Finally. Pictures!

Boy's laptop stayed home from work yesterday, so I was able to spend the morning with it and the digital camera taking some pictures. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out how to work the flash until after everything was transferred, and didn't have time to re-shoot, so a lot of the pictures are blurry. I might update the worst ones, but the laptop is out on tour again for two weeks, so it will be a while.

To start, my first scarf. I've still got this thing - don't know why. I'll never wear it. I had the brilliant idea of putting a cell phone pocket on one side. Now who on earth wants to have their cell phone hanging around their neck?!? I think I knew even then that it would never see the light of day. Nice yarn though. If I didn't have a sort of sentimental attachment to it, I'd probable recycle.



I've only got one other FO picture at the moment. There are quite a few more on a roll of film that I haven't bothered to develop yet. But here's my bookcover.



This one fits a notebook about 7"x10". I'm thinking of making a series; one for paperbacks, one for hardcovers, and one for notebooks. I may also make one that's textbook/binder-sized. We'll see. I very well may get bored with the project before then . I'll post the pattern and a better shot of this one eventually.

I've also got a couple of AFO's. Like UFO's, except that they're almost finished. If I'd just sew in the ends and/or decorate, they'd be done and usable. But they're not, poor things.

Here's my Cocktail Monkey Bag from Knitty. I used a hemp/cotton blend, so it's a bit softer than it should be, but I kind of like it that way. All I have to do is sew on the monkeys and the flowers, and I've got a nice summer beach bag. (I made it taller than called for, because I want to be able to pack a book in it.)



Next, again from Knitty, comes the Ribbon Xback. Or it will be one when I sew the darn ends in. This is for a semi-formal wedding in three weeks. I've tried it on, and it fits well. I'm worried that it fits too well. I'm scared to wash it or wear it too much before the wedding. If it stretches out after, I'll re-knit. I don't want to have to re-do the project on a timeline. Here it's being modelled on my rather shapely office chair. I'll post a picture of it on me at some point, but I wasn't in the mood for self-portraits yesterday.




I wish the pictures showed off how pretty the green Party Ribbon looks. Bet it would if I'd used the flash. :-p

Okay, now the WIP's. I've got another wedding in two weeks. (Busy June.) I have a lovely white 50's cocktail dress that I'm planning on wearing, but I think it needs a little something extra. So I'm making SnB Nations Spiderweb Capelet, but using Garnstudio's Vienna, a blue mohair yarn, instead of the Merino Frappe. This picutre makes it look horrible, but it looks nice, I swear.



I'm also making Knitty's Oblivion for the bachelorette party in a week and a half. Cheaping out and using Bernat Velour which is super-bulky, so a quick knit! But I'll have to knit the fringe separately and sew it on. Oh well. (I've bought licquorice for Knitty's 302 Calories as well, but haven't started it yet.)



Finally, my socks. Well, my sock-and-a-half. I bought this yarn on a whim. Just couldn't get enough of the colours. Knit one sock with the first skein sans pattern. Hated it. Frogged it. Knit another one using Knitty's Broadripple pattern. Loved it. Started the other one. Realized that because of how I re-wound the yarn, the colourway is reversed. Decided I didn't care. Realized that the last colourchange shows really badly. Decided I didn't care. Tried really hard to continue to not care. Realized that I really do care - a lot. Put the socks aside until I'm not mad at them anymore. These things are cursed, I swear. (Read: Sometimes they come back.) Anyway, here they are.




Moving right along, to our left we have The Frog Pond. God bless the Salvation Army. My yarn-on-a-budget needs are met. This DK-weight lambswool beauty was only $6.25.



This one's mostly acrylic, but is a large men's, so yarn galore!



And here's the yeild from a wool/cotton blend that I frogged before taking a picture. Too bad, because it was a cable-knit, and is destined to become another cable-knit. The Boy thinks that's hilarious. It gave me about 1,100 yards. I'm hoping that's enough to make SnB's Big Sack Sweater (it's the one on the left).



And more yarn. First, my very own handspun. I'm crazy proud of this. It's extremely uneven, and I have no idea what I'm going to make out of it. (Last night I dreamed tha someone needed a hat and I decided to use it for that. I don't know if I have enough for a hat. It's only about 50 yards.) I love it. I've got the same amount of identical unspun fiber. Just haven't had time for more spinning recently.



And speaking of unspun fiber, I couldn't resist snapping up these beauties courtesy of Narnia II Farms. Okay, I admit, the name sucked me in. Part of me wants to pretend that the sheep talk... But they are fun colours. Here they are.




But wait. There's more! I made a few trades a while back. In exchange for a book I'll never use, lumen2002 arranged this order from Knit Picks. There are actualy three skeins of the Wool of the Andes, but I needed to bury one of them. And the sock yarn is beautiful. Can't wait to knit it up. But I need to get the other sock off needles first. I'm thinking of making Hello Yarn's Mini Skull and Crossbones Tote as soon as I have time for some dyeing.



I also managed to get rid of a bunch of those cocktail monkeys. I have 20. I don't need more. In exchange I got all of this. (Except for the needles.) The cards are from dolcezza, the top needles-worth of markers are from gidgettm, and the ones on the bottom needle are from kmj44. Unfortunately, the beauty of these things are lost in my crappy, blurry picture. I will definitely take a better picture, because they're all so lovely.



Thanks, ladies!

Finally, just for fun, here are a few non-knitting shots. First, some fun fabric that I picked up a month or so ago. Eventually, this will be made into a couple of needle-holders.



And because none of you care, my computer station and my little baby keyboard. I love my keyboard. I've been without a piano for four years, and I was getting frustratingly bad. Not that I was ever good. But I scooped this baby up for $300.00 including taxes and the stand. Got her from Tom Lee, and was assured that if she sucks, I can take it back. (It's a Fujiyama brand - they'd found them at a trade show, but haven't carried them long enough to give the full seal of approval.) She's been nice to me so far. And she's got an octave switch, so I don't get too frustrated playing on 61 keys.




So there you are. My long and super-image-heavy post. There'll be another one when I get my film developed. Hopefully those ones turn out better. (I don't think I like digital cameras...)

Rules For Living

(Disclaimer: These are my personal rules. Use them if they fit you. Change them if they don't.)

Live Beautifully

* Enjoy the weather. Soak up the sun; stand in the rain, even if it's just for a few seconds; feel the wind in your hair. As my grandfather sometimes says, "nice we're having weather, isn't it?"

* Make somebody smile, every day. Then make someone laugh.

* Start each morning with a song that you love. Sing along while you're making your coffee.

* Love your body. Look at Botticelli. Look at "The Birth of Venus." Nearly everyone agrees that the woman in this picture is beautiful, and she couldn't fit into those size 2 jeans either.

* Whenever you see a lemonade stand, buy a glass. You don't have to drink it. You can walk around the corner and dump it out if you want to. But you'll have made some poor seven-year-old's day.

* Don't charge it if you know you can't pay it off. This will only lead to unhappiness.

* Look at art. You don't have to like all of it, or even most of it, but look at it. Figure out what you do like, and look even more.

* Make time for the occasional girls' night, especially if you're all in relationships.

* Tip well. See the woman having a hissy fit in the restaurant? The man cursing at the taxi driver as he slams the door? Be glad you're not doing this job right now, and make sure you're the good customer.

* Think of the things that made you happiest as a child; a favourite book or movie, your prized Care Bear, a beautiful seashell. Hunt them down and keep them in a place where they can remind you of that happiness.