Pollyanna Rainbow Sunshine and the Needles of Doom

Lyda here. Hi, ya’ll, your Intrepid Knitting Reporter here, with the Friday updates.

Don’t forget about DrawMo 2007. You draw one drawing each day of November. I promise not to tell anyone if you forgot to start yesterday… ummm, not that I forgot or anything. La la la…I was going to remind you, but Pollyanna West Coast had issues with the Cosmic Innernetting yesterday. Or “PollannaWest” as I am known on Ravelry - apparently I suffer from “Y” deficiency. Y? Oh Y? But I digress…

I was so excited about the Pay It Forward Challenge that I could hardly wait to get to the computer Thursday morning. You still have time to enter!!!

My head was all spinning with the possibilities. Who do I get to make stuff for?? Wouldn’t it be fun to make potholders for Frank? Ya’ll know he’d use ‘em! Could I find fabric with construction cranes for Marin? Darn, I don’t get to make something with musical notes and Harleys for Jane, because she already Payed It Forward. I don’t think I’ll get to make Laurie something covered in gnomes and giant zucchinis, but wouldn’t it be a hoot?!

Oh, the anticipation! Oh, the excitement!

And then… and then…

WordPress was down. All. Morning.

Bummer.

And then, once it was back up at last - - there was a comment! Yaw-hoo! But there’s still space for four more victims   recipients.

But, before I could do anything, I was attacked by a scary horrible monster: Work. Eek!

So, no blogging yesterday. ”This is so not super special awesome!”

Meanwhile, in today’s knitting news:

The “Chuck Norris Bites Frost” scarf is over half finished! I finished the second skein and cast off Wednesday night, while watching “Pushing Daises” and “Private Practice”, and with Tommy the Sith apprentice cat curled up next to my leg and purring in his sleep. Ah, bliss! I love the way it looks. Thick and cozy, just what I wanted to keep second son warm in the frozen tundra of New York. I immediately cast on another 100 stitches of black yarn for the second half of the scarf. I’m definitely getting more of this yarn. Last night, I continued knitting away as I watched “Smallville” and “Get Smart” with my son the Resident Sith Master.

If the joining of the two pieces of this scarf go well, I’m seeing a very similar scarf in the future for Gorgeous and Available Engineer brother. Once the rent is paid… Living expenses getting in the way of yarn acquisition. It’s just wrong, ya’ll!

And in other fiber news:

Plans are afoot for working on the Frog Prince and Cosmic Prince Quilts this weekend. I’m “this close” to finishing the frog quilt top.

And I plan to block the Global Warming scarf, which seems to need it. It’s sort of… wonky… I counted the stitches on each end, and they are the same number. But somehow one end seems wider than the other. I’m hoping that blocking it will magically make it all better. If not, there’s always fringe for camouflage. Everything is better with fringe!

See, still a knitting and quilting blog. And no zombies at all. Except me. For some reason, my brain decided that 4:30 a.m. was the right time to wake up this morning. Y? Oh Y?

Lyda here. Sometime this weekend, we reached 10,000 hits on our blog. I’m incredibly excited by this. I feel like we won a major award.

I want to thank the Fiber Academy…

So, in honor of our amazing readers, and with gratitude to each of you - and with special shout out to Jane - I present this Pay It Forward Challenge.

Introduction and Stuff Like That There: 

This Pay It Forward comes from this post on Jane’s blog, which came from Rachel. I apologize, I don’t have a link for Rachel’s blog. Jane or Rachel, if you give it to me, I’ll update this. You will notice that so far I am the only commenter on Jane’s post. You will also notice I gave her some hints for my PIF. Shy and retiring, ya’ll know me…

The other day, Jane commented that she got the stuff for my PIF, and I had no idea what she was talking about. She had to remind me that PIF = Pay It Forward. Dur!

The Meat of the Challenge:

Ha, I said “meat!” Yes, I am 12. 

