Coming Over to the Dark Side...

I have long been ambivalent about knitters who work with really big needles, and really fat yarns, and boast about how they can crank out a scarf in an afternoon.

Somehow that has never seemed quite sporting to me.
I guess I considered that to be knitting for those with more money than dedication to the knitting arts.

Maybe it's a been a bit of envy on my part - I don't usually spend the money to buy the pricey yarns that knit up so quickly.
So, that may be a part of it, I don't know...

But to me, knitting has never been about "how quickly can I whip something up."

Knitting and instant gratification have always been two very different concepts to me.

Until yesterday...

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An odd confluence of events brought me to this point...

I began yesterday, with a trip to Knitch to return some extra yarn.* I had told myself on the way into the store that I was going to return it for store credit on my account, and that I was going to leave the store without looking around at anything. I could always come back at a later date and browse...

Is it my fault that there was the most gorgeous yarn display on the table right by the exit door??? (Knitch, you're not playing fair!) I allowed myself to stop and admire for a few moments, then I steeled my resolve and left without it.

But it stuck in my head like a big shiny diamond.
So gorgeous...

Then a few short hours later, I learned that a good friend of mine was celebrating her 40th birthday.
(There seems to be a lot of that going around lately... A lot!)
I've known Hil since our college days - and to spare you all from doing the math, I'll just come out and admit that I met her 21 years ago.

After much deliberation - would she like it? would she not like it? - I put two and two together and decided to make her a scarf... Lucky for me I knew just the yarn to try to get it done by the party on Sunday night...



Gah! Isn't that just gorgeous??? It's Rowan Biggy Prints in the mermaid colorway, and it makes me drool just a little looking at it...
It's like porn, for knitters!

And it knits up faster than anything I have ever made...
Sitting down last night to watch A Christmas Story** I found that I was two-thirds of the way through the scarf before the movie ended!



Knitting at the speed of light...

I can see why this is so addictive...

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*It was yarn that I had not needed for a project that I've been working on, and which I may show here at BFC, once I get it blocked.

Or I may not.

It's a scarf for Bubba's cousin, whose name I drew in the BubbaFamily Gift Exchange.
Said cousin *lurves* UT football to an almost embarrassing degree. He's one of those guys whose veins run deep Orange. Anyhoo...

I find that orange is a difficult color for most of us to wear, and the UT Orange is a spectacularly ugly shade which no one looks good in. (Now I'm cowering, 'cause if any UT fans are reading this, I'm in for an earful, I know...) When I realized that I had extra left over, I realized there was no way I was keeping it...

**I'll spare you from listening to me blather on about how much I love this movie. But it's a WHOLE LOT...
One of these days, I am totally going to visit here.

Even if I have to go by myself.

Which I probably will have to, since no one I know wants to go with me...

Great Minds Think Alike???*

I had to smile when I read Autum's recent post at Creative Little Daisy... it seems she and I are on the same wavelength these days.

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As a vacation treat, I bought this cute little kit (from Michael's, using a 40% off coupon, of course!) I thought that perhaps it would help me in my quest to teach myself crochet.

I immediately decided that I hated the yarn (icky acrylic) and the plastic hook seemed awkward. So I scrounged through my stash and found some less-objectionable yarn and a metal crochet hook that I have on hand to help me weave in all the little nibbly bits when knitting. And I set to using the kit's enclosed instructions.

I can not remember the last time that I did something that felt quite this awkward. Or that I was quite so bad at.

But I struggled through it.

And ended up with what is quite possibly the most awkward and laughable granny square ever.


At one point, as I was struggling with it, Bubba asked me if I were going to blog about this. I think my exact words were "As if!" (Because I've never really outgrown Wayne's World.)

But since Autum was kind enough to show us hers... :)
(Of course, hers did look fabulous...
Hey - does this maybe get me some "Get Real" credit???)

Maybe something constructive can come of this - those of you who do crochet, help a grrrlfriend out! Can you tell what I am doing wrong? Am I possibly on the right track, but just need more practice? Inquiring minds would love to know...

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*For the record, I don't actually believe this. I don't think that great minds think alike. I think truly great minds must not think like anybody else. But that makes for a much more wordy title...

