Clear and PRESENT Danger

Bwa-ha-ha! I must be very cagey, because I'm still working on Christmas gifts.

Here's the story: I'm working on something for someone who likes those and requested that thing and I don't want that person to know I'm actually making it, especially because it might not get finished in time for this particular holiday. Because that person may or may not be a blog reader, I'll have to be cagey. So, I have some photos.




I may be using this.





Or this.



Or even this.








On the successful news front, I went to a ca-razy gift exchange last night. If you've never been to one, let me tell you the rules.

1. Bring something within the price limit. Wrap it so no one can tell what it is and put it in the pile.
2. Eat and laugh a lot.
3. Everyone is assigned a number. Duplicate numbers are then place in a bowl and drawn out randomly.
4. When your number is called, you have (usually) two choices: you may unwrap a gift or you may choose to take a gift someone else already chose. This is called "stealing." There are other names for it, but I'd prefer not to use them here.
5. A gift may be stolen twice, but the third owner gets to keep her gift. Dirty looks and tears make no difference.
6. If your gift is stolen, you have the same two choices again: unwrap a new gift or take someone else's.
7. You may not steal back something you already had.

Tips to Have More Fun

• Bring something you wouldn't mind taking home with you.
• Do not, by all means, fall in love with the item you have. Nothing is permanent in this game and if you play with me, no quarter will be given. Bwa-ha-ha.
• When it's your turn, skulk around the room. With menacing laughter, handle each item, lingering especially long if the player seems attached to it. Then snatch the thing you want and leave early.

This is what I brought. (Minus the fingers.) It got stolen. Yay!

Cozy and Warm

Yes, the tea cozy is done! This is the cozy over a two-cup pot, but it also fits a four-cup pot. I didn't expect it to go together quite so quickly, but aran weight yarn is pretty big stuff. The yarn was soooo soft: I must recommend Merino Superwash!
There was some leftover yarn. From the pattern, I thought I'd have enough to make another, but I used just a little over half the yarn. Hmmm... I'd like to figure out what to do with that!

Yes! I've finished two more sets of Charmed Fingerless Mitts. I used this fun Zap eyelash yarn and it looks like fur! Yay. So, I know where they're going, but I can't tell you...

Also, this is a teapot cozy I'm making for relaxation. I found the pattern in the holiday issue of Interweave Knits. I thought it might make a nice gift, but I don't know if time will permit me. Meh... It's another fun project. (Good for watching "Heroes"--can you believe what happened to Sylar?) The yarn has a nice "hand." That means it feels good in your hand. Yarnies talk funny, you ever notice that? It's like an astronomer saying, "It's good seeing tonight." Huh?

Suzy Homemaker

I suppose my posting will be a bit, um, unpredictable until the Christmas holidays are over. Cleaning and cooking, in other words being Suzy Homemaker, is taking priority. I have waaaaaaaaaaay too much stuff in the house and need to move it on out.

However, I have completed this top. I'm calling it Eastern Star. This is partially made from scraps from another quilter. That's why it doesn't much look like me. Bethie helped me choose the fabrics and work on the layout. Cathy also helped with the layout. So it doesn't look like me, but I like it! The detail photo below shows the colors a little truer.

The Knittin' Rock

Trudge, trudge, trudge. Wait. It's near here. I know it. I can almost smell it. No, that's horse. But it's around here somewhere. It's got to be. Wait! Around that corner. There! I've heard of it, but there it really is! The Knittin' Rock! And look! There's knittin' on it. Look closer! Over there. Is that a handknit sock? It must be! It couldn't be anything else. Looks like the Playtime at Azkaban socks.
Oh, and the view is nice, too.

PS: I'm about halfway through the second sock! All that drive time was not wasted!

How Does My Garden Grow?

So, we're travellin'. It's been a long car ride and some quiet time in the rooms, so I've been able to make a little progress on "In a Garden." But I have to be extra careful as trail dust is common and my hands get stained from my riding gloves. As we're doing a cowboy trip, out here in Tuscon, I think I should have brought my American Indian piece, Dream Dancer. (pictured here--scroll down.) But that's okay. I'm getting some of the blah grey part done. It's not blah once it's in there, but working with five different greys? (sigh)

I kinda want to work from the inside out and, as the fountain is the focal point, that's where I'm working. But now and then, I have to use an actual color and I work on the bricks or the leaves.

To read more about our travels, go to Those Wacky Sniders, my travel blog.

Don't Talk to Your Textiles

The Ballband Dishcloth is done. I'm a little anxious about using it, though. It's just sitting on my desk. It looks at me every time I go out to wash dishes. "Mommy? Don't you love me, Mommy?"

"Of course I do. I made you."

"Then why can't I do what I was made to do?"

"I don't want to spoil you."

"How can being used spoil me?"

"You'll wear out."

"Yeah, Mom. So will you."

"Nice talk from a dishcloth."


On the sane front, I've been looking at a ga-horgeous pattern for a solid month. The kit, which includes fabric and sewing floss is listed at $54.99. That doesn't include shipping. I searched the a while back and found it for $9.99. That's if you can find a retailer selling it. Well, I searched again last night and found it on eBay for $2.75 + $2.50 shipping. Hoop-dee-do!

Bees and Herring!

The Red Herring Purse has been embellished! I used a green/pink ribbon (Colinette Giotto pictured at right) to embroider and just kind of meandered. If you look closely, you'll see bees flying around. (They're just pinned in place, but they'll be sewn down soon.) These are buttons from Susan Clark Originals. I was digging around, looking for the pearls in the little bag, when I ran across the buttons. I must have bought them five years ago but I think they're just right!

Warm Fuzzies!

And while this may look like a dress for Barbie's merengue dance, it's really another fingerless mitt. This time I changed the pattern a little. When I finish the pair, I'll show you a better picture.

The Scrap Queen Strikes Again!

Yay! Sleeves without a Sweater are finished! The yarn is silk so the sleeves are, um, silky. And a big thank you to Delores, my model. These will now get tucked away with the Christmas pressies. (Ooh, that reminds me: I need to start Christmas cards! Hmmm... what should I do this year? Better make something with stuff on hand... and I've got a lot of stuff on hand!)

As the reigning Scrap Queen of our quilting group, I usually get first dibs on any scraps that come in. (You might think that Yuki is my co-Scrap Queen, but I think that she's become the Shred Queen, 'cuz she creates masterpieces with bits that even I can't use!) Back on track: a small bag of scraps came in and these were inside. I said to myself, "Hey, I know what these are! I even have a template for this. It's the QiD Triangle in a Square!"

So I jumped right on that project, even though the colors are so not me. They are classy, though, and coming together quite nicely. Bethie helped me figure out that the double-pointed star, which I have used before (here's a link!) with this element wasn't going to work as well as a four-pointed star. See? All the star centers are out of the same Asian print with a navy blue background and the sashing will be a plainer Asian navy blue. It's coming together!

Is it really all that weird?

The lights come up on Desi sitting somewhere in public, like the coffeeshop or a waiting room, knitting on this charming little project. A friend, stranger, or family member approaches.

Friend: Oh, that's cute. I like the brick pattern you've got going on there.

Me: Thanks! I'm not really used to color work, so this has been fun.

Friend: (blathers on about their own life for a while, then) So what is it going to be?

Me: A dishcloth.

(pause)

Friend: Oh.

Me: You know, like something from the Thirties?

Friend: (after a moment, smiles and nods with insincere appreciation) Ah. (Excuses self and makes rapid exit.)

Desi continues to knit.