The blog for just because

What? I have a blog?

2009-04-20T09:30:00.002-04:00

Forgot about this little baby. The neat thing is that, so, I'm sure did everyone else who read it (i.e., Mom). I was thinking the other day that I need to spend some time writing, and this is a perfect little venue. Writing for the "public" without any fear of what the audience will think. Because I'm quite sure, at the moment, this blog has an audience of One.

I started this blog as a way to share what I'd been creating -- crochet and knit projects at the time. I believe this is a season of more creativity for me. What will I create? Not sure yet. Spending time thinking about writing about creating is part of that process. I'm looking forward to the journey.

Capacity

2007-06-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

ca·pac·i·ty [kuh-pas-i-tee]
noun, plural -ties, adjective–noun

1. the ability to receive or contain...
3. power of receiving impressions, knowledge, etc.; mental ability
4. actual or potential ability to perform, yield, or withstand

Mine is growing this week. It's both slightly overwhelming and immensely rewarding to see all that needs done this week and know that it's going to get done. I'm grateful.

Colour

2007-06-24T00:06:00.000-04:00

Simply stunning. I like that there is beauty even in advertising.

The song is Jose Gonzalez's "Hearbeats," if you're interested. I saw this video at a conference and proceeded to buy the entire album.

Creation

2007-06-23T23:46:00.001-04:00

A friend texted me a couple weeks ago on a Saturday morning, saying, "I want to give you a bunch of yarn. Can I bring it tomorrow?" That inspired me to head straight to Michaels to buy more yarn. It's like a disease. What you see above is a blanket (the fruit of Michaels, almost done now) and flowers that will become a scarf.

I haven't been crocheting much lately, but I'm all the more thankful for the creative outlet it provides when I am able to find some time to do so. It's funny... who would have thought that a centuries old craft would unlock my 21st century creative streak?

I took the Strong Interest Inventory, a commonly-used "test" to help people choose careers, in grad school last week, and my primary interest type was "Artistic*." I smile as I type that, because I'd never been able to own my creative side. Until now.

*In case you're wondering, my other two types were "Social" and "Enterprising," types I've been owning all too well for years.

My Life Without Me

2007-06-23T23:27:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful film. I'm not sure how I missed it when it was released in theaters... I suppose 2003 was a busy year? (Though I recall seeing a lot of particularly bad films first-run that year. I guess the company I was keeping that year was more of the big studio type.)

It seems counterintuitive that a film about a 23-year-old mother of two dying would be uplifting. But what beautiful characters, what sincere emotion. I accidentally typed "emothion" first, which is undoubtedly my subconscious reminding me to mention the other reason I loved this movie---its Spanish roots. Pedro Almodovar was involved, and the director is Spanish, as well. A major perk of watching the "making of" featurette... escuchando un poco de español.

And to think... I put this little gem in my queue solely because it featured Scott Speedman, of Felicity-hottie fame. I'm glad my guilty-teen-drama pleasure has resulted in my gaining genuine indie-cred points... and in truly being touched.

One Vote '08

2007-06-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

My good friend produced this amazing video. Go to one.org NOW and help save millions of people whose lives are being lost to poverty that could be eradicated by the dedication of just 1% of the U.S. budget.

Friday

2007-05-28T07:25:00.001-04:00

Friday really felt like one of the first days of summer... 80s, the first holiday weekend, a night when I could walk 30 blocks uptown to see a friend rather than ride the subway. You know those times when you think, "This is beautiful. I should take a photograph."? A camera phone lends itself well to pausing in those moments. I'm glad I did.

Blanket

2007-05-19T22:32:00.000-04:00

Why is it that I get inspired to crochet as the weather warms? Perhaps it's something about the rebirth of spring inspiring creativity. Whatever the case, the advent of warm weather has led me to start work on a very warm blanket. I was initially inspired by all the rippling happening on CrochetMe and other sites.

The intent of that whole endeavor was to clean out one's yarn stash. I bought a bunch of yarn. Oops. But I love it. It's Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Chunky (read "washable") and in all the colors I've been wanting to use for a blanket.

It's wider than I intended, as wide as a double bed (on which it is pictured, as have been many of my crochet projects). But that's OK... it will end up taking me 14 balls of yarn when I'm all done, and should be amazingly warm.. perfect for snuggling under once the weather turns cool again. For now, I'll enjoy the fact that it's just a little too warm on my lap as I work on it.

Yarn Reigns Supreme in NYC tonight

2007-05-17T08:15:00.000-04:00

Why am I always the last to know? I can't go to this, but wish I could. I would definitely find a sweater to unravel.

Knit Night - Museum of Arts & Design

Bringo

2007-05-16T10:07:00.000-04:00

How incredible is this... it's a service that gets through the "phone trees" you encounter when you call customer service. ("I'm sorry. I didn't quite understand you. Please say that again.")

Bringo... no more wishing evil things would happen to the people who designed phone trees

Hope

2007-05-15T22:37:00.000-04:00

I suppose posting two-month-old handwritten journal entries doesn't fully capture the spirit of blogging, but I wanted to post this here nonetheless. It was meaningful to me, and I hope it might be to others. I wrote this while on a bus crossing through rural, poor areas of the Dominican Republic while on vacation in March of this year.

