The Japanese Wedding

Man we have so many photos. I've got weeks of blog material here. And we haven't even gotten to Tokyo yet.

Anyhoo here are more photos from the wedding. It was a Western affair in a chapel at the St Valetine's Hotel in Sakuto. The chapel sits at the top of the hill, and they ring the chapel bells everytime someone gets married. I imagine that makes the town a bit festive. I can imagine Japanese families, hanging out in their courtyards, tending to their gardens and hearing the bell ring.

That's the cool thing about Japanese homes, outside of the urban areas, nearly every home has a garden, a very well-tended garden. It made me feel like a lazy Westerner. I certainly have the backyard to have my own garden, but can I be bothered to get my hands dirty?

No, it would take away from my knitting. Sigh.

And I know myself well enough that I am incapable of managing a garden. I'm too inconsistant. I'll forget to water the plants or I'll water them too much.

I'd rather cook the food. I'm willing to bet that my husband would be the better gardener.

Anyhoo onto the wedding photos, thank you for your patience on the random gardening rant.


The father and the bride. Sister in law was already tearing up. She looked so happy.


The father gives the bride away then the groom mets the bride and escorts her to the alter.


It was so cute.



They each take a glass of what I think is supposed to be wine. The whole ceremony was in Japanese so I'm unsure exactly what this is supposed to represent.


Here they were reading their vows in unison.


Here they each had a candle, which they used together to light one candle.


Here my brother is signing the vows.



Sister in law signing the vows.


Surprise! I'm in the wedding, I get to sign the vows as a witness. I was very honored.


Here is my "I don't know what I'm doing, I hope this is ok" bow


Then they show everyone that the vows have been signed.


Grandpa read a small speech.


Then the wedding ceremony was finished.


We threw origami cranes at the couple as they came down the aisle.


All the guests lined up outside to await the married couple. They gave us rose petals to toss.


That's my sister in law's mother, sister, and grandfather. The sister was my co-witness. She's very sweet.


The wedded couple appears at the door. To the left is the bell cord, which they rang to announce their wedding.


Those are my sister in law's auntie, uncle and super cute cousins. They can't wait to toss the rose petals.


There's nothing better or more beautiful at a wedding than the tossing of rose petals. It was the favorite part of my wedding too.


They stopped at midway down the stairs and we didn't know why, but then there was a pop!


And some balloons were released into the air.

They really know how to put on a good show! It was a wonderful, heartfelt ceremony and we had a wonderful time.

Next time: The reception. Can you say impromptu karaoke???

Why Yes I Did Go To Japan, I Have The Jet Lag To Show For It.

And all these crazy photos.
We were in Japan for a wedding and we're so thrilled to have a Japanese wing to our family. I can't imagine anyone more welcoming and eager to show us a good time. I can't wait for the in-laws to come to San Francisco and show them around. The visit to Japan to their hometown really cemented us as a family and I hope to see them again soon.

So on to the photos:

So here's me at the Shizutani School.


After visiting the school, we went back to the in-laws for a phenomenal Japanese feast. It was such an honor to get to have such a meal in a Japanese home. It made us feel so welcome!

The house had a tatami mat dining room. A shrine is also kept in the room. There was something like 20 people in there!


Here's a photo of the food, platters like this were up and down the table. I've never seen so much sushi! And the grandma made special rice balls, with beans that are only made for special occasions.


My favorite Japanese tradition is how people pour drinks. You are never supposed to pour your own beverage. You pour other people drinks and then they pour one for you. It's a very social tradition. People come and visit you from the other end of the table to pour you a drink. It is warm and festive.




My sister in law Erina to the right and her mother on the left and sister in the middle. Such a beautiful family!


These are my brothers with Erina's grandparents and great Auntie. So cute!!!


Me with my cousin Sharon, I think you can see the family resemblence!


That's my brother Victor on the right and Sharon's husband Brandon on the left. Victor would like you to know that Brandon smells.


Just in case you forgot we were there for a wedding, and here's a preview of the photos:





Here's our knitting content for the day: I made that lacy shruggy thing from the Lace Style book, with Goddess Carmen, 100% cotton. It was yummy to work with and was perfect for the wedding, though I didn't know that it was preferable to wear conservative black. I understand why. In American culture, you don't wear white to compete with the bride. You don't wear black because it's a bit funeral-y. But in Japan you don't wear color because the bride wears such a colorful kimono that you don't want to compete, not that my dress in any way could compete with such a beautiful kimono, but wearing more sublte tones makes the bride stand out even more. You know, FYI incase you ever attend a Japanese wedding.


more photos to come!

GG

Unemployed? Maybe Not Much Longer.

It's Friday and I'm finally over the jet lag. Jeeeeez. My sleeping pattern has been awful! It's a good thing I'm unemployed or I probably would have gotten fired by whatever employment I had.

