The Nocturnal Knit Witch

Dahlia Shrug pattern

2009-07-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Grandma Dahlia's finished version....

The start of my own...

Ive started my second "Dahlia" shrug and have gotten all the quirks out of the pattern, sooo Monday I will be posting the pattern, so you can make your own. The shrug is knitted in two halves and then later joined in the center. BUT you could easily do something fun in the center for the halves to join into. I'm planning on having a vertical stacked center section of granny squares just for visual interest. I think it would look really pretty rather then just a seam in the center of the back but I will leave that up to you . Be creative and do whatever you like. Another nice thing about the pattern is you can work on it and watch t.v. because its so simple. I LOVE simple. The yarn I'm using is Dolce by cascade yarns. Its beautiful and super soft. 55% superfine alpaca, 23% wool and 22% silk. Yum.

I will now get busy and work on writing it all out and will be planning to post it on Monday.

My Grandma Dahlia loved her version of the shrug so I'm ready to share it now that I have fixed some of the things I didn't like about the first one. This shrug is also one size fits all. By using blocking you could make this sucker huge! Without blocking it will fit a little loose and slouchy- cozy on the super skinny chicks out there. I ain't one of ya...but...I digress. I can block. ;0)

See ya"ll Monday...

P.s. Dont cha just love the Texas Chainsaw Massacre poster in the background? lol I kinda forget about it being there and then when I notice it I wonder what other people think. Doesnt everyone have a Texas Chainsaw Massacre poster in their sewing rooms like me? LOL.. xo me

Singer 301, Singer Rocketeer and granny squares

2009-07-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

This machine is a Singer 301. Fantastic little machine, weighs in at about 16 pounds. This one came to me needing a bit of TLC. She was jammed up pretty bad with a nasty snarl in her bobbin hook. After wiping her down with sewing machine oil to remove dust and grime, I oiled her and got her foot lever working. It was stuck in the "up" position. Then I set about taking her hook apart. I had no idea how to do it but found some instruction on the Internet. It wasn't too bad but I would be fibbing if I said I didn't break out in a sweat a couple of times. You don't want to put things back in backwards of lose any tiny screws! After removing the snarl and putting her back together everything runs perfectly. Now I have a 301 short bed to go with my long bed. Both are black. I adore them equally.

Ive been playing with my Noro collection making granny squares. I want to try some free form crochet with these and see if I can come up with a interesting scarf/shawl.

More Noro visiting with my Rocketeer. I really didn't need a Singer 500 since I have a 401 and they are really the same machine with a different package on top. Its just that the 500 is such a good looking machine! This one came with all her goodies. Feet and attachments. Don't have a name for her or the 301 yet, but something will strike me at some point.

More little Granny squares, also being made with the intent of trying them out on a "free form" project.

That's pretty much all that is going on around here. My husband unit has been hanging around the house this week taking a break from his crazy job so I haven't really gone anywhere or done anything cuz I like hanging out with him. But I can tell you I will be ready for him to go back to work Tuesday. lol.

NOW PLAYING ON THE DEVIL BOX: Memento, Religulous, My bloody Valentine and Man Hunter.

MUSIC PLAYING IN THE DEVIL BOX: The soundtrack to "The Devils Rejects"

A special Solstice for Mrs. Spider

2009-06-21T18:53:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Spider (Priscilla, to her friends) hatched her babies last night. She lives on a cherry tomato plant on the porch. Ive watched her and her little egg ball for a few days and then this morning I found her with all her wee little spinners! ( as always, click on pics for big fatty close-ups!) I was afraid she would die after they hatched, as some spiders do, but she seems fit as a fiddle. I'm sure they will spread out, across the other plants in the next few days. The babies are so tiny you can hardly make them out without wearing reading glasses. What a wonderful Solstice surprise for Priscilla! And its been alot of fun looking after her and watching for changes. May they be happy, may they be healthy, may they be peaceful! And may they keep all the other bugs from harming the tomato plants!

What a weird little guy.

2009-06-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

Just stuff....

