All Quiet on the Crafty Front

There are no exciting craft related projects going on with me this week. My right hand is hurting, so I'm taking a short break from knitting and drawing to heal. Nothing major, I just don't want to exacerbate it so I can lay out Olivia's new kitchen ideas in CAD.

Many of you know my slight obsession with appreciating my limbs, ever since Helena's mom told me in 10th grade, "At least you have arms and legs!" Well, damn right she was. I truly appreciate my hands, and what I can create with them. So no knitting, or excessive scrolling on the mouse.

Don't fret, I will stop by knitting circle anyway--to visit the gals and provide "entertainment" as I believe Mindy stated once.

In other news, I had two fantastic weekends in a row. Last weekend, we visited my cousin Amanda and her husband D in Harlem. They've been teasing me for five years that "Mike" does not exist. They loved him, and are finally convinced that he is not a hired actor. I also got my dog fix by spending time with their two rescued daschunds, Mr. and Mrs. Beasley.

Here's Mr. B saying, "Please rub my belly, Mike, even though I usually hate boys!"



Our good friend, Courtney, visited us from Montreal this weekend. She lived here before, so we enjoyed visiting her old haunts, eating pirogies at The Pub, walking around, and checking out a William Kentridge exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

They weren't in the mood for the Frida Kahlo exhibit, but I'm going to check it out soon. I did admire the paper banners that are decorating the PMA in her honor!



In the meantime, I'm keeping busy working out with my boss, studying Spanish again, and finding a bridesmaid's dress for Mike's sister's wedding.

The Martha Stewart Show

Aimee informed me of Martha Stewart's knitting special show last month. I requested my tickets, crossed my fingers and ultimately had to tell my friends I had failed on this quest.



The minute I accepted defeat, Olivia leaves a voicemail for me asking if I would like their extra ticket. Her friend Chris, (with whom we took the Sweater Class at Loop), had gotten tickets, but didn't know anyone else but us who could knit.



So thanks to Olivia, Chris, and a skills pre-requisite, I got to attend my first television show taping!

It was a lot of fun to see how things work behind the scenes. The set was gorgeous, and it takes some major teamwork to keep that show running smoothly. We had excellent seats and could see everything perfectly.

This hilarious guy warms up the crowd up and helps elicit the preferred responses from people. Like an air traffic controller, he had codes for us to knit, put it down, clap, fade out, mmmm, and ahhhhhh. It was exhausting, and all we had to do was sit there!

Martha was knitting with dog hair from her chow chow. Instead of saying "awww" like we were supposed to, I think I emitted a slight, "ewwwww". I know, I know. Sheep, alpaca, rabbits and dead silk worm cocoons are gross too, but there's something that just creeps me out about knitting with your pet hair. This is coming from someone obsessed with dogs too, mind you! I wasn't the only one though, because a woman outside said, "She makes all that money, and she can't at least knit with cashmere?" Or perhaps qiviut...



I have to say, she looked great in person (since everyone asked that). She was busy being prepped between segments, so didn't but was very funny, and great at ad-libbing when there was a minor blip concerning the word "strewn". She took a few minutes to thank us after the show, before scurrying off to the David Letterman Show.



No craft themed trip to Manhattan is complete without a trip to Purl Soho, Purl Patchwork, Kate's Paperie and a little shopping. We also made sure to eat lots of treats and have a fantastic dinner before heading back to Philly.

Thanks for the great day-trip, ladies! Oh, and it airs on Monday, February 25th if you want to see me in a panned shot of the audience! (Ahem, mom and Aunt Marty...)

Declan's Show Fleece

I'm finally feeling inspired to use my "alpaca show fleece" purchased from the Southwind Farm in Connecticut last November. I was thinking of a cabled cowl and matching hat, but those just aren't special enough for Declan's prize winning fleece.



That cutie won second place in the nation! My knitting friends don't need to be reminded of this, since I wore the skeins as a necklace, stroking them and repeatedly commenting on my luscious score the entire drive home to Philly. (That's also why they love me though!)



I thought a simple caplet with some shaping and details may be more worthy. I may do a little lace band or edging towards the bottom. Although, I like the idea of knitting it simply. After all, this prize winning fleece is from a very manly alpaca (wink).



Can you believe that after finishing my chartreuse sweater and rainbow legwarmers, I'm going to knit with undyed alpaca? At least this gorgeous wooden carved button will add some of my typical "flair".

Mid-Winter Gocco Swap

I had a hard time coming up with ideas for the Mid-Winter Gocco Swap, with the practically balmy weather we've been having in Philly. I was thinking of ice skaters, but was eventually drawn to umbrellas.



One of my favorite fountains in Philly is Logan Circle. Walking past it on my way to work in galoshes, I was inspired to do my print with it in mind. Working on floorplans in AutoCAD all day, I am constantly thinking in plan view, and sometimes my drawings reflect that.



I patched and pieced together my screen to create some quick cards and embellish some envelopes. I hope these bright colors help with the mid-winter blahs!



I did put a quick wash of watercolor on the flat notes only. After creating the actual prints with all the different colors, there was no way I could do that again and make the deadline.



