Side Show Art

Knit & Nosh

2012-02-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

The past two Fridays have found me at the same couple of places. Mainly because I love them so much. It's hard to become a regular at any one place in Chicago. Eating out in this city has many variables. Price, cuisine, neighborhood, laziness of diner and of course the new factor. So many new eateries and bars open that it's difficult to be true. Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon and say they were the first. I was not the first to discover how delicious Pleasant House Bakery's pies are. I was not the first to drink at Maria's Packaged Goods. I am not the first to blog about it either. But I may be the first to play with Legos at Maria's while eating Pleasant House pie.

The best symbiotic relationship in the city

Friday before last found me devouring the Friday night fish and chips that Pleasant House offers. A big thick piece of cod with meyer lemon tartar sauce. YUM! Paired with a prickly pear saison and a good book, I was in foodie heaven.

Prickly Pear Saison brewed by New Belgium

Ravenous when I arrived I ended up snarfing down my food and beer before my friends arrived. By then I had time for another beer and some knitting on my superhero raccoon's body.

Finished the body while drinking Kujo Coffee Stout

He was finished later in the week during a cooking escapade that involved roasted butternut squash pizza and crispy fried sage. I am still happily munching leftovers.

The Raccoon keeps the world safe from dangerous monster chunks

Last Friday was a busy day of nothing but food food food and not too much knitting. Even the busiest of hands need a break. I power lunched at The Gage with my sister-in-law, took a tour of new aqua building and Radisson Blu Hotel. Then a quick visit to the water tower Lego store and the pick a brick wall. Afterwards I made my way down to Farmhouse. I still have not had their burger much to my chagrin as the gentleman next to me at the bar had one and it smelled delicious! Still full from lunch and close enough to dinner I settled for my book and one of the best gin and tonics to date. They had Barrel aged Bols Genever and no guns for them, tonic is served from a bottle. (Q tonic to be exact.) And of course I couldn't just sit and drink, I had to have dessert. A spiced fig and toffee bread pudding was a good complement to spice and juniper of my drink. I liked Farmhouse before but now they have been cemented in my brain as one of my regular places. After finishing I hopped a bus down to Bridgeport where chicken balti pie with coriander chutney awaited. My friends and I dumped out the Legos I brought and built towers and flying contraptions. Too bad the light was a little low to capture the creations properly. I've you with a Lego-ised mosaic of that evening.

Knit n' Nosh

2012-01-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

Two of my favorite things: eating and knitting. One of my favorite things to do: go somewhere for food and knit. I went to lunch today with one of my favorite personages (who recently moved back to the Chicago land area) and he being the one man think tank suggested I blog about my eating and knitting. Fine, I said, I will. And that's just what I'm doing.
This chilly afternoon found me biking down to the south loop to visit one of my favorite diners I do not get to go to enough, Eleven City Diner. It's a Jewish American diner, a little piece of New York with a fierce love for Chicago and all things retro. Green River soda anyone? Cause that's what I have. Very few places carry this home town treat (and official soda of the Boice Wedding in '08), which sports a vibrant shade of green and tastes vaguely of limes and mostly of sugar. I don't drink a lot of soda but when a place has Green River I just can't resist. Eleven has cozy booths and tables and a full bar and lunch counter. For maximum retro effect my friend and I relaxed at the lunch counter. Immediately I pulled out my Warriston sweater. I hadn't seen Aaron since the honeymoon in Portland in said year of 2008. We've spoken and texted each other in that time but seeing someone is quite different and I wanted a project I didn't have to pay attention to. Therefore the stockinette bit of a heavy weight jumper fit the bill.

We sat, him with a cherry phosphate and I with my Green River straight from the bottle and chatted and caught up. He was amazed that I could not have to look at what I was doing and mused about blind knitters which segued into anecdotes about knitters I've met and friends of his who crochet and then beer regulations in Portland vs Kenosha. Our food was set down and I set down my knitting and snarfed up the SCHWARTZY; piles of smoked beef brisket sandwiched in fluffy challah bread. Aaron had a Rueben and fries. Mine was delicious but his looked so good with the melted cheese on top. I snuck some of his fries since mine came with coleslaw (blech.) I'm sure Eleven's coleslaw is delicious. I just don't care for it. Lunch over we still had time to kill before he had to get to his appointment and there was still much more conversation to be had. Plus I couldn't leave without getting an egg cream. Also a commodity in short supply in the Chicago area these are delicious.

Chocolaty and creamy without the heavy brick feeling of finishing a shake and a little fizzy, egg creams are not made with eggs but contain chocolate syrup, milk and soda water. A beautiful amount of head came on mine and all too soon it was gone and time to go. I packed up my knitting which was laid aside in favor of egg cream and conversation and we headed out the door of Eleven and back onto the streets of Chicago.

Some people have all the luck

2012-01-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas my favorite hand dyer (The Plucky Knitter) and my favorite designer (Veera Välimäki) teamed up and came out with this lovely kit. I asked for one but by the time my husband got around to clicking the link they were gone, I tried to get in on an update and that went bust; they sold too quickly. So when I heard about her blog contest I thought fine, I'll post a comment to enter but this will go nowhere. There were over 400 comments when I posted and by the time it closed, 565 comments. The random number generator gods smiled down upon for I was one of two to win a kit! After tramping around in the snow this afternoon and looking something like this:

I came home to not one but three packages chock full of goodness. One was something I ordered from Eden Cottage Yarns on etsy. Five skeins of beautiful DK in a brownish orange, like the caramelized edge on a roasted pumpkin.

It came super fast from the UK, I wasn't expecting to see it for awhile. So that was a pleasant surprise and probably means I should get something off the needles, so I can start knitting a beautiful cardigan out of this. Second was a present from my mother-in-law Annie. She sent me a wonderful book called the Lying Carpet. And third was my prize from The Plucky Knitter. When she sent the email saying I won (and after I squee-ed myself silly) she asked what colors I would like. I gave her options but I had no idea what would come. This is what appeared out of the envelope:

I am going to wind it up tomorrow and start it probably tomorrow night because I just can't help myself. WHEE! Plus it is snowing all day and into the night and I got to have brunch with two of my bestest friends everest and it was a good day all around. Some people really do have all the luck.

After all the hullabaloo over Christmas knitting was through a bout of startitis struck me followed by a severe case of 'I-don't-like-anything-on-my-needles'. Mainly I was stymied on a test knit sweater. And when I get frustrated with one project I need to start 18 dozen more. The sweater design is by Ninja8Tofu on ravelry. I love her designs and when a chance to test knit her new sweater design, Foster, came around I leaped at the chance.

Malabrigo Yarn so very nicely sent me a couple of bags of their yarn months ago and I knew that the polar morn color in worsted was just perfect. I hummed through the body fairly quick despite the holidays but got mired when it came to the button bands. In the face of danger I quail when it comes to picking up stitches. So Foster got tucked away and I started new hats and a new sweater and a shawl for The Wool Dispensary's Spar-KAL.

I finished the hats and am almost done with the shawl and I generously even picked back up a fair isle mitten that's been hanging around. But I couldn't deal yet with the button bands. But a streak of bravery struck me (I am reading a book about the civil war and figure if the soldiers could deal with dysentery I could deal with two simple button bands). So Foster saw the light of day again. Really it had been a week since I'd knitted on it. The button bands accomplished I then started in on the sleeves and that's where I am now. So while this isn't quite a F(inished) O(bject), I am still posting about it since I can't wait to wear it. Winter finally decided to show up in these parts and it's time to break out the woolens in full force. At brunch I managed to finish off sleeve one, so now it's on to sleeve two then blocking and sewing on buttons. Sometimes finding just the right buttons to finish a sweater is more difficult than picking up a button band. I searached long and hard and bought about 3 different sets before settling on some like these from Weewhigmaleerie on etsy.

The finished look is very coastal and reminds me of the beaches we visited in Oregon. Super happy and excited to wear it and take final finished pictures.

I just love yarn

2012-01-07T05:35:00.000-08:00

Most people around New Year's make resolutions regarding their weight and getting healthier. Knitters make yarn resolutions. The most oft used phrase is 'destash'. Last year I didn't post about any yarn resolutions until May. I started the sack project and the pachyderm project. Neither of which reached completion because other shinier, newer projects popped up. I managed to get through a few of the sacks but not nearly as many as I thought I would achieve despite the amount I knit. With some online knitting buddies we were doing an informal destash. Each of us had different goals. My goals last year taken directly from posts on ravelry.com were:

I will work mainly from stash.

95 projects were worked from stash yarn with 5 in hibernation (on needles not being worked on), 5 frogged, and 5 more still being knit. For a total of 110 projects started from stash. All told I knit about 30,000 yards of yarn from my stash in 2011. However when I did the math.... or rather let excel do the math for me, I managed to gain 30,000 more yards than I had previously. Calculated out means that I restashed about 60,000 yards of yarn.

I will clear out at least one bin

HA! My bins are all still stuffed full. Fail.

Knit fingering weight so it fits in one bin

All my fingering weight is now in three bins. Instead of condensing, it spread out.

For every new project I start I will finish one UFO

While this was a big one to achieve I managed to finish a lace weight shawl and a pair of socks both of which had been on the needles for two years.

Knit my sweater quantities

5 of my 95 stash yarn projects were sweaters. Not too shabby.

There was also a finish it or frog it by the end of 2011

I frogged a few but the big ones are still remaining.

This year, the year of 2012 is the year of acceptance. Four days in and I have already bought a new sweater's quantity worth because nothing in my stash cut it. And that's okay. I came to the realization that I just love yarn. I love the textures and colors and feel and smell. If this happens to be my addiction I could do a lot worse. So this year there will be no resolutions regarding yarn. If I knit from my stash, YEAH! If not, well it's not like yarn goes rotten. There are a few things I like to accomplish:

Finish the two pairs of color work socks on my needles currently
Knit two sweaters from the quantities I have
Finish the sack project

We will see what this year brings but I'm not sweating it, because really it's just yarn. And I love yarn.

All the good intentions

2012-01-03T17:08:00.000-08:00

365 days have gone past and we have arrived at 2012. Hopefully the Mayans have it wrong and we will make it to 2013. I'd like that. The holidays have passed by in a wave of knitting, friends, parties, family, more parties and presents (both given and received). I had a lovely time this year making things (some that were too small) and wrapping things and seeing the looks on faces as packages were opened. First there was handmade holiday with my Chicago friends that are basically family, then there was fake Christmas with the brother and sister-in-law and nephew and dad. Next was Christmas Eve with my extended family and Christmas Day with husband and Christmas Day dinner with my aunt, uncle, their awesome children aka my cousins and my dad. I sent a big box down to Missouri to my mother-in-law's home so that everyone could open their presents. They called me on December 27th (the day they were celebrating Christmas) and I got to hear all the merriment and celebrate a little with them as well.

That's my MIL Annie winding up the yarn I gave her

Then New Years Eve came along and I turned into the Grinch. I dislike all the hooha on NYE, I don't like the ball drop and I don't like going out. (I do however like the TV show marathons that ensue) Also on the list of is a dislike New Year's resolutions. It is just setting oneself up for failure. So I don't make them. An online friend gave the idea of adopting a mantra for the year and I rather like that. Her 2011 mantra was "Assume Positive Intent". Instead of seeing the bad, look for the good and realize life and everyone in it isn't out to get you and maybe the girl behind the counter at the coffee is having a bad day too and maybe didn't mean to be snarky. Another one from an online friend is "Quack." Like a duck, let it roll of your feathers. This is one I shall be adopting henceforth for all time, not just a year.

But for 2012 the theme shall be "The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything." However I did forget this rather quickly as I got peeved the day after New Year's at all the things piled on my plate and I kicked a rather thick door in frustration earning myself a very bruised toe and ankle and spilling my coffee in the process. Boo. 363 days to keep trying. Nice thing about mantras, they can't be broken. Unlike toes.

Jingle Bells and Ho Ho Ho

2011-12-06T08:16:00.001-08:00

It's no secret that I love Christmas. I love the winter season and snow and cookies and egg nog and putting up the tree and traditions and the feeling of good will that fills my heart. I wish some of the family drama could be left at the door but even that can not kill my holiday spirit. One of my favorite parts is Christmas knitting and the knitting machine I become after December 1st. Try as I might to start early I am not like my friend Stefanie, of Handmade by Stefanie, who starts her Christmas knitting in May. I tried to be a good girl and started Ben's traditional Christmas sweater in late September. Unfortunately if you don't work on a project it doesn't magically knit itself in the bag just 'cause you are thinking of knitting it.
I did pick up my dad's Christmas socks from 2009 finishing them one day over two years of being cast on.

I dyed the yarn while I was working at Lorna's Laces in Chicago flag colors. I love how the colors pooled and while the pattern doesn't knock your socks off, it's subtly there. So I have finished 4 of the knitted gifts I planned, 3 more are on the needles and 8 more to be cast on. But that figure could always change. 19 more days until Christmas morning. I am not crazy. And this all still seems very doable. This blog post is as much trying to convince myself as convince you out there reading my ramblings. Next to knitting and cookie baking is my love of wrapping gifts. My mom taught me to wrap gifts at an early age and I was always ready with a finger to help tie a ribbon tight or the scissors to curl the ribbon ends. This year I've discovered jingle bells thanks to pinterest. Here's a taste of the tree and the wrapping I have wrought on the presents beneath.

