Cast On, Cast Off

Sort of like life, right?

I’m nervous today – I’m finally on my way to a job that’s been rescheduled twice already. Mainly because of the weather. Guess what’s going on outside today? But I’m going. Anyway, I always get nervous before a job. Sort of like stage fright, but add in the driving factor (sometimes I get anxious driving) and I feel like I’m going to puke. I always make it through, but you know. Somethings you just have to go through to come out of. Cast On. Cast Off.

Speaking of casting on, my class last night was interesting. I finally learned a tubular cast on and it’s very pretty. As is the cable cast on. I had A LOT of trouble with your basic long tail (Shirley Paden calls it the half-hitch). I generally do a knit on cast on, which apparently isn’t appropriate unless you’re knitting lace, but that’s what I know. The finger cast ons were hard for me. I kept trying to do the movement in my head, but I don’t know if I got it right. She did some double twist loop de loop thingy at the end, some kind of Japanese cast on, that had my head spinning. Yeah. I gave up on that one. All in all, it was interesting (did I already say that?) Good info for the arsenal.

The weekend had its moments. Poor sweet girl was sick – nasty cold and snot dripping everywhere. My sister and brother-in-law were sick too. I figure the snot will start pouring out of my body as soon as the wheels lift on the plane on Friday. You know, when I’m heading off for vacation. I’ve been sick on a lot of vacations, so I won’t be horribly disappointed. (Remind me to tell you about that cold I had at the Four Seasons Maui. Man was that torture!) Still though. It’d be nice NOT to be sick.

Lauren asked how my nephew enjoyed the casting party. Well, when my nephew and I were talking about the weather yesterday and how we could smell Spring, he said wouldn’t it be great if it was Spring all the time and I said, yeah, but then we’d have to live in L.A. or Florida and that ain’t happening. No, really, I told him that the seasons were important because if everything were the same all the time, it would get really boring. And he said, like when we were doing the belly cast right? Apparently, he didn’t have a good time.

That’s not true – he loved slathering his Mommy’s belly with Vaseline, getting all gooky and ooky and stuff. He just got a little impatient with applying the plaster. I guess that can get kind of boring. My sister and I both agree it’s the best one of the three we’ve done. I told her when she has her fourth, the cast will probably make itself. This weekend I really felt the baby moving for the first time. When my nephew was in utero I’d just sit there with my hands on my sister’s belly. It’s kind of hard now when I’ve got one kid on my lap and the other one hanging on my back. My sister’s kids are definitely lovers – which is great with me. I miss them already. The next time I go down will probably be baby day! I can’t believe it!

There’s stash to talk about. I received some of my order of Alchemy Yarns Silk Purse and it’s beautiful – although the color is a little off from what I imagined. It’s much more saturated, which I think, in the end, will be better for my friend. I can’t wait to start knitting it.

Also, I received the yarn for Short Rows! I’m so, so excited. It looks even better in person and the colors are beautiful. I want to cast on immediately! Alas, I think it will have to get in line. I’m sort of overwhelming myself with projects and I feel the need to finish something. Even if that something is Ribby Cardi. The sleeves have gone no where fast. And the train did nothing for me – four rows at the most. I’ve still got forty rows of increases. Have I mentioned how much this is killing me?

Stash pictures later. I need to get ready for work.

Behold! The Belly….


Off to my Cast On Fourteen Different Ways class! All about the weekend later….

Love,
Cara

Belly Cast, Baby!

That’s correct. You read it right. It’s going to be a Belly Cast Weekend!

As many of you know, my sister is due with her third child around the first week of April. When she was pregnant with my nephew, her first, I talked her into letting me do a belly cast. Now, this was 2001 – so I was WAY ahead of the trend. No Regis & Kelly, no The View. None of that crap. Just some strange thing I found on the Internet. My mother was dead set against it and I have to admit, as I was about to put the first strip of plaster on my sister’s well-Vaselined belly, I thought to myself – what if this shit doesn’t come off? But it did and my other sister and I had a great time making it. It came out beautifully. We took lots of pictures which my sister won’t let me show on National TV (i.e., The Internet). We were, though, interviewed for a Wall Street Journal story on the new hot happening trend among pregnant mommies. Yes, that’s right, The Wall Street Journal. (It was around May, 2001. Can’t find a link though.)

