04.25.08
Posted in travel at 8:47 pm by wendy
jiggety-jig, Libélula’s a bossy little pig!
Seattle was fun! Vancouver was fun! (but brief. I got homesick. not sure when I became that girl, but there ya go)
I’ve got some pictures up on a flickr set entitled, oh so creatively “Seattle.” Looking through it, I could have called it “Things Which Look Like Genitals and Some Canadians.”
We hit the Space Needle, the Underground Tour, and the Aquarium. We ate, we drank, we browsed shops which catered to a small but apparently well-heeled market, we slept, I forgot stuff pretty much everywhere I went, Ande made out with a bitch of a yarn store employee, we walked a lot, and then we drove north to Canada!
Canada was everything I dreamed and more.
I did learn though, that while Canadians may be famous for politeness and cute police, they are as big a bunch of dorks in traffic as any southern Californian/ San Franciscan. At least, that was my experience in Vancouver on the 99 during the lunch rush hour. Hey Canada! Y’all need more left turn lanes and signals, apparently, because one lane of traffic gets stopped dead while they wait to turn and the other lane goes whizzing by…and even when stopped or slowing down for a light you can’t get over to the active lane because
a) no one will let you in
b) you can’t see far enough back to judge a traffic gap to safely get over because there’s an old lady in a giant SUV on your @ss. I spent about fifteen minutes sitting on the 99 at Prince Edward Ave. Maybe three cars got to turn left, against the light. It felt like being in L.A., especially since the only reason I’m not still sitting there is ‘cuz I gave up the courteous safe driving thing and drove like I was in T.J. (i.e. crank the wheel, hit the gas, and put your fate in the hands of the Blesséd Virgin) like everybody else.
Also, Canada, what’s with the randomly flashing lights? I get that the flashing yellow let’s you know it is going to turn red, but some of the lights started solid green, then flashed. Some started flashing, then turned solid, and some were solid all the time. It’s a little weird.
It was a long drive home because of the Vancouver traffic and then Seattle traffic, but I broke it up by checking out the Weaving Works on my way. Awesome shop. Raw fleece, prepared top, local yarns, huge selection of books, nice range of classes. That and Stitch were my favorites. Stitch had a great class list for sewing and knitting a great selection of ribbons and zippers and fabrics.
I look forward to going back after I’ve burned through a lot more of my fiber and fabric stash…
As far as creative stuff since I’ve come home, not much. I’m tagging and bagging for a craft fair tomorrow. Shouldn’t be too busy, but it’ll be good practice.
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04.19.08
Posted in travel, woohoo! at 10:38 pm by wendy
I’ll be heading up to Seattle at the crack of the a.m., barring any weather conditions, so if you need me, call the cell. 
I’ve never been to Seattle before; I’ll be meeting Ande and Terri on Monday and we’ll be checking out the sights and local yarn shops, then up to Vancouver! As far as I know, I’ve also never been in Canada before, so this is all going to be one big adventure.
But I won’t be back until the 24th, and I’m going no e-mail (or going to try to) so…really, if it’s important, call the cell.
In other news, I still suck at sewing. And I’ve discovered that it is possible here to walk into the emergency room, receive treatment, be discharged, get a prescription from the Rite Aid and be back home all within one hour. I also had to go to the DMV a couple weeks ago and was out the door again within maybe five minutes. Hooray for Yreka!
I love it here.
I also finally got a drum carder; a Louet Jr. which will be part of the rental equipment retinue. I’ve only made one batt so far, but it was fun and very random. More pictures and info if you click the pic.
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04.13.08
Posted in knitting at 9:28 pm by wendy
Last month I finally finished the Bubble Pullover (Ravelry link) from Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan.
I used roughly 7.5 balls of Superwash Cascade 220, and as I am a loose knitter, went down a needle size from the recommended to get gauge.
Because the pentagons, the shape, the color create a very tortoise-y shape, I used pewter tortoise buttons I bought from Lori’s Frames Fibers & Frills in Alpine, CA.
I guess this is really a snapping turtle, even more apropos for me, but the backward flippers kind of freak me out. And make getting ‘em through the buttonholes a bit of a bugger.
