LJL Spins and Knits

Farewell, Ruth Schooley

2008-07-17T20:38:26Z

It was quite a shock when checking my email, to discover that Ruth Schooley had passed away. I had known her since the 90s, when I first signed up to KnitList. I always enjoyed her posts and her insightful thoughts on various subjects. In 2000 I met her in person when she came out to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I will always remember that day at Funny Farm, especially because an incident involving ham cooking on a rotisserie setup, which somehow got knocked over as Ruth was whirling around the room.

I feel lucky to have known her and learned from her. I pray that we will meet again, somewhere.

I'm Furious . . .

2008-07-16T11:06:28Z

So I'm watching the news and find out that people on the death row are now blogging. Say what? Their victims didn't get to live their lives the way they would have if their killers hadn't cut their lives short. The killers should be paying the price, not blogging on the internet.

One Sock So Far

2008-07-05T13:20:32Z

Yes, I know this is a bit fuzzy and too dark, but hey, I gotta show y'all that I'm alive and knitting. Pattern is Dawn Brocco's Cable Clog sock and it's one of my favorite pattern. A good amount of twisted knit pattern, and yet enough sockinette knitting not to bore you to tears. I'm using Cestari Sock yarn - my first time with it. Appearance is on the rustic side. I'm eager to see how well it holds up under hard wear. I think I might have enough to make a triplet set, but we'll see.

I decided to go ahead and get the Schacht Ladybug Wheel because I want one that is portable, and besides, the church bazaar is coming up in just a few months and I need time to get familiar with it so I can be more at ease with demonstrating and answering questions. And I think I've finally found a nice home for the Majacraft Little Gem. I'll have to thank Knitting Banter in part for changing the think process regarding the MJ Little Gem. Now I need to apply this to my job search . . .

Pending Freedom

2008-06-25T11:23:36Z

So. Yes, I'm still alive. Just being quiet at the moment. But I'm looking forward to Friday, because this will be the start of my freedom from The Nursery. The season's winding down, they're starting to cut hours, and I gave my week's notice. It felt liberating to be able to do that. Especially after what happened to me in my last full-time job, when I got unceremoniously dumped because of mucked-up contract politics that rippled down to us Dilbert twins. (You sound just a tiny bit bitter. - Ed. Yes, I am. But I'm over it - really.)

I've unofficially joined the Summer of Socks knitalog. I knew about it, but took my time signing up because I didn't want to feel pressured and when I looked again, the deadline had passed for adding yourself to the list. Oh, well. It's the spirit that counts. Right now I'm working on cabled socks to replace a favorite pair that has a nice, big hole on the heel of one of the socks and is too big to be darned up. I'm using the Crestari sock yarn that I got at MDSW. It's really nice yarn, and at a firm gauge, the fabric feels like it will hold up well under the abuse of daily wear. pics coming son . . .

In other matters, I've been trying to put my craft room to orders, so I can get back in there and sew again. My next sewing project is going to be a handbag to use as my daily purse. I picked up some really nice tapestry fabric at JoAnn's during one of their huge discount sales. This tapestry fabric has really lovely rose bouquets and is on the dark side, which should hide dirt more easily than my current handbag (which I'd originally intended for my knitting). This is the pattern that I'll be using - it's such a versatile pattern. I love it so much that I've copied it onto reusable tracing papers so I can save the originals.

In other matters, thanks to the generosity of Justice from IRC #coldfusion channel, I've got a ColdFusion sandbox to muck around in at KnitGal! I'm already thinking of some knitting-related applications, perhaps even a little dyeing and spinning, in the form of online calculators. I've already got some of the formulas documented; it's just a matter of writing the code and getting these to output usable results. This is also partly an effort to get my butt off the chair and actually do something productive . . .

Oh, I should explain that "KnitGal" is my IRC moniker, hence, my other domain's name . . .

Never, Never, Ever . . .

2008-06-11T23:07:46Z

Open an used, refrigerated bottle of champagne with bubbly still in it close to your face. If I had not been looking at Hubby when I twisted off the cork from the bottle that a friend gave me (going back to Greece for an extended time period), I might have put out my eye, or worse.
Plant passionfruit vines in the dirt. The roots will Take Over Your Garden. As soon as the vines start growing, you will dig deeply to take out the roots that you can find. And a couple days later you will discover that the vines have come back again. Dismayed, you will dig around the spot, only to find a nice, fat root branching off in two different directions. So that's why the shoots were growing allllll the way over on the other side . . .
Let fear take over. It can be really hard to get rid of, and keep you from doing what you need to do to get back on track.

