Hectic Last Two Days

The last two days have been busy. Yesterday I sat down for a bit and did some writing. I didn't have the time to clean it up and publish it so I am adding it to today's blog. Come to think of it, last Tuesday was the same way. Let's see what happens next week.

I worked like crazy on my design for the Scarlet Letter contest. After eliminating a bunch of ideas that just wouldn't work with the yarn specs we're supposed to use I finally settled on two ideas. I'm going to spend some time on both over the next few days and see which one I like better. There is nothing in the rules to say we can't enter more than one design. For the sake of my own paranoia I am not going to talk about specifications until I've submitted them and the deadline for entry submission passes. Then I will regale you with all my stories, thought processes and woes.

I also finished my Knithulu. I'm a bit underwhelmed. It's just gay. I made some adjustments to the pattern that work better but in the process I made the monster bigger. I followed her design for the wings and they look like, well, have you ever see A Bug's Life? do you remember Heimlich the caterpillar? At the end of the movie he comes out of his cocoon with these really tiny wings that just won't lift his fat ass off the ground. That and the fact that he's perpetually happy throughout the whole movie. Well here are some pictures of my Knithulu.

Cthulu as a vegetarian. There's just something wrong with that. See those lettuce like wings? Are they gay or what?

He's such a wimp he needs a five year old to help him down a slide.

Damn tree huggers. If you look close enough you can see the decreases I made on his snout. They look like he's smiling. Tentacles like those don't come from an Elder God who is smiling! Gah!

Whatever. When I get back from Chicago I am going to work on this pattern.

Today was a busy day too. Don't know about you but when I go away, even for a weekend, I like to come home to a clean house. I spent the morning cleaning up and doing laundry. This afternoon I did my banking, picked up a few things at the grocery store and grabbed a suitcase and backpack my mother is loaning me. I'm only going for four days, everything I need can fit into a carry-on and a backpack. The funny thing is, I'm taking more knitting than clothes. Hey, I know where my priorities are!

This evening Rachel, Miriam's friend Devorah and I worked in the garden. Lookee:

On the left are my tomatoes, plum and cherry, cuces and eggplant.

Rachel is watering the squash, zucchini, acorn and spaghetti. And the bed in front of the compost is the onions and lettuce. I will be planting collard greens once the onions are harvested. The lettuce will be rotating all summer. Yum!

Here is this week's recipe:

Never use pancake mix from a box again!

1C flour

3 TBS corn meal (optional, but it just makes them taste better)

1tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 TBS sugar

Mix in bowl until blended. Make a well in the middle.

1C milk, room temperature, or a bit warmer

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 TBS oil

Mix together until blended. Pour into well in dry ingredients. Mix together with as few strokes as possible. Lumps are fine, in fact they are great. If you have no lumps you mixed too much, honest. Set aside and let the batter rest while pan heats up. Cast iron is best for these, a non-stick heavy pan works too but I don't like non-stick coatings. Too much off-gassing. Anyway, heat your pan on medium. Lightly coat with oil. You will know your pan is ready when water bounces off of it. If the water spits then your pan is too hot, you just want it to bounce. Using a ladle or dry measuring cup pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter into pan. Turn when edges look dry and bubbles start to appear on surface. Cook one minute more. Makes about 6 or 8 pancakes depending on how big you make them. The recipe doubles and triples very well.

Tomorrow I will be blogging from Chicago!

Yakira

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.

Two Week Anniversary

I have been writing for two weeks. Pretty good for a college drop-out no?

Okay, remember when I said I wouldn't start another project? I cheated. All the cleaning and sorting and ripping and salvaging of yarn that I did last week got me taking a look at my stash. I've got a pile of one or less skeins of all different weights and fibers.

That's not even all of it. Can you tell I like green? Anyway back to my confession. I started another project. Just a quick one. One itsy bitsy toy. It'll be finished by today. Honest. I mean really, look at all the half skeins of yarn I have, I really need to use up some of it, no? But it's so cute and Larry will love it! It's not every day one gets to work up a knitted Cthulu, or to use the vernacular, a Knithulu. I'm going to make one for my brother too. Better watch out or I'll make an Elder God for you too!

There's his head. That was the hardest part. The body will be a breeze. Look at him in all his tentacled glory. Must... Knit... Elder... God...

Here he is reading my blog. Looks kind of like a cockroach. I have to make his body today, then he'll look like himself. But that gives me an idea. Think anyone would like a knitted cockroach? A knitted ladybug would be so much nicer. Hmmm... Oh all the stash-busting ideas I'm having. Larry will be so happy, it's not going to cost him a dime. Just his sanity as he listens to me jabber about my designs. What about a Flying Spaghetti Monster?

Speaking of Larry. He's in Chicago this week meeting with his business partner and two prospective clients. I'm flying out there Thursday to visit my brother, meet Larry's family, romp around the Windy City as I've never been there before and generally wreak havoc. Sunday and Monday we are driving Larry's car home and he will be officially moved in. This marks our first ever Blog Road Trip! I can't wait to be your Knit-centric, yarn spinning, roving reporter. (bad, bad puns) To continue with my habit of writing every day I will be regaling you with tales of my adventures while traveling and visiting Chicago. Unbeknownst to Larry, I'm hoping to sneak in a visit to a LYS while there, just to keep on topic of this blog, one of them anyway. His mother likes to shop, I think I shall enlist her help. Muwhahaha.

The thot plickens.

Yakira

"I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau.