Sluggin’ out Tuesday, Jun 24 2008

It’s been very, very weird here in Western, Mass. The past three days have been filled with rain and thunder, unnaturally dark days with little tenuous bits of sunshine. It’s like ‘The Happening’, which I happened to love, but I’m pretty sure 60% of my love for it is a desire to be contrary and a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel (anyone want to go see this with me? Anyone?).

I’ve been doing a lot of knitting of course, mostly for the store. Knitting for the store like mad is a bit of an addiction, I’m afraid. We’re compensated in store credit which feels like Monopoly money, and though I really, really don’t need the yarn, I just can’t pass it up!

My latest contribution also marks a bit of a milestone for me–I finally figured out how to make a PDF and put up a pattern page here on the blog. I made a cozy scarf with Cuzco, a scrumdiddliumptious new Berroco yarn, 50/50 wool/alpaca with a nice bouncy twist. I’m totally digging Crotona, but it might just be the outfit in general, she reminds me of these fashionable sheep, still clinging to the ‘dark leg’ trend. I can see why, it’s a classic trend, if there is such a thing.

You can find the pattern for the Brûlée Scarf on my new pattern page!

Also there is a link to a pattern I did for J. Knits that I think I forgot to blog about! I’m calling it the Downtown Clutch and it will also appear in an upcoming book from Storey Publishing. The yarn is called Charming and well, it is! I actually can’t describe the feel of knitting with it, but it is good. The last time I was this flummoxed by a yarn (Socks that Rock in this post) I started talking about it’s mouthfeel, so yeah. You’ll just have to see for yourself. There is already an adorable finished Downtown Clutch over at Ravelry, I simply love her mods. I am certainly planning to embellish mine similarly, hopefully before fall!

Time to make the donuts,

CR

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BLUSH Tuesday, Feb 5 2008

Blushing for many, many reasons these days. This first story is…almost too embarrassing to tell, but it’s kind of too funny to not tell. As you know, Super Tuesday is upon us! I called Town Hall to double check my polling location and that Independents can vote in the Massachusetts primary. Turns out, I am enrolled as a Q. Q stands for American Independent, a branch of the Constitution Party. SOMEHOW, when I registered to vote I chose this party instead of Unenrolled. Unenrolled sounded like a slacker party, like the show!

For the past 3+ years, I’ve been an accidental registered American Independent. My political views couldn’t really be more OPPOSITE of theirs (very conservative!). With Hillary and Barack in a statistical dead heat and everyone I know supporting Barack I was really looking forward to casting my vote for a viable, female candidate but I effed up and that won’t happen. If she loses Amherst, I’m going to feel irrationally guilty!!

Onto happier news–Gudrun, aka the Shetland Trader asked me to model one of her fabulous hat patterns. Meet the Bousta Beret! Here are a few outtakes from my little photoshoots. The paparazzi shot:

Some light reading:

Like I said, I’ve been away from the blog, focusing on knitting, designing and schoolwork. In that order. Some MORE good knittish things have happened recently but I sort of feel like keeping them secret for now! Another reason I’m blushing is that I’ve been given the You Make My Day blog award from Gudrun, Cosmicpluto (didn’t even know she read my blog, eek!) Sknitty and Brokeknits and Elin. ETA: Also, Reckless Glue and Miss Scarlett! Thanks, ladies, I echo the sentiment! Here are ten additional favorites:

1. Ysolda for her Scottish photoshoots and for being an inspiring designer.

2. Emily at Inside a Black Apple for all around cuteness and amazing artwork (which I often wear)!

3. Melissa at Knitting School Dropout for being adorable and having the most covetable FOs around.

4. Kate at Zeitgeist Yarns for being my birthday twin (one of many September 20th babies that I know) and for making it academic—I can’t help but envy her textile design grad studies…

5. Tied for funniest, sharpest ladies I know in real life, Huelo (whose blog has apparently run away from the Internet) and Chloe.