I wonder what it says about the condition of this country that the UNICEF-like ads of a foundation, and the signs identifying towns throughout the campo, bear the name of a rum company. Our guide today said that the campesinos are happy with their lives—that they choose to live this way, the state has given them their land. And while it’s true what he said—that the people aren’t skinny, don’t look malnourished, even in this place where the children run naked and the dogs sleep in the streets—there is something empty, vacant in their eyes. I wonder if it’s the space where hope should dwell… those aspirations of "What I want to be when I grow up" and "oh, the places you will go."

Empty Presidente beer bottles line the now-deserted stand of bananas and coconuts as the sun drops slowly behind the Cordillera Occidental. What are the lingering effects of the Trujillismo [the 30-year dictator’s regime—a dictator put into place by the U.S.], the conquests, the coups... the rum? The last thing this country, or any, needs is the judgmental gaze of an American who doesn’t understand its complexities, and I’m well aware that the sings I see here can’t fully be seen through my eyes--"los ojos de una extranjera."

But my spirit feels something that I can’t help but notice and don’t know what to do with. As an American, it’s impossible not to feel complicit, selfish, "part of the problem" when traveling abroad. I guess it is possible, though not for me, and millions of Americans do it every day, which is why I end up feeling like such a jerk.

So, what to do? Tip well, contribute to the economy through the purchase of my watered down piña coladas, and pray? It doesn’t feel enough, and it’s not, but I’m not sure what else to do—besides listen, see, try to understand. And I believe those three are significant. How would it change the world if judgment was replaced with understanding, a desire to help (if not actually the action that does so?) ...

Sweater

2007-05-13T09:06:00.000-04:00

I actually have been crocheting during my blogging hiatus, a bit at least. Thanks to the 40 inches of snow that fell on Denver this Christmas, I managed to start and finish a sweater out of Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker book. It's done in Knit Picks' Andean Silk.

I had to restart at some point, as I was working the fitted part too tightly—and still managed to wear it on the flight home. Long holiday. Lots of airport time.

Charity is...

2007-05-13T09:01:00.000-04:00

My own hidden island

2007-05-08T18:44:00.000-04:00

If anyone read my blog, they would be asking, "Where has she been all this time?" Ironically, I've been busy with work, where I have been spending a great deal of time researching technology and creating new blogs. Go figure.

In order to keep my tech skills savvy, my writing active, and in wild hopes that I'll accomplish something crochet- (i.e. "relaxation-") related, I decided to just go ahead and post lovely random little things up here more often. Even if I'm just using clever Web 2.0 tools to borrow things that are already online.

Here's one. Come 2010, I'll be looking for a new favorite TV show.

Trujillo

2007-05-07T00:39:00.000-04:00

This is a post I started just after I returned from the D.R. in March. I never quite finished it, and my Trujillo interest has waned as other interests have reared their ugly heads, but I still find him fascinating and horrible, enough so that I want to include the slightly outdated post here.

My new obsession? Forget crochet, Alias, or even New York.

I'm currently devoting my spare time and intellectual energy to learning about Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, the man who reigned as dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. This was a post-vacation intellectual pursuit. I am very fascinated by the fact that the U.S. government both put this person into power and had him assassinated. What a horrible legacy our country has left in this beautiful nation.

I cannot and will not do justice to telling the full story here, I suggest Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat. A truly extraordinary novel, the inspiration for the bulk of my obsession. There is a film, also, but I have not had success finding it in the States.

To me, the most interesting part of the Trujillo legacy is that there seem to be Dominicans who miss his reign, which was marked by terror, rampant killings, and complete oppression. It was also characterized by a great time of order and prosperity. The decades that have followed Trujillo's CIA-supported execution have been politically unstable to say the least. I won't claim to fully understand the political situation surrounding these events, but mightn't the U.S. have done more? Might we not have worked harder to abolish poverty in this nation, rather than just sending tourists? Might we do more yet today?

The value of culture shock

2007-03-16T21:23:00.000-04:00

I just returned from a five-day vacation to the Dominican Republic. Though my time there was largely focused around sitting on a beach, I tried to experience as much of the culture as I could from my walled compound under the constraints of a woman traveling alone.

Now, back in New York, I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have been "abroad," even if that foreign country was somewhere as near as a tropical island a four-hour flight from my hometown. For the last week, I was a stranger in a strange land, which in me, elicits an openness, a trust of people, and a desire to understand (probably in order to be understood). It's a disposition very different from that of the typical New Yorker; we're taught here to move quickly and pretend the rest of the world doesn't exist.

As I re-entered the fray today, I felt myself a little more willing to trust my fellow riders on the subway—to imagine the stories of their lives and families, rather wonder, suspiciously, if they might harm me. It's a good feeling, one I fear will fade quickly as I work my way back into the city, but something I hope sticks around.

Speaking of rest...

2007-03-03T22:33:00.000-05:00

My guilty obsession of the past two weeks has been watching old episodes of Felicity on DVD. It's all new to me—though I was most certainly in the target demographic when this show was on the air, I lived deep in the heart of the Midwest, a place that had yet to get that phenomenon called the WB (may it rest in peace).

It's so good. Like, good. I think my appreciation for it has more than a little bit to do with the fact that I feel like I'm reliving college by watching it (which, 10 years since I was in Felcity's little freshman shoes, is blissfully nostalgic), but all-around, another J.J. Abrams creation has found its way into my heart (and Netflix queue).

Vacation-related inspiration

2007-03-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

I'd totally forgotten that I even have a blog until a couple weeks ago when a friend stumbled across it and said something to me. The end of blogging coincided with the beginning of my new lease, which came equipped with a longer commute and two roommates. I'm housesitting, in Manhattan, this weekend for friends who are on vacation. With a few days to myself, I'm remembering what it was like to have time to write. So, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a try. I've done plenty of writing in the last few months, but it's time to devote some energy to the stuff for which I'm not getting paid.

