Four Es

E is for eyes on the prizes. On Mardi Gras it seems appropriate to show off the prizes for the ABC-Along I Contest: two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in colorway Iris Garden for first place and an I-cord maker for two runners-up. Click on the photo for a closer view. (Sorry, chères, the Mardi Gras beads are not included. And at risk of sounding exclusionary, ABC-Alongers should expect to receive contest details from Anne via email.) This Mardi Gras, it also seems appropriate to think about New Orleans and the brutal contrasts between happy or, this year, perhaps even self-righteous revellers and the unalleviated desperation and ruins in other parts of the Big Easy.

E is for easily amused. Yarn snobs may sneer, but it doesn't take much to make me happy. During the Knitting Olympics I collected a fistful of coupons for the numerous chain stores roundabout Exit 151 and used them to buy Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky in colorway Tinsel White ("snow white with a touch of icy white glitter").

   

The plan is to make Vladimir Teriokhin's Cropped Cabled Cardigan in Vogue Knitting Fall 2005 to wear while night riding. White is an excellent safety color at night and I figure the strand of glitter will reflect car headlights. I spent under $20 on yarn, so can splurge on some 3M Scotchlite reflective piping for additional visibility.

E is for effort. Having ridden in events with special athletes and para-athletes, I think the "Do or do not – there is no try" philosophy is rather misguided. It seems to me that not trying because of fear or apathy often can be a thornier failure than not succeeding.

And E is for elastic. I prefer yarn with a bit of sproing, but do have a small spool of knitting elastic, just in case.

See the rest of my ABCs.