And then I ran out of Excuses

I have been knitting, spinning, and crafting. I've also been sweating my ability to remain employed in this terrible economy. Working in the financial industry seemed like such a good idea five years ago, but now not so much. My blackberry stopped working the other day and I swore I was fired. I panicked and called into the office but no one I worked for was around. Instead of thinking that it was a blackberry glitch I freaked out all weekend only to find out I was still gainfully employed Monday morning.

On the knitting front I have finished several UFO's that have been lying around waiting for me to knit again. I completed the sweater vest (I love it and it totally got me into a cable kick) and I also finished my lace shawl. I started another hat and picked up the Juno I started knitting for my mom last year around this time. I still hate the yarn, hate hate hate the yarn, but I will finish this before her birthday on December 9th.

Still no pictures. I'm a terrible blogger, and I feel I've neglected so many of you. But fret not the weather is turning crappy lately and when there is nothing else to do I will start documenting my life down to the minute details.

My Brain is Full but My Camera Battery Empty

I was all set to post up some pics today, but le sigh, it's been so long since I broke out the camera that the battery was all gone. Instead I'll update you on life.

I'm still spinning that yummy cashmere, and I dread the day I'm done because then I'll have to go back to spinning regular old wool again :(
I was all set to go to rhinebeck for the weekend but sadly I have a conflicting event that weekend (for which I've already booked a hotel room) and now I'm all kinds of depressed. I'm thinking I may go to the other event and leave super early on Sunday, stop in the city to scoop up molliemoo and drive up to rhinebeck to do a little shopping. If I miss rhinebeck it won't be the worst thing in the world. Since I've been so busy the stash monster has tripled in size and I still have tons of wool and roving and batts and fleece laying around, maybe not going will spare my (much hurting) bank account and save me closet space.

I'm almost finished with the sweater vest I'm working on, it's the first wool project (for me the baby sweater didn't count) since the summer and it feels so good to be working with wool again. The pattern is from Aurora Yarns but I can't find it on ravelry or the internet. I picked it up as a print out at a yarn store up in Connecticut the last time I was up there. It's not the best pattern but its a quick cabled knit and I converted most of it to the round.

Besides all that I've been going back to school. I started my MBA program back in the beginning of September and damn I forgot how hard school/homework can be. Add to that the stress of working full time and all my extra-curricular activites and damn Stickyfingers has no time. Seriously no time at all. My DVR is full of shows I want to watch but can't and I went so far as to cancel my premium cable (no more HBO, Showtime or Starz) and then True Blood came out and I wished I hadn't done that. I just can't win. Pictures next time, I promise!

I Have a Valid Excuse

Okay, see here's the thing, I work in finance and well its not a good time to be working on Wall street. But I'm still employed (for the time being) and busy like you wouldn't believe.

I have been knitting and spinning and since the weather is getting cold again I'm going to break out the loom and get cracking on some scarfs. Also does anyone out there get Craft Zine? There's this amazing vest pattern that can be made out of cloth woven with knitting yarn. It's super cute and on my list of things to do.

Jen from Hanks in the Hood (seriously go check her stuff out it's insanely yummy) asked me to help her with a spinning project. I can never say no to spinning and I'm pleased to say that she has me spinning 3 lbs of pure cashmere. PURE CASHMERE, THREE POUNDS OF IT!!!!! I don't know how I'm ever going to go back to spinning just wool after all this.

I have some FO's (I do I really really do) but I need to photograph them. And since the weather has taken a dip over the past days I'm rolling in wool yarn again and happy to do so. Don't get me wrong I love bamboo and cotton and tencel but wool just feels right.

I'll try to get pics this weekend, if the market doesn't fall another million points before the end of the week. :P

Hi I'm Still Alive

And very busy. Let's play catch up.
Ravelympics - well I failed didn't even cross the finish line. I was in the teeny bikini breast stroke for the Knit Girls and wow umm, yeah deadlines aren't really my strong point. I'm sure it didn't help that I had perfume spill in my purse and saturate the yarn so strongly that in order to work on the bikini I had to be outside on my terrace so the apartment wouldn't take on the smell of a french whore.

Spinning - It's the summer and its nice out and there are a million things to do while its nice out...enough excuses lets face facts, I am being a very bad fiber artist as of late. I have like 4 bobbins of halfway completed yarns that I just need to sit down and finish but I have no time, no time at all.

Life - Umm yeah this is what has been keeping me from doing anything else, so to put it all in one post would be insane. No pics today no details either. Lets sum it up like this a life in flux is never boring.

Till the next time I have five minutes to spare...

