So much crap to make, so little time.

Winter Madness Swap

2011-10-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. I haven't even started on the TARDIS swap yet, but I've got ideas!

? > TARDIS September 2011 > ?
Big Damn Heroes September 2011 - Aranov
? > Buffy August 2011 > ?
meredithparker > Steampunk June 2011 > Caitinc 
henchwench > Hennson April 2011 > Melinda77520
 Sparkleshan > DotD September 2010 > JoanC2
 Lalsox > zombie 2010 > therowantree
divamaglia > Buffy August 2010 > Saberpirate 
Ocean angel July 2010 > lycanthropica
 ladyval75 > Firefly May 2010 > drewbird
 heathen13 > DHSAB May 2010 > swamps42
 Twilight April 2010 - xmasangel69

Neighbors: cephalogal, isilzha
Friends IRL: nanonukie, snowpony, scarletampersand

Favorite Color(s): blood red
Favourite Colour Combination(s): red+olive, jewel tones, or autumn colors
Favorite Snack(s)/ Beverage(s): I’m on a no-carb diet, so it gets kind of difficult to snack.
Do you knit, crochet, spin, etc? YES.
Favourite (and not-so-favourite) fiber(s): Anything natural with a maximum of 25% acrylic. I can’t stand acrylic in anything other than amis. Preferably in a lace-to-worsted weight. I also have no clue what to do with art yarn, and cannot find the appeal for Noro.
Favorite type of project? Anything that is a challenge. I like texture/structure work rather than color work, and use mainly solidish colored yarns.
Do you have any allergies? Scented things, like candles and commercial body products.
Do you have any pets? Monster of a cat.
Do you have a post in the “wish list” thread? 249
What holiday do you celebrate? I don’t celebrate anything, but I offer moral support to my roommate with his family travels. Christmas, if anything, but my family has a history of making plans without me.
Do you collect any holiday motif? Does Dia de los Muertos count? Yeah, not really.

EXTRAS

How do we feel about paper vs. PDF patterns? I technically prefer PDF, since I don’t print them until I’m actually going to use them, and then I’ll lose them and need to print them again. Books and other print media, though, are quite cool.

What type of project bag do you like the best? (Zippered, drawstring, box bag, etc.) I have never found a project bag I didn’t like. I have SO MANY UFOs that they just sit in their own bags, ready to be picked up at any moment.

Square, Circle, Triangle, Octagon, or Rectangle? Every shape has its place. I’m an equal opportunity shaper.

Straights, DPNs, or Circulars? Never straights. Small projects on DPNs, anything larger on circulars. I have both AddiClick and KnitPicks interchangable sets, but I’m growing fond of fixed circs. Either way, always metal!

Magic Loop, DPN, or Two circs? Magic Loop always gives me ladders, and two circs gets tedious when redrawing the cord. I love just one circ, or DPNs if I can pull them off.

What material do you like for your needles/hooks? METAL. I am far from dainty.

What style of stitch markers do you prefer? Flexible wire, hard metal ring, rubber ring, etc? Earring hook, lobster clasp, etc? I have love for all stitch markers. Flexible wire are nice because they are the most inconspicuous. As long as all the ends are well tucked in and snag free, I’m fine.

What knit/crochet/spinning notions have you been secretly lusting after but probably wouldn’t buy yourself? Ooo… hmmm… I don’t know; I’m pretty impulsive.

Stollen? Do you know what it is? Do you love it, hate it, want to try it? Aw man, that sounds amazing, but I’m on a no-carb sugar-free diet :/

Do you have a yarn winder already? Nope.

Do you want your project yarn wound, or would you prefer it left in a hank if it comes that way? As is. I usually borrow my friend’s winder and she borrows my swift.

Mulled Wine or Egg Nog? Cider!

What level of knitter/crocheter are you? Jump first, ask never. Highly experimental. As long as I can find a description of how to do the individual steps, I’m fine.

Nostepinne? Niddy Noddy? Yarn gauge (wpi)? Needle gauge? I could use a niddy noddy.

Do you have any unique holiday traditions? Just for New Years, but everybody in this country looks at me like I have seven heads.

When do you (if you do) start decorating for the holidays? What kinds of things are a must as far as decorations go? Never. The cat eats EVERYTHING that isn’t bolted down.

Would you like to receive recipes for Christmas cookies or traditional holiday food from your spoiler? Even though I can’t eat them, I love making them for other people! I have a huge book of cookies, but I love anything that is traditional or local.

What’s the best holiday present you got as a kid? Tied between Barbie’s Rock Stage and ice cream Parlor (with ice cream making machine!)

For recipes - can you handle weight measurements? Metric? Cups? I are engineer. Me math good.

Aside from the winter holidays, what do you love about winter? I’m not much of a winter person. I come from a tropical climate, so snow is still odd to me. Probably the food. I love turkey and ham!

Are you a coffee drinker or a tea drinker? Or do you swing both ways? What kind(s) do you prefer? I’ll drink them, but I’m not a -drinker- per se. I stay away from black tea and highly favor herbals. As far as coffee, anything that has some rich and creamy flavoring, like caramel or nuts.

What is one seasonal treat that you rarely if ever allow yourself (foodstuff/dessert/beverage)? Meh? I don’t really hold back. Or at least I didn’t until three months ago when I started this diet.

How do you feel about mohair? See post #1537 for more details. I, um, don’t have a preference? I liked knitting with lambspride, and snowpony just gave me a basketball sized loop of something burnt red and fluffy which I plan on making into a sweater. I guess I like it, but haven’t had a reason to actively seek it out.

I’ve been making a lot of jams. Do you like jam and jelly? (I’m making more so this list could change). Which do you prefer: apple butter, plum jam, fruit-hot pepper jelly or watermelon rind preserves? (or a surprise!) Ooo, fuit-hot pepper!

When knitting accessories for yourself, what kind of style fits you best - are you a girly, girl? classic styles? Tom boy? Other ideas? I'm a chameleon. I'm mostly a tomboy, and I'm big on classic, but sometimes you just have to go all out and be as girly as humanly possible!

Is there anyone/something else living with you, the we need to take into consideration when sending your package? For example - please entertain, choose one/all - the kids, dog, cat, pet, husband/wife, significant other while I am opening my package with catnip toy, doggy treats, husband/wife/kids - suggest something? Nope. Swap packages are all for me!

Have you any interest in/ use for those super short circs, you know, those 9” ones? Never tried them, so maybe? Perhaps as a pair?

Hand Lotions: good, bad, indifferent? scented or not scented? If scented, what scents do you prefer? Floral, Foodie (ie. vanilla, peppermint), musky (sandalwood, etc)? Unless you made it yourself from petroleum-free ingredients, no thank you. I'm a dirty hippy and I don't use commercial bath products. I'm also very touchy with scents, but more because of their intensity than their contents. I prefer fresher floral/fruit/sweet scents, and honeysuckle is my favorite!

Candles: yes, no? Same scent question as above. No thank you, I have a cat.

What top 3 patterns would you like to receive? Hrm, not sure?

Are you in with the craze that is the bee keepers quilt or hexi puffing or any other remnant project? If yes would you like mini skeins of items? No, but if you have leftovers, I can always find something to use them for.

Big Damn Heroes swap

2011-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

I got my package from Aranov!!! I was very happy when I got home yesterday to find a soaking wet box, which luckily kept everything inside of it dry.

I got two balls of Serenity Yarns in Yo-Saf-Bridge, which is totally closer to Kaylee’s parasol!
A pair of fingerless mitts in a cotton yarn that are really interesting, with ties up the side.
A tin with my favorite rebel-turned-smuggler instead of the smuggler-turned-rebel,
And a super awesome olive green bag with Kaylee’s bear patch, geisha lining and safety belt strap. I wore it last night to No Refund Theater's presentation of Little Shop Of Horrors and my friends loved it.

This was a non-secret swap, which was kind of difficult! How can you stalk someone and ask questions, if they know you're asking directly of them? In the end, I used a friend of hers that was also in the swap as my mole. I sent her:

A very cunning shrug, two dinosaurs, chocolate and some Shimmer.

Docs

2011-09-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

I figured I'd start making a catalogue of all the Docs I own...

1999: Brown 8 holes, with a more square toebox. I outgrew them before I ever wore them down.

~2000: the only pair I ever got rid of. Got them small because they were the only size in stock, before everything had a zipper. I took them to many concerts, but didn't love them as much because the leather was always too stiff and bent into my achilles.

2007: I got these for fighting in beige with a grass and butterfly lazer print. They are the softest leather and very nice, but the zipper is a bitch to all my socks.

2008: Christina. Damn, I love these shoes! I have worn through half the heel in the last three years because I wear them so much!

2008 (same purchase) or 2009: Thema. Gorgeous. I love these boots, but they are annoying to put on because of my heel getting stuck in the straps.

2010: 1914 Triumph. They are the first I ever saw that are lined and fold over. Very comfy!

2010: Same purchase. Darcie, cherry red rub off. I like them, they are comfortable, they aren't my favorite. I don't know why...

This week I plan on purchasing another pair of 1914 Triumphs; brown with flowered lining. I also want a pair of 8 holes in black flowered canvas, and a pair of plain green 8 holes, but I should probably draw the line somewhere...

ETA: Yeah, I drew the line. One pair farther than that.

These are a few of my favorite things.

2011-09-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

I am a nerd. Seriously, nerdy things make me extremely giddy. If something related to any of these things finds itself into one of my packages, I will squee very loud.

- Buffy
- Firefly
- Dollhouse
- Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog
- Anything Joss Whedon (including Roseanne)
- New Doctor Who (someday I'll pay more attention to the old stuff)
- Star Wars
- Dungeons and Dragons (though not 4E)
- Society for Creative Anachronism, focusing on early 16th century Spain, preferably Basque
- Spiderman
- Wolverine
- Rogue
- Phoenix
- the rest of the X-Men
- Iron Man
- the new series of movies leading up to the Avengers
- Hello Kitty
- Metroid (Samus Aran has green hair bob damnit!)
- treehugging
- more fiber crafts than I will ever have time to complete
- cooking
- force feeding people

Doctor Who Duck Pond swap

2011-09-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

Favorite Doctor: Tennant was my first, but I am really loving Smith!

Favorite Companion: I loved Donna ever since I watched their RND skit, and Sara Jane Smith was very charismatic. I love Rory’s heart, and River just keeps getting better and better!

Favorite Baddie: Angels!

Favorite Master: 8.5 and his Dalek bumps!

Do you anti-love any Doctors, companions, or baddies? If I never see another Dalek or Ciberman, it will be too soon. Though the worst Who baddie is RTD.

Are you mainly a new Who fan (8 and up), a classic Who fan (1-8), or both? I love New Who, and have seen very little old, though I’d like to watch it all one day. I think Three was the one with a good ass…

Have you enjoyed Doctor Who in any medium besides the TV series (or fan-fiction or private musings)? Other than Brit!Torchwood and RND specials, no.

Do you like tea, coffee, and/or cocoa? Not particularly.

What do you like to nibble with your beverage(s) of choice? Get detailed. Go on, make us drool! While I do love any home made baked goods and candies, I am currently on a no-carb diet :(

Hrm, difficult. I’m not much of a planner, and I love just jumping in head first when I travel, so I’d very much love for the TARDIS to take me wherever she wants me to be. As far as which Doctor, Tennant would be very caring and educational, but Smith would be spastic and entertaining!

All of my electronics are already cozified, but I can always use more project bags of all sizes!This one is always difficult for me. I currently do many fiber crafts, including sew, knit, crochet, spin, drop spin, dye, and tablet/inkle weave. I have been known in the past to cross stitch, embroider, chainmail, fimo, blow glass and make jewelry for other people (including stitch markers). I will throw paint on a project and am really good at copying an image, but I don’t draw or paint for the sake of “art”.
I have touched so many bases in the past that I know how to appreciate all kinds of hand mades, and I wouldn’t mind glass beads for a change.

Chucks: Ditto with the red.

DVD regions I have machines for 1 and 4, but my roommate can play anything on his computer.

Cozies: I think everything is properly cozied at the moment. I have a black 15” MacBook which may or may not be replaced in the who knows how near future, and an iPhone4 that wouldn’t mind a proper protective skin or case.

Crafts: I try to limit myself to fiber crafts, since my basement is beginning to overflow with stash. I currently spin, knit/crochet and sew. I don’t need any random notions, but can always have more bags of all sizes, organizational cases, stitch markers, AddiCircs or books.

Yes, I love cosplaying. This Otakon I dressed up as Bellatrix, Kaylee and Idris. I was missing a couple of details, but I think I managed to get it pretty accurate. The bodice was a bit of a pain to fit completely because I didn’t have a dress form, but I finally remedied that at Pennsic. The Kaylee suit was only missing an accurate pink pagoda shirt, an accurate parasol, and the wooden flipflops, but a kid stopped by to take my picture at the same time as this one wearing a pair, overheard my lament and sold them to me! Next year, I’m making the pink frilly dress with all nine frills! And hopefully there’ll be another cool DW thing to dress up as.Other than Otakon, I am a SCAdian. I do early 16th century Spain, though I’d prefer to focus on Basque if only I could find enough info.With as much as I love Halloween, I never find any decent parties to go to, so I don’t do standard costumes, but my everyday wardrobe is pretty interesting and costumish. Those were originally my Going Out coveralls from when I was in college.

What’s your Whovian Rainbow, ie, what color/item combos say “Doctor Who” to you? And if there’s a color in there you want no part of, please say so!
Pink: I know there’s a chick around four or so that dresses up like the Doctor, only does it in pinks. This is cute, but I have watched very limited Old Who.
Red: This evokes the fez and the dress on the robot in The Girl In The Fireplace. I love red. I love red a lot. I even love red alot! It also reminds me of Donna. Oh! And yummy, yummy James Marsters!
Orange/peach: I don’t have a Whovian memory, but I likes. Probably Amy. The Flesh would be peach, but I felt they shouldn’t have taken two episodes on it.
Yellow: Regeneration.
Green: The forest and River’s name leaf. Smith’s screwdriver.
Teal: Well, the closest thing I can think of is Jack’s coat, which is a tealy grey.
Blue: TARDIS, Idris, space. Blue is wonderful in many of its shades and just essential to Who.
Purple: Reminds me of Rose and Martha. I love the color, but really don’t care for Rose.
Brown: Ten, most definitely Ten. And this is where the teal comes in! Derp.
White: Was it six or seven that had the sweater vest with the question marks? And I think the poodle was white.
Black: Black is also ever present in Who. I immediately think of the first two or three Doctors that were all somber looking, and Eckleston’s leather jacket.
Multicolor: The scarf and the technicolor dream coat. And then the skittle Daleks. I highly dislike the Daleks and their constant “oh you did away with all of us but they couldn’t think of another enemy for this week”ed ness.
I’m going to add Grey: The Angels! I love the Angels!

ETA: As far as what to wear, I love all colors as long as they commit to being a color. I’m not big on wishywashy.

20110912

Which other swaps have you been in at this point in your timeline? Please provide a link to the thread for any non-Duck swaps. Who were your spoiler and spoilee for the previous Odd Duck Who swap, if you participated?

Big Damn Heroes September 2011- Aranov
?} Buffy August 2011} ?
meredithparker} Steampunk June 2011} Caitinc 
henchwench} Hennson April 2011} Melinda77520
 Sparkleshan} DotD September 2010} JoanC2 
Lalsox} zombie 2010} therowantree
divamaglia} Buffy August 2010} Saberpirate 
Ocean angel July 2010} lycanthropica
 ladyval75 } Firefly May 2010} drewbird
 heathen13} DHSAB May 2010} swamps42
 Twilight April 2010 - xmasangel69

Neighbors: cephalogal, isilzha
Friends IRL: nanonukie, snowpony

Are you willing to ship internationally/do you have shipping preferences? Not currently.

Please list your allergies (pets, smoke, spices, fibers, metals, alien technologies) Scents, smoke, baby melting acrylic.

Do you or anyone in your household smoke (tobacco or bio-combustive processes)? Nope

Do you or anyone in your household have pets? If so, what kind? C.A.T.

What is your favorite icon of the series? As in graphic design, or personality? Can I say Van Gohs' Exploding Tardis?

Do you welcome a small item or two for the other members of your household? If so, what should it be: something for your SO or roomies, candy for kids, pet toys, etc? Nope, the other two are too spoiled. All for me!!!

What’s your favorite DW episode (or 3) and what about them did you particularly like? Least favorite(s) and why? Blink and The Doctor's Wife. The first one was a perfect Monster Of the Week. Self contained, and can be understood by someone that has never encountered the mythos. The latter is just wonderfully written and directed. I am a huge fan of Moffat's writing, and I love what he is doing with Smith. I also really loved Tennant, and the strength that both of them portray. I very much hate RTD, the daleks and the cibermen, and find them to be cheap copouts for when they can't think of any interesting enemies.

Should your spoiler look in your fave patterns or queue for ideas of what to make? Are there tags s/he should look for? My faves are only things I like, but have nothing to do with me. My queue is well organized and has been tagged with "me" if I "plan" on making it, some with yarn ideas. I only put it into my projects when I've actually committed to making something.

What length is your hair, and do you like hair toys? Mid back, very thick and growing, and I love them!

Would you like to receive patterns from your wishlist? Would it disappoint you to get the pattern rather than the made-up item? Either would be lovely.

What are your favorite things about Dr. Who (the actors, the writing, the time-travel, the drama, the comedy…)? I love brit humor. I am dry and snarky and I love the imaginativeness of the show. I enjoy some stand alone episodes, but I am more passionate about the long story arks and trying to figure them out.

Type to me of jewelry. Do you wear earrings? Bracelets? Necklaces? Anklets? Belly chains? What styles do you like? Supply 3 adjectives as a starting point. What metals do/don’t you wear? Meh? I love jewelry, but always forget to wear it. I only wear one necklace that my mom gave me with a Mexican coin and my birthdate engraved in the back, but can pair it up with something very long. I prefer bracelets and rings and earrings, and functional is my favorite descriptor! No allergies.

Bowtie, scarf, both, or neither? Love both, have none.

What is your favorite yarn weight to use for yourself? lace - worsted, mostly sock.

Favorite color(s)? strong, vibrant colors

Favorite fiber(s)? NOT ACRYLIC

In honor of Amy Pond: nail polish? What colors do you want and which colors do you have enough of? I have tons of red, and many other colors. I'll take any!

How do you feel about yarn bowls? Small tray-plates for holding beads and stitch markers and such while you work? Are there any other craft supplies or working aids that you’d love in some Whovian version? No need for a bowl or plates, but I love any kind of beaded counter/marker.

What snacks do you like? I'm on a carb-free diet...

Measurements, and I mean the kind involving numbers, cuz “average” or “big” means totally different things to different people. Imagine a Silurian trying to make mitts for an “average” Slitheen! hands, wrists, feet, neck, head. lol. Check the blog.

Do you have wishlists at Etsy, Knitpicks, Amazon, Audible, or other online places your spoilee might like to see for a sampling of your tastes? If so, please provide linkage! Yarrrrn.

Anything else your spoiler should know about you and your interests? My blog is the best link to who I am, and I'll try to add stuff as it becomes pertinent.

Big reminder-type things:
Have you re-read the first two posts in this thread and the Odd Duck rules (page and thread!) and agree to follow them? Yus.
Do you agree to check for DMs and reply to any mod-passed-along questions at least weekly throughout the swap? Yus.
Do you agree to answer all questions in this thread by the next check-in date, which includes weekly checkins for the first month? This includes ALL questions in post #2’s summary, even if you’re pretty sure that they’re not from your spoiler due to geography. Yus!
Have you updated your Odd Duck wishlist within the last 3 months (requirement!!)? What number is your post in that thread? In process, but mostly accurate. #249
Do you agree to ship on time, use Delivery Confirmation (USPS requirement) and send that number to the mod when you ship, or, if you reallllly need an extension, to talk with the mod about that before the shipping deadline? Yus.
Do you understand that not fulfilling the big-reminder-type things may result in your being removed from the swap and cursed with a black spot (ie, blacklisted)? Yus.

Second Annual Buffy Swap

2011-09-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

I am still putting the finishing touches on my steampunk swap, and I've already had my Buffy partner for two weeks -_-;; I know exactly what I'm making (still kind of dubious on the yarn), so I shouldn't be too far behind. Since BDK will be announcing partners tonight, I better get a crackin'.

Here will be my compilation of questions asked in both Buffy swap threads. Don't forget to look through the rest of my blog if you have any other curiosities!

CHECK IN QUESTIONS

Signup:

1) What kind of crafting do you do?

Knit, crochet, spin and sew, mainly.

2) Fav colors/combinations

Check the blog and the wishlist, but I love blood red, autumn/fire colors, and jewel tones. Anything that is strong!

3) Least favorite colors

pastels and pink

4) Favorite fibers/yarns

anything natural, with a maximum of 20% nylon if need be (for socks).

Check the yarn post I made a couple of days ago.

5) List some Small items you would like to have

I can never have enough stitch markers or bags of all sizes!

7) Things you don’t need or want

Other knitting notions are already taken care of.

8) List as many sizes as you can

Full body measurements are also on blog

9) What is something you would like to receive in this swap? (keep price limits in mind

something creative, definitely useful, preferably wearable. I don’t have display space, and my cat eats everything. I’d love something that showed off my love of the Buffyverse to the whole world!

10) Would you like the package to be a more detailed buffy theme or random buffy?

Either can be interesting.

11) Where do you stand on things like make up, nail polish, jewelry, and hair items?

I very rarely wear make up (and I have more than enough!) or nail polish (though I love it) or jewelry (no necklaces, please), but I love stuff for my hair! I also specifically don’t use bath products or lip balm/gloss that I didn’t make myself because (I am a dirty hippie) the scents are almost always too overpowering. If you make it yourself, go right ahead!

12) Do you have any hobbies (other then fiber ones lol ex: reading, writing, photography, drawing ect.)

