Well, Inky was right; Al the Alpaca is a horrible blogger. I really must stop expecting amigurumi to do my dirty work. Not that blogging is dirty work, but digging myself out of this muddy pit of silence will be.

I'm in Ontario at the mo, getting up to too little no good, and helping my Drama Teacher Mum put on the school play; Snow White as a very fractured fairy tale. The show was postponed (otherwise I'd be back in halifax) so it's affording me time to crochet the set. Not really, but Rapunzel has a lovely phentex wig, Igor the bodyguard has doublecrocheted chain mail, and Dingo the Hedgehog (a puppet) has a beatle wig. (Get it? John Paul George and Dingo? Apple records, poison apples?) It's not quite filling the void left by my UFB shows and KOL but its a start.

Not much per.knitting to report, but I'm falling in love with crocheted dolls/amigurumi. I'm starting to think I might abandon hats, at least for a while. Or maybe just for one night.......

I have not been hatting lads. I'ts loosing it's mystique. Did the plastercaster go through this i wonder? Anyways, there is a show coming up. A BIG show. Well, a big hatting opportunity -someone I really admire (and okay pledged my love to when i was 13 and still carry a behemoth torch for) and who i don't want to just stick any old hat on. Here is my plan; I will crochet them a doll of themselves (perhaps with removable red velvet bellbottoms -any guesses yet?) which will be holding a coupon good for one custom one of a kind stage costume-prolly an involved scarf the likes of which inspire rockstars to propose. I will keep you posted. Have to phone lady friends in Halifax for advice and maybe some string pulling.

Perhaps I will leave off here, so i have lots more to report in the next week (I will blog!) A huge hug and congratulations to Christine and family!!!

***ATTENTION****Clearly it is August. Clearly I did not post this on May 12th though I did draft it (and don't remember why I didn't post it). Clearly no crocheted animal can disguise the fact that I am a crap blogger. I am reminded of elementary school when months late with assignments and in dire straits, I would express my project, process and eventual 'breakthrough' through an ill conceived interpretative dance. Would that I could, gentle readers.

Hi! My name is Inky Dinky Doo. You can call me 'Id' *wink*. As you may have noticed, Morgan has been the worst blogger ever. She feels very bad about this so I am stepping in for her. She's been very busy around the apartment. She's been reading,



Perfecting her oven baked fish extravaganza (maybe she'll post the recipe) *I should add that she never cooks octo*


Making friends for me (not sure how I feel about this)


And she has come up with the best yarn storage solution ever; the wall of yarn! The best part is that the apartment is warmer!





Outside the house, she's done another Unique Fashion Bonanza show (I did not attend which is too bad; some cute girls picked up v.pomoboho hats) and has been teaching classes with her fancy Teacher's Crochet Hook (which I can't find right now).


Her latest creation is the 'Permanant Corsage'. I think they are almost as pretty as I am, but that's just Id's ego talking.


I hope I don't have to blog for her again. Spring is here (happy equinox) and I hope she comes out of hibernation soon.



I think it was the Elann sweater from hell that got her down but once it's blocked I'm sure she'll be back on here, posing as ever. If she doesn't I might have to pass the torch onto the needle felted alpaca 'Al'. Trust me; nobody wants that. He can't stand up. Plus, he might spit on the keyboard. Yuck. Oops! Better watch my ink...that's an Inky Dinky Don't. Got to keep myself adorable

Soundrack: "Octopus's Garden", The Beatles, "Rock Lobster", The B52s"

Finished Sweater: "Into The Woods". I think I might post the pattern ... eventually. It worked up fairly quickly (despite Kingston running out of yarn for two frustrating weeks). I'm now obsessed with double stranding; it's just so clever.

I'm working on items for shows again which means I need a real knitting challenge to counter act all the jumbo gauge crocheting. (I'm not doing the Knitting Olympics, though. Way too much pressure thank you.) I want to try elann's lace shell with cap sleeves but I've frogged it about five times now. A lot of that has been my fault, not keeping track of raglan vs lace increases, but I swear it's a weird pattern. If anyone has tried it please let me know. I figure if I get the knack, I can substitute other laces into it. ooooh, and a slight peplem. Will try and blog more.... Soundtrack: "The Maritimes", Classified, "Twenty Something", Dala

Here's my wip sweater...finally found enough yarn to finish it so maybe I'll be able to wear it to KOLtomorrow! I think I might post the pattern when I'm done. I'm up so late cause I'm trying to finish off a submission for Vickie Howell. How amazing would that be? Wow I need more coffee though...

Is anyone watching Project Runway??? It's sooooo good! That's all I've got for now, cept for some devil horns of course.




Soundtrack: Assorted Crowes to keep me awake....

ps going to take the ferry over to the new tangled skeins tomorrow. whee!

