::beaming happily at everyone::
Gosh, it's good to see you all again! And since I'd go nuts quoting individually here on Google...
Noreen - I''ve missed all you guys like crazy, too! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up a little better than once every several months, though. (stop giggling. )
Judy - the Harlot has Portland listed for one of her upcoming book tours, so I'm keeping fingers crossed I'll be able to see her, too. I'll be prepared for stomach cramps from laughing. ;)
The Other Kim - yes, you've gotta start a blog, that's all there is to it. I'm having a ball with it, and it's fun even if you never know if anyone else will ever read it! Somehow, putting stuff up where someone
*could* possibly read it makes me more productive than just writing in a journal on my hard drive. And I've got a digital camera coming, which I bought used from a friend. (a
*new* one with a decent zoom would be more than half my monthly rent; I'm not insane, so thank ghu for friends who are camera nuts.) Frankly, if not for the blog, I'd probably never be planning to take pix of projects. I even only got the blog started because my cyber-sis Grace began one when she recently started knitting, and suggested we use them to encourage each other to finish stuff. So, you see, it was a duty. She's got 2 FO's, but hasn't started anything new, and we can't have that with a new knitter, now can we? And 2mm needles? Ok, I'm contemplating fainting again. ;)
Tamar and Aaron - I *am* fainting. But hey, even if you think you're crazy, you've sure got that feeling of accomplishment going, don't you? (Aaron, I've got your blog bookmarked, have to catch up with it very soon. I think I caught most of your posts since early January, and they've been fascinating. Noreen - a full sweater, I'd go look at Army/Navy surplus, too!)
Nora - not floating away, no. Enjoying it, actually. ;) I feel like this winter has been normal weather again, after too many years when it didn't rain like this. I don't think we'll have a drought this summer. Although Sunday we had a hailstorm combined with a thunderstorm, and you know how rare hail is here. 1/4" size hailstones, yet. I know, Mid-Westerners and Texans are now laughing at me, but usually we only get 'em the size of BB-shot!
Els - Noreen cleared FO up, and Kim offered the reverse translation, which I'm in awe of... Good thing I didn't use OKC as I was contemplating. (which is for Obligatory Knitting Content when making mostly off-topic posts to the Ample Knitter's list. it probably originated somewhere else, but that's where *I* first saw it.)
I've hardly done any spinning this last year, but I *have* been collecting fleeces from a friend of mine who raises sheep in Montana. Got a cream Columbia/Rambouillet cross, some of a lovely gray Shetland, and an absolutely *incredible* deep chocolate brown Shetland/Churro/I-can't-remember-the-rest. (that sheep, Chip, was a cross of something like 5 different breeds, LOL.) And, after years of not being able to afford it, a copy of Priscilla Gibson-Roberts book on Salish sweaters. (which is going to be re-issued in an updated version, but I couldn't wait.) Next is to design a Cowichan-style cardigan as a present for my brother, made of handspun from those 3 fleeces. I've been yapping about this for around 10 years, so I'm really looking forward to finally *doing* it! Should be interesting. Especially with no sewing machine and cutting the front for the opening. I might be contemplating fainting again on that bit, I've never steeked in my life. ;) But I'm not going to break tradition and knit the sweater in the *flat*, horrors! Besides, I much prefer circular knitting to flat anyway. So guess I'm going to be attempting it. Eventually. I'll have time to practically memorize the book before I get to that point, LOL, which may help some. It's also going to be interesting charting out designs that look authentic, but aren't stolen from the *real* Cowichan artists. It may take me another couple years to make this sweater, at this rate. But then, that means I've got a lot of fun that'll be spread out for a long time, no?
Mirjam - loved reading your posts, as usual, and hearing what you've been doing with the exhibits and all. Look forward to more.
Thanks for all the welcome back posts, everyone!
Hugs, Monica