Muzac

I've been lucky over the years to see many of my favorite bands perform.
this should be my new mantra b/c it always makes me feel good to know that I've been to a lot of shows.

GG

Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!

Does anyone have an extra $50,000?

This can be yours

man if only I wasn't buying so much yarn to actually knit things.

La Grenadine

i can't spin

nope can't spin. I went to the Knit One convention in Oakland. It was a bit on the quiet side, but Lisa Souza was there and I bought some sock yarn in Printemps. Yummy. And someone tried to teach me how to spin my own yarn with a drop spindle, but I'm hopeless at it. Never have I been so bad at something on a first try. And don't think that I have given up on the second. I've read directions on the web, I've watched video on the web and all I get is long strands of unspun wool.

bummer

GG

Knit Night is Famous

http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_3730520#

Grenadine Girl

All you can do is laugh

So this smog situation is bad. I went to have the car retested to see if it would pass. Not only did it fail, but the radiator cracked before my very eyes during the test. It is so not worth getting the car fixed. I can either spend $1200 replacing the radiator, the front right tire cap, and having additional smog work, or I can retire the car and the state will pay me $1000.

When in doubt, take the path of least resistance. I'll be saying au revoir to my 1987 Honda Accord.

The bad news is that I am now without a car. In French the term is sans voiture, which I think sounds more romantic.

Getting to and from work isn't a problem b/c I belong to a car pool who will generously tote me to and from work for a small fee.

The bad news is that a car pool for knit night does not exist. So if any of you Marin Fiber Arts friends could offer me a ride, I would be very grateful.

Usually something like this would really get my goat, but all I can do is laugh.

I'm still knitting my socks which I need to finish ASAP. Hopefully they'll be done by the weekend.

Bonne Semaine a tous

GG

Sun Glorious Sun

It’s been raining almost nonstop for weeks. I thought maybe the sun had forgotten about us, but it’s back, with a vengeance. At least for 24 hours. This means that my cute spring sandals have come out of hiding and gasp! I wore a skirt to knit night last night. It felt great especially since the farmer’s market coincides with knit night. Marin Fiber Arts saw a lot of foot traffic. That’s always a good sign. Also a good sign is the presence of the paparazzi, I mean the media. A Marin IJ reporter and his photographer came by to sit in for an hour with the knit nighters. All the regulars were there and we behaved ourselves admirably, keeping swears to a minimum and cat chat was nonexistent. There was also a husband of a knit-nighter who actually knitted with us! Humans of the male persuasion are always welcome, they stop by occasionally to check on their wives, but rarely do they ever knit! Sometime next week knit night will be featured in a column in the Marin IJ. Watch this space for the weblink if they post it.

Last night I also got a special tour of Izzy Tart’s house and met her boyfriend J. They’re so cute together they should be featured in a magazine. A hip magazine that mentions their love of comics and their personal zoo of animals. I finally got to meet Ernie the bird who chirped for me, which was awesome because he usually doesn’t do that in front of strangers. The best part was when J had to move his car so Izzy Tart could get out and they blew kisses at each other as they passed. CUTE!

I’m almost done with my pair of knit picks socks. I’m shocked that it’s taking me 2 months to knit a pair of socks. Apparently I’m not knitting enough, or I have too many projects. My goal is to finish my two projects in progress by May 1st, if not sooner because I have some serious baby knitting to get started on. Izzy and I are on a baby knitting rampage.

One thing’s for sure and it’s that I probably won’t get much knitting done this weekend. We have a new bed arriving – KING SIZE. Hallelujah! I suppose that’s our Easter present to ourselves. This means that we have to make room in the garage for the old mattress and someone dispose of the old bedframe, which is now completely useless because it’s nearly fallen apart. And the kitchen remains a mess, so there will not be any rest for me this evening. I want everything as clean as possible so that Mr. G feels more comfortable after work. The good news is that all this effort will mean for more comfort in the long run.

And that’s not all, Saturday is going to a circus of maintenance activities. I have to smog the car. I have to pick up a piece of furniture, we have to buy new bed linens.

No, there will not be any knitting this weekend….

GG

Time for a Change

Just last week I was inspired by my government that had chosen to give hard working migrants the opportunity at citizenship. This week I am just as inspired by the thousands of people protesting in the street, demanding to be heard. I don't care that these people are illegal. They are humans pursuing the American dream. They come because we are a great country. We offer opportunities and we have a glorious history. To deny working aliens the chance at citizenship, regardless of whether they're married to an American, related to an American or if they pay outrageous fees to the CIS(formally the INS), is a crime against humanity that marginalizes a primarily poor and disadvantaged population. We need to legitimize their contribution to American society. Offering these people affordable ways to pursue the American dream will allow the government to more closely oversee exactly who's coming through our borders, more effectively enforce those who are here illegally.

Anyone who wants to work in America and can have a job should be allowed to be here so long as they remain a law abiding citizen.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/04/11/MNGK3I7A621.DTL

Power to the people

GG

Finally!!

The US government does something right!

read the story

Legalizing immigrants that are working, that are otherwise law-abiding is good for American society. The economy will do well, more taxes will be paid into the system, more families will not have to live in fear because they're pursuing the American dream.

I think I'm going to send love letters to John McCain and Ted Kennedy.

It's Nice to be Spoiled

What a treat to come home and find two packages from Mr. Postman!!!!

One was my much anticipated Booty Swap package and the other was a thoughtful package from my French amie Cecile. I told you April would be awesome! Both packages were so thoughtful. I don't know which one to show first so I'm going to show both:




Cecile sent me two issues or Marie Claire idees, which I love. It's always so inspiring to me. It's my favorite magazine to take into the bath. It's interesting without having to think about it too much. She also sent me some fabulous mohair in plum and a couple of really cool multicolored yarns that I'm going to use in felting projects. And some yummy smelling incense, which I keep in my yarn basket. She also included a couple of really cool ceramic pieces, one an incense holder and another little jar, but unfortunately they broke en route. That's ok b/c I got the sentiment. The pink jar looked like it was handpainted. Tres adorable! Cecile's on vacation right now, but do me a flavor a check out her blog. She really has a site to behold. It's funny she actually looks alot like my sister in law Tegan.

