Everything Except Chickens

Rigel on a treadmill

2012-01-28T17:03:00.000-05:00

To start, practice the command "treadmill" by having your dog stand on the track facing the console. This will be the running position, so after a few instances of you helping your dog into the proper place she should climb on and stand on the treadmill when you say on her own. You can use treats and praise to help your dog consider the treadmill a good place. The video explains the rest. I should add that I would discourage from petting/treats while the dog is running because it can be too distracting and before you know it your dog slips off the track. This can be traumatizing to your pup and damaging to the trust between you, not to mention she could get hurt. So you must always supervise your dog while she's running and never to attach her to the handles by lead or similar (this is also a safety concern). So don't forget to give lots of verbal praise and have fun!

New year and the joys of parenthood.

2012-01-22T03:06:00.002-05:00

What better time to write a post than at three am the day after your birthday? I wish I could even say I stayed up this late because of the ridiculous amount of fun I was having (I did have a spectacular amount of fun, but it ended at a reasonable hour of "before eleven").

Let's start with the fact that yesterday Rigel spent 10-15 minutes sitting on her "place", a mat by the patio door. When I don't ask her to do this, it sometimes happens when we're bringing in groceries. The connection of '"place" before I get my breakfast/dinner' seems to have two-way causality in her doggy mind. I ignored it for a while, because while she was staring at me intently she didn't make a noise, then on a whim decided to open the door and let her out. Good thing, because the stare meant "I really really need to go outside. Really."

I gave the poor puppy a bit of canned pumpkin which is supposed to help a little with tummy problems, and she did seem to feel better after a while (maybe a short nap helped). She definitely was very happy to see her canine BFF and neighbor Mabel. But at 2:30 a.m. I was woken up by the sound of her nails clicking in a circle on the floor of her crate. I sat up and as soon as my eyes adjusted I could just make out three black dots in the shadow of her crate focusing all their mind power in my direction.

Like any good parent I hopped out of bed and popped open the crate, sprinting toward the patio with Rigel hot on my heels. Just as before, a continuation of what I hope is a doggy 24 hour stomach flu. I hope the playtime with her buddy didn't stress her out needlessly and that she'll be back to 100% tomorrow.

With that said, dear reader, I assure you that this is not the highlight of my 2012 so far. I plan to catch the blogosphere up on all the new year business (starting with the old year) shortly. For now I'm getting back in bed. Yawn.

One of these sweet girls is my "daughter"

2011-12-18T23:08:00.002-05:00

Photos copyright Tamara Somerville

How to wash wool.

2011-11-23T10:11:00.001-05:00

On the bright side, Tu did the laundry while I was in class. On the other hand, the second iteration of my tunic suffered an untimely demise because he managed to throw in my handwash only pile in with the rest of the clothes. For comparison, in its previous state, the tunic resembled this.

School is tough.

2011-11-22T10:05:00.001-05:00

I can't wait for Thanksgiving break.

How to knit

2011-10-28T17:38:00.002-04:00

My husband claims this is 100% accurate.

How to enjoy fall.

2011-10-13T12:38:00.003-04:00

A day in the life of a first year chemical engineer

2011-10-12T10:05:00.002-04:00

My hair is getting longer.

How to borrow a netbook.

2011-09-27T15:40:00.002-04:00

How to get a tan.

2011-09-26T16:04:00.001-04:00

Based on a true story.

How to sew.

2011-09-24T07:58:00.003-04:00

It could happen to anyone.

How to harness wind power.

2011-09-22T14:10:00.002-04:00

True story.

How marriage works

2011-09-21T21:24:00.003-04:00

Boop.

How to study for a math test.

2011-09-20T18:33:00.002-04:00

In case it isn't clear, that brain is full of rocks.

In which we prepare

2011-08-26T16:05:00.003-04:00

We prepare for Irene, I guess? We put the bikes into the safety of our patio (the only good thing about our upstairs neighbors is that their balcony gives decent shelter).

I'm also preparing for winter! I've been knitting some mittens, and now a scarf! I had 5 skeins of KnitPicks Swish DK for another project that never took off, and I do hate seeing things lay around without a purpose. So I knocked this baby out in 6 days or fewer.

I must say for a time I was quite distraught because my Barbara Walkers Second Treasury was nowhere to be found. I scoured all my usual (and unusual) places to no avail. Then Tu, who like a valiant prince appears when I'm in need, pulled it out a of a bin of sewing patterns like a magician pulls a rodent out of a hat.

Since then I've been happily perusing its pages. This particular stitch is called the German Herringbone rib, which I knit with a few alterations. I had a three stitch garter border, with three purl rows in between the herringbone ribs, with one purl on the edges.

I think it turned out rather well.

In which I lie.

2011-08-23T15:53:00.005-04:00

Because - seriously - what are those? Didn't we have a whole long talk regarding sock knitting? Well, dear reader, put away your torches and pitchforks. I bought this yarn ages ago. I started several socks with it over the years. I eventually decided that I will knit Skew with it for sure, so I made these.
I followed a free pattern for the numbers (somewhat) but not for the construction. I made a provisional cast on for the foot stitches, knit the sock from there up toward the cuff, then went back and knit on the toes. The socks are pretty comfy, though I wouldn't make them again (even if I were still knitting socks). WAY too fiddly.

August 19, 2011

2011-08-19T09:50:00.005-04:00

I wake up shortly before dawn in a bed made on a couch in my old apartment. It's a mess, the place looks like it's occupied by a number of not too tidy people. I hoist myself up on one elbow and look out the window. I can see people in the building across. A girl is watching TV. I try not too move around too much. I don't want them to see I'm up, because they might realize I'm a vampire.

I call my husband over. I tell him I need to feed, and he says he'll take care of it. Usually he finds homeless children on the street, brings them to me, then afterwards we feed them a nice meal and give berries for dessert. The berries are laced with a potent drug from Mexico that makes them forget what happened. We then let them go.

He puts a berry into a wax paper pastry bag and hands it to me. It is coated in sugar. He says a boy will be coming at dawn. I get ready.

I wear a baseball cap, and a navy hoodie over a red one, to protect myself from the sun. I walk out into the hall and down the stairs. The stairs are made of unfinished plywood and have occasional gaps that I am terrified to cross, but finally I am just inside the doors. Outside it is brightening up. A young man (20's) is approaching the entrance, and I know it's him. I walk out to meet him and take his arm. "Let's go someplace we can be alone" I say and I take him down the street, away from the neighbors' prying eyes.

We walk around our building, then another. A lonely dirt road stretches between here and the next building in the distance. Ash trees line the side. A random collection of metal crates and barrels blocks the road. We walk between them. I don't let go of his arm. I can smell him, and it's making me salivate. Reluctantly, he follows me, not saying anything. I walk faster.

As we are just out the haphazard crate and barrel junkyard, we pass a family. A hispanic woman, her teenage son, young girl, and a dog stare at me and my lunch, as we scurry past. A white man in a track suit is hanging a bit farther back. I finger the laced berry in my pocket as we keep walking.

On a paved road. The family and the track suit guy are back. He turned them all into vampires (even the dog) and they are threatening me. There's no way out of this fight.

I put myself between the guy and them. I turn around and face him. "You know what I need". There's no point in pretending, surely he's figured it out by now. It takes him a moment but he holds out his arm. I take his wrist and bite just above it. He screams. His breaking skin is crunchy like celery, and has no taste.

Life rushes into me. The sheer euphoria makes my eyes roll back into my head. I straighten up and let his arm drop. I am alive and superhuman, powerful, and I assess the situation. I finger the drugged berry in my pocket. There are five of them, and one of me. I take the berry out of its bag. It's covered in sugar. I put it into my mouth and swallow. On a human, it would have one effect, but on a vampire that's just fed it has another. Its effect might slow me down, but it increases concentration. I'm already plotting how I can take the dog and the little girl out first. The man in the track suit would be more difficult, but I'll deal with him later.

Can't waste too long on this bunch, I still have this guy to take care of.

In which we vacate

2011-08-17T08:48:00.004-04:00

That's the verb for "take a vacation", yes?

I'd like to say that I've met a ton of cool people through the Potomac Valley Samoyed Club. One of them is Tam who goes everywhere the sams go and photographs everything. Another one is Brenda and her husband John who like to have people over at their house in southern Maryland that is right on the water.

We had a super fun time there this weekend. 10 samoyeds (plus Darcy), their people, and a bunny in a dress.

I can't speak for everyone, but I ate a TON. Husband went boating with the dawg.

We also walked (and ran, apparently) on the beach.

The dogs played until they couldn't play anymore. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no more serious issues than an occasional grumble from any of our dogs (that included intact males). We all went home happy and tired (and, in my case, fat).

The best part of it all? We get to go back next weekend!

In which I doodle

2011-08-15T14:58:00.002-04:00

In which I prepare for fall.

2011-08-11T08:11:00.003-04:00

I've never actually been into kitted cold-weather accessories that much. I think in my teenage years I preferred style over function. Of course, my sense of style in itself was suspect, but that's a story for another post.

In any case, I was never into knitting stuff like that. Scarves, especially. I think I have a specific reason for that. I consider myself a fairly prolific and skilled knitter. Worlds away from garter stitch scarves. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's where many people have to start. Maybe that's where I started, I don't remember (I do remember knitting a sweater for my barbie with an intarsia tree on it (it was the 90's) and the tree trunk was not connected to the body because I didn't know you were supposed to twist strands). But as a fairly experienced knitter with a high opinion of her skills, I admit I wince a little when every conversation where that gets brought up goes like this: "Oh, you knit? My friend/relative/I made a scarf one time." or "So you make like, scarves, and stuff?"

As a matter of fact, I've never made a scarf for myself for that reason. I've made a hat I wore last winter (it was a knockoff from a Banana Republic hat with the asking price of $50). I made fingerless gloves to wear over $1 walmart gloves for added warmth. But those are for another post as well.

Today is brought to you by mittens! I'm actually a huge fan of the idea of mittens (super cute) but less of the execution (where are my fingers?!) But I wanted something semi-warm for the crisp autumn days when I take Rigel for a walk. So I started these... drumroll please... about two years ago!
I'm pretty sure that the rusty orange fiber they are spun from came from Rhinebeck 2009. I spun them on my first and most used drop spindle, and into hibernation they went when I ran out of yarn halfway through the second mitten.

Cue to last month, when I, without a budget for new yarn or fabric, began to resurrect age old projects out of their slumber. I popped some wool onto that spindle and these were done in two days.

There are some slight issues. With a two year break I couldn't produce a yarn of the same weight. I started out thicker, and in my attempt to lighten up, made it thinner than the original. In addition, I definitely forgot what size needles I used to knit them with, so I had to use my best approximating skills.

The design is improvised, albeit not that original. I knit these flat in one piece, then seamed them leaving a gap 1.5-2 inches long for the thumb. I cast on for the thumb right out of the edge stitches. The mittens are pretty lightweight (the yarn I used is about light fingering weight), but I think they'll do well on days when there is not a lot of wind (which would go right through them).

In which I am a poet

2011-08-08T20:25:00.000-04:00

Sunset in Florida

Crime of the century - man bleeds into surroundings.
Tomorrow morning thirteen halves of a minute
Past the zero hour a man is caught -
Red handed; though indistinguishable from the environment.
Stocks for apple pie drop tremendously as
Another man is cut in half by a window.
Sadly, by the time the police arrive,
The only evidence left is a wisp of wind
Crystallized into the shrub bark.

(2003)

In which there is a t-shirt

2011-07-29T18:37:00.002-04:00

On days when I get bored or frustrated with knitting, I turn to my other hobbies. I think I made this at some point in the past couple of weeks when I needed a break from sewing a jacket I'm also working on.
I bought one yard of this fabric probably a couple of years ago when I was just starting to learn how to sew. It's very lightweight and the print is cute. Of course, because of those two reasons (and because I couldn't come up with what to make) it's been sitting in a pile waiting for its moment to shine. So on a Tuesday (it was probably not at all a Tuesday, but moving on) I decided that the wait is over and took some scissors to it.
I'll have to say that the majority of the time I do not sew with a pattern. My degree of success varies, but in time I've gotten better with practice at basic techniques and my experiments progressed in the most pleasing directions. For example: here are some words of advice I can offer to a novice or a self-learner that wants to learn to sew by cutting a piece of fabric however he/she wants, stitching it and wearing right away (basically what's happening in this photo).

Cut with extra seam allowances. You can always take in a garment, but once it's too small, it goes into your scrap pile.
Pin together everything before you sew. Originally the sleeves were going to be a couple inches longer. However, once I matched up the front and back sleeve seams on my cut pieces I realized I forgot to add the length in the back. Oops. Now the sleeve band meets the side seam at the armpit, which is fine, but I felt a bit silly for making that mistake.
The iron is your friend. I press everything. I would have gone mad sewing the arm/neck/hem bands if they didn't hold shape from a rather aggressive pressing. I don't have a walking foot for my sewing machine (and this is a light fabric AND a knit) so I made it as easy for myself as possible.

An easy way to make gathers as seen on the sleeve/neckline is to stitch along the seam line in a very long stitch. I did this in a contrasting thread. Then you pull on one of the ends so that the fabric gathers. Pin it to the ungathered piece (or I guess you could sew two gathered pieces together if you want, it would be more difficult to keep it even) and sew together. By the way I must also mention that having a serger is the best thing since sliced bread. That's basically what I used for 90% of this construction, the other 10% being 5 regular sewing machine and 5 hand stitching.

Dawg

2011-07-21T09:28:00.003-04:00

More flash experiments. Many more colors, much more detail in the muzzle which I don't like, I liked the semi-abstract and quasi-expressionistic feel of the last one. I need to go back to only three shades of each color for the highlight lowlight and midtone. One thing I do love though is the whiskers. I added that last with the thinnest brush and it just makes the whole thing pop. It's a Pigel!

ALTHOUGH - I just noticed this - the main difference is that I only used black for the outline here, and in the last one, I used it throughout. Black outlines = cartoony, lack thereof = painterly. Seriously you artsy types - try it. Time is again about an hour on this one.

In which there is Japanese knitting.

2011-07-12T20:38:00.004-04:00

This is one of the tops that I finished recently (other things still need to be blocked...) I picked up the Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport when it was on sale. It was nice to knit with and I used up every last inch of the 6 skeins that I bought.
When I washed it to block, it had already begun shedding. I understand that cotton is a really short fiber, and that organic cotton is even more so, but I was led to believe that this problem was less apparent with the marshmallow color that I ordered (it seems that other colors were much less sound and even prone to breakage). The reason I even ordered this yarn was purely because of the price. I wanted a nice cotton, linen or bamboo blend that I could knit to gauge, and even with wonderful resources such as Ravelry I had an impossible time finding something that wasn't stupidly expensive but readily available. I ordered this yarn along with some 3mm needles to knit this top with, and also a size 4 needle in 16 inch length. I don't know what I was thinking, but 16 inches is a size you can literally only knit hats on (and maybe baby clothes, but I don't normally make them). It's a size that's perfectly too big for sleeves in the round and too small for anything flat except maybe a placket of a cardigan (but who knits those separately anymore?)

In any case, I washed my shirt on gentle in the washing machine and two things happened. Thing one - when it came out I had to carefully pick off a film of loose fiber that had come out from the surface of my stitches. Thing two - apparently the drop of detergent that I added landed right on the fabric instead of in the water because there is a spot on the shirt that's noticeably (to me) lighter than the rest of it.

Knitting itself was a pretty simple process once I figured out what to do, not being able to read a lick of Japanese. The yarn knit to gauge pretty spot on, but I'm not a huge fan of the casual fit the garment has. I guess I should say that if I saw this top on a rack I'd probably pass it by, but when I wear this shirt it's comfortable and looks nice. I only decreased the amount of cast on stitches by 5 which is just over an inch for each side. I had no trouble at all figuring out the charts. The main motif is the wedges made by short rows, and the secondary is the waves made by the lace panels. I was able to find a picture tutorial (also in Japanese) on how to do those short rows because the only way I knew how is "wrap and turn" like for a short row heel.

I have another top in progress that I'm working on right now along with other things. Since I've been forbidden from buying any more yarn or fabric for an indeterminate amount of time, I'm taking this chance to finish up some long-hibernating works in progress as well as clearing out my sewing queue. Sewing is what I'm going to be doing more of since it takes me much longer than knitting and will keep me occupied.

Until next time!

I'm also pretty good at photography...

2011-07-09T19:59:00.001-04:00

... also known as putting things on your dog and making her sit outside.

In which I drew a picture.

2011-07-06T16:31:00.005-04:00

I suppose there are other things I should be doing. But here's a picture I drew (more accurately a speed painting - <1 hour) in Flash from a paper sketch (I used a photo for reference).

I actually don't know how to use Flash at all and the only thing saving my butt are the keyboard shortcuts that are all the same ones from Photoshop that I'm used to.

It's a Pigel!

In which we go camping.

2011-06-14T11:22:00.002-04:00

This was a somewhat new experience for me. I've been on day trip picnic/swimming outings, and one other time I've camped out of on RV, but I've never been real-life camping with the tent and the sleeping bag and everything. Tam and Jan (both PVSC people) invited me to go along and stay with them for a couple of days. Jan had a cabin for the week, and Tam a lakeside campsite at Douthat state park in Virginia.

They, of course, were much better prepared than I (all I brought was some food and my dog), but they took great care of me! I slept in Tam's tent for two nights, and during the day we went boating, Rigel and I hiked, we ate, and just hung out. Besides tolerating bug bites for 2-3 days afterward, it was great.

There were 6 dogs total between three people (two senior dogs just wanted to hang out in the shade). Jan's youngest - Irish - was a great playmate for Rigel. I'm really happy when other dogs get along well with her, because not all dogs are appreciative of her energy level (read: completely batsh*t insane at times). So Rigel and Irish spent some time bouncing around and pretending to gnaw on each other's limbs.

Irish LOVED to chase her little orange bumper and to retrieve it out of the lake. Rigel had never swum before so she wasn't too sure about going in deeper than chest deep at first and would just bounce around very awkwardly (and hilariously) in the water. But there's no teacher better than being left out on the shore and after a short while she began to follow Irish part way into the deeper water. The most exciting part was snatching away the toy for a thrilling bout of keep-away, which is Rigel's favorite game.

There were relaxing parts too, when we went around the lake in Tam's borrowed boat. On the first trip Rigel was whiny for most of the trip, I wasn't sure if she didn't like it or just wanted to play with Irish. On the second day, she was totally used to it and just relaxed and let me paddle her around. We got a ton more pictures here.

Actually there is a whole lot of useful Sammy (and dog in general) info on that site. Rigel even has her own page! And check out the grooming videos we made all by ourselves!

In which there is a confession of a converted sock knitter.

2011-06-03T07:52:00.006-04:00

You probably think I've been converted TO sock knitting don't you? Read on!

I was bitten by the sock bug around June maybe 3 years ago (shortly after the time I seriously got back into knitting). My first sock attempt resulted in a stunning success, in that they were identical, had some semblance of fit, and I still have them (and wear them occasionally) today. After that, there were many, many, many more.

The reasons were the same as many sock knitters: relative cheapness of yarn, quick results (I've knitted many a pair of plain socks in 48-72 hours), ability to experiment but at the same time relative safety (how can you REALLY mess up a sock? Don't lie, I know you know what you were doing when you decided to try this new technique that resulted in that monstrosity).

But now I'm a convert. I shall knit socks no more. Why? It's because I can knit garments. I'm knitting a colorwork sweater, for example, it is my long-term WIP, and I keep thinking to myself - how much QUICKER would I be and how much MORE I'd have done if I didn't take breaks for all those socks! And it's not knitting monogamy, trust me, I have other non-sock projects I'm working on. With each one, I keep thinking: "should I really be expending this effort on something that'll stay forever in my shoes?" The answer is a resounding no. I should not. So I won't.

As any knitter, I want my work to be admired and appreciated. I want compliments. With a sock, I have to A: enter someone's house and take off my shoes (at which point they will still not notice that my awesome and colorful and intricate socks are hand made because you can probably buy something that to the untrained eye from an arm's length looks identical enough for a buck fifty at Target); B: hang out with an entourage of knitters who have seen me work on said socks and may be interested in the finished object; or C: surreptitiously (obnoxiously) slip off my shoes and put my feet up on the chair/dinner table/coffee table and wiggle my toes at every opportunity, until someone pays attention. In any case, the potential for admiration is admittedly limited.

But Lidiya, I hear you protest, no one notices my hand knit sweaters, either! You might think that. But think about this: with the maximum exposure a sock can get, it'll be worn with a low open-toe shoe and a knee length short or skirt, so that the cuff is visible. Any top, hat, or scarf, is worn on the top half of your body. When people see you, they don't look at your feet. They look at your face. Therefore, by default, even if they are not LOOKING, they will SEE your garments more than your socks. As a knitter, I can't tell you how often I've seen and recognized hand made garments and accessories on strangers in random places. Okay, it's not that often, but definitely occasionally. I have seen (or even thought to pay attention to) a person's socks - never.

With that in mind, I'm off to work on some more sweaters!

In which there is a twin.

2011-06-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

The story of this top goes like this. Many moons ago I bought an Interweave knitting magazine. Many moons after that I knit this top from it in Knit Picks gloss. At some point in time it got full on machine washed.

I had bought replacement yarn for another some time later. It mas Gloss in Cyan. In case you aren't sure, that's a really bright blue. I've stared at it for a while before I decided that I really can't stand it. Enter Ravelry. I opted for a trade for the same amount of the same yarn, different color. A partner appeared bearing Shadow (another Knit Picks yarn of the same weight but in a heather, which is a blend of colors, instead of a silk blend like Gloss) in the required amount.

I mailed my yarn out and patiently waited. This sweater is composed of: 2 skeins of the same and 1 of different dyelot, and, 1 skein (one of the matching ones) moth-eaten into about 30 pieces of varying length. Which I definitely wound up and used, because what else was I supposed to do?!

The finished item looks okay, but who knows how long it will last? I'm sure not all moth nibbles resulted in breaks, so the yarn is probably weak all over. Lesson learned! Never swapping yarn online again.

In which there is a pink tutu.

2011-05-29T11:09:00.005-04:00

I'm not even lying.

I made the pink top from a men's L t-shirt. Also I made a dress/tunic thing.

In which there are videos!

2011-05-27T14:08:00.003-04:00

We made these videos to help Samoyed and other fluffy dog owners to help keep their dogs in tip top shape. Samoyed Moms is a work in progress headed mainly by three Samoyed Moms. The aim of the site is to be a resource for Samoyed owners out there.

Don't bother me, mom. I'm blogging.

2011-05-25T08:34:00.001-04:00

In which there are hand spun yarns.

2011-05-16T09:54:00.006-04:00

For the technical types that want to know the specs on everything: I spin pretty much everything on my Minstrel these days. I watch Netflix with my husband in the evenings, and since the wheel has got a WooLee winder (best investment ever, by the way), I just zone out and make some yarns. Here are some of my Maryland Sheep and Wool acquisitions in their (almost) final form.

First, but actually last off the wheel, I present about 2 oz (about half the lot) of this awesomely purple BFL/silk blend (75/25). I'm thinking about stringing it along with some beads and making something lacy out of it. We'll see later on.

Next, is a really nice cormo/silk blend. The yarn turned out very soft and springy, though I did not get a lot of yardage out of this lot. I'm knitting it right now into a top-down basic raglan cardigan. I want to use up every bit of this yarn. I hope it turns out well.

This last one is Gale's art BFL/silk (in the same proportion as the first). This yarn is a bit heavier, it's about a dk/sport and chain plied. The whole product of 4 oz is pictured in the photos. I haven't measured the yardage on this yet. I have another braid of the same in a different colorway and I'm thinking about incorporating it into a colorwork vest wit a commercial yarn as the base.

I have a brief rant about wool, though. In my experience, superwash wool versus ordinary does not have a perceptible difference in hand (as far as fiber for handspinning goes), so why don't more indie dyers use superwash? I understand that some local sheep farms that market their own fiber may wish to keep the overhead down, but for small dyers that buy already prepared top anyway it does not apply. Maybe I'm wrong about this, but there is not a huge difference in price of basic undyed top and its washable counterpart.

Many knitters use commercial acrylic yarn for gifts to ensure their long longevity and to prevent their untimely demise at the hands of the basic cycle of your ordinary household washing machine (were they made of wool). Wouldn't it be nice if you could give the gift of long-lasting superwash wool? I mean, heck, I don't give too many handknit gifts, but I want superwash wool for myself! I know I'd wear my own knits more often if I didn't have to think about when I'd have the time (or the desire) to wash them by hand. Recently I found out that there exists SOCK yarn that's hand wash only! What? No thanks!

Anyway. Dear dyers and other fiber sellers: I want you to know that I'll be twice, TWICE as likely to buy from you if you sell washable fiber and blends. How's that for a business strategy?

In which there is good weather

2011-05-13T13:59:00.002-04:00

It's true. It has been nice. Some of us have been finding new ways to cool off.
The Festival went great. The weather was amazing, 70 and sunny, all weekend long. I spent enough money to make my husband sulk.

Right now, though, it's overcast, and probably about to rain. That means I can't take photos of my finished objects to share with you. "How many projects could you possibly have to photograph?" you might ask. From where I'm sitting - two knitted items and two yarns. A sock on the needles. A yarn in the making. Another three (at least) knitted items in the craft room.

The finished yarns are MDSW purchases - so you know I've been productive. One is laceweight from 4 oz of cormo/silk (85/15). I loved it when it wasn't neppy. The other is a sportweight from 4 oz Gale's Art BFL/silk. In general, I think the theme for this year's trip was "and silk". Right now on the bobbin is bfl/silk from another seller and it is heavenly.

In between writing I'm looking outside to make sure that one of the 32 children upstairs are not throwing anything down here like they sometimes do. I care more today because right outside my patio is my "new" Nighthawk (there is no room on the patio because the Vespa and the Suzuki are there).

By the way, riding motorcycles is super fun. It's kind of scary if you imagine you could be falling at x mph if you do something stupid (like brake in a curve), and it's kind of uncomfortable on the Vespa (believe it or not but it's super tall and my feet barely touch the ground). But my Nighthawk and I are totally ready for adventures!

In which there is a handspun FO

2011-05-03T22:23:00.005-04:00

Remember I was promising this? Remember? Man I am so good!

Anyway. A long, long time ago I bought some fiber from Yarn Chef on Etsy to celebrate my then new spinning wheel (I got the wheel in the summer of 2009 to give you a time frame). It turns out I actually blogged about this yarn here. Go me! Incidentally, that post was made more or less exactly a year ago! MD S&W is this weekend! No more Malabrigo for me, though. I made that skein into a hat and it started to look crappy pretty quickly. I don't know what gets less actual wear than a hat (I mean it just sits on top of your head and does not rub against anything...)
Anyway Tu took some photos in the magic hour. More photos are in my flick r and on my Ravelry. The great thing about this top is that I actually wear it. If I were to make it again, I'd probably take out an inch to be closer to no ease. But the fabric knitted up great, and feels and looks good.

In which I ride a motor... cycle.

2011-05-02T13:25:00.004-04:00

Tu and I finally got into the Basic Rider class last week! And now we are almost licensed riders (all that remains is to trade in the class completion certificate in for the new license)!
These were our training motorcycles, little 250cc Honda Nighthawks (mostly). Day one was fun. At first we did some boring stuff like pushing ourselves around with our feet and learning clutch control (yeah, that's important, I figured it out after stalling the bike a couple times). Then we drove around in some circles and did other exercises like slow turns, quick stops, shifting some gears, and doing a figure 8 in a 60 by 20 foot box. Everything was fun and we had a great time.

Then I came home. And when the numbness wore off, all I could feel was the slow throbbing pain of all my muscles and joints that have been pushed oh so far out of their comfort zone. Sunday, partly due to this, was awful. It was a longer day than Saturday, and we got to do more difficult exercises as well as learning new techniques. But I was tired, sore, and generally disagreeable. Pair that with just wanting to go home, and you get me doing poorly at almost every exercise. The "box" which I did perfectly on day one, eluded me completely. I went out of bounds each of the half dozen times we got to practice it.

Not to mention I dropped the bike not once, but TWICE on day two. First time was because I didn't lean the handlebars and the front wheel to the left when we parked and the kickstand was out. The bike very slowly and gracefully tipped over. The second time my front wheel was just a hair out of alignment when I was braking for a quick stop. Word to the wise: you bike will totally fall over and take you with it (unless you are strong enough to hold it up, which I am not) if you brake when it isn't completely straight.

When the time came for the evaluation, first it rained. Then I completely demolished the box (and not in a good way. I didn't just cross the line, I went completely out of bounds). That was one of the two instances that resulted in a point loss (the other was not using both brakes around a curve), but in the end I passed!

In which there is a bunny

2011-04-22T20:18:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer: My dog is not miserable. My dog is not tortured. She got to hop around in the grass and I fed her many treats for modeling the hare (See what I did there?!) accessories.

In which I watch LOST

2011-04-14T00:44:00.006-04:00

I know, I know, I'm way late to this bandwagon. While I knew the general one-sentence summary of the plot (everyone dies), I managed to remain spoiler-free since the show ended, and upon acquiring Netflix I finally finished the show. So, for everyone that has seen it, here are my thoughts.

Evidently when the show first ended people were in an uproar because they didn't like the ending, wanted more answers, etc. etc. I, for one, am pretty satisfied with the whole show and with the ending as well. One thing that I liked in particular that more or less summed up the show for me was when Christian (Jack's father) says in the last episode that everyone was dead, but not at the same time. This made a tremendous amount of sense particularly in the case of John Locke, who in the "original" storyline (we'll call it that for ease of understanding - I'm referring to what happened up to the first plane crash) supposedly survives a fall from a X story building. Since he was "special" from the beginning, and since seeing dead people is pretty par for the course in the story, it's not hard for me to imagine that he really could have been dead the whole time.

One of the things I did and did not like at the same time was Jack's death in the end. I did not like it because for one, after he restores the "light" we find him sprawled on the rock in a pose almost identical to the one Jacob's brother's body was found in once he turned into the smoke monster. I expected until the end for Jack to become the new smoke monster since the original was killed, and in line with the new world order Hurley was instating on the island (after Ben tells him that they can do things a different way than Jacob's) he would be not that evil, I guess, and keep the black/white good/evil balance in, well, balance.

I did like it, however, because of the very last shot of the last episode where Jack closes his eyes. There is a cut and the lighting changes. I took this to mean pretty obviously (in my opinion) that we've come full circle to the moment of the plane crash where Jack wakes up in the bamboo grove (except that maybe he does not really wake up and...) I'd rather not speculate on which parts in between were "reality" and which were alternate reality or life flashing before your eyes or hallucinations or what have you, but if one were to ask me, I'd take that very last shot as a kind of a nudge from the makers to say that "Hey guys, maybe, just maybe, the island was really REAL."

What astounds me the most, though, are the numerous parallels to UBIK by Philip K. Dick. Not to spoil the book (which you might as well check out because it's not too long and will keep you entertained) but some of the similarities are: at least one death (probably more, but just like in the show we aren't really sure who's dead and when they died), communication with these possibly deceased individuals, some form of time travel, weird coincidences driving the characters/story, and general mystery as to what the hell is going on. Similarly, it is also never really QUITE explained what the hell is in fact going on, so if you're really bothered by not having everything spelled out for you then maybe it's not the book for you after all.

I'm sure there are many more tidbits I'm missing, but actually I just watched the last season over the past few days, having watched the first five maybe as long as six months ago, so not the whole thing is fresh in my mind. I have a need too, now, to re-read UBIK and see what else I can pull out of it, but that's a project for another day.

In which there is a ring.

2011-04-11T15:57:00.003-04:00

I have recently mailed off a baby present to a friend who's expecting. She's the first out of my closer friends to have a baby, so it's exciting stuff. And since it's already mailed off I figured it's safe to post it? I made her future daughter a sweater and booties which I did not photograph (the sweater came from knitty- Helena, and the booties were a free pattern I found on ravelry.) I also made them a Hemlock Ring in a cotton yarn.

