Happy Day

Nothing more exciting than getting a good deal.

Principles of Knitting
Having read so much about this famous knitting reference, I've always been interested in seeing what it was like. Last night, a coworker and I arrived at the restaurant for dinner about an hour before our reservation, so we decided to walk around. After 30 mins of walking, we were back at the restaurant, so I suggested browsing at a used book store near the restaurant.

Making a bee-line for the crafts section, I found dozens of needlepoint books, but there were only two knitting books. Luckily, one of them was "Principles of Knitting" by June Hiatt. Hard-cover, and in excellent condition, I couldn't find a price (except the face-value price of $35.00).



I brought it to the sales counter, and asked, figuring the prices would be astronomical.

$6.50

Yes, that's right, six dollars and fifty cents.

Suffice it to say, I bought it immediately.

On checking eBay this morning, there are two copies of this book listed currently, one with a bid at around $50, and the other with no bids starting at $125.

eBay Listing

I'm not planning on selling it, but it was nice to see I got a phenomenal deal.

FiestaWear Pullover
My knitting the last couple of days has been careless with a few mistakes. I had to reknit one of the cuff ribbings, and restart the first row of color blocks on the other one. I guess I need to pay more attention to my knitting right now.

I'm almost done with the first row of color blocks on both sleeves, and hopefully I'll make some good progress this weekend. I'll post a picture once I've gotten enough of a change to show.

New Baby Project Suggestions
Thanks for your great ideas for baby projects. I think I've come up with a great idea, but I can't discuss it, because Janis reads the blog, and I want it to be a secret.

Marilyn (the Knitting Curmudgeon) gave me the idea, and I fell in love with it. Now I just have to see about executing it. While I love the duck and frog designs, that wasn't the direction I wanted to go (although I may consider making those for some other baby). I also got many offers of vintage pattern books that readers have in their stash.

The kind charity of knitters that read this blog is sometimes overwhelming.

Travels

As most readers know, I'm currently stationed in Albany, New York for work and I drive three hours up here each week from my house in Pennsylvania. The drive can be absolutely beautiful.

Upstate New York at 80
At 80 miles an hour, that is. A couple of weeks ago, as I started on my drive home, I realized I had the pocket camera I got for my birthday in my shirt pocket, and I had no pictures stored on it.

Which meant, I could take 53 random photos of my drive through the upstate New York countryside, and not even care if they came out or not. I ended up taking random pictures as the car was moving, and almost lost the camera twice as I held it out the window. I wasn't expecting much.

None of them turned out to be exquisitely beautiful, but here are a few examples of my drive home that day anyway.






Mini Chock-a-Block
First of all, based on Amy's great suggestion (with a minor change) I am renaming MCaB to FiestaWear. I liked her idea, but didn't want to confuse anyone with the name of a couple of yarns that go by Fiesta. I also didn't want to make people think it was at all Mexican looking.

Plus I like the little pun with ware and wear.

As far as knitting progress, I started out the week by leaving my pattern graphic at home and having to ask Thaddeus to read off the seventeen colors I was using in this sweater over the phone to me.

During the interim, I was knitting the ribbing at the cuff. I also realized that because of the intarsia blocks, I could easily knit both sleeves at the same time, so I did both cuff ribbings. I also made a little progress (very little) on the first row of blocks.



New Baby Project
I recently found out that my knitting pal Janis is having a girl.

I need to come up with something quite extraordinary as a knitted gift for her new daughter-to-be. For my non-knitting friends and family, any pattern will do as long as it has a certain wow-appeal to it.

But for Janis, it will need to be truly fine and look great. I'm considering designing a garment. Either a little dress or a jumper in interesting colors. Any suggestions would be gratefully considered.

Overbooked

On Thursday, someone asked me what I had planned for the weekend and I responded that I didn't think I had anything. Boy was I wrong.

Full Weekend
We made it to the flea market twice, went out for dinner, saw a movie (Whale Rider which I loved, Thaddeus hated), shopped for a housewarming gift, when to a housewarming party, saw a play and ran multiple errands outside of what I normally do on a weekend.

Mini Chock-a-Block
Despite all of our running around, I did get a chance to do the collar and the shoulder seams for MCaB.



It's almost traditional that when I get to this point in the sweater that I try it on. Despite the fact that this sweater is full of colors that I don't typically look good in, it's a very flattering sweater for me. I'm looking forward to finishing this one.

