Okay, this is really going to be my last post before January. But I have to say two things:

1. To a dental-phobic, there are few phrases nicer than "Your teeth look excellent. I'll see you again in six months." (today was checkup and cleaning day)

2. I have to brag here on my mad packing skills. Into your standard (3 1/2 foot by 2 foot by maybe 1 1/2 foot) duffel, I have fit:
two dresses
one skirt
one pair of dress shoes
orthotics (I have old tennis shoes at my folks' so I don't need to take a pair)
three pairs of slacks
seven blouses
enough underwear for a week
ditto on handknit socks
a knit vest
a patchwork vest
a slip
a pair of tights
a polar-weight cardigan
twelve 50 g skeins of dk weight yarn
four 50 g skeins of worsted weight yarn
five 50 g skeins of sockweight yarn, and two 100 g skeins of ditto
three 100 g skeins heavy worsted for chunky socks
a series of small lastminute gifts
one and one-half 50 g skeins of sportweight yarn, for gloves (well, the pattern claims that's enough. I'm skeptical).

..and there is still room!

(I will be wearing the sweatshirt I plan to take, and another pair of slacks, another blouse, and my sandals)

This is enough clothes (and well more than enough projects) for my three week vacation. It does help immensely to lay the clothes out beforehand to be sure you're only taking things that will match with other things and so you don't forget something important (like, say, brassieres).

In the backpack, so far are
the knitting patterns
my Clifford jammies

to go yet are
my traveling knitkit (needles and notions)
knitting in progress
toiletries
books
bottles of water
other personal items

oh, and for those who would be concerned about me announcing I'm leaving town:
1. you don't know where I live
2. I have people watching my house.

For those on socknitters who might wonder about the name of the shop that has good online inventory control: the one I was referring to was Equilter. I have always been very happy with their selection and customer service.

and now, I'm outta here until January! Be good and be happy everyone!

I think this will be my last post before January.

Sunday, I take off for Illinois and my parents'. I am really looking forward to it - not having to cook or drive places, and having a lot of knitting time.

I'm still trying to decide what projects to take. Purple yarn and Theresa's "Grandmother Vinson's" mitten pattern is one. The Celtic braid socks are another. I'm thinking maybe the Storebror yarn for chunky socks and maybe some variegated Socka (my handknitting.com order finally came - the socka was backordered for weeks) and a lace sock pattern for those. And I'm trying to figure out if I can either squeeze the 15 balls of Emu DK for the Lightning-Bolt sweater into my clothing duffel, or if I could possibly get away with putting it in another bag and "lashing" the bag onto my clothing duffel (you're supposed to be able to bring two 'carry on' bags; I usually take a duffel for clothes and my backpack, but there's no way I can get the yarn for the sweater into my backpack with all the books and other projects and bottles of water and whatnot that I take). I can't check bags from or to where I'm going, so that option is out.

I have seen people get on the train with like 15 bags and no one says boo to them, AND I have a compartment, so I think I'll just try the "second bag lashed onto main bag" trick.

Have a good holiday (and if your winter holiday is already past, I hope you had a good one).

And since I celebrate Christmas, here are a few links:

scroll down on this site for the words to "Nu er det jule igen", a traditional Scandinavian song for dancing around the tree.

some Irish Christmas traditions (my major heritage is Irish). More are here. And because another part of my heritage is German, here are some German Christmas traditions.

A couple of FO's:

1. My grades for the semester are done and ready to be handed in.

2. I finished the Kool Wool scarf. It took all three skeins of each color; it is close to 7 feet long (I am fairly tall and I like long, long scarves - I probably would have made it longer if I had had more of the yarn).

And: since it would cause a furor on the Knitlist, I'm going to post an "alternative" to the infamous Staples ad here:

this is how a shop - let's call it Earl's Electronics - could advertise itself without showing knitting in a bad light.

A woman comes on screen (Ideally, she would be a young woman, maybe even a Black or Hispanic woman) and says: "I'm an expert knitter" (slide show of gorgeous cabled sweater, Fair Isle sweater, lace shawl). "All of my friends love my knitting. But when I try giving it as gifts to my family, it just doesn't work out. My 16-year old sister is in a phase where she will only wear black" (shot of an angry-looking young girl wearing Industrial-style clothes) "My uncle can't wear sweaters because my aunt insists on keeping the house 80* year-round" (shot of a disappointed-looking man, looking longingly at a cabled sweater but wearing a t-shirt and shorts). "And my nephew - well, I guess he never learned how to properly wash clothes" (Shot of a bewildered looking 20-something guy holding an elaborate Fair Isle sweater he has just taken out of the dryer, which is now about 5 sizes too small for him). "So instead, I'm giving them all gift certificates to Earl's Electronics this year. And I'm knitting for myself." (final shot of woman wearing some kind of knockout gorgeous high-fashion sweater)

just a thought.

Clifford jammies!
Since I was a kid, I've been a fan of "Clifford the Big Red Dog". Even though the new PBS version is aimed at the kiddies, I still watch it occasionally (I like that Jack Ritter is the voice of Clifford; he has a good "friendly and nice" voice that he uses for him). I saw some Clifford-print flannel at the JoAnn's weeks ago and bought 3 1/2 yards. This weekend, I sewed it up into a nightshirt using a McCall's pattern (as I remember; it's at home and I'm at work, and I don't remember the number either). I did alter the pattern slightly, making 9" slits up the sides (to just above my knees), because I am an "active" sleeper and would be bothered by the constriction around my legs.

