The Handbag and Pants Conspiracy

Twisty at I Blame the Patriarchy* had this a fabulous rant about those tiny little handbags that are utterly useless. She blames the trend on the patriarchy (as is keeping with her style), but I blame it on women's PANTS! If we had pockets enough to carry our keys, our relevant cards and cash, and some lip balm and a tampon, then we wouldn't feel the need to carry stupid handbags! But noooo! Women's pants have been denied pockets that can actually hold more than a dime. OR sometimes we just have patches sewn on to LOOK like pockets. What's with that?! This is why I wear men's pants. I am unashamed. Men's pants are far superior for the following reasons:

1- They have POCKETS, people! Stick-your-whole-hand-in-there pockets! I can fit my keys (which are massive) and chapstick AND money in one pocket as long as I don't mind looking like a chipmunk.

2- They come in interchangable sizes. If you need a 31" waist, but you're super tall, you can get a 31" waist and a 36" inseam without breaking a sweat. It's fabulous. You get exactly what you need and don't have to compromise. And if you get Men's Boot Cut pants, they can even look cute!

3- They don't squeeze your crotch. Women, this is why we get yeast infections and other nasties. We need to BREATHE! Wear cotton underwear and keep your pants out of eternal wedgie-land.

4- They're made to last longer. Why do we pay way too much for girlie jeans that are already falling apart and then try to squeeze ourselves into them, thereby challenging their integrity further? Men's pants are sturdy, well built and long lasting.

Of course, we knitters already have figured it out. We just carry around huge-ass bags to hold all our many projects to work on. Because you know... you need a sock in progress, and something a bit more complicated if you get bored of the sock, and something simple to work on when you're chatting with someone, and your latest FO so you can show it to the owner of the LYS when you stop in as you've been passing by.... just that sort of thing....

M

* Twisty has also been diagnosed with Breast Cancer a couple days ago, so go wish her well. She deserves it.

Razor Shell Sock Pattern Available for Free

The pattern stitch on this Top-Down sock's cuff is called a Razor Shell. It lends itself very well to variegated sock yarns, and I designed it to make variegated socks a bit more interesting. Even when the sock yarn pooled, I still liked how it turned out.




The foot is worked in stockinette stitch with a flap and short row heel. The heel is my favorite (I'm not sure what it's called, but it makes a nice little cup for your heel to sit in without any bulk under it like a band heel would give. The stockinette stitch foot makes it very comfortable in low top shoes, while still being cute on the ankle. The toe is a rounded wedge toe. I find it fits VERY comfortably on my foot.


If you've got any questions, ask in the comments or e-mail me please at mlbrilliant AT yahoo DOT com. I'd LOVE comments on it or if there's something that should be clarified, I'd love to hear about it. And as always, I'd love to see your finished Razor Shell socks if you decide to knit them.

*edit* I forgot to tell you in case you didn't want to click through. The pink/yellow one is knit in KnitPicks Sock Garden Star Gazer Lilly Colorway, and the green/yellow/purple/blue is KnitPicks Sock Landscape in the Spring Prarie Colorway.

M

Sick Leave, I love you.

I took today off. My whole body is aching, and I just feel icky. And the depression was starting to creep in. I think some cleaning of my house and some fiber therapy are in order as well as a hot bath at some point in the day. I've got a sock pattern that I will hopefully be putting up in a couple days, but I have to be at work in order to have it typed up properly. So keep an eye out for that.

Well, I'm off to go knit in front of a girlie movie. Have a wonderful day all.

M

I feel the sadness coming on

My bones are soaking up the chill that the absence of summer has left behind.
The cold speaks of demons that come with the snow.
I shudder as their icy fingers kiss the back of my neck and beckon me into darkness.
I have 2 weapons.
Sunshine and THIS.
I will wield them without mercy.

Score:
M - 14 quarts of peaches, 20 quarts of peaches and pears, and 12 pints of salsa.
Winter - zero

Battle Plan:
Tomorrow's strategy is to can pints of diced stewed tomatoes with onion and garlic.

You see this??!

This is what came in the mail today!

And this is what's inside...


