Gifts in the Sheep Meadow

Here it is and here's the story. I am a long story teller, just be patient.

Last Saturday I walked over to The Point to pick up the Fall issue of Knitscene with the pattern for Central Park Hoodie. Good thing I didn’t decide to wait a few weeks to get the pattern– I stopped into Purl on the way over and almost had a heart attack bc the new issue is out and they didn’t have any of the fall issue left. I almost ran to the Point (not like cutting a 5 minute walk down to two minutes would have made a difference), made a beeline to the back and grabbed it. There were like 14 copies left, but whatever. On my way out, I brushed my hands against the Tahki Donnegal Tweed and told myself to wait.

Fast forward to this past Thursday. It’s 3pm and I’ve had a miserable day. My stress is now becoming apparent as my project, which I now consider my child after 6 months of nurturing, is turning from strategy and an “idea” to execution and reality. I had just left a meeting in which my manager looked at me and said, “my group is falling apart”, specifically referring to the sheet white complexion and lack of smile that has become, along with clothes, my (and the rest of my team’s) every day appearance.

But then we all head into a big team meeting. And at the end of the meeting our VP announces these awards for “making a difference” and well, by god, I got one! I was grateful and flattered and thanked the team. And then as people were gathering their things to head out, my coworker leans over, winks and says, “so what are you going to buy yourself?” Well hello there! It turns out that this award comes with $100!

What am I going to buy myself? Well Donnegal Tweed, of course..enough for my CPH. So of course, I rush to the Point after work, only to find out that “no, we only have 5 skeins left” and “no, we can not order more for you”. Er, thanks anyway.

Get home after (trying to get a table at 'Ino) having, actually, great pizza at some place on Carmine (thank you Hart, thank you Chowhound) and immediately started googling the yarn to order.

I placed an order with The Village Sheep at 11pm on Thursday night and received my yarn at 10am today, Monday morning. Er, hello? Could it get really any better than that? Highly recommend this place.

Above is the gorgeous Donegal Tweed in a deep purplish. Look, I'm a crappy picture taker. I appreciate and covet, well, let's call it what it is, yarn porn, but I can't take good pictures period (no we haven't bought a new upgrade to the 3 mega pixel Le Click of 2007) let alone at 7pm.

Anyway, I heart the yarn and I can't wait to start. I'm even going to join the KAL - this is my first and I'm pretty excited about it.

I shall keep you posted, on this and my Hourglass (first sleeve on the needles). But until next time, here are a couple of post scripts:

ps: I know I keep talking about it but I hate mittens. I don't hate them but I'm having a really hard time with them. I keep seeing people fly through them like they are stinking garter stitch scarfs but I am so confused about the cuff (do I i-cord, should I rib the cuff to make it squishy and er, what is this Italian thing?). It's just making me stressed talking about it so I'm going to stop.

pps: I'm still angry about the Patriots loss. Did they deserve to win? Yes in general, but I will agree that they played terribly against the Colts. Is Peyton Manning the best thing ever and was the reason the Colts won? No, if you watched the game a) he was good but not THAT good and b) really, Marlin Jackson (who played for Michigan, btw) won the game, not Peyton. And I will fully admit that I kind of like Peyton. I think he's a great QB and I kind of love all those ESPN commercials. It's just that, well, I'm just cranky about it.