March 2006 Archives

Jonathan Ronald Thomas made his way into the world on Tuesday, March 21st. He is a beautiful bundle of joy who has brought much love and happiness to his proud parents. I am honored and thrilled to know that the baby blanket will keep him warm for many years to come.

Much happiness to my friends and their new baby.

...although my nose still doesn't work properly. Oh, well. It'll get better.

I have no pictures of my spoils that I collected on my vacation, but rest assured you will see them. I have a gorgeous silver, un-dyed alpaca yarn, several balls of merino/silk, two baskets, a mug, a teapot, shoes, and some dried spices!

I spent way too much money, but I feel no remorse. None at all.

Speaking of baskets, I must introduce you all to the Basket Man. The Basket Man is our friend. The Basket Man is lovely. The Basket Man loves us and wants to be happy. The Basket Man offers a lifetime guarantee.

I will have pictures of my baskets, but until then, please visit the Basket Man's website. Yes, the baskets are pricey. My small one was only about ten dollars less than my large one at $76, but they are guaranteed for life. If you run over it with your car, your dog chews it to bits, you get mad and attack it with an ax, he'll either fix it or replace it. They are all handmade from a hard wood (I forget which) and are absolutely perfect for crafters. I take my little basket everywhere and it holds my sock project and my project journal and all the little devices I might need like scissors. When I was on vacation, it carried my project, the stuff needed for it, the camera, my money pouch, my lip balm, my glasses, and sometimes a bottle of water. And, get this, he's got basket purses that are even smaller. My large basket holds most of my current projects plus books. And, I don't have to worry about the baskets getting damaged because if they do, then he'll fix or replace them!

We love the Basket Man.

On another note, because of illness, I haven't even started going through the pictures from vacation yet, but Todd is working diligently on the website, so I will have to go through them soon. So, when we get them out there, I'll give ya'll a little glimpse of my hobby and how geeky we really are.

The sock project still taunts me, but with the help of the internet and a visit to the yarn shop, I have made it passed the heel. I am currently fussing with the foot. (A lot of patterns wanted me to do gusset shaping which is interesting to say the least on a short-row heel, but I found one pattern that does no such thing, and every time I try on the sock, it seems to work even if it does look strange on the needles, so I'm throwing gussets to the wind and going for broke. If anything, because I'm tired of ripping the damn thing out.) I will produce pictures when I'm not cussing at it. I could take pictures between curses, but I haven't really paused much.

I haven't crocheted since I left for vacation because I'm trying to bend the Sock That Laughs to my will. I'm too damn determined to work on the other projects at the moment.

Oh, on that note, I'd like to give you a quick review: The "Twisted Sisters Sock Knitting Workbook" is not for beginners no matter how basic the sock pattern is, was organized by a drunk monkey, is about as clear as fog, and makes things way harder than they need to be. (Yarn overs?! HA! I spit on your yarn overs!) It might work if you're a seasoned knitter, but for someone who just wanted a simple sock pattern to learn, I would have been better off with this. Live and learn.

By the way, something that most designers don't tell you, apparently. (I give this to those who, like me, are learning to knit because apparently we don't have enough hobbies.) When you're knitting in the round, a stockinette stitch is just a plain knit stitch. You do not knit one row and purl one row or you'll get a garter stitch. Just knit in the round. That's it. You'll get a lovely stockinette that's just a breeze. It took me ripping a purple sock out six times, my boyfriend who doesn't knit at all making the suggestion that maybe it's just knitting in the round, and a trip to the internet after returning home to find he was right to figure all this out. Don't make my mistake.

Did I tell you I got silver alpaca yarn? $12 a skein. Ursula's Alcove. We love her, too.

(The silver-grey is what I got, but trust me, it's much lighter and more silvery in person.)

I'm here. cough hack

Still alive. hack cough snort

I think. cough sneeze cough snort

You're friendly neighborhood crochet cultist had a wonderful vacation that she has 946 pictures to remember it by. (No, I'm not joking.)

However, while you're friendly neighborhood crochet cultist was out at the rapier field watching the dashing rapier fighters and taking pictures (of course) on Saturday morning, the last day of her vacation before returning, she managed to get caught in the rain and blistering cold wind. A wool cloak is great, but it doesn't do much good when you're wearing a cotton dress. (Must make wool dresses for next year.) As a result, I now have bronchitis and have spent the better part of this week alternating between suffering at work and suffering on the couch.

