Return of the Muse

Today, just some rambling, no pics ...

Over the years I've written quite a bit of fanfiction. Certainly never as much as Mac (but then, who does?), but I've did my fair share. I've written for Stargate SG-1, Quantum Leap, Forever Knight, Thunderbirds and an assortment more (individually, and as crossovers, alone and with others).
My writting spouts are usually pretty sporatic - I write some and then, for a long time, I don't write anything, at least not on paper (or computer as it is nowadays)
My last big writting phase with any considerable output to my name was when 2004 the new Thunderbirds movie came out. The movie might not be what the fans had expected and it definitly focused too much on Alan (my least favorite TB character), but at least it rekindled my interest in the old Thunderbirds show and I got some writting done.
Then I went on vacation, and somehow misplaced my muse.
Well, she found her way back...
Since last week I've been back to writting Thunderbirds (very much to the dissapointment of my friend who rather would have me writting Stargate Atlantis) and I'm having a blast. I know I had some certain path in mind when I started writting the story, but funnily enough my characters seem to have other ideas. Well, I'll see where they lead me.

On the craft front I've started a new cross stitch project, an autumn alphabeth with Needle Necessities threads - not that I haven't got four other projects in the works ;)
Speaking on older project, I've finished the cross stithing on the big secret project and am pretty much on my way to there on the Sailing Ship I'm stitching.

Last week I've read two books I really loved:
- Notes from a Big Country by Bill Bryson
- The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

Both are favorite authors of mine and I even though there have some hit and misses in the past for both of them, I really enjoyed them both.
Right now I'm reading The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud. Started very good, but now in the last part it lost some of its drive and I have some difficulties ...

I've also got the DVD box set of another old favorite of mine The Champions, a British TV show from the 70s. Wonderfully dated and having the old actors do an audio commentary 40 years after the fact is also something worth listening too. I never realized that there was also a TV movie which was a compilation of some of the episodes about 15 years later after the show was cancelled (side note here, the show was actually cancelled before one minute of it was ever aired - and that after 30 episodes were made)
I definitely have a blast watching the show

WiP

yeah, I've got my stitching mojo back - though there are still a few knitting projects on the go, I've picked up one of my older wips and already did some head way on it.
As it's a present for somebody, I can't really show it, but at least I can give a peek ;)

Here's the pattern I stitch from:

With this pattern I've gone and started to mark every stitch twice - once with yellow, so I know where I have to go next and once with orange when I'm done with the color. This really helpes to cut down on the searching time and to reduce the missed stitches (I'm not saying I've got none ...)

and here what I've stitched in that little corner of the pic:



I've got about 10 ~ 15% of the whole picture still to do, but that shouldn't be too tough.

more socks

I found I did have a picture of the Scottish Snicket Socks after all. Though not of the full sock, but some detail shot of the heel

I'm pretty proud as how the pattern moves very subtle from the leg to the heel :)

Also here's a peek on my next sock project - one down, one more to go.



Cuff, heel and toes are larna laces rainbow - and I love it.
Pattern is another knitty: Cut your teeth socks

I also did a little bit of hardanger, finishing a placemat that will go to my parents at one point - though I guess the pic has to wait for another time, as the upload is taking forever. Sorry.

Lots to do

I'm on vacation still, so naturally, I've got no time :)

I'm trying to catch up on my tv watching. So far the new season hasn't really impressed me much. Returns are Supernatural, Numb3rs and Criminal Minds and of course the various CSIs.
Of the new stuff, I've checked out Heroes (saw only the pilot, but sort of like it), Kidnapped (didn't grab my attention really), Standoff (same as Kidnapped) and Vanished (which I like so far)

Working on my office at home - got a new desk. The old one was way too small (it was still from the old appartment and the only thing that had fit in there). Now I've got something custom made - a friend helped me to cut a new desk top fitted to the space I've got and then I finished it (or however it is called when you try to make the surface of wood smoother) and varnished it here at home. Yesterday a friend came and we mounted it to the wall. Perfect fit :)

And while I'm got the tools, I've also finished and painted the small shelved I've over my radiators - after the move I saw there were a lot of water spots so I got rid of them now and they look nice and pretty and almost new.

Then I've got various dentist appointments. The day after we came back from Scotland I've had a 3 1/2 hours session to prepare four teeth for crowns and inlays. Got them fitted yesterday. Nice and pretty now and they also feel pretty good. Slightly different than before but I think I can get used to it.

Got two new lamps, one for the hallway and the other for the guest bathroom (I'm still not over the fact that I have a guest bathroom now with the new appartment ;))
Still got to hang them up though - somethign for today afternoon.

Did some shopping.
Need to do more shopping. I need new shoes and there's also some other little things I need.
Need to see the hair dresser today.

Did some knitting - and forgot to take a picture of the finished Scottish Scnicket Socks before they got sent out to Canada for a friend.
Started on some hardanger for my parents.

And post some more pics of Scottland here:

Scone Palace (with the indoor curling ring)



Street signs:



and view over Loch Ness



My friend is writting a more detailed log of the trip in here life journal - mostly in German so, but there is some English there as well and the load of pics (most of which I took -- well, I had the camera and I was not afraid to use it ;))

Steffi's Life Journal

Stitching Sudoku

I love stitching
I love Soduko
So, that said, I decided to try and combine these two and came up with the Stitching Sudoku:



Rules are the same as for a normal Sudoku, except that there are colors instead of numbers; you can not use the same color in a row, column and 3 by 3 block. And of course, you need to stitch your solution instead of simply writing it down with pen and paper.
These few blocks above is all the information you need to finish the pattern.
Really.


If you have the preparation finished, one can go and make a little kit with the threads used in the puzzle and give it to a friend to finish it. And, voily, you (or she) get a cool little something that can be finished into an ornament.
Here are the colors, but of course, you can choose any color you like - I just was in the mood for a rainbow.


Speaking of rainbows. We had a cool rainbow while we've been in Scottland, looking over the water from the Isle of Skye to the next island across the bay.

There and back again ... well almost

I've been away for a while, but now I'm back (and excuse me for borrowing the line from LotR)

Me and a friend of mine have gone to Scotland for nine days. Proof is here:


It has been fun, even though it has been tough to be away from the computer for so long (well, I missed my e-mail at least)

The next coupe of days, I plan on writing some more about the trip and a few more pics. I took about 500 pictures, but really, I'm only willing to impress about 10% of those to the puplic (and here, I will probably show less than 10 pictures ....)

Knitting wise I've got a almost finished pair of socks out of it. I've used Regia Africa color and this Snicket pattern - fiddly but fun. Here's what it looked like after the flight from Frankfurt to Edinburgh (I was pretty glad they allowed for the wooden needles on the plane - airport security went really crazy in London)


Seeya later ...

Nadel und Faden

We (a couple of friends and I) went to the Nadel und Faden (Needle and Thread) yesterday.
It was too hot inside (oxygen is not just a good idea, really) and it was to full, but I still had a plast.
And a pretty good haul, too.
- six x-stitch pattern (one more is going to be send to me)
- four hanks of Needle Neccassity cotton thread
- one ball of Noro Kyoro, some Lana yarn
- a bag of beads
- a small band of linen for a bookmark
- a small band in blue for some bead work

I stayed within me budget and am quite happy with my loot

Back to knitting socks (did I mention that I got a package on Friday with Opal sock wool Hundertwasser edition? I'm going to try that across knitting of socks next *grin*)


Loved this week's Atlantis (Phantoms). The episode could have been a fanfic - though, I guess, I would notched up the danger for McKay ;)
No really good quotes though, so I have a quote from the last week, McKay and Mrs. Miller. and, yes, two McKays are better than one:

Sheppard: Well, I’ve got to admit, between you and me, you’re a lot different than our Rodney too.
Rod: How so?
Sheppard: It’s the little things. You like golf, you say “please” and “thank you,” you’re--what’s the opposite of “condescending”?

Stitching Mojo

Can somebody loose his or her Stitching Mojo?

