Not me.
I mean, I am, but I'm not reporting here. I just checked in on Allison's blog. She's a writer, but clearly she has an interest in knitting too.
Showing posts with label Fibre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fibre. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
You Want My Brother
For all y'all knitters who weren't mackin' on my brother prior to this,† direct your attention to the following story:
Brother went to Reykjavik last week.‡
Brother and Hans and I met§ at the Tilted Kilt¶ to watch the glory that is the first day of March Madness.#
Brother brought me a present:
Which contained this:
The story behind the Lopi: Brother says it seems itchy, that they probably joke in Iceland that it's itchy wool.% He said I may never want to knit it into anything, but he figures it'd be cool to have genuine Icelandic wool carted from Iceland in my stash.††
Take a moment for that to sink in.
[SUMMARY: *boggle*]
A man, a NON-KNITTING man, who has embraced the actuality, the conceptuality and the psychology of a knitter's stash.
I think this is a real lesson for us all: what we're really looking for is a man with an older sister who knits.
[SUMMARY: And my thermos... and this lamp...]
He also brought me this box full of bath products from Blue Lagoon, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland.
[SUMMARY: Yes, that is a punchline.]
Apparently, it's a hot springs, a giant pool with mineral properties that will make you live forever if you bathe in it and drink it.
Only it's not natural.‡‡
It's the output of a geothermic power plant nearby. The mineral tailings form a sludge that sits at the bottom of the pool and in conveniently-placed sludge tubs all around the pool. People get in the water and scoop up the sludge and slather it all over themselves.
"So did you feel all glowy? Ten years younger?" I asked.
"No, you feel stupid. You look around at everybody else and you say, 'Yeah, you all did it too.' "
[SUMMARY: Stupidity in numbers.]
Are you jealous? If you didn't want my new stash enhancement, surely you wish you could get your hands on my sludge.§§
Or my brother.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Those of you who were might want to look away before you're blinded.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): They were going to go to Cuba, but then it got too dangerous.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): We call it "business lunch."
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Sort of like Hooters with more obvious boobs and more TiVis to give it a greater illusion of sports barness.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Trademark.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Has anyone out there in Blogland knit with this stuff? It doesn't seem *terribly* scratchy, but if you have firsthand knowledge, I'd love to hear about it.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Bonus points to brother for using the word "stash" correctly in casual conversation.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Not in the coming-out-of-the-rocks sense that we're used to in the Rocky Mountain West at least.
§§FOOTNOTE (ssludge!): That's what she said!
Brother went to Reykjavik last week.‡
Brother and Hans and I met§ at the Tilted Kilt¶ to watch the glory that is the first day of March Madness.#
Brother brought me a present:
Which contained this:
The story behind the Lopi: Brother says it seems itchy, that they probably joke in Iceland that it's itchy wool.% He said I may never want to knit it into anything, but he figures it'd be cool to have genuine Icelandic wool carted from Iceland in my stash.††
Take a moment for that to sink in.
[SUMMARY: *boggle*]
A man, a NON-KNITTING man, who has embraced the actuality, the conceptuality and the psychology of a knitter's stash.
I think this is a real lesson for us all: what we're really looking for is a man with an older sister who knits.
[SUMMARY: And my thermos... and this lamp...]
He also brought me this box full of bath products from Blue Lagoon, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland.
[SUMMARY: Yes, that is a punchline.]
Apparently, it's a hot springs, a giant pool with mineral properties that will make you live forever if you bathe in it and drink it.
Only it's not natural.‡‡
It's the output of a geothermic power plant nearby. The mineral tailings form a sludge that sits at the bottom of the pool and in conveniently-placed sludge tubs all around the pool. People get in the water and scoop up the sludge and slather it all over themselves.
"So did you feel all glowy? Ten years younger?" I asked.
"No, you feel stupid. You look around at everybody else and you say, 'Yeah, you all did it too.' "
[SUMMARY: Stupidity in numbers.]
Are you jealous? If you didn't want my new stash enhancement, surely you wish you could get your hands on my sludge.§§
Or my brother.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Those of you who were might want to look away before you're blinded.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): They were going to go to Cuba, but then it got too dangerous.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): We call it "business lunch."
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Sort of like Hooters with more obvious boobs and more TiVis to give it a greater illusion of sports barness.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Trademark.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Has anyone out there in Blogland knit with this stuff? It doesn't seem *terribly* scratchy, but if you have firsthand knowledge, I'd love to hear about it.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Bonus points to brother for using the word "stash" correctly in casual conversation.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Not in the coming-out-of-the-rocks sense that we're used to in the Rocky Mountain West at least.
§§FOOTNOTE (ssludge!): That's what she said!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Knitpiphany!†
Carol Jean sent yarn.‡
Beautiful Black Bunny yarn.
Beautifuller even than I thought it was when I first pulled it out because it's so light, so pastel, I thought I'd have to let it grow on me.§ Only there's something moody and shoreswept about it, like the faded paint on a seaside ice cream shop, and it grew like kudzu in a wet summer.^
[SUMMARY: Poetic yarn.]
It's 50/50 alpaca/wool, and a generous serving size,@ so I squish it on a daily basis and didn't know what to do with it.
Then, in my current round of blog gluttony,¶ I ran across a lovely post with lovely pictures and a scarf that made me catch my breath.%
[SUMMARY: A pattern of melodrama.]
Perfect. It's *perfect*.#
This has never happened to me before. I'm a little dizzy.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Have I used that title before?
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Despite my calling her Carol Jean behind her back, I got the yarn because I'm in her Black Bunny Yarn Club, rather than because I'm her BFF. I'm not as special as I may have misled you to believe.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): It may shock you, but I'm generally not a pastel person. For those of you scoring at home, I think the top picture is more true to colour - at least on my monitor.
^FOOTNOTE (careted): Hans agrees.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): 530 yards of fuzzy, halo'd goodness. Just right for a saint-in-waiting.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Some of you may have noticed swarms of comments from me, some covering posts you made months ago. That's me, catching up after the great Workicane (Workopalypse? Nine on the Workchter Scale? I'm working on it. Whatever it was, it was an unnatural disaster with gale force winds.) of O'9. The boss called last week because he had dinner with the VP who brought me on here and he asked what our (Hans and I) workload would be like so he could schedule in impending projects. "Divestitures are going to slow down this year," Randy the Veep is purported to have said. "What the HELL does that mean?" I wailed at John. "Six-day work weeks instead of seven? Only working twelve hours a day?" *ahem* Excuse me. A little vent is good for the soul. A saint-in-training can't afford to have a constipated soul.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): It's not the cleverest or the most complex or the most graceful, it's just perfect for the yarn at hand. And I *really* like it. The designer calls it "Mabel's Scarf," but I recognise a Greek key when I see it, so it's All Greek to Me.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): I'm a perfection virgin.
Beautiful Black Bunny yarn.
Beautifuller even than I thought it was when I first pulled it out because it's so light, so pastel, I thought I'd have to let it grow on me.§ Only there's something moody and shoreswept about it, like the faded paint on a seaside ice cream shop, and it grew like kudzu in a wet summer.^
[SUMMARY: Poetic yarn.]
It's 50/50 alpaca/wool, and a generous serving size,@ so I squish it on a daily basis and didn't know what to do with it.
Then, in my current round of blog gluttony,¶ I ran across a lovely post with lovely pictures and a scarf that made me catch my breath.%
[SUMMARY: A pattern of melodrama.]
Perfect. It's *perfect*.#
This has never happened to me before. I'm a little dizzy.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Have I used that title before?
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Despite my calling her Carol Jean behind her back, I got the yarn because I'm in her Black Bunny Yarn Club, rather than because I'm her BFF. I'm not as special as I may have misled you to believe.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): It may shock you, but I'm generally not a pastel person. For those of you scoring at home, I think the top picture is more true to colour - at least on my monitor.
