Unseasonably Warm, part two

This has been one mild January.  Today it was sixty degrees.  My boys, who are usually more content indoors than out, burst in the front door this afternoon, dumped their backpacks and jackets on the floor, and flew back out the door to play.

I found this one barefoot and had to convince him that it wasn’t that warm yet.  We compromised on sandals.  These sandals he begged me not to throw away last September, insisting “they still fit, Mom!” (I may have to arrange for them to disappear…)

It was so beautiful today. I might have been tempted to think it was a lovely Spring afternoon, if not for the condition of the grass and the other plants in the front yard.

The world is still so brown. Still so the color of January. I’m not going to complain, though. How often do you get to play outside at this time of year, without bundling up? It reminded me of a lovely day four years ago. And I hear we may get another one tomorrow. Ooh, yes please!

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On another, completely unrelated note, I’ve recently started watching Downton Abbey, and I am so enjoying it! I find I want to watch something similar during the week, between episodes. I tried Bleak House, and liked that one a lot, too. Just finished it today. Do any of you have any other suggestions? I’ve never really cared for this type of drama before, but I am finding myself thoroughly sucked in, and craving more!

I’m still here, really.

Please tell me it hasn’t been an entire week since my last post. Oh, how neglected you all must feel. I guess it was just one of those weeks. Usually when I’m busy during the week, I at least have the weekend to spend getting caught up around here, but not this time. It was a great weekend.  I spent a lot of time with family, and very little time online.

Even those of us for whom the Internet constitutes an additional limb need to be unplugged now and then. Maybe I should say we especially need to be unplugged now and then. It’s nice to fill up the battery with some good old-fashioned face time.

So the last time we spoke, I was waxing poetic over ball point pens. Since then, I’ve decided to let some of them go. They’re up for grabs in the shop for a limited time. You might want to hurry, since I am prone to change my mind at any time and go back to hording them all for myself…

I’ve also put some crochet hooks back up for sale, both ready-to-ship and made-to-order. If you hesitated before, you might want to take a look now. I picked out a brand new set of nine patterns to choose from, and I also added another hook size, for those of you secretly lamenting the lack of #7s.

Aside from updating the shop, I’ve been slowly (oh, so very slowly, in itty bitty dribs and drabs) cleaning up the dining room, getting my work space back in order, and transforming the room from dumping ground back into potential eating area. My goal is to get it cleaned up to the point that it looks like a dining room once again, albeit one that has some clay supplies out on the table. Slowly but surely.

I’m also working on a new sweater for me. Have I mentioned that? I wanted a cardigan hoodie, but I wanted something that would work up relatively quickly, since I’ve pretty much had my fill of long term projects at this point. Mom and Dad gave me a WEBS gift card for Christmas, and I used it to get myself some Northampton Bulky in Old Barn Red. I’m making a Common Ground with it, and I have to say, it was working up very quickly. Until I got to the diamond lace pattern.

I’ll save the knitty gritty for its own post, but suffice it to say, there was a lot of un-knitting, re-knitting, counting, un-knitting, and re-knitting again. Being my first experience with lace, it was to be expected, but it was still a little frustrating.  I finally finished the lace pattern last night, although I really should have been done with it a few days ago. With that behind me, I have hopes of getting the sweater done by the weekend. Bulky yarn and big needles mean that it really does go very quickly when I’m not making mistakes!

So, I think we’re caught up now. I’ll try not to be such a stranger this week.  And thanks in advance for taking a peek into the shop!

Pen Affliction

Years ago, after a particularly prolific polymer clay kick, I had a wicker basket filled nearly to the top with clay-covered pens. It was wonderful! I’d run my fingers through them, dump them out, arrange and re-arrange them on the floor… sometimes by color, sometimes by pattern, sometimes in a gloriously long rainbow. But eventually I sold all but about ten of them, and it really wasn’t very much fun playing with ten pens.

I’m happy to report my pen-making mojo is back. Over the last month or so, I’ve added a nice selection to my supply. In fact, I made twenty four of them yesterday alone!

So now I can play with them by color (plum in this case)…

Or by pattern (triangles)…

Or I can set them up in a gloriously long rainbow.

Sweet. You know what, though? When I have them all laid out like this, I can clearly see underrepresented colors and patterns. It makes me want to sit down and crank out another few dozen to fill in the gaps.

