I’ve been a busy girl

Posted on November 4, 2008 by HappyGoth

But first, HOORAY FOR OBAMA (and at the time of writing this I’m heading to bed, because excited idiots are shooting their guns into the air, pretty much all around in the neighborhood; the West End, she is a colorful neighborhood)! HOORAY FOR NOT VOTING FOR THE LOSING GUY! and even more so HOORAY FOR OBAMA!

*ahem*

I have done many and several things that I’ve not blogged about (I am fixing this right now):

cat in box by you.

1. I rearranged the knitting room, and bought a new shelf, just for yarn. The cat (Lemmy) approves.

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nine taylors by you.

2. The Nine Taylors sock kit has arrived, and has begin to be knit. I do not have photos of its progress, but I do have the above documentation of it in its pristine, newly opened state. And there’s this teeny little ball of yarn in it, wound so that you can pull all the colorwork strands from one center pull ball! See?

colorwork ball by you.

So very cool. I am intimidated and elated, all at the same time (it tickles).

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living room by you.

3. I had a Halloween party at my house! Jennie helped hang paper tentacles in the windows. I think I might need to figure out how to put up more permanent tentacles. They look so nice! The room got a lot more decorated after this, and then I pulled most of it down post-party.

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shiny by you.

4. I SPUN MY FIRST YARN! This is the spindle (sorry for the fuzzy photo; the flash is broken). I bought it from Zebisis Designs on etsy, and I wish I could leave more than 100% positive feedback. I’m not a fantastic spinner, by any means, but I’d never done it before today, and this is what I’ve got now:

my first handspun by you.

It’s lumpy and weird, but I think most of that is due to my lack of skill drafting. The spindle is smooth and wonderful, and it’s been letting me learn drafting without having to worry about the twist. I think I’m in love. Here’s more of the same:

more handspun by you.

The last bit I did was very thin, and I got overexcited about adding twist to it so I could park and draft, and I snapped the fiber. So I’ll keep working on that drafting thing. Thanks to the Chicken Goddess for the lovely practive roving (it’s Copper Pot Woolies in Mango Berry, unknown wool type).

And as a special treat, Maiysha of Zebisis Designs threw in some hand-dyed silk to play with:

silk by you.

I can’t wait until I feel confident enough with my drafting skills that I can spin this, too (and also, I blame Baobh and the Chicken Goddess completely for sucking me into yet another craft).

I spent the remainder of my evening watching the election coverage and doing some work on the Super Secret project, which involved me learning Magic Loop (somewhat successfully, and with only a mild amount of cursing).

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And do you know what else?

Posted on November 4, 2008 by HappyGoth

I really hate PowerPoint.

Thanks. I needed to get that off my chest (it’s like a giant, sleep-inducing crappy Microsoft product, intent on lulling me into a stupor. Huh huh. I said “stupor”).

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Go vote

Posted on November 4, 2008 by HappyGoth

Or I’ll dress like this more often:

DSC_3278 by you.

(for some of you, this may not be adequate incentive)

Anyhow, that was my Halloween costume, and the Chickengoddess got some excellent pictures as well. I feel this surpasses the awesomeness of last year’s pirate costume, both in quality and in creep factor. I submit, as well:

DSC_3305 by you.

See? And also, others dressed up:DSC_3320 by you.

J.J. Doggle is not in costume, but he makes a good accessory. (Thanks to J.J.’s dad, David Naugle, for taking the awesome photos).

Anyway. After the party, which was the Party of All the Food in the Universe (And Then Some), we cleaned up and then I sat around the house doing nothing and decompressing, and then on Sunday the Chicken Goddess and I went to Knitch for knitting (as opposed to skiing or investment banking). We were not the only ones unloading leftover foodstuffs, as there was a veritable feast of chips and baked goods. I am still reeling from the effects of too much cake. As an additional treat, the lovely Claudia brought her equally lovely German mother, sister, and nephew, who shared our knitting table. Her nephew is one of the sweetest, most well-behaved kids I’ve run into in quite a while. Then I went home and worked on the Super Secret project some more (I’m officially halfway done!), and strung the beads onto the contrast color so that I can begin to knit the Nine Taylors socks (I know – I shouldn’t take on another project until I finish the ones I’ve got, but if you had this kit, you’d start it, too. I’m just sayin’).

Tonight I plan on working out with the rowing machine and knitting while I watch election coverage (VOTE if you have not already done so), but not rowing and knitting at the same time. That would be foolish.

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Halloween was awesome

Posted on November 3, 2008 by HappyGoth

But I’m not telling you about it just yet. Instead, I’m sharing this awesome YouTube video:

Holy crap. Just… yeah.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Posted on October 31, 2008 by HappyGoth

Halloween #29 by stevechasmar.

