Rampant
Back in the early part of July, when I was up to my neck in a giant school project and starting to go a bit crazy around the edges, I cast on these socks. They helped me avoid chewing my fingernails off. A few days later, the neighbor's son rang the doorbell and handed us a sick kitten. The socks kept me from crying at the vet's office (Douglas is fine, I'm just a total softie about kittens). Then we went to the woods for a family event and off to Portland for Sock Summit and up to Buffalo for [...]
All Other Things Being Equal
The town I live in has a rather...um...zealous housing authority. They inspect all houses every few years and send out letters informing the residents how they get to spend their summer vacations. This year, they decided that Chez Violence was due for a new paint job. Now honestly, we needed it. And we're lazy, so the letter from the housing office was likely a good kick in the pants. But it meant we were in for a rather expensive and intrusive project. We've had folks climbing all over the house for days (and many more days of it to come), [...]
Sock Summit Part VI, In Which We are Refreshed
I realized the other day that I never quite finished writing about the second half of our trip to Sock Summit. Since this is my blog, and since I totally use it as a substitute for the whole scrapbook/travel journal/calendar thing organized folks did in the pre-internet days, I'm going to swoop in and do it now before I forget. Though I warn you, this half of our trip was a bit less yarn-drenched than the first. Feel free to wander away if you're not interested. On Sunday morning we got up and set out. We stopped by the Sock [...]
Winner (and a Nap)
The winner of Laura Nelkin's lovely Adorn pattern collection is Sandra. I'll send an email with directions shortly Sandra! I've got lots of knitterly thing to tell you guys, but both Levon and I seem to have some sort of lingering crud. We're on the mend, but I think a bit of a late afternoon nap (perhaps followed by a slightly lazy weekend) would do us both good. I'll pop back in with a proper post soon. Until then, it's kittens and naps and maybe a little Buffy the Vampire Slayer for me.
It’s a Process
Having decided to dye the blanket, I thought I should do a bit of research. Armed with a bit of reading, I first washed the blanket (it hadn't been washed for years...because it had been in the blanket chest, not because I'm filthy). Then I dug out my old jug of synthrapol from a previous tie dyeing phase and ran it through with a shot of that out of some vague notion that it would be helpful. Then, while the blanket was still wringing wet, I trundled off to mix up the dye. I used all three packets, and I [...]
This Could be an Error
At some point in my youth and childhood, I went on a trip to Ireland. While I was there, I got a blanket (from this company). It seemed ruinously expensive at the time (I was a teenager, that was a lot of hours of babysitting), but I loved it and wanted it beyond all reason. It lived in my room for many years. For the last decade or so, it has lived in the bottom of my blanket chest. Its fall from grace is not its fault. It's a lovely, sturdy, wooly blanket. It does all of the things a [...]
So Much Better (Plus Giveaway)
So, as promised, I'd like you to meet someone who really knows her way around the bead shop. May I introduce the lovely Laura Nelkin? I got to know Laura when she was design director for Schaefer Yarn. She got in touch with me when I was very new at this pattern thing and asked if I'd like to do a design for Schaefer. This was an incredibly generous thing to do. I was a complete newbie and was totally making it up as I went along. Her encouragement was a tremendous help. Laura has recently made the switch to [...]
Not So Smooth
I occasionally get messages complaining that my knitting always looks better than that of the writer. Seriously folks, this is because I cheat. I tend to only show you the pretty stuff. The stuff that isn't working out? That gets tossed against the wall and sworn at and then ripped. But just so you know it happens, here's an example of something that isn't working out. Now this had promise. The stitch pattern is pleasing, yarn is lovely, the beads are shiiiiiiiiiiny, and the silk thread is interesting to work with. See? Far too pretty to throw away. But this [...]
Pesky Real Life, Part II
I like to look at all of the 'my house is so pretty' blogs. Well, sort of. I like to look at them, but then I tend to look around at my actual house (the one with the extra cat and the pile of laundry and the dishes in the sink) and think it all looks a bit...less than stellar. So, on the off chance that you too occasionally look at those sites and are left feeling a bit glum, I'll present my closet. I assure you it is not a magazine closet. It is not full of custom shelving [...]
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