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Sunday, March 30, 2003

I 'm spending all day at home. I'm trying to do nothing social until I get sick of being a hermit. I've been extremely productive so far, though, and I've refrained from going to Foot Worship (considering it's Sunday, and I probably shouldn't go have my feet worshipped today). My friend Jeannie said it was a cool place though so I will probably go next week.

Yesterday I plyed & plyed, and then I made skeins with my niddynoddy. I love that thing just for its name. Here is one before it's plyed.

Spinning however, I'm sitting on the fence on that one right now. I love doing the drop spindle spinning because it is so meditative. But, the rest of it is kind of like work... and I don't enjoy trying to untangle the masses of tangly yarn I keep creating. I can see why people invented the spinning wheel, and why they made kids to it! Here - no dinner until you untangle this huge mess and make it into a nice center pull ball! I'm not ready to give it up yet, though. I probably just need more practice and learn more technique.

Here are the total results of my work. Please, if you are a spinner feel free to critique (if you can see enough detail.)

Then, I finished the lacy cardie front this morning, and cast on the first sleeve. The sleeves will be much easier than the fronts, just increase every 8th row. Very mindless and can be done on MUNI.

And I even knit the toe of the second SL sock! But I have to rip that one for I didn't keep notes and cast on 48 instead of 52 stitches. (Note to Self - keep notes. Duh.)

I also was very domestic and cooked a "Savory Vegetable Cheesecake" thanks to Mollie Katzen and the Enchanted Broccoli Forest - mmmmmmmmmm - and made muffins this morning for breakfast.

And, I talked to my Oma this morning and she told me a cool story about the war. After the war, they lived in the British occupied zone. The British soldier who was occupying the house next door gave my Oma some "kneewarmers" which were knitted from olive green yarn. Kneewarmers must have been some weird part of the British uniform. Anyway, they ripped them up and knitted little overall pants from the yarn for my Dad and his twin brother, who were born in 1949. How cute they must have looked! And just think, totally recycled pants from uniforms for the little German boys next door who had nothing. Nice soldier. :)

posted by Stella 2:31 pM

Saturday, March 29, 2003

I don't want to come off as a total gym rat on this blog so yesterday, I didn't go to there after work, I went shoe shopping instead. I went to Daljeets on Haight Street, for I felt the need for some plain old red, stiletto sandals, (for the total slut look) and, yes, I'm whining, they didn't have them in my size! And I was ready to drop big bucks, too!

Dreamy, huh? Now, I don't want the platform things, (that's just so un-classy), AND, I need them to be cheap. And red. Oh yes. I could haunt the Mission as this must be where the pros shop, but I won't. The nice folks at Piedmont suggested this haunt Foot Worship, but hey, maybe we are going too far here. I'm not weird, the guy in the mini-kilt was! He was friendly though.

OK. To make this more wholesome and not to scare/turn off/ freakout some of my conservative readers here is my knitting & spinning progress.

A fat new CD spindle full of yarn. :)

The Lacy Cardie Fronts.

See? I'm a nice girl.

And here is my pretty kitty:

don't you wanna pet him?

posted by Stella 9:22 AM

Friday, March 28, 2003

Yah Friday! I can't believe I haven't blogged yet. Oh, yeah, I went to the gym at lunch for a complimentary Pilates demo, where I got to work out on one of the big machines. It was FUN though I doubt that I can afford to buy a series of 10 classes for $500. <gulp> Tonight Critical Mass people will be blocking the streets for peace, so I think I'll be back at the gym until they go home. (I'm kinda sick of protestors.) Or, shop. Hm.

NO knitting progress. I was sooo tired last night, I couldn't even watch that cool movie Minority Report. I fell asleep at 9:30 pm. I just couldn't follow those complicated increases & decreases. I'm setting myself the goal of finishing the 2nd front of the cardie this weekend. And take yarn off my spindle and ply it. And start the second SL sock. And Kool-Aid dye. Yeah, right.

posted by Stella 5:25 PM

Thursday, March 27, 2003

I'm done upgrading the software on my compi. It now has WinXP Pro and looks all cool & slick! I've got my CAD 2000i, Office XP, Outlook, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and camera software, and IE running and it just purrs along. <big smile> I wiped out everything on the hard drive and started from total scratch.

