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I know it isn't reasonable, and I really know nothing about the place, but I want to move. Here.
I mean, who wouldn't want to live on Warp Drive? Of course, this has me thinking about old jokes.
Captain, I canno make her go any faster. There's a cheeseburger stuck in the warp drive!
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Some days are just boring. Today, so far, is just one of those. A bit of time at the gym, some work and then home to make cake and ice cream. Nothing to write home about, really.
On the other hand, I am working on this cowl. And for something so boring it is incredibly exciting. Simple stockinette, lace weight. It sounds like a yawn when put that way, but it is a very vibrant green. I believe the colorway (I feel prententious just writing that) is Jelly.
I was at Snow Goose last week, because I had time to kill before the next bus was going to show up. I took the time to browse (and obviously more than browse) and found this sample cowl. It was warm looking and it was next to this pile of yarn and books by Classic Elite. I looked at the pattern and started to scowl. Let's just say that some patterns are too simple for me to want to pay for. The only thing in the pattern I might not have thought of is the double stranded cast on and bind off.
So, I picked a different yarn (admittedly with a lighter weight) and went to on Christmas eve. I have another day or so more knitting to do on this, and then I will be able to cast off, weave in ends and finish 2011 with a new knit.
A bright cheerful knit for keeping warm in the dark winter days ahead.
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It's really too early to be thinking about resolutions, but at the same time, well, there it is. I'm not thinking about health and fitness-related resolutions, but instead about craft.
My husband and I ask each other all the time what we want for Christmas (or birthdays), and usually we give a useless non-answer. My standard is that I want a nap. We aren't Jewish, but when he asks me what I want for Hannukah the answer is usually 8 naps. And so it goes. But lately my husband's standard answer has been to make something with the fancy yarn he gave me in 2007. Four years of me looking at the yarn and feeling like I couldn't do it justice, that the intended project was both not practical enough or unlikely to fit, or just feeling like it was yarn to be admired.
Looking at that project made me take another look at what projects I have started since Ravelry (or at least put in Ravelry) that are still not done. I do this every year and sometimes I make decent progress. This year I finished two sweaters (and maybe a third sweater if I get a move on) that were from the dark recesses of my project list. One of the sweaters was started in 2010 and the other in 2008, but they are hardly the worst offenders.
I have 2 craft goals for 2012. The major one has to do with my sad little Etsy store, but the personal one is to complete one project from each year in my Ravelry project list.
2011: Mitred Crosses (rav) - Seaming and I had this idea for embroidery or additional decoration.
2010: Rib and Cable Cardigan (rav) - I set it aside when it got big (it is worked in mostly one piece).
2009: The Baby Set (rav, rav, rav) - These need just finishing work: seaming and embroidery.
2008: Abotanicity (rav) - I got bored, but I still love the sweater.
2007: Everything But the Kitchen Sink (rav) - It needs 1.5 sleeves, some seaming and a neckband.
Five items, plus one big one. I will either make the Lacy Dress or find something else to do with the beautiful yarn that my husband gave me for Crimbo 2007.
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Happy holidays!
Well, this holiday card suggests that you pick one and a donation will be made. It's a funny idea, though it isn't my favorite card from this year's line up.
I don't have any intense desire to make my own ugly holiday sweater. There are plenty in thrift stores waiting to be brought to their forever homes. Do the humane thing and adopt an ugly holiday sweater this season.
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Today has been an amazingly wonderful day. It started off with some gift opening (which included a terrific raffle prize from Gather Here), and then moved to pumpkin waffles, cooked eggnog french toast style. Victor got some Dog Nog, which made him so interested in drinking his water that he had a little accident. I made this trifle, using the Barefoot Contessa red velvet cupcake mix. I also cooked a few sides: garden pea risotto, mashed potatoes and these awesome biscuits from Smitten Kitchen (pictures of those tomorrow, because the excess was full of hilarity).
I didn't really give my husband much, but this year was the first year I did most of my gifting from Etsy. Soap for my MIL, lip balm, and some geeky things for my husband. While I had some good gift giving, my best was still this.
A simple envelope style pillow using a couple of tutorials (Kaufman fabric, because I'm not smart enough to write down what the fabric is when I buy it). The monkey is done in reverse applique, and while there are a number of great tutorials (like this one), I did something a bit different.
