Suzanne Valadon, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Wes just showed me the image, La Chambre Bleue, by Suzanne Valadon, which will be coming to SAM in October. I don't think I've ever seen it before but it's a very funny send up of the typical odalisque imagery from the French impressionists. I assumed it was a modern work but was stunned--and thrilled--to learn it was painted in 1923! Valadon was a model for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Puvis de Chavannes. She is the model in Renoir's Dance at Bougival. She learned to paint from these artists and became the first woman painter admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.

Her Wikipedia article makes her sound like the most fascinating woman ever. She kept a goat at her studio to "eat up her bad drawings." I love her already.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

In this week's "The Look on the Model's Face Tells You Everything You Need to Know," we have a very well known designer and a very well known company. How did they not see that this neither vest nor cape nor pullover hybrid is making the model very sad?

She is sad because this sweater adds about 5o pounds to her frame. It makes her shoulders look slumped. It makes her bust look sagged. It makes her stomach look paunched. It makes her arms look constricted. I hope they gave her something more flattering to wear in the rest of the shoot because she is not happy.

Mad Hatter

Since the Great Stashening I've had a bee in my bonnet about using up all my odds and ends. I want to knit them all! Now! I began with a helix hat (same basic recipe as always).

This one is Noro Cash Laine, Lamb's Pride Worsted, Classic Elite Kumara, Rowan Kid Classic, Julia and who knows what else.

Then I cast on and knit the ribbing on a plain hat in Naturally Harmony 10 Ply that I have had in my stash and planned to knit into a hat since I got the yarn as a freebie at Madrona in 2006. I took it to see Batman last night and finished it this afternoon.

Oh, I also made a really ugly hodgepodge hat yesterday with some leftover bulky scraps.

Then I started an Aviatrix which I haven't completed yet with some Rowanspun DK.

Then in about 20 minutes or so this afternoon I knit a hat with some Dale Ara that has been lying around since 2004. 2004! I bought it make a fricking poncho for Pete's sake! The poncho never happened and I've used it bit by bit over the last eight years.

Nope, that's not a pickle. It's a hat. Honest.

This is almost the last of it. There was a tiny nub left and I'm using it to make another hat!

Fall IK Preview

Is up.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Sometimes the simplest thing can conjure a memory from childhood.

Just gazing at this tunic with its carefully mapped out spleen and intestines reminded me instantly of Slim Goodbody. Glad to see he found a lady friend!

Don't know Slim? Perhaps this educational video can be of some help.

Done in One (Late) Night

It doesn't look like much but it took me until 1:30 last night to get this done. I pulled out my entire stash and went through every bit of it.

I put together a bag of yarn to sell or give away.

I reorganized my stash as you can see above. Sweater quantities, sock yarn, lace yarns (or yarns I plan to use for lace knitting), yarns I plan to use for colorwork, random oddballs and yarns that I have 3-4 skeins of and don't know yet how I'll use them.

I also created a bag (on the left) for single or partial skeins of yarn that I've paired with projects in my queue on Ravelry. I even went through my queue and tagged them all "oneskein." The bag on the right has a few two-three skein projects plus all my worsted scraps for making helix hats.

And that's it. Done.

Okay, Erin, I'll Play Along

My podcast-mate, Erin, has been on a bit of an organizing kick lately. Yesterday she blogged about reorganizing her entire stash. My office has been disheveled and over-stuffed for too long. I keep saying I will clear it out and reorganize...but you know how that goes. Our knitting group is planning a stash sale/yarn donation in two weeks. So no more time to stall. I began with Step One. I took out all my stash.

I'm now fighting a strong urge to just stuff it all back in there and forget about it for another year or so.

Poll is Open

I asked what I should knit for the Olympics on Facebook the other day. It's a three-way tie with only three votes. What do you think?

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

You guys! The Topless Knitting Club is back again.



This season they're going with a more "Road Warrior meets Midsummer Night's Dream" vibe.

My Other Media Outlet

I posted a few makeup videos in the last month that I forgot to share here.

Doubleknit #66

I've gotten out of the habit of announcing each podcast episode but here's our latest, #66!

Don't Tell Me My Dog Isn't Dumb, Part II

George believes the Roomba is his mortal enemy. Or new best friend?: It's hard to tell.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This? Fourth of July Edition

Kitty Liberty says, "Hope you had a safe and happy Fourth of July. I plan to kill you in your sleep for this."

Another Helix Hat

It's another helix knit from many, many tiny sample skeins of various Crystal Palace sock yarns on US2 needles. There's Maizy, Panda Wool, Panda Cotton, etc. in there. You can see one of the jog lines here from where the colors change on each round. I think they add some interest to the hat. I was aiming for a kid size so it's pretty small on my grown-up head.

Cria

Pattern: Cria from Little Red in the City
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts BFL Sport in "True Blood" Red
Needles: US3 Addi Turbos
Notes: I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to knit this sweater with 2-3" of negative ease. It's cute but it's nothing like the original. The construction on this sweater is interesting. It's an unusual top-down set-in sleeve. I love the yarn. I just wish I had knit it in a larger size or gone up a needle size.

Craptastic Photographic Proof

Cria is done. She still needs buttons which I'll pick up tomorrow at work. But here's proof.

Nearly...There...

I have been limping to the finish line on Cria. I was feeling all triumphant last night as I bound off the body then realized I still had to knit the pockets. One is done. One is well underway. Tomorrow I can buy buttons and finally finish this damned sweater!