For now, 2ktog is closed pending reconfiguration. We need to figure out some better spam filtering system. So ALL of your concerned comments about where we had gone did not cross our screens. :) If anyone knows of a good spam blocker for MT, let us know.

For the moment, you can find us on Ravelry (bootsie and omar) or at our blogs individuale:
My new Blythe, etc blog:
Blyther

Omar's Vox
Eighty Six Four Hundred

Or you can email us at betsyandjeff (atsign) ironic-chicken.net

First off, I forgot that Malabrigo and the size three of this hat needs just under one trip through the washing machine in order to be properly felted for a human-sized head.  As such, I've had to put it on a big sangria pitcher in order to get the brim stretched enough that it will be wearable.

But my real problem comes in the form of buttons.  I intended to go to the yellow house to get a nice button to really tie the hat together, but in three weekends, we still haven't gotten over there.  So I struck out for Jo-Ann Fabrics last night and came up with these:

  Here they are placed on the flower.  Which one do you think I should use?

Button 1 On Flower:
 

Button 2 On Flower:
 

Here we see the Korknisse-- which are sort of like the Valkyries for knitting projects that have fallen in great battles-- coming down to whisk the fishnet stockings of to the mead halls of legend, where it will drink and share stories with other great knitting projects. Well, you know, until I come back for it. I'd throw in some kind of Orpheus reference here, but I think this metaphor is already a little too tenuous.

My efforts to design a Williamsburg Bridge scarf to make a nice compliment to the Brooklyn Bridge Scarf in Son of Stitch and Bitch have run into some problems in conveying the more complex pattern of the Williamsburg Bridge into the same 30 stitches that they use for the Brooklyn Bridge scarf. I'm wondering if I might be able to do the stitches on an angle, sort of like the multi-directional scarf-- but double knit. And that is just turning this project into a much larger production which may not be done by the end of winter.

Even so, I should try making a swatch like that, or maybe make it into a hat band. I wonder what kind of DK we have laying around. All of a sudden I regret that I'm not one of those people who catalog their entire stashes on Ravelry.

The first cloche was made (of course) for my dear, sweet darling Betsy. We knew we wanted to start with a red Savoy that was reminiscent of the red of her Valentine scarf. Unfortunately, there wasn't a complementary red in the Savoy palette, but I think the tan that we ended up with looks lovely, especially with the button we found (at The Yellow House).

The second one is a thank you gift for her mom, who was gracious enough to give us a hand-me-down automobile, thus allowing us to both have jobs. The first attempt at a thank you gift turned out to be a disaster, and I will post a picture of it at some point to serve as a warning for others.

The blue cloche, however, has turned out wonderfully, but we still need to pick out a button for it and finish it off:

As it turns out, the Malabrigo we used felted as nicely (or possibly even more nicely) than the Savoy. The fabric is a bit thicker, but the slight variegation is visible if you look closely.

In the same batch of felting, I tried to churn out one of my fez concepts, based roughly on the top hat I made out of Knit.1, but it also turned out to be a complete disaster. The moral of the story is to always make a smaller, test version. Especially if you know a baby who might need a fez.

Ah well. Live and learn.

Last of all, as a big sister gift for Z, I found the one use of novelty yarn that Betsy will reluctantly condone: hedgehogs.

With needle felted face ans special arched eyebrow details by Betsy herself.

Also, what a lucky baby- a kitten and a Malabrigo blanket! I made sure to send a jersey Ikea blanket for actual puking on.

Our kitten is so grown up we now have almost identical black kitties. We like to sing "Black Kitty" to the tune of "Black Betty."

This project has a theme song. Click here for youtube-video with blatant knitting references!

You can almost see my Dumbledore sticker. :) He is not dead.

Too bad to get natural light I have to take photos on our balcony with the trashy free stuffed chairs outside look.

Here's my secret project in Cotton Joy...

And here's a peek into Omar's knitting bag. What the hell is wrong with him? Isn't that Crystal Palace Splash I bought at Woolcott in 2003???

All will be revealed in time.

It's pretty much impossible for me not to include a photo of our kitten, Zeke, who is away being fixed today :) His sibs are now up for adoption and no longer here. It was a fun kitten party while it lasted. (Cats +blogs= <34eva)

He is whiskerless! I've been told they'll grow back, maybe he lost them in a fight. :) What is being cut off right now, though...ahem, those will not grow back.

*I could have spun, but isn't it more fun to buy yarn?

