From Me to Ewe, Manditory Knitcation. No, in a bad way.
March 12th, 2011 § 4 Comments
So I have been working like a mad-lady trying to get these two dressed designed, patterned, sewn and photographed to submit for a competition, and while I finished one, the second one, I realized only at the very last moment, just wasn’t meant to be. With the production rush I have been very, very bad about not posting, but what can I say.
Last weekend, Ramon and I traveled up to my mom’s house to hang out. So funny and so cute, my mom had called a few days before we arrived stating that, “Since you are having so much fun with your yarn, I want to try to take up crochet, again. Can you give me a lesson.” Happy to oblige and after a trip to Walmart to buy cheap, big yarn, and big crocheting needles, she is now off and running, able to 1. identify mistakes and more importantly 2. go back and fix them.
Also on our little northern voyage, we took a 22 mile drive out to see Lamborghini. And while, sadly for us, it was raining, Lambo didn’t let that stop her from a Triscut feast. With sheering time only weeks away, I tried to make good friends with Lambo, as I will be super lucky to acquire her goods after the woolly event, which I will hopefully be able to watch, and maybe even participate it.
Now to the bad news.
I have been working on this sweater that I love, the cover sweater from Precious by Kim Hargreaves
This was all fine and good, as I was able to sew, until a few nights ago, when I had a very bad muscle spasm in my neck.
Basically unable to move my neck at all, it took 5 hours yesterday to get to the art store to buy illustration board to mount the pictures I had already taken of my sewing competition entries, get the pictures mounted to the board (a task I have done hundreds, if not thousands of times), and get it down to FedEx. I already had all of the forms filled out, pictures touched-up and printed, but FIVE HOURS!!! This was followed by a two hour nap, then a margarita, then sleep. Ugh.
Today my neck is still very stiff, but since I can’t knit, I feel like a bump on a log, and totally worthless. With nothing else left to turn to, I have started to crochet the Broomstick and Lace hat
So now slowly I go, trying to get back to normal, whatever that is.
Snuggly, until it gets prickly (or, well, itchy), just like Frannie. Day 128.
January 5th, 2011 § 1 Comment
I went to the library this afternoon to do some research for a project. Wait let me re-phrase. I went to the library today to *try* to do some research for a project. I love the library, I do, but they did not have one single book in the entire system—not just the branch I was in—on the topic I am trying to research. How? Why? Does not compute.
Feeling a little down, I returned home, and finished the second Taylor Swift hat, which I had started this morning. The red one was a “large” and this blue one is a “small.” I found a few (4) errors in the pattern, so now both the pdf, blog and ravelry.com page are all updated. I hope this hasn’t lead to any frustration, unlike my trip to the biblioteca. Lame.
I have also learned that I need to take picture in the morning in the mirror, not at night, as I look like the ice queen.
Knitting the hat for the second time took SURPRISINGLY less time than the first. Big needles, big yarn = 1 day project. Who knew? The first time around it took a week, but there was a lot of figuring out to do. I wore it out when we went to the Mexican place for dinner, and it is super snuggly, but I actually prefer the red wool hat, which is Superwash Wool, and not itchy, as opposed to the Mirasol Sulka which is 60% Merino Wool, 20% Alpaca & 20% Silk. Even though it feels like my mom’s kitten, Frantic Frannie, it actually got a bit itchy by the end of dinner. Not what I expected.
Working the smaller size went well though, and I think that it is a bit better size for me than the large. I have a small yead, but my brains are mighty—granted not as mighty as my Mensa sister, but, you know.
Despite the library’s terrible shortcomings today, I did fine a book about Audrey Hepburn in the “bestsellers” section, that I am going to try to give a go. I still have Ramon’s sweater to finish, but I have a bunch of calculations to do for the pattern for the sleeve, and I am just not sure that tonight is the night.
SoCal Cannonball Run. Day 108.
December 15th, 2010 § 3 Comments
There were a few who took my fabric lust a little too lightheartedly, clearly not seeing the depth and gravity of the problem. However, one of you, my friend Jenson, got it, and offered a trip down to LA, as he had a press product launch to attend on the afternoon of December 14th, in Irvine.
Having made a number of glutten free sandwiches, acquired a case of water, apples and two bags of kettle chips, Jenson and I were in the car and driving by 6 am yesterday. My lead-foot worked to our advantage so that even with 4 bathroom stops—I drank a lot of coffee, then a lot of water—we pulled into Mood Fabric’s Beverly Hills parking lot at a squeak after 11.
Oh great holy ground. I found you.
There they were, hanging from the ceiling. The store owner was there, and quickly pointed me in the direction of the McQueen silk charmeuse bolts. Amazingly beautiful, bold, intricate and, well, striking, I slowly pulled the price tag out of the round bolt. Expecting the DVF silk prices that I’d previously witnessed at Britex of $350 + a yard, I almost fell over when I read $50/yard. Pinch me, I must be dreaming.
They had very little McQueen left, but I did find another digitally printed silk charmeuse animal print that I felt like I couldn’t live without. Wondering through the isles, Mood has more selection than any fabric store I have ever been to before, even despite it’s small size. Upon discovering the Wool Wall, I almost peed my pants. Want pinstriped wool? Well, name the color of the wool, color of the pinstripe, thickness of the pinstripe, width between the pinstripes, and they have it, and here is the best yard, it’s just about all between $18–25/yard. Wait, what?? Really? You can’t even buy a wool remnant at Britex for less than $100/yard. And it just goes on, and on, and on …
Wall-o-Wool:
After a phone call to my mother, concerned I was going to spend too much money—”Well, what did you go down there for, again? And, you haven’t been spending any money on anything just in the hopes of buying one yard of one thing down there. 800 mile trip … just buy the fabric”— I was all lined up to buy two yards of two McQueen prints, only to discover that there was only 1 1/2 yards of one of them, and other than the 1 1/2 yards hanging from the ceiling, that was it. Micha, the very patient gal that was helping me gave me all 3 yards for the price of two.I figure it is enough to working with other fabrics or leathers to make something seriously amazing. Micha told me that the FIDM students that had scheduled to come in that afternoon would be “literally crying” when the realized that I bought the last of their fabric. Sorry, but know it went to a good place!
All three of these prints are large prints, and were shot over a tabletop.
3 1/2 yards (for the price of two)
2 yards
1 1/2 yards (Not McQueen. It was in the Cavalli bin, but I am not positive it is Cavalli)
I thought about getting some wool for some of the projects, but decided that that should be another trip where I can spend more time, and know a little bit more about what I am doing regarding tailoring. So, I was reasonable and stuck to what I drove down there for.
After heading over to Irvine for the most disappointing product launch I’ve ever witnessed at Fox Head, Shift, we got back on the road, and feeling a little bonkers we got back home at 11:30. Totally worth the trip, and I can’t wait to do it again. Biggest fabric selection I have ever seen, everything is high quality, and a quarter of the price I can get similar items up here. So organized, everything is clean, has a home, and is somehow easy so see. No searching for a needle in a haystack. Great staff, super helpful, and as I mentioned, patient. I love you Mood. I love you.
Miles travelled: 786
Total Hours: 19
Glutten Free Sandwiches Eaten: 3
I5 Bathroom stops: 6
Fabric Acquired: Priceless!