The present in the foreground is for my sister-in-law. I found the rosette at Renegade handmade this past weekend, made by my friend Lillian Asterfield, and just knew if had to be a bow on her box. The tags are from Star Shaped Press here in Chicago.

The Gnome paper I couldn't resist. It's so cute! I saved some of it to wrap my mom's present as well. Since she's the one who started the whole Gnome thing with me after watching Amelie.

One more gratuitous picture of the full tree. I just can't help myself. Some may call it commercialism. I'll keep Christmas in my way and you can all keep it in yours. Happy Holidays my friends!

Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T07:40:00.001-08:00

Here are three things I am thankful for today:

My mom (who's far away in Florida today)

My husband who sets up my french press every morning and when he woke today gave me a big hug and told me he loved me.

And ice cream! (It can't all be serious today)

Tell me what you are thankful for... family, friends, zippers. It could be anything, just be sure to tell those you love that you are thankful for them.

Random Chicago Night

2011-11-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about living in the city is amount of random that can come into your life. This past year I have been more whimsical in what I do and where I end up. It's a response to the inflexibility I've encountered in other areas of my life.
When Carolyn, a friend of ours, invited us to see a band I'd never heard of at the Empty Bottle, I said "Sure, why not?"

I started off by having drinks at The Bedford with Sarah, Anne, and Kate. Kate brought me three boxes of cereal (Boo Berry, FrankenBerry and Count Chocula). Sarah and I were supposed to exchange books; she held up her end and I forgot the one I was to loan to her. We drank cocktails and had a good time. Being a relatively warm evening for the beginning of November I was going to walk to Bite where Ben and I were to meet Carolyn for a quick dinner before the show next door. First I had to drop off cereal at home and change, a heavy sweater was not needed. Plus who wants to bring three boxes of cereal to a crowded show. Although that would have made the photo booth pictures 10x more fun.

Bite was delicious, I could have licked the bowl clean. I've had their mussels before and meh they were okay. This time they were scrumptious. And I don't bandy that term around much. Plus you get twice the carbs- grilled bread and fries! We drank a a bottle of white and Carolyn got a history of 'techno' music from Ben. Then we shared the pumpkin flan. It was not a flan like as pannacotta-ish which was okay with me because I am not a fan of flan- too slimy in texture. I like a thicker custard. But this was delicious and texture perfect.

Off next door to The Empty Bottle. Al Schorsch was an opener and I knew that name. Back when I was a big Critical Mass rider he and I were always up front with a few others corking intersections and causing trouble. His brother Tom is also in One of the Girls which included for the longest time the baptist pastor who married Ben and I. Now Al plays banjo and has his own band, Al Schorsch's Country Soul Ensemble. And they were pretty good, while I do not regret the flan I wish we could've seen more of their set. I won't mention the next band- well okay I will- the three of us all agreed musically they were very talented. But they needed to dump their lead singer. He couldn't decide which register to sing in and it grated your eardrums. The headliner, Slim Cesna's Auto Club, more than made up for any bad opening band. I will call it revivalist rockabilly. Two singers (one also played banjo and auto harp), a drummer, an upright bass, a keyboard/steel guitar player, and a guy playing a double guitar (with a Jesus/Mary hologram on it nonetheless). How they all fit on that tiny-ass stage I have no idea. They put on one hell of a show! WE stayed up way past our bedtime but it was worth every moment. Ben and I left before the encore, I can only take so much of a crowd and the two squawky girls next to me drove me off. We walked home in the chilly fall air content.

The Rules of Christmas Knitting

2011-10-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

I don't approve of Christmas of sneaking up before winter winds have officially blown autumn's red and gold hues out the proverbial door. I like crunching through leaves, slowly layering up woolens and grey rainy days. Mixing Christmas and Halloween is best left to Tim Burton.

But, I know how quickly the 25th of December can creep up on knitters. Before you can blink the Thanksgiving turkey is long gone along with the leftovers in the 'fridge and you're frantically knitting under the tree praying no one wakes up early. I have learned my lesson well in the last few years.

Start early. Nothing stresses me out more than not being able to finish something and feeling like I have to buy a gift. Then listlessly hunting through stores for something that is inevitably mediocre.
Choose the Knit-worthy. It sucks to spend mondo amounts of time and energy searching for the perfect pattern, the perfect yarn and then labor over the perfect gift all for a less than lackluster receiver.
Rotate the hand knits. In order not to spend every waking moment knitting (I know heresy), I choose 3-4 people to knit for every year. That way no one gets burned out on hand knits. I don't callus my fingers and I still enjoy the season.

Within this loose structure of holiday rules I have officially started the Christmas knitting. A few weeks ago I casted my traditional Christmas sweater for the love of my life, Ben. I haven't really touched it since. This morning I casted on the first of a few pairs of fair isle mittens. I am using some koigu and madelinetosh to create the mittens above. I am super excited about theses as I've decided to use three different colors instead of two. Also I am picking back up a pair of socks that have been on the needles for two Christmases. I dyed the yarn back when I worked at Lorna's Laces. I wanted a Chicago flag color. Then I wanted to make my dad socks from it. I started them. They were Christmas socks in 2009. Then they were meant to be birthday socks in July 2010. Then they were going to be Christmas socks again in December. I didn't even try to make them birthday socks again. Now they needs must be finished. Right now they are on dpns. I am moving them to magic loop and see if they can't be done in time. That's all the surprises I will reveal for now. I don't want to be over ambitious by putting a list in the cyber space so I'll keep my cards close until I feel like this Christmas is under control.

Back to Life

2011-10-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

The past week had me feeling like The Walking Dead. Incidentally I watched the full season one on Netflix while I was busy lying on my couch, coughing up a lung. In between coughing, sucking on ricola and watching zombies walk the earth I managed to finish The Dark & Stormy sweater I started in May. I added the stripes into it worrying that I would not have enough yarn and that I would end up with an entirely red collar. That, fortunately, did not happen. I had almost an entire ball left when all was said and done. The fit is wonderful, the color awesome and the buttons are from Soutache. Now if it just would get cold enough to wear it.

Here in Chicago there has been a glut of Indian Summer. I don't mind terribly. But I am in the mood to wear long pants, take a break from shaving my legs every day and put a hat on while my hair decides to grow out. I look forward to the long dark teatime of the soul, aka winter, every year. It's a time to hibernate and prepare for the holidays. Namely President's Tea in February. It's time to bake tarts, and pies and cookies and quick breads. Stew stews, drink red wine and stout and make hot chocolate as I snuggle up with a good book. Of which I have many on my 'To Read' shelf. It's fairly bursting right now. I am currently hooked on the Game of Thrones series (along with half the population). Half way through Book Two and no end in sight. When you've got a taste for a certain type of story nothing else will sate your appetite. I have a taste for medieval war apparently. It's tasty and delicious and I have to find the third book before the second runs out. Or maybe there's something on my shelf that can be a good palette cleanser. An amuse bouche for the next course. In the words of the Stark House "Winter is coming." I am ready. Bring it.

2011-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

This has always been a mission of mine during any season not just Christmas. But at a time when people spend copius amounts of money I think that spending those dollars wisely is of the utmost importance. Maybe instead of buying a huge 52" TV to hang over your fireplace you should buy a painting and make an artist's day.

Post Yarn Con

2011-09-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened. Dr. Seuss

Just crawled out from under a yarn hangover. My best friend Lisa who lives in the OK asked me a while back, "I can come for one weekend in September, should I come for your birthday or Yarn Con?" I had no hesitation. Yarn Con. My birthday is important but we could always pre-party. And that is just what we did. Friday before the Con saw me tying labels on to skeins and creating a master stock list. After we finished packing everything into four over stuffed bins there was dinner and a couple of cocktails at nearby Branch 27. Bree met us there and we went back to the house to stuff patterns into sleeves for the next couple of hours. I slept well for being so excited about this event. But I woke up and early and was ready to go when Lisa came with the zip truck. Despite the breakage of one of the apothecary jars and the fact that I should have tried the dresser idea before putting it into practice the booth set up went smoothly and quicker than I anticipated.

Which was good since when people started trickling in at 11 am, we got busy. Bree and Lisa worked the table and I answered questions, helped make color decisions, and accepted lots of lovely compliments. Sarah came by and took lots of pictures of the organized chaos and the booth.

Then she sat down and got down to knitting. With some of The Wool Dispensary yarn nonetheless. She is making a fantastic pair of gauntlets out of our Deadly Poison, a wool and alpaca blend. We met lots of new friends, like Liz from feministy.com and saw some old friends. Stefanie, who designed three patterns for The Wool Dispensary stopped by with half the Windy City Knitting Guild. Her button bunnies were cuddled lots and lots. And you can see why.

Have no fear, there was time enough for us to shop! With other amazing vendors there it's lucky our wallets stayed in tact. Two of my favorite hand spinners were directly across from us, Vera Videnovich and Arrow in her Quiver. Piddle Loop Sewing Team was right next door taunting us with their beautiful a fabrics (we taunted back with our fab circus bright colors). Grinning Gargoyles had wonderful fall colors that drew us back into her booth again and again. Lisa surprised me with some of her Shiny Penny color in Single DK for my birthday. It was a color we were both ogling. In the other gymnasium were Fleur De Fiber, another chicago hand dyer, and Another Crafty Girl. Both had such lovely color-ways that it was hard to keep my credit card stashed away. I did buy two things. A bag from Piddle Loop in a cute Japanese fabric. I am glad I bought that early since the other bag I was looking disappeared by the time I went over there. And one skein from Sun Valley Fibers. A beautiful single ply that going to be (what else?) a sweater. Or part of one at least.
By 4 p.m., the crowds had thinned and we had room to breathe and re-access. Most of the sock weight both sparkle and BFL was gone. We were thin on sport and the superwash worsted. So, I know what I need to order. We came with four overstuffed, when it came time to pack up we left with two kinda full bins. That was a good feeling. I hope everyone out there who bought some enjoys knitting with it and that they display the project bags they bought with pride! Trooping back home I walked in to the smell of spaghetti and a beautiful bouquet of irises from my husband. We popped open a bottle of Pursued by a Bear wine that I've been aging for three years and drank the sweet winy nectar of success. It was a very busy couple of months, compiling in a very fruitful day and ending with the cherry on top of a good glass of wine and fun conversation with friends who came over to celebrate. I can not wait to do it again!

The Con of the Yarn

2011-09-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yarn Con (a Chicago based indie fiber fest) has been my focus for the past 6 months. Raising funds for stock, ordering yarn and dye, dying the yarn, settling business matters, and planning out a booth has taken up the better part of my summer. But with all confidence I can say that I am a small business owner. A teeny business owner really but I am so proud. In 7 days I will turn 30 on the 30th of September, who knew I would be where I am now? I might not have travelled the world like I wanted (I leave that up to my friend Theresa Winters), nor have I become a world renowned chef (there's still time for that). I am ready to embark upon the adventure that is this venture, The Wool Dispensary. With a little luck we will sell some yarn tomorrow at Yarn Con and that will allow me to buy more yarn which I will then sell. And people will go on to create wondrous heirlooms from my pretty colored yarn and the recipient's of those hand knits will cherish them for time immemorial! Grand vision huh? Really it boils down to doing something I love. I love theatre, I love cooking, I love my dog but I really don't want my career in any of those areas. I really love yarn and connecting with people. Knitting let's me do both and The Wool Dispensary will let me do even more. I am looking forward to tomorrow with butterflies in my stomach. I know it will go smoothly and if it doesn't we will deal with it as it comes. A week and a half ago I got to have my little moment of freak out and since then.... it's been smooth sailing. I don't expect there not to be waves, after all it's not sailing if there isn't any swells. I hope we will see you there!

Birthday Suit

2011-09-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

After trying on countless dresses in a race to find something beautiful to wear on my 30th birthday, I officially call off the Dress Hunt. I have come to terms with the fact that I am a tom boy of the highest caliber. Being more comfortable in knickers, pants and boots than skirts, dresses and stilettos. For my birthday I would like to look like this:

Any help in finding me a birthday suit would be much appreciated.

Mama said there'd be days like this...

2011-08-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

What does Ben do when I have my huffy pants pulled on up to my navel?

The huffy pants have been neatly folded and put away. Hopefully not to come out for awhile.

ADOPT US!

2011-08-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know that The Wool Dispensary is running a project on Kickstarter. One of our prize levels includes a hand knitted monster. Our project ends in a week. Luckily we made our goal but the more money we raise the more yarn I can buy to dye. So this is a little plug for our project: The Wool Dispensary goes to Yarn Con. If you've already donated: Thank You!! We couldn't do it without your support. If you haven't or just heard of us, check us out! Or send this on to your friends and colleagues. And maybe one of these guys could be going to your house! The patterns I'm using are by DangerCrafts and Handmade by Stefanie.

The Pitfalls of a KAL

2011-07-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't knit and read my blog (thank you very much by the way), a KAL is a Knit-A-Long; when two or more knitters decide they want to make the same pattern and rely on each other for support, cheer-leading and a sense of camaraderie. Upon leaving for any trip my first thought is never clothing, it is 'What projects am I taking with me?' What will I be doing on this trip? How long am I going for? For example, on my three day road trip to Columbus, Ohio I brought 3 projects.

