Of course you can't march without a costume...
My sister doesn't do sewing, so she talked me into "helping" her. She's so damn cute, I can't stand it.
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Can You Stand It??
This is what I've been doing for the last 2 days at my parents' house. This is my niece Stella dressed like Lady Liberty. My nephew is marching in a 4th of July parade on Saturday with his Boy Scout Troop and since my sister is involved with the troop, she's marching and she wanted Stella to march too.
Of course you can't march without a costume...
My sister doesn't do sewing, so she talked me into "helping" her. She's so damn cute, I can't stand it.
Of course you can't march without a costume...
My sister doesn't do sewing, so she talked me into "helping" her. She's so damn cute, I can't stand it.
Friday, June 25, 2004
It's that time of year again...
Strap yourselves in folks, the Tour starts in less than 8 days. July 3-25 - I'm glued to the live feed from OLN during the day and watching the coverage on OLN at night. Woohoo!! Go Lance!
Friday, June 18, 2004
Will I get Little Big Man's teacher's socks done in time? No. I knew I wouldn't, but I did give it a half-assed attempt. Here's my progress:
It's a lovely colorway of Mountain Colors Bearfoot. I love this yarn. It's yummy to knit with and I can see myself making lots of socks from this stuff.
This is the other thing I've been working on:
It's basically a big swatch that's going to be a scarf when I get more yarn. It's Fonty Velourine (I never heard of it either), but it's 54% cotton and 46% viscose. A cotton chenille with a synthetic binder. Not a worm in site and it's lovely to work with.
What's in this package?
Ask Jillian later. Sassy decorated the package for me (how very Martha Stewart). I had no cute little gift bags and she said, "Mommy, I can make one!" So, there it is. Isn't she talented?
This is my favorite tree in the whole world:
It's a catalpa tree in my back yard. When we first moved into this house (12 years ago) I said to Hub, "We're going to have to take that dead tree out. It's going to fall on the house." He said, "It's not dead, it just takes a long time to leaf out." He was right. It is always the last tree in the yard to get leaves, but then it's gorgeous. I especially love the white flowers.
Lastly, I treated myself yesterday.
Aren't they lovely? Big thanks go out to June for showing me the value of a pedicure!
It's a lovely colorway of Mountain Colors Bearfoot. I love this yarn. It's yummy to knit with and I can see myself making lots of socks from this stuff.
This is the other thing I've been working on:
It's basically a big swatch that's going to be a scarf when I get more yarn. It's Fonty Velourine (I never heard of it either), but it's 54% cotton and 46% viscose. A cotton chenille with a synthetic binder. Not a worm in site and it's lovely to work with.
What's in this package?
Ask Jillian later. Sassy decorated the package for me (how very Martha Stewart). I had no cute little gift bags and she said, "Mommy, I can make one!" So, there it is. Isn't she talented?
This is my favorite tree in the whole world:
It's a catalpa tree in my back yard. When we first moved into this house (12 years ago) I said to Hub, "We're going to have to take that dead tree out. It's going to fall on the house." He said, "It's not dead, it just takes a long time to leaf out." He was right. It is always the last tree in the yard to get leaves, but then it's gorgeous. I especially love the white flowers.
Lastly, I treated myself yesterday.
Aren't they lovely? Big thanks go out to June for showing me the value of a pedicure!
Friday, June 11, 2004
Reviews
It's Friday, and I don't want to be at work. Technically, I shouldn't be at work. See I work on a research project that's government funded (even though I work for a university). Since all government workers have been given the day off, I should have the day off too. Technically...yeah, it didn't work with my boss either.
So anyway, I thought I'd share my opinion on the 2 movies I've seen this week. The first one was this:
The best part was, we have an IMax screen pretty close to us. We got to see Harry Potter on a 65 foot tall screen! Sassy grabbed my arm several times (and nearly cut off the circulation) to tell me she was afraid. The werewolf scenes bothered her the most. I have to admit, it was a pretty scary werewolf. The three teens who play Harry, Hermione, and Ron are certainly growing up. They get better every film. I will say that Michael Gambon (who played Dumbledore) did an admirable job, but I really miss Richard Harris. He was the quintessential Dumbledore and anyone who comes after him has very big shoes to fill. All in all, we'd give it 2 thumbs up.
Wednesday night, I took the kids to see this:
Okay, I really wanted to see it too. I liked it better than the first one. There was more for adults in this movie and I enjoyed the inside humor. Little Big Man is old enough to "get" most of the jokes (nearly peed himself when the knights pulled the catnip off Puss in Boots). Sassy was just along for the ride - but she laughed as loudly as Little Big Man in some spots. A friend told me, "See it with another adult so you can laugh at the jokes with them." That was good advice, so I'm passing it along. Very enjoyable film, and another 2 thumbs up.
I also recently finished this book:
A couple of months ago I was bored with everything I was reading and asked for suggestions. I think it was Carolyn who suggested this book. It was hysterical. I was laughing so much reading this book that the Hub stole it from me when I put it down for a minute. He chewed through it in 2 days...and then taunted me with the knowledge.
Many years ago, when the Last Temptation of Christ came out, my mother and I had a huge debate about whether Jesus would have suffered from temptations at all. Her argument was that he was god and therefore above the sins that tempted human beings. My argument was that he was sent down here to be human - not a god. Therefore, he had to be tempted by everything that humans are tempted by; only in that way would he know what it was like.
Lamb had the ring of truth for me. Who knows what Jesus' childhood was like, but I really liked this version of it. He struggled, he made bad choices, in short, he was a human being. The book tells the story of Jesus' life, through the eyes of his childhood friend. Christopher Moore had a piece at the end of the book where he talked about the research he did and I think it shows in the reading. I was raised an Episcopalian and remember some of my Sunday school lessons. I did consider digging up a Bible and reading through it, just to catch some of the things I missed. It was an entertaining read and I highly recommend it whether you're a believer or not. I have a short list of reasons why you should read it.
