dunecat

dunecat
Originally uploaded by kitty kamikaze.

As Death Approaches

I can't believe I'm laughing!
I'd have sworn I'd be
shaking or sniveling.
And I sure didn't expect
a limousine.
I've never been in a limousine.
No biggy.
I've had better than fame.
Who needs the pressure?
As for fortune, I'm filthy.
That's why I'm laughing.
I've had so much love:
the giving, the getting.
It's shameful.
It's embarrassing.
And it's too late.
No one can take it away!
And I've had the pain
to help me appreciate it.
Thank God for the pain!
Easy for me to say
now that I'm going!
But no, seriously,
the kicks in the teeth,
the gut, the rugs
pulled out, slammed doors,
setbacks, snubs.
Without them, I'd
never have recognized
Love, bedraggled,
plain eyes shining,
happy to see me.
Do I want more?
Of course I want more!
I always want more
of everything: money, hugs,
lovemaking, art, butter,
woods, flowers, the sea,
M&Ms, chips, tops, bottoms,
trips -- I did give up drinking --
time, sure, and yes,
I'd like to see
my grandchildren,
if there are any.
I'd like to see my books
but more has never
been good for me anyway.
Enough -- that's what I've
always needed to learn,
and is there a better way?
So this laughter
I had to work up to
through so many tears,
it just keeps coming
like a fountain, a spray.
Let it light on you
refreshment, benediction,
as I'm driven away.

--Susan Deborah King

Jeh Kulu

These are some friends of mine.  The little girls at the end telling Tabita that she doesn't know is Awa one of Elah's best friends (they're 13 days apart in age).

You can learn more about Jeh Kulu here.

Minty Fresh Feet

There are more pictures here.

Thank you, Minty! Today I popped down to the post to find a package from Minty of pepperknit.com. Inside I found a Falling Leaves sock knit with Claudia Handpainted in dark green that fits like a dream. Seriously, I've been walking around the house wearing one sock for about 2 hours.
I also found pattern notes which I greatly appreciate because I know the pattern had to be resized for my ginormous foot. I love the changes she made, especially the meandering trail of knits between the purls! And did you see that star toe? Gorgeous.
Hmmm, what else? Lovely notecards with scarf patters on them, tea, bee and flower soap (I love bee and flower) and copious amounts of chocolate.
I love everything in this little box! I have to go cast on now, I have another sock to knit.
Minty: flickr, Ravelry, blog

Wolf Parade

I'm going to see Stars in Montreal on my birthday! Thank you, Reba.
I've really been digging a lot of Canadia Indie music lately and thought I'd share a little bit with you. I am especially loving Wolf Parade. Hype Machine has some links up. So stop what you're doing (reading my blog) and go there right now to check them out.


Wolf Parade
Originally uploaded by PatrickKErby.

Also in heavy rotation this week:

• Rogue Wave
• Broken Social Scene (Kevin Drew has an upcoming show at UVM)
• The Decemberists
• Rosie Thomas
• Shout Out Louds
• Songs for Sunday Parlours
• Bishop Allen
• Monkey Swallows the Universe
• Nouvelle Vague
• Youth Group

Happy listening!

Tonight!

Clever Title

I finally finished the sock for my single sock swap partner! Pardon the terrible lighting, it was late and we only have about 5 minutes of sun anyway.

Pattern: Rococo Socks
Yarn: Regia Silk 4-ply
Color: 0010
Needles: US1 DPN
Time to complete: 5 days

I love the yarn, it held up well to multiple froggings and was a Child's Silk Sock, Drunken Bee and finally, a Rococo Sock. I also love the pattern and will definitely be making a pair for myself.
You're supposed to repeat the 4 row cuff pattern 3 times but I excluded the last k2, p2 row and bound off because I was running out of yarn. That little bit of yarn you see in the pic was all I had left. I knit 8 pattern repeats on the foot and the leg of the sock. I used a US5 to bind off.

I also included a GoKnit Pouch and a set of US1 rosewood DPN. I hope the sock fits and she likes everything.

