Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Boston Militia and Circular Needle Holders...

I've lived in the Boston area since the Spring of '94. Until yesterday I didn't realize that Boston had its own women's professional football team, the Boston Militia. Not only that, they are the 2010 Independent Women's Football League Champions! (Why didn't I know this? Is it because it's more important for me to know that Charlie Sheen is the world's biggest loser? Apparently so.) *Edit - The media thinks so, not me.* Anyway, one of my business partners is a wide receiver on the team, and they just picked up their championship rings on Friday night. I generally don't mention people by name in my blog, but in this case I would like to send my hugest congratulations out to Ginger Snow. You ladies Rock! I'm going to a game next year...who's with me??










How cool is this ring?



And now I move to the more mundane aspects of my life. Both the car and the H2O heater over at the loft have been repaired. I had to run over to adjust the water temperature, so I took my camera with me to continue the documentation of every aspect of my existence.








Here is my new water heater, which I have named Thor. (The old one was named Osvaldo b/c I was obsessed w/ traveling to Italy when I moved in there in '04. My fourth trip to Italy is planned for next fall, so Italy has been covered. My current obsession is moving to a new geographic and ancestral theme...Sverige.) Jag vilja min vatten varmeapparat till verk. Ja, Svenska. The only word I didn't know this that sentence was the word for heater (I want my water heater to work). Not too shabby.
Lastly, I'm going to talk about the circular needle holder I made this morning. I saw something like this somewhere recently, but I can't remember where, and I couldn't find it when I searched for it online. If anyone has seen it, please let me know and I will give proper credit in my next post.

The materials needed are one D-ring, about a yard of grosgrain ribbon, needle, thread, hot glue gun, binder clips, a measurement tool of some sort, and buttons for decoration if desired.





First I measured where I wanted the clips to go - I put mine 3 1/2 inches apart - and then hot glued the binder clips to the ribbon.





My clips are glued so that I can open them for use on large needles. If you look closely, you'll see that the clips are different shades of blue with decorations on them. I got them at Staples, and if I wasn't such a freak about everything being blue, I would've bought the less expensive black ones.



Completed and hanging on the wall. I just threw a couple needles on there for display purposes. I'll measure all my circulars and put them in the appropriate binder clips, then post a pic next time.


That's it for today. Still working on getting the house organized since my room mate G moved back in last weekend. I'm making some real progress...I'll keep you posted. Happy Halloween!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Janis update...

This will be a short post. I know I haven't checked in lately, but I've been crazed. I've had a bunch of trouble with my new car, the heat in the house hasn't been working, my room mate G moved back in yesterday after a year away, and now the water heater in the condo is shot. Sadly, I can't be in three places at once, because I think that would solve all my problems. Then again, maybe not.
There's not really too much I can say about the car. Everytime I mention it to anyone they start laughing, and frankly, I don't really think it's funny anymore. I'll need to tow it to the VW dealership in Braintree tomorrow morning to be there at 7AM. I made the appointment yesterday when my car had issues but would at least start and was driveable. This morning, I got the click, click, click of a car that has no intention of starting. I only have basic AAA, so it's going to cost me $45 to haul it down to Braintree and then I have to rent a car. Awesome. Of course this pales in comparison to the giant pain in the ass it's going to be for the plumbers who will have to replace the water heater in the condo tomorrow. The water heater is in a storage area above the bathroom and they'll have to climb 10 feet up a ladder to get there. I don't know how they'll get the old one down or the new one back up. The only other thing I have to say about the stupid water heater is that it was installed in Feb '04 and had a six year warranty. Do the math, and then ask me about the black cloud that is perpetually over my head.
On a brighter note, check this out:

New thermostat installed by moi! It has been freezing in this house, but I've had too much other crap to deal with to get it fixed. I actually thought the hvac was broken, but D suggested that I just get my butt over to Home Depot and try fixing it myself before calling in the cavalry. My furnace is gas, so it kicked on even before I turned the electricity back on. I yelled up to G, "Hey G - you smell that?" She said, "Yeah, what is it?" "It's HEAT!"