1. you find out where the Shroud of Turin comes from
2. you find out what the "H" stands for in "Jesus H. Christ."
Go forth and read.
So anyway, I thought I'd share my opinion on the 2 movies I've seen this week. The first one was this:
The best part was, we have an IMax screen pretty close to us. We got to see Harry Potter on a 65 foot tall screen! Sassy grabbed my arm several times (and nearly cut off the circulation) to tell me she was afraid. The werewolf scenes bothered her the most. I have to admit, it was a pretty scary werewolf. The three teens who play Harry, Hermione, and Ron are certainly growing up. They get better every film. I will say that Michael Gambon (who played Dumbledore) did an admirable job, but I really miss Richard Harris. He was the quintessential Dumbledore and anyone who comes after him has very big shoes to fill. All in all, we'd give it 2 thumbs up.
Wednesday night, I took the kids to see this:
Okay, I really wanted to see it too. I liked it better than the first one. There was more for adults in this movie and I enjoyed the inside humor. Little Big Man is old enough to "get" most of the jokes (nearly peed himself when the knights pulled the catnip off Puss in Boots). Sassy was just along for the ride - but she laughed as loudly as Little Big Man in some spots. A friend told me, "See it with another adult so you can laugh at the jokes with them." That was good advice, so I'm passing it along. Very enjoyable film, and another 2 thumbs up.
I also recently finished this book:
A couple of months ago I was bored with everything I was reading and asked for suggestions. I think it was Carolyn who suggested this book. It was hysterical. I was laughing so much reading this book that the Hub stole it from me when I put it down for a minute. He chewed through it in 2 days...and then taunted me with the knowledge.
Many years ago, when the Last Temptation of Christ came out, my mother and I had a huge debate about whether Jesus would have suffered from temptations at all. Her argument was that he was god and therefore above the sins that tempted human beings. My argument was that he was sent down here to be human - not a god. Therefore, he had to be tempted by everything that humans are tempted by; only in that way would he know what it was like.
Lamb had the ring of truth for me. Who knows what Jesus' childhood was like, but I really liked this version of it. He struggled, he made bad choices, in short, he was a human being. The book tells the story of Jesus' life, through the eyes of his childhood friend. Christopher Moore had a piece at the end of the book where he talked about the research he did and I think it shows in the reading. I was raised an Episcopalian and remember some of my Sunday school lessons. I did consider digging up a Bible and reading through it, just to catch some of the things I missed. It was an entertaining read and I highly recommend it whether you're a believer or not. I have a short list of reasons why you should read it.
1. you find out where the Shroud of Turin comes from
2. you find out what the "H" stands for in "Jesus H. Christ."
Go forth and read.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Knitting?
Yes, I have been, thanks. I just haven't been talking about it. Last week was the week from hell - the last week of school. Plus, my sister-in-law (the normal one from Colorado) was in town visiting. What that added up to was something going every night, followed by 2 hours of chit-chat.
Sister-in-law just returned from a trip to Italy. Did you know that limonata is lemon soda? I do, after she told me 15 times in an hour. After the first 2 hour chat I looked at Hub and started bitching. He put his hand up and said, "Would you rather spend time with the normal one or the crazy one?" I couldn't argue, so I put up with it. She only comes once a year, so I guess I can be nice for a week (although it was a stretch).
Here's what I worked on:
That's my new orange sock from Skacel Trekking XXL. It's 75% wool and 25% nylon (I think). This was the sock yarn I bought in DC from Knit Happens. I'm working it on US 2s and it's been a little splitty with my Inox needles. They will be a welcome addition to my knit sock drawer when they're done. I'm at the gusset decrease on the second sock.
My next project is...socks. Little Big Man decided to leave the charter school he's been at for the last 5 years (stealing from me the pleasure of sobbing at the 8th grade graduation next year). Anyway, I've been in denial for the last couple of months, thinking that he would change his mind at the last minute. This left me with nothing to give his primary teacher at the end of the year. LBM picked some nice yarn from my Mountain Colors Bearfoot stash for the gifting socks. The teacher is leaving in 3 weeks to work in the slums of Bankok for 6 weeks. Will he want to take wool socks to Thailand? I don't know, but I plan on having them to him so he can make the choice. There's nothing like crunch knitting to get me going.
One more thing...Reagan - enough. He sucked when he was president and now he's dead. Bury him already.
Sister-in-law just returned from a trip to Italy. Did you know that limonata is lemon soda? I do, after she told me 15 times in an hour. After the first 2 hour chat I looked at Hub and started bitching. He put his hand up and said, "Would you rather spend time with the normal one or the crazy one?" I couldn't argue, so I put up with it. She only comes once a year, so I guess I can be nice for a week (although it was a stretch).
Here's what I worked on:
That's my new orange sock from Skacel Trekking XXL. It's 75% wool and 25% nylon (I think). This was the sock yarn I bought in DC from Knit Happens. I'm working it on US 2s and it's been a little splitty with my Inox needles. They will be a welcome addition to my knit sock drawer when they're done. I'm at the gusset decrease on the second sock.
My next project is...socks. Little Big Man decided to leave the charter school he's been at for the last 5 years (stealing from me the pleasure of sobbing at the 8th grade graduation next year). Anyway, I've been in denial for the last couple of months, thinking that he would change his mind at the last minute. This left me with nothing to give his primary teacher at the end of the year. LBM picked some nice yarn from my Mountain Colors Bearfoot stash for the gifting socks. The teacher is leaving in 3 weeks to work in the slums of Bankok for 6 weeks. Will he want to take wool socks to Thailand? I don't know, but I plan on having them to him so he can make the choice. There's nothing like crunch knitting to get me going.
