Missing in Action

One of my cousins e-mailed me yesterday to complain about  the lack of entries on my blog this week.  I promise, I haven’t been ignoring y’all on purpose!  Technology has been the enemy this week.  But everything seems to be working now, so I’ll play catch up.

I tried to post Tuesday night, while I was in Atlanta for work.  I had an internet connection, but for some reason, the photograph I took of Teddy’s scarf in progress, using my cell phone, didn’t make it onto my computer.  I kept getting a funny little broken square  in my email.  No picture.

The reason I wanted to show you a picture of the scarf was that I was debating about the length.  It didn’t seem quite long enough as I approached the end of the second skein.  Since I couldn’t show you all a picture and ask for opinions, I ended up using most of the third skein and making a long scarf, hopefully long enough for much wrapping around the neck and warming up of my second son.

I’m never one to make an in-your-face statement about the fact that I’m a proud knitter, but I did take my knitting along to court the following morning, and knit through the cases ahead of us on the docket.  I find it is a huge aid to my concentration, although I have never developed the self-confidence to knit during my own cases.  I took along my Handmaiden Sea Silk scarf — the only piece of lace I’m working on at the moment and one of the oldest of my unfinished objects.  No matter how much I knit, it seems to drag along, but it’s far enough along that I can see how the colors are going to switch back and forth, and that seems to have been enough motivation to have gotten me going again.

I got home from Atlanta in time for trick or treating.  The Judge yet again demonstrated his ability to come through on the important things — taking Ellie and Ollie and two of their closest friends ALL over the neighborhood, while the two mamas passed out candy and, erm, one of us knitted.

Thursday I was back out of town for work again, this time without an internet connection.  But with knitting.  I finished off the Be Sweet Tea Cozy.

I love how it looks with the ribbon tied through the top!  Sadly, it isn’t quite big enough.  I’m begging an extra skein off of Jennifer in exchange for a silk yarn to be designated in the future.  Go look at her blog if you want to see some really amazing batik!

This weekend I’m working on some organic merino yarn — the colorways are new and I love this yarn.  Here’s a little taste.  This is "Metro."

Make sure you remember to stop in when Elliebelly Yarns stock this Thursday at noon.  I’ll have some fun little yarns for you to look at and some new playsilks!  I’m working on cleaning up the Main Elliebelly Site
and getting it restocked.  Thanks to those of you who have wandered through all the sold items to shop.  I promise there will be fresh new items by next weekend.  Also, please consider signing up for my announcement list if you aren’t already on it.  I am planning on dyeing up some special yarns and selling them to benefit Heifer.Org.  If you aren’t familiar with this charitable organization, they provide farm animals to families in need and do wonderful work.  I’m hoping to raise enough money to donate a sheep this year.  I’ll fill you in on the details of how you can buy yarn and help people become self-sufficient on the announcement list later this month.

Finally, I want to talk about art.  I still can’t show you any art because of issues involving the Judge, our oldest son, and a total inability to understand that if you screw up the computer that Mom’s scanner is hooked up to you are obligated to fix it, instead of spending all of your waking hours playing Morrowind.  That is sort of frustrating, because I have lots going on.  I’ve been making time for my own art — doing lots of dyeing and fabric collage and also working on a round robin book.  I’ve also been doing a fun little mail art round robin, hosted by Kathy McElroy.  I’m about to break down and get everything fixed so I can share some artwork again — I’ve really missed participating in the Wednesday Stamper.

For those of you, who like me, are art retreat addicts, you will know that tomorrow, Monday the 5th, is the day the class listings for Art & Soul in Hampton Virginia next May go up here.  Although I haven’t mentioned it before, I’ll be teaching a class called Dyeing To Collage, which will involve dyeing and surface designing cotton and silk fabric for incorporation in fabric collage.  I hope some of you will sign up for the class, or stop by to say "hi" during the retreat.  I’m really looking forward to it!