2009-06-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm growing restless thinking about our upcoming move. I'm trying to get rid of junk and useless bits while retaining the gems. Speaking of gems, this big baby doll needed a good dusting and she will also need a fresh spray of clear matte sealer to keep whats left of her composition from falling off. Isn't she gorgeous? She a big doll. Over 2 feet tall. I was also playing around with some dusty old wings. She likes to wear these around the winter months. Once upon a time she belonged to a little girl who must have loved her so very much. Now I love her. Old baby dolls are enchanting and one of my most favorite things to collect. The more neglected the better. My Grandmother once commented how lovely my old dolls would be if I had them repaired and re painted. That would be tragic. Then they would look like new dolls. And whats the point of that? I love every crack, every chip, every single rip and missing part. Its shows time and decay. And that is beautiful. She said I was very odd, but she loved me anyway. ;0)

The tomatoes are thriving at this point. I even have some nickel sized fruits. But I'm sure at any moment disaster could strike in the form of mold, fungus, birds or bugs. Maybe all at the same time. I think I would cry.

Milla has spotted something outside. Its either a bird or a cat...

Ears rigid, lips pursed.....whiskers squinched tight, low rumble in the throat. Yep...Its a bird. A dove to be exact.

All she wants is for me to open the screen so she can try and catch the bird. Milla is 6 pounds of bird catching chihuahua fury. She has come heart stopping close to catching many birds. I think she was a cat in her past life.

My eggplant has gorgeous purple flowers.

And I spotted this little guy on the Roma tomatoes. Friend or Foe? I have no idea so I'm leaving him be. I found a spider who has spun a web on the side mirror of the new Element. I'm going to catch her and put her on the plants outback and put her to work. I don't want her flying off on the freeway. That would be sad.

ON THE TABLE TONIGHT:

Fries with cheese and salad.

ON THE DEVIL BOX:

48 Hours.

Ha! And you thought I was dead....nope, not yet.

2009-06-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Its terrible when I get lost for so long from my blog. Life gets in the way of blogging! Also laziness. So this is whats been going on around Chez Moon. I found some really magickal looking fairy lanterns at Target. How great is that store??? I'd like to just move in to the garden department. You think I could hide there and they wouldnt fine me??? I draped them around the front porch. It makes me feel happpy when I go outside in the evening.

Cleaned up the Buddha at the front door. Dusted and tidied everything up. Some how every thing gets tossed up here. Keys, change...sunglasses.

Made some cupcakes. Played around with a plumeria flower made out of a marshmallow. These were yellow cake with vanilla icing. Very yummy!

The newest baby to the collection. A really fantastic Singer 500. I am so happy to have her. She is going to get allot of use come fall! She came freshly serviced too.

Finished my Grams shrug, just gotta weave in the tails. The arms are a tad long so she can fold them over once and that should take care of it. My arms are always too long! Maybe I was an octopus in a past life?

Side view....cute huh??

Back........tres chic. This should take care of her "chilly arms at church" issue. Love is in every single stitch. Its my hug for her!!

These cupcakes were baked this morning. They are french vanilla cake with vanilla frosting tinted light sky blue and piped into rose like shapes. They taste super super yummo. Very moist.

The Baxendale as she looked outa the box. She needs a good dusting and a shine but I am so pleased with her. She turns smoothly even though she has had some neglect before ending up with me.

Her lettering is gone......but still can be read through their shadow.

The backside of the machine is glorious. Simply stunning.

A little spit and polish...she will be all wow.

My tomatos and a single eggplant. I cant wait for a BLT!

A very cool Franklin sewing machine with nifty scarab decals.

I think she has taken her first offering. I found this fly right in this spot when I went to dust her. The machine already has a neat kinda "witchy" feel due to the scarab beetles and the snakes in the decal work. So when I pulled her out to dust her and found the fly it reminded me of some sorta creepy thing that sucked the blood outa bugs for nourishment. Maybe the spirit of an ancient spider lives inside her metal hull, and every now and then she has to take in some kind of life source. Like flies. ;0)

Isnt she gorgeous!!!! Excuse the dust, I took the pics before cleaning her since I found the fly and thought it was interesting. ;0)

So thats the update, now I'm going to hit the kitchen and steam some artichokes to eat tonight with our grilled New York Strips. Daddy is home, so its back to the Saturday grilling!

1950 221-1 Singer Feather-weight, terrible condition....for now....

2009-05-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

I know what your thinking. I know it looks terrible. But its really not as bad as you think or it looks. This little 221-1 has been through the wringer of salty humid Hawaiian weather. Most of the damage is paint and the rust is more surface then it looks so a little paint stripper and buffing will remove it.

The Great news here is that her insides are wonderful. Grease and oil have saved it from rusting out. Her wires are good to go and after oiling and lubing she runs very smooth. The other good news is she was only 45 dollars. I have to say, 45 dollars for an ugly but smooth running 221 is a helluva deal.

