Quickie
Go here. Read this. And LOVE the picture of the guy’s t-shirt as much as I do.
Heh.
You’ll never look at ribbing the same way again…
Friday, April 6, 2007
Good Friday Fiver
Happy Easter, everyone.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Friday Fiver: Just like staring at the sun
1. Four years ago — where were you? I was working at the library, living where I am living now, and in a much worse place emotionally. Things have changed for the better, I’d say.
2. What bores you to tears? Having to watch some things (sports, bad comedy, some talent shows, etc.) without being able to knit or crochet. Things that draw enough of my attention that I have trouble working on story plots while watching them, yet not enough of my attention to keep me interested. But give me something to do with my hands (no, not like that! Get your mind out of the gutter!) and I’m happy.
3. Do you have rhythm? ‘Course. Plus, I got music and my man. Who could ask for anything more?
4. Who would you like to see today? M. And - oh! Yay! I get to! Right after work. I can’t wait.
5. Friday fill-in: Always thought that I’d have kids before my sister did . Guess I was wrong about that one. Oh well. This way I get to practice and be sure I really want to to it before I’m stuck.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Oh, come on Mom. Show them some of the pictures of me NOT in my bed. How about the one where I’m playing with the mouse? What do you mean you have to develop the film first?
… What’s film?
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
So one of my readers asked about the yarn I am knitting Icarus with, and I thought I would repost my response to her here so that anyone else with the same question can see the answer without having to dig through the comments. I’m using KnitPicks Shadow in the Oregon Coast colorway. I love it. It’s nice to work with - though I think a silk or alpaca blend would be nicer - and the color is nicely heathered.
I would buy the yarn again. (Even though this particular yarn was a present, and so technically I wouldn’t be buying it *again*, I’d be buying it for the first time.) Good thing, since I also have 2 skeins in the Redwood Forest colorway. I think I like that color better, but since I plan to wear Icarus (if I ever get it finished… wah!) with dark clothing - just imagine it with jeans and a black turtleneck! - I decided to go with the lighter color for it. I don’t know what the Redwood Forest will be for yet. But I can’t bear to think of having two major lace projects on the needles at once, no matter how many other things I cast on for, and so I’m waiting on that yarn.
Have a good weekend, everyone! And have a happy Easter, or whatever other holiday you celebrate. I will be celebrating here:
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Playing Footsie
I have two pairs of socks on the needles right now. This is rare for me… I have, in the past, not let myself start a second pair of socks until casting off the previous pair. It helps that I greatly prefer knitting socks on 2 circs, and have - until recently - only had 2 sock-size circular needles. So, until recently (say a couple of months ago when I bought a different size sock needles) the socks I had on the needles were safely monogamous. At least for other socks.
I have reached the point in the Blood Diamond socks where I start wondering about a new pair of socks. I like knitting socks toe-up, and so no matter how fun the pattern, all of the real challenge is essentially over once I get past the turning of the heel.
(This does not count the challenge of squeezing a pair of socks out of a ball of yarn if the quantity of yarn is almost, but not quite, sufficient. We do not like this challenge. Therefore we will not mention it.)
As you can see from the above, I have passed the turning of the heel and done a pattern repeat and then some. It’s fun. It’s a great pattern. It’s going to be a nice pair of socks.
It’s still not enough to keep me from wanting a new, novel pair of socks.
In an attempt to distract myself, I concentrated on the pattern.
You can see it better in this close-up than in the other shots. Look how nice it is! How fun! How it is subtle enough not to take away from the colorway, and yet distinct enough to still be obvious! (It is more obvious in person. The photo still doesn’t do it justice. I blame it on the flash.)
And yet look what I started on anyway…
A new sock.
This one is for M, and so it was hard to wait to cast on. It is being knit from Tofutsies yarn, which is spun from 50% superwash wool, 25% soy silk, 22.5% cotton, and 2.5% chitin. (Chitin, by the way, is made from crab and shrimp shells, and is somehow naturally antibacterial. Don’t ask me HOW they manage to turn crab shells into something spinable. And also don’t ask me how it manages to be SO SOFT with CRAB SHELLS spun into the yarn. But it is. I LOVE THIS YARN.)