Where is said baby cast now? Who the hell knows. On top of the closet?

Fast forward to 2003. My darling sister’s preggers again. We MUST do another cast. How could we deprive the new baby this honor? I mean, what if they grow up, find this weird thing flung into the attic and my sister has to inform my niece: WE DIDN’T LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO MAKE ONE FOR YOU?!? So another cast was made.

And here we are. It’s 2005 and my sister’s shitting out another one. (Don’t get me wrong. I love these kids like I love my right arm. Or my left ventricle.) So I’m off to belly cast again. This time around, my nephew’s going to help. Which should be good for a few hundred laughs.

One thing the trip down to Philly guarantees is some knitting time – at least two hours. So I’m bringing the sleeves. Because there’s no way in hell I’m bringing them on vacation next week.

The next couple of months are going to be crazy. We leave for vacation next Friday. Back on Thursday. Teach my last class that night. And then at least I’m home for a couple of weeks – that is unless the baby decides to come early. My sister’s gone about a week late with the other two, so we’re sort of planning on that for this one. Which would put me at the second week of April. And then I’ll be down there off and on for the next month or so – more on than off probably as she’s going to need the help. (Don’t worry Annie! 😉 I will be blogging!) I’m sure those in the know can chime in, but they say going from two to three might as well be like going from two to ten. I get panicked just thinking about it and hey, I don’t have to live there.

The taxes MUST be done before the baby’s born. And while I know there are some others out there that claim to be bad at housework, trust me. I got you beat. I come from a long line of notoriously BAD house cleaners – going back generations. It’s a gene thing. Not my fault. We fired our cleaning person OVER A YEAR AGO! So you can imagine. It’s disgusting. I would maybe like the house to be a little neater. Mind you, I’m not saying clean, only neater, before the baby’s born. I’m just saying. That’s all.

Oh and I ~may~ have spent some time at the post office yesterday. 😉

Have a great weekend all…
Love,
Cara

Kick-ass

headache I’ve got going today. Came out of nowhere too. Probably ate lunch too late – or allergies because it’s all in my face – but what can you do. I’ll get into bed and read for class. A nap might come soon after.

Because I seem to be made of money these days, I ordered the yarn for my short-row pullover:

This is what I decided on:

Rowan Wool Cotton

French Navy-909 Aloof-958 Bilberry-959 Laurel-960 Antique-900

The French Navy will be for the sleeves and the Aloof and Bilberry for the major accents, the Laurel and Antique for the minor accents. I’m excited about it to be sure! I so hope I can make it fit. I’ll be so sad if it doesn’t fit these big, humongous boobs. (There you go google pervs!) I’m so not happy with my weight these days, I’d hate to make myself something that won’t fit because I’m too fat. Alright. I won’t go there. My head hurts too bad already. The best news was that I used my gift certificate and barely paid anything – include in that a ball-winder and the Rowan Junior book.

The people at Yarnmarket.com were very helpful, I have to say. I wasn’t sure about the colors matching well, so Pat pulled some of each to put together for me – and then she came here to check out the picture. She also asked everyone in the office if they thought it looked good. There was a positive consensus – it should look great! I really do like this pattern.

Yesterday I managed to be productive and sent in slides for a juried show. It’s for members of the Professional Women Photographers Association. The theme is The Secret Garden, and those photographs selected will be on Exhibit at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens this summer. So cross your fingers for me. You can see the photographs I entered here.

I also did some work on the Ribby Cardi sleeves. Man those suckers are going slow! I would LOVE to have this project done. F-U-C-KL-O-V-E it!

Make sure you check out Wendy’s handy dandy tips on meeting knitbloggers. And don’t forget your sharpie! 😉

ETA:
Almost forgot! Lolly tagged me for the latest Meme going around –

1. What was the last book you read or are reading?
I just finished The Easter Parade by Richard Yates, which I enjoyed. Not as much as his other ones (Revolutionary Road is a masterpiece, as are his short stories.) I’m about to start Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke for Knit One Read Too.

