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Spill Guts Here. It's gotta go somewhere, know what I mean? Can you stand it?
purls before swine
Geek Knitting
West Indian Parade
West Indian Parade
Dog/Cat Wrestling
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8.29.2003
A new species of giant squid has been discovered. Great. Something new to feed my giant squid nightmares. I'm not kidding! Have had them since I was a wee lass, and saw the stuffed one in the Museum of Natural History here in NYC.
Uhh. 8.28.2003
Deep in production mode, not translating much, if any, of that into words, hence nothing to say. Started knitting again, shoulder awnings and skirts in merino/cashmere mix. Oh...how I missed wool.
Closing the shop this weekend to go to the beach and make things for 4 days straight, no interruptions. 8.23.2003
Ok, .dk hits mystery partially solved: RedLipstick.net was recently mentioned in a Danish magazine, now trying to find out what kind and what it said. Thank you, Charlotte from Denmark!
I was the lucky recipient of two amazing presents yesterday. The first came in the mail from Stephanie of Glampyre, a huge bag of exquisite dyed handspun!!! Our trade is on! This is the most beautiful yarn I've had in a very long time! And I'm making something for *MYSELF* with it, probably my winter ensemble. (picture later of the yarn :->). I'm making her a mixed media doily-top, and will send a "surprise package" from the shop, too. Thank you Steph! I'm in Yarn heaven. My dear friend Martha is moving to Switzerland with her husband Michael and son Max today. A lovely technical mind wrapped in a sweet nature, she will be very, very missed. But she left her industrial sewing machine behind with me last night, and every time I use it, I'll mentally send you some love, Martha! Bon Voyage. 8.22.2003
What's now in the left window of the shop.
.dk is Denmark, isn't it? Would some kind Danish person please email me and tell me why I'm getting hundreds of hits from Denmark? Thank you. Just curious. Can't track it yet. stacey@redlipstick.net 8.21.2003
 I've often thought of knitting a sweater like this for my dog. 8.19.2003
A lovely defense of loners. {via Salon} I admit I'm an "extravert". Finally, there is an unoccupied pigeonhole just for me. Thanks! And yes, I am happy about it, always have been, always will be.
Don't know if it's the sun I'm getting every day, or summer in general, or what, but my mood has been almost consistently euphoric this summer. I do get seasonal affective disorder when I don't get sunlight, this must be the opposite. Whoo-Hoo! I still have problems, one or two seriously stress inducing, but I don't care. :-} Sewing alot: dresses and skirts, knitting tops to go with them for Fall, starting in September in my shop. Murphy developed an allergy to something, resulting in a sad bald spot right on the end of his tail about the size of a half dollar coin. Got cream for it yesterday from the vet, and a new plush squeeky toy to distract him from licking it off. At least he doesn't have to wear a funnel collar. Yet. We'll see how well it heals. Ok, the National Design Awards. Got my fabric portfolio back last week, and of course, I did not get the award this year. Tom Ford of Gucci, and two other completely established designers are the finalists. I've got to laugh. It's a bizarre and highly unusual situation that a wild card like myself, totally off any map, is in the running with these people. Enjoying it immensely. I hope Tom Ford gets it, he's beyond brilliant. I now have a beautiful portfolio and my resume completely in order, really happy I took up the challenge to submit, it worked out just fine. 8.15.2003
Oh Electricity, how I love you. Please don't ever leave me again. I missed you more than you'll ever know.
