Knit It Black!

This is a bit more relevant to my knitting audience, but as this blog has often celebrated the wearing of black, I figured it was appropriate to post here too! I am currently running a Kickstarter to help me produce an all-black knitting pattern collection that aims to raise awareness and funds for black shelter pets, who are adopted less often and euthanized more often than their lighter-colored brethren. Amazingly we are almost at the goal amount, after only two days...BUT if we can hit the stretch goal (another $2000) I'll be able to realize the long-dreamt dream of putting out a small ready-to-wear collection, which will also support the same cause (and also be pretty darn heavy on the black, heh heh heh.)

For more info, click the video above, or you can click through here to read all about it!

New Hair, New Camera

I've been feeling like it's maybe time to grow my hair out again, but before I do, I decided to go as short as I think I'd ever care to... and the timing works out well with my impending trip to Portland to shoot Doomsday Knits. So I went to see our brilliant friend David at his salon in Ann Arbor and had him razor the shit out of my hair, apocalypse-y style! (As much as I enjoy cutting my own hair, I don't trust myself to go too much shorter than shoulder length on my own.)

 

I wanted something that I could sleek-out for the cybery chapter, and then scruff up for everything else. I think this fits the bill. I'm still sort of learning out to style it (I tried curling it the other day- see below- it was rather Betty Boopish) but I liked it immediately and it's only grown on me since then (badumching!) I might end up maintaining it a little longer before I grow it out, actually. We'll see.

   

In other news, I finally retired my old Nikon D70 and treated myself to something a little newer. It's not necessarily fancier, but I kind of fell in love with Vivian's and decided to be a big ole copycat. It took a solid day of manual-reading to facilitate my camp switch (I'm a traitor, I know) and I'm definitely still getting the hang of it, but so far I'm pleased with my decision. I also shelled for a slightly wider angle lens so that I can actually fit things inside the frame when I'm indoors (I love my 50mm/f1.8, and I did re-buy it for this camera too, but you have to stand REALLY far away to get more than a few feet of space in the shot.)

  

 And of course, the dogs were willing test subjects.

   

Pro-tip, clean the eye goop off your dog's face before taking their portrait. Also I think Rupert might have a lazy eye. Hmm. One dog with a lazy eye and one with an underbite. I sure do pick the pretty ones.

   

(That composition is terrible but the unnecessary shameface is pretty good. "....Why are you pointing that robot eye at me? What did I do? Aw shit.")