And welcome back there.

Sorry for such a long delay in saying anything, but it's been a rather Happy Christmas. I indeed finished all my baking, and even have picts to show of the gorgeous marshmallows I made. I can't vouch for their flavor, what with having been dunked in unsweetened dark chocolate, I did find out that they are great in hot cocoa though. Oh it also turns out that I still hate marshmallows! Yes I know why make them then... I just had to verify that they are indeed something I do not cherish in eating, unless scorched by a camp fire's flame.
Christmas at our house was lovely, and is now stashed away for next year. Since our tree was so tiny it really wasn't such a hard feat. It also turns out that the husbeast has been direly allergic these last few weeks to our little cypress living tree. Ehh ghads the mucus, but you really don't need to hear about that now do you.
I hate to talk about pressies, but just let it be known that I must now learn to spin, thanks to my wonderful mother in law. She handed on her old Ashford wheel from the 60's to me! It needs a little maintenance, and some oil, but it's beautiful. Then from my own mum I got a wonderful sewing machine. It's a Husquavarna (sp?), and so much fun to play with. Really what a difference from my old machine from the 60's with the terrible tension problems.
So here it is, I am nestled, and domestic goddess acquainted.

Absinthe Mes Amies, Absinthe!

Oui, c'est vrai. Il et beaucoup d'absinthe pour tous la monde de nous a St. George Spirits en Alameda, Ca.
Translation, scroll down the page on the link and you'll see what I mean. Some how, some way they did it. It's actual distilled Absinthe in the United States, using the classic ingredients, ie WORMWOOD! I know what the? Well I don't know but I do suppose persistence pays off, and at $75 a bottle that's not bad considering how much it is to import those things to the US these days. We may go down for the opening, but I believe the husbeast and I may just give a few tokens to his co-worker lady and have her pick us up a bottle when she's out there early Fri. morning! I really can't believe it though. After all this time of having homemade versions (not really suggestible) and imported hooch versions, this is a treat. Absinthe pour moi! Just in time for the new year. Too bad we're not camping this year, that would be uber fun in the Redwoods with all the hippy friends of ours. Oh well.

So yes I'm stoked, and elated and very happy to be able to tell all you all about this wonderful news, now go and act on your instincts. And yes I am rather close to where their distillery is... suggestions kindly taken in comments ;)

I've ignored a few things lately. Mainly the fabulous eats I've been creating. Let's start with last weeks Beef Bourgignon, or Burgundy as the husbeast continued to correct me saying. This recipe was granted from the wonderful David over at Sweater Project (praise be to the Harlot for pointing out a knitter man in a kilt!) You certainly can count on a man to come up with a wonderful dish that another man would love to eat. Sorry if that sounded a little gay, or even lewd, but meh. (the sound of a cat mocking the creative commons in a world of computer savyocity)
Then there was the Risotto by Rachel Ray, the butternut squash one with sage and wine. That dish turned out to be a fabulous pairing with the Sockeye Salmon at Trader Hoe's (only caught once a year in the Copper River in Alaska and a great deal in the freezer section). I won't point to Rachel's recipe you can easily google that one.
Then to top it all off, last night I made marshmallows. I hope hope hope they turn out, as of this morning they were still rather wet. Well that's 12 hours after they were made. I dusted them in sugar and rice flour and went off to work. So we'll see how they are after work. I plan on dunking them in some unsweetened chocolate and topping off with crushed peppermint candy canes. Go check out Brownie Points link to some really cool homemade marshmallow recipes.
This weekend, on Sat. is our hippy friends annual Christmas party, and then Sun. we're celebrating with my mum and brother and his wife. Then to the husbeasts parents on the Eve or the day of X-Mas.
I feel like this very well may a rather low key Christmas, but it's our first, and that just makes me smile.
Cheers and here's to a little holiday cheer. Here here for the penis tree (husbeast's term not mine).

All in a Days Fun

Finally I have a bit of the bug, no not that sickly one again (thankfully that wasn't long lasted), but the other kind, the Christmas bug. Our little tree, it is decorated, and uber cute. There are pressies piling up for family and loved one's. Annnnnd, I've been baking up a storm; raspberry jam is made~ 14 jars and a triple batch, a double batch of Russian Teacakes were made up yesterday~one with candied ginger my fav!, the double batch of sugar cookies have halfly been rolled out- cut and baked, AND I changed the oil on my truck.
Yep I am the proud changer of my trucks oil. I've done it once before, but yesterday the husbeast had meant to until he threw out his back. When I went out to check on him he was struggling to get under the truck, soooo I told him to move it. With a little walking through I got it done in a timely fashion, and am tickled pink over such an endeavor of baking and changing oil all in a day's time.
Tonight I have more cookies to roll out, and then decorate. Also I've decided that I'm going to make some homemade marshmallows. A new endeavor, but since I'm not in the mood to make fudge this year I thought some peppermint chocolate dipped marshmallows would pair up nicely with hot cocoa (and maybe a little Bailey's Irish Cream ;) .
On the knitting front, I am perturbed by this silly Hemlock Ring Blanket that mocks me. I'm just finished tinking back, and must now focus on getting the proper # of stitches back into every section, rather annoying. But I persevere as I hope to make this a pressie for the parents-in- law.
Ta for now, gotta run. Happy making.

A little more in depth

Here's that Venetian Mini Top Hat I've been talking about. You'll notice that it's the one with horizontal stripes as opposed to vertical. After being blocked out, it was just as boxy as I was hoping. The original version of the Venetian Topper was supposed to be in a square peg round hole format, but the lines wouldn't allow that to happen as they did in this version.
I've added the typical silver broach piece that I use to hold the feathers and flowers, and also a pair of silver leaf embellishments that I found out at Kiowa Rose in Fremont. (Very neat little Victorian bead shop~that oddly smelled of weed last time I went out there ;) Instead of the huge door impeding pheasant plume~I opted to stick that one in the husbeasts Top Hat (that was left at home due to interference w/ the mask)~and went instead for some premade feather bouquets. I think it was a little more feminine, but when I give this hat over to the boy I do believe I shall put that pheasant plume back in. Of course those weird little dried puff flowers are staying with me. They're just too cute. The band is a few yards of Tilli Thomas silk ribbon in two older colors. To help keep this hat in place I used an elastic headband that is hidden under the hair, and again a hair comb that by my dumb luck swings forward and backwards. Hopefully a benefit to the young man with the cute little mohawk.
Soooo that's the latest topper.
I knoooow I should so be showing you the picts of the cute ass capelet, but I only have that one. It's so not easy to take picts of myself even though I have a remote control and a tripod, but I just don't wanna!
Cheers, happy Christmas crafting.