I think I misplaced mine somewhere.
- For the last three weeks I've been visiting my LYS four times, every time I've bought yarn to knit (okay, one time I also bought some pearl thread, but I haven't touched it since then)
- I've finished three pairs of socks in those three weeks.
- I'm working on pair number four (with the excuse that they are for a friend, so they don't really count)
- I've ordered online enough yarn for four more pair of socks
- While I was swimming this morning I was thinking about the different ways I could use some sock wool I have in my stash for some Fair Isle socks
- I've cast on not one, but two shawls.
- I unreaveled one of those shawls after I've knitted 6 inches and I decided that a dropped stitched pattern is not the way to go. I've done about 12 inches on the same wool with a feather and wave pattern.
- I've tried to stitch this afternoon on the Northern Lights Sampler and even though I got a little bit of progres, I was still thinking that knitting would be so much faster and I would see more for th TV program.

I know it's just a phase and after a few weeks I'll be sick and tired of knitting for a good year at least, but until then, I'm afraid I'm lost to the stitching world ...

Here's a pic on the first sock for my friends.


The wool is Lana Grossa Mega Boots Stretch, the pattern is the Yukon Leaves Patterns

About Sharing

This week’s SBQ:

How do you share your finished pieces with others? Do you frame them, scan and/or photograph them, or do you have another method that you would like to share?

I've framed most of my larger pieces. Some I give/gave away, some I have at my home up on the walls.
I've took pictures of almost all of my finished pieces and usually can't resist HDing on one of the message boards. I've got a webside (shared with a friend), but this is very slow on the update as it's not me who's maintaining is. And since I've started blogging, I, of course, post the results here.

Pomatomus

I just finished my Pomatomus socks (those socks, that I had to unravel the first one at one point, because it just got too tight) They fit perfectly.
Wool was Regia 4-fold in color 1040

Last weekend I ended up in my yarn shop and come out with quite a bit of new wool *blush*
But at least I've already started with new shawl with dropped stitches. The wool is Zoom from Lang Yarns. It was new in the shop, but I guess it will sell fast - it feels very, very soft. It's a mix of Merion extra fine, cotton and Nylon. The blush yarn is for weaving along the dropped stitches at the end.



And the reason (ehr, excuse really) I went shopping was for some perle cotton for some placemats I plan to make in Hardanger



Finally, the Stargate Atlantis quote of the week (from 'Commen Ground').

Kolya: The truth is, I would've settled for Doctor McKay, but I don't imagine I would enjoy his constant wailing.

Being Creative

Yesterday, a friend of mine had her b-day party. As her TV set went kaputt a short while ago, she ask everybody for money instead of something else. Now, I could have gone and put a couple of bills into an envelope, but that would be booooring.
What do to?
A while back I found that some Lego Pirates of the Carribian stuff at Toys R' Us. I also found a flat bowl somewhere. So, working with some blue food coloring (I would have loved to work with blue Jello, but you can't find blue Jello in Germany for love or money), gelantine, some sand and glittery stuff and the Jack sparrow set I've created this:



The money is imbedded in the gelantine *big grin*

My first attempt was too dark, so this is actually version 2.


Another way to get creative is to paint your walls. I've bought an appartment half a year ago, and every room has something special - my guest room has the Stargate symbols in a band along the walls, my office had some golden stars at the walls and my living room got the map of Middle Earth on it. I've only now added the place names and here's how it looks:


I love it!!!

I thought I go and answer this weeks SBQ question.
What do you keep your WIPs and other stitching supplies in when traveling?

I do travel quite a bit (because of my job) and I used to carry my traveling project in a plastic sleeve with the material in a small floss storage box. For my birthday this year my sister (bless her soul) gave me a DMC travel bag in navy. I swabbed out the Sitchbow Wallet thingies and put in something to hold my bobbins. To make it my own I used a Stargate Altantis patch and sewed it over the SMC logo ;)
This bag is great and I absoluty adore it.

