Finally a post in which there is mostly knitting (and pictures)

I've had an interesting week full of way too much food, way too much family and some strange happenings. I'd tell you about all of them, but honestly, I doubt you'd believe me on some of it. So let me sum up the things I've learned this week:

1. When you ask people for advice and they give it, before you let yourself get too disheartened by what they've said, consider who is giving it. The advice may hold true for them, but probably not for you. Just because they did one thing and it worked for them, just because they believe something, does not mean the same applies in your situation. In other words, your mileage may vary.

2. When poleaxed in conversation by a sudden topic change or a question that is touching something deep and meaningful to me that I'm not prepared to share, my default response is almost always a lie. It's a very child-like thing to do, but I really wasn't prepared for the question in question, I didn't feel like telling that person the truth yet, so I just flat-out lied. Like a cheap rug. I thought I'd overcome that particular conversational strategy, but I guess not. I will have to be better prepared in the future. And I should probably warn people who are important to me that when they metaphorically jump out of a conversational dark alley and club me with an unexpected question, they won't get as much truth as they'd get if they asked me calmly and then gave me time to come up with a response. I might give them a partial lie anyway, but I'd tell them they aren't getting the full truth and give them an estimate of a date when they will get the rest of the story.

3. They may be related to you, but they might not be people you'd voluntarily choose as friends, and that's ok. It helps you learn to get along with people in the real world, so it teaches you a life skill. And if you can be ok enough with them being in your life and your home, you might just learn that you really would like them as friends. Just not...the sort of friends you tell your deepest, darkest secrets to, or share your most intimate heart of hearts. Movie going friends, or shopping pals. 

Anyway, after the overindulgence that is Thanksgiving, I typically lie low on the so-called Black Friday. I worked in retail, so I know what the shopping rush feels like from the other side of the sale counter. I like to think I'm doing the poor clerks a kindness by absenting myself from their lives on this particular day. Bless their hearts. However, today I did leave my warm cocoon of a home for a shopping expedition. My LYS had a Black Friday sale, and as I needed to get some yarn for a chemo cap for my aunt, and my mother was buying, and as I had some extra lolly for cat sitting, I thought I should put on my big girl panties and just go. Which I did. My mother said it was almost as bad as going to the mall, what with the crowd, but the people in the store weren't clawing each other's eyes out, so I think it was far better. Then my mother intimated she wanted to try knitting and my blood ran cold. If she thinks she's going to steal my stash, she's got another think coming! I'll, I'll...booby trap my stashtainer! Pah, steal my pretties, I think not....

Anyway, here's my new stash:

 

Cascade Yarns Eco Alpaca, in a gray marl. I'm wild about the alpaca, as you all may have gathered. Half price, so $8. I only got one as I couldn't really justify two without a project in mind. I may not even make this into anything in particular, just pull it out occasionally and pet it.

Cash Vero for my aunt's chemo cap. This stuff, despite having a wool content and being washable, is hella-soft. I'm going to be making a Lotus Hat out of it. I think she'll like that, don't you?

Apparently, I'm making two hats for my aunt, which is fine--they're super easy to knock out, although I have pernicious problems with gauge and as we all know, when knitting hats or anything else that's fairly fitted to a body part, gauge is vital. But whatever, I will try. Keen eyed readers might recognize this stuff--I already have about...eight skeins of it (Great American Yarn Superfine Merino/Silk) for another project, in this exact colorway. My mother loves it, though, so another skein we got.

 I don't like knitting socks. I've tried them, I just...don't like it. I'm not a sock knitter, I'm sorry, so don't come ringing my doorbell with literature or pamphlets; I'll take them, politely send you away then toss them in the trash. But I do love sock yarn, and this is some of my favorite. I bought some for a Ravelry friend last month but held back on buying some for myself. However, this month I had the disposable so.... This yarn is so soft, again, shocking considering the wool content, I just love it. Love it like buttah.

 This yarn will end up being a hat for a Yule gift. I have a friend who needs a little kindness this year, so I'm going to surprise her with something warm (I'd show you the pattern, but I don't know if she knows about this blog). Thankfully, this is totally washable, so I don't have to send along intricate care instructions. I love the colors, too--pink shading into shades of lavender and gray. Perfect for my friend's coloring. I hope she likes it.

 Aaaand, because I love myself, too, this is for a hat for me. You can't see it well, but the yarn is a woodsy green to deep lake blue that just makes me smile. I had some other yarn (Snozzberry in shade) that I was going to use for the hat, but decided to use that yarn for a gift for another friend who just deserves a gift and appreciates hand made things (so I'm not as worried that the gift will be understood). But this stuff is loverly, and was clearanced out. (My mother--the helpful hand model, can you tell she had professional training?--asked if I minded that the price stickers were clearly visible on this and the sock yarn pictures. Heck to the no, people, I don't mind. I'm proud of my finds!)

This yarn I did not get at my LYS, but at a box store. I got it two days ago, for a particular purpose, but I neglected to get an image of it until today. The outside colors (hot pinks, purples and blues) are nothing compared to the screaming bright rainbow shades inside, where you can't see them--vivid yellows, oranges and a bright red. It's like a rainbow in wool and acrylic.

My mother thinks I'm odd, taking pictures of my yarn, but she accepts that there might be some knitterly reason for it. If she does learn to knit, I'm sure she'll understand. They all learn, in the end, why we do the things we do. Resistance is futile....