2 dishes and a burnt mouth later

I'm feeling a bit clumsy lately. This morning I broke a bowl in the dishwasher and then proceeded to break a mug in the cupboard, yesterday morning I dropped the coffe grinder on the floor with the mornings beans (yet ground thankfully) and now I just burnt my mouth on my lunch. All this and I'm sickly. But I am not whining, I'm merely pointing out all these things.

Terribly sorry for not checking in sooner, as to regards to the Husbeasts company Venetian ball, it was a blast, and really lovely. If you happened to see me on the BART train, with my little capelet, and mini top hat, well that was me and the husbeast. He looked so cute in his tux with tails. Everyone kept complimenting him on his great hair, and prodded him that they would steal his ball cap off his head next time they saw him at work. Really no, they are some of the nicest weirdos ever. I blame it all on the island that the company has their office on. The same one where I work also with some of the oddest clients. The HR lady (yet another crazy lady) and I realized in the loo that her corset (she had made) and my hat were indeed the same fabric only in other colors. The only reason I didn't grab the same fabric is because I originally grabbed the fabric for the commissioned hat for the boy painter. So I mentioned that I could make her a matching miniature topper to her corset, and I may actually accept money for this one, but she'd supplying the fabric.

But enough of this babble, I know you really just stopped in for the picts, so without further delay:

I really prefer this one, very soft and subtle, and sweet.

The husbeast and I adorned for the Venetian Ball, ala my mum's camera:

These are the masks from Mitchell Walker, aka Peekaboo masks, I love them. I should grab a detailed pict of the mask the husbeast has on, it really is a marvel of craftsmanship.

And me in all the little things I made for the ball, my capelett, the elbow length mittletts, and the mini top hat. The broach is from Stitches West, ala Mississippi Mud? or is that a beer...I suppose it's just Mud, or such. Great glass things, and a wonderful price. I must get more this next year.

And at last a closeup of the Venetian topper in vertical lines with the accouterments. I do have some better picts, but I didn't put them on my USB mem stick, soooo I'll get around to those later.

That's it for now, all apologies as the computer screen is making my eyeballs go all wonky.

Cheers til later.

What's that I couldn't hear you...

Now I have no idea what this is nor what it may contain, but I for one certainly am curious, aren't you? The husbeast emailed this with no explanation to me the other day. I wonder if he's trying to tell me something... not such a bad read though check it out here. My favorite quote from what I read is:

"Scandal, like other Virtues, is in part its own Reward, as it gives us the Satisfaction of making ourselves appear better than others, or others no better than ourselves."-Ben Franklin

This is from the first letter in the book, and I just find it soooo relevant to todays celebrities and our utter fascination with their lives, of course when I generalize 'we' it is just that, a generalization. But I must admit it goes beyond celebrities to those in our daily lives, the co-workers, clients, or general public. And truly things do get a bit dull without those Scandals, and we (yes again another we) do need a contrast to our morals. But oh but, where am I going with this, I only wish I knew. I will leave off this one sided conversation for more of nothing!

See here for more of your daily nothingness:

As the Venetian Ball nears, and I am nearly all ready, I struggle not to use the new topper with the wonderful vertical stripes as my designated hat this weekend. I may just break down and use it, or um, give it a test run, yeh that's the ticket.

In the list making qualities of my bff, things I still need to do by Sat. evening.

1. Fetch some more feather holders from Niles in Fremont (that's a bit of a drive)

2. Fix the boning in my dress in place

3. Figure out just how many and which enormous flower piece I should wear in my hair

4. See if it will be raining as we will be taking our public rail system to the city. looks fair

5. Pinch the husbeasts bum a couple of times in his tux (can't wait!)

6. Grab some toidy paper (oops forgot and on the last roll)

7. Make Beef Bourgignon ala Sweater Project Yeah for men in kilts (I almost said tights~LOL~badddd movie)

8. Dress my littlest Living X-Mas tree in it's 35 blue X-Mas lights.

9. Sit downtown allllll by myself at the Beer Bitch meetup, ca c'est tres pauvre :^(

10. Tell the next person to F@!& Off also, when they call on our phone line at 6:31 am, hello it's not even hooked up people!

Sorry for all the line spacing issues, of course blogger is being a bit of a booger. Oh well.

Cheers and here's to rain!

Nothing like a good pair of low heals

Ahhh ~that's the sound of one less stress being lifted off my shoulders. Yeh like shopping for a pair of shoes for a Costumed Ball is supposed to be stressful, or that material items should make us so stressful, but it does become an entity of stress at times. I suppose it's a bit materialistic what with other harsh things going on in this world, but hey why should I have to defend myself when we all go through this thing called life.
Back to me not being weird; I found the perfect pair of low heels last night down at the local shoe shop. See I do have tinyish feet, 6.5-7 depending, but they are little padders, so most modern shoes really don't fit that well. I had chosen a moderately priced pair of somethings in a relatively nice brownish hue, and was exiting when I spied a pair. Now this pair I spied was on the sale table, I looked at them and recognized them from the mall, Ecco's. They're the right shade of warm brown with just the cutest little embellishment of flowery scribbles and the best part, they were marked down to $30! All the way from $109. Shock, horror, is it true, all for me and in MY size, and at a price that affords me the luxury of shopping for pressies for my friends and family, GASP. So I grabbed them and fled happily and returned the $75 pair. http://www.eccousa.com/shoes/womens/casual/casual-clog-braided-maryjane/1098/detail.aspx
That's their link, but in Bison I believe, really they are a warm brown verging on cinnamon. Yeah and now they are breaking in, and I get the added bonus of wearing a small heal that makes me feel like I lost 10 pounds and makes my husbeasts' eyes gaze a bit longer when I'm nearer his height.