Berlin, Berlin

Back from Berlin. The exibition was quite interesting, actually, though I was sort of more interested in how they found the stuff they showed and preserved it, than in the stuff itself (though there were a couple really cool items)
Guess I'm still spoilt from the Tutankhamun exibition I saw a long (long!) time ago in Cologne. Back then they had a lot of items from the treasury and even the famous face mask. I don't think it can get much better than this.

A good thing I had an early start though, as for some strange reason I though the exibition was in the Egyptian Museem - sounded kind of logical to me *shrug*


At least I got a nice picture of the Old National Gallery ;)

I've found out about the place change after a while and headed for the Martin-Gropius-Bau by bus. I was not the only one. I got there just as the show opened and I got in fairly quickly (after queuing to get in, and queuing for the ticket, and queuing for an audio guide and queuing at the cloakroom). It was also pretty full and I was jostled more than once while trying the get to the displays.
When I got out, though, the queue outside was pretty long and it was raining (as you can see on all those little umbrellas) - at least two to three times as long as shown here.

After the exibition I walked around a bit, looked at some remains from the Berlin Wall (actually, the place I'm standing to take the picture above would have been on one side from where the wall used to be and the building would have been on the other side - 20 years ago it would not have been possible to cross the street)

%&@§ socks

After working for three days on the Pomatomus socks, and getting not even to the middle of the foot on the first sock, I ripped everything up and decided to start all over.

It’s not that I don’t like the pattern. I love the patters. It looks absolutely cool and the blue wool I’ve picked for it (Regia 4pl. 1040) is a perfect blue/blue mix. It isn’t that the pattern is too difficult. Au contraire, it is actually fairly simple and if you have started it right no problem to figure out where you are and how to move on.

But … they are too tight. That’s a first for me. My socks are always too wide. Always!

When I saw the socks had a cast on of 72 stitches I was concerned. I normally cast on with 60 stitches. That’s like 20% more. Those socks were gonna be huge. So, instead of using 2.5mm needles for the cuff and 3mm needles for the rest, I decided on a 2mm / 2.5mm combination.

The first couple of rows after the cast on should have given me a clue. Knitting a purl / ktbl pattern, this cuff was going to be tight. But still I plowed on. This would sort itself out eventually, I was sure. I started with the pattern, and even though it seemed a bit tight, it looked pretty and who cares for anything else? Even though the pattern was fairly simple to follow, I made a few mistakes like missed castovers, but those I could sort out and slowly (very slowly) the sock took shape. I got to the heel flap and the turn and started with the foot and found out that (again) I’ve made a mistake somewhere. But where. And how to fix it. And why are those socks to narrow and tight. They will never fit me (and I know nobody with smaller feet than me who would want to wear them – even my nephews are now getting bigger feet than me)

I took a deep look into my soul (or should hat be my sole in this case ;)) and decided to end it here and now and rip everything up and start all over again.

Of course, I have no 3mm needles with me this week and stitching wasn’t working either because I’ve forgot to bring my stitching frame with me …

Instead I took a dive into the entrelac I’ve seen and did a swatch trying to figure out how this is working for me. I’m thinking out making a scarf in that pattern but I need some nice wool for it. Something in solid colors maybe. Or maybe using a verigate fiber.

Well, I need to visit the shop anyway as I need more wool for my shawl ….

Tonight I’m going to head for Berlin and I plan on visiting this exhibition there tomorrow.

Weekend progress (or lack thereof)

I've finished the bamboo socks
I've fixed a pair of socks that I've made for my mom last year, but turned out to be too long in the foot - they are shorter now, and if they are too short, well, they fit me now.
I've almost finished another ball of yarn on the shawl
And I undid the last two rows on Northern Lights Sampler, extented the 3rd row by two threads (to center them to the trees) and re-stitched row 4 shifted by one thread to the right. So I've actually got less on NLS than last week.

