Monkey See Monkey Do

Happy Summer!!

Please accept this small token of purple prettiness as my apology for the long absence. I have been a bit distracted by my personal life of late and have been very neglectful of my poor blog life. Soon all will be revealed - I am in the midst of some exciting changes, and that's all I can say right now (no, I'm not the new editor of any knitting publications, I'm not writing a book, and I'm not pregnant). I am a bit nervy and anxious, even though I am the one initiating the change. OK, I confess. I've been a wreck. Stomach all in knots. Excessive sweating. Poor eating habits. I'm not good at waiting for things that I have no control over. My mind plays terrible tricks on me, and I fret over things that haven't happened yet. Stupid things that may not even happen at all. See what you've been missing? That's why I haven't posted. My poor friends have been listening to me for 2 weeks (such dear dear friends I have), but even they have told me that I need to chill. Tonight, with the help of Frye's Leap, I'm doing just that. Chilled or not, I am open the power of positive cosmic thinking, so cross your fingers for me!

Onto the good stuff. The real fiber of my life.

I have been knitting! I finally succumbed to the Monkey Sock phenomenon and cast on last weekend using Spunky Eclectic's Skinny Socks that I bought at Spa this year. The color is called Dinah.
The lace pattern is incredibly easy to memorize, and this yarn is so soft that I wonder if it's sturdy enough for a sock. As a matter of fact, I'm not quite sure that the size 2 needles that I am using are the right choice. Size 1 might be better. Despite my hesitation, I keep knitting. I think I'm just into the process at this point.

Sahara is also trucking right along. I finished the hem and am working on the neckline.
Up until this point, this has been a quick and easy knit. The lace pattern includes a row of knitting or purling 3 together through the back loop. Yuk. It's not fun. Not one bit. Maybe that's why I haven't touched it in days. Oh, it's not that hard. Don't let my whining scare you. I tried it on when I finished the hem - so far it fits.

Tomorrow I head off for Yarn Tour 2007 with my friends Aimee and Lori. We were planning an overnight trip that included the Hub's Mills in Lowell and Webs in Northampton, but reality set in and we set a more modest goal and decided to stick to Hub's instead. It's hard to stay focused on a trip like this, but I decided that my main goal is to find yarn to knit the Josephine Top from the new Interweave. I also need several skeins of Inca Alpaca for the Equinox Pullover from IK Fall 2006. If I happen to fall on some Lush, I won't say no. I also packed Louisa Harding's Modern Classics and Paton's Next Step Two for inspiration, just in case. Who am I kidding? You know what I yarn ho I am.

We are starting off with breakfast at Isis on Penhallow in Portsmouth (for the best corned beef hash ever crafted) and a quick visit to Portsmouth Fabric Company (fabric!!!). My camera is charged. I'm ready to go.

Wheeeee! Ain't life grand?

Oh! I almost forgot! The pink yarn in my last post is Classic Elite's Four Seasons!