Category Archives: special projects

Jul13

For the benefit of a princess (updated 7/13)

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For the benefit of a princess (updated 7/13)

WINNERS OF WHAT THE YARN HARLOT CALLS “COSMIC BALANCING GIFTS” ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Tori M: Blanket (or the yarn I would’ve used to make the blanket; you decide)

Mary A: Nightfall Gift Set

Sophie T: Self-care gift set

Tamara K: Wollmeise Klapperstorch

Kim H: Headband

Caitlin O: Shallow purple bowl

Elizabeth B: Wollmeise gift set with DPNs & project bag

Jennifer L: Purple Shawl

Suzanne M: Free Form Bowl

Rachael A: Tili Tomas yarn

Marka Eberle: Lotus Yarns Chakra

Jennifer B: 4 skeins of custom-dyed Bugga from Cephalopod Yarns

Kelly C: The full line of patterns from Rebecca S.

Molly M: Green oval necklace from Ashley W.

Susan O: Purple Headband

Rebecca D: Purple teardrop necklace from Ashley W.

Sandra H: Wollmeise Aquarius

Christine M: Round green necklace from Ashley W.

Joan D: Wall vase

Agnieszka: Hair fork, hair stick, or nostepinne from www.artemiswoods.com

Jennifer S: Jojoland Harmony laceweight

Lindsey K: Leaf-shaped plate

Jennifer Loggins: Fascinator clips from Taylor Made Accessories

Suzanne B: Self-care set

Elizabeth A: Self-care set

Rhonda R: Khan gift set from www.sweetlibertine.com

Rachel H: Brownie Points gift set from www.sweetlibertine.com

Erin S: Round purple necklace from Ashley W.

Nadean L: Self-care set

Ashley W: 4 skeins of custom-dyed Bugga from Cephalopod Yarns

Anyone listed above has been notified by email. Karmic balancing gifts will arrive from the person who donated it. Instructions have been included in that email to contact the donor.

Also: HOLY CRAP THAT’S A LOT OF SUPERHERO CARDS TO SEND. Um. Guys. They’re going to be e-cards. I was absolutely bowled over at the number of people who donated and I cannot possibly mail that many right now. But I do want to keep my word for that, so you will get a really cool drawing as a thank-you, in your e-mail, and if you want to print them to use as postcards, or kid-room wall art, or to add to your collection of superhero stuff, that’s totally cool with me, just don’t sell them on etsy or something.

I met Talana on the first day of first grade, when she held the broken bathroom stall door shut for me after lunch.

That was 24 years ago this September.

Today, she’s in the hospital at Stanford University, and has just gotten word that calCOBRA won’t cover her because she has Medicaid A, which will only cover hospital expenses & none of her prescriptions.

Prescriptions she needs because she has Cystic Fibrosis and has just gotten a lung transplant. The transplant is why she’s in the hospital in the first place.

Her husband is going to fight this, is going to jump through all the loopholes & whatnot. But I want to help, somehow.

So here’s how: make a donation via PayPal to her medical fund (tcfairfax@gmail.com) To the Chipin fund we’ve set up in her name. $10 gets you an entry into a raffle
update: PayPal doesn’t allow raffles. So everyone gets something tangible as a thank you.

$10 donations get a hand-drawn card of child-made superhero art and a chance to win a hand-knit throw blanket, made by me. Washable wool, cream. No guarantee on finish date (I’m starting law school in August, so knitting time will be limited), but I’ll send progress photos every week until it’s done. Alternatively, if you’re a knitter or know a knitter, I can just send you the yarn & you can make whatever you want. 5 skeins of MadTosh Vintage, which retails at $19.50 per skein.

$20 donations get two hand-drawn superhero art cards and two chances to win the blanket.

$30 donations get two hand-drawn superhero art cards, three chances to win the blanket, and a chance to win two hand-made fascinator hair clips from Taylor Made Accessories (one red & black flower and one multicolored feather hair clip).

$40 donations get two hand-drawn superhero art cards, four chances to win the blanket, two chances to win two hand-made fascinator hair clips from Taylor Made Accessories, and a chance to win the entire pattern collection from Rebecca Stromgren

$50 donations get two hand-drawn super hero art cards, five chances to win the blanket, three chances to win the fascinators from Taylor Made Accessories, two chances to win Rebecca’s patterns, and one of two lots of yarn (4 skeins each) from our wonderful friends at Cephalopod Yarns: two lots of custom- dyed yarn in Bugga. 4 skeins each, the winner picks the color, any color we have ever made, we will dye it just for you, OR you send us a picture of anything EXCEPT someone else’s yarn, and we will make a custom color just for you..

Donate more than $50 and I’m not sure what I’ll throw in.

