...the absent-minded ramblings of a sometime diva, hyperactive yarn ya-ya.

My Photo
Name: Cyndilou :)
Location: Texas, United States

Just a little piece of sunshine and rainbow set free to wreak happiness on the universe.

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Perky Goth

Time was, you would never have found me in a Goth bar. I tend to be a bit too cheery to fit in. :D However, a friend from the Chorus is in an absolutely fabulous band called The Machine in the Garden - and it was a great show last night at Elysium. If you ever get the opportunity to hear them perform (or her other band, Mirabilis), I highly recommend it!

I did want to show off my Olympic effort -- this is the capelet I started on Thursday and finished during the closing ceremonies.



It is based on the pattern Salon Capelet in the IK Crochet magazine, done with Blue Heron Beaded Rayon in the Carnelian colorway. The texture of the yarn does hide some of the stitch definition, and due to that and my broad shoulders, I've adjusted the pattern some. All in all, I think it worked out well. :D

Sunday, August 29, 2004

The Olympics are over...

...and school has started. You can tell UT has started, because all of the empty parking spaces in my complex have mysteriously vanished. Argh.

Ah well, it was a fabulous closing to the Olympics, anyway. I did not finish my poor Flore hat, but I did start and finish the Salon Capelet from the IK Crochet magazine during the Olympics -- started it Thursday afternoon and finished it right before the IOC President officially declared the Games closed. How's that for a Herculean effort? I was going to try to have pics for y'all tonight, but as my modeling dummy has no arms, the model didn't work out. :D Perhaps I can get someone to model for me this week.

For you sports fanatics out there -- UT Football starts this coming weekend!! :D

Friday, August 27, 2004

Knitty Naughty

(Brownie points to those who spot the pun. :)

So...last night I had to run errands before hopping over to a friend's house to help with her computer. --Aside: If you get a pop-up asking to install a websearch toolbar by IBIS, don't do it. Blasted thing took me a couple hours to kill.-- Of course, since I was in the area anyway and needed to pick up more Tahki Cotton, I stopped in at my LYS.

A couple weeks ago they got in a new Blue Heron shipment of some absolutely fabulous yarns. I fell in love with the beaded rayon in Carnelian - a rich, jeweltone red in a yarn so soft and yummy I knew I had to have it. I also spotted a comment on Lisa's blog about the new IK Crochet being in, and I wanted to pick up a copy.

Put one and one together, and you get this (edit: blah, apparently I lost the link that had pics of some of the patterns in the new mag - but it is the capelet pattern that I am doing), in the Blue Heron. So far I am on row 6 of 18 for the main body, and the fabric is working out wonderfully. The texture of the yarn does make the texture of some of the stitches hard to see, but you can still see the main points of the design.

My poor Flore hat is sitting in my bag, wondering why I am not getting to work finishing it instead of playing with new yarns... Fear not, dear WIP! While I may not finish it before closing ceremonies of the Olympics (bad, bad me), I will knit furiously on it this weekend to get as much done as possible before then.

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

January, Ap-ah-rull, June or July

Sorry, was listening to my Spankers CD earlier today... :D

By the way, I just stopped by their website to verify that I remembered the address correctly, and it turns out that the DVD of the anniversary show should be out this Christmas! I so can't wait - there's a good chance my friends and I will be on at least a little part of it... :D Here's the pic of the whole gang - note the logo in the upper right-hand corner. :D Guy Forsyth, for the uninitiated, is the one front and center in the bowler. To his right (your left) are Wammo (cowboy hat) and Christine, the other two founding members of the Spankers. My other favorite members are darlin Korey - in the large top hat, back left, and Mysterious John, who does not seem to be in the pic. (Whoops, just spotted him off to the right in the middle row, looking back at the bass players.)

The evening was auspicious for knitting as well, as I finally got to the third section on the Flore hat -- should have been there three days ago but for all the rehearsals and concerts I was singing in -- and I will hopefully have that part done in the next couple days. I somehow doubt I will finish this hat before the Olympics Games are over, but I'll still try. I _heart_ the Knitwhits Kits.

...and now, a lullabye...

