Celestial Knits

Finished Object Parade

2008-01-08T08:55:00.001-08:00

Well, my plans to knit holiday presents for everyone turned out to be a bit too ambitious to complete by December 25th, but I still think I made a pretty good showing!

Numero Un:

Joann's Socks

Pattern: my own (basic sock with picot-edge cuff)

Yarn: 1 skein, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Tahoe (or Lakeshore --lost the tag, so I don't know)

Needles: Susan Bates size 1 dpns (Ha! And I got these at Joann Fabrics!)

Made For: Joann

Notes: I made these for my boyfriend's mom, Joann, whose favorite color is green. There is actually more green in the yarn than the photo shows -- it's a gorgeous color, and once again, Miss Lorna doesn't fail to disappoint! Joann has apparently shown these to everyone she knows, and I hope she also wears them too!

Part Deux:

IOU's

Pattern: Sock Ornaments from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: No idea; these all came from single skeins in my stash. The red and purple ones are some kind of aran-weight wool; the green is a wool/synthetic blend in sport weight. The white snow flakes (I think) are Rowan All Seasons Cotton.

Made For: Green - Brett, my brother; Purple - Heather, my sister-in-law to be; Red - Dad, my dad.

Notes: Eh, so I'm lazy. Or just got busy, that's it! The "Last-Minute" title is a bit deceiving. These babies took me about an hour each (!!!), which I realize could have been spent making a scarf or neckwarmer or something that's actually useful. But this way, I could present them with these little do-dads (which double as Xmas ornaments, donchaknow) and ask them what they wanted me to knit them.

Épisode Trois:

A Roza is a Roza is a Roza Socks

Pattern: Roza's Socks (Spring 2007 Interweave Knits), by the fabulous Grumperina

Yarn: Rowan 4 Ply Soft in Honk

Needles: Size 1 Knitpicks dpns

Made For: MAMAN!

Notes: Boy howdy, am I ever proud of these babies. (Please excuse my shiny, pasty legs in the above picture, as well as the random jean cuff. I wasn't drunk when I took this picture, I promise.) Anyway, the pattern is really easy to memorize and just beautiful. I love the ribbing alternating with the brioche stitch. Kudos to Grumperina for creating a pattern that is lovely to look at and easy to create. I daresay I have become a fully-fledged sockknittaaa. There's no going back now! I didn't finish these in time for Christmas (oh the shame!), but my mom doesn't really care because, hey, she's my mama. She'd love it if I made her a log cabin out of popsicle sticks. Which I think I did once. But she loves the color red, so I think these sassy things will suit that sassy lady just fine.

Here's another shot of the pattern. And I want to eat this yarn. Rowan 4 Ply Soft, will you marry me?

Grande Finale:

Just like that Vanessa Williams song (did I really just type that? I think I did!), I went and saved the best for laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast.

Scott's Cadet Hat

Pattern: Topi from Knitty

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, less than 1 skein

Needles: Takami Bamboo size 7 dpns and Crystal Palace size 7 16" circ

Made For: The handsome Scottito, pictured above

Notes: Scott had wanted a hat in this style for a long time, but I could never find a pattern that lived up to the idea of it he carried in his noggin. He found this pattern all by his lonesome, then he actually braved the Yarn Garden with me to pick out a yarn he liked. I was a bit hesitant to use alpaca for a hat, but so far, so good. No weird stretching. I made the bill out of felt, and the whole thing took me about two days to complete.

Scotty sportingly modeled his hat during our New Year's Day stroll.

Happy 2008!

There Has Been Knitting

2008-01-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

Oh yes. Lots of it. Details to follow, but I've been a right knitting machine lately. Wheee!

Thanks, But No Thanks

2007-11-08T16:22:00.001-08:00

Apparently, several months back, I entered some sort of contest to win a trip somewhere. At least, that's what the man who just called my work phone said. I asked him where exactly I entered, and he said, "at the mall." Which mall, pray tell? He couldn't say. I don't really make it a habit of going to malls, let alone the mall, so this was thoroughly puzzling.

But long story short, I WON! An all-expenses-paid trip to...Las Vegas.

Yep. Vegas. I know I'm not the only person for whom Las Vegas holds zero cache. I don't go to casinos, I don't delight in watching women in feathered headdresses parading around topless (and if I did, I could find that in my own fair city, as we have more strip clubs per capita than well, anywhere), and if I wanted desert, I'd go to Morocco. I'd probably get more excited if you offered me a free trip to Omaha.

