Keiyla's Blog

"Dreaming of Books," Book & Swag Giveaway!

2011-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Ahoy hoppers, knitters, and readers all!

This month we be givin' away two more copies of "Letters of Marque: ABCs for the Savvy Scalawag," PLUS some savvy pirate knitting booty from The Yarn Pirate, one of "Knit 1" magazine's top 10 indie dyers! The Yarn Pirate has generously donated sea-blue metal circular needles, and straight wooden needles tipped with the Jolly Roger for this giveaway!

To enter this contest, just post below with yer email address so we can contact the winners and get yer booty to ye. If yer uncomfortable with posting yer email, ye may comment and also send yer e-dress to me at Keiyla@gmail.com. This contest be open to the US and Canadian residents... and is also open to Australians in deference to the sea god, Poseidon. (We don't be needin' ta piss him of any more than he is already.)

For those lubbers interested in the needles, kindly be makin' it be known in the comments. Everyone who comments will be eligible to win one of the books, but the needle winners will be drawn as a separate giveaway.

To enter more giveaways, just click the next blog link in the list below!

All winners will be selected through www.Random.org on January 18th. Good luck to ye all, mateys!

Author Interview!

2011-01-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

My first author interview! I'm so thrilled! Thank you to Kathy at "I Am A Reader, Not A Writer," for this honor.

It's also another great chance to win a copy of "Letters of Marque," so be sure to check it out: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

In another week or two, we'll be listed in her next book Hop, too, so keep checking back!

Winners announced!

2010-12-27T01:43:00.000-08:00

Random.org has spoken, and our winners have been selected... Congratulations to Joanne and Jennifer, our two book-and-swag winners! An email has been sent, informing them of the results of the contest.

For everyone else, thank you VERY much for your interest and participation! Be sure to keep following Kathy's blog, I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, for an additional chance to win a copy of "Letters of Marque: ABCs for the Savvy Scalawag" through her giveaway, coming soon!

Midwinter Giveaway!

2010-12-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome Hoppers! It's Midwinter Solstice and there's a lunar eclipse... what a great time for a giveaway!

Entering to win is easy- just comment below, with an email address so I can contact you. That's it! Two winners will be selected at random to each win a copy of Letters of Marque: ABCs for the Savvy Scalawag. Those winners will also each receive a glamorous, silver-skull gilded pirate bandanna hat, and two dashing pirate rubber duckies! This contest ends Dec 27th.... Winners will be sent notifications to the email addresses they used in the comment.

A second contest is being held at my publisher's website, where you can enter to win one of two additional copies through Goodreads as well as taking a peek at the interior pages of the book!

Good luck!!

Book launch giveaway!

2010-12-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to announce the official launch of "Letters of Marque: ABCs for the Savvy Scalawag"!

To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway through Goodreads... Beginning Dec 21st, enter to win one of two autographed copies here:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Letters of Marque

by Renee Peterson

Giveaway ends December 27, 2010.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

If you don't want to wait for the contest to end, the book is also available for purchase through Amazon or through my E-Store.

On Dec 21st, I'll also be giving away more books and several pirate-related items for the Midwinter Eve Giveaway hop, so keep checking back!

Good luck!

Letters of Marque: ABCs for the Savvy Scalawag

2010-12-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce that Black Kraken Books has released my new title!

It's now available through E-store purchase, or...

It will also be available through Amazon, and other on-line book sellers, in the coming weeks.

We'll be hosting a giveaway soon, too, so stay tuned!

Covert art sneak peek- exclusive!

2010-11-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

We're getting closer and closer to publication, and I've got some exciting pictures to share! Check out this cover art, and click the title link to see the publisher's blog!

Pirates and ABCs

2010-11-19T04:20:00.000-08:00

Do you like pirates? Are you trying to get your pirate-crazy child to want to read? Are you a parent looking for an intelligent children's picture book that doesn't talk down to children? Perhaps you're simply tired of the saccharin-sweet offerings typical of children's educational literature?

If the answer to any of the above is "yes," you'll want to bookmark this blog!

Very soon, Black Kraken Books will be publishing my new book, "Letters of Marque: ABCs for the Savvy Scalawag." This 32-page, fully illustrated book is filled with delightful pictures, snappy rhymes, vivid colors, and an engaging hunt for hidden letters. Both parents and children will love this intelligent, nautically-themed paperback.

From Anchor to Yarrr!, small swashbucklers are offered an alternative to the standard "A: Apple" boredom.

"Letters of Marque" is coming soon, so stay tuned for previews, reviews, sneak peeks, and even your choice between secure E-store and Amazon links for purchasing!

Blankets of Belief

2009-07-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

This is going to read more like a recruitment post than a blog. Ah, well, it can't be helped. Next post should be about the blanket with pictures =)

The Soldiers' Angels have launched their 2009/2010 "Blankets of Belief" drive:

Our goal is to send 180,000 HOMEMADE BLANKETS
made with “love and belief in you”
to our service members spending another holiday in the warzones.

Read that again... 180,000 blankets. Holy cow. That's a lot of blankets! And not a one of them knit or crocheted (fiber arts blankets go to vets). No-sew fleece or quilts only! Yikes! Well, I don't quilt, and my sewing is pathetic, but I'm intrigued by this "no sew" idea. Like I don't have enough projects already, I know, but come on. I have like four months to do this. Plenty of time... right? Shoot, I might even learn how to quilt. (Insert maniacal laughter here.)

For anyone interested, the links are at the top of this post, or the Soldiers' Angels link is on the left there. (But, you know, not under "links" because Blogger's "easy links" thing confuses me.) Please note there are over 1,000 soldiers still waiting to be adopted, too, so if blankets aren't your thing, maybe you'd be interested in writing a letter a week to one of our deployed heroes?

May no soldier go unloved
Until they all come home...

(Oh, and if you were interested in my Sock Wars progress? I "got killed" the first week.)

StarKnits is holding a Sock Wars 4 contest!

2009-04-11T16:40:00.001-07:00

I love people who give stuff away. I've never won anything, but just the possibility that I *could* win fills me with glee.

Until the inevitable disappointment. But by then, there's a new contest somewhere, so it's all good.

StarKnits is giving away Sock Wars bags! Here's a link to her blog and the contest!

If your knitterly inclined, you should also check out her Etsy store. Aren't those socks darling??

Did I mention Sock Wars 4 is starting again soon? I'm so excited. I've signed up, got my yarn, knitted up the practice pair, and have taken a week off work so I'll be able to knit my brains out. Whee!

But what's her Ravelry name?

2009-04-11T01:03:00.000-07:00

The earthquake in Italy was a terrible tragedy in which hundreds of people lost their lives and homes. There will be other places on the net to detail that.

My interest is in Maria D’Antuono, who, at 98, spent the 30 hours she was trapped under her bed... knitting. (Or possibly crocheting. It's not clear.)

This from Timesonline.co.uk:"I worked, I knitted," said Mrs D'Antuono, from the village of Tempera, close to L'Aquila. The redoubtable nonagenarian told rescuers that she was in good health when she was found this morning, according to Sky TG24.

From www.gaurdian.co.uk:

The 98-year-old villager, from Tempera, near L'Aquila, yesterday became one of the latest survivors to be dragged from the rubble left by Monday's devastating earthquake in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. For 30 interminable hours, she lay below the ruins of her house, a few miles from the epicentre.

So what did she do to while away the time, not knowing whether she would live or die as rescue workers dug towards her? The answer, it seems, was "crochet".

According to the Ansa news agency, D'Antuono was pulled from the rubble to cheers from the crowd and briefly answered questions from a reporter for Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset television network before she was taken to hospital. Asked how she had passed the time since her house had collapsed on her, she reportedly said she had been busy with her hook and wool.

She was given a packet of biscuits, but had a request that left onlookers even more astonished than before - and gave an entire new dimension to the concept of bella figura (which roughly translates as keeping up appearances). Before leaving for hospital, she said, she wanted a comb.

This is heartwarming. It's amusement amidst horror. It's a human-interest story showing the unbelievable pluck of an elderly lady. But knitters, crocheters, and fiber-fanatics around the world are noticing some glaring omissions in the story:

What was she working on, how much did she get done, and will somebody please post pictures of her project?

You know you knit too much when...

2009-03-18T00:44:00.001-07:00

He looked cold and tired, so I brought him inside.

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Four hours later....
*cue montage music*

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Don't judge me. I need help.

Abstract Camouflage Beanie

2009-03-16T18:46:00.001-07:00

Abstract Camouflage Beanie Hat

Technique: Knitting

Level: Intermediate (decreases, ribbing)

The stitch pattern used is “Abstract Mosaic” found at http://www.knittingonthenet.com/stitches/mosaicabstract.htm.

This hat pattern is, to the best of my knowledge, my own design, and as such is free for personal use or charitable donations. Please do not sell this pattern.

Needles:
US 8 / 5.0 mm circs
US 10 / 6.0 mm circs & dpns
Yarn:
Bernat Camouflage Ombres
10483 Renegade
29481 Outback
Gauge:
4.5 st/in, 5 rows/in in pattern. Final dimensions: 7.75” x 19”

Notes:
Stitches used: knit (k), purl (p), knit 2 together (k2tog), slip purlwise (sl)
Used Renegade as color A, Outback as color B.
Pattern within double parenthesis ((!)) should be repeated until 2 st from end on each round.

Cast on 84 on smaller needles, with rib cable cast on (aka alternate cable cast on). Join being careful, etc.
Rib with k1, p1 for 1 inch with color A. Place stitch marker. (84 st total)
Switch to larger needles, also 16” circs.

Pattern:
Round 1(color A): k2 tog, ((k2, sl 3, k3)), rep, end with k2. (83 st total)
Round 2 and all even rows(continue with color from previous round): K all knit st, slip all sl st.
Round 3 (color B): k1, ((k1, sl 1, k5, sl)) rep, end with k2.
Round 5 (A): k1, ((sl 1, k3, sl 1, k3)) rep, end sl 1, k1.
Round 7 (B): k1, ((k3, sl 1, k1, sl 1, k2)) rep, end k2.
Round 9(A): k1, ((sl 1, k5, sl 2)) rep, end sl 1, k1.
Round 11(B): k1, ((k1, sl 1, k1, sl 1, k4)) rep, end k2.
Round 13(A): k1, ((k2, sl 1, k3, sl 1, k1)) rep, end k2.
Round 15(B):k1, ((k5, sl 1, k1, sl 1)) rep, end k2.

Repeat pattern 2x, then do one more round 1 and 2. (Or until piece measures approximately 5.5 inches.)

Decrease rounds are worked more or less in pattern with a k2tog after 8 stitches. Note that the following pattern is approximate. Some stitches listed as slipped must be knit, then the following knit stitch should be slipped, to keep slipped stitches from extending more than 2 rows.

R1: ((k5, sl1, k1, sl1, k2tog, place marker,)) rep to last 3, k2tog, sl1.
R2 and all even rounds: Work in pattern according to decrease: knit each knit and slip sl stitches. Transfer to dpns when appropriate.
R3: ((k1, sl, k3, sl1, k1, k2tog, place marker)) rep to last 2, k2tog.
R5: ((sl1, k1, sl1, k3, k2tog, place marker)) rep to last st. To get rid of remaining st, slip and k2tog with first st of next round:
R7: k2tog, sl1, k3, k2tog, place marker, ((k1, sl1, k3, k2tog, place marker)) rep to end.
R9: ((k3, sl1, k2tog, place marker)) rep to end.
R11: ((sl1, k1, sl1, k2tog, place marker)) rep to end.
R13: ((k1, sl1, k2tog, place marker)) rep to end.
R15: ((sl, k2tog, place marker)) rep to end.
R17: ((k2tog)) rep to end. Do not continue to round 18.
Break yarn, use tapestry needle to pull yarn through remaining 8 stitches. Secure.

I added a stylish oak leaf from Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies, attached by a safety pin because I know perfectly well the recipient won’t care for it- he wants to go hunting and it would catch on twigs and the like. Thing is, he said he wanted a “Mossy Oak” pattern hat… and I’m just not good enough to do that sort of thing! So an oak leaf is my way of teasing him about it.

Prtty, Pretty Princess

2009-03-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

The story of this is, when my friend Amy had her second baby, I made a little cloak and cape for her then-18 month daughter, so she wouldn’t feel left out when everybody was buying things for the new baby. Apparently, Allex LOVES her cape and crown, but now, with a third baby on the way and a ripe old age of 3, the cape is WAY too small (8” long? Seriously?) So I asked what color she’d like her new cape in, and the answer was a resounding, “PINK!”

Funny thing. I always wondered why people crocheted and knitted perfectly lovely patterns in odd colors. A camo hat in pink? Thinks I… well, now I know why.

Ok, then, if the girl wants pink, the girl gets pink. The border “fur” was sort of challenging, until I remembered a long-forgotten stash of pink eyelash yarn that had come with a kid’s knitting machine I picked up at a sale at Michael’s yea these many moons ago. At the time, I thought to myself, “Hot pink eyelash yarn with silver sparkles? No way am I ever going to need that. When hell freezes over, maybe. And I’m not too sure about then, either.”

Lo and behold, my friends. Apparently the devil needs snowshoes. One hot-pink, sparkly fur border, coming up.

At a whopping 24” long, it should be big enough to last awhile, and the crown is darn-near adult sized, so I’m hoping that will take a bit to grow out of, too. I don’t think I could take much more pink crocheting, and I’m not sure her mother could, either. I admire the woman’s stoicism in the face of such an enemy.

Couple of notes on changes: Had to modify the sizes, which was a bit more challenging than most patterns since the designer didn’t see fit to include gauge or hook size for the original in the first place. Nice, huh? After several attempts, including one cape which fit me rather cunningly, I think I finally got it.

Also, I added some little shiny plastic sequins as jewels for the crown with a daub of pink fabric paint.

Keiyla's Basic Beanie

2009-03-01T00:43:00.000-08:00

So I've been making hats for a while, and I've almost always used someone else's pattern. But there was always something not quite "right" with them. Oh, they're good patterns, but...

For example, Ellen's basic hat has two inches of 2x2 ribbing. Too much ribbing, I think, for it to lie flat, but if the ribbing is flipped up, the purls above and underneath like to come along for the ride and peep through.

If I rib the entire hat, not only does it take forever, but the decreases always look a little off, to me. Of course, if I don't rib at all, the brim curls.

My solution: Keiyla's Basic Beanie. An inch of ribbing, not intended to fold up. The ribbing is 1x1, so it's not as pronounced as the 2x2, and to a casual observer may not even look like ribbing.

I used Noro for this one. This is the first time I've used Noro, and I love the gradual color shifts, but was surprised and disappointed in the purple that popped up in this colorway- guys tend to get a little weirded out by purple and I dunno what the recipient is going to think.

Gauge: 4 st/in and 6.5 rows/in
US Size 8, 16" circs and size 8 dpns.

Stitches used: knit, purl, k2tog.

Final dimensions: 19" circumference x 8 .75"

Cast on 80 with rib cable cast on.

K1, p1 for one inch.

Knit around until beanie measures 6-7 inches from edge.

Place stitch marker.

Begin decrease rounds:

1. *knit 8, k2tog* repeat, around.

2. (and every even row) knit around.