Anyhoo there is a possible job on the horizon. I interviewed yesterday and it went well. I have another interview on Monday. It's for a pretty big corporation and I've never worked in corporate so I'm a little worried that the position might be a bit much for me. However, there's the possibility that this could be the perfect full-time position for me. My coworkers would be around my age, it's all stuff that's within my skill set, there's a huge training program to make sure you have all the right information, and it's a corporation that has a really good reputation for taking care of it's employees.

The only down side is that I would have to work longer hours and thus lose lots of time writing my book. But on the other hand I would be making good money working for a good company.

Can you tell that I'm trying to psyche myself up for this?

Everyone I know that I've told about this job opportunity has been confused because I've actually been looking for a part time job so I can write the book.

I like the idea of working part-time, but not so much the idea of not making a lot of money, and smelling like coffee, or breaking my back in retail, or running into people I used to work with and serving them coffee, explaining that no, I'm not a mcjob loser I'm actually spending all my free time writing a book. And then get that doubtful look from them like "good luck weird knitter girl".

Ah pride. Is it really that important?

Now these obnoxious self help maxims keep floating around my head, like we create our own barriers to success or the harder path yields the most opportunities.

There's the distinct possibility that if I take the safe job option with the groovy corporation that I would be repeating the same mistake I've been making for the last 5 years and end up unhappy in the end, again.

However the difference between this time and last is that I actually have a palpable goal that I can achieve. The thing is that I'm afraid to fail. I'm afraid that I'm going to write this book and no one is going to be interested in it and that I'm going to waste all my time. I'm afraid that I'm not ready to write this book. But that's all bullshit, if you pardon my french.

Because if you're a Dune reader like I am you know that fear is the mind killer.

And if you look at my choices just through that lens, the clear choice is to find a part time job and write the book.

Well at least I am presented with 2 good choices. It's a win win really, either I take a good job, or I work on the book. It's nothing life threatening. At least the difference in the past five years is that there really is something I love to do, that I'm naturally good at, that brings me mountains of joy.

speaking of joy: please visit my friend Knitabulous at Pick Up Sticks. She just awarded me a prize for being her 50,000th visitor. I've mentioned her before because she is an AMAZING lace knitter. Seeing as my first attempt at micro lace was an unmitigated distaster (I blame the stitch markers) I am in awe of her work.

Also I want to post more Japan photos so be on the lookout for that.

GG

Et-Jay Ag-Lay

I am awake at 6:56 am.

The only possible reason for this is jet lag. We got home from Japan on Saturday morning. I didn't get to sleep until 5am Sunday morning and slept until 4:30 in the afternoon. It was one of those sleeps where you close your eyes and open them again thinking it's only been 30 minutes, but actually it's been 12 hours. I was back in bed reading by 6:30pm that same night, but I couldn't even handle reading and fell asleep again until 9:30pm. That's 15 hours of sleep. Crikey. Thus I haven't been able to sleep at all for the rest of last night and I'm up at 7am blogging.

Japan was great. There's too much to tell so I'll just say it with photos.

This Australian is very happy to learn that you can drink beer in train stations and that beer is available in vending machines.


Mr G crusing the Osaka streets, little does he know that we're a block away from the love-hotel district...


My first Japanese meal in Japan. It was sashimi on the 27th floor of some swanky department store in Osaka.


Mr. G getting used to our new living arrangements in back country Japan:


Just a sample of some of the yummy food we had in Japan. Most of the restaurants/Japanese people we came across were surprised that we
a) could use chopsticks
and
b) liked raw fish
We went to a Japanese sushi feast at my brother's in laws house and they had a bunch of fried foods as well as sashimi and nigiri and they were all shocked that we went for the raw fish instead of the fried foods!!!



Here is my sister in law in her kimono. The day before the wedding she had to visit her neighbors to inform them of her impending marriage.




The in-laws took us to see the local sights, including an example of an old house, with these interesting medievel like carved stones:





Ladies and gentlemen, my husband:


.. country road, take me home, country road....


These are photos of the Shizutani Buddhist School up in the hills of Okayama Prefecture... it's a beautiful retreat. It was the site of the first school in Japan meant for the general population and not for the upper class elite.





There were a bunch of school children there for a field trip.


Apparently they thought Mr. G was a rock star:


more photos later...

need to make some coffee.

Oh and be on the lookout, I need to weed out my yarn stash so stay tuned for a destash sale, including some yarns from Rowan, Crystal Palace, Goddess Yarns, and maybe some GGH...

GG

TCGIACG World Edition

Writing to you from Okayama Japan!!!

Ive been in japan for nearly a week and we finally found....

A YARN SHOP!!!!!

Unfortunately for me, i:m out of yen and the banks are closed so I was only able to buy one lonely ball of mohair, but it was one of the most beautiful balls of variegated mohair Ive seen.

photos will come eventually. probably sometime in June.

It:s been a crazy week in japan. I:m surprised how with my little bit of japanese language I an accomplish a little bit of communicating.