I leave a week from today for my own little vacation, to the Dominican Republic. It just struck me tonight. I'm going on vacation. I need to do things like buy novels to read and make sure I can locate my swimsuits. The last few months have been so busy that it's hard to get my brain to even think about slowing down.

But it feels good. Really good. Surprisingly good. If the anticipation is this enjoyable, I have high hopes for the trip itself. I'm grateful... for this little revelation, for a weekend on My Island, and for the rest to come.

Independence

2006-07-04T11:35:00.000-04:00

I took this photo a year ago, but it's where I spent my morning today, down on the Hudson, spiritually taking a deep breath on this holiday that's shaping up to be instead a busy-day. Living in New York for five years has helped me learn how to find a quiet solace even as dozens of people pass by my park bench. Personal space is redefined when you share a 12-mile long island with 4 million others.

In other news, I've been taking the crochet on the road a lot this week. To the movies, on the subway (where this great, tough-guy guy told me how he wanted to learn how!), and I'll take it on my trip this weekend. I'm telling you, those squares are addictive.

Granny

2006-07-03T00:13:00.000-04:00

With apologies to Kim, I confess that this weekend I have fallen in love with the granny square.

I've been crocheting for 15 months, and these are my first squares. I bought the yarn to make a poncho for Mom, but lots of unsuccessful swatching convinced me it was too scratchy for her.

At some stage, I got the inspiration to make a blanket, inspried by the "Modern Afghan" pattern in Erika Knight's Simple Crochet book to think that granny squares can be modern, sophisticated, retro-in-a-good-way, and chic.

I'm not sure if I've achieved any of those things, but I still love these squares. I love the colors, I love how quick they are to finish, I love the soft look of them. But I also feel like I need to apologize for them. I told a friend today, "I don't usually go in for the more traditional crochet, but I think these colors are beautiful together and it's a modern take on the classic pattern." Maybe it is. And maybe it's just an aspect of the craft that has been passed down through generations and it is what it is. It's beautiful because of it's tradition.

My grandmother tried to teach me to crochet when I was nine. I'd learned to knit around that time (it didn't stick), but crochet was difficult for my brain to grasp, especially after my fingers had just memorized the motions required to knit. Now, years after my grandmother's passing, as I've picked up crochet, I feel a connection with her in it. I don't remember if my grandmother made granny squares, but I think of her when I do. I think of the unborn baby girl who will likely receive the blanket they'll make.

I'm reminded of the beautiful women around my life as I crochet the traditional granny squares for this classic afghan as I travel around New York City. Perhaps being on the cutting edge is overrated. I'd much rather just create something beautiful.

A diving expedition

2006-06-25T23:11:00.000-04:00

Feeling a bit whiny about the paper I have to finish for tomorrow, I took a break to delve into my yarn stash and dream a bit. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that everything in there was cheap-o acrylics, but I found some nice surprises, the nicest of which is the CashSoft above, a gift from my sister, from which I'd like to make myself a hat.

But, here, dear readers, I need your help. I have a lot of this:

left from a shawl I just completed. It's a roughly worsted weight wool/sparkly blend, a lovely hand-dye from Cherry Tree Hill. Any ideas? I bought 1440 yards, and would estimate that I have about 600 yards left.

Another use for stash yarn

2006-06-24T13:27:00.000-04:00

I love New York. I just placed this ad on Craigslist:

Free, but slightly crappy, futon
Date: 2006-06-24, 11:51AM EDT
I'm about to drag this 4-year-old Ikea futon to the curb, but wanted to give any starving artists/students/etc. in need of seating a chance first. If you're broke and slightly handy, this may be the couch for you. The cushions sit on little frames, one of which is broken (hence the sinking cushion on the right). No major stains on the cushions, but the covers could use a good wash. E-mail via the Craigslist address if you're interested.

for this has-seen-better-days futon:

And already have someone coming to pick it up. I wanted to bundle the cushions to make his pickup easy, but thought, "Oh, I don't have any string." Then I noticed the massive bag of yarn sitting on my shelf. Aha. :)

TGI...S

2006-06-24T09:34:00.000-04:00

Yes, indeed. Thank God it's Saturday. Fridays never quite seem to bring the rest they promise, but today has given me a chance to sleep in, linger over a coffee, joyfully browse through the new issue of CrochetMe, and it's just now 9:30. Next on the agenda is to rejoin my cup of coffee for an hour or so of reading, praying, and writing... the kind of stillness my soul needs after a very busy week.

So, I'm moving. Not out of my beloved New York, but off my precious "My Island." (That's what I started calling Manhattan the day I thought I was going to have to swim across the East River to get back here from Brooklyn. MTA + weekends = trouble.) My Island is an amazing place, by all of My City is pretty fascinating, diverse, and fantastic, and I'm going to go live in a part of it that requires half the monthly investment.

So, to Sunnyside I go, and with roommates I'll live. When I assessed my financial situation, thinking I'd have to move, I was initially very sad to leave My Island. But I'm actually excited, now. I love seeing how God is able to use an event I perceive as tragedy to bring outstanding blessing. Here's to (a) my last five fabulous weeks in Manhattan (for a while), and (b) an incredible new beginnning.

P.S. Apologies and thanks to the photographer from whom I "borrowed" this image. His work is really quite beautiful; go check it out and buy something.

