Craftylilly

Third Annual Blogger's Silent Poetry Reading for the Feast of St. Brigid

It's been a long time since I've had much to do with poetry.  I used to write it, and read it in high school and college, but have gotten out of the habit.  I thought I'd post one of my favorites that on this dreary, rainy day, seems even more relevant. 

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

Teachers' gift? Natch.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving.  The food was plentiful, the conversation lively, and the leftovers delicious.  I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!  Yesterday, we took the kids to the park and stayed far away from all shopping malls.  RM and I have an aversion to large crowds in stores.  All in all, it was a nice, low key way to spend the day after Thanksgiving. 

During all the hubbub, I put the finished touches on my kids' teachers gifts.  You see three pictured here, but I actually made six of these mug cozies.  My kids have four teachers between them, and I have a holiday party that I needed a gift for.  Plus, when I bought the plain white mugs, they were two for the price of one, so I pretty much had to buy six.  It's not a bad thing to have an extra Christmas gift though.  You never know when I'm going to need an extra gift.  I really like these mug cozies!  Each one took a little over an hour to knit, and embellishing with buttons, and putting it together was fun.  This is a good stashbusting project too as I used some Lana Grossa Lambswool that I got in a swap with Lu.  I held two strand of different colors together, and I think the effect is really attractive.  You can find this pattern in the latest Interweave Knits Holiday 2007.  I put some tissue paper in each one and filled it with Hershey's kisses and York Peppermint patties.  I then stuck candy cane in the top and stuck a holiday lip gloss in the side and there you go.  Great pattern, great gift.

I also wanted to share with you the cutest children's Christmas book I found at Borders.  The title is "Shall I Knit You a Hat?"  by Kate Klise.  It's the cutest story.  There's nothing like a sweet Christmas knitting story to start getting me in the holiday mood.

What's on your nightstand?

You may want to sit down before you read my next bit of news.  I can't be held responsible for any head injuries caused by keeling over with the surprise.

Ok, are you ready?

Lately... I have actually been able to read.  I know, shocking.  I love to read, but l ately finding the time has been a challenge.  When I'm not kid wrangling, household keeping, or crafting, I'm sleeping.  However, for the past week or so, RM has also felt bite of the reading bug.  So, after we put the kids to bed, we switch on some classical music and break out the books.  You can see my two selections right here on my nightstand:  Into the Wild by John Krakauer, and The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. 

First, let me say, I am taking Greene's book very slowly.  It's been a long time since I've taken any science classes, and I never took Physics in high school or college for that matter.  So far I've made it through discussion of general relativity and Quantum Physics and how they can't both be true.  I think I've grasped most of it.  I stress the word "think."  Anyway, it's an interesting read.  I don't expect to complete the book anytime soon though.

I'm doing much better with Into the Wild.  This book has been made into a movie directed by Sean Penn.  It's an interesting story about a young man, Chris McCandless, who goes off into the wildnerness of Alaska on a quest to feel more at one with nature and dies.  There's been a lot of controversy around this book and the movie because some people consider the book/movie as a glorification of a young man who went into the wilderness naive and unprepared.  Others are captured by the story of a young man who was searching for some kind of romantic ideal of living at one with nature and away from the distractions of human relationships.  I'm not quite sure where I stand yet.  I'm a person who enjoys creature comforts.  I like access to a flush toilet and clean water.  I like the warmth of my couch and a soft blanket while I knit.  I enjoy nice food.  I like showering, access to grocery stores, and the option to go on a hike, but be able to go home and rest in a bed.  I can relate to the wonder of nature, the absolutely awe-inspiring feeling of being on the beach and watching the ocean, lying on my back at night and gazing up at the stars, or walking through the redwoods and listening to the birds and the sound of leaves crunching under my feet.  In the end though, you're not going to find my backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness.  It's just not going to happen.

So tell me, what have you been reading?

Oh, and for those of you wondering where the crafting content is hiding?  I'm so close to finishing RM's Cobblestone, I can taste it.  Expect a FO very soon...      

It's Sunday, and I'm still scattered

Lots to tell, not a lot of focus is what I've got for you all tonight.  Unfortunately, you'll have to bear with me in another "numbered" post. 

1)  I actually finished a book the other day, but no, it wasn't the latest Harry Potter.  I'm still reading that one.  What did I finish?  I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I loved this book.  It was nice to spend some time in this world of Depression era traveling circus.  (And yes, I loved HBO's Carnivale.  I was very mad when it ended so abruptly.  This book has nothing to do with magic though.)  I want to learn more about Elephants now. 