Saturday, August 21, 2004

One down, one to go

The first concert is over, and we've all gotten (some) sleep. Tonight, concert #2 will determine if we can really keep this emotional high going. :) With all the rehearsals and busy-ness, I did expect to be somewhat tired of this program by now. However, you just can't end a program on the finale of Act II from Die Fledermaus and not be dancing a bit when it's all over. :D This is quite likely one of the most fun times I've ever had performing.

Now it's off to the mall, so I can find something cooler to wear for tonight's concert. Last night the AC temperature wasn't set very high and it cut off completely with still at least 30 minutes to go. Big black polyester sacks are only really good for sweating in. Besides, I haven't done a Saturday at the mall in quite some time. *evil grin*

Bon voyage!

Friday, August 20, 2004

For eternity, a fraternity

Gotta love it when choruses from Die Fledermaus are stuck in your head. :D

Well, the first concert is tonight, so if you're in the Austin area and looking for something to do this weekend, I highly recommend you come catch our show! Check out the Texas Choral Consort webpage for details on Viva L'Opera II.

Right now I'm functioning on about 3 hours of sleep, so I've gotta get my only caffiene of the day in me quick - no more caffiene or carbonation after 9 am!

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

If you have to pick a night...

...to watch the Olympics on TV, this was a fabulous night! I won't give away any results for those of you who may (like me) have to tape large bits and watch them later, but WOW! As always, there was heartbreak and triumph - and this is better than any "reality" TV programming. :D

My Olympic knitting is coming along as well. I've been working on the Flore hat from Knitwhits, in the purple colorway. Currently I am almost done with the second petal section. I would like to note that the company is not lying when they say the kit is not for adult sizes -- I did run out of the first color with two rounds to go, but my LYS carries the Tahki cotton that is in the kit, so I got a little extra of color two - I may need to get more of color four as well, but I'll have to see when I get to that point. The first set of petals took me two evenings. The second set will take me four evenings -- although I've had rehearsals almost every night this week save tonight, which really cuts into one's knitting time. :D Can I finish by the end of closing ceremonies? It looks possible, but anything can happen!

Ciao, bella!


Saturday, August 14, 2004

Have you been Spanked?

Ok, that title might generate a little of the unwanted variety of traffic around here, but how else are you going to start off a post about a freaking cool band?

WARNING: Many of the links in today's post have...explicit...language. I don't recommend you visit them while at work. :) Click at your own risk.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about the Asylum Street Spankers! I was blessed with the opportunity to catch their 10th anniversary show right here in Austin, and it's thumbs up all the way. Although the band members have changed a bit over time (we love you, Guy!), they brought back almost all of the ever-changing cast for this show. Guy was very much present, as were darlin' Korey and Mysterious John - some of my past faves - and of course Christine and Wammo. All their classic and vice-laden songs were there (except Winning the War on Drugs -- where was WWD, gang?), plus a few new ones or semi-new ones... Yes, it was s*e*x, drugs, and the blues.

Where's the knitting tie-in, you ask? Well, there isn't one, except for the small amount of time I worked on my Herculean Effort this afternoon. Triskaidekaphobia - if you get the 10th anniversary DVD (if they get around to making one), see if you see that reference. Heh, that was me. :D

P.S. Felonious was Vanessa. Rhymes with Polonius, doncha know.

Friday, August 13, 2004

Which is better?

This is a question that has been wandering around the blogs for a while (not to mention from people who see me teaching at the LYS): which is better/faster/easier - knitting or crochet?

Well, that's a little complicated to answer. IM(ns)HO, they each have their place. Neither one is always the fastest method to get things done, and of course, it does depend on your relative speed and comfort level of each. To me, knitting is generally better for garments (i.e. sweaters and such) as the drape and stretch is superior to the fabric you get from crochet. Crochet is faster and easier for lace and 3D projects (like baby booties) - and you get the added benefit of no double-pointed needles. :) Small simples like hats and scarves can benefit from either technique, keeping in mind that a tight crochet pattern will not be as drapey as a similarly tight knit pattern. Crochet will take 1/2 to 2/3rds again as much yarn as a similar project knitted in a similar stitch (yes, folks, crochet takes more yarn!). Crochet is almost hands-down winner on faster technique for finishing, but knitted finishing can be a very nice touch, too. Both even have their own advantages when it comes to correcting mistakes -- in crochet, you never have to worry about dropping a stitch, and you can almost always figure out where you left off in a pattern even if you forgot your count; in knitting, it is fabulous to be able to drop down a stitch to the place where you twisted one rather than having to rip out several rows to fix it.

