Score!

I had a customer come in to work the other day who was wearing a shirt that had a logo for a welding supply company embroidered on it. I asked him if that's where he worked, and if they sold fine-gauge stainless steel tig rods. He just gaped at me, and then stammered that they did. I said, "Oh, fabulous! I've been looking for some. I need them for a project at home--but they need to be rods without flux--that's no good for me." He just stared at me. So did the banker I was working with. I love doing things like that--pulling something completely out of the blue that knocks people speechless. The man I was waiting on was just so flabbergasted that a 20-something GIRL who works at a bank had even heard of welding, let alone that there were such things as 1/16th inch stainless steel tig rods that he didn't know what to say.

So today, I was waiting on another customer, when this man walks into the bank and hands a bunch of wires to one of my coworkers and indicates they are for me. Hooray! I have blocking wires now! I guess that means that I ought to get back to work on some of the lace projects that are sitting abandoned in my WIP basket.

So the moral of the story is: Doing your research and remembering random facts (like that 1/16th inch stainless steel tig welding rods could make good blocking wires) can get you free stuff!

Attention family members--I have no idea if any of you ever read my blog, but if you do, you can stop right here because you're not allowed to see what else is happening here. Go back and comment on previous posts, that's fine, but read no farther at peril of spoiling your own possible presents!

I've thrown myself into gift knitting this week with a passion. I've been working on some socks for my missionary brother in Hungary. I've turned the heel on the first sock.

I've also started spinning up some fiber that my mom gave me this spring. It was the winter coat her horse shed this spring, and she wanted to know if it could be spun. I thought it would be really difficult to spin, but it hasn't been as difficult as I expected. The horse died unexpectedly a few weeks ago, and I thought she might like to have a bag or something made to remember it by.

Normally, I'd say I'm kind of a natural-fiber snob but I was up exploring a new yarn and fiber store in Georgetown KY on Saturday, and I found some yarn I couldn't resist. This quite unnatural--it GLOWS IN THE DARK!! I also picked up some charcoal gray wool and I thought I'd make my roommate a scarf with a snowflake fair-isle border or something.

So, I have about three months until Christmas. Can I make a sock and a half, an entire scarf, and spin and knit something else from horse hair by the deadline? We shall see!