WIP Friday - 23 March

I've been setting my WIPs up on the mantel, so as to keep them safe from marauding Things.

I was struck this afternoon by what an odd-looking tableau I had inadvertently assembled...

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Experimenting a bit more with little knitted & felted critters.

Making a friend for SmittenKitten, whom you've already met.

Playing around with the felting technique to see what else I can make it do...

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In other news - we got a bit of rain today.
Initially, I was all excited - thinking that it would make some of the pollen go Gone, Daddy, Gone.

It didn't.

In fact, it was such a light smattering of rain that all it did was combine with the pollen to make this superindustrial strength pollen paste. It's both impressive and horrible at the same time.

Since hellacious pollen is a novelty to some of you - I've taken some pictures of the sludge. You can view the entire pollen set over at Flickr.

Be warned - it's not for the faint of heart.
Although, I did throw a few gratuitous pictures of my boy, Schecky, in.
Just 'cause...

WIP Friday - 16 March

Seems like it's been a while since I had anything to show for WIP Friday. So, here goes...

Very mysterious, no?

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WIP Friday - 16 March, originally uploaded by lla.

Today, I'm laundrying, cleaning and packing for the Big Weekend o' Fun. Hard to believe that it's finally here!
And why am I frantically cleaning if I'm going to Autum's? Good question. It's because I'm a freak who can't leave the house in a mess because I'll dread coming home to it!

Aside from being all atwitter about tomorrow's roadtrip, here are a couple of things that also have me in an exceptionally silly mood...

• My new shirt.
  It goes without saying that Schecky is not a big fan. But in this case, I've just got to shrug and say "tough rocks, kiddo."*
  
  It's amazing what a bad attitude combined with a teeny bit of bling can do for a girl.



• These cats.
  I know, I know - this is wrong on so many levels. But I still think it would be cool to at least get to see one.

So - what's making you all punchy/giddy/silly today?
Inquiring minds always want to know...

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*And I think this sums up perfectly why I will never be in any danger of being honored as "Mother of the Year."

Opinion Requested, Please!

I really hate to sound all wishy-washy and indecisive.
However, I find myself in a very wishy-washy and indecisive place right now, and I was hoping that you all could help a girlfriend out...

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I've been wanting to splurge a little and make something kind of luxurious. So yesterday I picked up this absolutely lovely yarn (at Knitch, naturally!)

It feels like a dream - and it's actually quite dreamy to knit with. And so very, very very soft...
(So much so that I would love to make a sleeping bag out of it and snuggle up in it and just cocoon... )

But since that seems hardly practical, I thought I'd start small - with a scarf.

And what I want to do is something simple, something classic.
Kind of timeless and rich looking.

So I decided to go with a simple cable. That's classic, right? Timeless...

But - is it also boring? A bit staid perhaps???

I keep going back and forth - and this is where I call upon your help.
Feel free to be brutally honest* - classic or boring? Is this rich and luxurious-looking? Or rather pedestrian and I can do better?

I've not invested too much time in this so far, so I can frog it if need be. It will, however, take a chunk of time to complete - and I don't want to invest the time if I'm headed down the wrong path...

I've been eyeing a few other ideas - like the Broken Leaves, and the Spiral (which I know is not really "classic" in the traditional sense of the word, but I think it might be quite cool!) Even the Knitty patterns "Branching Out" and "Wavy" are catching my eye.

Thank you so much - I appreciate your opinions!

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*But not brutal! My fragile ego is still smarting from being called a spoiled brat a few posts back. :)

But I still love you, Capello...

WIP Friday - 23 February

OK - technically, these two little girls are finished, but since they are what I have been working on, I thought I'd put them up here for WIP Friday...

These were made for a brand new baby up in Chicago (C) and her big sister (J). It's hard to tell from the way that I shot this photo, but the J bear is a little bit bigger than C.
J is three, and I thought that it must be hard to stand by and watch while the baby gets all kinds of goodies. So - she gets a bear of her own.