I also French-seamed it (this is where you sew a narrow seam with the wrong sides together, then turn the piece and sew another seam, right sides together, enclosing the previous seam). I like that for pajamas because it's strong and comfortable. (And flannel will ravel like a madman if you don't do something to finish the seams).

I forget how satisfying it is to make a piece of clothing in an afternoon.

I also swatched and then cast on (but didn't get very far) for the Lightning-Bolt Family sweater from the winter 02 Interweave Knits. I am using Emu DK in a sort of auburn color.

and I got exact gauge from my swatch! I rock!

I'll probably knit on this while proctoring tomorrow. I got most of my Christmas cards written (I don't send a lot) during the exam this morning.

A Saturday morning rant:
This is why "fashion" aggravates me. Taking a break from cleaning house (I'm finally getting to it!), I flipped on the tv at just the tail end of one of those little fashion dealies that the morning magazine-shows do (a sidenote: when did they take away cartoons from Saturday morning?). The commentator, referring to Pashmina shawls, remarked "Pashmina is over...you shouldn't wear it as a wrap." She did toss out the bone that you could wear it as a big scarf, and the talking head with her acknowledged that yes, she had seen that.

Pashmina, over? I'm sorry, nothing that expensive and plain in style should ever be over. In my book, "over" is reserved for the cheap and flashy stuff you might buy on a whim. But something that cost $300 or more, new? uh-uh.

I dislike being told what I should and should not wear in a given year. I have a closet full of princess-line dresses that flatter me. I don't give a damn if they are "over" and you're supposed to be wearing shirtwaist dresses now. It's totally stupid. I'm glad the hemline tyrrany of years past is over - I would not be caught dead in a skirt shorter than my kneecaps, because I don't want to be that conscious of what is and is not showing when I walk or sit.

I refuse to buy a new winter coat until the one I own wears out. (And since I have a nice thick Gloverall "Paddington Bear style" coat, I doubt that will be anytime soon).

Part of the reason I knit and sew is that my own sense of style is different - often radically different - from what is considered "ideal" for a given season. I remember years back, when I wanted a plain gray cardigan, how frustrating it was. It was a year when the "colors" were navy blue, black, white, and red. My mother and I (I was about 12 at the time) went to literally every store in the mall looking for a plain gray cardigan.

I didn't knit at that point, and it was something I wanted right then, so making my own wasn't the option it is today.
I finally found one. In the men's department at a Syms. It wasn't exactly what I wanted but I bought it.

(actually, I still have that cardigan. It's a bit tatty now but it still fits and it's still warm. I tend to get attached to my clothes and have a hard time disposing of things that may be "over").

Another thing: I got a J.Jill catalog the other day. I liked a lot of the stuff I saw, but not the prices. Catalog shopping is interesting when you sew. I looked at one of my favorite things, the "washable velvet sweatshirt" (I think it's that stretch velvet stuff) and thought, "Yeah, it's $69. I could probably make three of them for that price." In fact, I just might try making one when I'm home over break.

Another thing I want is a long, full dark brown skirt. Just a plain, solid-colored skirt, made of denim or gabardine or some other sturdy fabric. I told my folks about it (for the Christmas list) but I hope they don't waste too much time trying to find one if they're not the "thing" this year. Because that might be something else I take a whack at making over break. (I've made a lot of the skirts I own; skirts are pretty fast and easy and satisfying to sew). I sort of have a mental picture of what I want: gores, to make it full, and then narrowing at the top, maybe almost a Western or cowgirl style yoke-top on the skirt.

I'm coming to the conclusion that "fashion" is for people who lack the imagination to look at their wardrobes and go "I need an indigo-blue, wrap front top" or "a claret-colored sweater would go so well with so many things I own".

Or it could be that if you can imagine just what you want, the stores will frustrate you, because you're looking at someone else's vision of style rather than your own.

"Fashion can be bought; style one must posess" - Edna Woolman Chase

In other news, I finished the Landlord cardigan last night. It's a bit big and boxy but I gues that's ok. I do have to turn up the sleeves into cuffs, which annoys me. Not enough to take it apart and to try to unpick the sleeves and make them shorter, but it annoys me still.

Well, I didn't clean house last night. But I did work towards finishing a couple of stalled projects.

First, I finished the pillow for the AAUW gift exchange. Machine quilting is neither as easy nor as fast as it looks, and that's all I have to say about that. I do have to get a couple of big snaps this afternoon to close up the back of the pillow (I prefer to do pillows where you can take the form out to wash the top if necessary).

and second, I finally dragged out the pieces of the Landlord cardigan and started sewing it up (I finished knitting this in what, October? Shows how much I like finishing...). I was mostly intimidated by the need to crochet an edging, and what color to use (the pattern used a cream color but that seemed too bland to me). I wound up going with Wool-ease in "Grape Heather". I wanted to use some fuchsia Tapestry I had, but I've heard that the color runs in the wash, and I didn't quite feel up to delaying the project further while I did colorfastness tests. And the "grape heather" woolease does look pretty good. I have to get buttons for this one this afternoon. Well, actually, I also have to finish the neck and left front edging and sew in the sleeves, too.