Don't try this at home, kids:
I've got the soundtrack to the new 'Superman Returns' movie last weekend. So I took it with me for my weekly trip to Dresden. The first track it the Superman Theme from the original movie with Christopher Reeves by John Williams - one of the most brilliant pieces he's ever writting IMNSHO.
Turned the volumn to LOUD
Founnd a straight stretch of autobahn without speed limit ahead of me and without too much traffic (contraire to some believes, we do have wide stretches of autobahn with speed limits - and normally I follow those speed limits)
... and put the petal to the metal
I didn't thought that my car could to more than 210kph, but it does ;)


Oops, almost forgot my Atlantis quote of the week. I sort of liked 'The Real World', but that was maybe because a long time ago, I've wrote a SG1 story that pretty much was based on the same idea.
Nonetheless, there's a fun McKay quote that had me smile:

Sheppard: How do you know what you look like when you have a brilliant idea?
McKay: Because it’s happened more than once in front of a mirror.

rainbows and shawls

Yesterday we had our annular BBQ in the Hunsrück and even though it was sunny when we came and a clear sky when we left, we had a thunderstorm in the middle. After that rain I took that pic above. Isn't that just an amazing rainbow. It looks like the end of it was only a hundred meters away. I didn't go to check for that pot of gold though ;)

I also got some knitting done. Halfway on the foot of the second bamboo sock and I also started a blue shawl with a lace pattern for those cold winter days soon to come.

This is after only one skein (25g) - I have eight skeins, but I think I'm going to need a few more. As if this is no excuse to haunt my yarn shop again?

knitting with bamboo

This sock (the second one is in the works right now) is not only knitted with bomboo needles (which I dearly love to knit with), but it actually contains bomboo fibers. The wool is Regia Bamboo Color and is a mix of 45% bamboo, 40% wool and 15% poloyamid. It feels wonderfully soft and is cooler on the feet than just wool or cotton. And that color is to dye for ;)


Yesterday, I went to my beloved local yarn shop in Arheiligen and got some more sock wool for Pomatomus socks. I've found that pattern last week while I was hunting for free sock patterns and fell in love with it. I can't wait to start (but of course, I'll need to finish the other bamboo sock first, and then I've started a lace pattern wrap in blue mohair, then I promised S. to make here a pair of socks and not to forget ....

my stitching:



















This is my progress pic for Voyage at Sea, my travelling project (fitting, isn't it ;)). Got a good 70% of the cross stitch done.

New Start: Northern Lights Sampler

I started yesterday with the Northern Lights Sampler by Jeanette Douglas
I fell in love with that pattern about two yers ago when I saw it in a LNS in Canada. But at this time the high price for the embellishment package kinda shocked me, and I didn't buy pattern nor pack.
But, as I was thinking about this for two years and still wanted to do it, I asked my friend Antje to pick it up for me and of course she did.
I finished row 1 to 5 today (exept the beading, which I will do at the end)

I didn't care too much about those trees and I know I have a counting error somewhere, but I decided to leave it for now. The colors are lovely



I also did a quicky - a dragon design I've found in some old magazine. I stitched it with DMC 4070 (one of those new color variation threads I picked up in France). And I made it into a coaster.




Liked the new atlantis Episode, but no new quote at the moment. I'll need to see it a second time, maybe I pick something up then.

So, instead something from one of my favorite episodes of season 2, The Hive. From this McKay was re-titled to Mr. Amazing (at least for me ;))

McKay: There’s no time, no time. The planet ... not Ford’s, the one the, uh, ship’s headed towards, we need to get there and we don’t have much time. (pacing) I was barely able to escape myself, but I managed to take out the guards. (McKay grins) Oh, you should have seen me! I was amazing! I wish we’d got it on camera because ... That’s not the point.

Look, white socks

A week or so ago, I read somewhere about knitting with beads. My first reaction was 'what a cool idea'. My second 'I have a lot of beads, I wanna do that too'
Somehow, one of the first ideas was to do a pair of white socks with beads on the cuff. But, how to get the beads (and all I have is seed beads) on the cuff? So, I turned to my trusted wool store and they duck up a thread with pre threaded beads. They must have had that stuff for a while already - the priece was still in Deutschmark.
Not what I envisioned originally, but good enough for me to want to try it.
Outcome is that pair of white socks:




Now, I got quite a bit of that thread left, I haven't used any of the beads I wanted to use originally, and it wasn't what I wanted to do at first.
Still, I love them ;)

Maybe one day ....