So yeah I'm stoked over the perfectest shoes, silly but oh well it's a better feeling than that of last week.

In other news, I still knit not a knot.

But I have successfully stitched together the young man's commission, or trade~doola. Next onto the stiffie, and some blocking of sorts and then finishing with the embellishments. I'm almost thinking I just may have to use the new chapeau topper for the ball this weekend. See the lines all match up in verticals, and they flow over the entirety of the hat in just a way that creates more for the eye to follow. I must admit that the topper with horizontal lines is fabulous in it's own right how the top of the hat has a lovely curve in it's lines that I'm rather drawn to as well. We'll see what happens shan't we.

hmmm, well I'm not able to post picts right now, sooo cheers and til the next time we meet. Ta!

I'm a nut I'm a nut I'm a nut nut nut nut!

I must say that one of the better parts of the impending Winter is baking, and the smells that tend to intoxicate the kitchen when doing as much. This weekend I made fruitcake. I know the dreaded Christmas cake... but honestly the husbeast and I really love fruitcake. His granmum used to make one that was reported to barely make it out of the wrapper. Well since I didn't have her recipe on hand I went to the next best alternative and used one in a book from the Cheeseboard Collective, it's a quirky little shop over in Berkeley, and their recipes always turn out scrumptious. All the little nibbles I had of the batter, and the little bits out of the pan from when I was wrapping the cakes proved to be a successful endeavor. They currently sit in a dark little cabinet keeping one another company while they age and get even better.
Unfortunately I did not get around to making my favorite raspberry jam, I will I will, but I did get around to starting the young man's mini topper last night. And I must tell you that it's just coming along rather quickly. I already have the top and the brim and I devised a proper way to get the hat to have vertical stripes unlike mine with it's horizontals. Boy was I ever a ninny before for not figuring that one out. It's just the easiest of peasy things, you know, measure twice~watch a little Johnny Depp as Edward Sciccorhands~cut, sew. I really don't know why I didn't measure out the appropriate lengths before and just pin out a seam. It really is more simple than I was doing. You know all these little different techniques that I am coming up with really are making the process easier, and more intuitive. I look back to my poor little first ones with their layers of glue and varnish and just cringe. They really aren't as lovely as the present ones are turning out. Which makes me wonder just how the next five after these ones will be and so forth and so on. But I am babbling and rambling.
Tonight I should fix the boning on my looooovely dress. It's so cute I really do adore it. And the entire outfit works. If only I could find shoes that are just as wonderful... even though I know I should wear some small heals I believe I'm just going to go and get a new pair of the Keen Mary Jane's but in a rusted red color ~ they're a rather warm brown actually.
Annnnd well that's it.

I wonder if I've given Cinderelly enough clues to know that the East Bania my profile offers as my home is not in the south of CA, but really just prime in the middle... are we in the middle? Or is that Santa Barabara, no I believe we are. Ok, I give up! I'm in the SF Bay Area. Yeah I know it's a great place, gorgeous weather, nice enough people, and realllly expensive life styles that no one can really afford, including me. There you have it, I'm Oaklandish. Yes that's an East Banian term, and yes we did start hella, and yes I hella love Oakland. And no, I'm not in Oakland, just close enough. I did grow up on an island in the middle of the bay though. Yeah for being a military brat and growing up on Treasure Island.

Oh I nearly forgot to tell of the dumbest of dumb things that the husbeast and I really didn't conspire, but we did almost let slip by. Last week when Dickens Christmas Faire opened up, we went, had a great time, and we picked up a couple of hand made leather masks. These are by Mitch Walker of Peekaboo masks, and so not easy to choose just which one, well finally after about an hour and a half the husbeast and I both finally decide on the ones that work best for us, we pay and we go home. Well this last week the husbeast tells me that his new card is being declined, ie it's not set up yet, and then I relate to him that's the card used for the masks. Llllong story short, ends up that the husbest used an old defunct card and the poor mask maker (someone I see every year at these events) never got his oodles of money. And yes it was a good deal of money. Thankfully the husbeast found his web site last night and emailed him pronto, and this morning while we were carpooling (yes we are that cute) a rather grateful Mr. Walker called my cell phone and we were able to give him a proper payment over the phone. But eeeh ghads we nearly got off scott free from paying for those lovelies, and we didn't even have his phone #, or he ours until we emailed him of our mistake.
So that's my good duty, honesty is the best policy ctory for the week,
now go out there and do something good for yourself and others, Cheers.

Sooo luxurious,

You may notice that it's Sunday, and there's a new post... it's true we have cable! and internet! and tv (woohoo). But it's great I've finally been able to update all the mini top hat's I've been doing, and can now properly post picts again. Wonders of wonders cease to amaze me. It truly is marvelous, this freedom, this this this thing that it is.
So finally true picts of the latest hatses me preciouses, there are a few in the sidebar, but a few extra are to follow. I'll keep them small, just so as not to stall anyone out too heinously.

From left to right you see is Amanda's hat that has made a new home over at the Button Box,
My All Hallow's Eve Topper as I portrayed a Marauding Crony to the High Minister of Silly Walks,
My Venetian Ball mini topper that shall be put to good use this weekend on the 8th,
and a loverly shot of the Hallow's topper w/ the Venetian Topper. Sooo cute.
A few details of each of the toppers ah you need not ask, for here they are:

And again here is the back to my first topper, the Green Fairy,
And the alternate fate for Amanda's hat, due to extraneous weight from the wire, beads, and skully,
And lastly a cute as a button silken flower.
Ta for now, the lamb is done and the taters are just about all done boiling.
Cheers
Ah well I'm back, dinner was fabulous, especially the purple mashed potatoes!
I know I've promised picts of the purseletts, that matches the Venetian Topper, but the sun has faded out of the sky, and I'm afraid they wouldn't come out so well. Next time though. Hmmm promises and more promises. How about a sky shot from back when there were a couple of fires converging on the Bay, one to the south of us, and one to the North of us. These weren't the LA fires, that's too far, but the other ones...

