every-single-day

Hermione Progress

This hat is very difficult to photograph.
I bet I finish this today, I have twenty rows to go. The bawbles (a.k.a bobbles- bobbles are shiney and sparkly and make a project more fun, so shouldn't they be called bawbles?) were very easy to figure out; at first I was making it more difficult than it needed to be, then it snapped into place. Bawbles are fun!
This project is all about making knitting fun and unstressful for me.
A few rows into it, I made a mistake and didn't realize it until I had knit an additional 4 rows. So, I knit over to that area and one at a time dropped those stitches down and picked them back up correctly. I didn't have a nervous breakdown, the hat is no worse for the wear and I feel accomplishment in my knitting skills.
Horray!

small updates

I have begun knitting the Hermione Hat. It is going well. I begin cabeling section tonight I have about 4 inches of ribbing complete. I did it in the Ruby colorway that is suggested (I need authenticity) and It matches my new winter coat really well.
Seeing as I love the colors Red and Purple together, I may need to knit a purple scarf really soon.
No photos because photos of ribbing are boring. When I get tp a place that looks exciting I will post a photo.

My Man and I will be going to Tucson, Arizona soon! We hope to check out this observatory. Excitement!

I will be taking an Improvisational Screen Printing class taught by my hero: Jane Dunnewold this coming June.

I plan to improve my skills in this direction. As it stands I am set up to be able to screen print, but am having difficulty burning my screens. I no longer have, nor use a Gocco printer (the above textile was done using one).
Jane has been an incredible inspiration. I devour her books on a regular basis. When I need to I carry them around, reading and re-reading the sections I am interested in.
I tried to take her class at ProChem last year, but her classes fill quickly.

And She Cooks Too...

Made it myself, ate it all too!
Garlic, olives, capers, hot pepper, salt, canelli beans, broccoli, spinach and shrimp over linguini. Need I say more?
Thanks for teaching me to cook Mom and Dad!
Only wish I had my Mom's bread baking prowess.

Finishing Stuff Up

Today, I want to start knitting again.
I have decided that a small project will get me back into the swing of things, so I decided to knit a Hermione Hat.
Some of you may remember my gauge debacle waaaay back in May. I quietly put the project on hold and told myself that I am not really a knitter, BUT I am addicted to knitting blogs and that conclusion doesn't sit well. And I see pretty things... and I am a Harry Potter junkie... and when my mind hears 'can't' it throws a tantrum.
In lieu of finishing easy-back-burner-type projects before starting new, better and shinier projects, I finished a mobius scarf... knit flat and sewn into the Mobius strip:

No, that is not snow. It looks like snow and it makes me appear chilly, so the photo has been deemed good!

And I know I said the Beast was finished in an earlier post: I lied. It needed its thread ends tied and snipped, so I did that today.
Nicky asked for a close up, so here is one...

and here is another: Click!.
The Beast is now on our bed and ready to sleep under.

And just because I am in love with the damned things, I teamed up with a workmate- employed my man to go get them and supplied one of my bosses with a boat load of CUPCAKES...

I get visceral pleasure just from looking at them.

What We Retreat To: Part 2

Part 1 occured in the spring.

Once again we have had a successful retreat! We gathered in a different building on the Incarnation Center grounds. 7 out of 10 of us were able to come this time around.
In the above photo, from left to right is Elizabeth, Brienne, Judy and Dana.

In this photo, from left to right is Joanna (our illustrious healer) and Pat. The information Pat stores in her mind astounds me.
We all worked on our own work, we were again served fabulous food, and I couldn't be happier.

This is what I worked on. Nowhere near finished, but one hell of a start.

And here is a photo of me in front of the completed Beast.

Rest and Relaxation!

It is now time to put aside the dang election and Heal Myself!

I am about to pack up and go on retreat! I love retreats!
I will be working on:

creating a beaded mosiac frame for this image of Tara.

Above you see some of the supplies I have gathered, two one pound bags of beads in purples and browns, two strands of tear drop glass beads in yellow and brown, two squeeze bottles of thick crafters glue, a bag of rocks for aquariums and a new box to store beads in.
Inspired by Betsy Younguist, I have begun a series of quilt art pieces with beaded mosaic frames. I have not yet put this work on my website, so I am unable to show you what my work looks like.
When looking at the above image and the plywood frame I have built, think mandala-

Nicky Perryman is a new reader of my blog and I am quite impressed by her work. Please check it out.
In other news:
I got my new computer!
Arrow does not have a HyperThyroid condition! My baby is a healthy 15.02 lb little man cat.

George-

Today, I am a disappointed woman. I have not voted for you and I do not like you.
You say you would like to gain my trust.

Here are a few ideas:
Begin telling the truth.
Admit your wrongs and celebrate your rights.
Respect my female bank account, fight for equal wages.
Respect my uterus, my body is my own, not to be harvested like a field of wheat.
Marriage is not a privilege of the straight, Love is a god(dess) given right to every person on this planet. Everyone who has the commitment and courage to spend the rest of their lives caring for and loving another person, raising children-if they so choose, should be given the right to legal marriage and it's societal benefit.
Stop bullying those you don't agree with.
Seek solutions to problems and stop reacting to the effects.
Create a plan to obtain peace and leave Iraq.
Gain respect for the planet, its ecosystems and environments. The Earth is not an opportunity to make money, it is a living, fragile and beautiful being.

This is the list I could immediately think of, today, while I am mourning your continued employment.

Ten reasons NOT to move to Canada.

Visualize John Kerry WINNING