hand eye crafts

I apologize for being late with today's prompt.  Today got away from me, as I re-connected with a friend I haven't seen since 5th Grade.  He was my boyfriend once --- well, at least as much as you can have a boyfriend when you're a First Grader. At any rate, your next square should be THE COLOR(S) OF YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM. I'll be looking for some gold and black myself:

*Do you work better in groups or alone? Alone.  I tried to never assign group work when I was teaching, knowing how much I hated it.   *Butter or margarine? Butter.  Why did anyone ever come up with margarine anyway? *For a day : no phone or no computer? Phone.  Easy. *Gym shoes: wear them out or replace regularly? I replace them, though not regularly.  I haven't truly worn out a pair since playing tennis in college. *More likely to find in your couch cushions: money or needles? Needles.  The finding money trope never, ever came true for me. *What kind of knitting hurts your hands/arms/fingers? None, really. *How do you feel when someone asks you to knit for them? -delighted? -burdened? It depends on who's asking, and what they want.  I like to have people choose their own yarn, and most don't get to that once they've asked. *I choose my patterns based on :  -the designer -the difficulty -ability to use stash on hand The...

Even though the temperatures around here are still in the 90s, I'm trying my best to Think Fall.  Sitting in my den, with the windows open to the backyard, football on television and knitting in my lap, it's pretty easy to do. In knitting news, I am working on this Side-to-Side Shrug, in these colors (I bought a kit): The yarn is Cascade's Casablanca, but it feels very much like a Noro.  It's a wool/silk/mohair blend. There are also two new things here for  Harry's Hundred .  I've already sent a box out for  the National WWII Museum's "Knit Your Bit."   The next box will be for the men's shelter here in town.  I'm thinking scarves and mittens/gloves next. (That cowl is so yummily soft.  It'll be hard to let it go.) There's no holiday knitting to do, unless an absolutely perfect pattern shows up, so all my knitting is pressure-less.  That makes things much better, much more comforting --- don't you think? ...

First up, two photographic representations of sheer joy: Priyanka Chopra at the Emmys. A girl, named Mari, meeting President Obama. Remember that sort of tease photo from a few posts ago? Here's what a finished Myrtle Creek Shawl looks like: Beautiful, no?  And for it to look so delicate and intricate, it's a relatively easy knit.  Easy and fun.  If you're going to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this weekend, you can see it in person. Still on the purple roll, this is my nail polish today:   It's "Let's Jam" by China Glaze, and I like it a lot. My wait is over, as the new season of "Gotham" premiered last night.  Briton told me to watch it, that he thought I would like it, and he was right. And I am  knitting --- it's that I just don't have any pictures of the things I'm working on.

Hi.  I'm Kim, and I can't use a yarn swift or a ball winder. *Hi, Kim.* The swift will collapse, or the yarn feeding to the winder gets tangled underneath the wheel. . .  It's emabarrassing.  I'm so envious of the people who work in yarn shops, who can just pop the yarn onto the swift (with the starting point always  on the outside) and wind a perfect yarncake without stopping. ```````````````````````````````````````````````` Hi.  I'm Kim, and I used to be a garter stitch snob. *Hi, Kim.* Garter stitch always looked "rough" and "unrefined" to me.  I didn't need fancy pants cables or something to impress me, though.  Now, I've come to appreciate the ease of garter.  It means all you have to do is sit and knit, knit, knit.  Too, designers are stepping up their garter game.  I'm working on this scarf right now in these colors

It's September, and a new chance to try some  Chewy.com  products! First up,  Natural Balance Cat Food.  This is a pate', and my cats are accustomed to eating shreds or bits, so it took them a minute to figure out what was going on.  But then, as Lily's blurry head attests, they dug into it: I've since mixed the Natural Balance with their regular food, and both Lily and Erin clean their plates. Next was Nulo dry cat food: (Yes, I did ask for the Adult Trim, but don't let the cats know.  They're very sensitive about their looks.)  Once again: a hit the first time out of the bag.  Erin (the gray) sort of nudged Riley (the black) out of the way to perform a taste test.  Since that first feeding, I have to say that Erin and Lily have turned rather cold toward this food.  But, guess who stepped in in their places? Yep, Rupert.  Finn sort of "taught" him to eat the cats' dry food.  Sorry about the blurrin...