There's been a lot of furor on the knitting lists about a Staples commercial featuring an inept knitter apologizing for knitting her gifts rather than buying them. I've not gotten really bent out of shape about it because:
a. the purpose of advertising is to make people think stuff that's bought is infinitely preferable to stuff that's handmade
and
b. I will not shop at Staples anyway for any reason. I used to order stuff from the Staples about 1/2 hour away from me - they would send it out by courier. Until one day, I received a duplicate shipment that I had not ordered. I called them and explained. It took 20 minutes on the phone long-distance to convince someone to take the stuff back. And at that, I had to drive to the store with the stuff. And I had to call them back later and threaten them with legal action because they didn't take the charge off my credit card. A friend of mine had a similar experience, and my father had a similar experience with a (now-closed) Staples in a different state.

so for me, it's Office Depot or Office Max.

And a couple more:

courtesy of dangerous chunky and Not Martha: Hoopla's advent calendar Excellent!

And another advent calendar, with a more outright religious theme: Beliefnet's Advent Calendar

And because Christmas is coming up, here are some seasonal links:

Swedish Christmas Chemistry (yes, you read that one right; it is a Swedish page showing some of the chemistry behind the traditions. They tell you everything about the lutefisk except why.{500 bonus points to anyone who catches the allusion there}).

an excerpt from "The Physics of Christmas", a tongue-in-cheek book about how the holidays really work.

silly but clean Christmas jokes

The Gallery of Unfortunate Christmas Cards

Dylan Thomas' great Christmas poem, A Child's Christmas in Wales I have an audio recording of Thomas reading this and I just love it.

Well, I am now on an amoxicillin derivative, and guaifenesin (prescription-strength: it's nasty capsule-shaped tablets that I have to push way back in my mouth before swallowing because they taste bad). One of the things I like about my doctor is that he listens to his patients' medication concerns. I once told him that decongestants made me jittery, and instead of saying "Oh, that was just THAT particular brand" or trying to push me to try them again, he gives me an alternate (the guaifenesin is an expectorant, it has pretty low side effects).

I know it's TMI, but I've been blowing my nose since I got up and it seems that the guaifenesin is doing its job. My head and throat are starting to clear.

My doctor did kind of gasp when he looked at my throat. He couldn't believe I was still trying to talk with it as red as it was.

Last night I finished the blueberry waffle socks. These were made of Zitron Cambridge, which I think is a discontinued yarn (I bought mine about a year ago from Elann. It's actually a bit lighter than DK weight - sort of between sport and DK. The socks are a bit tighter than most of the blueberry waffles I've made, but they still fit.

Tonight, as long as I'm feeling up to it, I must clean house. It's gotten really trashed while I was sick. And the floors are all dusty.

Something knitterly, for a change:

here is a brief recipe for a striped scarf made of Kool Wool. (Because you know you've seen it for sale and wondered what it was like...).

For a short scarf, buy two balls each of two contrasting colors. For a long scarf, buy three balls each of two contrasting colors. Each skein will make about 3 1/2 of the stripes or blocks as I have the pattern written.

I used Tomato Red and Grass Green. Kind of funky, but it works for Christmas. And it does look somewhat Gap-y.

Using 10 1/2 (US size) needles, cast on 27 stitches. (be careful - this is a cabley yarn and tends to untwist as you cast on, especially if you use the "slingshot" method like I do).

Row 1: *k3, p3* to last 3 sts, end k3
Row 2: *p3, k3* to last 3 sts, end p3.

Gauge is not crucial, but I got about 3 stitches and 4 rows to the inch.

Knit until your "stripe" is just over 3 1/2 inches to 4 inches (for me, this was about 16 rows). Cut off, leaving a tail to weave in (or to let hang loose if you're into the Knitters Winter 2002 look) and join in the next yarn. Continue in pattern for another 3 1/2 to 4 inches, then change yarns again. (I always changed on a row 2). Keep knitting stripes until the scarf is long enough or until you get sick of it.
I started with a red block and will end with a red block.

The scarf as knitted will be fairly narrow (the 3x3 rib contracts) but if you like you can block it and make it much wider. I am going to leave mine "contracted" because I like the way it looks.

as always, you can use more colors, or fewer colors, or whatever.

I am still sick darn it.

okay, other people have talked about their illnesses in their blogs, so please indulge me for a bit.

I am sick. I am so damn sick. I was up most of the night last night coughing with the tail end of this truly evil cold. My voice sounds like either an 80-year-old woman from Chicago who has smoked 2 packs a day since she was 16, or else like some kind of creature that lives in a damp mildewy cave. When I swept my kitchen floor this morning, I got winded and dizzy from the effort. I can't eat, or rather, I can't enjoy eating. Anything vaguely crunchy scares me (sore throat) so I've existed on yogurt, and Spaghettios, and macaroni for the past couple days.

I'm starving right now but have nothing to eat and the vending machines here only sell crunchy food.

I have a doctor's appointment, but the earliest they could get me in was 3:15 Wednesday. That is in case I have bronchitis (it's happened before with bad colds; I have a low level case of asthma and I have to be really careful about anything that is respiratory in nature).

The good news is I have only one more class today, at 10 am. And it's student-presentation week, so I don't even have to talk.
After the class, I am going home (cancelling office hours) and I am going to read through all the student papers I will receive at the end of class.

