Scuppered

Major General Urquhart:
Hancock. I've got lunatics laughing at me from the woods. My original plan has been scuppered now that the jeeps haven't arrived. My communications are completely broken down. Do you really believe any of that can be helped by a cup of tea? 

Corporal Hancock:
Couldn't hurt, sir.

--From "A Bridge Too Far," 1977

I'd planned to go two months ago when we picked up a leaflet reminding us of the date at a market we'd attended. The Cowichan Fleece and Fibre Festival is held every year usually on the same weekend of Rhinebeck, in the hamlet of Cobble Hill, about 35 minutes south of where I live. I'd been once before, but never with a yarn friend, and this year I was looking forward to going. These things never disappoint. It's a small Festival in comparison to many others, but it's always a good place to spend a couple of hours:

We planned it well: we decided to start the day with a relaxing brunch at a local cafe, and we didn't arrive at the hall until an hour after opening, after the big rush and lineups of excited yarnies that attend these events. It was relatively non-crowded and we could really spend our time looking at the wares, squishing the yarn, and feeling the fleeces. I love that kind of shopping when I can really take my time and get lost in colours and textures and start imagining what I can do with the goodies on offer. I always leave with a contented sigh.

Close by in the town of Cowichan Bay, the Tzouhalem Spinners and Weavers Guild were holding their annual show and sale. Since we were in the area, we popped down for a visit as well. It was held in the Maritime Museum, which was a lovely venue for such an event. It was a very different event, quiet, but busy in its own way. My friend bought a couple of beautiful woven tea towels, whilst I wandered around admiring the items on displays. Not all were woven: there were some lovely knitted hats and shawls, as well as braided rugs and seat pads:

We wandered around the town a bit longer, stopping in at shops here and there, as well as into a couple of artists' studios I'd never visited before. It was so pleasant to walk in and chat with each artist, especially with a friend who is as equally enamored by folks living their dreams as I am. I left feeling really lucky to have had the experience.

We stopped at the cafe once more for some tea and a cookie and some more chatting, and then I had to leave to get home. I drove away feeling like I'd have a really good visit with a good friend...

... and then I remembered I'd left my yarn goodies in her car. Gah. 

It's a funny feeling when you lose something you'd only just acquired. I start wondering how I can quickly undo the mistake, how I can get them back... right now. But the reality was that my friend lives a couple of hours south of me, and I had somewhere to be, and by the time we both turned around, it would be far too late. I gave her a quick call and she offered to mail them to me, but I'm heading down her way in a few weeks and it would be just as easy for me to wait until then.

And so... scuppered is the only word I can think of right now. I would have loved to sit today and get some good daydreaming in, but welp... I guess have to wait.

She did send me a couple of good photos this morning so I could share them on the blog. Yeah... they're sure pretty. There are four skeins of handdyed aran weight wool (mixed, I think) which I am thinking would make a really lovely, cozy lap blanket. I also have one skein of pale grey BFL in fingering weight:

I adore the touch of purple/blue in the grey aran skeins, and the richness of the raspberry aran skeins. I'm looking forward to having the BFL because I have another skein of mixed grey laceweight that has been languishing in my stash waiting to be used, but there's just not enough yardage to do what I want with it. That makes the BFL a "helper" skein: if I hadn't bought it, that laceweight would probably sit for a lot longer... at least, that's my story:

It'll be the weekend after my birthday when I get down to pick them up, so I guess I'll call these my birthday present. It'll be worth it. Delayed gratification must build up some kind of character, I'm sure...

In the meantime, I came home and found this on the couch:

We've been looking for a good raincoat for Seymour, but we couldn't find anything that would cover his belly, which is really the part we need to protect the most. Being a vertically challenged pup means that he gets a really mucky undercarriage on a wet day. The hubby stumbled on this coat at the dollar store, which was almost perfect except it was a bit tight around his chest and belly. Being adorably short and stout comes with its own challenges, it seems.

So I pulled out my sewing box and went to work and sewed in a zipper to give him a bit more space. I was especially impressed with myself because I had to cut the zipper, so I sewed in a couple of zipper stops to keep the zipper from zipping all the way off the teeth. I even sewed in a hook at the top (it's a bit small so you can't see it, but it's there) to keep the zipper from working its way back down the teeth:

And it fit:

He is thrilled, as you can see. I'm guessing he wishes I hadn't forgotten my yarn, too:

I do have things to work on in the meantime. Who am I kidding? I've got the biggest stash in town, I'm sure. I'm working on the partner to this fingerless mitt, as well as a few projects blooming in my brain. I've got plenty to keep me busy:

But man... I wish I hadn't... oh well. It'll be worth the wait, worth the wait, worth the wait...