A while ago I joined the Booty Swap and FireflyAdventures from Stranger in a Strangeland was my pirate pal. She sent me the best little package of treasures. I loved everything. Check it out!

a treasure chest of candies!!


Some Pirate Rum and Pirate Gin... little known fact: if you drink enough Captain Morgan Rum your right eye will start to close and you keep saying "Aarrrr" to everyone.


Firefly is an AWESOME quilter. She really puts me to shame. She made me these two gorgeous potholders featuring fruit, because a pirate has to beware of scurvy! I'm so impressed -and inspired. I have to admit that when I saw her blog last week I sort of hoped the handmade something would be quilted b/c she makes such great stuff. Thank you!


And some quilting notions to help my French quilt! Fabric and thread!!!


And this is the super cool pirate booty! Socks, a thread cutter, some skull and crossbone hair clips, some fabulous Philosophy lip gloss which looks so awesome one!!


I can't thank you guys enough. knitting is so awesome.

La Grenadine

Yay March is Over!!!!!

Let's celebrate by checking out our new piece of furniture:



J'adore!!!!!

It's so awesome when you and your significant other have similar taste in furniture.

Consider yourself Flashed

this is the stash.

Ack.

hello again

I've found a groovy new web site.

Spout

It's a site for film lovers and there's a burgeoning group on the site who love knitting and film called "knitting flicks". There's a very friendly group of people there to chat with.

see you there,

GG

New Obsessions

Annie Chun’s noodle bowls. They’re the healthy person’s cup’o noodles.
Top Chef – I caught up on the entire season last night.
She Will Have Her Way – a compilation of Crowded House/Finn Brothers/Split Enz covers sung by Aussie and Kiwi Women
Rowan Big Wool Print – I started Mr. G’s cardigan last night –woah that stuff is soft and knits up fast!

For the first time I’m not in the mood to go to knit night. The week has caught up with me and I’m exhausted and in need of a rest. And I have some cleaning to do. My parents are coming over tomorrow night and I don’t want the house to be a mess. Anyway Marin Fiber Arts is having a Sunday brunch this weekend so I’ll spend plenty of time with my fellow knitters then.

I also have to clean because we have some new furniture coming in.

Oh yeah you read correctly. My furniture malaise has been relieved. Those mismatched bookcases are on their way out! We found the perfect glass cabinet bookcase last weekend. It was perfect, roomy, but not too tall, and it doesn’t stick out too much from the wall. It was love at first sight. We also got a huge leather ottoman/coffee table.

I guess this means I’m going to have to have a garage sale soon.

Apologies to everyone at knit night (especially Warren), hopefully I’ll see you for brunch on Sunday.

Have fun,
GG

Weeknights

Cooked again last night. Compulsively made 2 major dishes, both of which I had never made before. First I made Chicken Cacciatore which was basically the same sauce that I make for my spaghetti Bolognese, but without the ground meat. Instead I flavored everything with onions, garlic, basil and thyme and seared the chicken before pouring in the canned tomatoes. Simmer for an hour and serve with rice and freshly grated parmesan cheese. The perfect dish for a rainy evening. It was possibly the yummiest thing I’ve made in months. So yummy that I brought some to work for lunch.

I don’t know what possessed me or what gave me the energy, but I randomly pulled one of my cookbooks off the shelf and realized that I had the goods for a new recipe. Cauliflower casserole with potatoes and cherry tomatoes. I was too full from the chicken dish to eat much of the cauliflower, but what I did taste was yummy. I’m reheating it for dinner tonight which means less for me to cook.Which means more time for knitting.

I am dying to cast on something new, something huge and something new. I want to make another sweater. I have plenty of yarn for making sweaters, the question is which one am I going to make?????

I could make Mr. G’s sweater out of big wool. I could make a sweater from the Rebecca mohair special with some mohair I’ve had lying around for ages. I could make my own sweater out of rowan big wool from an old Vogue knitting.

I want to knit them all right now. This feeling reminds me of that scene in Amadeus where Wolfgang is trying on wigs and he declares that he likes them so much that he wishes he had three heads. Right now I wish I had six arms.

GG

Carnivale of Couture

The topic this week for those who read the Bag Snob and Manolo's Shoe Blog is that pivotal fashion purchase. You know, that special bag or shoe or pair of pants that really takes you back.

For me it was a pair of jeans. Not just any jeans, but a pair of vintage Yves Saint Laurent denim circa 1979 that I found at a church rummage sale. The year was 1996, when teenagers were still wearing "baggy fit" pants. Since I couldn't find any pants that suited my scrawny teenage frame, I resorted to the men's levis. Which, while preferable to baggy fit, were still baggy for me. So when I found these pants I didn't even try them on. I just saw the label, that golden YSL and my heart raced. I bought the pants, along with a burgundy polo shirt and a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans circa 1979 all for the outrageous price of $1.50. God bless church rummage sales. The pants were tape hemmed about 2 inches too short, but the tape nearly disentegrated in my hands. They fit like a glove. They were the staple of my wardrobe for my junior and senior years of high school. There is in fact a picture of my in my junior yearbook wearing these pants as an example of the year's fashion, which was possibly my most fashionable moment to date. Sadly, I wore out those pants, they didn't make it to college, but I'll never forget them.

GG

The Sky is Gonna Clear Up, Put on a Happy Face

Photos yay!!!



This is the flower shaped washcloth from Weekend knits. I love making it and this particular specimen will be for my booty swap pal. I'll be sending it out next week!


And the socks that I've been making out of knit picks sock garden in stargazer lily.


This is the beginning of what's going to be my design for the sun-shaped chenille washcloth


This is the quilt, which is languishing in the craft room since I've had to move the sewing machine off the dining room table.

Knit night was great. It's growing at such a fast clip. And Elaine brought a delish pumpkin pie, one of the best I've ever tasted. And she brought me a tea from starbucks. Yum. Such nice people go to knit night.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that my Pirate Booty pal emailed me to say that my treasure chest is on the way. She's firefly from Firefly Adventures. She makes beautiful quilts and she just got married (you gotta check out the pictures and read the story) anyhoo I can't wait to see what comes in the mailbox (or in my case from the UPS guy) ARRRRRRRRRRRRR!

you hear that sound everyone? That's the sound of March ending.

