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March 31, 2005

Big Hugs...

right back atcha! Thank you so much for all your comments and emails - it really lifted my spirits. While I'm so sad I'm not alone in my plight - I wouldn't wish infertility on my worst enemy - I'm glad to know my feelings, however uncomfortable they may be - are not misunderstood. I'm forever grateful.

I want you all to know too that my sister is very conscious and solicitous of my feelings. She's not without her own guilt about the situation, I'm sure. Know too, that when I'm around those kids, there are NO BAD FEELINGS. Only joy. It's when I'm alone, puttering about, that the sadness wells up.

I'd been wanting to blog about it for awhile, but wasn't sure if I should take so personal a leap. I'm glad I did. I hope someone out there read yesterday's post and subsequent comments and was comforted a little to know they, too, are not alone.

Jen helped pick me up; she took me over to Handknits. It was a successful trip! I picked up some new Addis and this:

If you guessed Koigu, then you're right! It's much more of an aqua color - the perfect retro color for the Retro Rib socks. How do I know the color's retro? Because we went to a totally retro diner in Englewood - Baumgart's Cafe (it's a combo Jewish Deli/Chinese Restaurant - don't ask) - and my Koigu matched the retro blue booth. (Please, if you're my friend ;-), don't remind me how much sock yarn I now have and the fact that I have never knit a sock! Thank you very much!)

Beth, the proprietress at Handknits, had a great idea for a border on my Pinwheel blanket too! I'm very excited about it - but I think I'll keep it a secret for now. Suffice it to say, I will not be using a different yarn - I'm going to do the border in the same ASC (which is good because I have way too much of it!) Onto the fifth skein as of last night.

Vicki asked me some more interview questions - so read further for THE KNITORIOUS INTERVIEW!

1. Is there a crafty or artistic endeavor that makes you say, “I’d like to try that someday!”?

It’s funny. I don’t think of myself as a crafty person at all. To me, crafty is like all scrapbooky Martha and stuff – which is so not me. (I know, I know, there’s nothing wrong with scrapbooking!) That said, I used to throw pottery and sometimes I really, really miss it – I would like to get back to that maybe. And quilts. Quilts are fascinating to me. Not sure if I want to try it, but I greatly admire the work that goes into them. I’m pretty happy with knitting, though. It’s enough for me.


2. Many of your photographs feature botanicals. Do you have a green thumb?

Absolutely not. Besides the fact that I live in an apartment and really don’t have the space for gardening – there isn’t a living thing in my home. Unless, of course, you count mold. For some reason I’m really good at keeping that alive.


3. What is your favorite food a) at a restaurant, b) to make from scratch, c) for a snack?

At a restaurant: Hmm. That’s tough. Lamb chops, maybe? Georgie’s always finding me new places to have lamb chops. Ocassionally I get super cravings for the roast beef mozzarella hero from the Italian deli around the corner – best freaking muzz you’ve ever tasted and I love they’re roast beef.

Made from scratch: I don’t know how made from scratch it is, but my stuffed shells are the best. Never fails to please a crowd. Maybe I’ll make that for dinner tonight. Georgie would be so, so happy!

For a snack: I'm actually not a big snacker. One thing I really like is Alouette cheese and crackers. That's fun to eat. And Georgie hates it, so it's a little me snack. Yesterday I had some almonds and dried cranberries, cherries and blueberries mixed together. It was one of the best tastes ever!

4. "Summer vacation" and "summer home" used to have a more literal meaning – some people would actually spend their whole summer at their summer home! Where would yours be located? (Anywhere in the world and money no object, of course.)

Well, I would only go to my summer home in the winter if it were in La Quinta, California – about 30 minutes east of Palm Springs. Georgie and I go out there at least every other year. It’s really a home away from home for us. If it were a true summer house, I’d have to say somewhere near the beach – Hawaii’s always nice. Maybe Cape Cod – but I’d want to go off season. Maybe we could divide our time between Laguna Beach and La Quinta? They’re only about a two hour drive away. (hey – you said money was no object!)


5. What's at the tippy-top of your "I'd Like to Make That" knitting project wish list? (Again, money and time no object, nor even "skill level" if you believe in that sort of thing.)

Believe it or not, I’m dying to make a pair of socks. I started one a little while ago, turned the heel, got like an inch done on the foot and stopped. Since then I’ve bought a ton of (expensive!) sock yarn and have yet to make a sock. Yesterday I bought more Koigu. I have like five sock books. I want to make the Retro Rib socks really badly. I’m trying to figure out how to do two socks on two circulars since I think it’s my aversion to dpns that’s holding me back.

Thanks Vicki! If anyone else wants to be interviewed, let me know!

Posted by Cara at 12:23 PM | Comments (5)

March 30, 2005

Bitter-Sweet

Thanks everyone for your comments on my short-row pullover. (Hey! Has anyone out there in blogland actually finished this sweater? It's not, like, impossible, is it?) I think what I'm going to do for now is pull out all the ends I knit in during the short-row section - and see how the stitches look then. If it comes down to the fact that I have to weave in the ends, then fine. Jen has graciously offered to pour the drinks while I'm doing it - you know so I don't waste away while it takes me 8 yrs to do.... (PS - head over to her blog and see the great afghan she recieved from some kind hearted knitters!)

During Gilmore Girls repeats, I spent some time with the Pinwheel Blanket - I've got a round an half left on the 4th skein. The blanket is basically knit stitch - stockinette in the round - and there was something really comforting about that last night. Margene knows what I'm talking about - she wrote about it today. And I got a nice comment from Genia - who wrote the pinwheel blanket pattern. What a nice lift this morning, especially since I've been feeling very bitter-sweet lately, which is tough to take since I'm very much a milk chocolate kind of girl.

My sister's having a baby. Like any second now. You mean, you didn't hear? ;-) One of the greatest times in the history of our family. I'm sure you know by now how close I am with my nephew and niece - I love them beyond words. And now another baby to love beyond words. The kids are excited, the adults are a little bit crazed, and as much as I hate it, I'm a bit sad about the whole thing. I haven't talked about it much here, but Georgie and I have been trying to have our own baby for going on three years. We've been through a lot, more than I ever thought, and nothing's resolved. Some of it, most of it, stems from my own issues, since thankfully reproductive science can help us immeasurably.

There's a part of me that prays holding that precious new baby will throw me over the edge of my doubts and fears. And there's a part of me that is just so sad that this isn't my baby, no matter how much I love her/him. My sister is beyond generous with her children's time and love - and I am forever grateful for that. Another sad thing, Georgie and I will inevitably be a part for a while. While I'm so happy to be down with my sister's family helping out, I miss him more than he ever knows. Part of the time he'll be away in China, so I would be at my sister's anyway, but that doesn't mean I don't miss him any less.

Spring has finally sprung around here - I say with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek - don't want to piss off any weather gods - and while everything is being reborn around me, I'm dying a little inside.

How's that for awful? ;-)
Thanks for listening. Get outside today. It'll do you some good!
Love,
Cara

PS - Thanks Secret Pal for the song this morning - just what I needed!!!!

Posted by Cara at 09:23 AM | Comments (13)

March 29, 2005

I've been knitting....

You are Andie Walsh (from Pretty In Pink)!
Misunderstood and full of angst, you are
intelligent, talented and will probably go on
to do great things...once you're out of the
hell of high school.


Which John Hughes Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I found this quiz over at Kate's. I'm posting this because it just so happens that I was watching Sixteen Candles last night. And as much as I hate to admit it, I think this one might be pretty accurate. High school was almost the death of me. Definitely blossomed as soon as I got out. [Huh - when I got the link for Sixteen Candles on IMDB, I looked up the actor who played Jake - very, very cute - but did he do anything else? Turns out he was the really cute guy in Mermaids too! Michael Schoeffling.]

Here's that oft rumored knitting content:

Remember the Pinwheel Baby Blanket? I can't believe how badly this yarn photographs - the color could not be more off - it's a much deeper yellow - almost brownish in color. But anyway, I'm into the fourth skein. The diameter is 22". I have a long way to go. The skeins are going nowhere at this point. Another thing about this project - there's no way to tell how big it is without taking it off the needles - which is kind of a pain. I'll get through six skeins before I take it off again. I do like the pattern though - the blanket is looking very nice.

Short-Row Pullover

I can't help but have a nagging feeling that this is all going to have to be ripped out and started over. Or I'll get through the back and finally figure out how to make it look nice and then I'll do the front and want to re-do the back.

