Dr. Joyce Brothers Would Know...

I wanna know how come my hands hurt like the dickens today when I was doing stupid yucky annoying things like driving all over town (twice) and talking to the same saleslady (twice) and cleaning up someone else's mess... yet at improv practice tonight when I was catching butterflies in the wallpaper and exploring a Mayan pyramid my hands didn't hurt at all.I've been giving longing glances at my sewing machine, but Molly's on sabbatical until I have strong hands. Maybe Friday. But for now, she's got the TV.

PS: I knit a little today. It's part of Tour de Fleece, but--to extend the metaphor--I'm walking my bike.

No, Not Really

People can't help but ask, How did you hurt your hands? Well, here's the mitigated, heavily varnished truth: I was training for Tour de Fleece*, feeling stronger by the day. I was pushing myself pretty hard when I hit a banana peel slick. Turns out that the local circus had lost containment on its monkeys at the same time a sensitive delivery of extra-slick experimental bananas were being delivered to a nearby biotech firm. Well, there must have been about a hundred peels right in front of me. Completely unavoidable. I spun out out and flew over the handlebars. All I can say is thank God for the raft of cream pies that cushioned my landing. Twenty clowns piled out of a tiny ambulance, but the best they could do is suggest I rest my hands, knit slowly, and avoid washing dishes.
Kaylee-nomah, made from Kaylee yarn in the Multnomah shawl pattern (pdf), which is slow-knit friendly. Beaded Slayer Sox--to be avoided until further notice. (Buffy Anklets pattern in Noro Kureyon Sock.) 1 mm crochet hook. I honestly had no idea these existed. That's what you use to get beads on Slayer Sox.

*a knitting and spinning event that parallels Tour de France and has actually nothing to do with bicycling. Or pie.

Love

Finished the Gorgeous Butt(e) socks and I'm wearin' 'em right now. They are so pretty the picture can't show how much I like them. So trust me. I like them! (I'd say I LOVE them but I can't bring myself to love things. It's people I love. Okay, maybe the planet, but people mostly. And really good cheese.)

It has come to my (somewhat foggy) attention that I have SIX official followers. May I make a little announcement to all six? I adore you. And you. And you. And you. And you. And you. It may be the afterglow of a family party. Or the ice cream. Or that delightful glass of red wine... but really, I think it's you. You took a moment to push a few buttons and declare yourselves. Squee! (That's the--albeit short--musical accompaniment of the happy dance.)

And to those who are unoffical followers, I love you too. Just differently. Unofficially.

No, really. It was only one glass. Well, it was a big glass...

Ahem. Since I hurt my hands, I have had to step back a bit from, oh everything, but yesterday I couldn't help myself, I had to finish up some zipper pouches. I completed five. My hands ached from the ironing so I have taken myself off ironing duty for at least two days. That means no sewing, too. That means this pile of unironed laundry is actually a symbol of me taking care of myself. So there! (Hmm, think I could blow off cooking duty too?)So today I took all five pouches to my knitting group, sold three, and came home. Then I took pictures. Dur. That means I have... only... two to show you. Again I say, dur. But here they are. This one is the same front and back: And this one has a little variety. Front... ...and back.

I have two more pouches planned with these fairy tale panels--they're all pinned and everything but... no sewing for TWO DAYS! At least.

The Claw!

So the Goth Girl quilt has gone to its new home... but this is all I can show you. The black and white is the back.I did get it completed and her mom was thrilled. So yay.

I'd say more but my hand hurts. Not sure why. Worn to a frazzle, I 'spect.

Like Snowflakes

I've been spending a little time making up my zip pouches. I made and brought three to my knitting group on Saturday and they all got snapped right up... before I could even take pictures. One was gone before I got the camera out, even! Their new owners had already stuffed 'em so their PiPs (Projects in Progress) are in the shot.I got a wild hair and did a little machine embroidery--a special bonus. Don't ever expect that to happen again. It's... uh, a special edition. Yeah. I guess they all are, though. I mean, I make 'em from scraps so I just use up what's there. No two alike. Like snowflakes. 'Cept they don't melt when you catch 'em on your tongue.

I Can't Show You

I've been working on a quilt for a friend... but I can't show you.
It's made up of photo blocks that show her daughter as she grew up... but I can't show you.
Every picture has her name and address and face... that's WHY I can't show you.
What I can show you is the fabric I'm using. Special note: she's Goth.

Goth (adjective) partial to anything a vampire would find trendy and fun, such as black velvet, grey satin, burgundy jewels, and sleeping in a coffin or coffin-like surroundings.

After really looking at the photos, which you can't do--I think I made that point already--I decided that using black fabric to frame the photos would wash 'em out, so I chose this grey. I think it falls into the goth sensibilities, even if it's a little on the perky side of goth. And I needed another color for contrast, so I chose a red-orange batik, with touches of green. The problem with this fabric is it's like a djinni--it doesn't show on film very well.* The color falls somewhere between what you can see in the corner of this picture... ... and this shot. It actually works quite well. It picks up a lot of the colors in the photos and makes me happy, which is really what matters, after all.

