My Xanadu

Today I made a visit to my Xanadu. It's like the cave of wonders in Aladdin. Living in close proximity to Portland has its bonuses, and an awesome one is the specialty shops. This, combined with the fact that there's no sales tax, pretty much makes me incapable of sound reason when I head to my favorite local yarn shop, Close Knit. It's not the closest (I live in WA so I have to head over the river to get there) but it sure is worth the extra 15 minutes. This place has got it all. As a beginning knitter, I am like a kid in a candy shop at this place.

I've realized that my knitting habits are a pretty accurate reflection of my general habits. I always have a selection of books to read, my homework gets done part of this assignment here and part of that one there, I like to have a couple of options for dinner every night rather than a weekly menu prepared before hand. Similarly, certain projects appear to be neglected because I jump from one to another. Right now, I have scarf half way done, a hat almost complete, and a shrug/vest in its infancy. The hat is closest to being done, only about 20 decrease rows left. Since it's my first in the round project, I'm pretty pleased with how it's turning out.

Another way in which my knitting habits correlate to my general behavior is that I'm a hoarder. I don't like throwing things away, I keep things for sentimental value and because "I might need it!" (this is what I always have to tell the hubs to keep him from moving/throwing away my stuff. Any of you who knits would have realized this tendency would lead to a quickly growing stash, especially for someone who just started knitting (I learned a while ago but it didn't catch on) three months ago. I've already gotten into the habit of buying both yarns if I can't decide between two, which led the hubs to purchase me this:


So cute, perfect for storing yarn, but I think I'll have to go get another sometime soon (hubs didn't realize how big the stash has already grown...).

You'll notice peeking through there the loot I procured at my Xanadu today. This gorgeous hank of Lorna's Laces shepherd worsted, in the watercolor colorway. I think a more accurate description would be 'peacock' because that's what these colors remind me of (this picture is pretty true, wouldn't you agree it's peacock-y?). Basically, it's 225 yards of glory. I would have picked up two but this was the only one in this colorway, so I'll be agonizing what to make out of this yarn for a while. I want to use every inch, and it will be something for me. Probably a scarf, possibly a cowl, we'll have to see. Pattern suggestions welcome. I love it so much I may sleep with it tonight.

And finally, since this is my first post, I'll leave you with some pictures of my non-knitting life.



Girl #1, Belle, Circa May 2007
Girl #2, Hula, Circa August 2007
Hubs and I, est. 17 August 2007, taken New Year's Eve 2008