The other good news is that when I was too sick to do anything else yesterday, I got both my other final exams written. So except for grading this week, I'm done.

I also began a striped scarf out of Lion Brand Kool Wool. I'll post some guidelines on it later when it's clearer how much of the yarn it's going to take.

Back, but sick.

I caught a cold sometime during my travels. I totally refused to believe it was a cold until Friday morning, when I realized I really was quite uncomfortable.

There are few things worse than traveling - especially overnight - when you are sick. (But I decided that the train was unlikely to be crowded Friday, but likely to be crowded Saturday, so I didn't change my tickets).

Skipped church today (unusual for me) partly because I'm still feeling lousy (I'm at the coughing-scratchy throat-ears plugged up stage) but mainly because I don't want to pass this on to anyone.

I got most of the pair of Blueberry Waffle socks done over break, and a good start on the "Celtic Braid" socks.

T minus 5:30

soon, soon I get to get out of here for a couple of days of rest, home cooking, and playing board games with relatives.
be good in my absence.

Finished over the weekend: the fingerless mitts (which actually stink for driving, they're too slippery and bulky) and the chunky watchcap out of this month's Real Simple (I used Waterspun Weekend, though - which was cheaper and I think I like it better than I would like the "Baby").

I finished the Rio socks (finally) today. At the very end of the second skein, there was a weird little splice and a "blip" in the color progression. Instead of going orange-base color (sort of a dark red)-orange-base color-pinkish-base color-pinkish, it went orange-very short repeat of base color- yellow (which was the first color in the progression; it came before orange.

I looked at it for five minutes and thought: do I cut and join and try to make them matchiepoo, or do I just go with it (the splice wasn't that bulky) and figure it's a "design element"?

I went with "design element". I figure anyway, anyone looking that closely at my toes is either about to propose marriage to me or is about to have me stomp on their heads so it doesn't really matter anyway.

I'm in a weird mood this afternoon, I think it's because the tension of the past couple days has lifted and left a bit of a vacuum.

I baked fruitcakes today - an old, old family recipe, and before you laugh, it's for a fruitcake that is more like a poundcake with nuts and raisins and candied fruit in it than those inedible bricks people joke about.

I also started the second fingerless mitt, and a pair of Blueberry Waffle socks. I know most dedicated socknitters know about this one already, but it is THE most wonderful basic sock pattern on the internet. It's easily memorized, looks good in a variety of yarns, is way comfortable, and stretches so it works well for gifts.

But this pair is for me. I'm using Zitron "Cambridge" (A DK_weight wool) in a dark variegated (purples and greens and browns) that was one of my many Elann purchases over the years.

My only modification is I use a US size 3 needle (3.25 mm) to give a firmer fabric. The socks still fit just fine knit at the tighter gauge.

Aaagh. I want to finish some of the things I have that are *nearly done* so I can start new things. Yesterday was a day from the sulfurous nether regions. A couple colleagues and I wrote a proposal to go in to NSF, and because I was deemed the person with the most computer expertise, I was the one to do the online submission.

it was not fun. and it is still not done.

I did what I could, and finally shoved the rest of the papers (with instructions) into the major PI's hands and said "I'm sorry but I'm at the end of my rope on this, you have to get the research coordinator in here to help you with the rest". I was literally shaking by that time.

My throat is sore this morning. Whether it's from all the screaming and sobbing I did at my home computer (before giving up and coming back in to work to do the submission) or whether I stressed my immune system enough to get a fast-acting cold (which has happened), it's unclear.

I'm still deciding what to take for projects on the train. I want to do the Cabin Fever "Celtic Socks" and I think I'm going to take a skein of Opal with me (for a simpler project to alternate), but I want something else - something on bigger needles. I may hunt about in my stash and see if I can find mitten-appropriate yarn and knit up a pair of "Grandmother Vinson's little red mittens" from the excellent Cast Off accessories article (and the pattern is from Theresa of Bagatelle!

Or maybe I should dig out the woolspun crocheted hat and *finally* finish that...

Knitting names?

I wonder if a person's name really does have an effect on their personality (something the Kabalarians claim)
I never knew many other "Erica"'s growing up - I think there was one other girl in my grade, plus a couple of older women (most emigrants from Germany or Scandanavia). Now, I see there are several other Ericas who have knitting blogs, and more who are on the knitlist or the socklist. I know of e's little knitting blog and of the Knitting Geek.

Also, Theresa or Teresa seems to be a name that is found among unusually high density among knitters. I found a new-to-me blog this morning, Tales from a Keyboard Biologist (had to check that one out!). And of course there's Theresa at Bagatelle , Teresa of One More Row , and Teresa the knitting medical resident.

Thank goodness - Blogger publishing is back up, at least for me, at least for right now.

I finished the little pig the other night (from the "World of Knitted Toys" book). It's cute, but I still think I'd rather make animals of cloth if so much sewing is involved.

I may try to modify the pattern to be knit in the round, or try to design some toy patterns of my own at some point.
I also finished the first of the fingerless mitts. And knit some on that interminable scarf.

can I add another little rant here?

