2k8 musical wrap-up of sorts

I’m wrapping up 2k8 a little later than I aimed to do so, but it’s better late than never methinks….

1. The Shivers “Beaks to the Moon” [Whiskey and Apples]
I did not hear this album until the year was more than halfway over. It's a shame because “Beaks to the Moon” has been on my constant rotation ever since my friend Dan let me hear it in its entirety after we saw them at CMJ. Note: the moment they won me over might have been their brilliant Suicide cover…

At any rate, the track “Half Invisible” is probably what made me fall in love with “Beaks to the Moon.” The first minute or so makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s exactly like the first time I heard CAN’s “Yoo Do Right” and that is more than okay with me.

And the rest are as follows:
2. Frightened Rabbit “The Midnight Organ Fight” [Fat Cat]
3. Department of Eagles “In Ear Park” [4AD]
4. Mates of State – “Re-Arrange Us” [Polyvinyl]
5. The Walkmen “You & Me” [Gigantic]
6. The Night Marchers “See You In Magic” [Vagrant]
7. Sleeping in the Aviary “Expensive Vomit in a Cheap Hotel” [Science of Sound]
8. WHY? “Alopecia” [Anticon]
9. Wax Fang “La La Land” [Don’t Panic Records]
10. Jay Reatard “Matador Singles” [Matador]
11. TV On the Radio “Dear Science” [Interscope]

Albums I Wish I Spent More Time With (aka honorable mentions):
Chad VanGaalen – “Soft Airplane”
Ladyhawk – “Shots”
The Dodos – “Visiter”

long vacation = feather explosions ?

I've locked myself in the guest bedroom of my parent's house and have been working pretty much all vacation on a few projects I've been meaning to begin during the past few months. With the prodding of the little sister, most recently we've created a beautiful feather eruption (while managing to avoid what could have been a terrible hot glue mess).

I'm most likely wearing this to the upcoming dinner & drinks date with friends in Atlantic City:









Which looks like one this when worn:












Also, this little guy almost didn't make it. Yet it managed to survive and is one of my favorites from the whole night:








Finally plenty of embroidering fun going on:

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

With Christmas just around the corner and vacation til January 5, I've been busy finishing up knitting projects that have been on the back burner as of late. Since I'm home, my little sister Ember can model everything for me (when the kitties aren't getting in the way).

The first is a scarf for the love of my life. He's about to spend his first winter in Boston and has no idea how bitter cold it is going to get in the upcoming months. So I whipped up something luxurious and warm while still being manly.

It's a simple garter stitch which usually bores me to no end especially when it is for a never ending scarf. Fortunately this was the perfect project for killing time commuting to work or any activity that doesn't require my hands or much thought. (SEE: long ass phone calls at work or with my mom.)




It's pretty long and weighs more than you think:











Kitties also apparently love it:













There's also a neckwarmer I made for my Mom Mom that needs something to keep her warm
when she walks her dog in the brisk morning air everyday. It knits up super fast (I casted on last night and it was finished this morning). I found it on Ravelry and it the whole cowl takes less than a skein which is great for folks like me making gifts on a budget.








The neckwarmer can also be worn a number of ways....although I very much doubt my Mom Mom cares more about versatility than she cares about being warm:

Knitting Project: Scarf turns to Mini Scarf

Fall is just around the corner. My body can definitely sense the shift in seasons as it has been putting me through torture with a terrible hell of a sickness with the recent change in weather. On second thought, it also could be due to the fact that I've been detoxing the past few weeks and my body is craving junk food, cigarettes and booze.

At any rate, I've been working on some "warm" knitting projects to prepare for the impending coldness -- the first being a mini scarf.

It was initially supposed to be a gift in the form of a scarf, but due to circumstances out of the locus of my control the gift was no longer warranted.

With my tendency to always be cold I figured what better reason to turn the beginning of the scarf into a mini scarf.

Also, I'd like to note I got the kickass button from Windsor Button in Downtown Crossing. I spent about an hour there trying to figure out which button would work best for my mini scarf and I think I made the right decision.


Here it the scarf flat:







And here's the little guy wrapped around:











And the kickass button which I think really makes the scarf:

Knitting Project: Coaster for Gregy

This past week, coasters are my favourite thing to knit for two reasons -- they get rid of my endless supply of scrap yarn and they are great to make in a short amount of time (i.e. stuck on the traing or waiting for an appointment both of which I did this past week while on vacation).










For Gregy's birthday I decided to make him a coaster for his new desk at work. I was about a month or so late getting it to him so I decided to sacrifice one of my t-shirts from junior high to make it more special than just something I knitted up.

I miss this shirt, but now it really stopped fitting me properly a few years ago and now I get to see it every time I pass by Gregy's desk.










And check out the basketweave on this adorable creation!