march magknits

A SCARF ASKEW

Tiphanie: Eh. It’s okay. I may knit this as a gift but only if I remember this. I’m more likely to randomly pick out a stitch pattern from my books.
Frarochvia: It’s a cute idea. It’s simple, but it doesn’t wow me. Yeah, for a fast gift I can see doing it.
Tiphanie: I guess that I’m lukewarm about one stitch projects. I want to see the ends. The whole scarf. Is it a square? Or pointy?
Frarochvia: I’m lukewarem about projects that are essentially a stitch pattern. I make an exception if it’s innovative as hell. Like the wavy scarf. Because no one made that before.
Tiphanie: Yeah. Or if it’s a gorgeous yarn.
Frarochvia: Something that makes me go WOW. Looks like the ends curl. Can’t tell, or if she knit it in the round. Problem is I’m not in the market for a nice fast knit.
Tiphanie: Unless it’s a pair of socks, yes?
Frarochvia: I want Branching Out, Backyard Leaves, Wavy and what was the fourth… something cabled, I’m sure. But in general, I want an -interesting- scarf.
Tiphanie: Yeah. Me too.
Frarochvia: But for a scarf for myself, I guess I want that wow factor. I like impressing people with my knitprowess. Simple socks are fine. They make ME happy.
Tiphanie: Yeah. I would prefer to impress- with the level of skill rather than speed. I don’t mind if it takes me three or four months to churn out a pair of fancy socks or if it’s going to take me uh a year to knit a fancy cabled scarf.
Frarochvia: your husband cares. *giggle*

TWEEDS SOCK

Tiphanie: We need more unisex sock patterns. But eh I don’t like it.
Frarochvia: Nope. I don’t love it. Don’t like it. Bleh. It just looks too thick. I knit worsted socks what was it, two weeks ago? So I am willing to have thicker socks. But mind don’t like like that at all. Not whelmed. Just not.
Tiphanie: NEXT!

EMERALD BRACELET

Tiphanie: It’s okay. I think I would prefer to knit with wire and beads. I should buy some soon. Maybe a necklace.
Frarochvia: It’s a neat idea but not really my thing.
Tiphanie: I wouldn’t mind trying knitting with beads- maybe for a hat. A pair of socks. Maybe even a cardigan- a vintage/retro version. With beads outlining a flower something.
Frarochvia: For the trim. That would be cute.
Tiphanie: Yeah. Some day.
Frarochvia: Yeah. When we have slightly more brain cells.

VERY BERRY T

Frarochvia: The sweet little girl sweater…it’s okay. I guess I just can’t get excited about it.
Tiphanie: It’s cute and for a girl.
Frarochvia: It’s not awful. It’s not OMG OMG OMG. It’s sweet. It reminds me some of the lotus blossom tank in the summer Interweave Knits. Stockinette chest area, lace middle.

RAINY DAY SOCKS

Tiphanie: I like this pattern a lot. Very cute.
Frarochvia: This should have been the cover pattern! I love it. Love love love love. Been thinking about using some dk weight in a lavender or heck a green.
Tiphanie: Lavender – cute.
Frarochvia: I’ve got some apple green.
Tiphanie: I need some apple green mmmmm.
Frarochvia: I think this particular heel flap is too, uh low. Too short. I’d change that. No big deal. It’s such a cute sock.

SHIMMER

Tiphanie: I like it and I would knit this with yarns that I know for sure will flash. If I saw this while knitting Quarry, I would have frogged and redid the sock. I don’t mind flashing or pooling.
Frarochvia: I don’t get people who hate flashing and pooling and buy variegated yarn. Don’t get that at all. Your mileage may vary. If I buy variegated yarn I wanna watch it do what it does.
Tiphanie: I just don’t want ALL socks to be flashy or pool-y. I admit that I like an uniform appearance and I like random blips of colors. Just not for ALL varied colorways. One pair fine. Two pairs fine. Just not 20-30 pairs.

stare-choo

I like to think that he’s winking at me. Like we have a little secret between us, he and I. The little (big) fluffbomb has been molting lately, much like Wendy’s Lucy has been.