As you can see, I've started the short-rows. They're not hard at all and actually kind of interesting. The ridiculous part is you have to change yarn colors every five seconds and you can't carry the yarn up really. So I've been trying Johanna's method of knitting in the ends, but I think it's making my stitches all wonky and uneven. Can you see it in the second and third picture? I'm not sure if it's because of the short rows, or the ends, but I'm not entirely happy with it. I'm going to keep knitting - even if it does feel very much like an experiment - to see how the rows even out once I do the next short row section. Right now I'm in straight rows. But the next section will even out the left hand side. I still absolutely love the yarn - and I'm really liking the colors too. Georgie's the best, because he sees it and instantly proclaims it's the best work I've ever done! I say, you say that about everything I do. He does prefer just the stripes though - not the zig zags. I keep trying to tell him that's the best part, but he's not buying it. Anyway, I will persevere.

Jen (belated) birthday gifted me with some wonderfully soft Rowan Classic CashSoft DK! She brought it all the way from London! It's in color #509 which is called lime, but is really a soft pastely mint in my opinion. Another one that doesn't photograph well:

This will make a beautiful baby something - and it's in green - so it doesn't matter whether my sister has a boy or a girl! Speaking of which - did you enter the my guess-the-baby contest? Don't miss out! She could go into labor any second!

I just noticed that all yarns mentioned in this post are from Rowan. Definitely some of the nicest yarns I've ever worked with. They can't seem to go wrong. When that tax check comes in, I'm definitely going to have to join the club.

Kate asked me some really good rebound questions! You can read my answers in the extended entry. Have a great day!

1. In your blog, you've said your birthday characterizes you. What is it about being a New Year's Baby that makes you you?
Well, first off, it’s definitely NOT a normal birthday – no matter how you look at it. And I’m definitely NOT a normal girl. Is it because of my birthday? I don’t know. I think I’m introspective and forward thinking – both attributes that can characterize the day. My shrink likes to think that I have issues with being number one – born on 1/1, I’m the first born in my family – I do have to be the best (No. 1) at everything. Again, birthday or just a coincidence? In the end it’s hard to say what it is about my birthday that makes me, me – I’ve never known anything different. I know I think it sets me a (little) bit apart. Maybe that’s narcisistic thinking? I don’t know. You have to be a little bit narcisistic when you’re born on the FIRST – don’t’ you think? ;-)

2. When did your Bruce fascination start?
Georgie is completely to blame for my Bruce obsession – fascination doesn’t really cut it honey. When Georgie and I started dating, I had been living in New York City for three years. I left home when I was seventeen – so I had only been driving about a year and a half. I didn’t have a car in the city (I’m not that crazy) and G had a car. He used to take me on drives – down to AC, to the mall, etc. and he always had Bruce on the tape player – specifically - at least this is how I remember it – Tunnel of Love. He would sing me all the songs, which he knew backwards and forwards and honest to god I fell in love with them both. Georgie and Bruce are forever intertwined in my heart. I am the more obsessed of the two of us, for sure, but he indulges me – and he loves Bruce too. I think he feels the same way - ultimately it’s all about how Georgie feels about me that somehow translates into Bruce love.

3. In your 100+ things, you mention you still have a baby blanket. My sister and I both do as well. Ours are named "blankie," and my sister still carries hers around (I know, I'm a traitor because I don't -- but I still have it). First, do you have a name for your blanket, and second, any tips for keeping it in good shape?
My blankie is called blankie. There may have been a very brief period in the 70s when I called it Elizabeth Banana because it was/is yellow – but that did not last long at all. I still sleep with my blankie every single night. It travels with me whereever I go and when I fly it goes in my carry on – god forbid it should get lost. I don’t carry it around per se – sometimes I wear it around my neck in the house – when I’m on the computer, or reading. I like to smell it. (I know. Gross.) Otherwise it waits patiently under my pillow until I need it. How to keep it from falling apart? Don’t give it to your kid. My sister’s blanket was co-opted by her daughter and it is literally in shreds now. My niece WILL NOT give it up and that scares me. If I ever have a kid – I swear – they ain’t getting their hands on my blankie. Georgie takes very good care of my blankie – he washes it lovingly – doesn’t dry it too hard. I, of course, put it in hot water and dry it to within an inch of its life. But the best part of blankie living is when it comes out of the dryer.

4. What's the name of the first short story you ever published? What was it about?
The name of my first short story ever published is “Dancing With Jesus in Grove City, Pennsylvania.” It was published in the High Plains Literary Review, Fall/Winter 2001. It’s about Byron and Purdy Somers, a couple at the end of their lives. Byron is coming to terms with the fact that Purdy needs to go into a home as he can’t really take care of her anymore – and in the process he remembers a miraculous time in their marriage.

It’s a pretty fucked up story – very strange, very weird. I’m so glad it was the first one to get published. I love this story – it’s dedicated to George.

Also, the editors saw fit to nominate it for a Pushcart Prize. It didn’t win – not even close – but they liked it that much.

5. What is your favorite thing about your husband Georgie? Anything from mundane to smooshy sappy will do :).
Impossible. Absolutely impossible to answer. I love him so much it hurts sometimes. To pick one thing, even a million, would be to forget something that makes me so insanely happy and crazy and in love it would be criminal.

Okay. I'll try.
- He has the most beautiful puppy dog eyes I've ever seen. I could stare into them for hours and never be bored.
- I love that he loves the children in our lives in the purest way. He may have trouble showing it sometimes, but he does.
- He's curious like a three yr old. Sometimes it drives me crazy, but most of the time it's astonishing.
- Hands down, one of the most generous souls I've ever met.
- He works exceedingly hard for our family - something for which I am eternally grateful.

I'm going to stop - this doesn't even scratch the surface of the surface. It's hard to put emotion this strong into words. That's why I write fiction. ;-)

Thanks for the questions, Kate. Hope my answers don't disappoint.

Posted by Cara at 12:13 PM | Comments (9)

March 27, 2005

Wry Questions for a Punster?

Elspeth asked to be interviewed. As I spent a lovely morning with the Wry Punster's blog, here you go....

1. So, are you a comedy, history or tragedy kind of girl? What’s your dream role, Shakespeare or otherwise? Do you puke before you go onstage? If not, do you have any weird pre-stage habits?

2. Sour, dill, kosher, bread & butter? Whole, spears, slices, gherkins? What’s your preference?

3. Were you hazed? Can you talk about it? What’s the secret handshake? Ever been part of a panty raid?

4. What's the best class you’ve taken that you had to take that completely surprised you? For instance, I had to take an art history class to graduate. I waited until my last semester to take Modern Art (what I thought was my favorite) because it was only offered once a year and always filled up. As a senior I had priority. It just so happened that this class conflicted with a Philosophy of Religion seminar I wanted to take (my majors were religious studies and philosophy), so I had to take Renaissance Art instead. It was literally my favorite class in college. I dragged my husband all over Venice to find that one damn Tintoretto. So, what was your surprise?

5. What will you be doing in Cairo this summer?

And the bonus question:
Money's no option, skill level's no option - what's your dream knitting project?

It was a lot of fun visiting with Elspeth. She's a year younger than my baby sister and having fun in school. (Yesterday was my sister's 23rd birthday - Happy Birthday Samara! - I left her a million messages, but it seems our nephew Max was the only one who actually got to talk to her - he sang her happy birthday as a wake up call. Then she turned the phone off!) I loved college, absolutely loved it and I miss my sister - so I got to visit both, just a little bit, through Elspeth! Thank you!

Did you see what La posted yesterday? . (Make sure your speakers are on!) Have a great holiday if you're celebrating, or just a fantastic Sunday if you're not!

And don't forget to enter the latest January One contest. Yarn and PhotoArtCards. You know you want it.

Posted by Cara at 11:35 AM | Comments (1)

March 26, 2005

Baby, It's You....

Contest time at casa enero uno!


As many of you know, my sister's having a baby! So let's have a little contest, shall we? Leave the SEX (yes, my sister doesn't know), date and time (on the quarter hour please - completely stolen from La of JenLa- I can't do math either) in the comments.* One entry per person. I will close this contest on her due date, or whenever Jolie goes into labor - whichever comes first. Winner(s) will be announced after the baby is born (duh)! Prizes to be announced later, but suffice it to say there will be yarn and there will be PhotoArtCards.

Things you should know about my sister and her birthing habits:
-- Her due date is APRIL 2.
-- At her last doctor's appointment (last Wednesday) she was 1 CENTIMETER dilated and had been for at least a week.
-- This is her THIRD child. The other two were both born EXACTLY FIVE DAYS AFTER their due dates. She has a boy and a girl already.
-- Both of her other labors were relatively quick (I say that but remember, I didn't feel even a milisecond of pain). One baby was born at 4PM the other baby was born at about 1AM.

Think that covers it. Tell all your friends! There's a contest in blogland!

ETA: As of this morning, Friday, April 1, my sister is 2 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced. She has an appointment on Wednesday - she has never made it to the next appointment after her due date. Also, we discovered that with both of her other babies she has gone into labor on a Wednesday. There's still time to enter! It's getting close. (For the record, we're both thinking Tuesday.)