The yarn is actually more of a true pink than this salmon-y pink. I think photographing over the futon cover that's off white threw off the white balance. This project took me... ready? THREE DAYS to make. Granted, I didn't knit anything else in that time, but it took me longer than that to knit the baby Helena! I really hope the parents to be like everything. It's my first time knitting baby things and it was pretty fun. I was frustrated with how long the baby sweater took (I think I've knit things in my size in less time) but the booties were super cute and round.

In other news I have been accepted to school. In other other news I was not accepted into my preferred program. I applied as a transfer student as per the recommendation of an adviser I spoke with, but having a degree in art of course I had no math or science credits to transfer into the program. Having written a lengthy email to the adviser for the undecideds I hope that it works out in a way that allows me to take the basic first year courses in the first year and not be behind.

In which there are flowers.

2011-04-04T17:26:00.004-04:00

The in-laws are visiting these couple of days. Today, it was amazingly 80 and sunny, so we went to see the cherry trees in bloom in DC.

We walked for a bit, took lots of photos. I got to wear a shirt I made with this trip in mind.

It's a sheer knit with an all over transparent design. I was reluctant to buy it because even on clearance this fabric was a little more than I'm comfortable spending. Overall, I give this creation a 6 or 7 out of 10. There are numerous issues I encountered with it. Not taking into account the centering/matching of the pattern (even though it turned out nearly irrelevant in the long run) made me nearly run out of fabric for the design I wanted. Issues with the serger (not so much issues as improper thread tension) made me have to go over most of the stitching which weakened the already lightweight fabric, so I don't know how long lasting and wearable it'll be. On the plus side the color is very pretty, and the fit is passable.

This last photo shows the back. It's a low opening in the back with crossing straps. Because the upper sleeves are narrower than they potentially should be (stemming from the pattern matching issue stated earlier) they tend to slide down a bit over time, thus puckering the back line in an unattractive way. On the other hand, however, I still am not using an actual pattern to sew, so with that in mind I suppose that's about the level of success I should be expecting. Next time I'll surely do better.

In which there is confusion

2011-03-27T08:46:00.005-04:00

But not from me.

Dear anyone that's ever drawn, knit, or sewn anything and posted it on the internet: putting "Don't steal my ideas" after your project description is not going to make me not steal your ideas. Internet is another resource I use to do just that, and you bet your ass I'm going to take my own stab at something you made that I like. I expect nothing less but the same in return.

The reason copyright does not protect "ideas" is to basically make the spread of information easier. If the guy that thought up a wheel kept it to himself out of some twisted sense of ownership we'd probably be in a very different place right now. Do you think any major designers care that you knock off their products (assuming you aren't producing them in large volume and selling them for profit)? No, they do not. They know that anyone that looks at a brand name shirt and says "Gee, $180 is a bit more than I'd like to pay for that. It seems I have suitable fabric in my stash so I'll go make something similar" is not their target customer. The target customer is one that thinks it's worth every penny because the design is amazing and it's X brand.

I posted my Totoro hoodie on Burdastyle.com, with a great response. At the same time I got at least 4 comments saying "I'd love to make something similar if you don't mind". How can I begin to protest, if I even wanted to? I don't own the character. I did not provide a drafted pattern. I literally just posted photos and a blurb about it. I'm not going to come to your house in Norway with a search warrant for your craft room to make sure you're not using "my idea" for your project. The whole thing seems so ridiculous to me.

So here is a confession. I will steal your idea. I will not give you credit. I will not claim credit for it, either, because that would be lying, but my creative process that may have been originally sparked by your idea will likely take me far in a different direction of your original creation, and after I've finished, I've already forgotten your name. I wouldn't mass produce and sell items made after someone's design (especially if it's another craftsperson that is trying to make a business selling an original product), but I will steal all your ideas and put them in my personal wardrobe. You have been warned.

In which there are promises, promises.

2011-03-20T19:45:00.010-04:00

In this post there is a a great twofer, dog pictures AND one of the knitting FO's I promised.

First about the sweater. I bought this Peace Fleece yarn at a yarn store in Rochester, where I used to attend a knitting group. By my calculations I had bought 5 skeins of the blue sometime in 2008 or 2009. Since then I've moved twice, but that's neither here nor there. I thought for a while about what to make from it. It's not next to skin soft, so it definitely had to be a jacket of some sort where I could wear layers underneath. So I just said what the heck and broke out my tape measure and calculator. I made some sketches in my handy dandy notebook and went to town. The two fronts came first, then the back, the sides were sewn and the shoulders grafted.

I did a hemmed cast on, and the main design element is slim and attractive wedges in between narrow ribs to help shape increases.

Then I started sleeves right out the armhole and knit them up on DPNs. At this point it got a bit bulky to be a pick-up, put-down kind of project so off into hibernation it went. Eventually the sleeves got finished and the edges... edged, and it went back into hibernation for months because I couldn't figure out what to do with the collar (and it was summer so...) Finally in March I buckled down and knit in a day what I thought would look okay as a collar. I blocked it and it sat for another week waiting for its perfect clasps (which I found in a store for $4 and online for $2 something, so you guess what I did). I slapped them on there, and voila!(Thanks, Tam, for the awesome photo!)
It's a fitted hip length jacket with long sleeves, with shaping details in the front, back, and sleeves. I didn't invent any wheels here, but once I re-sew the clasps so that there is no gap in the closure, I dare say it will look rather dashing! (If you're wondering about the flower thing, read about that here).

The jacket made its debut on the first club hike of the season.
I chose that picture because it has the most white dogs in it. Here is a shot from the back, where you can just barely make out the shaping details.
One of the club members even thought it was bought at first (and she is even a crafty type, though a crocheter), so I can officially declare it a success!

In which there is a dog.

2011-03-19T18:29:00.004-04:00

There are several, actually. In happy news Rigel and I have been out and about everywhere, and it's been absolutely fantastic. She's the best dog ever and took to training so quickly and excelled so well. This part of the post isn't about Rigel, though. It's about a rottweiler named Nitro who suffered a terrible fate at the hands of a man who will have to answer very little for his actions. I won't re-tell the story, it is best read from its original source here: Nitro Foundation.As you can see, Jasmine, Sidney, and Rigel support Nitro's law (photo by Reuben Gaylord). If you know anyone that cares at all about animals please encourage them to do what they can to make sure this bill passes in Senate and becomes a law.

In other, unrelated news, knitting with Sammy wool goes on in order to produce trophies for the PVSC specialty.

Above is a scarf made from the pattern Clapotis. It is handspun and knitted by me. It's a very fine 4 cable-ply yarn that has a fantastic halo. There is already another Sammy FO (from yarn that we got back from the mill), and three more in various stages of completion. There is also a handspun FO, a knitted FO, and another one 75% in progress, so as you can tell I've been busy. I won't post them all at once though, to spread out the joy as much as I can.

In which there is a motor vehicle.

2011-03-03T08:16:00.004-05:00

I meant to post about this earlier, but the trip to Vespa of Baltimore was a success. We went on a Saturday to check out their stock. They had two 2010's left, one pink and one YELLOW. It was $500 off and a free helmet (over $300). We ended up going back on Monday and picking it up!
We are now, however a one car household. Tu's first car was getting on in the years and would sooner rather than later need major repairs. So we took it to Carmax and sold it to them. The Vespa serves the purpose of being my ride when I go to school, in the meantime we've been getting by okay with just one car.

I've got a gray with black leather half-face helmet and a sweet jacket. Two things I don't have yet are gloves and a motorcycle license. In about a week and a half I'm going to attempt to crash the first Basic Rider course of the season. I'm actually signed up for one in June (!!!), but I plan on going to every damn session until I get in (if there are late people/no-shows they'll take stand-by students). The benefit is that I'm eligible to get a license right away upon completion, instead of being stuck with a permit for 18 months.

The vehicle plan in the next couple of years is to trade the new Lancer in for a Sportback and also to acquire a Fiat 500 Abarth when that comes out. After that: no more cars until something dies. But I'm pretty excited about the Vespa, even though I really don't need another way to stand out in the neighborhood. Everyone already knows us as the couple with the white dog, apparently.

In which there is a really serious dog rant.

2011-03-02T18:22:00.007-05:00

A facebook friend posted a status saying that people should adopt and rescue dogs instead of buying from breeders. I disagree with this statement. Lest I sound like an insensitive jerk, allow me to explain.

Say you are looking for a car. You've driven a few cars, you know some things about them, so you go out looking for one.
A guy wants to sell you one. He doesn't know anything about it, guesses at the make, year and model, and estimates its safety rating. But it's just the cutest car you've ever seen! You imagine driving it around everywhere, feeling great. You imagine it gets good gas mileage and won't need repairs for a long time. Then the guy tells you that if the car doesn't sell in the next week it'll be scrapped.
Just then, another guy tells you he has this other car for sale. He tells you that if you are looking for a reliable car to do your daily commute he's got just the thing. He tells you a bit about the car's history, outlines its features, gives you a schedule of maintenance and a warranty. He also tells you that if you're looking for a fancy car to take out cruising on the weekend, or a rugged car to go offroading with, you're better off with something else.

Of course that's by far not the perfect analogy because dogs are living creatures. But think, for a moment, about why people get dogs? It's to obtain enjoyment from their companionship for most people (excepted are people and organizations who have dogs just for work). Anyone advising about a large purchase or a long term commitment (dog ownership is both) will tell you to make sure you know what you are getting into. With a rescue or an adoption, you don't.

Granted, there are purebred rescue organizations, and there are many puppies in need of adoption. But in the majority of cases, the dog's breed is unknown, as is its age, as is temperamental and medical history. I'm not afraid to say that I would never get a dog whom I may have to spend months rehabilitating, nursing, socializing, just so I can feel great when I tell people "My dog is a rescue!"

But Lidiya, don't you have to do all that with ANY dog? Yes. Yes, you do. However, with my dog, before I ever met her I knew how big she would grow, how much she would shed, what health problems she could be susceptible to, what her temperament is like, how much exercise she needs and what sort of things she likes to do. I was prepared to get extra training because Nordic dogs tend to be independent or headstrong. I considered my living accommodations in relation to my dog's adult size (I live in an apartment). I considered the dog's exercise requirements so that she would not become bored and because of that develop neuroses. I considered everything I would be able to provide for my dog, and everything she'd be able to provide for me. I've chosen a great dog for me. Because of this, my dog did not grow to be twice the estimated size, go berserk when left alone, is not afraid of men with beards, does not express dominance over other dogs or people, is not food or toy possessive and is not unexpectedly NOT house broken.

I'm also not afraid to say that when I have extra money, the majority of it would go to efforts of spaying and neutering as many pet dogs as possible. I would give it to any way to convince some rednecks that a bitch does not have to have a litter before she's spayed in order to live a healthy and happy life. That a dog's temperament changes marginally (if at all) when he's neutered. That the worst possible thing anyone could do to a dog is to buy one from a pet store.

I will never feel guilty about buying my dog from a good breeder instead of rescuing or adopting. The reason there are dogs in the shelters is not because people buy from reputable breeders. My dog is a fine specimen of her breed, and I foresee us spending many years enjoying each other's company.

In which there is a swallowtail.

2011-03-02T09:55:00.003-05:00

I have another finished FO to share and 2 more in the works - just so you don't think I've been slacking. Although I will admit that the two on deck for finishing are ones that I started possibly more than one calendar year ago. But one is a handspun knitted finished object - aren't you excited? It's blocking, but I think I'll have to re-do the neck line... but more about that later.

I made a swallowtail shawl for my mother in law who thought the shawls I made for my bridesmaids were very nice and hinted to her husband about it. He then hinted to my husband, and he hinted to me.
So I unearthed some yarn (yay for knitting from stash). It's a cone yarn I had to hold double. I'm guessing it's at least 50% cotton, but I don't know about the rest. I got out my size 2 needles. I can't quite understand the trend of knitting lace with size 4-7 needles. I've heard another knitter say that if one wanted to knit lace, just up the needle size. Not so! I mean sure, the smaller the yarn and the bigger the needles, the bigger the holes in your knitting will be. Doesn't mean it's desirable or that it's lace. The real delicate and refined look of openwork (which is what modern knitted lace should be called, instead of "lace" as per the author of The First Book of Modern Lace Knitting) is achieved because of the contrast of eyelets (or other elements) against the opposite - a section of "plain" knitting (be it stockinette, garter, or anything else). Who will notice your yarn overs when your normal knits and purls are a centimeter wide?
Anyway. I didn't particularly enjoy knitting this shawl. Unlike some shawl patterns that I really enjoy, in this pattern there was no connection between any of the stitch patterns. I feel duped when I knit patterns like this (especially when they're paid), because I always feel like I could accomplish the same with a stitch dictionary and a calculator. There was no such thing as two repeats of the body pattern flow seamlessly into one border motif, which at the end splits up into three scallops for the edging. It was just: knit body, knit border, knit edge. They don't line up or match, who cares.

But in any case, it's finished. It looks nice (even to me). Hopefully the recipient will be of the same opinion!

In which I make something that sounds an awful lot like excuses.

2011-02-18T16:06:00.002-05:00

Since people asked, the reasons I have decided to get a second degree in Chemical engineering are

A) No matter how much art technique you learn, in the end what you do as an artist depends on your creativity, and in the end all art is subjective. However, maths and sciences - not so. It's true that you may arrive at an answer by more than one means, but in the end an answer is only right or only wrong. I'm going to enjoy re-immersing myself into that type of learning a lot.

B) From my (albeit limited) experience in the industry of film making, I have decided that I never want to work in that industry again. I will also never do anything I actually enjoy (such as knitting/sewing/drawing) for a living. I rely very much on my mindset when I create, and a mindset of "holy shit I need to meet this deadline" would very quickly kill any enjoyment of whatever it is I was doing. So to the argument of "you might not enjoy a ChE job you may get" I say to you: I will enjoy the paycheck. Killing the enjoyment of something you love and getting a little bit of money, or not having great enjoyment in a job and make a metric ton of benjamins? You decide.

C) I'm prepared to take this second chance at a relevant college career extremely seriously. Anyone that knows me can say that I can be dedicated to the point of stubborn, obsessed and beyond. I'm prepared to completely own ChE and make it my bitch, and reap the bushels of street cred that it will grant me. I never put forth any effort at RIT into anything other than classwork, though there were workshops, certifications, conferences, etc. To the argument of "You don't need to go back to school, you can just pick up where you left off, do some networking and have a nice job in the industry" I kindly direct you to point "B".

D) "Lidiya, will you find a job?" I will find a job. ChE is not the sort of thing you learn in a weekend, and if I'm going to be as serious about it as described in "C" (I am) then I will have an awesome job. Also: guess what, I don't have a job right now. So really, if I don't get a job when I graduate (not gonna happen) I'll be no worse off that I am right now.

In the end, dear doubters, let's make a deal. If I drop out in the first semester and run crying home about it, you can say "Too bad, I didn't even know you were going back to school" (even if you did). If I graduate with high honors (already did it once, what's a second time), you can say "I always knew you could do it" (even if you doubted me every minute). Until then, commentary is no longer required.

In which I worry.

2011-02-16T22:23:00.003-05:00

I suppose I underestimated the amount of people that actually read my facebook updates, and the amount of my updates not worth taking seriously. As soon as I started posting about how worried I'm getting, the messages started pouring in. I love all the attention, but I don't want to worry anyone over my worrying, so here is the deal.

I decided that I was going back to school for a second degree (University of Maryland for Chemical Engineering).

At first I worried that I'd missed the application deadline for fall (but admissions told me to fill out a transfer application so I'm on time with that).

Then I worried that I'd get no financial aid to go on since it's my second degree and my estimated "family contribution" is actually higher than the tuition (is also a third of our income; I really don't know how they come up with that number). But once I looked up the actual in-state tuition it turned out that even if I had to borrow the entire tuition for the entire four years it would increase my current college debt by no more than a third, so I'm a bit less worried about it now (but maybe I should be? Having that much debt is awful).

Now I'm worried that I might not even make it in? Perhaps this worry is baseless since my grades were fantastic and even my SAT (way back when 1600 was the perfect score) is pretty good. Tu says this worry is baseless because despite the numbers accepted (44% vs. 64% at RIT) a state school has a great deal more applicants. But until an acceptance letter comes I'll worry about that too.