I might like knitting better

2006-06-23T00:07:00.000-04:00

I was such a faithful crochet girl, and still am... but how flipping cute is this? It's the "Cleo's Colors" cardigan from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits, in Lion Brand Microspun. I think it's my new favorite baby yarn. Cheap, colorful and machine washable!

2:43am

2006-06-03T02:44:00.000-04:00

OK, progress is good.

Shawl blocked. Just have to let it dry and wrap it. I just used steam and a mister bottle (read: emptied out my hair product bottle and filled it with water). It was quick, but I do miss the magic of a full wet block. But I wonder if that might have stretched too much.

Onesie components crocheted. Assembly remains, which is not my strong suit, but the morning will be good for that.

11:15pm

2006-06-02T23:19:00.000-04:00

In the last 15 minutes, I've:

Realized that the baby shower starts 2 hours earlier than I realized.
Panicked about the head opening on the onesie.
Learned about the head circumference of young baby boys.
Slipped the onesie over my thigh (oh, yes, I'm serious) to make sure it was big enough to match the head circumference.
Rented Just Like Heaven on Pay-Per-View.
Lost my F hook.

Things are going... OK.

10:32pm

2006-06-02T22:35:00.000-04:00

I have to redo my first sleeve, and, as I'm sewing the shoulders together, I'm afraid the head will be too small to slip over baby's 6-9 month old head. Why don't I just do blankets and booties?

I'm going to make some tea.

8:32pm

2006-06-02T20:44:00.000-04:00

Tonight I need to finish a onesie, block a shawl, and (hopefully) crochet a hat for a friend's baby shower tomorrow. Here's the status check in. More to come. (It has to!)

I'm plagued by UFOs

2006-06-02T09:34:00.000-04:00

No, no, sillies... not THOSE kind of UFOs. The craft world version--UnFinished Objects. Two of which must get finished for tomorrow afternoon's baby shower: a shawl for mommy and crocheted onesie for baby boy. What kind of crazy person pulls an all-nighter to finish crochet projects? (Um, yeah. Me, I fear. :)

I'm excited to finish and present--I hope that will give me energy to start a gift for the baby shower next weekend!

Sometimes you can't make it on your own

2006-05-14T21:33:00.000-04:00

I'm totally stealing the "song name as title" concept from Grey's Anatomy, but it happened to come on while I was writing this and it's just so darn appropriate.

I happened on the most blissful of yarn shopping experiences today. I wandered past Suss, a newish NYC branch of an LA store I hadn't yet checked out. I wandered past on SAMPLE SALE DAY. I've never been a rabid sample saler, but today was my day.

My spoils? Two stunning handknit shrugs for... get ready... $20 each. They're made of an alpaca/acrylic/nylon blend and are lovely. I could make them.. but the yarn alone would cost me more than $20, and let's face it—my time is at a premium these days.

And the mohair yarn? $3. Per. Skein. I'm planning on making the cover project from last year's Interweave Crochet.

As Bono would say, "It's a beautiful day."

Bodum Bliss

2006-05-10T21:52:00.000-04:00

I'm a believer in the "golden rule," of whatever variation or rendition—"do unto others," "as you sow, so shall you reap," etc.

I gave friends of mine these fabulous Fish's Eddy stemless wine glasses for an engagement present. I love the aesthetic, and as I bought them, thought, "I should get some of these for myself." One week later, I get Bodum stemless wine glasses for my birthday from a totally separate friend.

How fabulous is this glass? (It's filled with water, in case you're wondering, though served nobly earlier tonight in holding a much smaller quantity of sauvignon blanc.)

My first completed project since...?

2006-05-09T21:24:00.000-04:00

And the baby sundress is almost done! It's made from Lion Brand's Microspun, which required a lot of adaptation from the gauge in the pattern. I think it's turned out OK... let's just hope it fits the baby girl! I made it small so she can start wearing it now.. It seems awfully small, but I think it fits the measures for 1-3 month size, so she should be good to go.

And the back: I just need to do the snap closure.

Crochet (re)birth

2006-04-22T23:27:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, but in honor of the birth today of my friend's little girl, I resurrected my crochet habit. A sundress in the making. It's been a busy season, but there's something very healing and soothing about taking time out to create.

Endless time-wasting, er... fun

2006-03-09T10:13:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me this face recognition site where you upload a photo and it tells you who you look like.

I loved it when it compared my photo of me at my sister's wedding to Evangeline Lily and Jennifer Garner. (Have I mentioned the Alias obssession? The dreams that I AM Sydney Bristow?)

But then it compared the Hawaii photo of me sunkissed & in braids to Richard Stallman. I don't know who he is, but um, I'll keep the Jen Garner comparison.

Free Association Googling: Creativity

2006-03-03T23:09:00.000-05:00

When I'm stuck to write about something that I'm stuck on, I often type the phrase into Google. It's digitally-enhanced free association. Something will stick, and I'm off and running.

I've been thinking a lot lately on creativity, though nothing has crystalized yet. I think some Free Associ-Googling is in order. Here are my Top 3 inspirations found in less than 5 minutes from Google's results on "creativity."

What are yours?

Crayola.com - Crayons inspire me! Simplicity. Low pressure creation.
Creativity Pool - Just a whole bunch of ideas posted in a message board. It's instant cure for writers block, methinks.
Ten Steps for Boosting Creativity - only because it says this: "Don't watch TV. Experiments performed by the JPB Creative Laboratory show that watching TV causes your brain to slowly trickle out your ears and/or nose. It's not pretty, but it happens." And that makes me laugh. Laughing inspires me to be creative.