What do I bring along with me as I prepare to leave for Tahoe? Friends have rented a house so there inevitably will be sitting around, drinking, chatting, eating and lots of boating. So, something simple, and maybe something that's been on the needles a lot longer than it should. If I am away from all my other knitting then maybe I have the chance to finish something. Just maybe.

That's where the KAL comes in. A long time ago, March to be precise, my friends Molly, Hilary and I all decided to make the Jetty sweater. Molly started hers in Madelinetosh DK and I started mine in Malabrigo worsted and Hilary didn't start hers at all. She still hasn't. Molly finished hers in a timely fashion and I am still working on it. I have taken off for the armholes but that is where I stopped. Sigh. Maybe I can make some progress on it. It's coming on the actual plane with me along with 3 extra balls of yarn. Yes I am going to Tahoe for 6 days. You do the math.

After Molly finished Jetty she wanted more KALs. Out of my aforementioned sack project I pulled a pair of fair isle knee high socks. I rarely finish socks. This could overturn the entire sack project! So, Molly said she's knit-along with me. I am through the 3rd repeat of the foot almost to the heel of the first sock and there I have stopped. I am sure she is done with at least one sock by now. At the same I also agreed to another KAL with Molly (do you see a trend here?), Dark & Stormy, a Baby Cocktails cardigan pattern. I love it, I love the yarn, I love knitting on it. I took off for the armholes and made it another 5 inches. There I have stopped.

Neither the sock nor the Dark & Stormy sweater are coming to Tahoe with me. Next on the list of KALs I joined was the Spectra scarf. It was an informal KAL started my someone I know on the knitting website Ravelry. The pattern was launched and I just had to start it. That is coming to Tahoe with me. After that my friend Stefanie suggested a KAL for the Uma and Ursula kits we bought from Scarlet Fleece. She's finished one monster and started the second. I've got the body done on one.

I am not a slow knitter by any means. I just get distracted by other projects and other KALs But I am more than happy to be a joiner. Which is something I never would have said in high school.

Speaking of joining you should join the other 25 backers and help The Wool Dispensary get to YarnCon. It's the hand dyed yarn company I started with Bree Miller. We are pretty awesome and with your help could only be more so. The project is on Kickstarter, our link can be found here. If you don't want to fund us find someone else to fund.

Columbus Continued

2011-06-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Nothing like waking up at 6:30 am on a working vacation to attend a technique class. My phone so very nicely woke me up and not my roommates. I showered, dressed, and grabbed up knitting homework (yes knitting classes have homework), show badge and necessary paperwork. Oh, and my own personal knitting too. Coffee in hand I walked over to the convention center for my first ever knitting class with Sally Melville. She is a blast of a teacher, great stories and a wealth of knowledge. Did you know that the Peruvians are the world's fastest production knitters? Neither did I. Sally showed us how it is they knit, in actuality purl, so quickly with strands held around their neck. My hands got two hours between 8 and 10 am to practice two color knitting with two hands. By the end of it all though, I could think of nothing but breakfast and a trip to Jeni's ice cream stand in North Market.

Ginevra tried to get in on the breakfast of Champions. But I wouldn't let her. "Back off B!$%&, it's my

almond macaroon

with salty caramel

and toasted almonds

ice cream sandwich."

This is how the battle ended. I was a happy monkey.

And then it was back into the hustle and bustle of the convention floor. Bree, Stef, Amy and I wandered around in a whirlpool alternately looking for one another or a booth or finding something interesting that caught our eyes and wandering off into the whirlpool of yarn, needles, designers and more.

Amy and Mary Catherine Black are both wonderful designers. Both have designs in the pipeline and Mary Catherine just did an interview over on the Malabrigo Blog. Eventually we ran out of steam (Stef and I first) and then Bree and then Amy and Mary Catherine. Wandering down the High Street Stef and I came upon a wine shop with a lofted bar. Little food and almost half a marathon of walking makes for a low tolerance for alcohol and my aptitude for directions went down the tube. It took some "Marco Polo-ing" for the two designers to find us. Once they did it was a riotous and raucous eve.

We tried several places to find food, one was packed with knitters, and graduates of the college, one was scary skivy (and their kitchen was closed) and the last was a hike away but nearer the final destinations of our hotels.

The last place, The Elevator was an old bank building and rather a neat spot. The last beer of the evening that I had was a delicious and refreshing watermelon ale. Yes, it tasted like the fruit, especially if you burped.

After tottering back to the room I turned on bad hotel t.v. (I love bad hotel t.v.) and watched Iron Chef: Battle Spinach.

The next morning despite a raging headache found me awake again at 6:30 am for another class. This one I was much less prepared for (I'd done my swatching homework thank god) but I had a time getting showered, dressed, and all put together. I had a million bags and everything was helter-skelter.

Amazed I made it to the class before anyone else though. These are the lengths I go to be punctual. Class finished and it was back tot he floor where Stefanie and I started at one end in the 1600's and wound our way through every aisle so as not to miss anything. Some of my favorites: Scarlet Fleece, Ysolda Teague(her booth was just about the cutest I've ever seen complete with photo booth and afternoon tea), Imperial Stock Ranch, and Sajou. It was all so overwhelming. So much to see and so many new people to talk to. I was on double duty. I wanted to scout a few new things for the shop I work for here in Chicago and I wanted to look for vendors for The Wool Dispensary. And my other side mission was to eat as much Jeni's Ice Cream as my body would allow. I accomplished all three missions with aplomb. A celebratory dinner was had then a celebratory trip to Jeni's where the line stretched around the block. Ginevra kept us entertained by donning a mustachio nose warmer and going incognito. She's so famous you know, she was afraid of being recognized.

But we made it through with out the paparazzi jumping out of any bushes and back to our hotel safely.

Monday morning brought no classes and a leisurely walk around the show floor. We were done sooner than we thought. Stef wanted a more direct route home and while her and Amy plotted with the GPS I went to Jeni's one last time for six pints of ice cream, a cooler and some dry ice to get it all home without a soupy mess in the rental car trunk. Hef guarded the ice cream all the way home. What a good elephant!

Amy, Stef and I said good-bye to Columbus, Ohio and drove six straight hours back to big city of Chicago. Not without a stop at Qdoba in the middle of nowhere Indiana. It was a good time had by all and no one killed each other there or back. And I think we all are going to get something out of this convention down the road.

Destination: TNNA

2011-06-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

Last week this time I was on my way to Columbus, Ohio to attend The National Needlearts Association trade show or TNNA. There were four of us in a compact car; my friend Stefanie who I worked with at Lorna's Laces, now working with The Wool Wide Web, co-founder of The Wool Dispensary with me, Bree Miller, and a woman I knew from Ravelry Amy Duncan.

We got lost somewhere somehow on the Chicago Skyway, don't ask me but the magic blue GPS dot wanted us to take the scenic route. We ended up on the back roads of Indiana and Ohio. Not a bad way to go considering it only took us 35 minutes over what the direct route would have.

We had a fun time driving the back roads of the Heartland. Amy and Bree started counting dilapidation; barns, houses, cars, people. The final tally was 36 dilapidated things. Some of the barns had nearly been reclaimed by the earth. We past a wind farm before we left Indiana that was in the process of being built. It was amazing to see the big blades lying on the ground. You get a sense of just how big those structures are and how little I know about the science of harnessing the power of the wind. We saw a few strange things too.

The Butt Hut (a cigarette shop) where the sign says, "Bring your butt to the hut", right next to Tat-2-U tattoos. Made us giggle really hard.

If anyone can knows what is in this truck please.... leave it in the comments, I can say we were very intrigued.

After we crossed the Ohio border even all the snacks we had packed couldn't keep our attention. The truck hadn't quite put us off our lunch and then we found Dad's.

It was on what must have been the town's major intersection. Unfortunately everything around it was closed and dilapidated. A general store across the way spotted signs for ice cream and ice cool drinks and two very old gas pumps. An antique store still had it's painted sign in the window. Amy, Bree and I enjoyed twisty soft serve cones, licking them up quickly as the heat was determined to turn them to soup.

We arrived slightly later than expected but then sun had not yet sank. After dropping Amy at her hotel and checking into our own Stef ran to meet her boss, and Bree and I settled at the busy Tip Top Bar. The weather which had been bright clear and a little humid turned dark and fierce. Plans of walking the high street to Jeni's ice cream were dashed as the rain poured down! After it let up we headed back the black to our hotel for another drink and dessert. Guess what the Renaissance serves? Jeni's ice cream on all their desserts. I went to bed a tired but happy monkey. The next day would be very busy.

To market to market to buy a fat pig

2011-06-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend began a summer of lon treks to various Farmer's Markets. Ben had a rare Sunday off and we decided to wake up early (well latter than we normally do) and go to the Logan Square Farmer's Market. We applied the thick lair of sunscreen our delicate pasty Irish skin requires (not to mention the tattoos, save the tattoos!!!) and bicycled off to the adjacent neighborhood.

I was riding my Christmas present, a lovely new dutch bike. It has paniers spefically for loading full of produce and veg. Although the skirt may have been a bad idea. Not just the wind currents made while riding were making the skirt blow every which way. It was quite gusty out that morning in the Windy City. I believe I flashed more than few innocent passersby.

One should never go into a grocery on an empty stomach. The same is even more true for the farmer's market. I could easily go down for a Spencer's banger sandwich and then where would I be? The logical choice then was to fortify ourselves at Longman and Eagle before marketing.

That's my Black Thorn cocktail. The most wonderous omelet filled with ramps, morels and cheese got gobbled before Ben could take a picture. Same with his one hour eggs benedict. Too good and gone too fast. Drunk on sunshine we wandered back across the square. It was 10 am by this point and very crowded. It's the still the beginning of the season so there was lots of aparagus, strawberries and greens. Garlic scapes are starting to appear and the mushroom guy was around. We stopped by Spencer's for a tasty package of back bacon and then it was off back to home, jiggity jig.

Ginevra about Town

2011-05-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

In early April Rebecca Danger released a monkey pattern, I made one as a present; he turned out so cute immediately I casted on another. This time it was for me. I used a skein of yarn I bought at the first Stitches Midwest event I attended. MacKintosh Chubby Sock in a color way so vibrant it had to be a creature of some sort. The Dyer, Liz, had done a number of Harry Potter inspired color ways, like the cover of the books and one for each major character. I chose Ginny Weasley. And so after three years of this yarn trying to be various other objects I made Ginevra. Now she is a monkey about town. About two weeks ago when the weather became nice I rode my bike to a beautiful park called Palmer Square. I read my book and Ginevra explored.

Then a week ago my girlfriends and I had a junk food party. We each brought a favorite junk food from our childhood and then watched Titanic mystery science theatre style. In the "food" category there were Doritos, Cheetos, Chicken in a Biscuit, Strawberry Cupcakes, Ho Hos, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bugles (those were a delicious surprise), and Oatmeal Cream Pies. For libations I brought Bullet Bourbon and Kool-Aid Kool Bursts and there was some lovely boxed wine. It was quite the evening!! Ginevra was in the middle of it all. Especially when it came to poking fun at Leo and Kate. I blame the sugar high.

On Memorial Day Ginevra got out again. I took a bicycle ride to the South Side of Chicago, Bridgeport to be exact. My friend Kate got the itchy feet and wanted to explore a new neighborhood. We brunched at Nana. Starting with the Prince of Spring cocktail which was a lovely mix of prosecco, St. Germain, pear liqueur, and toasted rosemary; then on to chicken and waffles. I am in love with the phenomenon of chicken and waffles. Savory fried chicken atop a sweet waffle with loads of butter and syrup. Nana surprised me by having a savory pea and scallion waffle topped with sage gravy.

Normally not a gravy person I licked every bit of it up. Ginevra was jealous. She's quite the foodie. My dessert leg wasn't satisfied however. I get down to Bridgeport so rarely that I feel almost obligated to try everything! Kate and I each ordered a dessert. Strawberry rhubarb pie with lavender meringue a la mode with Black Dog Gelato and Funnel Cake with a champagne sabayon and raspberry preserves. After all that our tummies were busting!!! We took a constitutional down Halsted to 27th street stumbling upon a new green space called Stearn's Quarry. In the 1890's it was a limestone quarry which was turned into a landfill and then a sledding hill; now a nature reserve complete with ponds, wet land, trails and beautiful view of downtown from atop the hill. Kate and I dipped our toes into the pond chatting away the afternoon and watching red winged blackbirds flit about the park. What a way to spend a hot day and begin the summer.

There are many more trips to Bridgeport in our future especially now we discovered what we are referring to as the Northwest Passage. A safe bike route down Loomis from the north to the south side.

Random Weather Generator & Elephant Update

2011-05-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

This spring has been one random day of weather after another. This is not a complaint about our wet and wild season, but there are days where I would like to wear one outfit and call it a day. The day before yesterday I did not shave my legs thinking it would be chilly, turned out to be 75 and humid. Yesterday I shaved my legs and it was 56, with an arctic wind. I ended up in a knit sweater, long sleeves, fingerless gloves and a knit hat. Today started with thunder and torrential downpour for most of the morning. Now it's sunny with a light breeze, and a bit of humidity. After it stopped pouring Stella (my Blue Heeler) and I went to the local Green Grocer for today's rations. I love the colors after it rains, the puddles, the weird shininess buildings get. And I love my little cow dog against the bright green grass.

