Randonymity, Those Cats

Countdown to the Knitting Olympics…

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“Hmm, there’s something happening up on the table…”

Chaos was right – there was something happening on the table – the pre-Olympic photo shoot:

“Whoa.”

Starting from lower left, we have

  • the corner of my pillow (Celestial Sheep flannel – we’ll talk more about those Celestial Sheep another time)
  • a cat (not part of Olympic preparations)
  • the yummy black Four Play yarn (including swatch on my beloved super speedy Addi Turbos)
  • the pattern in the book
  • some pinot noir
  • some brie (not pictured are several other fun cheeses) and Blue Diamond Nut Thin crackers (go check out the nutritional info on these – you can eat the whole box for less than 500 calories – amazing. Plus they’re gluten-free!)
  • my copy of the pattern (annotated with the many corrections and my own changes)
  • tips on the Hourglass Sweater gleaned from the experience of those who’ve knit it before me

The pinot, brie, and Nut Thins are all anxiously awaiting a trip to Jeanne’s house this evening to watch the opening ceremonies and knit. And, obviously, drink and eat fatty snacks (Jeanne’s providing cable, garlic-stuffed olives, and flourless chocolate cake). The pillow… well, let’s just say it has the potential (what with all that wine and frantic knitting) for being a sleepover knitting event. We could just start out by calling it an Opening Ceremonies Knitting Pajama Party and go with that.

“This is very interesting… I wonder how it tastes with tuna? Maybe while Mom is out tonight, I’ll invite one of those lovely furry ladies over for a midnight snack. Now, how to decide which one… I’d hate to start a catfight!”
Alongs, Those Cats

C is for…

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Chaos! (Like, duh.) Yes, I joined the ABC-A-Long. I’ve enjoyed reading what everyone’s been writing, but I thought it was closed… until a few days ago, when Heather posted that she’d just joined. I’m so there! (Thanks, Heather!)

I’ve missed A and B and I’ll go back to pick them up… after the Knitting Olympics. We’re going basic services for the duration of the Knitting Olympics. You have been warned.

Anyway. C is for Chaos, my utterly chaotic cat, whom I’ve known since his birth (and even before – I felt him kicking inside of Riley!). He became mine at a rough point in my life; having his warm, purring, busy self helped ground me then and now. He is an endless source of companionship, entertainment, and exasperation. What more could I ask?


“Psst… she means to ask all of you for more tuna, please. She just forgot.”
Knitting, Those Cats

Neon Muppet Lovechild Scarf

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I present you with a hitherto unseen project… the Neon Muppet Lovechild Scarf for Mama Tulip.

As modeled by Chaos:

“Thank you, thank you.”
“Wait, what is this stuff?!”
*sniff sniff*
“I don’t like the looks of this – let me arm the Paw of Death…”
“I will save us, Mom!”
“Whew! I need a nap…”

Enjoy, Mama Tulip! And remember, black cat hair is very insulating and definitely complements the lovely neon colors.Edit: For the knitters, the scarf is made from two skeins of Lana Grosso Tiramisu, 16 stitches – altho I’ve already forgotten what needle size I used! I made it with pointy ends because I hate bottom-of-scarf flare.
Randonymity

Mysteries of the Supply Cabinet

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Bad day at work? Didn’t get that raise you wanted? Have no fear, the supply cabinet can help you end it all:

Yes, very puzzling, isn’t it? Why would a small regional telecommunications company have rope on the shelf below the pens and pencils?!! All we can come up with is, well, trimming staff levels through providing alternatives…

“I can’t bear to look… No one’s about to use the rope, are they?”

For any of my coworkers who are considering the rope as a viable alternative to continued employement here, let me offer these wise words from Dorothy Parker (who I just learned yesterday was a knitter!):Résumé

Razors pain you;
Rivers are damp;
Acids stain you;
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful;
Nooses give;
Gas smells awful;
You might as well live.

Knitting, Those Cats

Some finished objects to report

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I didn’t spend the weekend sitting around watching the cat yawn (can you believe he was already closing his mouth when I snapped that picture?!) – I actually got a lot of things done. In knitting news, I knit a bowtie scarf (shamelessly copying Pink Rocket and Irene; pattern here) for a friend’s birthday:

“I hate to break it to you, Mom, but I don’t think your friend here is… normal. I can’t quite put my paw on the problem…”

I used a stray ball of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (black) from my stash for the scarf. My, what a lot of vegetable matter was in that yarn – I felt like I was knitting with Noro! The Silkroad was kind of scratchy while I was knitting with it (unexpected for a yarn that contains silk and cashmere), but softened up considerably after a good soak and blocking. (Why am I not in the picture? Well, I was celebrating International Pajama Day and was not looking particularly photo worthy.)