I'm also worried, having seen the curriculum, about how the hell I'd do in Math140 (Calc I). I worry because I haven't taken a math class in about 7 years and I just happened to give up on maths my senior year in high school, when we started learning calculus. I just hope, for my sake, that I'm every bit as smart as I remember and that it all comes back to me quickly and painlessly (I'd rather be safe than sorry so I'll probably be getting tutored by some high school kids this summer, though).

So those are my worries. They'll resolve one way or another in time. Until then, dear reader, we wait.

In which there is a show and tell.

2011-02-14T22:04:00.004-05:00

First, here are my new socks. I used Lion brand sock yarn and a slip stitch pattern.Can we talk for a while about sock patterns? It boggles the mind that there are really people out there that knit socks with anything larger than a size 1 needle. The main problem with finished socks that I encountered is that if they are indeed loosely knit, you will feel every purl on the inside of your sock as you walk in them (assuming you walk in them, otherwise it's not a problem). I knit 60 stitch toe up socks on my size one and zero DPN's because another thing I found is that loosely fitting socks will give you awesome blisters in no time flat. My first pair of socks actually has a tiny bit of positive ease, so while I still wear then on occasion I have to reserve them for times when I'm not walking anywhere. The surefire recipe for awesome socks is toe up starting with a 20 stitch figure 8 cast on, 60 stitches, 2x2 ribbed foot and cuff, standard gusset-flap heel with a slip stitch flap. I still use other patterns on occasion, but I only use/modify the stitch pattern, everything else is as above. Can't go wrong. Only took me 3-4 pairs to figure it out.
Second, here is a scarf I crocheted for the Potomac Valley Samoyed Club to use as a trophy. The yarn is 50/50 merino/sammy wool. I didn't spin it but it is hand spun by another member. I've been asked to do a handspun scarf for a member that donated a lot of the sammy wool to be milled, and I'm looking forward to that. I'm hoping more people see how awesome the stuff that I make is, and maybe commission me for a project.

Rigel and I have had two private lessons with the trainer already. The results are nothing short of spectacular. Her focus is so much better than before (still not fantastic, but she's still a puppy and she's still learning so I'm not too tough on her). She pays much better attention. She is calm enough to stay in one place as I tell her, and she is getting to be so much better at ignoring other dogs it's just great. We went to the pet store with her and even though there weren't many other dogs to fluster her she still was pretty calm and quiet.
Today is also Valentine's day! I don't particularly care for any holiday that has "go to ... and buy ..." as its #1 way to celebrate, but since my husband took a day off and we spent time together it was a great day!
On the radar for the near future is a trip to the newly opened Vespa of Baltimore dealership. I'll work on documenting it and sharing as events warrant.

In which I sacrifice for the greater good of mankind.

2011-01-28T09:43:00.002-05:00

Maybe I'm the type that overthinks things. You, dear reader, may be the judge. Lately, I've been lying to myself.

I'm sure you already know that my life is centered more around my dog than many pet owners. In my opinion, it's for the best. I take an active interest in everything dog and dog-owner related. Unlike some people that view pet ownership as a chore instead of a rewarding companionship, I enjoy investing time and effort into the bettering of our time together. My dog is smart, beautiful, and doesn't talk back (something some of us wish they could say about their spouse, so it stands to reason that I'd make sure everything is great for her (and me).

With that said, my dog is just a dog. I tell people my dog doesn't bark*. My dog doesn't pull on the leash**. My dog knows basic commands and happily performs them for me***.
*unless there's a new person coming into the house.
**unless there is another dog we are passing on a walk.
***unless she is too distracted when we are outside and then I have to place her in the desired position like I did when I was teaching her as a puppy.
So, I started thinking, can you tell people you don't smoke if you have a cigarette in social situations, when you drink, on Fridays? Most people will tell you no. I know my dog is not ill behaved. She is quiet in the house 95% of the time, walks on a loose leash 95% of the time, and whatever transgressions she has made, it's because I haven't taught her any better.

So I opted to teach her better. In the grand scope of things, I will have Rigel by my side for over a decade. I would love for her to be a perfectly trained dog, so that other people can get pleasure from being in her company, and I don't have to have the good times we have peppered with moments of anxiety over how she will act when we pass a dog, whether my neighbors will curse us when she announces a guest's arrival, etc.

I took her to a dog trainer for a consultation. Rigel did go to a puppy class when she was much younger, but in retrospect it was more or less of a waste. She already knew the basics by the time we took the class, we went hoping to spend time with other dogs for socialization, then it turned out the only other dog was the trainer's Australian cattle dog. But this lady impressed me. She brought out her two dogs and let me meet them, then showed me some of the things we'd be working on. It's worth mentioning that she lives on a busy street and her dogs were both off leash, so there's the kind of trust that I'm nervous to imagine (because really, if it is any less than the full 100%, there's potential for great disaster). She then took Rigel and within 5 minutes Rigel was following her around the big yard.

So I went home thinking. I thought that no matter what, this is a great investment. The communication between me and Rigel will be clear. We will be able to go anywhere (especially to restaurants that allow dogs in the outdoor seating this spring). When we hike in the woods I may be able to let her explore on her own because she'll know how far she's allowed and have perfect recall. Of course, this sort of magical obedience comes with a price. The price is measured in hundreds of dollars. The question upon bringing this up with Tu became not "if", but "when". Tu surprised me by saying that "when" can be "now", if I'll be okay with not getting birthday, Valentine's day, or Christmas presents for this year. After a little thought (I DO love presents), I agreed. I figured, I didn't get anything for Christmas or birthday, so what's another Christmas and Valentine's day?

Then I found out he was going to get me a Kindle as a late birthday present. So, unwittingly, I sacrificed my potentially revived love of reading for the sake of my dog. I suppose I spend enough time indoors (reading and otherwise) that the time outdoors spent with my dog will benefit me anyway. Plus, there's always next year?

In which I knit and walk the dog

2011-01-18T10:59:00.005-05:00

Another update so soon? I spoil you, dear readers, I spoil you.

You'd think that since my birthday is in 3 days and since I'm still at an age where my birthday does not yet carry the connotation of being one year closer to my inevitable expiration (incidentally, this was what I wrote as a birthday greeting on a former classmates' facebook - yay, morbidity!) that the post would be more about me, or about birthdays. You'd be disappointed.

Instead, the happenings are thus: I have knitted my husband a new pair of socks (modeling photos soon). I've discovered that the more I knit socks the more I love cheap sock yarns. Incidentally, this pair is made out of Happy Feet, which is a two ply fingering weight yarn, 90% superwash merino, 10% nylon. As far as I'm concerned this is the worst thing to make socks out of and I'm prepared to do a happy dance should the socks survive more than 5 washes/wears. Recently I made myself a pair of basic socks out of Patons Kroy Socks FX. Besides my only complaint that the two skeins of the same dye lot yielded two very unrelated-looking socks (due to marled effect achieved by plying several strands dyed separately, together), I'd use this yarn over Happy Feet any day. It's a four ply 75% recycled wool, 25% nylon.

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't feel anywhere near as nice to knit with. I'd never use it for a scarf. But I feel great about sticking it in a boot and hiking with the dog for 4 miles.

Speaking of hiking with the dog: we joined up with a couple of Potomac Valley Samoyed Club members (and their dogs) and took a long walk around several monuments in DC. Tamara (thegidg.com) took photos. They turned out great!
Here's Rigel, the all-American dog (in her pink Wolfpack!)

UPDATE: Apparently the cuff on the second sock is an inch longer than the first. I somehow added on a half a repeat extra. This is why I can't knit and watch TV/read at the same time.

In which I attempt to shop

2011-01-17T22:46:00.003-05:00

I hate shopping. From beginning to the very end. I hate leaving the house on my own (when my husband takes me it's not so bad because I at least get to zone out in a car) and driving somewhere. I hate buying groceries because I invariably turn out to be hungry and buy things because they look good and not because we need them. I hate shopping for crafting supplies at chain stores because they are staffed with high school seniors and former retirees who couldn't begin to care enough about what they are selling to answer the most basic questions. I hate going to store after store after store looking for one thing, knowing that I can't trust a time-saving phone call to find out what they have because the person on the line is thinking about her lunch break 90% of the time. I even hate bringing my purchases home. The more I shop, the more I hate everything.

This rant is brought on mainly by a craft store chain Hancock Fabrics. I hate it there most of all. The store closest to me (which isn't even close) is awful in the most awful of ways. It looks like it's on the verge of closing down (maybe it is?) and is staffed by employees who take a break from watching you to make sure you aren't stealing only to ignore you when you actually need help. I am super mean when I go in there.
Joann Fabrics that's nearest to me is the lesser of two evils. It's big and shiny, and every cashier that's ever checked me out has been very polite. On the down side, they don't carry actual apparel fabric (polar fleece doesn't count, unless you're the type of guy that wears Snuggies in public), and no one that works there knows anything about anything. I guess the other down side is that just like any successful chain store majority of their product is overpriced crap. But I'll still use a coupon on a zipper or buy 99c serger thread from there.

What inspired me to rant is shopping for sweatshirt fleece. If I'm lucky, it exists in 3-4 colors at a time, in bolts stacked at the end of three aisles of microfleece, and if you say the magic password and do a little jig, a magical gnome comes out and cuts your fabric for you.

When this happens, I take a trip to my favorite fabric store. I can walk among the tables of designer wool to the racks of remnants, straight to the back where there are tables piled high with almost anything you can imagine for $3 a yard. Joanne doesn't even sell muslin for $3 a yard. Here in this magical fabric land they have a wall dedicated to luxury suiting. Fancy-looking housewives spend hundreds on custom upholstery. In a separate room a floor to ceiling perimeter of buttons surrounds a center island with ribbons and trims. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not ever planning to spend $15 a yard on imported 100% silk brocade. I'll admit that I don't know what half the tools and notions they sell are even for. But I'm sure that anyone that works there could explain it to me. What I like about this place is that they even sell polar fleece. It's on a table between cotton shirting and jersey knits. What I like about it is that the man that works the discount tables in the back where all the cuts are unlabeled will tell you the fiber content of a fabric by pinching it and pulling out a thread. For every time I say that we should do away with brick-and-mortar stores and begin saving money by buying direct and cutting out all the middle men (that's you, high school seniors), I want to heartily exclude stores like this. I'll never stop frequenting a business that knows its clients and its product.

In which there is sewing

2011-01-11T22:22:00.004-05:00

... among other things. First I must update the world on our 500 in '011 progress. As of today (January 11) Rigel and I have walked 20.5 miles! She's 7 months old today! On top of all that it's snowing and maybe tomorrow I'll take some cool pictures of her in the snow so that you can see how good her camouflage is. We've been walking most weekdays in various places. I haven't been up for the more rugged trails that involve actual hiking, but I've been bored with the lake, so we go here and there.

In other news, there is talk of a DnD game. This will be my first game in a year or so, and my second ever in 4e after the one I DMed for a short time which was a great learning experience. I have my reservations about the game itself because it's not what I'm typically used to. It'll be a group of possibly as many as 9 players playing over Skype. Some of these players have never met. However! I am so excited about my character. Ezra zu Heltzer (yes, I did steal the last name from a prominent house in another role playing game, pretty sure that sort of thing happens all the time) is a Tiefling Bard. I had my reservation about playing a Tiefling at first, but the racial bonuses are excellent for a bard, and really Tieflings aren't as contrived as I first thought. I won't go into specifics, except to say that thanks to the internets I have put together a pretty decent (in my opinion) leader/secondary controller, and I'm excited to see how he plays out.

And now on to sewing! Commissions galore! Commission one: Totoro hoodie I made. I am super pleased with how this turned out and the buyer was too. Everyone is happy!
I have other commissions I have to write about and other projects in the making. Yay for blog material!

Hello 2011!

2011-01-03T20:27:00.004-05:00

I forgot another thing I want to accomplish in 2011 - buy and stock a chest freezer. As soon as I crank out/get payment for these couple commissions I've been working on that goal will be a reality!

Here's how I'm doing so far on the 500 (miles) in 2011 - day 3 and so far Rigel and I walked 5 miles. It's not a bad start! We've been exploring many awesome places to walk nearby. I'm proud to say that it's making me like the place I live more. I didn't even know as many trails back home in New York state as I discovered in the past week within a 20 mile radius!

Today we went on a trail that's super close. Tu says it's called Grist Mill, but he's been wrong before soo... :)The trail is a long there-and-back, we walked about a mile, and turned back when we crossed the bridge. There are many cool things to see along the river - a dam, this little tunnel, and up on the wall there are tracks where the occasional train goes by.Rigel is in her harness that we got from Howling Dog Alaska - it fits her really well and she's figured out how to pull me along all on her own after she wore it for walks for just a couple of days. It seems really sturdy and well made, I like it a lot. We also got the 8' skijoring towline that I wear looped around my waist through the belt loops on my jeans. The foot and a half (about) of bungee that's sewn in makes a lot of difference. It doesn't snap her back if she jumps forward with a bit too much enthusiasm (which she is wont to do). I tried the Kong harness on her, and it seemed to fit okay, but it had a weird hard plastic chest plate that I imagine would be awful if we actually used it for any extended time and she pulled the whole way. We are also anxiously awaiting her PINK WolfPack (which, even though we won't really be using it until next fall, I HAD to order because pink was a limited time color. She had to have pink.)

#52

2010-12-31T20:57:00.005-05:00

Well, it seems that I've managed to write a post a week in 2010. My buddy whom I've started this with as a challenge to encourage us to blog more regularly seems to have fallen off the face of the planet. (Come back, Peter! I still read your blog!)

This past year has been eventful. I can't say it's been bad as so many of my Facebook friends seem to like to repeat. I got a husband, and a dog, we moved apartments like the nomads that we are. I knitted a lot and sewed some. I reorganized the craft room. I acquired a woolee winder and a serger, both of which I am immensely pleased with.

I got an awful haircut (recently) and I have been immensely enjoying the time Tu gets off work because the weather has been great and we just go on adventures with Rigel every day.

I entertain many goals, and some not so much goals as dreams about the future, but here are some things I'd like to accomplish in 2011. I won't say "resolutions" because I am a fickle creature and don't really have resolve most days, nevertheless here is the list:

I won't get a bad haircut in 2011. My hair is a great source of joy to me (and with a bad haircut, a great source of grief). I always patronize the most trendy and exclusive hair salons, that is I did, until I went to a chain salon for sake of convenience (and cost, though to be honest chain salons have gotten more expensive since I've last been, so the potential savings weren't even that much). Let's just say (maybe I'm exaggerating a little) that I'm glad it's hat season.
I will hike 500 miles with my dog in 2011. Easy, because it means I have to go around the lake two out of every three days (it's 2.5 miles approximately, and takes us between 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how many things we sniff). Of course, we will have lazy days, and we will have adventure days, but I think this is the perfect amount of exercise for my young dog. When we come home she can still be active (walking around and chewing on things) but not have so much energy that it becomes a hazard or a bother.
I will sew more. I feel now that I have a serger it opens up a new world of apparel construction that won't be limited by having to make very light-duty garments or spending much time reinforcing seams. I have a small stash of fabric and a lot of ideas.
I will continue to blog once a week, actually sticking to the once a week rule instead of writing four posts over the last weekend of the month :)
I will participate in and complete NaNoWriMo in 2011.

That's about what I got so far. I don't want to lose weight or save money any more than I do any other time of year (and it's still not a burning desire), but I think those are good goals for me to look forward to.

Winter jolliness and other adventures.

2010-12-22T10:17:00.005-05:00

The Samoyed club walk went well enough, with the exception of Rigel barking almost nonstop. Joke's on me, I guess, for thinking my dog was well socialized. I don't think I'm being strict enough on her. Just this morning at feeding time she barked at me for the first time. She usually "talks" (woo woo woo), but doesn't actually bark. I wouldn't put the bowl down if she made any noise. It took four tries, but she figured it out. She sat quietly and waited to be allowed to eat (like always), so it was a good exercise.

