tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340173442024-03-23T13:26:22.498-05:00KnitensityKeeping it PG-13.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-47755849409335258542012-08-16T17:30:00.001-05:002012-08-16T17:30:59.566-05:00Wow, it's been a long time!It's been a long time since I blogged. I still knit, but don't frequent knitting boards like Ravelry as often and don't post pictures of what I do. My favorite knit I've done between now and the last time I checked in was this shawl:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrIlaYptkln_h7WiYN9IV50SBtuA4SLQaHWd1ufDOJo_gPuiq1oykCZU_WUxyqwGg1cwvExmmVahuCfRTx5yD38WOqXgWWRTf7KvPLno_a3Ay-vTL-jyMR-p9gtlzv335TDJp/s1600/IMG_0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrIlaYptkln_h7WiYN9IV50SBtuA4SLQaHWd1ufDOJo_gPuiq1oykCZU_WUxyqwGg1cwvExmmVahuCfRTx5yD38WOqXgWWRTf7KvPLno_a3Ay-vTL-jyMR-p9gtlzv335TDJp/s320/IMG_0516.JPG" /></a></div>
from this luscious yarn:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2l61qewvv4vfHPDErXm_Jr8oc8APVCK3iLgl6QIKB_qDckv0lc91dNPnRPSYQb6CTkxsGzrsAOQPfUI47R3zuo_vccXeM4NzovreMktNh5fLjJdoWva9Z3H8aTfxJAYXTazO/s1600/IMG_0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2l61qewvv4vfHPDErXm_Jr8oc8APVCK3iLgl6QIKB_qDckv0lc91dNPnRPSYQb6CTkxsGzrsAOQPfUI47R3zuo_vccXeM4NzovreMktNh5fLjJdoWva9Z3H8aTfxJAYXTazO/s320/IMG_0130.JPG" /></a></div>
The problem with waiting so long to post what you knit is that you don't remember any details of it. Let me think, the pattern was . . . <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vernal-equinox-shawl-surprise">Vernal Equinox Shawl</a>. And the yarn was . . . I think Fleece Artist or Handmaiden? Can't say for sure. Do you recognize it?
What else. . . so I'm getting married! That's pretty exciting, right? Knitting-related, I'm knitting small shawls for all my bridesmaids (3). I've knit one for myself, complete 1 for a bridesmaid, am on the final edging for the second bridesmaid, and have about 4 weeks left to do the final one. I think I'll make it. I'm just using Knitpicks lace Tonal yarn in a yellow color that's been discontinued. I'll try to post them when I'm finished!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-9135913192962345442011-03-25T05:42:00.003-05:002011-03-25T06:00:09.979-05:00Spring dressIt's really been a while, right? Since my last post, I defended my dissertation, graduated, got a job, and moved to the D.C. area. I still knit and post pictures over on Ravelry (user name "mwedzi"), but haven't blogged. Anyway, I made my first knit dress, so that's pretty blog-worthy, right?<br /><br />It's made with Berocco Vintage DK in green, brown, white, and magenta. And I finished in a speedy 3 1/2 weeks! I wasn't sure about the climate where I live now and wanted to make sure I finished before it got too warm to wear it. Needn't have worried about that, as this was in February. This area is warmer than Chicago, but it ain't that warm. Anyway, here's the finished piece:<br /><br />With a jacket:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/Knitting/Tubey_dress_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 329px; height: 400px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/Knitting/Tubey_dress_small.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />From the side:<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/Knitting/Tubey_dress_side.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 550px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/Knitting/Tubey_dress_side.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And from the back:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/Knitting/Tubey_dress_back.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 412px; height: 550px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/Knitting/Tubey_dress_back.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Is it familiar? This dress is just the popular Knitty pattern <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTtubey.html">Tubey</a>, but made longer. I added a bit of waist shaping, but that's it.<br /><br />I really like working with the yarn. It's a little itchy on my sensitive shoulders, but other than that, no complaints. It seems like the type of yarn that will not pill, yet is still soft. Is a little splitty, but I don't mind that. <br /><br />I'm happy with it. :)Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-73711172420738122282009-01-17T08:56:00.003-06:002009-01-17T09:07:38.623-06:00South Africa trip, Week 4. Hair ChroniclesWell, knitters, I like to talk about hair more than knitting now. :) And I wrote this blog on a hair care forum, so I had to dedicate a post to hair styles.<br /><br />**Notice, yes, I asked all the hair folk if I could post their pics**<br /><br />Okay, last entry. When we left off, we were out on the town and I was looking for a pic of someone's hair. Thando pointed a woman out to me. Turns out she was a hair dresser! She was very flirty and asked if I wanted her number, haha. Too bad that I was leaving in 2 days and I like boys. But I got cute pictures anyway:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/shortblond.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/shortblond.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Let me stop here to say that, unfortunately, South African black women suffer from all the same hair ills that American black women do. Natural hair is a bit more common there, but there are also a lot of bad relaxers. However, I got nothing but love and lots of it for my hair, which really set me apart. Most people's hair is a lot shorter than mine. They abuse their hair just like black women do here. Uncared-for relaxers and very dry and broken off natural hair. The combing is brutal, just like it is here. It was kinda sad to see, though I guess I already knew it having been to S. Africa and Zim before. I was not into hair back then so didn't pay as much attention.<br /><br />As far as I can gather, Zulu women traditionally kept their hair cut very low. Nowadays, braid extensions are really popular and there are braid shops on almost every corner in the city. It's pretty cheap and prices generally top out at $25 for braids but can be as cheap as $10 in the salon and cheaper if your friend does it. Relaxers start at $5 in the salon and seem to top out around $10. (these are not high-end salons; i wasn't in a high-end neighborhood). Dark and Lovely relaxers and products are popular. So are Sta Sof Fro, where that brand has waaaay more products than we do for it here.<br /><br />So let's get a few more styles.<br /><br />This was done by just take a section of hair and twirling it around the finger. No products were used:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/beachhair1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 483px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/beachhair1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />This was done by washing hair and just pressing the palm against the head and rubbing in circles to force clumping:<br /><br /><br /><br />Here is a girl getting her hair braided in the township. Her hair is relaxed here. They often do the braids really thick. I think they put about twice as much fake hair per section as I did for my braids:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/beachhair2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 525px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/beachhair2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />There was some version of threading where they wrapped thread around the hair as it was cornrowed or braided down into place. I didn't see it often, but happened to get this girl's hair in a pic of a musical theater performance. You can see a piece of the thread sticking out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/threadclosejpg.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 525px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/threadclosejpg.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Here's a short natural style, looking pretty nice I think:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/hair%20-%20part%202/IMG_2015.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 650px; height: 399px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/hair%20-%20part%202/IMG_2015.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Among natural styles, a short afro like above was popular, also the chunked look like in the picture of the guy on the beach. Also some locs, though definitely more popular amongst men.<br /><br />So that wraps up my South African trip blog posts. I had a great time! Hope you enjoyed reading these.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-90003479110091346372009-01-17T08:54:00.001-06:002009-01-17T08:56:36.912-06:00South Africa trip, Week 4Well, you know I'm behind because I've actually been back in the country since Dec. 17th. Week 4 was the last week, though.<br /><br />Let's see. That last week I wrapped up my research questions. But it's the kind of research where new questions are constantly popping up, so I already have more.<br /><br />I took another trip to a township. The YMCA coordinator that invited me promised me the traditional food that I had wanted (amagwinya or ijeqhe (sp?)). I was fed, but the food turned out to be more of the same as what I had been having. I think he just wanted someone to take all the photos for the awards ceremony there were having and he didn't have a digital camera. I was extra mad, too, because other people who were supposed to come didn't and they were supposed to join me in going back home (to the YMCA). So I had to go back by myself after dark and, as I told you, my neighborhood is not the best. But it all turned out okay.<br /><br />I was taken out on the town by a couple of guys. One was Zimbabwean (Ndebele), but he had lived in S. Africa since high school. He was a student in Johannesburg and was visiting friends in Durban that weekend. The other was Ugandan, though raised in Australia. I've already forgotten what he was doing in Durban. Anyway, we went out to try to find a hip hop club, which it seems are scarce in Durban. Durban is more of a house music city. But we went to one hip hop / raggae place, then one house place, then back to the first place, and finally to another hip-hop place which was kinda empty (cuz it wasn't free) but at least had better music and places to sit down.<br /><br />Earlier that night, I had told Thando (Zim guy) that I needed a pic of someone's hair to round out the set of hair photos I promised to show my hair board and he pointed someone out to me. Which brings me around to our favorite topic, hair. For the continued discussion on hair, see Week 4, Hair Chronicals.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-5356983611199243132009-01-17T08:52:00.001-06:002009-01-17T08:53:38.769-06:00South Africa trip, Week 3, part 2. The crime report (group beating)And I needed to tell someone and everyone back home is sleep or out or whatever at this time. I'm in South Africa right now. I have written a few blog posts about it, but I'm behind now. Will update soon with posts about crime and, of course, hair. Anyway, I'm in Durban and in a really rough neighborhood (the first blog tells how I ended up here). I feel like the past couple of days have been so close to crime, it just keeps coming up, muggings, car jacking, anti-rape and molestation rallies, which I'll go into when I finally update my blog. But today was the awful climax.<br /><br />First, because it's the southern hemisphere this is early summer. So the sun rises around 5am and I don't know if they do that daylight savings thing here. So I wake up really early cuz I wake with the sun. I was lying in bed watching Spongebob on my laptop (yeah, I brought cartoon comfort from home) when I hear yelling out the window. I am right across the street from a park, which is almost right next to the water, the harbour. Lots of homeless people sleep there, many foreigners as this is one of the places foreigners fled to during the xenophobic attack flare-ups. So I was lying in bed and I hear yelling like "woza la" (come here). I look out the window and I see a guy chasing a couple other younger guys, maybe teens, but it looks like they got away and they were carrying stuff which I assumed they stole. This was the second mugging I've witnessed in 24 hours. <img src="http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/smilies/perplexed.gif" alt="" title="Perplexed" class="inlineimg" border="0" /> But wait, that's not the story. I just brought it up because, dang, this happened the same morning in the same spot.<br /><br />So I went back to bed figuring that I might skip breakfast because what they serve us here at the YMCA is sometimes not even worth getting up for. Well, I fell asleep with Spongebob playing and was awakened again about 2 hours later by a loud commotion. I went to my window again and I hear the shouting of "woza la" again and also English "come here, n*gg*" (yes, they use that word here, too). But there are trees in the park so at first I couldn't see and couldn't tell where it was coming from. Then it was like chaos and it's hard to remember exactly what happened (now I understand why witnesses give such different accounts). But the next thing I knew a group had gathered and they were pulling and dragging this guy into the street. He looked like a homeless guy. He had long unkempt dirty looking dreadlocks (the kind mostly seen on the homeless) and dirty, raggedy clothes. Someone hit him in the head with something and he was falling down. They had picked up random stuff, shovels, their belts, stick-looking things with cords on the end (i swear, that one could have doubled as a whip) and they were yelling at him and would hit him or punch him or kick him. There were other people who seemed to be trying to stop it. At this point a couple people had him under the arms and were trying to drag him away and I wasn't sure whether they were trying to help him or drag him away from his protectors. Others were trying to pull him back the other way and would occasionally grab at his legs. I remember yelling but I was confused and didn't even understand who I was yelling at. Other people were yelling too. People were watching it from the windows, also passersby. Somebody pulled out a gun, he was on the side (physically at least) of people who were pulling at his legs. The beaten guy's clothes were torn and he was bleeding from the mouth. The guy with the gun was pointing it at people's heads. Some of them stepped back but some of them seemed not too threatened. I don't know how or why that was. They would still yell and occasionally whip or kick the guy.