Friday, December 29, 2006

48 things meme

1. FIRST NAME? Evelyn

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Unfortunately, I was.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? A couple of weeks ago, watching the Return of the King.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? It's all right, not quite what I want, but I'm not a teenager anymore so I don't really have time to sit in my room and fiddle around with it.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Tofurkey

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sometimes I'm a real pain in the ass, but I think I would be my friend.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This is as close as it gets. I want to start a knitting journal though this year.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? If I were drunk, single and I didn't have a child, then yes, I think I might.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? My current favorite cold cereal is Autumn Wheat. My all time favorite hot cereal is Cream of Wheat.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Only if I have to, or I really care about the shoes.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby is just too good. I also really like vanilla Dove bars that are covered with chocolate and almonds.

14. SHOE SIZE? 9-9.5

15. RED OR PINK? Both.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I think it is my inability to do something if I don't want to do it.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I don't know.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Anyone who wants to is welcome to this meme.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Cropped blue jeans, black knit shirt and no shoes. I also have on my gigantic fluffy bathrobe from my mother-in-law, it is sooooo comfy.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Pagliacci pizza, cheese, black olives, mushrooms and tomatoes after bake with a San Pellegrino Aranciata.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Hubby and daughter re-enacting Madeline having her appendix out on Fiona's new Playmobile people.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? I think a kind of purply red. At least that is the crayon I always go for when I am asked to color.

23. FAVORITE SMELL? There are so many. The smell of a beeswax candle, lit or not, is right up there.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The Pagliacci pizza order taker.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it. I like different people for different reasons, so it is hard to pick any one thing.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? This was the first time I visited her blog.

27. FAVORITE DRINK? With alcohol, Chateauneuf du Pape. Without alcohol, probably water.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? I love watching women's curling, some day I will have to give it a go.

29. EYE COLOR? Bluey-Greeny.

30. HAT SIZE? I don't remember, but it is on the big side if I remember correctly.

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I used to wear them.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? I'm pathetic, I love ice cream what can I say. If I had to choose just one food though to eat for the rest of my life, I would choose salad. I can eat salad everyday.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I prefer happy endings to scary movies.

34. IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD THAT BE? Same city, different neighborhood.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Both.

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Are we talking Hersey's or public displays of affection? Hersey's kisses and hugs for friends.

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice cream.

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one.

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Everyone.

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Overheard in New York, Few Eggs and No Oranges and Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter. There are many more in queue, including Libraries.

41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don’t have one.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Don't get TV.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Clicking of knitting needles, whir of a spinning wheel, sound of my daughter's breathing when she is asleep, my daughter singing, cats purring

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles.

45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Japan

46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I'm a doula.

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? In a hospital

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? No one.

Friday, December 22, 2006

It's funny...

looking back over some of the posts I have written. There are so many ideas and things that interest me and most I don't end up pursuing. It is kind of sad.

Lots of people have been blogging about Christmases that are memorable and about letting go and not trying to make everything perfect, and not getting grumpy when it isn't perfect.

The Christmas that I remember most clearly from my youth was the year (one of the several) that we were very poor. My mom bought me a one gallon size jar of pickles with food stamps. I absolutely love pickles, so it was a great gift. That was also the year that the power went out. I don't know if it was because an electric bill hadn't been paid or if there was some storm or something. It was beautiful with all the candles lit and the tree with it's decorations glinting in the candle light. I think I was 10 that year.

The next year we went to get our Christmas decorations out of storage and someone had stolen them. I had had the same stocking from when I was born. It was red velvet with a white fluffy top and someone had used glue and glitter to make a big, cursive 'E' on the red part of the stocking. Every year I think of that stocking. It was perfect.

I love hosting Christmas. Having people over and providing for them and seeing them happy makes me happy. It makes me feel domestic and capable. (I spent the first part of my life trying to get away from everything feminine, believing that feminine equaled weak. Now I work to reclaim the fact that I am a woman, but I think I still have skewed ideas of what that means.)

Yesterday was the winter solstice here. I wanted to celebrate, but no one around me seemed interested. I feel the connection to the circle of life and the light going and coming back. I feel rooted in the earth when I think of the solstice. I read about someone having a bonfire. I think I shall try to muster the energy to do that next year. The bright light in the dark. The spark of life. Family and fun around a fire, showing that we keep going even in the dark.

I was going to post a horrible camera phone snap of the sock, but it just isn't going to work out.

A coworker is having me over sometime next week to try out her spinning wheel. It is exciting and scary at the same time. Hopefully it won't be too much fun, otherwise I will just be pining for my own wheel. I haven't had much practice with a spindle. I need to give it another go, and of course by that I mean just practice, practice, practice.

Knitting-wise, I am really looking forward to the beginning of the new year. There are so many things that I want to do. There are several lace projects and at least one pair of socks and a sweater in queue.

I'm not a big new years resolutions kind of person, but I'm thinking of some crafting and hobby related ones. Maybe if I set some goals, I can try some of the things that haven't come to fruition this year. More needlefelting, sewing and knitting. More reading.

