Yummy Sorbet Yarn

Oh, I love. I love. I love.

Pippi Knee Socks

Look at the pink/yellow/white version in the upper right hand corner. It's called Sorbet and Kisses. If there was a bit more cash in my account, I would eat this up and make a scarf and gloves out of this yummy yarn to swaddle my lady in.

Anyone Out There?

Yes, yes, I know. I just started this blog. And yes, I am notoriously ambitious and obsessed. I built my Friendster list as fast as possible. Job hopping for more pay or more responsibility has been the name of the game. So it's not surprising that I expect some recognition of my entre into cyberland. I don't see any blog-awards in my future. But I do wonder -- is there anyone reading the damned thing? If so, indulge me. Post a comment. Not that long ago, Blogger would only accept comments from other Blogger members. But now that Blogger accepts comments from anyone, could someone put a shout out? Gee...Thanks.

Short Row Solution

Yes, Yes ... thanks to some wonderful collegues at work, I found a fabulous video on short rows. Knitting Help.com is an excellent reference source, with lots and lots of videos. This site is not designed for those of us with slow-ass dial-up accounts at home. But it's perfect for those of us who use the fabu bandwidth at work for knitting related online excursions. At lunchtime, of course. Dash over to Knitting Help.com to see a cutie hippie lookin' western Mass chica with excellent skills. Plus, she has a hottie sizzling sister -- look here. Ciao.

Short Row Heel Hell

Short Row Heel
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

Someone ... help! This short row thing doesn't make any sense. See the little holes in my socks. I need someone to sit me down and explain what in the hell it means to knit the wrapped stitch and the live stitch at the same time. If anyone has a good *visual* guide for this technique, please let me know. In the meantime, I'll ask around and keep trying.

My First Sock

Gray Sock
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

It was a crazy weekend. First my love-fest, mourn-fest with the Bistro. Then I started my first sock. Wee! I bought some Paton's Kroy sock yarn a few weeks ago, and finally cast on. I'm using a pair of Addis, size 2, and trying the Magic Loop technique on my first real project. I chose a pattern with a figure 8 cast on and short row heels. Of course, I didn't know what any of this meant until I started wrestling with the thing. The figure 8 was OK. The short row heel was not OK. More on that later. Yes, my grey yarn would bore a color-person to death. But I want neutral socks that I can actually wear with my fancy work duds. Once I have the hang of sock knitting, I'll start collecting crazy sock yarn. Then I won't mind if people are staring at my feet.

Bistro DONE!

Bistro done
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

Here is my finished Bistro Shirt. She is indeed a beautiful little beast. After much frogging and fighting, she and I are officially done. Or are we? Naturally she looks great spread across my bed like that. But once I tried her on, we had another crisis to deal with. Isn't that such a girl-girl vibe? Just when you think it's perfect, she busts out the drama fest. My dear sweet Bistro is too big! I spent the weekend mourning the loss, and deciding who would appreciate a homemade sweater. As always, the first one is not meant to last. She was my first sweater, and now we will part ways.

For those detail nuts out there -- yes, the Bistro is a gender-bending little freak. Previously dubbed "Senor Bistro." Now an official "she." It's my unintentional tranny-sweater. Love it.

Bistro Front Done! Yeah!

Bistro Front
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

Last week was a roller-coaster knitting week. On Wednesday I finished the front of my Bistro. Isn't she beautiful?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here we are -- embarking upon the Hallmark-created holiday of love, happiness, rampant spending, and unfulfilled expectations. Flowers, chocolate, cards, dinner, dancing, movies, sex, romance, gifts. And then ... nothing ... for another 12 months. Instead, let's have Valentine's Day about 14 times a year. Instead of buying things, let's spend quality time with our loved ones. Create something together. Talk about the future. Swap dreams and ambitions. Listen. Go for a long walk. Make snow angels. Strap on some ice skates. Hold hands. Give a pedicure. Get a babysitter. Or include your children in V-day. Do something that jives with your passions. Don't allow Hallmark to define love. It's too complex to fit on a greeting card.

As I've always expected

MO

You're most like Mo, the nucleus of the strip. Yes,
you're cranky, neurotic, and self-righteous,
but women actually find this adorable. You're
lucky you live in a comic, though, because this
would not happen nearly so often in reality.


Which Dyke of 'Dykes To Watch Out For' are you most like? (beta version)
brought to you by Quizilla

Mr. & Ms. Flirt and my Runny Nose

Having recently been traumatized by Bette cheating on Tina on The L Word (yes, I'm hopelessly obsessed and can't separate TV from reality), I'm feeling very sensitive. So ... I'm on the train this morning, and sit behind Mr. and Mrs. Flirt. On a recent train trip, I spent the entire ride trying to determine if they were married. Having never completed my investigation, I promptly forgot about them. But today, I'm stuck behind them again. Mrs. doe-eyed 45 year old Flirt was eating her breakfast, and Mr. Flirt was wiping bits of danish from the corner of her mouth. They were leaning in a little too close to chat. Mr. Flirt's eyes were all glazed over, and blinking took a bit too long. They poked and prodded each other playfully. And still I wondered if they were married. Until ... Mr. Flirt mentioned his wife and daughter. eek! But this didn't stop the lovin'. In fact, now I wonder if they're having an affair. Next - they lured a man in front of them into a discussion. Mr. Sitting in Front mentioned that he knew his wife in high school, and that she used to play with his hair during class. Unfortunately, she doesn't do that anymore, he said. So Mrs. Flirt rubbed his head and he purred like a kitty --another man snagged by Mrs. Flirt. Now she has two and proceeds to play with these two men all the way to town. Yucky. Yucky. Yucky.

