Towelie

For probably about a week now I've felt a bit like South Park's Towelie (I totally thought it was spelled T-o-w-l-i-e but YouTube told me that just isn't so) without that whole high thing (Pro-Portional Designs prefers highs that come from eating awesome food. Tonight I was able to 'get high" off of a chicken breast sub from subway that tasted like the best I'd ever eaten somehow). What I mean is I have just felt very "I have no idea what's going on." My brain has kinda gone on strike and there's very little I can do about it. So as mentioned before I have been sitting around knitting myself a little pretty pretty (aka Elizabeth Freeman's Laminaria pattern.)

Also not helping my Towlie funk is the fact that a water main seems to have burst in my neighborhood. Which means no water. Which means no showering or teeth brushing until the workmen stop for the day. WHICH MEAN! I'm not clean or presentable enough to go off into the wild world yonder (or at least not very far from my own house.) I'm going through a bit of LYS withdrawal. Thankfully some friends want some hats and this gives me even better excuse to go fondle some yarn.

Here is the promised picture so you can see where I am with this. At the time the picture was taken I was on the 8th repeat of the blossom chart on row 6. I nearly cropped the picture but opted not to so you could see Minnie Moose's little paws at the edge of the bed.

Aside from Towelie prompted lace knitting today I got a few e-mails that look like they spell exciting stuff for Om Nom Nom Studios - WOOT! But that's all I'm going to say until this has all moved a little further forward. Meanwhile here's "Big Things Poppin'" by TI to add a little flavour to my excitement.


Weird . . . this video makes me feel like doin' some push-ups with weights.

Adventures in Relaxation and Procrastination

I feel like I have been incredibly busy doing absolutely nothing. Despite the fact I finally have zippers for bags they have not been sewn in just yet. I have some new projects laying around but they are pretty much all just partially done.

Despite the fact this could be a huge mistake the other day I decided to do some lace knitting for relaxation purposes. Lace and relaxation really aren't all too synonymous for me. I tried to finish up my Garden of Alla shawl but even before it went into hibernation I was feeling that the way I was following the penultimate chart was totally wrong. So I frogged it and began using the yarn to take a second stab at Elizabeth Freeman's Laminaria pattern. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/VAChickWithSticks/laminaria-2 is FULL of notes on everything that comes up that causes me to alter the pattern. The hypertext link for my project page will only work for those who have Ravelry.

Day After Christmas

I have somewhat briefly mentioned before my Saint Weiler, Perfect. Tonight while editing pictures for tonight's upload of new goodies I heard this strange creaking noise in the room with me. My husband doesn't seem to like to keep his clothes in a dresser so he keeps them in a heap inside a large box I have from Korea. Lately, he just constantly leaves it open. Sometimes I close it, sometimes I don't. Apparently this hasn't gone unnoticed.



And this would be her once I called my husband in the room to see.


I realize how silly it is to go out to a store in search of ANYTHING the day after Christmas - but I did. I decided I wanted to go out and play - and what I wanted to play with was a shake weight. We checked Sports Authority and after much searching we were told that they were getting some in but did not have any. And none were to be found at Wal Mart (also I couldn't find a copy of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at Wal Mart either - poo!)

Food Pod

For those who follow this blog and are unaware I used to run and hope soon to return to posting on another blog I have. Ver De Livre is my other blog where I mostly talk about bookish gadgets. There are some new things I really need to get around to posting about on that blog.

Anyhow this is my first post about a food gadget. This, is the food pod, "the boil/blanch/steam/drain silicone pod." It's pretty much what that little blurb makes it sound like, it's a silicone pod that hooks to the outside of a pot and works as a removable strainer. So you can put the item you want boiled, steamed, or blanched in the pod and just removed it when you're done and not have to worry about hunting down a colander.



At first this struck me as pretty ridonkulous but it's growing on me and I kinda like it.

Chi Pax

Okay so Ohio is crazy cold to a Southerner like myself. As much as I love my green mouse slippers I think it may be time for some new ones.

Warm and toasty bread feet can be mine or even yours. Check these out, they also come in sesame seed bun and hot dog.