We spent a few days in the mountains above Okayama City in Mimasaka City, Aida, Sakuto. We stayed in a few ryokan (traditional Japanese hotels). It was out of this world strange and took a little getting used to.

We:ve spent the last day or two in Okayama City where we went to Korakuen and Okayama-jo. Did a little shopping around here, but everything:s rather expensive. That didn:t stop me from buying a few pieces of the local bizenware.

Im really looking forward to Tokyo i think that:s where I:m goign to find the strange bizarre stuff that everyone talks about in Japan.

So far the most bizarre thing has been Mr. G, who bought himself a hat. Unbeknownst to him, the hat was the traditional grandma hat. You go to a department store and there are 100s of versions of this one bucket hat and they:re all for grandmas. So I:ve been walking around with Mr. G wearing this hat and getting laughs all around town.

I thought he looked a little like Jamiroquai, but the locals kept saying *Johnny Depp* and I realized that Luke resembled Johnny Depp from his Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas days....

Im marrried to the Aussie Hunter S Thompson...

GG

The next time we come, it will probably be all the rage.

Good Day Sunshine

The Socal weather is finally here. The sun is out and I've had to break out the flip flops.

I took a stroll down Main Street in Santa Monica. It's not Haight Street in SF. My only complaint about LA is that it's at the end of two extremes. Shopping areas are either brand name shopping malls or shopping districts of inconsistent shops spread over many blocks. Main street was the latter, with most shops either hit or miss. It's a whole lot of walking. Perhaps I wasn't in the shopping mood.

The only store that spoke to me was the MOCA shop where I found some nifty cards and some socks. Almost everything in the store made me think of my friends beergeek and Izzy. And it's funny because Izzy once lived in LA and hated it.

I got really hungry and I walked into not 1, but 2 casual cafes and neither of them were too quick about the service so I left. I eventually found a cute little diner and it was worth the extra walking. I had a yummy lunch at Joe's Diner where I encountered Titch, an Australian expat wearing a Boston Red Sock hat. He's been living in the states for the last 20 years and switches his accent back and forth between American and Australian. I had a delicious taco salad, and the service was entertaining and prompt. The dinner menu looks tasty (and half the price of the swankier joints on the street) so I'll probably go back.

In the end I shouldn't be surprised to meet an Aussie in this neck of the woods. Santa Monica reminds me of some of the beach front cities and towns of Australia. The weather is similar, but the beaches are better in Australia (they're pretty hard to beat!)

So today I was a traveller and not a tourist, which you will understand if you've read the yarn harlot's latest book.

GG

A Glimpse At A Past Life

A long time ago in a land far away I was a film geek. I would watch 2 to 3 films a day, upto if not more than 8 films a week. Nothing made me feel more alive than movies. To this day one of my favorite things in the entire universe is to cry at the movies. More often than not, I am crying in pure joy, happy to have experieneced something in film that mirrors my life in such a way that it makes me feel that there's a kindred spirit in the world and that I am not alone.

When I was a film geek, I felt destined to go to LA and try my hand at the film industry. I got a BA in film, had a small portfolio of crappy student films and a few feeble attempts at screenwriting.

But then I met my husband to be when I was least expecting it and I ended up with him and not going to LA. I feel no regrets about this. One of my favorite things about life is how it often takes totally unexpected paths. If I truly wanted to be in LA, I would have ended up in LA.

But tonight I experienced what life might have been like had I chosen that path. One of my best friends celebrated her new job, a position that moves her to the next step of what turns out to be a career.

Instead of retreating to my hotel room after dinner, I felt inspired to go out, maybe it was that tasty cosmopolitan I had with dinner. So I hopped in a cab and met my friends at the Pig and Whistle in Hollywood. It was like a huge film school party, except that I didn't know anyone. I had a pear cider and became nostalgic for college. This is funny because I suddenly have as much freedom as I did when I was in college, not having a job and all. And it made me realize that I am as happy now as I was in the zenith of my years at university.

Anyway, as it is in LA, the main topic of conversation; especially for someone new to the group, is the discussion of what one does. And it was rather liberating to announce that I am writing a knitting book. Of course knitting to these people is about as ambitious as say breeding children or maintaining a house. And the puzzled faces of the group made me long for a group of knitters who would all nod their heads enthusiastically and offer to knit samples for me.

However I was reminded that there was a time when I used to read scripts and write script notes so I'm going to try that again and maybe do some script reading this week whilst in la la land. Lord knows after those cab fares I could use the cash.

This is all so darned therapuetic.

Que sera sera.

GG

Rebuilding Myself One Day At A Time

Sometimes you just really have to treat yourself. My sister in law is in the beauty business and I went to her salon and had the works, manicure, pedicure, facial and hair. I felt so renewed that I scheduled an appointment for highlights next week.

I feel reborn.

