HEY YOU GUYS!

Wasn't that what the fat assed Kool-Aid guy shouted before he crashed through a wall? Or no, maybe that was the annoying honey-comb kids??? NO, that "big big taste". Oh yes, now I remember... that was Rita Moreno's line on the electric company. The Kool-Aid dude said, "OOOHH YEAH!" in a very creepy Barry White voice.

So what's all the fuss about Kool-Aid? Well I am glad that you asked. Today at the ever posh knit-one-one the ever adorable Elaine taught a class on dyeing yarn with Kool-Aid. Which is honestly something that I have never had a huge interest in doing, mostly because it sounds so messy, and I don't like messy. haha. Well it wasn't as messy as I had imagined it, partly because Elaine was extremely organized. This was her first time teaching a class, and she was simply amazing! Some of us mixed different flavors together and dyed our natural and unbleached yarns into a semi-solid color. I chose to "hand paint" mine using lime green, and a mixture of blue raspberry lemonade and strawberry to get a purple-ish color. I had a blast. As typical of the knit-one-one crowd, it was a lot of yarn, good food (thanks to Janice for bringing those delicious pork buns!), and hearty laughs all the way around! Now if only I could get the rest of the "dye" off of my fingernails! ewww


I wasn't expecting to post again so soon. (yes! two whole posts in less than a week!) So although my last post promised more photos... you will have to make do with these lonely Kool-Aid yarn pics.

Where in the hell has she been?

OR....
Who the hell cares where she's been?
Yes, it's me again. Hello? Is there anyone there? I can hear the crickets chirping out there in the yonder. Well let's see.... where to begin...

I will just dive right in. I am taking a quarter off from school, and working more so that I can afford to go back to school. I took a second job at a very cool shop in downtown Oakland. It is called Entrez~Open House. (the shop has a myspace page withgreat photos... i caanot seem to get to it though. I am myspace crippled) It is a furniture, house wares, and accessories boutique like shop. The owner's name is Marie, and she couldn't be any sweeter, a joy to work for. Marie also has an interior decorating business. So this job, as you can imagine is right up my alley. The shop is gorgeous! It is set up like,... well, a house, a home. And each separate area maintains a specific color palette, and all of the merchandise in said area is only in that palette. I will take some photos and post. "yah yah", you say, "we'll never see any flippin photos! Who does she think she is kidding anyway?!" HAHA

I am still working at the yarn shop. We have more amazing and gorgeous yarn than you could shake a stick at... or maybe shake two sticks at... well then you would be knitting I suppose. HAR HAR! If you live in the area, or are visiting the area I highly recommend you groove your booty on in and check it out! You won't be sorry.

Knitting news?! Could there be? Just yesterday as a matter of fact I taught my first ever class at knit-one-one. I taught a leaf lace pattern, a scarf. It was so much fun. Sile just got back last night from a trip to NY. SO we feasted on real bagels, as well as that famous shortbread. (for those of you who don't know, Sile makes the most amazing short bread, and often serves it up during classes.) A former student once commented that knit-one-one was like a knitting spa, because Sile waits on you, bringing you anything you could possibly need or want. I think that is a very accurate description.

So what am I knitting? socks.... socks... socks... a herringbone scarf, etc. I promise that my next post, whenever that is, will contain photos and more knitting info.

Hardcore Knitting Fashion & Tammy Teaches

Benjamin Cho at Bryant Park Fall 2007
My adorable & delightful co-worker Logan Rockefeller Harris sent this photo to me & I squealed with joy when I saw it! I LOVE over-the-topness, and I LOVE knitting. So as you can imagine, I LOVED this dress. Would I wear it? Probably not, & only because those hands look mighty uncomfortable! Here is one more shot...

What else is going on in my glamorous & exciting life you may be asking? Well let me tell you all about it! School is flying right along. I have said it before and I will say it again, "man oh man, the quarter system sucks"! It is just plain impossible to fully grasp difficult concepts like two point perspective in just a couple of weeks, especially when you are still trying to wrap your cute little brain around the first two weeks of one point perspective. I am actually enjoying AutoCAD quite a bit. And my commercial design concepts class is a ridiculous amount of work, but I am getting TONS out of it.


How about an embarrassing photo of Rosco? The photo quality here is not great at all. But the image is just too hysterical to keep to myself.

