Last night I went to the meet and greet Lucy Neatby extravaganza with my friend Debbie. She gifted me with a hank of Lorna’s Laces ‘Helen’s Lace’ in the Iris colorway. What a perfect gift! As everybody who knows me can tell you I am a lace fiend. Even if you don’t know me all you have to do is look back over the past 3 months and see that I have finished[not knit from start to finish – I am not that fast] 3 shawls and 1 doily in addition to stuff for work. Sure theres a scarf and some socks but both have some openwork. You will not find a single garment for me at all which is to be remedied this year. And as for the colors she was right on the ball cause next to it is another hank of Lorna’s Laces ‘Helen’s Lace’ in Iris colourway I had purchased earlier in the year. Now I get to make something huge and extravagant instead of worrying about yardage. Plus working for Colinette has taught me to alternate skeins and who amongst us purchases twice the yarn needed just to alternate? Not me thats for sure. Thank you Debbie for the fabulous gift. Way on the right is a hank of ‘Lamoramere’ from Running Moon Farm from Angela. Its been a great birthday haul.

In the mail I got my needles from Mielke’s Farm I love Addi Naturas and am willing to swap my addi turbos//inox express 2 to 1 for naturas. How’s that for a deal? Of course my skin *does* chemically react with the electronically plated nickel and cause them to chip–something that yarn shop owners tell me is impossible. I have a hard time actually getting new Addi or Inox nickel plated needles cause they look at me as if I ummm lets look at back of pkg: used improperly and by untrained persons. Yes thats me. Untrained and improper. Personally I think its cause I knit more than most people do. I am sure others knit as much as I do just well not everybody so I wear my years out in a year or two instead of a decade. Do other production knitters have this problem? I have no clue. But I take that unconditionally guaranteed bit to mean I can exchange them but other people aka yarn shop owners see it differently. Here are the needles artfully poised on my ab fab yarn:

And what of Neatby? Wonderful as usual. I heard her talk 4 years ago on the same subject -‘Getting to Know Your Yarn’ but did not have the chance to take classes. I am very much looking forward to those. In particular the finishing class. I am excited about the color one, obviously, but I spent some time carefully examining the insides of her Andean Inspired Vest and have high hopes of learning to [ahem in case you forgot] seam with no bulk or fabric loss