Roller derby and reading.

13) Do you have pets or children who like to receive little things as well?

No thanks, he’s more than spoiled already!

14) List anything else you think useful (we want your partner to have as much to go on as possible in order to make your package amazing and just right for you!)

My blog is pretty indicative of who I am.

15) Do you promise to be a good partner, fulfill all obligations, and send out a package made with just as much time care and love as the one you would like to receive?

You’re darn tootin!

Partner Assignment

1) What are your favorite snacks, treats or drinks?

I am currently on a ketogenic diet, so I don’t eat any carbs or sugars. I wouldn’t trust anything premade, since even diabetic candies are only -low- in sugar, but have much more than I can eat. Um, no-carb protein shakes and bars? Yeah, sorry about that.

2) What types of things do you knit or crochet?

I mostly knit for swaps and other people. I love lace and texture, and stay away from self striping yarns or yarns with quick and abrupt color changes. Amigurumis, shawls, scarfs, socks, gloves, whatever project is required!

3) What one pattern from your faves or queue are you itching to make but you haven’t the time, skill or supplies?

I have a huge stash, so supplies have never been an issue, but I’ve never had time to knit anything bigger than a hat for myself. I’d love one of the MMario shawls or a sweater.

4) And if you have a wishlist somewhere else like etsy, amazon, knitpicks, etc. please post a link for easy stalking. :-)

I don’t have any wishlists, but my blog is pretty indicative of what I like. I’ve started posts that list yarns that I want and things that I want for swaps.

5) Do you have an anti-wish list? Like allergies, annoyances, colors/fibers and overstocked notions.

I don’t do art yarn or fun fur or acrylic. Yarns components need to be > 80% natural, but I don’t mind their nature or origin. As far as colors, I knit with solid, semi-solid, transitional/gradients, or anything that won’t look odd when knit in a lacy fashion. As far as allergies, I am very sensitive to scents and soaps, so please no bath products, chapsticks, or highly scented things.

September 3

1) Fav Buffy character/ why

While I am quite passionate about the whole ensemble, and have an intense love/hate relationship with each one of the characters, Anyanka is the one I have found the most to relate to. I’ve been living in the US for six years now, and I still can’t quite put my finger on how people function here. I’m just that perpetual outsider that constantly manages to stick a foot in her mouth.

2) Fav season

I’m big on 6. I love how everything that is happening is just -normal-. Yeah, it’s great to have evilness with super powers, but it’s surviving the little things that really matters.

3) Fav episode

One? Damn. OMwF? I love all of the classics, like Hush, Dopplegangland, Zeppo, Band Candy, Smile Time. The Body makes me cry like a little baby every single time.

4) Have you read or would you be interested in the comics?

I have the first couple of comics and have been meaning to read them, but can’t seem to get around to them. I wouldn’t mind a compilation of them.

5) Buffy books?

Never read any of them. Color me intrigued.

6) Buffyverse Quotes you use often?

OMG, did it sing?

Don’t speak latin infront of the books!

Beer good.

The hardest part of life is living it.

They got the mustard out.

Bored now.

7) Fav big bad?

Life.

8) Do you like the show Angel as well as Buffy?

Angel had wonderful standalone episodes and characters, and the first and last season were really good, but there were several main plots I just didn’t care for.

9) Do you like buffy with Angle or Spike?

OH BOB PLEASE BOTH!

10) Do you have any other fav character relationships?

This goes back to me loving/hating everybody on the show. After the fifth watch through, you really notice everybody’s flaws. Willow/Oz, then that stupid werewolf interferes. Willow/Tara, then Willow becomes a junkie. Buffy/Angel, then he gets all mopey and leaves. Buffy/Spike, but she never allows herself to let go and feel. Giles/Joyce, then they kill her. Xander/Anya, but he’s an idiot. Xander/Cordelia, but he’s an idiot. Spike/Dru, but then she is insane… Fred/Wesley, but then she goes all demony and crap.

SWAPPER QUESTIONS

Handmades: I love ALL handmades! I’m a bit obsessed. And since I always end up giving away the things I make, I don’t really have many for myself. I’m in PA, and it snows 7/12 months. I love anything shawl/glove/hat related, but wool socks make my feet swampy. I’m willing to try something thin, like cotton or bamboo ones, but I do love leg warmers!As far as toys, I have a huge cat that devours EVERYTHING. So please no toys, and especially no dust catcher! (unless it is a Smile Time puppet, then I can be persuaded)

Collect: I love things that are useful, and if anything I collect big mugs.

Media: I have the Buffy and Angel sets, and the first couple of comics. I’d love anything else!

Do you have any specifications for how you like you gloves, socks, hats or shawls? i.e. length, thickness, materials

As far as socks, 100% wool makes my feet swampy, but I'd love to try any other more breathable/wicking material. Any length would be nice. I also like them tighter rather than looser. Gloves are all ok, preferably at least mid forearm or longer. Hats are very nice, and I like them like anything I've already knit or in my queue. Shawls are also all wonderful!

How do you feel about blingy, sparkly, or other “novelty” yarns? Not just typical novelties like fun fur, but also those with stellina content (Blue Heron Rayon Metallic, DIC Starry, Stroll Glimmer) or other “additives.”

I normally hate novelty yarns, but I'm ok with stellina and minor additives. As long as it looks even as I knit it, I'm fine. I've also been jonesing for Astral in Sexy and Regenerate.

Do you like/will you use straight knitting needles? Are you a circ only fan? How bout DPNs?

I only use circs and DPNs. I have an AddiClick set and a few AddiCircs for socks. Straight needles just always felt cumbersome, since I can always use DPNs for smaller projects and circs for heavier ones.

If you have a pattern book (or any book) on a wishlist, will you accept a gently used version?

I am a dirty hippy, so anything that has been pre-loved (well, ok, there are definitely a couple of things that don’t apply…) is always a plus. I especially love used books that have annotations in them, since I love trying to imagine what the previous owner was thinking when they wrote it.

Would you like your swap partner to knit/crochet/create something out of your favorites, or should we leave that stuff to you?

Ooo, favorites. When I tag something as favorite, it doesn’t necessarily mean I want it for myself. I normally am appreciating the work or like some detail from it. My queue, on the other hand, is well tagged with things I actually want for myself. I would love something from my queue! I “plan” on making them one day, but unless it is already on my project page, I don’t actually have -plans- to make it.

Would you like to receive something by/starring a cast/crew member of Buffy? For example and SMG film, other Joss project etc?

I make an effort to watch things that involve Whedonites. I have Buffy and Angel, and have already watched/bought most SMG movies. “Timer” was really cool, too! As much as I enjoy these random productions, it’s not the same if Joss isn’t part of it. I absolutely adore Roseanne, Firefly, DHSAB and Dollhouse, so anything that might sneak in is fine.And Buffy Staked Edward, The End.I love the saying, but I already have the shirt :P I wouldn’t mind it on anything else, though!

Scarves: As well as shawls, I like them all. It snows 7/12 months here and they are predicting a harsh winter this year. As long as it isn’t too stiff, I likes ^_^

Coasters/potholders: I’ll toss in washcloths/scrubbies and say no thank you.

September Yarn Wish List

2011-09-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

These are some of the things I want. Expect the list to grow as I discover new dyers ^_^

Schmutzerella - Fail Crack (DW)

Schmutzerella - Smolder

Schmutzerella - Obliviate (HP) (great for all of those mitts I just queued!)

Nerd Girl Yarns - Regenerate (Astral base)

Nerd Girl Yarns - Sexy (Astral base)

Nerd Girl Yarns - TARDIS Blue

Nerd Girl Yarns - Zombie Dreadfuls Extra Gore

Nerd Girl Yarns - Gallifrey (Astral base)

Light Brown Hare - Moro I'd love a sweater in these colors! Like a juicy peach ^_^ Maybe dyed in the fiber instead of the yarn so that the color changes aren't so abrupt.

So many swaps, so little time.

2011-09-01T19:02:00.001-07:00

Well, hello there! For those of you that haven't noticed, I am insane. I am currently participating in just a few swaps. I have this weekend to finish up my Steampunk box over on Odd Ducks (all I'm missing is the turtle's top hat and bacon toffee) and I'll make a proper post once the package is received.

A week ago, I got my partner assigned for the Second Annual Buffy swap, which is smaller than the OD swaps and I'll be able to finish in just a couple of weeks of quick knitting. In two weeks, I should be getting my partner for the TARDIS Day swap, which -is- OD and will be a bit more complicated, but I have a bunch of ideas for DW. (I haven't posted pictures of my shawl or Otakon. I should get on that...) This weekend, I should be getting my partner for the Big Damn Knitters' Firefly swap, which is a bit different from what I'm used to. It runs on a point system, so I have a feeling it will end up being closer in size to the Buffy swap than the OD ones.

So yeah, I'm going to be a bit busy for the next couple of months. The two small boxes need to be sent out October 24th, and the bigger one November 15th, so yeah, I really should get back to that top hat...

Buffy Aug 27-Oct 24

Firefly Sep 4-Oct 24

TARDIS Sep 15-Nov 15

Pennsic XL

2011-08-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

This year was a blast! I was very insecure to sign up, since prereg was around when I was at my most depressed, but I'm very glad I managed to suck it up and jump head first anyway.

Due to Otakon being just a week before, I didn't have time to get into the groove until very late. I was very lucky to find dabasque on Odd Ducks and have her walk me through so many details of basque clothing! Unfortunately, I had trouble translating it to real life. I spent monday crying in my room because I couldn't manage to make a pattern from scratch and get it to work for me by myself. Luckily, my friend Nicole helped me on wednesday and we got a really good mock up. Thursday was spent making the dress out of the mockup, and I'm very happy with how it turned out, except that I left too much allowance for the seams that I didn't take up, and the bodice ended up being an inch or two too big. Meh, it still worked!

Friday I went home early from work and packed and finished things up, before going to game at Nicole's. I finally finished my Tilting TARDIS shawl, which took me a whole week to bind off -_-;; and then woke up at 6:30 am to make up two chemises and a pair of linen bloomers. OMG, dabasque was so right! I wore my biker shorts one day, which I wear on a regular basis under skirts, and felt completely swamped. Linen bloomers, though, were amazing!

Bad flash is bad.

I think I lucked out this year with classes. Rumor has it that they want to make Pennsic XLI Spanish themed, so I got to take six or seven classes about Spanish clothing of the 13c and 16c, along with Visigoth lettering. Someone suggested to that teacher (Doña Violante de Sant Sebastian) that she should teach a class on abbreviations next year, and I think she should also teach one on words of Moorish origin. dabasque, also known as Josefina del Torre, was going to teach a class on alpargatas, but had family health issues and had to cancel. I was very excited for that class, and I will definitely find a way to shake it out of her!

Things I purchased:
A Uniquely You memory foam dress form which I had been lusting over for three years. I am so excited to finally be able to make clothes without having to beg for people to pin me in.
Two period dress patterns and reeds to make a verduguera.

Two mead kits, again, which I better use this time!
A bowl and mug from Charlie, cephalogal's potter on retainer.
A custom ~morion helmet!!! I am so excited to finally get back into fighting! Well, once I get it in a few months.

I controlled myself and didn't buy a $240 carved wood chest, which was awesome and had a skeleton laying on the lid. But I just might next year... Along with a canvas tent.

Clone me!

2011-07-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

So, every swap I'm in always asks for the oddest measurements. I also tend to sew some odd things, so I'm going to take a bunch of measurements, starting from the top!

HEAD
Hat band = 58 cm
Head band = 40 cm
Neck circumference = 35 cm
Neck lenght = 10 cm

BODY
Shoulders, flat (front) = 45 cm
Shoulders, around = 106 cm
Over chest = 98 cm
Chest (with bra) = 106 cm
Nipple to nipple = 20 cm
Under breast = 90 cm
Natural waist = 87 cm
Pants waist = 101 cm
Clavicle to breast = 22 cm
Clavicle to navel = 44 cm
Back of neck to natural waist = 34 cm

ARMS
Shoulder to elbow = 33 cm
Elbow to wrist = 28 cm
Sleeve = 65 cm
Arm pit up = 45 cm
Arm pit around = 31 cm
Wrist = 17 cm

HAND
Wrist to fingers = 10 cm
Middle finger = 8 cm
Around hand and thumb = 23 cm
Around hand, under thumb = 19 cm
Inner thumb length = 6 cm
Pinky length = 5.5 cm

LEGS
Hips = 100 cm
Thigh = 59 cm
Mid thigh = 53 cm
Knee = 37 cm
Calf = 40 cm
Ankle = 22.5 cm
Wide ankle = 29 cm
Bridge of foot = 24 cm
Ball of foot = 22 cm
Print length = 25 cm
Floor to knee = 48 cm
Knee to hip = 44 cm
Floor to mid thigh = 67 cm
Floor to widest calf = 32 cm

Did I miss anything?

Steampunk Swap

2011-07-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

list of previous swappees:
henchwench} Hennson} Melinda77520
divamaglia} Buffy} Saberpirate
Sparkleshan} DotD} JoanC2
Lalsox} zombie} therowantree
Ocean angel} lycanthropica
ladyval75 } Firefly} drewbird
heathen13} DHSAB} swamps42
Twilight} xmasangel69

Neighbors: cephalogal, nanonukie, isilzha and snowpony

In which country do you live? Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA
Are you willing to ship internationally? Sorry, but not this time.
Do you have any allergies? Just to smoke and scented products.
What is your favorite thing about Steampunk? I love the inventiveness of steampunk, and the engineerial approach to the “alternate steam-powered reality”, along with the constant desire to explore. Victorian aesthetics are beautiful, and even better when you add science! It completely loses me, though, when people start smashing clocks and using gears willynilly in a purely decorative fashion. The key to true steampunk is functionality!
Is this your first Odd Duck swap? no, very much no
Do you know what you are getting in to? Unfortunately.
Do you have a wishlist(s)? 249, and my profile and blog are pretty indicative
Have you answered the questions linked at the top of the thread page? I, um… link? I seem to be a bit slow today. I’ve answered all the questions as they’ve come up…
Describe yourself in ten words or less: Mexican, athlete, engineer, Odd, NERD, morbid, curious, militant treehugger, Odd
Are you hardcore Steampunk? probably not to the extent of others, but I really like it
Do you consider Steampunk a daily lifestyle or a weekend/occasional activity? It bleeds into my daily life, with some occasional intense bursts
Have you read the rules? Yessiry
Do you agree to abide by all of the rules, especially the NO DRAMA one? aw shucks, if I must :(
Do you accept that violation of any of the group rules will get you kicked out of the swap, and maybe even the group? yes’m
Are you aware of CaptnHook’s reputed lack of flexibility when dealing with the rules? I am now. Boob squishies?

Mod/Check-in Questions

none yet...

Fellow Swappers' Questions

Are you: Victorian? Scientist? Air Pirate? Goth? Explorer/Safari? Tech Mod?I got Diplomat or Spy, too :/
6 Urban, -7 Physical, -10 Technophobic, 5 Belligerent and 13 HighClass!

I would say I’m a better fit for mechanic, scientist, programmer and/or explorer with a victorian/goth/tech mod bend. (That eye thing sounds really interesting!)

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-steampunk-character-test

Do you like this tshirt from ript? its the shirt for today, Friday June 2
Cute, but meh.

On the subject of cogs, how do people feel about ‘stick a cog on it’? Are you, “THE COGS MUST WORK!” or “I think they’re pretty, slap ‘em on stuff!”
COGS MUST WORK, DAMNIT! But being an engineer, I love watching how they work. They are very pretty. And no goggle on foreheads.

Ok, I probably exaggerated. I don’t hate goggles, I just hate it when people use goggles as an excuse to no try harder. I do draw the line at destroying watches, though! I love the aesthetics of cogs, as long as they are doing something.

what’s your favorite steampunk book or writer?
Never read anything steampunk. I normally focus on fantasy, with witches/wizzards and/or vampires/werewolves.

stitchmarkers, what makes them steampunk?
For me, steampunk also includes spirals, keys, actual clocks that tell time, and flowers. Materials are a big thing I’d focus on, too, like making the flowers out of metals. Things that invoke discovery, be it science, sea or space.

You can also use clocks for other accessories, like as part of a knitting rosary, or a combination watch fob/stitch marker holder.

What are your feelings on receiving an altered book? Are pretty, but I’d be very sad if it took away the fact that it is a book, and books should be read. (see also: don’t randomly destroy watches)

Where would you carry your gun? Between the girls (boobs)? On the Thigh Like Lara Croft? Small of your back? Inside the thigh like an olde time saloon girl? any other place I didn’t think of?
I already carry too much stuff in my boobs. I’d definitely carry mine on the thigh in a garter. Though it would be awesome if I could somehow manage to tangle one up into my hair in a bun…

It isn’t steampunk unless it contains _____________? If your spoiler decides to spoil you with goggles, would you prefer the sort to wear on your head/hat or the sort to wear on your face? Also, if you normally wear glasses, could you hack wearing goggles for a while?
Alternate technology and curiosity! And I don't wear glasses, but I would kill for a nifty pair of chem lab goggles.

How do you feel about brass? Lurves it.

Do you wear jewelery? If so, what kind? Any metal allergies?
I forget to wear jewelry, but I love bracelets and have no allergies. I wouldn’t mind nolawriter’s ring, which is beyond gorgeous! Congrats!!!

Do you like cephalopods? With or without monacles/mustaches/top hats?
I am indifferent to cephalopods other than cephalogal, which I think would look nifty with a monacle.

Do you like the brown/bronze/brass color scheme, or is it overdone?
Lurves it. One of my favorites, but I also love the addition of pewter and burgundy.

How or when did you become interested in Steampunk?
I can’t place a finger on it. I was addicted to Egypt when in elementary school, then really fell for Art Nouveau in high school. It wasn’t until college that I realized that I also adored the greater Victorian set of aesthetics, too. Now, to make it actually steampunk: I’ve always been uber intrigued by science and engineering, and a compulsive crafter, so to make smart things pretty has always been right up my alley. As far as the term “steampunk”, I’ve probably been familiar with it for a decade or so.

What music within the genre do you like?
I went to a Rasputina/Voltaire concert last month that was a blast, and I’ve had them and some Abney Park on my iPod for ten years… It isn’t exactly a genre I ever thought to actively pursue, though I do like it. I always just thought they were a goth subculture.

Whoever I’m spoiling, I hope they don’t mind plastic cogs. The plan is for the cogs to be unseen anyway, as part of a working Thing.
Woohoo!!! I love things that work.

Your Steampunkiness… Chevy or VW?
Precision German engineering all the way!

If your spoiler makes you a wearable steampunk item, would you be more interested in a costume piece or something you could wear in more mundane circumstances?
I make little distinction in my everyday wears.

What is your favored mode of transport? Dirigible, submarine, railless train, Steam Man of the Plains?
really, really fast desert walker

Are you a spinner? Would you like spinnable fiber? I would lurves some.

Do you like handknit socks? What size are your feet, if so?
Wool socks make my feet swampy, but I’d love to try cotton. My feet are 10” long, size 10/42

Did anybody ever watch “The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne” on the Sci-Fi channel, back when they had original programming? Nope.

Do you sew?
Since before I properly knew what numbers are between 11 and 19, and I would love period patterns!

In your opinion is ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ steam punk?
In the sense that it is all about curiosity and exploring, yes, but not much else.

Did anyone else ever play Syberia? nope

How do you feel about legwarmers/spats? Lurve

How do you feel about armwarmers? Lurves them too

What scents would you associate with Steampunk? Leather and eels?

What scents do you prefer? I’m sensitive to scents, so none please.

Do you drink tea? And if so, what forms? Bags, loose, iced, decaf only? I drink tea-free infusions in any presentation.

Are you more of a Wild-West coffee drinker? Again, what’s the method of your perfred poison?
I can’t stand american standards for burnt coffee, but I love coffee nonetheless. The girlier the better.

If Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is steampunk, is The Great Race steampunk? lolwut?

favorite animal? Pretty much anything that is fuzzy and I can love and squeeze and hug to pieces.

for those that spin or would like to…. drop spindles? yay or nay? I love drop spindles, but most I have are on the heavy side. I’d love something for lace.

any opposition to animal based materials in the construction of your gifties like leather? fossils? nope, not at all

Okay, so another question: would you like to receive petticoat/bloomers/underskirt type paraphernalia? Yes, please and thank you.

Do you like graphic novels? meh.

Do you have any ‘Steampunk’ graphic novels? no

So is an aviator scarf cool bamboo so it drapes and shines like silk or warm soft wool so it actually keeps you warm on the airplane/hot air balloon? Either works.

is there any military insignia/war memorabilia that you do NOT want included in your gifties? Anything you do want?
While I can appreciate the technological advances that have come from military research, I really don’t like anything military. Though I do love olive drab.

Hair Toys - yeay or nay? My hair is finally long enough, so yes please!!!

A lot of folks have mentioned bags - project bags? Messinger bags? Medic bags? Yummy guys to deliver your next russack? What’s your need?
All of the above ^_^ I constantly need of more things to carry my crap in. Anything from a few inches to keep notions in, maybe 8” for small projects, or messenger bags for the whole shebang!

shawl pins, yes or no? What style do you like? I’ve been using tiny butterfly clips because I don’t have any, but I’d love one! Especially if it comes with a shawl :P

I’ve got yet another question (or two). Capes? And hats. Would you like? What type etc. Lurves them both!

Should we have a question about bust size in case people want to make waistcoats or peplum jackets or other knitted over-the-bust thingies for their Steampunk spoilees? 5’10”, 180 lbs, 36DD, very short torso.. I'll try to get more thorough measurements later if needed.

Do you own a doll that you dress up? Not just no, but HELL NO.