One more thing...Reagan - enough. He sucked when he was president and now he's dead. Bury him already.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
As promised
Here's the new yarn I bought on Friday with Jillian:
The Interlacements is stretched across the left side of the photo. The pink looks electric in this photo and I guess it is a bit bright, but not quite so shocking.
The new Maggi's Irish Yarn is in the 12 o'clock position. Maggi's Rags followed by Maggi's Linen (cotton/linen blend). I can't wait to get started on this yarn. It's going to be fun to work with. The tag on Rag says to use US 10 and the Linen says to use US 8. I think I'll be combining these in the same project and I'm going to be switching back and forth between the 2 needles - this should keep the gauge similar. Any thoughts?
Last, but certainly not least, is the new Koigu. It's one of the new colors (in the 800s). I'm getting quite a stash of this yarn. This is a good thing.
Had a fabulous weekend! We really did nothing but socialize, eat, and drink all weekend long. Okay, I did knit. I've been working on a gorgeous little Miss Bea's cable sweater and all the pieces are finished. I'll be seaming it up and I'll post a picture when it's finished. The baby's not due until July - I guess I'm early with this!
Also got Hub to help me stain the pieces for my new desk. I bought a 2-drawer file cabinet and a CPU cabinet with 3 drawers from Naked Furniture and they came in last week. My plan is to get rid of the old metal/rusty file cabinet and dining room table I'm currently using as a desk. So, stain is finished, 2 coats of varnish to go.
Lastly, I'm officially the parent of a teenager. Little Big Man turns 13 today. I can't believe what a whirlwind trip it's been so far. Strange times still ahead.
The Interlacements is stretched across the left side of the photo. The pink looks electric in this photo and I guess it is a bit bright, but not quite so shocking.
The new Maggi's Irish Yarn is in the 12 o'clock position. Maggi's Rags followed by Maggi's Linen (cotton/linen blend). I can't wait to get started on this yarn. It's going to be fun to work with. The tag on Rag says to use US 10 and the Linen says to use US 8. I think I'll be combining these in the same project and I'm going to be switching back and forth between the 2 needles - this should keep the gauge similar. Any thoughts?
Last, but certainly not least, is the new Koigu. It's one of the new colors (in the 800s). I'm getting quite a stash of this yarn. This is a good thing.
Had a fabulous weekend! We really did nothing but socialize, eat, and drink all weekend long. Okay, I did knit. I've been working on a gorgeous little Miss Bea's cable sweater and all the pieces are finished. I'll be seaming it up and I'll post a picture when it's finished. The baby's not due until July - I guess I'm early with this!
Also got Hub to help me stain the pieces for my new desk. I bought a 2-drawer file cabinet and a CPU cabinet with 3 drawers from Naked Furniture and they came in last week. My plan is to get rid of the old metal/rusty file cabinet and dining room table I'm currently using as a desk. So, stain is finished, 2 coats of varnish to go.
Lastly, I'm officially the parent of a teenager. Little Big Man turns 13 today. I can't believe what a whirlwind trip it's been so far. Strange times still ahead.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Crab cake
It's official, I need a long weekend. All week long, my co-workers have driven me so crazy. This is what I put up on my desktop yesterday after all the annoyances:
Yeah, it's time for a long weekend. We're going shopping tonight to stock up on food, so we won't have to leave our house all weekend long. You can bet that this will be in the cart:
I did have a lovely fibery lunch with Jillian today. It's always fun to see what other people are working on and J has the greatest ideas. I muddle along making swatch after swatch and have a good time, but don't come up with anything fabulous. J throws the coolest stuff together and it always looks great. She's my knit design inspiration.
She talked me into buying some new Maggie Jackson yarns (yeah, twist my arm). I left them in the car, but I'll snap some pictures this weekend. One of them is a cotton/linen blend - very cool. It's a triple strand yarn that feels a little harsh, but I saw a swatch and it knits up soft. With that blend, it will only get softer as it's washed and worn.
Saw some new colors of Koigu - gorgeous purples and oranges. I'm also an Interlacements slut. The colors they put together are so amazing. The skein I picked up has purple, pink, orange, and blends of those colors. I am in my glory with all the fabulous oranges I've been seeing. You can't have too many orange yarns - that's my motto these days. Interlacements has also cut their skeins in half. Instead of spending $40, the skein was only $15.
Now I just want to go home and knit.
In other news, I had this dream last night (don't you just hate when people start a conversation with this?). I weighed 700 pounds - don't ask me how I knew the number, it was just in my head. I was a pyramid of fat with my head on top. My hands were sticking out my sides (think Violet Beauregard in Willie Wonka) and my feet were buried under suet. All I could think about was "how am I going to drive to work like this?" I think that means I need to go back to the gym. I've been using my allergy attacks as an excuse to "baby" myself. I eat whatever I want and haven't worked out...well, in a while (months). Time to step up and be the stud that I am and start sweating again. Who's with me?
Yeah, it's time for a long weekend. We're going shopping tonight to stock up on food, so we won't have to leave our house all weekend long. You can bet that this will be in the cart:
I did have a lovely fibery lunch with Jillian today. It's always fun to see what other people are working on and J has the greatest ideas. I muddle along making swatch after swatch and have a good time, but don't come up with anything fabulous. J throws the coolest stuff together and it always looks great. She's my knit design inspiration.
She talked me into buying some new Maggie Jackson yarns (yeah, twist my arm). I left them in the car, but I'll snap some pictures this weekend. One of them is a cotton/linen blend - very cool. It's a triple strand yarn that feels a little harsh, but I saw a swatch and it knits up soft. With that blend, it will only get softer as it's washed and worn.
