The Crime Wave Continues...

Here was the scene at Knitsburgh when I arrived after some tea-making in the kitchen:
Isabella Maria luxuriating and humming innocently above...
...a tangled web...


...of yarn.
Hmm, wonder how all of that happened? This girl cannot, I repeat, cannot be trusted! Don't look into those big green eyes and think she is an innocent. You might think Izzie is the youngest of the clan, with her kitten-like play, but you would be wrong in thinking that. Sorry to disappoint, but that's not all you may be wrong about today.

You might be thinking, with the crimes occurring at such an alarming rate in Knitsburgh no progress on the Chemise could possibly occur. You might assume the interogations and finger-printing would keep Ms. Knitsburgh a bit too busy to manage anything else. Here is the place...the place were you are wrong again!

Behold, the finised back of my Chemise!!!



Let this be a lesson to you. No amount of robbery, skull-duggery, thieving, mischieving or grafiti-ing will stop this mad, mad knittah!!! So take your gangsta ways, your punk-ass hi-jinx and your mob-like plots elsewhere, ya here?

Dark Side of the Moon

Hello, ello ello? Anybody hear me?

Saw the lunar eclipse two nights ago, was really cool! Unfortunately, I do not have a camera with a decent zoom lens so this is the best I have to offer you:This was about 9:40PM prior to the full eclipse. The full eclipse was beautiful, kind of orangey-peachy. It was so cold outside that Nature Boy and I would run out and view it for a few moments, then run back in. The clouds surrounded it but did not cover it; neat, huh?

So knitwise, here is a recent shot of my chemise: It's slow going at best. Here is a group shot with my knitting, my tea and my VEGAN BANANA BREAD:Finally, here is the vegan naner bread on it's own. I didn't have any nuts in the house ('cept peanuts) so I threw in some shaved coconut chunks--YUMMMMM!!!
I have today off and my house is alreday clean, hooray!! Off for some fun!

MISSING!!!

Missing: Size 5 double-pointed needle from the Knitsburgh Area.

Last spied on the couch, next to four other DPNs of similar size/build. If anyone has any leads, please contact the authorities immediately. Two suspects have been detained:
Isabella Maria
Quandary Bartholemiuex


Isabella was spied on the couch in the vicinity of the needle prior to it's going missing. Quandary has in the past been observed violently biting the victim.

I am knitting lace and it's hard and it makes my head hurt! I may need to start something I don't have to concentrate on to knit during those times I don't want to concentrate so much, like when I'm watching some crappy TV. I have already had to frog it to the beginning once due to my continual mistakes when not being as thoughtful as I need to be about it.

Not too much new here. The weather is gray and bleak and turning colder and windy. I just wish it would snow and snow a whole lot; if it's got to be this cold, then there should be snow or in my oppinion it should be at least 80 degrees and sunshiney.

I do go about and thrust my oppinions into the world a lot, don't I? Is that a bad thing, to have oppinions? I used to think not but lately, I have been getting the feeling people don't like it. Oh well, they know what they can do...

Happy Valentine's! BONUS-SUPER LONG ENTRY

Hope Eros and Cupid and Venus find their way to your door today!
Here's a lil shot of some homeade gifts for my two sissies:


I made the soap and the heart-motif washcloths, which were made from a pattern I found free on-line. I've been using patterns a lot lately, as I am LAZY right now. I hope to begin designing again in a few weeks.

I should insert a warning here: I am home sick from work today so this may be a long one. And what better to do when home sick than...taxes!!!
The longer this post, the more I get to delay the fun of tax prep. Makes sense, right?

I attended the 4th Annual Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Fest this past weekend. I would love to say how fabulous it was, but something is amiss when you pay $15.00 just to enter the door for the priviledge of buying expensive fibre. I bought one of my FAVES, the 2nd Time Cotton, which is RECYCLED cotton fibres leftover from the textile industry all spun up like new into soft, happy colorful skeins. Here is the bounty:



Here is also Ms. Madison Penelope, who finds work, as some of you know, as a supermodel. Basically, when the camera comes out, she comes running over. I missed the shot of her running up and trying to grab the yarn from behind the chair back slats. She's a crazy lil monkey, that one!

