Oh Yarn!

I just went back to the last entry and played around with the photographs. I found out why some photos you could click on to make big and some you couldn't. It has to do with the way you move the pics around when you are composing on Blogger. From now on I aim to make every photo make-biggable, 'cause sometimes you just need to, you know? I also discovered some photo editing software on my laptop, so I've been having fun sprinkling captions into the photos of Kittysperk and the deer. Unfortunately, it's just 60 day free trial software and apparently the update is no longer available. Can anyone recommend good photo editing software that is easy to use?

The day that Punkinhead went hunting for deer is forever etched into my memory. I wish I had a video camera at the time. The photos I have were taken after he had made his big move. I was bustling about in the kitchen when I looked out the window to see my little orange guy actually leaping at this deer! His entire body was up in the air, front paws stretching out to nab his prey! He landed, short, and the deer bent her nose down to his face and sniffed him, then she went back to munching on the lawn. He sat and watched her for a long time and she looked back at him every once in a while. What a brave little guy!

Today we took PH to the vet. He's developed a large, moveable lump where he was vaccinated recently. I was looking about on the internet and found some information about VAS (vaccine associated sarcoma) and got concerned. He had a needle biopsy and the vet said that she found inflamed tissue and some bacteria, like it may be trying to develop into an abcess. She said perhaps some hairs or bacteria were introduced when the technician gave him his booster. So now he's taking antibiotics in catfood meatballs. I hope that is all that it is.

And now, for your viewing pleasure... I just happened to go to my LYS yesterday and came home with this!

Colinette Jitterbug and Noro sock yarn! Can't wait to dig into these beauties! The Noro looks right in the photo, but the Jitterbug is so much more vibrant in person. This photo does not show the subtle variations of the firey, glowing ruby color. It's much deeper and richer and even redder in person. No orangeyness at all. I had to get it after a lady in the knit shop pulled up her pantlegs to show one of the owners her freshly knitted socks. Of course all the rest of us knitters nearby had to stop and look too. They were gorgeous, absolutely jewel-like! She had knit them in some sort of vine lace pattern. I'm thinking that I will try my hand at designing a new pair of socks featuring this yarn. The Noro is, well, Noro-ish. Feels a little rough, just like Kureyon, only fingering weight. The colors are really nice. I'm thinking it will soften up a bit after it's washed. I do wonder how well it will wear, though. There is a warning on the label that says it is a single ply yarn and to wash it with extra care. Hmmmmm....

A funny thing happened when I walked into my LYS. One of the nice owners, Cathy, after greeting me, proceeded to ask me if my friend Natalie had called me that day. I, a bit puzzled, told her that, no, my dear friend Natalie had not, in fact, called me. Apparently, while I was at home minding my own business, my good, sweet, kind friend Natalie had gone to this self-same LYS and greedily nabbed some Noro sock yarn. Sock yarn that had just come in that morning! Then, after asking if I had been in yet, proceeded to gloat that she had beat me to the Noro! I think Cathy told me that she cackled, her eyes lit up with avaricious glee and she exclaimed something like, "Ha, ha! I got it first!", and went dancing out of the store clutching the Noro to her chest. Well, of course, then, I had to have some, too. So I calmly and carefully chose my ball of Noro sock yarn and piously payed for my modest purchases. Before I left, naturally, I had to ask,"So...um...what color did Natalie get?" Hee hee! Cathy looked it up on the computer for me. Can you believe it? We both ended up getting the same colorway!!

I was hoping to get it up on my blog before I talked to her, but as I was playing around on Ravelry last night, she popped up in an IM, and one of the first things she typed was, "I got Noro sock yarn!" So, I typed, "I got Noro sock yarn!" And what does my dear, sweet, uncompetitive friend (choke choke gag gag) reply? "What time did you get it?" Hee-larious! Naturally, I had to report her antics here on my blog. I had to have some consolation! We knitters are a rough crowd.

And, now, look what came in the mail today!

Is not this a gorgeous colorway? It's called Something Unusual, merino and bamboo, and it's from Drooling Over Yarn's etsy shop! I have been drooling over it for some time now and finally decided that the time was right. Now it is mine! It is even more beautiful in person. There are so many soft colors in it that all harmonize so well. Laura, I gasped when I opened the package. I am more than head over heels with it! Everyone else, go look at the new yarns she's dyed up in foresty colors!

Sooooo.....what do you do when you have new yarn? New yarn photo shoot!!

Hmmm...where can I find a model.... Must have rugged, natural good looks, since this is to be an outdoor shoot. Can't be too tall, or the yarn will be dwarfed and won't be featured prominently enough. Who's that there? There he is...could someone...hey, I said, could someone bring in the talent?

Good, now can you just make yourself comfortable right there? Yes, in that pile of dead leaves. Over to the left. No! Too far! That's it. Chin a little more to the right. Stop! Now, don't smile! No teeth. We're going for that upscale department store velour bath robe look. You know the one. Perfect! Wait! Wait a minute, there's one clump of fur sticking up right there. Make up!!! Hurry it up! We're losing the light!

Click! Click click! Flash!

Hold it! Just one more and I think we've got it!

Guess I got a little carried away.... Anyway, after a long, hard day, our hero, Punkinhead, did not, alas, get chicken. He got turkey and loved it! I roasted a turkey today, bigger than him. It was one of those turkeys that your workplace gives you in lieu of a Christmas bonus. It didn't even have the weight listed on the wrapping, so I had to pick up PH and then the turkey to guesstimate how much it weighed. PH is exactly 13 pounds. The turkey was much bigger. I see turkey soup looming in my near future....