Archives for February 2008

Attention: To all of you planning on getting married, please do so like this — Get married in a sweet sea-side town (Ventura is nice), on a late Saturday afternoon, at a cute hotel where all the guests are staying. Also, have an Irish drink-up sing-along the night before at a family-owned pub where everyone is related and TALL and they don’t mind that you’re neither. That means all day Saturday will be spent by your guests rambling the downtown area, eating Cajun breakfasts with hot sausage and feta scrambled eggs, and trolling the many great thrift stores.

Speaking of thrift stores, I scored. Got a great blue hat (as a friend said, "Nice top") and then found blue clip-on earrings to match. Wore them that afternoon to the wedding, which I hadn’t realized was Casablanca themed and there were other vintage-dressed folk (Lala wished I’d told her so she could have worn her suit).

Also, when you have this wedding, you should invite all your old friends from back in the day so that they can hang out and dance like they used to. Oh, yeah, but when your friend with the allergy to soy lecithin has a drink or two and then eats THREE red-velvet cupcakes because somewhere in her very small brain she thinks they don’t count as Trouble In A Paper Wrapper, you should tell her she is going to be very, very sad the next day.

But it will be worth it.

This is my favorite shot of the wedding:

And now we are home, and I am going to do something about my station wagon that suddenly seems to be throwing various kinds of fits — the rear brakes are leaking brake fluid, the serpentine belt is yelling, the starter is finicky, and I ran over a branch last week that is requiring me to keep an eagle on the oil level. Anyone know a good mechanic in Alameda? I want to find one there so I can catch a cheap cab ride to the airport car rental agencies if I need to rent a car.

And speaking of car rentals, Hotwire.com, anyone? Do you KNOW about this? I rented an Avis Ford Taurus this weekend for the wedding for $14.95 a day. My sister got a Mustang for $20 (although I think that’s because they were out of Economy cars, but WOW). Highly recommend this service (you have to pay in advance, no refunds, and you don’t get to choose what rental agency you’ll get, but it will be big name).

If you are knitting Jeanie, and you get to the end of a row, and you are crossing the last 4 x 4 cable without a needle, and 911 rings while you’re doing it, and you have to drop it in your lap, the four tiny sock-yarn stitches waving in the simulated breeze, it is a good thing if you then pick them up and cross the cable, just like that.

Sometimes knitting is good like that. Probably means that I’m about to run out of yarn or something. I should check.

In other related knitting news, I just stole a sweater right off a guy. A radio technician was wearing an amazing old Norwegian style sweater, looks at least forty years old, maybe more. Light brown with darker brown and cream patterning, pewter buttons. I’ll take a picture when I’m at home, but something about the bottom pattern reminds me of Elizabeth Zimmerman. You fanatics can help me pin its exact derivation later. I’ve seen this guy wearing it before — apparently his coworkers give him shit about wearing the sweater, but he’s kind of a tall Mr. Rogers kind of guy, very sweet, and carries it off gracefully. Jimmy Stewart-ish, really. I’ve only ever spoken to him a little bit before — couldn’t remember his name (it’s Don), and he didn’t know my name even though we’ve discussed brining turkey in the past.

He was working on a co-worker’s radio console, and I said, "I love your sweater." I kept myself away. It was hard. I would not touch.

He said "Thanks, it was my dad’s."

That’s all it took. I had my hands all over him, because people, the holes! The HOLES! Oh, some moth has fed generations with that sweater. I had it off him in less than forty-five seconds with the promise of repair. He looked a little stunned, but happy and grateful.

The sweetest bit of the sweater is an old hole that’s been darned with a different color yarn — someone really cared for this thing. It deserves some more years. I never offer to do this, and I can’t say how good I’ll be at doing it. I *love* to darn, but it’s not always  a successful endeavor. I’d like this to be, though.

I’ll keep you posted.

Oh, and hey! I’m out of town this weekend for a good friend’s wedding, and I’m so excited! I won’t be around the blog parts because I’ll be partying like it’s 1993. No, really. I will be.

I feel like a knitting hack. I like to knit. I knit nice things. But this, people, is AMAZING.

700 knitted panels in this music video, which LOOKS like a music video, from the Quebec band Tricot Machine (Tricot means knitting in French). The panels were knitted by designer Lysanne Latulippe of the fashion label Majolie. And I love the song. It’s a lovely, gorgeous piece.

Enjoy.

I seriously think this is the cutest thing EVAR:

Green….it’s the New Blue’s Kirsten made it. Link here. Matching dog toy! Oh!
 

