Tag Archive: knitting


So I just got back from the gym…

Yes, it’s one of those blogs.  But just for a moment so I can tell you about GYM DOUCHEBAG NUMERO UNO!  I’m sure you know the guy: fake tan, fauxhawk, some kinda Jersey Shore ripoff.  So I’m over in the freeweights, minding my business, trying to not look like a pussy with my 10 lb weights, when I see him looking at me in the mirror.  Creepy, right?  So of course I have to walk past him to put my weights up, and when I do he says something to me.  I thought it was pretty obvious by the large white cords hanging from my ears that I don’t wanna talk to anyone, but that didn’t deter mister shiny-pecs.  So I stop, take the time to pause my iPod, and let him know that I couldn’t hear him.  Of course I’m trying to be polite, because maybe I sat in gum or my shoe is untied, giving him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he’s just being courteous.  And he says to me, “So, you come here often?”

Really?  People actually, really say that?  In real life?  I stopped “Bat Out of Hell” for that

For a moment I was relatively speechless; luckily my snark factor kicked in rather quickly and I gave him the “yeah, with my husband”, complete with eyeroll and quick departure from the area.  As you can see, I’m still a little stunned. 

Maybe it’s because I’m a writer and my mind is endlessly arranging and rearranging words, meticulously calculating everything that comes out of my mouth, but a certain part of me expects people to be at least a little creative.  I know that’s probably silly of me, and a lot of people just lack the capacity, the imagination.  And it might be unfair of me to judge someone based on their lack of linguistic skills, but first impressions are key a lot of times.  I wish there was some way to rig a sign, something that tells people “Your large muscles and orange tan do not impress me; your words better make up for it.”  Or something to that effect.  “Come here often?”  Gah.  Wasted words.

Now don’t be hasty, master Merriadock.  It takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish, and we don’t say anything unless it’s worth taking a long time to say.

This is how my brain works, by the way.  Seemingly random quotes and lyrics fly around all the time, occasionally popping into prominence for one reason or another.  You’ll get used to it. 

Also, just FYI, my favorite human-specific curse: ass-douche. 

I feel like a slacker for not having worked harder on Big Green the last couple of days, so I’m going to try and knock some of that out tonight.  I’m almost finished with a section that’s supposed to look like intertwining trees…and it does!  I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I have a habit of second-guessing myself; it’s always nice, though, when things turn out the way they should.  The trees look like trees!  The schnozzberries taste like schnozzberries!  And it’s all happy times. 

I’m getting more into Game of Thrones too, slowly but surely.  I’m not doing much time on the bike and treadmill, so it’s coming in little spurts.  One trend I’m noticing: incest.  I guess it’s not so unusual for royal families, but it’s still just the tiniest bit surprising when I do come across it.  And I like that.  I like being surprised.  Dune is also progressing quite well, over halfway through now and it still seems like it’s just getting going.  I guess that’s the idea when you have a series of 700 books.  And maybe that was a detrement of me watching the movie first: I already know what’s coming and I keep thinking, “ok when are they gonna get to this part?”  Luckily all the stuff that didn’t get into the movie is really pretty awesome, so I’m definitely not getting bored in the least. 

Now I think I’m going to have myself a hot bath and a cup of tea, then some knitting work.  I hear Mick plugging away in the other room, so you should have something wonderful to read from him very soon too!  Take care, my preciouses.  Hasta manana.

Not much.

Another day in paradise here at Casa de Tomlinson.  Mick is working so things are very very quiet.  Slightly quieter than they were an hour ago though; I thought I was losing my mind and hearing weird electric staticy noises, but no!  The tv and VCR in Mick’s office had been on for who knows how long.  Off now, no crazy Tara.  I know you’re excited with me.  Woo!

Alright, maybe not that excited.  But I’m tired, cut me some slack.  This gym thing, while being really awesome and great for my general feeling of well-being, makes me freakin exhausted at night.  I don’t know the last time I exercised so much in 72 hours.  Rehab, probably.  But the exhaustion, much like the aching in my elbows and various muscles, actually feels kind of good.  It’s rewarding, I feel like I’m accomplishing something.  Something more instantly noticeable than physical results.  Cuz I’ll tell ya, three days on that bike and my ass is still jiggly.  (I know my husband is getting all cringy now; he seems to be under the incomprehensible impression that jiggly ass is a good thing…I can’t figure it out.  And for some reason he’s really against the idea of me having any muscle mass or definition at all.  I’m at a loss.)  Well, I’m not giving up, I’m gonna keep at it.  You’ll see!

