Its all true, the boogie girl is real, and you've found her. She knits, sews, spins, does pottery and writes it all down in this blog.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Hack and Slash
Thank you for the title Monica!
Anj made me a perfect and wonderful sweater. Then I ran into these naughty buttons. The buttons are temptresses. They've made me slice and dice a wonderful sweater just for them. I didn't have a choice. If you ever run into pushy buttons, run, they will take over your knits.
I give you the rest of the post in pictures:
Steek steek:
Some people find it easier to mark the center where they plan to cut by running a piece of contrasting string up through the stitching. Not me. Balls out. I sew 2 lines on either side of the center stitches.
Cut cut:
There we go!
And it's cut apart
Picking up the stitches after the sewn part, it automatically turns the sewn edge under when you pick up and knit.
One edge is done:
Did you notice the lovely stitchery.
And it's all done:
Sort of.
Some ding dong has a problem counting. She counted 6 buttons and made 7 buttons holes. Somewhere, there is another button for the top of the sweater. Or I'll pretend it's meant to be that way. Who's going to notice anyway?
I'm having some pretty big computer/server problems. If 2 pictures of everything shows up, that will be a miracle and I'll be very happy. It will also mean that I won't be tossing my computer through any windows.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Monday Cleanup
I love all the methods for disposing of unwanted clothing. There are a few really creative ways that you all do this. If you haven't read the comments from that post, and you want a good method of clothing redistribution, Go Read the Comments
Personally in this house, the clothing piles up until it suffocates us. I always try to find a group that needs the clothing most. A homeless shelter, abused women's shelters, young mother center.... The list could go on for who I've called as the clothing piles up. Unfortunately none of these places ever say yes to taking my clothes. What's wrong with my clothes?
The piles get bigger and bigger until I am under threat of being crushed with bags of clothing. I even move some out to the car in the ready for one of these shelters to call back and say thank you, yes, we can use that clothing. Right now I have a box of shoes and a bag of jeans in the car.... No one has called back and the next time I pass a Goodwill, I think it's going in their bins.
This week, lets talk about broken glass.....
Thank you all for your wonderful comments on the Bonnet Baby and the tattoo. I'm taking more pictures of the bonnet as soon as I can nail down the babe. So if you're waiting for the side photos, hang on, it's not an easy picture to get from a very active baby that is in love with the camera.
As for the tattoo, I am extremely please with it and so happy that Kayla has been completed. The rest of it will be done in November. If you go by time spent, it's only one third complete.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Saturday Sky
In all fairness the sky on my arm is representative of a photo I took in 1997.
The tattoo is from Saturday.
So, the best sky I saw this past Saturday is on my arm.
It's not complete but it's nice that Kayla is there.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Pretty Baby
In her adorable little bonnet:
Pattern: Hello Yarn
Yarn: Hello Yarn Fat Sock.
Needles: US3
The only mod was the ears that I changed. GirlBeast and I have kitty hats so I figured that Baby Boogie had to have kitty ears too. Rawr!
And in case you were wondering, it tastes good too:
Since everyone is a button freak...
Did you read Lolly's post yesterday? Buttons! Check out her necklace!
She got the idea from HERE. I think Lolly's necklace is way cuter.
She also linked to This Flickr set of photos. All button jewelry. I think I need some button rings. No I don't wear jewelry but I want to make them anyway.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Oh my Booties!
I am fairly obsessed with booties.
I made several pair a little while ago from the 50 booties book. Monday I was doing a little blog reading while I was waiting for some info to download and I ran across Big Sister. Well, not really ran across. I read when I can. Big Sister was my secret pal the last time I did one of those things. She was a darn good pal too.
She had made some really cool felt booties and linked to the pattern. I liked it so much, I just had to immediately make them. Everyone is pregnant (seriously folks, if you don't want to be pregnant, double check your contraception method) so I could be making booties constantly. I just might be too, I love these!
For Amber's Baby (I hope she doesn't read this):
For My Baby Boogie:
Do you want to make some?