Thank you for coming and reading my blog and especially for commenting on it. I just set up Google analytics. It has a map with litle dots (like pins) that show the city of origin of people who visit my blog. My favorite day so far was the one when there were pins in Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, France, the UK and a scattering in the US. I love love love how international this is! I have had visitors from 4 continents so far. I doubt that I will ever be visited by someone in Antartica, but I hope to be visited by someone in Asia and Africa some day.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Oh dear

It has been a week since I last posted. I've been posting less frequently because I know it is much more interesting when there are pictures. But, I suppose some text without pictures is more interesting than nothing new at all.

We lost power during the big storm here last Thursday. It was gone for about 17 hours. I have a friend who is still without power. She and her family are staying at different peoples houses over night. What fun.

I started the socks for Fiona last week. The colors are perfect. I just turned the heel of my very first sock. It is magic. A coworker showed me a lovely way to pick up the stitches on the side of the heel flap. I feel like a real knitter!

Last week I made a point of taking my knitting with me everywhere even when I didn't think I would have time. I pulled into a Starbucks drive through that was quite backed up. I pulled out my knitting (and turned off the car). I felt like a real knitter!

I went to pick up some take out food. It wasn't quite ready yet, I pulled out my knitting and instantly dropped a stitch. I fumbled in my little bag for the crochet hook I have for just such emergencies. My little bag then spilled all around my feet. I recovered the stitch, although in the process of recovering that one I lost two more. All stitches were recovered. My little bag repacked. I knit three or four stitches and the food was ready. I felt like a crappy knitter.

I always hope that when I knit in public it will inspire someone else to pick up what they have set aside, or get someone intrigued enough to learn how to knit. It isn't that I think I am an inspirational knitter. I'm not. I think I may have finished six or seven things in my lifetime. The reason I hope to inspire people is that I think knitting is so engulfing, so amazing, that if everyone would do it, they would see how incredible it is and then there would be world peace, or something.

Christmas is looming. I hope to have all of the handmade gifts done. The socks may end up as a post Christmas gift. A scarf for someone was finished. I have 1/4 of a face cloth to finish. A special knitted item, that cannot be described because the recipient may read this blog and would know, has yet to be cast on, but it is doable. I have the fabric for a doll's quilt and some kanzashi barettes a la Spangle and my little mochi. It will all work, somehow.

Monday, December 11, 2006

Alex and his hat

I finished the hat for Alex in early November, I think, but didn't get it to him until late November. Now, in the middle of December I am finally posting pictures. Hurray!





This was the hat I knit three times. It was knit from Colinette Graffiti in Blue Parrot. I don't remember what the needle gauge was.

Today I started knitting my first pair of socks for Miss Fi. I was lucky enough to get the Fig and Plum colorway from Yarntini in 100% superwash merino.



It is absolutely lovely. It is so springy and pinchable. The colors are perfect. And she sent me a yummy little pot of Chocotini lip balm as a gift. Thank you Jessie!

Last but not least, I took this picture a few weeks ago.



It was such a beautiful morning and I wanted to share it with everyone. If you squint your eyes and tilt your head just so, you may be able to make out the partially snow covered mountains on the horizon. I wish you could actually see them.

Off I go to work on those socks!

p.s. I received an email back from the chocolatier Michel Cluizel. Here is the full text.

After asking the Cluizel family, the assured that prior to working with a plantation, they request a written engagement that their plantation is not using "children, who are subject to slave labor conditions".
We try to get all the necessary guarantees that human rights are respected.
Thank you for your concern.

Friday, December 08, 2006

Sick and tired...

on a couple of levels. I have had a wretched cough for almost five weeks now. I am on three medications. I am so run down.

The Iraq war is horrifying. So much death and destruction. I never wanted the US to go there, and yet I feel like we can't leave until we somehow fix all of the horrible things we have done, but it seems we make it worse by staying.

I have also been greatly saddened by the loss of James Kim. I followed the story, and thought of writing in the guestbook on the website, but I could think of nothing comforting to say.

At the same time as I was biting my nails over the Kim family, I read of the loss of a 12 year old girl on Amy's website.

I never wanted to have children until my brother had his son almost 8 years ago. It opened a door for me that had been very securely shut. I have a three year old daughter and my husband and I are trying to having a second. I fear losing my child(ren). War, mistakes, accidents, life. I can't tell you how many times I've been baking with my daughter or reading a book to her or grocery shopping with her and I have thought how what I am doing would be impossible for a mother in Iraq or Darfur. There are days when I feel like I've had a crappy day, and I just need a gingerbread latte to make me feel better, what a load of crap. And yet my feelings and my life experience are valid. How can someone find balance in all of this?

I love chocolate. Michel Cluizel 72% Noir is a dream come true. There are times when I feel like I need it, almost like medicine, probably more like an addiction. There are children who are working in slave labor to produce chocolate. I just sent an email to Michel Cluizel to ask about their sourcing of chocolate.

I am a vegetarian. I feel guilty about the eggs and cheese that we eat. I don't really feel too guilty about the honey, though. I don't think I have the energy to do what needs to be done though to change.

There are ways in which we conserve. We recycle. We compost. Then there are ways in which we are profligate. Going out for coffee everyday. Buying too much crap.

Maybe I shall institute stream of consciousness Friday.

Friday, December 01, 2006

The mittens are done!

I posted the story, and a couple of pictures, of the mittens on Knit the Classics. Here is the link.