Slowest Knitter in the World

Being the slowest knitter on earth (yes, I know others are vying for this title, but you will just have to trust me on this), I am still plugging away, half-heartedly, on my knitting KAL project: pirate queen's booty bag. I have recently finished the base! (see what I mean? slow as molasses) As I am also vying for the title of shortest attention span knitter, it has gotten very hard to keep plugging away on this sloooow project. Which is also plugging up all the future projects still jumping around with enthusiasm in my brain. On the other hand, this is the first year I've been knitting year round successfully, so I gotta give myself some kudos...

Speaking of distractions, however, working on opening my own Etsy store called Wabbicats. All is ready, except for the stock, of course. Other life concerns are dragging me away from (hopefully) profitable beading. One of those being a new fascination with iPods and their innards. Recently bought and fixed a broken one, resold it for 100% markup on Ebay. Have 3 more broken ones on order and I hope to have as much luck with them as my first. Feels so good to be an Ebay seller!

Bunny news: happy bunnies! Ms. Brown Ears (Star) is pen bound and getting a bit down, but still flippy earred and boingy when Mom comes home and offers cuddles. Licorice is the happiest I have seen him in a long time. He dances, he hops back and forth over his cardboard tunnel, he nose bonks, snuffles, and nibbles at my ankles before darting away flicking his flirty ears. What a happy boy! Star's shed is finally slowing down, so she's not my little hedgehog anymore. She's very glad I've stopped calling her that, I can tell you. You'd never guess these two are 7 years old.

Harry Potter Contest

My new favorite place to craft and hang out is the marvelous Instructables where you can learn anything from making a coffee table aquarium to picking locks to building a functioning grenade. Sounds scary, but I've seen the most amazing things there. I am so hooked.

I'm also going to enter their Harry Potter craft contest in the hopes of winning a t-shirt (with the robot logo) and a Hogwarts Plaque engraved with my name, close up detail below.

I'll post the project link before the deadline, July 25th. I'd sure appreciate your votes. Haven't decided between the HP themed shrinky dink earrings or the felted wand cozy, but am leaning toward the wand cozy. It just looks so gorgeous. I'll let you know.

In the meantime, I have the Harry Potter movie and the big bash Deathly Hallows Ball at Borders to go to. The night of the 20th is going to be very full evening for me and yes, of course, I'll be in costume. Let's hope the last book isn't really the end. I've already had to bid goodbye to Stargate SG-1 this year... It's not so bad if new things come to take old things' place but there seems to be a dearth of good stuff of late and I have to wait til 2008 before the next season of Torchwood starts up. As my friend Patricia would say, Waaaaahhhhh.

Buns & Projects Update

I feel bad that I haven't shared bunny news in so long. Star is currently unhappy about being in her pen 24/7 but until we can ensure she doesn't have access to the cat food while on runtime, in her pen she will have to stay. Yup, Ms Bossy Doe has a thing for 82% meat kitty food that is SCARY if you ask me. It's like a cow munching on a chicken--so very wrong. I have tried various creative means to keep the two separate but she has found a way around every clever idea I've come up with. The easiest thing would be to put the kitty food on a higher level but the cats can't jump up anywhere anymore. At the moment, my frustrated Star is only getting short bouts of supervised run time while her ex and current nemesis Licorice enjoys almost complete free roam status. Lotta jealousy there, I can tell you. The only reason I can come up with for Star's continued evil genius pursuit of the cat food is that she's pretty convinced she's a cat. Poor girl has grown up with and been the dominant of 4 cats her whole life, so I guess I can't blame her. Licorice has no such delusions and probably doesn't care what he is, as long as he continues to be his Momma's cuddle lump.

In other news, I'm still plugging away unhappily on the Pirate Queen's Booty Bag for my friend Renee. It has no hope of being done in a week, for her birthday. If I hadn't had that month delay due to the yarn shipment being lost, I'd be done... ah well. I've got another idea to make up for the lack which she'll like equally as well.

My lovely shawl languishes, only a ball away from completetion, but I did make some lovely stitch markers to match the counting row bracelet (see pics in the 7/2/07 post). Currently, I realize I need another container to port around my knitting to and from work. The shawl is in a small bright orange bag I got at Phoenix Rising (Harry Potter Con in New Orleans) and the Booty Bag is in a large Yarn Tainers, but it's gotten to a size and length that the Yarn Tainers can't do an adequate job. Am I the only knitter in the world without a proper knitting tote? Probably. Looking to get one off of cafe press or Etsy, but I might make my own to match my knitting pirate shirt that says "yarn aquisitions specialist" under a Jolly Roger (with knitting needles instead of bones).