*The person (or persons) who come closest to the time WITHOUT GOING OVER will win. For instance, assuming date and sex are correct, if you choose 6:45 AM and the baby is born at 6:59 AM, you will win. Thank you for playing.

Posted by Cara at 09:45 AM | Comments (37)

March 25, 2005

The LollyKnitting Interview

How did you and Georgie meet?
Back in ’87, I came to New York to go to NYU – I was seventeen. (This was pre-Ghouliani when the city was still scary and hip and cool). Before school even started I got a job at the Village Tennis Courts. Since I was young and nubile, I guess, the two (guy) tennis pros working there befriended me. And since I was living in an apartment dorm room with three Juniors instead of in a Freshman dorm, I really didn’t have any friends. So I hung out with the tennis pros – who were about 8-10 years older than me. Georgie was their friend and since I started hanging with his friends I guess you could say we were friends. Not really. But we hung out together. A couple of years later we REALLY became friends and about a year after that we started dating. The rest is history. We’ve been together since I was 20 years old (living together since I was 21). I just had my 35th birthday. You do the math. ;-)


Of all of your photographs, which one is your favorite? why?
Impossible. That would be like asking me which of my stories is my favorite. I can show SOME of my favorites. For today, that is. It changes all the time!

And pretty much all of the pictures on my kids website.

What is the knitted item that you are most proud of?
Probably Shedir. It was the most challenging knit. And I knit it for a woman, a friend of a friend, who has cancer and was going through chemo. Or possibly the first real project I finished (and the second thing I ever knit). It’s a 5’x6’ afghan that I knit for Georgie – it’s a four color slip stitch pattern with a crochet border. We use it all the time on the sofa. No peasley scarves for this new knitter! No – I had to make something LIFESIZE.

Who is your favorite photographer? favorite photograph?
I’m not such a good person to answer this. While I’ve had “formal” training in writing and have been systematically exposed to genius writers, the photography I’ve done all on my own. So I don’t know a lot of photographers. One I do know, and greatly love, is Wright Morris. Not only was he a photographer, but a National Book Award winner and American Book Award winner (the later for Plains Song.) He successfully put his photography and fiction together – and was known as a photographer’s photographer and a writer’s writer. Two designations I greatly aspire to. Here is an excellent article on him, and a link to some of his photographs. I've heard that Morris's barn photos were the inspiration for So Long, See You Tomorrow, by William Maxwell (one of my favorite authors and favorite books.)

My favorite photo? Changes like the wind, but I really like this one today:

Imogen Cunningham
Magnolia Blossom
1925

Do you have any interest in working in a library again?

I don't know. When I graduated with my MLS I had an overwhelming sense of self-preservation (for lack of a better word.) I had a PROFESSIONAL DEGREE. To me, this meant I was eminently employable. So if I was a single mom with three kids, I'd be able to support my family. This is an incredibly empowering feeling. I'm very far away from the library world these days - but once a librarian, always a librarian. I would never count out that work - it may be a means to survival one day, and it was something I enjoyed very much. (That's of course assuming W. doesn't close them all by the time he's out of office.)

Thanks Lauren! Lots and lots of fun!

The January One Interviews

Kate:

1. In perusing your blogger profile keywords I find: rugby and revolution. How are you going to start the next rugby revolution?
2. You were blogging before they were called blogs. What’s your take on the current state of blogs – knit or otherwise.
3. Explain Re-Evaluation Counseling. Or not. Whatever you feel most comfortable with. ;-)
4. Your field is Biological Anthropology right? Can you explain that? Do you know the subject of your doctoral thesis? Can we know?
5. Okay Miss Union Organizer – where’s Jimmy Hoffa buried? Or is he really dead?


Abby:
1. What does it say about you, psychologically speaking, that you have listed twice (20 and 59) that you have a psychology degree?
2. Which famous person would you most like to stalk (assuming you haven't already) ?
3. How many skeins of Koigu do you have in your stash? Favorite colorway?
4. What's your favorite blog button? Could be one you made yourself or one someone else made. (By the way, want to make me one?)
5. Now that your hubby is knitting, do you forsee any great competitions or dare I say it, fights over stash?


Renee:
1. So, thanks to Rock Chick, we know Bruce is a knitter. What's Bono doing in his spare time, craft-wise, while he's not rocking out with Koffi or waiting for that call from Stockholm?
2. Who do you prefer: Ebert or Roeper?
3. You've seen A LOT of movies - favorites? What should I see that I probably haven't? Do you ever watch movies more than once?
4. How many Vikings have had their numbers retired? Can you name them?
5. When it's super cold in the winter, is it true that you can walk underground in Minneapolis and never have to come up to ground level?

BONUS QUESTION FOR ALL:
Money's no option, skill level's no option - what's your dream knitting project?

If anyone else wants to be interviewed, leave me a comment saying so!
Thanks!

Posted by Cara at 12:36 AM | Comments (7)

March 24, 2005

Can't we all just get along?

Okay, I'm being facetious, but really with all the Pink Chibi wars going on I'm about to get all positive on your ass about how much I'm LOVING blogland. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I started this blogging thing at the end of October, and I'm telling you, I can't believe the friends I've made. For instance, just yesterday I was emailing my pal Lauren, who I "met" when she won my contest, and we were going back and forth about Walker Percy and Kierkegaard and then she found me this kick-ass article I was wanting. Let me tell you people, while I have the most wonderful, most generous, most loving husband in the world, the greatest family in the world, the best friends in the world - there is no one in my life I can talk about Kierkegaard AND Percy AND Knitting ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Well, that's not true because now there's Lauren in my life. Thank you Lauren!

Jazalicious Jen was my first REAL knitting friend. Know where I met her? Online. It ended up that she lived right near me and we've been on many a yarn crawl together. In the short time I've known her we've been through some heavy stuff - I know she's a life long friend. She's also the one who got me blogging.

That Cassie. Yeah, she's a keeper. Listening to me babble on and on during the cold winter. She was there when I bought my first sock yarn. Still haven't finished the socks, but whatever. I know Cassie will be happy for me when I do. Where'd I meet her? Duh. Blogging.

Annie sent me my first Random Act of Kindness EVER! Right around my birthday. I was so touched I called up everyone I knew to tell them. This blogging thing is AMAZING! Who knew there were people like this in the world? AND they like to KNIT!

And when I popped up in Boston, Wendy and Colleen were more than willing to come out in the bitter cold to meet and entertain a PERFECT STRANGER! WOW!

I've gotten the most encouraging emails and comments from people all over the world, some funny, some serious - all kind (okay, well there was that one comment that wasn't too nice, but I totally blame Kerstin for that. Spillover, people. ;-) New friends have opened up their lives to me and I just know, in my heart, if I needed support, I could count on them. I see it happening before my very eyes.

Do you need another example? Back at the start of the year I had a little idea. Annie helped me expand it and now Knit One Read Too has over 130 members! This fact completely astounds me.

It's no suprise that at times the knitblogging community can be insidious and insular, because after all, human beings are behind these blogs and everyone has bad days. But in the end, I think it's really quite expansive and genuine.

Now, everyone turn to the blogger to the left. Give a great big hug. Now turn to the blogger to the right. Great big hug.

Now everyone go throw up. ;-)

All righty. When you've all come out of the diabetic coma I just induced, we can move on to my Short Row Pullover. I've finished the the straight rows and am about to move on to the short row sections. I first have to read countless articles on how to wrap said short rows. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the ends. Johanna had a great suggestion to knit them in as I went along - I tried it - still not so comfortable with it. Right now I'm going with the Montse Stanley method that was reinforced by something I found on the Morehouse Merino site. Carry the yarn up the sides and because I have many odd rows (lots of one row colors) I can take advantage of the circular needles I ALWAYS use and just switch sides when it's time to change colors if the color isn't on the right side. This means that if I need the navy and it's on the left when the green I just finished is on the right, I just move to the other side of the needles. This also means that if you just finished a purl row, the next row - starting from the other side - will ALSO be a purl row if you're doing stockinette. Basically if the right side is facing you, knit, if the WS faces you, purl. Clear as mud, right?

I don't know what I'm going to do when I start the short rows though because I'm thinking it will be even harder to carry the yarn. Maybe not, because you always have to start where the last row ended? I'm trying really hard to resist the urge to rip the whole thing out and start over. I already ripped out one repeat. We'll see how it goes after I start the short rows. I can't think about it now.

Have a GREAT day everyone!

Posted by Cara at 07:46 AM | Comments (14)

March 23, 2005

The Rock Chick Interview

1. If Bruce knit, would he use Red Heart in keeping with his blue
collar roots or would he have gone all Beverly Hills and be into some
wonky Colinette sh*t?

