A bit of knitting Zen October 31, 2006 ~ 10:13 am
Posted by Julie in : Craftiness Is Next To Godliness , comments closed
I’m mad busy trying to get everything done in my office that needs to be done before I head out for a long weekend (a meeting with a playwright and SnB tomorrow, then Thursday we set off for Pittsburgh to take the Piss Crusader home and go to ESC’s reception), so today we have nothing more than a bit of knitting Zen. Enjoy.
River Run Jaywalkers, started July 21st, 2006, finished October 21st, 2006 on the way to Rhinebeck. By wool, I was going to finish one pair of socks for Socktoberfest.
Pattern: Grumperina’s Jaywalkers
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, River Run colorway
Needles: US size frikkin’ 1 dpns (like knitting with toothpicks, y’all)
Dimensions: I have no idea. They fit my lovely size 7 1/2-8s beautifully.
Pattern Notes: I used one of the slightly larger patterns found here as these socks have absolutely no give to them since they’re knitted on the bias.
Would I knit it again? I already have, these are my second pair of Jaywalkers (the first pair I knitted for ESC). It’s so much fun to watch the colors change around the zig zags as they’re knitting up. But I learned my lesson the first time: no more Jaywalkers for anyone with bigger feet than me.
Scaaarrrry October 30, 2006 ~ 1:22 pm
Posted by Julie in : Random Insanity , comments closed
Because hardly anything is scarier than Ann Coulter.
I spent yesterday knitting on my couch with a drugged up Piss Crusader (we were testing the kitty prozac) watching scary things on TV. I figured what the hell, it’s almost Halloween, might as well get into the spirit of things. Watched several shows about haunted houses, then got sucked into six hours of Stephen King’s Rose Red (more creepy than scary), then watched “The World’s Scariest Places,” which is not exactly scary, but late at night when everyone’s screaming and that little lady from Poltergeist is narrating, well, it’s a little unnerving.
And then I watched Mommie Dearest, which was possibly the scariest thing I’d seen all day. “NO WIRE HANGERS!” and Joan Crawford’s eyebrows, aaaaaahhhh!
Would-be knitblogger October 27, 2006 ~ 10:55 am
Posted by Julie in : Craftiness Is Next To Godliness , comments closedI often struggle with what to put on the blog. I’ve been knitting up a storm lately, but I know too many knitting posts would bore a lot of you. Besides, I don’t have the kind of progress to show that many of the knitbloggers do - I’m just not that fast yet. And showing that I now have 7″ of my sister-in-law’s Christmas scarf done is probably only exciting for me. Unless I mention that it’s entrelac and this might be my new favorite knitting technique…would that “do it” for anyone out there? It looks really kickass in a variegated yarn, because the shading really adds another dimension to the basketweave pattern. Yeah, see, this is where I should have a picture to show you, but alas, I do not. I don’t even have a picture to show you of the last entrelac scarf I made, because I haven’t uploaded them to Flickr yet. This is another reason I wouldn’t cut it as a knitblogger.
But, I have figured out what I’m knitting for everyone on my Christmas list this year:
Sis-in-law gets a variation on this scarf.
Big brother gets this scarf in a lovely heathered blue. Because he’s red-green colorblind and can actually see blue.
Mom gets something sheep related as well as the Faroese Fuhgeddaboudit. I am being secretive about the sheep project as she reads this blog, and why ruin the surprise? I would also like to add that the reason why the damned shawl has taken this long is that there are freakin’ errors in the pattern, and I am finding them and fixing them as I go. And I have never been speedy with the math. I am, however, getting better at figuring out what kind of increase/decrease should go well. Maybe that’s what they meant when they said this pattern was “perfect for beginners”: perfect for beginners who want a crash course in lace construction.
Three people on my list (the Oldest, the Youngest, and one other person who reads this blog) get these. Because they’re supposed to be mad fast to knit up, and hey! One skein!
The Youngest will get either this hat or this hat, I haven’t figured out which I like better yet. Maybe I’ll make one for her and the other for the Oldest.
Rick will be getting something knitted as well, and while I know what it is I’m not saying here, because yep, he reads this blog. However it has been approved by Jordana and he should like it.
And then there are the two very simple scarves I have to make for my landlady and her mother, since last year they gave me a cashmere hoodie for Christmas as well as a $50 Barnes & Noble giftcard for my birthday, and they have stepped up to give the Piss Crusader shots on a number of occasions. I’m thinking stockinette stitch with a moss stitch border to prevent rolling, maybe out of some nice alpaca/silk mix. We’re headed up to Woodstock this weekend and I hope to find the yarn there.
I’ve also got to make stitch markers for a number of friends and earrings for several others, but I’ve now got this down to a science and can probably take care of all of these in one evening. I hope.
So far? I’ve got 7″ of the sister-in-law’s scarf done. It’s going to be a wild and busy two months.
