Knit Addictions

How To Change the World In Three Easy Steps

We went and saw "An Inconvenient Truth" and while it's a great film and the message is excellent..........it left me wondering if I'm doing enough. I ended up stumbling around the net and reading my Plenty magazine in search of miracle cures for the planet.

1. Become a Freegan. This is extreme but easy if you're willing to go there. Wow! Okay. I'm a raw vegan and I thought THAT was extreme. But being a freegan? hmmmm....makes you realize how much waste we truly have in America. Confounds the brain, doesn't it?

2. Become Self-sufficient. Bam and I sincerely studied this site. It has a lot of interesting solutions and a very cool way of life. These folks are to be truly commended for a dedicated way of living that makes a statement, helps the planet and probably helps their souls! Wow!!!!

3. Sign every petition you can and buy those energy efficient bulbs whenever possible and turn off everything electrical in your house whenever you can and carpool when you can and and and and.............

You see......the thing is.........we got into a state of 'eco-anxiety' this week. At some point, I have to believe I'm doing what I can and the solution DOES start with a simple approach to taking small steps in our own lives. I can't really take on the whole world right now. With that in mind...........whew!

Let's knit!
I've finished the felted kitty bed but it needs one more wash cycle to shrink up a bit more. It's too hot to knit anything else but I've got Bam's sweater nearly done. Just a few inches away on the sleeve!

VIRTUAL REALITY
I joined Second Life to see what the heck it was. Must admit, after messing about for an afternoon.........I still don't 'get it'. It just seems like a great time waster and lord knows, I don't need another one of those. If I really wanted to waste time, I'd get a satellite dish so I could watch tv again!!!!!! Anyone care to explain the phenomena known as Second Life?

SPEAKING OF GLOBAL WARMING
It was so hot today in LA........I just couldn't get past brain fog. Way over 100. yuk. All I can say is.........let's work to stop global warming cuz this sucks and you can't knit when it's like this!!!!!

Kitty Alert!

CUTENESS WARNING
The picture you are about to see will possibly cause to make cooing sounds such as 'awwww'...'so tiny!'.....'ohhhh....soooo cute' and that sort of thing. We are not responsible for any reactions you may get while sitting at your computer and making these noises. It is only our duty to share the photograph with you.

SUBJECT: stray kitten wandered into our yard 2 days ago and started living under our newly built back deck. We noticed her presence because of a strange mewing sound on Friday afternoon and promptly got her some kitten food which was followed by a run to Petco for better kitten food and flea stuff. On Saturday, we had guests ......one for a classical piano lesson for yours truly and the other guest arriving much later for a songwriting hang. Need I say? All guests were completely entertained with 'kitty'....watching her, trying to get her to come closer, meowing back to her, making toys and throwing string at her to get her to play.

It is truly amazing how 5 adults can be transfixed for hours by watching a little kitten.

So far, we've coaxed her to hang out ON the deck with us instead of under the deck. She even came and rubbed her head against my toes this morning. So we're making progress in the interaction area. However, I am terribly allergic to cats, so we are trying to see if we can adapt her to being an outdoor cat.....Bam cleaned up a big crate/seat and put a lovely blanket in there...meanwhile, I guess I will dig up that felted cat bed pattern of Wendy's and start knitting. ....Funny, always considered ourselves 'dog people'...I guess the universe had other plans.

TWINKLE
The fantastic designer has now launched her own line of yarns. If anyone has seen/touched any of them......let me know if they're as wonderful as her designs!

Freaky Friday

UPDATE
My back is finally getting better! After two surgeries in my youth, you'd think I'd know how to take care of it right? But I had slacked in my walking and that was lame of me! So I'm back to good health and thank you all for your wonderful emails/comments!

PSYCHO
Found this totally insane knitting site and just had to share....Cah-razy or what?

ALMOST DONE
I've only got one sleeve left on Bam's sweater. It's from a Rowan pattern book to give my brain a rest from the creating process and ya know what? I think it's gonna look okay. Kind of on the boring side...but hey, that's alright.

UNCOMMON
I'm committed to go on Uncommon Threads with the incomparable Myra Wood! We're filming it on August 7th and yours truly will have to brush up on her crochet skills (think hook challenged person here) but with Myra's unusual approach and freeform techniques....I'm sure I'll be fine and I'm very excited! I'll be involved in this project ...isn't it cool?

LOG CABIN
Speaking of Myra and freeform...one of the techniques in freeform knitting is log cabin knitting. You can see it used in the new Mason Dixie knitting book and I'm gonna make a couple of baby blankets using that technique for some upcoming babies and young infants in my life. It's all garter stitch and yet it keeps you interested! I love it! Plus one could go mad with a Mondrian style piece couldn't one? hmmmm...yes, one must find those primary colors and one must knit a Mondrian blanket for a special baby! (all spoken like Inspector Clouseau!)

