looks like my boyz!!

and i think that's all i have to say about that.

btw, the story is:: stepmonstermonkey adn i were discussing cats doing odd things.....and i told her about lolcats..........so tonight, we were looking through the website...........
needless to say, we found this..........

it looks like way too many of the boys i know!!

i will now return you to your reularly scheduled blog..........

what not to wear (if you're a viking woman)

just saw this article, i'm not posting it as a research website, i'm specifically posting this as a no-no............i just wanted to make sure that, if someone saw this, they didn't think "oh, this is on the web, it's new research, it must be true!!"..............

i've checked it out with a number of other people who do viking research, from what i'm hearing, the author is out of her gourd (and not just from the reenactment community, evidently the archaeologists think she's nuts too).........common consensus is that this is too impractical for a viking woman to have worn.........it doens't strike anyone as being acceptable.......

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/uu-vdn022508.php

please please please, be careful when you do research.........i always try adn make sure i've got several sources, especially ones that don't lead back to each other!! because, say you've got three websites, but site one has bad info, then sites two adn three get their info from site one; yeah, you've got three sites, but they all are built on bad information.........

so please.......check and double check!! i'm always on the lookout for new stuff.......but stuff that makes sense............if something sets off your suspicions, or makes you go "but huh?!?", it very well might not be right............trust that intuition, it's smarter than you think it is........

and if this is right, i'll knit a hat just so i can eat it..........

(drool) fabric............

so yeah, got lots of projects to start work on soon.............
we bought fabric.
first up is drogo.............black twill for pants, really cool skull bandanna fabric (they have it in red too!!) for headwraps......blue mottled flannel for jammie pants............and (i'm gonna curse lots!) navy blue thermal fabric (he's getting a thermal undertunic)................and it's all 100% cotton, less chance of him melting while wearing it all forging............

for me, two new pairs of flannel jammie pants, and a sleep tunic.........prolly end up wearing the tunic for a garb lite day too though.......

this stuff is gorgous.........it breaks my rule of only natural fibers, but i had to have it.......sari-ish brocade..............for only $4 a yard..........i think it's gonna be a persian coat, cut so that i have a seam down the back where the fabric edges (with that wonderful trim edging) meet........so i will have a double stripe of pretty, right down the back of the coat, and on either side of the front......i really hope i have engouh that i can do the sleeves with the wrists at the edge too...........

and of course, i'm hoping that i have leftovers for a choli..........i'll make sure to post pics of finished objects.............

but i'm not allowed to work on this with the monkey in the house, i know already the air's gonna turn blue from all the salty language!!

and of course, had to have something for the monkey........flamey flannel..........we're gonna go blind looking at her wearing it, but it's gonna be a nightgown...........as she puts it, flame-print sleepwear helps her stay warm at night!!

i think i've got my work cut out for me...........luckily, i don't think any of it needs trim, so that's one less thing to worry about.........i've got trim sitting on my loom (that i strung up at pennsic) i need to finish........pretty dyed pastels silk, with beads along one edge.........for trimming the short ends of a pale rose-colored veil (for indian garb)...........need to get that finished before warm weather sets in..................

i'm being lazy about knitting currently too...........i have three WIPs (work in progress'es), none of which i've really worked on in a while...............but we have an event this weekend, i'll almost definitely get stuff done then!!

and now, on to breakfast...........

i wish......

that we weren't already booked the first weekend in may this year......because i discovered something very interesting, that heavily pertains to my latest fiber obsession.......

the maryland sheep and wool fest is about 2ish hours from here.

and we're already booked.

i of course sent the website to drogo...........threw a fit........made sure that the event really was already booked for us......and that there was no way we could split the weekend, and i would go to the sheep and wool adn he would go merchanting............dammit...............

so of course, we're looking into (when they get the vendor's apps on the page for 2009) merchanting there.

this, according to their publicity, is the largest sheep adn wool fest in the country........to provide a reality check, a woman on one of the forums i frequent (i think it's the knitty coffeeshop) is trying to make plans to come up this year.........from TEXAS. yes, that's right, if driving, a three day (ish) trip...........each way.............trust me, i've driven from philly to houston, i know how long this takes (and it feels like forever)...............

so, this post is an official whine of "but i wanna go!!!"..............

but don't think i'm not trying to figure out and plot how to turn this into a rabenwald field trip for next year, for myself and maybe another fiber junkie or two (you know who you are!!!).........

and yes, this idea will be updated...............