Meet Shaun the Sheep

For those of you who aren't lucky enough to live in the UK (or are avid torrent users like me) you probably won't have heard of Shaun the Sheep. From Nick Park (of Wallace and Grommit fame), Shaun is the newest project of the Aardman Group, stop motion animators extraordinare!

Shaun is a sheep unlike other sheep, who rarely follows the crowd, is smarter than he should be, and often drags his flock into fantastic adventures. Like ordering pizza or playing soccer or just fighting off the depredations of the farm's biggest stinkers: the trio of very naughty pigs. But don't take my word for how hysterical the series is. Watch a few clips.

Timmy is the baby of the flock and isn't always as sweet as he looks.


Sometimes adventure turns out to be part of daily life on the farm. Bath time isn't nearly as fun when the hot water's on the fritz.



And remember those pigs? They really are stinkers, especially when they conspire to keep the sheep away from the apple tree. Shaun is not going to take this laying down and Bugs Bunny type mischief occurs.



Watch a full length episode of Shaun on YouTube called "Off the Baa.." The sheep discover soccer and the pigs try to ruin their fun.

Knitting Tools and PMS

Some of us get cranky. Some get horrific cramps. A friend of mine does a fair imitation of a comatose bear trying to hibernate for the winter (you know who you are). And me--most times I am the picture of laid back and relaxed. Don't kill me because I have it easy, ladies. Do notice I said "most times". I get the occasional nasty acne flair up, bloating, and don't-touch-me irritability. And once in a truly great while, the dreaded lower back pain that is immune to every pain reliever and comfy chair in existence. But lately, I wonder if I've found a new symptom... knitting tool obsession.

Maybe it's PMS that's driving me, forcing me to shop on Etsy for hours on end when I should be sleeping. Or maybe I'm just crazy. Case in point: a new contraption they call a Counting Row Bracelet aka Abacus Bracelet. It's a way to keep track of what row or pattern repeat you're on without using one of those dopey click contraptions or relying on pen and paper. (Personally, I've always been a pen and paper, cross off or X thru those rows, kinda knitter. It's comforting. But hey, maybe I gotta get with the times, right?) Besides, what if you lose or leave the pen and paper at home?

How it works: the bracelet has two strands of 10 beads each. They're usually differentiated by size, though I've seen ones that do it by color, too. If the smaller set of beads represents 1 row (or repeat) for each bead, then the larger beads represent 10 rows/repeats per bead. When you finish off a unit, you slide a bead to one side. A circle of tiny beads called a stopper makes sure the bead you slid (and it's fellows) stays put and doesn't mix with the unused ones. You see why another name for it is the Abacus Bracelet, right? Same principle.

When I first saw one of these on Etsy and figured out how it worked, I wanted to know how it was constructed. Once I figured that out, I was hot to make one of my own. Happily, I also have a big tote of beads and supplies left over from my sporadic beading habit that I could pull out and pore over, so I didn't need to delay the project to get supplies. Using up my bead stash also made me feel very VIRTUOUS, even though I was supposed to be sleeping so I wouldn't fall asleep during work that night. Funny how a virtue always seems to be a vice when you look at it from all angles. Anywho, this is what I came up with--and I'm very proud of it:
Unfortunately, now that I've made it, I no longer want one of these things. I really love my pen and paper method. It's much more satisfying and tangible. A pity, since the bracelet is gorgeous. I've been fondling it lovingly for a couple of days now. I should have taken a pic of it being held up to the light. The way light hits it and goes through it--these pics hardly touch on its beauty. I should use the beads I have left over to make earrings, I think. So lovely. Check out these details:

And have I learned my obsession lesson, yet? About living with an idea before diving in and committing creation? Nope. Never. Not me. I feel another project itch coming on, even now.

Shawl Progress and Pattern

As you can see, Waves on the Beach is coming along nicely. And, I found my card reader (hooray!), so I can show off my knitting again. This is the most yarn intensive project I've ever undertaken (6 balls) and I can't help but wonder, what am I going to do when I move on to sweaters? One step at a time, I guess, for this attention-span-challenged knitter. Here's another, closer, view of the shawl-in-progress, followed by the pattern (in case anyone's interested--it's pretty standard and easy to do):

Waves on the Beach

YARN : MicroSpun (Lion Brand Yarns) in Lilac 15 ozs; 1008 yds; 6 balls

NEEDLES : US 7 straight or circular (shown on Inox greys)

GAGE : 4" = 22 sts/24 rows

FINISHED SIZE : 24" x 60", unblocked

* like in scarves, gage isn't terribly critical, as long as you match your yarn with your needle to get the length and width you want *

PATTERN : multiple of 18 sts + 6

R 1 : Ktbl all

R 2 : Ktbl 3, P to last 3 sts, Ktbl 3

R 3 : Ktbl 3, *(K2togtbl) 3x's, (yo, Ktbl) 6x's, (K2togtbl) 3x's, repeat from * to last 3 sts, Ktbl 3

R 4 : Ktbl all

CO 132 sts. Work 84 pattern repeats or until shawl is desired length.