<br /><br />The police finally came. They were not very forceful. I heard the people yell something about "criminal". That's when it occured to me, half the people yelling, beating, whatever, were wearing church clothes. Like slacks and button up shirts and ties and women around are wearing dresses. There's a big (and loud) chuch nearby and it's Sunday morning. People are still worked up and still trying to kick the guy while the police push them away. They put the guy in the back of the paddy wagon and take him away and at some point, I can't even remember when, one officer is spraying some of the church folk in the eyes with something. A couple of the church guys are holding up another guy (also in slacks) who seems to be hurt that I didn't notice before and they are slowly walking him away somewhere. Afterwards people stay and discuss it in the street, loudly. They seem to be telling the police what happened. They seem to be complaining to the police. One woman is yelling "the police always tell us . . .". The best I can guess, the homeless guy robbed or somehow attacked one of the church-goers and they caught him and beat him.<br /><br />Sorry for the long story but I had to tell someone and don't want to wake my family and the two friends I feel comfortable waking are not answering the phone.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-58831135909113783922009-01-17T08:47:00.002-06:002009-01-17T08:52:29.161-06:00South Africa trip, Week 3, part 2. The crime report.Anyway, I wanted to touch on crime in this post. That week seemed to be filled with so many crime-related events. On the way back from 'Maritzburg, I talked to the guy sitting next to me in the khumbi. For a while he wouldn't believe I wasn't S. African, either. What was going on that day? He seemed surprised that an American would be taking this type of transport. Khumbis are like giant vans that people buy and they work essentially like a bus but they seem to be independently owned. Anyway, I was happy to talk to him because I needed to know where to get off so I could catch a metered taxi back to my place. It was night time and I was pretty nervous about going back to my place in any other fashion because my neighborhood is really rough. He was really kind and helped me find a taxi, accompanied me, and even paid for the taxi. On the way he told me he had been mugged twice in the last 3 months by the same guy. Even his laptop was stolen. He said he knew who he was but they wouldn't arrest him because he was the son of a policeman. Anyway, I remember really thinking my neighborhood was bad because when I told this guy, who had been mugged twice in the last 2 months, where I lived, he said "that rough neighborhood?!"<br /><br />The next day I decided I'd go to the beach. On the way to the beach I ran into a rally in a courtyard, I think that bldg was City Hall. It was against violence against women and children, part of a big affair being called "16 Days of Activism". I've seen posts about it around town. Anyway, it was really interesting to hear all the stories people told. They had speakers from the community and church officials. Also there was a spoken word artist. She would sing a chorus and then she would recite verses about teen pregnancy, abortion, baby rape, etc. It was intense! There were t-shirts strung all along the courtyard with messages painted on them. I took a couple of pictures<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2088.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2088.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2089.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2089.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Really powerful messages.<br /><br />I left after a bit and continued on to the beach. As I was walking along the string of hotels across from the beach, I saw a couple of people running. Now, I try not to be the one who jumps to the conclusion that young black males running means they stole something. But, um, these dudes were running hard. It took a second before I saw what they were carrying. One had a small rack of sunglasses and another had several backpacks. A guy (Indian) was chasing them, but they got away, running right past me. The Indian guy went back to console another guy (black), so I guess they were the vendors. I looked at the hotel security guard like , but I guess he was only protecting the hotel, not the vendors across from it. He didn't even budge!<br /><br />The next morning I heard yelling outside the window. It was 5-something in the morning and I looked out the window, where there's a park. I saw two young black boys running, again a little too hard. A man was yelling behind them and chasing them, but he soon gave up. They were also carrying something, but I couldn't see what it was. I thought to myself "again?" Twice in less than 24 hrs. for me. But I went back to sleep. A couple hours later I was woken by a lot more yelling. That's where this story (<span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">here I had a link to a post on the site. I'll post it separately in the next blog</span>) comes in. Not saying necessarily that I'm against a community protecting itself, but it was still disturbing to watch.<br /><br />All in all that weekend really unsettled me. The weekend before a student where I'm staying was car-jacked. She borrowed the family car to take her stuff from here back home and before she even got fully out of the gate she was car-jacked. Man, my 'hood is really . . . 'hood.<br /><br />Next time it's the hair report.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-5435667504038603592009-01-17T08:46:00.000-06:002009-01-17T08:47:49.751-06:00South Africa trip, Week 3I am so behind! Yikes! Okay, let's see, when I left off I said I was going to talk about hair and why I was angry at this dude. I'm going to save hair for later but why was I angry at this dude? Long story short he sees me at the computer (either on 'net or doing my work) and suggested that I go out and do more. He asked where I had been other than Durban and I told him (the short answer) Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town. Then he makes some smart comment about those places being 19th century Europe, "didn't you realize that?" and in the scope of the conversation it was clear that he was saying that he didn't think I was experiencing "the real Africa" or whatever. Now I gave him the short answer, but the list of stuff I've done in S. Africa almost certainly includes stuff he never has done and stuff most visitors to this country never will. I:<br />-studied Zulu<br />-had several lectures on various aspects of Zulu culture<br />-lived in the homes of two (black) S. African families, one in a township outside of Pietermaritzburg and one in a rural area.<br />-been to Shaka's grave and museum<br />-went to where Mandela was arrested<br />-been to a virginity testing/celebration festival<br />-went to an inter-regional gathering of Shembe followers<br />-spent a long weekend at a game park<br />-went to a few art and history museums, malls, marine world, etc.<br />and other stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting now. So I've done both tourist-y stuff and stuff most tourists don't do. My experiences were similar in Zimbabwe. And how does a city being influenced by white folk not make it African? This is 2008 and this was a colony, so most of the country and most of the world has had some European influence. If he thinks a mixture of elements from Europe invalidates something as really S. African, I wonder what he thinks of himself considering he's colored.<br /><br />[/rant]<br /><br />Okay, back to the current trip. I tried to visit my homestay family from the last time I was here last Friday, but they stood me up. I still haven't gotten in touch with them, but it was so odd. They asked me several times when I was coming and I called an hour before I left to say I was going there. But when I got there no one answered the phone (they were supposed to pick me up). I waited for an hour and a half in the rain, my shoes were soaked through, I was hungry, had to pee, and was annoyed by a couple of random men. After a while I just caught a khumbi (shared public transportation) back to Durban.<br /><br />By the way, one of the men refused to believe I wasn't Zulu. People think I'm Zulu all the time, and I have no problem with that. But this guy just wouldn't believe me. He thought I was "trying to be clever". I told him, in Zulu, that I don't speak Zulu and when he asked what I spoke I told him English. This is common with me here. Because I'm black, they expect that I speak some African language. So he keeps asking me, "no, what's your language?" and I told him English, I'm American. I guess he didn't believe me because I can understand a teeeeensy bit of Zulu and say a few words and once I said them, he was convinced.<br /><br />It's interesting, this thing. I was in KFC the other day and the servers greeted me in Zulu (everyone always does; they assume I'm Zulu). I can say the greeting back, but then I placed my order in English because Zulu is very awkward for me, can't really do it. But she switches back and forth between English and Zulu with me. I wonder if she also thinks I'm "trying to be clever" or snotty or something. Because some white people came in and I probably know little more Zulu than they do, but the servers spoke to them 100% in English.<br /><br />This post is getting long, I'm going to break it up and put the next in part 2 for week 3. I'll talk about crime and have a couple of pictures.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-47474665557601132432009-01-17T08:38:00.003-06:002009-01-17T08:46:00.303-06:00South Africa trip, Week 2So here we are nearing the end of the 2nd week. Research is going okay, I guess. I think I'll set up another meeting tomorrow. It's convenient to be here because if ever my consultants disagree on a point, I can just ask random Zulu people what they think.<br /><br />So the 2nd week started off with me attending a benefit dinner. It was hosted by the medical school at the Durban UKZN campus, with proceeds to benefit an orphanage. Actually, I think it was just a woman and her husband who adopted like 35 kids or something. She was there and spoke and thanked us. Dinner, live music, and dancing for $10. Not bad, but I think this meant that the bad was doing it really cheap and only a few hundred dollars was raised for the family. Anyway, I had a good time. A "benefit dinner" doesn't sound like anything I could afford to go to back home, so I was happy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2010_2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2010_2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've gone to the beach a couple of times. The weather now is very humid and usually warm, but often cloudy. So I try to wait until the sun is out. It's about a 25 min walk if you walk briskly. Here I am on the beach. Each ponytail is held by an xl flexi8 clip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2029_2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2029_2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />All these blue jellyfish things kept washing up on the beach. I heard one teenage boy (white, though I don't know that that matters.) point out a big one to another, and then he went over and stepped on it. Boys. Taking that hunting instinct too far. Why kill something just for the enjoyment of seeing it die?<br /><br />Blue bottle (?):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2031_2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2031_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I walked out on the dock (i think that's the right term) and took a video. It might have to wait for my next post. Right after I stopped recording, a man not 10 ft away was on his knee proposing. I heard a squeal and saw a black ring box. Awww.<br /><br />Um, this city, at least this part, is covered in abortion signs. I mean, covered in them. Like they'll be 10 on a single wall, they might as well be wallpaper. "400 rand (approx $40), same day, pain free." Mostly in English, but occasionally in Zulu just in case you don't speak English.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2025.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 650px; height: 487px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/mwedzi/South%20Africa/IMG_2025.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />They go along well with the condom and aids-prevention tv ads. Those make perfect sense to me, though, considering the outrageous rate of hiv-positive folks here. I mean, it is really really high. Stats vary, so I won't go there, but let's just say very high.<br /><br />Okay, I think that's it for part 1 of week 2. I think in part 2 I'll talk about our favorite subject, hair, and also why I'm ticked off at this dude here at the Y.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-14429132007717526342009-01-17T08:37:00.001-06:002009-01-17T08:38:20.564-06:00South Africa trip, Week 1, part 2So when I last left off, things weren't looking so great. But they quickly made a turn for the better. The YMCA I'm staying in <i>is </i>in the hood, true enough, but there are also more people here. More people here means more people to help me figure out where things are, take me around town, to the movies, to the beach, etc. And we are really close to the water. I can walk to the beach or walk to the harbor for lunch, where they have a nice lunch special for about $3 at a Thai place. Where in the States can I eat on the water for $3? And this YMCA, unlike the other, provides breakfast and dinner, so that's 2 meals a day I don't have to worry about getting. So not so bad after all.<br /><br />Also, I am instantly more popular here. I'm foreign and exotic (unlike foreign and hated, as in black foreigners from other countries with the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3153461.stm" target="_blank">recent rise in xenophobia</a>). In the African countries I have visited, men are more aggressive than in the States. While I have to be cautious, it also means that if ever I need someone to help me with something, I usually don't have a problem getting that. Women, too, are warmer and friendlier. In fact, people just help me out quite a lot here and I just meet warmer and more friendly people. I am a shy person by nature, and introvert actually, and I am more than satisfied if I have a couple of social events a week (too many mentally strain me). So I have been more than satisfied here.