Tuesday, January 29, 2008

For the curious....



Maybe you have asked yourself, "Self, why does she call it Red Panty Designs?" Why red panties?

Well, I'll tell the short version: In a stressful moment at the museum, involving a nasty, hateful woman and an annoying boss, I decided I didn't have to take it anymore, because I was wearing my red panties, and it takes a strong, confident woman to wear red panties. My mother would never have worn red, that was dirty and sinful. So I created the first quilt (see my avatar!) in honor of those women who preceded me, and only wore nice, white underwear. Then I created this quilt, "Brick Wall", for my daughter, to remind her to be strong and confident at all times. It is hard to capture in a photo, but there is an outline of a torso and legs stitched in red metallic threads, which phrases affirming my hopes that she will grow into a woman who knows her own worth and respects herself.

The other piece I did at that time was "Hot Flash", featuring flaming panties, because, well, if you are of an age, you know what that means!

These quilts are from the Panties of Power series. I actually have t-shirt that I silkscreened, with the logo!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Venting with my venti.....

Apparently there is a Big, fat, cosmic Bull's eye on me, my car, my life! This has been an interesting week, to say the least!

Wednesday, my car gets rear-ended as I'm coming home from work, in nearly the same spot that I myself hit someone 6 months ago! At least this time, I don't have to pay for it! But of course, my lower back, which had been twinging for 4 days, is now fully out and bothering me. And no, I didn't tell the woman's insurance company, because really, I can still work, I have no intention of treating it with anything other than Ibuprofen. I cannot exaggerate like that and live with my conscience.

Thursday, my student minion who works the evening shift was late, which meant that I was picking my teenager up from school instead of my hubby. Needed gas, so stopped on the way home. Voila! The car won't start back up! Not 7 days ago, I asked said hubby if we'd ever replaced the battery, because the car really had been whining in the cold lately. So hubby arrives, jumps the battery, and replaces it. (original, 7 year old battery!)

So I stay up til midnight finishing the costumes for teenager's character in the play. My own fault for procrastinating, but it's not helped by the fact that I made the mistake of reading the pattern instructions, which over the last few years I SWEAR are written by 6 year old russian speaking natives who have never sewn in their lives! I'm picking out seams that I shouldn't have sewn together. But the costumes are done, I go to bed with the kitty, leaving hubby snoring at the TV, only to wake 2 hours later cursing the fact that I'd had too much dairy, apparently. So I wake at my usual 6am feeling less than perky!

This morning, I've got to shower and dress up, because there's a reception here at the museum for the newly hired President & his family, and I do not have the same luxury as my boss, who will go home & change just before. As I exit the shower, the phone rings, it's Buildings & Grounds wanting to know when I'll be in. 10am (it was 9am at the time of the call!) Well, that's not soon enough, they've got contractors waiting to get in & check out the environmental controls that are on the fritz. So I give him my boss's cell, and continue to get ready. Phone rings again, this time it's the campus safety officer who went to let the contractors in, she's set the alarm off and can't remember how to shut it off! By this time, it's 9:15, 9 degrees outside, but I'm sweating like a pig running around!

Finally get out of the house, drive-thru the Post Office, get to the body shop to get an estimate for Wednesday's damage. While I'm waiting, I call the public safety officer. Now it's 9:40, and the contractors haven't shown up yet!! Get to work, there's a housekeeper sweeping the snow off the front stoop of the building, I thank him (otherwise I'd have to do it) and my boss walks up and gives him h@ll for not using a shovel to get to bare concrete! It's sunny out, the stuff will melt in another hour!

Now, earlier this week I heard that astrologically speaking, Mercury is ascending, so it's a good time to wrap up loose ends??? I don't know, but I am postive that cosmically speaking, I am in the shitter and desperately need to get out!

