YAY!

I was going to post it anyway, but now I'll post it under the guise of Donna's Something-Beautiful-Within-A-Mile thingy.



This lovely sunflower bud came from not 20 feet out my front door. Be sure to click for the larger version... it just doesn't even do it justice in small form.

And something amazingly amusing.... Uncyclopedia, "the content-free encyclopedia that anyone can edit". Don't miss the entries on the Flying Spaghetti Monster, George W. Bush, and Canada.

M

Holy Bizarre Search Words, BATMAN!!

Someone clicked through to my blog looking for "Forced & humiliate men in bridal dress & all accessories etc & teased by women store"

o_O WTF!

FO's and Tanis!

Here is a pic of Isaac's socks. It's kind of a crappy photo, but he works graveyard and sleeps during the daylight hours, so it's hard to get a sunlit picture. Also don't mind the feather stuck to them. He sleeps with a feather pillow that sheds all over everything.

Pattern: My basic sock pattern, with 2x2 ribbed cuff and stockinette foot. Made to fit Isaac.
Yarn: Blue Faced Leicester Spaced Dyed yarn from Ashland Bay Trading Co.
Needles: US Size 2 Boye Aluminum dpns.
Verdict: He loves them, and even though I don't like the way the colors pool and flash, he won't take them off, so that's what matters.

I finally got a picture of me and Tanis! Isn't he cute? His face is all covered in fine hair and he's a wee blondie.

I finished Tanis' socks yesterday, but I didn't have my camera to take a pic. Aiden wanted in on the pictures too.


ehehehehehhehe! Small children to corrupt! How lovely!
M

*edit* I didn't even notice! But Tanis has the same "left eye squint" as I do! Poor kid! It will drive him crazy in every picture he ever takes!

Voila!

This is kind of a post and run as work is almost done for today and I didn't get a chance to post at all. But Adamas III is done and I blocked it last night. It's now on it's way to Knitpicks, so hopefully there should be a pattern soon-ish. I'll let you all know when it's up.




I also mailed my IK submission and my secret pal's last package. I hope she likes it. K, that's it.

M

Miriam's Recipes for Happiness

Don't forget the books!!!

When I'm feeling crappy, when I'm feeling great, when my day has gone poorly and I need to be comforted, when my day has gone well and I need to be congratulated... Whether I've done 10 million things, or I just SHOULD have done a million things, but I sat around reading all day. No matter what, I love me some tea. I'm not a big fan of plain green tea, but I love Jasmine tea, and black tea, herbal tea, and rooibus too. Frankly, just having a mug of something warm and sweet in my hands makes me happy. So this is what has gotten me through this week.

That's Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach. My favorite way to make it is with Sugar in the Raw and Half and Half.


I've started some socks for my new nephew Tanis. He's got cute tiny feet, but these will hopefully fit him in a couple weeks. The yarn is Katia Mississippi 3 Print in color 207. The lighter blue is really slightly green and the darker blue is more of a periwinkle. The pattern is mine using size 0 dpns. And holy shit, they're SHARP! They poked through my bag today and skewered my side. I guess I must have some thick callouses on my fingers to endure that kind of beating!

Oh, and the shawl business was settled because the friend who wants the shawl also wants to import me to visit her in Pennsylvania, so I'm making the shawl and she's essentially buying my ticket. She was going to anyway, silly girl, but I haggled her into letting me pay her back with the shawl. :) She's the BESTEST! *hugs to you, other M*

M

Me no likey!

**Please be sure to check out the books for sale here**

Behold a list entry, and a hat tip to one of my favorite movies, Amélie.

1- Mim likes knitting on the bus.
2- Mim dislikes loud highschool freshman kids on the bus to their first day of high school.
3- Mim likes walking across campus to work in the morning breeze.
4- Mim dislikes the walkways and hallways filled with loud college freshman who think that they have to look like beauty queens and rock stars when they come to college.
5- Mim likes her little desk in a nook in the office.
6- Mim dislikes people leaving sensitive information open on her desk while she's at home.
7- Mim likes getting e-mails from her brother in Ukraine.
8- Mim dislikes accidentally and unknowingly deleting brother's e-mails so that she thinks she's gone insane and can't find the e-mail that she SWORE she read this morning.
9- Mim likes her black-with-brown-pinstripes skirt.
10- Mim dislikes that custodians glare at her when she walks around the building barefoot.
11- Mim likes movies like Layer Cake.
12- Mim dislikes sitting around on uncomfortable couches for 2 hours waiting for people who are watching good movies to actually SIT DOWN so we can watch them, which thusly makes Miriam go to bed later than she should have been, thus preventing her from getting plenty of sleep, and then making her cranky which makes her post lists in third person instead of real entries.