If you find yourself in Santa Monica go to Chu Nin's Beauty Salon on Wilshire in Santa Monica. It's right by the Third Street Promenade. Ask for Erina. She does a phenomenal facial, using all Aveda products, which are so yummy. It was so relaxing that I ended up drooling on the facial table, which was a little embarrassing, but still worth it.

Also noticed something funny about LA. If you're wearing sunglasses, people are more likely to check you out. And there's alwasy the possibility of bumping into a celebrity, so you find yourself checking people out more than usual.

Of course we're pretty jaded about celebrity because where I live we have quite a few and it's rather gauche to gawk at them. I run into the guys from Metallica all the time. James Hetfield is always driving some bomber around and I frequently end up next to him at the stop light, so much so that he might think I'm stalking him. I've seen Lars Ulrich bowling and Kirk Hammett getting angry with a United Airlines desk agent. These Metallica run-ins make me chuckle because when I first discovered that I was moving to Northern California one of my good friends was a Van Halen and Metallica fan and was jealous that I might run into them, which I thought was absurd, but there you go I see them all the time.

So we're now on day 3 of no headaches. But then I haven't really tried doing anything with the knitting book. I'm hoping that these headaches aren't in any way related. I would like to have at least one big apron pattern written before I return home.

I found some new clothes today. Macy's was having a huge sale and for once I've benefitted from being normal sized. All the skinny clothes were gone, leaving my size 8/10 on the sale rack with HUGE mark downs. I got three pair of jeans for the price of 1 really pricey pair. It pays to shop in LA, and there was so much better selection than in my local Macys.

So this evening will be a quiet one. I'm going to put on some new clothes and go downstairs to the lobby for dinner. Then I'm going to knit and watch tv.

Ah the good life.

GG

Welcome To LA

I haven’t had a headache in two days. Let’s keep our fingers crossed shall we? Considering that two days ago, I had to pull off the freeway and throw up because my head hurt so bad, and have my mom come and rescue me, any thing is a vast improvement.

Staying in Santa Monica. It is gorgeous. We have a room with an ocean view and a balcony. I’m feeling relaxed. No wonder the headaches are going away.
See:








I love traveling. I love lounging around hotel rooms. I’ve got some goodies to munch on, a heap of knitting, some magazines, some bath bombs from Lush. This week is all about relaxing.

Job?
Schmob.

Of course that attitude will change the broker I get.

I suppose I could also go to the hotel gym, but let’s not push our luck.

Did I mention that there’s a yarn shop a mere 3 blocks from the hotel?

The only downside is that there isn’t any wifi in the room, I have to go downstairs to the lounge for that, where I will be tempted by fruity cocktails and small plates.

I’ve been reading the new Yarn Harlot book and there’s a lot of talk of traveling. It seems an appropriate read.

OK I kid you not I’m watching the news and there is a high speed chase on tv. Damn I thought that only happened in the movies. Welcome To LA.

Then I went out to dinner with my brother and sister in law. Had some delish sushi rolls. My sister in law is an esthetician and I'm getting my hair and nails done and getting a facial tomorrow. Can't wait. It's all a part of that whole relaxing business.

I think I'm having a l'oreal moment, you know, because I'm worth it.

ha ha ha ha

GG

Migraineland

Every other day since Friday I've had a migraine headache. Unfortunately this has put a major dent in my knitting.

We're going to LA. Maybe I just need to get away from it all.

photos to come.

GG

Just Because You're Not Working Doesn't Mean Things Don't Get Crazy

So last I wrote, our trip to LA had been postponed again.

Friday was largely uneventful. I spent the whole day working on this one knitting pattern and writing another one so my knit nighter friends could knit me some samples.

Just as I finished typing out the pattern I got this horrible headache. Worse than anything I'd ever had before, like tectonic plates moving together in my head. And my arm went dead, totally numb and so did my face and mouth. I was entirely freaked out. Mr. G was still at work and I thought this was just something temporary, and it would go away. I took a shower, but it only got worse. Mr. G called to tell me he was on his way home and I could only cry and explain that my head was killing me.

Mr. G had never seen me in this much pain and insisted on taking me to the emergency room. One there they determined that I showed the symptoms of brain hemmoraging, but that it was probably an atypical migraine.

One cat scan and a spinal tap later: it was an atypical migraine.

So apparently on top of the other annoying problems I have with my body I also get migraine headaches.

We didn't get home from the hospital until 3am. I feel asleep and didn't wake up until 12:30pm. Mr. G had to go back to work again but said I needed to rest and needed to stay in bed. So I slept the whole rest of the day, only stopping for the occasional read and a glass of water. I think yesterday was the first day in a long time that I didn't actually knit.

We've concluded that perhaps I've been stressing myself out about this unemployment business and that I haven't appropriately grieved the old job. I won't argue with that. So I'm going to go hang out with my mom for a few days, get my hair done, do my nails that sort of thing.

guess we'll call it a vacation.

