Oh my, octopi!

Is there an octopus in the house? I wish that I could claim that this little bit of whimsical knitting came from my own industrious little fingers, but alas, it does not. But it was so damn cute, that it needed to be shown to the blogosphere in all it's retro colored beauty.

Could you swim by my place tonight? I'll give you more than eight good reasons to stay!!!!

If this had not been a special request order for a mutual friend, this would have landed in my handbag somehow, and come home with me. By this point, we would be on a first name basis and I would feel free to share with y'all some of the deep blue secrets that I had ferreted out over seafood cocktails.

The creator of the cute creature of the sea is my friend, Mary for Miss Lynar out of lovely yarn colors that were inspired by a vintage VW bug in Lynar's past.

This awesome pattern, and more, can be found here by Hansigurami. Damn, but if this girl ain't talented!

Hansi Singh also now has an entire book of her incredible knit amigurami = check it out!

taking a moment...

I have been a little crazed with reporting on my other presence here in the blogosphere, and have kinda neglected cruising and perusing what wonderfulness my favorite peeps have been up to these days. Excuse me for being remiss.

So, it has been awhile since I counted my blessings - quickly, for the sewing machine awaits me- here they are

To all my great friends at the coffee shop, who brightened my day as I battled the "ugly comment syndrome" with my other blog - my heart smiled and you made me feel wanted

I made a few sales at the store here in town! yeah for more inspiration to continue creating

To my Mom - who doesn't really understand me and my notion of life's journey, but loves me anyways

To the realization that at any minute someone or something new can enter your life and add an ingredient to the mix that you never thought you were missing until then

To all of you who may stop by today - we might not always please one another in our actions and behavior, but maybe that is a good thing
Variety is spicy!

Knit Up travels abroad

I heard the call to arms (here).

As a fellow knitter and possibly, renegade yarn outlaw, I was intrigued and aware that this was something that I could be a part of and feel proud. Besides, it is not everyday that you have a chance to go international and have your work seen at The National Gallery of Austrailia!


I choose the colors that I did to reflect my town, which sits on the edge of a very large lake and has lovely rivers that course through it. I wanted the serenity of blue, and the texture of the creator, moi, Lady P.



But, I also wanted it to have the feel of the people of my town, to have some of their mojo if you will.
So - I made them try it on. Wear it. Get their cooties all over it. Like lovely Miss Mary up above.



Mr. Mike wanted to be a Knitto Bandito.



Sir Ron wanted to make sure that you knew a grande cafe came with his knit serape.



Brandie and Henry the Owl. Feelin' cozy in to the Yarny Pole Knit Up.


Will, secure in his manhood and happy to support the best international knit up in town! (at least for today)

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Where would I be without my ride? It loves the carousing around town, looking for new spots to yarn bomb.

Oh, what's this? A Zombie Cupcake? hmmmmm.....wonder if I can trust the fluffy green one not to eat the lovely little knit up before it makes the journey across the mighty ocean. Dare I risk it?

The little one that stayed behind

One day I was in the midst of making zombie cupcakes for a friend, researching online for patterns, trying out said patterns and gathering creepy colors for the "Night of the Living Dead" knit cupcakes. Scratch here was born.

He just never left home. That's all I can say. I loved him too much to see him travel anywhere beyond my side. But he wanted to have a roam. Scratch felt it was his turn at the modeling routine. So, here we are. This is somehow Scratch's favorite spot.

We didn't work too hard at this photo shoot. The weather is a little overcast and humid and our coffee cup was empty. But now Scratch had had his moment of blog fame. His Cotillion Ball, if you will, of being introduced to the world. Scratch is a lot like me - now that he is through, he just wants a moment of quiet and a good vampire novel to sink his teeth into. Literally.

Lovely little things

It's the little things in life that somehow pull you through. The cup above was a Christmas gift given to a friend who has a sincere fondness for Kermit the Frog. Drinking from this little plastic mug brightens any day. Makes you giggle.

A friend of mine has a great store and was the first person to come out and Yarn Bomb with me (here is our collaboration). You know that speaks volumes. Today is her day off - so I placed my little knit ups on her front door handles (she has two) with a deep sense of giggliness this morning. He he - I love being yarny secretive.

I could enjoy a cup of excellent brew and put up my bit of knitting. Such a refined way of doing an yarn installation. Ahhhhh......

Show off your girlish frill and turn up you tutu for the cameras, Knit Up!

These are done up in my friend's shop's colors - and they actually feel really good on the vintage handles to her esteemed store (check it out!)
It's these little things that keep one going, make you smile and able to laugh at the world. Being silly - I highly recommend it!

Pixie Playdough

You can find art in the smallest of things, in out of the way spaces. In little bits of colored clay.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. An old weatherworn porch with silly bits of rolled dough shaped into big eyed creatures without any limbs. Hot weather and a cool camera in my pocket. I am ready to play.

