Don't forget about the yarn giveaway!

I know the description I wrote made it sound a little, um, less than appealing. But it's truly a beautiful neutral with a lot of depth that will go with just about anything. And 10 (TEN!) skeins! C'mon!

But maybe you're saving up all your comments for Sunday. We can talk about the final Olympic event, the men's marathon, which happens Sunday morning. My last chance to get inspired.

(My husband and I were talking with a friend last night and I mentioned the marathon might be off my bucket list and he said – and I quote – "it is if I have anything to say about it." I felt like a child! And I told him so, too. Might have been the best thing he ever could have said about marathoning. Hmmm.)

The Obama-blue bag is all knitted up, now I just have to felt it. Then comes the really fun part – filling it with locally made goodies and decorating the outside with campaign buttons. I knew all that swag from the state convention would come in handy!

The state women's convention (I'm not linking to the Federation website because it's so out of date) is in two weeks. I'm praying I'll have teeth by then. My Google research indicates it will be three or four months before I get used to them, but I could at least have my picture taken without feeling embarrassed or goofy.

Or maybe I could just embrace the backwoods West Virginia toothless old hag look.

Nah, I don't think so.

Up for grabs this week

Who's in the mood for some wool? Yes, I realize it's August and in the United States (which is where this giveaway is limited to) it's freaking HOT right now, so who in their right mind could possibly be in the mood for wool?

Well, knitters generally are hungry for wool, no matter what time of year it is. If it's cold outside you can cuddle up under your in-progress sweater or afghan. And if it's hot? You can make mittens, caps, bags, tea cozies – any number of smaller items and accessories are perfect wool-in-summer knitting.

(Notice how I left out scarves? If you love knitting scarves, you go for it. I, for one, find them incredibly boring to make.)

Anyhoo ... this week you have the opportunity to win TEN labeled skeins of Icelandic wool, made by Alafoss Ltd. of Reykjavik, Iceland (THE Icelandic authority). This is vintage stuff, but it's been stored in my cedar-lined, pet-free yarn closet ever since I bought it.

The color is nothing like the photo, and I apologize for that. It is a tweedy heathery blend of purplish-grey and rust, which probably sounds awful but really is quite lovely in person. Each 50-gram ball contains 85 yards of pure wool, and it will felt like a dream. (Felted clogs, felted bags, felted potholders, felted hats … I'm starting to remind myself of Bubba rattling off shrimp dishes in Forrest Gump.)

The rules remain the same: Live in the United States, leave a comment before Sunday, August 12 at 5 p.m. EDT, winner will drawn using the random number generator at random.org. Only one comment per reader will be considered for purposes of winning, but all comments are appreciated.

Treasured, even.