Crafter's guilt

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!

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...

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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 ^_^

[swap] Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog

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

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.

[swap] Look what I got!

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!

I love you alot!

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 ^_^

I wanna be a rollergirl :(

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!

Of AddiTurbos, Wollmeis and Whedon

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.