POD PEOPLE
Our video podcast, Rock n Roll TV has signed up with the number one major podshow network, podshow.com. They're launching the network publicly in the next few weeks so that will be exciting to see what happens. So far, nothing much has changed for us but we're happy to be part of a family of shows like the Dawn and Drew show and Rock and Roll Geek and ...well, there is that possibility that we may even get to make a living out of it! Imagine that! Making a living doing something creative and fun!!!!! (not to mention I could get a lot more knitting done again!)

FRIDAY GOOF
Well, it's super duper hot here in LA yet again and we're gonna head out to the coolest place in town...the movies! Yep. I read the book and thought it was very funny so we're off to see The Devil Wears Prada.

Freefallin' and Life On The Strip

FREEFALLIN'
Last week, I took a class with Myra Wood on Freeform Knitting. Holy scrumbles batman! This is a whole new level of deconstructed inspiration for me. We learned how to make a scrumble (also known as the act of scrumbling....see, it's both a noun and a verb) and discovered that freeform knitting/crochet really got its start in the 70's from two Brits, Sylvia Kosh and Jim Walters. It is perfect for any of us fiber fiends who like to work without a net....ie....no pattern. And talk about a great way to utilize your stash!

THE SUNSET STRIP
Last night we ventured out to Hollywood on a Saturday night for a dose of old fashioned 80's glam rock. Jetboy had reunited and we're really good friends with guitarist, Billy Rowe (who currently has a fantastic punk/rock band, American Heartbreak.) We interviewed Billy and Jetboy singer, Mickey for Rock n Roll TV and at the gig we saw a lot of old friends including Drew the owner of Lip Service along with Scotty (Heat Slick Records) and Jeremy (The Blessings). The Whisky-a-go-go itself ain't what it used to be with rude bouncers moving everyone out of the path every 5 seconds. Your bags are completely searched as you walk in .....to the degree that the bouncer was going to take my RAW FOOD PROTEIN bar from my bag. Yeah, that's a really nasty weapon doncha think? Sooooooooooo rebellious of me! Sigh.

It was still an enjoyable evening. Don't get me wrong....before Jetboy played we were highly entertained by The Zeros. But after Jetboy, the typical Sunset Strip-I'm-a-big-angry-white-guy-with-big-trousers-and-a-bald-head-rap-frontguy type band came onstage and any semblance of Hollywood rock n roll that had lived in the club for a few moments was promptly dispersed by angry suburban white kids.

This is how the Whiskey books bands nowadays. NOT according to music, but according to a couple of headliners (Jetboy and the Zeros) and then a bunch of bands who still do the pay-to-play rule which is now disguised as "You gotta sell 200 of these tickets at $20 each and turn up on the night you play with the money". Consequently, there is no musical continuity anymore at those types of 'famous' clubs. (Roxy is included in that list!)

BABY YOU CAN DRIVE MY CAR
On the way to the gig, we had the radio on and caught part of an interview from the New Cars. Todd Rundgren is on frontman duties and you can read about it yourself. Gotta say, the songs we heard sounded really good and like the Cars but still different. Surprising.

Oh To Be Idle For a Day!

Sheesh! Where have I been?

Well, I spent one week in Minnesota packing and helping sort stuff for the bank to sell my family's house. Sigh. It was not a fun week. But I survived and I'm glad it's over. The only two positive things I can say are that my niece, Kathryn is planning to move to Los Angeles in the fall. Hooray! And that I have inherited my mother's Sohmer upright piano. Hooray!

Bam and I are still 'raw'! He has come up with loads of amazing gourmet raw vegan entrees now. OMG! Mind blowing recipes. I try to keep up, but let's face it, that is a talent. I have a talent for eating what he creates! Ha! We go to this farmer's market every Sunday and let me tell ya, it is fantastic and chockful of local organic farmers! yummmmmmm!

Now let's move on to the knit stuff............

EXTREME
Has everyone and their dog seen Theresa Honeywell's Knit Motorcycle??? Holy bat wheels, batman!

Go to Flickr to see her whole set of 'Extreme Craft' which includes embroidered tattoos. Wow. She deserves the Punk Craftster of the Year award. Which I think I shall invent!

On my sticks
I am making Bam a much deserved and long sought after big wooly jumper. Now that I work in a yarn shop, I get a discount and can afford that Rowan stuff! ha! So Fergus with an altered collar and some Big Tuft probably added in the cuffs,.....is on the way!

