Benny or Oprah?

How am I doing on the self-imposed shopping ban, you ask?  Well, I think I am doing quite well, thank you.  A frame for a word picture for our bathroom, replacement leather cord (thicker!!), some replacement beads, a little toy for Benjamin's visit last weekend.  Not too bad.  I have noticed, though, that I have been pinning things like crazy on Pinterest.  I am pretending that I am placing the desired items in a shopping cart, and will place the order any day now.  It continues to surprise me how many of the emails I get are from my shopping opportunity friends (stores).  Don't I have any real friends anymore?   I could take my name off their list, but then there goes the Pinterest shopping.  Yesterday I got an email from Purl Soho in New York.  Now, New York happens to be one of my favorite cities, and I haven't been there in a few years.  When I was working, I was lucky enough to get to go there 2 to 4 times a year and get paid for shopping for shoes, clothes, and fabrics.  Tough job.  When, not if, I go back for a visit to NY, I will most definitely go to Soho and shop at Purl Soho.  I can only imagine the yarns and fabrics...Until then, I read each email I get from them, and save some of their project ideas to my Pinterest board.  The first picture above is their latest...doesn't that blanket just scream out for nap time?  Love.  They made it out of their own bulky yarn, a soft Merino, at $19.50 a skein.  The lap size takes 22....$429.00.  Well, not only am I on a shopping ban, I am not crazy.  That seems like a bit much for a lap blanket.  The orange bird cage in the bottom shot (notice the feet) holds the leftover yarn from the Color Shift Afghan that I finished a few months ago.  It is just a worsted weight, acrylic yarn, but of high quality and very soft.  I decided that if I used two strands, it would be about the same weight as a bulky.  I grabbed some big circular needles, and started to knit during last night's tv time.  The pattern is seed stitch, and is almost as mindless as the garter stitch, perfect for unwind time.  I will knit each color until it is gone, then add a new one.  I can't decide if I want to do the colors in rainbow fashion, or in random order.  So far the inches are soft and squishy, and "pert near" free.  This morning as I got a cup of coffee in my red cup that has been here at the cabin since we bought the place, I wondered if I was like little Benny of The Boxcar Children fame with his little chipped pink cup, or if I am  more like Oprah with pages of My Favorite Things.  Oprah would love the Merino wool afghan.  Benny would think the colorful one out of leftover yarn is cool. Jerilynn