Neomera Knits

Well, I’m in tech for the new show at Signature. It’s kinda slow, actually- the designer is pretty happy overall with things so there aren’t many notes. Which is how I am able to update this blog right now!
The other thing I’ve been doing is getting the new blog up and running. Don’t worry, I’m not abandoning this one for that one. It’s to go with the magazine, so all the fiber geekiness will still go here! But go! Check it out! http://www.spwug.com

So since all I’ve been doing is working on a show with no notes (but 56 channels of ropelight chasing up a curved staircase in two colors…) and setting up another blog, I really don’t have much to say. I’ve been knitting scarves for family and working on some Christmas projects, so I can’t talk about THEM here. Spinning up some really yummy alpaca/silk blend that I got at the MD Sheep & Wool festival, but I am at a theatre and not at home to take pictures. So… I’ll leave you with thius photo.

That’s me spinning up some bamboo on my Ashford plain jane drop spindle in what will be my living room. The light is wonderful for spinning and knitting and such things. And oh man, can I tell you how much I love spinning bamboo? It was like little strands of happiness sliding through my fingers. I have GOT to get me some more of that!

I seem to be using a whole lot of three letter words lately. So there y’are. Wow is actually a pretty good description of how much I’ve gotten done lately. For one thing, I got my Big Surprise up and running, (thank you to Jeff, and my Dad, and Jamie, and everyone else who helped so much,) which excites me NO end. (go! Look! Give me feedback! We’re still tweaking.) I’ve also been knitting like mad. Lookit all them FO’s!

I really enjoyed knitting up Monkey. It’s a fairly easy pattern to memorize, so no travelling with patterns necessary. I used Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in Green Mountain Madness, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this yarn and this colorway. I loooooooooove these colors.

As we all know, Marietta is awaiting eagerly a wee bairn. (Sorry Mar, I don’t speak German!) Even though I know full well that the young one will not want for knitted warmth, but I couldn’t just let someone have a baby and not knit something! So I got to swing by the theatre today and give her a care package. Something for Maximilion and something for Mom. I think she was pleased.

And one swatch, also from handspun yarn thankyouverymuch!

It’s swatching up to 5 stitches and about 8 rows to an inch I’m thinking of making a cloche hat with it. When I was visiting New York a few weeks ago I had no hat and felt like a total fool. This must be changed. I’ve also picked up Icarus again, but that whole knitted lace thing… it looks kinda like a lump of amorphic dark blue pile. So no photo of that. I am almost to the edging though.

so. Now You’re caught up. I, however, am still behind. I’ve got WAY too much to do! Better get to it!

Ok, short post today, as I am suffering migraines galore. The Big Surprise is ready for beta testing and suchlike. I am still tweaking, but you can, in fact, buy things. Comments are welcome!

http://www.digininpublishing.com/zencart

As I allow it to really sink in that I am both leaving my stable (if infuriating) job AND my country, I am surprised to find myself somewhat panicky. I’m convinced I’m going to forget to pack something important like panties. Or my passport. I occasionally have to remember to breathe. Yes, I know it’s silly, but there it is. I take stressing myself out to lengths from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Meanwhile, back in real life, I have a WHOLE SHOW to worry about before I can sweat packing. It’s been a very strange process, let me tell you! I’m used to the pressure being on by the day after hang, which is usually only 90% done when the boys roll in with the truck full of scenery. By now I should have spent two weeks stressfully switching between electrics and carpentry, trying madly to finish both before focus. There has been none of that this show.

This show is HUGE.

So huge, in fact, that the poor scene shop is still frantically building. We hope that some of it might start coming over today, but I don’t see myself having time off this weekend. Ah well. That’s life in the theatre. It’s going to look really nice, I think- all castles and craziness. I should have pictures, once there’s something to take pictures of.

As far as knitting goes, I’ve been plodding along on the White Lies sweater, but the stitch pattern is almost as monotonous as stockinette, so I keep getting bored. So instead I have a hat and the Icarus shawl. The shawl has been started five times now, and it truly will bring me to the point of madness, but I will prevail. I have FAITH, people! At least I have faith in my ability to conquer a lace chart. I have no faith in my ability to remember to pack pants.

Man, I’m not dead. I swear. I’m just exhausted.