But I was willing to let this guy give the spiel he was obvious raring to spill, since it was almost 5 p.m., and I didn't really feel like working much anymore. He kept emphasizing the words "free" and "all expenses paid" before slipping in the catch.

"All you need to do is come by our office in Vancouver and watch our 90-minute video about our timeshares, and the trip is yours!" he exclaimed.

90 minutes?! Buddy, if I had 90 minutes, I'd spend it watching Ratatouille, not some crappy video about timeshares. And you just knew it had to be about timeshares.

He then had the gall to ask, "Do you have a boyfriend or husband?"

Looking back, I really wished I said something more biting than, "Yeah, but he doesn't like signing up for things." I mean, think of the possibilities. "Yes. I have one of each!" or "No. He died," or just "How dare you, you presumptuous twat!"

"Well, why don't you bring him with you anyway. That way, if you see something you like on the video, you can discuss it with him right there. And you can say, honey, I really want this one! This is how we do our marketing, instead of paying millions for TV ads."

Clearly, you are a marketing genius! The "whine to your man to get what you want because you're a feeble little woman with no faculties of her own" tactic works EVERY time. (Just an aside: if I called Scott "honey," he'd barf, and then I'd barf.)

"So, can you come in tomorrow?" he asked. "The deal is, you have to come in person to claim your prize in the next two days. What about Saturday?"

My precious weekend? You must be dreaming, buddy.

"You know, I'm really busy the next couple days," I said, "Why don't you just draw someone else's name?"

"Uh...what?" he asked, as if the thought had never occurred to him. "But you won...?"

"I don't think it's going to work out, you can just give it to someone else."

"But...okay...why?"

Let's see now...because
a) Las Vegas is gross
b) I don't have 90 minutes to spare tomorrow or Saturday
c) because your thinly-veiled misogyny is beginning to piss me off
and
d) Las Vegas is gross

Amazon Adventures

2007-09-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

I have been told by certain individuals in a position to say so, that I am a notoriously difficult person for whom to buy presents. I beg to differ, as I have hobbies (knitting, wine drinking, cooking, reading) for which many gifts can be bought. And because I never turn down money. Well, almost never.

But back in the Neolithic age of the internets, The Year 2000, I created an Amazon.com wishlist at the behest of those who wanted to get me something specific. It has not been updated in years, so I suppose now, you can take an amusing look back at my taste back when I was in college.

The list was filled with my own little asides and descriptions of WHY YOU SHOULD BUY ME THIS. For instance, I said Fiona Apple was “kind of like Sinead with hair,” and if you know me, you’ll know that is no faint praise. I kept my wish list public, thinking this would help my family and friends find it more easily.

And that may have been my first mistake.

At this time, I was also in the habit of supplying reviews of books, music, and movies on Amazon, thinking that My Opinion Mattered and that people were actually reading them.

Which, in fact, they were. Or one was, at least.

Sometime that summer, I was living at home, working a couple of jobs and generally trying to figure out what the hell to do with my life, when a package arrived on my door.

“Celeste!” my mother groaned. “Did you order something else from Amazon?”

(NB: My mother had recently chided me for blowing a large portion of the money I made at my two jobs on brand-new books, CDs, and movies from the very same. Yes, she had a point.)

“Huh?” I replied, probably because I worked the delightful 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift as a Safeway checkout girl the night before.

“There’s a package here from Amazon. With your name on it!” she said, holding up the mysterious cardboard square.

I hadn’t recalled ordering anything. But I checked my order history, just to be sure, in case that Pogues import I had tried to special-order had finally arrived from the UK. It hadn’t, and it wasn’t going to. Ever. Because Shane MacGowan had apparently broken his last tooth destroying the last copy. So what the hell was in the box?

The curiosity killing me, I ripped it open in front of my mother.

Inside, there were two small gift-wrapped objects. One was obviously a CD, the other, I wagered, a book. Now, I may have been a spendthrift when it came to Amazon’s wares, but even I wouldn’t pay for gift wrap for anyone, least of all myself.

“You gift-wrapped them?” my mom squawked and shook her head. Her daughter was truly a failure.

“I told you, I didn’t buy these!” I protested. The box landed on the floor with a thwup as I extracted each of them, which were painstakingly packaged in pretty purple paper. My eyes fell upon the invoice that was included, so I didn’t have to open the packages to know what was inside: a collection of Flannery O’Connor stories, and an album by Luka Bloom. The O’Connor book had been on my wish list; the album had not.

Each item had a personal inscription, written in italic on the invoice, which somehow made it creepier. For the O’Connor book, it said, I noticed this on your wish list. I, too, enjoy Flannery.