3. *knit 7, k2tog* repeat around.

5. *knit 6, k2tog* repeat around.

7. *knit 5, k2tog* repeat around.

9. *knit 4, k2tog* repeat around.

11. *knit 3, k2tog* repeat around.

13. *knit 2, k2tog* repeat around.

15. *knit 1, k2tog* repeat around.

17. *k2tog* around.

Break yarn, thread end into tapestry needle, weave needle through remaining 8 stitches. Push needle through to underside of hat, weave through a few more times to secure and fasten off.

Cunning Jayne Cobb hat, revisted

2009-01-28T20:51:00.001-08:00

It's been over two years (wow!) since my first Jayne Cobb hat (hereintoforeafter referred to as "The Cunning Hat"). Like any good book, movie, or TV show, this hat has offered me additional insights every time I've created a new one, read other people's patterns and thoughts, or re-watched the episode, and I've been wanting to update both my musings and the first pattern I wrote. I don't want to completely obliterate my initial reactions, though, so I'm "revisiting" the Cunning Hat with this new post, instead. This is still under construction, and I welcome comments!

* Cast on technique: I believe the cast-on is Twisted German, or Estonia, due to the small but distinctive bars that cross the bottoms of the knit stitches near the cast-on edge. In addition, I think the row was joined with the yarn-ball side needle to the right, then, after some ribbing, I think the needles got flipped inside out. At that point, the unintentional "short row" thus created would account for the shorter orange stripe in the front (discussed below), as well as the visible texture of the Twisted German edge, which looks different depending on whether you're looking at the the right or wrong side.

* Stitches per round: First, having counted the rows and columns of stitches from the middle of Jayne's forehead to the middle of the earflap (Why yes, I do have OCD and a widescreen HD TV, why do you ask?), I conclude there are approximately 50 stitches in each round. To check this, I counted the stitches in the ear flaps (12) and the stitches at the visible front of his head (12-14). Two ear flaps make 24 st, the front and back add another 24 to 28, bringing the total to 48 to 52. In order for a hat to be around 21" in circumference with 50 stitches, gauge would be about 2.5 st/in.

* Stitches per row: There are about 8 rows of orange above the ribbing, for the FRONT of the hat (this distinction is important). The size of the stitches indicates that the 1x1 ribbing is, at BEST, two rows tall, or one row of ribbing on top of a visible cast-on edge.

My face is 5" from eyebrows to chin (stay with me, I'm going somewhere with this, I promise), which, after extensive study (don't ask), I have concluded is about average. Making Jayne's face exactly 5" from eyebrows to chin via the magic of zoom, the "front" orange stripe is 2" tall. 10 rows in 2' gives us 5 rows per inch. However, the same view shows 6 stitches across in 2 inches, albeit a slightly stretched 6 stitches. This means either my estimate of 2.5 st/in is wrong, or my level of zoom is. I had believed the hat was just stretched, but various views, plus watching Jayne easily put the hat on, makes me think it's my zoom.

*Yarn weight: If any of my estimates are anywhere close to being accurate, 2.5 st/in and 5 rows/in puts the yarn squarely in the bulky category. My own attempts at using bulky yarn and US size 10 needles are still giving me a smaller gauge than I'd like, which means I may need to run out and buy bigger needles. This hat has also been sucessfully created by using 2 strands of worsted weight, which appears to give greater stitch definition than a single bulky strand.

* Orange stripe height: While the stripe in front may be slightly more than 2" high (the zoom being inaccurate as just proven,) the width of the orange stripe seems to increase over at least one earflap. In some shots, at least, the orange stripe is exactly about 11 rows tall over the ribbing, and the ribbing has increased to be at least 3 rows tall. I *think* the hat is even on one side, but has about 3 extra rows on the other and 3 rows ribbing in back.

Observations: The hat is symmetrical (ish), but it's been pointed out to me that the hat seems to occassionally be worn backwards. My previous thought that the ear flap points nearly always points forward, is not accurate... the right earflap yarn ends point forward, but the left points out or back, which would be the same if the hat were bckwards. Also, there is an observable decrease (where the color change occurs?) just below the first yellow row, just right of center in the orange stripe, and seems to be on both sides. In the top picture, you can kind of see there is little to no ribbing, but down a few pictures, there IS ribbing in front. Which may be the back! And the flaps are closer together in some pictures than others.

There do not seem to be any other signs of shaping: no jogs of color from orange to yellow, no other visible decreases, of any sort, anywhere on the hat body including the top, so any increases to row height must have been added after the orange left the needles. It is possible that the extra height is illusion caused by stretching, but it's a remarkably consistant illusion.

There being distinctly fewer rows of ribbing at the "front," Ma Cobb may have added a row or two of ribbing to the sides and back after finishing the tube portion of the hat, but I suspect she simply didn't mark her rows. If she cast on, hid the tail by knitting the two together, and just knitted a bunch of ribbing, she might not have realized where she started, and instead accidentally knit say, 2 and 3/4 rows of ribbing instead of 3, especially if the piece got flipped accidentally. This would acount for the extra ribbing on the sides and back that is not seen in the front. In addition, an accidentally flipped work-in-progress (easy to do in the beginning stages of a ribbed work for an inexperienced knitter...) would create a short row when the work was resumed and got knit in the opposite direction. (Go ahead, ask me how I know!) If she continued then to knit around, and still did not see where she started, she may have joined with yellow before the last round was complete, which would make the stripe slightly shorter on the incomplete side- the front.

* Top decrease: The hat does not lie smoothly on top of Jayne's head. There being many folds but no decreases on the top, Ma Cobb was probably not a decrease kind of gal. I believe she knit the entire hat as a tube, wove a strand through the open stitches at the top and pulled the whole thing closed. She then cunningly hid the closure with a pompom.

Ear flap width: The ear flaps are tricky to see, at best. They appear to be 12 stitches wide at the top, and they then curl inwards as stockinette does if you do not add garter edge. The bottoms are problematic. (The stitch count was done, for those interested, both directly, by extreme close ups and counting blobs, and re-checked by counting the ribbing above each flap.)

Ear flap length and shaping: After much studying and disregarding my favorite "no decreases for Ma Cobb" theory, I believe the flaps are knit for 4 inches, then decreased from 12 stitches to 1, maybe 3. The abrupt decreases then make that bottom triangle curl up. The remaining end is knotted together with two other strands (one of which might be the end where the color was picked up, but I'm not sure where the other one came from) three times, and all three are cut approximately 3 inches long.

Observation: Because the flaps are stockinette, the rolled edges give the illusion of curves. It appears as through she may have run the yarn through the bottom edge and gave a little pull to tighten the bottom and corners. Furthermore, she did not weave in the ends, but cunningly left the ends to dangle should the wearer wish to use the lengths to tie the flaps down under the chin.

All of these, ah, interpretations of a hat design lead me to conclude that this was Ma Cobb's first hat. Not only was it her first hat, but she designed it herself. I deduce this because, if she used a pattern, the pattern designer probably would not have incorporated the...choices...Ma Cobb made. The hat would have had even ribbing, at least in front and back as opposed to the sides, and would have had a garter stitch (knitting a few stitches every row, as previously described) edge to the ear flaps, but may or may not have had a gather and pompom. Therefore, it is my contention that Ma Cobb designed and knit her very first hat- to mail across the galaxy to her boy Jayne.

A mother's love, my friends. In addition, Jayne immediately put on and wore the hat-- as jarring as it may have been to his tough-guy image-- which speaks volumes about Jayne's own love for his Mama (even without the letter that tells us Jayne sends money home for his sick sister). I find their love heartbreakingly sweet.

In my first blog about this hat, I proposed a few questions which arose from these musings: Did the Joss intend such implications? Who did make the hat? Was the hat designed to exact specifications, created precisely to convey the emotional impact I have proposed? Or was the hat just found somewhere, to be snapped up by an excited costume designer with a squealed, "Oooh! Perfect!"?

It turns out, I wasn't the only one with these questions. Joss gave a great crafting interview here: http://crochetme.com/blog/joss-whedon-crafts-and-craftiness-interview-transcript. I'd quote the relevant pieces, but I want Crochetme.com to get all the credit they deserve for this awesome interview!

I will update this post with the exact pattern I'm using now, as I do it. I will be commenting on my choices later. (Needle size, cast on choice, number of cast on stitches, etc. There are reasons. Have some faith, people!) Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Cunning Hat Pattern:

Materials-

For the hat in the picture, I used single ply, bulky yarn in three colors. I have seen excellent results that used 2 strands of worsted, and that may be the better choice.

I humbly present the colors I used for orange, yellow, and rust respectively:

Lamb's Pride bulky, colorway "Orange You Glad"

Lamb's Pride bulky, colorway "Wild Mustard"

Mirasol Sulka, in the cunningly named shade, "208." (This is a single ply, bulky yarn, despite Ravelry's insistance that it's a 10-ply Aran.)

Circular size 10 US needles (No dpns required.)

Tapestry needle
Pompom maker or cardboard circles.

Gauge: 3.5 st/in; 4.5 rows/in.

(Note: Ideally, I would like to knit this over 54 st with size 10.5 or 11 circs, but I don't have the needles yet. Pattern may be updated later to reflect ideal hat.)

With orange, CO 60 with Twisted German. (For larger sizes, just add 4 stitches for approximately every inch larger than 21" you want it, totaling any multiple of 2.)

Join, with yarn on right needle, being careful not to twist. Place stitch marker. Replace stitch marker with scrap yarn or coil-less safety pin on the next round.

Round 1: K1, p1 around (60 st).
Round 2: (K1, p1) 22 times (44 st). Place 2nd stitch marker (replace later as with first marker). This is the new beginning of the row.

Flip the hat inside out and turn the needles around. You will now be knitting over what you just knit, instead of proceding to stitches you haven't ribbed a second time. This adds height to the sides of the hat without adding it to the front, which is designated as being the short distance between your stitch markers. I suspect Ma Cobb put the hat down to rest her hands, and when she picked it up, she didn't know where she left off.

Round 3-11: Knit around (60 st). (Height should be approximately 2 1/2" in front, and 3" on sides.)

Round 12: Join yellow yarn and k2tog for first st. Knit around (59 st).
Round 13- 37: Knit around (59 st).

Cut yarn 12" long, thread onto tapestry needle, and weave through all loops. Pull closed to form gather. On WS of hat, run yarn around the gather a few more times and fasten securely. Leave end hanging inside WS of hat; do not weave in.

Earflaps:

Row 1:(RS) Pick up 15 stitches beginning with the stitches directly after your stitch marker. Join rust yarn, knit across. (15 st.) (For larger sizes, pick up 17 instead of 15 stitches, then 2 more for every 2 extra inches you've added. For example, if you're making a 22-23" hat, pick up 17. If you're making a 25" hat, pick up 19.)
Row 2: (WS) Knit across (15 st.)
Row 3: Knit across
Row 4: Purl across

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until flaps measure 5", then begin decrease rows:
Decrease row (RS): K1, ssk, knit to last 3, k2tog, k1.
Decrease row (WS): P1, p2tog, purl to last 3, p2tog, p1.

Repeat decrease rows until 3 st remain. Pull yarn through all three loops.
Add yarn to create three ends. I threaded a needle, stuck it in near the the existing end, left an end out, then wove the needle's yarn up and down the dreased edging, before pulling the yarn out next to the other two ends. Tie the thre ends together in a series of three knots.

Repeat ear flap for other side.

Create pompom for hat, using mostly rust with only some orange and a tiny bit of yellow. Thread the two ends from the pompom's tie, and insert needle into top of hat. Pull yarn through to WS. Weave the ends in on the WS, and securely fasten to the existing yellow end.

Wear hat.

How's it sit? Pretty cunning, don't ya think?

Drum Skirt

2009-01-25T00:22:00.000-08:00

The picture shows my drum, not the drum stand the skirt is made for, so the fit looks kind of bad. The band is very stretchy, though, and would probably accomodate several drum sizes. I should note here that I'd never heard of a drum skirt and couldn't find a picture of one, so all I had to go on was the rough sketch my friend verbally outlined. He hasn't seen it yet, so I can only guess it's close to what he wanted. If the name confuses you, yes I'm both Keiyla and Katla. *grin*

Katla's Drum Skirt:

Materials needed:

Trellis or laddered yarn (1 skein)

10.5 US needles (Straights)

Crochet hook (to make fringe-adding process easier)

Tapestry needle
I-cord machine, ribbon, or a whole lot of patience

Finished measurements-

30" X 2" band

60" total length, including 16" ties

22" height, including band

Step 1:

Cast on 12 st. Knit every row (garter st) until band is desired size. Bind off loosely.

Note- You want the band to have enough negative ease that it won't fall off the drum! My band is 32" long for a 36" circumference drum (not pictured.) The large size needles means the band will be quite stretchy.

Step 2: Cut lengths of yarn twice as long as drum, one length for every other row of garter, or however many you'd like. Mine were 40" long. Fold these lengths in half.

Step 3: At the bottom of your band, RS facing, slide a crochet hook in back of first st in the corner, left side, then out the front again. Hook your length of yarn in the middle, and pull a few inches through. With the hook still in the hole you've created in your length of yarn, hook the main body of the yarn and pull through the hole. Drop hook, and pull the length, which will tighten the "knot."

Repeat around the bottom of the band. I placed mine at the edge of every other row.

When all are attached, lay the skirt on a flat surface and trim edges. I hung mine so the edges I wanted to cut were off the edge of a table, and all I had to do was trim the excess!

Step 4: Make four lengths of I-cord for ties, leaving the tails on one side of each cord. Using the tails and a tapestry needle, securely fasten the cords to the top and middle of each end of the band. There will be no bottom tie.

Step 5: Tie your new drum skirt around a drum, and watch the pretty patterns as the fringe "dances" to the rhythym!

Grumlock

2008-12-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

It's been about... holy cow, never you mind how long... since I last painted miniatures with any regularity. I used to go to a weekly painting "class" which was really more like a bunch of geeks painting what they wanted and asking advice when they felt like it.

Terry, the guy who ran the class, was a fabulous teacher and artist.

This part of my life was a phase all its own: I was a new teen mother, separated from my husband, and felt completely cut off from everyone I had known, including my family. The painting group itself was a kind of social awakening for me. I admired everyone's work and their personalities. My best friend was a woman named Adrienne, who made sure I came out of the shell I tried to dive into. I honestly don't know what kind of a person I would be now, if it hadn't been for the experiences I'd had at the now defunct Sunrise Hobbies.

Fast forward through al of the other phases I've had, all the other experiences that changed me, to now. I play Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, which is only the latest game I've played, but one which stirred a degree of recognition. Warhammer, as it turns out, was the company that put out the sort of miniature I had liked to paint. My brother/best friend Stu was showing off his Collector's Edition, which came with an incredibly detailed model of one of the characters of the game, Grumlock. Without even thinking about it much, I volunteered, "I can paint that for you."

What was I thinking? I hadn't touched brush to lead in years. Most of my paints were dry, and God only knew where my files and Blue Tack were. Nevertheless, I ponied up, hied myself to the local comic shop for supplies, and off I went.

It was fun. Amazingly fun. I remembered quite a few of the old tricks, and remembered others only after I had finished, whoops! I can't even imagine how the current figure compares to how I used to paint. Am I better? Worse? Stu liked the figure just fine so maybe I'm too critical of myself.