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH! My takeover of the known world progresses. It's all part of the masterplan. Yup. Part of which plan is to brainwash the world by making them spend hours trying to figure out the motivation behind my tableware sculptures... of which this is the latest.


That's a straw balanced on a pepper shaker, on a salt shaker, on 2 forks attatched to a spoon stuck into half a sandwich. I like to balance things... I'm weird.

M

Extreme Knitting and Oh So Much Fun!

So... Laurie is wonderful. She just is. She made this possible.


This is me and my current sock at the Green Day concert. Oh yes! Jimmy Eat World played too, but they were nowhere near as fun as Green Day. Pyrotechnics and all.

I think that can count for Extreme Knitting, yes? And here's us. You can't really see our punked out hair, but it's good. The pic is blurry, but it was WAY better than the one with the flash *shudder* Flahses are not our friends!

Thanks Laurie! I had so much fun!! :D

M

Mememememememem... that never gets old... teehee

Yoinked from Rabbitch, thankyouverymuch!


You are 'regularly metric verse'. This can take
many forms, including heroic couplets, blank
verse, and other iambic pentameters, for
example. It has not been used much since the
nineteenth century; modern poets tend to prefer
rhyme without meter, or even poetry with
neither rhyme nor meter.

You appreciate the beautiful things in life--the
joy of music, the color of leaves falling, the
rhythm of a heartbeat. You see life itself as
a series of little poems. The result (or is it
the cause?) is that you are pensive and often
melancholy. You enjoy the company of other
people, but they find you unexcitable and
depressing. Your problem is that regularly
metric verse has been obsolete for a long time.


What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Retro Wedge Bag Pattern Available

OK everyone! The Retro Wedge Bag Pattern is ready. Thanks so much to Teri the blogless wonder! She's amazing at testknitting and proof reading and she's totally cool! And she should get a blog.... but yes... I digress.





You can see more info about the bag here on its own little webpage including purchasing links and specs and other info. If you have any other questions regarding the pattern, please comment or e-mail them to me, so I can address them in the description page. The cost is $4 US payable through PayPal.

Hope anyone who buys it enjoys it! And I hope someone buys it! :)

M

funny signs

Quick post to say I will probably have a felted bag pattern for sale later today. So check back if you're curious. I think it's really cool.

And here's a funny. I just put a sign on our copier (which hasn't been working well for months) that says:

"Hi, I've been possessed by demons of untold strength. As you value your soul, please don't try to use me. Thanks!

-The Copier"

And we had a sign out for some Free Books, and someone altered it. *snicker*


OK... back to work on the finished pattern.

M

Good news all around

My Nana had her heart surgery and everything looks good. They're keeping her sedated for a day or two, but then they'll start to wake her up.

And Jackson (the tiny baby finally got a name) is doing really well. The valves in his heart have finished forming, so that's good. And he's got no brain damage, no blood on his brain, and should have no lasting effects. They're weaning him off the ventilator now.

Finally a good year! Last year found Nana with Stomach Cancer and having surgery for that, Aiden in the hospital for RSV and Pneumonia and My brother in law's brother being killed in a horrible car accident that left his wife and 2 kids in another country.

Oh... and don't miss Rachael's kill-em-with-love campaign. I don't have any money (don't get me started on the money thing... I'm getting depressed), but if I did, I would totally do this. It makes me so happy in an evil sort of way. :)

M

Revolutionary Knitting

We've probably all heard of revolutionary women furthering their causes through handcraft, but those examples seem so distant. Quilting Bees where the progressive women planned their fight for suffrage, Madame DeFarge who worked a record of the revolution into her knitting (and some say passed secret messages), the (now believed fictitious) account of Betsy Ross calmly rocking and sewing the first American flag, uniting symbol of a revolution for freedom.

But what does it mean nowadays to be a Revolutionary Knitter (or Quilter, or Seamstress...)? In the US, we do not have guillotines in the street, and women have the right to vote. Can we be revolutionary in our own ways? Is our collective response to tragedy revolutionary (just look at that total!)? Can we be revolutionary by uniting women all over the world in one global community of knitters that transcends borders and races? Can our revolution be a quiet, small-scale and nevertheless important one? Is it revolutionary for a young girl to feel she is capable and in control by giving her some sticks and some string? Some things to think about.

