The Floor

Because life was getting sort of non-hectic before Yule with unfinished presents, graduation, extra wrestling and burlesque, I decided to redo my flooring. The old one was painted a delightful, flaking mint that always looked dirty. The new one is deep walnut laminate and looks fucking awesome.

See the difference?

Of course this meant taking apart all the bookshelves and piling all my worldly possessions in the middle of the room and then dragging them around as the floor progressed.

All work was done under strict feline supervision.

It was well worth the trouble, though! The room which was merely nice before is now pure perfection: 25 square meters with a fireplace, sleeping alcove and beautiful smooth wood imitation floor. My home for the past three years, and hopefully many more.

Now everything has felt paws to protect the floor. I almost put some on the cats.

The whole shebang also gave me a reason to tidy things up a bit. Like rearrange my craft- and bookshelves.

This is the only way my books will fit.

The soldiers were a present. The pig is... well, I think there was a plan at some point. I think.

I have a tin box problem.

And a button problem, but you knew that already.

After a rather busy end of the year, this year I've mostly knitted. Watched TV shows and knitted. Occasionally I've even been able to call it work. Here's a couple of teasers:

New year, new beginnings

I celebrated the turn of the year following a three-year-long tradition: on the 31st of December we fill the house with New Year's Eve guests, and on the 1st of January we fill the house with more guests plus the ones that never left to celebrate my birthday, which falls on December 29th. And on the 2nd of January we lie around in zombie piles and order pizza.

This year there was extra celebration because of my graduation. I called it a Bachelor party, because that's what you have when you stop being a Bachelor. And become a Master instead. Or a Mistress. Whatever.

Anyway, lots of epic fun was had, and at some point I was presented with a complimentary victory cigar, junior size. As a person who has in her life smoked absolutely nothing, ever, it got me thinking. About how much holding a cigar in your mouth resembles holding your own penis in your mouth, a feat for which I have neither the flexibility nor the penis, and about when to smoke it. Obviously I am going to have to, one day, because I am every year more and more of the opinion that most acutely non-lethal things should be experimented with. The only question is to find an occasion worthy of cigar-smoking. This, however - turning 30 and becoming a Master of the Universe Arts - was not it for some reason. Yet if this wasn't it, then what exactly do I want to achieve in my life? A doctorate is not it, and as much as I expect to turn 40, 50 and so on sooner or later, I doubt that will be a cigar-smoking achievement. After all, the only effort I have to make is not to die.

I worry about two things: First, that the year 2011 featured the crowning achievements of my whole life. Second, that I fail to recognize the things that I accomplish and belittle them instead, thus cheating myself out of happiness. Third, that I have just jinxed myself with the last sentence of the previous chapter.

I guess the challenge, let's not call it a resolution, for 2012 is finding new goals to work towards. When I started this blog last February, it was to mark a new beginning. Most of the things I listed then have happened: commission hats, check; dissertation, bitch, check; new website... oh well.

Other things have happened, as well.

A spring boat trip to Stockholm with bingo, quaint tearooms and voodoo exhibitions.

The annual trip to Lammi flax festival, where there were baby sheep.

 Leisurely garden existence and many, many dead little animals.

A kitten lost and found.

The big, huge, scary, amazing project of Lucha Libre! that has irrevocably changed the rest of my fucking life.

Lucha Libre! also marked the beginning of my burlesque career: a career that continued in December when I performed with my group, Stage Fright! at Helsinki Burlesque's Newcomers' Night with not just one but two numbers. One was the same show from Lucha with a new, improved Skeleton Crew.

I cannot get over how hot my skeleton dancers were!

 And another, completely new one, this time not as La Mujerta the ruda wrestling queen, but with a more permanent burlesque identity: Lauren Fuckall. The number was a tragic western ballad that I choreographed and performed together with Scarlett Wilde (not featured in the picture) and I am so very proud of it, and us.

Picture by Tuomas Lairila.

And, of course, so many craft projects that I failed to either finish, take pictures of, or make a post on. Good thing there's a whole other year to do better, or worse. An entire new year to live, dream, do, make stuff, experience, be awesome.

I feel lucky.

Summer memories

It's cold and dark, the wind is blowing wet snow in a horizontal direction and I'm out of words. I feel cold, dark, and tired all the time. The days are measured with cups of tea or coffee with naps in between.

So, I did something I've been meaning to do for a long while and uploaded a bit of summer 2007 into Youtube. When I find the missing power chord for my external drive, I will put the rest of my films online. In the meanwhile, here you go:

Pontius

I have just published my first knitting pattern.

To celebrate the release of Trine 2 in December, a sequel to the oh-so-pretty platform fantasy game Trine by Frozenbyte, I was commissioned to create a pattern for the fancy helmet of one of the game's heroes, Pontius the knight.

© Frozenbyte

Now the pattern has been released to the public, completely free of charge. You can download the pattern in English or Finnish from here or visit the pattern page to look at more pics first.