GG

Unemployment Week 2: where the author starts freaking out about money

I'm a lucky girl. I've spent the last week out of work, at home, knitting, writing projects for a book proposal. This is a good thing. Perhaps I have put myself to work to forget the fact that in a few weeks I'll be entirely broke.

And now I'm totally freaking out about it. I know I qualify for unemployment, but how long is that going to last? And don't they make you try to find a job when you're on unemployment? I don't want to go back to work until this book proposal is finished and if I do go back to work I don't just want to choose any job. I want it to be a good job with nice people close to home working less than 30 hours a week... preferably in a crafty setting, but not work weekends.

To alleviate this freakout, a pot of boiling water is on the stove in preparation for a delicious carb-fest, lemon pasta with asparagus, onions, fresh tomatoes and feta.

I'm also knitting another swatch for the book, continuing with the Rowan denim swatch, but trying to make the stitch pattern larger and more spread out, and testing out a larger needle. I've determined that the larger needle is too large and I have to rip out a few rows because I've messed it up. Darn it.

The good news is that I made it to knit night, due to a last minute postponement of my trip to LA. I even took some photos. And I splurged and bought a skein of the Claudia's Handpainted mohair boucle. Somebody slap my wrist.

Anyway if you are a craft-related enterprise and you're hiring: email me.

I'm hoping that Mr. G comes home early from work tonight so that we can drink beer and play video games.

GG

Mystery Solved

I finally understand why Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan ended up in rehab.

I've been out of work for exactly a week and I'm getting freaked out. I'm trying to enjoy the time, but I'm still beating myself up for getting laid off. To counteract this I'm trying to be as productive as possible. I'm helping Mr. G with things, I'm working on the book. So I guess I get a little nervous when I don't have any plans on the horizon.

it's enough to make you want to get drunk everyday. Perhaps this would have been a problem, if like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan I was under 25 with gads of money. Imagine having all that time and money and still being bored. To me that's the scariest thing. Boredom seems to be ungrateful for living. There's no excuse for boredom.

The bottom line is that you have to break out of your established pattern and find something new to enjoy.

So tomorrow is a non-knitting day. I'm going to go on a little day trip into the city. I'm going to check out the De Young and hang out in Golden Gate Park, with my camera.

Ok. I'll probably knit when I get home.

GG

When in doubt

Start knitting a new pair of socks.

With a fancy handpainted sock yarn.


The Phoenix Socks

To tell the truth though there isn't much doubt around here. I'm feeling good. Been very productive. Visited my brother for his birthday. Got the car serviced. The kitchen is clean and I'm writing patterns. Just have to stay on task. It's important to have rules for yourself or you end up on the couch watching The View, which is as bad as watching the news in the way it fosters anxiety.

Watched the new Sopranos episode. It nearly put me to sleep. Just listened to the Guster album while I was cleaning/running around this morning. Beautiful music. This house has been full of new music lately. Regina Spector, Amy Winehouse, Mika and now Guster.

ok personal insight, trying to find today's personal insight. In some ways I used to be disapointed with myself because I went straight into the job market from college. But in the end it was the right thing because I didn't really know what I liked to do. I guess this is why universities want you to have life experience before persuing certain masters degrees. You have to know what you don't like before you know what you absolutely LOVE.

And when you don't figure this stuff out, you end up repeating it over and over again until you do.

There was a time when I was so frustrated with myself because I didn't know what I loved and what I was good at. There were a few things I liked, but I didn't like them enough to be passionate about them. I didn't feel an irresistable compulsion to write screenplays or to work in film. I felt an irresistable compulsion to be with my husband and to knit.


So I guess I might be moving in the right direction.

GG

Help help help

OK.

decisions decisions.

so I'm unemployed right, and I have heaps of free time. I'm knitting up samples for my book and I discover that one of my previous employers is in dire need of a temporary receptionist. This is a previous employer that I quite like and it would be nice to temporarily work there until I go to Japan, in just two weeks. This would mean that I had money for Japan. And it would be temporary...

but I think I'm trying to hold on to security too much. Maybe I should just throw caution to the wind and say no and work on my book, visit with my family that's coming to visit next week and go to LA???

you know if I didn't have anything going on, then I would say yes, but there are lots of fun opportunities and surprises, which may not be had if I was making money.

Book takes priority

GG

The Cure To All Ills

Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny

Bless You

Got my wish last night.

After spending the whole day inside Mr. G took me out for sushi.

"To celebrate" he said.

This meant I had an excuse to get out of my pyjamas and into those fabulous jeans I bought the other day. And I felt more motivated than ever to wear makeup. I had been feeling badly about being laid off the day before. I was afraid it was going to change my relationship with Mr G, that he was really let down about my job situation and disapointed in me. So I made myself look extra pretty for him.

Strangely I didn't need to. He was surprisingly happy for me. We had a beautiful dinner together where he told me I was destined for bigger and better things and he wanted me to have the time to work on my book.