How are you revolutionary in your knitting? Do you help third world countries? Do you knit provocative feminist items? Do you challenge assumptions of what is proper by knitting in strange places? Give me everyday examples, friends, because I'm feeling very lacking in revolution. Have you had your own revolution today?

Discuss.

and if you would, post a link to this post in your own blog. I'd like more opinions and thoughts than just my regular readers.

Rogue complete!!

Here she is!

Pattern: Rogue found at www.girlfromauntie.com
Yarn: Peruvian Highland Wool in Oxblood purchased from Elann (13 skiens)
Needles: US Size 7 clover circs, and US Size 5 Addi Turbos for facings.
Modifications: I wanted a smaller gauge, so I ended up with 5 spi instead of 4.5, but still got the same row gauge (6 rpi), so I knit the 39.5" size and it turned out perfect. I also made the sleeves longer to fit my gorilla arms. Now the sleeves hang the perfect length down my hands. I also made the hood slightly deeper so it would fit all my hair. Oh... and I opted NOT to do the pocket. Certainly don't need the extra bulk around my midriff!
Verdict: Sooo Fabulous! As warned by a couple people, the Peruvian Highland Wool pills a bit, but I'll just buy a sweater shaver or something, because it fits wonderfully and C says that although he hates sweaters, he thinks this one is fabulous. I'm so happy with it! :D

New Favorite Quote

I saw this quote at Shannon's blog, she nicked it from GirlReaction.

Some people are like Slinkies.
They're really good for nothing.
But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

Got any good snarky quotes? I think I need a list.

Spiderman and Sock ahahahahahha

No more news about Julia and baby, and Rogue is STILL drying, so I can't finish it yet. This morning when I expected it to be dry and it wasn't, I put a fan on right by it, so hopefully it will be dry by the time I get home. If not, maybe by the end of the week.

But here is my new sock design. I'm soliciting KnitPicks to publish it. Spiderman was very obliging, he even got in on the Vanna White scene. (thanks to Johnny for letting me molest his spiderman).






And here's a close up of the stitch pattern. I really like how it plays with the variegations.


At first I really didn't like the pinks (I'm just NOT a pink person) but after a while they've begun to grow on me. Anyone interested in being a test knitter? I only need one sock done and if you don't already have some Sock Garden yarn, I can probably get KnitPicks to send some.

*edit* I forgot to say I had a letter to the editor published too! If you're not at USU and don't know what Banner is, it's the new database/information system. It's got EVERYTHING on it. Registration, Student Info, Payroll, Class lists, Grading... etc..etc.. Here's the link.

*edit 2* I also forgot to say thanks for the good thoughts and stuff, because KnitPicks found my Adamas shawl, and it's getting sent to the right place now.

M

Tiny Baby update

Thanks for all the concern and support. If I get a chance to talk to Julia, I'll relay all the well wishes.

Still no news on his name, but Julia is doing alright. She's pretty tired and hasn't been able to get up to go see the baby in the NICU, but he seems to be doing alright. He got pretty worn out and stopped breathing on his own, so he's intubated now. The chambers in his heart aren't fully formed, but that's pretty normal, they could close up the holes on their own, but if they don't then they'll have to do some surgery when he's a bit bigger. They've done some blood work and an MRI, so they're just waiting to hear the results on those. The MRI could tell them if he's going to have any developmental problems.

Turns out the her placenta was pulling away from the uterus wall, and I guess that combined with the toxemia made them decide to deliver the baby. It sounds like everything will be ok, perhaps some surgery and maybe a slightly developmentally delayed child, but we've dealt with that before. My nephew Aiden has had numerous surgeries and treatments (for his GI tube and the stitches to make his esophogus smaller to stop the reflux, plus his crossed eyes and casting his club feet). It's hard to do, but at least the little guy is alive, and that's what counts.

M

Holy tiny baby!