Oh April here we come.

happy knitting everyone
love to the world...
Grenadine Girl

Some Words to the Wise

Do-it-yourself Prozac:

1: Just let things be.
2: Take the path of least resistance
3: Appreciate what you have
4: Free your heart from hatred*
5: Free your mind of worries*
6: Live simply*
7: Give more*
8: Expect less*
9: Persevere
10: Have faith
11: Stay positive

*from a paperweight I saw somewhere

Helloooooooooo

What's new?

Nothing much here. Yucky March continues. I've been laying low for the most part. There have been many movies. Word to the wise, do not watch The Weatherman unless you like to feel awkward and uncomfortable for two hours. I could only take it for 45 minutes. To remedy the intense discomfort I went to Borders and bought the new Pride and Prejudice. It was good, but it couldn't hold a candle to the BBC version. They just had to take out too much of the story to make it into a two hour movie.

I've been turning to interior design to alleviate the spring of my discontent (keep in mind that spring is not even 24 hours old). I've been looking around at my furniture and it depresses me. Our home phone lives on a computer desk in the dining room. We have too many too-cheap-even-for-Ikea bookshelves that mismatch and are too small to hold our books and cds efficiently. Seriously I think we have 6 three-shelf bookshelves. We have the most disgusting blinds. So I'm daydreaming of changing everything. Selling all of our current furniture at a garage sale, getting rid of all of the junk and getting new glass front bookshelves, new framed prints. We need some new feng shui around here.

I should consider myself very lucky and get over this middle class malaise.

At least I've been knitting up a storm. I started the second pink sock. And I'm making more chenille washcloths, projects that finish quickly. I should put some photos on here and make this blog a little cheerier.

oh la la

GG

I'm telling you April has got to have something good in store for me.

These Be The Ides of March

There has to be a rule somewhere that you only start to feel better from a cold after you’ve made a doctor’s appointment. This sucks because they won’t let you cancel your appointment later than 24 hours before. You have to convince the doctor that you were sick in the first place and that you weren’t just being a hypochondriac. “No, really doctor, Joseph’s techincolor dreamcoat really was coming out of my nose!” You sit there feeling bad that you’re wasting the doctor’s time. In the end you just feel silly for being sick in the first place. I suppose our bodies are more capable of healing themselves than we give them credit for.

Perhaps it’s the Ides of March, but this month is not treating me well. And historically March has never been a good time for me. I was once grounded for the entire month of March. I’ve been dumped by boyfriend(s) in March. On the east coast, the weather is awful in March. It’s warm enough that the snow starts to thaw, but it’s all slushy mud and yucky and you’re sick of seeing nothing but black, gray and white. In California, it rains incessantly and you’re sick of seeing just green, gray and black. I should just learn my lesson and get the hell out of the US during the month of March. The year I spent March in Australia was a markedly better year as a whole.

I’d fly there now except that it’s a little too late to redeem the month. Let us recap. My car didn’t pass smog. I got a cold that took me out for a week, the natural gas bill came in (ack!!??), my cat’s got a slight limp, the Oscars bored me, one of my friends has to endure a painful medical procedure. And I’m just cranky in general. I just don’t like March.

Since I’m an optimist I have to consider the good things that have happened. I joined the booty swap and became Mad Anne Rackham. I made plans to the TNNA convention in Indianapolis with Warren from Marin Fiber Arts. I keep drawing sweater designs that I’d like to make. I’ve been hanging out at the yarn shop and getting to know Warren better. It’s nice to have new friends. And tonight is knit night so I have something to look forward to.

Everything can’t be awesome all the time. This is just a low period. May and June are coming up and those are some good months. Just go with the flow I guess. And rent a lot of movies.

Rented an interesting movie. The Girl in the Café starring Kelly McDonald and Bill Nighy. Two of my favorite British actors. Who am I kidding? I haven’t met a British performer that I didn’t like. Well except Sascha Cohen.

Anyhoo. The Girl in the Café is about a May-December romance against the backdrop of a G8 conference in Iceland. It is written by the same people who brought you Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually. The writer has such a talent for showing how people interact when they’re unsure of themselves. It’s so good to watch. Some of it is a little unlikely, but that’s why we watch the movies…

le weekend

So we've reached terminal velocity on this cold. I'm breaking down and making a doctor's appointment. I took my grandfather's advice and had Mr. G buy me some Mucinex, which actually works! Thanks for the tip.

I'm sure you're all sick to death of reading about how sick I am. So I'm trying to segway into something more palatable. OK I could talk about yarn, but really I dont have much to say on the subject except that I hung out at the LYS again with Warren. We saw the funniest Bizarro cartoon I have ever seen. I would include a link to it, but that's not possible because they don't put comics on the internet anymore because people are reading the comics online and not in newspapers and people can't make money if we view stuff online. I'll just say this, the cartoon, included a sheep in jail with a druggie guy. It's perhaps the funniest sheep joke I've ever seen. It was from Saturday's March 11th paper. Check it out for a laugh.

Well with all of this time on my hands I've been able to get caught up on some movie watching. This afternoon I watched North Country starring Charlize Theron. It was a good movie, very engaging. Interesting topic, well shot, well acted. BUT the denouement at the very end was so flat that I really didn't care about what happened to the characters in the end. I don't wonder where are they today? What would they do next? Basically you see this woman played by Charlize Theron suffer at the hands of many men, and she finally gets justice in the courtroom, but you don't get the feeling that the win was truly that important. The film does not try to leave you with that feeling in a dramatic way.

The last couple of scenes include Charlize picking up her son from hockey, and seeing her lawyer, he says something about her being rich, with an ironic twinge. She gives her son the opportunity to learn how to drive. Then there is a shot of the North Country from above, with some subtitles stating how this case changed how the workplace treats women and sexual harrassment. I didn't get the feeling that anything really changed. We did not see any of the consequences of this justice, no punishment really was made. The subtitles mention something about a small financial settlement with a sexual harrassment policy, but for me that wasn't enough to satisfy me cinematically.

