Monday's Musing

"An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything." - Lynn Johnston

The filling I got Friday fell out Sunday. My jaw is getting more swollen by the moment. :( It would have been so nice to hear "Oh, I'm sorry!" this morning from the dentist's office instead of just "name, please." It started me thinking.... No matter how annoyed I ever get, I am always touched by an apology and immediately disarmed. It's so simple, yet so mighty!

Have a a great week, everyone!

A-musing

I finally got to try out my super flexible blocking wires from in-spin-knit-y. I love them!

So. Are you ready to see blocking pictures?

This is Muse #4 (numbers 2 and 3 are still on the needles and waiting because I had to finish #4). She is part of the 7 Small Shawls Year 2 eBook subscription. I chose to block the scallops flat across the bottom, but you could also block them rounded.

Muse #4 forced me to cheat on Muses #2 and #3 both. Hopefully, they will forgive me! You know how it is. I simply could not resist the siren call of the texture paired with that amazing yarn from Alisha. YUM! (btw, message Alisha and she will put you on her yarn list if you want this one.)

The colorway is Ashes and the base is her 80% merino, 20% nylon sock yarn called "Descent (of Woodpeckers) Fingering" and it is being pre-tested as I write this.

Also, I realized that I talked about this in my Ravelry forum, but never blogged about my Knitscene cover! Meet Ileana.

I was so excited for her to come out because as soon as I sent the sample off, I started one for myself! I, of course, had to hide it from you all, which was very difficult. Here's a shot on an armless mannequin which makes the sleeve look a little wonky where the lace meets the stockinette, but in real life, it is a smooth transition. It shows the lace around the neckline much better though!

I haven't finished my own Ileana yet - I still have the sleeves to go. It's a super fun and fast knit, but I just have had so much other stuff to knit for samples that I had to put it aside. I can't wait to get back to it!

Well, now it's back to the yarn mines for me. :)

And the winner is...

Teabird!!! Congratulations! You were chosen at random to receive a copy of the lovely Coastal Knits book! :D Many thanks to everyone who left a comment. I know Hannah and Alana read the nice things you all said and enjoyed every moment. :)

More later. There's a little something I just unpinned from blocking!

Monday's Musing

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

Have a wonderful week, everyone! Moment by moment.

I'll announce the winner of Coastal Knits tomorrow. Many thanks to all of you who left comments! :)

Blog Tour & Give-Away: Coastal Knits

I admit it. I am a western girl through and through, and I have never been to Maine. For some reason, though, it has always fascinated me. The east coast feels older; more steeped in tradition, and there is a decidedly different quality to the air. I have been to the Atlantic in other states, but I have always wanted to see Maine, where Hannah Fettig lives. Is it because I love lobster? I can't say why that state pulls me. But I can say that I loved every moment of going through Coastal Knits.

Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig wrote this lovely little book of patterns based on their bi-coastal friendship. Alana in Southern California and Hannah in Maine have put together a collection that perfectly evokes their respective corners of the world.

By now, many of you have seen and queued projects from the book, especially the popular Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah. But being the contrarian that I am, I'm not going to talk about that one, or any of the specific projects. Honestly? It was too difficult to choose amongst them!

I want you to see some of the book: a truly beautiful little work that makes you want to jump into the pages and take a walk along the shore, through the trees, and then back across the meadow, before you settle down with a cup of cocoa around a bonfire on the beach. I think there are clams involved too. If there aren't there should be!

The book begins with a description of the the two designers' friendship and a little background on what led them to put this collection together. They talk about their homes and inspirations, and the local yarns used in the book. Being a west coast gal myself, it was fun to see the California yarn page, and recognize Tactile Fiber Arts.

And then on the Maine page? There's String Theory! One of my very favorites.

The projects, photography and design all came together for me, to make me feel as though I were there. I love the fact that, in addition to the great projects, the whole book is so well done, so evocative, and such a great realization of the underlying idea.

I can't write this without showing you the Maine page.

See what I mean? So, now. Leave me a comment by Sunday October 23, 12 midnight PST, and I will enter you to win a copy of the book! You know you want one. :)

Hopping along

First of all: news on the bunny front. Diva - aka Bunny #3, the Diva-licious Bunny-girl - is, so far, doing very well. With no trace of the Myxomatosis that Pepper had. Whew! We are keeping lots of fingers and toes crossed. I will be thrilled when we make it through this weekend. And then, I am going to search down a vet who can vaccinate for that awful disease, because apparently, though bunnies are the absolute best, I haven't yet found a vet around here that knows much of anything about them. Wish me luck!

And :drumroll: Katanya is released! Simple and lovely, she was a Pins & Lace Club (still one more pin and yarn/pattern options left for 2012!) summer pattern now available to everyone. Katanya is a variety of heirloom watermelon, and the shawl was designed to echo the shape of a melon wedge. The funny thing is I had been looking at her smaller parts so long, trying to show the different patterns in her, that this picture from Brandy in a darker color completely took my breath away when I saw it.

I often don't take blocking pictures, but Brandy's pic shows Katanya so much better than my close-ups like this one:

and this one.

And the yarn! Wow. I am in love again.

