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Saturday, July 28, 2007

 

Another Saturday night

Spent the day pretty much knitting, except for a little shopping this morning. I picked up an essential component for carrying out my master plan...(rubbing hands together fiendishly). If all goes well, I should be able to begin next weekend, and I'll blog my progress. Even though it's a visual thing which I'm afraid would sound lame without pictures, I do hate keeping secrets from you. It's so dysfunctional. ;) Give me another couple weeks, tops, and I'll tell all.


I also went downtown and visited the Button Emporium for some silk ribbon, as I am making more of those lace-up mitts. My co-workers love them. You'd think I'd have the pattern memorized by now. Almost there.

I went ahead and listed the pink/black clutch and lace-up gloves in my Etsy shop. Also ready to offer for sale is this item:




I do like the way it came out. And this little project also gives me the opportunity to show off my bling, which I tend not to wear in the summer months. I have a spectacular brooch which my brother and sis-in-law gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. They went to NYC in November 2005, and bought it for me while shopping in the East Village. So posh. I use it as a shawl pin.


We can also stick a fork in the Digital Socks.



What I like about this pair of socks isn't just the yarn. It was my first time with the Sensational Knitted Socks book, and it was so easy! I'm an impatient knitter, and too many directions give me MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over). But I highly recommend. You've gotta like a sock book that gives you directions for using either 4 or 5 dpn's, and takes the guesswork out of it by telling you how many stitches should be on each needle every step of the way.



I had Shelly's beautiful yarn just sitting there waiting for me to knit it up. I thought I could wing the French Girl "Violette" hat pattern, because I'd bought a length of silk ribbon. I figured all I needed was to do a roll brim, throw in an eyelet row and Bob's-your-uncle, I'd have that hat. However, it's a little more complex than that. There's a cable in there too, and there must be a rib to keep the bottom edge from rolling. So I decided to save the ribbon for another project.



Vibrant colors, no? Now I have a Christmas gift made!...for someone. I'll figure that part out later.



Grow Up Already


I'm bummed to see that Super Eggplant is gone. Apparently SE and her brother are feuding, and he deleted her website. But instead of just disabling the URL so that it goes to a "Not Found" page, he continues to post a steady stream of nastygrams about his sister. It looks like neither of them are doing much in the way of handling their conflict like adults, but I mean, come on. Pretty weak, dude. I really enjoyed Mariko's blog, and I hope she'll start another one.


Have a lovely rest of the weekend!


Wednesday, July 25, 2007

 

Well, shoot.

Since having taken the oath not to buy any more knitting stuff until late September--yes, I know it was less than a week ago, but it seems so much longer!--my blog posts are going to be fewer and farther between. It was a classic "aha" moment, realizing that during my "charge it" phase, I was on here chirping about this or that new yarn three times a week, but with only FO's to blog about, I won't be posting nearly as much.


These days, my head is bent to my knitting projects every free moment, but I'm surfacing to tell you that last night, I had the mother of all brainstorms for a project. I want it to be a total surprise, so please bear with me until I can set this thing in motion. It's fiber-related, but on a grand scale (for me) and the details just seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. Or maybe they were rattling around all along in one of my hemispheres (there's a clue!) and the big picture just became clear. All I know is that I spent last night's prime knitting time feverishly writing up plans. And today I bought the first of my supplies. (It's not stash! Honest!) I'm sorry, I know I'm teasing and I myself hate it when bloggers do that--it's just that I'm completely stoked, and this could actually work out well.


I've got just one puny thing to show you, and it doesn't even count as a FO, because it isn't felted yet. But here 'tis.




Another ruffled felt clutch. Just wanted to post a pic to show the color. I'm hoping it will come out as pretty as the hot pink/black one I made last month.

You Complete Me

Thanks everybody, for celebrating with me as I recently got to see the Holy Trinity of rock. They rocked my ass off! Your comments kept the fun continuing, and helped spark up an otherwise drudgery-filled week of work, and various and sundry crap like The Dryer Situation. The evil Home Despot (great minds and all, Kiki!) is scheduled to deliver the new dryer tomorrow "between 9:00 and 1:00," and we all love those precise delivery times, don't we?! At least I'll be here instead of dashing to work, and maybe I can get in some felting.



