Pure Genius

Sometime you come across a website that is so blissfully genius you can't help but fall in love. This site is like that.
via Unsprung

Tines!

OK, fuck the candy and the flowers and all the other bullshit that goes with Vanlumtime's Day.
But keep this part.





Seriously, to all of you.

Digital Pamphleteer

Have you seen this yet? My friend Bill made this short film and I just want to get out there as much as possible.

Word

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed -- and hence clamorous to be led to safety -- by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary. -H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (1880-1956)

Happy Birthday

Today is my dad's 60th birthday and his first birthday since he died last October. It's a rough day. I wanted to do something and I wasn't sure what but I finally decided to make him his favorite dinner, beef stew and carrot cake. I hate carrot cake but he loved it. My friend will come have dinner with me and maybe later we'll watch Popeye; my dad played Oxblood Oxheart.


Finally I'll leave you with this poem by Philip Booth. I'm trying to remmebr that the sea will hold me too.

First Lesson

Lie back daughter, let your head
be tipped back in the cup of my hand.
Gently, and I will hold you. Spread
your arms wide, lie out on the stream
and look high at the gulls. A dead-
man's float is face down. You will dive
and swim soon enough where this tidewater
ebbs to the sea. Daughter, believe
me, when you tire on the long thrash
to your island, lie up, and survive.
As you float now, where I held you
and let go, remember when fear
cramps your heart what I told you:
lie gently and wide to the light-year
stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you.

--Philip Booth

Shoe Whore

I haven't knit a stitch since Vegas so I haven't had much to blog. I did, however, want to share two new loves in my life.


I want every single pair of shoes here. Seriously, I love, love, love these. Thanks to DFM for finding them.


I picked up Vampire Weekend yesterday and I have been listening to it constantly. You have to check them out.

*blush*

Tres Chic Veronique sent me a "You Make My Day Award." I don't know what to say, I'm so flattered. I'm happy that I make your day.

Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.

It's really, really hard to pick just 10 blogs that make my day. I have about 80 blogs on my roll and I read more than half of them every day.

1. Applemint - Yum! I want to eat everything on this blog, even the pictures.
2. the scent of green bananas - Again, everything is looks so delicious. I love tsogb because it constantly challenges me to try new things.
3. Smitten Kitchen - What, another food blog? Uh huh, I can't get enought of them. Deb writes beautifully, cooks beautifully and take beautiful photos. Of all the food blogs, I've made them most recipes from this one.
4. Quixotic Pixels - The writing, the design, the photos, the knitting, the sweet humor and honesty...seriously, what's not to like?
5. Posie Gets Cozy - I just want to go live in Alicia's house and snuggle up with Clover and check out all the pretty things. Heck, maybe even learn to crochet.
6. futuregirl craft blog - Alice sews, crochets, makes stuffies, writes tutorials, etc. I don't think there's anything she can't do.
7. Hello Yarn - A blog that needs no introduction. Adrian is crazy talented and super nice. The knitting, the spinning, the dying, the gnomes! She is impossible to resist.
8. I May Be Knitting A Ranch House - Knitter, awesome glasses frame finder, etsy seller, Audrey lover, last.fm queen.
9. The Knitting Philistine - The Knitting Philistine rocks my socks, literally. Don't know what I mean? Go check out her blog and you will.
10. Flint Knits - By far the best halloween costume, ever! Plus she knits, rocks and has the cutest damn glasses.

I could go on, and on, and on, and on. Want soem more links? Check out my blogroll.

Welcome Home

Well, I'm home from Vegas and I had a blast! I did end up bringing a sock but I only knit like 2 rows of it. I also brought my camera and my phone, which has a camera, but I didn't take one single picture. I know, it's crazy.

My favorite things about the trip:

1. Getting to hang with an awesome and hilarious friend.
2. Laughing all the time.
3. Walking the strip. Seriously, it was so good to get out of the casinos and get into the sunshine.
4. Craps. I wasn't so sure about the game before I tried it but it ends up I took to it like a fish to water. I fucking love that game.
5. Playing in a poker tournament. I am not a poker player (I can probably count the number of times I've played on one hand) but it was fun and exciting to do something I was afraid of.
   