Ktbl -- Knit through the back loop to form a twisted knit stitch

K2togtbl -- Knit 2 stitches together through the back loop to form a twisted decrease stitch

This is an easy beginning lace version of Feather and Fan stitch even novice knitters can do. If you use acrylic yarn, blocking will not dramatically change the look of the shawl as it will if you use wool, cotton, silk, or alpaca yarn. I've noticed the MicroSpun develops a haze fairly quickly, so if you aren't allergic to wool, mohair, or alpaca like I am, I suggest substituting one of these natural fiber yarns instead. Since this was my first lace project (and one I might still give away), I found MicroSpun to be easiest on my pocketbook (at $2.49 a skein at my local JoAnns, it still beats even KnitPicks cheapest Merino DK weight)

Always Reliable

I love KnitPicks. I'm always surprised when I meet people who haven't heard of them and I have a moment of indecision: do I share or not? Call me indoctrinated or overly cautious, but I tend to keep my secrets to myself. Because if large numbers suddenly went where I go for yarn, I would no longer be the one to find the bargains. Or worse. The place would change, catering to the vapid vagaries of the majority (who have more credit cards than I do). I hate competition. Too much work.

Knitting isn't a competition. Stretching my measly dollars to stay in practice without going bankrupt, well, that's another story. But being the generally enlightened person that I am (who has a hard time keeping anything to myself, anyway) I share. KnitPicks is great.

Not just great. Superb. I will expain. I had a project. Well, hoping I still have a project for a friend who doesn't know the amazing thing she will be eventually getting as soon as my yarn arrives to start said project (now I'm starting to sound like the Jack Sparrow of knitting bloggers). I ordered this yarn at the end of May and I'm well aware that impatience is my middle name. Still, after almost 2 weeks, I called to check on my order status. Tracking number in hand--provided by a cheerful KnitPicks CSR--I found out my yarn had made it as far as Atlanta. But no farther. There it sat and numerous calls to the USPS (both local branch and national help line) could not explain why it was still sitting in Atlanta. The heat? Doing some sightseeing? Had a run in with an exuberent cat? What could my yarn be doing for 10 days in some USPS wharehouse? The people at USPS didn't know, didn't appreciate my possible explanations, and wouldn't go investigate or liberate my yarn, either. Poor, lonely, incarcerated package of possibility. Now it will just be gathering dust and obscurity.

Happily, the good folks at KnitPicks said "no problem, we'll just mail you a replacement". How awesome is that? They could have forced me to fight it out with the Atlanta USPS office or even shook their heads and called it an act of god. But no, they took care of me. And, indirectly, my friend who will eventually be getting the very awesome thing the yarn will be becoming (sorry, channeling Sparrow is addicting). And let's not forget the fate of my very first KAL experience, which hinges on getting that yarn!

Yay for KnitPicks! I was good, too. I didn't tell them in exact detail how excited I get when another of their catalogues comes in the mail, how dog eared, read, and re-read it gets, either. Some things are too embarrassing to share. Like yarn orgasms. But that's for another post.

It's No Secret

My friends all know I watch a lot of movies. In fact, I can hear them giggling in the background even now because they think "alot" is a gross understatement. I am constantly in search of stuff to watch and if I had to rely only on the usual methods (ie movie theatres, cable, and Blockbuster) I'd be in serious trouble.

How do I have all this free time? It's not free time. Just a large amount of downtime at work, and a handy laptop.

I may also be the slowest knitter in the world, but at least I have worked out how to watch videos while knitting. Now, when I actually shell out the bucks for the occasional theatre experience, I feel my hands twitching, wondering why they aren't dully occupied with yarn (knitting in the dark remains unconquered territory, for now).

So, occasionally, tv and video stuff is going to come up on this blog. Sometimes rather obscure stuff, as I've recently started aquiring tv shows from Britain to watch (having gone through all the good stuff here). Case in point. If you've never come across Prime Suspect, with Helen Mirren, you have not lived a full life. The series has 7 parts, each comprised of a two hour story on 2 CD's. I'm still searching for PS-6 "The Last Witness" which I've only seen half of, dealing with the murder and "secret lives" of Bosnian refugees in London.

Helen Mirren plays DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) Jane Tennyson, a late 40's career policewoman who is always being crushed between the brutality of her job and the burned out SOB coppers working for her (and against her) . But whatever praise I might give the series here, it will be too little. It's rare that I see stories of this caliber anywhere and Helen Mirren, well, this is why an actor of her caliber chose to do these on again, off again tv specials. I'm just finishing up #7, Jane's last case before retirement, and can't wait to get back to the screen to see what happens.