Fiber Friday for a Needy Newborn

Oh yes, Friday that day of the week that signifies your droney work week is almost through. I work in finance and wow, this is not the time to work in finance people. Seriously put your money in a mattress and pray that your home doesn't catch on fire. (I can dole out this information as long as I don't call it "financial advice")

Any who, I've been a project ho (surprise surprise) casting on and abandoning projects like the unfaithful knitter I always knew I'd be. As of right now I have a sweater from the spring IK, two pairs of socks (okay okay 4 pairs but I don't count two of them cause I haven't picked them up in over 2 months), a shrug, a hipscarf, and a baby sweater on the needles. All this isn't even counting my winter projects abandoned cause I can't deal with hot wool in the summer. Oy, I need to stop casting on and browsing ravelry cause I think I may have a problem. Is there like a 12 step program out there for flaky knitters?

On to fiber. The baby sweater I mentioned in my overwhelming list above is for a friends newborn, named Veronica Rose. Veronica was born to term but was very underweight and had to spend the first two weeks of her life in a hospital. This is no way for a baby to enter the world so I figured I’d knit her something to keep her warm until her baby fat had a chance to develop. I dug through my fiber stash and found Rosebud corriedale roving from the Spunky Eclectic FOTM club. I thought the names were kismet so I spun a nice woolen 2ply bulky single to knit the trim on a sweater for the new baby.

But first I ran the roving through my carder with some Angelina fiber in white gold so that the new baby could sparkle.



I liked the blended look of the fiber so much better.
And here’s the yarn I came up with. (Pics are wonky due to a crappy camera)



I thought I would have enough yarn but sadly nope. I am pairing this with some lambs pride bulky in a light gray and using the handspun to knit the trim. The sweater is almost done and I'll be sure to post pics when it is.

Hey Everybody Do You Know What Time it Is???

It's PICTURE POST TIME!!!! Yay!!!!

Yes, it's a picture post, the posts I do when I'm too busy to type but have a huge back log of photos to share. This picture post is a mish mash of all different things so hopefully there's something for everyone.

I love the long dog days of summer (well I don't love the stink of the city but the lazy afternoons and devil may care attitudes really get me happy.) One of my favorite saturday morning things to do is get Dessie-pup all geared up for the dog park and then stop at the mini-farmers market that sets up every Saturday at Van Vorst Park (a cute little oasis by my house.) She gets tired and dirty and I get produce, cheese, pickles, olives and hummus for the week.
Here's a lunch I made last weekend with Jersey farm tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella. The basil is from my terrace garden.

Yum

Speaking of my garden here's the first thing it gave me to eat this year (yes my gardening skills suck but I'm still holding out for at least one freaking tomato)

Spicy and hot, just like peppers should be. This sucker was so hot I scraped the seeds out and let them sit in olive oil to make a lovely fused spicy olive oil perfect for cooking or a daring salad.

This is my weed "Sandy"

I would normally pick the weeds but this little gal is so persistant growing out of the cracked cement of my terrace floor that I have to let her live as long as she can survive without me helping her out. I'm not watering her or anything and shes' the healthiest plant on my terrace :(

Here are some belly shot from my good friend Erik D. He takes lovely pictures and doesn't mind when I call him an asshole or make stupid faces at the camera (I hate having my picture taken)

And look glow poi pics

Very ravery

A Neglected FO

Okay, so I finished these arm warmers a million years ago, but I've been too damn busy (lazy) to post the FO with the details. Neglected and un-loved, they sat on my dresser top until my bestie Mollie came over last week. She saw the neglected FO and snatched them up proclaiming her love for them. I gladly gave them to her (I'm just not the kind of person to wear arm warmers) and she graciously let me take pics with her modeling them.

(Without Flash)
Pattern: Spirogyra from Knitty Spring 2008 (Found in the Knittyspin section
Yarn: Handspun 50/50 merino tencel from an unknown vendor purchased at rhinebeck. I spindle spun then yarn and andean plied it using my Louet S10 it was about fingering weight and 300 yards from 2oz
Needles: US2 & US3
Notes: No real modifications to the pattern, however my gauge must have gotten tighter (or my yarn thinner) because the left arm is smaller then the right. I also neglected to do the color thing that Knittyspin used this pattern for, instead I let the yarn do what it wanted and it made these cool thin stripes.

Pic with flash and look at Mollies cool nail polish (I can't wear cool nail polish cause of office dress code)

Shes so happy to have them, and oops I totally forgot to weave the ends in oh well.

A Video in which I Spaz out to Music in Costume

From my performance at the Showcase Sunday. I was a little buzzed which is totally obvious in my "oh my" faces.

A New Obsession

Okay, I'm spread pretty thin with all my hobbies and pursuits but I found something new to take up some more time I don't have. Bento boxes and not the ones that can be found in every Japanese/Asian/fusion restaurant in NY. Real bento boxes packed at home and brought to work to curtail my excessive spending and widening waist line.