It was hard to focus on any one thing today. I want to start about eight new projects. I should continue to get things off the needles seeing as there are 14 more days til TNNA. I am on the fourth repeat of six on my Cold Mountain shawl; I started an Effortless Cardigan and I've taken off for sleeves which leaves about 17 inches of body left and I've put some fingerless gloves on size 1 needles, frogged them and casted on another pair. In the world of elephants, I finished the Flo who I've rechristened Hef-a-lump. The Elijah in madelinetosh DK is done except for embroidering on the eyes and I've casted on Pepto and done all of 5 rows.

I liked working the Flo pattern. It turned out the cutest rotund elephant. Two sides, a belly and some ears. I thought I would hate the seaming but found it not so bad. The only thing that made me a little pissy was that each edge was a bit different and I had to adjust my stitch depending. When I first started knitting I wasn't sure where it was starting or where it was heading. It soon became evident. I am going to make another in the very near future, and hopefully have it sent to Joplin, MO. I feel it could bring a smile to a child's face.

Finished or Frogged 2011

2011-05-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this year I made a resolution: To finish or frog all WIPs on the needles. One, because I wanted my needles back. Two, I wanted a clean slate. I also instituted a mystery sack project. One night I sat down with a stack of brown paper lunch sacks on one side, patterns and yarn on the other. I put a pattern and the corrosponding yarn into a sack and had my husband seal each with a sticker. There are 28 sacks.

My rules run like this; pick a sack, finish the project, pick another sack. I can work on infinite projects inbetween but can not pick another sack until I finish the designated sack project. I have made my way through a pair of lovely Francie socks, a smallish Last Frost hat, and a Daybreak shawl. Unfortunately the last thing to come out of the sacks was a pair of color work socks. The yarn, Dream in Color smooshy has been wound up since December 2008. So far I have not cast these on yet. I might be scared to. However if I can conquer these socks, I can conquer this bag project. The point of which was to knit all the projects in them within 2011.

The finish or frog resolution has been far more successful. While I still have 14 projects on the needles, 8 of those being in hibernation, 3 being so close to done I can taste it. 2 of the three are toys and the other is a Boneyard Shawl, design by Westknits. Pulled out of hibernation a week ago it is knit in Swan's Island Fingering that I picked up at Rosie's Yarn Cellar in Philadelphia. I am on the 12th section of 13, plus a garter edge. One good long knitting session and it should be complete.

In the frogged catagory was the Selene pullover I started in July 2010. Knit in Debbie Bliss Silk Alpaca the pattern and the yarn seemed destined to be together. Alas, the pattern foiled me. I am of the opinion when I pay for a pattern I am getting complete instruction. Not a do your own math adventure. So that got frogged today after I threw it across the room needles, ball of yarn and all, in frustration.

Another success I've had is my Cold Mountain Shawl. Normally not a lace knitter, when I was dying yarn at Lorna's Laces I messed up some Helen's Lace which then got overdyed. The color was so beautiful I bought a skein. When this pattern came along in Knitty I couldn't help myself. I cast on in June 2009. I made it through the first 5 repeats out of 6 then fell apart. I tried to pick it up in 2010 to no avail. I made it through half a repeat before stuffing it away again. Now I want to wear it. Now I want to wear it to TNNA. I want to finish it because I don't want to have to frog such beautiful lace. I picked it up again in mid April. I have reached the last chart of which I have compleated 2 repeats so far. My goal is to have it done by June 1st.

A Pachyderm of Elephants

2011-05-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

The knitting bug has me making monsters lately. I am in love with Rebecca Danger's monster patterns which can be found on her blog and also in a book The Big Book of Knitted Monsters. Moving on from monsters, I made a vintage shawl from Knitty redesigned by Franklin Habit. This lead to discovering another redesigned pattern from Mr. F. Habit. I also discovered a new, well, habit. ELEPHANTS!!

Not only does this fit in well with my current circus mania (Yes, I have read Water for Elephants. Yes, I have seen the movie. I have mixed reactions to it) but I realized I have seven different elephant patterns in my possession. So, why not knit them all in a row?

I am starting with Flo. It's done in pieces then seamed up. Normally I dislike seaming, especially garter. But this critter is too cute not to knit. I chose Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia in gray pearl. It was given to me by Nina at the knitting shop I work at. Unsure if I was going to have enough to complete the project, I decided on a contrast belly and foot pads. That is going to be Madelinetosh Merino in the color ginger. Already done with the two sides, I am starting the underbelly today.

After Flo gets blocked, seamed and embroidered here are the next canadites to go on the needles.....

Elijah designed by Ysolda Teague, yarn to be used: Madelinetosh DK in Wash
Esther designed by Rebecca Danger, yarn to be used: The Wool Dispensary in emerald
Reversible Lion & Elephant by Susan B. Anderson, yarn: TBD
Pepto designed by Anna Hrachovec, yarn to be used: Lion Brand Home Spun
Elefante designed by Susan B. Anderson, yarn to be used: Malabrigo Scraps
Elephant designed by Chris de Longpre, yarn to be used: Blue Sky Suri Merino

While there are lots more elephant toys, tea cozies, hats and puppets out there (A quick ravelry search yielded 9 pages) these are the patterns I own and deem worthy of this side project. Now off to knit.... I better get crackin' on these elephants if I want to finish them all.

Upcoming season of Sox

2009-02-22T06:37:00.001-08:00

Sweetpea two
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

This has nothing to do with the baseball season. I am now converted. I am bowing down before the altar of sock knitting. Not only did I purchase the Black Bunny fiber sock yarn that has been sitting in my Loopy Ewe shopping cart for the past three months, I am enjoying knitting socks. How can this be you ask? It all started before Christmas when Bree, my co worker at Nina, suggested we knit our lovable Mary Rose a pair of socks for an impending birthday. We picked a pattern, some yarn and each knit one of a pair. Though we did not have them done in time for the birthday, she loved them nonetheless. I loved knitting them. Whether it was just the pattern or the yarn or the fact I could walk and knit at the same time... who knows. Then I bought the squid socks pattern. I am currently half way through the first one. Now I have a new philosophical slant on knitting socks. Although I like patterns and enjoy working from them, socks for me might be different. I subscribe to the Shaker way of socks. Perfection in simplicity. I can buy the the craziest of sock yarn and make them super simple yet still beautiful. And why shouldn't something so functional not reflect beauty? I can get behind this. I was resistant before. I couldn't understand why you would knit something like this. But like most things it just takes the right moment in time to change your mind. Converted I am.

27th Birthday

2008-10-05T10:39:00.001-07:00

27th Birthday
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

Tuesday seems a world away and Thursday seems so close. But for a moment I want to return to Tuesday evening and stare at my husband-to-be across the table at Eno. Not that I was particularly fond of Eno at the Intercontinental Hotel. Tasting menus while innovative and nice are not nearly big enough of a meal. Plus their chocolates are kind of tasteless. Regardless I could have cared less about what I ate on my birthday because that night kicked off a wonderful birthday week. I got to have my butt in a seat at Chicago Shakespeare to watch Amadeus. It has only been my favorite movie since I was four! When I saw that Chicago Shakes was premiering this as the start of their fall season I was elated. I knew where I wanted to be and luckily they had Tuesday performances. It was splendid. It was thrilling. I was so happy. My present besides the play was a book called the Flavor Bible and a two hour private French Pastry lesson when we come back form our honeymoon. On Friday of this past week the wine I have been waiting a year for came in the Fed-ex mail. Pursued by a Bear by Dunham Cellars. We had special dinner Friday night and drank the first of two bottles. It was rich and spicy and delicious. Saturday was yarn con. I intended only to go for the Plucky Knitter (who incidentally didn't show up) and ended up with some lovely hand-spun and some awesome alpaca as a consolation. And then I met Ben at Hot Doug's for a birthday surprise orchestrated by Lisa. she invited a few people out for encased meats and we had a good ol' time. And last night was pot roast and Beamish night when Ben's best friend Aaron arrived to stay with us before the wedding. Whew! I know this week will be just as filed with good food and surprises.

Honeymoon over Portland

2008-09-19T19:37:00.001-07:00

Maple Bacon Voodoo Doughnut (365:167)
Originally uploaded by Megan the Librarian

I was surprised by my wedding present tonight. Ben had alluded to have gotten me a Bride's gift and that I would receive it shortly after my birthday. He knows full well I can not take the suspense of such a tease. I thought I would be pestering him until the early days of October. Ben can hold a secret (especially a good one) until doomsday. That is an untested statement, regardless if you have a secret Ben is safe to put it in. Tonight. Something was different about tonight. I don't know if it's the cool evening air or the thought of the nuptials coming up in twenty days but Ben cracked. He jumped off the floor and ran to the computer and was giddy in delight as he asked if I wanted to see my gift. I said sure still laying on the couch cushions. He typed on the laptop for a moment and then began a countdown. I rushed over and saw the itinerary for our honeymoon to Portland. He wanted me to have VOODOO Doughnuts for our wedding, but they don't ship, so we will just have to go to them. Right away I was on the phone to my friend Aaron from college. He lives there now with his wife and they just bought a house. A one hundred year old house. I can't wait to see him! I can't wait to be married! I can't wait to get to stay in a four star hotel and be on vacation and eat doughnuts and think about nothing but my husband and me. I GET TO GO TO PORTLAND!

My white whale

2008-09-13T05:21:00.001-07:00

Chart 1
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

Oh lace how I love you but right now you are a giant pain in my ass. Good God. Beside this post is a picture of the stole I started when I first started knitting lace. I put it down to knit a few other things and now I am working on 4 other lace projects that taunt me. Constantly. I have Icarus which is nearly done. I am on the last chart, row 5 (out of 23) then it's 4 rows of edging and a bind off. But the rows take me so long I can't bear to pick up. My conundrum is that I want it finished and blocked by September 20th, my final wedding dress fitting. I want to see the outfit all together. I have this itchy feeling that the shawl will not match color wise. Damn. Oh well. Then there are my two Hanamis. Why two you ask? I wanted to make a a beautiful one out of cashmere for my mother for the wedding. Something to make her feel special. I love the idea behind Hanami and I love the overall design so I am concurrently making two at the same time. That means 14 repeats of the basket weave chart which is starting to drive me batty. I am on repeat 6 on both so I can just make out the finish line of this chart. Sigh. I should be knitting right now. The fiance is still asleep and I have an hour or so to myself before life on the only day off takes control. To be fair Ben is so nice about my knitting. He has brought me yarn back from trips; he winds yarn up on his hands with me; and he tries hard not to bother me while knitting lace charts. So while I will not return to the paw print stole for awhile it will be beautiful when I finally do finish it.

Pen-gins

2008-09-08T04:49:00.001-07:00

Pen-gins
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

Wedding dress? check. Pick up September 20th
Veil? check. Pick up September 15th
Space? check. Last deposit sent in last week.
DJ? check? meeting with him September 16th
officiant? check.
invitations sent? check. Replies still coming in
flowers? meeting with our designer on Wednesday morning
Groom? check. He's excited.
However we still need to get an outfit for him and come up with our vows. And a timeline for this whole event. We still need to buy beer and wine (though a few cases of Newcastle were "donated" ). It's mainly just little things now and waiting. Though I won't have to wait very long. Just 31 days til the BIG day. So far there are 86 guests attending, and I guess that doesn't count my Dad and best man (who have yet to return their RSVP cards). Sigh, I'm being a little OCD about the RSVP list I suppose. I have it on the computer and on paper and still I feel I don't have an accurate count. And to boot instead of working on Hanami like I was supposed to this weekend, oh and Icarus too (I'd like Icarus done by the 20th and both Hanamis done by the 9th of October) I decided to start another project! A sweater, cause my brain can totally handle all this knitting and planning and planning and trying to get along with my mother and work and writing thank you cards and sometimes you just want your brain to turn off and stop thinking.
I got that chance a week or so ago. Ben and I took our engagement photos. http://www.olivialeighweddings.com/blog/ if you want to see some amazing shots. We walked all around the Pilsen neighborhood and then took the blue line up to Margie's Ice Cream. I was a little nervous about the camera at first... but Olivia said to act just like we were on a date and we did and the shoot was amazing and our wedding pictures are going to be AWESOME! I should take my dog out now. It's ten to seven and I have to get to work.

Stella the trooper

2008-08-10T06:58:00.001-07:00

Stella the trooper
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

We had a harrowing night last night. Everything was fine as we walked home from work. Ben met me like he normally does somewhere along Paulina and we continued home with Stella in tow. On Huron (our street) we let her off leash; we saw no dogs or anyone outside who would object. She started running ahead and I followed. She started jumping the little easement fences like she always does, boinging over them with enthusiasm. Then instead of going diagonal over one and back diagonally over the second she went directly over the two and the little gap. But, she did not make and staked herself on the second fence. Ben rushed forward and got her wriggling body off and we set inspected her belly but didn't she any damage. Whew. We carried her home even so she looked stunned and very sad. When we got upstairs to our apartment she wouldn't lie down and still had a look of confusion on her little cow dog face. Finally getting her over to her bed we saw the damage. The fence had punctured underneath her front left armpit and split the skin. Unsure of where to begin we started by calling our friend Lisa who's father is a vet and who we turn to when we need advice. She suggested we clean and bandage the wound and perhaps it was small enough that we could superglue it like they do at the vet's. When we got a good look at it, superglue was not going to be enough. We had dinner guests coming over (we hadn't even started thinking about preparing dinner- nor was the house clean) and I couldn't get a hold of them as stupidly I did not have a phone number. Ben walked off down the street with Stella bound to get a cab and get to the emergency vet on Belmont and Clybourne. I waited at home with Lisa who came over to comfort me and Lindy. We sat and knit and ate chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels. They kept me from thinking the worst. Ben finally got home after midnight because he tried to get a cab for an hour and a half and finally got a ride from a good samaritan who had been at the emergency room with her three wiener dogs. THANK YOU! Home safe and sound Stella has 14 staples and stitches to boot, and a tube to drain the would for the next twelve days. She has to wear a t-shirt so she won't pull the tube out. You can see the red stain in the picture. We are just glad her guts aren't on the sidewalk in front of our house. And that when she get better and feels like jumping things again we put her in agility classes. Where she can be safe and hopefully we won't have another emergency room visit for awhile.