Do you like steampunk/antique/neo-voctorian things for your house?
Yes and no. I’d love them, but I can’t have anything that isn’t functional, since I live in a rental and I have a cat that eats EVERYTHING.

would you use a quill pen/dip pen/nib pen? (or whatever those things are called in English that you dip into the ink in order to write)
I’d prefer one with a reservoir (a fountain pen) since I don’t have a desk, but I love writing with nibs!

What if a blank book were to be filled with altered history? science? ect… This is interesting…

If you have a garden/houseplants would you like steampunk/antique/neo-voctorian things for your garden/houseplants?
Can you make them cat/groundhog/chipmunk/woodpecker proof?

So whats a goodly number of stitch markers for a swap giftie?
I normally make ten or twenty stitch markers at a time (five or six if they are out of expensive parts). I rarely need stitch markers, but when I do, I need a lot!

What better way to personalize a swap package than to include some small item featuring a steampunk-stylized version of a "personal emblem"? What do you think? I know we are all crafty types, but would this be unrealistic for our time and budget constraints? Umm, spirals, I guess...

What do you anticipate this to be?
OHMYBOBWANT!!! I would love that as a notions organizer.

What are your feelings on a working Steamie Clock? Dinner plate size?
A steampunk clock would also be cool, since we seem to collect them (along with sepia toned maps) in this house.

Buttons: Matching or mismatched?
Yes please.

Straps: Useful or decorative?
Useful is better, but either work.

Should your spoiler include a small item or two for the other members of your household? If so, what should it be: candy for kids, pet toys, etc?
MINE, ALL MINE!!! Cat is spoiled enough.

Your feelings towards frou frou? Lace? Lurves.

Would you like a “fascinater”? Probably not a dinky hat, but yes a barrette or headband or other hairpiece.

How do you feel about crafted toys?
Meh, I can’t really have anything the cat will eat.

Shawls, wraps? Bulky, lacy, elegant, practical? What say you?
All of the above! Especially lacy, pretty and functional. I’m finally making my first triangle shawl for myself with little lace TARDISees ^_^

favorite flower to look at? all of them?

would you like a steampunky cover for an electronic device? (kindle, laptop, cellphone etc)
YES!!!! I have an iPhone 4 that would look nifty with a steampunk case, but I always keep it in my pocket, so it needs to be sleek and not catch in my pants. I also have an old black 13” MacBook that would look absolutely lovely in a steampunk case ^_^

Are ruffles steampunk? Who likes ruffles? Me!!!

What crafts don't you do?
I don’t do any papercrafts/scrapbooks, but that’s because I don’t care for them. The same with anything that is just “art”. I used to know many kinds of welding and metal work, and I know how to woodwork, but I don’t have any tools for them. I currently knit, crochet, spin and sew, a lot!

Rodents and insects? I really love rodents, and am pretty cool with bugs.

how do you feel about a “lolitta" spin to your costume attire? meh.

I have brewing in my mind a lil notions container…. made out of an empty chew can :) any objection (anyone?) to receiving a re purposed item like this?
I’m a dirty hippie. I hate chew, but I love repurposing things, so as long as the branding is gone, that would be fine.

If you have a steampunk character, he/she/it is travelling. How, and to where?
A challenge for you: If you already have an alternate persona, who are they and what do they do? If you do not, who would you like to be?
I don’t have one. I love dressing up and playing make believe, but I can’t even put together characters for d&d other than “I hit hard”.

Bustles? Yes, I said Bustles! Understandably not for everyone but are you one for them? Lurves these, also.

And what is your goggle/fascinator head measurement? I’m thinking they might be a little different than the usual hat measurements? Are you sure? I'll try to get all the measurements on the wish list later.

I spent the last week with a vender hall full of yarn and I didn’t know my spoilee’s favorite color. Rust? Purple? Grey? Peach? Deep Red? Chartreuse?
I’m pretty open to colors, as long as they are intense and not washed out. I knit lace, so I use solid or semi solid yarns, and I would love something that just screamed STEAMPUNK! I saw a yarn somewhere (probably Doctor Who themed) that was a rich midnight blue with minimal gold flecks that felt perfect. Or maybe something reminiscent of old maps or travel trunks, or automatons. I don’t really care as long as it can be justified as steampunk ^_^

Anyone got problems with black leather instead of brown? Only have black
I love leather, no matter what color.

How do you feel about receiving home baked goods? Cookies, muffins, toffee ect.
FOOOOOOODDDD!!!! My only reservations are against coconut flakes, artificial sweeteners (including splenda), and chocolate chips in my cookies (I know, I’m a godless heathen, but I don’t like things getting in the way of COOKIE). Ginger snaps and sugar cookies are my favorite, and I will do unmentionable acts for toffee.

20110707

What length necklace do you like? Meh, I don’t wear necklaces, honest! I’ve gotten at least three in swaps and I’ve never gotten around to wearing them other than the day I open the box.

Where would one find the things in your que/faves that are things YOU want for yourself?
here

Socks are lovely, as long as they aren’t wool (it makes my feet swampy). I love them in all lengths, and preferably thin. I just want them to be pretty, and I’ll find the right shoes/skates to wear them with ^_^

Tell me of yarn you like Favorite weights? Fibers? Colors? Anything that is a mostly solid color, with a mild gradient, or with Really Wide Stripes. I’m a color hoar, so anything that is intense and not washed out. Also, I’m a yarns snob, so for the love of Bob no acrylic!!! I’ll accept up to 20% in a sock yarn, but that’s it! pls.

Do you have a teapot? Bonus points for including dimensions. Nope, and don’t need one. I have a french press mug.

What are your feelings about purple velvet? o.O In what context? Fabric, ok. Chenille yarn, not so much.

Even a broken watch is right twice a day. What time is that for your broken watch? I don’t have a broken watch. I don’t have a functioning watch, either (hint, hint).

Fingerless mittens? Hand-things at all? If yes, please provide wrist measurements thnkyou. Yes, please and thank you (info coming soon)

Any chance I could get a waist measurement too? I don’t think that’s been asked yet. This will come soon, also. My five tape measures are all at home …

Do you like full goggle like these? Either works, as long as it is chem lab safe.

If you spin what do you spin on (wheel, top whorl/low whorl/supported spindle, weight etc)? I have a hitchhiker wheel and a few drop spindles.

If you have family members who would appreciate something, too, what are their favorite colors? Screw them, I’m a loner!

Dear spoilee, would you like fibre/yarn that has been natural dyed? There exits potential for phantom colour--something that fades with time. I’ve also got Maiwa dyes that are natural but less phantom such as cochineal and osage. Or would you be interested in natural dyes and uncoloured yarn so you can play yourself? All of the above? :D

Preferred sock length? Mid-calf? Thigh high? Yes, please.

Cowls or neckwarmers - yea or nay? I don’t have any, but I’m not opposed to them.

If you have a 9-5, interested in steamy things for work? I.e. decorated clipboards, staplers, pens, mouse pad, etc? Office supply stores make me giddy hehe plus I have a “bedazzler” in me (becogger, begoggler?) I work in a chem lab constantly mixing crap, analyzing it and collecting data. If you can make it work, I’d love it!

I know some ppl have talked about their long hair. What’s yours? (For hair accessory purposes) My ponytail is about 13” now, and growing ^_^

20110609

Knitpicks They are all pretty, but neither particularly sings out to me. It would all depend on what you’re using it for.

What is the essential item for your crafting toolkit? Do you lose your yarn needles? Do you need more needles/hooks? I have a pretty complete set of tools, and then some. I keep on getting things repeated in swaps, like the double ended crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches, which I don’t need because I just use the needles. Then I have five measuring tapes (two from the same sock club) which I can either never find, or find all at once. My KnitKit was really convenient, until it started breaking and falling apart, but I still really love the collapsible scissors (which is a word I can never spell)! I have a set of KP interchangeables, which I only use when my AddiClicks are otherwise indisposed. I guess I could do with a few more cables for the AddiClicks, and those end cap hearts I saw the other day… A bunch of durable stitch markers would also be nice (hint, hint) ^_^

Back to the nib pens… would you like a fully functional one or rather a pretty but useless one? In the magnificent words of PSG: I like my pens and any other gadgets like I like Data… fully functional.

So spoilee, would you like a USB drive that has been steampunked? That would be lovely!

You find yourself in a well-stocked kitchen. What do you do there? (Ie Eat peanut butter out of a jar? Bake cookies? Put things in alphabetical order? Sleep?) Be very, very happy. I’d probably start cooking random things.

would you like a USB drive that has been steampunked? Lovely!

Okay, if you were going to make or receive the A Lady’s Bumbershoot pattern by the amazing SanguineGryphon, What color would you like it to be?
Yes, yes, oh pretty please yes! I’d love black and/or cranberry/burgundy, or a rich and sparkly midnight blue like this, with a bit less of the orange spot:
http://shop.nerdgirlyarns.com/images/DSC05663-1.JPG
Or any other steampunky color, for that matter. And as thesqueak said, Kaylee’s parasol would also be amazing.

If yarn is included in your box, do you need it pre-caked? I’m ok in any presentation. I really like the look of skeins, though.

For fingerless gloves, what about real leather gloves with the fingertips snipped off? Is that something you’d like? I wouldn’t say no. I love all kinds of gloves.

If your Spoiler were to make you long stockings, what fiber would you want them made from? Hrm… All I know is that wool makes my feet swampy, and I hate excessive acrylic.

How do you feel about wings? As decorative embellishments? As functional devices? Functional trumps decorative, but either is pretty.

Do beadazzlers have a place in the steampunk culture/lifestyle? Um, I don’t know. And I also don’t know if I should be afraid…

Do you have any interest in a Victorian era book or magazine (as in the real thing, not a reproduction)? If so, any particular subjects (crafts, poetry, fashion, news of the time, etc)? Yes, please and thank you! I’d love anything with patterns for crafts, mainly of a fibery persuasion.

Would you like a shawl, and if so, any preference on shape, size, and/or color? I’d love a shawl, and since I only have a thick, bright red triangle one, I’d love anything!

If you have a steampunk outfit you’d like accessories for, would you post a picture? Preferably with it being worn by you? I’m currently making this:

Would you mind a box full of handmades? Mind? I’d love for a box full of hand mades!

Love steampunk embroidery, what does everyone else think? The background is my favorit color, I love the cogs, it looks amazing, but the octopus isn’t really my thing.

20110610

handstuffs I like all kinds of fingerless handstuffs. I’d say my favorite configuration are the ones that hook under the thumb, with or without other finger stubs.

Do you like ‘Thing in a Jar’? While I think they are amazing, I have no display space.

Do you want any period undergarments to go with your steampunk clothing? Any specific items (bloomers, petticoat, crinoline, underskirt, chemise)? I would love any of them (especially bloomers or chemises that can be worn under a late 15th century Italian gown).

20110713

Knitpicks garment in Gloss DK or Swish? ooOOOoooo… If it is like a sweater, I would go with (most convenient first) black, blackberry, cranberry, jade and admiral, or coal, garnet, indigo and moss. If it is a scarf or shawl or other accessory, I can do anything, and I love contrasts ^_^

Actually, let me add on to my answer. If it’s the sailor sweater previously mentioned, I would love it Sailor Jupiter themed! White base, emerald flap, white stripes and pink bow. If you make it tighterthrough the bust and then a tad loose through the torso, I would love you forever and ever! (and if you can send it to me before Otakon, I will be your slave!)

Dear spoilee, would you enjoy small cosmetic items in your box? Lipgloss in a tin? Bronzy nail polish? Nailpolish would be cool, but I don't use gloss or makeup.

Dearest pal, You had mentioned earlier that you would like some sort of lovely undergarment. Would you like it long? short and sassy? bustle-y? Knee length? What sort would you prefer? bloomers? petticoat? bustle cage? Oh, hmm... I don't know how much use I'd get out of a bustle cage. I'd love bloomers! Mid thigh should work.

Please spoilee can you check that you have updated your wishlist in your queue? It is quasi-updated... I don't know. I tend to search for patterns as I need them and add a couple, but I don't ever really knit from it -_-;;

If you’re interested in spats, is there any particular color you’d prefer? Spats sound like a blast. Knock yourself out!

Absinthe I’m not opposed to absinth, but I don’t go out of my way to drink it. My neighbor Cephalogal, on the other hand…

Cosmetics- Warm colors or Cool colors? None, thanks. Unless you find a very nifty way to paint a flame on my face :D

Jewelry - What kind do you prefer? Simple? Extravagant? Edgy? Geeky? Weird? Delicate? Chunky?? All but delicate. I love weird and geeky!

How would you like a belt? Utility? Waist Cincher? Belly Dancing? OMB I WANT THAT!!! I would kill for a utility underbusk. Though I do love anything that is useful.

Oh! Remember that question about hiding the gun from the beginning? I’d also love to have a utility garter for my wallet and phone :D

Do you want the left over oddments of materials used in the making of your gifties? Yarn, buttons, ect? That would be wonderful!

fingerless mitts: Of those, I’d prefer Veyla, though I’m not completely sold. I like the ones that have the separate wrist, but I also like pattern in the hand. I think I’d like them in brumalia or jonkanoo. Actually, I love those colors! And also spinach, ruby queen and serenity…

taffeta I love it and anything that can be made of it, like skirts, bags, dresses...

Eyelash thing Well, if it is novelty yarn, I can grow to love it (I wore my DdlM scarf every day last winter). But if it’s acrylic… I’d be afraid it will slip into the bottom of my scarf basket. Does it feel nice? Will it squeak? :(

Gradient yarn I am ever so in love with gradient yarns! Though I wish they didn’t start with such a pale shade :/
Geranium, sulfur or peacock, probably. If you could convince them to do a gradient from one color to another, I’d love a set that went from sulfur to geranium, like a flame :D

New questions will be harvested from http://caitinc.livejournal.com/32369.html
and http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/the-odd-duck-swaps-of-ravelry/1686633/976-1000#984

update

2011-07-01T09:38:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been some time since I blogged. Life has been... well... sucked. My fellowship ended yesterday, instead of at the end of August like I had originally been told. I was notified of this almost three months ago, after which I panicked, got horribly depressed, dropped out of derby, found out our league was chosen to play at ECDX, came back after only two weeks to have been stripped of every one of my positions/ranks, and then proceeded with my regularly scheduled life.

I've finally finished many projects, including the infamous baby blanket, a toddler dress, a hat for the Henson swap, I tested a pattern for mittens (which I want to remake in a rainbow mini mooci) for the wonderful Glenna C, and I have half a sweater and a good portion of a shawl. It's been nice to craft again, it has really helped me keep some kind of sanity.

East Coast Derby Extravaganza was a phenomenal time last weekend. I drove down to Harrisburg and caught a ride to Philly with some of their team, and pretty much just hung out with them from friday until late saturday when some of the girls from my team arrived. I was ecstatic! The amount of athleticism present was unbelievable and I got to learn so much. I finally got to play sunday morning, starting at 8 am in the Black and White Scrimmage. Girls of all levels got in one of two lines (depending on their shirt) and randomly went on the floor five at a time. It was cool because you had to pay attention to all the new people you were with, and you couldn't just depend on already knowing how they play.

My new derby crush from the B&W is Veronika Getsburger from the Wilksbare Roller Radicals. She's a bit bigger than me, and yet managed to be a wonderful jammer (a position normally held by tiny girls that are very fast but have no mass). She had such a powerful stride and agility, that I want to skate like her when I grow up. Though I mainly don't want to skate like myself. My stance in these pictures was atrocious! But at least I now have something to work on.

Later that afternoon, we finally got to play a half bout, SVDV vs HARD. The first jam was 3/4, then we had five jammerless jams (3/40), but then we managed to keep up the pace and end around 36/72 in spite of Fruit Trollop getting a gash on her temple and bloodying up the whole track. Luckily it wasn't bad, but it took them a good 8 minutes to clean and disinfect everything, and we were on a strict, only 30 minute schedule. So we only played 22 minutes and managed to almost match our mentors once we finally got our stride. They've challenged us to a "second period" in a couple of weeks, and I am really excited to see how well we can play. If my team can get its act together and field a full roster -_-;;

Up next, I have the third interleague bout next weekend, the second period on the 17th, and I joined the Steampunk Swap, due at the end of august. I am very excited, and will probably start flooding (in so much as I ever "flood") with swap info. It's a very chatty group! And I'll be going to Otakon dressed as the Doctor's Wife (I need to get on that dress...) July 26, and Pennsic the second week of august. Better get crafting!

Wheel dying, pt 2

2011-02-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, I actually went through with it. And they are gorgeous! I ended up returning the poly dye after many people saying it didn't work, and bought some regular liquid RIT in Scarlet. I placed my wheels in a 8x12" pyrex, filled it up with enough boiling water to cover them, took them out, added a good splash of dye, and put them back in. They sat for about 20 minutes, flipping after 10. I kept one wheel out for comparison, and they turned out such a gorgeous shade of dark red! I'm happy ^_^

And see? Crafty AND derby!
And they have held up quite fine for the past couple of weeks, without any marks on the sport court or anything.

Also, I have a horrible desire to BUY more skates and ALL OF THE WHEELS -_-;;

Crossovers

2011-01-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

Totally not my picture, but gorgeous!

I hear a lot of people have trouble doing crossovers properly. The two main complaints are that they aren't achieving the proper positions, or that they have no power. Here is a wonderful video that breaks it down step by step:

http://blip.tv/file/get/BoutDerby-TechniqueWithLukeBiggerstaff292.flv
http://www.boutderby.com/forum/drills/technique-with-luke-biggerstaff

(If I was smart, I'd figure out how to embed this -_-;;)

Breaking it down, you want to make sure your stance is low, with your knees, shoulders and toes all in a vertical line. Shift your center of mass over your left skate and transfer all of your weight so that you can lift your right skate and, well, cross it over. Once your foot is down, you simultaneously push your left skate behind you as you transfer your weight to your right skate. Then, when all your weight is on your right skate and your left skate is significantly behind and to the right of your center, you lift your left skate and bring it to the front. Now you are doing the opposite, where you are pushing your right skate back while simultaneously shifting your weight to your left skate.

Yeah, I know I'm not the most eloquent person on the internet, but this should give you a basic idea. In the meantime, there are several drills you can try. You can do all of them sans skates while you build up muscle memory and confidence, and then incorporate skates as you get better.

Side stairs: Stand at the bottom of your stairwell, facing the right wall and with the stairs to your left. Take your right foot and pass it in front of you, placing it a step or two up. Use that foot to lift you up, and bring your left foot behind you to the next step (or two) up, and lift with that one. Repeat all the way up. This will help you feel the difference in push from one leg to another and will help a bit with strengthening.

Grapevines: Similar to the stairs, but on flat ground. Stand on a line, facing perpendicular to it, and pass your right foot over the left foot, making sure you are always centered over the line. Then bring your left foot behind and placing it to your side. You can continue to do this always stepping with your right foot in front, or alternating steps with your right foot in front once and then in back. When doing this with skates, try to keep your wheels straddling the line, without rolling away from it. This will help work your stability.

Drunken Sailors: Here you start on a line, facing in the same direction. Take your right foot and drop it in front of your left foot, but two feet farther to the left. Then take the left foot and drop it in front of the right foot, but two feet to the right. This is a very exaggerated motion, but again it works on throwing your weight around and switching up your balance.

As for the actual crossovers on skates, a lot of instructors will break it down into two different motions:

Skooters: Just like when you were a kid. Keep all your weight on your left foot, which is never going to be lifted off the ground, and kick back with your right foot. Make sure you glide for a bit on just your left skate so you can get used to propelling yourself with the force of your right kick. As you get more comfortable, start off the motion by placing the right foot farther in front and to your left.

The other skooter: Now try to keep all of your weight on your right skate and kick with your left skate. At first you will be pushing pretty straight, but try to push farther behind and to the right as you get more comfortable.

Crossovers (also referred to as "pushbacks"): Now that you have isolated all the parts, try to bring them together. Drag each motion out a bit at first and focus on each part. Make sure that you are pushing with both feet and shifting your weight around fluidly from one skate to the other. In the end, make sure that you are working Smart, not Hard. Make every kick count and don't skimp on the length of your strides! Oh, and don't forget to use your arms ^_^

I also just completely stole this from TinySoprano on Skatelog... but I gave a quasi-warning!

Wheel dying, pt 1.

2011-01-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

For inspiration!

I have noticed that my posts are either very derby or very crafty, but not much in between. To remedy that, I have decided to craft up my skates ^_^ I was reading some threads over on the Skatelog Forum, and someone dyed their wheels! I think this is a wonderful thing to do, since I have pink wheels that I bought because that was the only color available, and nobody should ever have anything pink. But I might be just a bit biassed :P

So pretty much, all they did was mix up some hot RIT dye and dunked the wheels for 10 +- 5 minutes, checking frequently, until they got the color they wanted. They even went to far as to mask off designs with painters tape or rubber cement! The one thing that surprises me, though, is that they used the vegetable (for cotton) dye on urethane, instead of the poly dye which I ended up buying. I think I might need to go extra scientific with this and get one of each and dye the wheels half and half... hmmm...

STOP!

2011-01-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest problems new skaters have is stopping (on purpose ^_^). In order to get WFTDA, you only need to do T-stops and plow stops, but sometimes something just isn't right. Here are some ideas that can help:

T-Stop:

Whatever you do, don't drag your foot behind you, perched only on the inner edge, with your skate bouncing! This is a good way to put too much resonating force on your ankle and break it, or to have someone in the pack behind you step on it, and break it!

So there are two ways to do a T-stop. The basic way is if these feet are skating up. You have your weight on the right foot, and you start digging your left foot into the ground. Ideally, you will dig with all four wheels equally. Technically, you are digging your outer wheels harder. While this is what they will actually be testing you on, it is also good to practice with these feet going left, so that you are standing on your left foot and digging your right foot -beside- you. Why this variation? So that you don't have your foot trailing behind you, again allowing for someone to step on it! As with everything, don't forget to work both with your right foot in front, and with your left foot in front. You never know what direction you are facing when you have to stop.