I'm a student!

Well if 3 Sundays in a row at a community college county as being a student, well then I am. I just enrolled my self in a beginning millinery class over in Redwood City (bit of a drive) for the end of Jan. to Feb 10th! Yeah I get to learn how to use hat blocks. Not that I could ever afford them, but hey I'm pretty hand with wood tools. Like that'll ever happen....
But aside from the hellacious week, it's the weekend. My big plans are to make a fruitcake and hopefully some of my fabulous raspberry jam. I've been sitting on frozen raspberries since the end of the season in August, and man is my freezer ever full. It's not only berries in there though. There's a butt load of plums from last year that I never jammed, and I should try try try and get to those this weekend also. I can't wait the kitchen is going to smell so yummy.
In other endeavors, the purselette to match the hat, well she is finished. Aside from the chain handle that is. Next time, perhaps pictures. The husbeast took the wonderful USB of Gimp~togo away from me, but has promised to give it back eventually (you know when he's done with it) . Perhaps the weekend will give good promise of light. Lord knows the evenings are rather lacking lately.
Ahhh I am still listless, I think that may be the term that applies to my mood. I'm trying though. Soon I shall be back to normal. I believe a bit of this is to be blamed on my ho hum attitude to the change is holidays. It's just soooo sudden, really the day after All Hallow's Eve they were putting up the Christmas favors, and I'm just not ready. Really though that's like 2 months of Christmas, not 12 days.!
Cheers and go have a good snog this weekend, I insist!

I got nothin'

So ironies of ironies, my bff emails me, yeh you know who you are, and she's all 'Everything alright' ~Since I've been so quiet lately. Just in case I was being too quiet, all is well. I'm still a little mopey but a lot of it has to do with the Allergy meds. It's either an allergy or the onset of a cold that just has me pooed! The ironic part of this is that she hasn't even written a word in like ever... but that's just my little jab from where I sit. Now if only I could remember where I left my little inter-spacial-dpn's to poke her with at her desk. Wouldn't that just be great. You could poke someone in the hand with a little knitting needle through your computer screen... oh just so you know I'm claiming the copyright on that little invention.

I've been busy. The kind of busy where I had house guests, moved the last motorcycle from the old roomies ! Woohoo. Oh and if you ever think it's a great idea to marry a man with 4 motorcycles, and none of them work; well um, yeah, at least mine still works. And then there's the finished capelett, which has been blocked and is beautiful. I also made a pair of elbow length mittletts, which I call the uber mitts, in the same yarn. As the hat is made just as yet not photographed, well I'm a slacker. Reason being is that I'm working on a matching purse (to the hat) and want to get it done and right before I shoot them all.
In other words I slack big time.
I must say that one of the highlights this weekend was Dickens Faire, over at the Cow Palace in the city. I always get lost going around and around and through the rooms. From the moment I got out of the car up until the last moment we were leaving, it seems as though I got nothing but compliments on the latest hat. Oh and have I mentioned that the pheasant plume on it was sooooo tall that it tends to bend in door frames! Seriously tall. I felt as though I couldn't move my poor head much under it though. I am rather glad it had a test run before the ball, as I found out that all the accoutrement made the topper a bit off. It needs a comb to better stay in the hair. And I experimented with loops of elastic instead of a head band, and well it needs a comb. I hate having to adjust the poor little bugger all day long. Aside from all the great booths and neat people I really like Dickens. Finding a proper dress for Dickens may prove to be difficult. What can I say, I'm just a Renn Faire reject! Oh and we accomplished our goal of finding and purchasing the most wonderous and most perfectous leather masks for the Ball. Mine is white and a bit feathery in design. The husbeast though, gah, gorgeous workmanship. I've been eyeing this proprietor's work for the better part of 10 years, and am proud to have a handmade mask from Peekaboo masks. Unfortunately the man doesn't have a web address, but he is always to be found at a Nor Cal Faire.
I promise to be back with picts. I'm just so tired and lazy, and making excuses. Soon though, soon.
I need to get going on a few more hats also, as I'm sure the young gentleman is looking for his, and well who knows who else out there requires a mini topper of my creation.
Cheers anon til then.

Welcome Back

Hope all had a lovely Thanksgiving. It certainly was nice having 4 days to do things, and nothing. Sooo, back to traditional work. I'm going to go mope... but have a great day otherwise.

And now for something new.

When I say new, and something; well they refer to me finally grasping the concept of short rows. Yes the elusive short row is now a comprehension of mine. And get this, I finally get short rows. Hey did I mention that short rows are something I can mark off my list of something to comprehend. Yeh, great.

Evidence of short rows.... it's one of two under ruffles on the capelet. And yes the second underuffle would mean that the capelet would be nearly an FO. Only nearly because there are still a slew of ends that need tucking in. I had a shot of the collar w/ me in it, but unfortunately I deleted said pict, and yes it was cute. But there will be more.

Besides knitting on the capelett like mad, I also made my mum a pair of matching mittletts and Sweet Mary Janes. Sooo cute, and both such easy knits.

Done just in time for her birthday and her trip up to my brothers for Thanksgiving. They should be there in just about an hour's time. Gosh I bet it's real cold up there now. It was freezing when the husbeast and I were there for Hallow's Eve. But what's one to do but recognize the sheer beauty of winter in all it's great coldness. Just that many more sweaters one can bundle themselves up in.

We're off to the husbeasts parents house, always good food and great company. I still remember the first time I went over there to meet them, his dad pulled out a huge binder of scavenged and rummaged images of communes throughout the 60's that he's still compiling. They are strange hippy Christians ... but very nice folk.

Hope everyone else enjoys their Thanksgiving. (that is if I don't come back before then).

Cheers for now.

Is it my turn yet?

