One Paid

I know how the Pay it Forward concept is supposed to work, but I assure you, giving Wendy the first of my PiF projects in person surely paid off in spades for me.  Some of you know how much I fretted over picking the right project and the right yarn, but it seems I did just fine!  I’ll let Wendy share the photos of herself on her blog, but here it is, my first shawl!

It’s hard to get a decent shot of a big ol’ shawl!  I was happily surprised at how much it “grew” between the first wash (Tofutsies “blooms” when washed) and my low-maintenance steam iron version of blocking.  That was another concern; Wendy’s a busy woman, and I didn’t want to gift her an item that would require a lot of maintenance.  She wanted a wrap for work, and that means elementary school classroom safe, so Tofutsies was a great fit!

That’s a decent shot of the colorway.  It’s a numbered colorway #798, but Tofutsies is backtracking and naming all of their colorways now!  Done on size #5 Knitpick Options, which was a lifesaver, as dear Sissy chomped the cord but nothing was lost.  It’s the Argosy Wrap, but if you check out her blog, there are several other Argosys (-gosies?) to try.  I loved this pattern!  It was just what the doctor ordered for Sissy’s first knitting project.  No chart needed; I could drop it and take the puppy out in an instant without incident.  It used almost exactly 1.5 skeins, and Wendy insists it “fits” perfectly.

I got a gift too!  Wendy remembered that I loved polka dots, so I was happy just looking at the little bag.  Inside, there was a pretty cloth and some yummy teas to try.  Thank you Wendy, for everything!

We had a blast, once our dear waitress realized that we weren’t going to order rapidly.  We started with lunch at The Lazy Parrot Grill, and after gabbing and enjoying our lunch, we headed to Stony Mountain Fibers.   We went one farm too far and landed on a mohair-producing place, where the nice neighbor sent us back to the right spot.  Unfortunately, the owner was out on a quick errand, and we waited as long as we could before heading to stop #2.  We did peek through the window, and the Tofutsies at the door sure got my attention.  Maybe another day…

Next, we hit The Needle Lady, where we had more success.  We fondled lots and LOTS of yarn, and I was sorry to hear that the Helen’s Lace I went after wasn’t represented at all, but I still managed to leave with some lovelies.

On the left is some lucious silky-soft bamboo lace yarn.  It wasn’t just an impulse buy; I actually bought it with a project in mind, but that’s all I’m saying.  In the center was a very selfish purchase.  I simply adore Misty Mountain yarns, and one called “Alpaca Delight” in a colorway called “Virginia Creeper” just had to come home with me.  Lace ladies, start giving me ideas for my little 500 yds. of was it dyed for me yarn!  There was another skein in the same dye lot even, but it really seemed to lack that deep rose color I really adore, so I called myself practical and left it in the store.  The little tape measure reminded me too much of my white and brown dogs at home, so…  I think I have a tape measure addiction in the works.

Now, to reward your patience, I’ll share with those of you who made it this far the shot Wendy took with my camera of the two of us.  We kept asking each other to remind the other to take photos, but short of a few shots of Wendy modeling her new shawl in the parking lot at dusk, the photos of the two of us (she’ll have one on her camera too) are it!

After The Needle Lady, we did try to go to It’s a Stitch.  Unfortunately, they closed at 4pm, not the 5pm I thought.  However, we each spotted some yarn in the window we wanted by The Purled Llama.  I’ll be swinging in next time I’m on that side of town…  I think that makes the yarn crawl a bust, but that’s okay.  We had lots of time to talk, and talk, and Wendy even got to sneak a peek at my current secret project!  We’re plotting more get-togethers in the near future…