I have a hard time believing that knitted and crocheted things are really fabric. Sure, they have drape, weight, and can be used for all the same things that fabric can, but to me they are just what happens when you leave hands and yarn unsupervised.
Something about woven things feels like real, bonafide fabric. Maybe it's because you can take gorgeous macro shots like this, and not see any holes:

These have been done forever, yo. My mom's birthday has come and gone. My dad had a mini-stroke the next day, so the last thing on my mind was sending these. However, dad is fine now, and I'm starting to feel that "I need to mail this" guilt.

One of these things is not like the others: I ran out of warp, and then I forgot the ratio of warp yarns, so I have one that has more silk ribbon, is much drapier, and looks different.

However, I've added to this project. I want to crochet napkin rings out of the remaining ribbon, sew some matching beads to them, and then (gulp) sew some napkins. I am so intimidated. Now I finally have an ironing board, so I don't have any excuse. I also bought the fabric.

All in all, I really loved making these, and I want to weave again.

Here's a bonus. The AZ human society is getting 110 cats per day! I had to do something. I hooked up with a woman who takes in kittens too young for the shelter, and now I'm fostering one of her older litters.

Check out the Napoleon shot.

And, lucky for me, my darling took all the photots, so all I have to do is post them:

(Oh well, that's a little annoying, I forgot that MT likes to restart a post when you upload an image. Maybe I ought to show the other two via Flickr.)

Here's the edging. It's worked sideways, and then you pick up along one edge for the scarf. Pretty clever.

This is a nice arty shot of the main lace pattern, which was nice, simple, repetitive, and I still managed to screw up four or five times, resulting in much wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Well, that does it. It looks like we're back in swing making stuff now, and we'll both be hard pressed to avoid playing around with Ravelry which might keep me chronicalling the "In Progress" shots a little more than I usually do.

You also notice this is plyed, Navajo plied, to be exact. Terry likes to make everyone feel good about taking to things right away. She told me I had natural aptitude for Navajo plying, which I just think is the coolest thing in the world now. It's like crocheting with your fingers to make plyed yarn, awesome. I love the effect it creates.

Here are a trifecta of yarns that I created recently. One of these you may have seen before, as I plied it up after my first spinning class in January. These all contain some of the same Hello Yarn hand painted fiber.
From the top: 1. Navajo plied. yay! 2. plied with supahsoft merino, dig those microns! 3. Hand blended solid pink and orange with a bit of the red from Adrian's. Also Navajo plied, I can't stop.

There's a missing 4th skien that is traditional two-ply, where did I put that? It was also born in January. I still have another 4 oz or so of this colorway, so I might end up making a bunch of related yarn for a shawl or some such.

How about more orange yarn! Never fear, I am here. Some solid Copper Moose BFL plied with self striping commercial sock yarn featured in these socks, which now live in MN with my grandmother. Where all wool socks should retire.

Lastly, years ago I was playing with Kool Aid and ended up with the most unnatural blue. I never touched it, but now that I can hand blend, I added some deep purple and some purple sparkles and we'll see what happens! I'm not really a little blue girl, but I like this better than the solid.

After the class, I spoiled myself with some dyed fushia locks, multi-color firestar, and some coral merino.

Next time: Weaving photos galore! The placemats are drying now on the shower rod, out of reach of the kitties. How I learned to stop worrying and cut the warp. And wash the fabric! Crazy stuff. And maybe Omar will show you my new scarf.

My mother's favorite colors are blue and brown. Mine are orange and fushia. You see we have slightly different tastes. But I am WILD about these colors. The Mango Moon silk ribbon is the star and was the inspiration for the project. It's interspersed with some wool and cotton in beige and a brown tweed. It reminds me of an oyster shell. Can you tell how amazing the blue is, not a hokey baby blue but a natural pearlescent color with the slightest greenish tinge? And the browns! Deep true seal brown and an amazing deep maroon.

The yarn for the weft is as yet undecided. Here I was testing some of my handspun baby llama fiber as a possibility, but I think i will go for something less fuzzy (there's a bamboo I keep thinking about). This picture has such depth of color, I had to include it.

I'm thinking I will crochet some napkin rings out of the leftover ribbon.

All the knitting is still secret. All I can say is holy ends, batman!

And Omar! I don't know why he's not blogging. I'm done making excuses for him.

Friday night he and I stood agape as Terry demonstrated her sock knitting machine from the 1920s. Socks while you wait! That thing can knit a pair of socks faster than Grumperina. Faster than you can say Grumperina. ;) It's really very cool and an amazing piece of history.

Speaking of warped, have you seen the preview for Black Sheep?