I've also been doing some mobile photoblogging. I like that I can take pictures of something that I think is funny or interesting and send it to flickr via my phone. Awesome.


Wow Papa John's is going to be my new pharmacy.


Biker in front of me at the natual foods store.

In tattoo news I'm getting some more in on the 17th!

It's a Wrap

Originally uploaded by LABFILMLA.

A few people have asked what projects my dad worked on so here's a quick list. It's not complete but you get the idea.

Movies:
HealtH (1980)
Popeye (1980)
It Rained All Night the Day I Left (1980)
Scanners (1981)
Quest for Fire (La Guerre de feu) (1981)
The Bay Boy (Un Printemps Sous la Neige) (1984)
Keeping Track (1985)
The Boy in Blue (La Race des Champions) (1986)
The Art of War (L’Art de la Guerre) (2000)
Blacktop (La Route de la peur) (2000)
Interstate 60 (2002)


TV Movies & Shows:
Louisiana (1984)
Bordertown (1989-1991)
E.N.G. (1991-1992)
Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992)
Due South (1994 & 1997)
The Hunchback (1997)
Joan of Arc (1999)
Crossed Over (2002)
Riverworld (2003)
The Best Years (2007)

Happy Halloween

via Worth1000

Thank You & Actual Knitting

Know what makes me feel better when I'm down? Hand knit socks! After returning from Toronto, I found these awesome socks (and other goodies) waiting for me. My Sock It To Me pal, Ann (blog Ravelry), knit me these beautiful socks that fit perfectly.

The pattern is from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch and the yarn is Claudia Hand Painted in the colorway Eat Your Veggies.

Ann Also sent a package for Elah. She was beside herself when she discovered that part of the package was for her.


I feel totally spoiled. Here's what else was in the box. A beautiful pouch filled with all manner of tea,


shortbread cookie mix and A First Treasury of Knitting Patterns (can you believe it!?),


a skein of STR medium in Farmhouse (I love the colorway!).


Seriously, Ann, you went above and beyond and really made a difference in how I was feeling. I immediately put the socks on and even slept with them on (unheard of!) that night. Thank you.

In my own knitting news, I completed an EZ Baby Sweater on Two Needles (Ravelry). It was my grief knitting. I figured what better way to work through it than by knitting something for a new life.

Yarn: 2.5 skeins, Rowan Wool Cotton
Color: Elf
Source: Kaleidoscope Yarns
Needles: Addi Turbo US 5 crics
Date Started: 20 October 2007
Date Finished: 28 October 2007

Up next: I am furiously trying to finish my SSS sock by Thursday.

The Road to Healing

This isn't me, it's my sister. My dad and I both loved to be behind the camera. Unfortunately this means that i don't have any pictures of the the two of us together.

Navigating this new world, the one without my dad, is hard. I find myself wanting to call him and ask him some trivial question or something like that. I may even dial the number but then I remember that he's not there.

My family and I drove up to Toronto on Monday. Tuesday was spent visiting my dad's hotel room and gathering his things, going to the police station to get his wallet and going to the funeral home to finalize some details for the service. I couldn't handle all of it and totally bailed on my family to go immerse myself in some wooly goodness at Lettuce Knit. I bought a skein of Hand Maiden Sea Silk and a Go Knit Pouch. I also got to meet Laura who had just returned from Rhinebeck.

Wednesday was my dad's service. It was hard for me to navigate and I was also very worried about Elah because she didn't seem to quite get it. She was excited to be staying in a hotel, excited we were going to ride in a limo, excited to wear her new outfit, etc. I didn't want her to get there and have everything come crashing down at once. The service was hard. It's good to know that my dad was so loved and I got to hear some amazing stories about him but it was also incredibly sad. My brother, Allan, and my dad's long time friend, Allan, both got up to speak separately and they both broke my heart. Stéphane never spoke but he shared some beautiful stories with me that I will treasure. It's unfortunate but I had seen many of these people since I was a teenager. I'm sorry that it took a tragedy to bring us back together again.

I also have to thank Wendy Grean. She was invaluable in this entire process. Whether it was contacting people in the industry to get the word of my dad's passing or helping arrange the service or coordinating people of providing a shoulder on which to lean, she was amazing. I don't think we would have been able to manage without her.

