Sea Anemone Knits

(Stop laughing. I can too sell stash. I’ve got too much yarn as it is. Most of you Houston gals know it too.)

Ok. Here are the goods:

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed Color #08

PENDING

There are two different dye lots that are indiscernable (Above photos have one skein from each dyelot spooning each other)

There are 11 skeins total. 6 of one, 5 of another. $60 takes all eleven (shipping included), Paypal only. I will split the dyelots up if requested, but will need to provide an alternate quote if that be the case.

email me

Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed Color #21

There are 10 skeins total. $55 takes all ten (shipping included), Paypal only.

email me

Thanks everyone! I look forward to a little destashing!

I think the Universe just fell on the floor laughing at me.

See, I got a phone call on Saturday that I was both waiting for and dreading at the same time.

Long story short however, I accepted an offer to move back to Houston and go to work for a group of people that I’ve missed terribly. It didn’t hurt that it was an incredible offer either.

So, now I’ve got to find an apt in Houston. In two weeks. Eek!

Houston folks, would you pretty please keep your eyes open for apts in the Montrose/River Oaks/Museum area that do not really look too huge cavernous complexy feeling and let me know if you see anything??

So two months ago, I walked into my job after a week’s vacation and turned in my notice and was promptly asked to leave the premises. And I did.

I started a new job about a month and a half ago down in Galveston. It required me to move. And I did.

The Universe smiled at me for good decision making and asked me to like my new boss because he’s really freakin’ awesome. And I did.

Then the universe in a further reward announced to me that as long as I was doing my job well and completing the various training that was asked of me, then I could knit, at work, in between phone calls. And I did.

I’ve really gotten a lot done.

Then the Universe laughed at me for uprooting myself from Houston where I was happy. Currently the Universe is giggling. I have a glimmer of hope at making the Universe break out into full on guffaws before the end of the week. The Universe using me at it’s own stand up comedian (albeit, a very poor one, but whatever) would be very welcome because it would mean that two and a half months after leaving, I would move back to Houston. So cross your needles and fingers for me.

One day it’ll settle out and be level for a while right??

Because I’m still working on some stuff that isn’t worth writing about right now (Hello huge shawl that I need to finish suddenly before the 26th. Curse you knitting gods!!), I’m going to tell you about something I got about a week before I moved.

A while back at some ungodly hour of the night, I was haunting the Ravelry boards and happened upon a conversation amongst some knitters that amounted to wondering what was wrong with Anthropologie that they didn’t just suck it up and release a book of knitting patterns based on their sweaters. Because they consistently have freaking FANTASTIC sweaters/cardigans. The cuteness would make you choke. But at their prices, you might as well knit it yourself and have it fit you perfectly to boot.

So it this ungoly hour of the night, I had a lightbulb that said “Hey! See if you can write Anthro- and tell them this remarkable idea.” So being the resourceful googler that I can be, I googled Anthropologie and found the main website and dug around and lo and behold, I found email addresses for not only the entire Board of Directors but all of the corporate officers as well. I picked a name and proceeded to write them an email telling them that knitters had a lot of money to spend seeing as we numbered way more than 5 million strong. And I told him about what a good idea I thought it would be to make a book of their knitting patterns because we liked to customise things and well, it would just be really really awesome of them and knowing us knitters and our penchant for fashionable and unique, it would also certainly sell very well. (I probably sounded like a raving lunatic.)

And I never heard from him. Not a peep.

One night, I stopped packing and opened my door to pay for the pizza I’d ordered and the pizza guy is holding my pizza in one hand and a UPS box for me in the other (Who knew these guys did double duty!)

I wasn’t expecting anything from UPS. Hmm.

Then I saw the return address…Anthropologie.

Apparently this guy that I emailed in my sleep deprived state (I just went and reread my email to this guy…I would have deleted my email if I had received that. Eeesh.) forwarded my email to the President’s secretary and she sent me a very sweet letter that thanked me for my idea and explained that they didn’t have any plans at the moment to write a knitting book (rats!) but that they were teaming this next season with Twinkle and she hoped that I would be able to utilize the book and yarn to begin knitting my own Anthro-ish sweaters.

