splityarn

why painting primer is like getting gauge

This morning as I pulled on (yet again) my painting pants and put on (yet again) a painting shirt, I decided that painting is a lot like knitting. Margene is always encouraging to enjoy the process. Enjoy. The. Process. So I'm trying.

The way I figure it, before you start to paint a room or knit a sweater there's a level of excitement. What will it look like? How will the colours change in the light? How will you feel when you're all finished and can proudly show off your achievement? You set aside some time and mentally look forward to the task ahead. You get out all the tools to start and lay them out neatly. You prepare, breathe and then you cast on and start your gauge swatch start cutting in the primer. This always takes longer than you think. You knit and knit paint and paint and then the first day is done and you feel like you have nothing to show for it. Nothing except a little square piece of fabric that only hints at the sweater ahead or a room that is thinly veiled white and only showing a sparkle of change.

Day two is always better. The gauge swatch primer is done, and you can finally start a sleeve start painting with the actual colour. You'll breeze through that first section and then before you know it you're working up the body walls. You'll move along happily and then it will happen, you'll start thinking about the finished product and how happy you'll be when you're finished. Except you're not close to being finished, nooooooo...you've got miles and miles of stockinette rolling left.

This is where I am today. Every time I roll more paint onto the wall I'm going to remember to enjoy the process.

Enjoy the process.

Enjoy the process.

Enjoy the process.

Is it painted yet?

I blame trading spaces

We're poking along in the kitchen slowly, but it's starting to look like we're moving forward. The drywall guy has done his thing, so as of tomorrow I'll be a painting machine again. (Technically I'll be a mudding, then priming machine, but you know what I mean.)

I have to get something off my chest before I can start stirring the primer however. Our house is a victim of what I call "Trading Spaces Syndrome." I get the feeling that the previous owners may have spent a little too much time watching Hilde glue hay to the wall and Doug painting over things that he shouldn't. Our kitchen and bathroom walls fell prey.

I know that in the 70s and 80s wallpaper was hip, I have no problem with that. I think the patterns and colours they chose we're icky, but I have no problem with that either. Here's what I do have a problem with:

In our loo:

1. People who paint over wallpaper
2. People who wallpaper over tile. TILE!
3. People who paint over wallpaper over tile

In our kitchen:

1. People who paint over wallpaper.
2. People who then re-paper over the painted over wallpaper.
3. People who THEN tissue paper (I hate you TLC!) over painted over wallpaper over painted over wallpaper.
4. People who then paint over the tissue paper over painted over wallpaper over painted over wallpaper (Confused yet?)

Yeah. Safe to say it's a mess. To fix the kitchen we're going to lightly roll on some thinned drywall mud for a mild textured treatment to match up the new parts of the walls with the old crap *$^%#(* painted tissue nightmare. Our drywall guy seems to think it will only take us a day. We'll see about that. Don't even get me started on the loo...I can't think about that yet.

*the pic was blended together using autostitch. It's an awesome little program that will take a whack of photos and mix them together for seamless panoramic results.

the 2006 kitchen olympics

Oh yeah. I'm just crazy enough to do it. Not only am I participating in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics, I'm doing it while we're in the middle of renovating our house. It's not any fun unless there's real pressure, right? I'm not in it for the process, I'm not in it to wuss out at the last minute, I'm in it for a finished object in under 3 weeks. I'm thinking I'm going to knit either Trellis from knitty or Teva Durham's Lace Leaf Pullover. I have yarn for both in the stash, we'll see how I feel when we get to official Cast On day.

In theory, by the time the olympics officially start the kitchen should be finished.

In theory.

We all know that renovations NEVER go according to schedule and ours is already a week behind. Better to have it done right than have it done rushed is my new motto. As you can see, the sheetrock is off, the plumbing is (mostly) finished and the electrician has started working his magic. All that's left is to drywall, prime and paint, lay the missing undercabinet tiles, install the cabinets, install the countertop and sink so we can finish the plumbing. (Not to mention all the light fixtures that still have to go in.)  After that I'll have the monumental task of finally unpacking all our kitchen boxes that have been waiting patiently in the pantry since we moved 8 months ago.