But I promise I won’t blog about it every single day. 

Unfortunately I don’t have much else on my plate at the moment.  I just started a big new knitting project that I’m really excited about.  It’s a secret though, I can’t talk about it yet.  Yes, it’s a gift, and I want it to be a complete surprise.  Suffice it to say that it’s quite large and quite green.  2000 yards of yarn are going into this puppy.  If it turns out half as nice as the picture, I’ll be happy. 

Well, like I said, not much going on today.  Hopefully tomorrow will bode better.  Or I bet Mick will have interesting things to say!  He always does, he’s better at this than me.  I’ll catch up with you folks manana.

The Martin Scarf

Pattern for The Martin Scarf

Written by LadyLascivious, c/o Hell Bent Stitcheries

This is a very simple pattern that yields a cool texture, good for guys or girls.  Great to work on in front of the tv!

 

SUPPLIES:

Yarn: Yarn Bee Melody Bulky Wool Blend, 2 skeins
Color: Ivory

Needles: size 10.5/6.5mm

Gague: not important

Also needed: tapestry needle, row counter (optional)

The two different textures (“Garter Section” and “Stripe Section”) are in groups of 18, so the row counter really helps if you’re like me: easily distracted.

 

PATTERN:

CO 15
next row: P across

Garter Section:
Rows 1-18: K across

Stripe Section:
Row 1: K
Row 2: P
Row 3: K
Row 4: K
Repeat rows 1-4 3 times (16 rows total), then rows 1-2 once more.

Alternate Garter Section and Stripe Section 13 times (or however many you need to reach your desired length), then add one more Garter Section for symmetry. 

BO all stitches.

 

See, how easy was that!   And now you have your very own knock-off!

Fink and the funky scarf

 

Evening all!  I know it’s a bit late to be trying to sit down and write a blog; as I mentioned before, I’m a morning writer, it’s just the way I work.  But I’ve got me a big mug of Lady Grey (that’s Earl Grey with lavender, mmmmmmmmm) and some incense bubbling away, and I can’t very well just go to bed without at least posting something.  And since it’s Friday night and I don’t have to get up too early tomorrow…

So, I hear you wondering to yourself, what does a dynamic duo like Mick and Tara do for fun on a Friday night?  Well, I don’t want to excite you too much, but our evening consisted of an early dinner and a dvd.  Yep, that’s how we roll.  I fixed us up some sausage and beef tortellini and we had a private viewing of Barton Fink, a flick I had never seen.  Being a writer, I think it’s a fascinating film, but I need a little time tonight to digest it before I’ll be ready to sufficiently blog about it.  So I will leave you there, quivering with anticipation, until tomorrow. 

One thing I did want to share quick was that while watching the movie, I managed to go ahead and complete the knock-off scarf I was telling you about.  Like I said, I saw it in a shop window, one of those designer stores that I would probably feel ashamed of having never heard of, and I thought to myself, “well shit, Tara, you could make that easy!  It’s a damn garter stitch pattern!”  And so I covertly snapped a pic and rushed home to whip it up.  Here’s the picture of the window scarf:

crappy camera phone pic!

The prototype

 

And here’s the scarf I made: 

my creation!

The Martin Scarf

 

Similar, no?  I used a thicker, more wooly yarn, because it’s what I had on hand and would knit up quick.  And I like the way it turned out.  Could use a little blocking, maybe a cool iron.  And if anyone is interested, I’ll list the specifics and pattern in a separate post.

And that was pretty much my Friday.  Tomorrow there should be much to talk about, as we’ve got two more movies planned, plus you’ll hear about Barton Fink, and maybe other things.  Keep cool, my babies, and I’ll see you on the flip side.

Brr.

Thursday?  More like TWOsday!

Ok, that was lame.  I’m sorry.  I blame the cold.  That’s right, it’s freezing as fuck in Austin right now, although 90% of the town is inside right now so it’s not a big deal.  Apparently there’s some big football game going on now or something.  Whatever, all I know is that the grocery store was virtually empty, and that’s good news for me.  And after all my shopping and procuring of fine edibles, I’m having garlic bread for dinner.  I like to think I’m just adding on an extra layer of blubber to last me through winter.   Like a narwhal might do.  When in Rome!

