Violently Domestic

And Then

27 March 2012 · No Comments

Having successfully engaged in capitalism, we found ourselves in need of sustenance.  I mentioned before that I had stopped in Ann Arbor on my way home from my friend’s house in Lansing earlier in the month.  While there, I had popped into the Jolly Pumpkin for lunch.  This had occasioned a wee bit of envy on the part of The Boy, he having a much finer appreciation of beer than I.  A quick glance at a map revealed that we were, if not exactly close to Ann Arbor, certainly much closer than usual.  It seemed an excellent opportunity to remedy the unfair distribution of beer sampling.

We made the executive decision to head that way and soon found ourselves enjoying tasty food and delicious drinks.  We even discovered that Jolly Pumpkin has started making their own spirits and quickly procured what just might be the tastiest rye I’ve ever had.  We knew we were facing a rather long drive home, so we wandered around a bit before tucking back up in the car for the trek home.  We stopped in at the West Side Book Shop, then found ourselves drawn into a nearby game store.  We finished up by grabbing a few jars of cherry bbq sauce (to which I predict I will soon be addicted).  Thus fortified, we headed east.  We arrived home safe, if a bit later than expected, and were greeted by three very hungry kittens.  All told, it was a lovely (if rather long) Saturday.

Luck of the Draw

26 March 2012 · 6 Comments

Having fortified ourselves with pancakes (to do otherwise would be bordering on irresponsibility), we headed out to the Black Swamp Spinner’s Guild Market Day.  This year, they started charging a tiny (one dollar) entrance fee.  Given what goes into organizing something like this, I think that’s totally reasonable, and we were happy to pay it.  After we handed over our entrance fee, they had us write our names on little raffle tickets and dropped them into a bin.  My natural inclination in such cases is to write something ridiculous like Isabella Imogen Perseverance Paddington, but this time I actually wrote my real name.  The formalities accomplished, we headed on into the market.

Not five minutes later, someone called out The Boy’s name.  Turns out he’d won one of the raffle prizes.  We went over to check out the prize table.  Alas, none of the prizes were things that appealed to The Boy.  He graciously ceded his prize rights to me.  I grabbed a lovely length of Briar Rose spinning fiber (3.5 oz of polworth) in shades of pink and green.  Pleased with our good fortune, we went back to our shopping.

First up, I found a new-to-me company called Happy Fuzzy Yarn.  They had a skein of a wool/tencel blend that accidentally leapt into my arms.  I don’t usually like tencel blends (too shiny for my tastes), but the colors on this one were too good to resist.  It’s all greens and grays and blues and looks like tiny mossy things growing on rocks by water.  Not, perhaps, the most appealing description, but they’re just the sort of colors that grab my attention.

Next, I completed a small quest.  I don’t usually go to markets with goals in mind (it’s more fun to just browse), but this time I wanted to be sure to try and find some more pencil roving.  I got my first round of pencil roving here last year, and hadn’t seen anything quite like it anywhere since.  The first one turned into the best hat ever (warm, very lightweight, totally styling, adorned by a tassel, what else could you ask for), and I wanted more.  The same booth was there this year, so I got some.  Two rounds this time, one a medium gray and one a light gray.  Now it’s only fair to say that I have no idea what I’ll do with them.  It’s not the sort of thing you’ll find a lot of patterns for, and there’s probably a limit to how many awesome hats I actually need.  But I’m smitten with it and now have it on hand should the muse strike.

While I was tucking the pencil roving in my bag, someone called out my name.  Turns out I’d won a raffle prize too.  I went up to the table and handed over my ticket and said that perhaps they should draw another number.  It didn’t seem fair to win twice.  They said they had lots and lots and lots of unclaimed tickets, and that they were really hoping to find homes for all the prizes, so it would actually be better if I took one off their hands.  I protested a few more times, but eventually gave in.  I picked up a lovely ball of spinning fiber from Midwest Fiber Company.  It’s an alpaca blend (super soft), and while it is blue, it’s an interesting blue that should look lovely spun up.

I bought one more thing (well, I bought dozens and dozens and dozens of one particular thing), but it will have to remain a secret for the moment.  I’ll just say that I didn’t have any idea such a thing existed, but as soon as I saw it I knew it was the perfect solution to an ongoing problem I was pondering.  Remind me some time in June and I’ll explain.  But this has grown long, so I will leave you with a picture of the loot (ooooooh, shiny) minus the mystery item and then come back tomorrow with the rest of the day.

