Passion for Knitting

Tonight on VPR I caught the tail end of the rebroadcast of the Passion for Knitting episode of Open Source. What I heard was great and as soon as I got home I downloaded the podcast. Highlights include interviews with Debbie Stoller and Joe Wilcox. One of the best things I heard - there's a website full of patterns with a creative commons license (link).


Update: While I haven't actually listened to the podcast yet this knitter wasn't to impressed with the show. And as far as I can tell Stitching for Sanity is actually just someone's blog, not a pattern compendium.

KWANZAA: A HOLIDAY FROM THE FBI

"President Bush's 2005 Kwanzaa message began with the patently absurd statement: "African-Americans and people around the world reflect on African heritage during Kwanzaa." I believe more African-Americans spent this season reflecting on the birth of Christ than some phony non-Christian holiday invented a few decades ago by an FBI stooge. Kwanzaa is a holiday for white liberals, not blacks."
More of Ann Coulter's spew here.

How infuriating! My daughter's entire school celebrates Kwanzaa right before the holiday break. They spend the time learning about African American heritage and exploring the principles of Kwanzaa like unity, faith and purpose. Not only is Kwanzaa celebrated but the children talk about the traditions celebrated in their own households as well. Elah's school is very diverse and in no way looks at Kwanzaa as a celebration to assuage white liberal guilt. I have to stop now before my reasoning powers break down and I just start name calling out of sheer frustration. The fact that there are people this ignorant and hateful out there makes me very sad. I doubt Ann Coulter asks herself, "What would Jesus do?"

Secret Pal 7

I'm about to do it again! Secret Pal 7 is coming up! I had so much fun last time, I can't wait to do it again.

KnitCast

How did I not know about this? I feel like I should hand in my nerd card for only having just discovered a knitting podcast.

Almost There

Holy shit, I have been flat out busy at work for the past three weeks. Usually I'm fairly busy but I also have some down time as well. Not the case lately; with web registration happening, classes ending, people getting ready for walk-in registration, finals, picking up graded papers, etc it has been insane here. The plus side? We close on Friday and don't reopen until January 2nd. Technically all of my days off aren't holidays but I only have to claim two vacation days - totally worth it. What will I do with the time off, especially after the 28th when my daughter is at her father's house? Katamari, knitting and the massage certificate I got for solstice.

must....make....it....one....more....day

Solstice Revisited

Solstice was great! My mom ended up opening her one glove on Saturday night, Solstice Eve, and I managed to finished the other glove by Sunday night. The best gift I got was a gift certificate for a deep tissue massage. I really, really want to go get it as soon as possible but I'm trying to wait until after registration and the first week of classes since I'll probably really need it then.

Elah was worried that she wouldn't get what she wished for because she told her wish. Imagine her surprise when, on Solstice morning, she found a golden headband, dress, gloves and slippers; exactly what she had wished for. That Good Witch of the North sure knows her stuff.

The best part was getting to spend the night at my moms' with Elah and my sister, Sunshine. We get to do it all over again with Sunshine, my dad and my brother, Allan, on Christmas Eve. I won't lie, the presents are great but I love being able to spend some quiet time with my family, that's the best part.

Gloves!

I was hoping that I could knit 2 gloves and do my final paper in 5 days but alas it wasn't meant to be. I did finish one glove which I'll wrap for my mom and I'll bring the other to Solstice to work on. On the plus side I did finish my paper.

Happy Solstice

Elah and I are about to head out to my moms' for out Solstice celebration. My sister, Sunshine, is coming from NY too. We'll all spend the night and then open presents from family and the Good Witch of the North in the morning. I'm wrapping my mom's one finished glove and bringing the other with me. You can see it here.

Secret Pal 6

Secret Pal 6 has drawn to a close and not only did I get to find out who my secret pal was but I got one final package as well! My pal is Lynette and can be found here and here. My last package included a crocheted washcloth and small bag, homemade soap, bath salts and a bath fizzy and some yarn in my favorite color, orange.

This was my first SP and I had a blast! I will definitely do it again! I had so much fun spoiling my pal and being spoiled. Thank you, Lynette!

The Weather Outside is Frightful

I've been enjoying the 16 degree weather, except the exact opposite of that. On the plus side I've been getting a lot of knitting done. I knit my first pair of mittens and for Elah ad then knit another pair in LSU purple for my cousin, Grayson, which I felted. The mittens are great except that the thumb is too small to fit anyone I know. See the progress below.

I'm also working on my first pair of gloves with some hand dyed yarn I got at the craft fair at the Waldorf school in Shelburne. The only thing I would change about the pattern is doing the ribbing in a smaller needle and decreasing 4 stitches or so on the first round of stockinette. Aside from those 2 minor details I love the pattern, thanks for letting me hoard you book, Reba! I'm very excited and my mom already hinted very heavily that she could use a pair; she even went as far as to show me her everyday winter hat so I could see which shade of grey would best match. Very subtle.

