Kindling Along

I know I've been absent from the blog for a couple of days.  I just haven't felt like writing.  The more I watched storm videos, the more I saw photos of the damage, the more heartbroken I became.  The death toll now stands at 300+.   I feel kind of guilty squeeing about my new Kindle when so many have lost so much.

So, I made my little donation to The Salvation Army, and get on with my life, though my heart remains heavy. 

This is going to be a bit of a catch up post, starting with my new sock yarn:

This is Cowboy Way, which I bought from an Etsy Shop.  Now, you may recall, I had previously bought some in worsted weight, and when I discovered she has more listed, I immediately snatched it up.  This time I got sock weight, as if I needed more sock yarn.  But hey, it doesn't count as stash!

No, really.  It doesn't.

She also included this sample of some of her other yarn.

 

It is super soft, and there's probably enough there to make a blankie square. It's hard to see the color in that photo, but it's a really pretty purply color. 

Rylea has been gimpy today.  I heard her yelp during the night, but naturally, she couldn't tell me what happened.  The best I can guess is she stepped wrong and wrenched her bum leg.  I think she'll be ok in a day or two, though.

Me, on the other hand, spent the day in a flurry of house cleaning, in the midst of which I dug out my lace weight yarns.  The new Anniversary Mystery KAL starts next week, and I wanted to pick out which yarn I want to use.

These are Alpaca Cloud in Iris Heather, Gloss Lace in Mango, Shadow in Hot Rod

 

Gloss Lace in Dandelion, Shadow in Papaya, Alpaca Cloud in Tide Pool Heather, and Shimmer in Sunkissed.

I immediately ruled out the Tide Pool Heather, because it's the one I did the '09 KAL in.  After much deliberating with myself, I finally settled on the Iris Heather.

It's more purple than this, but I can't ever seem to take a color accurate photo of it.

The rest of the day, I spent playing with my new Kindle.

I even sprang for the leather cover, which adds a nice touch, and more importantly, adds a measure of protection to the device.

And it's got a nifty little book light that pulls right out of the cover. Cool, huh?

So far, I've only spent .99 on downloads. It was for an e-book that had the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and several other historical documents in it, so it was worth the money.

I went back to Amazon.com today to download a Bible, and somehow got sucked in to the "Customers who bought X also bought Y" vortex. Before I escaped, I'd downloaded 150+ books-- all of them free! They're all classics that have fallen into the public domain, but they are good books. Shakespeare, Edgar Alan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen and the like.

Plus, I'm really loving the cool screen savers the Kindle has.

Funny thing is, I grabbed the corner of the Kindle trying to turn the page!  But don't tell anyone I did that. 

Twice. 

Let's just let that be our little secret, OK?

Sigh...

An Abrupt Change Of Plans

I had a nifty little blog post all pre-composed in my mind. Oh, it was going to be a good post, light hearted and fun. But when I came home and began watching videos of the tornadoes that hit yesterday, all I could do was stare at the screen in horror and fight back tears.



Suddenly, in the light of 150+ tornadoes, homes and business destroyed,families devistated

280 people dead...

even my Kindle didn't seem so important any more.

*Regular blogging will resume, after a suitable period of prayer and mourning.  

I Heard A Scarf Call My Name

I was sitting there in my chair, wanting to knit, but not knowing what to knit. None of my projects were calling out to me. I sat there, frustrated and restless. 

Somewhere, in the dark recesses of my mind, I heard a small voice whisper, "Fruit of the Vine".

Fruit Of The Vine. 

Oh, yeah.  That scarf I'd loved so much up at Hank's.  The one I tried to knit pink, but it insisted on being blue.  That one.

The only problem was, where had that darn thing gotten to?  I remembered it had gotten put away in a flurry of cleaning sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but where?  Well, there was nothing to do but go look for it.  So I did.

Long story short, the craft closet is now a mess, but the scarf has been found!

As an added bonus, I also found the Orkney Pi, which is barely begun.

And last year's anniversary mystery shawl, which I really ought to finish, since the next one starts in just over a week.  Naturally, I signed up for it. 

I was on the last section before the border when the mojo deserted me.  Maybe if I sit and look at it long enough, my mojo will come home.

And your parting shot for the day:  Storm clouds, just arriving. 

It's gonna be a rough night, folks. Or as my ol' Dad would have said, "Batten down the hatches, she's gonna blow!"

