Of Yarns and Knitty Things

I wound some yarn the other day, and found it photogenic.

Remember the blanket?

It's almost halfway done, and was therefore about ready for the next skein.

One of these ends is not like the other.

I also wound a skein of sock yarn, since I'm past the heel of the second sock on the current pair, which got my mind wandering ahead. It's not dissimilar to the blanket yarn.

Of course, no guarantees that I won't change my mind before it's time to cast on ... living on the edge!

I also wound some laceweight for a shawl I have my eye on ... and then this lovely Christmas present came along.

And that's two more I also want to cast on asap.

Startitis, all right. A moderately severe case.

A Little Yarn Crawling

I had a yarn experience in mid-December that I haven't told you about yet. There was a nice little yarn crawl here, starting in late November--I don't mean to be condescending when I say little, it's just that it only involved three shops, in Naples, Ft. Myers, and Venice. (I didn't make it to the latter, which is the farthest away, but I'll try to get to that this year.) However, for the wrap-up of the crawl*, they had an open house (open warehouse?) at Knit One Crochet Too, a yarn brand I knew of, but didn't realize was based down here. Neat!
*Which they had made sound like would be more event-like, but was really just an opportunity to shop the warehouse; okay then, I can do that.

A sign that I'm in the right place.

I didn't take many photos, but look at this cool yarn-related machine. (For skeining, I think, or something like that.)

And what's this on the office wall?

Nice decor choice!

On to the important stuff: what did I buy?

They had a table with odd skeins; I'm not sure if they were colors that weren't going to be made again, or just ones that they only had a few of left, but there were two skeins of Crock-O-Dye whose colors I loved. Light greens, like sea glass (not well captured by these pictures).

And, of course, blues. Blurry, apparently.

That's better.

Then there was a hand-dyed (and thus one-of-o-kind) skein of Après Ski in lovely blues and greens that just about had my name on the label.

Oddly enough, the label actually had two names: one was Après Ski, the other side was marked Cozette, but that definitely isn't what this yarn is (since Cozette is a silk-cotton fingering weight, and this is clearly a heavier weight than that, plus not at all silky-slippery).

Finally, the big purchase of the day. They had a lot of sample garments to check out, and there was one in Ty-Dy that showed just how nicely it knits up. I do need to explore more cotton yarns now that I'm in Florida, and look at this color combo.

Well, again the photos are a little washed out, but the blues/greens/purples are right up my alley.

The pattern I got for it isn't the one I first saw, but for another top I liked even better; a simple, wearable pattern called the On The Go Top, which you can mod for sleeveless, short, or long sleeves (I'm planning sleeveless).

Which makes at least two things I want to cast on now, despite having multiple projects in active status. Work takes up so much knitting time.

Found in an Old Cookbook

My mother was looking in an old cookbook recently, and found an old piece of paper folded inside. It seems to be from Good Housekeeping, and presumably she kept it for the side with the guide to buying shellfish.

But the other side is even more fun. Booklets! And how to get your birth certificate. Because of course, these are three things that go together.

It seems to me that these days, the number of people who need help figuring out how to get their birth certificate is probably low, at least in the US.

And of course, Google would be how we'd ask the question these days.

Still, the patient detail is something.

And then the booklets! Which one would you write away for?

I'm tempted by "All Sorts of Sandwiches," but then the "Hot Dog Cookbook" is intriguing. How many recipes could there be? I do know that I don't need "What You Should Know About Tea," since for me, the entire answer is, "You don't like the taste."

It's certainly a sign of the times when one says that "smoking may cause" various problems. That's probably the most out of date, don't you think?

Which one would you order?

Taking the Boat Ride

On Christmas Eve, my mother and brother and I went over to Everglades City to take the boat ride out of the national park.

View from lunch at the Rod and Gun Club.

Complete with pelicans on pilings.

Inside is very much like this; really, it deserves many more photos than I took.

There's a fun bike rack in town.

And then we're on the boat. Lovely, as always.

And varied birds, here there and everywhere.

Some sort of heron, I think.

Terns.

Cormorants, maybe, or perhaps anhingas. I don't remember if the captain said, and I don't actually know how to tell them apart.

Sun sparkling on water.

Dolphins!

Just a few, jumping in the wake.

And of course, the white pelicans in their getting-toward-sunset spot.

One of my favorite sights.

More birds on the way back.

This is one of those photos you get when you zoom in and the day is so bright, you can't quite see what you're getting.

Doesn't he look like he's walking the plank?

Finally, some osprey nesting. On the channel marker. As you do.

A good time, as it always is.