Mmmm On Demand

Guess what. I never have to pay attention to a teller, actually look at the road while I'm driving or be bored in history class again. (iTMS link)

It's Beginning to Smell A Lot Like Christmas

Elah and I got our first ever holiday tree this past Sunday. I never got one before because I figured we didn't need it because we were never home; Solstice with my mom and Christmas Eve and Christmas split between my dad and Elah's dad. I realized that we still had to decorate when Elah started telling people that we didn't celebrate the holidays.

So we go get the tree and I spend a ridiculous amount of money on lights and decorations and I think we're all set but then realized that we needed a tree topper. I discussed it with Elah and she told me she wanted an angel. Now I know the holiday is about her, that's why we have multi lights instead of white and most of our decorations are pink but angels just aren't my thing. I told Elah that I thought we could get a star; my reasoning being that even though I knew she really liked angels I didn't like them so much and I knew that we both liked stars. And isn't the tree really for both of us? Elah agreed that was a good idea and we set out to find a star for the top of our tree.

Guess what. Apparently angels have cornered the market on tree toppers, I couldn't find a star to save my life. It just so happens that I got a Pottery Barn catalog the same day and they had a beautiful crystal snowflake tree topper but I know Elah was looking for instant gratification. We finally found an angel that was a little more stylized and not so angely. I leapt at the opportunity and told Elah it was the Good Witch of the North (she brings our Solstice gifts). Moral of the story? Apparently there's always an angel hovering over you whether you want one or not.

About Effing Time

Look, look, pictures - the pictures I said I would post weeks ago. Mmmmm yarn & chocolate.

I finally took some pictures of the things I got from my Super Secret Pal. First, a picture of the yarn and needle that were in the first package.



Next the most recent package I got from Secret Pal; 2 skeins of Knit Picks Sock Landscape (that I may use for gloves) and a bar of yummy chocolate infused with Early Grey tea (it almost killed me to wait until I took a picture of it so I could finally break into it).



Secret Pal 6 is now over and I had a great time. It was so fun to try and chose items for my pal that I though she would like and it was so exciting to get unexpected packages in the mail.

Preparedness Pays Off

It's that time of year again... My birthday's coming up (next Wednesday) and I'm posting to give you all ample time to get ready. So far the plans start this Saturday with dinner at Asiana House.

Link Dump Farm

Comic Sans is dead (finally!)
I hate Comic Sans so much I deleted it from my computer so I don't have to see it at home.

Forthcoming Books in the Increasingly Mature Harry Potter Series.

Katazukue Table
I need one of these for my office.

Conrad Digital Retouching Portfolio
I want to be this good with Photoshop.

The Email Time Capsule

Kata-Wha?

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, or a new country. -Anais Nin, author (1903-1977)

Is it bad that everything I read lately reminds me of Katamari?

This is KKKrazy

Thirteen-year-old twins Lamb and Lynx Gaede have one album out, another on the way, a music video, and lots of fans.

They may remind you of another famous pair of singers, the Olsen Twins, and the girls say they like that. But unlike the Olsens, who built a media empire on their fun-loving, squeaky-clean image, Lamb and Lynx are cultivating a much darker personna. They are white nationalists and use their talents to preach a message of hate.

"We give them a CD, we give them something as simple as a stick, they can go to our Web site and see other music and download some of our music," said Gliebe. "To me, that's the best propaganda tool for our youth." [At least he's being honest...I guess]

Think you can handle reading more? It's here.

Magically Adhesive

The Goons over at Something Awful used this Photoshop Phriday to recreate video game covers. Below are a couple of my favorites.

Worst Pal Ever

So my Secret Pal sent me my first package a couple of weeks ago and I have yet to properly thank her. When I first opened the package the first thing I saw was a picture of a terribly ugly crocheted vest. My first reaction was "I'm doomed!" Then I realized that my fabulous secret pal read my questionnaire and knew I'd like to learn some basic crochet. The vest was a pattern in the back of a publication called "Learn to Crochet in One Day." *relief* She also sent me a beautiful crochet hook and 2 balls of Debbie Bliss cotton angora and a lovely shade of light purple.

My computer is all fixed and at home and my camera is back from being lent out so I swear I'll post a pic soon...

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Secret Pal!

In other news the seaming class I took at Northeast Fiber Arts was great! I learned so much new stuff about finishing (even things that take place in the beginning like casting on), that I am in the process of frogging my entire Marilyn Sweater so I can re-knit it. So far I've re-knit one sleeve and am almost done with the back (I didn't put the cable on the back, I thought it was weird).

I also borrowed a book from Reba and knit my first pair of gloves for Elah and I've knit one oversized glove of a pair for my cousin Grayson (in LSU purple of course) that I plan to felt.

I feel like there's more but it escapes me at the moment.

eBay Hilarity

I want to meet this eBay seller. Below is the description of the DKNY leather pants he sold; it's the funniest thing I've read in a very long time.

You are bidding on a mistake.

We all make mistakes. We date the wrong people for too long. We chew gum with our mouths open. We say inappropriate things in front of grandma.