There's more, but I'm sipping my cafe mocha and thinking pleasant thoughts.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Knitting kodama dolls


I've been knitting adorable little kodama dolls over the weekend. I found the pattern ages ago, and was afraid to attempt the double-knitting tubular technique, but the pattern was VERY good at explaining it, and it was a breeze! The pattern was here: http://smartygirl-gets-crafty.blog.ca/2006/12/

They are quick, easy, and use up little bits of yarn. They felt really quickly in the kitchen sink, just like she says! They are about 4" tall.

Smartygirl has a cool pic of the anime they come from; I guess they're little ghosties!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Scavenger Hunt Questionnaire

1) Do you knit, crochet or both? How long? I knit only, about 40 yrs. I can do the most basic crochet but not very well.
2) What is on your needles right now? I'm finishing the lace edging for a shrug in "Knit Tricks" by Rebecca Wat, and I've been making little Kodama dolls and Nicky Epstein pears to be felted. Oh, and I cast on for the Yarn Vomit KAL.
3) What is the most frequently used tool in your knitting bag? Hmmmm, probably my little Chibi with big darning needles to sew things up with. I never lose darners anymore!
4) What are your 3 favorite yarns? Cascade 220, Jo Sharp DK wool, and a tie btwn Crystal Palace cotton chenille and Tahki cotton classic What are your 3 least favorite? I'm not very fond of Red Heart anything, I didn't have a good experience with Lion Brand Microspun, and I am not crazy about angora.
5) What is your favorite color? Eggplant. Fuschia. Lime Green. Anything but dusty colors or beige!
6) If you had a 5 minute shopping spree in your LYS, how would you plan your attack?
7) What is your favorite FO and why? My pirate mittens, arrgh!
8) What are your favorite things to knit/crochet? Fair isle mittens, little toys & creatures, little fruit/veg/foods to felt up
9) Do you collect anything? Skulls, buttons, espresso spoons
10) What your your five favorite things (not necessarily knitting related) Hello Kitty, Happy Bunny, Skelanimals, sassy quotes, cute bandaids
11) Are you on Ravelry? What is your ID? Yes, redpanties
12) Do you drink tea/coffee/cocoa? Yes to all, but NO chamomille (allergic) love chai, lavender tea
13) Favorite sweets? Dark chocolate, shortbread cookies, sour jelly belly beans, sour patch kids, junior mints
14) Any allergies? Rose scented things
15) Do you have pets? kids? 1 kitty, 1 17 yo daughter

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Love to perform, hate to rehearse!


It's Tuesday, which means rehearsal. I hate to practice, always have. I can clearly remember taking piano lessons at age 5, and trying to fake my way thru because I didn't practice the week before!

I'm practicing this evening with a folk-ie, pop-ish, modern group. This isn't so bad, I'm just the back-up singer. That's always fun, a lot less pressure on me. I sing every weekend at church, and when I'm up front I do have to behave.

I also sing a little with Honk, Wail and Moan, a FAB jazz group influenced by Sun Ra and Charles Mingus. They write over 50% of their sets, then do great renditions of classics. The bass player (behind me singing) was part of the trio that won the International Blues competition last year in Memphis! He's got wicked licks! He plays acoutic bass normally, this pic is from a Tom Waits-a-thon where 12 different bands all did a 3-song set of Waits tunes. We totally rocked it, with the largest band, and the only one with girls!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Mittens, Mittens, knitting Mittens!




The wonderful pirate mitten pattern available free from http://www.helloyarn.com/piratemittens.htm has been flying off my needles lately! Black and white for me, red and white for my teenage daughter, and I reworked the pattern a bit to create fingerless gloves for a barrista at the local bookstore!
I used Jo Sharp DK wool and #5 needles. I had to decrease the stitches in the 1x1 rib cuffs, then I increased just before the chart, so everything worked.

My new Crafty Tattoo!



After another 2 hours in the chair (with short smoke breaks in between, of
course) Don of Argus Tattoo has finished my latest ink, a gorgeous design that
incorporates my love for working in Fiber, with big pointy scissors! Also, it
nods to my love of skulls, my greek heritage, and the fact that if it surprises
people, it's got to be good!
Do you notice the open wound in the lower left corner? There is a needle
and thread stitching me up!!