Merry Christmas from Pro-Portional of Om Nom Nom Studios

Dethfood

It took a little time for me to like Metalocalypse, but about the time I saw the Metalocalypse fashion episode I was won over. However, the Deathklok diet is not for me.
[adult swim] : Metalocalypse - Dethklok Diet

Adult Swim UK | MySpace Video

On occasion there are other amusing "food moments."



This one is from an episode where the guys don't want to talk about death so they decide to call it hamburger time.

I loved the flying hamburgers.


Despite the fact that the show is brutally metal - Toki Wartooth is incredibly kawaii.

I'm obviously not the only one who sees it this way.

Cookies with Grandma

In an attempt to be more accessible and sociable Om Nom Nom Studios now also has Xanga and in the near future will also have Live Journal. There are no posts just yet on the Xanga account as of yet.

New items have been pre-loaded to Etsy. They are awaiting photos and some finishing touches (i.e. a LOT of zippers.) There are some entirely new sorts of items that will be offered on the next upload.

For Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace followers you are aware the other day my husbands grandma invited me over for leftover party food and cookie making (during which time crafts always come up in some form or another).

We had a brown sugar mishap that involved giant unbreakable chunks. Grandma put them into the mixer anyway so there was a momentary cookie dough/brown sugar hail storm. Which made my dogs particularly happy. Here is Minnie with little bits of dough still stuck her her.

I doubt she really noticed though.

Amongst lessons learned was a new, somewhat important one. Do not leave wine unattended when grandma is around. No, she didn't drink it. Because she has no wine glasses I had mine in a coffee mug on the table. When I returned from shaving some newly felted bags I found this:

This is a cookie dough encrusted spoon - in. my. wine. She had no idea she'd even done it until I started snapping pictures of the cup.

I married into a crafty family. The range of abilities is astounding. We have crocheters, seamstresses, general fine artists, and quilters. Grandma seems to be the head quilter of the family. In fact, her bedroom is further proof how entrenched in crafting she is.



And those are just some of the people from the family I married into - my immediate family also has a lot of artistic inklings as well.

Tip Your Bartender

I swear my life involves a bit more than food, knitting, and my husband - I also have dogs. This past weekend I was up all night with my family playing cards and the girls were very insistent on being noticed during the game.



The youngest is Minnie Moose a full-blooded English Mastiff and she is just about the tiniest Mastiff there must be in existence.






The older of the two is Perfect, who is a two year-old Saint Weiler (Half Saint Bernard and half Rottweiler.)

And as I mentioned yesterday I also have a new tattoo.

The mighty cupcake! This was designed by another family member and I am really happy with the design and the quality of work done. I love it so much that I feel a little sad that my cupcake stands alone - so stay tuned for added cookies! And Quin if you're reading this - I'll be back REAL soon. More pictures of the tattoo may be found on Flickr.

This is the second tattoo I have done in the state of Ohio - I'm not originally from here so I am less familiar with area tattoo parlors. For this most recent tattoo I went to Quin's Skull & Rose Gallery just off the corner of Pacemont & North High Street in Columbus (Clintonville), Ohio.


I learned about it from two of the ladies from my LYS. The glowing testimonial of "Go talk to Quin. He's a MINDREADER!" (-Karida Collins) was good enough for me.

What to say about Quin. . . Quin has been tattooing for twenty-two years and honestly I was surprised to hear he's been at it that long because he doesn't really look quite old enough for that to be true. As a tattoo artist he is one of the two most gentle I have ever encountered. I found this somewhat soft-spoken man HILARIOUS. To further explain is difficult, he's very "it's funny because it's true." I had so much fun with him that I nearly forgot to pay him! How did he take this? Calm as a cucumber. I felt really bad (and confused how I'd managed to) for having forgotten but he was still so polite!

Tis only a flesh wound!

I. LOVE. BURGERS. Specifically double cheeseburgers and for anyone who has viewed my shop I'm sure you got that impression. However, I don't know that I'd be willing to eat one that was canned.

German company Trekking Mahlzeiten, has developed the canned burger for those who love both burgers and the outdoor life. To prepare you boil the can for a few moments then open and enjoy a hamburger complete with ketchup and pickles.

Despite how unsure I am that I would be willing to eat this I am more than certain that if I saw this item anyplace for sale I would buy it.

