OK, since this is “objets d’art” week in Blogstalking, I guess I should find some, eh?

This is my favorite piece of art in the house.
(Not the shawl, the chair) That is what is referred to in my family as the “Ugly Face Chair”. It belonged to my maternal grandparents and used to sit in their living room next to the tv. When I was a kid, it freaked the crap out of me. I used to make sure that someone (else) was sitting in it, so I didn’t actually see its face. As I got older, I realized how cool it was. When my grandfather passed away in 1997, I told my mother that I really wanted the chair, because it has such clear memories of Grandma and Grandpa associated with it.

Some of the art that I want to have in the house someday are these:

My brother, in addition to being a hair stylist, is also an artist. He has always been super-artistic, where I can’t draw a decent stick figure. (Not to say I’m not creative - I mean art in the sense of drawing and painting.) Anyway, these are a few of his (He has more posted on his MySpace page). He and I are trying to figure out a way to get a canvas from Las Vegas to Maryland without incurring massive shipping costs or having it damaged in transit. Until then, I just check them out on his page.

Now I just have to find the most disturbing objet d’art in the house… We have a lot of geek-centric stuff (Kris’s small collection of wizard stuff, etc.), but I’m thinking that I probably have to bite the bullet and admit that my Oz collection is probably the most disturbing.

Truth be told, I don’t find it disturbing, but when Yorkie was here, she made me promise that if she ended up staying with us, that I had to be sure the Tin Man wasn’t looking at her. And she hadn’t even seen the room yet. I guess I should take that as a hint that maybe it is a little disturbing. =)

And thank you all for your sweet comments on the stitch markers. I really do enjoy making them. And who knows? Maybe I’ll take Ali’s suggestion and start selling them or something. =)

ETA: Today’s mail brought me another set of swap stitchmarkers! Check out the gorgeous ones Turtlegirl sent me!! She said that the Knit Happens colors now make her think of me (since that was our original plan when she came up to visit), so she felt these were appropriate. I love them! Thank you, Cristi!!

I’ve been really bad lately about blogging, for a variety of reasons. First of all, this past weekend was that grand tradition of debauchery - EdFest! Basically, this is a group of people who have gotten together for a weekend every July since right after their freshman year in college, which makes this the 15th year. (I didn’t start going until after Kris and I were married, so this is only my 7th year) It’s pretty much an excuse to hang out and drink a lot of beer while acting like a bunch of goofballs. This year, we were in Wintergreen, VA, where we rented an absolutely beautiful house. It was an awesome weekend, and I think Kris and I both needed a little time away.

Kris got some great pictures (as if we expect anything less), which he has posted to an album here. For anyone wondering, the crossed out XIV replaced by the XV is because we had all been calling it EdFest XIV, until we were there and someone actually started counting. That would be when we realized it was actually XV. Oops. =)

I did wear the completed Bombshell this weekend, and although I told Kris that I wanted a decent picture of it, this was the best he did. Oh well. I’ll get one at some point. I was working on my next project, Sizzle from Wendy over at The Garter Belt. It’s an awesome pattern, and is coming along quickly in spite of the fact that I can’t count. If the decrease rows say “repeat this 6 more times”, that means you do it SEVEN times total. Duh. So, I got through the back and was partway through the front when I realized my mistake and I had to rip the back to the point where I needed the additional set of decreases. No biggie - it would have annoyed me if I hadn’t done it right. I’m using the KnitPicks needles on this, and I have to say, I am really, really happy with them. There have been lots of reviews on these out there, including a couple from people who were less than thrilled with them (Grumperina found them too heavy for her taste. They don’t bother me, but that’s a pretty personal thing.), so I’m not going to go on ad nauseum. I’ll just say that I personally am very pleased with them, and have ordered a second case and some 24″ circs. That way, once case will hold the interchangeables, and the other will hold the circs. I think that should alleviate the crowding issues in the case.

I am part of the Stitch Marker Swap over on the knittyboards, and I finally finished making all of mine. Here are the 9 sets I made.
The top photo, left to right, are for Clotho42, hotmama, and purrl. The middle ones are for adore_one, PrincessRach84, and tionaknitsinaz. The bottom ones are for merrymom, allwoundup, and jennyknitnpurl. (If you click the linked names, you will see a closer picture of that set of markers) I’m really pleased with how they came out - I hope the recipients all like them, too!

I received my first two sets right before I left for EdFest. The top ones are from AKKnitter, and the bottom ones came from mrsmotter. I am actually using the ones from mrsmotter on my Sizzle shell right now. I can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with!

Oh, and I’ve also joined in on the silliness of the “blog stalking” over at the boards, so there will be some odd pictures coming up around here. I missed the shoe collection flash, the “what’s under your bed” pictures, and the “freezer flash”, but I’m still thinking about going back and catching up on them. Maybe. =)

First, I finished Bombshell! Yay! It really came out well - I’m very happy with it. I’ll post pics and more details on the pattern tomorrow.

Also, I did start playing with my KnitPicks needles on the edging for the sweater, and I am in love. I am really happy with them. Again, more detail tomorrow.