Plow Stop (or "how low can you go?):

I've been reading many people say that the slicker floor/wheel combination you have, the easier it is to plow stop. I can't really confirm nor deny this since I've only skated on slippy sport court with 88A's since I managed to do it right, but I can definitely vouch for spreading those legs! Then again, I am inhumanely flexible, so YMMV.

But you do want to make sure you are dropping your center of gravity by lowering your ass (not your shoulders!) and focusing on digging in your inner front wheels. As with T-Stops, make sure all eight wheels are flat on the floor so you don't flip your ankle. Once you can manage the plow, you can start transitioning to the

Hockey Stop:

This is a variation of the Plow, where you have managed to turn your body 90˚ in either direction and are placing the majority of your weight on your front foot. This video has a good idea as to how to transition from one to the other, by placing marks/sticks on the floor and trying to imitate them with your feet. Though, unlike ice, we need to stay a lot lower!

Tomahawk/Turn stop:

This is a very effective way to stop, especially if you want to pick up and go in the opposite direction! You start by skating forward, then you turn around 180˚ and dig in your toestops. The more advanced skaters can do this by jump turning, but a more deconstructed approach would be the "book"approach:

Skate forward. Lift the foot from the direction you want to turn and "open the book", placing it on the floor facing backwards. Then lift your front foot and "close the book", placing it next to the other foot, also facing backwards. Lift your ankles and dig in your toes. It is good to note that your feet don't need to end next to each other, and that staggering your stance (one foot farther forward than the other) can offer greater balance.

I don't really like this chicks videos because she talks really slow, but at least she has good form and information. Here she goes through T, Plow and Turn stops.

La la la, linoleum!

2010-12-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

I skate on sport court. It is good in that it is even and has no cracks to trip on (like concrete or split wood), but it is very slippy. Yes, I am in PA. Slippy is a word. My first skates, Riedell R3, came with the Radar Caymans. 95A, viewed as a waste of plastic to most skaters I know. These were way too hard for me and I ended up getting a set of Radar Mojos, 88A, on a whim. I like them, I don't skid out, and I'm under the impression that at my now 172 lbs, I benefit from the aluminum hubs.

But I'm a compulsive shopper. I want, no, NEED new toys. I've been a good girl! Ok, but I still want new wheels. Mainly because I hate pink with a fiery passion, and that was the only color they had in stock and I really needed to get rid of the Caymans. So last night I saw some Sure Grip Blasts for sale, in red glitter :D Unfortunately, I think they are also 95A, and they looked pretty dodgy. I can't find any info on them, not even on the Sure Grip site.

I'm trying to put more research into this than I did last time. Fast Girl Skates has a wonderful compilation of articles from Blood And Thunder magazine that compiles a lot of the research I've done in one place. Though, according to this, 88A's are for beginner, shaky skaters, or should only be used as pushers, while the rest of the wheels are something harder. So I'm a fair bit better than a beginner (obviously not pro yet, though) and I don't know if I'm dragging myself down with the grippier wheels. I definitely felt like molasses the last time I skated on recently mopped concrete, but the sport court feels quite ok. Is it just that I don't know that I -could- be going faster? There are SO MANY OPTIONS!!! I'm also thinking of going the narrow (Atom Poison Slims Alloys) route so I don't trip over my own wheels. Or spinners!!!

Stinky pads

2010-12-21T12:07:00.001-08:00

From lollergirls.blogspot.com

Very, very stinky pads. Like, hobo piss bad.

I'm lazy. I'm not going to deny it! So for the first couple of months, I just threw my bag in my trunk and forgot about it. And then it got to the point that even when I did use soap (dirty hippy, remember?) it was impossible to get the stench off my elbows. So I started dragging everything inside and laying it out in the basement in front of the dehumidifier. I even sprinkled it with my trusty baking soda, to no avail :(

So after some more handy dandy googling, I found many solutions:

Laundering them

Spraying them with 50/50 vodka and water

Aerating system I plan on eventually making

Sweat soaking satchels I also plan on making if I find out what they are filled with (baking soda and kitty litter or some other desiccant)

Get The Funk Out enzyme spray

Febreeze or perfume sprays. For the love of god, don't do this!!!

Laundry is bad. The heat and agitation will decompose the foam in your pads and mess up the elastic in the straps. Yes, it is a quick fix and sanitizing and crap, but you will just end up getting hurt and having to buy new pads very, very soon.

I know many people that claim to use vodka, but I haven't checked how effective it is. The reason it works is that when the vodka evaporates, it boils and kills the bacteria, after already having broken down its cellular wall. No bacteria, no stench. This is also a big part of what happens with the enzyme spray (it has a lot of isopropyl alcohol). I looked into getting the stuff that is specific for sports pads, but I already had a gallon of Nature's Miracle at home, due to the wonderful Herb, so why not? This stuff is wonderful! It really did make a huge difference in my elbows ^_^

Some day, I plan on buying some PVC and making the aerator system so I can just clamp everything on when I take it off, and pull it out of my bag and hang it as soon as I get home. But in the mean time, cat piss spray is awesome!

Bearings

2010-12-21T11:04:00.001-08:00

Stolen from erikamaris.com. See? I have chemicals!

For those of you playing at home, I often pretend to be a grad student that works in a Materials Science and Engineering lab when I'm not skating. Of course, I spend all that time at work thinking about skating. After a few of hours swimming through the internet, I came to to the following conclusions:

- It really doesn't matter what ABEC your bearings are. Unless you are a super pro speed skater, you aren't going to miraculously win every jam by spending $200 instead of $10. If anything, the more precise the bearings (higher ABEC rating [milled to more precise dimensions]) will be more liable to get stuck and damaged with the least amount of dirt. So just get the ABEC 5 or 7's and call it a day.
- Bearing cleaners are solvents, like acetone or orange oil (Goo Gone). Yes, you can buy specialty crap, or not. Whatever you do, make sure you dry them out very well before oiling. Some require rinsing with water, which can rust the bearings and tracks if not properly dried.
- Oil vs Grease. Well, most people are divided on this subject. Grease stays inside the bearing better, but will also be more viscous and cause drag. You only get a benefit from grease if you are going very fast for a long time, like an industrial machine that heats up. So just stick to mineral oils, available wherever they sell bearings for just a few bucks.

So what all did I do to ready up for the bout? Let me count the steps ^_^

Pull out the bearings from the wheels. I highly recommend a bearing pulling tool, seeing as how I crimped the shells on two of my bearings. If you have the ones with removable plastic sides, you can just push them out with your axle and a bit of determination (or a screw driver).
Wipe them down with a rag, preferably lint-less.
Stick them in a jar with industrial strength acetone. Swish it around until the liquid stops getting yellow/brown.
Pull them out, spin them while holding them in the rag, and blow out in fume hood.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 with toluene.
Stick in vacuum oven at 140˚ for half an hour until you are sure everything is dry.
Lay flat on towel and add three drops of oil on each bearing. Wait a few minutes, swivel, flip, add oil, wait, swivel and done.
Reinsert in wheels, making sure to keep any you completely fuck up for trophies.
Make sure you do this with at least one practice before a bout. You have no idea how dirty your bearings are until you see the difference!

Stupid ideas I had that were corrected by experienced skaters:

- Teflon spray will make everything awesome!
Don't do it! It will make the bearings lock up.
- WD40 is cheap and available!
Some girls love it, some say to stay away from it.
"Aerosol lubricants such as WD-40 and '4-way' sprays do not have anti-friction properties. Squeaks are only temporarily stopped because the spray wets the surface and then quickly evaporates. These sprays are good for releasing frozen nuts and bolts, but not for lubricating."
- If I spend all the money in the world and switch out my equipment every month, I will be the bestest derby girl evar!
Bitch, please! Just chill and check in with reality every once in a while. Pay a little bit of attention to upkeeping what you already have and you can be as good as the best. Dedication will get you so much farther than your credit card ever will.

Here are some people that I plagiarized and stuff:

www.smbbearings.com

www.skatelog.com

www.fastgirlskates.com

www.skatelogforum.com

Jingle Brawl

2010-12-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is the main reason I've been AWOL for the past four months, for those who haven't noticed. I'm the crazy chick dancing. I'm always the crazy chick dancing! This was so much fun/stress/insanity, that I am so glad it's over/can't wait for the next one/hope I never have to do this again.

Damn, it is so difficult to get back in to the swing of this blogging thing. I can't even remember what I've already talked about, though I'm guessing not much... So this might get a bit repetitive.

SCAR: Well, the league is really starting to pick up. But after a couple of months of hard work and three interventions, I'm taking a breather. I would have taken the month off, regardless, due to finals/christmas, but the drama really made it come early. I don't know if I'll go back in the new year or not. They are putting a lot of emphasis on a Do Not Compete/Exclusivity contract that I just can't get behind. It goes against everything I know derby to be. I have visited with so many teams in a four hour driving radius that are so friendly and eager to teach, that I don't see the point to forcing skaters to not practice with other leagues. It might make sense if the leagues are more established, are competing and don't want to let their supar, supar sekrit game plans out, but all of the girls that skate on leagues at that level tell me this is bullshit. So who knows.

SVDV: I can't love these girls enough! They are always so nice and accommodating. We had our first public scrimmage a week ago, made enough to cover our costs and then some, and got two huge boxes of toys to donate! I was so nervous leading up to it, but as soon as I was in that line to skate onto the floor, the world was at peace ^_^

We only had two 20 minute halves, with a 20 minute intermission where some of the girls played musical chairs, shopping cart races, and a little skit where two girls wore antlers and beat up a santa. It was such a blast, and it went by so fast! I really wish we could have waited a couple of more months, since there were so many of us that were so nervous. The date was a bit imposed on us due to availability, but it came out pretty good in the end.

Tonight is our christmas party, and then no skating until dec 30 :( I complained last night on FB and a couple of girls in Lancaster invited me down to their practices. It really sucks that they aren't having their regular sunday morning practice, since I'll be in Lancaster saturday night supporting my roommate in his family events. I'm going to try to convince people to drive down with me tuesday or wednesday. Which, beeteedubs, it sucks that I finally finished classes and can throw myself into lab work, and the lab will be closed 23-3.

One of the things I plan on doing this time off (hahahaha, plans!) is catching up here. I want to start compiling the shit I've learned about derby, mainly so I can remember how to clean my bearings next time! And, you know, all those swaps I've been in...

uuu... hi?

2010-11-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

Not mine, but the same on Mojos ^_^

Holy shit, it's been over two months! Wow. I think bullet points might be useful here.

- My advisor/boss ran out of money, so he made me get a fellowship that requires being a student. So for the past two months, I've been taking three classes that I will put towards a teaching certificate. I hate homework, I am so far behind!

- The idea of my fellowship is awesome, but nothing really has happened all semester. I'm supposed to be paired up with a teacher in Harrisburg to help revamp their science curriculum. We're having our "speed dating" session with the teachers next wednesday.

- I swear I've been crafting! I finished a Zombie/apocalypse swap on Odd Ducks last month, and a Dia De Los Muertos this month, and I modded one over at the Buffy forum, but I'm the only lame ass that hasn't been able to send out her package because:

- I'm a derby addict. I was getting my fix on sunday, helping out in Harrisburg doing the lineup lists, and then my friend's engine exploded and I forgot my knitting in the car that got towed to Williamsport, while I live in State College.

- Saturday before that, I went to Black Eyed Susan's Skate Shop outside of Baltimore. Marzipain is beyond amazing, and she sold me the most wonderful pair of slightly-too-small Riedell 195's. My toes haven't fallen off yet!

- Why am I skating in size 7.5 skates, instead of my size 9 R3's? Because those fuckers started giving me the worst pain on my ankle, where the right boot meets the bone on the inside. Luckily, I found someone else with big feet on the team to buy them off of me :D

- A couple of weeks before that, I went to Lancaster to watch the Dutchland Rollers, crash on the wonderful Ms. K-T Period's floor, and then attend their sunday morning practice. I love skating with other girls and on other floors, because I really need to refine my technique and make sure I'm not taking things for granted (like how wheels stick when you drag them on any floor that isn't ours).

- Give or take a weekend, I went down to Philly to their pre-tryout beginner skater training extravaganza. Mind you, I'd also gone to this the previous month.

For now, I'm "studying", "doing lab work", and traveling 2-4 times a week for derby. You might say I'm a bit occupied. One of these days I'll actually post pictures of the girls skating (including me!) so you guys don't think I'm all skates, no skater. And I'll post pictures of all the swaps I've gotten, and hopefully of any that I took before sending -_-;;

Also, I'm in charge of organizing our first bout/scrimmage in a month. Anybody want to come watch/help?

Back to school

2010-09-03T12:54:00.001-07:00

So I decided to re-enroll in the PhD program so I could accept the NSF fellowship, and am now taking three Education classes. They aren't bad, and are even interesting, but I am so out of practice when it comes to being a student. I keep on forgetting I need to do that whole "homework" thing. But I'm trying. Now, if only I could shake this horrible headache I've had for two days. I mean, I never get headaches, but I have a feeling I have a sinus infection coming on, pressing on my eyeball.

On the good side of life, I went to RD practice monday and thursday, and will be going again on saturday. Some girls from Pittsburgh are coming to coach us. The new skates are really nice, and make such a difference compared to the rentals! Though I think I need to tighten the right one, since we were doing this thing where you skate on one foot, and raise the other one and your arms out like you're flying. I could do this ok with the left foot, but not the right, and that's my dominant foot, so I should have better balance and shit. But anyway. Really awesome.

I ran the 25/5 on monday and managed 20 laps! And then I did a couple of scrimmages yesterday that I am very proud of. The first two I was blocking, and managed to throw out a really good jammer once. But the best thing was when I jammed, and had two spindly little blockers try to stop me, and then just bounced off ^_^ Hooray for mass! Now, I know they were pulling their punches, me having scrimmaged a total of five times, but I love that I'm not afraid, and that I just want to keep on testing myself and pushing my limits. I really think I can be good at this! There were at least two laps that I managed to get through without any trouble, and their team was all experienced, while ours had I think three new ones.

I use the term "experienced" lightly. The Williamsport group was barely formed in June. But if they have been able to get that much better (than me currently) in two months, I feel quite confidant. The two teams are the Little Skull Crushers (pink and black. blej.) and the Trauma Queens (pink and yellow, currently under revision). There was some talk after practice yesterday that LSC seems to be pulling in all the new, experienced skaters, while TQ kind of has all the Fresh Meat. I originally thought that this was on purpose and that they were forming an A team and a B team, but apparently not. They want to have two A teams, and a spill over B team for FM. It sounds like a good goal. My only concern is that I don't want to be FM.

I mean, yeah, I still need to really improve my speed and form, but I'm a Dive In Head First kind of gal. I want to be out there, showing them that I am a force to be reckoned with! And one of the main things I want to work on is feeling comfortable with the contact of the pack. There were a couple of times a girl tried giving me a boost that just completely confused me until after. But the more I skate packed in, the less afraid I am of tripping, so I want to do this more! And it is totally different from when you are just doing laps; I just can't bring myself close to someone that isn't expecting to get bumped.

On other, slightly related news, Dory and Quentin gave me a late birthday present. The new Bullet for my Valentine CD (which I'm about half way through), a BfmV tee shirt, and two pairs of derby socks ^_^

[recipe] Black Bean Mocha Brownies

2010-08-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

I tried out this recipe I found about a month ago on 101 Cookbooks. It has the benefit of being free of wheat, and most everybody liked them, but I think most people are addicted to coffee a lot more than I am.

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (slab or powder)
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well (canned is fine)
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (granulated) natural coffee substitute (or instant coffee, for gluten-sensitive)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
---
4 large eggs
1½ cups light agave nectar (works just the same as honey)

Melt chocolate with the butter. Then blend the first list of ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Whip up the eggs with the nectar and incorporate half of the mixture into the bean batter.

Line a cookie sheet (with walls) with parchment paper and spread with the mixture. Pour the remaining egg and honey on top and run a toothpick through for a marbling effect. Bake at 325 for 30-45 minutes. Let cool and set before cutting.

---

Now, like I said, everybody loved them, except for me and Dan. But neither of us really drink coffee. Next time, I plan on using only a bit of the instant coffee instead, since the chocolate is already bitter. I'm also going to try some other sweetener (probably plain light brown sugar), since the agave nectar was ridiculously sweet. There was a very odd dynamic between the bitter and the sweet, where they seemed to accentuate each other, instead of mellowing themselves out.

Also, they had a great consistency, though I wasn't completely sure they were cooked enough, and you really can't tell they are made of beans unless someone tells you.

I'm a mother to be...

2010-08-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

is most definitely not "I'm joining the Roller Derby" (which is what I actually said). My sister almost had a heart attack. But yes, I am excited! I drove to Harrisburg on saturday, and Rowan and I bought skates ^_^ My laces say I (less than three) nerds (which would have been even awesomer if the heart was actually a less than three) and I skated around campus a bit that afternoon, getting ready for LARP. (hey, I swear I tried to do my homework in the car, until I got carsick...)

This weekend was full of other fun things, too, like the Grange Fair. If you live in Rural PA, you MUST go to a fair. This involves looking at a bunch of animals the 4H kids raised, seeing a souped up tractor pull, and eating everything you can imagine that can fit in a deep fryer. I've been on a diet for the past month and lost five pounds specifically so I could eat a fluffer nutter and strawberry crepe, deep fried cookie dough, pierogies, cheese sticks, beef jerky, fried chicken on a stick and the most amazing potato chips. Yeah, I regret nothing (but my intestines beg to differ) except for not getting the Oreos, which were my original plan.

Things that were fun, but for all the wrong reasons, involved watching Last Airbender (and watching Craig almost cry), and heckling Eclipse (which was surprisingly better than the other two, combined). I'm really taking advantage of the dollar theater.

Other good things: The original TRON. For some reason, I'd never watched it before. I love how people used to view computers thirty years ago. Before this, we went for a brisk hike through Millbrook Marsh, and I saw this really cool yellow ladybug!

Also, my boobs can finally be crammed into a 36DD! It is so nice to fit into commercial bras (that I can try on in the store in this town). I've bought eight in different colors and shapes ^_^

Even better: tomorrow I get to go to skating practice again!!!

ETA: Skating from the parking lot to my office (about a mile of hills and students) is a lot more of a work out than I was expecting it to be. I am beyond soaked XP

Roller derby, here I come!

2010-08-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

Like I probably mentioned in my last post, I went down to Harrisburg on sunday to their homecoming bout, and really caught the bug. So in the hour and a half that it took me to get home, I managed to figure out that Williamsport has been trying to start up its own team for the past couple of months! Long story short, I convinced two other friends to go to practice on monday night with me ^_^ (If Tiff ever sends me the pictures, I'll up load a good one of me on my ass)

The best and most exhausting part was the end of practice, which they called 25/5. This means that they expect me to skate 25 laps in 5 minutes. I can't even jog for 5 minutes! But I did manage to skate on the outside of the track without killing myself and get a whole 14 laps (I'm going to estimate that it would have been 17 if I was on the inside of the track :P) I'm proud of myself, and the big cramp I have in my ass ^_^

So yes, I had my first Fresh Meat experience!!! I was using the pads for my fighting armor (which really stink and don't stay up by themselves) and rental skates (which are completely sucktastic) and still managed to have a wonderful time. Soooo we decided that we are joining :D We are going to keep going on monday nights, and then add thursdays in september, and since there are three of us (four if I can pull Rown's ears enough), carpooling will truly diminish individual gas costs.

I spent my lunch hour yesterday looking for gear, which State College is severely lacking. The few places that sell skater gear had been emptied out when students moved in last week, and nobody sells skates. So we need to go to Harrisburg (preferably before the 12th, which is their next bout) to buy skates ^_^

On another note, today I spoke with a guy that is in charge at SciEd, and he said that all I need to do to get a Secondary Physics Teaching Certificate is to take five classes in one year, and then student teach for another semester! I only have to take specifically Ed classes, since all my degrees count for the topic specific classes ^_^

Life is good. Oh, and I've been working on my horrible YO socks. The more I try to knit the Crazy Zauberball, the more I hate it. It is constantly splitting on me, and I feel like I'm ripping out the 25% nylon with every stitch :/

Also, I need a name.

Lisa, it's my birthday! Happy birthday... uuu... me!

2010-08-23T08:13:00.001-07:00

Last wednesday was my 30th birthday!!! I am very excited about this fact, and the week I had ^_^ It started on friday the 13th, when I was informed that I got an NSF fellowship, CarbonEARTH, where I get to teach science to 4th or 8th graders!!! I re-enrolled in the PhD program (I got my MS last may) and now I really want to take some teaching classes (maybe work towards a teaching certificate). There's a class called "History, Philosophy, & Sociology of Science and Science Teaching" that just sounds beyond amazing! Now I just need to badger the teacher to let me take it.

Tuesday was also cool, since I played soccer and then got fondue. I love fondue! We are actually going to celebrate tomorrow, since many people were out of town or exhausted. Then wednesday, several cool people came out to karaoke with me! I made a proper fool of myself and had so much fun ^_^

Someday there will be a video here, if they let me upload it >.<

Thursday and friday were a bit less cool, since I had to do actual work, mainly beat the NMR into submission and chase people around for my re-enrollment. But then I went kayaking on saturday! Wow I'm in pain. I went to a really cool party that night of another girl that turned 30, where we got stickers on our back and had to guess what/who they were. I always love these kind of things. Then sunday was The Roller Derby :D

HARD had their homecoming bout, where they pummeled NJ 212-93. It was amazingly violent and full of time outs! And now I seriously caught the RD bug. I was already thinking of driving the hour and a half back on wednesday for Fresh Meat night, when a friend told me Williamsport has a brand new team. I emailed them as soon as I got home, and they responded! So I'm driving there after work today (only an hour, and no mountains) to get a feel for how serious they are about it. I'm still really pissed that the Craigslist ad I found several months ago didn't go anywhere. But hey, I am totally going to make this happen now!

knitting [meme]

2010-08-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a knitting survey that is going around that I shamelessly stole from hairballz.