Her bobbin is missing but no problemo because I can use the one from my other 221 Dahlia. And now for the best-tastic news of all. A Singer 221 in this condition is an A+ candidate for a repaint.

(I can hear the grumbles from purist Featherweight collectors)

I know allot of collectors put their bony noses in the air at the thought of repainting a sewing machine, but come on.....Look at her. The "it will go down in value" won't play for a machine in this condition. Repainting it the only way to let an old worn out machine be young and beautiful again.

With a repaint she is going to be fantastic, and the color choices???? Enough to get a headache over. My Dahlia has some missing paint, but all in all, she is a fine little machine. I would never repaint her. But on this machine I can really let loose, pick any color I desire and have fun. What a lucky lucky find she was. (Craigslist find) So ya'll, please don't be afraid to pick up a cosmetic disaster of a machine. A little elbow grease cures a world of sins. Besides, there is plenty-plenty of your basic black 221's out there for everybody. ;0)

I'm thinking I'm going to go with a nice Halloween inspired orange. I'm so enamored with orange these days I have a few streaks of it in my hair. ;0) I would go for a more true pumpkin orange on the machine though....

This here is my favorite thing to eat the past few months. Get yourself some free range type chicken and stuff it with your favorite breaded stuffing and a fat handful of asparagus, pin closed with a tooth pick. Salt and pepper. Then dump a pre-mixed mixture of 2 cans of golden mushroom soup, a huge gob of minced garlic and 3/4 a soup can of wine over the top. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees and all hot and bubbly. Seriously good eats.

Then you might also want to make some super garlicky Focaccia bread too..

Any excuse to play with the Kitchen-Aid.... Its a super toy. ;0)

Got another pair of Doc Martins. These are alot like the black pair of mary janes, but these have the always super cool T-strap, and embossed sugar skulls on the toes. Love them tooo much.

NETFLIX NOW PLAYING IN THE DEVIL BOX:

Blindsight, Jackie Brown and Surfwise

M.I.A.

2009-04-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been so long between posts. Its been so busy around here!! I'm almost done with sock monkey and I'm almost done with my Grandmothers shrug. The only picture I have to share today is a sewing machine I picked up yesterday. Its a class 66 Singer made in 1919. Some one has put on some new fangly bits, like an adaptor that lets the machine sew forward and back. I think that is really neat. It took about 2 and a half hours to get her moving again. She was frozen up so badly nothing moved. I used many curse words, lighter fluid, oil and a mashed thumb and she now is as free moving as she was when new. I need to take off her bobbin winder and buff the rust off it. She is also missing her bobbin cover, but that's an easy fix. The table she came with is original with the machine and when refinished will rock!

But here is the really cool part about this machine. My friend Jenn who is a tattoo artist, is going to put some tattoo art on her! Maybe a pin up??? Her finish is pretty bad off and I think it would make her look pretty darn nifty! She would be very one of a kind. It would be neat if she could distress the work so it goes well with the old finish.

I'm taking it to her Friday!

Its cloudy today....

2009-04-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is that shrug I was working on for my Grandmother. Looks a little different now, yes? That's because I ripped the old one out because it looked stupid and draped so badly across the back I was shocked! I mean I followed the pattern tried it on off and on while working and it still was an utter disaster. I ripped out the entire finished shrug and starting re-knitting it in my own made up pattern. Made up cant end up any worse then the pattern I was following. I think the pattern was created for a hunchback it had so much extra fabric on the back. I'm also really glad this Cascade 220 can hold up to ripping and re knitting so well.

This half of the shrug is done.....

Here you can see my leaf lace as it rolls over the shoulder.

A close up of the arm. I love the sleeves! I am writing down everything as I go so when I'm finished I can have an actual pattern for a shrug I like. And if you like it I can share it with you. ;0) I'm not blocking the lace. I love the texture of it! It has an organic feel....

This is the start of the other half of the shrug. I will post more as I get closer to finishing. Mr. Foster sock monkey is sitting off in a corner waiting to be finished while I brainstorm this sweater project. I need to get it sent to Grandma while the weather is still cold. lol

The only thing else Ive been up to is watching auctions for a hand crank sewing machine....and coveting these boots. I'm going to need these to wear with dresses.... I'm going to order them next week.

Been awhile, eh?

