Friday, July 29, 2005

I must be getting old

I found myself listening to Elvis the other morning, for the first time. It was three am, and he wasn't bad. Of course, dying away my grey hair didn't help the feeling, either.

Tuesdays are for gooping.

This is non-toxic, smells like a combination of hay and lavender, and fun to play with. I don't know why more people don't use henna.

I guess it's a choice between having grey hair at 24 or orange hair! The orange calms down as the henna oxidizes and the color deepens somewhat.

One thing I didn't realize that I missed deeply while in England was trees. There are very few in the town where I was living, deep in the northern moors, and there were none very close to look at from my room's window, where I spent the majority of my time. Yes, there were some, but they were less important; I was there for fall, winter, and spring...when I arrived there were leafy green trees, but that didn't last long. The light is brighter here, and so the shade becomes more important.

The house where I'm staying now is surrounded by large deciduous trees, mainly for privacy's sake, but they're wonderful to look at. At moments when I'm working and my eyes hurt from too much time spent on the computer I can look up and see trees, not brick buildings covered in drizzling rain. It didn't rain as much as I had anticipated, but it did enough so that I have many pictures of wet brick buildings.

Wowie, post one comment to our beloved Harlot's blog and get visitors!

Friday, July 22, 2005

By popular demand...

Foot! Dear Silly SSSP, I hope this helps. (Leg has been removed for your protection--it's stubbly!)
I love handknit socks; my feet are one size larger than "normal" and so handknit socks fit the way that I guess socks are meant to: not binding! Yay!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Murphy

This is not primarily a knitting blog; it's mainly to share photos easily with friends who are far away. "But," you cry (all both of you), "You only seem to read knitting blogs!" True. Shutup. For lack of any actual life content, and taking advantage of my camera's good mood (it works when I don't need it, but a one-time meeting up with a Dwarfer from overseas? Nope!) I decided to document some of this summer's projects, just to take pictures of something other than my own feet.

The beginnings of a black sweater, self-designed. with 3x2 ribbing down the sides. I'd never tried cotton yarn before, and when I got a great deal on ebay.co.uk while living in England, I decided it was worth the color (I don't normally wear black) to try Rowan wool/cotton. It's great! I have the feeling that it will get very soft with wear, and should make a good, light sweater. On size 3s, and my knitting speed, I sense this is a long-term project.
A baby sweater. I don't know why. I had three skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino that I had hoped would go with some Austermann Barkarole that I have, but it's a bit off. So I made this lovely squishy jacket, using the Harlot's pattern Daisy in knitty as a guide, but mostly just knitting along for fun. Now I want one of my own.Yes, I'm making a clapotis. This is actually the second one I started, but it's also stalled. I don't know if I like it on this needle--Silk Garden on size 8s. It seems a little loose to me. I'll probably pick this back up in the fall, or else find something else to do with 9 skeins of Silk Garden.Mmm, rainbowy fun. This is assorted leftover/bought specifically for wool and a bit of alpaca leftovers, mainly elann Highland...I thought: wouldn't it be fun to knit and then felt a blanket? I still think it'll turn out pretty neat.The problem is, I don't know which color to use next.Spinning! Copper Moose Merino and Silk, so yummy! The silk actually makes it easier to spin the short, soft merino. I should have enough of this for another sweater after the black one is finished.
An example of how nice it is to have an actual tension knob for your wheel instead of making your own tension thingie with some cotton yarn. The original tension knob of my spinning wheel went missing about ten years ago during a play. I picked up spinning again last summer, but this summer when I re-picked it up I decided to see how much of a difference there would be with a real tension knob. The pink is an example of my finest two-ply before, with my own tension thingie. The blue is my new two-ply. I think it's about sport weight but I haven't tested the WPI yet.
Happy sock knitting!





Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Wow, comments!

Unfortunately, my camera seems to be completely kaput again. So now I'm doubly glad that I took a picture of the socks when I had the chance!

