Rebecca Danger

Meet Napoleon!

I'm proud to announce the arrival of a rather unusual knitted critter: meet Napoleon the Narwhal!

I am so happy with him. Everyone that has been to our house in the last few months has seen him and commented on him, so I hope you all like him too! I figured he was a rather fitting creature for the November/December pattern since Narhwals live in the Arctic, and I think most of you all are feeling the chill of this time of year like I am (it is currently snowing here.)

Napoleon is now available in my Etsy shop, and like normal I am off to put him up in the other normal channels (Ravelry, Flickr, etc).

Oh, the best part is Napoleon is a QUCIK knit. So, if you find yourself on Christmas Eve missing one or two people's Christmas presents, he's your man. I bet you could get him done and wrapped in 2 good Christmas movies. (I like A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and Elf)

Alrighty, I am off to set up for Pacific Arts, this weekend's Craft Show! 

 

Silver Bells

I don't know what my problem is but come december 1st all I can think of for post titles is holiday songs. I apologize for my cheesiness now, but you'll just have to bear with me for about 12 more days. (Holy cupcakes! Is it that close already???!!!!!)

Anywho, we've been busy little elves around here running lots of errands and setting my booth display for the craft show up multiple times the last few days. It has been a little hectic and the pugs really don't appreciate me setting up the display in our living room and covering the couch in boxes and whatnot so they can't get their normal sleeping routine in. I keep telling them they just have to deal and they retaliate by being all sweet and snuggly and then shooting snot rockets in my face when my guard is down. (It is a well known fact that pugs do indeed shoot snot rockets)

BUT, in the middle of all the book knitting and show prepping I managed to get pattern #16 for the etsy shop done. Woot! So, keep your eyes peeled this thursday since I am going to get it up in the morning and then go set up my booth in the afternoon. It's so weird to have to schedule like this when I normally just sit and knit all day!

Oh, and remember how I was so proud of myself for getting all my christmas shopping done early? Oh yeah, well apparently I have some instant Karma going on here from being mouthy and between Amazon and UPS the one order with about 80% of my gifts has disappeared and is MIA somewhere between here and Las Vegas. Mr Danger ended up getting on the phone today with both companies and after a bit of coercing he managed to get Amazon to re-ship our order. So much for stress free shopping!

Alright, the couch and my snuggie are calling me back. Hopefully Lucy the pug will sit on my feet and warm them up again. (this also keeps her a safe distance from my face what with all the snot rockets)

Danger Crafts: Live and In Person!

Well, it's December already. I don't quite know where the rest of the year went, but here we are in the middle of the holiday season and at the end of another year. Normally December strikes panic into my heart and makes me break into a cold sweat starting about 2-3 months before. You have to remember I used to run a handmade handbag company in which we used to do 30%or more of our yearly sales in the first 3 weeks of December, so we would start prepping in September. I ran my handbag company for 6 years and at least 3 of those years we didn't even put up Christmas decorations at home since I needed home to be a sanctuary away from the holiday. But, after closing the business last year it is slightly less hectic this year, which I must say is very nice.

This brings me to the fact that December is the season of craft shows, and I am going to be doing just one this year with the patterns and the knitting bags. If you are in Bellingham, or the surrounding areas, you can come meet me, the monsters, and the knitting bags in person next weekend and the weekend after (oh boy, exciting!). Here's the info:

This is quite exciting, though a bit anxiety producing, since this is the first craft show I have done in about 2 years, and the first craft show with the knitting patterns. We have been collecting bits and pieces to make our booth display and we did a practice set up this morning (which actually did not go well since I mis-measured some tables. Good thing we did a practice run!). I am now off to get lighting and a couple additional pieces of display furniture and we should be set to go. 

Hope everyone else's holiday is off to a good start. Though I am not really feeling the holiday spirit yet, mine holiday season has had quite a few eggnog lattes already, and I think I might even put up some christmas decorations once I get home from errands today. Maybe some rum in one of those eggnog lattes would make me feel the joy of the season a little bit more.........