While story-wise I'm happy that the Josie character is getting along with her son at the end of the movie, this compared with what she endured throughout the movie isn't enough for a happy ending. Perhaps this was the filmmakers intent. Perhaps the filmmaker wanted to leave the audience with the feeling that all women want is the right to work free of harrassment so that they can care for their children, but the feeling I was left with was that the suffering of women at the hands of men in society, be it teachers, husbands or coworkers doesn't deserve retribution. You don't see any of the men in question punished, which diminishes the message. Not that anyone needs to enact revenge, but one wants to see those perpetrators face the consequences of their actions. Leaving this out suggests that the behavior is tolerable. This undoes everything the film was trying to say. North Country, a good film that shoots itself in the foot.

Wow what a way to use that film degree!

GG

I Hate Being Sick Part 2

Ok I still have a cold. Usually my colds last 3 days, 4 tops, but this sucker's been hanging around since Sunday and it got worse today.

Yesterday I stayed home from work, and this funny thing happened. It happens every time I get sick. I spend more time at home and the more time I spend here, the more I realize how badly the house needs to be cleaned. The bathroom floor needs to be mopped, laundry needs to be done, the kitchen's a mess and changing the bed linen would be nice. This is a problem, because I'm sick and I'm too tired to clean. Mr. G will tell you that the urge for me to clean just doesn't come naturally, so it's particularly frustrating when I actually want to clean and can't. Arg.

And I'm too tired to knit. All the free time in the world, and all I can do is sit and moan. uhhhhhhhhh. sneeze, cough, blow my nose. uhhhhhhh. You know that sound, it's the sound of someone who's ready to give up.

When you're sick you also notice how bad daytime television is. I admit, I did watch some Price is Right, but man it's so not as exciting as it used to be. The prizes used to be so cool. Wow, a new car, or wow a trip around the world or wow a new living room set. Perhaps I'm a little jaded myself. Aside from the PIR, I ended up watching "French In Action" which surprised me b/c I didn't realize how much more French I could learn from watching TV. However, the first episode was interesting, the second mildy amusing, but by the third episode I was napping. Thus I headed to my local video store for some immediate assistance in the entertainment department. I also went to Jamba Juice for some sustanence. I couldn't be bothered cooking anything. I wasn't even hungry, but I needed some juice. So I rested on the couch watching In Her Shoes and slurping on an Aloha Pineapple. Dozing off after the credits, I felt much better that evening. So much better that I went to work today.

I thought I was better. I didn't have a stuffy nose, people could understand me when I talked even though I sounded like one of Marge Simpson's sisters, Selma or Thelma. I got a lot done in the morning, but come the afternoon, I was totally useless. I couldn't think straight at all. So I decided to take a break. I went to the local drug store b/c I needed a new toothbrush and some floss and I was back at the office parking lot within ten minutes, which wasn't enough break to get me back to my desk. Here I am in my crappy car, in the parking lot outside my office and I'm taking a nap. The radio is on, the sun is shining, so my car is toasty warm. My mind is entirely clear and I am relaxed. I lean my car seat back to recline and there it was. My bag of Rowan big wool for Luke's sweater. I had left it in the car. And it was nice and warm too like a towel fresh from the dryer. So I lay on my side, snoring, cuddling a skein of Rowan Big Wool. It was a sight to be seen. Those who don't know me would have thought I was a crazy homeless person. But no, I'm a crazy yarn-addicted person.

I did get back to my desk and finished out the day, but I was totally exhausted, and I couldn't miss knit night. COULDN'T!!! So I went, thinking I was alright, but as soon as I start talking, trying to get the group involved in some oscar slagging, I have a major coughing fit. My throat was dry and scratchy and I couldn't swallow, so Warren, the dear that he is made me a cup of green tea. And Papaya Girl tried to calm me down with some knitting patterns. I get so excited at knit night. I'm such a pain in the ass. Always interrupting peoples conversations. If knit night was kindergarten class I would get an "N" for Needs Improvement. I'm just so happy to see everyone. We had an interesting conversation about our past phases. Papaya Girl had a crazy stiletto heel disco pants phase, and I went through the pink hair phase and Lisa used to pluck her eyebrows out and paint on new eyebrows and wear brown lipliner. Lisa is now studying in seminary so this revelation about her past was highly amusing. Of course Warren proclaimed that he's always been the same. He hasn't changed one bit. I offered to knit him a sweater that said that. Perhaps Warren didn't have a wild phase. but I don't believe that for a second. One day we'll learn what crazy phase he endured.

Anyway stick a fork in me b/c I'm done. Who knew that my best writing comes when I'm writing from bed.

Sleep well everyone.

much love,
GG

Go Chloe Go

oh thank god it wasn't Santino

and that top chef show takes place in SF, but I can't handle the people on the show...

GG

arrrg

I hate being sick
another cold snuck up on me on Sunday. This is the sore throat chest cold yuckiness. Many headaches, lack of concentration. Cold medicine only makes me hazy. Thus I'm home from work. I've been feeling better over the course of the day and I think I'll be back in tomorrow.

I haven't started anything lately, haven't worked on anything b/c I'm too tired. That's what sucks about being sick. You can't do anything you'd like to get done when you're at home.

This sort of thing reminds me of that scene on When Harry Met Sally, which was on Oxygen last night. It's that scene where Harry and Sally are on the phone together while watching the final scene of Casablanca. Harry says "I think I have a tumor" Sally says "you don't have a tumor" Harry says "yeah I do, its one of those 24 hour tumors. I hear they've been going around".

In other news my cat's gone a bit nutty. I don't know if the house is too cold or if she just likes to nest, but she's taken to hiding in her cat bed under a quilt. She'll sleep there all day. And she doesn't think it's too cute when I pop my head under to say hello. I keep hoping that she'll purr or something, but no. She just waits for me to disappear again to fall back asleep in kitty dreamland.

so tomorrow is the project runway finale. We'll find out which of the three remaining designers will take the top prize. I'm going to go out on a limb here. I think Danny V is going to win.

anyhoo happy knitting to all
I'm going back to bed.