And just in case you were wondering, I don't have that many fabulous knitting books (or a fabulous green bookcase, either.) I took the girls with me to my favorite yarn store, Knitch. Which is where the yarn for them came from. (So it was like visiting their birthplace! Hee!) (I swear, I'm such a geek...)
I do not have adequate words to describe how fab the store is, or how lovely the people there are - but the fact that they let me come in and pose some toys, and then let me hang out there and knit for a pleasant hour or so? Well, that should say it all right there. I do so love that store...

In somewhat related news - I realized that BabyHenry's birthday was yesterday...

Many of you may not know BabyHenry - but really, he's kind of the one who was the impetus for Bad Fortune Cookie. I'm not sure if he should be thanked, or cursed for that...
At any rate, he will always hold a soft spot in my heart.

Happy Birthday, BabyHenry...

*

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*I can't decide why BabyHenry looks so uncomfortable in this photo. Maybe because the girls are so much younger than he? Or maybe he's feeling self-conscious about his limbless state....

WIP Friday - 16 February

I am doll eyes
Doll mouth, doll legs...*

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Haven't done as much knitting this week as I would have liked. Some weeks are just like that, I guess.

These are the extremities for the little bears that I need to make for the December newborns. Don't they look all grisly** when they're reduced to just parts???

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*I want to be the girl with the most cake...

**grizzly?

WIP Friday - 9 February

I am typically not much of a Valentine's Day kind of girl*. So I am not sure where I got this bee in my bonnet all of a sudden to start dinking around with heart shapes. And to start doing it at the last moment...

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I'm not sure what, if anything will become of these, but I've had fun playing around with them this week...

Other little nibbly random bits to share....

• Thank you all for all the "feel better" wishes. I am starting to feel vaguely human again. I give a large part of the credit to Autum.
  Please pardon the crassness of what I am about to say, but it appears to be the truth: I think she literally scared the snot out of me.
  
  She told me the horrible story about how sinus infections can get into your brain and do scary, terrible things. YIKES! (and it's totally true - I Googled it! Admittedly, it's rare, but it can happen... Who knew???)
  Anyhow - she scared me enough that I resolved to call the doctor if it wasn't immediately better. And I woke up the next morning greatly improved. I work well under pressure....
  
  It's nice to be able to touch the left side of my face without screaming, and to be able to chew again...
  
  
• Panda Update - well, I've not had any more luck with a sweater for her. And I suspect that my new found interest in hearts is a nice procrastination technique so I can delay tiny-sweater-making even further.
  
  In the meantime, I am warming to the way that she looks with only her scarf.... I do have one last sweater making attempt up my sleeve - but if that goes the way of all the previous attempts - I may just sew on her limbs and call it a day. The scarf is kind of cute...
  
  
• Laundry Update: I finally got around to trying the vinegar instead of fabric softener trick... I think that I am a fan.
  
  The novelty of fabric softener has not yet worn off - I do love the way that it makes everything smell. But, I've not wanted to use it on the towels, since I've heard that it messes up the absorbency. So, I've been using a quarter cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser when I wash towels.
  
  The towels do seem to come out nice and fluffy, and with no vinegar smell. (Although, there is a slight smell of vinegar in the washer after running one of these loads. It's very faint, though, and disappears after I run the next load...)
  
  I've heard that it's good to put vinegar into the dispenser periodically, so as to clean out any fabric softener buildup. I'll definitely continue to use vinegar with the towels - and as my love affair with fabric softener exits the honeymoon stage, I could see me doing this for all the laundry.
  

Look at me - dispensing homemaking tips??? I feel so Martha. Or Heloise. Or something...

Have a lovely weekend, all!

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*You can read my thoughts about the holiday here. They've not changed since last year....

WIP Friday - 2 February

It doesn't seem like there has been a whole lot of "Work In Progress" this week.

Unless you count trying to break the world record for "Most Kleenexes Used In the Shortest Period of Time" as a WIP.
Which I don't.

Since last week, I have frogged* the sweater that was pictured, as well as two more.
I've toyed around with the idea of pullovers, cardigans, a felted cardigan to emulate the look of a boiled wool jacket, and come all the way back around to pullover.