But back to the two thing…I got a call from my grandpa yesterday telling me that apparently I have a twin in Austin.  Not a real one, of course, (come on, two Taras?  the world would implode under the weight of the awesome) but someone who looks and sounds just like me, enough that MY OWN GRANDFATHER thought it was me for a minute.  She’s a bartender at Joe’s Crab Shack, which, A-I vowed never to work behind a bar ever again, and B-in all my years of service industry hellholes, I never EVER would have stooped to the level of Joe’s Crab Shack.  Hawaiian shirts?  Kiss my ass.  Loud obnoxious birthday songs?  Fire me, please.  So just in case anyone else is confused, no that’s not me working at the Joe’s on Riverside.  Hell, for all I know this girl and I could just share a passing resemblance, and Poppa was just looking for an excuse to call and chat.  Which is cool, I guess.

Speaking of cool, my cheeks are still partially frozen.  Even a close parking spot feels like miles away when it’s 19 degrees outside.  In my haste/warmth-lust I almost ran a dude down with my cart.  Looking back on it now, I think it might have been someone I used to know years ago.  But then again, I see this person’s look-alikes all the time, all over town.  It’s never actually him, I guess the mustachioed junky musician look is pretty common around Austin. (fyi – I just ran the spell-checker, mustachioed was totally correct, but it doesn’t like the word “junky”.)  I didn’t get a good look at him so I guess I’ll never really know.  And so what if it was?  The right side of my brain says “you should have talked to him!  You guys used to be such good friends!  Wouldn’t it be great to catch up?”  The left side, on the other hand, gives the right side a swift backhand and says “what the hell do you have to say to him?  What would you talk about?”  And when I think about it, I guess I have a lot to say. 

“What have I been up to?  Oh, you know, split with that douchebag I was with, got sober, graduated, got married, wrote some screenplays, just stuff, you know.”

That’s the short version, I guess.  The version I would give to someone in the HEB parking lot in sub-freezing weather.  And were we to sit down over coffee, I would brag my ass off about the awesome guy I’m doing and the stuff I’m married to.  (Ok, that wasn’t so PG, my bad.  Is it wrong to brag about an awesome, stereotype-crushing sex life?  I don’t think so.  Sorry mom.)  And then left brain chimes in again and says “no, there are parts of life that you need to just close the door on.  That is one of them.”  And it’s right.  Some things, some people, don’t need to be revisited.  That little chunk of memory is all tied up in Elliot Smith albums and will never really go away, and it is in happy pristine condition.  Better not to tarnish it with visions of the present. 

And also on the “things that look like people” train, I started a new knitting project tonight.  No, I didn’t finish the mock-designer scarf I was telling you about, almost but not yet.  This idea just came to me this afternoon (thanks to the magic of the twitterverse) and I had to get on it right away.  I hope it is as amazing as I think it will be.  So far it doesn’t look like much of anything.  But when it does, there will be a grand unveiling and you will ooh and aah and request one of your very own.  And I will consider it.

Remember when I said I was eating garlic bread for dinner?  I meant I was eating half a loaf of garlic bread for dinner.  I don’t know, it just kind of happened.  I can already feel retribution gurgling inside me.  Time for Tums and ginger tea.  By the way (this will be my free sponsor for the evening), if you can find somewhere that sells Mighty Leaf Ginger Twist tea, buy it!  It’s awesome.  I have many fond memories of being so very hung over and huddling over a big mug of Ginger Twist tea at Flipnotics, usually surrounded by books on ancient Egyptian history.  Those were good times. 

You’ll hear from me tomorrow if I last the night.

Ok, #tarawebfail.  Just opened up the ol’ dashboard here and realized that the blog I wrote yesterday made it to the draft folder, but didn’t get published.  Thank god for backdating!  No one will ever know…

Unless you tell them.  But don’t you tell them! 

Anyways.  It’s another Monday, back at work, and it’s been a bit stressful.  My coworker is still on vacation, so I’m running the front by myself until Wednesday.  So when there’s not a crowd of people lined up in front of my desk, the phone is ringing off the hook and I’m locking my keys in the book closet. (twice)  I’m hoping that the afternoon will bring better luck, but just in case I’m trying to just remain calm.  I made myself some tea, I’m trying some deep breathing, picturing myself under the trees in the backyard.  I wonder about what all these calming exercises are that they keep talking about in Dune, all the Bene Gesserit training.  I could use some of that.