Go HERE
I'm glad you all like the Totoro pattern, but it's not mine. You're begging the wrong person for the pattern. Adrian is the genius behind that one. My test knit is almost done....
Monday, August 21, 2006
Monday Cleanup
It seems like a lot of you sweep the dirt out the door. I've done that. But not in this house. Since the door leads to the garage, it would just make me a mess in a different place. I've probably even done the sweep under the rug and I know occasionally I do the "sweep the carpet and then vaccuum". If there is a cleaning shortcut, I'll try it.
Now a days, I sweep and vaccuum the floors then wash. Both dogs are wonderful shedders. It takes less than a day to have giant mean dust bunnies in all the corners. So, I do a regularly corner sweep check and pick it up and toss it. Here, if you move the dust bunnies into a pile in the middle of the floor, it's just begging to be walked through for redistribution.
Now as I have a ton of clothes that need decluttering, I want to know what you do.
This past weekend was a little rough. Saturday we got news that my ailing uncle had passed on. No condolences are necessary. We weren't close, I barely knew him and even though it sounds cliche, he's not suffering anymore. Gram and Sweet Mama had a hard time so I spent most of Saturday with them. GirlBeast spent the night with them, which reminded me of when my Gramps had died. I think I spent every night for a month with my Gram.
Sunday I really really worked on going through the pottery shop. It's not easy and that's just hard to explain. But it's what I need to do to move on. HERE is a page of pottery stuff. Email me if you want something. I'll wheel and deal too. Let's clean it all out so I can get this done and move on with the happy fiber stuff.
Finally a good thing. I got gifties over the weekend which were very cool and lifed my spirits. Thank you ladies. And I cast on for a new project. Ok, maybe I cast on for other new projects during last week, but that's another story. Knitter's ADHD at it's finest. The pattern I'm jazzed about now and I swear I'll finish this one this week before casting on too many others is by Adrian. I'm test knitting her super cute Totoro Bonnet pattern in her awesome hand dyed yarn:
I can't wait to tie this on BabyBoogie.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Buttons
I admit. I love buttons.
I've always loved buttons.
Buttons are quite fantastic and they do make the sweater.
I fully admit all of that.
I just didn't realize that a 6 year old knew that already.
So after spending 2 hours in the button aisle of JoAnn's....(2 hours might be an exageration, husbeast was waiting in the car and I'm sure he would have let us know if it was really 2 hours.)
There may be a few extras in there that don't have a match yet. There is something about being in a button area that makes go nuts. Thankfully I didn't have a basket or I might have had more. As it was, I had all that my little hands could carry. Here's how some of them match up:
And now I have a button sickness.
That one sweater there on the far left isn't even a cardigan. It's a gorgeous sweater that was knit for me by the incomparable Anj knit for me. Little ole me got a handknit sweater and here I am wanting to chop it up. If Anj hadn't given me back the left over yarn, this wouldn't even be an option. But since it is and I'll wear a cardi more, I'll be steaking and making bands. Button sickness.
Tell me if I'm wrong, these buttons need to be on this sweater:
Noflash:
Flash:
The other sweaters in that photo are planned as cardi type sweaters so the button sickness doesn't seem as bad. What does seem bad is that right now I feel like I need to go back. I'm thinking of all the yarns I have waiting and thinking of all the fantastic buttons I saw that would match them so well.
Actually, I'm thinking of going someplace different from JoAnn's. I want to go to this place in Freeport. It's a dangerous place. It has all buttons and ribbons. Anj, I don't know why I didn't think of this place when you were here. It's very cool and very dangerous at the same time. But now I feel the need to go. Forget that I have enough buttons to last me the rest of the year. I feel the need for more.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Sweaters for Little Girls
Maybe that should read "BUTTONS" for little girls.
I learned something new this year. I learned that the love of a sweater rest solely on the buttons. If the sweater doesn't even have buttons then it's so low on the love list that it almost doesn't even make it onto the list at all.
