Stick a fork in it...

... it's done. Yes, I finished the GFP (God-forsaken Poncho), and the owner is quite pleased with it. And to be honest, so was I. It looked positively lovely on her, and she received many compliments right away. The length was good, the mesh crocheted edging went well with the large garter stitch of the body, and the collar I added was just right - not quite a turtleneck, not quite a cowl, but somewhere just perfectly in between.

And she gave me a $25 gift certificate to Craft Store-o-rama and a loaf of pumpkin nut bread. I love this woman. I hoarded the damn poncho for approximately eight months, and she still insists on payment for my 'services'. Needless to say, I left the workplace directly and headed straight for the aforementioned craft store, and I got 10 skeins of Red Heart Soft Yarn (which is quite nice, actually), and a Patons pattern book.

I can't afford to be a yarn snob now. Maybe after the holidays if my family cooperates and gives me gift certificates to my fave LYS's. We'll see.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for stopping by!!

Are you !@#$%&* kidding me?

I was at my dad's house on Tuesday when the mail arrived. Now, my mother used to order stuff from catalogs, so my father still receives approximately eleventeen gajillion of them each and every day. One of the catalogs that happened to arrive was the latest from Anthropologie, and I just thought I'd share some of their products with you.

Who can resist this fetching little number? Marled grey and yellow is one of my favorite color combinations, and you, yes YOU, can have this wondrous chapeau for a mere $178. Yes, you read that right, $178 USD. Why not buy two? Apparently this wool was collected from the blue-footed Andean River sheep, of which there are only three left in all of South America. Or something.

Everyone could use a comfy cozy blankie to warm their tootsies at the ski lodge this coming winter, and what better to snuggle up with than this wool afghan for only $198? I could crochet this bad boy in about 10 minutes, and it would cost me about $20 if I went all out and got some Lion Brand Thick n Quick (for some reason, the name of that yarn really grosses me out).

I hate it when I wear a hat and a scarf, and that quarter inch of exposed skin on my neck gets, like, super cold. Finally, the answer to my problems! I give you the scarf-hat, or scat for short. This wool, mohair, and nylon cranial accessory is a steal at $298. Two hundred and ninety-eight American dollars. For that price, it should come with a goddamn sheep, a goddamn mohair goat? elk?, and an oil well so I can drill for my own goddamn petroleum to make my own goddamn nylon.


And finally, the picture you've all been waiting for, the piece de resistance, la creme de la creme, I give you - crocheted boots. You'll have to excuse the fuzzy picture, but I think it's better that way, because if you could really see these boots well, you might either go blind or your brain might turn to sludge and ooze out your ear. Or both. And that would not be pleasant. Anyhoo, these fantastic foot coverings, handmade in Argentina, can be yours for pocket change people! Only $398. If only they came in orange.

At first, I was dismayed when I came upon these knitted and crocheted items, but then I said to myself, "Self, you need to get this knitter/crocheter's marketing person, because they are doing a bang-up job." Jesus, all I need to do is make a couple of these things, and I could retire at 34, which would be positively sensational. Food for thought...

Thanks for stopping by. Keep on keepin' on.

I present to you: the Matador

Here it is, ladies and gents. The Matador Bolero from Knitscene, worked in Moda Dea Metro. I'm fairly happy with it. Is it perfect? No. But I don't care. It is my first knit garment and I like it.

It looks like a sweater. The fuzzy yarn makes weaving in the ends easy. And it hides a multitude of sins.

Get a load of that raglan sleeve. This is what was giving me such problems, but after starting the feather and fan scarf (see previous post) I was able to see how yarn overs and knit-togethers were supposed to look. So that helped big time.

Next I'm going to learn to sew. My aunt (who taught me to crochet) is visiting from Santa Fe, and she can make pretty much anything. She knits, crochets, sews, quilts, and does tin work. She also cooks. She's awesome.

So there you have it peeps. Thanks for stopping by.

Yarn porn (not for the faint of heart)

So here are the results of my trip to Loop in Philadelphia yesterday. Five gorgeous skeins of Elsbeth Lavold Silky Tweed, all on sale. I already have two skeins at home, and I know that they are all different colors, so it looks like I'll be knitting up a stripy sweater or some goodness like that. I loves the yarn. I even managed to drag my dad and brother in with me, and they were very good sports. They rock.

Here is my first attempt at Feather and Fan, and I must say, I am mighty impressed with myself. Not that this is a difficult pattern, but I feel that the yarnover and I are now on civil terms. If I can hammer out the raglan decreases on the Matador bolero (remember that?), we might, dare I say, become friends. The yarnover and me.

Last but not least, here is some scrappy crocheted goodness. My first scrapghan, completed in 8 days, which is unheard of for me and an afghan. I like it, and I used a boat-load of acrylic yarn in my stash. I intend to make at least one more before Christmas, so watch out.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

When Banana grows up

My daughter informed me and WT this morning that when she grows up, she will:

1. Be an artist
2. Live in the city
3. Drive a purple Ford Explorer
4. Have four cats and
5. Have two dogs named Hairball and Russia.

What more could a mother ask for?

I will be traveling to downtown Philadelphia today to give WT the opportunity to play his guitar whilst the amp is turned up to 11. I'll be meeting my dad at the Reading Terminal Market (if you have not had the opportunity to go there, you need to make the time to do so; it rocks). I warned him that we may have to visit some yarn stores, and he is okay with that.

I began a feather-and-fan scarf last night, and it looks good. Pictures are coming soon, I promise.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Saturday!