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
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
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
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
Sunday, March 05, 2006
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
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
Thursday, March 02, 2006
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
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
Monday, February 27, 2006
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
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
Sunday, February 26, 2006
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
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
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
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
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
Monday, February 20, 2006
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
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
Friday, February 17, 2006
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
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
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
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
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
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
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.
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.
Monday, February 13, 2006
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
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
Sunday, February 12, 2006
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
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
Friday, February 10, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
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
Monday, February 06, 2006
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
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
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,
GG
Friday, February 03, 2006
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
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
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
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