When they conied the phrase "cute as a button" they were quite obviously thinking of these. We have started carrying buttons at work & it has been proving to be a whole new addictive problem for me. I have always had an intense gravatational pull to buttons. When my grandma passed away, many many years ago I inherited her entire sewing room, which included LARGE boxes full of vintage buttons. I have never been the same since! Would you just look at those oranges! They actually have dimples & a little teeny green butt stem thingy on the bottom. You can almost smell the citrus-y goodness. **note** I don't really have anything planned for any of these buttons. They MAY wind up as embellishmebnts on a hat, pair of gloves, or replacing old tired buttons on a vonateg sweater or two. OR they may just stay in my button stash, making me happy in their own little secluded way.

Button Fruit

I have not been knitting very much at all for the last few weeks. I think that I have maybe picked up my needles two or three times in the past 3 weeks. I am still knitting the two pairs of magic loop socks, and just yesterday I started another elmer fudd hat. his one is double strand worsted weight, ella rae in lichen & brown sheep's nature spun in grecian olive. I am now wondering if I will like the color blend after it is felted.... I guess we will see. I haven't had much luck knitting this hat for myself, but the ones that I make for everyone else come out great! I will spare you yet another picture of the same socks, but here is a boring photo of the fudd hat.

Elmer's hat band & earflap action

SOOOOO, Tammy Teaches, what's that all about? The lovely Sile (pronounced Sheila), has an amazing new thing going on. knit-one-one is her creation, a sort of knitting rec-cenetr/community/school. I suggest visiting the website to obtain a much better description. I was fortunate to have been invited to teach classes at knit-one-one, and my first class for Sile will be next month. Check out my bio for funny pictures & riveting info of yours truly. I will say it again, knit-one-one is an amazing resource for knitters. If you live in the Bay Area you shuold take a class. And if you don't live here, you should take a class the next time you are visiting the Bay Area... Nessie!

Photo Post

Things that make me smile....

Blue Sky Alpaca Sport Weight in #'s 50, 522, & 57

I am ony slightly smiling about this bag, it's growing on me. Two or so posts ago is a before felting pic.

World's sweetest buttons. Don't know why but I am so in love with these little darlings!

A gift from Kate. Isn't it adorable?

Magic Loop Fiasco!!

I am still cruising along on my mini cable socks, NO thanks to Rosco!!! I was knitting right along, enjoying my brief little break from homework. It was extra exciting because I was on a cable round... Rosco really wanted to be on my lap. Really! He would try to climb on, I would shoo him away. He would push harder, I would shoo harder, PUSH, SHOO, PUSH, SHOOOOOO! His foot got tangled in the yarn, my heart skipped a beat, I reached for his foot, pulled it out of the yarn, meanwhile his other foot got tangled in the magic loop cord. Then the worst possile thing, he freaked out because I was touching his foot and took off running with his foot stuck in the cord. He managed to pull ALL of the front side stitches off of the cord. My mini cable socks had evolved into mini heart attack socks! I can pick up stitches totally fine, BUT this was really fine yarn on little needles. I usually use a needle one or two sizes smaller to pick those lost stithces up. These are being knit on a size 1. As it turns out, I don't own anything smaller. After locking Rosco in the bathroom I set to work rescuing my stitches! It was super tricky because the the round before the cable round is a combonation of knits, purls & lot of slipped stitches, again usually not a big deal, but under the pressure of working with teeny tiny materials, UGH.

Fiasco # 2... I felted the long awaited malabrigo winter cap, i.e. the elmer fudd hat. It was own my own fault. I knew better that malabrigo felts in a nano second. It sharnk down WAAAYYYY too much. It barely covers the top half of my head. So I need to find a small child to send it off to & get started on another one while it's still cold enough to wear it! GRRRRR

The hat pictured below is another random felted hat. I was playing with the pattern & the end result was a fairly boxy fit that all in all I was not so happy with. But I continue to learn from each mistake!

It's A Sock Thing...

I think that I have a better handle on my time. That is, I think that I can manage school, work, my social life and still blog more than once in a blue moon. I really miss being active in the blogging world.
Rosco is the official House sock knitting snooper-visor.
Do these look at all familiar? They are longer than when you saw them last. Somewhere around a year ago I taught myself the magic loop technique & started these socks. Life happened and i put them aside after about two inches of sock. I had forgotten ALL about them until I stumbled upon them last week. Yes, I have officially become that kind of knitter... I have so many projects that I actually loose track & forget about some.
Sexy Koigu cable socks.
The sock bug has bitten me once again. I have been working on the black Regia socks that I started a year ago, AND now I have started a new magic loop-two-at-once-toe up pair out of some yummy ochre Koigu. The pattern is Badacaul from My Fashionable Life. Dig those mini cables, they really pop in that CA-raz-ee Koigu! I think the sock bug is going to stick hard this time. The sock monkey has moved in onto my back. Well... not THE sock monkey, a sock monkey... nevermind. Also, I am looking for more patterns written for toe up magic loop socks. I know that it's fairly easy to convert any sock pattern to magic loop, it's the toe-up part that I am not so certain how to convert.
Before felting... flopp-a-doodle.
YES, more hats. Are you sick of seeing hats here? This one was a xmas gift for my pal Kate. The yellow (frank ochre) and blue (bobby blue) is malabrigo, the brown is lambs pride in bronze patina.