New Knitting Tools

So I know I mentioned forever ago I had a new knitting tool that I was in love with. Here it is:

 

That's right, Addi Clicks. All I can say is wow. These needles are amazing. I have used several other brands of interchangeable over my 13+ years of knitting and these are for sure my favorites. I know they are kinda pricey, but I am so glad I shut my eyes and ran my credit card and now get to use them all the time and actually enjoy my knitting needles again. My other new knitting tool? Ahem....

 

Yes, after multiple grocery trips and discussion that consisted of, "Get that stupid thing out of the shopping cart, I am NOT buying a Sunggie!!!" Mr Danger finally broke me down and got me one. And I must say it is an ideal addition to my knitting tool box. Sigh. I still think they are totally stupid though.....

In other knitting news I am totally bummed out not to be doing my normal, panicked, knitting all of our Christmas presents routine that I generally do right now. Again, Mr Danger (who is apparently the voice of reason in this household) told me I wasn't allowed to knit Christmas presents with the book being due the beginning of the year since I couldn't possibly have time. After multiple attempts of me trying to convince Mr Danger that I could indeed knit all of the Christmas presents and get the book done earlier than it is due (I mean who needs to sleep when they could be knitting?) I finally agreed that he was right and we would buy everything instead. But, it makes me totally envious of every one else right now who does get to make beautiful hand knitted items for their loved ones. So, to make up for it I did all of my Christmas shopping already (yes, I am completely done) and so when my knitting friends talk about the presents they are working on I get to say, "Well, I am already finished with ALL of MY shopping!" since yes, I am that kind of person.

You know, it really is the little things in life that make you feel good.....

 

 

Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sorry for the silence again, after not quite getting over the 5 week flu, I got a bad cold about 2 weeks ago, and just as that was not quite gone I am sick with some other cold thing now. Ugh. It has meant I have absolutely nothing but cranky things to say to anyone, so I have not allowed myself near the blog.

But, I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to you all. This has been an amazing year for me and it is really thanks to you all: my family and friends, my readers, and my amazing customers. So thanks, thanks a million. You guys rock.

I'm off to do a "traditional" Thanksgiving with Mr Danger and one of his brothers, full of giving thanks for so many amazing things, pizza, beer, movies, and knitting. It's gonna be a good day. 

Things I Think About While I Knit

So, the main thing I have been thinking about in my many, many, (many) hours of knitting is how close the new year is. Mr. Danger and I actually had a conversation yesterday about how this means that the Winter Olympics are coming to Vancouver Canada incredibly soon, which is a big deal when you live 5 miles from the border. We all have been talking about the Olympics here for so long that I just sort of assumed that it was still one of those distant things you talk about, not a reality. I am apparently not the only one either since I mentioned it to a friend today and she did the same thing I did ("What?!" The Olympics don't start in a month and a half, what are you talking about?!"). But, they are for sure happening. We have talked to a couple people we know who are renting houses out in our city for $5,000 a week if they can sleep 6 people. Wow! 

But, I am not actually particularly excited about the Olympics, so the main thing the new year has meant to me is it is time for a new calendar. Yes, I am one of those people who is just a million times happier and takes unnatural joy from all things organizational, especially calendar/planners. I found my perfect one, which I totally adore because it is perfect, on etsy:

 

How cute is this? You can grab one too in Sarah Pinto's etsy shop. I also particularly liked the skull and crossbones one, but since I can in no way justify buying TWO calendar/planners, the horseshoe one won out. I may though, be back for the horseshoe notebook, since not only do I love organization things, but matchy things too.

The other thing I have been thinking a lot about is all the beautiful things I am going to knit for myself after I finish the book. I, of course, have an *ahem*, respectable collection of knitting books, magazines, and general patterns, but seem to keep finding things outside of that collection that I want to make. The latest? I love Twist Collective (man their photography is GORGEOUS) and was digging through their fall issue today only to find this (and nearly peed my pants with excitement):

It's the Novak Sweater by Claire Montgomerie and I am totally in love with it. I have as much as decided this will be the first thing I knit for me next year. Of course, I do have several thousand more hours of knitting before I am done with the book, so I will most likely definitely change my mind about the first project at least 37 more times. But it is for sure on the top of the list. And hey, that means lots of fun picture blog posts for y'all, right?

Alrighty, off to knit (and play with a new toy I will share with you tomorrow).