If you are a student of mine, please do not skip six weeks of class and then come to me this week - when I am near the breaking point all faculty reach when they realize that they can expect 25 long papers, 40 exams, 40 homeworks, and assorted other stuff, plus end-of-term committee meetings - and ask "is there anything I can do to bring up my grade?"

coming to class for the past six weeks would have been a start.

no, I do not give extra credit. Especially when people think they can use it in lieu of actually doing the real class work.

rant mode /off.

another one of these question things that's making the rounds. I stole the questions from Dawn's site.

1. Your name spelled backward?
My real name: acire. Actually, that's not bad. It's nicer than knojyllif.

2. Where were your parents born?
Northern Michigan (UP) and Chicago (Wilmette)

3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
Some free knitting patterns.

4. What's your favorite restaurant?
It used to be The Old German in Ann Arbor, but I've since learned it closed and turned into a brewpub (shakes fist), so I guess I'd have to say the Jumer's restaurant in Peoria (German-themed), but even they have changed somewhat and aren't as nice as they used to be.

5. Last time you swam in a pool?
Last April.

6. Have you ever been in a school play?
Yes. We did a production of some old radio plays - one of them being The Bickersons at Sea - I got to play Mrs. Bickerson because I was the only girl in the class with ova enough (or more likely, so little rep to be concerned about) that I was willing to put cold cream on my face on stage.

7. How many kids do you want?
none.

8. Type of music you dislike most?
Either the pop-country that is being produced now or hardcore rap (like Dawn said: anything with misogynistic lyrics)

9. Are you registered to vote?
Yup.

10. Do you have cable?
Yes, and I feel sort of guilty for it.

11. Have you ever ridden on a moped?
No.

12. Ever prank call anybody?
No. In my research lab though we used to answer the phone in crazy ways though - like "City zoo, rabbit speaking" or "Vito's pizzeria, ya wanna delivery?"

13. Ever get a parking ticket?
No.

14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
No. Maybe sky diving. But I've heard of too many neurological injuries from bungee jumping.

15. Furthest place you ever traveled?
Hawaii.

16. Do you have a garden?
Yes.

17. What's your favorite comic strip?
I used to read a lot of them online but kind of got out of the habit: 9 Chickweed Lane, Get Fuzzy, For Better or For Worse

18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?
Yes.

19. Bath or Shower, morning or night?
Usually shower at night, sometimes shower in the morning (if I really feel grotty), sometimes bath at night instead
of shower.

20. Best movie you've seen in the past month?
Does the PBS thing on Ben Franklin count? (I don't go to movies)

21. Favorite pizza topping?
Pepperoni.

22. Chips or popcorn?
Popcorn.

23. What color lipstick do you usually wear?
I've never gotten the hang of wearing it. It tends to rub off or sink in too fast and I feel like I'd have to be constantly reapplying it. So I don't mess with it. .

24. Have you ever smoked peanut shells?
Why would a person want to? Bleagh.

25. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
No. (Again: why would a person want to?)

26. Orange Juice or apple?
Depends on my mood. I like 'em both. Apple if I'm eating something along with it, orange as an eye-opener first thing in the morning.

27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where did you dine?
My friend and colleague Diana. We went to a new restaurant here in town that does sort of upscale cafeteria.

28. Favorite chocolate bar?
Hm. Either Peanut Butter Cups or something caramel filled. Or Kit Kat. Or Heath. Dang, it must be getting close to lunchtime....

29. When was the last time you voted at the polls?
November 5 of this year.

30. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?
Mid-October.

31. Have you ever won a trophy?
Yes, for doing well in spelling bees.

32. Are you a good cook?
Yes.

33. Do you know how to pump your own gas?
Yes.

34. Ever order an article from an infomercial?
No. I figure if they're buying that much time to promote it, it can't be worth the money.

35. Sprite or 7-up?
Vernor's Ginger Ale.

36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work?
No, thank God.

37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy?
A fresh bottle of Pepto

38. Ever throw up in public?
No, at least not since I've been old enough to remember such things.

39. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love?
True love.

40. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Nope. I believe in "desire" or "interest" at first sight but love is very different.

41. Ever call a 1-900 number?
I feel about them the same way I feel about infomercials.

42. Can ex's be friends?
Depends on the situation and what the breakup was like.

43. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital?
Oy...I don't remember.

44. Did you have a lot of hair when you were a baby?
I was bald as was my brother. I embarrassed my mother once at the library by exclaiming "Mommy! Look! A hairy baby!" when I saw a baby that had hair (I was 5)
45. What message is on your answering machine?
"You have reached xxx-xxxx. I can't come to the phone right now but if you leave a message I'll call you back as soon as possible."
it's a lie though - I don't call telemarketers back.

46. What's your all time favorite Saturday Night Live Character?
Never really watched the show - on too late for me. Was Ed Grimley on there or SCTV? I was pretty fond of ol' Ed.

47. What was the name of your first pet?
Daisty

48. What is in your purse?
Wallet, checkbook, a mess of old receipts, lip balm, pens

49. Favorite thing to do before bedtime?
Read.

50. What is one thing you are grateful for today?
One thing? Hm...that I'm going to go home for Thanksgiving next week.

"I'm not trendy" rant part n:

I'm a little dismayed by all the strong negative reaction to the article that was published in KnitNet (about "free" vs. "pay" sources of information). Okay, yeah, it wasn't worded well. Okay, so it does look like a hamhanded attempt to justify having to go to a pay format. But I've always liked KnitNet's patterns, they seem more basic and classic to me than a lot of the other magazines out there. I hope this foofarah doesn't lead to the demise of KnitNet (especially since I signed up for the online subscription).

