LA trip, knitting, and rats picture spam

[oyceter]

Alas, no rats knitting.


Yoon's tatami kimono being blocked. Man, I hate blocking these things. It's so hard to get everything to line up, since I'm just working with two tape measures. I am thinking very seriously about investing in a blocking board, except I'm not sure if the commercial ones are large enough.



Bya attempts to hide from the camera. Actually, he's just sleeping like that, who knows why?



Three rats, all together. Some day I'll figure out how to photograph Bya so he doesn't look like the Rat Out of Hell.



Bya pins Ruki under the igloo.


Ren in his favorite place to sleep.



Bya looking slightly less evil?



Ruki emerging from the igloo.


LA trip pictures!

Rachel in the goth pink fairy outfit. I had to cut off her head because we were stealthily taking pictures and she wouldn't fit. Alas, she didn't end up getting it because it was too uncomfortable.



The giant robot store! Sadly lacking in actual giant robots.



Tachiyomi! Or, uh... suwariyomi? Yoko ni nariyomi?



The catgirl paperdoll book Yoon's mom sent to the lizard. I photographed it as proof that it is an actual catgirl book.



Rachel and the lizard.



Rachel in the tatami kimono I knit her. It fits!



One of my new shoes! They are so amazing comfy.



Cute wedges! I love the stripes.



Cute wedges, side view



Rachel's Naruto figurines. I think Naruto is doing the clone effect.



More Naruto figurines. I'm not sure if there are people fighting each other in here or not, but Itachi is poking baby!Sasuke in the forehead.



Bleach figurines!



More Naruto figurines, this time ones from Shippuden! I love love love the Kankurou one. Also, check out Sasuke and his giant overcompensating bow.



One of Rachel's cats.



The display at the entrance of the Museum of Jurassic Technology.



Alas, we couldn't see this! Sorry for the blurriness -- my hands are very unsteady and they wouldn't allow flash. That's why there are no more pictures of the inside of the museum.



A tasty fatburger with a fried egg in it somewhere.



We were randomly strolling along when we encountered this!


Just what it says.



The best part is that there are mini tableaus inside of it. This is the prehistoric section. Possibly that's a saber-toothed leopard or something. Sadly, this didn't inspire Rachel to tromp down the street like a T-Rex, probably because she was already looked at strangely when she did it before.



The insectoid section (ew).



The aquatic section.



I was very amused that the palm trees were all slanted one way. You can't really tell in the photograph though.



More Exoticised Ethnicity romances. We surmised that the sheik (sic) is actually a kidnapped white guy.



The deadly stir-fried morning glories.



The Chinese bakery had Halloween-themed cakes.



We were driving along when we randomly passed this.



canandagirl's first knit blanket! I am so proud of her! I taught her to knit last year.

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

ZOMG! I totally forgot about the rock garden!

Bya = PURE EVIL. Other rats = pure cute.

That fatburger looks enormous. I swear it wasn't really that big.

Yeah, Jody's blanket was so impressive!

Hey! You never wrote up the deadly morning glories!

[oyceter]

Poor Bya! He is actually very cute and friendly in person, at least when he's not trying to sit on the other two.

Oh! I forgot to write them up! I will do that tomorrow maybe.

[chomiji]

We used to call those things "one-eyed bacon cheeseburgers" back in the day, at U.Va. (And I note with approval that you own Wheel of the Infinite. Have you read her other books? I think Wells is sadly under-read and under-rated.)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

what a beautiful, endless shhelve of anime.

How sad is it that I can recognize a LOT of titles just from those teeny spines?

[oyceter]

Hee, yes, that's why I like looking at pictures of people's book and DVD collections!

[aeriedraconia.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing about the manga!

Man, what I wouldn't give to have such LARGE manga (or anything else)selection to browse! *drools*
I often have to order books because my local B&N, while large, doesn't have as many books as it could if they made better use of the space.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Cute ratties charging lasers! Random rock garden of AWESOME! And that stir-fry is making me hungry.

Could I perhaps pick all of you lovely knitters' brains for some project suggestions, btw? I've been sewing and beading since I was a wee snarkling, but yarn-based crafts are relatively new to me -- I'd say I'm somewhere between advanced-beginner to intermediate in crochet and still a total n00b at knitting. A friend gave me an absolutely GORGEOUS skein of hand-dyed worsted and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it, as I do not have the "this much raw material = these possibile items" internalized mindset like I do with fabric yardage...

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Beware of the stir-fry! It was stir-fry of D00M!

[oyceter]

Oooo hand-dyed worsted! Jealous!

How many yards do you have of it? If it's around 300, I go with scarf; if less, probably a hat or something.

