SNOW!!!

It snowed last night! I'm so excited!! Can't you tell by the exclimation points?!? I guess now I really should finish SB's glove/hat/scarf set ~gulp~.

Does anyone else feel like they're sending a kid off to college when they let one of their projects loose on the world? I just droped off the box at the gallery for the exhibit this weekend and I'm really not happy about how it turned out. The lid was about an inch bigger all around than the top of the box so the whole freaking thing looked like a mushroom. A tie-dyed mushroom no less. But it's done, it's over. I've done what I've said I was going to do, I've knit and fulled the box and I've turned it in for the silent auction, now I just hope it sells. Is it wrong that I will be really be disappointed if it doesn't at least garner one bid? I just want someone besides my family to like my art I guess. And I'm really hoping that someone will get pictures of it so that I can post them on here so y'all can see the box. The box I'm proud of, it's the lid that I'm not so happy with.

Oh, and I've finished the Clapotis, but now I want to sell it so that I can get more yarn to make another one with that I will actually want to wear that will keep me warm. I'm thinking of making it out of Noro Silk Garden, but I'm not sure what colorway yet. First I'll have to find someone to buy the Clapotis I have I guess. We'll see how things go.

And I'm going to totally frog the one glove that I've made for the SB and remake it. I know that it's the first glove that I've ever made, but that's no excuse for it to look totally mutant. So it's being frogged and redone and hopefully that will fix it's mutantness. Then it's onto it's partner, the scarf and then the hat. I really hope to have the whole set done for him by X-mas. I know what I want to make for mom, but I know I won't be able to have it done in time. And then there's the question of what to make for the Step-dad, my brother, my dad and my Step-monster. Ye gods I have way too many family. I guess I should start saving for yarn now.

Keep on going

I'm still here and chugging along. I had a temp job for a whole week and a day, but it's over now and we won't speak of it again.

Clapotis is coming along very nicely. I'm almost thru the first skein of yarn and according to the pattern I should be just about to start the decreases soon. Well, given the amount of yarn I still have to use on this bad boy I think I'll keep going for a little while. I've also got to finish the hat/glove/scarf set that I promised my Sweet Baboo and the box that I'm working on for a fund raiser. Yes, I'm knitting a box. Ok, actually I'm knitting and then fulling it. The fund raiser is an art show and the theme of the art show is "Thinking Outside the Box". Everyone of the entries is supposed to be a box of some sort that has been decorated and will then be displayed and bid on in a silent auction or out right purchased. Well, I decided to think outside the box and do what I was good at and full myself a box for the show. See how smart I can be some times.

I've also found a cabled shrug in the fall Interweave Knits that I want to make, but I want to make it out of something washable, not the yarn that they recommend for the project. Also my budget doesn't allow for 12 balls of that stuff. I was thinking about using WoolPak but even then it's out of reach (try $80 out of reach) so I'm still looking for alternatives.

It's Friday night, and you know what that means...

Back to The Gifted Purl I go. My SB said he might be going to a gaming group tonight so that means either he's got to drop me off before he goes and I find a ride home (HI NICOLE!!) or I have to find a ride to and from (HI HI NICOLE!!), we'll have to see.

I've been taking a break from the box-lace shawl to work on something I would have never had to make in Houston, mittens. Well, I'm actually making glittens. What are glittens you ask, well they're what would happen if a mitten and a glove had a baby. I actually find them incredibly useful as they make it so that you can do things like turn the key to your car or poke people annoyingly in the side of the head. I'm using some Lion Brand Fishermans Wool that I Kool-Aid dyed last year, after the microwave debacle (don't ask & I won't tell) and they are a very nice purple/blue/natural colorway. SB says that he too would like a pair, but in a more neutral color, so that means, oh darn, I just have to buy more yarn. And since this week was my birthday, yes folks I did infact turn 30 and not die from the shock of it, I have birthday $$ with which to purchase said yarn. Who knows, I may even get myself some nice yarn to make a new Clapotis with seeing as how I have no scarf looking object for the coming winter months. Now all I'll need is a hat. But I think I've got some ideas in that direction too, we'll just have to see.

