Onto something new.

When I first spied this little diddy over at Brooklyntweed, ~hello why have I never come across him before?~I nearly peed myself! Scroll down until you see his Hemlock Ring Blanket. Isn't it just to die for. So I cast on. Not right away, because I was waiting to hear from one of my lady friends to whom I had given some really bulky Alaskan yarn to respin. Well she came back with 2 skeins of this really rad respun wool. It's a tri-color gray in a worsted weight. Just the perfect size for the must have blanket. Both skeins were about 65yards, and there are still 8 more to come. Which is good because I've gone through the first one and am just starting the second. Yeah for tiny skeins which make me think I've done way more than I really have. The wool was purchased last June when my mum and I took a cruise up to Alaska with the company she represents. I bought it in Victoria B.C. in a tourist shop of all places. I remember each enormous ball was about $7 American. They wool was relatively loosely spun, so I took a chance, and Erin the Magic Finger Spinner that she is came back with such a lovely product. I love how all three colors have softened all the tones, and now keep the eye moving. The texture at first is rather rough, but every now and again this rad and weird sensation of silk seeps in. I believe it's much softer when knitted up also. I'm one happy camper here.

That's just a sneak peak of the inside. But all I want to do is curl up in a comfy chair and knit away. Kind of like calgon, take me away, but all, hemlock take me away... There is a knitalong set up for this pattern, and it seems like it may get a bit more confusing when I get to line 40 something or other, which is about 10+ rows off. So far smooth sailing. And it also has just the right amount of lace work. Not too much to drive me batty, and just enough to keep me focused.

This weekend ushers in the Renaissance Faire in our area, NorcAl, biotch. I missed the opening days, but I rarely ever go on opening weekend. This weekend though promises to be filled full of Fairing Frolicks. Maybe even twice the goodness, if the pocket book holds out. Not too sure on that front though. Saturday I am fo' sure going with the hippies, who could resist when the roommate drives, and I can drink a butt load, and have a day to recoup. There should be about 10 us going from Eastbania, and we're meeting up with 2 more from further south. Soooo it'll be a doozie. The theme is Pirate Invasion, which is fun, but I don't really fulfill that particular style. Close enough, gypsy, pirate, rapscallion, whateva. The costume is ready to go. This year I am on the lookout for a green long skirt, maybe a new clay jug (for sneaking in wine), 2 more bottles of the Perfumed Dragon's Baltic Amber for me smelly parts (did I mention I rarely use deodorant~all that aluminium and everything - no I'm not a hipppy!-), what else, what else, hmmm. Well that's all I can think of right now without having gone yet.

All this talk about Ren Faire actually brings me to this, I kind of want to start going to or even working at Dicken's Faire. It's held at the Cow Palace in South San Fran, I've been once and was rather well entertained. There were dancers, singers, and just tons and tons of great and NEW things to do there. Also a bunch of new people. And the costumes are rather more ornate. Which is a problem in that it's harder to get a group gathered in such expensive garb. Well shoot I've been doing Ren faire for over 15 years, and I've always been a bit more peasantry than royalty or nobility. It's a stretch going from one style to another. I think if I were to start going to Dicken's I could drag the husbeast along much easier than to Ren Faire. I don't know why but he hates Faire. Which is a huge bummer for me. I believe what I'm trying to say here is that I'm trying to find a happy medium for the two of us to come to when it comes to the odd bits of entertainment.

Babbling done, cheers and here's to happy hemlocking!