OK, now it's really fixed

I thought that I fixed my comment settings to enable anyone to ramble... seems I restricted it even more! Anyhoo, now it's really fixed! Comment away!

giving kicks ass (and so does receiving!)

First thing: my darling mum informed me that I did not have my comments settings enabled to allow anonymous or non-Blogger user comments. This has since been fixed... comment away!

Speaking of the ladies of my familia, my grandmother has a birthday coming up soon. She will be 85 years of age, and I hope that I age half as gracefully as she does. She is my namesake and one of my best friends. Whenever I am down in my hometown of Portland, OR, we always get together for at least one night of wine drinking (our average is one bottle each), watching Jane Austen flicks, sharing secrets (which seems to increase as more wine is consumed) and bashing on the current mess of political affairs in these United States. My grandmother is an elegant woman, raised by English parents and she taught me all about being a refined lady and a strong woman at the same time. She is also an avid crocheter and is always making something for a friend- everything from baby blankets to heirloom doilies. So, I put together a little care package for her:

That's 3 skeins of Cotton Comfort from Green Mountain Spinnery, a skein of my handspun Mountain Mist, a crochet hook case from Lantern Moon, and some loose Earl Grey tea (her favorite!) Hope she likes it!

Well, I was also the lucky recipient of gifts today. My friend Dave, easily one the best fly fishermen on the island, hooked a sister up with 12 sockeye salmon. Well, there is a catch... I get to keep 6 of said fish in exchange for smoking up the other half and giving them back to him- that's like, 20 lbs (at least) of filets. This is a small price to pay for yummy, yummy sockeyes. Seems he tried to smoke some up last week and the results were "interesting" to say the least. Since he has always enjoyed my smoked fish, he honored me with asking if I would do this for him- that's like two gifts in one!!!

But, the hits just keep coming... Dave also made us this cool shelf for the cabin we are intending on building in the near future in a remote part of Kodiak Island. Dogs and salmon... he know that those are two of our favorite things!!!

So, I am a very happy camper right now... I may even have some fiber content in my next post ;-)

lazy Saturdays...

Well, kind of. Woke up to more of this:

Which seems to lead to days like this:

That's the BF nestled under the covers, with The Dog and Cat comfortably sharing space at the foot of the bed. I love that they are mortal enemies- save for when it comes to sleeping on the bed with one or both of their parents.

I finished Steve's Swirly Hat the day before yesterday. I would have a picture of me modeling it, but as you can see from the above pic, no one is available to photograph me.

This is a modification of the Swirls Hat pattern by Carolyn Doe for Fiber Trends. I added a second band of swirls around the body of the hat, as well as the corrugated rib. I also played with using seed stitch to break up the areas of colorwork... I like how the interplay of knit and purl stitches when changing colors every round makes it look like you did something more complicated than it really is.

Have another spinning project on the horizon. When I was fileting pink salmon this past week, I was again reminded how Mother Nature really has the best color sense around. So, I created these two batts the celebrate the beauty of silvery gray and
salmon pink... they did come out pretty close to the colors of pink salmon filets.

Both batts are a blend of various shades of combed Corriedale roving. The grey is just that, with some teal, green, and periwinkle blended in, as well as some Silver Hologram Angelina to give it some sparkle. The salmon color is primarily a blend of pink and light orange, with bits of red, magenta, and fuchsia in there too. I was terrifically unscientific about deciding what proportions of colors to blend together- and I think they came out great! Had I have tried to be more precise, I am sure the blends would have been a disaster. I think that sums up my general approach to all things creative...

On an unrelated note, I am playing with the whole socks on 2 circs thing (yeah, I'm a little slow- I hate to do something just 'cause everyone else is doing it). I have to say, I'm digging the technique, although it takes some getting used to. And speaking of socks, I was going to knit some Argyles for my dad like, way back in the day and got frustrated. I must give a shout out to this kind blogstress for giving me renewed hope in my ability to make Argyles, which I will hopefully have cast on today... or maybe I'll just go join the animals in bed ;-)

heat wave?

If everyone else's blogs are correct, apparently there is some sort of warm spell in the Lower 48 right now. This has, in no way, shape, or form, come close to Kodiak. This morning I was greeted with 30 mph winds (gusts up to 55!) and the sideways rain/stormy seas which accompany such a storm. Oh, and it's 50 degrees F. Nice. I mean, I'm down with the fact that Kodiak only gets 55 bonafide sunny days per year, and that we get twice as much precip as Seattle (about 75"/year). That's fine... keeps other folks from moving here who aren't dedicated, you know. But this is about enough. It's July, Mama Nature... JULY!!!!! I know that you are not here for me, that rather I am here to serve you, Ms. Nature, but WTF bitch? Can't we just meet a little bit halfway? Anything you do would be ever so appreciated!

Naiads and such

Some progress on things. Steve's Swirly Hat is still in the same spot... but that should be done either tomorrow or the next day. Here is the progress on Rick's Blankie...


Ahhh... mindless seed stitch- makes it easy to think good thoughts for him as I knit. No real change for the better, BTW, but miracles do happen or something.

And, I started this shawl...


I was intrigued by the idea of freeform knitting, but kind of put off by the fact that it can be SO random... I am a linear thinker, but I do like things that look organic and straight from Nature. So, I decided to do a triangular shawl in which I chose colors based upon a skein of Noro Kureyon # 150 and in which fringe is created when I change yarn. About 1/2 of the yarn is my handspun.

When it is done, I'll attach little rock oyster shells in random places (the little white thing is one of said shells). I'm thinking that the shawl will look like something that a naiad and/or mermaid would wear.