Now of course to start any good hobby you must spend a little money first. Well look at this website! Cheap cheapy cheap cheap. I couldn't believe the prices, you should look at it even if you can't stand bentos. It's like a dollar store online that sells cute and use full Japanese items. They also sell really amazing USB hubs for cheap that make me smile and hate my job just a little less.

Now I tried to make a bento but it came out bad, like super bad (no Seth Rogan wasn't in a cop uniform) and well whatever, I'll just keep trying. The thing about Bento Boxes is that they are small so you have to maximize your space and you realize what portion control really is. Also you need color and variety to make it look nice and fill you up. I live by a few Asian supermarkets but I've never set foot inside one. I'm going to take a field trip this week and I will report what I find.

On the crafting front, I cast on another pair of socks (yes I have yet to finish the last pair.) I also started a baby sweater from handspun for a friend of mine who just had a little girl. I like baby knitting cause it goes so fast, instant gratification I say. I'll get some pics for the next post. Until then stay cool in this 90 plus weather.

FO for the Weekend

Okay I made it exactly 48 hours on the master cleanse and I'm never ever doing it again (okay I may try one more time when there are less food distractions to tempt me.)

Onto the FO

Mmmm Sleepy Face
Pattern: Lotus Blossom Tank from IK
Yarn: Cool Crochet by Bernat
Needles: US4 & US5
Notes: Well first of all I'm going to rant for a second. I printed the PDF for this pattern of of the IK website for free. I was about 3/4 of the way through the knit when the PDF, myself and the UFO were all soaked in a freak rainstorm. After letting it dry out I realized my printed copy was no longer legible and went to the IK website to print another copy. Well la-de-freaking-da, IK had pulled the free pattern to put it in their "Best of IK" book (which I do not intend to buy since I have most of the patterns in magazines) I was not going to spend 20 something dollars for a book for a single pattern that on it's own merit isn't very good. Go ahead look at the FO's on Ravelry the good looking tanks have all been modified and tweaked to make this unflattering knit pretty. Well after much struggle, bitching, whining and public airing of my grievances I found a copy of the magazine the pattern was in and was able to finish my tank.
Now for the modifications, buckle your seat belt there are a lot. First my gauge was almost a 1/2 inch smaller then what the pattern called for but this was a good thing because the knit is now fitted. Second I did 6 repeats of the lace pattern instead of 4 to make a baby-doll style top. I added a full inch to the bodice so that it wouldn't cut across my boobs and instead created a more A-line top. I shortened the armholes by an inch to avoid gaping and buckling and to compensate I picked up 10 less stitches for each arm hole. When switching from the lace to the bodice I decreased 10 stitches and then increased 10 stitches in alternated paired increases to create a more flattering line.

This is not the most flattering pic :P

Boobalicious

I should remember to stand up straight.

All in all this was a nice knit, I've worn it to the office and gotten many a compliment on it. The yarn was cheapo stuff that can be picked up at any mass-market store like wal-mart and has a lovely shine to it, slightly sparkly but not overwhelming, it tended to get a bit splitty but the entire tank cost me 14 dollars to make and has a lovely drape and touch to it.
I would recommend knitting this if you, like me, like to tool around with your patterns.

This post is approved by mermaid stickyfingers

I think I'm stupid

Okay, let me explain. I went to MA for the weekend to see my family and hang out by the beach. All was well except the weather didn't behave and instead of hanging on the beach I ate and drank and ate and ate and drank....So you get the point. I drank at Karaoke (then I did a kick ass rendition of "Because I got High" by Afroman and scared all the working class middle agers who practice all week for Karaoke) and I drank with dinner, I drank in the afternoon and I drank at night. It was pretty gross, I'm not even a big drinker so suffice to say I did my body a major disservice.

To remedy the bad treatment I had indulged in I decided the best thing to do would be to detox. And some googling took me to the "Master Cleanser" or "Lemonade Diet" this is a fast in which I eat NOTHING, that's right NOT A DAMN THING. Instead I drink this "lemonade" which consists of lemon juice, filtered water, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I'm also allowed to drink herbal tea and water but not a solid thing is to cross my lips. You're supposed to torture yourself for 10 days, but that ain't happening. I'm on day 2 and I think I may shoot for 72 hours and consider it a success. I'm craving food like Shepard's pie and pizza, it kills me to walk down the street because the smokey smell of charring meat from the Halal carts may drive me to homicide. The upside is when I woke up this morning I felt great. I woke up half an hour earlier and had no desire to beat the crap out of the snooze button for and extra ten minutes (or thirty.) My skin is clearing up and the dark circles are going away. I don't know what I should do plug away and try to do this as long as possible or simply give in and eat something tomorrow.

