That's it- you're going in the closet.

So, while the silk sari yarn is beautiful, it has a tendency to snap at crucial moments- a trait I have never before experienced in yarn. After three of the four working strands snapped on my current project, I dumped the box of yarn back into the closet. It's beautiful yarn, but I deserve better treatment than that!

So, instead, I pulled out a ball of Mission Falls to knit a swatch from Tubey. Sadly, my size 7 tips for the NeedleMaster are missing, so I pulled out the size 6 and cast on. The gauge is 20/24, and I'm a loose knitter, so I thought I'd be close. Right? Nope. Waaaaaay too big. It was more like 16. So I frogged it and cast on with size 5 needles. So I've dropped three sizes, and the fabric is a lot stiffer, but I almost achieved gauge. It's about 18.5, and I've decided to live with it. But, really, size 5? Am I really that loose, or are the ball bands- and patterns-lying to me? What happens when I want to knit a sock? The needles only get so small!

Crap-otis

Well, I finished the afghan for Grammies. I'll take a few pictures once I weave in the ends. I am glad that the project is over, because it was no longer portable in any way- it couldn't be contained by my messenger bag, which incidentally, is a terrible knitting bag because of the velcro.

So, I took a look around at my reorganized craft room and dug out a WIP that I could fit in my bag and take with me to Mt. Pleasant. Last year, Holly got me some sari silk yarn for helping out with her wedding, and in my own pre-wedding, post-directorial delirium, I decided that it would make a lovely clapotis.

Well, it didn't, and I have frogged what I did accomplish and have begun a project more suited to the yarn. Something that won't be up against my sensitive skin all the time, tickling me.

Of course, I couldn't just make the damn bag, I had to cast on for all four sections at once. Sometimes I infuriate myself. At least the yarn tangles are teaching me a little more patience.

And we're back

for a couple of days before the haul to Mt. Pleasant. I am not looking as forward to that trip, but it's good to visit with the in-laws.

Chicago was fun. It was a lot of riding on the red line, and a lot of sitting on the tracks, waiting for a train to pass. Thank you, construction. Dan was entirely surprised at dinner, despite the fact that we were a whopping 45 minutes late for our reservation (I didn't want to arrive ahead of the other guests, and some were running quite late). The hostess almost blew the cover by exclaiming that we must be with the big party, but thankfully the restaurant was loud enough that Dan didn't quite hear her. The food was good, and they even brought out a stack of chocolate cheesecake slices inscribed with a birthday message. It was a nice touch.

St. Patrick's Day was a good time. We started the day with brunch at the Chicago Diner, and enjoyed some of their amazing mangoritas.

Then it was a lot of walking and riding around. We went to a couple yarn shops. First was Arcadia Knitting, which was organized with yarns grouped by color. It was pretty to see, but in reality I was not pleased with having to ask if they had certain yarns in other colors. I like to shop independently. True to my word, I bought Mike some Clover single points and two skeins of Lamb's Pride bulky, and he's going to make himself a scarf. Tracy wanted some Lorna's Laces, and so I sprung for a skein of sport weight in pinks and aquas. She has promised to sit down and learn how to make a hat. The $30 I spent on the two of them will pay a hefty return when they learn to make their own garments and stop begging my precious time! :)

From there we went downtown to Loopy Yarns, where I expanded my own stash with a little Cashsoft 4-ply, which I intended to use for Odessa. Sadly, I actually needed the DK weight, and so I think I'll use this ball for the Endpaper Mitts instead.

I also picked up a ball of Fleece Artist sock yarn in ebony. In the store it reminded me of a particular Colinette colorway, but in natural light I see that the grays are a little cooler. I still love it, but it might get a lavender overdye some day. I love the look of purple and brown together.

We tried to see 300 at the IMAX but it was a bust, so we went back to the hotel and eventually to dinner. We took the eternal red line ride up to Mike's friend's house with the intention of going out, but Dan's old bones (and liver) couldn't handle a whole day of drinking and walking around, so we made an early night of it instead.

Sunday we went to Shedd, and had a lovely time. We spent almost 4 hours in the aquarium. I loved watching the penguins and the beluga whale family- baby and all. There were children everywhere, and I watched them as much as I did the animals. A little boy approached me and entreated me, in a language that I could not recognize (yes, me, a linguist. so what?) to help him locate the gecko that was hiding in one of the enclosures. Thankfully his father bailed me out before the child asked me questions that required more than pointing for an answer. How cute.

Dan did the driving home after I navigated us out of the city, and we slept hard last night. There is something to be said for sleeping in one's own bed.