.

Baseball's Greatest Play Ever

An FO Of My Own Design

Well, sort of.  I finished the current iteration of the Roundabout Hat.

I'm pleased with the way it came out, except for the crown. It still needs work.

I like this one a little better than the last one I knit, but it still isn't quite right. The next time I knit it, I will tinker with a bit further. Once I come up with a finalized pattern, it will also get a new name.  I already know what I'm going to name it, and why, but I won't reveal it until I get the decreases the way I want them. 

One last thing before I go, the Easter Bunny was so grateful that I didn't squish him in the road, he left me a little basket!

The football basket will be just right to hold a small knitting project, say a sock or a scarf.  And aren't the little football eggs too cute?  Now, that's a rabbit that knows what I like!

Squishing Easter

I was driving to work yesterday morning, when I came around a curve and there in the road was a little bunny rabbit. I stopped and waited for him to hop on across the road and reach the safety of the bushes on the other side, because you know, rabbits are kind of spastic. You might think they've hopped out of the way, then they'll turn and dart right back in front of you.

I've had many a heart seizure from this happening.

Anyway, I waited for him to hop all the way across, and was thankful that I was the only car on the road at that ungodly hour of 5:45 AM. Somebody else might have squished him and not even given it a second thought.

Then the thought hit me. Whoa!

What if that was the Easter Bunny? 

I'm so glad I didn't squish him.  I'd have hated to be responsible for millions of children going without candy on Easter morning.

All right, then...

While I was walking the dog this afternoon, I ran across some mighty strange tracks.  They looked like Procompsognathus tracks.   I took a photo with my phone, but haven't yet figured out how to get it from my phone to my computer.  I tried to post it to Facebook as a message, but it hasn't shown up yet.  Maybe it will, soon. 

In better news, I got one of my credit cards paid off, so what did I do? I loaded it back up again. I finally broke down and ordered myself a Kindle. I'd been wanting one for a while, now, and decided I'd just go ahead and get one.  Then I went on to the Amazon website and put a whole bunch of free e-books in my basket.  And I made a Kindle specific wish list of books to buy. 

Last night I cast the Roundabout hat back on with an additional 8 stitches. It fits much better now. I have just about made it to the crown decreases, which I still have to figure how how to do so that I can maintain the pattern as long as possible.

But I'll do that tomorrow. Now it's time to go curl up with a creepy murder mystery--right before bed. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to sleep alone. Yeah, why do I do this to myself?

The world may never know.

Earth Day 2011

The Creation of Light
Genesis 1

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
 ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
 
 ⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

 ⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
    ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

 ¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

 ²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

 ²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
    ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
 ²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,  in the image of God he created them;
   male and female he created them.

 ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

    ²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

    ³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

A Small Dilemma

So, I was knitting merrily away on the Roundabout Hat, when I just happened to pick up the yarn label. I don't know why, I just did it.

I picked up the yarn label, and that's when I noticed it.

Where it said "weight", instead of the "worsted" I expected to see, it said "DK".  DK stands for Double Knitting, and is a weight slightly smaller than worsted. 

I'd been knitting a pattern devised for worsted weight.  I tried on the hat, and though it fit, it is very snug.  It would probably fit a child, but not a soldier. 

Therein lies my conundrum.  Do I finish a child sized hat, or do I rip and start over? 

Given that I am a) a process knitter, b) a perfectionist, I'll probably start over.

Besides, I'm out of hat yarn, so knitting it again might just hold me off until I can get up to Southaven next month. 

Weeeee!

It's Wednesday

and the wind is howling, and the rain is pouring, and I'm looking for discounts on gopher wood. 

Time to batten down the hatches. 

The Schedules Are Out

The NFL released the 2011 schedule this evening.  I'm still hopeful there will be a season this year. 

You can view your team's schedule here:  NFL Interactive Schedule.

Just a few interesting tidbits.  The Arizona Cardinals have the easiest schedule, and oddly enough, the Carolina Panthers have the toughest.  They had the worst record last season, and they get slapped by the toughest schedule.  Funny how that works.

The Cowboys are right in the middle at #15, just below the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.   The Cowboys also have the toughest schedule of the NFC East. 

The Cowboys at the Jets will open up Sunday Night Football on September 11. 

Fitting for the 10th anniversary of that. 

H Is For

Head.

