Tiny and His Amazing Technicolor Dreammittens

Fall has come and Tiny needs mittens so I decided to steal borrow some yarn from my mother (same she used to knit woolly socks for Tiny) and knit tiny mittens.

Other one looks bigger as it has been tried on.
The designs and counts are completely out of my head. I just went along according to what was needed: long enough wrist to keep his wrists warm and flexibility as Mr. Tiny has big hands.

Indian Food!

I stumbled upon this link at Deb's blog and if you, as I, do love Indian food (though I have broadened it a bit to male individuals of Indian origin, but edable as edable *grin*) check One Hot Stove. Yummy recipes and as yummy pictures.

Odd accomplishments

Noticing how nonexcitent my stitching mojo has been few months I have to say that I am rather proud of myself: 38 finishes in 39 weeks. This includes four knitted and 34 stitched items.

Because I'd love to have 39 items/ 39 weeks I think it's better that I will stitch some more before hitting the sack.
Ta-ta.

This, that and something else

I have been good and updated my wish list, though it still lacks all the items I have under wishlist_additions tag.

I am also insane: I'm going to stitch the design for Linda's bourse over one on 36 count linen.
The design is actually quite problematic... I have monochrome and four different colour schemes (of which I have two different versions) and I can't decide which one to stitch! So, I let Linda decide for me... she doesn't know how it looks like, but I have asked her to tell me which colour out of those four she prefers.

"You have a large envelope awaiting"

I had a notification of a large envelope few days ago, but as I have been a bit tired I haven't bothered to go to fetch it - until today. And it was just what I hoped it would be: my order from Interweave Press' Hurt Book Sale!

And here's few of my favourites:

From left to right:

1. Domino knitted linen baskets.
2. Cashmere Crossings shawl from the Wrap Style.
3. Tapestry Garden shawl from the Wrap Style.
4. Kuba from the Knitting our of Africa.

Wrap Style and Domino Knitting are good, as is Knitting out of Africa even though I have one complaint: where are the vivid earthy tones?! Most of the designs are worked with greys and in my opinion that is a flaw: colours are one way to create the style and when some says Africa most people think of vivid, a bit earthy, tones.

Doctors and results

All the results were "within normal limits" (I have to remember to ask my hemoglobin as I am curious to know is it still 120 (which is within normal limits... lowest "normal" is 117)), but I got new call time from the head physician of the health centre for next week.
That doesn't mean that I don't have asthma, back in stone age my brother had perfect spiro results but he got asthma diagnose anyway. No one knows what is my normal, so even the generic "normal" may be reduced flow for me (once again, I sang in a choir, my lungs are "strong").

And... mr. GP wrote the missive for thorax x-ray, but he never told me that I can just walk right in to the local hospital's x-ray unit. He only talked of the spirometry.
How the Heck someone like him is allowed to do work with patients?! (Ok, I know there are worse: like that GP who prescribed aspirin for former neighbour of ours because she suffered of stomach pain... she died of ovarian cancer couple of years later, and it's likely that she might have survived if the doctor had gave a damn. (Yes, in theory I could have a lung cancer, but with my rather cancer free family history (I know of three known cancers within the last three generations, two of the cases were lung cancer, both of them smoked heavily, 50% survival rate (my uncle's cancer metastized(sp?) to his brains before it was diagnosed...) I don't worry about that possibility too much.))

I was a bad, bad person...

Spite of not knitting very eagerly I couldn't resist few homeless books at Interweave Press' Hurt Book Sale... From this moment on I am eagerly awaiting 'Knitting out of Africa', 'Domino Knitting' and 'Wrap Style'.
Whole pile with postages 42 euros (postage is about 2/5 of the whole amount).

Apparently I just proved that I am a book collector.

Though, I reasoned every single of them: KooA sounds interesting as I am rather fond of "African style" because it's generally colourful and strong.
DK because I have heard about domino knitting and have an instruction for it, but it's lousy, so I hope that this book proves to be better as these domino pieces would be great quick little projects and whenever I have enough of them I can just build a blanket out of them (assembling such thing is another issue altogether).
WS was clicked in the cart because lately I have suffered shoulder pain related to draft (If the temperature is any lower than 20 and there's any wind I may end up with stiff shoulders).

In general

I have been in pieces since yesterday's grocery store trip, but despite the pain, exhaustion and all the other "nice" issues (you could almost think that there's something in wrong with me O_o *grin*) I have been productive designing wise. All of them will come out as complimentary designs so stay tuned for the details...

l33t: Knitty Happy Dance

I just finished little something for little someone, but as it is a gift I won't reveal it before it has been received.