Saw some new colors of Koigu - gorgeous purples and oranges. I'm also an Interlacements slut. The colors they put together are so amazing. The skein I picked up has purple, pink, orange, and blends of those colors. I am in my glory with all the fabulous oranges I've been seeing. You can't have too many orange yarns - that's my motto these days. Interlacements has also cut their skeins in half. Instead of spending $40, the skein was only $15.
Now I just want to go home and knit.
In other news, I had this dream last night (don't you just hate when people start a conversation with this?). I weighed 700 pounds - don't ask me how I knew the number, it was just in my head. I was a pyramid of fat with my head on top. My hands were sticking out my sides (think Violet Beauregard in Willie Wonka) and my feet were buried under suet. All I could think about was "how am I going to drive to work like this?" I think that means I need to go back to the gym. I've been using my allergy attacks as an excuse to "baby" myself. I eat whatever I want and haven't worked out...well, in a while (months). Time to step up and be the stud that I am and start sweating again. Who's with me?
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Pioneer, schmioneer
Yeah, we lost power in the gigantic storms last week. It went out on Friday afternoon. Let me just mention that I live in the frickin' country. My husband's criteria for living in a house is that we have so few neighbors that he can pee off the back deck, at any time, without anyone seeing him. Yes, my mother-in-law lives right next door to us - he doesn't actually pee off the back deck, but he wants the option.
So, when you live out in BFE and there are only about 12 other houses on your dirt road, the power company doesn't care about you. Not when there are 899,999 other customers (who all live in neighborhoods) without power. We had 3 field hockey games, 2 ice hockey games, 1 dress rehersal, 2 dance recitals, and a study group going on this last weekend.
On Saturday night, I told Hub that he'd better get his quarters together, we were going to the laundramat and then to the health club for a shower first thing in the morning. We were very lucky. There was no one in the laundramat and we sailed in and got everything washed and dried in an hour and a half. By the time we left, people were lining up their baskets of dirty clothes waiting for the washers to be open.
The community center/health club isn't. They wouldn't let me bring Sassy in for a shower because she was underage. Besides, "half the town would be bringing their kids in here for showers if we let yours in."
"Hmmm," I said, "I thought that was part of being a community center."
Sassy had a sponge bath in the kitchen with water we heated up on the grill. I'm not a pioneer woman. Give me water or give me death.
Needless to say, there wasn't much fiber going on at my house this weekend. I did have the lovely experience of reading by candle light (and managed to avoid singing my hair). I finished up The Well of Lost Plots on Friday. What an amazing book. I'm in love with Jasper Fforde. Also started and finished Black Rubber Dress, by Lauren Henderson. I can't wait to read the other adventures of Sam Jones!
Mac, over at Go Fish has put together a summer reading list. Thinking this is a good idea, I've cribbed it and have put together a small list of my own. Of course, I still have several books in a bag at my house courtesy of Jillian - so those are really at the top of the list (there's another Sam Jones mystery in there somewhere), but here's my official summer reading list:
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
Not Wanted on the Voyage, Timothy Findley
For Rabbit, With Love and Squalor: An American Read, Anne Richardson
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
What's everyone else reading this summer?
So, when you live out in BFE and there are only about 12 other houses on your dirt road, the power company doesn't care about you. Not when there are 899,999 other customers (who all live in neighborhoods) without power. We had 3 field hockey games, 2 ice hockey games, 1 dress rehersal, 2 dance recitals, and a study group going on this last weekend.
On Saturday night, I told Hub that he'd better get his quarters together, we were going to the laundramat and then to the health club for a shower first thing in the morning. We were very lucky. There was no one in the laundramat and we sailed in and got everything washed and dried in an hour and a half. By the time we left, people were lining up their baskets of dirty clothes waiting for the washers to be open.
The community center/health club isn't. They wouldn't let me bring Sassy in for a shower because she was underage. Besides, "half the town would be bringing their kids in here for showers if we let yours in."
"Hmmm," I said, "I thought that was part of being a community center."
Sassy had a sponge bath in the kitchen with water we heated up on the grill. I'm not a pioneer woman. Give me water or give me death.
Needless to say, there wasn't much fiber going on at my house this weekend. I did have the lovely experience of reading by candle light (and managed to avoid singing my hair). I finished up The Well of Lost Plots on Friday. What an amazing book. I'm in love with Jasper Fforde. Also started and finished Black Rubber Dress, by Lauren Henderson. I can't wait to read the other adventures of Sam Jones!
Mac, over at Go Fish has put together a summer reading list. Thinking this is a good idea, I've cribbed it and have put together a small list of my own. Of course, I still have several books in a bag at my house courtesy of Jillian - so those are really at the top of the list (there's another Sam Jones mystery in there somewhere), but here's my official summer reading list:
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
Not Wanted on the Voyage, Timothy Findley
For Rabbit, With Love and Squalor: An American Read, Anne Richardson
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
What's everyone else reading this summer?
Friday, May 21, 2004
There's so much to tell...
DC last week was fabulous! I was also very HOT!! I'm a wuss, I'll admit. I came from Michigan and nice 60 degree weather and was dropped into high humidity and 90 degree days. I hate walking out of the hotel to hail a cab and having pit stains from the (minimal) effort. And what's with federal buildings? They all said, "The air's on...", if that's what passes for air in those buildings, I'm glad I don't work for the government.
Other than the business I was there to attend to, the trip was great. I met a friend on Wednesday for a trip to Knit Happens. It's really a cute little shop. I had heard so much about it from other bloggers that it just seemed too good to be true. I'm always amazed when small shops manage to pack a ton of yarn into a place and not have it feel crowded and junky looking. (I'm amazed, because this is what I attempt at my house and it always looks crowded and junky looking.) Anyway, yes, it's a small shop, but they have great stuff - Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Trendsetter, some pretty cool sock yarn that I forget the name of, and tons more.
