How do you wear lace?

I have a problem. I love to knit lace. But I rarely wear it. Why? well...the occasion often doesn't present itself...or with the triangular shawls that I seem drawn to - they point to my uh...butt. At least they do in the manner that I instinctly don one of these shawls - which is to pick it up, and wrap it around my shoulders with the center seam straight down my spine. Now, even if I had a perfectly apple shaped jiggle free derriere, I don't think I'd want anything pointing at it.

So in search of some hints on how to wear my growing collection of shawls I sent out some queries on some mailing lists I belong to - and I've gotten several suggestions - if you've got some to add, I'd love to hear em!

Suggestions so far have included:
- Around the waist/hips like a sarong
- Draped with the point down one arm with the ends either tied, pinned or simply slung over the opposite shoulder
- Draped in a similar fashion with the ends tied or secured under the other arm near the waist
- Fold the point down, and place it at the neckline on the inside or outside, wearing the shawl like a trapezoidal stole
- Over your head and tied at the neck (if the shawl is small enough to accommodate this style)
- Worn over the shoulders and tied behind the back to prevent it from slipping down (but this style leaves the point pointing you know where...

So why my fascination? Well, the Swallow Tail is done :) See?
Larger photos, and more information can be found on the Finished Objects Blog.

True to my lace obsession I've cast on for the Shetland Triangle Shawl already (along with a pair of socks).

It's a Sign!

T-a few days and counting to my first race - and yes, there will be photos and a race report afterwards. Preparations have been going well, over the Thanksgiving weekend, I ran my furthest distance yet for training (7k) and today was my last scheduled Training run before the race.

Anyhow, as I was coming up towards the home stretch of the run, the song ProGen by the Shamen came up on my mp3 player...it was like a good omen for the weekend :)

Course, now I have the song stuck in my head...but oh well :D

ps. today's pace was the 2nd best I've ever run - and it was windy and cold (relatively) out

pps. if any of you want the song stuck in your head too, you can click here for a You Tube video

There's something about the holidays...

While I often tire of every day cooking, there is something about the holiday season that makes me happy. Preparing a special holiday dinner is something I enjoy and relish - I have no idea why, but there it is. The ability to plan out a multi course meal, execute it and have it all come out of the oven and off the stove top at the same time is a challenge, yet when it all happens without a hitch, it gives me such a sense of accomplishment :) The eating of the meal isn't bad either ;)

I also love this time of year because I am usually on the hunt for new foodie products - I've found giving gifts of "food" is often appreciated - of course, I can't well go off sending gifts of food without trying first.

Luckily for me, Bzz Agent was looking for Coffee-holics to try some Storyville Coffee :)

In addition to the attractive packaging, the coffee is freshly roasted and plenty tasty. Unlike other places that have a slew of varieties and blends, Storyville only has their signature blend, though it is available in both caffeinated and non-caffeinated versions.

Definitely a treat for anyone who doesn't have a small-volume roaster nearby!

Happily Knitting Away

Hope those of you who celebrate the holiday all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I sure did. There was plenty of good food, some wonderful time spent outdoors, and more time spent relaxing.

Of course, to celebrate being temporarily free of knitting for strangers, I gleefully cast on for this:


the Swallowtail Shawl! Ever since I saw a gloriously finished one (for Kiki) by Erika, followed quickly by Swallowtails all over the blogosphere, I have been itching to knit one of my own! The above photo was the Swallowtail as of the beginning of last week - as of today, I have the last 2 uncharted rows + bind off and blocking. It should be done just in time for the Holiday Rounds :)

Holidays are Here!

Tomorrow marks the "official" beginning of the Holiday Season, and my gift to myself was to declare *last* weekend as the final weekend this season that I would work my fingers off knitting for strangers....I have been knitting all this time...

...see? Scarfage. Lots and lots of Scarves. Well, not lots and lots, but a respectable number of them (seventeen) knit since the very end of October and my last Craft Fair. They were all knit as product for a Craft Fair next month. While I would love for all the world to be full of fiber folk, I've concluded (based on the last craft fair) that I need to have finished objects in my booth to lure people ine - thus the scarves and all those flower pins. More details on that craft fair as we get closer, but if you're local and would like to save the date, it's on Saturday December 9th :)

Anyhow, I never thought I'd find myself launched into a position where I would be on the "caring" end of Black Friday - as I have historically celebrated the Friday following Thanksgiving as Buy Nothing Day...This year, I find myself torn. I will not be cruising the local big retail shops - since becoming a "retailer" myself, I have become much more focused on supporting small local businesses and other indie-merchants. I urge you to do the same :)

I am very thankful to each of you who have touched my life in one way or another - from people who read and comment on my blog, to those whose blogs I read and lurk for inspiration and balance, to the various people I've only "met" online and of course my fabulous customers - you all keep me going. For those of you who celebrate this holiday, I hope its a great one :)

Did you call me a Meathead?

