Before and After

Scored a neat organizer from the best Grad Assistant in the world who is moving out to Oregon to change the world.  I think it looks much better than my previous system, which was "pile everything onto a cork board and pray it doesn't fall."

Sean suggested I paint it, and I just might.  I'll see if I can figure out how to make it look distressed first.

iPhone4 Case on the Cheap

My old, clear iPhone case was getting yellow so I figured it was time for a new one.  It's amazing how much people charge for these things.  So I broke out the old Mod Podge and some leftover Amy Butler scrapbooking paper I had lying around and covered the outside of the case.

 
The paper was double-sided, so it shows through on the inside.

 I covered the buttons and they still work fine.  I just covered between the holes for connections so I wouldn't have to cut them all out.  Of course, I cut out the oval for the camera hole.It hasn't really been kid-tested yet, but it seems like it's pretty sturdy.  The Mod Podge makes the case a little stiff, so it's hard to get the phone out, but not impossible.

Fake Cannonball

I'm a little late on this, but I'm taking a break from writing the grant from hell.  The research office is about to burn me in effigy because I'm causing them much headache.

Last week I read "The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker."  It's one of those where you see the ending coming right off, and the heroine was a little off-putting to me.  The romance was a lot better than Soulless, however.  The forbidden love was more believable and you were really rooting for them to get together, but Percy Parker was really a wimp.  I wouldn't expect Superwoman, but hell (spoiler) she really should have had more backbone considering her backstory.  Overall, it's a good read.  Finished it in one long night.

And, just for the hell of it, here's a Chupacabra.

Fake Cannonball

Last weekend I read Souless by Gail Carriger.  It's Steampunky supernatural and British, but there's no teenage angst.  The love affair misdirections between the two leads did take long to resolve, but otherwise it was a good, easy read.

And, here's some cake!
This was for my Aunt's wedding a few weeks ago. Yup, that's camo!

2 Books for the Fake Cannonball

I've been reading a bunch of comics, which is eating away at my regular reading time.
This week I did get to finish two young adult novels that were very gripping and well-written.  Both are by Neil Gaimon (well, one is Gaimon and some other guy I forgot.)
"The Graveyard Book" and "Interworld" I highly recommend.  They can be pretty scary and vary sad for a young adult novel, but I'm starting to realize kids can handle a lot more than we'd like to think they can.  I even suggested my mom, who teaches high school English, suggest these to her students as an antidote to all the damage Twilight has no doubt inflicted on their poor, impressionable minds.

Dear Tom Cruise

You are trying way to hard.  And, you are crazy. Please stop.
Sincerely,
s

6-Word Book Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Philatelist:
is not
what you think.

Bwa ha ha ha

One thing I like about decorating cakes is sometimes you get to play "mad scientist" and my sister Kayla's birthday this weekend was one such occasion.
Behold:

The Bleeding Armadillo

Yeah, I know.

The cake was red velvet, of course, so it actually looked pretty gross when it was cut.  I'll save you that image.  We were going for the groom's cake in Steel Magnolias.  (Don't tell anyone around here because they'll cut me, but I'm just not fond of that movie- although Shirley McClain's character was a hoot.)  Homemade marshmallow fondant, as usual.  I was very surprised at how fast it went.  Definitely one of my top five.

My Frankenstein

I made this scarf with some left over Noro.  I almost used a pattern, but I ended up making it up as I went along.  I cast on 5 sts.  Row 1- k, kfb,pm, k, kfb, k;

Row 2 and all other wrong side- knit or purl across; Row 3 and all other right side- k1, kfb, k to m, increase however you want, k1, increase, k to last 2 st, kfb, k1.  I alternated stockinette rows and garter rows.  On the wrong side, I also added eyelet rows of k1, {yo, k2tog} repeat, k1.

Brocade

By Kaffe Fassette in Rowan 38.
Ravelry link.

This is my Magnum Opus.
First off, it took me a few years to find a copy of Rowan 38.  The first time I tried to buy it, the guy reneged. I ended up getting it for a steal- I mean, they robbed me blind.  $40 for the book- for one pattern.  I kid you not.  There is nothing else worth knitting in the entire book.  If you find something, I'd be happy to sell it to you when I'm done.  I'll give you a good deal too- not!
Second, this:

 WTF!

This is the back.  If it looks like spaghetti, it is.  I can knit about 3 rows before having to untangle about 20 strands.  With Intarsia, you have to wrap the yarn at each color change to avoid holes.  That means all the strands get wrapped up on top of being normally unruly.  Some people knit big swatches of Intarsia and then embroider the details, but it's easier for me to just get it done all at once.  In all, it takes me one hour to knit three rows and untangle the mess.  I don't even want to think about all the weaving in.  Not to mention the pattern is on the back and sleeves as well. 
Here's a nice progress shot:

 OOOOOHH Pretty

And take a lookey  at  the chart.  Don't worry, you won't be able to read it unless you have the fake CSI tv- style infinite- zoom function on your computer.  I can barely read it IRL.  Those boxes are teeny-freaking-tiny and in moss green and turquoise.  Why, Kaffe, Why!!!! Black and white would have been hard enough to see.  Why choose two colors so close together for the chart?  Oh, and hahahahahahaha- the pattern isn't symmetrical!  So I usually have to tink back two of the three rows.  It was worse before I realized the lack of symmetry when I couldn't figure out why my counts were so off and had to go back to start on Every. Freaking. Row.

 If anyone knows where my camera is, let me know and  I'll be happy to take better shots.

I think Kaffe designs these things as a cruel joke.  "Let's see what idiot will wast one year of their life trying to knit this and then end up frogging it anyway because it's drop-sleeved and not at all fitted like on the model."
Oh, didn't I mention it's drop-sleeved and not at all fitted like on the model?  I'm going to try to modify it to be a raglan because that's what it looks like it should be.  Those "seams" going up where the shoulder seam should be in the photo are fake.  I'm just nervous that I'll run out of pattern on the sleeves and have to fudge it.  I'm not worried about the lack of shaping, as I'm sort of rectangle-shaped myself.