Anyway... in knitting news, I finished the third adamas shawl this weekend, but it hasn't been blocked yet. I'm still waiting to get my contract. I finished Isaac's socks this morning, but when I had him try on the first finished one, he wouldn't take it off. So I only have one to take a pic of. I'll get him to wear them both and then post the FO pic. I'm always surprised by how space dyed yarns variegate. It's a little maddening. No pictures.... I'm boring, I know.

I almost forgot! Don't forget to check out Shannon's Adamas shawl too! One of my test knitters actually finished!!

*edit* How much should one charge for a knitted item? A friend of mine wants a lace shawl for one of her friends. What is reasonable?

M

Quick funny

Someone found my blog googling for "Speculum Frenzy" It made La snort!

< whisper>buy books!< /whisper>

Books for sale

Hi everyone. You may have heard about the books I make. They are lovely for journals, sketchbooks, etc... Well, now is your chance. I had hoped to sell these at my local market, but although everyone oohed and ahhed and said how lovely my work was, no one bought anything. And there are bills to be paid that otherwise won't be getting paid. So here they are. I will give as detailed of descriptions as possible, including some bookbinding terms that may not be familiar, so if you have any questions, please e-mail me at mlbrilliant AT yahoo DOT com (you can figure it out, spambots can't).

ORDERING INFO: If you are intersted in ordering one, please e-mail me at the above address. DO NOT COMMENT! Please make sure your subject line has the words Book and Order and the number of the book so I can get them all sorted.

PAYMENT INFO: I can accept personal checks from people I know. People I have had an e-mail correspondance with, or people I have actually met in real life. Other than, that, you can use paypal to pay me. The cost will be listed including shipping to anywhere in the contiguous U.S. If you are interested in International shipping, I can do so, but it will cost you more (as I'm sure you're aware). International shipping and shipping to Hawaii or Alaska will have to be calculated. Please e-mail for a quote.

OK... here they are. My books are well constructed, and sturdy. Some paper covers wear out faster than cloth covers, some are just as sturdy. I will indicate when there is something to consider like that. Click all pictures for larger view.

BOOK 1:

Specs: 5.25" wide by 8.75" tall by .75" deep. 60 sheets or 120 pages if used front and back.

This book is covered in a Japanese paper called kikka bijutsushi. The flower design is irridescent and it looks almost hallographic. The flower designs show up white, while the paper around them is actually a very pale green. It's quite beautiful paper. There is a 3" square window cut out of the front so that a picture could be placed or drawn on the front page of the book and it will show through the window. The paper inside is fine white laid paper. The pages are blank. There is a satin ribbon bookmark with glass and metal bead detail on the end. The binding is a coptic stitch in waxed linen thread, which is great for journals, as it will lie completely flat or even fold around.

Cost is $25 including shipping (as stated above).

BOOK 2:





Specs: 3.75" wide by 4.5" tall and .75" deep. 60 sheets or 120 pages if used front and back.

This is a pocket sized traveler's journal. It is covered in a medium brown rayon bookcloth, which is very sturdy. Perfect for being carried around alot. The journal closes with a ribbon wrap and decorative wooden button closure. It is bound with a coptic stitch in waxed linen thread, which is great for journals, as it will lie completely flat or even fold around. The endpapers are printed with old French (?) script. The blank pages are a fine lightly speckled ivory paper.

Cost is $18 including shipping (as stated above).

BOOK 3:

Specs: 2.5" wide by 3" tall and 5/8" deep. 60 sheets or 120 pages if used front and back.

This miniature book is covered in an Indian screen printed pulp paper. The leafy scrolls are screened in irridescent gold on a chartreuse paper. It is bound with a coptic stitch in waxed linen thread, which is great for journals, as it will lie completely flat or even fold around. Although perhaps not practical as a journal, this book could be used as an address or telephone book, or just to keep notes for yourself. This paper would wear fairly quickly if being tossed around in a backpack.

Cost is $10 including shipping.

BOOK 4: **SOLD**





Specs: 7.25" wide by 8.75" tall by .75" deep. 72 sheets or 144 pages if used front and back.