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

Hey I know that coloring/paper doll book. It is Tokyo Mew Mew (Mew Mew Power in the US*.) Not only are they animal girls, but they all have food-related names.
*We will not talk about how the dub had the heroine's catchphrase be "Mew Mew Style, Mew Mew Grace, Mew Mew Power in your face!"

[littlebutfierce]

Ack, I didn't know that about the Tokyo Mew Mew version over here--yuck! I never finished watching the fansubs, but the opening & closing songs are totally cute. Actually, I thought the whole show was, if a bit... well.

oyceter, I love the photo of the rats raising the roof of the igloo! Hehehe.

[oyceter]

Food-related names? Of course!

[maerhys.livejournal.com]

Pretty pictures!!! OMG the sheik romances are sooooo awful. I think I had the Malory one... straight to the trash bin!

[oyceter]

Bwahaha, the correct place for bad sheik romances.

[bravecows.livejournal.com]

omg why would you eat a cake with a SKULL on it

D:

Also, wow, huge burger! Um, you can tell where my interests lie. Looks like it was a fabulous trip, yay!

[oyceter]

Um, if it were a solid chocolate skull? Maybe? i have no idea

OMG the burgers were so good!

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

Giant Robot Store!

I used to live, like, two blocks away from there!

They never did have any giant robots.

[oyceter]

Awesome!

Yes, I feel the store would be much improved if it did have giant robots.

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

Ohmygod that burger!!! *cowers*

The Catgirl books is Tokyo Mew Mew. I am deeply ashamed to recognise it. *hangs head*

Oooooh, tatami kimono! I should order my pattern! *plots* Yes.

And the bookstore! It looks like heaven, with all that manga!!!! *dreamy sigh*

[oyceter]

I am so amused that several people recognize the catgirl series!

Also, yes, knit a tatami kimono! They're actually pretty easy and good anime knitting.

[octopedingenue]

The catgirl picture book is from Tokyo Mew Mew. I only know this because Bree Sharp wrote the dub dialogue/themesong, I SWEAR!

Shippuuden!Kankurou is awesome. "TADAAAA!"

[oyceter]

Kankurou! So cool!

Also, I love that several people have been able to identify the catgirl picture book.

[heresluck]

Those kimonos are awesome! I am always so amazed by your knitting prowess. I've been working on a sweater vest for lapillus for two years now, and have just started working on a scarf for myself that will probably take a couple of months just because I am so slow and unfocused. Argh. At least it keeps me from buying more yarn; I sorted my stash last weekend, and at the rate I'm going it'll take me five years to get through what I've already got.

[oyceter]

Hee, I blame my knitting speed on the amount of TV I watch! It's now at the point in which I can't watch TV without something in my hands.

We will not speak of my stash and the projected amount of time it will take me to get through it, even when I knit during all my TV watching...

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

The kimonos look great! You must be very proud. (: Looks like it was a wonderful trip.

[oyceter]

I am! It's so cool to see someone wearing something I made!

[nekonexus.livejournal.com]

I just have to say, I am stealing snagging? a copy of the death-head cake for an LJ icon (if you don't mind? ^_^). Will credit you for the photo.

"Death & Cake!
No Choice Necessary!"

Awesome photos. ^_^

[oyceter]

Eeeee, cool! Death cake iconage!

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

*whizzing by*

Awesome pix!

[oyceter]

Thank you!

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Here from Rachel and had to comment on the awesome photos! I really don't know why you wouldn't want your rat to keep looking like the Rat from Hell in photos, though. Hee!

Where did you get the kimono pattern? It's awesome.

[oyceter]

Hee! Poor Bya, he is such a sweet rattie. Well, except to the other rats...

I got the kimono pattern here: http://sundarayarn.typepad.com/sundara_yarn/2006/11/tatami_kimono_p.html

It's really easy knitting! Great for watching anime.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Your ratties are as cute as ever! And catgirls! And rock garden (what an excellent idea)! And all the rest...

[oyceter]

Thank you! The ratties are so dorky!

[chomiji]

>is silently admiring in the face of the multi-dan knit mastery<

We have a rock garden of that general type in our neighborhood as well, but nowhere near as extensive or cool.

[oyceter]

Oh, that's so cool! More rock gardens!

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

[Note, I am as drunk as I have ever been. Please pardon any typos and any other strangeness.]

"Morning glories" is a common translation for "kong shing tsai" (random romanization is my own), but is it a good one? I am more used to "water spinach".

[oyceter]

Ohhhh! I didn't know that! I was expecting fried flowers and thought they looked rather like kong xin cai (random romanization).

I think the literal translation of it would be "empty heart vegetable" or something, because the stems are hollow.