Blue Canary Creations

My Debut

So, I had a booth at the DIY Trunk Show!  It was a lot of fun.  Here's some pix of my layout:

 

I sold some patterns, sold ALL the booties, sold a hat and some knitted veggies, but most importantly had wonderful conversations with knitters and fellow crafters.

Guess what vegetable is a good display stand for a baby hat?

Answer: Spaghetti squash.  Who knew?

So, the blog had been quiet for a while as I knitted like crazy to get ready for the show.  But here's what I made:

The Veggie Set (Carrot missing)

The Ducky Hat

The Pastel Ducky Hat

Ribbit Hat

The BlueBeary Hat

The Pretty Please Hat -- with Ruffle!

And 4 pairs of ducky booties, 1 pair of froggy booties, and a partridge in a pear tree...

Whew!

After the show, all my knitting mojo that had been pent up in little baby hats was RELEASED!  I immediately made a dragon hat for Alec, which he rejected (no picture!) in favor of the hat I made him last year, out of Misti Alpaca Chunky double knit.  My feelings weren't hurt too much, since he is still wearing a hat I made, and he LOVES it, wants to wear it all the time.  I made him a scarf to go with:

which he currently will not wear, but I am sure he will when it gets cold enough!

I also made him some Lovikka mittens out of Cascade 220 wool, they felted up really nicely:

And now I need something for MY head.  I was so jealous of that Misti Alpaca that I got some for myself, and am making a Coronet hat.  Here's how far one skein got me:

Of course, that brim is folded over, so there's actually more hat than just that little bit.  I'm liking this pattern so far -- it's flexible, the cable was fun and not too onerous (no cable needle, of course!), and I think it will be warm and delicious.  Actual color is dark chocolatey brown.  Now I just need to get another skein!!

I've also got some present knitting underway.  The Hanami Stole for my mom is SLOW going, so I think this is a birthday present (March) not a holiday present.  But it is beautiful.  My first real lace project!

By the way, this is Malabrigo Laceweight if I didn't say so before.  And those are 4 mm swarovski crystals (clear AB) on the bottom edge.

And, I'm halfway through slipper sox for Ken, in Mountain Colors Twizzle.  He loves the first one a lot, so I am girding my loins to get through the rest of that damnable 2x2 ribbing.  Ugh!

OK that's it for now.  Next time I will give you much movie and TV reviews, coz guess how I've been getting all this knitting done??  So, I've seen:

• No Country For Old Men (Outstanding.  Devastating)
• The Devil Wears Prada (Charming, fluff.)
• Underworld (Terrible, 2nd rate Matrix)
• Ocean's 13 (Predictable and nonexciting, but a great payoff/ending)
• Pushing Daisies (I LOVE this series, it is my New Thing)
• Bandits (It was OK, needed about 20 minutes edited out of it to get it moving, but good ending!!)
• I also tried to watch Cradle Will Rock, but gave up after an hour.  Where's the plot, already???

Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

Duck parade -- and many reviews

The duckie booties have been multiplying:

And they have spawned some other water creatures:

So my knitting is now all-DIY show, all the time. I'm going to charge through one more pair of duckie booties, and one more froggy one, then move on to some hats.  I am going to try to find some wool-blend for more froggies today though -- the Pima Tencel hurts my hands too much, and I think the booties are better in something softer and more luxurious.  So what have I been doing while I produce all this (relatively) mindless knitting?  (There is something to be said for doing the same thing over and over -- you get fast!)  Well...

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

We went to the premiere of this movie, despite mixed reviews.  A bunch of us went in costume and handed out flyers for the SCA -- it was a low-key demo that was very successful!

The movie -- meh.  Yes it was rich and well filmed.  But it was kind of boring, with overacting, and costumes that were truly fantastic, as in, not accurate.  :(  Although the lace collars were gorgeous.  I think it's an interesting meditation on the psychological fallout of the decisions Elizabeth made in the first movie.  It answers the question "How long can she keep this up?"  But still, it was just a mishmosh of plot points, with no story arc.  And you know, I can handle iffy historical costumes and bombastic music in the service of a great story and script, which is what I thought the first one was.  But this one was definitely the Spinal Tap version -- everything is turned up to 11, including the acting.  Which I think is unfortunate, because in the first movie the performances, although sometimes over the top, are often nuanced and delicate, and human.  Even the "I too can command the wind!" line from the previews comes off as pathetic and desperate in the film.  Rather than going on about the first film and how great it was, and how meh the new one is, I direct you to two excellent review:  Antagonie & Ecstasy's review is very excellent -- gives a low score but calls the movie a "must see" -- sort of wonderfully awful.  Nick's review of "Elizabeth: Full Throttle" is more scathing, but accurately so, I think.  So go rent the first one again, please.  *Sigh*... sequelitis struck hard.