<br /><br />I went to see the new James Bond movie at night. I went with the only 2 white guys in this whole building, but none of us are speakers of a South African language, so we are a natural group. There was a Kenyan guy who was here when I first came, but unfortunately he left just a few days after I arrived. Which is a real shame because he was also a little older than these univ. students (like me) and we got along really well. Anyway, one of the white guys has a car so we were able to go out at night. Otherwise it can be kinda dangerous unless you have a large group. Even still I thought about car jacking, though it's not so bad here as in Jo'burg. In fact, someone was telling a funny (?) story about his friend who was attempted-car-jacked. He said they broke the window and tried to drag her out the window! It was funny because it shows that car jackers in Durban have no idea what they are doing. Why didn't they break the window, open the door, and push her out. He said when she told the police what happened, they laughed at the whole thing! <img src="http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/smilies/blush.gif" alt="" title="Blush" class="inlineimg" border="0" /><br /><br />Then I was invited to a musical theater production. It was in the township of KwaMashu (this is where they put black people to live in crowded areas that were close to the city so they could easily commute work for them). The building it was in didn't even have a complete roof. But the performers were magnificent. Apparently they were 1st in a regional competition of 45 groups. They did 2 plays, one of youths being sent to prison and the other on village girls tempted by false hopes of wealth and glamour into leading lives of prostitution that lead them away from their families and put them in situations where they could be raped or abandoned by their pimps once they got pregnant with their babies. Yep. I'm amazed I understood so much considering I don't speak Zulu and it was 85% in Zulu. <a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3089196360046500029vrkJFO" target="_blank">Here's a bad video</a>. I'm not sure why it's appearing like this since my videos from this camera never looked like this before. Maybe it's something about Webshots but I'm having trouble with Photobucket now. I'll fix it later if I can. Though it's all pixelated, the sound is still good.<br /><br />Anyway, I see I am going to need a part 3, but that might have to wait a bit. I'll come back to finish the report soon.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-4082855744587392492009-01-17T08:27:00.003-06:002009-01-17T08:37:13.262-06:00South Africa trip, Week 1Well, I know I let this blog lapse terribly. But I did want to finally update. Actually, I went to South Africa to collect some data for my dissertation. I wrote a small blog on another site and I want to transfer the writing here, to my real blog. So here is the writing for the first week.<br /><br />Trip to South Africa, Week 1<br /><br />Okay, so I am here in South Africa collecting data on Zulu verbs for my dissertation. I'm in my last year of my PhD program in linguistics with a focus in Bantu language family syntax. Today is Wednesday and I got here last week Monday.<br /><br />It didn't start out too well. A couple of days before I left someone helped me figure out that I had put the deposit down on the wrong YMCA. The recommended one was the one on a univ campus, but when I was told to search for "Durban YMCA" and make the reservation, well, only one came up online. So I reserved there. Turns out <i>this</i> YMCA is in the hood. Once I found out the name of the neighborhood, whenever I mentioned it, people would be like <img src="http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/smilies/perplexed.gif" alt="" title="Perplexed" class="inlineimg" border="0" /> and<img src="http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/smilies/eek2.gif" alt="" title="Eek2" class="inlineimg" border="0" /> and <img src="http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/smilies/badidea.gif" alt="" title="Badidea" class="inlineimg" border="0" /> and various other emoticons I don't feel like looking up. But I had already paid the deposit. <img src="http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/images/smilies/frown.gif" alt="" title="Frown" class="inlineimg" border="0" /><br /><br />Then, my plane in Chicago was broken and we sat on the tarmac for 4 hours while they fixed it. Then we took the 8 hour flight to London, but because my plane was so late I wasn't able to meet other LHCF people in London for lunch. Booo!<br /><br />Then, I was eating popcorn on the plane, caramel and cheese, and my freaking tooth fell out! Or my crown, more accurately. Stupid incompetent dentist! He put in 2 fillings and 1 crown and all of them fell out within a year! None of my other fillings ever came out. So now I'm here missing a molar.<br /><br />Okay, so things were not going well even before I landed. But after 3 planes (Chicago to London, London to Johannesburg, Jo'burg to Durban), I finally arrived. They put me in a room on the 7th floor and the elevator is out of order. And since this is not American style, the "ground floor" is first, so it's really like I'm on the 8th floor. It was rough carrying my luggage up all those stairs, though I had help. I guess I should look at the bright side, right? I mean, I've been wanting to tone up and lose a few pounds, maybe going up and down these stairs all the time will help, right?<br /><br />But things have brightened up since I've been here. I'll tell all the more fun stuff and show pictures in part 2 . . .Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-91834868805169284482008-08-29T11:14:00.002-05:002008-08-29T16:11:03.463-05:00Cafe du Monde glovesSo a long time ago, just as I was starting to learn how to knit, I saw the <a href="http://www.theyarngrove.com/bratcadumogl.html">Breakfast at Cafe du Monde Gloves</a> (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/breakfast-at-cafe-du-monde-gloves">Ravelry link</a>). I was scared of them, thinking they were above my skill level, but I loved them. Earlier this year I discovered Punta del Este Mericash at Seaport Yarns during my trip to NYC for the <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2007/03/representing-with-harlot.html">Yarn Harlot's big event</a>. I loved the yarn, loved the yarn store, and loved the gloves and figured making them would be one big love orgy, only this kind I could look at in front of my father and would be rated G. And sure enough it was. Okay, maybe once I decided the entire first glove I knit was too small, a couple of mild expletives made it rated PG-13, but for the most part, pretty clean love.<br /><br />So I present the Breakfast at Cafe du Monde Gloves.<br />Specs: Needles: Size 1 and Size 3<br />Yarn: Punta del Este Mericash Fingering (merino, cashmere)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdbfZq-3SeWOkycdoMlwm5lVTu1sis1MCxWNWeqsZ5hPMmMTQCWXUatYHULj0vonKIjpljS0N_FF2hw8U8_qI7hLfV-KAYo4SbZf1YXTWL8Ax4Emap7tAf2wZNuhqzP6pPJrB/s1600-h/cafedumonde.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdbfZq-3SeWOkycdoMlwm5lVTu1sis1MCxWNWeqsZ5hPMmMTQCWXUatYHULj0vonKIjpljS0N_FF2hw8U8_qI7hLfV-KAYo4SbZf1YXTWL8Ax4Emap7tAf2wZNuhqzP6pPJrB/s320/cafedumonde.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240050094966239410" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I had intended to wear them throughout the summer at my office because it can get quite cook with the a/c, but I never did. And I don't know how I feel about that ribbon. The organza was the only thing I had around. If I find something thinner and less slippery (leather strips), I might use that instead.<br /><br />Did I mention that I love this yarn? The yardage is amazing. It's 50 grams, 263 yards. You might think that it would be really thin given that, but it is so lofty that it still works up like a regular fingering weight. This means that even after completing almost one whole glove (minus 2 fingers and a thumb) and deciding it was too small, I was able to do 2 complete other gloves from the remaining yarn. The pattern specs, on the other hand, call for 2 50 gram balls. With 2 50 gram balls of this yarn, I could make at least 5 complete gloves.<br /><br />Anyway, they're ready for fall and I'll be anxious for the "where did you get those?!"Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-79017702102739781412008-07-05T06:33:00.010-05:002008-07-05T07:19:39.274-05:00More Fitted (or not) KnitsWell, I've had my first real knitting disappointment. Perhaps you remember the <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2007/09/split-neck-tee-from-fitted-knits.html">split neckline tee</a> that I also did from the Fitted Knits book in that lovely Cotton Frappe. There was the peek-a-boo bra problem, but I knew that was a necessary part of the design. I still really liked it and thought I'd do another from the book, the Textured Tunic with side buttons. This was the cover design.<br /><br />Now there was a lot of talk on how this design was not really fitted. That's very true. The body is just a rectangle. There was also a lot of talk on Ravelry on how the sleeves were separated from the body too early in this top-down raglan design. So I figured I could still make it and fix those things. I had bought this wonderful yarn on sale from Webs, RYC Soft Tweed in gray. Well, long story short, I tried and failed. I thought I would increase more slowly so that the diagonal measurement for the sleeve was longer than what was speciified in the pattern. It still ended up a bit too short, especially compared to the body, which I did add some shaping too but which still ended up too baggy. I hate this sweater, which is a shame because the yarn is really really nice. I think it's been discontinued but if you see some around I'd advise getting it. In my opinion it's nicer against the skin than Malabrigo. I think because it's already kinda felted sorta that any little hair that would have caused irritation have been smoothed down into the yarn. It's a totally smooth wool to wear against the skin. Wasted!<br /><br />Now you might not think it's so bad from this angle:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTcLomQvRi7ZdKGLE-uWR4yBfzrUSK0WdYDe-sVyn3RkaDZKGUAvd-C-esLSZ3WyQKAgyfN9rNiSNjmsm-rrfqjRsr68SWRXPHUCL87ib3ui6CbVug7-HzByEPBfxD99-TB7v/s1600-h/fittedknits1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTcLomQvRi7ZdKGLE-uWR4yBfzrUSK0WdYDe-sVyn3RkaDZKGUAvd-C-esLSZ3WyQKAgyfN9rNiSNjmsm-rrfqjRsr68SWRXPHUCL87ib3ui6CbVug7-HzByEPBfxD99-TB7v/s320/fittedknits1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219495154608891442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And you might think "cute button". I had a great time choosing these buttons on a trip to San Francisco at a button store called Britex. They were not that cheap. Wasted!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFNPSghHT9EOWxmhO3cIObj3TwCsU3wJNTBtcIxfbjsdRZ2AFyZ_8MFEetqud-8kCZdqLE20bssCb1eAQnqWOge5SJX3Ph3EAZG_N8-YWXf26z0J32AQy7oJpWps5WBTnJwMI/s1600-h/fittedknits5.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFNPSghHT9EOWxmhO3cIObj3TwCsU3wJNTBtcIxfbjsdRZ2AFyZ_8MFEetqud-8kCZdqLE20bssCb1eAQnqWOge5SJX3Ph3EAZG_N8-YWXf26z0J32AQy7oJpWps5WBTnJwMI/s320/fittedknits5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219497279425138306" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But when you see it from this angle, you know exactly what I'm talking about:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3iMAfHZ3v-X68SQ1APcJK6GkwYn7HI77TN2kgOco5G1B-iKpKyXaaN5GM3YuVMp_r6ar8DOMrD_dXXCkQD6WqLdrvduOK3WL0Jfw2hjFYVrv7r7dm-7H7kB5GS25LaHnq7-1/s1600-h/fittedknits3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3iMAfHZ3v-X68SQ1APcJK6GkwYn7HI77TN2kgOco5G1B-iKpKyXaaN5GM3YuVMp_r6ar8DOMrD_dXXCkQD6WqLdrvduOK3WL0Jfw2hjFYVrv7r7dm-7H7kB5GS25LaHnq7-1/s320/fittedknits3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219497736216905154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As you see, this is the most ill-fitting garment I have made. Well, I guess everything can't be perfect.<br /><br />Despite this disaster, I made yet another item from the book afterwards, the Two Tone Shrug. This time I used Classic Elite Four Seasons, a 70% cotton 30% wool blend that I also got on sale from Webs (screams "I love you, Webs!", *throws panties onto stage*). Despite the fact that I misjudged the color of the spotted yarn, thinking it the spots were black from the picture on my monitor as opposed to navy blue as I discovered once they were delivered, I love this knit. It's a tiny bit too big because it's based on the measurement across the back and I didn't know that and couldn't measure it myself so I did the second smallest size. I think the smallest would have been fine. Still, it fits well and is very functional. And the increases for the ribbing are really well-designed.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFNs6LkXVxcUYBq-2BSzjT_XIGPeCkyy2bGrqfxkdZuEMTqblWXlHNFVMf98atTVKOLgVO7jGy7zojuYa8EaTBs9E-PbMSV8p4PG7-ZvwB1uqzLkbTnLEUyZ3xeC_-Xsjnrfw/s1600-h/fittedknitsshrug1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFNs6LkXVxcUYBq-2BSzjT_XIGPeCkyy2bGrqfxkdZuEMTqblWXlHNFVMf98atTVKOLgVO7jGy7zojuYa8EaTBs9E-PbMSV8p4PG7-ZvwB1uqzLkbTnLEUyZ3xeC_-Xsjnrfw/s320/fittedknitsshrug1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219500302601609186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />You can see from the back that it's a little too big.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-7kikKQrxid3GUHZMBF1dgQ4FeXFuWAdtbDEaa0PedbRmkhwz7cBLkgJXLejA6EHeYrX41WTgF_0rlY5Eu30vaTT-gs6OJcngsskAQAUWvzuXOKWw29L-b3u2F8gBFZfn-Ax/s1600-h/fittedknitsshrug2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq-7kikKQrxid3GUHZMBF1dgQ4FeXFuWAdtbDEaa0PedbRmkhwz7cBLkgJXLejA6EHeYrX41WTgF_0rlY5Eu30vaTT-gs6OJcngsskAQAUWvzuXOKWw29L-b3u2F8gBFZfn-Ax/s320/fittedknitsshrug2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219500620659436466" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I like this yarn, too, and may knit with it again some day.<br /><br />Oh, one more thing. Since my last post, my birthday passed. I am now officially in the 30's club. I put on my Anthropologie dress,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh69KKNrgqalunaKKzp0Mvisv16NCFT_Q4LROsfQrgTAYVjDwoOfgplUc3z9QToszjezp2VyshcplbimtjpY2v-x8hOWEpqTdQn2ub9WKPXvdbWtS5CXfq4DEX1WdCVE5ynlPn/s1600-h/30bday.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh69KKNrgqalunaKKzp0Mvisv16NCFT_Q4LROsfQrgTAYVjDwoOfgplUc3z9QToszjezp2VyshcplbimtjpY2v-x8hOWEpqTdQn2ub9WKPXvdbWtS5CXfq4DEX1WdCVE5ynlPn/s320/30bday.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219501834179273474" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and my necklace and earrings I got in South Africa<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORLF9tQc0U_uaTh0lUq0hJDGqOE0u7BPVUUQAgzVf0DxR61g_g-D_ZIFiWiKy1WC65VQQCowa63WZR6nDABrT4RME9N-PzdEGwfF5RMq6vi-kX21VQI6nKADXp_XyCR_PDjsf/s1600-h/30bdayhairfront.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORLF9tQc0U_uaTh0lUq0hJDGqOE0u7BPVUUQAgzVf0DxR61g_g-D_ZIFiWiKy1WC65VQQCowa63WZR6nDABrT4RME9N-PzdEGwfF5RMq6vi-kX21VQI6nKADXp_XyCR_PDjsf/s320/30bdayhairfront.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219501904147857794" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and made my 30th birthday the day of the most compliments and flirtation in my life. But due to my terrible social skills, I still find myself 30 and alone. Which is incredibly sad and disheartening. At this point I feel like to be alone is just a basic part of my life, of what it is to be me. So please forgive me if, these days, I am not as chipper in my posts as I managed to be before. It's getting a little harder.<br /><br />'til next time, y'all.