Nancy Drew and the Case of the Missing MadelineTosh

Currently on the needles:
- Dragonscale Shawl

Our young detective, Nancy Drew Ashtan Albright, is trying to solve a case of a precious skein of Madeline Tosh that the USPS seems to have sent into a void somewhere. A knitter's worst nightmare, let me tell you.

But how did I get myself into this mess? Shouldn't I be on a yarn diet from all the beautiful things I brought home during the yarn tour?

Yes, I probably should, but saving money is a tempting mistress, my friends. The fact that I have to spend money to save money is completely irrelevant...

My birthday was this past Thursday and various retailers, bless them, sent me all manner of coupons and gift certificates to use. Not wanting to waste these precious things, I found myself looking for anything to spend my 20% off on Paradise Fibers. Lo and behold, they had two skeins of MadelineTosh DK in Stephen Loves Tosh.

The heavens opened up and the sky wept for me.

I had been searching for another skein of this yarn after finishing the Sugar High Cowl. During the course of making the cowl, I didn't think I'd have enough yarn to finish it and bought myself another skein. Well, not only did I have enough to finish it, I also had enough left over to make this.

Warm coffee is best coffee.

I figured that I'd make *something* out of the other skein at some point and sat it aside. 

Sometime around March, I got the notion in my head that I HAD to make a shawl with this yarn. I mean, it looks like a Van Gogh painting in yarn from. But that meant having to get more yarn. Oh, darn!

My usual supplier, Jimmy Beans, had two onsie skeins left in stock. Tossing both into the cart with a self-satisfied smirk, I completed the checkout process.

A few hours later, Jimmy Beans sent me an email, letting me know that my order had been cancelled because they did not, in fact, have my mythical yarn. My heart broken, I resolved to just shove the only skein I had into the back of the stash, until such time that I was ready to face it.

So imagine my delight when not only did I find the yarn and my order from Paradise Fibers went through, but they even stuck it in a box and actually shipped it out! I would have my shawl yet, damnit!

But the universe apparently doesn't think I am worthy of this yarn.

For two days, I've seen the exact same status on the USPS' website.

It does not take two days to drive from Cleveland to my house, USPS. You're making me nervous. Don't you understand how much I need this yarn? Please, please don't fail me in this. I don't think the tenuous relationship I have with my current skein of Tosh in this color will survive if it finds out it might have to be put away yet again.

In other news, I'm 25 now and up an age bracket on surveys. I also received tons of lovely gifts. My precious soul fam got me all the beautiful stuff you see below.

A mug with my initial (already have plans for a mug cozy for it!), a beehive cookie jar, a ceramic pour over coffee filter and bamboo filters to go in it, and some corn chowder mix.

She also got me some lovely copper rings. I fell in love with the top ring because, let's face it, it looks like some gorgeous yarn wrapped around it. But I had been wanting a thumb ring for a while and the flowered one fit. Being the generous soul she is, Renee insisted that I take both. I love that woman, let me tell you.

John and Alex got me the Lego Harry Potter Game Years 5-7, an ocelot Minecraft plush, and John managed to sneak one by me and stuck a Super Rare Tarrasque Dice Masters card into my deck. 

Emily got and assembled a 3-D crystal puzzle t-rex that promptly fell apart the moment I touched it. She, in a brilliant flash of patience and understanding, reassembled the whole thing, super gluing the pieces together. Rexy is solid now.

My mother got me a 2 foot by 3 foot t-rex skeleton wall sticker and a bone folder, which I desperately needed. The sticker already has a place picked out for it, but it means I actually have to paint the room it's going in. So, in the box it shall remain for a while.

If I wasn't cozied up in my bed, I might be bothered to take pictures of these presents. But alas, I am a creature of comfort, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

In knitting news, I'm still plugging away on the Dragonscale Shawl. I'm playing yarn chicken and hoping desperately that I'll have enough to actually finish. And, because I'm a masochist, I've decided to add beads to the final chart, slowing my progress down even more. 

I'm halfway through the final 16 rows, then have a 2 row bind-off. I have no bloody idea where I'm going to block this thing, though, because it's huge. Just in time for this wonderful cold weather we've been having.

Beeeeeaaaaadddddsssss!!!!!

I also made something for Renee and Kevin as a thank you for the lovely dinner they made us.

I'm especially proud of the bee box there. It's already hanging up in their kitchen, which, not going to lie, makes me a little proud.

Well, I do believe I'm going to go attempt to wrangle this shawl and get it done today. Some Arrow and a lot of caffeine should do the trick. Or it's going to distract me so much that I bungle the whole mess. One of those two options.