THEY HAVE ARRIVED!!!

on ebay, that is........

i finally got him to do it........here you go, jenna.........and anyone else that wants them.......

http://stores.ebay.com/Rabenwald-Metalsmything_Knitting-Needles-Stuff_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ18770513QQftidZ2QQtZkm

this is our knitting stuff store......we will be adding to it asap, we can also do some custom orders........and there are things he's looking at trying, when we get some more raw stock.......

we also recently got electronics in the mail, he's going to build me a kiln, so i can anneal my glass beads...........this will result in glass-topped knitting needles (i have a personal set already, but we won't sell any until we can get them annealed).........also glass headed hair stix...........
he is also working on figuring out how to do circular needles........it's the cord that has him stymied currently.............but he's working on it............
he also has designs for other heads for straight needles...........not just glass, but sun spirals, dragon/beastie heads, and other things like this..........

keep checking in for updates.............

also, check out the rest of the store..............yeah, it's medeival themed (mostly), but pennanular brooches make great shawl pins............

thank you for reading, this has been my shameless plug for the day.........and now, i leave you, so i can return to my regularly scheduled birthday laziness..............

general updates and etceteras....

let's see, what have we been up to around the household of misfit toys...........

we were gone for a week.......visiting good friends in raleigh, nc.............did an event (ymir) and a BGOV (blacksmith guild of VA) meeting on the weekends bracketing..............

i made drogo a hat...........see the pics on my flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/23432288@N07/
said flickr page is mostly knitting photos.........feel free to hop on and take a look........

while down south, made up some glass-topped knitting needles as prototypes.........and drogo is working on making me an annealing kiln, so i can start making stuff for sale.........

on a really happy cool note, my camp mom just got promoted............she is now a Baroness Mistress.............instead of just Mistress..................congrats MOM..................

this weekend is drogo's and my b-days..............we are doing whitehart (we always do whitehart on the b-day weekend!) and visitng the family down there..........it'll be great to see them all, we only see most of that crew twice a year.............

i'll try and get a show schedule up asap.............for those that live in towns anywhere near some of these shows.............

i think that's it for right now............oh yeah, maybe not..............currently working on getting info on the history of knitting..............as in, how/where/when/etc like that is it documentable, and for which of my multiple personas??

any info, please drop me a comment...........as soon as i have any info of this nature, of course i'll post it...........

thx all!!

my philosophy.....

on knitting......
i guess you could almost call it waldorf. as in the school.
the way that this teaching technique was (simplistically) explained to me is learn to walk before you can run. this can translate into practically anything you would want to learn how to do......

take a baby. we teach children how to talk before they can read, right?? it's the same way you should teach any language (as long as you're not a high school classroom!), by teaching how to speak a language before you are taught how to read it, write it, or translate it.
this method tends to be popular for learning violin.......students are taught how to play before they are taught how to read music.

i'm kinda teaching myself knitting the same way..............

i've only ever made one thing from a pattern, and i ended up changing that too..........i've done a lot of small things, teaching myself stitches and patterning.......i taught myself how to cable, from printed directions (in the knitpicks catalogue!!)............and have since used it to design two items, one the solipsis snake (taken from redshirt knitting's solipsis pouch pattern here http://redshirtknitting.com/?page_id=376 )...........and one an oddly hideous camera sleeve.......

and the next project is going to be a laptop sleeve, or a belt purse, or a hat for drogo.....they are all in line, it just depends on what i'm in the mood to work on next!! (there also might very well be something else in there, i mean really, the camera sleeve was thought up around mid-afternoon yesterday, and finished before bed last night......from idea to finished project in several hours, i think i need bigger projects!)

i've also decided that i'm currently working on small things mostly so i keep my interest........kind of an instant gratification thing going on here.........i haven't done anything lately over about 1ft sq............that will change soon, i have a few larger projects in my brain...........and some more small ones!!