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-41217031433362506852008-05-26T23:13:00.003-05:002008-05-26T23:25:05.900-05:00Ran out of Excuses?Well, I'm sure you all know by now that Magknits has vanished. I saw it all happen on Ravelry, what a train wreck. That means Excuses has no home for the moment. You can still get it, I've still decided to offer it for free, but for now it's only on Ravelry. If you aren't on Ravelry, you must be on a deserted island in a heroine-induced haze (and on that <span style="font-style: italic;">good</span> stuff) with whatever licit moments you have occupied by your own troop of the world's most talented belly dancers and entertained by your own love slave. Which is to say, if you aren't on Ravelry, where have you been? And can I visit you and will you share? So run off to Ravelry and find the pattern Excuses and download it for free. I may end up putting it somewhere else, too, but right now you now you can get it there.<br /><br />A quick remider:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0b3pu7gIykzMuBSQRoAHWeCTZrw2FRCqGK8F5wFpRs4tM4YCA5H6bRguCknPUSUSmDAbilrgB9MWTpK6a_BmzG76AGt3FCOTqIctNyS5cDJekQTVqax6XhInn1w-ztJWd-6P/s1600-h/viewfromtop.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0b3pu7gIykzMuBSQRoAHWeCTZrw2FRCqGK8F5wFpRs4tM4YCA5H6bRguCknPUSUSmDAbilrgB9MWTpK6a_BmzG76AGt3FCOTqIctNyS5cDJekQTVqax6XhInn1w-ztJWd-6P/s320/viewfromtop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5204908734706902306" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Okay, I'll be back with a real post about current knitting projects, but this needed its own.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-64095462463613144232008-03-16T06:28:00.007-05:002008-03-16T07:37:15.719-05:00Beautiful Things, Part 2Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated this blog! What happened? I got real busy with school and work and my other hobby (hair. yes, I said "hair") and time just kept passing. But I'm back as promised to show the other beautiful things.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-size:130%;" >Friendship is beautiful</span><br /><br />Remember those flip-top mittens I made? I sent them off to a friend and she got them and sent me back pictures. I haven't seen her in person for a few years now. :(<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxRd4MzBvTXGJAVWx-NUzZCvpRl_tc4B1OV5KllT8JL6S_0TkjUeBxZhfja40okV9taZZToVAkiEa9JqMLNvHruhKajyDrsOxQ4bk1I2zUxxMHGf7D1azoSgFi7A3pPoknhnE/s1600-h/angelsgloves.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxRd4MzBvTXGJAVWx-NUzZCvpRl_tc4B1OV5KllT8JL6S_0TkjUeBxZhfja40okV9taZZToVAkiEa9JqMLNvHruhKajyDrsOxQ4bk1I2zUxxMHGf7D1azoSgFi7A3pPoknhnE/s320/angelsgloves.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178305407292713138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);font-size:130%;" >Life is Beautiful</span><br /><br />My bunny sitters' rabbit died over Christmas break while they still were watching my bunny. They are such sweet people. They watch several people's rabbits and volunteer at the shelter but only had two of their own, a bonded pair, Carl and Ginger. Ginger was an abandoned bunny they found outside. So to remember her by I knit a small likeness of Ginger <a href="http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny.shtm">using this pattern</a>. Well, it was ginger-colored.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky161JEau35wsGUoI7cKjK3GvKvj9lCQ4yIZaWYP0aBztLjG6Hvp8mJY5CD1ixs9MxxaAZRDfMoRXMp-KqhBphgtwXUn0gVCqSra2RMZnRF1sVBWqhQg-tuNQPyZFSumtgURw/s1600-h/knitbunny.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky161JEau35wsGUoI7cKjK3GvKvj9lCQ4yIZaWYP0aBztLjG6Hvp8mJY5CD1ixs9MxxaAZRDfMoRXMp-KqhBphgtwXUn0gVCqSra2RMZnRF1sVBWqhQg-tuNQPyZFSumtgURw/s320/knitbunny.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178309612065695938" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And so concludes our short series on beautiful things.<br /><br />Back at the ranch, I've been working on a knock-off of the sleeveless cowl in the S. Charles Collezione Winter 2007 magazine. I'm almost done with the bottom, which I knit flat in garter. I think the top is knit separately. I'm just not sure about that cowl<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiABxMyTcNq2SRhoe8LIF09Ijwz-w5Hk-sscsEhtBvDNyE16E1_vEimIdMWX8On0C2AZOk1w9gIfzkfjEar9s07g2qIyVyzoFP4XG0Rf1MhkjVa-M-1Es606Vz8A9dbIab0Ez/s1600-h/sleevelesscowl.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiABxMyTcNq2SRhoe8LIF09Ijwz-w5Hk-sscsEhtBvDNyE16E1_vEimIdMWX8On0C2AZOk1w9gIfzkfjEar9s07g2qIyVyzoFP4XG0Rf1MhkjVa-M-1Es606Vz8A9dbIab0Ez/s320/sleevelesscowl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178312644312606930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />What do you guys think? I'm not sure how to do it, and I don't want to pay $16.50 + shipping to find out. I guess I'll figure it out. Must be some other cowl patterns out there that could help me out. But hey, look at my fortuitously gorgeous color combo:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKw8XlOoIVJ5OQ0LmR1N6BIRGT8EmNT5IjWfMT0CILFOS6JTlvv4KueZbbqeocmXwrp-Ys-KcXv60p9z_ApWXwQE2aBx9FhK_0p7foe3imvg2Kfo25QC2uDMsFApLuFUhzISm/s1600-h/sleevelesscowlcolor.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKw8XlOoIVJ5OQ0LmR1N6BIRGT8EmNT5IjWfMT0CILFOS6JTlvv4KueZbbqeocmXwrp-Ys-KcXv60p9z_ApWXwQE2aBx9FhK_0p7foe3imvg2Kfo25QC2uDMsFApLuFUhzISm/s320/sleevelesscowlcolor.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178315947142457570" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is the RYC SoftLux you've been seeing on sale everywhere. I guess that means they're discontinuing it. Which is both happy and sad because I get a great deal but that means it won't be around for much longer. I haven't washed it yet, but I really like this yarn. Soft and pretty. Obviously you shouldn't use it for something that you want definition in, but it's great for this project. I originally got the green back last year in April or so when I visited Webs on deep discount. Then I got the camel and white when Ram Wools had their sale for super super cheap. Then I remembered I wanted to make this top and asked a friend for a recommendation for a fourth color and together we decided on purple. I love combo, something I would have never thought up myself but that looks very sophisticated.<br /><br />Well, that's all for now. Hopefully it won't be so long until the next update. 'til next time, Folks.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-34977876931749799952008-01-19T06:45:00.000-06:002008-01-19T11:48:49.740-06:00Beautiful Things, Part 1I feel like recently I've been surrounded by beautiful things. So many, in fact, that when I tried to write this post I realized it was going to become too long trying to show them all to you at once, so I am spreading them out in two posts. Next one to come in a few days. But for now,<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:130%;" >Yarn is Beautiful</span><br /><br />First, I discovered the world's most beautiful yarn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHfQArWeMrKypB9Q671feR1qoJaLoWd5EhMugeV5y_yTbjQQbpvqD-z2gOKprQl8IZCDAvhA0P5CH7HOtVZcPSsse6J7sEJq3gaLGINKn54hk_OdfXxT5nSiGg6rYc223e2Gd/s1600-h/mostbeautifulyarn.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHfQArWeMrKypB9Q671feR1qoJaLoWd5EhMugeV5y_yTbjQQbpvqD-z2gOKprQl8IZCDAvhA0P5CH7HOtVZcPSsse6J7sEJq3gaLGINKn54hk_OdfXxT5nSiGg6rYc223e2Gd/s320/mostbeautifulyarn.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157183896589629810" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Did you see that? No, I don't think you saw it. Let me try again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcy8gF7HgQvdKD5yIBn1oaZXlWMmcIcc5rpq1N1KkGii58AZPnJp1bCk7rxLYxXSofMoVKV0UK-l1fLTu-A7yH2oTL3yev2iwjY6SwIKI0G-HikLq1d8IwW5YollrnCc-z8vd/s1600-h/mostbeautifulyarn2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcy8gF7HgQvdKD5yIBn1oaZXlWMmcIcc5rpq1N1KkGii58AZPnJp1bCk7rxLYxXSofMoVKV0UK-l1fLTu-A7yH2oTL3yev2iwjY6SwIKI0G-HikLq1d8IwW5YollrnCc-z8vd/s320/mostbeautifulyarn2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157184149992700290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yeah, that's it. Gorgeous, right? This is from Tempted Yarns. She sells at <a href="http://www.theloopyewe.com/browse/yarns/tempted-yarns/?page=O">The Loopy Ewe</a> and also on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5115099">Etsy</a>. This is the Thigh Highs colorway. I hardly ever see this type of dying, and it surely is the only thing I have in my stash that looks like this.<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Socks are Beautiful</span></span><br /><br />Then I finally, after elevnty billion years, finished my pair of Jaywalkers. I wouldn't say I had Second Sock Syndrome per se, I just took a really long break. I always intended to finish and didn't cast on another pair of socks (except for the ones for my stepfather for xmas) in the meantime because I knew I was coming back. The yarn was gorgeous and the pattern was perfect for it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSCc3bXF9qr1wGR1JOiahWLpre5ecXueE374-QDs-82WN4wMijwWh9_ppI5dfA4J7YHRQtxh69UzhvT_6XPqFZLInyBQGlz7wjbb7T2pRPS_i57ovZQH4YYjGsIs2btA0yYzZ/s1600-h/jaywalkers.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSCc3bXF9qr1wGR1JOiahWLpre5ecXueE374-QDs-82WN4wMijwWh9_ppI5dfA4J7YHRQtxh69UzhvT_6XPqFZLInyBQGlz7wjbb7T2pRPS_i57ovZQH4YYjGsIs2btA0yYzZ/s320/jaywalkers.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157229487667476882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Did you see it? Missed that one, too? Okay, let me show y'all how taking a picture of socks while they're on your feet is really done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Z994TuDxDbLEAQxyBEZkys-M0gXfw6CaHojM24kEa8h4FG9FEQp9gfJbOcIvYwQDukB4vKAPBFZ3CecQCt45XZHtQmSfBftD2M3uR-uuOZHpIrVMMygsZSXfOJFUP1IiNBez/s1600-h/jaywalkers2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Z994TuDxDbLEAQxyBEZkys-M0gXfw6CaHojM24kEa8h4FG9FEQp9gfJbOcIvYwQDukB4vKAPBFZ3CecQCt45XZHtQmSfBftD2M3uR-uuOZHpIrVMMygsZSXfOJFUP1IiNBez/s320/jaywalkers2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157229857034664354" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Mmmhmm. This I got from The Loopy Ewe many months ago in their signature colorway Loopy Blues, made for them by the indie dyer Yarn Pirate. It's a wool/tencel blend and has great luster. Especially before you wash it. Man, I washed that first sock and it bled soooooo much. I think I used regular laundry detergent like tide. So the second sock I just washed with diluted conditioner and it came out soft and didn't bleed so much. I'm sure you can see the difference in the photos.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-size:130%;" ><br />Hand Crafting is Beautiful</span><br /><br />Last for this post, I received as a Christmas gift a knit tote I had been wanting for a long time. Since early last year. Check this out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxfErgynntIvt-a21FKYlvDJ0nYHneXy1WppI_AGN9ikbtNoHlnLZ3IuOY99cekm8CZCEJQDqbHobgIV4R2auQJ4W7_DVgfFEmDk_snVPAmj-VFjSixFPeUWP1V6wmCboc9WU/s1600-h/bandamytote.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxfErgynntIvt-a21FKYlvDJ0nYHneXy1WppI_AGN9ikbtNoHlnLZ3IuOY99cekm8CZCEJQDqbHobgIV4R2auQJ4W7_DVgfFEmDk_snVPAmj-VFjSixFPeUWP1V6wmCboc9WU/s320/bandamytote.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157238442674289074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JCjKvMJFdzYRYgotXmCknSfG6YWTQIwQ11r7rEtbylNCw5DssqfH-m7MrnsxolP5Uz80z2tq_edvJpAJ5xcDwYIixH5On8Sm93BPOUMCm0jW31SpYP962iMuow7l5s4qA48G/s1600-h/bandamyinside.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JCjKvMJFdzYRYgotXmCknSfG6YWTQIwQ11r7rEtbylNCw5DssqfH-m7MrnsxolP5Uz80z2tq_edvJpAJ5xcDwYIixH5On8Sm93BPOUMCm0jW31SpYP962iMuow7l5s4qA48G/s320/bandamyinside.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157238670307555778" border="0" /></a><br /><br />What? You blinked, you say? Okay, just one more time:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDa-rmWenQq2HXQoMUJ7EmFFZ43RYoizRT11rKvWGF4Jq7dmnIwhecroLBTf3oRkTjTki6j9jOZcxK_VGr01WTfWpwtz6e9XQGLUhiP7mUOAjKTMbCRt8tVl_3dUl2mCmqp-W/s1600-h/bandamy4.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDa-rmWenQq2HXQoMUJ7EmFFZ43RYoizRT11rKvWGF4Jq7dmnIwhecroLBTf3oRkTjTki6j9jOZcxK_VGr01WTfWpwtz6e9XQGLUhiP7mUOAjKTMbCRt8tVl_3dUl2mCmqp-W/s320/bandamy4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157238910825724370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yes, the ribbon is pink in the first shot and blue in the second. I got it from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop_sold.php?user_id=81743">her Etsy shop</a> and it was posted with the blue ribbon. But I really wanted a pink and told the designer so. She knew who I was because I had already contacted her months ago about how beautiful her purses were and from a failed attempt by a friend to get one. So I guess after all that effort she decided to throw in a pink and brown ribbon, which I really appreciated.<br /><br />Now let me speak to the price of her bags. I posted on Knitting Help when I first found these purses about how gorgeous they were. Everyone agreed, but some thought her prices were a bit too high. That you could buy some wool on sale and knit it yourself. Yeah, okay. Have I ever seen anyone's hand knit bags look this good? NO! Do a search yourself on Etsy and see what else you get for "knit bag/tote/purse" and compare. I don't want to diminish the value of anyone's work, but can we stop BSing and be real for like 5 seconds? <span style="font-weight: bold;">Every piece of work is not made with equal skill.</span> I have seen scores of knitters' hand-knit bags and <span style="font-style: italic;">none</span> of them look this good. I gave it a try a couple of times myself. If you can't sew well, you have no hope of doing anything like this anyway. Did you see the inside of that bag? Now, I have to listen to knitters and crocheters complain about how people don't appreciate their hand knit gifts (why people think someone should care as much about our hobby and fall over fainting for some knit thing they never wanted in the first place is a rant of mine for another time). But when someone invests the time to knit and sew something like her knit totes and sells it for under $100 and the same people complain, I start rolling my eyes. If you can't afford it, you can't afford it and I couldn't either for a long while and that's why it ended up being a Christmas present. But don't say they are overpriced. Her bags are a steal at that price. *end rant*<br /><br />On Beautiful overload? Take a rest, have a cool drink. When you're up for more, I'll be back with the rest.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-42965082684967995102007-12-28T16:32:00.000-06:002007-12-28T17:28:39.181-06:00Sweater Girl Goes ExtremeI'm generally a sweater knitter, but with Christmas I turned to the extremities. Socks, mittens, hats, they all go faster than a sweater. That meant knitting a couple of little things for friends and family and, since I had to knit those by a deadline, knitting small things for myself as well during my selfish moments.<br /><br />First I crocheted this hat for <a href="http://www.black-purl-magazine.com/REV-gycohats.htm">a book review I wrote over at Black Purl Magazine</a>. It's the Soon Come hat from Get Your Crochet On! made in Encore and some leftover Patons SWS.