There are a lot of strange foods that you can find in a can. Behold:


Okay so this one isn't a food but it's worth a mention:


What does any of this have to do with the blog title "Tis only a fleshwound!"? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

It has to do with the fact I got an early Christmas present. A new tattoo. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ink - loves it! No pics just yet because it's fresh. But soon - I pwomise. And in that post I will tell you where I got it and a bit about the experience and the tattoo artist who did it.

Etsy Stuff I Don't Understand

Got $15 and want to spend it on some strange digital photographs? Then I have a suggestion:



You can find these here. Comes in burrito, sponge, and brick.

Pay Day

Pay day, the day so many of us wait for. Which means I can leave the house to go get a little bit of yarn and notions only to return to the house and not leave again for another two weeks. This also (lately) means - FOOD! WE let ourselves get food from an outside source once every two weeks provided it's very cheap. And thanks to the coupons that came in the mail the place was Steak N' Shake.

Buy one get one free (Limited Time Only) Peppermint Milkshake.

99 cent chili.

I recommend that at the end of the meal if you and who you go with to have a race to see who can get their milkshake in the to-go cup the fastest.

What we saw when we left - priceless.

Then off to the grocery store for some juice and toilet paper. In the toilet paper aisle next to the Kleenex I saw this:

Press the button and these motherly figures tell you that you need to try not to get sick and that you should use some Kleenex.

I think the little tvs are cute.

14 Days Til' Christmas. Really?

So to gear you up for more nommy creations as well as Christmas looky what I found! For those of us who are less that impressive in our gingerbread house building skills I found this cute game where you can decorate your own house. I guess it's not so much a game as it is an application but there you have it. I haven't tried it out yet but it looks enjoyable.

I had an appointment today at the mall. Easton Town Center is definitely ready for Christmas. Look at all the shiny pretty pretty!




Like so many people - I lost my car at the mall. But unlike many people - I lost it FOR HOURS! I was out in the cold from roughly 6PM until 930PM searching.

I was so certain I'd parked the Northwest parking lot but even after I found this:

it was probably another hour and a half until I found my car.

Cold mall hatred aside. Pro-Portional Designs is definitely on it's way to expanding in a few ways but some are too young to be sure about yet. But all of these ways will be kept a secret until things are set in stone and ready to go.

Store Uploads

To date there have been about three uploads to the store. All have been made on Sunday's at Midnight. After spending this past weekend doing almost nothing but work the shop on my husbands days off I started considering uploading on a different day.

So, this Sunday there is no planned update so that I can reset my work schedule.

I'd love to hear from any Om Nom Nom followers if you'd rather I kept to set date and time uploads or just to hear whenever there is going to be a new upload.

Pro-Portional Designs has plans to expand just a bit online but until that is all set in stone there's not much more to say on that.

Well despite the fact there is no store upload this week I still have a lot of work to do so toodle-oo for now kids!

Happy Birthday Wonder Knit

A year ago a couple of lovely ladies opened up a yarn store called Wonder Knit. At the time I already had a yarn-y home at a place that needs not be named. I barely remember my first glimpse of who I can't even recall if it was Libby or Karen - what I do remember was feeling the possible enemy was closing in. One (or possibly both of them) came to quietly and politely look around my nameless haunt and then just as quietly left.

Things happened as they tend to in life and I ended up leaving said haunt and eventually came in to carefully look around the new store in town - Wonder Knit. This was when I officially met Libby. When I heard the friend I had come with make the comment that Libby had written the book on drunken knitting I was all ears about what that meant.

Pints & Purls: Portable Projects for the Social Knitter, written by Libby Bruce and Karida Collins was pre-ordered soon after I got home. In fact, when it was finally released last April I had my copy before Libby even had her own.

Karida is another story entirely. I only knew her because of the book and then face book, but there really was no interaction. But then! Karida announced she was moving to Columbus and would soon be able to be found at Wonder Knit. . . It still took me close to seven months to meet the lady.

Aside from co-authoring Pint & Purls, Karida also owns http://www.neighborhoodfiberco.com/. I feel a bit like anything I could say about this would be a disservice so I will say what I can and encourage you to check out her yarns for yourself after reading this.

