Knitter with a New Sympathy Project

I left out of here early yesterday morning on a noble mission. With shoulders back to proudly display my four pins:

1 gallon

2 gallon

3 gallon

4 gallon

I headed confidently toward Glen Burnie and the needles that terrify me to

I can't think of anything that I have done that makes me feel better about myself than giving blood. Back when I toiled daily at the Big Ugly Law Firm, I found it very easy to regularly submit to the needle, but on my current path where I seldom leave the City limits and rarely leave the County, blood drives aren't so frequent. So I went to where the needles are! But they didn't want me ....

This is twice in a row now that I have been deferred for low iron content. Here's the rule right off the Red Cross web site:

Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Blood Count -- Acceptable if you have a
hemoglobin at or above 12.5 g/dL.Acceptable if you have a hematocrit
at or above 38%.

I was at 36%. The nice worker quickly grabbed patient literature to explain to me that it didn't mean that I was sick or anything, in fact I was within the normal range -- but the Red Cross guidelines are higher to make sure their donors are well prepared to replace the blood, etc. Guess what? That was the last thing I was thinking. With all the pain and despair in the Gulf Coast area from Katrina and now Rita, I just wanted to do something to personally help another human being. I was so disappointed ... and now I'm going to prove just how shallow I can be ... that I made a bee-line for Total Crafts, conveniently across the street from the Donor Center, for some sympathy purchases.

Now this was a well-stocked yarn department! I saw stuff here that is not typically in chain stores and it was quite nice indeed. Unfortunately, the weight was heavily on the animal fibers, but I still found enough to keep amused, including this:

I picked up this free pattern a long while ago when I first saw the Red Heart "Casual Cot'n" and squirreled it away for another time. This time, the yarn was on clearance, so I grabbed 8 skeins of Color 3853 "Floral." I'm thinking this was a summer season color clearance and not a product discontinue, because there were darker color blends at full price on the regular shelves. I really like this stuff! At 29% cotton/61% acrylic/10% polyester, I think it will be breathable but sturdy enough for constant wear. The label calls for machine wash and dry.

The twist of the ply is kind of bumpy like Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria and knits up with the same unevenness. This caused me great anguish when I worked the Eyelet Cardigan, but I finally decided to accept its refusal to toe the line and flaunt its individuality. Then after wearing the sweater several times, I WAS SOLD! The bumpiness makes it float over your skin, very light and non irritating. So, if the Casual Cot'n feels even close to the Cotton Stria, AND has the easy washability, this will be perfecto!

On my monitor, this swatch appears pretty dark, but the true color is a mix of soft white, lavender and sage green. Now, I'm not totally sold on the pattern yet. I love the look of the "Elegant Cardigan" with the feminine neckline and girly crocheted edgings -- particularly when mixed with the casual stitch definition -- but I usually like a higher neckline. I'm taking it under consideration for now.

The Festival

We are officially at the 24 hour countdown! Dear Husband and I have a date in 11 minutes to start measuring out and marking the vendor spaces. Just moments ago, our sleepy-headed, "I hate early wake-up calls" fellow organizer, Gretchen, called to say that she's coming along too. Of course, we were stunned, cuz Girlfriend likes her sleep now. But this was good news and we'll have so much fun working this together. -- off to the streets!