The One In Which Rebecca Locks Herself Away From The Rest Of The World

Wow, sorry for the silence again. It is really, really hard to come up with creative, witty things to say when you sit home alone knitting like a maniac for weeks straight. This kind of lifestyle just doesn't really lead to amazing things to share with others.

So, all I've been doing is just knitting (and knitting, and knitting, and knitting) for the book for the last few weeks. I actually have knit enough that I have rubbed a raw spot on my left hand middle finger where I feed the yarn through my hand while I knit. Mr Danger and I were trying to calculate how many miles have yarn have run over that finger in the last week or so and we can up with about a mile and a half. But, when these are the funny highlights of your week you just kinda wanna stop blogging because not sharing seems better than sharing things like this.

For a progress update though I have 7 of my 20 patterns for the book written now and I am starting on number 8 as soon as I am done here. I'm feeling pretty good about this, but I still have to type up all these patterns and knit at least one more sample per pattern (before the middle of january) so I am feeling the pressure. So, I best be off to knit some more. But I am going to make it a point to connect with the outside world a little more so I am going to use le blog as my outlet and blog more. So stay tuned for more exciting posts about things like the irony that the Fedex and UPS trucks come at the same time or where the pugs pick to sleep in a day. I tell you, just riveting.

The One in Which Rebecca Drools Over Patterns

So I think because I am working on my book and "have" to work on my patterns all I want now is to be knitting sweaters and other things for myself. This of course means I was wasting time looking at patterns on the internet (and in my incredibly extensive library of patterns) this weekend. I am sure I have talked about Kim Hargreaves before, but I am going to talk about her again. I absolutely adore her patterns, Mr Danger happened to stumble across the Thrown Together patternbook last fall while waiting for me in a yarn shop. He handed it to me since he thought I would love it, and I must say I do believe it is my favorite patternbook ever. Seriously, I plan to make and wear at least 12 of the 16 designs, which we all know is quite impressive to love that many patterns in one book. So, as I was wasting time on the internet over the weekend I happened across the Kim Hargreaves website again, only to be greeted by her new book, Precious, which I of course instantly want. And want pretty badly. It's GORGEOUS, look at these:

 

 

 

The styling in the book is just so beautiful, not to mention the beautiful items to knit. I especially love this shawl/scarf thing(and the dress underneath it):

 

I mean anything with an umbrella apparently just does it for me:

 

So, my only decision now is if I want to buy this book PLUS another of her books, or just keep it under control and buy this one. I am thinking at this point I am going to spend a bunch of time knitting for me after January 2010 (when my book is due). Hmm, with that in mind I am thinking I should probably stock up on these patterns to make sure I have lots to do........

Alrighty, off to knit more monster legs and dream of knitting Kim Hargreaves and Twinkle sweaters.

And since I know you are reading this too, Happy Birthday Mom!

Wasabi Cuteness Overload

Holy smokes, I got an adorable picture in my email inbox today:

 

Look at the Wasabi-Mobile! Thanks Tracy for sharing your creation! Tracy made this for her daughter's bedroom, which is pug-themed. That's right, a pug-themed bedroom, definitely the coolest bedroom in the whole world! Tracy said all three Wasabi's are different sizes, and I think it is just adorable.

That's about all that's exciting around here. I spent the day on my bum knitting (and un-knitting) for my book and watching episodes of Friends that I Netflixed. Life is a constant party around the Danger house.

Oh, and just a special note to say Happy Birthday Ray! I know you're reading this!

Meet Esther!

Well, despite still being sicker than I thought and one heck of a slow moving morning this morning, I just got pattern #15 up in the Etsy shop! Wohoo! Meet Esther the Eccentric Elephant:

 

 

She's all there: from here Elephant ears, to her Elephant trunk, to her Elephant tail:

Man I love Elephants! Does every one else love Elephants as much as me? (Oddly enough I am listening to the Black Eyed Peas Elephunk album, specifically the Smells Like Funk song right now......) Again, I knew I needed to do an Elephant since I started writing patterns this year and I have actually been working on her since July I realized this morning. I had a hard time getting those ears just right, which made me very frustrated since I was working on her on the hottest day of the year in b-town. 

So, Esther is in the etsy shop, and I am off to Flickr and Ravelry her up! Enjoy!