Knitting with Japanese frog hair

Knitting with frog hair
Originally uploaded by Cyndiva.

In a moment of extreme weakness, I picked up a Habu kit (kit #71 for those interested) while one of the Habu reps was in town with a trunk show. Tonight was a Habu Study night at Hill Country Weavers, so I headed on down there to try to figure this baby out.

See, Habu kits are written in the style of Japanese patterns (most of Setsuko Torii's patterns are in this style) and it is quite a bit different from the American and British patterns to which I am accustomed. Once you figure out the diagrams it is pretty straightforward, but it takes a bit of reading to decipher them at first.
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...and with that, I conclude my participation in NaBloPoMo - it has been fun, and I will certainly try to keep up the frequency of posts. Well, at least once a week. :D

Just saw Mr. Magorium...loved it. If you're a fan of the cheap happy -- if you go through life with a childlike wonder -- you might love it, too.

Busy time of year

Oy, I sat down today and figured out where all my church services, rehearsals and concerts fell over the next few weeks -- and came to the realization that I have very few nights to myself before Christmas.

Well, at least I enjoy what I do. :D

proof that I am crafting

These are the super secret presents -- four down, six or eight to go. I'll probably end up with more than I'll need, but that is better than running out.

Just links today

Fabulous tool - the Knitmap

The Craft Yarn Council of America -- free patterns, instructions and more!

The Magic scarf pattern - from the 95 Knitlist pattern swap, a great quickie scarf to make.

fd's Flickr Toys -- play with your photos!

quoting a coworker - "If I'm going to eat Mexican, it is going to be Taco Bell."

Does that seem wrong to anyone else?

Points to Ponder

Ed. note: I don't know if I'll make this a regular blog feature, but today I wanted to transcribe my notes from this Sunday's sermon. I realize that some of you may not be interested, so feel free to tune out until tomorrow.

Which Jesus is the right one? Do we mock what we purport to believe? Plenty of action-figures and "funny" references exist, and I must admit that they do often amuse me as well. However, by focusing on the humor in these items, are we losing the meaning of Christ's presence here on earth?

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My gut response to the above is that yes, we do often take our faith too lightly nowadays. While I firmly believe God has a sense of humor, He did not (imnsho) intend us to ridicule the very core of our beliefs. Should I be offended when I see an item poking fun at a prime article of faith? How far really is too far? Do WWJD t-shirts and the like stand on the precipice of a slippery slope? My own personal opinion on that point is that we should not specifically gravitate to items/concepts that refer to Jesus, God, or any other aspect of Christianity (or for that matter, any other religion) simply because they are "funny" but rather because they have a more profound meaning in our lives. If they happen to add a little humor to the mix, maybe that isn't a bad thing.

Starting the Christmas season off right

Yum. Tamales for dinner - starting the season off on just the right note. Granted, they were beef tamales instead of the traditional pork, but I forgot to buy some from the tamale house near my Mom's while I was down in S.A., and these are a suitable second.

Speaking of the Christmas season, while I think it is true that we should remember Christmas (and the true Reason for the Season) all year 'round, I despise the fact that some retailers have had their decorations up since before Thanksgiving. Heck, some have been decorated since the beginning of October. EGADS, people! I will grant that certain types of stores (craft stores, for example) need to have components for Christmas items out early for those who make things, why do the malls and big box stores feel the need to push the season? (Obviously, it is to line their pockets, which just burns me even more.)

At any rate, I am happy that the cooler weather has arrived, as I mentioned in a previous post. The rain can go away any time, though. :)

Wow - last game of the season and it is finally football weather in Texas. Not that it seems to be helping my 'Horns any. :-p

Happy Thanksgiving!

For all my US friends and family, Happy Thanksgiving - may your blessings be great! -- Cynthia

Playing catchup

I just realized that I hadn't yet posted for today, so I thought I'd better get on it so my NaBloPoMo status stays current. :D

At any rate, YES, I got my copy of Rock Band. I haven't yet had a chance to set it up, since I had to turn around and head for Mom's, but I at least have one.

In crafting news, I have started my grandmother's Christmas present. It's a crocheted shawl, and I am working with sparkly lavender and silver yarns for it (Patons Brilliance, if memory serves). I'll get more details and pics up after the holiday.

I finished Chocolate Cherry Sundae - on Saturday, I think - all the ends woven in and everything (did I mention that already?). When the sun comes out again, I'll get pics of it, and the Isis scarf needs to be blocked and have pics done as well.

Egads, it is almost the weekend again and I have lots of stuff still to do! Good thing it is a holiday weekend. Now back to my movie and blankets (the cold front finally got here) and my super secret Christmas present making. Cheers!

Yawn

Waiting in line for Rock Band... -- Cynthia

Hee. Heeheeheeheeheeheehee.

From Neatorama:

32. Understand that when someone says, "Oh, is this bothering you?" it means, "Fuck you."

33. Learn how to say, "Oh, is this bothering you?" with just the right pitch.


...and for some reason, that just has me rollin'. Not to mention thinking of certain dear friends of mine who have #33 down pat. Heh.

Long long long long long long long long long long long long time

Nothing like a Spankers song to capture the moment perfectly.

I finished the Isis scarf today -- it just took me forever to weave in all those ends -- over 80 of them. Before I can send it off to the shop, it needs a very thorough blocking. The lace is a little crinkly looking.

Also almost complete: the Chocolate Cherry baby blanket. I think one more round of dc will finish off the brown, and then a round of sc to edge it.

