Spazzmanda

I have neglected the old blog, and I’m sorry. Mostly I’m sorry, but I’m also pretty happy and busy in a good way. I’m still doing my thing, but between the new job and the new lease on life (focusing on taking care  of myself, working out a lot, reading, etc.) I”m tapped out. I’m currently reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (an early b-day gift from Jeff) it is a hysterical melding of two of my favorite things- Jane Austen books and zombie lore. I’m a freak, I know it.

So, here are some highlights from the past month.

Early in May I took a mental health day and visited Babs, we rode our bikes at the Chattahoochee River Park, turtles were basking in the sun on river rocks and the honeysuckle was blooming and it smelled awesome. We ate Mexican food and had pedicures. In short, it was a perfect day.

I started another lace shawl (because I’m a masochist) and at this rate it will literally  take me a hundred years to finish it, but I like the challenge. I knit without life lines and with a ‘close enough’ approach to lace that would probably have most knitters cursing and ripping, ripping, ripping. I’d rather the product be flawed and my sanity intact rather than focus too much on perfection. Is that crazy? The pattern is Muir, and FREE on knitty. The yarn is pretty and I’m so scattered I can’t find the label, so I just call it “Wool Awesomeness Gifted to me by the Lovely Claudia“. (the colors are much deeper than in this crappy photo.)

I saw the new Star Trek Movie with these crazy people:

Even if you weren’t a huge fan, it was still an awesome movie. I’m not sure there is anything else coming out this summer that I am really stoked about…

I hung out a lot with this guy:

And last week I did a “favor” for Miss Foxy by posing for a wicked cool picture for her. Sure I had to bounce on a trampoline in my underwear  at night while Jeff blew bubbles at me, but what are friends for? It is such a CHORE having a mega-talented artist take your photo… (that was sarcasm, did you catch it?)

My summer is off with a bang. Hopefully there are more fun things that I’ll be able to write and I’ll have the time to post more frequently.

I have been knitting, I swear… just more slowly and with less progress, but I have selected some ambitious projects, I’m trying not to sweat it. I ordered the kit from Knit Picks for Mr. Foster the sock monkey (with the cute little pj’s!) Well, I’ve finished the monkey, now I’m working on his clothes, but it is about to be summer,maybe I’ll make him a little mankini or something.

Here is my monkey, Osvaldo:

Do you want to touch my monkey? He won’t mind.

When you knit something for someone and they send you pictures of it in use and fully appreciated. Makes you all warm and tingly inside.

Pedicure socks for Barbara that I wanted to give her, oh, in December, but didn’t finish until Sunday. I dyed the yarn my own self using kool aid. I was sick at the time and the color combination that resulted was reminiscent of regurgitated sherbet. So I call the colorway Sherbet Spew- from me to you (Oh, and with love.)

Glad she liked them!

Had me a busy, culture-filled weekend. Kooza on Friday for Fox’s birthday, work, knitting, health fair, Jim Henson Exhibit and World of Wheels on Saturday (I know, crazy!) and Sunday I took mom to see “Hairspray” for her birthday. I also brought her a bottle of hairspray and a “chunky” candy bar (to go with the theme.) We brunched at J. Christopher’s (num, num, nummy) and shopped a little in the afternoon. It was an awesome day. I’m exhausted and ready to start a rigorous work week.

Here she is with her finished object, a cute little drawstring bag. (Not quite as funny as the fact that her living room, couch, cat and outfit are all TAN!)

I also finished my Amelia Earhardt hat in just enough time to wear it in this COLD weather!

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 know, it could be dangerous. But I started watching Love Story at like 6:00 this morning.

“Love means never having to say you’re sorry” (*sob*) What a load of crap. Love means having to say you’re sorry time and time again and really meaning it when you say it and saying it without prompting when you have to, so there.

But that isn’t why I’m posting. I was looking at the knit hat that Ali McGraw wears, you know this one:

Yeah, it is a crap photo. But did you know that no one has duplicated this hat in knit form? There is a crochet version that, you’ll have to pardon my snobbery, doesn’t cut the mustard. But no knit one. And it is terribly cute! People are making the Stepmom hat (you know, the one made famous by Julia Roberts and purportedly knit by her very own hands for the movie.) There are even people, me included, that have made the Jayne hat (from the shortlived Firefly series) and we all know knitterz are crazy and will make just about anything, so where are the zany knitting Ali McGraw enthusiasts?

I guess I’ll have to start the revolution. I’ll get right on that. Just after I solve world hunger and the economy.

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 going to see the Florida Krolls tomorrow! The excitement of actually going on a trip with my father is starting to be replaced with a feeling of unease. Imagine a dark house (the security shutters are down 24-7) an overabundance of delicious food (my grandmother isn’t happy unless you have to unbutton something after eating) and the bickering. Fun loving, married  million years, two people talking to you at the same time chatter. I’m so glad their relationship is still spicy. The parentals are going to stay in a hotel room due to an alleged “cat allergy” and I alone will be marooned. Marooned with Ernie and Marion.

Actually, I can’t think of any place I’d rather be. Sounds like… family. This is what the holidays are all about. Suck it up baby, time for togetherness, food and love.

Good news:

1.  I get to be all smooth and secret-agenty as I t take Florence on the airplane, or at least I’m going to try. I’m adhering to all TSA guidelines (as well as a few SNB ladies suggestions) but you never know when someone at security is going to have a crap day and view your knitting needles as deadly weapons. Oh, did you know that yesterday was national “Have a bad Day” Day? Who’s idea was that to tell people that in the morning? Idgits.

2.  I might actually, once and for all learn how to make my grandmother’s (and great grandmother’s) tamales. A family tradition and secret. Now that I have the capacity to understand the nuances in  their preparation, this may be my golden familial culinary education opportunity.

3. I get to see lots of family, dad, stepmother, grandparents and my aunt and uncle might be coming in the last day we are there.

4. The ocean. Flagler Beach is very near to where they live, I’ll take my running shoes and hijack someone’s car for an hour or so and go for a run on the beach, absorb some of the ocean air through my skin and lungs. Aaaaaaaaaaah.

Have a happy holiday! Oh and pray that Florence arrives in Daytona tomorrow around 11AM unscathed and unmolested!

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?

When gifted some extravagantly luscious beaded silk from my friend Jen a while ago, I knew I would have to make it into something extra special. I also knew I would have to sit and fondle it for a few months to figure out exactly what that special something was going to be.

Fondling aside, what DO you do with 200 yards of hand-painted and beaded silk? Um,how about a knitted necklace? I decided that a simple scarf wouldn’t do this yarn justice, it would end up so long and skinny. So I opted for the Moebius Cowl a la Cat Bordhi (you can find the pattern for free on her website here.)

I read several patterns and borrowed some books on this method and ultimately decided that this freebie pattern was exactly what I was looking for, simple, yet lacy and fluttery, which would certainly do the yarn justice. I had read some directions on how to do it that made my brain melt- it is tricky, I’m not going to lie. But ultimately the cast on wasn’t really all that difficult. I found the demo on youtube and was saved! I only had to start over once. Thank you You Tube!

(Don’t you just love figuring out how to do something and having it work out well?)

I’m already half way through the cowl and it is going to be stunning when it is finished. In retrospect, it would have been a great pattern to work up on the plane on the trek visit the grandparents in a few weeks, but I want to wear it, like, now, so I suppose I’ll have to come up with another project to take with me. That won’t be hard I’m sure. Getting through the security checkpoint with my knitting, that is going to be fun.

Have a wicked cool weekend!

Okay, okay, one more close-up, your yarn porn for the day (you dirty monkeys.)