This post isn't quite as short as I thought it would be.
Ready for the Janis update? This was what it looked like when I got back from the Adirondacks. The strip in the middle is the waistband.













G just took this pic of me. I'm about to start the neck shaping and then move on to the front. It's a cardigan, so obviously there are two front pieces. I might do the sleeves next to get them out of the way.
I'll keep you posted, but now I need to scoot. My sister H suggested I take a little time off from knitting to address some other issues in my life. I think I might actually take her advice...
Bye for now.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Knitting Weekend...Too Many Pictures!

We were in Keene Valley, NY (Adirondacks) for the long weekend. It is so beautiful there, and the weather was amazing the entire time. We were there last year over Columbus Day weekend also, but next year we're going here: http://www.tenutasantopietro.com/










So this is the stuff I took for four days and three nights. Trust me - I basically wore the same clothes. It's all yarn.







In case we didn't bring enough yarn, there was plenty there for us to buy. It's very important to have options, and believe it or not, people forgot things and needed to swing by the "shop" on the piano.



This is a yarn bomb left over from last year's mischief. Over the kitchen sink looking out to the porch. There was another item hanging from the fireplace mantle. The other 10 or so had been removed (including the wrap job I did on one of the floor lamps). We did not bomb the house this year. I'm sure the family is relieved.

The first class was on beaded buttons for necklaces. Unfortunately for me, this was based on a crochet skillset which I don't possess. Plus I'm left handed and the class was being taught in right. I almost bagged it early on, but I stuck it out and did okay.





Here is my bead/button mostly done. I need to try to make another one before I forget how to do it. Obviously, once you learn to do it you don't use blue beads on white thread, but you need contrast to see what you're doing initially.



Here is J sharing the history of knitting in the Adirondacks. It seems that the bulk of the knitting was done by men at one time, and so it came as no surprise that they needed giant needles to do it.




Here is me getting ready to give the giant needles a whirl. Only one of them has a sharp point, so I only did one row.
I recently finished reading No Idle Hands - The Social History of American Knitting by Anne L. MacDonald. Although it's an interesting story, I really don't think there was a huge men's knitting industry in the Adirondacks at any time in the last few hundred years.
(If anyone knows a straight guy who knits, send him over. I'd like to talk to him.)









Cairn.












Birds nests, obviously.








It's hard to keep the days straight because we totally lost track of time. There is no TV, cell phone service or internet, so I just shut off my BlackBerry. That in itself is the strangest thing. There was no set schedule so if people wanted to take a class, they did. If people wanted to go hiking, they did. If people wanted to go to the farmer's market, they did. Here are my farmer's market pics.




Apparently this is what beets are SUPPOSED to look like. As I've mentioned, mine were a complete failure this year. (Side note: My cherry tomatoes are going crazy. It is the middle of October! What's up with that? How long do they go? First frost? Anyone?)






Nice Fall pic. Mums and pumpkins.







I think they over-do it on the kitch a bit, but we WERE in the Adirondacks. I bought a couple home made jellys (raspberry and hot pepper), some maple syrup and the basket I posted yesterday.


On the way home from the market, we came across three deer. They didn't run away, so we got out of the car and took pictures. Two of them just stared at me while I took about 8 shots. Amazing.




The last class I took was on Dorset Buttons shown on left. They are really cool and I always wanted to learn how to make them. To see some unbelievable specimens, check this out.




Here's me working on mine. I didn't get a pic once it was finished, but it turned out well for my first attempt.





So I think that's it for pictures. Blogger is bugging me. It's a total pain to post a lot of photos, and today I've put up 17. I took about 350 over the course of the weekend, so it's hard to pick the ones to show. The last full day we were there, we did photos for what may or may not become The Naked Knitting Calendar and Notecards. If it comes to fruition, I'll be sure to post a link. (Don't hold your collective breath on that one.) After looking at shots of my 47 year old bod stretched out on a stone wall wearing nothing but a strategically placed lace shawl, I had to come to terms with the fact that the 27 year old woman I THINK I am caught the last train out quite some time ago and I don't think she's coming back.
Alright, enough of this. I have pics on all the progress I made while I was away, so I'll try to get it up over the weekend. My old room mate, G, who moved out last November is moving back in on November 1st. I had given the yarn her old bedroom, so now I have to move the yarn elsewhere. I have a couple free hours before Project Runway, so I'm going to shovel out the other spare room. Wish me luck. Bye.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What a Great Weekend!