Whaaa? WHO ARE YOU? And you’re on a first-name basis with her, just like the pseudo-feminists from high school who called Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco by their first name and expected you to know what they were talking about, otherwise you were a tool of the patriarchy who was wounding their souls?

But more to the point. You enjoy Flannery. On toast? With a side of fries? While dancing naked around your living room?

Under the line item for the Luka Bloom album (I later figured out he’s the brother of the Irish musician Christy Moore), the mystery gifter had written, This is a bit of a gamble, but as you have other Irish musicians on your wish list, I thought I’d introduce you to Luka Bloom’s music.

Oh, why thank you, creepy mystery admirer. What are you planning to introduce me to next, the sex sling in your basement?

As I scanned the invoice, I noticed that they had included the sender’s full name and mailing address. His name was Clyde and he lived somewhere in Ohio.

“Celeste, what have you been doing on the internet?” my mother exclaimed, no doubt envisioning the scads of online romances I had kindled with lecherous older men throughout the world. Because, really, is there anyone under 70 named Clyde? Okay, maybe Clyde Drexler, but The Glide was, sadly, not my mystery admirer.

“I don’t know who this is!” I protested.

As I read and re-read the invoice, I suddenly realized what had happened: He had read one of my sparklingly witty reviews (at which I now cringe), clicked on my profile, and decided to reward me for my cleverness. Because a simple email would have been so much more laborious and expensive.

I never even unwrapped the book and CD. I called Amazon customer service, telling the woman on the other end of the line that I wanted to return the gifts.

“Sure, that’s fine, would you like to exchange them for something else?” she asked.

“Actually, no, that’s okay,” I replied. “And if possible, I’d like the money to be credited back to his account, without him knowing where it came from.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

“Uh, I don’t think we can do that,” the woman said cautiously.

I sighed. “Okay, here’s the deal.” And out came the whole story.

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like that!” she exclaimed. Mind you, this was 2000. I’m sure she’s heard some doozies since then.

“Well, go ahead and send the items back, and we’ll do our best to refund his money.”

I did as I was told, and for a couple of weeks, heard nothing from Amazon. But then one day, I received a slim envelope in the mail. I tore it open to find...

A check, made out to me, from Amazon, for the cost of the book and CD.

There Has Been Knitting!

2007-09-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

Lots and lots of knitting. In addition to Scott's stripey sweater (now 80% complete), I give you this!

Greetings. I am Minimalist Cardi, sure to make your fall wardrobe a DELIGHT!

We'll both soon be attired in comfy autumn sweaters, which are proving to be a finger-strengthening warm-up for HOLIDAY KNITTING. This year, I'm going off the deep end and knitting. Every. Single. Gift. For everyone in my family. Socks for my brother, a new stocking cap for my dad, gloves and socks for dear mama (since her birthday is December 22nd, and I think it's terrible that some people just give her one gift for both), a scarf for mon oncle, some Fetching mitts and a bolero for the sis-in-law to-be (also a December baby). Am I nuts? Quite possibly.

Oh. And we just closed on a house that will need some major cosmetic repairs that we intend to start making immediately, (we're talking hideous 1980's iridescent pastel decor inside a 1922 bungalow. Sacrilege? I think so.) so I better get cracking on this knitting queue.

My Destash, Your Gain!

2007-08-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

In need of some Cascade 220 Superwash? Go here and buy nine skeins of it! I'll be sad to see it go -- it would have made a lovely Boatneck Bluebell, but since my knitting queueueueueue has about 10 projects ahead of it, I have to let it go. Plus, it's one less thing to move into our new house. EEEEEEEEEEEE!! Did I mention that part? Well, I don't want to jump the gun, but we're having the inspection today, and if all goes well, it's ours!

I have managed to get some knitting done in the meantime, including Le Demi-Col avec Des Rayures. Now, doesn't that sound fancy? Much better than "Blue Sweater with Gray Stripes" Below, Scotty bershons up a storm as he displays his new sweater. (In his defense, he had his ear lobe carved up earlier that day. At Kaiser. So he wasn't feeling too hot.)

But he's still so darn cute.

I Haz Becom Sok Nittur?

2007-08-06T11:25:00.000-07:00

Somebody stop me, I'm out of control!

For an avowed non-sock knitter, I've been working on a proportionately large number of sock projects (three) compared to non-sock projects (zero, at the moment.)