Created by my friend, Pinky and left on the front stoop of mutual friends' house, these handmade tchotckes speak to me. Little beings.

Like Spike here. He's a cool dude, likes to work out and unbeknownst to him, the ill begotten son of a traveling evangelistic minister. He calls his Mom from bus stations with spare change he finds in seat cushions at parties and usually scores with the chicks.

Spike is a Scorpio and has a deep seated fear of losing his underwear. So he locks it up at home and goes commando.

Glow and Chester are cousins, go to the same eye doctor, eat breakfast for dinner and never leave the house without trying on five different pairs of socks before deciding to go barefoot.

They are both Cancers and write anonymous love letters to Donny Osmond. Last year the went to Hawaii with some money they found in a park along with a bag of drugs. The left the drugs.

Rubit the Robot and JuneBug are inseparable companions in the quest for more marzipan and love to watch close-captioned television, especially Judge Judy. They leave notes on park benches for people to find, sometimes sending them on a wild goose chase looking for a jar of pickled eggs they hid in a tree somewhere nearby.

Rubit is an Aquarius and likes to play hopscotch with a large crowd. JuneBug is a Leo, and tries to act out irrationally in front of an audience as much as possible. Which is never often enough.

Note to Pinky - You are sooo talented. Come back soon, we miss you.

When silly friends have garage sales

My friends crack me up - and always have a gazillion little trinkets that I must have to clutter up the corners of my happy heart and the shelves in my kitchen and creative corner (two of the most awesome places in my house for me to sit my behind down and create.

My buddy, I'll call him "GarBear" , has a wild sense of art humor. No corner, or wall, or doorway - inside or out, is safe.

This is his art work - taking forsaken pieces of painting and adjusting them for our humor palettes. He is known to then place them randomly about the city for people to snicker at - or not. You know how the public can be at times. Finicky. Fussy. Without the funnybones that God gave them.

This little freeform sculpture went along with the street sign indicating the sale. Priceless.

This barbie with an extreme makeover has a cute backstory and a lot of attitude. Her T-shirt says "Hello Kinky". That's a play on Hello Kitty, the former owner tells me hurriedly, like she doesn't want me reading to much into her past history - or the doll's.

This cutie went home with me. Now, now - you with the less than clean minds - nothing like that. I will say, however, that she has more clothes on than the other barbies in my home that she will be keeping company with at this time.

I don't even want to think what that means.

Freaky Friday

I am naming it that, because for many hours now I have been photographing and blogging about a 5 Alarm Fire that struck my little burg less than 24 hours ago - you can visit here to see what has happened.

But, in fact I should say that this is really a day of seeing my community rally together to help one another and to put the best face on a big loss to our historical downtown. The building that burnt, while not the prettiest, was still 100 years old and a part of our town's heritage. I hate to see it go.

On the bright side is all of the sharing that this financial foment and crisis has shown up in stark contrast. People have been so giving and caring in my town. And on a more personal note, I have had some good luck as well. My neighbor has gone on a last minute business trip - and I am one of a couple of guardians of the sugar pea vines. Oh heavens - how divine!

Another dear friend has a plot at the pea patch down the street, and I happily traded peas for a handful of just-picked lettuce. Earth still warm and pasty on the lower edges of the leaves - meal right there in the making.

I harvested sooo many sugar peas that I happily had enough to try pickling them in this great recipe that I found over at another one of my new blog crushes, The Smitten Kitchen, here. I am tucking right in to the batch that I somehow got made last night - oh yum.

Still life with bee

art where you live

I walk the dog, I use the provided poop mitt when needed
I art where I live.

I just follow my bliss. Connect the yarn bits I have with the site that comes unbidden to my attention and then do the knitty thing. The knitbits ask to be put where they go - I am only the Knit Channel, I just do what I am told.

After being days behind my pledge to knit out daily ( I blame my wonky, index finger for wanting an unpaid holiday and lagging behind when the car door got closed) - so I was a knitter with a mission to get my latest bit of arting out up and visible. (Poop mitt dispenser above!)

Today, I had an accomplice (who shall remain anonymous, of course) who provided lookout and warned me of any stray red trucks that signaled the approach of the dreaded Parks Dept. Alas, they were everywhere today. I put it up and prayed.

Seriously, I have not seen so many of them in 2 square blocks for DAYS. Huh.

Hours of work - preciously few moments of real life appreciation for the tender love by which it was born, knit up love knows no boundaries with me.

The yarn force is with me - my knitting light saber ever ready by my side. The fight has just begun - and the dark side will not subdue the Fiber Within.

Post Script - tonight at 9:30, the dog and I strolled by the scene of the knit crime, and all was still well in the "yarniverse".