Now, while I wouldn’t ever be able to pull off the super chunk of Twinkle’s knits (Unless its a scarf or something) it’s still something that they would actually read my email. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be so amazed by responses like this because they would be commonplace because companies would be listening to their patrons closely.

But in the real world, there is reason to be quite pleasantly surprised. Perhaps companies are forgetting that their customers usually just want to feel like they’re being heard. Even if they don’t take every suggestion, it doesn’t take anything to drop a letter in the mail thanking them. You’ll keep more customer goodwill that way. Even if you don’t suit everybody all of the time, you’ll still have harbored good will and thusly, good press/word-of-mouth/what have you.

And honestly, even though I can’t really wear anything Anthro sells (damned skinny ideals about women!!) I can still oogle a few things and decorate my home with a well bought piece or three and if we’re being completely honest, they have certainly won me over with their thoughtful letter.

Even if they hadn’t given me a book and yarn to boot.

(The momentum on the shawl is slowing…I’m so going to pay for cursing the knitting gods…)
(my friend Anne told me I could appease the knitting gods by donating warm squishy yarn to another knitter, more specifically, her. I laughed and said really now? So I think I might have to come up with something warm and squishy for her. No?)

I went to see the Yarn Harlot talk tonight up in Spring, TX. As per previous experiences, she was very funny and totally worth the 150 mile roundtrip to see her. (I may have been a wee bit saddened that we didn’t get the Harlot into a Baptist church again, but I digress…)

She talked about non-knitterly reactions to knitting at one point. Something was said about how it’s always being touted as “Not your Grandmother’s knitting” and she said something to the effect that in fact, it was, it always has been and always will be and that’s not a bad thing.

I agree with Stephanie.

Growing up, my father always laughed about handknit sweaters with necks more appropriate to grace the elegantly long neck of a giraffe. Or sleeves that were more in turn with either knuckles dragging the ground or considerably too short. In short, I never once heard of a sweater that she knit that covered the body of one of her loved ones in a nicely fitting manner. Something was always flawed. I was the first grandchild on that side of the family. When I was twelve, I asked to be taught how to knit. So, as is done in Texas when a child requests a knitting lesson, we went to Wal-mart, bought a pair of brightly colored needles, a booklet and some (looking back, pretty nasty) pastel yellow acrylic yarn. “The better to see your stitches,” I was told. Part of my inital problems concerned my being left handed and her being right handed. I learned everything pretty bass-ackwards. I knit a little off and on for years after that, but not with any seriousness and sure never finished anything. I was never taught to cast off. When I was 19, and needed something to do one day, I picked up a pair of needles again and was off! I relearned everything and my fingers have not stopped since.

Five years ago, I lost my Grandmother to lung cancer. I’d be lying if I said I’d ever gotten over it. Honestly, I don’t want to. By the time I got to go to the house, and pick something of hers to treasure, well, everyone else in the family had it pretty well picked over. But I found a lace shawl of hers in the top of her closet. A lace shawl that three years later, I would drive back to get in the face of a category 5 hurricane barreling towards my island. (It was Rita, she fizzled. Thank goodness.) I don’t know that she knit it. No one knows. I kind of doubt that she did, but I like the mystery of not knowing.

Then, a year ago and two days ago, I lost my Grandfather. The last time I went to the house that I knew better than the ones I’d grown up in, I stood in front of his closet touching various pieces of clothing when I spied something on the floor. So I picked it up preparing to hang it back on a hanger. I picked up a dirty forest green woolen cardigan and since something told me that I didn’t want this to get sent to the Salvation Army, I took it home with me. I washed it and then a second time. I washed it again and again and it was still dirty. I ended up washing it 7 times. (Heck, a year later and I still haven’t finished washing all of the dirt out, but a girl needs a break from soaking wool.) Curious, I asked my father about the sweaters that my Grandmother knit and did she make one for Grandpa. And he described down to the horn buttons the sweater that I was washing. It is a perfect cardigan. And it was well worn and very well loved.