GG

I've got booty to swap

I joined Nipperknit's booty swap. And in honor of such a momentous occasion, I have found myself a Pirate name:

My pirate name is:

Mad Anne Rackham

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

arrrrrrrr

GG aka Mad Anne Rackham

Ch Ch Ch CH Changes

For the past 15 years I have obsessed about the Oscars. It's always a fun guessing game to wonder who's going to win what and why and who's going to cry and what's the big surprise? Who's going to make a big ass of themselves. And every year I watch and get teary eyed when someone special wins and makes me want to go out and make movies myself. Gwenyth Paltrow, Sofia Coppola, Roberto Benigni. I cry with them and think, maybe one day I'm going to win an Oscar. But this is the year that I stopped caring and realized that the Oscar's aren't really that special, and they don't mean a whole lot in the large scheme of things. It's not like they have special televised awards ceremonies for police officers or firefighters or nurses or soldiers, people who I think are more heroic. I guess in the long run I just think society has their priorities all screwed up. Sometimes I think I grew up around too much television. Sometimes I think too much of my perspective is formed by what I've learned on tv.

This year I was particularly irritated about how the Academy Awards kept coming back to two major themes:
1) Hollywood is politically and socially avant garde. They champion many unpopular causes.
2) Movies should be seen in the theatre.

Now this irritated me to some degree b/c the academy was trying to validate it's own existance. It's as if they know that they don't matter in the large scheme of things, and they're mattering less as our entertainment options expand -we have the Internet and video games among other distractions which take us away from the movie theatres.

Even the winners, many of them multiple honorees had a jaded air about them, which was only emphasized by the needless cutting off of acceptance speeches (as if we need more time to watch inexperienced red carpet hosts ask the movie stars asinine questions). Cutting off the winner's crowning moment basically tells the audience that the award doesn't really matter. Which makes me wonder why we watch anyway. We watch the Oscars because we want to see our stars in an unguarded and vulnerable moment. We want to see them as humans, not stars or the characters they portray. So ultimately, the Academy Awards producers are digging their own graves, cutting the audience off from what they really want.

Furthermore, there was this unending dribble from the Academy President exhorting the audience to visit the movie theatre. Now, given this has been one of the best years critically for American cinema, but one of the worst economically. And there is one main reason that Americans are abandoning the movie theatres. Money. With dvd releases just months after a film's premiere, only a fool would spend $12 a person to hoof it to a theatre that has to be shared with movie goers who forget to turn off their cell phones. For a mere fraction of the price and a small wait, you can watch the same film in the comfort of your own home. And if you have a little extra cash, you can set up your home to resemble a movie theatre. The only way that the film industry will lure people back into the cinema is if they lower admittance prices. The bottom line is that the film industry hasn't figured out how to compete with the comfort of home.

It was refreshing that most of the nominees this year tackled controversial social subject matter. It's awesome that its creating a public dialog, however it is disheartening to realize that more people watch the oscars than vote in elections. Imagine how much more politically active the general population would become if government was as exciting as the film industry.

that's it for now, just some thoughts I had while knitting a sock and watching the oscars. It's actually come to be that I care more about knitting than I do about movies. Which is strange to me, but I think I've figured it out. I love watching movies, I love getting sucked in to the point where I feel like what's happening on screen is happening to me. However watching films is a passive past time, no matter how much you emotionally become involved in the story. Knitting is something I do actively, productively, with other people and I learn something new every day.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I love knitting more than I love movies.

GG

I Think I'm Losing My Mind

One quilt has turned into three.

Originally I planned to make one quilt inspired by the French flag and the motto of Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood. The French flag is a tricolor of blue, white and red and I was going to make one quilt with the three blocks of color. However, to me it seems too busy to have three blocks of colors in one quilt. I just couldn’t figure out how to achieve a balance of different colors and blocks. Or at least I am not skilled enough at quilting to accomplish this feat without producing one ugly or boring quilt. Thus I will hopefully be making three fabulous quilts with the same theme. It will be a triptych of quilts, one blue, one white and one red, all inspired by my love of French culture.

I have resisted the urge to start a new knitting project. I have made a new rule for myself. I can only start a new knitting project if it is a gift for someone else. Thus I can’t really talk about my knitting projects because they may be for people who read this blog. All I can say is that I need to wind the yarn into balls, which I will do tonight at knit night b/c I bought the yarn from Warren.

In other news I am not a millionaire today. Big let down. Didn’t win the lotto again. Maybe Friday night? The Mega Millions jackpot is nearly $300 mil. That will buy a couple of skeins of yarn won’t it? And that new car. A girl can dream. I call it my $1 piece of hope.

The Project Runway Season 2 finale part 1 was on last night and it pains me to admit that I think Santino is going to win. His collection by far looks the most interesting and innovative of the three, but we haven’t seen everything on the runway yet. Chloe’s collection doesn’t look that interesting. And I’m worried that she chose Diana to assist her. I would have chosen Kara, but I’m sure there’s some bad blood between them after what Kara said when she got kicked off. It just goes to show you that resentment doesn’t get you anywhere, but then again Kara did get kicked off for her unfinished hems. And what was with the minimal coverage of Daniel? Are they trying to deceive us? It seemed like he might end up the winner –he was the most consistent throughout the season. But now with Tim Gunn poo pooing his line, Danny V doesn’t seem like such a shoo-in. We’ll just have to wait until next week and see.

GG

Tadaaaaa!!!!

Here's me in my first sweater!!! Yay!!!

It was Katy Ryan's Ballet Wrap Cardigan from Interweave Knits Winter 2005

It was a great first sweater. I used Lana Grosso's Easy Print, which was fabulous to use and knit up quickly. I only wish that it turned out a little bit longer, but hey I'm pretty thrilled with the final product. It kept me toasty warm at work, but not too warm, mainly because of the deep v-neck. I highly recommend knitting this sweater. Is there anybody else who is making this?

Grenadine Girl

The Sweater Bug

I’m totally addicted to sweaters now. I finished the sweater last night and I’m wearing it as I write. And it’s the most comfortable sweater I’ve ever made. It’s also the only sweater I’ve ever made. But it seems that I’ve become addicted because look at the surprise pattern from knitty:

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTstarsky.html

Oy vey. I have to make it. Got any good yarn suggestions? I was thinking maybe GGH Aspen or Solitaire –something that uses a size 9 needle.

I have to calm down because I already have another sweater to make and some gifts to make. So another sweater project is out of the question.

At least this week.

I'm also obsessing with getting a new car. I have to keep telling myself that my current car is fine, it's great. As soon as it passes smog, I can install a stereo in it and it would be a much nicer car if I cleaned it. BUT one thing keeps nagging at me. The darned thing will never have airbags.

