Gobsmacker!
Jejune said so. She liked her prize package. ;^) And no, I didn't spin the soft wool I sent, but someone else did, and I had purchased it from her via eBay. Now it falls into the hands of someone who loves wool, and purple. Have at it!
As for the sweater pattern, which was the raison d'etre for the whole contest, I settled on a pattern called the Fuji Jacket from my LYS, Knitting Arts, which is none of those I was directed to through the contest's participants. Sorry, y'all.
Back to the salt mines. Happy Knitting, all, and happy gift enjoyment, Jejune!
OT: Dave Matthews Band concert!
Went to the Dave Matthews concert last night with DH, and we were wisely prepared for the chilly weather that finally descended about halfway through the outdoor show. I love animal fiber! I had his cashmere scarf (knitted for him last year or the year before?) and wrapped it around my head and neck, pulled up my sweatshirt hood, and was good to go. Felt sorry for all those we saw heading in wearing only a t-shirt and jeans!
Did I mention that the concert was my anniversary present to my DDDH? 28 years last month. And that might give you a sense for the demographics of that concert--everyone from high school students (I saw from a distance a childhood friend of DD3, pretty grown up now!) to the older couple next to us, the husband of which was occasionally puffing on a doobie. Weird!!! (As far as I could tell, he never offered it to the wife, either. [Marge Simpson growl] Hmmmmm . . .) A young couple near us had their 4 or 5 year old child, held up on the seatbacks in front of them, standing dancing with his/her mama to the music. That was sweet!
And everyone was singing along with so many of the songs. Amazing. We went because I like DMB, but DH has not really had a sense for their style, and I only knew about 1/3 of the songs myself. The true devotees are clearly a force all their own, and the band let the audience sing the refrains several times (all stage lights blazing on us for our "solo").
Musicality. That is what blew me away the most. Everyone in that band got a chance to shine at some point, and they are all mind-bogglingly great musicians. Dave wins though for best lyrics, best guitar work, and best facial expressions while singing. See above. ;^)
He also wins for putting his entire being into his performance. His singing, shouting, guitar picking, growling, and scatting were beyond anything other frontmen have done in my experience. Can you sense a new devotee?
DH--maybe not so much. He was more than polite but I'm not sure he's going to rush out and find all the CDs we don't have (only Crash). He has moderate hearing loss that, he says, resulted in him having a sound balance problem (but no knob to adjust things with!) so he heard waaay too much of the bass. But aside from the traffic into the arena (we haven't gone to a concert in YEARS!) it was a very painless evening.
Back to grading papers to keep ahead of my little scholars!
Happy knitting to those of you who are getting in time for that. :^)
Ready for the Holidays??
My sister gave me some great info today--stamps that come out in a week or so for the holidays, with knitted designs on them!
Here's the skinny, straight from the USPS:
Here's the skinny, straight from the USPS:
"2007 Holiday Knits
In 2007, the U.S. Postal Service will warm up for the holidays by issuing Holiday Knits, four stamps featuring classic winter-time imagery designed and machine knitted by nationally known illustrator Nancy Stahl. These beautiful stamps consist of a dignified stag, a snow-dappled evergreen tree, a perky snowman sporting a top hat, and a whimsical teddy bear.
In recent years, knitting has become quite popular again, both in the
Inspired by traditional Norwegian sweaters and knitted Christmas stockings, Stahl decided on "something cozy" for this year's holiday stamp issuance. She used a computer software program to draw her original designs and convert them to stitches and rows. Then she downloaded the information to an electronic knitting machine and used it to knit her creations. The machine's smaller stitch gauge didn't provide quite the effect Stahl was hoping to achieve. So she transferred the designs onto punch cards and used a different knitting machine that works something like an old Jacquard loom and has a larger stitch gauge. Stahl scanned the finished pieces into her computer and retouched the photographic images to ensure that all the stitches aligned properly. The result is a set of four colorful and "cozy" stamps that will add an extra touch of warmth to seasonal correspondence."
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