I finally finished the NSR Anne Jaywalkers:

But wait… something’s missing from that shot… Oh yeah, there’s no blob! Said blob was otherwise occupied with erstwhile blobby behavior:

(presumed not dead)
Project Spectrum, Randonymity, Those Cats

Is this the end of my Stashalong road?

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This week, while I was sick, several packages arrived for me at work. Three, to be exact. In the interest of not boring you to tears, the arrival excitement has been distilled down to this:

“Oh boy, someone sent me toys!” (shhhh… I’ll break it to him later that this isn’t for him…)

The first two packages were part of stuff swaps. I sent Anmiryam copies of some very obscure out-of-print patterns and she said she’d send me “something fun”! Indeed – it’s the gorgeous Cherry Tree Hill Supersock on the right below (color Dusk). Thanks, Anmiryam! (Please ignore the blob, which was not received in any of the aforementioned packages.)

After I got my new digital camera, I swapped my old digital camera with Eileen for “something fun.” What she sent me is on the left side of the picture above. (Mostly – the two amazingly decadent looking Legacy Chocolates truffles are tucked into my freezer, waiting my return to tiptop health.) Near the top, you will note a lovely reddish-pinkish ball of Cherry Tree Hill laceweight mohair silk, which will handily take care of the first color challenge (red & pink) in Project Spectrum!

The pattern and Clown sock yarn are for a sock yarn baby sweater – I’m on a quest to find the perfect sock yarn baby sweater, as Eileen is well aware, since that quest led to our “meeting” here in blogland! Additionally, that Clown sock yarn might take care of the second Project Spectrum color challenge (orange & yellow). Bless you, Eileen!

“This isn’t really what I thought a Clown was. How puzzling…”

And the last package… Well, Kim, this is the one that might have me out of Stashalong. Two skeins of black Brooks Fiber Farm Four Play wool silk blend.

I had five skeins of this yarn, ordered at the end of December with the rough idea of making a sweater for myself from it at some point and without realizing that I had the bare minimum yardage to make a sweater from it. When I started swatching for the Hourglass Sweater (my project in the Knitting Olympics), I started with yarns that I had plenty of in my stash. Alas, I either couldn’t get gauge or couldn’t get a pleasing fabric with those yarns. Finally I wound up a skein of the Four Play, swatched, and knew I would be using it for this project.

By the pattern, I would have exactly enough yarn for the sweater. Unfortunately, even the pattern corrections mentioned that some people found themselves running significantly short on yarn… Oh oh. When Kim posted a list of Stashalong clarifications, I thought, well, maybe it would be ok… I contacted Brooks Fiber Farm to see if they had any skeins of the same dye lot left. They did, but just two or three, making it pretty much then or never to get more yarn for this project… So I ordered it.

Do I stay or do I go?

Randonymity

Captivated

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I braved Lucky Elevator #13 for this post…

For the past several months, I’ve been pondering a new addition to the elevators of the nine-story (including basement) building in which I work… tv. Yup. Little flatscreen tvs in the elevators, complete with informative blurbettes, commercials, the weather, stocks…

Fortunately, there’s no sound… yet. The “Captivate Network” is obviously playing on the “captive” audience of elevator riders. But really, maybe this would be more effective in a taller building?!

Sorry, no Chaos picture… I’m at work and it’s just too crazy being back after being out for the past few days. He sends his regards.

Alongs

A Blogger’s (Silent) Poetry Reading

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More details at Grace’s Poppies – with thanks to my friend Deb, who introduced me to this poem through the gift of a small but lovely book she made for me…

The Weight of Sweetness by Li-Young Lee

No easy thing to bear, the weight of sweetness.

Song, wisdom, sadness, joy: sweetness
equals three of any of these gravities.

See a peach bend
the branch and strain the stem until
it snaps.
Hold the peach, try the weight, sweetness
and death so round and snug
in your palm.
And, so, there is
the weight of memory.

Windblown, a rain-soaked
bough shakes, showering
the man and the boy.
They shiver in delight,
and the father lifts from his son’s cheek
one green leaf
fallen like a kiss.

The good boy hugs a bag of peaches
his father has entrusted to him.
Now he follows
his father, who carries a bagful in each arm.
See the look on the boy’s face
as his father moves
faster and farther ahead, while his own steps
flag, and his arms grow weak as he labors
under the weight of peaches.

Art journaling, reading, knitting, and cat parenting. It's a wild life.