If it looks huge in my tiny head, it's because of my tiny head. And the fact that this hat is supposed to fit an adult male head. Which my head is not. Smaller size is achieved by tightening the gauge, which frankly only makes the hat look better. Better sizing options may be available in the future, but for now this is a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. And honestly, one size has so far fit all.

Universal Craft Blog Directory

The title speaks for itself, does it not? CraftyRie is compiling a list of crafty blogs to find out just how many are there. All she is asking is for people to add their blogs to the list and then spread the word to their followers. So, dear reader, do you write a craft blog? Click on the directory button below and join in the fun! Shoo!

What about when you're done?

Apparently it's the international fail day today, and I feel like a failure for not having much to report in the way of fail. Well, I did fail to go to Grandma Club (aka knit night) tonight, but instead I finished two work assignments which makes me free to dedicate tomorrow to baking and partying. Well deserved baking and partying.

A couple of weeks ago I told you about one of two big projects, and here's the other:

"Anthropomorphism, sexuality and gendered bodies in American mainstream animation" to you furriners.

Yes sir, my days as a bachelor are coming to an end. From soon on, I will have to get used to all the responsibilities that come with being a master. Of arts, no less! Prepare to be spanked!

There are pages! With words on them!

I have a strange condition: if I achieve something, suddenly the achievement ceases to be a big deal. I mean, if I can do it, it must be something ridiculously simple, right? And let's face it, I got here essentially by watching shitloads of Spongebob. But still: it was a hard journey and I try to remember that I didn't really believe I had it in me up until a couple of months ago.

And whoa: I can do whatever I want with my life now. Of course that also means I have to do something with my life now, but right now even that seems achievable. Two huge projects down, several more lined up. There will be more sweat, tears and hyperventilation to come, but if I learn a couple of lessons from this experience, it will become easier:

- First of all, if you're not proud of what you do, what exactly is the reward?

- Second, the lesson of the fail day should be that it's okay to try and fail, because that way lies learning and innovation (damn I've learned to hate that word), but honestly? Today all I can think about is that I did not fail. I thought I would, and I didn't.

- And third, give yourself a fucking break every once in a while, sheesh!

For the record, that is what a break looked like last night. Pay no attention to the fact that I have yet another new teapot. *cough*it'sonlymyfourth*cough*

Oh, right, I did say something about a knitting pattern last week, didn't I? Well, to your utter shock I presume, I was too busy playing role playing games through Friday to Tuesday. Just put that on your list of betrayed promises, but with a ticky-box so that you can feel the faint trace of satisfaction when I actually get around to it. 

Showing off

Regular updates you say? This is a step in the right direction, I suppose, even though a week seems to fly past so quickly!

Let me show you things I've neglected to report about. Roxanne mystery shawl (links to Rav), for instance? It's been finished and in use since May. First I thought I wasn't so keen on the design, but it looks very nice draped around one's neck, and that's what small shawls are really for, right? It's also a tiny bit smaller than I'd like, but on the other hand works perfectly on these autumn days when one wants just a little more warmth. I'm definitely using it on a daily basis at the moment.

What else? Ah yes! The owl pouch (links to Rav) has a face now, and lives on my bedside table. It was a very quick knit and a good way to use a skein of spontaneously acquired thick-and-thin yarn (Løve Garn's Cocoon which, by the way, drives me crazy because my English-thinking brain reads it as a whimsical way of writing 'love' even though I know full well that the word has nothing to do with English) I was going to make mittens with but changed my mind. Now there's still three more skeins left... Ideas? Besides more owls?

Geodesic cardigan, which you've already seen blocked, has not been used much. I'm not sure why, really. I think it's because it's such an in-between article of clothing: too warm for warm weather, but not warm enough if I actually need a cardigan. It's main purpose is to look good, and I'm not used to wearing clothes like that. I might have to, though, because today I fell in love with a waistcoat and what is a waistcoat for if not show?

I did wear the Geodesic at my mom's 50th birthday few weeks ago, the perfect occasion: warm autumn evening in the garden. I gave her this:

It's a small pleated evening bag made of raw silk. It has cotton lining, a magnet snap closure and ribbon embroidery. I've had the ribbons and a book on ribbon embroidery for years. I've been meaning to give it a shot, but somehow my rococo dress project has not been progressing lately. (It will, though, and sooner rather than later!) I'm glad I finally did it, it was lots of fun. I made the roses with the help of this tutorial.

For the bag I used a tutorial at crafster.org for inspiration, but ended up going in a whole different direction in the end. The only thing that remained were the pleats. I like pleats. I've tried smocking briefly and want to do more. Perhaps some rococo undergarments.

I love the golden swirls of the lining.

If I made this bag again I would change some of the construction bits taken from the tutorial for a neater result, even if it would mean a lot of pinning and basting and tearing out hair. I already managed to sew some pins inside the lining with this one...

That's it for tonight. I wonder, if I make a half-promise now that there might be a knitting pattern next week, would I actually finish it? Hasn't worked before.