It's been the sort of week when I think- 'gee, I should write a blog entry, but there's nothing going on'. Which of course isn't true at all, as there's always something going on, but mostly it's pretty low key. Which is good, really. I enjoy it. It's just that excitement makes for more interesting blog entries. So, let's see what's been happening.
-I've been knitting mittens. There really isn't a lot to say besides that.
-I've also been knitting the back of the gansey. I've traversed approximately 11 inches of fine-gauge stockinette with another four or five to go before anything interesting happens. No photo- you can go look at the last one and picture it longer if you like.
- I'm still on a reading binge. Looking over the list, it's clear that Mike Brown may have to be let off the hook in favor of Donna Andrews. I started the month reading her first three Meg Langslow mysteries, and courtesy of the library I've just finished number 9. Three more to go before I'm caught up.
- I have dished out vast numbers of meals for cats. It's gotten so we number them. Jonathan: "Cookie! Good boy! You're very affectionate. Are you looking for dinner?" Me: "He seemed to really like first dinner and second dinner, but I think he's jonesing for third dinner." Jonathan: "Ah." What makes this amusing of course is that as often as not Cookie succeeds in conning a third meal from my softhearted husband. Besides, if he doesn't get his own food, he just eats Biscuit's.
-Biscuit is not nearly so stomach-oriented as Cookie. While Cookie is diving into the food dish in the morning, Biscuit will sit at my feet looking up wistfully until I stop and pat him and scratch under his chin. Preferably for quite a long time. While this is adorable, I do monitor the food situation pretty closely to be sure Biscuit is actually getting anything to eat.
-I felt unreasonably organized and pleased with myself when I got in the car this morning and realized I was starting my longest driving day of the week with a full tank of gas. Before I got too smug, I reflected that my method of tidying the coffeetable consisted of restacking the magazines so they'd stop sliding off onto the floor, and shoveling random skeins of yarn back into my knitting bag. Okay, it's useful, but not such a vast difference I should be congratulating myself.
-We took our first long walk of the year Sunday down in Andover MA. It was sunny but very windy and cold. Despite this, I spied my first crocuses of the season. The town is upscale and quite pretty, with lots of nice old houses and a pricy and very attractive private prep school at its center. We stopped and walked around their small but lovely (and newly renovated) art museum, which I quite recommend. And also checked out the Andover Bookstore, their lovely independant bookstore. I brought the camera but then forgot it in the car, so I can't actually show it to you.
-We've been plotting our vacation trips for this year. We quite enjoy visiting places that we've read about or seen on television, so we've been doing research. After extensive watching of British mystery DVDs, we've determined that Oxford is probably safe (we aren't academics, nor do do we have illicit Oedipal relationships- we've determined that these are the key factors in becoming murder victims on Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis). However, we may want to stay out of English villages altogether, as Midsomer Murders has shown us they are positive hotbeds of crime and villainy. Anyone got any good fiction (or non-fiction) recommendations for Bristol, Canterbury or Dover?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
I Blame Mike Brown
Okay, so it's not actually Mike's fault. Mike did not make me buy a whole stack of used books in Dallas (we shipped them home, they arrived last week). Mike's book wasn't even one of the ones from Dallas, it was loaned to me over the weekend. Mike did not make me shove the knitting to one side so that I could read book after book after book like a junkie going after the latest fix (that's 9 books in the last 7 days, for the record). I never said it was his fault, I said that I'm blaming him.
See, last night, when I had intended write a blog post, I found myself with Mike's book in my hands. And I could have put it down- in fact I did put it down- to eat dinner, and then go to the library to return a DVD that was due back today. And then I got back home and picked it right back up again. I ignored the dishes, forgot the laundry, and only absentmindedly rearranged my lap for the evening procession of cats (who inspected the lap and then went and curled up elsewhere, probably because I was too absorbed in reading to Properly Attend the Cat).
