Shut Up & Knit!

When boys with agendas text me*

A couple of months ago, out of the blue, I got a text from one of my fake nephews.  The one with the voice and Kennedy-esque hair.  He gave me compliments, praised his mother and was charming. Then he made a request.

Naturally, I did what he wanted.  *L*

iPhone photo

I knit a friend of his a hat** with some of his beloved mother's handspun that she overdyed to the requested color.  (Purple)  She's also the one that should get the complaints about that photo.  It's still better than the photo I got from the kid, though.  (No photo from the kid.)

Just like every other boy who wants something, he dropped me like a hot rock once he got it.  So young and so much like a 20-something man/boy already.   /sigh

I can't decide if I should be annoyed or proud.  *L*

The best part?

When he called to "personally" thank me.  It's a good thing he's adorable.

The hat? 

Not that you can tell, but it's a ribbed hat that the kids are calling a "beanie" this season.  Yeah, I don't know.  I just knit ribbing until I lost the will to live.  Then I kept knitting for another 30 minutes.  Then I did decreases and cast off.

Btw, this hat would NOT fit on my big giant head before blocking.  *L*

 

ps... if you wanted to see the prize package sent out to the winner of Year of Handspun/When Will Cookie Go Over The Wall contest, go look at our Carole's blog post from Wednesday!

* Do not try this at home.

**  At first, there were 2 friends who "needed" hats, but his mother nixed that idea.

Now that it's really Wednesday...

The hat has come a long way* since I took that photo yesterday morning.  Same with the collection of dpns that are holding what will one day be a cat toy of handspun.  I'm using my own design and love how it's coming together.  Of course, the true test will be what the kitties think but it will be a while before I'm ready for feedback.

The handspun yarn is half the bag of Shetland fiber that our Angie gave me.  It hurts me less to look at that skein than at the box o'fiber waiting for me.  It's been a while since I've sat at the wheel and I'm not sure when I'll get back to it.  Between life being crazy, life being busy and me hating just about everyone, there just isn't a lot of free time for the wheel.

Not only do I have patterns that I want to knit and design ideas floating around my head, I keep finding new to me patterns that look fun.  My Beverly shared this one on the Twitter machine this morning and I had to go download it.  I can see my version of the Muckle Mitts as gloves.  Perhaps with a longer cuff.  We'll have to see... and yes, my hands are cold.  Thanks for noticing.

I think part of my renewed desire to knit has to do with the fact that I can once again poke around my mill-spun yarn stash for ideas.  While I loved my year+ of nothing but handspun yarn, I think getting back to the stuff I have that was made by strangers is going to be good for me.  If nothing else, it's keeping my lizard brain asleep and me out of trouble.  Always a good thing.

* I'm at the decreases now.  I tried the hat on last night and discovered that while it will fit my big giant head, there will be no slouchy when I wear it.  Unless it grows like a mofo during the soaking/blocking process.  Frankly, I think this is for the best.  I don't really see me pulling off the "slouchy" look at my rapidly advancing age.

Can I go back to bed now?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

New year. 

Whatever.

I started my new year by blocking phone numbers on the world's slowest website Verizon and wondering why people are calling me by name in text messages.  (Not to mention misspelling my name while doing it.)  Except for our Norma, who was being funny.

I'm starting to think this is the year I stop being nice (Shut up!) and start telling off random people.*   If anyone asks, do me a favor and warn them off.  Okies?  It would save me so much time and annoyance.  Thankies.

Oh, and remember that thing our Joan and I did last year?  That handspun thing?  Yeah.  I'm still knitting with handpsun over here.  I do have plans of knitting a hat out of store bought yarn but not today.  I'm trying to finish the scarf of doom while pretending that the kitchen is already clean.

There were also The Pools.  Two little bets on how last year would go.  How long before Joan would tell me off online and how long I could go without knitting with non-handspun yarn.  Neither thing happened, which I sort of knew by mid-spring**, but whatever.***

I have emailed our Joan the info about her winner and she'll be talking about all that later on.  Today, she is spending time with those people in her house and fielding the occasional annoying text from me.

The little prize package for my winner has been slowly growing over the last few months.  A little handspun, a little goodie or two.  Nothing fabulous but we knew that would be the case going in.  I'm hoping to mail the package out in a couple of days after I've picked up another little thing or two and found those damn pants.

Oh, and I had a dream early this morning that Dave was wearing my pants.  They looked better on him.  /sigh

Happy Whatever, people!

* I don't have enough time for the people I love.  Why on earth would I waste what time I do have on random strangers, who try to push themselves into my life?  Or waste my time or whatever it is they want.  Yes, this includes the randoms at the G+ who keep adding me without a word.  I've already begun to tell those people off.  FFS!  I don't care how interesting your dog thinks you are, I'm not interested. 
The last week has been full of weirdos coming out of the woodwork wanting to waste my time and worse.  None of them see to realize that it's rude to just show up uninvited and unannounced.  Nor do they seem to realize that I'm busy and don't need another distraction in my life.  Don't even get me started on the guy who tried to manipulate me on the phone and when that didn't work tried to bully me.  Oh please.  Look who you're dealing with.  That is not going to fly with me.  Honestly!

**  If she didn't set me on fire by the end of April of last year, honey, it's never going to happen.  Trust me.

*** And the year of handspun? So much fun!  I am thrilled that I did it and that look forward to many more projects made from handspun yarn.  In a way, this challenge and the actual spinning kept me sane last year.  That says a lot.  & No.  I don't have a plan for this year.  Unless telling people off counts and I sort of hope it doesn't.

Pastey Skin & HandKnit Socks For The Win!

Those are the 2x2 socks that I knit from the yarn we talked about the other day.  I think it was the other day.  It could have been last year for all I know.  I really hate this weird long weekends.

Because the yarn was thicker than normal, the socks used fewer stitches than usual and they are thicker than most of my other handspun socks.  I do love them and wore them all of Saturday.

Today has been lazy yet productive.  Gossiping on the phone while knitting keeps me from feeling like I'm wasting my whole day.  Just the parts where I'm yelling at the computer and wondering WTF is wrong with people. 

Yes, I know the answer, but I still have to wonder.  Ya know?

If you're good, we'll talk about what I'm working on right now later in the week.

If you're not good?  Well... we'll see...

Did you know...

I've been knitting with nothing but handspun yarn for over a year.. and I haven't killed anyone yet?

Let's be honest, it's that last bit that's the most impressive.  Given the yarn yearn year I'm having, I think I desire deserve a metal or something shiny or something.

Almost two and a half years ago, I spindle spun the yarn.  Ravelry linky.  I'm still impressed that I managed to get over 800 yards out of 4 oz of fiber while using a spindle.

Anyway, time passed and LOTS of things happened and at one point last month... I think it was last month but really who knows at this point... I knit Annis for the second time.

I sent the first one to Pinky D and there may or may not ever be photos.  I'm in no position to pressure her about anything give how ferret on crack I am today.  Don't ask.

The yarn is not as purple as the photo suggests, but y'all knew that already.  It's long and warm without being too warm and I like it.

In update news!

Our Trish did post photos of her big shiny holiday balls!  Makes me want to go visit and steal some for the garden.  Not that I'd ever do something like that.  I'd need a much larger handbag...

(Regarding the photo.  I did take photos of me wearing the top and the scarf.  Every single photo screamed "bosoms!" and we just can't have that.  I don't need to have that awkward conversation again.  /ahem)