Sunday, July 22, 2007

 

Rush hangover

Sunday morning, struggling to wake up--10 am, yikes! Haven't slept in that late on a Sunday since The Kid was born. Sore ankles and aching legs, why? Oh yeah...2.5 hours of standing, jumping up and down and dancing. Throat dry, scratchy and raw--what's up wid dat? Memory returns slowly...singing at the top of my voice, cheering and screaming.


Wearily throw off covers. First cup of coffee--better. Breakfast? Sure. Now, at noon, I'm feeling enough like myself to tell you that last night, I had as much fun as one can have with one's pants on! (hee)


Ready for some pictures?


Sharon and Jason, about to leave for the Rush show. The cherry-lime bomb was workin', I gotta tell ya! I needn't have worried about a jacket. Once in the amphitheater, it was warm as a sauna. Body heat, bright lights, pyro effects and all. I was mopping myself down with my hanky.

Oh, the show. In addition to songs from the new album, Rush played some rarely heard, all-but-forgotten gems. As a fan for the past 20-plus years, I was impressed by how the band drew from their impressive body of work to play songs that are relevant and pertinent to today's state of world affairs. We were treated to "Between The Wheels," a song they put together in "about twenty minutes" in the studio back in '83 for Grace Under Pressure:

Wheels can take you around/Wheels can cut you down/We can go from boom to bust/From dreams to a bowl of dust/We can fall from rockets' red glare/Down to "Brother can you spare"Another war/Another wasteland/And another lost generation...

Going Digital

The second song of the setlist was "Digital Man." It was during this song that I tried to take a cellphone pic of my socks in progress. (thank you, Ms. Harlot, for the traveling socks concept!)

( my sock, and Geddy Lee. Geddy!! My man!!)

The socks are a slipstitch rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks, (a book which I'm really enjoying, btw,) using Claudia Handpaint yarn in Purple Earth. I was vaguely irritated by the fact that I was knitting socks without a name. I mean Monkeys, Jaywalkers, and Pomatomuses (Pomatomi?) are instantly recognizable, every knitter knows what you're talking about. Well, thanks to Rush, these socks have been dubbed "Digital Socks." What can I say, I'm hoping it'll catch on.

And here's the first one, finished.

The only drawback of last night's concert was that we were unfortunately seated next to an obnoxious drunk pothead who kept trying to talk to us, instead of letting us just enjoy the show. I would have told him point-blank to shut the f*ck up, except that he was the size of a small mountain and might have taken a swing at me! He actually tried to pass us his dope pipe. Jaysus. I mean, I understand folks like to toke up at rock concerts, God knows I used to do it myself when I was young, but this is Rush, people. I do not need any artificial substances to enjoy their music. To me, they are the drug!

*sigh* And with that, I'm afraid the coffee break's over, and I must get back on my head. (Really old, really bad joke there.) We ordered a new dryer from Home Depot, or Home Despot as I like to call them, but it won't be delivered until Thursday. So I'm going to spend the afternoon washing clothes and then hauling them to the laundromat. At least I can knit!

Friday, July 20, 2007

 

Taking the pledge


"Watching other people buy yarn is the next best thing to buying it yourself." -The Yarn Harlot

I’m in a critical startitis situation—I’ve got so much stuff hanging off my needles that even the small projects aren’t progressing. There is only enough time to do a few rows of this, a few rows of that, and meanwhile stash is everywhere. I adore stash, mind you, but it wants to get knitted soooooo bad and I just can’t get to it. For that matter, it’s not unrealistic to expect a fall contest here at Chickenlips, in which I send one of you some of my orphan baby yarn to love, knit, crochet, felt, or possibly all of the above. So my friends, it is with sadness that I announce my decision to curb my wild, orgiastic yarn buying and money spending, at least for the time being. (sorry, Kelly!) Be assured that I’ve loved glomming onto that sweet sweet yarn with reckless abandon, and your comments tell me you’ve enjoyed watching me do it. But Capital One Mastercard and Wells Fargo Platinum Visa, (bastards) heinous killers of perpetual joy that they are, say I’ve got no choice but to put the brakes on. And in order to succeed at this, as painful as it is, I need to do it in the form of a contract.

Here goes.