So, what does one intend for all that soft, sexy skeinage, you ask? I happened to get the newest Interweave Knits in the mail right before said Fibre Fest and wouldn't you know it, found a use BEFORE I even purchased it! Here's a peak at what I hope to accomplish.
And here amidst my taxes is the start of the chemise: For those of you trying to keep track, here is my "how many projects do I have going" roundup:
1. Socks on needles--forget the name, driving me crazy in Maizy (which is CORN!)
2. Sweater of my own design (started this fall, yikes!)
3. New Chemise pattern from Interweave
4. A Steeler-scarf somewhere upstairs is still on some needle-age.

Really, not too bad. So here are some future plans:
1. Make a rug out of leftover shirts/jeans whatever cut and tied together to make a giant ball of recycled fibre. This one will take some time...
2. Make curtains for the kitchen and dining room (Hardanger embroidery)--once we get things painted.
3. Knit a pillow for the couch of for the floor with some remnants in the stash.
4. Find a use for the mostly-orange skein of bamboo I got but don't know what to do with. Maybe a hat? Some covers for containers? Anyone need anything orange?
5. Make some cushions for the radiator covers Nature Boy has started but has yet to finish (in his defense, he works in our garage which is not heated and has no electricity. He hooks up a power cord to the inside of the house, runs it through a window or door and then uses the power tools. It's freezing and there is snow and ice and he really can't work more the 10 minutes at a time without the risk of hypothermia).

One more set of pics--here is a shot of the Beachcomber fingerless mitts I made (both are now done and are being put to good use, thanks to the frigid tundra outside, proof as follows):

I will end with the bestest news of all. Nature Boy, in his sweet way, left me a Valentine card this morning before he went to work. I opened it and suprise---he got me a gift card for Knit One! I feel bad cause he wrote inside he got it before he learned of my "feelings" about Knit One (not-so-likey and I am dying to get to a new shop, called Natural Stitches, that I learned of recently--hello, they carry lots of "green" fibres which makes me so happy. Trust me baby, that card will not go unused!

So after I figure my taxes out, I plan to knit away my sick. And dream of taking my tax return moolah and going somewhere warm, with an ocean and a great yarn shop...

Drum Roll Please....TAH-DAH!!!!

Here, without further ado, is my latest finished SECRET PINK PROJECT:

They are slips for my sissy, in honor of her birthday which was yesterday. They are from the pattern in this book.

Said sister gave me the book last year and I figured it was high time I used it and made her something in return. Yeah, so now I can crochet too. As long as that book is near me, anyways. It's not to the level of me and knitting. Me and knitting, we're like this, I can knit with the eyes closed. We can hang out and do other stuff. Me and crochet, still getting to know one another.

Here is my knitting project for moi:

It's the Beachcombing pattern I made up last year for sissy's birthday; decided to make me a pair with the Rowan Calmer. Tha's my well-worn knitting project notebook with all my original patterns underneath.

My LYS now has advertised a NEW CORN FIBRE! My Maisy sock is still half made, chillin' on some needleage upstairs but I feel a need for MORE CORN!! AHHHHH! It's getting scary in here!

Speaking of, guess who decided to cut her own hair with regular old scissors on a whim? Yep, you are smart--it was me. Word to peeps--don't cut your own hair, ok? Sure it grows back but you will look like an arse until it does.

Also on the scary front I tried out a recipe for Bride's Bread (that's Bride as in the goddess, not me as in trying to get hitched). I wrote up a lil' something for a group I belong to and wanted to include this recipe but decided to try it first before putting it out there. I'm glad I did try it--here's how it looked:


It looked and smelled SO GOOD!!! I bit into a piece and hello too much salt and baking soda! I think it was a misprint in my book so I am not recommending this one! I think I'll try another recipe, then post it if it's good. By the way, it's for Imbolc which is coming up on Feb. 2nd and was a forerunner of sorts to Groundhog's Day and Candelmas.

Lastly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISON PENELOPE, my first-born baby daughter! She turned 11 years yesterday and spent the day doing her favorite thing:

MOCK-ERY and MAYHEM

A few weeks ago, a friend texted me an interesting question, which I will answer here. Anyone who has watched me agonizingly text anything longer than 5 words knows why I would rather post it here.

The Question: How do I feel about the "Mock Meat" family?

The Short Answer: Me likey!

The Long-Winded Explanation of My Reasoning: Basically, as a vegan, I eat tofu, seitan, beans or legumes combined with complex carbs to get my protein, for energy that lasts more that an hour and for muscle tone, good hair, skin and nails. You need the protein. You don't need it to moo at you. The mock meat group is normally thought of as a group of highly processed grains made to resemble in taste, texture and appearance a piece of meat. If you think this, you are mistaken.

