Successful Day

Since I had racked up a good number of credit hours during those Weeks from Hell, I took today off. Mr. Pointy Sticks did too and we got a few errands run...got bird seed, paid the Target bill, went to Lowe's to look at stoves. No success there. (And I was tiny bit annoyed when the salesguy who was helping us got a cell phone call, answered it and walked away and left us looking at the Lowe's website while he chatted. He did sort of apologize when he came back about 5 minutes later but really? Rude!)

Later in the day Mr. Pointy Sticks and I remembered Bray and Scarff, an appliance store close by, and we drove up there to see what they had. First of all, they seemed to have a larger selection of makes than Sears or Lowe's. And the salesman was very helpful. We ended up getting a KitchenAid (same brand we have now -- pretty much the same with a couple other little bells and whistles that they've obviously added over the 10 years since we bought our old one) and guys will come to the house Thursday to make sure that the new stove and dishwasher fit in the old spots. Yes, I said dishwasher. It's not that we really neeeeeeeed a new dishwasher. But the one we have has had little irritating problems over the years. And Bray and Scarff had an Asko. Mom had an Asko in the house in Charlottesville and was very happy with it. They are quiet! Mom's was quiet enough that you hardly heard it unless you were in the kitchen. This one is rated at 46 decibels. Nice. (I hope.)

I got the second mitered square finished today and started the third. I got to visit The Black Sheep for a while this afternoon (Hi, Tracy! Hi, Joyce! Hi, Ann and Sue and Karen and Renee and anyone else I'm forgetting!) I mentioned that I was doing this blanket and Ann had a great idea...instead of backing the knit squares with flannel, use polar fleece. It'll stretch and give like the knitted front. Seems like a good idea to me. And you don't have to hem it. So I think I could just get a piece of polar fleece the right size and zip satin binding tape around it and perhaps tie it front-to-back in a couple of spots! Well, it sounds easy. I am so not the seamstress, though. We'll see. I asked Ann (jokingly) if she wouldn't want to do it and she declined.

And the major success of the day was this:

I have a pair of needles that I adore. In fact, they are the needles I am knitting the mitered squares on (well, I started on short bamboo needles but soon had to move to something longer). They are metal with an exceedingly smooth coating and a simple knob at the end with the size marked on it. No other identifying info. So I am sitting at The Black Sheep and we get to talking about needles and I start talking about these needles I love so much. I'm describing them and Ann is sitting beside me saying "Yes!" "Yes!"

I finally asked, "Do you know what I'm talking about?" And she says, "These?" And picks up from the off the table in front of her (hidden from me by some knitting, though I probably wouldn't have noticed them anyway) -- the same needles in size 4s.

"Yes!" I say, "what brand are they!?!?"

And she answered?

"I don't know, but I love them too!"

Turns out she had donated a lot of them, in various sizes to The Black Sheep's classroom. She disappeared into the back and soon came out with a pair in their sleeve! They are Leisure Arts needles! Huzzah! I immediately came home and checked on eBay and I now have two pairs coming my way in size 3s and 4s. There were also sets of 10.5s and 11s, but I generally don't like to knit with needles that large. Though if I had to, better to use needles you love.

So...that was, I must say, a very good day.