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed painting. It's not quite as rewarding as knitting, since I didn't create the miniatures. Like cross-stitching, it's really only re-doing something someone else has done before me, and done better. Still, seeing a lovely painted work, knowing it used to be bare metal, is pretty neat.

Now, if I can find some female dwarfs to paint, I'll be all set....

Half-Mesh Cap

2008-07-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

I couldn't find a free pattern for a cute lacy cap that I liked, so I threw one together on my own. (And yes, the only model I could find was a half of a spanget helm. Was there something...?)

Edit: Danae kindly modeled her new cap for me. Isn't she lovely!? And so kind. Thank you, Danae!

Materials
Size H hook, or as needed to obtain gauge-
Row= 7 sc in 2".
Height= 8 sc in 2".

Yarn: Worsted weight. I used Bernat Satin, in color Sea Shell. (I am neither anti- nor pro- acrylic. I assume any yarn of approximately the same weight will work, should you prefer cotton, wool, soy, corn, or oyster shells.)

Stiches used:
sl st (slip stitch),
ch (chain),
sc (single crochet),
dc (double crochet),
tc (triple crochet).

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 8 sc in first ch. (I use the first loop of the top, but you can also go through one top and bottom loop or even the back loop.) Join with sl st in first sc. (8 sc)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in joined sc, 2 sc in ea st around. Join with sl st in first sc. (16 sc)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in joined sc, 1 sc in next st,
*2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st in first sc. (24 sc)

Rnd 4: Ch 1, 2 sc in joined sc, 1 sc in next 2 sts,
*2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 2 sts. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st in first sc. (32 sc)

Rnd 5: Ch 1, 2 sc in joined sc, 1 sc in next 3 sts,
*2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 3 sts. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st in first sc. (40 sc)

Rnd 6: Ch 1, sc in join and in each st around. Join with sl st in first sc. (40 sc)

Rnd 7: Ch 1, 2 sc in joined sc, 1 sc in next 4 sts,
*2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 4 sts. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st in first sc. (48 sc)

Rnd 8: Ch 1, 2 sc in joined sc, 1 sc in next 5 sts,
*2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 5 sts. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st in first sc. (56 sc)

Rnd 9: Ch 1, sc in joined sc and in ea st around. Join with sl st in first sc. (56 sc)

Rnd 10: Ch 1, 2 sc in joined sc, 1 sc in next 6 sts,
*2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 6 sts. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st in first sc. (64 sc)

Rnd 11: Ch 1, sc in joined sc, 1 sc in next 7 sts,
*2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 7 sts. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st in first sc. (72 sc)

End solid part, begin lacy mesh:

Rnd 12: Ch 1, sc in join, *ch 5, skip 2 sc, sc in next sc, rep from * around, join to beg sc by working 1 chain, then triple crochet into beg sc (this places you in the center of the last loop you worked). (25 ch-5 loops)

Rnd 13: Ch 1, sc in same loop, *ch 5, sc at top of next loop, rep from * around, join to beg sc by working 1 chain, then triple crochet into beg sc.

Rnd 14-15: Repeat Rnd 13.

Rnd 16: Ch 3, 1 dc in same loop, work 2 dc in next loop and in each loop around to beg join with sl st to top of beg dc. (50 dc)

Rnd 17: Ch 1, sc in joined sc and in each dc around. (50 sc)

Rnd 18: Ch 1, sc in joined sc and in each dc around, join, fasten off, weave in ends.

Sock Wars III

2008-04-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

Just signed up! This is so unbelievably awesome, I can't stand it. I knit slower than molasses in January, so I'm sure I'll be one of the first "casualties" but damn, I'm so excited.

Check this out: http://sockwarsiii.memberlodge.org

If you are brave enough sign up to do battle you will be emailed a top secret assassination dossier on 9th May 2008. This file contains the details of your target and an exclusive, never-been-published-before knitting pattern with which assassinate them.

To kill your target you must knit them a pair of socks in the pattern (your "weapon") and mail it to them. Once your target receives your parcel they are dead and must post their death on the website.

They must also send you details of their intended target (who becomes your next person to assassinate) along with their unfinished knitting (which becomes your new weapon).

All the while this is going on, someone has been assigned YOU as their target!

Prepare to live in fear... kill or be killed!

Hot damn- I can't wait!

Ya, I'm a knitting geek. Whatddya gonna do bout it?

Clearly

2008-03-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

Clearly, someone gave these guys an infinite number of typewriters.

moar funny pictures

Oh, how my arm hurts!

2008-03-21T21:03:00.001-07:00

From nearly twisting it out the socket as I pat myself on the back.

The congratulations I offer myself for my stunning intellect and dexterity are, of course, completely out of proportion with the actual good deed that was done, but I shan’t let that stop me. (We are going to dismiss as irrelevant the fact that Koko the gorilla would look like a genius to most of the people who frequent Wal-Mart.)

Ok, the set up: I am in Wal-Mart, returning a movie and purchasing a bag of lettuce and some breadsticks. It is 7pm, and all the lines are at least 6 people long. Temporarily forgetting that I will, unwaveringly, ALWAYS pick the line that takes the longest, I congratulated myself on finding a line with only one person ahead of me, and this person was already paying at the self-check out ATM. (I’m not kidding, you know. It never fails. It doesn’t matter if it’s the shortest line or the longest, my line will always take the most time. In fact, friends who shop with me will deliberately place me in a different line so they can get their stuff paid for faster. I could probably make millions by offering myself as a research subject, proving paranormal phenomena.)

Ok, where was I? Oh yes. Shortest line. I push my cart ahead, nearly ramming a poor aging gentleman with 4 cans of beer. Considerate person that I am, I allow him to precede me.

Only to find out that the woman in front of us is not leaving. She has dropped an earring, and it has fallen into the depthless chasm of The Machine, escaping to dark places that only the undersides of conveyer belts ever see. So, as one might imagine, she has called for help. The young employee who comes over looks down the canyon, pushes various panels, and tries to pry open, by hand, a panel which clearly has two screws attaching it.

I say nothing.

The gentleman ahead of me tries valiantly to stick a hand in the gap, but even his pinky is too wide. The employee goes for a screwdriver. The lady protests, saying the earring did not cost that much and was not worth his time to go to so much effort. The courtesies go on for about 3 minutes, during which time a screwdriver is not being fetched, nor is my lettuce getting any closer to being paid for. (The scene fascinates the anthropologist in me, as it neatly demonstates gender and age roles as well as societal expectations of offering and receiving assistance, but I am not fascinated enough to let it continue endlessly. As I mentioned, the lettuce is not getting any closer to my tummy.)

The earring itself appears to be forgotten. Curious person that I am, I lean over and peer into the gap. There, lying about a foot down on a little metal ledge, is a silvered hoop earring about an inch an a half in diameter.

I reach for my purse and think quickly. I am amazed at the rush of thoughts. I have duct tape and a pencil. Would the pencil be too short for the distance? I don’t want to give this more than one try, for I would look foolish, nor would there be time, if the lady were truly preparing to abandon her jewelry. I open said purse and see my MP3 player, my trusty "Pseudo-pod." Earbuds are still attached.

The appropriateness and irony of an earbud saving an earring from certain exile is too good for me to pass up. I pull out an earbud. Working quickly now, as the lady is trying to distract me with protests of, "Oh no, it’s ok, really," I drop the heavy earbud into the pit of Doom. We now have a crowd, and the many menfolk gathered are telling me, as gently as they can, no doubt, that what I am attempting will never work, but it’s a nice thought to try. The earring, is it agreed, is lost forever.

I agree to nothing. "Give me just a sec," I murmur. Thanks to years of video games, my eye-hand coordination is at its peak, and I neatly place the earbud in the dead center of the earring’s hoop. I drag the bud along the ledge by its wire, and the lip of the earbud, as hoped, catches the earring. I lift slowly. "Just a sec," I repeat, unwilling to take my eyes off the bud and earring as they rise together from the depths of the grimy abyss.

Within seconds of conceiving the idea, I dangle the earring above its Doom, sparkling silver and shining in the glow of florescent bulbs. I am aware of gasps of disbelief from my audience. "How did you do that?" I can’t believe you got it!" "Are you using headphones?" And one faint "Oh wow, thank you!" as the hoop is snatched off my tiny speakers.

"You’re welcome," I say softly, humbly. The lady leaves. The aged man gets his beer. I purchase my lettuce and breadsticks.

As our heroine leaves the scene of her triumph, only one thought echoes in the her mind, repeating itself over and over like a mantra.

"I am fricking brilliant."

(Cross-posted from my myspace page)

Rakkasah West, 2008

2008-03-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

A full year since I began my bellydance journey!

I shopped. I didn't mean to. I firmly told my wallet "no," all the way down to Vallejo. My ATM card started whimpering in remembered horror at the first whiff of incense, right about the same time the watersilk scarves came into view. So I, being the compassionate woman that I am, took pity and used checks instead.

It wasn't like I splurged on zills, or those cute little Grecian sandals, or even on the gorgeous Lapis Lazuli jewelery from Afghanistan! Not this time, anyway. No, no, I was responsible (more or less) and just picked up a few tasteful pieces that will accessorize the costume I already have.

I found a black, tied-in-front choli with sleeves, which I have wanted for about a year. I also picked up a nice little coin cover, with which to make a pretty, fitted bra that I can use in the place of my old cheap-and-falling-apart one. My final purchase wasn't strictly as necessary, but it's an adorable satin black skirt, which I intend to wear over the blue pants from last year. (See how good I was! I didn't even buy new pants.) I can lift the sides and tuck them in the waist, exposing leg or pants, and at the same time making my hips look fuller, which, miraculously, makes me look like I have a waist.

Watching the dancers was an interesting experience, now that I have had some time at dancing myself. I'm the last one to claim I'm a good dancer, but I think I was able to detect more readily, which dancers were closer to ideal than the others. Some hip movements weren't as sharp as they could have been, for example. Some dancers didn't have as much isolation in their movements as was drilled into me (not that I've actually achieved it, yet!) Sometimes the choreography didn't fully integrate with the music that was picked out. Fast, staccato songs while dancing with slow, rolling movements would not have been my personal choice.

Last year, I would not have been able to distinguish any of that. Nor did I have any idea how to put pieces of costume together. This time, I was able to identify the different items and see how they worked, or didn't, on the other dancers. A red blouse, open in front, under a Turkish vest and coin bra was a great way to hide expanses of white skin- a tactic I intend to employ. Many dancers wore arm bands or bracelets, extending the color of their outfits to their arms and coordinating it. (I need some of those!)

I learned a lot by watching this year, and I learned how much I've learned! I've also seen how far I have yet to go, heh.

Update on Beowulf Movie Analysis and Review

2008-01-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

I found a very interesting review in the December 2008 issue of "The Page," a local SCA calendar of events. Unlike most movie reviews found online or in newspapers or magazines, this was an actual analysis of the stuff I had been trying to figure out about the movie all along: what was the point of it all? For the sake of fairness, I will mention his ideas to give a more complete picture of what may have been happening in the movie.

David Orphal brought up a very thought-provoking idea: Beowulf's director may have been trying to blend both Beowulf and Arthurian legend. In the 2007 movie, Hrothgar stands in for Uther, and Beowulf as Arthur. Quite a lot of it fits. This is the closest thing I've yet heard to explain the ridiculous sexuality of Grendel's mother, though it's easy to see why the director's vision of melding two distinctly different legends is difficult to interpret, as far as I'm concerned, considering you have to make the leap to visualize Jolie as both Igraine and Morganna (and perhaps Eve, while we're at it). At the very least, this helps explain why Beowulf becomes Hrothgar's heir, rather than (as in the poem) returning to his own country to rule.

The analyst writing the review had an additional thought as to why Beowulf was such a flawed character: his flaws, it is hypothesized, make his sacrifice at the end even greater. He becomes a hero, instead of being a hero all along.

Whatever. I still think the movie sucked.

What do YOU do with 60 pounds of dried dates?

2008-01-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

If you're me, you make date wine! My boss received 4 boxes of dates for Christmas, each box weighing about 15 pounds. After everyone in the office stuffed themselves, took some home, made fuitcakes, and whatever, there was still one box left. I snagged it.

Some of you may know I homebrew. I usually make meads, but I have been known to make the occassional fruit wine, and this was right up my alley. Date wine has quite the lengthy history, and you know I'm all about anything I can brew from the past! One schmuck says date wine was brewed after 560 AD, but I have a recipe for it in "A Sip Through Time" dating from 77 AD. Furthermore, evidence from sites in Jericho and Ein Feshkha indicate dates were brewed in Mesopotamia as early as the first century BC, and may have been the primary beverage of choice, replacing barley wines. With this sort of history, how could I not try it?

My first problem was selecting a recipe. I did some research, and discovered dates have a low acidity, and not much flavor in and of themselves. I imagine drinking it was more to get drunk than to enjoy the taste- and evidence from the Babylonian Talmud suggests the hangovers were, quite literally, epic in scale. Brewing it must also have been sort of hit-and-miss, since brewers relied on the yeasts left on the skins to ferment it.

The recipes I found were of two basic structures: dates only, and dates mixed with berries, raisins, and/or citrus. I decided history was all fine and dandy, but I also like a wine to taste good, so I opted to try the second variety. One recipe had nutmeg, which I love in my meads, another had raisins, another had apricots, one had raisins and citrus, some called for fresh dates, and only one had a dried date alternative. Some called for leaving the seeds in to impart flavor, some called to pit, or stone, the fruit. The ratio of dates ranged from 1.5 to 4 pounds of fresh fruit per gallon, and the sugars ranged from 1.5 to 1.75 pounds per gallon. In some recipes without citrus or raisins, the modern brewmakers suggested tannins and acid blend. I'm also told this is not a good wine to drink "young"; it needs to age a good 2-3 years to taste its best. Finally, I decided to use "Date and Raisin Wine" recipe from here: Date and Raisin Wine. I'm modifying it slightly.

First, I'm making 5 gallons, so I'm supposed to multiply everything by 5... but I don't want quite THAT much citrus. I decided to leave the seeds in for practical, rather than culinary reasons- have you ever tried to pit and chop 15 pounds of dried dates? Based on a different recipe's equation of 1 pound dried = 2 pounds fresh dates, 4 pounds fresh dates per gallon would be 20 pounds for 5 gallons, or 10 pounds of dried fruit. I added 11, just because I could, and because I'm using white rather than brown sugar. I have no idea how the absence of molasses flavoring will affect the taste of the finished wine, but I'm willing to take my chances. I can always add more sugars later- I like a sweet wine and will most likely be adding more later anyway. Since I'm already using raisins and the seeds of the dates, I don't want to add more tannins unless I know I have to; I prefer to use a flavor-neutral yeast nutrient and energizer. It's easier to add flavors than remove them. If I don't have enough acidity from the fruit alone, I'll add some acid blend after testing the acidity, once the primary fermenting has done its job.