Celebrity Crochet Photo Alert!


Here we have Miss Tayna Kim (from etalk daily) modeling a fluorescent wristband which I hope will be the workshop project when kids crochet classes start up. I had just said to a friend the day before that I should start carrying a hat in my bag "just in case". All I had was a single crochet wristband. Oh well. Very good sport, I must say; she said I could totally get Ben Mulroney hatted in various embarrassing poses come Juno Awards time and she promised to pass my business card along to him. Yikes! I think I'll crochet a Frakenstein hat just for the occasion.








New Patterns! Above is a version of the overdone spiral scarf but with this cool nameless yarn that looks like the milkyway. Below is my Austin Scarf. So pretty and practical. Writing up this pattern was a pain in the butt (the celestial scarf was two lines long) but I think it's really worth it.
In other news, we had a weather bomb here in halifax so KOL was cancelled. I was so upset! I really missed my knitting nite while I was in Ontario (I just got back this week). Oh well, next week ladies. Shots in the Dark. lol

By the way, while I'm on the topic of knitting groups.....

Soundtrack: "Hands In My Pockets", Jim Guthrie

Just say no to long distance deals. If I wrote down all the phonecalls, service visits, misunderstandings, offers to drill through our house, reneging of deals and assorted pricing quotes, we'd have the makings of a great little farce. All we'd be missing is the electrician loosing his pants. Fortunatly that didn't happen. Unfortunatly, I'm internetless...we've had wires crossed, we're at a loose end, and I'm fit to be tied. But I'm getting lots of crocheting done!


As you can see, I'm getting pretty sick and tired of photographing crochet. I now have 21 finished patterns of varying frivolity. Mainly small items, which has more to do with my attention span than with pattern writting. If anyone has clever ideas for photos do tell me. When I get back to Halifax, I'm going to try my hand at a Duct Tape Judy (see previous post) and paint her white. She'll be my model for shawls. I tend to look like a street urchin in them lol.









Luckly I have a gorgeous model in the form of Ginny. If properly sedated (with lots and lots of kitty treats) she is perfect to show off my attempts at baby hats (since I don't know any babies). Here she is in a Rose Chapeau (as seen at Knitting Out Loud).


This is Ginny in my new Sushi Hat. It would help matters if I could try it on a real baby but I doubt it would look quite as cute. Ginny is actually alergic to fish so it's a tribute to her versitility as a model that she pulls it off so beautifuly. Watch out Minou! lol This next pattern is my favorite right now though.







It's an Elizabethan Ruff. Have I lost my mind or is it really cute? I think I'll sell them at the next UFB show. Just admit it; you want to look pretentious too!
Thanks for all the comments, I hate that I can't blog more. Hope to write more soon....
ps. I'm teaching a class Jan 31. Check it out! xoxo
Soundtrack: "Baby" Martha Wainwright

Why can't I get my computer yet? When I do I can post photos. When I do I can stay online for long enough to blog. When I do I can update my ipod. When I do I wont be grumpy. I'm getting the above model in the 12" version which goes with my new idog (named rufus). Yes, I buy computers to go with my toys. Or, I would if I could get my hands on one. Wed. they tell me.

In the mean time I'm working away on crochet patterns. I want to make this free people shawl and if I don't have to fake my way through it, it will be a pattern too. I now have enough written that I think I could put together a book proposal lol. Spesh, when every crochet pattern book I look at is littered with the same old dishcloths and single crochet scarves.
I'm seriously thinking of buying a domain name and selling patterns online ala glampyre. Why not, right? (Well 'not' cause I don't have my &%$*^@# laptop yet). *sidebar: also on this phantom ibook is 'garage band' a program that will let me record my own demo cd. I have started writing songs about crocheting hats already and will slip them to the lads as they try on the hat...maybe not.

A belated happy birthday to my one and only (name withheld) I will make him a cd too; covering all his songs but inserting my name and knitting.

"Left holdin' the slub again
Weaving it in at both ends
Don't believe Fleece Artist is a friend
Chorus:
Thick[yarn], thick & thin[yarn]"

Ok, it needs some work LOL but at least now you know I'm working on finishing a project in FA slub.

I happen to know they listen to Charlie Parker in the tourbus anyway.
On the needles now is a topdown raglan with leafy vines down the sleaves and a low cut square neck. Now hold your breath...I'm knitting it with 8mms and double stranded Red Heart Super Saver. Why? (this doesnt get better) well, I started the project (expecting disaster)in Phentex. See, there's this shade of Phentex acrylic I really like! A mossy green. It is no more. I am heartbroken.
See? Pretty colour right? Anyway phentex must have realized it was too good to be true and was giving their acrylic line a bad name and now it is gone. I will add "Requiem for an Acrylic" to my cd. 
Anyway, I will post photos of this new sweater when I can. Thank you for all the comments about Mum's scarf! I will post photos of that too as soon as we have a glamour photo shoot.happy new year,

Soundtrack:"Love in a Trashcan", The Ravonettes, "Queen Bee", Devendra Barnhart

PS Speaking of favorite yarns, did anybody else get the call for submissions email from debbie stoller?

