1.31.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Happy Birthday, 

MidFloridaNiece-WhoIsMotherOf-MyFirstGREATniece!

1.30.15

Knit-A-Long (KAL) #9 is called Sweater Free For All. I chose MAXFIELD Cardigan by Amy Christoffers from a list of suggested patterns. Technically, IF I FINISH BEFORE DECEMBER 31, my project should qualify in several categories, but I will have to select only one--no dual entries.

If you click HERE, you will find yourself at SAVORY KNITTING, which has bunches of patterns that are interesting. I am looking at the Pomme de pin Cardigan, and the Long Sands Cardigan. Oh! And Bailey Cardigan.

But I didn't choose any of those, I picked MAXfield and if you look at the pictures, you can see I have given myself quite a challenge. I wrote to get permission to show you the pictures, but I didn't hear anything back, so here is a 25% slice of just one of the pictures. I hope it has you clicking the link to see the rest of this ingenious cardigan. If you want to knit along with me, you can buy a copy of the pattern directly from Ravelry.

Surprisingly, the yarns I chose have no orange in them at all...

1.29.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Happy Birthday to ME! I think I will celebrate by planning a trip to Oregon, and knitting a sweater.

I joined the 2015 Yarnathon, Knit-A-Long #9, of Eat.Sleep.Knit., a yarn store that is only two hours from here. 
I was placed on the Cowlets team, but I don't know what that means yet. 

I will spend more time on Ravelry, if that is at all possible.

I learned about the shop and the Knit-A-Long from a blogger whom I read everyday, Judy Laquidara. Her blog is called Patchwork Times. She does a lot of cooking, sewing, chicken raising, and knitting. 

Oh, that's right. Maybe you want to see the sweater pattern I picked out. I'll be right back, tomorrow, with a peek. I will try to get some accurate pictures of the yarn, but had little success with pictures today.

1.28.15--BLAST FROM THE PAST with music by Wagner - Die Walküre: "The Ride of the Valkyries" (Boulez)

A couple of years back, I wrote this post about an upcoming trip to Florida. I meant to take very good care of my FOUNDATION GARMENTS, but, well, you know, I don't like hand washing the unmentionables because I am, well, you know, lazy. 

This time, I promise to wear my upper body under armor into the shower, wash gently with shampoo and rinse well, hang dry. For at least the first four months. So if you wonder what I am doing today, I am doing battle. Cue the music, maestro.

The following is from a post about two years ago, when I was on a trip to Florida. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

"...it is time to buy underwear. 

THE IRON MAIDEN

In fact, in a remark to QuiltyFriend (the Original) I said that I would rather have a mammogram.  I have asked/stated to my accompanying family that I will require an afternoon at a REAL MALL to accomplish this mission and I wish to do so ALONE with NO ONE waiting for me.  Surely I would have taken care of this little task locally if not for the fact that I would have had to drive to Atlanta or Chattanooga to find what I require. 
"The Iron Maiden has an embrace anyone would want to avoid. Once inside the Iron Maiden’s conical frame, you’re unable to move because of dozens of steel points stabbing from every direction. An interrogator screams questions at you through a small hole, while poking you with jagged edges, or just leaving you for hours to stew in your thoughts."
 ~~ The Web Urbanist

Do you think you will miss me and wish you could be with me on my shopping trip? Then check THIS out: You can download your own torture device COLORING BOOK! It is the next best thing to being there.

Erik Ruhling is author of the book Infernal Device: Machinery of Torture & Execution, a visual history of such devices as the Iron Maiden, Guillotine, Tongue Tearer, and Ear Chopper. I've just discovered that Ruhling also created The Torture Device Coloring Book. It's available for download for $3.44 or as a print-on-demand from Lulu for $8.85.

1.27.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Found on Wikipedia, of course

Happy Birthday, MidFloridaSisterInLaw! 

She is my family travel coordinator, runs a business she founded, enjoys cooking, ziplining, roller coasters, Costa Rica, traveling of all types, reptiles, and has a wealth of ideas for activities and games. 

Her middle name is Energy, and it can tire you out just to watch her. 

1.26.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Tomorrow would have been his 130th birthday. Happy Birthday to my Paternal Grandfather. I wish I had met him.

1.22.15--TEA TIME TUESDAY but on THURSDAY

More on tea caddies...

Found on Pinterest: I could make my own! The site is in Spanish, but I know how to translate easily enough. Or, I can just read the pictures.

These tins are easy enough to come by, they are all over the place. My question is, what do people do with the cookies? They are quite simply, indistinguishable in flavor from the corrugated paper that separates them inside the tin.

I could crumble them and put them on the road for the birds, I suppose. After all, they eat gravel so their palates may find these cookies just the thing.

1.21.15--still knitting

Quilting is starting to happen around here, but I still don't have all the knitting out of my system that I need to do.

I have been grabbing random put-ups--usually "one-offs", just casting on and knitting. Most things turned out to be scarves, but here are a couple more hats. The first is a helmet liner from early WWII. It is a soft, tweedy wool and it worked up in two afternoons.

This is another 1989 cap, probably for my brother.

Right now, I am MAYBE knitting a sweater for me. It is an unusual construction and I found about 5 hanks of Noro Kureyon with no plans for it so I cast on and began. It is a top down with four evenly spaced increases. 

I have been doing a lot of window shopping for yarn. It is a lot of fun to fill a cart, then close the tab on the browser.

