I thought I was back but I wasn't. Now--I swear--I am really back.
Lot's of work--lot's of knitting. Am taking a page from the Yarn Harlot and have planted a sock on my desk. Not much done yet but it is so nice to pick up and stroke when I have writer's block or I get a really annoying email. Started my favorite baby sweater for my cousin's delicious little son. I made him one when he was born and he and his mom love it. It's really a great pattern. A friend photo copied it for me from a magazine about 15 years ago and I have made a ton of them. It's a basic baby raglan cardigan that you can adjust by a few stitches to add cables, patterns, color--whatever you want. I'll post a photo when I have more than the ribbing done.
Spent the weekend at the local Country Fair (which may sound like an oxymoron in Yonkers but it's a lot of fun). I am one of the chairs of the Food Court which means that right now I smell like Sausage and Peppers with a side of fries. Very attractive. Luckily Boy is away right now so I can spend a leisurely hour taking a hot, hot, hot shower and then going to bed.
My girlfriends from high school and I are going to see Paolo Nutini next weekend. He is so hot and I love his album but I can't seem to stop referring to him as "that cute Scottish jailbait". It should be an interesting evening.
P.S. If you haven't heard his album yet--check it out. It's reall good.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Finally Back!
I gave up. I caved. It finally happened.
I went out and bought a new computer. I was supposed to take Granny's old one. It worked fine and I figured I was doing my part for the world by recycling it but then it totally crapped out on me the very next day.
So I caved in and bought a new computer. And I am truly, madly and deeply in love with it. It is tiny! It fits right on top of my desk. It does everything.
Isn't she cute? I put the sunglasses on top of it for context. It fits in my knitting bag.
Had a lovely rainy morning with Pop's sweater. It's from 2006 Holiday Interweave in lovely dark green. I think he's going to like it although I hope to God it fits!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
10 People I Wish Were Still Alive
So I was in the car last night listening to the radio and I realized how much I truly miss Freddy Mercury. I know that may sound odd--I'm totally okay with that--but I was really touched by his music when I was young.
So it got me to thinking about the people that I miss. I'm not going to do all 10 at once because I'm really not sure who they all are yet. But I know who a few of them are.
So without further ado!
Number 1--Obviously, since this is a knitting blog, Elizabeth Zimmerman. But even more than the knitting thing, I just loved her. I was in fourth grade when I got my copy of Knitting Without Tears. I don't know if it was given to me or to my mom or to my grandmother or really where it came from but it was in the house one day and I fell truly, madly and deeply in love. I wanted to learn how to knit so badly but knitting with the yarn in my right hand is so odd and awkward to me. She was the first grown up that ever said to me--do it the way that it feels good to you. I was nine years old and some stranger who had written a knitting book completely set a course for me. I never had to do things the way other people did just for the sake of being the same again. And I think it has made my life oh so very interesting.
She was also the first person who I ever read (and I was and still am an avid reader) who wrote like they spoke. I've noticed that there are certain words that people use when they are either a: writing or b: not a native English speaker. Perhaps is one of them. Most people don't speak the word perhaps. Anyway, it was the first time I actually heard a voice in my mind while I was reading. This woman was in my fourth grade classroom with me chatting away.
Poetry is meant to be spoken and because of Elizabeth Zimmerman I was able to hear the voice of the writer the first time I read real poetry. Imagine that.
I still have my copy of Knitting Without Tears. As I said, I don't know how it got into my hands but I know that I claimed it immediately.
I wrote my name in it in my fourth-grade-just-learned-script handwriting and I cherish it to this day.
So it got me to thinking about the people that I miss. I'm not going to do all 10 at once because I'm really not sure who they all are yet. But I know who a few of them are.
So without further ado!
Number 1--Obviously, since this is a knitting blog, Elizabeth Zimmerman. But even more than the knitting thing, I just loved her. I was in fourth grade when I got my copy of Knitting Without Tears. I don't know if it was given to me or to my mom or to my grandmother or really where it came from but it was in the house one day and I fell truly, madly and deeply in love. I wanted to learn how to knit so badly but knitting with the yarn in my right hand is so odd and awkward to me. She was the first grown up that ever said to me--do it the way that it feels good to you. I was nine years old and some stranger who had written a knitting book completely set a course for me. I never had to do things the way other people did just for the sake of being the same again. And I think it has made my life oh so very interesting.
She was also the first person who I ever read (and I was and still am an avid reader) who wrote like they spoke. I've noticed that there are certain words that people use when they are either a: writing or b: not a native English speaker. Perhaps is one of them. Most people don't speak the word perhaps. Anyway, it was the first time I actually heard a voice in my mind while I was reading. This woman was in my fourth grade classroom with me chatting away.
Poetry is meant to be spoken and because of Elizabeth Zimmerman I was able to hear the voice of the writer the first time I read real poetry. Imagine that.
I still have my copy of Knitting Without Tears. As I said, I don't know how it got into my hands but I know that I claimed it immediately.
I wrote my name in it in my fourth-grade-just-learned-script handwriting and I cherish it to this day.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
I'm torn
It's very hard to be both insulted and empowered at the same time. I am sitting here watching the U.S. Open. I have to put the caveat out that I am not a sports person. Never have been. I totally faked it when I was a kid. I ran track (hated it). Played basketball (sucked at it). Went to football games (cute guys--I could handle that). However, I am a fan of sports and I will watch any game even if I don't understand it.
That said.
I am watching the tennis matches because I have a reason to for work (I won't bore you with it). The guys take medical time outs. They get testy. They play a decent game.