One randomly selected person from the Eugene area, or who can travel to the Eugene area, will also receive one outdoor photo session (single, couple, or family, pets allowed) with Heidi Turnquist of Taylor Made Photography, and a CD of the edited images from the shoot. I went to high school with Heidi and can personally vouch for her quality and professionalism.

Some people have already said they don’t want to be part of the drawings, and that’s fine. You don’t have to be. You’ll still get cards as a thank you, because that’s how we roll around here.

I’ll use www.random.org to pick winners, based on the order in which I receive donation confirmations.

Drawing date is July 12, which is Talana’s birthday. She’ll be 30. If the Oatmeal can raise over $100,000 in a day, let’s see if we can raise even 10% of that in just under a month.

Donate after July 12 and you’ll still get the hand-drawn superhero cards, as well as the amazing feeling of helping someone totally awesome. This isn’t a business or a charity, this is community coming together to help someone who is going to have ongoing medical costs and needs tens of thousands of dollars in medications tot stay alive, medications that insurance may not cover.

And if you have a gift to donate, let me know & I’ll post about that, too!

Additional thank you gifts that have been donated (updated 6/19) (each increment of $10 gets you one chance to receive each of these items).
This amazing shawl

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Four self-care boxes, each with 2 bars of handmade raspberry swirl soap, one washcloth, and one tube of handmade raspberry lip balm

Two hand knit purple headbands

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A Nightfall yarn gift set. That’s one 4oz shawl ball and a matching Sock Set (which is two smaller balls so you can make matching socks).

One hair fork, hair stick, or nostepinne from www.artemiswoods.com

Four necklaces, two purple and two green, one for each of four winners, from Ashley White

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A hank of wollmeise (amethyst WD), a slipped stitch studios sock bag, a sock pattern and pair of knitpicks DPNs (this would be a great gift for a special knitter in your life, if you’re not a knitter yourself).

Yarn that has been offered to date: 2 skeins of lotus yarns Chakra (MCN base) in “prayers for rain,” a skein of Aquarius wollmeise 80/20, two skeins of Jojoland Harmony (laceweight) in purple, and a skein of Tilli Thomas rock star in sapphire, and a skein of klapperstorch wollmeise 80/20.

2 amazing eyeshadow gift sets from www.sweetlibertine.com
Khan (Jet Set, Oasis, and Dragon City)

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Brownie Points (Copper Penny, Cafe au Lait, and Filigree)

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Matt’s cousin, Amber, is a potter and has donated the following four items:
A free-form bowl, which is raw clay on the exterior and the interior is a mottled green. It measures approx. 6″ in diameter and 3.5″ tall

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A leaf-shaped plate, which measures 8.5″ across

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A shallow purple bowl with lace imprint and metal handle which measures 6 x 8″

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A wall vase which is 6″ from top to bottom

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Jan1

::throws confetti::

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::throws confetti::

Happy New Year!

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Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of my marriage to Llamaface.  We agreed yesterday that 2008 was a pretty good year, all things considered.  We took the boys to dinner at a neighborhood Italian restaurant (Nonna Emilia on SW 170th & Shaw, for the Portlanders in the audience), the portions at which were large enough to feed all four of us for at least three meals each, then played some Wii (crazy husband of mine bought me a Wii for Chrismukkah), I fell asleep nursing Mr. Gurglebutt at 10:30 & totally missed midnight, but oh well.  This morning brought breakfast at a neighborhood diner (Tom’s Pancake House on TV Highway), where all the overt Christian symbolism (a book stand full of Christian books, an Ichthys fish on the menu) took me off guard a bit, but the French toast (made from cinnamon rolls, mmmm) and friendly service was good enough to make up for that.

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Gurglebutt there has the beginnings of two teeth, can walk all over the house, and eats massive amounts of food – we’re talkin’ an entire avocado, a dozen bites of calzone, and half a banana in one sitting, interspersed with water from his sippy, followed by 20 minutes of nursing.  No wonder that sweater he’s wearing is 12-18 mos & fits him just fine!  My little piggy, lawl.

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I spent about 30 minutes with a champagne cork & some of my first handspun yarn this evening and made a little doll.  Pattern (free) coming soon.  Gurglebutt keeps trying to use it like a pacifier, and Boogermonkey gets upset when Gurglebutt plays with “his” doll, so I think I’m going to have to make a few more.  Anyone got some champagne corks they wanna toss my way?

Here’s to a new year full of life, love, happiness, handknits, play dates, home runs, learning, and of course the usual profanity.

