Shadow Puppets

Joan sent me the link to this on YouTube and it's really cool!

Pictures

John came home from work and showed me where the camera was. It was on his desk under the only thing I didn't move!

I really like the laciness of this shrug, and the wool is so soft and pretty! It would be really easy to use any lace pattern and come up with a shrug that is a lot like this one. I have 2 balls of Lion Moonlight Mohair; I might experiment with a larger hook and a different lace pattern.

And then there's the scrap. I'm thinking about this:

http://www.christinascrochethaven.com/lacy_look_scrap_scarf.htm

Finished Shrug

I finally got the shrug finished, although it took a lot longer than I thought it would because of the problems I've been having with my wrist. I finished it this morning although I had to stop now and again and use the microwave hotpack I made a few years ago. It turned out really nice, but I can't take a picture because the camera is missing. It only works some of the time, but I really wanted to get some pics and post them. I also wanted to get a pic of all the yarn Sio brought over from Chris' house. She has so much! She told me I could go through it and take what I want, so I have been. I have a whole laundry basket full of small balls that I am going to turn into scrap scarves and possibly a granny square afghan or maybe I'll finally get a yo yo afghan done. As soon as I get the camera I'll take some pica and post them.

On another subject, I subscribe to the Thom Hartmann podcast, and he had some interesting things to say about the McCain ad where Obama is refered to as "The One". I watched some of the spin about the ad last night on Hardball, and Countdown but I didn't actually see the ad til today. They were talking about the racial overtones to the ad, and I see that as being a big topic, but what I didn't hear was what Thom Hartmann pointed out on his show yesterday that I didn't hear til today. He says that while it may be appealing to people who are racist, it's full of code words that appeal to the "terrified white Christians". They may be a small minority but they have come out in droves to vote, and in this particular ad the McCain campaign is playing to those fears by portraying Obama as the anti-Christ. Hartmann points out how Hal Lindseys Left Behind series has sold 80 million copies in the US alone, and how these people believe that the anti-Christ will call himself "the One". He also points out how there are e-mails making the rounds that are saying the the Bible predicted that the anti-Christ would appear before 200,000 people (Obama's German appearance) and that the anti-Christ would be Muslim. Of course, the Bible say neither of those things. Hartmann points out how the Islamic religion didn't even exist untill 700 years after the Bible was written. The ad uses Biblical terms to re-inforce it's point and has Barak and Moses compared with each other. It takes a bit where Obama is making fun of the whole "celebrity" thing that is following him, and uses it totally out of context. Now obviously, I don't think there are any tactics the Republican party will not hesitate to use in their bid to keep power, so the ad is not surprising. Thom had some excerpts from right wing radio where they are falling right in line and really playing up the religious aspect. And as Thom asks, how can Obama respond to an attack that portrays him as the anti-Christ? He just can't come out and say "Hey, the anti-Christ? No, that's not me!" The really scary thing is that fundamentalists may be a minority, but they are a vocal one and they have gotten candidates elected before. Between them and the racists are there enough votes to carry McCain?

Heres the ad:

NIN (yes again)

Sio and I have been having an on-going discussion about Trent Reznor and his music. As I have stated in this blog before; while I don't like a whole lot of NIN, what I do like I really, really like. Trent Reznor is a poet with a phenomenal gift of touching the darker part of the psyche (at least mine, and I suspect a lot of other peoples too.) Siobhan is of the opinion that Trent really is just full of shit; being a rich little kid he really didn't go through any real suffering and doesn't know what real pain is. She agrees with me that he writes really good lyrics and she really likes some NIN, but that she doesn't think what he writes is authentic to what he really feels. Her opinion is that he goes back and forth between being a really good liar and being whiny. I agree about the whiny part; some of his music is whiney, but so is Billy Corgans; especially when Pumpkins were in their prime, and I still like them. I think in the case of NIN, Sio is missing a lot of the social commentary in songs like Terrible Lie, or Happiness in Slavery, or Starfuckers or my new favorite The Hand That Feeds. I think Trent's being brought up in the circumstances he was gives him a view from the inside that some people don't have and makes him better able to comment on those things, if that makes any sense. Sio says that someone brought up in that situation should have nothing to whine about, and in a way that's true, but I think that despair, loneliness, pain; those things cross all boundaries. I would say that in the end they are what make us all human, everybody shares the depths, the darkness, as much or more than they share love even. You may love someone, and I'm not negating that love can be a pretty deep emotion, but in despair and loneliness you really see another person in a very naked way, and Trent touches that in a way that most artists don't. It's very authentic, and it knows no barriers of any kind. And I would say that even in love, it's the pain and despair and loneliness that bind us closer to the other person than anything else does. Again, I'm not negating the other human emotions or events that happen, laughter and happiness certainly bring people closer together but when you let someone see the despair; that's real love. Anyway, maybe what I'm writing is just so much bullshit, who knows? I know that there's a few people out there who read this blog occasionally; Melissa and Jimmy do. Do you agree with me or Sio, or do you have your own take on Mr. Reznor?