Karida's yarns are simply amazing. The colours are vibrant and luscious. The texture of the yarn is not too soft or too rough and it is very consistent in its weight. I hope soon to figure a way to integrate her yarns into my work so that those who are not knitters and are Pro-Portional Designs customers can still reap the benefit of they eyetastic yarns.

Both Karida and Libby have second (seperate) books in the works. Sadly I can't remember what Libby's next one will be about. Karida's will be more portable knits of varying skill levels and estimated lengths of time that it will take for you to complete.

Before I go much further I don't want to forget Karen. Karen is the other owner of Wonder Knit, and although I do not personally know her all too well I can tell you that she is still a delight to be in the presence of. The most time I have ever gotten to spend with her was probably when she would some skeins of Art Yarns for me - however brief it was nice to get a chance to speak with her.

The birthday party would be the first time my husband met a lot of the ladies I know from my previous LYS (Local Yarn Store/Shop) as well as my new friends. He chose to wear the Jackyll & hide balaclava I'd originally made for myself last year.



A LOT of people came out for this and my pictures barely reflect just how many there were coming, going, and hanging out for the party.



A few people had their well behaved dogs and even more had their even better behaved children. This little girl is particular was nothing short of a riot. She was one of those adults in a tiny body who was capable of holding her own in a conversation with grown-ups.


Although there were other desserts I chose to zero in on these cupcakes. I didn't actually eat any (I know I'm pretty shocked too) but knowing they were there was a comfort.


I spent most of my time knitting otherwise there may have been a few more pictures. In fact I finished 90% of the first arm warmer in a set.



The lady you see in this picture holding a mirror is designer Torn Angel who has kindly modeling my new barettes since my hair is not necessarily barrette compatible. In the back next to me is an aspiring knit-wear designer / author - Frankie. I'd tell you what his book would be about but I'd like to keep a lid on his original idea to help it stay his.


My husband had his own party to go to so I had to say good-bye to people a bit earlier than I planned but on my way out I ran into V - who according to one COULD be me! This was the first time we've met in person. My husband stopped her to take her picture and mid-picture she realize who I was. That would make this her pose turned realization face. I look forward to getting to know V better - anyone who shows up with a bottle of wine to a birthday party is my kinda person. And check out her adorable bangs!


After taking pictures of me in the newest carrot scarf I zeroed in on Karida. When I opened Pro-Protional's Etsy shop she made the joke that all my pictures were of me in a slutty dress making naughty faces. I decided to incorporate her into the naughty face / carrot scarf photos.


On the way to dropping my husband off at his party my gas light turned on - so I totally need to sell items or someone needs to hire me!

A Recipe from the Om Nom Nom Household

Dear Santa,

Thank you so much for my husband who prepared these alcohol infused fruitseys.


Love,
Pro-Portional

I nearly didn't post this evening because not only have I been hard at work all day on some new items I am particularly excited about, but I had to quickly whip up some pineapple and apple chicken for dinner, which is being followed by what caused me to write my letter to Santa.

So now for something totally different. A post from my husband about how you too can enjoy these tasty alcoholic fruits.

Husband: Alright, well wifey asked me to make something for dessert.. we have next to no food in the house so I was at a bit of a loss but I went and looked through the kitchen. First thing I found was an ancient bag of whole strawberries hopelessly frozen... well rather than just give up on those I cut open the back, put them in a bowl, and let warm water run over them for about 10 minutes while I watched the end of the basketball game in the next room ;) shhhhhh...

I came back in and picked out the awful looking freezer burnt ones.. then poured a lot of sugar over them.. apparently this pulled lots of juice out and now it looked like strawberry soup. And at last, inspiration!

Cut up a couple apples that the wife didn't want to eat anyways and add those then I remembered something from middle school about lemon juice preserving apple slices so I added that too.. followed by... LIQUOR!!!

First I used up the last of the Malibu. But not really enough in there to make that work... already used up the last of the Everclear that night so now what? Aha! MOONSHINE!! Well now its plenty alcoholic ummm still needs something else? Aha Maraschino cherries! Thought about adding a can of fruit salad, but since I wasn't sure my concoction wasn't awful I figured I shouldn't add more food to something that may be a waste.

The end.