Happy Mother's Day to my mom, the inimitable Shirley:
She doesn't read my blog, having uneven internet access, and she would be appalled -- appalled, I tell you -- that I have such a filthy mouth (and yes, I do kiss her with it), but I would be remiss in not wishing her a happy Mother's Day and telling the world what a kick-ass mom she was and is! Thanks, Mom.
And I'm sorry for everything I did from about age 13 through 23.
We have a winner!
Whilst all the maternal merriment was going on, lo and behold, Courtney of Flagstaff, AZ, bought the one-hundredth item on Black Bunny Fibers. It was this lovely skein, called "Nosegay," which I assure you is even prettier in real life (and last time I checked, there was one of it left on the Etsy shop).
I thank all of you for your support and I thank Courtney, too. She has opted for a skein of sock yarn and informed me of her preferred colors, so we'll see what comes out of the dyepot with her name on it.
Dye-O-Rama
In the meantime, this
came out of the dyepot for Dave, of Cabin Cove. I now can reveal that I was his Dye-O-Rama dyeing partner, and since I don't think he reads my blog, I'm probably not spoiling the surprise, although I'm sure he'll get his envelope today or tomorrow. It's sportweight Blue-Faced Leicester in olives and gold (as per his request), along with a catnip mouse for his diva of a kitty.
I've been teasing him a little by sending anonymous emails, and I even sent him a teeny snippet of a JPEG of the finished yarn. His response? "Is this your first time dyeing?"
I love the way you all keep me humble.
Book Review: Vogue On-The-Go Shawls
As my regular readers may remember, I have an ambivalent attitude toward Vogue's On-The-Go Knitting series. While I love the size of the books, the affordability, and the fact that they are each devoted to a single genre, I've found the quality of the patterns to be uneven. A recent installment, Shawls, is no exception.
The good: The cover shawl is wonderful: it uses the self-striping aspect of Noro yarns to great effect, and includes an interesting vertical cable detail.
The bad: If you thought it was the same old deja vu all over again, you're aren't imagining things. C'mon, Trish, we do notice when you recycle old designs. Pam Allen's Dragonfly Shawl appears in Vogue On-The-Go Scarves, as does Shirley Paden's gorgeous Rose Lace Stole. Meg Swansen's lovely Shetland Lace Shawl appeared in Vogue Knitting's Fall 2005 issue (pattern 18). I bet you, clever readers, can spot any that I missed. This much recycling is shameful considering how many talented, eager young designers there are out there -- not to mention talented, established designers.
The ugly:
This abomination from Amy Bahrt (sorry, Amy),
that looks like a flock of rabid, mammary-obsessed sheep are attacking the unfortunate model's tits. No self-respecting sheep would be caught dead on a garment like this (am I right, Dolores?) and certainly no self-respecting woman would be caught dead wearing it. I mean, I'm all for whimsy, but this steps way over the line.
Have Fart Jokes Gone Mainstream?
Especially for Lisa McN, I bring you this delightful advertisement, for baked beans.
Am I alone in thinking that emphasizing the flatus-producing quality of one's product is maybe not the best public relations strategy? Imagine the P.R. firm's pitch: "No, no, let's own it! Why, beans are the musical fruit!"
Hope your Monday isn't stinky.
OK, this is even grosser, but B&M? I wouldn't think that a company with a brand name that brings up, er, other things, would go for the flatulence connection.
ReplyDeleteThe B&M plant is at the mouth of Portland, Maine's Back Cove, and I have driven by it many, many times, the smell of baked beans wafting through the air. I've always thought it interesting that a food touted for its fiber should have the brand name "B&M", so I suppose playing on its tootogenicity is a natural for them.
ReplyDeleteJust think of the kids who will be begging their moms to buy them now.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad naps and Indian food make you happy. You and Thaddeus would get along famously (although don't get me wrong, I have nothing against either).
ReplyDeleteYour yarn dyeing continues to be exquisite...when will you get your own booth at a show?
As for B&M, I could imagine their new slogan:
"Go ahead, let one rip."
What a wonderful paean to your mother.
ReplyDeleteWas that the something you knew about Dave of Cabin Cove; that you were his Dye-O-Rama dyeing partner? I dyed my first yarn last week and I am hooked. Of course it looks nothing like yours or Dave's but I'll keep dyeing.
I spent mother's day at the yarn shop wherein I work on Sundays. A number of customers came in, plunked their projects on the table and said that was what they wanted for mother's day: an afternoon of knitting!
The giggling little boy says it all. Anyone who has ever spent any time around 7 year old boys knows that this is how is really is!
ReplyDeleteThe whole thing just makes me giggle!
What's next?
I had thai food, my cats gave me flowers and chocolates, and I spent my day knitting on my sun porch, listening to the phillies game, and eating said chocolates.
ReplyDeletecats, chocolate, knitting, and baseball - can life get any better than this?
anne marie in philly
Well now, that sheep shawl really is very...that is to say...it's kind of...
ReplyDeleteIt looks like she's wearing a shawl mayed out of a flayed, taxidermied sheep mutant sheep with four heads and sixteen legs.
The only person I can think of who might truly go for it is Bjork.
Did Vogue team up with Quacker Factory to design the sheep-shawl?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the dead on review of the Vogue on the Go Shawls. I, too, like the premise of the these books, but for goodness sakes, they can put some original oomph into the execution. Recyling may be a good idea, but in this case, no no no. PS. I love the Autumn Sonata. So far just swatching, so we shall see.
ReplyDeleteConjoined Sheep! I can't wait to see it on "You Knit What?"
ReplyDeleteHoly Mother of Wool! A Chernobyl Sheep cape!
ReplyDeleteheh.
ReplyDeleteyou should check out Toronto's own Mr. Gouda's 9 bean mix (previously known as the 9th symphony... )
http://www.goudasfoods.com/images/whatsnew/10834395932697265.jpg
Oh my. Do I have to clarify that I'm not so much inviting more flatulence jokes as tsk-tsking over the whiff of impropriety of putting them in an ad?
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Thank you for the great yarn, the colors are more than fabulous! And the funny part is, I have your shop as a favorite in Etsy. And someone form your address even ordered yarn from ME! How funny the small world we live in is. I'm workingon the post about the yarn right now.
ReplyDeleteThank you again. And Lulu Kitty thanks you, too.
Oh, I'm so glad you like it! And yes, after I found out who you were, I went to your site and tried a lovely skein of your yarn. Lulu Kitty is gorgeous and I can tell what a minx she is from the way she poses for you.
ReplyDeleteI actually like the sheep shawl - I like the wackiness and humor of it. It looks inspired by Bjork's "swan" dress.
ReplyDeleteNot that I would ever wear such a thing. In public, at least...
Pardon me 'twas not something I ate... rather it was date!
ReplyDeleteWhat a smorgasbord of readables today! My oh my... lovely piccie of your mum. Was she a Hollywood child star or something, or does everyone in your family take such glamorous pictures?
I must have no self respect... I think the whimsy in that sheep shawl is rather fun. ;)
ReplyDeleteB&M may have bad taste in advertising, but they're the best baked beans I've tried so far.
It's worse than that - they even have radio commercials with kids singing the whole "musical fruit" song. Very, very weird...
ReplyDeleteThe sheep scarf is very whimsical...definately one of a kind. I think the B&M Beans radio ad is very cute. My kids giggle when they hear it, and so do I.
ReplyDelete