The only problem I had with the Tofutsies was figuring out how to cast on. I prefer the Turkish cast-on, but the weave was too loose when I tried it. (Twice.) So I tried a cuff-down cast on. Didn’t like that either.
Wendy to the rescue!
I used her short-row toe method for the cast on, and will probably use her short-row heel also, just so it matches. Though I suppose I should ask M if he wants a heel flap. You never know.
I’m guessing that I’m going to be thanking Wendy for something else, one of these days, too.
I suspect that Suzy would like a Kitty Pi bed, one of these days. Though that means that I will have to learn to felt…
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Goes With The Job Description...
It's funny, but while blogging I've noticed that my knitter-friends post more often than my writer-friends. (In general. This is not counting Actual Professionals like PBW and Holly Lisle.)
I guess writers write on the job, and so lose the interest in doing it for fun.
Makes me scared about the possibility of going into the tech writing field. I don't want to sap all of my creative writing desire out because I'm writing tech stuff for a living.
Project Polygamy
Hi there! Mommy said I have to learn how to pose all cute for pictures…. how’s this?
Hope no one minds “baby brag book” style photos of Suzy for a while. Because I’m going to post these whether you like it or not. How could I resist?
I am awful when it comes to project monogamy. I now have three knitting projects on the needles (Icarus, the Blood Diamond socks, and some socks for M that I cast on today at lunch), one doily in my WIP bag that I forgot about until I went searching for a crochet hook (for a provisional cast-on for the new socks), and several stories. Plus scrapbooks, various articles of clothing, and a quilted square that will eventually be a potholder if I ever get it finished. Makes me tired just thinking about how much time I’ve put into each project - and how much MORE time each will require to be finished.
Ah well. It keeps me happy, right?
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Bleeding Out
So during the D-Land trip, we spent some time shopping on Melrose. I had a blast, and bought a couple of cool shirts. I’ve only worn one of them so far, and when I went to wash it last weekend, this happened:
Yuck. I hate improperly set dye. But I love the shirt. Le sigh.
And what I hate almost as much as icky unset dye?
Messing up.
I would hate it more, except that means I have to admit to being wrong, and so instead I pretend to laugh at it. Or I pretend that it’s okay, since I caught the mistake while it’s still easily fixable.
But the truth is, I then feel a huge need to go and fix my mistake. Luckily that means that I have gotten good enough at it that I can do it without (usually) creating more mistakes in the process. So this hole - an extra decrease where it didn’t belong - got fixed without making more trouble. See?
Well, I guess you can’t really see. You’ll have to take my word for it. Icarus is mended, and being knit again. Though I don’t have as much time to devote to it as I would like. Ah well. I’ll get it done, one of these days.
Monday, April 2, 2007
New Arrival
I have a new kitty! I’m calling her Suzy. She’s 8 months old, and was a rescue kitty. Her previous family abandoned her at a local cat rescue/feral cat care organization called Town Cats, and when my family saw her they knew she was what I needed. (I didn’t think I’d be able to get a cat, since I’m not living on my own. But if they say so, I’ not arguing!)
Getting cat pictures all by oneself is not the easiest thing with a friendly cat.
They tend to want to be pet, and not pose for pictures.
But, she eventually let me get one that sort-of shows her off. She’s a Lynx Point Siamese, though since she’s a rescue kitty we obviously don’t know details about her breeding. Not that I care. She’s the sweetest thing, and loves attention.
The minute she notices that there’s a person in the room with her, she starts purring. And rubbing. And asking for love and attention. It’s no hardship giving it to her, either. I spent enough time visiting with her this morning that I was almost late for work. But she’s worth it. She’s a love.
I have stash enhancement photos to post too (that’s yarn pics, for you non-knitters) as well as WIP shots. But those can wait for tomorrow or the next day, since kitty pictures are so much nicer.
Hope your weekend was a good as mine.
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