Who was in the shop when we arrived? None other than Wendy! I approached her and mentioned a mutual friend and we chatted for a few minutes. I didn't introduce myself - which I didn't think about until later, so I'm sure she thought I was some weird blogger stalker.
I was looking for a cabled baby sweater pattern and the clerk (I think it was one of the owners) gave me a stack of Miss Bea books to page through. Found just what I was looking for here
. If you haven't seen the Miss Bea books - go look, they're wonderful, very well written and the pictures are just so damn cute!
On Friday, I had the whole day to myself! As an aside, my boss always apologizes to me for making me travel to these meetings. Um, right...5 nights alone in a hotel room, eating fabulous meals in places where the Hub and kids would never cross the threshold, and a whole day to do whatever I want...I laugh at him every time.
Anyway, back to my Friday. Started off at the Textile Museum. It is, by far, my favorite place in the city. The people are so nice and the exhibits are well organized and interesting. There was a group of school children there while I was going through. I could hear these kids wherever I was in the museum (it's a very open design). They were having the best time trying on wrappers from different parts of the world and figuring out how they looked best. Every now and again, the docent would shush them a little, but they were having such a good time. It was a lot of fun listening to them.
Took the metro over to the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This place is huge!! Three floors of art by women. I must admit, I was a little disappointed when I first went in. I love paintings as much as the next person (okay, maybe a little less), but how many of the Madonna and Child can one person look at?
They do have a great exhibit running right now called Nordic Cool: Hot Women Designers. It features women designers from Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. There were paintings, photos, textiles, furniture - all kinds of things. It was a very nice exhibit - well put together and interesting.
After that I was exhausted and wanted to go someplace to sit down and eat. I kept telling myself, "you haven't been to the third floor yet" - that's where parts of the permanent collection are. So, I went back up the stairs and saw this:
It's The Springs by Lee Krasner. I know it doesn't look like much on the screen. In person, it's 43 x 66 inches and just fills your field of vision when you stand close to it. What I most love about museums is how close you can get to the paintings and really see what they're made from. This painting is lovely and I've found something new to go visit while I'm in DC. (Please tell me I'm not the only one who returns to visit things I've seen in museums. My other favorite is a Rodin sculpture called She Who Was the Helmet Maker's Beautiful Wife on display in the Hirschhorn. You can go see her for yourself
here.
There's more, but I've gone on a bit long already. I'll be back with pictures of what I've done in this busy, catch up week.
Other than the business I was there to attend to, the trip was great. I met a friend on Wednesday for a trip to Knit Happens. It's really a cute little shop. I had heard so much about it from other bloggers that it just seemed too good to be true. I'm always amazed when small shops manage to pack a ton of yarn into a place and not have it feel crowded and junky looking. (I'm amazed, because this is what I attempt at my house and it always looks crowded and junky looking.) Anyway, yes, it's a small shop, but they have great stuff - Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Trendsetter, some pretty cool sock yarn that I forget the name of, and tons more.
Who was in the shop when we arrived? None other than Wendy! I approached her and mentioned a mutual friend and we chatted for a few minutes. I didn't introduce myself - which I didn't think about until later, so I'm sure she thought I was some weird blogger stalker.
I was looking for a cabled baby sweater pattern and the clerk (I think it was one of the owners) gave me a stack of Miss Bea books to page through. Found just what I was looking for here
. If you haven't seen the Miss Bea books - go look, they're wonderful, very well written and the pictures are just so damn cute!
On Friday, I had the whole day to myself! As an aside, my boss always apologizes to me for making me travel to these meetings. Um, right...5 nights alone in a hotel room, eating fabulous meals in places where the Hub and kids would never cross the threshold, and a whole day to do whatever I want...I laugh at him every time.
Anyway, back to my Friday. Started off at the Textile Museum. It is, by far, my favorite place in the city. The people are so nice and the exhibits are well organized and interesting. There was a group of school children there while I was going through. I could hear these kids wherever I was in the museum (it's a very open design). They were having the best time trying on wrappers from different parts of the world and figuring out how they looked best. Every now and again, the docent would shush them a little, but they were having such a good time. It was a lot of fun listening to them.
Took the metro over to the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This place is huge!! Three floors of art by women. I must admit, I was a little disappointed when I first went in. I love paintings as much as the next person (okay, maybe a little less), but how many of the Madonna and Child can one person look at?
They do have a great exhibit running right now called Nordic Cool: Hot Women Designers. It features women designers from Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway. There were paintings, photos, textiles, furniture - all kinds of things. It was a very nice exhibit - well put together and interesting.
After that I was exhausted and wanted to go someplace to sit down and eat. I kept telling myself, "you haven't been to the third floor yet" - that's where parts of the permanent collection are. So, I went back up the stairs and saw this:
It's The Springs by Lee Krasner. I know it doesn't look like much on the screen. In person, it's 43 x 66 inches and just fills your field of vision when you stand close to it. What I most love about museums is how close you can get to the paintings and really see what they're made from. This painting is lovely and I've found something new to go visit while I'm in DC. (Please tell me I'm not the only one who returns to visit things I've seen in museums. My other favorite is a Rodin sculpture called She Who Was the Helmet Maker's Beautiful Wife on display in the Hirschhorn. You can go see her for yourself
here.
There's more, but I've gone on a bit long already. I'll be back with pictures of what I've done in this busy, catch up week.