Just had to rant, this post has nothing to do with crafting, my apologies for anyone who was looking for knitting or spinning.

A side note, I will be performing at the Lafayette Lounge in NYC Sunday at 6PM as part of a showcase. If you like middle eastern dance check it out. I think you need to make reservations because the last one sold out real quick.

Dragging my Ass

Well, the title of the post should say it all. It's been a crazy time at Casa de Stickyfingers and I could really use a few days of R&R. Sadly all my time off has been taken while I was sick and undergoing treatments (yes I was stupid and didn't apply for sick leave.) So no vacations for me this year.

I find my life is in a very different place then it was a year ago. Breaking up with Rob may have been very difficult, but I find myself enjoying who I am and what I'm doing more so as a single girl then as someone in a long term relationship. I forgot how nice a quiet house can be and no one fights me for the remote or argues about what we are doing for the weekend. When I was a "couple" Rob and I would take almost every weekend away from the city, driving up to his house in PA (god I miss that cabin on the lake) or my parents weekend place in CT. It was fun to get out of the city, but I forgot how many insane things happen in the city in the summer. I accidentally stumbled into the LGBT parade (or the pride parade as most people know it) as it worked it's way downtown. Even in the pouring rain it was so nice to see people out enjoying life and being proud of who they were. Though I'm not part of the community myself I felt a strong connection to these people just because I feel like loving yourself and loving what you do makes you a more complete individual.

This was an extended weekend for me, not that I had any extra days off, but I went out Thursday night with some girl friends and then Friday night and then Saturday night. I need a week away from booze and bars to restore my chi or at least escape the beer bloat. In all this insanity I realized how much fun it can be to just be young and not worry or stress or plan. It's like social soul searching and I'm learning so much about who I am.

Anyway onto crafting. I'm almost done with the lotus blossom tank. I'm nervous about how it going to come out because I see such wildly different looks when I browse the pattern on ravelry and the anticipation has been so much of the project that I haven't even tried on the tank as I knit it. Everyone cross your fingers and hope for a good FO!

Damn!!!

Okay so here's the deal. My apartment is SUPPOSED to have central AC, notice I capitalized "supposed" because honestly that shit has not been working since the temps climbed above 80 degrees. I don't consider myself a picky person but damn if I don't need some cool air every once and awhile. I don't mind sleeping without AC, in fact when I do sleep with AC, I wake up groggy with an itchy throat, but my poor, poor puppy has to sit in an un-airconditioned apartment sweating under her fur coat, and that's just wrong. I've been leaving water for her in different locations, and I open the terrace door so she can go outside when she wants but I feel awful for her.

I contacted management several times and was told it was a building issue, not a unit issue, well I ran into the building manager yesterday and asked when the AC would be back on. He looked at me like I grew an extra head and said it should be working. Well it SHOULD be but it's not, so what am I supposed to do. I had to contact my landlord last night and ask him to replace the unit. He asked me why I took so long to contact him about it and I told him I was told by management that it was a building wide problem. He laughed at me, yes he LAUGHED at me, and told me moving forward to contact him immediately. I don't know if that's gonna do me any good because the closets that are off track (which were like that when I moved in back in October) are still off track even though I told him about it back in October. Ahhhh, I think I need to just buy a farm somewhere and escape this urban nonsense.

Well since it's been so friggin hot, I haven't been spinning all that much. I currently have some hemp on the bobbins for that Brighton Bag from Knittyspin Spring 2008, (yes I know the pattern calls for flax but hemp is a bit easier to spin.) The problem with spinning hemp is that you need to wet spin it, which I do by dipping my finger tips in a bowl of water, which causes pruney finger tips and softened skin which then starts to flake if you spin too long. So I've been spinning the hemp for almost a month now because I like my finger tips with skin on them, thank you very much!

But The Knit Girls are running a fundraiser, and though I don't like a lot of the infighting that group engages in, I think they're mostly a cool bunch of chicks, so I broke out the wheel and some fiber and spun up a super funky crazy "bad girl" skein which I call "Sid & Nancy"

I'm thinking of spinning an entire line of "doomed lovers" because I have such a high opinion of love right now :P

It's a 90/10 wool mohair blend, spun into two singles of mixed pink batt and black and white roving, then I plied the two together adding bits of crazy funky novelty yarn where I saw fit.

There are a few coils in there too but I didn't get any pics.
If you donate to the knit girl fundraiser you too can be in the running to win this awesome yarn.

Oh Saturday was the Mermaid Parade, which is "Let Your Freak Flag Fly" day out on Coney Island. It was crazy and fun and super hot, I got a tan to end all tans, and had my pic taken by a bunch of strangers (no touching though, people kept asking to touch and I would give them the death stare.)
I had a friend with me who's a photographer so I'm waiting on his pics but here's a preview of the insanity.

