Distraction

I had an exceptionally awful day.  That had some really awesome moments.  My brain is racing, but I’m exhausted emotionally.  I can’t quite bring myself to step away from the computer due to a task I took on, but one can only refresh a screen so many times without going insane.  So, I visited a couple blogs that I’ve been behind on lately and found this on D’s page.  Figured it might be good for a few minutes down time.

 

 

If you’re on my friends list, I want to know 36 things about you. I don’t care if we never talk, or if we already know everything about each other. Short and sweet is fine… you’re on my list, so I want to know you better!

Post on your journal!

My response to D:

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?  Yes.  Many.  None are romantic, thankfully.
02) What was your dream growing up?  To be an author.
03) What talent do you wish you had?  Mind-reading?
04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?  Tonight, I need rum.  Lots of rum.
05) Favorite vegetable?  Potato.
06) What was the last book you read?  The Amber Spyglass.
07) What zodiac sign are you?  Aquarius.  All the way.
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.  Both ear lobes, both tragus (traguses?  tragusi?), left helix.  6 tattoos, 2 being removed.
09) Worst Habit?  My amazing ability to hermit.
10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?  Since it is unlikely that I’d have the Weenie Wagon, I could always give you a tow.  ::grin::
11) What is your favorite sport?  Birth.
12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?  Ask me on a day that someone I care about didn’t die.
13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?  Um, be stuck on an elevator with you.  Duh.
14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?  What an awful question.
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.  I hoard toilet paper because I always worry about running out.
16) Do you have any pets?  Too many.  Anyone want a hairless kitten????
17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?  I put you to work!
18) What was your first impression of me?  You rock.
19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?  I’m indifferent.  Only ones I’ve ever liked were the ones in Slava’s Snow Show.
20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?  Twin skin.
21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?  Since you’d only ever Robin Hood, then partner.
22) What color eyes do you have?  Blue.
23) Ever been arrested?  Nope.
24) Bottle or can soda?  Can.  Tastes better that way.
25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?  Oy, student loans.
27) What’s your favorite place to hang out at?  Home.
28) Do you believe in ghosts?  I don’t disbelieve in them.
29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?  Craft.
30) Do you swear a lot?  Only fucking occasionally.
31) Biggest pet peeve?  No toilet paper.
32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?  Awesome.
33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?  Theoretically.
34) Favourite and least favourite food?  Potatoes, seafood.
35) Do you believe in God?  I believe in a higher power – call it whatever you like.

Really?

I can’t believe it has been nearly 2 months since I’ve updated!

I’ve been a busy girl, what can I say?

New full-time job, which I mostly enjoy (how many people stright outta college have a boss that earnestly asks, “What is your passion?  What do you want to do?  Tell me because I want to support you!”????)

A couple trips West.  LA and Vegas.  Going back to LA in a couple weeks, San Francisco in November, and I’m hoping to make it out to NOLA for a long weekend and maybe NYC.

Kid started school, then changed schools.  We’re much happier now.

I finished a really cool class and have since started a couple more that aren’t so cool, but, if I take them as opposed to testing out then I can put off paying interest on my student loans a while longer.

Debating working on a Master’s.

I want to move.  Bad.  I’ve got a serious itch to get.out.of.here.  But, I’m here for at least a year.

We also have babies!

 

How many do you want?

Not much to report in crafy news.  I’ve been a little too busy for that.  But I’ve done a bit of work on some long-term projects. 

I did find this in some O-Wool Balance I was working with… How cool is that!?!

Oh, and don’t hate me, but…

Oh!  I did make a hat for my acupuncturist’s baby girl.  Also O-Wool Balance.  Lot that yarn.

I also got a very cool gift from someone very special to me.

If you didn’t hate me enough for the Wollmeise, hopefully you can keep your head due to the lovely Sundara Silk I got my hands on…  Just gorgeous.

Well, that’s about it.  I haven’t done justice to anything at all, but, well, I wanted to catch up so I can do better from here on out.

And remember:  What happens in Vegas eventually airs on NBC!  Tune in to NBC on 12/28 to see what I was up to!

Beginner’s Luck

I had a couple new fiber-related experiences this week.

I tried needle felting, which went pretty well.  This means, my beaver finally has a face (I tried the way in the instructions but didn’t like the way it looked).

His name is Larry.