Thursday, May 06, 2004
Lazy Alert
Okay for 2 days now, I've schlepped in my ball of Rowan Calmer and the attached swatch...but I'm too damn lazy to make my way to the scanner and scan the thing. So, I finally pick up the goods and make my way across the office to the computer with the scanner attached and someone's using it. I feel a little funny asking someone to stop working so I can goof off. You're going to have to wait to see it. Trust me, it's gorgeous. The yarn is lovely and I really like working with it. Now I just have to sell my first born to be able to afford a sweater's worth.
Have a fabbo lunch with Jillian and kidlets yesterday. Mr. Henry cracks me up! J told me he loves the backpack and when she put him in it, he got the most contented smile on his face I've ever seen. After about 10 minutes of walking around, his little lids were very heavy and he drifted right off to slumberland. My friend Isobel wasn't having a very good day. She did demonstrate a very nice handstand for me and showed me how she dressed up Shaggy in Velma's dress (I love it when little girls giggle). Don't worry J, in a few days, she'll be right as rain.
I'm off this afternoon to have my hair highlighted and cut. I feel like I'm letting Gloria Steinem down by admitting it's because I'm going on a business trip next week. I can't have these people (most of whom I see 3 times a year) thinking I walk around like a sheepdog most of the time (which I do - but I can't let them think that!). I knew once I started highlighting that it would be one of those "personal hygiene until I die" things, but it didn't stop me from doing it.
I'm also taking a couple pairs of pants to be shortened. Do I leave things until the last minute? Does the Pope wear a funny hat?
Have a fabbo lunch with Jillian and kidlets yesterday. Mr. Henry cracks me up! J told me he loves the backpack and when she put him in it, he got the most contented smile on his face I've ever seen. After about 10 minutes of walking around, his little lids were very heavy and he drifted right off to slumberland. My friend Isobel wasn't having a very good day. She did demonstrate a very nice handstand for me and showed me how she dressed up Shaggy in Velma's dress (I love it when little girls giggle). Don't worry J, in a few days, she'll be right as rain.
I'm off this afternoon to have my hair highlighted and cut. I feel like I'm letting Gloria Steinem down by admitting it's because I'm going on a business trip next week. I can't have these people (most of whom I see 3 times a year) thinking I walk around like a sheepdog most of the time (which I do - but I can't let them think that!). I knew once I started highlighting that it would be one of those "personal hygiene until I die" things, but it didn't stop me from doing it.
I'm also taking a couple pairs of pants to be shortened. Do I leave things until the last minute? Does the Pope wear a funny hat?
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Wait till I get started!!!!
Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti
The Princess Bride has got to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Rob Reiner is a genius.
Swatch Yarns
Here is the small collection of swatching yarns I've purchased recently:
Let's work clockwise, shall we? The red in the upper left is Rowan Calmer, which is 75% cotton and 25% microfiber. Next is Dale Svale, 50% cotton, 40% viscose, and 10% silk. Then comes Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, 65% wool, 35% silk (notice I bought the green and not the muted yellow - I really wanted the yellow as well). Lastly is Maggi's Aran Tweed, 100% wool.
I'm currently working on a swatch with the Calmer. It's really lovely yarn - lots of bounce and very cushiony. The microfiber addition to cotton was a good idea. This yarn will have some memory, but will drape nicely. I'll show that swatch tomorrow - I'm about halfway through a pattern repeat of the Elann Dancing Vines Tunic. I'm not sure it will work quite right for this sweater (a little too bouncy), but it does show off the pattern stitches well. Also, it's a little pricey ($11.25/ball) for a giant tunic sweater.
Here's my other swatch-in-progress
This is Jaeger Trinity, 40% silk, 35% cotton, 25% polyamide. The swatch is knit on 3.5 mm needles, which may look a little big, but anything smaller and I think the swatch would be boardy. One weird thing about this yarn is that periodically, I would have a huge stitch. I don't think I was doing anything differently. Just every now and again I noticed a huge stitch, like I wrapped twice and then dropped a wrap. Very strange.
I like the hand of the swatch, a little crisp and crunchy, but also drapey enough to make a nice summer sweater. I did a seed stitch boarder and then did an increase on either side of a 10 stitch panel every other row. You can see that the piece has a pouch - too many increases. Next time, I'll allow a couple of rows in between the increases to make a nice gentle slope.
I also threw in a pleat (which doesn't quite show up in the photo). I've never made a knitted pleat before - I don't think this was the yarn to try it with. The swatch pleated nicely and the yarn falls beautifully into the folds, but the pleat itself looks like the dog's breakfast. I put 16 stitches on a double pointed needle, placed that behind 16 stitches on my working needle and k2tog for 8 stitches and then ssk for 8 stitches. My problem is with the "join" area. Here's a close up:
Apologies for "over-exposing" but I think you can see the area I'm talking about now. See how the stitches on either side of the join pull away from each other. I know it's because of the decrease stitches, but how can I make it look more, well, pleat-like? Next time, I think I'll try it with 15 stitches behind and do a triple decrease in the center - slip 1, k2tog, psso. The Elsebeth Lavold skein will be a similar looking swatch. I'll keep you posted.
Let's work clockwise, shall we? The red in the upper left is Rowan Calmer, which is 75% cotton and 25% microfiber. Next is Dale Svale, 50% cotton, 40% viscose, and 10% silk. Then comes Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, 65% wool, 35% silk (notice I bought the green and not the muted yellow - I really wanted the yellow as well). Lastly is Maggi's Aran Tweed, 100% wool.
I'm currently working on a swatch with the Calmer. It's really lovely yarn - lots of bounce and very cushiony. The microfiber addition to cotton was a good idea. This yarn will have some memory, but will drape nicely. I'll show that swatch tomorrow - I'm about halfway through a pattern repeat of the Elann Dancing Vines Tunic. I'm not sure it will work quite right for this sweater (a little too bouncy), but it does show off the pattern stitches well. Also, it's a little pricey ($11.25/ball) for a giant tunic sweater.