Ah the struggles for sanity. You know, the personal kind. The kind where you contemplate the benefits of a career and/or a family. Timing is a key element to this whole thing that revolves in my mind. The questions of timing are what keep me on my toes. When, how the hell do I ..., and to what. If I want a career in a particular field of art, just where the hell does one begin. Of course the right answer is with a portfolio. Well I'm working on that one slowly but surely. I need to have more deadlines, harsher critiques on myself, and eventually perhaps some classroom time to hone the particular techniques I lack.

I envision tables of dyed and felted fabrics, wool with silk, or even forms to shape the fabrics to... So much to be done but again it's time that seems to elude me and mock my efforts. It's times like these that I feel like *just a crafter*. Times like these that I prefer to be a creator, a maker, an artist in a world that needs designing. I want to be that eccentric, you know the older woman with the wild hair and curious outfits. I want to be the one that identifies something different in the world and marks it as something familiar and like-kind.

My husbeast is precious. He is strong for me, and he is rather giving for reasons I can't quite put into words. I feel as though he will be able to afford me the time and space needed to get these ideas out of my head and into the real world. He is patient with my Filbert-gibberty manners. He is precious and pushy when need be. If only he knew just how adored...

But here I am to bring you the latest news in my current millinery endeavors. This is la petite chapeau styled for the Venetian Ball coming up in December for the husbeasts outlandish software company. It is still as yet unblocked, and unstyled. But alas ze is sewn. I do swear that the hardest bit is the back seaming. I finally figured that if I angled the fabrics that I would get a straight seam. Still it took a bit of fidgeting and well it is just about spot on when it comes to the lines meeting up. But that's nothing a little stylization, and some ribbon would come in to benefit. I believe I trim this one in browns, so as best to match the dress. And I am still as yet undecided about what else to adorn it with. Perhaps some pheasant plumes and certainly some vintaged brass would be lovely. I like the way the the framed hat is horridly mad hatter like. Right now there's just some cardboard for rigidity. So we'll see how the final piece comes out in the end.

I still have all those little cotton mushrooms I need to put onto something. Or things I should say, as there are 50 to a package. Yoinks so many!

Tonight I may finally get my truck back from the body shop. Again this is where I shake an angry first at the stupid flock of turkeys!

And also I finally get to knit downtown. You should have seen me jonesin' last week, all just to knit in public.

Cheers and here's to a good nights sleep tonight *crosses fingers*

The proof is in the Pudding...

Mmmmm, pudding. Have I ever mentioned that I love Tapioca pudding. It's my absolute favorite. All those little bubbles of squishyness, yum.
But this really isn't about pudding is it now.
So what you see here is evidence of my knitting related injury. Yes it's true I have shoulder-itis. Ah so painful. But I have used 5 balls and am onto the 6th which is depleting faster and faster as this monster grows. It really is a quick knit.
But sadly last night I hurt so much from knitting on this the previous evening, that I had to pick up a needle and thread and begin on the hat for the ball. As evidenced by my horrible phone pict, yes these two items are relatively the same color. The hat, ahhhh how I love the fabric I found for it. It's just so wonderful and such a color that I find peaking out all over my house. At first this was to be vertical stripes that would find themselves coinciding on the brim, top, and the vertical part. But alas big, thick, chunky stripes don't like to converge in nice, pretty lines when they need to be sized down considerable from the top of the hat to the base. So sadly I cut another piece of precious fabric and placed the stripes horizontally, which really does work for me still. As you may see from the pict, I am at my stopping ground, as I had reached the back seam to la petite chapeau. They are always the most difficult to manipulate. But fantastically the sewing has gone rather quickly, as it's nearly finished from one nights work. I would estimate that a hat may truly take 3 nights to construct. Damn this day job!
And soon my loverlies I may have real picts to show again. The husbeast had a wonderful epiphany the other evening when I was whining to him how he's rather ruined my computer (he did warn me not to move it into the home with him...) and he realized that he had a computer program that I could take to work with me and use it also on my home computer. It's called Gimpshop ToGo. And it's a free plug in that doesn't require any software to be installed onto one's work computer. When I'm done with the pict I'm working on, I just save it to the little card-thingy, and go home, viola, c'est fin! So this GIMP program is just like Photoshop, but not as easy to navigate, but it's free so if you can't afford the $$$$ for photoshop, or don't have a hacker friend (hey wait I married one!...) then you can use this great program. There are help books out there to give aid when using the program also. I believe the link provided may give anyone interested enough info...but if not don't ask me, I just do what the husbeast demands. (Well, he doesn't really give me a choice now does he when it comes to actually buying software, now does he.)

a hat for all seasons.

It was another eventful weekend around East Bania here. For one I finally got to go shopping for some essentials. Essentials like material for my Venetian Ball hat. Did I mention that the husbeasts company is throwing a Ball in the big city on the 8th of December... at a rather fabulous hotel, very riche and posh. Thankfully he gave me the invite immediately and now I am finally preparing. Being in the style of a Venetian Ball, that means we get to dress in fancy costumery! Something I absolutely adore. He's leaning towards being a penguin, the Linux goofball that he is, and well I'm aiming for some sort of winter inspired woodland creation.

So far my colors are a periwinkle/slate palette. And the dress is being shipped as we speak. Joy. I decided Saturday that I CAN and I will make the Casual Glamour Capelet I've been eyeing for so long. So I went shopping at Article Pract in Berkeley, and grabbed 13 skeins of the most softest and most glorious yarn I have yet to knit with. It's 100% Baby Llama, in a worsted weight. It's also a newer yarn,

See that, that's Mirasol Miski yarn from Peru, in shade 101, which is very winter in color, and very pale, and very pretty. The great thing about this company is that proceeds from the purchase (well some of them) go to educating the kids of the village it hails from and making a new school for them.

I've gone through 2.5 of the 13 skeins necessary to make this, but since I started it on Sat. and it's now Mon. I believe that's a great start. *crosses fingers* The pattern for the capelet is super easy, just knits and purls and some YO, and eventually some short row shaping. Aside from grabbing the yarn Sat. I went and spent a pretty penny for a yard of fabric that I believe may be perfect for the matching hat. Picts to follow.

