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Clap On, Clap Off

Clap on (clap, clap), clap off (clap, clap), clap on, clap off – the Clapotis!

The Clap is off…off the needles, that is.

clap1.JPG The specs:
Clapotis, a free pattern from knitty.com
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, colorway 243, 8 skeins
Size: about 70 inches long – 15 inches longer than the pattern (I figure that a shawl’s length should match one’s wingspan)
Recipient: my ever-chilly sister in Alaska
clap2.JPG Yes, this was my NINTH Clapotis.

Shouldn’t Kate Gilbert (the designer) give me some kind of award or something?

For devotion?

yarn.JPG Next on…this yarn. Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.
eastenders.JPG I call this the EastEnders baby sweater. I saw a character on the show wearing something like it, so I thought I’d copy it for my sister’s baby.

The main color looks black here, but it is actually chocolate brown. I like the way the brown looks with the pastels.

Because cashmere makes so much sense for a baby, right? (ha)

ike.JPG I snapped this photo right after Chris called Ike “Junkyard Dog”.

There are a million soft places for him to relax, and he chose slate.

I don’t really understand him, but it isn’t like he’s laying on a pile of automotive parts or something.

lou1.JPG Sunshine + air conditioning = a good day to be Lou.
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Debut!

Lookit! I’m so excited!

If you’re reading this in bloglines (or any newsreader) you’re missing out. Verypink has a brand new look! And today is the debut!

Today’s format will be a little different, as sort of an intro to the newness. There is both a new look and a new server. That changes a few things.

Don’t worry! Verypink will be back to it’s normal photo-heavy-limted-text self on Wednesday!

First – verypink has a reliable RSS feed now. This was one of my main priorities. If you subscribed to the lame feed I had before, you need to cancel the old subscription and subscribe to this: https://verypink.com/feed/ (Just copy this into your newsreader, OR, if you using the most recent version of Firefox, there is a new and fancy little orange button that you can hit to automatically subscribe to a feed, OR you can use the handy link at the very bottom of this page.) If you don’t use a newsreader, then ignore this paragraph and don’t let it confuse you.

But in my opinion, everyone should at least be using Firefox.

The new look changes how I do things… as I heard from more than one friend, I needed to bring verypink into the new millennium. (They were so right.) I’m now using WordPress, which means I have all of the ease that blog software provides, but with control. I still write all of the posts in HTML, but I get fancy things like spellcheck , automatic dating of posts, and auto archiving. Not to mention, the new look.

Did I mention that I’m excited about this?? Kinda scared too…I had the old look for about ten years. No kidding. Change is scary.

“A guy named Mike” did all of this work for me. Mike happens to be an expert at both the design as well as the technical side of web design. He is brilliant. If you’re looking to get website work done, I’m very happy to recommend him. Just let me know if you would like his contact info.

It would be impossible to have a verypink post without at least one photo. So, here we go…

reddogs1.JPG Three red dogs.

The black one is chillin’ in the other room.

See you Wednesday, when I try to write a normal post when nothing seems the same. Twilight Zone time.

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Almost there!

If you’re seeing this page, then the wheels of progress are crankin’, and verypink has successfully moved to the new server.

If you’d like to read the last post to verypink, you can go here.

Please come back on Monday for the official launch of the new look!

Also, you can subscribe to the RSS feed automatically, or by plugging this link into your news reader: https://verypink.com/feed/

If you were subscribed to verypink before, you’ll need to resubscribe as the feed link has changed.

See you Monday!

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Ninth Time’s a Charm

Is it Friday already?

Here we go with semi-lighting-fast topic changes…

So, the ninth time is indeed a charm. I have completed EIGHT Clapotis, if you can believe it. They’re so pretty, and they make such nice gifts!

I’ve made one for myself, my mom, one of my sisters, my MIL, my SIL, my friend Michele, my piano teacher, and one was frogged because I used the wrong yarn.

Number Nine is actually a replacement Clap for the one my sister has practically worn into the ground. Yes, Phyllis…I’m replacing your ratty Clap.

Here I am, wearing mine in Paris.
The design is just so brilliant!

If you haven’t already made one, the pattern is really clear to follow. Here’s a quick rundown, anyway. I’m a little more than half-way finished here.

You start with just two stitches at one of the corners…
Increase until it’s wide enough, then…
Increase on one side and decrease on the other to keep it on the bias. Every sixth stich is dropped once you decrease to it on the right side.

It’s still a fun knit – even though I can do it in my sleep by now.

Dontcha want to make (another) one?

Next…!
Today is the official beginning of hurricane season. I’m going to make light of the whole thing because it scares me silly.

Chris had his own tropical storm last year, but as usual, I don’t get anything named after me. Oh, well.

But if your name is Humberto or Olga, you’re going to get your own tropical storm this year! Maybe even a hurricane! Some of the more popular names on the menu are Melissa, Tanya, Karen, and Wendy.

Here’s the complete list for 2007.

Next…!
I realize that designing and photographing hand knits can be difficult, and I’m always made aware of this every time I receive Cast On magazine in the mail.

This sweater is okay, but I do have a few problems with the whole thing:

  1. The sleeves are really too long.
  2. I would have preferred to see a tshirt under the sweater.
  3. This baby is pooping her pants.

Next…!

Half of Abe’s toenails are black. Since I can’t see through a black nail, I’m worried about cutting too much with the nail trimmers and hurting him. So we invested in a Dremel.

The problem: Abe runs to another room as soon as he hears the motor. Sigh. Not really what I was hoping for. At least the other dogs like it.
Lou must LOVE it. Smoooooch.

