins I need in some sort of mythological quest–what was it, Jason and the Golden Fleece??? appropriate, no?)

Anniversary loot:

1 pound box of Bernard Callebaut chocolates specially selected by my husband from the new Callebaut store in Lake Forest. I thought they were French, but turns out they’re Canadian. Yummy but they could offer more dark chocolates. They do come with a nice pictionary, telling you what’s inside each chocolate. Helps avoid unpleasant surprises.

GIANT silver mylar balloons in a 2 and a 0 floating over the dining room table like some kind of surprise cartoon invasion first thing in the morning, along with a Happy Anniversary balloon. Thanks for your thoughtfulness Noah! (and I thought you were staying up so late because you had homework to do!)

Colorful, jingly charm bracelet (selected by me–I really wanted this more than diamonds) which was created by my good friend Sue Jackson .

Apple iLife ’06 from my husband (okay, this was really for the whole family).

Luscious multi-colored roses from Liz & Michael, my sister-in-law and brother. (Note 2/23: They’re full open but still blooming a week later!)

Great book 1000 Glass Beads from my friend Jan who was quite prescient, as it was the only book in that series that I had not yet bought for myself! Gorgeous photos!

Lots of cards, some with surprises inside from friends and relatives (thanks Mom & Dad!).

Dinner at the new Fleming’s in Lincolnshire, which was not without its problems (but I’ve already written them a letter).

Patience and politeness from youngest son in looking through our wedding album. Interesting how many people’s names we couldn’t remember. And sad to see how many people were no longer with us. Love you Ben–hope you’re this patient with us when we’re old and decrepit and have faulty memories (what, you say we’re that way already?)

Phone call from oldest son who has been busily at work on his latest invention in Cambridge and has been appearing in the Boston Globe (google aaron swartz + boston globe + wikipedia).

(photo courtesy Boston Globe)

All in all, quite a satisfying day!

Today’s my 20th wedding anniversary–amazing…but I guess I have the worry lines and the 3 outstanding teenagers to prove it. It’s been a sometimes rocky road but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Toast to another 20 (Moet & Chandon White Star please)!

Yarn Harlot has organized a Knitting Olympics to take place during the regular Olympics. See her site for info on the challenge. Here are some of the buttons that apply to me if I take up the challenge:

I’m thinking about knitting the Starburst Shawl from Iris Schreier’s Modular Knits book. I am so totally enthralled with the book that I have been knitting nothing else and reading about almost nothing else, to the extent that I have been automatically archiving all my yahoogroups, except for Iris’s .

photos to come!