On the other hand, I also watched...

The Science of Sleep

Quiet, sad, elegaic, poetic, painful... this move is painfully evocative of the gap we have between our ideal, romantic selves and the crummy, jerky selves we actually are, especially with people we're attracted to.  And how are friends can be true friends and jerks simultaneously.  And how it feels to have an utterly meaningless job.  The visuals are delightful and stunning.  The cast is terrific.  It feels like a very autobiographical sketch -- the details are so factually weird and emotionally plausible that it rings with authenticity.  I also appreciate that it doesn't follow a formula in terms of its arc or ending.  Salon's review captures the movie well.  Definitely rent this, and then be sad and moved.

And, I've also been reading a ton! 

Robin Hobb -- Farseer and Liveship Traders

I tore through two trilogies by Robin Hobb -- The Farseer trilogy and the Liveship Traders series, both set in the same world, with events roughly in the same timeline.  These books are not escapist fantasy -- Hobb builds a plausible political world with real, solid characters in her fantasy setting.  I was thinking about the difference between science fiction and fantasy, and how I think people expect fantasy to be big, romantic, epic heroes' journeys.  Science fiction can sometimes be this, but is often more of a what-if -- what if we built a world with these conditions, how would people live in it?  While Hobb's books are set in a pseudo-feudal, low-tech world, magic takes the place of science and she creates more of a what-if scenario.  Both series are pretty tough -- bad things happen to good people, some good things happen to bad people, and no one is particularly all-good, but everyone is very human.  I felt myself upset but riveted, especially by the second series -- the characters have to deal with some tough ecological and ethical dilemmas brought on by their forefathers.  Very thought provoking and intense.  I approve.

Maia

I'm now delving into this monster (1200+ pages!) and although I find it suffers from made-up-names-for-things-itis (a common fantasy illness), and its politics are not as elegantly intertwined with its primary plot, I am still finding it compelling.  I will press on.

Side observation:  How do you know it's a fantasy novel?  If it has a hand-drawn map in the front.

And finally, in music...

The Go! Team

I heard a review of their second album on Sound Opinions, having never even heard of them before.  Sounded totally compelling to me (cheerful, sampleriffic music with double-dutch hip hop vocals), and when I checked out their first album on iTunes, wouldn't you know they provide the soundtrack to the demo for my most eagerly anticipated PS3 game!  So, I'm a convert. Here's how this reviewer describes them: "Sesame Street on speed infused with hints of Jackson 5 meets Lee Greenwood and Nancy Sinatra and a pinch of Sonic Youth."  Accurate!

That's a thing that I keep in the back of my head

Et Voila!

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen!  The completed Caterpillar Sweater!

The back...

A little more of the back, including caterpillar sleeves...

The front...

Sleeve detail...

And the sweater in action!

One of the most gratifying things about this sweater is that Alec loves it a lot, and recites the story when he looks at it.  The other gratifying thing is that it really looks like my concept drawings!

And the other other gratifying thing is that people have  been marking it as a favorite in Ravelry!!  How cool is that???

I am completely satisfied with this sweater... EXCEPT that I might redo the zipper.  I hand sewed it in (fine), but I just laid it out with what seemed natural, and the two sides are not exactly the same, and they are both longer than the back.  So I think I might take it out, measure the zipper tape against the back, cut it, then sew each side in to the absolute zipper length, I think that might work better.

So here's the stats:

Caterpillar Sweater

Pattern:  My own, based on Ann Budd's universal drop-shoulder cardigan pattern

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in a variety of shades, Lorna's Laces in Envy, some local handpainted green yarn, and Natural colored Karabella Aurora 8 for the body.  Plus a little bit of Socks that Rock to make the hairy caterpillar back, and a little bit of Louet Gems for the yellow outlines of the eyes.