Zee sock info
Pattern:Classy Slip-Ups from Knit Socks!
Yarn: ShibuiKnits Sock "Midnight"
(NB: This yarn is made right here in Little Beirut!)
Made for: Scott
This is gorgeously, seriously sproingy, soft stuff! I'll definitely be stocking up on this stuff at the local purveyor of all things Shibui, Knit Purl. There, they don't look funny if you fondle skeins and gasp at the beauty of so many edible colorways. Well, they might stare a little bit...

Pattern: Aran Braid Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in "Devon"
Made for: Devon. Duh!

Now, I'd like to say that the pattern of the yarn resembles the roiling waves that crash upon the southwest coast of England, where Marianne Dashwood pined for Willoughby before she realized Colonel Brandon was the way to go. Oh, and where Clotted Cream (yum yum) allegedly originated. But really, I just bought it because it has the same name as a dear, dear friend.

What will it be next? Well, I am glad you asked. I'm halfway done with a pair of 4X4 rib socks for Ariel, in Tuscany, another colorway that is good enough to eat, much like Ariel, I am told!

Buy Our House!

2007-07-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here she is!

View from the back yard, as Jojo looks on, wondering what his nutcase parents are doing.

Living Room (Pergo floors, wood-burning fireplace, Miller paint)

Another view of the living room

Master bath - Pergo floors, new vanity top, Miller paint

Downstairs bathroom - Devine paint, Pergo floors, new vanity top, washer/dryer hookup

Master bedroom - Devine paint, Pergo floors, Halogen lighting

Master bedroom

Second bedroom/office - Devine paint, Pergo floors, lots of light!

Spacious patio...

Charmingly landscaped yard...

Excellent place for a barbecue!

The details

Asking price: $199,900 (Adorable Rat Terrier not included)
2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, 1024 sq ft
Attached single-family unit (one of two)
Built in 1988
Pergo floors throughout, Devine paint
Tile counter tops in kitchen
Large yard on spacious lot
Desirable South Tabor location (between Taggart and Division), blocks from Mt. Tabor Park and Division Street shops!
Schools: Atkinson, Mt. Tabor, Franklin

To market, to market

2007-07-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well folks, this is it. We are selling our house. It goes on the market late Tuesday night, or as I prefer to say, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. The pictures have been taken, the house is physically ready, and as of yesterday, Scott and I are emotionally ready to part with the place.

Oh, and if I never have to work on a house again, I shall die a happy woman.

Pictures to come...it's too durn bad that we won't be able to enjoy the work we've done on the place for much longer.

Progress Report: Summer Plans

2007-07-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

Turns out, my list of summer fun may have been a bit too ambitious. Or rather, it wouldn't have been too ambitious had we not decided to have our house market-ready by the end of this month. Yeah, so there's that.

Let's take a look at where we are. I've crossed out the completed ones...

Make sushi

Update: I'm working on it...

Play horseshoes/frisbee/bocce at Laurelhurst park

Visit the International Rose Test Garden

Go swimming

Take a picnic to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

See the lava dome at Mt. St. Helens

~~Visit the farmers market~~

Finally start those tango/salsa lessons we've been discussing for months

Update: HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA! Since I can't "follow", this is probably never going to happen.

Potluck (possibly themed) at our house (I'm thinking fried catfish, hush puppies, corn bread...)

Update: When we get the place on the market, we're going to have a "housecooling" party for everyone. Just promise not to trash the place...

Visit Steens Mountain and yes, camp. Possibly.

Zoo concerts! (Keb' Mo' and Rodrigo y Gabriela have particularly caught my eye)

Lounge on the back patio with a mint julep or a negroni...or just campari on the rocks and a good book

Update: Well, I'm teetotalling this week, but golly, that sounds good. AND the final Harry Potter comes out on Friday. That might warrant -one- drink.

~~See to the Red Headed Stranger on a hot night in July~~

~~Consume rosé...perhaps on the patio, with a good book~~

Bike the Springwater rail

~~Go to a Portland Beavers game~~

~~And of course, knit. When I have time.~~

Update: Well, duh.

All things considered, this ain't too bad. Especially since we've completed the following tasks on the house:

New paint and trim in the master bedroom
New paint, trim, and fixtures in the bathrooms
Built new step for the French doors onto the patio
Planted 53495834958 backyard plants (roses, hydrangeas, azalea, rhododendron, day lilies, bayberry, petunias, and various other shrubs) in our unusually large yard
Spread 6 bags of barkdust (still not finished there)
Emptied our closets of excess crap (Thank you, Goodwill)

And that list isn't nearly as long as we were tired completing them. Here's what's still left:

New lights in the bedrooms
New range hood and drip pans
New doorknobs for bathrooms
New doorknob for front door
New pavers on patio
Prune the front yard

Yeah, I don't want to know how much we've spend at Home Despot in the past six months. I could check my bank account, but then I'll just start to weep uncontrollably...

