Clarification

I got the following from my landlord, after requesting some clarification on the rules:

Your spot is your spot, so no problem. I just don't want people parking extra vehicles unless they have permission.

If the social gathering doesn't affect your neighbors, I'm ok with it, but if it does it's a problem.

Let me know if there is anyone that needs more clarifications.

My New Knitting With Beads Tools

I've been working on Ice Queen (um, started in August at the lake, then ignored for many months until a day or two ago), but have been having problems with the beads I chose (size 8). Many of the light blue beads had holes that were just a smidge too small for my itty-bitty, size 0.75 mm crochet hook. So I made some beading tools:



(some steps not photographed due to the battery needing charging)


I made one for each colour, so I could just pre-load a bunch of beads on each.

Demo (I'm not at a stitch that needs a bead, so I just used the yarn tail):



Ta da!

Painting and Palette

When I put my paints away, they looked like this:

When I opened the palette today, they looked, um... "moist":


Today there was light (wow!), so I could get before and after photos without the flash:

(If you're having trouble telling the difference, I worked a bit on the snow in the distance.)

Small Problem

It's time to go to lunch, but I my foot has pins & needles from waking up.

Okay, now it's over, and I can go eat. Yay!

Mah Nu "Sta-Wet" Palette

Don'tcha hate it when a product butchers spelling? Here it is at the start of tonight's painting session:

and at the end::

Look! Grass highlights! More snow!:

Doesn't it look amazingly different? Aren't you waiting on tenterhooks to see the next incremental update? ;) Yep, this is a gradual process.

For your viewing pleasure, here's a comparison between the current version and the previous version:

and between the current version and the photo I'm working from:

A Few Bad Apples?

Rules Reminder

Hmmm... could this be a case of a few bad apples making things worse for the bushel? Not that there's a bushel of tenants in this block.

There's one tenant that regularly uses more than his alloted one parking space, but he's moving out in February. There's another tenant that has added a vehicle recently, but I think it's the fellow below me, and I saw his regular vehicle being brought here by tow truck, and the "new" vehicle that appeared has been parking tight up against the old one.

This had better not affect my ability to occasionally park a vehicle in my spot.

As to the other "rule reminders", I'm guessing it's mainly against one tenant... she sometimes has people over late (and they aren't super quiet), she leaves her stroller beside her door (in a completely out-of-the-way spot), and it was her guest that I dragged outside when I caught him smoking indoors. Her downstairs neighbour complains whenever there's noise there late, and the caretaker doesn't like her either.

The "no partying after 10 pm" rule is phrased in such a way that it really has no effect against Mr Party-Of-One below me. (Grr. Although it's been a few weeks since he bothered me last.) I wonder how this rule affects me having a friend over for spinning? (I can't remember what time we normally go to.)

I did notice a strong smell of... cigars? in the hall yesterday when I got home, but I have no idea if it was someone in the hall, or if it spilled out of someone's suite.

There's other tenants that leave bikes in the storage room that aren't in their lockers, and another guy who has a set of tires not in his locker... but these rules don't really address this either.

The grease stains on the paper sure add some class to the notice too. :P

Painting WIP

When last I updated you about my painting in progress, it looked like this:

and, to unconfuse you, I showed you what I'm attempting to paint:


Well, since then, mom and Bob gave me my birthday present early... an easel!!! Folded:

Unfolded with the drawer pulled out:

Paints in the drawer:

Painting being supported by the easel:

Isn't it awesome!?! They had been going to wait, but decided I could really make use of it for the acrylic classes I'm taking this month. I *love* it! It makes packing up and setting up so much easier. :) (I still have two other bags... I have too many paints, brushes, etc. to all fit in the easel, plus there isn't room in the easel for my palette, water container, or mediums.)

I have also been making progress on my painting. After the underpainting shown above, we were given homework instructions to paint the lightest lights, and the darkest darks:

I completed this homework shortly before I had to leave for the lesson when it was "due". Whoops. ;) Then, at the lesson, I continued working on the snow and sky:

I asked the instructor how to approach the painting, and she said to work in layers, from the back to the front. So, next I worked on the sky:

(I did that last night at home. I'm actually finding time to paint at home! Well, a tiny bit of time...)

Tonight at class I spent two hours adding the thin, flat clouds of winter, and the farthest off bit of grass:

Yeah... I don't know how it can take that long to paint that tiny bit either. ;) I think it's because I keep having to stop to let what I paint dry, before continuing to work my way forward.

Even if it isn't that much yet, I think I did a rather nice job on the sky and far-away grass/bulrushes. (The bulrushes may require some highlights before I get to the next closest bit, and the snow in front of those bulrushes definitely needs another layer of paint.)

So, once more, here's the painting side-by-side with the photo I'm working from:

Yep, that faraway bit definitely needs some highlights. (Those also required me to wait for the current layer to dry... and there wasn't enough time at class, so I just cleaned up and left it at it's current state.) I think this is a painting that is best done in many short painting sessions. (Perhaps I should get a stay-wet palette for that, so that I waste less paint.)

So... whaddaya think? ;)

Stuck

Cobblestone WIP

I'm now at the point where I need my size US 5 dpns. They aren't where I thought they were. While I searched alternate places they could be hiding, I found this vintage set (19 cents!) that someone gave me when they were cleaning out stuff, but they're bigger than a US 5. Anyone see a set of US 5 dpns lying around somewhere? They're bamboo, I think Clover brand. *sigh*

Now I *really* wish I had tossed in a set of US 5 Harmony needles in my KnitPicks order, like I had contemplated. (I checked. They aren't on the bill. So much for being responsible. ;) )

Grrr. (There are more places I can look, but they're more difficult due to clutter, container sizes, and last year's moving mess.)

Political Musings

Blagojevich: Is he really that stupid?

Obama: *love*

Canadian parliament: Where's our Obama? *sigh*

*sigh*

I loved that pot.

Today, while washing my "chili pot", I discovered a crack:


While examining the crack, wondering if I could get away with continuing to use it, or if it would "explode" (corningware does that)... it slipped, hit the faucet, and cracked off the handle:


Farewell, dear pot. You served me well, and I shall miss you.