Bad Romance? November 11, 2009

I usually try to avoid pop culture — especially pop music as much as possible. I LOVE knowing when new movies are coming out and I’ve spent countless Friday nights just watching all the available trailers on Apple.com, but that’s about it. Tonight, someone on my favorite LJ community posted the new Lady Gaga music video. I’ve missed out on most of the Gaga giddiness but for some reason I can’t stop watching this video (most of those 55,000+ views must be mine!).

A few observations:

1. They must have done something to her eyes when she’s in her peach-colored hair incarnation; they’re freakishly huge and it is tripping me out.

2. The white-vinyl-cloaked dancers crawling out of the coffins (spacecraft? rice cookers?) remind me of the bowling alley scenes in Suicide Club. Eeeehhhh.

3. WAS THAT SEAN BEAN?

4. Bondage shoes with gold sequins.

5. I kind of love Lady Gaga now, because I get the distinct feeling that she does not give a sweet shit and is just having fun.

Hmph. November 9, 2009

This semester hasn’t been a fun one. I’ve been sick on and off since the end of August, and I’ve been too busy to really rest and take care of myself. The Poe Conference is over, Rhinebeck is over, and now it’s time to start the holiday/exams panic.

Until I actually have blog content again (which should be tomorrow!), I’m going to steal this quiz from KateOhKatie’s blog.

The Only-One Game

If I could have ONLY ONE shirt, which would it be? My dark green and gold tie-dyed deep v t-shirt from American Apparel.

If I could visit ONLY ONE website, which would it be? Ravelry, obviously! I’d miss LJ and WordPress and Gmail and all the webcomics I love reading…but Ravelry is where it’s at.

If I could have ONLY ONE set of knitting needles, what would it be? I’m tempted to count my Knitpicks Options as a “set”, but I think that would be cheating. In any case, I’ll take my Size 4 29″ Addis. And I’ll probably try to sneak in a set of Size 2 DPNs as “hair accessories”.

If I could eat at ONLY ONE restaurant, which would it be? Zhang’s!! Delicious cheap Chinese. Mmmhmmm.

If I could read ONLY ONE book, which would it be? Jane Eyre. I keep going back to this book, even if I know chunks of it by heart.

If I could watch ONLY ONE DVD, what would it be? Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, extended edition.

If I could own ONLY ONE shawl, which would it be? My Oxblood Laminaria.

If I could order ONLY ONE item from Starbucks, what would it be? Caramel apple cider!

If I could have ONLY ONE piece of jewelry, which would it be? My Celtic knit necklace.

If I could visit ONLY ONE state, which would it be? Maine.

If I could wear ONLY ONE cosmetic, what would it be? Burt’s Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil. I am happily obsessed!

If I could bake ONLY ONE item, what would it be? Chocolate chip cookies!

If I could have ONLY ONE pair of shoes, which would it be? My Lifestride Debuts in black.

That helped to pass the time at work! Now it’s back to counting down the hours — in six of them, I can go home. Sigh.

Small Progress. September 24, 2009

I haven’t been able to do much spinning or knitting lately (I started a sock today on the bus, but yanked it off the needles because the yarn wasn’t the right gauge for my chosen pattern — hard luck!); the usual enemies of work and school have reared their ugly heads. I’m helping to plan a conference for Halloween weekend: Poe and the Writers and Artists of New England. I would link you to the site, but…I haven’t finished it yet. That’s the main job for tonight (thank goodness for Kompozer), and then I can have the weekend free to knit and spin! I may be going over to Fuchsia’s apartment on Sunday for some of that much-needed spinning and knitting, with the added bonus of social interaction.

I went to my parents’ three weeks ago for a long weekend, and spent most of it knitting and watching over-the-top action movies (in one 24-hour period, I watched Predator, Predator 2, The Running Man, and Demolition Man). I guess all the excitement helped my knitting because I finished a record FOUR projects in four days.

I’ve already knit this pattern twice before but it never gets old, and in such a gorgeous yarn, I really didn’t want it to end!

(thanks to my dad for the impromptu photoshoot!)

Pattern: Laminaria from Knitting, Spring 2008.
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Lace in Oxblood, less than 1 skein.
Needles: Size 4 circs (Knitpicks Options — love these needles!)
Mods: I worked two extra repeats of both the Star and Blossom charts on top of making the largest size, and only used a single strand of yarn for the bind-off.
Ravelry Project Page

This yarn bled a bit while it was soaking, but the colors are still lustrous and rich even after two long soaks before blocking. The Madtosh yarns are addictive and I’m slowly buying up all the Oxblood and Silver Fox that I possibly can.

Currently on the needles: the Farmer’s Market Cardigan from the latest Interweave Knits (my Rhinebeck sweater, if I can afford to go!), Mokira, and a pair of knee socks in Madtosh sock yarn. I’ve got some Cormo for my bobbins, and a whole weekend ahead of me. Hurrah!

