FO... no really, FO

I have completed the fulled project that I am using to try colour knitting in preparation for the Strikke-along. Can someone who has done colour knitting let me know if my floats were good - please. The pattern is the Lindy Bag by Amy Swenson. I used 3 balls of Ístex Álafoss Lopi (2 purple, 1 pink). It was super quick and I loved it.
Finished:


And pre-felting (and pre handles):






Coming soon:
I have finished a Jayne Cobb's Cunning Hat (Firefly). I have a picture of the hat but I'd rather have one that is on Cory's head rather than on the floor.

comfort movies

So I'm sure that everyone has heard of comfort food, the big one for me is chocolate. And comfort movies, they are typically your feel good movies, sappy, and family oriented. I just watched my main comfort movie, A Muppet Family Christmas. Yes I know it is September, but I've been watching this movie since I can remember and it just makes me feel good. If I am homesick this is the movie I should turn to. There are other movies that calm me - BBC production of Pride & Prejudice is a good one. And movies/shows that I just like to listen to - Joss Whedon's Firefly. But if I need comfort I turn to the "old" cartoons. I have A Charlie Brown Christmas (and am about to put that one in), Rudolf (the clay-mation one)... I really like the holiday specials, Christmas in particular but they all are good. So why am I in need of comfort? Well I'm a bit stressed (status quo for me) and my husband is out of town for a few days - that means I have no one complaining about me watching Christmas shows in September. I might watch my Muppets tomorrow too - like a kid I can watch it over and over, maybe not back to back in a single day but still a lot by adult standards. But honestly, where else can you get muppets, fraggles and sesame street all within 40 minutes? Okay, off to the movies again for me.

Lord of the Wetfood

So I woke up this morning and Cory told me that I said something hilarious last night while I was asleep. This is not unusual, I love to talk and I talk and complain in my sleep all the time. But this time he said I had a cat and Lord of the Rings reference (I watched the first half of the first movie a few days ago)...

"There is only one Lord of the Wetfood, nd she does not like to share the wetfood."

I didn't even remember the original quote until Cory told me this morning. I guess it is: There is only one Lord of the Rings, and he does not like to share power.

We were talking about our cats before I went to sleep last night. This has been cracking me up all day.

Ellie, you varmint!

Okay, so Julie always posts these pictures of Sekhmet being loving and generally getting in the way. "Sekhmet, you fucker" is a common post title. I'm trying to curb my swearing a bit so varmint is the word. Here is my kitty helping with my research for a grant proposal (due soon eep!) In the first image she is just sitting on me, tail in my face.

In the second image she has turned around because the camera on the computer makes a noise while taking a picture(Amy the program is photo booth and it saves to a folder called photo booth in the pictures folder that you can find in finder on the Mac - just mentioning it cuz you said you were interested in the photo taking capability of your new work tool (aka toy)).

Taco Time Sells Sushi?!

It has been awhile since I last posted. I like posts with pictures and I had several big projects going that were all in the middle of progress. I have now finished and blocked the hanging garden stole. It was an awesome project and it was fairly simple. It was my first lace project. Before that I did a scarf that had a few yarnovers but it was nothing big. Oh and it was done in Lion Brand Midnight Mohair, not a lace weight yarn. Without further ado, the Hanging Garden Stole by Sivia Harding in Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace (Turqoise).





Zoie liked the blocking too. I kept them out of the room when I was not in there due to all of the pins but she came in when I was taking the pins out. My blocking wires have not yet arrived in the LYS, I should call them about that soon - if I remember. I have finished MS3 but not blocked it. I made the wing. It is in black Zephyr yarn with beads. The yarn is from Sarah's yarn. I have finished the cabled cardigan, it just needs buttons and a photograph. I have also almost finished my first toe up sock in my samurai yarn - technoblah. I'm ripping out 5 rows and then starting the cuff. I love the colours, the yarn is a bit splitty, but that is why she switched base yarns. I will try to post pictures of the sock soon. Oh and I made some Mason Dixon Knitting wash cloths.





These are addictive, I know there will be more. I found (finally) some sugar 'n cream cotton (recommended yarn) and it was cheap so I have a lot. But now I gotta go...