After Felt

Soooo... this bag- ugh. I wanted to make a bag big enough to haul my school stuff around plus a knitting project. I knit this one up out of lambs pride bulky. I made the pattern up, the shape is great, I am happy enough with that. And I am really happy with the way the handles came out, very sturdy. But the stripes, colors... YUCKO! Don't know what I am going to do with it. I actually liked it better BEFORE I felted it. I will snap a post felt photo to share.

An Elmer Fudd hat for me out of malabrigo in color Pearl Ten. I just need to felt it. It's been so ridiculously cold that the last thing i want to do is touch cold wet wool to shape the darn thing. BUT, it's so damned cold that I really need to finish this hat. Those earflaps are so warm!

AND.... more sock yarn. LOVE these groovy colors!

FIVE MORE days...

It is one A.M. & I am taking a little teeny tiny break from working on one of the two final projects that are due in less than 36 hours. EEEK note to self: do not boil things down to hours or fractions thereof. How about I say; two projects that are due monday afternoon. ahhh better. not really. wow i am rambling. punchy tired. HA HA

Project # 1: design a beach house in SoCal for a couple, of which one is a professional surfer. easy enough. yeah? sorta. there are a ton of restrictions, two tons of specifics that much be included. It's fun. it's just a ton of work, one floor plan and two elevations completly in color. and the truly scary thing... they must be freehand, absolutely no rulers or straight edges. and in 1/4" scale. aye carumba!
Project #2: it's AutoCAD & i am pretty much done. ahhhh
and THEN, a whopper of a final due on Friday. I do not even have the strength to describe that one.

But it's all good. By this time next friday I will be carefree & having as much fun as these people...

PORN! AND CABLE! (Not porn on cable)

Random Yarn- Cuffs(note the cables)


Rowan Yorkshire Tweed dk-Lace leaf scarf from Vougue Accessories


Blue Sky Cotton-Niko's Blankie


Superlong Wrap from the box of Knitting-Frank



Rowan Felted Tweed- & there is way more of this stuff, maybe a big seed stitch wrap someday... ooooh cables, a cable wrap/sweater
This is a just a little peek at what i have been doing while avoiding school. There is actually WAYYYY more than this, this is what was at arms length to photograph. And in actuality I haven't really been avoiding school but i have been seriously distracted with getting my new life organized. The car, the bedroom, my headspace... my emotions...


Mmmmmmanos-Just Because

I have been feeling pretty good lately. My head thinks that my heart is just playing tricks, like the pain is still in there and that i am just numb to it. But I am not sure about that. I even think that i may be ready to start dating again. did I just say THAT?! The pain is definitely still in there, but i am feeling it in a healthier way... that sounds weird i know, but trust me when i say that i am feeling worlds better about the break-up. why just yesterday i was able to listen to The Cure & Patsy Cline at work without hysterical crying, or even that twitchy thing that my eye does when i am trying desperately not to cry in public. I missed listening to The Cure, but man oh man it just rips me open to hear those whiny love/heartbreak/crazy person lyrics that I normally love to hear.


Rowan Biggy Print in Shocking-Whatever

KNITTING...
I have made several more hats, I know big fk-in suprise. I have made a few more wrist cuffs, love them! I have made a couple more pairs of fingerless mitts/gloves, as birthday gifts, people just love those things. Made a birthday hat for my rad new roommate. I am putting the finishing touches on the baby blankie for niko who was born in May. It's just now cold enough to actually wrap him up in it, so I refuse to feel bad about taking so damned long! Well... actually Kate wound up knitting one panel, so the blankie is now officially from the both of us! Finished a lace-leaf scarf for myself out of the rowan yorkshire tweed dk that is discontinued and was purchased about a year ago. I am in process of a fleted bag for me, another scarf/wrap for ME (the "superlong wrap" from the knit box of patterns, i know that there is more than one box of patterns, but it's the one with the good patterns in it. I am knitting it out of my buddy Frank. And for any new readers that may be reading this.... Frank is formally known as Frank Ochre, the tastiest color of Malabrigo, the tastiest yarn! I am also beginning a few new projects that will be holiday gifts for people that just might read my blog, so that is all that i will say about that.