2) I finished up the Tour de Fleece and think I did pretty well.  I wore yellow anyway!  That's a yellow tank top I'm wearing!  I finished spinning up about 16 ounces of fiber all told.  About 9 ounces of it is plied, the rest is sitting on the bobbins in singles.  I also managed to spin every day except for yesterday and the predetermined days of rest.  Not bad, if I do say so myself.  I found that spinning a little in the morning before officially starting my day is a great way to ease into the hustle and bustle of my routine.  I'm planning on trying to spin at least every other day for the next few months.  I still have to take pictures of all that I spun, After I ply up the last of it, I'll post an official picture.

3) I'm breaking all sorts of my own knitting rules, but I cast on for a fourth project last night.  I just couldn't face the endless stockinette of the Stargazer sleeve, the monkeys weren't calling me, and the IHS just wasn't doing it, so I cast on for a pair of socks using Mega Boot Stretch.  I've had a sock design on the brain for a while, and I'm excited to start working it out.  Details soon.

4) Store update!!!  I was going to wait until I had crafted a few more pieces of jewelry, but I'm so excited about stitchmarker jewelry design that I've been working on that I had to list an update today.  I created a lariat style necklace with a toggle clasp that holds stitch markers.  Each stitch marker necklace includes a set of three coordinating stitch markers, but honestly, you could put any stitch marker on these necklaces.   All four I've made use Czech glass, but I'm going to be putting together ones using natural stones and materials.  They'll be more expensive than the glass, but very beautiful as well.  If anyone has something special they'd like me to do in this stitch marker necklace style, let me know.  I'm open to doing custom orders of this design.  I also put up a bracelet, two necklaces, and one more pair of earrings. 

Speaking of the shop, I've cut some prices on the jewelry I have listed, and am offering free shipping within the US of orders of two or more items from the shop through August.   

5) I've been organizing like crazy around my house too.  I've gone through my kids' artwork and school work from last year and organized it in a keepsake box.  I've also cleaned out and organized a few cabinets.  I'm definitely feeling the urge to do a big cleaning and purging before school starts again. 

6) I went to Lambtown yesterday, which is sort of a sheep festival in Dixon.  I enjoyed myself.  It was super hot, and the kids weren't all that amused, except they did enjoy seeing the sheep, and RR got to ride a pony.  I was going to talk about my purchases, and about some cool etsy sellers that I met there, but I'll save it for my next post.  I've still got to take pictures of the loot.

Anyway, I feel like I've just been all over the place in this post.  Of course that is the story of my life lately.    

Yes, I do still read on occasion

As some of you know (Carrie K, Stephanie, Teabird), I love to read.  I've always been a reader.  My parents remember the difficulty they had keeping up with my reading habit when I was a child.  I loved the library, and had a voracious appetite for the written word.  I still do.  Just ask RM about the breadth and depth of the "to read" books in our bookcase.  Life with two children under the age of 5, and a serious crafting addiction cut into the reading time.  However, I've been a part of a book club for about 7 years.  Almost all of my local friends are in this book group, and I really need a girl's night, so I made a real effort to read this month's selection, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. 

Let me just say, I will never look at fast food the same way again, or eat a hamburger, or go to McDonald's.  A similar thing happened to me after I read the novel, My Year of Meats.  I didn't eat any red meat for over a year after that one.  In the spirit of the book (tongue and cheek spirit), I made a tote bag to bring to my book group on Thursday.  I'm expecting it to generate a few laughs.

I also finished knitting up the first RPM sock.  I love this pattern and I love the mediumweight STR.  I've cast on for my second Dublin Bay for my Bloomin' pal.  I hope to have those done by early next week, and I don't think I'll be able to stay away from my RPM's that long.  What an addictive and quick pattern!

Hello, my name is Craftylilly, and I am a geek

Of course, if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know about my geekiness already.  If you are relatively new to my blog, I've got some proof of my condition for you.  My husband, RM, is way into NFL football.  He's a huge Oakland Raiders fan, and has his own blog devoted to the team.  He has been playing fantasy football for about seven years.  He won a fantasy football championship this year and designed a T-shirt to commemorate the event.  When he got the T-shirt in, I took one look at it and said, "I want to design a T-shirt commemorating my blog."  So he gave a link to a great custom T-shirt making site, Art Apart.  A few clicks and uploads later, and I designed my very own Craftylilly T-shirt.  It incorporates the picture of my handspun that I have in my blog header.  I love it!  I'm toying with the idea of wearing it to Stitches.  Or would that be too weird?  Anyway, I wore it today, and just love it.  Craftylilly = geek.  Yes, I have to admit it.

In knitting news, I've been plugging away at my Audrey Hepburn sweater for the past couple of weeks.  Due to some work I'm doing for my kid's preschool (aside from the normal cooping working in the classroom work), spinning, and some general exhaustion issues, I haven't gotten as far as I'd like.  I have almost made it to where I can put the sleeves on some waste thread and get to working on the body.  I'm using Barbara Walker's book Knitting from the top to help my design my sweater, and I have to say I've been very pleased with it so far.  I'll do a more complete review of the book once I've completed the sweater, but here's my early thoughts. 