So in essence. Everything's ok. In fact, it's better than ok. It's fabulous.

As the song says "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you might find, you get what you need" and apparently I need lots of free time to knit, care for my husband, and travel.

The joy of the blessing in disguise.

GG

Unemployment Day 1

It all started out well. Got up at 8:30 with Mr. G and made morning tea. Read the blogs, not a lot today maybe because of Good Friday...

neighbors' children bring me a plate of Easter cookies. Super cute. Their mum had to borrow some vanilla extract to make them. They were really yummy.

Clean house, do dishes, start laundry. Watched The Holiday, Then watched The Chronicles of Narnia. Then later watched Before Sunset. At first I was depressed about losing my job. Sad for the loss, but then I was happy to have all this free time. Suddenly the day doesn't seem so short when you know that you don't have to go back to work any time soon.

But then you start to freak out b/c you don't have to go back to work any time soon.

4pm was kinda bad it was probably the sugar crash from all those Easter cookies. And I started to get a little lonely. But then I talked to Mr. G and he's takin me out to dinner. I want sushi, but I have a feeling we're gonna end up at the Outback.

Am I making good use of my time???? In between all the movies I did do a bit of knitting.

Damn this all sounds so boring. Guess I'll actually have to get out of the house or at least get some exercise. Maybe I'm still a little shell shocked.

but i feel better writing this all down

GG

Goal for Monday (the weekends don't count): get out of your pyjamas.

My Little Snowglobe World Is Shaken

A funny thing happened to me last weekend. As I was reaching to pick up my handbag I bumped my head on a bookcase. Mr. G witnessed the head bumping and asked me if I was alright. "No" I said. Not only was I in pain, but bumping my head is usually a harbinger of bad things. Not terrible, just unexpected unfortunate things. When I told Mr. G this he laughed it off and called me silly.

Indeed the first few days after banging my head were fine, uneventful even, but then yesterday I got laid off by the Fabulous Yarn Company. I had an inkling, but perhaps I didn't want to accept it. The bosses were great, very sympathetic and unhappy that they had to lay off an employee. I think they felt worse about it than I did. I'm one to accept things as they come to me, and later one feel awful about them. There are no hard feelings about FYC and I will always say nice things about their yarn.

That said though, there's still disappointment and what does the wise women do when laid off and suddenly unemployed?

She does as the Manolo and goes shoe shopping.

And she buys a pair of jeans because when you find a pair that fits you cannot let them go, even if you're unemployed.

But truly, I'm doing alright, even if my brain couldn't stop thinking last night and I couldn't get to sleep. This time will be a gift b/c I can't really get a new job before I go to Japan and I don't want to find just any job. I want to find the right job. I also want to consider going back to school.

So what am I going to do with the next couple of weeks before Japan?

Well, I'm going to write a book proposal. I have a heap of knitting pattern ideas and I have been collecting the yarn to make them.

I really don't have anything to lose.

Suddenly I feel much better,

GG

Yay I have photos for you. The only problem is that they're a little dated. They show works in progress that I have finished. Unfortunately I'm having a hard time figuring out how to photograph myself with a cardigan in good lighting without the assistance of a friend or a tripod. And without having one of those goofy, camera in photo mirror shots.

We can't abide that.

Mr. G has been working like a fiend I see him for about 30 minutes a day. The bad news is that I don't get to see much of Mr. G. The good news is that I get a whole lots of knitting done. I'm really not trying to sound so excited about the positive side of this equation. Not to worry tho. Mr. G and I will get plenty of time together on our trip to Japan in a few weeks.

I'm still trying to find out how to say: tell me where the nearest yarn shop is in Japanese, or any helpful craft/yarn phrases. If you know some Japanese and can help, let me know.

So here are the photos:

This is a special sock in progress.


And now the sock is done. I'll explain why it's so special another time.


I'll give you a hint tho. I have to email The Queen about it.

Here's the cardigan mentioned above, albeit unfinished.


Gotta email the Queen.

GG

It's that time again

We have a never-ending line of politicians seeking the presidency in 2008. I've been trying to decide who to support this early in the game.

It should be noted that I will not support a Republican for president unless he/she says publicly that Bush has led our country astray, and unless he supports a reasonably supportive stance towards our nation's immigrants.

So that leaves me with the dems. And it's been a struggle. As much as I would love to see a lady president, Hillary isn't doing it for me. As I keep mentioning to people, it feels like more of the same. We've had either Bushes or Clintons in the White House for the last 20 years. It's time for some new blood. And Hillary hasn't listed her proposal for the country. I have no idea what she stands for except that she's a woman, state senator of New York, former First Lady, and she's for health care, whatever that means. She hasn't listed any ideas for what she wants to accomplish and how. Which in a large way reminds me of Bush. So in brief, Hillary Clinton: More of the same, in a bad way.

