Time Warp Fiber

First and foremost, I owe public thanks to Amanda , my Knit One, Swap too, pal. She sent me a lovely package last week. I sadly did not photograph the whole shebang before I plundered all the goodies, but I can tell you all about it. Tea, of course: Twinings Lady Grey and Taste of Summer, neither of which I have tried before. And a black currant and the signature blend for a tea house near her, the Victorian Rose. The rose tea is unique and fabulous. I'd never think to drink rose petals, but the blend is lovely. It's featured in the french press in the photo of my own little tea party, along with some of my beloved Gini pottery and my workhouse of a kettle. She sent me little notepads (a good gift, I'm a list maker), a tea magazine with recipes and fun facts about tea, a bar of chocolate from Ghana cocoa beans (being slowly rationed out.) Also in the goodie box was "The Afternoon Tea Book" by Michael Smith. While I loved everything, this is probably my favorite. It nails many of my loves. Vintage books, tea, cooking, all things british, and cultural history. I read it in a night. And made my tea party scones from a recipe in that book. So thank you, Amanda, for a lovely tea party, and many more to come.

I am still on the job hunt, if anyone has need of a resident historian/anthropologist/knitter etc. But that's not fun to hear about, so let's leave that subject. On a happier note, today is my third anniversary, and a year since I proposed. We're (needless to say) a little strapped for cash around here, so just a small dinner out and a movie in, but a nice day to reflect and a good excuse to celebrate a little. Hard to remember my life without him, really. I couldn't be more grateful to have such a gifted and supportive partner. Love you, butthead.

In other, less dramatic, happy news, I finished some socks. If you have been into the shop lately (in the last two months) you've seen me knitting on these. In fact, these socks had a great deal of identity issues. They started out as jaywalkers, which I knit on at my graduation, but that wasn't working. The yarn was considerably thicker than what I usually work with and, combined with the bias pattern, they were like cardboard. Then I thought they would be Widdershins for me. No dice, rather big. However, my sister, Cailey, resides in the frozen north and, more importantly, wears a size nine shoe. Clearly the socks wished to go to her. Here they are a little big on my feet, but you get the gist. These thick sturdy socks are headed up north to warm her feet soon. Hope she likes them. Any knitter knows handknit socks and a rare and treasured gift, but it's hard to tell with muggles.

That's all on my end, except to mention that today the high was actually below seventy for the first time in living memory and I actually got to wear something knitted. As I type I'm sporting my brooks farm shawl and newest socks . Cross your fingers, I think fall might have finally arrived in NC.

Tux was so named by resident linux geek, Butthead. The pattern is Pasha from knitty. I made him from stash yarn in just a few days in April 06, but it took some weekes before I gathered my courage to assemble and stuff him. He's wearing a scarf that is currenting the only garment anyone has out of my own hand-dyed, handspun yarn. Yup, he's one spoiled toy. Butthead has since suggested that he is lonesome and would like a penguin family to keep him company, but oddly the knitter disagrees. 

This was my very first project that had any cabling in it. The chair kindly consented to model it for me, despite the awful lighting. I tried desperately to knit the for Butthead in secret, but that is difficult when living in the same building. He kept getting nosy and coming up to my room. He recieved it in March of '05 and actually does wear it.

This hat was completed in late fall '05 for my significant other, Butthead. The cabled band idea comes from the Coronet pattern in Knitty, but at the time, I feared the very thought of dpn's, so I crocheted the hat part and attached the knitted band. I also learned (in the loosest sense) how to graft for this project.