I, Chickenlips, for a period not to exceed 63 days*, do hereby pledge to refrain from purchasing the following: yarn, knitting needles, notions, patterns and fiber-related books. In order to avoid temptation to break this contract, I make these additional pledges:

1. I will not go to any LYS, especially after work on payday. I’ll go directly home and knit.

2. I will not visit my favorite online yarn retailers. Should I find myself hovering the mouse over their links, I’ll interpret that as a sure sign I’m about to go off the wagon and get off the computer and go knit.

3. The time I normally spend kvetching about having enough time to knit, I’ll use instead, well, you know.

This contract is in effect until I attend the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival on 22 September 2007, at which time I will (go apeshit) allow myself to carefully select products for purchase, staying within the constraints of a predetermined budget.

Duly witnessed this day, 20 July 2007, by Elwood the cat.



"zzzz....yeah....whatever....zzzz"


Signed,

Chickenlips

* days remaining until Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival.

Happy days


The news ain't all that bad; quite the contrary. There's cause for celebration around here, because J. has been given (finally) a clean bill of heart health! After a stress echocardiogram, and nearly a week's delay in getting the results, the cardiologist finally announced that there was no significant blockage to be found. And I am so proud of him--he's staying on his diet, and well on his way to his ideal weight.

Me? Oh, that's another story. Pass the chocolate-covered anything.

And we take you now back to the mundane.

Our clothes dryer is kaput. We'd purchased it used back in 2000 or so, and it performed admirably longer than we expected. Now it spins without any heat, and won't shut off, so appliance shopping has been added to tomorrow's agenda. And I made it known that I'm not keen on buying another used model. If we can take care of it early enough to have one delivered tomorrow, that would be schweet. But I'm not willing to bet we would be that lucky.

I finished my cherry-lime bomb in time for tomorrow night's Rush concert. Yup, that's right, in less than 24 hours from now I will be mere yards--make that meters--from my favoritest band in the universe, the fabulous Canadian power trio! Naturally, when it's supposed to be glorious midsummer weather in the Pacific Northwest, it's cool and rainy, with no improvement expected over the weekend. It's an outdoor show, but at least we'll be under cover if it does rain. And bundled up in jackets. But does any of this faze me? Not when it's Rush! In the immortal words of Carl from Aqua Teen Hungerforce, "I do not need instructions on how to rock!"


Monday, July 16, 2007

 

...so, how was YOUR weekend?

Happy Bear isn't talking. But I bet you can guess why he's so happy...



I finally finished the bear I promised I would make for my niece, Alaina. Michelle tried to steal it as soon as it was done, but my sis-in-law (Alaina's mom) paid for the yarn. Bear is now wrapped in tissue paper and ready to ship to Spokane.



Um, the empty booze bottle? It's...ah...a prop. Yeah, that's it!



I've Got Bupkis



Nothing much happening right now that's blogworthy. I started a couple of projects: another felted clutch, this time in turquoise, and the Lutea Lace top from Interweave Knits. I'm not sure if I'm sold on how the color and yarn type will look on me, but it's gravy to knit. One thing's for certain, it's a sensory shock to go from knitting with Calmer, which has elasticity to spare, to Summer Tweed, which is cotton and silk, but it's like packing twine in that it's got absolutely zero yield. I'm going to forge ahead with it.


Today was a long, leisurely day off for me. Our two-person department was unanimous: I had earned it. I spent a couple of hours here, having a PMS session. (Wait a minute--isn't she done with that business?!) Yes, I am. I meant "Pamper Me Silly." J. had given me a gift certificate to the day spa for Valentine's Day, and I spent it having a deluxe facial. Queen of Sheba. I'm definitely more relaxed, and my face is as smooth as a baby's butt. Now, if only my spousal unit was home instead of in Chicago! Stupid trade show. Grumble.


I already have all the yarn in the world, but when you feel glowing, it's your day off, and your man's away, well what's a girl to do?


The stashing continues.



