Insaknity

(advance apologies for the formatting wonkiness.  I’ll be switching blogging software in the next couple of weeks.  Apparently WP and Macs don’t get along well…) 

You understand that better is a very subjective term, right? 

A (mostly) pictorial recap: 

Bo and Luke Duke?  You here?  This guy would probably enjoy seeing y’all… just sayin’ 

His neighbor is rocking the reverse mullett…

The three over on the right seem to a bit confused regarding fashion decades…

80’s slutty? 90’s goth rock? Gangsta thug? Hippie?

Take your time…get back to us when you figure it out, k?

Not much commentary required here…

Ladies, you sure about the tied off wife-beaters and low-rise jeans? You may want to rethink your decision to wear that out in public…

Hawaii 5-0 meets Smith & Wesson:

Seriously. I couldn’t make this stuff up. Dude.

Sweetie,

Jon Bon Jovi is PISSED OFF that you broke in and stole his jacket. He promises not to send Tito after it if you just mail it back.

The bargain of the weekend…Look see what 10 bucks gets you:

Prime seating for the burnouts. WOOT!

The view from the start of the burnout tunnel:

I truly think this shirt says it all:

(would you be caught DEAD AND ON FIRE wearing that shirt?)

I STILL managed to find a knitter (or child of one) among the burning rubber and drunk hillbillies:

Ahhhhhh…can’t you just smell the stench of burning rubber?

Stay tuned for Saturday coverage…

Plastic wrap, that is… It’s proof positive that arrival is imminent.  All furniture is removed from the lobby & main hallway and all the carpeting is covered in plastic wrap.  It’s like walking on bubble wrap.They replace the lobby furniture with few tables and chairs and a concession stand. Enter 3 days worth of drunk twenty-somethings, bikini contests, burn-outs, and drag racing.Oh. Joy.More to come… Oh - and Happy Independence Day!

There’s something drastically wrong with this cute ‘lil stars ‘n stripes project pouch.  Or should that be project ouch?  Because really, either description fits.  I couldn’t even bring myself to finish trimming the threads…the fabric ties were supposed to be sewn on handles and it would have had grosgrain ribbon for drawstrings…it was supposed to be a cute little project bag.Who can see what’s wrong? Bueller?  Bueller? Hide the scissors and steak knifes.  Clearly I should not be allowed near sharp objects.I’ll be in the corner eating paste. The mistake is revealed after the bump… [Read more →]

You guys already knew that I needed another new hobby like I needed yet another hole in my head, didn’t you?

You all remember that I grew up watching my grandmother knit and crochet, right?

What you may not know is that she was actually amazingly talented with all things fibery and crafty, sewing included. There was also needlepoint, embroidery, tatting…the list goes on. And on. And on.

Even though I saw her sewing all throughout my childhood, the desire to learn how never struck.

Even up until a year or so ago, I never had the desire.

Nope. Not interested.

Not even when a friend of mine at the hotel gave me all of his mothers quilting (and knitting, and crocheting) supplies after she passed away. I gave the quilting/sewing stuff to Erin without even looking through it. (Sweet as always, as soon as she realized the sewing bug had bitten me, she offered it all back to me. I declined except for some beginner-type supplies)

Anyways, my point is that until very very recently, I never had the desire to so much as touch a sewing machine or pick up a needle and thread.

Looking back, I’m not even sure what the catalyst into this new deep, dark, abyss was.

All I know is that all of a sudden I HAD TO HAVE a sewing machine and I HAD TO LEARN HOW TO SEW.

Just a little bit Crazy, isn’t it?

So I found a great deal on a middle of the line new machine, and I dove head first into fabric shopping.

It started innocently enough. A couple of fat quarters and a 1/2 yard or two from some Etsy shops.

I found a cute pattern for box bags.

Then there were a couple more coordinating fabrics I picked up at The Fabric Shop so my linings would match…

All innocence dies at some point.

During my early fabric searches, I discovered entire lines of designer fabrics…patterns galore…more fabrics…more patterns…

Who, you may ask, were the takers of my innocence?

Amy Butler… Michael Miller… Valori Wells… Kaffe Fassett…

I mean really…who knew that ROWAN HAS FABRIC!?!?!?!?!?

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck me………………………………….

I am so screwed.

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Holy Cow! Did we get some storms last night!

I was very rudely roused from sweet slumber just before midnight last night by one very scared orange kitty. And some very LOUD thunder.

Thank GOD Pugsley doesn’t have any claws as I woke to him sprawled over my face. I can only guess that he jumped in his sleep when the thunder clapped and since he sleeps next to my head, well…you get the idea.

So I crawled out of bed and peeked outside to the sight of sideways rain and hail. It looked like a hurricane had blown in! CRAZY!