2. Where did it come from (library, bookstore, gift, etc.)?
Book store for sure. I’m really bad at borrowing. Although I used a gift card for the Clarke book.

3. How many books do you read per year?
I try to average at least one a month – hopefully two. That’s pretty pathetic. I must try to do better. Part of the reason I started K1R2 was to make myself read more.

4. What is your favorite genre?
Literary fiction to the point of snobbery. I’m actually quite elitist when it comes to my reading. But at least I can admit my prejudices right?

5. Who will you tag now?
Mrs. Pilkington – mainly because I’m thinking she has quite a diversified reading list – especially when compared to mine. (It seems I can’t stay away from dead (or alive) white men. What’s wrong with me?)

March

comes in like a lion and out like a lamb….


Spring’s just around the corner!
Happy day and happy knitting.
Love,
Cara

Hopefully…

if it’s around 1:15PM, I’m in Boston RIGHT NOW, having lunch with Colleen.

Meeting Wendy at 3:15.

Oh and did I mention this is where I’m staying?

Yessiree bob. Fuckin’ A to be me!
Have a great weekend everybody!

(Couldn’t get the CRON JOB to work, so probably you’re reading this much earlier. Bloody MT! Just imagine it’s like 1:15PM – or better yet, look at your clock around that time and think: Damn, I wish I was that Cara girl!)

I got nothing.

No knitting. No nothing.

I guess I pooped myself out on the Ribby Cardi the other day, because I haven’t picked it up since Monday. Oh well. They’ll be plenty of knitting tomorrow. And especially on the train back from Boston on Sunday.

Pray a little for me will ya? I feel like a third grader, but I’m really hoping for some snow! Today is Thursday, in case no one noticed, that means I have class tonight. I need a break. I figure if it starts snowing early enough (say between 1-2) and continues on they might, just might, cancel class tonight. Every other term I’ve taught we’ve had breaks galore – Monday Holidays – School closings (we use classrooms in an elementary school) – NEVER ten weeks straight through. Tonight is Week #7. It’s exhausting – well the class yes – I have to be ON for three hours straight. But moreso the critiquing. It’s hard to be honest and gentle and helpful. I take critique very seriously. I’ve seen (actually been the recipient of) VERY BAD criticism and I wouldn’t want that to happen to my students. It takes a lot of work to be a good reader. So I’m tired. And I didn’t get some of the stories until very late this week (um yesterday) and they all have to be read at least twice. I just want to crawl into bed and read – something else.

Thanks for the vent. Pray for snow.

Rejected York Peppermint Pattie Commercial Blurbs.

The Plot Against America has made it all the way to the semi-finals! Don’t forget, the next K1R2 book discussion starts on Monday!

101

Ever have one of those days where everything you touch turns to POOP! Yesterday was that day for me – what do they call it? Murphy’s Law? Yep. That was yesterday. It was awful. Mostly work stuff – but it was enough to send me over the edge.

I feel like I haven’t been knitting either. You know, those long stretches where you don’t get up for hours and the only reason you stop is because your hands hurt too much? I haven’t had a day like that in a while. Hopefully this weekend. I picked up the Ribby Cardi again after what seems like years (okay months) and managed to get a few rows off. I want to finish the back ASAP so I can start on the fronts. I think I’m going to try to employ the method of doing both at the same time. I’ve popping into the Ribby Cardi KAL (of which I am a LAX member) and it seems a few people have been doing it that way. So why not try something new?

There was a bright spot yesterday! While I was tearing up my house looking for (literally a freaking HOUR) a check I thought I lost, I came across another skein of the Manos Flame! So I have five, not four. I thought I bought five, but since it wasn’t where the rest of them were, I assumed I was wrong. I figure another 3-4 should do it for a cardigan. I’m planning on some yarn shopping* in the next week or so, and that’s on my list.