Next, I got THE email about the Sundara update (which apparently Every Other Person On The Planet Who Knits And/Or Crochets also got).  It was the first big update since I found out about the yarn.  Despite the desperate attempts and frustrations of many of my fellow fibercrafters, I managed to get out of there with one skein of Silk Lace in Daffodil.  I’m not big on yellow, but I knew that I’d be able to trade it and really – I didn’t care about the color, I just wanted to know what the fuss was all about (I sadly lost 2 skeins in Sour Apple which I would have loved).

So, a skein of Daffodil is on it’s way and as soon as it gets here it will be on it’s way to a new home and two other skeins will be on their way to me.  I’m getting a skein of Granite Falls and one Gooseberries from a fellow Ravelite (she is trading me one and I’ll buy the other since she said she’d never use it and Gooseberries is far too pretty to let go to waste!).

Current pattern contenders are (in no particular order):  Hanami, Adamas, Serpentine, and Japanese Feather.  I’m thinking if I do Serpentine out of one, then I could also get a Japanese Feather out of the same skein – which would make it all that much more worth it, so I’ll probably do that.  I technically already bought another yarn for Adamas, but I love it and want to use exactly the right yarn.  But, same for Hanami and I think that this yarn would look awesome in that pattern.

I thought I should share the progress on the kiddo’s dress.  I’ve got about 2″ left and then I can bind off.

Even after all those stitches, I am still in love with this yarn!  It is such a pleasure to work with!

I also cast on some new socks this week with my Smooshy in Spring Tickle.

In movie and Netflix news:  Rory O’Shea Was Here – probably one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long, long time.  Rent it.  Buy it.  Just watch it.  I’m going to buy it so that I can force everyone I know to see it.  I also sat down last night and started watching the series Dead Like Me while I tried to work on the dress (that was quickly abandoned because I wanted to watch the show).  I ended up staying up late and watching 6 or 7 episodes.  I just couldn’t stop.  Really funny and often thought provoking.  Sadly, I found out today that it’s been cancelled.  Of course.  Since that is what happens to all really good shows.

I know, behind already.

ETA:  My photos seem to be getting cut off on the right side.  I’ll try to figure it out later.  I’m off to bed for now.

I admit.  I’m behind.  Way behind.  But I’ve been a busy lady.

I did, in fact, finish my first socks (which resulted in the “Your First Socks” thread over at Rav in Remnants which has been just really freaking cool).

I used the 2 socks on 2 circs method (I used Knitting Circles Around Socks).  Awesome.  No more wresting porcupines and not-so-magic loop. 

Having just started the heel flaps:

The mess I made before I finally figured out how the yarn was supposed to lay (the one thing I didn’t understand from the book – just took some trial and error):

I Kevin Smithed while knitting.  It was a very bad idea.  I was not aware that getting all 4 halves of the socks onto one needle was even possible.  It was quite easy, though, I assure you.  I didn’t realize what was happening until the second needle fell away after I knit the last stitch.  I nearly had a heart attack and then realized that Twist was closed which added a panic attack to the heart attack.  Thankfully, I persevered and figured it out all on my own.

Heel flaps and gussets all done!  Go me!

My first fitting!

I got to the end.  I was so excited.  I snipped my yarn and got ready for my very first kitchener stitch ever…  Then realized that something was very wrong.

Yep.  I got a little TOO excited and didn’t finish the last row.  I was very thankful that I always leave too much tail so I had plenty to finish the last row/half-round and kitchener them off.  Why are so many people so freaked by kitchener stitch?  I thought it was rather simple.

Just in case they fell apart completely once I put them on, I took a close-up of the color.  I am trying to teach myself to like orange.  I figured this was a good place to start.

SOCKS!

Some other RCOs (Recently Completed Objects) include:

My pooly potholder (Patons Classic Merino in Harvest):

A couple bibs, but I think I’m going to frog the ties and use buttons instead at the insistance of some friends:

Um, there are a couple more but I need to wait until they get to their recipients before posting photos.

I’ve got a couple new WIPs.

Crocus Bud Shawl in Dream in Color Baby (Cloud Jungle) – I want to knit lace, but I’m still a little intimidated by it…  So I decided to crochet some lace first just to get used to the skinny yarn:

Also, I’m almost done with my beaver!  I think I’m gonna swing by the craft store tomorrow and pick up a needle felting tool and felt on his face because I can’t freaking figure out how to applique it (clearly my punishment for enjoying the kitchener stitch):

I enjoyed the hand-felting a ton.  Way more than I probably should have…  I want to knit many, many more beavers just for the hand-felting process.  Maybe I should start a beaver squashing business.  You make the beavers, mail them to me, and I will mash your beaver until it is soft and pettable.  I wonder if I could get paid for that…  Or if I’d get arrested just trying to advertise.