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DzCNjT21mDvpfRvzFdTkKojgGe3XlJnbk77dBdgddkHJNpD7VPa2dh-gekOGtKPj9dHtvZMPkTXx9aPb-SuciLrjviWakf608aL06tdyHTycq5J73xdEz1YODkgEzHXxBYLx/s1600-h/closedside.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DzCNjT21mDvpfRvzFdTkKojgGe3XlJnbk77dBdgddkHJNpD7VPa2dh-gekOGtKPj9dHtvZMPkTXx9aPb-SuciLrjviWakf608aL06tdyHTycq5J73xdEz1YODkgEzHXxBYLx/s320/closedside.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149168662981572962" /></a><br /><br />I knit these gloves for my friend Angel in Korea. They are the Convertible Mittens from the fall issue of Knit.1 . I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a very subtly heathered teal tweed. Check the errata on Knit.1's site!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwET3-ztWoLFs9T3JJ-LkHQKksrGblP9j4aO12L7JCSg8Rl76s8hxHX-IEYi-WQdVuw1W4oLLrvhBWJtsI_tajdW1-jGd2wwJ5TaIuTTzsIr4vGGvKu-3Rw7j-k5uCCIq-K6fY/s1600-h/buttonmittens2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwET3-ztWoLFs9T3JJ-LkHQKksrGblP9j4aO12L7JCSg8Rl76s8hxHX-IEYi-WQdVuw1W4oLLrvhBWJtsI_tajdW1-jGd2wwJ5TaIuTTzsIr4vGGvKu-3Rw7j-k5uCCIq-K6fY/s320/buttonmittens2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149159037959862530" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I had been wondering why all mittens weren't made with a flap so your fingers could do their work. I discovered why as soon as I tried one on. Duh, the flap lets cold air in. So I added a button to try to keep the flap closed as much as possible. If I was good at adding zippers that probably would have been the best at keeping out the cold, though I bet the metal would have conducted the cold to the hand all too well, too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwmLzHpDZR1BwOX3az7v4YuQxcw0SLEZIE9wOMs2nY45SyTiASGDOc7g7P4pK3sRMZY29_PrdqcQLgn6wwwxagjZ-luEcHydnMt_gbRdOKkHtXdt2VYWzPNKPFqz2-e0AqE7h/s1600-h/buttonmitten3.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwmLzHpDZR1BwOX3az7v4YuQxcw0SLEZIE9wOMs2nY45SyTiASGDOc7g7P4pK3sRMZY29_PrdqcQLgn6wwwxagjZ-luEcHydnMt_gbRdOKkHtXdt2VYWzPNKPFqz2-e0AqE7h/s320/buttonmitten3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149160996464949522" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I also lengthened the flap (even more than the corrected version on the errata page has) and lengthened the thumb. Hope she likes them. The yarn makes a great feeling fabric. I wish all the time I didn't find alpaca itchy. I can knit with it no problem, but wearing it gives me the itchies.<br /><br />Also for a coworker whose b-day it was just a few days before Christmas, I made the <a href="http://racheliufer.blogspot.com/2007/10/robins-egg-blue-hat.html">Robin's Egg Blue Hat</a> in chocolate in Patons Shetland Chunky. Very quick knit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT6NMN4oV-jNIzHx67xdXbUuzBVygC4TH3jyACpfvAW64IniTl-Q7VB1uaDMBdc0jFmAudXq7ygUZc4OLFboknwifV43JmG5QV30Td6Zzj7FtQjEgpbCDl_q-lLXDWpAd3LfO/s1600-h/buttonhat.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT6NMN4oV-jNIzHx67xdXbUuzBVygC4TH3jyACpfvAW64IniTl-Q7VB1uaDMBdc0jFmAudXq7ygUZc4OLFboknwifV43JmG5QV30Td6Zzj7FtQjEgpbCDl_q-lLXDWpAd3LfO/s320/buttonhat.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149163878388005154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The button was one I had leftover from a headband I had been intending to make forever. I wanted a headband that I could wear with my afro puff and also one that buttoned so I wouldn't have to pull it off and on. So I made a simple ribbed band using Nashua Cilantro, which I absolutely love (the yarn, I mean).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSftoXJiRD5JUjQflty80DwIjDzOAS1ah081kz9WK4OUAi55yTFNaFsSl3eWpqaIAhBMcPLKoD-ZSkgAIYz_TNUnp3ej2ezvMrNoATg3bTgz1GwSWbKR3MZHjohjw09Uwj9BW2/s1600-h/buttonheadband.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSftoXJiRD5JUjQflty80DwIjDzOAS1ah081kz9WK4OUAi55yTFNaFsSl3eWpqaIAhBMcPLKoD-ZSkgAIYz_TNUnp3ej2ezvMrNoATg3bTgz1GwSWbKR3MZHjohjw09Uwj9BW2/s320/buttonheadband.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149164694431791410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHFWAJbmgnP0qURZTP-g2ztWTOc37st30ayaX9Ogb3NSOfxwCAOHkWHtX-x0-2hw5peMLFMWcGtT6AP5N9YlxEf6FJKdWxI7ZdDWqBLJOTMMG6L3a8z5Fv04FXRc3KTV4qgdm/s1600-h/buttonheadband2.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHFWAJbmgnP0qURZTP-g2ztWTOc37st30ayaX9Ogb3NSOfxwCAOHkWHtX-x0-2hw5peMLFMWcGtT6AP5N9YlxEf6FJKdWxI7ZdDWqBLJOTMMG6L3a8z5Fv04FXRc3KTV4qgdm/s320/buttonheadband2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149164896295254338" /></a><br /><br />Do you all think this pattern is worth writing up? Someone showed a lot of interest in it at knit night. I thought I wouldn't bother at first because it's so simple, but she was a beginning knitter and couldn't see how to make it. But I'm not sure how worthwhile it is for people who don't have afro puffs. Maybe I will write it up anyway.<br /><br />Also I finally finished the socks I was knitting for my stepfather. Wow. Those socks took a long time. A looooong time. But he really liked the socks I made him last year, so hopefully he'll like these, too. Like? I take that back. He better LOVE these socks, as long as it took me to make them. I started these socks in . . . late July, I think. They took forever.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLrTpx9GFmx4v70A1sqof-vpFSeuAgpohWjXYcfHwq4NRGgi7gnfXGkpYTIpqmFjjAVn135Gjyg97Rq34kJcFcjlLYCDCDgBrx_S5ebKwCko-r1zv0MmVL2U13EMbR-QYcDAN/s1600-h/stepfathersocks.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLrTpx9GFmx4v70A1sqof-vpFSeuAgpohWjXYcfHwq4NRGgi7gnfXGkpYTIpqmFjjAVn135Gjyg97Rq34kJcFcjlLYCDCDgBrx_S5ebKwCko-r1zv0MmVL2U13EMbR-QYcDAN/s320/stepfathersocks.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5149166330814331218" /></a><br /><br />No, no, "love" is too mild a word for the depth of gratitude I expect for these giganto socks. It had better be passion. Lust. I'm talking Thinking Of Having an Affair With These Socks type love. I mean, Planning to Cheat on My Mother type love. For real, it should be a Mother Walks In The Room and Finds Stepfather And Socks In Bed kind of thing. I mean Got My Mother Checking The Cell Phone Bill's Call List For Suspicious Calls type emotion. Even to Planning on Running Away With The Socks and Growing Old And Gray Together type passion. Folks In Divorce Court, Socks Called To the Witness Stand, Family Members Blaming Me For Breaking Up A 20-Year Marriage type love. Only when it has reached this point will I say, "I guess he sufficiently appreciates the work I put in on these socks."<br /><br />So now that I'm done with xmas knitting (almost; daddy's sweater didn't get finished in time), time to get back to my own stuff.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-45608428096221977162007-12-01T21:28:00.000-06:002007-12-04T12:21:46.063-06:00I'm in Magknits!This is so exciting, I'm in <a href="http://www.magknits.com/Dec07/patterns/">December 2007's Magknits</a> for my pattern <a href="http://www.magknits.com/Dec07/patterns/excuses.htm">Excuses</a>! I've made a lot of excuses during my life, but this is by far the best one (haha, I have been waiting months to say that line!) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scroll down past the pictures to read how to adjust the pattern.</span><br /><br />I'd like to be able to say that I won't forget you all now that I've become an international superstar, but I'd just be raising false hopes. Just kidding, just kidding. I will happily sign a printout of the pattern for each and every one of you, with the certainty that you will lay it next to your pillows at night. Okay, let me stop. Hahaha, I promise I haven't been drinking (but that doesn't mean I won't start soon). :)<br /><br />Okay, seriously, I'm really excited. It's my first time. No, no, don't speak, just hold me. (What is going on with me today? I think I haven't had enough to eat. Yeah, that's it.) My first time having a pattern published, that is. Oh, no, that's a lie, I do have a fingerless glove pattern in the Pattern a Day knitting calender for 2008. But this is a little different. I didn't even know that it would be in this month's issue, but got a congratulatory email on Ravelry (btw, y'all, I'm on Ravelry as "mwedzi". Please find me!).<br /><br />Some additional shots:<br /><br />It took me forever to get this shot, even though it's dark, so somebody's going to see it!:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEsUH2dOLBEkCXG13boccd-D3_H4XQMMOer7CnJgrv8DCdbcP9B5HbhwVJZfugcekdbpMqHOUELVPLsadHE4XM8nN3zBAURsRd-b-q3yYnnA-LODcFYX9wG6r1VTmDTyhYyZs/s1600-r/ex1archfront.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVXScEsyAYQhu1yQfwz-yrZpZ8xsS8c1bVjGpCuNyWNTGD-lEEwauescBquD3ACfoR5ABuFQ_JKQ-NYPnroXTvOS33a4mYD_Zm1yTISxf6Efx9ThwStPvSDfBKMwXjFM_jV_O9/s400/ex1archfront.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139216436906822162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zyH1IKjzwjKNJJi82iouXTdFePqS_-JHG6T9ZEkwhFKW6ewG4Im_Io_OToFg0SzuXk-xUHGBtcOy8YQtTaHw0VZGUskPXhMopDVO3044Zuc2LoebhCtIM5ZNc5Ra5EiFHgB-/s1600-r/viewfromtop.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAu2piV_Vc23XCIHwJDT0uiNFUw_wLUAs9iTBVLtI9SDTEOLwOMcy21X6Djao6sa59LYvJjBd0P1QvNc2EOCZbvWJeaI3EGIGM1dNra-sVxvdyh2QOO_jcTa0hK0LM1v6CPD9Q/s400/viewfromtop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139216046064798210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And so you can see the shape flat:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIntXp7dcOR16XVztl8XSUQmKO_PtbBzK7TsIsBKX-Z2dPjEsGQQ-aRx_JuWi41MSgb36X6EpPvgrh8S-7Hd5YbSorCCb3TgTk-6VASOMqkhmN-GABsUrgBhfYzB0HiRGFA-fH/s1600-r/flatfront.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVh1IW2IgQW77aydgXpMQP2ZWxY0w7zutmFWhIh9dxVltQQ7B7dAItnnvknp1bAJOhjtaMv4RhVrnMuKjg78VWH9ADT8gsQ7WbLNR3WPduYrBr-qJp1oKdUrqB0ZdSa8ETjD2/s400/flatfront.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139217038202243618" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another shot that was hard to get. It is surprisingly difficult to get action shots of knits.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQPrtPOnMMC_tMGPEYz5glLzKHYWGbp-fiXawr7hyukUaeQjUGCiJhHaOY-YCu6z8H8JhMf856Vt_kYURFQENa5tfbOD8K8os5p7rBpU0Klw0TwW9pA0EXA8wxHjmJiBGXYLj/s1600-r/Copy+of+swing.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-Fjzdx1IwFtwRf74oRhtMrZw43U_OV3nJ5Tmyy1r64bihOWjty-cg7r-bpp6xv3UsUO8kpyqVyRyAKlTWtIxlKivCt4VIwqyl6mklsx6bpnNXijY_Jiyy3tEJHCZBoPJtwXO/s400/Copy+of+swing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139220031794448946" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oh, and a couple more notes about sizing that got edited out of the final copy. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />For bigger busts (C and up):</span> The pattern has severe decreases to go from bust to underbust, so it is designed to cup your breasts. I designed this pattern specifically because I was tired of knits only doing side waste shaping and ignoring booby shaping. But if you are larger on top, choose the size that corresponds to your bust size and knit that size to the point of the bust decreases. If your arms don't get as big (relatively) as your breasts, stop the decreases for the arms when you reach the number of stitches for the sleeves of the next smallest size. Then start the bust decreases 1/2" earlier than called for in the pattern and do enough decreases to get to the number required for the next smallest size. Continue the pattern as written for the next smallest size.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />If you don't want as much negative ease:</span> Simply choose the next size up. The pattern has 3" of negative bust ease. Notice, (clever me), that the sizes are also done in 3" increments. So if you want a sweater that simply skims your body, just go up to the next size (so that you knit your actual bust measurement, not the "to fit" measurement).<br /><br /></span><br /><br />Okay, I have to go eat now, or give myself a tranquilizer, or something.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-90579007028330220742007-11-23T11:35:00.000-06:002007-11-23T13:22:59.554-06:00One Project, Two Projects, Three Projects, FourToo many projects, don't cast on any more! So, I was wondering why I haven't finished anything in a while. Was there anything lying around that I could finish quickly? I mean, I felt like I had been knitting, why didn't I have an FO? Oh, yeah. Right. Because of this:<br /><br />Crocheted Hat from Get Your Crochet On! and Mesh Lace Cardigan from VK's 25th anniversary issue in the Tess's Designer Yarns Ivory and Silk yarn I got at Maryland Sheep and Wool and Kidzilk Night.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZTMsn1htIZh6oBcpNh6O-HcNgHZUTbMUEximvqEpsg43i_8U_LalS6NpbwNDvG_z9Iq7gdI5gOxe53J88RSpnBkpJKzv3FLLBP_e1inwL20aAZjQnWGRdRVcWzoQ_CSkknHg/s1600-h/1123ufo1.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZTMsn1htIZh6oBcpNh6O-HcNgHZUTbMUEximvqEpsg43i_8U_LalS6NpbwNDvG_z9Iq7gdI5gOxe53J88RSpnBkpJKzv3FLLBP_e1inwL20aAZjQnWGRdRVcWzoQ_CSkknHg/s320/1123ufo1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136097473286229186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sweater of my own design in the Cascade Superwash I got on sale for 70% off:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3uQ6ZnbhQqWyE-zN0Lu4ZFx3aIlmCB6od85bavwLO7NdJZ5_oEvdwze8KPi3iX02_DZJeZ0Uj_WovXEdtDThzr-4G1qsTXcYPMSo5RjwhpSsofJ1ZXkKnHDZJJwwXBtpvJP9/s1600-h/1123ufo2.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3uQ6ZnbhQqWyE-zN0Lu4ZFx3aIlmCB6od85bavwLO7NdJZ5_oEvdwze8KPi3iX02_DZJeZ0Uj_WovXEdtDThzr-4G1qsTXcYPMSo5RjwhpSsofJ1ZXkKnHDZJJwwXBtpvJP9/s320/1123ufo2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136097894193024210" /></a><br /><br />We got the ones on dpns, all but the toe done of the 2nd sock for my stepfather's socks (ran out of yarn!) in Wildfoote, 1 broadstreet mitten done up to the fingers (you know, the hard part) in Colinette Jitterbug, and the cuff of the 2nd Jaywalker whose mate I finished some months ago in Yarn Pirate merino/tencel blend:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsoea4OttvlZXtHyp2eZn6mcQ_QVIPICeuQXt_JWrHDhT9kPetqxae4CtGbuIU87azt3Hi3H0aeHT-RdL1-gucuC7JOmXYwYZmAk3Z3LgfK9c9frStyigSfucaiTIyzuF-qIV/s1600-h/1123ufo3.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQsoea4OttvlZXtHyp2eZn6mcQ_QVIPICeuQXt_JWrHDhT9kPetqxae4CtGbuIU87azt3Hi3H0aeHT-RdL1-gucuC7JOmXYwYZmAk3Z3LgfK9c9frStyigSfucaiTIyzuF-qIV/s320/1123ufo3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136098508373347554" /></a><br /><br />There's the knit and crochet stuff for my voluminous hair both my own designs, the crocheted in Elann's Alpaca Silk and the knit one in Nashua's Cilantro:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLna1pLJwm-77sS8P33LbL-2sffq8C0qr527zh3HpQ2bWPfprRIGH2njOpeJKRBoWDMBQ12zyGoomcpFiRnM2YV6Z7FfNZ9fqjpTFhmPVOon12HxwMalMGu97Vasr0n-8wd7J/s1600-h/1123ufo4.