This book is covered in a combination of sturdy rayon bookcloth and thick, handmade Thai kozo paper with bamboo leaf inclusions. The paper also has a bit of a purple flower in it, to add some color. You can see the purple a bit in this photo. The pages inside are half lined and half blank, so that one could journal on the lined side (the right side) and sketch on the opposite side (the left side). It would also be good for leaf collecting. You could paste the pressed leaf on the left side, and write a description of what kind it is and when it was collected on the right side. It is bound with a coptic stitch in waxed linen thread, which is great for journals, as it will lie completely flat or even fold around.

Cost is $27 including shipping. **SOLD**

BOOK 5: Donated as Katrina gifting

Specs: 7.5" wide by 9" tall by 5/8" deep. 60 sheets or 120 pages if used front and back.

This book is bound in both a textured rayon bookcloth called Canapetta and a handmade pale pink paper with burgandy fiber inclusions. Both cover materials are very sturdy and hold up well to battery. It is bound with a coptic stitch in waxed linen thread, which is great for journals, as it will lie completely flat or even fold around. The pages are blank.

Cost is $25 including shipping DONATED to Katrina prizes.

Thanks ahead of time for any interest. If you like what you see and want to special order something, I do that as well.

Thanks,
M

Like I said... cheaper than crack.

After seeing some miniature books I made and my latest shawl work a friend of a friend asked me in all sincerity if I was on drugs. Actually, no. I'm just a freak.

Welcome to this crazy thing called Life.

My sister gave birth to a very cute little baby boy on Friday evening. His name is Tanis Austin Larsen. I wish I had a pic, but I forgot my camera! He's cute, and fuzzy... let us not forget fuzzy. There is quite alot of familial controversy over his name. Everyone but C and I and his mom and dad are freaking out that they named him Tanis*. I, personally, love it. And he won't be named the same as all the other kids in school, which is a plus. So welcome to the spinning ball of Earth and welcome to all the craziness, kiddo. Hope you do well!

In knitting news, I am CRUISING on Adamas III. And my friend finally received Adamas II, so I should be getting a pic of her in it soon. I would post a picture of it, but it looks like a purpley blue blob. Very unbecoming.

I also had a visit from dogs for about a half hour on Saturday. Kassie and I were headed back from the market when we saw a puppy run out into the road. We avoided hitting him and drove on, but about 30 feet away we decided we'd better go back and get him out of the street. We found that there was a mother dog and the little puppy both out in the street. One nearly got hit before we got them. We walked around the neighborhood asking if anyone knew who's dogs they were, but no one did. So we took them home. I got to play with them for about 30 minutes until Animal Control opened and came to pick them up. Here are some pictures, because they were adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.





How could I let a face like that get run over??!! I'm going to call Animal control today and find out if they were claimed.

M


*Tanis is one of the main characters in the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman.

Naming THE shawl

As nice a name as THE shawl is, it really needs a better one.

So here's the options that I like and the reasons I like them. Post in the comments which one you like best. If you have another suggestion, post in the comments as well.

1. Lyre- it looks kind of like a harp. It's an instrument used in Greek mythology. I like mythology.

2. Calliope- Muse of eloquence and epic poetry (very Victorian, like the shawl). Pretty pretty name.

3. Orpheus- Son of Calliope and Apollo. Played the lyre so beautifully that it charmed everyone, including the Sirens who would have destroyed the Argo.

4. Icarus- A little depressing perhaps, but the shawl looks like feathers dripping off a stick frame, no?

OK, please give me your input. And any other reasoning. Or any combinations of the names....

M

THE shawl

OK, here it is. If IK has a problem with it, I suppose they should have stated as much in their submission guidelines. OK, also keep in mind that this is a scaled down version. The final product will have many more of the straight line rows, so that the body of the shawl will be that, while the edge will just be as wide as it is now, but on the edge of a fullsized shawl, rather than this wee shoulder shawl version.








Sorry for so many pictures.

M

He CAN be taught!!

And in fact, he's damn good at it! Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present the newest knitter in our esteemed ranks. My husband, C! Yes, that's right. I taught him to knit last night. And there is documented proof that he's better than I was when I started :) And thanks to Margene for these 3 pics!


Here we are, starting out. I think he was baffled by casting on (aren't we all!) because he asked me at the end of the night to show him again how to do it.

But he got the hang of it and started making progress.





After 2 hours this is what he had!

And people.... get this...

1. He still has the same amount of stitches he started with(!!)
2. It's well shaped and straight
3. His tension although being a bit tight, is very even
4. He only knit a split stitch ONCE!

My husband, the Knitting GOD!
M