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting – seems overrated
Participating in a KAL
Sweater - in progress
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn – if I ever get off my ass and look for something decent.
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn - interesting...
Domino knitting (modular knitting) - does entrelac count?
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting - what is this?
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting - well, I do Eastern European
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars - I have some going...
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit - anybody who cares already knows by now
Bobbles
Knitting for a living – that would be amazing
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art - psh
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn - unfortunately
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia – didn't this already come up?
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair - well, I'm at the spinning phase
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

It was funny seeing how similar my list was to hers. And as she noted, there were a lot of things that weren't mentioned.

Ballistics gel ^_^

2010-08-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

This was a very fun, very redneck sunday! On monday, Dan and I mixed up 14 oz of Knox gelatin in 1 gallon of distilled water, very, very slowly, and added a couple of drops of tea tree oil (for its antimicrobial properties). We got to shoot it sunday morning ^_^ I'm the only female voice on the video, and I giggle a lot.

We shot a couple of pistols at first, going clean through the gel (we were using it because one of the guys wanted to reclaim the lead), but it was all worth it when he shot it with a WWII Russian Army Surplus rifle (.44?) and the thing jiggled like there was no tomorrow ^_^ That's my target, and I am very proud of it. It was my first time shooting pistols. The larger holes were from a .45 automatic, and the smaller ones are .22 revolver.

Later that afternoon, we took Isilzha to Harrisburg to a Roller Derby Fund Raising Punk Show. It was a blast. The absolute best part was the dinner that we had downstairs at the Appalachian Brewing Co. Their vegan burger was to die for! I mean, yeah, it's not a burger, it's beans in a patty shape, but it was so good! I had an apple and cheddar grilled cheese that was very yummy, and the desert we had was really good, but I couldn't believe how amazing the onion rings were. They were perfectly well fried, no gooey batter at all!

I also tried on a corset at the show from Brute Force Leather. They make most of the corsets that get sold at PA events. Well, back fat is period. Unfortunately, I just want a bodice I can wear in this century without needing the period excuse. I'll post the picture Dory took of me eventually. The guy told me they make custom and Elizabethan shapes, but all I could find on their website were variations of Victorian hourglass shapes :/ Oh! And I found The Joy of Cooking for $1!!!

I'm glad this was all a great distraction from not going to Otacon. Next week, I'll be not going to Pennsic by going to a 3 year old's birthday party in Frederic, MD.

No-poooooooo!

2010-08-02T09:06:00.001-07:00

This is me in all my Mad Scientist glory. Well, I'm wearing my lab coat, at least. I've been slacking a bit (ya think?) with my posts, so this is a 4-in-1 no-poo post! (I love how my hair is growing out and finally getting big!)

Friday 16, three weekends ago, I had a (final) date with the Hair Sniffer, so I was too self consious to rinse with vinegar. I also poured way too much BS into my mug, so I had to find a new approach. I deposited a few pinches on my scalp around my dry head and then rinsed with hot water, and followed up with (gasp!) Head conditioner. Now, it's supposed to be all hippie and awesome, and I really wanted soft hair for my failed date, and it came out quite nice.

The problem, though, was the next week, when I tried to do the same dry pinch method. You know how every spring issue of a fashion magazine will tell you to spray salt water in your hair to give it texture and beach waves? Well, that's what i got. The BS seemed to stick a bit to the conditioner from the previous wash, and my hair ended up Very Texturized.

It wasn't until last tuesday when I washed it again, also with the pinches of BS on dry scalp. I rinsed it out in the tub (I was exhausted from playing a lot of soccer) and then with hot water from the shower. I followed it up with a 1:4 white vinegar and water mix, and my hair came out better, but didn't feel as clean as I had felt it in the past. All three times with the pinches of dry BS felt a bit lacking.

So today I finally took the last portion of BS in my mug and added really hot water. I poured this on my dry scalp, combed through, and rinsed with very hot water from the shower (this is the key!). I followed it up with the 1:4 vinegar rinse, hot shower water, and cold shower water. I finally feel like I got all the residues out, my scalp feels clean, and my hair feels soft and not dry. And I think the 1:4 is enough to give me the benefits of vinegar, without smelling like a walking salad. This is definitely the combination that I like the most, though I'll probably not use the vinegar every time.

As soon as Eliot posts the video, I'll tell you guys about the rest of my sunday, balistic gel and all!

Back to the Skew

2010-07-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

As always, now that I've finished knitting everything for everybody else (yeah, yeah, I'll post about it this weekend, maybe) I'm picking up the damned skews again. Unlike previous times, where I'm constantly wearing Docs, today I was wearing espadrils, which I quickly removed at the busstop (where I do most of my knitting) and tried the sock on.

Well... It fits my foot perfectly, but it's a bitch to pull on. There are notes as to how to make the ankle larger, but I've already done 50 rows past that point, and I really just want to get them over with! Ugh. I'm so conflicted. It's my first Wollemeise, and It feels really nice, but I'm starting to be afraid I'm never going to be able to wear them :/

Crafter's guilt

2010-07-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

As is stated in the title of my blog, there is so much crap I want to make, and have purchased materials for, and I'm never going to get around to it! I'm currently angeling a swap at Odd Ducks, and am finally only a couple of rows away from finishing my handknit. And it's only taken me two weeks! I am quite proud of myself. Especially because I'll finally be able to increase my knit total! I mean, I swear I've been knitting, but I don't feel I have anything to show for it. Especially because I love knitting for other people :/ So hopefully, I'll finish this shawl and I'll finally be able to finish those damned socks. Ha.

As far as purchases go, I'm still waiting for my Woolgirl Sock Club delivery which I was supposed to get before going to MDSW. Communication has been near impossible with her, so when she sent out the announcement a few weeks ago for this month's package, I responded, and she said all my previous emails had been sent to the trash. Now, the problem is, I really want the kits! They are really high quality! And the very, very rare times she has managed to respond, she's been very sweet about it, and promised to send out replacements for the AiW and Mad Hatter kits that I never got. So now I am waiting. Again. People have been receiving their Queen kits for a week now, and I don't know when to expect it. And I don't want to be that annoying person that keeps on writing and complaining.

So yeah, still waiting on that one. I also have all the stuff I bought at MDSW that I haven't gotten around to even touching, plus the stuff that I have bought locally. And now I want to join a RHPS SAL that EverimprovingMe is holding and a Zombie/Apocalypse Odd Duck swap. Decisions, decisions! And guilt :/

So if I do join the RHPS SAL, what character(s) should I chose?

Oh! Also! I got a cool email from Blogger this morning. Apparently, now you can see how much traffic, and from where, your blog is getting. My Alice doll seems to have been linked several times on free ami sites ^_^

ETA: So of course, the moment I decide to complain to the world, a box is left on my doorstep. I'll post about its awesome, awesome contents in the near future. I hope.

[swap] Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog recieved!

2010-07-21T11:59:00.001-07:00

Remember how I said I am a horrible, horrible human being? Well, here I am, trying to make amends! A couple of weeks ago, I got an amazing package from hethen13 for the Dr. Horrible Singalong Blog swap over at Odd Ducks. It was soooo cool!!! Here is what I put in the thank you thread, which was left lacking because I hadn't managed to do This Damned Post so I could use a picture:

(Saturday, July 10)

heathen13’s DRHSAB arrived yesterday!!! After a week of almost 100F weather, and during a biblical rainstorm… But luckily, only the box was moist. All of those little packages she took a picture of? Completely perfect! I’m on my way out of town, so I’ll post pictures when I get back, but in the meantime:

“goodness, look at my wrist”: lovely wristwarmers and a counting bracelet that I really, really needed!
“You need anything dampened, or made soggy?”: Kiss My Face soap, hand knit face cloth and Wet Ones that will be very handy on my camping trip in august!
“and she may cry but her tears will dry when I hand her the keys to a shiny new Australia”: A wonderful pencil case, australian style strawberry chewy candies and a cherry chocolate that I absolutely love, and a double sided hook for repairs. And that key stamp? Opens up and says “this really is the key to australia”. Love!
“and sometimes there’s a third, even deeper level. and that one is the same as the top surface one. like with pie.”: hammer iron on patch, with polka dots. Have I told you how much I love polka dots?
“With my freeze ray I will stop the world”: adorable blaster necklace and water blaster ^_^
“laundry day, see you there. Under things. Tumbling.”: My very first Soak, and a beautiful paisley like bag! And the piece de resistance (that the cat insisted on helping me open)
“The world is a mess and I just need to rule it”: a bag with cascade lace yarn in a gorgeous red and black (my favorite colors!) and a knitpicks sock also in a deep red, an addi lace 1mm (squee!!!)

Oh yeah! Everything had their respective pins, and then there was an adorable card with a roller derby key chain which is immediately going on my backpack! Well, as soon as I swing by my office and pick up my lap top and camera...

---

Not pictured: the wonderful blaster necklace I've been wearing, until the chain broke >.<, the roller girl keychain that is already on my bakcpack, and the delish Australian Strawberry gummy things from Target that vanished in a heartbeat! The counting bracelet has already been making the rounds with my Firefly project bag, covered in all the cool pins ^_^

Any ideas?

2010-07-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

I am a horrible, horrible human being, I just realized I haven't given thanks for my Dr. Horrible swap formally, since this is the only place that I have that can host pictures. That will be my next post. For now, I will continue to be selfish and brag about my new toy.

I got a new iPhone 4 ^_^ I've had a first gen for two and a half years, and many, many, many falls, and since the button wasn't working on it too well (or at all, when the mood sat it) I was already looking for an upgrade. A few times during that period, I would just completely freak out at my bill and swear that I was going to throw it in the crick and go back to my PEBL, but then I lost my iPhone a couple of weeks ago and had to do just that. It was torture! I have become so addicted to checking my email when I'm in bed, right before turning off the lights and going to sleep, that I started to panic now that I couldn't.

Enter my mad dash, after only four days, to order an iPhone 4. Of course, the next day, my roommate found my old one in the couch >.< But still, I need an upgrade, and I got it yesterday!!!!!1!11!!one!!!squeeeeee!!!!! I am so happy. I've tried many, many ways to hold it and drop signal/calls, and I think people are just full of crap. Haters be hatin'!

So now I'm looking for a scratchproof skin, since the cases always get in my way. I'd love to get this H. R. Giger picture, but I have no clue what it is called, nor how I would go about getting the rights to get it printed on a skin. But it is so cool! I mean, I love how the alien is all curious. I identify with it ^_^ Does anybody know what it is called?

ETA: Tammy was cool to tell me that it is called The Reedemer, or Der Auslöser. It is acrylic on paper on wood, 70x50 cm, 1983-1987! Now to find a way to make this legally :/

[swap] Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog

2010-07-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

As awesome as I felt about the previous post, I feel completely inadequate about this second swap package. At first I was very excited about knitting the Dr. Horrible doll, until it started to look lopsided, and the head wouldn't stay on. I really don't like the pattern I used (Some Assembly Required) as it had many superfluous steps that involved binding off and casting on and kirchnering. I want to try it again, but I'll definitely try to crochet it instead.

I also sewed up a project bag, included 3 oz of the fawn colored alpaca, and some sour babies, along with a cool letter I wrote referencing an application to the E.L.E. being processed and torture. Oh, and the pattern, which was on her list.

Harumph. It's one of those things that looked good all through the process, and then I saw the other packages in the Thank You thread, and even the other one I made, and I really dropped the ball. I should look for some way to remedy this. I was going to include a second coat and gloves, but I really, really was hating the pattern when I was done. And I would have had to wait several more days to send it out.

[swap] Firefly

2010-07-05T10:16:00.001-07:00

Drewbird finally got my package, so I am free to gloat! I made her a Mal inspired swap:

The most important part was the hip belt with the gun holster that flips open into a project bag that can be hung on your wrist. I also included the 355 yards of laceweight alpaca I spun (and Dory carded for me), some cascade eco duo, and several teas.

I also very much wanted to include a Knit Kit in the ammo pouch of the belt, but I didn't find out until too late that they cost $20 (and it's a $30 swap), so I put together a tin with scissors, tape measure, row counter and tapestry needle.

The last thing I added were a pair of strawberries I made while I waited at the dentist. I only had pink yarn, but I was very excited to try to dye it with kool aid. I used some off brand Cristal Lite, and it worked like a charm! Unfortunately, using the vacuum oven to dry them took out the strawberry smell, and I forgot my green yarn at home, so I couldn't put leaves on them. But I really wanted to get the package sent out on thursday, so meh.

Let me have it!

2010-07-03T10:42:00.001-07:00

So I'm looking for buttons to put up on my blog to try to keep me accountable for all my ongoing projects, and I figured you guys could help. I already found the wonderful KnitMeter.com (up a whole 0.2 miles this month -_-;;), but now I need to find how to incorporate a counter for how much I've spun (355 yds last week! [I'll post about it as soon as my swapee gets the package]), and progress bars for my three pairs of socks, two sweaters and shawl. Honest, I'm knitting! I'm just not concluding anything :/

So yeah. What do you guys use, and what do you recommend I put up in my side bar?

[swap] Look what I got!

2010-07-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

So today was the end of my second and third swaps, Firefly and Dr. Horrible, and I got home from the post office to find my Firefly box!!!

I am beyond thrilled! There was something for every character, with an explanation. Transcribed from ladyval75's letter:

To do this swap, I took each character and chose something representative of them.
1. Mal- the captain always goes first. Mal gets this lovely laceweight merino in browns and white with a hint of blue. This represents his browncoat past and his quirky sense of humor. Mal also gets a lovely necklace [which I am currently wearing on my wrist] stating "I aim to misbehave" revealing his risky nature. From stalking you I think this represents you as well. You seem like a risk taker.
2. Shepherd Book gets a book. I know it's not "firefly" themed but it is a great book on alternate history and vampires which I know you are also into [quite!].
3. Kaylee gets some lovely quote buttons including "Shiny" and "Yessir, Captain Tightpants" which is one of my favorite lines. These buttons are great on a backpack, purse, laptop case or jacket.
4. Inara always strikes me as the most spiritual of the lot, except for maybe Book. I chose the bonsai kit and the mini spa because of this. Inara is usually the most calm in most situations nd I think it is her ability to meditate and relax that helps to do this.
5. River has always been my favorite because of her unpredictability. I chose the classic line "Also, I can kill you with my brain" that she tosses at Jayne during "Trash" for stitchmarkers. [I love this line!]
6. Simon loves his siter and takes great care of the crew. The first aid kit can be useful in the life of a klutz. I seem to remember you cut your finger a while back so I hope you find it useful too. [very!]
7. Jayne is bu far one of my favorites as well. He is sweet but reckless, caring of his crew with an outward facade of disdain. I decided that a Jayne hat just wasn't the right idea plus I remember you saying you did not need one [correct]. However, the wrist warmers met the ideal [correct again!]. The pattern was difficult so if I made some mistakes I am sorry [not that I can see]. Plus they are very cunning because only a true Firefly fan would get that they are from the show.
8. Zoey was hard for me. She is probably the most straightforward character but I wasn't sure how to represent her. Chief among Zoey's characteristics is her love for her husband which never wavers. Luckily I found this project bag with Wash's quote of being a leaf on the wind. I think that is a defining moment for Zoey because it is her last memory of him and it is very appropriate.
9. Wash has always been my favorite character for his hilarious one liners. It is one of the reasons I have never watched the movie. The first scene in the show where we meet Wash is the infamous dinosaur scene. Arguably one of the funniest introductions of a character. To represent that I have the "this Land" kit, containing dinosaurs, earth and trees [which I had to fight the damned cat to get back >:|]. It is meant to be one of those zen gardens I think but I thought it was awesome.
10. Finally, random CD's. One is the soundtrack from the show. The other is from a group called Bedlam Bards with music inspired by Firefly. My favorite is "The man they call Joss"

I hope you enjoy your box as much as I did putting it together. Keep flying and Stay Shiny

Squeeee!!! As soon as I find out my packages have arrived, I'll post my pictures. Honestly, I've been crafting, too!

Misanthropy, Movies and Me.

2010-06-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

I had another one of my "I hate people" moments this weekend, when four separate people bailed on me within two hours of us going to the Dam to canoe. At least I have a very stubborn roommate and we ended up going anyway. It rocked! We rowed for a good hour, saw a lot of dogs, and I got a lot less sunburned than I ever would have expected to (as in, none). This also made me remember that I should probably place that Zinc Oxide order already!

As far as the no-poo, I think I've got it down! I'd yet to feel my hair as clean as I would with shampoo, until last friday night. I did a tbsp BS in 1C water on dry hair, brushed through, and then dunked my head in the tub that I'd let fill while the water was warming and I was doing everything else. I then rinsed with 1C straight vinegar, followed only by cold water. There was a faint smell through the night and part of the morning, but had completely disappeared by mid afternoon. I don't plan on doing the vinegar every time, or at least halving it with water and maybe rinsing with warmer water, but my hair did feel completely clean, without feeling dried out. Also, dandruff is completely gone!

The hair sniffer, though, has had minimal txt contact on friday, past midnight, for which I have lost all patience and hope. Le sigh. I managed to keep myself distracted throughout the week by watching many movies:

Prince of Persia (aka Parkour, the movie): Disney movie, based on a game, staring a very ripped Jake Gyllenhaal. It was a blast! It was very well done, and very entertaining.

Toy Story 3: Holy shit, did I cry! I did children's parties in college, and would constantly do a TS2 puppet show, so the story is very close to my heart. There were very few predictable moments, probably because I'd seen them in a preview, and it was completely awesome!

Knight and Day: We didn't make it to The Killers in time. It was Tom Cruise doing what he does best: be batshit insane. They never managed to get Cameron Diaz in the proper angle, for which she constantly reminded me of the doll from Saw, with the huge, protruding cheeks and detachable jaw. If you want to be constantly thrown through a loop, over and over again, this is the movie for you! It made perfect sense, in that it made no sense at all. It was quite enjoyable, just for how ridiculous it was.

The A-Team: "No, they are trying to fly it." This is by far one of the best action movies I have seen in quite some time. I was laughing so hard the entire time.

I promise to post this weekend about the two swaps that are coming to an end. I hope I mange to finish everything >.<

No-poo beadhead

2010-06-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

This is a shitty photobooth picture, but you can tell how curly my hair is when I wake up. My hair has never been curly (without a shitload of prep) until I stopped using shampoo; it's always had a lanky wave.

This other picture is from the first time I did no-poo, right after it dried, before I ever brushed it. Wow, volume!

BS+vinegar+cold water

2010-06-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

In today's no-poo files, I am trying to go all out. Why, dear reader, might you ask? Because I met a guy last friday ^_^ He's cute, tall! and a nerd ^_^ We went out on a date last night, grabbed some dinner at a chinese restaurant, and then went for a couple of beers after to his house. We proceeded to sit on the couch, talking, and he sniffed my hair. Like, he actually took in a deap breath from my hair. o.O Of course, when I got home, I shoved my head in my roommates face and asked if I smelled like anything, and he said no. So I'm hoping that he was just trying to "breathe me in", and maybe was confused by my lack of 57000 bath product smells. He, on the other hand, smelled divine! I am so sick of everybody and their uncle wearing Old Spice, that I am beside myself that he doesn't!

So today, coming back from the gym (I power walked 5.5 miles!) I used 1 tsp BS in 1/2 c hot water on dry hair, followed by 1/2 c white vinegar, straight, dispersed by a couple mugs of hot water, and then rinsed out with cold water from the shower. My wet hair still smells a bitvinegary, but I'll shove my head in Dan's face again later when it is dry.

I don't remember if I've mentioned it, but I've stalled so much on my face milk recipe hunt, that I have resorted to using only a drop of jojoba oil, spread on my hands and elbows, and then on my face. This way, I get very little oil on, but I don't need any more, especially in the summer. I'll see if I need more later in the year.

On the smell front, I still love my deodorant, but having smelled him last night made me really want to find a scent to mix in to my products. A signature scent, if you must. I know I love cranberry, honeysuckle, and chamomile, so now I need to find sources and implement them ^_^

No-poo and trees!!!

2010-06-16T05:48:00.000-07:00

I'm keeing up with the no-pooing. Saturday, after three gym visits, I washed my hair with only 2 tbs white vinegar in a cup of water. Out of the 8" of hair I have, 7 were perfect, 1/2" was dry, and the other was... well, not oily, but it definitely felt sweatyish. I tried brushing my hair out with a natural bristle brush, and I don't know if it made any difference. Through the three days, my hair felt progressively better, for some reason.

Yesterday, I tried sprinkling a tsp of BS on my dry roots, and then rinsing with 1/2 c WV and 1/2 c water. I don't know if there was enough BS to make any difference, but the WV felt nice. Again, the ends felt a bit dry, but the roots felt less sweaty (I think the main culprit for them feeling wrong on saturday is that it was muggy as all hell, and it took my hair forever to dry!) and I had a ridiculous amount of volume! I don't completely dislike the feel of my hair, but it is definitely different than what I'm used to. I am hesitant to use more BS, after that overdose last week, but I might need it.

In the tooth department, I posted over on Naturalliving on LJ about all this, and someone responded with this amazing list of the abrasiveness of many toothpastes!
http://www.kingtooth.com/files/TOOTHPASTE_RDA_VALUES_5-30-08.pdf

In completely unrelated news, I HAVE TREES!!! We bought them on saturday, and they delivered them yesterday morning ^_^

This is Dan, jumping on the shovel like a pogo stick.

This is not a corpse, but a network of very healthy, 3" wide roots that were exactly where we wanted to put the tree, and couldn't tell until we'd already removed 10" of dirt. They belonged to a maple that got chopped down three years ago o.O I think it was a dwarven tree canopy, of those underground dwarven trees, which of course Dan would be forced by his dwarven nature to find. (Dan is a D&D dwarf. Honest! He has all the stats.)