A final purchase made at Lint on Saturday. Koigu is good anytime. I won't be able to go when all the inventory is being sold off, so I sucked it up and put it on the Visa. I thought these colors together would make a nice, fallish, Chevron Scarf. No, the dark yarn on the left isn't eggplant, aubergine, or damson; it's an espresso brown. By now, everybody must be sick of me bitching about my camera, and I could actually buy a better one if I'd quit spending so much money on yarn! Uh oh, something deep inside of me just emitted a piercing shriek at that thought. It's true, though. Not only would better pictures make for more enjoyable blog viewing, but color accuracy on a knitting blog is kind of a no-brainer, right?



The day spa being just a quick dash across the river to Abundant Yarn, I picked up some Kureyon and some basic black for the Fake Isle Hat from Magknits. I'm not a hat gal--any kind of hat, except perhaps those wide-brimmed jobs the Queen of England wears, makes me look like a pinhead. However, there is no shortage of recipients for warm handknit accessories. I've already got a scarf and hat tucked away for charity when the mercury drops.

Off to knit!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

 

da bomb


...Cherry Bomb, that is!


I didn't want to unveil it to you in all its unblocked, sad, saggy rawness...but my jewels, this is Chickenlips, who can never seem to get a damn thing done, and I have a FOUS (that's Finished Object of Unusual Size...you all saw The Princess Bride, right??)


But back to the sweater. Kore wa pittari desu, which is bad Japanese for, "It fits perfectly." It really does. The short row bust shaping, well all I can say is that it is key. It makes all the difference between a top that hangs like a tent over the girls and two inches lower in the back than in the front, and a top that fits exactly where it's supposed to. It's had its delicates soak and is now blocking. Which means, I can wear it next Saturday to the Rush concert! So excited. Not only am I a die-hard Rush fan--seriously, I jump up and down and sing the lyrics to every song at the top of my lungs, what a fool--but it will be like a date with Jason. He's in Chicago until the middle of next week. Perhaps I can get him to take a photo of me in my Cherry Bomb, with my amber jewelry, big dark hair (I know, this isn't Texas, but we do what we can) and copious makeup. And if the photo passes inspection, I'll share it with you.


I did something different in the finishing: a Russian bind-off. What's a Russian bind-off? It's way easier than doing the Time Warp. I learned it from Galina Khmeleva when I took the Embraceable Lace workshop with her at Stitches West, and here it is: *P2tog, put st back on left needle. Repeat from * to end. It worked really well because I ended the neck and armhole edgings on the wrong side, and I got a bound-off edge that looks less, well, bound off.


I Love Getting Things In The Mail


...especially when some of the things are yarn!

My Summer Stash Swap package arrived yesterday. Will you look at all that sweet crazy yarn?! Jan in western Mass. was my swapper. She spoiled me rotten. Not only a beautiful assortment of yarns, but a doggy sweater book, hilarious Dachshund bumper stickers, and a baseball-themed mug (in Red Sox colors--Go Sox!) with merino laceweight inside. Jan, in your letter you told me you'd never been cool. I beg to differ, you are too cool! If you were a blogger I'd give you the Rockin' Girl Blogger button. Let me offer you instead, a virtual Portland rose.



Farewell, Lint

One of the prettiest yarn shops in Portland, Lint, is closing its doors for good. I always enjoyed shopping and knitting there, and I have to say I'm sad that it's going away. At first the shop was offered for sale, and although details aren't available, I'm guessing that the owner needs to get out of the business for whatever reasons and nobody was able to put together the right offer to take over the shop. Of course, I could be full of canal water as I often am; maybe that's not it at all. Nobody's talkin'.

At one time, I entertained the notion of becoming a yarn shop proprietress. However, upon deeper reflection, I realized that I just wanted a huge stash, but the funny thing is that there wouldn't be any time to knit! It's a huge amount of work to keep any small business afloat. So, although I sometimes feel constrained, and/or oppressed, working for someone else, it also frees me in certain ways.

The dust has finally settled with regard to the events of last week. The car is back in the driveway, and the fines have been paid. My A-number-one daughter has her dad to thank for that; I haven't the wherewithal. As always, I appreciate your supportive comments. And Ellie Bee is right--at 16, the kid damn well better know she screwed up, and it is her fault. I was just experiencing mommy guilt, which some say never goes away. (Crap.)


Wednesday, July 11, 2007

 

Is stashing the new knitting?




I dunno, guess it depends on your point of view, state of being, and Summer Tweed being 30% off.




