luxe

last night i felt like an airhead. like everyone thought i was, anyway. it bummed me out. after everyone left, i skimmed the magazines i bought, the new interweave, knitting, a brit one which i got charged 3.45 for. hm. it has some shockingly ugly things in it, and some cute things, including a bag, vogue knitting, which i finally bought instead of stealing patterns. i think i will make the loose weave lace stole for my mom’s fancy thing, in black with a little sparkle, maybe a few copper beads, dunno, but there are some really gorgeous scarves in there, and also in knits, which has some knitted jewelry that is great. anyway, i skimmed, went online to get the manual for my sewing machine, yes MY sewing machine. wait, my 20 dollar sewing machine. anyway, i think the only thing missing is the thing that the thread goes on. i think i may be able to work that anyway. the other machine that i got for free, the diplomat, i will take somewhere to see what it will cost to fix. i also read a bit in lighthousekeeping which is a really cool book, so far anyway.
it is snowing and crap outside, i guess we won’t go anywhere. i will probably work on the boxes and the machine. see how it goes.
is saw on naive knitting the softie a month thing, and it is a bit late to try to squeeze out a monsta, although i do have the ipod monsta. hm, maybe that, anyway, there are some adorable ones, and i will definitely do it next month.
i have been just keeping quiet and it really sucks. i felt really out of the loop and annoying. like an airhead. which i have been known to be. anyway, i don’t dig that.
i am tattooing butter on tuesday, i am going to knitwits tomorrow to pick out yarn and i have a massage at 4:30. ya. jake just showed me a pic of the dude from the ravonettes who looks like marlo. ew.

Super_dial1
Originally uploaded by natashafialkov.

egads. long day. work was busy, then a lull, which i walked down to ufo with gabe and found some misc stuff and a working sewing machine built into a table. i bought it. it is 50’s, it works, decent condition, but it looks like the post that the thread would go on it not there. i dunno how big of a deal to fix that is. anyway, i found what i think are the instructions on sewusa and downloaded them, haven’t gotten a chance to look yet, so i can figure out how to use it. i saw on ebay a similar model that had the original 309 buck pricetag from the early 50’s. anyway, other than that thing on top, it looks intact. is that even fixable if it was broken off? the guy also gave me 2 others, one which is broken, the other is a “diplomat” zig zag deluxe. the needle doesn’t go up and down, but everything looks to be there. it may be worth having a repairman look at it. it is portable, albeit 50 lbs, literally, so i could take it somewhere. i wonder if they will come to your house. anyway, i look forward to making crap with them. mainly, sewing some felt stuff and some of the knitting things i want to tear up. i hope it will work. no thread hookup could be a problem. although, i could probably rig something. the post doesn’t spin, just holds the spool. hm. i’ll see what the manual says.
anyway, i was late getting home b/c of inconsiderate and crazy clients, and then when i got home jason and his new girlfriend amy had been waiting for me, i think jake was irritated with me and i had wanted to clean up before anyone saw me because i had ink all over my face. yup. so i ran upstairs and they had been waiting to eat and i felt like no one wanted to listen to any annoying thing i had to say. i may have been sensitive. i don’t like it when jake is annoyed. i felt like everything i did and said was irritating so i just shut up and when we got home, i just kept to myself. which seemed like best thing to do.
anyway, i have some ideas for doing shadow boxes with knitting stretched inside and little lights, so i got some boxes at michael’s tonite that i may mess with to-morrow.
i guess i am still supposed to meet janie(?) from the boutique on monday, my mom picked on me when she came in today and tried to make me feel stupid for being annoyed that they couldn’t call me back in a 5 day period. i know they are busy, they have stuff going on, whatever. am i psycho tonight? i feel like everyone is picking on me. i need to just take my antipsychotic medication and go to sleep.
anyway, i did somebrainstorming with gabe, i forget what it is like to shoot ideas off of other people that know what you are talking about. i am excited to mess with those boxes to-morrow.
ok, i better go before i incriminate myself.