What?

2008-08-06T11:37:00.001-07:00

What?
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

I have been on a swapping binge lately. Something about getting presents in the mail maybe. Or maybe an excuse to surf etsy for awesome knitting notions. I dunno but I really enjoy it. Ben always laugh at how excited I am to send something in the mail. He watches as I dash around the house for cards, stickers and tissue paper all in an attempt to make my partner feel special. My question to the universe is when did I become so Martha-Stewarty or has it always been there waiting for an excuse to come out. Here's another excuse, a three part yarn swap that will keep me buy through November. Like I need to be busy through November. :)

1. Do you knit or crochet?
I knit only, I have some crochet books and hooks but haven't learned how to use them yet.
How long have you been at your craft?
3 and half years, feels like a lot longer.
2. Do you spin? What type of spinning do you do?
I do not spin. I have enough dust bunnies running around my house from the dog and cat. I don't need sheep dust bunnies everywhere as well.
3. Are there any other crafts that you participate in?
I am as collage artist as well. Normally I wouldn't say artist but I am feeling generous. I like to glue stuff to other stuff; artistically.
4. What are your favorite yarns/fibers?
I am a Malabrigo nut. Worsted and lace. Right now I am into lace. But I also love Blue Sky alpaca sport weight.
5. What are your LEAST favorite yarns/fibers?
Nothing with sequins and I don't like Noro (scratchy) or art yarns (their color palette and I don't mix). I used to like mohair but now I am not a fan.
6. Are there any types/brands of yarn that you are dying to work with but haven’t gotten a chance?
Peter Rabbit from Fleece Artist. I want an angora hat. I also have some of Rowan's wool cotton but nothing to do with it.
7. What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?
I am a hat junky. But now I've gotten into lace and toys and just plain scarves.
8. What are you currently working on? Anything you plan to start this autumn?
I have a few sweaters I want to start. I am working on lots of things (see my project folder) Hopefully I can contain it to two to three projects at the most. I think I have something like 7 actively going right now.
9. What is your favorite FO? (Please, post a picture if you would like.)
The dashing mitts I have on in the picture above. Malabrigo worsted in Vaa. I also really love my Wicked I made this spring.
10. What is your oldest UFO?
a pair (well really a onesie) of pedicure socks in silky wool. I can't bring myself to cast on the other one, it's been a few years
11. Are their any knitting/crochet techniques that you would like to learn?
I would love conquer fair isle. That's my ravelympics goal.
12. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I don't mind knitting socks but I never get around to finishing the second one. My foot a standard size 8, nothing odd about it. I love knee socks though.
13. Do you have a yarn winder and/or a swift?
I don't own one personally unless you count Ben (he loves to wind yarn with me unless it's lace) but I have access to two and I prefer my yarn unwound.
14. Where/how to you keep you needles/hooks?
My straights are in a licorice pig tin and my double points are in a Chinese tea tin and my circs are in a cigar box. Not the most organized but it keeps them together.
15. Do you collect anything?
onesie tea cups, old keys, handmade stuffed animals, and screen printed posters
16. What is your favorite type of music? Are you MP3 ready?
wow music is a tough one. I like everything from Gordon Lightfoot to musicals to Gogol Bordello to Decemberists and DJ Danger Mouse. and I am MP3 equipped. I actually really love audio books as I listen to my ipod when I am dying yarn at Lorna's Laces and like to listen to books, multi-tasking don't you know.
17. Do you like sweets? What are your favorites?
I have a gigantic sweet tooth. My all time favs are licorice all sorts and haribo gummy bears. I love ice cream and chocolate covered blueberries.
18. What is your living situation like? Any pets? Children?
I live with my fiance (we get married on October 9th) and I have a cattle dog named Stella WallaRoo and a cat named Gryphon
19. Are you allergic to anything?
not really
20. Do you have an online wish list (Amazon, Etsy, Loopy Ewe, etc.)
I have an amazon wish list and an etsy one too.
Please include links for your swap pal.
21. Are you having a birthday during this swap?
My birthday will be September 30th and I will be 27 years old.
22. What is your Ravelry ID
mercourier

Toy Voyager

2008-07-04T11:03:00.001-07:00

Big Bobble Head
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

So completely on a fluke I sent a skein (which wasn't a full skein like I thought) to someone in Virginia. When that issue was all resolved she sent me a personal message with a link for Toy Voyager. Apparently there are over 700 toys traveling the world and staying with host families. Well, Being that I love toys I signed up right away. Now to get my first voyager and release my own. But who should go? Could be Quincy.... or maybe one of the trogs? Or should I think about knitting an entirely new one and sending it off too? So many options. Regardless it is a new found addiction to compete with time from Ravelry and Offbeat Bride tribe.

friendly elk, you are so yummy

2008-02-03T06:36:00.001-08:00

friendly elk
Originally uploaded by in touch

Last night was DTS night. Dinner, theatre and sex night for those that don't exist in my bubble. My husband and I received tickets to the musical WICKED for Christmas from my brother. It was a very thoughtful present. I do love the theatre. And for an extra treat I made reservations at The Gage on Michigan Avenue for dinner. We've eaten there for lunch but dinner there is a whole other ball of wax. A very tasty, exquisite ball of wax. We got a corner booth in the side room. It feels completely removed form the rest of the bar which I must say is a good thing. When we walked up front after dinner I was floored by the difference between the two spaces. There seemed to be an acoustical wall. Ben and I dined. It wasn't just a meal before heading out. It was full on dining. The sommelier came over and gave us wine advice which we ignored as we weren't in the mood for white wine but went instead with a very earthy old world Pinot Noir which balanced both the seafood we ate and the elk. Yes, I had a roast saddle of elk with a blueberry reduction sauce and whipped mashed potatoes. We started with oysters on a bed of salt; which I've never eaten before. I am a fan and very good at slurping them. I had a lovely crisp potato salad and Ben had a lobster. It was a little chewy but it was supposed to be caramelized so there you have it. I did like the clam meat though. Everything we had was mouth tantalizingly delicious; I can't complain. For his fourth Ben had the Hawaiian big eyed tuna, seared lightly and it melted like fresh Irish butter on the tongue. Then the desserts. We were stuffed but no one can turn down Chocolate torte with stout creme fraiche and souffle tart with pistachio gelato. Then the theatre. I can say I was entertained by the musical. But I can't say I enjoyed it. Trite, distilled and ending happily it made my stomach churn with syrupy sweetness. I loved the book (one of my favorites) and I have followed this musical since it opened on Broadway. It does not do justice to the story of the Wicked Witch. Plus Ben sat behind the guy who brought his girlfriend only to get laid. That guy fidgeted the whole time. Ben saw a lot of the back of his head. By the time we got home and got into bed it was way too late for the fun part of the evening as we both work on Sundays. (Hooray for the six day work week!) I still wouldn't have changed anything about the night, especially the company. It was worth every last red cent.

35 Scoops

2007-10-28T07:13:00.001-07:00

35 Scoops
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

Planning a wedding is some hard work. What could be more relaxing than going to the local ice cream parlor (in our case Margi's) with 8 friends and ordering the most giant sundae on the menu. In our case, the Royal George a la George; named after the orginal owner. We didn't know quite what to expect since there is no description. But somehow it trumps the World's Largest Terrapin Sundae (which comes in the largest clam shell dish and costs $35). While waiting for the Royal George to appear six boats of toppings were brought over. Three of hot fudge, three of caramel and a pile of wafer cookies, which were promptly devoured. And then it was set down in front of us. Mint, strawberry, pistascio, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, banana goodness. And it was all a little bit of soup by the end. I was quite proud of our prowess. Matt was very sorry he had ordered food to begin with. But as there is a separate stomach for ice cream he was fine and gorged himself along with the rest of us. I was very happy with our choice. There couldn't have been a nicer reception anywhere.

closer to thirty than twenty

2007-09-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

taken by rhr
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

During the weekly phone call from my mother (made all the more special by the fact that today is my 26th birthday) we were discussing memory and how people process memories. It seems things have to pass through the digestive tract of the short term filtering out the more nutritious nuggets. Eventually it can be recalled and reflected upon by the long term memory. But there has to be a period of passing where the memory lies dormant. Things become clearer with the passage of time.
On this day last year, round about this time I was waiting in line with a good friend from college, his fiance and my sweetheart (at the time) to ride Space Mountain for the first time. I was grey by the time I got out of the ride but Disneyland was the most magical place on earth even for a jaded twenty-five year old. I have to send out thanks on this day. Not for birthday gifts, or birthday wishes... but to those who have made the past few years turbulent and wonderful all at the same time.
Last year was amazing and it was in last few months of 2006 that I learned how to love and be loved. I broke a heart or two and as I look back I can't say that I would change anything. I ended up where I was supposed to be. But Ryan touched me deeply. He's not quite on speaking terms with me. I wish that it were different but sometimes relationships aren't meant to morph into something new and you just have to be happy to have had that person in your life at all. He took around the world and imagined a never-land for me every night. He taught me the value of having an extraordinary imagination and how to put up a good fight. My birthdays will never the same. I will forever think about being 25 and skipping through Disneyland, being sung to by street cleaners and believing for the first time in a long time that I was a princess. I hope you hear this when I say "Happy Birthday Ryan! I hope you are well."

Art Pooch

2007-09-01T07:07:00.001-07:00

Art Pooch
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

Most people are asleep at 7 am on a Saturday morning. But not me. I am up walking my dog. You may have heard the faint jingling of her tags as we walked by your open window, as you roll over and pull the covers tighter around you. This morning was perfect. cool and crisp as the sun slowly rose. We walked slowly for a couple of blocks, then stopped and watched nothing in particular before heading home. Stella just had surgery. She's no longer able to have puppies. There go my hopes for cross-breeding and producing cow pugs. :( We were just lucky she didn't go into heat before the appointment. We were pushing it, she was already close to a year old. The past few days she's slept a lot. Her interest in food came back last night. And she greeted Ben at the door when he arrived home, tail a-waggin'! So, things went well. I just hope there are many more perfect mornings. I don't mind not sleeping in if they are all this amazing.

Walking with my sweetie

2007-08-25T08:34:00.001-07:00

Walking with my sweetie
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits

Okay, so I haven't posted in awhile. And a lot has happened since then. I went out for ice cream the night after my last post and thngs changed. (for the better) But changed nonetheless. I broke a couple of hearts... got a new job, moved (twice), got a blue heeler pup, got engaged and am now choosing between two career paths, planning a wedding, and looking forward to my future. All the while trying to keep up with my knitting and maybe throwing in my artwork as well. I know have a studio space in my new apartment. I love it but with the dog I don't get to spend much time in there. Once the cold weather hits and we can't take two hour walks anymore... then... I will try to keep up more. I know people are dying to read about my life :)

Peter Pan Syndrome

2006-12-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

White and pastey
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

Everything in my life has started to reach equilibireum. But to reach the place where you can go on you have to add or subtract. That's how balence works right? Normally when I've been through the wringer of emotional havoc I add a tattoo. It releases all those pleasant endorphins and I feel much better about myself; both physically and mentally. I got a new tattoo right before I went out to LA. My dinosaur and bunny.That was what I needed, a smidge of humor when things looked so dark in the tunnel of love. Something to take my mind off the fact that I might be possibly changing my life. I still am changing my life, but in ways I never thought I would have to face so soon. How do you ask yourself when you're 25 what you will want in the far-flung future? I barely know what I want for breakfast the day before or what i am going to wear and even then the choice is mutable. I feel like regressing.So, not having the cash or the idea to get a new permanant piece of art I decided on a new hair style. The one I had before worked but I didn't like the me I was with it. I felt vunerable, I felt girly, I felt meek. I hated that person. It seemed I was someone who couldn't stand up for what they wanted, that I had to apologize all the time for things that I never thought I'd have to apologize for. I empowered myself. I got a mohawk. I figured I have two jobs that won't care much, if I kept it kinda thick, I could wear it down with a hat and look something like normal. But now I feel like I could kick the world's ass. I like the person I am when I feel tough and invincible and right now I could use a little bit of super power to get myself through the day. Now I gotta crow... and I know it's because I feel more of my old self coming back. The self that never cared what anyone thought and damn them to hell if they didn't like me. I didn't care. I still don't.

An explosion

2006-11-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

Artist: Nick Bantock, Book: Griffin & Sabine
Originally uploaded by Anne Marlow.