Xmas Knitting? Bah Humbug. I arrived home safe and sound and well rested(I slept from halifax to montreal station) and here I am in Kingston so far behind (b/c I slept from halifax to montreal station) having missed out on 18 hours of prime knitting time that I want to stab my self with my addis. Oh happy turbo dagger....

Here is Mum's "Emperor's New Scarf" (I can post the full name and link now; there's no way she's reading the blog before I give it to her...even if that ends up being sometime in january...) This is how it looked before leaving halifax. Now it looks....exactly the same but for one hole where I took the brown waste yarn out and tried to scrimp my way out of buying more butterfly cotton and finished the edging in embroidery floss. Don't do this. I found some cording that I'm de-plying from walmart and I think that will work. I just need to sit down and DO it.
Christmas miracle? Yes please. Oh and the omnipresent Hogwarts Scarf? I think I'm knitting a horocrux.

In happier news (happier than my turtley turbos) xmas shopping has tought me that everyone likes an oldfashioned Granny Square headband so I'm off to type up a pattern.

ps. I'm so sorry I missed holiday snb (or kol?) and the chance to see everyone's projects before they were gifted (or saved for next year as the case may be). Hope nobody thought I'd locked myself in the Shambala shrine room again.oops! Happy Holidays!

Soundtrack: "The Twelve Days of Christmas",Bob and Doug McKenzie
 

It's getting to be that time again; packing for the train back to Kingston, eating up everything that could go bad, freaking out over xmas presents, doing copious amounts of laundry, trying to get the tangled mats out of my hair, drinking egg nog for dinner....and celebrating Granny's birthday! Granny's 89 this year and although she asked for nothing but codeine and chocolate, she was very happy with all her prezies (especialy the ones that gave her a chance to pose). Here she is proving once again that she and Mrs Slocombe (of Are You Being Served fame) have more than a little in common.



In christmas crocheting crunch time I'm trying to turn out patterns for The Loop to sell.



The thing is, I need photos to include with the patterns that don't look like snapshots I took for the blog, and also don't look like I took them in my bathroom (I still need to buy windex), and oh yeah, that don't make me look completely egotistical (cause they're all of me so far). hmmmmmm...SnB ladies...want to be models?


Btw, here's what I want for christmas:



Soundtrack: "Words You Throw Away", The Black Crowes

If I had a winners/losers gallery of finished objects (ala Knit & Tonic) this would definitely be filed under 'losers'. It's not really done yet, but I really don't have the passion or drive right now to turn it into more than it currently is: a squid casing.



This seems to be a recurring theme for me *see briggs and little squid casing* perhaps I'm going through my cephalopod period? I'm sure it can be rescued in time (it's supossed to be a top I copied out of teen vogue -good god, right?) and I think the problem is that I tried to seam it during a cross country car ride with Ginny the cat in the back seat. I will pack it away under my bed until I grow enough backbone to give it a vertebrae and hope that it evolves past squid someday.

I've been so overwhelmed with knitting for xmas, and crocheting for classes, that I've been indulging in embroidery. Here's what I'm working on now:




Yes, yes, it's the ubiquitous Stevie Nicks. If you're interested, click here to see how absolutely stunning she is these days. Hooo ha! One day I will be her shawl mistress. I will painstakingly repair the Edge of 17 and Stand Back Shawls and make her a new wrap for Illume 9/11(I saw her on Sept.10-not that that makes me qualified) No, what makes me qualified is....well you don't need to hear my theories about my double parentage or my mean Electra complex (re Lindsey Buckingham). Sigh. Maybe one day I'll post a link to my Stevie site. It used to be one of the top rated ones. (yes, they rate these things)

As for my real Mum, you may remember the jacket she commissioned in the summer (click here) I still intend to make it, but not for a while. In the meantime, I'm making her Lucy's "The Emperor's New ____" for Christmas. (I won't post a picture in case she visits the blog...and I know she wont look up the pattern w/o help from me hee hee! no, no, she knows how, I just hope she wont.) The 'thumb trick' is blowing my mind and I got so excited that I came up with a great idea w/o realizing that it wouldn't work vertically. Duh. Is there a technique that would keep those stitches live, vertically? (vs. casting off and then on again)

ps it is gross outside. I wanted it to snow but not rain as well. grrrr.

Soundtrack: Wiretap, CBC1-this is one of my favorite shows ever. "Choooooo!"