So, on that note, the shawl and I (up to Pattern Repeat 50 out of 84) are getting back to it. Do whatever you have to, to see Prime Suspect. It's worth it, if for nothing else than seeing a 40's-50's career woman who is not poshly dressed and coiffed to within an inch of her life, trying to retain what it means to be female after decades of bleakness, male shite, and various addictive, coping behaviors.

Totally coincidentally, Jane looks just like my Mom. They share a lot of the same expressions, presence, and grimness of gaze (no other way to describe that). This series was produced long after my mom died, but I think she would have been deeply connected and moved by Jane.

Project Hoarding

My first shawl, Waves on the Beach, is past the half way point at last. Tonight, I'm on Pattern Repeat 45 (out of 84) and near the beginning of my 4th ball of yarn (2 more to go). I'd have pics to share, except that my dear father has lost my card reader and until I can replace it, I can't upload anything. Did I mention my camera cable is also MIA? Yes, the only thing I can reliably find on a regular basis is yarn. And let's not go into the list of seen once and not for a long time since knitting needles...

But if I can't share a photo, I can at least paint an image with words. 30" wide unblocked, it stretches from my neck down to and just past my wrist. Both short ends are scalloped, the long edges straight and bordered with 3 knit stitches. When finished, it will stretch the length of my outstretched arms, fingertips to fingertips. Maybe longer after it's blocked. The color is a pewter/periwinkle shade of blue, the same color as the smoke drifting down the moutainside at dusk, in ethereal waves. The lace pattern is basic, a twisted stitch version of feather and fan knit with sport weight, microfiber yarn on INOX #7's. It has a more substantial feel compared to the usual gossamer feel of lace but not so much that it would weigh a person down. It's also quite warm and since I work inside a freezer here (not literally, but most nights it feels like), the warmth is appreciated.

The only sticky bit is who gets it when I'm done. I have been waffling back and forth since I started the project. On one hand, I want to give it to my friend Danielle. I originally chose the color and yarn for her. But after so much work and time, I find that I've become loathe to part with it. In the same way that a dragon hoards its gold, I wrap it around me while I knit and every night, I see the thing as mine more and more. I swear I just started out with string and sticks and have no idea where this baby came from..

It's hard being a yarn dragon. But we are what we are.

And since I'm falling asleep over typing this, I'd better get back to work and hunt up some espresso.

My First Knit-A-Long

Yaaarrrrrn Ahoy! I've started my very first KAL!

Join me in Crafster's Forum as we knit an item even the scaliest of scalawags can use: a bag for ya booty! Meet under the sign of the Pirate Queen's Booty Bag (and be quiet about it, now, you never know who might be listenin' in)

Why Knit?

While perusing the knitting themed offerings at CafePress tonight, I got to thinking about the many reasons we knitters chose to take up (and still continue) the craft. Some of us do it for companionship, as part of a circle of other women joined by yarn, two sticks, and a lot of shared history. Purl Girls. Sisters of the Sticks.

A related phenomenon are the punk knitters, the wielders of girl power and crafty feminism, who dare to flaunt a traditional hobby and make it their own. These are the rocket chicks with green streaks in their hair, piercings, tattoos, and black shirts with pink skulls over crossed knitting needles. You go girls; I wish I had your courage.

Then there are the craftsters, who grew up making something, anything, every minute of the day. They keep the sheep and shear in season, grow the plants they crush for dye, card, comb, and spin the yarn and never step foot in Michaels or JoAnn's. What would be the point? They are the uberwomen. And they usually scare the rest of us who look on at what they do in awe.

I could go on about the types of knitters that I know or have met and meet every day and never touch all the subgroups, accidents, and mundane reasons for why we do what we do. But it's worth thinking on, sometimes.

I think I was born with the need to make things. If my mother hadn't spent so much of herself in battles with depression, I probably would be one of those shearer spinner types by now. It would have made her happy. But I inherited her depression and my Dad's ADHD, and I've had lots of battles of my own. I've never been able to avoid the need to make things and have tried most crafts known to man with varying levels of interest and success. But when I finally got to the point where I started working on and understanding my inheritance of mental illness, I picked knitting as something I wanted to learn and pursue.

I started knitting like some people start meditation, knowing it was hopeless but determined to try. Even though I often have the attention span of a squirrel and lack a certain dexterity that most folks are born with, I looked at pictures on the Internet and muddled my way through my first scarf. A Harry Potter scarf, if I remember right.

The idea behind this madness made sense to me at the time. Knitting, I thought, was repetetive and tedious, and projects took forever. I was quite sure I'd never last beyond the basic techniques. I could barely figure out how to cast on. And holy cow, how my hands would hurt, my wrists ache, and my fingers knot up if I knit for very long. But I kept at it because repetetive and tedious were things I despised and desperately needed. Knitting, I believed, could teach me patience and the ability to see the long term.