If all goes well and the kitchen is done by February 10th? I might just try and knit both projects. Go Team Canada!

sock that rocks

You may not know this about me, but I have hot feet. Not the pretty kind of hot that would make me a prime candidate for foot fetish pics or anything, but warm-hot feet. I prefer to be barefoot most of the time for better temperature regulation. The only time I wear socks is in the winter and only when it's below freezing. For this reason, I prefer a shorter sock and that's exactly how I knit Jaywalker #1.

First sock rocked, one to go.

shop update and mash ups

I'm going to try to update the shop every couple weeks with new items as I finish them and I thought it would be fun to split the shop update posts with a music playlist.

This week is all about matching. Sometimes it happens in my sewing projects and sometimes it happens in the music I'm listening to. I've updated the splityarn etsy shop with a few new matchy-matchy items so it's only fitting that I put together some tunes that are matchy-matchy too. (I'm a sucker for mashups)

Download matchymatchy

Along with the new banner and look for the site, I've also created a splityarn mailing list. Feel free to sign up for notifications of new goodies and discounts available exclusively to list subscribers. I haven't figured out how often I'll send updates, but rest assured it will be low volume (maybe once every couple weeks at most.) There's a permanent sign up over in the sidebar under 'shameless' so you can join up any time. 

think ricky. think.

I said I was going to make another Amy Butler Rural Messenger bag despite all the problems I had with the pattern last time and this week while the plumber bashed away at everything in the kitchen, I did. I couldn't stop there though. Suddenly I had to eschew everything I've always held holy and I had to get matchy-matchy. The fabrics (both from JCaroline) were a dream to work with so I made a wristy to go with the bag. Then I liked the final result of those two together so much that I had to jump in and make a mini wallet too. Cute, non?

I modified a few things while making the messenger bag. I added an inside pocket (impossible to photograph decently) out of the houndstooth fabric to keep documents flat against one side (I like my knitting patterns to stay crisp.) I also added a little key ring strap to the inside of the top purse flap. Once again, all the closures are heavy duty snaps because I know that Velcro and knitting do not mix.

Perhaps I sensed it with my fabric choice but as it turns out the Trailer Park Boys have a movie coming out in the summer. Because this fabric is the same as the shirt he wore for the first couple seasons, I'm dedicating everything I make out of this houndstooth to Ricky.

Here's to you Ricky, it's all came out "more awesomer" than I ever hoped.

paper plates and microwave food

It has begun.

Not only have we started the kitchen ripout, we've also started hitting up pals for dinners. We're slowly working our way through the address book. You might be next!

At least I won't have to wash any dishes for a few weeks.

chocolate cherries

I was commissioned last weekend to design a wristlet to match a mini wallet that I'd sold on etsy a while back. I'd put it off for a day or so to let it roll around in my brain so I could get the specs right. Just as I was drifting off to sleep Sunday night I had the epiphany I was hoping for and ran starkers into my sewing room to jot down the notes. The husband doesn't even question when I do this, I gather that I've done it before.

I'm loving the finished wristlet. I think I'm going to have to make one for myself to match the mini wallet that I use. I can't get enough of the cherry fabric. The stroke of genius was to use my 1" bias tape maker to sew the strap. I loathe most loop turners (they always let the fabric go halfway through) and I always seem to stab myself when I use a safety pin. With the bias tape I only had to sew up one seam and it makes a sturdy strap. I'm thankful for middle of the night ideas!

first socks ever

My mum (smart woman that she is) was kind enough to give me the gift of yarn for Christmas. Not just any yarn, but yarn of my choosing. Truthfully, she sent me some cash, but a gift from Mum is meant to be fibre. I wouldn't have it any other way.

The first purchase I made was some Socks That Rock yarn in Spinel. I know, I know, everyone and their cat seems to be knitting with it, but I couldn't resist. Sometimes I just *have* to know. I'm also going with the flow and knitting exactly what everyone else is knitting with it; Jaywalkers. I noticed that mine have a little extra personality though. Check it out, the sock was looking at me.