Lacking Motivation

I feel so worn out. I suppose I should be knitting or working on ATCs or journaling or something, but I'm just too tired.

Maybe I'm just feeling a bit down because it's Twelfth Night. That means I had to take my tree down, and all the lights.

I miss my pretty Christmas tree. Sob.

And so does Bibo.

Magic Yarn Ball, Anyone?

I recently heard about magic yarn balls on one of the knitting podcasts, and I immediately thought, "I MUST DO IT!" I mentioned the idea to Jenlar and Ishy over at Craft Wonderland, and they agreed. So, it's official: we're going to do a swap. Our first, actually.

Okay, by now you may be wondering, "What IS a magic yarn ball?" A magic yarn ball is like a little treasure hunt meets knitting and crochet. Here's the idea...people sign up, just like for any other swap (duh!). You get your partner's name and stuff, just like any other swap. But this time, the goodie basket is IN THE YARN. Instead of making a little package, full of wonderful little things, you buy a skein, ball, or hank of yarn. Then, you start rolling it into a ball. As you go, you wind all the little treats up into the ball! You can hide everything, so it's all a surprise, or you can leave little bits peeking out to offer a taste of what's to come. Then you ship it off...with the label from the yarn, of course!

You've had your fun, but now it's your partner's turn! They receive this wonderful little ball of goodness, maybe tied with a ribbon or with things sticking out. (Why am I suddenly thinking of Katamari Damacy?) Now it's time to get to work: starting crocheting or knitting! As they work, more of the goodies are exposed. Common items are candy, ribbons, buttons, stitch markers, little things of lotion (wrapped securely!), and silk flowers. Handmade goodies are always appreciated, of course!

We haven't set a deadline yet, so if you want to join us, head on over to Craft Wonderland and let us know!

Some examples of magic yarn ball goodness...
Whip Up's cute kid's myb
Stitch Marker's chronicle of her magic yarn ball
Another myb blog entry, this one from The Heathen Housewife
An old magic yarn ball swap at Craftster
Tons of magic yarn ball pics from a flickr group

Come knit a dragon with me!

Over at Craft Wonderland, we're doing a dragon stole knit-along. Actually, it's a knit- or crochet-along; Ishy is finishing up a crocheted dragon.

It's inspired by the Vegan Fox on Knitty. I would say "based on," but it seems we all left the pattern after about row three...Anyway, it's an awesome pattern, and we're having a blast.

For the record, mine is now 23.5" long. I'm using TCL Amore in black (yes, it's cheap, I know, but it did what I wanted!) and Patons Brilliant in Black Dazzle. I'm using size 8 bamboo needles.

So if you knit or crochet, even if you're a total beginner, come play!