It's been five years and I'm thankful to be past the hated, endless scarf stage. I also told my therapist last week that knitting has saved my life. Whenever I get so upset I feel like I'm going to die or things look so bleak it's hard to grope for hope in a better future, I have my knitting to melt the tempest of thoughts from my head. Repetetive hands work soothing patterns and something slowly beautiful is born. I can look back and remember when all I could do was knit and purl and fumble through casting on. Now I can knit in the round and on dpn's, have learned several ways to cast on (and off), have made hats and mittens and stuffed toys, and am working on my first lace project.

Knitting teaches me what I yearned for most, and more. It shows me that change is not only possible for others, it's also possible for me. Joy, happiness, and peace is not just a future dream but a simple thing in easy reach. It doesn't require big, impossible gestures but tiny stitches that make ripples, spread in moments, and become potent daily doses of hope.

And hey, don't get me started on the positive benefits of yarn fondling. That's a post for another day.

Jack's Back!

'Nuff said.

Mystery Project

I've decided to try double knitting a reversible bag, with an intarsia insert, and then felt the whole thing. Yes, this is tatamount to knitting suicide. Why is it I always try to learn new techniques by jumping feet first over my head into an uber project of impossible difficulty? I can't help it. I see something, I want it, and if it's impossibly hard, then I want it even more.

I'm sure this says something psychologically bad about my personality or childhood. But a friend has promised to be truly impressed if I pull this off and, well, I'm owed. I've started her on some craft once too often and she's pulled off something I can't do weeks later. That just sucks. I hate being pushed off the top of the totem pole.

See? Something psychologically bad... Ah well.

I'll keep y'all updated with the progress of this impossible mystery project.

New Orleans and the French Quarter

Though not related to buns OR knitting, I just have to share some photos of my recent trip to New Orleans. I wasn't prepared for how lovely the French Quarter was, or just how yummy and addictive beignets could be. Cafe du Monde was one of the highlights of our trip. Special thanks to my fellow traveler and dear friend Patricia, the eye behind the camera and the composer of these lovely pics.

We took the Riverwalk Street Car along the Mississippi after stopping for our daily dose of beignets (fresh fried donuts with lots of powdered sugar) and frozen cafe late. The weather was spectacular, warm, clear, and spring like with fresh breezes off the water.

One of my favorite sights: Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. And see, I'm even wearing flipflops. A pity I couldn't sample all the flavors here, but I did bring back a souvenir mug.

Along Chartres street, several blocks from the hotel, we stopped for lunch at a little cafe. Patricia tried the Crab and Corn Bisque and pronounced it excellent. I was busy downing more iced coffee. New Orleanites love their coffee (and so do I!)

We stopped to browse through a labrynth of antiques and other strange things in this treasure shop at the end of Decatur, two blocks from Margaritaville. It was full of jumbled heaps of odds and ends, some priceless, some just odd. Lots of vintage clothing, costumes, and mardi gras mementos of times past. We ooo'ed and ahhh'ed over a set of pink depression glass cups, carved ivory ornaments, fantastical ironwork creatures, and jewelry we couldn't afford. Wish we'd had more time to explore the entire contents, but we starving and trying to find our restaurant. Turns out that Tipitinas is only a music revue these days and doesn't serve dinner.

Though we were never able to make time for a carriage tour of the French Quarter, we did linger in the cool shade of historic Jackson Square. Some of the oldest (and surely the most picturesque) buildings in the city line this square named after Andrew Jackson. While Patricia took lots of photos of the ironwork and lovely house facades, I marveled at the ancient trees that have survived all sorts of wars and hurricanes and city renovations. Shading a variety of lunch goers, itinierant street musicians, amateur artists, mimes, and flocks of tarot card readers, the trees cannot be overlooked or ignored, an integral part of the city's historic legacy.

Conference Wrap-up

Back from the Big Easy, I already miss the whirlwind of parties, lectures, and late night craziness that was this year's Harry Potter Con: Phoenix Rising 2007. My fellow green lanyard wearing, rowdy bunch of outgoing ladies known as Zodico, came in third place in the House Cup competition. Rats! We'll get those Lumiens next year! But despite such a devastating loss, I had the best time! And did I mention I survived the Dueling? Even managed to get my target on the last day, quite by accident, with only a finger available to manage the right swish for the fenix spell. I'd make a very bad wizard, leaving my wand upstairs in my room all the time.

Patricia loved her felted wand cozy. It was shown off all weekend and got lots of admiration. Not bad for my first attempt at felting. It would have been a less than stellar attempt, I might add, if John hadn't made use of the industrial dryers at work. At 200-some degrees, that wool didn't have a choice about felting. Can't wait to get a picture of it from Patricia, so I can show it off to y'all.