2009-03-22T14:49:00.001-07:00

Where and the heck have I been?? Fucking off mostly. I'm really good at that. In fact, I think I have a Masters Degree in Fuckoffology. So, here is a bunch of pictures of what Ive been up to. Above is First Mate Tia's adorable hippo knitting notions holder. I really like him. I wish they made one that looks like a pig. We were at Starbucks doing a little knitting. She was working on this gorgeous shawl!!! I wanted to steal it and run away. I was working on Sock monkey as well as eating a yummy bagel. They don't sell the spinach bagels anymore so I had to make due with a plain one. ;0( On the upside, they do have really yummy cupcakes Sock monkey is moving along...here he is waiting for me to finish his brain case. The pattern called for you to stuff his body while you knit him. I didn't really like that idea. I would rather stuff him afterwards. I need to go to the craft store and get some fiber fill. Right now he is very skinny and flat, with needles poking out of his grape and he has told me he would like that situation fixed ASAP. Sock monkey asks...and I shall do. The sewing machine repair shop gave me the wrong damn hand wheel for Decayed Beauty. I took it back. Here is the wrong wheel compared to the right size that is on Lilith. I should have noticed it was the wrong size...but....it was one of those days where you don't put two and two together till your ass is already home.

These lovely knitting hands belong to Sandy. I caught her knitting at Aloha Yarn with Nanea. She is always working on something pretty.

I had a terrible slip up in my mostly veggie diet. It happened at Teddy's. A very yummy burger spot here on Oahu. The offspring wanted to eat there, so I caved. But just look at it????? OMG! Does it not look good????????? It was mouth watering. Too bad you cant smell it, all hot and smokey..... A neat mural in the burger shop..... See the Offspring and their happy faces?Then we went to the health food store "Down to Earth" and bought some healthy groceries. I felt bad about the burger and talked to the ducks about it.

Here is where the ducks live. This canal is right behind Down to Earth. I like to look in the water at the fish. There are some pretty big fishies in there. Its so pretty here in Hawaii.

I had some more work done on Grandma T. Here she is when I had the background filled in. And here she is with her shading....and I just had the roses and her shoes done last Thursday. I will post pics of her all finished after she is healed down and loses her "waxy" look. It should be about a month before it can be photographed well.

I went and saw Last House on The Left opening night and it was amaZing!!! I would see it again and will for sure being buying a copy when its released on DVD. My only knit pick on the film would be the last couple moments of the film. There was a scene added that needed to be set on fire rather then being put in the film. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it yourself. Besides that, Its an A+++++ film. And that's coming from a huge fan of the first. Well done Rogue Pictures for bringing it to the big screen. I hope you have much more up your sleeve for horror fans who are sick and tired of the same old PG-13 crapola that's dished out for teenage consumption. We want smart horror films that are truly scary and pulls no punches. So keep it coming!

And that is about it for the moment.....I leave you with another music video by my baby brother.

IN LOVE with Knit Picks Mr. Foster!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

You have got to rush over to Knit Picks right now (click the linkie) Theres not many left!

And get yourself one of these kits! There is a knit-a-long with him too!!! He comes with patterns for his sweet little clothes as well. I just bought mine last night as a b-day present to myself.

Go on, ya'll know you want to make him...

UPDATE: Poor Mr. Foster has sold out it looks like. Im glad I got mine when I did. ;0)

No worries though, they say a new version will be out in May, so look for him!

Futzing around the house..

2009-02-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

I found this little stuffed sheep at Safeway the other day. He was the only black one, so I knew he was meant for me. I thought he might make a pretty interesting knitting bag. So I knocked him out and split him down his spine, pulled all his guts out cept'n for his feet and head. Found an old zipper, cut out some felt letters to stitch down. I'm still thinking on the lining part. Not sure what I want to use yet, but all the parts are there for something to come together.

Here's his guts. Ewwww. Or maybe I should say "ewe". ;0) He is large enough to hold a smaller project like socks.

Knitting..........knitting.............knitting............

This is the only knitting Ive been working on. My Grandmothers shrug. It feels like its taking for frickin ever to knit. I can't work on anything else until its done. My own personal knitted straight jacket. ;0) Actually, I think its probably good for me to be forced into a monogamous relationship with a project for once in my knitting life. Below is a close up of what is around Lola's neck. A bunch of dusty ass necklaces. Not much cleaning ever gets done as the Moon homestead.

ON THE TABLE 2NIGHT: asparagas and roasted chicken.

Sunday stuff...