Finally, a sign that the apocalypse is clearly nigh - my father has a blog. The pictures are from their neighborhood’s semi-annual crawl - 10 houses, each house is a country with an associated drink. They walk from house to house, drinking at each one and then spend the rest of the evening at the last house. My folks’ house was Cuba - they had Mojitos and Cuba Libres. And yes, I crocheted Dad’s faux Castro beard out of fun fur. I’m so ashamed…

Yay! My needles arrived!!!
That’s the Options set, the 40″, 47″ and 60″ cables, the size tags, the needle sizer, some extra pockets, and a bunch of the circulars.

Now to keep myself from casting on yet another project, just so I can play with them. You know, at least until I finish Bombshell… (Hey, I’ve finally made it past the ribbing! There is hope of finishing it!)

I swear, I’ve been bugging him to get me this picture - he finally did.
Turtlegirl76, me, and Bryghtrose in Stitch DC Georgetown. And yes, I’m sticking my tongue out. I think I was laughing at something.

Also, the pic he took of Turtle’s brand-new Lantern Moon basket.
And, just because we haven’t had any pictures in a very long time…
FISHIES! (There were algae issues. Ick. Not pretty. Happliy, solved now.)

Yes, that’s right - you need to be jealous - I got to spend yesterday with the Siress herself, knittyboard’s own Yorkshire Gal. Which makes this the third week in a row I’ve spent hanging with a non-local Knittyhead, now that I think about it. Hee!

I picked her up yesterday and we headed over to Capitol Hill, where we had a faboo lunch at Banana Cafe. It’s just up the street from Stitch DC - if you haven’t tried it, you must. I am forever grateful to stitchcounter for introducing me to it (and for several other things, but she knows what they are, and they don’t need to be made public. *hug*). I had my favorite Ropa Viejas, and Yorkie had the Puerto Rican Piononos (I think I spelled those right, but if not, cut me a break - I took 6 years of French). After we ate, I ordered a Cuban Sandwich to take home for hubby’s dinner because he LOVES them, and Yorkie and I each enjoyed a caipirinha while we waited. Yum!

After lunch, we of course headed to Stitch DC, where we had a great time chatting with the always lovely owner, Marie, who was nice enough to take a picture for us. Yorkie picked up some gorgeous deep pink Jaeger Siena for a sleeveless cardi, and I found 9 balls of Rowan Linen Print in a color called “Cocktail”. I have no idea what this yarn will be, but it was 40% off, and the color just called to me. I’m guessing tank of some sort. I’d almost consider another Ribbon X-Back, or something similar. (Oh, and yes, that is finally mine being modeled a little better than the Annapolis WWKIPD pic)

Yorkie, sweetheart that she is, brought me a present - a bar of Green and Black’s Maya Gold (YUM!) and a hilarious postcard that she picked up on her recent trip to Norway. It will have a place of honor by my computer. (Not the chocolate - that’s getting eaten. Please - who are you kidding?)

After I dropped her off, I came home just before the skies opened up once again and found TWO packages by my door. As I pulled into the driveway, I saw one sitting there (the other was inside the storm door), and I thought it might have been my KnitPicks needles. (Um… yeah… I finally ordered them) But when I looked closer, the side of the box said “Perishable”. What on earth could it be? I looked at the label - the return address was Vosges Chocolates. Curiouser and curiouser! So, I opened the box, and the inner styrofoam to find two incredible-looking chocolate bars, and a note that read “Hi Pamela! Just wanting to share my favorite chocolate with you. - Your Summer Fling Pal”. Wow! I couldn’t believe it! On the left is a Black Pearl Bar (which of course made me smile just from the name, what with the POTC love in this house. You remember the socks, of course.) It is dark chocolate with ginger, wasabi, and black sesame seeds. On the right is a Oaxaca Bar (And something about saying “Oaxaca Bar” makes me think “Wonka Bar”. I’m a dork.). This one is bittersweet chocolate with guajillo and pasilla chiles in it! Holy smokes! I cannot wait to try these! Thank you so much, Don’tPanicTrillian!!!!

And the other box was my elann.com order! Some Connemara in “Cocoa”, which will become the new Sizzle pattern from The Garter Belt, and some Esprit in Jade, which will be Mon Petit Chou from Knitty (once I size the pattern up a smidgen). You want pics? OK, here you go (click ‘em if you want to see them bigger).

Also, the Linen Print. Tell me that’s not an awesome color. And for 40% off? It appears that most of the reason it was on sale (aside from being discontinued, I think) was that these balls were no longer neat and tidy, so people wouldn’t buy them. The yarn isn’t mangled at all, but there are some loose loops of the yarn on the outside.

In actual knitting progress news, the Bombshell Tee has once again made it to the waist ribbing section. I think skipping the short rows was definitely the way to go, although I did tweak the front darts a little, because they were puckering and I wanted some extra length before the waist. So, I did them every other row, alternating with plain knit rows, but finishing with the same number of stitches. I am also doing some extra rounds of ribbing. I’ll decide exactly how many once I try it on again. I reeeeally hope this is it for this top. I know I’m going to love it, but damn is it taking forever.