Now it's not as if I want a maserati or anything or even a Subaru. Forget even the foreign imports (well they're all foreign imports these days aren't they?). I want a Ford Focus Wagon. Now there once was a time where I would not buy an American car. Thirty years ago, they were great cars that lasted forever, but for some reason, they haven't been as long lasting since the 1980's. I'm sure there are some exceptions, but I have been turned around by the Ford Focus Wagon. My friend drives the hatchback version and I quite like it.

Now if only I could scrounge up that $12500 it costs to buy one.

GG

I Made It

Two scarves, one sweater and .25 of one sock. I've accomplished that much during the knitting olympics. I'm quite proud of myself and my fellow knitters for embracing the olympic spirit in this way. It was an intense effort and I still didn't get the gold because there was no way in hell I was going to finish a pair of socks, but at least this large backlog of projects are completed. It will be nice have my life back. I'll do chores around the house and cook meals for my husband again and answer the phone when it rings.

Except I started a quilt Friday night.

That's right my 2006 quilt has been cut, at least a portion of it has which means that the race has begun to finish a quilt by Labor Day. Why labor day? Because that's when the Marin Needle Arts Guild quilt festival is. To get this all done in time the quilt needs to be fully pieced by June 15th, if not sooner.

This means that Im not embarking on any ambitious knitting projects until Labor day, that's right it's just socks for me.

Yeah let's wait and see how long that lasts. I already have the materials for another sweater ready and waiting for my attention.

Many thanks for Warren for his hospitality this rainy sunday afternoon. I was able to weave in ends without much distraction in the comfort of his store.
And many thanks to Mr. G for his support and encouragement. Now I have to make him a sweater. Please send some happy thoughts to my friend Maya, oh and thanks mom for the extra yarn I couldn't have finished the sweater w/o it.

Happy knitting to all and to all a good night

GG

The Quilting Bug

As I’m finishing up all of these knitting projects I’m realizing that I really want to make a quilt. There’s this French themed quilt that I’ve been designing for the last two years and I’ve just now finalized the design and now I’m itching to cut the pieces. Now keep in mind that I was quilting before I was knitting, and producing two quilts a year. Then I moved and all of my crafting stuff ended up in disarray and I took up knitting. But the urge remains. It’s just that quilting is a space intensive endeavor and I like to spread out with all the fabrics and the sewing machine, but I don’t like doing that in my tiny craft room. It makes me feel too cut off from the rest of the world. Perhaps I just need to make some adjustments to the craft room. I need to put some nice smelling candles and a couple of cd’s. Perhaps I’ll make more of an effort to hang out in there tonight, but there’s some serious cleaning that needs to happen in my bedroom.

Does this happen to you? All of my clothes get piled up next to my bed, mixed in with my favorite knitting magazines and books, the odd shoe, mixed in with the odd knitting project and with the unpacked weekend bag and the messy handbag from last week. My poor husband is afraid to enter the room lest he trip over something. It’s a public safety hazard. I’d better do something about it tonight. And possibly do some laundry.

Does this mean that I have to cook dinner too? I hope not.

As to the knitting Olympics, one thing is for sure. I’m not going to finish those socks, but I hope to have that sweater done. Hope being the operative word.

Happy knitting
GG

La La Land

Spent the weekend in LA. Good times had by all. I packed a lot of action into 36 hours. We flew in on Saturday morning. I don’t know. I think Southwest might be losing its edge. Our captain was 30 minutes late for our plane due to a scheduling mishap. Apparently that’s what they call oversleeping in the airlines industry. On the way home, a bunch of flights were delayed do to a scheduling conflict with a plane. We were lucky we got on an earlier flight home or we would have been stuck in LA.

Aside from that the trip was fabu. I finally went to see a movie at the Arclight in Hollywood, which for a film lover is like going to the NY met if you like opera. You buy assigned seats in the movie theatre, they have fine dining at the restaurant –corn tamale with shrimp and lobster anyone? And the finest bottle of American wine I’ve had in ages. A 2004 Pinot Noir from Clos du Bois. We saw “Something New”, that romantic comedy with Simon Baker. It’s probably the best romantic comedy to come out since the 40 year old virgin.

We also went to Bergin’s, a pub at Fairfax and Wilshire. We got a huge table. Mr. G had been hanging out with his friend all day so we met up at the pub. I had a Newcastle, which was one of my favorite beers in college. Mr. G had a Bass ale. Hanging out and chatting with new acquaintances and old friends made me feel like I was 21 again. It felt like Mr. G and I were dating again. It was very cute.

I stayed with my friend Jenny in her new apartment near Melrose. Very cute studio unit. We watched Sex and the City reruns while we got ready. I had done some shopping on Melrose –bought a couple of new tops and a new wallet at Urban Outfitters. And they had my favorite Skeem candles, I bought one for Jenny, with these beautiful roses on it –sweet pea and vanilla scented. I have the same sent on my desk at work, and it’s yummy.

On Sunday we picked up my brother and his girlfriend in Westwood and went to the Grove and had breakfast. I had a delish bowl of swiss oatmeal and some fresh fruit. It was nice to catch up with everyone and the bro looked happy and healthy. We did a little bit of shopping, but it was too crazy busy to actually buy anything. That was probably for the best anyway. I couldn’t go to LA without visiting knitcafe. It’s on Melrose and it’s a lovely yarn shop with a delightful group of knitters. Very friendly people with a lovely array of yarns. My favorite part was the cute needle holders and tote bags made under the knit café line. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had to get ready to go home. So if you get to LA, visit Knit Café. They’ll welcome you with open arms.

At the end of the weekend, it was nice to come home to SF even though it was freezing cold. It was toasty warm on the couch with Mr. G and the cat watching the Olympics. Mr. G isn’t partial to the ice dancing. He thinks it’s a big joke. Which makes me wonder how well he would do at ice dancing. Perhaps if he tried it, he wouldn’t knock it huh?

GG

Danger Will Robinson

Danger Will Robinson.

I’ve finished another scarf. The knitting is done on the Besotted Scarf for Mr. G. This momentous occasion was shared with fellow knitters at the LYS knit night. It was an exhilarating end to my day. Now, if only I could weave in those darned ends! I came home and wrapped the scarf around Mr. G, who was very happy with the cabled x’s and o’s and the soft hand of Goddess Yarn’s Ellen. Next week there will be photos of finished products.