Here's my other swatch-in-progress
This is Jaeger Trinity, 40% silk, 35% cotton, 25% polyamide. The swatch is knit on 3.5 mm needles, which may look a little big, but anything smaller and I think the swatch would be boardy. One weird thing about this yarn is that periodically, I would have a huge stitch. I don't think I was doing anything differently. Just every now and again I noticed a huge stitch, like I wrapped twice and then dropped a wrap. Very strange.
I like the hand of the swatch, a little crisp and crunchy, but also drapey enough to make a nice summer sweater. I did a seed stitch boarder and then did an increase on either side of a 10 stitch panel every other row. You can see that the piece has a pouch - too many increases. Next time, I'll allow a couple of rows in between the increases to make a nice gentle slope.
I also threw in a pleat (which doesn't quite show up in the photo). I've never made a knitted pleat before - I don't think this was the yarn to try it with. The swatch pleated nicely and the yarn falls beautifully into the folds, but the pleat itself looks like the dog's breakfast. I put 16 stitches on a double pointed needle, placed that behind 16 stitches on my working needle and k2tog for 8 stitches and then ssk for 8 stitches. My problem is with the "join" area. Here's a close up:
Apologies for "over-exposing" but I think you can see the area I'm talking about now. See how the stitches on either side of the join pull away from each other. I know it's because of the decrease stitches, but how can I make it look more, well, pleat-like? Next time, I think I'll try it with 15 stitches behind and do a triple decrease in the center - slip 1, k2tog, psso. The Elsebeth Lavold skein will be a similar looking swatch. I'll keep you posted.
Monday, May 03, 2004
Spring Cleaning
I'm still on a bender to get my house cleaned up. I don't know what it is this spring, but I just want everything clean and organized. I've noticed this is a trend in blog-land. Consequently, there's not much going on the fiber front. We've been staying up too late watching way too much hockey (Go Red Wings), but I'm too exhausted to knit. I've been half-heartedly spinning, but not much of that either.
Lately, I'm swatch girl. The last couple of times I've been to the yarn shops, all I can pick up is 1 or 2 skeins of something I haven't tried before. Last week, Jillian and I went to the local shop and they finally have the Elsbeth Lavold silky wool. It's so yummy. I wanted to buy several skeins, but contented myself with 1 in the muted yellow. I've got a dream sweater in my head and I think this might be the yarn for it.
Next week I'll be in DC. I'm really dying to see Knit Happens. I have a friend in the area (newby knitter) and we're planning on having dinner and shopping. She always knows the newest, best restaurants in the area. Good food and good yarn - I love DC!
Now, I just have to get through the prep for our meetings and 2 days of meetings before I can splurge. I have to go in a day early, at the request of my boss. I told him I'd be happy to go...on one condition, that he pays for me to stay an extra day. Of course he agreed (what a good guy). Anyway, I'll be wandering through the Textile Museum and the National Museum of Women in the Arts on Friday. Anything else I shouldn't miss?
Lately, I'm swatch girl. The last couple of times I've been to the yarn shops, all I can pick up is 1 or 2 skeins of something I haven't tried before. Last week, Jillian and I went to the local shop and they finally have the Elsbeth Lavold silky wool. It's so yummy. I wanted to buy several skeins, but contented myself with 1 in the muted yellow. I've got a dream sweater in my head and I think this might be the yarn for it.
Next week I'll be in DC. I'm really dying to see Knit Happens. I have a friend in the area (newby knitter) and we're planning on having dinner and shopping. She always knows the newest, best restaurants in the area. Good food and good yarn - I love DC!
Now, I just have to get through the prep for our meetings and 2 days of meetings before I can splurge. I have to go in a day early, at the request of my boss. I told him I'd be happy to go...on one condition, that he pays for me to stay an extra day. Of course he agreed (what a good guy). Anyway, I'll be wandering through the Textile Museum and the National Museum of Women in the Arts on Friday. Anything else I shouldn't miss?
Monday, April 19, 2004
I'm happy again
I think Spring has finally arrived in Michigan. We actually slept with the window open last night and woke up to the birds singing this morning (okay, we actually woke up because the cat came running through the house and bounced on our bed on the way to the window to try and get the birds - but it's close right?).
We spent last week mucking out the basement. The kids were on Spring Break anyway, so it was a good time. Every couple of years we try and get a dumpster delivered to our house to take the junk away. We've lived in this house for 12 years and have used the basement as a cache for everything we couldn't bear to get rid of. My advice to myself now is - GET RID OF IT!! It doesn't get any better just because it's been sitting in the basement for a couple of years. Hub replaced the windows and I ripped out the carpet in the living room. My plan was to make it look terrible, thereby forcing Hub to do something about it. It worked. We went to Lowe's last night and checked out all the different brands of laminated flooring. It's truly staggering what they can do with wood and plastic these days. Anyone have horror stories about laminate floors?
My only fiber time last week was crunch knitting. Hub and Little Big Man go to a fishing tournament every year at this time. Last year, Hub came home with a request for some hand knit socks for the raffle table. "Cool," I figured, "I have a whole year to finish 1 pair of socks." Um, yeah, I didn't start the damn things until April 8 - they left for the tourny on April 15. They turned out nicely and the guy who won them was very pleased. I didn't take a picture because I was sick of looking at them every waking moment. Hub and LBM didn't catch one fish - not one. He always tells me, "Catching a fish isn't the point, just being outside in the water is the point." Riiiight.
Here's what I'm happy for today:
seeing the sun
being back at work
not having to knit with 2 strands of Kid 'n Ewe
that Hub didn't win the weekend trip this year (it was a stay in Nepal - oh sure, I'll bet there's fiber there, but who wants to be on a plane for 24 hours!)
