Time Flies...

...and we're having a good time.

Right after my last post, our knitting/crochet class at ASB held a fashion show at the in-house ASB Volunteer Recognition event. And it was great. I'll post photos when we get them developed. Many of the clients participated and showed off their items---sweaters, pillows, blankets, an Einstein jacket---very impressive work. I'm very sure that next time there's an event like this, we'll have even more participants. It all does my heart good.

And I sold my first design. Previously, any designs that I've had published have been gratis, which is fine since I get exposure in exchange for having my designs published online (ie, For the Love of Yarn). But this design I sold to WEBS for their Valley Yarns, and I am very much looking forward to seeing it in their print and on-line catalogs (next edition, please please please!). And since I got paid with a gift certificate to WEBS, this means that I can buy more yarn for the ASB class when we need it since I have so much yarn in my own stash it would greedy and kind of disgusting to buy more yarn for myself (at the moment).

And I'm pretty much moved into my new workroom: out of the basement and up on the second floor where there is light and there is air. The move has meant sorting through all the crap that I accumulated in the basement and much, much throwing out. The upside is that only what I need and use has come upstairs with me; the downside is being overwhelmed with how much stuff I ended up throwing away.

And I sent the book out to the publisher and am waiting to hear from them as to what needs to be done. I had a major anxiety dream the other night about this, coming on the heels of Michael's office party where I drank too much and ate beef for the first time in almost six months. Bad combination.

And I've put my hat patterns in pdf book form, available for download, and have also put together a calendar with photos from the up-coming book on each month. So I've been mastering all kinds of computer/techie type things, which makes me feel smart. Wow.

And I have a new friend, Joan, who has joined our volunteer teachers at ASB, and she is definitely a great asset: very down to earth, very dry humor, and she taught middle school students for years so she's very good at cutting through the crap. I enjoy her company very much.

And I've been making socks--oh, god, do I love making socks! I'm working on pair for Allie using some of the Jojoland yarn that I got at Stitches this year--they're turning out beautifully: little cables up the front of the sock and 2x2 ribbing on the back--really nice.

And I'm working on my swatches for the Great Wall of Yarn for TNNA. This year, I received eight yarns to swatch, and six of them are novelty yarns. This has been a challenge for me, as I'm not at all a novelty yarn person. It's very difficult for me to look at a fancy, "My Little Pony" yarn (as Allie called them) and think of a stitch that would look good. To me, novelty yarns look like dog barf when knitted up. I'm on my last novelty swatch (saving the smooth yarns that speak to me for last), and I realized that I really don't care what it looks like--not the right attitude, I guess, but as long as it's worked up, that should be ok. I mean, if the yarn company is going to conceive of and manufacture some stupid, hard to work with, ugly yarn, they can't be disappointed or surprised if the finished product is stupid and ugly.

So that's what's been going on in the last month. Sounds like a lot. It is a lot.