Our next big project is to learn not to bark at other dogs. Right now the progress for this is at 0. I don't think it's aggression, because the couple times she's been allowed at the other dog (when we see friends, at the park, etc) she'll run toward them and become submissive (get low, ears back) or playful (run up and jump back, etc). But it's completely unacceptable behavior on walks and pretty much any time we aren't at the park. Plus I'm worried that for people that aren't crazy about dogs in public places she'll cement the notion that all dogs are out of control and annoying.

Part of the problem is that I'm worried she's not getting enough exercise. We go on long walks a few times a week (2-3), otherwise we walk around the complex a few times a day. I found a nice place online and ordered her a harness/line so hopefully learning how to pull and actually pulling will help wear her out. We also ordered a Wolf Pack. We won't use it until late next year, probably, or if we do it'll be empty (just to help her get used to it), but it was the last chance to get it in pink, so of course I had to go for it. We also found dog shoes on sale at the local pet store. They are rubber on the outside and have a fleecy coating on the inside. They seem to work really well for Rigel.

In other news I rearranged the second bedroom. I'm thinking about getting one of those nice long make-a-table tables from IKEA since I need room for the sewing machine and the serger now. Hopefully Tu will put the Bowflex on Craigslist and it'll sell, since it has been in pieces taking up room.

Whilst cleaning I have been making toss/give piles. I always find things I don't need when I go through all my stuff. I take it to goodwill or similar. I just thrills me when people give me things they no longer need but that I do. One mans trash, another man's treasure, indeed! Well, not trash, but my friend donated her serger she no longer uses to me! I did a celebratory dance! How cool is that?

Also this year might be the first that I make a resolution. I find them useless generally since I prioritize and plan for the short term, and I find it works best for me. I might post a resolution I make. We'll see.

Portrait.

2010-12-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

I haven't drawn anything in at least a year. This is not an exaggeration. I have made line drawing sketches for knitting/sewing, but when it comes to actual art, I seriously haven't even thought of it. And then I made a portrait.
The picture is crooked and I took it with my phone (when are there charged batteries around for the camera? Never.) It took about 7 hours and I drew with colored pencils on this blue paper that I had. It's based on Rigel's round head, but I guess any Sammy puppy lover would see some of their beloved fluffsicle in it. (Fluffsicle? Yes. Take your fluffy dog outside in sub-freezing weather. Fluff popsicle.)

Snow.

2010-12-15T19:27:00.004-05:00

So it snowed a few days ago. It was definitely less than an inch, but they salted the roads already. Ugh. I feel bad for Rigey, because just today (several days later) she ran so hard on concrete she gave herself little blisters on her pads. Add salt and it turns out that yeah, it's no fun for anyone.
So I have decided to invest in some dog shoes for the dog. I'm thinking of buying a quality pair maybe one time, from then on I'll be making my own. I need to go exploring to see what materials can be sourced locally. Ideally, the shoes will be waterproof AND non-slip, but if I had to choose I'd go with the latter. This project is for later on, hopefully it won't really snow between now and the Samoyed Club walk this weekend. Well, I don't really care if it snows, so long as they don't salt it.

We're also in the market for a quality harness and a tow line with bungee in it. This is solely so that Rigel can pull as hard as she wants. Right now I'd say she's really well leash trained. She will stop pulling and slow down if I check her, otherwise she only goes ahead/lags behind the length of the leash without much slack, but without pulling my arm out of its socket. The problem with walks is that fresh out of the house she is bursting with energy and excitement, which makes it really a chore to walk her. I have to take her to play ball, then a walk around the apartment complex, then we drive to the park to walk around the lake. If I don't do the first two things, she will jump at every jogger and bark at every dog we meet in the park. Otherwise, they barely peak her interest. It's amazing the difference it makes. Therefore, in an attempt to burn off as much energy as she can, we'll put a harness on her and attach it to my person via some belt clip or something. I imagine this will work really well.

I found a place that sells really nice looking harnesses online (that are also pricy), but when I was at the big box pet store before I saw the Kong harness (they have padded leashes too, heaven) and I want to bring her to try one on. Updates on the progress later.

Slackerdom

2010-12-15T19:18:00.006-05:00

5 posts separate me from a year of once-a-week (on average) blogging. What shall I write about today? Let's write some more about some things I have knitted. These things I made with the leftovers from the robot sweater. I was intent on using up every last bit of that yarn, and I'm happy to say that I did.
I charted the picture and knit this hat. It turned out pretty well but is not particularly warm (it's been in the upper 20's). The long floats help it be warmer, but it doesn't cover my ears all the way so it's just so-so when it's windy.
These socks were the last thing I made. I made them two-at-a time from the toe up, and knit until I ran out of yarn. So they're short socks, but socks nonetheless. I also made another hat and two pairs of fingerless gloves. All of these things went straight from the needles and onto extremities because it's cold, and honestly, who cares if your hat is blocked?

Walks

2010-11-29T18:43:00.003-05:00

We found a great park with a 2.5 mile paved walkway going around a lake. As a type of person that looks forward do the future I'm already planning wintertime hikes and springtime bike rides around the perimeter, maybe even twice around when Rigel gets bigger.

Speaking of bigger, she's almost 40 lbs now (38), and she's pretty lean at that. I have a very dense dog.

Here she's checking out a new sweater I made. It's a seamless bottom up yoke t-shirt. I made it up, but there's no wheel invention here, pretty sure every similar type sweater is made exactly the same way.

Here is the story behind the sweater: there was a city that got attacked by some robots, then the robots got attacked by dinosaurs, then some space invaders showed up and used their lazors on everything. It's a sad story. It's also a sad story when people ask me to make things for them. I don't feel particularly bad telling people no, but I don't think many people realize that it takes me like three weeks to complete a project like this. Even if they offered paying me $5 an hour (because I guess sitting on the couch and watching shows on the internet, which is what I do when I knit, isn't particularly physically exhaustive), it would very quickly exceed a $500 price tag. So unless I offer, I'm not knitting anything for anyone except me (and Tu). But I also sew and make paintings, so you know, I'm open for commissions on that front. But it's probably too late if you want a christmas gift. But, there's always Valentine's day! Mother's day! Father's day! Plenty of reasons to give me money, really. Better me than hallmark.

Green Gable.

2010-11-27T13:10:00.004-05:00

I made a sweater. It took a couple of weeks. The pattern is #28 in the Fall 2008 issue of Vogue knitting. I made it in the small size using KnitPicks Swish in the color Douglas Fir, I think, and made the following modifications:

Did the yoke decreases in a style more resembling raglan
Omitted the placket. I hate buttons, and I don't quite see the purpose of a deep-V neckline on a sweater I plan on wearing in place of a jacket on cool days.
Omitted the hood increases.
Knit the hood in rev. stockinette.

Things I would have changed if I made it again are to lengthen it by maybe 2-3 inches and to decrease maybe 1 stitch on each side at the waist. It doesn't REALLY need it, but I think it would look nice.

So, instead of washing it and blocking it, I put it on and went for a hike.
It's awesome. You can't have one.

Grandmaster.

2010-11-11T10:02:00.004-05:00

In other news, I have labored through the grind that is obtaining achievements in video games. If you are bored by this already, skip to the last paragraph where I will most likely mention my dog. It took about three days of serious "work" (a couple hours the first two, but more like 5-6 on the last) to complete the Grandmaster Cartographer title for the continent of Tyria in Guild Wars. Some things I learned while doing this:

There is no one in the early towns and missions in Ascalon. It's completely deserted.

I should really pick up all the drops my inventory will allow. I realized this by simple math. In later areas a kill drops around 100 gold. With a party of 6 (or, even later, 8), you get about 15-12 gold. But if you sell even a totally crappy weapon drop it'll bring in more than double that. Using this wise tactic I made a few platinum in the last couple of days.

Here is the dog paragraph. We walked 5 miles on a 20 mile (?) trail around the airport.

Sugarloaf crafts.

2010-11-11T09:40:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we visited a friend in PA and went to Sugarloaf Crafts festival with her (and her husband). It was much cooler than I expected. Whenever someone says "craft show" I imagine booths of tacky pins, granny-square scarves, painted wood signs and other crap that I would never spend $37 on. Here, it was much different.

Granted, many of the wares were just decorative. There was a guy carving alabaster statues. There was a woman that made incredibly life-like statues from polymer clay. There was another one that made masks from sheets of stainless steel. There were painters and photographers (I scoffed a little at the painters, Jen scoffed a little at the photographers). There were more jewelers than I could shake a stick at.

But there were also wood furniture makers, potters, furniture makers of stone (marble inlaid table tops), bread bakers and a maple syrup dude. To compare to this, the last craft show I went to was Crafty Bastards in DC last summer, where 60% of what you could buy were $20 t-shirts and clothing over $150 made of "recycled" materials (cut up last year's t-shirts that didn't sell?). I hated that. Not the t-shirts (most were funny, but I'd rather buy them on sale from threadless.com where even with shipping it's about half price). But the "recycled" clothes? a: they were ugly. Not in an "interesting" way where they are unusual and most people won't wear them but a few people come along and buy them out because they are hippies or whatever. Just ugly. Scraps of different (some notably old and faded, I guess to prove it's "recycled") fabrics sewn together with an overlock stitch. No shape or color to the garment. b: they were really at least $85 each.

Some days, I wish I didn't have a conscience so that I could pull out the few t-shirts and tops I have left from middle school that I have been sleeping in for the last 9 years, make them into a circle skirt of many colors and slap a $100 price tag on it. It would take maybe 2 hours to accomplish this, and getting paid $50 hourly would be better than most people I know could say for themselves.

In any case, Sugarloaf was a pleasant experience, followed by equally pleasant margaritas at dinner. But thinking about it in retrospect, I could never dedicate so much effort into making one thing. If I ever collect enough things made by me to fill a booth it would be a few hand-bound journals. A bunch of greeting/holiday cards. Some stamps. Some knitted socks and mittens. A bunch of handspun. A stack of paintings. Probably a few sewn garments. Cookies. A short fiction collection. And that's not even it.

White yarn and brown dog.

2010-10-28T08:09:00.005-04:00

Well, things have been happening. I've (a long time ago) started knitting a kid's sweater that's been near completion for a month or so (other projects have taken precedence). I've also started another t-shirt for myself, with robots and dinosaurs on it, but when I say "started" I mean it's in the planning/drafting/charting stage.

I finished a painting. More on that later.

I took a day and a half off painting to test drive my new WooLee winder (it's a flyer for my spinning wheel that enables me to keep spinning for ever without worrying how the yarn winds onto the bobbin because it does that automatically. With a regular flyer you have to move it around manually to make sure it winds on evenly.) I spun a light-fingering four ply. For anyone that doesn't know - it's very very thin. It means you make string appear from a tuft of fluff that's the thickness of sewing thread. It's magic. Eventually I want to wind it into a really long skein and to dip-dye it. It would be fun, I think.
I've been taking Rigel to the park here every day. It allows me to be lazy and not take her for long walks during the day. I take her for about an hour (she runs around the whole time, more or less), or until she comes to me and lays down. It's a sure sign puppy is pooped. Here is documentation from our most recent escapade.

Monday.

2010-10-18T13:12:00.004-04:00

The down side of having a tired dog is that you yourself are tired. The upside is a tired dog. Rigel is getting bigger and wilder. She has a deep rumbling bark that I can only describe as masculine. It carries. I've started to teach "quiet".

I visited Rhinebeck only very briefly. I ordered a WooLee Winder, because, to my chagrin, he didn't have one in stock at the booth. Very close by was a great huge non-chain pet store. I was surprised to see that they carry the well known brands as well as high-end dog food. Tu got Rigel a can of Evo duck for lunch. She gobbled it all up.

I've been a married woman for a week now. Everyone asks how it feels, and I say the exact same thing as any other newlywed will tell you: it feels exactly the same. But here are some fun facts about the wedding that seem trivial now:

The hotel room that we got was too small (for 4 people to get ready in), so we traded rooms. They brought complementary champagne to our first room that never got moved. Bummer.

We started the ceremony a full hour late. This was because a key member of the family was delayed. I wasn't mad or anything, but I can tell you the nerves started to kick in a little.

We forgot our marriage license. The best man and the maid of honor swung by after the party to sign it and we overnighted it to the officiant the next morning. Hopefully all is well.

The red lilies in my bouquet didn't open until 3-4 days after the wedding. But the white lilies the bridesmaids carried were beautiful.Other than that everything went smoothly. I think people had a good time. I think this because guests told other guests that they had a good time. I think it's a good sign, since everyone is OBLIGATED to tell me it was great, whether or not it's 100% truth. There are some great pictures from the photographer and some from our guests. It was fantastic, but I am so glad it's over!

Dog days

2010-10-15T16:13:00.004-04:00

I'll be the first to admit that I don't even know what that expression means. But spending time with my (gasp) husband and the dog has been fantastic.

We first showed up with her at mom's house and Pamela (6 year old male shih-tzu) went more or less postal on her. We had them both leashed and brought them together slowly, and after that initial period took them out back. Rigel was chasing him around and he was on the run. Then we came back inside, he hopped on "his" chair, and evidently feeling empowered by the newly acquired height advantage growled at her (for real) and lunged at her several times. We kept them apart if he got aggressive, but eventually he tired himself out and shut up.

Pamela has an interesting story, because mom got him from a pet store at 3 months. He had been with, and was returned by two other families as per the store's 60 day return policy. He's the only pet, and I don't think he's met another dog up close before. He isn't easily provoked, but on a couple occasions he was threatened enough to bite. I just shudder to think where he would be if he wasn't a 12 pound fluffball. Rigel didn't press her luck and stayed politely away from him after the chair episode.

We went on a walk around the lake for an hour which was great, then the next day we went for another walk around another lake and played at the dog park. There were maybe another three dogs there at the time whom Rigel ran around with, but the main thing I was excited about was that they had agility ramps and tunnels set up and Rigel had so much fun running them all! I thought she might be reluctant about the tunnel, but she didn't even hesitate! Tu and I tossed her a ball and sometimes just called to get her to run on top of the ramps and through the tunnels. It was a fantastic time.

Then we went to the in-laws. Everyone was instantly smitten with the dog. She was very well behaved. In fact, the only one we had to watch out for was grandma who kept trying to sneak her not dog-safe foods. On the other hand, I wish I didn't get as many confused and now and then downright dirty looks for feeding Rigel bones. She is a more careful eater than most humans, and has choked more seriously on kibble than on raw food (in fact, she's never choked on raw food, but kibble she has never chewed).

In the afternoon we went to another dog park, where Rigel seriously egged on an excitable bulldog puppy into playing way too rough. Rigel got hers, though, when two year-old labs came in and literally bowled her over a couple times. We didn't want anyone to get hurt so we went for a walk instead. The weather was gorgeous, we played leash games, and a good time was had by all.

3 days after.

2010-10-14T17:08:00.003-04:00

I love vacation. I used to think it's boring, but just hanging out and not worrying about anything for a couple of days is really a pretty awesome feeling. The only bad thing about it all is remembering that everyone else has to work.

That's where we are now, on break for the rest of the week. Here is our trek so far: on Wednesday picked up the tux (45 min), dropped Rigel off with grandma (2.5 hours), drove to the in-laws (7+ hours), drove to mom's (2.5 hours). We made it to bed around 2 am. I was in a murderous rage for this and other reasons.

Then, after trips to Rochester and back, we drove to pick up Rigel, then home, then to drop off the tux then to mom's house. Tonight we're off to the in-laws, then to Rhinebeck for a couple of hours. Then, after all that, back home and to the fairgrounds to see a dog show. In other words - a million miles on my car and more hours than I can shake a stick at spent in it.

Besides funny stories (and not so funny) that I will recount later on, I'm basically married.

9 days to go?

2010-10-01T16:57:00.003-04:00

So, most of the things that were on my list are finished. I managed to only double book myself once. The new list looks like this:
RIGEL RIGEL RIGEL. Graduates from the puppy class today. How exciting.
Flowers. Haven't got that 100% squared away yet.
Paperwork in the form of programs, table numbers, escort cards. Seating chart is done so that's all good.

I don't know what else. I'm still really frustrated that I have to deal with this all on my own. Like when I asked Tu to take care of one thing. He calls me to say "I looked at the website and here's the number to call if you need to know details." Thanks, that really cuts my workload way down. But whatever. Once I pay people everything will be all taken care of.

