Swiftly

 

A new item has joined the household at Casita Contessa! A SWIFT!!!!!!!!!! I've wanted one forever and ever. And more. Finally, the stars lined up I guess, I was searching on eBay and found an item getting ready to close, placed my bid and was rewarded by a well priced umbrella swift! 

She's winding the gray laceweight for the Eiffel Tower shawl.......... amazingly easy! Anything is easier than winding a ball off of chair backs! 

I still use the Dirter Method (said with full sound effect) as it really does give excellent control when winding a center pull ball. Slower, yes................ but it does wind a nice useful and well tensioned yarn cake!

Welcome Swift, I'm happy to have you in the fold!

Damsonalized by Emily

Friends are definitely one of the perks in life and I am blessed to have friends that are

• accomplished knitters
• generous with their time & knowledge
• good people!

Emily had mentioned a few weeks ago that she had not seen Damson in quite awhile. Well, outside of the zippie bag that is. When I said that I was flummoxed and frustrated she offered to take a look.

Well bless her heart, Damson is ready for me to pick her up from her summer camp stay at Emily's and she is ready to roll.

This leads me to think about the gene (for surely it is a gene, yes?) that means you can look an something gone awry and figure it out. I make no bones about the fact that I do not have this gene. I am only able to muddle about usually ineffectually and past a complete riiiiiiiiiiiip ........... well I just can't say.... aha the yarn over should not have happened here and this row was skipped and on and on and on. I have this problem triplificated when it comes to lace of any sort.

So I'm redecorating Damson's room.............. and can't wait to give her another go. Thanks Emily!

Speaking of redecorating, the guest room has all of the bedding changed out for the big Re-Do. The quilt (a triple Irish Chain I made about 8 years ago) is the spring board for the room. I bought a lovely white matelase dust ruffle and stitched new valances and shams. I love fabric, LOVE fabric......... I could spend time every day in my favorite dec fabric place. Nothing fancy there, a warehouse really but such fun. Lucky me, it's on the way to the lab so work junkets usually have a little bit of fun attached to them. My cousin is coming for a long weekend and the painting of the guest room will not happen before she arrives. Bummer, but that is fine. Her weapon of choice is a Fuzzy Navel and with proper application maybe she won't notice the walls and woodwork really just don't suit!

 

 ...continuing down a random path, that's Prince above. The dogs have been hanging out at the studio a lot lately due to my long hours. Otherwise you know they'd just piddle on the floor for spite and do that toilet paper trick! I came around the corner and found Prince taking a nap on one of the studio props. So cute, I just love my dogs!

Summer Daisies

Summer is here in full force and I couldn't be happier about it. When it all boils down, I'd much rather be summer hot than winter cold, so there.

The daisies are going crazypants in the backyard.......... not traditional daisies, not quite Black Eyed Susans, something in between--- on a huge bush. I have enough to keep me in this happy yellow flower until frost!

I was feeling upcycle-y............ and a little summer kitchy so the vases were born. I used Snapple bottles (yum) and cut out pages from an old southern recipe book using schmancy scissors. They were Mod Podged onto the bottles and some rick rack was applied to the bottom. This trio is in my dining room at the moment and they make me smile.

Soul Time

Yes, Soul Time............and I don't mean as in Blues Bros. either!!!!!!

 

As a long time fan of Brave Girls I decided that I must take their new class offering Soul Restoration 2. Mind you, I didn't get in SR1---- but thankfully no pre-requisites were in place. 

I've just began working on week one of this class to work on the heart and soul, and map out a course for the life I want to live. With ART! I mean, how great is that??? The questions from this week were deep, profound, and some really (like, sniffle and gulp) made me think. I'm STILL thinking. 

I've vowed to sleep [even] less, put myself first in the day when things are fresh. That's hard for me, how about you? I tend to put everyone and everything else first and foremost and when I have cleared my desk or have enough time for me, well by then I'm less than fresh and mostly just well toasted. Toasted not in a good way. 

I'm also knitting a little if four rows since Monday count. It's a shawl and the rows are long so I'm giving myself permission to feel good about it. 

My bathroom is newly painted "Terra Rose", and SINGS. I am in love with the color of the walls so much so that I had to get a new shower curtain and bathmat. They say that you should entertain in the room you look good in and I have to say I look FABULOUS in this pinky coral bathroom. I think I'll throw a dinner party in there! We'll start with canapes and mojitos since I'm growing mint specifically for that purpose. 

Happy Blogoversary to me!

Another year has gone by and I have no idea how that happened. Mama was right, time flies!  :)  570 posts is  pretty substantial!

On June 3rd, 2007 my first post was pretty short and sweet:

the retro look back:

Another knitting blog? Among so many? And the answer is of course, there is always room for another voice an additional blessing.

The Knitting Contessa adds her voice of passionate and sometimes irreverence---- bits of humor, questions, comments and always honest chatter to the blogging community of knitters---- the Contessa welcomes her Blitters! (1)

(1) Blitters- Blogging Knitters: Crazy, spunky, interested, worldwide creatures who create fabulous things with yarn and needles.

Only a few things have changed---- I still love the Blitters and you all inspire me daily!!! I've made friends, wonderful connections and like most of you could follow blog trails for days on end and still find the most interesting things ever!

We talk about more than knitting here though, it is much more about creativity no matter the medium--- and I love that too!

Anyway, here's to 4 years of Knitting Contessa, it's been a lot of fun!
 

I Did Not Knit, I Will Not Lie

I did not knit and that is the truth. Instead a patio called my name, a band and beer. Okay a bucket. A warm summer's evening and bbq, a band and friends. There are times that even without a single creative endeavor in sight, life is pretty good! Once again I was reminded that:
a. life is short
b. play when you can and more often than you think you should
c. make time to be happy

Ah, the Bernina! The only visit I've had with her lately was to secure a strap on a bag. Pretty Sad!!! Remind me that I should use this time to take her in for a tune up. (I won't, but remind me anyway!)

Hope things are fabulous on your side of the screen, head down and working over here but the weekend cometh!