Hooky Day!!!

Since our trip to Threadbear last week was postponed due to bugs (stomach and head), I played hooky from work and Jillian played hooky from her family and we made the trek yesterday. It's always fun to see what the boys have done with the store. Everytime I'm there, I swear they can't fit anymore yarn anywhere and when I go back, they have. An overwhelming feast for my color and fiber starved (ha!) self.

They had tons of gorgeous, new Schaefer Yarns. These are the 2 skeins that followed me home. At one point, I had 7 skeins in my arms before I dropped them on one of the infamous black tables and sorted through. When I made my final selections, J looked them over and said, "You know, I think you have that one in Mountain Colors..." It's pretty sad when my friend can remember what I have in my stash better than I can.

Do I need any more roving? No, but I like to encourage vendors to have things that I want to buy (yeah, that's it). Are these gorgeous? That orange/yellow/pink ball is destined for socks. I picked the blue up because I'm currently in a blue phase. Can't wait to spin it up!

Last, but certainly not least, what's this?

It is the yarn for a Vivian Hoxbro sweater that I have affectionately called the Histogram sweater for close to a year now (Vivian has actually named it the Trip-Trap Jacket). I love this sweater and J reminded me yesterday that I had finished my first term of school and I needed to buy something to celebrate (like I ever need an excuse). I believe, between the spinning and sleeping, I'll be knitting on this for the next week or two. Now if I could only convince my family to bring me food and Coke while I knit in bed, I would be a truly happy woman!

Here's a picture of the back of the Trip-Trap Jacket:

What makes the holiday all happy??

I give to you my grades for the first term of Graduate School:


Class Grade
Calculus B+

Microeconomics B

Values&Ethics B+

History of Public Policy A



I was worried about Calculus when I applied to the program. It's a required course and I hadn't been in a math class since spring 1983 - longer than some of my classmates have been alive (no kidding). While it wasn't painless, it was much more clear than I expected it to be.

What's my favorite gift for X-mess this year? That B up there in Microeconomics. A serious gift. I hated this class with the firey burning passion usually reserved for ex-husbands and mothers-in-law. The professor was entertaining and quite friendly, just not a very good teacher.

What's in store for next term? Statistics and the cost-benefit analysis part of Microeconomics. Can anyone explain to me what the hell chi-square is????

Spindle Ho...

Guilty! This is my newest. It's a Tom Forrester Granny Spindle that I bought from Gemini Fibres after I saw the one Jillian got on her most recent excursion to Toronto. When she thrust hers into my hands and demanded that I spin - I was a goner.



It's a little lighter than I usually buy (41.2 grams/1.45 ounces) so the resulting yarn is thinner than I usually spin - but change is good. The best news is that it spins and spins and spins. Apparently these little babies fly off the shelves so fast that Gemini can't even get pictures up on their website before they're gone. I sent an e-mail asking what they had in this style and got a very prompt (and extremely friendly) reply in just a few hours. They had 7 to choose from, but no pictures. I picked the rock maple whorl with a black walnut shaft (10 holes in the whorl).



The fiber is some that J shared with me, but my brain is still dreaming of Calculus, so I can't remember where she got it from. Normally, I rip off a hand of roving and just start to spin - it works for me. Someone is a fiend for pre-drafting, so I'm trying that. As much as I hate to pre-draft, I must admit the spinning is very enjoyable when all I'm worrying about is putting in the twist. The yarn seems to be much smoother too. Even the joins are smooth! I guess it pays to have your world shaken up a bit and be forced to think about things in a different way.

What's This?

Remember back a bit when I went to the Sewing Expo? Well, I forgot to take a camera with me. (Usually, when I go somewhere with Jillian, she remembers to bring all the stuff I've forgotten, but she couldn't go with me that day.) Anyway, my table-mate, Lorraine, had one of those one-shot dealies and she told me to go and take any pictures I wanted with it. She promised to develop the pictures and send copies to me. Guess what came in the mail yesterday?



Yes, that's me at the feet of the master. He deigned to look up and smile.

I'm still alive!

Plus, I just finished my final assignment. It's a paper based on what has to be the most needlessly long novel in existance - All the King's Men. If anyone tells you that it's the greatest American political novel, look them in the eye and tell them they're full of shit.

I have lots of things to show and I'll have more when I'm back from Threadbear with Jillian on Saturday, I'm sure.

For now, amuse yourself with this:

Microeconomics professor
Circle I Limbo

General asshats
Circle II Whirling in a Dark & Stormy Wind

Liars
Circle III Mud, Rain, Cold, Hail & Snow

Creationists
Circle IV Rolling Weights

People who are mean to my kids
Circle V Stuck in Mud, Mangled

River Styx

People who drive slowly in the passing lane
Circle VI Buried for Eternity

River Phlegyas

Sexist asshat men
Circle VII Burning Sands

My brother's wife
Circle IIX Immersed in Excrement

My mother-in-law
Circle IX Frozen in Ice

Design your own hell