^FOOTNOTE (careted): Hans agrees.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): 530 yards of fuzzy, halo'd goodness. Just right for a saint-in-waiting.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Some of you may have noticed swarms of comments from me, some covering posts you made months ago. That's me, catching up after the great Workicane (Workopalypse? Nine on the Workchter Scale? I'm working on it. Whatever it was, it was an unnatural disaster with gale force winds.) of O'9. The boss called last week because he had dinner with the VP who brought me on here and he asked what our (Hans and I) workload would be like so he could schedule in impending projects. "Divestitures are going to slow down this year," Randy the Veep is purported to have said. "What the HELL does that mean?" I wailed at John. "Six-day work weeks instead of seven? Only working twelve hours a day?" *ahem* Excuse me. A little vent is good for the soul. A saint-in-training can't afford to have a constipated soul.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): It's not the cleverest or the most complex or the most graceful, it's just perfect for the yarn at hand. And I *really* like it. The designer calls it "Mabel's Scarf," but I recognise a Greek key when I see it, so it's All Greek to Me.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): I'm a perfection virgin.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Iggle Has Landed!
The pink† cashmerino‡ finally made its way home.§
For the record? No mail Saturday, Monday, Tuesday... seven copies of the weekly grocery flyer, a Nordstrom bill from November¶ and my yarn today.
I feel *so* lucky to have ever received this package. I believe it may qualify as a miracle.#
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): It's a lovely, lovely pink.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): And the remaining two cones of green.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Home is where you hang your cashmere.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I went paperless in December.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): In the new theism, I believe my post office is Satan.
For the record? No mail Saturday, Monday, Tuesday... seven copies of the weekly grocery flyer, a Nordstrom bill from November¶ and my yarn today.
I feel *so* lucky to have ever received this package. I believe it may qualify as a miracle.#
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): It's a lovely, lovely pink.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): And the remaining two cones of green.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Home is where you hang your cashmere.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I went paperless in December.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): In the new theism, I believe my post office is Satan.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Nicknames
A nickname† says one of three things:@
1) I like you so much, I want to name you myself, to have this tiny, personal link that I give from me to you. It's a token of my esteem.‡
2) You are so horrible and laughable that I feel a need to say something derisive about you every single time I mention you.§
3) Your name or occupation lends itself so readily to a nickname I must apply one, even if I don't know you well enough to determine rules one or two apply.
[SUMMARY: I am a master of useless generalisations.]
Under the black auspices of condition No. 2, I feel my post office needs a nickname.% Post Office of the Damned? The Post Office that Time Forgot? Lost Office?
[SUMMARY: Bitter much?]
Y'all chime in here anytime. I may be starting to lose my sense of humour where the mail is concerned.
Because my post office is trying to kill me.¶
I received HALF of my Colourmart shipment yesterday. Four cones of the blue and two of the green. Four pink and two green are... where? At the Jiffy Lube on South Federal# for whom I inexplicably get mail four or five times a year?†† A neighbour's? In the parking lot of Safeway?
[SUMMARY: The Travelocity gnome got nothing on my yarn.]
On the bright side, the yarn is gorgeous. The blue is almost exactly as it looks on my computer screen and the green has a brighter, more acid edge that brings it even closer to the ideal I was seeking when I started my quest.
I'll let you know how the pink is if I ever get it.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Funny, we were just discussing nicknames in the comments. Not philosophically, just the surety that if I changed my name to Griselda, a certain portion of the population would resist "Zelda" and insist on calling me "Griz."
@FOOTNOTE (atted): For the purposes of this rant, in any case.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Even if I choose to call you Wombat or Fishlips.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Overwhelmingly childish and good for the soul.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Oh, my PO has a first name, M-O-T-H-E-R...
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Do they not know I'm prone to stroke?
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Currently at least five miles away on SOUTH FEDERAL BOULEVARD, not, one would think, to be mistaken for WEST 37th AVENUE.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Oddly, when I lived on North Hooker Street, I also got mail from that same Jiffy Lube, prompting me once to write, "Do I look like a Jiffy Lube?" in angry red Sharpie on an envelope. A question, I might add, that I don't really want an answer to.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed):
1) I like you so much, I want to name you myself, to have this tiny, personal link that I give from me to you. It's a token of my esteem.‡
2) You are so horrible and laughable that I feel a need to say something derisive about you every single time I mention you.§
3) Your name or occupation lends itself so readily to a nickname I must apply one, even if I don't know you well enough to determine rules one or two apply.
[SUMMARY: I am a master of useless generalisations.]
Under the black auspices of condition No. 2, I feel my post office needs a nickname.% Post Office of the Damned? The Post Office that Time Forgot? Lost Office?
[SUMMARY: Bitter much?]
Y'all chime in here anytime. I may be starting to lose my sense of humour where the mail is concerned.
Because my post office is trying to kill me.¶
I received HALF of my Colourmart shipment yesterday. Four cones of the blue and two of the green. Four pink and two green are... where? At the Jiffy Lube on South Federal# for whom I inexplicably get mail four or five times a year?†† A neighbour's? In the parking lot of Safeway?
[SUMMARY: The Travelocity gnome got nothing on my yarn.]
On the bright side, the yarn is gorgeous. The blue is almost exactly as it looks on my computer screen and the green has a brighter, more acid edge that brings it even closer to the ideal I was seeking when I started my quest.
I'll let you know how the pink is if I ever get it.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Funny, we were just discussing nicknames in the comments. Not philosophically, just the surety that if I changed my name to Griselda, a certain portion of the population would resist "Zelda" and insist on calling me "Griz."
@FOOTNOTE (atted): For the purposes of this rant, in any case.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Even if I choose to call you Wombat or Fishlips.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Overwhelmingly childish and good for the soul.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Oh, my PO has a first name, M-O-T-H-E-R...
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Do they not know I'm prone to stroke?
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Currently at least five miles away on SOUTH FEDERAL BOULEVARD, not, one would think, to be mistaken for WEST 37th AVENUE.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Oddly, when I lived on North Hooker Street, I also got mail from that same Jiffy Lube, prompting me once to write, "Do I look like a Jiffy Lube?" in angry red Sharpie on an envelope. A question, I might add, that I don't really want an answer to.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed):
Friday, February 19, 2010
Knitting Excitement!
Of course,† not for what I'm knitting right now, today, which is a baby blanket that isn't really tripping my trigger.‡ Miles and miles§ of superwash garter stitch... great for the Olympics, not so tantalising for my cashmere-cloaked, circus-knitting soul.
And I have marvelous yarn from Carol Jean¶ - 50/50 wool/alpaca, light green subtly dappled with grey-blue. And a wonderful natural Araucania wool alpaca grey twist. But I don't know what to make with either, so I fondle them nightly and continue kniting miles of garter stitch.
I finished the infamous# Later Gator Sweater,†† but, y'know... camera... upload... we'll get there.
I also knitted lumps of coal for the Family Christmas Party, but I took no pictures, so I don't even have the "too lazy to upload" excuse.
[SUMMARY: Why bother talking about knitting?]
Despite all this waffling, there is some upcoming knitting about which I'm very excited.
Excited to the point of frantic.‡‡
I will be knitting - *whisper* - for myself.
[SUMMARY: That's why.§§]
Sweater.
Then possibly sweaters.
[SUMMARY: I'm not committing to any long-term contract here.]
I plan to knit this sweater%:
Basic Black Cardigan by Glenna C.
Using these needles¶¶:
Kollage Square Circular
In at *least* the green## of this yarn:
Colourmart 2/6NM dk wt 5/95 cashmere/merino bulky wool in pistacho,††† fuscia and azul mel
Finishing with these buttons@ on the respective colours‡‡‡.
from As Cute as a Button
[SUMMARY: A plan! I have a *plan*!]
The yarn should arrive any day. Until then, I sit at my post box§§§...