At lunch time, I ran into my ex. I thought he had moved back to Kentucky! But, I guess he couldn't stand it there any longer so he came back to SF. He even got a job near here. This is not good. I hate having to look out for people I don't want to run into. Not that we fight, it's just that I have so closed that chapter in my book.

On to more pleasant topics: Julie of Booga J mentioned Cucumberpatch on her blog and Oh Joy! they have my Rowan Calmer at a significant 37.6% discount compared to my LYS. It will be a nice change to start the Loll sweater, because it is knit on #6 needles, so will grow much faster than the Alice cardie which I'm doing on #2.5. Even with shipping, I'll save $35.

posted by Stella 2:49 PM

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Just came from ChicKnits and am so up on my soapbox. Ms. Tonya of the Charlotte Observer p****d me off big time. (Someone in Charlotte, NC, accusing me, in San Francisco, of being "permeated of an undercurrent of conservativism?" The state that gave us Jesse Helms?!) I wrote her a letter and posted it here earlier. But then I realized it's really not worth getting my panties in a twist about.

I am 33 years old, I am educated, I live on my own in the city, I work out at the gym every day and can run 5 miles (sometimes), I live in my own apartment and I have new car - all the signs of the American Dream success. I run my own life. I have done crafts since 2nd grade. I'm not returning to Mayberry. Yeah, so I do that kind of thing because it makes me calmer. Of course it's therapeutic to cook and sew and knit. It's cheaper than paying a shrink. It does help me to deal with anxiety about the war and terrorist attacks. But I don't think it's the wrong way to deal with anxiety. I like being creative and making things. It's fun.

Whatever...

Back to peacefulness - here is the first straight laced sock:

posted by Stella 2:25 PM

 

Monday, March 24, 2003

I want to start a knitting group. I have 2 knitting girlfriends already, and Miss Jeannie was all excited about being a charter member. What next? Any suggestion on how to get this going? I'm not the best people organizer.

Oh, and check out Bonnie Marie's picture of herself on her 100 Things link - she's wearing the Alice Lacy Cardie! Girl, you are my inspiration!!

The SL socks, on the other hand, are still weird. The lacy pattern makes it stretchy, so it looks all long and skinny, longer than my feet. When I put it on, it fits because it stretches wider and somehow becomes shorter. Is this normal? Do I have to rip again? <BIG sigh>

I decided this morning that it would be totally work-related to upgrade my PC to WinXP. I have no billable work, and running XP will enable me to use the VPN so I can work from home in the future. The hardest part about it so far was installing the CDR burner so I could backup my data first. I really want to get rid of all the junk I accumulated over the last 2 years. (Actually, I really want a laptop, but this should hold me over for a while...)

posted by Stella 1:43 PM

Sunday, March 22, 2003

It was my first time to do the Friday Five, and of course, it led me down another path of exploring blogs. I found Dave Pollard's blog who addressed the question of why do we blog - his answer is to learn how to write better. I think that's a little dry. I do it for self-expression! It's like journaling but more fun because:

1. You can't loose a blog & nobody can steal it because it's already public
2. I get to share ideas with other people
3. I get a little tickle out of wondering who reads it
4. My hands don't get writer's cramp
5. I get to be totally creative with the design
6. I'm learning about what i like & what makes me happy
7. I find it challenging to learn how to program; and do html
8. I get inspiration for my knitting & quilting by reading blogs
9. It's just plain Major Escapism

Knitting Progress:

I finished the first, left front of the lacy cardie & started the right front.
I turned the heel on the first straight laced sock. It fits better than before but we shall see how it works out once I knit more of the leg.
I made up my mind to spend the money on the Rowan Calmer yarn for the Loll sweater :)
Continuing to spin the yarn for the Kool-Aid sweater. It's staying very even and consistent, if I may say so.