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Oct21

my kid the shutterbug

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my kid the shutterbug

Boogermonkey decided today that he wanted to take pictures with my camera. I’m of the mind that kids should learn things like photography & knitting as soon as they show an interest, so I put the strap on his neck, told him “look through here and push the button when you like what you see,” and sat back. He spent about an hour taking pictures of every thing in the house. Everything. Every. Thing. Here are some of the best ones

From Andy’s shots
From Andy’s shots
From Andy’s shots
From Andy’s shots
Sep24

Yes, even there

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Yes, even there

Before nap a few days ago, Boogermonkey and I were talking about g-d.  We’ve been attending Saturday morning family services at a local synagogue since we moved to Portland, and one of the songs we sing includes a part where the Rabbi asks each child in turn where g-d is.  Answers have included “in the song,” “in Mommy,” and “in my shoes.”  All correct in context, since the whole point of the lesson is that g-d is everywhere.  So Booger is naming places where g-d is today and the exchange went something like this:

Him: G-d is in the flowers?
Me: Yes.
G-d is in the dirt?
Yes.
G-d is in the cheeks?
Yes.
G-d is in the chin?
Yes.
G-d is in the forehead?
Yes.
G-d is in the penis?
::slight pause as I reflect on my child’s genius::Yes.

So I’m not officially Jewish, and I haven’t really talked to people about what’s going on with this, but this is kind of my way of announcing to the four people who still read my blog that I’ve started the (long and winding) process of conversion.  Step 1: find a shul.  Step 1a: like the shul.  Step 1b: get involved at the shul.  At least, that’s how I’m looking at it.  In there is also “take a crash course in Hebrew reading,” “start devouring online resources about living a Jewish life,” and “stop feeling like I’m crashing the party every time we go to Shabbos morning services.”  Officially, I have to take the Oregon Board of Rabbis Intro to Judaism class before the rabbi in charge of conversion at this shul will take me on as a student, but I have to wait until the spring to do that, because it costs money that I don’t have right now, so for now I’m just getting as involved as I can, and feeling really good about the whole thing, once my crippling fear of rejection is sufficiently shoved down.

Jun20

garden!

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garden!

We have a community garden plot. We don’t get to go out to it as often as I’d like, since getting there on the bus is a huge pain in the ass & Llamaface takes the car to work most days, but here’s the progression so far

find the plot. The grass is taller than my toddler.

Nice neighbor donates his spare plot to us, after seeing me try to hack down the grass in the other plot. He also brings a few wheelbarrows full of soil, which Boogermonkey quickly claims as his own.

Start turning the plot over, armed with nothing more than a shovel, while Gurglebutt is strapped to my chest in a sling

Promise sexual favors to husband in exchange for his muscle power, because otherwise it will be August before it all gets done.

Get stuff planted! Bell pepper, eggplant, garlic, cauliflower, & broccoli starts, lettuce & bush beans from seeds.

I hope to get out there again tomorrow. I have squash & zucchini & cucumber & some more beans & peas to get in the ground. It’s been about a week since we’ve been out there, and I’m sure the weeds have taken over.

Nov14

pattern Wednesday: nablopomo 14/30

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pattern Wednesday: nablopomo 14/30

There are, if you count today and not Christmas day, 41 days left to knit each and every last stitch on each and every last gift you’re going to make your loved ones this year (thanks/blame to the Yarn Harlot for cluing me in to that one yesterday). One of my rules this year: all gifts must take fewer than 300 yards, bulky knits or small items preferred. In the spirit of giving, I present to you a free pattern. This is for my mother-in-law’s fiancé, a U of O Duck fan. The BMFA striped nicely on 32 stitches, a total fluke I assure you.

Use it, share it, gift what you make from it, play with gauge and use super-bulky yarn to make full-sized stockings for the whole family in a weekend or three, make wacky ones with the bits & bobs left over from a dozen projects, get together with the other knitters in your office & make a bunch for that Secret Santa exchange you’re all dreading (better than the construction paper ones the boss’s 6-year-old will make otherwise!), but most of all have fun with it and send me photos when you’re done! If you want to sell items made using this pattern, talk to me about Cottage Industry Licensing fees.

The Seriously Last-Minute Christmas Stocking

Estimated knitting time: 1.5-3 hours
gauge: 15 sts & 22 rnds=2″ in stockinette in the round, but gauge is not essential; fudge it if you have to, the whole thing’s the size of a good swatch!

materials: fingering weight yarn. Sample knit using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Lightweight Socks that Rock in Kryptonite (MC), which is no longer available on the BMFA website, and Dale of Norway Baby Ull in color 2016: Bright Yellow (CC). One skein of each will make many, many stockings. 2.5mm needles – I use 2 circular Addi Turbos, but it’s all a matter of personal preference.

finished size: approx. 4.25″ circumference and 6.25″ from top of cuff to tip of toe

skills: provisional cast-on, knit, purl, pick up stitches from waste yarn, slip/knit/pass slipped stitch over (sl1/k1/psso)

note: This pattern uses an afterthought heel. Feel free to substitute your favorite heel treatment in place of the afterthought heel.

