Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Projects and Weddings and Cats, oh my!

Annnnd trying new imaging service. :) This post brought to you by ImageShack. Without further ado...

The Tablecloth of DOOOOOOM!!! (36x36 inches)

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This picture was taken on the Holiday Inn rug, as soon as I finished embroidering the sucker. Half an hour later we left to go see this. Man, was I relieved.

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Aren't they cute? This is one of the few pictures I took that was neither red-eyed nor blurry. You get to see Dad, Jessica, Jordan, and Mom.

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THESE are my Jaywalkers. It's finally cool enough to wear them. I think I'm going to have happy feet this winter. It makes me want to start another pair. Knit in the Socks That Rock in Farmhouse. I actually finished these before the TableCloth of DOOM but it was usually TOO HOT in the apartment to want to wear them long enough to snap the picture. :) (fabulous picture taken by the DH. :)

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This is me and Smokey, the first cat who fell in love with me. Poor Smokey; I was a junior in high school when we got him as a kitten, and try to explain going away to college to a cat! Smokey is now almost thirteen years old. He's a sweetheart in general and usually doesn't like being photographed in particular... Usually it takes a couple days after I've been home for him to realize that I'm not some ghost come back to haunt him. I miss Smokey a lot. I hope someday I'll meet another cat that likes me as much.

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This is Bandit. Fellow SnB's might remember Bandit as The Cat That Bit Mom and Sent Her to the Hospital With a Gianormous Bacterial Infection. He's sitting in the window of my parent's bathroom, and I'm on the deck. I'm rather glad I got this picture, as this was Bandit's favored position when quarantined some weeks later in the same bathroom. ;)

Dad says it was tempting to skin Bandit after Mom's five day hospital stay, but he settled for squirting him with the garden hose whenever the opportunity arose. (Given it was a hot August when he said that, this kitty was not in any serious danger.) He's now strictly an outdoor kitty, and my Mom no longer feeds strays.

Here's the best picture of Susie, my mom's kitty, that I got. Susie didn't like me, so taking her picture proved to be a pain.

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No, I'm not looking at you! You didn't surprise me by hiding around the corner!

Okay, last picture, and it's somewhat of a cheat.

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See this cannister from the Jaywalkers picture? Inside it is a 40" size 0 Addi Turbo with two top-down socks in Knit Picks Parade. It's going to be Mel's Christmas present. I've been knitting rather slowly on it, but now that the fall weather is here I might pick up a bit. (Not lots though. I'm trying to work more on science than knitting of late.)

I've also been reading Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman. So far I like it. :)

Okay, I'll try to take some pictures of the Mel socks-in-progress and bring those in. Anyone remember other pictures I promised and didn't deliver?

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Still here!

Saw a post about abandoned blogs and felt really, really guilty.

I have several excuses, but really they're just excuses. :) So, how are all of you? (Seriously, I've been trying to refocus life on the whole scientist question. I don't want to play at being a scientist, I want to be one, which means that some hobby stuff has to take a back seat in my thinking.) The other reason is that I need to get off the fence and figure out where I can host my images, since I think blog postings without pictures must be a bit on the boring side.

What was I up to crafty-wise this summer?

The Big One - My mother demanded requested that I make something to adorn the table my father was making for my little brother's wedding. (Oft referred to in my LJ as 'the tablef--ker'.) I did manage to finish that, though it was very close. Honestly, it wouldn't have happened without the 20 hours in the car on the driving trip TO the wedding. There was much ranting, back and forth, confusing emails, and gnashing of teeth on this one, especially since I was convinced that the bride didn't really want a tablecloth at all. (I still think Mom steamrollered her into picking one out.) Anyway, my mother was very happy when 'she' was able to present my little brother and his bride with a table made by my father, a tablecloth embroidered by moi, and candlesticks purchased by my youngest brother. Mom gave her the jewelry she wore for the wedding. (Dad and I clearly got the short end of the stick on this one.) I felt very light and free when that was done. Free enough to give my mother a pained/pissed look when she asked for yet another pair of legwarmers. (After all the trouble about her picking last year's yarn, too. Sheesh.) After seeing the look on my face, she changed the subject. I wonder if it will come up again. If she doesn't give me hell about staying in MA this Christmas, she might just get (designed by me to be MUCH less tacky) legwarmers as a bribe. We'll see. (She'll probably give me hell though. What will be worse is my father's dissapointed voice, really. I miss him.)

I did measure Dad when I saw him so I could try to make him a vest. I got some gorgeous cocoa Main Line from Knit Picks on sale. THAT will have to wait a bit though. :) Attempt two at designing a vest such that it's not going to make either Dad or Hooney look tubby. (attempt 1 is in the frog pond, 'in process' on being fixed.)

Previous to the tablecloth from hell, I DID finish my Jaywalkers in Socks that Rock. They're quite lovely, and I think I have pictures somewhere. (must fix image hosting issue)

After that, I got the idea to make a Christmas present for a friend who does check this blog, so those pictures will have to wait a bit. (I'll give you a hint though. Google a condition that means you're running out of oxygen.)

I'm also making a plain-ish pair of socks in pink/purple Knit Picks Parade as a Christmas present for a grad student down the hall. (Wool socks for the terminally cold are a Good Thing.) These are being knit at the same time on one circular needle to try the technique. This has been going majorly slowly as I'm trying to cut back on the knitting, and I'm pretty okay with that. (I may freak out when it's closer to Christmastime.)

Other than that, I've been cross-stitching this picture. I've got over half of the orange pumpkin done. (I have to bring something to SnB so the gift recipient doesn't see her present too soon, and this project is for Hooney and I.) Since Hooney has been reading Pride and Prejudice to me while I stitch, this has been very pleasant.

My boss has finished the other papers in line in front of me, so I've been working on more science stuff lately. =) I'm excited. Off to look at sequencing now. Please feel free to berate me with comments demanding pictures.