*open open open*
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): "Of course," because the alpaca is always fluffier on the other side of the fence.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Though I have dubbed it the Gay Pride Baby Blanket, so at least it has that going for it.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): And even less thrilled now that I've left my state of denial and realised what I've knit so far is the right width for a bookmark and, at this rate, the blanket will be 16" x 12".
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Yes, we are on a first-name basis. When she's not looking.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Possibly only among the immediate family. Mostly with Dr. Doom, who has been dying for the sweater since he didn't get it on Christmas.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): So named because it was a very, very late Christmas present. And because it is in the shape of an alligator.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Because it has to come through my post office.
§§FOOTNOTE (here's where I turn on you): So there.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): My decision to knit this sweater has NOTHING to do with the fact that Glenna and I have roughly the same hair.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (let me beat this into you): OMG OMG OMG! I *love* these needles! They're comfy and pretty and the cable is OMG soft as chiffon and it doesn't kink or coil and they warm in your hands like wood and they're just a little grippy without being sticky and OMG did I mention copper and size printed right on the needle and OMG!
##FOOTNOTE (#Cassandra #Juno): A hard-won green, found at last by Cassandra who, while she didn't push me to buy three colours of yarn, did point me to the blue and thoroughly enjoyed shopping with my money.
†††FOOTNOTE (knitting cross - coming soon to an Olympic competition near you): [sic] Apparently, that's how you say "pistachio" and "fuschia" in Spanish.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): It won't surprise you to know I did a search for skull buttons in specific. I looked at every single button on the ACAAB website and kept stopping at this cord lock because it looks so much like a friendly, Hello Kitty-esque skull:
‡‡‡FOOTNOTE (sew buttons): OK, maybe I'll switch the skulls and the pink glass. It's better to be wishy-washy in the footnotes and sound like you know what you're talking about in the blogpost proper. You might also notice I switched from "at least this one colour" to "I have buttons for all the colours." I'm sneaky that way.
§§§FOOTNOTE (boo*hisss*): Which mocks me with its tardy, black, yarnless emptiness.
And I have marvelous yarn from Carol Jean¶ - 50/50 wool/alpaca, light green subtly dappled with grey-blue. And a wonderful natural Araucania wool alpaca grey twist. But I don't know what to make with either, so I fondle them nightly and continue kniting miles of garter stitch.
I finished the infamous# Later Gator Sweater,†† but, y'know... camera... upload... we'll get there.
I also knitted lumps of coal for the Family Christmas Party, but I took no pictures, so I don't even have the "too lazy to upload" excuse.
[SUMMARY: Why bother talking about knitting?]
Despite all this waffling, there is some upcoming knitting about which I'm very excited.
Excited to the point of frantic.‡‡
I will be knitting - *whisper* - for myself.
[SUMMARY: That's why.§§]
Sweater.
Then possibly sweaters.
[SUMMARY: I'm not committing to any long-term contract here.]
I plan to knit this sweater%:
Basic Black Cardigan by Glenna C.
Using these needles¶¶:
Kollage Square Circular
In at *least* the green## of this yarn:
Colourmart 2/6NM dk wt 5/95 cashmere/merino bulky wool in pistacho,††† fuscia and azul mel
Finishing with these buttons@ on the respective colours‡‡‡.
from As Cute as a Button
[SUMMARY: A plan! I have a *plan*!]
The yarn should arrive any day. Until then, I sit at my post box§§§...
*open open open*
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): "Of course," because the alpaca is always fluffier on the other side of the fence.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Though I have dubbed it the Gay Pride Baby Blanket, so at least it has that going for it.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): And even less thrilled now that I've left my state of denial and realised what I've knit so far is the right width for a bookmark and, at this rate, the blanket will be 16" x 12".
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Yes, we are on a first-name basis. When she's not looking.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Possibly only among the immediate family. Mostly with Dr. Doom, who has been dying for the sweater since he didn't get it on Christmas.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): So named because it was a very, very late Christmas present. And because it is in the shape of an alligator.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Because it has to come through my post office.
§§FOOTNOTE (here's where I turn on you): So there.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): My decision to knit this sweater has NOTHING to do with the fact that Glenna and I have roughly the same hair.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (let me beat this into you): OMG OMG OMG! I *love* these needles! They're comfy and pretty and the cable is OMG soft as chiffon and it doesn't kink or coil and they warm in your hands like wood and they're just a little grippy without being sticky and OMG did I mention copper and size printed right on the needle and OMG!
##FOOTNOTE (#Cassandra #Juno): A hard-won green, found at last by Cassandra who, while she didn't push me to buy three colours of yarn, did point me to the blue and thoroughly enjoyed shopping with my money.
†††FOOTNOTE (knitting cross - coming soon to an Olympic competition near you): [sic] Apparently, that's how you say "pistachio" and "fuschia" in Spanish.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): It won't surprise you to know I did a search for skull buttons in specific. I looked at every single button on the ACAAB website and kept stopping at this cord lock because it looks so much like a friendly, Hello Kitty-esque skull:
‡‡‡FOOTNOTE (sew buttons): OK, maybe I'll switch the skulls and the pink glass. It's better to be wishy-washy in the footnotes and sound like you know what you're talking about in the blogpost proper. You might also notice I switched from "at least this one colour" to "I have buttons for all the colours." I'm sneaky that way.
§§§FOOTNOTE (boo*hisss*): Which mocks me with its tardy, black, yarnless emptiness.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hooray Football!
Don't get me wrong, the Rockies have given me a little something to hold onto through the long, dark days of summer and I'm grateful.
Golf has been pretty good, though Tom Watson missed it by * * that much and my boy Phil was out for a chunk of the season.
[SUMMARY: Sports summary. ESPN needs me.]
But it's time.
I fancy I can feel a nip in the air† and see that particular slant of the light that means the season is changing. Maybe not quite from summer to autumn, but from baseball to football.‡
Did I mention I'm a Denver Broncos season ticket holder now?
[SUMMARY: *wham!* Bad horse! Get up! *wham!* *wham!*]
Because of the, y'know, mail thing, I set up my tickets to be picked up at will call.
Last week I called, if you will.§
I took the Mile High Walk through Broncos Country...
...past horses of sky and water¶...
...to the gates of Valhalla, that sacred space I've longed to tread.#
And my dorky little heart almost burst with all the extras.
I would have been content to just get my season tickets in a plain brown wrapper, but, like a good independent sock yarn dyer,†† the Broncos know those little extra touches will keep me coming back for more.‡‡
Here it is, my peeps.% My own personal, long sought, symbolic and literal, plegmatic and devine... my holy grail:
And get this: I had them print my name on them.
For those of you who care nothing and know nothing of football, we will return to our regularly-scheduled programming@ next time.
Meanwhile, sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that we didn't talk about chickens for the fourth day running, despite the fact Marybeth§§ got them in the mail yesterday and posted a couple of wee, fuzzy chickie photos¶¶ on Facebook.##
[SUMMARY: Oops.†††]
My grail runneth over.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Despite the fact that the Weather Channel app is telling me it's going to be nearly 90 today. Did I mention I got a phone that has apps?
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Y'know... the seasons that *matter*.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): There is a chance I don't just think I'm funny, I may also think I'm clever.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): The photo doesn't quite show it, but the bronze Italian horses are running up a river.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Like sainthood with shoulder pads and cheerleaders. Ooooh... when I get all my saint points do you think I can get my own cheering section?
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): You may be witnessing the first time the Broncos organisation has been compared to sock yarn dyers.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Because you know if it wasn't for the stickers and the sweepstakes, football would just be unwatchable.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Not to be confused with Marybeth's wee fuzzy chickie peeps.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): I can hear you laughing.