My first day back after the knitting retreat was a long one. Such a rude awakening after an awesome long weekend. It is 9:45 and I really don't have time for much narrative, but I wanted to at least put up a few pics. Here's where we spent most of our knitting time...



I said keep 'yer mitts off my yarn!





Knitting my Janis Joplin coat. I made a ton of progress and will get a pic of the nearly finished back panel up tomorrow if possible.


This is where they park the farmer's market in Keene Valley. God it's ugly. Almost as bad as the farmer's market in Tahoe.







I bought a basket. I'll probably put yarn in it. Decided to go with blue and green for something totally different. Yes, I made my hat. H & H - Nope, I'm never giving up my barn coat. You'll have to set it on fire to get it away from me.
I had such a great time and I have so many things to write, but I don't have time tonight. Time completely stopped while we were up there. I wish we could've stayed an entire week. Next year the group is going to Italy which is going to be insane, but more on that later. Bye for now.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Yarn Bombing, part II and Knitting Retreat!

This is going to be uber-quick. I finished the vase cover but it was too tall, so I frogged back about four rows and will bind it off again. Ta-Da... The nearly finished article. M, my director at work made a pretty cool suggestion yesterday (although at the end of the day near the end of the week we're all getting a bit punchy). She suggested a seasonal wardrobe for my little vase. Examples would include sports "outfits" for Sox and Pats game days (no offense to the C's and B's - I don't really follow hockey or b'ball), and a little something for the change of seasons... If I decide to do this, I'll be sure to share photos.
I'm leaving in a couple hours to head up to the Adirondacks for a knitting retreat. I should be packing, but if you've been following this blog for a while, you know that I hate packing. Packing for a knitting trip is even worse than normal packing. What do I take? Obviously, I take the projects I'm working on, but what if I want to do something else when I get up there? Do I take ALL my needles in case I need them? If so, I'll have to rent a bigger car. There is no computer up there, so I won't have access to the internet for patterns. Should I bring patterns and yarns for things in my queue in case I decide to knit them? If so, I'll have to rent a U-haul.
In closing, I'd like to just take a second and wish myself a happy divorce anniversary - seventeen years and counting. Marriage: the best reason NOT to plan a wedding.
Have a great LONG weekend - I'll take lots of pics up in the mountains. Bye!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Yarn Bombing, part 1 1/2

So my first idea wasn't so good. Keeping in mind that I'm bombing a cylindrical form, I ended up with an object that was more obscene than decorative. I'm not saying that obscene can't be decorative, but that's a conversation for another time. Back to the drawing board. I liked the idea of a knitted cover for the little vase, so I decided to knit the design INTO the cover and see how that goes. Here's my work in progress. I'm knitting directly from the old cover to the new cover... how handy. It might just be practice because silver and black would look better aesthetically, but the pink was the right yarn weight.

Turns out I have bronchitis, which really doesn't surprise me that much. I'm cleared to go to work in the morning (as long as I don't cough on anyone) but it's 3:30A and I've been up since 2:00A. Probably not going to be in such great shape when 6:30A rolls around. I'm not sure if this is a federal reg or state, but I got carded buying Mucinex. Seriously. (For those unfamiliar with the term, it means I had to provide proof of age before buying the product.) I can't imagine why anyone would purchase Mucinex for anything other than the reason intended. And, can you imagine if they did? Gross.
Munchie is driving me crazy. We're going back to bed. Bye.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Yarn Bombing, part I

Through google alerts I've been following the work of yarn bombers lately. http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/yarn-bombing-knit-graffiti They are doing some pretty cool work and so I've attached a link to an article with some pictures. As I've mentioned, I recently bought H's bug and I've been trying to decide what to do with the flower vase. I'm thinking that bombing my own car is the way to go, plus the general consensus on the flower is to bag it. Here is the VW issued daisy:



http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/jubilee/jubilee.html

Since I have more of the silver Louisa Harding Mulberry (100% silk - only the best for my new bug) than I need to finish my Jubilee Scarf, this is what I chose.



