A Special Visitor

ABSENTEEISM …

Yes, I’ve been away, working working working on the dog sweater design I’m about to share with you.  But let’s face it ~ I could’ve checked in with you.  It was Spring Fever.  It was the 20th anniversary trip to Charleston (last week).  It was the 20th anniversary (this past Wednesday).    It was the daughter’s 16th birthday (yesterday).

It was just … I didn’t have anything to say, and what I had to say took too long to say in the time I had to say it.  Oh, well ~ forgive, ‘kay?

THE BIG DAY

Yesterday was April’s 16th birthday, and it was a wonderful day.  

My sweet, lovely daughter has been with us since April 5, 1994, when we went to China to adopt her.  She turned 2 and took her first steps while we were there, and the ensuing years have been a wonderful, sometimes painful whirl of two, ahem, older people trying to raise and handle a quirky, talented, intelligent little girl.  Now our baby is almost grown! (The Savannah Morning News told April’s story at age 6.)

I believe April had her best birthday ever.  She had a date with a special boy to have sushi lunch ~ he brought her chocolates and white tulips ~ and go on to the movies.  Since many of today’s teenagers seem to feel no need to learn to drive, these two included, Poppa chauffeured them around and brought them back here for birthday cake. 

Isn’t she cute ~ all 4’11” of her?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn’t met the boy before, and there was much advance cleaning and fixing up to get ready for his visit.  Here’s a picture of April’s room clean ~ take a good look, because you’re not likely to find it that tidy again soon.

That’s a reproduction of a Gee’s Bend quilt that I bought from Anthropologie several years ago.  The Jim Dine heart poster was in my Pepto Bismol pink studio apartment in New York before I moved to Savannah and got married.  The stick thingie propped on top of the bookcase is a voodoo doll from New Orleans.  And you can’t see the big birthday gift, a Nintendo Wii, on a dresser to the right.

 

THE LATEST PROJECT

It’s in the low 80s here, but I realize it’s still cold elsewhere, and there are plenty of little ones who stay cold year ’round.  So, here’s the latest installment in the puppy finery parade, pattern available by clicking on the thumbnail to your right under “My Patterns for Sale on Etsy”.

Fido’s Flower Garden 

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your pup can welcome spring in this beautiful, intricately detailed embroidered fair isle beauty. Knit partly in the round with an off-center lace-trimmed “henley” neck, decorative button faux closure, and pearl-beaded highlights, this sweater will keep your pup warm while temperatures are still cool outside, and pretty as a posy.

For the intermediate to advanced knitter who enjoys detail work. Some embroidery, hand-stitching, beading and crochet required.

The sweater uses 10 shades of light worsted-weight yarn.  This one is knitted in Cascade 220 wool.

 

     

 

My boy is extra sweet when he wears this one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Lotta Look

‘Grey Gardens’: Wrapped in a Cloud With an Edge

    

Yes, I finished something on time, my ‘Grey Gardens’ wrap.  And the weather cooperated Sunday so I could wear it to my friend Rachel’s “Handknit Wedding” (more on that later this week).  The day was brilliant and sunny, but the temps were cold for Savannah, so I cuddled up in this luscious, oversized angora-and-wool triangle and never even felt the chill.

  

As promised, I’m offering the FREE PATTERN on ~ duh ~ my Free Patterns page.  The wrap is knitted in Cascade Cloud 9, Berroco Ultra Alpaca and Crystal Palace Kid Merino, on US 8 needles.  I started out to make Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton’s “Sursa,” which is a big favorite in my knitting group.  But a friend suggested I not double the Cloud 9, which made it a whole new ballgame.  This is a B-I-G knit, i.e., the finished measurement is 96″ by 34″ sans ruffle!  But it’s a dream to work with ~ somehow avoiding the up-your-nose-and-all-over-your-clothes downside of angora ~ and the Cloud 9, which is used for the main, gray part of the shawl, does the most amazing thing: it felts itself as you knit.  Makes the most wondrous fabric.  I did a totally different ruffle, too ~ a fluted chevron thingie that’s a little, well, edgier than a simple ruffle.

My First Human Pattern. Enjoy!

Another Hot, Fierce Tranny Mess

Do you love “Project Runway” on Bravo?  If so, you’ll know what that little subtitle refers to, and you’ll enjoy this skit that ran on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend.  WordPress won’t let me link directly to the NBC clip and it’s not up on YouTube, but here’s a link:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/#mea=227155