Also caught another fish. Now this is BIG for a pink... this is next to my Size 8 shoe. He is currently in the smoker.
Had a treat last night- made some sushi using the sockeye that my friend Dave gave us. I'll leave you with this yummy parting shot:

Back to my roots

Many months ago, when I first started this blog, I kicked things off with a post that still brings a smile to my face. This piece was composed prior to beginning this blog, and was the genesis for it. Since I so stupidly deleted this blog last month, I thought I would cheat on my blog a little today and post this entry, which fortunately I saved. Hope this makes you smile too...

January 10, 2006
As I was taking my first poo of the day and reading one of my ubiquitous knitting books, I came to one of my sharpest realizations: knitting and pooping are very similar. When I am knitting, I am often mystified by the process, sometimes dumbfounded at the little miracle I am creating. Sometimes knitting is painful and frustrating, sometimes it is smooth and uncomplicated. Sometimes I wonder, "Where the hell did that come from?" My boyfriend is often amazed at the things that I knit, although he pretends he does not care. Every now and then, some really interesting color patterns pop up in my knitting, depending on the materials used. Sometimes I just have to clench my teeth and know that it will all be over soon if I just stick with it. Sometimes knitting makes me cry, but more often than not, it brings me joy.

So, if you take the above paragraph, and replace "knit" with "shit", I think most of you will know what I am talking about. With both knitting and shitting, you start out with a given set of materials that totally change form as they pass through your hands or GI tract. And, whether knitting or shitting, no matter how much the finished project may stink, there is always that nice final sense of satisfaction, because you made it yourself.

What's fuzzy and smells like fish?

My yarn, that's what! I took this pic of my latest creation, then ended up leaving it on the deck next to the smoker, in which I was smoking the first pink salmon of the year. I've heard of those so-called "aromatherapy" yarns that are infused with scent, but somehow I don't think "smoked salmon" would be a popular aroma.

90 yds... combed Corriedale with some Angelina sparklies

Oh well, I don't mind the smoky goodness of this yarn, and I am sure the scent will come out after washing. I like this skein... it makes me realize what Kureyon would look like if it smoked crack.

And, here is a gratuitous shot of me with one of the fish that went in the smoker. That's REALLY small, even for a pink salmon, but we are going out again tonight, so I will show more pics that prove I have "stream cred" in the near future. You should have seen the one that got away 10 min before I got this one. No, seriously! Also, I have to give a shout out to my friend Dave, who gave us a buttload of sockeye filets today! Although I think all salmon is good, sockeye is the best! They have a planktivorous diet, which makes the meat more rich.

It's funny though, there are so many people in Kodiak that disdain anything other than sockeyes, cohos, or kings for eating... many people here think that keeping a pink salmon is below them. I call them "fish snobs". Whateves, after growing up around the depleted salmon runs of the Pacific NW, I'm just happy to be able to catch and eat WILD salmon all the time... just another reason why I feel so blessed to be here ;-)

fiberglass

Despite the ranting of my last post, I have not been hiding out in a bomb shelter... have just been super-busy. Not too much time for fiber stuff, but here is what I've been working on:

Here is the progress on Steve's Swirly Hat:



I'm at the crown-shaping point, which is always my favorite part- it's all less stitches per round from here!

And, I started a blanket. My cousin (well technically second cousin, but we are closer than my other cousins, so you know) crashed his motorcycle the other day. It's a bad scene, as in he is still in very critical condition and may be a quadriplegic if he does pull through. He is a wonderful man, always full of jokes, loves to make people smile, and would give you the shirt off his back. Why does stuff like this only happen to people who do not deserve it? Anyway, I'm making him a blankie, 'cause that's all I could really think of to do right now.





Recognize the yarn? Yes kids, that's right, it's Lion Brand Homespun. Hooomespuuun... not my lovely handspun, but lovely acrylic Homespun. Usually I wouldn't let this yarn touch my Addis, but I do like how it knits up in seed stitch, and well, it's machine washable/dryable, which will be good in case my cousin pisses and/or shits on it. (He has a very crude sense of humor like moi, so he will appreciate the joke at his expense.)

So, other than yarny things, I have been making glass stuff, which I am selling at the store next door to the LYS. My other pics turned out like crap, but this one didn't, which is good, 'cause it's the one thing I really wanted to show off.




That's a horned puffin, my own design. I am tempted to keep it, but frankly folks, I need the money and am therefore whoring out my creativity (I initally wrote, "whoring myself out creatively", then realized how that sounded). Oh well, selling beautful stained glass that I would rather keep certainly beats working at the docks...

I'm watching Team America, again...

... just to make me feel better about the whole N. Korea thing. I mean, you know, ummm... parts of AK were SOOO occupied by the Japanese during WWII and the scuttlebutt in these parts is all about how a N. Korean missile could strike here. Fuck. I mean, I'm not one to get all paranoid when the "alert (AKA 'hysteria')" level goes up in the US, but fucking A...

It's just so sad... the peeps in North Korea are so oppressed and starving and you know, executed for speaking against that potbellied lil' douche bag Kim-Jong Ill. The thing that cracks me up is that the US has FUCKING KNOWN that they have had the WMD's for some time, and that the people are living in squallor and under an "evil regime", but you know, they aint got no oil, so we haven't stuck our noses in it and shit. I am such a pacifist at heart, but ummmm... I think it's time we stick our noses in... just a little bit. I also just love how they have done this when our military and our treasury are both severely depleted. Happy fourth of July!