Well, I think I can say definitively that Bruce would NOT knit Red Heart. And he definitely wouldn’t knit any of that frou frou Collinette shit. Bruce would knit something that seemed like it was Red Heart – scratchy and tough – working class dontcha know – but was actually none too cheap. Maybe some Cascade 220? Maybe some nice Rowan Harris Tweed? Although I bet Patti wants to keep him in the good stuff – maybe some Cashmere that looks cheap? Yeah right. The thing is, I see Bruce as a designer in the Starmore category. You just know he’s got these unbelievably rugged, romantic fishermen sweater designs locked away in a vault somewhere. (The bootleg patterns can be found online.) What’s the sense of knitting them Bruce, if you’re not going to share them with the world? Another of my no doubts – he’s knitting Dulaan hats and Red Scarves in Peace Fleece all over the place. I bet you he’s even got some Sugar & Cream on the needles as we speak, for a cute little dishcloth. He’s a knitter who cares.


2. Okay, so the People mag gig blew. It need not be a stain on your
psyche - let's make it a party game. Blind item some dirt you came
across that the mag would never print.

Blew like you wouldn’t believe. I cried every day I went to work there. So much so I took a job at the company I LEFT to go there the first opportunity I got. Seriously, I was on Xanax half the time. That said, there was no good gossip. No, really, I swear. Unless you count a gay Friend. Which, please, that’s been beat to death. I had The Donald’s social security number in my hand one day. And a copy of Kurt Cobain’s death certificate. But I was there during school shootings galore and the ridiculously awful untimely death of Phil Hartman. Plus I was sitting in a back corner on the computer all day. No one talked to me.

The best gossip came after I left when I found out that someone I worked with was having VERY LONG lunches at the gym with people other than the spouse. Very different people. Than the spouse.

I will say this. Those articles you read in The National Inquirer, Star and World Wide Alien? They’re a lot more accurate than people would like you to believe. When they say someone’s on death’s door – trust me – it’s time to get that little black dress out of the closet.


3. Being a January first baby, did you ever suspect that one of your
birthday gifts was a "re-gift" from the prior month's holidays?

Absolutely not. Or at least none that have made turn my head. We’re Jewish, so we did the Chanukah thing. Chanukah was NOT a big deal in our house – we’re talking socks on night two, pencils night three, underwear night four. I never got underwear for my birthday. If you’re talking friends and the like, I haven’t really gotten many gifts (I know – feel sorry for me) – and the ones I have received have definitely not been re-gifts. On second thought, there were a couple of jewelry gifts from my in-laws that I might have questioned, but it was jewelry so who cares where it comes from right?

Now if you ask me if I got re-gifted stuff when I got married? You betcha.

Thanks Rock Chick! Long live Vedder and The Boss!

You know the drill - if you want questions from me, let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Posted by Cara at 12:00 AM | Comments (8)

March 22, 2005

S is for....

SHORT ROW

That's right. Last night I cast on for the Short Row Pullover. Not only did I cast on, but I used my new super fantastic cast on method - the Long Tail or Half-Hitch? Never heard of this new found super crazy cast-on? Don't laugh. I've never used it before. In fact I had to go find a video to relearn it. BUT, I figured it out AND I cast on in alternating knit and purl stitches to coincide with the seed stitch border on the sweater. Pretty cool, huh?

First I cast on a sleeve - it wasn't long (try three seconds) before I remembered how much I love this yarn. To remind you, it's Rowan Wool Cotton and it's soft and light and perfect for this time of year. In fact, I'd dare to say you can wear it year-round. It's THAT GOOD! I'm putting it up there for desert island status. Maybe. I don't want to commit just yet, but I'm not voting it off anytime soon. Back to the sleeve - I figured this would be my swatch. (Don't yell! I was up late last night!) I got a couple decreases in when I decided to measure it. I was off. Not on row gauge, which Wendy has been talking about of late (the only reason why I actually measured it), but on stitch gauge - the pattern calls for 22 stitches for every four inches and I was getting six to the inch, or 24 per 4. In the end I decided to stick with the needle size I was using (size 6) and bump up to the next size on the pattern. This will give me somewhere between a medium and a large which is where I want to be anyway. So I ripped out the sleeve, and cast on for the back:

I was up until 2:30AM finishing the first stripe repeat. It goes like this:

Rows 1-3 A (Aloof - light blue)
Rows 4-5 MC (French Navy)
Row 6 B (Laurel - green)
Row 7-9 C (Bilberry - purple)
Row 10 D (Antique - white)
Row 11 B
Row 12 A
Row 13 D
Row 14 MC

Got the bugger memorized already! I think it works great! It was a little nuts at about 1:30 when I was lining up the colors over and over to come up with the best sequence. I knew I wanted the light blue and purple to be the bigger colors - the tough part was deciding which order the green and white went in - I think I made the right choice and I think it's going to be really cool when the short rows start. The ONLY drawback - I've already got like 4,361 ends to weave in. I'm going to have to MAKE SURE I do it all along - like before I start knitting on it I have to weave in five ends or something. It's the only way. Unless I don't weave them in at all and leave them hanging on the inside - do you think that will fuck up the drape?

While I'm excited about this project, I'm also worried that I spent too much time last night knitting instead of, no, not sleeping, reading Jonathan Strange. I'm only like 50 pages in on this 800 page book and I need to have it finished by April 2. Do you think it will happen? Stay tuned. Oh and if you haven't been on K1R2 for awhile, go check out the great post Laurie and her son William put up about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. It's inspiring and informative!

KNITTING CONTENT ENDS - POLITICAL RANT BEGINS

You can leave now, if you'd like.

As some of you know, Georgie and I got married about 3.5 years ago after being together for 11 years - 10 of which we lived together, owned our house together, etc. We were as committed as anyone - living together, loving together, all that gooshy stuff. When we finally did get married, it wasn't because we needed to show anyone the extent of our commitment - we knew it was there - as did everyone who loved us - the rest of the world be damned. We got married for political reasons - namely there were certain rights that we didn't have that we wanted. One of these rights, one of the most important ones to me - was that we would become each other's NEXT OF KIN and be able to make the MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS EVER for EACH OTHER. I've always regretted, just a little bit, a tiny iota, getting married because I think it's criminally unfair that all of us cannot partake of these rights. Now I'm even more regretful, because it turns out that even if you're married, THOSE RIGHTS DON'T MATTER.

Let's not even bring up the horrifying hypocrisy George turned me on to yesterday. He was listening to some "talk radio" aka propaganda for the sheeples, and someone was going nuts on Democrats and stem-cells saying that Democrats should want to keep Mrs. Schiavo alive because in two years there could be a cure for her using stem-cells. WHAT? These are the same people that are so against stem-cell research cause god forbid a tiny cell that might have one day in someone's imagination become a baby (don't get me started there - I've thought a lot about this having gone through the IVF process) are now USING STEM CELLS TO PROP UP THEIR ARGUMENT FOR TERRY SCHIAVO? Georgie pointed out to me that they may have been saying this in a tongue in ass kind of way - but MY GOD! THE HYPOCRISY IS OVERWHELMING! They have proven that they will say anything, do anything, make up anything to further their agenda. [ETA: I was going to link to Laura Ingraham - the radio show George was listening to - but I took a look at her site and I can't in good conscience link to that vitriol. Ingraham makes Coulter look like a puppy. Very, very, scary.]

This whole Schiavo mess terrifies me. Please, get to your lawyers and write those living wills. Make sure that your extended family, not just your partner, knows your wishes. Give them copies of your living will. Because God knows they may need them to fight for what you want - especially if the government decides that you and they don't know best.

ETA: Colleen sent me this link: hypocrisy abounds!
Rant over.
Thanks.

Posted by Cara at 11:53 AM | Comments (14)

March 21, 2005

No Bleeding Necessary

What you see here is a pile of good ol' ribby cardi pieces. That's right. I finished the sleeves last night. I'm going to block over night tonight. I haven't even ordered a zipper yet (looks like zipperstop.com is the place to go...) and I still have to decide what kind of neck I want, but I'm almost there. The bulk of the knitting is finished. I can't wait to put it together.

I also managed to put together our taxes this weekend. It wasn't as bad as I thought and resulted in only one screaming match. ;-) We're getting a nice refund. From now on I will be referring to money as yarn. Like "How much yarn are you getting back from Uncle Sam?" "Skeins and Skeins!" There may be a laptop in there too.

It wasn't as exciting as some weekend plans, but I feel like I got a lot accomplished. Which is important because my sister is about a centimeter dilated as we speak - which for those in the know means should could go another three weeks or in the next hour. My brother-in-law and I are both getting jumpy - whenever the phone rings and it's Jolie I'm like WHAT'S UP? Keep your fingers crossed for another couple weeks. Her due date is April 2nd and even though she's done with being pregnant, we'd both like a little more time - I for one have a lot to do.

