Little Raincloud

Remember that pretty little raincloud of fluff that I showed off last week?  If not, here’s the picture again for reference.

That’s 100 grams of 100% Merino Top from www.peartreeyarn.com (I bought it through one of the local stores. Gina Brown’s, I think).

This is what it looks like now!

Dyelot: 237210
Colourway: Damson
423 yards or 387 meters
2-ply, scotch tension

The coin is an American dime for size reference. That’s a lovely little 2-ply , plied from a center-pull ball (yarn cake!), using a CD spindle to hold onto it, somewhat like this tutorial, but without the bucket bag. I tried using one of my circular drawsting bags, but actually needed to take the spindle out and hold it. The singles were coming from the outside of the ball fast enough that I needed to be able to keep them in check.  With the way that the singles cross over each other coming off the ball, there was a lot of cursing, swearing and a couple of lost yards due to tangled messes. Maybe I’m doing it wrong and need an actual video tutorial on how to handle the single coming off the ball, but I just found it more effective to prop the spindle against my tummy and use my left hand to control the speed of the singles while the right did the main work of moving things along.

This fluff may actually have a purpose. I promised a special someone her choice of socks or a scarf/shawlette for her birthday, and she chose the shawlette. Unless she’d like something more vibrant, I think that this might be perfect.

What do you think, Zwee?  I can find something more vibrant if you prefer something a little wilder 🙂

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Friday Five!

I’m going to tack this on at the end, since I don’t think I’ll post twice today 😉
I know, it’s two memes at once, but I rather like the Friday Five… this week’s “category” is Miscategorizations:

What public behavior is not a crime but should be?
Half the things that motorists do behind the wheel are a crime, whether it’s unsafe driving habits or just sheer pigheaded assholishness. We have bylaws against distracted driving, but I don’t think that anyone in our neighbourhood has slowed down or taken their damn phones away from their ears. And we live near a triservices building!*
Most of all, I’m hating hearing about folks who don’t check their mirrors or give a shoulder-check before opening their doors. Contrary to popular belief, bicycles don’t belong on the sidewalks, and there isn’t a multi-user-path everywhere you go. Even if there were, some bikes zip along faster than the allowed limit. YES, the MUP has a speed limit! 20 kph, if I recall. When you’re making good time in your bike, that speed limit is a pain in the arse. And because fast-moving bikes don’t belong on the MUP or the sidewalk, when you open your door without checking first, you put my husband, my friends, and yes…ME in danger. Please don’t make me another “interesting news story out of CityX”, folks. Take the extra two seconds and open your door.  Because so far, I haven’t heard of anyone successfully being put away on criminal charges for this basic bit of roadway negligence.
(Wow, the view is spanky from this here soapbox!)
Oh…and the other thing that should be a crime? The clothes people are letting their teenagers wear these days. Someone teach the “young adult” set how to wear a ball cap properly, people.
I think I just officially became one of “them”.  The “Old People”…(shudder)

What food item doesn’t have a recommended daily allowance but should?
I’m going to veer away from our regularly scheduled paleo/low-carb orthorexia and say…chocolate. Because damn.

What’s not a word but should be?
I’ve been using the word “Pagnostic” lately to describe my faith-based views. I like it. I think I’ll keep it.

What day of the year is not a holiday but should be? (Yes: I’ve used this question before, but I never get tired of it!)
Towel Day. Are you a hoopy frood who knows where his towel is?

What behavior is not generally a professional expectation but should be?
Understanding where “the line” is. In other words, being able to assess the audience that is your co-workers and be able to realize that maybe certain humour might be a little “too much” (conversely, it’s always good to know just what you can get away with!!!) 😉