§§FOOTNOTE (I get mixed up sometimes): Who is, indeed, Marybeth, and not Mary Beth as I've been so callously calling her.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (peep peep): And they would look SO fetching in tiny little sweater vests. Oh, and that's pictures of wee fuzzy chickies... not photos of chickies that are the size of a postage stamp and kinda blurry.
##FOOTNOTE (pounding the point home): If you are my Facebook friend, you've probably seen the tiny, fuzzy chickies. If you aren't my Facebook friend, what's keeping you? Tiny, fuzzy chickie pictures, people!
†††FOOTNOTE (it's your cross to bear): Chickengate: Day 4.
Golf has been pretty good, though Tom Watson missed it by * * that much and my boy Phil was out for a chunk of the season.
[SUMMARY: Sports summary. ESPN needs me.]
But it's time.
I fancy I can feel a nip in the air† and see that particular slant of the light that means the season is changing. Maybe not quite from summer to autumn, but from baseball to football.‡
Did I mention I'm a Denver Broncos season ticket holder now?
[SUMMARY: *wham!* Bad horse! Get up! *wham!* *wham!*]
Because of the, y'know, mail thing, I set up my tickets to be picked up at will call.
Last week I called, if you will.§
I took the Mile High Walk through Broncos Country...
...past horses of sky and water¶...
...to the gates of Valhalla, that sacred space I've longed to tread.#
And my dorky little heart almost burst with all the extras.
I would have been content to just get my season tickets in a plain brown wrapper, but, like a good independent sock yarn dyer,†† the Broncos know those little extra touches will keep me coming back for more.‡‡
Here it is, my peeps.% My own personal, long sought, symbolic and literal, plegmatic and devine... my holy grail:
And get this: I had them print my name on them.
For those of you who care nothing and know nothing of football, we will return to our regularly-scheduled programming@ next time.
Meanwhile, sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that we didn't talk about chickens for the fourth day running, despite the fact Marybeth§§ got them in the mail yesterday and posted a couple of wee, fuzzy chickie photos¶¶ on Facebook.##
[SUMMARY: Oops.†††]
My grail runneth over.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Despite the fact that the Weather Channel app is telling me it's going to be nearly 90 today. Did I mention I got a phone that has apps?
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Y'know... the seasons that *matter*.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): There is a chance I don't just think I'm funny, I may also think I'm clever.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): The photo doesn't quite show it, but the bronze Italian horses are running up a river.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Like sainthood with shoulder pads and cheerleaders. Ooooh... when I get all my saint points do you think I can get my own cheering section?
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): You may be witnessing the first time the Broncos organisation has been compared to sock yarn dyers.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Because you know if it wasn't for the stickers and the sweepstakes, football would just be unwatchable.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Not to be confused with Marybeth's wee fuzzy chickie peeps.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): I can hear you laughing.
§§FOOTNOTE (I get mixed up sometimes): Who is, indeed, Marybeth, and not Mary Beth as I've been so callously calling her.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (peep peep): And they would look SO fetching in tiny little sweater vests. Oh, and that's pictures of wee fuzzy chickies... not photos of chickies that are the size of a postage stamp and kinda blurry.
##FOOTNOTE (pounding the point home): If you are my Facebook friend, you've probably seen the tiny, fuzzy chickies. If you aren't my Facebook friend, what's keeping you? Tiny, fuzzy chickie pictures, people!
†††FOOTNOTE (it's your cross to bear): Chickengate: Day 4.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Who Knew?
Did any of y'all know Karen Allen was a capital-K-Knitter?
{Karen Allen Fiber Arts via The Daily Heller}
{Karen Allen Fiber Arts via The Daily Heller}
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Fashioning Felt
{Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum via Selectism}
On display through September 7.
[SUMMARY: And the bleat goes on.†]
I think it's also worth noting‡ that the Cooper-Hewitt also has a children's wallpaper and book exhibit§ going on, even if it isn't so much in keeping with today's knitblog theme.
*************
Kapsule Woody - Karl Lagerfeld
Marin says: This stays very close to the skin, worth noting both because sometimes you don't want to overwhelm a business meeting or a movie queue and because things smell different when you lay your nose right on them than they do if you can get a respectable distance.
The initial tangle of prickly-dry cedar and bitter citrus smelled more like lemon Pine-Sol than it probably should have and I think that's because my nostrils were sealed to my wrists to get more than a vague pleasantness.
Actually, I'd say that's the hallmark of this one for me: a couple of inches away, it's a slightly sweetened woody haze, but up close it's woody and maybe raisiny and seems to have a touch of vetiver.¶ The overall effect is like a tawny port.
It's cosy and sophisticated, but with the lack of sillage it probably won't get any outside attention.#
Karl Lagerfeld†† says: Noble, rich and mysterious - all the refinement of cedarwood$ magnified with velvety plum$ and dense, dark moss.
Hans says: It smells like grapefruit. Like a Mad Dog. What are those things? Greyhound!‡‡
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): That's supposed to be a funny sheep joke. Y'know... for the knitblog thing.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Because beyond all the little things you know about me, I have a pop-up book problem too. So of COURSE I think this is worth noting.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Including several pop-up books. You can even see movies of the pop-up books.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... there's this sort of salty smell that I find smells a little like Play-doh that I've been associating with vetiver. Suddenly I'm wondering if it's actually moss. I'm clearly a work in progress.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): This is not an idictment. It's actually a very good thing sometimes (see: business meeting) when you don't want to clobber those around you. It's also like having a warm little secret all your own. Maybe I'm projecting.
$FOOTNOTE (on the money!): I'm claiming "raisiny" as close enough to "velvety plum."
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): I can't tell you how much I hate this website -- it's one of those webmaster playgrounds where they focused way too hard on style and forgot all about the end user. On the other hand, there's a slidy-squares puzzle of Karl Lagerfeld if you click in the right place.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): I had already offered up "bulldog." Hans says we should be bartenders, we're so good at this.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Can I Get Some Glitter?
Yes. Yes, I can.
Remember a hundred years ago when I was talking about the Glam Rock swap?
I completed my mystery project, received my package, went on to live my life, invented no-run pantyhose, revolutionised modern hair care, became a spokeswoman for the plight of bookstore customers worldwide and died at the age of 102† with a smile on my face.
[SUMMARY: Dreaming out loud.]
Seriously, it's been awhile. A couple of weeks at least. But, y'know... the camera, the uploading, the same old story.
Anyway, here's my package‡:
Let's get a close-up of those stitch markers:
I don't know how glam skulls are, but they're certainly *me* and I believe that's what counts.§
How cool is this?
It has a full Bowie bio between its shiny, shiny covers.
[SUMMARY: If it has David Bowie, it must be cool.¶]
Now for the tooting-my-own-horn portion of the program.#
Remember when I showed you the needle-felted Obama Brother made? And remember how I showed you a bag of fluff and said I was going to make something glam inspired by the needle-felted Obama?
[SUMMARY: If you don't remember, I'll remind you.]
Quick side trip to the back story††: You know how there are things that follow you? Like you have some sort of pre-destined meeting‡‡ with this... thing?
F'rinstance: a month or so ago, Juno asked how close I live to North Boulder because Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, a perfumer, has her shop there. I'd never heard of DSH, but within three days of Juno's inquiry, Chandler Burr reviewed her, I saw an ad for her, Nathan may have mentioned her... it was like she was haunting me.§§
Well, I had a similar series of events surrounding Klaus Nomi. A few years ago, I got my brother "The Nomi Song" for Christmas, part of a series of odd and/or interesting gifts we have exchanged. When I got it, I was only vaguely aware of Klaus Nomi, and then only as one of the first celebrities to die of AIDS.
Brother watched the film then passed it on to me. Turns out Nomi was an artist of some merit and a character worth filing in the brain, if for nothing else, for his glam¶¶ persona.