I'll post pics for you tomorrow - my computer at home refuses to "see" my camera. I think my USB port may be bad. I'm also thinking about wiping the computer clean and starting over with WinXP, but that is a scary step and will require some time. Maybe I can make it work-related!

posted by Stella 12:36 PM

Friday, March 20, 2003

Yay, Friday! I won't ramble on about the war. Commute was ok - I had to get off the bus early and walk about 5 blocks. No choppers at the moment, no police & no protestors this morning (I guess they are sleeping in).

Work is very very slow but I finished my taxes and I will get away with paying $100 total. Could be worse.

I cast on the for the Straight Laced Socks again last night and I can tell the #1's are much, much better. The cardie is also progressing nicely. I am decreasing for the armhole & neck on the first front part.

Now for some lite entertainment:

1. If you had the chance to meet someone you've never met, from the past or present, who would it be?
Jerry Garcia

2. If you had to live in a different century, past or future, which would it be?
The 19th Century, 1849 (and I'd open a bar for the gold miners!)

3. If you had to move anywhere else on Earth, where would it be?
Sonoma or Napa or Marin

4. If you had to be a fictional character, who would it be?
Scarlett O'Hara

5. If you had to live with having someone else's face as your own for the rest of your life, whose would it be?
Lauren Bacall

posted by Stella 12:01 PM

Thursday, March 20, 2003

Second blog entry for today, but we live in historic times. There were helicopters overhead all day long. It is a very unnerving sound. When I left work, police cars were lined up all along the block. I started to ride home, but once I got 3 blocks down Market St, the street was blocked with a huge group of people and more riot police lining the street beyond them. It was young people, old hippie people and people in business suits. There was no getting through. I had to wait it out and participate. People were chanting. "What do we want?" "Peace!" "When do we want it?" "Now!" No one was voilent or tried to cross the police line. It was not a cops-against-protestors athmosphere. Finally they decided to walk up Powell Street, and I was able to ride home. I saw another group of people marching. I also came across more barricades - which are a good thing when you are on a bike because cars can't get through. I will take along my camera tomorrow. There will be another march on Saturday. I need to make a sign.

posted by Stella 11:32 PM

Stella was scared last night. I was working out at Crunch, alternately watching the CNN & MTV TV's. CNN gave me these waves of anxiety, so whenever it got too bad, I'd focus my attention back onto the Urban Myths show on MTV (so pop rocks & soda really kill you?). I had heard on the radio a protest was starting at Powell & Market at 5pm, but that was ok because I was going to BART it to Mission & 16th around 8 pm, and then walk to the gallery at Valencia & 19th. Unfortunately, when I was ready to leave the gym, the protestors had gone down to the Mission, and there was no way I could have made it down to the gallery. So dang it. Here I am all excited and the war f**** with my love life! K says we may have to reschedule. So I went to McDonald's for some comfort food & shared it with the homeless guy outside, then took a cab home & settled in front of mindless TV & took 1/2 a xanax to divert the anxiety attacks. K is a nice guy though, and he somehow made it to my apartment later on & tried to distract me. And then, in the middle of it all, I loose it and start crying because I'm so scared of it all. He was soooo nice though & said I was allowed to feel anything when I was with him. He's a keeper, right?

This morning, protestors are blocking major intersections in SF and I ride my bike to work. It was easier to get around the police barricades. More cops in riot gear, mounted police, photographers and protestors sitting in circles in the middle of 5th & Market. I rode for a block with protestors on bikes who chanted "Bikes not Bombs!" Another girl on a bike smiled at me, and that was a beautiful moment. A little human connection in the middle of all this - it felt empowering and I was happy. It's in the little things when you are powerless to change the big ones.

posted by Stella 2:07 PM

 

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

City Spinners was fun. I got lots of admiration for my lace projects and tried another spindle with some really smooth merino. I liked that fiber better than the rambouillet I am spinning. I kinda need to start plying it before I forget how. And, dye it, so the Kool-Aid sweater can grow.

Also made it to Imagiknit and finally got the #1 DPN's so I can restart my socks. :) The Rowan Calmer is going to cost me big bucks. It is $10.25 each, and I need 9 balls. Do I need a $100 sweater? It's cheaper than therapy. Or should I substitute a different, more affordable yarn? Well, a thing of beauty is a joy forever, money in the bank gives a certain sense of security.