By the way, new ¡The Anticraft! is out.

Sock fetishism

I want this pattern and time to knit them: Millicent. (These are yummy too.)

And then, of course, I have to sew suitable short skirt and and and... (You don't really want to know the person who lives inside of me. *grin*)

Gothic snowballs, dirty little secrets and SIL

After almost finishing first of the snowballs I decided to ditch what I had done and restart. This time I'll work straight from the original instructions.
But next time when I'm planning to knit plain, please, do come and hit me with a halibut - though... I have four planned projects (small) which will be knitted as plain knit...

One is insane, no doubt about that.

On something completely different.

Those of you few who know more about my personal history this is not a surprise, and I can hear you snort "Oh yeah, that's so not new..."
I confirmed it in Friday, though I have seen the signs of it long, long time... I seem to have a fetish for Indian men.
I know, it sounds stupid and awfully narrow-minded, but what can one do? What can you do when local men just don't do it for you? (And, admittedly, during last two and a half years my only short distance anythings have been with men of Indian origin...)
Lady is not made of wood, you know.

Though, I'm not saying that I don't find men of European origin (I hate word Caucasian, and as most "whites" in Northern America are also of European origin...) attractive, it just doesn't happen very often.

And then... something else...

My beloved SIL, oh yes... I think I have made despising her a hobby of mine.

Today she wanted to be helped on two issues (she only seems to come to our IRC channel when she needs something (can we say a leech?)):

1. recipe for tortillas,
2. help with English, as BBB (Brother-by-Blood *grin*) had passed out (in Finnish that refers usually to drunken state passing out... O_o) and she had to (you never have to do anything, you know) communicate with someone in English.

The thing is...

1. They have cook books (they have extremely good series of them which our mother has given to BBB as his graduation gift - and additional parts when they got married (we all have got both of the series)), they have internet (and I assume hope that either one of them is actually able to read and/or write)... and she's too lazy to consult those books they have, even they most likely are the closest, and easiest source of information. She refuses to use Google, as apparently typing word tortilla would be so amazingly difficult...
   She's almost 32 and she still needs someone to think for her.

2. I still remember how certain SIL of mine said to me that she does not need to know any English. (Though she also assumed in that same sentence that I know English just because I want to date "exotic men"... w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l. (Can we say active ignorance?))

I also happened to mention about the latter to her, and, surprisingly she gave /quit command quite soon after it. (Quite properly my last line before it was Boa noite e sonhos bonitos. (As I tried to remember what is Good night in Hungarian, but remembered only the Portuguese equivalent...) How did she knew what it meant?! *grin*)

Sleeping and cats

As boring as knit one row, purl another row is it has its advantages... it's great way to turn your brains off and be able to fall asleep when you get to bed. Though... that fun lasted only four hours before I woke up because I was feeling hot and thirsty.
You see, sleep deprivation messes up your body's temperature control... and in my case it only causes nice, little merry-go-round. Add coming five days of itching to that and we'll have one badly wrecked person in Monday.

I'm looking forward to that....

Anyway

My camera is finally mine! I paid last instalment for bits_2_whole yesterday. [add some booty shaking here]
To celebrate it I teased Seiichi by taking pictures of him (though he has got rather fond of posing lately...)... this is interesting (Night setting (long exposure) and an affectionate cat are good mix):

And to continue with cats: Love is... napping together.

      

(1. Neko and Ronja, 2. Neko and Seiichi (N. and S. are half brothers, notice the likeness? *g*) )

Goals for January

You have seen most of this list before:

1. Participate Stitch-A-Thon at The Robins's Nest.
2. Stitch biscornu for TRN's Biscornu Exchange. (Psst, it's still open for sign-ups...)
3. Finish Turtle Dove.
4. 1/3 of Casa de Ezmeralda
5. Finish Small Needlebook stitching wise
6. Finish Valentine's Exchange stitching and finishing wise. (Send-out 1st of February!)
7. Finish Snowball's Chance In Hell
8. At least 50% of Futurecast
9. Finish 2nd part of Alter Echo

A Bit Of Cheese In The Windpipes

Today in a nutshell: Fawlty Towers and knitting spiced up with some stitching.

Actually I've almost done with the first warmer, but decided to call it off for today because I confronted slight problem... nothing impossible, as I've some sort of a knack for understanding knits, but nevertheless I thought it might be good idea to let it rest for a while - and knit one row, purl one bores me to death in larger doses (no wonder I've always loved cables).

