The annoyance that is blogger is hard for Chaos to bear any longer… So, in respect of his delicate sensibilities *choke*, I am in the process of moving my blog. Stay tuned for exciting details – including quite a bit of knitting!
Library! (I’m sure that sense of deja vu you’re experiencing will pass.) As part of my excursion downtown, I checked out the new Minneapolis Central Library. Unfortunately, it looks like the sign has already taken a few hits…
But wow – isn’t it spectacular? This is the Nicollet Mall side:
And here’s the Hennepin Avenue side:
In the lobby, nifty technology…
…was balanced with ancient wisdom…
…in this statue of Minerva, Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom. What’s not to like about a library with the goddess of smart knitters in the lobby?! Especially when the banners on Nicollet Mall were so much fun?! This one reads “Meet Batgirl, Librarian!”
Back on the home front, we return to my foot, obviously in great danger…
Oh, and I found this odd little note tucked into my bag this morning:
Dear Bella,
I am writing to you out of my deep respect and concern for your well-being (and since I am convinced that you are a cat trapped in a dog’s body). I am not sure if you are aware of what is going on, but it appears that your mom is plotting against you. It sounds like she is bringing another furbaby into your household, by name of “Louie” – are you aware of this?! I suggest that you take immediate measures to thwart this diabolical plot. Such treachery cannot be allowed.
Yours truly, with purrs and licks,
Chaos
It’s been ages since I was in downtown Minneapolis, so yesterday after work I wandered my way downtown. I found a few Project Spectrum pictures, such as this blurb advertising the new City Center – if you look closely, you can see me reflected behind the “o” in “people.”
A map kiosk on Nicollet Mall, illustrating the somewhat confusing streets of downtown.
The Foshay Tower, as reflected in the IDS Center.
The famous spot on Nicollet Mall where Mary Tyler Moore tossed her hat in the air in the credits of the show.
And away from downtown, here’s the other, very Project Spectrum side of that cat-infested billboard. I love how the cat butts stick up over the top! (As always, click on the picture to see it better.)
I finally finished my Meilenweit Cotton socks! I confess to making sure I finished them in June, so they’d be both May and June Project Spectrum…
“You shall pay for the bib incident! Pay in snagged socks! Bwah ha ha!”
Little did Chaos suspect what evil lurked in the heart of his mom as he lounged by the newly finished Mason-Dixon Knitting baby bib (knit from one ball of Sugar’n’Cream, color possibly Midnight Magic).
Library. I love the public library. I only live about six blocks away and I’m at the library two to three times every week. (And no, it’s not just because of the cute guy who works there. Sheesh.)
The old Walker Library. It’s been a thrift store and a spa and is currently sitting empty and for lease.
Across Hennepin Avenue, the new(er), mostly underground Walker Library.
While Chaos has never been to the library (I’m thinking he would be a bit disruptive), he is very fond of library books…
A big thank you to Just a Knit Wit (aka Kelly), who sent Chaos and I a sweet care package. Great timing – it arrived during a totally crazed day at work on Friday and cheered me up immediately.
It included a lovely skein of Kureyon, some mini Tootsie Pops (used to calm my equally crabby coworkers!), a tin of Knitting Girl mints, a Hershey’s pencil, red and grey mini-tuna toys for Chaos (clever!), a mysterious tin…*
and a great cd of Celtic music to listen to while knitting!
The tin contained a stunning black cat bookmark and two very fun bracelets, one of which has a little sheep and says “I Luv 2 Knit.”
Thanks, Kelly! Oh, and I think that Chaos likes the tiny red tuna (TRT):
Kittens. Like, duh. 🙂
Me with Diablo and Chaos when they were much, much smaller. Now their combined weight is around 30 lbs. Heh.
For Trek Along with Me, I’ll be knitting with Trekking 78, a lovely combination of purples and a hint of blue for Project Spectrum June.
“This is a particularly tasty shade of Trekking. I recommend it to all discerning kitties out there.”
I’m sort of hindered in the first Amazing Lace challenge, because unlike some, I’ve never seen the Amazing Race. Hey, I don’t get any tv stations. Cut me a break, will ya?So, last night the team met for the first time. On the left, we have Mim’s Adamas Shawl pattern, handily mounted on a magnetic board and stand (gadget geek alert!). In the front, we have a skein of Christine’s Fingerpaints laceweight yarn in Cabernet (with some blue, for Project Spectrum June!). On the right… we have, well, chaos.
“Cabernet? Are you sure? I’m thinking it’s actually a really good pinot noir.”
Greetings are exchanged among the team members.
*sniff sniff sniff*
Oh, dear, I’m afraid that not all team members have the same goal…
“Bwah-ha-ha!”
You might become confused while reading this post and think that we’ve skipped right over June Blue to July Purple in Project Spectrum. Do not be alarmed. Do not adjust your calendar. June still awaits.
When I posted about our weekend dyeing adventures, everyone was most interested in seeing the shocking purple yarn. Of course, I managed to not take any pictures of the ultraviolet before I started overdyeing it with black, but Jeanne will affirm that it was too purple. Neither of us believed such a thing was possible, either – until we saw the yarn.
Anyway! Here’s the first skein – it was a cream-colored fingering weight 80% wool/20% cashmere blend, courtesy of the thrift store. I think I have enough yardage for a lacy winter scarf. Dyed with Country Classics Spring Violet, overdyed with Raven.
This skein was dyed with Spring Violet and a dash of Raven and came out the exact shade I wanted – no overdyeing was necessary. The yarn was cream-colored laceweight Zephyr, 50% merino/50% silk. Um, yardage is a lot. I have to weigh it later and figure out how much I actually have. It will become a shawl someday, but probably not for the Amazing Lace. I need to start this shawl business slow, with a smaller first project!
This tangle was two skeins of cream-colored Silky Wool (65% wool/35% silk), wound on a warping board to stripe. I’m planning to make a pair of cushy house socks for next winter from this (assuming I get it untangled sometime this year). The purple was Spring Violet, later overdyed with Raven. The grey was Blueberry and Raven, later overdyed with Raven. I’ll probably try overdyeing the grey with Raven one more time, to see if I can get it to be a more true and less blue grey.
Yes, yes, I know everyone wants to see pictures of luridly purple yarn. Hopefully tomorrow. Right now the yarn is eluding my best efforts to capture the color. Grrrrrr…
So, in order to placate Marina, I finished my Chaotic Black Lagoon socks last night.
Yarn: Sundara Black Lagoon
Pattern: Judy Gibson’s generic toe-up pattern modified for two circulars, with this cast-on and Maeve’s Cherry Blossom Lace pattern
Needles: Addi Turbo 0s
Duration: 28 days
And on to the last few PS May images… A treasured green card from my grad school friend Deb:
One of the best wine labels ever (and the wine’s not bad, either!) – does that face remind you of anyone?! 🙂
For Chaos size reference, the wine bottle is 12 inches tall…
