Why I'm proud of my hangnails....

I love the process of getting a manicure... picking the color from the tower of nailpolish, the soft music, soaking my hands in warm water, nice smelling lotion. I love being girly and fussed over.
But-
I really hate having a manicure. Three days is my record for not messing it up. I habor the secret bourgeois notion that people with nails that are too nice need more things to do with their hands. And let me tell you friend that lately my grubby hands (and their cuticles) have been busy....

Exhibit A: One for me...
The beginnings of Tulip from the Fall KnitScene, which is so nicely modeled by Brooks (the other) cat. I'm using a lovely pearl colored mohair that I rescued from my mom's basement.



Exhibit B: One for you...
Traveling Rib Scarf Remix from the Traveling Rib Sweater in Loop-d-Loop. I adapted Teva Durham's stitch pattern into a scarf for my brother. It was great fun... the pattern is scattered randomly throughout the scarf, making the dark teal Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran yarn look like a lovely river with ripples and eddies all flowing in the same direction that I thought symbolized his current path through life. My brother's comment - "oh great- I needed a blue scarf..."

Exhibit C: One for me...
Toe up socks - heeheehee

Exhibit D: One for you...
Jemez Springs toe up socks for my mom....with colors reminded me of the Southwestern mesas and sky.
Mom, my brother and my brood rented a house on the river for Thanksgiving and these socks were started then. The trip was bliss...I believe that if more people ate tamales with New Mexican red chile and spent more time in hot springs, the world would be a better place... wouldn't it be nice if everyone had a pair of handknit socks too? (That's why I need a big stash - I'm promoting world peace.)


Exhibit E: One for TBD...
When the lovely and *oh so* talented Ms. Pink invited me to her house for a (really great) night of social knitting, I had to break out the good stuff.
This yarn is quite possibly the hippest yarn in my stash. I'm talking punk runk yarn - lovely staus-quo blues, grays and greens that are totally freaked out by random FU-bright-red splatters. It knit up really quickly and one skein was just enough for a short chunky "I'm too cool to be bothered with wrapping this around my neck" length. Its supposed to be a gift, but I'm feeling the need the instant hip.funk points from this scarf more than the person I knit it for.

coffee cup haiku

full week no knit time
need more art and less labor
also more coffee

one step forward, two steps back..

I upgraded blogging software today, which killed my template. I knew this going in, but hubris reigned supreme. "I can fix it... I'll rebuild, better than ever!"
rrright.

So here is the temp fix. Look for a little Extreme Blog Makeover soon.

What kind of knitting needles are you?

I'm a sucker for quizzes. I know, I know - its about as cool as purple eyelash yarn but I can't help myself.

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What kind of knitting needles are you?



You are "turbo" charged.Fast moving and classy, you get things done with power and grace. Your expensive tastes can be deceiving, since what you really value is quality and efficiency. As you're careening around those corners in life, finishing a dozen knitted objects each month, stop and smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of process!
Take this quiz

one more kitty angel

Its been the kind of week that makes me glad I don't buy generic Kleenex. We've needed a bunch and the off-brands get scratchy when used in large quantities.

On Friday we said Au revoir to Mollycat. Molly had been a part of our family almost before we were a family - 14 years. Through it all, she approached life with grace and nobility. She hated getting her face mussed, so she always scooped up her water with her paw and licked it from that. She loved being brushed and would strut around the house after. She liked being petted, but only on her terms. She appreciated knitting because it meant that a warm, quiet lap was close by.

Once we discovered the tumor on her spine that quickly paralyzed her, there was no question that she was ready to say goodbye. We were not... and still miss her terribly.