luxe

jake bought a ton of candy and we had about 15 trick or treaters. it was pouring and we were one of a few other houses with their lights on in the whole block, so i think it seemed like no one had candy. so. we sat out on the porch for about 45 minutes before going in.

after listing stuff on the site for…hours, our computer is slow, or the internet rather, and it takes me forever, but then i thought, wow, i am listing stuff and no one is around. dur. dur. dur.

i got to see my pal jess today, i had a bunch of undyed fiber for her and she drove straight out to pick it up. her face was like a kid’s at…halloween. and i have to say, i am not a big baby person, but she has the most adorable, happy toddler ever! she is like a ray of sunshine. and she loves squishing fiber in her hands and then eating it! my kind of girl. not that i eat it. on purpose, anyway.

i got a couple of wire crochet books online and they…sucked, really. i must say that i am not a pattern person. i don’t ever think someone else is lame for using patterns, but somehow, i feel like it isn’t mine, and can’t ever follow the pattern all the way through, i think because i know exactly how it would turn out. anyway, the new books didn’t show me any techniques i couldn’t figure out on my own, and didn’t have anything terribly exciting in them. the first book i got, my arline fisch is really wonderful, and has patterns from different artists, and i do mean ARTISTS. their work in many cases is theatrical and unlike anything i have seen anywhere. really inspiring. also, annie modesitt’s new book just came out

also, pretty little things just came out. i am excited to see her book. i have been meaning to make some collage pieces and drawings inside glass, but never get around to doing it. i had to do lots of soldering when i still did tattooing (on the needles, not the people) so i am pretty good at it. and it can be rather tricky. if you overheat it, it won’t stick, if you underheat it, it won’t melt. so you have to have steady hands and work pretty fast. it is funny, but one of the biggest things i got out of piercing and then tattooing was learning to make a good line, and having a steady hand. in a drawing, line quality is so important. it is something i notice in other people’s work. it is such a simple thing, but so difficult for lots of people. i have been drawing only with pen for a while now, to encourage the line quality to improve, and i think it has made a big difference.

you all know that i love nip/tuck. this season is INSANE. a kidney stealing ring? i am thinking i should get a tattoo over my kidneys that they are not worth stealing. just in case.

maybe a drawing to end the post? hmmm…let me see what i have…
this one i am going to embroider onto a vintage napkin…

as well as the one i posted yesterday. i am excited to do it. i love embroidering things i have drawn. mindless, yet beautiful.

xo
n.

hey guys, i am in the midst of an all-day update for both luxefibre.com and also luxe.etsy.com i sent an email to the peeps on the luxe list (please email me if you aren’t on it and you want to be, via natashaluxeatgmaildotcom). i am really putting tons of stuff up and i just got my HUGE sock yarn order, so i will be dyeing my arse off this week! so stay tuned, and for secret pallers, there are special offers, 10% off, i’ll wrap it and send it to your pal and skeins of sock yarn are $18 bucks instead of $22, so let me know ahead of time if you like to put dibs on anything.

wanna see a few of the things? okay…

and way way more! so go before it is all gone. i imagine halloween is a really bad night to be listing stuff. hm. prove me wrong!

xo
n.

i am not even sure whence last i blogged, but i have been soooo tired. saturday, we had the wedding, which i was dreading (why? dunno.) anyway, i got this dress at macy’s:
which i later decided looked a bit tarty with the dark stockings and light shoes. but i love those shoes! and the nude fishnets i planned to wear, new out of the package developed a gigantic hole in the ankle whilst i attempted to put them on. sheesh. and also, despite passing up a bunch of patterned dresses due to the humungous focus on my huge bosems, and thought that this smaller pattern worked well, in the photos i realized that was maybe not the case. plus, i noticed several dudes gawking at them, and i never notice things like that. ah well.

the bride and groom were so excited to be getting married and giggled and blushed all through the cermony and it is a rare thing to see, oddly. it was really sweet. the downfall was the it was more than 90 minutes drive each way and i was carsick. waa waa waa.

i was so exhausted yesterday that i didn’t do anything. not knit. not anything. literally not anything. today, i woke up with a super bad migraine, not just the hangoverish sort, so i took my drugs and tried to get rid of it. i haven’t even been checking mail over the last couple of days i have been so out of it and headachey! and i am so not like that. at least once a day, usually twice. so, once i got myself into okay condition, i skeined up all of my bobbins’ full and labelled them and took photos: snow bride, i plan to do a white with blue and white with purple version, too, and each skein is more than 100 bulky yards! woot woot! they photograph a bit plain, but what can i do?

