Keep It Moving

Unpredictable, that's how this week has been.

On Wednesday I went to use my debit card to get some cash.  The ATM machine flashed, in huge letters on a white background,  TRANSACTION ERROR 05.  The folks behind me waiting to use the machine can see this and it felt like a Harry Potter moment when Ron Weasley gets a howler letter.

I called the bank and they said Visa had a breach and they cancelled everyone's card.  No advance warning.  When I called the bank they told me my notification letter will come in a day or two and my replacement card will arrive in 3-5 days.  What?!  Lucky for me it only means I can't do any on-the-fly shopping.

Now I've got (almost) no access to money and I can't knit.  What's a knitter to do?  Two words: collateral damage.

WEBS is the second best thing to ever happen to me, especially since I have a gift card.  Woot! Woot!  (Thanks A.J.!)

I signed up for a class at Vogue Knitting Live in New York with Ragga Eriksdottir called speed steeking which requires Lopi Yarn which WEBS had:

This yarn is rough!  Dermabrasion comes to mind and I couldn't imagine making anything big with it unless it truly softens up over time.

I also got two balls of fiber which I feel 'iffy' about.  The first is Ashland Bay mixed BFL.

I think BFL is my favorite fiber to spin, but I should have paid more attention to the 'mixed' descriptive.  I find that Ashland Bay's fiber is over processed and too smooth, if that makes sense.  It looks like the natural crimp of the fiber has been removed.  In this case, they left a little in:

I'm going to spin a little today and if it works out, I'm going to ply it with some fiber I bought last year at Rhinebeck.

I also bought some Jacob fiber because I hear that if we don't support the breeders that the sheep will go extinct.  I made this purchase to support the breed.

It's not nearly as soft as the Jacob I purchased this year at Rhinebeck.  I remember the vendor at Rhinebeck (I wish I had gotten her name), that if the Jacob is rough it's because is mixed.  I don't know if that's a fact, but there's a clear difference is softness between this and the other.

Lastly, I got my book, Mosaic Knitting by Barbara G. Walker:

So, that's it.  All of the collateral damage while I did while 'not knitting':

All I can say is that knitting slowly is almost the same thing as not knitting.  Can I get an 'amen'?  Quote me on this: if you deliberately don't follow the rules (of the doctor), then you will deliberately suffer the consequence.  I'm prepared.