I must admit to slacking off on Blankapalooza-square-making during the contests.  With this, I hope to get back on track.  How's your Palooza knitting going? Do you prefer coffee (KNIT WITH BROWN)  or tea (KNIT WITH GREEN)

I'd been trying to think of something to blog about today, and nothing was coming to me.  Then I remembered that it's Monday, which means Kwestions from  Kathy ! Would you rather have someone sit by you and teach you a knit skill, or watch something on you tube and learn? I haven't had a lot of luck trying to learn via video, so, by default, learning from an in person person. What is the largest number of stitches you have ever had on a circular needle at one time? I seem to remember around 600 on a shawl once.  ONCE. Would you rather learn falconry or swim with a dolphin? Well, I can't swim, but I'd prefer falconry anyway. Coffeecake or cheesecake? Cheesecake.  Cheesecake over anything except flan.   Bacon or sausage? Bacon, bacon, and, bacon. Do you use any solar energy? Sadly, no. Witchyporides again or Henpecked.? (Blue Moon Sock Yarns) Henpecked.  Very soothing. How much does a wool cycling jersey cost today? I ...

. . .Every nominator.  You gave us terrific fields in both KH and KC. . . .Every voter, for taking the time to look, think, and propel the contests forward. . . .The voters who participated until the very end.  Scores of people disengage once their nominees are gone.  Thank you to all who stick with it. . . .Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, for having, perhaps, the dreamiest portfolio of photos of any nominee. . . .Camille, Kim and Lorette for donating beautiful yarn prizes. . . .Neil Gaiman, for wearing a baseball cap on a day there were photographers present. . . .PrintYourBrackets.com --- the contests would be impossible without it. . . .These fellows, for reminding us that Hunks have been around for a good while:

One of these years, I'm going to run a tally of how many hours I spend looking for photos of KH and KC nominees.  It's a lot.  I mean, when Denzel Washington stops looking like Denzel Washington, you know you've been at it too long. Here are some pictures I came across that I couldn't use, but really like: Jerome Flynn as Bennet Drake.  "iPod in Whitechapel." Most of Yo-Yo Ma's pictures show him with his cello.  Oddly, no other nominees had the same prop. Idina/Elphaba.  This is a masterpiece. Very few nominees have their own Funko Pop Figures.  Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is one of The Chosen Ones. Everyone looks good in a cowboy hat. Black and white make for the best portraits, I think, but not every nominee has them available. It's weird, not setting up matches anymore, after 2+ weeks of doing it.  I also finished the shawl I was testing for Kelli: I can't show you all of it, obviously.  The purple yarn ...

. . . Your champions have been decided. The 2016 Knitters' Hunk is the 2013 Knitters' Hunk Ewan McGregor. Nicely done, everyone.  Since Ewan went into the contest automatically (no one had to nominate him), the KH Grand Prize moves to the person who nominated the other finalist.  So,  Bridget  wins the KH prize package!   Kathryn  and  Melanie  will receive KH Runners-Up prizes. The 2016 Knitters' Chick is Helen Mirren. We love our English women, don't we? She was nominated by both Lora and  Vicki , so they will both be receiving Grand Prize packages!  And  Kathy  is the Runner-Up, so she should be watching her mail, too. The final results: COUNT OVERALL:  Ewan McGregor 12 (52.17%) / Denzel Washington 11 (47.83%) COUNT OVERALL Tina Fey 7 (30.43%) / Helen Mirren 16 (69.57%) Shall we do it all again next year?  It will be, believe it or not, our 10th Anniversary!  Look for...

