Best Quote I Heard All Day
The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.-- George Carlin

Some flamethrowing today. Does that get your blood up?

The Good, The Bad, The Indifferent
I know you'd love it if I started with the bad but I'm starting with the good today. Because I feel fucking Pollyanna-ish. That's why.

I know I said that I wasn't going to review magazines any more but I'm drawn to them. It's the train-wreck syndrome. And thank God, at least I have something good to report.

MenKnit.net has published the premier issue of their new online magazine. And a fine effort it is, too. (Even though two of my beloveds, Carol S. and Franklin, have a design and an article, respectively, in this issue, I plead objectivity.)

Good solid designs, clean layout, interesting articles. What more could you ask for? It's about time the guys had their own magazine. Dan and Michael have pulled it off and pulled it off with panache. Here's to many more successful issues.

Now for the bad: Vague Knitting Holiday Issue. Of course, when has VK been good? Not recently. Numerous fugly designs by Joe's favorite designer. I saw exactly two garments that I would bother with: A Fair Isle-yoked Morehouse pullover designed by Charlotte Quiggle and a very pretty lace cardigan by Jenny Atkinson.

I also liked some of the pillows in the back half of the magazine. For once, Maie Landra came up with a good design, albeit modular again. Nonetheless, it's a good project for your Koigu odds and ends, of which I'm sure you have many. Right.

Of course, the large knitted roses, or whatever the fuck they were, didn't exactly titillate. Nor did the rest of the magazine. The big-knit frou-frou rage is so over. Unfortunately, VK hasn't figured that out yet.

Indifferent: Knitty. Not as bad as recent issues and hopefully getting better and growing up. But somehow it seemed to me that half of the designs were lifted from a 1983 Vogue Knitting. The articles are usually very good. And I'm glad to see that they're including book and product reviews, although every review seems a bit too "yummy."

We did all make fun of "Tit Bits," though. Really. Knitty is much too much obsessed with knitting sex crap. Just stoopid.

Rhinebeck Stuff
Yes, I got a new camera. Planned to do so in any case but I hate having to buy something with the proverbial gun to my head.

So here's the Rhinebeck haul, minus the fiber I left in Joe's trunk. I love this camera, a Canon Rebel, which is a true digital SLR. So much better than the Nikon Coolpix. I do take pictures other than for the blog.

Wool/alpaca/llama--Tintagel Farms

Wool and Mohair--Tintagel Farms

Cormo--Skaya

Silk Caps--Vendor forgotten, unfortunately

So that's the take, pretty much. I was looking for fiber that had shades of red but that wasn't to be found. An awful lot of blues, purples, greens, etc. but not much in the way of red.

Thanks
For all your supportive comments on the book. Somehow I don't quite see myself wearing a beaded sweater that spells out "Shut Up, I'm Counting." Or prancing around shows wearing it.

Laura's comment about the Tiny Diva made me laugh. I'm waiting for TD to write Adding Neon to Your Knitting so she can light up the next Stitches. Actually, I'm rather surprised she hasn't added neon tubing to her repertoire.

As for me, my next book will be Explosive Embellishments: Knitro Knitting That's Wired, Baby!

I was very rare and handy in HS Chemistry.