In which our heroine exerted her constitional rights

October 2nd was my birthday, which actually started the night before
when TGF brought me some beautiful roses.

It is a rare and wonderful thing when she gifts me with flowers. On one hand I wish it happened a bit more often, on the other it leaves it a total surprise when it happens. In truth I adore surprise gifts of almost any kind for no reason at all, and this sort of felt like that given that things are tight and I thought her taking the next day off (my actual birthday) from work a total gift.

The next day we took advantage of the unique opportunity in Ohio to register and vote the same day. I was practically giddy, it was so amazing to vote for a presidential candidate without apprehension. The one unusual vote for me was giving the nod for a casino in Ohio. The economy here in Ohio is in bad shape with unemployment level the highest in over a decade, the GM plant is slated to close on December 23rd, and we still rank quite high in foreclosures nationwide. The truth is the "bad" elements are always around but the jobs are not, clearly.

Afterward we drove up to Tipp City which has a lot of antiques shops and is a spot TGF has been meaning to take me since we moved here. Tipp is a really cute town but clearly a republican area given the signs in front of peoples' homes. The houses are gorgeous, it has an open feel, and we apparently just missed their Mum Festival. We came home and took a luxurious nap together, something that we don't get to do very often any more.

We met her 'rents for dinner where we tried a new restaurant, Sake - Japanese Steak House. I was gifted with cash to use towards knitterly things as her mom didn't know where to shop for such things. It was very sweet. After dinner we dropped Wyatt off for a run in their yard while we went to The Evil Empire store for pet food (did I mention we have foster kittens?). However there lay another surprise - she had me pick out a new digital camera as my present! I have been using her old digital SLR which is big and clunky which feel familar of my old school camera however it's a drag to grab quickly and manage on walks with the dog. Plus I have been having trouble doing the close up work I want with my fiber and the color has been hard to get accurate sometimes. The photo above was one of the first pictures I took with the new toy.

Plus it was a gorgeous day, just that touch of crisp that only autumn does. Beautiful blue skies with perfectly shaped and hued clouds. The best birthday I have had in a long time - pretty much perfect. Thanks honey.

The Teal Secret (photo heavy)

Waaaay back when I posted this shot of jumbled of yarn.
It was a surprise project for someone who sometimes reads this blog, hence the secrecy.

I had decided forever ago to make a shawl/wrap for R. Scanning dozens, maybe even a hundred, patterns I knew immediately when I found the Storm Water Shawl motif I knew it was the one.

Next started the hunt for the right yarn. I knew exactly the sort of colour I wanted - something that looked like the water, where we walked our dogs. Finally I thought I had found the yarn, then I had the funds so I purchased it last December. When it arrived it was nothing like the photo, which happens what looking at hand dyed yarn. I was beside myself but through the lovely synchronicity of the planet someone on my knit list mentioned this independent dyer, Deb of Fearless Fibers. Hitting the right keys I found her etsy shop and laid my eyes on the perfect yarn. I was able to return the other yarn in the meanwhile which was a great bonus as I couldn't think of anything to do with it - totally the wrong colours.

This project was a lovely piece to work on, it was the first thing I have made that I love so much I wanted to keep - a sure bet that it was perfect. Unfortunately the news of impending move to Ohio froze me in many ways and one was that I barely knit. However I was determined to finish so that I could gift this piece before leaving the area. It wasn't a race to the finish exactly but it certainly lit a fire under me to have a deadline.


It was with this piece that I also got a serious taste of the magic of blocking. The piece was lovely unblocked but afterwards it had this fabulous drape (which I did not photograph dammit!). My guessimate is that I used about 875 yards of fingering weight yarn. It is probably the largest project, yardage wise, thus far. After blocking it bloomed into about 19" wide by 63" long, which is just about on the money for those who suggest that a shawl be a long as the person is tall.


In many ways this is my favorite project so far because the pattern, the yarn and the person all matched my vision perfectly. The yarn was a continual visual and tactile delight. The pattern easy to memorize but still formed an interesting treat to watch.