Notes:

Did my own math for the decreases on a garter stitch sleeve.   I knit the body all in one piece, dividing for the fronts and backs, then did a 3 needle bindoff at the shoulders.  I picked up the sleeves in the armhole but then knit them back and forth, joining again for the cuff.  I then seamed up the sleeves after the fact.

I knit the fruit by shaping them on the fly, and invented a funky way of making the button holes two rows high for the holes in the fruit (I am sure it is cheating!).

I knit the caterpillar in garter stitch with short rows to shape the segments.  I bound off at the end of the green part, then knit the head separately.

Everything is applique'd onto the sweater using  running stitch with its own yarn ends (left them long).  I sewed the top of the caterpillar on with some Socks That Rock to make the hairy top of the caterpillar.

I used yarn to do chain stitch embroidery for eyes, horns, stems, and leaves, with a little satin stitch thrown in.  I used a bit of Opal sock yarn to do the yellow around the caterpillar eyes -- I couched a double strand down with another strand of the same.

I was able to bury the ends of a lot of the applique into the layer between the sweater body and the shapes, so the back is pretty tidy.

Whew!  A lot of work but soooo cute!

A few notes on the fit -- I was worried this would be too narrow across the chest, so I wet-blocked it and stretched it out a bit.  Fits fine, and the sleeves are plenty long.  Had I known when I started that I was making a 3-4T size (instead of 2-3T -- this took a while!), I would have made the body longer too.  Also, I think the neck hole needed to be set into the back more -- it pulls to the back a bit.

I wish I knew a good way to pick up the collar in a contrasting color and have it look neater -- does anyone have any suggestions?

Oh, also, I'm in full swing production for the DIY trunk show now.  Just finished my second pair of booties.

I was going to review Elizabeth: The Golden Age today, but I think that's enough for one post!!!

It's an occupation where the wind prevails

Big updates, and Movie Review -- 3:10 To Yuma

While little posting has been happening, much knitting has been happening!

Here is the completed Twins Blanket #2, from Araucania Pomaire and a few other assorted bits.

It is super soft and delish.  Center got messed up a bit and inexplicably I chose not to tink back for it.  But it looks OK.  The edge is garter stitch with M1 increases.  Were I to do it again, I'd probably forgo the increases in the border -- I don't thinnk it needs it.  Here's a detail shot with more accurate color:

Yummy!

Also, I got my Ravelry invitation!!!  I am bluecanarygirl.  It is super cool to see people making my designs too!  There's one Pondemonium in the works and more than 20 bunny hats!  Makes me feel like a real designer.  Ravelry is so huge, I could take a week off work and just plumb its depths.  As it is, I have merely stuck my toe in, but it's terrific.

OK in other knitting news, I have sewn 5 of the 6 strips of the Patchwork Rainbow Twins blanket (#1) together so I'm on the home stretch.  And I started another Sweet Baby Cap for Greta -- this is instead of another pinwheel blanket -- I frogged that one.  The cap seems like a more appropriate gift, and it's very sweet indeed.

The yarn is Socks That Rock in Fairgrounds.  I was going to stripe this with something else, but it's stripey enough on its own!

Now I just need to finish the Caterpillar Sweater in time for Alec's birthday and I'm good to go for DIY Trunk Show Prep!

And in case you're wondering what else I've been doing with my time, it's this:

I designed all the embroidery patterns, and did a ton of embroidery and beadwork on these babies.  They were a lot of work!  Here's some detail shots:

Yes, that's a lot of beads.

3:10 To Yuma

This was a great classic western, with just phenomenal acting from Messrs Crowe and Bale.  It's completely predictable in a way, and very comfortable working within the tropes of the western.  But throughout the whole thing, I just kept whispering, "this is SO FUN!"  Strange to be so tickled by a somewhat tragic story, but it was just delicious.  I would even use the word "rollicking" as in a rollicking western.  And you know what?  I forgive Russell Crowe for any stupid movies he's been in.  He's awesome.  That is all.

