Rachael

My brain is full of a lot of things tonight. I’m thinking about the NaNoWriMo, and what I’ll write (I have no idea). And about someone who drives me INSANE and not in a good way, but I’m dealing with that. Remind me to tell you about my revelation about complaining that I had recently — it IS true that the things that bug you most about a person are really your own problems. I’d always heard it, but in this case I knew it couldn’t be true. Yeah, um, it is.

But more on that at another time, when I am more awake. What I am wondering at this moment is why the heck is it such an intimate thing to whistle with another person? Hmmm? Think about it. Well, I guess you won’t know, unless you’re a whistler. But if you are, you’ll agree, I’m sure.

I’m one of those whistlers who can’t stop doing it. If there’s a song on in the background, I’ll be whistling, and usually I don’t even realize it. I don’t realize it until I notice that someone else is also unconsciously whistling. Then there’s that awkward moment when you both realize what’s happening and you either both stop, or one bows out, and the other maintains the tune politely for a few notes, as if in thanks for the concession, and then she’ll stop whistling, too. And then ten minutes later, you both do it all over again.

The exception to this is when you’re in a store, around people you don’t know from Adam, and two actively-whistling whistlers collide in an aisle. They just might have a few bars of competition, and the louder one usually wins. But I do harmony better than most, I must say. Oh, the weirdness of harmonizing with a stranger. It’s almost unbearable, the strange intimacy. Rather unpleasant, actually. But interesting, no?

Forty more minutes and I’m on my way home for a good day-sleep. Then a walk with the dogs and the wife, and then another shift, and then the weekend. Couldn’t come at a better time.

• Come to The Whoreshoes CD release party this Saturday night in San Francisco!  All the cool kids will be there. Which is why I’ll be at work. But you should go,    anyway. Seriously, it’s a great album, and it’ll be a great party.

• I signed up for NaNoWriMo. Woot! You should, too.

• I finished that Debbie Bliss Lara made from pink and purple Italian yarn, bought in Venice. It is too SMALL. O, it is to weep. I’ve added a bottom ribbing, which makes it long enough, and I’ve ordered a zipper, because then maybe it’ll be okay, stretched over a simple tee-shirt. I am NOT ripping, and I am NOT giving it away, because it is, as I’ve said, Venetian. And I have a little problem worshiping the Venice, you know. I’ll show you when the zipper’s in.

• I am now working a simple cardie and got out a stitch counter that I’ve never used before, just bought it the other day because I was running low on them. You know the kind, hangs from your needle. But get this: It turns the wrong way — the single digit counter is on the inside wheel. It makes my brain hurt.

When I feel like I’m behind in everything (when DO people find time to clean under the couch and vacuum the car and mow the lawn and save money for retirement and change the oil?), why is it that I get a wild craving to do NaNoWriMo? (In which one writes a novel during the month of November.)

So. Are you behind in things? What?
Wanna do NaNoWriMo?
Talk to me.

Hey, know what? I have the best knit-ring ever. You’re in it. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve deleted all rings from my blog in the past few months — I now have the best one ever. Requires no code and no membership and no queue and no stressed-out admin. It’s just you and me and a bunch of other terrific people, and it includes all the people I like and the people who like me. And really, I don’t know anyone else, because I don’t keep people in my life whom I don’t love and enjoy. Sounds easy, and isn’t. But it’s worth it.

With that said, and my heartfelt thanks for being part of my knitting/writing world, I give you New Things:

From the back:

And a rather blurry shot of the FABYOOOLUS buttons I bought in Venice, y’all. I knitted most of this on the trip, and I was able to walk into a notions store that Lala spotted and bring out a front piece to try them against.

SPECS:
Pattern: Interweave Knits, Fall 2006, Sienna Cardigan by Ann E. Smith
Yarn: 100% Cashmere, from School Products, their heavyweight coned stuff. Mmm.
Needles: 4US
Gauge: 16st/4in (loose knitter, the loosest)
Mods: None. Great pattern.

I love this sweater. It’s a little boxy but I find I’m liking that. I have enough totally form-fitting sweaters that this one makes a nice change.

And before I forget, here’s the shawl I made Christy:

And a detail:

It’s just like the wedding stole I made (scroll down in Finito), same fit, although it uses different side panels.

Formula: Pick yarn you like (this is Karabella’s silk/cashmere blend, can’t remember the name), pick two designs you like (I chose the Twin Leaf Panel and Totem Pole, Barbara Walker Second Treasury, p.235 and 254, respectively). Cast on enough stitches to support the panels plus a 4st-garter border, with 4 purl stitches between the panels. Then I usually do about a 8 row garter-stitch border. Go for as long as you like or until you run out of yarn (I usually use 4-ish skeins), and then do 8 more garter-stitch rows and cast off. Voila.

I run off now to pick up the little mama, who is in town. We’re doing pasta and old Lost episodes tonight. Woot!

Lala blogged. Not about Europe, but about the Chicago airport, which, really, is kind of the same thing, right?

Also, Bay Area Knitters, don’t forget about tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) really cool Knit and Crochet Fall Fashion Event, happening at Artfibers in San Francisco, 4-7pm. Basically, it’s a new pattern line that they’re displaying at a nice little shindig. You  should go. The sneak pattern preview, seen on their website is awesome, and done by our own Kira. Really, it’s exciting.

Okay, even if you’re not sick, go read those comments from my last post. They will make you want to get on the couch and Be Comforted. Seriously, just reading them warms my heart. For a moment I forgot I wasn’t the sick one. Lala is. But she’s much better now, thanks for the good thoughts.

Me, I’m going into Alleve territory, and girls, I think you know what I mean. Only naproxen helps, and unfortunately, driving to work, I realized I had forgotten to bring ANY ONE of the no less than five bottles in our medicine cabinet. This is why we have so many bottles — I always forget to bring them when I need them. I pulled over at the Sevey (7-Eleven) and bought another seventy-three dollar (or thereabouts) emergency bottle. Gonna be a long night.

But I’m now prepared. One of the good things about working 911 on midnight shift is sometimes you’re fully staffed and it’s slow. Which means you get to knit. I’ve been knitting up a storm, yo. I’m about to finish another Debbie Bliss Lara (with yarn from Venice), and I’ve finished the second green cardie this month (will show you soon) and I finished earlier this week a red silk/cashmere (Karabella) stole for my sister who’s going to be a maid-of-honor and therefore needs something gorgeous for her pain. I mean, really. We chose to have no one stand up with us when we got married, because I didn’t want the Drama of the Bridesmaid’s Dress. Screw that. We just wanted people to come and have a good time. But if a bride wants the big fandangle, then bless her. And the maid-of-honor should have a nice stole. Yep.