i stayed home, i was so freaked out about jake wrecking again. i just wanted to hang out with him. i would be lost without him. the rental place gave jake a pacifica. it’s pretty nice. he digs it. we met his folks at red robin for lunch and then got groceries. i got a bunch of tupperware for organizing stuff. he is excited about it. i guess he is good at keeping quiet about how much my slobby behavior bugs him. we came home and i fell asleep for 2 hours. i never nap.
i did some simple lace knitting patterns which are really fun to do and really gorgeous. i don’t know how much i like the more complex one. not so pretty. but it is so so fun. i made a short scarf with noro, and i think i may frame it. it would look cool with the lace pattern. its so scratchy you could never wear it. the handpainted sock yarn that i got at knitwits ages ago is actually smoother to the touch and more yardage for the cash. i will get death threats for saying that. the color is gorgeous, but i was surprised at how easily it breaks.
jm’s boutique has still not called me back. jake thinks i should call yet again, call no 3, but i think that if they act like this now, it isn’t a good sign. i will end up kicking myself when they screw me over. i dunno. i think i should just cancel the appt at knitwits and they can do whatever they want. i don’t know what you guys think. let me know.

so not long after i went to sleep, i think like 4 a, jake was getting back into bed. he normally would be on his way to work. he was not far from home, and hit a deer. he didn’t get hurt but was really upset. i am just thankful he wasn’t on his motorcycle. it seems like he shouldn’t ride it when it is dark. anyway, i guess the deductible is only 100 bucks and we have rental car on our insurance too, so it isn’t a big deal. and he didn’t get hurt, so that is all that matters. i had taken benadryl because my rash was really itchy, and so i was really out. terrie from dv8 told me she thought it was dermatitis, otherwise known as eczema and i looked it up on the internet and i think it is. they say sun and stress and scented products cause it, and it is an immune system problem, overactive, an allergic reaction to nothing. so i may just ask my dad to call in the cream for me. they say you can get it on your face, neck, hands, feet behind your knees and elbows, stomach chest, i have that. it is exactly. anyway, that is all. gotta shower.

jake n me at his bros wedding
Originally uploaded by natashafialkov.

ok…so i got this thing in the mail from creative strands fiber arts conference in johnstown, pa, i think about an hour away from pittsburgh. there are some awesome classes being taught at very low cost, taught by annie modesitt and other big names. the web address is www.augustamarketing.com. i am freaking out. is anyone interested in going? it appears that most of the classes are at an intermediate level, except for jewelry making. there are some spinning classes, one using a spindle, a dying class, ooh, check it out, and please contact me anyone who is interested.
bonnie finally got her package and seemed to dig it. she called me whilst opening it and we got to talk a bit. it was hard to shop for her because it is so warm where she is, what do you get? i settled on some really pretty hemp from my stash and some classic elite mohair with cotton woven in. i got her some other goodies too. it was fun putting it together. i made her a gem saloon shirt and couldn’t post any pics because she couldn’t know about it. i suck at keeping secrets.
jake’s motorcycle jacket and boots came, my jacket was mysteriously absent. he looks super hot in his gear. not like some guys that put on the crap and think it makes them hot, but really hot. if i saw him out and didn’t know him, i would sigh. ooh, that sucks that guy is married. oh, but it is to me!! sweet!!
i could jm’s boutique for the second time and left a message that i had planned a yarn tour at knitwits on monday, when they are closed and to let me know that it was ok so pudge could do other things and no one called me back. it really irritated me. i have been knitting up a storm so i have stuff for them and they can’t call me back? this isn’t a good start. it worries me. also, i found out that there is an opening in the ligonier arts festival, which is ritzy and full of people with money, but i don’t have enough time to put anything together. it is a good idea though, that a group of us could do a few cool arts festivals and sell our wares. it would be fun. we could probably get in for next year. mark from dv8 may be able to pull some strings. i want to do the spinning class and one of the beading classes. i pick stuff like that up pretty fast and would love to try it.
i haven’t had soda in a week and a half and my face seemed better on the rash, but i think it is breaking out again. it is itchy at the moment. egads!!
jason is supposed to see us saturday and maybe bring his lady. we will see. he is nuts about her, it seems so i am really excited to meet her.
ok, i am going to take my pills and go to sleep. knit a little. have some nightmares, same old thing.

scrabble
Originally uploaded by natashafialkov.