It has sleeve(hole)s!

2006-02-23T23:21:00.000-05:00

Moving along nicely on the Tank Girl tank, my new Knitting Olympics entry. I'll at least finish the back.

And I had to laugh at the math required to adapt the pattern to the new gauge.

[x-posted to Team Hooker]

My LAPtop

2006-02-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

I hooked up a wireless router last night, and now I'm truly typing with my computer on my lap. Revolutionary. It's fabulous to be able to do stuff online during commercials. I'm also wrapped in a scarf, hat, and blanket in my living room since the heat in my building is off at the moment, but all in all, I'm counting it a great night.

Ribbit (and RIP)

2006-02-17T08:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I let the wee-sized-off-gauge W go last night. Frogging it was less painful and more therapeutic than I'd thought it would be. AND, I realized that the "Tank Girl" tank in Stitch 'n' Bitch looks like it will work perfectly for the yarn. It looks like the perfect pattern to get me on the knitting horse again. I'll resurrect the W some day (soon) with new yarn and renewed confidence.

New hope

2006-02-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

In the frustration of last night's gauge incident, I had considered giving up knitting for good in favor of crochet. But I found redemption in the mailbox, in the form of a long-overdue copy of Interweave Knits. I love the feeling I get every time I look at a new knitting book or magazine—it rings like a call to create, and that's the kind of call to arms to which my spirit responds.

New possibilities abound!

Pace

2006-02-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

I'm just under 20% done. This is easy to figure because each side is knitted in 5 wedges, and I'm nearly done with wedge 2.

But, actually, I just measured it, now that it's taking form enough to be recognizable, and it looks like I must be way off gauge. I was way ON gauge in the stockinette stitch part. And the gauge was measured over St stitch. NOW it's clear that I should have measured more often, but I'm usually pretty consistent.

Huh. Hmm. It's 16" long and it should be 20" long. Hmph. I might be a Knitting Olympics dropout... :(

Wow, I don't know if I can emotionally survive frogging this whole thing. Encourage me please. Tell me the joy's in the process, or something. :)

[x-posted to Team Hooker]

Free, fabulous music

2006-02-14T23:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, indeed! My friend Mindy showed me Pandora, part of something called the Music Genome Project. You enter the name of an artist you like, and they give you music suggestions. Then you rate the suggestions, and they play more suggestions. It plays like a radio station stream—and just keeps playing! It links to iTunes if you want to purchase the song. My new favorite thing!

Why, oh, why?!?

2006-02-14T11:50:00.000-05:00

... do people find it touching to send holiday well wishes out over a mass text message? Nothing says, "I love you," like the personal touch of a 100-character SMS on my mobile.

Saturday

2006-02-11T21:41:00.000-05:00

It's snowing here, and I had one of those lovely evenings where I listened to NPR, knitted, read, and am going to bed early. There's something very restful about a night with no television and minimal noise in general, but this seems to be augmented by the snow.

My Knitting Olympics project progresses (and more on the process here), though I didn't pursue it tonight with the Athenian vigor or grit. Tonight's pursuit was peace, and as I sought, so I found.

It's a boy!

2006-02-09T23:16:00.000-05:00

Well, the onesie is, at least. I have three pregnant friends, and sex determination of the wee ones is in progress. But I've been wanting to make this "Little Boy Blue" onesie from the Jane Davis book, Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies, and it seemed weird to make it in a color other than blue.

I'm swatching to see if (really how) I want to add some color and whether I want to stick with their stitch pattern ([sc, ch1] in ch1 spaces across) or just go with a basic single crochet, the simplicity of which I like.

Feedback?

This is a folded version of the first swatch to show the smaller yellow & teal stripes.

Good study habits

2006-02-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

Ah, the old days. I think they made us take a class on that at my undergrad. I have a vague memory of being in a classroom in a building in which none of my other classes took place and learning how to take notes.

I'm at the library, wrapping up an evening of studying after a day of working. Life experience seems to be the best teacher of good study habits. There's something about being in the library late at night that reminds me of being 18, but I'm vastly more capable of learning now than I was then. There were no classes in out-of-the-way buildings, no special seminars on how to manage time. I learned it along the way, as we all do. I found those types of classes of relatively little value, but I wonder how strong was their influence in making me attentive to pick up the good habits along the way?

A dose of creative writing/musing to counteract a night of reading psychology texts. As school picks up, nurturing the creative is increasingly important to me. It's exciting to see expansion & integration rather than an either-or choice in my life.

Abundance

2006-02-05T09:32:00.000-05:00

New York has a nasty little tendency to create a longing for "more." Desiring increase and improvement is not necessarily unhealthy. But the city whispers seductively to her people, "You don't have enough." And her people leap to the conclusion, "You're not enough." There was a Carrie Bradshaw line on Sex and the City that struck me as particularly succinct: New Yorkers are always looking for a better apartment, job, and boyfriend.

But you know what? Things aren't that bad, folks. I actually love my apartment, and I'm living roommate-free at not-quite-27. I have a great job that allows me to go to grad school for (almost) free. No boyfriend at the moment, but he'll come along soon enough, and the dozens of amazing women in my life are bringing me no shortage of joy in the meantime.

I'm so grateful for the blessings I have, and tonight I decided to shift my focus to the abundant provision I have and away from the "stuff" New York is trying to convince me I need. I'm going to stop wanting and start thanking. Simplicity makes me smile; a little celebration:

Happy Thing I Have #1

A Netflix subscription. Free entertainment.