Lightning bug ^_^ and the house ^_^

The tree on the left is a redbud, and the one on the right is a magnolia. Hopefully, within a year, they will be big enough to offer shade to that bay window that is our dining room/nerd quarters.

Damnit, Molly!

2010-06-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

So, Knitter's Underground has a sale on their sock yarns, so I bought 10 Sedrun, 15 Wildfoote and 9 cotton skeins, all 50 grams and $2.50. So yeah. 34 skeins of neutral yarn. So if you are in a swap with me, guess what you will be receiving! Well, except for the cotton, which I hope to make a hoodie out of.

I'm glad I was only going for a very quick run to pick up #2 circs and a $12 lace spindle...

You love me! You really love me!

2010-06-04T07:48:00.001-07:00

Well, probably not, but some of you actually leave comments!

Dory said... Baking soda is the shit. I use it to clean all my sterling and once I'm done scrubbing, my hands feel really smooth.

My mother swears by cleaning her silver with a lemon peel dipped in BS. That way you can clean the surface without removing all the deeper tarnish that is supposed to be there.

Jamie said... I did my first no-poo last night, and it worked REALLY WELL. My hair, which is usually really coarse and dry unless I put a ton of leave-in conditioner in it (I was already only shampooing three times a week, because even with a moisturizing shampoo my hair just gets wiry), was really soft and manageable. I used, as recommended, one tsp. of baking soda in a cup of water, plus a little honey because I have such dry hair; then I rinsed with apple cider vinegar diluted with water. When I got out, I rubbed a little bit of lavender essential oil (with jojoba as a carrier oil) into my scalp.

My hair and skin are super dry, but I like the BS rinse so much so far that I don't think I need the honey. I did try to rub some jojoba oil onto my scalp after my bath yesterday, since I'd done a number on it, but it mostly staid on my really thick hair. It felt nice and soft, but a bit greasy until it managed to disperse itself fully by the end of the day.

supepome said... Yay! I'll have to try the facial scrub idea, thanks for the tip - I already use bicarb on my hair and teeth. I still find I have to use a teensy bit of regular toothpaste afterward though, because I can taste all the yuk it's getting off my teeth. I think I might try making a mouthwash with some water and a drop of peppermint or tea-tree oil. Doesn't half shift those terminal-caffeine-addict stains though :D

I haven't had any problems with foul aftertastes. I love that I can eat right after I brush them in the morning (and even drink orange juice!) without wanting to gag. Tea tree oil, on the other hand, really repels me. My roommate swears by its antibacterial properties and uses it every single time he gets any small scrape or scratch. But if you like it, whatever floats your boat!

As far as caffeine stains go, most products contain peroxide. You could rinse with that after the BS! Though it will cure all the wounds you might have in your mouth, and not in a fun way. I know HP is H2O2, while BS+vinegar=CO2+H2O, but I'm tempted to try brushing with BS and then rinsing with vinegar and seeing if the chemical reaction helps the stains at all. I remember reading a story once of a bride's teeth getting stained with red wine or coffee right after an intense bleaching, and that champagne then helped get the stain out because of the bubbles...

Whatever you do, don't brush your teeth for half an hour after drinking sodas! They weaken the enamel, which is then easily brushed off.

Oh, Baking Soda, how I love thee...

2010-06-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

Last night I played soccer again, and decided to not wash my hair so I could OMGBLOG! about it. The wash seems to be holding up, though the roots are slightly greasy and the ends a bit dry, but nothing compared to the regular shampoo days. My scalp is itching this morning, and I'm assuming it is because of the sweat. Though at least my head doesn't smell! And the pits, still rockin'!

I did, though, try brushing my teeth with baking soda, and loved it! I've had a bone to pick with toothpaste since I was 7 and would always get nauseous on the school bus (this is where my dental hygiene habits went to the shitter). I'm constantly trying out different brands, in the search of something without mints, and found a very decent hippie cherry one from Nature's Gate, but I ran out and keep on forgetting to buy more (the hippie store has odd hours).

So I dipped a moist toothbrush in some baking soda and brushed away (it just tasted like a bunch of salt). This was a bit better than just a brush, thanks to the abrasiveness of the BS, and a lot better than your average toothpaste! I think it is because of all the surfactants in regular toothpaste, that you get a mouth full of foam, and it is hard to tell if you reached all the crud. I have often brushed my teeth and then gone on my merry way, only to feel that I hadn't done anything, and was getting nauseous.

So yeah, teethbrushing + BS = WIN! I was reading the website, and they also recommend mixing 3:1 with some water as a "mild daily face scrub" that I will try next time.

ETA: Ok, I couldn't take it any longer and showered again. I'd been scratching my scalp so much this morning, that I had minor abrasions, so the BS burned a bit, but it calmed down quickly. I also did the face scrub, and that was nice. The less water you use, the more abrasive it is, so you can mix it accordingly.

Adventures in Smelly Hippie Land, part two: RTFM

2010-06-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

I think I'd mentioned that I did the no-poo thing wrong the first two times. Well, this monday morning I finally got it right. I dissolved a TBS of baking soda in a full cup of hot water, and slowly poured it on my dry hair, soaking all of it, and then rinsing as normal in the shower.

Monday: Holy crap was my hair curly! It hardly ever gets past a lazy wave, but you'd think I'd just come out of a vapor room. Also, it dried a lot quicker than it normally does, enough to not give me swamp-neck. My hair felt Clean, with the ends maybe a tad dry. Then again, I have Very Dry everything, and haven't come within ten feet of scissors since last july. Dan also said it looked a bit lack luster, compared to what it normally looks like.

Tuesday: still really curling out of my ponytail, but feeling smoother.

Wednesday: My hair now feels like it normally does. It is still not greasy; I haven't gone to the gym (because I'm a lazy slob), but it's been 80 F and I was running two experiments yesterday that burned the crap out of coal samples. My hair has a thick, voluptuous wave, is finally lustrous (without being greasy) and feels pretty much like the end of the day when I used good shampoo and conditioner (I used to be addicted to Redkin's So Soft).

As far as the deodorant, the original mix is still doing well. I'm not too fond of the smell of shea butter (though it is very mild and I only smell it at first) and I am definitely going to have to cut it in the next mix (jojoba, maybe?) but it is definitely doing it's job. I think saturday I didn't put it on completely over one armpit, or didn't use enough, so later in the day it really smelled on that side. I was able to put on more and completely get rid of the smell, something that never worked with regular deodorant.

Another thing I've read people ask on other blogs: Does it leave a white stain? Not at all. Most of my shirts are black, and there is a slight trace from my old deodorant that hasn't washed out of all of them yet, but nothing from this one ^_^

As a side note, whatever I have left on my fingers, after use, I rub on my elbows. They are feeling nicer because the baking soda buffs them a bit, and the butter moisturizes. Same for when I tried it on my ankles.

Damn you Erika!

2010-05-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

I just spent $25 thanks to you (not counting the other $40 in books that I had to get at the same time). I'd already given up cross stitching fifteen years ago, but no, I just had to pick up yet another hobby. The list of projects I currently have going:

- New cross stitch Black Eyed Susans
- Skew socks 50%
- Vampire BF socks 25%
- Wedding shawl (for wedding this saturday) 25%
- Sweater, 2" to be frogged
- purple spinning 75%
- new green spinning
- Swap #2 project, purchased
- Swap #3 project, purchased

not to mention the lotions I have to research.

[recipe] Bruschetta

2010-05-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm having for breakfast today ^_^
Ok, nothing revolutionary, but damn is it good!

Previous day:
- four or five tomatoes on the vine
- a sprig of fresh basil
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- salt, pepper and garlic to taste

Chop and mix, and let sit over night.

This morning:
- baguette, sliced on the diagonal
- Cabbots Seriously Sharp Vermont Cheddar, sliced

Place bread on tray and toast in oven at 400 for a few minutes. Meanwhile, slice the cheese, which is then placed on the toasted bread and stuck back in the oven to melt. When gooey, spoon tomato mixture on top. Nom. Try not to scrape your gumms on the toast, like the klutz I am.

Adventures in Smelly Hippie Land

2010-05-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I managed to make deodorant! I started off with angry chicken's recipe, but omitted the cacao butter because the smell is too intense for me (and the vitamine E that I forgot to steal from Amalthea). So why did I have any desire to make my own deodorant?

- I absolutelymotherfuckinghate scented deodorants. They nauseate me! For the past five years or so, I've been exclusively using Arm and Hammer Baking Soda's unscented antiperspirant, and it has worked for the most part. Except for
- every once in a while, I will feel a sharp pain in my armpit, like a clogged pore or something.
- Also, I will still smell after I exercise, no matter how often I reapply.

So what did I use?

1 TBS shea butter
2/5 TBS corn starch
3/5 TBS baking soda
- melt in the microwave for 30 seconds, checking every 10 that it doesn't boil over.
- mix well and place in fridge to set
- a small pea size or less is enough per arm pit (I scrape it with the back of my fingernail and the shard is enough). It will melt very well with body heat.

So I think I put this through the ultimate test. I showered last night and cleaned off the spoon on my pits. I slept in a furnace, and ran many errands in a car that was hotter than deep fried ass. Afterwards, I played two hours of futbol in the damned sun.

Verdict?
At first, my pits felt a bit swampy. The shea butter was too greasy, so I will probably add more dry products next time. But the important thing is that I DON'T SMELL! Like, seriously! After all that, I feel awesome! Ok, now that it's been about three hours since my game, my armpits smell a bit, if I really, really sniff at them. Huzzah!

Things I want to make someday*

2010-05-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

*but probably never will. Or it will take me several years to get around to them.

In Mexico, there is a gubernatorial agency in charge of consumer affairs (PROFECO) that analyzes products and grades them, and then offers recipes on how to make them for super cheap! (unfortunately, not all are from scratch, and go for an emphasis on cheap rather than hippie) I remember watching a show about ten years ago on how to make chapstick and lotion!

Here is a "short" list I just compiled of some of the cool things I want to make. Mind you, the links are in spanish. I plan on eventually adding notes, specifying if they can be made naturally.

- Cajeta (video)
- Dulce de Mango (video)
- Marmalade (video)
- Rompope (video)
- Soy Milk (podcast)

Personal product master list
- After Sun Cream (video)
- Antiperspirant (text)
- Bug Spray (video)
- Face Tonic (video)
- Hair Gel (video)
- Hair Wax (video)
- Liquid Hand Soap (video)
- Mascara (video)
- Shaving Cream (video)
- Shoe Deodorant (audio)
- Vick's Vapor Rub (video)

- Insecticide (video)
- Kitchen Cleaner (video)
- Play Dough (video)

Activism Powers Activate!

2010-05-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

There are many causes I hold close to my heart: Queer rights, proper education, empowerment of children through music; pretty much anything that helps people be equal and responsible. I've gotten many comments from passersby that see me knitting that I should join Knitivism, but like I stated in an older post, I prefer to actually -do- something with my activism, not just lecture people on how they are wrong (or how people in some country they have no idea about are OMG suffering!!!!1!!one!).

Queue the tree-hugging. Having been born in 1980, I was a proud Planeteer (I know I have my membership card still in a box at my moms house). I wrote a paper for a competition in elementary school about how trash trucks should be divided so we can separate our trash (I wonder if it already existed back then, or if some high-up stole my idea... hmmm...) and I am militant when it comes to reduction of consumption and waste. If you come to my house, don't you dare ask for a paper towel, and you better have carpooled!

The reason I am so passionate about this is that this is something I am actually DOING. I am actively turning off all the lights in the buildings at school that I find not being used. I pick bottles out of the trash and put them in the recycling bin. I pick up trash (even a measly little rusted bottle cap) when I go hiking. I reuse dishes many times before washing them, much to the dismay of my friend Amalthea's mom, Judy.

Poor Judy. You do not want two treehuggers together, because Hippiness Increases Exponentially(TM)! Last weekend was Amalthea's brother's graduation, and we put Judy through hell buying the decorations. I love her dearly, but she is very much of the school of making a big show with tonnes of decorations. Did I tell you that Amalthea and I are a bit militant at times? We managed to convince her to buy very bland and boring compostable sugar cane plates and dissolvable corn starch flatware, and nothing else that was disposable.

So this last week helped me remember a slew of things "I've been meaning to do" for several years now, and since Amalthea started a hippie blog, I feel guilty and I kind of feel I need to step it up. So today I started no-pooing, and I should be making in a bit the deodorant that I found a recipe for several months ago through a slew of blogs. If I'm lucky, this weekend we'll start a compost ^_^ (Dan also planted an apple tree in the yard this weekend, which I'm sad because I was in NJ and couldn't help)

Wish me luck!

I love you alot!

2010-05-14T14:45:00.001-07:00

We were having a discussion on LSG about someone not wanting to hire a birthing coach because the class announcement ended with something like "hope 2 see you there". I agree with another poster that mentioned it being unprofessional, like going to an interview in your bunny slippers. Her ravatar is also an alot. I made this for her ^_^

HOLYSHITSTATECOLLEGEDERBY!!!

2010-05-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

A friend just gave me the heads up that she saw a Craigslist add two days ago trying to set up a local derby.

I AM SO FUCKING EXCITED!!!!

I just joined their FB group and sent them an email.

!!!!!!!

Now, I know it is still in its fetal stage, but HOLYSHIT!!!!

[recipe] Strawberry Pie

2010-05-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

I compulsively bought two pounds of strawberries a couple of weeks ago, without any time to eat them or cook with them before leaving town for MDSW. So I stewed them!

I cut them in half and tossed in a pot at low flame for a few hours until they condensed. No sugar or anything (well, a tad of leftover Manischwietz). The next week, when I had more time, I bought another pound of strawberries and shoved it all in a Pie ^_^

Hot Water and Lard Pastry

Ingredients (makes 2-3 single crusts)

1 cup lard or shortening
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

Directions

1 - Put lard in a medium bowl and boil the water.

2 - Pour water over shortening and blend until all the water is absorbed and the mixture is smooth.
3 - Add the flour, salt and baking soda.
4 - Once it is mixed and in one large ball, cut into 3 balls of dough, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. If you want a larger pie crust, just do 2 balls of dough. Uncooked dough can be kept in the fridge for about a week or frozen.

6 - Bake these pie crusts up as you would any others, at 350-400 for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
7 - Follow instructions for double crust fruit pies.

me me me meeeeee!

2010-05-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

I am currently participating in three swaps over on Rav, and I figured I'd set up something to help them out.

I am a very odd person with a much odder sense of humor. I love "morbid" things, in the sense that the human body fascinates me! I didn't study it because I'm lazy, but I love it when my friends who did tell me all about it. One of the highlights of last year was going to the National Forensics Symposium with my best friend that plays with dead bodies for a living.

My About Me has the list of all the crafts I have done in the past. I am all across the board! The only thing I've never gotten into is painting. I'm great at technical drawings and anything that involves capturing what I see, but I am by no means an artist and I have no idea how to "interpret my feelings" and shit. (did I mention that I am very badmouthed?) My current fixation is spinning and knitting. Not that you could tell, since my knitting meter hasn't gone up in the last several months. (I have a swap project I haven't recorded, and I don't add what I've ripped or haven't finished yet, so there are three incomplete pairs of socks missing, too. Also, a partial sweater sleeve and a shawl I just started.) As far as difficulty, I love to make my life impossible! I always end up recalculating and mixing and matching and changing patterns. There is no such thing as a difficult pattern! You just have to concentrate a bit more at first, and then it flows. So yeah, I love knitting lace!

As far as food, bacon makes it better! Chocolate covered bacon is one of my specialties ^_^ I will try anything twice, and the only things I can't go anywhere near are coconut and artificial sweeteners.

Colors: I love blood red! Or any tone of red, for that matter. I love rich, saturated colors and have no patience for pastels or barely dyed fibers. When it comes to variegated yarns, I love how they look in skein form, but I hate knitting them up, since they pretty much only look good in stockinette, and stockinette bores the crap out of me. I love long color sections and transitional yarns, and am in the eternal search of the perfect rainbow ^_^

Fibers, the more natural the better. I can only take polymers in less than 20%, and that is only for socks. I also have no patience for novelty yarns, as I have no clue how to knit them up. Regular yarns, I prefer in the thinner weights, as they can be doubled up and are more versatile. I don't have any allergies, but I do live with this fucker:

He's a were-bear parading as a 20 lb cat. And he's a dick. His name is Herbert, because I am a major dork, and I has a Herb. Speaking of my nerdities, where should I start? I have a passion for anything Joss Whedon, especially Buffy. I've been a fan since the movie and cried like a little girl when it ended. I know all of my current friends through the local Harry Potter club, which two of them started, which lead me to the SCA, and then the local LARP. I also D&D every Saturday, while I knit (because SOMEBODY gets distracted by the noise of the wheel). I love reading fantasy and supernatural books, and have read most (or all, multiple times) of HP, Anne Rice, Terry Prachet, *cough*Twilight*cough*, and am currently on the sixth of the True Bloods and second of Dresden Files.

Next sunday will be my graduation for a MS in Materials Science and Engineering (holy shit my family is coming up!!!) and I got my undergrad in Mexico (where I'm from) in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, with a focus on Mechatronics (I wanted to work for Jim Henson's Creature Shop) after a two year stint in Architecture. Hopefully, in the somewhat near future, I will be getting a job in the renewable/clean/efficient energy research field. Meanwhile, I will still be a lab rat for my adviser, running the IR Spectroscoper, some GC-MS, SEM, and other assorted experiments and data collections. Did I tell you how much I love collecting data? I just suck at concluding anything from it :/

Baaaa, motherfucker, do you speak it?

2010-05-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was MDSW, and it was awesome! I am roasted, toasted and burnt to a crisp (not that anybody can tell the difference between pasty #1 and pasty #2) and exhausted. I think I spent a good $300 this weekend, that I really couldn't afford. But everything was so beautiful! My stash over on Rav is updated with pictures and everything.

I got two tops by Fiber Optic Yarns in Cayenne and Cranberry that I absolutely adore! I can't wait to spin them up. The colors are so rich (and red), immediately attracting my attention. There was another booth covered in rainbows called Bullen's Wullens, where I got three 4 oz bags of merino/silk/bamboo in red, purple and blue, and they plan on sending me orange, yellow and green in the next two weeks, so that I can spin rainbows to my heart's desire. The last set of fiber I got was from Spinners Hill: assorted wool #3 in a VIOLENT green which I intend to spin alternately with black, and then ply with a black single. This will hopefully be a present to my friend Erika, who turned 21 last week (and I'll get it to her before she turns 22...).

The last bulk of my purchases was yarn from Tess Designer Yarns. The colors were very nice and rich, but someone should really punch whoever wrote up their site in the crotch. There was one impulse buy that I saw knitted up into very pink socks, so I'm going to see if I can do some color correcting and make it more red. I bought three gradient "sets" for different shawls that I hope transition nicely. Everything was so picked over that I'm dubious of the purple set... And, of course, the website sucks, so I can't verify the colors and ask for whatever I'm missing. I'm kind of pissed off that I saw their gradient stand and thought it was the Unique Sheep gradients I'd fallen in love with on line, but it wasn't :/

The non-fiber highlight of my trip was running into Jennie Breeden of The Devil's Panties. It was very geeky and cool and odd. It felt so weird being almost 30 and squeeing at someone my own age. But she was cool, and so were her friends. I had to remind myself that I don't actually know them, I've only read about them in the comics! But they were still very nice, and they put up with me. Squee!!! Another cool thing was that sunday, the chick at Spinners Hill confused me with her (apparently because I was wearing boots, too) and I got to talking to her about Jennie's Men In Kilts, With Leafblower project (a third of the way down). She was more than grateful!

I wanna be a rollergirl :(

2010-04-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know me, I've been dreaming of the rollerderby seriously for five years (I thought it was cool for probably twenty). My sister of 39 has told me many times that it was her dream to be in the derby since she was in elementary school, and well, I've always wanted to be like my older sister. Unfortunately, the closest league, the Harrisburg Area Roller Derby (H.A.R.D.) is two hours away. So I've been attending their bouts for the last year, dreaming of the day I graduate (last monday!!!) and move to a place with a league of its own (San Antonio or Austin?), or my roommate and his work buddies drum up enough interest to start a Centre County league.

So I got this FB update from Neil Gaiman tuesday, where he talks about meeting some derby girls, and I almost shat myself with excitement when I realized he meant Joan Of Dark, a cool chick from LSG. He posted links to her blog, and to when she named a coffee after him.

So yeah, this is me being jealous, and super excited and awed and happy for someone I've never met, and I hope to someday be surrounded by such wonderful events!

Oh, and I am totally going to make that latte!

You down with OPP?

2010-04-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

(pictures coming soon, I promise!)

Yeah, I know, bad old song. But I figured I could use the acronym as a new tag: Other People's Projects. I have so many crafty friends that I really need to share! I already blogged about the wonderful roving I got dyed from Nanonukie, and this week I got presents from Nicole ^_^

She made me this wonderful necklace (that can be worn in either direction) and a Capri Sun craft bag that she made out of my addiction.

For now, I finished my Super Sekrit Swap Gift, which I will post pictures of in a month, once I finally get it sent. It was binge knitting while watching Buffy for four days. I'm very proud of it! I brought it to Crafty Bitches yesterday and everybody liked it. I was afraid my gauge was too loose, but everybody preferred it that way. And even though I really, really, really want to get started on my O W L S sweater, I pulled my Skews out of detention and reclaimed the needles from the Vampire Boyfriends. I am so not looking forward to frogging the first sock down to the toe and having to rewind the ball.

Oh! I also spent money at Spinners that I should be saving up for MDSW, but they had my Addi Clicks in!!! Damn, they are sexy. I was really not liking my Knitpicks interchangeables because all the chrome was rubbing off the palms (which is just an aesthetic annoyance) and the key hole on one of the cables was very burry and kept rubbing the yarn the wrong way. I'm planning on keeping them anyway, for when I need spare needles for something tricky.

