Dragon KAL Update

He’s done! #khdragon #knitting #ravelry

A photo posted by Melissa (@karmic9) on Aug 21, 2015 at 8:58am PDT

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He’s finished and he is BEAUTIFUL!

At least I think so, especially as I can’t feel my little finger anymore…. I now know I hate Size 1 DPNs. Admittedly, my DPN technique is pretty lacking. Anyway after many hours of being poked by hundreds (slight exaggeration) of pipe cleaners and cramping my hands up on teeny tiny DPNs, he is a whole dragon. I’m really happy with the way he turned out. I will have to admit that all of the work was worth it. I was really starting to worry, but my own stubbornness wouldn’t let me waste the yarn, so…

I would never have taken the time to figure out all of the increases and decreases involved in getting this guy to have proper looking musculature, but thankfully Kim did. She is a Dragon Goddess. Bow down, folks. Bow Down.

Dragon KAL

It’s no secret that I like dragons. From video games (Skyrim, Dragon Age, etc) to books (Dragonriders of Pern, Dragonlance, Dragon Prince, more!), to art (Michael Whelan, duh). The pic above is Michael Whelan’s cover for ‘Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern’. So, they tend to find their way into pretty much all of my hobbies.

Kim Harrison (the author of ‘The Hollows’ series) knits some pretty cool stuff. She’s decided to share her Dragon pattern in the form of a KAL (Knit A Long). I wouldn’t recommend this for someone who has never knitted, but I think a beginner could figure this one out. Kim has very helpfully made some videos that help with most of the steps involved. Go here to get started. **Edit: the directions moved over to her main site.

It’s suggested to use cotton yarn. Kim does her dragons in Paton’s Grace, a DK mercerized cotton yarn. Only one of  my local craft stores carries Grace, and only then in a couple of colors. So my dragon is being done in Navy and Fiesta, which I think is a good color combo for Halloween. If you are going to have to order yarn, here are some other possibilities I found over at LoveKnitting.com. Their prices are good and more importantly they ship fast.  I hate waiting for yarn. Mainly because by the time it gets here, I’ve moved on to another project and forgot what I ordered it for…. Yarn is a sickness….

Paton’s Grace 

Rico Essentials DK Cotton

Wendy’s Supreme Cotton DK Knitting Yarn: I’m not sure if this is mercerized, but it’s a good price for 220yds if you really get into knitting some dragons.

Rowan Cotton Glace: I am in love with a lot of these colors. Of course it’s the priciest of the lot. Really, I NEED all of them. 😉

Schoeller und Stahl Limone

 

I’m also playing around with some regular Lily’s Sugar ‘n Cream cotton. I test knit a few of the wing panels on size 3 needles since it’s worsted weight. I think it will work if you can stand working with rough cotton. You might even be able to use regular 6mm pipe cleaners with this size yarn… That’s a plus.

 

So, onto MY DRAGON!

Here he is on Ravelry. (If you’re going to knit, you need a Ravelry account.)

He’s going to have a navy body with orange highlights.

I finished the Left Wing last night. I have to admit, so far it feels like I’ve been doing a lot more sewing than knitting on these wings. I HATE sewing all the pieces together, but I will say Kim’s method works well. I just hate it. 😀  Due to accidentally sewing the B wing panel on too tightly, I ended up with a very angular panel. I stared at it for a really long time trying to decide if I was going to rip it out and do it properly. I kind of thought it made the wing look kind of bat-like, so I decided to see if I could replicate it on the Right Wing. It turned out sort of ok, so I kept both of them. I’m sure my own laziness was also whispering very loudly in my ears during this important decision.

So here’s the Left Wing. Sorry, the table was very dirty.

Now I just have to finish the panels, and the freaking pipe cleaner fingers for the Right Wing. I’m obviously looking forward to it. In fact, I’m pretty sure this entire blog post is just a stalling tactic by my subconscious.

Poseable Wings, Mel. Every Dragon wants poseable wings. Do it for the dragon, Mel.

 

I Am The DeHoarder

If you listen to the Nurture & Support Podcast, you may have heard that I read a kooky little book about ‘Tidying Up’ recently. Ha ha ha, I know. Me. Tidying up. It’s an insane notion, but it’s true. I have become a tidier. One who tidies. However, I prefer the title DeHoarder. It just has a more badass feel too it, you know? Like I’m Michonne wielding a Katana of Cleanliness.

Yup. That’s me. There isn’t a dust bunny that me and my Swiffer 360 with Telescoping Handle can’t vanquish. Except maybe that one. It looks kind of shifty, like one of those predatory fish that disguise itself as something innocuous like a coral covered rock.

Stonefish

What’s more harmless than a dust bunny?