Know anyone in the market for a townhouse blocks from Mt. Tabor?

Whiskey River Took My Mind

2007-07-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

I spent 7-7-07 with a redheaded stranger:PS: This Texan was there too.

The Return of Miss Piggy

2007-07-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

She's ba-ack!
Yes, friends, Miss Piggy has returned! And she may even be better than the real thing. For all of you who don't understand why this is such a momentous occasion, let me explain. When I was but a little brie-devouring tyke, my favorite toy in the universe was a Miss Piggy doll. How I loved her molded-plastic face, unruly blonde mane, collection of purple evening gowns, and pink opera gloves! She was, by far, my favorite Muppet. I giggled when she bossed the Frog around and showed off her impressive karate skills. Hiiiiiiiiiii-yaaaaaa!!!

Miss Piggy and I were pretty much inseparable. That is, until a fateful night my parents invited some friends over, too much wine was had...and Miss Piggy disappeared. I woke up the next morning and began to frantically search for her, in tears. Fingers pointed at my dad's good buddy Kelly, who used to torment me by pretending to punch dear Piggy in the face.

But Kelly proclaimed his innocence, and soon after, the search was called off. Yet throughout the years, the memory of Miss Piggy still haunted us. Nearly every time I saw Kelly, I'd demand to know where she was, and eventually, it became a long-standing inside joke. For my high school graduation, Kelly sent a gift from Miss Piggy -- a small pink cosmetics case that looked like a hatbox, with National Geographic maps cut up and glued to the outside. Inside was a check and a letter from Miss Piggy, describing her travels around the world for the past 15 years.

And then, last week, my dad and I met Kelly for dinner to catch up. When I got to the restaurant, my dad and Kelly were already seated, and as I arrived at the table, I saw someone else seated there -- the Miss Piggy doll pictured above. Kelly "found" this very suitable replacement on one of his recent business trips, bringing a fitting end to a more than 20-year absence.

Welcome home, Pig.

On a non-fiction kick

2007-06-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

What is happening to me? For the past month, I've let a stack of fiction books languish on my bookshelf while I've been devouring...wait for it...non-fiction. Marilynne Robinson's Gilead...John Dos Passos' The 42nd Parallel...Kiran Desai, Coetzee, William Trevor, David Mitchell, I am neglecting all of them! I see their beautiful spines, unbroken and waiting for me. And for what do I reach? A dark, harrowing--and fascinating--book about Portland street families. Definitely not my usual fare.

Whom can I blame for this? My volunteering at the Belmont Library (which I adore)? I have decided to apply to some MLS programs in the fall, so as a future librarian, I probably should acquaint with more than one form of writing. But I have to tell you folks, I don't see this ending anytime soon. After I finish All God's Children, it's Liza Mundy's Everything Conceivable for me. And then...and then...I just must have an obsessive personality. Shhh...don't tell...I haven't knit a stitch in days!

I also learned last week that one of my literature professors from college, Dorothy Berkson, passed away in April. She advised my thesis paper on the Brontes and was an invaluable source on anything related to feminism and feminist literature. She retired a year or so after I graduated, and was winding down her career while I was in college, but she had also been a driving force behind establishing the annual Gender Studies Symposium and was well-known for her criticism of early American literature. It's a pity that future LCers may never know that.

Meme me!

2007-05-31T10:39:00.001-07:00

The lovely Miz Emily tagged me, so here goes...

1. My left leg is about a quarter of an inch shorter than my right. This is because I broke my left femur the age of nine months, while attempting to stand in my playpen. I fell oddly onto my left leg, and the bone snapped, but my mom said I didn't cry at all. In fact, I didn't do much of anything until I started to sweat profusely. So my mom took me to the doctor, who diagnosed an ear infection and prescribed some ear drops. When she said it seemed like something might be wrong with my leg, the doctor told her that she was being "an hysterical first-time mother," and to calm down. (Those of you who know my mother can imagine how well that went over.) That night, I started to go into shock, so she took me to the emergency room, where she was greeted with dirty looks from the staff there who thought she had been abusing me. I spent the next two months in a partial body cast, which I am sure was delightful when it came time to change my diaper.

2. I worked as a checkout girl at Safeway for three years in college. Sure, it was belittling, mind-numbing work, but sometimes I long for the days when my biggest workplace stress was remembering the correct produce codes.

