world aids day project – prelude
November 29, 2011
on dec 1,
at midnight,
the bitches get stitches world aids day project will go live.
i could never have pulled this off without the help of my gracious sponsors. they run the gambit from big yarn companies, to independent dyers & designers, to some of my favorite knitter/friends.
with their help, i have gathered an amazing array of loot to give away to raise money for the pittsburgh aids task force.
make sure to be here on december 1 to find out how you can enter to win one of these amazing prizes.
***you will only have the 24 hour window on world aids day to enter, so make sure you’re here on dec 1***
below is just the list;
there will be a gallery of photos for you to drool over later.
dah loot!
1. 5 e-patterns
sponsor – spillyjane
2. 3 e-patterns
sponsor – jane richmond
3. 2 braids of gradients merino/silk top – 1 in the ‘bitter lime to rose’ color way & 1 in the ‘copper to verdigris’ color way
sponsor – fiber optic yarns
4. 2 skeins of kashmir sock yarn – 1 in the ‘blood moon’ color way & 1 in the ‘pomegranate’ color way
sponsor – fiber optic yarns
5. 1 skein manchester sock yarn in the ‘kimuru’ color way & 1 braid of 80/20 merino silk top in the ‘pasch’ color way.
sponsor – into the whirled
6. a pair of herrevott man mittens, hand-knit by misa erder & a copy of her original pattern, vagabond fingerless mitts
sponsor – misa erder aka craftivore
7. 3 skeins of handspun yarn – 1, 2, & 3
sponsors – yarn old kim, sarah aka paknitwit, and natalie servant designs
8. 1 sock pattern of your choice and one skein of sock yarn to knit it
sponsor – blue moon fiber arts
9. the mothership, handmade by yokoo
sponsor – yokoo scarves & accessories
10. 1 skein abstract fiber hepburn in marionberry color way
1 skein abstract fiber picasso in smith rock color way
2 patterns from fibre isle international, suitable for dk weight yarn
3-1 oz packettes unicorn power scour
1-2 oz jar woolen rabbit hand cream
3 jul pedestal buttons
1 stonewall bonnet pattern, plus the yarn to make it, snuggle, from the alpaca yarn company
sponsor – yarnsuperhero llc
11. 1-7 small shawls ebook, 1-7 small shawls y2 subscription, 1 pattern only subscription for the pins and lace club x1
sponsor – designs by romi
12. 1 skein hand-dyed serenity 20 sock yarn from zen yarn garden, in the exclusive ‘go pittsburgh’ color way
sponsor – natural stitches
13. 2 skeins of tess designer yarnssuperwash lace
100% Merino, approx 500 yards each
sponsor – yvonne a.k.a. knitnat
14. 2 skeins of wabi sabi yarns trumpet vine dk in magenta hibernating colorway, & three patterns: lilas cardigan, gemma, & cloudy sunday
sponsor – hilary smith callis
15. 1-4oz braid of yarn hallow mixed merino top in the ‘red rocks and spruce’ color way
sponsor – the spinning loft
16. 6 e-patterns – french press felted slippers, breckenridge cowl, montebello texture cowl, aravis, 3-in-1 felted baby booties, and legacy
sponsor – french press knits
17. ebook subscription for knitspot’s upcoming “bare naked club”
sponsor – knitspot
18. $15 gift card for knitspot’s online pattern store
sponsor – knitspot
19. $15 gift card for knitspot’s online pattern store
sponsor – knitspot
20. 3 skeins of kolláge yarns’ luscious in the ‘cherry’, ‘walnut’, ‘color burst’ color ways
sponsor – kolláge yarns
21. 2 skeins of roxi in the ‘signature red’ color way by the grinning gargoyle & 1 copy of schmetterling
sponsor – the grinning gargoyle & mushroom knits
22. HizVest e-pattern
sponsor – stephen hizknits houghton & blue moon fiber arts
23. 1 pair of hand-knit socks knit with silkie socks that rock, hand dyed by me.
sponsor – yours truly
24. 15 balls of cashmere trend in red
sponsor – skacel
25. 1 addi click set in your choice of bamboo, turbo, or lace
sponsor – skacel
whew! now that’s a list, bitches!
bathtub blogging
November 29, 2011
today has been
a day.
the end of which is me being soaked by a car
splashing me as i walked home from the bus.
i am now doing something i never do; i’m taking a bath.
there are candles.
(i’m told they help)
there is traditional japenese music on my iphone.
