At Your Service!

I got a new gig as a waiter for a company that staffs banquets and other large events! (It's a slow time for copyediting, and Ann gots to get paid.) It's nice to know I can send out a resume and have work two days later. You can't freelance if you can't hustle.

I went to Burlington Coat Factory and purchased the smallest tux pants, vest, and shirt I could find. When Chris saw me trying these on when I got home, he cooed, "Who's my wittle man?" The vest is pinned in preparation for alterations in this photo.

I spent last night hemming the pants and altering the vest so I don't present a totally absurd spectacle at my first event tonight (check out how much I had to alter the vest! And it still doesn't look good on me!).

Meanwhile, our house is undergoing a nearly complete rewire. It's a construction site. The seller is paying for it, but our lives are unsettled by the dust and rubble.

Unexpected house remodeling before we fully moved in! The horror!

Off to shower and work a banquet!

Three New Projects in Dragonfly Fibers

As I've been moving and dealing with the logistics of my life, I've designed three new projects using Dragonfly Fibers yarns. Considering my life for the past few months, it makes sense that they're large, relaxing projects that were easily knit without full concentration.

First, Antrea, which was the May shipment for Club Dragonfly:

This shipment included TWO skeins of Dragon Sock, which was enough to make this very large cowl and have quite a bit left over. The cowl can be pulled down over your shoulders like a cape if you're chilly:

It stretches to about 44 inches around, but can easily be made larger to cover a larger bust (and you'll have plenty of yarn!), and it's nearly three feet long. If you're interested, you can still sign up for Club Dragonfly and get the May shipment; there's a month-to-month subscription option! Just contact Dragonfly here. The pattern will be released separately in six months.

Second, Karelia. It's my first DRESS pattern, although I think of it as a tunic to be worn over jeans or leggings. My sister was nice enough to model it for me:

It's knit in one piece from the top down, so you can stop knitting whenever you like and have a top, a short tunic, or a full-on dress. I used Pixie in Black is Black (yoke) and Firecraker (body).

Third, a new mystery KAL called 5, inspired by Jasper Johns and Bauhaus weaving.

5 colors, 5 clues.

Easy, modular, colorblocking. The first clue will be released on June 24. You can get kits here (I chose the four combinations with the help of Dragonfly color experts), or purchase the pattern only and use any five colors of fingering-weight yarn; you'll need about 230 yards of each.

Obviously I love Dragonfly yarn and have been knitting my way through miles of it.

What's next? How about this? Chevrons, cardigan, set-in sleeves.

"So you're living in a fantasy land of ponies, children, and free fruit?"

My sister asked me this last night after I told her that we had just purchased a big bag of fruit from an arabber who came down our street, and that someone was giving out as many free watermelons as you could carry from a truck just around the corner (I MISSED it, but every child on my street was eating watermelon last night).

So yeah, ponies, children, free fruit. And so much to see. These are photos of North Avenue right around the corner:

And here are a few photos of our unbelievable house.

Chris has a bike shop in the basement.

We have dining room for the first time (not that we have any furniture for it).

Stairs. Everything seems so distant. In our last apartment, the coffee pot was about 10 feet from my bed, now it's ALL THE WAY DOWNSTAIRS.

We have a microwave now! The foil-covered plate on the stove is bbq chicken that one of our neighbors gave us the night we moved in.

Here's the living room with bike nook.

I pulled something in my back during the move, so when we were done I lay on the living room floor and looked out the windows.

Fantasy land.