I meant to have the Cherry Bomb just about done by now, so I could be proudly showing it off and starting on this with the Summer Tweed. Although it's coming together little by little, it's still going to be a few more evenings yet. The more I think about it, the more it seems like some sort of weird conspiracy, but the exact times that J. is away on extended business trips are the times when life at home is the most chaotic, and I am most in need of his help. No conspiracy, though--it's just the nature of life.



Didn't Think I Needed An Instruction Manual Back Then




...in 1990, when all there was, was being together, learning who you were, and dreaming of whom you would become.


On Monday, the day after you came home from a week at Grandma's, you took the car while I was at work and drove over to your friend's house to pick her up, even though all you have is a learner's permit. On the way back to our house, a police officer stopped you for speeding, and the car was impounded. You told the officer that your dad and I knew you were driving without a license, which was a lie.


And I know you knew that you shouldn't have done any of those things.


When the police officer called and said you were with him, I felt as though my blood had suddenly frozen in my veins. Right away, he assured me that you were all right. Once I had all the information of what had happened, it's like the part of me having to do with feeling and thinking stopped working correctly. I'm experiencing the events of a couple of days ago a little at a time, as much as my heart and mind will allow me. I'm grateful beyond words that you are unharmed. I'm mad as hell that you defied not only your parents, but several laws. I'm terrified when I think that you endangered not only yourself but your friend, and everyone else who was on the road with you. I could kick myself in the ass for not keeping the car keys away from you. A learner's permit, after all, means that you are learning. The reason it isn't a legal right to drive by yourself is simply because you don't completely know how, yet! And that means it wasn't a matter of "trusting" you with the keys. Boredom, a hot summer day, the new thrill of driving a car and those keys beckoning you--it's my fault, ultimately. I wasn't protecting you.

I've spent too much time the past few days being angry, with myself as much as with you, and not nearly enough time being rational. Tonight, something compelled me to go through the old pictures, and find some that remind me of my true feelings for you. To remind myself of the unchanging in the midst of the daily stress, strain and frequent chaos that family life can sometimes be.


I want to marry Ichiro, and have his children.

(July 12: couldn't resist adding excerpt from "Ichiro-Man" comic)

Is that wrong?


I'm already married to a nice man, I no longer have a uterus (overshare!) so the children part would be impossible, and besides, look what the past few days have been like with my own. But ladies, all kidding aside, Ichiro is a god. For as long as I can remember, I've loved watching big league baseball, and last night, No. 51 for Seattle (one of my favorite teams, the other being Boston) became the first player ever to hit an inside-the-park home run in the All-Star Game. You can see the video here, although he makes history in the last 60 seconds of a five-minute clip in which an obnoxious color announcer yammers on, and on, as they do.

Well, wouldja look at the time! That's it for now. I'll be maintaining radio silence until I have an actual FO to show you--should be on the weekend, unless something else happens. But it can't, can it? Right??

Sunday, July 08, 2007

 

All in a day's ramble

Yesterday we were thinking about hiking somewhere around Mt. St. Helens, but we decided instead to visit the Hood River Valley "Fruit Loop". I'm glad we made this decision, because even though we didn't do the actual mountain hike, we strolled through a state park along Hood River for sun and exercise, and instead of putting ourselves out on some fire road in the wilderness, we were on a scenic highway with plenty of opportunities to stop, see the attractions, and get some delicious fresh cherries.

Was fiber involved, you ask? Oh, hell, yes.




Sorry folks, if you're looking for quality photography, may I direct you to Cara at January One? You can find a link to her blog in my sidebar. OK, so I wasn't nearly close enough to the building, so let me help you out. The sign says "Foothills Yarn & Fiber," and it is owned by a former knitting buddy (before she moved to Hood River, that is,) Connie, and her husband Tom. The shop is absolutely charming, with a great assortment of alpaca yarns--both from animals raised on their farm, and other sources--and featuring spinning equipment, roving, and handknit accessories. And if you look reeeealllly closely at the photo, you can see a kitty under the chair beside the doors. That would be "Knit," of the dynamic duo, "Knit" and "Purl." But hey, the cuteness doesn't stop there!

Upon driving up to the shop, we were greeted by these fellas:
"Hey, we got customers! OK, guys, look extra cute!"

