Yes, you're reading about it everywhere, but it's been so hot, I can barely think. Yesterday we were in record-breaking temps, and a heat index of 110*, so I was really looking forward to vegging out for the evening in the a/c. Imagine my
Have I ever raved about Zephyr Style patterns? I probably have, but they definitely deserve some more raves. I love that all their patterns have almost zero seaming, and the gauges always go well with my stash yarn. I'm thinking green gables for my next project, and I've already purchased one of their newest patterns, Glee, as well. I'm seriously eyeing Rusted Root, too. I'm hoping to try the Knitpicks Main line as a sub for the cotton fleece of the Green Gables, but my gauge may be off. We shall see.
I know this is old news, but why oh why does Lion Brand do this to me? First they discontinue cotton ease, my favorite go-to cotton blend yarn, especially pricewise. Then they discontinue magic stripes. I must confess, while magic stripes was not my favorite yarn to knit with, they are definitely my favorite pair of socks to slip into. I used Magic Stripes jelly bean yarn to knit my first ever pair of socks, and I wear them constantly. I love that they're a little bit thicker than most of my other handknit socks, I love that I can throw them in the washer and dryer and not worry about them stretching or shrinking or felting, and I'm sure that part of that love is that they were my first pair, but the love is definitely there. It's quite sad really. I know they don't have a lot of variety as far as the color selection goes, but I do love them. I have 3 balls of Magic Stripes in my stash, and I feel that hoarding urge coming along. Sigh. They definitely rank up there with the regia socks I knit Jason. In fact, I think they quite compare to regia sock yarn, for much less moolah. Hmmm... I could buy a couple balls to knit Jason a few pair with the Magic Stripes... I know he would probably like the denim stripe, regatta stripe, lumberjack, and maybe even the stonewashed blue...
see? the hoarding urge is taking over!
Remember this post about well-loved books? Well, I just have to show you what arrived in the mail yesterday.
I didn't want to post about it, lest someone *gasp* try and outbid me, but I won my favorite book ever as a child on ebay. Our copy was so worn out the cover was completely off and had been masking-taped back on at least a dozen times, pages were lose, the binding was crumbling... I barely recognized it when it arrived because it looks so pristine, but re-reading the stories, I hear my dad's voice in my head saying the words. One of the stories was
"The Ass, the Table and the Stick", and my dad always substituted donkey for the word ass. But my favorite stories were Rapunzel and the Princess Who Lived on a Glass Hill. I asked for those two over and over and over.
Libby also reminded me of another favorite from my childhood -- Fashion Plates. You mixed and matched patterns and styles to create your own "fashions," which you rubbed onto a sheet of paper. It's no wonder I love Project Runway, since I was a fashion designer as a mere child!