Before I forget, watch this.

Okay, onward!

End of the beach!

Orange wildflowers.

What do you call these again?  I titled the photo “lichen”, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the appropriate name.  Lichen.

My mother made a big fuss about wanting me to take this picture and send it to her, and when I finally did she didn’t use it!!  Hmph!!  So, I’m stealing it for my own purposes.  You’ll probably see it on her blog someday soon.

I finished The Sneak’s hat last night.

I’m pretty happy with it, but there is a chance that I’ll rip back a little and reshape the top.  (It’s not actually as tall and narrow as it looks; it stretches quite a bit.)

For now, I’m working on this:

Pomatomus.  They’re a ways further than this picture, but I was too lazy to take another photo.

Phew!!   And now, back to my main occupation of the evening.

“The crones are here.”  –Grandmoom

“You know what’s wrong with me?  I’m just a grandma.  Yep, just a grandma.”  –Grandmoom

“How do you give time?”  –Batty
“I don’t know.  When you set a time limit you actually *take* time, so maybe you give time by not talking about time?”  –Mouse
“Well, what happens when people waste time talking about time?”  –Daddy
“So people take their own time by wasting time talking about the time they don’t have?”  – Mouse

(Referring to “bird nests”, these delicious dark chocolate-coated cookies with irish cream filling that we buy in Alanson in the yarn store/bakery)
“Oh, mine gott!!  Look at these things?  Well, if they’re bird nests, where are all the birds?”  –Betty
“They’re in your stomach, and that’s why you have to eat them.  You have to send them down to the birds.  Don’t you ever feel them flapping around down there?”  –Mouse
“Oh, no, I figured out that’s just your heart beating.”  –Grandmoom

*Grandmoom and Batty cough a lot while talking*
“Are you two having a reaction to the dessert or something?”  –Daddy

No, seriously.  I’ve actually made progress on multiple projects.  Namely The Sneak’s hat and my dress for the wedding*. No, really:

The Sneak’s hat.

Silk dress.

Okay, now that I’ve shown you progress I have a confession; the socks I started for Jeremy are on hold.  Why?  Because his feet are too damned big.  That in itself isn’t such a problem (although it would be incredibly easy to blame him as he doesn’t read this), except the yarn I’m using has less than 400 yards per skein.  I would like to make a slightly taller cuff, meaning that I need to dig up some kind of contrasting/complimenting yarn for the toes, heels, and upper cuffs.  An expensive recipient, but I suppose he’s worth it.  (Did you read the part about how he’s worn through every pair of socks I’ve ever made him?  That’s love.  Or appreciation.  Choose your battle and run.)

The early part of today was spent doing laundry and rescuing yarn for Amanda, who is avoiding my constant companionship by living in North Carolina with her father.  How obnoxious!!  When it became clear that my father was coming home from work late, I biked to the library on a failed mission.  It was an excellent ride, despite the fact that it was 90 degrees.  (Er…I’m still pretty immune.  Clearly.  Thanks, Senegal!!)  While I didn’t find the book I wanted (Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand) I did come home with four other books.

When I came out of the library it looked a little stormy, so I high-tailed it home.  What do you know, as I came over the last hill I saw a huge clump of enormous black clouds.  I made it home about a minute before the rain started, while simultaneously discovering my impressive ability to answer my phone while riding.

Finally, a project I plan to plan but cannot afford:

Indeed.  Planning a fair isle sweater.  Maybe when I graduate.

In non-knitting news, I am at Houghton Lake with my sniffly father.  Tomorrow we’ll finish the journey to the Great White North to see my incredible grandmother.

Must. Go. Knit.

* I’ve already made the mistake of saying “my wedding dress” at least twice.  All I have to say about that one is that I’m incredibly glad it’s only an issue of mis-phrasing.

I blame the fact that I worked Saturday/Liz ordered 44 colors of Colinette Jitterbug.  Clearly, that is the only reason I would end up with this:

Actually, there is a second reason.  Jeremy has worn through every pair of socks I’ve ever made him.  Now he’s off in the mountains about to wear through the ones I just made him, which I failed to even photograph in their finished state.  Anyhow, there is need so it’s justified.  Right?  Okay.

I just thought I would mention this while I’m at it.  I’m not sure that I understand it, but I guess I don’t have to.  I very much enjoy the fact that they make them custom to fit.  Exactly what I need.

Also, my attention was called to this bit of nonsense yesterday.  I’ve done a spectacular job of ignoring it considering the fun, (okay so it also stresses me out a bit), but if I’m not careful it could perhaps become a serious addiction.  I’m currently hovering between the levels of Bobbing Bobcat and Rocketing Rabbit.  Can anyone get Turbo-Charged Cheetah?

Finally, my main project of the week progresses.  Remember that blob of white fabric from the last post?  Well now I’m going to show you a blob of blue fabric.  The dress is almost finished, but I’ve decided to remake the bodice piece because it doesn’t quite meet with my standards at this point.  Fortunately I have a ton of material…it’s not like I can just take a taxi to marché HLM or something.