Are men really that easy? If so, it's pathetic.

Yes, I have a runny nose, aching bones, exhaustion, body aches and the rest of it. Yes, I'm cranky and sensitive today. But yucky yucky, yucky. Even in perfect health, I say yucky!

For the sake of Mr. and Mrs. Flirt's blissfully ignorant loved ones at home/work, I hope that my coughing, nose blowing and sneezing put a teeny damper on their little love fest. Yucky.

Bistro A-go-go

Bistro A-go-go
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

Senor Bistro and I are truckin' along on the front. Perhaps later today I'll be able to start the cap sleeves and split neck. Wish me luck.

Bistro corner

Bistro corner
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

Senor Bistro has one slight modification. Instead of a slip stitch rib, I did a 2" garter waist-band. Back in the early days of my relationship with Senor Bistro, there was rolling and bitching and more rolling. So we agreed to disagree, and the garter waist-band was born.

Bistro back

Bistro back
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

After much bitching and frogging and bitching and frogging, I am officially done with the back of my Bistro Shirt. The Mission Falls 1824 cotton has a wonderful drape. You can see the cap sleeves here too.

Elephant Finger Puppet

Elephant Finger Puppet
Originally uploaded by The Feminist Mafia.

Yes, I have figured out how to post photos on my blog. Hooray! Here is my Elephant Finger Puppet, loosely based on Kerrie's Cutie Finger Puppets. A co-worker taught me the Magic Loop technique and it looked a lot like a finger puppet. So I picked up some stitches and added ears, picked up a couple more and added a trunk. Thankfully I recently learned how to weave in the ends appropriately, cuz this little guy had a lot of loose ends. He and I are very happy together now.

Stash Busting

I went to a new yarn shop today and walked out empty handed. Am I sane? Feeling sick? Frugal? Being a responsible Mommy? Probably none of the above. I have a stash problem. It's spilling out of the designated baskets and becoming a cherished toy for the baby and the cat. Yarn is too precious for ill treatment at the hands/paws of the innocents. Only those of us with a sufficient obsession should dare chew the skeins.

So yes, I must embark on some serious stash busting. In the midst of struggling with my boredom-inducing Bistro Shirt, I must find small projects that will keep my interest and plow through the piles. That aching desire to start the Rogue Hoodie, the baby Anouk, or the Fiesta Tea Set will have to take a back seat to the stash.

What does a girl make with 10-year-old hand-me-down acrylics?

The Journey of the Bistro Shirt

Bought the pattern a year ago. Found the yarn a couple months after that. After cutting my teeth on a few baby sweaters, this was to be my first adult sweater. I cast on, diligently knit according to the pattern, and after about 4 inches, I put it down. Unlike the picture on the pattern, my Oat Couture Bistro Shirt starting the damned stockinette roll. There it sat for many many moons. About a month ago, I started to cringe at the thought of $50 worth of Mission Falls 1824 cotton sitting in a basket, so I picked it up again. Thus began my first experience with the knit-frog-knit-frog-knit-frog. Many swatches to establish the correct gauge. Many stupid mistakes ripped out. Many stupid mistakes that I'll ignore. In typical fashion, I started to stray from the pattern, thinking I had it all figured out. Needless to say, I was wrong. Sometimes it's OK to just follow the directions like a good girl. So after finishing the entire back, I realized it was much too long. So I ripped out 4-5 inches and made a new wasteband. My poor Mission Falls 1824 cotton has been through hell, and is starting to look the part. But alas, the back is finished and I've cast on the front. Of course, I had to cast on twice. But this is the nature of Senor Bistro Shirt. At the end of the day, I hope it fits. Stay tuned...

The Holy Bible

Riding the bus this morning, happily reading my book. Totally immersed in gender bending and the AIDS crisis and selfish demanding 50-something mothers and lesbian incestuous drama (all this in the first 45 pages, I might add...). I look at the woman sitting next to me, making that peripheral glance at her book. Its the Bible! It's been a very long time since I've seen someone under the age of 75 reading the Bible in public. I was immediately uncomfortable. Did she do the peripheral glance at my book, realize she was sitting next to a heathen, and dive into the Bible for some solace? Or was she re-reading the psalms as a reminder to be a good person throughout her day? Perhaps she has a deep desire to stab her boss with a ball point pen, and this bit of Bible-reading is keeping her from committing the act? In the midst of my swirling paranoia, I noticed her offer her seat to another person, apologize for nudging someone's leg, and offer to let me into the aisle once I started packing up my bag for departure. With all the insensitivity on public transportation, this young woman with her Bible was an oddly refreshing partner. If only she knew the evil that lurked so near.

Bombing For Choice

abortion

Anti-abortion ideologues beware: I'm promoting objective, factual information on:

• Roe v. Wade


• abortion

You can too. Join me in Bombing for Choice.

Elephant Finger Puppet

Working on a elephant finger puppet for my son. Made with Patons sock yarn in grey. Used it to learn the magic loop technique (a shout out to my co-worker who taught me this excellent little trick). No more DPNs! Yeah. So the elephant came about when I started making a practice swatch to learn this magic loop trick. Knitting along on my new size 2 Addis, and realized that this little loop looked a lot like a glove finger, or a finger puppet. Click - it's grey. Click - it's an elephant. Just had to pick up a few stitches on either side of the top, play with some increases and decreases, and the ears were born. Then I stuck an i-cord on the front and called it a trunk. Next stop is eyes (probably tonight) and I'm done. Final question -- will my son like it? And -- what does an elephant say anyway??