So, I don’t really know how to work this picture thing. I’ll figure it out, I promise! Eventually. In the mean time, I ought to mention that I went to a yarn swap that Staci very graciously hosted. I took what felt like a ton of yarn. My big "Whole Foods" reusable shopping bag was overflowing when I went over. I got rid of a lot of stuff that frankly, I was never going to use.

I came home with about twice what I took. I made out with a bag, a whole freakin bag!, of Rowanspun Aran in Caviar. What on earth am I gonna do with 2000+ yards of Aran weight drool worthy wool yarn? A heavily cabled sweater that would stave off hypothermia in Siberia perhaps… I also took on 2 lbs of pink laceweight cotton. It came with Kelly in a giant tidily twisted loop. Far into the night, we were delirious, Staci, Jet and I took up the task of winding this giant loop into neat little cakes of yarn. Staci broke out the swift and ball winder, we set up and commenced to winding. We wound, and wound and wound and wound. Then we wound some more. At that point, it looked like it had shrunk in size slightly. But only slightly, mind you. All of a sudden, mid wind, the swift leaps free from the table and takes flight. We scrambled to save yarn loop and swift, set back up and commenced to winding some more. Then the cake of yarn grows so huge on the ball winder that it projectiles into the air and luckily finds no one to take out with it. Soon thereafter, we finish winding the giant loop and we emerge victorious over the laceweight. Please, kids, don’t try that at home. Especially not alone. Or sober for that matter. Try to be delirious and drinking and amongst other knitters of course!

I also committed myself to the idea of spinning. I passed up some beautiful sock yarn that sang to my soul (sang to my soles is more accurate!) in order to take on a big ole bag of gorgeous deep green and brown with hints of almost purple roving. Enough to make quite a bit of yarn I hope. Now I just need to find a spindle and someone to teach me…

This faces me with the ever present concern that many knitters apparently have to tackle when first deciding to learn to spin. "How will this new interest affect my knitting time???" I’ll admit, it’s scary. But I’m sure that it’s like having a cat for a long time and all of a sudden, you take on a second kitty and there is this period of adjustment when both kitties are hissing and spitting and demanding you only pay attention to one of them. Eventually, I think it works out like the kitties work out. You come home from work one day and both are curled up together sleeping as if they had always been the very bestest of friends.

In other news, I have progressed on the Somewhat Cowl. I’ve finished all of the waist decreases and tomorrow at lunch will start the waist increases. I tried it on before going to the knitting group tonight and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t fit like a glove. It’s so perfect and I’m completely enamoured with it. I love it.  The end is sooo near! Wah-hoo!

And with that, I’ll bid you a good-night!