Most products sold as mocks do not in fact taste like meat; they taste like the spices and flavors used to make meat taste good. Otherwise, you meat eaters out there would just boil up all your meat if it inherantly was so uber-tasty on it's own. It's not that good boiled because there isn't much flavor. Add some spices, or a sauce(BBQ, hot sauce) or pour some oil in and cover it in bread or flour and SHAZAMM--it's delicious!

So I see the mock fam memberage in the same light: on it's own, a block of tofu or chunk of seitan, while chock full of protein, tastes like nothing. It's what you add while you prepare it for the table that makes it delectable. I do use some mocks for short-cuts that are pre-made and in the freezer section of my store. They are good for the days when you work a 13-hour shift and stumble in the door after 9PM and can't fathom cooking but you are starving so that you hurt. Any time I have and can actually cook, I make seitan from scratch or use tofu from the supermarket. I love to spice it up, pour on some sauce, you name it. I made a tofu loaf recently, which you might consider a "mock meatloaf." You throw in some oatmeal, some spices (including catsup, just like mom would), onions and bake it. It gets crispy on the outside and is kinda moist inside. In that way it resembles a meatloaf but I would never say it tastes just like one. It gets sliced up in cold sandwiches as a good protein filler for when a gal needs a break from PB & J.

So that's my official stance on the mocks. Aren't you glad you asked?

ON THE KNITTING FRONT:
1. My SECRET PINK PROJECT (my first crochet project ever) was mailed out for the intended recipient--stay tuned, once they get it I will post a finished pic.
2. I started a project for me--but I need to reconfigure. Once I get my camera back (Nature Boy has it on his trip to Russian Xmas--yeah, I stayed home and sat it out this year, no walnuts to the head for me, thanks)I'll clue ya in.
3. I am gearing up for the 4th ANNUAL PITTSBURGH KNIT AND CROCHET FEST!!! Fibre mayhem at it's best! Coming on Feb. 9th and 10th. Sounds like more yarn will be coming to live with me...I'll have to break it to the current tenants to make some more room.

HERE I GO, HERE I GO, HERE I GO AGAIN, WHAT'S MY WEAKNESS...

YARN!!!


And some of you thought I would say "men"--HA!
That's my new Rowan "Calmer" purchased at the LYS, Knit One. The saleswoman was all like, "oh, this is my favorite yarn, it's the CASHMERE of cotton" about three times. I wanted to yak but choked it back. And yeah, THAT rhymes!!

Here is a view of my new current project (mind you I still have a sweater lanquishing at the bottom of my knitting bag/purse which yes, is one and the same, as well as half a sock hanging around on the needles). I will give you more details at another time, but it is CROCHET, not knitting and yes, I think I am finally getting it!


Here's a pic of my latest COMPLETED work, a blankey. I got the word it was received so now I can talk about it. I took me an eon to finish, I seem to have difficulty in that area, and was not done in time for me to give the recipients in person, but hey, at least I finished it right? It's the thought that counts, right? Everyone loves a lil' suprise package in the mail, right? You can also see a lil'lavendar sachet I made to enclose with it.



Wow, the holidays beat me up this year! I got a mega-cold and survived yet another birthday. I got to see my family and friends and that was really nice. I didn't get to see everyone, maybe next year (hint to MIA sister of mine and to MIA Kimberfly). Kris Kringle was also really good to me, I got lots of geek-tacular stuff like my label-maker. I am labeling EVERYTHING in my way so watch out, you may be next. My cats all have labels on their heads right now, in fact.

I think that cathes you up from Thanksgiving through the New Year. Oh, and to vent about my New Year's Eve. We (again) went to the outdoor event at Station Square titled "Tick Tock Rock." First year was Brett Michaels (of Poison) and it was great fun. Second year was Winger and that provided an almost equally laughable good time. This year? The Gin Blossoms. It sucked! There was only one woman with giant hair and she wasn't even in the crowd, she was on the stage! I'm all for braving the cold for a really good band or a really hilarious romp through the 80's but for semi-grungy, depressing flannel-ridden lyrics and non-danceable music? Not again! Hope your New Year's Eve was a little more upbeat! HAPPY NEW YEAR!