And we buy leather pants.

I can explain these pants and why they are in my possession. I bought them many, many years ago under the spell of a woman whom I believed to have taste. She suggested I try them on. I did. She said they looked good. I wanted to have a relationship of sorts with her. I’m stupid and prone to impulsive decisions. I bought the pants.

The relationship, probably for better, never materialized. The girl, whose name I can’t even recall, is a distant memory. I think she was short.

Ultimately the pants were placed in the closet where they have remained, unworn, for nearly a decade. I would like to emphasize that: Aside from trying these pants on, they have never, ever been worn. In public or private.

I have not worn these leather pants for the following reasons:

I am not a member of Queen.
I do not like motorcycles.
I am not Rod Stewart.
I am not French.
I do not cruise for transvestites in an expensive sports car.

These were not cheap leather pants. They are Donna Karan leather pants. They're for men. Brave men, I would think. Perhaps tattooed, pierced men. In fact, I'll go so far as to say you either have to be very tough, very gay, or very famous to wear these pants and get away with it.

Again, they're men's pants, but they'd probably look great on the right lady. Ladies can get away with leather pants much more often than men can. It’s a sad fact that men who own leather pants will have to come to terms with.

They are size 34x34. I am no longer size 34x34, so even were I to suddenly decide I was a famous gay biker I would not be able to wear these pants. These pants are destined for someone else. For reasons unknown - perhaps to keep my options open, in case I wanted to become a pirate - I have shuffled these unworn pants from house to house, closet to closet. Alas, it is now time to part ways so that I may use the extra room for any rhinestone-studded jeans I may purchase in the future.

These pants are in excellent condition. They were never taken on pirate expeditions. They weren't worn onstage. They didn't straddle a Harley, or a guy named Harley. They just hung there, sad and ignored, for a few presidencies.

Someone, somewhere, will look great in these pants. I'm hoping that someone is you, or that you can be suckered into buying them by a girl you're trying to bed.

Please buy these leather pants.

Small Dog, Big Bite

Well, I took my iMac down to Small Dog yesterday and it ends up that I have a bad hard drive like I suspected and that I also need to have the logic board replaced. I almost expected that as well as my serial number falls in the range of iMacs eligible for the repair extension program. On the bright side it should be fixed by tomorrow but since it's an hour away I'll probably wait until Thursday to go down as I already have the day off. Elah also has no school and her old day care friend, Na'ani, lives next to Small Dog so two birds, one stone...

Updates

I've finished the Simply Marilyn Sweater! OK, that's a lie - I still have to seam it and knit the collar but then I'll be done. There's a seaming class at Kaleidoscope in mid November and if I can avoid the finishing that long I might sign up for it.

I finished the My So Called Scarf and I've made my first cedar sachet.

No pics as of yet since my computer is going to Small Dog today to ask the wizard for a brain but they'll come soon.

On another note, Kaleidoscope Yarns started a blog of their own.

Sell The Ranch

Of course it will never happen but it's still a good idea.

Things

On mondays a woman at work sends out a poem to the entire college. The one this week particularly struck me and I thought I'd share it here.

Hi everyone,

In general, as Americans, we tend to like things. Our stores are filled to the brim, shelves over-flowing with color and variety. Our homes are sometimes so stuffed with objects, we rent space elsewhere to hold it all. However, if you ask people fleeing a storm or fire what they most want to take with them, it is usually the rare thing, something not purchased but passed from person to person--photos, a grandmother's ring, a father's hammer, a child's drawing. And it is not until we lose everything, we sometimes realize the true value of what we have.

This week I offer you a poem about things by Lisel Mueller, who moved to America at the age of 15 when her father was forced to flee the Nazis. Mueller wrote some poetry in college in her second language, English, but it wasn't until she was 29 and lost her mother (who was only 54 when she died) that Mueller really began writing poems. "Once that was unlocked, that need, I knew that that was what I had to do the rest of my life," she said in a 1997 interview (upon receiving the Pulitzer). Hope you enjoy the poem and have a great week!

Things

What happened is, we grew lonely
living among the things,
so we gave the clock a face,
the chair a back,
the table four stout legs
which will never suffer fatigue.

We fitted our shoes with tongues
as smooth as our own
and hung tongues inside bells
so we could listen
to their emotional language,

and because we loved graceful profiles
the pitcher received a lip,
the bottle a long, slender neck.

Even what was beyond us
was recast in our image;
we gave the country a heart,
the storm an eye,
the cave a mouth
so we could pass into safety.

--Lisel Mueller

Remember When?

The featured article at Wikipedia today is all about the Commodore 64! It makes me nostalgic and reminds me how happy I was when we got rid of our old TRS-80 and switched to the C64. The C64 seemed so modern and exciting, now it looks like something from the stone age. I look at my current computer and am so happy I don't have to write anything in BASIC! And don't even get me started about the upgrade to the Amiga, I actually composed music and played it for my class in middle school! *shame* Ironically my dad always had a Mac for work but we had PCs at home. The first Mac he had blew me away with the GUI - so much better than the C64 we had at the time. Damn, I might be a little more of a nerd than I thought, waxing reminiscent about old hardware. I'm going back to work.