The owners' son is an accomplished knitter and designer, and upon seeing one of those cool earflap hats with dangly I-cord, I knew that that was what I had gone there for. A free pattern was included with my yarn purchase.






The only thing cooler than soft, handspun alpaca is knowing the name of the animal it came from. The black yarn at left is from "Allegra"--it's not just an allergy medicine! The heather grey is a blend of fleece from several alpacas. I should get cracking on those hats, because winter's just around the corner--but I'm still trucking on the Cherry Bomb and the slip-stitch rib socks. I've put my Print o'the Wave shawl on hold, as it's delicate knitting which goes more slowly, and of course you know that my progress on the comfort shawls is glacially slow. And anyway, who cares about that stuff when there are baby alpacas to look at?



This little dude was just born the day before. Look, he can walk already!

Let's Talk About You...


What do you think of my new hair color?


I decided to go dark, because my last color job was in February and everything had lightened out to a nondescript ashy hue with gray peeking through, so yikes! I had my colorist extraordinaire, Anna, apply "mocha" again. However, without the blond weave I got last time, it looks kinda Morticia Addams. Ehh, I don't care, it worked for Roseanne about ten years ago...
Thank you so much for the kind words and reassurances about my DH's heart issue. I feel much more positive about it than I did a few days ago, and I'm incredibly comforted knowing that you care.
Well, the "baby" is home. When we met her at the airport, did she say, "Hi Mom" and "Hi Dad"? Nah, the first words she uttered were "$#!!%& TSA can kiss my %#!!" My offspring, never one to take such trivial things as rules seriously, had way too many cosmetics than regulations would allow, and she wasn't allowed to proceed to the gate without checking them.
Ah, yes, teenagers...







Friday, July 06, 2007

 

Inexorably knitting

That's what I'm doing, along with planning projects--I can't imagine doing much else. For me, knitting is way beyond a preoccupation, and I don't even know if "obsession" is a strong enough word to describe its hold over me. And I'm not even that good at it, not really! But I'm grateful that it's in my life, because in many ways, it is my life, and that's OK. I'm also grateful that I'm a knitter in the 21st century, where we can have any yarn we want, any pattern we want just by clicking the mouse. We can see what knitters across the country and around the world are making. The yarns available to us are breathtakingly beautiful. Right now, my knitting is a protective cocoon, a safe place to dwell if you will, and I need it, because life being life, it's bringing some suckage my way.




My DH has a rich family history of heart disease. Both his parents have had heart trouble, and it has claimed the lives of two of his three brothers. And now, at the age of 47, J. has some possible blockage. Naturally, the tests are still ongoing. All we know for certain, after his stress test, is that there is an "abnormality when the heart muscle is vigorously working." (And we let doctors get away with this shit?!) Next up is an echocardiogram, and if that's inconclusive, they'll have to inject dye-- sorry, can't come up with the name for that procedure. He's been put on a statin drug to lower his cholesterol, has been given a prescription for nitroglycerine, and ordered to drop 18 lbs. Now as we women know, we have to practically kill ourselves to accomplish that, but men--at least the ones in my life, my husband, dad and brother--seem to be able to do that in a nanosecond. My husband will, I know, because not only does he exercise, but he's put himself on a very strict diet, avoiding fat and salt. He doesn't smoke or drink. But still, the evidence is in our faces now, and it's scary.




I've been writing this blog for a year, yet I still hesitate to put personal stuff on here, because my credo as a blogger/writer is, "only write what you would want to read." I know people come here to look at my FO's and WIP's, (glad we don't have to explain such anagrams, or something like the Knitting Olympics, to women of a century ago who had to knit for the survival of their families,) to see my yarn du jour, and have a chuckle. Yet the knitblogs are rife with life in all its forms from the beautiful to the bizarre, so I'll give myself license to vent when I need to.




Christmas in July





I bought myself a couple of nice pressies recently.