I had so much fun. Three days was really the perfect amount of time and now I'm happy to be home and slipping back into my normal routine.

Fabulous

If you need me, you can find me here.


Welcome to Las Vegas Sign
Originally uploaded by Roadsidepictures.

PS Believe it or not I'm not bringing any knitting. It's unheard of.

On Being White

Feminists fuck better
Originally uploaded by -orion-.

I don't do a ton of blog linking but everyone of you should go read this post over at Faux Real and then read the posts to which she links.

Bleep Blorp

Click the pic to see more of the same.

Pattern: R2D2 Beanie by Carissa Brown
Yarn: Plymouth Encore
Needles: US7 (4.5mm)
Time to complete: About a week give or take

Notes: I knit the first one flat and used intarsia but it was too small and the sight of all those ends gave me the willies. In the end I knit the adult small, changed colors for the two blue stripes and used duplicate stitch for everything else.

Privilege! The Milton Bradley game.

Privilege! The Milton Bradley game.
Originally uploaded by Creek Running North.

An Old Man Performs Alchemy on His Doorstep at Christmastime

Cream of Tartar, commonly used to lift meringue and
angel food cake, is actually made from crystallized fine wine.


After they stopped singing for him,
the carolers became transparent in the dark,
and he stepped into their emptiness to say
he lost his wife last week, please
sing again. Their voices filled with gold.
Last week, his fedora nodded hello to me
on the sidewalk, and the fragile breath
of kindness that passed between us
made something sweet of a morning
that had frightened me for no earthly reason.
Surely, you know this by another name:
the mysteries we intake, exhale, could be
sitting on our shelves, left on the bus seat
beside us. Don't wash your hands.
You fingered them at the supermarket,
gave them to the cashier; intoxicated tonight,
she'll sing in the streets. Think of the old man.
Who knew he kept the secret of levitation,
transference, and lightness filling a winter night--
an effortless, crystalline powder
that could almost seem transfigured from loss.



--Anna George Meek

Komi Cap Part 2, Electric Boogaloo

Finally, some decent pictures!

Komi Cap

I finished it on Christmas Eve! I just need to get my hands on it again so I can take a decent pic. I realize that you may not know I was working on this because I didn't blog it "just in case." But if you spend time on Ravelry or flickr then you've probably already seen this.

Here's a WIP picture with better light and an actual camera.



Pattern: Komi Cap from Mostly Mittens
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette
Needles: Addi Turbo US0
Time to Complete: I don't quite remember but I think it was about 20 days, def less than a month.

I'm a little worried that it's a smidge big for the recipient but I don't think he'll tell me so.
This is by far my most satisfying knit yet.

For the truly nerdy, here's a picture of the guts.

Music From Rock Band

I effing love to play Rock Band. Today I sang for the first time. I'm terrible but it was super fun. Here are some of the songs from the game.

Happy Solstice!

...sun
Originally uploaded by danydrs72.

Enjoy the coming light.

WIP It Good

Yet another WIP.



The first of these is done but I need to redo the thumb because it's too tight. This WIP is also on hold until after the Hat of Insanity is done.

Pattern: Herringbone Mittens with Poms
Yarn: Cascade 220 (left over from the Sheep & Wool hat)
Needles: US4 & US6

Grayson Hates Me

Because I made him watch this:

Nor'easter

Well, I woke up this morning to find this:

Yep, we're in the middle of a nor'easter with an expected 12"-18" of snow.  My plans today include knitting (obvi), watching some Star Wars (episodes 4 & 5 are on deck), and cooking some corned beef and cabbage.

Here's a WIP and an FO to keep you entertained.

Pattern: Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Mediumweight

Color: 1 skein Loch Ness and 1 skein Tanzanite

Needles: US6

Time to complete: I knit it for about a month on and off

This may look like an FO but don't let it fool you, there's only one sock so far.

Pattern: Plain stockinette, short row heel and toe, 72 stitch sock

Yarn: Regia Design Line, Kaffe Fassett

Color: fire (4259)

Needles: US1

Time to complete: This first sock took me 4 days