PlazaJen: Passion Knit

OK, I gotta run through this fairly zippy-like, but let me first tell a funny on myself. I got a pair of ankle boots in the mail today (finally threw away the pair that were pulling apart at the heel & driving me crazy) and I unpacked 'em and tried them on. They looked cute.... the leather is even stretchy... but the fronts, over the instep? Man! They just killed! I walked around a couple minutes, fighting with myself about whether to repack & ship them back, or to keep them & hope they broke in and felt better. As I looked down, I thought it seemed kind of strange that some of the leather was supple, and the parts where it hurt? Nice and shiny & immobile. Hm. Could it be?

Yes. Plastic inserts that weren't initially visible because they're CLEAR, and once you take them out? Really nice boots. Sheesh. It's a wonder I've made it this far in life without skewering myself on a traffic cone.

OK! Alyson, of YoYo Knits fame, had a contest before she went to Rhinebeck, and I was the lucky winner drawn who guessed correctly the number of items she would buy! I figured I would win a skein of yarn, and didn't think much more about that - so let me just say I was BLOWN AWAY by my prize pack when I got home last night!!!



Not just ANY ol' yarn, but WOLLMEISE, people. (Dramatic clutching at throat.) And two bars of chocolate, and three handmade stitchmarkers, and then the cutest damn package of fun stuffs by a company called Plain & Thimble. I am going to tell all of you to go to her website right now, and look at the yarn she has for sale, because she is destashing to help pay for Bitty's Booty Surgery, and everything she has is awesome and very nicely priced. (Fiber for you spinning folks, too!) Really, you're helping a fellow knitter/spinner out, AND her little dog, too. It's not adding to your stash if it's for a good cause. MMmmKay?!

Then, I have some more recent pictures of Tripper, because everyone loves puppies, and he is grown up enough now that he has to wear the e-collar, because he is always up for challenging the Pack Leaders (JWo and Me) and this was on Thanksgiving, when he needed to be reminded that he is NOT in charge.



Do you see the little divot on his head, between his eyes? He has challenged Suzy a few times, and those challenges have been rewarded with some toothy redirection. As in, his head is bitten as she flings him aside, much like a brontosaurus might have irritatedly flung a small biting raptor out of its way. Back in the day.

Modeling his Fetching Tag:


Last but not least - I'll be doing some felting this weekend.

Slippers for me: (candy bar for scale)


and slippers for James:



His are going to have to come out of the machine quickly, because they're just a smidge bigger than his feet right now. Mine? Might need to felt for a week. Holy crap. I'll post more about the projects/yarns/patterns once they're done & I can devote a whole post to 'em. With after pictures.

Anyway, there's your Thursday update! James made duck gumbo last night & it's been simmering all day - it smelled sooooo good this morning, I can't wait to get home & have a bowl or three. And then the weekend will be here soon! More knitting! But now, with chocolate! Thanks again, Alyson!