The Haul

{Warning: Picture heavy post ahead!}
So, the aforementioned haul from Maryland Sheep and Wool. First, I would like to say that while I did not set a budget, I did try to stick to stuff I could not get the rest of the year (or at least not at that price) and I brought a bag, a big purse, and a backup bag, but everything fit in the bag. See?

I first made a beeline for the Fibre Company booth. They had mill ends of Savannah Bulky. (Sadly, a very limited selection of Terra, which apparently produces less mill ends.)

And then I saw a colorway I had missed, so I got more.

Some Rowan Summer Tweed.

A little Debbie Bliss Pure cashmere.

I got some Socks that Rock in the Knitters Without Borders colorway.

Brooks Farm has a new yarn - Willow - a wool bamboo blend. And there was some Four Play on sale that goes with the stuff I picked up last year.

Her is is all together. See - not much at all.

O Parthenope!

I finally finished. I have to say I really love this shawl. I had intended to make it a bit smaller but misunderstood that pattern directions (by a lot) and thought I was finishing early, but no. It was probably just as well, since thinking I had much further to go, probably spurred me past my normal malaise. In the end I love it.

Random Notes:
I found these garden kneeling pads in the dollar section at Target and they worked great for blocking. They are rubber foam so fine with being wet and jabbed with pins. Great find.
The pattern kind goes like this \ then this / then this \ again. The second \ moves over a bit creating a staggered effect. The pattern says to go to 19 tiles I was counting one whole succession as a tile so thought I had only made it to ten. However I think, what it meant was you have 19 bobbles per side - which I do. I did notice I didn't have as much yarn as one might think if I still had all this more to go. And I misplaced a partial skein so freaked out and bound off three quarters of the way through the lotus edging.

I am happy with the final look, so it's all fine. All in all, it's a great pattern, but I would suggest this is better suited for someone's second or third lace shawl, rather than their first. Or something they do in a class.

Travel, Partying and Yarn!

Short version of my weekend:
*Went to Ireland, Latvia, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Romania. Yes, the European Union members all had open houses at the embassies this weekend.
*Went to the Ravelry party - got buttons, but sadly no raffle prizes. (That's okay, I soothed myself with yarn.)
*Went to church - we had a great discussion in youth group about racism.
*Went to Maryland Sheep and Wool - bought a little yarn. Sadly, was unable to track down the deep fried Oreo.

The embassy tour was fun. Ireland had food, Bulgaria had food, wine and dancing, and it was neat seeing some of these amazing residences. For the locals, the non-EU embassies will be doing something similar in a two weeks, plus there are additional events in between. Check here.

Ravelry party - I wore my Parthenope Shawl (More on that another day, promise.) Miss Karida herself walked up to me and asked me if I we had met. I flashed the shawl and said yes. She cooed appropriately and showed it to her non-knitter friends so they could the the yarn in action.
I ran into someone who had been near me in line to see the Yarn Harlot in Annapolis. Stared at Casey and Jess (they were busy chatting and while I know you don't host a party like this and not expect people to talk to you, I opted for leaving them with those who had found them already.) I bought Ravelry pins. I found Westerly Whimsies - my former swapper. I did not win the amazing raffle prizes for the party or from Ravelraiser. (I'll survive.)
Youth group was an open topic day, so we ended up talking about racism and it was really interesting. I am constantly amazed by how thoughtful all these kids are.
Then I hightailed it up to West Friendship where I went to Sheep and Wool. I think I did a better job of covering stuff this year. I brought a big purse, a bag for purchases and I had a backup bag. No need to break out the back up bag, everything fit in the tote. So, really, I was very good. (I also - with the exception of some STR, bought only stuff that was mill end or not available online.) So, for all you people who think there isn't yarn left on Sunday - pshaw.
Ran into a Raveler from the party. Met up with some knit group Ravelers - some were better influences than others. (To be fair, I am probably the worst influence.) Saw Casey and Jess walking around (it was post-Rav meeting, so we left them in peace). Met a fellow Raveler who has sadly lost her voice. She was accompanied by a translator who was able to convey the story and the sadness, and spare her writing hand a bit.
I was unable - after tireless searching and a bit of asking, to locate the mythical deep fried Oreo. A couple people who had heard of my quest were very concerned for my health. First, my cholesterol is fine. Second, I was planning on having one once in my life, not a regular weekly thing, so I think even my doctors would agree that in such moderation, it would have been fine.
Ah, well, at least I have a little yarn.
(Pictures to come once my computer cooperates.)