Excellent version of "Something I Can Never Have" from Pretty Hate Machine


Johns birthday was Friday and he took Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. We got him a new rod and reel so we did a lot of fishing. I caught my biggest fish ever and the camera was on the fritz again! It was 21 inches long; I actually think it may have been the same fish John caught, it was about the same spot.

New Yarn and Shrug Pattern

I got my yarn from Elann today, 3 balls of Peruvian Highland wool in Deep Sea Blue, and 3 balls of Highland Donegal in Cognac. I love the Highland Donegal; it's 100%, single ply worsted weight with little tweedie flecks and it feels so nice! I started this little shrug from CrochetMe in the smallest size.
http://www.crochetme.com/patterns/maui-shrug I must be crocheting too tight because I had to switch over to a size I hook to get the right gauge. I really think it will be pretty when it's done and it should go pretty fast because it's so open and lacy. I think I might make the pineapple scarf again in the blue; or maybe a hat and fingerless gloves. I haven't decided yet. I really like these fingerless gloves; again from CrochetMe: http://crochetme.com/patterns/crochet-openwork-handwarmers
I have a granny hat beanie hat pattern somewhere that would look really good with them.

Pineapple Scarf

I crocheted this pretty pineapple patterned scarf using Lion Fisherman Wool. I got the pattern here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Elegantps However, I changed it a bit. I crocheted it in two halves so I could turn one half around and have the pineapples running the same way up either end. I crocheted the halves together in the middle.The pattern said to repeat the motif 11 times for a total of 12 motifs; I have 7 motifs in each half, for a total of 14 motifs. I also single crocheted up both long edges, and across the bottom of the edge that I ended at (if that makes any sense.) Then I added a fringe. I think it's really nice and it may end up as a Christmas present for someone. I ordered enough yarn from Elann to crochet another one, too.

Sio brought some of her yarn stash over from Chris'; she's throwing so much that she doesn't knit much anymore. She told me I could have whatever I want from it and then she might sell some on Etsy or store it in the attic. She had a ball that she had taken several different strands and put them together and made one huge ball, like in the 4th picture. I took them apart and am adding some leftover brown wool and am going to knit a random stripe scarf. It will just be stockinette stitch but the colors are so nice together, Sio has a really good eye for color.

I also finished another discloth and am almost done with one more.

Dishcloth Frenzy and Hat Pics

I made 5 dishcloths in about 48 hours or so; 4 of them are knitted, the last one is crocheted. I made 2 of them at moms yesterday and started a 3rd that I finished last night. I started another crocheted one this morning. I'm selling them in groups of 2 in my Etsy store; I have one set listed already and I'm probably going to list another set later today.

The hat turned out really nice too. This is the second time I've made this particular pattern. I made it from 2 different yarns; the grey one is Wool of the Andes from Knitpicks and the blue is a wool/hemp blend that I dyed awhile ago. The first time I made this hat I used Wool-Ease and I wore it a lot. I lost it some where; this one doesn't match my coat so I might make it again in a black wool. I'll probably end up giving this as a gift or listing it in my Etsy store. The link for the pattern is here: http://www.jpfun.com/patterns/free/wearables/f124001addisonhat.shtml

Here's another TinWhistler video; this one is really beautiful: Hip Agus Hop/The Roaring Barmaid:

The Second Biggest Fish and Zuchinni

John and I went fishing last night and he caught a 19 inch bass in almost the same spot that he caught the other big one in. I forgot to bring the camera so we didn't get a picture. He caught this one on a plastic worm, too, a burgundy one. I'm going to start using plastic worms; I want to catch a really big fish too!

I found this zuchinni hiding under some leaves and growing in the grass; I've been picking them at 6 or 7 inches so they are nice and tender; this one is over 12 inches. Irene cut the end off and it doesn't look woody so we are going to eat it. We've been eating fresh green beans, and I think the tomatoes will start ripening soon. The cabbage is almost ready; the broccoli kind of got taken over by the zuchinni so I don't think I'll get any. The pumpkins are getting flowers on them and I'm finally getting to eat some of the strawberries.

I am almost done hooking the wonky house mat; I might finish it tomorrow and if I do I'll post a pic. The sky is not quite what I had in mind, but that's ok; I'll just try again on another piece.

Sky

I went through the last container of wool I had and I found a big piece of red/blue/white/yellow plaid I forgot about. I wasn't sure how it would work, but I think it looks ok. I also found a tiny black/turqoise houndstooth check that I am also using. So far I'd say it's looking pretty good.