Anyway…

I drove down to Texas over the weekend (let’s not discuss why, exactly) and I stopped off at SWAK in OKC and Guthrie on my way home (went to the OKC location, they didn’t have what I was looking for so I went to the Guthrie location).  I did maximum damage to ye olde wallet with minimal stash enhancement.  $130 for 3 skeins.  I would have done more, but they didn’t have the laceweight bison in stock (and I just couldn’t convince myself that I really would wear $86 socks).

A skein of Prism Saki sock yarn that I didn’t look at the price of until I left (a good $10 more than I had assumed – but I like the colors and it is a bit too far away to return).  A skein of Euroflax in a color I about died over.  My very favorite shade of blue.  And…  A skein of some laceweight qiviut.  I blame that one on the Norwegians.  When they successfully take over the world, we’ll all need something warm to wear.

I also got my second order from Eat.Sleep.Knit.  Oh, update – the DIC Smooshy in the proper color arrived promptly along with some Flamingo Pie.  Here are all 4 of my Smooshies (Cloud Jungle, Black Parade, Flamingo Pie, Spring Tickle):

Second order, I got some DIC baby for the Adamas shawl, or, as it will be known here:  Adama’s shawl.  Because the old man is my hero, and NOT a cylon.  I hope to get that done in order to wear it when the last half of the season starts back up in January.  I got the color that most reminded me of toaster blood.  I think it’s fitting.  In addition, I got some more Misti Alpaca Handpaint Lace (Blue Stone).  I don’t know what I’ll make with it, but I really like to pet this yarn and I was starting to feel bad for my other skein.  I also got a couple other kinds of sock yarn.  One very awesome in both texture and color (Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome) and the other, love the fiber but not so much the color (The Unique Sheep Tinsel Toes in Dusk).  I thought it was grey/blue with some gold highlights (which is what I see on the website)…  Turns out it is purple with cream and yellow…  Ew.  I think I may have my first prize for a give-away!  LOL!  Oh, and a $5 store credit in the Lotto!  Yay!  If only I’d have that kind of luck with the real lotto!

So, that is my craftiness for the last few weeks.  No progress on Pax’s dress.  I think having it done for her birthday (Friday) is pretty much out of the question.  But, knowing my kid, it’ll still fit next year.  LOL!

In movie news:  Took the kid to see Wall-E.  Not as great as I was expecting, but not bad.  I think most people found it entertaining, I thought it was depressing.  We’re trashing our planet and getting fatter and fatter and few people seem to care…  But it’s okay to laugh at because we’ll be dead and gone long before the time comes that we have to jump ship.  Right?  I’m not so sure. 

I Netflixed Brokeback Mountain.  My first Heath Ledger movie since he croaked.  And it was fucking depressing.  I opted for that one since I figured it had to be happier than Bowling for Columbine and Sicko.  It wasn’t and I have a feeling that my next selection will be a bit more depressing yet (Rory O’Shea Was Here).  Anyone have a good comedy to recommend?

It is 12:05am.  Do you know where your yarn is?  Have a great week!

Two Days of Yarny Goodness

There is nothing better for a disappointed and aching heart than a little retail therapy.  Why is that? 

I think it has something to do with the newness of the items.  No bad energy with it (usually) so it kinda soaks up whatever is hanging around and levels out the qi.  In the case of yarn, thinking about and planning all of the beautiful things you’re going to make…  And when you think about beautiful things, it is that much harder to feel sad or grumpy or whatever.  Yarn is good.  And crafting is therapy.

I was in need of a little pick-me-up last week so I spent days and days filling up shopping carts and then emptying them out.  Picking out projects then searching Rav for the perfect yarns and refilling my carts and buying (I’m trying to only buy for projects from here on out).

Most of the yarn came yesterday and today.

