Mossy Cottage Knits

Easy Come, Easy Go

Although, as I mentioned in my last post, TMK’s red romney yarn “went all Chainsaw Massacre on my fingers,” I was still able to put it to good use, thanks to a soft, fake-o, mohair-ish black acrylic discovered during a Marianas-Trench-deep stash dive, followed by a trip to my Local Crack Yarn Store for a skein of black Encore. I doubled the Encore, slapped it on some beefy needles, and made a substantial, Russian-army-esque, fold-up brim. Then I combined the romney with the fake-o mohair, downsized the needles, threw in a few extra stitches to compensate for the difference in yarn weight, and knit the crown. An easy knit, here making its obligatory ursa very minor pose before it wings its way to Ulan Bataar. (And for those of you who are aghast at my combining homespun yarn with acrylic, see "Chainsaw Massacre" above. It was not pretty. The yarn had to be punished.)

Fast forward half an hour. What’s this? The same hat, neatly removed from the bear’s head and equally neatly—and, dare I say, a mite possessively— placed under a pair of TMK’s gloves?

Could this hat possibly not be going to Ulan Bataar? Yes, it could very possibly not be going to Ulan Bataar. And it could also possibly now belong to TMK. And it could also possibly have been worn every day of our very cold weather (no comment, Norma). It could also possibly, as a result, have too many non-Mongolian cooties on it for me to send it to Ulan Baatar even if I could wrest it back from TMK. Sigh. I suppose I can’t begrudge her this, especially since she did spin the yarn used to make it, and, further, I suppose I can’t grab every skein of yarn she makes, cobble it into something resembling clothing and slingshoot it 10,000 miles away—although that’s exactly what I’m doing with the Tropical Juice. Mum’s the word.

Despite the fact that last year’s attempt to go to the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat was derailed (remember? hospital? morphine? eventual bon voyage to an entire internal organ?), we’re going to try again this year. We’re not signed up for any classes although TMK did try to sign up for the Judith MacKenzie McCuin spinning class but somehow was completely flustered by the overly complicated online-ish-ness of it all (even though she’s a total techie, so I don’t know what THAT was all about*) and the fact that I was looming so very large and close over her shoulder that she could feel my breath waft down her shirt and my bodacious tatas were making a shadow on the keyboard. So, no classes, but we will be there overnight on Saturday, and will be bringing Dear Daughter with us. In short (no pun intended, Frankie), we’ll be playing it all by ear but are open to suggestions about get-togethers. Now, to try to convince TMK to let Frankie wear her special party dress…

*As in all relationships, we try to allow for each other’s odd quirks. For some reason, I hate to order pizza, so TMK always places the dreaded pizza calls. TMK, despite her techiness, hates making online reservations so, when we travel, I do the hotel and airline reservations. Although I just realized that she always does the car-rental part which is also online so…wait…what?!

I’ve updated the "Dulaan 10,000 or Bust" list to include the few names that trickled in at the end and to mark off these 83 84 angelic participants who’ve already finished their five (or more, many more in some cases) items:

Alexandra Virgiel
Andrea Eyre
Angie Marshall
Barbara Williams
Beth Braun
Braeuer, Catherine
Brandy Hunt (A'tuin)
Camela Hicks
Carol Miller
Caroline Laudig
Christi Shelton (Childe)
Christine
Connie Klein
Cookie
Cyndie White
Darinka D'Alessio
Debbie Bland
Debra Foster
Donna Wiedeman
Elaine Caron
Emily Greene
Flora Hicks
Gerlinde Bockoras
Ginger Carter
Irina
Isela Phelps
Jeanne Hurlbut
Jennifer Dale
Jennifer Moody-Weis
Jenny McIntosh
Jessica Rose
Jill Haddaway
Joan Arndt
Josephine Hawkins
Judith Rosa
Judy Petzel
Julie Ann Morgan
K. Lombardo
Karen Rosenberg
Kate Morgan
Katherine Redman
Kathleen in Oregon
Kathryn Kienholz
Katie Pellett
Katy Moore
Kay Landiak
Kellie Marek
Lana Johnson
Linda Doggett
Lisa Fish
Lisa Rogers Lowrance
Lori Freeman
Lynda Holt
Margaret Crammond
Margot Schips
Marisa LaPalomento
Mary Anne
Mary Barnett
Melinda Morrow
Michelle Haimowitz
Misty Banks
Moore, Katy
Nancy Overland
Nancy Overland
Nancy Sullivan
Naomi Paskin-Parsons
nbstockwell
Norma Miller
Pat Packer
Patience Boyd
PeggySpins
Rabbitch
Rachel Debasitis
Sabrina Thompson
Sarah Marchant
Stephanie Bunch
Sue Fuss
Tammy Wright
Tasha McGimpsey
Tish Dudevoir
Marylee
Wendy Slotboom
Wren
Robbyn Kenyon

Remember, once you finish your five, lemme know so I can put your name in the drawing for the June prize. Also, for everyone else, you do not need to be on the list to knit for Dulaan; this was just a special October “push.”

Also, if you haven't done so already, be sure to swing on by Franklin's to see his latest remarkable Dulaan contributions.

Posted by Ryan at December 8, 2006 10:15 AM