Spazzmanda

I really should be working on my Christmas knitting, but I’m not going to stress. I finished the corset. And it is cute. Really. It worked with the Halloween costume and made me chuckle. I used an icky, stiff, black acrylic because that was the “look” I was going for (and it was cheap - so for an uncertain outcome for a costume, it was a good choice.)

Excuse the crappy bright photo, there is an equally dark craptastic photo here.  I’ll have photos with it on after this weekend.

This bugger took a while to finish. Thankfully, Shari gave me a booklet recently called “Learn to Crochet in just One Day” (Thank you Shari!) with some fantastic photos, because the crochet edges were to be lace and I wouldn’t have had a clue what the abbreviations were for otherwise. I learned to single crochet, and triple crochet, and chain- and now I don’t know why I was so hesitant to learn, it was really easy. The garment fit well, but with the stretch, it met in the middle a little more than desired- I should have made the smallest size- and probably swatched (yeah, I don’t always wanna and YOU can’t make me!) So Jeff and I called it my “tummy sweater” (because that is the only area it really keeps warm.) I think it will be cute over a white starched shirt with jeans and boots for a date night this winter.

This weekend I also whipped out (at warp speed) a simple roll brim hat - a pattern from one of my favorite bloggers- Crazy Aunt Purl.

This hat was a belated birthday present. It is not made from crappy yarn. It is the why-oh-why-didn’t-I-buy-more-of-this-stuff-at-half-price yarn from my stash. Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (wool/silk/cashmere blend.) So soft it makes you want to cry (particularly after knitting with nasty acrylic.)  The recipient’s head is much smaller than my big ol’ melon so it is even cuter on her. She seemed to like it very much (and said that it would go with her brown coat) which, of course, was the very idea. I’m so hating my stash right now and I want new, sexy yarn. The SAFF folks are probably going to make me weep with the beauty of all of their loot, I just know it.

And some eye candy for all you cat lovers. I have a very, very bitchy cat. And I love her. She is grumpy, grumbly and growly, but she loves to snuggle with me (as long as it is her idea) and will let me pet her (as long as I adhere to her guidelines). Her name is Manxie-Moo- and sometimes, in the spring I shave her- because her hair gets matted (the fact that it pisses her off is just a bonus.)  Here she is making poo-face at me on Sunday night.

Don’t you love it?

The end is in site for the costume construction for DragonCon. We will be revamping Pee Wee and Miss Yvonne (last year’s Halloween costumes) sometime this weekend in addition to our group outfit- the Life Aquatic team- and our ultra-secret creation. I just have to pack and make sure I don’t forget a single eyelash, in addition to packing up the car for the beach!

I have managed to do some knitting.

See- Baby Bobbi sans stuffing

I still have much work to do, but it is finishing stuff. The last arm is knit around the stuffing and closed up. This yarn has been a tad difficult to work with, but I went down a needle size too so the fabric would be more dense so it is probably my own fault. (I wouldn’t want his guts to come out, you know.) Then I will do the ears, a duplicate stitch around the neck - which I’m not quite sure of how or why it needs to be done, but I’ll do it. And then embroider the face. The head is freaking HUGE. I looked at the photo and I believe the head is supposed to be as big as the torso, but it looks, so far, gargantuan. But I think I may still be able to pull it off.

It snuggles good though. And, because I will eventually HAVE to mention it, so does this:

Look what Dr. Doolittle found in the woods. Yup, that would be a beh-beh kitteh, about a week old, abandoned by its momma and starving to death. No, it will not be living with us. In fact, I’m hoping that someone that will remain nameless will get off the fence and take this here little-un off our hands once it is old enough to go. (It has to be bottle fed and so far I’m proving myself to be not very maternal, thank goodness Jeff is maternal enough for the both of us.)

Because I can.

My bitchy kitty, Manxie-Moo, inside my JoAnn’s bag about two seconds after I put it on the counter.

My mother lost one of her cats over the weekend. Bud (Buford Ewing Davis- named for a beloved John Travolta character from Urban Cowboy) was 12 years old and seems to have passed peacefully in his sleep. He was a sweet special kitty. He didn’t particularly like anyone other than mother, but he had his moments. I saw him last week, and although he wasn’t getting around as good as he used to, he looked well and I’m glad I had a chance to see him and pat his head. He was SO soft. And SO mean misunderstood. He will be missed dearly.

Bud at Christmas (Bad photo- he never let me get too close, it made him uncomfortable.)

Bud leaves behind his beloved cat, Steve. (Bud was Mom’s cat, Steve was Bud’s cat.) Steve is missing him lots.

By the way, how DO you tell if a cat is depressed? They sleep all the time anyways.

On a happier note, and since I have no knitting content of my own (I’ve been busy) Here is a picture of my Mom’s first felted bag- the clutch from One Skein (yeah, I know, we love that book a little excessively.)

Didn’t she do a lovely job?