P.S.  Somewhat upsettingly, I can’t find my bracelets.  I thought they were in Kalamazoo when they didn’t seem to turn up in Ann Arbor with me, but I can’t find them anywhere.  I didn’t leave them at the Crow’s Nest, and I can’t imagine that I would have left them anywhere in Ann Arbor…the problem is that I can’t remember when I noticed that they were missing.  I’m pretty confident that they’re in my little apartment or in my house, but not confident enough to stop worrying.  Anyway.  If anyone has seen them…let me know.

Exactly what I call 50 degree weather in Ann Arbor.  I have effectively worn the same outfit for four days running due to a limited supply of clothing.  I have one pair of pants that is not about to disintegrate, and only one long-sleeved shirt that managed to make it home for the week.  Now everyone thinks I wear the same clothes every day, but fortunately it’s warm today so I can begin to change that image.

Erm…while I try to work through my project ADD.

Everything I’m currently working on at home.

Detail shots?  Well…I guess I owe you all something of evidence.  So.  Some things you should know about me:

1) I still knit other people’s excellent patterns (Pomatomus, designed by Cookie and published on Knitty).

2) I still design (and ignore) my own patterns.  Yep, stash diving to finish things.  I hope.

3) I still receive yarn, in this instance an excellent frog-coloured mohair from the lovely Liz K.  (Thanks dearie!!)

4) I still pick up new and exciting artistic pursuits that I can’t afford and probably can’t execute with any degree of skill.  Not letting it stop me.

5) Uhm…enough said.  Just call it a compulsion and back away slowly.  I have 100 sheets of origami paper.  Guess what I’m going to do with it?

Other things in the first photo:

* Supplies.  New knitting needles!! Apparently I’ve lost most of mine.

* Ancient black and white film which I am intending to cart around the city in an excellent old camera.  We’ll see what I come up with.

* A knot tied in tie-line

* White broadcloth.  I am drafting a pattern so I can make a dress to wear to my cousin’s wedding.

Tomorrow it’s back to Kalamazoo, then into the wilderness.  While I’m there I’ll try to document the ecosystem of projects currently living on my living room floor while I clean.

P.S.  What would happen if I tried to post something every day?  Déjà vu?

…that can reduce a woman to shallow breathing and rapid heart palpitations?

I’m not talking about this, although in my opinion it definitely ought to be included.  (I take the fact that she thought of me as a compliment.)  Grapefruit. Huh.*

I’m talking about the tiny baby raccoon I saw in the street last night.  It was also roughly the size of a grapefruit, perhaps smaller, and had enormous shiny eyes and a long furry snout.  As if that weren’t enough, it was sopping wet and all its fur was sticking out in crazy random spikes as it scurried along next to the curb.  Poor wet baby.  I wanted to scoop it up and nuzzle it, but fortunately I had the presence of mind to realize that these creatures are significantly less cuddly and friendly than they look.  Though I’m sure it would be entertaining (on the rather morbid, emergency hospital trip for a rabies shot kind of level) if you tried…

Oddly, my helpless weakness in the face of the cute does not seem to extend to human babies.  Hmm.  Sorry, human race.  Better luck with the next generation?
*A grapefruit is pretty impressive.  However in a completely different category, I feel obligated to mention the rats I saw in Senegal at night.  That’s right, the ones that were the roughly the size of large cats and which trundled alarmingly through the underbrush of your friendly neighborhood bar whilst your friends obliviously socialize.  The ones only you see, which is probably for the best.

On that note.

My classes ended on Friday, leaving me with just one final.  As of Wednesday at four PM I’ll be finished with my junior year.  To be incredibly cryptic and vague, I have some plans for things.  Maybe.  Sorta.  That’s all I’m going to say until I think about it a little more.

I’ve been thinking about Senegal a lot in the past week or two.  Mainly because it’s getting pretty hot.  It was supposedly in the upper 80s today, leading me to take a Senegalese shower (freezing water).  I’ve been very sleepy, leading me to turn onto my back in the mornings and stretch out in hopes that I’ll wake up more, but twice now I’ve passed out again in this rather silly position and woken up soon after because my arms were completely asleep.  Speaking of things from Senegal, I made this dress:

Fabric from HLM market in Dakar.  I have a few adjustments to make, but for the most part I’m very happy with the results.

We’ve had a lot of excellent storms along with the heat, including a very exciting tornado warning on Friday.  By “very exciting” I mean that I’m sure it was probably very exciting to people who spend significant quantities of time above ground, unlike those of us who live in the basement of the Fine Arts Building.  I was in the cage (what you call the room where costumes are stored) which is probably the safest place I could ever imagine in which to spend my time.  I think the entire city could be bombed out while you’re down there, and you’d never know it until you left.  All that underground fiber insulation, you know.

On that note, I need to stop doing this:

And work on my project.  We’ll see how that goes.

So…how old do you have to be before you can buy lemons?

That’s right, the U-Scan carded me.  For buying lemons.  Definitely one of the funnier grocery store experiences I’ve had in a while.

To this.  Hilarious!!  Annddd now off to have dinner and make myself “presentable”.  Er…whatever that means…

Not that anyone reading this will attend, but just in case The Vagina Monologues will begin at 7PM, not 8PM.