I'm so excited, today I noticed my name has been added to the KNITTING OLYMPICS. I am finally a joiner.

The giddiness of this had made me consider buying a tv. Yes, I have lived without this staple of american existence for 2 1/2 years now. Notice the half? I am proud of it but desperately miss some shows. I made the decision that I should be watching the olympics as I spin for my gold.

I thought long and hard, I consulted Himself the tv expert. Why do we have no tv but a tv expert in our house? It's because no tv out there right now is good enough for the expert to spend his money on. Next month or next year it will be better or the prices will go down. I asked when he would finally spend his hard saved tv money (he has been saving his money for three years now to buy a tv)and his answer was "maybe never."

So I informed Himself that we would buy a small tv to hold us over until he was prepared to make... The Big Purchase. AND we would spring for(gasp)cable.

Once that was decided, I set a budget and he picked out what we wanted. Then I got scared. I started thinking about watching ice skating (I love ice skating) and not spinning. I started thinking of the added $ a month on cable. What if that cut into the yarn fund? So in a fit of panic I have chosen Books on Tape. I will go find out why I still haven't received my library card, and look over their selection. If it has Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and some other books I have been meaning to read I will forgo the scary money and time sucking tv and spin to stories instead.

To celebrate being in the olympics I bought one of the Yarn Harlots's books today. After all she is hosting.

To celebrate my largest paycheck ever I bought eight balls/skeins of sock yarn. Yes, the day before February actually starts, I spent all but $20 of that month allowance. But some of it hand dyed, and some will be a gift for my father after all he sent me this e-mail.

...Sometimes I decide if I need to do laundry by checking whether any of the socks you knitted me are still clean. But since Christmas, I have sometimes decided based on whether the new pair is clean. That's a lot of laundry.
I had never had favorite socks until you made me some. Then all your hand-made ones were favorites. Now this new pair is more comfortable than any before. They stand out. The wool socks in general, kept my feet comfortable, especially in the cold. I hadn't known that socks could feel good just to wear. Actually, I had always preferred bare-footed for comfort, unless it was cold, or I was going in stickers...

So of course I had to run out and buy more yarn to knit him socks. It was a struggle not to buy him hand dyed yarn, too. But I didn't think he would appreciate it as much as I might hope. I found some in a nice tweed sock yarn at the second yarn store I visited at lunch.

Yes, I now work in a place I can walk to two yarn stores. If that isn't the beginnings of an excellent job, I don't know what is.

After a night of knitting at Fine Line I'm almost finished with the mini sweater. Some of my handspun is finally done marinating in the stash. It's only 400 yards that's not enough for a sweater, and just right for the mini sweater. but as I knit I'm actually worried about having too much yarn left over. I only have the short sleeves left and I still have 3 skeins. I suspect I will only need 1 of them. Then what? Would my wardrobe be improved by a One Skein Wonder? Do I want two shrugs made out of the same yarn?

So why can't I see my new posts?

So why can't I see my new posts? OK so I just need to hit my damn refresh button. Duoh!

learning to blog

I'm having a hell of a time learning the bells and whistles of this blog. My last post does not show so here is a second. All I want to do is make a link work. I want to make this sweater. Is that so hard? I don't mean the sweater. I think that may be hard, but to post the link. Anyway I am sampling the yarn now.

New Years

Yesterday, I finally made my new years resolutions. The first one is to blog more. What brought this on? Why the knitting olympics knitting olympics of course. I am going to participate. I'm not sure I'm going to actually join since I won't be knitting, I'm going to be spinning. That's right during the winter olympics I'm going to run a marathon... No wait not in the snow... Cross country sking. I'm going to spin enough 3 ply worsted weight yarn to make a mans sized cabled sweater. This with some changes. It will take spinning 2+ oz a night but I can do it.

So I have 2 months to catch up on. In short we moved from the farm to the city. That's right Chicago. The land of deep dish pizza, art museums, and the yarn store. I have already visited 3 within 5 miles of my home. I have found address for 2 more. If I'm willing to up that drive to 10 miles there are at least 2 more. This is not counting Joann's or Michael's. Lets just say I'm in yarn shopping heaven.