Last night, after I sanded and buffed my last pen, I sat on the floor deliriously happy pushing them around into piles. Neil suggested ever so gently that I really ought to sell a few. What?? And diminish my supply?? Never!!

Well, that was what I said to him, but in actuality, I do know he is right. Sometime soon, I will open the shop for a few days and let these pens go to some good homes. For now, though, if you will excuse me, I have another rainbow to build.

[edited 1/25/12: the shop is open! fifty different pen varieties up for grabs! check it out.]

And there was much rejoicing

From me, anyway. I’d gotten really board with all that stockinette.

What am I talking about?  Why, Aidan’s sweater, of course.  Four months after I started it, I am done. DONE!

Last night, before I went to bed, I folded up the sweater neatly and left it as a surprise on the corner of his bed with a post-it note, telling him he should put on a sweater, if he woke up cold. When I got up this morning, I saw that he had taken my advice.

So glad he likes it

Don’t look too, too closely at this sweater, as it is fraught with little problems.  Structurally, it is fine (I hope) but there are some aesthetic issues that cropped up when I dropped and later recovered a stitch, or when I had some difficulty picking up stitches for the hood, or when I lost count of where I needed to be for the ribbing on the edge of the hood…

Oh, and there is one other minor issue: It’s HUGE on him.  I don’t know where my gauge went wrong, but somehow I managed to mis-measure something.  I mean, it is gigantic.  I could wear this sweater.  And let me tell you, short and skinny Aidan, and I, with my ample curves, are not even close in size to each other.

I’ve toyed with the idea of washing it and hoping for some shrinkage, but I don’t know if that’s a smart idea. Do any of you more experienced knitters have any thoughts you can share?

Leaving it as-is is certainly an option. Aidan likes his clothes big. Luckily.  But it might be nice to lose an inch or two all around and make it a better fit.

The details

Pattern: Hooded Sweatshirt from Knits Men Want by Bruce Weinstein

Modifications: None that I did on purpose except Aidan chose to eliminate the contrasting stripe.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, color 9577

It’s time.

I’ve been staring at this mess for a few months now, periodically shoving aside enough things to make a work space, but never actually putting anything away. The only thing that stresses me out more than looking at that mess is the thought of cleaning it up. Which is why it stays there, and I mostly choose to spend my time in some other room.

Well, no more.

Usually when I return from the clayathon, I dump my supplies in a corner of the dining room, and don’t touch them for another six months or more.  The clayathon nearly always satisfies my polymer-related urges almost to the point of burn-out.  This time, though, it has rejuvenated me more than anything else, and I find myself feeling the urge to crank out more. More. MORE!

This, of course, would be easier to accomplish if my workspace didn’t look like a bomb went off in the middle of it.  It’s a pretty bomb of fabric, ribbons, thread, yarn, raw polymer, and recently-finished claythings, but a bomb nonetheless.

So yesterday I took a long hard look at the table, and decided that I need to be brutally honest with myself.  The first realization?  I’m not going to finish those quilts for the boys any time soon.  I’ve wanted to do it for months now, but I haven’t wanted it enough to take action.  So I admitted the fact to myself, and that allowed me to put away the sewing machine, the ironing board, the half-finished quilts, two tubs of sewing supplies, and miscellaneous fabrics and trims that were laying around.

What a relief that was.

It’s still pretty messy, as you can see above, but let me assure you it was much worse yesterday before the sewing stuff was retired.

This gives me new energy for tackling the rest of that mess.  I hope to get it done today or tomorrow at the latest, and then I can move forward with some fun plans, including a new videocast and teaching my son how to make clay-covered pens.  I may even combine the two…  stay tuned!

So, how does your workspace look these days?  Dealing with a mess, too?  Or are you one of those neat and tidy types?  And if you are a neat and tidy type, please tell me – what is that like?  Is it as blissful as it sounds?

You’ve probably heard by now…

…much of the hoopla over SOPA and PIPA.  If you have not, I encourage you to watch this video for a plain-english explanation of the damage this bill could do to the internet as we know it.

If you don’t see the embedded video below, please click through here to view it. I promise the extra click is worth it.