Tonight the girls are on. And I call them girls in the best sense of the word. The commentators have talked about their games and their strength and their skill. But they also talk about their outfits, their hair, their relationships and their jewelry. At first I was insulted.
But then I became empowered. Guess what--relationships are important. Justine and Serena are much more than just tennis players. They are human beings with lives beyond the tennis courts. And those lovely lives should be honored. Personality is important. So Serena's dress is by Nike. Those earrings on the other hand are totally, 100% Serena. She is true to herself in the work that she does and how she presents herself. And those commentators better talk about it dammit. She works too hard.
It would be very clique to say that the guys couldn't play a good game of Monopoly if they had to do it with a skirt on and a pair of boobs but, truth be told, they probably couldn't. Women atheletes are a different breed. They make it work. They make it happen. And they make me really proud.
I will be wearing a long pair of silver earrings to work tomorrow in honor of Serena. I don't care if she wins.
That said.
I am watching the tennis matches because I have a reason to for work (I won't bore you with it). The guys take medical time outs. They get testy. They play a decent game.
Tonight the girls are on. And I call them girls in the best sense of the word. The commentators have talked about their games and their strength and their skill. But they also talk about their outfits, their hair, their relationships and their jewelry. At first I was insulted.
But then I became empowered. Guess what--relationships are important. Justine and Serena are much more than just tennis players. They are human beings with lives beyond the tennis courts. And those lovely lives should be honored. Personality is important. So Serena's dress is by Nike. Those earrings on the other hand are totally, 100% Serena. She is true to herself in the work that she does and how she presents herself. And those commentators better talk about it dammit. She works too hard.
It would be very clique to say that the guys couldn't play a good game of Monopoly if they had to do it with a skirt on and a pair of boobs but, truth be told, they probably couldn't. Women atheletes are a different breed. They make it work. They make it happen. And they make me really proud.
I will be wearing a long pair of silver earrings to work tomorrow in honor of Serena. I don't care if she wins.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Ripping Mad and Ripping Back
I was only five rows into the Ogee Skirt from Summer Interweave Knits when I made some ridiculous big mistake. Can't figure out what I did so I am ripping it all out and starting over. I'll bring it down to the pool today and let it enjoy the sunshine.
I have to make two of them--one for Bratty Gurl and one for her cousin in Ireland. They are very stylish girls the two of them and they'll be the hit of the high school in this one!
Lucky for some nasty guy that I didn't have knitting needles with me last night or I might be blogging from jail! Boy and I went out for a cocktail and a game of pool or two and this creep and his wife were hanging out in our favorite little watering hole. Creepo was wearing--are you ready for this--a nazi t-shirt! I was ripping mad! This is a grown man who you think would have evolved beyond bigotry by now but clearly not. Creepo asked Boy if he wanted to play pool and of course Boy said yes because he loves to play pool and I am really bad at it. I almost choked because I had seen the shirt but, clearly, Boy had not. Well about half way through the game, Boy noticed the t-shirt and I saw the look on his face. Not good.
Anyway, Creepo really thought he was going to win. He was down to the eight ball and Boy still had three balls on the table and I was on the edge of my seat because there was no way Boy was going to let Creepo win and guess what happened.
Creepo missed! Hurray!
Boy stood there looking at his remaining balls and I saw this little smile creep across his face. Boy cleared the table and won! And then guess what he did?
Creepo had bet him a drink on the game and Boy turned around and gave it to the handicapped black man sitting at the bar next to him. I couldn't help myself--I kissed him right there in the middle of the bar! (And it was a big "you won one for all the little guys" kiss.)
Of course then Creepo's wife thought she was going to start with me so I stood right back up to her (which made her really testy) and then I went outside and said 10 Hail Marys to calm down.
I can honestly say I have never been prouder of Boy nor have I ever gotten so excited about a pool game. It felt like a the balance between good and bad energy had tipped drastically to the good and I was so happy to be there for it.
It was a good, good night!
I have to make two of them--one for Bratty Gurl and one for her cousin in Ireland. They are very stylish girls the two of them and they'll be the hit of the high school in this one!
Lucky for some nasty guy that I didn't have knitting needles with me last night or I might be blogging from jail! Boy and I went out for a cocktail and a game of pool or two and this creep and his wife were hanging out in our favorite little watering hole. Creepo was wearing--are you ready for this--a nazi t-shirt! I was ripping mad! This is a grown man who you think would have evolved beyond bigotry by now but clearly not. Creepo asked Boy if he wanted to play pool and of course Boy said yes because he loves to play pool and I am really bad at it. I almost choked because I had seen the shirt but, clearly, Boy had not. Well about half way through the game, Boy noticed the t-shirt and I saw the look on his face. Not good.
Anyway, Creepo really thought he was going to win. He was down to the eight ball and Boy still had three balls on the table and I was on the edge of my seat because there was no way Boy was going to let Creepo win and guess what happened.
Creepo missed! Hurray!
Boy stood there looking at his remaining balls and I saw this little smile creep across his face. Boy cleared the table and won! And then guess what he did?
Creepo had bet him a drink on the game and Boy turned around and gave it to the handicapped black man sitting at the bar next to him. I couldn't help myself--I kissed him right there in the middle of the bar! (And it was a big "you won one for all the little guys" kiss.)
Of course then Creepo's wife thought she was going to start with me so I stood right back up to her (which made her really testy) and then I went outside and said 10 Hail Marys to calm down.
I can honestly say I have never been prouder of Boy nor have I ever gotten so excited about a pool game. It felt like a the balance between good and bad energy had tipped drastically to the good and I was so happy to be there for it.
It was a good, good night!
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