My other problem is that I want to support a viable candidate. I want my guy/girl to win. As much as I love Bill Richardson, he doesn't have the national spotlight. I remember his work with the Clinton administration, I like that he's the governor of New Mexico, but he just doesn't have the national pull to win.

That leaves me with Barack Obama. In fact, I love the guy. He's listed all of his presidential objectives on his website. Even if I feel like his ideas about the health insurance system are a little more international, it seems he's more concerned with the health of 3rd world countries than with the health insurance crisis of the United States. Perhaps he's trying not to step on Hillary's toes. While I do agree that third world countries need our attention, we're long overdue to address our health system concerns at home. Regardless, at least I know where his views are.

I'm still game though. I want to hear what the others have to say, perhaps it's too early in the game to choose. But Obama's got the JFK thing going and the wherewithall to actually lead this country, not simply take charge of it.
GG

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

That's the sound of me jumping up and down!!!!

Do you remember back in the day, oh a couple of months ago I wrote an apron knitting pattern out of Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille?

Well, they've taken the pattern and posted it for free on their website.
Wooo hooo!

For other designs check out knitluck.

This has been a good day!

Grenadine Girl

The Pros of Lace Knitting (As Opposed to the Cons)

The Pros of Lace Knitting #1

knitting with itty bitty lace weight yarn makes knitting sock yarn seem like heavy worsted weight and boy do they knit up faster!

The good news is that we have passed the set up rows and have made it to row 13 of chart one. Thanks to Izzy for clarifying things for me.

Tonight: I'm still working on the Sea Sock design tentitively called the "lifesaver sock". I have to get to the heel even though I'd rather be knitting the hood on the Central Park Hoodie.

GG

Flight delayed: Icarus is grounded

Alright I tried casting on again, this time with a size 2 addi turbo and we still fubarred it at row seven. There's something about those markers.

I'm going to have to resort to a lifeline, because I'm really sick of doing those first set up rows.

However I am liking the look of the work on the size 2 much better. We will try again. And try and try and try until we get it right.

I'm suddenly in awe of Knitabulous, one my favorite knitbloggers, who lives where I want to retire in Australia and who regularly pumps out these incredible laces.

And to answer a question about cabling without needles, I haven't tried it. There's something about having a cable needle hanging out of my mouth while I'm knitting that makes me feel like I'm really working hard.

Only a few hours left of uninterrupted knitting.

GG

The Tough Decisions

It's Sunday morning and today we're faced with a riveting decision.

I've had my brekkie, my cuppa tea, did a little knitting.

But should I visit the local yarn shop? I could just stay here at my parents' house and continue knitting, or I could meander over to Creative Hands to check out their new location...

oh decisions, decisions.

Lord knows that I don't actually need any yarn, but I did leave my cable needle at home. We've been making do with a tapestry needle and we only have to cable once every ten rows, but you know. It's really important to have the right tools for the job. At least that's what I've been telling myself.

And I did try to cast on for Icarus last night. Got through the set up rows only to foul up exponentially on row 7 of Chart 1. I'm not understanding how the stitch markers are supposed to work with the decreases. Anyway I had to frog the work. And I think the size 3 needle I'm using is too big. That's not usually such a problem for me because I am a tight knitter. I just feel like 2's are going to be a better fit. Maybe I do need to go to the yarn shop. I really would like to get the hang of Icarus sooner rather than later.

Well. Guess I'd better get dressed. It's not good to pop over to the LYS in your jammies.

GG

Knitter's Weekend

My parents have gone to Texas to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa. That means I get to spend the weekend catsitting at my parents' house. You'll find me on the couch, KWI. You know, Knitting Without Interruption.

It's not too often that I'm alone for days at a time, without having to go to work. It's quieting and restful. I'm trying to find some sort of personal insight into this peaceful weekend, but I'm not finding any.

I must be knitting too much, because any insights I have are in my knitting.

I'm still working on the Central Park Hoodie, and I've 3-needle-bound-off the shoulder seams. They look nice and tidy. And now I am knitting the hood part, for which I needed to pick up some stitches. It's nice to see that my picked up stitches are much neater than in past attempts. Quite gratifying actually. I feel like I should be sweaty in the middle of a boxing ring holding the championship belt for finishing. But we still have the botton bands to do yet.

I'm still working on the Lace Style beginner lace shrug thing-o. I'd tell you the actual name of the project, but I left that book at home. Just when I think I have the hang of the lace, I get to the end of a row and have an extra stitch. Harumph. But that's why we have the extra projects.

I cast on for the One Skein Baby Bolero. That will be a quickie, fortunately b/c there's a baby on the way (not mine) scheduled for arrival in May, and with all this upcoming Japan travel I need to get that finished pronto. I'm using the Blue Sky Cotton it calls for and I have a huge stash of it, in an abundance of colors, but this is the first time I'm actually using it and man, I'm soooo glad I bought so much of it, because it's like buttah, Barbara Streisand buttah. One day when I get crazy enough to buy a knitting machine, I might actually make myself a blanket out of this stuff, but then again, there's this cardigan that I like from Greetings from the Knit Cafe that I could make with it. oooo wouldn't that be cozy.

