Smarts

At what point does Smartfood Popcorn become not-so-smart?

Ten More Things

1. I like to wear stretchy pants.
2. I have a huge stack of men's Fruit of the Loom tank tops, dyed every color imaginable.  I wear one every day.  They keep out the breezes.
3. I sit with my legs pretzeled up under me.
4. Years ago my niece accidentally left her Gameboy at my house.  I played tetris so much I had to replace her batteries twice before returning it (reluctantly).  My husband bought me my own Gameboy for Christmas that year.  I played so much, when I went to bed at night I could see little puzzle pieces dropping.  And then I stopped.  I was embarrassed at how high my score was.
5. My dog knows what d-o-g spells. 
6. I wore size 5 1/2 shoes to my wedding.  Today I wear 7s.
7. I was 23 when I got married.
8. My favorite shoes are a pair of purple Justin Ropers, size 6 1/2.  They run big.
9. Here I am wearing my latest design, Eileen Mary.  Recognize me?  Several test knitters have volunteered to shake down my pattern.  How nice is that?  This pattern has attractive armpits.  In Scotland the armpit is called the oxter.  How do I know?  Because my friend Jeni from Scotland told me so, and that's the wonder of the internet.  Jeni and MJ slept at my house on Sunday.  That's the wonder of the internet.
10. I am nearing the one year mark for this web log.  It has been one of the best years ever for me.  I have met extraordinary people.  My people. 

My Kind of Spa

Recently I went to Spa, Knit and Spin, New England Textile Arts' version of Woodstock.  The purpose of "Spa" is to commune with like-minded folk (three hotels worth, plus daytrippers).  There was some amazing yarn available from the vendors, notably Sereknity, Starcroft, and of course, Ball and Skein. Mary Jane was my partner in not crime.  It's amazing how little damage we do together.  Tamara, on the other hand, was unstoppable, even after she asked us to stop her. 

I scored some light worsted merino from Ball and Skein that is slated for my next design, called Fannie Fouche.  Remember the ladies that had hankies tucked in their sleeves?  They are the inspiration for this design, perfectly suited for a sweater clip as well.  

So I recharged with beloved friends, and met some new ones too.  Some of the new ones felt like old ones, thanks to the online community.  Stitchy McYarnpants and I discussed leg hair somewhere around the 45 second mark after being introduced. 

I had been skipping along happily with my latest design, dubbed Eileen Mary after my Mother-in-Law.  Cascade Eco + is a lovely lofty wool with depth of color.  Well, it was all skippy, happy, lovely until one of my balls of Eco disappeared.  Into thin air.  Eco comes in huge hanks, so I only needed two of them.  I hand wound center pull balls as big as pumpkins. 

So I ordered more, and now I have enough to knit something else huge.  And if I'm ever reunited with ball #1, well, who knows.

Happy Valentine's Day

This morning I woke up a little late, made lunches, proofread my son's history paper, and then quickly sucked up the dust rhinoceroses in the basement because the internet man was coming (our lines went wonky last night).  At 7:18 as I was sending my man off to work I realized I'd forgotten to make the coffee.  I fill a travel mug for him every morning.  It's my special way of saying "I Love You".  So all he got this morning was a kiss, an apology, and a Hefty bag full of kitchen garbage.  Happy Valentine's Day.

So I went to the store and bought some steak tips.  Meat usually does the trick.

And I made a delicious cake that doesn't look so delicious.  Cake always does the trick for me.   It'll be fine once it's covered with cherry pie filling and a scoop of ice cream. 

Twenty two years and one day ago, my sweetheart proposed to me.  I'm not sure why, but I sure am thankful.

What I Wore

There are lots of folks out in the posting world who post the cute outfits they assembled during the week.  I enjoy looking at their style.  Oftentimes they admit that the point of posting is so they don't wear the same Sponge Bob pajamas every day, all day.  Good plan, whatever it takes.

I'm not going to do that here. Well, at least I don't think I'm going to.  One never knows.  I will however share a diagram of today's outfit, or my day-at-home uniform.

Just an ordinary gal, ready to tackle any nonglamourous job.

Paper Dolls

I've spent a lot of time at the computer this last month.  I cannot imagine how some folks work on a computer all day long.  Ack.  I have been learning the newest version of CorelDraw X5, using it on our Christmas cartoon.  Below is an excerpt.

I have also been working on some fashion illustration.  It's just plain fun, and a handy presentation skill.  I start with a croquis (crow-kee), which is a simple line drawing of a figure.  I lay a piece of paper over the croquis and draw whatever is in my head.  Then I scan the image and manipulate it in CorelDraw.

yellow velveteen skirt

replica of a vintage dress I've been coveting

Below is my latest sweater design, along with some detail shots.  My husband is delighted that I have found flora that I am actually capable of growing.

I was thinking, these croquis girls are super for making the cartoon clothing look flattering, but what about middle-aged me?  How would some cartoon clothes look on me?  Well, I'm not sure yet, but here's a starting point:

Croquis de Me

And here's me in a pair of Spanx:

g a s p ! 

I'll dress me up and let you know.

Beauty

Last weekend I met up with MJ, Liz and Vicky at Cabot Mill (aka Fort Andross) in Brunswick for lunch before Gudrun Johnston's booksigning, and we quickly buzzed through the behemoth building which houses a farmer's market, restaurants, an antique store, and a flea market. I love mill buildings. I love flea markets. Those two things alone would have made my day. But it got way better.

Gudrun Johnston recently released a lovely new book, The Shetland Trader.  I jumped at the opportunity to see her at Purl Diva.  I'm kicking myself for not picking up a second copy to give away as a gift (sorry, I'm not parting with mine).  We had a great visit, naturally picked up some exquisite yarn, and then made our way ... back to the flea market where a lamp had been calling my name.
 

You see, I have a thing for ugly lamps.  Maybe it's something about the stitching on the shades (you stitch it, I'll like it), or the notion that no one else is going to have the same lamp (sometimes for obvious reasons).

 
Behold:



Twin A










Twin B







So long I have to be careful where I put it





Waiting for the perfect
sputnik like shade




Something feminine for my dressing table



 

So thank you Gudrun and Mary Jane, for a stellar weekend.  Without you I might never have found this: 



Welcome Home, little tv lamp