And then,.....

Dicken's begins on the 23rd of Nov. You know, Dickens just like Renn Faire, but in Edwardian garb! And the mask maker will be there, and I'm dragging the husbeast along so we can grab a few leather masks for the Ball.

Yes and now I realize that I have nothing better in my life than to plan for future events. Oh well, at least I have fun preparing for them in the mean time. Well nothing else, besides replanting my garden from the old house into the front yard of the new house. I think it looks great, and everything will grow in rather pleasingly.

Cheers for now. Happy knitting.

Cookies, woohoo.

'Tis that time of the season, where the persimmons are ripening on the trees just so, but doncha know it's persimmon cookie time. Oh yeh, sure.
My version of Persimmon Cookies was from a typical recipe, but since we've just moved and I left all the regular flour in the old freezer, well I improvised.
Persimmon Cookies
INGREDIENTS
2 ripe persimmons, pureed
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Dissolve baking soda in persimmon pulp and set aside.
Sift flour, spices and salt together, set aside.
Cream together butter or margarine and sugar until fluffy, beat in egg and persimmon. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and raisins.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

So it seemed that all the recipes I googled were relatively the same, so this is the first one that came up...
I used Irish butter from Trader Ho's and doubled the batch since I had 5 persimmons.
The puree was the worst part of the entire experience as my little Cuisinart attempted to burst my eardrums with it's shrill motor. Seriously the sound was deafening and kind of throbbing while it worked. Yeh it's a rather new acquisition.
I also peeled my little Fuyu persimmons before I pureed them. Nice and crunchy they were though.
The flour I used 3.5c of wheat and .5 of self rising. They were really squishy and somewhat like bread. I'm not sure it that was from the self rising or if they're normally like that.
I also adjusted the cooking time to 20 minutes.
With all said and done, I'd have to say they were rather yummy. I believe there would have been more of a persimmon flavor had I used the standard Asian one, Hachiya, but I have yet to steal any of those from an old neighbor's tree!

Onto the knitting tails...
Last night I trudged through and struggled with the puddle formerly known as the Hemlock Ring blanket. And I may have won. There was a ton of swearing, much drinking, and perhaps even a little shaking (in a corner perhaps more rocking than shaking..), and now there are 2 rows that I give up on and am planning on just tinking back those two to get it back to where it should have been were I paying attention to my knitting. I swear I've never worked so hard to get so many extra stitches where there were none before. But it'll work, or I'll be damned.
Secondly a huge thanks goes out to Alyson of the Yoyo Knits. I am the proud owner of new Noro, via a sale she pointed over at Woolgirl. Yeah, 5 new colorway of the Noro Silk Garden. I swear by that yarn. So loverly and wonderful and colorful. I'll be making a few pairs of slippers with some this time around I believe.
Oh and did I mention I'm back on Ravelry, yes my work has finally unrestricted my access. My belief is that some big wig higher up, or such is a knitter and complained that she/he couldn't get on. I was hoping someone eventually would. Take that Big Brother!

Knee Deep in Hemlock

and when I say knee deep, I mean knee deep in some major surgery. See I was getting into a groove last night while watching that horrid Superman Returns movie (yeh still no cable~still cool by me though) when I looked at the last set of stitches before a new row and realized that 15 stitches is no where near the 36 that all the other set had. So a plan was devised and instead of putting it off for tonight, I ripped, and I ripped and now there's 24 rows that need some attention.

Those are them on the holder, I practically had to rip back to the beginning of Jared's pattern for the feather and fan section. Turns out that I was off by 1 stitch somewhere after the first repeat. Yes that 1 stitch turned into 24 rows of reknitting. I must admit though that I'm kind of stoked that after these 7 years of knitting that I am confident enough to be able to fix such an erroneous mistake without ripping the entire thing to the frog pond, not like I had to last Thursday. That's right I've really been working on this since Friday morning while our leaky pipe was being fixed.

Now onto figuring out how to get to work on Friday. The only day of the week the husbeast and I don't carpool since I work at 1 in the afternoon, and he doesn't. Turns out my truck won't be done until Friday morning, I decided to get the dent on my hood fixed since there are no turkey's in our new neighborhood. Yep that's right Turkey's damaged my hood with a pecked dent about 1/4" deep, and numerous scratches otherwise! Not quite as bad as the husbeasts though.

So in other news, while waiting for the husbeast last night, I made my way to Beverly's crafts and picked up some consolation fabric, it's kinda cool but still not what I need for the next hat, this is just for something in the mean time.

Talk about crafting spazz's

I know what a horribly unoriginal post, and title as it's already been done by KnitSonya yesterday. But really she got me to thinking, and then last night as I was organizing the house yet some more, I was just rehashing all my crafting junk. And all my non crafting things that I still have no idea what to do with. You know those things that accumulate and stick around for the just in case some day scenario where I may be able to figure out what's what. Well those bottle caps are the majority of them, but there are more in the kitchen, it's like they're breeding. I can't even envision what they could become. I have used some in art projects before, but that wasn't much, and that wasn't that cool. Perhaps someday I'll show you. I liken that project to an artists tambourine. Yeah......right.

Then one Halloween I was at this huge, rad, weird party up on the hill. I sat on a couch and opened the abandoned plastic bags, and oh my do you spy what I found looking up at me. A multitude of eyes... no really.

It was thousands upon thousands of eyes! In all manners, and shapes and colors, ok 4 different kinds. And well there were tons and I gave away handfuls at a time. This is what I carried home with me, after I put a few back into their place on the couch. I do believe there was some sort of free sign with them, so fret not over my thieving nature.

All these little things, what to do. And mind you there are stashes of these things all over the house. I am trying to keep them to a minimum. But I just can't throw out my junk. I may need it some day... I .. just .....know it. Oh well they can be humble-ized by sitting on top of my fridge in a huge jar in the meanwhile.

In knitting news, here's the latest on the newest Hemlock Ring blanket. This is done in the loverly cascade ecowool, on size 9's with oodles of stitch markers. I love knitting this, I love what it's to become. I can't wait to make more.