Walker's book is not a pattern book.  This book is really aimed for knitter's who are interested and ready to start designing their own sweaters.  The overall theme of the book is to explain how to design a sweater from the top (neck), down to the bottom edge.  Her thesis is that designing this way is easier than designing a piece that needs to be seamed or a piece that is designed from the bottom up.  She asserts that by working from the top down, the knitter can try on the sweater and check for fit at every part of the process.  She devotes each chapter to designing a different top down piece ranging from skirts, hats, pants, capes, classic raglan sweaters, saddle shoulder sweaters, set in sleeve sweaters, kimono sleeved sweater, etc.  The chapters are written in an engaging and warm fashion and start from the beginning which of course concerns swatches and gauge decisions. 

When using this book to attack my sweater, I chose my sweater style (basic raglan sweater) and read the whole chapter.  I didn't have to do this however.  Walker writes her chapters so that you can knit as you read.  The chapter takes pauses when some extra decision needs to be made, and delineates each section of the sweater and the calculations necessary to complete it. 

In short, I'm glad that I'm using this book to design my sweater.  I'm hoping and anticipating a sweater that will fit the way I want, and look the way I've envisioned.  If you're ready to begin designing your own sweaters, I recommend taking a look at Knitting from the Top.   

Craftylilly, reporting in

While my friend was visiting, I had a chance to finish my fourth book for the summer reading challenge.  I read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov along with my Knit the Classics cohorts.  I don't think I can say that I enjoyed reading this book.  As many on the Knit the Classics message board have expressed, Nabokov is a wordsmith.  His use of language is captivating.  However, his topic is very disturbing.  Lolita has a reputation of being a work that verges on the pornographic.  However, I didn't find it to be so.  You aren't told very much about the sexual life between the middle aged Humbert Humbert and the underage Lolita, but you don't need to.  HH's discussion of his thoughts is enough to turn your stomach without graphic details.  I don't think this is a book I'd read again, although I'm glad I did read it.  There are a many cultural references that I understand more fully by reading it.  Simply the name of Lolita, and the image it evokes, one of a forbidden temptress/seductress, I understand more fully now that I've read the novel.

I also have a couple of film reviews for you!  We've been watching movies on DVD, but I haven't reported on any of them for several months.  I do have a couple that I'm giving my stamp of approval, and a few I'll warn you all against.  First the good ones:  if you are interested in quirky comedies, I highly recommend Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and V for Vendetta.  Kiss Kiss is a lot of fun, and has great dialogue.  Robert Downey, Jr. is such a great actor and Val Kilmer gives a good performance as well.  We also enjoyed V for Vendetta as well.  If you do see V, be prepared to be a little lost, but just go with it.  It becomes understandable as the film unfolds.  Also, look out for the actor, John Hurt.  If you ever saw the 1984 version of the movie 1984, you'll find his part in V to be ironic.

Ok, now the bad...  Don't bother seeing Poseidon if you enjoyed the original.  A lot of the plot feels contrived, not like the original at all.  Other wastes of time include Hostel (bloodfest with little heart or any redeeming qualities), and 16 blocks (Mos Def, just use your normal voice, geez).

In knitting news, I just have the button bands to finish on PQL's cardi.  FO pictures soon!

SRC Update

I can't believe it! I actually finished three books in two months! I've achieved my original goal with a month to spare! Woohoo! During the latest heat wave, I had some time to read. What else can you do when the power is out and it's too hot to knit? What did I read? I read the book The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy. I got it in a book swap I did on swap-bot. I loved it. The story is about two Jewish children who are left in the woods in Poland by their father and stepmother during the end of WWII. Their stepmother tells them to forget their real names and go by Hansel and Gretel to try and save them from the Nazis. They are taken in by a woman named Magda who lives in the woods. She is considered to be a witch by the local townspeople, but she is determined to save them. The book is well written, and puts an entirely new spin on the original Grimm fairy tale as well as the stereotypes of women who are called "witches" and stepmothers. A constant theme of the book is the idea of memory. How memories inform who we are. How memories can give us hope, or cause us pain, and help define who we are. Themes of sin, redemption, and love are also dealt with in the book. At times the events were horrific and painful to read, but Murphy makes the reader care so much about the characters that you continue to read. I highly recommend it!

So I think I can actually get 4 books read this summer! I'm planning on starting Lolita next along with the other members of KTC. We'll see, though. I've been itching to read a fast beach read too.

If you haven't already, check out the post below about the little contest I'm holding! My next post will have the winners of the contest and some knitting content. I promise!