I free hand drew a monkey similar to the ones in the fabric on a piece of white felt and then cut the felt out as a template. I then outlined the felt on the blue fabric and cut out the monkey in the blue fabric. A bit of handsewing, backstitch actually, around the monkey and to secure the fabric and then I used this awesome floss I have from almost 2 million years ago to do a whip stitch around the edges to protect the fabric from fraying. The hand work was what took the most time. I finished the pillow early Christmas morning (1am-ish) on the sewing machine. While I am not the best at sewing I'm proud of this pillow and my husband seems to really love it too. Yeah!
I'm glad that I have tomorrow off. It will be time for some relaxing, sitting around, and cleaning up the mess from today.
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This is the wrong time of year to be thinking about handmade gifts. There are four days left until Christmas (for those of us that celebrate it) and of those days 3 of them are work days. I love my job, but crafting a beautiful present and the day job do not go hand in hand.
I don't know how anyone else eeks out a little more craft time, but for me it seems to be the mornings, the early early mornings. Today I woke up at 3:30. I just knew I needed to get up and get things done. I made scones (a variation on this recipe), did all of the internet-based things I do in the early AM (mostly read my web comics and play Kingdom of Loathing), and did almost an hour of hand sewing.
Usually the crafting time is in relative short supply. 20 minutes during my commute, 15 minutes in the cafeteria over breakfast, 40 minutes over lunch and then whatever I get in the evening. It isn't enough time for a comprehensive or complex project (no blankets in the next 4 days), but it is enough time to work something in pieces. Little projects or simple tasks.
I've been making moustaches for your finger. I did 3 of them during the show and gave them to the other members of the tenor chorus, but now it is time to make some more for my friend's children for the holidays. It isn't a big gift, but it is handmade, and it is full of potential. Silliness and games for all.
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Last night was the last show of our run immediately followed by strike. I pushed scaff, used dex tools, guarded people's stuff, carried stuff, and used power drills to take down the set.
I am at the 99% level of my show sweater. I only have ends to weave in, which is pretty good. Today, however, is completely a recovery day. I slept for about 8 hours and took a 2-hour nap. I expect that tomorrow morning I will be finishing up the ends.
I'm trying to decide what I'm doing next. I have a sweater in progress I came across that I started way over a year ago (I fell down when I got to the sleeves). If not that project, I have plenty of stuff in the UFO list.
Also, my laptop is currently at the doctor's for some repairs. I have fingers crossed for an affordable fix.
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Earlier in the week I was knitting my sleeves and trying to explain sleeve caps to him. There might have been some pantomime, and in the end my pantomime looked suspiciously like Lucy the Slut's EKG. Thus, slut caps have been born.
Unfortunately, I crocheted (hey, it is knitting, there are no police here) my shoulder seams together and took a look at the sleeves. The slut caps don't really fit the arm holes. Despite measuring numerous times the arm holes look to be about an inch or two too big. I don't mind a deeper arm hole, especially because it is for a cardigan and should make it easier to wear other tops underneath. I'm pretty sure that part of my task tonight (after the show as I am taking the train home) is to rip out the top of the sleeve and refigure the decreases to produce a pair of slut caps that are about an inch to two inches deeper.
Has anyone done this before? If I have to, I can rip out the top of the shoulder shaping, but I would rather fix it on the sleeves. It might not be easier, but it doesn't involve ripping out my slip stitch crochet seams and three sections of knitting.
Any takers? Anyone? Bueller?
Also, two words: mint julep
Fine, one more: yum.
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Before I post about anything else, I strongly suggest that you watch this.
Transcript available here.
I'm working my way through the break between show weekends, which is good. I'm so far behind on blog post reading that I am thinking of chucking it all and wiping everything clean. Not so good for that one, but in the land of good I'm over 90% done with a new sweater that I started during put in. Light hang conveniently allows me to push scaffolding with people and lights and knit at the same time. I have the sleeves blocking right now... I did them 2 at a time, and it was the first time I had ever used that technique. With the exception of a couple possible burbles, the technique was flawless, simple and speedy. Why have I done it this way before!?
Of course, with the sweater pieces blocking I had to start something else, so I picked a tiny project made of 1 parts yarn to 2 parts silliness. It is also super speedy, but I at least can make more of these and not have it be a big deal!
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