Then this glam swap came up and my recipient mentioned liking Klaus Nomi. Then Paris fashion week brought a Klaus Nomi reference. Then Nathan posted something that caused me to make a Klaus Nomi reference.## Then I decided to make a needle-felted Klaus Nomi, and when I explained this to the nice women at Fancy Tiger, one of them said, "That's so strange. I was just going through my iPod yesterday and re-discovered Klaus Nomi. I've been playing him a lot today."
[SUMMARY: KNMI: All Klaus Nomi, all the time.]
So, yeah. I needle-felted a Klaus Nomi.†††
[SUMMARY: Duh.]
This action appears to have exorcised Klaus Nomi's ghost. Who knew he was just hanging around waiting to be immortalised in wool so his soul could rest?
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Marin the Math Wizard would like to acknowledge that if she told you about the glam rock swap a hundred years ago, she was probably at *least* 141 when she died.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): The scarf is all glammy teal and fuschia and silver... but it looks like a Colorado Avalanche scarf to me. I'm pretty sure hockey isn't glam, so I'm pretty sure that's not what my upstream swap partner meant.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Being, as I am, the cente of my own universe.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Rule of Cool #9 (right below sunglasses and right above an Eames chair).
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): I have not yet decided if I want to continue tooting my own horn because nobody gets the job done quite like I do, or if I'm sick and tired of tooting my own horn and want an experienced horn-tooter to toot my horn for me. Wait... what were we talking about?
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): What your people call "tangent," my people call "side story." I was just channelling the Land O' Lakes chick, in case that didn't come across.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): I *really* wanted to reference the story where the wealthy Indian merchant hears that Death is coming to his house, so he gets on his horse and rides to [city in India] to cheat Death, only Death shows up at his house and when the servants tell him the merchant isn't there, Death says, "Oh, that's alright. I'll see him tomorrow. We have a meeting in [city in Inda], and the story's title is "Meeting in [city in India]," only I can't remember the name of the city and Google isn't much help in this case and if ANYBODY knows what the hell I'm talking about, please give me the title in the comments because it's driving me mad and I may not sleep until I get the answer.
§§FOOTNOTE (twisty tales): Unlike Klaus Nomi, who was always a little outside the box, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz was easy to appease -- a little VISA magic and some Mini bonding and her spirit rested.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (space age antennae?): I don't mean in the Vogue/W Magazine sense or in the 80s hair band sense. I mean in the David Bowie-Gary Giltter-Tommy Bolen sense.
##FOOTNOTE (that's me, pounding my head on the desk trying to dislodge clever thoughts): I honestly have no memory of what this footnote was going to be. Bet it was clever. And funny. ETA: GOT IT! I was going to say something about how commenting with slightly obscure references is why one files such bits away. The irony is not lost on me.
†††FOOTNOTE (hot cross Klaus): If I were a better photographer, you could see the prominent cheekbones and the sharp, slightly upturned nose.
Remember a hundred years ago when I was talking about the Glam Rock swap?
I completed my mystery project, received my package, went on to live my life, invented no-run pantyhose, revolutionised modern hair care, became a spokeswoman for the plight of bookstore customers worldwide and died at the age of 102† with a smile on my face.
[SUMMARY: Dreaming out loud.]
Seriously, it's been awhile. A couple of weeks at least. But, y'know... the camera, the uploading, the same old story.
Anyway, here's my package‡:
Let's get a close-up of those stitch markers:
I don't know how glam skulls are, but they're certainly *me* and I believe that's what counts.§
How cool is this?
It has a full Bowie bio between its shiny, shiny covers.
[SUMMARY: If it has David Bowie, it must be cool.¶]
Now for the tooting-my-own-horn portion of the program.#
Remember when I showed you the needle-felted Obama Brother made? And remember how I showed you a bag of fluff and said I was going to make something glam inspired by the needle-felted Obama?
[SUMMARY: If you don't remember, I'll remind you.]
Quick side trip to the back story††: You know how there are things that follow you? Like you have some sort of pre-destined meeting‡‡ with this... thing?
F'rinstance: a month or so ago, Juno asked how close I live to North Boulder because Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, a perfumer, has her shop there. I'd never heard of DSH, but within three days of Juno's inquiry, Chandler Burr reviewed her, I saw an ad for her, Nathan may have mentioned her... it was like she was haunting me.§§
Well, I had a similar series of events surrounding Klaus Nomi. A few years ago, I got my brother "The Nomi Song" for Christmas, part of a series of odd and/or interesting gifts we have exchanged. When I got it, I was only vaguely aware of Klaus Nomi, and then only as one of the first celebrities to die of AIDS.
Brother watched the film then passed it on to me. Turns out Nomi was an artist of some merit and a character worth filing in the brain, if for nothing else, for his glam¶¶ persona.
Then this glam swap came up and my recipient mentioned liking Klaus Nomi. Then Paris fashion week brought a Klaus Nomi reference. Then Nathan posted something that caused me to make a Klaus Nomi reference.## Then I decided to make a needle-felted Klaus Nomi, and when I explained this to the nice women at Fancy Tiger, one of them said, "That's so strange. I was just going through my iPod yesterday and re-discovered Klaus Nomi. I've been playing him a lot today."
[SUMMARY: KNMI: All Klaus Nomi, all the time.]
So, yeah. I needle-felted a Klaus Nomi.†††
[SUMMARY: Duh.]
This action appears to have exorcised Klaus Nomi's ghost. Who knew he was just hanging around waiting to be immortalised in wool so his soul could rest?
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Marin the Math Wizard would like to acknowledge that if she told you about the glam rock swap a hundred years ago, she was probably at *least* 141 when she died.
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): The scarf is all glammy teal and fuschia and silver... but it looks like a Colorado Avalanche scarf to me. I'm pretty sure hockey isn't glam, so I'm pretty sure that's not what my upstream swap partner meant.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Being, as I am, the cente of my own universe.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Rule of Cool #9 (right below sunglasses and right above an Eames chair).
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): I have not yet decided if I want to continue tooting my own horn because nobody gets the job done quite like I do, or if I'm sick and tired of tooting my own horn and want an experienced horn-tooter to toot my horn for me. Wait... what were we talking about?
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): What your people call "tangent," my people call "side story." I was just channelling the Land O' Lakes chick, in case that didn't come across.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): I *really* wanted to reference the story where the wealthy Indian merchant hears that Death is coming to his house, so he gets on his horse and rides to [city in India] to cheat Death, only Death shows up at his house and when the servants tell him the merchant isn't there, Death says, "Oh, that's alright. I'll see him tomorrow. We have a meeting in [city in Inda], and the story's title is "Meeting in [city in India]," only I can't remember the name of the city and Google isn't much help in this case and if ANYBODY knows what the hell I'm talking about, please give me the title in the comments because it's driving me mad and I may not sleep until I get the answer.
§§FOOTNOTE (twisty tales): Unlike Klaus Nomi, who was always a little outside the box, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz was easy to appease -- a little VISA magic and some Mini bonding and her spirit rested.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (space age antennae?): I don't mean in the Vogue/W Magazine sense or in the 80s hair band sense. I mean in the David Bowie-Gary Giltter-Tommy Bolen sense.
##FOOTNOTE (that's me, pounding my head on the desk trying to dislodge clever thoughts): I honestly have no memory of what this footnote was going to be. Bet it was clever. And funny. ETA: GOT IT! I was going to say something about how commenting with slightly obscure references is why one files such bits away. The irony is not lost on me.
†††FOOTNOTE (hot cross Klaus): If I were a better photographer, you could see the prominent cheekbones and the sharp, slightly upturned nose.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Do NOT Look at This Post
You were warned. I have done my saintly duty.
{Bella's womb in felt via Cinematical}
Stupid sparkly vampires are apparently *breeding*.
*shudder*
And some fibre-monkey actually took the time to FELT this monstrosity. I weep for the craft. Sometimes, I think, "Because I can," is not an adequate excuse.
Says the girl knitting three pairs of socks at once.