strange start to the day already…i awoke to the kitten puking up yarn…which i managed to end up with in my hand. just short pieces, but not good. moments later i say his boner which is 2″ long. some guys don’t have one that long. goodness!! i then checked my email, my older brother’s longtime ex-girlfriend had seen me on flickr and is now really into knitting and tattoos, and lots of things that i like and emailed me. she was really conservative when my brother was with her, but he tends not to encourage people to be themselves, so maybe she was into those things then, but kept quiet about them. i always thought she thought i was a weirdo, but i guess she was just really shy. i always thought she was a gorgeous girl.
second, another amy i know that i hadn’t seen since early winter, and even then it was random sighting at a hipster craft thing, emailed me and wanted to get together. crazy.
i left a message at jm boutique because i scheduled an appointment at knit wits on monday which they are normally closed and is my day off, and no one has called me back, which irks me. i will call again today. i hope they are not jerking me around. we will see.
when i was last at knitwits, pudge showed me a stitch for a stole in the newest vogue that is k2 *yo k2tog*rep end on p2, i am not sure if i am doing it right, but i am using some noro yarn, to make a scarf for the breast cancer series, and the pattern is cool and fun. lace i think? i will photo is. i may have invented a new stitch accidentally but it looks really neat. and it is a fun thing to do instead of boring elongated st scarves and fuzzy yarns.
i dreamed that i got into a huge fight with my ex-shop partner because he swiped a customer and then flipped on me and i told him off, all the stuff i didn’t say, and told him that i couldn’t believe what a loser he had become. he told me that he knew he was really handsome and could get by on that. he would never say that. then, i was locked in a giant school with some kind of horror movie killer and the ring-like illness. i then was in my college library where i found a $75 dollar bill. and some old person’s bifocals. someone was looking for a 50, but i pocketed this because it was a 75. a 75? i woke up with yarn puke hovering above me.
last night i put away a crapload of laundry. my mom gave me some huggable hangers which are fantastic. nothing slips off and it takes up no space. so i am sure jake was happy to see me organize the closet and the shoe bag would work great for yarn, for any of you that need space. i need to order more. i am going through my clothes to ditch some stuff. i think i will try to shred some t-shirts thin to knit them. maybe with a cutter rather than scissors to get em really thin. maybe totebags or purses out of t-shirts would be cool also. and i could make halter tops. am have cut carbs way down because i have gained enough that most of my summer stuff doesn’t fit. not good. anyway, i told jake i would get a book on organizing and get things sorted out. i am a slob. so i am buying a ton of containers, and that will at least keep things separate. i have about a million pairs of underwear, so i need to cut them down a bit. i got those shelves with little legs that give you another level on any cupboard or shelves, so that helps give me more shoe room. and other things, too.
ok, i need to get up. i told butter not to come out because i am totally fried and have late appointments, so i will just go in and chill out until then. or even go in, do some stuff come home and chill for an hour or two and then go back. i can’t wait to see if tammy got the flowers. she is a low self-esteem girl and it didn’t help that her eyeliner embarrassed her. so i know the flowers will make her blush. yay! i found a black apron top that heather made for me to wear today, i have like 10, so that is what to wear today. and maybe some heels so i feel tall. ok. here i go. i am going. going….gonnnne…

2 great iPhotos
Originally uploaded by natashafialkov.

so i keep getting sent these what books do you read things. here goes…
1. total number of books in your house…too numerous to count they are everywhere.
2. the last book you bought was? hollywood knits by suss cousins and the lighthousekeeper by jeanette winterson
3. what was the last book you read before reading this?
well, i have been reading knitting in plain english in the tub or on the toilet, and pattern recognition by wm gibson.
4. what are the 5 books you often read that mean a lot to you? i am not a big repeat book reader. but…
1.oscar and lucinda by peter carey. magnificent. proof that letting public opinion move you from the path of what and who you love, will destroy you.
2.diary, chuck palahniuk. better every time you read it. so amazing
3.anna karennina, tolstoy, again, how listening to other people will ruin your life
4.wuthering heights, emily bronte. i should be embarrassed, but i am not. again, if you love someone enough, even death won’t tear you apart. and kate bush wrote a song about it.
5. lolita, nabakov. what more is there to say? nothing.
/>6. one hundred years of solitude, marquez, because things that seem to be a huge deal are forgotten not long after, and the women are strong and stick with whatever they are doing no matter what, and it works itself out, and they chain men to trees…4. who will i send this to? fran, because she is a book person. alex, because i wonder what he will say. diana and john, especially because diana is from the philipines…and john is crazy and reads books about salt. bonnie, cause i want to get to know her better. we are sisters after all, and jason, because he reads anything that he can. crappy or no. or about salt. now how do i copy this into an email? hmmm. ok, just post your response as a comment onto my blog. ok? sweet.