The Votes are In

And it's a three way tie.. AAAAAAHHHHH now I have to be decisive and figure out what to cast on by myself. What I should do is finish my Lotus Blossom Tank (ravelry link) but all those tiny stockinette stitches in the round make my head all hurty. I'll try to finish by Monday so I can cast on something new.

Ahh the allure of the new project, it's almost too much to bear. The funny thing is I get all excited, I get my yarn and find my needles (sometimes I'll even swatch) and then I cast on, and I swear about halfway through the cast on project I get bored and wonder why I cast on in the first place. I have such crafting ADD it's not even funny. I have these illusions of casting on and holding a perfect FO an hour later, like some sort of super knitter, and when I realize it may take days or even *gasp* weeks to get my FO I feel dejected and frustrated.

Enough of my neurosis I have an FO to share.

Pattern: Ribbed Lace Bolero
Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Aurora (don't look for this yarn in stores I found it in the dollar bin at Big Lots and I don't think they make it anymore)
Notes: This was a nice knit, simple and easily modified. The pattern isn't really a pattern but a guideline for you to follow based on your own personal measurements. I may make another using a different lace stitch but this came out well. I would encourage you to make a size just a wee bit smaller then instructed because a lot of FO's on ravelry seem to be comming out huge. I think I knitted this 2 inches smaller then the pattern instructed and I'm quite happy with the finished product. I also think this shrug makes my boobs look big, which was reinforced by the guy staring at my chest the entire train ride to work this morning. The yarn was garbage, it's a weird thick flat yarn, think linguini not spaghetti, and it's a 50/50 blend of cotton and acrylic. the result is a little scratchy and rough, but the entire shrug cost $3.50 and I was able to reduce the stash monster (even just a little bit counts) so who am I to complain.

My hair looks big today

Oh look at my sleepy face. See boobies gallore!

As days go by

Oh my word, I love those few weeks before the official start of summer don't you. The sun shines well into the night and the green on the plants is vibrant and alive. The heat isn't unbearable (well it was a few weeks ago but still) and the city has yet to develop it's eau de summer stench that haunts my nostrils when I think about it.

I've been slowly getting back into crafting. I'm almost finished with my mermaid costume for the mermaid parade on Saturday. If you're in NYC you really should come out, it's supposed to be like Mardi Gras in Brooklyn :) I'll post tons of pics if you can't make it so you can pretend you were there.

I also posted a new roving to the etsy shop I call it Lagoon in June (it's a little Dr Seuss sounding but I like it) and it's superwash wool


I also cleaned out my refrigerator (not that there was much to clean since, Rob moved out I don't really do much food shopping) and found all this almost rotted fruit. It wasn't bad fruit, just ugly. So I took the blueberries and peaches and a cup of sugar and a lemon rind

and simmered them for hours with a touch of amaretto and wow I made an awesome compote/fruit preserve.
Here it is on some sugar free pudding

Yummy!

I've been working on the bolero, I cast off this morning and will sew it up tonight a totally gratifying knit if you ask me. Now I'm pondering my next summer cast on. I have one project waiting for me but its miles of stockinette and god that bores me so much. I'm trying to decide between a few projects: (all ravelry links below)
Mirabella Cardigan
Gigi
Rosalind
Two Toned Ribbed Shrug

more at twiigs.com...

Aha

I had a moment this week that put my knitting into perspective. I knit things mindlessly sometimes, not knowing if I'll wear/use them but knitting them for the sake of knitting or because I think they will look pretty. I'm of the mindset that if I don't like an FO I can give it away or gift it to someone who will look better in it then I will.

There are certain items I have knit and kept but really had no idea when or where I would use them. This week I experienced such a smack to the forehead moment that my knitting life is changed for the better. It was stupid hot in the city this week. Gross hot, yucky hot, draw a cold bath and eat and ice pop at the same time hot, and my office has a "no bare shoulders" policy. What's a sweaty girl to do? I could, like some of my co-workers, buck the policy and wear something that made me more comfortable in the heat; or I could suffer and sweat it out for the sake of corporate responsibility. Well I did neither, instead of the listed options I dug out a sun dress with spaghetti straps and then (oh I'm so smart) I found a shrug I knitted over the winter. This FO to be exact. Now cashmere certainly ain't a warm weather fiber, but my office seems to not be affected by external temperatures and I figured I'd be okay.

Now you may be saying to yourself what's my big discovery? Shrugs serve a purpose!!!! I know brilliant right, have I blown your mind yet? I never thought of shrugs as anything else then a nice knitted accessory, if you will, something cute to layer, but not something integral to getting dressed in the morning. Now I know, shrugs help you cheat your way around the company dress code and are usually small enough to stuff in your purse (if you carry a large purse like I do) when you don't need them. Now I'm on a shrug knitting frenzy.