Meanwhile, still plugging away at Mr. Greenjeans. It's definitely summertime . . . my desire to knit is not as great as it usually is. I'm thinking that after I get this done, I might go back to one of my lace projects, or start a new one. And I need more socks for the cold season . . .

Semi-Rhetorical Question

2008-06-04T09:26:26Z

Would you hire a a message-room employee who's been at another company for 3 months to run a a $10 billion dollar company as Chief Executive Officer? No, I'm not going to say why I'm asking this question. But you'd better be very sure of your answer and have valid reasons for your decision.

Tagged!

2008-05-31T20:57:14Z

Looks like there's a meme going around, and I've been tagged by Coco's Mami, so I thought I'd play along!

What was I doing 10 years ago?

Let's see . . . I was a web designer and single at the time. Since I was not, and am still not, a party girl, I would spend quite a bit of time online when not working. I used to hang out in various Delphi forums (most of which are now closed). In one of the forums, a member was ranting about she was angry about what had happened to her personally and holding certain people responsible for her personal hurt. I posted a reply to her about how she shouldn't paint others with a broad brush. Another member read my reply and was intrigued enough to start up a side conversation with me. Something told me to respond to his PM, and I'm sure glad I did so, because we're still together after ten years!

What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

Let's see . . . the day's almost over and I don't plan on doing anything else except to cook dinner, other than playing with my computer while hubby watches movies. So, here's my list for tomorrow:

Go to church. Say goodbye to a dear friend who is leaving after the service to fly to France to settle there permanently with her soon-to-be-husband.
Visit my parents after church.
Work on the garden.
Work on my knitting.
Spend some time with my spinning wheels.

Snacks I enjoy:

Oh, that depends on my mood, whether I crave salty, or sweet food. Right now, I like Ritz crackers. Whatever's in the fridge that I can nibble on. And I like cookies (although sometimes I have to have something to drink to get it all down). And when I can afford to get pastry from the bakery near home, I like take a few bites from the pastry over the next couple days.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

First. I, along with hubby, would diversify the money so these would keep on growing, and we'd live off the interest. Build a nice house with plenty of land surrounding us, and set it up so that the land couldn't be further sub-divided. Donate to my church with the goal of encouraging unity to form one Orthodox Christian jurisdiction, and to enable the priests at my church to help anyone who comes to the church in need of support. Help organizations that have the goal of teaching people to "fish" and get beyond victimhood. Set up trust funds for my nephews, with the provision that they not be able to touch the main funds until they're 35 years. We all know how "young and stupid" we were during our twenties, don't we? Do some traveling - I'd like to go to Russia, Italy, India, Georgia, England, France, for starters.

Places I have lived:

Lanham, College Park, and Bowie, all in Maryland.

Jobs I have had:

Clerk-typist, publications specialist, quality control coordinator, online information manager, proofreader/copy editor, web programmer, programmer/analyst. Notice that I'm not including the job at The Nursery, since it's not what I would normally be doing.

Okay . . . now . . . consider yourself tagged! Or not . . .

What I'm Working on Now

2008-05-22T10:35:41Z

This is what I've been working on for the past couple weeks - Mr. Greenjeans from Knitty. I'd had this in my RavQueue for quite a while. I wanted a new cardigan to take place of my red cardigan that I currently use. This is a great pattern and knits up quickly. I'm using Brown Sheep NatureSpun and the color is Plumberry. It's a truly lovely color. So far, I've used up one entire skein and a half of the second skein, an I'm getting ready to knit up the first sleeve. I'm surprised at how little yardage this pattern requires. I figure that by the time I'm finished I will have used 3, maybe 4 skeins.

Meanwhile, work at The Nursery is making me tired. You have no idea how heavy hoses with water turned on can be until you've spent several day moving it around from place to place. But, at least, I've gotten quite a few plants from the nursery - the usual, tomatoes, beans, etc. I've got most of the squash and zucchinis in the ground. This year we're going to try something new - growing some of the tomatoes upside down. We're planning to do more work this weekend, especially since it won't rain. [Did the endless days of heavy rain put a damper into your gardening plans? - Ed. Yup . . . sure did, along with the fact that my favorite time to work on the garden is now taken up by working at the nursery]

I need to get on with my job search. This time I'm going to try something new - going through my LinkedIn connections. I've built up enough contacts that I can now go through their contacts to see what's out there. Hopefully this will cut out the recruiters, who seem to be my main obstacle. [Please make an exception for recruiters who work at companies that do direct hires. - Ed. That's a really good point] I found a good article on how to use LinkedIn for job searches along with links to other resouces.