Une famille de flics

I was checking out my dad's imdb page to see if his new project was posted (it's not but it's still in preproduction) and decided to look at all the French Canadian alternate titles (because I'm supposed to be doing homework) when I came across Family of Cops. That is quite possibly the funniest French title I've ever seen. Think our local VT cops would care if we called them flics?

:^[

So sad, I've been getting random computer freezes and kernel panics over the past week or so. It took me a long time to figure out exactly what was wrong because I can't find my Tiger DVD and can't use disk utility from the Panther CD. I could however use hardware test and got the following error message when it was scanning mass storage:
2STF / 8 / 3: S-ATA BUS 0-Master
What's that mean? It means I need a new hard drive!

I still believe in the reliability of the Mac but having to replace the hard drive and the power supply in a machine that is less that a year old is testing my faith. Hopefully I'll be able to get it down to Small Dog today I'll probably end up buying another copy of Tiger as well, not terrible since I get the educational discount but not great either.

UPDATE: I talked Small Dog and they can do the repair but not for a week or so. I should be OK, as long as I keep my computer on, don't let the hard drive sleep and turn hiding and magnification off on the dock I can avoid most of the problems...hopefully.

What'd You Call Me?

Yet another quiz. Want to know a secret? The first time I took the test I was acrylic! We can't have that so I went through and re-answered the questions that I was on the fence about - now I'm merino...much better.

You are Merino Wool.
You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to
keep you close because you are so soft-hearted.
You love to be comfortable and warm from your
head to your toes.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

It's Like Crack!

I shouldn't be allowed to go to a tent sale with my checkbook. Behold the damage.

Cedar chips for holiday gifts, tons of Lang baby cotton for hats 'n stuff, a finished hat for Elah, Lang rainbow colored yard (50% wool, 50% acrylic) for an Elah sweater, a moebius wrap thing I bought,Lang Furore in grey and green for a pillow, Berroco Denim Silk to make shopping bags, Berroco Duo (purple and rainbow) for whatever and pink Pronto because Elah loves pink.

I think I may have a problem. I did manage not to buy any yarn and the sheep and wool show but I did get some goat's milk soap and a fingerless mitt pattern. I need a nap.

Damn You iTunes!

Well, I just did some more impulse shopping at iTunes.

Purchased Songs:
Biochemical Equation - MF Doom, RZA & Think Different iTunes
I Hope (Katrina Charity Version) - Dixie Chicks iTunes

Purchased Albums (I know I just dated myself):
Third Degree / Confidence / Global Dynamics EP - Dilated Peoples iTunes
Schla Demos - The Schla La Las iTunes
Essentially Naked - Bif Naked iTunes Amazon
Over and Over - The 88 iTunes Amazon

And this is after I took stuff out of my cart! I still really want to go back and get the Roadrunner Records 25th (iTunes) but I'm trying to pretend like a have a modicum of self control.

Ever notice how my posts seem to get more and more links when I'm supposed to be doing my homework? At least I locked my knitting in my trunk so I couldn't get to it.

Dooced

Remember when Sarah got fired from her job for posting about it on her blog? Who knew that there was actually a term in our vernacular to describe it? I present to you dooced. Man, I love Urban Dictionary.

On an unrelated note it drives me crazy that when I spell check my posts the dictionary that Blogger uses doesn't recognize the word blog.

Fo Shizzle My Nizzle

What, No Steve Jobs?

I found this quiz on Margot's blog and of course had to take it. I actually did it a couple of times to see what other options were out there but I only found Kirk Cameron and John "Uncle Jessie" Stamos. *shiver*

My 80s Heartthrob Is

Bill Gates

Who's Your 80s Heartthrob?

A Girl's Best Friend

I finally started working on the Marilyn sweater this Saturday. I know what the girls over at You Knit What said but I already bought the expensive yarn and have to do it. I may enlist the help of Jess B or the other Emily S to help me rework the collar - I'm thinking a cowl may be more flattering for those of us that can't see their toes.

Progress as of Sunday night? Two sleeves and a cable swatch as I've never knit any cables before.

Bastards

I had to turn on word verification for the comments. I know it's a pain in the ass but if I get one more comment about someone's debt consolidation blog I might scream.

Blech

Bill posted Weirdest Parasite Ever today...thanks a lot, Bill. Of course I had to read the page that he linked (yes it was stomach churning but it was also really interesting) and this particular genius of adaptability caught my eye.

The life cycle of the lancet fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) goes as follows: adults inhabit cows or other grazers, releasing eggs that are spread in manure. When swallowed by scavenging snails, the eggs hatch and the parasites are eventually coughed up by the snail in balls of slime, which are then consumed by ants. Late in the evening as the temperature drops, infected ants experience an uncontrollable urge to wander from their colony, climb a blade of grass and attach to the tip by their jaws. The ants will remain in this position until accidentally eaten by a large, grazing mammal...beginning the cycle again.

