Dainty Kitty

2005: A Retrospective

I spent a little bit of time organzing some files on my office computer this morning and came across a slew of photos I'd kind of forgotten about.  They're from when I was digital camera-less and borrowing a co-worker's to sneak (really lousy) shots.  I had my hands in all kinds of crafts then.  I was sewing more and had just learned to knit.  I can't believe I've only been knitting for three years.

I'll start my little retrospective with my very first scarf.  I must have picked up a dozen extra stitches by the time I got to the end of it!  I think I wore it twice but, even though it's pretty hideous, I'll never get rid of it.

A couple of scarves later I made this for Debbie's dog Roxanne for Valentine's Day.  She couldn't wear it until it lost the scent of me because I, for some reason, really excited her. 

For the same Valentine's Day I made a bunch of little Sculpey devils named Boris and sold them to a coworker.  My first real sale!  I hated making the same thing over and over so I really haven't made anything to sell since (except for some bunnies for the same coworker).

2005 was the only time I participated in A Month of Softies (that's the old school, non-Flickr link).  It was a Self Portrait of the Artist as a Child theme.  The tiny fingers were a bitch to turn.

I'm quite a bit happier with this doll I made for Mom that same year.  I think this is one of my very favorite projects and I've been meaning to make one for myself ever since. 

Before I get into more sewing, here's a matchbox shrine I made to, ahem, Elvis Costello.  Can't you see I could be, I could be your spooky girlfriend?

That lyric still stands true for me!

Here are a couple of bags I made.  I still carry both of them once in awhile.  I made a few of the Dainty Kitty ones to sell at a jewelry show at a friend's house.  I didn't sell even one at the show but she bought all three after.  I had big aspirations for that show - I even bought a display trunk - and was going to make several sized bags as well as some embroidered buttons (because I was into that craft,too) but...I got bored. 

I especially love the Strawberry Bag but it got snagged on something last year and I'm going to need to do some repair work before I can use it again.  That's the business card Big gave me when we very first met peeking out of the pocket.  It showed off the pockets of several projects around that time even though moving to Columbus was partially to get away from memories of him.  Believe it or not, I still have that freaking card.  It's in the drawer of a little spice cabinet which was packed up last night.  Kind of sad but...the memory of the night he gave me the card is still a very sweet one. 

And I'm a sentimental pack rat. 

2005 was also the very first round of Back Tack.  It looks like it's been a defunt project for a little over a year now but it was a lot of fun and I'm glad I got to play the first time around.  It's particularly special to me because it's how I met my friend Delly.  You sent fabric and other notions to one partipant who then made a sewing case (at least) for another participant.  Delly sent me the goodies I used to make these as well as the sewing case that I never really got a good photo of. 

So anyway, that's a little glimpse of Dainty Kitty three years ago.  It was kind of fun to recall some of those projects.  :-)

Upper Valley Fiber Festival

Today Ginny and I went to the Upper Valley Fiber Festival which, despite a little mishap with some spilled tea and an allergy pill I forgot to take, was a great time.  I went to the Wool Gathering last year with a boyfriend and, man oh man, is going to this type of thing SO much more fun with actual knitters!  We met up with a few other Ravelers who go to the Sunday knit night, too (which makes me think there needs to be a term for a group of knitters - you know, like "pod" but more yarny).  Yeah, it's much better to go with people who understand (en, in some cases, encourage - ha ha).   

There was the obligatory duck herding.... 

That photo was taken right after the ducks passed/around between us which was kind of cute.

And baby angora goats....

A handful of (very loud) sheep...unlike his pen-mates, this little Rastafarian was still unshorn when we left....

And of course, fiber.  This photo doesn't really do this skein justice - the purple is really more pinkish.

And some merino sock yarn because we know how I'm an avid sock knitter - ha ha.  I'm determined to finish a pair, though, and actually spent a lot of time this afternoon on the toe of a Marigold sock I'm making with the Panda Cotton I bought a couple of weeks ago.  I had to start over a couple of times but am happy with it now and get to start the actual lace pattern (gasp) whenever I get to pick it back up.  Oh, and I'm using the magic loop method for them - hooray for learning a new technique!  I didn't pack at all today, though, and am feeling kind of guilty so, around Mother's Day activities tomorrow, I need to get quite a bit done which means trying to stay away from the needles.

Back to the sock yarn....

And I bought more fiber to spin even though I've yet to learn to spin!  I bought a drop spindle last year along with some nice fiber and some practice stuff but...I never put enough time in it to really learn.  Unfortunately, when I got home I realized there was no tag whatsoever for this.  I know that I bought it from the really nice lady with the angora bunnies but there was no information on her shop or anything in the bag.   I think it's a mix of sheep and goat with a little bunny mixed in but we'll never know.  It's very pettable, though, and I'm sure it'll make something nice some day.