So here’s how this Pay It Forward Challenge works:

1) I will send a handmade item to the first 5 people who leave a comment on this post.

2) You can leave hints in your comment about colors, themes, and the project you’d like. But the handmade item will be a surprise although I will listen to your desperate pleas, bwahahaha.

3) Once you comment, I will email you to get your mailing address.

4) You agree to continue the Pay It Forward Challenge on your blog. You post an entry and send the first 5 commenters a PIF item of your own creation.

5) You will receive something from me within 365 days.

Disclaimers and Clarifications and Other Small Print My Lawyer Made Me Include:

1) “My lawyer” being defined as Anna-Liza.

2) And “made me” being defined as ”my best friend is trying to keep me from overextending myself and going completely Loony Tunes.”

2a) “Loony Tunes” being where they put me in a padded room, sans sewing machine, sans pointy sticks.

2a(i) As opposed to my current state of outpatient insanity  robust mental health.

2b) And then ya’ll would never get your swag.

3) The handmade item will be a quilted item, stitched by machine and quilted either by machine or hand.

3a) Because I’m a much more experienced quilter than knitter.

3b) And my fabric stash is much bigger than my yarn stash.

3b(i) Which is non-existent.

3c) And because ya’ll don’t want me to knit you anything in my newbie knittingness.

3c(i) Not even a scarf, since the mysterious “rectangle” seems to be a difficult shape for me to achieve.

3d) Really you don’t. I’m just saying, is all.

4) The handmade item will be a fairly small project.

4a) Like a small bag. A Yule stocking. A needle case. A potholder. 

4b) Something that size.

4c) I am not going to be making you a quilt for your bed, ya’ll.

4c(i) For one thing, you could freeze to death waiting.

4c(ii) Just ask the Resident Sith Master how long it took me to finish his quilt- and he’s my flesh and blood!

4c(ii)(1) Started for his March birthday, completed the next Yule.

4c(ii)(1)(a) Or maybe it was the Yule after that.

4c(ii)(1)(b) But I digress…

4c(iii) Notice how I am still making “baby quilts” for Anna-Liza’s sons.

4c(iii)(1) With the fabric I bought when the 3-year-old was born, ya’ll.

4c(iii)(2) That’s right. Three. Years. Best. Friend. 

4c(iii)(2)(a) So ashamed.

5) The PIF items will be made by Pollyanna of the West Coast - Lyda - and not by Pollyanna of the Rocky Mountains (Anna-Liza).

5a) Who really is a separate person, and not my alter-ego.

5a(i) I should be so lucky.

5a(i)(1) Ya’ll haven’t seen her husband.

5a(i)(2) Or her yarn stash.

5a(i)(2)(a) I was going to write just ”Or her stash” but it sounded dirty…

5a(i)(2)(b) Or illegal.

5a(i)(2)(c) She is right now wondering why that stopped me.

5a(i)(2)(d) So am I.

6) Anna-Liza is completely innocent  not obligated by this Pay It Forward Challenge in any way unless she wants to get in on this train wreck  the action…

6a) Sorry, I just couldn’t leave “completely innocent.”

6a(i) I kept falling out of my chair laughing.

7) I will start on the Pay It Forward Challenge items real quick.

7a) Just as soon as I finish the Prince Quilts.

7a(i) Three. Years. Best. Friend.

7a(ii) So. Ashamed.

7b) And the “Chuck Norris Bites Frost” scarf.

7b(i) Now 40% complete. I love this yarn!

7c) And finish the “Global Warming” scarf.

7c(i) Just need to block it.

7c(ii) And add fringe.

7c(ii)(1) This weekend! she says optimistically.

7d) And possibly start on a scarf for Gorgeous-and-Available Engineer brother…

8.) But ya’ll will be right at the top of my list.

8a) Really.

8b) Anything to avoid working on the Twisted Sister Scarf.

8b(i) Stupid Twisty Ribbon yarn!

8b(ii) No More “Twisted Sister!”

8b(ii)(1) But I digress…