on another note...........this computer is officially mine now, drogo's new one came in yesterday..........so i get to play with the wallpaper, change around the icons..........rearrange the favorites listings............knit said laptop cozy........knit myself a laptop bag...........heeheehee, this feels great!! he's still gonna need to use it sometimes, it'll prolly go on the road with us occasionally, so the ebay functions etc will still need to be there.........but i get to hide them in little, overlookeable folders marked with his name, that i never need to work around again.........

also, on yet another note, i've been researching drop spindles...........i remember seeing an article a while back on a guy that made art spindles (that work!), using saucers and cogs and stuff like that, found objects...........if anyone else has either seen this article (so i know i'm not hallucinating!) or even better, knows where it is............drop me a line............i'd be terrible grateful, drogo needs inspiration for his perspiration (it's really too early to be blogging, i haven't had any caffeine yet!) and he's gonna be making drop spindles soon........

thx all...............

pics

so yeah..........i've been promising to post pics of stuff i've been doing...........

first off, i'm gonna drop a link to my (brand new!) flickr account...............



http://www.flickr.com/photos/23432288@N07/



everything should be in the knitting stuff set, but if it's not.........i dunno. please go adn check it out, i've been posting pics of all my finished projects.............as well as a few pics of drogo working (before we switched around the current shop!) and me adn my monkey, in viking garb........yeah, it's from '06, she's grown a little since then, but still..........



anyways, here are the photos of my new needles that drogo made me.............i know that they are hideously bad, but taking pics of metal is a very tricky proposition..........

those are the dpn's...........the group of three are stainless, and the group of six are bronze..........

these are bronze........brushed finish, so they grip the yarn...........and the cable needle to match..........

i'm showing off.......and advertising a little............he should be posting cable needles in stainless soon, as well as more knitting needles..............both straights and dpn's...............so keep checking our ebay store.............. http://stores.ebay.com/Rabenwald-Metalsmything ............

i have already tested all the needles in teh second pic, i still need to test the first set.........that'll come next week, i'm saving projects for when we are in raleigh..................so i don't go starkers in someone else's house for a week!!! much as i love visiting them, they are very close friends, it's still not my own home.............

i'll post my reviews of the dpn's asap...............laters!!

organization

since this happens to be the year of organization........i've just spent several hours organizing files.......
so yeah, my eyes are currently crossing, and my point and click fingers are a little stiff, but i've just about got it done...............i've just about got our entire (that i know of at least!) music library catalogued!!! technically, now all i hafta do is go into the 'playlists' folder, pick which kind of music i wanna listen to, and load it up to my mp3 player...........
i really doubt this is gonna make things that much easier, still lots of stuff to wade through, but hey.........one can hope................
i'm getting a little fruity currently, i've been up too long today............and it's been an off day all around..............
next on my organizational task list is getting a flickr account so i can upload pics to my ravelry notebook..........
for any of those readers (i hope i have at least a few!?!) that are also on ravelry, my profile name is oonagh fibersmyth (no space between, i put it there to make it easier to remember)................i've decided that once i get used to it, this whole ravelry thing is gonna be really awesome...........
i've been knitting mp3 player accessories...........i made a little cozy for the actual player, and i'm currently knitting a bag that will hold the player (with ear buds), a spare pair of buds, the USB cord, and prolly a set of directions (at least for now).........that's gonna be felted, it's so that in travel i don't break anything, and nothing gets lost............and it's an excuse to knit something else..............heeheehee................
my monkey has been knitting lots lately also............we decided tha tthe size 13 needles were a little clumsy in her hands, so i cast on to a pair of 10s for her, adn she's going full speed ahead (well, as full speed as an adhd clumsy 8yr old will go)...............i'm hoping she gets good enough that it will start working as a meditation for her............she needs all the help in that arena she can get.................

and for the bonus round this evening, i actually made a new dinner (alright, it's my mom's recipe) and the family liked it.............erzatz lasagna (alright, it's also called baked ziti, but mom's recipe uses elbows and that's what it's always been called).................

i'm starting to get a little fuzzy here.........i'm thinking it's time for bed................NAPPIES!!!!!
night all!