2009-02-22T16:37:00.001-08:00

Whats going on today besides being a big ol couch bum? Well..... when going through the drawers in the White treadle I found these crochet hooks. They are bone or maybe ivory? They are so sweet! They seem so much shorter then modern crochet hooks. I think I might put them in a shadow box and frame them up, or maybe I will make something with them. Not sure yet....any idea how old these might be??? Lilith and I are working on her tension. Lilith is a gorgeous 110 year old Singer 27 with "Tiffany" decals. Sometimes the decals are also known as "Gingerbread". A few more tweaks and I think we will have the tension just right. She is going to be a great machine for quilt piecing. Beautiful and functional. How great is that?

A page I tore out of a magazine. I really love all the colors and the style on this page. Its romantic as well as containing all my favorite colors. Love the lamp. I need it.....

And this is my baby brother....not much of a baby is he? I think he is the greatest!

NOW PLAYING ON THE DEVIL BOX: the midnight meat train

And a quiz...

You Are Made Of Moxie, Superiority, and Shrewdness

3 parts Moxie 2 parts Superiority 1 part Shrewdness And a Splash of Instinct Shake vigorously

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

My current sewing machine project, The Decayed Beauty.

2009-02-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

This is a Singer sewing machine made in 1891. She has a fiddle bed and she has some pretty "Victorian" decal work on her that is still gorgeous after all this time, and neglect. I got her super cheap since she is quite a wreck. She arrived here today and this afternoon I removed her motor and some botched parts. Someone at some point had mounted her bobbin winder up top and replaced her hand wheel with this odd small one. I spent a few hours this afternoon oiling her and getting her slide plates open (they were rusted shut) then I went about buffing the rust off them. What a mess....Inside she was bone dry but now with a lot of oil everything moves with ease.

I think she is going to be pretty neat when fixed up. I just love how old she is....(she's like what? 118??). She makes me smile! I think thats the joy about vintage machines, they are just a pleasure to be with, work on and to create stuff with.

Let them eat cake! New old machine and stuff...

2009-02-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

I got myself a new hot pink tomato pincushion and the damned thing kept rolling around the table when I'd reach for it. So I fixed its little red wagon by gluing it to the top of my little people pincushion. It makes a cute little stack, (sorta cake like,yes?) and is very stable so it wont be rolling around the room ever again. Do you see my new toy???? I picked him up yesterday. He was 45 dollars. He is a 1909 White Family Rotary treadle machine. His treadle stand is simply gorgeous. He on the other hand has been neglected for a long time. The Hawaiian islands are not friendly to sewing machines. But he has all his parts, even all his feet and spins effortlessly. I'm in the process of dremel buffing all his bright parts to get any rust off of them. I think the biggest bulk of work will be his iron treadle base. I'm going to knock all the rust off and seal him up. I cant wait to sew something with him! We have named him Hugo. He is my only male named machine. Something about it said....Im a boy. lol

This time we have Devils food cupcakes......mmmmm...so yummy! You should smell them!

They were really delicious! We of course, scarfed them down like rabid wolves.

All my knitting projects have been banished until I finish my Grandma Dal's shrug. She says she gets chilly at church and needs something for her shoulders. I'm halfway through it....

Ok, now I gotta get back to Hugo. I got a whole lotta rust buffing to do......

CUPcakes, Singer 401M sewing machine, Bunny and Eileen.

2009-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

Finding cheer where one can, I dug out one of my old rag dollies that I made. Her name is just plain Bunny. I made one for me and one for Sunny Chick quite awhile back. Since I'm clearing and cleaning getting ready for a move this summer, I rediscovered her and set her out. She has a sweet face, no? Then the cleaning and clearing leads to oiling and the cleaning sewing machines.

This is an very interesting machine. Its a Singer 401M. Yea, I said "M". She was made in Monza, Italy. Look how odd she is for a 401. A fin in the front, bobbin winder on top (ubber odd) and a place built in for a treadle strap to go. She also came with her case, manual, and loads of feet and stuff. PLUS a add on tray that extends her bed. I cant seem to find any info on these machines. That ices the cake of strange with this Italian machine. I hear the German 401's are the same as this Italian.

This beautiful bebe is Eileen. One of my many composition baby dolls. She is the only one who has a wig. All my dolls are infants in style and would look just plain wrong in wigs. But I love Eileens hair. The wig in made of mohair! Its very soft.

She wanted to come out and play today and have a spiced cupcake with me. She looks like she is just begging for a bite!