Rhinebeck October 25, 2006 ~ 1:05 pm
Posted by Julie in : Craftiness Is Next To Godliness , comments closedStill a little emotional about the Piss Crusader this morning, but I’ll try to distract myself with memories of Rhinebeck.
Jordana and I left my house at about 9:30 Saturday morning. We figured this would put us in Rhinebeck well before 1 PM when the blogger meetup was happening outside of Building E, since Jordana had done a test run the week before. We hadn’t counted on this (click to see it): (more…)
Grind October 24, 2006 ~ 12:09 pm
Posted by Julie in : Da Cats, Daily Grind , comments closedNo pictures because yesterday was spent in various kinds of pain: physical, emotional, financial, and not uploading pictures to Flickr.
I went to see Skippy yesterday at 12:15. I was out of the office by 1:00. Unfortunately, I was out of the office with a temporary filling in my mouth which is apparently going “to encourage the nerve to retreat and leave collagen behind.” In other words, yo, the cavity was deep, and we’re not sure you’re not going to have to have a root canal. Come back on December 4 so we can find out, and by the way, the temporary filling is $135. Since my insurance company just sent me $128 back for last week’s visit (that’s $128 to pay for a $275 visit, may I remind you), the temporary filling is almost paid for. It’s just the permanent filling or the root canal that I will be getting on December 4 that aren’t.
Then after a brief respite at home with Rick and a trip to the grocery store, we took the Piss Crusader to the vet. He peed in the carrier on the way over and beshat himself on the way back. Fortunately, I put Wee Wee Pads in the carrier, so that got most of it, except for the shit he stepped in on the trip back. I did get the vet to give us Kitty Prozac for the trip to Pittsburgh next week, so hopefully we won’t have to go through this again. Jesse has decided that he does NOT want to be anywhere near the carrier and fought like a wildcat going in, and I’d rather eliminate that and the shitting portion from our trip home.
I’m also going through a lot of guilt at the thought of taking Jesse to Mom’s and leaving him there. I know it’s for the best, but when he’s not being a Piss Crusader, he’s a very sweet and loving cat, and I’m going to miss his little fuzzy face and his Mogwai-like purring. I’m PMSing in a massive way on top of all of this, so that’s a contributing factor. Don’t mind me, I’ll get over it. Stories from Rhinebeck when I do.
I’m high as a kite and I just miiiight… October 20, 2006 ~ 1:43 pm
Posted by Julie in : Random Insanity , comments closed…stop to count bug bites. Yeah, I know that’s not how the song goes. I like my version better. Because today kids? Today I’m hopped up on cold medicine and feeling no pain.
Rick’s had a cold for the past few days and in spite of taking Airborne, I spent last night’s subway ride using every Kleenex I had to try and evacuate my sinuses. When that shit showed signs of starting up again today, I took precautions and some Tylenol Cold (Non-Drowsy Formula!). Aside from the wave of nausea I had at the start of the work day for taking it on an empty stomach, I am fine. And will stay fine, because godDAMMIT, I am going to Rhinebeck tomorrow. Jordana and I will make a fine pair: me hopped up on cold meds, she jet lagged from the midweek business trip she had to take to London. Woohoo!
In the midst of all of this cold medicine induced insanity, I feel the need to update you on a little situation that’s been going on with me since August 15. On that day, I counted 6 bug bites on my feet, obviously gotten while out to lunch in my sandals. I continued the count each time I got a bite, and as of today, October 20, I am now up to 45 bites, with 6 on my body at this typing. That works out to almost one new bug bite every day and a half. I am apparently irresistable to the blood-sucking population, especially the ones that have managed to enter Rick’s place, where I picked up another 3 bites last night (My favorite is the one right on the edge of my left eye, because now I look deformed. Second runner up is the one on my carotid. Clearly, that bug takes his dinner seriously). I never thought I would say this, but I’m actually hoping for one night of freezing temperatures sometime soon to kill the little fuckers off. I never cheer on winter, but when it’s cold weather or being a walking smorgasbord to insects? I will take the cold weather.
Because I have the attention span of a fruit fly at this point (obviously “Non-Drowsy” means “medicine that will make you ADHD”), I’m going to stop writing. Because I’ve already thought I was finished with this post 6 times and moved on to do other things, only to realize a few minutes later that I still hadn’t published the post and I had no clue what I was doing instead of posting. This is awesome.
Knitting pictures on Monday for Aims (and to show off all my loot), and possibly even a picture of a blogger that Rick and I are meeting up with on Sunday. I’ll give you a hint…she lives in the same city as I do.
While we were sleeping October 19, 2006 ~ 2:50 pm
Posted by Julie in : Politically Incorrect , comments closedWe disrupt the meaningless post below to post another Olbermann piece, this one from the night before last.