I figured it was about time I got myself a really good sock book, and I do like this one. I've started a sock with a six-stitch pattern repeat, the slip stitch rib:





Please bear in mind that my blasted (read: cheap) camera distorts purple and makes it look blue. This is Claudia Handpainted fingering weight in "Purple Earth," a treat from Stitches West. It's only two rows, a K3 P3 rib and the slip stitch row. Should be a quick knit, too. I pick this up when I need a breather from the Cherry Bomb, which is about 2/3 done. Next in the sock queue is the Monkey, and I plan to make them with this:


Was going to use the Purple Earth for Monkeys, but it's so saturated with color that I think it'd obscure the lace pattern.

I've been a bad Shawl Ministry member lately--I put aside the stole I was working on in the TLC Cotton Plus, I guess I just got bored with it. And I did something which I still can't believe. Last month, I told a fellow knitter I'd finish her shawl, knowing full well I didn't want to, but she was tired of it and really seemed to want to hand it off to me...co-dependent to the core, at your service. At least we have several shawls ready, should there be a need. Tomorrow is the monthly session, but it's also the last day J. and I have free before our daughter comes home from grandma's on Sunday, and the weather being warm, sunny and gorgeous, we've planned a mountain hike. Just the two of us--not even Buster and Jimmy are invited.

I'm going to stroll in the mountains, and not look back.



Sunday, July 01, 2007

 

Monday antidote





Since I'm a wiener dog person, I got a huge kick out of this. This and many other quaint designs can be printed on a t-shirt, hoodie or tote bag, and are available at noisebot.com for your shopping pleasure. I'm not a t-shirt gal, but I can never have enough tote (read: project) bags!


Thank you for the positive responses to my little marketing plan for the clutch bags and lace-up mitts. I've decided to make one more set before putting them up on Etsy. But in the meantime, of course, there are WIP's. I enjoyed the heck out of my freedom, and today is the last day of it, because J. comes home tomorrow--don't get me wrong, I loves my man and I'm glad to be spending the 4th of July with him--but I got a crapload of knitting done! Major progress has been made on the "Cherry Bomb" tank top from Big Girl Knits:



This is the front. I like how this is going together so far. Waist shaping and short-rowing for the bust...really not complicated at all, I was able to watch the Mariners game yesterday while working on it. If I could finish it by the 21st, then I could choose between it and the orange Chickami to wear to the Rush concert...hmmm! Love these kind of dilemmas, if for no other reason than to give me the oomph I need to finish something.


The Summer Stash Swap



(voice of Lucy Ricardo) No, Ricky, I didn't buy more yarn, honest! This is stash which I'm off-loading to another swapper. Erika at The Write to Knit came up with the idea, and I am having a blast picking out things I think the swapper will enjoy. I'm not quite finished yet--I understand the lady likes hot chocolate, so I want to swing by Moonstruck this week and get her something yummy. At the bottom of the box is an old sweater pattern book that's like new. I have other books I would have liked to include, but the spines didn't survive Jimmy's puppyhood, and are all gnawed and ratty. So I'm stuck with them.

LYS Review


I forgot to mention last post that I visited Portland's newest yarn shop, Twisted. I'll tell you the same thing I told the co-owner, Shannon: "This place is off the hook!" It's a nice space, with a friendly vibe and supportive-guy presence. Opening day (Friday, 6/29) coincided with Emily's birthday, and her sweet guy (I'm assuming he was hers) brought out a cake and got everyone in the shop to sing "Happy Birthday." As for the yarn, there's lots of Debbie Bliss, Araucania and Noro, and there are some exotic handpainted sock yarns from makers I hadn't heard of, such as "Yarntini" and "Woolarina." I picked up a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Birches--I have been coveting that yarn and colorway for months. Another LYS had it, but there was only one skein and it looked to have been over-fondled, so I didn't buy it. Twisted's, however, was nice and fresh. One of the things I love most about Twisted, is that they are open until 8:00 pm, and not just one night a week for open knitting, but every day that they are open for business! Ya gotta like that. I mean, I love all the LYS's as though they were my own children, and I know the owners and employees have families and lives and all that, but dang! I've done the "gotta get to the yarn shop before they close" thing, and I don't always get to leave work at the same time each day, so it's nice to know they are willing to stay open later for people like me.


Woof! I've blogged the evening away. I actually did cook myself something tonight, a bit of stew, so I should probably go and eat it. Have a great holiday--hope it brings you some quality time to knit, crochet, barbecue, be with loved ones, or whatever is your heart's desire.

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