lilac custard:

and a bits and pieces one:

and some drawerings? okay…

i am hoping to feel good to-morrow…back on my “C” game, like i usually am. i wanted to spin sooooo badly today, all of those empty bobbins, and i needed to go to joann’s for some felt, and i couldn’t see, so i thought it was a bad idea. driving and migraines just don’t mix, really.

i am zoning out. so off i go.
xoxoxoxoxo
n.

well, i feel like a shite blogger. i have been a bit out of it lately, i constantly feel like i am behind on everything. what HAVE i been doing? i made some of these: what do you guys thing of em? they have a crocheted loop on the other side.

what else? well, some drawerings: i did another one of this mystery plant (although it is really a plant) that i like better, but no photos yet.

i spun some of this up, although i haven’t skeined it yet:

and i think the only other thing is that one of my sweetest blog pals jen has been having bad bad stomach troubles and has been feeling too sick to do the things she wants to do, so i am just extending a big fuzzy hug to ya.

not much else to report, a super cute photo of peeps, but which ones aren’t?

we have a wedding to-morrow, so the whole day will be doing that. sigh.
xo
n.

tampon crafts it reminds me of my best friend in junior high that had a stalker wannabe girlfriend. she broke into his locker and put used tampons and maxipads all over his locker. i think it scarred his 13 year old mind in ways we could not imagine. poor fella. although, i think it may have been fake blood because would they really still stick after coming out of your underpants? hm. sorry to cause any vomiting. nah. i’m not.

printing an imagine on a living plant?how badass is that? seriously. both of these links are from craftzine.com. i am so behind on my blogs. forgive me. please.

i got an awesome swap package from katrina in canada! i will post photos to-morrow. man. i got awesome stuff! i am sending yours out soon! i swear! and it will be fibre laden. i swear it! and i owe other swaps as well. barbe sent me awesome stuff that i need to photograph. i have made bracelets and drawerings that need photos. i have a hair appointment to-morrow, need to mail out a bunch of packages (complete with super cute sheep stickers!) AND we have a wedding this weekend that i need to get a dress for. and i am not feeling like shopping. blech. i have some really cute 50’s style dresses, but i worry that they will be a bit to flashy to wear. i don’t want to upstage the bride. maybe i should post photos and you all can tell me? hm.

i have found some gorgeous art blogs via flickr. wanna see? this russian artist whose work is just gorgeous. i just said gorgeous…well thrice now. sheesh.

i will blog when i have some new photos to show off. okay? and maybe some freshly dyed hair. let me find something to show you… let me say that i HATE carnations. my husband instructs any florist we use to NEVER put carnations in an arrangements. just cause the dalai lama likes them doesn’t mean i do. these are not carnations.

and a bits n pieces yarn, sold, thanks karen! called trickle:

off to spin. or knit. or crochet. something. maybe draw. hm.
xo
n.

hey there cats and kittens! sorry long time no post! things have been busy busy and i have been tired tired tired. not cool. lately i have been falling asleep in the late afternoon for a few hours again, that went away for a while, but not it is back! yay! and then last night, i had a fit of the creepycrawlies and was up until 9ish i think. i took a few showers and watched masterpiece theatre at 4a. i hate feeling like that. especially when you are really really tired in combination.

so, as i said, i updated the both luxe as well as the www.luxe.etsy.com site, and most of the stuff is gone already, but a few pretties remain. it always surprises me what remains! first, , a matching single and a matching supercoil…pretty! also, pinkerton, a really soft scrappy yarn. two 50 yard skeins… and, one of my most favorite, new day rising:. it is clear that for fall and winter, people want the more deep colors. i guess i am a bright color person year round. they just seem happier. i never even thought happy was very cool when i was younger. what the hell? i must have been really really annoying.

i joined up for a french swap, i will put up a button for it soon, but i was so flattered when i was asked to sell some of my yarns and batts there! weee! internationale. so nice.

also, i have been crocheting some wire bracelets for handmade arcade and the trunk show at sugar, as well as new yarns, new knits and some spin kits. i just need to get my act together. i am spinning all of these plates…really slowly. bad bad me. while i have been doing the pen and ink drawerings everyday, i haven’t done any paintings or collages, which is bad. bad bad me.