And better yet? The muse is upon me once more! After a time when I couldn't seem to complete anything, I am now flying along. Log jams have shaken apart, ice has been broken. Onward and upward! Here she is, almost finished; the muse that has cleared my mind and gotten me going.

She's almost finished, and I love love love the texture. I probably could have finished her sooner, but I keep stopping to admire the way the yarn makes the stitches pop.

Alisha is amazing. And I predict great and wonderful things for her.

I've started another, too, using Colourmart cashmere in a fingering weight. It feels like string because of the spinning oil still on the coned yarn. I can't wait to wash it! Isn't it amazing how different the muse looks in this yarn?

I can't wait to wear it!

And now? Back to work with me! I want to block the small version and finish up a little something else!

Monday's Musing

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

Sometimes it's difficult to remember that every kindness or smile or attempt to rectify a situation, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem to you, can make a world of difference to another person.

Have a great week, everyone!

Psst! There are still 5 shawl pin options left in my Pins & Lace Club!

My cheatin' heart

...is at it again. I had to cast on another Muse. That makes three I am working on at once. Plus my second Buttonwillow. This latest muse is all about elegant texture. And is fitting my mood of late.

The color is incredible. It's from Alisha Goes Around, but she told me once that the color name marked on the skein was incorrect. I have to find out from her again what it is because everyone who sees it wants to steal it!

Love the stitch definition.

It's going to be perfect to take to the swim meet this weekend.

Yep. Swim meet weekend and I will be trying something new! Tomorrow morning (October 15th) at 9 a.m., the rest of my Pins & Lace Club spots open up. I have everything all set up to take it live on my iPhone! How cool is that?! I have an ftp app. I'm hoping it works properly and I won't have to run to the nearest Starbucks. :)

But probably what you really want to see is...the winners! Right? The randomly chosen winners of the two digital copies of Bambeanies are Marlie and Megan, and the winner of the signed hard copy is Fara! Congratulations! Please email me with your contact info at romi(at)designsbyromi(dot)com.

Today was a very sad day at Chez Romi. We lost #1 Son's bunny a little over a week ago and then The Bear's bunny became ill a couple of days ago. We had to have him put down today. Pepper's eyes were swollen, and at first I was so hoping it was sunburn or allergy, or something of the sort. Those of you with bunnies are now saying to yourselves: "Oh, no. It's not sunburn!" No, it wasn't. Between the two of us, Mr. Romi and I determined it was Myxomatosis. We don't usually diagnose our critters, but I have to say the vet was really not qualified to look at a rabbit. Our bunny was presenting classic symptoms and the vet had absolutely no clue when she looked at him Tuesday. Lesson learned. If you are going to have rabbits, you need a vet who knows how to treat them. In the case of Myxomatosis, treatment is almost completely futile, and we didn't want our poor little bunny to go through the end stages of the disease. So now we are watching our little Diva bunny very very closely. If she gets through next week without swollen eyes, I think we will be ok. Fingers are crossed.

Blog Tour & Give-Away: Bambeanies

News Flash: Woolly Wormhead isn't woolly any longer. Or wormy of head. This threw me momentarily when I met her at TNNA this past summer. I wasn't actually sure it was really her. But, she assured me, it was. She has a non woolly and wormy name too, which seemed a better bet under the circumstances. Whatever one calls her, however, she and her hats are always fabulous. I had a terrific time talking with her after finally meeting her!

I am feeling really rather fortunate to be participating in the blog tour for her latest book, the charmingly named Bambeanies. (I love puns!) It's a book of wee hat patterns with adorable wee models to show them off to perfection. And it couldn't have come at a better time for me. I owe several babies some knitted love, and these are absolutely perfect. My very favorite of all is Nupkin.

Really. How cute is that?! Though I have to say the adorable model may have a little to do with my falling utterly head over heels. Then there is Moochie. (Same adorable model; did you notice?)

And Aurora. Look at that great hat! (And those beautiful deep brown eyes; I am a sucker for cute kids.)

Though, I have to admit that the babies for whom I am knitting are all boys. Every one of them. So Bimple is likely to be the pattern most used in this house. Isn't it cute?!

I do think that, after the boys, I will need to knit Connie's little cutie-pie a Bambeanie. I am, after all, her honorary auntie. :)

So this brings us to the give-away part! Her Woolly-ness has been kind enough to offer me three copies of Bambeanies - two digital copies and a signed print copy - to give to you! Leave me a comment on this post by 11:59 pm PST, Thursday October 13, and I will select three recipients randomly! Good luck! :)

Monday's Musing

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

Yes. I'm one of those Apple faithfuls. One of the people still mourning the loss of a true visionary and optimist. One of the die-hard Mac users (right now, I have three that I use) with iPhone in hand. And I just want to say this: thank you, Steve. For inspiring me. For changing the way I live my life. For making it possible to do what I do. For bringing amazing and innovative technology to the world, all wrapped up in beautiful design.

Most of all, thank you for following your heart, and in so doing, inspiring us all to do likewise. Farewell to an iCon.

Monday's Musing

"Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one." - John Lennon

It's a rainy Monday here in northern California. And I'm knitting away. How about you?

Have a great week!