Best Quote I Heard All Day
So this is how the world works, all energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet.--Hunter S. Thompson

And the great magnet has caused my energy to flow into making money and not writing the blog for two weeks. I just didn't feel like writing, plus it was either work on projects or write, in my spare time.

Bite me.

I won't even go into the situation in Lebanon because I'm too mindfucked to even think about it, Bush and the plethora of idiots who run the world.

Bush is most certainly not the great magnet. The great honeydipper, perhaps.

It's time to retreat into the world of fiberosity.

Only the Truly Twisted Know So Well
So last weekend, amidst the hideous weather here in Jersey, I took myself down to Joe's for a gander at his stuff, his quilt and most especially to see Thaddeus and ma petite parapluie, Miz Kathy.

Joe's quilt is amazing. Far more beautiful than any picture that I've seen. The fabrics are lush, to be expected from Kaffe, and the quilting inspired.

If Corinne and Mike have a baby, which is the plan, I will make them a baby quilt.

You heard it here first. Liza, hear me now. I will need your help.

We had lunch in Lambertville at a great hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant, where Thaddeus convinced me to try some brain-expanding chicken and lemonweed soup. I was not the same thereafter.

So after dropping Thaddeus off, we headed to Twist, which is one of the loveliest and best-stocked fiber emporia in the area. Site of many Joe and Mar purchases.

My bad. This place is too much to resist. Plenty of Chasing Rainbows fiber and lots of good yarn.

Kathy looking distinctly unmoon-faced

Joe contemplating the Kama Sutra of stuffed sheep as a possible gift for Dolores

You can see from the pictures why we go here. If you're in the Bucks County, PA area, I highly recommend this shop. The owner, Deb, is wonderful and her wares are beyond reproach.

Yes, I bought some shit. You know I did. This merino/silk from Chasing Rainbows was too much to resist. I've already started spinning it on the Joy but because it's so dark, being purple and called "Concord," I took a picture of a bit of it rather than what's on the bobbin.

As you can see, this is beautifully combed but as merino and silk always are, a bugger to spin.

However, I'm used to it now, after having spun both fibers quite a few times.

The new poly drive band on the Joy is great but I needed to tighten it up a bit and spin at a higher ratio than I normally do with merino.

Dog Days
Summer is traditionally my sock knitting time and so far, I'm about 1.75 pairs to the good. I finished the scuzzy pastel socks for Rin and started on the Opal Petticoat.

I also finished Carol's Pansy Corriedale-type, which came out perfectly, if I do say so myself. I wanted to spin fingering weight and that's exactly what I got. Finished plying it yesterday.

Before

After

And of course, I had to skein it and set the twist this morning. It was dry by this evening.

So Carol, it was wonderful to spin and I can't wait to make some socks from it. There's 427 yards, just right.

And last weekend, I plyed and skeined some of the Emerald City too.

I gotta tell ya, this picture is nowhere near true to the actual colors. It's heavily olive, with a soupcon of puppy-shit brown. I am not liking this overly much. But perhaps Selma would like it. She looks great in these colors. Not me.

Yo, Jimmy!
This entry has really been about two weeks worth of writing and pictures. But I couldn't resist putting up just one more picture.



This is one-half of the soon-to-be famous garage band, Yo, Jimmy! formerly known as the Dead Ends. Zach and Liz, without the bassist, Tommy, who can't be bothered showing up for practice and is about to be replaced, and newly added lead singer, Angel.

I asked Liz if the band's name was in memory of her grandfather. "Uh, no, not really," said the punk princess. "It just came to me."

I suggested Penguins on Parade, which she liked.

But in retrospect, Yo, Jimmy! is far more rare and handy.

Rock steady.