i have been having my usual crazy dreams/nightmares and in the latest installment, i parked my car somewhere and couldn’t remember where i had parked it/wasn’t sure if it had been stolen. also, the creepy dude that my friend that i can’t talk to (long story short) was selling drugs in an alley and picking out hypodermic needles from the trash. very odd. and i joined a jewish social club. so odd.

i finally (a month after sending it) got a package back that i had the wrong zipcode on. i did my dyslexic thing and used a letter in place of a number on the zip, and despite the rest of the address being correct, it came back to me. i wonder where it was all that time? anyway, i covered up her address but look at the package! crazy! poor thing. anyway, i relisted the scarf, it was a poppy one and of course it sold immediamente! the loves the poppy scarves. i have done a couple in different colors, with a more earthy green for the scarf part and they don’t sell. it is odd how such a minor difference can make such a big change in something. i do love that kind of celery green. bright and cheerful! i think i need to just get a new ink cartridge for the printer and print out labels so that i can’t screw them up. it has happened before.

off to make some supper.
xo
n.

well, so i delivered the boutique order (finally!) and everything went fine, although she wasn’t all that excited by the scrappy yarn scarves! are you shocked? actually, i am not nearly as fond of that yarn as everyone else is, so it doesn’t surprise me that much. i tend to have really similar taste to hers, so we do okay together. when i got there, she had had a bad day, and is pregnant, which has been making her feel horrible and had just finished crying. for the first time, i actually felt like i knew her, and we talked for a while. it was really nice. i ended up showing her the little ink drawerings in my notebook. like this one:

and this one:
and i have some more i didn’t photo yet, like some peapods. too cute. if anyone has any plants ideas to draw, shoot em my way. so far, i have been making stuff up. she really like the wire crochet with the paper beads, so i will probably make a few different things for the shop and see how they go.

she is having a trunk show, as i mentioned, in december, i will post the stats later on. i will be there spinning/crocheting/knitting both days. she said it gets really really busy, so i will make sure that i post the time of the spinning demo, although, i will have my wheel there for anyone who wants to pop in and have a quick go on her (kiki doesn’t mind, i swear. she is a friendly wheel! as is gigi.) or just see how it works. i expect some of you who live right in the city to pop by so i feel popular (jess!) apparently people buy a lot there, so i need to get a line of stuff ready for that show in the meantime. i would like to do some wristwarmers, so if anyone has any ideas for those knitting things with the windy knob to crank out tubes, or any other way of doing that, let me know, leave a comment or email me.

somehow it took more than 4 hours to get to pittsburgh, drop off the stuff and get back. it was pouring rain, people were driving like dummies and i got a bit lost, i actually found the way though, even though i am super unfamiliar with that area. woot! then, i accidentally got off at the monroeville exit (where my parents used to live) and had to add an extra 15 minutes+ traffic onto my way back home. for the first time, when passing the area that my parents lived in, i really realized that they don’t live here anymore. we didn’t see each other that much before, but i knew they lived 35 minutes away. it was a bit strange. i also noticed things that had been knocked down, or had been built, and that was a strange feeling, too.

i am working on some bridal yarns (Although i imagine no one that is getting married will buy them) that are full of sparkle, eyelashy, super duper soft, sequins, you name it. i haven’t plied them yet, put they are gorgeous. like new snow under the moonlight. i hope to finish the first one to-morrow and post a pic.

i got a really sweet email from a woman that bought every yarn i listed last week within a couple of minutes of the first one being listed. she bought all of the leaf yarns and then some. anyway, she is obviously a serious yarn afficianado(sp?) and sent me a note saying that it was the nicest yarn she had ever knitted with, and after taking it into a boutique that she makes things for, they wanted to know how many more she could make, and then family members wanted things for christmas, too. most of my clients are regulars, so i do get great input, and it means so much to me. i really am very picky about what kind of fiber i use in my yarns, i want them to be as soft as possible and as functional as possible within the parameters of all the fanciness (i made up a word!) there is absolutely nothing wrong with yarns that aren’t super functional, but are beautiful, but there is something amazing about being able to make it knit up wonderfully, wear wonderfully and feel fantastic, so on every level…it is fun to knit with, fun to wear and holds up over time, is what i aim for. i do some crazy yarns sometimes with odds and ends that are obviously not meant to make a sweater out of, but i love soft things. sometimes i feel like spinners who don’t really knit so much may not put a lot of consideration into how well it will hold together (which is okay), in a lot of ways, i feel the same way about art, there are some artists that i adore that don’t make lasting art, and that makes it all the more beautiful…joseph beuys, anselm kiefer and on and on. i have always really worried about the longevity of my work, though. i want to make sure that there is a decent foundation that will hold up (unlike work i have bought that fell off of the wall due to faulty hanger backs) or a gorgeous piece i bought that had a light in it that doesn’t work. so. not. cool. the light is what really sold it for me. ok. shutting up about it.

