July 23, 2007
To Dream the Impossible Dream
The envelope, please.
The final count for Dulaan 2007 is...
17,376!!!!!!!!
Can you believe it, Brigadiers?! Especially after we started with a mere 4,000+ items a few years ago?!
I am stunned. I had no idea. At distribution time, this year, fer sher, we will really make a difference.
A BIG thank you goes out to Stacie at F.I.R.E. who does the counting and gives me the numbers. Thank you for your ever-faithful reporting, Stacie! It's what we live for!
One thing you can say about the Cuzz, thanks to his ramblin' and his 'Net surfin' ways, he seems to know people, and well, wherever he goes. He left Seattle yesterday to visit another friend—not the one here in Seattle, not the one from Portland, not the one from Olympia—who lives on Vashon Island, and then back to the sandy wilds of Mongolia he goes for, he says, at least another year. Bon voyage, Ramblin’ Man!
And, we, all of a sudden, seem to have become the Seattle House of Pain. Frankie is on muscle relaxants and pain killers for, per the emergency-room vet, a currently undiagnosable ailment that left her whining, limping, and trying to sleep in a wobbly and unsteady tripod position that was the only way she could get comfortable. (Why undiagnosable? Because the two, not one, two times, we took Frankie to the emergency room on Saturday, she stopped limping, stopped whining, and trotted along as happy as you please, all doggy smiles, leaving the vet quite stumped.)
Whatever Frankie has seems to be contagious since this morning TMK decided to go thisaway and Mr. Spinal Cord and his close friend, Dorsal Musculature, decided to go thataway. She, too, is now whining piteously, limping, and trying to sleep in a wobbly and unsteady tripod position. Actually, she’s on her way to the swimming pool to see if she can get things to sort themselves out, but I couldn’t resist the image.
On to some miscellanea...
As a “thank you," Cuzzin brought us this unique and adorable felted, for lack of a better word, “diorama” consisting of a map of Mongolia, a twee ger, and three white camels.
The camels look so content and perhaps a little smug, as if they’re thinking, “See how many days you can go without water, dude.” In return, we say, “Sure, but at least we’ve got two legs. You’ve got, what, none?”
Other than the Big Brigadier Bash, the last week or so has been curiously fiberless for both of us. I’ve been slogging away on size 1’s on a swatch for a black and terra cotta stranded-knitting hat I’m designing, based on a pattern from Charted Peasant Designs of Saxon Transylvania (while also reading Dracula, which is all a bit too ironic. BTW, Dracula? Good book that. Not at all the cartoonish story of the undead I expected. It’s no Moby Dick but it’s dayum fine. But I digress. Way digress.)
Why isn’t the pattern centered, and why is there an extra smoodge of seemingly pointless black on the left, you ask? Because, for some reason, when I finished casting on 24 stitches, the number I needed and wanted, I just blithely kept right on going to 28, ultimately making a shambles of my swatch measurements and stitch counts. This does not bode well for the 168 or whatever’all I’m going to have to cast on for the real project.
Feeling the need for a little fibery infusion, TMK and I did spend some time at Village Yarn and Tea on Saturday. TMK scored some of this astoundingly beautiful bamboo and merino roving from DragonFibers. TMK is not, as you know, a SABLE* kind of gal. Having a stash actually makes her twitchy and anxious, but this, this was a must-buy.
I can’t speak for how she feels about it, but I’m the one who hung it from the mantel so that I could sneak a peek whenever the mood struck me. I believe I even gave it a backward glance as I headed out the door for work this morning.
It's good to be back blogging again. I hope all is well with you, Dear Readers!
*Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.
Thought fer shur we'd make 20,000. Are you sure they don't have a box or two or twelve still to count???? However, please don't get me wrong, I'm hardly complaining about 17,000+. What a great job, everyone!
Sorry about your back woes, TMK. Feel better soon! Hugs, MaryB
If all colors were as nice as that roving, I wouldn't have to explain to DH about stash and all that - he'd just know.
Hooray for Dulaan!