It's got to be some law of the universe that, no matter what the circumstance, knitters will naturally gravitate to one another. Or, as Patricia pointed out, sit and knit and other knitters will start popping out of the woodwork. And so they did. I didn't get to schmooze with my fellow fiber lovers as much as I wanted, but I did manage to fit a visit to a local yarn shop in my plans. Patricia was amazed that I left the store without buying anything. Just goes to prove, I can practice restraint once in awhile. I just don't usually choose to

As soon as I get the rest of the pictures from the Masquerade Ball, I'll be posting a few here. Patricia went as a Cornish Pixie and I was a Woodland Fairy. That was the idea, anyway. Thanks to family bungling, I was wingless. Someone sent my (expensive) beautiful green moth wings back to the company I'd bought them from. After many tears, panic, and a few angry words, I made do without and the result was still fabulous. Maybe even more so. I twisted some silk ivy leaves and craft flowers into a hair wreath wound with pale green ribbon. The leftovers adorned the bodice of my forest green fairy dress. Thanks to a borrowed marker and an hour of artistry from Patricia, I had a swarm of ivy growing up my legs. Would have inked my arms as well, but we ran out of time. Still, it looked way cool. The both of us looked way cool. People were taking pictures of us the whole night and we got lots of complements. It was very morale boosting--can't wait to show the pictures we took, of us and all the amazing costumes surrounding us. It was three hours of dancing (yup, you heard it right, I was out there dancing) bolstered by only a single glass of rum and coke. Lots and lots of fun and totally worth all the anticipation.

Not everything was fun and games... ok, maybe it was. But I learned a lot more than I thought I would, from the excellent presentations and lectures from fans and academics. Some of the best (IMHO) included:

• Harry on the Couch: A Psychologist’s Reading of Harry Potter (Erikson’s theory of psycho-social development, augmented by Freud's id, ego, and superego--as applied to most of the major heros and villains in Rowlings' series. Very illuminating)
• The Hero’s Journey (I took notes til my hands hurt. Joseph Campbell and a list of other literary-mythic theorists. My writing will definitely benefit from this lecture!)
• Of Horcruxes, Arithmancy, Etymology and Egyptology: A Literary Detective’s Guide to Patterns and Paradigms in Harry Potter (by far the most impressively researched and put together lecture. I was deeply impressed and that's hard to do. Wish I'd come up with half of what Hilary did.)
• Midwifing the Muse (a panel on beta readers--attracting, keeping, and how to become one. There's now an official certification for betas, how bizarre is that? Fascinating discussion of authorship and when editing becomes collaboration)
• Slash: What Is It and Why Do You Write It? (Patricia went to this and reported back. I could devote a whole page to discussing the bizarre contradictions of this incredibly popular genre, and this answered a lot of my questions and theories)
• In Search of the Fanged Plot Bunny: Generating Ideas for Fan and Original Fiction (writers are all too familiar with plot bunnies. Jennifer Racek was nice enough to talk shop with me after and introduced me to her fav writing software.)
• Rising Above Situational Ethics: Raising Phoenixes in a World of Crows (Piaget and Kohlberg's stages of moral development. Gina Burkart teaches Eng and Creative Writing at the U of Iowa where she's also a doctoral student. We exchanged emails and I look forward to reading her thesis-in-progress. We think alike--scary.)
• Witch Weakly (roundtable discussion on feminism and the role of women in Rowlings' novels. Kinda scary to see how 3 different generations interpret the feminism movement both in the US and the UK.)
• “Yes, but the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters.” (how bad are the bad guys, how good the good guys, and--continuing a discussion raised in Gina Burkart's lecture--where should the line be drawn in "the end justifies the means")

All good things come to an end, and now I'm back home, getting back to real life. And back to knitting again. Still working on my twisted stitch version of a wavy fan patterned shawl I'm thinking of calling Waves On A Beach. It's my first major project, that is, the first project to use a ton of yarn--6 balls. When finished, it will be just about as long as I am tall (60") and two feet wide. The yarn is a pettably soft Lavender Blue and I've gotten a lot of complements on the shawl so far, even though it's only a third completed. It's certainly a great, though unintended, conversation piece that attracts a lot of strangers--many of whom are knitters themselves. Pictures in the next day or so.

Crazy Ambitious

I want this!

I especially want this in time for my trip to Phoenix Rising (Harry Potter conference in N'Orleans) but I know that's unrealistic in the extreme. Still, I finally found a pattern I want to make for myself. This is stunning and I'd like to add tiny silver bells at the bottom of each point on the hem--which I want to make longer. I don't have a trim enough tummy area to carry off a crop top. I like the dark brown but am thinking about this in a moss green instead. Oh, I will feel like a fairytale princess in this. I'm salivating already.