If you find the idea of SOPA/PIPA frightening, please click the “Stop SOPA” ribbon on the top right-hand corner of my website (or go to americancensorship.org) and write to your congresspeople. It couldn’t be simpler. You give them your name and zip-code, and they will send a form letter to your representatives. It takes less than two minutes, and you don’t even have to come up with your own words. Not a US citizen? There is a petition you can sign, if you’d like to throw your support behind us.

I don’t discuss politics all that much on this blog, but this is important, and I hope you will join me in taking action. Thank you!

Edited to add: I just watched this TED talk by Clay Shirky. If you have an extra 13 minutes to spare, you might want to take a look at it, too. (video link is here, if the embedded player is not working)

Clayathon recap

I am home. Yay!

I had a great time, claying it up at the ‘thon as usual, but I am glad to be home. We moved to a new hotel this year, and while the work room was much improved over previous years (so spacious!) the hotel itself was on the creepy side. Apart from the ornate lobby, the place was pretty rundown. The heat in my room stopped working last night (it was 16 degrees outside!) and so I slept under three blankets, and I kept on my socks and my heavy wool sweater. Frigidity was a theme in that hotel. Just crossing the lobby from the elevators to the work room made me feel like a human icicle. I took a hot shower this morning, just to thaw myself out!

So it’s especially nice to be back home, sitting here in the family room next to a crackling fire, under the blankie of love.  The kids are doing homework and the husband is working on his magazine.  It’s all so cozy.  Warm.  Much appreciated.

Eamonn just asked me sweetly for some hot chocolate. How can I refuse? Must take a quick break.

Ok, hot chocolate duly made, and some Zen Tea for me. Now, what was I saying?

Oh, yes! Clayathon.  Less-than-stellar hotel aside, it was a great time as always. I wish I could have stayed another day, because I think I still have a few projects in me wanting to get out.  Here’s what I did manage to accomplish, if you’re curious:

First was the crochet hooks some of you ordered.  I particularly love this batch above my previous ones, because they are so shiny!  (Oooooh shiny!)  I sanded them as I always do, but this weekend I had access to a buffing machine, and I took advantage of it.

Next I worked on using up some of the leftover pieces I have been accumulating from all of the hook-making over the last several months.  I put several strips of the different patterns from the same color family together into one big sheet, and used the sheet to cover what I like to call these “crazy quilt pens.”

The rightmost 13 pens were done that way.  Then I took a break to make some new canes in a new color family (see below). I covered the leftmost four pens with the new canes, and then did 2 more crazy quilt pens with the new scraps I generated.

These aren’t finished yet.  They still need to be sanded and buffed. Maybe I’ll get to that mind-numbing job someday…

These are those new canes I  mentioned.  The one on the left is my usual Triangle design, and the rest of them are just kaleidoscopic experiments with what I had left of the colors I used for the triangles.  In a very uncharacteristic move, I just winged-it with the kaleidoscope canes, and probably couldn’t repeat them if I tried.

(Ok, I’ll be honest, I do remember exactly what I did to make these canes, but it’s only been a day and a half. I promise you, I won’t have a clue within a week.)

Late in the day yesterday, I switched from caning to do a little mokume gane. My mother-in-law had asked me to make her some replacement “stones” for a decorative object that had lost some of its pieces.  These came out just as I had envisioned.  Unfortunately, I envisioned the wrong colors.  Duh.  So, I will have to try again with greener blues and yellower browns.

My last project was this quickie.  Terri gave me a few channel bracelet blanks, which I filled with leftover pattern strips.  I was so thrilled to get these brass blanks, because they are perfect companions to the skinny mixed-metal bangles Neil gave me for Christmas this year.  It’s great to be able to add a little color to the stack, I think.

So that’s it! And once again I am consumed with the urge to get a buffing wheel for myself.  I mean, would you look at those shiny hooks?  No way can I get that look by hand.  I need to find an inexpensive bench grinder with a muslin wheel. Any tips from any of you who have one?

Let’s chat about this so I can put off my return to Real Life(TM) for a little while longer, k?

Quick Knits for the, er, me

I’m at the Clayathon right now, taking a quick break from the polymer.  I’ve already made a nice little pile of things, and as soon as they are sanded and buffed, I’ll be sure to give you a peek.  For now, how about a completed knitting project?