Happy Thing I Have #2

Several barely-touched knitting publications, full of potential projects. (This was the start of the revelation, as I found myself thinking of buying a new knitting book to choose a project for the Knitting Olympics.

Happy Thing I Have #3

Frozen shredded hash browns, a veggie burger, and a glass of wine at the end of the bottle = free dinner, one of my favorite simple joys.

These are the most superficial of reasons that life is good, certainly. But I'm choosing to celebrate all the evidence of the fact I have more than enough.

The Warm-up

2006-02-03T22:11:00.000-05:00

Every good athlete needs a warm-up. In preparation for the aforementioned Knitting Olympics, which I decided to join today in a moment of weakness/excitement, I'm hoping to finish this shawl for a friend. Finishing may be unrealistic, but some soothing progress toward using up my 1440-yd ball of yarn would please me.

I'm still deciding on my Knitting Olympics project, and will track my decision-making process at the Team Hooker blog, but I'm thinking of a baby sweater... this shawl is for an expectant mom, so the two could partner together as a gift in a couple months.

The Sweater

2006-02-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

What else is there to say? It was my first. I committed to making it over Christmas, and I guess I did the whole thing in less than two weeks, which would almost qualify it for the Knitting Olympics, (if you consider the holidays a world-class sport). It's done in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, so the whole thing cost me less than $30. It's super cozy, a little too big, but warm enough to fend off any chilly day. I wore it to go see Munich, and I felt very cozy. I found the pattern, "Reconfigured Raglan," in Interweave's subscriber archives.

And I worked through setting the timer on my digital camera to get this one. I carefully cropped it, as I have a "no showing of my face on the Internet" policy. I should have a "no showing of my knees in shorts in February" policy, too, but then you'd miss the sleeves. (This one's for you, Mom & Dad!) :)

Lutheran Alert!!

2006-01-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

I find this really funny. I get marketing mail from this Lutheran insurance company, having received an award from them in high school, and this particular campaign really cracks me up. Why does overpaying on car insurance qualify as a "LUTHERAN" alert? Are they still concerned about my insurance payments now that I would cateogorize myself as a plain old "Christian"? And do they notice the Manhattan zip code and think, "We should save ourselves the stamp. This girl doesn't have a car."

Crochet? What crochet?

2006-01-19T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's been a while. I busily knit a sweater over Christmas (of which I'll eventually post a picture, but I really am tired of taking pictures of myself in a mirror and need to enlist some help) and am now happily back to crochet, working on a shawl for a one of my many friends who's having a baby.

It's the "Petals and Stems" openwork pattern from this amazing book I've been wanting for ages:

And though I did just realize I paid $9 more at Barnes & Noble than I could have bought it for on Amazon, I think the work I've done in the last week is worth it. Yes?

The yarn is a Blue Heron hand-dyed; wool with a sparkle from Seaport Yarn.

Paradox

2006-01-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

Tonight I attended an event where two very famous authors hosted a very highbrow discussion about the role art plays in society's search for justice. The event was quite exclusive, featured views of Central Park, and was attended by people whose last names are preceded with a "The" that makes me think I should know who they are. But I don't.

Now I am home and am eating the microwaved remnants of last night's burrito, accompanied by a beer.

I do love my life.

Over-ambitious

2005-12-20T00:18:00.000-05:00

I decided today, December 19, to crochet socks for my coworker. I was going to buy her something crochet-related, as she's joined the company of the crocheters, but then thought it would be more fun to make her something. However, at 12:20am with (most of) one sock finished, I'm both laughing at my ambitious ambition and determined to get them done in time. I'll at least give her the one sock before we close on Thursday.

I do hope this is a future of making lots of socks, but I think I'll switch to knitting. The Knit Picks sock yarns (this is their Simple Stripes) are just too lovely not to work up!

Knit + Crochet = Pretty

2005-12-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

This is a pattern out of the recent Family Circle Easy Crochet magazine. The feature was called "DreamWeavers" -- a few projects that weave in both knitting and crochet. Perfect for this girl, I thought.

This poncho will be a gift for a friend. I'm loving making it because it incorporated the things I like best about yarn craft just the way I like them:

(1) Challenge and learning new things, in the knitting. (My first decreases! And my first time sewing knitted fabric together.
(2) Total comfort & relaxation. The crochet part is detailed, but I find even complicated crochet restful at this point.

And it was perfect that I could first work through figuring out the knitting and then relax into the crochet.

And, it's cute. I'm thinking I might make one for myself in black.. but I'll probably make it a short capelet, as seen here, rather than finishing for a full length poncho (as I'm working toward).

P.S. I just always have to laugh at the mirror pictures. When I see them on other people's blogs, I laugh knowingly. But I actually laugh while I'm taking them. So silly. Ah, the lengths we go to to share our crochet...

"Quick Holiday Gifts!!!"

2005-12-15T07:13:00.000-05:00

I'm amused by the yarn companies' e-mails this week pushing easy-to-complete projects. The cheaper yarns' designs tend not to be my style, but I had to give this one special attention because of its caption:

Hip "New York" knit purse in Patons® Pebbles for your
jet-setting cousin.

*I'm* that New York jet-setting cousin. Too bad none of my cousins knit. :)

(I'm having trouble posting the link out of the e-mail, but if you are interested in the bag, I'm sure you can find it on Paton's website!)

Scarf Season ... #2: Guilty Acrylic Yarn Pleasures

2005-11-21T23:07:00.000-05:00

I hate Homespun yarn.
But I kind of like it, too.