otherwise, i have been strangely moody lately. not just moody really, but i almost start crying over anything the least bit sad, or happy, but moving. it is odd. i am not usually like that. it is that time of the month, but it almost always is, really. i am normally not so much of a crier. and i almost call people i haven’t spoken to because i miss them. and then remember that it is a horrible idea.

off to work on some knitting. for sale. as usual. i am so tired. i actually left the house, did my hair, put on make-up, drove far away. woah! yarn? okay.

so, whilst on flickr, this collage (and more!) artist, ophelia chong commented on one of my drawerings (finally! i never get comments from artists on my work. sob!) anyway, i checked her out and her work is really interesting. sometimes a bit freaky. so check it.
xo
n.

woah! so, i called the boutique to let them know i would be coming out to-morrow to drop off the order. she then tells me that there is a trunk show in december that is a few days long and she normally has a 3 of the designers come in, and usually someone brings in their sewing machine or somesuch to do a demonstration. i told her i could bring my wheel(s) and do a little something, or we could even make or buy drop spindles and make a little spinning kit for people to try (only issue is i don’t know how to properly do drop spindling, i just manual spin spin spin, when i did anyway) and she got super duper excited. i need to do a line specifically for the show, which she says always is very busy and sells really well. so that is really fun! we may be able to make a pittsburgh badass spinner association…right jess?

in other news, i had a bad migraine last night after spinning until after midnight. like a dumbass. i got a lot done, though. 8-10 hours of spinning produces lots! so, i was in one of those strange nauseous, dizzy, can’t see kind of moods. yay! i finally fell asleep around 4ish, i think. i also did tons of drawing yesterday whilst taking a break. i will take photos today. here are some from the other day, though…
here is a close-up of one of the flowers….
and the flower herself…

another strange thing is that i noticed on the news yesterday that tons of bad stuff happened around here….there was a 3 school bus accident (not really badly hurting anyone) someone that got shot while driving (randomly i think) who then lost control and hit a little kid, and a woman leaving a viewing at a funeral home at night, in dark clothes of course, to get to her car in the parking lot across the street, got hit by a car who didn’t see her due to the darkness and her dark clothes and killed her. and some boulders falling onto route 28, as usual, i guess. and other things, those being the highlights. normally not a ton of stuff happens, especially not in one day. anyone else notice lots of bad stuff yesterday?

i cleaned my studio up (somewhat) the other day. here is one view of it before… ew gross!

i need to do some invoices. sigh. i hate paperwork. it sure beats shoveling poop though.

xoxoxo
n.

okay. i just had to take a quick break while the feeling moved me to rave about devics an amazing amazing amazing band that i heard about on lisa’s blog. i am a music nazi. i am not easily impressed. if i don’t like it…keep it the hell away from me. it is a bit of a problem. in fact, when i was single, i could not date someone who liked bad music. i know that music is a different thing for everyone, but if i can’t respect your music, no go. i had been known to be friends in the old days with those guys that wouldn’t let anyone SEE their records. not sure why. theft? do you REALLY want to steal their frankenreich first edition? not likely. anyway, like on “high fidelity”, those smarmy arseholes. i always loved those guys. and i always prided myself on good music knowledge and taste. to a fault. so, i don’t seek out new music nearly as much due to lack of energy, but luckily, i married a music maniac. he is the dude that reads the inserts on cds. and remembers that stuff. he should have been a music journalist. really. so he keeps me up to date. so, i happened upon devics, listened to them and was sold from the short clips i heard on itunes. and then when i got the cd, oh my. sooooo good. i love the cocteau twins, and they have a bit of that, but more melancholy, i can’t describe it other than music to drive around crying to. although, i just spin and it makes me heart swell. thanks lisa!

what else? well, lately, the starlight mints. i got the cd a while ago, and liked it, but really love it now. it has a flaming lips vibe and a polyphonic spree vibe, too. very up up up music.

