Saturday, March 28, 2009

Batty Batty Batty







Okay, that header isn't going to make sense to anyone who is not in my immediate family- it's a line from the movie Hollywood Shuffle that somehow became part of the Taylor Phrase Dictionary. It has no bearing on anything, except that the Twisted roving that I am spinning right now is called Batty. I don't know why it's called that (probably nothing to do with Robert Townshend), but it's a totally gorgeous bit of fiber, dyed in shades of plum, sage green, and pale yellow. It's going to make a beautiful yarn (the shot of singles on the bobbin was too fuzzy to upload, but the other picture shows the colors well). I had thought that this blend was strictly Merino (I lost the tag listing the fiber content), but I see a bit of sheen, so now I think it's the Merino/Silk blend. Regardless, it's lovely. I will probably 3-ply it to retain the striping.

When I'm not spinning, I am ripping out socks. I didn't like the eyelet structure of the first version of this pinkish sock, and so I reverted to my easy eyelet texture (K 4 rnds, next rnd : *YO, K 2 Tog* around), which compliments this short-length variegation. These colors are not particularly to my liking, but I'm not an 11 year old girl. I think she will like them just fine.

And when I am not spinning or ripping, I am reading. I read Neil Gaiman's Coraline yesterday. I bought it for me, but also with an eye toward gifting it to the voracious reader in the family. I loved the story, but there is no doubt that it is very dark, and vividly unsettling. On the other hand, said VR reads far above her grade level, loves the supernatural, and is not easily spooked (and will probably see the movie). I'll consult with her parents before making the decision. But for adults, and young readers who are not prone to nightmares, I heartily recommend the book.

And no matter what else I'm doing, I am thinking about the Fargo/Moorhead area. My brother in law lives on The Red River. In '97 (The Awful Year, The Year Where We Had a Blizzard Every Week, The Year of The Floods), their house was spared. They're not going to be so lucky this time around. They (along with most of those two towns) have evacuated, and are waiting to see what the river decides to do. Here in South Dakota, there are flooding issues as well, all along The James River. We, personally, are on what passes for high ground, and Turtle Creek (which runs behind our house, but quite a ways downhill) is high but so far not causing damage anywhere. Please send whatever good energy you can spare toward those who are dealing with these problems.

2 comments:

DragonsChest said...

When I read "batty batty batty" I immediately thought of Sesame Street and the Count, who sings a song where he counts bats. The chorus is a bunch of bats flying around singing "batty batty batty"!!

Energies being sent to your BIL and family, and to all the folks in danger.

Anonymous said...

Keeping all those in the water's way in my thoughts... hoping sand bags hold and the national guard makes the right decisions as they try to tame the river...