6. Jared at Brooklyn Tweed, of course, for his handspun and garter love. Loved listening to him on the Webs podcast this week!
7. Jenna at Cinemaknits who I pester all the time about not blogging anymore. She picks such great, obscure project and I love her color sense. I might have to start bribing her with Manchego and wine…

8. Adrian at Hello Yarn for the cutest dog name in the world (Shambles!) and her awesome knits, especially the ones for men (modeled by an oft-bearded Irishman!)

9. I have a confession to make about Pamela at Flint Knits and Megan at the Knitting Philistine…I confused them for a long time, they were both grad students with similar haircuts, glasses, equally awesome knitting…I finally got it straight and…this post continues to be embarrassing.

10. Jenny at Wikstenmade for making me want to move to Kansas City just so we can hang out, sew and speak in Jerri Blank quotes exclusively.

Speaking of sewing, I started a Denyse Schmidt foundation pieced scarf, here are my pre-cut bindles of fabric, which I find ridiculously cute:

So far it’s been really easy but my sewing machines hate me and started making terrible grinding sounds late at night, so I took a break. Might be because I’m using that gold top-stitching thread, the kind used on jeans, it’s so golden and pretty.

This doesn’t count as an FO, but I had to show it off! This was a store sample from Classic Elite, I can’t find the pattern info anywhere but it is color #1229 of discontinued Skye Tweed. It is a little Flashdance and I luff it:

Color is much more accurate here:

Over and out,

Skrills

P.S. Don’t forget to vote!!

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“You’re so beautiful… Thursday, Dec 6 2007

you could be a part-time model, but you’d probably have to keep your day job…”

This is my theme song. It kills me when he says “spend part of your time modeling, and part of your time with me,” I would love to eat a kebab and take it slow with Gemaine, why does everyone prefer Brett, Gemaine is clearly the better man here!!

Anyhow, back to part time modeling! The latest Lexie photoshoot was really fun! She has given her site a makeover, it’s lovely! As always the new bags aren’t just in new prints, there are lots of cool new details. My favorite print is Pacifica, don’t know if it’s the colors I love or the fact that it was photographed with chocolates and a vanilla milkshake! There is also something very O’Keefe about the print, I love it. If you’re going to do floral, that’s my kind of floral.

My wardrobe for the day was…my wardrobe! Here it is resting on the radiator, which got rid of wrinkles and made outdoor shots a little easier.

Lexie graciously provided a giant down parka which was so ANTM (btw, SO sad about Heather leaving last week). The location was an absolutely beautiful converted mill building. I’ve spent a lot of time in buildings like this–I earned my A.A. at Middlesex Community College which has a campus in Lowell, MA, a beautiful mill town and the home of Jack Keroauc (fun Skrilla fact: I used to write a column for the Lowell Sun and JK got his start writing for the sport’s pages there). I don’t know much about architecture but I love the feel of converted textile buildings. Plenty of exposed hardware that looks cold and heavy juxtaposed with worn brick and scuffed up hardwood flooring, plus tall, sectioned pane windows that let in tons of light and offer views of the rushing sparkling rivers that are always nearby. I love it!

The photographer is/was fantastic to work with. We’ve worked together on three or four Lexie shoots now and it’s always relaxing and fun–no barked orders, no impossible contortions (for ME at least!) just very thoughtful snapping. And unprofessional goofing off:

Lexie wisely chose this shot instead. I love this one, I wish I always looked that placid when communing with a laptop…

Which I should actually be doing right now. I had a data disaster yesterday and I need to rectify the situation. Before I go, another finished object, the Girl Power shawl, details on Ravelry. This was nothing but fun and started a serious Spunky Eclectic addiction. Thank you again for spinning it, Jenna!

The FO parade will continue. Sorry to drag it out, but it’s really fun to give each item it’s own post. It’s also hard to coordinate good sun + me being showered/presentable. Heh. TMI?

CR

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