{Bella's womb in felt via Cinematical}
Stupid sparkly vampires are apparently *breeding*.
*shudder*
And some fibre-monkey actually took the time to FELT this monstrosity. I weep for the craft. Sometimes, I think, "Because I can," is not an adequate excuse.
Says the girl knitting three pairs of socks at once.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Knitta's Paradise
Miscellaneous knit shipments you need to know about.†
[SUMMARY: Late-breaking news.]
Yarn from Knit! on Etsy:
Extravagance Sock Yarn in Sapphire.
*63% Superwash Merino, 20% Silk, 15% Nylon, 2% Silver
*Fingering Weight
*415 Yards
*Machine Wash/Tumble Dry Low
*7-8 stitches/inch on US 1-3 needles
It's superwash and it's sparkly and it's named after a rock.‡ What more could you ask for?
The last shipment of the first round§ of the Black Bunny Yarn Club:
Black Bunny 100% Silk in Brown Tourmaline.
*DK Weight
*260 Yards
*I wouldn't put this in the washer and dryer unless I was making a hilarious YouTube video.
It's silk and it's glowy and it's named after a rock.
[SUMMARY: Shiny!]
And from Bob and Nancy%:
Finally! My Addi Clicks that I ordered in October, the second I heard there would be such a thing.
[SUMMARY: Early adoption is its own punishment.]
I'm going to review them, along with a bargain set of needles, next week. For now, let's just look at the pretty pictures.
For those who are wondering, I did have the very pointed,¶ very conscious# thought that perhaps I should stop buying knitting stuff and actually knit something with the stuff I have.
But what if I'm the only thing shoring up whole sectors of the economy?††
FRACAS UPDATE: I washed my face last night. I showered this morning. My left wrist still smells like modern-day Fracas. The right wrist was nothing but a misty, watercolour mem'ry of white flowers by the time I got home from work last night.
The good thing about the left wrist: perfumes that last a long time are good.
The bad thing about the left wrist: perfumes that won't go away after you wash them with soap and water‡‡ are liable to overstay their welcome. Good thing I like it.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): If you don't know, how can you want?
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Rocks friends.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): I've won my bracket, however, and am moving on to Round Two.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): If you Google "Bob and Nancy addi," the third through fifth things that pop up are a daredevil archery duo named Bob and Nancy. You can buy a DVD of their death-defying act.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Knitting needles... pointed... I crack me up.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Conscious thoughts help validate all the unconscious ones.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Yarn, books, perfume, cable TiVi, chocolate, cell phones, fine dining, ice cream...
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Twice!
[SUMMARY: Late-breaking news.]
Yarn from Knit! on Etsy:
Extravagance Sock Yarn in Sapphire.
*63% Superwash Merino, 20% Silk, 15% Nylon, 2% Silver
*Fingering Weight
*415 Yards
*Machine Wash/Tumble Dry Low
*7-8 stitches/inch on US 1-3 needles
It's superwash and it's sparkly and it's named after a rock.‡ What more could you ask for?
The last shipment of the first round§ of the Black Bunny Yarn Club:
Black Bunny 100% Silk in Brown Tourmaline.
*DK Weight
*260 Yards
*I wouldn't put this in the washer and dryer unless I was making a hilarious YouTube video.
It's silk and it's glowy and it's named after a rock.
[SUMMARY: Shiny!]
And from Bob and Nancy%:
Finally! My Addi Clicks that I ordered in October, the second I heard there would be such a thing.
[SUMMARY: Early adoption is its own punishment.]
I'm going to review them, along with a bargain set of needles, next week. For now, let's just look at the pretty pictures.
For those who are wondering, I did have the very pointed,¶ very conscious# thought that perhaps I should stop buying knitting stuff and actually knit something with the stuff I have.
But what if I'm the only thing shoring up whole sectors of the economy?††
FRACAS UPDATE: I washed my face last night. I showered this morning. My left wrist still smells like modern-day Fracas. The right wrist was nothing but a misty, watercolour mem'ry of white flowers by the time I got home from work last night.
The good thing about the left wrist: perfumes that last a long time are good.
The bad thing about the left wrist: perfumes that won't go away after you wash them with soap and water‡‡ are liable to overstay their welcome. Good thing I like it.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): If you don't know, how can you want?
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Rocks friends.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): I've won my bracket, however, and am moving on to Round Two.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): If you Google "Bob and Nancy addi," the third through fifth things that pop up are a daredevil archery duo named Bob and Nancy. You can buy a DVD of their death-defying act.
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Knitting needles... pointed... I crack me up.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Conscious thoughts help validate all the unconscious ones.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Yarn, books, perfume, cable TiVi, chocolate, cell phones, fine dining, ice cream...
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Twice!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Revelation!
Poor Secret Pal. Her package wasn't even late or missing and she got caught up in the package madness. So here it is, at least a week later and she's finally getting the credit due her.
It doesn't mean I'm any less grateful, just that camera thing. And the chronology thing.
[SUMMARY: Sophie's Choice for Dummies.]
Secret Pal's name is Stacey.^ She didn't tell me which blog is hers,† but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I do.
So let's dig in and see what I've got, shall we?
Yarn, of course. Sock yarn, purple yarn, sometimes at the same time:
There's enough of the Endless Summer for at least a tank or a shell -- eight balls.‡
[SUMMARY: A good excuse for a trip to Ravelry.]
This, I don't know. I'm thinking this is pet yarn.§
It's handspun by Stacey herself and I could look at it for hours, just watching the colours and the soft halo.
And petting it.
[SUMMARY: Things are apparently a little quiet at Chez Barfly.]
This, I kinda wanted to eat. Almost did. Had to check the label several times to be sure I couldn't.
See? It totally looks like chocolate. Trust me, it smells like chocolate too -- not the slightest soapy smell to the stuff.¶
[SUMMARY: In which I taste soap. *ahem*]
Allow me to make girl noises for a moment.#
*SQUEEEEE!*
It†† goes perfectly with my calaveras project bags Sylvia made me for my birthday last year.
[SUMMARY: Skulls!]
And, well, there was a little tub of lavender hand cream that I thought I got a picture of‡‡ but I don't see here, and a half-dozen perfumes from the Velvet Moon Bathery§§ that I know I didn't get a picture of because I took them straight to the office so I could play with them.
Suffice to say they have skulls and black ribbons on them and come in scents like "Raven Moon" and "Belladonna."
My gothy little soul is replete with shiny¶¶ blackness.
Thank you so much, Stacey! When you come up for air, let me know where your blog is.
Now I must to werk. These properties won't divest themselves.
[SUMMARY: Promise to miss me.]
XOXO
M
*************
Fracas (original EDT) and Fracas (current incarnation EDT) - Robert Piguet
Marin says%: This is an exercise in compare and contrast. I purposely ordered## both the original and the current Fracas to see what the difference is. And, frankly, if I could even tell a difference.@
Starting with Fracas in general, it's certainly primarily tuberose. With both the original and the current versions, the first blast is TUBEROSE. It only takes a moment, however, for the original and the current version to go their separate ways.
In my limited ability, it seems all the notes are as promised in each, just in different concentrations or perhaps different chemical versions.+
The original softened quickly into a less tuberose-dominant††† melange of white flowers, with a stronger beat of visceral, meaty smell of jasmine. The musk floated up and was noticable.
The current Fracas kept the tuberose front and centre and in the spotlight, but left the musk somewhere backstage straightening the curtains.‡‡‡
After an hour or so, the original had settled very close to my skin, only the musk escaping to flavour the air in my office. Snuffling my wrist, I found a pleasant, rounded§§§ tuberosey thing side-by-side with a soft, sandalwood-orange thing.
By then, the vetiver and the tuberose were having a loud argument on my left wrist, with the jasmine lending something dirty to the fray. And maybe, maybe just an occasional glimpse of an orange.