Can't you tell I've had a glass of wine?

Tomorrow morning I will wonder-of-all-wonders cast-on the Icarus Shawl. Gag, blah freak out!!!!! This is the Thelma and Louise of knitting projects. My pal Izzy is my Thursday night gal. If I'm not hanging out with her at gaming, then we're at Knit Night at MFA. And either I was drunk on wine, or on the abundance of new yarn that Warren had, but we decided that we have to do a knit-along together just for our gaming nights. That in itself is not dangerous. The dangerous part was deciding that we should knit the Icarus shawl. Why not? It's a beautiful shawl, and I haven't done lace of the micrometer gauge yet, but something tells me that gaming and delicate lace don't mix.

I can picture it now...

INT: Suburban Dining Area

Six people surround the dining table with dnd books, dice and junkfood. The Dungeon Master (DM) sits at the head of the table with his dragon divider.

DM "Grenadine, what's your initiative"

No response from Grenadine, she's busy knitting.

The rest of the gamers (except Izzy, the other knitter) stare at Grenadine.

Grenadine: "Oh are you talking to me?"

DM: "Yes what's your initiative?"

Grenadine: "2"

DM: "2, that's not possible, your dex mod is at least 3"

GG: "Oh sorry that was the number of repeats in the shawl? What am I rolling for?"

This kind of thing could get you kicked out of a game. But not to confuse my partner in crime Izzy, I'm looking forward to Icarus and people tell me it's easier than it looks.

Well I should get back to the knitting... and that glass of wine.

GG

First Stop in Tokyo

In May, when I go to Tokyo, this will be one of the first places I visit:

http://www.cabel.name/2007/02/japan-story-gyoza-stadium.html

Gyoza City???

And now for those long promised photos

First off, I've got a fancy new camera and of course I had to wander around the house searching for appropriate subjects to photograph.






But then I found the yarn.

The basket full of the Central Park Hoodie. I'm ready to actually make the hood part of the hoodie, but I've been knitting the sleeves for the last 3 weeks and I need a break.



Which is why we need a moment to view the fruits of my sock yarn addiction:


Here's my first attempt at lace, which is going very well. I'm loving the new lace style book. There's a couple of things I might attempt. There's a rumor going around that I'm going to try the Icarus shawl too.


alright time to do some actual knitting, if I can fit it in before I start cooking dinner...

GG

Bad Brain

Just got back from lunch.

Why haven't I figured out that I just don't like quiche?

My brain looks at quiche and thinks "hmm quiche, that looks nice, let's try some of that for lunch today... it has eggs, cheese, veggies and pie crust... these are all things that I like to eat... yes eat quiche"

But then when I actually eat it at lunch, quiche almost always tastes awful. A total let down. It's too egg-y, not cheesy enough and the veggies just drown in it. Bad texture, bad flavor. Yuck. Sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing.

And this isn't the first time this has happened. I think I have to give up the fight on the good quiche. It just doesn't exist.

So for future reference brain: I don't like quiche.

It's necessary to train my brain in this way because there are so few foods that I dislike.

GG

One of those non-knitting posts (almost)

A friend of mine bemoans the fact that I spend most of my time on this blog writing about knitting and not so much time on any interesting personal insights.

And here I was thinking that I was able to occasionally blend the two.

It's been hard for me to write lately because I have an inner conflict. As much as I enjoy writing a blog and sharing my knitting projects and life stories, I'm not so comfortable sharing my personal struggles. And while life hasn't been so full of struggle per se, it can be difficult to share one's life without being too specific.

Which can be frustrating. I want to share, but I don't want to be too personal. I have learned the hard way to choose the consesrvative option when in doubt. As much as something can be difficult for you, and as much as it seems like your whole universe, most people really don't want to know. I mean this is a knitting blog. this isn't the -insert your favorite medical problem/social issue here- blog. So here, we talk about yarn and knitting projects and we like it!

I suppose this is why therapists are so expensive. But one can't afford both a therapist and a yarn habit.

Besides, yarn is a much longer lasting expense and infinately more theraputic. Yarn doesn't pretend to listen to you, doesn't give you that uncomfortable half-hug. Yarn doesn't email you on the infrequent whim. It just sits there, looks pretty, and feels nice. Wow suddenly I have a lot more in common with middle aged men that I thought I did. And no that doesn't mean that I'm experiencing a mid-life crisis.

just to interject here. I'm watching American Idol and doesn't Sanjaya have potential as a possible Knit-wear model? With tonight's hairdo he sure does look like a Filati Model.

So in lieu of therapy there has been a lot of knitting. A foray into LACE. A new sock design. Oh and a new fingerless glove design here. I'm gonna take some photos.

See I feel better already.
GG