Anticipation….

Precipitate

Hot – wet – sticky
Sweat drips down
Smelling like the earth of a days work
Close, but not close enough
The rains are coming

I smell the sweet wetness coming
In the hot rush of air
I raise my face and close my eyes
Feeling it blowing my way
Swiftly, but not fast enough

Roll on over and let your clouds overflow
Down to my grounds
Drenching them with your
Torrents of acceptance,
Forgiveness

For the rains will come again

~EAH

This week. Well, let’s see. This week I’m still batting the ‘shoulder gremlins’ as I’m calling them now. You know the ones, who sabotage your creativity and overall self-esteem with way too many ‘not-good-enoughs’.

So I’ve been going antiquing. We actually have quite a lot of really good antique and overall oddity / curiosity-type shops here in Asheville. I’m pretty darned good at being thrifty, and have gone to yard sales and these types of shops for as long as I can remember.

This is the best one in town (if you don’t believe me, just look at the sign!)

This really is an old tobacco barn – it’s HUGE! They sell stuff by vendor, they each have their own ‘space’, but it’s a huge rummage type place. I love it, you can really spend all day here if you wanted to.

Chances are…there is something you want or need in here! (Or both.)

Out back stuff!

I really, really wanted to get this Green Man (I have a very small collection, err, make that 2 of them). But at $72, he was a bit steep for me. I still think he’s awesome!

I did, however, pick up this little elf planter. He looked kind of beat-up and ‘homeless’, and you know I’m a sucker for homeless little things…

Friday night we went downtown to see some live (free!) music. This was a super fun event (Downtown After 5) and I can’t believe I’ve never done it before. I met up with some friends and the girls had a great time.

Flying Geckos and Dragons!

The opening band was called “Empire Strikes Brass” – after they were finished they walked through the crowd and one of them was sporting a Darth Vader mask (wasn’t quick enough to capture that shot).

The main band was really good, “Big Sam’s Funky Nation” (New Orleans Funk Band). I stayed way too late there with the girls listening to this music, because I didn’t want to go home! (See the listen down below…)

What else E?

We’ve got plants galore growing, with all the rain we’ve had.

This is called a ‘Kousa’ Dogwood tree, an asian variety – we’ve had this one since last year (it’s pretty sweet having David being a landscaper, as we get to take the ‘throw away’ plants from the rich people, that they don’t want for a huge variety of reasons – OK by me!) I think this is insanely beautiful, I am in love with the shape of the petals, so unusual.

My orange Daisies

I’m very excited and happy to report that I’ve finished Blackwater! I have a bunch (13) buttons to sew on when I finish the other buttonband, and this looks positively awful laying down by itself now. The 2X2 ribbing, along with the yoke kind of make it more life it was meant to fit a strange alien. I can assure you, that alien is indeed ME, and it is just…so….darned…cool. I’m kind of impressed with myself, so those gremlins just need to piss off already. We’ll see when I can get pics, but not likely this weekend (company is coming). BE patient!

Just to end with something funny, here’s my little sign I put on my window to remind myself not to open it, because I had a GI-NOR-MOUS FLY trapped in there…

What?!? Doesn’t everyone do this???

I do hope you are having a great week thus far, with lots of to-do’s, and can-do’s and will-do’s planned out. Too much for me, and this was a nice respite from responsibility! Be well friends.

Check out Big Sam’s Funky Nation below, if you are so inclined. They are a lot of fun if you like a little funk in your life!

Oh Bother…

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last weekend started with a fun Saturday morning, my friend Lili came over to show me how to ‘properly’ make dumplings.

Making dumplings, the Asian way (these are Lili’s dumplings)

These are my dumplings. I think something got a little lost in translation here…either way they taste just as good!

I know you’re all waiting with bated breath to hear about my Mother’s Day. Well, it was pretty awesome. I did NOT cook, or clean, and pretty much did what I wanted. Amazing.

D let me sleep in and made my morning coffee. I did some reading, then some yoga, while the kids ran around me like little wild banshees.

