creative soul confessions

And miles to go before I sleep...

Rest In Peace

James Brown
1933-2006

More here, here, and here.

Happy Birthday to the Fab Ms. Granny

Happy Birthday Granny!
I know you're singing with the angels, dancing with Eddie, and smiling down on all of us. I love you bunches and miss you every day.
Love,
Your Loving Granddaughter

Irrational Entrelac Obsession

It all started with a Noro pattern. One word of advice... if you decide to make this, know that it is one of the most poorly written patterns I have ever seen.  No matter what you do, if you follow the pattern, it WILL be wrong. Period.

That said, I decided I NEEDED an entrelac sweater. This was so far beyond a "want." In fact, it was more like the culmination of an irrational, all consuming obsession. I needed it like I need to breathe (hey, I told you this was completely irrational). I've already made a Lady Eleanor wrap and a Market Squares Bag, so the next logical progession is a cardigan, right? And after that... I see an funky entrelac hat in my future, but that's another story for a different day.

And so... after being inspired by the incredibly f'ed-up Noro pattern, I basically decided to write my own. I grabbed a few skeins of Noro Iro from my inventory and started knitting without a clue as to where I was going. Eventually, I created a new and improved oversized entrelac cardigan. This is the end result of my efforts...

Pretty awesome, huh? The only thing I would change is the buttons. I used 3 huge ones, but I think it needs 4 more rustic looking ones. Once I finally decide not to wear it, I'll rip out the buttonband, knit a new one with 4 buttonholes, and change the buttons. Seriously, I don't think I've taken the sweater off since just after this photo was taken, except, of course, when I'm sleeping. Though I did fall asleep on the couch with it on the night I finished it. I think I'm in love.

Cha-ching Indeed!

Have you seen those commercials for CashCall? You know those crazy, annoying commercials with Gary Coleman as a spokesman? Well, today I used my Tivo to read the fine print because, you know, I'm a curious girl. And what I discovered blew me away...

So, as an example of their loan terms they give the following... The annual percentage rate for a $2600 loan is 99.25%! The payments a borrower is expected to make are broken down into 42 payments of $216.55 which means, for the privilege of borrowing $2600, you pay $9095.10. In other words they make a profit of $6495.10. I only have one question... how can I start a business like that? I dig those profit margins. But seriously, so many people who are desperate will be taken advantage of. I hope they read the fine print.

Moving on to better things... H&M is opening in Pasadena tomorrow. Yes, those are tears of happiness in my eyes. I love this store. In fact, I regularly spent an ungodly amount of money at the H&M in Manhattan. Heck, H&M may even get me to shop in the Beverly Center again. I honestly can't stand that mall, but for H&M - I'd seriously consider making an exception.

Yeah, I know...

I keep saying I won't disappear, then I do. But I have (yet another) excuse. I was in the process of moving and OMG... if I never do that again it will be too soon.

So yeah, I took another break...

Not an intentional one, but I had a lot on my plate. First there was the issue of dealing with someone I thought was a good friend who completely flipped out on me. Unfortunately, they pulled someone else into the madness who I also used to really admire and respect. The whole thing reeked of high school. He said, she said, they said... blah, blah, blah. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and really, I have no desire to revisit that place. I'm too old. Although I really want to speak my mind about this, I've chosen to leave it alone. It's just really not worth the drama of letting it have any more energy in my life.

After that drama was resolved, the most amazing thing happened. An incredible opportunity was presented to me by a new, and very good, friend. Before I talk about that, I have to say this... as an adult, one of the hardest things to do is make new friends. You want to make friends, you try to make friends, but more often than not you end up with a lot of acquaintances - i.e. people you really like, but never really get to know as well as you'd like to. Then there are those people who make themselves available to you, who respect and admire you as much as you respect and admire them. I am fortunate to have met several people like that over the last few years, and I am honored by and grateful for their friendship. However, one in particular has proved to be one of my angels as well. Funny thing, you never know who your angels will be.

My guardian angel is, of course, The Fab Miss Granny and evidently she has enlisted a few folks to help her out.

That said, here's why I've been silent for a while...

I have recently become the new co-owner of my favorite LYS. Yup, my dream became a reality and I am so freaking excited to be in the position to really share my love of the fiber arts. 

The one thing I didn't realize was that this is a 7 day a week gig. I'm working my butt off. That's not a bad thing. It just is what it is. It didn't leave a lot of time to post. But things are beginning to mellow out now. So hopefully, there won't be a lapse this long again.

Go Taylor?

