Champagne Wishes and Koigu Dreams

Ooooh, ahhhhh....Koigu. Yum. My lust for it began when a knitting friend brought 5 balls of it to our s&b to begin work on Charlotte's Web, ya know, the shawl EVERYONE who is ANYONE is making :-)

It's springy and soft, and enchantingly beautiful. Every little fleck of color harmonizes with the surrounding colors and makes for a gorgeous symphony of color.

But there's a few problems with Koigu. For one, since everyone who is anyone is making Charlotte's Web (which requires 5 balls) it's becoming hard to find. This is bothersome! For another, none of my LYS's carry it, so I am forced to order it online. The problem with this is the old 'monitor shows colors differently' problem. I see a colorway on one site and it looks gorgeous and then I see it on another site and it looks hideous. Well, who do I believe?? When I get it after having paid is it going to be gorgeous or hideous???

So I've been looking at sites where you can see all the colorways on one page so you can kind of see if they look good together. I figure if the colors are distorted they're all distorted in the same way....so they'll look good even if they're not exactly what I'm expecting. No dice. Out of every 4 colors 2 are completely out of stock (unless you want brown....and who does?)

So I thought, well, I'm not really a 'riotous combination of colors' kind of gal anyway. Maybe it would look even more pretty in just one colorway. Then I could get away with one less ball, making it a little less expensive. So I selected a colorway that looked beautiful on all 3 sites that had a swatch of it. Good so far. Then I tried to order. D'oh!!! They only had 2 balls at one site, the other was out completely, and the other doesn't order directly online, you need to call them. And they're in Michigan. And I'm at work. And I don't know if they want long distance charges to Michigan on the work phone.

So I've been foiled again! I've spent so many hours obsessing about the damn stuff I'm starting to dream about it. Why can't they just up production? I mean, the point of making yarn is so people will buy it, so let's keep up with the demand here! And why can't the LYSs in my area get on the ball and start carrying it? Hmmmm?

Well, fine. Nobody listens to me anyway :-)

Crocheting and Coffee

What a lovely way to begin the day! I hate getting up, but the idea that there's coffee and one of my favorite fiber arts waiting for me gets my butt going. I sit in the living room and enjoy my coffee while I work a round or two on a crocheting project. Just the simplicity of it, the feel of the fiber in my hands, the coolness of the steel hook, puts me in a positive mood for the day. I decided that the time is better put to use crocheting than making my bed. Making my bed doesn't really contribute to my positive energy for the day :-)

This morning began work on a large square doily with little flowers. Perhaps a Christmas gift. I bought the pattern book to make a gothy black doily for myself, and haven't gotten around to that one yet. But I decided to start another while I was at it. Sometimes it's just the process more than the product!

(Almost) Instant Gratification

Ahhhhh. Instant gratification. There's nothing like it. Thursday, one of my s&b friends showed up with this awesome lacy poncho made from a purply colorway of Berroco Echo. I had been looking for a good 'decorative' poncho (read: not warm) but didn't want to spend a lot of time or money.

Well, I stopped by the LYS on the way home from work on Friday, started it Friday night, and wore it to church Saturday night, where I got lots of compliments. I did feel a little guilty responding "Oh, I just started it yesterday" to the question "How long did that take you?" but I was being truthful...

Other projects on the docket--a top-down sweater from pink sportweight Marr Haven wool where my only goal is that it fit perfectly when it's done. I've always had difficulty with gauge and following directions so this is my challenge.

A few felted eyeglass cases made from Kool-Aid dyed yarn that I'm currently trying to force-dry (and not receiving much cooperation!). Some other felted objects, and some random little crocheted thingies.

I've found that a hot bath and a little something to crochet (in plain cotton, in case it gets wet) is a fabulous end-of-workday indulgence!

Okay. I don't believe this will work.

Just testing...trying to get this thing up & running.