That's it I must go now, cheers.

Slimey, Stinky, Snake!

Well hello and welcome back from the foray we call the weekend. So was yours eventful? I know mine was.
Let's start with Saturday, shall we. It was a rather good day I must admit. We made two full loads in my truck and transported 6 heavy barrels and an assortment of up rooted plants. There are still 2 barrels (one is a pond) and a few other things. But man are those dang barrels heavy. And trust me those hops really don't need all that dirt ~ they didn't even grow that well this season. To the ground with them I say, to the ground with them!
Then later that night was the old roomy's birthday BBQ. That was rad, but weird for reason's I don't think I should go into, but let's just say some hopeful female I know has very little tact! I mean whining to me that she may have made the wrong choice at someones Birfday cele, ahhfg. What the fuck. I believe the phrase is a ~modicum of decency, please. (In other words, act with some honor and tact, and like a woman should)...
Then, then there was Sunday. The Sunday where we finally broke down and went washer and dryer hunting. Not my fav. thing in this world. We went to 3 different places, and settled on the one where I locked my keys in the truck in front of. This is not the first time I've done this. So it was a very long day, and we didn't go with the GE's I was eyeballing, and we didn't go with the whirlpools the hubeast was wanting, but we settled on the Frigidaire set that was an improvement on the Whirlpool, but a better price than the GE's. And we paid no tax due to some sales promotion we lucked in on.
I really want to talk about the first sales man that was trying to steer us the way he wanted us to go in the buying process, but his cologne stunk just as awful as his tongue slithered. And yes he was a liar and a snake. Oh my was he ever. I really don't even want to relive the experience so I shall save you the details. I was really happy when he had his fourth (yes, we really were there all day) set of clients on and about the floor when we walked up to this nice, and quiet older gentleman and asked him if he was free. Well wasn't he accommodating and forthright with us. Such a relief! I couldn't get over the pict of him and his wife with afro's on his desk -how cute they were together and just starting out back in the 70's.
That was my weekend, well despite the update on the new Hemlock Ring blanket, I'm into the feather and fan repeats and how fast it goes. I love this blanket, and I love the softness of the cascade ecowool. It's so cost effective and lovely to the touch. I can't do anything but suggest this wonderful wool. 500 yards people, that's a lot.
On the hat front, since I had my dog, and my mum's this weekend I didn't get to Stone Mountain and Daughter for the fabric I need, nor did we get to Ikea (probably a good thing) and I didn't get to sneak off to Urban Ore for the Cast Iron thing I've been wanting, or to see if it's still even there. But it was productive nonetheless.
Soon we may have DSL. But I haven't whined to the husbeast loud enough over it yet. I don't really feel like I care to at this point.
Oh and evidently Meh is just the sound of the cat mocking the entire creative world. I'm just saying.
And I reallllly miss Hero's...
cheers.

edited to note, a huge thanks to my BFF, for pointing out that Monarchism and modicum are two very different things. And if you happened to see the dictionary on my office desk earlier, you would know that I really had tried to find that elusive word, but failed miserable, because well just cause I said so! That's why.

2 beers and a Commission later

Last night was cute enough, we ended up going downtown briefly. But it was great because I got to see one of our long lost friends who has been hiding out in the Portland area for almost a year now. Welcome back Jordan. If only I were 7 years younger, and if only I weren't married. But he's just the sweetest little punk rock kid you've ever met. Big heart, deep scary voice!
How's bout's some gossip! Yeay, well turns out that the roomy finally found a lady friend at the huge All Hallow's Eve bash we missed while at my brothers, and she's a long time friend, and the best bud to his youngest brothers girlfriend. I've only been trying to hook them up since last Tahoe Renn Faire, what was that, May? Jeesh, at least they made the effort themselves! Woohoo congrats old roomy! (there goes 5 years of celebacy out the door.!)
And last but not least, because I was wearing my latest hat last night, that I have yet to show in completed detail, well I got another commission. And this time it's from a BOY of all people! How rad is that. He was sporting one of those mini-mohawks and big brassy sunglasses, and a horridable English accent ~we got on famously! So the commission is to be grey and purple stripes, and I'm thinking it should sport a long pheasant plume. It'll be so cute. I can't wait. Oh and get this, I had him try on my hat to make sure it would stay with the clips and elastic, and it was no problem. I love it! Now I get to barter for a very rad painting by a wonderfully talented young man! Woo hoo.
Yeah kindda excited to do another hat.
Not that I don't have another one already lined up for the husbeasts company Winter Venetian Ball in December. I'm thinking of doing mushrooms. You'll see, uber cute.

Tonight is the Beer Bitch Meetup, but before that we go to look for a washer and dryer. Eh ghads I can't wait...all my stockings are getting rather ripe.
Cheers for now. On the needles a bit of frogging on the Hemlock Ring blanket.

This is Halloween, This is Halloween!!!!

Halloween!
Halloween!

And tonight, muhhhauha we dine out. And we avoid the candy grubby children who's parents only clue these poor creatures in on the insignificant aspects to the season, dressing in plastic costumery! Magh, plastic makes me melt, do you see me here, I'm melting! from all the plastics, and ill costumery.
I've come to speak of the lastest hat, yes the one I could not, and frankly would not speak of lest it's new owner catch on to what I was up to. Sadly I have no decent picts as they are still in the body of the nice camera, and we still have no working cable at the home. Sooo instead I shall point you over to Amanda Button, where you can oogle and ogle this cute as a Button Mad Madame d' Le Strange!
Go ahead, take a minute. I'll wait while you go and check out her new digs.