I also finally got two custom made spindles from Anne Grout: a turkish goat and a mexican jaguar. I lurves them! But I'm afraid to use the goat, since it is much heavier than anything I've ever used before, and I am notorious for spinning stupidly thin.

[recipe] Teriyaki Turkey Triangles

2010-04-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

I got home the other day from the gym, to a very boring and very bland pack of ground turkey in the fridge. I asked Dan to mix up some teriyaki while I showered, and he found a great recipe in one of my books! Of course, we completely improvised from there, but here's the gist:

Sauce:
soy sauce, ginger powder, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, probably something I didn't notice.

Cook up the ground turkey for about 4 minutes, stir in the sauce, simmer and hope it thickens a bit.

Meanwhile, pull out a roll of filo dough that has been in the freezer for about a year a nobody knows how it got there, and let it thaw. Since you are going to be impatient and unroll it while it is still frozen, anyway, break it off at the half wrap (ideally at around 2" wide).

Place individual strips of dough on a cutting mat, oint with melted butter (or butter spray) and layer three high. Place a very small amount of meat at the end of one of the stacks and fold the corner over repeatedly until you have a small pastry triangle.

Place on cookie sheet with parchment paper, with the dough flap on the bottom and repeat until you've used up all the meat or dough, or are fed up with the process. Oint with leftover butter and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

WAIT FOR THEM TO COOL. Nom. These were adorable, and would definitely be well suited as easy to make hors d'œuvres. Filling can be substituted for anything, really, since there is little flavor to the filo dough. I really want to try a broccoli version one day.

OBEY YOUR MASTER!

2010-04-12T14:29:00.001-07:00

Stick a fork in me because I am DONE! I finally defended my MS and I am exhausted. And just blank. Like in the Never Ending Story, when the world is completely dismantled and quite. There is just... nothing. And in six weeks, there will be less. Mainly there will be no job.

Firefly and Spinning

2010-04-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

So I was informed yesterday that there will be a Firefly (the show, not the bug) themed swap on Ravelry in a month. When I went to sign up, I was presented with the questions of what are my favorite episode and character. Now, I'd only seen Firefly once all the way through (and the first episode five times...) so I figured rewatching it all was in order. And you know what was absolutely wonderful? Last tuesday we got the Netflix Wii disc in the mail, so we are now able to Watch It Now on the televsion without having to connect my computer!!!

And the best news of all? As of three days ago, they have all of Firefly, Buffy(!!!!!!), Angel and Dr. Horrible, along with all of Dollhouse and Doctor Who that has already come out on DVD.

So I spent the past two days watching all of Firefly, and spinning up this beauty on my Hitchhiker.

It is a braid (which I think is superwash merino) that I got from Nanonukie as a christmas present, which she hand dyed herself. It is really nice! You can't really tell the range of colors in the pictures, but it goes from teal to violet, through a really nice rich cobalt. I've managed to spin up 1/4 of what I think is a pound through about 11 of the episodes. It is terribly thin, so I hope that when I 2-ply it, I'll get a decent lace weight. I can definitely say it is a lot more even than things I've done before!

And not that you can tell from the damned pictures, but it matches my sock.

[recipe] Hummus

2010-04-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Ostarra/Pesah/Easter! We aren't very observant in this house, but we always like to provide a venue for all our friends who are. So yesterday, we held our Second Not-so-annual Bootleg Passover. I cooked up a rabbit, provided by my friend Dani in exchange for jerky, in a lemon cream marinade I got at the supermarket -_-;; It came out very nice, though!

(kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit!)

But my main contribution was hummus! Ok, backtrack. My main contribution was supposed to be baba ganoush, but the recipe I got from AllRecipes.com required 1/2c lemon juice for two eggplants, and it was really, really too much. I started by coarsely blending the roasted and peeled eggplants with the lemon juice, garlic and tahini, only to taste it and be grossed out. So I strained it as best I could and reblended it smooth with strong a can of rinsed chick peas, strong olive oil, more garlic, black pepper, and salt. The lemon flavor dissipated a lot, but not nearly enough for my taste. Luckily, our guests loved it!

My coup de grace, though, was my hummus (bitches don't know about my hummus!)
The main component is two cans of rinsed garbanzos, garlic, an acid, olive oil, water and seasonings. Ingredients aren't measured, but you should have an idea of how much you like each. Here are the two that came out really well last night.

BLACK PEPPER HUMMUS
Start blending a good amount of garlic (2 TBS? I really like garlic) with some salt, and about a cup of apple cider vinegar.
Add one can garbanzos at a time and slowly add about a cup of water, 1/2 cup good olive oil (and more vinegar if needed) until it is blended smooth.
Season with about a tbs of black pepper and salt to taste.

PAPRIKA HUMMUS
Start again with the garlic and salt, but use white vinegar.
Continue with the garbanzos and water and olive oil, and season with 1 tbs spicy hungarian paprika and 1/2 tbs ground red peppers. You can make this as spicy as you like.

I constantly throw hummus together for parties, get togethers and gaming, since a can of garbanzos has less than 400 calories, and everything else is just seasonings. There is always a lot of garlic, and I'll cycle through apple cider, rice and white vinegars (I'm not too fond of the lemon juice that is so often recommended). Random flavorings to try are black pepper, red peppers, sesame seeds (tahini), bacon drippings/pieces, parsley, mint, chives, black beans... pretty much anything I encounter in the kitchen.

TIPS AND FIXES

Make sure you have an idea of the flavor you want when you start, and balance your acid/oil/seasoning ingredients accordingly. If you want the oil to stand out, go for a mild flavored vinegar (white or rice, or both) and maybe some pepper. If you want to taste the vinegar, use a cheaper (or less of a good) olive oil. If you are like me, go to the maximum flavor extremes with everything and it will still blend in nice ^_^

If you use too much acid or salt, this can be calmed down by adding another can of beans, water or strong olive oil. If it is still course, you might even be able to rinse and strain some of it out. Tahini is a strong, mellow taste, but it is also $8 a jar :/

If you have too much oil, cut it with a strong vinegar or water. Or another can, again.

If you have too much garlic... seriously, is that even possible?

[pattern] Basic Toe-up Sock Recipe

2010-03-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

The following links are where I originally got the techniques. My modifications, if any, are written out after.

-Shallow Figure 8 toes, increasing every row (m1r and m1l)
-Stockinette foot
-Short row heel (Wendy Johnson)
-Stockinette leg
-EZ bindoff

SET UP
Figure out how many stitches you will need by measuring around the ball of your foot and multiplying by your gauge. If you are going to swatch (haha) knit up 5" worth in either direction, so you have slack in case you miss calculated.
I am working on 60 st socks on 2.5 mm needles.

TOES
This is a modified toe up sock with a figure 8 cast on, of 1/3 your total sts (10 loops on each needle, with 10 rows of increases for 60 sts). Increases are every row instead of every other row. Work is done in spirals.
1) Cast on 10 sts on two DPN needles in figure 8. Knit first row all around.
2) K1, m1r, k8, m1l, k2, m1r, k8, m1l, k1. 24 sts around.
3) K1, m1r, k10, m1l, k2, m1r, k10, m1l, k1. 28 sts around.
4) Continue the (k1, m1r, kx, m1l, k1) set until you have enough stitches to go around your foot.

If you want to make an "anatomically correct toe", where one side slants more than the other, increase one edge on every row, while the other edge increases every other row.

If you are incorporating a cable or pattern up the sides, you can also move the m1 over (i.e. My Vampire Boyfriend was started with k2, m1r, k6, m1l, k2).

TIPS
-You don't want to keep the ends of the yarn on the edge of the 8s, because your stitches won't catch (for lack of a better word). Flip your first and last loops around so that the ends are inside the 8's.
.................no..............................................yes.................................

-It doesn't really matter if you have leaning increases, but if you only do m1's, you will have little gap.

[WIP] Attack of the killer sock needles

2010-03-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

So I've been working on my VB socks, and finally managed to turn the second heel yesterday during D&D. Of course, since I fail at knitting in a constant tension, my second sock is this time half an inch shorter than the first. It was interesting when I tried them on and my addi turbo decided to solve my problem, by cutting half an inch off my big toe. The best part was that I was explaining the back story of the socks earlier, and my friend said something about vampires with a foot fetish, and how it must really be annoying having your toes hurt all the time.

So now they are going to the corner to think what they have done, and I'm cracking out the Skews and frogging the first one (which is 1/2" narrower and 10 rows longer than the second, for the same length). Or should I grab the zauberball I started in september and only knit up 3"? Will I ever finish a pair of socks for myself?

[recipe] Dan's Jambalaya

2010-03-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

There is a great bonus to living with someone of Cajun descent, is the access to great food! It always looks like shit, but damn is it yummy ^_^

3-4 onions, diced
2 green bell peppers
2 celery stalks (blej)
2 lbs chicken
2 lbs shucked shrimp (larger the better)
4 c dry wild rice
8-10 c chicken stock
hot paprika!
crushed red pepper
old bay
black pepper
sage

Throw rice in pot with broth and chunky chicken. Set aside while lightly sauteing chopped veggies. Throw veggies and spices in pot, boil for a while, add shrimp. EAT!

Roll Call!

2010-03-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

If you look to the lower right, you will see I have added a blog list. Yeah, there's like 50 of them, and my computer hates me when I open them every morning. Most of them are from LSG and of the knitting variety, some cooking, hippie or assorted crafts. I try to keep separate my (drama)llamas from my (crafting)alpacas, so to speak. So if one of them belongs to you, which one? And why don't you update more often??? Also, is there any other blogs you recommend I read?

Have a happy almost-spring friday! Don't sneeze on the yarn, it might stain.

Happy Birthday Dory!

2010-03-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was isilzha's birthday, and I made her a rainbow cake! This time, I actually made it in cake form, using Betty Crocker Super Moist Party Rainbow Chip mix, seltzer and food coloring, and the Omnomicon recipe I love so much. It came out very fluffy and moist (teehee, moist!) but seriously lacked structural integrity. Next time, I will include a bit of egg white.

So this was real easy. I poured the powder in to a 5c measuring cup, and slowly incorporated the 12 oz of seltzer with a fork. Once mixed, I poured one cup at a time into a smaller measuring cup and mixed in the food coloring. This was then split among both, very well buttered cake pans. After scraping as much as possible out of the cup, but without obsessing, I poured another cup of batter and mixed in the yellow. Minor color mixing doesn't really matter. I did the same with the remaining colors, adding a tad bit more seltzer to the last batch (I seem to not have mixed it as well as I thought the first time) and tapping the pans on the counter once pouring was done. I baked at "350" for 22 minutes, let cool (well, the second pan, after the first one completely crumbled out of the pan), flipped and frosted.

I'm very proud of how the colors came out, though, and how both layers lined up very nice when the cake was cut! Remember, all of the calories drift to the center, so beware the tip of the slice. Not using the oil and eggs also dropped the calories for 1/12 of the cake from 230 to 160. Pay no attention to the lemon icing that was the only thing keeping the lower layer together...

Gratuitous Johnny Depp picture

2010-03-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm a fangirl, what can I say? I was looking for a new bag to carry my knitting in the other day, and found this at walmart for $3!!! Yes, it is cheap plastic and will probably fall apart within a month, but I will enjoy that month! I've been binging on 21 Jump Street whenever I get some time, and I had a panic attack last night when I finished the 3rd season and found that that was all they had on Hulu :( Luckily, I managed to find the first episode of the fourth season (in eight pieces) on youtube ^_^

As far as my knitting, I finished the third heart on my socks this morning and will probably be turning the heel soon. I have yet to decide if I'll do it at 3.5 or 4 hearts, but I'm not that worried. Ideally, I'd like to turn the heel at a half heart, so that I can include the point of the heart in the short rows. (I like to make socks toe up, with a figure 8 cast on, increasing on every row, and then a short row heel and EZ super stretchy bind off).

So I've gotten a couple of messages from you, my dear readers, and have no idea who you are! So please to be leaving a comment here, with your name and ~~number~~ blog, and I can get back to wasting even more time every morning before work. Have a happy thursday, and for anybody else that works in a college town, enjoy the last day of a student-free campus!

[WIP] My Vampire Boyfriend socks

2010-03-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

So I was flipping through Knitty last december, looking for the necessary yardage for Quadrat, when I noticed these socks. Wow. The description was so cheesy, yet awesome at the same time! And I immediately knew what yarn I was going to use! A wonderful merino/tencel from Spinning Bunny I bought at Mad About Ewes last fall in Autumn Sunset, with Addi Turbos in 2.5 mm (foot on left).

Well, after three false starts last week (uuu, yeah, the background is purl, not knit) I realized it just wasn't working out. So I went to Knitter's Underground and bought this wonderful JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk Yarn, 2/18 Lace Weight, triple plied garnet/garnet/sable (foot on right). The combination is a beautiful cranberry color that I instantly fell in love with.

Here's to me actually finishing a pair of socks for myself!

I'm lazy

2010-03-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know! I owe you several posts, since probably december:
Recipes for marshmallows, lemon cream pasta, kings cake, garbanzo and kale chips, and biltong (it is awesome!!!)
FO for loofalike lace gloves and I'm dumber than snake mitts
Review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

and probably several other things I've already forgotten >.<

Hubba hubba!

They played Imaginarium at the State Theater last tuesday, and boy was it gorgeous! I went with the oh so lovely Leah and her fiance and had a blast. I love Gilliam, he is so talented! And now that I think of it, I would have killed for Alice to be even a fraction of how good this movie was. You have the stunning visuals, the beautiful Depp and Ledger, and the ever so fucked up vision of Gilliam. I'm just stuck in a state of awe! The story is a bit convoluted (and it had another case of bad CGI at the beginning, but it was a bird flying into a cave, so you could easily ignore it), but it made sense (mostly) by the end. I think it will be greatly improved by a second watching, a la 6th Sense.

So Ledger died in the middle of filming, but this didn't hinder the final product at all! He had managed to finish all his scenes from "the outside", and then they cast Depp, Jude Law, and Collin Ferrel to mimic him on "the inside". And boy did they do a wonderful job! They captured all of his quirks and mannerisms to a tee (and I didn't even hate Ferrel!).

Yes, must watch again!

[review] Not so curiouser

2010-03-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

Oh lordy lordy lordy. Alice. Hrm.

I love Tim Burton, like you have no idea. And Johnny Depp? Don't even get me started! All my knitting for the past month has been inspired by 21 Jump Street on Hulu. I love that man. He is absolutely gorgeous! But for some reason, the more those two collaborate, the worse it gets. Edward Scissorhands is probably one of my favorite movies ever, but once they hit Charley and the Chocolate Factory, it was all downhill from there. It's like Burton is only banking on well established franchises, how hot Depp is, and how he is able to embody quirky characters.

The movie was absolutely beautiful! (as long as you don't pay attention to the crappy-video-game-like horse riding CGI) But it was devoid of any story. It just assumed you already knew it, so why include it? Like those wonderfully ornate display cakes they have at the bakery, made out of spackle and cardboard. I did enjoy it, mind you, but... meh. Not good, not bad. It just was. It had so much potential :/

And don't even get me started on the CGI dancing. The world did not need to experience that >.<

(he knows he did wrong)

(but he can make it all better!)

It's raining meat, hallelujah!

2010-03-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

So my roommate and I decided to make biltong yesterday. So far, we marinated the meat all night in vinegar, worchestershire sauce, soy sauce and herbs, then laid them on cookie racks all day in the fridge, and came home to dredge them in brown sugar, garlic and pepper, before hanging them up to dry. My craft room, a.k.a. the basement, now has a curtain of meat! If this produces a good jerky, I will post the recipe. For now, I leave you with meat!!! Can you tell I'm excited?

Can't sleep, yarn will eat me!

2010-03-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

I am so glad the Ravelympics are done! I have not had a peaceful night's sleep in the last two weeks, getting to sleep around 2 am and waking up at 7 am, always having knitting on my mind. What if I use this pattern, or this yarn, or make this mod??? AAAAA!!!!!! MUST KNIT!!!!!

In the end, I finished Hawaii A Goth-O (a present I owed a friend since last january), the Three Leaf Hat, and Loofalike Lace Gloves (which should be my next post), and I frogged some mittens that were knit too open.

Now I can get back to my previously abandoned projects. My Dumber Than Snake Mitts are approaching the thumb, so I'm within 30 rows or so on the second one. My Skew socks are, well, different. I need to frogg the whole first sock and redo it at the gauge of the second. Both had made it to the heel... I cast on My Vampire Boyfriend, like, three times. Did you know they are done in purl stockinette, with cables? It would have been a good idea to notice this before I knit up the first toe, tried to drop the middle stitches, frankenknit the cables on, frog, reknit the toe, this time trying to incorporate the pattern half way in to the increases, noticing the purl part, frogging back, and recasting on. But now I have the whole first motif done, and it rocks! I also have five inches of my Quadrat done, and am thinking of joining a KAL, if and when they settle on a pattern. Flighty, much?

Oh! Nanonukie gave me a gorgeous braid of merino that she dyed herself, in the blue-purple-aqua range. I can't wait to decide what to make with it!!! I was recommended the book The Intentional Spinner, which I should probably get, since I always just dive in to spinning and don't really know what I'm doing. And then have no idea if the end yarn will match up with any projects I want to make.

Ahhh, peaceful and quiet knitting from now on! Or at least until I panic and give myself a deadline for something else!

Oh! And my mom called me this morning to tell me how much she's been loving her Christmas slippers ^_^

[pattern] Hawaii A Goth-O

2010-02-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

This is my second finished entry in the Ravelympics. It is an earmuff/headband with a hawaiian hibiscus flower duplicate stitched over it.

Pattern: Hawaii A Goth-O
Yarn: Naturally Caron-Country in black and claret
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Completed: February 27, 2010

Even rows are all purls.
1. CO 3 sts. Turn.
3. K1, m1, k1, m1, k1. 5 sts.
5. K1, m1, k all but last st, m1, k1.
Repeat rows 5 and 6 until at least 25 sts on needles, or desired width.
Knit about 70 rows in stockinette, or enough to go around head, minus length of increases.
1. Ssk, k all but last two sts, k2tog.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 3 sts left. K3tog.

Cut 6 strands, 16" long. Insert three strands around center st, two rows from tip, and braid. Repeat on other end.

Locate center of band and duplicate stitch motif. At least 6 yards are needed for one flower. There is enough space to place three motifs, preferably rotating image.

[pattern] Three Leaf Hat

2010-02-24T14:30:00.000-08:00

This is a very simple hat that can be modified for slouchiness and size, and knit up in a weekend. I will try to explain the individual stitches, but I will make more emphasis on the logic behind them. Size mods and glossary are at the end.

Yarn: Rio De La Plata wool solid in Carnation

Weight: Aran / 10 ply (8 wpi)

Yardage: 140 yards (128 meters)

Unit weight: 100 grams (3.53 ounces)

Needle: US 8 / 5.0 mm

1. Cast on 80 stitches in the round on 4 DPNs, 20 sts each. (circular needles can also be used)
2. Knit an inch (10 rows) of 2x2 rib.
3. Start chart, 2 chart repeats per needle.

CHART (repeat 8 times):
1. k1, p9. 10 sts
2. fcP, p8. 10 sts
3. p1, fcK, p7. 10 sts
4. p1, k1, fcP, p6. 10 sts
5. p1, k1, p1, fcP, p5. 10 sts
6. p1, k1, p2, p4. 10 sts
begin leaf increases
7. p1, yo, k1, yo, p3, fcK, p3. 12 sts.
8. p1, k3, p3, fcP, p2. 12 sts.
9. p1, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, p3, k1, p1, fcP, p1. 14 sts.
10. p1, k5, p3, k1, p2, fcP. 14 sts.
11. p1, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, (p3, k1) twice. 16 sts.
12. p1, k7, (p3, k1) twice. 16 sts.
13. p1, ssk, k3, k2tog, p3, k1, p3, yo, k1, yo. 16 sts.
14. p1, k5, p3, k1, p3, k3. 16 sts.
15. p1, ssk, k1, k2tog, p3, k1, p3, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1. 16 sts.
16. p1, k3, p3, k1, p3, k5. 16 sts.
17. p1, k3tog, p3, k1, p3, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2. 16 sts.
18. p5, k1, p3, k7. 16 sts.
19. p5, k1, p3, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3. 18 sts.
20. p5, k1, p3, k9. 18 sts.
21. p5, yo, k1, yo, p3, ssk, k5, k2tog. 18 sts.
22. p5, k3, p3, k7. 18 sts.
23. p5, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, p3, ssk, k3, k2tog. 18 sts.
24. p5, k5, p3, k5. 18 sts.
25. p5, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, p3, ssk, k1, k2tog. 18 sts.
26. p5, k7, p3, k3. 18 sts.
27. p5, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, p3, k3tog. 18 sts.
28. p5, k9, p4. 18 sts.
29. p5, k4, yo, k1, yo, k4, p4. 20 sts.
30. p5, k11, p4. 20 sts.
start background decreases
31. p4, k3tog, k7, k2tog, p4. 17 sts.
32. p4, k8, ssk, p3. 16 sts.
33. p3, k3tog, k5, k2tog, p3. 13 sts.
34. p3, k6, ssk, p2. 12 sts.
35. p2, k3tog, k3, k2tog, p2. 9 sts.
36. p2, k4, ssk, p1. 8 sts.
37. p1, k3tog, k1, k2tog, p1. 5 sts.
38. p1, k2, ssk. 4 sts.
39. k3tog. 1 st.
40. p1. 1 st.

p2tog all around until you run out of sts and bind off. (8 sts > 4 sts > 2 sts > 1 st).

