My Thread and Butter

K,

The Iowa State Fair is the awesomest state fair in the world. Going on for over 150 years, the Iowa State Fair is listed only second to Las Vegas as a super duper summer destination travel spot in America. From good old Wikipedia,

"Additionally, the fair is home to several traditional contests and tournaments, including rooster crowing, sheep shearing, pigeon racing, turkey, duck, and chicken calling, wood chopping, pie eating, arm wrestling, banjo, fiddle, accordion, harmonica, mandolin and piano playing, and backgammon, chess, cribbage, and checkers tournaments."

And knitting. While perhaps not a contest or tournament, one can enter knitted objects (I've seed a very poor knitted clock...more so a swatch with a clock inserted) into the fair. You can enter as many as you like. And you can win ribbons! Ribbons! The blue is not even the best one. The best ones are purple. This year, I'm just aiming to enter. Start small, you know? Next year, I'll maybe pop out something specific for the fair that is completely awesome, just like the fair!

I have been to the fair every year of my life since I was just 3 months old. I love the Iowa State Fair. There's even a cow made out of butter! Full size! And don't think I haven't considered the fiddling competition. But I haven't found a banjo or guitar accompaniment nearby, yet.

I'm entering some of this.


The blue lace is not going to be finished in time, but you see the handspun handknit Monet's Waterlillies Mittens, my Man's Green Gloves, and a teensy bit of baby Selbu Mittens peeking in at the lower left-hand corner. What you don't see are the stockings I'm embroidering right now. K, I forgot how long embroidery takes. It takes a long time.

I got kinda sad, because I got a letter when I got a letter from Baylor College of Medicine that said that I wasn't selected. So, as usual, I violently tore up the reject letter and threw it away. I think I would have burned it, but the stove is electric, and hard to get a flame out of. I'm not too disappointed for two reasons, however.

1) I wasn't going to go there anyway. I'm happy where I've chosen and I'm really excited to start school in a month.

2) This arrived in the mail!


It is 9.9 pounds of fine merino wool yarn/thread from Crystal Creek Fibers! 14,000 yards per pounds, baby, but 19.5 microns, so good for next to the neck wear. Which is what you want when you're making a Doctor Who Scarf! This stuff is thin.


But I can put 12+ strands together to get something resembling dk weight.


And dye it! I like dying!

Oh man, this thing is going to kill me, isn't it? Well, test dying tonight. Hold your breath!

I'm holding mine,
A