Long Live the Sandals

Living in Florida, I wear sandals a lot more than I did in New England (duh). I bought a pair after moving down here that died this summer, and I really wanted to replace them, but I have a long, picky list of exactly what I wanted:

• Slides, so I can just step into them
• But some arch support/contour to the foot bed, so they don't slide off too easily
• Nothing between the toes (I get blisters way too easily)
• Low heels
• Decent grip to the soles

I think that was it! And I was out a few weeks ago and did some looking around, and not at all to my surprise, couldn't find a thing, in my size, that fit all that. I got to thinking about how what I really wanted was just the same ones I had had, but I wasn't even sure what brand they were, and it occurred to me to search Ye Olde Blogge here and see if I had a helpful picture.

And ta da. Kitten-visiting, kittens attack feet, ccr slides sandals off so kittens can attack sandals, and there's the picture. Blogging for the win again.

I zoomed in on the photo and said (imagine puzzled voice), "Rock & Candy? Is that what that says?" But I searched the google, and indeed, that's a brand that makes sandals. Some more searching around, and I found, not just the brand, not just that style (Caragan Cross Band Slide Sandal), but a pair of that style, brand new, in my size that had JUST been listed on Poshmark. Boom! Sold! I had never ordered from Poshmark before, but I'd heard of it, and considered that vouchsafe enough for my comfort.

They arrived on Monday, in the mail along with All The Yarn, and I could not be more pleased. Little victories, y'all. Little victories.

Rubens Cupid--So Cool!

The Big Yarn Reveal

This happened to pop up in my Facebook memories yesterday: 

And not only did it make me laugh, but it's quite opportune, since Monday's mail brought All the Things (including one order I wasn't even sure had shipped yet), and this is no longer accurate:

Because all the yarn is in my present! It is now! Let me show you what I've been up to with the rest of my birthday money.

First, this actually came last week, a skein of the Rhinebeck Rainbow colorway from White Birch that I coveted at the festival last year, but did not buy then (photo down near the end of this post).

So lovely! I shared the pictures to the Virtual Rhinebeck group on Facebook, and almost 200 people have liked the post, so that's kind of crazy. In a good way.

What else? Well, how about some ModeKnit yarn? I was very sorry to hear that Annie Modesitt had died recently, and thought that buying some yarn would be an appropriate remembrance. (I didn't know her, but when you've read someone's blog forever, you start to feel like you do.)

So I got this, which is ModeSock Flow, a fingering weight yarn, in colorway Cote d'Azur.

With a fun note on the label.

I stopped in my LYS recently, and came out with a little yarn. I mean, if I want the store to survive, I have to contribute.

Two balls of Juniper Moon's Findley DK, which is half wool half silk, in a lovely blue (I know: me and blue).

Very soft and pretty.

Next? That would be a Rhinebeck purchase, four colors of Bugga (with cashmere!) from Dragonfly Fibers.

Glorious! I have two shawl patterns in mind as possibles, and there may even be enough yarn to do both of them.

Next, more Rhinebeck, in the form of some alpaca from Snowshoe Farm Alpacas, two skeins that I ordered and a small bonus skein that they threw in!

Since my aunt often buys me alpaca yarn at Apple Festival for my birthday, this seemed like a good way to use the birthday money she sent me. Though hopefully next year, we will be back at the festival together, choosing yarn!

Then, last Thursday night, I placed a little order at Eat Sleep Knit, and to my amazement, received it on Monday as well. That's a quick turnaround!

Three skeins of Amy March DK from Yarn Love, in the colorway Worsted Witch Cottage (Lot B).

Just so pretty.

And I unwound one skein, since they're pretty tightly twisted, and it's so soft and squishy that way.

Then another skein of the fabulous String Theory Continuum, in colorway Trifolium:

With the perfect matching stitch marker!

There! Are you wondering just how much yarn I ended up buying over the last month? Well, here you go:

Enough that it's awkward to lift the tub of it. It's kind of ridiculous, but as my mother points out, it's 2020. If you can do something and it makes you happy, go for it.

Before the Yarn

I have so much yarn to show you, but I need to get it photographed and sorted out, so in the meantime, let me show you this, which is not yarn but is knitting adjacent. It's the Rhinebeck special project bag from Cece's Wool, which I managed to snag in the shawl size before they sold out.

Autumn in New England going on there! The color is a bit more vibrant than I caught on camera.

Perhaps I should via Cece's, rather than from, as the bag is actually made by The Bearded Purl (I hadn't heard of them, but apparently they have a podcast).

The bag is very well made, and capacious: I threw in a couple of skeins to show you, though there's certainly room for more.

See you next time with more on the yarn! 

Just So Funny

 Have a laugh!

(Does the video show up? It's from Instagram, I don't think I've tried one of those before.)

(Edited to add: apparently it does not. If you wish to see a baby having great fun with the concept of M and W, please click here.)

View this post on Instagram

For some reason, the letter “W” is just soooo funny to me! #babylaughs #babylearning #learningisfun #winstonknowsthealphet #smartbabies #1yearold #winstonthomasmoore #sirwinston #miraclebaby #winnie #winstonsworld #learningansgrowing #babiesofinstagram #babymodel #toddlermodel #bigfuture #brightfuture #furtureleader #ellendegeneresshow

A post shared by Winston Moore (@winstontmoore) on Sep 25, 2019 at 3:16am PDT

More of the Ugh

I feel crappy,

Oh so crappy,

I feel crappy and awful and blah...

Apparently I have become* a total wimp about period pain, as three days of cramps and I'm losing my mind about it.

*Probably always was, TBH.

But it is Friday, at least.

Ugh

In case you thought 2020 was ever going to let up, I got my period today. (I went off birth control a few months ago to see if the system is finally ready to shut down--I'm 52 now, FTLOG!--but apparently not quite.) Ugh, urgh, bleargh.

 

Voted!

 We dropped off our ballots today!

Got our stickers and everything. 

And then, guess what we saw?

In Florida! I hope that's a good omen.

Have you voted yet? Do you have a plan? Please, please vote. It matters so much. 

I really wish, though, that voting would stop the calls, texts, and emails for the next two weeks. They are stressing me out.

Cat Aerobics

Maggie is such a contortionist when she bathes. And so cute!

 

Knit-Adjacent: A Handy Tool

Last month, I bought something that is not yarn (gasp!), but is knit-adjacent and is already proving very handy: this pattern pocket from Rock Solid Designs:

It folds down to carry, then opens and that's where you put your pattern.

Then you can clip it back so it stands up, where you can see it as you're knitting.

I found, with this multi-sheet pattern, that the pages were prone to slipping around, and this holds them neatly, just where I want them.

There are a whole bunch of cute fabrics, on these and on project bags, and it's really well made. Just sharing the love!

Maggie Time

It's been a while since I dumped shared some of the best Maggie photos here, hasn't it? Let's go!