hand eye crafts

'kay, so. . . Things happening around here mean I'll extend the nomination period through Tuesday the 4th.  You can submit your nominees any time starting tomorrow, through the 4th. Again, please spread the word.

Starting this Saturday, February 1st, I'll accept nominations for our Knitters' Hunk Classic and Knitters' Chick Classic contests.  Your nominees (everyone can submit up to three in each draw) must have passed away, but can come from as far back in history as you would like.  (Be warned, though, that going too  far back really  cuts down on the availability of photos that can be used in the match-ups. Your nominees are to be people you'd like to knit with, for or next to.  No one needs to nominate these folks, as they'll be automatically entered in their respective contests: Katharine Hepburn Grace Kelly Audrey Hepburn (no relation, in case you didn't know) Diana, Princess of Wales Alan Rickman Cary Grant Paul Newman Robin Williams I'll do my best to have the first voting opportunities up on Monday, but please be patient if they don't show up until Tuesday. Prize packages for the winners' and the runners-up's nominators.  Please s...

My son has a very good sense of what movies I will like.  He's been telling me for several weeks to check out  "The Last Black Man in San Francisco."   I did yesterday, and it is beautiful.  In every way.  It's streaming on Amazon if you think you might be interested.  The music, especially, is exquisite. The book I'm reading right now is absolutely charming. The stories are lovely, and the photographs are fascinating.  Small tidbits like The Queen does her own make-up for everything but her annual Christmas address delight me. Here's the progress on the Wingspan. The color changes aren't as crisp as in  my other one , but the effect is still nice. Here's the progress on the Eden Subline. And, the Drea's. It's nice to have things I can sort of mindlessly work on.

I finally blocked my Craftvent shawl. I hit 60 in a couple of weeks, and have begun sharply feeling my age.  Not physically, but emotionally.  Mentally. DisneyPlus* has given me the ability to watch movies I missed after my children "grew out of them," or that I haven't seen in forever.  So far, my "favorites" have been "Big Hero 6" and "The Princess and The Frog." Like  Twinnie Dear , I'm on a wrap roll, making another  Wingspan  in this A  Drea's Shawl  in the now-defunct Gnome Acres (I miss them) colorways Luna Lovegood and Eggs, which is a yellow and white colorway that I cannot find a picture of. This wrap from  Sublime in this yarn from Sublime. The yarn is a linen/cotton blend, and kind of stiff.  I see a good, thorough soak in its future. *

Never assume that online patterns that you like, and have bookmarked (or even purchased) "for later" are going to be there when you want them.  Patternfish, for example, is no more.  Goodbye to the cache of patterns I had bought but not yet downloaded.   Update-wise, my temporary crown cracked, and I have had to have another temporary one put on.  I am scheduled to go back on the 30th for a permanent one.  I'm most likely repeating myself here, but I am wearing my mouth guard at all times now, to hopefully cut down on the damage clenching my jaw and grinding my teeth might do. Klunk is doing well.  I went back on Monday to take Hannah and him to the vet for his check-up.  The doctor (quite possibly the cutest man ever through veterinary training) said that he looked good, though he should still see a cardiologist.  He decreased the dosage of one of Klunk's medications, which made Hannah feel better about things. Yes, I did take a boo...

It hit me the other day that the Knitters' Hunk and Knitters' Chick Classic contests are coming up next month.  More on the nuts and bolts later, and let's say that fortunately,  Knit Picks  is having a book sale just now.  Well, not just  books --- also other things that can be used as prizes.

I'm not sure what type of moviegoers any of you are, but let me recommend  "The Farewell. "  It is from last year, so you might have seen it already (I am always late to movie parties.)  Briton saw it in a theatre and has been telling me ever since then that I would love it.  When I couldn't sleep at 3:30 this morning, I got up and watched the DVD copy he brought me.  It's lovely and worth your time. Heavy storms are rolling through as I type this.  I know some of you are getting wintry-ness out of this --- I wish we were you.  The cats have hidden themselves away, and Tap is firmly under the coffee table.  I have to thank my parents for never modeling fear of storms for me.  So many people are practically paralyzed by them, but I've never minded them.  Well, except when I was in Tuscaloosa and saw funnel clouds get really close more than once.

I forgot to show you what Hannah got me for Christmas.  A Nativity card that's 3-D. It's difficult to photograph, but trust me, it's quite beautiful.  And I didn't have one like it. I had an appointment with my psychiatrist today.  My visits are really just for medication checks, though we do have conversations about other things.  Tomorrow, I go back to the dentist to let her look at this crown.  It is irritating my tongue, and I'm hoping she can smooth it out or re-fit it or something.  I've come to do all my chewing on the right side because 1) I certainly don't want to pop the thing loose, and 2) it's just uncomfortable.  

The past two, two-and-a-half days have found me in very bad temper.  they shouldn't have, as Briton got to see  Crow  and  Tom Servo , heroes from  Mystery Science Theater 3000 , at  The Center for Puppetry Arts . A funny thing happened, as finding a place to hold a seaming needle for a minute turned into what looked like an acupuncture treatment on a little gnome. And, finally, I finished a project which perfectly  paired yarn (Lion Brand's  Scarfie  and  Wingspan .) Still, 

Kathy  asked if my finger was interfering with knitting.  Knitting is actually how I discovered the bruise!  I was counting stitches on my left needle, and there it was.  So, no, nothing keeping me from plying my craft. Speaking of. . .  I began a baby sweater last night, and it is just so little!  It's been a while since I knit baby clothes, and I kept looking at it. . .  Is this right?  A dolman cardigan for a baby --- itty bitty! The latest word on Klunk is good;  the increased dosage of the one medicine seems to have made a big difference.  Fingers crossed.

With Christmas season comes the shifting of furniture and photos on the wall to make room for the tree.  When the tree is gone, there's an opportunity to re-hang pictures and change room set-ups.  (I love this part of the season.)  This year, my desk has been moved from my bedroom to the den, and a chair and light tower from the den to my bedroom.  Somewhere along the way, this happened: It doesn't hurt, so I didn't even notice it until yesterday.  I think I remember banging my knuckle into something sometime but cannot recall what or when.   I bruise embarrassingly easily, so it might have happened without me even realizing it. In other news I bought myself a lion.

I didn't do my due diligence on the Advent Shawl.  It was completed on Christmas Eve but hasn't been blocked this full week later. And while we're on the subject of wraps, look what my former roommate sent me: Is it only me, or does anyone else see an owl in the middle of the wide bottom panel?