I decided to reward myself and picked up Futurecast.

While stitching I begun to wonder is my colourway sign of something, as anyway I was that one who decided what will be dragon's main colour...
I see hope in my choice.

And I also see that someone went berserk with the blending... all the oranges are, and will be, blended. If I maintain this level of insanity long enough I may end up blending some more...
Have I ever mentioned that blends are one reason why I love TW's designs?

And how I'd love to stay up all night stitching this... but cranky old lady needs her beauty sleep - and stitching your eyes closed may lead to interesting results...

Boo.

There haven't been that much stitching... as I slept 15 h in Sunday.
I did stitch Alter Echo...

Anyway, we had a happy dance today! (It'd have happened yesterday, but it's quite difficult to stitch when you're glued to the keyboard...)

Info:

• Design: Morning Wizard
• Designer: Jennifer Aikman- Smith
• Fabric: 28 count Quaker linen. Mocha (IIRC)
• Other:
  • I left wording and sun out because they didn't strike my fancy.
  • Colours are tweaked
  • Newspaper is changed to be The Daily Prophet

And this was fourth happy dance within one week (and second unplanned HD for this month). In moments like this I really love (or maybe I should say adore) myself.

Though, I've a problem: what next? I could think of Stitching Devils, but I don't have enough black denim - as I decided to make my mother's knitting bag from that, and I've reserved all denim I've for that. And Dovey has a place in my rotation already.
Dragon Soul QS? I've no fabric for it, and I lack some of the threads... Can't start Loy Krathong even I've the flosses and fabric as I've no dyes to dye the fabric.
So... it's either You're Never Too Old... or Taj Mahal - though I still don't have that #8 perle.

Maybe I just get wild, compromise, and stitch Futurecast. It'd be good for variety's sake.

Must resist...

Argh, new things to want/buy: Big Girl Knits - 25 Big, Bold Projects Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves (allow me to disapprove using word girl)

And the official quotes...

'One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.'

'If you smoke after sex then you're doing it too fast.'
- Woody Allen

G'day

It's kind of scary... I've had three happy dances during one week.

Anyway, change of plans: I realised last night, or rather in wee hours of today, that I've to knit SBCIH as a plain flat and "cheat" by embroidering snowflake's evolution on knitted surface.
Good thing in this is that this will be quick project - as long as I remember to decrease in every seventh row. Usually I dont.

984

I was thinking of the Morning Wizard issue and I may end up finishing it before I start Ezzy. Why? Because... I'd get one unplanned finish for November and it'd look good in my goal list (btw, I've already reached four goals out of seven).

Knitting snowballs

When it comes to bits_2_whole's wrist warmers... it'll be a bit more complicated project than I anticipated.
I don't know why, but according to the instruction you should knit those things and embroider the motifs afterwards (actually during knitting), which I do understand as they're supposed to be knit as a stockinette (forgive me my possible terminology mistakes, I know my knitting lingo only in Finnish), but I can't understand why they have been designed to be worked like that?
As, IMO, it'd be easier to knit with regular needles, make those motifs with intarsia and sew them as stockinettes when finished. That is how I'm going to do it, but... I need to modify the design, and actually rewrite those instructions to suit for my, easier, way.

I've started them, I cast gauge sample today and knit one row. We're getting there.

When it comes to Panda I've been stitching some bamboo leaves, but not much actually... *sigh*

Stitcher in a sphere

You notice interesting things while stitching... "My nail polish seems to be metallic shade of DMC's 815..."
So, nowadays I choose nail polish colour (I bought this few days ago) according to DMC colour charts? Should I be worried? Or is it just one of those things..?

Anyway, we had some progress:

This is one of my favourite parts in this design. Every stitcher needs little sphere where to hide from the world and stitch the night away!

Beware...

Tomorrow there should be some yarn porn (my favourite term in knitty lingo, btw), as two crazy crafters head to Novita's (Finnish yarn manufacturer) factory store... (Good thing is that they don't accept my Electron, nor my mother's Visa...)
I might also try to lure her with me in Hobby Point (it wouldn't be the first time)...

Participants needed! And other things

Firstly: there's still plenty of room in my Pay It Forward list (Ash, in or not? *grin*). Be courageous and jump in! You don't need to know me personally (but you got to trust me enough to give me your email (and snail mail address when asked)), just have a blog so you can forward this - actually this'd work also without it with some modifications.
You can decide your own time limits, and no one says it has to be big piece of art. And think of the unique piece you'll be getting from me.
(chanda_m's piece is in my head (big head, you see), though it lacks some details and I may have do some experimenting before tackling the actual piece.)