I need some help. I want to make Clapotis for my best friend – but she told me she doesn’t do wool – of ANY kind – she has very sensitive skin. So I thought I’d do it in a nice handpainted silk. I was looking around last night and the best I seemed to come up with was Alchemy Yarns Silk Purse. Anyone knit with this? What do you think? I found only good things on the blogs, but I’d love a first hand opinion. Think it would work for Clapotis? At around $23 a skien, it seems reasonable for silk. Who’s got a good supplier? I very much want the Sea of Cortez colorway. Oh and what’s the deal with knitting silk? Is it very different than wool – more like cotton? Thanks for the info!

As a way of trying to cheer myself up, I trekked out to the Jersey City Main Library, in the pouring rain, for this:

I know I’m being completely heretical here, but I’m kind of disappointed in the book. [Holds arms in front of head to protect from stones about to be thrown….] I guess I thought there’d be more patterns. The St. Brigid does look amazing – the only problem is I don’t think I’d ever wear it. I will spend more time going through the history sections and the individual cables – so maybe my first impressions won’t hold. But really – this is selling for more than $300! Not sure I get it.

Thanks everyone for all your comments on my sweetie honey niece and Picot-Boo! The highlight of my day yesterday. In case anyone noticed, I put the comment moderator function on – so your comments have to be approved until the system knows you. You guessed it! Along with all the other shit flying yesterday, I was spammed.

Speaking of shit, in case you need a trememdous laugh, check this out. It’s the infamous Triumph the Insult Comic Dog doing what he does best – all in the name of bipartisanship!

Have a fabulous day everyone! I’m going to go feel sorry for myself – my stomach thing seems to be turning into a cold.

* All you Beantown girls! I’m coming to your hood! Where should I go for the good stuff?

Sick Day

Woke up this morning around five o’clock just begging to throw up – unfortunately I’m sure you all know the feeling. Didn’t go away all day – my sister has it too.

The worst part is that I had to miss the second part of my intarsia/fair isle class. I was so disappointed. But the LYS is going to do the right thing, and somehow I’ll get the instruction that I missed.

The weekend was a success – my nephew got a mountain of cool toys (Remind me to tell you about the super heavy weight bout between the remote control T-Rex and the remote control Robosapien. Both were very, very cool and more for thirty year olds than four year olds.)

Picot-Boo was a great success, except it was really hard to watch her eat yogurt while wearing it and she kept eating the sleeves. Worst problem was the neck was a little tight because of the hem – she didn’t like taking it on and off, but once it was on she was styling. Thanks for all your comments about it! I’m sorry if I didn’t get back to you, but I feel like crap.

Not too much to worry about the flu ruining my V-day, since every day is V-day in our house. 😉

Hope you all stay well. I hate being sick. (Although I did get to watch Sense & Sensibility today!)

Prove It All Night

[Sunday, February 13, 2005, 8:47 PM, New Jersey Turnpike, singing our hearts out]

I’ve been working real hard, trying to get my hands clean,
Tonight we’ll drive that dusty road from Monroe to Angeline,
To buy you a gold ring and pretty dress of blue,
Baby just one kiss will get these things for you,
A kiss to seal our fate tonight,
A kiss to prove it all night.

Prove it all night,
Girl there’s nothing else that we can do,
So prove it all night, prove it all night,
And girl I’ll prove it all night for you.

Everybody’s got a hunger, a hunger they can’t resist,
There’s so much that you want, you deserve much more than this,
But if dreams came true, oh, wouldn’t that be nice,
But this ain’t no dream we’re living through tonight,
Girl, you want it, you take it, you pay the price.

Prove it all night,
Girl there’s nothing else that we can do,
So prove it all night, prove it all night,
And girl I’ll prove it all night for you.

Prove it all night, prove it all night girl and call the bluff,
prove it all night, prove it all night and girl,
I prove it all night for your love.

Baby, tie your hair back in a long white bow,
Meet me in the fields out behind the dynamo,
You hear the voices telling you not to go,
They made their choices and they’ll never know,
What it means to steal, to cheat, to lie,
What it’s like to live and die.

Prove it all night,
Girl there’s nothing else that we can do,
So prove it all night, prove it all night,
And girl I’ll prove it all night for you.

To prove it all night…

Copyright © Bruce Springsteen (ASCAP)

Happy every day my love….

l o v e