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLna1pLJwm-77sS8P33LbL-2sffq8C0qr527zh3HpQ2bWPfprRIGH2njOpeJKRBoWDMBQ12zyGoomcpFiRnM2YV6Z7FfNZ9fqjpTFhmPVOon12HxwMalMGu97Vasr0n-8wd7J/s320/1123ufo4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136099002294586610" /></a><br /><br />The Foliage Hat from the most recent Knitty in handspun I bought in Cape Town and sweater from my own design using the super pricey and ultra precious Alchemy Sanctuary and Kidsilk Haze that I got for V-Day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMbsEy7lIcJH1npVoBWUyOYNoaovrfAsGuCT2IE1qrVmGzGnbB61XQCa8E5ByHv8K8TmOyXtFTfN2dnwRNclitdMWhPQUPXgW3ukWFVbDcZpU9E59fX-5uJoS1_zAuroWzTWA/s1600-h/1123ufo5.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMbsEy7lIcJH1npVoBWUyOYNoaovrfAsGuCT2IE1qrVmGzGnbB61XQCa8E5ByHv8K8TmOyXtFTfN2dnwRNclitdMWhPQUPXgW3ukWFVbDcZpU9E59fX-5uJoS1_zAuroWzTWA/s320/1123ufo5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136099418906414338" /></a><br /><br />Under the white is French Girl Knits' Marguax in Filatura di Crosa Super Soft that i got for a steal on Webs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwB-xSzt_DGS-tyTlOlgP3_QMEyVj-bEkysE990hCo6UaVSnIkST5lIrcKYXvg7AA-mFS2IXZD7OTCWAgwfH8mJO5Q10L_ianCL0DCoGsCtdTPfaf696DMZ62fEaKY2if9cuJ9/s1600-h/1123ufo6.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwB-xSzt_DGS-tyTlOlgP3_QMEyVj-bEkysE990hCo6UaVSnIkST5lIrcKYXvg7AA-mFS2IXZD7OTCWAgwfH8mJO5Q10L_ianCL0DCoGsCtdTPfaf696DMZ62fEaKY2if9cuJ9/s320/1123ufo6.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136102889239989522" /></a><br /><br />Yeah, so that's why. When you work only 10 rows of a project and then put it down to work on another, well, yes, they will all <span style="font-style:italic;">eventually</span> get done, but maybe not for a long time. What happened in some cases, I think, was that I would hit the part of the project that required counting and shifting stitches and concentration and I haven't wanted that much lately so I'd cast on for another project that started simply and then, you know, rinse and repeat. Can you imagine what life would be like if we did that for everything?:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">*</span>Here's that term paper, Professor. I only wrote the introduction and listed the data. I didn't do the analysis cuz, you know, that's the hard part. However I did start another paper and have the intro and data for that, too, so I'm turning that in as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">*</span>Well, yeah, see, the actual <span style="font-style:italic;">brushing</span> of the teeth I find to be kind of annoying, so I just put the toothpaste on the toothbrush and left it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">*</span>Okay, so I filled the sink up with soapy water and the dishes are in there. But who wants to actually <span style="font-style:italic;">wash</span> them? I'll just use some more dishes and then put those in there when I'm done, too. Maybe if I don't look at them for long enough, they will have magically cleaned themselves.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">*</span>Yes, but, Doctor, getting pregnant was the fun part. I don't really have the energy to push right now. Um, how about you go away and come back later and we'll see how I feel then?<br /><br />But hey, that's why we knit, right? It's a hobby and so we can do whatever the (edited for PG-13 rating) we want. We don't have to knit for our job, or our hygiene, or to rid ourselves of an invasion by a nutrient-sucking foreign body (aka "giving birth"). So I take plenty liberties with the knitting. But keeping it honest, what you see above is just downright ridiculous. And this holiday weekend I was going to start my Daddy's sweater for xmas, too. So no more casting on!<br /><br />But wait! Somewhere in there there's an FO. Looking, looking, looking, found it! It's the Foliage hat:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT38LxbiSLO1IGZrruYugY5d_6g2OpKyi3zMaB4xbzIehtPx7Fe1-qvzTMSeoiFyg7WZxYj3bsydGK6suUH7Naw_jM1tPk9ogFCXtl-jCobLT-TXIA749HTTpJXvCRddAUBWCy/s1600-h/foliage.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT38LxbiSLO1IGZrruYugY5d_6g2OpKyi3zMaB4xbzIehtPx7Fe1-qvzTMSeoiFyg7WZxYj3bsydGK6suUH7Naw_jM1tPk9ogFCXtl-jCobLT-TXIA749HTTpJXvCRddAUBWCy/s400/foliage.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136112114829741346" /></a><br /><br />And look, I have a third nipple! To make me extra special, it's on top of my head. See, this is why I usually crochet hats. Knit hats almost always give you an extra nipple. But I'm sure there's someone out there who likes it. <br /><br />And speaking of strange fetishes, I saw a comment on my Flickr photo album for the knit bracelet I made recently. It said that I had lovely wrists and that my wrist would look so nice in a gold-tone Bulova watch. "Hmm," I thought, that's a special comment. So I went to the person's Flickr page and, while they didn't have any photos of their own, they did have many favorites, of which my knit bracelet was one. Many favorites. 28 pages of favorites. And all of them were of women's hands, wrists and forearms. Did you hear me? TWENTY-EIGHT PAGES OF WOMEN'S WRISTS!!! And the comments were all, "I love the freckles on your forearm," or "this woman has lovely wrists." Occasionally there'd be one of just a watch and the comment would be "this watch would look lovely on a woman's beautiful wrist." Unfortunately you can't see all the favorited photos now, since he seems to have deleted himself (or changed his name). Must have found out we were on to him. But wow, of all the things to fetishize.<br /><br />Okay, 'til next time, Folks.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-784196581943276272007-10-25T19:51:00.000-05:002007-10-27T21:41:59.129-05:00I was on TV!Y'all, I was on TV. TV! Me! I modeled some clothing on CBS Chicago news for an interview they were doing of Iris Schreier for her book <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/Lacy%20Little%20Knits_BD30951.html">Lacy Little Knits</a>. For a brief moment in time, I lived the glamorous life of a model. Minus the glamor part, that is. No hair dresser, no make-up artist, no money, not even an autographed copy of the book. Not even a cookie. You know how when you're braggin' about something you've done and there's always some smart ass who says something like "what do you want? a cookie?" I'm like, yes! Yes I do want a cookie. Where's my damn cookie? I prefer macademia cranberry, thank you very much. I didn't get doodly squat. I got a styrofoam cup of water. It was probably tap.<br /><br />Okay, why front? I loved it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was fun. I played dress up in pretty clothes and I was on TV. <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=websites&id=5720006">Here's the link to the story and video!</a> I don't know how long they'll keep it up. But y'all saw how the newscasters were jocking my 'fit, right? It was a gorgeous skirt, drapey luscious silk. But everyone agrees, it's the booty. Which is why <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2007/03/she-had-dumps-like-truck-truck-truck.html">I told y'all before</a>, quit hating on the booty. As soon as I've done a few projects in my queue, this skirt is mine!<br /><br />But in case the video link doesn't stay up long, an internet friend got a screen capture for me. It's kinda blurry, so I'm working on getting real photos from the other models who were smart enough to actually take them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQsIlhGyQJROIYgJXGINUFPJgeMRE0xeEJLPYY15nElsIp_Yh9PJqLtrwoF0MTW2U1aCluW8sg8ZJgbj3SAlSVutqZuJLo5Ju_tO5EvxO86A20bWMv37MV77XfgFGD8BcooCS/s1600-h/llkscreencap.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQsIlhGyQJROIYgJXGINUFPJgeMRE0xeEJLPYY15nElsIp_Yh9PJqLtrwoF0MTW2U1aCluW8sg8ZJgbj3SAlSVutqZuJLo5Ju_tO5EvxO86A20bWMv37MV77XfgFGD8BcooCS/s400/llkscreencap.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126206528810499698" /></a><br /><br />Go ahead, guess which one is me. Haha. The 'fro was banging that day, too!<br /><br />Now for my own knits, I worked up this sweater right quick. You know how you get a hankering for a quick knit? Okay, normally a sweater isn't what you go for in such situations, but I promise this one was fast. I love it. But tell me why it is that the most boring things to knit are the things you most want to wear?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfYadS_La5Mm7jLcyoME5lbdSMw6oAp2M4JsHs_yK9gqjIr5XlviOvs9AeY42NfF5PvrdV_056z43CLZ1hQb0lN__KpJC-vEp9EnHwtZtVf7DIsz-mxSh7LKcxDj4v4MDU2mD/s1600-h/croppedvneck.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfYadS_La5Mm7jLcyoME5lbdSMw6oAp2M4JsHs_yK9gqjIr5XlviOvs9AeY42NfF5PvrdV_056z43CLZ1hQb0lN__KpJC-vEp9EnHwtZtVf7DIsz-mxSh7LKcxDj4v4MDU2mD/s400/croppedvneck.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126208762193493634" /></a><br /><br />10 balls, size 10 needles, 3.5 sts/inch. The pattern is available at Webs, the cropped v-neck pullover, for pretty cheap and it can be emailed to you. I had to make it 3/4 sleeves because I didn't have enough for long sleeves, but I like 3/4 sleeves anyway.<br /><br />This is my second time working with Karabella Aurora yarn. This one was bulky. The <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2006/11/drops-pattern-fair-isle-sweater.html">Drops Fair Isle sweater</a> was in Aurora 8. Do y'all know of any others like it? The spin and plying, I love it. It's squishy, it's merino, it's machine washable. It's official, I'm in love with this yarn. Don't tell my parents that. They worry enough about my (nearly non-existent) dating life without knowing that I've fallen pretty hard for a ball of sheep hair.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-23385894042406058912007-10-07T15:45:00.000-05:002007-10-07T18:56:52.596-05:00My First Wire Knit, My First GrayOkay, so I lied about the next post being my own design. That design just got picked up so you'll see it soon. But I do have something really new, my first wire knit! It's from the Twist and Loop book by Annie Modesitt. This book has so many beautiful designs, and since I had been wanting to work with beads anyway, I decided I'd give it a go. The one that really caught my eye was this one:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJfIedJ3-FmbdRRoLoZZ0LfFoqbmPdx5bO3F40GATkoHJhkeJ7i7QtHyTvcFaaqZANyS1HS09oH1jNen8lWkTSp-BihB6v1YENnOF4aF8NGLESP70cGHF5PM8LKphB9GGd9bK/s1600-h/bluevelvetcuff.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJfIedJ3-FmbdRRoLoZZ0LfFoqbmPdx5bO3F40GATkoHJhkeJ7i7QtHyTvcFaaqZANyS1HS09oH1jNen8lWkTSp-BihB6v1YENnOF4aF8NGLESP70cGHF5PM8LKphB9GGd9bK/s400/bluevelvetcuff.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118702698372075074" /></a><br /><br />Gorgeous, huh? I needed all these supplies to start that I didn't have, and wire can be kinda pricey. But over the course of a couple of weeks I picked stuff up here and there and in fact to do this particular project all I needed were the beads, the wire, and one of those round nose plier type tools. In truth for that last I could have just used scissors but the tool was a 3-in-1 and it was only $5 at Walmart. I know, Walmart, it's evil, but I was in Calgary with a couple hours to kill before my flight back so I stopped there because it wasn't too far from the airport. (I went to Banff National Park for a few days, absolutely beautiful, pics at the bottom of this post). I also got the beads at Walmart. They didn't have velvet ribbon, but fortunately I had some fancy ribbon in the right color from a project I never began. Walmart didn't have wire in the right gauge, but I got some at Boca Loca Beads in Indianapolis when I went to pick my bunny up from the bunnysitters. I needed much less than the pattern called for. It called for 50 yards of wire, but I didn't even use 2/3 of a 40 yard spool. And since my yo eyelets didn't come out as big as in the book, I couldn't make a wide ribbon lie flat like in the picture, so I made it wave up and down. Anyway, the final result doesn't look a whole lot like the book's, but I like it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">From the front:</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC3jR4l_i7BD4eC7WZDjpSl1sMo0-hm4KJ4sUoA-fsc4oBGXifQC7_VxQJdpBOzft7TnRbVElO9IY2AENQ5tIVnHMpGhd8Rw0a_N3dGr753iGqSryXrBBMAZe8dsvm1EZx16b/s1600-h/knitcufffront.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJC3jR4l_i7BD4eC7WZDjpSl1sMo0-hm4KJ4sUoA-fsc4oBGXifQC7_VxQJdpBOzft7TnRbVElO9IY2AENQ5tIVnHMpGhd8Rw0a_N3dGr753iGqSryXrBBMAZe8dsvm1EZx16b/s400/knitcufffront.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118709093578378834" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">From the back:</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxnhKin8oakSxM5RRcbJUghU1kYoI_YuGIQP7xsG566dZpsuBgigIxsDh96SoFmsWlokHOJwBfrbdcZEwDTo_pwQnzDYgI-PP1_n_MGGimrnx3tnHI3QHPTQN6LpBf9CTe67f/s1600-h/knitcuffback.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxnhKin8oakSxM5RRcbJUghU1kYoI_YuGIQP7xsG566dZpsuBgigIxsDh96SoFmsWlokHOJwBfrbdcZEwDTo_pwQnzDYgI-PP1_n_MGGimrnx3tnHI3QHPTQN6LpBf9CTe67f/s400/knitcuffback.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118710150140333666" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Not another headless knitting photo:</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPC6oAosjNlOBcJHuQeDAeHc4XSYMmbyzrTELWBHDb5poDsgl6uEaSak-Wr34rA7KX7g-Q6N35fICzFH1ZpR0ORkkyiaiElrh-Xb_dj-mqK9ANZO9fEoSXEuHJdHJHOQe0DAp/s1600-h/knitcuffnearface.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPC6oAosjNlOBcJHuQeDAeHc4XSYMmbyzrTELWBHDb5poDsgl6uEaSak-Wr34rA7KX7g-Q6N35fICzFH1ZpR0ORkkyiaiElrh-Xb_dj-mqK9ANZO9fEoSXEuHJdHJHOQe0DAp/s400/knitcuffnearface.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118710549572292210" /></a><br /><br />While working with the beads I kept thinking of my grandmother's house. You know, this color scheme and the simple fact that they're beads looks very 70's-ish and her house always looked/looks 70s-ish. I think the plastic furniture covers are the same ones from when I was kid. You know the ones I'm talking about, you sit on them and your thighs get all sweaty and stick to the plastic. The ones that act as dual protection against food spills and incontinence. Yeah, those. All the same, I think it's beautiful, even if my wire knitting is not very neat.<br /><br />In other news, I've found my first two gray hairs. Well, the first two on my head at any rate, but we won't go there to protect the tender minds of the kiddies. It was a sad day when I saw the first. It was a young one, just coming in, only about 2 inches long. I thought it was lint at first, but it wouldn't come out! And can you believe the very next day I found another, also very young, just about 2 inches away. Dang, y'all, dang. Just when me and my hair were getting on good terms, it has to go and pull this bs on me. Damn, the betrayal! I know, Readers, that you are thinking that it's not the hair's fault but has something to do with me getting older and is just another symptom of this, like my raging uterus. That's just like you, always taking <span style="font-style:italic;">their</span> side. Fine, be that way. But next time you want a free pattern ask my hair to write it for you! Mm hmm, now everybody's <span style="font-style:italic;">my</span> friend. (I swear I'm not drunk. But for real, been wearing a wash and go recently and I'm able to do it w/o my hair becoming a matted tangled mass because of the braided roots technique, so email me if you want more details).