Have a great weekend!







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Setting a Tradition

It felt strange taking Monday off from verypink…I’m glad to be back!

Today’s post is about tradition. Do traditions start after the first instance, or once the instance is perpetuated? In any case, we have a tradition now.

It all started with this baby blanket. This was made for me by my Grandma Renee. When I asked my mom a little about the origin of the blanket, this is what she said:

Since you were the first grandchild, Grandma Renee came down to Florida and was there on the day you got out of the hospital. (You were under 5 lbs. so you had to stay in the hospital until you gained enough to weigh 5lbs.) They weighed you with a full diaper, you weighed exactly 5 lbs, so we got to take you home. Your grandma stayed in Florida a couple of weeks, then went home and not too long after that, we got the afghan. I think she picked a tough pattern because you were the first and it had to be special.

What’s more, my name is Staci Renee, so I am my grandma’s namesake.
Then I found out that my sister is having a baby girl and naming her Molly Renee, after both my grandma and me.

I thought it would be nice for the third-geration Renee to have a blanket matching the one made by the first-generation Renee for the second-generation Renee. Are you following?

Not surprisingly, I’ve named this the Renee Blanket.
To copy my grandma’s pattern, I needed to figure out the lace. I sat down with my blanket and some Baby Ull (and a glass of wine) and got to work. After a couple of hours, I got it.

I might have figured it out more quickly without the wine.
I changed the lace pattern a bit, because I wanted the wrong-side rows to be easier. (My grandma’s pattern is riddled with PSSOs and double-decreases on the WS rows.)

I considered not adding the fringe, but then changed my mind. I remembered something important…I learned to braid on this fringe!
I sacrificed a strand of fringe from my blanket for a burn test, to try to figure out the fiber content. The best I can tell is that mine is made of an acrylic/wool blend, which has held up pretty well after 39 years (and probably a thousand machine-washes).

Molly Renee’s blanket is made from Dale of Norway Baby Ull, 100% superwash wool. Both blankets are 30×42″, and used about 400 grams of yarn.
Maybe someday I can teach Molly Renee to knit, so that she can make one of these for the next-generation Renee. I at least hope she enjoys her blanket as much as I have enjoyed mine.

This pattern will be available soon, but not on verypink. I have promised a very similar pattern (in shawl form) to someone for her upcoming book. Once her book is out in a few months, I can offer pattern modifications to make the shawl into a baby blanket. Soon!
Mandatory doggie photo.I call this one “Feets”.
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Fun With Language

I thought I was going to have a bit of knitting to show you today, but it will have to wait until next week. Instead…

I’ve done something very goofy. I’ve taken an otherwise normal verypink post, run it through some free translation software into German, then had it translated back into English again. There are mistakes. I find them funny.

It’s a fast-topic-changing Friday…

Remember, all of this text has been run through language translation software TWICE.

First off, I received my haircut. I recognized that that living in the south to regard and trying, south, had a negative effect on my likeness. I appear to be really seriously here, but I am happy.

Perhaps it was not really very long first of all, but it is had the longest that I it because I was a little girl.

Ahh, I said “since I was a little girl”. Here I am before the haircut a few days ago.

Next…!
Does someone find otherwise this pedicure sandal to be excessively foolish? They do not work as shoes really.

Yikes. Time to use a bräunendes skin water.

Next…!
Do you ever miracle like to live what it is, with four dogs? It is goods sometimes like this…
In general, it is honest more like this.Can you select four dogs in this likeness?

Next…!
I hope that you have a large holiday weekend. I will pass over a post and will see you again on Wednesday. Have joke and would be certain you!

That last sentence should have said “Have fun and be safe!”, and a German beer would have been more appropriate.
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Taking One for the Team

I took one for the team yesterday. I sacrificed myself for the benefit of the family pack. Threw myself under the bus, so to speak.

Sometimes to teach a lesson to a dog, you actually have to bring out the bad behavior. Abe had a bone. I walked past him, and he growled at me.

The lesson here is: You Must Surrender Whatever You Have to Mama, No Matter How Delicious It Is.

So when he growled, I immediately reached down to snatch the bone without showing a moment’s weakness. And he bit me. He was already sort of laying down, so I rolled him on his side to show that I wasn’t afraid.

I have four fang holes in my hand, but he understands now!

The lesson continued throughout the evening. Every time I walked past him, I took the bone away, pet him, then gave it back. He’s a quick study.

It’s pretty amazing that he’s come this far. Just about seven months ago he was a backyard dog with no indoor manners. He’s a really good boy now.

Truly…I’m not angry with him for the bite. I’m proud of him for learning so quickly and trying so hard to be a nice and respectful doggie.

My hand is a little tender when I knit or type, but I’ll be fine.

Last week I confessed my new-found obsession with peanut butter. It gets even better.

I believe I’ve invented a taste treat that will take over the world. It’s peanut butter AND jelly. Okay, I didn’t invent it, but I feel like I did. How could such a delicacy exist in this world without me?

I’m really too excited about it. In fact, I’m this excited.

I’m excited about this, too.

I’ve mentioned before that verypink is about to go through some big changes (with the design, not the content). We’re working on finalizing the look, but the new logo is complete.

I totally freakin’ heart this new logo.

Tiny Lou.

I finally pulled out the measuring tape. Standard male Basenji = 17″ at the shoulders. Lou = 13″.

People always say, “Cute puppy! How old is he?” Well, he’s three-and-a-half. Long past puppyhood.

Gotta envy him for maintaining a youthful appearance!