thanksgiving roundup
November 28, 2009
thanksgiving
the tools
the bird
the hooch
the spread
the pie
the (blurry) family
the (sated) mo
with the waterford washed, china tucked away, and silver back in the safety deposit box, i’m finding it hard to articulate all that i’m thankful for. it really is the simple things: friendships that have endured for a decade, a room mate i love coming home to, my parents’ love, mo’s antics, my grandparents’ tenacity, cold booze, warm wool, spectacular food, and black friday discounts.
these are the things i live for. don’t most people?
for those of you who don’t know, i’m a michigander. school and work have made me slightly deranged of late, and kept me so busy that it’s been months since i’ve been back to the magical mitten.
and so i’ve fled the steel city, driving into the wee hours of tuesday morning with love in my heart and lead in my foot. unfortunately, there was a bit too much lead when passing through a little pit stain of a town, armada michigan.
cop: do you know why i pulled you over?
me: (obviously i was speeding you f-ing pig) no sir
cop: do you know the speed limit through here?
me: (duh jackass, i grew up 10 mins from here) no sir, i don’t live around here anymore
cop: you passed four signs saying it was 25mph
me: (it’s 2:30am, no one’s even awake in this po dunk town, i’m 7 miles from home, and i’ve been driving for 6 hours. i don’t give a f*ck!) oh, sorry sir.
cop: i only wrote you up for 5 over. slow down for me *hands me a ticket*
me: (fuck you very much!) k, thanks.
i literally thanked the asswipe for giving me a ticket!
so while i made it home to my lovely five acres
i had to go to this place as soon as i woke up
$90, 2 points on the license. bitches, i haven’t had a ticket since highschool!
but my lovely parents turned my frown upside down. first by giving me an early birthday present
it’s a canon rebel t1i. isn’t it dreamy?
and then by taking me here
to get me some of this
i do have to admit that i got a bit of that “man in a yarn store” cold shoulder at first, but you can’t beat the charm of a yarn store in an old victorian house with a pet cat, right?
i’m feeling relatively relaxed considering i have three final papers looming.
at least mo is having a blast
1st sweater…
November 20, 2009
…in the bag bithces!
now, it’s said that one’s first sweater is bound to be wonky. while i would argue that mine is beautifully constructed and well knit, it does have a bit of wonkiness.
the wonkiness, you can see, comes from me not checking batch numbers on my undyed yarn meaning the bottom is a lighter brown than the top. rather than be discouraged, i’m calling it a design feature and dubbing this my rothko sweater.
while sweaters in a bush may be the milieu of stephanie pearl-mcphee, i think she gets her husband to trim them or something, because the bush makes my sweater look lumpy. alors, my roommate helped me to create a yokoo-esk photoshoot.
then we hammed it up a little.
that last one? that captures how i really feel about finishing this sweater. it’s been a trip bitches, and i’m already swatching for the next one.
not a slacker
November 16, 2009
school has been giving me palpitations lately and a complex cocktail of home cookin’, generic anti-anxiety medication, and general stitchery has kept me mostly sane and stable.
some finished stuff:
one hat made for kevin that i hated and didn’t send to him. luckily, my lovely roomie v took it because it had just the right amount of “rasta room.”
she also got a hat i actually made for her
(the yarn is Madeline Tosh Worsted in Oxblood)
the hat that made the cut and got sent out to kevin remains, sadly, unphotographed. *sigh* i promise it exists and is keeping heads warm in east lansing, michigan.
i also started this little lovely
everyone i know seems to be making one of these but i hear there’s some pattern issues and, while i do want a lacey little neckercheif thingy, i dont want one that thousands upon thousands of people are wearing. so, my beautiful yarn will become adrian caron-lacoste’s dandy neckercheif
isn’t this a pretty start?
with half a sleeve to go, next time, hope to see me in a sweater bitches!
sew
November 9, 2009
i know this is supposed to be a knitting blog, and it is. i promise i have knit three hats since my last post, finished a baby sweater, and am almost done with my first me-sized sweater.
however.
last week i caught the sewing bug again and made four curtains and a cover for my mom’s mac book (to ward off the evil dust).
i feel the need to share, even if it is the most basic sewing ever.
i promise, if i hem my jeans, i’ll keep it to myself.
probably.
the day has come
October 29, 2009
i don’t know about y’all, but i love addi turbos.
when i was first learning to knit, my gauge was unbelievably tight and while i loved straight wooden needles, i needed some help. i recall a ‘large’ women’s mitten i once made that wouldn’t fit a 5 year old. and that was after going up 2 needle sizes.
so nina suggested i try addi turbos.
i’ve never looked back.
for months now, ever since my first (or maybe second) visit to natural stitches and especially now that i work there, i have been lusting after the addi clicks. they’ve been on backorder forever and anytime anyone mentioned skacel, my heart jumped.
well, on monday october 26, we got our shipment, and i got my wish.
isn’t it beautiful?
let us bow our heads
October 26, 2009
i was walking on forbes toward the cathedral and came upon a knitter, sitting in the sunshine happily knitting a sweater in the round.
ez would be so proud.
but as i got closer i noticed something shocking.
it was her yarn. scratchy evil red heart.
let us pray not only for her knitterly soul but for that poor unfortunate person who has to wear it.
*tear*
blogosphere
October 19, 2009
as i work to complete two sweaters, one baby and one me sized, i decided to pause to bring your attention to some interesting news.
that’s right. miss yokoo herself is collaborating with urban outfitters. if you didn’t the she was mad famous before, you best believe she is now.
that shit is craze.
i love buying her stuff (handmade) and plan to buy more (handmade and U.O. made) for the foreseeable future. (gotta remember to save those pennies).
but there’s something bittersweet about a great designer blowing up. sure, they get the major props they deserve, but will they still have time to message me back? will they have the strength to keep it real? will they have desire to bring a crazy vision of mine to life with a hook, needles, paint, etc?
i believe yokoo will. as she said, etsy made her and she wont forget that.
so check out her new and improved blog and give it up for one badass bitch, miss yokoo
(photo courtesy of yokoo's flickr)
a week in photos
October 11, 2009
i have been such a busy bee. can you handle a long post?
went to chicago for Jeanne’s reception.
i worked on her gift (aka secret #2)
(that blue line to the end, that’s how long it took to get from pittsburgh to chicago)
and finished it at nina
went to Victory’s Banner
with my good friend caroline
hung out with jenny
ate a feed with old friends
(i love feed)
i watched the michigan vs. michigan state game with the langs
it was a close game
but we won (go state!).
then it was time for the reception
erin and jenny were there
there was SO much FOOD!
and there was this guy
but jeanne was beautiful
and we all had a great time
i had a pretty good weekend
but my week continued.
i made a mini feast for my roomie and me
and we made a mini collage of jenny m.’s mini portraits. (isn’t that yokoo?)
but perhaps the highlight of a very hectic week, was the fact the ms. pearl-mcphee, the yarnharlot herself, finally posted the pattern for the “Pretty Thing”from her January blog on ravelry.
and i joyfully finished it!!
(the model is my roommate)
there was more
a lot more
and i’m really tired
but i think that’s enough for now.
thanks harlot!
(so pretty right?)
secrets part deux
September 30, 2009
just to give a taste.
this secret is complete
this one is near completion
i’m off to chicago tomorrow. i’m excited to see me my old knitters and shop at nina and see my old chicago peeps.
and possibly pick up a ralph lauren holiday candle
who’s to say?!
Bitches Get Stitches 