<br /><br />And finally, the promised pics of Banff National Park. It was gorgeous. Lakes in valleys surrounded by pine forests surrounded by glacier-capped mountains. I even saw a bear on the side of the road. Ate all fancy at Eden at the Rimrock Resort (5 courses and wine pairing for each course!), rode horses, it was fantastic.<br /><br />Driving on the Ice Fields Parkway<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq2cv6emOGB9PvTo7KQtxfABfoqVefzX53B7C5_rAio81R7E74lK-kvm_PaGUGpw6bYPouJnmVsBFo6z7LMXk-A85qRrS3G81ueNJMRHu2f_5wXR_ygwO3xx3lH18dtOMlzbA/s1600-h/IceFieldsParkway.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq2cv6emOGB9PvTo7KQtxfABfoqVefzX53B7C5_rAio81R7E74lK-kvm_PaGUGpw6bYPouJnmVsBFo6z7LMXk-A85qRrS3G81ueNJMRHu2f_5wXR_ygwO3xx3lH18dtOMlzbA/s400/IceFieldsParkway.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118744930785496706" /></a><br /><br />Riding horses on mountain trail near Lake Louise.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB7z-W84NtqIq1iFOXOab8AIHiw-gJ7zmEuDd0GzseDBe_8MHOsfM1UBJNgGGZ-XzOqwc4Wx2vfnvFQsUPe_RkW2uCIlDGCDrz47X3kUv7lzpojulcFuJSZTZXPlW5isEhQra/s1600-h/horseriding.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRB7z-W84NtqIq1iFOXOab8AIHiw-gJ7zmEuDd0GzseDBe_8MHOsfM1UBJNgGGZ-XzOqwc4Wx2vfnvFQsUPe_RkW2uCIlDGCDrz47X3kUv7lzpojulcFuJSZTZXPlW5isEhQra/s400/horseriding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118745158418763410" /></a><br /><br />Peyto Lake and Glacier:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkGLejBF6g9Qd2ZU5fD0oDlJ2H1bRWTaWWQX7dErjtqxNYl7IcZMJR1vWD0MCxPsObckpBGrPaszLGpfq_cJt8m-COM8_kx9c90HtxjUCAuT19DT9C7ZojC8iMFG-G2mPLYpw/s1600-h/PeytoLake.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkGLejBF6g9Qd2ZU5fD0oDlJ2H1bRWTaWWQX7dErjtqxNYl7IcZMJR1vWD0MCxPsObckpBGrPaszLGpfq_cJt8m-COM8_kx9c90HtxjUCAuT19DT9C7ZojC8iMFG-G2mPLYpw/s400/PeytoLake.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118745343102357154" /></a><br /><br />Peyto Lake<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir53yqKIsNVBOzX21aQuT2-gGZMzqfVduOkKmO67SHS_Vfzz7wQFfSIl60GKFsCBDpzqfcLAavCtvfOylUuO1nc46RKC1l7G0Bwzt-vwHwbP_ZptSnLdfZaZAQ7YR-Cb39op8M/s1600-h/PeytoLake2.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir53yqKIsNVBOzX21aQuT2-gGZMzqfVduOkKmO67SHS_Vfzz7wQFfSIl60GKFsCBDpzqfcLAavCtvfOylUuO1nc46RKC1l7G0Bwzt-vwHwbP_ZptSnLdfZaZAQ7YR-Cb39op8M/s400/PeytoLake2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118745738239348402" /></a><br /><br />View from hotel<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GT7IxHvjFdroS4uVgLnFG4FkFQKRRiz93AMp5IEWB-mUSJWbEKoArlt70tgmu7XkY8_Y1wedjAQSsDRc9aHSoMBnsj2nNO0_cGQP80KJrS8gZbi_0leGrsWZLZJmKp8TY9Xq/s1600-h/hotelview.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GT7IxHvjFdroS4uVgLnFG4FkFQKRRiz93AMp5IEWB-mUSJWbEKoArlt70tgmu7XkY8_Y1wedjAQSsDRc9aHSoMBnsj2nNO0_cGQP80KJrS8gZbi_0leGrsWZLZJmKp8TY9Xq/s400/hotelview.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118747963032407778" /></a><br /><br />Standing on rapidly receding glacier. In another 30-50 years, there won't be any here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo0OHJsOVH49xh8pZQXiBGEGQxEe-oPUbjh6BoZs7zUSHC5ANWfNwfSLSUC-j-HTw9EgngclNYKA17zDwxHPpc9aRkB5xKZUVn5IfLsH7ZSQjgwNHYrz6T-d_JImG1ciUYTS4/s1600-h/standingonglacier.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo0OHJsOVH49xh8pZQXiBGEGQxEe-oPUbjh6BoZs7zUSHC5ANWfNwfSLSUC-j-HTw9EgngclNYKA17zDwxHPpc9aRkB5xKZUVn5IfLsH7ZSQjgwNHYrz6T-d_JImG1ciUYTS4/s400/standingonglacier.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118745983052484290" /></a><br /><br />Til next time, Y'all.Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-68262747026103048602007-09-23T12:21:00.000-05:002007-09-23T12:43:34.381-05:00Split Neck Tee from Fitted KnitsWow, who would have thought this would take me so long. It's in Elsebeth Lavold's <a href="http://yarn.com/webs/0/0/0/0-1001-1294-1323/0/0/3693/">cotton frappe</a>. Really, I don't who comes up with the gauge on this labels. I knit it at 6 stitches to the inch on size 4 needles and really, it could be tighter. I like the yarn cuz, even though it's cotton, it has some stretch because it is a cabled construction (or is it chain?). And I love the color. When I saw it I had to get it. Navy blue with silver nylon parts running through it. The color is called "night", very fitting. For the trim I held together a strand of "dk weight" (again, totally false weight info) silk from Colourmart which is U.K. based (150 grams, aroudn 1200 yards for $16)and a strand of some pure sparkle hard stuff from Pinoguin that I got while in South Africa. It's really hard and scratchy, so a bit irritating on the neck, but it matched in color and I didn't want to order more yarn just for the trim so I used what I had.<br /><br />The patten is not so fitting, despite coming from a book titled Fitted Knits. I added a little bit of waist shaping, but it's still mostly a rectangle. I think from now on I'm going to always include back darts as well as bust and waist shaping. I think decreasing in the back is more necessary than the front because at least in the front we have boobs (or in my case, booblets) to take up some of the volume, but in the back it's just a bunch of loose fabric with nothing to fill the void. Not flattering.<br /><br />I had to adjust the gauge since I used a much finer yarn, so that I just knit according to the numbers for the 4th size. So I got a taste of what it's like to have to knit larger sizes. More stitches! And since it was knit in the round, all those tiny stockinette stitches just seemed to go on forever. I added the waist shaping in part just to break up the monotony. But actually, I like it. It's a cute design. <br /><br />Oh, and for the clasp I got two little separate pieces and then linked them together with a ring. Got them at Walmart in Calgary on my recent trip to Banff National Park (I'll show pictures next post). Hmm, this top is pretty international.<br /><br />Okay, enough info, here are the pics:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaN7JwRXDTnc2U8edcXxtRmcATePlKVNhWuVhC3dQFmdGeeigy0hck_IjwLq42aFr-nvGEVQjgl5mtyOLpOzi6Ijpfa8XEatWfAhPZWKCKqS7QZJl59PcmizY-vG5ECHzI0Dw/s1600-h/splitneck1.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQaN7JwRXDTnc2U8edcXxtRmcATePlKVNhWuVhC3dQFmdGeeigy0hck_IjwLq42aFr-nvGEVQjgl5mtyOLpOzi6Ijpfa8XEatWfAhPZWKCKqS7QZJl59PcmizY-vG5ECHzI0Dw/s400/splitneck1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113456193956548130" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D5iAHa8_d6HF0Vv2eyCMliMwyMWXyrBpz4EvwKjk8cuewApMrlL_3-IJ6K8pV6e6q2wgruG0elMth8rsObE19hbrSvddoKpGViOF_KbxB4OObJzCuhrOPEVtT-sjMEuo1uT2/s1600-h/splitneck2.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0D5iAHa8_d6HF0Vv2eyCMliMwyMWXyrBpz4EvwKjk8cuewApMrlL_3-IJ6K8pV6e6q2wgruG0elMth8rsObE19hbrSvddoKpGViOF_KbxB4OObJzCuhrOPEVtT-sjMEuo1uT2/s400/splitneck2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113456421589814834" /></a><br /><br />And that's it until next time, when I'll have another sweater of my own design to show. Til later, People!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-82710695423174933062007-08-27T09:08:00.000-05:002007-09-01T14:58:43.161-05:00Late Summer Special - CurvesJust in time for the end of summer (Chicago's summer is soo short), here's a pattern that I've been working on. It's already written up and <strike>will be available</strike> <span style="color:#cc0000;">is now available </span>over at the fantastic <a href="http://www.swankyknits.com/swankyknits/Home.html">Swanky Knits</a>! Trying to decide what to do with the neckline nearly drove me insane. I knew I didn't want it to be plain. I pretty much stumbled onto this shape and liked it, so I kept it. The sections of ribbing follow your curves, hence the name. I chose SWTC bamboo and it is a pleasure to knit with and wear. You must knit it tighter than the ball band or you're going to get lace, but a little goes a long way. This took less than 2 full balls for the 32" bust size. The largest sizes will not take more than 4. And the finished fabric is so slinky and feels so good against the skin.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8jx3TB0JxCyqRfdzKoMvIAJ6zsMfrSXvsqLGO-zgqAUJcwryCrLVkr2vDxfi1JIQkuqiPqgJGpmQ1-le4vwr83sucApMxItp9zfCN_-tAGjUlALAxsScttxeM_UPWAEPP81v/s1600-h/stretched.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103469300399943554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8jx3TB0JxCyqRfdzKoMvIAJ6zsMfrSXvsqLGO-zgqAUJcwryCrLVkr2vDxfi1JIQkuqiPqgJGpmQ1-le4vwr83sucApMxItp9zfCN_-tAGjUlALAxsScttxeM_UPWAEPP81v/s400/stretched.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sexy! Ribbing lines start with a little fullness at the hips, decreases for the waist, and increase to maximum fullness for the bust. In fact this shaping simply follows the actual decreases and increases of the top, with a bit extra for more visual effect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPvLIXwLQOX5ZyXM9GzMv3fFVUitB_1H7AvkdCV0DuZjtqU-gUqf13DSpBU2qS4cF-omx7SXcpiICMlU0u6tTdtBtsz5dLEq4pK5PhceJWF67qlV77MTt3XJNKdirKzjrXESa/s1600-h/beforefoliage.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103470782163660690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPvLIXwLQOX5ZyXM9GzMv3fFVUitB_1H7AvkdCV0DuZjtqU-gUqf13DSpBU2qS4cF-omx7SXcpiICMlU0u6tTdtBtsz5dLEq4pK5PhceJWF67qlV77MTt3XJNKdirKzjrXESa/s400/beforefoliage.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So I'm happy to have this off the needles and I've already worn it twice. The folks at work really like it. :-) So do I.<br /><br />In other news I'm proud to report that I have been slowing down on the yarn buying. I'm not sure how much of this is due to simply being incredibly poor and how much has to do with having another burgeoning interest (the natural hair thing). I think the poverty has kept me from buying but the hair thing has kept me from being too upset about it.<br /><br />However, I did get a gift certificate for Jimmy Beans Wool. I worked their booth at Stitches Midwest for a few hours. This Stitches was so different from my first. I had the last shift, so I got there 2 hours before the whole thing was over and helped them pack up. I didn't go around the market at all. I planned to at least look around, but in true Chicago fashion, the el had problems / was under construction, etc. (how many times did I take the subway in Seoul? Tons. How many times did it have problems? None.) so I was 5 minutes late instead of 30 minutes early and didn't have time to do anything but work. And I was starved, too, and was working off a couple handfuls of cashews and the lemon bars someone's mother brought for us. But still, Stitches was a good thing. My LYS, Loopy Yarns, had a party the Friday before and I met folk from out of town and there was cheese and wine, and y'all know how I love free alcohol. Don't they all look so happy?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DtmB4sxYAfb2WaahH7Uh3vCULu_rNOanqkmIOZ8PbApJ9rKaUlE_rRrp7cf9vVf4fRAwJg6o8OJAGf1vC33yNye0YKV-mkRAZVhoK9b7L3bAcuP4ZQrfzHgJQxG91Lhp7QmP/s1600-h/stitches2007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103474802253049762" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DtmB4sxYAfb2WaahH7Uh3vCULu_rNOanqkmIOZ8PbApJ9rKaUlE_rRrp7cf9vVf4fRAwJg6o8OJAGf1vC33yNye0YKV-mkRAZVhoK9b7L3bAcuP4ZQrfzHgJQxG91Lhp7QmP/s400/stitches2007.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And for my work at JBW's booth, with the gift certificate they gave me, I got these goodies. Like I said, I've cut back on yarn, so all I got yarn-wise was a couple balls of sock yarn from the new Kaffe Fasset Line, the <a href="http://www.yarn4socks.com/servlet/Detail?no=783">Landscape line in Fog</a>. Doesn't the yarn look absolutely nothing like the pic in the link above? I'm really hoping it magically turns into the pic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IFxNVRlUxfGMCDhTHuJsuoW47aP4c0BUTENps66As6-9DP7bh0HAZ_cEJ0v0RE0nxU64SQYchs4yJvkxuCHbg7-KzcuD72wnGLGwb5LXtuajEaDK6XR0zi81jXvGbreF_BdS/s1600-h/kaffefasset.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103481193164386226" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IFxNVRlUxfGMCDhTHuJsuoW47aP4c0BUTENps66As6-9DP7bh0HAZ_cEJ0v0RE0nxU64SQYchs4yJvkxuCHbg7-KzcuD72wnGLGwb5LXtuajEaDK6XR0zi81jXvGbreF_BdS/s400/kaffefasset.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I also got a <a href="http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/secure-html/onlinegen/currgen/FrenchGirl/FrenchGirlKnitandCrochetPatterns.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=5570">French Girl Margaux</a>, a pattern for a cape. We'll see if I can knit this for Halloween.<br /><br />But coolest of all is this bag from Lantern Moon. I love their baskets and bags, and this is pretty cute in person, too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOt0MuYqIwJnArjJIZR0Uo7ouY7l-FXfAe2mwXbN6xLVlCshKgLq1UWdHlb2MTV0DJuI3iMc1UYE0ljrsODBC_6Pj7N5WcHq31ZkYW-kg41sE6AlydY-RiMfK8NVMsTcmUx_W/s1600-h/lanternmoonbag.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103481927603793858" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOt0MuYqIwJnArjJIZR0Uo7ouY7l-FXfAe2mwXbN6xLVlCshKgLq1UWdHlb2MTV0DJuI3iMc1UYE0ljrsODBC_6Pj7N5WcHq31ZkYW-kg41sE6AlydY-RiMfK8NVMsTcmUx_W/s400/lanternmoonbag.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm off to California tomorrow to visit the family and I'll take along my Split Neckline tee from Fitted Knits and a sock project. I'll bring the socks and a book in this bag.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2Z3L6yYVFKt-KnuEjYmiqkloMQZLkPXtc0lm5d4_twi5jKcfQyPKmEenjVCFUd9bptb96mDC4E6ISJQAe74IAcBFWHiUJy9H6nTb470nyZU-NB2d8_XlZc8ukoVyrDyjcsoy/s1600-h/lanternmoonbag2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103482060747780050" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2Z3L6yYVFKt-KnuEjYmiqkloMQZLkPXtc0lm5d4_twi5jKcfQyPKmEenjVCFUd9bptb96mDC4E6ISJQAe74IAcBFWHiUJy9H6nTb470nyZU-NB2d8_XlZc8ukoVyrDyjcsoy/s400/lanternmoonbag2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Til later, Folks!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-33265936622185490052007-08-21T11:37:00.001-05:002007-08-21T13:55:45.643-05:00Beaded PillowShhhh. It's a sekwet. This is for my first homestay family in South Africa. The son is the only one who knows my blog address, hopefully he's not reading this right now. It's a beaded pillow.<br /><br />The yarn is Plymouth Encore in a cream color and a beige color. It was worked on size 7 needles. This makes the beige-ish beads hard to see in the photos, but they look very nice in real life. I prestrung the beads using dental floss threader. This works really well, so that I was able to get something like size 8 or 6 beads onto worsted weight with no problem. The pillow is a 14" form.<br /><br />The back is a simple fair isle pattern I got in 200 Knitted Squares, which is where I also got the leaf pattern, and the edging is a crochet picot-type edging.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Closeup of pillow and beads</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_qLqp5MEzvA1JezjzOK74pddAcZ2_SqH-jUS1zOcmdtstu7ZBrzged7Lz0iICuqG3TQdYDKsQm3_DCUzbvA-to4H4_1BGQmoryDI1rZPP5ff0OCinUV5LP8FtqeJHzQWbCJB/s1600-h/IMG_0236.