I'm sure a high percentage of you have also experienced the widespread Blackout of '03, as of course did I, here in Brooklyn. My first reaction was that I forgot to pay the bill in a timely manner. After we found out what was going on, I cracked open a bottle of excellent red someone gave me last xmas, and a group of pals and I watched the sea of humanity that had been forced to walk home across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan come up Flatbush Avenue. I knew I had to get home and walk the dog before dark. So I did. I had so many electrical problems in my apartment last year that I was already set-up with candles, etc. This makes the fifth refridgerator full of food I've had to throw out in the past year. It was really dark and quiet last night, really peaceful actually, until I went to bed and the wilding groups of men started roaming the streets yelling, robbing and knocking trash cans around, by flashlight. I heard today there was a bit of looting in Bed-Stuy, the next neighborhood over. I found out from Pierre, one of my policeman friends, that 4 massive brownstones in Park Slope were decimated last night by tipped candles, just completely burned out. Otherwise, we Brooklynites handled it beautifully! Today was amazing at the shop. Everyone had off work, and I had the busiest day all year. The electricity had returned at the shop by midday, but not the phone lines, which means I have an uncomfortabley large amount of credit card payments to enter by hand as soon as the dialtone returns. Everyone was in a good mood, it was really ok. Had a nice dinner with Ingrid tonight, and came home to restored power and phones. I love Brooklyn, and will never, ever want to live anywhere else. 8.14.2003
Spent the am not designing but taking a $24. car service ride with the embroidery machine to Jackson Heights in Queens, where the only authorized Brother repair place is. Last shop I tried in the city lied about being able to repair it (after keeping it for a week and a half), and I wasted $40. on cabs getting it there and back, and lost about 2 weeks of work time. Whatever. What a pain in the ass. This guy is the real deal, and I'm sure my baby will come home good as new.
Have been meaning to go to Jackson Heights for a long time anyway, it's a hotspot of new immigrant settlement, Indian, Columbian, Korean, Pakistani etc, but mostly I went for Little India. After much wheedling and negotiation with Indian shop owners, was finally directed to a wholesale source for 22 karat gold earrings, 7 pairs are now in my shop! I kept one pair of tiny babysized dangles for myself. 22k is alot more yellow than 14k, so much prettier, and Indian designs are just gorgeous. It was 11:30am, otherwise, I would've filled up on a spectacular Indian meal. Too early though, so had a Korean pork bun thingie instead. Fabric prices are absurdly low there, how about $2. a yard for china silk? Must. Exercise. Self. Control. If I didn't think white ladies look ridiculous in saris, I would've indulged. But I do. My eyes are reeling from the riot of color, in a good way. Roof of my apt. building was retarred, I can now stop feeling a creeping sense of dread every time it rains and I'm not at home with a bucket. Ahhh. Repainted the store front last Monday and Tuesday, Benjamin Moore High Gloss "Impervo" in Black and "Lipstick" Red, of course. It's so pretty! The gloss is amazing, looks wet after it dries, and it's very durable. Great paint! Get some on your skin, sidewalk or clothing, and you've got a problem. I tried to clean one brush with turpentine, made an incredible mess, and what the hell do you do with dirty turpentine? So I just threw the brushes away. Will get new ones next week for coat #2. Made new curtains for the shop also: pale metallic transparent silver. 8.11.2003
Fashion model, before and after airbrushing. No wonder normal women feel bad about themselves looking at fashion mags. It's all phony! Pretty interesting.
Started painting the bench in front of the shop blood red last night. This am: running errands first then completing the paint job, red front door and black gloss trim around the windows. Oil base paint is a nightmare, but have to use it. Rearranging the inside of the shop also, making new chiffon curtains, I think pale orange this time. Having logistical problems with the new sign design, decided to just do the painted wooden slab thing, sticking out of the building, before it becomes a really expensive, time-consuming thing that won't end. I love to paint those anyway, using stencils. Going through a "simplify my life" phase. Have to. I need a fucking day off with no chores! Unjoined from the food coop, as I resent having to go work there, when I don't even have the time to shop. 8.09.2003
Been super fuckin busy. It just doesn't end. Dealing with a situation at the studio building, one of my tenants has decided to use her studio as a hotel, and I now have to evict her. She will not answer the door when I know she's in there. It's a work building only, NO Living. Have to get her out by the end of the month. The sink there was clogged recently by a mixture of oil paint and hair, as she's been "bathing" in the slop sink. Yuck. Caught her "bathing" twice.