(i like the shamisen)
i’m all crammed into the tub
trying to fit my five foot eleven and a half self
into a much smaller space,
and blogging.
i’m not normal.
microblog 7
November 29, 2011
i thank you, zelda
for this hat that you gave me.
it’s pretty and warm.
microblog 6
November 27, 2011
it’s raining outside.
my muscles and head ache.
i’ve got a few bruises.
nothing like a package from blue moon to cheer me up. 
and a little message to make me smile:
that stephen is quite the man-packer.
in other news, remember the bitches gets stitches world aids day project drops on dec 1. i have lots and lots of fibery goodness to give away. be back here on the first for your chance to win it!
sorry but that particular yarn up there is mine.
didn’t mean to get your hopes up.
a good son
November 20, 2011
the contest preparations are well under way.
i have a good batch of stuff to give away.
i know you’re are telling everyone you know
because you want this fundraiser to be successful.
right?
today, however,
amid the end of the semester push,
i decided to take care of my family.
you see,
my mom is a pretty amazing lady;
she’s the cornerstone of our family,
our matriarch.
she very rarely gets to do anything fun for herself
and so i decided she needed a little diversion.
i had her come up to east lansing to see me.
i made her get in my car
and i drove. . .
about mile to woven art for a rigid heddle loom class.
now,
my mom isn’t the craftiest lady.
it’s not that she doesn’t have an artistic sensibility;
my childhood is filled memories of arizona deserts,
navajo rugs, and pottery from various indigenous folk.
it’s just,
my mom’s a busy lady.
she takes care of everyone in our family, and i seriously doubt any of our ability to function at the level we do without her assistance.
she’s just never had the time to explore this side of herself.
i thought it was high time.
and so i gave her a little push
into this world of fiber arts
to see if she could swim.
she did.
her color choice was superb
(better than mine. >jealous<)
and warped she her first loom.
(look at the focus)
while we warped,
our lovely teacher, kathy popoff, wound our weft yarn
kathy was great.
she’s the perfect no pressure teacher,
exactly what i need for weaving.
with everything warped,
my mom and i sat
side by side
and wove.
in a couple of months, i’ll be twenty seven.
that’s the same age my mom was when she had me.
i don’t think there’s been a day in these 27 years
when she hasn’t totally had my back.
of course there were time when we fought.
some would say my teenage attitude was fucking insane epic.
(i maintain it was merely my not yet untempered wit)
but i can’t think of a time when i ever felt unsafe or unloved.
some moms get hope to get out on parol.
mine chose the life sentence.
i love her for it.
it was a good day.
(and yes, she bought her loom)
i had an idea
November 18, 2011
last night,
i stayed up late
knitting and watching
spike lee’s biopic, malcolm x.
it’s an epicly long movie,
so i didn’t actually finish it.
but it left me all riled up;
it gave me an idea.
back in july,
i gave away a skein of my handspun
to raise money for the pittsburgh aids task force.
if memory serves, we raised roughly $500 for them
and about $100 for other testing centers.
since world aids day is coming up in (less than) two weeks,
i thought, “i have to raise money again. a lot of money.”
i couldn’t sleep.
i just couldn’t sleep.
my mind went in to planning mode.
who could i contact to donate “stuff” to giveaway?
what if i say i’m going to do this and can’t get anything?
who the hell am i to ask for free stuff to give people, anyway?
somewhere around 4am,
after listening to tibetan gong meditation music on a loop,
i fell asleep.
at 9:10 am,
i started sending emails.
i wrote a bunch of cool fiber folks i know
(and a couple i don’t)
asking to donate items to be given away.
the “yeses” started rolling in almost immediately.
thus far, i have prizes pledged from the following fabulous fiber folks:
spillyjane
jane richmond
yokoo
fiber optic yarns
into the whirled
blue moon fiber arts
designs by romi
yarn superhero llc
craftivore
and yarny old kim
and i’m hoping that’s just the beginning.
if you or someone you know has something they’d like to contribute to entice people to donate,
hit me up.
on december the 1st,
i’ll be posting a contest
to raise money for the pittsburgh aids task force.
your donations will enter you to win prizes from our lovely generous sponsors.
the details will be posted then on how to enter and all that jazz, but i just thought i’d tease you a little.
as for me,
i’m donating a pair of hand knit socks.
the first one is done and pictured below:
it’s silkie socks that rock
in a one of a kind color way
exclusively dyed for bitches get stitches.
it’s mate will be done on the 1st.
i hope.
are you excited?
i’ll see you back here on the 1st.
ps i have a super celebrity knitter phone number. i’m thinking of using it. is that inappropriate?
something to do with knitting
November 8, 2011
the metaphor that best describes my life these days
would be something like surfing.
each week is a new wave
and somehow,
i’m on top of this one.
which has allowed me to knit a little on my sock.
those of you who’ve been with me a while
might even recognize the yarn.
anyone?
no?
*sigh* it’s like i’m working with chimps.
it’s the silkie socks that rock that i dyed
a year and half ago at the knot hysteria silk retreat
i remember (though it may be a hallucination)
that i was going for long color runs.
and look
wide stripes. exactly as i planned. i think.
i can’t wait to take a shot in the daylight,
one that shows off the subtle genius of the dyer.
but i have a question:
how much further do you think i should knit
before i begin decreasing?
it’s been forever since
i knit a sock.
thoughts?
p.s. it’s so good to write a post about knitting again.
nothing to do with knitting
November 6, 2011
this is why mom’s are great.
not because, occasionally, they send you something blog worthy,
but because they’re always thinking about making you smile.
you all have my mom to thank for sending me this one.
let the internet cuteness overload commence!
microblog 5
November 4, 2011
today was a sick day for me.
i slept for most of the day so now,
i cannot sleep.
it’s just me
and a sock.
on dpns.
the harlot would be proud, no?
Bitches Get Stitches 