I ended up with this in my primary bucket (My modified date wine recipe):

11 pounds dried dates (sliced once lengthwise to expose fruit and pit)
30 ounces golden California raisins (2 boxes) (chopped in food processor)
6.5 pounds white sugar
4 oranges, zest and juice
3 lemons, zest and juice
3 whole nutmegs
5 gallons filtered drinking water
3 tsp Goferm (nutrient)
1 tsp FermaidK (energizer)
3 tsp pectic enzyme
1 packet Lalvin K1-v1116 yeast

The process:

Three hours of slicing dates, chopping raisins, zesting fruit. Added whole mess (plus nutmegs) to fruit bag in the primary fermenting bucket. Boiled about 1.5 gallons water, added to primary. Added 2 tsp sodium metabilsulfite solution (aq) to sanitize the fruit. (As a rule, I use the sodium solution instead of Camden tablets, which are Potassium metabisulfites. Why? Because my homebrew store told me to.)

I let the whole mess sit about 12 hours. Warmed up some more water, added the sugar and dissolved it, then added the juice of the fruits I had zested the day before. Added all of that to the primary, stirred. So far, the concoction smells like citrus and tastes like sugar water. Added the pectic enzyme and go ferm, and let sit some more. Pitched the yeast no less than 24 hours after adding the sterilization solution- otherwise, nothing would happen!

Should bubble nicely for the next week. Go dates!

Gifted Garment Curse, Part Deux

2007-12-27T17:25:00.001-08:00

Apparently, the garment curse holds true even if the item is nothing more than a simple Christmas stocking.

That shouldn't count. Seriously.

Who's in charge up there, anyway? Loki? Murphy? Coyote? I demand a re-roll.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

What a lovely Christmas it's been so far! Every year I gush at how much I love my family and spending time with them, and this year is no different. How did I get lucky enough to have been born to such a caring and wonderful family?

This year, we had our traditional meal: a tray of cold cuts, breads, and appetizers. Quick and easy, and we can get down to the serious business of unwrapping presents! We started at 6pm, ate and chatted til about 8, and then the marathon began. Everyone unwraps one at a time, so we can see what everyone got, see how they liked what we got them, and thank them personally for each one. It took us four hours. (We had to have an intermission at 9 to have dessert and stretch.)

Everything was sweet and thoughtful! I love all my gifts, and I'm delighted to report that my gifts to my family seem to have been well received, too!

My brother and I try to outdo each other every year, in a sort of unspoken competition. The winning gift, in my opinion, was his- this diabolical creation from my darling, demon-spawn brother. He tucked a gift certificate from my favorite yarn store (Babette's Yarn and Gifts) inside this clear plastic puzzle box. The certificate was taped in such a way that I could see the name of the store, but not the amount. You have to roll the ball around all six sides and get it plunked down in the right spot to slide the latch and open the box. He knows I love puzzles, and the easy solution (involving a good-sized hammer) is not an option for me, because I cannot, ever, allow a puzzle to beat me.

It's going to take me all year to figure out how to "repay" him for such thoughtfulness.

I love my family. =)

Which Serenity Character are you?

2007-12-19T18:07:00.000-08:00

Your results:
You are Derrial Book (Shepherd)
Even though you are holy
you have a mysterious past.

Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)

60%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)

55%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)

50%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)

50%
Alliance

50%
Inara Serra (Companion)

40%
Wash (Ship Pilot)

35%
River (Stowaway)

30%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)

25%
A Reaver (Cannibal)

0%

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...

I'm...holy? When did that happen?

Celebrating Freedom

2007-12-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

Tissue alert... I cried when I read this, and can do nothing less than pass it on for others to read. The original story was posted in "A Soldier's Perspective" Blog, linked in the title of this one. Here is the full blog, including introduction and poem:

The following poem was sent to me by LCDR Jeff Giles, Al Taqqadum, Iraq. He asked me to do him "the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us."

Your wish is our command…

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
He was huddled outside but near here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,

I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue… an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..

Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

The poem was written by Michael Marks.

Jane Austen knows.

2007-12-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

"The advantages of natural folly in a beautiful girl have been already set forth by the capital pen of a sister author; --and to her treatment of the subject I will only add in justice to men, that though to the larger and more trifling part of the sex, imbecility in females is a great enhancement of their personal charms, there is a portion of them too reasonable and too well-informed themselves to desire any thing more in woman than ignorance."

-Jane Austen, in Northanger Abbey

May I point out that the above is ONE sentence? I love this lady's writing. Jane Austen has to be one of the most brilliant authors the English language has ever known, next to Shakespeare. I love everything about these books: the sweet and intelligent heroines, the rich and handsome heroes, the gorgeous and meandering language, the wisdom wrapped in humor, and, especially, the subtle yet scathing insults which are oh-so-elegantly phrased as to appear a compliment no polite person would dare take offense to.

The flow of the language is musical in my head, and it's pure pleasure to read for that alone, even if the story were not engaging, which it is. The courtesy and manners of every character- even the villans- just makes me happy to imagine. In contrast, coming out from a Jane Austen novel to an email filled with "l8tr" "wut" and "lolz" makes my head hurt.

Perhaps what I love best, though, is the commentary she as an author shows in the narrations and through her characters. Such feminine perspective and insights attest to the fact that women have been making the same observations, suffering the same fools and putting up with the same masculine irritations for hundreds of years.

Viva la Austenians!

Humility

2007-11-28T22:14:00.000-08:00

Humility, thy name is webquiz.

Beowulf- thumbs DOWN!

2007-11-18T23:18:00.000-08:00

This was a horrible, horrible movie. I hated it, every minute. The pseudo animation was distracting and inconsistent. Sometimes it would be good, sometimes it would be bad and look cartoon-y or choppy. The characters had no facial expressions, just eyebrows that would jump around their faces.

Worst, however, by far, was the "point" of the movie. I have no idea how the writers/directors managed to keep the same basic plot points, but completely reverse every motive, reason, and theme.

The original story was a Norse oral tradition, written down by a Christian monk. It's a hero myth. It's supposed to illustrate the values of the society, demonstrate how a "good" person should behave- kings, women, countrymen and heroes. In this movie, however, nothing of the sort is established. He didn't have confidence and faith in God/gods, he was a braggart who often failed in his claims. His men didn't leave him when they lost faith in him, but instead were slaughtered while he slept. He wasn't a humble man, simply stating truths which happened to be valorous deeds- he was a liar, and failed to resist temptation. Hrothgar's queen wasn't a noble, generous and gentle woman- she was a cowardly harridan, refusing her lord's bed- both of them. Hrothgar himself wasn't a a good and kind king, but a "shamed," cowardly drunken lecher. I would have been willing to allow the director of this modern version to imply that values have changed, and that THIS Beowulf demonstrates "modern" values, and is a hero we would look up to today. But he's not.

On nearly every single point, this movie made Beowulf out to be a loser, a sham, a con artist, instead of the shining and glorious hero he was. The society's values were not demonstrated at all. A golden drinking horn became a treasured object, instead of the swords and weaponry of the poem. Oddly, the weapons DID fail Beowulf, as they did in the poem, but this lack was not made up by his faith in God and his supremely noble character- instead, he just plain failed. Even his "bare hands" fight didn't come out right- it was never revealed that the reason Beowulf could overcome Grendel in this manner was because of the enchanted bracelet, which prevented steel from harming the monster. In fact, in the movie, Beowulf did not rip out Grendel's arm with the sheer strength of his grip, but had to get leverage on it with a chain, a door, and the help of one of his men!

I fail to understand the point of this movie. What is the director trying to tell me? It's not that morals have changed all that much and that a "modern" Beowulf would behave differently- he doesn't live up to modern ideals, either. It is supposed to be a commentary on modern society? That we value gold, not heroic deeds, in contrast to what we claim to value? I'd buy that if it ever actually got clarified, but it didn't, and such condemnations are normally satires, which this was not. I thought maybe it was trying to be told from the monsters' point of view, but that's not quite it either. All it does is paint Beowulf as a flawed, tragic figure- no hero at all. And I simply fail to see why that is significant or important to audiences. As an excuse to blow stuff up and have pretty special effects? Sure, if the effects were actually all that great looking. They weren't. All I could figure out was it was a nice way to make Angelina Jolie look naked. Whoopdie freakin do.

There's nothing wrong with the original, epic poem. It's a classic for a reason. That story is WORTH getting out to entertain, enrich, and enlighten, worth showing people how our ancestors viewed the ultimate meaning of life. The poem has endured for nearly 12 centuries. It horrifies me to think that millions of people will associate this Beowulf with the heroic Geat of the Viking era.

Life list-updated and imporved

2007-11-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

My mother recently called to ask me for my Christmas list. Trying to tell myself I'm not a greedy little kid for making out a list, particularly since it was requested, I thought about what I might like. In the end, I did my best but also admitted that I really do like whatever they pick out for me, since my family tends to have much better taste than I do.

It sort of became a philosophical question, the more I thought about it. What DO I want? Not just for Christmas, but for my life? And then, what did I want to accomplish?

After sending off the email which basically listed my clothing sizes, favorite stores, colors, and scents, I pulled out my old "Things to do before I die" list, to see how I'm doing and what's changed. I think it's time to update it, going to put down the checked off stuff first:

XX Learn to knit (Did this! And found I really, really love it)
XX Sit front row center at a concert (Did this, by accident! Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
X Own home (Sort of did this. Had a condo, sold it.)
XX Go back to school (Did this! Bachelor's degree)
X Fall in love (Obviously, I should have added "forever" as a descriptor. Still, beggars can't be choosers, and I'm glad I had the experience.)
X Publish a book (Again, I should have been more specific. Will add "novel" and "in paperback" in a different entry.
Get lasic for eyes
Achieve high school weight
Learn to play the fiddle
Places to visit:
XX Las Vegas
Australia
Smithsonian
Grand Canyon
Paris
London
Find waterfall with a cave under it
Publish a paperback (or Hardback) novel
Go scuba diving
Get "Master" certification in crochet and knitting from Crochet and Knitting Guilds.
Broker World Peace
Own yarn shop (frankly, I think world peace is more likely)

In trying to compile, amend, and update this list, it's become pretty clear that I've been pretty lucky. I've been able to do pretty much everything I'd like to do, and the rest of it really isn't that far out of reach. Maybe I'll never win the lottery or anything, and I don't think anyone could do everything they want to do, but I've done a lot of things I never thought I'd do, stuff I didn't even know I wanted to do. I've learned how to make soap and candles, and brew my own mead, wine, and alcohol. I'm learning how to bellydance, and I've earned an Award of Arms in the SCA. I get to go camping several times a year. I have wonderful friends. My family is fantastic, loving and supportive.

I'd like to think this epiphany means I'll be a happy, content person, grateful for my many blessings, and I shall now live happily ever after.

Ya, right.

Ravelry!!

2007-10-28T02:18:00.000-07:00

Hooooooly cow. Wow. Zomg!!11

It's... it's beautiful. There are no words.

http://www.ravelry.com/

Me:

http://www.ravelry.com/people/Keiyla

Is this not the cooolest?

Black "Baby Buttcheek" blues

2007-10-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

So I bought some yarn. Some really, really great yarn. I would call it delicious, yummy, and yea, even scrumptuous, but it has been presented to me that one cannot eat yarn, and therefore one cannot use taste-sensory adjectives.

So let me tell you about this yarn. The brand is Regia. It's German, so hat's off right there. It's superwash merino. Yes, that's right. Wash it, dry it, iron it, dry clean it; it scoffs at your attempts to shrink or felt it. It is, in fact, "male-proof." It contains Polyamid, a synthetic, to provide durability. And... not only is it 55% merino virgin wool, not only does it have 25% Polyamid, but also... *drum roll, Maestro* 20% silk. Oh yes, silk. Soft as sin silk.

It's the mostest perfectest yarn EVER. Washable, durable, AND soft as warm butter. It even comes in black. Can you imagine?

Somehow, and don't ask me how, because I'm still not quite sure how I managed to corner myself, I agreed to use this amazing yarn to make a friend a pair of socks. Ok, twist my arm. Truth is, of course, I'm going to enjoy knitting it up as much as I am going to enjoy giving it away, and all the better if it goes to a good home. So, since I know who it goes to, I should be all set, since I know his foot size. Right?

Wrong.

I've decided on making it a "plain" sock, 2 inch ribbed cuff. The problem comes when trying to guess the needles and number of cast on stiches. The 72 st ribbed sock was too loose. The 72 st stockinette should be fine. The 64 stockinette is too tight. Now, prepare yourself. They all have the same guage. Yep. The blue, 64 st ones have a guage of 8 st/inch, on size 2's. The black ones are 8st/inch, on size 1's. Wait, because it gets worse. The kicker? They're the exact same circumference. Yep. Somehow, even though the stitches are exactly the same size, the one that's 64 st is exactly as wide as the 72 st one. If anything, the blue one might be two stiches or so wider.

Ya, I know. It's a mathematical impossibility, and I suspect Lord Murphy is having a good chuckle at my expense.

Still, when I try the blue one on, it's slightly too tight. No, I don't know how or why.

So I sit here, trying to figure out what size needles and how many stitches to use. Obviously, my guage isn't going to mean squat. I'm tempted to split the difference: do 68 stitches on size 1.5's. Then I start thinking, what if that's too small? I like a tight, sturdy fabric, so I really do think the size 2's might be too big. But what if 72 stitches is too many for 1.5's and the sock is too big? Or what if I use 1's and it's too tight of a fabric, and the softness of this gorgeous yarn is knitted into coarseness, through no fault of its own?

I feel a little woozy. I'm going to go lie down.

I miss you, Drew

2007-09-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

Drewid McGilvra, nee Andrew Kellogg, died Monday, June 25th, 2007. I've wanted to write about it, but it's been so hard to know the words. Many of those who do not know him may feel sympathy for me, but think that, since they did not know him, his loss of life means little to them personally.

Anyone reading this would be mistaken to think so. Drew influenced me, my life and ideas and opinions, to such a degree that anyone who knows me has also felt a little bit of Drew.

The tendency to speak in general terms of one who has passed is not appropriate for Drew. I could say, for example, that "he was one of those rare individuals who truly exhibited generosity and compassion," but, while true, it does not come close to the truth, nor the flavor of his reality.

Most people would like to believe themselves unique in the world, cherished and special. Few could come close to exactly how unique Drew was. He was an oddity among the odd; freaky among the freaks. I do not say this disparagingly- he would have been delighted by it! I can see him now, cackling at me with his huge grin, head cocked sidewise, eyes looking somehow UP at me though he towered over me by a good half a foot. He wears his chauffeur's cap, the same one he wore every time he drove his hearse, the same one which survived the demolition of his beloved vehicle, and which even now rests on Ross' dash as a tribute.

The best way I can think of to have you as readers come to know the Drew I knew, is to relate some vignettes of our past. To begin: "Having coffee" is a verb, a hobby, a habit, a pasttime, and was our main source of entertainment. I was at IHOP with Copper, and I clearly remember seeing Drew round the corner. He was not the newcomer- I was. We were both non-smokers and a non-coffee drinkers, which may seem normal, but was quite unusual in our little circle. Instead, he drank Dr. Pepper, liberally seasoned with 7 packets of sugar. I drank Diet Coke. I cannot now remember which came first- Rocky Horror Picture Show or Drew, but the two are inexplicably twined together for me. I acted at the Magic Lantern as Janet in Spokane's "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Oh yes, I could pull it off back then, if barely. *grin* I remember Drew most often as Riff Raff, but he played Brad, too. After the show, we'd all go out for coffee and BS for hours. Some of my fondest memories were spent thus, dressed in a bustier, fish net stockings, and face paint, laughing and talking and flirting until dawn.