THE BAG O' BONES
The Stitch Cafe and I paired up and cooked up a crazy bag idea with stripes and a heart, skull, and star charms dangling off it....all in a kit with our skull needles. You can view the commercial and watch my imitation of pirate-ese.
quicktime: http://blip.tv/file/get/Shazza007-StitchCafePunkKnitsBagOBone599.mov
windows: http://blip.tv/file/get/Shazza007-StitchCafePunkKnitsBagOBoneWindows652.wmv

KILLING TIME
Sometimes, it all gets to be too much and I just need some mindless entertainment. As a big fan of the Da Vinci Code (cuz I LOVE LOVE LOVE games and puzzles).....I stumbled across this quest which you can put right on your google homepage (please tell me you have one, right? cuz they rock!)....Once you get caught up ...you only get one puzzle a day and they get progressively harder. Talk about brilliant marketing for the film?!?!?! WOWSA! I am blown away! And....I love the quest! I feel so.....utterly bamboozled by the great marketing team at Sony. And I don't care.

Well.........I think we are going to the beach today. First time in months! Crazy to live in So Cal and not go to the beach right? It's the only place I truly stop working!

Over and out fellow knitters.........fellow crazy people, fellow game addicts, fellow mellow yellows, fellow schmellows.....marshmellows......hmmmmmmmmm..............I'm losin' it.

Interesting POV

It's interesting what I read over on Live Journal in the Punk Knitters group.
Wow. I'm made out to sound like a tough business chick! That's so insane!

I guess some knitters have nothing better to do than be judgemental.

Ah well.......

DISHCLOTH PATTERN
To answer a couple of you about the knitted dishcloth....I didn't actually use one of those patterns. But wish I had! Argh! Here's a snap of the one I made with good ole Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton.

I used garter stitch (5 stitches) around the edges and stockinette for the rest. But I think the patterns on that dishcloth site are waaaaaaaay better.

Alright! Well, I'm off to go 'pimp' my businesses....cuz ya know.........I'm soooooooo businesslike! ha ha!

 

Back to Basics

Last year, after my mom died, I was very depressed but I still wanted to knit something. So I knit my first dishcloth. I used Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton and it came out okay and then I just left it sitting around and promptly forgot about it. I couldn't get excited about a cotton dishcloth. Right?

Ha!
I used it for the first time this weekend in the shower. WOW. Can I just say that again? WOW. If you want a cheap thrill, knit yourself a cotton washcloth.

REALLY STUPID JOKE
And now for something completely different. Try reading this outloud very slowly. Do not pre-read it. And make sure there are not any 'sensitive' ears nearby. This joke is really stupid but it had me in hysterics everytime I 'did' this to someone and it was done to me.

    I AM WEE TODD IDD. I AM SOFA KING WEE TODD IDD.

he he.
Happy Monday.

Skull Needles are Official

Finally. The Punk Knits site is up. It's still not technically finished but all the bits n pieces are there and I'll be adding more stuff/pages as time goes on. Whew!

rock on.
knit on.
and live life large.

Thanks for Knitting!

I received this email yesterday from a good friend who I had knitted a hat for at Christmas. Wouldn't it be cool if everyone we knitted for responded with notes/emails?!!!!!

Hi Share,
Fuck sorry it took me so long to say this, but here goes
I love that hat!!!!
It's awesome.
I've only found a few hats in my whole life that have actually looked  good on me and you made one of the very few that looks great and  feels awesome
You rule
Thank you so much I love it.
It's been getting a lot of use and now that the weather is starting  to get a little cooler it's going to get a lot more.

Made my day!!!!!!!!!

KIM ROCKS
For those of you who are fans of Rowan, here's the new Kim Hargreaves collection.  So pretty.

SKULL NEEDLES UPDATE
Okay, I am still building that blasted site but the packaging had a little problem so we can't ship any needles for about 10 days. I am hoping to get the site up this weekend with a note about the delay in shipping........but thank you for the emails about them thar skulls! har har, matey! Knit or walk the plank!

 

Me & The Girls!

Here's me and the 'girls' at the Stitch Cafe!!!!!

Megan, me, Lisi.

Megan is a fashion design student and amazing crocheter. She amazes me because she's lived in Spain and speaks fluent spanish and is soooooo worldly at a young age. Lisi is our resident genius and can look at a designer pic of something and then write the pattern. We bother her constantly with our questions about knitting and design. She had a BIG influence on me getting this book done or for that matter....just simply pursuing the whole book thing! Yep...........good people!

And come check out Bath Lush next door!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One happy shop! For those of you who visit.........Randy isn't in this pic and she is the new partner. We'll have to do a new picture so she's there!!!!!!