Spazzmanda

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.)

Here it is all close up an pornographic:

Makes you all tingly just looking at it. I’ve found my knit groove again and am focusing on selfish knitting for ME! (Thank you lord it only took me three weeks.) I started the Gigi sweater from the Summer 2008 Knitty using some luxurious hand painted yarn I purchased some time ago at Knitch in Atlanta, which is where I went today with the beautiful and funny Jackie and Claudia. I met some loverly new knitting friends and I finished the ribbing for the back of my sweater! I really miss Atlanta sometimes, maybe I will move there again, who knows? But the traffic is a nightmare and I really have come to love Gainesvegas, the town is cool and I have many good friends here.

I’ve had a wonderful (and mostly drama-free) weekend, although it is very unfortunate that I must reiterate to all the haters out there to leave me and my life and my memories the hell alone. I don’t need or require any more dirt, my current life post-trauma is just not all that entertaining, so please, please, PLEASE just watch some soap net, ‘kay?

More good news, the “misery diet” would seem to be paying off. Unfortunately my boobs are shrinking (Shari says “firming” but whatever) but also shrinking, apparently, is the rest of me. My jeans are all too big already and I’ve had to cinch them up an extra notch on my belt. The gym is not only a life saver for how I’m feeling (particularly when I’m trying to sleep at night) but also with the nifty butt-firming, ab-toning side-effects. Which is all very good for the self esteem, that quite frankly was shot to hell, and whose wouldn’t be when their partner strays from their relationship? Through my unhealthy obsession to follow the fall-out, I came to the following conclusions that I thought I’d share with the blogiverse. (It is really very cleansing…)

(CONTENT DELETED SINCE I’VE GROWN UP A BIT.)

This is what my man was doing while I have been toiling my bloomin’ arse off at the ol’ workplace.

I’m trying not to hate him too much… But we are going to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Actor’s Express tonight (now through July 26th.) I, for one, can’t farking wait it is all I can think about, just get through 8 more hours girl, 8… more… excruciating… hours.

DISCLAIMER: I have to make sure that I am clear- the above comments were all in playful jest. I was in no way making disparaging comments about my man, his love of the bat or his work ethic, he works his fanny off. Work. Work. Work. This was a kodak moment of his fun time. Fun time I wish that I could have been a part of while I was at work, which isn’t so much fun right now, it happens to be the anti-fun. A veritable black hole of fun suckage. I was trying to tap into his fun, savor it, partake in it, live vicariously for a moment, enjoy it just a little teensy tiny little bit and post a fun picture in the process. I apologize if my commentary couldn’t be seen for what it was intended to be- playful. Jest.

I have had some successful finishes this week. I finished Pixie’s Fruit Loop!

Look at it blocking in the morning sunshine. Is this the cutest thing ever or what?

The yarn is hempathy (a hemp/cotton/modal blend) and even thought it is a little splitty (but only when you’re ripping- arrrrrgh) it knits like a dream! The lace looks more like a watermelon than a strawberry (oops, too many repeats.) This is a pattern I test knit for Miss Pixie (the designer of the Country Kiddie.) Be on the look out for it for sale on her website and through Ravelry as well!

Layin’ low this weekend. Did laundry. Mopped. Finished the Hegie- I ended up stuffing him with polyfil and some stones- so he would be heavy. I needle felted his face on yesterday, very easy finishing after he dried.

This is him in the herb garden this morning before the storm rolled in. He will go to live with my mom (surprise mom!) after I get a chance to take him to a meeting to be photographed with the other hedgies.  This was a fun KAL.

Also working on a test knit for Pixie, here is a glimpse of another something cute she has up her sleeve:

That is all for now. Have a marvelous week.

There are some changes going on right now where I work that have me all… conflicted. A sad departure? A new opportunity? On many levels, I’m just so torn, between what there is to be done, the thing that needs to be done, the moral right thing to do and what is currently expected from me– and none of these things, mind you, are ever, ever, ever the SAME thing, the comfortable thing, or even the easy thing. Blah. I can’t even really communicate all that is going on, nor do I really want to… once again… right here… in my safe place.

I shall skip on to the knitting.

Super-secret-finished-object numero uno:

For more details, see Ravelry.

Also, I started this over the weekend:

For our “Hedge” A-long- where many of us are knitting a felted hedgehog at the same time. I made much progress on this little fucker before finishing the blanket o’death (pictured above.) All yarn from said hedgehog is a remnant from my stash (and Shari’s- thanks for the fun fur so I can make him all one color.)
This isn’t the “easiest” pattern to read, you are kind of have to be assumed to have half a brain, I really favor “moron-worded” patterns myself.

Yeah, he will be a cute little door-stopper for my mother once I come up with something heavy to stuff him with. Shari suggested rice, I asked her- “What about bugs?” She mused, but confirmed that rice would probably be better…

Wait for it.

It is funny… Maybe you had to be there.

Me and my knittas went to the Twisted Skeins in Clarkesville this weekend (gosh, I needed that outing. It healed my soul a little that day, thanks in great part to Shari for being… a perfect friend and destination-knitting-companion exactly when and where I needed her. Uncanny.)

In the immortal words of Forrest, Forrest Gump:

“That’s all I have to say about that.”

Who knew that I was a capable seamstress? Based on the string of foul words that came out of my mouth the last time I attempted to sew something with a machine, I would have never dreamed it possible. Apparently, the right tools make all the difference in the world! I recently acquired a loverly NEW sewing machine from John Olin and Margaret (hi there folks!) and it looks something like this:

Singer Esteem say hello to the world. This thing is truly wunderbar. The first very important item of business was to fill out the warranty card, you know, just in case you monkey strength the thing and have to have something, er, replaced. (I didn’t do that by the way, but it has been known to happen to other appliances, like the Cuisnart.)