My sister Julia delivered her baby last night. The problem was that she wasn't due until December. Yeah, that's 3 months premature. That's a gestation that's only 2/3 what it should be. She was toxemic, and so they took the baby. He seems to be doing alright, considering. He's breathing on his own, and he grabbed his daddy's pink when put in his hand, so he's got motor reflexes, but he's just over 1 lb in weight. We haven't heard that they've named him yet. She lives in San Francisco, and her husband is actually attending medical school, so she's got probably the best care she can have at the UCSF hospital, but pray for her and the baby if you will. It can never hurt.

Scroll down for Rogue update.

A bit eerie considering the questions asked...

C...Carbon You scored 20 Mass, 35 Electronegativity, 49 Metal, and 0 Radioactivity!

Nobody understands you... no, not even organic chemists. The social individualist. You like your attention... but not TOO MUCH attention. You are able to form incredibly close relationships with many individuals, but you don't really get along with preexisting groups. You value equality in relationships, and don't deal well with overly submissive or demanding people. Well, whatever... thanks for making life possible... oh, and cut the global warming out.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 6% on Mass You scored higher than 63% on Electroneg You scored higher than 40% on Metal You scored higher than 0% on Radioactivity

Link: The Which Chemical Element Am I Test written by effataigus on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Rogue knitting is done! Woot! I got most of the finishing done too, and I had blocked the sleeves while I finished the hood, but I have yet to block the body, so I haven't been able to sew the sleeves to the body yet, and all the ball changing ends are woven in. I took a picture this morning, but it was so dark as to be unpostable, so the next time you see Rogue, she'll be finished and modeled.

I've started a sock design for KnitPicks. So that should be done shortly. If you're looking for Adamas, you're not the only one. Apparently KnitPicks never received it! ARGH! So we're trying to track it down now, since Saturday was my deadline. I sent it on August 26th, but they still don't have it. If you're inclined to pray, please do. I REALLY don't want to have to knit it again.

M

spewing crap

A meme for now, later a knitting update.

Meme courtesy of Kim 1.
*edit* And I'd been tagged by Dlandra and didn't even know it!

Ten years ago: I was in 8th grade, still flat as a pancake and being made fun of for being the only girl in school with dark hair who wasn't native american. I lived in a town of about 4,000 people in the middle of nowhere. I was very unhappy.

Five years ago: I was in my first semester of college. Trying not to worry about C who had just left for Russia. Taking way too many credits and working part time in a photo lab where I had to print crime scene photos *shudder*

One year ago: I was beginning my last semester of college, basically not caring, trying to keep C healthy and trying to settle into my first salary and benefitted job, while still going to school. I am insane.

Five Snacks: This one changes all the time. Today I will say:

• * Fruit. I love me some fruit, especially grapes


• * Carrot Sticks (what I'm eating now)


• * Sour Cream and Onion Potato Chips


• * Crazy sugary candy like Gobstoppers or Bottle Caps


• * Fruit Juice. Especially Grapefruit and Cranberry

Five Songs I Know All the Words To (I can only pick five?!): Since that's very hard to narrow down, I'm going to give you 5 BANDS to whose songs I know all the words :)

• * Collective Soul


• * Tegan and Sara


• * Linkin Park


• * System of a Down


• * The White Stripes

Five Things I Would Do With $100 Million:

• * Move somewhere warmer and buy a house with land


• * But a knitting machine


• * Pay off debt


• * Publish C's book


• * Build a library of my own

Five Places I Would Run Away To:

• * Ireland


• * Italy


• * San Diego


• * Pennsylvania to visit my nametwin


• * North Carolina

Five Things I Would Never Wear:

• * PINK!


• * A mini skirt


• * A blouse cut to my navel


• * Vinyl pants


• * Pasties

Five Favorite TV Shows: We don't have TV, but if we did, I'd watch these:

• * The Family Guy


• * The Simpsons


• * Archaeological shows on PBS


• * British Literature turned movies on A&E


• * All of the History Channell

Five Biggest Joys:

• * Baking bread


• * Snuggling with C while it rains outside


• * Standing in the rain watching lightning


• * Meditating in the afternoon sun


• * Snuggling up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea while the snow falls.

Five Favorite Toys:

• * My hand drill (I use it for bookbinding... it's just cute)


• * My Power drill (not cute, but oh so useful!)