This was a super easy project and I can absolutely recommend it for a new knitter who’s not afraid to pick up new skills. You basically knit the same pentagon over and over, knitting from the outside in (so you’ll definitely know how to use circs and dpns at the end, see the difference of a right and left leaning decrease) and pick up stitches along the last one to knit the next one and cast on some new stitches to join in the round. The construction is lovely, and if you knit the sleeves in the round as well, the only finishing you have to do is sewing the sleeves to the body. Then comes the tedious ribbing. Bleh. Everything else went fast with this but the ribbing was dull and I kept wandering off to do other things.
I love this sweater though; it turned out so comfy and warm, and while I’ve already made it all pilly and covered in dog hair, I wear it all the time when it’s cool enough.
When the collar is unfolded, I can cover up to my eyes. I feel very awesomely Yertle.
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04.09.08
Posted in love, sewing at 12:08 pm by wendy
This is the fabric I bought yesterday that I told you about–a very, very Seventies Spree.
The smokey blue at the top is cotton canvas (and pretty thin) and the rest are quilting cottons. I got three yards of each thinking I’d do the pintucked table runner and matching placemats with the the blue canvas on the top and the orange swirly as the backing, with orange rayon thread as the contrasting thread…but I think I was thinking the canvas was more blue than it is. I’m not sure they’ll work together.
So I might try to do a wrap dress a lá Bottega Veneta:
(picture taken by digital camera off a computer screen, how lowtech lame am I?)
I have to admit I’d never heard of him before I saw the ad on the back of the March 10, 2008 New Yorker, and I just fell in love with the dress there. Unfortunately, there’s no good pics online, maybe I’ll scan the ad in. Anyway, the wrap-type looking dress looks like a less challenging place to start. But I guess all those woven leather vinyl and leather bags and wallets and belts and such are his fault. (and best sellers) I think they remind me of those chairs you had in Scottsdale, with the woven Mexican leather backs and seats that were that terra cotta pinky color. Am I remembering them right?
Anyway, at least I’ve got enough fabric to make a few attempts at the dress, we’ll see. 
And I have no idea why I bought three yards of that flowery fabric, holy cow, I think a little of that will go a long way in something. I no longer know what I was envisioning when I picked that up and put it on the cutting table. Crazy person.
Well, I’ll post pictures when I’ve actually done something with them.
I hope you have a great birthday and know that I love you and miss you Grammy!
(Libélula sends her love, Crivens is whining and Tahoe has no idea what the heck is going on, so business as usual up here…give Nick a big hug from me when you see him, the depo was a lame waste of time and state money.)
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04.04.08
Posted in d'oh, knitting at 9:05 pm by wendy
This is what happens when you write a post that says “knitting is so easy and simple blah blah.” The gods of carelessness and blithe misjudgement rise up and smite yo’ ass.
D’oh.
Sigh.
One advantage sewing has is that it is so quick (perhaps if I had paused and used my brain instead of grabbing an idle passing fancy of misguided impulse I would not have sewed my teabag shut) that a mistake can be made, realised and remedied in the space of minutes.
I would be embarrassed to admit how long this took me before I thought, “uh, hey!”
In mitigating circumstances I am retraining my knitting style to be the two stranded knitting norwegian purl and english style instead of my incredibly inefficient (but fast, still pretty fast) throwing style. So that was all good practice I guess, and I’ll get faster and faster. (I hope.)
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04.03.08
Posted in sewing at 6:17 pm by wendy
Originally uploaded by tortadetortuga
(well and just generally sewing too, although I think we are all agreed that sewing is mostly ironing)
I finished something! Actually a bit ago, and finished a sweater as well, but I didn’t want to scare people into thinking the Endtimes are nigh what with all that finishing which I never do and I am a lazy, lazy blogger.
I’m not entirely happy with it, but Nick likes it and it was a good learning exercise.
Lots of pictures in the flickr set, if’n you want to see ‘em just click the piccie.
And a big thank you to everyone who clicked through and voted for my cousin’s band! They won and got to open for Fergie at the Tempe Music Festival, so that was an awesome experience for them and thank you for helping get them there!
Next time, an actual knitting post.
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