stitch marker

the mri is over, baby!

Photo by Osberth Valle.

I'm done with it, and so relieved. Given two Xanax, it was not so bad. And the machine was a new one since the machine I experienced 10 years ago. Much more open, with nice air blowing through. It looked exactly like this. My head went into that little plastic thing, and my whole upper body into the bigger tube, and it sounded exactly like a Fat Boy Slim song, and then it was done.

Besides this being over, I also received an excellent letter from my doctor. It's an instant classic. It says, in its entirety:

Mrs. Brown will not be able to serve on jury duty. She will not be able to sit or concentrate for long periods of time.

I'm thinking of having it laminated and carrying it around. For good measure.

(im)pulse warmers

That's what - in my mind - I'm calling these quicker, less substantial wrist warmers. I've been making some little wristies wristlets to sell at the SCRAP Bazaar on December 8, but those made out of cabled recycled sweaters require edging. I've been crocheting them.

Instead this style is made of sweaters that felt more completely and don't need edging (usually sweaters that were tightly knit and had no cabling or texture. Gap stripeys and very basic Old Navies.) They're more about the combination of vintage buttons. But they are surprisingly warm.

I'm thinking they're a stocking stuffer, maybe 7 bucks a pair? God, I hate figuring out the prices for things. I always think other people are making 60 dollars a hat, but then if I try to ask what things are worth I don't sell anything, which begs the question "Is it because my crafts are shitty?" I'd rather not beg that question, and bring up all sorts of elementary school feelings of being left out and dorky. So I'm erring on the low price side, having fun making these little things, and I'm going to get some extra Christmas money out of it, I hope. It's the only bazaar I'm doing this year, because I had so much fun there last year and it was the only one I found to be worth the effort and fee. (Is it just Portland, or have craft fair fees gone haywire? $120 a table around here.)

I'm a grouch, huh? I am getting worried and woozy because I have my MRI early Thursday morning, long before dawn. You would think I was going to the gallows. I'm so afraid of the procedure, which I've had done before, that I'm getting myself worked up and very upset. Very very upset about the tiny little, small, small, cozy tube that I have to lay in. Yes. Ok. I hope the atavan really really helps. It will be over by Thursday morning around 8. Breathe.

(At times I think I've got it. I should just get a new head. I have added a new category to my blog. My head.)

7 years ago yesterday

Our eyes met, at least one of us whimpered, and the kisses tasted like turkey drippings and mashed potatoes.

It's been good times ever since. Ellie is a good dog.

speaking of hats

Photo by Sarah Gilbert.

Thank you for all your hat offers! I'm going to email a few of you who offered and work something out. I know it's all very stupid, but the reason I don't have a hat is because last year's hat shrunk so that it's so small it hurts my head horribly and nearly pops off. And I made a calorimetry headband lately, and it flew off my head when I had the seizure in the park and I lost it and have to call the parks people, etc. Duh.

Anyway.

What I really wanted to write about is the hat in the picture above. It's the Dulles Hat pattern by my oft-written-about friend Sarah Gilbert. I've admired the many Dulles hats she's made for a year now, and I've been asking and asking her when she'd publish the pattern. And today she did!

The reality of publishing a pattern, if you haven't and you're wondering if it's a cash cow or something, is that you work for more than 40? 60? 100? hours on a pattern and sample, and you sell a few  (at least for me, I know some designers are lots more popular). You dream of the day that you verge on making a buck an hour, to justify your designing habit. So I urge you to go buy Sarah's hat pattern for a mere $3.50. It's an excellent gift knit, and it uses gorgeous Malabrigo but can easily use other yarn.

I can tell you, having sold 8 scarf patterns, that every time someone purchases your pattern it's a little thrill.

favorites, 11.11.07

Sebastian's favorites:
fixing things (papa says he gets very excited and serious about this)
screwdrivers
corn muffins
diggers!
singing, making music
running around and around the table
chocolate milk
raisins, as always
Stuart Little

Mama's favorites:
Jaywalker socks
my new boots with fur pompoms
NYT Sunday crossword puzzles
Tandem Cafe, and the bagels and chocolate stout bread
quiet days when we get them
fires in the fireplace

And another thing. It seems ironic that with all my knitting, and all the meathead hats out in the world, that I am a person without a hat. I was sooooo cold today on the way home from work. Is anyone interested in knitting me a meathead hat? I'll trade you some yarn!

The thing is, I want to knit myself a hat. But I want it to be this Inga Hat, which I've bought yarn and swatched for. But I'm so pressed for time that my hat plans are far beyond what I can knit now. My knitting is already in process beyond the dawn of the new year. I can't go that long. And today...in Nordstrom Rack?...I almost bought a knit hat. Almost. Bought. a Hat. It looked like one of them mason dixon washcloths, actually. It was cute. But come ON. Finally I could not spend the 13 bucks on it, knowing I could knit a fine hat, if only I had the time.

