Piggy's Warm Fuzzies, direct from Iceland

I was all set to blog a bit of a nasty rant today -- yarn diet, Jack Layton's toddler-like temper tantrum, full-day headaches, yarn diet, idiot Vancouver drivers, mind-numbingly boring employment, yarn diet...take yer pick -- when I came upon a news story that made me a little weepy.

Earlier this week a container load of woollen sweaters, socks and blankets arrived in the northern England port of Hull. That in itself might not sound all that exciting, but check this out: these Icelandic treasures weren't heading to upscale shops to be sold for big bucks, but rather to British pensioners to keep them alive this winter.

Despite being in a pretty miserable financial situation themselves, people from across Iceland collected some 3,000 items over four days. The "Icelandic Wool to England" campaign was spearheaded by the presenters of a popular Icelandic radio program after they broadcast a story about the plight of British seniors who could not afford to heat their homes.

Obviously this lovely gesture is but a tiny band-aid on a wound that requires major surgery. But it did restore some of Piggy's faith in humanity this afternoon.

Read more about the warm-fuzzies part of the story here, and the chilling side of the tale here and here.

FO: Luna's Nargle-Checking Cowl

Whaaaaa? 

Allow me to explain. Sometimes, Piggy knits. And very occasionally, she completes a project, which results in a F(inished) O(bject)...oh, you meant the Nargle part?

Yes. Well. It's a new term for the HPKCHC (seriously, if you aren't on Ravelry yet, you deserve what you get; and if you're a muggle, well...this won't interest you either way), and this is my Arithmancy homework, you see. For a brief primer on the subject, go here. But come back!

The assignment: to create a project using your character, heart and social numbers. Luna's Nargle-Checking Cowl happens to be represented by the same numbers as Piggy (well, by the name on Piggy's birth certificate, actually): 3, 3, 9.  

Yes, Piggy tends to lean towards the obsessive about these kinds of things, and entered a ridiculous number of Ravenclaw-friendly possible pattern names that fit those numbers. Anyhoo. Here it is:

yarnpiggy's first "design"!

I chose the gorgeous Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk in Peapod, which, by an amazing coincidence (snort!) has a numeric profile of 3, 3, 9. It was held double throughout, because my recipe dictated some specific numbers.

Here's how it went down:

Using a 16" US 9 circular needle, I cast on 90 stitches (3+3+9 = 15; 1+5 = 6; 6x15 = 90). 

Then came 3 rounds of garter stitch.

Next, 3 repeats of Garter and Rib Check (in another amazing coincidence -- double snort! -- also 3, 3, 9), which consists of a 12- (1+2=3) round repeat, for 36 (3+6=9) rounds, so this part of the pattern = 3, 3, 9.

Then I finished it up with another 3 rounds of garter stitch.

Each of the 3 sections of the pattern is represented by the number 3. :-)

It took me two unhurried evenings to knit this, after four failed attempts. No, I didn't make any errors -- nobody could screw up this pattern -- but my Denise Interchangeable needle came apart four times. Piggy is not amused. 

Swivelling Needles! Thank you, Crystal Palace.

Once I switched to a Crystal Palace needle (after a quick visit to an LYS), it was smooth sailing. The CP needle was wonderful to work with -- the points swivelled, which was a revelation to Piggy (it doesn't take much).

I blocked it very lightly, but I probably shouldn't have; I like my cowls on the snuggish side, and it's now a little loose. For non-Arithmantic purposes, I'd likely make a few adjustments: one more repeat of the pattern and drop the needle size down a notch or two.

But overall, I'm pleased. :-)

A little sock knitting inspiration...

My friend and co-worker whengaiasmiles (remember when she taught me to felt?) is working on a pair of socks for a friend. She's knitting two at a time, on two sets of dpns; I think I might follow her lead when I start my first pair next month (February 1...eeek, that's soon!). I like the idea of two-at-a-time on one or two long circulars, but I'm comfortable with dpns, and I think socks will be discomfiting enough without throwing in the added novelty of magic loop. At least for now.