Hello, weekend!

In a few hours, Dan and I will be leaving for Chicago for a weekend of green beer (for me) and birthday/end of semester fun (that's for Dan). Because he doesn't read the blog, I can spill the beans: it's a surprise birthday party! He thinks it's just the two of us for the weekend, but what he doesn't know is that when we arrive at dinner, we will have an entourage of friends and well-wishers waiting for us. I don't think I've spilled the beans (I have been planning this since December), but if I have, he damn well better act surprised.

I'm taking not one, but two WIPs with me. Expect progress shots from the Windy City!

Happy Birthday, Dan!

I love you, I am proud of you, and I am glad to be with you. You've accomplished a lot in that 30th year- you got married, you went back to school, you got a promotion at work. Not too shabby! Here's to you, honey, and I look forward to sweeping you off your feet in Chicago this weekend.

Dan: King of All Cosmos

You never know where the day will take you

Sometimes the day takes you to a place where you're getting drunk in a gallery of priceless art.

Interpride went really well on Saturday. Mike and I arrived for breakfast, and then took a little rest in Kim and Steph's room (who are back together and making it work and I love it). We made some copies. At lunch Mike nearly got killed by a chicken salad sandwich the contained covert pistachios, but a gallon of water saved him. I was really grossed out by vegetarian tomato soup that was actually seafood tomato soup. Yuck. Fortunately I didn't bite into anything that was obviously seafood, and I only ate about a third of the cup before I was informed. Damn you, Doubletree Dearborn, for not having a fucking grasp on what you're serving.

Our presentation went really well. Nineteen of 20 reviews were good, but someone left us a snarky little review. We spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out who the harridan was, but we never figured it out. Ah, well.

Then we were off to Park West for dinner, which was delicious. And, oh, the free beer! And the priceless art- Dali, Picasso, Toulouse Latrec, Rembrandt! It was awesome.

We weren't actually registered for the conference, but because Mike and I are the Nicole Ritchie and Paris Hilton of Triangle, we got into Comedyfest and saw some good stand-up. Sabrina Matthews, in particular, was hysterical.

In fiber-related news, my Secret Pal sent me an e-card. How sweet! Thanks!

I have a bottle of wine, some Grafton cheddar, and a tub of olives

because I got a call from the advisor of the linguistics department at Wayne State.

I'm in! She told me the paperwork is just a formality at this point. Go me!

She called, in fact, because my academic record was so good that she wanted to know why I didn't apply directly to a PhD program at another (better) school. I told her about my situation with Dan in school, and that I want to meet and work with as many people in the field as I can. It's a networking opportunity, really. She said it was a wise decision, and it was hard not to emit a squee over the phone. I am going to give her a call in the next couple weeks and see if I can't go down to the office and meet some folks and learn more about the program. Apparently, there have been quite a few grads from the program that have gone on to some of the best schools in the country.

Sadly, she doesn't control my scholarship, but if her enthusiasm was any indication, I should be getting something from the school.

Quirkiness, sadness

So, I'm into the fourth ball of yarn for the blanket. I'm about 70% done at this point. It is kind of tedious, knitting a rectangle, and each time I tell myself it will be fun, and it is, but it's not exciting. I like how it's looking, and I am sure the recipient will adore it.

I love soda water. Love it. It's one of those things about me, I guess. I prefer carbonated beverages, and as a result, I drink a lot of pop (boo!). I prefer soda water, however, and it really grosses out some of my coworkers who see me spraying it out of the pop gun.

Speaking of food quirks, like my food at room temperature. I have never sent food back at a restaurant because it was kind of cold, because that's how I actually want it. I would never tell someone that, though, for fear of getting something that died a slow death in the window.

Dan claims to have no quirks, and I agree. It's more that he has a lateral perception of the world that is an act of volition rather than a confluence of weird habits.

He thought it was a compliment.

Gramma Mae is home now. Dad is off work, and Uncle Dan flew in from California to be with her. Were all just waiting, now. I can't help but think of the time I snapped at her because she tried to feed me (again) right after we had dinner. I feel so guilty, but it's the only time I can remember where I think I hurt her feelings. And that moment has shaped me as an adult, and gives me patience when I would otherwise have none.

I'd much rather remember the day I married Dan, the day we surprised her with a birthday cake. The cake she thought was a prize for the funniest hat.

I can't believe it's wool.