Not that they were especially distressed. Cookie went and struck a goofy pose on the floor:
And Biscuit ensconced himself comfortably in the castle and enjoyed the view:
Where was I? ...oh, yes, the book. The book is How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown. He's an astronomer at Caltech, and the book is a charming mixture of astronomic history and biography levened with a generous dose of humor. It explains what astronomers, do, why it's exciting, and delves into the controversy over de-planeting Pluto, and yes, Mike Brown's part in its murder. Admittedly, I have both an interest in and more than a general grounding in science, but I think that this is accessible enough that anyone would find it fun. And while I'm still mildly inclined to say grumpily, "When I was a girl, we had nine planets.", his arguments against Pluto do make sense. I highly recommend it.
So, you're wondering, has there been any knitting at all? Well, some. There's this nice soft ribbed hat, destined for the 'give away' pile.:
And these mittens, also destined for recipients unknown:
And in a fit of ambition (between books) on the weekend, I swatched with the blue yarn my mom and I dyed, and discovered somewhat to my dismay that the yarn really wants to be knit on US size 2 needles. At which I said, and I quote, "Urk!" And then did the math and cast on for a largish sweater. On size 2 needles:
The plan for this sweater is that it's going to be a gansey (or Jersey or Guernsey, choose your spelling) style affair- the sort of thing that will be light and warm, and yet not add excessive bulk to the figure of a gentleman friend who is perhaps a tad sensitive about a certain middle-agedness in his midsection.
As for the pattern-- well, I know what the bottom half looks like- ribbing (which I couldn't resist throwing a few little cables into, just for fun) and then miles and miles and miles of stockinette. Then a change to light patterning just below the armscyes. The actual patterning... is TBD. I have a book of traditional patterns, which has given me a few ideas, and I figure I'll have plenty of time knitting stockinette to think about the patterning before I get there. Plenty of time....did I mention this sweater is going to have 300 stitches around the chest? On size 2 needles. I think I'll blame the size 2 needles on Mike, too.
See, last night, when I had intended write a blog post, I found myself with Mike's book in my hands. And I could have put it down- in fact I did put it down- to eat dinner, and then go to the library to return a DVD that was due back today. And then I got back home and picked it right back up again. I ignored the dishes, forgot the laundry, and only absentmindedly rearranged my lap for the evening procession of cats (who inspected the lap and then went and curled up elsewhere, probably because I was too absorbed in reading to Properly Attend the Cat).
Not that they were especially distressed. Cookie went and struck a goofy pose on the floor:
And Biscuit ensconced himself comfortably in the castle and enjoyed the view:
Where was I? ...oh, yes, the book. The book is How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown. He's an astronomer at Caltech, and the book is a charming mixture of astronomic history and biography levened with a generous dose of humor. It explains what astronomers, do, why it's exciting, and delves into the controversy over de-planeting Pluto, and yes, Mike Brown's part in its murder. Admittedly, I have both an interest in and more than a general grounding in science, but I think that this is accessible enough that anyone would find it fun. And while I'm still mildly inclined to say grumpily, "When I was a girl, we had nine planets.", his arguments against Pluto do make sense. I highly recommend it.
So, you're wondering, has there been any knitting at all? Well, some. There's this nice soft ribbed hat, destined for the 'give away' pile.:
And these mittens, also destined for recipients unknown:
And in a fit of ambition (between books) on the weekend, I swatched with the blue yarn my mom and I dyed, and discovered somewhat to my dismay that the yarn really wants to be knit on US size 2 needles. At which I said, and I quote, "Urk!" And then did the math and cast on for a largish sweater. On size 2 needles:
The plan for this sweater is that it's going to be a gansey (or Jersey or Guernsey, choose your spelling) style affair- the sort of thing that will be light and warm, and yet not add excessive bulk to the figure of a gentleman friend who is perhaps a tad sensitive about a certain middle-agedness in his midsection.