Frequently at lunch whengaiasmiles and I will work on a bit of knitting, so I've seen these socks progressing, and am picking up some helpful tips.

The first time I saw the socks, I was witness to the magic of the heel forming:

The next day, stitches were picked up for the gusset...

And the last time I saw them, a foot was starting to materialize:

Updates to come! If you're in Vancouver, check out more of whengaiasmiles's work at Birkeland Brothers Wool on Main Street between 19th and 20th Avenues. She has a wicked-cool Alice in Wonderland-themed display in the window through January.

Proud Piggy's Paca-Peds

Pride is a sin, of course -- among the seven deadly ones, if I'm not mistaken -- but I don't care about that. Take a look at what I picked up at the post office yesterday:

A beautiful skein of wonderfully soft sock yarn: Paca-Peds from The Alpaca Yarn Company. Plus two surprises: a nice card, and some lovely co-ordinating stitch markers. Let's have a closer look at the yarn, shall we?

Note the unusual prominence of the label in this picture? That's because I named this yarn. Little ol' (ok, big ol') Piggy!  I was one of 10 lucky yarnies whose suggestions were chosen for the 10 new colourways in the company's recent "Name That Yarn!" contest.

Besides the priceless glory and bragging rights, each winner receives a free skein of "their" yarn. (So no breaking of the yarn diet -- yippee!) Check out all the colourways here.

Thanks so much to the friendly folks at The Alpaca Yarn Company -- Beth, Tasha and Angela -- for the fun contest, and the lovely prize. 

Now here's the big question: Do you think I should use this skein of "Spring in My Step" for my first pair of socks? Or should I save it until I'm comfortable with sock knitting?

Obama envy

Once again, Rick Mercer says it much better than Piggy can...




FYI: Rick Mercer's youtube channel has plenty of great clips from the show to watch and (legally!) embed. :-)

Fibre-full content to return tomorrow...Piggy promises!

President Obama

This is an impromptu post, written without any planning, and in "real time". I'm not planning to edit what I write (well, except for spelling -- Piggy is anal about typos), so it will probably be an unholy mixture of ideas, both serious and silly. Hopefully I'm not about to embarrass myself too much. :-)

Today's a big day. My heart is full. Barack Hussein (I'm so glad -- although not really surprised -- the new president used his full name) Obama was sworn is as the 44th President of the United States. And this evening, when I watched his inauguration speech for the second time (I watched it this morning at work, as well), I became a blithering, blubbering idiot. A glass-half-empty girl whose glass tonight is overflowing.

I'm not a U.S. citizen, so I didn't get a vote, and Mr. Obama is not my new leader, however powerful and influential the person who occupies the White House is the world over.

I am not a member of a visible minority, so while (as someone with more than one functioning brain cell) I can certainly recognize -- and celebrate -- the historic significance of his victory, I cannot honestly say I feel it in the way someone who is not white does. 

Yet I don't think the overwhelming sense of happiness I feel tonight is simply because, as I've joked more than a few times over the last few months, "it'll be a relief to have an American president who can string several words together into a coherent sentence."

There's more to it than that. And it's not just that Piggy thinks the new Prez is pretty hot. Crap -- did I just type that? Yes, yes I did. 

I mean, really...who among us (and I mean everyone on Earth who lived through the last two years -- TWO years, for Pete's sake) doesn't think that just about any American politician (save, of course, Sarah Palin) would be able to communicate better than George W. Bush?

I was happy (and relieved) when Bill Clinton was elected. I liked him, and not just because he was the Democrat contender. But I didn't feel like I do now. (And it has nothing to do with the fact that Bubba ain't hot.) 

Change. Hope. Looking outwards rather than inwards. Doing what is right, rather than what is expedient or easy.

Put simply, if a bit crassly, I'm buying what he's selling.

