Slumpcake

I am just about burnt out on cupcake hats.  I know that people love them, and I know that they'll sell, and I know that there's a huge profit margin and not *that* much time in them, but I'm having a very hard time talking myself in to cupcake making. At last post I had 5 and I'm not working on my 7th, so not a huge improvement.

So when Meghann put out a call for squares last week, I was (a) very sad for her friend who lost her husband and has a newborn, and (b) relieved to take a cupcake break. I crocheted 3 12" squares.  (If you'd like to contribute to Meghann's friend's blanket as well, let me know and I'll pass on your info).  I was able to completely eliminate 2 oddballs from my stash in making these, which is exciting.  But the bad thing about working with stash yarns is that sometimes your squares end up looking like Spiderman   (see bottom square). I might do another square or two, but I do need to get back to a couple cupcakes first so I don't have to take a paycheck from Good For Ewe this month and can put that towards paying back my loans. Anyhoo... squares.

I don't know what it is with me and cross stitching lately, but I've been doing some more of that, too.  This is a little piece I started way earlier this year.  I love all things Autumn, but I think all the leaves will be gone by the time I finish this piece.  I'll get over it.  I keep thinking that I'm making progress, and then I see the giant pile of thread that still needs to go in it.  And then I feel like I should take up a different hobby instead...

There is something else on which I've been making progress lately.  It's getting my mom's cat Lacie to stop hissing at me every time she sees me.  This cat seriously hates me.  But 3 nights in a row this week when I was working on cupcakes/squares, she came over, sat in my lap, and started "making biscuits" on my stomach. (It's kneading for hours on end.  I'm so glad she doesn't have claws in the front.)  When she's found her position, she adds hardcore slobbering and rubbing her face all over my pj pants to the mix.  And I sit there and let her do this for a couple hours because if I interrupt her, she will probably pee on the dining room floor.  It's a little dysfunctional here right now. But I've given up trying to knit when this love/hate ritual starts, I don't want her slobbering on the yarn. When she's finished she goes back to hating me.

Another cupcake avoidance project is something fun and completely unrelated to yarn.  A few weeks ago I was at Crate & Barrel in the fashion mall and they had these adorable little Christmas decorations that were plain balls, but solid glitter.  And I love glitter more than a gaggle of 12-year olds at Limited Too.  So I had to have them.  Checked the tag, $8 a ball.  No way, Crate & Barrel, that's just crazy talk.  Yesterday I was at Michael's looking at frames for my latest cross-stitching and I saw very similar Christmas glitter balls to the ones at Crate & Barrel, but these were $6 a ball.  Which is still outrageous when you can buy clear glass ornaments for less than a dollar and a couple bottles of glitter paint.  I bought a ton of those clear glass ornaments last year and was knitting around them and I was sure I still had TONS leftover.  So I just bought some glitter paint.  

Got home, discovered I only had 10 ornaments but decided to get my glitter on anyway.  I'd do a tester-batch to see if it was worth doing more.  Plus I could always try to sell them at the craft fair, eh?  If they sell- awesome! If they don't- more for me! It's a win-win.  

So here they are after a first coat of paint, drying on large knitting needles in a vase.  Hey, it works.

And here they are after a few more coats of paint (the reds just got started this morning, they're only 1 coat in). So after a few more coats of paint, I'll have some pretty snazzy ornaments, and I won't have spent $80 to get them.  Boo-yah, Crate & Barrel. 

And in actual knitting related news, I unearthed a partial sweater while I was digging through more yarn to sell on eBay. 

I'm not sure about it.  I think it's a bit crazy for my tastes but variegated cardis in Plain-Jane patterns are really in right now, so I might just go with it.  I mean, I didn't technically start another project.... I'm not sure I like the colors anymore though.  I'll just knit on it for a few days and see what I think then.  

Okay, back to cupcakes.  Have a great weekend!