Chris - who inspired me to go ahead and write this post tonight before heading off to bed - has some other photos including a a cute one of her with one of the angora bunnies as well as a photo of all us enjoying French fries whilst dreaming of what we'll make with our purchases.

Tuesday This and That

The Pub. I tried The Pub at the Greene (not to be confused with the Dublin Pub) Friday night for the first time.  It was good but the portions are giant: I had FISH and chips.  Seriously, it was the biggest piece of fish I'd ever seen.  I'm not fond of heavy meals and giant portions.  I liked the Tavern Crisps, though - homemade potato chips covered in cheese and bacon with a BBQ dipping sauce. 

So, yeah, I thought it was okay.  Beer is a bit steep, too - $6 for a pint. I had two pints and a Knob Creek while we were waiting for our table and our bar bill was a ridiculous $19. 

Aha!  Another portion of my list complete!  Number 41. Try four new restaurants in Dayton - two down, two to go. 

Friends. The best part of the night, though, happened as I was walking in.  A close friend from college that I had lost touch with was walking out.  Nikki was always kind of tough - after college she became a cop - so it was kind of funny to find out that now she's a stay at home mom with three kids and and MA in Literature.  Anyway, we exchanged phone numbers but I'd be kind of surprised if we actually get together.  Still, it was really nice to see her again. 

Saturday night I went to Craig and Lisa's for a St. Patrick's Day party.  It's been over a year since I'd been to one of their parties and it was so wonderful to connect with everyone again and feel that kind of...well, love.  And who knew Skky Vodka and a green Hawaiian Punch could be so good....

Knitting. The yarn I ordered to make the Leaf Lace Scarf shipped today.  I like to search Ravelry for info on online yarn websites that I'm thinking about using and I read nothing but good stuff about Eat.Sleep.Knit which I'd have to agree with since I just placed my order yesterday afternoon.  Hooray for speedy delivery and a good chance that I'll have a new project to work on this weekend.  I didn't notice until after I'd ordered it that I'd bought the exact shade they use in the pattern - I do love green.  This'll be my first lace project and my first charted project as well but I've read that this is a good starter pattern.  It looks easy enough. 

I also started the Dream Swatch Head Scarf last week with some gifted Socks That Rock (thanks again, Bertha!) and am a little over halfway done.  It would be a nice beach vacation project, too - lightweight and easy to carry but still kind of fun to work on. 

Veganomicon.  I heart the book Veganomicon and I'm far from a vegan.  I picked it up at the library late last week after reading a review in Bust and have already checked to see if Books & Co. has it (they do) because I've already decided to purchase it.  Heck, that was before I'd made anything from it.  Last night I made a potato and greens soup that was wonderful and there's a tomato bisque a few pages away that looks good, too.  Oh, and blueberry brownies...mmm.  It's well written and a little funny and I think it will also help me explore the herb and spice world as well as open me up to new vegetables (if I can find them).  It even has a few basics that would be handy to have as a reference as well. 

Oh, and in the world of cooking - my parents bought a KitchenAid mixer (sigh, I'm so jealous) this past weekend and had to get rid of a few things in order to make it fit in the cabinet so I own a fairly nice steamer now. 

The doll house.  Sorry everyone was disappointed in the lack of a bathroom.  :-)  I'll admit that tiny tubs and sinks and itsy bitsy rolls of toilet paper are cute but it just didn't work with the layout.  Plus I can make most of the craft room bits with things I have on hand - the idea of purchasing a lot more is a bit daunting right now (seriously, that wood was stupid expensive).  I think I'm going to pick up some pinstriping tape and a little more trim wood tonight to start working on the windows.  My biggest conundrum is the roof.  I'm not sure if I should paint it or use the shingles I already have from the cheap kit I abandoned.  And if I did use the shingles I'm not sure what color I would paint them either...or if I'd just use stain.  Any suggestions?

Yikes!  Holy long post, Batman!

Sweets via the Mail Carrier

I got the sweetest package from my friend Delly!

Besides being a fabulous knitter, she's also taken silver smithing classes.  I had admired this stitch marker - it is a kitty after all - when she made it and she was nice enough to send it to me along with the yarn it's photographed against, a crochet hook and pattern for a cute octopodish creature....

and these salt and pepper shakers which I had also admired on her blog!

Sorry for the dark photo - I live on the second floor but might as well be living in a hole because there aren't many windows...my kitchen is cave-like. 