And he is selling it. I'm looking at a full glass, but I didn't just fall off a turnip truck. But I think he believes it -- and that's the difference.

I wish President Obama the very best, and hope we are patient enough to let him do what is possible for him to do.

Piggy is verklempt

I would have posted this sooner, but there was just so much stash-enhancing to report on. But look what beentsy gave Piggy on Saturday:

A delcious cowl in Fuchsia Malabrigo Worsted. This picture doesn't do the colour justice at all -- I'll try to grab another shot in daylight. It is both beautiful and practical: it kept Piggy nice and warm while waiting in the cold rain for an hour before the big sale at Three Bags Full. 

Also in the gift bag: the leftover yarn -- about half a skein! Sweet!

So how did I thank beentsy? I swore at her. Repeatedly. Ummm...yeah. Interesting approach, I know. You see, Piggy didn't give beentsy a prezzie, let alone one a hand-knit in one of her favourite shades of Mmmalabrigo. I felt quite embarrassed, and in situations like that, my inner sailor comes out.

Ok, who am I kidding? I swear all the time; it's one of many bad habits. But I'm sure you know what I mean.

So here is a public, G-rated thank you to beentsy.  I love the cowl, and really appreciate that you included me in your Christmas knitting. :-)

Sometimes new stash isn't new stash...

Piggy's got some new yarn this week! Yep, post-Three Bags Full sale yarn. Yarn I paid for. Yarn that isn't going to be sent off to a fellow fibre-freak in a swap, or given away (not as yarn, anyway...possibly as a finished object, if I ever manage to figure out what to make with it, then cast on, knit, and actually finish the project...big ifs, all three).

But here's the exciting thing: I haven't cheated on Piggy's Yarn Diet 2.0 (see yesterday's post). Because this yarn was ordered and paid for back in 2008. Mwahahahahahaha! 

First up: 10 skeins of Lana Gatto Wool Gatto in Mexican Cocoa:

I ordered this from Elann ages ago -- on December 12, to be exact, the day after the big sale. I had really wanted this colourway (but no, I didn't have a particular pattern in mind...consider the suggestion box open, and share your ideas! -- it's a DK superwash wool, 22 stitches to 10 cm/4 inches, 166 m/181 yds per skein) but didn't get to it on time.

Fortunately for me, my fellow blogger and Elann sale shopper the_witty_knitter had a case of buyer's remorse; she cancelled her order of these same 10 skeins, and I was the lucky piggy to scoop them up! 

These were actually shipped on December 23 -- right after my PayPal e-cheque cleared -- but the crazy weather held up delivery until Monday.

And inside my post box yesterday evening was a card announcing the arrival of another Elann sale order, placed on December 29:

Yum! Twelve skeins of Lana Gatto New Alpaca, in Midnight Blue.  Again, suggestions of what to do with these babies are encouraged. It's a wonderfully soft 50-50 Alpaca-Merino blend, with a gauge of  25 stitches to 10 cm/4 in, and 162 m/177 yds per skein.

Staying away from Elann's great sales until after Labour Day is going to be tricky, methinks...

2009 starts today

I can see your raised eyebrows, and puzzled expressions. "Huh?"

Well, according to a "study" commissioned by a U.K. probiotics company, January 14 is the best day for one to make New Year's resolutions. Said company paid through the nose for the endorsement of consulted with a gastroenterologist and a psychologist, who claim a couple of weeks are required before people will have the intestinal fortitude (pun fully intended) to put the over-indulgences that invariably accompany the holiday season behind them and to persevere in their resolutions to lead a healthier lifestyle. Aided by the purchase of vats of probiotics, of course.

Piggy has decided to take inspiration from this research and take a Mulligan on her resolutions, despite the fact that 14 of the original 15 commitments are most certainly unrelated to the cultures (or lack thereof) residing in her intestinal tract.

Good thing, too, since I've already broken two of them: yarn diet (d'uh!) and knitting every day.

