Sunday, February 26, 2006

knitPro

Discovered knitPro courtesy of a new book I bought: The Happy Hooker. Between us all, we own the author's other books, but this one focuses on crochet, which is my favorite crafty, by far. Trust me, if I could find/figure out a way to make even $10K less a year than I do now as someone who did crafty/crochetey/fibery/beady things, I'd abandon my current profession, and take up the cause. The problem is, most women who can be "designers" have a husband who pays the bills. Trust me, that is not the case here.

If you click on my Title above, it will take you to microRevolt, the website where knitPro lives.

Ok, No More Plague Dreams....the last one was of a flood...and it was freaky.

I'm done with plagues.

Nightmares...

Ew.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Crocheting Madness

Solid Grannies: The Ultimate Utilitarian Square

I've included some instructions below from a site by Pumamouse. She and I vary in several ways, but the look is identical. Here are my variations first.

First, I crochet only four chains to make my initial loop...I also crochet over the slip knot's tail and the tug on it before I secure it...that makes for a closed center.

I don't slip stitch to a corner and always start in a corner. I usually just chain 3 for the dc above where I slip stitched the round before closed and I'm careful to make each corner, not with 3dc ch2 3dc, but instead use 2dc ch2 2dc.

These solid grannies are wonderful for modular clothes, blankets, bags and more. If you like, you can make on huge one and have an afghan from hell that's just this huge, solid piece of material. I've been using my variation on this old pattern for about 20 years now and occassionally I get a yearning for a traditional granny and do one with shells and all those lovely little holes.

Current project:
A baby blanket for Stephanie. It's being made from this cool Red Heart discontinued yarn that I scrounged at AC Moore's mill ends bin. I got six 6oz. skeins for about $7. I have managed, this season, to score specialty yarns in the $11 range for as little as $2 a skein and it's been great. Can't wait to make more stuff for the business and for my Tuscan makeover for my house.

The baby blanket is a bit unconventional in color. Pale teal, purple, rich blue and a forest green make up the colorway. It's a discontinued yarn from a coupla seasons ago, but it's supersoft like their tweedy/heathered skeins. I'm either going to border it in purple or light teal... haven't decided yet. The forest green might work, too, but it'd have to be a Caron yarn since C&C never made anything that matches this. Total Cost: $3 or less not including 'sweat equity'.

Right now, the blankie is about 2 feet across. At 3 feet, I'll call it a day and I might get there using less than 12 oz of the varigated yarn. I love making baby blankets. Must be senility setting in.



The Ring: Make a loop on hook, Ch 6, Sl St to first Ch to form a ring.

Round One: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 2 DC into ring, Ch 2, 3 DC into ring, Ch 2, 3 DC into ring, Ch 2, 3 DC into ring, Ch 2, Sl St to top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3.

Round Two: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 2 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner. (3 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner) three times. Sl St to the top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3.

Round Three: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 4 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner. (7 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner), three times. 2 DC, Sl St to the top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3.

Round Four: Ch 3 to count as first DC, 6 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner. (11 DC, 2 DC into corner, Ch 2, 2 DC into corner), three times. 4 DC, Sl St to the top (third chain) of beginning Ch 3. Finish off.

Just keep going. It grows.

from PUMAMOUSE...
http://pumamouse.com/crochetbasicgrannys.html

Monday, February 06, 2006

Doom-age

http://www.doommovie.com/

Too graphic for movie theatres? Is Karl nekkid? Is there a god?

I'm feeling all proud of myself. I finished the last 525 pages of "Possession: A Romance" by A.S. Byatt in my spares last night at work. Now I read fairly fast, but this is a dense book. Not that it's weighty, but it's very...British. Love that, actually, and it ended extremely well, for which I am ALWAYS pleased. I hate shitty endings, where all has to go wrong for someone to feel it's worthy literary fiction. What gets me about fiction at all is that I read between 325 and 500 pages an hour making a $25 dollar expenditure for a new novel ridculous. If I were on a fiction glut, I could wipe out $75-100 bucks in a day before my eyes crossed at that rate. Screw that. I wait for $4.95 at B/N. Cheaper than a magazine is good in my world anyday.

Heard the Steelers won.
Whoop.

Now, off to send good health and feel goods to Nimmie and hit the road for some power shopping and later, nappage.

Must pick out new book for today.

Started jotting Regency stuff again. Wish I had sticktoitiveness.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Happy B'day to Me, Agani Aniwaya

Happy B'day to Me!

I'm having a fair day. Tonight, family is going to sport lasagna for me! But, in the meantime, I'm drinking a Dew and listening to Sting and Jimmy Buffet on some sort of b'day celebration rotation.

I'm using my new omg power supply with my laptop. It cost a bloody fortune and pisses me off that I have to buy one after the third Dell I had shit itself. Frustrating. This one cost $40 more. Yep, that's right. $40.

Reading "The Celts" and "Gods of the Celts" but I also have "The Return of King Arthur", "Possession" and "Pompeii". Am I omnivorous? Oh yeah!

"DOOM" available Tues.
I work lots next week.
*yawn*

I can't stay awake.

Abandoned Blog

Go Lessy!

Sweet mother of god, he gets better every year. Is it normal for a girl from Dol Amroth to fall for her older cousin? Is is safe around Nim? I want to tell my cousin, Sabine, from the depths of my heart, never would I think to come between you and your beloved. But oh, girl, don't leave him to wander about.

I Will Find You
Appears on Banba, Themes, Ultimate Collection
Language
English
Style
New Age Jazz
Background
Theme from "The Last Of The Mohicans".
Lyrics
Hope is your survival
A captive path I lead

No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a long long time
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

(Mohican)
Nachgochema
Anetaha
Anachemowagan

No matter where you go
I will find you
In the place with no frontiers
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

(Cherokee)
Hale wú yu ga I sv
Do na dio sv I
Wi ja lo sv
Ha le wú yu
Do na dlo sv

No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a long long time
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

No matter where you go
I will find you
In the place with no frontiers
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years

No matter where you go
I will find you


Not that this song has anything to do with anything, I just popped in the cd this morning and it makes me think of a time when my grandmother would speak in Cherokee (Tsalagi) to avoid my mother or others knowing what she was saying to one of her younger sisters.

Working next week as much as 60 hrs covering the house and I hope it's a fine week. The only day I have scheduled off is Tues. I'm not sure I'm up for 60 hour workweeks anymore, but it's a shot.

Off to fall asleep. 2 comes early!

Rain?