I was daydreaming last week about showing this sweater off at Stitches East later this year, so I guess I really am proud of it.

I still have to fix the color mess up.

Flea Market Purchase
Thaddeus and I always look for very specific items when we go flea marketing.

He looks for fiestaware and mushroom-related things. And I look for yarn, knitting needles, knitting books and buttons. I found both knitting needles and buttons this week. The needles I hated, so I didn't buy them, but a few cards of buttons caught my attention. Both will make perfect button sets for sweaters, especially the larger, lighter ones.



Earflap Cap
A while ago, I designed and knit up a few different versions of an earflap cap that I based on one Thaddeus saw in a movie and liked. I was going to let Simply Knit sell it as part of a kit, but they didn't think it would do very well, so I've decided to offer it to anyone who would like it.

Click Here for Earflap Cap pattern

I apologize in advance as I used MS Word to create this document and also there may be errors in the pattern, because it hasn't been tested overy thoroughly. If you find any, feel free to let me know, and I'd be glad to correct them.

Where the HELL are you?

When it came down to trying to catch up on my knitting or writing about it, the knitting won out.

Knitting Progress
I know they're only self-imposed deadlines, but I like to push myself to get as much knitting in as possible. I've been focusing a little more on my knitting this week than blogging. Now that I've made some good progress, the blog will hopefully be a little more regular.

Mini Chock-a-Block
I finally finished the front of the MCaB, and I'm still very pleased with how it's coming out.



You'll note I decided on the shallow v-neck. Next, I'll bind the right shoulder seam, and knit the collar. Then I'll bind the left shoulder seam. Finally, the sleeves and the side seams. Another two weeks if I stay on track.

That's the good news. The bad news is that I made a mistake in two of the blocks on the front of the sweater. It's hard to see in the picture of the full front, but in the 7th row, second and third block from the right (the left side of the sweater), there are two blue blocks that are similar, but different colors of blue.



If you look very carefully, you'll see I reversed the two colors halfway through the row of blocks.

I know I need to fix the mistake.

I know how to fix the mistake.

I'm not looking forward to correcting this "knitting in dark rooms" mistake. Damn those hotel bedside lamps!

For those of you wondering, I will insert a needle in the first row of knitting where I reversed the colors, insert a needle in the bottom row of the two squares above the mistake, and unknit the two incorrect halves. The hardest part will be where I wrap the yarn between colors.

If I can, I'll document the correction with pictures.

Zachary Blanket
I also picked up the pace on the baby blanket for Zachary.



It's looking very cool, although I bled on it a little bit yesterday. I cut myself while slicing beets for lunch, and the cut reopened when I was knitting. I'm pretty certain I can remove all trace of the blood, there wasn't very much.

Reader Questions
Judy asks:
How many stitches did I cast on for the baby blanket.

Answer:
With US3 needles and baby-weight yarn (Patons Baby Beehive), I cast on a total of 191 stitches. The pattern stich calls for a multiple of 12 stitches, plus 1. I also had to include ten stitches for the border (five on each side).

Thanks everyone for the encouragement on the niece's "invention for foot warmers, and the correction on the number of Jamieson books by Unicorn. There are two published so far, and a third on the way. There is one Simply Knit book and another on the way as well.

Fiber Sense

Understanding fiber and fabric and color is a something that someone seems to either have an aptitude for, or doesn't. Maybe Fiber Sense is the sixth sense..."I see dyeing people."

Knitting Integrity
These thoughs started with the knitting niece when she "invented" foot warmers. While foot warmers will never make it big in commercial or knitting circles, I was impressed that she found a use for these useless tubes we got out of the Barbie Knitting machine. I was also impressed with how she decided she liked the reverse stockinette instead of the "correct" side. I agreed with her that the reverse stockinette showed a much more interesting patterning.

Knitting Integrity
Another thing that sparked this entry was a comment in Amber's blog about how she's combining colors for her current City of Light project. Not only does she subject herself to the standard rules of color combination, but she also maintains that other factors must be considered when combining the mill-ends of yarn she's using. Such as who gave her the yarn or what project it was from. I've always thought that the only thing important in design is what you declare to be important. I like when brave knitters like Amber elect to declare interesting aspects of knitwear design important, and then stick to those declarations.