So we’re now entirely dependent upon the will of Asshat not to send us to Gitmo. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t we fight a huge war a couple hundred years ago to avoid being subject to the will of another George? I always thought that’s what the Revolutionary War was all about. That noise you hear? It’s all the Founding Fathers (and Mothers) turning over in their graves.
I’ll probably see you all in Gitmo for saying this, but I’m going to quote one of those very Founding Fathers: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.” Thomas Jefferson wrote that in 1787. I’ve got a tyrant I’d like to nominate for manure, how about the rest of you?
Still no scarf pictures. October 19, 2006 ~ 10:31 am
Posted by Julie in : Craftiness Is Next To Godliness, Reviews , comments closedBecause I am lame, and spent last night helping a friend pack, then came home and knitted while watching the finale of Project Runway and the premiere of Top Chef. Damn you, Bravo, for producing reality TV I actually care about watching!
Spoiler below.
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If you haven’t seen Project Runway and don’t want to know who wins, don’t read further.
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Seriously, don’t.
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Fine, be what your friends call you.
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Did anyone else think this finale was a little…blah? No real drama (Jeffrey and the missing receipts don’t count), no twists, no last minute projects to be made, just a really easy time for the designers. Bor-ing. I wasn’t surprised that Jeffrey won, really, since Michael’s collection would have looked at home on a whore and Laura’s was all evening and cocktail gowns (Laura! Wake up, girl! The judges all told you not to make a line of just fancy dresses, why did you think you would win if you ignored them???). Uli’s dresses were nice, but you can’t wear that shit most places in the world. If I wore those stripey patterney muu-muus in New York? I’d be laughed at. I don’t have the cash or family to pull off that kind of eccentricity. Jeffrey’s line was good, but you could pretty much see his win coming for the past five episodes as the producers put in more “Jeffrey as a human being” features and less “Jeffrey is a dick with no chin” features. Could there have been any more moments of Jeffrey and his son? I think not. “Awww, look, he’s a caring father! Who cares that he’s a complete asshole to everyone else?” Riiiiight.
In non-Runway news, I started my second Jaywalker sock last Wednesday and am now done with the gusset decreases. If I keep going at this rate, I just might be able to wear the socks to Rhinebeck on Saturday. Of course, there is the distinct possibility that I will be finishing the damn thing on the drive upstate, but I can live with that as long as I get them done and can wear them around as I shop for more yarn and fiber!
Movies, schmovies. October 18, 2006 ~ 10:51 am
Posted by Julie in : Random Insanity , comments closedI’ve been disenchanted with Hollywood for a while. It doesn’t seem right that I have to pay $10.25 to go see the total crap they’ve been producing the past several years, so I’ve basically stopped going. The turnover to video and TBS is so quick these days that I’m really not missing that much, except the exorbitant cover charge to get in the theater (because seriously, are these movies worth $10.25? They are not. $4.25, perhaps. That extra $6 is a cover to get past the velvet ropes.)
Suddenly, out of nowhere, there are a bumper crop of movies I actually want to see! Rick and I went to Man of the Year this past weekend, and it was great. A good story, funny but serious at the same time, and really relevant. And in the next week, The Prestige, Marie Antoinette, and Running with Scissors come out. Plus, I’d also like to see The Queen. Dammit, Hollywood! How dare you do this? It’s all part of your evil plan. Just when we figured everything you were putting out was shit, you bring us back in with a few good movies featuring good actors (and David Bowie), and then you’re going to raise ticket prices again, aren’t you?
I really wish matinee pricing hadn’t gone the way of the dinosaurs. It’d be worth taking a few hours off here and there to save some cash.
(And yes, Aimee, I do have pictures of the scarf that I sent out for the Funky Scarf Swap. They’re just on my laptop and I’ve been too lazy to upload them to Flickr. Bad Julie.)
Easy come, easy go. October 17, 2006 ~ 10:26 am
Posted by Julie in : Random Insanity , comments closed
Joe likes bags.
So I went to the dentist yesterday for a cleaning and exam, and the whole shebang since I hadn’t been in a year and a half and was pretty sure I had cavities. I emerged and hour later with cleaner teeth, puffier gums (apparently mouth breathing from allergies inflames your gums, who knew?), an appointment to see the dentist again on Monday to get a cavity filled, and $275 poorer. Yep, you read that right. X-rays, cleaning, poking Julie in the gums, making her bleed, polishing the teeth? That costs $275 out of pocket. They submitted the proper forms or whatever to my insurance, but I know I’m not going to get a lot back. And Monday’s going to cost me $190.
I love my dentist. His name is Skippy (so not kidding), he’s gentle, his associate is likewise good, and I don’t feel any pain when I get drilled by either of them. This is more than I can say for several of the dentists I’ve had in my life. Guess it’s a good thing I hadn’t used the retro pay to pay off all my credit card debt, huh?