Then you can sew. Once I got through the basics I was ready to rock and roll, the Singer Esteem (don’t you just love that?) is a MUCH nicer machine than the one I inherited a few years ago, but in all fairness, it was a 50 year old dinosaur of a machine so it is like comparing apples to fossilized apples or something. my Esteem is light weight, easy to understand and it sews like buttah. I lined my rosebud bag and finished it last night! It took two tries, but I made lemons into lemonade. My first lining was much too small, so I made a second, better lining, and the first became a snazzy hidden side pocket see?

Notice the stripes in the pocket and in the bag go opposite ways, let us pretend I did that on purpose (I like the effect though) I also used my zigzag feature because that is how I roll. And here is the finished bag on the outside:

All in all, not a bad project. The actual knitting was done in a flash, then add about 2 hours to sew on all the roses, leaves and insert the handles and another 2 hours (give or take) to do a lining. I am very pleased with my new summer bag!  Hey, thanks Jenny for the pattern suggestion, and again to John and Margaret for the snazzy new machine and of course, I’d like to thank the academy…

I love knitting for myself, it feels so decadent right now, my birthdayweek, particularly with the deadline knitting I’ve been doing, like, since November.

Here is the Rosebud Bag before felting (thank you darling Gnarly for being there for an indication of scale.)

And after, sorry no kitty for scale, but it shrunk about 13% or so.

I need to assemble and attach the roses and leaves, then put in the bamboo handles and finish it off with the lining. Here are the handles and lining (this fabric was going to be on the outside chairs until Jeff made me throw them away and get new and better chairs, no matter, it will be a pretty new lining for my new spring summer bag!) Damn it is hot here already. Can you believe it is already in the nineties? Doesn’t that happen in JULY???!!!

I need to make a pocket, any ideas on how to do that?

And here is the long-term project, with the Sea Silk. (mmmmmmmmm, pretty, pretty seasilk.) I was wrong yesterday the colorway is called “Woodlands” and it is subtle purples (more of an aubergine) with mossy greens and dark blues that look so much better in person than in this crappy photograph. The pattern is the Stormwater Shawl and will end up being this pretty, geometric-type lace pattern. I love it, but right now it looks like boiled ass- apparently all lace looks pretty craptastic until it is finished and properly blocked. Nevermind, here is the progress photo:

Thank you for the support, boys and girls, for my traumatic experience last weekend, I’m so glad that I have you guys out there to laugh heartily at my misfortune!  Now that we spoke freely about “the deed” I must now move on to my new topic of interest, conveniently enough it is a perfect example of what “knockin’ boots” will lead to (i.e. babies.)

(How was that for a segue?)

I made a ton of baby crap for Miss Megan’s shower tomorrow! Yay handmade baby stuff (I sure hope she likes it!) SEE? I’ve been KNITTING (big shocker)

You will see below my Sheldon, two Baby bibs, two burp cloths and a baby blanket (‘cuz it gets cold once ejected from the womb!)

Also, back on Mother’s Day (I know, I suck at the posts lately) I finished my second REAL pair of socks for my lovely mother, the River Rapids Socks(they look much better in person, excuse the crappiness of the photo!)

Now, enough abut craftyness, on a sad, personal note, after an extended stay in the states, we have had to finally release our favorite boy scout, Ted, to return to his home in England to his lovely wife Mindy. I almost wanted to fight her for him as he is that dear to us- there is a Ted-shaped void in our lives, there is no longer someone to make sure we know about interesting cultural outings, to hold (and navigate) maps, to remind us what time it is and if we are missing something fun and to keep me supplied with my favorite Birch Beer and salsa that doesn’t suck and/or come out of a jar. Ted, the man, the myth, the legend- we will miss you!

(sniff, sniff)

I’ve had a nasty, nasty bug. I’m working today, but faking it as it seems I have a nearly endless supply of mucus. All I can think about is those mucinex commercials with the dancing boogers. ew.

Ok, one more time and I’ll quit, I promise.

The finished project (International Fiber Collaborative) and I can STILL spot my square a mile away. I’m not crazy, just very good at finding something I stared at for approximately four months.

One more shot just for yucks.

Ok, I’m done. (Oh, and again, both photos courtesy of www.internationalfibercollaborative.com)

Have a dancing booger-free day!

Anyone recall that I participated in the International Fiber Collaborative project last year, well, early this year when I finished? No? I posted about it here and even here.

Let me sum up. Artist Jennifer Marsh came up with the brilliant idea to essentially upholster an abandoned, unused gas station as social commentary on our country’s dependance on oil products (I hope I got that right- forgive me if I am not completely with it, I’m too excited.)

So, I sent my square. (You can see it here if you are so inclined.) Well, I got notice she had received it, but I checked and checked on the pages where you can view the squares on her site and alas, mine was not there. I was sad. Then I got an email about the installation of the project (it looks pretty freakin’ awesome in the completed state) and I found this:

Look closely, verrrrry closely. THAT square on the front right corner is all MINE baby. (Well I did have some help, thanks to the Northeast Georgia Yarnsters) but see that mitered square- that was me for rizzle dizzle. I’d recognize that bulgy hunk of crap anywhere. I’m so very pleased. I aided in an important work of art, a large-scale politically-minded cozy.