Kiss My Knits!

Hi, Jesus! Long time no see!

You remember that thing you did a while back with the loaves and fishes? Do you do that with yarn? Because I’m getting awfully close to the end, and I bought this yarn a long time ago so I don’t know if I can get more in the same dye lot, and I’m really nervous about how tight this is going to be.

If you could just kind of make about 20 more yards appear at the end of my skein, that’d be great. Ten yards, even, I don’t want to be greedy.

Thanks for your consideration,
Tvini

Yesterday I wove in ends on Branching Out from Knitty. It’ll still need to be blocked. Blocking will give it a little length, but it’s meant to be shortish. However, the person it’s going to is also short, so it all works out just fine. Will post pics when it’s been blocked to its final glory.

In an effort to get a little of my hat-knitter cred back, I worked on Shedir (also from Knitty) and have started the decreases for the crown. This is a great pattern. It’s not exactly mindless knitting, at least for me, but it does only use one ball of Rowan Calmer, and it feels very soft and springy. It’s designed as a chemo cap, but my only friend in chemo no longer needs a scalp-hugger. Now, see, , if you weren’t so inconsiderate as to regrow your own hair, I might have given this to you. Instead, I think I’ll keep it. Nyah.

I may finish this hat tonight, and start back up with commission work tomorrow. The Sci-Fi network is running a Firefly marathon on Monday, Sept 18th, which may mean a little uptick in orders. Got to be fresh for more Jayney goodness!

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Insider/default.htm?rmDate=08312006

Best use of new technology for revamped Star Trek: TOS? Digitally erasing the sound of Gene Roddenberry spinning in his grave!

ARGH!

Brioche stitch hat eats brain. Film at eleven.

Last week, my daughter was playing in a gigantic puddle that forms beside our driveway whenever it rains. She suddenly stopped and looked down, saying, “What is this?”

It was a car key. But it wasn’t a key to my car or my husband’s, or the cars we had before these. It may have fit my old sky-blue Mercury Lynx, or the old Ford Fairmont Futura affectionately nicknamed “The Tank” I had in high school and college. Or it may have been a key to one of my parents’ cars. I tend to think it looks like one of mine, but why I think that, I have no idea.

The key must have been dropped by the driveway at least 12 years ago and buried over time. This week, I imagine the rains uncovered it for my daughter’s alert eyes to spot, even though it had weathered to the same shade as our red Carolina clay.

It makes me wonder what other things thought lost may turn up again.

NOBODY have any more babies! I’m three babies behind now!

You’ll all get teeny tiny Jayne hats, and you’ll like it!

Coconut Cream Pie

“Emily, that pie’s for Grandpa.”
(Pulls back her finger, which has made a little dent in the meringue) “Okay.”
“How is it?”
“It’s good!”

Less than five minutes later, she pads into the kitchen again, and I hear her stop right in front of the pie.

“Emily, what are you doing?”
“I’m just testing to see if it’s still hot.” (She knows it’s not.)
“Oh, you are, are you?”
“Yeah.”

So I scrape her off a little sliver of meringue, which she eats.
“I’d better test another place.”
I scrape off another small piece. “That’s all we’re going to have.”
(Walking away) “Yep, it’s cool enough.”

Heh. I’d better get the pie in the fridge. The temptation is just too much.

This morning I took my daughter to the 17th annual Hurricane Hugo Flying Objects Juggling Festival in Davidson. A good time was had by all.

We played catch with a tennis ball, and I only got beaned once. The kiddo got to try spinning a plate, which she did pretty well at. If vaudeville comes back, she’s set.

We stopped by an ice cream parlor in Huntersville on the way home for a little treat. All that juggling is hard work!

Weather was beautiful, wish you were here!

With “Talk Like a Pirate Day” coming up on Sept 19th, the ladies need a little something to show their swashbuckling style! While perusing Linda Medley’s site (and drooling over the color bookplates for Castle Waiting that are now available) I noticed she’s got a cafepress store with this little gem of a pirate shirt in it. I love it!

And may I say how fantastic it is that Castle Waiting sold out of its first printing? Once again, I am part of an obscure fandom overlooked by its proper large audience. At least Linda Medley is publishing a monthly Castle Waiting comic again, which thrills me no end.

With the book going into a second printing – will this be the niche gem that breaks into the mainstream? Nah, probably not. But still, I’ll continue to hope. Prepare to be boarded, middle America! Yarrrrr!

I went to the Books-a-Million last night for the weekly Stitch ‘n’ Bitch. I usually get there a good hour after everyone else because of the kiddo’s bedtime, but last night I was actually early! When I arrived, there were three ladies knitting in the cafe area. I walked up and asked if a seat very near them, facing them, was taken, and they said no. So I plopped my purse down and said I’d get some coffee and be right back.

Apparently, this is the whispered conversation that took place among them while I was getting coffee.

“Do you know her?”
“No. Do you?”
“I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

So I came back with my coffee and said, “Hi! I don’t think I’ve seen you before. What’s your name?”

“Um… Brenda.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Brenda! I’m (me)!”

At which point they were all looking at each other and I started to twig to the fact that something was weird. I had just figured that since I usually come late, maybe these were people who arrived early and left before I got there. Turns out they weren’t there for the S’n’B, they just happened to be hanging out after work together and knitting. I’m sure it was very relaxing until this crazy lady barged into their personal space, dumped out her belongings, and then came back to demand to know who they were. To their credit, they were just going to be polite and roll with it.

Oops.

Fortunately, I explained about our weekly meeting and we all instantly went into knitter-mode, asking about each others’ current projects and settling in comfortably. We all had a good laugh at the coincidence and misunderstanding. After about ten minutes, arrived. I was glad of that, because it proved that there was a meeting and I wasn’t some random knitting stalker. Apparently those ladies usually come on Thursday, and we always come on Wednesday. Many more people arrived to snicker at me (okay, I had it coming), and we got along together famously. So they’re going to try to make it on Wednesday from now on.

So, moment of awkwardness turns into new knitting pals made. Yay for being bold and weird!

Because I arrived early and stayed late, I had time to finish the shell of a cotton Jayne hat and whip this baby up. Noro keeps changing their $(#)*@ dye lots quite dramatically, which means that older offerings on wearwithstyle like this one need to be updated as that colorway is no longer being made, as far as I know. Also, that particular hat went up when the site originally went live, and was kind of a placeholder with no pricing or ordering info on it.

I often consider contacting anatomyofaskirt‘s website designer, aeolidia, just because http://www.anatomyofaskirt.com/ looks so fabulous. Then I remind myself that I’ve always got a couple of weeks of orders stacked up, so it’s not like the site design is hurting business. Changing isn’t a top priority.

My to-do list is a mile long, so I’m off for now!


Next on the needles: California, Ontario, and New Jersey!