Oh hay, guys!
Lots of pictures today. First off, I got a new toy:
I got tired of hand skeining yarn back onto my umbrella swift; it's not very efficient or quick. Now, with my yardage counter, my swift, and this skeiner, I've got a sweet setup for Cloven Pine. I've got another pound of sock yarn to skein and then it's on to dyeing it up. I've set a goal to sell 500 skeins this year, so I'd best get off my ass, eh?
Next, a small disaster.
What, pray, does this look like to you? Two beautiful Endpaper Mitts, you say? I would say so too, except that, if you look closely, you will see that one is normal and lovely and the other one is (brace yourself) felted.
I know. We went to see Sweeney Todd (better than I expected) and I had them on because it was cold. I went home and, still being cold, I wore them to bed. I woke up in the morning; no mitts. I figured I'd taken them off in the night and that I'd find them eventually. I couldn't, but I thought they were out in the car, maybe. I found one. I decided to do laundry. The rest is history. I've ordered yarn to knit a replacement; they're too pretty to let die.
And now the good news.
I got my Swap! I love everything! Besides the wonderful socks (that fit like a dream, Sara!) which I will come back to, there was a bunch of goodies inside, too. Some lovely butterfly stitch markers which, I think, will not go into general circulation, but wait for a proper project to use them. Some "Aztec Chili" hot chocolate which I can't wait to try. I love hot cocoa with a bite. Some Lush 'Helping Hands' hand cream. I've always wanted to try Lush stuff, but I've never had a chance. This stuff smells brilliant, like chamomile and eucalyptus.
And the socks, the socks! According to the darling sheep postcard she included (not pictured) the yarn is a Blue-faced Leicester wool dyed with natural dyes (from, you guessed it: Natural Dye Studios). Going from the little knowledge of natural dyes I have, I'm going to guess that this was dyed with madder. It's a little more pink than in the pictures, and a little more dusty. Honestly, it's the perfect pink for me, the colour is grand.
And one more thing:
I started my Monkeys!