I got the remaining yarn for my sweater and Warren felt badly that I didn’t buy enough yarn and that the sweater might not fit, but we’re both confident that the blocking will work. As if I can fault Warren. I also splurged and got the new Interweave Knits and the Rebecca Mohair special from last year. I bought this cool mohair sweater in Australia and I’ve been wearing it with everything. Anyhoo it’s been getting quite worn out so I wanted to make sure that I could make myself another one. But before we start planning other projects let’s review our Olympic progress:

The fuzzy pink and orange scarf is done
The blue besotted scarf is done

Just the socks and the sweater to go. Now a wrench has been thrown into my Olympic knitting plans. Or one could call it a self-imposed obstacle. Mr. G and I have randomly decided to hang out in LA this weekend. Surprise. Now don’t tell Warren b/c I wouldn’t want him to get jealous, but I’m going to visit a yarn shop or two during my trip. I’m going to check out Knitcafe and Black Sheep Knittery. At this point, I have enough sweater projects at home so I’m only on the look out for unique handspun yarns to make a chunky scarf, or an unusual novelty yarn. Fortunately for Warren, there’s a novelty yarn that I’ve been eyeing in blues, greens and pinks. I want to make a shrug or something. I haven’t made a shrug yet, or a shawl for that matter. There will, as always be interesting photos to share when I return.

Whilst in LA, Luke’s scarf and all of the pieces of the sweater will be blocking in my craft room. I’m hoping that this will somehow make up for the fact that I probably won’t be knitting that much this weekend.

Good times and happy knitting for all
Grenadine Girl

One Down, Three to Go

Ok, so it was knit every row, but the fuzzy orange and pink scarf is done. Well done knitting anyway. I'm going to wait until next week for all finishing - you know weaving in ends and all, but at least I can say that I have finished something by the end of this Olympic trial. It also doesn't hurt that the scarf feels as soft as a security blanket. I'm wearing it to work tomorrow, unwoven ends and all.

Valentine's day was a success. Mr. G proved once again to be the best husband in the knittersphere, giving me a heart-shaped tape measure as a token of his love. I've been showing it off to everyone I know and will boast of it at knit night tomorrow, so those of you who attend consider yourself warned.

I can't say enough nice things about my knitting group. We meet at the new LYS on Thursdays at 7. Feel welcome to attend if you're in the area. We're a warm group of diverse women (editted, women and Warren, the fabulous man who owns and operates Marin Fiber Arts, FYI we need more men at our meetings!!!). Every week I meet someone new and intriguing. Someone new last week said something about inherantly trusting knitters. The feeling is mutual. Knitting has changed my life tremendously. It's something I do that I truly love. I didn't realize that such a thing existed and it has diminished all of my previous interests. In the end, it makes me feel more whole. If that makes sense or anything.

If only knitting could provide me with a steady income I would do it all the time, with occasional breaks for yoga. Now there's a combination I haven't seen in the knittersphere. The combination yoga studio and yarn shop. What would I call it... The Tao of Zimmerman? String Theories? Will Strech for Yarn? The Yarn of Enlightenment? Lotus Yarns? Why do I always come up with fabulous ideas, but lack the wherewithall (sp?) to achieve them? It's a curse. Just yesterday I dreamed up the most imaginative screenplay entitled Boat People. though I can't decide if it's a horror movie about a mythical "boat people" that kill parking teenagers or if it's a dry tv mockumentary about the characters who live on houseboats. So many dreams and aspirations, so little time. I don't see why people don't proclaim human cloning. I'd love to give my clones the dreams I don't have the time to follow. But then I'm totally ignoring all of the social and ethical implications of having a cloan and then forcing them to follow my dreams.

I say that though knowing that the last three months have been some of the best of my life. And I've never been happier. There's comfort in that.

Happy knitting to you all. And know that whatever ails you is merely temporary. Just pick up the knitting needles and all will be alright.

much love,
GG

The Good, The Bad and The Scary

The good news is that I finished the first sleeve on the sweater last night. The bad news is that I need to buy 4 more skeins of yarn to finish this sweater. The worse news is that I’m not entirely sure this sweater is going to fit. I don’t know that I allowed much ease for this thing, but when the instructions gave measurements for 34” and then 40”, I balked at having such a huge sweater. Fortunately, the yarn softens up a bit so I’m confident that it will fit well after blocking.

So let’s review our Olympic progress shall we? So far, I’ve managed to knit another foot of the besotted scarf. Only about another foot left to go. The fuzzy pink and orange scarf hasn’t gone anywhere and I haven’t even looked at the pink socks.

That said we should set some reasonable goals for the weekend.
1: buy yarn for the rest of the sweater
2: finish Luke’s scarf
3: finish fuzzy pink and orange scarf

Some people may think that this is pretty ambitious, but ambitious would be to buy the yarn AND try to finish knitting the sweater in one weekend.

Anyhoo the week so far has been good. I went to Borders last night for a last minute v-day gift for my husband and I went to the grocery store and I cooked a pretty fabulous dinner. It was 9pm by the time I finally sat down, but it felt good to be so active. I forgot that I had that kind of energy.

I don't like knitting with a deadline

It minimizes your progress.

It is going to take and olympic effort to finish the sweater. I misjudged how long it would take me to knit a sleeve, even worse, I misjudged how much yarn I would need. I thought I bought above and beyond the amount of yarn I needed, but I don't have enough to finish the second sleeve and the waist ties. I think I'm going to need another 3 or 4 skeins. Arg this is turning into quite the expensive sweater....
With this spring weather we've been having it's possible that I might not even get to wear the darned thing until next year.

My husband's scarf is coming along nicely. And the olympics have been mighty entertaining. I love the flying tomato. It was nice to see people get emotional about their achievements. And Michelle Kwan leaving the Olympics. She should get a gold medal for selflessness.

It feels good to be American again.

GG

Everyone Must Be Knitting

Hardly anyone is updating their blogs. It must be the knitting olympics!

