Reflections on the Color Red

I’m really pleased with how this picture came out.  First of all, I think I’ve got the color right this time (yes, her hair is really that red).  I managed to capture the personalities of all three of them.  I’m even happy with my own reflection (well, half reflection) in the glass door.  The only thing I could do without is the reflection of the white car.

It’s too early to have results from the previous blog giveaways and contests I entered, but I did find another pattern and yarn giveaway at Knitting Pipeline (one of the many podcasts I’m catching up with).  Once I’m up to date on all of the ones I’m following I’ll subscribe to another book or two on Podiobooks, because it’s nice to have a guaranteed podcast download every day.  I’m still waiting for the sequel to The Crown Conspiracy.  I’ll have to be patient, though, the author hasn’t even updated his website since October (hope everything is OK there…)

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Sad Stories and a Picture

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I got a new mp3 player for my birthday.  I’ve been listening to the backlog of podcasts I’d built up (and there are a lot of them).  Yesterday I got to episode 193 of Craftlit, in which Heather Ordover talks about the Tucson shooting (her son played little league with the 9 year old girl who was shot).  Very touching, very upsetting stuff.  I found it even more troubling, because my elder daughter touched base with her seasonal after school job this week, and learned that a co-worker died last week.   It’s a small family business, and a very personal loss for everyone involved.

Here's the cat I had to save the knitting from

Still, this is my craft blog, and I’m not going to more than touch on the sad stuff.  So here is something from playing with the other birthday gift I mentioned, my camera.  You can see the tea cozy sticking in the foreground, and a bit of the teapot it is being made to fit.  It seems to pick up and brighten colors, and I haven’t found any way to filter that.  I think it’s time to break out the manual.

 

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Procrastinating and Planning

I’m considering joining NaNoWriMo (because November is just around the corner). Then again, right now I should be editing the Ramblin Ambler. And I have a headache…

So much creative thought, so little energy and organizational skills. Nuts, right?

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It’s Got to Go Somewhere

Well, there was a *lot* of rambling which hasn’t made it into the last two weeks worth of podcasting, and some of that actually involved pictures.   Not that they weren’t good rambles, or good pictures, but I wanted to get something resembling a coherent ‘cast, so a lot of bits and pieces which didn’t fit in just ended up ‘on the cutting room floor’ (read: bit-bucket).  Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to actually empty that trash, so pictures have been uploaded to Flickr, and will now be shared with you.

She's totally awesome

Didn’t get her name, but this public servant was a little bit concerned when I asked to take her picture.   Her concern evaporated when I told her I wanted to blog about her.  As you can see, she does a terrific job of keeping the woods paths clear, despite repeated nightly drinking binges (and broken bottles) and poison ivy infestations.  I was so happy to meet her.

Not the squirrel who dissed me...

This isn’t the squirrel I mentioned in Crafting, Critters and Cthulhu.  I took this picture the week before, very near the spot where I saw the Leaf Warrior.  Yes, I used Zoom.  Think this turned out pretty well.

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Another post about giveaways…

Yeah, not posting here much.  The Ramblin Ambler is turning out to be a big time suck, (though I do include crafting in just about every episode, so it’s relevant). and I’m still moving cautiously on the haruni.  Maybe I should grab Calla for those brain hurts too much to knit lace moments…

No win on the last couple of blog giveaways, but there’s an awesome one (and a new knitting podcast) at Knitting Pipeline, and one at Photo Knit Dog.

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Stalling out

Haruni is progressing, but v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, so no progress to report there.

No victory on either the Evolving Sock Knitter or Paddy Pants giveaways, but Vegan Craftastic is offering vegan ‘ice cream’ giveaway (no, really, this sounds yummy, you should go look) and Knot Cha Cha has a series of four awesome offerings. (Just don’t ask for the handspun, that’s mine) Way cool!

Ramblin Ambler is now up to two posts, so, yay for that!  I might be picking up a little speed.

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Now it gets complicated…

So, starting on part B of Haruni, and the stitch count seems to be off (unless the ‘stem’ isn’t supposed to line up consistently). Need to go very very slowly on this one.

In other news, I’ve started another Word Press blog, this one is an audio journal recorded while on weekly walks (because I really need something to get me taking regular walks).  Ramblin Ambler podcast.

Since I’m here anyway, I’ll follow up with some blog contests. Didn’t win the Lorna’s Laces from Kim Werker (currently reposting articles she wrote for the now defunct make and meaning blog).   I didn’t win the Puffy Mondaes from Darcy’s Knotty Knitter (someone named Turtle did).  Nor did I win “The Art of Knitting Lace”, but Knit-A-While has another book giveaway (I didn’t enter this one, but you might want to).

On the other hand, The Evolving Sock Knitter is giving away a copy of “The Sock Knitter’s Workshop”, and is about to launch a sock knitting tutorial. Paddy Pants is giving away a skein of tardis colored sock yarn (can you tell what I want to knit?)

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Ask and…

So, now that I’ve mentioned Cast-On withdrawel, Brenda has uploaded another episode.  Cool how that works, huh?

I’ve been procrastinating all morning (and babying myself after a migraine attack yesterday).  Haven’t done anything more useful than playing chauffer to DD#1.    Been working myself up to cast on Calla, a beautiful tank top from the late, lamented MagKnits which I found on Ravelry.    There are some great pics of it on the Same Knit Different Day blog.  It’s been a while since I’ve had two projects going at once, but Haruni’s tiny lace stitches seem like a huge challenge while I’m still headache fogged. 

Waffling about casting on yet, I’m still thinking through the mods I want to make.    Do I really want all those rows of eyelets, or should I turn some to twists or cable braids?   I’m pretty sure I want the back plainer than the front, but not sure how much plainer.  I won’t even worry about the neckline/straps until I get close to them, but the basic cable pattern I should plan out before starting.

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Growing the Feather and Fan

Well, I’ve been working on the Haruni, and it’s coming along nicely.  I’m getting used to the Claudia’s Handpainted Mohair as well.  That beautiful halo (which I love, BTW) comes from horrible, hairy, loosely plied yarn, which I didn’t think I could tolerate.  Who knows, by the time the project’s done I might well miss it.

I’ve been dealing with Cast-On withdrawal by working through the CraftLit back catalog.  This is actually more entertaining than downloading directly from Libravox, both for the book-clubish elements and because rather than choosing from hundreds of books I’ve been choosing from a limited library.  Just finished Turn of the Screw, and am in the middle of A Tale of Two Cities.  I’m thinking I’ll skip Frankenstein, because that would be re-reading, and it’s not the point of the exercise.

I’ll probably be starting another project in the next few days.  It’s always nice to have more than one thing on the needles.  I’m also considering joining a yarn swap.  If I do it, I’ll post it.

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The Firing Log – just thought I’d share

I am really lucky, in that the Art Center is (literally) right across the street from me.   ‘Real Life’ issues have kept me from taking classes for the last year or so, and I’ve missed them very much.   There’s something about centering, which connects you with the piece you’re working on and with the world spinning around both you and the piece.  There’s something about glaze-firing, where you do just about everything you’re going to do, and then let go completely, which are so organic, and so visceral, which I just haven’t found in any other craft.

I’ve just listened to an episode of The Firing Log, a potter/ceramicist interview podcast.   It really does make me miss potting even more, but it’s also nice to have contact with the craft again.    There are few audio podcasts dealing with it, many more video ‘how to’ casts, which are nice as well, but I like being able to put them on my player and listen while doing dishes or knitting.

Well, maybe this fall I’ll be able to take classes again.

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