barbie

i pulled out the babette blanket to start seaming the sections together, but i think that will have to wait until tonight because i've got stuff to do at work today, work stuff. not that seaming is all that compelling, but i've got drive and i'm ready to plough through and finish this puppy off. by the way, thank you for your comments!  they are proving to be excellent motivators. i'm such a helper! ;-) when someone tells me "i was thinking about that but i wasn't sure, and then i saw yours and now i'm inspired" it's really a great compliment, in both size and kindness.
 

currently, besides trying to write to you, i am braiding the hair on the barbies in one of Cindy-Loo Who's skeins, Barbie's Ice Cream Social. you can see more closeups on her blog. There have been some cool yarns brewing down in Whoville! this summer i am going to learn how to spin art yarn a la cindy-loo. of course, this means i will also be learning how to spin yarn.  i've never been overly inclined towards spinning, myself, but the idea of making art yarn is very appealing! maybe my first subject will be pluto yarn?

it occurred to me last night that i've been telling you how much i like washing my hair with Eucalan, but that i have not been showing you any results. now, this is fine, except when you stop by the store i have not necessarily had a chance to wash my hair that day (i'm normally every other day, but sometimes i get busy or i intend to do it after my workout). this is what my hair looks like after washing with Grapefruit Eucalan, followed by Avalon Organics Olive & Grape Seed conditioner, followed with my regular regimen of Kiehl's Strong Hold Styling Gel and Super Thick Volumizer. Caveat, washing with Eucalan WILL NOT cause decapitated barbies to sprout from your yarn. I think this is my 4th or 5th wash?  my last wash was with baby shampoo because I was at John's house. regardless, the ends are not drier and the Eucalan seems to handle them a little bit better. i REALLY need a hair cut and the real test will begin after all the hay has been cut from the ends.

anyway, project wise, as i said, the blanket was put aside for a day or two. yesterday i taught Laura how to make gloves and i started working on a pair of gloves in Regia Design Line (the Kaffe Fassett colours) 6ply (dk weight) in the fire colourway, 5950, with 3mm/5"" dpn. i've never made gloves before, for some reason i thought they would be unpleasant, but they are exactly the opposite and i'm getting into them.  they are working really quickly and the thin needles are actually easier to work worth than thicker gauges i've used for mittens. this might actually be more fun than socks, well, at least for me. i have to wear gloves every day all fall, winter and early spring, so maybe having several funky, coloured pairs of gloves is a good idea to brighten things up. live & learn. perhaps i will start challenging myself to try a type of project every month that is on my 'never want to make' list?



finally, i've neglected to update the store project. Liane has been working on a Stitch Diva Butterfly Wrap (sans wings) to be displayed on the back wall of the store.

we are using a 3.5mm Clover soft touch crochet hook and Super 10 Cotton in colour 3004, a really nice grey, in size Small.  at first we were a little puzzled by the workings of the pattern but it sort of fell into place without making emendments. i seriously suggest you test your gauge by working the back panel, you won't get a good idea of size with a small swatch. 

P.S. two months ago month left me a comment telling me that i had miss-spelled 'emend'. because the comment was anonymous i was not able to contact that person directly and replied to the comment publicly. for the record, the word can be spelled with either an a or an e, but it comes from the Latin root emedare. generally, as a former reference librarian and academic, i go with the bible, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED):

COMPACT OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY OF CURRENT ENGLISH
— verb correct and revise (a text).

— DERIVATIVES emendation noun.

— USAGE The words emend and amend both derive from Latin emendare ‘to correct’ and have similar, but not identical, meanings in English. Emend means ‘correct and revise (a text)’, while amend means ‘make minor improvements to (a document, rule, or proposal)’.

— ORIGIN Latin emendare, from menda ‘a fault’.

MERRIAM WEBSTER DICTIONARY


CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY


Now, the reason i prefer to use 'emend' in this situation, rather than 'amend', is because changing a pattern to improve it generally involves a complete overhaul. regardless of how small or minor the tinkering, it always seems to cascade. a technical editor of a knitting/crochet pattern would be making amendments, correcting a number which have been miscalculated,  but not altering the concept or design.