We spent last week mucking out the basement. The kids were on Spring Break anyway, so it was a good time. Every couple of years we try and get a dumpster delivered to our house to take the junk away. We've lived in this house for 12 years and have used the basement as a cache for everything we couldn't bear to get rid of. My advice to myself now is - GET RID OF IT!! It doesn't get any better just because it's been sitting in the basement for a couple of years. Hub replaced the windows and I ripped out the carpet in the living room. My plan was to make it look terrible, thereby forcing Hub to do something about it. It worked. We went to Lowe's last night and checked out all the different brands of laminated flooring. It's truly staggering what they can do with wood and plastic these days. Anyone have horror stories about laminate floors?
My only fiber time last week was crunch knitting. Hub and Little Big Man go to a fishing tournament every year at this time. Last year, Hub came home with a request for some hand knit socks for the raffle table. "Cool," I figured, "I have a whole year to finish 1 pair of socks." Um, yeah, I didn't start the damn things until April 8 - they left for the tourny on April 15. They turned out nicely and the guy who won them was very pleased. I didn't take a picture because I was sick of looking at them every waking moment. Hub and LBM didn't catch one fish - not one. He always tells me, "Catching a fish isn't the point, just being outside in the water is the point." Riiiight.
Here's what I'm happy for today:
seeing the sun
being back at work
not having to knit with 2 strands of Kid 'n Ewe
that Hub didn't win the weekend trip this year (it was a stay in Nepal - oh sure, I'll bet there's fiber there, but who wants to be on a plane for 24 hours!)
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Study Group Outlines - Woolen
Here's what I meant to post yesterday:
Spinner's Flock Woolen Yarn Study Group
Purpose: to spin a "woolen" style yarn with different twists, plies, diameters and to discover correct uses for this type of yarn
Preparation of Fiber
. Beginning with raw fleece � your choice of fleece � you will need 1 pound
. Save a lock of the raw fleece for documentation, if you wish (protect it from future moth damage)
Wash the fleece
. Document how this was done, what soap was used
. Save a lock of the washed fleece for documentation
. Weigh the washed fleece to determine loss from washing
Prepare the fleece for spinning
. Document use of equipment used � cards, pickers and/or drum carder (what kind), pickers (what kind)
Spin up woolen yarns
. as singles and plied yarns
. of varied angles of twist
. of varied diameters (wraps per inch)
. document for each spun sample
o Wheel / spindle used
o Wheel � whorl ratio
o # of twists per inch
o angle of twist
o # of wraps per inch
o # of yards per pound
o # of plies
. each spun yarn sample (singles and plied) should be 5 yards each, but allow for another yard or more to document each samples for twists/inch, angle of twist, wraps per inch.
Make sample swatches from the handspun
. Document for each detailed method of making swatch (knit, crochet, felt, weave, etc)
. Size of equipment used (loom, needles, etc)
Discuss appropriateness for each sample spun as related to type of wool used.
Discuss appropriate end products that can be created from each sample of yarn.
So, where am I in the process? My wool is washed and weighed. By the way Emma, you were right - my merino went from being 1 pound to .58 pound - I lost almost half of the weight in grease. There was some vegetal matter (vm), but not a lot and most of it was big enough that I could just pull it right out. I brought my drum carder into the house from my studio last night and fed the Mr. Clean wool through, just to see what would happen. I think I should probably use a different drum cloth with finer teeth, but this will do nicely. The wool fed through and I got a pretty decent bat out of the practice run. I'm being very anal about keeping notes on everything. It doesn't feel like homework, it's been really fun. I'm anxious to get started spinning though. Sassy will be helping me with the carding - that ought to be interesting!
Spinner's Flock Woolen Yarn Study Group
Purpose: to spin a "woolen" style yarn with different twists, plies, diameters and to discover correct uses for this type of yarn
Preparation of Fiber
. Beginning with raw fleece � your choice of fleece � you will need 1 pound
. Save a lock of the raw fleece for documentation, if you wish (protect it from future moth damage)
Wash the fleece
. Document how this was done, what soap was used
. Save a lock of the washed fleece for documentation
. Weigh the washed fleece to determine loss from washing
Prepare the fleece for spinning
. Document use of equipment used � cards, pickers and/or drum carder (what kind), pickers (what kind)
Spin up woolen yarns
. as singles and plied yarns
. of varied angles of twist
. of varied diameters (wraps per inch)
. document for each spun sample
o Wheel / spindle used
o Wheel � whorl ratio
o # of twists per inch
o angle of twist
o # of wraps per inch
o # of yards per pound
o # of plies
. each spun yarn sample (singles and plied) should be 5 yards each, but allow for another yard or more to document each samples for twists/inch, angle of twist, wraps per inch.
Make sample swatches from the handspun
. Document for each detailed method of making swatch (knit, crochet, felt, weave, etc)
. Size of equipment used (loom, needles, etc)
Discuss appropriateness for each sample spun as related to type of wool used.
Discuss appropriate end products that can be created from each sample of yarn.
So, where am I in the process? My wool is washed and weighed. By the way Emma, you were right - my merino went from being 1 pound to .58 pound - I lost almost half of the weight in grease. There was some vegetal matter (vm), but not a lot and most of it was big enough that I could just pull it right out. I brought my drum carder into the house from my studio last night and fed the Mr. Clean wool through, just to see what would happen. I think I should probably use a different drum cloth with finer teeth, but this will do nicely. The wool fed through and I got a pretty decent bat out of the practice run. I'm being very anal about keeping notes on everything. It doesn't feel like homework, it's been really fun. I'm anxious to get started spinning though. Sassy will be helping me with the carding - that ought to be interesting!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)