Disney’d out.

I returned home from a trip to Disney World last week, which was a wonderful opportunity for regaining my sanity, post-thesis-meltdown. I love Disney, and there’s really very little I’d change, outside the ridiculous amount of walking in Animal Kingdom. Really, the only thing Disney doesn’t already have is yarn! Perhaps in the UK pavilion in Epcot, I mused. Or maybe yarn in every pavilion, for a little international flavor. Canada could stock Koigu and Paton’s, the UK could stock shetland wool and Rowan, France could stock…well, whatever the French are knitting these days. I honestly can’t name a single French yarn off the top of my head — Italy and Germany are easy though, with all those Filaturas and Sockengarn…

And Norway? Well, that’s easy, right? Dale of Norway. So imagine my amusement when my friend grabs my arm as I’m admiring one of the (very expensive) Dale sweaters in the Norway gift shops, and hauls me over to see THIS:

Yes, Disney now sells Dalegarn Learn to Knit kits. In the event of a fiber emergency, Disney is now equipped. Truly, the perfect vacation.

I found some other adorable and vaguely fiber-related amusements, such as this little yarn Mickey keychain:

He’s all wrapped string, right down to the tail. They also had Minnie, Donald, and Jack Sparrow, all from wrapped yarn. I wavered and almost got Donald, but in the end I’m a Mickey sort of girl.

I also found, in the China pavilion, this marvelous recycled cotton tote bag:

I saw it, walked on, and went back five minutes later. The idea of carrying this around fiber festivals was just too good to resist. (I am not actually born in the Year of the Sheep, but that can be our little secret…)

And after I came home from Disney? I finished up a hat that I’ve had on my to-knit list for a year now, and I’m super happy with the results.

Pattern: Northern Lights Tam by Mary Jane Mucklestone, Interweave Knits Holiday ’07
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette
Needles: 3.0mm for the ribbing and 3.25mm for the colorwork
Notes: I loved this pattern from the moment I picked up the first IK holiday issue a year and a half ago, but not the colors — they were too bright for me. I went with the following: Nutmeg, Apricot, Tan, Sunlight and Peach for the greens; and Blue Note Heather, Iris Heather and Clematis Heather for the Reds. I’m very happy with how they all came together. I also went up from the recommended needles sizes, as the pattern says it’s for a 18″ head size, and…well, my head’s bigger than that! I was guessing and was too lazy to swatch, so I’m very relieved that the sizing worked out.

I have a ton of yarn left over and there are visions of matching mittens dancing in my head, which I think I should start working on post-haste, because it’s awfully cold out there!

(PS…If anyone’s interested, I have a ridiculous amount of pictures from Disney posted here.)