Ever Happen To You?

Have real life responsibilities ever kept you from knitting as much as you wanted? Me too! Wish there was a product that could help? Me too! But there isn't. Sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere for your infomertial. This, my friends, is an upcoming whine and pity party. Prepare yourselves.

I have a lovely pair of summer socks on my needles (still undecided as to the lucky recipient), using a new groovy yarn called Wick, made from soy, in scumptious handpaint denim colors. AND I have a pair of older women staying at my hotel who are anxiously checking the progress of said socks every night. The pressure, the pressure!! And the bad news? I'm having a hard time holding my needles, much less getting stitches right. Why, you may ask? !@&*!% porch floor.

Like the unfortunate man in the picture, I have been spending my spare (ha ha) time and giving up well deserved sleep time working on my porch floor. Floor which is soon to be my Dad's floor, not mine, I might add. Floor that should have been done loooong ago. But no, the wonderful man who installed the carpet (yes my dears, that IS sarcasm you're sensing), that bleepity bleep handiman decided to glue the carpet to the subfloor. Not just around the edges like he was supposed to, but THE ENTIRE FLOOR. So I am suffering, me and my teeny tiny little pallette knife, to rip up 300 square feet of carpet. And then, even more blood sweat and tears, to scrape up every last bit of cream colored padding.

This was supposed to be finished yesterday. As usual, the magnitude of the job was underestimated by me. I know this is par for the course for me, being ADD as I am, but I swear I was thinking realistically this time. I swear! But two hours of work got me 1/3 of the carpet ripped up and a strip of scraped floor 1 foot by 5 foot. I had to quit after that because I could no longer hold my scraper. My poor fingers weren't gripping anything very well and both hands were shaking. Let's not go into the shape my knees were in, either. I quit for the day, completely depressed and overwhelmed, at least looking forward to 2 hours of nap before work. But my muscles continued to shake and shiver like I had the beginnings of the flu. I dozed a bit, but that's all.

And that brings me back to being at work, chatting with the sock knitting fascinated women, and trying to hide my poor uncoordinated hands. Sigh. Did I mention this is the 4th time around for these socks? I've tried 3 other patterns that didn't end up looking good, worked up too small, or too big, and had to be ripped out after 20 rounds. Poor yarn. I'm not all that excited with the present pattern, but I'll be darned if I'm going to rip out another pair. For better or for worse, these socks are going to be made!

But probably not in the next few days. The laminate floor installer comes tomorrow to look over the site. I am going straight from work to the porch and my scraper. I hope I don't kill myself or fall fast asleep in the middle of a pile of carpet pad scrapings (nasty stuff) face down on the half scraped floor. The job seems endless! Dad has promised to help but I don't how we are going to finish today. And that doesn't even leave room for the primer. Quite a few cat "accidents" have to be sealed into the subfloor using Zinnsser's Bin Primer and Sealer. I've been told the stuff stinks so bad you will pray for death. So the cats will have to be moved out of the house while we do this. Don't know how this will all be done by Wednesday, when my Uncle arrives and I have to move out of his place and back into my own until the first week in May. Nothing like unrealistic but set in stone deadlines to make a girl cry.

So that's why knitting news will be slim for a week or so. And that's my whine. I hope everyone pities me. I'll be the girl popping Advil and moaning about socks I could knitting. Oh Regia, oh Opal, wherefore art thou lovely Koigu? My heart yearns after thy colors as my soul jumbles knits and purls into patterns of loveliness and longing...

Hey, I saw you throw that tomato! I know where you live!

Long Overdue Pics

Margaux's Hat is finally ready to show off (though in real life, still have a few ends to weave in). La Petite Soeur means "the little sister" and will match her "big" sister Miri's shirt. Though it looks very orange in the picture, the hat is actually a pale coral pink. I'm currently finishing stuffing and putting together her little matching stuffed bunny. She will be one lucky, coordinated little angel.

Hyeran's Noro Silk Garden Beanie. Of course, now that spring has come, she'll probably have to wait til next fall/winter to use it. Sigh. Typical of me. Procastination, they middle name is... er, my middle name is... eegad, you know what I mean.

Licorice stuffed bunny is on hold on my 6 dpns while I frantically work to knit a pair of socks in 3 days, in time for Beth's birthday on Friday. And Dad is pestering me to "get going!" on my housework. Sigh. A knitter's time is never her own (thank heavens I can knit at work).

I Want That!

Is this little guy not the cutest, ever? I have been busy shopping online, looking for yarn with which to "clone" my two buns with this pattern. I might even be persuaded to make one in grey for Patricia. Her Smokey is definitely a cuddle bun, but sometimes it's nice to have a "spare" to cuddle who won't get moody and run away (or demand a pile of raisins as a bribe!)