Just thought I'd share, and yes I do realize this entire post makes me sound like an idiot but I'll embrace my idiocy.

My Alter Ego

Meet Tanya the bellydancer

She lives my other life where I put on shiney sparkley costumes and dance for strangers. She's happy to meet you all.

Heat Stoke

OMG , yes it's so hot I've resorted to interwebz speak, I can't move. It peaked out at 97 degrees today, 97 and steamy wet like only NY can be. I got stuck on a PATH train that had no working AC, and wow the people I live near stink to high heaven!

It's too hot to knit, too hot to spin, most definitely too hot to dye anything. I've been hand sewing some things for my other life's personality. I'll reveal more in the days to come, but it's too hot to thread a needle. My poor Dessie pup is burning her little paw pads on the asphalt and I swear to you my flip flops have melted just a bit.

My weekend was interesting, mostly living in my other life's persona but I think I invented a new Extreme Sport. I call it "Late Night Turnpike Driving on a Doughnut." It's gonna take the world by storm. Seriously, I was stone cold sober but my car was acting drunk, those tiny, dippy, itsy tires are just no good to drive on. It was 2AM and I was driving with the windows down and the radio on blast in case I drove off the road someone would find me from the noise. Terrifying, and then getting the car fixed was even worse.

I know a bit about cars but for some reasons mechanics see dollar signs when I walk into an auto repair place. I went to get the tire plugged and an oil change and walked out 110 dollars poorer. Apparently I needed some bulbs changed and a tire rotation too. They tried to charge me for changing my wiper blades but I told them I could snap those suckers on myself so just throw them in the backseat. I guess they were a little taken back because they did them anyway and didn't charge. And the guy who rang me up gave me a 5 dollar discount "cause you look so pretty today" (barf) and I'm like, if I look so damn good, give me a better discount. Ah well such is life.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a cool and nice 88 (still hot but compared to the last few days it's a god send) how have you been staying cool?

I got dumped

Okay this is a non crafting post, more ranting then anything else so if you wanna read about the crafts scroll past please.

I got dumped. I honestly don't think I've ever been dumped before. I mean I've had break ups, and ended relationships, but no one has ever flat out dumped me. It's a little odd and hard to get used to.

The strange thing is that I was dumped by someone who I was never really in a relationship with. I mean I had Rob, and Rob and I were together for 4 years (2 of which we co-habitated) and really I let that one get beat to death. I mean Rob and I probably should have lasted only 3 years but whatever, and by the time it was over I wasn't grief stricken on obsessed, I was ready to move on.

But this guy, I met him 6 weeks ago, we spoke for 2 and dated for 3 and then wham, out of no where I'm on the express train to dumpsville, population me. It was so out of no where and poorly handled. I mean we went from seeing each other at least twice a week and speaking 5 nights a week to a sudden collapse in communication. When I did finally get him on the phone it was dump time.

Him: Um this isn't working

Me: What do you mean, "isn't working" you were at my house with fucking soup and walking my dog cause I was sick last week.

Him: We're different people

Me: Obviously, you can't date your damn self.

Him: I didn't want to disrespect you.

Me: Then you should have had the balls to do it in person and not over the phone.

Him: Well in person it would have been a drawn out thing I mean your obviously angry

Me: I think I have that right.

Him: Maybe it's just we took things too fast

Me: You're the one who wanted exclusivity

Him: I mean I want to keep talking to you.

Me: I have enough friends

Him: Well maybe it's not done but I need a few days to think things over. I'll call you, I promise.

Me: And do I have a say in the decision.

Him: You can choose not to pick up the phone.

Me: Fine bye, go think.

That was over a week ago, now obviously a few days can be longer then a week but puh-leese, I'm not a moron. You're not going to call, cause you were just trying to get me off the phone.

Today I sent a text message, despite the fact that I was trying hard to put up a strong front and resist the urge to contact. I simply stated
"I have your jacket and a tee-shirt, I'm not holding on to them past tomorrow, let me know what to do with them or I will throw them out."
I have yet to get a response, I am so totally dumped. I need a scotch and a girls weekend.

The strange thing is that I didn't even know him enough to have like any sort of emotional attachment, for all I know he kills bunnies for fun in his spare time, but I think it's because I didn't get to know him, or figure out who he was and how I should respond to him that I'm making myself even crazier. I didn't love him, he didn't love me, so why is this making me more nuts then when I ended a four year relationship?

What did you do when you got dumped, any tricks to coping?

