Be*mused

Odds 'n ends

This is for Amanda and Molly, who have challenged me to start the second sock.  (Note that I've included the first sock in the photo as proof that this is, indeed, sock #2.) 

And this is for Cassie, at whose site the other day I made an innocent comment (must.try.cables.) and have since been on the receiving end of a small flurry of cable related emails.  Look, Cassie!  I.tried.cables.  Thanks for the prodding...it was so easy!  And I can see now why people seem to make these intricate sweaters so quickly...that need to watch the pattern develop.  Now I have to add at least one cable project to my list of projects to shop for at MS&WF next week.  (As if we need a link!) 

And while Norma was at T.J.Maxx yesterday buying her orange suitcases, I was at T.J.Maxx buying this.  (Is orange the new black now?)

 

I've always liked the Kipling bags but not their usual giant logos. (Or the monkeys.)  And I've always liked messenger bags, but they usually look pretty goofy on me.  This is a smaller, yet roomy, crossthebody type of bag, perfect for stuffing with a few neccessities and *pattern notes* and then flinging behind me as I dash from booth to booth, leaving hands free for petting (yarn, not sheep) and paying.  And less than half price!

My happy happy mood was quickly soured when I stopped at Trader Joe's and was told (after an inordinate period of staring at the nut display....they must be here somewhere...am I looking right at them??) that they have discontinued YinYang peanuts!!  (Sob, sob...)

And finally, some small consolation last night when the Indiana legislature came through for me.   After decades (incredulously) of consideration, they finally voted to accept this newfangled idea.  Sheesh.

Houston, we have a sock!

Ok, so it's displayed on an as-yet-unplanted basket of pansies, not lovely azaleas, but until I spend more time in the imaginary (so far) garden, this is what I have to work with.  (I am a shameless Annie and Margene wannabe.)  And although it looks a bit wonky in the photo, it fits great and the yarn is heavenly!

That said, it is a sock, and we have had a sock around here before.  But the prospects are looking good for another.

No end in sight

During a visit to Quilt National years ago, I saw my first Karen Stone quilt "in person".  Folky and a little out of place among the more contemporary quilts in the show, it nonetheless was easy to see how it had been juried in.  The quilt design was fabulous, loaded with curves and sharp points, all perfectly matched and swirling.  How did she do that!?  Paper piecing. 

Years later, when considering some intricate designs for a quilt I was planning, I decided to try it.  Instead of reinventing the wheel, I purchased one of Karen's patterns to test her method.  The results?

Love the accuracy...

...hate the paper picking!!

Actually, the top photo is all sewn together, but the middle photo's still just blocks.  And most probably shall always be so. 

By the way, eQuilter has quite a few new items of interest this week.  The new Amy Butler group*, a new line of Rowan Fabrics designed my Martha Negley* that is really interesting (I especially like the marigold* and twigs* designs) and the new book by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle.   Ahhh, eQuilter...my (sometimes) guilty pleasure!

*I tried putting in links to these pages but they wouldn't work.  If you're interested, go to eQuilter's search page choose option to display matches that show all keywords, then do separate searches for Butler Charm, Negley, Negley marigold, Negley twigs.

The best laid plans

Yes, I'm still here but it's been a dismal week on the creative front.  (The best laid plans, yadda, yadda, yadda...)  The only fun thing I've done was to reward myself periodically during too-long-ignored and seemingly unending household tasks by allowing myself short breaks to play around with my site design. 

If you tuned in yesterday, there was no new content but you may have seen any of several reincarnations of Be*mused, some of which were inadvertantly published, despite my only hitting 'preview'.  Yellow and magenta!  Green and orange!  Red and purple!  (See what you miss when you rely on Bloglines?)  Jane left a comment that she liked the new colors, but due to some of these changes realizing themselves unbeknownst to me, I don't know which she liked!

Speaking of Jane, go (right now!!) and check out her site, Yarnstorm.  It's my new favorite blog and I suspect you'll return, too.  Knitting, sewing, gardening, baking...fabulous machine embroidery...it's visually interesting and funny, too.  I can proudly say that I was her first subscriber, but I won't be her last.  Stop by and say hello!

And if you're a quilter (and even if you're not), you might want to check out the winners in the annual AQS show in Paducah this week.  Kudos to Melody, who won first place in the Small Wall Quilts/Non-traditional category.  Other favorites of mine are this, this and this one (a miniature!).

That's all I've got tonight, Carolyn.  (And yes, I did end up going back to an only slightly modified version of my old Be*mused design.  But you never know....)

Testing...

It's been 14 hours and Bloglines has not added my post from yesterday so I'm writing this new post to see if it shows up.  I did email them, but no answer yet.  Has anyone else had this problem?

(They wouldn't have dropped me because I just posted photos of a blank wall and 3" of sock cuff, do you think?)

Excuses, excuses

Excuses, excuses...we just moved in, the holidays, trip preparation, jet lag.  I have been putting off a lot of things around here and finally had to tell myself (in a stern inner voice), snap out of it!!!  So over the last few days I've been buzzing around, trying to get focused on whipping this place into shape or, at least, making a plan to do that.  I can get easily overwhelmed when faced with a multitude of tasks without a plan and over the weekend I was darting from one thing to the next, not only not accomplishing much, but leaving bigger messes behind.  But I've finally settled down and am seeing some progress.  Phew!

I spent part of Sunday out in the yard, trimming and assessing areas for planting.  I had a big perennial garden at our old place but this yard's previous owner was pretty unimaginative.  The unique challenge of a new yard (which I had forgotten) is when everything starts sprouting at this time of year.  More than once I found myself wondering, "Is this supposed to be something?"

