Case in point: He worked last night. I had several options: Call up some friends from different areas of Seattle (or the eastside), or go to a Happy Hour that I had already been invited to by Kris & Randy on Mercer Island (an interesting prospect), or stay home and get some good crafting time in.
Guess what I chose? Actually, I would have gone to the Happy Hour if I had not had this nagging throat issue. I think it's mostly post-nasal drip (how does it get any sexier than that?), but as a precaution against actually getting sick again, I started on the herbal regimen of Fire and Brimstone: oregano oil that tastes like the River Styx, liquid echinacea extract that tastes like Hellfire, and liquid astragalus extract that tastes...ok, that one is not so bad - more like a bitter herbal brandy. But all three require me to consider whatever wrong I have done, and repent whilst I swallow them.
Anyway, so last night I had the entire afternoon and night to myself. After work, which I came home and telecommuted the last couple of hours (I thought my new building assignment was not helping the throat), I walked down to Archie McPhee's to look for a gift someone had requested. After coming up empty-handed, I talked myself out of going to Cupcake Royale, and came home.
I really wanted to get some projects out of the "in progress basket", and off of my wheel's bobbins. Spinning was first up to bat. I had ordered some pretty fiber batts from Loop's Etsy shop, but was just ready to be done spinning them. Have you ever had that feeling? The dark batt had a lot of adult mohair in it, and while it's shiny and slips through your drafting hand like nothing, it doesn't especially excite me. I already had the dark purple on one bobbin, and it had been sitting there for, oh, at least a month?! The lighter batt was a lot softer to the skin, but it was a little more drafting-intensive. I finally managed to finish the lighter batt up, after several stops due to the fiber drafting out of my control and winding on to the bobbin (grr) and lots of yelling from me, but after a long while and a few spit joins, the yarn was plied and off the bobbin. I would classify it as maybe a heavy fingering / light worsted? There's about 170 yd in that skein. I had made some coordinating skeins from the rest of the batts, but I think the grist is pretty inconsistent between them all... I have no idea what to make from them, but I'm sure something will come.
Next up was the ill-fated Luv Gun. I decided against felting it, as it is already pretty tiny. Instead, I popped in a Futurama DVD and sewed it all together with mattress stitch, then sewed on the trigger loop and the brown "wood panels" (I sewed the two brown panels together at the back seam first, then sewed them onto the gun). I stuffed the gun with undyed BFL roving I had lying around. The barrel is open, and actually the knit portion of the barrel is twice as long as you see in the picture. The instructions tell you to tuck half the barrel length inside of itself, and then tack it in place. Well, I didn't tack because I'm lazy. I also didn't make a sight on top of the gun, nor did I sew on eyes to the sides of the gun. All that's left of this thing is to knit up the three hearts that fit inside of the barrel (for shoot-'em-up-with-love purposes), and then I'm DONE. Egads.
Finally, my first Blue Moon Rockin' Sock Club sock is Fini! This is the January pattern and colorway ("Serendipity" and "Dragon's Dance", respectively). Yes, yes, I'm a bad RSC girl and do not keep up to date with my projects. Sue me. The red is a fun colorway,and while I got lucky and got Some of the supposed striping that happens with this yarn, it failed me in places (like all Blue Moon yarn that is supposed to stripe), and pooled. I actually don't mind the pooling so much, I just wish I knew why my personal knitting gauge is so far off from the suggested BMFA gauge for these yarns as to cause pooling.
I enjoyed knitting the pattern, though the one part I did not like were part of the heel instructions where they have you do a double w&t on the sides of the short-row heel. It confused me, and looked kind of weird. I wonder if I do a "traditional" conceal-wrap move on the second sock, if anyone will be able to tell...
Well, today is another overcast slightly cold June day here in Seattle. I don't know what the hell the weather thinks it's doing - ordinarily, I tell people to visit between Memorial Day and Labor Day, since that is our summertime. But this year, it has proved me dead-wrong. In fact, over the last week, there has been snow falling in the mountain ski passes - enough so that the DOT moved out snow removal equipment to clear it off the roads! Two weeks ago or so, the closest ski resort (Alpental) was open, which is weird because Alpental is at a low altitude compared to Crystal and Stevens, which are both higher up in the Cascade range.
However, I think we are going to make the most of this day. Daniel should be along at some point this morning, and we are meeting his friends Jessie & Jeremy, and their baby Connor, for lunch and then a trip to the Seattle zoo. Should be fun! (Connor never really makes much fuss, anyway, and the overcast day should be better for him so he doesn't overheat). We also might descend on Tori and Igor for a BBQ dinner... to be determined. :) Tomorrow morning, I have pilates, which will be nice because it won't restrict when Daniel has to leave.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
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