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_qLqp5MEzvA1JezjzOK74pddAcZ2_SqH-jUS1zOcmdtstu7ZBrzged7Lz0iICuqG3TQdYDKsQm3_DCUzbvA-to4H4_1BGQmoryDI1rZPP5ff0OCinUV5LP8FtqeJHzQWbCJB/s320/IMG_0236.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101194591230701330" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Whole pillow<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjQ-Bp2PXDEmDJvHvDkQwk2VI5gfipaYQ6wwPiVf939FA4we4fwRGez6ywkeGbGVVt5BF2wxr0WrPD_3yR199DLYKm7r-UCyFq-mdqUOgIhoZuhfKbSmlvgcipTSE7BUghQJ1/s1600-h/wholepillow.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjQ-Bp2PXDEmDJvHvDkQwk2VI5gfipaYQ6wwPiVf939FA4we4fwRGez6ywkeGbGVVt5BF2wxr0WrPD_3yR199DLYKm7r-UCyFq-mdqUOgIhoZuhfKbSmlvgcipTSE7BUghQJ1/s400/wholepillow.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101228976738873186" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pillow back</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWK9kJNGz36ITgsmHfEbHXNhC6PpmpnAkwucfu6JhcxypYGzXV1hsWCwBPzRi_iVyId9BBAUXAPFX3TrO6JbK38fuHltLoB4Wya5FjqdukzctrjzRu8KucnqMK8H12DPiiQwR/s1600-h/pillowback.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWK9kJNGz36ITgsmHfEbHXNhC6PpmpnAkwucfu6JhcxypYGzXV1hsWCwBPzRi_iVyId9BBAUXAPFX3TrO6JbK38fuHltLoB4Wya5FjqdukzctrjzRu8KucnqMK8H12DPiiQwR/s400/pillowback.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101229049753317234" /></a>Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-68683841100414785012007-08-20T11:08:00.000-05:002007-08-20T11:48:31.001-05:00A Letter to My UterusNow you know I don't like to post without knitting content, but I'd decided to separate my post topics out a bit more. So tomorrow I'll post the pillow, which has actually been done for about a week now. For today, I have a letter.<br /><br />Continuing the fine tradition of writing letters to body parts (see <a href="http://theassimilatednegro.blogspot.com/2006/01/open-letter-from-black-guy-to-his.html">here</a> and <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2007/06/letter-to-my-hair-and-socks.html">here</a>), today I have a letter for my uterus.<br /><br />Dear Uterus,<br /><br /><strike>F%$#@! you! </strike><br /><br />Hmm, will all of my letters start this way? Okay, once more.<br /><br />Dear Uterus,<br /><br />Okay, I get it. For many years I didn't pay attention. I thought you and me were just chillin. Sure, you had to cramp all up like a MF'er every month but thank heavens for modern medicine because bc calmed that down significantly. But over the years your tiny little sweet girly voice has slowly turned into a loud and, dare I say, obnoxious roar. Now I don't think it would be an understatement to say that you are damn near yelling at me for not giving you what you want. And yeah, I know what you want. A baby.<br /><br />Never mind the fact that I don't actually like babies. Never mind that I am always the one holding a poopy smelling baby at arm's length running around in a panic like "what do I do with this?" And never mind the fact that any child left with me for more than a couple of hours only has a 50% chance of survival. It's not that I'm trying to kill them, it's that kids are stupid and will kill themselves if you don't watch out. Really, I think babies would just walk straight off a cliff if you didn't watch them. And I won't watch them. I'll forget about them for a second. And then it'll be all "hmm, oh shoot!, was I not supposed to leave Jr. in the bathtub with the hot water running?", or "dang, did I leave all the plastic bags from the grocery store on the floor where little Nene was crawling?" or "maybe I shouldn't have painted all the electrical sockets with clown faces" (okay, that last was a joke. But really, People, you do not want me watching your babies.) <br /><br />But no, you don't care about any of this. You have no foresight at all. You don't care that, should I have a child, I'd inevitably be forced to listen to the same joke (and trust, it will not be a funny joke because it will be a simple-minded thing from a kindergartener) 20 times because kids think the same joke is unendingly funny. What, you don't remember this exchange:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Kid:</span> And then he did it like this!!! hahahahaha<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Wow, that's funny.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Kid:</span> And then he did it like this!!! hahahahaha<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Yeah, I know, it was kinda funny.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Kid:</span> And then he did it like this!!! hahahahaha<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Me:</span> Um . . .<br /><br />Nope, none of this is important to you. You just want a baby on you, and you have no qualms about letting me know. I see cute little knit baby things, and you yell "<span style="font-weight:bold;">Make baby now!</span>" and I'm like "I don't have a husband" and you yell "<span style="font-weight:bold;">go make baby now!</span>" and I remind you that I don't even have a boyfriend and you yell even louder "<span style="font-weight:bold;">me want baby, baby in me now, make baby, baby</span>!" (um, did I tell you all my uterus sounds like a caveman?)<br /><br />Really, it's starting to get embarrassing. I'm afraid others can hear you, since you are doing it out in public now. I used to not really notice most men. Seriously, unless he was <span style="font-style:italic;">damn</span> fine I didn't even pay attention. Now whenever a halfway decent looking one walks by, you growl at them! Got me out here faking like I didn't hear it, looking nonchalantly up in the sky when they turn around wondering what nearby animal was growling at them. I still remember the first time it happened, shocked me to death. There I was, walking down the street all innocent like, and a well-groomed fairly good-looking guy passed by and you yelled "sex!" Hmm, don't mince words, do you? Now your goals are more clear, and you sometimes bypass me altogether and yell commands directly at them: "You can make baby, yes?! You make baby in me now!"<br /><br />So look, I'm just saying I understand where you're coming from. Next birthday marks three decades here and you're getting tired of waiting. I know you got all these hormones and what not, and societal pressures, and worries about the expiration date on the eggs (yeah, don't act like you and the ovaries aren't in this together; I know). But you're going to have to give me just a bit more time and maybe one day . . .<br /><br />Until next time,<br /><br />The Body You're InNikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34017344.post-71786087361055935392007-08-03T14:49:00.000-05:002007-08-03T16:30:21.933-05:00And the Winners Are . . .Okay, I don't usually have good ideas. In fact, my ideas are usually just plain bad. You know that person who's like, "yeah, I suppose we could just walk down the side of the mountain, but wouldn't it be better to go cascading off this waterfall? In a barrel? It's a barrel, so we wouldn't get hurt, see?" That's totally me. But <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2007/07/make-it-like-it-was.html">this contest</a>? This was a good idea. I got so many music suggestions. Thank you all so much! I have been able to add several new songs onto my Shuffle. Next music contest will be so you all can recommend some get crunk type music. Sometimes you just wanna <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2007/06/dancing-gangsters-wiped-into-shape.html">break somebody off hard gangsta style</a>, and you can't do that to no ultra mellow neo-soul. As it is, every time I hear some song and think "that beat is hard", almost before I can finish my thought somebody yells "ho" at me. I mean, I can take a little, but I have a 2 ho limit.<br /><br />So I listened to all your suggestions, or at least tried to. Y'all were supposed to give me specific songs, not just artists. So if you didn't I just listened to the first song or two I came upon or ones whose titles I liked. Not all of them were the type of music I usually like, but actually I think they were all good. Like Jason Mraz. Not the music I like, but I had to find out what disintegrates Ms. Pixie's panties, and indeed, his voice is pretty damn appealing. Same thing for Chad Perron. He ain't no <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYdiAbqQebA">Johnny Gill</a>, though. :) Van Hunt, too. He definitely has some panty melting powers. He had been recommended to me before, so I was glad to get some specific songs to listen to. Same for Lily Allen, though I had heard a song or two from her before. And Soko? Again, not my style, but that song is funny for real. Actually, there were lots of great songs that I couldn't make winners because I already knew them, like Chrisette Michelle's hit and also Corrine Bailey Rae's stuff, Robin Thick, Vivian Green too, among others. Hmm, what was I complaining about, I already had good music!<br /><br />Anyway, with no further ado, the winners. Choosing between first and second place was hard, but <span style="font-size:130%;">first place</span> has to go to:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" > Harlem Purl for Teedra Moses's - Rescue Me.</span> I am really feeling this woman's music. All your music suggestions were great.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Second place</span> goes to:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> EmunaMoriah7 for Raheem DeVaughn - Believe.</span></span> This dude's stuff, not just this song, is hot. In fact, while I was listening to it, I felt a breeze in my nether regions and looked down to discover that, in fact, I was no longer wearing panties. Looking around the room, it was obvious that my panties had simply exploded, the floor being littered with panty shrapnel. Even poor Enif the bunny got hit:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1ixq2MRtTKtRpbN3YnXLcKx_IqVgUXaP1PIO74O1Sj2X5S8eOrxtiR1zfZNnBpXBd-r3CSt2xYDsQTgXRTAOdUv46V9_NMeeWBxw-afltj71LJkc3o54WUz5N2VetrAjvhzi/s1600-h/pantyshrapnel.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1ixq2MRtTKtRpbN3YnXLcKx_IqVgUXaP1PIO74O1Sj2X5S8eOrxtiR1zfZNnBpXBd-r3CSt2xYDsQTgXRTAOdUv46V9_NMeeWBxw-afltj71LJkc3o54WUz5N2VetrAjvhzi/s320/pantyshrapnel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094574841164393234" border="0" /></a><br />(You know he's going to get punked on the bunny playground for this picture. That crumb is a piece of cereal, the only way he'd let me take this photo)<br /><br />There's something that reminds me a bit of D'Angelo with him. Emuna, I loved all your suggestions, too.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Third place</span> goes to:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Aruni for Amel Larrieux - Beyond</span></span> . This song was great, and it got me onto some of her other stuff, which is also great. Thank you.<br /><br />And to mix it up a bit, <span style="font-size:130%;">fourth place</span> goes to:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ms. Pixie Riot for Jamie Cullum - "earlier stuff"</span></span>. That was real not specific, girlfriend. Even less specific than Melissa Knits "bonus tracks off the Japanese only CD". So since I didn't know what I was looking for, I just went to You Tube and typed in his name. The stuff that came up wasn't Japanese (sorry Melissa), but I kinda liked it. Different than what I would normally go for, but I did kinda like "Get Your Way".<br /><br />Okay, winners, please email me so we can arrange your prizes. To everyone else, thank you so much for the suggestions, and conciliatory cookies will be making their way to your houses. I'm just joking, you're not going to get a cookie. :-( But I really do appreciate it.<br /><br />So, back to knitting. My knitting has been dragging since I discovered <a href="http://www.nappturality.com/">this site for nappy-haired folk</a> like myself. I love this site, so much info, and I have gotten over my <a href="http://knitensity.blogspot.com/2007/06/letter-to-my-hair-and-socks.html">hair rage</a>. For now. I highly recommend this site to nappy folk, especially those struggling with their hair (you know who I'm talking to, and email me for the low-down if you want to know more). I even made a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57278355@N00/sets/72157601018650172/">hair photo album</a>. So yeah, knitting has been slow. But I am nearing completion on a pillow I'm making for my first homestay family in South Africa. I really wanted to knit stuff for each member of the family, but that will have to wait until next year, and that's if I start now.<br /><br />The squares are for 200 Knitted Blocks or some such book. You know, the ones where they say they have 200 designs but really it's like 50 designs, each in 4 different color combos? Hello! Changing the color is not changing the design. So misleading. Anyway, it was my first time knitting with beads. Check out the results of my deflowering:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6Mem6NE256yYNIT09kEimYcVEbG7cOp73xnbEYtexBQTey57eyE-_FY4YVtUmSCDbHpOv1boiUeuEYCBuuVG7LdwQcwkKpb3c9V_FBZpBSD9sTSd4eLU64ZvJBYvnAt_WEeN/s1600-h/beadleafsquare.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6Mem6NE256yYNIT09kEimYcVEbG7cOp73xnbEYtexBQTey57eyE-_FY4YVtUmSCDbHpOv1boiUeuEYCBuuVG7LdwQcwkKpb3c9V_FBZpBSD9sTSd4eLU64ZvJBYvnAt_WEeN/s320/beadleafsquare.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094585320884595490" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Isn't it pretty? Okay, I know you can't see the beads that well. They're a really light color, in the stockinette portions surrounded by the reverse stockinette. I pre-strung the beads using dental floss threader. I actually have no idea how you use dental floss threader when flossing your teeth, but they work really well for getting beads onto yarn. I did 4 squares like this for the front, and the back is a simple fair isle pattern that I did most of in the airport DFW while my plane was being delayed. People stare! They act like they've never seen a twentysomething with a fro knitting fair isle before.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuDKgk-nJ7szDXaGVPWvaKLjmVhe8F2rZKVw4U3rVLB3P9HH0t_gM8b1-bcUxiIGnwq39n7GEeubogHfsFsYGOhAMcJQzERS9a6PCm7qQAYu6FptcD3b_ZTqn5Iv78xlXnB8D/s1600-h/pillow+squares.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuDKgk-nJ7szDXaGVPWvaKLjmVhe8F2rZKVw4U3rVLB3P9HH0t_gM8b1-bcUxiIGnwq39n7GEeubogHfsFsYGOhAMcJQzERS9a6PCm7qQAYu6FptcD3b_ZTqn5Iv78xlXnB8D/s320/pillow+squares.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094586566425111346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The yarn is Plymouth Encore. I can't remember the brand or size of the beads. They are probably 8/0 or 6/0. I was really amazed they fit on worsted weight. Yay, dental floss threader!<br /><br />Okay, time to wrap up. In my next post:<br />*the conclusion of the pillow<br />*a new top design and pattern<br />*a letter to my uterus<br /><br />Thanks for reading, People!Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05458324941217103720noreply@blogger.com6