Non-Knitting Urges

Yes, I have them sometimes...I'm not an automaton, you know.

Evil Temptress
I got a call from "friend" Liza last week, and she invited me over for "coffee" on Friday, since Kaffe was in town and working with her on the new book.

I should have known better, but I couldn't resist a chance to see some of the new fabrics and how Kaffe and Liza were using them, so I went for "coffee."

Good GOD those two are amazingly creative and talented!

Kaffe showed me a quilt they had done that can not be described in words. It's like if you had never seen a cube before and the best I could do to describe it is draw a square on a piece of paper. It just doesn't do the cube justice in its three-dimensionality.

As with most of Kaffe's quilts, the design was quite simple and easy, and yet looked random and complex. The colors and patterns combined were over the top and should have looked downright garish.

But the overall result was one of the most well-balanced, beautiful dance of colors and patterns I have ever seen. I envy his talent every time I see his work.

During this visit, I showed Liza a graphic of the quilt I was trying to design.



It's a stylized graphic of mushrooms that I thought would include Thaddeus' interest in mycology and be able to use some interesting fabrics in the mushroom caps.

Liza thought I'd have some problems with the design, so I'm re-looking at it. I'm thinking that I could use the Drunken Path template for the mushroom cap and the Tumblers template for the stem. I just have to get the sizes to match on both.

But, suffice it to say, just one short visit has started me back up with quilting urges again. I've been browsing the on-line fabric catalog again.

Birthday Fiber Surprise
I know, I know...my birthday was in April, but the surprises continue.

My sister-out-of-law is reknowned for her yard sale finds. She's one of those types that you hate because she buys a purse for $5 that retails for $300, and it's still in the original wrapping. And what's worse, she looks fabulous with it.

Well, on or around my birthday, she's at a yard sale where the yard-seller(?) has bags and bags of combed wool for sale. My sister-out-of-law picks up this whopping-huge bag of wool and sends it to me for my birthday present.



This is actually over 5 pounds of roving which she cleverly compacted in one of those re-usable vacuum-seal bags. I pulled out a little of the roving and while there is no label saying what kind of fiber it it, I'd guess Romni based on the best comparisons I have in my statsh of fiber. I'm thinking I will spin up tons of this shit and ask Carol S. for an estimate on the cost of custom-dyeing the yarn after it's spun.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Carol S. asks what I'll be knitting in Chin-speed for my sister for her wedding.

It seems the poor girl will have to go around with chilly shoulders since I refuse to speed-crochet a capelet in time for Memorial Day weekend. I'd think my sister would prefer frostbite anyway.

Concerning the last ball of Blueface Leicester, Fredda asks, "Joe, what do you have planned for the 'thicker guage yarn'?"

I'm guessing that I'm getting dinged for my poor spelling, but in my defense, I do know how to spell gauge. In answer to your question, in case you really care, I'll need the last ball of yarn to finish the Faux Rib sweater, I'm guessing, so I hope the difference in thickness won't be noticeable. It shouldn't make any discernable difference.