Can I just say I can't wait till it's all over?

Blast from the past

2010-09-28T15:20:00.003-04:00

Well, after two years of inactivity I have logged back in to Guild Wars. 6 characters + two of them I haven't checked in two years = 8 birthday gifts. Out of 8 - one purple, one double. I take these shitty odds as a sign that the game is not ready for me to come back.

Not to mention that it's changed so much that it's probably useless to try to get back into it and pretend I know everything about it like I did back in my GW playing days. I stopped playing as I recall around the time they came out with templates for skills and spells. Not to mention my main is named after an ex-boyfriend. Not to mention that I don't have any goals in game to keep me interested. The last thing I actively pursued was capturing elites, (which is awesome, when you (like me) play PvE solo with a team of heroes/henchmen). But that, frankly, gets boring very quickly. I even have a low level ele whom I tried to play the Nightfall campaign with. Every time I get back into it at halfway point I feel like I need to start over with a new character.

Maybe I'll spend an hour or so on the GW wiki re-educating myself. Maybe I'll rope Tu into playing with me since the trilogy is now $20 or something like that, not how much it was at first ($50 on each campaign, bought close to time of release). Plus he did buy me the north expansion, don't even remember what it's called, as a surprise before we were dating.

Diligent update

2010-09-18T19:45:00.004-04:00

I've fallen behind on my updates. I think I now owe two weeks worth. I have a good excuse, only having a month left before my wedding, so I don't feel particularly terrible about it. Here is what's new.

I had a bridal shower. It was fantastic. It was the first time I saw my maid of honor in about three years. A lot of family came and some friends. There were pokemon themed decorations. There was an amazing amount of gifts. I seriously don't think I'll even get as many wedding gifts. There was also a ton of food.

Then we waited for the RSVPs to come in. We got so few back that at some point I thought there were only going to be 35 people in attendance (out of maybe 85 invited). I was about to get a little frustrated (I hand made all the invitations, stuffed all the freaking envelopes and even slapped stamps onto the return envelopes). But then I thought about it and decided - if my guests don't want dinner I can't force them. They can come for the drinks and the dancing and it will be all good. I'm just looking forward to seeing everyone again. And rocking out in my dress.

Oh yes. The dress is amazing. I'm not usually the type to do the girlish squeal, but I did it a little when Jen and I were at my last fitting. The dress fits, and with the train out it looks out of this world. I can't even describe it to you. I just hope it photographs well and that its particular shade of red is not difficult to capture.

Here is my to-do list for the next two weeks while I'm here:
Fax Rigel's shots to the boarding house in NY where she is going to be staying.
Call hair dude and let him know we've had some additions to his clients, hopefully he can accommodate us all.
Make nail appointment.
Finish going over the ceremony.
Finalize the playlist.
Make hair accessory.
Finish the crane garland and hope that it works out and looks amazing because its more or less my only decoration.
Get a present for Aliyah (my niece that is the flower girl).
Buy Tu some shoes.
Make place cards, programs, and escort cards. Arrange seating.
Make a reservation at the place for rehearsal dinner. God I should have done this already.

As for when I am in NY:
Flowers is the main thing.

So thankfully, next week is the last week at work and I'll have a whole week off to do all this before the week that we have to travel up to New York. Wish me luck boys and girls.

They grow up so fast... sniff

2010-09-03T14:16:00.007-04:00

Our big baby Rigel has been living with us almost a month now. My, how time flies! Here are some photos for comparison:
7 weeks
12 weeks
She's gained weight and grown steadily, which puppies should do. We've sent out her AKC papers and her registered name is Kondako's Rigel Beta Orionis, which Tu came up with, and I liked it. It's just pretentious enough for me.

I'm going to compile a list of breeds people guess she is and the hilarious conversations I have with strangers regarding Rigel.

Conversation one:
Stranger in a store: Are you the couple with the white dog that live on [street name]?
Me: ...We are.
Stranger: I almost drove my car into a tree one time staring, because of how cute she is.
Me: ...

Conversation two:
I'm sitting at an outdoor table waiting for Tu to bring me a burger.
Stranger: What a cute dog! How big is he going to get?
Me: Maybe as big as sixty.
Stranger: Six?
Me: ...

Breed guesses:
American Eskimo
Spitz
Shiba Inu
Pomeranian

And here is an actual update: Rigel has been happily eating raw food for maybe as long as a week now. When we started, I bought her a rabbit, and put its legs on top of her kibble. I sat down to watch her eat, just in case anything happens (actually I always watch her eat, I think it's a good habit). She crunched and munched them and seemed to really like them. She finished her kibble. The next meal I gave her the rabbit's hind legs (bigger), and the next two meals I cut the rest of the rabbit in half (giving proportionately less kibble). Since then Rigel has eaten more rabbit, chicken, liver, and eggs (and fish, but she didn't really like it). I was nervous about the eggs, I didn't want her to cut her mouth on the shell. But I needn't have worried, she chewed the shell about thirty times, which is far less than she does with kibble. I have noticed before that she chokes on kibble at least once a day, not life threatening or scary, but she would cough and a bit would come out. Feeding raw is forcing her to eat slowly, because she has to chew every bite.
Reason two I can tell raw is great: Rigel poops well (and really does have sweet breath!). This might sound gross to maybe almost anyone other than a new puppy owner, but I pay a lot of attention to my dog's poop. I also always pick up after her and get to not only see, but basically touch (yay...) her waste. Let's just say that in comparison, a similar sized puppy in the building (who is not only never leashed, but also never picked up after) goes like you would after a week long binge on 50 cent tacos with extra hot sauce.
Speaking of bodily functions! It only took three weeks to house break Rigel. I say three weeks, because it's been about a week since she had an accident, but really, the past couple accidents I blame on myself. I take her out every two hours that we are up, and once during the night. She also does extremely well in her crate until I come home, and it took about 15 minutes to crate train her (it's more that she's never had a problem). She's never cried at night, and is a big girl in many other ways.
Training is progressing (and regressing, in some ways) at a decent pace. She'll sit solid, and come about 75% of the time. She'll lay down for a treat, stay pretty well (even without a treat). She'll come up and come off on command, and is learning "leave it". Our biggest problem (and it is a big one) is controlling excitement. When we are on a walk and there is a person within 30 yards, she'll stop and look. If it is a child, she will sometimes pull and bark, depending on whether the child is ignoring her. When we turn back and head home from a walk, the pulling is non-stop. I was trying stopping when she pulls, and when she'll sit, relaxing the leash, I'll start walking again. Tu told me today (he does this with her too) that as soon as he lifts his foot (without moving forward) she'll try to take a running start. So evidently, this trick has become useless.
The puppy class has been going well enough, and next weekend we are going to take her to doggie playtime at our neighborhood Petco. This weekend, there will be a different kind of doggie playtime with my friend's puggle!
Last bit of news is that we have looked into flyball and there is a local active team that we are going to try to be a part of in a couple month's time. Wish Rigel luck!

Final touches

2010-08-21T23:23:00.003-04:00

Finally more than a month after we moved in, I took the final product pictures of my humble abode. The major changes include a new TV stand (thanks, IKEA) and a "new" couch (thanks, IKEA fabric). The naked bulbs (which is, in fact what they are) are an awesome idea and give the whole room a slightly industrial feel.
Tu: "It's reminiscent of living in your grandma's basement."
Me: "If you know a grandma with a basement like that, I want to be adopted as her grandchild."

Next, we took our couch (which Tu got for free off campus a couple years ago, and for all the jokes about questionable bodily fluids was in great shape) and reupholstered it. For all the stories you read about couch reupholsteries costing thousands of dollars, sure they definitely can. Or, they can cost $50, which is how much I spent on sale fabric at IKEA.

Granted, it was not the easiest (labor wise) thing I had ever done. It's our only couch and I had to sew sitting on the floor, which gave me back pain the likes of which I hope to never encounter again. It took a week (but really only four days actually doing any work) to finish. Tu did all the stapling, I did all the sewing. It wasn't complicated, but it took a long time, so the actual degree of difficulty depends on whether you think it's more difficult to do consistent work for a while or whether it's less difficult to do that granted the work is simple. In any case, be prepared to make a huge mess, and have (or know someone that has) sewing skills to undertake this on your own.

The joys of dog ownership

2010-08-15T18:54:00.005-04:00

Rigel has been doing well. At the vet we got a kennel cough vaccine and a microchip. We are really looking forward to the puppy class, and I'm really glad that it's 6 weeks instead of 8, since that's getting into wedding territory. I'm thinking that instead of boarding Rigel in Syracuse I'll just put her up at mom's house and pay a pet sitter to come in, since I can't trust Pamela to keep an eye on her (Pamela is mom's shih tzu).

So with that brief update, let's enter the age old debacle on what to feed your dog. I'll say one thing: raw. This is what I plan on feeding my dog as an adult, time provided. It's what I'd like to feed myself, could I digest, or even ingest, raw meat. In the meantime, here is the story.

The breeder feeds the puppies Purina One Puppy. They eat it well and no one has any digestion issues. A friend recommends Blue Buffalo, and I buy a small bag to try out with Rigel. I mix a bit of it into the regular food and she likes it well, or at least does not notice much difference. I like the ingredient list well, also.

Then I think to myself: there MUST be a food (or a small group of foods) that is best for puppies. I spend time looking on the internet. Which is terrible, since on a free for all forum only 5% of contributors know what they are talking about, and I do not belong to that group. I found this website: Dog Food Analysis, that rates almost every dog food there is. The down side is that some of the reviews are 3-4 years old and I can't tell if the ingredient list is current, or if there have been any changes.

Blue Buffalo gets four stars out of a possible six, along with other popular upper-end foods like Solid Gold, Wellness, and Innova, which is a step in the right direction since the site gives almost all Purina foods the lowest rating. I was a bit surprised by this, since many people seem to feed this to their young and adult dogs and the dogs are healthy.

The problem is not that it's bad food, it just is not great. Upon closer inspection, it's made mostly of corn, which dogs can't digest well. If you ever start me on corn and how much I hate it and what it stands for I hope you have at least a half hour because I will turn into a straight stark raving loony on this subject. Let me sum it up for you: corn = bad.

Another important subject that I feel the need to touch on is protein content. I understand that puppies need protein to grow, and I see that there exists a food that boasts a whopping 40% protein content (Orijen - which also has no scary fish-chemicals (see below) and is completely grain free)! For large breed puppies I read that it's okay to have slightly lower protein content (than small breeds, for example), but I wonder if a large breed would thrive with so much protein (any dog nutritionists out there?). Another con for Blue Buffalo is that the fish meal it uses does not claim to use ethoxyquin-free sources, and apparently that chemical can be carcinogenic in dogs.

I don't want to put Rigel through some sort of gastronomical adventure, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about switching again to a food that I can feel 100% about. I wish I could get an Orijen trial pack or something. In addition to dog nutritionists, any Orijen vendors in the audience?

2010-08-14T17:12:00.003-04:00

So here is an update on Rigel and our progress. We went to the vet and Rigel got a microchip on Friday. Since it's just down the street we walked. I have trouble keeping Rigel in line. When she runs along on a leash, she runs from my side at a 45 degree angle straight into my legs. I hope she was doing this because she was not used to the traffic, because I haven't noticed it before then (which could mean she's not doing it when we're just out in the back.)

At the vet we met a golden retriever, and Rigel hid from him and the other canine patient (don't know the breed). This worried me a bit, because they were both very mellow and experienced only a very passing interest in her.

Friday night we went out to see a movie. This was to be a test run of what she was going to be like when we have to leave her alone for a few hours during the day. She was in her pen with a few toys, her water bowl, and a training pad. When we got back (we were gone about three and a half hours) Rigel was at the door. She was very calm (as she has been). She managed to work the door on her pen open (it's a light duty pen for small animals and puppies and the door opens and closes by lifting). She shredded the training pad and a package of doggie bags we left out was all over the floor. But! She had used the training pad (I'm hoping after she tore it up a bit), and we found no damage to anything else in the house. This was a relief and a lesson.

So, this morning Tu and I took Rigel to a pet store. She loved to ride in the back seat with Tu. She made friends with everyone there, including a younger pit bull mix and a very timid (I think formerly abused) dog whose breed I don't remember (possibly another pit mix). Tu and I also signed up for a puppy training class. I think Rigel will outsmart all the other puppies there. We have been working on "come" by Tu and I sitting on the opposite ends of the room with treats and taking turns calling her. She's also very good at sitting for a treat (or if you hold your hand pinched as if you had a treat).

My main point of pride is closing the door on her kennel, however. Tu and I had another experiment where we played with her favorite toys (the laser and the towel) for a while and then tossed a treat into her kennel, closed the door and left the room. She was working on the treat and an ice cube for about 5 minutes, then the door rattled followed by a few accusing yelps. Then - silence. She went to sleep and slept for a whole hour until I came in to wake her up and let her out.

Since then we have repeated the whole scenario, an extensive play session, after which she went into her kennel all on her own! Tu closed the door and now she's sleeping soundly (I think Tu is too). So I think as long as he manages to give her a good workout before work (I leave way early) I think she'll survive her mid-day hours.

Day two

2010-08-12T17:45:00.003-04:00

Today Tu took Rigel out in the morning. She peed and pooped and everyone was happy. I let Tu fuss over her for a bit, while I slept (I think the night before I slept the worst out of everyone. Tu can sleep through anything, Rigel changed positions, and I felt like I had to keep an eye out in order not to find her in some awful mess.)

By the time I was up, she was in her pen, but she cried when she saw me. I don't know if I should work on keeping her in there, or if I should just let her hang out where she wants (on the kitchen floor) under supervision for the next couple of days just to make sure she'll be okay on her own. I don't feel like I can trust such a young puppy to stay out of trouble when left on her own, but she has shown no signs of mischief and no interest in anything I don't want her to be interested in. Next Monday through Wednesday she'll be on her own 8 to about 12:30, and I have a feeling she'll not be pleased if I lock her up. I am thinking though, that if Tu plays with her a lot and manages to leave without making a fuss she'll just sleep in the pen for the majority of time. I've been practicing by spending some time in the other rooms and went to the office today (about 20 minutes), Rigel didn't even notice I was gone.

When Tu got home and before dinner we went to the store for some cottage cheese and liver to make treats out of. We were gone about 40 minutes this time, but we closed the door to her pen (with the water bowl and some toys in it). When we got back we did not hear any barking or whining, and Rigel made no sound when we came in (even when we put the groceries away before letting her out). We gave her her food with the cottage cheese in it, she seemed to like it.

Tu made liver treats that we are going to try with her (basically mashed liver with flour and a bit of parmesan cheese, baked). We discovered that the sound of the food processor makes Rigel run behind the vertical blinds by the patio, so I foresee the vacuum to be a bit of a learning curve. Other than that she is used pretty much to all household noises.

Earlier Tu and I took her on a bit of a longer walk (than a circuit of our building) and she looked up at all the passing cars but made no move to try to chase them or approach strangers. She also won't go down the apartment stairs (which isn't a problem when we take her out back). I tried to practice a bit with the shallow steps out on the sidewalk, but growing a bit bigger will probably help with the stairs.

She is also learning "come" and "sit", mostly with treats, but Tu sat her butt down before crossing the street today, and that's going to be another thing we are going to work on learning.

Princess Fluffybutt

2010-08-12T02:10:00.006-04:00

Day one, night one.

I'll say right away we had trouble choosing our Rigel, because the breeders had what could be world's only perfect litter. In a choice between Red and Purple we went with Red who seemed a bit smaller and a little less vocal.

She did let us know, however, that we were making a mistake as soon as we pulled away with her in a crate in the back of the car. The wailing was nonstop at her top volumes, and ended instantly as soon as I put her in my lap. After the first few minutes when she seemed intrigued by the GPS' authoritative blathering, she put her head down and slept the whole 2 hours it took to get home.

Getting into the house was interesting, as Rigel wasn't leash trained and didn't seem impressed with the idea. Made instant friends with our upstairs neighbor's 27 kids (all under the age of 10). The evening was filled with exploring, getting accustomed, and tasting all the new toys (and naps).