The image belongs to these folks.

If You Like Preparedness Holla Back

Disaster . . . it can happen anywhere,
But we've got a few tips, so you can be prepared
For floods, tornadoes, or even a 'quake,
You've got to be ready - so your heart don't break.

Want some more of the FEMA For Kidz Rap? Check-check-check it out here.

Mmmm Nerdy

This pattern post is special for Ami the Red, my mostest favorite science nerd.

DNA Scarf

Stupefied

I know that the whole point over at You Knit What is to point out the horrendous, the ugly, the shameful in fiber but this leaves me absolutely speechless.

Who Am I?

I completely forgot to post my Secret Pal questionnaire to give my pal an idea of who I am and what I like. As a bonus it'll probably get rid of that creepy pic from Germany. If you already know me or just don't care, skip this post.


1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I don't really care what brand it is as long as it doesn't feel like sandpaper against my skin. That being said I do tend to gravitate toward more natural fibers.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
Not yet but I'd love to learn to crochet.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
No

4. How long have you been knitting?
I learned when I was a kid and picked it p for a minute when I was pregnant but didn't become obsessive or really even very interested until about a year ago.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes but I don't think there's anything knitting related on there.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I like lavender, I like Skin Trip coconut lotion because it reminds me of my mom when I was a kid. I tend to like darker scents, sagey, musky (not too musky!), sandalwoody, Nag Champa kind of smells.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yes, I like milk chocolate, almost anything with nuts, good coffee.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Well, after work, parenting, and homework the only DIY thing I can manage is dragging my ass to bed.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like everything, well everything that doesn't suck. But seriously Fear Factor to Common, Amiel to Emmy Lou Harris, Nikka Costa to Super Cat, Miles Davis to Stereolab - I like it all. Yes my computer can play MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Orange is my favorite color but I don't think my own coloring lends to my being able to really wear it. What's the new black this season? Maybe that will be my new favorite! *snark* There aren't really colors I don't like except maybe dusty rose.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm single with a daughter who turns five on 18/9. We have 2 cats only one of which goes outside.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
To be able to take naps, to not get so wrapped up in what I think I'm supposed to be doing that I miss out on my daughter's life, to be a super math nerd.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I don't know that I have a favorite; Lamb's Pride is probably what I use most often. They have some yard made out of bamboo at my LYS that seems soft I may try soon.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Eyelash was fun for a minute but I'm pretty much over that one. I'm not a fan of a lot of acrylic but I have come across yarn that was secretly* acrylic that I liked.

*I would have sworn that the yarn was a natural fiber but it was just undercover.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I've done two first socks and that's going well, winter is creeping up so hats will come back into the mix, I'd like to make a pair of gloves (for the first time) this winter and finally do a whole sweater. I always love to felt.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I don't know

17. What are you knitting right now?
2 scarves, some socks and a hat.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
I prefer wraps but some ponchos are nice.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
It depends on the job.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I use bamboo mostly but I do own both plastic and aluminum.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
Yes

22. How did you learn to knit?
Most recently I bought some books, ask my friend Jessica (who's been knitting since she was 5), and got together for a SnB at my house.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
I have a scarf I work on when I have no other projects, that one is probably 4 or 5 months old.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Hello Kitty is my favorite animated character. My favorite animals are frogs and octopuses (but realistic ones, not cartoony).

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Winter Solstice because we all get together to hang out, open gifts, and eat my mom's yummy grits for breakfast.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
I try not to do a ton of collecting because I have enough stuff but anything that catches my eye has the potential, I like dark woods, boxes, random trinkets from India, and I could go on and on, it's more about the item than the completion of or addition to a collection.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
My friend just got That Darn Yarn from her Secret Pal and it looks great. Last Minute Knitted Gifts looks interesting as does Weekend Knitting. Nicky Epstein seems to have some good books out. I also like the Yarn Girls and while I could go on forever, there's not anything I've been dying to get my hands on.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
Not right now, the internet and one click shopping mean that my impulsiveness take care of that most times.

Gluttony For Knitters & Yarn Hoes

October 1st is a day to indulge!
First the Kaleidoscope Tent Sale from 9-2 Link
Next the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival from 10-5 (10-4 on the 2nd) Link
And to finish off the day, a knitting and pasta potluck at Margot's house!

Thank to Margot for her knitting mania email.

The iTunes 5 Announcement From the Perspective of an Anthropomorphized Brushed Metal User Interface Theme

A very funny post for my Mac nerd friends can be found at Daring Fireball.

Are You Serious?