Spinning! September 17, 2009

It took all the strength in my body not to make a pun of my title, using a certain well-known 80s’ hit single. Whew!

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to take Barbara Parry’s Introduction to Handspinning class at WEBS. I’ve been knitting for five years, and while I’m far from knowing everything there is to know about knitting, I’ve been feeling like all of my projects are a little stale. I felt this way about reading way back in high school: I felt like I was just punching into work every time I opened a book. It had gotten to be the same way with knitting. It’s my hobby and my passion — it shouldn’t be a drag!

What I realize now is that once you read or knit enough, you’re going to feel the need to create your own stories, your own yarn. They’re almost the same thing; yarn is a story that begins with the plant or the animal which is the source of your fiber and ends with you, running it through your fingers and looping it around sticks to make something beautiful. In either case, you start with a lot of raw material and inspiration, and end up with something that will keep you warm and make you think.

The class itself was lovely — Barbara Parry, the instructor, owns Foxfire Fiber and Design up in Shelburne, so she lives and breathes fiber, quite literally! There were seven of us in the class and almost all the other students had previous spinning experience, so I was bottom of the class from the first moment (Remedial Spinner, that’s me). We started out on drop spindles, which was a great way of observing how the twist of the spindle, the size of the whorl, and the fiber all combined to create yarn.

The wheel-spinning was really hard for me. I used a Louet S10 double-treadle wheel for the first day and a combination of not drafting enough (pulling apart the fibers so they don’t simply twist over and over on each other, turning into a thick ropy mess ask me how I know) and not maintaining a consistent treadling speed really set me back. I was grumpy, tense and frustrated through most of the first day. Barbara Parry had to sit with me and treadle while I drafted! So embarrassing — but she’s a wonderful instructor, and so patient.

The second day was much easier; something clicked and I was spinning! Not well, but there I was, making my first real single, which was quickly followed by my first real two-ply:

Leicester/Alpaca Two-Ply

Romney Roving Single

Most of the yarn I’ve made is badly over-twisted; it’s almost completely unspun roving in places, fragile cobweb in others. It’s mine, made with my own hands, with fiber and help from people I now consider friends.

The yarn feels like home.

Money/mouth. September 3, 2009

Michael Vick’s signing with the Eagles has been dissected a thousand different ways online and in person but I think it’s a subject worth revisiting, because it’s highlighted so many issues plaguing professional sports, and the disparity between the crimes committed and the punishment served.

I’m so disgusted by the whole situation that I feel like I need to wash my hands and face whenever I think about it. He may have “paid his debt” to society, but society was not the victim of his abuse. The dogs were. Yes, he paid their medical bills, but the cynical side of me thinks that doing so wasn’t an act of contrition, but an attempt to salvage the tatters of his public image.

I don’t think he’s sorry about what he did. I think he’s sorry he got caught. Sorry that he lost all the privilege and money and the permissive atmosphere that he enjoyed as a star member of the NFL.

Now that he’s signed to a new team, and been welcomed back by many players and fans, he’s got his dream back. He’s got all the privilege and money and fame that comes with his position, and I don’t doubt that the temptations will reappear.

I’m pretty grossed out by the idea that my favorite professors and that really awesome police officer who responded when my apartment was broken into are struggling with debt, while this overgrown thug gets millions of dollars even after he’s proven he has no concept of empathy. It’s a problem with pro sports in general — they’re all overpaid, underworked, and too many of them have violent offenses on their records. Here’s my idea: if you’re convicted of a violent felony, you don’t play pro sports again. They may be talented, but playing at the pro level is a privilege, not a right.

I refuse to support a business that lets men like Ray Lewis or Michael Vick continue to play. As of last week, I started boycotting as many Philly Eagles sponsor companies as I could, and I will not buy from them as long as doing so means that a single cent could be going into his paycheck. That means no more hot chocolate from Dunkin’ Donuts after work, no more late-night Taco Bell runs, no more Pepsi products. I’ve let the companies know why I’m no longer going to be using their products, and that I’m encouraging everyone I know to do the same.

I won’t support a business that forgives violent crimes in light of superior physical ability. It’s a short leap from hurting animals to hurting people, and there are already too many players who have gone that far.

ANGST. August 4, 2009

Things I Wish I Was Doing Right Now:
1. Knitting.
2. Untangling that gorgeous skein of Madtosh lace in Oxblood.
3. Making grilled cheese.
4. Breathing through my nose.
5. Taking a walk.

Things I Am Doing Right Now:
1. Getting yelled at by a client who thinks I am the physics department. I am not.
2. Counting down the minutes to my lunch break.
3. Designing a beret pattern.
4. Trying to ignore the sunny day outside.
5. Wondering how Tumblarity works.

It’s only Tuesday, and already a client has called me an idiot and a bitch. Things are looking grim in Mudville.

Toe-Up Pomatomus Pattern. May 30, 2009

I know I’m not the first person to make them, but I wanted to share my pattern notes for my Toe-Up Pomatomus socks. I cobbled them together from lots of different sources, and now it’s one of my my go-to sock patterns. Enjoy!