At around 9:30 we began to prepare for bed. I did my best sweet voice to try to coax her into her house, which we put right at the foot of the bed. She'd step in, but not really interested in a long-term stay (even though the toy the breeder gave us from her house was in it). I was too tired to argue with her, so we closed the bedroom and the closet door and dropped like sacks of bricks on our bed. I spent the next two hours listening and watching Rigel to make sure she was not getting into any sort of trouble. She slept for a bit right on the floor between the bed and the crate, then in the corner by the wall, then in the opposite corner, alternating between the three spots according to whichever was cooler.

At around midnight, I had the brilliant idea to get her an ice cube. We put it in her house and she slept there for the next hour until it was feeding time. So up to this point I'd say the night was a success: the dog spent the night mostly asleep, partly in her house, and not at all in the bed (just a guess - it was way too warm for her). All night - not a sound.

Before food I took her out on the leash(!) which she behaved properly with. She tried to bite it once or twice, but only when it was in front of her face, and stopped when corrected. We just went outside the patio, and she didn't want to come out at first (which is understandable - we don't have an outdoor light). Once I coaxed her out, she peed right away, then we explored for a bit.

She ate her food well, but didn't poop when I took her out a second time. Before I freaked out I did a quick online search, and it seems it sometimes happens to dogs under stress (and changing homes is pretty stressful, I imagine). So in the morning after breakfast we are going to give Rigel all sorts of tummy rubs and encouragement, but I am prepared to call the breeder and vet if she still doesn't go.

On Friday she gets a microchip and a quick exam, until then we are going to work on more leash manners and some basic commands.

Wishlist.

2010-07-27T14:02:00.009-04:00

So. In light of various gift-giving occasions that are going to be happening in the near future in my and Tu's honor, I've decided to post a wish list of sorts. All of these things would be equally awesome to have.
New:

A pound of baby pink wool with sparkles. I really want a sparkly pink cropped cardigan, so this would be awesome for me to work with. (You can find this on Etsy.)
A WooLee Winder for my spinning wheel (Kromski Minstrel) It's a super fantastic flyer unit and makes spinning easier and faster.
A kick bike/scooter. It's a fantastic invention that's like a scooter for adults, only with big wheels like a bike. I will totally ride this around everywhere.
A pair of 5 Fingers shoes. They are shoes made for running that have all toes separate. Very cool. Try on your own pair if you look, you'll be intrigued.
Someday (soon) I want to make a quilt. Wouldn't it be cool if everyone would get me a little bit of fabric to be included in it? Yes, it would be cool.
A donation to your local animal shelter in my honor.

Old:

Star Ocean IV: The Last Hope for the PS3 :)
A pair of inline skates would be great if someone could scope a pair out at a Goodwill or a garage sale. I don't want a new pair because I will probably not use them often.
Some sort of collection of short stories by H.P. Lovecraft (Necronomicon?)
Accepting all hand-me-down crafting supplies!

Also: here is a picture of the finished bedroom:

Documented proof

2010-07-16T07:08:00.007-04:00

That we really did spend the whole day painting.

Bedroom: view from the closet (first two) and a view of the fake head board which looks like some sort of totally bad ass racing stripe. You can't tell from this far away, but more than half of the previous paint came off with the tape. I was too angry for words about this, but decided to wait until today to pass final judgment (because by the time we pulled the tape off it was definitely beyond dusk (9pm) and the pictures look any good at all due to the sheer magic of photography.
That's a wall in the living room that's a nice dark cool gray. If you are wondering why there is a part that's not painted, stop wondering and refer to this post.This wall is opposite the gray wall and is flat black. Partly because I never got to act out the angsty teenager during my actual teen years (my mother would only let me paint my wall mint green), partly because what better to watch TV against, than a flat black wall? I'm telling you, serious thought went into this.

Our current apartment is in some shambles. Not much is actually packed, but I'm thinking later today (after they are done replacing the carpet) we'll just run a couple of trips back and forth to take most of the small random junk over. Either way, Sunday I'll try to post some pictures with furniture. Which there is not a lot of. There are several things I want to pick up, like a new couch, a love seat (since we now have living space to accommodate more than 2 people at once), and a new bed. But funds are short, so unless there is an unexpected inheritance I don't foresee many new furnitures in my future.

New place.

2010-07-15T22:11:00.003-04:00

This is a post to catch up on last week. There are a few knitting projects that I need to blog about too, but everything is somewhere in a box or "put away", as I conveniently like to call moving things around and putting them where they do not belong, only to be shouting for them a few hours later.

But here is what's new: we painted our new apartment. On one hand, I didn't really want to because a: money and b: rented apartment, but on the other hand, there are few things less expensive and more effective at making a dwelling look effing sweet than paint. All in all the endeavor cost me $120, which , if you think about it, is about the price you'd pay for a couple of nice pictures to put on an otherwise naked wall. Or a couple of lamps. Or an end table. Plus, my time is absolutely super cheap right now, so it's not like it was all that big an effort.

So we hit up the friendly neighborhood Sherwin Williams and went to work. Here are the things we have discovered during the day (while painting and otherwise).
1. I am (as far as I know) the only white woman in the entire complex. One white man has also been confirmed, no word yet on the young, the elderly, or any white dogs.
2. Apparently in some places on our walls there is caulk instead of spackle covering up holes (which is entertaining because paint does not stick to caulk).
3. Two of the cabinet doors in the kitchen overlap by a quarter inch. Yes, not only do they not line up or close properly, but they actually overlap and look stupid.
4. There are series of wasp's nests around our little patio, and they look like paper flutes. Very cool to look at. From indoors.
5. Nowhere in my entire apartment do I get even a single bar of cell phone reception.

But the bedroom and the living room walls look amazing. I'll update with pictures later (tomorrow probably) when there is stuff other than just paint on the walls, so stay tuned.

May the 4th be with you.

2010-07-07T15:12:00.006-04:00

Some friends and I were in DC for the Independence Day fireworks. Just as they were starting we met two samoyeds with a man in tow. We all made friends and we shared with him our excited puppy news. Then we watched the fireworks. I even remembered to bring my camera.

Also I'm not writing so much because things are busy. There are still wedding things to take care of, puppy things, and on top of it all next week is the big move. In the meantime, I plan on distracting you with pictures of shiny things.

Babies on the brain.

2010-06-26T20:34:00.003-04:00

We're getting a puppy. These aren't them, but it's about what ours will look like when we get to meet them next weekend.

Paperwork

2010-06-22T13:44:00.003-04:00

First order of business: my tomatoes are now large and plentiful. I'm using Tomato-tone, which is mostly organic, and it seems to be helping them grow well. I hope they survive the move in a couple of weeks.

The other order of business: invitations. Sit back and allow me to tell you the story of how they came to be. Originally the main invitation was going to open bottom to top and be a pop-up. This idea got discarded when I couldn't come up with a design to fill the top area with an image that would be entertaining, relevant, and classy. So I gave up. Instead I bought some paper and knocked out 100 response cards (can be seen in picture 2, grey paper with black motif). From this point everything unfolded. The gray cardstock became a sort of folder/inner envelope held together by a ribbon. Inside this go two pieces of paper, one with the invitation, one listing additional info such as entree choices, hotel accomodations and so on. This paper is bordered on one side with a repetition of the motif from the response cards (which I scanned, traced over in Photoshop and made into a custom pattern).
On the folder, outer envelope and response card envelope, the writing is all done by hand in silver paint marker. The outer envelope is red (picture 1)

My absolute favorite thing about how this turned out (and it did "turn out", I basically winged it) is that the invitation stands out with a little Asian touch, thanks to the gray/red color combination and the particular design on the corner punches. I am basically in love with that.
The best thing that I got to help me accomplish this exhausting task (still less than halfway done if you count in the fact that I have to address all the envelopes) is that I bought myself a guillotine paper cutter. That alone (60 bucks) was almost half the total cost that went into making these. My second most useful thing is a creasing tool. The cost of paper was probably about 50-60 bucks and another 15-20 went into the various punches, glue, ribbon, etc.
All in all, is it worth it? If I finish, yes. The color combination is perfect. There is just the right amount of matchiness (the place cards will be either white with the red border like the invitation or white with a strip of the patterned gray paper). The sense of accomplishment makes my head swell to insurmountable sizes.

Things my co-workers say --1

2010-06-08T18:07:00.005-04:00

It's a good idea to have tattoos done by former inmates, because they are often more skilled, having spent much time practicing, than tattoo parlor artists.
The best way to stop selling and doing drugs at fifteen is to have a baby.
Buying a mixed breed puppy that will grow up to be 200 lbs from a guy you know for a hundred dollars is a pretty good deal, since dogs "with papers" can cost much more.
Being a certified diesel mechanic is a good time, until one gets his license revoked through an undisclosed set of circumstances.
Overdraft charges on your checking account are awful, but not as bad as the feeling of bewilderment that accompanies additional charges accrued for processing additional transactions.
Former jail time and the median amount of discharged firearms within earshot per week at one's place of residence are things worthy of boast.

:D

2010-06-03T13:03:00.004-04:00

Look at my cute widdle tomato! Isn't it adorable!
For contrast, here is a totally douchey spoiler. It matches his steelies perfectly.

Memorial day

2010-06-01T13:41:00.004-04:00

Tu and I had an interesting conversation the other day about how horribly unrelated holiday practices have become in relation to the original holiday. I mentioned gift-giving for Christmas, but I guess there were the three kings that brought baby Jesus some goodies. We then got on the topic of barbecueing on Memorial day, and what that has to do with the war veterans, which is exactly nothing. How many people of my generation care about the war, unless you have a relative that is a veteran, or are in the army? I'm sorry to say I think most people are going to be thinking about how many hot dogs to grill and whether it's going to rain rather than how many people died for their respective country. If you think I'm wrong, I urge you to look up the little video clip where grade school kids don't recognize American presidents, but have no trouble naming fast food chain mascots.

I didn't realize I was going to get so preachy. But hey, it's better than reading emo whining or teenage dramas on blogs, yeah? Because of reading a lot on dog training recently, I have been thinking about many aspects of life in doggy terms. Like, what an appropriate, albeit outdated, idiom "idle hands are a devil's workshop" is. I don't particularly imagine that those of us susceptible to ennui are wont to become possessed, but as I red about with dogs, I have seen even with myself - without much to do we will find almost anything to occupy ourselves with, and that the smarter one is, the more complicated the pastime has to be. I suspect this is why hamsters are so happy to be running in their wheel all the time.

In other news we had a barbecue on memorial day. And ribs. And popsicles. I don't have documentation of these events, except a couple of leftover popsicles, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

2010-05-26T03:26:00.005-04:00

It's been over a week since the last post, and I feel like I've been slacking. Only one cool thing happened last weekend. We went to hang out with Lindsay of RandomActsOfDrama and she seated us for Hamlet at the Folger Shakespeare Theater where she works.

I liked the show a lot. Most of the time Hamlet pranced around in a grungy black t-shirt and skinny jeans, which I thought very fitting.

Here is a picture of the stage, which I thought was fantastic. Everything was painted white.

Just about the only thing I didn't like was the Player's performance. The part where Hamlet makes his mother and uncle watch the players perform a short play where a dude kills his brother and marries his wife... you know the one. The idea was cool, as they projected a film right onto the stage, but the execution was poor. The "film" (with voiceover of the lines) consisted of I imagine "edgy" and "abstract" silhouettes on trippy backgrounds. It was strongly reminiscent of freshman spring screenings - the point by which most students know how to use the editing and compositing software, but still don't know what to do with it. Overall it was an enjoyable experience, however.

Excitement and money spending

2010-05-16T10:34:00.005-04:00

After we went to look for apartments for the first time a few weeks ago Tu and I went to Ikea to get a couple small things and to scope out anything we might need for our new apartment. We picked up a little square breakfast table for about 100 that we will eat at while sitting on our Goodwill stools. It will actually fit into our new kitchen. We also decided to forgo having dinner parties for a while and to dress up our dining area as a video game lounge instead. I wanted to go look in the fabric section, and we spotted a fabric that was printed like a comic book page. Hello! So of course I declared it our new video game lounge drapes, and we bought the remaining 7 yards.

Then I decided to cut out the panels from the fabric and stretch them on a frame to hang on the wall as art. This idea also came from Ikea, because everywhere in their show room (especially in the kids section) they have funky "art" consisting of their blindingly bright fabrics stretched over a frame. So here are two of the three frame repeat (the third one is super wide, spanning the width of the entire fabric, and I couldn't find a canvas stretcher that size. Which is a pity, because this frame also involves the destruction of a city via giant dinosaur.)

I think it'll look pretty neat on the wall. I'll have to obtain those 56 inch stretchers locally somehow, so that I don't have to pay for oversized shipping from the intertubes.

In other news:
Cue girlish screaming at completely ear splitting levels. Yeah, those are my shoes peeking out from under the hem of my wedding dress. (By the way, any time you see pictures that look pretty awesome like this one, it's because Jen took them)

Another Tuesday...

2010-05-11T13:08:00.006-04:00

It's raining. I was kind of in a poor mood driving home because of the rain, but making that drive half an hour (45 minutes) early makes a world of a difference. Everyone followed all traffic regulations and I didn't have to blare my horn or stomp my brakes even once. But about 2/3 of the way home I suddenly felt better, despite being stuck behind a truck going 10 under. Even in the dim overcast daylight everything looked super green and happy in the rain. And then my spirits were finally lifted as I realized that if it rains more all the bird poop will finally come off my car.
There isn't anything interesting for the blogosphere from the last week. I made a hat that's a secret (at least until it gets rejected by Knitty). I spun some yarn.
This is 60/40 merino and bamboo, that I got from the Cloverleaf Farm booth at the Finger Lakes Fiber Fest last summer. The color is called Tiger Eye, which is pretty appropriate. It was difficult for me to spin thicker, as a result it's definitely thick/thin, but I still like it a lot and it's in the process of becoming Mystery Hat 2.0.
Tu made us sushi a while ago. I ate more than half of all this. I just thought I should post that so that you can be jealous. This is how I diet.

Moms are tough

2010-05-04T16:06:00.007-04:00

When you do something regularly, do you ever notice how the timeline stretches and shifts? I'm referring of course of my self-prescribed Friday posting day, that has for the second week in a row been posted on Tuesday. Last week was sort of a cop-out anyway, so let's start fresh, shall we?

Saturday's Maryland Sheep and Wool was a success, though I think we spent as much (if not more) money on food as on goodies. I spied a tiny little Road Bug wheel, which I have decided, shall I ever condone, accept, or even acknowledge such insanity as a second wheel, will be my second wheel.

Speaking of wheels! I finished my first official yarn spun and plied on my Minstrel (this is also a lie, because I practiced a bit with some brown Southdown wool I had). But here it is: two plies Yarn Chef's 50/50 (?) merino tencel, and one ply Ashland Bay 80/20 merino silk. Makes a little over 750 yards from maybe 10 oz? It's a fingering weight.
It's pretty cool because some parts are more green and some parts are more gray and some parts of the silk blend have some yellow/orange. All in all, despite the less than stellar plying on the first hank (you'll never see it because I'll never show you), a success.

So of course after spinning up all that goodness (and it does feel nice, believe me) I had to replenish my stock, right? Here is a small handful of goodies from MDSW:
From left to right - Malabrigo Worsted in a colorway that I already forgot (but a really really dark black green). 8 oz multicolored merino. 8 oz gray merino (to be plied with the multi and another 8 oz of superwash BFL that I am going to dye in a coordinating color. As a fun fact, I got the BFL an MDSW last year, but when I went back this year the line in the booth was seriously 20 deep.) 2 skeins of Sassy Stripes. It looked fun. 2 oz milk protein. Yes, it really is made from milk. It's soft and fine, reminds me a bit of bamboo, only not as much of a luster.

Last but not least: check out the awesome card I just made for my mommy! I painted it with watercolor from a picture I found on Flickr. It took about 2 and a half hours. The inside is going to say "Moms are tough. Love you." BONUS POINTS FOR A JOKE SHE WILL NOT GET.

A day in the life of

2010-04-28T10:00:00.002-04:00

Lately this is what my days have been going like: remember something I need to do. Think about it for 3-5 days at inopportune times (i.e. outside the house or when almost asleep if it's something on the computer, after I'd just gotten back in if it's something outside, etc). Maybe even start it halfheartedly in hopes that having a bit done will motivate me to finish it. Usually it doesn't.