Snorgles to Frankie and a gentle hug to TMK. I hope they both get better soon. That roving! Those colors are gorgeous!
And I am *speechless* (which does not happen often) about the Dulaan number. Ladies, I am awed, humbled and a wee bit dizzy over the thought of that many items in one room. FABOO job and congratulations all around! We've got our work cut out for us next year!
Posted by: Nancy O. on July 23, 2007 01:38 PMCheers for the Brigadiers! Hmmm, 20,000 for next years goal? We could do it.
I hope all the ailments clear up soon!
Love the design you're working up, colours are pretty snazzy too. And that roving?!?!?!?!? My heart tried to stop on me...gorgeous!
Glad you are back. Missed you!
Oh...Frankie! I hope she's feeling better! As for TMK - I hope the swimming helps!
As for Dulaan...it's a head trip - a good one! I've begun my planning for what to knit for this next year!
Posted by: Naomi on July 23, 2007 02:20 PMCuzz -- your and TMK's hospitality was spectacular. And as I groove to the paradise that is Vashon (when your girls are healed, run don't walk to visit -- it's all the way beyond, seriously), I feel so -- well, not really tanned, but definitely rested and energized and ready to go git 'er done.
And Dulaanettes! Once again, blowing my mind, and dulaaning my heart, as I think of all those toasty fingers and toes and noggins and such coming to my beloved Mongolia this winter.
Love to you all!!
Posted by: Cuzzin Tom on July 23, 2007 03:49 PMMy roving got TMK to break a no stash lifestyle? I'm honored.
It was great meeting you on Saturday, I hope I can see you again soon.
Emma,
Your roving didn't even get out of the box and onto shelves before I had swooped in and claimed the Rio colorway as my own! I love the color, the fiber and the distressed look to it. And thanks to a surprise from a wonderful person (you know who you are!) I have two new bobbins so I don't even have to wait to start on it! TMK
Perhaps you need to take TMK to that emergency room and see if it has the same effect on HER symptoms ;-)
I'm woo-hoo-ing here in WI for the Dulaan total. Can you hear me?
Posted by: kmkat on July 23, 2007 07:08 PMSQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
those numbers are fantastic! one more next year! (that's my goal!)
Posted by: minnie on July 23, 2007 08:42 PMFab job and gorgeous yarn, wish I could touch it>>>
Got to this project too late for this year but
I will help for next year, 20.000!!
I'm still learning about this Dulaan thing - but I'm powerful impressed and am going to watch for the "next year" thing. Isn't that the way with furbabies? They can be limp, listless and lousy - until getting to the vet. WhasSUP? TMK - hope the pool helps too, what a drag! Reminds me, I think I'll go to the gym this afternoon, it's been a while (I wow all the other ladies in the warm-water pool with my Classical Ballet exercises in the water....love going there. My 64-year-old self is the youngest, thinnest gal in the pool!)
Posted by: Dale-Harriet in WI on July 24, 2007 10:41 AMRyan, it's the "Magic Doctor's Office Air" (patent pending--ha!) that allows dogs to experience a miracle cure. It works on toddlers as well. Not sure if it works for adults ... But toddlers, dogs and cats. Absolutely!
Love the Dulaan numbers. I sure hope we are doing this again next year. My daughter just finished her very first Dulaan project.
And the roving? Unbelievably beautiful. Wish it were mine!
Posted by: Carol on July 24, 2007 11:27 AMWooHoo -- 20,000+ next year!
Posted by: Donna in Virginia on July 24, 2007 06:42 PMWow, 17,376! That is an amazing number.
Hope both back patients feel better soon. While I'm sure TMK isn't faking it, I have my doubts about Frankie. Only because we have a corgi, Summer who has pulled the same thing on us three times. It might only be a twisted toenail but she looks absolutely pitiful until she gets to the vet.
I never read the term SABLE before. It sure made me laugh! Living in a small house with a 'saver' husband and three kids I'll never find room to do that but it is fun to imagine having that much yarn!
The roving is so pretty! Please show it again when spun.