What's good today

Sundara Sport Silk in colorway Green Tea. I don't usually go for yellow-greens, but this one is absolutely luminous. (Photograph copyright Sundara Yarn)

And just the name reminds me of Japan, in particular, a long ride on the shinkansen to Osaka a few days after we arrived. I was sixteen, I was wearing unfortunate slacks and a polo and eating sweet, bitter green tea ice cream from the food cart with a splintery little wooden stick, and I was feeling really, really overwhelmed and scared. Then the train went around a corner and out the window I saw this huge mountain of bright green bamboo and kuzu, speckled with bright white cranes, and suddenly everything felt like it might be ok.

So there are positive associations.

sundara

A couple of months ago, I was puttering around Ravelry when I saw a rare "for sale" tag on a skein of Sundara Sock, and immediately messaged its owner (thanks, nlarson!) with a request to buy it. The first time I saw it was way back in 2007, on Brookylntweed's blog. This was shortly after my obsession with socks began, and I filed away the name of the yarn under "must find eventually, when I has monie!" section of my yarny brain. So it's quite a treat to have a real live skein in my stash. Actually, shortly after taking this picture, I wound it into a center-pull ball, but you get the idea.

Just to be original, I think this is going to end up as a triangular scarf as well. I have an idea that I might cast on this afternoon, perhaps on my off time at work. I've had so little time to knit lately that my knitting fantasy life is starting to overtake my actual knitting life.

Also: today Amai is off to her rightful owner! Marcee of Criation Station Alpaca Farm commissioned me to make a summery top out of alpaca, and so, although I'll probably be making another for myself pretty soon, the original is going to hang out at the farmer's market to help sell yarn until late fall.

Amusing story of the week:

The other day, one of my housemates was out doing laundry when she found out that our row of houses was having systematic fire drills. At that point, it was about 10:30 pm, and although I kept on hearing fire alarms going off down the street, I didn't think much of it. When she got back upstairs, she told all of us that there was probably going to be a fire drill, so we probably shouldn't get too comfortable. Thus, comfortable I did not get. I took some cashmere from my stash and started casting on for Miralda's Triangular Shawl, for which the cast-on is about 330 stitches.

About an hour passed, and nothing happened. One of my housemates went to bed. Another went off for a long walk. I sat on my bed and cast on and counted and re-counted 330-odd stitches. I'm using some pink Jade Sapphire cashmere that my mom sent me last year, and it's pretty delicate, so I was trying to be careful. At one point, I came upon a knot in one of the strands I was using to cast on (it has a doubled cast-on edge) and started mumbling obscenities under my breath. Then I carefully picked the knot apart. Right as I was beginning to spit-splice the two ends together... the fire alarm went off. Cashmere was thrown to the side, shoes were applied to feet, and stairs were tromped down, all while yelling "Freaking seriously!?" to my housemates, all of whom were in various states of dress because it was 11:45 on a Wednesday night.

Best part? When I got back, I casually spit-spliced the cashmere together and knit on happily. Good to know that our safety is in good hands! (Actually, seriously. They were very diligent and nice about rousing us up at 11:45 pm.)

Valentine's day came late this year

But oh baby, I'm in love.

More socks... surprised, anyone?

I just finished a pair of socks out of this yarn, Claudia Handpainted in some unknown colorway (why didn't I keep the tags? Durrrrr.) which has been languishing in my Seattle stash since I bought it over a year and a half ago. Several times while i was in Oberlin, I would paw through my socks yarn stash in frustration, lamenting the fact that I had no good handpainted sock yarn on my half of the country. And, lo and behold, as soon as I got home for the holidays, these gorgeous puppies were waiting for me. Now, less than a week later, they are a pair of socks. (I'm still lazy - pictures will come!)

Now that the year is drawing to a close, I'm wondering which projects will hold over into 2009, and which will be part of the huge FO pile of 2008. I have half of a cabled gauntlet left, so I think I might try to crank that out before New Year's. I figure a sock project is just fine to keep around, though. And my next projects will most likely be out of this:


Claudia Handpainted in Ingrid's Blues...

or this:


Koigu in deliciously bright f%*ing yellow. I'm thinking cables. I actually had a dream about this yarn before I bought it, and I woke up with a hankering for yellow. Thank goodness Weaving Works provided.

Also, as 2008 draws to a close, I start thinking about the good and bad that came from it. But on the happier side, I'll stick with the good. It's way more interesting, anyhow!

Oberlin has definitely, definitely been a good point. Being constantly surrounded by incredibly intelligent, articulate students and professors is pretty kick-ass; my job as a student information desk attendent has made me come out of my shell; keeping up with classes as well as work and personal life has slowly molded me in the direction of responsibility. I've had some rough spots, mostly around exams and finals, mostly because I take my academics too personally; I get physically stressed about grades and performance on exams, often to the point that I live on coffee for a few days before each one. That's to be expected, though (I mean, what student doesn't go through that?) and once it's over, it's so very satisfying to have lived through it. (Plus, I get to be all like, "Man, I kicked that exam's ass! Pay no attention to my gnawed-off nails and the bags under my eyes. I am hardcore!")

I'm also incredibly grateful for my friends, who have eaten lunch with me; listened to my stories; told me theirs; knitted with me for hours on end; commiserated about The Future and Relationships; dreamed of owning a yarn store; swam in waterfalls and lakes; lived in the basement (literally); eaten at Moosewood; gone dancing; driven in the snow; watched Forensic Files until 2 am and spoken in silly accents. I am grateful for the friendships that fade in intensity for a few months or years and then grow again; for friendships that are the same no matter where you left off; for friendships that make me laugh into my cookies and milk at the dining hall after a long afternoon at work.

Basically, I'm just full of love and hugs and all that gross stuff.