Thanks for all your nice comments about Pasha! Here's a picture of her, newly complete, with her new owner. For those of you in the know, she's gone off to live with the man who works with Mr. Flibble.

This is really not a flattering picture, but it's the only one I have!

Thursday, July 14, 2005

It worked!

Dear SSSP,
Yes, indeedy--pictures! I put batteries in my dead camera today, and you should've heard the squeak I made when it came on! I have tried a few times over the past few months to see if it would work, and last time absolutely nothing happened, so I've been going into picture withdrawl. I'm hoping that what it really just needs is a cleaning...to get the salt out?

Anyway:

Pasha!


She's getting her wings, feet and eyes sewn on tomorrow. I used Lion Microspun, doubled, and she's so soft and sleek! I usually despise acrylic, but I can tolerate this stuff. And as it's a gift, I don't have to touch it for long.

Mine doesn't look quite like the knitty pattern--either I made a mistake or I overstuffed her, but I like her all round like this--even without accesories she's got personality.

As for socks, well:


Yum.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

The roomies are having an argument, so I'm in my room with headphones on:

fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
fortune depends on the tone of your voice
so sing while you have time
let the sun shine down from above
and fill you with songs of love

fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
fortune depends on the tone of your voice
so sing while you still can
while the sun hangs high up above
wonderful songs of love
beautiful songs of love
beautiful songs of love


Thursday, July 07, 2005

Yay, I can finally add pictures more easily! (Now if I can just figure out the sidebar dealie I'll have a real, actual blog).

Photo copyright 2005 by Sally Jane Driscoll. Used by permission.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

THE YARN came today. It is pretty. It is soft. Wee sockies will be started after the Samantha thingie.
Dear SSSP,
Just in case you're checking to see if I write anything interesting...

I'm job-hunting, working slllllllowly on my dissertation, and generally wondering if I'll ever find a job. Yes, I could go out and get a job tomorrow--retail always likes me. But the point of working, then deciding to go to graduate school and then completing the damn course must be to then get a job, no? I got through two interviews with a boarding school in CT who wanted me to start a Drama program, a choir, teach English and History, wash the windows, castrate some cats, massage their feet, etc. Silly them; I don't do windows. After not getting that job I felt a twinge of disappointment but mainly a great sense of relief; now I didn't have to spend the next few years in rural CT. But since then, nothing. It took me seven months to find a job last time I graduated. So far this time it's only been two and a half.

Rant over. Am currently working on Kate Gilbert's Samantha in Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece. I wanted to use baby Cashmerino but my LYS doesn't carry it, and this little dress is needed for my stepmother to take to her niece's new baby over the fourth of July weekend, yeep.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Another Tuesday night

Dear Super Secret Sock Pal,
Now I have a reason to blog more often. Unfortunately, there's not much to tell. My camera was broken on that high-tide day when Jenni was scared by a wave. She was taking a picture and got hit by a wave.

I'm back in New York these days, writing my dissertation and looking for a teaching job, and also really, really enjoying central air!

How about pink sports socks? I started my diet again today...someday it'll stick. I just figured it out; if I ever could stick to anything, it would still take about a year to lose the 80 pounds that I gained in only about three months--six years ago! That's why there aren't many pictures of me on here.

Hope you're warm and safe/cool and safe tonight.

Is this thing on?

Uh-oh, the sockapaltwoza links are being sent out, so I guess I'll have a new visitor sometime soon.

Nothing much is going on, but hello, sock pal!

Saturday, April 16, 2005

I have only days left in Scarborough. Train to Manchester, 13 May...leave 14th May. Wow.

Monday, April 04, 2005




You're Love in the Time of Cholera!

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Like Odysseus in a work of Homer, you demonstrate undying loyalty by
sleeping with as many people as you possibly can. But in your heart you never give
consent! This creates a strange quandary of what love really means to you. On the
one hand, you've loved the same person your whole life, but on the other, your actions
barely speak to this fact. Whatever you do, stick to bottled water. The other stuff
could get you killed.



Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

It's my 200th day in England!

Friday, March 18, 2005


My poor car!





My bench.