Yes, it has all come down to this.  Voters, choose your winners! The 2016 Knitters' Chick Shall Be The 2016 Knitters' Hunk Shall Be The winners will be announced tomorrow morning. As always, thank you all for getting involved with this.

Or "The Final Four," or "The Ones Still Left," or "We See the Light at the End of the Tunnel."  Choose your phrase.  Then choose who will be going head-to-head for the 2016 crowns.  And, yes, the polls are set to hide the results.  I thought a little extra suspense was called for.  Counts will be hidden tomorrow, too. KH Semifinal 1 KC Semifinal One KC Semifinal Two KH Semifinal 2

Whee!  Let's keep things going!  Many of you are still in the hunt for prizes.  Four nominators are left in Knitters' Chick, and five are left in Knitters' Hunk.  There's excitement everywhere! KC Quarterfinal Three KH Quarterfinal 3 KC Quarterfinal Four KH Quarterfinal 4

OOOPS. I blanked on a color prompt over the weekend.  Sorry about that.  Let's make this an easy one, then.  For your next Blankapalooza square, MAKE A BLIND REACH INTO YOUR STASH. Your square will be made with whatever color you pull out. See you on the 15th!

Down to the final eight in each contest, folks.  Some wins have been by a single vote;  things are getting serious  How about sending some nominees into the Final Four? KC Quarterfinal One KH Quarterfinal 1 KC Quarterfinal Two KH Quarterfinal 2

Oh, my.  How about trying this one again, to see if the tie can be broken. . . KH Number 3.3.2 I have to admit, there are some people in these contests whose pictures are a pure joy to comb through.  I'm not at all photogenic, so it delights me to see folks who are.  My daughter has never taken a bad picture in all her 24 years.  It's a source of intense pride and a bit of jealousy. But, to business --- we're getting closer and closer to the end.  First into the Quarterfinals are Lin-Manuel Miranda Tina Fey Neil Gaiman Emma Watson (Full disclosure: Lucy Liu was my nominee) Kristen Bell Helen Mirren David McCallum Who's next? KH Number 3.5 KC Number Three-Point-Five KH Number 3.6 KC Number Three-Point-Six KH Number 3.7 KC Number Three-Point-Seven KH Number 3.8 KC Number Three-Point-Eight KH Number 3.9

Somehow, I managed not to post one KH race yesterday, so you will see it here.  Totally my fault, and I apologize.  This will not impact anything about our schedule, which is as follows*: Today, Third Round, Sunday (the 4th), Third Round, Monday (the 5th), First Quarterfinals, Tuesday (the 6th), Second Quarterfinals, Wednesday (the 7th), Semifinals, Thursday (the 8th), Finals and New Champions Announced Friday, September 9th! Those still in the running for those great honors: Neil Gaiman (Full disclosure: Dale, Jr. was my nominee.) Kate Middleton (Full disclosure: Emmylou was my nominee.) Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Isabella Rossellini Maggie Smith Prince Harry Meryl Streep Running today: KH Number 2.15 KH Number 3.1 KC Number Three-Point-One KC Number Three-Point-Two KC Number Three-Point-Two KC Number Three-Point-Three KH Number 3.3 KC Number Three-Point-Four KH Number 3.4 *Barring ties and necessary re-vo...

Today's voting ends Round Two.  Then there'll be two days for Round Three, and we'll be on to the Quarterfinals!  The races are certainly picking up steam, now. My dear, dear  Twinnie  has nominated Alexander Skarsgard every year of this contest.  Unfortunately, he did not win his Second Round match-up, but perhaps it is time to make him the image of KH from now on: That would make a nice wool-related header, don't you think? In this part of Round Two: Ewan McGregor Helen Mirren Jon Bon Jovi Tina Fey Viggo Mortensen Claire Forlani were selected to move forward.  Who's deserving of moving forward with them? KC Number Two-Point-Thirteen KH Number 2.13 KC Number Two-Point-Fourteen KH Number 2.14 KC Number Two-Point-Fifteen KH Number 2.16 KC Number Two-Point-Sixteen