I worked with Drew at Dick's for nearly four years. He didn't get me the job, per se- he insisted I'd never be hired if it were known I was his friend- but he encouraged me to apply. I can't say any fast food job has ever been pleasant, but it was fast paced, steady, and it did supply a sure income. I liked many of my co-workers. I still don't know whether Drew genuinely liked the job or not, but he took enormous pride in his abilities there. The man could peel and slice spuds into fries faster than anyone I had seen. It looked dangerous to me in fact, which might have no little bearing on how proud he was to do it. Whomp, whomp whompwhompwhomp... in a spud went, and he was pulling the lever almost before his hand came away. He never once nicked himself- for all it LOOKED dangerous, he was very careful- just fast and proud of it. He could do anything, anywhere in that place. He never slacked off that I could see, but every moment did everything as efficiently as he could. "Lazy" was not in his vocabulary.

He taught me how to make a "Graveyard," his signature Dick's shake. You take a quart-sized drink container, and put a little squirt of every flavor in it. Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, raspberry, orange, root beer, hot fudge... everything. Mix it all up and you have a thick, brown mess. Not many people knew about they graveyard, but those that did were regular consumers of the shake, and always tipped us well, heh.

Halloweens were, of course, Drew's favorite holiday. He was Wiccan (my first experience with such), and Samhain was a religious holiday for him. At work, he always dressed up in what seemed to be a sincere attempt to make onlookers lose their lunch. Spiders, fake flesh dripping blood and ichor, looking ready to drop off his skin- if it was gross, it was on his costume. Poor Linda, Dick's co-owner, had to try to persuade Drew it wasn't a positive experience for customers who wanted to eat. He was indignant and pissed off, but he did eventually remove at least the most offensive of the tissues.

It was on a Halloween that Drew lost his hearse. The loss of it was a hard, hard blow, and we all knew it, though he endured it stoically, forcing himself to laugh. All of us coffee-drinkers had experienced Drew's hearse. We'd spend weekends "cruising" in the back of it, and it was a well-known fixture on the streets of Spokane. We'd go to movies at the drive in, and I think the Drive-in people hated us, because he could really pack a crowd in back there! We'd scatter, or lay on the roof, and it was a social occasion more than it was movie watching- I don't recall a single movie seen there. But one Halloween, he was driving it and flipped it end over end. Not a roll, from side to side, but back over front. A hearse! Miraculously, Drew was fine, though the car was completely totaled. He was safe, strapped into the driver's side by his seat belt, even though the seat itself went through the windshield, out from under him. It was found down an embankment- if that seat had contained Drew, there's no way he'd have survived the fall.

Eventually, I moved into an apartment in Drew's building. He was one floor above mine. To see it, one would be hard pressed to prove modern furniture existed. His bed was a coffin, and every other fixture seemed to consist of milk crates fastened together with duct tape. Drew loved duct tape, and taped up everything with it, including Christmas presents, every single year. Fake spider webs and black cloths were draped everywhere. He was as voracious a reader as I, though, and had entire milk crate bookcases filled with science fiction and fantasy. He also had a pet tarantula, "George." The first of that name passed on while Drew was on vacation- he had asked me to feed it, but I have a fear of arachnids. Instead, Drew dropped a week's worth of crickets in George's cage for him to munch on when he felt like. The best laid plans, however... the crickets staged a revolution, and by the time Drew returned, all that was left in the cage were a few hairy legs and some very smug crickets.

I wish everyone could share with me, what a generous, wonderful spirit he had. Nothing could keep him down. Even at his most miserable, when we KNEW his smiles and laughs were forced, still he pressed on and did his best, every day, to be a good friend, confidant, and employee. He bought coffee and food for the street kids (and some adults who should have known better) who were hungry. He'd give rides to anybody, when he had his car- a valuable commodity. Most of us had to take the bus or walk.

I wish I could download my memories of Drew for all to see. There are years worth of anecdotes to tell. Walking the Bloomsday Parade in high heels. Dirk's World. House. Sanctuary. People's Park. Bruce's Place, Java Junkies, Frankie Doodle's, Denny's. He loved rain, thunder, lightning, and snow, dark days and darker nights, and detested daytime, sunshine, and spring. So many memories, and so many ways he influenced all of our lives.

Drew found his soul mate in Jasmine. We were all so pleased and happy for him. You never saw a more ecstatic man. The smiles began to be genuine, and his laughs lost their forced bark, becoming more natural. He changed his name, taking hers, instead of the more traditional way around, and none of us were surprised. His loss as a friend is devastating- I can't imagine what Jasmine must be going through, but I hope she knows how many of us love her, for herself and for giving Drew the light he gave us.

Drew's existence, his friendship, turned on a lot of lights in my head; his friendship was one of several which inspired me and opened my mind to acceptance. I began to accept myself, first of all, and I learned to accept others. I had led a sheltered, narrow life- never once had I knowingly encountered any of the things I had been taught were "bad," and I had shunned them when I saw them. In Spokane, amongst friends who accepted me unconditionally, I blossomed, learned, and grew under the gentle tutelage that was more example than lesson. One of the most important things I've learned in my life is that nobody, nobody, can truly understand another- but if you accept someone for who they choose to be, your own life will be enriched beyond measure. No one has enough experience to judge another, for none can possibly understand the motivations, experiences, or reasons of another. Experiences, lessons, and plain old fashioned fun come in a wide variety of styles and flavors- and you may miss the most important ones if you don't open your eyes or mind, and accept what others can share with you.

My visit back to Spokane for the memorial was cleansing and healing. It was a sort of renewal, too. I saw so many friends, and discovered my love for them has not diminished a hair in the years I've been away. I took strength from them, and hope they did from me. As horrible an occasion as it was for a visit, it was good, too. My friends' unconditional acceptance of me and joy at seeing me reminded me of lessons I had forgotten- I AM worthy of friendship, and of love. There is nothing wrong with me. I am who I am, and any who cannot accept me are the ones flawed, not I. I could see Drew looking at me as I realized it, and I know that even in death, he watches out for us and takes care of us. We are not alone.

Thank you Drew, for the privilege of knowing you. I miss you.

Walk with the God and Goddess in the summerlands. Blessed be.

Cool Ties

2007-05-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

What have I been up to? It feels like, "not much!" I'm sick at the moment with a hefty cold and sinus infection, so I've been going sort of crazy the past few days with so little activity. I can't wait until I'm better and can get back to dancing! Until then, I figured I'd update this with a snapshot of some cool ties (See "The Ships Project" link to the left for details and patterns).

These cool ties are in various stages of development. The black ones with tiny white stars to the front are finished, and the very front two have been hydrated. That's how they look when they're soaked in water. The next few are "sleeves," waiting to be ironed and filled with watersorb crystals. The next few are cut out, waiting to be sewn into tubes. Past those are more yards of fabric, waiting to get cut out.

The one thing none of the patterns tell me is how full they're supposed to be! "Overfull" is when the gel is seeping out the fabric, I get that. But there are a lot of phases of full before you get that far! I tried a few different ways, and I found that I personally don't care for the round, sausage-like fullness. It seems to me that such roundness doesn't provide as much surface contact with the skin, and thus would not be making the skin as cool. So I tried some half as full, using only a half a teaspoon of watersorb (the patterns all call for 1-3, so this is why I'm thinking I'm wrong) and it gave me a nice, plump, cool tie; not flat, but not a sausage, either.

I ended up compromising. I made all those black ones with little stars full, using one teaspoon, and all the rest with only half a teaspoon. I also made some cool ties twice as thick, for neckerchiefs, and those I DID fill with one teaspoon.

All of the ones I've made so far, including the ones in the picture, have been sent to sailors over in the Persian Gulf. Apparently temperatures on deck are well over 100 degrees, so I'm hoping these will help a little bit, and show them how much they are appreciated. God bless our troops!

My First Cable!

2007-04-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is my very first cabled project! I thought cabling was going to be sooo hard, and it turned out to be pretty darned easy! It's slightly more time-consuming than just knitting, but hard? Heck no! You don't even do it every row, just every 7th or 8th. Neat! (Note for my non-knitters: the "cables" are the twisty parts.)

Another hat successfully finished for the troops serving aboard ships and overseas.

Next up- cool ties!

(I have also finished one of Dad's two brown, brushed baby alpaca socks. One. I think I may have second sock syndrome. See, It even has a name. That makes it a real condition and it's not my fault. Right?)

Hats and Healing

2007-04-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I've been working on hats for the Ships Project. I love knitting hats; they're so quick to work up that I don't get bored, and there are so many designs and color variations possible that I don't think I'll run out any time soon. Right now I'm working on one that has my very first cable! It's also quite satisfying to be doing something, even something so innocuous, for our wonderful troops and sailors.

Speaking of sailors... The hurt, pain, and confusion I'd felt for so long has been healed. The future is uncertain, but the past no longer haunts me. For the present, I have my friend, and I am truly blessed, and truly grateful.

Ahh, new beginnings!

2007-03-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

No pictures this time! Just me. December was rough, and it's taken me a while to get my bearings, but I think I'm well on my way to regaining myself!

This weekend, I went to March Crown, an SCA West Kingdom event, and had a marvelous time. I haven't been to events in nearly three years, because, well... *hopes the implication is clear without stating the obvious* It was just amazing to be back. My Household family was mostly all there, the core group at least, and there was much drumming. I saw friends in other Houses I hadn't seen in years, caught up on the latest news, and met new friends! (We also had a slight run-in on Saturday night, but I'm trying my best to ignore it.) I even *gasp, drum roll, please* put on The Outift. Tanya put hers on, so I did too. I was nervous, fearful, and postive that I looked a fool, but I put the sucker on anyway. (I did refuse to look at myself in a mirror, though.) Then the drumming started, and Tanya taught me some more moves, and we started to dance (and I downed copious amounts of rum). All of a sudden, I wasn't nervous or shy anymore! My family all told me how beautiful I was and how wonderfully I danced (aren't they sweet!) I got hit on by men and women alike. I danced some more, and had more liquid courage, and laughed, smiled, talked, and danced til 2am. I didn't stutter, or stumble over my words, and I managed to say the right things and make people laugh and smile. It was extaordinary!

I returned Sunday with my spirits amazingly lifted. It was exactly what I needed, I think- to be reminded that I am unconditionally accepted and loved by my true friends. It put the heart back into me, to know I was, after all, attractive enough to hit on. It restored my faith in myself, to know that I haven't lost ALL of my confidence and self esteem, and that I can, in fact, get up and put on a ridiculously revealing outift and do some hip bumps, even though you couldn't have convinced me, prior to doing it, that I ever had the courage.

So the first new beginning, for me, is really a return to the old me, the pre-Jake me. The me that liked the SCA, that loved to brew, and drum, and laugh, and just BS with my friends. The me that knew I had something to offer, that knew I was attractive to at least a minor segment of the male population.

The next new beginning is somewhat scarier, but this past weekend has given me more courgae about it. I'm moving! Yes, yes, at long last. Ever since I moved in with my parents, as grateful as I am, and will always be, for opportunity to go back to school, the rescission of that aspect of my independence has always shamed me, at least a little. There is no longer, obviously, any plan to move to San Diego, so I am moving to Carmichael, into a pretty little remodeled 1- bedroom apartment. The scary part is, I think, because I fear I have become too used to living with the folks. And I remember why I moved in with them in the first place. I'm a little afraid I won't be able to make it out in the big, scary world. On the other hand, I've been ready to get back out there for a long time now, and I'm very much looking forward to getting out and spreading my wings.

At least there will be enough floorspace to spread them, now!

Fechak's Moving Week From Hell fresh in my mind, I'm hoping I don't tempt the Great God Murphy into something similar. I have everything (I think) all carefully planned out, and am almost finished packing. Within a week, I'll be in my new place, putting my old things away in their new places, and I'm already smiling about the stuff I'll finally be able to have again, such as my brewing equipment, which has been in storage for nearly three years!

There will be room to dance, in this new place. I welcome the return of me!

Shopping at Rakkasah

2007-03-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

For the past three years, I've been holed up in my room pretty much constantly, since that was the best means of being in contact with my boyfriend. I spent hours and hours online every day, either playing games with him or being on Skype when we weren't playing a game. Since he has removed himself from my life, I've been working out what to do with myself. I do still have fun playing WOW, but the urgency to log on every day is no longer there. At the same time, I realized I needed to get out of the house and the rut I've been in. I need more exercise, or at least activity, and I need to encourage myself to develop a more positive outlook, self esteem, and body image.

So I took up belly dancing.

A good SCA friend of mine has been dancing for 11 years and teaching for three. Her most recent class started up a month ago, and she invited me to join. Since it sounded like fun, and fit pretty much all the paramenters I knew I needed, I accepted with gratitude.

It has been a lot of fun, and I feel better than I have in, well, years. Until today.

Today, I had to go... shopping. Now, I'm not a shopper. I know a lot of women who are; my mother is one of them. I know many who aren't; I'm one of them. I've never had any fun going, least of all as a kid, when I'd hide, pouting, on the crossbars in the circular stands of dresses. It's boring and depressing and expensive. My closet is only so big, and my mother picks me up something I'll never wear every few weeks or so anyway. My aunt works at Ross. I get plenty of clothes for my birthday and Christmas, and she has very good taste and an uncanny sixth sense about what will look fabulous on me. For myself, if I need something, I'll eyeball a place til I find it, get it rung up, and leave. (This is clothes shopping we're talking about. Yarn, DVDs and books are something totally different.)

Ok, moving right along... This weekend was apparently the biggest festival for my new hobby in the world, and it took place 2 hours away. Rakkassah. My teacher "encouraged" me to go and pick out my costume. I got the distinct impression She Would Be Disappointed if I didn't. (Actually, she probably wouldn't care. But it makes for good blog fodder to pretend.) It was a lot of fun to go. I saw really beautiful people doing what I hope to be able to do with a few decades of practice. Seemed everyone was smiling, and helpful, and thrilled with our common bond of sisterhood.

And I shopped.

And I shopped some more.

Got to be so's I knew every article of clothing in that place, and, let me remind you, this the biggest festival like it in the WORLD. My feet are killing me. Still, I sure as heck want to show off what I got to SOMEONE after all that work, because I'm not sure yet if I'm going to have the courage to actually wear it.

(The blue blob at the neck is a scarf. No matter how I work my camera or rearrange the scarf, it still looks like a blue blob.)

Please note this outfit is not a set. Each piece was individually selected, by moi (my teacher's response to my queries were: "Wear what you want!"). Each piece was also, frustratingly, at a different vendor. Pants, skirt, fringe belt, coin belt, coin bra, dangling jewlery thingy, scarf. I'm pretty sure my ATM card is suffering from a nervous breakdown by now.

I'm exhausted.

More baby things

2007-03-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

I've knitted a bunch since Christmas, but haven't had the time to take pictures for more than the things I've send out. These items were sent to Amy for her new baby boy, and her toddler daughter, Alex. They only arrived a week or so late for the newest arrival, but I don't think that matters a whole lot- he'll still be a baby for a while! As for Alex, well, I thought she might like a little reminder that she's still the princess, regardless of the new troublemaker.

