Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Day off.

Not of blogging, but unpacking. I'm trying very hard to get back in the groove of daily blog posts, so here's today. But the rest? Screwt. Spent the day playing Plants Vs. Zombies, then went shopping with the Goob once the husbeast got home from work. So, here's a jumble of stuff as I think of it.

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The Zombie Knitting project is nearly done. I need to do a beaded cast-off (okay, no, I need to figure out how to do a beaded cast-off, then string some beads, then...) and then I'll take photos of it. No. I'll block it, then take photos.

This is a neck scarf sort of thing, using two Crazy Zauberballs. It's a prototype for the first of my "every little bit" patterns, that are meant to, well, use every bit of yarn. They're inspired by hand-spun yarns, but really, who wants to waste yarn, regardless of manufacture?

This particular pattern is also gauge-less and swatch-less, meaning you can just start knitting. I hope to do more of those, as well. Obviously you're somewhat limited when doing that sort of thing, but within those limitations, you can do some really cool stuff. Hopefully people will think this one is cool.

Also, this is basic enough I'll be offering it for free. And since it's free, I'll just post it and let whoever feels like it test-knit and correct from there.

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Haven't touched my spinning wheel in months. I'm feeling it, too; my hand strength is in the toilet. Hopefully that'll get going, soon. I've got a wild and crazy Corriedale batt purchased on Mother's Day that will hopefully get me in the groove. I desperately need to get back to the Steampunk yarn.

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Um. Haven't been reading much in the way of research. Mostly I've been unpacking novels, so I've been flipping through them, reading Good Bits (hot sex scenes or hilarious sarcastic dialogue, seems to be one or the other) and either tossing the books (HORRORS!) or shelving. I've read some really cool books on wood-working and home building, and am slooooowly working through an amazing book on wool prep and spinning at bed time, so I really need to do some book reviews and what I think of as 'information posts'.

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I'm running dry. I've got a lovely ending to my day, sitting on the back porch on my futon swing (it unfolds into a swinging bed, so cool). There's still a faint pink glow in the west from the sun set, and there are tree frogs chirping like crazy. (There's a small creek about half a mile from the house.) A train went through a while back, just close enough to be heard, but far enough away that the noise is atmospheric and not annoying. We're far enough out in the country that the air smells green; they've been haying across the valley from us.

If I can't be in Hawaii, rural eastern woodlands is the next best thing. Aaaah.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It has been 20 years now since we lived 'in Portland', and I still love it. Our creek is in our yard. We had to build a bridge to be able to drive mower on to the other half of our property. We are a mile and a half from the Clackamas River. We don't have any noises or smells from the city. It is so peaceful. Our second tree for our hammock had to come down and hub hasn't built me a stand yet so this year hasn't been as lazy as some!

Anonymous said...

Glad you are back to blogging a lot. Reading them makes me smile.

Pam

Catie said...

sounds like a lovely location

Barbara said...

Love trains in the distance. Sounds like adventure to me.

bells said...

i think we need a picture of you and the Goob on the futon swing Julie.

Amy Lane said...

WOOOOOTTTTT!!! Oh, baby, you're home!

Gauss said...

Hi Julie,

How about that new Vogue Fall 2010 preview? It's online, with the fun 360 preview as well (this one shows how awful some of the "garments" really are).

\poking

Donna Lee said...

It sounds like the peace and quiet you've been looking for. I'm glad and happy for you all. I love the green summer smells.

We have train tracks right outside of our property line. I like watching the trains go by and when the girls were little, they love to wave at the conductor. I do not like it when they sound the horn (we are very close to a RR crossing) right outside my house at 4 am.

Emily said...

If I read my books as I unpacked them, I, too, would find unpacking very slow. Or to be more precise, paralyzed. (I have FAR too many books...last time I moved, their weight was equivalent to that of the furniture, annoying the movers, whose estimate had somehow not included the books.)

But playing with the Goob is definitely worth making the unpacking wait! And thank you for my daily blog fix.

Leonie said...

Sounds like a lovely way to end the day, everybody needs a break from unpacking, even you!