This does not mean I haven't been doing something yarn related. I started socks on the way to vacation, found I was doing something wrong, ripped them out four times, got home, did research, corrected the mistake, started again in another color. Now, I have been knitting on the same sock for over a week. I keep getting stuck on the heel. I've torn it out several times and the book I have doesn't seem to be working. I've done research online, but I'm thinking that I might need to visit the yarn shop. However, I've been too sick to do so, so I've been ripping out and trying again...and again...and again...

The definition of insanity supposedly is doing the same thing over and over again in the hopes that the situation will change...

You know...I wonder...

I'll be back when I'm feeling better.

shuffles back the couch and the sock that laughs at her

So tomorrow is it...or as Lisa notices the time...today is it!

Vacation!

I managed to escape the gravity of Planet Doom otherwise known as work by flinging myself at the door at Ludicrous Speed in order to reach escape velocity.

I practically danced to my car.

Afterwards, I was bad. Forgive me crocheting/knitting bloggers for I...have done what you all would have done in my place, don't deny it!

I had to meet Lara to acquire a dress to have to wear to Gulf Wars, and what better place to meet than at the yarn shop! And, how could I possibly go to the yarn shop and not buy at least a couple of skeins of yarn! As Lara pointed out, repeatedly, I quite possibly did not have enough yarn. What if I gasp ran out of yarn? Wouldn't want that to happen. So, I bought some yarn. Some lovely stripey green merino that is most definitely tribble yarn, but will most likely become socks. (Mine! All mine!)

After a few errands (and the purchase of even more alcohol because, like yarn, you aren't supposed to run out), I managed to make it home to continue packing and stuff. My brother and his family dropped by. While my niece artfully arranged the kitty toys into a parade across my floor, I showed him where everything was so he could feed my cats and such and chatted for a bit before he and my sister-in-law realized they had milk in the car that needed a refrigerator stat. Once they left, Todd returned home and we collected and packed more stuff. (Will it ever end?)

At one point, I had to actually take some time to focus on the yarn. Can't forget the yarn. That's like forgetting the music. Silence for nine hours? Death on the road is what that would be. Me without something to keep my hands busy? We just don't want to go there. Anyway, I picked out a large paper bag with handles (fear not I will have a lovely basket before this week is finished) and started neatly piling my yarn and utensils of yarn bending. I have: 9 balls of various colors of Lopi yarn for the free form project, two skeins of cotton/fleece for the first pair of socks, two balls of merino wool for the second pair if I finish the first, and a giant ball of lace-weight black raw silk that I rolled myself for my first attempt at knitting lace if I want something different. (Of course, if the knitting doesn't work, I found a spider web crochet pattern for lace that would love that yarn.) I have the knitting book, the sock book, some circular needles, the DPNs, all of my crochet hooks, and the kitchen sink. I figure that's a good start, especially if there's a yarn merchant of some sort at the site...

...but wait...what if there isn't one? Will all that be enough? Could I possibly run out? I know I'm bringing the embroidery, too, but what if...what if...I...I can't think of it...my heart can't take it...

That's it, I might have to throw in some synthetic yarn. Yeah, yeah, I know, but I can do a couple of granny squares if need be. In case of emergency, who cares as long as there is crocheting or knitting going on.

There will be a Celctic embroidery class that I'm interested in, so it might distract me a bit. But, sitting around the campfire, drinking one of my soon-to-be many glasses of wine, just calls for a bit of crochet or knitting.

Bliss.

I do not have pictures of the chaos in our home today or my bag o' fiber goodness because the digital camera's batteries are charging. I tend to take a lot of pictures at events, and many of our friends, unfortunately, because of life circumstances, are unable to attend Gulf Wars this year, so I will be a picture-taking fool. I must reserve that for the event. However, you will see the chaos upon our return, most likely. I'm sure that despite my fears of not enough yarn, I'll maybe be able to swing one sock, and that one is bound to be interesting to say the least. Either way, you'll see it in whatever state it's in. Feel free to laugh. I know I will.

So, I will be leaving you, friends, for a week of fun, learning, and debauchery. I will no longer exist in the 21st century (Ignore the cell phone, modern tent, and digital camera. Considering the amount of geekness that exists in our house, this is damn rustic.) and will think of nothing passed "Do I want to watch lots of people beating lots of other people with sticks today, or do I want to do more shopping, or do I want to sit here and fall asleep in my chair?" I am so looking forward to this and wish you were there.