I dunno. I like the magazine and I don't like to see people making borderline snide comments about it.

Also, the latest issues of Knitters - I think I'm going to let my subscription run out on this one. It's just not me. I was puzzled by the holey socks and sweater in the last issue (I'm sorry, but to me it looked like "beginning knitter mistakes"). And I was put off by the scarf-with-hanging-threads in this month's issue.

I'm not a trendy person. I am sure there are people out there who eat this stuff up, but I don't care for it. I'd much rather spend the time knitting a classic aran sweater, or a simple raglan with ribs, or a shawl patterned off a "folk" pattern - something I can wear for years and years and not feel like "oh, that's so 2002.".

Also, I'm 33. I'm more plump than slim. I'm a college professor. Trendy doesn't work on me.

I bought some back issues of some knit magazines at a resale shop in town and now I kind of regret it - the designs are all very dated, very much in the big poofy shoulders with cropped cinched waist 1980s style.

I wonder, what do people who are into the trendier designs do? Are they able to knit so fast (and to devote so many hours in a day to knitting) that they get things done while they're still in fashion? Do they not worry about it?

I'm not saying magazines shouldn't have trendy designs for those who want them. I'd just like to see more of a balance. And I worry - are all magazines going to go this route?

There are some fashion details I don't care for: the ubiquitous looped fringe on the edges of sleeves, hems, openings. Giant giant yarns used to make sweaters with one big fat cable down the front. Sweaters with "strategically placed" open parts. Argyle. (I just don't like it, and wouldn't take the time to knit it). Dangly bits (this is another seemingly ubiquitous one). Beading on sweaters.

I know for each one of those I listed, there are people out there who love them, and that's great. I just wish they weren't the ONLY things I see in the knitting magazines this winter...

Ever wanted to make a sock monkey? Instructions are here

I was looking for some other soft toy links but I can't turn up any sites with free patterns that I've not posted before, or sites that sell patterns that I've ordered from (and so, can vouch for).

I think I did post about Lily the Frog some time ago, but I still think it's kind of a cute thing.

And if you're looking for a pattern for a toy chinchilla here it is.

Yipes. Running up the stairs this morning, I caught my toe under the little overhang on a step and took a header onto the landing. I landed mostly on my left hand and now it's hurting a little.

Not badly enough that I want to run out to the doctor (and what agony would that be, facing a long train trip next week with a cast on and no ability to knit), and I can still type.

I hope I didn't really fracture anything. That arm is already a little fragile as it's the one I broke the elbow in a few years back. It's not swelling or anything so I think (I hope) I'm OK.

Last night, I dug out the little pig I was making from the Kath Dalmeny book. So many little bits to knit and then sew together - that's my main complaint with most knitted toy patterns - if I wanted to sew, I'd use fabric, and save myself the step of knitting it up first. I don't know if there are any books out there of toys purely knitted in the round, but there should be.

knitting in the round for toys just makes sense to me. I'd rather play with increasing and decreasing than with sewing lots of bits of knitted fabric together.

Well, the Vegan Fox is done. It is one of those projects where you get to a point where you realize you're so close to done, that you keep going until it's finished.

Mine looks somewhat muppety. I think it has to do with how his muzzle scrunched up a bit while I was sewing in the hairclip that lets him "bite" his "tail".

Oddly, the new Knitters has a pattern for something similar. It also has a pattern for a dropped stitch shawl that is not unlike the "Magic Scarf" being discussed on the Knitlist.

Something in the air? (Well, with the magic scarf, it could be that someone saw the shawl in the issue and remembered the pattern...but the Vegan Fox was published in a time frame that I think neither it nor the Lily Chin version from Knitters' could be a copy...)


and may I be a bit cranky re: some things on the Knitlist?

It's called a swift, folks. That's the thing that holds yarn while you wind it or while you hand paint it. It is not a 'swifter'.

I don't know why but that just sets my teeth on edge. It's sort of like "verbing" nouns - you know, the ads that say things like "It's the new way to office" or something like that. Oh, and I don't like "gifted" as a verb, either. The correct verb is gave, it's served admirably for 300+ years and there's no need to replace it now.

I don't know why this bothers me but it does.

A useful botanical tool: The USDA Plants database. I may be able to use some information off here in my proposal. You type in the name of the plant you want to learn about, and it pulls up the name, the range, and some basic details.

I know, I've been sort of quiet for a few days. Been busy (too much grading!) and under the weather, too (**Shakes fist at lazy people who run riding mowers over the leaves in their yards, effectively spraying mold spores everywhere, much to the misery of those of us who are severely allergic to molds**)

I did get some knitting done recently, and started a couple new projects.

First, I finished my mom's socks for Christmas. Wha-hoo! So now, unless I decide to knit "cat presents" (see below), I'm pretty much ready for Christmas (I do need to find some small "additional" present for my dad - probably will be a food item from the gourmet shop in my parents' hometown).

Started two new things: the Vegan Fox stole from Knitty. I bought the kit for this - for the "white fox" (which is actually more of a silvery off-white). I do see now how one could make up one's own combination of yarns for this - perhaps not as luxuriously , but more affordably.