I measured the little vase, and based on suggested gauge, I cast on using sz 6 dpns. Once I finished the ribbing, it was clear that size six was way too big, so I switched to sz 3 for the remainder of the sheath.


Clearly not a big project, I knit it while watching a couple films. I've been sick, so I'm catching up on movies. Last night was a Kathy Bates film fest on HBO: Revolutionary Road and The Blind Side. Ready for my review? Revolutionary Road...Wow. (Just so you know, I have edited my own comments here so as not to alienate the vast heterosexual male readership. Now I'm cracking myself up.)

So back to my car... I was worried that it wasn't going to fit, but I've got to hand it to myself, it's perfect.


Keep in mind that this is only Part I, so it's not finished. The other components are a work in progress, so I should get them done today and take photos tomorrow in the daylight.



I'd also like to point out one of my favorite features of my new car. It came pre-decorated with liberal propaganda, so I didn't have to go to the trouble of doing it myself.



So I'm going to wrap up. I'm trying to decide whether or not to drag my ass into the walk-in clinic. The doc on call in my office said that as long as I can breathe between coughing episodes, I can wait until tomorrow and see my PCP if I'm still sick. Translation: I can still breathe, so I don't have pneumonia. I'm already trying to figure out what I need to do to be well enough to go to work tomorrow, which is how I got so sick in the first place. The whole point is that I need to rest or I WILL end up with pneumonia and then I WON'T be going away on Friday. Conundrum... Bye.

Friday, October 1, 2010

I Disappeared for Five Days I Guess...

I'm sick again, but this time I'm really sick. People come to work when they're sick, and then the next thing you know, the entire office is sick. It is SO annoying. I knew I was in trouble on Tuesday, and by Thursday, I was the one that needed to be home. I didn't go in today, and that rarely happens. I think the last time I stayed out was with the Norovirus back in March or there abouts. (I thought that was a funny entry, if I do say so myself. Go back for a re-read http://hollypots.blogspot.com/2010/03/hat-to-match-my-sweater-and-how-to-make.html if you're so inclined) I guess there is some respiratory virus going around, and I can't stop coughing, so I think I caught it. The only good thing is that I had the time to go get my new car registered and I switched my plates. I don't know about other states, but the Massachusetts RMV is a delight that has to be experienced to be believed. Although, to be fair, today was only fifty five minutes: 15 in line to get my number, 30 waiting and 10 with the customer service rep. Plus, I met someone to talk to for the 45 minutes (a shock for me, I know) to pass the time. He is a 35 year old eight-year serviceman; a bomb technician who just got back from two years in Kuwait and Iraq, with some interesting insights on the war. One thing he said that stuck with me is this: if we continue to fight in Afghanistan in the manner we are fighting now, we will be there for another 15 years. Yikes.

Enough on that. I haven't knit anything in an age; it's been probably more than a week. I'm going on a knitting retreat next week for four days, so it'll be all knitting - all the time. Kidding. We'll do other stuff. I DO have to find the projects I want to take though. The fall issue of knitty came out this week - did you see it? http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/index.php A couple things I really like are Eleanor, Bound by the Beauty and Pretty Maids. Although I love lace I've never made a shawl, but I might give Pretty Maids a whirl. There was something in this issue that frightened me - I hate to say it. http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/PATTchow.php What is up with this? It's a teeth and tongue puppet, and it's kinda scary. I think I'd be okay to not see anymore of the knitted anatomical items. Yeah, I've seen all of them - from the boobs, to the dick and balls to the uterus and fallopian tubes. Why?? Am I missing something?
Alright, enough of that. I'm starting to cough again, and once I start I'll go on for 20 minutes, so I'm signing off. Hack, hack.