cuff
provisional cast-on 32 sts with CC
join for working in the round, being careful to not twist sts
rounds 1-6: knit
round 7: purl
rounds 8-13: knit
round 14: knit together with cast-on sts, carefully removing crochet chain as you go
switch to MC
rounds 15-47: knit
round 48: knit 16 sts with waste yarn
re-knit those 16 & next 16 of round 48 with MC
rounds 49-76: knit

toe
switch to CC
round 1 & every odd round: knit
round 2: [k6, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (28 sts)
round 4: [k5, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (24 sts)
round 6: [k4, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (20 sts)
round 8: [k3, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (16 sts)
round 10: [k2, sl1/k1/psso] 4 times (12 sts)
round 11: knit
break yarn & pull through remaining sts

heel
pick up sts through the right legs above and below waste yarn. Remove waste yarn. Work heel decreases the same as toe decreases.

weave in ends, make a loop for hanging from the tree, and pour yourself something tasty, because in the time it took to watch a movie or two, you have an F.O! For extra cheer, fill the stocking with small candies, money, lip balm, gift certificates, or portable electronic devices. Alternatively, fill with lavender, cloves, or other smelly stuff, stitch the top closed and bingo-bango, holiday-shaped sachet!

Aug17

yikes!

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yikes!

So if you’re like me and you live under a rock, you may not know that there was an earthquake in Peru on Wednesday. Claudia, who has been an e-friend for years now, is from Peru and now lives in CA. She has a business selling bilingual kids’ clothes, like this “Sabor Latino” (Latin Flavor) shirt that we love. $10 from the sale of every $12.99 shirt will go to disaster relief for the people in Peru. Compre!

Jul13

ooh a post about knitting!

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ooh a post about knitting!

I’ve started the first item for the book, even though I haven’t heard back from the agent yet. I figure I may as well get a jump on it, because even if she doesn’t accept it, someone will. There is a market for this, I know there is. 65 MILLION knitters in North America (not to mention however many across the globe), some of them have to be less than 5’2″ or have small breasts or just be skinny or know people who are. I’m planning on making this a “wardrobe staples” type book. 5 sweaters, 5 tanks and t-shirts, 5 skirts, 5 pairs of socks and 5 “one size fits all” projects like a bag, a hat, etc. for a total of 25 pieces that can be mixed and matched and worn with all manner of things. One example is a sweater I have in my brain. A gorgeous jewel-tone merino/silk blend (more silk than wool, I want it to shine) that could be worn with a black taffeta skirt for a prom or company holiday party or with jeans and high heels for a date night. Most of the patterns for smaller people that I’ve seen come from “teen” knitting books, and all of the “teen” knitting books I’ve seen are full of fun fur and neon colors and drop shoulders and ponchos. I think they’re all designed by people who [a] have forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager and [b] haven’t looked around at what teenagers are wearing these days. Teen girls are, for the most part, quite fashion-conscious and none I know would be caught dead wearing a sweater that looks like it came directly from the skinning of a Muppet. Not to mention that no one over the age of 25, at least not anyone with any good sense, would wear an oversized tangerine-orange drop-shouldered sweater with a rolled hem and think it looked good. *shudder* I came into my own, fashion-sense-wise, a bit later than most, but I’ve got a good eye now. While I usually stick with a well-fitting t-shirt (black or grey) and well-fitting jeans (light blue, low-rise, boot cut), I’ve seen enough episodes of “What Not to Wear” and sighed enough times at my mother’s own disasters that I’ve got most of it figured out (just a hint: leopard print belongs on pimps and gals in Queens, not on vest-and-tie combos, and CERTAINLY NOT at a wedding, and please for the love of all things holy stop wearing socks with sandals. One or the other. And tevas do not belong with slacks).

Now that’s out of my system (wasn’t planning a rant, but there you go), I want to propose a knitalong. I’ve decided that I’m going to make Baudelaire socks for my sock it to me swap giftee, and I want some company. There was a Baudelaire-specific KAL last July, but the link is down for whatever reason. So if you have some yarn kicking away (haha I slay me) in the stash and want to make lace and/or cable socks, not just Baudelaire, but perhaps something else, I’ll make a button today and we can have check-ins on Fridays, starting next week.

OH!  And one more thing: First pattern for the Allison/WhyMommy charity drive is 95% done.  It’s a doll, bigger and differently shaped than the ones I sell now, knit in one piece from the top-down.  I have to finish writing instructions for the clothes, and then it’ll be ready for y’all to snatch up.  I didn’t get any test knitters yet, so there’s no pictures in the pattern, but I’m sure someone will come through for me!