Another step in the Felted Slipper Saga

My blue clogs are felted.

Very felted.

Curiously felted.

How, I ask, does one knitter, using one brand of yarn, in just one weight, by dropping down one slipper size, and by felting ten minutes less, end up going from a Ladies size 10 narrow to a CHILD's 13?

Heathered yarn. That's got to be the answer. I wanted the red clogs, but about 1/2" shorter. I dropped down a size, and on just the SECOND check of the washer (the red ones took 5 checks, and I was afeared they'd get too narrow if I kept trying to get them shorter) out popped these cute little piggy covers. This makes four (4) slippers that I have knitted and felted in an attempt to replace my current pair. First pair - too small. Second pair - nice, but they let in too much cold air at the ankle. Third pair - a trial for the real pair. Fourth pair - struck by shrinking dust.

A fifth pair will jump on the needles shortly after my next yarn order. It's got to. My current slippers already resemble a pair of sling-back flats more than they do their original shape.

A neglected blog

A neglected blog is an uninformative blog.

So, what's been happening here in the background, whilst nothing is happening in the foreground?

At long last the Baby Leggings are done. I will like them better when I see them on a tot, no doubt. But at the moment, they are done, and that is a very nice thing about them.

Finishing the leggings allowed me to tackle some yarn that arrived last week (or was it the week before? Things have been package-rich around here, and I forget).

First, the clogs. Two felted, two unfelted. The unfelted ones won't be so tomorrow noonish, if the morning goes as planned. And having them almost done allowed me to put on the needles, with good conscience, some dishcloths. Four need to be done by the 22nd, and I got the yarn for the first two yesterday. Two down, two to go.

And now there is nothing on my non-super-secret-Christmas-knitting needles. There are three--no, four--things on my to-do list, but I'm not quite ready to start any of them because I may get some Serious Knitting to work on tomorrow, and I don't want to have just started something if it should arrive.

But, let me talk about last Thursday and Friday. Thursday was a Long Day. First off, it was pouring rain. And in the pouring rain we went out to do our big monthly shopping trip. Thursday made me glad I cancelled school on the last 'nice' day of the year, Monday, so we could sit outside reading. But Thursday was cold and rainy. And dashing into stores is all well and good, but if one of the shopping party (and trust me, we had a shopping party) walks slowly, and the other has a wheelchair to load and unload ... well, dashing in becomes somewhat impracticable. So, we got a bit wet. And we got lots of stuff. Two shoeboxes' worth of goodies for Operation Christmas Child. New not-so-mentionables for a child who shall remain anonymous because said child vowed said child was down to just two pair of aforementioned item. Groceries. Lots of groceries. And then, we rejoiced because the rain had gone away temporarily and we could unload in relative comfort at my mom's house. The afternoon was spent at mom's (knitting, of course!) and then KnitNight in the evening, then home to re-unpack the groceries, tackle the day's 200 e-mails, and head to bed.

Friday was a day that should go down in the annals of conflicting emotions. In the morning, I checked to see if I should scurry to the post office to get a box from Amazon. Project delivery was the 10th, so I decided not to scurry. In the afternoon, I got an e-mail from Amazon telling me my package was unable to be delivered and I could pick it up at the post office. So, off I scurried. Package! Replacement for Bible which is in multiple pieces! Joy!

Walking home, I did not scurry. I trod slowly and heavily, laden down by TWO boxes. Large boxes. But packages are good, so all was well in my world.

Then I opened the packages (over the next few hours, which tells you loads about my Friday). The yarn I got London Tweed Bag Sale at Elann) wasn't the color the website said. Sniff. But liveable. The actual Tuesday sale was a bit of a frenzy ... twice I got to the checkout only to find that the color I wanted was no longer available. The color that my mom wanted, and the color that my friend wanted ... those were still around. But not my Autumn Glory, nor my Mallard.

The books were yet another matter. Herodotus has a mildly dinged corner. I can live with that. Thucydides was paperback, not hardback. I goofed :( and it's not fun to good. And my bible had a different binding from what the website said it did. That was annoying. But, the sunny side was that one part of the order was undinged and correct, and we've all been enjoying it.

Tomorrow is package day at the post office. I'm sending out yarn, books, and some miscellany. Who knows what I will get?

Next Monday will be the mailing date for hats. We've got a big box full already, and more are dropping off the needles of an industrious Filia daily.