I've been crocheting so much lately that my wrists and fingers hurt, so I think I may take today off. When I found the plaid last night I couldn't help hooking a bit even though my hand already hurt a bit; now it hurts a lot. I wrapped it in a hot towel and took 3 Advil, so we'll see how it is later. I'm a bit disappointed not to work on the mat today; now that I found the right colors I want to get it done!

Another Rug Post

John played around with the dials on the camera and he got it to work again. So I took a pic of the mat up til now. I can't find the right multi color plaid to add the bits of color to the swirls in the sky, I've looked through most of the wool I have here. I may be able to spot dye something, I'm going to give it a try tomorrow. If not I'll have to go to Salvation Army and that probably won't happen til Siobhan comes home. I like the way it looks so far though; Carla and Melissa were right about the roof.

I have been crocheting a lot, too; I finished 2 more hats and started a scarf. Maybe I'll post pics of those later.

If You Don't Have a Bodhran.....

You play the couch!



Once again, the talented Tinwhistler and his brother JJ, this time playing Blackthorn Stick/Swallowtail Jig/Swallowtail Reel. I can't help it, they've posted over 40 videos and I'd say more than half of them are really good. Plus I want to keep them at the forefront of my mind to show Sio when she comes home from Disney. She's been bugging me for months to play my bodhran and I just haven't. If she faithfully practices the whistle I will faithfully practice the bodhran and maybe we'll have a couple of tunes under our belt to play for Melissa when she comes home next.

Broken Camera and Toss the Feathers

The digital camera broke today, and Sio took hers with her to Disney so I can't post any pictures. I also can't list on Etsy which sucks. I have a few things that I already took pics of but not many. We will probably just look for another camera. We bought one for Sio and we gave one to Melissa, so now it's time to get one for us.

In the meantime I can only say I didn't do much rug hooking today because my hand hurt. However, I did do one of my other favorite things which was to search YouTube for more music videos. So instead of posting a pic of the mat, here is the Corrs from 1999 doing Toss the Feathers:

Great Cover Songs

I haven't read Melissa's blog in a few days so I didn't realize she had tagged me and Jimmy for our versions of great cover songs until Carla told me yesterday. Melissa, I apologize sweetie; the last time I read your blog there was food on it. Anyway, I read it, and I also read Jimmys response. I have to say that I agree with Jimmy about Patti Smith's version of Van Morrison's Gloria. I think it is, hands down, one of the greatest cover songs ever. As far as I'm concerned she does a great cover of the Byrds Rock 'n Roll Star too. She does it with so much more feeling than they do.

It's really hard to pick out good covers; so many of the bad ones come to mind. I recently heard some one doing Aerosmiths Dream On. The song sucked when Mr Tyler and Co. recorded it and it sucks even more in it's new incarnation. But there are some good covers. I like Jimi Hendrix doing "All Along the Watchtower" , it's excellent. And I also like U2 doing the same song, maybe just a bit more than Hendrix:




Moving out of the realm of rock, the Irish band Altan, does a wonderful cover of Bob Dylan's Girl of the North Country. Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh has a wonderfully sweet voice which I love. Johnny Cash has covered this song too; his version is passable, but I like Altans better.

I recently heard a cover of Solas doing Darkness Darkness which was written by Jesse Colin Young and recorded by the Youngbloods. I always liked the song; it was one of those that I would occasionally hear and think "Oh I should get that song" and then it would slip to the back of my mind until the next time I heard it. Until Solas, that is. Then it was "I need that song in my Celtic music line up" and it has joined the playlist of my favorite Celtic songs. I couldn't find a video of them doing it on YouTube, but I found this great video of then doing "Coconut Dog/Morning Dew". It is a cover of traditional Irish music, and if you ask me any of a number of the really good Celtic bands covering jigs, reels and old ballads are every bit as good as rock covers. (Melissa, did you really think I could do this without mentioning traditional music?)

Wonky House Rug

Well, I started the wonky house rug from Deanne Fitzpatricks book. I actually took a picture of the pattern in the book and then enlarged it to just over 10 inches on my computer using Fireworks. I did a mirror image so the house faces the other direction.I don't think there's any definition in the roof tiles, I hooked black lines in and I was going to take out the plaid I was using for the actual tile parts out and do something else but I was over at mom's with Carla and she said it was very subtle and I should leave it. So I am at least for now. The house itself will be red. I am following Deannes coloring to some extent because it looks really good, and it goes well with the night sky.However I don't have the same colors she does and I don't want to dye anything for this piece unless it is sky. A picture of her finished piece is in the last picture. I can hook land and sea, and my hill will be in greens, but darker than hers because that's what I have and because I want it to look darker because it's night.
Mom was pretty excited about making this little mat, and looking at the books I had with me. She said she thought she could probably still make one, and since there is only one stitch which is "Pull up a loop" I think she's right. She told me (again, although I like to hear it) about how the mat frame would be set up in one corner of the kitchen when she was a little girl, and how Nan would be working on her mat while my grandfather would be working making and repairing fishing nets. Mom used to help her dad with the nets sometimes. She also talked about how some one would just drop in and pull up a few loops. There would be tea and always something sweet. Anyway, I think I am going to draw up just a little something; maybe a rose and leaves on a 10 inch circle or square, cut up some wool for her, buy her a hook and let her go to town. It will give her something to do in the evenings and who knows? She may enjoy it enough to want to do more.