I baked the cupcakes in vintage milk glass custard cups. I have given up baking cupcakes in foils and papers. I've gone to these "GLASBAKE" pieces because they are so pretty when served up this way. Grab a fork and indulge....follow with ice cold milk. They can still be found for a song on Ebay. Find 24 of them and never do cupcakes the same way again. Here you can see what they look like when halfway eaten. Isn't it nice of me to sacrifice my daily calories to show you how pretty they look when eaten? I know, I know....I give too much of myself, don't I? ;0)

Look at the pretty seaglass colored sugar sprinkles.......mmmm yummy.

Here is a few more from last night. I even baked mini cakes in the milk glass casserole dishes!

The icing design on this one above is a little something I call the "hairy" eyeball. LOL.

Any who...bake some cupcakes ya"ll!

OOO! I had the oddest dream last night. I had this big ol goldfish. The size of a softball and it would cry if I left it in the fish tank. I mean wail!!!! So I would have to carry it around and my shirt would get all slimy and wet and it kept wanting to snuggle down on my chest. Ewww. Then I was trying to silicone all the holes in a hamster ball so I could fill it with water and let the fish roam the house. How fricking crazy is that????? ;0)

IN THE NETFLIX DEVIL BOX: L' Enfant and Them.

Shoes and knitting and galvanic teeth.

2009-01-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

Do you see these kick ass shoes??? These are Dr. Martins! I had to do a double take when I saw them. They are simply gorgeous!!!!! I think I found the last pair of black size 8's on the planet. I almost had heart failure when the post office misplaced them. Weeks later then they should have been here they finally arrived. Wheew! I gotta tell you, they are the most comfortable high heel I have ever worn in my life. I wish they made them in every color. I would want to buy them all. The style is called "Lalana" and are part of their "Diva" collection.

All leather with tiny sugar skulls printed on the foot bed. (sigh) I just like wearing them around the house. Clomping around. They do clomp. Not much for stealthy sneak attacks but they look very pretty while clomping...so all is forgiven.

Wanna hear something kinda funny. Last week I was at the dentist getting a filling. I started to notice while the numbing was wearing off that my filling tasted really tinny when I touched it with my tongue. Then I stated to get shocks like when you bite on foil. It was hideous! So here is what I found out it was.

"Galvanism. This takes place when you place a new silver filling next to or opposing an old silver filling or a gold crown. the contact of two dissimilar metals in a salty solution (saliva) creates a small electric current. this is why it kind of feels like a shock. this takes place also if you would ever touch a fork to a filling or accidentally chew on some aluminum foil. it generally gets better and better each day and fades away in around a week or so. the teeth get used to it after a while."

Isn't that weird??? I had to stick waxed floss between my teeth so they wouldn't touch and it went away in about 24 hours. I have the oddest things happen to me. Poor me.

I started my second ball of Araucania and am halfway through my shawl/ scarf. I ordered the magnetic chart keeper from Knit Picks. I LOVE IT! If you travel around town with your project you really need this handy device. I don't know how I lived without it before.

ON THE TABLE TONIGHT:

roasted chicken, buttermilk biscuits, crisped brussels sprouts in butter and garlic and ice cold milk.

NOW PLAYING IN THE DEVIL BOX: I'm not scared, Hit and Run and American Hustle (Katt Williams)

Elna Supermatic update, loving the green!

2009-01-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

The other day I found a little tiny baby gecko in the house. Its not a big surprise, we always have geckos in the house but the trick is to catch them before they die of starvation, lack of water or suicide by dog. I think we have a breeding pair under the sink. I hear them chirping to each other as soon as it starts to get dark. Anywho....I caught this little guy and put him outside on one of the Buddhas. It took him a few minutes to warm up (air conditioning) before he took off to parts unknown. I hope not back in the house. ;0) I thought it made a sweet picture....

Yesterday I had a nifty old school tomato pincushion tattooed on my left calf. It was my last appointment with Billy since we plan to be moving out of here pretty soon. Once again, he rocked it. Its really ouch-ey today. When its done leaking and healed I will re-post how she looks. I really am a gal who wears her passions on her sleeve.....and legs. ;0) Gramma T will get finished at the end of January. Im so excited!

I fixed up the Elna, oiled her, fussed with her tension and she is now ready to rock and roll. I picked up a super cute pattern I'm going to try out. Its simple, which I need...the simpler the better and its kinda retro looking which I love. Isn't it so cute???? The Ebay seller was very sorry about the cosmetic damage done to the Elna and she did give me a partial refund. I can live with the dings and scuffs..and I will find a way to patch together the attachment case. I guess her husband thought the link I sent that showed how to pack a machine was utter bullshit and shined it on. Thus the damage. What an ass. lol

I'm loving green....This is a scrumptious cotton yarn I picked up at Aloha Yarn. Its becoming a lacy wrap.