Finally I'll leave you with my words from my dad's service (at least as well as I can remember them).

I met my dad when I was 7; he and my mom worked on Louisiana together. I had a hard childhood and the one lesson I had learned was that people didn't stay. I did everything I could to make this new person in our life leave but he never did. He was my dad.

These are the things I learned from my dad.
1) People stay
2) It's OK to trust
3) Love really does conquer all
4) You don't need to sacrifice kindness and compassion to get the job done
5) A little sarcasm never hurts

When I called my dad to tell him I was graduating from college and ask him to come to the ceremony, the first thing he said was, "Wow, that's not too bad for a dumb blonde." That was of course followed by proclamations of his pride in me and I could tell, over the phone, that he was tearing up.

This world is a worse place for not having him in it but I am starting a journey on the road to healing. I cry a little less each day and try to remember what advice my dad would have given and live in a way that would have made him proud. I also gain strength from the love of my friends and family. Thank you to everyone for the blog comments, cards, phone calls, and well wishing. I have been totally overwhelmed by the love I've felt.

Good Bye

My dad died in his sleep last night. He was working in Toronto, shooting two projects at once. The cleaning lady found him this morning. I'm going to NY with my daughter to be with my sister, brother and grandmother. I'm totally overwhelmed. I don't know what to do or how to feel or how to tell Elah or what to say to my family or what needs to be done to transport a body across the border or where we'll have the funeral (maybe Montreal because my Aunt can't cross the border into the states).
I'll be absent for awhile.

Beantown Love

First a knitting update. Drunken Bees have been frogged back to the ribbing; a small set back but I'm still feeling good about them. CPH only needs the sleeves and buttons sewn on! If I can get enough homework done then I'll try to finish it tonight.

Now on to Boston.
I drove down on Friday and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of Mrs. & Mr. Hello Yarn (and Shambles). I had a great time with Adrian and Mark, ate some delicious food, did a little bit of knitting and just had a good old-fashioned visit. It was awesome.


The next morning, Saturday, Adrian treated me to some yummy coffee, I marveled at all the fiber-y goodness in her home and then it was off to meet Siòbhan at Darkwave. 5 1/2 hours later I was on my way back home with the outline of a bad ass knitting tattoo.

Siòbhan is awesome and I was totally blown away by the design she created with very little guidance from me. I am so excited to go back.

Knit Nerds Unite!

Knit bloggers are taking over teh interwebs! Ravelry was BoingBoinged yesterday.

[Flash-embedded video above. If your browser can't see it, here's a DIRECT VIDEO LINK].

Damn It

doorway to my heart
Originally uploaded by stinkypony.

Remember when I was working on an original sock design? The sweetheart Socks over there on the right? ---->
Well I was just checking out the Interweave Holiday 2007 preview and there's a pair of socks in there with the same name. So what's the protocol here? My design is done, it's just not written up but now I feel like I should change the name. What do you think? Leave me a comment.

Write Your Representative

DSC 6835
Originally uploaded by kaitlyn tikkun.

October 2, 2007
The Honorable Peter Welch
1404 Longworth
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Sir:

I am writing to urge you to support the inclusion of transgender individuals, as well as gays and lesbians, in the bill designed to protect said persons from workplace discrimination.

Not including members of the transgender community sends the message that discrimination against some is still all right while others are worth of being protected by law. It’s true that members of the LGB (and T) community have waited decades for inclusion in workplace discrimination law but that inclusion should not come at the expense of others. Removal of transgender individuals from the bill is unacceptable. Please demand that transgender individuals be included in this important law.

Sincerely,

Emily R Spence

More info here and here. Find out who your rep is here.

Toothpaste for Dinner

toothpastefordinner.com

Who Knew?

Make Yours a Happy Marriage
Originally uploaded by Ann Douglas.

Amanda wrote a very interesting post about marriage, feminism and divorce rates over at Unsprung. Go give it a read when you have some time.

