Sunday, July 22, 2012

Fish Face!

Yeah, I'm talking to you!

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Cute tail, by the way...

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Dead Fish Hat 2 is complete!

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Monday, July 16, 2012

Sweater Love

Today has been odd, and has ended nicely. In the middle was stress at work, and coming home with a terrifically awful headache.

One of my neighbors noticed I was home much earlier than usual, asking if I was okay. I mentioned the headache, mentioned something about having to go up to the management office later tomorrow to pick up some mail I had waiting. We discussed the lack of rain and the heat (welcome to Iowa in July), and I went inside to collapse with a cold cloth on my eyes.

I finished dinner a bit ago and the was a knock...my neighbor had fetched my packages when picking up their mail!

This is from Dirty Water Dyeworks, and I have not one baby to knit it for, but I'll save it for later.

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And there was a nice little handwritten note was in it, thanking me for my order. The yarn is so soft, and the colors are vibrant and warm. I can't wait until I knit with it!

Next was an envelope, with this pattern I had ordered. Since I had ended up paying $11 for it, apparently they know that presentation helps take the sting out of the expense. Also, a handwritten note thanking me for my purchase was included.

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Saturday, July 14, 2012

With Friends Like This...

I'm one lucky Sumo Knitter to know so many talented persons! I have a friend I go to when I'm looking for a certain item that either I cannot locate anywhere or the examples I'm finding on Etsy and other sites for handmade goods do not fit my criteria for the product (price is a minor consideration, I value the time people put into their work).

So when I began the hot flashes era of my life last year, I began to buy fairly cheap fans to help mitigate some of the heat pouring off of me. This year, I invested in a nice, handmade Japanese silk fan:

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Problem: I couldn't find a carrying pouch or case to protect it while I had it in my purse, briefcase or laptop bag. Enter the talented CL. You know the one, she whipped up this rice bag for me when I couldn't find one in dimensions to suit putting around my neck or lower back:

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And these are what she came up with for my fan pouch request:

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Most of which will be used with the laser-cut sandalwood fans I ordered:

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This one will be used for my small stash of office supplies I need to carry around in my case for doing the CIE gig:

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My favorite, and for the Japanese fan:

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Thanks so much, CL, for helping me to survive my "fire in the disco" phase in life!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Beautiful Yarn, But How Does It Knit Up?

This is something one should keep in mind when buying yarn. Colors and textures thrill me to no end, as I'm sure it does for many of you, too.

I fell hard for that sexy Berroco Lustra in teal (it's a wool/tencel mixture). Unfortunately, the Mesh Cardigan I'm trying to knit is not suited to this yarn. If you've not knit with a tencel mix, it acts like silk - no give. And as the pattern rows have many SKP repeats, it was giving me fits. I couldn't get the yarn to give just that bit more to make it comfortable to use. And the knitted material suffered for it.

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Hit the frog pond doing a 140 mph and I didn't look back. The yarn is now quietly tucked up, waiting to see what better pattern will suit it.

I then popped over to Knit and Knot, and bought some Encore:

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I'll cast on the sweater after I finish up with Dead Fish Hat 2. I'm getting close to the end...