Here's a picture of the wonderful surprise waiting for me when I got home:

It's Spirit Trail Fiberworks 100% Superwash Merino Sock Yarn in colorway 38-05-02-03 from the fantabulous Annie! Thank you, again! It was a great surprise!

Also waiting for me was a thin package from WEBS with some eagerly awaited patterns:

I want to make the Seeded Cable Cardigan from Farm with my Jo Sharp Stash - either the Desert Garden or the Silkroad Aran DK Tweed (or maybe both if I like the pattern.) I think I'll be swatching (starting a sleeve) very soon. I'm pretty sure I'll be making the Lettuce Edged Pullover from Country Road too. I'll be using Artyarns Supermerino for that for sure!

In the airport, leaving Las Vegas, right after I pulled the handle for the last time, I bought these:

I bought the earrings for the sole purpose of making stitch markers! Aren't they cute? Hopefully they'll bring me good luck. And the dice - well - a girl can't ever have enough dice!

I updated my Arizona blog entry with pictures. Check it out if you'd like. I wasn't completely thrilled with the pictures, but some of them I like. It was a good vacation, but alas feels so far away already.

One last thing. I find it amazing that the Republican party, the party that was all about keeping the government small and out of our lives when I was growing up, now feels that it can step in between a husband and wife AND THE COURTS. The Terry Schiavo case has me running scared. If anything good has come out of it, it's that George and I have had some serious talks about what we'd want in a situation like this. I hope we'll be visiting a lawyer soon. The hypocrisy of Congress has reached hyberbolic levels. They won't allow gays to marry - god forbid we corrupt the sanctity of marriage - but they have no qualms stepping in to reverse a decision that a husband, her legal next of kin, has made for his wife. The age of Big Brother is upon us. I find the political maneuvering despicable and the whole situation so overwhelmingly sad for everyone involved.

Posted by Cara at 03:43 PM | Comments (5)

March 20, 2005

What happens in Vegas, Stays in...

Ah fuck it! You didn't think I wasn't gonna tell, did you? [It's a freaking novel - so don't say you weren't warned!]

But first - I am thisclose to finishing the sleeves on Ribby Cardi. They WILL be done today! If my fingers have to bleed they WILL be done today.

Okay.

So Vegas.

God help me, I think I love the place. Walking onto the casino floor with the dull lighting, timeless nature, stale smoke smell, lights flashing enough to give you an epileptic seizure - not to mention the bells going off every three seconds - the comatose, zombie like nature of the people that have been there for more than ten seconds - and the hopeful, jubilant excitment of the ones who just arrived - I swear I get a little chill down my spine.

This goes against everything my family stood for growing up - gambling was the ULTIMATE sin - throwing away your hard earned money? Only the truly STUPID (yet another of the ultimate sins) would do that. I can remember my father talking about it like THOU SHALL NOT GAMBLE was the 11th commandment. I guess it's a rebellion thing because I LOVE IT! Georgie's a Black Jack man, which I think is boring as hell - only slightly above the slots and Roulette. I USED to play the slots back when I was still young enough to be thrown out of the casinos - G would play his 21 and I would wander around bored, being picked up and alternately cursed (when I won) by single men in tuxes. Finally we had a long weekend in Puerto Rico and a kind man took pity on me and taught me to play at the big girl table. I studied that CRAPS game for days - until the dealers finally convinced me it was time to play. And I've been hooked ever since. I'm a dice girl for sure. I can stand there for hours - and never get bored.

Now that I'm boring you, let's get to the important stuff. The room.
We got to Vegas at around 4 (I won't go into the fact that we left 'Zona at 4 - while we were in the air - a half an hour EARLIER than we left - Georgie informed me we could do whatever we wanted on the flight because it wouldn't count. What were we going to do? No. Not that. I'm sorry - but you've been in one of those airplane bathrooms right? I'm too busy trying not breathe so I don't puke while pee is dripping down my leg to even think about that. Gross. Anyway - the whole time space continuum thing had me slightly fucked up.) So we get to the hotel around 5 - the lobby looks like it does at 3AM, 7AM, 1PM, 10PM, etc. Packed. We finally get to the front of the line and the woman types in her little computer, looks up and says, "You're going to LOVE me." Apparently the hotel was overbooked - and since we came in late and were checking out the next morning - we're talking a mere 19 hours in the room - they bumped us up to a Penthouse Suite on the 35 floor. And not just any suite - one that overlooked the strip and the WORLD FAMOUS BELAGGIO FOUNTAINS! (And that tall structure across the street - I think they call it the Eiffel Tower....)

The view from the room.

Just so you know, while my husband does have connections in the travel biz, all over the world, this reservation was made through ORBITZ. Orbitz people! We were doubly shocked at the upgrade because the hotels pretty much ignore people who book through the cheapy sites. Georgie couldn't believe we weren't walked.

A few Vegas stories before I get to the suite pictures (of which there will be plenty.)

My best friend came to visit us in our palatial suite with the girls and after oohing and ahhing we headed out for a gondola ride at the Venetian. The thing about Vegas is that everything seems much closer than it is - the ride was fun. We had a good gondolier. He would sing songs, and my friend's little girl would say again, again whenever he stopped. But really, how many times can he sing Volare without wanting to go overboard?

That's me on the left.

We walked back amidst the throngs and said good night - we spent the evening with them the next day - I miss them so much! The girls are growing up and I'm not there and it's really sad for me. The oldest was my first real baby - we babysat for her - we were so close! We're still close, but miles take their toll.

On to dinner. I got dressed (okay, first I blogged) and met Georgie for dinner at Circo, son of Le Cirque. Tuscan food. Very nice. Even nicer was while we were sipping our water and perusing our menus, the Maitre'D came over to our table and apoligizing profusely asked us if he could move us to a bigger table with a better view. At this point, we were like, whatever.... ;-) What is it with those Belaggio folks - everything's gotta be bigger and better with them? Dinner was lovely, overlooking the fountains. Again.

After dinner it was time to play. Georgie came to the table with me for a little while, because I do like to have company until I scope things out and make friends with the dealers. They like to help you - especially if you're a grrl playing dice. Not too many of us around. In fact the dealer at Georgie's table was making chit chat and he asked the particulars and when Georgie said he was here with his wife, the dealer asked if I was at the slots. Georgie, very proudly I might add, informed him that no. I play Craps. (Yeah Baby!!!)

So I'm establishing my position at the table, next to the dealer in the middle - the one right across from the pit boss - and there's an old guy standing closest to the dealer to the left of the pit boss who's smoking a cigar - it was disgusting. He only brought it out every now and then - so I was already ensconced before I realized it. Georgie asked if I wanted to leave, but there really weren't that many $10 tables and I liked the dealer so I stayed. Things were not good. I was down to my last $7 - not counting what I had on the table (about $25) - I started with $200. Meahwhile, some heavy rollers had moved in next to Smokey (that's what the dealers were calling the guy - they were particularly offended by his cigar). I say they were heavy rollers because they cashed out about 7K when they left - that's pretty heavy to me. All of a sudden it's Smokey's time to roll - and while things had been pretty bad, all of a sudden they're starting to look better. The nice thing about craps is that generally everyone wins and loses together - it's all about the shooter. Well Smokey's on fire now and Georgie whispers to me - hey, he's not smoking anymore. And he wasn't - it was like the whole vibe of the table turned around! By the time Georgie went off to his own games, I was back on track - I had won back all $200 I lost and then some - I was up like $50! Once Smokey left, one of the dealers was talking to the pit boss - the Holy Roller had paid Smokey $200 to STOP SMOKING! I said, hell if I knew that I would've chipped in! The whole luck of the table changed when that guy put out his phallus.

The whole thing about gambling is knowing when to leave, but I was having fun - so I put my $200 in my pocket and took out another $40 which I promptly lost when some amateurs came to the table. I mean, c'mon. You don't need to be playing when you cash in your $10 bills every time you want to place a bet. Either be in it to win it, or go back to your video games.

I came back later to a different table and lost $100 in like five minutes. I never went back, which I regret. I hate leaving with a bad taste in my mouth.

When we finally got back to the room it was about 3AM. I insisted on a whirlpool bubble bath, which was heavenly. I finally convinced G to get in with me and we watched some TV while we soaked. Funniest thing ever: there was some hardcore porn on - lots of girl on girl stuff that honestly looked really uncomfortable to me - but ONLY ON THE BATHROOM TV. When we finally went to bed, we were flipping around and there was no porn to be found. I guess they think it's easier to clean the rooms that way. It was really, really funny. Okay, disgusting too, but still funny.

