Well folks..after knitting for almost two years, I finally got my hands on some of that famous yarn…Malabrigo…better known as Mmmmmm.
Just how I obtained it is a story in itself.
One evening, while I was chatting on KnittingHelp.com, the subject of Mmmmmm came up. I lamented how I’ve never seen or touched it before. Well, a couple of the chatters were flabbergasted! They simply could not understand how I had gone so long without laying eyes on this precious, spun gold.
One of the gals generously offered to send me one skein…no repayment allowed. At first, I didn’t know what to say. I was a bit shy about accepting her offer, but she insisted that she wanted to do this. The only she asked was that I Pay it Forward.
That, my dear readers, is an easy thing for a knitter to do. It is my opinion that crafters are among the most generous people in the world. Forget Bill Gates. Forget Donald Trump (yes, let’s do). Have you ever seen these men knit baby blankets? No way, Jose.
On Monday, I had a package in the mail. It was THE package. I had run by the house on my way to my son’s school. As I spied the package, I decided that I needed to wait until I was settled in car loop — so that I could devote my full attention to the contents.
On the way to the school from my house, Mr. AuburnChick called my cell phone, asking if I had read my email that day. Uh, no, dear. I just got off of work, and I have this package that I must dive into. Oh, he says, there’s some important stuff about Little Ms Chickadee.
Grrr…I really don’t like him telling me what an email says. I don’t know. It’s kind of like telling me what’s in a present before I open it. I know, I know…it’s just email. Sorry, but that is one of my quirks.
So, on the way to the school, I made a pit stop at the library. I had to return some books, and I knew they had free internet service, where I could jump online and check my email. So I did. After reading about 15 messages, one of which contained an email from a college coach about Little Ms’s weekend performance (see previous blog entry), I signed off.
My mind was on that package. Forget the fact that this could be the college that offers my daughter a soccer scholarship. Oh no. I knew that something special was waiting for me in the car.
Priorities, people…priorities.
I dash to the car and hurry to the school. Parking brake set…check. Package in hand…check.
My hands were shaking. I gingerly tore the end off of the envelope. A sweet note was included:
“Dear Nathalie,
I just couldn’t resist! Enjoy!”
I proceeded to the plastic wrapped bundle. Upon opening it, I found this…
Yes…I know! It’s TWO skeins of Bijou Blue Malabrigo!!! Oh my, is it soft! I sat in the car holding one on each side of my neck, envisioning them as a scarf.
But wait…there was something else in the package. Eh? What’s this?
Yep. A THIRD skein! The color is Lettuce. I had to chuckle. This was an inside joke. Ok. I’ll share it with you.
Generous Knitter is also on Ravelry, and awhile back, I commented on a project she has been working on. Turns out, we’ve both been struggling with the Leaf Lace Scarf pattern. It recommends the Lettuce yarn.
So, here’s to my friend, who serves as a reminder that there truly are nice people out there in the world. I never doubted that, but it’s always nice to have a personal reminder.
Now…let me tell you. Mmmmmm is not the only yarn that showed up on my doorstep that day…
That’s my latest order from purlsoho.com. It’s Alchemy Sanctuary, which is a silk/wool blend. Divine, I tell you…just divine! The color on the left is Topaz, and the one on the right is Boo’s Garden. I’m going to make more of these fingerless gloves. If you recall, I made a pair about a month ago. It is one of the easiest patterns! The only thing you have to watch for is when casting off the stitches for the thumb gusset. You can’t forget to cast off that 10th stitch, which means you will probably have to grab a stitch from the next needle. You’ll understand what I mean when you make them.
I’m going to knit up the Topaz for a gal at work. She admired my other pair and commented about how cold her hands get at work when she’s typing on the computer. I chose this color specifically with her in mind, thinking that the neutral color will go with anything.
The green is a selfish gift to myself. I’ll get around to knitting it up. Eventually. It’s such a fast knit that I could do them in a day.
Now…on to other things.
I am making progress on the comfort throw. The pattern is actually for a cabled pillow that uses the Saxon Braid. I found the pattern in this booklet…
The Saxon Braid pattern is also located on this page. I have completed three full pattern reps and will complete the fourth one tonight. My plan is to knit one repeat each day. I’m going to make six repeats in total and end the blanket with six rows of garter stitch. The cable is awesome and not too intimidating. A few of the rows are harem scarem, but I’ve been concentrating like crazy and haven’t encountered any problems.
I am making the cables without cable needles, which has sped up the progress tremendously! I used this site and this site to help me. I have to say that knitting without the extra cable needle is actually very intuitive. I was really tired last night but insisted on finishing that last pattern row before going to bed. I kept catching myself messing up…all because the stitches just weren’t flowing right. So, if you’ve been hesitant to try cables, don’t be! They are really very simple!
Well, that’s it for now. Off I go to work some more!
Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: alchemy sanctuary, bijou blue, boo's garden, cable without cable needle, cabled throw, dark raspberry, i love this yarn, Knitting, lettuce, malabrigo, saxon braid, silk, topaz, wool | 7 Comments »
AuburnChick's Adventures 