Have you guessed yet that I've made her a sweater that almost didn't even hit the list? Last year, thinking that because it was the most hideous color of pink, I made her a sweater without buttons. A regular everyday sweater.
This old picture doesn't even begin to show how obnoxious a pink it is. I think the fact that is was a horrificly bright pink was the only reason it even made the bottom of the list. Maybe if it had sparkle it might have gotten a bit higher on the list.
I had also made her this:
Which had buttons and has been worn more than the pink sweater. It's only slightly higher on the list. Why only slightly? It has only 3 buttons and the buttons themsleves aren't very cool. They're awfully plain. Almost painfully plain.
So what sweater gets all the love?
I made this one in 2004 from handspun. It has the most wonderful buttons GirlBeast has ever seen. Ladybug buttons. It is too small for her now. Can you see how short the arms are? She pulls them down to try and convince me that they're really not all that short. But I know.
Oh, and I was also informed that handspun ranks a sweater higher than if it were made from commercial yarn. That almost brought a tear to my eye. A child of 6 that knows and treasures the handspun above all else. So with that, I've decided she needs a new sweater this winter. And I'm smart enough to know that I'm not picking it out.
I let her loose on the fiber stock. This is what she chose:
Unfortunately I only have 12 ounces. I'm not sure I can squeeze 800 yards of DK/worsted from that. So I dyed another batch:
Which has too much blue in the mix. I knew it when I mixed the colors. But I liked it and thought she might go for something a little different. The first thing I heard was "Mama, it has too much blue." Of course it does. I knew that. So I threw in one more batch:
Which is too light and although there isn't a formal complaint explaining the exact problem, it isn't quite right.So today we're going on a button hunt. Maybe if the buttons match something else....
Yeah, I know. The buttons she picks are going to tell me that I have to work some magic with the 12 ounces of rovings and somehow make that into 800 yards of yarn for the sweater. It should be interesting.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Monday Cleanup
Most ofyou are picky about who your guests are and how much you're cleaning for them. I am worried about those of you that aren't sure what a guest is. Or is that you don't know what cleaning is? Alright, just teasing.
I have done the pinesol thing that one of you admitted to. I was tired and not motivated. But really the dogs take cleaning as a personal attack. They seem to have a real problem when I make the hosue smell less like a dog. Even when I do a thorough cleaning, you can't tell.
Anj and Sue. I swear I cleaned for you guys though. Well, I made the kid do a good bunch of the floor cleaning. Child labor is a beautiful thing. But I admit that I only do a surface cleaning. And anyone that's ever been here knows that that's my house. If you don't want to see dust, don't go looking for it. I guarantee that behind the couch, the entertainment center and the bookcases are all dusty. Actually there might be a few visible places that are dusty too. If it's out of my reach...
I think the fiber storage areas are cleaner than the house. Well, I spend more time there.
This week the poll is a little different. You can check more than one box.
Instead of casting on something new the other day, I finished a baby sweater.
This is Timmy's Cardigan. The pattern is for a boy and a girl version. I have a freind working on testing the girl version and once it's done it will be available on the website. My stats:Zippered Baby Cardi
Yarn: 2 skeins of sport weight handpaint
Needles: US 4
Other than that, things have been crazy and hectic here. I've been cataloging the pottery that is left. I have friends that are snapping up what they want. Soon I'll have lists of it available if anyone is interested. The pottery liquidation doesn't include anything sheepy.
I will continue to produce sheep items. Once my kiln is up and working again. I think need to replace some parts and do some rebuilding since it's not working properly.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Can't Stop....
Over my vacation week I finished a pair of Aran socks and I knit a Mitten/hat set. It was good to get some projects finished but what do I do?
What does a girl do when she has no deadline?
No one was telling me what I needed to knit.
No one was telling me in what time frame I needed to knit it in.
I forgot how to pick my own knitting projects.
Well sort of.
I think it's more like, I forgot any measure of self control over my knitting projects.