I just loved Eamonn’s Irish Hiking Hat so much, I spent much of the last month contemplating one for myself.  I found a lovely sea foam tweed on sale, and whipped this baby up in three nights.

I am much happier with the way the crown came out on this one.  I wanted to maintain the integrity of the purl columns from top to bottom, so I had to replace nearly all of the K2togs in the decrease rows with P2togs, like so:

1. P2, K2, P2tog, K6
2. P2, K2, P1, K6
3. P2, K1, P2tog, K6
4. P2, K1, P1, K6
5. P2, P2tog, K6
6. P3, K6
7. P1, P2tog, K6
8. P2, K6
9. P2tog, K6
10. P1, K6
11. P1, K2, K2tog, K2
12. P1, K5
13. P1, K1, K2tog, K2
14. P1, K1, K2tog, K1
15. P1, K2tog, K1
16. P1, K2tog
17. K2tog
18. K2tog

I had intended to also do another cable in there at row 8, but I forgot all about it once I got going.  I think it gives the crown kind of a flower petal look.  I like it.

Oh, I just reaaaaaaally love this hat!

Actually, let me amend that statement.  I do love it, but not when I am actually wearing it.  I’m not really too keen on the way it looks on me.

I think this experience confirms that I am just not a beanie person.

It’s ok.  I’m sure I will find someone, somewhere who would like to wear it.  I still need something for me to wear, though.  I’m thinking wurm.  If the beanie look doesn’t work for me, I might as well attempt slouchy!

Crochet hooks, shoes, and knitting

Thank you for ordering crochet hooks this week!  I’m closing up the shop in a matter of minutes, and then I’m ordering my supplies and taking them down south to the Clayathon.  I can hardly wait for the weekend to begin. I’ve got several things I want to work on, mainly your hook orders and a few ideas I have for using up leftover patterned veneers.

I also want to thank you for your input on my last post. Holy cow. Next time I am looking to jump start conversation around here, I have to remember to ask you about shoes.  There are more comments on that post than any others in recent memory. By a long shot.

You ladies know your stuff! I ordered a pair of black Sanita clogs from eBay and with luck they will be here before my trip.  (I’ve written before about my difficulty buying expensive shoes, and my eBay solution, if you’re interested in that.)

I am just days away from finishing Aidan’s sweater.  Finally.  Six more inches on the hood, and I am DONE.  Just one itsy bitsy problem: the sweater fits me.  And I am built nothing like my beanpole of a son.

I’ll be back next week sometime, most likely, looking for help dealing with the giganticness of this sweater, but for now I am taking a quick detour into hat-making.  I just love Eamonn’s Irish Hiking Hat so much, and I decided I needed a tweedy pale aqua version for myself.

I don’t know about you, but when I decide I need a handknit for me, I feel like I need it yesterday.  I tried to force myself to finish the sweater first, but I lost that argument when I saw it is going to be chilly this weekend. I really need that hat so I can wear it to and from the Clayathon.  I couldn’t possibly grab any of the other hats around here that I may have used in the past.  Of course I couldn’t.

New shoes, new hat, new claythings… bring on the weekend!

Fashion victim

Ok, who wants to help me be a little less winter-fashion-inept?

I am reasonably comfortable dressing myself in the warmer months, or pulling together an outfit around a pair of jeans, but in the winter, anything not jeans-based throws me for a loop.  I always end up feeling like I’ve chosen the wrong footwear and “frumpified” the whole outfit.

So here’s the challenge: Neil bought me the most comfortable pants ever for Christmas.  And when I say comfortable, I mean that I wore them for several days until Neil made me wash them. That comfortable.  I ordered a second (ok, and a third) pair last week so now in addition to my original charcoal gray pair, I have two black ones.  Here’s what they look like:

These are great flip-flop-wearing pants in my opinion, but that kind of weather is still several months off.  What do I do right now? It’s too cold to be without socks.  What kind of shoes work best here?

I could see dressing them up with some nice heels, a cotton blouse, a fine-gauge sweater, and a linen scarf for a night on the town, but that’s not what I’m after at the moment.  I want to wear them with a t-shirt, a nice hoodie, and… what? sneakers and tube socks? mary janes and argyle socks? black flats and gray socks?

The goal here is to be comfortable and casual without looking too dressed-up, too dressed-down, or 20 years older than I am.  Especially that last one.

Please educate me