Rowan Kidsilk Haze-Recently Discovered That I LOVE Knitting w/ Mohair-Thanks Janis, oxox
More Knitting news, I am currently SUPER into cables. Maybe it's the season, I dunno. But I am all consumed with cabling. I recently purchased the Vogue Stitchionary vol. 2 Cables.


More Mohair- & Once Again, Thanks Janis


Pile o' Porn


Rosco, Plum Tuckered out after Joining in on the Yarn Porn Action!

Killer Organization...

SOOOO much has been going on. I have missed blogging so very much!! School is so intense & I must say honestly that I am not motivated whatsoever! I was able to pull off straight A's last quarter despite my life being turned upside down and violently shaken. This quarter I am trying to stay focused on school, but all I want to do is work on organizing my new life. Set up my bedroom/workspace, get a car, a new bed, etc. I picked up my new car today (pictures will follow). I got my new bed last week. The photo above is of the midbeam that supports the bedframe. Gotta love that IKEA graphic charm! I laughed so hard that I forgot to heed the warning and wound up cutting myself on the damned thing. Stack that one up onto the half a dozen other cuts, scrapes, and bruises from my head to my stubbed toes....(anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I am ridiculously clumsy)

Injuries aside, this last week has been the most solid. Things have just been falling into place, and quite beautifully. Car, bed, friends, shelving... Just look at my new shelves. And not even close to holding all the yarn that they are quite capable of. My life is starting to feel like it's mine. I am in control of my own emotions finally. things for being here for my sap! Now I am misty eyed and ready for bed. ; )
But before i go... I have been knitting quite alot, while i am putting homework off. I will snap photos of my current projects and of the MOUNDS of new yarn I have adopted since my regular posting. Yarn porn city... just you wait.

Back to School... And something that really Sucks

Yup, tomorrow is back to the drafting board for me! I have been knitting sporadically during my ever so brief break. The past couple of weeks have flown by! I celebrated my birthday, relocated my studio into my bedroom, moved in a new roommate, worked pretty much everyday, taught a knitting class, and... There is probably something else that I am forgetting because I am so damned exhausted.
OH! I remember. I had to deal with lame ass sbc/att/yahoo!! It started with there being a problem with the dsl connection and I had to call to get it fixed... The phone & dsl accounts were under the ex boy's name, and sbc would not even talk to me unless I provided them with HIS ss#. So I had to call him up and ask him to call the phone company and change the accounts to my name. LAME! Turns out that they are more than capable of changing the name on the phone account, but absolutely cannot change the name on the dsl account. The dsl has to be shut off under the boy's name (2-3 weeks), THEN AFTER that, I can sign up for a new dsl account which will take a week to get up and running. Kiss my ass, I don't think so. Not to mention that the woman told me I was stupid for not canceling the phone and opening new phone AND dsl accounts which would only take 2 weeks. I thanked her for making my decision to move to high speed cable internet easier. Comcast was out the next day with everything up and running.
Although I did have to spend TWO days on the phone with Comcast and then apple trying to get the modem to play nice with the airport extreme so that the wireless network would work and my roommate could use it too. Everyone is so afraid to help out with macs! I could actually hear panic in the voices of the Comcast people when they said "we are not trained to work with mac computers". My eyes rolled so hard I swear they could hear it on the other end of the phone!

So as for the SUCKY part of this post... I knew that I was a true mega domestic goober when I saw this new product and could not live without it. The dirt Devil KONE hand vac. I rushed to target a couple of days ago, but they only stock the pink, charcoal, and champagne colors, none of which I remotely liked. I wanted the white one, HAD to have the white one, the only one with the "illuminating" charging base. I emailed dirt devil to find out where in my area I could purchase the amazing "illuminating" KONE. Turns out that I would have to go to... ewwwww, yes Walmart! ICK!
BTW, I was actually in the market for a handheld vac. I use an electric eraser when I draft, which creates MOUNDS of eraser poop. Since I am no longer in a separate studio room, and do not want eraser poop blowing all over my bedroom I decided a few weeks ago (while I was working on my final for drafting) that I would get a handheld vac to clean my table off everyday. I put off shopping for one until I saw this amazing product! And now I honestly cannot remember where I first saw it advertised.