"Despite this overdependence on Gulf Coast oil, Congress has thus far failed to open other regions of the country to new oil drilling, most notably the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the coast of California." Link
The new justification for drilling in the Arctic? Katrina. The excerpt is from the Human Events Weekly Wrap Up email I get. Before you start, yes I know it's a conservative right-wing organization and yes I intended to get the email regularly - you can't fight something about which you know nothing.
I probably shouldn't be surprised by this new argument for drilling in the arctic but I am. It seems so opportunistic - "Look people are freaked out, sad, overwhelmed and feeling helpless! Let's tell them that drilling in the Arcitc will be doing something positive for their country and all the victims of Katrina. See, they're not helpless." I know I'm over simplifying and that both sides of the aisle are opportunistic but this one just gets my goat (is that how that saying goes?).
Enough bitching for one Monday morning; I don't have to work and I'm going swimming! *brrrr*

We've heard from the bulk of my family and they've successfully made it to my aunt's house in Texas. I'm relieved and happy they're safe but also feeling extremely helpless and frustrated. I thought I was doing alright until I read DanZ's post at candleblog. This quote: The woman sobbed into the camera: "Don't think 'black', don't think 'poor', think 'trapped' ... think 'desperate'!" did me in, I started crying at work and had to take a minute.

What do we do? People at work are taking supplies to be shipped down and at CCV we're trying to collect $30,000 by next Friday. People have been really supportive. I'm totally overwhelmed and exhausted and then I feel like a selfish clod for being so.

My plan tonight is to go home and snuggle with my daughter. It will do her some good too, my 8 weeks were up yesterday and I took Elah with me to donate blood. We ended up being there for 2 hours and she was very patient and sweet. She could use a little relaxing down time.

News From Louisiana

A neighbor of my grandfather's got in touch with an aunt who lives in Texas who got in touch with my stepmother in California and my uncle in New York who both got in touch with me to let me know that my grandpa and the rest of my family are OK.

We originally thought it was only my grandpa and my Aunt Joanne that stayed in Slidell but my Uncle Billy, Aunt Carol, cousin Jennifer and Jennifer's daughter all stayed. According to the neighbor (who had a very bad phone connection and very little time), the house looks salvageable and everyone is alright.

I don't think I realized how tense I was until I knew they were OK. There's still a long road ahead, no electricity for at least 4 weeks, the plumbing's not working, etc. But if I know my granddad he'll stick it out in lieu of taking the easy way out. Hmmm, maybe that's where I get my stubbornness from.

Say What!!??

I hope I never, never, never, never see this product in real life.

link

About Time

As promised here are the pictures of my latest knitting foray.

My 1st sock! Knit with Mountain Colors on 3s.


One of the socks I'm making for Elah; she wanted it to be a short sock and since she's been gone I'm not sure if it actually fits... Knit with Koigu on 2.5s.


The wavy scarf from knitty, I'm about half way done. Knit with Lamb's Pride worsted on 7s.

Many thanks to Ami the Red for refinishing the beautiful wooden platter I used for the backdrop.

Seabee

While looking for a Seabee link to put on Bill's blog I decided to do a web search for seabee and spence. My paternal grandfather, Harry Spence, was a Seabee in WWII and I thought I'd check and see if there was any info out there. I was surprised when I found this page with some of his memories from his time in the Pacific.

My grandpa is the only grandfather I've even known as my mom's father was gone and my stepdad's father had passed by the time I came around. My grandpa and my daughter share the same birthday, September 18, only 78 years apart.

The back says: Harry D Spence
U.S.N.C.B. 76
CO. C Platoon 4
Honolulu, Oahu T.H.
Late 1943

I've always really liked that picture and said so when I was visiting Louisiana, December 2000. My grandpa happened to have an extra print so I got one - it's still one of my favorite family photos.

I'm a Big Fat Liar

I swear those pics are coming soon.

In the mean time I am finishing my semester's coursework and starting my new semester on 6 September. No rest for the weary I guess.

I'm most of the way through a sock for Elah and think I'll have enough yarn for a second pair - maybe enough for me! I'm so afraid of forgetting short rows again that I've been randomly knitting a couple of inches in the round and then throwing on a heel, knitting a couple more inches and throwing on another heel and so on. The finished creation is kinda gross, like some infected, pocketed esophagus or something. No pics of that, I already frogged it.

Secret Pal 6

I signed up for Secret Pal 6! Remember when Margot did Secret Pal 3? I am a tingle with anticipation...

Update

I've finished my Zeeby's Bag. I'm not too keen on it, it's beautiful but I need a bag with more structure. I think I'll give it to my little sister for Solstice this winter.

I'm about half way through the wavy scarf.

And I just have the toe to finish on my first sock, Jess is going to give me the short row refresher on Saturday at our SnB.

I'll try and get some pics up tonight.

I Heart Rove

Looking for the certain something for the special someone? Consider an e-card from this site!

But Will I Get Salmonella?

The days are getting shorter and while I hate to admit it, it's time to think about preparing for the long, cold winter months. Of course you could try and knit something that will keep you warm and, at the same time, remind you of those brief but glorious summer days. That being said, what reminds you of summer more than BBQ and what's better to BBQ than that ol' crowd pleaser chicken?

Interested? Get your pattern here.