It splits. It's soft. It's hard to see the stitches. Some of the colors are really pretty.
I recognize that among the "serious crochet/knitting" community, Homespun is not exactly popular. At least not in public. But, you gotta admit, that pink scarf on the left is just pretty. I love the color.

I picked up the second skein, in "Prairie," this weekend, after thinking of the warm earthy color combos for my mom. I have decided, on skein 2 of Homespun, that crochet is clearly a superior craft. The pink scarf took me a matter of hours. I've got a good 5 hours in the garter stitch Prairie scarf, and am only 1/3 of the way done. Clearly, I'm a faster crocheter - and the pink scarf is narrower - but I just like the crochet look better anyway.

I'll chalk it up as practice for the Stitch 'n' Bitch sweater(s) I'm going to make over Christmas. Plus, Mom (kind of) knits, so it will be inspiration for her!

Lace yarn is really thin

2005-11-19T19:40:00.000-05:00

Ever since I bought this yarn to "play" with, I've been fantasizing about trying this scarf pattern from Interweave.

A quiet Saturday was the perfect time for it. I'm going to get more colors of the yarn and actually complete the scarf. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and the yarn (Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud) is lovely. Really soft.

There's still something in me, though, that sees lace yarn as nothing but a barrier between me and instant gratification. I'll have to work through that.

The perils of crochet in a small apartment

2005-11-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

On some levels, crochet is the perfect hobby for a small apartment. Dancing, for example, would be tough. Crochet requires little surface space. Just enough room for me and, oh, say, an afghan. But there are some instances in which a little more room would be beneficial, most of which I've discovered with this shawl.

Example #1: Small mirrors in small bathrooms make for bad self-portraits of modeling a completed project:

And I'm usually pretty clever at taking a photo of myself:

Example #2: Blocking in a studio is hard. It would be harder, I suppose, if I had roommates who would be upset at the fact that I'm covering the only walkway from the front door to the rest of the house with a wet wool shawl that absolutely cannot be moved for two days.

But, all in all, I'd never give up the yarn, the apartment (which was a miracle dropped out of heaven!), or the fabulous city in which we all reside. I love the little challenges that New Yorkers live with. I once tried to get these home on the subway. And now I'm covering my studio with towels and yarn. Yesterday my super had to crawl in my window because my exterminator broke my lock.

I love New York.
(No, really. That's not cynicism. Just a happy Friday night expression of gratitude.)

Scarf Season ... #1

2005-11-09T23:38:00.000-05:00

There are more where this came from. I didn't manage to take a final photo of this because I was so excited to wrap it (see below) and give it away, but it was made with Karabella's Aurora 8 in a modification of a pattern out of Interweave Crochet's 2005 magazine. I loved the yarn and the colors. And lacking proper wrapping supplies, I sewed a flower to the first paper shopping bag I could find, a presentation I think I'll adopt more frequently:

Stuff

2005-11-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

(That's a euphemism expressing frustration for those of you who haven't heard me throw it around or don't know any Aussies.)

See how this started off as a lovely triangle?

See how I managed to go for a whole ball of yarn without realizing that I was skipping a loop in each row, and my shawl had ceased to be a triangle?

Stuff.

All for the joy of the process.
:)

Yummy

2005-10-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

That's all I can think of to say about this yarn. It's a Blue Heron hand-dyed cotton & rayon boucle that I got at Seaport Yarn in New York (which is pretty yummy itself -- more on that later in a planned 'all you need to know about yarn/knitting/crochet in New York City' post.)

It was even on sale - 150 yards of a bulky yarn for $20. Saturday was a happy yarn day, indeed.

Unfinished business

2005-10-30T12:47:00.000-05:00

Please find pictured several of the in-progress projects I'm working on. No, not all fo them -- just many of them. There are also two crocheted scarves crying out for fringe and one half-done on my new knitting needles. Hmm.

I think part of the problem is an excitement to try new things. I didn't know how to make a mitten until I made that one; so now I know how to make a mitten, and I want to make a shawl. Etc. That's also why knitting has become so interesting to me lately, as I feel comfortable with crochet and am enjoying a new challenge.

Crochet has also opened a whole new creative window for me, a person who has often doubted her creativity, even as a working writer. ("But I'm just writing other people's messages," I say.) I don't doubt that I am creative when it comes to creating with yarn. I see color in a new way, I see people on the streets of the city in a new way, as I analyze their knitted garments for ideas. As my faith increases that I am, indeed, the creative being God made me to be, that creativity flows out and infuses everything I do; I've even felt more creative in writing "other people's messages" at work. And I'm using this blog to write creatively about my creative process via crochet. Brilliant.

So I suppose the reason I have so much "unfinished business" on my hooks and needles is because to me it represents unlimited possibility. The interdependence of life is amazing.

Wow, I can knit

2005-10-27T23:53:00.000-04:00

I'd almost given up on knitting in favor of much-more-comfortable-because-I-know-what-I'm-doing crochet. But I got inspired tonight. I started fresh on a ball of Lily Sugar 'n' Cream yarn, varigated in neon blue/yellow/green, and did 6 rows each of stockinette stitch, seed stitch, and a 1x1 rib, repeating the 6 rows of St st in between sections of seed and the rib. I edged it* with Lion Cotton neon orange in crochet, and sewed on what may be the first button I've ever sewed on anything.

(But I didn't have any thread, so I used alpaca lace yarn!)

