Back among the living... Temporarily

Sorry for the extended absence. It's been a long crazy week. I was in tech all last week, which is never pleasant. To make things even more fun, I apparently forgot how to sleep. I was averaging about 2 hours a night for 2 weeks. I was so exhausted, I just felt stupid all the time. I am happily medicated now, and while I still am not able to sleep continuously through the night, I am managing to get more hours of sleep a night. Someday I will remember how to sleep 6-8 straight hours in a row. Hell, I'd be happy with 5 in a row!

So, I'd like to thank everyone (belatedly) for all the kind comments about my shawl. I was happy with how it turned out, but I wished it was bigger. (says the girl who doesn't swatch) Sadly, it did not place at the state fair.

Here it is... with no ribbon! (and of course, not displayed in any sort of flattering way, AND it's wrong side out!) I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I was kinda hoping for a third place, or even an honorable mention, but no such luck. However, all was not lost! I did get three other ribbons.

The crocheted elephant got an honorable mention.



The dinosaur got a second place ribbon.


And, the sheep puppet won a second place ribbon as well. I was disappointed about the sheep puppet. I really wanted a blue ribbon for him. I had to enter him in the Miscellaneous Knitted Item category. The pastel afghan next to him is what won the blue in that category. Grrrrr....
Ah well, there is always next year!

In any event, I had a great time at the fair.


I got to go to the pig races, which are pretty damn funny.





My friend's Dad runs the Birthing Center at the fair. Basically, they artificially inseminate a bunch of cows and pigs so that they are all ready to give birth during the week of the fair. My friend's Dad stays at the fair all week long, delivering baby pigs and cows. And it's all open to the public, so you can actually sit and watch the animals give birth. Last year, I got to see a calf being born. I was fascinated. It was slimy and bloody and gross, and completely amazing. This year, I just missed a litter of pigs being born. They were SO CUTE!


I wasn't able to get a good picture of the brand new babies, but I did get this picture of a litter that had been born earlier in the day. And since I knew the guy in charge, I got to hold one!

He(she??) was so sweet! I didn't want to give him back. SOOO cute!!! Dr. H said people always come in and say "Oh! They're so cute!! I want one!" And he just calmly points at the mother pig and says "Do you have room in your house for one of those?" It's easy to forget how huge-mungous they grow when you are looking at a tiny little piglet!

I also found this guy

So ugly he was adorable. You can't really see in this picture, but he had these great tusks. Wouldn't he make a great house pet?? :)

So, I guess now that fair season is over, I need to start contemplating... what next. I need to finish up LL's birthday socks. I'm just turning the heel on the second one, so I expect to finish it soon. I showed them to her for the first time today, so I will post pictures of them soon. Then I want to finish up my purple koigu jaywalkers that are languishing at the bottom of my knitting bag. I have a pomotomoose sock that still needs a mate (a completed mate anyways!), as well as an elfine sock that is sadly single. I'm kinda itching to knit some more lace. I've also been thinking about making my first sweater.

Mama E and I are hightailing it to NYC this Saturday for a whirlwind tour. We have big plans to go to School Products and the Point. So, who knows what goodies I might find there. For some reason, I have been obsessing lately about Handmaiden's Sea Silk. I've never actually seen it in person, but in pictures, it looks gorgeous! I may need to hunt some of that down for some lace knitting. Anyone have any suggestions for other "must go to" yarn sources in NYC?

Next week, I will be back in tech hell. I think there is an evil plot to kill the tech staff by opening shows at both theatres within two weeks of each other.