In this case, a styrofoam wig head sent to me by my friend Kristen, and whom I've lovingly dubbed Charlotte.

OK, that's not entirely true. I lovingly dubbed her Georgette. She stubbornly insisted that she was Charlotte.

So Charlotte she is.

I didn't argue.  She's kinda creepy, you know.

For that reason, she's not allowed in my bedroom.  At all.

Ever. 

.

New Beginnings

I've always found the term new beginnings to be just a bit redundant. Aren't all beginnings new? Isn't the very definition of beginning to start something new, or when something new started?  Uh, moving right along...

So, you know I was planning on doing Wendy Johnson's Cable and Lace socks next. I tried to cast on earlier this week, but couldn't wrap my brain around a cast-on that I've done a gajillion times. Well, today, I was determined to get them cast on...

So, what did I do instead? I cast on another hat. Yeah.

This is a variation of the Roundabout Sock pattern, knit in Scarlet Fleece painted marino, color Favorite Jeans. 

OK, now before I head off to check myself into hat knitter's rehab, let me just show you that I did indeed get the socks cast on.

It still took me three tries to get the stupid cast on, but I persevered.  I may rip it out and do it again even now.  Her pattern has me casting on a total of 34 stitches--17 on each side, instep and sole.  (She writes her patterns for 2 circs, a method I despise and will never use again.  I'm adapting it to DPNs.)  When I knit socks cuff down, I usually decrease to 24 stitches, or 12 per needle.  This may make the toe just a bit too blunt for my foot, but we shall see. 

Oh, the yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Indian Summer. 

Oh, Pooh!

It's Saturday, and you know what that means.  That means I have to be at work at 5 AM.   I get there, and Former Group Leader Rod says to me, he says, "Ain't nobody up at this hour except raccoons and crazy people.  I guess that makes us crazy people."

And after all that, we get there and don't have any parts to work with.  We stand around --getting paid time and a half, mind you-- most of the day with nothing to do and they finally let us go home at lunch.  I wasn't complaining.

Anyway, I get home, and Rylea has pooped in the living room again.

This is like, the third day in a row.  This is so not normal for her, and by this time I'm pretty sure something is wrong, so off to the vet we go.  He checks her out, and fortunately, it's nothing serious.  He said she has colitis, something like an irritable bowel.  It's pretty common in dogs, because they eat nasty, rotten stuff.  They get an overgrowth of bacteria, and the intestine gets inflamed, and she poops where she shouldn't.  He gave me a couple of medicines for her, and she should be right again in a few days.

The good news is, she's lost two more pounds since last time I had her weighed.  She's down to 50 even.  That's a total of 15 lbs she's lost since we started.  In dog pounds, that's huge.

It ain't too shabby in people pounds, either.

I'd planned on maybe going to Batesville after work and getting some new work jeans, but after that, I decided to just stay home and knit.  So that's what I did.

I got one more chart done on the Arwen Wrap, and another square knit on the Friendship Blankie.

Now, I'm off to watch one more episode of Cake Boss, then I really must go to bed.

Goodnight.

Bleh...

I haven't really been feeling well all this week, and today, it just all caught up with me. I tried to get up and go to work. I really did.

I got dressed, put on my makeup, even ate breakfast. But when I was standing in the bathroom trying to brush my teeth, and actually started crying because I just felt so bad, I knew it was time to take a day off.

So I did. I went back to bed for a little while, then spent the rest of the day reading, watching Netflixes and knitting. I didn't even get that much knitting done, though I did finish the Monkey Socks.

And yes, the one on the left does look significantly lighter than the one on the right.  In fact, it looks old and faded.  I don't know why it turned out that way.  I'm hoping it's just dusty, and that washing them will fix that.  I tried to cast on the next pair, which is the Cables and Lace pattern from Wendy D. Johnson's Socks From The Toe Up book, but I just couldn't figure out the cast-on. That's how I know I'm still not quite right.  I've done that very same cast-on a gajillion times, but this time I couldn't make it work. 

You wanna know how badly I've felt this week?  I got a bunch of new Cowboys swag that I've had since Tuesday, and I haven't even told you about.

Not the Jason Witten action figure --to go with the DeMarcus Ware and Terrell Owens I already have.

Nor the two new pairs of earrings, which were on sale at half price, just in case I lose another one.