Tiny owl planter, made for me by my Sydney, I love him!

I know many moms spend the day with their kids on Mother’s Day, and as I am a work-at-home momma, I’m around my kids all…the…time. I really needed a bit of time away.

In the morning I had the brilliant idea (this is something I rarely do) of getting us (the girls together in some pretty dresses and actually taking a nice picture. Umm, this did not work. Miss Sydney was incredibly grumpy and mad at me for having the audacity to go out without her into town later…and Miss Mia, well she was just running away saying ‘no pretty pictures’.

This is all I got. See how thrilled Sydney looks? You can barely see the corner of Mia’s arm in there…

Then my MIL came over in the early afternoon and we (D and I) headed into downtown to get into some trouble.

We ate, we wandered, we saw this 11 piece band in front of Woolworth Walk….

13 Strings and a Two Dollar Bill – complete with tap dancing and the washboard girl (what is that called anyways??)

They were so fun we had to buy their CD! Of course it came in a brown paper bag.

Then we ended up (surprise, surprise) at one of my fave local bars, Jack of the Wood, which I know I’ve mentioned before!

I felt like we were sort of the ‘usual suspects’ there, and I think that means I finally feel like an Ashevillian. Even though I know some of the old folk around here would still call me a ‘damn Yankee’. That’s OK.

I was really a perfect day for sitting outside and watching the world go by, drinking some brews and cutting it up with new friends.

I really wanted to ride on this horse-drawn carriage, I’ve never seen it before. Pretty cool.

I had to stop to sit on this beautiful metal bench with gingko leaves

Yup! It says “Baby got Backhoe”, I thought it was pretty funny.

Reluctantly, we eventually had to get back home, and I ended my night with some pizza and camped out on the couch, watching Winnie the Pooh with 2 little cuties.

Other than that, this week has had some ups and downs. I’ve been feeling a bit low, and don’t have many wonderful knit pics to share. In lieu of that, I’d like to take a moment to share some links to other cool things.

Clotheshorse Mag – new online issue just came out today! I was very impressed with this issue and I’m loving all the dresses and skirts. There is some really beautiful photography, and cool themes (check out the ‘Festival’ section).

Phydeaux Yarns – the dyer of this company also has a May Birthday and she is kind enough to be offering 25% off of custom ordered yarn. Just check out her page, there are many yummy color combinations! (FYI, I think to get the discount code you need to sign up for her newsletter.)

If you need a bit of whimsy, you might want to knit yourself a Honey Badger, this is just great!

Honey Badger by Miriam Felton – because we all know he just don’t care

And if you have a serious love of owls, as I do, you might want to knit this sweet little hat.

Pigwidgeon Hat by Terri Kruse

Check out my little video of the 13 Strings and a Two Dollar Bill. This really is the epitome of walking in downtown Asheville. Love.

Be well friends, namaste.

Ode to Motherhood…

Azaleas blooming in the neighborhood

(No knitting content today…Happy Mother’s Day!)

I am the Queen of my Castle
I am the Captain of my Domain
I just happen to live with two Princesses
Who think exactly the same

Gone are the days where I wonder why
Oh why is there glitter on the castle wall?
Nor should I ever even try
To explain why there is a streak of paint leading down my once stately hall…

I have accepted my fate
To two pretty Naives do I belong,
They are sweet, but don’t let that fool you
Behind those cute smiles their wills are quite strong

One is short and fair-headed
The other a bit darker and more devious
Every day will have you guessing
Even more than the previous

To what cunning in their minds belay
The undoing of the Queen today?

For many persons will I love
In this Life I call my own
Though none are more precious to me
Than these small beings who inhabit my Home

My castle is no longer shiny and clean
My servants now exist only in my head
The freshly scrubbed floors are merely a mirage
Replaced by small prints of little muddy footsteps instead

To them I will be the cleaner of messes
The one who knows all the tickle spots
The woman who is kind and a bit silly
The Mom whom they will always besot.