So I froze at the bus stop, and cursed myself.

now for something totally more fun

A sweet pattern for a gifty, recycley, fun to knit scarf full of color and robust, squishy stitches.

The circles could be lollipops, or they could be arty trees.

The Pop Scarf takes one or two skeins of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock mediumweight (depending on whether you want to knit it in 1 or 2 colors.) The lollipop sticks/tree trunks are knitted in, and the circles are bits of recycled sweaters, or you may also use cotton fabric for a more fray-ish look. It's a keyhole design, with a garter section behind the neck for added warmth and stability.

The pattern is a 5-page .pdf (you will need the free Acrobat Reader program to open it). It includes row-by-row instructions for the pop sections, brief notes about searching out and felting sweaters, and a note as to how to lengthen the scarf for those with larger necks. The skills needed are basic knit and purl stitches, plus a left twist stitch, which is described in the pattern document.

$4.50

Thank you!

recycling

Y'know how sometimes you think things are settlted, and are going to be one way? And then you spend the night in the ER with an IV full of Atavan? Exactly! I had four seizures last night between 5 pm and 9 pm, after having had none for over two months. It's even more alarming, somehow, when the medicine has been working and suddenly it doesn't and no one knows why. (The doctor implied that my 3-week-plus cold may have something to do with this but didn't really say so. It would be nice to have an explanation. Yeah, for everything in life, right?)

It was sad because Sebastian and I were having the nicest day. We sat at Tandem and he played with a TON of kids while I knit a square for mason dixon's afghan. (I met several knitting mommies I'd never known before. Nice.) Then we had incredible bus luck, a nice walk home collecting leaves and rocks and berries, and he got into bed and (gasp) took a nap. It was like a fairy tale of a mommy and little boy having a nice morning.

I had time to work on my recycled stuff for the SCRAP holiday bazaar on December 8. Sarah and I got in! It was a juried process to select vendors, and we'd been in last year. As I recall it was a really fun bazaar, but Sarah was pregnant, sick, and couldn't eat any of the sandwiches and treats from pix. This year she'll have Monroe in a sling and I'm sure she'll be eating plenty.

I'm determined to not upset myself and make everything last minute. So here are my first items. Gauntlets. $15? $20? Here's another view. And the front. I also started several hats out of that same sweater, and a pair of pulse warmers. It feels so industrious and pure to get five projects out of one cast-off sweater I found in the bins. It'll feel even better if someone pays me for them at SCRAP so I'll have extra Christmas money. ;-)

Anyhow, I got started on these projects, then Sebastian woke up and we loaded up the buggy to go to the playground. On the way there I found myself lying on the floor of the woods, looking up at pretty trees, with Ellie and Sebastian strapped in and just sort of waiting silently for me. I called Martin and my mom to come meet me at the park, and while walking home I had another seizure, this time on pavement so my head hurts. A third at home in bed, and fourth at the hospital round out my special Tuesday night. I didn't even get to put Sebastian to bed. He was already sleeping when I got home. It made me feel, for the nth time, like an invalid. A mommy who's always in bed or at the hospital or on the floor. I know that's not true, but I hope he doesn't remember me as always sleeping. :(

I guess, overall I am doing a lot better with this than I was a few months ago. But as I feel I'm living with it, it comes back again to do something, like poke me in the ribs and say "Not so fast, lady, I'm still here." Well...so am I.

the boys partied for gg's birthday

And we had baked potato bar, and hats, and cake! (That would be chocolate cake with wet walnut filling and mocha buttercream, as per the birthday girl's request.)

Happy Birthday, Mom.

p.s. Somewhat embarrassingly, Sarah and I both wore our ravelry beta t-shirts.

cover

Woohoo! And it can be pre-ordered here!

So I'm afraid that is my November post for talking about the book. (Remember, I'm trying to limit myself and not bore everyone/you.)

But there are so many other exciting things. For one, the Raven series of Blue Moon yarns. I'm working on a design for them. And I'm working on a design for a cutie-patootie little gift scarf that I'll have up here later this week when I can properly finish and photograph it. In time for making for someone who can rock such a cute thing. Plus, I sent off a design idea to knitscene last week - my first submission to a magazine. (Thanks, Chrissy, for helping me.)

When I get in this mode of designing things I get a lot of ideas at once. I draw them all out, and even can imagine them in some dream magazine. Then I try to make them, and some of them, um, simply suck. Others I try to make and they actually work. I think I'm having a few of those working ideas right now so that's exciting. It's all a flurry. Then I won't do that for a long, long time.

Also, I have that very long scarf to finish for my sister, and a second fetching to go with it. Knit, knit, knit. I'm at about 75 inches out of 100 on the scarf. Can I finish it this week? I know, the suspense...

the photos were as dark and creepy

As the night itself. I'm not sure what went haywire with my settings. I know just enough about my camera to get in trouble, and so I did.

Sebastian was a sick little working guy, but he valiantly tried and did trick or treat enough for a small haul that he thought was huge (so cute). His papa's costume? Totally my idea. He went as a green roof.