Rug for Sale and the Butterfly

I put the stained glass mat up for sale on Etsy and I kind of feel like I'm putting a child up for adoption. I have never tried to sell anything that I have spent so much time and energy on before. It basically is a scrap hit-or-miss thing, but I still feel a bit over putting it out there. But on the other hand I will be sad if my child gets no attention, so I guess there's no pleasing. I think I'm going to do a smaller piece before I go back to the sheep mat. There is a pattern in one of Deanne Fitzpatricks books that I think I'm going to do; it gives me a chance to play with a night sky.
I have been listening to more of the TinWhistler on YouTube; this kid is really amazing. Here he is doing The Butterfly with a young lady from Germany on the harp.

Further Musical YouTube Wanderings

I am just amazed at the number of young people who seem to be into traditional music! It's a great thing to know that the music is being kept alive for another generation. I remember when I first became excited about Celtic music, I was a young woman, 22 or 23 and was on my first trip to Newfoundland as an adult. Even now, a visit to Newfoundland means hearing traditional music, but in the very early 80's it was something very new to hear it being played all over, not just as part of a movie or historical re-enactment. I didn't know it then, but that was the early days of the Celtic music revival. As part of that revival I brought home an album of recordings done by 2 families who performed at the Conception Bay Folk Music Festival. The album is long gone, lost in a flood in the basement and thrown out by mistake, but I still remember the tunes, my 3 favorites being Si Bheag Si Mhor, Rocks of Marasheen and a little ditty called Give Me a Match to Light My Pipe and I'll Be Off to Ryans Cove that my kids made up words to. I have been a dedicated fan of the traditional music scene ever since, but it's really exciting to see something like this video, 2 young brothers playing 2 reels together, Rainy Day and the Ale is Dear. PJ known as TinWhistler is pretty amazing! Reminds me of Flook a bit, another of my favorite Celtic bands. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Music Heritage

I was just kind of nosing around YouTube and came across this young pair of Newfoundlanders, Mike and Renee Batten. They both seem to play several instruments including accordian and guitar, and Mike plays mandolin as well. They look really young, and it's a very cool thing that they are keeping their musical heritage alive. I was hard put to choose which of the videos to post, so I think I may revisit them every now and then and post something new. I hope to hear them in their own band some day, but until then this is Puffin Island Jig.

West Country Lady

I don't have the slightest idea who this fellow is. He sounds just like the singer from the Newfoundland band Fine Crowd, there is a video of him doing their song "Days Gone By" so it might be him. Whoever he is, here he is doing one of my all time favorite Newfoundland songs "West Country Lady". I have Ryans Fancy doing it in my music collection, but this fellow does it very well.

Busy Busy Busy

I put the stained glass rug back into the frame and had it done in next to no time. It actually is very nice. I didn't hem the edges down yet because I don't have any twill tape for the edges; I'll get some today. Sio said I should sell it, but I have to ask at least $120 for it, so I don't know if I will.
I came across an excellent article called "Zen and the Art of Stash Diving" here:
http://www.crochetme.com/node/47/print The gist of it is just close your eyes and dig in; I did and made this pretty scarf with some reclaimed yarn that I had leftover from a couple of scarflettes I made to list later in the year. The yarn is a thick/thin acrylic with a metallic thread running through it. It's a simple v-stitch and I used a size M hook so it went very quickly. After I finished the scarf I just picked up the yarn closest to my chair which was brown Red Heart and started this ripple purse. It ends up being pretty small, 7x9 about, but the ripple flap is cute. I'll be done with that too, in a couple of days.
I got the sheep rug back into the frame and started the barn but I lost my nice hook and I don't like the back up one I have. I think it's in the computer room some where.
To top it all off I got 2 pairs of shorts made for Sio's trip to Disney and I have one more to make today. If I can get her to put them on I'll take pics. They came out cute, and fit her which is always a bit of a problem with pants. I might make myself a pair from the same pattern.

Big Fish!

John, Chris and I went fishing over the weekend, and John caught this huge bass in the little local pond by Chris' house. I think he was using a purple plastic worm but it could have been red. This is far and away the biggest fish that any of us have caught in years. I think John has the biggest fish of the year bet pretty well tied up.