They turn into the kind of joke that Keith feels isn't that funny

A festival of color

First, I want to say, thanks for all your comments over the last few months!  For some reason, Typepad is no longer emailing me when I get comments -- I'll be getting them to fix it, reading your comments, and replying!

Blankie madness

Hooray!  I have the body of knitting done on the first Blankie!

Next step is to sew all these strips up (and the ends in), and then knit a garter border in this leftover Organic Cotton I have:

The Patagonia was super yummy to knit with, but this blanket ate up the yardage!  I basically have none left (6 skeins = 36" square blankie). 

Also, partway through the last strip, I just got tired of the whole thing.  It was enough with the color changing and the fiddly 20-stitch rows with all their purling etc.  So, I started another blankie:

This is a Pinwheel Blanket for Greta, another friend's new baby.  I'm making it out of Socks That Rock (doubled), and some leftover Rowan Cashsoft DK in ecru.  The STR is two skeins from the 2006 club -- Peaseblossom and Fairgrounds.  I'm glad to be using it -- I had a ton of sock yarn, and it's so nice, it doesn't have to meet its destiny as a pair of socks!  Glad to be stashbusting too.

This blanket is so much fun and so easy that I think I'll make the second Twins Blanket as a pinwheel too, but out of this nice Araucania Pomaire:

I'll do the cool colors in wide stripes, with the red as narrow stripes between.

So, a lot of baby blanket action around here!

In addition, with my stash busting going on, I've lined up some holiday knitting!  My mom would like the Hanami Stole, so I'll be looking for blue or purple laceweight for that project.  My first big lace project -- any suggestions for good lace yarn for a beginning lacer?  I will be going to Indianapolis twice in September, so I will definitely be stopping by the Knit Stop again (source of Araucania goodness)!

Also, some of my singers have requested socks and scarves, so now I've got a full plate on the project list.

BIG NEWS

I have gotten in to the DIY Trunkshow in November!  Check out my vendor page.  So, I'm going to knit a slew of baby stuff (13 hats, 10 pairs of booties), and make some kits too.  I'm so excited!  This show was terrific last year -- I shopped a ton, it was like a holiday craft bazaar for cool people.  So far I am the only knitter listed... hopefully this will lead me to more fame, and possibly fortune.

Vintage movies

I've been on quite a retro kick lately.  Here's my reviews, for all you 80s folks out there...

Dirty Dancing, super fabulous deluxe DVD edition

Nobody puts baby in a corner! *Sigh*.  Still fabulous.  The thing that really strikes me this time through is that this movie is all about fathers, and truth, love, and respect in those father relationships.  Baby's relationship to her father, and how he adjusts to her as an adult, and then Johnny's hunger to be respected and his rebellious resentment of being misunderstood... at the heart of this is Jerry Orbach's lovely performance as Baby's father.  It's really a nice piece of ensemble acting.  I can't even tell if this movie is cheesy or not, whenever I watch it I am instantly transported into the drama, the heart, and the DANCING of course!  Maybe that means it holds up...  here's a nice review I found while looking for a picture.  Oh, also!  The extras on the DVD are terrific!  The interviews are really fun to listen to, for the die hard fan.

Next time:  Flatliners and Goonies

Switch off the mind and let the heart decide

FINALLY, Sockapalooza AND vacation pix!

So I found my camera, and actually got to wear my wooly sockapal sox today! The upside of cold and rainy weather.  Here they are, in all their sparkly goodness:

Here's a detail shot where you can see some of the diamond texture.

These came along with some yummy fruit galettes.  Thanks so much, Kate!

And here are a few cute Alec shots from Pennsic, our fabulous (but VERY wet and rainy) medieval camping vacation:

Father and son

Cutie pie

And here's some marzipan I made in about 20 minutes at camp -- combat sotelties!

Here's my quickie marzipan recipe:

1 can almond paste
1 egg white
2 teaspoons orange extract

Mix these together with a fork until the mixture forms a smooth paste.

Then, add much powdered sugar as necessary to make a workable dough.  The consistency should be like play-doh.  Divide for colors, add food coloring and mix.  Add more powdered sugar to bring it back to dough consistency.

Shape into delicious fruit shapes and enjoy!

Ain't nothing flashing but the fireflies

Quick update -- socks received!!!