• * My sewing machine (every time I use it I think how lucky I am not to have to sew all the clothing we wear)


• * Kitchenaid Stand Mixer


• * My ball winder, oh yeah. Hours of enjoyment I tell you!!

People to pass this onto:
Take it if you want it.

Momentous

I just realized that the topic from yesterday's post was referring to the part that I decided to edit out. Oh well.

I would like you all to mark this occasion. This is precisely one week since I ripped and started Rogue over again. And here she is:



Beauty, thy name is Rogue. I'm so excited! That pile there is 2 completed sleeves, one nearly completed body (which is now fully complete thanks to lunch). I've sewn the shoulder seams and I'm beginning to pick up the stitches for the hood, so I'm just a hood away from a finished sweater! This will be my first finished sweater from a real pattern. The only other full size sweater I've hand knitted was from one of those "plug in the numbers based on your gauge" sweaters... and frankly it was kind of crappy.

I will probably finish her this weekend at the rate I'm going. I should have her blocked for Monday :)

Mmmm.. cables.....


M

Ah the joys of blogging

The new Knitty is up. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you do. There are alot of awesome sweaters in this one! Including Josephine, which I had expressed a desire to make a pattern for in this entry. Now I don't have to! YAY! And thanks Sibylle for e-mailing me the link in the wee hours of my morning.

I really like Arisaig. Now to find a yarn that I would like to use. I will have to find it cheaply, so maybe another visit to KnitCraft is in order. I also think I might make Flora for a friend who I know would love it. All in all this edition of knitty is, IMO, much better than the last "Man" edition. Some of those patterns were just.... *shudder*

M

Rippin' Rogue

So I came to a decision. After seeing Rogue just sitting around in the yarn basket, I decided that I was unhappy with her. And seeing as Elann now has more of the Peruvian Highland Wool in the right color in stock, I feel safe in revisiting Rogue. But first, the RIPPING! I decided to rip it for the following reasons... because I feel the need to justify it still:

1. I was not happy with the gauge. There was too much space between stitches for me to feel comfortable actually wearing the sweater. I would be worried about snagging loose stitches all the time.

2. The whole thing is massive! It works for a big wearing-my-dad's-sweater look, but that's not what I wanted Rogue for. Besides, it's a fitted sweater... what's the point of wearing an overly large not-fitted sweater.

So Rogue had a date this morning. I got the whole hood frogged before I realized that I was going to be late if I didn't pack my bag. So the rest will have to wait. I suppose it's good I chain stitched the shoulder seams, easy to undo.

Here's the plan. It's probably about 4 inches larger around the body (after accounting for blocking, which I didn't do before) than I want it to be. So if I use a smaller gauge (say 5 sts/inch instead of 4.5) that will give me a 35" size instead of the 39" that I WAS knitting, so I will just use the same size, but a different gauge and it should be perfect. Anybody see any logical flaws there? I suppose if it doesn't work out, I could always rip again. So that's where things stand. And since I'm done but for felting the bag I was working on, Rogue will be my long weekend knitting. Who knows, if I get enough time I may make it back to the pre-ripping point :) Of course, that would mean a big pile of wool on my lap all weekend, but it's been so cool here lately that it might actually be nice!

Have a lovely weekend all,
M

Give and Thank

Pop on over to Susan or Margene's blogs to learn about how you can be help Katrina victims and get entered into a drawing for good stuff. As for money, I have none to spare. Unless I get some serious classes started or sell alot of books, this month I'll be choosing which bills can get paid and which will have to wait, but I may have an auction of one of my books or something else to help out.

Well, my secret pal (secret no longer) is sooo cool! This is what she sent me!

Oh yes! She sent me a lovely card with llamas on it, maple candies from vermont, and then the handspun yarn!!! The beautiful charcoal is about 240-250 yards of handspun llama wool (probably aobut light sport/fingering weight). And there are 3 skeins of her handspun and hand dyed merino silk!! The same blend Margene is using for her Hanging Vines Stole, but in a different colorway and a 2 ply yarn instead of a single. People, it is luscious! The colors are deep and vivid and I have to fight the urge to cast on immediately because I want to make sure I plan well enough to use it to best effect and use every last inch of it! So... tell me, people. What should I make? I have probably about 480 yards of it.

M