A Different Kind of Sport

In another kind of synchronicity, on the same day I heard the story about the softball players, I played the episode of Food Network's "Challenge: Surprise Engagement Cake". For those of you unfamiliar with "Challenge", four teams compete over several hours in front of a live audience to create some sort of cake or dish. In this challenge, a gentleman had convinced his girlfriend to attend with him, telling her they were going to participate in the challenge, perhaps as assistants. In fact, he proposed to her and the challenge for the teams was to create an engagement cake - at least three feet tall - for them. As regular viewers know, sometimes the most interesting part can be when they have to move the cake to the judging table. Anyway, one of the contestants Marina Sousa, was looking pretty flushed and mentioned not feeling so well. Everyone kept commenting she looked a little stressed out. And then, a few hours in to the event, she passed out. The other contestants stopped, medical assistance was called for, and she ended up be taken away in an ambulance. Since they were teams of two, her teammate Dawn Nemec remained and the judges kindly asked her if she felt able to go on. She did. And Jason and Joshua Russell - from a competing team looked at each other and went up to her together to say that they could help. Their cake was mostly completed, and as one of them said, they were tired of looking at their cake anyway. So they helped Dawn complete the cake and get it carried to the table, in addition to finishing up their own.
In the end, neither team won, but it was a lovely example of how teamwork and generosity can extend outside the ballpark.

Being a Good Sport

If you ever wondered what it means to be a good sport, I have a story for you. (Warning, this made me cry.) Being a good sport is not just playing according to the rules. It is not just about not throwing a tantrum when you lose. It is about wanting everyone to play their best, even if they are on the other team.
Sara Tucholsky, a member of the Western Oregon University softball team, was at bat with one strike and two runners on base, while playing Central Washington University last Saturday. She whacked her first home run clear over the fence. The teams had been tied at zero, so it was even better. In her excitement, she missed first base and as she turned to go back and tag it, Tucholsky fell to the ground, with what turned out to be a torn ligament. Tucholsky managed to crawl back to first base, but it was clear she was not going to make it further. The rules state that a pinch runner can be called in, but when that happens the play is considered ended, which means that her hit would only count as a two-run, and not a three-run. Tucholsky had to make it through the remaining bases and then across home without assistance from her team. (Any assistance from her teammates would be considered an out.)
So, two players from Central Washington, Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, picked Tucholsky up and carried her around the bases, dipping her down so she could properly touch each one, and across home. They did this despite the fact that this clearly allowed the opposing team to score in a game that was going to help decide who made it to the playoffs.
I don't want to take too much away from the wonder of this story, although I will share a link to an article that ponders the likelihood of seeing something equivalent in men's sports. In the end, it is just a great story about people who didn't want to win on a technicality. People who didn't want to watch a fellow player lose out on a great moment. Tucholsky had already hit the ball over the fence. Touching the bases was almost a technicality, though clearly a requirement. And although Holtman and Wallace did not know at the time that their team would lose (although not by a single run) or that Tucholsky was a senior and this was her first homer, they just wanted to see her complete it. And really, isn't that why you play? Because you love the game so much that you want to see people do well at it? I hope so. As Western Oregon coach Pam Knox said, "It kept everything in perspective and the fact that we're never bigger than the game."
Holtman said. "Because granted I thought of it, but everyone else would have done it...And it's kind of a nice way to go out, because it shows what our program is about and the kind of people we have here."