Maybe that's what the others were fighting over -- the last section of orange.
All whimsy and poetry aside, I'm delighted I could tell a difference between them. I mistakenly told Hans I thought the original Fracas was an early eighties scent -- I think I associate the big, brash part of tuberose with the eighties. Turns out it was introduced in 1948. Knowing all I know, I would say the 1948 version speaks to a softer era. The 2008 version is more rock 'n' roll, with the salty metal of vetiver~ being so prominent and the whole thing staying so loud.
But the flash and tang of tuberose says that the women who wore it in 1948 may have been a good suburban housewife or a well-behaved denizen of the typing pool, but she might have taken a dose of or Malcolm McLaren if it'd been offered to her.
Hans says: The left one is definitely more floral and the right is more... Body Shop. So I'm going to go with the right is more new age.
More floral [flapping one hand], Body Shop [flapping the other].¶¶¶
Robert Piguet says: Tuberose, seductive and lush, combines with Jasmine, Jonquil, Gardenia, Lily of the Valley and White Iris in a lavish profusion of fragile white flowers. A whisper of orange with a base of Sandalwood, Vetiver, and Musk.
^FOOTNOTE (careted): Or possibly Stacy. I forgot to bring the card with me and now I'm even more of a dork than usual.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): *hint hint*
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Join me in a moment of twelve, won't you?
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Though I really want to see how it knits up. How dopey would it be to knit a big swatch, frog it, then continue to pet the yarn?
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): It really should have a warning label like they put on the silica gel in electronics packaging that says, "This is NOT candy. Do NOT eat this." For, y'know... um... children.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): If you make girl noises over skulls, it's totally punk. Not at all My Little Pony.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): It comes from the Artsy Athina Etsy shop.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): It looks like a little, purple hat box, if that helps.
§§FOOTNOTE (a tangled web): Which I like to think of as Bathory.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (goth clubs... hehehe): "Shiny" is so un-goth.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): It looks like Marin likes to hear herself talk. A lot.
##FOOTNOTE (pounding of his hideous heart! wait... that was Tuesday): Because what kind of scatterbrain would *accidentally* order two of the same thing? Which I didn't. This time.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): I was terrified I wouldn't. Then what kind of review would this be? A much less wordy review, that's what.
+FOOTNOTE (plussed): As per our little perfume education session a couple of weeks ago when I nearly reviewed one of the Fracases (Fracasi?) on its own.
†††FOOTNOTE (whip whip whip): Can't you just see the little tuberose in a PVC corset and stiletto heels wielding a tiny, tuberose-sized whip?
‡‡‡FOOTNOTE (to keep me on track): A very important supporting role, as I can attest from my first year of high school theatre. At least that's what they kept telling me.
§§§FOOTNOTE (ribbony... like this): Because tuberose is not round. No, no, no. Tuberose is like lightning, with spikes and flashes and ribbons -- not sharp, mind you, but definitely not round.
~FOOTNOTE (tilded. I don't think I've ever used a tilde before): And we're back to whimsy.
¶¶¶FOOTNOTE (past present and future): He was disappointed he didn't get them right, but to his credit, he didn't get to smell the rock 'n' roll dry-down.
It doesn't mean I'm any less grateful, just that camera thing. And the chronology thing.
[SUMMARY: Sophie's Choice for Dummies.]
Secret Pal's name is Stacey.^ She didn't tell me which blog is hers,† but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I do.
So let's dig in and see what I've got, shall we?
Yarn, of course. Sock yarn, purple yarn, sometimes at the same time:
There's enough of the Endless Summer for at least a tank or a shell -- eight balls.‡
[SUMMARY: A good excuse for a trip to Ravelry.]
This, I don't know. I'm thinking this is pet yarn.§
It's handspun by Stacey herself and I could look at it for hours, just watching the colours and the soft halo.
And petting it.
[SUMMARY: Things are apparently a little quiet at Chez Barfly.]
This, I kinda wanted to eat. Almost did. Had to check the label several times to be sure I couldn't.
See? It totally looks like chocolate. Trust me, it smells like chocolate too -- not the slightest soapy smell to the stuff.¶
[SUMMARY: In which I taste soap. *ahem*]
Allow me to make girl noises for a moment.#
*SQUEEEEE!*
It†† goes perfectly with my calaveras project bags Sylvia made me for my birthday last year.
[SUMMARY: Skulls!]
And, well, there was a little tub of lavender hand cream that I thought I got a picture of‡‡ but I don't see here, and a half-dozen perfumes from the Velvet Moon Bathery§§ that I know I didn't get a picture of because I took them straight to the office so I could play with them.
Suffice to say they have skulls and black ribbons on them and come in scents like "Raven Moon" and "Belladonna."
My gothy little soul is replete with shiny¶¶ blackness.
Thank you so much, Stacey! When you come up for air, let me know where your blog is.
Now I must to werk. These properties won't divest themselves.
[SUMMARY: Promise to miss me.]
XOXO
M
*************
Fracas (original EDT) and Fracas (current incarnation EDT) - Robert Piguet
Marin says%: This is an exercise in compare and contrast. I purposely ordered## both the original and the current Fracas to see what the difference is. And, frankly, if I could even tell a difference.@
Starting with Fracas in general, it's certainly primarily tuberose. With both the original and the current versions, the first blast is TUBEROSE. It only takes a moment, however, for the original and the current version to go their separate ways.
In my limited ability, it seems all the notes are as promised in each, just in different concentrations or perhaps different chemical versions.+
The original softened quickly into a less tuberose-dominant††† melange of white flowers, with a stronger beat of visceral, meaty smell of jasmine. The musk floated up and was noticable.
The current Fracas kept the tuberose front and centre and in the spotlight, but left the musk somewhere backstage straightening the curtains.‡‡‡
After an hour or so, the original had settled very close to my skin, only the musk escaping to flavour the air in my office. Snuffling my wrist, I found a pleasant, rounded§§§ tuberosey thing side-by-side with a soft, sandalwood-orange thing.
By then, the vetiver and the tuberose were having a loud argument on my left wrist, with the jasmine lending something dirty to the fray. And maybe, maybe just an occasional glimpse of an orange.
Maybe that's what the others were fighting over -- the last section of orange.
All whimsy and poetry aside, I'm delighted I could tell a difference between them. I mistakenly told Hans I thought the original Fracas was an early eighties scent -- I think I associate the big, brash part of tuberose with the eighties. Turns out it was introduced in 1948. Knowing all I know, I would say the 1948 version speaks to a softer era. The 2008 version is more rock 'n' roll, with the salty metal of vetiver~ being so prominent and the whole thing staying so loud.
But the flash and tang of tuberose says that the women who wore it in 1948 may have been a good suburban housewife or a well-behaved denizen of the typing pool, but she might have taken a dose of or Malcolm McLaren if it'd been offered to her.
Hans says: The left one is definitely more floral and the right is more... Body Shop. So I'm going to go with the right is more new age.
More floral [flapping one hand], Body Shop [flapping the other].¶¶¶
Robert Piguet says: Tuberose, seductive and lush, combines with Jasmine, Jonquil, Gardenia, Lily of the Valley and White Iris in a lavish profusion of fragile white flowers. A whisper of orange with a base of Sandalwood, Vetiver, and Musk.
^FOOTNOTE (careted): Or possibly Stacy. I forgot to bring the card with me and now I'm even more of a dork than usual.
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): *hint hint*
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Join me in a moment of twelve, won't you?
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Though I really want to see how it knits up. How dopey would it be to knit a big swatch, frog it, then continue to pet the yarn?
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): It really should have a warning label like they put on the silica gel in electronics packaging that says, "This is NOT candy. Do NOT eat this." For, y'know... um... children.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): If you make girl noises over skulls, it's totally punk. Not at all My Little Pony.
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): It comes from the Artsy Athina Etsy shop.