~EAH

Have a beautiful day all.

Crazy Love – Van Morrison

Thoughts that spin…

A chance
A possibility
A dream
A wish

All submerge into one
Singular Thought
A thought of something that you have never had
And never thought you could
Or perhaps would…or even should
Yet it is thrilling

To Hope

To set your sights upon it
To think it into existence
With nothing but your own desire
For this is how all things come to Be.

~EAH

Konami is all ready to go! I know I’ve talked a lot about this one, so I’ll just list the specifics below and give you a couple more shots.

Bottom detail, see the dropped stitches?

The front and back are identical

Konami is a Japanese word meaning ‘small wave’. For this top, I wanted to represent flowing water, and have achieved this with an easy stitch pattern that looks like cables, but is actually created with simple yarnovers and decreases!

Finished Sizes
To fit approx bust sizes 30 – 32 (32 – 34 , 34 – 36, 38 – 40)(40 – 42, 42 – 44 , 46 – 48)” / 76 – 81.5 (81.5 – 86.5, 86.5 – 91.5, 96.5 – 101.5)(101.5 – 106.5, 106.5 – 112, 117 – 122) cm
Measurements:
Bust – 25 ¼ (28, 30 ½, 33 ¼)(36, 38 ½, 44)” / 64 (71, 77.5, 84.5)(91.5, 98, 112) cm
Hip – 36 (38 ¼ , 40 ½ , 43)(47 ½ , 49 ¾ , 53 ¼ )” / 91.5 (97, 103, 109)(120.5, 126.5, 135.5) cm

(Note: Top is intended to fit with a lot of negative ease, I recommend choosing a size 4 – 6” smaller than your actual bust size. The hip area should fit more loosely.)

Yarn – I used Berocco Karma, a super bulky cotton tape yarn. This yarn is rather hard to suggest a sub for, and I highly recommend using it if you can get your hands on some. It’s a lot of fun.

For more info, please check out Konami at my website here, or on Ravelry here.

I’ve also made more progress on Blackwater, and I’m on the second sleeve now. I’m feeling really good about the way this looks right now, I’m just very nervous about the yoke. I still haven’t wrapped my head around how on earth to do the decreases while trying to get the cables to actually meet right at the shoulders. There has already been a lot of calculations, but I suspect there will still be much finger-crossing as well.

Loving the first sleeve

This is a section of the front

Himmel is in progress as well, and I hope to release it shortly! For my first shawl design, I’m pretty darned happy with it. I think I might finally ‘get’ this shawl thing. It really does keep your shoulders warm for being such a floaty little thing.

In my ears this afternoon ~ Gray or Blue by Jaymay

Show it off, then give it away baby…

I have to tell you, one of the most rewarding things about being a knitwear designer is that sometimes you actually get to see what people have created with your pattern. There really is no higher compliment! Here are some finished items I have noticed recently from Ravelry. (Of course if you’re not on Ravelry, you can always see any of these patterns in their original form on my website.)

It continues to amaze me how a pattern translates in a different yarn / color / styling.

Claudia63′s Green Man Beret, knit for her friend (modeled by her lovely daughter). I love how she choose to knit the beret in a solid color, Wollmeise no less! Really pretty.

Fenneiu’s Roxie Cloche, what a great color combo she choose and such a pretty picture by the window!

MPiggy’s Twisted Ivy – my buddy Ingrid that looks great in everything She added some extra waist shaping and used Filatura Di Crosa Zara yarn for hers.

Duoming’s Brolly Skirt – this one is knitted in Claudia’s Hand painted Yarns Linen, (I’ve always had a thing for this color, called Last Night’s Wine!). I really like the extra length, looks very classy.

JocelynS’s Khaleesi – she used Tofutsies yarn for her project, what a great color choice, and it looks so pretty on her!

Teekay’s Gillaspie Gothic Gauntlets, she omitted the bobbles and knitted these (her 2nd pair) out of Blue Moon Socks that Rock, they sure look fab on this guy!