Speaking of calming, I’m declaring an honorary sponsor today since I don’t have an official one: today’s blog is brought to you by Andanda Traders, purveyors of fine pure incense from all over the world.  I ran across Andanda Traders just a few months ago at the Texas Renaissance Festival; I was in the market for some incence, and saw (and smelled) some rather delicious ones in their cart.  We happened to walk up in the middle of a demonstration, as the gentlemen owner was explaining the use and benefits of burning pure resin incense rather than sticks.  Sticks, you see, dilute the incense with wood-burning chemicals which come from burning the bamboo stick.  Resin burns, instead, on a charcoal, so you only get the scents and sensations of the incense itself.  I was intrigued, and they provide a handy little resin starter kit that is very inexpensive and gives you everything you need to start burning.  From experience, I can say that it’s very different than just lighting a stick and walking away.  It’s a very active process: you have to set up your container, light your charcoal and wait for it to be ready, then add your resin a few pieces at a time, wait a few minutes, add some more resin, wait, add, wait, and so on.  While not practical for just scenting a room, I’ve found that it is very meditative and can be excellent in preparing the mind for different tasks.  I like to sit and burn a little before I begin writing or while I drink my coffee in the morning.  Ananda has some great scents too, most of them imported from all the sorts of exotic locations you’d imagine good incense coming from, crafted from secret formulas passed down for centuries.  That’s how he tells it anyways, and I’m inclined to believe him.  I’m particularly fond of the Nile Temple blend, but have also burned the Nag Champa with great delight. (For those of you who enjoy Nag Champa sticks, give the resin powder a try; it’s different yet familiar and I think you’ll like it.)  Just the other day I ordered myself a few more bottles of the Egyptian Gardenia, Copal, Dragon’s Blood, and Gloria. 

And for those of you who don’t want to put so much effort into your fragrances, Ananda Traders offers Pure Incense sticks as well which don’t have the traditional bamboo core.  Unfortunately, their website doesn’t come with a scratch-and-sniff feature, but you can trust me that all of their products are wonderful.  They also sell perfumed oils and various accoutrement for all your burning needs.  You can find them online at www.theAnandaLine.com

(Other perks: flat-rate shipping in the states and great bulk discounts!)

And since the completion of the Pink Death, I’ve been trying to give my hands a bit of a break; soon, though, I’ll have a nice new (small) project to show you…and since I made it up myself, I’ll even give you the pattern!  And if any of you are on Ravelry, you can find me under the name LadyLascivious.  And, as always, http://hellbent.etsy.com.  I’m still in the process of restocking after the holidays, I’ve got a few things that need to be photographed and posted, but go check it out anyways.  There’s still two more months of chilly weather!  I can take requests now too for smallish projects (sweaters and afghans will have to wait a while), if you’re looking for something in particular.  (Cthulu tea cozies, anyone?)

Well I hope you enjoyed today’s sponsor, and keep your eye out for many more!  We’ve still got plenty of spots open for cheap cheap cheap, so if you or someone you know wants some easy advertising, hit us up!

Happy Monday!

this is the end

It seems today is a day for endings. 

The first thing I did this morning is put on a brave face and sit down to watch “The End of Time”, the final two episodes of the tenth Doctor.  Part of the reason I did it first thing in the morning was in hopes that I could finish it before Mick woke up and he wouldn’t see me bawling my eyes out.  Of course it didn’t work, he got up and I couldn’t help but cry anyways.  I must say, the episodes were very well done and it made a fantastic ending.  The layers upon layers of betrayals, the “knock four times” misdirections…it makes me antsy and happy and sad all at the same time still.  And of course it’s always fun to see him go back and check up on past companions.  Martha and Mickey (squee!), Jack and Alonso (double squee!), what a way to wrap it all up. 

Also ending today: The Pink Death.  It has been completed, and not a moment too soon.  I’m actually pretty pleased with the way it turned out, and hopefully it will look even better when it’s on an actual person.  Here’s a pic of Mick as my stand-in model:

Not his happiest face, and the thing is a size or two too big for him, but you get the idea. 

So where do we go from here?

Well, there’s a new Doctor, all raring to go.  I have my apprehensions.  He is very…young, I guess.  He wears a bowtie, which is always a detractor in my book.  But he does have a bit of a sense of humor, as much as we can tell so far. (“STILL not ginger!”)  I’m willing to give him a chance.  And now I have to decide on my next project.  Something small, perhaps, a hat or a few scarves.  In reality I should probably do some cleaning around the house, picking up and folding laundry and the like.  But dammit, it’s Sunday and I don’t feel like it.  I’d rather bake a cake.  Or some cookies.  Mmmmmm cookies. 

I don’t have much else to say today.  It’s a boring, relaxing day, and I’m going to get back to it.  You’ll hear more tomorrow!

