For Meritricious Behavior

I feel as if I crammed in a lifetime last week: three part-time jobs, one square dance, one Tupperware party, one knitting lecture, plus grading, plus housecleaning. I'm sure there's more, but my head is still whirling.

The knitting lecture went well, I think, and since it came with a discount on yarn, I finally indulged myself.

It's not that I don't break down and spontaneously buy yarn. I do, on a regular basis. But this was a planned yarn purchase, so I had to convince myself I was worth it. The discount got me over that hurdle.

• Richard Rutt's History of Hand Knitting. This is a book essential to every historic knitter's library. I can't wait to stay up late at night reading it. I've borrowed it and referred to it many times before, but now I can write it in, turn down the pages, use it as a coaster, read it in bed. I'm delighted.
  
• Boku, 8 skeins, to be made into EZ's ribwarmer. A year ago, I made the ribwarmer in Wool-Ease in forest green and told myself I'd do it again with a stand-up collar and in a better yarn with variegation. This is it. I've ripped 3 times already as the stand-up collar is giving me fits.
  
• Fiesta in what they call African Violet, but what I call Mardi Gras, Baby! I had seen this yarn in my LYS last year, fantasized, drooled, and couldn't justify the expense ($29 a skein!). When it popped up again this year, I made special trips to visit it, afraid it would sell out before I got my discount. My crappy camera does not does not do justice to the glory that is this colorway. I've slept with it next to my bed for the last two nights, just so it can be the first thing I see in the morning. Now I'm afraid to knit with it. Two skeins isn't very much after all (only 8 oz.), and it will not accept being ripped.
  
• Lace-weight grey because I need this kind of stuff and should just stock up.
  
• Louet merino for Mara Riley's mitts.
  

Apparently finally loving myself enough to buy nice yarn broke a dam. On Sunday I went to an antique paper show. Antique paper as in "ephemera" as in my blog name.

I entered the hall owning a "collection" of four reward of merit cards and left with about thirty-five more, of which this photo is a small selection.
I also now own a 1902 dance caller's manual.

I do not own the three 1840s children's books I spotted.

I loved them desperately, but I didn't love myself enough. Or maybe I loved myself enough to step on the brakes.