So, onto the new and improved list, made on January 14. You'll note it is slimmer ('cause something should be, and it probably won't be Piggy), and incorporates more specific goals than the original collection.

Piggy's new New Year's Resolutions

1. I will learn to spin before the end of 2009.

2. I will knit or crochet or spin every day -- even if for just five minutes -- unless circumstances make that impossible (e.g. ridiculous airline/airport hand-baggage rules).

3. I will not purchase (trades that do not involve money do not count; yarn swap/de-stash, Wranglers?) any yarn for myself (swaps & gifts for other knitters/crocheters don't count) until the big 2009 Labour Day sale at Three Bags Full, unless it is required to finish a project that is at least 50% complete.

4. I will knit at least one pair of adult-sized socks before the end of 2009.

5. Ditto for an adult-sized sweater.

6. Ditto for a project involving colourwork -- any type of colourwork, any type of object.

7. I will not be knitting something to give as a present for Christmas 2009 any later than December 21, 2009. I reserve the right not to knit anything for Christmas presents.

8. I will complete all the items listed under "Hibernating" in the right-hand column over there on the right by the end of 2009.


Wish me luck!

That'll do, Pig

As in, enough already. I’m cutting myself off. No more yarn. Period. And this time, I really, really mean it.

Piggy hit the Belated Boxing Day Sale at my favourite LYS this weekend (note I did not specify which day), and did some serious damage to her bottom line. This despite the rather alarming fact that all of the yarn she bought at the last big sale remains in larval scarf, hat, sweater, sock, mitt and shawl form.

Saturday morning, t-minus 45 minutes to the opening stampede.

Funny how I never listen to those alarms, eh? I was about to type “internal alarms”, but who am I kidding? Yesterday one of my fellow Wranglers practically threw herself in front of the cupboard containing the Fiddlesticks Lace to prevent me from grabbing a skein of Ruby to mate with the one I bought on Saturday.

I’m not exaggerating; moon-brain couldn’t actually throw herself in front of said cupboard because there was no.room.to.move. (Seriously, the only thing you could have thrown in there over the weekend was a hissy fit. And we’re not going to talk about that. Because I said so, that’s why.)

Like the Black Hole of Calcutta, but with cupcakes.

I’m quite sure had she the space, she would have be willing to pull a full-on groin-ripping Luongo defence of that cupboard. I mean, the girl actually let the woman between us in the queue take her spot; she told her it was so she could “talk to my friend,” but really, she meant “to prevent my friend from completely losing her tenuous grip on reality.”

You might at this point recall that lace and I don’t really get along. But the stuff was on sale, you see. That fact alone made it—and a huge chunk of the rest of the shop—incredibly desirable.

In my defence, I did stick to yarns that were at least 30 per cent off. Well, for the most part, anyway.

Here's how it went down…

Round 1: Saturday, 9:45 a.m.-12:45-p.m.

I guess I should reveal my pre-sale game plan: one basket for holding stash (40% off); two skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk (20% off) in Peapod, to use for my January Arithmancy homework, as its numerical profile matches mine perfectly (I’ll explain this later); and the yarn for my Malabrigo Swap spoilee (which, for obvious reasons, must remain secret for now). Plus, any lonely singles I liked (70% off).

How did I do?

One basket: check.

Malabrigo Yarn for swap partner: check. (Photo to come later. Much later.)

Two skeins of BSA Alpaca & Silk in Peapod: check and no check.

Those are indeed two skeins of BSA Alpaca & Silk. But they ain’t Peapod. They’re Kiwi. Note to self: in future, look up and write down both the name and the number of any colourways you need. Especially when planning to buy sale merchandise that is non-returnable.

Lonely singles: none. I was the very model of restraint. (i.e., all the good stuff was gone by the time I found the lonely singles basket).

I did, however, get a few extra bits and bobs. Just a few.