Right now my to-do list involves finishing my friend's shirt that I knit, and sending out save-the-dates, most of which are addressed. I'm mostly waiting to get a few more addresses from people so that I can send them out all at once. As far as the wedding stuff goes, we had taken another trip to NY last weekend, and the menu is now finalized. I also almost have a photographer, waiting on an email with an agreement so that my date is saved (the email may be there already, I haven't checked today).

While on the trip, I got more earrings.
The white birds are called Hydra, not sure why, but of course we can't have nice things, because I already broke them. While taking pictures I must have leaned on one and the bottom part of the tail came off. This made me very angry, but upon closer inspection I hope to re-attach it with little visibility.

I got lots of compliments the two times that I wore them. They are seriously the coolest I have ever seen. I'm hoping to plan a trip again before long because the owners told me they'll be replenishing stock very soon.

Also, Maryland Sheep and Wool is this weekend! I had a tab open on my browser with the entry form open, hoping to enter something, but I don't think any of my spindled yarns meet the weight/content requirement. Oh well. Next time. Pictures this weekend of the show.

Future sauce.

2010-04-20T03:17:00.002-04:00

This post is extra late because I was out of town taking care of business all weekend long. I brought back some goodies though.
Sadly my camera is dead (and out in the car) so for now you will have to get by on out of focus phone pictures of my tomato which is IN BLOOM! I am very excited by this. It was a surprise.

Showing my stripes.

2010-04-11T13:27:00.004-04:00

I made some socks.

If they look familiar, it's because they used to be these.

In other news, tomatoes are growing (I have a bunch of little ones). I've been spinning this:
And working on wedding invitations. The whole wedding planning thing got old very fast, let me tell you. I have about zero desire to deal with people or to look up things that have to do with getting married. I'm pretty much just going to let things take their course from here on out and not worry about things being perfect. They are going to be what they are going to be. If it's boring, oh well, at least I get to be with the person I love and see all my old friends.

What has been enormous amounts of fun for me is makeup. Somehow, at 24 years of age I have just discovered this. I spent about 50 dollars and bought some pressed powder and a huge palette of eyeshadow from Sephora. Now I'm pretty anywhere I go (pictures later of my eye makeup, which I am damn good at if I do say so myself.

Another awesome thing that has happened is my friend and bridesmaid took Tu's and mine engagement photos. She is a great photographer. I might post a picture later, but in the meantime they are all on Facebook.

It's in the air.

2010-04-05T14:13:00.003-04:00

Spring, that is. The first few days of spring are the only rival on my favorite-scale to the first few days of fall, which are my absolute favorite. The weather is nice, the sun is out, and despite the killer allergies you get from non-stop plant reproduction spirits are lifted and seasonal depression is no more.

The other thing that I particularly like about spring is that it's tax season. All of a sudden there is an (at least small) influx of cash with no particular destination. Therefore it's time to dig out your need/want list and start cranking out overdue car repairs. Or, to buy a spinning wheel.

I've been contemplating this investment since about this time last year, so an impulse purchase this is not. It's a Kromski Minstrel I ordered from a site that gave me two extra bobbins as a freebie.

Furthermore, I got an unfinished one so that I could finish it myself. Which I did (just a clear finish). I was going to paint it, but I couldn't wait to get to spinning, so the fancy top coat is going to have to wait.
Being the rebel that I am, I went against all advice and spun on a wheel I have never used before. Everyone and their mom will tell you to please for your own good try it first, because what if you don't like it? Actually, now that I think about it I have spun on this particular wheel before. I couldn't get it to work. So how did I know that I would like it, and why did I buy it anyway?

Simple reason: science. As of right now I have been spinning yarn for nearly two years. I have used drop spindles exclusively, of which I own 3. Of all the yarn that I made maybe 45 percent was 3 ply sock yarn, and maybe 35 percent lace. So I like to spin fine. So I bought a wheel that can do higher ratios.

I buy wool in about 4 oz increments. So I bought a wheel whose bobbin will hold about 4 oz. There are other reasons too, the most important that I have not yet listed being price (a comparable wheel of a different make can cost double).

When I finally assembled and oiled it, I sat down and instantly produced a very fine strand, identical to what I had produced on spindles before. Was there a revelation? Did angels sing hallelujah and a light shine down from above? Is this the only wheel for me? No, to all those questions. I'm confident that I would have the same result on almost any wheel. I have never had any formal training, but I have mastered the couple techniques that I do know to be able to replicate them regardless of equipment. During my first year of spinning I spun lace to sport weight single-ply yarn all on one spindle, and plied it too. So far I love it.

I just need to name it. Suggestions?

In which I create life.

2010-03-28T09:38:00.003-04:00

Not really. BUT. Last weekend we did plant a bunch of tomato seeds and this week lo and behold:
They're ALIVE! I'm also excited that my camera took photos this nice of this phenomenon. These plants are less than an inch tall for sure. I'm going to wait till they're bigger and stronger and then put them outside.
So exciting!

Love

2010-03-19T10:00:00.002-04:00

When I was little, one of the few types of bubble gum that was available was the "Love is" gum. The translations, if there were any, were awful, but the pictures were cute, so of course we all collected them religiously.

I don't think this would have made it into the list, but love is definitely someone making you a lunch like this:

It's an apple bird with mango wings, a cucumber and carrot mustachioed caterpillar, and a school of mango fish swimming through a sea of lettuce. There are also eggs, walnuts, red peppers, and a side of chicken (so pretty much all the food groups), but they aren't characters.

Anyway. This is (was, I ate it) like the awesomest thing in the world.

First impressions

2010-03-13T07:15:00.005-05:00

Final Fantasy XIII

I know that writing reviews and similar is usually the job of my blogosphere buddy Scott, but I'm going to write a bit about this game Tu got for us (him).

The most recent in the franchise came out on Tuesday, and the gamer world seemed to shiver in pleasurable anticipation. Tu ordered it online for 5 bucks off and free shipping, so as far as a good deal game-wise, it was better than picking it up at the store (sorry, local businesses, you lose this time).

So far I only put a few hours in (under 10), so it's possible that what I'm about to write only applies (in some cases) to the first bit of the game. If I see major changes as the hour count climbs, I'll be glad to write up second impressions, etc.

STORY:
The premise, and it is repeated to you at least seventeen times in a set of the most redundant Datalog entries, is interesting enough. The presentation however, and the story progression, is completely dull. It seems much was lost in acting, editing (of the many cut scenes), and music selection. I don't feel compelled to bring the characters to their goal, there is no sense of urgency, no suspense, no emotional attachment whatsoever to anyone. I don't even care what happens next, and the next 10 hours will be put into the game because I want for it to fix this, not because I'm hanging on by the seat of my pants and can't put the controller down from sheer excitement.

VISUALS:
Are great. There is not much to be said about this. The game looks fantastic, even though some of the action cut scenes suffer from the quick cut-motion blur- atmospheric effect trifecta a-la Advent Children (some of you may be into this). The character design for the main guys seems solid, though Tu and I had a bit of fun pointing out random guys and calling them by the name of another similar looking FF character. Gadot is most likely just Wakka's cool black cousin.

WRITING:
Is good. I really like some lines of dialogue, and the Datalog entries, though mindnumbingly repetitive, use words that average 16 year olds would surely run to the Merriam-Webster for. The game is serious, and because of this, I think it should give up any attempt at silly humor (when you get a section in your Datalog with character profiles and read the one on Sazh, you'll know what I mean)

GAME PROGRESSION:
For the first few hours you will be railroaded from one scene to the next, with a few battles here and there. There is nothing to prevent you from getting through this part by occasionally hitting X, and this is terrible. The maps and environments are more FFX than XII, narrow corridors instead of wide expanses. When you gain your full battle abilities and the choice to paradigm shift, it seems you are hit with a lot at once, but in reality almost nothing changes, and you can continue to cruise along.

LEVELING UP:
The grid for character progression is the FFX grid +1. It's the same idea where from the starting point the character spends points he/she gains after each battle to pass a series of checkpoints, each of which gives a desirable bonus to a stat, or unlocks a new ability. The character gets a separate path depending on the role you wish them to play in battle. I'm not sure if the path for the same role for different characters is the same or not. So far (and it's not very far), the path is linear with very little branching. Going backwards costs nothing, taking away an element of strategy and thinking ahead that the FFX grid had.

BATTLE SYSTEM:
The paradigm system is basically a dumbed down version of Gambits in XII (which I guess some people hated, and I loved). You may choose a role for a character to play, his/her abilities will change accordingly. You don't have the option, as with gambits, to fine-tune the timing (only heal if HP is <50%, etc), or to prioritize actions. I don't always find it easier to paradigm shift to one involving a medic, than to let the party continue whacking away and throw a potion. This means that I'm almost always on all-offensive. The order of attacks also seems to make no difference. The only difference between auto and manual mode is that you may time your own individual attacks if you so wish (instead of waiting for the whole gauge to charge up), but I found that this makes little difference, mash X like a zombie.

TREASURE ORBS:
I felt the need to put this as it's own section because it frustrated me much. There is no way, anyone, ever, will miss a treasure orb if the game keeps with the trend. Basically, any time your straight and narrow corridor has a tiny branch, you can bet your money there will be one there. You don't have to think, look, figure anything out, just go and get it. The part of me that got a masochistic pleasure out of Cloisters of Trials weeps at this.

I understand that much of this is to make the new player ease-into the game, to make sure that it's not too overwhelming. Surely they must know that much of the fanbase, however, are repeat customers? Why can't here be a noob-mode and a pro-mode, for example?

I'm dedicating today to FFXIII. May it redeem itself in my eyes.

News and thoughts

2010-03-08T17:43:00.004-05:00

New things I learned this week:
My car's wipers change speed depending on haw fast I'm driving.
If I tap the turn signal, it blinks exactly three times.
And if you ask "Did it really take you four months to figure these things out?" then the answer is a resounding "yes".

I'm also excited that my car has a ~~1/8 inch audio jack, the next best thing after a USB port. I just happened to have a male to male cord and bought a car charger for my iPod, and now I can listen to Dr. Horrible almost any time.~~ Apparently those are RCA jacks (no wonder that there are two of them!) and I just didn't realize from glancing at them. Briefly. Once. In the dark.

Which brings me to my next speaking point - and that is the importance of shopping around. I have been using iTunes forever, and it's usually the easiest place to download tracks from. It just crossed my mind to also check amazon - and lo and behold - the album was a couple bucks cheaper. Today I went out to get some rechargeable batteries because my 6-year old Radio Shack ones began to kick it one after the other. A 4-pack of AA Energizer rechargeables is 14.99 at Best Buy, 12.99 at Safeway and 10.99 at Target. I didn't actually comparison shop at all these stores, they all happened to be part of my errand itinerary (except Best Buy, where I stopped because it was next door to a frozen yogurt place I like).

In other news the weather has been nothing short of fantastic, and has motivated me to be more active.

In other other news, our lease is up in four months and I'm going to be trying very hard to find a new place that's more of the things I want in a residence. We had a great time in our one-bedroom apartment, the neighborhood is nothing short of beautiful, everything is maintained perfectly and the staff has stayed nice to us even after we signed the lease.

BUT - anyone that has visited knows that our place is tiny, and that rent is not cheap. What I'm really hoping to find is a house small enough for Tu and I (or big enough for us and a friend should he choose to come live with us) that will let me have a garden and a dog. Here's to hopin'.

Sunshine.

2010-03-01T13:46:00.003-05:00

I made some socks on one long size 2 circular needle. The brightest yellow is leftover from Vespergyles, the darkest is a failed attempt at Bubbles, and the lightest is a successful attempt at the same.

I bound off way too tightly, so I'll definitely have to redo that. I can't seem to catch a break with sock bind offs. Sometimes the cuff is so loose it won't stay up, other times it's so tight it cuts into my meaty calves.

I don't know if I'll make socks on 2's again. They seem a bit sloppy looking, but maybe it's because these haven't been washed yet. They do tend to settle into their natural shape once they are washed.
I have more socks in the making, this time recycled socks (also known as something else I knitted then took apart because I didn't like it). And a scarf-thing that I'm knitting just to use up some yarn I made. Nothing much is new other than I finally own ICO and I really like Myst which I have also started playing, but I'll write more about that later.

In which I ponder.

2010-02-23T13:28:00.003-05:00

I noticed that apparently bamboo is the new pomegranate. Once that was in every food, drink, beauty product and perfume you could lay eyes on, and now it's bamboo. On that note, have you ever smelled a pomegranate? Not bad, but not perfume material. So, by the way, I've been thinking (and reading up a bit out of curiosity) and no matter how magically organically you grow your bamboo, and no matter how nice you talk to it and how many smiles you shower it with (because that's certainly how it's done, publicity leads me to believe), unless you also process it in an environmentally friendly way, it's all for nothing (plus a premium cost to pay back for all that advertising). As is, there are precious few merchants that claim their bamboo to be derived via a process that is non-toxic, and even those can't back up their claims very strongly. Currently, the most magical organic bamboo that's processed in the conventional way is MUCH worse than ordinary cotton. Also - doesn't wear as well. Ask anyone that's owned a bamboo t-shirt. Soft and shiny at first, don't expect it to last a year (I say this because I definitely have shirts in regular circulation that are way more than a year old). So don't buy into bamboo without doing some research.

In a train of thought that has sort of stemmed from this one - I was thinking again about starting my own business. I have been thinking about this for a long time - maybe years, but without much action. There are several reasons for that. One - I know nothing about running a business. Two - I lack start up capital. Three - I didn't even know what sort of business it would be until sort of just a couple of hours ago.

Just to start - I got this idea from a comic. I've been thinking, and what's worse - using oil (and having emissions and all other bad stuff that comes from that) or consumer waste? Is the waste that is made by the industrial process worse than the waste made by consumers of the product? I haven't read much about those very vague topics (yet), but thinking about them (and I do this a lot) makes me worried. Because it doesn't matter if you drive your Prius to Wal-Mart, where you buy cheap crap that you throw away a week later and promptly replace, does it? People can't seem to think of more than one environmental issue (and having said those two words, can I officially call myself a hippie now?) at one time. I want to run a business that does two things. Thing one will be to teach how to/help people not produce waste. In combination of having a compost pile, buying things that come in degradable/recyclable packaging, and doing the recycling it's possible to have practically no trash. Thing two is only sort of marginally related, but it is to basically recycle water within your house (for example, use shower/laundry water to flush the toilet). People do take water for granted. I do.

I think if someday (and I do mean a hypothetical someday, rather than a real, tangible someday, unfortunately) I were able to do these things that I want to do I could feel fulfilled with my life. I used to think that I would need to be rich or famous (or rich) to feel accomplished, and that a sense of pride would come if people knew my name. But I think now (is this a sign of getting old? Oh, god) that I would be very proud if I could do these things, even for some short while. Because every bit matters.

Supercoils

2010-02-13T15:37:00.004-05:00

I have had a terrible schedule this past week thanks to which I am now groggy and tired at almost four in the afternoon. Also there has been nothing new worth watching on Hulu so I don't have much to occupy me while I knit. With that said, I pulled out a half a yard of sw merino from a while back and decided to spin it. At first I thought - bulky. I have never made a bulky yarn. Ever. The first yarn I ever spun was DK, the second was lace. Then I thought - thick and thin. Because I do like how it looks, even though it's pretty much useless for any practical purpose. Then I thought - Let's ply the thick and thin with some thread and make something even more useless.

I present to you - brains and caterpillars.
For anyone wanting to try this on their own, there is a good tutorial on Knitty. I thought it would be better not to smoosh the wraps too close together. I much better prefer the spiraling look rather than the super thick solid wormy look. Although if you are doing this over wire like some people do it's probably better to shove them all close so that the core doesn't show. I also held the single at a little less than 90 degree angle. Not covering up the core increased my yardage by a LOT. I mean, this was maybe half an ounce of fiber (probably less) and I got 30 yards (ish). Not the most practical, but I wasn't going to use the wool for anything else and this was hilariously fun. And I think it looks great.