1.20.15--TEA TIME TUESDAY

Ugliest tea caddy ever

I have tea. I mean, I have A LOT of tea. I probably need a Tea Caddy. There sure are a lot of different styles available. I like some of the antique ones (about $50-$200), but I tend to keep my loose tea sealed. 

There are some newer ones for bagged tea (bamboo, acrylic, all kinds of materials), but I have a lot of the herbals that do not have an outer bag or a string and tag, so it is difficult to figure out which is which if they are all dumped into one container. 

Most beautiful antique--about $399

Right now, I have the boxed teas in a basket I made and the individually bagged teas in a smaller basket. 

And since I don't have to send a son on a four year journey to an imperial palace in order to bring some tea back to me, I will probably not get a box with a lock.

A tin makes sense. It seals with out a lock and might hold loose as well as bagged teas. I remember we had one like this when I was growing up, but it only held buttons as far back as I can remember. I am still enjoying the search.

1.17.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Happy Birthday, SouthFloridaNiece#1 !

Can't believe this didn't post this morning. 

Anyway, happy birthday to one of the special people I know who PREFER the essay question to the scantron response test. We are a very elite group.

1.16.15--Knice Knitting

This is my new favorite hat pattern. It is called the 1898 Hat and is a pattern selected for the 115th anniversary of The Seamen's Church Institute's (SCI) Christmas at Sea program. The hat is specifically designed for Mariners who need the extra-warm ear coverage. I have knit some and I see a bunch more in my future. It is a very satisfying knit that requires a little less than 200 yards of worsted weight yarn and two afternoons of knitting time. Then crown of the hat allows for color work and some cables, maybe.

1.15.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Happy Birthday, Mom!
Don't worry, I didn't spend money sending you flowers. Look at these for free.

January's flower is CARNATION

1.13.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Happy Birthday, AwaySon!

I will drink a cup of Russian Caravan tea in your honor. 

I raise my glass to you. (Despite the family crest, this is not one of your gifts, it is a picture I stole from Wikipedia.)

Tea, a popular drink in Russia since 1638.

Russian Caravan style tea is a classic smoked black tea, made with a blend of Keemun, Lapsang and Assam. It was made popular along the trade route from China to Russia.

Imagine traveling the plains of Asia by camel train with a "precious cargo of tea destined to the opulent courts of St. Petersburg. During the Czar’s time tea was the most important drink after vodka."



I don't know about you, but I think I would prefer it before vodka.

1898 HAT, my new favorite hat to knit, modeled by Headley.
Link takes you to the pattern by Kristine Byrnes on Ravelry

1.12.15--MONDAY MANTRA

MONDAY MANTRA

HAH! Like that is going to happen. 

Well, it DOES say expect LESS...

1.9.15--IS IT ANYONE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY?

January is a big month for birthdays in my families. I am only acknowledging family birthdays on the blog, but I have so many friends ALSO born in January. How common is your birthday? Swiss designer gone NYC, Tina Roth Eisenberg put this chart on her design blog/studio. 

1.8.15--LET US TALK OF HAPPY THINGS

If you had a spare shipyard lying around in your country, what would you do? 

Why, build a theme park, of course.

"Les Machines de l’île" is a totally unprecedented artistic project. Born from the François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice’s imagination, it is at crossroads of Jules Verne’s "invented worlds", of the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci, and of Nantes’ industrial history, on the exceptional site of the former shipyards.

As if there weren't 1001 reasons to go to France anyway, riding around a theme park on an elephant inspired by a design engineer's wildest dream would be enough. 

The Island of Machines has a place where you can watch the engineer/artists at work, a book and gift shop, cafe, carousel, and much more. 

I dare you to watch and not be intrigued.

1.7.15--Happy Birthday--It's gonna be one of those months...

Happy Birthday, HomeSon!

1.6.15--TEA TIME TUESDAY

I tried a new (to me) tea last week. I can't wait to get some more.

Gift from my LLB friend. (Lovely L. B., a quilty friend from BOTH guilds)


DELICIOUS.

I will be looking for a box that looks just like this one. I KNOW I have seen it in a shop somewhere...

It is a TISANE. I have been watching all the Hercule Poirots while I continue the scarf knitting marathon. When I selected this packet, I heard David Suchet's voice say, "It is ten o'clock, Miss Lemon. Time for my tisane."

I had never heard anyone say the word before and now I know it is pronounced tee SOHN.

1.5.15--MONDAY MANTRA

What I tried last week:

Definitely a WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE. I bought an envelope of the RED Miso, but it is labeled Traditional Japanese Style and I wonder if it will be a little too fishy flavored for my taste. 

Oh, well. WHAT IF I DON'T LIKE IT? I will have spent $.94 on a little knowledge and everyone knows knowledge is power...

1.1.15--BECAUSE EVERYONE CAN USE MORE AWESOME

I discovered a new artist: Nathan Ripperger of Dubuque, Iowa. I saw some of his work on Pinterest and followed it to his Etsy.com shop. He illustrates things he has said to his children. Go check his shop, I am sure something will resonate with you.

I bought a set of three as a New Year's gift to myself. He has given me permission to show you the one that caught my eye first.

Nathan Ripperger does NOT need more awesome.
Clearly he has an unlimited supply.

It will hang in my bathroom. I also bought one of his designs for my work-out room and one for my studio. Go to his site and see if you can figure out which ones I liked almost as well as the penguin. I'll let you know if you were right.

I think he has a great sense of humor, and a nifty style, and I am glad I gave myself this gift. After all, almost everyone can use a little more awesome.