So really, I don’t believe for a minute that “it’s not your Grandmother’s knitting anymore”. I love my Grandmother. I love that I was able to have her teach me to knit. Heck, that I was intelligent enough to ask her to teach me. I love that every stitch I make is from my Grandmother. Like a million tiny reminders that she loved me. (See, and now I’m crying. It’s way too late at night to write shit like this.) I’ve been really lucky and no one has ever told me that line of absolute idiocy. I’m really glad too, because if knitting were to ever become, not your Grandmother’s anymore, then stop the presses, I won’t want anything to do with that. It is absolutely your Grandmother’s. And will be for as long as there are Grandmothers in this world teaching their grandchildren to knit. And I’m really really proud of that.

I felt an intense NEED to resurface from picking at my toenails and trying to decide what color I will paint them tomorrow to tell y’all that I feel a lovely intense burning desire to drop everything and start knitting the new pattern, Neiman tomorrow.

But, le sigh. that shall not happen.

Why? Because I’m working on my Anemoi mittens again and actually making them mittens this time instead of fingerless mitts.

Know what else?

I can’t find my camera docking station, so no pictures.

Crap.

Also long overdue is a report on the Shetland Triangle that I knit up for my Aunt Susie. I knit this one over about 2 weeks around the end of June, beginning of July. The yarn is some silky wool leftover from Glee and I thought the color would look fantastic on her. I shipped it off in the mail today so she ought to have it in a few days or so.

The only thing that I wish I had done was add a couple of more repeats to the shawl. Ah well. It’s just perfect as it is and I’m sure that she’ll love it.

Such a lovely quick knit and I’d do it again any day! I’m thoroughly loving lace-knitting. Who’d a thunk it.

I am super stoked to tell y’all about this one.

About a million years ago Back in February, I did a little test knit for Drew. And while i’ve been able to talk about it for a little while, I just hadn’t gotten around to it.

But look! Something I knit was put in a booklet! Yay!

Here’s a picture of it when I was still working on it:

And here it is in the booklet:

Whole Booklet Here

to announce to you that the girl and feline behind Sea Anemone Knits will be returning to their island to be by the sea Gulf of Mexico once more.

I officially got word on Friday and turned in my notice this morning. So, as of right now, I will be moving on Sep. 1, 2007.

I have not stopped grinning practically all weekend long. I am so excited.

ETA: Anyone who spent any amount of time with me will know that I abhorred my job. So after a week’s vacation, I went and quit this morning. I’ve never felt better than being asked for my key and being escorted off the premises. I grinned like a damned idiot the WHOLE time. The reason behind my being able to be so frigging happy? I was offered a job on Friday and I gladly accepted knowing that I would be working with 4 people, one of whom is a dear friend, and enduring much less stress and being closer to family.

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In other news, I’ve been nominated as a

by my fellow Night Owl, Jen of Piddleloop and fellow Houstonian and knit buddy, Everwhelming Liz! Yay! Thanks gals! I’m quite flattered!

Ok, so, background: These awards were started by Roberta Ferguson (Yay Roberta!), and as a RGB. I am supposed to 1) give her credit, 2) put up the badge and 3) add 5 other rockin’ girl bloggers to the list.

Ok, so this type of thing is hard because I always feel like I’m naming favorites and I sure don’t want to hurt any feelings.

1) I know she nominated me, but I’m passing one back off on Jen from Piddleloop. She rocks because she lets me email her at strange hours of the night when I can’t sleep. Ten to one, she’s awake too and we’ve had some awesome talks. Plus, she is a rectangle sewing goddess. Gotta respect the rectangles.

2) One Plum Texan. She rocks because she’s always ready with a ear or a snarky comment to make me laugh! Also watching her knit her first lace is awesome!