I just wanted to let my sockpal know that I received my sockapalooza sox, and they are terrific!  They were waiting for me when I got back from vacation, along with some yummy galettes which we feasted on.  I can't find my camera yet post-vacation, so I was waitng to take pix and post, but that's not fair to you, sockapal!!  ANyway thanks for the sox and I will post a more complete entry as soon as I find the camera.

In the meantime, have completed 2 of 6 strips of the first baby blanket.  Whew.

I'm having a wonderful time but I'd rather be whistling in the dark

Monday Movie Review: The Bourne Ultimatum, and... Better Late Than Never

Well I am finally mailing off my sockapalooooza socks!  I finished them on the way to vacation on Aug 3, but waited till I got home to wash them.  They came out soooo soft!  Here they are:

I'm mailing them off with some Mountain Colors Bearfoot and some Balloon Flower seeds for my sockapal's garden.  No chocolate, it might melt in the mail!

The sidewinders were fun to knit, although they do take some concentration.  And I'm not in love with the seam under the toes.  But a good experiment!

Movies!

While on vacation, I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum.

Disclaimer:  I love Matt Damon.  He is at the top of my "list."  I would watch him read the want ads.  I mean it.  I'm not objective.  And I'm a huge fan of the Bourne movies.  Damon has a way of playing tough but letting a little vulnerability show through that just gets me every time. 

And as an action movie, Bourne Ultimatum does not disappoint.  I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  David Strathairn is fantastic.  Joan Allen does her thing.  Julia Stiles is merely adequate, it seemed like her part got cut in the script room, kind of a shame.  I like her better when she's being funny, she just seemed kinda constipated in this one, going through all the motions that Franke Potente went through, so that it was kind of like being beat on the head -- "See what happens to women mixed up with Bourne?  They have to dye their hair!".  So, this movie is really more of the same, another remix of Bourne Supremacy.  But it didn't really have enough newness to stick with me after the fact.  And it didn't wrap up the series in any emotionally meaningful way.  I mean, OK, all the plot bits are wrapped up, but it left me a little cold.  Although I do agree with critics who mention that the political message of this movie is quite well-done, with its references to covert interrogations, rendition and torture.  I liked Joan Allen's character: "This isn't what I signed up for."  That's how I feel about the United Stated government right now.

So, overall, a fun thriller, but it didn't have the emotional weight of the previous two for me.

EDIT:  Here's two other reviews for your consideration.

Remember, one man's ceiling is another man's floor

So close, and yet so far

Pop quiz:  what is this a picture of?

A: Are you ready?  That's the sight of me unpicking about 70 grafted stitch pairs of the 116 along the back of my second sockapaloooza sidewinder sock, on the day it's supposed to be mailed.  If you look in the dictionary under "annoying", you will see this picture.  Cross-referenced to "tedious" with a note on "sweaty."

I don't know how this happened, but when I got to the heel, I saw that somehow my stitch count on one side was 4 stitches different than the other side.  This is a lot when you're, just f'rinstance, lining up the very visible and decorative transition from stockinette to garter stitch at the top of the heel.  NOTE TO SELF: Do not start 116 stitch kitchener project at 4 in the morning.

So, even though I am leaving for vacation in mere hours, and I wanted to have these done and mailed, I have decided to diagnose and fix them, whatever the problem may be.  Boo hoo!  I wanted to be on time!  But I have left an anonymous note for my sockapal so she won't worry, and this way the sock will have a Pennsic stamp on it.  So that's cool!  Good thing I have 8 hours of car knitting time in which to figure this out.  For some reason (probably because I've been hurrying), the second sock has been fraught with weirdness and problems.  I am confident that if I am willing to tink and rip (which I am), I can sort it out.

So, in the meantime, here's a picture of Alec in his new sandbox, to cheer me and you up.

And here's a picture of the beautiful Patagonia yarn (cotton, yay!), all wound up for vacation baby blanket knitting (AFTER SOCK!):

Sorry sockapal!  I promise it will be worth the wait!

Emotional action painting

Movie Reviews -- and some knitting...

So I am coming down to the wire for sockapalooza sock knitting!  And sock number 2 is progressing...

Wish me speedy knitting this weekend!  Not only do I intend to make the deadline, I am also highly motivated to finish these before I go on vacation next Friday.  Woo hoo!

