Color Me Surprised!

I know the folks at my Fed Ex store wonder about all of the yarn and goodies I’m always mailing out. I suspect my own delivery people have questions too. Today, another package surprised me. See, Mark gets the mail. We have a rather average sized mailbox, so Priority Mail boxes, UPS and Fed Ex all end up on the front porch, where I either see them as I come down the drive on my way home, or Fred lumbers through them on his way out. For two days in a row, the knitterly goodness has been in soft pack envelopes, sent via the Postal Service.

Today’s special delivery was from the Pink Yarn Junkies Swap. It arrived as I was shutting everything down and unplugging things (we live in the woods; surge protectors are merely a stop-gap for when we aren’t home), because there was a confirmed tornado sighting just a few miles away near my childhood home, headed somewhat in our general direction. It was a nice distraction, as I tried to decide if I could hear the tell-tale “train” sound in between the rumbles of thunder. Nope. The wind barely blew.

Anyhow, I stuck my nose and fingers into the It’s a Girl Thing body butter, which hails from a company out of Chesapeake, VA. Who knew?! Now, a local goats milk lotion company can be boycotted appropriately. (They very abruptly left the City for a much cheaper locale, leaving dozens suddenly jobless. Not cool.) Between Sharon and this new find, I can ditch the old favorite, be sanctimonious and still smell sweet! (Hrmph. Googling It’s a Girl Thing isn’t helpful. But you will know where I can find it. I know you will!)

Books are always good, and I’ll read this one pronto, so I can pass it along to my sister and then she’ll pass it to our cousin… But the yarn is the stuff I really have to tell you about. Just LOOK at it. Oh, how I wish they had that touch and feel option the two year old boys in my life are really into right now. Trust me, you’d wear a hole in your monitor. The good news is, I know where you can get some of your own. You see, my spoiler in the swap was none other than Lu of LuLu’s Yarns. It’s the Merino Lace in Rosa. (Sue? I’m gonna do lace now. I have 1900 yards of this I must be lace and lovely yarn. Suggestions?)

I’ve yet to shop Etsy, only because Jessi accepts desperate email requests, from desperate friends anyway. But this… I just might console myself over my unbelievably long wait for that Ravelry invite by creating an Etsy account and…

Did I mention Mark had to go to the firehouse? The storms and all… a couple of serious house fires in the City and on the west side of our county…

Okay, I can take a hint. Seriously y’all, as I typed that, the thunder rolled. God is telling me to go work on my dishcloth and behave. Got it. That also means the gushing about Cascade’s Cotton Rich will have to wait. Sorry.

If I turn up missing, check in the master bath’s tub. Mugsy, the Cotton Rich and I will be in there. The boys had another little squabble this evening, so Fred will have to brave it alone in the hallway bath, if it comes to that.

Thank you again, Lu. I am truly humbled by the generousity of strangers, strangers whom twice have failed to even give me their blog sites. If you know Lu or Jamie, tell them I said thanks again.

Noro by Another Name

Not all Noro yarns are created equal. You’ll recall that I am not the least bit fond of yuck yarn – aka: Noro Kureyon – and I believe I have shared that thought more than once. However, Noro makes more than yuck yarn! I had pondered Silk Garden, and my new knitting pal Crimson Purl has been more than gently urging me to give it a try (check out her nearly completed Lizard Ridge!). Now, thanks to Flowerpot, I have some SG of my own to try! What I failed to capture with my camera is that there are also some rich to vivid blues in this colorway. Here’s a swatch photo I finally found at Royal Yarns. Obviously, the colors are a bit off in the swatch (at least on my monitor, the photo I took is more true-colored.) Still, the swatch shows the blues and other hues in there. Now, what to knit? It won’t be a blanket or a scarf, so just don’t go there! It also won’t happen too soon, because I have the Sockza socks to finish (I’m ready to move into the heel on sock one; thank goodness for the LONG ride to Myrtle Beach!), and a baby blankie to start and finish post-haste. Yes, yes, I said no non-socks this summer, but my hubby insists that “Baby Ploeg” will arrive with a blankie to be wrapped in. Never mind that since Mommy P (or so we’ll call her) is due on August 26th, it will most likely be so hot that a simple cotton blanket will be best. Mark rarely insists upon anything, so BP will have a blankie before he/she arrives, God willing! (Going to Myrtle Beach? I’ll be easy to spot. The freak knitting a blankie on the beach…)

But wait! There’s more! I also got some shea butter soap – love me some shea butter – and some minty lip balm. There’s also a very lovely handmade card, which reminds me that I spent a small fortune in cardmaking and stamping supplies, mostly in the name of making my own cards. I even selected the hostess only stamps that included some yarn and knitting needles, so there’s no reason for me to keep rushing to Hallmark. Sigh. Can someone tell me how to make cards without putting down my needles?

Now, you must excuse me, because there’s this little white dog, pacing the length of the house with his ball in his mouth. You see, in two days, his eight weeks of no running, no fetching and no jumping (yeah, right) is complete, and we can begin to slowly reintroduce those things into his life. His wee little ACL has mended as best it can, and once again, Mugsy will be chanting, “Throw the ball, throw the ball, throw the ball…” as only he can.