Stella has another date tonight, with a certain other someone, and she will see Steven again this weekend. Ooops. How'd that happen? Two guys! We shall see how this works out. And they are both sooo much fun! But I have my priorities straight - my gym & my knitting (aka my sanity) come first.

posted by Stella 1:56 PM

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Yeah, City Spinners meet tonight! You can meet them at fuzzy galore. I'm still a little traumatized from last time when I tried to use the spinning wheel... but I'm hoping that I'll make some progress plying the singles I have. This will also be my chance to show off Julia's sweater before I mail it off to Germany.

Here she is, last September, anyway.

Thanks Caroline, Andrea & Sadie - I felt a little confused after I left Atelier (as in, was that me or her acting weird?). I'm going back to Imagiknit tonite after work & before the spinning mtg to get those #1 DPN's & to check the expense for the Rowan Calmer. I know I'm bellyaching, but I really wish I hadn't gone to that $80 dinner and instead saved my money for the yarn. I am SO poor right now (or, fiscally challenged as my friend, the tax lawyer words it) - 13 days until payday.

posted by Stella 10:04 AM

Monday, March 17, 2003

Not much new on the knitting front. I keep working on the Lacy Cardie, and I'm trying to get some #1 DPN's.

I went to another yarn store in SF yesterday, called Atelier. I checked their opening hours on the website to make sure they were open. When I got there, I walked in and lots of smiles turned toward me. A class was taking place. But immediately, the teacher came up to me and said, "We are having a class. We are really closed." I asked if she would sell me some needles, and she said, "No, sorry." Very lame, IMHO. If I had a store, I'd sell stuff, wether I had a class going on or not. I don't think they made a new customer yesterday.

Jane's BBQ was great, though. People liked the Drunken Beans. All other food was excellent, too. I met a whole bunch of interesting people who have been my neighbors for the last 5 years that I have lived here. And then I learned a lot more about those neighbors who were not there! Excellent gossip. Everybody knew Sunshine, too.

ps - still smiling...

posted by Stella 12:52 PM

Sunday, March 16, 2003

Stella has a <big> smile on her face today. She had fun on her date, but can't talk about the details. Suffice to say she did behave herself. Mr. Steven was a very nice guy.

Below I posted the lyrics to the original Stella Blue. It's probably better understood under the influence of a mind-altering substance but I think it is just the most beautiful GD song ever. Life is just a dream. (I'm smiling, as I said above.)

I am going to the yarn store to assess the potential damage to my fiscal situation if I procure the yarn for either Loll or Hearten (what the **** is "Loll"?!). And get those #1 DPN's.

Then I'm going to make Drunken Beans for a BBQ. In strict disregard to copyright restrictions, here is the recipe for ya:

1 lb dried beans: black, pinto or pink
10 cups water
12 ounces beer (not dark)
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
2 tomatoes, roasted, peeled & chopped
2 serrano chiles, roasted, peeled & chopped
3 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon ground California (mild) or New Mexico (hot) red chile
1 tablespoon pureed chipotle chile en adobo
1/4 cup bottled barbecue sauce
4 strips bacon, fried until crisp, crumbled (optional)

from The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook, recipe by Jacqueline McMahan.

posted by Stella 9:46 AM

home

"Stella Blue"
Words by Robert Hunter; music by Jerry Garcia
Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

All the years combine
they melt into a dream
A broken angel sings
from a guitar
In the end there's just a song
comes crying like the wind
through all the broken dreams
and vanished years

Stella Blue

When all the cards are down
there's nothing left to see
There's just the pavement left
and broken dreams
In the end there's still that song
comes crying like the wind
down every lonely street
that's ever been

Stella Blue

I've stayed in every blue-light cheap hotel
Can't win for trying
Dust off those rusty strings just
one more time
Gonna make em shine

It all rolls into one
and nothing comes for free
There's nothing you can hold
for very long
And when you hear that song
come crying like the wind
it seems like all this life
was just a dream

Stella Blue

 

Taseti

Sunshine

in the works & dreams

Alice Lacy Cardie Loll Hearten Straight Laced Socks Kool-Aid Sweater