(Updating this post to add picture of Alessandra, wearing her crown and cloak. Isn't she adorable?! Thank you for the pictures, Amy!)

Baby goods

2007-02-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

Crocheting (or knitting) baby things is near the top of my list of favorite items to create. So sweet and cute and soft! The probability of having my own babies, however, dwindles by the nanosecond, so I'm thrilled to pieces when I know people who are epxecting. I can dump all my efforts on them!

KS took this picture of the items I sent to him, his wife, and his daughter-to-be. It makes me smile that he liked my gifts so much that he would take the time to photo and post pictures. Very thoughtful of him!

Ready for New Years?

2006-12-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas has passed, and the New Year looms ahead. Resolutions? Oh yes.

I could wax eloquent about the break up, but really, there is nothing more to be said. I'm actually quite lucky, when all is tallied- as you will read further on.

And today, I have pictures! I finished my dad's grey Christmas socks before the holiday, and here is the proof. These were knit with a cast on of only 44 stitches, ribbed for an inch and a half, then knitted the rest of the way. The yarn is the softest I have ever felt: brushed baby alpaca wool.

I also give you pictures of the tree at my cousin's house. Those are the combined gifts of my extended family: my parents, brother and I, my aunt and uncle, and my cousin and her boyfriend. It may look obscene-- at least, that's what we exclaim every year-- but the gifts themselves are usually of small value, and may be for humor as easily as to be pleasing.

For example, soap, candy, candles, a tape measure to replace one that a daughter had accidently broken the past summer *cough*, tree ornaments, kitchen towels, and key chains were all part of the ensemble. It took us three hours to unwrap, because we do it one at a time, so we can see what everyone got.

I've always been taught that we're supposed to be secretive about giving to charity. But, well, I feel a bit defensive about the presents under that there tree. So, lest anyone think we're typically greedy and selfish, spoiled Americans, I would also point out that we donate a great deal. Food for Families, Toys for Tots, Standford Home for Children, WEAVE, Doctors Without Borders, Heifer International, the Linus Project, Project Helmetliner, and The Ships Project were my personal charities of choice this year.

Believe me, I am well aware of my good fortune and the blessings of my health and safety. I am truly grateful to my friends and family, for allowing me to be a part of such loving lives.

Updated To Do list

2006-12-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

X: Helmetliner (as shown in button on the sidebar) - knit
X: One pair Olive socks for my sailor- knit
X: One pair super soft socks for Dad's BD in November- knit
X: Green ripple monstrosity thing -crochet
X: Dishcloth(s) for Christmas presents.
X: Socks -knit
X: Jayne hat

To do: Aran afghan, exactly half complete - crochet
To do: Baby blanket for Amy's forethcoming boychild.
To do: Baby blanket for KS's girl child

So I removed Amy's baby blanket from the "completed" list to the "to do" list: how is this possible, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. I didn't like the other one as much when I stumbled upon the most adorable knitted pattern. I didn't even have to buy more needles. It's only a foot or so long at the moment, but I'm extraordinarily happy with it. It may be the prettiest thing I've ever made. And no, I'm not going to post pictures until it's done and sent out. *smiles*

I've actually finished two baby blankets, not counting Amy's. And yet have two more to go, by my count. While I'd like to delude myself into thinking its because I want the blankets to be perfect, I think it might be because, after the baby blankets are done, all that is left is the Aran.

Save me!

The Curse of the Gifted Garment

2006-12-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

You know what I'm talking about. Soon after you craft a sweater, socks, or ajaunty hat for your boyfriend, a timer begins to count down. A week, a month, and then- he bails. I can't be the only person this has happened to. What I can't figure out, is why it happens. What is it about an article of clothing that chases the man in your life away? Is it the simple act of generosity? Do they, without being able to put it into words, finally comprehend how much we care, because they can see physical evidence of the amount of time we're willing to devote to them?

It's happened in nearly every one of my relationships. I sewed an enormous velvet cloak for Chris, when I lived in Washington. The thing took me months. Within two months, our two year relationship was ashes. Ricci coveted Chris's cloak, so, even though we only dated casually, I made him one (not in velvet though.) I even embroidered his name in silver runes around the hem. He "lost" my address and phone number a week later. Reid and I were togehter six months. We'd even vacationed together for two weeks. He asked for a set of medieval-style clothing, which I made for him. Within a month, he called to say his friends thought he should be single. Sayonara, Reid. I made an outift for Thom, too- which he apparently wore into the tent of some SCA battle bunny. Hasta la vista.

And finally, Jake. Sure we had problems, but we always got over them. Our relationship was strong enough, and I thought our love was secure enough, to overcome anything, even being separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. For three years - well, exactly 2 weeks shy of three years, if you must know- I felt loved and beautiful. Then I gave him socks.

The bell began to toll, and finally keened its death knell tonight.

I'm still a little shell shocked and stunned, unaware if this is some kind of bad dream. Surely our relationship meant more than "We don't have anything in common anymore"? Lots of spouses have different hobbies. Living hundreds of miles apart, it's inevitable we'd have different friends. Odd as it may sound, I guess I was an optimist. I thought our love was common ground enough.

There are plenty of good things to be said about being single again. In a week or so, maybe I'll even be able to face them. I may be able to face, also, the single black sock I already knit for him, at his request. Right now it's too symbolic to bear.

Jayne Cobb Hat

2006-12-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

Please note that the pattern listed below was my first run at re-creating this hat, and I have since updated the pattern. Because it's so different, instead of editting this entry I made an entirely new one. Please go to the new page to see the new, updated (and much more accurate!) pattern. Thank you!

In the remarkable, wonderful, too-short series "Firefly," created by Joss Whedon, the character Jayne Cobb (played by Adam Baldwin) is a rough and tough, selfish mercenary. In the episode titled, "The Message," Jayne receives a knitted hat from his mother, and wears it during most of the episode. On disk four of the DVD collection, there exists an easter egg which shows the actor wearing the hat while singing "The Hero of Canton," a song from a separate episode, "Jaynestown," a screenshot of which is pictured above.

As a Secret Santa project for a Firefly fan, I tried to duplicate this hat. It turned out so well that I made a second one for my brother, who is also a fan. This undertaking yielded some interesting and entertaining insights for me, and quite a few questions.

First of all, "Ma Cobb" was not an experienced knitter. Most knitters learn early on that if you do not rib the first few rows of an article, the edge will roll. In this case, the hat obviously does not have ribbing at the brim. The only thing that keeps the edge from rolling is that the hat is decidedly small for the wearer. This is evidenced by the straining stiches around the circumference of the hat. It does not look like neat rows of kniting, but instead, you can see between the stitches. (My doll model's head is too small- you'll have to take my word for it that I've reproduced this effect. In fact, the doll is a bad model all the way around- the proportions look all wrong.)

The edges also roll inwards on the ear coverings. This is because most knitters have discovered that you need to knit about 3 stitches on the edges, every row, to keep it from rolling. (Jayne's ear flaps are knit with stockinette stitch, which alternate knit and purl rows. An interesting choice, because a hat knit in the round is all knit stitches. Ironically, had Ma Cobb continued to knit every row, the ears would not have rolled- though the ears would have had a different-looking stitch than the hat itself.)

Finally, the hat is not decreased at the the top, which would have produced a fine, smooth round top. Instead, it is gathered at the top, creating the bulky, bunched look. The round gather of all the stitches is then "hidden" by a pompom.

All of these, ah, interpretations of a hat design lead me to conclude that this was Ma Cobb's first hat. Not only was it her first hat, but she designed it herself. I deduced this because, if she used a pattern, the pattern designer would not have incorporated the...choices...Ma Cobb made. The hat would have had ribbing, at least in front and back, and would have had a garter stitch (knitting a few stitches every row, as previously described) edge to the ear flaps, but may or may not have had a gather and pompom. Therefore, Ma Cobb designed and knit her very first hat- to mail across the galaxy to her boy Jayne.

A mother's love, my friends. In addition, that Jayne immediately put on and wore the hat-- as jarring as it may have been to his tough-guy image-- speaks volumes about Jayne's own love for his Mama. I find their love for each other heartbreakingly sweet.

A few qustions arise from these musings. Did the director intend such implications? Who did make the hat? Was the hat designed to exact specifications, created precisely to convey the emotional impact I have proposed? Or was the hat just found somewhere, to be snapped up by an excited costume designer with a squealed, "Oooh! Perfect!"?

Maybe I should write to Joss and find out.

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures!

Here is what I did:

I used 16" size 10 circulars, with worsted weight yarn: Caron Sunflower, and Red Heart "soft" in Paprika and Tangerine.

1. With orange, cast on 60 stitches.

2. Join, being careful not to twist. Knit every row, to 3 1/2 inches.

3. Join yellow yarn, knit to 9 inches total hat length.

4. Cut yellow yarn, thread the end onto a tapestry needle, and, with the stitches still on the needles, thread the yarn through all stitches. Take out the needles, and pull on the end of the yarn to create the gather. You can run it through the ring a couple more times to secure it. Leave the long end in the hat.

5. Fold hat in half, with the back being on one folded edge. Mark the center of each side, as with a coil-less safety pin. Count 10 stitches to one side, and begin picking up stitches there, working towards the center, then pick up 10 more, for a total of 20 picked up stitches.

6. Join rust-colored yarn, and knit in stockinette stitch 22 rows, or about 3 1/2 inches. (Knit on the knit or "right" side of hat, and purl on the purled or "wrong" side).

7. Begin decreasing 2 stitches every row: Knit 1, knit 2 together, then knit until there are 3 stiches left. Knit 2 together (or ssk, or however you want to decrease), then knit last stitch. On the purled rows, purl 1, purl 2 together, purl to last 3 stitches, purl 2 together, then purl last. (You could also knit or purl the first two and last two stitches every row. Doesn't really matter which method you choose, so long as you're decreasing 2 every row.) When you have 1 stitch left, cut your yarn with a 6 inch tail, and slip it through the last stitch to bind it off. Cut another peice of yarn 10 inches long, and slip it through somewhere on the bottom and tie it to itself, to give the three strings shown on the right side of Jayne's hat.

7 1/2. Do the same for the other side, but only leave 2 strings. These strings tie the flaps together. They look about 3 to 4 inches long on Jayne's hat, but you can cut them to whatever length you'd like.

8. Make a pompom, either by using a nifty tool, or by winding yarn around a piece of cardboard about 3 inches tall by 6 inches wide. Begin wrapping the cardboard. (Use mostly rust yarn, but add some orange and yellow too!) When the cardboard is nice and fluffy, slip about a foot of yarn, perpendicular, between the cardboard and the wrapped yarn, move it to the bottom, and tie it loosely, to hold it in place. (You can also put the anchoring yarn next to the cardboard first, before wrapping the yarn.) Cut the top, wrapped yarn, so you have a wad of three-inch (or shorter) strings. Tie the anchoring yarn VERY tightly around the bundle of short yarn, then trim if needed. Poke the end of the anchoring yarn into the gather. Tie the anchoring yarn to the yellow yarn end used to make the gather.

9. Weave in ends- except the ear flap ties!

10. Wear proudly, or gift to your favorite Firefly fan!

Do not sell this pattern. The Jayne Cobb hat and image are copyrights of 20th Century Fox, and probably of lots of other companies and people, too. Besides, its not nice.

Updated To Do list

2006-11-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

X: Helmetliner (as shown in button on the sidebar) - knit
X: One pair Olive socks for my sailor- knit
X: One pair super soft socks for Dad's BD in November- knit
X: Green ripple monstrosity thing -crochet
XX: Rainbow triple crochet baby blanket, about 6 inches -crochet
X: Baby blanket for Amy's forethcoming boychild.
X: Dishcloth(s) for Christmas presents.
To do: Aran afghan, exactly half complete - crochet
To do: Socks -knit
To do: Jayne hat

Hey, the list is looking pretty good! The double XX's on the baby ripple don't mean I finished that one, though. It means I've looked at it and saw how little I've done, and noticed there are several major problems with it back on rows 3 and 5. I'm planning on ripping the whole thing out, and perhaps recycling the yarn. Which means I have only one more unfinished blanket! Hooray!

Sort of.

Holidays are fast approaching, and I've assigned myself two more projects. The cheapest and fastest of the two will be a Jayne style hat for a guy I'm supposed to be Secret Santa for. He's a Firefly fan, so he may like it. More importantly, of course, *I* will enjoy making it, and it should be easy cheap and fast. The second is a pair of black socks for my "db."

As predicted, DB has discovered the joy of handknit socks. He actually ASKED for another pair! I'm stoked. Nothing, but nothing, makes me happier than being asked to make something. It's gratifying for me to receive such requests, and I can't adequately describe how content and fullfiling it is for me to create the asked-for item. It is as if I am finally being allowed to show my love for the person. All the feelings of friendship and appreciation that I hold in my heart and can never be fully expressed in words, can be spun out of my hands and handed to the recipient. Like a kind of solid, shaped poetry. A hand-made, warm hug which can be wrapped around a foot or a body.

It is Finished.

2006-11-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

Finally. The Great Green Ginormous Monstrosity is finally, after seven months, complete. It signifies the longest I have ever worked on a single project. While Jake's open-work blanket may have been larger, his was made using double and triple crochet, which means each row of stiches added one to two inches to the height. This thing was worked with single crochet, which means each row added about a half an inch.

When it wasn't subtracting inches, that is.

I still feel this blanket is a study in quantum mechanics, or at least some form of new math. When I began, I know I had a foundation chain that measured 120". I realize now that the width shortened because of the chevrons- but it did, at one time, measure at least 100" across. When it was half finished, I measured, and it was at least 90". (See below.) I worried a little, at the time, about that. So I added three inches of border. ADDED. As in, plus. As in, increased. As in, if you add one apple to another apple, you are supposed to have MORE apples than when you started.

When I measured after adding the border, the tape measure told me the width was 86". Eighty-six. Not Ninety-three. Four inches SHORTER than ninety. FIVE inches shorter than when I measured it in the middle of the project.

Now, you may be thinking that somewhere in the blanket, my guage may have changed. You may be thinking, right now, "Keiyla m'girl, it's probably still 91" where you measured the last time, and only 86" at the top. You blew it." How clever (not to mention patronizing) of you to think so! But no, this is not the case. I measured top, several places in the middle, and the bottom. One thing this blanket is, is even. (A fact for which I thank all major and minor dieties capering about in the universe.) What it also is, is too narrow by nearly half a foot.

So I stretched the blanket a little. Ok, a lot. I pulled and pulled, and I promised the goblin in the blanket all sorts of yummy fabric softeners if only it would cough up a few more inches. I told it I'd put the tape measure away, and go for a cup of tea, and when I came back to re-measure, I wouldn't ask any questions if the extra inches miraculously re-appeared. Apparently the deal wasn't sweet enough, because nothing had changed upon my return.

Folks, I have no explanation for all this.

It does, however, seem to fit on a king-sized bed. Close enough.

King Size Measurements

2006-11-05T02:08:00.000-08:00

According to the websites I've Googled, a king size mattress requires a comforter 102" wide and 90" long.