Neovalley’s Love Me Tender Baby – knit out of original Malabrigo Rios, I love seeing this on a bigger kid!

I’m sure I’ve stated this before (I’m nothing if not redundant), May is one of my favorite months out of the year. Seeing as how I get to celebrate both Mother’s Day and my Birthday (on the 28th) – I get a two-fer! On top of that, it is generally a beautiful time of year with mild weather and many nice days.

So of course I want to have another giveaway, because I think it’s a wonderful thing to do for your Birthday. Give things away to others!

In honor of Birthdays and Spring days, all you need to do to enter my giveaway is leave a comment on this post, tell me what you love about Spring. That’s it. What I’m offering is to choose 5 winners to get (your choice) one of my skirt patterns for FREE. (Don’t get me started on another rant about my one-woman mission to get more people to knit skirts again…).

You can pick from Brolly – Lady Vonn – or Trumpet Vines. (Please write that in your comment as well, which skirt pattern you would like to win.)(ETA: Keep your comments coming! I will randomly pick 5 winners on June 1st.)

I do hope your Spring is going well, wherever you are, and that you are taking some time to stop and sniff the flowers every once in a while.

I Turn My Camera On – Spoon

Free for all…

This week in pictures, curated by my constant companion.

We met some “Big Men” at O.P. Taylors, the coolest toy store in the world.

We had lunch with friends

Mommy got really excited to find these strange plants…

Then she washed them for a long time, and has been making all sorts of weird things with them….

Like this (Butter Roasted Ramps w/Lemon & Capers – yum says Mommy!)

But then at least Mommy made these cookies that I liked a lot better…

Oatmeal Cream Pies (I used this recipe for the filling since I don’t like shortening)

Then we went to the lake and we saw a duck that has really funny ‘hair’.

He’s rather famous. Mommy calls him Donald Trump Duck.

Then Mommy got really silly taking pictures of flowers and things.

She finally put me in the swing and that made me really, really happy

We had some walks in the neighborhood

We did some hard work on our computer…

We went to this place that had a LOT of plants and mommy got really excited again… (Asheville Herb Festival)

She didn’t buy these, but I think she wanted to…

She did get some other things that look kind of interesting…she even found some of those weird ‘ramp’ things!

Then we had lunch with friends again and there was a grumpy old man giving us dirty looks for some strange reason while we were yelling…

I think it’s been a pretty good week. Mommy even managed to finish this large blue thing that I keep trying to grab and play with…

I told her I wasn’t really excited with this picture…it’s need something.

So she decided to make it better by adding robots! Good idea Mom!

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this song, but I really like to sing it. Maybe you will like it too. I have to go and play now, but I hope you have a nice day!

And all the pretty things…

Was D trying to send me a message when he brought home this one??

In case you can’t figure it out, it says “Raging Bitch”. This is a Belgian-style IPA beer.

I’m partial to this beer (Flying Dog, out of Maryland), for 2 reasons. First, umm…they make good beer (duh!). Also because (yeah, I’ll say it) I love the artwork, by artist Ralph Steadman, who incidentally, did the artwork for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, a novel by Hunter S. Thompson that they actually turned into an excellent movie.

And he’s not even here to see that it’s a rainy day, I’m doing pretty much nothing but knitting and drawing charts, again and again, and drinking some beers. Not such a bad day.

Nor does he know that I’m listening to my Amy Winehouse station (how have I never discovered her until just recently I wonder?!?) and belting out oldies and newies and everything in between. Lucky for me, he doesn’t care if we eat dinner at 9 p.m. He’s got to put up with the whims of a crazy artist.

I got this far.

Blackwater back progress…

Blackwater front progress….

So far this what I’m calling it anyways. I had some really good suggestions from fans of the show and decided on this one for now. I like it.

You can see my Game of Thrones Knit-a-long Blackwater project here.

I’ll leave you with some buds and a song.

Be well friends.