I'm feeling strangely "Thomas Edison" about all this - I may not yet know how to knit the sweater that I want.

But I now know six ways in which not to do it.

Just so you don't think that all I did this week was sniffle and frog - let me proclaim that I did actually make something this week:


one. very. small. blue. felted. bead.

Isn't it cute?
(Seriously - tell me it's cute - it's the only tangible thing I've accomplished this week!
I mean, aside from the sniffling and frogging....)

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*It just occurred to me that not everyone may be familiar with this "knitting" term. It's simply the unknitting of - or in my case the complete unraveling of - your work.
I'd heard this term for years, but never gave much thought to it. But then I learned that it's called "frogging" because what you have to do: Just "rip it! rip it!"

Knitters are a funny bunch....

WIP Friday - 26 January

Miss Panda

I am having quite a love/hate relationship with this project.

The love part is easy - I'm pleased with the way that Little Miss Panda is developing. She's turning out to look in real life mostly the way that she looks in my head.

However, it's that "mostly" that leads to the "hate" part of this WIP. In my head, she's wearing a sweater. And I wanted to make her a small sweater - a separate one, not one that's part of her body. Sounds cute, right?

Of course, I decide to do this not ever having made a tiny sweater before.

And without a pattern.

And, well... it's not going fantastically.

Fourth Attempt

I've had 3 previous attempts at a sweater for Lil' Miss.
All frogged. This is a picture of the fourth attempt, which I am pretty sure is going to go the way of the previous three.

Any advice*? Greatly appreciated....

In the meantime, I whipped her up a tiny scarf, just so she didn't feel too exposed when I took her picture.
(And she does have limbs - but I didn't want to put her arms on until after I made her sweater. I figured it'll be easier to sew her arms on once I know where the sweater sleeves fall - rather than try to make the sweater and get the sleeves to go where her arms are...)

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*I did find one site that looked promising - a sweater pattern generator, which includes a preset for "teddy sweaters".
However, I do not seem to be clever enough to figure out how to make it work... sigh.

WIP Friday

To begin: a Finished Object!

This is the slightly modified Architect's Scarf from "Greetings from Knit Cafe" that I was making for Bubba.*
Basically, I made it wider, and shortened some of the stripe patterns so that the overall length was a bit shorter.

This was a fun little knit - I worried that I might get bored with it, but I guess the color changes kept it interesting. It was mindless enough that it was a great TV-watching knit.

I wouldn't mind making another one of these - but I think I'd just do it in two colors, and in a really sumptuous, girly kind of yarn. Maybe a cashmerino???

I actually tried to take a few more interesting shots of this scarf, but neither of them really worked out - so the simple picture it is!

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And for this week's WIP.... want to take a peek?



I think she's peeking back at you, too!

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*Although, since I made it for Bubba, it should be called the Information Architect's Scarf. (hee!)

WIP Friday

Seems like it's been a while since there has been any actual craftiness going on around here - particularly in light of the fact that BadFortuneCookie was begun with the intent of being a crafty blog...

Hopefully that's about to change - I've got some stuff on the needles, and some big old good intentions...

For starters -

For Bubba. This is a modified Architect's Scarf from Greetings From the Knit Cafe. I realized that I had never made Bubba anything, and it seemed high time to rectify that. (Keeping in mind the whole "Boyfriend Curse" thing, I am going to make him promise to give it back if we break up...)

This has been a fun little project - made even more so because this is all stash yarn. You might recognize the colors from this, this, this, and these...

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There were a couple of reasons why there's not been a ton of craftiness around here - the holidays, the plague, and the subsequent recoveries from both, for starters. But one of the big stumbling blocks to getting the party started again? Lack of supplies...

So I was delighted to see these arrive today:



Yes, my big envelope full of eyes finally arrived! (I ordered these the first week of December, but they were taking their own sweet time to be sent out...)

I really needed these: in addition to the 2 bears that I still have promised out, three more babies were born over the holidays*. Not to mention all the people I just would like to knit a bear for...

Better get knitting....

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*Which to me is kind of impressive that my peers are still cranking out gorgeous and healthy babies. Impressive, and a little bit surprising... we're all getting old!