3. I have never met a kind of cheese I didn't like, except maybe American. I even like Kraft Singles (if they're not American). This has been a lifelong love affair. Apparently, when I was three, I once informed a gathering of family and my parents' friends partaking of a cheese plate and not sharing that "I NEED brie!!"

4. I could easily waste an entire day looking at maps. To say that I love them is a gross understatement. If I walk into a room, and there is a map somewhere on the wall, everything else disappears until I have studied it thoroughly. City maps, bus maps, Metro maps, random topographical maps of state parks...and don't get me started on the wonder of Google Earth.

5. My favorite number has always been 13. I don't find it to be unlucky at all. I met my boyfriend on the 13th of February, and that was a pretty lucky thing.

6. My family didn't have a television until I was 12. Well, actually, we had a television, but since we lived in the boonies of Yamhill County, we didn't get any TV reception. Consequently, I occupied my time by making mudpies, watching The Princess Bride more times than I can count, and writing silly stories. But one of my favorite things to do was to read about something in the World Book Encyclopedia, and then write a report about it. I then submitted these reports to my mother (an elementary school teacher) and asked her to grade them.

7. I still dream about becoming a professional makeup artist and hair stylist, a la Kevyn AuCoin or Bobbi Brown. I was in nearly every play in high school, and next to performing, my favorite thing was to do everyone's hair and makeup for the stage. I particularly loved Gibson Girl-esque updo's and 1940's rolls. I'd want to work in theatre, opera, or FASHIONNNNN.

Suddenly, This Summer

2007-05-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

My summer to-do list, in no particular order.

Make sushi
Play horseshoes/frisbee/bocce at Laurelhurst park
Visit the International Rose Test Garden
Go swimming
Take a picnic to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
See the lava dome at Mt. St. Helens
Visit the farmers market
Finally start those tango/salsa lessons we've been discussing for months
Potluck (possibly themed) at our house (I'm thinking fried catfish, hush puppies, corn bread...)
Visit Steens Mountain and yes, camp. Possibly.
Zoo concerts! (Keb' Mo' and Rodrigo y Gabriela have particularly caught my eye)
Lounge on the back patio with a mint julep or a negroni...or just campari on the rocks and a good book
See to the Red Headed Stranger on a hot night in July
Consume rosé...perhaps on the patio, with a good book
Bike the Springwater Trail
Go to a Portland Beavers game
And of course, knit. When I have time.

So, who's with me?

Spring is here!

2007-05-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

Warning: Photo Heavy!

Knitting has taken a backseat to enjoying this beautiful weather! I took Jojo to my parents' house on Sunday for a Mother's Day celebration. As is typical in our family, it involved a lot of wine, cheese, and yakking, which as you may know, is what we do best.

My mother has an impressively green thumb that I, it seems, did not inherit:

My Daemon...

2007-04-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

OK, His Dark Materials fans, what do you think?

⁪

Scotty Sox and Glee Club

2007-04-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

What the?! Is that a sock I see?

Still life with sock, glass of rose, my leg, and Eames chair. It's ART, people. And just in time for Scott's birthday. Happy Birthday, babe! I won't tell you how old he is, but as he pointed out this morning, his age now rhymes with "dirty whore." Naughty Scotty!

Does this mean I'm going to turn into...a sock knitter? Oh hellz no. But it doesn't mean that I don't have, oh, six skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock just waiting to be knitted up.

In other news, Glee is off the needles and blocked. But just as I was about to start weaving in ends and sewing on the hook-and-eye closures, I realized something. I don't really like it anymore. Sure, the pattern is cute, and I love the color of the yarn. But something about it, I don't like. It looks funny and tunic-y instead of sporty and cute. Oh well, maybe once it's finished, I'll like it more. But I'm not holding my breath. At least, with using KnitPicks Shine, I'm only out about 18 bucks...

Such a pretty color, and yet...

Blue Gables...in action

2007-04-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! (Or Crappy Monday, judging by the weather here today.)

The lovely LeaEllen generously models her Green Gable, knit by moi! Scott and I visited her this weekend, for a little R & R in Seattle. I must say I am incredibly pleased with how this turned out, and it looks so great on her!

Here are a couple more views:

This was such a relaxing and easy knit, I am tempted to whip out one in every color. I can safely say, I may never knit sweaters in pieces again, if I can help it. Gotta love the top-down raglan to avoid seaming!