Or the two star decals, one of which is going on Jimmy's back window, in the opposite corner from my True Blue sticker.

Or the 50th anniversary cap, here modeled by Charlotte.

She's so accommodating.

I was going to tell you about the details.  The patch on the front.

and the lettering on the back

and the brim

And I was going to tell you how my shelf is getting mighty full, and that I'm going to need to expand my shrine here pretty quick.

But I just haven't felt like it.

Want to know how bad I really feel? This bad:

I'm about to skip Bones and go to bed.

Yea. That bad.

I'm Through Waiting

on the waiting hat, that is. 

Charlotte was kind enough to model it for me, even though it hasn't been washed and blocked yet. 

I have one more hank of superwash wool to wind and knit, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow.  I'm going to bed.

Sea Fever

April is National Poetry Month.  I had intended to post several of my favorite poems throughout the month, but I seem to have gotten a bit of a late start.  Still, we must persevere.

This poem was one of my dad's favorites.  I often remember him quoting lines from it.  He had a love for all things nautical, my dad did.  Now, I don't mean cute little seashells in fake nets hanging in your bathroom.  No, I mean seafaring stuff.

He passed that on to me.  By the time I was twelve, I could tie some 50 different knots (but don't ask me to do it today), read a sextant, and throw a harpoon.  OK, it wasn't a real harpoon.  It was a long piece of bamboo, but I had the technique down pat.  We sometimes used to pretend in the back yard that he was a sea captain and I was his first mate.  I'd climb to the top of the swing set, and he'd give me orders.  I'd shout them to an imaginary crew. 

One summer, my dad and I (and my older brother until he got bored with it) sailed imaginary ships carrying imaginary cargo from Boston to San Fransisco.  Each day, we'd plot our progress on a map, and make little imaginary log entries.  I wasn't but 8 or 9, but I still remember that vividly.  My ship was named the West Wind, and my dad's was the Cutty Sark.  My brother's ship was the Flying Cloud.

Anyway, in memory of my dad, who loved the sea, I give you his favorite poem:

Sea Fever
By John Masefield


I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

It Was On A Sunday

This day did not start off well.

Well, it really started yesterday, or last night, as it were.  Somehow, a red wasp managed to get into the bed with me.  Stupid thing stung me three times before I could kill it.  As luck would have it, red wasps are one of the things that, yes, I am allergic to.

People often ask me what all I'm allergic to, and I usually respond, "Does it exist?  Then there's a good chance I'm allergic to it."

Red wasps exist.  Therefore I am allergic.  I immediately got up and took two Benadryl to lessen any reaction I might have, but I still stayed awake for an hour or so, just to make sure I wouldn't go anaphylactic. 

I never have before, but there's always a first time.

Once I was pretty sure I wouldn't die, I went on back to sleep, for a few hours at least.  I got up this morning and went to church with a Benadryl hangover.  The sermon was good -- I think.  I'm not entirely sure. 

Once the Benadryl wore off, I started experiencing allergy symptoms.  In the case of red wasps, it feels like I have the flu.  Achy, tired, no energy, and nausea, in addition to localized whelping and itching.

Note:  It is surprisingly difficult to take a photo of the inside of one's arm. And no, that is not a wedding ring. 

After church, I spent the rest of the day watching the three Narnia movies and knitting.  I got through chart B of the Arwen wrap,

and past the gusset decreases on Monkey sock #2.

Three more pattern repeats, and I'll be ready for the toe decreases. 

James came over and nailed my shingles back down, which made Rylea very nervous.  She ended up hiding behind the chair until he was done. But those shingles won't come loose again.

And now, the second dose of Benadryl is kicking in, so I'd better go lay down before I get too loopy. 

Bye, now.

Good News And Bad News

The insurance lady came by yesterday and looked at my roof.  She said that she didn't think it would cost that much to fix it.  It would probably actually be less than my deductible.  On his way to work later that day, James stopped and climbed up there himself.  After looking at it, he said that he didn't think the shingles were actually damaged.  The wind had just pulled the tacks out and rolled them back.  So, today, he and Cody got up there and straightened them out.

You can hardly even tell where they were peeled back.  Tomorrow after church, they are going to tack them back down, then spread some kind of sealer over the nail holes so that they don't leak.  So, it just will cost me the price of the nails and sealer.  That is a relief!

The second monkey sock is still creeping along.