You hear a lot of people running around wringing their hands and talking about the 50% divorce rate. What’s little understood is that number is way out of date—due in large part to a lot of feminist cultural reforms, the divorce rate has been creeping down for a long time now. Now it’s at the lowest rate it’s been since the 70s.

Green & Cute

Just ordered, I've very excited (maybe more than I should be).
Link. These others are also really cute and slightly less expensive.

Now I just need to remember them when I go to the grocery store.

PS In totally random news I want to go to Iceland.

Errata

I've changed the original Sheep & Wool Hat directions and updated the pdf.

The new directions instruct the knitter to knit the plain stockinette hem with a needle one size smaller than that used for the main body of the hat.

New Pattern - Sheep & Wool Hat

Remember this hat?


Well I did a little reverse engineering (un-venting as EZ would say) and wrote up a quick pattern. Here's my version.


And here's the pattern. This is my first time ever attempting to write a pattern so please let me know if the directions aren't clear.

Update: I've added another post to keep track of errata.

Some Clever Title

<political blogging>
I tend to keep things on this blog pretty fibercentric but every once in awhile I run across a story that just can't be ignored. Please go over to Alas, A Blog and read about Pfc. LaVena Johnson, her suspicious death and the Army's atrocious mishandling of the subsequent investigation.
</political blogging>

For those of you who are all fiber all the time fear not, I've finished reverse engineering the hat I tried on a Sheep & Wool and should have a pattern written up within the next couple of days. I've also been experimenting with some double knitting and picked up CPH again!

In family news, even though Elah was a half an hour late for her own birthday party, she had a blast. Pictures over at flickr

Arrrr!

Avast ye mateys, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Enjoy the internet frivolity.

Oh, Stoneking, this is for you.

Happy Birthday!

Right now, seven years ago I was in labor. Elah was born at 3:26 in the afternoon, a Virgo like my mom (hello karma), totally aware, wide-eyed. I remember sobbing because I was so overwhelmed by the love I felt. I feel really lucky to have her in my life; she's sweet and funny, kind and hilarious. Happy 7th birthday, baby.

Say What?

via

Mac or PC?

It's a beautiful day, stop blog hopping and get outside! When you come back in watch this.

I Have A New Hero

Practical Polly is my new knitting hero. Seriously, go check her out.

Bunnies!!

Squee! This is so damn cute I want to leave work right now and cast on!
Link

November 40th

My birthday's mere months away, need some cake ideas?

Eclectic 2

Things last.fm has taught me:
1) I listen to a lot of music
2) I'm surprised I have a high incommon rating with anyone OR I'm surprised I don't have a high in common rating with everyone.

Good Causes

G, Reba and I went on a 5k walk this past Saturday to raise money for the Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund. Proceeds went to fund projects that benefit victims of rape and violence; you can read more about the fund by following the link. Reba was on the news too (bonus).

I want to thank everyone who sponsored us. Violence against women is scary and all too common; I'm happy to think the we made a small difference in someone's life while honoring the memory of another. Really, thank you.

In other good cause news, Carla, my old secret pal is looking for some generous people to sponsor her in the Alzheimer's Memory Walk. Not only do you get to feel good about donating your money to a worthy cause, you get the added bonus of being entered into her blog competition. Go check it out, you'll be glad you did.

And finally, for those of you who only come for the pretty pictures (yeah I know you're out there).

VT Sheep & Wool '07 - Updated!

Sheep & Wool was rainy, just like last year, and it seemed smaller but we had a blast! I went on Sunday with (blogless) Reba and the Other Emily. While we were there was saw Pippi Knee Socks and Spunky Eclectic but like a dork I forgot to pull out my camera.

Check out the rest of my pics at flickr (click the image above).

*Update - Here are some other S&W posts:
Norma Knits (she got a picture of Spunky Eclectic and Pippi Knee Socks
Rhymes with Mango now with pictures!
Ariadne on Saturday and Sunday

Eclectic

Seriously, could the artists in my weekly chart be less related? I love last.fm.