In other knitting news, the toothpaste sweater (aka Glee) is nearly finished. And just today, I ordered nine skeins of Cascade 220 in Blue Velvet. They'll be for the "Combat" sweater from Denim People for, and chosen by, Scotty. Except I'm omitting those silly patches on the elbows and shoulders, because I firmly believe that one should avoid wearing anything resembling combat gear unless you are, in fact, in combat. But that's a topic for another day, my chickadees.

For now, just enjoy the view from the dock:

Scott, lost in thought, oblivious that his nutty girlfriend is following him with her camera...

Emerging from the frog pond...

2007-04-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Victorious!

It looks like Glee is going to work out, finally:

Taken shortly before I joined in the round

At this rate, we may actually have a sweater by 12th of April, rather than the 12th of Never.

In other news, I finished a sock. Yes, a sock. They are for Scott, who, I discovered, has feet the size of two-by-fours. I'm not going to post a picture yet, because I haven't started knitting its mate. It was not as trying as I had feared, but it certainly wasn't a conversion experience. Although, it did persuade me to buy a couple of skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, so I'll at least be completing another pair sometime in the future.

Question of the Day

2007-03-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

So I hear that after they remove all the organs to be donated, they fill the body back up with ping pong balls. Is that true?

-- a call fielded by my coworker, April

Out of the woodwork they came

2007-03-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

It was a full moon yesterday, but I didn't have to look at the calendar or up in the sky to know it.

Our office receptionist was out, meaning that several of us shared the task of answering the phones. And by about 2 o'clock, we felt like just letting it go to voicemail.

First, our associate director fielded a call from a man asking if he could also donate his teeth, along with his organs and tissue. She told him thanks, but no thanks.

Next, I spoke with a gentleman who really, really wanted to donate his kidney while he is still living. Really. He said really about 25 times, to emphasize just how much he really, really, wants to be a living donor. Typically, living donation happens between family members, but non-family members can also be donors, as was the case with my friend LeaEllen, who was a match for one of her co-workers. Kidneys aren't viable outside of the body for more than about 48 hours, so it's not as though someone can give a kidney and then stick it in a deep freeze for a couple of months. As a result, the surgery isn't just done at the drop of the hat--the donor and the recipient have to match, blood products need to be gathered, recipients need to be healthy enough for surgery, etc. He was not deterred in his quest to donate, but he also didn't seem to grasp that he simply can't come down to the hospital and have his kidney removed. So I transferred him to the general donation information line.

Five minutes later, he apparently wasn't satisfied with what that person had to say, so he called again. Mercifully, our program coordinator answered. She referred him to the same person. No word on whether the surgery has been scheduled, but yesterday probably wouldn't have been soon enough. Out, damned kidney! Out, I say!

The final call I fielded truly trumped the rest. The voice on the other end rambled incoherently about something, and I thought perhaps he was drunk. He then asked if he could make an appointment to "come on down and look at your price list."

"I'm sorry, sir, we don't have a price list."

So, here's the deal with organ donation. If, upon being declared brain dead, you have chosen to be an organ donor, there is no cost to your family for the surgery to recover the organs from your body. After the organs have been recovered, your body is released to your family or next of kin or the executor of your estate to make funeral arrangements.

The other option is whole body donation, where your (embalmed) body is used for research and education by OHSU, then cremated at OHSU's expense. However, your next of kin must pay for embalming and transportation costs prior to this. Simply put, organ donation is not a way to get out of paying for the disposal of a body, but a surprising number of people, as evidenced by the kinds of calls we get, think that it is.

Case in point...a couple of weeks ago, I answered a call from a woman in some small southern Oregon town--I can't remember which--informing me that they couldn't afford to cremate her son's (I got the impression he was a teenager) girlfriend's body, so they wanted to donate it. Aside from the gruff, cold tenor of the woman's voice, I was struck by the fact that, ostensibly, this dead girl was so unloved, her boyfriend's family were the ones left to search for a way to dispose of her body, gratis.

I explain all of this to the man, and there is a pause. Then he says, "No, no, no, I don't want to deal with a funeral home. Just tell me how much it's going to cost."

Again, I tell him that a funeral home will have to be involved in some way in order for donation to occur, and that there are legal implications involved with the handling of a body, but he is persistent. He again asks to make an appointment to "look at our price list," perhaps thinking that if he asks the same question multiple times, he'll get the answer he wants to hear.

"We don't have a price list, sir. We are an EDUCATION AND AWARENESS organization. We do not procure the organs ourselves. What I can do is put you on the list of people interested in the whole body donation program, and they will contact you." At the same time, I was thinking, and they'll tell you the same thing, and you'll probably be angry, and I don't care.