*"It," by the way, is a cell phone cozy. It's also, I guess, my first original design. Sort of. :)

Very pleased with my little creation!

Rock and Roll Crochet

2005-10-19T14:59:00.000-04:00

I don't even know what to say.

But I like clicking on the link over and over again, because it makes me laugh.

Uh-oh.

2005-10-13T22:56:00.000-04:00

As if the crochet habit weren't enough...

I tried to knit for the first time when I was eight or so. I got really good at knitting, no purling, which I now know is called the garter stitch, and of which I wasn't too fond.

Six months of crochet work has made learning to knit much easier. It still feels a little awkward in my hands, but I've become comfortable with stockinette stitch in 2 days. It took me nearly a month to feel like I knew what I was doing with single crochet.

I've also learned I love the challenge of learning something new. I have several crochet projects in progress (or on the Christmas gift to-do list), but it's fun to try to teach my hands to do something more.

Crochet remains my first (yarn-related) love, but part of the reason I was so drawn to it was the ability it provided to connect with people. At present, knitting seems to strike more of that than crochet. I hope to introduce knitting people to the joys of crochet. Wish me luck.

By the way: that's the start of a cell phone cozy from Stitch 'n Bitch, using Lily Sugar 'n Cream and Lion Cotton. I actually have a new cell phone--the first in three years--en route, so perfect timing.

It's felted. It's sewn. It's done.

2005-10-10T01:34:00.000-04:00

Finally. I'm very excited about this bag from CrochetMe.com, but it took me a long time to finish -- my on & off commitment to it was very much a contributing factor.

Since Alias was frequently on in the background while I was working on it (and happened to pop up in syndication when I was sewing on the straps), I thought it appropriate to picture the two dear things together.

Some notes, for the crochet-savvy gang:
(1) Unfortunately, laundromats don't allow one to stop their machines to avoid the spin cycle. Nonetheless, it felted pretty well. I just think it's a little floppy, which I suppose comes from the fact it was drier by the time I got it home to shape it.

(2) The flower is temporarily pinned on; I'm not sure how I feel about it. Thoughts?

(3) The body of the bag is Knit Picks yarn. I think it felted pretty nicely; didn't lose shape at all.

Breakfast

2005-09-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

To whomever invented the chocolate-chocolate chip muffin, allow me to extend my gratitude. Through a stroke of brilliance, you have made eating a brownie for breakfast acceptable, and I thank you.

The whole world in her hands

2005-09-24T23:09:00.000-04:00

This may be the world's most beautiful yarn. Well, it may be one of many beautiful yarns, but I spent $12 on one hank of it, which is my most expensive purchase so far, so I feel a great affinity towards it. I'm still undecided on how I feel about the utility (or lack thereof) of fingerless gloves, but wrapping my hands in baby alpaca seems a good idea no matter the source.

What a difference a day makes

2005-09-17T23:37:00.000-04:00

Monday...
...I was on a beach in Kailua, on Oahu in Hawaii. It was one of three beaches I visited that day. I also ate shrimp from a roadside truck, preceded by a mid-morning shave ice. I wore a swimsuit all day.

Tuesday...
...back in New York. Speaks for itself.

The funny thing is, I find it all beautiful. Both are inspiring. New York has its relaxing moments. Hawaii had its stressful ones. I was thankful for the quiet on the beach. I'm thankful for the activity in the city. What a broad, diverse, beautiful world we live in. I'm in awe of the One who created it.

The big, floppy, unfelted handbag

2005-09-04T23:54:00.000-04:00

So, picture this at 70% of its current size, with the flowers sewn on, the second strap, with more leaves, more colorful flowers, pretty aqua blue contrast stitching, and "feltier." OR, you could just look here at the pattern from which I'm working. Um, but my bag will still be blue & black after I felt it.

I stayed up and (almost) finished this tonight while watching "Bowling for Columbine" (that's a whole other post) when I should have been packing for the eight-day vacation I'm about to take, which will prevent me from actually felting this for a couple of weeks.

North v. South

2005-09-02T15:37:00.000-04:00

I found this interview with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin fascinating. Four years ago, when New York was in the midst of our own national tragedy, Rudy Giuliani -- though incredibly effective in ensuring the city's needs were met -- managed to capitalize on the attention to the point that he is still discussed as a possible presidential nominee for the party of the president who was doling out the aid.

Nagin, on the other hand, will probably not be invited for a photo op at the White House anytime soon. All judgments aside, truly. It's just interesting: things get done a little differently in different parts of the country, I suppose.

Mercy

2005-08-31T20:35:00.000-04:00

Photo by Scott Harrison.

Baby set, complete

2005-08-25T23:21:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the brilliant pattern designer Julie at Crochet Me for the sweater.

I adapted the hat from a pattern at Lion Brand's website.

2005-08-25T13:55:00.000-04:00

I've been reluctant to start a blog, since:
(a) "Everyone's doing it."
(b) I already waste enough time.
(c) The writing on them always seems self-conscious and self-indulgent, both of which I'm currently trying to avoid, and both of which I'm sure I'm falling into.

But, I decided to start one anyway, because:
(a) It seems the easiest way to post photos to share, which will support my crochet addiction. My recent digital camera purchase is another contributing factor.
(b) There's a fine line between "wasting time" and "taking a well-deserved mental break," and my writing job merits the latter.
(c) "Everyone's doing it." Perhaps that indicates that it actually has some value. PERHAPS it will encourage me to write something of interest rather than just read others' comments.

And, so, indeed, it begins. Enjoy.