Six In One, Half A Dozen In The Other

I read a very interesting editorial in the 28 July Times Argus:

"Because of the Roe decision, states have not been allowed to ban abortions or even to restrict it except in narrowly tailored ways. If Roe were reversed, there would be a rush in many state legislatures to pass laws banning abortion. Republicans would assume the role of moral crusaders, campaigning to take rights away from women, and many women would be driven away from the Republican Party as a result. Democrats would lead the charge in defense of women's rights."

Read more here.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Is it worth giving up the right to choose to get the moral majority out of power positions? Who's to say that rights would be left up to states at all; it's possible that not only would Roe be overturned but that a federal ban would be enacted. On the other hand women of my generation have grown up with the right to choose and have come to expect it. This only breeds apathy and makes it much easier to overturn Roe without the outrage that should accompany such an action.

iCandy

Now I like eye candy as much as the next guy but some people are out of control with 1,800+ icons* to choose from and they're constantly searching for more at places like Pixelgirl Presents or The Iconfactory. That being said I found a hilarious set of icons at Rich's World Industries, below is a preview.

*I myself only have 1,728 icons I've downloaded.

Want to read more?

In Lakoff's view, he continued, American voters are ''redneck, chain-smoking, baby-slapping Christers desperately in need of some gender-free nurturing and political counseling by organic-gardening enthusiasts from Berkeley.''

Still want more? It's here. This article from the Sunday Times Magazine, written by Matt Bai, is quite interesting. It's important to look at many of the questions raised here. Do the Democrats need a new message, new language or both? Some may say we need a message period.

You Can Quote Me

Know what I love? When people litter their blogs with random disconnected quotes. I am, of course, lying. But I recently came across a quote in my wordsmith.org email that I am compelled to share.

The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions. -Robert Lynd, writer (1879-1949)

Wanna know more about him? There's not a ton out there but here are some links:
Amazon
Ulster History Circle
Project Gutenberg

J to the E to the S U S

This has got to be one of the weirdest albums ever...

What I Did On My Summer Vacation or Evil Orb

So my long weekend was extended by a day due to my lack of flexibility. Saturday I went to Indian Brook to go swimming with my friend, Misa. Rather than ask for help I, in my brilliance decided it would be a good idea to apply sunscreen to my back all by myself. Well, I didn't quite get all of it and 3 hours later the evil orb got the best of me.

The next day, back at Indian Brook I actually asked for help applying my sunscreen and wore a t-shirt. Wet t-shirts don't actually offer any protection but I figured it would be good when I was on the raft and the shirt was dry. My genius mind failed to realize that swimming in a t-shirt might rub the sunscreen off. Here's the result of my brilliance...

Isn't it pretty?
Today my choices included strapping a bra across my back, wearing a bathing suit to work under my clothes, letting the girls go free range or taking the day off; I consider it a vacation day well spent.

I also had some quality time with Bill, Emily, Reba and Ron on Saturday and took my daughter and her friend, Awa, to the fireworks Sunday night. Monday was a day just for Elah and me to have some good quality mom and daughter time. I was over it by Tuesday and took her to school so I could get something accomplished on my extra day off.

I'm A Rasterbator...

Two nights ago I discoveredrasterbation and I'm hooked.

The Rasterbator is a means by which you upload an image and it is rasterized, made potentially huge (up to 20 meters) and sent back to you as a pdf. I am obsessed and flooded with ideas. My initial test project was a picture of my daughter for my office wall, observe.

I've found some other rasterbaters as well including this HUGE project and thissweet stand alone, given that your chosen platform works.

Genomic Dub Collective

I love nerds! Meet the Genomic Dub Collective and blending of reggae and science.

Objectives:
To give birth to a new musical genre, Genomic Dub, that:

• engages the interest, quickens the pulse and hi-jacks the brain of the listener.
• encodes biological sequence data into dub music.
• celebrates the achievements of science, particularly in the field of genomics.
• celebrates the lives and works of scientists engaged in biomedical science.
• highlights the common threads that link current scientific and social issues with the past, with a particular emphasis on the lives and works of Erasmus and Charles Darwin, Haile Selassie (Ras Tafari) and their contemporaries.
• explores the interface between science and society.
• brings an appreciation of science to a wider public.
• brings an appreciation of reggae and of Jamaican history and culture to a scientific audience.

IApple

I love Apple. Let me tell you why. As you know my power supply in my iMac G5 died. The good folks at Apple told me that they'd send me a replacement part (which happened to be< customer installable) and it arrived the next day! The power supply consisted of 3 screws and 1 plug; I swapped it out in about 10 minutes. I am so happy to have my computer back!

Help, Computer...

So my iMac G5 died, hence my recent silence. It just started randomly shutting down, sometimes 20 minutes after I started it, sometimes before I even hit the grey screen. After trying the internal power button, resetting the SMU and the PRAM and anything else I and Apple could think of we determined that I need a new power supply. The bad news is that it looks like I am not alone in my experience. The good news is that my iMac did not melt and that the new power supply should be here by Monday. In the mean time I have to schedule extra time at work so I can do my homework.

