hamster book

hamster book
Originally uploaded by mc78

Rest in Peace Blog

This was so good while it lasted. My knit blogging days are off into the sunset. I'll go ahead and blame Ravelry. Please keep in touch with me there. I really enjoyed sharing ideas with people via the blog. I may resume the blog at a later date, so I won't erase it entirely, but I'm not likely to update it again for a long while.

Thanks everyone!

Guess What Today Is?

Actually, I realized this sometime last week. It's Christmas knitting time!?!?!?!?! That drama completely snuck up on me. I forgot all about it. There I was happily knitting for numero uno, myself, when I realized that I would have to materialize some gifts in a matter of weeks.

All is not lost. I only have 2 knit gifts in mind. I started a pillow for my aunt years ago that maybe I'll finish and my brother wanted some slippers. I can do this! Is there some Christmas cram along somewhere?

My First Tea Swap

I participated in my first ever swap. You sign up to give and get tea and yarn. My partner was Lori, a fine knitter, spinner and dyer from Maine. She said she liked fruity teas so I got her some blueberry that sounded so good I wanted some for myself. Then I got some from her part of the swap. Ha! I was a bit intimidated picking out yarn for a yarn connoisseur. I selected some roving from Lisa that Lori liked. And I waited in line at Garrett's on Michigan for some Chicago mix popcorn. I had a magazine in my bag that day so it was all right. And I got a seat on the freak bus that way.

In return I got a box packed tight with goodies. I was plenty spoiled. I got cookies, honey, yarn, stitch markers, tea, candy, chapstick, claws, the list goes on and on. As part of the swap we were supposed to share photos of our favorite mugs. Um. I didn't have one. So Lori saved the day with this great blue mug with a moose on it. And she got me a mini llama that I named Cicero. He was there from October 27 to October 31. I was freaking out thinking the swap box had fallen prey to Chicago's infamous postal system, but everything made it safely to my greedy little arms. My swap partner was outstanding. Many, many thanks to Lori.

Black Sheep

The SSNB saw Black Sheep last night, so I'm including the review.

So now for the moment you've all been waiting for the SSNB movie review. Black sheep was about two brothers, Henry and Angus, who grow up on a sheep farm in New Zealand. Angus traumatized Henry at an early age and he had a paralyzing fear of sheep. We flash forward to recent times to learn that Henry's fears were justified. Angus was conducting genetic experiments turning sheep into wanton love goddesses. Indeed this movie was rated X as noted by an SSNBer. There was such laying and begating as only occurred in the Old Testament (Leviticus).

Meanwhile two PETA love children were attempting to wreak havoc on the cruel inhumane practice of sheep farming. They stole one of Angus' discarded experiments and accidentally set it loose. So began the attack of the killer zombie sheep. Herein Sigourney Weaver's costar from Alien resumed it's stellar career as a slimy prenatal sheep of doom biting man and beast alike. The resulting sheeple, as an SSNBer noted, carried on the plague.

Menacing sheep from all New Zealand terrorized the land. They were merino we gathered as 70% of merino comes from New Zealand. Bret and Jermaine were not in the movie so we were a bit disappointed. In the end, the sheep’s' own flatulence brought about their downfall. "Put another shrimp on the barbie," said an SSNBer although that's from Australia. The knitters stuffed their bags with treats and departed (although maybe that was just the author). Until the next digest.

Fall Headband

I hate knitting with patterns. I hate it because you're always tied to your book or pdf or whatever. You've got to be on the right line at the right time or wreak havoc on your project. You have to time your transportable knitting to make sure you won't either need the book or reach a complicated spot on the road. So I like to improvise.

This brings its own problems. This headband for instance has been frogged two times already. Thankfully it's a quick knit or it would already be in the darkest recess of my closet. Somewhere even my hamster wouldn't poop.

I imagined this headband as a meditation on fall. It's more like a blast of wind upsetting your recently raked pile of leaves. I was hoping the (shudder) fun fur would create kind of a thrumming effect on the headband. It's not thrummed looking, but it's not too bad either. Here's the pattern while my headband remains unfrogged.

Fall Headband Pattern

Yarn: Chunky solid, Two strands of (sigh) fun fur held together
Needles: Size 8s circular or double points

Cast on 24 stitches in the chunky solid, join and don't twist!

Knit 4 rounds.

Round 5. Beginning with the 1st stitch knit in (omigod) fun fur every other stitch for one round.
Round 6. Beginning on the 2nd stitch knit in (eww) fun fur ever other stitch for one round.

Knit 8 rounds.

Round 15. Knit first 2 stitches in (why) fun fur. Knit next two stitches in chunky solid. Alternate yarns every 2 stitches for one round.

Round 16. Repeat round 15.

Knit 8 rounds and start all over with round 5. Carry on in this manner until the headband is 22 inches. Please measure your own head circumference. I like to think mine is unique.

Bind off. Join in that sweater seam thing you do for shoulders.

Aren't I ironic? I complain about patterns and post one.

Autumn at Last

Yesterday I left the cube to behold a magnificent sunset. The world was dipped in shades of magenta with undertones of blue, orange and lavender. It was better than sock yarn. I would've snapped a photo, but I didn't have a camera. Besides the bus showed up before I could fully absorb nature's majesty. This is autumn. I wore my country club shawl as a really fat scarf all day. Yes it was a bit awkward, but I didn't care. I was glad to have it on. I've included some detail of the stitch. The bobbly side is the correct one, but the opposite side is the one people find more interesting.

I also present my sock. It's the cuff sock from Knit Socks by Betsy McCarthy. All in all, the inspiration is rising for some kind of autumn project. I'm thinking a headband. And maybe I'll heat up that cocoa too.