Apt. roof is leaking in three places. Skirmish with the landlord to fix it, before my ceiling collapses. Finally got him to agree to it, as soon as we have 2 dry days in a row, they can retar. Shop is very busy, and I find myself having to restock on a weekly basis. Not complaining! I have a feeling this fall and winter is going to be great. A sad outpost of Macy's a few blocks from the shop is closing, I waited until they sold off most of the crap, now it's down to the fixtures, which are dirt cheap. Got an infant mannequin on a stand for display and the occasional baby dress, a jewel display case, and am considering huge shelves. Was planning on redecorating the shop very soon anyway, this will help. Repainting, definitely. Blood red door and bench. Black high gloss for trim. Been too busy to pick-up the embroidery machine, it takes half a day to get my rump into the city, and then get back. Will try again Monday or Tuesday. It apparently blew a fuse and is under warranty anyway, so it's not a big deal, except to go get it! Machine knitting every morning, have 6 or 7 garments needing finishing work then handwashing. Still using silks, cottons and linens. Anna is going to fabricate a bitchin new sign for the shop, cutout letters of translucent red plexi in my signature font, Chank's "Asswipe", hung from chains. The only thing about it is that from one side of the street, the letters will read backwards! Not sure what to do about this, if anything, I need something that sticks out from the building. trying to avoid somehow having to make 2 versions {one for each direction}. We're still working out the logistics. 8.06.2003
More police action this am, around the other corner from my apt. 6 or 8 police cars were arresting some guys in the car painting shop on Bergen. Saw that walking the dog. No one dead, at least. This stuff does affect me, I'm trying to think of proportions, percentages, cut angles, color combinations, organizing projects, themes, business strategy and then I get jolted out of it by police and violent events. I've never lived in a neighborhood as "bad" as this, it's becoming very mixed culturally, and the old school is not going quietly away. I lived on the Lower East Side in the '80s and '90's, and there were plenty of drug dealers, crime and pimps, etc, but it wasn't scary like this for some reason. There it was coke and pot, here it's crack and heroin. I think that might make a difference in the level of violence.
Got some excellent black clothes and leather accessories at the shows yesterday. Couldn't find good gloves or stockings yet. Started knitting gathered kimono sleeved 7g sweaters, a pale yellow cotton/linen one has been drying for 2 days, that's how moist the air is here. I'll take a picture of it later on the mannequin at the shop. It's the sample. Got stuck on 23rd street in pouring rain TWICE in 2 days, missing the repair shop each time. Going to try again today after UPS delivers shipments at the shop, {so I can pick up my embroidery machine}. I really miss it, it quickly became a part of the overall design process. I love my equipment, and use all of it all the time. Except: Anyone want to buy a Passap DM80 with all attachments? The catch is, you have to pick it up from my house in Brooklyn. Excellent condition. Email me if you're interested: stacey@redlipstick.net Slept late, sweetly late today, like 9:30. 8.05.2003
Went fabric shopping yesterday: got grey striped fine gauge cotton jersey, doe brown and cream raw woven silk, unbleached muslin, medium grey lingerie elastic, 3/4" wide. Leaf green cotton lace and an incredible twill print of apples done in a realistic watercolor style, but larger than life in reds/oranges, yellows and cream. Some very loudly photo-printed spandex for applique.
Have trade shows to attend all today, I really want to stay home and sew. Rainy and overcast. Working on experimental bags made of neoprene, blanket stitched with waxed nylon cord. 8.03.2003
Ever wanted to have the intellectual output of M.I.T. at your fingertips? Now you can. {via NYtimes} For a compulsive researcher like myself, this is incredible. A bottomless well of informative and inspiring reading material.
The party went very smoothly last night, no spilled beer, and only a few cigarette butts in my planters. Going to paint the floor in my studio sometime in the next few weeks, probably a mahogany or deep reddish brown. Can you even paint linoleum tile? It's oatmeal colored, and very ugly. I guess they'll let me know at the paint store. 8.02.2003
Found a huge list of knitting charts.
8.01.2003
Oh man, it's August already. I've decided to start knitting woolen articles now, so I won't be so stressed in the fall and winter trying to keep stock in the shop. It's not easy, I don't really want to touch wool now. So I have to get over it, and think about the hours of free time it will afford me in the coming months. Only took me 3 years to figure this out. {!} It is a great luxury to have an idea and make that object immediately, in response to an immediate inspiration, and get it into the shop that day. I'm not going to stop doing that, it's too much fun, but try to plan ahead a little bit as well.
I love summer. My clematis is climbing the fence of the "veranda", and the grapevine is going nuts! |
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