And the Pomatomus socks are pretty much where they have been for a while now. Past the heel, one repeat done on the feet. If I get inspired, I could finish them fairly quickly, but the inspiration part is the problem. =)

Hopefully, the postal gods will smile on me, and when I get back from the B&N SnB today my KnitPicks needles will be here. If they are, I’ll brag about them here.

So, you may notice (if you are in the habit of memorizing the status bars over there) that the progress on the Bombshell Tee has once again moved backward. Grr.

I was almost done with the ribbing, when I tried it on, and I realized that there was just no way it was working. The combination of the darts in the pattern and the short-rows I put in for the bust were working against each other. So… I ripped back to before the short-rows and started again on the darts. I think that this sweater is designed such that unless you are VERY busty, you probably don’t need the extra from the short rows. Famous last words, right?

I’m still hoping to have it done by next weekend for EdFest. We’ll see what happens with that.

No new pictures or yarnography at the moment. I’m waiting on an elann.com order, so I’ll get some when it gets here. In the meantime, a very cool pic that hubby took of my knitting book shelf:
And yes, my craft room is actually orange. Which was why I had to buy that goofy light at Bed Bath & Beyond when I saw it. (Come on, it was like $2 - how could I resist?)

And just to put it out there again, because it freaks him out (in a good way) when people see his pictures and comment on them, his Flickr page is here. I think he’s damn good, but I’m a little biased. =)

I swear it - if it doesn’t stop raining around here soon, I’m going to sprout freaking gills. So far, we’ve been lucky and not had any actual damage (an advantage of not having a basement), but I’m just so very, very sick of rain and gray skies, and getting soaked every time I run an errand. Plus, the lack of decent light is kind of messing with the yarnography.

On to happier things… a few weeks ago, Bryghtrose posted on the Knittyboards that she was going to be in the DC area, and wanted to know if any local folk wanted to meet up. I of course said yes, because I love to meet Knitty people. So, we made plans to meet for lunch and shopping at Stitch DC Georgetown. Then, while hitting the Woolwinder’s 4th of July sale on Saturday, I got an email from Turtlegirl76. She was ALSO going to be in DC on Monday. So, the three of us met up and wandered around Georgetown looking for an open restaurant for lunch. Apparently, nothing in Georgetown opens until 11:30. Happily, there was a place called the Alamo Grille that was willing to let us come into the a/c (It was HOT) and sit until they were officially open.

Our very friendly Russian waiter spent most of his time with us teasing us in one way or another (bringing us what we ordered, but saying the wrong this to mess with us, etc.). And then he issued us a challenge. I’ll send you over to Turtle’s blog for that story, since she’s already got it up, and (unlike me) she remembered her camera.

Post-lunch, we headed over to Stitch DC, where we all fondled much yarn and picked up some great stuff (pics in a moment). It was such a bummer saying goodbye to both of them - what awesome people! I really hope to get to hang out with both of them again soon! (Turtle is already threatening to snag Stephy and road trip up, to which I say, “HELL yeah!”)

And now for the pictures. I’ve had less than fabulous success getting good macro shots with my old digital camera (Kodak DC3400). It’s a good overall camera, but just not that great at the macros. Well, when Kris’s Dad passed away, his Mom gave Kris his Dad’s Nikon Coolpix 5700. The flash doesn’t work (which is apparently a common problem with them), so Kris was going to see about fixing it. Once he got his Digital SLR, though, he decided that he really didn’t want to run the risk of totally breaking his Dad’s camera. So, he decided that, since I don’t want to use a flash for yarn pr0n anyway, the Nikon was perfect for me. I finally got to play with it a little this weekend, and oh. My. God. What a great camera. I’m now ashamed of what I used to consider a good yarn pic. I mean, who wouldn’t be, when I can now take stuff like this (click ‘em if you want ‘em bigger):
Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in “Maple Leaf” (left) and Dale Stork in #6 (right) - from the Woolwinder’s sale, for socks (possibly something from the new Summer Knitty) and Orangina, respectively.

Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille in “Bougainvillea” and “Mango” (left) and Artful Yarns Olympic in “Tokyo” (right) - from the Stitch DC visit, for some Weekend Knitting Reverse Bloom washcloths, and probably Pullover Flair from IK Spring 06.

And some surprises:
Turtlegirl brought me some AWESOME Kool-Aid Dyed KP Color Your Own sock yarn (GREEN!!!) and a cone of olive green and white cotton sock yarn from her score at the big mill sale she went to. And tucked in with them?

A new friend! He’s now hanging happily on my Sharpie mug, where he makes me smile every time I see him. Thanks, Cristi!!!

And to prove I’ve actually been knitting - my Hush Hush is at about 20% complete - I’m past the bottom lace and the eyelet row, and am about 2 rows away from beginning the decreases. I love the way it is working up, and I think it is going to be really, really pretty when it is done. Of course, with 400 stitches per row on US1 needles, that might be a ways off just yet. Here’s a closeup of the lace.

Oh, and courtesy of Mintyfresh, who sent me a link to a free .pdf converter, my patterns are now available in an easy-to-print .pdf format! (links have been updated in the sidebar) Yay! Thanks, Minty!