Things are slowing to a reasonable pace now, and I think I’m going to be allowed to breathe again for a while. First off, the Borrowers is up! Oh man, does it look pretty, too. I haven’t been able to sit in the house and watch the show, but I’ve seen it on the greenroom monitors and I can only imagine how the kids must love seeing the giant screwdriver come through the borrower’s home. They laugh, they cry, they throw up. This one’s going to be a success!

Also behind me now was the ever exciting Connecticon! I hear that the webcomics auction went very well- Mookie, sold for $200, and Hawk went for $350! I am told that Hawk himself bought Trish, and I have to admit that I am totally jealous. I however, couldn’t be at the auction. I was busy setting up a little surprise for the Mookster. You see, one of the things that people do at these conventions is called cosplay. The simplest definition is it’s like Halloween in a convention center. Well, when Mookie returned to his table after the auction, one of his characters, Grench, was waiting for him.



I think he was pretty pleased, don’t you? This was of course, the surprise I mentioned last week. I say, I don’t look half bad green like that! Here’s a shot from the dress rehearsal- those tusks were killer.


I loathed that wig. It went in the trash as soon as I was back at the hotel- if I do her again I’ll buy a really good one. Also, the green paint, while it came off beautifully for the most part, kinda clung to anything that was really dry. Like the calluses on my hands. And my cuticles. I’m green in spots! Jaundice! Oh noes!

I also have some FO shots for you of the camisole, but I’m afraid that my brother has run off with the camera, so I will have those soon! I promise! Wednesday! I cross my heart.

I got to work this morning and had not had any coffee. Thus my boss was able to get the drop on me. See, it all started out innocently enough. We were talking about coffee, and he’s going to the cafe because he’s desperate, but I maintain that he should wait 20 more minutes for the Italian Guy to open, and get the good coffee. I said to hom “You can’t go to the cafe for coffee, their coffee sucks! Your body is a temple! Put the GOOD coffee in it!” he said “Is your body a temple?” “yes, it is!” I replied, all unsuspecting. “That explains why there’s a line to get in on Friday nights!” he said, and then laughed at me groping for an adequate reply. I failed. Hear that Boss? You win!

After that I got Good Coffee for both of us and we had our first preview of The Borrowers. Kids laughed, they cried, I think maybe one threw up. Sounds like a success to me! I’ll have finished show pictures next week.

I also finished the camisole! Hooray! Finished Object #2! Um… I’ll have pictures next week. But it looks amazing. I have to go get some bigger buttons, but that’s not such a big deal. Sexy knitting rocks my world. I am now onto the sweater I got from White Lies Designs, and I’m going to work on it this weekend. Well, some anyhow, because this weekend is Connecticon! I leave tomorrow with the Applegeeks Crew, and Matt from Mac Hall. I know, the links’ll be up later. I’m damn tired.

In other news, I also finished a Surprize Project for a friend today. Mom helped more than she should have- I love my mother! I’ll have pics of that next week, too, after he’s seen it. Next week will be a photo-tastic wonder.

mostly.


Real post coming soon, I hope.

Well, unless you work on a stage, then whistling is bad luck. Not that it stops us from whistling. We walk under ladders a lot, too. I seem to have been struck with the desire to have a photo progression of this show, so here’s some of the terribly blurry images taken with my phone. I’m sure you’re all facinated. ;P

This is where we usually start- on the floor. This is the layer of platforms we’re covering most of our stage with. After this comes a layer of MDF (ick, pooey, spit on it!) and then the paint.

ah yes, further along and stronger… that first picture is the deck almost done (ish) and the second is where the guys have started on the wagons that will roll up and down stage. that archway thing was actually looking rather lewd, in a feminine-power sort of way. Possibly due to it’s strong resemblance to the Peach Pit House from last year which looked explicit once it was painted. I might be able to find a picture of it somewhere and we’ll see if you agree with me.

Here’s the wagon in a greater degree of “done”. It will eventually be a giant boot on it’s side (imagine this shot looking down from the top right into the boot) but right now it’s been nicknamed something else. that small arch, farthest from the camera, has been dubbed ‘the cervix’. Yes, we are dirty dirty people who should be kept far away from children. At least this one’s going to be covered and sculpted into shoe leather. That Peach Pit House only got worse the more finished it got.

Hey, we don’t design ‘em, we just build ‘em, folks.