[Image from stevechasmar’s excellent Halloween in the Time of Cholera flickr set]

Yay! This is my very favorite holiday ever, and my favorite day of the whole year. I think it has replaced Christmas (and quite soundly, I might add). It is not because I am of the Gothic persuasion (though I am). No, it is because I (1) love to dress up and (2) hate the Christmas season with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas. I like getting together with family and doing things in the cold and decorating the tree and going to midnight Mass. I do not, however, like the whole crappy consumer hype leasing up to it. I remember in the not-so-long-ago that you got to celebrate Halloween clean, and then right after Thanksgiving you’d see Christmas things in the stores. I like it like that. I went to buy Halloween candy and decorations last week (well before Halloween) and I had to endure canned Christmas carols and hunting through Christmas decorations to find the last of the spooky paper plates. We are not amused.

So I’ve decided that Halloween is my new Christmas. I had lots of fun last night with Jennie, cutting out tentacles to stick to the windows, and spreading fake cobweb over the bushes. We listened to Halloween music and drank hot tea, and it was marvelous. Much better than listening to the same Celine Dion carols over and over. I think next year I’ll continue this tradition, and make up some new obligatory Halloween activities including, but not limited to, a festive knitted item (Yorick is on my Ravelry queue).

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PSA

Posted on October 30, 2008 by HappyGoth

I’m not a biker, but I play one on TV (I’ve always wanted to say that last bit). Seriously, though. I’ve known many bikers in my life, and nearly all of them have been thoroughly decent people. So when the fabulous Baobh told me about BACA, I decided I must blog about it.

Bikers Against Child Abuse

It’s a great, empowering thing.

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Why I knit, reason #14

Posted on October 29, 2008 by HappyGoth

Because I went to vote today (go and vote early, if you can, because it’s going to be crazy on Tuesday!), and although I was in line for a full three and a half hours, I finished many rows of Rivendell sock. I think I’m nearly to the toe now! And I wasn’t bored at all. I had two coworkers with me, which also helped.

But boy, am I ever glad to have that over with. Somebody in line ahead of us commented, “Thank god this only happens every four years.” I am so in agreement.

(Maybe tomorrow one of the coworkers will send the cheesy photo of us in line, and I can show you just how crazy it was. Tuesday is going to be pandemonium, on the level of perhaps an x-box release or a really gigantic concert or the line for DragonCon tickets at 10:30am on the Saturday of the con, since that is kind of what it was like today)

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Because it is chilly

Posted on October 28, 2008 by HappyGoth

I offer up this handy link to knitting patterns for warm objects (scarves, hats, and gloves). Baobh and I are totally enamored of these patterns at the moment.

Smariek Knits

(I am loving the Georgiana lace scarf, and will knit it in some of the Noro I’ve been drooling over. Because I can’t pass up an excuse to use more Noro. Or maybe Manos. Or this Manos.)

(Side note: does anybody else immediately think of Manos: the Hands of Fate whenever somebody mentions Manos yarn? Because I do.)

I realize now that I have a woefully small number of hand-knitted scarves. I do not wear knit gloves or hats much, but I love scarves, and mine are all pashmina. I will have to fix this. Wooo! Another reason to knit.

Reason #13 for why I knit: It makes cold weather more fun.

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It’s 43 degrees outside!

Posted on October 27, 2008 by HappyGoth

And I’m not wearing a coat! Nor am I wearing a long-sleeved shirt under my sweater! I have retained my Chicago fortitude.

I’m also not wearing this (any longer; we sold it):

IMG_3877 by you.

(But I’m excited that it’s almost coat weather)

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I love you, WordPress.

Posted on October 27, 2008 by HappyGoth

But like a brother.

For when I break my blog, thinking that I know the CSS, even though I do not know the CSS (notice my telling use of erroneous articles, such as “the”), you fix it for me, and everything is Just Fine.

Well, except that I still don’t know CSS, but that’s not your fault.

And then (and then) although my lovely friend Lessa went to Rhinebeck and bought me a Nine Taylors sock kit and then I got all excited and took a photograph, and although I did remember (finally) to bring my design portfolio to show my students, I have forgotten my camera cable and cannot show you the grainy photographs I took of said sock kit. I did wind the lovely hanks of yarn into center-pull balls in preparation for starting the project, though. I have so far been petting it, and am going to start right after Halloween and the Big Party (we’ve only been in the house for three months, and I’m unpacking like a mad woman, so that people who visit don’t see how truly horrible I am at housekeeping). I’m worried that with this project, the new and exciting spindle coming to me soon, and also the Smells of the Middle Ages project I just cooked up, the other projects I’m working on are going on hiatus. I start with good intentions, really I do! But I have no willpower, and I am easily distracted. Heaven only knows what will happen when Baobh gets her alpaca farm…

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