Thanks to the miracle of saving posts as a draft and a rather slow day at the office I was able to finish the above mentioned octopodish creature.  His name is Pi and today is his birthday (Happy Pi Day!)....

I wrote quite a bit more but lost it due to my own stupidity and I've run out of time.  Hopefully Sunday I'll have a photo of a bare but glued together doll house to post since Dad and I are getting together tomorrow to start working on it!

Contact

As we walked out of UD Arena yesterday afternoon - giving up moments before the UD Flyers officially lost to Xavier - I declared the day a winner anyway because I ran into Frank and Susan.  Frank and Susan as in my - I guess - ex-friend Debbie's brother and sister in law.  Two people I love and miss. 

I have wonderful memories of parties with all of them at Craig and Lisa's house, St. Patrick's Day downtown and girls nights out.  Things happened, Debbie got divorced, we didn't talk for a long time and when we did...I guess we didn't have anything in common any more and somehow I was the friend that got left out.  The last time I saw any of them was at the AleFest last July when I very briefly ran into Debbie, Craig and Susan.  I got a call from Lisa back before Christmas - she and Craig were at the bar a block from my house and wanted to know if I could come down.  I couldn't go but promised we'd to get together once the holidays were over.  I've thought about emailing her since but the situation makes me feel almost shy.  It's hard to ask your way back into a circle that you've been out of for nearly two years. 

I really miss those people, though. 

Anyway, I was really surprised when I ran into Frank at the basketball game.  And I was nearly flabbergasted to find that he was there with Susan.  Seeing her, hugs and all that...it was really nice.  I promised to email today so that we can just makes plans to all get together.  They and Craig and Lisa have kids so I'm just going to throw the idea out there and let them come up with a date but I won't give up until a time and place is set.  I can't believe I've been out of the loop for so long and I can't wait to catch up.

I think I'm going to send that email right now.  :-)

Hospitality & The Hat

I was playing around with Picnick, making a new Ravelry avatar, earlier today.  I had to hurry off to lunch so I didn't get to make it quite as snowy as I would've liked - I'll have to resnowflake it later. 

I  was feeling good/happy enough to get out and about last night. Thankfully, my fairly newly found Ravelry friend, dharma (okay, so can I use your real name now, too?) opened her home to me for a few much needed out and about hours.  Good company and affectionate animals - just what the doctor ordered to sweep out the last of that grumpiness.

There's just something so comforting about sitting in someone's kitchen, chatting while they cook.  First she made scones - which we sampled with homemade strawberry jelly egads they were good - and, after a bit of knitting to go with our constant chatter, she made potato leek soup.  The smell!  Heavenly.  It was still clinging to my clothes when I got home.   

My parents did a lot of socializing at home or in the homes of others when I was growing up so it's something that I've always loved.  Getting together can be so simple yet so much fun.  And much needed!

Here's where the evening took a turn for the worse.  I was nearly finished with the chullo by the time I got home.  I knitted a few more rows and, after trying it on and checking it out in the hall mirror, I took another look at the pattern.  The pattern I had read wrong.  Bad wrong.  The pattern reads, "Continue knitting in stockinette stitch, until the hat measures 6 inches.  (Measure from the 32 stitches, the front of the hat, between the ear flaps to the needles).  Knit any pattern within the 6 inches."  At some point I really did read the whole pattern in one sitting...but, while knitting, I concentrate on each step as it comes along.  My brain read it as basically, "Knit in stockinette for six inches then knit pattern for six inches" which didn't seem right at the time but who am I to question a pattern?  I am a total dope.  So I took the whole thing apart.  It's gone.  This time around it'll go much faster, I think.  I mean, I've screwed up the parts that are screw up-able - I should be fine now.  This also means I only needed one skein of the camel.   Ah well, Lion Brand has several absolutely adorable holiday amigurumi patterns on their site - that camel color will make a nice reindeer, I think. 

I thought I was finished with this entry but I went to set the categories and discovered that I wasn't.  I had to add a new category: friends.  It's hard to believe that I have no circle of friends to speak of - I've just lost so many friends over the past two years.  Me - the social butterfly.  I think my goal for the beginning of the year is to reach out to some of those lost friends.  Maybe.  I'm leery of it for several legitimate reasons.  When is loosing touch something that just happens due to the business of everyday life and when is it a genuine break up?   Could there be a couple of people who were relieved to loose touch, even after all these years?  I don't know.  And I'm not the same person I was even just a year ago.  Right now I'm thankful for coworkers who must see something different in me because suddenly double dates are brought up when they never were before and for Ravelry and knitting groups that I need to get out to more often. 

Okay, now it's finished.  I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!