the post where we switch gears and pretend like nothing bad happened

so, yeah. bad things have happened, and we have lost a dear person. and it’s not like these things don’t affect me. in fact, i went to a catholic church, said the prayer, and lit a candle in his name. not that he’s catholic, but i don’t know what else to do at this point. but, it’s currently a private matter for discussion at a later date.

case closed. moving on.

so… knitting. i’ve been knitting up a storm, although i only have the one finished object to show you. i made z a hat, and of course i have no pictures of it. maybe when she’s wearing it, i’ll get some shots. i finished one of my dad’s socks, with the other one started this morning. and, well… they are boring. they are nearly identical to the ones i made for my mother, but with different color stripes. and i had to rip it back because it was too big twice.

i’m so ready to be done with these goddamn socks.

anyway! my finished object? very fabulous. people have been asking me ‘where did you get that?’ instead of ‘did you make that?’ seriously gratifying.

the pattern is ‘vintage velvet’ from scarf style. it looks like a psychedelic cat in that picture. the pictures only get weirder, folks.

the pattern called for five skeins of this amazing yarn, called ‘touch me’. and while it was very soft, it shed like a crazy bastard. anyway, i only used four skeins. because i bought the stuff on sale, and that’s all they had of any one color. i own very little in the purple department.

after it’s knit, you throw it in the washing maching on the ’scald your ass’ hot cycle. the yarn had a small amount of wool in it, and it felted just a bit. and then i threw it in the dryer, because setting it out in the garage to dry means the thing would freeze. which is not optimal in a scarf.

see? leave me alone in an office for longer than 15 minutes, and i become unreliable.

i love that picture. something about the lines and angles. anyway, the scarf is so very warm and awesome. i do wish i had had five or six skeins of this stuff, to make a looooong scarf. but i still love this thing. and as i said, it looks amazing. people keep reaching out to fondle it.

a while ago, i mentioned my issue with not finding the blue moon sock yarn in local stores? man, i’m kind of over it. i mean, i’ll still buy the stuff when i go to moi’s in march, but… it appears that there are a thousand people that hand-dye sock yarn. like, the glorious and beautiful ladies at abundant yarn & dyeworks.

i think that color is called ‘wine country’. amazing and beautiful. and cheap! jesus, i’ve bought drinks that cost more, you know? and let it be known – the next person that tells me i can buy socks for $6 a bag at target is gonna get popped in the kisser. i am just saying, is all.

a closeup of that yarny goodness. i have no idea if they do mail order, but man… just beautiful yarn. they had one called ‘peacock’ that nearly came home with me. but i really should pace myself. i make a lot of things that i could easly buy. i make them, however, because i like to think i’m creative and original. and i’d rather make something that looks imperfect that buy something mass-produced. go ahead, call me crazy.

proof that my brain thinks in color schemes. i bought the yarn, then was at the thrift store half a day later. i had forgtten about the specific colors of the above yarn, when this skirt sitting below the yarn up there jumped out at me. it was a size or so too big, but something about those colors made me buy it. as you can see, they kinda match.

and i have more yarn, but no pictures of said yarn. but one of the skeins i got is called ‘blarney stone’, and it’s dyed by dk knits. her etsy shop is here. she does great colors. and even though it has nothing to do with yarn, i’m in love with this. i may need to buy it.

…

sorry. i’m sitting at this cafe, watching the parking lot. a guy in a big ugly pickup just sped into the lot, and swerved into the space next to my car. he nearly clipped mabel. i sat here, having a minor hard attack, and then i realized my car wasn’t in danger. he did, however, slam his door into the dodge neon on the other side.

i could babble on and on, but it’s really warm in here, and i still have an errand or two to run before board game night at the house. so, stay warm and dry. and safe.

thanks for stopping by.