For every kid who has ever felt outdone or overshadowed by a sibling, Fred Claus is a movie for you. Ok, it is a feel-good tearjerker, too. :-D

Now with more cowbell

It's official - I am addicted to a video game at which I formerly scoffed. Oh, and it has cousins which are mighty attractive as well. This will gain a big ITYS from at least one of my friends, but Guitar Hero is a lot more fun than I used to give it credit.

Understand, this comes from someone trained in music, and at least marginally proficient at playing a real guitar. It never occurred to me that punching buttons on a fake guitar could ever be worthwhile as an activity -- but my co-workers sucked me in by getting me to play the Rock Band demo set up at Big Bad box store. I acquiesced, thinking that at least by playing a beat on a drum someone could learn rhythm, and therefore redeem this video game genre. Then someone handed me the guitar and I got to jam. Yup. All my snobbery about a fake guitar got punched in the gut. I admit it, these games are just downright fun. On the plus side (and to salvage my ego), regardless of which instrument on which of these games you play, you are learning rhythm and hand-eye coordination, even if you aren't learning music properly. :)

Now to decide which to get...first.

Rio Rita

Tonight we're crafting at the Rio Rita. Alcohol and yarn, my two favorite vices.

Silver lining

Massive heartburn attacks make focussing on work difficult. I ended up leaving a bit early today but I've gotten some work done on the chocolate cherry blanket in return. This has taken longer than I'd intended, but it is finally almost done.

Catching up

Burnt Orange Pinafore
Originally uploaded by Cyndiva.

I'm finally catching up on uploading photos to Flickr from the last month or so (and I was surprised how far behind I got!) This pinafore is a very cute pattern I found on the internet and I used Omega Sinfonia - 1 skein - to complete it in under 5 hours. On my Ravelry page I'll be linking all the photos I have to the various projects... :)

Seems I'm destined to post from bed on Mondays - long rehearsals are tiring. Zzzzzzzz...

Ahhhh

It's nice to be home.

We had a lot of fun this weekend -- Reunion Tower (and a parade!), The Melting Pot, an amateur hockey game, The Shabby Sheep, and a lot of alcohol...just to mention a few things that went on. :D Tomorrow I'll be singing in the Veteran's Day program for the school attached to my church, then back to work as normal. Sometime this week I'll get the pics from this weekend uploaded to my Flickr account.

---ETA: Don't know why this didn't publish yesterday, but here it is. Stupid server.

more from day 2

The decadence of blackberry mojitos at the Belmont is wonderful. The day is beautiful and from the patio we have a nice view of downtown. -- Cynthia

You have new Picture Mail!

mmm - fondue good...

Bienvenidos a Dallas

Just got to Dallas and managed to get a skyline shot with the cellphone. Tonight we go to The Melting Pot -- I have never been so I am looking forward to trying it. More updates later if I remember. :)

aaargh

frustration (n): The art of locating a needed piece of equipment after long and frantic searching, only to find you've now misplaced something even more necessary.

ah, to get home at the end of a very long day...

Makin' hay while the sun shines...

It was my intention to post some photos tonight, but I hung out with a very good friend for a while instead and now...I have to admit that I have The Biggest Loser on and don't want to miss a bit. Heh. This from the girl who generally hates reality shows.

At ANY rate, we had a blast walking around SoCo -- E decided a while ago that she wanted to re-learn to knit to make herself a hat. I took her down to HCW for supplies, and then we had a bit of a treat by shopping across the street. FUN! (And GOOD -- a cupcake and a cherry phosphate...mmmmm -- bad for me, true, but I have been really good about getting more exercise lately, as well as modifying the overall diet.)

Back to The Biggest Loser - why am I still watching this, again? Kim is just evil and as with all reality shows, there are some serious errors in judgement when the people choose who has to go home. Sigh. My little source of frustration, I guess.

Small Blessings

Sometimes it takes the small things in life to make you really happy -- like getting out of rehearsal an hour early. I love singing, but long rehearsals until late at night get exhausting. I wish we could start an hour earlier, but I apparently am in the minority there.

I did get another motif done on my latest project. Oh yes, I started a new project on Saturday -- Isis from French Girl Knits. I'd like to teach a crocheted scarf class this winter/spring and that looks like a good candidate -- the shop can get in the patterns in plenty of time and it calls for Kidsilk Haze, of which they also have plenty.

Mohair and I just don't get along, however. I'm doing my sample in Jaeger Alpaca - and in one strand instead of two. It makes the motifs slightly smaller, but for my use that is fine since I prefer my scarves to be four to five inches wide rather than seven. It also is allowing me to test out alternate materials in case anyone else is not partial to mohair. Pictures to come once I dig my card reader out of the netherworld into which it seems to have fallen.

reading between the lines

One would think that other dwellers in a community would grasp that a shared courtyard is not the ideal place for a loud gathering. We do have a clubhouse and picnic area, where they can party without disturbing the neighbors, after all...

Just to make it official...

Visit NaBloPoMo

Just bee yourself

It's a bee-utiful day, and I'm just buzzing about it. Heh.

E and I just got back from seeing Bee Movie. I must say, that was a very funny and enjoyable film, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone. Perhaps not a must see, but certainly a definitely SHOULD see!! :D :D

NaBloPoMo

Starting the post-a-day challenge with a shot of nummies from Hey Cupcake! These are destined for my coworkers, but I can attest to their fabulousness.