Thanks again, Sarah, for organizing a great gocco swap! It was a great excuse to do something that is slightly scary-- putting your work out there. I'm glad I did it.



I can't wait to see what everyone else created!

Valentine's Tweed

Remember the tweed that induced a "yarn high" on my knitting field trip with the Degenerate Knitters? Well, you all know that I'm anti-stash, so I better knit it up quickly before the cold weather leaves us!



I'm swatching it up to become the remarkable, Demi, by Kim Hargreaves. The first sweater I knit was the Tyrolean from the same book, Vintage Knits. I love my Tyrolean, but it's a bit short for my liking, and somewhat boxy. I will attempt to make my Demi longer and a bit more fitted, similar to Elliphantom's.



I just have a little more tweaking on my gauge, and I can start. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day, filled with cookies, cupcakes, and possibly some glorious tweed!

Completed: Full Spectrum Legwarmers

I'm such a process gal. Please indulge me as I showcase the process behind my newest and most treasured wool item.

In December, I received 2 skeins of Noro during the holiday yarn swap at Rosie's! For a few minutes, I sat there thinking, what could I possibly make with 2 skeins of mismatched Noro? Seconds later the little voice told me to purchase 4 more of the constrasting and obnoxious skeins to create the most insane legwarmers ever!"

Of course I had to sketch it out so that others could see my "vision". Ever the multi-tasker, I turned it into an Illustration Friday entry as well. (wink)

I knit in Florida, ripped it out, ruined a pair of Addi Turbos, and restarted in Philly after some revising. There was the infamous Superbowl knitting vessel, the Bowl O' Yarn.



And finally, my quest has ended. I present to you, the Full Spectrum Legwarmers. (That sounds way more classy than "The Legwarmers that the Rainbow Vomited Upon")



I didn't really use a pattern, I just used a little math and knit a 1 x 1 rib. I kept knitting until they were long enough to stretch up to my thighs if cold weather required.



It is so satisfying when the real thing is as good, or even better than what you had imagined. Believe me, this is not always the case (i.e. the embarassingly ugly watercolor of a mermaid I did for Trey one year. Don't think I'm being modest, it is butt ugly. God bless Trey though, that monstrosity was hung on her cubicle panel proudly).



A blurry shot of me being in love with my new legwarmes. Even my ankles are squeeing.



Here's what's left of my yarn. I'm sure I'll need some mitts soon.



Enjoy, my friends. I may even let you try them on if you're good!

Pop. Pop. Pop.

It's been hard to find inspiration for the Mid-Winter Gocco Swap with all the rain and sixty degree weather we've been having in Philly. I finally got the ideas in my head onto paper, and they're coming along (fingers crossed, though!)



For someone who does a lot of linework and watercolor, it can be a challenge to translate my style into ink and layers. Luckily, I have a treasure chest of Tria markers and tracing paper to assist in the process.



Pop, pop, pop, pop! are the sounds of gocco bulbs exploding. One day I'll create my gocco tutorial and this will make more sense.



There's something so soothing about mixing paint or ink. Seriously, try it. You feel so accomplished and professional for those brief moments.



There's some heart crossing and superstitious rituals when peeling off the image and seeing if your master was created properly. I think that Andrew's heart shaped lucky rock helped in this case, as it was 'touch and go' for awhile.



Then there's the fact that I was overzealous with my design and amount of colors for my first layer. You'll have to wait and see.



In the meantime, I should have a legwarmer reveal by Saturday. Taking the bowl of yarn to a Superbowl party, and stuffing the yarn into a gallon sized ziploc bag turned them into a travelling project after all.

To all the people who found me insane...well, that realization was frankly inevitable, my friends. (wink)

Bowl O' Yarn

A work friend asked me, "Mariss, why haven't you brought in your legwarmers to work on during lunch?"

"Um, because there's so many balls of yarn it's become unmanageable for travel," I replied.

Exhibit one: Bowl O' Yarn. You see, Mike and I were watching a movie, and him sitting on the couch was hindering my color selection. The lightbulb flashed and I kindly asked him to get me a large bowl for my yarn. Problem solved.

It certainly worked, I finished my first legwarmer this morning. All 26". Here's a sneak peek below.

Mmmm. It looks like a Noro Sandwich.

I'm not going to model them until I finish the second one. I don't want to ruin the surprise for you (and oh, will they be cute!). Plus, I should probably suck it up and shave my legs before my "fashion shoot".

Alright, no more knitting until I finish my gocco prints. Now there's some motivation!

Illustration Friday: Tales and Legends

Here's my quick submission for this week's Illustration Friday theme -- "Tales and Legends". As all good stories start with,"Once upon a time..."



On a side note, I'm feeling very accomplished today. I coordinated a job at work, and as one of the riggers put it, "This is the first time I've come for one of these ATM installations and someone knew what they were doing." I was quite proud! Proudness quickly turned to surprise when I realized I was the only one "not packing", as all the cash carrying armored guards have to do. No quick movements, people.

Happy Friday!