My assessment? Yes, it's fast knitting (I'm not terribly far on it though - ) but it's annoying to me to have to knit with three strands of textured yarn (and such different textures) held together. I don't think I'm going to do this one in a single sitting, like it sounds like Theresa did.

I also started a pair of fingerless mitts - this was using the "Cashmere mitts" pattern from the Spring 2002 Interweave. Now, their pattern used "Sinful" and when I priced it, it was something like $60! For a pair of mitts! So I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky instead (umm....$3.74 (if I remember right) for a pair of mitts). I plan to use these for driving (it's always cold first thing in the morning) and in my office (they seem to turn off the heat at unpredictable intervals). Heck, I have enough yarn, I might make 2 pair and keep one in the car and one in my office.

And I may be starting yet another project - this one to use up scrapyarn. Sarah Bradberry posted a cute pattern (can be accessed from here, it's in a .doc file) for something called a "Pebble Baby". I saw them and thought "cat toy" (I know Sarah is a cat lover, so I don't think she'll be insulted by that). I can see the shape and the slickness of the yarn sliding and spinning well on the tiled floors in my parents' house...I'd need to make 3 of these babies, there are my two "furry sisters" (as my folks call them) and my "furry nephew" (my brother and sis-in-law's cat; by extension if Mom and Dad's cats are my "sisters", he must be my "nephew")

I may use sport yarn and size 1 or 0 for these to make them just a bit smaller - though for Bozarth (that's my "nephew"'s name), I should probably do a fullsized one - he's a Maine Coon Cat and he's big.

Today is the 25th anniversary of The Muppet Show.

it was my favorite television show of all time. I used to get upset if I had to miss a week for any reason (this was before my family had a VCR). I wish the re-runs were on a channel I could get.

the only time I cried when a celebrity died, it was when I heard Jim Henson had died.

Still feeling lousy. I had to bail early yesterday due to a migraine. Now, I'm over that, but my throat is scratchy and I have that general under-the-weather feeling (for me, it mostly manifests as "I really don't want to put up with other people's cr*p").

I did finish the gusset decreases on the second of my mom's Christmas socks last night. And I got the top all sewn together for the pillow I am making for the AAUW gift exchange. I've decided to machine quilt in-the-ditch on the patches, and if I have time, do hand quilting in the border.

Also, the Folio Society books I ordered came. And thankfully, they sent THIS set by Priority Mail (well they should, considering what I paid for shipping!). So my brother's Christmas present is taken care of (I got him their translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls - he's studying to be a minister).

I picked a little at the research proposal but have decided that if I can "clear the decks" workwise for this weekend, I'll try to finish it up then.

Knitted some on the Trinity Stitch shawl last night.

I think I'm getting a cold. Woke up with a headache this morning, sneezing, my head feels like it's stuffed with cotton - I couldn't remember over the course of 5 minutes whether I had handed out a handout in class or not. It might be allergies - I'm due for my shot today. I hope it's allergies.

But I'm tempted to go home early any way. (But I will take my research proposal with me and work on it!)

Talking to my mom last night, she mentioned a lady she met (at a fancy dinner party for donors to the university where she used to teach) who not only knits, but who spins her own yarn. She worked mostly in alpaca, as she had a "local" alpaca source, but she also blended it with silk.

alpaca + silk. Wow. I wonder if she'd consider either selling or bartering some of the yarn she's spun....and I wonder if I can meet her next time I am visiting up there.

I am very impressed by anyone who can spin. I tried to teach myself (on a drop spindle) and had little success. Maybe it's easier on a wheel, but I don't want to invest in a wheel, and I don't know anyone local to me who spins that I could call up and say "Hey, can I get some lessons from you?"

I would knit them socks, or bake them bread, or do manual labor in the garden....

Thank you, veterans!

Lots going on in the world of knitblogging.

Beth had her baby! Wow. Maxine is a cool name.
Amy will be getting job offers all over the place, I am sure.
Staceyjoy is getting the heck out of the rundown firetrap she lives in (not a moment too soon...)
Ivete moved her blog to a new host

And me?

well....I did plant 44 crocus bulbs this afternoon.

*sigh*. You want vicarious excitement? Buy a police scanner.

I also planted 40 muscari latifolia, more daffodils than I can count, six peach colored tulips, six deep purple tulips, five yellow tulips (I think the sixth yellow tulip was the bulb that rotted...) and six pink hyacinths.

Yesterday, I made the blocks for the pillow top I'm doing for the AAUW gift exchange. I also ran out to the Hobby Lobby and the JoAnn's fabrics (never, never again will I go there on the afternoon of a Saturday when they are having a big sale on polar fleece. There were two women with - what I can best describe as tribes - of children. Each child had picked out two or so bolts of the fabric they wanted material from for hats, etc. I think there were a total of 22 bolts used up on the counter when they were done. Yes, I was behind them in line. I almost put back the Clifford the Big Red Dog flannel and left.) I bought three yards of a printed flannel (Clifford the Big Red Dog, and yes, it's for me) for a nightshirt. I also bought little boxes to hold the magnets I made at the Hobby Lobby. And (sigh) 3 skeins each of the tomato red and grass green Kool Wool (and yes, they do go together, at least to my eyes) for a ribbed scarf.

