Monday, December 29, 2008

And then, yarn.

'Cause we just never see that around here.

But first, the queen:

The day after Christmas, I went out and hit a couple stores, looking for really cheap froo-froo dresses the Goob could wear for play. I found this one at the second stop for ten bucks, and grabbed it. There is a portrait of Elizabeth I of England wearing a dress with VERY similar embroidery, though I think her dress was white; she probably couldn't afford the purple dye.


I got three balls of blue Kauni Effects yarn, the stuff that does the super-long color shift.

I was going to knit myself a sideways cardigan out of it, but after looking at projects on Ravelry, I think it may turn into a two-color stranded pullover instead. Something out of the queue, like a Fassett pattern. I'll come up with my own 'cut' for the thing.



My sister-in-law got me an awesome craft bag with a bazillion pockets. I don't think I'll be hauling it out of the house much, but it's PERFECT to load the majority of my knitting gear into, and carry it along as I roam about the house, knitting in different places.


Please note the flying trilobite pin. It was a gift from the husbeast and I immediately stuck it on there. Seemed fitting.



And here is a photo of the Goober demanding a kiss during gift opening. On the off chance you didn't get enough sugar over the holidays.




My father-in-law's sweater is going into high gear again tonight (I've been taking a break, waiting for the swelling in my wrists to go down), and I hope to have it done by the end of the week. Then it's a quick lace scarf for a friend, and after that... I announce the yearly theme I usually do. You may all wonder for now, but I'll warn you in advance, it's pretty boring.


The husbeast is watching a documentary on the Sopwith Camel (old WW1 biplane, best known as Snoopy's doghouse). The fuselage was made of a frame of wood with canvas stretched over it, then varnished. They're showing women putting the canvas on and sewing it up. Amazing how far textile skills will get you.

ADDED LATER: Took me several hours of fighting with blogger to get the photos to upload, so an update. My hands are still too sore for working on my father-in-law's sweater. (I did about three rounds and was in pretty significant pain. Last week I was carrying a bottle of painkillers in my knitting bag and would take them and keep knitting. Not the stupidest thing I've ever done, but it's up there.) Instead I'm fooling with a lace scarf from Victorian Lace Today in some alpaca silk blend lace-weight. Otherwise, I caught a cold and my mother-in-law says she feels like a million bucks when she wears the shawl.

I have video here of the Goober singing "Twinkle Twinkle" with her grandfather accompanying on piano, but damn if I can get it to upload. Maybe tomorrow.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Colour me jealous: I have wanted one of those Girl Genius flying trilobite pins for ages. It's nice to learn that I share my favourite comic with a blogger who's rapidly becoming a favourite as well.

Bells said...

Oh man, too cute. Love the Elizabethan dress. Fabulous.

You got great gifts.

Donna Lee said...

You are a Girl Genius! That's my favorite comic. I've been working with some bulky yarn on rather small needles for heavy duty mittens and it makes my hands hurt (arthritis). Since I am trying to stay away from the ibuprofen (stomach pain), I switch to socks. I have made many, many pairs of socks.

The Goob looks adorable in the dress.

historicstitcher said...

Love it. She looks gorgeous in the dress. I remember having a thrift store dress for playing when I was a kid -I believed I was so beautiful wearing that tattered frou-frou crinoline-heavy dress. My mom cut it off so I could wear it without tripping.

You seem to have a blue thing going on right now. Can't wait to find out the new theme!

Anonymous said...

I particularly like the Goober/kiss pic - can never have too much little kid sweetness at the holidays! My son keeps walking around demanding to hug us no matter what we're doing, and I remind myself "He won't be asking for hugs in a couple of years, so go with the flow!"

Amy Lane said...

LURVE the pin--and the little girl in her bestest prettiest dress-up dress! Relax--read a few things, let your wrist heal...

And then amaze us!