So, contrary to my usual yarn buying MO, which is to stalk around the yarn shop three or four times in a couple of weeks, squeezing hanks and doing the dances of yes-I-want-it and well-maybe-not, I made an impulse buy. On the Internet. I think knitting is too expensive for me (it's isn't really) and so I am always looking for a deal. And I found one:

This is just one of the 12 or so (500g) mill end balls of Mission Falls 1824 Wool that I picked up. I haven't knit anything with it yet, but the ball squeezing test was an A+. It's so soft, and it shines in daylight. It doesn't feel like wool on my skin (and it doesn't produce the near instant rash that I'm used to). I will still probably have to wear a long sleeved shirt underneath the sweater, or perhaps put patches on the inside elbows, but I think this yarn will make a damn fine Tubey.

In other news, the craft room is taking shape. My needles have been moved off the bookshelf in the front room and onto my work table. I only have one window, but it seems to let in the right amount of light- the rest of the house is a cave. I wish I could go back to 1982 and tell my dad to add some more windows! Oh, well. It's okay in the summer when we can leave the doors open.

The blog is back: now with 100% more knitting content

Check it out: I have something to say about knitting! I am working on a blanket/belated Christmas gift for Grammies. Originally I wanted to do another feather and fan afghan, but the thought of pulling out that tired trick a third time made me procrastinate, so I cast on a bunch of stitches and embarked on a devil-may-care stockinette pattern with a garter border and random ridges. It's made of Homespun in the color Regency (ooh, sounds fancy...NOT) which is a lovely combo of teal, gray, tan, and blue. I must admit, for afghans, this yarn is a-okay with me. It's soft, it gets really fuzzy (which is not a drawback for a blanket, I think) and I can wash it in the machine.

I want to make it clear that I don't think it's good for any other purpose, however. A homespun sweater, for example, would be a hideous waste of time.

Secret Pal 10- Me, In Survey Form

Dear Secret Pal,

I hope you're as excited to read this as I am to read your blog. I really hope that you're still excited when you're done reading it. ;)

Yours in spoiling,
me

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

NORO! It's like the best part of an acid trip in fiber form. Takhi New Tweed. Lamb's Pride. I have a wool and mohair allergy, but that doesn't stop me. I love the feeling of alpaca, and cotton.

I don't enjoy cheap acrylic yarn (which, sadly, is what I can usually afford). I don't like fun-fur-type yarns.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I store my needles in a big vase on my desk. I have a little pink vinyl pouch for my dpns and stitch holders. The circulars get thrown around, but are currently stored in a box under my work table. And yes, I have a Boye NeedleMaster (and I actually really like it)!

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I have been knitting for a couple of years. Despite my ongoing love affair with the rectangle, I consider myself to be an intermediate knitter. I have been successful with lace knitting, cables, intarsia, sweaters, and I made a pair of slippers, so I have the basics of sock knitting.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

It's in the sidebar!

5. What's your favorite scent?

On my body- I like the white tea and ginger scent from Bath and Body Works. Or the vanilla. I like to smell like cookies, I guess. My husband actually uses and loves the orange ginger stuff (he's comfortable enough with himself to get a little girly about scents). In my house- clean scents that don't overpower. I make my own scented candles because the ones at the store are too strong.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

YES. I love chocolate- lindt truffles, cadbury anything!, joseph schmidt candies. I also love jelly bellies, but not the sour ones. I like red hots, too.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I love photography, and although it's not a craft, it is a hobby. I think origami is fun, and while I'm not into scrapbooking, I like putting gluestick to paper. I make candles around the holidays. I don't spin, but I am interested in learning. I am also hoping to get a tabletop letterpress at some point and learn about that, too.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Perhaps a list of favorites will give a general idea: David Bowie, Queen, Tori Amos, Morphine, Led Zep, Regina Spektor, The Talking Heads, The White Stripes (Detroit represent!), The Postal Service, Fiona Apple, Erlend Oye, Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, Stevie Wonder, Imogen Heap, Belle and Sebastian, Wilco, Jon Spencer, Catatonia, Nine Inch Nails, The Flaming Lips, Tortoise, Ladytron, Metric, Richard Cheese.

I can play mp3s on at least three electronic devices in my life. I love them!

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love green- teal, spring green, grass. I wear a lot of brown, green, burgundy, teal, rust. I don't dislike any colors, but I find I don't really wear much pink or blue.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live with my husband. We might get a dog, but we're waiting for the snow to melt to decide.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Not ponchos. They turn my pear shape into a vaguely-pumpkinesque shape.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I like knitting in the round, and I don't like seaming, so I take great pleasure in knitting top-down raglans (well, raglan- I've only made one, and I savored it). :) I like lace, but I have not had much experience with fine gauge yarns. I think my favorite project ever were the Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers from Stitch n Bitch Nation.

13. What are you knitting right now?

I am making an afghan for my grandmother. Oh, the irony!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

YES. I especially love things I can't make for myself (I don't spin, I can't draw/paint/sculpt, and my scissor skills are reminiscent of a third-grader's).

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I use all kinds. I use circluars a lot, just for the portability, and because my knitting likes to slide off of straight needles. Everything I own is aluminum or plastic (thank you, garage sales). I would like to try bamboo needles, but I am afraid I would break smallish ones.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Sadly, no.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Older than my knitting career- I began crocheting a GIGANTIC bedspread in high school, and I still schlep it with me whenever I move. I would give anything for moths to destroy it, but it's all acrylic, and so nothing will ever happen to it.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween. Followed closely by Christmas. Candy, dress-up, presents- some of my favorite things.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Not really. I've been trying to declutter my life, and so I have done my best to train myself out of collecting. I have a pretty big library, though.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I covet Lorna's Laces, Socks that Rock, Colinette, and Tilli Tomas yarns, and glampyre (orangina and camellia) and zephyr style patterns. My amazon wish list is full of books that I love. I have back issues of Interweave Knits, but I haven't gotten a subscription yet.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I'd like to actually make a pair of socks for myself. I like subdued colors in my clothing, but I've almost always got on a funky pair of socks. Fair isle scares the bejeezus out of me, but I think that I would eventually like to conquer it.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I desperately want to learn! I've given it a shot, but I can never decide on a project. I wear a 9-9.5 shoe.

23. When is your birthday?

June 10

FINALLY!

My applications are done. Eastern and Wayne have the complete scoop on my awesome student powers. I applied for a GA at Eastern and a scholarship at Wayne. Now here's hoping that both come through and I have a dilly of a pickle of a time choosing.

Happy Holidays?

Wow. I decorated. There's a tree in the living room.

I like it.

I have never had this urge before, so I'm a little weirded out by it. Does it have to do with getting married? Is it because the baby urge is hitting us both really hard right now? Who knows.

NaNoWriMo is almost over, and I'll be glad because my liver needs a rest. There's no use trying to write without a beer in my hand. PBR is my muse, apparently. It's going to be a photo finish, but I'm confident that I'll make the word count.

Don't ever look back at old posts about New Year's resolutions

unless you want to be disappointed. I haven't done any of the lame stuff I claimed I was going to do. Hell, I just put the wireless card in the laptop two days ago.

But I like to think of it this way: I have accomplished a lot this year. In 2006, I:

• got married to a totally rockin' guy
• directed a successful (!) play
• started a novel- but will I finish (tune in for next week's exciting conclusion)
• got not one, but two jobs! (and I like them!)
• got the ball rolling on starting my own business
• ...and much much more!

That makes me feel better. But from now on, no more resolutions.

Where the hell have you been? Part Three: nanowrimo

Can't talk. Noveling.

And I know that Part Two is missing, but I haven't had the energy to write about the wedding. There's just so much.

Where the hell have you been? Part One: Beauty and the Beast

It's been a while.

I had a stretch of time from the middle to end of July when there wasn't a single day free of work of some kind- editing, table waiting, directing. Wedding planning was accomplished (barely) in the spare moments in between.

I'm kind of surprised to still be alive. And sane.

To my eternal surprise and pleasure, the play was an awesome success. We sold an almost record breaking amount of tickets- almost 4200 for six performances. We had almost 900 patrons at the final performance, which is second only to WCT's one-night-only Oliver performance. It was amazing. There was a scare at one performance that Shelley wouldn't be able to perform, but she pulled it off with grace and power. It was amazing- she's a fantastic actress.

And then there's all the drinking I did between performances. Dave's party this year was an all-nighter. We were bound and determined to make it to Telly's the next morning for breakfast. Thanks to Kenny's karaoke machine and the Spaceman (vodka+Tang+mini marshmellows) we did it as hard as we've ever done it. On the roof of Dave's house at dawn I found out that Bob worked as a DJ in strip bar in college. Wow. Just...wow.

Also, I ran interference on two chicks for Nick, and as far as I can tell it worked. Although he's on his own if he gets back into trouble. It was like a one woman bachelorette party that lasted all summer.

After the show closed, it was a break-neck slide into wedding!

Linguistics is everywhere!

From Crazy Aunt Purl's comment log from the most recent post (emphasis mine):

My husband claims to want to be so full of preservatives that when he dies he won't need embalmed.