Be warned... I may be bumping that entry up now and then until the day I've five in my list. *evil grin*

In other news...

I spent last night by destroying Africa's coastal line.

No, I wasn't playing a game, nor designing some nice fjords, I was frogging one old project (Antique World Map by Jane Greenoff) to get that fabric in better use and realised that it is big enough to be used on Loy - after I dye it, honey may not be the best choice of colour in that particular project (as it wasn't best possible choice for that map). So, even I never thought/planned it, Loy will be stitched on 28 count linen.

And

1. Linda's biscornu is 50% finished (in other words: other side is completely done) and it'll look fabulous when done - even I say so.
2. OE parcel was sent yesterday to its new home.
3. Angela's fabrics are on their way too.

I have to knit this...

Durrow.

I love cabled sweaters, but most patterns out there either lack something or are designed for tiny folks. This one is perfect(tm). (Now... I should've purple yarn in my wardrobe, and there might even be enough of it... though it may be a bit too thin. Well, got to knit gauge sample.)

It seems that I'm getting my knitting bug back. I used to be knitter, before I found stitching. One of my dark secrets. *grin*

Damdidam...

This is disturbingly cute, don't you think? Bit like Brain Slugs and Robot Companion. (Cursed be LJ's knitting!)

On samplers

Odd things has happened to my taste with designs lately... Year ago I was ready to make one exception, and one exception only (that being AE), to my No samplers allowed policy, but now... I've gotten fond of few Long Dog Samplers' samplers.
As we know, I'm curious as a cat and one day when I checked Leena's blog she mentioned St. Hippolyte which she's model stitching for her own business. Now, it doesn't look that good in sample picture, but changing the fabric makes the difference: look at this.
And /me wants that design - and actually I want this and this too. They are not the cheapest designs, but they're huge.
(Silly thing, I've meant to blog about this new addiction of mine, but remembered it just now after getting feedback from her to my feedback.)

And stashy goodness

Just got an email... My Silkweaver order has been shipped!

Knitty things

I bought my first knitting pattern online: Scarlet Woman Sleeveless Tank.
It was way too gorgeous to miss, and what's best, it has sizes to 54'' which is nice for someone whose bust is *cough* ~50''.

And when it comes to knitting how about some pumpkins? Cute, don't you think?

The question is...

...do I want to learn to knit in English?
And the reason for this question is Snowball's Chance in Hell, which would be great birthday+Yule gift for bits_2_whole - it seems to me that tendency for being more or less goth runs in a family... Though I've heard it more than once that we (b2w and me) are freakingly similar in certain way - though the colours should be changed. (I can't help having the idea of Hello Skull-y: black base and pink furry skulls...)
Though this one is also very tempting...

And those official links...

• Table of Condiments That Periodically Go Bad
• I Want One Of Those; Retro Mugs and I actually want many things from there, but I just love "Drink coffee, do stupid things faster" mug.

Long time, no(thing to) see

Yes, pictures! Just to fill up some empty space.

I've been knitting my stitching mittens (first one) in this evening while wasting my time productively in wonderful world of IMing and this far I'm now

It's possible that when I get back home (127.0.0.1, sweet 127.0.0.1) I've done both. (It's good to hope, at least)

Romance is blooming - where we get one for me too?

Some lousy pictures for your entertainment:



Finished front page.
I changed colour of that text. It's supposed to be stitched with greens, but mean /me used pinks. I thought that it'll look better with my teal green fabric (How smart you can be? ).



Back and front. Inner pages are in progress - and my goal is to stitch them before I get to bed, because I want to get my needle smoking with topiaries. There's not that much time anymore, and damnit I want to finish them! I want my medals!
So, I could say that I'll look like this soon.

---

I think I know what I'll do in March 24 hour challenge. For some reason I happen to love the idea behind the Claddaghs, and AON Celtic Art (my home page's wallpaper is from there, btw) has one for free.
If not... then it's something from Christmyth series.

Parcel

My merinos, and knitting needles made of rosewood, came. Those needles are piece of art! They were a bit pricey, but I can believe that it's a pleasure to knit with them (and then: I've problems with nickel and I can't stand bamboo needles). Just...Wow. I'm just bit afraid to work with those needles as they're kind of short, but then... my hands aren't that big and you divide those loops in four knitting needles so... but anyway, it's knitting time after Olympics end. (Btw, one great thing: that IOU's due date is in the end of March!)