GLOSSARY:
Stitches are counted as they approach the tip of the needle.

g		knit
/		purl
j		yo
S	D	fcP
S	G	fcK
\		ssk
\|		k2tog (both from leaf)
d		k2tog (including backround purl)
3		k3tog

fcP: front cable purl. First st is held in front, while second st is purled behind it, then k first st.
fcK: front cable knit. First st is held in front, while second st is knit behind it, then k first st.
ssk: a one st decrease that leaves the first st on top of second st.
k2tog: a one st decrease that leaves the second st on top of first st.
k3tog: a two st decrease that leaves the second st on top, then the third in the middle, and the first on the bottom.
p2tog: purl 2 together.

MODS:
This pattern started off with a three leaf branch from a tree in the last pattern in A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, by Barbara G. Walker. The original pattern had all the leaves the same size (3 increases), which I modified to have 4 and 5 increases on other leaves to make it baggier. If you want a more fitted beanie, skip rows 19-22 in the left leaf, and 29-33 in the center leaf. The same logic can be used to make the hat even baggier.

For smaller sizes, a 10 st repeat can be substituted with the appropriate number of purls, distributed between repeats. Purls can also be added in between repeats to make a bigger hat.

Of AddiTurbos, Wollmeis and Whedon

2010-02-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

or

Go Team Tweasel!

The Ravelympics have started (and the Winter Olympics, for that matter, but I don't have a tv, so I'm quite disconnected) and I have been knitting as if they paid me for it. I put a lot of effort to wait until 9 pm friday to cast on for Skew, mainly because winding up the Wollmeise into a cake took epically long. There are over 500 meters, and my "swift" (aka my roommate) has busted shoulders, so it was quite a site. I've been knitting non stop since I got out of the Wolfman movie (which, btw, STAY AWAY!) wasn't that bad, but was quite far from being good. Especially with that cast!

Saturday was D&D day, and I managed to finish the first foot (50 repeats to get 8.5"). Before that, and most of sunday, I finally watched all 14 episodes of Firefly, and made it to the end of the inner ankle. Now, I know I'm going to lose major Geek Cred for this, but I had never watched more than two full episodes of Firelfy. Actually, I'd tried to watch it with friends "all in order" five separate times, but we never did more than watch the first episode. But I finally watched all of it! And yes, I love Whedon even more.

For those of you who don't know me IRL, Buffy is sacred to me. It came out my senior year of high school, and I refused to have any human interaction while it was on (Ryley can go suck on a socket). I never managed to watch much of Angel while it was on, because it suffered Fox Scheduling Syndrome in Mexico, so I never knew when it was on, but as soon as they came out, I bought the Box Sets and have watched them marathonically a few times. I have also watched Dr. Horrible a few times (a friend gifted it to me for my birthday a year and a half ago) and hold it dear to my heart. Dollhouse took me 6 episodes to get in to it, but once that sixth episode hit, damn, I was a believer. (I also admit I haven't seen the second season, also because I don't have a tv, and the first one was when I was dating a guy who did, and forced him to watch it with me). So after this 13 year love affair with Whedon (I don't count Rosanne because I didn't associate the show with him until a few years ago), no one could have been more disappointed with me and my lack of Firefly watching. But now that I have watched it, I hate myself. I opened up Pandora's box, bit into the apple. Now I know what I was missing, and what I will never have again. Fuck you , Fox.

So yeah, knitting. I'm doing it. I can't believe how much I have progressed on that damned sock, on #1's, none the less! I am kind of disturbed, though. I bought two AddiTurbo circs on friday; 24" and 42". I bought two different lengths because they were the only two available, and was hoping to exchange the long one for a short one once they got them back in stock, since the long one keeps on knotting up. But I flipped the circ around, and I'm noticing that my trailing needle now catches on the edge. This is bad. Does anybody know if this is something that is under warranty? I mean, I've only had them for a weekend... Other than that, they knit like a dream. The yarn just glides on them, and they are nice and pointy, without being sharp. The Wollmeise, on the other hand, has me a bit on the fence. Yes, it's a nice yarn, in gorgeous colors, but the plies don't have much cohesion between them, and it is very easy to split them if you aren't looking at it directly while knitting. I wouldn't be surprised if it's like knitting with embroidery floss.

I got it!!!

2010-02-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

So while everybody was being drowned by the Snowpocalypse this weekend, I was fretting as to what to make with my wonderful new Wollmeis that came in the mail on friday.

The colors are gorgeous! Limone was exactly what I expected, but Terra was a lot truer to the name then the picture I'd seen. Which is good for the yarn, but bad for the shawl I wanted to make with both of them. Oh well, back to the pattern archives!

The yarn is quite thin, as sock yarn is want to be, and very intimidating. I want to make something lacy, and really want to actually design it, but I get lost looking at books and charts and am way too scared to ever commit to anything.

Oh! I managed to reap one of the benefits of having a programmer for a roommate. He fixed my blog! It is now the red I wanted, and wide enough to fit two pictures side by side ^_^
Maybe someday I can get the text justified :/

[FO] Evergreen neck triangle

2010-02-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Evergreen, by Kristin LeMoine
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in 27009 (lavender)
Needles: US 6 / 4.0 mm
Completed: January 28, 2010
Notions: five wire wrapped amethyst beads, chained together, to be used as a scarf pin

The main reason Fer and I met up in NYC, was because our other friend, Pili, has been working at Disneyworld this year and came up to see the snow. It's funny that the Snowpocalypse hit this same weekend, but only a few flurries actually made it that far northeast.

So, in my undying NEED to knit people gifts, I played hooky that thursday and knit her a neck scarf triangle thing in about 12 hours, with a total of 6 pattern repeats, and had a whole 6" left over after binding off! And, holy shit, I even blocked it! Which was completely pointless, because it was silk and had no memory. But I felt like a Big Girl ^_^

It was so odd, yet nice to work with the silk, and the pattern was very easy and intuitive, and can be scaled to desired dimensions. I didn't like the 3st garter border, but that can easily be changed for future iterations.

[FO] Low Cal

2010-02-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Pattern: calorimetry, minus half the rows
Yarn: my handspun Merino in Mustard and Raspberry, purchased at Pennsic 2008, poorly fractal plied, about sport weight
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Completed: January 31, 2010
Notions: 2 1" buttons

I met up with my bestest friend from high school this weekend in NYC, and found the NEED to make her something. It was originally going to be made out of a (now I know is absolutely nasty) pink wool yarn I bought, but thought to ask what her favorite color was before making it. She said yellow. Well, I know half of what she owns is pink, and I didn't have any yellow yarn, but I did have roving in mustard and raspberry colors that I had bought a year and a half ago, that should probably get some use out of, so I spun some up.

My original idea was to fractal ply it (your first ply is half of your color A roving, and then half of your color B, and your second ply is the first 1/4 A, then 1/4 B, then 1/8 A, 1/8 B, 1/16 A, 1/16 B... etc. until you are sick of splitting your leftover roving in half), but DEX was my throwaway stat, and must have botched my skill: craft roll, that my two plies were different lengths and the thickness got progressively more consistent (but very much not at first).

I ended up with about 50 yards of yarn, that knit up nice and quick into a Calorimetry. I only did the first 12 rows before turning back, managing to make it about 3" wide. It also works as a neck warmer. And I think that what Fer liked the most was the button I used >.<

I also need to learn how to better instruct my roommate in taking pictures of my FO's, not me.

Pozole!

2010-02-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup, commonly consisting of a pig-head and dried red pepper stock. It stains like a mofo, but is ever so good!

***WARNING***

At the bottom of this post I will be including pictures of the pig head. And my crazy friends posing with it.

The recipe itself was quite simple. You simmer 20 chiles for a while, blend them up, and pour into a 5 gal stock pot with a couple of onions and garlic and herbs, and a 15 lb head. Simmer for several hours, remove meat from head, remove fat from meat, and serve meat and stock with hominy, radish slices, minced onion and tostadas.

As with many great soups, it tasted decent on Saturday, but I can't wait for it to sit a couple of days and let the flavor mature!

Now for the adventure. There is always an adventure when I cook.

After a couple of hours of cleaning off the meat, we were finally ready to serve ourselves and eat, when my roommate dropped the can of hominy into a gallon sized bowl of the bright red soup. Did I mention it had 20 dried red peppers blended into it? Does anybody have any clue how potently peppers can dye things? Do you know how much fat is in a pig's head? Yeah, all over the kitchen. And my friend Cassie. It was like Carrie's prom scene. And judging by the look on Cassie's face, we were thisclose to being incinerated. Luckily I managed to clean it off with Dawn soap while she showered. And even though we put a lot of effort into cleaning the kitchen, it is still greasy. That's going to be our project tonight after work >.<
Wilbur.

The perk of working in a chem lab is that I have gloves for devaining the peppers!

After a few hours simmering with the peppers. I think his ear was getting chapped.

Wrestling the head out of the pot was such an ordeal! Bastard was slippery like a wet pig!

Getting down and dirty taking off the meat.

After fondling a pig head for an hour, it kind of loses its mystery, and turns into a fun prop!

Because we needed to take a break from playing D&D.

The first time I have ever been thankful for synthetic fabric!

The next day, all the gelatin in the soup made it very jiggly ^_^

To Wollmeise or Not To Wollmeise?

2010-01-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

I managed to snag three skeins of the ever allusive WM last night from a destashing raveler. The colors are

Limone

Terra di Siena

Tiefer See WD

Now, my funding is most probably running out at the end of this semester, so I've told myself I'm not allowed to buy any more yarn until I have a Big Girl Job. But it's WM, and everybody says it's made of fairy pubes. Now someone is offering me

Wilder Mohn

and/or a Dunkle Kirsch

Can I afford another $76 for yarn? I ever so looooove red, which is what I originally was trying to get from the first destasher. Imagine what a gorgeous shawl I could make with limone, terra and wilder (and hope the last two aren't too similar)!

A change will do you good

2010-01-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

What, me, procrastinate from writing my thesis? Never! At least I procrastinate from going to the gym by actually writing my thesis :/

I'm torn with the look of my blog, not that this is that important. I'd like to do something simple, a shade off white, with burgundy or dark red side bars, or something that makes the blog mainly red, without getting in the way and making it look cramped. Does anybody know of other places to find free templates?

Other things I did today, instead of writing, have involved going to four different places in town to get an estimate for some minor body work, getting my car inspected, changing the address on my registration, and renewing it. And cleaning out my email and catching up on webcomics, blogs, ravelry, and livejournal. I haven't done facebook yet... hmmm...

Yesterday I had a minor snafu signing up for the Ravelimpics, somehow thinking it was going on this month, and was sorely disappointed that the mitts I finished this weekend and the new ones I started aren't going to count. I have to think of something else to make. Maybe socks. I've made socks for other people, but I have yet to finish a pair for me...

---

I finished reading the first book in the Dresden Series, Storm Front, a couple of nights ago. It was a fun book! The guy used a few too many words describing everything, but at least he wasn't as bad at it as Tolkien! I liked it all in all, and am planning to read the rest of the series, intermixed with the True Blood books. I like fantsy, if you haven't noticed! I should probably open up Word before I start describing my D&D characters or something. And this thing thinks my emoticons are html...

[FO] Sourwood Mountain Fingerless Mitts

2010-01-18T06:16:00.000-08:00

SOURWOOD MOUNTAIN, by Erika Jackofsky
Knitty, Spring 2009

These gloves were such a brain sore! I mean, the pattern is technically written correctly, but I want to stab the editor IN THE EYE! I hate printing things out, so I tried following it on my computer at first. Yeah, not gonna happen. No part of the process can be done with only one screen/page. The pattern starts off with four pages of charts, both drawn and written out, which are useful... but... Then you go into three pages of directions, which are divided for the cuff and the hand (makes sense) and contain a hodgepodge of individual lines for each of the three sizes. And instead of telling you (k1, p1, k16, p1, k1), it tells you (k1, p1, k to last 2 sts, p1, k1) which, yes, can be interpreted, but is unnecessary, since you work 20 sts no matter what size.

My main peeve was reaching the hand, which is done on three sock needles, one for the pattern, one for the thumb, and one for the palm. You are given ten lines on how to work the first part of the hand, that alternate Work in Pattern As Set, and Work As In Round 4. They are mostly just stockinette and a couple of increases, and a direction to go to pg 3 and follow the Hand Pattern for only one of the needles.

Yes, the pattern isn't written in with the instructions, and you constantly have to flip back to it. This gets a lot more complicated once you start creating the thumb gusset and have to keep straight which non-commital line in the paragraph you are currently on. There are a couple of numbers wrong in the final counts towards the end, but they are noted in the errata. As far as binding off, I need to find something that doesn't leave a one row step at the end.

Limbo Color by Schoeller+Stahl

DK / 8 ply (11 wpi)
135 yards (123 meters)
50 grams (1.76 ounces)
100% Wool, 3 ply

Now for pictures!

You can't quite tell in the pictures, but in the first picture, the top cuff was done on sz#3 as per pattern, and the lower one on #5, like the rest of the mitt. The cuff was very uncomfortable and tight, even in the L. I was on the first row of the final ribbing when I frogged them. You can't tell in the pictures either, but on the leaf motif I switched ssks and k2togs and the leafs look cleaner and pop out more.

The pattern doesn't really specify where to pick up stitches on the cuff for the hand, other than "along upper edge", so I took this picture to show people I picked them up between the p1 and k1 rows along the edge.

The thumb was really what made me redo them. I couldn't stand how the M1L, M1R on the same stitch made it gape like an ass hole, so I changed it for a KFB on the two stitches that are kept between the markers.

The vagina of the thumb also was stretched and deformed, so instead of BO20, I only BO the 18 stitches in the middle of the thumb, and when I was asked to M2 on the next round, I took the two stitches that were left on the sides of the thumb, used them as one stitch (k2tog), and KFB on them (k2togFB?). This doesn't change the count of the stitches, and it allows for a heartier foundation stitch that won't pull to the sides.

I'm guessing it was my mistake in my binding off that I didn't know how to blend in the last row, but by this time, I was just so happy to get rid of the needles that I didn't care. I managed to pull off seven or eight rows of ribbing before running out of yarn, and had less than a foot left over ^_^

And I used pretty buttons! La Mode 26269, 1/2". They had them in 5/8", but only in the silvery color, and I really needed copper for this yarn. I anchored the chain for the loops on the top corner, ch4, skipped 4 sts, did 2 half crochet sts, and repeated three more times until the hand edge, and used the tail to reinforce the joint of everything.

---

Above all, I am really glad I finished these. I really like the yarn (and will never frog 100% wool again!) and its gradual color changes. I hope that next time I want to follow a pattern from Knitty, it will be written in a more intuitive manor. If not, copy/paste will be my friend!

[pattern] Matt's Uggly Mettal Hatt

2010-01-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it looked a lot cooler in my head :/
This hat is knit in a rectangle and sewn up the sides. I used Caron Country Yarn in red and black, and size 11 needles.

PATTERN
Cast on 39 stitches in RED.
Knit in stockinette 40 rows.
Knit two rows in BLACK in garter stitch.
Knit two rows in RED in garter stitch.
Knit 20 rows in BLACK in stockinette.
Knit 4 rows with pattern.
Knit 16 rows in BLACK stockinette.
Cast off.
Fold wrong sides together and sew up sides; add pompoms.

The chart for the \mmmm/ is as follows:

[pattern] Mom's Thrummed House Slippers

2010-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

These things are so cozy! The slippers knit up in a few hours on Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Oatmeal with size 11 needles, and then a few more hours to thrum them with alpaca fiber with a crochet hook. Probably 4/5 of the skein was used. And I really should have written this up a month ago when I still had everything fresh in my head :/

PATTERN
This is a modified toe up sock with a figure 8 cast on. Increases are every row instead of every other row. Work is done in spirals. The leaf pattern is the same one used for my Lacey Leaf socks, taken upside down, and only once across.
1) Cast on 8 sts on two DPN needles in figure 8. Knit first row all around, splitting on to 4 DPNs.
2) K1, m1, k6, m1, k2, m1, k6, m1, k1. 20 sts around.
3) K1, m1, k8, m1, k2, m1, k8, m1, k1. 24 sts around.
4) K1, m1, k10, m1, k2, m1, k10, m1, k1. 28 sts around.
5) K1, m1, k12, m1, k2, m1, k12, m1, k1. 32 sts around.
Here is where the patterning starts. For the lace pattern, you will pattern every odd row and k every even row.
6) K32
7) K5, yo, ssk, p1, k2tog, yo, k6. 16 sts.
9) K4, yo, k1, ssk, p1, k2tog, k1, yo, k5.
11) K3, yo, k2, ssk, p1, k2tog, k2, yo, k4.
13) K2, yo, k3, ssk, p1, k2tog, k3, yo, k3.
15) K2, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, ssk, k3.
17) K2, k2tog, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, ssk, k3.
19) K2, k2tog, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, ssk, k3.
21) K2, k2tog, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, k3.
22-29) repeat first half of pattern from row 6.
Insert a short row heel on side opposite of pattern.
30-37) repeat second half of pattern (rows 14-21).
Knit in spiral to desired height (about four rows) and make an EZ super stretchy bind off.

Thrumming is inserted down center of pattern, and along footbed, moving diagonally two rows and two stitches for next point.
---
My sister's house slippers, in brown, were done on size 10 needles and without thrumming or lace pattern. Five more rows were added to the footbed (35 total) to compensate for a smaller gauge.

Happy No Longer Holiday Season!

2010-01-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

I am so happy that I managed to finish everything for my family! I still have several gifts for friends on the needles, but meh, I'm spreading the Holiday Cheer ^_^

Just in december, I managed to make the thrummed slippers for my mom, regular house slippers for my sister, fingerless mitts for her husband and two kids, and Snoopy Pilot Scarfs for Rudy and Chris (k1, p1 in 50/50 silk/wool; quite yummy!). Individual patterns to come shortly.

For me, Jessie got me some wonderful alpaca to spin, and Erin got me some Manos, which I'm dying to make into gauntlets and a hat! Erin, and her fiance Drew, are now the proud owners of my Leaf and Steelers socks (and a howling monkey that loves Pittsburgh), and Jessie's husband Matt now owns a Funny Metal Hat. Her belly dancing gear has gotten much better tips and is currently being produced in my basement...

I made a Chunky Button-Up Cowl for my boss, and I am ALMOST FUCKING DONE with my orange headwarmer thing. I can't believe how busy I've been for the past couple of months! In store for me now, I should be making a Quadrat in a KAL with nanonukie and a bitterroot shawl just because. I bought some skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Silk, and hope it will be enough!

Oh, and I also knit a horrible cabled scarf for my roommate's father's new wife.

[review] Books and Movies and crap

2009-12-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've been very active. Not only in crafts, but also in reading and movies. Here's a quick summary of everything.

Knit One, Kill Two
rofl. This is the first in a series of mysteries that take place in a knitting store, or around it's patrons/owners. This first book was a good way to blank out on the world. Easy read, I'm curious how the New Found Love at the end evolves throughout the rest of the books.

Dead Till Dark
First of the Sookie Stackhouse books, on which True Blood is based.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It keeps with your typical Anne Rice cannon of vampires (no glittery shit here) and respects tradition. The beginning was a little too simple, where the main character just can't help falling for the new vampire in town, but the interactions and plot throughout the rest of the book are very entertaining. There's a guest character at the end that is just fucking hilarious! It just kept on getting better and better, and there were times towards the end where I couldn't help laughing for five minutes straight. The best thing is that it seems like it was intentional.

Whip It
This was Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, based on a memoir of the Texas Roller Derby in the 80's. If they hadn't used a cell phone, I would have sworn it was set in the 80's. There were so many hipster kids in it (including the chick from Juno) that one more guy in girl's pants would have made it painful. Luckily, it all managed to blend together and disperse. I loved the story, I loved the bouts, the music was incredible, and the cast was surprisingly tolerable. A very good experience all in all.

Julie & Julia
This movie made me have to make room on my altar next to Martha Stewart in order to also fit Julia Child. Holy crap, this woman was amazing! She just decided that she was going to take classes at Le Cordon Bleu with the Big Boys, just because she was bored of being a house wife! I hope my love for her super duper cooking prowess isn't just due to my love of Merril Streep who played her. I now want to find her memoir, cookbook and tapes of her show, because I really, really want to cook like her!

Zombieland
I saw this for the second time, and it is still a great movie. It is a wonderful movie where all you have to do is laugh and enjoy. It has a great soundtrack, simple yet effective plot and cast. And Bill Murray ^_^

ThanksKilling!
Gobble Gobble, Motherfucker! hahahahahahahahah. Dude, DUDE! You have GOT to find this movie on Netflix on Demand! It is a horror/slasher movie that prides itself on its minimal $4000 budget. It's a spirit that is pissed off at the pilgrims, that reincarnates 505 years later in the form of a turkey (puppet) that is out to kill the descendants of the pilgrims. It is bad, and they know it, and embrace it, and make it absolutely awesome!

[recipe] Seltzer Cupcakes with Strawberries

2009-12-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Last year a friend made this recipe for rainbow cake, which I have tried in many incarnations. One of my main gripes was the use of artificial sweetener in the Diet Sprite, so I decided to use seltzer instead.

INGREDIENTS
1 box cake mix - devil's food cake
12 oz (1 355 ml can) plain seltzer
24 small strawberries for decoration (these were a bad idea, next time will try dehydrated)

The important part here is that the seltzer replaces ALL of the additional ingredients, so you don't use oil, water, butter or eggs. As far as I've read, any carbonated beverage can be used. This drops the calories from about 220 to 160 for two cupcakes.

Mix, pour into molds, and follow the baking instructions on the box. Some people on the internet have mentioned that this cake is a bit crumbly (mine haven't been) and recommend adding an egg or egg white.

I decided to put a strawberry on each cupcake, and I would now like to advise people against this. They were very good right out of the oven, but after a couple of hours, the strawberries started to melt, leaving these tiny bunt cakes with strawberry mush in the middle. Future incarnations might include dehydrated strawberries instead of fresh, or chopping them up and tossing them into the batter.