... Do you really want me to
finish such a silly little joke ('cause I will)? Or would you rather I
just said, February is such a lovely month! All the shiny, muted,
frosty, glittery pinks and reds in every store and shop window, how
could anyone have a bad mood in February?! I think if February had a
texture, it would feel like a giant (pink, of course) marshmallow.
Anyway, I was so smitten with February in January that every time I
devoted some time to making something it turned out at least slightly
reflecting how I was aching for this fabulous little month.
It started off sneakily enough ... just a hot-pink button on "something
I was trying out" -- you know, those projects you're just not so sure
about, but you'll go ahead with it anyway. I think I've heard just about
every negative comment ever posted about eyelash yarn, and how
"serious" knitters wouldn't dream of knitting anything with it ... fair
enough, I guess I'm not a serious knitter then! I can see how it
wouldn't be every one's taste, but I like fashion, writing, music,
art--pretty much everything with a little tongue in cheek attitude.
Besides, I think we'd all be a little bit better off with a dash of
whimsy in our lives now and then, and if that comes in the form of a
"fun fur" knitted collar peeking up from the inside of your coat in late
winter/early spring, then so be it (for me personally, this wouldn't
even be the most ridiculous thing I've worn this week)!
My
yearning for February started becoming slightly more obvious with my
next creation. This is the one I've been working over and over again in
my mind, trying to figure out just how i wanted it to look, and how I'd
make it look that way ... instead
of a rumpled mess thrown on the floor in frustration! To my delight, I
think it totally worked out! I tried a
little search for fabric fortune
cookie instructions, but nothing was really giving me the look I knew I
wanted, so I just shook it off like a puppy after a bath, and made up my
own as I went. Which, I think, is more fun anyway (after my brain stops
exploding, at least).
I
am absolutely in love with my little fortune cookie pin cushions ... I
think they are so sweet, and I can't wait until I have an excuse to use
them. I think they would be so perfect for for projects that have you
draping on a dress form. Need a pin? Oh, here's some stuck right into
the little cookie dangling from your finger by its hot-pink, satin
"fortune". I have a thing for fortune cookies anyway, I mean, a dessert
that tells you the future too?! What's better than that? Nothing, except
maybe one you can keep your sewing pins in, of course. These little
guys just completely charm me in every way, I can't help it, I
LOVE them!
And
then somewhere while all of this was going on, I decided the dictionary
needed a new picture next to "tedious" and this is what I came up with:
Why yes, those are toothpicks I'm using as knitting needles. I must be a crafting masochist! I won't be happy until my fingers are officially
tied in knots around themselves. In my defense, it's not like I was
knitting a scarf or something. I just wanted to see, first of all, if it
could be done, and all I really wanted to do was a couple of little
patches that I can easily use along the way in another project somehow.
So it's not like it was a
complete waste of time ... just a partial one!
They
are cute though, just look at the tiny leetle knits! Cute enough to do
it again? The jury's still out on that one, I've already done it twice,
and I'm not sure I've fully recovered. So what kept me from ripping off
my clothes and screaming toward the heavens, you ask? My huge,
clown-size-17 needles ... even though I was using them to learn how to
knit a hat (brain explosion #2) I think they saved my sanity even if
ever so slightly. Every couple of rows with the toothpicks I'd have to
take a break, and use the big needles so as not to whip myself into a
full fledged panic attack sitting right there. Here's a peek at what
went down ... there's a big fuzzy pom pom nesting right on top of the
blue and green guy.
It
was my first time making one of those as well ... yeah it was a
success, I mean as far as fuzzy pom poms go. I'm still trying to get
this sizing and gauge business down, but until I learn I guess it's a
pretty good thing that I also happen to love ridiculous, technicolor
hats too! So that's what I've been up to lately, whilst dreaming of
February, I hope the streak continues all through the month, and I can
polish a few new found skills, and maybe discover a couple more while
I'm at it.
Happy February!
For me and, er, you-ille?
This was my first try, and let me tell you it was a lot easier than my first lasagna from scratch (notice there are no pictures of it). I must
say, French peasants were on to something with this dish, I don't think
anything easier to make has ever tasted more delicious! Two of my
favorite things: Little effort required, big payoff. The only thing that
disappointed me was that I had to use microscopic, store-bought
zucchini (as opposed to the King Kong sized zucchini
I've become accustomed to), so I had to triple up the zucchini each
time it was its turn to be layered into the dish. As it turned out, it
was kind of convenient to have them bite-sized, so you won't find me
complaining. Another thing that pleases me about this dish is that it basically looks the
same cooked as it does before it goes into the oven, which excites me
and makes me feel like I'm doing something good for my body, instead of
pumping it full of chemicals ... now if I could just be assured that my
veggies haven't been genetically altered, I'd be set!
The sizing, and gauge are both coming along a bit easier now (far fewer brain explosions). I thought I'd post the progress ... and why not? Three posts in three days -- February's so short anyway why not make it 28?! We'll see how that goes, blogging promises always seem to turn into subtle suggestions in my mind.