This Weekend

This weekend is going to be busy!
Tonight I have dinner plans with friends and then I've set aside some time to do homework. But I may skip the homework to go check out some friends that have work in the Art Hop.
Saturday some friends and I are doing a 5k after which I have swimming plans and then Bill's birthday celebration later in the evening.
Sunday I plan to go to VT Sheep & Wool and we have our S 'n B from 2:30-4:00 but I'm thinking I may skip it this week and just go to Sheep & Wool so I have some time to do actual homework in the afternoon.
Oh, and I just remembered that at some point on Saturday I'm supposed to do some painting at Elah's school.
*whew* I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

Label Whore - Updated!

Lable Whore
Originally uploaded by e_to_the_m.

I created 4 labels for my Sock It To Me pal's socks. I really love little Luca Pumpkin Head's nose at the bottom but in the end I chose the label with the sheep laying down.

Update/Tutorial

There were some questions about how I made the label for my swap partner’s socks so I thought I’d type up a quick tutorial. I’ve seen other sock bands around and I know I saw a tutorial at some point but I couldn’t find it again so I decided to wing it. If anything is not clear please email me at the address below.
I created the label in Photoshop.

1. Open some pictures you think you might want to use as the background image.
2. Using the crop tool set to 3” x 10” (I chose a resolution of 300), crop the section of the image you want to use.
3. Create a new layer.
4. Using the shape tool draw a rectangle, no border, white fill. Position the rectangle on your label. Change the opacity of the rectangle’s layer to 45%.
5. Create a new layer.
6. Draw a text box and add any information you’d like.
7. Print on photo paper (or some other heavy stock), cut and wrap.

Note: If you like to print more than one label at a time and/or save some paper follow these instructions instead.
Follow steps 1-6 as above.
7. Flatten image, select all and copy.
8. Create a new document, 10” x 8” (make sure the resolution of the new document matches the resolution you chose when you cropped in step 2).
9. Paste into a new layer and place accordingly.
10. Repeat steps 7 (if using a different label) & 9 two more times.
11. Flatten image.
12. Print on photo paper (or some other heavy stock), cut and wrap.

Helpful tips:

• I save the label as a .psd document before I flatten it. That way if I inadvertently cock something up I can always open my original document and change the background image or text or reprint.
• To get you started, you can download a copy of the lamb label in . psd format. (7.4 MB)
• If something is unclear shoot me an email at knit.nerd [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

Update 2

There's a new download link. The lamb label and a few others can now be found here (in .psd format). If you need one in a different format just shoot me an email.

Embroidery & Tutorals

Elah had a great first day of school today. It was so nice to go back to this warm, welcoming cmmunity of parents and teachers. Yes, it's expensive and yes, being a parent/teacher cooperative means a lot of additional work on my part. But Elah thrives there and I know it's the right place for her. This may be the last year we can send her there but I feel very grateful that she was able to have 3 years; it's a good start.

On a crafty note, her shirt was a hit! I'm still working on embroidery practice projects...observe:


I've received a couple of emails from people looking for some online embroidery resources so here you go.
Needle 'N Thread has online videos! (think knittinghelp.com)
Crafty Daisies is holding a free online embroidery class.
Needle Crafter has a ton of free vintage patterns.

Have fun and if you have any questions shoot me an email or leave a comment.

PS In knitting news I've finished designing my first pair of socks. The pattern should be forthcoming.

Photoshop Fun

Action Fun
Originally uploaded by e_to_the_m.

Having fun with Photoshop actions. Here are some before and after shots. (Of course they all look better big.)

1. Skulls - Original, 2. Hydrant - Original, 3. Elah - Original, 4. Skulls - Lomo, 5. Hydrant on Acid., 6. Foxy Elah, 7. Emily & Gertie - Original, 8. Laura and Harper - Original, 9. Reba - Original, 10. Emily & Gertie - Golden, 11. Laura and Harper - Professional Retro, 12. Reba - Golden

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Our Biggest S'nB Yet!

Our Sunday Stitch 'n Bitch (or knit and natter or whatever you want to call it) was the biggest yet with 9 people. If we get much bigger we won't fit in Viva Espresso. We had a couple of new comer who heard about us via facebook and one out of town guest. Much fun was had by all.