First, my very first order from Eat.Sleep.Knit.  I am impressed.  Super-fast shipping (for free since I ordered $75+).  I got my Yarnathon Welcome Pack (photo below) and a scratch ticket (photo below).  There was a minor mix-up with the order, I got some Cocoa Kiss instead of Black Parade (and for those of you who know me know that I haven’t yet learned to love brown).  But after a quick email with Erin, I’m confident that things will be taken care of quickly (and she offered a $5 credit to my card or the store to cover the <$2 shipping back to her).  I have linked the site on my side bar.  Click it.  I get Yarnathon miles when you do, and if you order, a small store credit.  But I wouldn’t recommend them if I didn’t like them…  Tons of awesome yarns there.  And free yarn is one of my favorite things ever.

From ESK I got:  DIC Smooshy in Spring Tickle and Black Parade (not pictured, obviously) and some DIC Baby in Cloud Jungle (x2, my fave colorway) and Beach Fog.  Haven’t decided what exactly to do with the Cloud Jungle but I tried it out last night on a couple patterns (both of which didn’t work out right – one due to guage and one due to an accidental increase) but I loved it.  I think I’m going to use the Beach Fog for Seascape from the new Knitty.

Yes, my friends…  I won a free skein of the ever-delicious Smooshy!  How fraking cool is that?!  I gave Erin a couple color options and told her to surprise me – more fun that way.

A second package came yesterday.  From Susie at Martha’s Vineyard CSA (Ha!  I just typed “Vineyarn” on accident).  I was one of 4 lucky winners of a Manos Del Uruguay give-away which had an ungodly amount of entries.  It was an awesome concept and I just couldn’t help adding my $0.02 – and I won!  Which was just cool because I had just done the same thing she was doing (giving away yarn which held memories of a past relationship).  Anyway, got some lovely cherry-colored Manos.  Thanks so much, Susie!

Then today I got my package from Knit Picks.  YAY!  I got my Swish in Storm (I forgot which color I finally settled on and was happy when I opened the box) and nearly immediately (as in as soon as I took photos for my Rav-stash) I cast on for my Slouchy Cardigan (photo of row one of my first-ever sweater below).  There were also 2 skeins of Shimmer in Sherry.  Heather tells me I should wear more red.  So I’m going to make Upstairs stole and see how it goes.  I really like the color in person more than on the screen.  It isn’t too red and yet not at all purple or brown (I don’t really like when reds go purple or brown).

I must give a big shout-out to Shelly at Twist for helping me figure out which decrease should go where, advising me that “end with a wrong side row” means to stop after purling a row, and offering unconditional support should I need it.  I need to go to S&B more often.  I  Twist and Shelly.

Pax is insisting that I teach her to crochet tomorrow.  Maybe we’ll take the opportunity to go hang out at Twist for an hour or two.  She wants to make a dishcloth to clean up guinea pig pee.  What mom can argue with that?

Anyway, stay tuned for more photos of my first sweater (being my first, I’m sure there will be plenty!  I’m already ready for my first decrease!  How exciting!  And, more adventures in lace knitting.  And first socks!  So much new and so much awesome.

I have also been inspired by Susie.  I want to get a free pattern up and have a give-away to get people here to see it.  Hopefully in the next week or two before I start my first real grown-up job/career.

Started season 1 of Dr. Who today.  Hard to knit and watch at the same time.  Going to try knitting and a documentary tomorrow.

Yous wants craftiness?

How about a quick overview of current projects?  If you’re on my Rav friends list, this may well bore you.  I’m just sayin’.

Pax’s dress so far (just for you Megan!).  Using K1C2 Ty-Dy which is basically my new Favorite Yarn Ever.  This dress has a bit of an interesting story.  Went into Twist (see links, visit, give some love to Shelly: Best LYSO Ever), had an idea in my head, procured tape measures to “eyeball” the size of the kid and do the math to get yarn for dress.  Estimated size of child’s chest at 30″ (thinking I was slightly over-estimating because I refuse to run out of yarn).  But yarn accordingly.  Go home, measure child.  20″.  Remeasure child.  Re-do math.  Find different tape measure.  Insist child stands perfectly still while I remeasure.  20″.  Seriously?  20″??  Remeasure.  Yep.  20″.  Return some yarn.  Now, I have 4 balls and I’ve only JUST started #2.  I will maybe, just maybe, use a little of the 3rd.  But I love this yarn so very much that I am sure I can find something to do with the leftovers.

I decided that I needed some new potholders (apparently mine got left behind in the move back in January).  No, I don’t bake often.  Why do you ask?

Anyway, I also decided that I needed to add a contribution to the Examples of Pooling thread on Rav, so I purchased yarn accordingly.  I made this yesterday and it is currently in the wash felting.

