Giant Fuckoff Coat

So, it's finally starting to get cold here in texas - here, at the ass-end of october, we are finally starting to experience some pseudo-fall weather. Since the freezing months will soon be upon us, I have decided that my 10 year old, beat-up, torn-up, much-loved jacket is ready to be retired. Ergo, I'll be needing some new form of jacketry, and I've thought I might like to knit that.

My jacket will need:
- Warmth (at least 50% wool)
- To cut the wind (nice tight gague)
- To come down to the knees
- Sleeves to the ends of my fingers
- Giant fuckoff pockets
- Big neck protection
- Something interesting to knit, so that I love it
- Be fast to make

This pattern from knitty can serve as a jumping-off point, I think. Only mine will be less lumpy frumpy and more sleek hotness. Sketches forthcoming.

The Joy of Hats

I have made, these past two weekends, two very fine, very warm hats. One is in basic undyed Wool of theAndes, and while intended for PrimaryBrother, it has been promptly claimed by Sweetie. The other is two strands, one a grey 50/50 wool/angora blend, the other a white 50/40 nylon/angora with 10% wool, giving me overall a 30% wool, 45% angora, 25% nylon hat, in heathered white and grey. It is both floofy and warm, and will do wonderfully for LittlerBrother. Now I've just got to make something for Mom, Dad, PrimaryBrother, and Aunt, and I'm good to go :)

Ghawazee Knitting

So, I saw this very excellent painting of egyptian Ghawazee dancers, and now of course I want to make their outfits for RenFest next year. What's really interesting is how much of this might actually be knittable! In particular, the woman's hat on the right:



I'm thinking I'll use my Baby Silk, in Oxblood and Mocha, to make this hat. If I doubleknit it, not only will it be reversible, I won't have to worry about all sorts of strands hanging around all everywhere. Yay, I get to learn a new technique!

Botchulism Tacos at Ramadan

So, today was my birthday :) Sweetie and I cooked a large birthday meal, consisting of grilled salmon in a pomegranite marinade, steamed asparagus in a butter sauce, and, of course, Botchulism tacos.

I like to call them that, regardless of the fact that they have no meat products, and are not in any way tacos. They're more like biscuits. You get two whole avocados ($4), 3 cups of shredded cheddar/monterey jack with jalepenos cheese ($3.5), a box of bisquick ($2) that you only use about half to 3/4 of, and a can of diced tomatos with the mild green pepers in them ($1). Mash up the avocado real good, mix it all together, and bake for 15-20 minutes at 325 - they'll poof up and settle back down during cooking. A batch this size makes about a million (or 3 dozen, in our case). They are delicious. I will eat a pound of them for lunch tomorrow. Total cost: $10.50

Speaking of lunch, I also found out today that PrimaryBrother is keeping Ramadan this year! I'm really proud of him; dad's been doing it for about 3 years now, and I'm glad he's doing it too. Next year I should really think about joining them with that, I only eat once a day anyway and it's not too hard to push that back an hour for the sunset.

In other news, K-the-knitter got me two skeins of green Kathmandu for my birthday, J-the-roomie got me the Serenity soundtrack, and Sweetie, heart of my heart, got me firefly and unleashed :) I luff him. I'll make him some bo'tacs to take to work tomorrow.

The "Opinionated" Knitter

I hate ponchos. A poncho by any other name, be it "capelet" or "wrap" is still a butt fugly waste of yarn. There is no outfit I have seen where I go, you know what would really complete this look? A poncho! Also, I don't like shrugs. You know, those little sleeve-things that are connected in the back? Or maybe they come down to the boobular area? Seriously, if you're going to make a sweater, just make the freaking sweater, don't half-ass it like that. Shrugs were invented when someone ran out of yarn and decided to run with it. There is no shrug I have seen that would not look better as a complete sweater. If I wanted pointless clothing, I'd watch more anime.

My Town Is Run By Fucktards

So, I knew in theory that College Station is like what you'd get if the Dukes of hazzard played NationStates - a place run by close-minded WASP males who enjoy a good game of Beat the Minority every once in a while - but this week's events just drove that image home once again. See, our Mayor Silvia said that witchcraft is not a religion, and he refuses to apologize after a few of us Aggie Pagans came by and gave him a little bit of information - such as the fact that we have a 501C3-status wiccan church in our area, that the military/government accepts wicca as a religion, that while the majority might agree with him, hey, isn't givernment supposed to be protecting the minority too? So, yes. Our mayor is a dick. This whole thing, to quote punkrockknitter, is recockulous.

Mariah Status

So, I had to frog about 4" out of my Mariah sleeve, but I've almost made it up again. I'm almost done with the second set of rows 13-52, and I still kinda wish I'd done this thing all wool. I'm not sure if I want to do it as a ardigan or a pullover, but K.-the-Knitter suggested the other day that I could do both - a pullover with a zipper halfway down the front, and a kangaroo pocket in which to hold future knitting projects. That would be a nice middle ground, I think, to the breastly rat pocket idea, but of course I'm not going to make a decision until I've already cast on and worked a few feet of it in the way I'll ultimitely decide is the wrong one.

Oh, and I cast on for a mobeus scarf made of Paton's Upcountry. It should be interesting, and keep me warm. I'm doing it in moss stitch on my 42" circs, size 13.

Library Enrichment

Whohoo! I found Elizabeth Zimmermen's Knitting Without Tears today at halfprice books for $5! This brings the Official Library up to 4 books:

Knitting Without Tears, by Elizabeth Zimmerman
The Knitting Directory, by Alison Jenkins
The New Knitting Stitch Library, by Lesley Stanfield
The Readers Digest Knitting Handbook


Plus my own book for recording things :) Also, did another pattern repeat on Aunt Debi's Branching Out scarf, one repeat is 2 inches so I figure 18 more repeats will do me.

Christmas Planning

Ideas for Christmas Projects

Hat for TwinSister (to go with birthday scarf?)
Some kinda punkish scarf and/or guitar strap for PrimaryBrother (knitty?)
Plush squid for LittlerBrother (muahaha, cephalopods of doooooom!)
Scarf for Mom
Socks for Dad (worsted weight)
Scarf for Aunt (branching out from knitty)
Scarf for Uncle (chunky garter)
Scarves for Sweetie's mom and sister (need something classy and practical)
Scarves for S.-in-Dallas, T.-in-Dallas, L.-in-Galvy (same patt as TwinSister's birthday scarf)
Silly hat for Sweetie's dad

Ideas that can wait 'till after christmas

Sweater for Sweetie (no time limit)
Baby clothes for PregnantFriend (this can wait at least 6 months)

Fell Off The Wagon

I fell off the wagon today.

I ordered a lot of angora/wool yarn off ebay. I know I should regret this... I certainly don't need more yarn. But all I keep thinking is, oh, angora. I've never knit angora before. But then, since what I got is a blend, it makes me want to get more, 100% angora yarn, to see how it's different.

I also looked up pricing on cashmere yarns, but that was a good thing. It inspired me to finish recycling that lovely green monstrosity I got at the thrift store. I need to learn to spin, so I can make this cobweb cashmere less prone to breaking. And so I can do something usefull with all the floof my cat leaves on my black shirts - I'm having fun imagining giving a cat-yarn scarf to mom's boyfriend for christmas, and watching his eyes swell shut. That would be awesome.