If I had self control I would have immediately picked up Baltic or Kelper. Or finished any number of socks that I have started. Or even worked on the mitten that I only have the cuff done.
Nope.
I started a new project in cotton ease.
I rationalized this project by saying that I wanted a cotton sweater. If I finish it right off then I'll be able to wear it without sweating like a pig. Yeah, that's not a pretty statement but neither is sweating like a pig.
Yet that wasn't enough.
This rationalization is that Miss Baby Boogie needs a new sweater. Sure she has a few that she can wear. Sure she's spending her days lounging around in only diapers. It will be winter soon and she loves wool. She picked out the pink. I swear she did. Take that look off your face husbeast, she did pick it out.
Adrian, I'm blaming you for the stripes. There was suppose to be only one stripe but for some reason I ended up with it all striping. The stripe disease is catchy. I do have a roller and some ink. But I don't I'm that ill with the stripe sickness yet.
Then there is this:
It's going to be a pattern for the shop. I'm not going to tell you what it is yet. It makes it sound more exciting even though it's not really.
This I had technically started a week earlier:
I only had the ribbing done but last night I finished it. And then ripped it all back out to the heel because I didn't like how it fit. I should get back into the habit of trying on my sock more often and maybe I won't have to rip so much. It's ok though. A half dozen decreases and I'll have a tighter fitting foot.
I'll try to update my WIP page with all the stats in case there are questions. I need to update my FO page too. Somes days I feel so far behind it's like I left my butt in 2004.
Have a good weekend and next week I'll update on the fleeces and yarn making.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
My Summer Vacation
A report in pictures my Amy Boogie.
The pictures are in no particular order
We visited a bunch of Alpacas who had a goat of their very own. His name was Vernon and he was damn cute too. I should try and find a picture. For now you get the Alpaca with the toupe.
We had lobster. I know you're supposed to start by biting into the back but I always start with the claws.
Baby Boogie got to go to a ton of places. Here she is out to eat where she charmed everyone.
The last night here, Sue wanted to shoot a gun so J took her and my Dad out. This laptop has been dead and shuffled around the house for a while. Finally, it's made it's way to the trash heap.
The dogs were often impatient with us.
Cashmere is sexy. And according to the rest of the family, it's pretty tasty too.
Boogie Girl wanted you all to know that she is very innocent and sweet and behaved so well the whole week. Well, she tried.
We got to pet a giant bunny. 14 lbs! This thing was HUGE!
Everyone made some pottery. I've been having some kiln (oven) problems so nothing is finished.
Best of all...There was a ton of laughing and smiling.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Monday Cleanup
The last poll was about freezer defrosting. I'm lucky enough for my kitchen fridge/freezer combo to be one of those really nice self defrosting jobs. I also have a chest freezer that is not a self defroster. This is where I got the idea for the question.
Wools that come into this house are frozen before the make their way into stash or business use. I may be a little paranoid but it makes me feel better. Of course it's a little upsetting to the husbeast when he goes to the freezer for a pizza sees more wool than food. I realized the other day, as I was trying to cram 2 fleeces into the chest freezer, that I needed to defrost.
I suppose you could say that I only think of defrosting when my pint of ice cream, or sheep fleeces, don't fit into it.
This week's question:
Of course this question has to do with the fact that I had 2 fabulous house guests last week. Thank you guys for making me take some vacation time. I miss you already.
Over the past week:
--I received my Henry's Attic order. Yes, I now carry Henry's Attic. Email me if you want something.
--I finished a Hat and mitten set, and a pair of cabled socks. Neither of which you can see at the moment.
--I started a sweater and worked on my handspun socks. Of which I'll have to get photos soon.
--I went through my processed fleeces. Washing a couple and carding others.
I'll be making posts about all of them later this week. Right now it's my first day back to work after a week and I need to haul butt to get some shipments out. Not to mention that school starts today. In case you were wondering, yes, I am a glutton for punishment.