I was terrified. After Buster called to say he had had enough of the Registar and that free-lancing was looking better and better and that he would be in Chicago to stay come the second week of December, I have to admit my reaction was probably not the one he had in mind. I should have been jumping around for joy. Instead I sat in stone silence unabale to say anything except, "Wow". After I got off the phone with him I called my best friend to hyperventilate as I am prone to do at times. It all came crashing down at once, what if this isn't it? But we have to try I told myself. Eventually I was able to see the happiness of the situation. Now my cynacism kicks in. This can't possibly go anywhere my head says... don't think you'll ever be happy... besides who can tolerate you and al t he luggage you seem to hide in the closeteous depths of your soul. (Yes I made up the word closeteous.) I was a little less worried as these thoughts are silly and just seem to crop up but I never believe them. At least I like to think I don't. Then as I'm hanging out with a friend watching a movie several nights later. I get a phone call from Buster. I silence the phone but I get another and another. I think, "what the Hell!?!?!" Then there's a voice mail and I listen to it. It's Nick Bantock, one of my biggest inspriations and my favorite author. I own just about everything he's written, not because I like it all but because all of it is beautiful in some way or another. The reson I work the way I do is because of seeing his work for so long. I stumbled upon Griffin and Sabine in a library in Arlington Heights and loved it. He's on my voice mail telling me things are going to be fine and to keep plugging along. I'm in shock and I rush to call Buster back. He answers and puts Nick Bantock back on the phone with me. At this point I am completely struck. By everything. By the fact that this was a secret (a well kept one), that Buster would think to do this for me, that Nick Bantock knows how crappy my week has been going and how creatively stuck I am. He's talking to me and I'm just nodding even though he can't it. After he gets off the phone and hands it back to Buster I still can't speak, but squeak.
Now, I am not so afraid. I know that anyone who would go to such lengths to cheer me up and keep things that interesting has got a soul large enough to encompass me and all the deep dark shit. And I don't care about the deep dark shit anymore... maybe it isn't so deep and dark and maybe I can get past it and be truely happy. I think this is once Buster comes to Chicago things are going to be different. I can already hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.

Patterns

2006-10-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Pattern
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

I never want an ordinary life. I was on myspace today viewing some friend of a friend's wedding pictures. They looked like a typical couple and the ceremony and reception looked like everyone else's. I am sure they did something particular to them but hasn't it been done and really is nothing unique. I am not asking to be unique. I just don't want a typical exsistance. I don't want routine and I never want to know what is going to happen next. I am terrified that I will wind up 45 years old in a ranch house with my decorating going somewhere between Martha Stewart and bland. I hate the fact that if I slip, that's where it could wind up. Married with a husband too big for his britches and me chain smoking on the couch fearing the next day because wasn't it just the same as today? Or maybe it won't be quite that bad but to find myself in the same position all over again? I have defined a pattern... I want to break said pattern... but I am afraid I am just perpetuating it. Now, I have a choice... back out and regret or go with my heart and say that this isn't part of the pattern... it's different. It feels different, so it must be... right? If everything is fine, then I shouldn't be worried. Or should I be worried because it feels like a fairy tale and I should be looking underneath this bridge I'm crossing for the troll who wants to suck the marrow from my bones. I feel lost in the woods even though the path is right beneath my feet. I never wanted to stick to the path.

Peace

2006-10-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Peace
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

I know I've seen most of the people who read this, and everyone I know has heard most of the gory details about my trip to LA. It was brillent. It was the most wonderful birthday present anyone could've given me. I thought I'd stepped right back into that dream world... and now...and now it's coming to me. A few more months of my cell phone being glued to my head and I won't need it much anymore. He's coming ro Chicago and all I need do is get my butt in grad school. How hard can that be?

My motion picture soundtrack

2006-10-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

My movie poster photo
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

These songs were all pulled randomly from my ipod set on shuffle. Oh, the fun one has while slightly inebritated.

Opening credits: Give 'em the Old Razzle Dazzle, from the musical "Chicago"

Waking Up: Bucharest by Blood or Whiskey. I'm imaging my character rocking around the kitchen... in the shower... riding her bike...ya know normal mornin' stuff.

First day @ school: Egypte from Cirque Du Soleil's Live version of Mystere. This one I don't understand are we flshing back or what?

Falling in Love: Think Gobally, Fuck Locally by Gogol Bordello. Very apt, very punk... goes well with the first time

Fight Song: Kiss my Irish Ass by Dropkick Murphys. A very good bar fight song. I like stomping around to this.

Breaking up: Everloving by Moby. I think I did break up to this once... or at least the album it's on.

Prom: (god forbid) Momma's Boy by The Ramones. Need I explain?

Life: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe read by Douglas Adams. Yes, I have his entire collection on my ipod. It's funny and I'm a geek.

Mental Breakdown: ( I assume I get this by going to prom or having to deal with adult concepts) Through the Roof and Underground by Gogol Bordello.

Driving: Postcard by Yann Tiersen off the Amelie soundtrack. I guess it's a jaunt to the country. It's wonderfully romantic song. I guess I'm with my secret lover.

Flashback: Friends Forever by Puffy Ami Yumi. Oh how cute. I love this piece of Japanese pop punk.

Getting Back together: Wished for You by Squirrel Nut Zippers. Hopefully I'm not still mooning over my prom date. I hope this is someone new in my life. Lord knows there's enough to chose from.

Wedding: First Day of my Life by Bright Eyes. That's just eerie and rather comforting in a way.

Birth of Child: Knock on Wood by The Mighty Mighty BossStones. Do I really have to have kids. I'm not thinking about it now, I'll let Hollywood add it in if they think it's thematically necessary.

Final Battle: Gong by Sigur Ros. I'm only battling if it's for my soul, ot love. Right now I'd fight for love.

Death Scene: November Rain by G n' R baby! Oh yeah, now there's a death scene. I love Slash.

Funeral: The Last Dance by Ol' Blue Eyes Mr. Frank Sinatra. Gives me chils everytime I hear it.

End Credits: Y Control by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Like a call to my soul everytime I hear the opening rift.

salty eyes

2006-10-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

salty eyes
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was your first thought??
is this really me?

2.When is the next time you will have sex?
buy me a plane ticket and I'll let you know

3. What's a word that rhymes with "DUCK"?
DODGERS!

4. Favorite PLANET?
Venus, so shrounded in mystery... and lots of gases... but most of all mystery

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your mobile?
a chicago number I don't recognize

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
silent

7. What are you currently wearing?
black, black and skin

8. What were you doing 20 minutes ago?
drinking tea and eating cupcakes with Obie... mmm chocolate

9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing
My feet, very stylish... today the nails are pink

10. Bright or Dark Room?
what am I doing in the room?

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
I've never met him face to face. I'm sure he's very nice.

12. If you're in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep on?
does one have the person I love sleeping in it? cause if so, that's the one.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
thinking I was so bored and how I wanted so badly to be at my house

14. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say?
Delicious

15. How do you like your eggs?
fried, sunny side up

16. What's a word/phrase that you say a lot?
what are you going to do?

17.Who told you he/she loved you last?
my dad

18. Last furry thing you touched?
the stuffed panda I haven't got a name for

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
nothing except caffeine.

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
25 is going to be a great year!

22. Your worst enemy?
my own inhibitions

23. What is your current desktop picture?
a beer can with arms and eyes hiding behind tofu

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
something about my trip to LA or about making out with people

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to being able to fly which one would you choose?
a million dollars, I hate flying. I'm a land lubber

26. Do you like someone?
very much so

27. The last song you listened to?
Bright Eyes

28. If the last person you spoke to was getting shot at, what would you do?
tackle him ninja style

29. If you could punch one person in the face who's in your life right now, who would it be?
I'm nowhere near angry enough

30. Whats the closest object to your left foot?
the post of my desk

The best birthday ever

2006-09-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

The best dessert ever
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

I am feeling like a very lucky girl. A very lucky, tired girl. In a few hours I will be making my way to LA where I will (as everyone has reassured me) have the time of my life. It's been a battle to get there. See the rotten tooth fairy entry but I am getting on that plane come hell or high water. Not only have I some of the most amazing people surrounding me and supporting me but also lavishing me with pre-birthday attention which I cannot get over. I had my traditional sushi dinner on Friday. Seven people were in attendence. Which has to be lucky since I am turning 7 years old. We got the window booth at the fabulous Usagi Ya and ate until we burst. The next night I was out with the yarn girls and we feasted on Italian food at Club Lucky and then had a wonderous dessert at Hot Chocolate. See the photo. It was a beautiful pear breadish pudding with tapioca and port wine sauce. To die for. Why am I not in pastry school? I can't figure it out. I went back the next night it was so good, I had to share the love. Now I am going to LA and I'll be in Disneyland with two freinds who are as goofy as I. I lead a very charmed life and I marvel each and every day at the wonderous people who I share it with.

Rotten Tooth Fairy

2006-09-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Rotten Tooth Fairy
Originally uploaded by I'm Fantastic.

The other day I found an abscess above a tooth I had had a really deep filling put in. Really, kinda gross I know. But, it was "kinda" expected. Crap. I thought, "Man, I am supposed to go on vacation in two weeks....how the hell am I going to afford a procedure like this?" My mother, bless her heart, had already paid for a large chunk of the cavities I needed filled. Before the past couple of months I hadn't been to the dentist in something like 6 years due to college and then health insurance. I have lousy teeth. I've had cavities all my life (and it's not all due to the fact I eat ice cream) as I ate very little sugar as a child. Damn having health care professionals as parents. So, I called into work today and went for an emergency vist with my most wonderful dentist Dr. Michelle over at Floss Dental Studio. I was right... the filling and the medicine hadn't taken and it was a root canal for me. Right then and there. Thankfully my dentist is uber talented and I felt nothing at all plus I got to watch Sex in the City while she was drilling away. Then came the worst part... the bill. Oh my god! I can't afford to be alive. And I'll pay for her services because normally I hate going to the dentist and anyone who can make me feel that calm when I'm in their chair deserves all the money this little girl can muster and I know that medical care in general is not a cheap thing. I am just so screwed. Between the root canal itself and post and crown... well, I won't give actual numbers but if anyone needs an egg or two I might just consider selling bits of myself for profit. Then came the worst ,because I can always pay in installments and my dentist can be flexible and tolerate her poorer customers, the prescriptions. I don't have insurance so I have to pay everything out of pocket and boy, if I ever get really sick I am screwed. I dropped $150 just for antibiotics and pain pills. I am so screwed. That's nearly my rent for the month to put it in some kind of perspective for all you going "that's not that much." Even though I am soon to be twenty-five years old I am still a baby in the world with a ways to go before I figure this whole "being a human" thing out. On the plus side, the pain pills she gave me knock me out like nothing else. I have never felt this whoozey in my entire life. It's like being aware that you're going to faint without actually fainting. Happy Birthday to me. This sucks.

Think Fast

2006-09-04T00:34:00.000-07:00

Harder
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

THINK FAST SURVEY
Finish the sentence:

1. I am listening to... the sound of wet pavement as cars drive down Ashland

2. Maybe I should... go to bed

3. I love... coffee and possibly sex... but mainly coffee

4. My best friend(S)... are always changing

5. I don't understand... my own brain

6. I lost... my virginity

7. People say... so buttons

8. The meaning of my screen name is... An amalgamation of "Mercury" and "Courier"

9. Love is... an incredible phemomenon I'm learning to believe in again

10. Somewhere, someone is... dancing in the rain

11. I will always... have tattoos

12. Forever seems... a far off

13. I never ever want to... be in a coma

14. My cell phone is... now becoming a necessisity

15. When I wake up in the morning... I groan and wonder if someone has made coffee yet

16. I get annoyed when... people become predicatable

17. Parties are... a fun diversion

18. My pet(s) is/are... out on the porch...damnit... be right back.

19. Kisses are the best when... they are true

20. Today I... counted down another day til I go to Cali

21. Tomorrow I will... knit and clean my house

22. I really want... to be in Long Beach

Handmade Market

2006-08-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Handmade Market
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

In twenty-five more days I will be on a plane to LA. The thought of going out there scares the crap out of me because I hate heights and flying all the preasure changes that come with it. But, the rewards of being out there will be great and I am looking forward, past the actual getting there and to the actual trip. Ten whole days of surf and palm trees, lots of nature and who knows what else. I've been promised surprises! Though who can take off for that long? I know that all I can think about is the trip and how will I finance such a journey... through knitting, what else? I will be showing some of my wares at the Handmade Market on Saturday the 9th of September. If you aren't doing a lot in the afternoon come on out and sit with me for awhile or tell all your non-knitting friends to drop by and pick up a cuddly new friend or snuggly hat or a fine handmade washcloth. Now, I have to get back to knitting so I can have enough to sell!