Blue

24 March 2012 · 10 Comments

One of the questions I get most often is ‘where’s the blue?’ or some variation on that.  I usually wriggle and squirm and more or less decline to answer.

The truth is that I’m not a big fan of blue.  I realize that most people like it, but it’s just never done much for me.  There are all sorts of other colors that grab me more (like orange, have you seen all the oranges out there–and gray, how can you waste any time on blue when there are dozens and dozens and dozens of grays to explore).

Now for KCC, I could explain it away pretty easily.  Those patterns are based on plants, and there aren’t a huge number of blue plants out there.  That’s not going to work for the next one.  The next one’s theme simply demands a few blue projects.  Which is why I find myself with a pile of blue (or blue-ish) swatches.  Surprising, but so far the results are encouraging.

And yes, this does meant that there is a book the third, thank you very much.  It’s already well underway, and I’m sure I’ll be boring you all to death with the minute details of its making over the next few months!

Dash

23 March 2012 · 3 Comments

I’m dashing off to the Black Swamp Spinners Guild Market Day and Fiber Fair tomorrow.  I went last year and found a few treats.  Apparently the yarn there is destined to make good hats.  It’s where I got the yarn for Lauren’s hat and for my hat, and I’ve actually got an experimental hat on the needles from the third skein of yarn I got there.  I’m specifically hunting for more pencil roving (I should have had plenty left over, but it suffered the affections of Barry and is no longer usable).  I’m also looking for a good place to have lunch, anyone have a recommendation?  Anyone else going to be there?

Out for Delivery

20 March 2012 · 4 Comments

The Fex Ex website assures me that the proofs for Book the Second are on the truck and out for delivery right now.  Right this very minute (that being 9:04 am).  It also assures me that they will be here by 10:30 this morning.

I am perched in my office (which looks out over the front yard) so I can see and hear any trucks that swing by.  I’ve left a note on the door saying I am home.  My carrier has a history of walking up, not ringing the doorbell, and leaving the infuriatingly cheery ‘sorry we missed you’ postit, all in the space of about 10 seconds, so the note is important.  I’m considering constructing a complicated trap on the front porch to prevent any such escape attempts on the part of the carrier.

For you see, I’d really, really like to see the proofs today.  Now if you’ll pardon me, I need to go look up zoning permits for porch traps.

Edited to add:  Caught her, and the book looks fantastic…even better than I could have expected!

Unexpected Appeal

19 March 2012 · 3 Comments

It seems some of you want to make the eggs.  I’m not likely the best person to help with this, as I don’t crochet, and I’ve never once made clothes for an egg.  But, never fear, the internet can help.  There seems to be a picture of a pattern (that might make sense to crocheters), as well as a pretty shot of some more eggs, over here.  It makes no sense to me, but I’m crochet-challenged.  Also, if you go here (that’s a link to a shutterstock search), you’ll find several really great close up photos of crocheted eggs.

On several of those, and on several of mine, it looks as though the lace is created in seperate parts.  Let’s call them caps and belts.  A belt goes all the way around the egg, either at the equator, or around from top to bottom.  A cap goes on either end, either on the top and the bottom (if the belt went around the equator) or on the front and back (if the cap went around from top to bottom).  These caps and belts look like they’re created separately and then joined up around the egg with another piece of string.

So if we look at the pic from Saturday, the pink egg looks to be two caps.  They’re held on and joined together with that piece of string that zig zags around the egg’s equator.  The one Douglas broke looks to be two caps (one at the top and one at the bottom) and a belt going around the equator.  This time there are two pieces of zig zagging string holding it all together.  The third egg is also two caps and a belt, but this time the caps are on the front and back and the belt goes around top to bottom.

So if I were going to make something like this, I’d measure around an egg, and make a wee tube of lace about that size as a belt.  I’d aim for something stretchy that could accommodate a variety of eggs.  I’d be sure it had some peaks on either side (aim for 8).  Then I’d make some tiny round bits to act as caps.  I’d be sure they had the same number of peaks as the belt.  That done, I’d run a new piece of string back and forth between the peaks of one belt and the peaks of one cap.  Drop in the egg (pre-blown folks, think long term) and fiddle with the spacing.  With yet another new piece of string, I’d hold on the second cap and stitch it to the belt the same way.  Or maybe I’d just make two caps and join them up around the egg.  I think these are starched, so I’d likely do that too.

Really, if you know how to crochet, I don’t see this being that hard.  If I had the patience to work with super tiny needles and yarn, I could do it with knitting.  Doesn’t somebody want to give it a try and show off?