Normally at this time of year, with the holidays fast approaching, and especially this year with my preparations for not just my own personal holiday gift knitting but also hopes for healthy holiday sales at a local craft fair or two as well as via my shop, I would not endeavor to add more to my knitting platter (which over floweth quite spectacularly)...

I had first heard about the great Meathead Along of 2006 I figured, oh, how I wish I could participate, but I just don't have the time!! Of course, my head immediately filled with ideas on how just to go about decorating my very own Meathead, as well the little voices that kept reminding me that I had the perfect yarn for such a project in the stash already...but I kept resisting.

Until I read about Trond - and his Knitting Project. The way it works is you join his Flickr group, post a well lit photo of your face, and if he is so inspired, he will knit you a Knitkid Original hat! All he asks in return (and all you knitters know how generous he is being when you read this) is postage and a photo. Check out the ones he's done already! Viewed in combination with the Original Set, you may well be compelled to knit a hat as I was!

Anyhow, as usual, more photos (including a photo of the hat on my head) are found on the Finished Objects Blog.

Where is the Time Going?!

Yikes. It's already nearing the end of the week and I haven't posted anything since Monday.

Just earlier this week I realized 1) Thanksgiving is Next Week....which means 2) my race is the week afterwards. YIKES!

And now...less about time, more about knitting :) I was displaced earlier this week to San Jose for work...and like any good knitter, I had to see if I could find a Yarn Shop to visit while I was there. Conveniently for me, there is one not far from the airport!


The shop (Commuknity) is large, has a fair selection of yarn, and has a gigantic workroom with lots of natural light pouring in during the day. And yes. That is a bag in the above photo. Which means I did purchase yarn. I was desparate for something to knit an enlarged Swallowtail Shawl out of - I was thinking of knitting it out of Chaparral, but I haven't had any spare time for the dye-pot so I didn't want to go dipping into the inventory, and of course, it seemed I didn't have any suitable yarn in my rather shameful stash. We'll see how my choice pans out once I cast on.

Fields of Flowers (and felt too)

I've been in crazy-mad preparation mode for one more craft fair...this time focusing on original finished objects to appeal to the not so crafty crowd...interspersed with my knitting, I've taken up the needles (of the sewing and felting variety) and the crochet hooks to make up a bunch of flower pins for accessories! I'm still trying to decide if I want to make finished goods an addition to the shop - any comments either way?

In other Felting News, I've added a new line of soaps...


Organic Handfelted Soaps! The soaps are all made from organic vegetable oils and scented with organic essential oils (except for the unscented one, which has no essential oils added). These soaps are free of dyes, and are biodegradable as well! All are availible in the Spritely Soaps section of Spritely Goods.

Last on the product updates, I've got the new Limited Edition Fragrance SOAK in the store...it's my own personal favorite - overtaking the Aquae and Citrus scents hands down. Lets just say Soak - it's not just for your wool anymore ;)

Oh, for those who want to see just how many flowers I was churning out over the weekend, have a cruise over to the Finished Objects Blog - have you any favorites?

Pomogranites - not just for Eating!

A bowl of them make for a wonderful centerpiece...

And it seems like there is no end to various Pomogranite Juice combos at the grocery store - I'm currently hooked on Pomogranite-Cherry Juice from Trader Joe's...

Oh, and the boxes that they sometimes ship in make for a great Kitty Condo ;)


Or so my cats tell me anyhow.

Short and Sweet

I've been happily (and in some cases not so happily) knitting away on some items and I needed a break from all the novelty bits for some nice squashy wool....

So I knit this little number up - wonderfully textured, yet easy enough for TV knitting :D

More photos and information over on the Finished Objects blog, as usual!

On running, I had one of my more boneheaded events today - I was destined for the gym, mumbling awful things about having to resort to training on a Dreadmill....only to discover that I had sabotaged myself by forgetting my shoes. Doh!

Do your Duty

and please, go out and vote.

I don't care how you vote (well, I do, but that's entirely different ;) and I figure I shouldn't go there...) but please, make informed choices - don't just go by the political propoganda and advertisements that have been plastered all over the place - do a little research and make sure you're really voting for what you think you are voting for. I find it rather shameful there appears to be heavy reliance on misdirection, word-spin and what *I* feel are pure falsehoods on some of the advertisements I've had the displeasure of seeing.

Anyhow, do make your voice heard. Go out and vote.

Keeping it all together

Apparently, she was concerned that my knitting was getting disorganized. So she decided to "help" - notice how nicely she's keeping it all in one place ;)

Sorry about disappearing - I have been doing my fair share of knitting of late, and should have a rather large pile to display at some point in the not too distant future :)

In other updates, race day is just under a month away...and I'm planning on running my first 5k distance this week! I'm hovering around 11.5 - 12 minute miles, not exactly speedy, but I *never* thought I'd see the day when I could say I *can* run over 2 miles and be quite happy about it!

Ouch My Head!

But it's sooooo addictive (not unlike running, btw). Especially to a problem solving geek like myself.

Don't say you weren't warned.

Riddle Me Now!