Eulogy for The Cabin

2006-08-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

The Remains
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

I was supposed to go on vacation this past weekend. My dad and I were going to take a trip up to the cabin. We were going to go fishing and swimming and hiking, build fires and probably roast marshmallows; all the things one is required to do in the north woods. My family loves Rhinelander. It can be said almost like a prayer among the uncles and aunts who have dedicated summers to renovating the old girl. The name means more than a tiny town with a couple of bars and a grocery store. It means escape... laughter... relaxation and above all family. Most times you never know who'll be up there when you go. Most likely family, but friends as well. No one gets turned away. And there is room for all if you don't mind sharing a bathroom.
I have great memories of swimming in my nana's too large bathing suit and it slipping off as I jumped into the lake. It might still be on the bottom. I remember telling my cousins stories about how gnomes and hodags roamed the woods. We went looking for them and ended up at Old Great Aunt Agnes' place down the road. It looked like a ramshackle house on the rock even then with a rusty old jeep type car out front. We got spooked and ran the mile back to the cabin no longer caring about gnomes. There was a map on one wall of the cabin outside the main bedroom I never slept in, it was a mess of lakes and hills but I would always try to find our little lake amidst all the others. I always slept on this oversized chenille sofa that faced those plate glass windows overlooking the lake. I like to be the first one up with the sun, watching the steam rise off the lake and the day become bright and clear, or rainy and overcast. It didn't matter. I really loved the cabin and Rhinelander. Cursing the fact that it's a seven hour drive away and that I don't own a car I didn't spend as much time up there as I would've liked. But every summer my mind would drift up there to all the fun my family was having and for a little while I would be there too. Now, the land is still there and my uncle still has his house across the lake but tragedy has struck and the cabin exists only in my memory and my trips up there have been more frequent of late. I know she will be rebuilt, I know there will be many more summers to enjoy the north woods but a part of my childhood perished in that fire too. A part I know won't be coming back anytime soon from Rhinelander.

Sweet and Sleepy

2006-08-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sweet and Sleepy
Originally uploaded by sideshowknits.

Why haven't I posted jack since July... well besides meeting a very intriguing boy and going to music fests and trying to work as much as possible to get out to LA (to see afore-mentioned) for my birthday, my computer decided it was going to lose a very important file. Even after restoring the system I still have to reinstall software all over again and Obie (my go-to computer guy) has left on a week long bike ride. So access has been limited for sometime. I am actually at the library posting this. Most likely people have gotten so bored with this that they've given up on me completely. I promise to be more exciting... I promise more juicy gossip and I promise to finish up some knitting projects by the end of August. Plus my birthday is up coming and there is lots of preparation. Not only for a trip to Disney Land but also for a wondrous party to see me off. Plus I also have a show of my work going up in a local cafe. And I'll be sneak peeking my work on the blog up through late October. It's going to be a great couple of months!

Interim Post

2006-07-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know stuff about me:
1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
I like them closed but the partner in crime doesn't care, kinda bothersome...what if there really are monsters lurking in there?
2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
no, that stuff is gross, it looks like boogers
3. Have you ever 'done it' in a hotel room?
No, I refuse to be a cheap whore
4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
I had one stolen for me as a birthday present. What? I really like Shakespeare.
5. Do you like to use post-it notes?
I'll write on just about anything
6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?
Yes, I get that from my grandmother
7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?
Bees would just be painful, at least with a bear I'd be dead quicker
(where'd 8 go?)
9. Do you always smile for pictures?
No, I really don't like my smile or pictures taken of me
10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
common stupidity and lack of courtesy
(11 is missing too?)
12. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
Nah, I'm to busy singing out loud....
13. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Where else do you pee when hiking?
14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing?
All the time. Most people think I'm crazy
15. Do you ever chew on your pens or penciles?
On the little clip things.
16. How many people have you slept with this week?
none
17. Do you like popcorn from those big tins?
The caramel and the cheese are good together
18. What is your "Song of the week"?
"Huliganjetta" by Gogol Bordello.
19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?sure, as long as it's worn responsibly
20. Favorite Fish?Fatty tuna
21. Whats your favorite scary movie?I wouldn't say favorite because I am piss scared of Zoombies but Dawn of the Dead gave me nightmares for weeks
22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?
In the most obvious place and I'd draw a ludicrous map to it and all so no one could find it ever, cause it's hidden right?
23. What do you drink with dinner?
depends on the dinner...I like all sorts of beverages
24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
mustard
25. What is your favorite food/ cuisine?
food is ice cream and cuisine is Japanese... combine the two and you get mochi balls. Yum.
26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
Amadeus is one, The Last Unicorn, Monsters INC, see my movie collection sometime... I only buy I can watch upwards of 500 times.
27. Last person you kissed?
28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
Daisy through Girl Scout
29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
If the price was right and I had control over what was shown, sure why not.
30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I sent postacrds anonomously for awhile this year
31. Can you change the oil on a car?
no, but I can clean and lube and point check a bicycle
32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
I cried my way out of one once
33. Ran out of gas?
my fuel pump broke once in the middle of Iowa on a 90 degree day
34. Favorite kind of sandwich?
Bari's Proscitto and mozzerella with homemade pesto
35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?
Hashbrowns and fried eggs over toast with cowboy coffee
36. What is your usual bedtime?
somewhere in the vincinity of too late
37. Are you lazy?
some would think so, I like to think I chose my activities wisely
38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for halloween?
all sorts of things, once I was a pink unicorn
(wonder what 39 was?)
40. How many languages can you speak?
one and not very well sometimes.
41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
I don't like being sold stuff, though I love catalogs...more blatent I suppose
42..Which are better legos or lincoln logs?
no contest... Legos.
43. Are you stubborn?
I'm Irish.
44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman?
Jon Stewart
45. Ever watch soap operas?
I used to watch Starting Over but only cause it was set in Chicago anf I was unemployed
46. Afraid of heights?
I hate heights
47. Sing in the car?
Loud and obnoxious like
48. Dance in the shower?
Nah, I'm to busy scrubing my skin
49. Dance in the car?
not so much although I do car wash dance...nevermind, don't ask
50. Ever used a gun?
a few times to shoot beer cans with my dad
51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?
At a fashion show a year or so ago. The shots were phemonomanal
52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?
most, but I love them anyway
53. Is christmas stressful?My parents are divorced and hate each other and I don't like spendinf holidays with anyone but no one ever wants to feel unloved, so yes. I don't like what the holidy has turned into although I love Christmas
54. Ever eat a pierogie?
My grandfather was Polish...god I hated those things
55. Favorite type of fruit pie?
Blueberry, it stains you teeth but it's so good with vanilla ice cream
56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?
Indiana Jones, Jaques Cousteau, Jim Henson... I didn't have a name for what I wanted to do just people I admired. I guess I wanted to be a pioneer
57. Do you believe in ghosts?
yes, though I've never seen one
(58 was missing)
59. Take a vitamin daily?
probably should
60. Wear slippers?
when it's cold out and the floor is dirty
61. Wear a bath robe?
only after sex
62. What do you wear to bed?
depends whose in the bed with me
63. First concert?
I can't remember...some punk band
64. Wal-Mart, Target or K-Mart?
Tar-get
65. Nike or Adidas?
Adidas
66.Cheetos Or Fritos?
I like those new "natural" cheetos
67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?
I like both
68. Ever hear of, "gorp"?
Is that the flubby stuff that makes farty noises?
69. Ever take dance lessons?
since I was four years old
70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?
Something that supports us
71. Can you curl your tongue?
no, I am genetically insufficient
72. Ever won a spelling bee?
I laugh at that. My spelling is atrocious
73. Ever cried cause you were so happy?
not lately but yes.
74. Own any record albums?
A few I refuse to part with
75. Own a record player?
we do have one yes, but no speakers
76. Regularly burn incense?
used to, i hate it now
77. Ever been in love?
yes, but I didn't enjoy it
78. Who would you like to see in concert?
Gogol Bordello
79. What was your last concert you saw?
Peaches
80.Hot tea or cold tea?
I like hot black teas... earl gray or irish breakfast
81.Tea or coffee?
coffee anytime
82.Favorite kind of cookie?
oatmeal raisin
83.Can you swim well?
i can swim but my body sinks like a rock
84.Can you hold your breath w/o manually holding your nose?
yeah, but chlorine tickes my nose
85. Are you patient?
not very
86. DJ or band, at a wedding?
depends does the DJ suck?
87. Ever won a contest?
nope, I stand out in no way
88. Ever have plastic surgery?
no, not planning to either
89. Which are better black or green olives?
no nightshade for me thank you very much
90.Can you knit or crochet?
I knit like a fiend
91. Best room for a fireplace?
Library
92. Do you want to get married?
Yes, though I hate to admit it
93. If married, how long have you been married?

94. Who was/is your HS crush?
There were so many
95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
sometimes.
96. Do you have kids?
I sure hope not
97. Do you want kids?
Not really, though people think I'll change my mind.
98. Whats your favorite color?
I'm into acid green right now
99. Do you miss anyone right now?
A fair few people
100. Who do you wanna see right now?
Security Guard Aaron, Obie, Mark, Seamus, Theresa...

The Unfinished Game

2006-07-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Rules:
1a: the Game is sacrosanct
1b: the Game being sacrosanct, there are no favorites
1c: once chosen to play the Game, there is no opting out
1d: the Gamer's identity will remain secret;
until such time, they chose to reveal themselves
2a: there are 7 clues in 14 cards, leading to an undisclosed location where the prize is to be found
2b: these 7 cluses will be revealed one at a time in random order
predetermined by the Gamer
3a: the Player is at leisure to discover what is to be discovered
Are You Game?
Keeping secrets is not one of my strong points. What muse possessed me to create a post card scavenger hunt? What spirit then adled my brain enough to think it was a good idea to send these off to a close friend? It did, however, keep me artistically occupied for sometime. Unfortunately due to World Cup Soccer and a fellow collaborator dropping the ball on the final prize I was unable to complete the Game. The Gamer is awful about follow through. I have ten completed 4x6 pieces of art (tweleve if you count the two as yet unfinished on my desk) and if you really want to be generous... 20 postcards all together, all done. When I was making them I did two. One to send, one to keep. Just in case one didn't get there (like the one not pictured above), or the Player threw them away... and so I could have a record. The ones I have are a little skewed as I kept the ones not quite perfect.
I can see an evolution, even from this short period of quick work. I produced nearly one a week, sometimes two and on rare occassion of insight and creative juice, three. It started off as a passionate turbulent game and grew more gentle, more sweet as the relationship between the Gamer and the Player developed. I would send them out on Mondays and see that they would arrive later in the week. Keeping a straight face when questioned directly was very difficult and I nearly lost it the first night he received one. True to my oath as Gamer I threw him off the scent and though there was a niggling suspiscion about me it was never confirmed until I was ready to admit to the game and how I had failed it.
Unfortunately collage work photographs woefully. I posted a few sides on my Shutterfly. I'll keep adding to the album as time passes. For now, try to picture what they might look like in person and maybe someday when I do manage to put a show together they will displayed with other relics of my artistic fervor.

Daddy's Girl

2006-07-10T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is the speech I wrote for my dad’s 60th birthday party. I never got a chance to read it there so I am posting it here on his actual birth day.
Invariably on momentous occasions speeches highlighting a person’s fine character and wondrous achievements are doled out in hardy measure. Most of the time said person’s reputation is glossed over and stories embellished casting them in a radiant rosy glow. I am not such a glorious speech writer. Yes, it’s true… my fiction degree did little to temper me in the arts of oration. That’s a much different field, although, I can spin a good yarn. At least that’s what my teacher’s used to tell me. But I won’t tell tales about my father. He’s enough of a character himself that I don’t need to embellish. I will however enlighten you about a few of his finer qualities, a few that he has handed down and a few he wished he probably hadn’t.
To this day my dad has a habit of striking up conversation with nearly anyone he comes in contact with. An early memory of us driving somewhere for some holiday has him sitting with his family in the minivan at a toll plaza chatting with the toll booth operator while a line of cars honked behind us. When I six, Mom took me to Disneyland and capriciously I talked to a women street cleaner who later on came and let me turn off lights to start the Electrical Lights Parade. Like my father I like to talk to random people, you never who you can meet and who you will become friends with. And once he becomes friends with someone… no matter how much time has elapsed he’ll still call just to see how things are going. Friendly and loyal and these qualities in my father are not lacking in their genuine nature for I have always known him to dead straight with a soul. While his words may be tempered with softness he still delivers with honesty.
Now, I too have an honest streak. I hate to see the under dog go un-championed and while that may be admirable quality, I also have a habit of telling people where to stick it at inconvenient times. In high school I worked at Old Navy for two weeks close to the holidays. Why two weeks? Well, they told me I couldn’t have Christmas Eve off. That particular Christmas Eve I had plans to see my dad and my family for the first time in a number of years. Damn if they were going to keep me from it and they found out then and there just how honest I was.
But it’s nothing my dad wouldn’t have been proud of since he instilled in me the belief to be true to myself. He taught me that it’s okay to march to the beat of your own drum and long as you’re happy. He’s never wanted more for me than that. My happiness. When he called me up two years ago and said that he would pay for me to finish my degree at Columbia, I wish he could have seen how I danced about for glee. His faith in me, that I would do something with my artistic bent was over-whelming. The fact that he has never once judged me, or seems to judge anyone is the most important thing I have learned from him.
I am honored that I can spend his 60th birthday with him and that there will be many more birthdays and many more memories. Ones that include him and ones that resonate with his spirit.