(oooookay, after editing this for some typos, the pic of the socks have disappeared - I'll see what I can do, but this might take a while)

The many people who are me

As the pic of the white socks I wanted to show of, don't actually show for some reason, I'll skip to something else.


Ever googled yourself?

I just did and, boy, I'm surprised about the things I do/did is my life ;)
... or at least somebody with the same name I have did ;)

- I published (together with others) a book on poetry which is available on Amazon.de
Freaky, because I actually did publish fanfic together with a friend - though I never touched poetry. I do suck at poetry.

- I'm teaching a class for step-aerobic
Yack, I'm not sporty in any sense of the word.

- I helped to set up a German fanfic side
True, that was me, but I really did only very, very little. At the side has been dead for several years.

- I wrote a dissertation (is that a disertation? Some sort of final paper you need to write in order to get your diploma. Whatyacallit? Degree disseration?) on some farming tool
I did write such a type of paper, but that was more than ten years ago and it was about the optimization of a vacuum sensor

- I'm manager is a vacation resort on the Algarve
Cool. I've nver been there, but this sounds cool

- I do study managment in Innsbruck
Hmmm, I seem to be interested in bettering my life. That's the second student I am

- I have art and fiction in several Ghostbuster fanzine
yep, that's me. I admit it

- I'm a fictional character in a tv movie
wow ... I just hope I'm not the dead body ;)

and the cream of the crop
- I do publish my own cross stitch designs. And pretty stuff, too *big grin*

Long Distance Driving

Driving to and fro Dresden once a week has it's perks.

It has it's down sides, too. It's 480km one way and on Mondays I have to leave at 6 AM to be on the customer side at 11 AM (the weekly meeting is on Monday afternoon and of course I need to prepare). Also, there's temptation on the route – every 50 km or so one can drive off and take a break at either McD or Burger King. And if I manage to resist one or the other, there's always one more to tempt me off the road and towards burgers and fries and other not really healthy things.

At least I don't have to drive on Sundays any more – I used to do that and even if the time is counted as overtime (not that I need more of that, really) it sucks to have one's Sunday cut short.

But there are perks – I love listening to audibooks and driving long distances is just perfect for it. I've just finished (I think for the third time as audibook) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban, and am looking forward to starting with Order of the Phoenix next. This will keep me busy for a couple of weeks, I'd say.

And there's the weather. I love watching clouds and sometimes when I go by the Wartburg or one of the other sights on the way, the view is just breathtaking. I've seen a couple of amazing rainbows, some great lightning and a couple of really lovely sunsets (or rises in some cases) in the last year.

If only I could stitch or knit while driving, it would be perfect.

Last week's episode of Atlantis was finally watchable again. I was not really thrilled with the first three of the new lot, even though I found that 'Irresistible' improved after watching it twice.

I didn't have high hopes for 'Seteda' (it being a Ronan centered story line) but I was actually pleasantly surprised. Finally some good interaction, and even the Ronan part was okay.

Two quotes, one typical oh-so optimistical McKay and the other a really nice Sheppard/Teyla exchange (though the Sheppard / Teyla bit is more fun when actually hearing it – the delivery is great).

Ronan: I have a bad feeling

McKay: I always feel like that. Like something horrible is about to happen.

Teyla: How to you live?

McKay: I get used to it. Thing is, when someone else also has that feeling, mine gets worse.

Sheppard: Look, Teyla, I'm not really good at ... actually, I'm terrible expressing ... I don't ... what ya call it

Teyla: Feelings

Sheppard: Yeah, sure, okay. Point is, I don't really have good...

Teyla: Social skills?

Sheppard: Well, that is why I enjoyed flying choppers in the most remote part of my world before all this craziness happened. But, you should know. I don't have ...

Teyla: Friends

Sheppard: No, I have friends. You, Elisabeth, Ronan, Carson, even Rodney, are the closest thing I have to ...

Teyla: A family?

Sheppard: I do anything, for anyone of you. If I had to give up my life, the way Ronan was going to ... I would.

Teyla: Thank you. For everything you ... meant to say.