Oh, in other news, I submitted an entry to the DIY Trunk Show.  I visited this show last year and it was fantastic!  Like a Holiday Craft Fair for cool people.  Hopefully I will get in, and will sell little baby booties, hats, and knitting kits!

Movie Reviews

I'm going to see Sunshine tonight, so I'll let you know how that is.  In the meantime, I've watched a slew of movies lately!

Harry Potter 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Well, it was... OK.  It was certainly great to see scenes from the book.  But that's all this movie was -- scenes from Book 5.  Like Cliff's Notes.  Unlike the previous two movies, which had a life of their own outside of the books, due in large part, I think, to the partnership between the directors and the screenwriter (and also to the directors' skill and confidence overall), there were themes that unified the movie so that it had a story to tell beyond the story of the "plot."  In particular, Goblet of Fire is, I think, a great study of teen dating angst, which overlays the entire movie.  I have trouble remembering the particulars of the tasks, or what Voldemort's plot was in the movie, but I remember Harry and Ron's despair over asking girls to the dance, and Hermione's frustration at outwitting herself in her quest to get Ron to notice that she's a girl.

Interesting how I'd much rather talk about scenes from Goblet of Fire that tell you about Order of the Phoenix!  I do think that, like the first two movies, the director was focused on "staying faithful" to the material and didn't really own the movie as his own creation.  Azkaban is just as much an Alfonso Cuaron movie as it is a Harry Potter movie.  Same thing for Goblet of Fire -- it's a Mike Leigh movie that happens to be about Harry Potter. 

Well, in any case, here's some things that were great:

• Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge.  Chillingly sweet, she was note-perfect.
• Umbridge's moving kitten plates. Creeped me out and made me laugh.
• Luna Lovegood.  A really solid performance.  Great new addition to the cast, and I think she tread the line between kooky and, well, not-kooky, just beautifully.
• The acting of the 3 principles -- they are doing a sturdy job in their roles.
• The practice scenes of Dumbledore's Army -- they were great and really captured the process of learning, felt a lot like the book.
• Editing down Harry's angst.  Although I enjoyed reading it (unlike so many other people!), I was glad not to have to watch it.

Here's some things I wish they had included, that I really missed:

• The scene at St. Mungo's when we see Neville with his parents.  Heartbreaking, and important I think.  The "replacement" scene in the movie didn't have the same punch.
• The telling of the full prophecy, and the connection to Trelawny, plus Snape's part in it.  I know we can probably survive the movies without this info, but I really like hearing Dumbledore justify Trelawney's employment, and again it gives more substance to Harry's quest and his relationship to Neville.  Can you tell I like Neville? ;)
• Fred and George's full rebellion.  I love that in the book they made a swamp that couldn't be removed, and that the teachers wouldn't help get rid of it.  For some reason, in the movie this felt too abbreviated, like Fred and George shot off some fireworks and that's it.  This should have been a major focus for the civil disobedience and in particular the teacher's support of it.  As it turned out all we have is a comic moment with Flitwick.
• More on 12 Grimmauld place, the cleaning of it, Mrs. Weasley's worries, and interactions with Kreacher and Sirius' history.  I understand why they cut so much of this, and I even agree with it, but I still miss it, especially as setup for the rest of the series.

Here's some things that I think were really not good in the movie:

• The editing.  Often the acting in the scenes was good, but there were these palpable pauses at the end of the scene (especially in the first half).  It was like, do they think that's a significant or dramatic pause, or are they just waiting for the director to yell "cut"?  Maybe a little thing but it bothered the heck out of me from a movie rhythm standpoint.
• The choppy script and short run time.  There was just no need for this.  Especially, this is the last movie of the series that people saw without knowing what was going to happen next.  I wanted it to be a bit more luxurious and full.

So I think overall it was better than the first two movies, but it was so workmanlike it can't really hold a candle (or wand) to the 3rd and 4th movie.  I sure enjoyed it while I was watching it, but since then, disappointment has set in.  Plus, I can't imagine anyone enjoying this movie if they haven't read the books.

Speaking of enjoying Harry Potter, check out this little movie.  Disturbing, but funny!

Finger pointing, eyebrows low, mouth in the shape of the letter O