I leave you with this, for no other reason than I feel like it might be good for a laugh:

My Todd has a kitty cat. Her name is Silvara, but we refer to her as the Kitten because she's the youngest member of the household and quite small. She is grey and fluffy and has not been a part of the cat blogging moments because much like a ghost, she's hard to catch on film. She's adorable, and we love her.

But, we think that she may be rotting from the inside out.

One evening I was in my bathroom getting ready for bed, and I hear Todd on the other side of the wall in his bathroom shouting "Oh, for the love of God, cat!" and various obsenities. When queried on this later, he told me that said Kitten used her litter box, which is located in his bathroom, and emitted such a stink as to make his eyebrows melt. I laughed at this. His response was, "Oh, you laugh, but trust me, it had substance, this stench. I could have carved it." I did not doubt it, but I was glad to have not been there.

Well, the other day, I was downstairs and I once again hear cries of pain from my love. I walked upstairs, giggling, and asked him if he had been tear-gassed again. He related to me that he walked into the computer room, where his bathroom is located, and the Kitten came strutting out of the bathroom in a "love me" sort of way. Behind her came what he could only describe as this green noxious cloud that threatened to shred the skin from his face and was quite possibly sentient. And, as I walked into the room, yes, yes, there was a wall o' reek that if it didn't put hair on your chest would definitely make you shed it. I couldn't help but laugh as I gagged and kept asking the kitten how something so small could smell so badly. It would make a bottle of Febreeze cry.

Since then, it has become a daily horror. There is not a day that passes anymore that one of us does not experience the Green Cloud that hides behind the door and attacks us upon entering the room. We've discussed that it might be the high protein food we have the cats eating, but personally, I think it's some alien presence whose sole purpose is to strip the paint from the walls. Today, it was so pungeant that it seemed to fill the whole city with blech, and I declared it needed its own zip code.

We are a little concerned about the Kitten, but she, as always, seems indifferent to it. As we walk into the room and end up being strangled, gagged, and beaten with a brick by the Green Cloud, she always gives us the innocent look that says, "What? Are you going to pet me now or something?"

Cats. Are they fun or what?

In this case, I go with the "or what".

Well, everyone, have a wonderful week, and crochet/knit lots and lots, or in the case of KathyMarie, as much as your wrists will let you before they scream and threaten to sue. Take care, everyone! See ya'll in a week!

In the massive preparations for Gulf Wars, (Oh, yeah, baby! Battles, drinking with friends around a fire, bards stopping by for a song, the rolling tavern from Trimaris, and the roaming Glenn Bob-bhann party! My Todd will be in full armor beating people with sticks while I knit socks and take pictures! Woo! SCA vacation! Woo! Damn, I'm a geek.) I have been rather absent from Ye Olde Blog, but I am still here. I hope to get a few more posts before we leave on Saturday, not to return until the next Sunday. I know, I know, how will you get through the week? Well, that's what yarn is for, my friends. That's what yarn is for. Of course, I will be away from anything remotely resembling technology except for my cell phone where my brother will be lucky he won't get a call a day amounting to, "You haven't killed my cats yet, right?" So, I expect project progress reports so I can be all jealous of the awesomeness of those around me. On the other side, there is a very real possibility I will be bringing back more yarn than I can handle, assuming the merchant shows up this year. I will definitely be bringing back a gorgeous, guaranteed-for-life basket perfect for my current projects. We all will have much to share when I return.

Through popular demand, the Baby Blanket:


Pardon the less than stellar picture. I've taken tons of pictures of this thing, but it's all neutral colors and I don't have any place inside or outside my house that brings out its colors. Either way, I'm really proud of this one, and my friend loved it and immediately put it on the crib when I gave it to her. She said even her mother and sister where impressed. Woo! It's made of a lovely cotton/fleece blend that I'm in love with enough to do my sister-in-law's birthday shawl in when I get a chance. Thankfully, her birthday isn't until November.


A close up...

An even closer close up...

Look, even Peaches is proud of me.

That or she has an upset stomach. Who knows with rubber chickens?

Either way, it's finished, and my friend is happy, and I'm happy, and NOW the baby can come if he wants. (The day I was to finish it, she had a major false labor that had us all a little concerned, and I was all sorts of telling the baby he could not come until I finished his blanket. After it was apparent it was a false labor, I finished the blanket and gave it to his mother two days later.)