It amazes me that, even after nearly five years together, Matisse and I can still reach new milestones. For the last two weeks, he has insisted on sitting on my lap, whenever he’s not already in The Bowl.

It’s been wonderful and well, furry. Warm.

And sometimes? Slightly painful.

You see, when the Matisse is very very very very happy, he kneads at everything within reach, preferably something attached to the Rebecca, and uses all 900 miles of claw to maximum advantage.

Not my advantage, of course, but someone’s, I’m sure.

He continually surprises me with his emotional growth.

I’m lucky to have him. Very lucky. Scratches and all.

shine a light on me

I’m afraid to seam up this beauty.

It’d be painful to screw up all that hard work.

Hold my hand. Tell me I can do it.

Because keeping it in the WIP basket isn’t doing me or my lamp any good is it?

a portent of things to come

Aquamarine, graduated hand dyed, worsted weight.

okay….

So does that mean thirteen year olds can enter? Just asking.

This sign is prominently posted right next to the alcoholic beverages area of one of the grocery stores near my apartment, and it’s always a headscratcher…

the horcrux of the matter

Forgive me for the blog title, I’ve been sitting on it for so long it just had to be used. AHEM!

Here lies proof that indeed, the Rebecca, she does still know how to knit and stuff, despite the whole horde of germ-factory-ization going on in there.

I love these socks! The only thing I’d do differently next time is to knit them on one size smaller needles than I did.

A next time? Maybe. I sure did like the lighting bolts! Thank you, Susan, for such a wonderful pattern!

life with catchen

Days like today I really truly love having catchenage. Especially when the weather is somewhat warm and there’s catchen catchen, semi-green grass, and a cute fat widdle bunny wabbit!

Whoops. I’m one of those people who turn into an idiot and coo coo coo in the proximity of really cute nearly-tailless things.

But you are too. I dare you not to.

life’s a box of cupcakes

If peanut butter ice cream didn’t tempt you, surely this will!

yo ho ho and a bottle of nyquil

As I stare vacuously in the dimmed but steady glow of Benkei, it occurs to me that fairness has no place in being sick. You want the fairness, instinctively, but really, it wasn’t invited to the dinner party.

Ha, there I go, anthromorphizing fairness. Fairness with a capital F, no less, perhaps.

Is it a dinner party when it’s just you with a Lean Cuisine in your lap, and the implements are all plastic and styrofoam? And your dinner guests are a Matisse and a Picasso, and their idea of scintillating conversation is to stare at you rentlessly? And the entertainment is the Kiefer, digitalized on a 13 inch screen?

Don’t answer that.

Gramma came over today to hover over the sickie, which was greatly appreciated, if so impromptu that it was a fortunate thing that Picasso woke me up and I blearily albeit admittedly automatically checked Benkei for email.

No chicken soup, but the refrigerator and freezer are filled to absolute bursting, which is of course grammaese for “stocked with barely adequate levels of food”.

I’ve got some peanut butter ice cream with reese’s cups in it. Anybody wanna come on over for some? We don’t have to share spoons.

obligatory catchenal content

The triangular garter stitch headscarf? Is a bigger triangular garter stitch headscarf! Too exciting.

Hey, anybody watching this season’s 24? Holy moly, the Kiefer, he is such a glutton for punishment! Like Chris, I’m re-watching vintage 24 episodes, and this week season 2 predominates. Ahhh, the Kiefer, who can ever tire of him? Not I!

But I digress.

To spare you a progress picture which would be almost but not quite exactly the same as yesterday’s, here’s a picture of the boys.

Aren’t they amazing little creatures? Isn’t Picasso ever so subtle in his claiming ownership of the larger and older Matisse? In twenty days exactly, Picasso will be three years old!

And he’s definitely the head of the household. Or at least he thinks so. Or is that knows so? I wouldn’t know. I’m just the catstaff.

One that feels some better today, but given the fact I got into bed (albeit reading and typing on Benkei) before 10 pm? Maybe not all that much better yet. So tired….. But tired? Is better than pillow-breathing. I’ll take that.