The next day we had to leave pretty early. Georgie went to play some more while I tried to read for my class - neither of us was very successful. Then we hit the Belaggio pool for a short bit before we headed out to my friend's. He so graciously let me drag him to two yarn stores I found. Much farther than we thought and pretty disappointing. (Gail Knits and Wooly Wonders) I'm sure they're good for their local customers (although what's the obsession with Collinette? In Scottsdale too!) and Wooly Wonders had everything a spinner could want or need - but I was looking for something different - not to be found unfortunately. (One thing though - SweaterBabe is a great resource for finding yarn stores on the road!)

Whew. That's pretty much it. It was a nice vacation - a little short - but a blast at the end! (Arizona pictures to come....) Thanks for sticking it out.

If you want to take the picture tour, go to the extended entry. Hands in the windows please.

Okay - so I'm standing in the dining room to take this picture. Wet bar to the right - gignormous guest bath dead middle in the picture (open door). The "powder room" was as big as my office at home.

Standing in the living room - you can see the bedroom door in the back. The wet bar is to the left. Fridge, sink, mini bar in the wet bar. The woman at the front desk warned us not to TOUCH anything in the mini bar. It's all sensor activated so if you even THINK about eating that Snickers bar they're gonna charge you for it.

The Combo Living Room/Dining Room

Living Room Altogether, if you count the bathrooms, there were four tvs in the suite.

I like this image because I think it is a good representation of the size of the suite. I'm standing by the desk in the living room - looking into the bedroom. If it seems far away - it's because it WAS far away. Ridiculous. I don't really have a picture of the bedroom - but it wasn't much. The room was actually small, compared to the rest of the suite - the bed, a tv, a table, a chair - most of the space was for the bathrooms.

Okay - so there were two main baths. What I like to call a "Ladies" room with whirlpool bath, bidet, toilet, mirrored and lighted vanity, closet, etc. Next door, through a tiny hallway, was the "Gentlemen" bath, with a shower that had a steam setting, toilet, closet, sink, etc. They were both all marble and crap. Both had tvs. Although it was a little difficult to watch TV when you were in the shower. But I did it anyway.

This is the famous Belaggio Fountain at night. Our room overlooked it - you can see the base of the Eiffel Tower at the top of the picture. The fountains are choreographed (I'm telling you this is the right word - even if we're talking about glorified sprinklers here!) to music - and since the room was pretty soundproof - you can turn the TV to the Belaggio station so you can hear the music. Very cool. Although when the fountains shoot up twenty stories is sounds like a bomb going off. Not so cool to those of us prone to startling.

Night. Sin City.

Posted by Cara at 12:40 AM | Comments (8)

March 17, 2005

Yaaaawn!

Excuse me. I'm beat. We got in this morning at about 6AM. I tried to work on the plane but fell asleep. We got home, climbed into bed and watched the next to last episode of 24. (By the way, I called she was coming back as soon as he made an appearance. I have to say, this may be the BEST.SEASON.EVER!) Then we fell asleep. I had to set the alarm to wake up because I still have three stories to critique before MY LAST CLASS TONIGHT!! Let's shout that again because it makes me so happy. MY LAST CLASS TONIGHT!

What was waiting for me? Spirit Trail sock yarn from Annie! Which so lifted my spirits because despite dragging my poor husband all over Scottsdale AND Vegas, I bought NO YARN on my trip. Annie sent me JUST what I was looking for. Thank you, thank you, thank you, you sweet sweet woman! Pictures to come of course.

I gotta eat lunch. And then I gotta go to work. I had coming home. (But I do love my bed. It's like test driving cars. So sastifying when you come and realize your choice is the best!)

Posted by Cara at 02:06 PM | Comments (3)

March 16, 2005

Luck be a Lady Tonight!

Or how about a penthouse suite at the Bellagio?

That's right - for our one night in Sin City we've got a deluxe penthouse on the 35th floor overlooking the fountains.

We're not sleeping and we're not leaving the room. They'll have to bring the Craps tables up to me, baby.

Details later - I'm off to dinner. This is freaking crazy!

Posted by Cara at 12:20 AM | Comments (5)

March 15, 2005

Vegas, Baby!

Today we leave 'Zona and head off to Vegas, Baby! The plane trip is short, just enough time to catch up on my Craps game. Thankfully I didn't forget my little how to book - I can never remember the right play on the come line - the MOST important play in craps, after odds on the pass line.

The clouds rolled in yesterday and so did cooler temperatures, but that was fine because we spent the afternoon in the high desert (okay, not too high, but high enough at around 3000 ft.) Rosanna was our guide for our Sonora Desert Adventure, and she was quite knowledgable. The lecture she gave us on the rattlesnakes, gila monsters, javelinas and scorpions, not to mention the horned toads (actually lizards) that shoot freaking blood out of their eyes when threatened, was enough to ensure I would NOT be getting out of the jeep. But I did, and we didn't see any wild animals. (I have to admit, I would've liked to have caught a glimpse at least.)

What we did see were miles of Saguaro - these cacti are amazing. A mature Saguaro weighs about 10 tons and can grow about 50 ft with a lifespan of around 150 years. Amazingly, they are soft inside, have a wood core, but don't fall over in heavy winds. They are graceful giants and they are everywhere around here. There are some wonderful Native American legends about the Saguaro - like they are reincarnated soldiers (the name Saguaro means sentinal, I think) and the arms represent wives. If an arm bends downward, it means the wife was unfaithful. Another legend says that all the arms represent family members, and the downturned arms represent someone in the family who was sick or passed on. I hope to have lots of pictures to show you when I get back.

[Edited to add pictures]

We also saw lots of wildflowers - desert lavendar, tobacco, Mexican poppies - and cacti - cholla (these "teddy bear" cacti are lethal! They're pricklies get in you, apparently, and don't let go. They'll shoot out a root system and grow out of your ass. Literally. We had to check our shoes everytime we got in the jeep to make sure we didn't have any brambles stuck in our shoes.), agave, barrel cactus, prickly pear (the javelina eat these - you see these desimated plants and you know they've been around), yucca - it was a wonderful tour. We were the only ones too, so we had extra special attention.

[Edited to add pictures]

Rosanna told lots of stories about the Wild Southwest, including stories of Pearl Hart - the only woman known to rob a stagecoach and also the person responsible for the last stagecoach robbery in Arizona. And Charlie (Charlotte) Parkhurst, the best stagecoach driver ever, who worked for Wells Fargo and was only found to be a woman AFTER she died. Apparently she only had one eye and was a genius with a whip. Definitely interesting stuff. Add to that Rosanna's gigantuan tweezers which she used to pluck cactus needles out of my ass (yes, I made the mistake of backing up - the funny thing was that we were still at the hotel when I did it!) and her pearl handled knife and you get quite a character. She used to pilot helicopters on tours in the Grand Canyon. Loved the red nail polish and lipstick too!

Barely any knitting has been done - I did move onto ball three of Pinwheel. And barely any reading. I'm forty pages into Jonathan Strange - and I like it. But I have four stories to read for my LAST CLASS(!) on Thursday and that needs to get done. We're getting home pretty early Thursday morning, but I'd like to sleep instead of work before class that night. Ugh.

Can't wait to see Margo and the girls! Vegas here we come....

Posted by Cara at 10:18 AM | Comments (5)

March 12, 2005

'Zona

All's well in the Grand Canyon State! Right now, I'm sitting in our room, the fire blazing, the crickets chirping just past our balcony and Terms of Endearment is on the TV. George is working out.

The weather has been spectacular. Mid-80s, the bluest skies I've ever seen, nice breeze and NO SWEAT. Things have been pretty quiet at the pool - which is lovely. Today I read about thirty pages of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. I'm actually looking forward to reading it tomorrow.

I'm regretting (just a little) the road trip we took this afternoon to two yarn stores in Scottsdale. (By the way - who knew Scottsdale was so big!) The first, Arizona Knitting & Needlepoint, was situated next to an abandoned gun supply store with the most disturbing logo - a teddy bear holding an automatic weapon. It was called something like Mandel's Shooting Supplies - I kid you not. I so wish I had brought my camera, which I had left behind as we rushed out the door to get there before the store closed. Maybe we'll go back and take a picture. I don't know - but it was just crazy.

Anyway, back to the store. It was small on the outside, but had a lot of stuff on the inside. Georgie came with me and asked a lot of questions. (Can you really knit with this? was my favorite when he picked up some tres funky novelty yarn. - yeah, you can, was my reply. But why would you want to? ;-) )

They had a TON of Colinette and A LOT of novelty yarns. A whole back room with baby yarns and a felting yarn wall. Some Manos. I don't know - nothing really struck me. I don't really need any yarn and was looking for something special - hand painted, local maybe. Everything there I could get somewhere else - and probably a lot cheaper.

Then we went to Jessica Knits. What a beautiful store! Bright and airy - a coushy couch (and Sports Illustrateds among the magazines to read. Georgie was happy.) and chairs. Lots of different kinds of yarns - all fibers - spread around the store in wood cubbies. Great displays in big glassware containers. Interesting one of a kind bags and accessories. If this was my LYS, I'd be quite pleased. But, alas, again - nothing I couldn't have found locally or online. The prices weren't bad, but no great bargains either.

