Not as busy as I might sound.
I've toned down the knitting a bit, because my hands were getting tired. Since I happened to have a skein of it on hand, I decided to try Berroco's Foliage Bear. While I love the yarn itself, the bear was NOT a success. I've no idea how they got it to look so cute on the website, because my version had way too many gaps and loose stitches, despite me following the pattern to a T. It now resides in my trash can, alas. I'm now focusing on finishing up some neglected projects, including the autumn-colored socks and the bathmat I started months ago. Ah, but today I had a marvelous knitting experience! Last week I made the Kate stuffed cat for indigo419's toddler, and they received the package today. It was quite a success. Yay! Knitting for others brings me such joy. And here's the toy:
Though the pattern calls for some fancy wool, I used a bunch of Peaches 'n Creme that I had on hand. Not as soft and plushy, sure, but A) even buying the PnC yarn new would've cost me maybe $5, and B) my version is machine washable. Much better for a preschooler, no? *g*
Despite the "piquant" label, the pattern itself isn't hard, provided that you're familiar with double-pointed needles. You could probably finish it in 2-3 days, depending on how fast you knit. I goofed on my first try because I didn't realize the body is knit from the bottom-up; my colors were all messed up. The one in the photo is actually my second attempt. I might finish the first and give it to my 4-month-old nephew, who won't care much about colors! I also used knotted black yarn for the eyes, rather than choking-hazard black buttons. The lime and turquoise are a bit darker than in the photo; I have no idea why my camera won't get the colors perfect. Ah, well!
Life continues to be somewhat uneventful. I was supposed to go to an educational computing conference in downtown Atlanta this week, but my registration got lost. Can't complain since I didn't pay, though it is a bit disappointing. I've been renting more TV on DVD, but I haven't found many that I'm eager to watch. My current rental is Kingdom Hospital, which isn't grabbing me as much as I'd hoped. I'm also rewatching S3 of BSG and taking notes as I watch so that I can do another meta. I've been paying attention to Sam, in particular, since I'm attempting to write a post-C2 Sam fic focusing on... well, those of you who've seen through the end of the season will know what I mean. ;) It's coming along far too slowly for my tastes, but maybe I'll have it done sometime this week.
As usual, I'll close with a handful of links.
-- Via my links-exchanger sarmoti: The Worst Movies Ever, featuring John Barrowman saying a very smutty and NSFW line.
-- EW talks about the top 10 hits of this week in 1989. Funny, I was a top-40 nut in high school, but I don't remember most of these songs.
-- asta77 gave a heads-up about Friday Night Lights's DVD release on August 28. The best news is that it'll retail for $29.98... which means the online retailers will have it for much less. Yay!
-- The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the big business of baby-naming.
-- This one's been making the rounds, and it's guaranteed to give you a quick laugh. Make sure the sound's turned up. Drama Prairie Dog.
-- nicole_anell wrote a HILARIOUS Baltar/Six story: Like Rogue Unicorns. "Baltar, Caprica-Six, and their brain-lovers get married and have six children. Three of whom live in their minds. In other words, crackfic." Highly recommended, even if you don't care for the pairing.
Though the pattern calls for some fancy wool, I used a bunch of Peaches 'n Creme that I had on hand. Not as soft and plushy, sure, but A) even buying the PnC yarn new would've cost me maybe $5, and B) my version is machine washable. Much better for a preschooler, no? *g*
Despite the "piquant" label, the pattern itself isn't hard, provided that you're familiar with double-pointed needles. You could probably finish it in 2-3 days, depending on how fast you knit. I goofed on my first try because I didn't realize the body is knit from the bottom-up; my colors were all messed up. The one in the photo is actually my second attempt. I might finish the first and give it to my 4-month-old nephew, who won't care much about colors! I also used knotted black yarn for the eyes, rather than choking-hazard black buttons. The lime and turquoise are a bit darker than in the photo; I have no idea why my camera won't get the colors perfect. Ah, well!
Life continues to be somewhat uneventful. I was supposed to go to an educational computing conference in downtown Atlanta this week, but my registration got lost. Can't complain since I didn't pay, though it is a bit disappointing. I've been renting more TV on DVD, but I haven't found many that I'm eager to watch. My current rental is Kingdom Hospital, which isn't grabbing me as much as I'd hoped. I'm also rewatching S3 of BSG and taking notes as I watch so that I can do another meta. I've been paying attention to Sam, in particular, since I'm attempting to write a post-C2 Sam fic focusing on... well, those of you who've seen through the end of the season will know what I mean. ;) It's coming along far too slowly for my tastes, but maybe I'll have it done sometime this week.
As usual, I'll close with a handful of links.
-- Via my links-exchanger sarmoti: The Worst Movies Ever, featuring John Barrowman saying a very smutty and NSFW line.
-- EW talks about the top 10 hits of this week in 1989. Funny, I was a top-40 nut in high school, but I don't remember most of these songs.
-- asta77 gave a heads-up about Friday Night Lights's DVD release on August 28. The best news is that it'll retail for $29.98... which means the online retailers will have it for much less. Yay!
-- The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on the big business of baby-naming.
-- This one's been making the rounds, and it's guaranteed to give you a quick laugh. Make sure the sound's turned up. Drama Prairie Dog.
-- nicole_anell wrote a HILARIOUS Baltar/Six story: Like Rogue Unicorns. "Baltar, Caprica-Six, and their brain-lovers get married and have six children. Three of whom live in their minds. In other words, crackfic." Highly recommended, even if you don't care for the pairing.