One of my favorite stitch markers, a sweet little Kewpie baby. Its very light weight. Like a feather. I found it at a dollar store and thought it would be perfect as a marker. I think it was supposed to be a key chain adornment. She makes me smile every row when I get to her.

Have you tried these??? They have them at Starbucks and they are really pretty tasty. You should try one. Seriously. I mean, they sure ain't a toasted spinach bagel with cream cheese....but they are do-able. ;0)

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT re-make HAS ARRIVED!

2009-01-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

Yay o yay o yay o yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im am so pleased to tell you that the re-make to this grind house cult classic is coming this spring!!!! I am so excited! I think everyone should break out their old copy or rent one and re-feast your eyes on this film before seeing the new twists in this latest version.

Here's a link so you can check out the trailer! It gives me goosebumps! yay!

http://www.thelasthouseontheleft.com/

Another WTF moment in sewing machine shipping...Poor little Elna Supermatic

2009-01-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

Not even knitting my beautiful Noro sock can make me feel better about my new Elna and how she arrived. Seriously, how f'ing hard is it to pack a sewing machine for shipping????? I thought I would be golden with the Ebay seller I bought her from. She had 600 sales or so and not a peep of complaint to be found. Everyone said what I great job she did in packing their item. I even sent her a website link that went into detail about how to ship a machine. I felt secure when she said she would bubble wrap everything and make sure nothing could move or bang around in and through out the machine case and box. I really pressed the point of bubble wrap as your best friend when shipping machines. A nice big fat layer of it. What I got was a handful of fucking pink foam peanuts and some smallish pieces of Styrofoam.

Yea.. care in packing...not so f'ing much..eh??? She has damage to her paint that wasn't there in the auction photos from all her crap banging and bashing around for 13 days of shipping. The little case that holds all the bobbins and feet and stitch cams is broken...smashed.

This is exactly how she looked when I opened her. Like a damned thread spider made its nest inside and caught all her parts and pieces for dinner. It is so sad to treat such a beautiful 50 some odd year old machine this way. Seriously....I wanted to cry. ;0(

Now the de-tangling begins and all I can think about is....please o please let the machine run at least. Please let that part be ok............pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.

Here's the good news...she purrs like a kitten, has been very well maintained. Her insides are gorgeous. Except for some extra scuffs...and a smashed accessories box she is good to go. I'm sure with some epoxy I can do a so-so repair on the little black box...but that's not the damn point. 3 frigging bucks worth of bubble wrap would have made all the difference. You know what I mean??????? CRAP! crap crappity crap..........

NOW PLAYING IN THE DEVIL BOX: "Otis" .........and a documentary, "The American Hobo"

P.s.....sorry I didn't add any finished cupcake pictures. They were mysteriously wolfed down by citizens of this house before I could pose them up all purty like........ ;0)

Still alive and perfecting pizza when not knitting.....

2008-12-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their winter holiday. I did a little baking for the family unit. I gotta tell you, this pizza came out so ubber super delicious you wouldn't believe it! We are making more pizza tonight...I'm just waiting for the husband unit to say enough already but he keeps liking what I'ma bakin! So I'ma bakin! This one has sun dried tomato pesto, fresh from the cow mozzarella and very very thin slices of an Italian bacon.

I'm working on 3 knitting projects right now. Another pair of noro knee socks and 2 lace wraps. When my brain goes all "jelly like" with the lace pattern, I go back to the simple peace of knitting the noro sock. The colors are very soothing.

MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm Naked cupcakes just begging to be frosted! The husband unit has a birthday today. He's an old man....lol. The cupcakes are of the "golden" flavor and made with a ton of butter. I will re-snap a picture when get them all dressed up.

That's about all that's going on here besides being broke. ;0) I'm so boring! O! we did get a gorgeous thunderstorm through here the other night. It was fantastic! Only problem was it knocked out the power island wide over night. The best thing about that was the dark. It is so wonderful to have full darkness. We miss so much with all the lighting that goes on in cities. We cant see the stars.....not really see them. Its a whole other world when the lights go out. I love it.

We humans miss so much going on around us in the skies sometimes...don't we?

Homemade pizza and.....Gramma T pins up.