I'm about halfway through the gusset decreases, but had to take a break because the Arwen Wrap was calling my name.

 This is after completing Chart A.  It's knit in DK weight, which after knitting with sock and lace weight feels a bit like knitting with rope!

I rented a movie from Netflix called Mississippi Masala.  Now, the movie itself wasn't that great.  At least I didn't think so, but the fun part is that the hotel it is filmed in was right here in Grenada.  OK, the movie was set in Greenwood, which is just up the road, but they filmed at least part of it here at the old Monte Christo.  The hotel was torn down several years ago, but it brought back some fond memories.  Well, not of the hotel, since I never actually went there, but of what Grenada used to look like.  It was fun seeing the Penny Pincher gas station in the background, and the fire station, and the empty space where the Kangaroo gas station is now. Vanessa and I were talking about it at work, and she was telling me how all the people in Grocery Basket gasped and stared when Denzel went in there to buy orange juice.  I was still overseas at the time, so I missed out on all that.  Such is life.

Now for the bad news.  Former Group Leader Rod's mama is in the hospital.  I don't know what is wrong with her, though, other than that she is just getting old.  I asked him this morning how she was doing, and he just said, "pray".  So, my fellow prayer warriors, I'm calling on you once again.  It's time to go into battle, this time on behalf of Rod's Mama.

I know I can count on you.

Not Quite Unscathed

I thought I'd escaped damage from Monday's storms, but not so fast.

James called me outside this afternoon and showed me this.



Seems the high winds had peeled back some of my shingles.



Boy, am I glad I paid my insurance premiums!  I dug out my forms, and found the information I needed to contact them.  Then I went to their website and filed a claim.



Yes, I filled out the claim form online. I've told you before.



My phone issues run deep.



Hello, my name is Becky, and I have telephonophobia. 

But at least I have homeowner's insurance. 

Neither Whiskers Nor WIPs

today.  I've barely found time to knit since Sunday, and yet as I look back, I wonder what it is that I have done these last three days.  I have managed to get the waiting hat to the point where I can start decreases, but it looks just the same as it did yesterday, since I only needed two more rounds. 

No Whiskers either, since I figure you've all seen enough photos of the cat a) sleeping, or b) glaring at the camera.  If I can catch her doing something cute or different, I'll post it, but for now, I'm going to give Whiskers on Wednesday a rest. 

One of the reasons I haven't gotten much knitting done is that I've been reading I Beat The Odds, by Michael Oher.  You remember him.  He was the kid from The Blind Side movie, now starting left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.  I love that movie.  Well, the church library got the book, so I checked it out.  After two weeks, I discovered that I'd only read two chapters.  Now, I'm determined to finish it before Sunday, so I can take it back.

It's pretty good so far. 

Oh, and only two more days until The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader comes out!  You know I'll be at Wal-Mart just as soon as work lets out. 

Well, off to read some more...

I'm A Princess

A temporary princess, at least.  I took a half day off work and went to the dentist.  I got a temporary crown put on, and the permanent crown will be ready in about three weeks.  I wonder if that'll make me queen. 

I'd planned on going to get a chocolate milk shake afterward, to console myself, only Burger King's shake machine was out of order, and I didn't feel like battling the road construction to get over to McDonald's or Wendy's.  So, I just came on home and made myself an extra chocolaty glass of chocolate milk.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, with temps in the mid 60's-- and the retriever trials are over-- so I got to take the dogs for a walk.  It was nice to have our dirt road all to ourselves again.  I enjoy the solitude.  I think I saw one of the bald eagles again, but I never could get close enough to be sure.  And look!  I got a tan:

I am no longer blinding white.  Now, I'm more um...eggshell.  Yeah, and by the end of the summer, I'll actually be closer to ecru.  I'm so excited!  

It felt so good being at home and not being completely worn out that I actually cooked. Fried chicken and french fries.

I'm expecting the nutrition police to break down my door in 3...2...1...

I'm sad to say that precious little progress has been made on the Monkey sock these last two days. The waiting hat, on the other hand, is almost ready for me to begin the crown decreases.

I guess that means I do a lot of waiting.

One thing I do know is that it means I'm almost out of washable, worsted wool.   And that means road trip!  I may just have to get up to Southaven before our Memphis Meetup next month. 

Or else put in another order to Knitpicks...

Hey, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!