Five (yes, five – Piggy’s a big girl, remember) skeins (“skein” doesn’t really feel adequate when describing these monsters, somehow) of Cascade Eco+ (40% off) in hot pink. Thank you beentsy, all-mighty mistress of enabling. These were added to the basket just before I entered the queue for the cash. So...about an hour before leaving the shop.

The key to this sale, I’ve discovered, is to get into the checkout line as soon as it forms; the shop is small enough to shop as you queue; also, the teeming masses of knitters are almost universally friendly, meaning if you asked nicely, that woman next to the Dream in Color Classy was happy to pass you a skein or three.

But I digress. After turning the far corner (the queue already circled the entire shop), two skeins of Mirasol Miski (30% off) flung themselves into my basket:

I let them stay, despite knowing I was going to add another off-plan yarn to the mix.

Two skeins of Misti Alpaca Sock (30% off). (I know. I don’t knit socks. But I will, baby, I will!) I’d made that decision about twenty minutes before, after fondling a gorgeous skein held by the woman two places behind me in the queue. (Who turned out to be my Plurk pal chrissythegreat, aka Yarn Sprout. I thought it was her, but was shy to ask...turns out, she thought I might be yarnpiggy, but didn't want to make a mistake, either! We confirmed each other’s identities afterwards on Plurk, LOL).

And then, finally, was that skein of Ruby Fiddlesticks Lace (30% off).

Red isn’t really a Piggy favourite, although this is quite a nice one. I got this just before arriving—finally—at the cash. It was definitely an impulse buy: “Ruby” happens to be another colour that fits my Arithmantic profile perfectly.

The damage: I’m not telling. It was big, but less than I spent at the last sale. And I was faster than last time, too; I actually made it in time for lunch across the street with MrsQ and beentsy (who made it out together about 40 minutes before I did), as well as moon-brain (who wisely waited until Sunday to shop) and new Wrangler (and Vancouverite!) 3lotusblossoms (who even more wisely took one look at the mayhem and decided she would wait for her stash to arrive from home).

Round 2: Sunday, noon-12:35 p.m.

Stop wagging your fingers at the screen; I needed to get that Alpaca & Silk in Peapod. Piggy’s a stickler about these sorts of things, and Kiwi doesn’t match up with my numbers at all. And since I had to buy the Peapod, I figured I'd might as well get it at 20% off, no? Besides, I was going to be in the area anyway, as the regular Wrangler meet-up was being held just down the street at 12:30.

So, I picked up the Peapod—which I must say I prefer to the Kiwi—and got into the queue. It wasn’t nearly as long as on Saturday, but it was still s-l-o-w. I did some browsing while waiting, but didn’t pick anything up until right before the cash, when complete madness took over. Seriously, dudes…Hell might well have frozen over (has anyone checked?). Look what I bought:

I know, I know. Piggy has not been shy about expressing her distaste for Noro. Knots, twigs, itchiness…it’s just not for me. Different Strokes, for different folks, eh? But some evil force told me I wanted—no, I needed—a Noro hat. Ugh. That force: the 50% off sign. It’s a powerful thing, people: I wouldn’t buy yarns I love if they were only 15% off (DIC Smooshy, for example), but tell me it’s half-price, and I’ll buy Noro. NORO, for Pete's sake!

Round 3: Sunday afternoon, 2:30-3:45 p.m. (I think.)

Yes, Round 3. Don’t laugh; it’s not nice to make fun of people with mental disabilities. Clearly, Piggy is a few bricks short of a load. The good news: I pretty much (Fiddlesticks Lace notwithstanding) snapped out of my delusional buying frenzy before whipping out my wallet. 

The bad news: not before I agreed to stand in line with another Wrangler’s selections (cash advanced, of course, so I couldn’t leave). So I had to buy something, else I’d look like a chump, right? Right? Work with me here. So I made one final purchase:

A single skein of Silky Wool in a truly lovely purple.