So why the big fuss? Well, some people only really take to one or the other craft. Although knowing both can be beneficial, it is not mandatory by any means -- most effects can be achieved in either craft by figuring out a stitch that will give you what you want.

My advice? Don't be afraid to try new things, but don't feel pressured into having to know a technique. Both crafts are very worthy of being used and passed on - and the sense of accomplishment you get from finishing that hand-made object is amazing. :D

Thursday, August 12, 2004

What month was it again?

Wow - I left my apartment this morning to unseasonably cool tempuratures... The low for the day is 66 degrees! I was actually shivering in the breeze...not that I'm complaining, mind. Cool fronts in August can be a very Good Thing (tm). :D

Last night we had a bit of fun sitting and knitting at Texpresso. Quite a large group showed up! I finished one pair of foo-foo flip-flops, and got started on another scribble lace shawl. The first turned out more of a scarf width, and was purchased straight off by a lady in the chorus who fell in love with it. :) I have enough of the Italian merino to make a second, only wider this time.

Lately I've been a bit slack on getting pictures of FOs before sending them out into the world, so I'll try to get better at that. Tonight I'll probably be working on a doily for Kenny and Star during rehearsal for VLO II. Oh, the excitement! *grin*

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Post-audition blahs...

*sigh* Well, I had an audition this afternoon, for the more advanced version of the chorus I already sing with. The director seemed very...non-committal...afterwards. I really cannot read him - I am not sure whether he just doesn't like me as a singer, or whether he is truly suffering from an over-abundance of good sopranos. I suppose focusing on the latter would make me feel better about myself, but it is too easy to be overly self-conscious. Argh. I've been blowing up bad guys on my PS2 for a couple hours and I'm still in a funk. Now would be a good time for me to have a rug loom -- I could beat out the frustrations on a tough warp. :)

Friday, August 06, 2004

S.E.E.

Yes, I had a Stash Enhancement Expedition yesterday afternoon (and yes, I use SEE rather than the other...interesting...acronym :). After all, First Thursday only comes once a month!

This month's haul was limited to one bag of Elsbeth Lavold's Cotton Patiné in a sage green color. It's more than enough to do the tank version of Jade from her Designer's Choice Volume 2. Somewhere in my stash I have a few skeins of Silky Wool in denim blue to make Gyrid from Volume 1 - eventually I'll get around to that one, too.

Now for the fun stuff - exploring the search terms that got people here:
  • xxlarge yuppie chinese (lessee - only XL, not yuppie or chinese...but these people may be related to the ones looking for ancient chinese curses over the last few weeks :)

  • Wendy bran (Hey, Wendy! Didn't know you made bran?! :)

  • Koigu Europe (Sounds like a new human rights campaign - like Warm Up America...seems like a plan to me! :)



...and of course, the few X-rated queries that somehow direct to this site - I've seriously looked through all my entries to see what I might have said to make these searches return this blog as a result, and I'll be darned if I can. Ah well, perhaps some suffering pr0n-addict will use knitting as a way to break the cycle. Heh.

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Cool choice...

How Fiennes is this? Although I am glad it isn't Joseph -- he's too yummy. :)

Don't forget: today is First Thursday!!!

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Oh the dilemma...

Did you ever take a good step back from your WIPs to determine what you needed to finish and what you should never have started in the first place?

    Just in a quick inventory, I found I have:
  • a pair of 3/4 finished baby booties
  • 5 rounds of the frist of two matching 18" doilies (wedding gift)
  • two bed dolls that I should have finished years ago
  • a couple pairs of foofy flipflops to embellish
  • my Victoria tank
  • Tilt
  • the never-ending Daria bag
  • probably a couple more things I am overlooking...
...and that doesn't even include the things I still need to get started on, like Grandma's vest and the two pair of gloves for one of my vocal compatriots, plus another scribble lace shawl (since the first one was purchased almost off my neck :).

I'll just have to retire so I can get all this done faster. *grin*