Spazzmanda

Ok, I just can’t say no to people and I’m so fully stoked that I have succeeded in my first giveaway that I’m giving away four sets of combs. Although technically, Miss Amanda A. was the only one to respond with the required “YES! I want me some of those EZ Combs! Right on!” the other entries should therefore be forfeit, but I’m not one for dismissal on a technicality. So she gets the pink ones. (Pink = special in my world.)

To Miss Holly the closest to leopard print that was in the box- a black and tan beaded set. And to Mindy some loverly blue/green EZ combs (thought they’d look nice with your hair color.) Babs, get back to me with what you want, I have a few sets left.

I love sharing. Makes me all tingly inside.

In other news, look what I’ve been up to:

Finished this guy for Jen

Finally made myself some of these:

(Made with one last ball of Jo Sharp Silkroad that I scored for 1/2 off at the closing of a LYS last year and why oh why didn’t I buy more???!!!)

Oh, and I started this:

It will be the Amelia Earhardt aviator cap- a cute, vintage-looking hat for the COLD weather we’re having. I made one of these last year in the same yarn, Art Trends Artesanal (Cotton, Poly, Alpaca blend) and I love it but I went down a needle size as the knit seemed too loose and I remember it being ever so slightly large when I tried it on. I’ll probably ‘embellish’ it too to make it sassy, not sure how yet. And I’m using my awesome Harmony Options (gosh how I love these needles!)

You can say it, you know you want to. Ok, I’ll say it…

Way to bust stash, Spazz!

I’ve finally finished this sweater. I don’t normally have such a problem reading patterns, my brain must have been malfunctioning as I had to reknit the shoulders before I could finish. It didn’t take too long.

Err. Craptastic bathroom lights as I try to take a flattering photo of the sweater. Not so easy, how does Pixie ever do it? Her sweater-in-the-bathroom-mirror pics are always the best!

Gigi is a free pattern over at knitty. And it is now ready to wear… next spring (doh!) I must like kimono sweaters as this is my second. I should really get the knitted kimono book- hmmm, maybe for Christmas.

I’m thankful this year to have some time to do exactly what I want. Which was nothing. After the whirlwind of the Florida Krolls, I laid low, very low, I limbo rocked my way through Thanksgiving. I saw Twilight and indulged my inner teenager, it was very good. I did get to see Ted and Mindy, a brief gathering but a fun one! We played 80′s Edition Trivial Pursuit and discovered we weren’t old enough in the 80′s to remember current events with any clarity.

I finished this:

The Baby Yoda Sweater for baby Nevin. I can’t wait to gift it so I’ll probably mail it to mama.

I’ve been working on finishing Gigi, the bane of my existence. I had done the shoulders wrong and had to wrip and reknit them… again. I’m so over it…

For all you fiber heads, I have actually finished something. I KNOW, it’s been so long!

Whatever does a finished object even look like? Well it is a very cool project! I made the Moebius Cowl in a beautiful beaded silk, it is simply lovely and I used up every bit of that wonderful yarn! (Thanks Jen!)

Do you like the current hair color? I can’t remember what box it came in, but it is a slightly darker shade of mocha for the fall. And yes, I have bangs now. But they are cute bangs. No “bang intervention” necessary.

I’ve made more progress on Florence, yes the yarn is from last Christmas (thanks again John Olin and Margaret!) But this isn’t procrastination. No, this is PERFECTION, and perfection takes time. This is the softest knit fabric on the planet. I can’t wait to wrap myself in it some day in the next ten years.

Gigi is blocked and ready for seaming (feh, I hates the seaming process.) And will be lovely to wear in the spring.

I started some pedicure socks as a demo for the class I am currently teaching. A class on socks. A class on socks in the magic loop method. My students are all doing so well on their little practice sock, I feel like a parent on prom night, I want to whip out the camera and dab tears from my eyes at each milestone. YAY! we have turned a heel! Save this sock in a scrapbook, seriously!