I've posted something on my non-fibery blog about the whole hurricane Rita thing. Please go and check it out if you're interested in that sort of thing. ::hugs::

the waiting

I don't know how my projects can stand it. How do they not come and find me in my sleep and strangle me for not working on them. And to top it off I had to go and frog 11 rows of the box lace shawl because the pattern got off somewhere because I wasen't paying attention. Moral of the story; don't do a lace pattern while trying to hold a conversation that requires eye contact. That is at least if you're me. The socks have made no progress what so ever. But I did decide that they are going to have a nice bit of cabling down each side of them and that they will be ankle socks. I think I'm going to use them to teach myself to do real shortrow heels. That would be a nice change. I'm really not a big fan of the heel flap.

Missed going to the knit-in last Friday. SB & I have agreed to do an every other week thing of the knit-in and a D&D game that our SCA group has up here, that way we're both getting out and being social. So this week is supposed to be knit-in but there's a big SCA event that our group is hosting and the set-up starts on Friday so we may do that instead. We'll have to see.

And I still need to find that place in Morengo(sp): The Fold. They're supposed to be the place for spinning & dyeing stuff up in this area. What I really want is to find someone or where that I can rent a wheel from and also to get some mordants so that I can dye up this fiber that I have and get it spun up and off my shelf.

the night at The Gifted Purl

I went to two more job interview yesterday. I seem to be having issues with first of the day interviews. This one didn't work out too well either. So as I was heading back home to wait to go back across town to my second interview I stumbled across a knitting store (imagine that) called The Gifted Purl and went inside. There I met Molly and Deb, two wonderful women with great personalities who made me feel instantly comfortable and welcome in their store. Within minutes we were talking about projects and where I was from and they told me that they were having a knit-in. I excitedly asked when and they said "Tonight!" WOOHOO!! I had found new knitters to be with! I was home again!! I asked what I needed to bring and was told nothing but myself and my latest project. I asked if I could bring the Sweet Baboo and was told sure. There were actually a couple of other men that showed up he wouldn't be alone in the testosterone department. The festivities would start after 5:30.
We got there about 5:45 and things were in full swing. We sat down in the circle of chairs and were introduced to Nancy, Nicole, another Deb (daughter of Molly) and a couple of other ladies whose names have escaped me and I apologize to them. And the "stitch-n-bitch" was in full swing. For his part SB brought his inkle weaving and introduced the ladies to something new, I was quite proud of him. We were later joined by Mel & her husband and step-son (both of whom learned to knit that night), two young sisters, and another woman whose name I never learned. All in all it was quite a crowd. About half way thru the evening Molly ordered pizza and some folks stopped to nosh. It's hard to resist a good Chicago-style pizza, I must admit. But I was strong and resisted the temptation as we had just eaten dinner before we got there. By 10pm I was getting tired so I looked at SB and made the secret motion that said "we've got to jam, I'm tired". We said our good-nights just as Pat, the father of the two girls, came to pick up his two sleepy daughters. After some lighthearted banter and witty repartee we left the gathering of our new friends and headed home knowing that they do this every Friday and that come hell or high water, this is where I was going to be on Friday nights.

Long time no type...

So I've been doing crafty stuff, really I have. It's just been well hidden by the fact that we're moving to Illinois. Yes, the Snorri and I are moving far far from the beautiful sauna that is Greater Houston to the small peacefulness that is Crystal Lake, IL. And while I love the idea of new adventures, I'm scared by the fact that we really don't know anyone up there but my family (and I don't take much solice in that). But I know that things will work out and we'll be ok.

Ok, back to those crafty things I was talking about...

I designed, started and finished a hat for a friends elevation to the Order of the Pelican (if you don't know what that is please see this and scroll down to "Peerage"). I also finished the blanket for our therapists' baby and made her a baby gnome to play with. Now I'm working on a couple of pair of socks. One for me and one to share with Snorri. It's kind of nice when we have about the same size foot.