Knitting, yarn, art, and happiness pie

Hi y'all. I have many things to report but I'll probably forget half of them so stay tuned for further blogging in the future. The Summer Stash Swap is well underway and swappers are sending packages to one another daily. I love it!! Everyone participating is so conscientious and thoughtful. I'm definitely doing this again next year. I'm still beside myself with joy with the yarn I got up in Pittsburgh and, to top it all off, I received the yarn I ordered from the Three Peas Shoppette on Etsy when I got back into town. I haven't had a minute to photograph it yet but I will regale y'all with photos of this beautiful yarn as soon as possible. It's lovingly hand-dyed by the fabulous Emily B. and I feel like I got it for a steal. How could you go wrong?

Knitting:

• The MAN socks are officially now the me socks. I finished one (fantastic, by the way) and it fit me perfectly which meant that there was no way it was going to fit over Travis' foot. I'll be finishing the matching sock so I have a pair and starting a pair of socks for Travis once again. This time, they will be toe-up socks. Photos of my single sock and progress on the second sock are forthcoming.
  
• My first Knit Picks test knitting item is going along quite well. They sent me yarn and a pattern and I commenced to knitting. There is a lot (A LOT) of intarsia involved so I'm sharpening my intarsia skills. I'm using their "Wool of the Andes," which is 100% Peruvian wool. It's very even and quite springy with a wonderful bounce to it. It lends to beautiful stitch definition and, on US size 8 needles, it knits up into a nice, drapey fabric, not too dense or stiff. I'll take a progress shot of that so y'all can check it out.
• I whipped out three dishcloths (using the Woven stitch) while on vacation. I used a baby cotton that I had in my stash and I am just as pleased with the results from using it as I was using the Peaches and Cream brand available at Sprawl-mart. On a side note, I did grab two balls of Peaches and Cream cotton from Sprawl-mart when I was on vacation. They had a vibrant red variegated one that I couldn't pass up because it would go perfectly in my mama's kitchen. I think I'm hooked on dishcloths and that particular stitch pattern rocks. I make them as follows: CO an even number of stitches (I use 44). Knit in seed stitch (aka moss stitch, depending where you are) for four rows. Row five: Knit first four stitches in seed stitch pattern then start the woven stitch (knit second stitch on the needle without removing it, then knit the first stitch on the needle and slide both stitches off the needle. repeat to last four stitches.). Knit in woven stitch to the last four stitches. Knit last four stitches in seed stitch pattern. On the purl side of the cloth, for the woven stitch, purl the second stitch on the needle without sliding it off the needle, then purl the first stitch on the needle and slide both off the needle. Repeat to last four stitches. Knit to within four rows of the desired length. Knit last four rows in seed stitch border. BO in seed stitch pattern. The seed stitch border helps to stabilize the whole thing so it doesn't roll all around.
  
• On a random, non-knitting side note, we saw this owl: at the Carnegie museum in Pittsburgh. It reminded us of our cat, Penelope. I though I would share it with you.
• Knit Picks customer service rocks. If you have any problem at all with your order, call them and they will make it right. They are awesome. (and I'm not just saying that because I "work" for them.)

Partaking in culture:

• I promised some good photos from the Carnegie museum and here are a few of my favorite things from there. Most of my photos are more like reference photos so I'm just sharing the highlights here. This particular photo appealed to my macabre sense of humor. It just struck me as a really odd way to display a bird. Quite funny though. hehehe
• They had an Egyptian exhibit there and I saw this: It's a drop spindle! How freakin' cool is that? I had no idea the drop spindle hailed from that far back in time. I was pleasantly surprised.
  
• This is a beautiful Chinese vase that had inspiring colors. I loved the combinations and the contrast in the colors. If you look closely at the photo (or click it to see it bigger), you can see Travis in the background equally as captivated by a piece of art. We had such a wonderful museum visit...both of us are big art buffs and, by the time we left, we had heads full of art and beauty.
• Who doesn't love a big Buddha?

So, for the moment, that's all I've got. I have some fantastic photos of the outdoor cats in TN that hung out with me while I finished my book. I'll get them off my camera on to you so you can bask in their ridiculous cuteness. I'll also be taking lotsa photos of yarn and other delicious things so I'll see you soon, bloglings and blogettes. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

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