For this particular pair there will be no toes (duh, that is where the pedicure part comes in.) I dyed the yarn myself months ago with kool aid. This was my demo-day yarn. I was sick as a dog that day, can you tell? I would have to file this self-striping yarn under the category of fiber disaster. The colors are very much like giving a child some rainbow sherbet then placing them on the tilt-o-whirl. It is rather like sherbet regurgitated. I suppose these socks, due to their unfortunate color palette, will have to be “keepers” but I may gift them if they come out even remotely cute and then I shall christen this colorway as “Sherbet Spew From Me to You.” Oh, and with love.

And finally, I’m making the Baby Yoda Sweater (free pattern on ravelry) for little Nevin in some left over yarn from the ROYGBIV blanket. I will make the sleeves and piping details navy blue on the burgundy sweater, it is going to be cool. The detail picture isn’t very exciting, so I’ll leave it up to imagination for now.

I’m so organized! Could you just die? Or at least be flabbergasted at my mad organization skillz?

No?

My friend Fox had her baby yesterday, I’m looking forward to meeting her today. I’m so excited! Girls are fun. Which means I finally got off my arse and finished “Norberta” last night (it only took me until 1:00 AM but I want to take it to her today.) This was a free pattern from knitty.com that I’ve been working on for a few months on and off. Mostly because of all the pieces but also because of a false start, you see I used an acrylic boucle double stranded and my first start with the gauge was so freakin’ tight it was practically bulletproof. So I started again and blah, blah, but here she is, a dragon fit for a princess. (I gave my version a little hairdo.)

I embroidered all the details (since it is for a baby and all- safety first!)

In other news, I have to work tonight (feh) and tomorrow I cut out my Halloween costume. More to follow on that… I seem to have convinced myself that I’m capable of sewing a garment so, er, we’ll see. Luckily my mom has agreed to help, if indeed I do require it!

I had visitors on Friday. Which pretty much made it the best day ever. Nevin and proud Mama Megan were in town. The kid is quite exceptional, he likes good art, and at only 8 weeks old! What a sweet boy. I lurrrves him.

I’m so proud. My mother completed her shrug.

Isn’t it beautiful? I’m so pleased with her work that I could just pop!

My mother visited last night. We had such a fun time. She wrote a lovely guest column for the blog about my preparing her dinner late last night… oops.

Guest Blog Column by Rebecca Ann:

I have come home from paradise and things are much like I’ve left them. No, things are much better. This trip was a much needed escape from everything, it was heaven on earth with the most wonderful beach companions I could ask for. We rode bikes, ate seafood, oreos and ice cream sammiches, floated on noodles in the ocean and I enjoyed a peace the likes of which I haven’t known since (CONTENT DELETED SINCE I’VE GROWN UP A BIT.)

This is what fishing looks like:

And bike riding

And the house:

And my favorite girl:

OH! Of course, AND my finished shawl (I did manage to get my windswept photos of my finished stormwater shawl.) I wore it to warm me from the air conditioning and here on the beach, it is a very good wrap. I didn’t knit a stitch, but I read two and a half books and floated and sampled many daiquiri flavors…

I’m ready to return to the land of the living now, some minor post-vacation depression was nixed by a lovely, relaxing visit with my mother today. I’m good to go.

The lovely Barbara came to help me finish painting this little corner of my universe and last night I finally put all my crap back into place. (I have a lot of crap.) I know the blogiverse has been waiting with baited breath for the “finished” shots so without further ado, here is the finished dining/crafting area:

Yes, I am down one rug because I SPILLED PAINT ON IT. It is currently drying on the porch after being hosed down in the driveway last night. Yeah, I like to screw up royally, if something is worth doing, it is worth doing with some style. A quart of green paint falls, pops open and glug, glug, glug.

Here is a detail of my little sewing/computing “nook”:

My mother made these curtains, aren’t they lovely?

Thank you to the ladies that dragged me kicking and screaming through helped me with this painting project. The results are lovely.

Guess who did a radio interview this morning?

Yes Ma’am. That’s me on a local Christian station talking about work stuff. Pretty neat, actually. I’ve never done anything like that before and it was a 30 minute interview so I just kept on talking. (It wasn’t very hard at all.) Look closely at the FINISHED stormwater shawl. Yuppers. I finished and blocked that beast last night, I just couldn’t wait one minute longer. (More to follow.)

So you had better do as you are told.

You better listen to the radio.