Now, I'm working on the sort of free form thing. It's free form because it has no pattern and no plan, but it's still kind of symmetrical. I can't help it. It's how I think. I'm not sure if the colors are working. We'll see how it comes out, but I'm a little worried about this one. Is it a keeper or a Goodwill donation? Fingers crossed that it's at least cool enough for a gift. I do know that I might have used too many different colors, even if they are all earthy tones. I'm not too worried because even if this one doesn't work, there is some gorgeous shades of green wool calling to me that will definitely work. Experimentation rules. Anyway, here's hoping on this one...

Either way, I hope to have a couple of posts before I run away screaming for a week.

Before then, I leave you with this: my coworkers informed me the other day that Women's Lib was a bad thing because women aren't as physically capable as men. They shouldn't be in military or be cops or the like.

I actually had to leave the cubicle for a while so my disgusted and screaming inner feminist wouldn't say something that would get me fired.

I swear I attract morons like this.

Covered in bits of yarn with a tapestry needle threaded through her ear, a young crocheting warrior crawls weakly from the scene of battle. She has bags under her eyes the size of Hondas, and she has definitely had too much wine. But, she is victorious.

"I...I am...victorious!" she cries, then collapses to the ground.

The Baby Blanket is finished. Done. Complete. (And, apparently none too soon since she spent four hours with her pregnant friend because they thought she might have been in labor.)

As she lies upon the dirty floor, cats standing on her demanding food, she weeps with relief and thinks to herself. "Now, I can rest."

She smiles happily and starts to think that staying right where she is for a few years wouldn't be too bad...

"Rest? You can't rest now," says a voice near her head. "You have more work to do."

"No. There is no more work now. Only play and sleep. Nighty night." was the reply.

"But, the blanket isn't finished!" says the voice.

"Bite me," she says.

"That's your boyfriend's job," says the voice. "Look, you know it isn't finished. You still have to wash it and dry it and wrap it."

The weary warrior raises her head enough to see a tiny version of herself in a tastefully crocheted white robe. "Who are you?"

"I'm the good side of your conscience. I'm here to argue with you until feel guilty and do what you're supposed to do."

Suddenly, there was a little puff of sulfur and another small version of herself appeared in a crocheted outfit that looked as if the seventies exploded on it. "Ignore that twit. She just wants to make you miss some down time. You deserve a break."

"You must be the Bad Side, right?"

"Well, duh," the other said sticking out her tongue. "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

The warrior rolled her eyes and laid her head back on the carpet.

"You can't sleep now!" said the Good Side. "You have to finish the job! The baby shower is tomorrow!"

The Bad Side made a very rude gesture better displayed at bad drivers and said, "Oh, hush! It's not like the thing was dragged into the mud! It's clean! Let her be!"

The Good Side stomped her little foot. "No! There's cat hair all over it, and she's had to drag it all over creation, so there's no telling what else is on it. It needs to be washed!"

"Look, the kid is going to be crawling around on the floor trying to stick twenty-year-old gum he found under the coffee table in his mouth. This ain't gonna hurt him."

"Oh, why don't you go back where you come from, you trollop!"

"You glorified toilet paper cozy!"

"I bet your mother made you out of acrylic yarn. That would explain the lack of substance!"

"Oh yeah?! You secretly wish all yarn was eyelash yarn!"

"Hag!"

"Ass kisser!"

With that, they disappeared into a cartoonish dust cloud of thrown punches, dirty kicks, and curses.

The warrior sighed loudly to herself. Yes, I need to wash the blanket, she thought. I need to clean it and see how it's going to act when wet to warn my friend. Yes, I need to wash the blanket.

Slowly and with much effort, she dragged herself to her feet and stumbled forward. In her exhaustion, she forgot the Good Side and the Bad Side were fighting close by and accidentally stepped on them. Upon hearing a smushing sound and feeling dampness on her foot she turned.

"Ew! I wish the cats wouldn't throw up on the carpet! Oh, well, I'll get the carpet cleaner later."

With that, she walked upstairs where the Blanket awaited its bath.

Later...

The Blanket waited to dry.


And, waited to dry.


And, waited to dry.


Do these things ever dry?


The end...or not the end since there are other projects...well, the end for this one...kind of...we hope...whatever...go to bed.


******
There will be pictures later. Certain people (Lara) who will be at the baby shower might read the blog and get a peek at the finished product, and she'll just have to wait like everyone else. Nyah.