The Long Awaited FO

Pattern: Cropped Cardigan
Yarn: Shirley by Kramer Yarns (Hand painted by me)
Notes: Well I lengthened the body a bit, wish I had done a bit more. And I also wish I had started the ribbing a bit later because the ribbing line crosses the bottom of my bust and makes my rack look stunted. I knitted this with the modified neckline instructions which can be found on the pattern page on Ravelry. I kind of wish I had included a button hole, (that's a pin holding the sweater together) but I can pin at the bust or the neckline. This was a quick knit because the yarn is bulky and the sweater is small. I have one skein leftover and I'm trying to decide if I should rip out the bind off and add some length.

I went yarn shopping for the first time in a long time today. I bought some wonderful Fiji yarn in a soft pink (so not my normal color scheme) to make another coachella. I'm plugging away at my warm weather knitting and I have officially retired my unfinished sweaters until next fall.

I also bought some crazy/ugly novelty yarn for a costume for the Mermaid Parade this year on Coney Island. This is the last year for Coney Island before the rip it down and build condos. Kind of makes me want to cry, everything will be condos, Starbucks, CVS and banks soon. Gentrification can suck big time. Anyway if you're in the area come check it out. If you're up to it join up and march with us, let your freak flag fly!!

Blech

I'm down right about now. Just things in life interfering with things I'd rather be doing. I lost my mojo (like so many other bloggers seem to be doing these days) and I haven't been spinning, knitting, weaving or crocheting like I should.

I try not to let things get me down, but sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. Life has a way of straightening itself out, but wading through the muck of the hard times can be draining and tiresome.

On a happy note I took that wonderful South African Fine Spunky yarn and knit a baby sweater.

Pattern: One Skein Wonder Baby Sweater from the book "One Skein Wonders"
Yarn: Handspun bulky south african fine from Spunky Eclectic's Fiber of the Month Club "Think Spring"
Needles: US 10's
Notes: The pattern claims that no button holes need to be added since the stitches are so loose that buttons will just fit through. This idea may work if you are gifting this to another knitter but if you are giving this to a non fiber-friendly individual I would suggest adding button holes to idiot proof the end result. I added a simple yarn over button hole every 3 inches in the second to last stitch of the sweater.
I loved this pattern it was a nice quick knit and the lack of seams makes me super happy. Also it looks great in a nice uneven rustic handspun. I wish I had one big enough for me to snuggle right about now.



See it's lumptastic!!

I have an old FO to share as well but I'll save that for later in the week so it's not another 10 plus days until I post again. Gotta dole out my rations in small portions otherwise this blog will starve!

I have pictures!

See I knew it, I blog about something and then I get all guilty that I have no pics to prove that I did anything so it's a self fulfilling prophecy "write about it and pics will come!"

First up an FO

Pattern: Daddy & Me Po' Boy Caps by Fully Woolly
Yarn: The blue yarn is Lambs Pride Bulky and the stripe is the Handspun from Hanksinthehood I showed you all last post.
Needles: US 5's 7's and 8's I wanted a looser gauge then the pattern called for.
Notes: Umm no real modifications to the pattern except maybe the stripe. I think it's a cute kind of jaunty hat and I hope I can wear it somewhere.

(ugh I look so effing sick in this picture, I should have put some lipstick on to pretend like my face had some color)

And here's a pic of the top of the hat, it's got that nifty pinwheel effect going on.


My friend said it looked like a rasta hat with a brim so maybe I'll wear it while I spin more hemp (I'm going for a theme with this hemp thing if you couldn't tell.)

And I have more yarn to share. This is the Spunky Eclectic FOTM "Think Spring." As you can see the colors are so obnoxiously girly that there was no way I could do anything but knit a baby sweater out of it. I'm knitting the One Skein Wonder Baby Sweater out of it and I think I have just enough yarn to make it.

It's a bulky yarn with some slubs and thin spots but it makes a wonderfully textured sweater all knit up. This is a fast going knit, I cast on Tuesday night and should be done by this evening, I knit in bursts no real time dedication to this project.

Doesn't it just scream BABY GIRL!!!!

Any who, the flu seems to be clearing up a bit. Thank you all for your kind words, I hope I'm well enough for this weekend I have some really cool things planned. If any of you are in NYC on Saturday swing by the Dance Parade in the 20's I'll be the bellydancer with Isis wings and a huge shit-eating grin. And my bestie Mollie graduated college (I'm so proud of her you have no idea) and she's planning a blow out, which I can't attend if I'm ill. Hopefully I'll get a few pics of the sweater before the weekend.

Is anyone else feeling the pressure to finish their winter knitting? It's getting brighter and sunnier and unless the project is lace weight I always give up my wonderful wool for warmer fibers in the summer. I try to spin still but I stock pile it until that first fall afternoon. What kind of projects do you like to knit in the summer?

