Etsy Super Fantastic

So have you noticed that new sidebar element? To the right? Below the links to other blogs and above the archives? The Extra Super Fantastic Etsy store is now open for business! If you are a knitter, crocheter, weaver, or some other type of yarn user, or know someone who is, you'll want to check out the yarns I've been spinning. They're mostly wool, and only a handful of skeins are in the store right now, but I hope to be adding new yarns often--as often as Samson gives me time to spin them. I've really been enjoying spinning them, and I hope you enjoy making wonderful things with them. I'm going to start dyeing soon, too, so keep your eye out for that.

Although I openly admit that I can still only knit a straight, plain, single-colored scarf, I am now more inspired than ever to get off my kiester and learn how to read a dang pattern:



(Thanks, weasel, for linking to You Knit What???

Tonight I'll be going in the right direction but on the wrong track as I start a mini, three-week crochet class with Mir. Can one crochet poultry-themed headwear? I sure hope so!

If anyone out there is as obsessed with Paige Michalchuk as I've become lately, you'll enjoy this quiz: How Paige Are You? She totally goes there. Me? Apparently, I'm the Anti-Paige. Not a bad thing, although I wouldn't mind having a little more of the Paige Michalchuk ruthlessness. Ruthless like a fox.

Paige won't be there (boo), but Marco and Hazel will be appearing at Stonestown Shopping Center in SF this Saturday as part of the Degrassi Mall Tour. I'll be there--come on, it's a mall tour. And for the record, I realize that Marco and Hazel won't actually be there, the actors who play Marco and Hazel will be there. Jeez, I don't live in a complete fantasy world. Sheesh.

Scarf #3

Things change. As far as I can tell, this is the only constant in life.

Maybe the San Francisco Giants and SBC Park have been hit pretty hard by the economy. Maybe they wanted to make a point about classism. For whatever reason, they are now insisting that you remove your own damn center from the ass gaskets. This applies to all restrooms in the stadium, including the Club Level. I did some heavy reconnaissance work to come to this conclusion. Beers were consumed. Bladders were emptied.

Despite the extra bathroom responsibility forced upon me, I had a terrific time at the game. The garlic fries were tasty. And during the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th and 9th innings, I managed to finish knitting scarf #3:



Scarf #3 modeled by yours truly:



It's a lot less chartreuse and more grass green than it looks. And it's the first of many skinny spring scarves to come, in a variety of spring-like colors. Pink. Turquoise. Melon. SPRING. Not winter. Spring.

Two great tastes that taste great together

The following list is comprised of pairs of things that go together very well indeed. Why, you ask? Why not?

Magnum, P.I. and Tropicana pizza
(that's pizza with curry, bananas, ham, and mushrooms):
This combination is best experience when laying on a mattress on the floor of your--or a friend's--dorm room, watching re-runs of Magnum--with Swedish subtitles if at all possible--and sharing the above mentioned Swedish junk food delicacy. (I'm not kidding, There are dozens of weird Swedish pizza toppings and combinations, including, but not limited to, fried eggs and prawns. There's an interesting blog post about it here and here.)

Chocolate and Cheese:
Acceptable variations include:
1. Hostess cupcakes and EZ Cheese
2. Convenience store brownies and the spready cheese from Handi-Snacks cheese n' crackers
3. Ritz Bitz cheese sandwich crackers and chocolate frosting from a can

Knitting and Network Crime Dramas:
If you're not a knitter, you may substitute needle point, crosstitch, pant-leg-hemming, crocheting, or any other form of hand-help fiber arts. Recommended combinations:
1. Law & Order: Criminal Intent & a ribbed, grass green scarf
2. CSI Miami & and a turquoise remote control cozy
3. Las Vegas (well I think it's a crime drama) and a tangerine faux-letterman dog sweater

Marc Summers and Gary Sinise:
'Cause I said so.

Super sofa

As you can see, the kitties enjoy the new sofa. Pillowy arm rests and heated cushions make for feline happiness and marathon napping sessions.



It's funny because these two don't really get along all that well. You'd be hard pressed to find them napping in the same room, let alone on the same piece of furniture. This sofa brings out the best in all of us.

When I wasn't busy reclining this weekend (and even when I was), I was hard at work knitting (drum roll please) completed project #2: Arm Warmers!



Complete with ribbing on each end, and super professional tapering through the wrist, these lovely tubes 'o yarn will keep my arms and hands warm until summer quits slacking and finally get here. And they're functional too! The lack of finger tubes and the generously-sized thumb holes make everyday tasks like typing and channel surfing a breeze!



Many thanks to the D.I. Your Own Damn Self section of jejune.net for the inspiration.

I Be Crafty

Many years have passed since I received my Bachelor's Degree. My BA is in Fine Applied Arts (with the obligatory minor in Swedish, of course), and I spent five years learning about color theory, textile characteristics, fiber reactive dyes and natural dyes alike, and the complexities of shearing sheep, cleaning the fleece, and spinning it into yarn. I spent five years calculating wefts, winding warps, and tying on to looms. I perfected my rya, my bird's eye, and my chain lightning. Six years later, I have finally learned how to knit.

Maybe it was because of all the well-intentioned souls who asked, "So, did you knit that?" whenever they saw one of my Navajo tapestry pieces, my angora-rayon-lyocell concept piece, or even the board game made of felt and handmade paper (our final projects in school were always weird). Maybe it's because I have so much junk in my spare room, it's nearly impossible to set up my loom. Or maybe I instinctively knew that it would bring my cat Milhouse and I closer together as we bonded over the yarn. Either way, I can now officially cast on, knit, purl, cast off, and plan a great many projects which I'll never even get around to, let alone finish.

But for now, I'll continue to be super proud of my very first completed piece, Scarf #1.



Modeled by the Ozzmeister. He wears it well.