78% Beater

2006-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

It's finished. The nights of marathon knitting are over (for this project at least). I have completed my first sweater. Technically speaking "IT" took me less than a month. I did cast on somewhere last year but it had been sitting for so long; June/July seemed like the right time to knit a wooly, very think, very warm sweater. I started in on it somewhere in the vicinity of June 11th (I wanted to make sure enough penalty time had elapsed). And then I knitted my little heart out. I wanted the best-EST Quidditch sweater a first-timer could make. All I was really asking for was that it fit. Like a glove. I feel so buxom in it. Now that my team has made it to the finals of World Cup Knitting, I can relax, maybe post a little more often. I wanted to keep a more accurate record of my progress but then it would have taken away from KHPD (knitting hours per day). There were all kinds of distractions though. Other projects (I am not a monogamous knitter), BBQs (it was the 4th of July after all), birthdays and of course, gainful employment. It is very difficult to sling coffee and knit at the same time. My cappacinos began to suffer. If you feel like it, there is one lonely photo posted here (seems it won't let me go for more) for visual stimulation but also be sure to check out the link under what's been cast off... it's a project gallery of sorts to see the whole range of my work and pretty photos of my new baby... I won't point out my mistakes. But there are a few. Who knew you were supposed to increase the rib, in pattern? Plus I got to learn the kitschner stitch and how to attach sleeves, plus sew in a zipper. The statistics of the project go something like this: Pattern is from last Minute Knitted Gifts (yes, I know it's for a man, but it looks so fetching on me) I used Lamb's Pride Worsted in Medieval Red on a size 9 (gauge? what's gauge?) and Manos del Uruguay in color 40 for the band. It took me 4 1/2 skeins of the red and 1 1/2 of the yellow. I can't wait for winter!

World Cup Knitting

2006-06-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

So a knitter in Scotland got a really great idea. To hold a competition, much like one held for the Olympics, where at the opening of the World Cup you cast on a project and you get a month to finish it entirely. The point is to challenge yourself by picking something slightly above your skill level. Plus you get the added consolation that you are not the only one sitting in pubs watching soccer and knitting. Then she added a proviso which was that if you had something languishing on your needles that you just motivation to finish, well, there's a time penetly but hey have at it. I was going to do a fair isle market bag. But yarn costs, and the fact my training run was not what I expected put me off the project for a little while. Then I remembered my first sweater. I am so excited to make this! But it has sat in my bag for over three months with only the first five inches done. I finally made it to the stripe. The pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and it's done in Gryffindor colours because it's meant to be a Quidditch Sweater. So, what better way to watch the World Cup than to sit, cheer for England (even if they don't have Rooney they can make it!) and knit a sweater from an imaginary sport. Here's to Victory in the Knitting World Cup.
P.s if any of you want to find me for any of the games I'll be at Small Bar in my neighborhood. Yes, my neighborhood has it all... good sushi, good cafes, a knitting store that I work at and now a pub to watch soccer in! I couldn't be happier

A Brilliant Morning

2006-06-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

I am not the most early of the birds. I tend to like my sleep or if I do happen to be awake, I like the feeling of lying in my bed: watching the news (or whatever Oprah has to say), knitting on my latest project or just plain snuggling up to a nice warm body (especially on the cold mornings!) So when I had to break down and support my artistic habits with a "real" job I anticipated the early morning wake up call. What I did not expect was to like it. A couple of mornings ago now (my efforts to document this momentous occasion thwarted at the time) I had to be up at what I call the ass-crack of dawn, even though sunrise was an hour before I was awake. It was six amish. I promptly took an obligatory shower (my job not requiring that I look perfect) and by quarter after six was rolling out of my house on my bicycle. I actually used to enjoy the morning ride as a messenger. It was one of the few times I didn't have to rush anything anywhere and I could chose the route based on what I felt like; not what the cycle of work may dictate. Those mornings where it was still chilly but you knew the haze would be burned away by nine am and strong sunshine. One of those days where the shade is actually cooler and the sun is refreshing. I loved those days. Wednesday morning was one of those days. Loop traffic was light. Workers from the suburbs still packed on the Kennedy, Eisenhower or god-forbid, the Dan Ryan expressways; workers from the city still sipping coffee at home or maybe on the 'el'. I made almost every light, even though I wasn't in a hurry and the ride felt instead like a free-fall glide. I like riding through the meat packing district at this time of morning. It's one of the few areas alive at the wee hour and dead at rush hour. Fork lifts dart around, the guys with their shopping carts stacked high already with palates march down Fulton Market, and white coated butchers smoke outside taking stock of their mornings and probably enjoying the fresh air. Once as I rode between two semis a trucker called out to me "Are you crazy? Riding through suicide alley..." I liked that term for the chaotic mess Fulton can be. Especially when you add in one rogue biker. Everytime I ride through there I think about the slaughter houses and how this tiny little area is pretty much all that remains of an industry that dominated Chicago and the near south side. How it is now "hip" to purchase a loft in one of the old packing plants and how those lofts must smell come the humid weather. Nothing gets blood out of 12 inch thick beams. When I ride early in the morning I can pretend Chicago is still that glistening gem of promise on the edge of the lake and the prairie. How rough it used to be and how grown up it's becoming.

Cookie Cutter Kid

2006-05-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

I know Mother's Day is long past, the gestures and tokens of affection mostly cast off but I am still smarting from the experience. Every year this day rolls around and with it the responsibility of showing my mom just how much I care for her wrapped in a pretty package. At least that what she seems to expect. Maybe it's not a package, maybe it is me visiting and making dinner. Why does it have to be one specific day? Shouldn't I just be able to show my mom how much she means to me whenever I want? But the bulk of the affection has to come on this one day so she can go back to work and brag about what her children did for her on her special day. Unfortunately it seems that no matter how hard I try, the things I do are never perfect enough. I visit and I get the question "Are you making dinner?", I knit up a bag because I think she will like it, I get "Will you make me a scarf, I like the yarn you have on." I want to stay over and visit and I get, "I don't where you're going to sleep." and "Time to wake up, I'm waiting on you." Then she tells me that I didn't say "Happy Nurses Day" and to that I reply "Well, on 10-9 day you didn't say Happy Messenger's Day to me, five years in a row." By this point I wasn't feelin' much in the way of love. I just wanted to leave. I see my friends' moms and sometimes wish they were my mom. I love my mom very much and appreciate the sacrifices she has made for me along the way. This diatibe is not to discredit that. But they way she makes me feel inadequete is the lowest point I can reach. There are points where she displays the utmost compassion and patience but she alludes to me as THE OMEN. I am the source of all havoc. I was a bit troubled but nothing out of the ordinary. I kept my artistic punk rock bent, never smoked or tried drugs, drank or was arrested. I did my share of rabble rousing and carousing about. Mom always said never be a cookie cutter kid. And I wasn't, I was the oatmeal raisin in a batch of chocolate chips. Shouldn't she be proud of me? And in that pride try to realize her daughter is only human and doing the best she can to keep herself together. I don't have some neat button to wrap this up with. I started this blog to air some stuff and share some stuff, reevaluate my writing and make myself feel a little less lonely. I don't want to have to keep things under my hat until I am ninety years old and let the grievences go with my dying breath. Life is too short to hold grudges. This isn't about blame and the assignation of it. There is my rant. So here I will let go. WHOOSH!

Podcasts and Birthdays

2006-05-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Last September for my birthday some friends pitched in and helped me buy an ipod. I say 'helped' because I would have had to have 13 friends pitch in and first I don't think I have 13 friends and second that's just plain unlucky. I had wanted an ipod for such a long time...But it was a superfluous purchase; one I just couldn't bring myself to buy. I love having music with me and trying to pack up 3 CDs a day that would embody my moods for the whole 15 hours or so I was out of the house just wasn't working so much. I broke down. Had I broke down one week later I could have had a 30 or 40G Video one but my 20G white plain one is enough to play with. I'm a simple girl. I started with just my own CDs, branching out to the occasional tune from someone else's own personal cache of music and then I ditched my Spyware program that wasn't allowing me to download from itunes (damn McAfee) and looked upon the new world of independent media. Not that itunes is indy music, don't confuse that last statement. By indy I mean the podcasts. Free media. Normal people talking, like radio but commercial free and advertiser free. Plus it costs nothing to subscribe to one. I listen to soccer news (English Premier League) and Quirky Nomads and BBC news and This American Life and WBEZ's All Things Considered. I don't own an actual radio (not that I was any good at tuning it when I did own one. All I could ever find was Mariachi and rap) so the fact that I can hear things going on infactuates me. Conversely it makes me a hermit because I don't ever have to leave my own house except to go to work or the occasional outing to a cafe. This is exactly what I find wrong with the world. We refuse to connect with each other except through faceless communication. As if by the sheer fact that someone can see our faces we relinquish some of our control, some of our much protected anonymity.
Back to ipods. I listen to podcasts. One specific podcast I listen to is Cast-On. I relish the time I get to sit and knit and listen to someone talk, without having to respond (although sometimes I do). I feel a little less lonely. And sometimes the topics fit perfectly into what I am feeling that day or week. It gives me a new appreciation for what I am doing.
So, Matthew's birthday rolls around and I have no idea what to get him... He doesn't seem to want anything and being almost flat broke I have to rack my brains on how to stretch what little cash I can come up with. He wants to learn Italian. I want him to learn Italian. His grandparents are from Italy and speak broken English and he wants to communicate freely with them. I found a learn Italian podcast, simple 5-15 minute lessons that focus on conversational Italian. That was his gift. It wasn't expensive, a little moment of my time which I hope will flourish into a more open relationship with his culture. And that's why ipods and podcasts and the whole technological universe that I was so scared for such a long time can actually be a good thing.

And it's complete!

2006-05-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

They are both done. Two totoros. Knitted in the round using jewel blue malabrigo and berrocco softy for the belly. I didn't add claws to the second one for some reason. I knitted him a little bigger but I'm not convinced about his head size. It's a little too pear shaped, not oval enough. Even so I am proud of the way they turned out. Lately I have taken a break from arm warmers and dug into the plush side of knitting. First was a duck from an RYC pattern. Then came the penguin from Knitty. And now Totoro. For those of you out there who don't know who Totoro is, get yourself some Miyazaki stat. His anime is too beautiful to be described and the characters are so memorable you'll want to knit them and keep them around all the time. In that vein maybe I'll do cat bus next.

SideShow Knits Mission Statement

2006-05-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

I'm giving myself a chance to define my terms I guess. Plus I have a logo and I want to brand the heck out of this... I kid, I kid. At the beginning of the year I had the harebrained idea to sell my knitting. I knit kinda weird. This won't make much sense to nonknitters but bare with me. Somehow in the process I started wrapping the yarn clockwise around my needle instead of anti clockwise to make a knit stich. But I purl normalwise. So my knit stiches are twisted instead of the purl (which I assume is the stich most people twist). It creates a patterned effect on flat fabric and when I knit in the round it makes my knitting sprial like a ham on Easter. I wish I had something unfelted to show off this effect. The woman who runs my Local Yarn Shop, LYS for future reference, says I'm a freak... I don't disagree. This leads back into the whole SideShow thing and selling off my goods. I like knitting... alot... I take it with practically everywhere even if I know I have no chacne of sitting and working at it. What if I have five minutes and can work a couple stitches... it's a couple stitches I didn't have done before. I started making felted cloche hats (flapper hats basically, though they looked a little elfish). Those weren't quite what people were looking for so then I started arm warmers. Those went like mad. It's bottomed out now and I can start planning designs and things for this coming winter. I want to work the little fairs and things that seem to have sprouted up around Wicker Park. And that's the orgin of SideShow Knits.... Little freakish creations of the knitting world (because I like monsters and dinosaurs and Totoro) that make people smile when they wear 'em.

My new jobs

2006-05-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

After I closed Caffeine Theatre's latest show, The Cocktail Party, I thought I'd take the summer off to reevaluate my goals and plan my next big "career move". After the last summer spent in dark theaters : not being able to go out... trying to survive on theater work alone... I learned a very valuable lesson, Chicago is not the place for summer theater, despite the miracle of air conditioning. I met some great people though, people who I am still friends with (that was the plus side). Honestly, who wants to sit in a building when there are outdoor cafes, street fests, live music, and midnight bicycle rides? Who can resist? I figured The Cocktail Party would be the last show of the season. For once I had nothing planned afterwords but working my three other jobs. I was looking forward to the forced break as well: one, to focus on a cache of cash and two, not running myself ragged. But as fate would have it, it wasn't to be. I checked my email. A fellow knitter and good friend Maren sent me an email. Tuta was searching for a stage manager. I agreed to accept a call and hear more about the job. At this point I had a choice to hit the escape button. But, the opportunity was just too good. Tuta is a fantastic company, one I wanted to work with for awhile. So besides starting work at Starbucks' in two hours time... waitressing at the Vic periodically and working the oddball day at the knitting shop I have a full plate once again. Sometimes I don't think I'm happy unless thirty bizillion things are happening at once. It keeps me from going crazy thinking about my art. And besides when you come so "highly recommended" who can turn a compliment down?

Secondary Function

2006-04-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have to put some kind of picture in here because blah..blah..blah so I can republish it somewhere elese. How weird is all that?

First Time

2006-04-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is my first post, as you can see, and I'm a little nervous. I thought I had a lot to say but maybe I don't yet. I do know I wanted to start out by sharing the first thing I ever knitted...which has not seen the light of day since I knitted it about two years ago. It's a pink scarf (who doesn't start off with one of those?) knitted I think with Karabella auroura. At least that's what the second ball was, I'm still not sure about the first. As anal retentive as I can be I did not save the info tag. Silly girl. Though I would never wear this creation made on size 9 needles I love it because I can see where my mistakes and how even my tension got towards the end. It was a learning piece, my training wheels if you will and I am proud enough to show it off as I take a technological baby step. I want this to be a portal into my artistic life because most of my friends never get to see this stuff as it gets squirrelled away and covered by the sands of a busy mind.