Just Call Me Ariadne

Friday afternoon I went through my yarn stash and decided to give some of it to charity. Okay, so it was some not-really-funky cheap acrylic novelty yarn that I picked up at the beginning of my knitting career (i.e. February), but it doesn't matter if the destashed yarn was cheap and nasty - I destashed yarn. I have also put myself on a strict yarn-diet after a very sinful yarn excursion with a handknitted pirate last weekend.

So here's what I'm not buying:
+ Natalie Yarn Yard's Wicked laceweight in grey-white-pink.
+ 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Donegal Tweed Aran in shade 11
+ 6 hanks of worsted merino wool in shade "Forest"

On a different note, I'm amused to see that I'm currently numero duo in Google's search for "fourth edition". I'm pretty sure that won't last very long seeing as D&D 4thEd is about to make serious business. Hey, this might be a really great time to re-purchase all the D&D 3.5 stuff that I gave away when I moved to Scotland..What did I say about not spending any money? Ebay, here I come..

Must. Not. Buy.

Oh dear. Following a visit to the neurologist, I'm sitting here going: "I so need to buy myself some yarn as a treat." I don't exactly lack yarn, so I'm guessing that I've fallen into the trap of so many other crafters: buying supplies as a substitute for actually making something. Or perhaps I just really want something new and shiny to pet. Both? The neurologist visit was surprisingly constructive although I find it difficult to explain exactly how it was constructive. I'm having some bloodwork done and am scheduled in for another MRI scan. It feels as though I'm finally heading in the right direction.

It is time for tea, some cookies and an afternoon nap. I still need naps, alas.

Airing the Closet

I don't know if anybody's keeping tabs on the Now Reading section of the sidebar. If you do, you will have noticed that it seems to have frozen. Could it really be? Has Ms Bookish given up on reading?

Of course not. I'm just reading books that don't really fit into my usual categories. Yes, I'm reading knitting books. Gasp! Shock! Horror! And when I'm not reading about knitting, I am knitting. Or listening to knitting podcasts. I'm even contemplating setting up a knitting blog because otherwise Fourth Edition might just crumble under the weight of my ruminations on yarn I want, patterns I adore and angsty reflections upon my knitting abilities. You know, same type stuff that I used to blog about at my former blog .. but substitute "first edition books" with "limited edition handdyed yarn".

I'll be mulling over the knitting blog idea for a few more weeks. Days. Hours. Oh sod it, here's a picture of my first sweater. It's colourful. Expect slightly more refined stuff from my hand, though.

PS. Happy and constructive vibes please as I'm seeing a neurologist tomorrow.

Stranger Things Have Happened

If somebody could explain to me why I spend an entire day feeling excruciatingly guilty over telling my manager that I'm still ill and, no, I do not know when I'll be back at work, then leave me a comment. I shouldn't feeling guilty for telling the truth but I suspect it's that old authority thing. You know, you see a policeman and you instantly feel like you should be locked up for some crime? Okay, maybe that's just me .. I can't remember where I found this, but it's actually very good: Garfield Without Garfield. Remember that 1980s comic strip about a fat cat and its owner? That comic strip is actually still in circulation back where my parents live. Whenever they send me a parcel, they always wrap things in the local paper* and Garfield's there peeking up at me with some bad pun involving lasagna. Gah. But Garfield Without Garfield is different. There is no fat cat spouting lasagna puns; it's been removed. And the result is a comic strip that's far funnier and stranger than you might expect.

*click only if you are really bored, able to read Danish and have an unhealthy fascination with farming communities.

Yarn Mention Of the Day: I ordered some yarn off teh interwebs thinking it'd be burgundy with a few freckles of pink. It turned out to be chocolate with quite a lot of pink. I feel like I'm knitting with Neapolitan ice cream.. which is bad for my sweet tooth. Mmm, ice cream..

On Parcels Expected And Unexpected

Isn't that just pretty?

My Canadian friend, Fearthainn, wrote to me asking for my snail mail when she realised that a) I had rediscovering crocheting and knitting and b) I had fallen ill.

And she has just sent me the most beautiful handspun yarn I have ever seen in my life. Yes, she is a yarn-spinner and a knitter and I'm a bit in awe. I have no idea what I'll make from these skeins of beauty (the picture does not do them justice - trust me) but I'll be beaming like an utter fool whilst knitting. Thank you, C. It may be a small gesture for you, but it means a lot to me.

In other news, my postman might just be a tiny bit scared of me because these past few days I have been eyeing him somewhat obsessively. I pre-ordered the new Philip Pullman from Amazon on March 23. Now I may have mixed up the dates slightly and have been looking forward to the book arriving as early as Tuesday (it's published today, Thursday), so apologies to the postie .. but it also turns out that a certain net-based bookseller has f'd up and I won't get my book until, er, Monday. Do you think if I scare my postman even more, he might be inclined to find the book parcel for me personally and bring it to me sooner than that?

Yes, I know there are bookshops in Glasgow and they'll have it in stock .. but I'm house-bound right now due to me being slightly too active earlier on this week. Boo. Hiss.

At least I have Radiohead playing live on the Beeb streaming through the speakers and so the world's okay and everything is in its right place. Except my book. Which should be in my hand.

Careful, Stumble, You Might Fall

I'd show you a picture, but it's a bit too gruesome: I have yarn burn on my left hand. It's all band-aided up now, but I had to abandon the yarn-fest late yesterday night after it started hurting too much. Who knew that my latest obsession would turn this nasty? I'm accustomed to paper cuts, of course, and dropping books on my feet/head/other limbs - but yarn is supposed to be soft and snuggly, isn't it?

Life's small adventures continue.

I nearly had a blackout in my favourite bookshop (scroll down to end of page) the other day. Again, you might think "Fainting in a bookshop? ah, but at least they have aisles and nice sofas.." but my favourite bookshop is naturally one of those places where the books are overflowing the shelves, spilling unto cluttered piles on the floor and me keeling over dramatically would just cause an avalanche of books that'd block the entrance. Plus I might injure one of the cats or dogs.

I'm awaiting an appointment with a neurologist.

And finally, just because I have a huge stack of SF/fantasy links (mostly all from Other Half who's slightly tired of me obsessively surfing for beautiful, beautiful injury-inducing yarn): say, you want to create an alien language..?