But first, little Margaux's baby pink bunny stuffie... Body is done, both arms are done, and one leg is only a few rows away. Must go buy stuffing for it today so I can start the head. I will post pics of it and her matching baby hat later today/tomorrow as soon as the camera batteries are charged up.

G'day!

My Mastercard Commercial

Dinner with Dad--$30; Extra gas for taking his "shortcuts"--$10; looking pathetic and getting him to buy me 3 books of my choice--PRICELESS.

I try to refrain from teasing my dear friend Patricia who enjoys reading books about knitting more than she enjoys knitting. Me, I read only what I have to, so I can get to the actual knitting part. Call me excessively result driven, but I don't enjoy the mechanics of figuring out patterns. Probably because I'm not yet a true intermediate knitter, with enough knowledge under my belt to combat my fear of the "what the heck does that mean? Oh crap, I better pick something else to do."

So how do I explain buying a knitting book without any patterns?

Can I whine and say Patricia's been after me to read this forever?

Ok, ok, I've fallen under the Pearl-McPhee sway. She's funny, she's useful, and she reminds me that though I think I am the only knitter in a 200 mile radius--I'm not. Lots of people are yarn-a-holics. We just try to keep that fact hidden. And that's not so bad. Now if only the book will share some tips for foisting off more of my knitting on hapless friends (insert EVIL LAUGH here).

Now that I have had the book for all of 3 hours, I have already forced my poor co-worker--a guy, who does not knit or have any desire to learn to knit--to listen to me read far too many pages of this book aloud. He passed the polite laughing stage about 4 exerpts ago and I think, in the interest of my own continued health and employment, should put the book down now.

I will leave you with an exerpt (you think John should be the only one to suffer?):

"if you have to share space with a non-knitter, it's important to fully discover his or her hobbies. You're going to need ammunition when he or she finds out about the little accident you had when the yarn factory had a close-out sale." --- pg. 28

So true.

Queen Bee's (scary) New Antics

My beloved Bossy Doe never seeks to amaze and, occasionally, frighten me. She and Peter, my Dad's little lop, have been carrying on a subtle war of intimidation for a week now, mostly through the closed sliding glass doors to the porch. Today, the doors were open but territorial division was safely maintained by a wire mesh grill. So the subtle war lost a lot of its subtlety.

I have been talking to each bun about their relationship, hoping to have some effect. I had just finished explaining to Pete that he didn't have to join the Queen Bee's harem, but he should at least show respect. She is, after all, capable of ripping his cute little ears off if he thumbs his nose at her once too often (theoretically anyway). Perhaps this show of solidarity with Star was a mistake. Right after I said this, I noticed a big spider crawling up the edge of the glass door, 2 feet from Star's nose. I didn't even have time to screech and jump back. Ms. Bossy Doe stretches her neck, lick lick lick, as dainty as you please, and Big Bad Spider goes down the hatch into the bunny tummy.

I was stunned. Pete was stunned. Pete immediately retreated to his nap spot. Star just looked at me as if to say, "Well then, point taken."

Gah! She's so cute and adorably cuddly and has me totally wrapped around her paw. Has she been watching too much Sopranos? Nope. This is who she is. She turns me into a puddle of lovey goo one moment then cold bloodedly murders innocent bugs the next. Just so we don't forget how far she will go to keep her position as Queen Bee.

Ah well. I hate spiders anyway.

Noro Fun (and sun!)

After a brief seasonal show (snow and temps in the teens) we are back on track toward an early spring. Dad swears the crocuses are already up in places, can you believe it? And today we saw our first Robin, back from wintering in the far south and demanding to know why we have no seed in our feeders. I guess I'm still on Yankee time, though. Feels like I went straight from late November to mid-April and totally missed a real winter. If this continues, my knitting's going to slow down and grind to a halt in another month or so. Who can knit in spring and summer? Knitting is such a comfy, nesting, fall kind of habit for me. But this year, I'm gonna give it my all in trying to knit the whole year round.

Hoping this one skein beanie hat will be a quick project. So far, the world's slowest knitter (yes, that would be me) has done all this in merely a day's worth of knitting. In a week, if all goes well, it will be ready to ship off to my sister-in-law, Hyeran, in NYC. I hope she likes it. I've been dying to play a bit with Noro Silk Garden. All the color fabulousness of Noro but gentler than the Kureyon (a concern for me--allergic to wool--it even irritates my finger pads while knitting, making it hard to do for more than a few minutes at a time).

The only strange thing I have to report is several burs I had to pull out of the yarn, little sharp sticker like things. Evidence of wool not carefully carded, maybe. I found the first one by pricking my finger while purling a stitch--ow! Have pulled out about 7 of them now and about a third through the skein. Anyone else encounter this?