Good Day

Went to the Yarn Swap down at Central Market this afternoon.

My haul:

I am particularly excited to score the Lonco multi, though I haven't the foggiest what I'll do with it yet. The teal lace is awesome as well - 1400yds that needs to be something big & fancy. The bamboo in the back is not really my color, but I've been wanting to try dyeing the stuff and this seemed like a good opportunity.

After the swap I wandered down to Hill Country Weavers (I know - I KNOW! BUT I WAS GOOD!) mostly for inspiration and they had in some of the sock size KnitPro bags again.

I have had one of these for about nine or ten months and it is practically a permanent growth on my person. They're great bags - made of ripstop nylon so they're both waterproof and weigh virtually nothing, they can hold a pair of socks, or a scarf, or the first half of a lightweight sweater, or a lace shawl or a 4-oz braid of roving and a small drop spindle (If you drop spindle you need one of these - they make great fiber pouches and I prefer them to wrist distaffs). They have a little loop that you can snap around a bag strap, a belt loop, your wrist, the steering wheel of your car (possibly an unwise one if you're driving... but I have done it... hooked it on the wheel i mean, while the car was parked... not knit while driving - Don't Knit and Drive people, its not safe... Always bring a designated driver along to steer the car when you want to knit while in motion). In short - They're awesome.

I have wanted... nay! NEEDED a second one for some time. It just drives me nuts to always be tossing projects in and out of the one I have. These bags however are perpetually out of stock.

Sure... knitpicks carries them. But they only have three colors and I don't want one in Hot Pink or Lime Green or Turquoise. So I was really excited to see them back in stock at HCW. I got a bright (Scoobie) blue one and its just as awesome as its sibling.

If you're in the area and want one I'd get out there quick since they seem to go fast. They are a little pricey - about 20$, but they're also pretty well indestructible. Theoretically you could make one of these for around 5 bucks, but like I comiserated with the shop lady... who ever gets around to it?

Also I just want it on record. I did actually leave HCW without yarn.

So there.

I make a point of stopping in at the big Half Price on north Lamar whenever I'm in the area and so on the way back home I popped in and found a whole shelf of vintage Vogue Knits. I picked up one for fun. Just so we all appreciate our patterns, back in the day a 12 was a 32 bust and 36 is the top written size on any of these patterns (It probably didn't help that in 57 they were still apparently wearing the pointy-boob corsets everywhere). There are no charts. The patterns are written in long congested run on sentences.

Shawl collars seemed to be in back then, and there's actually some pretty nice shapes in there... some v-neck pull overs and lace cardigans. Lots of finer yarns and simpler cuts.

Its interesting how much of this would be in fashion again today.

The only downside to my day is that my washing machine is not here. It was supposed to be here, but someone didn't show up for work and they rescheduled it for tomorrow. Which means I'm still stuck doing laundry Sunday afternoon, but at least I have new yarn and stuff to play with.