Hello Tuesday!  Getting a late start today, but I’ve been surprisingly busy.  Among the many daily duties I’ve been checking off the list, there’s been a few little upgrades made to the blogs, not to mention an obscene amount of twittering.  A few things, though, that I should tell you about:

First off, the ingenuiTEA that I got for Christmas is AWESOME.  Right now I’m enjoying my third cup of Gyokuro Kin and am very happy about it.  Yeah, so I’m a tea snob, what of it?  Not that I have anything personally against…more affordable…teas, but there’s just something about a hand-crafted Japanese green tea that is actually green!  And tastes green!  The Gyokuro Kin is a personal favorite of mine; (here comes the science) it’s grown in much the same way as Sencha teas, except it’s shaded for the last three months before harvesting.  The shade causes it to pull more nutrients from the soil, which in turn leads to a higher caffeine content.  And you know how I love my caffeine!  It’s really smooth and light with a spinachy flavor.  I highly recommend it! (If you’re in Austin, you can find it at The Steeping Room for sure.)  But I digress, the ingenuiTEA is fabulous and you should totally get one.  And get it from Think Geek, because they are fabulous too.  I promised their twitterer that I’d be knitting up a Cthulu-themed cosy for the teapot tonight, cuz by god that would be the most awesome thing ever.  And it will!  Oh yes!

Speaking of knitting, you’ll be happy to know that I totally busted ass on The Pink Death last night and am over halfway finished with the front side! (only two rows over halfway, but hey, it counts.)  So I’m ahead of schedule, and that’s always good.  It’s coming together nicely, better than I expected, but keep up those encouraging thoughts!  If this turns out half as awesome as I want it to, I will be pleased.

Also in the news, we got our first sponsor today!  I say “we” because they bought spots from both Mick and myself, so you get to hear about them twice!  We’re kicking the year off in style with sponsorship from Jimily Farms, purveyors of fine handmade goat-milk cheeses, soaps, and more.  They rock, and you need to know about them.  But not just yet.  Wait till Friday! 

And yes, there are still plenty of spots open for sponsorship!  You can purchase Saturday for only $2!  There’s not a day over $31 this whole month!  Hell, you could buy the whole month of January for under $500!   That’s a steal, my friend! (Let me just say that if you do buy the whole month, you get a special prize and my undying adoration.  And also, you better have a lot for me to talk about.)

Short post for today, as I have a few more things to catch up on before heading back home for more work.  Remind me to tell you about Dune tomorrow…

Swifts and The Pink Death

Happy Monday morning all!  It’s quite early and I’m already at the day job…technically, have been for over an hour now, but whatever.  Not important.  What is important is that it’s way too early for normal people to be around and functioning, and it’s way too early for me to be moving around after 4 days of sleeping in.  And now’s the point where I get distracted thinking “some day, I’ll have a job that doesn’t necessitate me getting up at 5am…sigh…” 

Ok, I’m back.  And although it’s not even 8:00 yet, I’ve already done a little shopping this morning!  While my most excellent little brother got me a yarn ball winder for Christmas (at the suggestion of my most excellent husband), it quickly became apparent to me last night that I also need the second component, an accordion-like spinner to hold the yarn.  Like this:

"Yarn Swift"

You should see these babies in action.  I could ball 200 yds of yarn in under a minute, as opposed to the 15-20 minutes it is taking me to do it by hand.  Efficiency FTW!  In my mind it’s a business expense, not just an indulgence, as it was mainly necessitated by the large quantities of yarn I bought for a particular project I was commissioned.  I dub it THE PINK DEATH, as it is huge and rushed.  That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, I’m practicing a few new techniques and trying out some…different…interpretations.  The sweater is actually a variation on a costume for Orko, a cartoon character from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.  This guy:

It’s going to be worn to some sort of convention, I didn’t ask exactly what, by a local business owner. (MondoTees, check em out!!)  So far I’ve got the bottom half and the whole of the back finished.  Today I start the intarsia for the front, the sleeves by the weekend.  Top it off with a quick collar and it should be ready to go.  Deadline is next Tuesday, so I’m pushing for finishing over the weekend.  It’s a race against time and sanity, and I’ll admit I’m a little nervous.  I wish I would have had more time with it, there are a few things I’d have done differently.  Better yarn, probably a different pattern.  It’s not that there’s anything wrong with what I’m doing, I just don’t think it will be my best work ever.  And for something specially commissioned, I hate to put out anything less than amazing.  Alas, I’ll give it my all and hope for the best.  Encouraging thoughts appreciated. :)

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