Finally . . . here's a message for a certain candidate - if you insist on sending your spouse out to campaign for you, anything your spouse says is fair game. No exceptions. So stop whining and grow a thicker skin. After all . . . your spouse could get the itch and desire to become POTUS down the road.

Putting Along

2008-05-12T15:16:00Z

Here's a picture of the climbing rose that I managed to take during a respite from the deluge of rain that we've been having lately. We've been getting a lot of rain, so much that I think we're close to erasing the rain deficit that had built up over the past year. I just hope this continues into summer, with the minimum assistance of hurricanes.

I've got big plan for the garden - I've got spinach growing to the left of the roses. And I'm planning to try to grow tomatoes upside down. I picked up a couple of pepper plants at the MDSW that have yet to be stuck into the ground. I need to pull out spent plants except for the leeks (which seem to be taking their own sweet time getting big). And of course, I've got to get that corner tilled properly. And I need to try to get the spearmints in control. [Ha! Good luck with that! - Ed. Yup, I know.] I'm planning to drop a god amount of $ this week on plants from The Nursery as it's Employee Appreciation Week and I can save even more money.

Oh, what about my knitting, you ask? Well, I've been rushing around tying up loose end with the old car, so my time was kinda limited for the past two weeks. I do plan to get the Rosemarkie vest blocked later today. And I've started work again on Mr. Greenjeans (need to take picture of that as well). I've been working on it especially when I watch La Femme Nikita on tape. We're just getting into the 4th season now, having finished the 1st volume. Waiting for the next two disks to come. I really love our time sitting in front of the tv downstairs, cuddling on the couch. Hubby makes sure I'm warm and snuggly under the quilt (it's a bit cold in the living room with all those windows and with the weather we've been having lately . . .

I did go to the sheep and wool, but I got there later than expected on Saturday because we were wrapping up purchase of the new Saturn Astra (a very sweet car indeed). I don't have a picture yet, thanks to the H2O falling from the sky. So, I didn't really buy very much - just a lovely wool-silk fiber blend from Spinner's Hill that will be destined for sock yarn, a set of stitch markers to use with Bordhi's sock patterns, an orifice hook from Woodchuck (who retired), a spinning book, two skeins of sock yarn from Crestari - I want to test these yarn to see how it stands up under wear and tear. Oh, and a Romney cross fleece that will be processed by Ohio Valley. I know it will be 4 or 5 months before I get it back, but the wait will be worthwhile.

End of the Month Post

2008-05-01T01:53:39Z

So . . . the good news is - I finished the Rosemarkie vest. The bad news is . . . I'm going to be a bit busy for the next couple days and won't be able to get a picture up. I haven't even had a chance to wash and block it.

Oh, and my car is probably headed for the junkyard. Bruce and I went to the car dealer yesterday, and they tried to screw us over. Uggghhhh. We told them that we'd get back to them next week if we decided to get the car. Want to bet you that when we call, they'll say it's been sold to someone else and that we'll find ourselves back at square one?

Delurking for a Bit

2008-04-25T23:41:57Z

I've been running around like crazy for the past two weeks, because the job at The Nursery. Don't get too excited - it's just a temporary, part-time job lasting two months at the latest and will not lead to a permanent job. Let's just say, it's one of those "go into work, keep your mouth shut, and leave on the dot" job. At least I have time in the afternoon to work at my other job, job hunting. I wish I could quit that job already.

I've got the Little Gem up for sale, because we just don't get along and I ReallyReallyReally want that Schacht Ladybug wheel. Yes, I've advertised on Ravelry, on Craigslist. No takers - I'm surprised. Anyway, here's the blurb that goes with this ad:

I've had this wheel for over five years, but we've just never gotten along well, so I feel it's time to find it a new home and get me a Schacht Ladybug. So, I'm putting up my barely-used Majacraft Little Gem (NOT Little Gem II) wheel for sale.

I had the wheel replaced because of cracks in the original wheel, and the metal shaft had to be replaced. Included is a Woolee Winder and a bobbin. And, 8 Majacraft plastic bobbins, and the delta flyer.

I would like to have this sold before Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. I can deliver locally in the DC Metro area (my preference), at the festival, or ship if you pay for shipping and insurance. At this point this will for sale as a complete package; I want everything out of the house before I can pay for the Schacht Ladybug.

All for $700. Cash, certified check, or PayPal only. First come, first serve. Thanks!