Toe-Up Pomatomus

I began with a provisional cast-on (using the directions found at Knitting at Knoon (http://www.knittingatknoon.com/provisional.html). I started with 36 stitches (half the number needed for the foot of the sock), and using the short-row method, decreased to 12 stitches.

Here’s how I worked the short-row toe (instructions taken from Wendy’s Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern, found here.

1. Knit 36 stitches. Move the working yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Turn your work.
2. Slip the first, unworked, stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Purl the next stitch (you will have wrapped that first stitch around its base with the working yarn) and purl across to the last stitch. Move the working yarn as if to knit and slip last stitch. Turn.
3. Slip the first stitch and knit across to the last stitch before the unworked stitch. Wrap and turn.
4. Slip the first stitch and purl across to the stitch before the unworked stitch. Wrap and turn.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you’ve decreased to the desired stitch width of your toe – I decreased to 12 stitches. Want a wider toe? Don’t knit as many short rows. A narrower toe’s more your style? Knit a few more!

To finish working the toe and to create the little “pouch” for your toes, follow these steps (also taken from Wendy’s Generic Toe-Up pattern):

1. Knit across the 14 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.
2. Slip the first (double-wrapped) stitch and purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.

Continue working these two rows till you’ve increased back to 36 stitches across.

Now you’ll need to unzip that provisional cast-on and pick up those held 36 stitches. I recommend picking up each stitch individually first, instead of unzipping the entire row – it’s painstaking, but much better than trying to pick up dropped stitches. Make sure both your needles are pointing in the same direction if you’re using Magic Loop.

Next row, knit around the entire row to join the sides together. You’re now ready to begin the pattern!

On the 36 instep stitches, work Rows 1-22 of Chart B twice, then Rows 1-11 once more (knit the 36 sole stitches). I have a size 8.5 US foot, so you can adjust the pattern to fit your foot. The nice thing is that you can try the sock on as you knit – so you can stop at whatever row you’d like. Work till you’re two inches away from your heel. You’ll now work a short-row heel using the 36 sole stitches.

It’s easy to work a short-row heel – just follow the directions for making a short-row toe. Work as many rows as you want, depending on how wide or narrow you want your heel to be.

When you’ve worked all stitches and you have 72 live stitches once more, join for working in the round and continue with wherever you left off on Chart B – for example, if you stopped on Row 11 of Chart B, start with Row 12, working around on all 72 stitches.

If you stopped working on Row 22 of a repeat, begin your ankle stitches with Row 1 of Chart A. You’ll work the pattern repeat 6 times each row.

Work Rows 1-22 of Chart A for the desired number of chart repeats, until the sock ankle is the length you’d like. I knit two full repeats of Chart A for my sock ankle.

Next, work an inch of twisted rib – knit 1 tbl, purl 1, rep till end.

Finish with Russian Bind-Off:

1. Purl the first two stitches together.
2. Loosen the stitch.
3. Move the stitch from your right needle back to your left needle and purl the next two stitches together.
4. Repeat Steps 1-4 to end.

Weave in ends; block lightly if you’d like.

I’ve used Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino for every pair of Pomatomus (Pomatomi? Hm.) that I’ve knit. It’s slightly thicker than your average sock yarn — almost a light fingering weight — but I love the smooth hand and drape when knitting KPPPM with size 2 needles. I use Magic Loop when knitting from the toe-up, but you can easily adapt the pattern to use DPNs or two circs — whatever your preference!

Happy knitting.

50 Word Wednesday. May 28, 2009

The tongue forgets last. It sketches summers of blackberry bushes and ocean water you weren’t supposed to swallow. It’s memorized winters of bleak days broken only by the hope of a drop of jam. Most of all, it remembers the feeling of your mouth, soft and sad, like a peach.

Fifteen minutes goes by fast on the Internet. May 27, 2009

I’m so used to getting no hits on my blog that it was quite a shock when I checked my stats today to see this:

Eighteen views! I spent a few minutes wondering what I had done to get so much attention, and then I remembered that I had left a rather steamed (and possibly slightly sanctimonious, I admit it) comment on Pharyngula’s blog after another one of his patented attacks on religion. Aaah, so his angry hordes of godless heathens came stomping over here to attack me (all eighteen of them)!

All kidding aside, I respect his right to be an atheist, and I agree with many of his issues with religion, especially of the organized variety. It’s too often used as a divisive tool, or a weapon, or a way of keeping people from making educated, autonomous decisions about how they want to live their lives. I take issue with his high-handed attitude toward religion in general — that it’s all bad, all lies, all smoke-and-mirrors. Intolerance isn’t just a trademark of organized religion. Hmph.

However, now I know what to do whenever I want more blog hits.

May 13, 2009

I don’t know what is it about this song/video, but I’m dropping tears into tissues as I write.