I've re-measured Fechak's Monstrosity. Somehow, it's now only 91" wide. I will swear on a stack of Bibles that this thing was at LEAST 100" wide when I started. Now, I know this, not only because I remember measuring it before the hiatus, but also because the pattern I began with (and have subsequently altered) was 42" wide. I did not double this size. No, instead of starting with a foundation chain of 118, or even 240, MY chain was 310. Three chains per inch, you see. Approximately. There is no way my stitches, which I DID test to gauge, thankyouverymuch, shrunk nearly a foot.

Imagine a frustrated blonde blowing her bangs from her eyes.

Ok, well, no way am I ripping this gargantuan behemoth back and starting all over. No way. Huh-uh. Not this little grey duck.

Ok, so. Alternatives. A normal King sized mattress is 76 x 84. The extra 2 feet is so that a foot a side will hang over the edge. This bad boy will only have 7 inches per side extra. I've decided this lapse and shortage is acceptable. If our favorite rogue has neglected to inform me of any "special" conditions of his King sized bed- California style, for example- I hereby disavow any responsibily for an ill fit.

As of this writing, the leviathan measures 90 inches wide and 63 inches long. 90" x 60. If this were a throw, it would already be oversized. But no. Only another 30 or so inches to go. Blonde does some mental math. Two-thirds done! Huzzah! The blankie may be done this winter after all.

*late night edit*

Blonde awakens with a start. Edging! A good 3 color edge trim to bring the thing all together will ALSO, miraculously, widen The Monstosity by several inches, depending on how many rows of edging I give it. I'm brilliant!

The Ships Project

2006-10-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

The Ships Project sends handmade slippers, hats, neck warmers, and "coolers" to troops stationed overseas and deployed on ships. The items can be sewn, crocheted, or knit. This is perfect for me, as I love to give away my stuff. By all reports, the guys and gals in uniform even love getting these "hugs from Home." It's win-win!

As you may know, however, I have OCD. This means when I embrace a project, I go a little overboard. I embrace it until I get so sick of it I can't stand it anymore. So, what started out as marginal contentment in crocheting a black or camo (oops, pardon me, "cammie!") hat or two out of leftover stash, turned into a household-wide project that consumed all of my spare time for a week or two.

Sorry, Fechak. The blanket is coming. I swear.

The final tally for The Ships Project is 26 hats (23 reversible fleece, one crochet cammie, one crochet black wool, one knit black wool) and 20 pairs of slippers. This involved multiple trips to the fabric store, and a little haggling with the counter ladies for sale prices (which I got, thank you very much Gretchen.)

While machine sewing is not my favorite activity, I am reasonably competent at it (I worked in a sweat shop, back in my "Top Ramen" youth.) What I hate doing, however, is hand stitching. Yet, because I oh-so-thoughtfully chose a pattern that the project leader said was in demand, I discovered I was stuck hand-sewing inch-long holes shut, after pulling each hat inside out. Happily, my mother "volunteered" to help, and that got me out of hand sewing about half of them. Then, like a rat off a sinking ship, she left for a vacation in Hawaii (suuuure it was planned....) which left me to hand sew the other half. I assure you, the closures are not nearly as pretty as hers. However, none of the recipients will know who I am, and this IS free shit, after all, so they can't whine too much, amirite?

By the time the last slipper was hemmed, the last hat was reversed, and the last hole sewn shut, I was pretty sick of sewing. I'm pretty sure I'll be sticking with crochet for a while. (Honest, Fechak!)

More pictures to come when uploading isn't sucking.

WIP: Fechak's Ripple

2006-10-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

This Work in Progress is the green and blue monstrosity that has been mentioned elsewhere. It was begun in March of 2006, in this post. It is currently around 40 inches long, and about 120" wide. I began with 25 skeins of Homespun, and I think I'm right about on track with it. Recipient, like every guy I've ever heard of when defining the crochet item in his head, requests "no holes, thick, soft." I think they just mean "no granny squares," but I wasn't taking any chances. It's single crochet, though, the most boring and tedious stitch to use. Each row takes so long, that I'm sure it would interest scientists studying quantum mechanics and the space-time continuum. Every color takes an Age of Men.

I am determined he will receive this before the end of the winter.

THIS winter.

WIP: Aran

2006-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my half-complete Aran folded over, and a photo detail of the stitches. I like working on it; I really do. For small amounts of time. It's not boring, because each row, just about, is different. When it's finished, it will be an heirloom. Assuming it gets finished.

The pattern is from Herrschners, Inc, "Fisherman Afghan #3079," and I'm using Lion Brands "Pound of Love" worsted weight in color 99, Antique White. I pray the two pounds I have left will be enough. You see, I started with 5 pounds. Calculating I am halfway through, that would be more than slightly worrisome. However, I recall very disctinctly that I swiped some yarn from a new skein, telling mysel I had too much. What I can't rememebr is how much I used, or where the extra of that skein went.

Cross your fingers for me!

Sailor's Socks- fin

2006-10-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably, these are compete. I am extremely proud of them. I am, of course, taking the recipient's word that his feet are 11 inches long. He refused to measure them for me, oddly. Perhaps because he does not have a handy ruler, and the inevitable questions as to why, exactly, he needs a ruler to measure his feet would lead his superiors to doubt the sanity of a, his "girl," and b, his own, for going along with it.

Either way, said recipient is not preceisly overwhelmingly enthused about becoming the owner of a pair of hand-knit, hand painted wool socks. But he will be.

Oh yes, he will be.

Checklist

2006-10-17T00:09:00.000-07:00

After some marathon knitting sessions, I've completed a couple items and am going to update my "to do" list.

X Helmetliner (as shown in button on the sidebar) - knit
X One pair Olive drab socks for my sailor- knit
X One pair super soft socks for Dad's BD in November- knit
To do: Aran afghan, exactly half complete - crochet
To do: Green ripple monstrosity thing, about 1/4 complete -crochet
To do: Rainbow triple crochet baby blanket, about 6 inches -crochet
To do: Baby blanket for Amy's forethcoming boychild.
To do: Dishcloth(s) for Christmas presents.

I'm taking the other helmetliners off the list for now, and replacing them with The Ships Project hats and slippers. (Well, maybe just hats. My slipper attempts aren't working out very well, and I've tried three patterns. I just don't like the way they turn out.) The reason for the charity switch? Wool is kind of pricey for me, and The Ships Project will take acrylic stuff. Also hats don't take as long.

Sailor's Socks, updated!

2006-10-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

First sock, done. Second sock, in progress. My sailor has fracking huge feet, so they take a lot longer than other socks I've done! He's worth it, though...of course!

More Christmas presents!

2006-10-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Dishcloths, bath puff and back scrubber, all crocheted! Too cute, eh? All worked with cotton yarn. They all worked up super fast, and were a welcome break from sock knitting. Though the sock knitting urge could not be put off for long!

More socks

2006-10-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

Super soft softs for pop! These were made on size 3 dpn's, with Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashmerino in black. Cashmere, microspun, and merino wool make a super soft yarn! I'm told it will pill easily, but that's fine because the recipient is more worried about softness than anything else. He won't be wearing them with shoes.

S-N-B Fat-bottomed bags

2006-10-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Three Stitch N' Bitch Fat-bottomed bags, made to be Christmas gifts this year! No linings, because I didn't feel like it.

Sailor's Socks

2006-09-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

100% Merino wool, hand painted, color "Navy Olive," aka camo. Ribbed cuff and instep, stockinette stitch on foot and toes. In progress; still decreasing gusset. Note to self: never, ever, ever try to begin a row with purl.

Works in Progress

2006-09-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

In order to give myself a written record of the projects I have on the needles, in bags with hooks, and planned, so that I can keep everything straight in my head, this entry shall be a list. Pictures may or may not follow.

From most recent to eldest, in progress:

Helmetliner (as shown in button on the sidebar), 2 inches - knit
First camoflague Merino sock, 4 inches of cuff- knit
Aran afghan, exactly half complete - crochet
Green ripple monstrosity thing, about 1/4 complete -crochet
Rainbow triple crochet baby blanket, about 6 inches -crochet

Ok, I think I'm seeing a trend. Apparently I got bored with the crochet patterns and wanted to try knitting for a while. Ok, I can cope with understanding that. Next, here is what I have planned:

One pair super soft socks for Dad's BD in November.
Baby blanket for Amy's forethcoming boychild.
Dishcloth(s) for Christmas presents.
Many more helmetliners for the troops overseas.

*cracks knuckles*

That's a lot of projects. I'm pretty sure I won't finish them all real soon. So, I need to prioritize. First things first. I hereby swear, affirm, and avow that I will buy no more yarn (unless for helmet liners) until the preceeding projects (except maybe that rainbow baby blanket) are finished.

Second, what do I need to finish? Dad's socks and one more dishcloth. The dishcloth can wait, though. While it may look as though I should start Dad's socks, however, it's not so simple. First I need to finish at least one of the camo socks. This "test" sock will let me know if I can make his sock to the right size using ribbing. At that point, I should by all rights start that sock's mate, so I won't end up with just one sock. Let's pretend I finish the camo pair and Dad's pair, and move along.

Next up is the dishcloth. Then the baby blanket for Amy, then the Aran, then...

Oh, who am I kidding. I will most likely just pick up whatever seems interesting to me at the time. These helmetliners have my attention at the moment, for example, even though I am also just as interested in finishing the socks.

New stragedy: agree with myself that the socks are the first priority, and allow myself some "change" time for helmet liners and dishcloths in between days of socks, then in between days of afghans. This should alleviate boredom and keep me happy to keep working on whatever I have to. It's much too early to tell what kind of a ratio of fun stuff to stick-to-it-iveness stuff I can make myself adhere to, however. Stay tuned for updates and photos.

First PAIR of Handknit Socks

2006-09-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

I found some of this self-patterning yarn at a store which shall not be named, but which is not Frog Pond Knits, and where, due to the service and small selection despite the size of the store, I shall never go to again. (The yarn is scratchy anyway!)

I liked the idea of getting a pattern on a pair of socks that I didn't have to do any color work for. It should make me look like a genius, skilled Knitter, I thought. And so it does. Mostly.

The ribbed part of the cuff is entirely too short, I think. It should be a good inch and a half or so, but I made mine just 6 rows tall. A learning experience, I told myself. I'll know better next time! I also discovered that my long-tail cast-on technique, which I was assured is the standard for socks, is not to my liking, either. The edge was simply too tight and did not have the "give" that I imagined a sock edge to have. I believe I began the toe too soon, as well.

I couldn't fix the first or last problem with the second sock, because then they wouldn't match. I could and did correct the cast-on problem, though. Thanks to Google, I disovered that a favorite sock cast-on technique is called the "Twisted German," and due to my maternal heritage, I figured that was as close to a sign from God as I was likely to get. There were some neat sites that showed how to do this cast-on, none of which were easily understandable for me. I did manage, after several hours, to come up with a cast-on that is relatively close to the Twisted German showed in the About.com's video. I'm hoping it IS the same technique, just done in a personally-adjusted manner. The technique takes me a very long time to do, but the result is so stretchy yet elastic that the time is worth it to me.

The Twisted German starts off the same as the long tail technique, with the tail over the thumb and the ball yarn over the index finger. Instead of going through the loop from the thumb, though, I go under it, toward my index finger, then up, back towards me, and then into the loop. Then I lift the needle under the yarn closest to me, which makes a little, tiny hole. I scooped up the index-finger yarn right to left, and brought the index finger yarn through the teeny hole. The index-finger ball yarn makes the loop on the needle. I drop the thumb loop, and pull the whole mess snug against the needle. I sure hope that's the Twisted German. Maybe someone can confirm it for me? I didn't do any of the thumb lifting mentioned in the video, and have no idea if I picked up the right part of the loop. Oh well. It works for me.

Ok, so! After a while, I finally finished my seocnd sock, which makes these blue guys officially my first pair of handknitted socks. I like these much better than the brown thing. At least they look like socks!

First Handknit sock

2006-09-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Apparently I've just never gotten the urge to knit socks out of my system. Having knit a couple afghans and a shawl, however, I still don't see myself as a "knitter," let alone a "Knitter," with a capital K. I see myself more as a Crocheter who happens to have a masochistic streak and so tries to knit once in a while.

My friend Cindy, recently relocated from Florida, is a Knitter of 20-some years and I was able to share the location of various yarn shops with her. One fateful Saturday, we went to Frog Pond Knits (I love clever yarn shop names!), where Cindy expressed an interest in taking the beginner sock class taught by the yarn shop owner, Violet. I enthusiastically signed up as well, so as to have an excuse to look for some new yarn.

Having paid for the class and selected my yarn, I was soon provided with a couple sets of toothpicks that I was assured were genuine knitting needles: five size 1 double pointed needles, (hereafter called dpn's) 7 inches long. Ok, so they were long toothpicks. My knitting experiences thus far, you will recall, have all been with rather large circular needles, of the size 11 and 15 variety. The shawl was actually made with plastic size 35's; plastic because a needle that big made of aluminum or wood would have been too heavy to hold! I eyed my new bamboo "needles" skeptically, but was assured that all would be revealed in the fullness of time.

For three Mondays, the four of us (Violet, Cindy, another student and myself) struggled with the socks. In truth, I think only Cindy and myself struggled. The instructor obviously didn't, and the other student, despite her protests, turned out an absolutely gorgeous sock. Cindy, alas, got distracted by a new puppy (some Knitter she is!) and didn't make the last class. Somehow I managed to get through it all, and produced my first hand-knitted sock. As you can tell from the picture, the first sock was not what I would call an overwhelming success. The cuff is too short in length, and much too loose. Despite the picture, in fact, the cuff is so loose that it falls down around the ankle-- what little distance there is to fall, anyway. The heel turn part is a rectangle, not a triangle, and don't ask me how I managed to do that. However it happened, it's too tight and actually bunches up under my heel. Other than all that, the length and toe actually fit pretty well. I was supposed to cast on a second sock to make a pair, but as the first sock was literally unwerable, I decided to get more yarn instead, for new socks.

Moo!

2006-08-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

This was so fun to make! I crack up every time I see my baby doll in her hat and hoofies. I need to make her a little outift to match.

Bubbles Baby Blanket

2006-08-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

The folks at Crochetville did a Bubbles Crochet-a-long for this Bubbles Baby Blanket, so I thought I'd try my hand at it, too. This is how it turned out. I am amazed at how fast it was to make. Yet it is warm, soft, perfectly rectangular (of UTMOST importance to me!) and by using Caron Simply Soft yarn, light as a feather's kiss to touch. I used Bev's Summer Preemie/Newborn Hat pattern as a basis to create this matching baby hat, but actually used the Baby Bubbles shell pattern and made it bigger.

Knitted Afghan

2006-08-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

I had lots of Sierra Homespun left over after the Openweave monstrosity. I still couldn't tell you what made me decide to KNIT an afghan though. I know better than to knit at all, and afghans in particular. Nevertheless, the yarn clearly yelled, "Knit me!" so knit it, I did. This pattern is "Moonlight Throw" out of "Big Needle Knits for the Home" pattern book.

Well, it's sort of the pattern, anyway. Apparently there are many ways to "Yarn Over" in knitting, and the book did not specify which was required. I guess real knitters would know which one to use. The upshot is, my afghan does not look like the pretty and dainty white thing in the book, and I'm told it's because my clusters are elongated due to using the wrong form of Yarn Over.

