Speaking of art, my beloved hubby Brian is artful with computer programming on the web. I had something like 2000 spam comments on my weblog in just a few days, most trying to sell pharmaceuticals to men. What a hassle!

Well, it took less than two days and Brian figured out a slow but effective method to remove the unwanted comments (we ran his routine while we were sleeping and in the morning the unwanted comments were gone). He also set things up so that it will be a little harder for the unwanted messages to happen again.

I am a geek but not in this area. I am really grateful for my beloved. Thanks, Brian! Comments are restored to ColorJoy again, and I’m grateful.

Well, I have been enjoying my snailmail lately! First I got a box of yarns from Cyndy and then I got an envelope from Laura. So many yarns, so little time!!! These are just gorgeous. I am definitely checking out the one yarn from Laura as a possible felting yarn (which is why she sent it). The brushed mohair in the same colorway (she dyed this herself) is also fabulous. You all know I adore brushed mohair… I wonder what this will become. It’s not a lot but could be a stripe in a legwarmer or a cuff on a glove, perhaps. Hmmm…

The yarns from Cyndy were out of the blue. She knows I use a lot of eyelash yarn, since she watches my weblog. So here she sent me some Crystal Palace Fizz (this is a wonderful yarn that comes in so many great colors) in color 7320, a cobalt. Wonderful stuff, which screams “Mom” to me. She also sent Plymouth Yarn DazzleLash, a poly/rayon metallic which is teal (on the green side, greener and darker than in this photo) with gold bits. The color number is 143. Totally cool, and totally me. Can’t wait for time to knit another ColorJoy stole just for me. This one could work great in a stole for wearing onstage. Glitter is wonderful on stage.

The last yarn is something I’ve never seen before. It’s a yarn called Potluck (150 yards, varying weights) and it is by Ellyn Cooper’s Yarn Sonnets. The label says “Hand-dyed yarns” but this is more like hand-assembled yarn. It yas bits of all types of yarn, from chenille, to brushed mohair, to glittery wrapped yarns, to a shiny rayon, a smooth wool and a shiny cotton, and even strips of woven fabric, mostly calico-flower prints. They are all tied together with overhand knots, clearly intended as decorative accents. Very innovative, think Crazy Quilt for yarn. It will need a swatch to really see what its best potential might be.

The color is called “Minty” but it ranges from mint/aqua to sage green to gray, gray-blue, soft purple and mauve. The colors look about perfect for a purse for my friend JoDee, but she is seriously sensitive to wool and mohair, so this is not to be. I have not a clue what this will become, but it seems to be purse material more than anything else right now. I’m thinking maybe of knitting it as one strand along with another solid-colored strand for stability and unity.

I’m so busy making my dyeing business get up off the ground that this will probably wait a little while, but I’m thinking…I’m thinking. It might be nice in a weaving of some sort, too… a table runner perhaps, mixed with other yarns. I’m not sure yet. When I find out what it is telling me it wants to be, you’ll hear it here first.

Photos: Laura’s handpainted wool and mohair yarns. Box from Cyndy… can she do ColorJoy or what??? Then the three yarns from the box… more color and more joy! Thanks, ladies.