kmkat and her kneedles

Sunday random (as usual).

First, the weekly mutterings.

1. Weird :: Al (Jankovich).
2. Balance :: ballet.
3. Personal :: best.
4. Reproduction :: copying.
5. Distraction :: ADD.
6. Articulate :: artichoke.
7. Shovel :: grave.
8. Column :: numbers. Hey, I am an accountant, remember?
9. Drastic :: action.
10. Bombastic :: Winston Churchill.

* * * * *

Smokey brought me flowers on Thursday, which I chose to put on my messy desk right by my side.

::sigh::

* * * * *

The patio tomato is thriving. It has some tiny tomatoes that are stubbornly green. We have no idea what kind of tomato it is except that it is growing like a vine tomato rather than a bush type. It had no tag and the person at the greenhouse when we bought it (plants grown by the adult sheltered workshop and cash register staffed by volunteers) knew nothing about it. It was also the only tomato plant to be found.

Mystery tomato plant:

The spearmint makes the deck tremble with its vigor. The cilantro, not so much.

 

En Esch likes it when I am on the deck because then he is protected from the feline-feasting forest monsters that lurk just off screen.

* * * * *

Remember the photo of the many-reds scarf? In case you don't, here is another view:

The amazing thing is that neither this nor the previously blogged photo was tweaked except for cropping. Color is exactly how it came out of the camers. You all know how hard it is to photograph red objets d'knit. Apparently the secret is to have MANY reds.

* * * * *

 How about some Percy pictures? Now with Instagram-type effects!

Stuff On My Dog.

 

"Come in Bravo, this is Dogfort."

 

"Is it time for my ride in the convertible, Papa?"

 

 

 

Links, yarnbombed*.

I need to quit using "awesome".

A guide to hamburgers and cheeseburgers, including regional styles. (Note: we know this is a really good guide because it mentions the Jucy Lucy at Matt's Bar in Minneaplis.)

Whisper-thin gas pump credit card skimmers.

Happy birthday, Herman Melville! Have you read Moby Dick? These new titles are great.

A little something for we introverts ("us introverts"? Calling the grammar police...).

You know about the Bechdel test, right?

Got an abandoned WalMart in your area? Here's what you can do with it.

Bears need their backs scratched, too.

Amazing cat tricks.

Kindness to an ant.

Celebrity passports.

Bring some chaos to your town.

Oh, this? It's nothing...just David Lee Roth dancing to Love Train...50 times in a row. (You should know he is 59 years old. Damned good moves for an old guy.) (Also, his dog joins him on camera at 1:18:18.) (I detect some ballet moves and some tai chi influences, too.) (This has been my earworm all week. You're welcome.)

* Remember this from International Yarnbombing Day 2011? 

Summer knitting, cont., aka FO Friday.

Before I went into the hospital I decided I needed to take along some comfort knitting. My other projects were all at a stage where they required thought and/or concentration -- not suitable for hospital knitting under the infuence of painkillers. I scrounged in the stash and decided to make a scarf for the Red Scarf Project.

Ta-da!

I was using up odd balls of yarn left over from previous projects. Ravelry-ed here. But that edging was a challenge. It came about because I was not satisfied with how the ends were woven in... and there were a LOT of ends. A black edging would cover them and also enhance the stained glass effect.

First, I did an attached i-cord. Somehow I had it in my head that attached i-cord covers the edge. Nope, it just sits on one side on top of the edge. No go, rip.

Plan B was to was to pick up stitches all along the long edge, work enough rows of stockinette so it would wrap around the edge, then do a sewn bind-off, somehow attaching the black stockinette to the other side of the scarf. I got to the sewn bind-off part and realized that the "somehow attach to the other side" part was not as simple as I had envisioned. After a frustrating attempt, rip.

Plan C was to pick up stitches all along the long edge, work 2-3 rows of stockinette, do the same thing on the reverse, then attach them to each other with a 3-needle bind-off, thus enclosing the edge in the two strips of stockinette. Repeat on other long edge. I knit the first bit, then started picking up stitches on the reverse.  I don't remember now exactly why I didn't like that, but it was something about how the second batch of picked-up stitches, the ones on the reverse side, didn't look neat enough. Rip.

Plan D was the one I should have tried right away (of course), working a row of single crochet along each long edge. There is a reason that is the commonest edging -- It.Just.Works. Still took me three or four tries, with lots of ripping, to get the tension right. Maybe a G crochet hook would have been better than an F, who knows.

Anyway, it is done and I am pleased with it. So pleased, in fact, that I may make another one to use up other odd balls of yarn. Not sure if I have enough reds left, but I do have lots of blues...

I made a couple other scarves for the RSP but never got around to sending them. Let's take a look, shall we?

 

Yarn: Garnstudio Drops Alpaca (sport weight)
Needle: It was so long ago I don't actually remember. Probably a US#5 or 6.
Pattern: Broken rib. 

 

Yarn: Louet Gems Topaz worsted weight, 100% superwash merino, color 80-2584 burgundy. This yarn is some of the leftovers from my kimono sweater. I used some in the many-reds scarf, above, too.
Needle: US#7
Pattern: Fast Forward by Natalie Servant. I adore her patterns. This is the only one I have made so far, but I have several others waiting in my Ravelry library. There are a lot of Art Deco influences in her design, and that appeals to me.

As soon as I block the many-reds scarf these will be ready to box up and send. Yay, me!

Summer knitting.

I have been on a baby bib and dishcloth binge.

Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n' Creme and probably some Peaches 'n' Creme, too.
Needle: Addi US#7.
Pattern: The ever popular Baby Bib o' Love from Mason & Dixon. I modified it so the neck strap is long enough to button in front. A knittng friend came up with that because she thought it was probably easier to put it on a toddler this way. Good thinking.

I used up odds and ends of SnC to make some dishcloths for my kitchen (no photos), then started to get a bit creative. I sent these four as a housewarming gift to a blogging friend who moved recently.

 

 

She featured them on her blog.

My cotton knitting may be coming to a close, however. The coarse yarn eventually makes a groove in my left index finger that gets irritated. Another bib or two, then I'll have enough in case of a baby emergency.