All in all, I'm glad we did the trip because I would've regretted not going - but I also would've liked to stay at the pool a little longer just a little bit more.

Tomorrow we're off the Desert Botanical Gardens - it's picture time! I'm very excited. We're going to go early in the morning before it gets too hot. I'm hoping for some spectacular pictures. And on our way back, we're stopping at the Southwest Regional Alpaca Show! It's at Rawhide, an old-time Western town of sorts. They will have a market as well and I'm hoping to pick up some yarn there.

I have gotten some knitting done - I'm almost through the second skein on the Pinwheel Blanket. It's looking good.

Alright - time to hop in the shower before dinner. We're eating at Roy's tonight. Yummy!

Posted by Cara at 09:27 PM | Comments (4)

March 10, 2005

85 and Sunny

Yup. That's right! That's the forecast.

By noon tomorrow I'll be at the pool, virgin colada in hand. First, we will have made the obligatory homage to the hamburger at THE BEST HAMBURGER JOINT IN THE WORLD. You guessed. Georgie and I don't vacation unless there's an In-N-Out within driving distance. I could tell you stories.

Have no fear, I'll be blogging from Arizona. You won't have to miss me too much.

Ah, the desert. My home away from home.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Love,
Cara

PS: I feel really bad - yesterday I listed all my favorite TV lovers and I missed one of the best ones: Sonnylicious, Port Charles' very own gangsta lova! Mmmm. Delicioso!

Posted by Cara at 02:41 PM | Comments (7)

March 09, 2005

Dream Lovers

I had a whole post practically finished. Didn't save the friggin draft and then accidentally closed the window. That blows. Fucking A that blows.

It's 12:08AM - do you know where your significant other is? Mine's at the office. Stuck. Apparently there's a three hour delay on car services in NYC. He should know - he's in charge of car services (among other things) at his company. I offered to come in and get him, because, you know, I'm the greatest wife that ever lived, but he thinks the reason for the delay is that the roads are treacherous. He said he couldn't live with himself if anything happened to me. Whatever. I want to go to sleep and I can't sleep without him, so....

I was disappointed in the Gilmore Girls tonight. Last week Luke and Lorelai got back together with that passionate middle of the night knock on the door your mom's the biggest bitch that ever lived I can't believe I let her break us up take her in his arms tongue down the throat moment that I rewound, oh, I'd say about fifty times. (It worked though. Luke was the very happy subject of my nicely naughty dream that night. TV is such a lovely thing. Erotic dreams of Tony on Monday, erotic dreams of Luke on Tuesday, erotic dreams of Josh on Wednesday, erotic dreams of Carter on Thursday...the weekend is all about my Georgie. Uck. Scratch that. It sounds so horribly pathetic. Alas, true. But still pathetic.) I wanted a little more passion between the two of them - I mean c'mon. Make-up sex and all that. Has anyone noticed that Lorelai walks like a duck sometimes? I've been watching all the reruns too and you know what? That Dean was a real ASS. And a DUMB ASS at that.

There is knitting to be discussed. Well, not really actual knitting. I tried. I really, really tried. But all I could get tonight was ten freaking rows on the Ribby Cardi sleeves. What is my major malfunction on this thing? I should be shitting these sleeves out in my sleep. Chelsea asked for some tips on how people get motivated with their UFO's and I have to say, I really liked CJ's dice comment. She rolls the dice and whatever number comes up, that's how many rows she has to knit on the project she doesn't really want to be knitting. Then she's allowed to move on to the fun project. I'm totally going to try that.

Georgie just called me again. He's getting a train to the local station and I'm going to pick him up there. At about 12:50AM. Should give me enough time to finish this post.

I'm dreaming of some short rows....

Yummy Rowan Wool Cotton!

I forgot how great this yarn is. When I made Max's sweater, I substituted this for Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere (which I really didn't like). The Wool Cotton was a dream to knit with and I think it will be perfect for this pattern. I'm trying to resist the urge to cast on RIGHT.THIS.MINUTE. The baby blanket is languishing on the needles and the baby's practically here. I was going to make a sweater and hat and other stuff too. I'm tempted to ONLY take the blanket on vacation. To force myself to finish it. But I will probably take the yarn for the short row sleeves. And the baby blanket. And maybe some sock yarn. Where are those dice?

More stash. Got a some backordered Art Yarns today from WEBS:

This will be a cardigan for my best friend's daughter. It doesn't need to be completed until Aug/Sep 2005. I'll cast on today, just in case. I also found a pattern that would be perfect for me - using the Art Yarns Supermerino. I want something for myself in this amazing yarn:

The model looks kind of dorky, but the sweater's pretty. And it even looks like they used Art Yarns. It's a Classic Elite pattern by the way.

I also received the Alchemy Yarns Silk Purse:

Sea of Cortez

Add another project to the list. This one I'd like to have finished by May 20th - my best friend's birthday. Every time I see a new one of these Clapotis (how do you make that plural? Claptoi? Clapotises?), I'm more and more intrigued.

All right. Off to brave the roads for my love. Wish me god speed.
Okay. I'm back. Wasn't so bad. The anti-lock breaks only kicked in twice. Damn it's cold though.

Off to sleep. Perchance to dream....

Posted by Cara at 01:25 AM | Comments (11)

March 08, 2005

Cast On, Cast Off

Sort of like life, right?

I'm nervous today - I'm finally on my way to a job that's been rescheduled twice already. Mainly because of the weather. Guess what's going on outside today? But I'm going. Anyway, I always get nervous before a job. Sort of like stage fright, but add in the driving factor (sometimes I get anxious driving) and I feel like I'm going to puke. I always make it through, but you know. Somethings you just have to go through to come out of. Cast On. Cast Off.

Speaking of casting on, my class last night was interesting. I finally learned a tubular cast on and it's very pretty. As is the cable cast on. I had A LOT of trouble with your basic long tail (Shirley Paden calls it the half-hitch). I generally do a knit on cast on, which apparently isn't appropriate unless you're knitting lace, but that's what I know. The finger cast ons were hard for me. I kept trying to do the movement in my head, but I don't know if I got it right. She did some double twist loop de loop thingy at the end, some kind of Japanese cast on, that had my head spinning. Yeah. I gave up on that one. All in all, it was interesting (did I already say that?) Good info for the arsenal.

The weekend had its moments. Poor sweet girl was sick - nasty cold and snot dripping everywhere. My sister and brother-in-law were sick too. I figure the snot will start pouring out of my body as soon as the wheels lift on the plane on Friday. You know, when I'm heading off for vacation. I've been sick on a lot of vacations, so I won't be horribly disappointed. (Remind me to tell you about that cold I had at the Four Seasons Maui. Man was that torture!) Still though. It'd be nice NOT to be sick.

Lauren asked how my nephew enjoyed the casting party. Well, when my nephew and I were talking about the weather yesterday and how we could smell Spring, he said wouldn't it be great if it was Spring all the time and I said, yeah, but then we'd have to live in L.A. or Florida and that ain't happening. No, really, I told him that the seasons were important because if everything were the same all the time, it would get really boring. And he said, like when we were doing the belly cast right? Apparently, he didn't have a good time.

That's not true - he loved slathering his Mommy's belly with Vaseline, getting all gooky and ooky and stuff. He just got a little impatient with applying the plaster. I guess that can get kind of boring. My sister and I both agree it's the best one of the three we've done. I told her when she has her fourth, the cast will probably make itself. This weekend I really felt the baby moving for the first time. When my nephew was in utero I'd just sit there with my hands on my sister's belly. It's kind of hard now when I've got one kid on my lap and the other one hanging on my back. My sister's kids are definitely lovers - which is great with me. I miss them already. The next time I go down will probably be baby day! I can't believe it!

There's stash to talk about. I received some of my order of Alchemy Yarns Silk Purse and it's beautiful - although the color is a little off from what I imagined. It's much more saturated, which I think, in the end, will be better for my friend. I can't wait to start knitting it.

Also, I received the yarn for Short Rows! I'm so, so excited. It looks even better in person and the colors are beautiful. I want to cast on immediately! Alas, I think it will have to get in line. I'm sort of overwhelming myself with projects and I feel the need to finish something. Even if that something is Ribby Cardi. The sleeves have gone no where fast. And the train did nothing for me - four rows at the most. I've still got forty rows of increases. Have I mentioned how much this is killing me?

Stash pictures later. I need to get ready for work.

Posted by Cara at 08:46 AM | Comments (7)

March 07, 2005

Behold! The Belly....

Off to my Cast On Fourteen Different Ways class! All about the weekend later....

Love,
Cara

Posted by Cara at 04:56 PM | Comments (7)

March 04, 2005

Belly Cast, Baby!

