Weekend FO's:

The Opal Southwestern socks
A paperback book cover, complete with a paper-pieced birdhouse block on the front.

The book cover is part of the Mother's Day gift for my mom. While working on it, I remembered why I don't do much paper-foundation piecing - it ranks high on my list of "craft PITAs". I always wind up wasting a lot of fabric, or cutting one piece a smidge too small and not finding out until I've sewn on the next piece. And then there's always the bits of paper to be picked out (and picked up off the floor because they never fall straight into the trash can). At least the thing is done.

I also worked a bunch on the Trinity Stitch shawl, although I think I need 10" more to have the top of it wide enough. I think I did figure out how to attach the edging as I knit it; in "Lace from the Attic" it says that on every other row, you knit the last st of the edging together with one of the chains or stitches of the thing you are attaching it to.

I began a pair of green Opal Crocodile socks. If I can get these done, they will be part of my mother's birthday present.

I did go shopping. I found a fabric (white, with tiny, tiny jewel-colored dragonflies) for the dress. I bought some more scented candles. I went to the local Hobby Lobby and found that they seem to be eliminating just plain Wool-Ease in favor of the Lion Brand "novelty" yarns, and they seem to expect that people will use Red Heart if they want a "just plain yarn". Well, considering I live in a warm climate, that's probably true of many people. (also that most people who knit or crochet do it for children or babies and the stuff needs to be easily washable). Still, it's sort of sad. I had hoped to get some grey for one of the dolphins out of the Kath Dalmeny book.

I'm sure the Lion Brand boucle is a nice yarn, but it comes in such damn garish colors - I would never wear any of the combinations that the Hobby Lobby had.

Oh, and I got a letter from KnitPicks - the yarn I wanted was sold out by the time they got my order. Figures. So I called the company to see if it was a "final sold out" or if it was "we'll have it back in stock on date x". It was a final sold out. I did talk to the woman and she suggested an alternate color - which I ordered, PROVIDED it is in stock. Of course, it would have been nice if I had got an e-mail right away when they found it was out of stock, rather than having to wait the couple days for the letter.

I do not think I will order again from companies where the warehouse and the order center are in different states, or where the "warehouse" doesn't actually exist and they order yarn from the distributor when I place my order. I have increasingly found that kind of situation to be one that leads to frustration - stuff is out of stock or sold out or "can't be found" and no one at the order center knows it because they never even see the warehouse. So Carodan Farms and Elann may be my main yarn-sources in the future.