Al Roker has a blog?
So it seems.


Al's Journal

I've never been a big fan of Al's, despite the fact that "Today" is my morning show of choice during the week. But I have to admit, his blog lets me see a little bit more personal view of him, and I like him a little better after having read his writing.

Mini Chock-a-Block
Well, I finally finished the eight row, and now I just need to decide on when to start the neck shaping. It should be soon. It's going to be crew-neck or a very shallow v-neck (because that's what I look good in). I think I'll just start where I am and just fill in as much as I have to with a collar treatment. It will make the remainder of the front knitting easier.

Visiting Out-Laws

The brother, sister and niece-out-of-laws have left, the house is tidied up and the cat feels safe to roam the house again.

Knitting Niece
Thaddeus' niece, Alexandra has always had a fascination with my incessant knitting. This weekend, she discovered the Barbie Circular Knitting machine, so we got a big skein of Red Heart rainbow variegated out of the stach for some knitting play time.

I first suggested that she make a door draft eliminator. She cranked, and cranked and created a tube long enough to lay across the base of a door. I finished off the end so she could have her mother help her line it with the leg of an old pair of panythose, and fill it with rice or dried beans and keep her bedroom free of drafts.

The she decided that she needed to make herself a pair of "foot warmers". Since she's the niece with long narrow feet, the Barbie Knitting tube was perfect. I bound off two tubes for her, and voila!



Here's a picture of my beautiful niece.



And a picture of the out-of-laws.



Mini Chock-a-Block
With all the activity yesterday and today, (Tanning, Amish market, Chinese restaurant, Firemen's carnival, and Flea Market) I didn't get much knitting done on MCaB. I finished the seventh row of blocks, but haven't started the eighth row yet. Not enough difference in knitting to provide a picture.

Overall, it seems like most folks think the sleeve should continue the block patterning. I'm glad, because I was thinking it would be the best way to go, despite the fact that it's a little more difficult to write up in a pattern.

New Project
Also got some work done on the new baby blanket. I'm liking the King Charles Brocade pattern stitch. It's a simply Knit and Purl stitch that looks like this:



The pattern stitch is easy to repeat once it's started, and I've gotten to the point where I can start it without looking at the instructions. Hopefully this will make the knitting go faster.

New Knitting Books
I got a chance to see the galleys for the two new books from Unicorn. The first one is the new Jamieson book. I only saw a black and white copy of the book, and overall, it looks like a good solid knitting book. Very comparable to the first few Jamieson books. If you liked the first three Jamieson books, you'll like this one too. I know I'll be getting one for my library.

The second book is the new Simply Knit book. I'm not allowed to give any advance notices of this book, but I can say that I do like it a lot, and the designs and pictures are quite good. All of the designs are also done in the new Unicorn yarns. Suffice it to say, I think this book will sell a boatload of yarn from Germany.

Neither book is available for sale yet. My understanding is that the Jamieson book will be out this month or next, and the Simply Knit book is slated for September.

Visiting Family

The knitting niece will be visiting with my sister and brother-out-of-law this week.

In-Laws, Out-of-Laws
For those of you who aren't aware, Thaddeus and I aren't legally allowed to get married in this country except in Vermont, and even then it's not recognized in any other state, nor by the federal government. So for instance, if a legally married person in this country were to die, his spouse would automatically get all of his possessions unless otherwise set up in a will. In the same situation, my mother would get all of my belongings ignoring my 20 year relationship with Thaddeus.

That's why I call Thaddeus' sister and brother-in-law, my sister-out-of-law or brother-out-of-law.

Anyway, they're visiting this weekend to go to a local wedding and leaving us to watch the 12 year-old niece while they go to the wedding. She's the same niece that I made the socks for when we stayed with them at Martha's Vineyard and who asked me to help her learn to knit.

We've got some things scheduled which may slow up my knitting some, but hopefully I'll make good progress anyway.

Mini Chock-a-Block
I'm up to the seventh row of blocks on the front, so I've been moving along pretty well. At this pace, I may finish the front this weekend.



I'm debating how I will do the sleeves on this pullover. Should I just continue the same pattern of blocks, or should I do a solid color sleeve with one column of blocks down the center?



New Project
I have been a little busy with my knitting. In the wee hours of the night last night, I also started the baby blanket for my co-worker's new baby boy.



