This one goes out to all my knittin' ladies

For Robin

This doesn't have a lot of patterns with handspun, but it does have some.

Maybe give ya some inspiration...

For Ivy

Something for Burning Man?

For Ms. Transientmusket

Its this or Happy Hooker.

Too bad there isn't a library out there that believes in buying lots of knitting and crochet books....

I'll be sleeping with a smile on my face

Project Runway's Jay has a line coming out at Urban Outfitters.

You'll have to get through all the drama to get to the clothes. *sigh*

'night

blocking blocking blocking

I swatched the alpaca in st st and 2 x 2 ribbing. It is blocking in the bathroom as we speak.

Hubby : "What is that smell?"

Me: "Wet alpaca."

Hubby : "Ah, ok."

Me: *smile*

Yummy yummy alpaca

This is the alpaca I bought at Wildfiber. There is info on the new owner on their webpage too. Also, when I looked them up on Google.com they had a link to a review site where Wildfiber gets slaughtered regarding customer service.

*sigh* I have had horrible service in the past and I've also found great deals in the clearance section. Saturday, when I bought the alpaca I experienced a little good and bad. Overall, when people ask me about Wildfiber, I say that you should go once, just to see the great selection, but don't be surprised at the mark-up (hefty) and sometimes rude service.

That being said, I fell in love with this 100 percent Peruvian tweed alpaca from Henry's Attic. I've known about this manufacturer for a while, but they hardly ever keep any stock on their on-line site. I felt like the price was somewhat reasonable; I a little over 600 yards for 66.50 and I am currently swatching it up on 9 needles. (The other two huge balls are still in the bag.) Feel free to let me know if I got shafted on price though, since that will teach me a lesson about giving in to temptation.

Because of the texture I was thinking of doing something really simple. I've been starting sweaters off and on for about two years, but I've always lost interest and gone back to hats and scarfs (and mainly as gifts). But this fiber feels so good!

Oh, I also figured out what I am going to do about my dyed yarn; more on that later.

Back to swatching.....

Just some links for today

http://www.brooklyngeneral.com/classes.htm

This is one of the more reasonable prices I've seen for beginning knitting. 100 bucks for four 1.5 hour sessions. That is about six hours of instruction in class sizes limited to six. It seems like the material might be included too. That being said, I think knitting stores should offer free classes, with the caveat that you buy the materials in the store. That way if the person hates it, it isn't a huge waste of time, and if they really get into it, then they'll keep coming back to your store.

I took a four hour nap after church today. Feel a lot better; got up and made Cornish Game Hens with Garlic Aoli and brown rice and broccoli with red flakes. I will definitely do it again. Now that I know that my local public library lets you check out old magazines, I've been trying out more recipes from Gourmet magazine and Cook's.

I taught a co-worker how to knit awhile ago, and she asked me to go along to help her pick some yarn to help finish off her scarf. The story on her scarf is that she went to the Taos Sheep Festival a couple of years ago to support another co-worker's partner that entered the weaving contest. (Yes Robin, the dyeing teacher - he took second place). Anyway, while she was there she bought a hank of pretty orange/pink chunky handspun (you would have loved it Ivy). Anyway she only bought one skein....... so I helped her find some coordinating colors for some longish fringe. I'll take a picture once she adds it on.

Anyway, it took us six hours and four yarn stores to find the right colors. We met the new owner of Wildfiber and she was very nice. She just took over ownership about two weeks ago, and there are already some changes. She is stocking more organic/natural stuff, more than just the usual Blue Sky Alpacas and .... *sigh* that is where I fell of the wagon big time. I'll post pics tomorrow, (yay for holidays!) but let me just say I fell in love with some alpaca..... some yummy yummy alpaca.

Here is at least one pic:
This is a felted cupcake pincushion from

http://www.betzwhite.com/

and this is her blog: http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/betzblog.html

she takes wool sweaters, cuts and stitches them up, and then felts them. Very cute.

More tomorrow, promise.

Final Draft Title

Not Quite Google: An Analysis of the UCLA Library Online Catalogue

off to sleep.....

Current title of my midterm

A Database Only a Mother Could Love: An Analysis of the UCLA Library Online Catalogue