Oh yeah, about the title - the fast food chain Taco Time just started selling fresh sushi at the University of Calgary. It isn't awesome, but it is good enough to buy.

Wonton

I am making 8-9 of these (6 are gifts for friends, well their cats but is there much of a difference?). I will take a picture of all of them when they are complete. I have 4 done. They are quick to whip up. The pattern is from Knitty (Feline Dim Sum) and the yarn is Patons Classic Merino Wool.

Progress

So I've started the MS3 - I only have pictures of my swatch (sorry, the floor is a mess and the lighting is poor right now...) but I am about half way into clue #2. Right now there have been 3 clues posted so I am behind, but around the middle of the pack in terms of where other people in the group are.



I am knitting in Jaggerspun Zephyr Ebony (one of the recomended colours). I had no laceweight in the pile that is supposedly my stash (it is small, other knitters smile and nod when I tell them the size of my stash - they know it will grow). Most of the yarn in my stash has a project attached, including the other Zephyr I bought (Crimson I think).

I finished the Hanging Garden Stole but have not blocked it yet - the blocking wires are on order from the LYS (they have to order some in).

Here is a cute kitty picture to distract you from the fact that there is no lace picture here...



I am trudging away at the cabled cardigan - I have put the fronts on the back and am knitting the collar (shawl collar - holy cow it takes time and yarn!). I hope I like it when it is done - still not sure if I will.

I'm pretty worn out from work. That is the trouble with making your own hours and having a "get sh*t done" job. I have a list of things to do and they need to get done in the next month or two. The problem is I always had something to do every week since before Christmas - I think I took 3 or 4 days off at Christmas. Other than that it has been a lot of work work work. I have a lot done - in fact I have more than half of the major experiment in my thesis done. But I am tired. Soooooo 4 day weekend - tomorrow is my Friday. Well sort of, I'm going to work a bit on Thursday but from home, and seeing as I have two cats and a husband at home right now - I'm not sure how much will get done. I will have a window by where I work though - this is an improvement on my office and lab which are both in the basement of a building.

Too much talking and not enough cute kitty pictures, here is another distracter picture... Zoie, it took me 10 pictures to get a good picture of her (and the lighting is off a bit) because she likes to move, unlike Ellie who seems to be the type of cat that loves having her picture taken.


Zoie likes being brushed so much that today after brushing her I found a bald spot, well a less hairy spot. Oh dear!

I am doing the gym thing too. I gained a lot of weight over the winter somehow (possibly related to depression and anti-depressant drugs). I've been exercising for over a month now but see no results. sigh. well, I'll keep with it and hopefully I'll see something. I have to change my eating patterns too but that is very difficult for me. Any recommendations? Any idea about a yarn reward system? My problem is I like food and I like sweets. Oh, and I have little self control.

My mom and dad are coming Thursday night for a few days - gotta clean house and tidy. It is the tidy that gets us. With 900 square feet to clean it isn't bad - it is the clutter and seeming inability to put stuff away that gets us messy. Perhaps I'll send a Salvation Army donation bag home with my mom (I don't know where to drop it off here in Calgary).

And on a final note, it was our 1 year anniversary on the 8th - here we are, it is my intention that we should have a picture of us as a couple every year on our anniversary - we'll see how long it lasts. This is a self portrait because we forgot to have one taken when we were at the restaurant.



ETA: Oh yeah, and I took a spinning class on Saturday at Make 1 Yarn Studio. I ended up with two drop spindles and a pound of fiber (half of which is already spun!). I am addicted. The spinning wheels didn't agree with me (the whole drafting while you spin didn't work) but hopefully in a few years the drop spindle practice will make me much better with that part. At that point I know I'll fall down the rabbit hole (and hard, of course the wheel I liked best was also the most expensive - or the one that I would have liked had the spinning wheels agreed with me). I will post pictures of my handspun after I have set the twist (likely will do that tomorrow so that I can show it off to my mom all finished and pretty). I want to keep a little bit as a reminder of my first handspun but with the rest I think I will make a scarf. Not sure of the pattern I want - something simple. The colour has a bit of varigation in it but not much. Not enough for another "my so called scarf"...