In the process of making this for a baby-to-be.  I haven’t crocheted a whole lot lately so it’s been fun.  Unfortunately, the pattern I chose caused the blanet to be about 4″ wider than I was planning so I may have to ask my intended father’s in LA to do a little yarn shopping for me…  I haven’t been able to find an online source that I feel I can trust to get a couple extra coordinating skeins (Araucania Nature Cotton, if anyone has any recommendations – I’m thinking the lime green).  The varigated is Antuco by EA (I think they’re the same base).

The cat-vomit colored hat for my cousin’s daughter-to-be.  [Let your cat eat some Fruity Pebbles and tell me that I'm not right about the cat-vomit colored part...]  I used Noro Matsuri.

That was the second go of a pattern which I apparently didn’t save the link for.  Pretty basic, though.  Anyway, this was my first try.  My very first hat that was knitted in the round!  One minor mistake, which can go in the back.  I used Cascade Pima Tencel.  Lovely yarn with no give at all.  And I like knitting with cotton so that is saying something.  It was a little difficult, but it turned out lovely.  Very soft.

Other things I’ve been up to…  I taught myself magic loop!  YAY!

And, about 6 rows in, realized that I would never, ever finish a second sock.  So, I ordered Knitting Circles Around Socks and some KP Options in size 5 (and some size 2 for when I get good and can use the sock yarn I’ve already accumulated).  I’m going to use a skein of DIC Classy that I bought in LA.  May as well use the good stuff to keep me inspired, right?

The needles, along with some Shimmer lace and Swish DK (for my first ever sweater), are currently enroute to Wichita.  YAY!  I decided on the Swish because I remember my friend Aimee saying how awesome it is.  Now, sure, she gets paid by KP to make stuff…  But I don’t think they pay her to say nice stuff about their yarn (and I really don’t think she’d lie about it even if they did), so Swish seemed like a good choice.  I’m going to make the Slouchy Cardigan from Knit Cafe. 

The Shimmer lace, well…  I want to try lace.  I never wanted to knit lace before Rav.  Now it’s got me into sweaters and lace and is just insisting I hurry up with those damned socks.  I think, though, that I might start with a crocheted lace stole.  Crochet is by far my better craft and I know I can do that.  Maybe it would reduce my anxiety about lace knitting a bit.  Plus, I am in love with the Crocus Bud shawl.

Earlier this week, I got a box from Licking, MO.  Papa Don and his lovely wife Karol had mailed my new G hook to replace the one that the idiot taxi driver broke when I was in LA.  They were also kind enough to turn my broken one into a hairstick/shalw pin for me.  Love them.

I guess that’s about all on the crafty front. 

I received Sicko in the mail today from Netflix.  Watched it tonight.  Want to move to Europe immediately.

Peace Soup

I’ve been blogging for several years.  About my life, about…  Everything.  I recently took down my personal blog due to the pernicious behaviour of someone who got his/her hands on my password.  Not worth it.  But I still felt the need to chronicle the less personal aspects of my life.  You know, for posterity.

So, a little about me.

My name is Lynlee.  I’m a single mama of an almost 7 year old, quite precocious, darling daughter.  I just graduated college with a Bachelor of Arts and landed myself job that I am hoping is going to be a pretty interesting and successful endeavor.  I’ve been a gestational surrogate 3 times.  I’ve delivered 4 children and created 3 new families (all lead by gay daddies whom I adore).  I’m always happy to talk about surrogacy so if you’re interested, please leave a comment and I’ll email you.  In my spare time, I crochet, knit, read, and sometimes watch a little tube (um, posting in the 30 minutes before the next episode of Battlestar Galactica.  Wee!).  I just signed up for Netflix and have 85 disks queued.  I’m way behind on my movies ever since I learned to loop thee yarns, but I have a lot of simple projects coming up so I figure I can catch up on some movies. 

Things I love:  Laughing.  Hummus.  Fair trade.  Stuart Townsend (totally underrated – have you seen his abs?).  Browncoats.  Ben and Jerry.  Cotton yarn.  Norway.  Growing new humans.  RENT.  Documentaries.  Irish music.  Traveling.  Smart, open-minded individuals.  Tori Amos.  Parallel parking.  Learning.  A couple drinks with good people.  Acceptance.

Welcome to my new blog.  I hope you will all pour a cup of coffee, grab a seat, pull out your hooks and needles, and stay for a while.