I'm busting at my mattress stitched SEAMS!

For serious. But I can't talk about it just yet. But here is a little scrap: There is a giant, awesome closeout at Webs for Noro Silk Garden, Kureyon, CASH IROHA, Transitions, Kocheron...and Arucania Nature Wool and Nature Wool Chunky. My readership is modest so I'm confident that promoting this closeout here won't totally wipe out the supply of wonderful wool that I will get my hands on today...I hope I'm not wrong!

More randomness that I'm going to blame on the heat:

Yesterday at lunch my coworkers and I had a lengthy conversation about superheroes and comic book movies--it was awesome. The only thing missing was the swapping of my health food for someone elses' Fruit Roll-ups. It's fun to work with people my age who totally aren't afraid to geek out. Apros pros of that, check out this totally spot-on quiz (thanks Melissa) :

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

I was 100% Spiderman!

Eric got a Macbook and I'm thinking of maybe getting one too but I think most of the desire stems from wanting to knit it one of Leigh Radford's stripey laptop cases...

That is all. Try not to melt today.

Cirilia

P.S. Isn't this cute?

Antsy!

It's been awhile, I'm sorry. Summer and I just don't get along. I enjoy sunny days just as much as the next girl but the heat turns me into an ineffectual pile of sludge. I hate it. Bring on the Fall!

Since I never seem to post any out of the apartment pictures, here is one of two lucky girls watching Stars at the Siren Fest thanks to a boost from their Daddio. It's good to have a Daddio!


No knitting to show. Shame! I've been watching all sorts of summery stuff on the tube and the screen and sort of zoning out as I watch. When I'm not knitting I'm attending Sock University, trying as many different ways to knit socks as I can. So far, there has been a lot of reading, a lot of ripping and no socks to show for my efforts. But it's okay! I'm learning so much, and that's good. Socks intrigue and challenge me. They remind me that I'm still very much a beginner when it comes right down to it.

I've been seeing a lot of cute jackets out there. This jacket is simply adorable, as is this sketch by Eunny. We had the Berroco trunk show for Norah Gaughan's visit and after trying on Trixie, I am still a fan. And I even developed a new sweater crush on these which can be unisex, methinks.

I have been beading. It's fun, expensive and too fast. Pictures soon. Oh, speaking of pictures, as soon as I get permission from the designer I will share the photos from the latest modeling job.

Okay, I will now accept my award for World's Boringest Blogger. Thank you!

Cirilia

Hulked out.

Do you remember what happens to the Hulk after he Hulks out? He gets feeble and sick.

D.C. was mostly fun, but there are always issues when family convenes, and this time was no exception. I am slow moving, ache-y jointed and generally tired, and I've been that day ever since I spent half a day yelling and bawling my eyes out in D.C. I thought "good cries" were supposed to release toxins and leave you euphoric, WTF?

I explored the District a little further, this time making it to Dupont Circle to find the National Textile Museum. Let me tell you, if I'd seen this aerial view of Dupont before I walked myself silly I would've saved 10 bucks on the cab I finally hailed to get to the Museum. I thought about how lame I'd feel if it was only a couple of blocks away but the long ride confirmed my utter lostness, and made me feel slightly better. What struck me about the Museum was a. how small it was compared to other "national" museums around D.C. and b. how modern some of the pieces looked! The motifs were graphic, geometric and simple, the colors were cool and complex, and they'd all look completely current adorning today's fabrics. The main exhibit was on embroidery, which interests me only so-so as it is chiefly a decorative art and I'm much more interested in the functional when it comes to fiber art.

Which brings me to some KNITTING CONTENT, finally.

What I knit on my summer vacation: socks for my little sister Jovon. I was knitting them for myself but the top was feeling a little snug so I just decided to gift them since she was checking them out as I knit them and said they felt "comfortable" when she tried them on. They are Gull Wing Lace socks from XRX's Socks Socks Socks/also here. I did a twisted rib at the top but other than that didn't change a thing. The yarn is Lorna's Laces in Gold Hill, a hard to capture color, it's like a melting bowl of rainbow sherbert. Ha ha ha--sherbert. Are you supposed to pronounce the 'r'? I don't think so, but I do.

Fun lace pattern, nice yarn and I only used 1 skein for a pair of socks to fit a 7 year old! AND I have a sizable ball leftover. It has been my goal for awhile to learn more about sock knitting and knit through my stash of sock yarns, I'm glad to be getting started with that. Next thing to tackle is toe-up since I really didn't like having left over yarn, and I really love long socks.


A bit of synchronicity: Eric and I watched Nova last night and heard this great quote from Issac Netwon: “I do no know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."

And this morning I read this great post from Anjali.

And this weekend I'll get to visit La Mer herself when Eric and I go to the Siren Fest on Coney Island. I'm only really excited about one band this year (Stars) so I'm going to have to bring a good knitting project...maybe I'll run into some Brooklyn knitters??

Cirilia

Update: Oh man, I just saw a Humira arthritis commercial and a lady was knitting on the bus! The best part was that she was using bamboo circulars! I hate that all TV knitting is usually restricted to huge chunky yarn and big silly needles.

Art shopping.

Yesterday I bought my first piece of official art. It's "just a print" but whatever. I'm still going to have such a good time picking a frame and a place to hang it. Posters are getting on my nerves. I sort of own a couple of actual paintings and they definitelyh class up the joint ;) One can be seen in the background of this picture (past the Radiohead poster):

I sort of got them in a "divorce" settlement...or...I just never gave them back. Way better than CDs or a huge sweatshirt, in my opinion.

That picture is incidentally my MySpace profile picture and has landed me ANOTHER modeling job. This makes the grand total of photoshoots FIVE. Why am I caps-locking? Because I tried to be a model already and it was a bust. I'd get scouted in malls and the like and when I showed up at the open calls the girls looked like beautiful aliens. I'm not making any eating disorder claims but they were all abnormally tall girls with the long gangly limbs to match. They look normal in magazines because they all share that body type, but next to them, I'm stumpy and guitar shaped. I was told I could be a plus sized model or drop twenty pounds and MAYBE get work. Sorry, I happen to love food and dislike cardio (I even dislike the word "cardio"). I did a few favors for friends in film school and then it was over.

Unti this year. The first Lexie shoot, then one for an emerging knitwear designer (that's still sort of secret) then one for the Valley Yarns catalog, now one for a friend of a friend's sister's clothing company, Dressed in Yellow, and then another Lexie shoot. What happened?? I really hope I'm not coming off as a braggart, I'm just in shock at all of it. The Dressed in Yellow shoot might yield some payment in the form of clothing just in time for graduate school, fortuitous, no? I wonder if any of it will help me look more like this little vixen:


Speaking of graduate school, I'm wholly looking forward to it. I met with my University assigned Buddy (stupid name, right?) and she was great. I feel like I have permission to stop worrying so much. I also feel like I'm doing exactly what I should be doing in terms of preparation and self-evaluation. I really can't wait to get started. I even bought a new notebook from my favorite DIY company Ex Libris Anonymous:


Too bad it was lost it the mail! I'm totally bummed because they include lots of pages from the original book and it would've been a trip to read this retro Communication text...oh well. Please order from them the next time you need a notebook, journal or gift! They're only $12, free shipping and you're simulatenously recycling and supporting crafters.

I think I'll sum up my D.C. sojourn another day, I want to get down to the Farmer's Market before work so I can grab a loaf of dark chocolate bread (believe me, it's good).

Love,

Cirilia

P.S. New favorite reads: Brooklyn Tweed and Giant Jeans Parlour! And don't miss Giant Jean's Anjali's food blog Delicious Coma! Links to the right!