I want it all. The suitcase, the dog, the everything. I have a thing for old suitcases anyway, and this is just too delightful.

Saturday night! Not for fighting, but for brined chicken and white wine and plenty of cute animals who sadly have nowhere to sleep as adorable as that suitcase. It is to weep.

You are very nice about the hat. Thank you. I blush. Ahem. Anyway.

It’s my last day off before the new week starts, and I’m determined to enjoy it. The house is toasty warm because I’ve decided that paying for heat is a good idea, and I keep it running when I’m home. I understand that the fact that Lala’s car has a frosty sheen on the roof isn’t that impressive to most readers of this blog, but we take what kind of cold we can get here in California.

The Waylon cat is sitting on the arm of my chair and is watching the street. He jumped up a minute ago and I shooed him away — he was litter-box stinky, and that’s not okay. He went away, cleaned up and made himself arm-chair-worthy and is now back with me.

I’m going to sit and type a bit, and drink coffee for a while, maybe read some blogs. I love the unhurriedness of this kind of morning. I have to do laundry and make some food, and I’d love to get an oil change, but whatever. Dogs need to go for a walk — that will be fun.

Yesterday I went to the city to have lunch with Lala. We walked down Market to get a burrito (Tacqueria Cancun, best veggie burrito in the world, grilled tortilla, half an avocado in every one), and then, because I find the 6th and Market location rather grim, we walked up to Union Square to picnic. Man, it’s been a long time since I sat in that square during the day. They’ve really done it up nicely, haven’t they? Nice tables, plenty of sitting room. Reminded me of those public spaces New York and Venice have everywhere, pockets of outdoor space where people meet, hang out, drink coffee or wine, and watch people go by. It felt delicious (and tasted the same way, actually. Damn good burrito).

Then I went to Tiffany’s. Why do their diamonds sparkle more than anyone else’s? Also delicious.

Then I spent too much time in the mall. I have to remember that it’s usually a bad idea for me to go to the movies inside a mall, even if it’s the Westfield at Powell Street. It’s still a mall, and I exit the premises with a head and neck ache, probably from being overwhelmed with How Cool I Could Be with a trillion more dollars. That’s something that doesn’t usually affect me, so I dislike it a LOT when it happens.

However, the movie I saw, 27 Dresses, could have had something to do with that feeling. Lord. Anyone else? I’d been so looking forward to it — I know it didn’t get good reviews, but Katherine Heigel? Who cares? It’s about weddings! She’s in it! How bad could it blow?

Oh, it badly blew. Horrible writing, bad acting, dismal moral messages, just very sad.

SPOILER ALERT

The worst part is where she destroys her sister’s attempt at happiness, then realizes it and apologizes. Her sister goes I HATE YOU but oh, I guess I love you anyway. That’s just about as deep as the movie got. No one would do any of the things they did in that movie. It offended me.

But. It was still fun, watching her — she’s so pretty! And who doesn’t love a wedding movie? Just…. not worth it.

Did you know that when you leave the mall, heading underground to BART, you can still buy your emergency Elizabeth Arden products? From the vending machine?

I’m sure you feel better knowing that. I know Lala does. Dude.

Now, go see my friend Kate. Her brother has been recently diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, and she’s got a raffle going on to help the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society…. Chance to win yarn-goodness! Cute picture of them over there, too.

The hat you’ve been waiting for! Inspired by the gigantor paws of Mr. Digit, the magical cat Who Is Not Dead, I used a larger version of the classic Cat’s Paw lace motif and designed a hat for your cold noggin! It’s a super-quick knit, and you have plenty of yarn to cast on for one right NOW.

Click Here for The Digit Hat – $3.75

I made the green and gray ones out of stash Lamb’s Pride, worsted , took maybe half a skein each, maybe a little more. The light green/yellow one is out of Classic Elite Lush, and took a single ball (50g). You’re just like me — I know you have those precious balls of yarn, single skeins, and you don’t know what to do with them. This is just the ticket!

Wanna see how they look?

See? It’s lace, but light. Just gives it that flash of class, but doesn’t overdazzle.

Better view of Digit’s paw:

Hee!

And from the top (look at that angora halo, yum):

I made one in Paton’s Decor for my sister-in-law and I like the way the colors pooled:

I also thinks it looks fabulous on a cat named Waylon:

I would not dare do that to the hat’s namesake:

Wrong! Side! Of! Door! (Digit story here if you missed it)

Digit Hat Pattern

Enjoy! Hooray! (PS – I Ravelry’d it, too…. xox)