3) An International Crime Fighter Not too many people can pull off being an International Crime Fighter, but Jet can! An all around good person to have rooting for you! (But we still kind of want you to come back to Texas. Summer and hell miss you.)

4) Will Travel for Yarn Because she really does travel for yarn! Comes back with fun stories of the places she’s been and things she’s seen. I’m totally jealous! I wish I had it in me to travel like she does. Also in that category of good to have rooting for you (Well, all of the gals I’ve named are in that category, but I digress)

5) YOU!! Whoever you are, I promise, you’re rockin’ whether or not you have a blog. And I’m glad you’re here!

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I also have winners! I absolutely loved reading some of the reasons why I remember matrices. The real reason I remember them is that they were beaten into my head for two days before my final exam and frankly, when I finally had that lightbulb go off, it was so disgustingly obvious how to work them that for the time being, here they are!

1) Because I laughed a lot when I read her answer, and because, well, it is my alien after all! So, Everwhelming Liz! Come on down!

2) And, Plum Texan, my Mom acted as my random number generator and you win!

Yay!

*cough cough*

Hi everyone!

…cricket noise…

Anyone still here? If you are, I’ve got a lot to tell you about.

I’ll take this in bullet points and if I ramble too long, I’ll split it into two posts.

- I’m officially done with my algebra class. We had our final on Wednesday night. It was a joke. The final that he gave us was verbatim a copy of the review we had worked on ALL WEEK LONG. Do I remember any algebra at all two days later? Well…kinda. Funny enough, I suck at doing matrices and such and what do I remember the most? How to find the determinant of a matrix. Dammit. It was suppost to be gone from my head by now! But you know what?

CONTEST!!!

Obviously I remember this stuff about matrices and their determinants and how to find them, etc. So leave me a comment telling me why you think my brain has chosen to retain this information and how it will be helpful to me in my daily life. GET CREATIVE. I’m thinking that I’ll choose two winners. One will be drawn randomly using a random number generator and one will go to the answer that I think is the most creative.

- I got some massive love in the mail. (In order of arrival on my doorstep) I got a lovely lovely package from a Ms. Lupinbunny. See, apparently Berroco will not ship to Australia. I stumbled across her post on the Ravelry boards about this and how she wished she could get her hands on a copy. An email or two later, and we’ve got a swap set up!

Look what I received!! I felt so totally spoilt that I had about a two second brain fart wondering whether she would like her package as much as I loved mine.

May I just say that I had been drooling over the fabric a couple of weeks before and trying to justify buying some and having it shipped from Australia? I. Love. It. Also, the reddish yarn, so squooshy. I see a shawl in my future! I really adore the package you put together Ms. Lupin. THANK YOU!!!

- Then a few days later, I got another surprise. A while back, I had sent off a little package of fabric to my fellow Night Owl, Jen, one of the Piddleloop gals because she had seen a picture of it on here and liked it. I kind of think I got the better end of things. She sent some of the fabric back to me. In the form of my very own travel bag and matching baggie.

Oh, but that wasn’t all. She completely and thoroughly spoiled me rotten.

One last thing I found in the box of magic fun, was a small piece of art made by her boyfriend Nat (of The Moustache Factory fame) (Hello! Talk about a super crafty couple! yay!) It’s a kitty. (Yay for kitties!)

The frame that it will be framed in is sitting around it. It’s an old frame that my mom picked up at a garage sale. There are two matching frames and once I get glass and a piece of cardboard cut, I’ll cut up some nice colored paper to go behind it to fill out the frame and it will go on my wall with the rest of my art.

There may have also been a fingerpuppet that the cat claimed. If you feel like watching a wee video, its below. (I tried to edit it to only leave the good part (the end of it) but it was too late since it was off my camera. Oh well.)

Woo. Talk about a lot there, huh?? There’ll be more, but that’s for another post tomorrow or Sunday. I’m exhausted and I’ve got more pictures to take. There’s a box from my SP 10 and one from my Sockpalooza pal. But I want to properly take photos!