It's hard to see yet, but I'm doing a King Charles Brocade pattern with a garter eyelet border. It might take me a while depending on how much time I can allocate to this project. Hopefully I can get it done soon enough to make it a relevant gift.

Reader Questions (all from Kathy)
Q. Joe, dear, can you explain, for the tasteless among us, what are the badly designed elements of the fair isle bathrobe?

A. Mostly it's the colorway and size of the Fair Isle desisgn. Pink and black are a hideous combination usually, especially that pink. The gargantuan Fair Isle standard patterns make it clumsy looking.

Q. Is it too contrasty?

A. Like Alice, I have never been a fan of using black or white in multi-color designs. This one uses both. But not too contrasty.

Q. Do you hate the PINKness?

A. I hate everything about the pinkness in this garment. I'm not at all averse to well-used pink.

Q. Are you, as a forty-something, fearful of admitting you like the "cozy" aspect?

A. No, as a bathrobe, this garment shape would be fine. It was designed as a coat. Ugh! I like cozy, as long as it's refined cozy. A good example is Marilyn's Cashmerino sweater that we saw. Very cozy and warm.

Q. Am I being too sensitive?

A. I'll let the readers decide/vote on this question :)

Meet Up
I'd be more than glad to meet up any weekend. Rosemont Cafe or our regular Lambertville deal would be perfectly fine. Just let me know the time and place or if you need me to coordinate any of it.

As far as I'm concerned everyone can come. The more the merrier.

Knitting Newbies

For me, folks who are new to knitting can be some of the most frustrating or some of the most exhilarating people I deal with.

Teaching Knitters
Over the course of the last two weeks I've had the opportunity to show two people something about knitting. Both of them were positive experiences, although very different as well.

The first one was my niece. She's 12 years old, and she has always been facinated with my knitting. Since I was making her a pair of socks while on vacation, she asked me to teach her to knit. The socks were a perfect training ground since they would be worn by her, they only had to be knit with no purling and they were done in a self-patterning Regia yarn that seemed to be very satisfying for her.

She picked it up very easily and actually knit pretty well right off the bat. She loved the fact that she was participating in the creation of a sock that she would wear. Her stick-to-it-iveness wasn't great, so she'd knit a few rows and then hand it back to me. Overall it was an enjoyable experience to pass on some knowledge to someone who may some day be ready to devote some time to knitting.

The second experience was a much more exciting one for me. One of my coworkers in Albany brought his wife to Albany from their home in Milwaukee. She does a lot of crocheting, and some knitting. She was making a cotton bathing suit in crochet like one she had seen in a store. With crochet she is very talented and can design a garment on the hook. At knitting, she's not quite as talented.

She needed to make a cord to secure the bathing suit in the back, so she bought a plastic knitting noddy in a local fabric store in Albany. I told her that she'd be better off just doing i-cord because it would be quicker, and she could more easily regulate the number of stitches and the gauge of her cord.

She didn't know how to do i-cord, so I tried describing it to her, but she didn't understand it very well. The next morning, I met her in the concierge lounge and gave her a lesson in i-cord. She understood immediately how it worked, and agreed it would be much easier than the knitting noddy. I also loaned her the double pointed needles so she could make the i-cord in the hotel while I was at work.

Her enthusiastic desire to learn and try things made teaching her very exciting for me. I could only hope that everyone would have such excitement for the craft.

Mini Chock-a-Block
As usual, work and hotel life haven't let me get an enormous amount of knitting done, but I have gotten up to the fifth row of blocks (out of eleven). I'm trying to get enough done so that I can finish the front of the sweater this weekend, but we'll see.



Everyone I show this garment to is loving the deep and vibrant colors, and I haven't gotten sick of them yet either. Although, I have to admit, there are certain stitch patterns that require a little more concentration than I care to give, and when I have three or four of those blocks in a row (as with row four), I find myself hoping to finish that row of blocks more quickly.

New Project
I just got an e-mail for a co-worker of mine who had relocated to Rhode Island over a year ago. He and his wife had their first baby, a boy name Zachary Joseph.

I stopped at the local fabric store, where they also carry yarn, and picked up some Patons Baby Beehive in a typical baby blue color.



I think I'll make a nice blanket for his new boy.

Reader Questions
Q. Do I have a pattern for the Oak Leaf sweater or the Fair Isle "bathrobe" in my blog entry from last week?
A. No. This was a random Google Search that seemed to meet my needs of a nicely designed sweater. It was the Fair Isle "bathrobe" that I picked as my idea of a badly designed sweater.

Q. How many amorous replies have I gotten to my blog.
A. Honestly, none. Knitting must not inspire the lust in people.

Q. Am I crabbier in person than the Knitting Curmudgeon?
A. Actually in real life, Marilyn is quite sweet, and I am much more crabby in real life.

Who Am I?

Many of the folks who read my blog have a pretty good sense about what kind of guy I am.

How I Got This Way
When I was a child, I was very timid and akward. I was very skinny and startled easily. Picture a newborn foal just trying to walk. Even my dad told my mom that he thought I was gay, even though I was only about 10 when he told her his thoughts. I wasn't effeminate, but I definitely wasn't masculine or butch in any sense of the words.

I recall moving to New Jersey at the age of 10 thinking that I could completely reinvent myself because people in New Jersey wouldn't know what a fearful creature I was.



Unfortunately they recognized it immediately.

Through the age of 18, I remained very skinny and not very coordinated physically. My sole struggle through those years was to just try and fit in. Many of the kids my age were trying to be cool, or trying to excel in their crowd. Not being an outcast was a big enough goal for me.

The next five years were a major turning point in how I identified myself. I did significant soul searching and realized that there are many people that find geeky, nerdiness very appealing, and it was my lack of self-acceptance that kept me hidden. During those years, I decided it was time to come out in many ways, and embrace the very aspects of myself that I had tried to avoid throughout my life up to that point.

Having embraced my inner-Nerd, it was amazing how quickly the outward signs of nerdiness began to disappear. When I reached the age of 25, I filled out physically, and begin to exercise and lift weights.



I no longer looked so much the part of proud geek, but I continued to take advantage of the positive aspects of being a nerd. I found that being on the fringe of acceptable humanity gave me license to be more self-determined. I could in essence be anyone I wanted to be, because the folks that didn't value differences in people had already dismissed me.

Anyway, I've come to the point of knowing and liking who I am albeit through a very odd route. I attribute much of my creativity in knitting and writing to being a fringe character in life.

Mini Chock-a-Block
I have made some progress on MCaB, but not enough to show in a picture. I will be updating the blog within the next day or two and include an update picture at that time.

New Jamieson Books
I wasn't able to get to the yarn store this past weekend, so I didn't get to see the galley's for the two new books. I will report on it next over the weekend.

However, I did find out some disappointing news. It turns out that the new Jamieson book will not be including my all-over patterned pullover design. The editor has twice told me that my design would be in a Jamieson book, but neither book has included it. It's been frustrating, because I think a lot of folks would like the design, and had I known it wasn't being published, I would have let Simply Knit sell it as a kit.

Reader Questions
A couple of readers with bad taste have asked about the hideous Fair Isle coat on my last blog entry.

I did a google search on "ugly sweater" and clicked on the "Images" tab, and I thought this coat perfectly fit the bill. As for the other sweaters, they came from a sweater contest at the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival, but I wouldn't even know where to find patterns.

Knitting Personalities

I often say that the personality required to get elected as president of the United States is one that most U.S. citizens wouldn't want as president.

What Makes a Knitter?
I've also been known to say that it doesn't take much intelligence or creativity or vibrance or enthusiasm or vision to be a knitter. All it really seems to take is perseverance. There are many knitters who know how to do all the requisite stitches, and can follow a pattern and even modify the pattern. What many knitters lack is the ability to understand how a sweater will look when it's completed. The drape of the fabric, the color combinations (if different than the pattern picture), how it will fit the intended recipient, etc.



What makes an extraordinary knitter is someone who takes the time to try out different things. I've seen swatches that Alice Starmore did for various Fair Isles, and she sometimes did 20 or more color combinations before she settled on one for a particular design. Also someone who can extrapolate what the effect on the fabric will be when changing the gauge or the fiber type (e.g. wool to alpaca). I also have enormous respect for people that know how to put together great colors. Also being fearless in knitting I find extremely valuable. Not being afraid to try a new technique, or attempt something difficult, or even knitting something that is a complete failure and ripping it out and trying again.