As for the pattern-- well, I know what the bottom half looks like- ribbing (which I couldn't resist throwing a few little cables into, just for fun) and then miles and miles and miles of stockinette. Then a change to light patterning just below the armscyes. The actual patterning... is TBD. I have a book of traditional patterns, which has given me a few ideas, and I figure I'll have plenty of time knitting stockinette to think about the patterning before I get there. Plenty of time....did I mention this sweater is going to have 300 stitches around the chest? On size 2 needles. I think I'll blame the size 2 needles on Mike, too.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Helpful
It's been busy in the knit department. At the end of last week, I once again woke up to realize that I was going to be seeing my mother-in-law Saturday, and would have a chance to give her her scarf, if only it were done. So I hustled through the last few repeats, despite determined feline 'assistance'. Biscuit's turning out to be a wonderful little helper. For example, here he is, helping me brush my teeth:
I finished the last blessed row of tulips late Friday evening, but was determined to block it before I went to bed. Under the circumstances, I figured that soaking the scarf in a bowl in the kitchen was the best plan (or at least more likely to let me defend the project from curious paws) . Biscuit and Cookie both watched me block it, since anything happening in the sewing room is Keenly Interesting.
It blocked beautifully:
And it dried overnight (okay, it was a bit damp at the edges, but it dried completely in the car) and I wove in the ends on our way west. My mother-in-law was gratifyingly pleased with it.
We had a delightful day in western MA- in addition to visiting, there was a large maple-drenched brunch at the South Hadley Sugar Shack, a stroll around Northampton enjoying the sunshine, and a superfluous but pleasurable browse through Webs (I was very restrained, out of consideration for the amount of yarn currently occupying my living room). And we finished the day with Mexican food before undertaking the long drive home.
With the scarf finally off the needles, I had some leisure to finish up both the cabled mitts and the latest hat. Biscuit likes the hat even more than the scarf- so much so that I had some difficulty in getting a picture:
But human guile prevailed in the end:
Garter rib hat with twisted rib border.
I'm now wallowing in my new yarn knitting up a few more hats and mittens before I cast on another big project. Not least because the cold I thought I had shaken before the Texas trip has wrapped another tentacle around my lungs, like the unkillable Creature from the Black Lagoon. The coughing- and resulting poor sleep- is not conducive to concentration on anything complicated. And the next streak of even moderate ambition I experience is going to be dedicated to sorting out tax paperwork. (Don't worry, I won't be posting pictures of that. Unless it has a cat sitting on it in a cute pose.)
I finished the last blessed row of tulips late Friday evening, but was determined to block it before I went to bed. Under the circumstances, I figured that soaking the scarf in a bowl in the kitchen was the best plan (or at least more likely to let me defend the project from curious paws) . Biscuit and Cookie both watched me block it, since anything happening in the sewing room is Keenly Interesting.
It blocked beautifully:
And it dried overnight (okay, it was a bit damp at the edges, but it dried completely in the car) and I wove in the ends on our way west. My mother-in-law was gratifyingly pleased with it.
We had a delightful day in western MA- in addition to visiting, there was a large maple-drenched brunch at the South Hadley Sugar Shack, a stroll around Northampton enjoying the sunshine, and a superfluous but pleasurable browse through Webs (I was very restrained, out of consideration for the amount of yarn currently occupying my living room). And we finished the day with Mexican food before undertaking the long drive home.
With the scarf finally off the needles, I had some leisure to finish up both the cabled mitts and the latest hat. Biscuit likes the hat even more than the scarf- so much so that I had some difficulty in getting a picture:
But human guile prevailed in the end:
Garter rib hat with twisted rib border.
I'm now wallowing in my new yarn knitting up a few more hats and mittens before I cast on another big project. Not least because the cold I thought I had shaken before the Texas trip has wrapped another tentacle around my lungs, like the unkillable Creature from the Black Lagoon. The coughing- and resulting poor sleep- is not conducive to concentration on anything complicated. And the next streak of even moderate ambition I experience is going to be dedicated to sorting out tax paperwork. (Don't worry, I won't be posting pictures of that. Unless it has a cat sitting on it in a cute pose.)
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