In Record Time

Congratulations go out to Tim for winning the 2nd movie line quiz in record time. I either thought this quote would be way too hard or way too easy. Impressive. Quite impressive. The line, of course, was: "That's some bad hat, Harry" and it was of course from Jaws. They played Jaws here on New Year's Eve and that got the line in my brain again. So Tim, your chocolate treat is on its way. Enjoy.

So on to the next trivia movie line. Once again, fabulous chocolate awaits the first person to answer correctly. Here goes:

"Drink up, ladies."

Good luck, everyone. It's on now.

Now on to knitting. I have a question that's been bothering me for some time now. Why, why, why is it that every time I fall in love with a particular yarn, the company that makes it decides to discontinue it??? Namely, I'm talking about Mission Falls Cotton, Lion Brand Polarspun, Bernat LuLu, Patons Pixie, JoAnn's Sensations Castaway, and JoAnn's Sensations Bamboo. Sheesh, it's starting to not feel safe to like something so much. Same thing happens at Bath & Body Works. The minute I declare a scent my favorite, they stop manufacturing it then and there. Do they like pulling the rug out from under me??

Starting with Mission Falls Cotton--rumor has it that someone else is supposed to be making it this spring. But that's all it is-a rumor, until it is confirmed. Right now with my yarn luck, I'm not holding my breath. Next, Lion Brand Polarspun/Bernat Lulu/Patons Pixie. I discovered this yarn knit up into the most adorable baby blanket at a party I went to. Here is my version of it, knit with a Bernat Lulu in Fancy Dance with a Baby Coordinates border in Baby Pink:

Since then, I've been knitting these blankets up for anyone I know who is having a baby shower, and they've always been a big hit. Well, lo and behold, someone must have found out how much I liked it, because it's nowhere to be found. I have a little stash of it, but not as much as I would have had I known I wouldn't be able to get it anymore. So now it will be knit only for those very special babies, like great-nieces and nephews, know what I'm sayin'?

Sirdar from England makes a yarn like Polarspun/Lulu/Pixie called Snowflake, but it's twice the price. Not that I'm going cheap on you folks, because I have shelled out the money to have it shipped here. Did you know it was less expensive to have it shipped here from England than it was to buy it from my beloved local yarn store? So then I've got the issue of it costing more WHEREVER I get it from, and the guilt from not supporting business locally. So that doesn't look like a very promising way to go. Besides, their colors are not as bright and vivid and nice like the ones made here. Oh, and by the way, since I've shown some interest in their yarn, most likely they'll discontinue it any day now anyway.

And Stephanie, since you asked, I have two blankets started out of these types of yarns. Both for my baby boy Sprout before I knew he was a boy. I knit the pink one first, thinking he might be a girl, but then thought I'd better cover my bases and at least start a blue one or two. Here is the first one:
I didn't get too far on it, though I like the colors just fine. It's knit in Lion Brand Polarspun Delft with a Bernat Baby Coordinates border in Baby Blue. I hope to finish it before his first birthday.

The second one I like a little better for a few reasons. The first reason is because I was knitting on this blanket in the waiting room for my VERY LAST prenatal appointment ever. And this was also the knitting project I brought to the hospital when I gave birth to Sprout, though I never had the time to knit. But JUST IN CASE. Here is the picture:

I also love it because I mixed Snow White Polarspun with White Bernat Baby Coordinates and this yummy blue loopy yarn called Bamboo from JoAnn's Sensations. Yes, the blue yarn is made from BAMBOO. It's not scratchy or hard like you might think, but very silky and soft. I love the fact that I'm knitting a blanket out of bamboo for my little Oriental baby. There's something so right about that.

BUT imagine my horror today when I read on the JoAnn website that the bamboo yarn has been...yes,you guessed it: DISCONTINUED. I ran to my stash to see how much I had left, which was some but not much. The new JoAnn's by my house, while nice and new, never carried the bamboo yarn. So when the Count got home I told him I was on a mission and I grabbed Girlie and we ran to the little po-dunk JoAnn's store across town that hasn't been modernized yet, and what did I find? Paradise! Here is a picture of my haul:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I cleaned them out of the only Bamboo yarn left in the city. For those of you reading this who know of this yarn and love it, run, don't walk, to get the last of it in your town, because when it's gone, it's gone. (I love that I just used, like 20 commas in that last sentence). Maybe you'll get lucky like me. They only had three colors left; they were out of the green colorway and pink colorway, but I was consoled by what they DID have. And that's not even the best part: Back when I first saw this yarn, it was being sold for $4.99 a skein. It was marked $4.00 a skein today, but when I took every last ball up to the register, they rang up at $2.00 apiece. I am beside myself thrilled.

Such is the life of someone who obsesses over knitting and yarn. Oh, the highs and lows that we sail.

You know, I think someone in the yarn manufacturer business is laughing a very evil laugh right now, because they have succeeded in their diabolical plan of creating yarn stashes in every knitter's home in America by discontinuing yarns and creating fear that if you don't buy all that yarn today, you will NEVER find it again, mwahahahaha. And I have fallen into his little trap. Sheesh.

I don't know how well the colors will show up, but I wanted to share a picture of ZimDee's artwork. The canvas was his face.
He got ahold of Girlie's markers and decided to be creative himself. If the colors show up at all, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there is a different color on each cheek, his forehead, and his nose. He chose red for his nose, which I thought was very inspired. I'll make a crafter out of him yet.

Much love to all.