Wouldn't this be a vastly different country if the American public paid as much attention to  Presidential Elections as they paid to American Idol? Now before you get your beautifully hand-knitted panties in a bunch, I know that you don't have to be 18 to phone in your vote, you don't have to register in advance, you don't have to sit through endless hours of negative ads and smear campaigns, you don't have to drive to the polls, you don't even have to think too hard to vote for the AI winner. But that's not the point. The issue is that people, in general, placed more value on the winner of a televised talent show than they did their futures. More than 63 million votes were tallied. Sixty freaking 3 million. Maybe if the next presidential candidates had a karaoke competition instead of a debate voters would actually give a damn.

I Am A Spinning Goddess

Okay... maybe not a Goddess yet, but soon. I'm on a mission.

We have here my super cool birthday gift from my good friend Annette...

And the first fruits of my labor...

It's a Louet S10, which - as I understand it - is one of the best wheels to begin with. At least that's what I've been told.

I should mention that I have a problem with being outdone by gadgets. Any gadget. And initially I saw the spinning wheel and drop spindle as just another couple of gadgets that needed to be conquered. And I did exactly that, but somewhere along the line, the gadgets won. Spinning is taking over my life. This is freaking ridiculous. Something deep in my brain snapped and I have the beginning of a serious fiber addiction brewing. Or, more accurately, the fiber addiction I had in the first place is now completely out of control.

I've got about 2 lbs. of this beautiful Colonial roving from the Ashland Bay Trading Company (the colorway is Northern Lights):

I've spun enough for 2 hanks (so far). I've also learned how to ply yarn, however I've discovered that I like it better unplied (is that actually a word?). The resulting yarn is much smoother.  I've also learned that I prefer spinning thinner yarns. But eventually I'd like to learn how to make really interesting and fun yarns like the ones made by Pluckyfluff. In fact, I think I'm going to attend one of her upcoming spinning camps. (Told you, I'm out of control) This really is so much more relaxing than I ever thought it would be. I knew it was a slippery slope. There's no turning back now. The only thing left to do is figure out what to make with the yarn I've made. But really, that's the least of my concerns right now... I just have to keep spinning... and spinning... and spinning... and spinning...

bueller... bueller....

I've been a bad blogger. Bad, bad, bad. But, in my defense, I've been busy. During it all, I've been knitting and crocheting.  I have proof, too. See...

This is the back of lift & separate from Big Girl Knits. In fact, since this photo was taken, I've completed all but the second sleeve and the trim. This is one insanely cute, well designed, great fitting sweater.

This is on the way to becoming a bag, I think. But I'm not exactly sure yet.

I'm also working on a bag design which is well on the way to being pretty awesome, another sweater from BGK, finishing two socks at once using the magic loop, just finished  knitting my mom's mother's day gift which now needs to be felted, made 3 knitted babes, and I'm obsessed with spinning. I'm also cleaning out my stash and planning to donate it to a senior community that my grandmother was very involved with. OMG, I have so freaking much yarn in my house, most of it from my pre-yarn snob connoisseur days. It multiplied like tribbles!

Life goes on.

By the way, have you seen these stickers?:

I need them. So awesome!

 

The Sock Apathy Ends Here

I have a confession to make. I have sock apathy, better known to most as second sock syndrome.

For reasons unknown, after turning the heel, I lose all interest in making a second sock. And so, I have 3 completely different socks. One short and ribbed. One long and not ribbed.  And one that never fit because I followed the pattern instead of fitting it to my foot (made in my first sock class) which is now filled with lavender and residing in my sock drawer. But at least I had the foresight to make them all out of the same yarn so technically, I can wear them at the same time.

I tried again to make a pair. And sure enough, I turned the heel on the first sock and lost interest. This time I chalked it up to my extreme dislike of the color. As I knit, the color that looked nice on the skein was actually pretty freakin' fugly. So I ripped it out and gave the yarn away.

Third time... that was supposed to be a charm right?  Nope. My apathy deepened to depths I never imagined. Not only did I not finish the second sock, but the first was abandoned right after I turned the heel. Loved the color though.

 

So when the opportunity popped up to learn how to make 2 socks at once, I jumped on it.

Thus far, I've learned the twisted german cast on (which makes a super stretchy, but extremely durable cast on edge) and - the technique that is going to save me from sock apathy once and for all - using the magic loop method to knit 2 socks at once.

 

Everything is falling into place. Beautiful yarn, learning something new, having fun and the best part - when this is done I'll (finally) have 2 socks that match! And that apathy thing... gone.