Oh, and Stashbuster Alert! This is made from stuff I've already got--woo-hoo!

*Remember the wedding episode of I Dream of Jeannie, where Jeannie couldn't be in the wedding because she wouldn't show up in the photos? No? Just me, huh. (sigh) Why am I the only one who was paying attention?

Winnah, Winnah!

Battlestar Galactica Fleet Power Battle gave me another mission: to do a project using 900--or more--yards in a project. Some people are doing several projects that use the yardage that way, but I figured it's time for me to stretch my wings. I am making a lacey stole! The Urban Dictionary defines stole this way: "To punch someone in the face." ... That's not what this is. This is more of the rectangular shawl type of stole. It's called the Baltic Sea Wrap and can be purchased for download (It's a PDF--I want you to know before you click!) here. Ooh, wouldn't it be cool if somebody was knitting along with me? I'm about 25% done and I've figured out the groove.

And in contest news...

I used my random number generator to decide my winner (drumroll from the froggie band, please!) and Beth is the winner. Beth, please get in contact with me through Ravelry or the comments to claim your prize. I'd contact you, but you're blocked. Boo. But yay! If I don't hear from you by June 19, I'm rolling the random number generator for a new winnah.

From My Cold Dead Hands... to Yours

Yes, that's right, I'm actually digging something out of my closely held stash to give away. This is the first time it's ever happened and it may never happen again, so I recommend jumping on this possible one-time offer!

Oh, but first you must admire the baby blanket I finally finished! I started it in January and here it is June, all done. Oh, didn't I mention I started in January of 2008? Um, yeah. To distract you from that distressing amount of time, I chose a very charming model: Tiny's stuffed Mononucleosis. No, really. She got it as a gift. I suppose most people get it that way...Okay, you've been waiting patiently, so let's get the most exciting portion of this blog underway! I accidentally wound up with a second copy of the Yarn Harlot's Page-a-Day calendar. I just adore my copy--some days are funny, some are informative, some inspirational--but how many of the same calendar does a girl really need? So I figured I should give it to someone who really wants it. As it's already June, I wanna get this baby to you before even more of the year disappears.I'm also adding in three balls of Knit Picks Risata--that's a fingering weight cotton/wool/polyamide/elastic yarn, perfect for summertime knitting! I must confess I was probably seduced by the name of the colorway: Fairy Tale. They could have named it anything, really. Well, not green. Now this is open to anyone with a mailing address in the US or Canada. I know that's not fair, but I can't get Jane Brockett's giveaway acuz she's in the UK. No whining.

How to get in on the fun:

1. Have a mailing address in the US or Canada.
2. Leave a comment on THIS bog entry and tell me what you would call this yarn colorway. Disqualification for just saying purple. I mean, come on!
3. Deadline to enter: June 12, midnight PST
4. Then I'll contact the rapturous winner for their address and all will be joy. (PS: if I can't get ahold of you by June 19, I'm pulling another name. So there.)

And extra points to anybody who can tell me what this mysterious plant is that has invaded my front yard.

Squiangle

The UnBrangelina Hat is running out of yarn. I've knit all the knitting, but the bind-off will take some creativity. I'm going to try the No-Yarn Bind-Off, as detailed by the Yarn Harlot. It's going to be extra challenging, as I intend to keep my fingers crossed. Wish me luck.Let me introduce one of my favorite tools. It's called the Triangle Square Up Ruler and it rocks. I don't use it enough, but when I do, it produces near-perfect half-square triangles. (I don't know why they call 'em that: it's really a square made of two triangles, but it's not like they had me on speed dial when they made up the term. I think I would have suggested a squiangle.) Here's how I use it.

1. First you gotta make a half square triangle. (There are 20 tutorials online for doing this. Pick one you like.) But be smart and make it too big. That'll give you room to fix it. Then put the TSU Ruler on top. It's got lines for whatever size block you want from 1" to 6.5". Find that line and scoot it over your block until it matches with your diagonal seam. My block is 4.5". (Sorry for blurry.)
2. Hold down the ruler and cut off whatever sticks out. In this case it's the dark blue edges.
3. Flip around your square and replace the TSU Ruler with the same line on the diagonal seam.
4. Cut off whatever sticks out--now it's the cream fabric.
5. Admire your near-perfect half square triangle, or squiangle, if you prefer.
6. Make 674 more and assemble into a lovely king-size quilt. Ice your hand.

Socks, Socks, Socks!

Baby Peeps are done. I am making no comment as to whether they were knitted in the place where they were photographed. Gasp of Spring is finished, at long last. I decided to do the second toe plain instead of lacey. The lace will cause bumps inside a shoe and leave weak spots for potential holes. (At least, that's what I'm telling people.) "Wishing for Spring" was the second Iron Knitter pattern. It was supposed to be done in a week. These were done in two months. I wonder if there will be an Aluminum Knitter competition?
And Gorgeous Butt(e) is one down. I could make a very cheeky jest about now, but that would be beneath me, don't you think?