Bad Bad Blogger

I've been slacking. But I have good excuses. See I got my flu shot this winter, the company gives them out for free (I think its more cost effective to pony up for the vaccinations then to incur the sick days people would use) and I got mine when they were doling them out. I made it through the winter, no flu, barely even a head cold and then as soon as it gets nice and warm WHAM I'm sick with the flu. It's been a trying week, I've been trying to craft, trying to watch tv, trying to feel productive, but I'm failing miserable at everything. I spun some yarn
Shocking" 70 % Merino Wool 30 % Bamboo from Hanksinthehood

It's only an ounce but I got almost 80 yards bulky weight from it

I knit it into a hat as a nice stripe, as soon as I stop looking like day of the dead I'll take a pic to show it off.

I also purchased some hemp, and when it arrived I started wet spinning it while listening to Bob Marley (it seemed some how appropriate.) Hemp is nice to spin, its grabby and a bit stiff but I like it and I think I'm going to make the bag from the latest knittyspin when I'm done.

I also spun up some South African Fine from Spunky Eclectic's FOTM (no pics yet) it was the "Think Spring" colorway that so many people didn't like, pale pink and pale yellow aren't really my colors either, but a friend of mine just had a baby girl so I'm going to knit her a sweater out of it. I mean if anyone can wear pale pink and pale yellow it's a baby girl.

The guy I'm seeing came all the way out of his way last night to bring me chicken soup, a blockbuster movie, and gatorade. He also thought it would be best to walk the dog for me cause as he put it "damn you do look like hell" (so sweet he is.) But it was a nice gesture and it makes me feel good that someone's looking out for me. Anyway may you avoid this evil spring flu and hopefully I'll be up to pic taking later in the week

Monday Manic Monday

This weekend I spun Alpaca:

2 ply sport weight 300 yards 3.8 oz from a fleece I picked up last year in PA.

I tried many different processing techniques to see what worked best. This is a whole fleece with some guard hairs (alpaca doesn't have too many but there are some in there) and seconds, (the shorter bits of fluff from the second shearing.) The fleece itself isn't dirty so much as it is dusty so I prefer to bathe my alpaca in a modified fleece cleaning style. Usually just a couple of cold water rinses and soaks to remove the dirt and dust. Then I water my plants with the gunky water, which sounds gross but plants love love love it. Every time I wash a fleece I take the cold water soak (make sure there's no soap) and I water the terrace and indoor plants. After the cold water rinses I give the alpaca one good hot soak with just a touch of soap and then another warm water soak to rinse it out.

Alpaca tends to get static build up and when you run it though the drum carder or use your hand combs you can see the electricity make the fibers fluff out and stand on end. To combat this I usually give it a spritz of water/conditioner solution 5 parts water 1 part conditioner to tame the static and prevent crazy fly aways. But this alpaca didn't blend very well on my drum carder (I think the Louet fine cloth is more like a medium cloth on other carders and alpaca needs a fine cloth for the best processing.) So with the drum carder out of the question I started combing. The combed alpaca looked lovely and spun thin and smooth but I wanted a fuzzier yarn and it wasn't really happeneing. Plus I was feeling lazy and all that combing to get like 1/2 an once of roving was starting to grate my nerves.

Then I did something unexpected. I rushed to the closet where the stash monster lives and dug around my smaller monster (the tool monster) and found my hand cards. Hand cards? Yes, hand cards, those things I almost threw away when the drum carder arrived on my door step. Hand carding isn't as easy as drum carding but the rolags I made were just the thing I was looking for. No static issues or fly away problems with hand carding and if you really concentrate on just having the card teeth barely touch it's not so hard on your arm and back muscles. I carded a few ounces worth of rolags and spun two thin singles using the long draw method. The end result is a fuzzy, soft yummy yarn that I was proud to send to a fellow ravelry user in a swap.



I also spun another batch of alpaca, but this is from a batt I received in a carftster swap, it's a wool/alpaca/angelina blend. It's a single dk/sport weight about 100 yards from 2oz


The interesting thing about this yarn is that it's spindle spun. I've been spinning on my spindle more and more because I've been traveling. When I first got my first wheel I took it everywhere, but these days I simply pack a batt and a spindle in my bag and I find that it's much easier to carry my luggage. I wasn't the biggest fan of using spindles (as soon as I could afford a wheel I abandoned my student spindle) but I find that I almost have a more intimate relationship with fiber when spindling it. There is less control and the fiber really tells you what it wants to do when you spindle, when I spin with a wheel I have ratios, and tension and all sorts of options to whip that fiber into submission, but spindling is basic and organic.

Believe my I won't be getting rid of my wheel anytime soon but I think it's a nice change up.

I also carded batts:
3oz wool/mohair/angelina "Paper Boy"

You can find these on the etsy