While I was out surveying, M was inside painting the kitchen.  Nice and fresh, now I have to make some curtains and start putting up things I brought from (I almost typed in *home* there...oops) the old house.  But this wall's crying out for a quilt, don't you think? 

So between today's self-imposed assignments, I've been washing and ironing all of the fabric I've accumulated over the last few months so that I can start work on a kitchen piece.  Tomorrow.

   

And although this doesn't look like much yet, I did start the socks and am determined to use the peer pressure of this showcase to finish a pair, for once.  I love the yarn (Aquarius), so that's an inducement right there.  (Isn't it?  Stay tuned.) 

Back to the Needles

Heat Wave   24" x 32" 

It's about time that I get back to Quilt.Knit.Stitch.  Here's a small quilt that I made a couple of summers ago for a group show.  I was happy with this first effort at a looser, more folky look, but then I never went any further with it.  I plan to now though, once I get back to the drawing board in a few weeks.

On the knit front, I have a pile of books, patterns and leaflets to go through before I hit the Maryland Sheep & Wool Fest.  Last year I really wanted to go but it was just a week before Molly's graduation in the same area, too far a distance to travel twice in such a short time.  MS&W has been on the 2005 calendar since.  I think it would behoove me to arrive with some semblance of a list of future projects, to avoid the possibility of wild and rampant acquisition of random enticing skeins.  (*Not that there's anything wrong with that*, Carolyn.)

Until then, I'm going to make a stab at actually finishing a pair of socks.  I always flame out on my sock projects, but Margene and Annie are inspiring me to attempt them one more time.  (I love their socks.  I covet their socks.)  And I have some Lucy Neatby merino that is crying to be cast on.

Off to dig out some needles.  Enjoy your weekend!

Expectations

Things I expected to see in Japan that I did:

Funny signs.  Here are a few.

Text on a vending machine.

Check out the hair salon name...and next to Haagen Dazs!

At the Aichi Expo 2005. 
(Perhaps not funny, but startling!)

At Nara, where deer roam free...everywhere!

Things I expected to see in Japan that I didn't:

Green tea KitKats. 
Traditional Japanese fabrics. 
Pink (or any other color) Chibis. 

Things I didn't expect to see in Japan that I did:

A Barbie department at Takashimaya.

No, not Barbie dolls, Barbie clothes.  No, not Barbie doll clothes, Barbie adult clothes!  When I first glimpsed the big, pink Barbie signature sign, I did a double take, not sure for a minute of what I was actually even looking at.  The idea that women would want to dress in Barbie clothes!  I am kicking myself, because instead of stealth snapping, I made the mistake of asking permission to photograph and was *ever so politely* denied.  But you can read about it here.

And for the uninitiated, Takashimaya is the ultimate high-fashion Japanese department store.  (Please, no comments about what I was doing there.)

Liberation

Five days a week for at least the last 20 years, I have ironed a Land's End Hyde Park heavyweight 100% cotton oxford cloth shirt, M's shirt of choice.  Because of the need to dampen and heavily starch (and depending on the iron), one shirt takes about 30 minutes to complete.  Today I took an armload to the local cleaner for a test run.  And if the results aren't up to snuff, I'll try other establishments until I find one that measures up.

Why?  Because I cannot find a decent iron.  (I am also sick of ironing these things but since I lead a somewhat privileged life, I've always felt that the least I could do was contribute a well-ironed shirt to the household effort.  "Me?  No, I don't work outside the home, but I do iron those d**m shirts.")  Since January, when my trusty iron sputtered and died, I have purchased 3 irons.  Different models, all with attendant problems...spitting, leaking, finicky controls.

So I'm asking you all, do you have an iron (brand and model) that you would recommend?  I'm not going back to the shirts, but would like something dependable (and not too heavy) for general ironing and sewing use.  Any suggestions would be most welcome!

And in a bit of synchronicity, look what came in the mail today!  Yes, the above illustration is actually from the cover of the new issue of Selvedge.  If you're interested in textiles, this is the magazine for you.  Page after page of contemporary textile art, ethnographic work, designer profiles and travel pieces.  All illustrated with drop-dead gorgeous color photos.  This month's contents include articles on the resurgence of knitting, Japanese folk textiles, contemporary Norwegian textiles and numerous designer profiles.  If you are interested in a free sample copy, you can request one here at their website.

Ok, off to iron my last shirt!

*Note: I should mention that M has been telling me for years to send the shirts out.  I'm sure he would like that made clear. 

For Shannon

This weekend, I got an email from Shannon (do you have a blog?), explaining that she will be taking her first trip to Japan soon and found Be*mused while googling Osaka quilt shop.  She asked about the shop I mentioned visiting so after forwarding her directions, I'm posting what's 'in store' for her.

I considered doing this in pieces, but in the spirit of full disclosure, I decided to dump it all out here.  Try to keep in mind that I've been pining for this fabric for almost 10 years and they don't sell it outside of Japan.  (I asked.)

 
Aren't these fun?

 
Had to get some of these!

 
Most of these were on sale.  How could I resist?

 
These are a bit larger scale...irresistable!

 
Already regretting not getting more color combos of these.  Like turquoise and rust...what was I thinking!??  (Maybe 'I wonder how much longer M and Molly can stand there without keeling over?')

 
These were no longer available as yardage, so I gobbled up multiples of favorites.  I love the flower print on the top, right-hand stack.  Their out-of-date website shows it in other colors, but this color, in fat quarters (meters) was all they had left.



All of these wonderfuls (and so much more...sniff) from this tiny shop.


All in all, as we walked out, I felt like the Osaka Glica man!