Knitting: May 2008 Archives

Welcome to the Botanical Gardens. It's very, very pretty there. Lots of flowers and trees. We wandered, we looked up at the blue-blue sky, we took lots of pictures of ourselves playing in among the flowers, we sniffed a metric ton (each) of various roses (mmmm lemony), and we marveled at the giant pitch-black irises.

We knitted on the train both ways. I worked on my First (hopefully Triumphant) Sock. My traveling companion worked on her First (undoubtedly Triumphant) legwarmers. When I got home, I jumped on my bike and rode to Central Park and got a bunch of plant matter in my eyes and tired myself out on those hills and came home all nicely whooped and sweaty.

The next day I had to work (say it with me, ICK!) but then later I got on my bike again and rode to the bowling alley, stopping first at a little park and watching the sun sink low in the sky with about a million hipsters, all picnicking and smoking and trying to outcool one another with their giant 1970s sunglasses and their short little baggy dresses and their long sideburns and their track bikes with curly bars.

But it was nice. And then I went bowling, and bowled really badly until I realized I needed a heavier ball (either that or the second giant 22-ounce beer kicked in), and then I bowled progressively better, finishing up with a STRIKE in the last frame. Yay, me!

And the kids bowling next to us were all sad when we left because we had been cheering for them, too, and they were gonna miss that, because they were too cool to cheer as wholeheartedly as we do. Plus, we had better tattoos.

Today I slept and slept. Very unusual for me. I got tired at 1am, and got into bed sometime before 2, and read, and turned off the light and fell asleep - all before 3. I know, you're thinking that's so late that it's practically early, but really, for me, it is very early.

And then I woke up at 9, all startled and out of a dream, and went to take care of those things that require doing first thing in the am, and then went back to bed. Tried to find my orange bandana (aka. blindfold), couldn't. Fell asleep anyway (also unusual). Woke up, again startled out of a dream, at 11:45.

So that means I got, like, nine hours of sleep. That's almost twice what I've been typically able to manage the last month. I feel like I'm underwater now, which is interesting given that the last dream I had was about swimming in a saltwater pool, and then jumping into a chlorinated pool with my backpack on. And shoes.

Soanyway, I am in something of an altered state. Sleepy/mellow overlaid on incredibly stressed out. I think I was trying to sleep myself into a different life.

But you know, I actually really like most aspects of my life. Okay, some aspects of it.

I like where I live. I like my little cat (most days) a lot. I love love love my bicycle (you knew that was coming).

I like my apartment a great deal; it's lovely and just the right layout for me, and my views are pleasant and green.

I love my friends, and a bunch of them have moved back to the city in the last couple of years, so we are all kind of a happy converged posse. I love not going into an office every day. I love not getting up early (duh).

Here's what I need to escape: work. It's been bad lately. Oh so very bad.

So bad that I need to change the subject. Right now.

Okay, so tomorrow I have planned the following:

a) tie dyeing with two of the aforementioned friends. One of them lives in a work/live space, which is nice and industrial/grungey - perfect for tie-dyeing.

b) bowling. Ha!

Much better.

Okay, then the other news (and this is rather big, in a tiny way) is: I am knitting socks. Well, sock. Yes, and if that weren't big enough, I am doing it via Magic Loop! Yawn, I know, you experienced sock knitters, you. But you see, I have tried this before. I tried and failed to do Magic Loop on some Lornas Laces about a year ago, and I just couldn't get the method to stick in my head. I did about an inch of ribbing, and then put it down and promptly forgot what the hell I was doing, and couldn't figure it out again.

Then a few weeks ago I went and learned the 2 circs method, and somehow that made Magic Loop make sense to me. Go figure. Of course, some of us will not be surprised by the reason I chose to do ML instead of just continuing w/ 2 circs: it's cheaper to buy one needle than two. Plus, in my case, I can't seem to remember that yarn stores exist after about April 25th, and I already had one long size 1.

Blah blah blah. Knitrivia. What can I say? It's been a long week.

PS. Almost forgot crucial info: The yarn is Colinette Jitterbug, in Castagna (128), the exact blend of purples and browns that I've been favoring lately.

Okay, okay. I got nothin'. So I will try to regale you with selected excerpts.

I still hate my work. But I need the money. What else is new.

My friend Special J has designed an extensive questionnaire that I am to hand out to first dates at the 90-minute mark (assuming they last that long). She apparently roped some geek-date of hers into formatting the thing with proper checkboxes and all. She has magic powers.

I am busily knitting lots of little projects on 2 circs, but I have yet to get some tiny needles for sockmaking. I just keep forgetting to hit a knitting store. That happens to me in spring. I forget they exist. I'll wait while y'all make a grab for the oxygen.

Better? Okay. Too bad one can't install smelling salts as an option in Movable Type.

Current project is a shoulder-strap pad for my bike bag. Yes, yes, it's still all about the bike, and always will be, if I have anything to say about it.

I was trying to explain to a potential date about the bike-love, but I don't think he got it. I mean, he's a fellow cyclist and all, but when I mentioned that I sometimes kiss the top tube after a ride, I could just hear him getting weirded out. Through email.

The only person who's yet gotten it is this guy, whom I met at an event appropriately titled Bicycle Fetish Day. He really got it. I asked him to tell me about his bike, and he started out by saying, somewhat abashedly, that he's become obsessed with it. He can't stop thinking about it. He can't focus on work. He doesn't want to do anything other than ride it, all day every day.

I smiled and nodded, and told him about my bike, and how he has a name, and how every time I am going down the big hill on the bridge, I yell the bike's name as a rallying cry.

The bike-obsessed man appeared to melt and laugh and relax all at once, and we had a nice few moments, and I took his picture* and then I went over and talked to some other bike fiends. I mean, bike friends. Yeah, that's what I mean. Uh-huh.

*I hope Brown Bike Man doesn't mind me posting his picture. I forgot to ask his permission. His bike is brand-new (in a sense; it's a custom build-up from an older frame, I believe), and really nice. Graceful lines, and a lovely shade of brown.

PS. I see in this picture now that Brown Bike Man was rather handsome, and that perhaps I should have asked him out.

Often when spring hits I lose all desire to knit. But this time - perhaps because the weather continues to be intermittently cool, especially after the sun drops down - I am experiencing a late-season surge in knitting.

In a small way, of course. I haven't been working on my sweaters-in-progress or anything, but the legwarmers are done, and I am already working on another small project.

I am digging the two-circs method, and as soon as I get around to buying some size 1s or 0s I can start those momentous First Sox. (Already have plenty of sock yarn, natch.)

I had a big, long, rather fraught day, the details of which I will not go into, except to say that I tried and failed to fix part of my bike using a bolt and a can of Guinness. Just the can; the Guinness I drank last night in preparation.

I'd planned a triumphant and hilarious play-by-play of my amazing McGyverlike powers, but alas, 'twas not to be. That's okay. It would have pegged the sillyometer right off scale (not that that is a bad thing).

So now I am enduring the horrible ads for those egregious videos of college girls disrobing in assorted drunken stupors, which is pretty much what the Spike channel advertises at this hour, again and again. Geez. What a girl has to do to watch a little Star Trek.

In other news, I was totally suckered into ordering some "Imps" from here, and I am excitedly awaiting their arrival. It will be a while; apparently they have a backlog. Probably Juno's fault; she writes so eloquently about perfume that I can't imagine anyone not being drawn under her spell.

Then again, the names of their scents are enough to lure anyone with half an imagination. Carnal. Cheshire Cat. Forbidden Fruit. Libertine. Dragon's Blood. Venice. Lightning. Delirium. Ophelia. I mean, c'mon!