Shipping changes

As of today, Royal Mail postage went up quite a bit for packages. How does this affect you? In one of two ways:

1. for UK residents, nothing will change (for the moment). I will continue to have free shipping to UK addresses for as long as possible - I'd like to be able to promise it forever (or at least as long as I'm in the UK), but that's not feasible. If anything changes, and I have to start charging UK shipping, I will let you know in advance.
2. for International customers: the postage price (to me) for shipping one bump of fiber has gone up to £3.86/£3.90 for Europe/Rest of World. I'm sorry, but that's not an increase that I can cover, so international shipping charges will increase to £3.90 for non-UK shipments. However, there is some good news.

The good news is that the increased shipping price will not go in to effect until 1 June 2012. That gives you one entire month to buy all you want at the old shipping price (£2.50) - my loss is your gain.

Enjoy!

Things I am doing instead of using my right hand

1. Entering the 2013 London Marathon ballot.
2. One-handed data entry.
ETA #2.5: Trying to look on the bright side of bacterial contamination of my cell cultures: it means I don't need to worry about putting caps on 500+ scintillation vials this week.
3. Contemplating starting to crochet - it only uses one hand, right?
4. Quietly cursing to myself.
5. Coming to the realization that I can not watch TV without fiber/yarn in my hands.
6. Weaving in a lot of ends. I mean, a lot of ends...

It is a bit irritating all in all, and I am a very grumpy Porpoise. You have been warned!

FF: George R. R. Martin is everywhere

You may have noticed this yarn in yesterday's post.

That is what happens when you take this fiber,

and spin it into sport/fingering weight singles.

Fiber: Hello Yarn Fiber Club 2011, BFL/silk, colorway "Night Gathers"
Prepped by splitting each 4 oz bump into four lengthwise pieces
Spun at: 9.25:1, point-of-contact drafting
Stats: 460 yards/8 oz, ranges from fingering to about DK weight
I finished with a fulling wash (hot, cold, hot, cold, hot, cold)

There is not much to say about this fiber other then yum. And that it is in imminent danger of being balled up, and cast on to start another Clapotis. According to the doctor, I have mild carpal tunnel syndrome, and I should use my hand as little as possible. And here, take these honking massive anti-inflammatory pills for a month - if it's not better, come back and we'll start with the fun tests*. Sadly, I can only manage the balling up part at this point in time. But let me figure out how to knit with my hand in a brace, and I'll be on this so fast it will make your head spin...

* And by fun, I mean So. Very. Not. (nerve conduction recordings and muscle stimulation via electric shocks? Sign me up please!) (Or not, thankyouveryfuckingmuch)

What to do when you're trying not to knit?

Trying being the operative word here...1) Finish some spinning (i.e. wash, thwack, dry)


2) Watch Game of Thrones (swoon).

3) Paint fingernails a color somewhere between purple and navy blue.


4) Do some writing.

5) Maybe a little something else on the side?

Uh oh. That there is a new design, a pair of lacy summer mitts, that I started knitting on Tuesday. They may be done before my doctor's appointment tomorrow (at which I fully expect them to say "Stop typing/knitting/using your right hand, you complete idiot!"). I hope so, cause I need to get them tested and published by the beginning of June. Thankfully they are somewhat addictive, so they knit up quick!

FF: (yet another) Weaving FO

An "ancient" but as yet unblogged handspun item for your Friday viewing pleasure: Boo's Overfond scarf.

Yarn: warp = handspun merino from Hello Yarn, colorway "Overfond", weft = recycled pale blue light fingering weight from a Goodwill sweater, 100% unknown wool fiber.
Start/finish: 17 January - 3 February 2012
Details: ummmm....I'd copy over my notes from my Rav project page, but I didn't leave any. Oops! But after I made Dev a scarf from her Christmas yarn, I had to make one for Boo.

Sproingy, boingy, bouncy merino at it's finest. Lovely stuff, and yet another example of how I should just trust The Adrian in All The Things Color: I was unconvinced by the colorway in top form, but adore the finished yarn.

I have made the unfortunate discovery this week that, not only should I avoid knitting like the plague, I should not spin. I managed to ignore this glaring truth long enough to spin up 8 oz of BFL/silk singles, but that will have to wait for a bath and a modeling session sometime next week before I can share. Suffice to say, it was not my best idea ever. Harumph. I do not like this situation one little bit, but I need to stop being a stubborn idiot and trying to do things before my hand has calmed down. Or else take myself off to the physio and start popping ibuprofen like candy. Ugh. Might mean a lot more weaving however...I can take care of all my Christmas gifts for the year! That's planning ahead for you.