Maybe I should let the whole body donation program know that he'll be calling, and tell them to have their price list at the ready.

Tangled up in blue

2007-03-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

That sea of stockinette to the left is part of LeaEllen's Glee sweater, which was finished last week and should be arriving in Seattle today.

It was completed in KnitPicks Main Line, which they tout as "a dressy Pima cotton blend great for spring through early fall." Initially, the yarn felt rough and unyielding on the needles and chafed my fingers a bit, but as I worked with it, it got softer, and I'm very pleased overall with the uniformity of the stitches. The finished sweater is very comfy, but not too warm. It should be great for early spring.

Pattern: Zephyr Style Glee

Yarn: KnitPicks Main Line, just over 6 skeins

Needles: US 6 Crystal Palace circs, 16" and 29"

Modifications: I added about an inch to each sleeve, and about three inches of length to the body.

Oh, and yes, it has occurred to me that I need to move beyond the blue/green color palette...witness the latest yarn acquisitions, with Scotty the spokesmodel:

He's just waiting for that call from Rowan to appear in their next magazine...

Arrrrrrgggggggh!!!

2007-03-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

I've frogged Glee twice now. Once when I removed the sleeves and discovered that they would better accommodate The Rock's biceps, and a second time when I noticed a stupid, stupid mistake--a purl stitch on the knit side. It was only one stitch, and its location on the back near the collar would probably go unnoticed by all normal human beings, but the point is that I would know it was there. And that one little stitch would slowly drive me crazy. Or at least, crazier.

In other news, LeaEllen's Green Gable is about 2/3 finished. Hurrah! It will soon be wending its way northward to the wilds of Seattle. Pictures to come...

I have also joined Knit the Classics, which marries two of my favorite things: reading and knitting. The idea is to read a book, and then create a textile-based project corresponding with it. We are currently reading Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for about three years, so I'm delighted to at last crack it open! I'm also open to suggestions as to just what I should knit. It's one of those books, along with other notables like The Moor's Last Sigh and Mrs. Dalloway, for example, that I kick myself for not having read yet.

Meanwhile, I bury my nose in ~~tripe~~ an in-flight read like My Sister's Keeper, which I've nearly finished, thank goodness. The issues of medical ethics and societal perceptions I was hoping to see discussed were overshadowed by catty family drama and highly unlikely subplots and twists. I can see why this author is popular, however, beyond the "ripped from the headlines" subject matter. She doesn't require a great deal of her readers, and you could easily devour this book in a day or so.

Anyway, on to bigger and better things. There is just not enough time in the day for all of the books I yearn to read.

Celestial of Green Gables

2007-02-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

Hidee ho there, neighbor! Hope you survived V-Day! Needless to say, I haven't gotten any knitting done in the past two days, what with it being our first anniversary on Tuesday and then the dreaded Valentine's Day on Wednesday.

BUT, my glorious Green Gable in Rowan Calmer is nearly done. Oh, Rowan Calmer, how do I love thee? (OK, not as much as Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem suggests, that would just be wrong.) By the way, please read Emily's fantastic analysis of that oft-misrepresented poem! I love me some poetry, but I am also turning into a lazy old ex-English major, so I love it even more when someone astutely dissects poetry for me so thoroughly. You probably heard me exclaiming "Yes!" and "Exactly!" and "So true!" and "Emily Johnson, you are brilliant!" as I read it.

Anyway, as you can probably tell, I've made a few modifications to the pattern, namely in the length of the body, since I have what is known as a long torso, and in the length of the sleeves, because cap sleeves + broad shoulders = linebacker. She is blissfully being blocked on my oh-so-professional blocking board (see above). Given Calmer's surprising ability to suck up moisture (seriously, if it weren't so darn expensive, I'd knit it into a super-absorbancy travel towel!), I suspect she'll be pret-a-porter...sometime next week!

All in all, this was a fun, relaxing knit. Oh, and the fact that there was no seaming required makes me a happy little knitter! Up next, I will be gleefully tackling the rest of my knitting queue:

Odessa, designed by Grumperina (whose knitting blog I read on an almost-daily basis) with the leftover Rowan Calmer in Joy, a color they have discontinued.
A Green Gable for LeaEllen, in KnitPicks Main Line
Some sweater thing for Scott, who is bemoaning his lack of new sweater. Because it's been, oh, two months since I last knit him a sweater.
And finally, languishing in the back, the long-suffering lace scarf in Madil Kid Seta #462