You’re One Hundred Years of Solitude!

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

i thought this was ridiculously funny. i found it on yankeepotroast.org…it is about why not to cheat on your boyfriend with this guy.
otherwise, the day was hectic, i got the orange stripes removed from my hair and had some sort of freak out, skin crawling etc, because i think my pain patch had worn off, and left with wet hair. embarassing, but not really, cause i don’t care.
i sent flowers to my client tammmy who got her eyes done yesterday. hopefully they were nice. and got there. i wore my my hair in a big pompador with the sides slicked back today, ala 80’s punk with my gucci knockoff glasses. short hair is fun. you can do different things all the time. nice! i will post a pic, also once of the cool scarf i made. i am working on a new one with some noro and again the aerie, although i think i furry yarn would be better. i have to fight the urge to knit it plain it is so gorgeous. they will think it is too plain. fun fur is too dense, so maybe i will look around for something fuzzy. if i knew how to spin…
i made gabe and then jake do that thing where you press your wrists for 30 seconds against a doorjam and…wait if anyone hasn’t done it…do it, and i will tell you to-morrow what happens.

You appear to be a Knitting Goddess.
You are constantly giving and are unconcerned with
reward, you simply want others to love knitting
as much as you do. If someone wants to knit
miles of novelty yarns, you are there for them.
If someone wants to learn short row shaping,
you can help. There are no taboos in knitting,
only opportunities to grow. Everyone should
have friend like you around if they want to
learn to knit, and there’s a good chance that
your passion has rubbed off on a few others.
http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

i am exhausted. it has been busy at work and then i come home and knit. i need to put the fringe on the last scarf. i want to put some beads on the fringe and i am not sure how. i am trying to figure it out. anyway, my lame health has been catching up with me. i am so tired all of the time. coffee coffe coffee. i haven’t had a soda in a week, and my rash has almost totally gone away. i guess that is it. crazy huh. strangely, when you are drinking diet soda, you crave it, once you stop it for a while, you don’t crave it anymore. just like carbs. so strange. addiction. to pepsi one.

heather’s loop st xmas scarf
Originally uploaded by natashafialkov.

so,i emailed martha of naive knitting to tell her how amazing i thought her site was. she emailed me back her other project website and i have not been so incredibly blown away by anything in years. i hope you all will check it out…thirty-six.com. this is the most inspiring, start making amazing things that move people kick in the ass i have had in 10 years. i can’t even express myself. i am flabberghasted. anyway, it has this amazing history to it, that is completely made up. and you keep thinking that you are seeing something that you shouldn’t be seeing. then there is a separate set of video clips where different people talk about their most beloved object and it’s history. and then i think, what is mine? i don’t know. i guess my wedding band. it was my grandmother’s original band. it is simple and i may not even care for it if it hadn’t been my granny’s being that so little of what i have has any history to it at all, and of course it symbolizes the person i love most in this world, and how simple and complex love is, all at once. just like life. so many layers. you cut away one smooth layer and see the innerworkings of life. anyway, here are some questions that i hope you will post replies to, with a photo, if you like, would be really great.
what do material object do you value most and why?
also, i am going to name my knitting line for the boutique, i don’t know what to name it. any ideas? i would prefer one word. i have been told to use my name, but i am not sure how i feel about that. ideas anyone?
i still haven’t named senseo.
knitting has sparked all of the creative juices again, to do everything. i can’t do enough things. i have so many ideas for so many different media. i am so happy that feeling is back. it is everything that i like about myself. that was gone for a long time. when it is back it gives me hope that i can be what i want to be. what i wish i was. who i really am. not a slackass, gimpy, mooch. ok, i better go before i get rotten tomatoes thrown into my comments.
al wieder sehen!