The storm lasted for about an hour (Not nearly long enough, because you know something? I love a good thunderstorm. I can thank my mom for that. Despite her outright terror of thunder and lightning, she used to sit in a window with me when I was little and say things like “Whee! Listen to the thunder!” and “Ohhhhh! Look at the pretty lightning!”, while the entire time she was scared shitless. Thanks Mom! You instilled a love of thunderstorms in me that has certainly lasted!!) and the best part of all is that the rain *finally* broke the humidity and cooled things off a bit.

The air was very refreshing this morning when I got up and I happily opened a couple of windows to get some cooler air in the house. And today it’s only supposed to be 85 instead of 100. (Sweet!) Which means we’ll have perfect weather to hit the coffee house for knitting on the patio and beers! WOO HOO! (ummm - is it 6:00 yet?)

Even though the storm brought much more desirable temperatures, it did leave some unfortunate damage in it’s wake:

There was quite a trail of branches and debris running down my street when I left for work:

and there were some pretty big branches on the sidewalk in front of my house that I didn’t get any pictures of, along with some planters that had blown down from a neighbors yard.

Across the street from my street is the WPI campus and there was some hefty tree damage over there:

The damage extended a bit farther, too…

About half a mile down the road, the hotel where our gift shop is located had some tree damage:

(this one is blocking one of the front entrances)

Luckily, this tree toppled onto Rt. 122 in a spot where it was easy to get around it by cutting through the Stop & Shop parking lot, otherwise it would have meant a long detour back to the highway:

I was relieved to not see any firsthand damage to homes this morning, though there were reports of trees landing on houses and cars out in Framingham, which is only half an hour or so from me.

It could have been so much worse.

I hope you’re all safe and sound!  Have a great day!

It has to be a phase…

Because, really…

This has never happened to me before…

The only projects that I’m actively working on are crocheted.

Babette:

This blanket has been on my “MUST DO OR DIE TRYING” list for a while now. I’m taking it one section at a time, in order, and assembling as I go.

I can NOT imagine doing the assembly on this sucker all at once at the end of the project.  If I did, it’d sit there, a pile of squares, for the rest of eternity.

Three sections down, seven to go.

You may even be seeing a few more blankets ’round these parts before fall and winter. With fuel prices so crazy high, I predict a mighty chilly winter in my house. BYOB (bring your own blanket) if you happen to stop by.

(No Beth, I haven’t blocked the Hemlock Ring yet…I’m waiting because of all the sucky, soggy, humid air we’ve had lately. Soon. I promise!)

Also on the hook?

Anne:

I had originally started the Mermaid Scarf, but I was having my own set of issues with that one. Any scarf that requires 40-gazillion-something stitch markers is a bit more labor-intensive than I care for. Sorry.

I’m loving the color changes, and the yarn is really nice. New from Noro, Taiyo. Cotton/Wool/Silk/Nylon. I don’t know that I’d care for a sweater made from this (too heavy), but a scarf will be perfect! It’ll be a really cute way to dress up jeans and a t-shirt!

Stay cool!

~Bethe

“J”.

It’s late.

As usual.

*************************************************************************************

Many things in life bring me joy. (Whether or not it’s noticeable is an entirely different topic. )

My little Joy spinning wheel does indeed bring me joy:

Other things that bring me joy?

Finishing a project does, too:

(well, almost finishing…the knitting is done, it still needs a good blocking!)

Sweet little purring furrballs:

and cute babies:

my friends:

Wednesday Night Knitting:

rainbows:

learning a new craft:

and doing pretty good on my first ever project in that newly learned craft:

(Amy Butler Birdie Sling)

Just a handful of things that cause a bit of Joy in my life. =)

~Bethe

Hollywood has come to good ole Wormtown for a visit.  Disney’s Touchstone Pictures picked Worcester (GOD only knows why) as one of their locations for shooting The Surrogate.  Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, and a few others are starring in the futuristic action-adventure where humans live in isolation and interact with others through robots (the surrogates).  Anyone have a Netflix release date yet???  I can safely say I won’t be spending $10 to see this in the theaters.They’ve taken over the old courthouse and the Worcester Vocational Technical H.S. and have built sets in the rooms to make them look like hotel rooms, hospital rooms, offices, etc.  They’re importing models from NYC for the walk-on, non-speaking roles (unfair!  but I can TOTALLY understand why…Worcester is not known for it’s beautiful people), but I guess some locals have been hired as extras. Even though I haven’t seen any stars yet, the Willis-watch has begun!   I hear the chances of actually seeing him are slim to none as he apparently thinks he’s too good to spend extended amounts of time here in Wormtown (really - who can blame him?).  He’s allegedly staying in a Boston hotel every night, and it would seem that Boston isn’t even good enough for him, because he takes off for NYC every weekend.  Whatev.Any way you slice it, it’s exciting, and the crew members ARE staying locally, so that’s expected to give quite a boost to the local economy. Happy Friday! 

“I” is for…

Invitation!

My friend Jasmine is getting married next weekend!   I’m really excited to attend the ceremony (I’m bummed that I have to miss the reception).  I’ve never been to an Indian wedding and I’m sure it will be lovely.

I can’t wait!

Pink?

Are you sure?

Such a shock.