Oh Brother!

Here we go again. It's Superbowl time and as you may remember from last year, I really hate football.

Da Bears lost the Superbowl last year and they really stunk this year so one would think, being a Chicagoan, that I'd be off the hook and wouldn't have to put up with the all day television event. Au contraire! The Prince is a native New Yorker and a transplanted Massachusettsian so according to him, this is the game he's always "truly wanted to happen." This is the game of all games, the one not to miss. And sure, he wants the Giants to win, but if the Patriots win (which they will, he tells me), he can always say he wanted the Patriots to win from the get-go.

The last time the Giants were in a Superbowl was 2000, which isn't very long ago so I'm not sure what the big deal is. Tiki Barber apparently led the Giants in rushing and receiving. I knew that guy had a career in something before The Today Show . It didn't occur to me that it might have been a football career, he's way too pretty to be a football player, don't you think?

So I've been trying to get the Prince to watch these gigantic, important, earth shattering events anywhere but home. The television is monopolized all day every Sunday so he can be sure to take in every opinion, every last word from anyone on the upcoming game and of course every word after the game is played even though he's watched it and should know what happened.

This is what he told me,

"Oh, I can't go anywhere. True football fans watch the games alone, in the privacy of their own homes."

"That sounds like code for 'I don't have any friends.'"

"Not true! True football fans have to watch alone so they can analyze every play with no distractions. It has nothing to do with friends, but has everything to do with being a real fan."

"Great," I said, "So on Superbowl Sunday, you'll be here all day?"

"Not necessarily, real fans can watch the Superbowl with someone else."

"That sounds like code for 'if I can find a friend, I'm watching it with him.' I'm not taking any chances, I'm going to have a party at the Shop."

"Can I come?"

"No way. There won't be a television there anyway."

"I'll bring one," he said. "How will everyone watch the game if there's no television?"

"That's the point, dear. No TV, no game, no boys, no problem."

So if you too want to miss all of nauseatingly boring pre-game events, join me for an afternoon of fun and knitting! The Shop will open at 1:00 and we'll have munchies and a few surprises too!

In knitting news, the Dale of Norway Baby Ull sweater is progressing nicely.

Winter Doldrums

Has the gloom and cold started to dampen your spirits? It certainly has dampened mine! And, if your house is anything like my house it's been all football all the time which is turning my brain and my creative juices to mush.

So with the creative help of the very talented Tornado Sisters, Eileen and Kelly, the Shop has been spiffed up and rearranged; and, to bring some much needed color and warmth into the drab days of winter, I have new yarn, mostly sock yarn in fact!

First, there's a brand new shipment of the glorious Dream in Color Smooshy:



Then, there's the brand new, all beautiful Great Adirondack Soxie:



Next up is Schaefer Anne and the brand new Schaefer Heather sock yarn:





Running the newly arrived Blue Heron Soft Rayon Twist through my poor cold fingers is a delight. These gorgeous colors come in a DK weight for a silky little sweater for the warmer weather that is sure to be here:



I ask you, who can stay blue when you've got fabulous yarn on your needles in to die for colors that will keep your fingers busy and your toes oh so warm?

Stop by and see all that's new!

"It will come to pass...

that every braggart shall be found an ass." William Shakespeare.

After yesterday, these are the words I shall live by and of course, I'm going to tell you why.

Last week, my darling friend Alex came into the Shop with his Mom. I asked him what he got for Christmas and the last thing on his goody list was of all things, a Pogo Stick.

Well, I was off to the races.

"When I was your age, Alex, I had a pogo stick and I was the pogo stick master! I could stay on my pogo stick all day long. If I didn't have to eat or sleep or do homework, I could have stayed on my pogo stick forever."

I glanced over at Cory and Alex's mother and they both rolled their eyes at me as if to say, "This is a bright, inquisitive little boy, you're going to pay dearly for this kind of talk."

Undeterred, I rambled on,

"As a matter of fact, my pogo stick is still hanging in my parents' garage back in Massachusetts. It' s a little rusty as I haven't jumped for around 40 years, but it's still there! I was the envy of all my friends who constantly dared me. 'I bet you can't stay on for 10 minutes,' they'd say. Oh, I can stay on for an hour and I'd jump and jump and jump. 'You can't stay on for two hours!' Oh, yes I can! I can stay on for eight hours!"

Caught up in the starry-eyed wonder of my tiny audience, I went on and on and on and on. Alex's record at the time was 11 jumps so you can well imagine how impressed he was with me.

Was I the only one who didn't see it coming? Apparently so because to no one's surprise but my own, Alex and his Mom came into the Shop yesterday with none other than the Christmas Pogo Stick! And, much to my dismay, Alex brought a friend to witness the Pogo Stick Champion of the Free World do her thing!

I got on and started to jump.

"Geez," I thought, "I don't remember the footpegs being this narrow. The shaft is a lot shorter than mine; this must be a smaller model."

After three (probably 2 1/2) jumps, I fell off. I got on again. Three more jumps and I fell off into the glass cubbies of yarn. I knocked over a book on the top, but neither I nor the cubbies were seriously hurt.

Alex giggled and took the thing away from me and got on. Sure enough, he jumped 11 times.

Alex's friend said, "You only jumped 3 times and Alex jumped 11 times."

"Well," I said to Alex's mother with all of the sincerity I could muster, "this pogo stick is too small for me. Mine was bigger."

"Ah, of course it was," she said.

I told the Prince later, "I have to buy a Pogo Stick this weekend."

"I'm quite sure that's not a good idea," he said.

I explained the whole ugly story and said,

"Poor Alex has had one disillusionment after another recently. No Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny and now his favorite Yarn Shop Owner can't jump on a pogo stick. I've got to make it right. I found one at ToysRUs that advertises to be fun for all kids, ages 8 to 80."

"Well, you're not 80," he said as he adjusted my out of whack back. "By the way, is there anyone that can corroborate your pogo stick prowess? Can your sister validate this skill?"

What is it with men anyway; they always have to prove everything. Why can't they just believe!

Alex, if I can take the pogo stick for a test drive in ToysRUs this weekend to show that it was the stick and not my age that killed my ability, we'll have another demonstration next week.

And as for news back in my comfort zone where thankfully age has nothing to do with ability, here's the Dale Baby Sweater in progress for our class:

Do you have your Ravelry?

Have you joined Ravelry yet? It's an online knitting and crocheting community where you can get pattern ideas, see yarn, log all of your projects, completed and in progress, log your stash, and even your needles. You can join groups of like-minded people and best of all you can join our group!

If you sign up at ravelry.com. There's a bit of a wait to be "invited" to join, but once you're invited, let me tell you, the fun begins!

If and when you join, be sure to join our group, Nana's Knitting Shop and say hello to Cory and I. Cory's ID is Shopdaughter and I'm Triciaknits.

Be warned - Ravelry can be the biggest time suck you've ever experienced online. You'll easily end up on Ravelry for hours, even days and your family will go hungry, your dust bunnies will accumulate, your significant other will forget what you look like and unless you're incredibly multi-tasking talented, you won't be able to knit!

Miss Cory has been nominated for a Ravelry Bobby Award! The Awards have many categories, but Missy has been nominated for the funniest avatar. What's an avatar you say? Well, it's a little picture you put in as your Ravelry identity.

Here's Cory's avatar for which she was nominated for a Bobby Award:

Apparently, sock yarn confusion has paid off! See you on Ravelry!

Don't stay on Ravelry too long or you'll miss our big Inventory Sale! Yarn, yarn and more yarn is on sale for 15%-40% off! See you on Friday or Saturday, January 11 & 12 for this giant sale event.

Gigantic Sale - January 11 & 12

We're having a huge Inventory Sale, Friday and Saturday, January 11 & 12. Yarn will be 15%-40% off! Sweater quantities of many yarns are available.

Discount Examples include:
20% off Cascade 220
20% off Gypsy Girl Sock
25% off Rowan Summer Tweed
25% off Tahki New Tweed
30% off Plymouth Sockotta
40% off Recycled Silk and Recycled Rayon
40% off Plymouth Encore Worsted & DK

I hope everyone had a very Happy New Year and I'll see you at the BIG SALE!