SuperEggplant

Here’s the one Japanese knitting book I purchased at Kinokuniya:

I don’t know why I am so obsessed with these Japanese scrubbers (called “tawashi”). I haven’t even made one yet! But anyway, this book is filled with scrubbers of all shapes and sizes and for different purposes. Some are knit, and some are crocheted.

You’re supposed to use these for washing your car. I don’t know how Peter would feel about that …

These are for outdoor use, such as camping.

And these? For “pet house care.” In one photo it looks like the model is lovingly cleaning out her fish tank with a scrubber in the shape of, you guessed it, a FISH.
And how, you ask, will I figure out how to create these scrubbers? Well, I just got this crazy instruction book via Amazon (I learned about this book through Jessica):

Not only is it an excellent instructional book on both crocheting and knitting, complete with a glossary of Japanese symbols, but you get the bonus of the scary cover!

Remember that scene in Blazing Saddles where Madeline Kahn’s character sings that song about being tired? Yeah, I’m feeling kind of tired! Got back from my trip to San Francisco yesterday then went to a wedding last night (where the groom flew in on a helicopter and the bride drove up the mountain in a Hummer!). I did no knitting and did not go to any yarn stores, but I did manage to sneak over to Kinokuniya Books and check out some of the Japanese knitting books. I surreptitiously (I think, anyway) photographed some choice designs to share with you:

Animal cruelty or adoration? You decide.

Shiny, happy, knitted little dealies.

Wild about animals.
I got one knitting book, which I’ll show you this week when I am more awake. I leave you with a photo of Megan, whose hair is coming in nicely. Here she is on a lovely SF day, with the Bay Bridge in the background:

What’s this? Another finished object? Mais oui!

This is sweater #17 from Rebecca #22, the Sweater with Relief Pattern, which I call the Oh What a Relief sweater. I think it makes me look like a snake, since it shows all bulges, but Peter said, “You don’t look like a snake; you look more like a squirrel.” Um, I’m not really sure what he means by that, but okay. Anyway, this was the cheapest sweater in the world to make. I used TLC Cotton Plus, an acrylic/cotton blend that is really quite nice. I used 3.5 balls, which means this sweater cost less than $10 in materials!!!
I won’t be blogging for the next few days as I’m headed up to San Francisco to see a few friends. I am looking forward to hanging out with cancer-fighting Megan. I get to accompany her to her first radiation treatment, which will be interesting as long as they don’t zap me accidentally. Photos and a full report to follow!

I know I talk a lot about how much I love the mail, and I apologize if you are tired of the subject, but I’m afraid I am not! When you live in a small town, you come to rely upon the mail, and lately I have been amply rewarded. Check out this yummy yarn that arrived from a certain little rabbit in France:

Can you believe that eggplant-colored yarn? It has little pom pom dealies on it! And the Kinder chocolate? I inhaled it. I am going to have to come up with something very fun to make with that yarn!
And to go with the chocolate, here is some more chocolate (since I am embracing my inner candyfreak these days) and a salty snack to complement it:

Yes, those are ketchup-flavored potato chips all the way from Lois in Canada! The chips are quite tasty. They DO taste like ketchup, but they have a vinegar kick to them that makes your tastebuds do a little squeeze.
Thanks for all the kind words regarding Gigi. I must give all credit, though, to the design talent that is Bonne Marie. She is, after all, the one who designed that sassy little number. It was fun and quick to knit up and is unlike anything in my wardrobe. Yes, knitting will expand your horizons!

A couple of weeks ago I received a note from someone who is currently destashing. She offered me her old Japanese knitting magazines, so who was I to refuse? I was pretty stunned when this arrived on my doorstep:

I haven’t had a chance to go through the entire stack yet, but I have already spotted some great pieces. There are also, of course, some laugh-out-loud numbers (which I will try to share with you if I can get some good photos). Anyway, I am very much looking forward to paging through these booklets, and I thank the generous soul who sent them!

After waiting a couple of weeks for the trim color of Cotton Fleece to arrive, I finally managed to finish Gigi!

I am quite pleased with how this turned out. I realize the ribbon is too long, but I was too lazy to shorten it before the photo shoot (photo shoot. Heh). When I first finished the sweater, the neckline was melon-head sized. The off-the-shoulder look may work for The OC characters or Paris Hilton, but trust me when I say it wasn’t doing anything for me. SO, I frogged and added several more decreases, including two sets of decreases on the tops of the shoulders (which helped “flatten” the shoulders so they sat more nicely).
Yarn info: Cotton Fleece in color Rue for main color, Cherry Moon for contrasting trim. I used size 3.75 mm needles because I am a slightly loose knitter. I can’t remember how many skeins I used, because I am terrible at keeping track of details. Sorry. I also tried to crochet a flower to use in place of the bow, but I ended up crocheting little things that resembled rocks.