December 2006 Archives

Thank you for your well wishes out there! It was good reading your comments but. I'm still sick. Yeppo, bronchitis. I caved and started taking more antibiotics.

It occurred to me, while in bed, that I should upgrade my cms. I'm still at 2.661 and Movable Type is now at 3.32.

It occurred to me, while in bed, that I should update my blog design. I was never fully satisfied with it in the first place (you got your graphic designer talking here), and an upgrade and update double-header would be something I can do while propped up on pillows.

It also occurred to me, while in bed, that sewing a four-patch of squares would take less than a minute with a sewing machine.

This took me half an hour by hand. By fricking hand. Fifteen minutes to join two sets of two squares, another fifteen minutes to join the two sets, shriek obscenities at the crooked lines (quarter-inch seam my ass), mismatching intersection (somehow, the idea of pinning never crept into my mind), ripping, resewing, and pressing the thing flat. Now I have to sew it to the sashing (pretty cream fabric on the left), but I'm sooo tried right now! When I cough I feel like my lungs are being ripped apart. Uuuuuhhhhhhhh!

To think I have 48 more squares left.

I'm done with being sick (I think). I can sleep easily, I can breathe, and walking a block doesn't tire me out. I've managed to step out a few times to our favorite French cafe on the strand (Nonnahs, you know which one) and eat a whole raspberry chocolate chip muffin. Little things. Be thankful if you're healthy!

While in bed, I did some reading:

1: Destined for Destiny: The Unauthorized Autobiography of George W. Bush, Scott Dikkers and Peter Hilleren. I'm not through with this yet. It's very silly; the pictures with J. Christ are funny but overdone.
2: The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina, Frank Rich. Interesting book. It's a pity that you have to pay to read the good editorial articles in the New York Times.
3: Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, Donald Spoto. Perhaps it was my Harper's Bazaar issue with Natalie Portman dressed in Audrey Hepburn's iconic Breakfast at Tiffany's black dress (shot by Peter Lindberg, btw) that sparked my interest (the cover with the white background offers more contrast). Anyway, I've always liked Miss Hepburn's style.
4: The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel, Diane Setterfield. Brings to mind Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind.
5: Nigeria, Patricia Levy. Part of the Cultures of the World series. Good pictures. Makes me feel nostalgic.
6: Voices from the Mountains, Stephen Venables. Forty true stories of mountaineering and rock climbing. I know I have a streak of crazy/reckless/boldness in me, but some of the people in this book are certifiably nutters.

My mom's commissioned my sister and I to develop a interior theme for her house. My sister's thinking formal, I'm thinking casual but not too floofy. Design ideas, here:
1: Flea Market Style: Decorating with a Creative Edge, Chris Mead and Emelie Tolley.
2: Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide, Rachel Ashwell.
3: Shabby Chic, Rachel Ashwell.

It was inevitable: quilting. Pictures like Julia's Friendship Quilt, Angela's modern quilt, Wee Wonderful Hillary's quilts, Shim + Sons Sally's colorful quilted projects, and all of Yarnstorm Jane Brocket's quilts inspired me. I sketched my first three quilts in one day. Wishful thinking!!!

1: The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide, edited by Ellen Pahl. A good resource.
2: Passionate Patchwork, Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy. Mr. Fassett's famous for his fantastic color jumbles. They're a bit overwhelming; however, I came away with a sense of mixing patterns. Another good resource.
3: Quilted Bags in a Weekend, Ellen Kharade. For the inevitable scraps.

I'll be updating the Stranded KAL roll call this week. I'm continually inspired by everyone's projects!

I just finished the roll call for the kal (omg, that was a post), and now it's time for silly quizzes. Thank goodness it's the weekend, I've got the flu.

You are a Cranberry and Popcorn-strung tree Christmas is all about showcasing your creative talents. From cookies to nicely-wrapped presents, your unique creations impress everyone. What Christmas Tree Are You?

Your Elf Name is Giggles Sugar Butt Buh? What's Your Elf Name?

You are Cupid the Reindeer A total romantic, you're always crushing on a new reindeer. (Hah!) Why You're Naughty: You've caused so much drama, all the reindeers aren't speaking to each other. (Nuh, not me.) Why You're Nice: You have a knack for playing matchmaker. You even hooked Rudolph up! Which of Santa's Reindeer are You?

Thanks for the compliments on Gnome #2! He was really fun to make. I still have over half the yarn left over--Lion Brand Wool-Ease is great on the yardage. A good and a bad thing, you know?

I've been busy trying to write the mother of all kal updates (lo, 150 knitters), in addition to doing some freelance. And getting sick (I finally caught the bug that's been going around and has incapacitated one-third of our gym members). I did find a good link to share this week: Shake the Globe, an OfficeMax "fun" site. Shake it a lot! If you mouse over the tab at the bottom right, you can find more fun goodies.

Other things I'm working on:

A simple shawl.

Yummy merino/silk.

A colorwork hat for this sweet little girl, who obligingly posed for her auntie.

Hello, gnome #2.

Pattern: Gnome by Alan Dart, a supplement in the November 2005 issue of Simply Knitting; size medium
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease (197 yards; 3 oz; 80% acrylic, 20% wool) in #620-099 Fisherman, #620-152 Oxford Grey and #620-102 Ranch Red; Fun Fur (60 yards; 1¾ oz; 100% polyester) in #320-100 White
Needles: US3 for body parts and hat, US7 for beard; bamboo dpns
Finished height: 15.75" with hat tip straightened out
Modificationnn: Knit in the round

Hello, gnomes #2 and #1.

Hello, chubby round body knit in the round.

Hello, solid red foot.

Hello, cute little (gnash) hand and (gnash, gnash) thumb.

Lastly, as Mary-Heather suggested, I stuck a note under Gnome's beard: "Caught you looking!" This is going to BF's mom, hee hee!

Project notes for knitting this gnome *in the round* follows...

On your mark, get set, GO!

What are your projects for this knitalong?
I've got a few. First, I have a couple of scrollwork motifs I'd like to incorporate into a hat:

( + )

A small stitch/row motif like this makes a good edging. And then a bigger version of the scrollwork:

( + )

I've decided to make the scrollwork red. The background of the bottom third of the hat will be grey; the background for the top two-thirds will be cream. Perhaps a pompom to top it off.

Second, I found some African motifs I want to put on a sweater. Hello, steeking! Then perhaps a pair of mittens or gloves for those negative temps in Southern California. I fell in love with Moth Heaven Julia's gorgeousLatvian Mittens. So, three projects.

Is this your first colorwork project? If it isn't, what was your first, and has it survived the test of time?
I've done 3 colorwork projects before--three hats, for last year's Norwegian Knits-Along. That was fun. I gave the first hat to my niece, the second hat to our good friends' daughter, and I kept the third hat. It's held up, considering I've taken it *everywhere* and washed it at least three times.

Happy swatching, everyone! Comments closed for this post.