2008-12-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

First of all, I want to thank whoever first invented the Kitchen Aid mixer. Thank you so much. Without you, my pizza dough wouldn't be so tasty and easy to make. I have been on a serious hardcore pizza making binge. We have had pizza every night for over a week. I know! Its insane. On this little beauty above we have sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella,olive oil and a hearty pesto sauce. So good you would never order a take out pizza ever ever again. I know I wont. ;0) Someday when I get that farmhouse, Im having my old man and son unit build a wood burning, brick pizza oven, and then....I will rule the world. Muahahaha. Maybe not....but I will feel like it alteast. ;0)

I got another tattoo...I know! I have so many! But this one is super special. In the above picture is my Gramma T. She was 19 years old and the prettiest girl in Wyoming. ;0) When I saw the picture at my moms house on the visit in October, I knew she would make a glorious pin up tattoo. So I ran the idea over with Jenn at 808 Tattoo and she thought it was a great idea too! So yesterday I went in for my first session. This is just the line work. When I go back at the end of January she will add all the depth and shadows and fancy shading that makes her come alive.

She is on my right inner calf. She goes from just under my knee to my ankle. Huge. I love her!!!

I really really love how pretty Jenn has made her. She is a very talented artist. The crew at 808 is really wonderful. Nice, talented and just plain cool people. I sound like a commercial. lol

By the way....T is still alive and well, living in Texas with my Aunt Valerie. I cant wait to show her a picture of the tattoo when she's all finished. I told her I was getting a pin up of her and she thinks I'm crazy....but precious. ;0) She thinks I'm precious. That cracks me up. It always reminds me of the poodle in Silence of the Lambs.

Precioussssss!

Which creature of the night are you? Your Result: Cthulu Spawn You are really an alien thing, aren't you? I can't describe you because you are beyond. We say "left field" and you say "Krn Grth Thchrang." You are the wild card of the bunch, the unknown quantity
Demon
Sorceror
Werewolf
Vampire
Incubus/Succubus
Ghost
Which creature of the night are you? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

When will the winter holiday season end?

2008-12-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

(mmmmm homemade pumpkin pie...Its the only thing that saved Thanksgiving around here) I'm just so not into you this year winter holiday season. Your lights are too bright and twinkly. I just want to curl up into a ball under the covers and sleep until New Year. Bah hum bug and all that jazz...... Maybe I'm blue because the 1st season of True Blood has ended...and Dexter is about to end this Sunday. What will I do without them??? Maybe I will get more knitting done...I dunno. (grumble grumble grumble)

The baby birds have gone to soft release. They were just so flighty after weaning I thought they were begging for a chance for freedom. A very nice woman from the south end of the island named Pat has large flight cages at her aviary for them to transition to. She has 3 little wax bills already there so these will be added to the flock. They live in large flocks in the wild and its a good start to get them into a group where they can learn the birdie code of conduct. They also needed to slim down and get fit. They were fat little devils! They couldnt fly very far without panting. Geez...sounds like me. Ecck. Thats another story for another day....

I will miss their happy peeping and the tinkling of the tiny wind chime in their cage as they dangle from it and peck at it.

May they be liberated, may they be peaceful, may they be happy..........

Birds and stuff....

2008-11-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

My wittle baby birds are so grown up! Peep and Chibodee are doing super. They are down to just a few feedings a day and love to munch on millet spray and their special pelleted food. Chibodee is a bid scraggly in places, much more so then his sister. Poor little ragamuffin. They get better at taking care of their feathers the older they get.

Meet my morning shake I like to call "Pond-Scumm". Its your standard vanilla shake made with skim milk, ice and an instant breakfast packet BUT it has the added love of one heaping teaspoon of powdered Blue Green Algae. The algae doesn't taste like anything but its very good for your body so please try some. ;0) You just gotta get past the color.

Tonight we are supposed to be getting a pretty nasty storm system in. I need not tell you how excited I am at the prospect of seeing lightning. I'm beside myself with pent up storm joy. So, we shall see...cross yer fingers for me! Woot woot!

Supper tonight is this tasty Okinawa soba soup with shitaki mushrooms. So tasty it will make you slap your momma. But please dont, your momma loves you. Next post will have knitting!!!!! I swear!

My birdie babies....

2008-11-13T19:19:00.001-08:00

OMG! Seriously, how precious are these two????? We have now entered the "tot" stage. Its a little scary. When I open the door to their cage they get all excited and fling themselves onto my chest, sticking to me with tiny claws and making soft peeping sounds. They have started flutter flying too and picking at food. Then after feeding, all they want to do is stay in my hand and have me rub their itty bitty heads. Im in love. Love love love. :0) Didnt it seem like just a few days ago they were prickly little lumps??? wow.