Whatever. It's still neat looking, though you can't really make out the texture in this picture, and I'm very proud of myself for finishing a knitted afghan.

HUGE thank you to Cindy, who spent hours with me and the afghan, unraveling and re-assembling in a desperate attempt to figure out where I went wrong halfway through. I bow before you, Cindy!

What WIP?

2006-08-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

Let's just skip over the ginormous blue and green rippled thing sitting in my closet for a moment, shall we?

Good. This "Homespun Openweave" afghan is 110" by 117", roughly, to fit a King sized bed. Color Sierra. It is folded into quarters in the picture.

The latest Cam craze

2006-07-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

The MOST recent, totally brand-newest, hippest, quirkiest internet craze, and I'm inviting YOU to come witness it's growth!

Kzincam!

http://kzincam.camstreams.com/

(No, it's not MY cam. This is the cam of a guy who lives in Seattle.)

You the public, view public streets in a suburb of Seattle. Sure, it looks boring at first. But keep watching.

Odd things are afoot in the streets of Seattle...

Hysteria

2006-03-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

I think I may be just the teensiest bit hysterical. I chose colors for my most ambitious project to date, a King-size afghan. I chose Homespun as the softest and thickest yarn, which limited the colors I could choose from. I wanted Colonial and Country, which would have been navy blue and a nice deep dark green, but of course Country has been disconinued, and Colonial didn't look right with the other greens that were available.

Caron would have been a good choice too, and I could have gotten the dark colors I wanted, but it couldn't have been as thick and non-holey as I wanted, either. In the end, I selected (from left to right in the picture) Black, Williamsburg (grey blue), Windsor (light grey blues and greens), and Regency (grey greens).

I'm still trying to decide whether I want to do a double-strand ripple, or large, 15"-ish squares. I think the squares might be more managable, but a ripple would be very pretty too. If I chose squares, I'd have to decide whether to use single or double crochet.

Since the project will most likely take me quite a while to finish, I wanted to get all the yarn I would need up front, since Homespun colors have that nasty habit of getting discontinued when you least expect. I purchased a grand total of 25 skeins! I became quite intimidated when I saw them laying out on the couch.

The "Crochet Hat," Part Deux

2006-03-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

I won't go into all the little problems I had with this piece. I've never had to create a pattern from scratch before, so it was a learning experience in more ways than one! My crowning (pun intended) achievement: the buckle. After a good five or six fabric and thrift stores, I finally found the perfect buckle. Now I know why other women like shopping so much. I felt as though I had won the lottery.

Anyhow! I think this ended up pretty close. Pretty darn close, if I do say so myself. I'm still arguing with the brim about whether it's going to bend or not, but I feel confident in my ability to whip it into line.

World of Warcraft: The "Crochet Hat"

2006-03-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

World of Warcraft, a "massively multiplayer online roleplaying game," exists entirely in pixels. The characters players choose as their avatars are clothed with interchangable items. A person will wear many, many different clothes of all types during their playing career. One of the possible items is called, in the game, a "Crochet Hat." (Not a "crocheted hat," as would be proper, of course, but apparently the designers do not actually crochet. We'll forgive them this time.) Since it looks a great deal like a cloth of leather fishing hat, many people, myself included, use this as a sort of mood setter when we go fishing.

When I mentioned I crochet, a friend exclaimed that I would be worshipped if only I could crochet this hat. I haven't seen the shrine yet, but this is hardly a challenge I can refuse! These are pictures of the hat as it exists in the game.

Hospital hats

2006-03-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

I got bored with simple double-crochet hats in the round, so I picked up "Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies" by Jane Davis, and made these.

For the life of me, I could not get her "Rascal" hat to come out right. Instead, I altered the pattern by making several little triangles and sewing them together, instead of staying with the wedge-shaped continuous crochet she wrote in her pattern. I think it turned out pretty cute. I don't have a baby to use as a model (one of these days I'm going to buy a babydoll to dress up), but this convenient ball of yarn volunteered for modeling duty with little fuss and hardly any screaming at all.

Since I donate my hats to the hospital, I like use soft yarns, like Caron Simply Soft. In this case, the only color to come close to looking like an acorn was in Lion's Suede, which is much thicker than the pattern called for. I used a smaller hook, but alas, it ended up quite a bit larger than I intended anyway. It's the thought that counts, right?

And I was bored. Ha!

Comfort-ghan squares

2006-03-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

These squares are part of my stash-busting attempt. (You may have noticed the colors look remarkably similar to the 63-square Heirloom Afghan, my first project. How astute of you!) They are 12-inch (more or less) granny squares which will be sent to The Crochet Dude as per the request on his blog to send squares for Heartmade Blessings, just as soon as I gather 12 squares or run out of blues, whichever comes first. That dark, black-looking color is actually navy blue, NOT black. I read the instructions!

For those of you chiding me for setting aside my Aran WIP: this is a great cause, so my conscience is clean.

Socks

2006-03-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to make socks. I think the whole idea of hand-made socks is pretty spiffy. If you'll recall, however, my knitted afghan didn't do so well. I thought that maybe, before I get carried away with the sock thing, I should try knitting again first. I picked up my needles and yarn, found a pattern I liked for an afghan, and set to work. I was never able to finish the third row. I tried, too. I ripped out and cast on no less than twelve times. After about two weeks of this, it finally occured to me that I was getting absolutely nowhere, and I really should go back to crocheting. I used the yarn I bought for the knitted afghan to make the Diagonal-Striped one, a couple posts back.

In the meantime, my desire for socks was grumbling at me.

I found another book, this one called "Learn to Crochet Socks." (Leaflet #1308, from American School of Needlework, 12 designs by Kathy Wesley.) Now we're talkin'! I chose some soft Microspun in lilac, and over the next week, made a pair of socks! I was excited. Delirious, really. Warm and soft, they fit just right! Except...

Except that nobody told me that my feet would feel every little stitch where one strand of yarn crosses over another one to makes a thick, knot-like lump. The socks are warm and soft. I'm sure there must be an accupressurist out there somewhere who could help design some lovely, beneficial crocheted socks. Perhaps I could adapt the deisgn for babies, who don't need to walk on yarn knots.

All in all, however, the sock obsession is over.

Americana Afghan

2006-03-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

This is Lion Brand's Americana Afghan. If you're sensing a pattern here (no pun intended) of Lion Brand, that's because they're free, and free means more yarn-buying. There was a scarf and hat to go with the afghan, but those were sold (for forty bucks!) at an auction benefiting Air Force families. The afghan would have been auctioned with its brother and sister, the scarf and hat, except that I ran into issues.

Forty-six five-pointed little issues.

Now, the stars weren't hard to do, and were actually kind of fun once I got going. I was able to crank out a star every fifteen minutes by the end. No, the problem was attaching them. You see, I can't sew. I don't mean I don't know how, or that I don't like to. It's just that Gramma's quilting gene skipped me. (It skipped Dad, too, but that's ok; he can use a hammer.) It took me over an hour to tack down the points of each star, which I thought would be easier than sewing around the whole entire thing. After eleven stars, I gave up. (The first eight went to the scarf.) I moved on to another project I was anxious to try.

Sometime after Christmas, I realized I had one almost-completed blanket, and a complex Aran that was suffering from mid-blanket-itis. There was only one thing to do. I needed a new project. However, I couldn't stand the thought of the Americana being ALMOST done. I thought about leaving the field blue, but discarded the idea as cheating. Then I sternly told myself I could not, under any circumstances, buy any more yarn or start a new project until I finished the flag. The tiny, evil little crochet demon that lives within me giggled and agreed. We went to the store, bought new yarn and a bottle of fabric glue.

Yes, folks, I glued those puppies down in 75 minutes. I thought I should feel ashamed of myself, because the recipient of this blanket, whomever he or she may be, will have stiff little glued-down stars instead of soft, durable sewn stars. But then, if I didn't glue the stars on, the blanket would never have been completed in the first place. Really, they should be grateful.

I sure hope that sounded convincing.

Diagonal Striped Throw

2006-03-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

First, it should be stated that before I beagn crocheting, I tried knitting. My first project was a knit stitch-only diagonal afghan. I hated the way it turned out, because two of the diagonal corners were hideously disproportioned. It looked like Dumbo's ears got magically attached to two corners of my beautiful blanket. I assumed I miscounted or miscalculated somewhere. Who can keep track of all those little rows of stitches?

So, I picked up crocheting, where keeping track is much easier, and it's also much easier for me to count the stitches. Plus, so far everything has come out more or less straight. Until now.

Enter the Diagonal Striped Throw from Lion Brand Yarn. I loved the look of this: classy and thick. I picked out Homespun Gothic and Tudor, and started to work. Everything seemed fine until, to my horror, the day of completion wherein I found out- yep, you guessed it- wonky diagonal corners. Now, I will swear to you, I did everything exactly as I was supposed to. I made a gauge swatch, which came out on the nose. My tension was perfect, each row increased or decreased exactly the right number of stitches and everything was lovingly counted and precise.

So what the heck happened? I have no idea. Worse, I can't find out anyone this has happened to, yet it's happened to me TWICE, with two entirely different styles of yarnwork! (In case you're looking, it's the lower right and upper left corners of this picture. I admit to some sneaky repositioning to make it look normal for the shot.)

Still, it's warm and soft. I guess I'm keeping this one, because I'd feel horribly guilty giving it to some unsuspecting victim.

Do not meddle!

2005-09-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

While writing a paper on Tolkien for a class, I came across several lists of "altered" quotes. The original quote is by Gildor, from The Fellowship of the Ring, written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Gildor told Frodo, "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." Because there were several lists of altered quotes and no single place seemed to have them all, I decided to post them here. I have no idea who actually came up with the parodies.

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are insignificant and taste good with peanut butter.
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons: though you taste terrible, they're willing to bear it to be rid of the nuisance.
Do not meddle in the affairs of kitties, for they are subtle and will pee on you while you sleep.
Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer.
Do not meddle in the affairs of demons, for you are crunchy and taste good with hotsauce.
Do not meddle in the affairs of bards, for they are unsubtle, and your name scans to Greensleeves.
Do not meddle in the affairs of artists, for this is satire and you would look good in lingerie.
Do not meddle in the affairs of slashers (fanfiction writers), for you are cute and would look good with other men.
Do not meddle in the affairs of shield-maidens, for they are tough and quick to punch you out.
Do not meddle in the affairs of Unix, for it is subtle and quick to core dump.
Do not meddle in the affairs of Vorlons, for they are angry and too quickly subtle.
Do not meddle in the affairs of hackers, for they are subtle and quick to anger.
Do not meddle in the affairs of moderators, for they are quick to anger and have not need for subtlety.
Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are easy to annoy and have the root password.
Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are horny and will screw you next.
Do not meddle in the affairs of professors, for they are subtle and quick to flunk you.
Do not meddle in the affairs of cyborgs, for you are conductive and can support 110 volts.
Do not meddle in the affairs of the drug warriers, for they are morally certain and quick to use asset forfeiture.
Do not meddle in the affairs of witches: (picture of frog).

And this one:

Gandalf: O chicken, do not meddle in the affairs of roads, for you are tasty and good with barbecue sauce.

There are more, of course, but the theme is the same, usually with only the subject changed from the original. I had a lot of fun looking these up. Hope they give a chuckle!

I'm wool.

2005-09-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

You are Shetland Wool. You are a traditional sort who can
sometimes be a little on the harsh side. Though you look
delicate you are tough as nails and prone to intricacies.
Despite your acerbic ways you are widely respected and even revered.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by

"Think Mink"

2005-09-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

This afghan also came from Leisure Art's "48 Hour Afghan" leaflet. It's not exactly mink, though. It's orange because that is the recipient's favorite color (not a color I'm crazy about). I used Lion's chenille, and it's incredibly soft and warm. I don't have square holes like the book's picture says, but I'm not sure if I did anything wrong. The gauge was correct, I used the right number of skeins, and it came out to be the right size, so oh well!

Waterfall

2005-09-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

The pattern for this blanket came from Leisure Arts' "48-Hour Afghans." I used Lion's Homespun in 315 Tudor. I altered the pattern just a bit to make it bigger, increasing both sides by one pattern repetition and the middle by two.

Autumn Afternoon

2005-08-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

AKA "The Manly-man Blanky." The camera makes the black look glossy, but it's really not, under normal lighting conditions. The blanket is pretty thick and heavy, and done in sc's. I changed the pattern just a little bit, because I wanted it to be larger than 35 8" squares. I increased the pattern on the bottom and right side to add 13 additional squares, enlarging the pattern by 8" on each side.

This was a very quick blanket to make. Each square took only 20-30 minutes because Homespun is so thick. This one is based on Lion Brand Yarn's "Autumn Afternoon Afghan" free pattern. My local craft stores didn't have the right colors, so I used Homespun #373 Black as the main color, and Homespun #338 Nouveau as the contrasting color.

My writing

2005-07-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

Since this is my own personal blog and all, I do have the right to brag and self-promote! Right??

Right! I won a contest in January hosted by Amber Quill Press, and as the prize, they have published my historical erotica fiction story, "Spoils of War." Please feel free to check out my story's site, for information and a short excerpt from the story, as well as purchasing information! (It's only 3 bucks, what a deal!)

Here are some reviews for the story:
From "Coffee Time Romance" (5/5 Cups!)
From "Romance Junkies" (4/5 Blue Ribbon Rating)
From "In the Library Reviews" (9 gargoyles of 10)

Collage Close Up & Hat

2005-07-21T00:48:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to find a hat pattern that would match the Rainbow Collage blanket. I love the little tassle on top! Next to try matching booties...

Rainbow Collage

2005-07-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

Another completed project! This is "Rainbow Collage" also from "Over the Rainbow Baby Afghans" from Leisure Arts Leaflet #3229. I used Lion Brand "Baby Soft" yarn in color 217 Candy.

Rainbow Blocks

2005-07-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished "Rainbow Blocks." It's from Leisure Arts Leaflet #3229, "Over the Rainbow Baby Afghans." I simply adore the design! I used Caron Soft again, in colors Off-white, Lt. Country Peach, Soft Green, Soft Blue, Soft Pink, and Orchid.

Blocks Problem

2005-07-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I'm being a bit overly concerned, but I know how "grabby" babies can get, and how amazingly strong they can be. I'm worried that the little tyke for whom this blanky is intended might somehow grab a loop, pull it, and somehow get tangled in the loop. If a loop is pulled, it also makes it frustrating to smooth the blanket out. I haven't figured out yet how to secure the strips without ruining the cuteness of the blanky. Here's a picture of what I mean:

"63 Easy-To Crochet Pattern Stiches"

2005-07-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

"Combine to make an heirloom afghan," from Leisure Arts Leaflet #555. I used Caron Soft Lt. Country Blue, Med. Country Blue, and Dark Country Blue. This was my first full-sized crocheted afhgan. Ok, ok, my first crochet project at all. Still, it turned out pretty nice. The nice ladies at the 63 Square crochet-along on crochetville.org helped out immensely!

So...a blog

2005-07-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is a test of the emergency blogging system. This is only a test. In the event of an actual blogging emergency, the emergency link you just clicked would have been followed with official news, information, or instructions. Since this is only a test, there is nothing.