Posted by: Cheryl in PA

Now, I've heard people from Pennsylvania do this thing before (I work with someone originally from PA), but I've never heard it with this particular verb. Need washed? Uh, okay. Need embalmed? Kind of sticks out to my ear. Ah, dialects. We confuse everyone from outside of Michigan by going to the bar. Even when we don't know which bar it's going to be.

On a billboard on I-94: A big numeral 4, and next to it, it says "tickets, hot dogs, Pepsi, $59." So... 4 tickets? Check. 4 hot dogs? Gross, but whatevs. 4 Pepsi? I want to have been a fly on the wall during the board meeting when some ad exec decided that the plural of Pepsi is... Pepsi. Weird.

I should be on the treadmill

My time management skills will just have to take a dive here for a moment. My life has officially kicked into overdrive. Let me explain in bullet points:

• I work at Cariera's three shifts a week
• the play opens in just over two weeks
• I work 20+ hours editing Starbucks reports for Second to None
• I'm planning a wedding that happens in five weeks

This complete change of schedule has led to a lot of days where I forget to eat. All day. And the amount of sleep I get is not proportional to the amount of work I'm doing. And forget about the house being clean any time soon. I have managed to clean the bathroom, and that's good enough. And let's not even talk about my poor garden...

I'm aiming for a couple of dates. August 4th is opening night, and after that, my commitment to the play consists of watching it, and taking notes. Then I'm down to two jobs. After that, August 25th marks the start of the wedding downhill slide, and after that, I won't have to go back to work till September 5th. Hooray!

Taaaaaaa-daaaaaaah!

I have a job! Hooray!

A week ago last Wednesday was what I would call The Best Day in a Long Time. I received not one, but two calls for job interviews and another call from the bridal salon to tell me my dress is ready to be picked up- a month early. Sounds good? It gets better.

On the way home from rehearsal, I pointed out the moon to Dan because it was a clear night (it's a thing we do... we will call each other if we're not together), and as he looked over, a shooting star streaked across the sky underneath the moon. How awesome is that?

Flash forward a week, and my job interviews both went well. I'll hear about the editing job on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I just got back from the other interview, and I am proud to say I am employed! I start on Tuesday!

Sadly, all of this great news is tempered with the lack of progress on my Clapotis and the departure of my lovely choreographer, Megan, who will be in New York until tech week. Sigh.

My life in pictures

So it's been a busy, busy time for me lately. I don't even have a real job and yet I have managed to fill my time with one activity after another.

I have made it a point to take my camera along with me wherever I go lately, so while I haven't had much to say, I have a lot to show off. I've got a photobucket if anyone's interested in seeing the rest of the story.

The beginning of my whirlwind week was Nate and Holly's wedding and the preparation leading up to the big day. I did a lot of flower arranging and setting up and photo snapping and breaking down. Somewhere in there, two lovely kids got hitched and I drank a lot. A lot lot.


Once that was done, I had to take the 120 people (of 365! Sweet fancy Moses!) I called back for Beauty and the Beast and run them through a marathon audition. At the end of the night, I snapped a couple of pictures to keep faces straight, and to have proof that everyone was a good sport about it:

Leon, Nick, John, Patrick, Michelle, Andrea, Amy, Kenny, Lauren, Lindsey, and Mike (I am the name-master of Warren Civic Theatre!)

Moments after casting was finished, I turned my focus to Motor City Pride weekend, and for the first time I went to a Whitney Garden Party. Mike and I snuck in early under the guise of "helping out" but then I felt guilty and we sold over $270 in raffle tickets. I caught some awesome snapshots of Kayene Taylor giving her best Jessica Rabbit to Jeff Montgomery:


And if that weren't proud enough, I actually had to work the damn event on Sunday, too. Rain threatened in the morning, but it was all sunshine as soon as the crowds started flooding in. I admit that by the end of the day I was really pissy and exhausted, but if we made more money than last year (which was 4 times as much as they had ever made before Mike and I came along), it'll be worth it.

We were doing okay until someone attached a 20 foot banner/sail to some fencing that wasn't sandbagged down and Sean crashed the hi-lo into a flowerbed outside Q.

This hi-lo will have to be towed out. Oh the foolishness!
I dipped my hand in some gold paint. Oh the foolishness!

Crystal Waters was great, but she was outshined, I feel, by Trixie and her usual hysterical banter. "I want to thank all the parents who brought their children to the event and making it even more family-oriented. And now... Crystal Waters! ...oh shit, I forgot someone. What? Yeah, bring him up here. Oh shit, I fucked it up..." Priceless.