and, whilst catching up on a few friends’ blogs, i saw this wedding proposal from ashleyb’s now fiancee! and it is all about me, so it made me think of my own betrothed and how freaked out and frozen i was when he asked me (i never feel like i have the right reaction in those situations) but how i sometimes have a flash of life without him, before him (there was such a thing?) or if he ever turned away from me and how i would whither and die. i would be homeless in every sense of the word. while we haven’t been married long, we have known each other over a decade. i feel safe for the first time ever. i belong somewhere. i can grow. i can be who i am, whoever the hell that is, and it is totally fine. i can make up songs and sing them in an incredibly high pitched voice and he will laugh and the cats will mew mew mew. he is the best thing that has ever happened to me. and i hope he knows how much i love and admire him. even if he listens to some objectionable folk music. it happens.

back to spinning.
xo
n.

long time no talky. sorry about that. on friday, we went to supper with my in-laws, and i went to joann’s with my coupon and got a wide waterpen. i am addicted. let me tell you. although the wider one is a bit unwieldy. i did not buy anything else, except swedish fish that jake threw in. sweet tooth, that one.

saturday, i was planning to drop off a boutique order, but she was out of town, so i will probably do it to-morrow or wednesday. i was supposed to go to an oktoberfest party for one of jake’s co-workers, but i got a case of the nerves. bad. i hate meeting new people. in general. even when it is people i really want to meet. my stomach turns. not cool. so jake went without me and didn’t even get pissed. i even got all dressed up and made up and ready to go.

sunday, got groceries, and felt wretched all day. i felt funny from friday onwards. not well. not sure what the deal was. i feel okay, but i haven’t been eating very much. i haven’t gotten much work done, although i have knitted up some of the roving i dyed…purdy, eh? knitting on size 15 circs. what else? well, how about some inky drawerings? this flower is not a real one (to my knowledge, anyway) it is a bit tulipy but not really. i used pen and then my waterbrush. of course.

something else? this alien plant. i am really into bulbs for whatever reason. if anyone has some suggestions for botanical drawing books, or rather drawings of plants, let me know.

i am packing up some big orders and then i hope to list some stuff. soon. i swear. and if i owe you for a swap, it is coming. i wrote everything down so that i won’t flake on anything. i had an order to a client that never arrived, and realized that i wrote the zip wrong. love the number jumble that goes on in my head. i wrote an “S” instead of a “2″ i think. which would translate to a “5″ i imagine. which is not the same as 2, at all. sigh. so, i sent another, although the post office told me it would probably still get there, or come back. i annoy myself a lot.

oh, also, i was looking at some of the new contacts i have on flickr, and happened upon (through a chain of clicks i cannot quite remember) a bunch of foot fetish rings. and transvestite ones with super gross comments and pics that anyone can see. actually, the comments are gross, the pictures…just kind of sad. anyway, where is this going? i know that flickr will boot your ass off for linking to your website that sells your stuff, or for showing photos of artwork rather than just photos of your puppy, or whatever, yet there is some kind of…well…po&^%nographic chatter going on that anyone could read. i just thought it was odd. i guess photos of squished nuts is not as offensive as a collage. or an abstract painting. or yarn. and you know, i don’t really care, although i think you should probably confine your p$$rn chat to a group that anyone can’t read, no? i feel like a priss. it was a bit gross. somehow, i imagined flickr to be kind of a clean place. who knew?

last, anyone watched dexter? we watched it the other night and it was really good. my only complaint is that so far, his sister is an annoying and stupid charactar. for those that don’t have showtime, it is about a vigilante serial killer that only kills bad people=serial killers. and it is david from six feet under. pretty good. and it is strange to see him not be weird david, too.

we watched thank you for smoking which was hilarious. i read the book, although i can’t find it for jake to read, which makes me wonder if i got it from the library or what. maybe amy got it for me from the library? i swear i read it. i swear. and it was funny. anyway, i recommmend it. funny.

i also watched fever pitch, the american version. i watched the brit version a while ago and i think i liked it better. jimmy fallen gets a bit cloying. the same shtick all the time. his “cute” thing is a bit annoying. anyway, it was cute. the main character in the brit version was a real arsehole, whereas in the american one, not that much. just immature.

what else? i watched the island which has ewan macgregor in it and a few humorous motorcycle comments (he travelled from london to america on a bike. seriously. it is a cool series called long way round) anyway, it started out super cool and then just…action. lots of action. and i am not into action movies so much. it is based on an aldous huxley novel by the same name, which i bet ends a bit differently. i hope so, anyway. it really started out interesting, though. ah well.

ok. nuff said.
smoooooochies!
n.