This afternoon I wrote the exam, planted the bulbs, and knit a bit on the fast-becoming-tedious garter st "Real Simple" scarf while reading the Ecology chapters in the General Bio textbook.

One of the reasons I am thankful I am not in the corporate workforce are all of the silly pseudo-perks that are used as motivational tools. You know, the posters with a picture of an eagle and the word "Accomplishments" on it. I always figured they were cheapo things used by corporations to supposedly give folks "benefits" without actually increasing their pay or instituting flex time or other actual morale-raising measures.

well, it seems others are as put-off by the posters as I am: Despair.com has a whole site of them.

where I used to live, there was a mall store filled with motivational schlock that was called "Successories". I think these would have to be called "Depressories".

Not much to report. The first full week of the month is always meeting-filled.

I did knit some on my mom's Christmas socks last night - I have begun the heelflap on the second sock. I should switch over this weekend and do the pillow I'm making as a gift for the AAUW gift exchange, though.

I'm resisting the temptation to start a "magic scarf" like the ones people on the knitlist are talking about. And I'm REALLY resisting the temptation to run out to the Hobby Lobby and buy a few skeins of the "tomato red" Kool Wool to make one....

site of the day: the tutorial-filled SoYouWanna. Tutorials on everything from etiquette and basic home repair to how to fake an Irish accent....

Got a fair amount done on the endless, garter stitch, Real Simple scarf yesterday while reading textbook chapters.

I wonder - does garter st. require more yardage than an equivalent amount of stockinette stitch? it seems like it should, seeing as it's denser.

I'm itching to start on something new, specifically some thick warm socks (It's been cold and rainy and miserable here - today is actually the first really sunny day since mid-October). I have some Novitia Storebror ("big brother") bulky yarn - it's going to be socks soon.

in three weeks I will be in Illinois for Thanksgiving!

Which Founding Father Are You?

Cool!

Silly me! I reread the instructions (link from earlier today) and realized I didn't squish out the excess glue.
So I went and squished my magnet, and like magic, the pawprint sticker appeared! so cool!

there's no stopping me now. Everyone on my Christmas list is going to get a set of these in addition to their other presents. And if I run out of supplies, they're only a 7 minute drive (if I catch the lights right) away.

I don't know how I'm going to package them yet - "Altoids" type tins seem to be the recommendation, but I don't like Altoids and I chafe at paying more for packaging than I paid for the project that goes in it. I may use "found" packaging, or see if there are some of the little pasteboard boxes for sale at the W*l-M*rt like last Christmas.

Well, for all the times I've complained about W*l-M*rt, I have to admit they came through this time. I had to run out this evening (in the cold, cold rain) for printer paper (when you're out of printer paper, you're out of printer paper) and I decided while I was there to see if I could get some of the supplies needed for the marble magnets.

they, amazingly, had everything. Excellent thick round magnets, silicone glue (that claims to dry clear...we'll see), and the half-marbles. Woo! They also had, on the "scrapbooking" aisle some sweet little stickers that would be just the right size. I bought a pack of ladybug stickers and one (even better) of little tiny cat and dog paw prints. Those will be perfect for my brother and sister in law.

I made one sample magnet (with a pawprint sticker) to be sure the glue does indeed dry clear. It said it took up to 24 hours to cure.

I hope it does dry clear; it was the only one they had that didn't have tons of scary chemical warnings on the card, and it has relatively little odor to it. If not, I'll have to try something else, I guess.

this means I don't have to take the 1/2 hour down, 1/2 hour back drive to the Hobby Lobby tomorrow.

I'm pretty tempted to get the supplies for some marble magnets (link is to Not Martha's page, she has links to other sites) tomorrow and make up bunches of these for little additional Christmas gifties for the people I know.

I've been thinking for a while about how fun it would be, and I also realized I have a whole mess of old catalogs and magazines I could cut up and use as picture-sources. And I have some patterned origami paper. And (I suspect) I could print things off of Internet sites (like flower pictures) for people with particular interests. Or photocopy pages.

I could make my co-worker Diana a set of magnets showing the floret detail of grass plants from copies of the line drawings in the Hitchcock and Chase guide to American grasses....you can get very specific with your little pictures.

I'm also still looking for detailed instructions on attaching a lace edging to "live" stitches. If anyone knows of any, please let me know (I can post links here if I get any...)
(I'm going to try looking through Judy Gibson's lace knitting page to see if she has any pointers...she's got a lot of neat stuff on the site, including a really lovely leaf lace hood pattern, but I don't directly see instructions on attaching an edging...)

I finished the Provence quilt top today.

I decided that having a big block of time open this afternoon would be good for that. Once I get going on a sewing project I am inclined to keep going, but if I have limited time, I tend not to sew (but to knit or handquilt instead).

So I finished sewing up all the little rectangles that make the pieced border, sewed on the long inner borders (which I had to piece the strips for; I cut them the wrong way and instead of having 72" strips I had 44" strips). Then all it took was sewing them on and (the scariest step) mitering the corners.

My miters are not perfect. I have never in my life made a perfect miter. But they are good enough that the quilt will lay flat, and they are good enough that you can't see the imperfection without looking closely.

I also finished the first of my mom's Christmas-gift socks yesterday, and hope to get more done on the second one while watching "The Simpsons" (finally, back on) tonight.