What a nice mail day I had today!

First, there were prints of the graduation pictures I took last week. You know, I am required as a proud aunt to have them.

Then, there was this box from Mielke’s Farm.

A Katie-a-go-go. A completely collapsable, portable, tensioned lazy kate–which is large enough for three Majacraft bobbins–that comes in its own cute little carry sack.

Incidentally, to digress for a moment (as I love to do), has anyone else ever heard that tensioned kates are called “industrious,” and it’s only the untensioned ones that are “lazy?” I came across this in passing somewhere or other and have been trying to find verification of it. It’s such a nice, handy little semantic idea, but I have no idea if it’s true. I’ve only been able to find two mentions of it anywhere online, but it seems like such a simple way to verbally differentiate between the two kinds of kates . . . lazy or industrious . . . without having to spell out the tensioned/untensioned element. You know, “My industrious kate,” instead of “My tensioned lazy kate.”

Well, you know, assuming we spinners managed to spread the word to all the other spinners so that they’d know what we were talking about so we wouldn’t have to spell it out all the time, “My industrious kate, you know, my tensioned lazy kate?” Because that would be as silly as Rachel Ray’s “EVOO ” abbreviation–handy when writing out a recipe, yes, but she always says it aloud, “Use some E-V-O-O, you know, that’s extra-virgin olive oil, and …” which completely defeats the purpose of the abbreviation. But I like the idea of the clear differentiation.

But then, who knows, hordes of kates around the world might rise up (or lay down, as the case may be) upon hearing that they’ve been reclassified, and complain about suddenly being labelled as lazy or having to be industrious, when up until now, at least they were all lazy together . . .

But, okay, back to ME.

Here’s a picture of the kate (lazy or otherwise) set up and ready to go with my two bobbins of Tibetan Dreams singles. String to tension the bobbins, and then the yarn feeds through the loop in the center. (Similar in concept if not in beauty to the Will Taylor kate that Abby has. I mean, really, his really IS gorgeous.) Clearly I haven’t tried it yet, but I do like that it’s portable and therefore versatile and easy to toss into a spinning bag. I mean, sure, it cost more than Theresa‘s, but…)

What else did I get in the mail?

A (non-knitting) friend in Portland (the one on the West Coast) saw some articles in the newspaper that she thought I’d be interested in and sent me clippings.

(ahem) Why she thought I’d be interested, I have no idea.

Thanks, Carolyn!

Tags: Knitting/Spinning // 7 Comments »