fiber art...???

my best friend went to the Whitney this weekend. we had an interesting conversation the next day about modern art. i will reserve my opinions on that subject for some later date, but i found myself taking a swatch off the needle this morning, and perched on a index card on my keyboard, it reminded my of a Frank Gehry creation.

this yarn will be used for a secret project i hope to get started on soon...that is, as soon as i finish writing my dissertation. the yarn is a fingering-weight wool i found on ebay last week. the swatch was done on #2 needles. i pinned the swatch to the ironing board and gave it a quick blast of steam from a hot iron to block it into shape. [as a total aside, i dropped the container of straight pins on the bedroom carpet and i was in a rush leaving the house this morning, so there is the strong possibility i will forget this fact when i get home, and that will not be pleasant]

the secret project will be knitted in the round on 5 double-pointed needles. i actually find myself favoring them over circular needles for smallish projects. i don't feel brave enough to try making a sweater on dp's yet, but that may change with time. i will post some sort of instructions/directions along with the finished project...whenever it's done.

this stitching technique is called entrelac. it creates the seemingly-complicated effect of a basket-weave, but it is actually quite easy to do. i was fascinated and intimidated by this method for the longest while, but the latest issue of Interweave Knits contains a gorgeous pair of socks designed by Eunny Jang that i MUST make for myself...once i finish the cursed dissertation. so, i started swatching. in addition to the sock pattern, Eunny gives fabulous instructions for first-timers. i started the swatch in bed last night and finished it up over a breakfast.

by the way, this is not the secret project, in case you thought i slipped up. i haven't decided what yarn to use for the Eunny socks, but the swatch is looking mighty tempting, and i will have more than enough left over for a pair of socks. hmmmm....

almost there!!!

pending a few finishing touches (sleeve trim, button, etc.), the purple nurple is almost complete. i will post a proper picture later, but this is what it looks like as of tonight. and yes, they are real...and they're SPECTACULAR!!!

bad karma-el..

so...about a year ago i dyed and spun some wool in a colorway i called karma-el (because it brought me great peace to do it). now, my karma-el has turned on me...kinda. i started to make Glampyre's boob holder using this super-fab yarn, of which i had spun only a limited amount. i thought it would be enough for such a tiny project. problem is...it was not enough to contain my not-so-tiny boobs, so i abandoned karma-el with much sadness and despair...

...when what to my wondering eyes did appear, but three whole, complete, gorgeous skeins of Brown Sheep Yarn that i totally forgot existed in the stash. the color is H 01. it was a steal on ebay a couple of years ago and i was saving it for the perfect project. so now, i can rejoin the quest to hold my boobs...you know what i mean. i've made a few alterations to the original pattern to accommodate my broad shoulders and mighty bosom, but the central idea remains the same. i will post the alterations when the boob holder is done, but here is what i accomplished in the past 36 hours. i would totally aim to finish it tonight, but i desperately need to sleep, so the girls will have to go unheld till some later time. if there's enough leftovers, i will make a pair of fingerless gloves...or, as i like to call them...wrist holders!

yummy goodness!!!

so...this has absolutely nothing to do with knitting, but it's my creative activity for the day. i enjoy cooking, but i can only do it when i'm in a good mood - which i kinda was today - so i made food for the next few days. i wanted to make my special someone jealous, so i took pictures. most of the planning involved using stuff that was on the verge of going bad, so this is what i ended up with...

this fabulous dish was a quick curry made entirely of odd bits i found in the fridge. i had a dozen large shrimps that needed to be cooked immediately, so i sauteed some onions and chopped ginger, added a couple of bell peppers, some curry powder, tossed in the shrimps, and finished it all with a couple of chopped tomatoes. it is yum yum yum.

for some reason, the yams/sweet potatoes looked good when i was walking through the produce section, so i grabbed a couple. problem is...i was not sure what i wanted to do with them. i ended up sticking them in a 375 degree oven till they were soft and starting to ooze sweet goodness. i can nuke one briefly in the oven and use it as an accompaniment to the curry...or the SUPER STEW!!!

this was the best part of the day. i had some beef riblets (not exactly sure what the cut is called). i cut them up, marinated briefly, then i seared them in small batches quickly and piled them into a casserole. to the same saute pan, i added chopped onion, garlic, ginger, a bit of sweet peppers, and the last cup of fresh pineapple from this week's fruit binge. i tossed this around for a minute or two, squeezed an orange over it, added a giant glop of bbq sauce, and poured the whole mess over the beef. i sealed the casserole up tightly and left it in the oven at 375 degrees till the meat was super tender. it is so amazing. kinda like texas meets hawaii.