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): It looks like a little, purple hat box, if that helps.
§§FOOTNOTE (a tangled web): Which I like to think of as Bathory.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (goth clubs... hehehe): "Shiny" is so un-goth.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): It looks like Marin likes to hear herself talk. A lot.
##FOOTNOTE (pounding of his hideous heart! wait... that was Tuesday): Because what kind of scatterbrain would *accidentally* order two of the same thing? Which I didn't. This time.
@FOOTNOTE (atted): I was terrified I wouldn't. Then what kind of review would this be? A much less wordy review, that's what.
+FOOTNOTE (plussed): As per our little perfume education session a couple of weeks ago when I nearly reviewed one of the Fracases (Fracasi?) on its own.
†††FOOTNOTE (whip whip whip): Can't you just see the little tuberose in a PVC corset and stiletto heels wielding a tiny, tuberose-sized whip?
‡‡‡FOOTNOTE (to keep me on track): A very important supporting role, as I can attest from my first year of high school theatre. At least that's what they kept telling me.
§§§FOOTNOTE (ribbony... like this): Because tuberose is not round. No, no, no. Tuberose is like lightning, with spikes and flashes and ribbons -- not sharp, mind you, but definitely not round.
~FOOTNOTE (tilded. I don't think I've ever used a tilde before): And we're back to whimsy.
¶¶¶FOOTNOTE (past present and future): He was disappointed he didn't get them right, but to his credit, he didn't get to smell the rock 'n' roll dry-down.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Glitter of a Different Kind
Not the David Bowie kind... not even the Mariah Carey kind.†
This is the hallowed, soft, silky, gleaming glitter in the eyes of a knitter who has reached knitterly nirvana and delights in the envy of friends and family; thrower, picker and normal person alike.
[SUMMARY: Happy sigh.]
And sequins. It may have something to do with sequins.^
When I wrung all the photos out of the camera Sunday, I was trying to figure out which order to do all this in -- alphabetical? potential impact? number of photos?%
I opted for "order in which it was received."‡
So welcome to day two, the second missing package. This one might have been addressed to Blanche du Bois, a product, a it was, of the kindness of a stranger. Well, not stranger in the "unknown" sense, a friend to be sure, but a stranger to knitting.§
Isn't it remarkable what a fresh eye can bring to the stash?¶
Fabulous Yarns knows packaging is important:
And they do carry fabulous stuff.
[SUMMARY: Duh.]
This is Artyarns Cashmere 5. It's kinda hard to tell, but there's maybe a little more brown in this than the picture lets on.
Ah... there's the brown.
Cashmere, cashmere, soft as angels' wings packed in spring clouds. And I learned something very interesting about this particular cashmere: despite the fact that it looks like laceweight, it's actually wound as five unplied strands to make up a worsted weight.#
Thus:
[SUMMARY: I think we've all learned something here today.]
This one makes me dream at night. And troll Ravelry for hours.†† And guard it jealously when I show it off at Drunken Knitting and never turn my back on it because, y'know, knitters always have tote bags and plenty of pockets to hide a prized skein of yarn.‡‡
Look closer -- you'll see why this particular yarn drove me to new heights of photographic creativity.§§
My neighbours think I'm insane.¶¶
I don't care. I have The Yarn.##
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Sorry, Nathan. I know how you love your Mariah Carey Glitter references.
^FOOTNOTE (careted): Sequins AND beads.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Best? Favourite? Prettiest? Best pictures? It was like Sophie's Choice until I came up with the very pedestrian "first come, first served."
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): It works for Comcast, it should work for me.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): And maybe a little strange (says the black pot). But mostly "stranger" in the sense of "not a fibre geek."
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): And it just goes to show that good taste crosses genres.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Fabulous Yarns also has very patient customer service people who very patiently explained this to me when I wrote to tell them, "I think your yarn is mis-labeled because clearly this is laceweight."
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): What *am* I going to make with the sequins and beads?
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): I'm playing out my own version of The Tell-Tale Heart here, people.
§§FOOTNOTE (twisted): Both yarns (collectively: The Yarn) went on many field trips as I showed them off and photographed them. When I floated the Rogue River for five days, I came away with 900 pictures. When I paraded The Yarn, I ended up with 800 pictures. I have a problem.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (raise your hand if you agree with the neighbours): Insaner. Than they already did. Nobody ever gets close enough for me to explain the blog thing. All they see is me photographing yarn and books on my deck and in the gazebo and in the Carousel Pavilion and they keep their distance.
##FOOTNOTE (the pounding from the floorboards): And the BEATING OF HIS HIDEOUS HEART! That may be funnier in my head than it is here. Y'all are used to that. Go back and look at the pretty yarn if you need to.
This is the hallowed, soft, silky, gleaming glitter in the eyes of a knitter who has reached knitterly nirvana and delights in the envy of friends and family; thrower, picker and normal person alike.
[SUMMARY: Happy sigh.]
And sequins. It may have something to do with sequins.^
When I wrung all the photos out of the camera Sunday, I was trying to figure out which order to do all this in -- alphabetical? potential impact? number of photos?%
I opted for "order in which it was received."‡
So welcome to day two, the second missing package. This one might have been addressed to Blanche du Bois, a product, a it was, of the kindness of a stranger. Well, not stranger in the "unknown" sense, a friend to be sure, but a stranger to knitting.§
Isn't it remarkable what a fresh eye can bring to the stash?¶
Fabulous Yarns knows packaging is important:
And they do carry fabulous stuff.
[SUMMARY: Duh.]
This is Artyarns Cashmere 5. It's kinda hard to tell, but there's maybe a little more brown in this than the picture lets on.
Ah... there's the brown.
Cashmere, cashmere, soft as angels' wings packed in spring clouds. And I learned something very interesting about this particular cashmere: despite the fact that it looks like laceweight, it's actually wound as five unplied strands to make up a worsted weight.#
Thus:
[SUMMARY: I think we've all learned something here today.]
This one makes me dream at night. And troll Ravelry for hours.†† And guard it jealously when I show it off at Drunken Knitting and never turn my back on it because, y'know, knitters always have tote bags and plenty of pockets to hide a prized skein of yarn.‡‡
Look closer -- you'll see why this particular yarn drove me to new heights of photographic creativity.§§
My neighbours think I'm insane.¶¶
I don't care. I have The Yarn.##
†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Sorry, Nathan. I know how you love your Mariah Carey Glitter references.
^FOOTNOTE (careted): Sequins AND beads.
%FOOTNOTE (percented): Best? Favourite? Prettiest? Best pictures? It was like Sophie's Choice until I came up with the very pedestrian "first come, first served."
‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): It works for Comcast, it should work for me.
§FOOTNOTE (swerved): And maybe a little strange (says the black pot). But mostly "stranger" in the sense of "not a fibre geek."
¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): And it just goes to show that good taste crosses genres.
#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Fabulous Yarns also has very patient customer service people who very patiently explained this to me when I wrote to tell them, "I think your yarn is mis-labeled because clearly this is laceweight."
††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): What *am* I going to make with the sequins and beads?
‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): I'm playing out my own version of The Tell-Tale Heart here, people.
§§FOOTNOTE (twisted): Both yarns (collectively: The Yarn) went on many field trips as I showed them off and photographed them. When I floated the Rogue River for five days, I came away with 900 pictures. When I paraded The Yarn, I ended up with 800 pictures. I have a problem.
¶¶FOOTNOTE (raise your hand if you agree with the neighbours): Insaner. Than they already did. Nobody ever gets close enough for me to explain the blog thing. All they see is me photographing yarn and books on my deck and in the gazebo and in the Carousel Pavilion and they keep their distance.
##FOOTNOTE (the pounding from the floorboards): And the BEATING OF HIS HIDEOUS HEART! That may be funnier in my head than it is here. Y'all are used to that. Go back and look at the pretty yarn if you need to.
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