That's correct. You read it right. It's going to be a Belly Cast Weekend!

As many of you know, my sister is due with her third child around the first week of April. When she was pregnant with my nephew, her first, I talked her into letting me do a belly cast. Now, this was 2001 - so I was WAY ahead of the trend. No Regis & Kelly, no The View. None of that crap. Just some strange thing I found on the Internet. My mother was dead set against it and I have to admit, as I was about to put the first strip of plaster on my sister's well-Vaselined belly, I thought to myself - what if this shit doesn't come off? But it did and my other sister and I had a great time making it. It came out beautifully. We took lots of pictures which my sister won't let me show on National TV (i.e., The Internet). We were, though, interviewed for a Wall Street Journal story on the new hot happening trend among pregnant mommies. Yes, that's right, The Wall Street Journal. (It was around May, 2001. Can't find a link though.)

Where is said baby cast now? Who the hell knows. On top of the closet?

Fast forward to 2003. My darling sister's preggers again. We MUST do another cast. How could we deprive the new baby this honor? I mean, what if they grow up, find this weird thing flung into the attic and my sister has to inform my niece: WE DIDN'T LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO MAKE ONE FOR YOU?!? So another cast was made.

And here we are. It's 2005 and my sister's shitting out another one. (Don't get me wrong. I love these kids like I love my right arm. Or my left ventricle.) So I'm off to belly cast again. This time around, my nephew's going to help. Which should be good for a few hundred laughs.

One thing the trip down to Philly guarantees is some knitting time - at least two hours. So I'm bringing the sleeves. Because there's no way in hell I'm bringing them on vacation next week.

The next couple of months are going to be crazy. We leave for vacation next Friday. Back on Thursday. Teach my last class that night. And then at least I'm home for a couple of weeks - that is unless the baby decides to come early. My sister's gone about a week late with the other two, so we're sort of planning on that for this one. Which would put me at the second week of April. And then I'll be down there off and on for the next month or so - more on than off probably as she's going to need the help. (Don't worry Annie! ;-) I will be blogging!) I'm sure those in the know can chime in, but they say going from two to three might as well be like going from two to ten. I get panicked just thinking about it and hey, I don't have to live there.

The taxes MUST be done before the baby's born. And while I know there are some others out there that claim to be bad at housework, trust me. I got you beat. I come from a long line of notoriously BAD house cleaners - going back generations. It's a gene thing. Not my fault. We fired our cleaning person OVER A YEAR AGO! So you can imagine. It's disgusting. I would maybe like the house to be a little neater. Mind you, I'm not saying clean, only neater, before the baby's born. I'm just saying. That's all.

Oh and I ~may~ have spent some time at the post office yesterday. ;-)

Have a great weekend all...
Love,
Cara

Posted by Cara at 09:02 AM | Comments (6)

March 03, 2005

World Book Day?

What? No Hallmark Card?

In honor of this austere day (I'm sorry - isn't every day BOOK day?!?) The Independent asked 100 Literary Lumineries (most of which I've never heard of) to name their favorite literary characters. [link from bookslut]

So, I'll play:

Robert Jordan
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Ernest Hemingway

I'm actually not a big Hemingway fan - but I love this book. First off, best.love.scene.ever starts Chapter 13 (that's right, run out RIGHT NOW to read it!) - it's beyond moving and beautiful and there's a romantic desperateness that can only be born from living in a cave during the Spanish American War. Oh, Robert Jordan, you had me at rabbit.

Speaking of which...

Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom
Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit is Rich; and Rabbit at Rest
John Updike

I spent a summer alternating between loving and hating this guy - not a hard feat at all. But in the end, I was so sad to leave him. I mean, really sad. I missed the fucker like all get out. He's a bastard to be sure, but you can't help but feel for the guy as he wanders through the decades.

Melanie Wilkes
Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell

I was eleven when I read Gone With the Wind and it's stayed with me forever - I am and forever will be a hopeless romantic, so there's not much more to say except the emotion I felt when I read Melanie had died will stay with me forever. I was sprawled across my parent's bed one afternoon after school. I remember my friend called to invite me out for a bike ride and I couldn't understand how she could want to "play" when the sweetest, most understanding, most gentle, most moral human being ever to live was DYING. Dying I say, all because babies were the miracles that make life worth living. Sniff, sniff. Damn that Margaret Mitchell! Oh yeah and I loved Rhett too.

Louisa
"Carried Away," Selected Stories
Alice Munro

Okay, so it helps that she's a librarian and a pathetic one at that, but the way this story winds together is breathtaking. And Louisa, the way she falls for the boy that writes to her from the war, while pathetic, also fits that romantic sensibility I was talking about earlier. And the scene with her and Arthur in the library during the storm, well, it just stabs at your heart like only Alice's pen can.

That's all I got right now. I'm sure I could come up with more if I tried. This little exercise was harder than I thought - I realize now that while I attach an emotional response to books I love (or hate, for that matter), I don't necessarily form an emotional attachment to character - in fact sometimes it's hard to really remember characters at all. Hmmm. Very interesting. I do remenber all the characters I've writen though. They are tattoed on my soul. Maybe because they're all really me.

Okay. Enough maudlin sentimentality. Don't forget to wish Wendy a happy birthday today. What a coincidence: The Bookish Girl's birthday is World Book Day! Hossana!

And can I just say, that Alison is one popular girl! She linked to me on her blog yesterday and I got twice as many hits! All from her blog. Wow. I guess there was good reason to stalk her.... ;-)

Oh and one last thing - thanks for all your feel betters yesterday - they worked. And thanks for all the compliments on my color choices for Short Rows. I'm sorry if I didn't email you back - something's weird with MT and I didn't get the emails. Appreciate it though. :-)

Thursday is class day, so it's off to work. They were nice to me this week though - everybody wrote short.

Posted by Cara at 10:42 AM | Comments (7)

March 02, 2005

Kick-ass

headache I've got going today. Came out of nowhere too. Probably ate lunch too late - or allergies because it's all in my face - but what can you do. I'll get into bed and read for class. A nap might come soon after.

Because I seem to be made of money these days, I ordered the yarn for my short-row pullover:

This is what I decided on:

Rowan Wool Cotton

French Navy-909	Aloof-958	Bilberry-959	Laurel-960	Antique-900

The French Navy will be for the sleeves and the Aloof and Bilberry for the major accents, the Laurel and Antique for the minor accents. I'm excited about it to be sure! I so hope I can make it fit. I'll be so sad if it doesn't fit these big, humongous boobs. (There you go google pervs!) I'm so not happy with my weight these days, I'd hate to make myself something that won't fit because I'm too fat. Alright. I won't go there. My head hurts too bad already. The best news was that I used my gift certificate and barely paid anything - include in that a ball-winder and the Rowan Junior book.

The people at Yarnmarket.com were very helpful, I have to say. I wasn't sure about the colors matching well, so Pat pulled some of each to put together for me - and then she came here to check out the picture. She also asked everyone in the office if they thought it looked good. There was a positive consensus - it should look great! I really do like this pattern.

Yesterday I managed to be productive and sent in slides for a juried show. It's for members of the Professional Women Photographers Association. The theme is The Secret Garden, and those photographs selected will be on Exhibit at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens this summer. So cross your fingers for me. You can see the photographs I entered here.

I also did some work on the Ribby Cardi sleeves. Man those suckers are going slow! I would LOVE to have this project done. F-U-C-KL-O-V-E it!

Make sure you check out Wendy's handy dandy tips on meeting knitbloggers. And don't forget your sharpie! ;-)

ETA:
Almost forgot! Lolly tagged me for the latest Meme going around -

1. What was the last book you read or are reading?
I just finished The Easter Parade by Richard Yates, which I enjoyed. Not as much as his other ones (Revolutionary Road is a masterpiece, as are his short stories.) I'm about to start Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke for Knit One Read Too.

2. Where did it come from (library, bookstore, gift, etc.)?
Book store for sure. I'm really bad at borrowing. Although I used a gift card for the Clarke book.

3. How many books do you read per year?
I try to average at least one a month - hopefully two. That's pretty pathetic. I must try to do better. Part of the reason I started K1R2 was to make myself read more.

4. What is your favorite genre?
Literary fiction to the point of snobbery. I'm actually quite elitist when it comes to my reading. But at least I can admit my prejudices right?

5. Who will you tag now?
Mrs. Pilkington - mainly because I'm thinking she has quite a diversified reading list - especially when compared to mine. (It seems I can't stay away from dead (or alive) white men. What's wrong with me?)

Posted by Cara at 01:51 PM | Comments (10)

March 01, 2005

March

comes in like a lion and out like a lamb....

Spring's just around the corner!
Happy day and happy knitting.
Love,
Cara

Posted by Cara at 09:14 AM | Comments (13)