I myself was knitting up a storm all day yesterday. Between Coupling, The Olympics and Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, there was plenty of tv to knit with. Funny how now that there's a deadline it feels like nothing's moving fast enough. I thought for sure that one of my sweater sleeves would be finished yesterday or that I could knit through a whole skein on the besotted scarf, but I was wrong. This is going to be a little bit harder than I thought.

Then there's the guilt I feel spending all day inside on a gorgeous day. I may have to go outside for a bit today. Perhaps to visit Warren at the LYS.
but then again, maybe not.

Happy Knitting

Grenadine Girl

Drooling...

Bag of the Day:

 

The Lexie Barnes Lady B Bag in parfait.

 

Yummy!

 

GG

 

My Own Olympics

While I have decided not to formally join the Yarn Harlot’s Knitting Olympics, I have challenged myself to finish all works in progress.

 

This would include:

 

3 scarves

1 sweater

1 pair of socks.

 

I doubt that the socks will get finished, but if the 3 scarves and the sweater get done. I’ll have earned myself a silver medal. If I get those and the socks done, I’ll get the gold.

 

Tonight is Project Runway night, so no doubt I’ll make some serious progress. I’m trying to finish Luke’s Besotted scarf in time for Valentine’s Day. Hopefully I’ll be blocking the scarf and the sweater by this weekend. There may be hope for those socks yet!

 

Not that I need additional motivation, but there are some new projects that I would like to pursue:

The Sun Shaped Washcloth (my own design)

Baby hat and booties set

More socks

Another sweater

Lace scarf

Lace socks

More felted handbags

A felted needlecase

And gasp! I would like to make a quilt this year….

 

There will be plenty to watch on the tv in the next two weeks. There’s a whole weekend of Coupling on BBC. The Olympics will be on and the finale for Project Runway is coming up. Oh yes, there will be a lot of crafting…

 

GG

Works In Progress

I wasn't joking when I said that I was really into the pink yarn these days. Check out the photos:

I'm working on a pink sweater,


some pink socks,


and a pink and orange scarf


Oh and I'm still trying to figure out how to knit a triangle. We're getting there.


Happy knitting
GG

It's Just So Wrong

I saw Munich yesterday. Amazing amazing amazing film. Everyone should see it. It doesn’t take political sides. It takes the human side, showing that this continued killing of people will not lead to peace. There is one simple step to peace for any nation and that is to stop killing people. Which is also why capital punishment is wrong, which I’ve only now just realized is my concrete view on the issue.

 

That’s it everyone, just stop killing people. When will governments figure this out?

 

The wrong part of this movie is that Eric Bana is so hot. He’s just taken Ewen McGregor out as my # 1 favorite actor. Move over Hugh Grant, step aside Hugh Jackman.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0051509/

 

note to self:

Rent the following films:

The Hulk

Chopper

Black Hawk Down

The Castle

And of course, Troy – I think I need to own that one!

 

GG

Note To Self

I do not need a new car.

 

As much as I would like to have a newer car with a radio that works and dual side airbags, I do not drive enough to require spending $10,000.

 

I have a great car. It’s old, but reliable, a 1987 Honda Accord Hatchback. It just needs to be cleaned and a new car radio.  And if I’m feeling sassy enough, perhaps I can knit some new seat covers. Mmm. Maybe not. Might be a little hot in summer.

 

There’s been a lot of talk about this knitting Olympics as sponsored by the Yarn Harlot. I am inspired. I would like to join, but I’ve been challenging myself enough as it is. In the last six months I have learned how to knit socks, knit cables and I’m tackling my very first sweater. The real challenge for me right now is to make this sun-shaped washcloth out of yellow and orange crystal palace chenille that I’ve been trying to design. It is inspired by that flower shaped washcloth that was in Interweave Knits ages ago, but I’m having trouble figuring out how to knit individual triangles. I’m close. So I guess I’ve just convinced myself to enter the Knitting Olympics.

 

Anyhoo. Wish me luck. It’s a busy weekend ahead…

 

GG

 

 

 

 

Ode to my husband

 

I may have the best husband in knitting blogland.

 

Here is the evidence:

For our first wedding anniversary (paper) he gave me a knitting book.

While on our anniversary outing he bought me sock yarn (to make him a pair of socks)

He wears whatever I knit for him with glee, regardless of how poorly misshapen the product.

He loves everything I cook for him.

He brings me surprises back from the supermarket.

 

And…

 

He cooked dinner for me last night!

 

Warm fuzzies for everyone.

 

GG

 

 

First Cold of the New Year

uhg.

I hate being sick. This cold came out of nowhere. One minute I was brunching with knitting friends, the next I was sneezing up a storm. I feel particularly bad for my parents because they suffered. My dinner was not up to snuff. I took the roast chicken out too soon. Uhg. And my lazy hostessing caused another major incident. My dad wanted a cup of tea and we have one of those snazzy electric tea kettles that heats the water up in a few moments. It's one of those kettles that looks like the old fashioned ones that you put on the stove... I think you know where I'm going with this. Electric Kettle plus gas stove = fire hazard. Don't worry, nobody got hurt. Nonetheless everyone had a good time. You can't go wrong when you've got a fire in the fire place and Horatio Hornblower on the TV.

Knitting Wise I'm on a rampage. Over the weekend, I finally finished the Big Green Fleece Artist Socks. Note to self, don't buy nice merino unless you really know how to knit a pair of socks. I've got Sensational Socks by Charlene Schurch so hopefully I'll be able to do it right this time.

In addition to the socks I also finished another part of the 2005 Winter Interweave Knits Ballet Cardigan. It's the one on the cover. I'm making it with Lana Grosso's Easy Print in Pink.

I'm kind of on a roll with the whole pink thing. I've also cast on for a pair of socks in Knit Pick's Sock Garden in Star Gazer Lily. And I started a scarf with Lorna's Laces Chunky in Bittersweet. Thanks to Warren at Marin Fiber Arts. One of these days I'll actually post some photos.

And I'm still working on Luke's Besotted Scarf. I hope to have it finished by Valentine's Day.

So I've been thinking about what my next big New Year's Resolution is now that I have achieved being in a foreign country on New Year's Eve. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'd like to knit full time.

A Grenadine Girl can dream can't she?

Dream Come True

I finally experienced New Year's Eve in a foreign country.

It was everything and more.






I'm only now just realizing how awesome it was.

2006 so far so good.

GG

more photos