Congratulations!

A woman in my office just had her second son. I immediately used the opportunity as an excuse to make another knitted card, using some Noro Lily yarn I got on sale at Northeast Fiber Arts in Williston. I'm addicted to them.

His name is pronounced Zavier, not Ex-avier.

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

At Urban Dictionary stormdancer defines a "Hollaback Girl" as such:

It seems as though Ms. Stefani has had some incidents in which another young, presumably female, individual has made some disparaging remarks about her character. Upon learning of the situation, Ms. Stefani is informing this “culprit” that she intends to handle this matter physically. Ms. Stefani’s character is such that she is not the type of person who counters verbal attacks with verbal attacks, or “hollering back.” Using terminology that is commonplace among today’s youth, this is shortened to “hollaback.” Additionally, it appears as though this altercation will take place somewhere near the bleachers.

I Should Be Working

So I’ve become totally enamored of podcasting. I’d poked around in the podcast universe a bit but didn’t really put much effort into finding casts I was interested until Bill and company started doing the Friday Coffeeblog at Radio Bean.

You can find anything and everything in podcast format. I recently found an unofficial tour/walking guide for the MOMA done by Art Mobs. While it’s best to actually be at the museum while listening, it’s still fun to listen to when you’re in VT or wherever you hang your hat. It makes me miss NYC, maybe it’s time for a summer road trip.I also found a flash back in the form of a podcast. I remember my good ol’ nerd insomniac days, listening in to Art Bell talk about aliens, remote viewing and chupacabra. Well now the show is hosted by George Noory and is available via podcast so I can take my ass to bed at a decent hour.Note to self: try not to be so link happy, it’s annoying.

Put Your Needles To Work

While reading Margot’s blog I discovered the Dulaan Project. I may complain about how cold it is here, in VT, but it’s nothing compared to Mongolia. They’re asking for all sizes of warm, knitted items but the need is greatest in for sizes fitting children aged 3-10. This is going to be such a great stash buster; I have a ton of Lamb’s Pride bits and pieces.

Eat Hufu™

Thanks to Ami for bringing this new (or should I say very old and rediscovered) cuisine to my attention.

I don't know what's worse, that people interested so much time and energy into this project, that there's a demand or that they are currently out of stock and all new orders are backordered. The founder of Hufu™ used to be a practicing lawyer. This is the spot where a lawyer joke would be appropriate but it just seems too easy. The biggest question I have is how do they know that Hufu™ tastes like human flesh? Who, exactly, are their taste testers? That very same question is addressed in their FAQs but not, to my tastes (sorry about the pun), satisfactorily.

I understand that it's my cultural identity that make me abhor the thought of consuming human flesh (fake or not) and that in some cultures it is perfectly acceptable but the very idea of this product gives me the heebie jeebies. That's all I want to say about this.

Big surprise, the Iranian government doesn’t like blogs. I read a post about Hossein Derakhshan and his blog in the June 2005 Wired. It seems that in 2001 when the Iranian government closed the doors of 12 newspapers many journalists were left without an audience and many readers without their preferred news source. In 2001 Derakhshan, living in Toronto and missing his Iranian audience, found a way to combine Blogger’s free tools Unicode to display Persian characters. His discovery helped fuel the more than 100,000 blogs in a country with a population of about 5 million. Unfortunately, once the clerics finally figured out what the blogs were and what they meant, they took action. Wired states that, “last June the Iranian judiciary put in place a more sophisticated filtering system that blocks Iranian access to political Web sites and blogs.” Two months later they started interrogating and jailing bloggers, two of whom, Mojtaba Saminejad and Mohammad Reza Nasab Abdolhi, remain in prison.Wow, it’s easy to get steamed up about the censorship issues we face here and it is equally as easy to forget the censorship issues faced in other parts of the world. I found an older, more in depth Wired article as well.

Holey Moley Part Deux

Check out Miss Elah in her spankin' new poncho and matching headband. Enough procrastinating, time to go back to my first sock.

Same old here, work is a little busy because it’s summer registration. Elah’s not home until Saturday and in the good old days I’d be out with my girlfriends but mostly I’ve just been staying at home, catching up on work and knitting. Tonight I’m going to trivia night at a local bar with a friend I never see (we work opposite shifts). When Elah does come home we’ll be going to the nightmarish purgatory known locally as ‘Kids Day.’ weeeeee

It Puts The Lotion On Its Skin!

This is quite possibly the creepiest knits I've ever seen. They are originally from a 1965 McCall's Needlework & Crafts Magazine but I found the pics at Swapatorium. While all disturbing I think the little girl is the creepiest of all.

In The Navy

As promised here are the before and after pictures of Drew's going away present.

Before:


After:


It wasn't all that hard but it was definitely time consuming and I should probably apologize to Helen for giving her a hairy chest. The important thing is Drew loved it and I'm happy to send him off to Chicago with a picture of the admin staff he worked with. I think he loves it even more than the fellowship he got. That's what I'm telling myself...