Back so soon, are you, well wasn't it fabulous. And rather adorable how well she took to the little creepy and insanely delightful mini topper. A better home I cound not ask for than the wonderful Amanda. And she was so patient even though it was late for the very improtant date. (I swear they are the perfect All Hallow's Eve accoutrement. )

The story of the hat actually dates back to last year's 30th Birthday bash that was held for our old roomy. Living up on top of the deserted hill, having all but one set of neighbors (weirdo's!), and a plethora of beer loving free-loading friends (up to 150 people stopped in!). We decked the halls in blackened gauze, and made an archway to the foodie table where the likes of jellied hands, and brain foods toppled the table. The coup de gras being the bleeding heart in actual molded shape filled with a blood red oozy bag that subsequently found its way onto Jesse the Ventura aka a bodybuilder, and then onto the floors, the walls, outside, and many an unsuspecting guest! Oh the horror. Since then I have been banned from making anything that involves red food coloring :( But fear not I am ok with that for now.

So the moral of this story is that because I wanted to be the Green Fairy (ala Absinthe) I needed an appropriate mini top hat. And During the same time, good ol' Lady Linoleum had just made one!, and gasp to my horror out of crochet. Ah poo. I despise crocheting, I just have better things to do with my time, no offense to my loverly crotcheting fiends! But it's true. So since I would be constructing a 3 foot tongue that sat inside of the fireplace on it's rack, out of paper mache, paint and a bunch of shicken waer (yes punny!) I decided that I should apply some of my textile construction knowledge to making said tiny green mini topper.
If you will imagine with me know, out came the scissors, some fabulous green gauze (bye old curtain) some small gauge wire, and the only thing I could entertain to keep it stiff enough to make it wearable, some glue and varnish. Go painting skills, go!
And off I was like a mad woman assembling this little tiny hat, learning the ins and outs of tiny hat construction. And enjoying every minute of the process, and remembering fondly my days in Art School.
When I had finished I had the cutest and wonkiest little thing I'd ever seen, but pyling my hair up and under it was rather satisfying. And born was a new hobby. And new craft, and something that is rather difficult to find in the real world.
Granted I've found these things at the Renn Faire, and also Dickens Faire, but of course that's by the same lady, and also her's are not hand made, they're made by a form and shipped to her from an outside source.
So all in all, I'm rather pleased that I've stumbled upon something that I can create, concoct and conceive (notice the new 3 c's of being a woman!) something of my own hand and craft.
Don't get me wrong fellow bloglandians, I still knit, and rather viciously lately as the winter comes to set upon us, I just don't have the picture capabilities to prove as much (unless you realllly like my phone picts). I've also come to appreciate the fact that I prefer to speak about an art that I can sculpt on my own, unlike telling the tales and woes of a knitted piece that I haven't even put the effort into the design of. It's like I'm being a copy cat, or a bad imitation to a good thing, where here and now I can tell the tales of MY latest creations. So please don't hate me for straying every here and there into a craft that you may not fancy, or grasp the concept of. Please be patient while I test these new waters of craft-dom, and know that I still knit, and I am still the rightful heir to the Gypsy Junk knits name. (shhshh I haven't been thinking drafting a new header that reads Gypsy Junk Handmaids shhshhh)
Ta and Happy Sam Haining or All Hallow's Eving, or Trick or Treating!

Where in I remember to breathe

Life as usual is a whirlwind of things to do, and places I've been.
Let's start off with my brother's lovely home up in the sticks outside of Portland, in Washington. What a cute little place. I had wanted to go and torment the long horn cattle in the pasture next to their place but it was decided not the best idea since the farmer is a bit of a prude. So instead I focused on helping with the decorations, and make a pretty cool spiders web on the ceiling.
It was indeedy a great party, much imbibing was had by all, and let's just say I was rather glad when the flight was over the next day and I was back at home.
The husbeast was adorable he picked up some horrible fake British (fo' sho') teeth and think nerd glasses that were all too perfect with his bowler hat and and suit. The business cards I made up certainly were helpful. I'd show you some details, but blogger picts are being a total booger!
My costume was simple, and just as I stated, a little mini topper, a shirt, a jacket (can we say winter in Washington?) and my 2 fav skirts paired together. Sadly i did not win most creative (dunno why) since I was the:

Marauding Crony to the High Minister of Silly Walks

Division of Foot Travels and the Mechanical Parts There Implied to Best Efficient This Said Process, Et.Al.

I swear the cutest part of the entire evening was when the husbeast accepted a consolation dare, and was bade to "give" his best rendition of an orgasm. Well, I had not heard what was going on, but all of a sudden the beast was wrapped around me grunting and moaning and carrying me about like I a prize. I've never laughed so hard, especially after I found out what was going on. I swear I nearly peed myself. No joke.

Tomorrow when Blogger and Typepad aren't being such boogers, I will let you all in on the little something that I had been slaving for over the last few weeks.

Cheers and ta til then.

I don't know what to say,

So I suppose I'll just give a little update.
Tomorrow we're flying up to my brothers (thanks for the free ticket- you airline employee you!) for his annual All Hollow's Eve bash, with a full moon about, how rad. My costume is subdued and not all too exciting. I believe it will consist of a mini topper, some false eyelashes, 2 long skirts, and certainly a shirt of some sort. The husbeast is still going as the Minister of Silly Walks.
ta for now. Need to make things happen.

I spy with my little eye,

with my little eye,

a piece of candy

faintly rolling on the ground

as if in a whim

it's smells of old men,

and cherry pipe tobacco.

It has the fondness of a far off land

and I am certain it's now in my hand.

what a treasure,

what a delight,

what a sight.

It's Kauni.

So being a couple of weeks or so ago, my mum had the audacity to order the coveted Kauni yarn from a company in Denmark, and she was sweet enough to think of me.n the mail it came today, it's so colorful, want to take a peak. It's okay too.

isn't it just perdy.... and tiny, and like fingering weight! Oh my how am I supposed to knit with such tiny yarn? I might as well be making socks (something I don't really do.) Oh well it's soo loverly though.

On another note, know how I mentioned the swap-a-doodle I'm doing w/ a mystery blogger, well I suppose I should email her and ask her for her address, for her pressie, she is finito! And I so need to ship her off, hopefully in time for this weekend's festivities. And once it's in her hands, well then I will post details. And I'm so stoked because as I was placing the coup De grace last night, I finally figured out how to attach the little thing. Albeit I had to apply more stiffie, but who cares, it looks fabulous! I can't wait to show you guys.