Kathy asks, and Marilyn seconds the question, “What do you do badly?”

The Bad List

Suffice it to say, I make awesome pancakes (from scratch)…doughy indeed.

But here are some of the MANY things I don’t do well:

1. Baseball – I can hit okay, but send a pop fly my way and it will be missed every time.

2. Cursive Writing – I print (or type) everything except my signature.

3. Housework – Thank gawd for Thaddeus, otherwise this place would be a mess.

4. Painting – I have no patience for painting walls, and it shows.

5. Machine Knitting – I can do it, but I’m not very good at it.

6. Computer Hardware – Don’t ask me anything about what’s inside this box.

7. Handyman Work – Electricity, plumbing, carpentry…just awful.

8. Frying Food – There is a knack for frying that I just don’t have.

9. Music – I have absolutely no aptitude or ear for music.

10. Butterfly Stroke – I can do any other swim stroke, but not this one.

I could probably create an entirely new “100 Things I Do Badly List” if I put more time into it. I’m also sure Thaddeus could add a boatload of items to this list…he better not.

Crocheting

I finished the crochet hat out of the Ramie, and it came out very well. I won’t wear it, but I actually like the way it looks on me. Thaddeus (along with the rest of the world) would disagree that it looks good on me.

Suffice it to say, I’ll put this one up for sale at the next craft show. Hopefully the mom of some skateboard boy will recognize that it’s cool.

Knitting

I started the new design inspired by (stolen from) Marianne Isager. This is the beginning of the left front side of the cardigan.

It took a long time to calculate the stitches on this design, that’s why I’m only just past the ribbing so far.

I am using my most recent New Zealand wool handspun as the main color on this sweater.

Spinning

The folks that thought 15 WPI’s on the New Zealand handspun wasn’t heavy enough to use as DK are absolutely correct.

I knit up a swatch using a US5. It created a very loose fabric, and with the inconsistencies of my spinning, the looseness wasn’t good.

The yarn is closest in weight to the Shetland 2000 that I used for the Ronas Hill Fair Isle vest by Ron Schweitzer. It’s slightly heavier than jumper weight Shetland by Jamieson or Jamieson & Smith, but not heavy enough to use as a DK weight.

For the new sweater design, I’m planning on using a US4 for the body of the sweater, and I think it will look okay (yes, mother, I did swatch).

Yarn Store News

Two pieces of local yarn store news that I thought might be of interest.

First of all, Simply Knit will be closing very soon (probably within the next 2 to 3 weeks). They are discounting everything remaining at 60% off. I was just there today, and there are still quite a few things worth buying.

Second of all, excellent news. Nadine’s shop has finally opened. Here are the particulars:

Woolplay

22 N. Haddon Ave.

Haddonfield, NJ 08033

Phone: 856-428-0110

e-mail: Woolplay@yahoo.com

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10-5:00 PM

Thurs evening til 8:00 PM

They carry Debbie Bliss, Noro, Manos, Koigu (including those always popular mini skeins!), Colinette, Karabella Aurora, Stacy Charles, Habu, Rowan, Cascade, Lobster Pot, Schaefer, Twisted Sister, and lots more.

Starting today, Thursday, Haddonfield is having a sidewalk sale through Saturday that Woolplay will be participating in. Lots of “vintage” yarns on sale.

Nadine has also made a very nice offer to readers of this blog. Just mention QueerJoe (not too loudly, it is Southern New Jersey afterall), and you get a 10% discount. How cool is that?

Readers’ Comments/Questions

Leslie asks if the recent handspun yarn is soft.

Not really. It’s slightly scratchier than Shetland, especially in those places where the single was way overtwisted. Suffice it to say, I definitely wouldn’t make a baby garment out of it.

Pam asks if I’ve taken the time to calculate the grist (grist is the yardage per pound of yarn…I had to look it up) on my newest handspun.

The reason that Pam’s measurement of my grist is so consistent, is that I only measured the yardage on one skein, and then extrapolated that to the other two skeins. It’s interesting, though. Based on all that I’ve read, my grist (calculated at about 1260 yards per pound) would equate to a DK weight yarn, and it’s definitely not DK weight. Maybe I should measure the other two skeins when I get the chance.

Thanks to Kim Salazar for maintaining a web site with so much fiber information in one place, and sharing it with the rest of the planet.