From the AQWwiki

I think it’s a trap. It’s too perfect with it’s perfect roundness and the way it’s been quietly creeping across the floor. Towards the back of the desk in fact. The back of the desk that opens up to where my helpless naked feet are. Does anyone here the Jaws theme? That’s weird. Fuck it. This monster’s too much for the Swiffer. It’s time to pull out the big gun.

The Dyson will mow this mother down.

 

 

Nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure!

I knit so I won’t kill you.

For all of you out there who think knitting is just for old ladies and boring people: I knit so I won’t kill you all. There. I said it. Behind this placid face and these clicking stainless steel knitting needles with the really really sharp points, I am a mass of stress and unfocused rage. Did you know that knitting can produce a zen like state of meditation? Check out this CNN article. This is most likely the sole reason I’m not currently in prison. With massive problems looming at work, ongoing health problems in the family, and the ~800 rooster chicks I need to re-home I’ve been knitting nonstop for about 4 months now. And while this means I’ll be set for the holiday gifts this year, my repetitive stress syndrome in the old hands is at an all time high. But a true athlete works through the pain, so I knit on. Want to see what I’ve made? Sure you do!

So here’s a ginormous shawl.

 

 

And here’s a little Voodoo Doll. He turned out so cute, I couldn’t stand to mutilate him.

 

And here’s my favorite. I’m keeping it for me… It’s a shawlette shaped like Dragon Wings. It’s like having my own little fire lizard, only I don’t have to feed it.

 

There’s more, but after working for a whole month on a shawl with a horrible pattern, I gave up on it. The yarn was pretty though. And there’s the other part of knitting as stress relief, the yarn. Yarn is it’s own little addiction. It’s so soft and so pretty and so expensive, which leads back to stress as to how I’m going to afford all of this yarn! 😉

Did I mention I got new knitting needles? They are so shiny, and sharp. They’re also made out of stainless steel so it’ll be easier to clean the blood off…

 

A Christmas Message from the Horde

Ripley channels Krampus during this special holiday message. It might possibly be because of that adorable elf costume I stuffed him into.

What you need to know about Non-Morning People

I am not a morning person. I continually fail to understand why people who have known me for many years appear to forget this. Ultimately, I have decided that they are suicidal and they have chosen me as the means to that end. If you are not suicidal, here are some tips to survive the early hours with a non-morning person.

1. Do not speak. In fact, try not to make any noise at all. Whatever you do, never speak directly to the non-morning person.

2. Do not make eye contact. This is considered a precursor to speech. Don’t do it.

3. Do not block the sink, the doorway, the hallway, and most especially the coffee pot.

4. If at all possible, leave random steaming cups of caffeinated beverages around the house to distract the non-morning person from yourself.

5. Do not be cheerful (i.e. loud) within sight or hearing of the non-morning person. Witnessing early morning cheerfulness is known to significantly delay the caffeine response in the afflicted. You do not want this.

6. Do not take it personally when a non-morning person does not return a chipper morning greeting. You have violated rule 5 and she is simply busy trying not to kill you.

7 – 9 DO NOT SPEAK to the non-morning person. This is repeated for your own benefit. Learn it. Live it. Tattoo it on your arm if necessary.

10. If you must speak to the non-morning person, first check to see if she has coffee in her hands. This will help distract her from the urge to cause you bodily harm. If you’re lucky, she may answer in something approximating English. It may or may not contain expletives though. Sorry.

The above rules will generally be in effect until no less than 3 large cups of decent grade coffee are consumed. Violate them at you own risk.

A Corgi Horde in Training

You might want to start running before the Corgi Horde makes it over that wall.

A Chicken Horde

So last week I got a small flock of Bantam Cochin chickens. There are 3 hens, a rooster, and 3 chicks. I spend inordinate amounts of time watching them. They are so cute waddling around with their fluffy legs, that it almost kills me. The Corgi Horde also loves to watch them, but with just a little more craving in their eyes and drool from their mouths. 😉

Spring, Allergies, and Baby Monsters

Some jasmine that has miraculously survived more than a couple of winters under my “care”.

Well, it looks like Spring is finally here. I love the temperamental bitch, even though she makes my eyes glue themselves shut, my nose alternately run and stop up, and then there’s the headaches. Oh gods, the headaches. But despite all this she makes me smile. At least when I’m heavily medicated. That reminds me; I need more meds.

baby cacti sprouting off of mom

Yes, everybody in Texas has a potted cactus. It’s the law. I love when the little baby cacti sprout off of “Mom”. It reminds me of some parasitic monster that belongs in a Syfy movie or maybe Sigmund the Sea Monster.

Happy Earth Day

Today was Earth Day. I have always loved this particular timelapse video. It helps that I also love this music. It’s “Sunshine (Adagio in D minor)” by John Murphy.  This is called Landscapes: Volume 2 by Dustin Farrell of Crew West. You can find more of his videos at http://vimeo.com/dustinfarrell