Suffice it to say, I strive to be one of the extraordinary knitters, and this blog is about encouraging other knitters to do the same. I've been very fortunate to have met some great knitters through this blog, and I only hope more and more of the creative geniuses in knitting gravitate to places like this blog.

Speaking of which, you have to check out Wendy's most recent Fair Isle. I've always thought that she had an incredible eye for amazing sweater designs, and she certainly has the knitting talent to execute them.

Mini Chock-a-Block
Since returning home from vacation, I've made some progress on the front of MCaB. I've done a few rows of blocks, but with the busy weekend of catching up on vacation bills and e-mail, it's been a little slow.



I did get a chance to talk with the ladies at Simply Knit and found out that the Unicorn editor thought the back panel of MCaB was very good. They also got the copies of the galleys for the next Jamieson book and the next Simply Knit book. I'm hopeful to get into the store to see them both today.

Although I've heard tell that there's a note from the publisher that I can not put any of it on the internet yet. Good to know, otherwise I might have scanned the entire thing and published it to the blog.

Vacation Hardship
All the work required to get myself tanned over the course of the last week or so, I thought the least I could do is show you that I did in fact get some color.

QueerJoe Returns

Vacation isn't quite over, but I'm back home and blogging again.

Vacation
First of all, vacation has been great. Two weeks away from work has been a wonderful relief. We had incredible weather while up in Martha's Vineyard. Even when the forecast was for rain for the cape, the Vineyard had clear, sunny weather. We also got to do a lot of my favorite things. There was a lot of tanning, swimming, and eating.

Here's a picture of the house where we stayed.



And another of the view from the "backyard".



I'm also glad to see that Velma is back from her "vacation" too. I missed her blog and her energy.

Vacation Knitting
The socks for my niece came out beautifully. I was able to make two almost perfect twins. There is a minor differerence, because I ended up starting the heal one row early on the second sock, but it's hardly noticeable.



Since my niece has very narrow feet, it was nice to be able to make her a pair of custom-made socks that fit her perfectly.

I made very fast progress on these socks, so when it looked like I would be done with them by Saturday, I stalled on them a little. After I finished them on Sunday, I decided I needed a swatch of the Regia for my local yarn store, so I made this and taught my niece how to knit a little too.



I realized as I was nearing the end of the first sock, that I had forgotten to bring a darning needle with me. Since the socks were made toe-up, I needed to be able to simulate a stretchy bind off, so I did it with my double pointed needles. It took me forever, but it worked out fine. By the time the second sock was complete, my sister-out-of-law had found some good darning needles for me at the local grocery store.

See?!? Perfect vacation.

Mini Chock-a-Block
I will resume knitting on the Mini Chock-a-Block sweater today.

I don't know what the reaction of the editor from Unicorn was. I was on vacation when he was there this past weekend, and the ladies from Simply Knit are on vacation now. I'll have to wait a week or so till the store re-opens.

As always, I'll keep you updated with pictures and and reaction I find out.

Blog Vacation

Blog vacation starts today, and blogging will resume at the end of next week.

Vacation Knitting
First of all, I decided that I would knit some socks for my niece while I was on vacation. If I finish them while I'm there, I'll leave them with her, if not, I'll send them along afterwards. I bought some striping Regia in bright oranges and pinks with maroon. I think she'll like them.



Mini Chock-a-Block
While I was at the yarn store, it was like a mini reunion. I got to see Carol, CC and Nadine. They were all quite excited about MCaB, and asked me if I would leave it in the store so they could show the Unicorn Books editor, who was scheduled to be there on Saturday. I'll be interested to hear his reaction.

Then Kathy came in with her daughter, so it turned out to be a fun and social visit.

I did start the front of MCaB, although not much to speak of.




Next Design Ideas
Finallly, I'm not planning on starting the new design until I'm finished with MCaB or unless I get extremely bored with it, which isn't likely, since it's moving along very quickly.

When I was trying out contrast colors in the yarn store yesterday, Kathy reversed her decision. Number three in the color chart I posted yesterday doesn't show up quite as nicely as it does in person (although Marilyn seems to have a keen eye).

I think what I'll do is make the roll neck collar in Ivy (yarn #3), and then do multiple collars in different colors. Since the collars don't take very long, and I have dozens of Jamieson's colors, it might be fun to be able to change collar colors anytime I want.

See you all when I get back.