Please help me get this off my hand - if you know anyone who's looking for a nice spinning wheel, pass this along to them!

Oh, yeah, tomorrow's Pascha and as usual I'm doing stuff at the last minute. This includes finishing the edge of the vest (only 4 more rows to go and no buttonholes). Must remember to take a good nap tomorrow . . .

Finished: Russian Prime Vest

2008-04-11T17:07:21Z

Pattern: Russian Prime Vest

Source: "Meg Swansen's Knitting: 30 Designs for Hand Knitting" by Meg Swansen (oop); Russian Prime DVD from Schoolhouse Press

Size: Too small for me

Materials: Québécoise from Schoolhouse Press

Needles: US7/4.5mm Addi Turbo Circulars, I think

Started: March 2001

Finished: April 9, 2008

I can't believe this took me 7 years to finish. But I can understand it because this has happened to every knitter. You're knitting merrily along when you discover that it's way too small for you. And so you rip it out. I would have done that . . . except that I had already cut the steeks. Oops. So, I resigned myself to finishing it and giving away to someone. The pattern calls for sleeves, and two i-cords around the neck area. I just couldn't bring myself to get started on the sleeves, as this would just prolong the agony. So, I decided to just finish off the armholes an the neck area with an i-cord. This will eventually go to some lucky Russian girl, if I can find a way to deliver this to one of my contacts without having to go through the postal service.

Next up: the Rosemarkie Vest. I'm putting on the finishing touches, and have it done before end of month. Before end of this weekend if I push it! Oh, yeah, must get on with the Purple Polo Pullover. it's only three weeks before MDSW and I'd like to enter it in the competition . . .

Guaranteed to be Done Before End of Month

2008-04-04T00:43:26Z

I can guarantee you that this will definitely be done before the end of the month. Because that's when Orthodox Easter is, and I got to have something new to celebrate. I could actually have had this done before now, but I wanted to wait till the Thursday meeting at Barnes & Noble so that the ladies could see me cut it all up. Usually I do this alone, but it was nice to have an audience for this performance.

The corrugated ribbings shouldn't take so long, as I'm only going to do half the width of the bottom ribbing. I'm debating whether to put in buttonholes or not. Most of the time I wear my vests open. And I'd kinda like to get this finished soon.

As I'm getting ready to usher this out of the door, I'm gearing up on my Glass Beach Cardigan. I already have the vest version, and I have enough yarn for the cardigan version. Okay, well, I might have to buy more Jamieson's Spindrift Maroon (which is just the same as St*m*re Campion Ruby). This version will be zippered, as inspired by this Oregon cardigan by Susan of The Rainey Sisters. I'm thinking about having this v-necked, or whether it will go straight up to the neck. I'm also thinking about having set-in sleeves. Going to be a royal pain to tweak the pattern around for this. I think I may need to study what Eunny did with her lovely Autumn Rose Sweater.

Yes, still working on the Purple Polo Pullover. I've decided to keep the ridges because these are so striking. i'll need to redo the bind-off, though, because when I got further down on the other side, I realized I was going to have more sleeve stitches than body stitches to attach. So I'll need to count the body rows, and then determine the ratio. Math - ugh.

What's Going On in Zimbabwe?

2008-03-31T23:48:55Z

Ever since Mugabe took over Zimbabwe and kicked out people who had successfully provided for its riches and the ability to export its products (and who just so happen to be descendants of colonists from Great Britain), the country has gone downhill. So far that inflation is at 100,000% and rising. Life expectancy has dropped to 37, malnutrition is widespread, and child mortality is rising. There was an election over the weekend.

From the deserted streets of Bulawayo to the fetid slums of Mbare, Zimbabwe was waiting on tenterhooks last night to discover the fate of President Mugabe as he appeared to be heading towards election defeat.

With official counts trickling out of Harare, the clamour grew for the authorities to tell the people what they already knew from their own polling stations: that for the old tyrant, the writing was on the wall.
[From Zimbabwe on a knife edge as fears deepen that result is being rigged - Times Online ]

From what I've read, unofficial results seem to have Mugabe losing very badly. But the longer we're having to wait for the results, the more likely it seems to me that they're trying to rig the elections in his favor. If that happens, look for things to get very ugly there.

While I'm at it, why aren't Obama, Sharpton, and Jackson speaking out about this? And why isn't the Congressional Black Caucus weighing in on this? And NAACP? Hello?

Eeek!

2008-03-29T14:32:12Z

This is what happens when you let a project go for years and years without looking at it.