All-told: I still spent less than at the Labour Day sale. Next time, I’ll do even better.

Because we all know there's going to be a next time, yarn diet or no. 

It's like Chrismas Eve all over again...

...well, almost. And I mean the Christmas Eves back in the day, when Piggy was a wee (ok, maybe not so wee) piglet who couldn't wait for Santa to come and spoil her rotten. And then, as the years passed, when Santa Claus was not longer expected, to see what her parents' selected for her. Back before Piggy's mother, who is a more practical sort than her offspring, decided there was no reason to keep such things secret.

And then, after the presents: a cornucopia of yumminess, from the chocolate oranges from the toes of our stockings to the cookies and butter tarts baked in the days leading up to the big day, to the roast beast (eek!) at dinnertime.

Tomorrow may not be Christmas Day, yet you could cut the anticipation with a knife chez Piggy right now. For like the arrival of Christmas, tomorrow morning is sure to promise treasures, surprises and fun galore. And even a feast.

For tomorrow morning at 11, the doors of my favourite LYS will open for its "Belated Boxing Day Sale". 

This is big, my friends. You might recall the last big sale at Three Bags Full, over the Labour Day weekend. Piggy went a little nuts.

Expect nothing less tomorrow. I'll be with the same crowd of yarny pals -- plus some new ones! -- and we're a pretty enabling bunch. 

Watch this space for pictures of the carnage.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to work I go...

I'm just going to come right out and say it: Piggy is suited to a life of leisure. It's not something to be particularly proud of, I know, but being unemployed was pretty nice. Except for the next-to-no-money part, of course.

Today will be my fourth on the new job, a temporary gig (3-4 months) completely unrelated to my background in writing and publishing. It requires little skill and less imagination, and wouldn't inspire passion in anyone. Seriously -- no one. I won't go into more detail, as then my employers might have to kill me. 

Yes, I'm working for the federal government.

And yes, that was a cheap shot. The job is boring, but it has plenty of positives, too:

• It's a total 9-5 job, so when I leave for the day, I leave it all behind -- zero stress.
  
• In the unlikely event I need to put in extra hours, I'll get paid overtime -- that doesn't happen in publishing.
  
• It's just possible it might lead to other jobs with the feds...maybe. (Don't worry, Piggy's not holding her breath. She's not the optimistic sort.)
  
• The pay, while nothing spectacular, is pretty good for the effort involved. As the wise sage Melly would say, the bullshit-to-dollar ratio is on the right side of the line.
  

In other news...

Yesterday was a banner day; I picked up three -- count 'em, three -- packages at the post office after work. 

Package #1: An Elann order that was shipped way back on December 23, but didn't arrive until today, thanks to our recent weather issues.

Here are the 10 skeins of Lana Gatto Wool Gatto I picked up in the big sale last month:

I don't have anything planned for these yet (surprise, surprise, surprise), but I'm sure I'll come up with something. 

And there's two more Elann packages coming soon, too (maybe one later today)! Bad, bad, Piggy!

Package #2: Two books I treated myself to after Christmas...

These should help me keep two of my resolutions for 2009. I'm actually already working on a crochet project at the moment...more on that later.

And, last but certainly not least...

Package #3: The package from my partner in the Blue Sky Alpacas Swap on Ravelry. I've been totally spoiled by seepattiknit! First off, since it's too good to save to the end, the yarn:

That's four gorgeously soft skeins of Melange...two each in Cornflower and Cinnamon. Yummy!

And then, all the extras:

Two great cowl patterns -- KrisKnit's Thermis and pepperknit's Tapestry Cowl -- perfect for my new favourite thing to knit...

And a whole bunch of other great stuff...three little packages of Soak wool wash, an adorable mini-sweater key chain from Lantern Moon, a row counter, some beautiful buttons, a purple tape measure, a package of my favourite stitch markers, some jumbo tapestry needles and a fun set of notepads. Thanks so much, Patti!