Oh! The contest will close next Saturday, August 18th. Get creative! 2 winners!

So…I’ve been pretty absent lately. And I’m going to be continuing that trend a little bit longer. I’m feeling a little better lately. But unfortunately, I made a really big decision. One that has affected my social life and knitting progress in a rather extreme way…

…I went back to school.

I know my father is somewhat secretly disappointed that as of yet none of his children have college degrees. (Humor me - there are three of us kids. None with degrees. I’m 25, and my brothers are 19 and 15. Who on earth could he be referring to???) I want to show him that I can do this. Hell, I want to show my whole family that it’s possible to detour for a few years and still do this. But most importantly, I want to prove to myself that I really can do this.

I only have two classes left before I earn my associates degree. So guess what I jumped in and took first?

College Algebra.

gulp.

Monday through Thursday, 8-10:30p. I can’t go to SnB anymore. Well, at least for the next four weeks. I’m one week in and four to go. We have tests every Thursday. Luckily, I finished my first test in an hour and a half (out of the allotted two hours…I know I’m fast huh? Yeah. That’s right! Be jealous of my superhuman mediocre computing skills.) and was just able to catch like the last half hour of the girls. Which once again turned out to be just what I needed most.

See, y’all all know now that the last month or so I’ve been dealing with el depression-o again (not to make light of it or anything, but I tend to try and deal with humor. Sometimes that is not the correct answer for a situation, but a lot of times it is). And it was starting to look up a little. Then the folks running the show upstairs thought that the show needed a little more tragedy to go with all that comedy. (Sorry, that was bad. I know. I didn’t laugh after typing that either. Feel free to groan. All together now ::groaaaaan::)

So, on this past Saturday, I went and picked up my new glasses…

…got new back tires for my car. My mom and I went to lunch and then came back to pick up my car and as I’m following her home, I stop to make a left turn and while I’m waiting for the oncoming car to pass so I can cross the lane and make my turn, I get rear ended. Rear ended by an SUV going 35-40 when it hit me rear ended.

Glossing over a bunch of the details, lets stop to take a gander at the irony of the fact that these new tires had not even been driven TWO FULL MILES.

Good to know the folks upstairs have a sense of humor.

Sunday: I wake up and I cannot move my neck it hurts so bad. Plus I’ve got a huge honking blackish purple bruise on my left arm.

Monday: I spend a lot of my day explaining what happened to people in my office and that no, my weekend did not include a date with Bobby the Girlfriend Basher (my apologies to anyone named Bobby who does not engage in girlfriend bashing. Or boyfriend bashing if you bat for that team. Kudos to you, oh Bobby who does not bash people.)

Flash forward to the rest of the week and we learn that the Ins Company who will not be named has declared my vehicle to be a total loss. The woman who hit me? The paint on her emm-effin bumper was scratched.

Son of a mmrrmpff..

You wanna know what else? The amount they offered me does not begin to even pay to fix or replace my car. My car that used to be my Grandmother’s and I’d had many happy memories in as a passenger and a few more as the future driver and owner. My car that cheerfully got up with me every morning and allowed me to drive to work and never once complained about the ~50 miles a day that I put on it just commuting to and from work. If she acted up, she had the good graces to do it over the weekend so I wouldn’t miss any work.

So now, on top of being in school for my first full week, I had to go in looking like I’d been beaten and dealing with the stress of getting royally fucked handling my end of an auto claim.

On top of which, the ins co is only paying for my rental car through Saturday. I had to actually argue with the adjustor to get them to agree to Saturday as Friday wasn’t even feasible and “How am I going to get back to Galveston to handle this mess that your insured caused, by the way, if I have no car to drive???” They relented. But I won’t even mention the pittance they keep insisting is “more than fair” for my car.

So how do I get to work on Monday is currently my big question. Luckily, I may perchance have a light at the end of the tunnel.

And I got to see the girls tonight.

ETA: Stay tuned! Next time I appear, it will be to explain this: