Rachael

I'm passionate about street art, especially that done by women. Oakland is a prime place for this kind of beautification, and I've meant for a long time to find a large mural done by women graffiti artists earlier this year. We found it today, and it's even more awesome than I'd imagined. Done by seventeen female artists from all over the country, it took three days to complete.

Isn't it incredible? It's down off Mandela Parkway, at about 22nd or so. More pictures at Flickr, and this is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of it from one of the artists, TooFly from New York.

We had an amazing time knitting-in at Occupy Oakland the other day.

Kristine and Adrienne the Verb-ers came, bringing Cookie A and Ysolda.

Hi Kristine! Hi Cookie!

Also in attendance were Janine, Maia, and another woman who'd heard about us on Twitter (not sure she wanted her name used). And Alicia and Julianne (new knitters, both! Yay!) came with Margie (a long-time knitter). 

The best part? The new knitters we attracted. I love these photos.

This guy was working SO HARD at his new talent, and his face was nothing but delight as he realized he got to keep the needles and yarn.

And this is Alex and Janine (did he realize he had the best teacher in the world?). He came from Occupy Amsterdam after he heard what happened in Oakland last week. He was completely lovely and a total knitting natural.

Afterward, I took the hat I'd made out into the camp to find someone to give it to. It felt odd to do it that way, but it's what the supply tent had recommended we do. So I peered into people's lives from outside the tent-flap. I heard a couple of people arguing. Many were talking seriously and intelligently. A lot of people were laughing. I found this guy (another Alex) standing chatting with some women under a high pitched tarp. "Anyone here need a hat for nighttime?"

"Me!" he said. "Me!"

He loved it. He was a great hugger. And I love this photo:

Next time: we'll fry people's minds with spinning. Oh, yeah. I can't wait. (Thinking possibly of Friday the 18th for this, if the camp is still open and barring bad weather. Can you come?)

(It's going well, by the way. The conversation is really, really starting, and things like chat on this blog and out in the streets is exactly what we need. After the Oakland General Strike the other day, we were spending our dollars locally in our favorite Oakland bar, Baggy's. We were approached by a rather rough looking guy from the valley. He was union and had been sent to Oakland with his coworkers for the strike, but he had no idea what was going on or why we had participated. For THIS, we said. For this moment that a guy in a bar who wouldn't normally talk to our group approaches us (two of the three of my group were union, he was surprised to find out) to talk about how we, together, can make things better. How we can switch to credit unions. How we can keep our dollars local, pay in cash, insist on patronizing businesses who keep their business local. It was an extremely moving moment, and we had a connection. Just like I had that connection with both Alexes (Alexi?). Just like we have our connection here. Again, all polite comments welcomed! Thanks for being awesome.)

*Edited on 11-11 to add: I hope for the best for the camp. The shooting yesterday may make it harder for it to continue, but there is conversation now, at least. I'm proud of my city.

*Edited again at 0215hrs: they're saying the man killed was named Alex.

There are so many similarities between novel writing and knitting, and I've remarked on them before, but these things bear repeating:

1. Work done every day, even a few lines or a few stitches, adds up into books and sweaters.

2. Sometimes when you finish something, it's a piece of crap. That's when the tricky work comes: figuring whether it's salvageable and then working out HOW to do that.

I *almost* finished my Levenwick sweater last night. This is what it should look like:

(I just realized I fell for the photo fallacy again. This sweater, even if made right, would not suit me. And I'm just noticing that now. I just wanted to BE her. Grrr.)

I'm not going to show you what it DOES look like, not until I decide what to do with it. The arm scyes are way too deep — apparently I was just knitting along and didn't notice that at all. The reverse stockinette rolls and flips in all the wrong places. The lace doesn't hold up, and I'm not sure blocking will help at all. I was SO FRUSTRATED and upset last night when I tried it on — it's been a while since a sweater defeated me, and that's what this feels like happened.

I still have to knit the hem (which calls for applied i-cord — HA! As if I would waste my time). I think what I'll do is slap-bang on a quick hem of some sort and weave the ends in loosely, and then wash the damn thing and block it. (Oh, how I resent the time I'll have to put in doing this.)

But I think, even when I do this: It's been a grand waste of time. I'll have to decide what to do with it. I won't frog it — the idea of doing that gives me hives. It's nice, inexpensive yarn, nothing worth working hard to save. Maybe I'll donate it to someone at Occupy Oakland. (Hey! Knit-in tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1pm in the plaza, you're welcome to come — knit something warm to give away.)

Now, when it comes to writing, I'm used to editing. It's my favorite part, actually. I love moving and deleting big blocks of words around and reworking them. In my current work-in-progress, I have 100,ooo words, with 50,000 unused words in the trash bin.That tells me I'm getting close.

But knitting? Anytime it doesn't come out exactly the way I want the first time, it feels like I've only been wasting my time. I don't quite understand why my brain feels like this, but it has something to do with TIME. I don't have enough time in this life to knit all the sweaters I want to knit, just like I'll never read every book that's on my list. It frustrates me to waste time reading crappy books or knitting sweaters that don't suit. I don't keep reading bad books to see if they get better, and if I'm not totally in love with a pattern, it doesn't do to reknit it.

I'd rather sit on the couch and figure out the math for my accordion sweater. At least if I screw that up, I can only blame myself. Also, it's FUN to do that kind of math.

But first: new shawl.

This is the Lacy Baktus, and I made it in Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted Long Print LP (sexy name, right? Rolls right off the tongue) in Apple Prchid. Yes, that's the what the label says. That can't be Apple Orchid, since that doesn't make any sense. They mean Apple Orchard, don't they? Because that's the color I see in this.

It's fun. I haven't blocked it — probably never will. It doesn't seem to need it.(And it was FAST! Not more than a couple of weeks of not much knitting.)

It even (and I didn't expect this, it being lacy and all) looked good on Lala.

I went out to lunch with Clara Parkes while wearing it, and she took this photo:

(Hang on! Did you see that thing I just dropped? Wait, let me get it; it was a name…. But I know. Clara Parkes! She's a peach. I mean a Prchea. And she wrote the lovely, lovely foreword for A Life in Stitches, and I'm lucky.)

NEW KNITTING GOAL

You know those old Mary Maxim patterns? Like this beauty?

And Hoedown, now out of print:

I WANT A MARY MAXIM-LIKE ACCORDION SWEATER. Can't you just see it? Musical notes, like Lala's, on the front. An image of my accordion on the back. Oh, be still my nerdy little heart. Easy to chart, right? Something like this (thanks to this fine program):

Except it would be in BLUE. Ahhh.

I have two sweaters and a scarf to finish before I can start this, but it's kind of all I can think about. Obsession. I haz it.

You already know I love my town. But I hella heart Oakland even harder this week.

It's not a movement for "hippies," although hippies are proudly involved. It's not a movement by slackers or the homeless (although the Occupy Wall Street camps are becoming known for medically treating and feeding those who need it).

This is important. It is about YOU.

I'm going to tell you what I'm planning on doing, right after I share what Thomas Friedman said in the New York Times yesterday.

Citigroup had to pay a $285 million fine to settle a case in which, with one hand, Citibank sold a package of toxic mortgage-backed securities to unsuspecting customers — securities that it knew were likely to go bust — and, with the other hand, shorted the same securities — that is, bet millions of dollars that they would go bust. [emphasis mine]

This is just one news story in a long list of wrongdoings that need to be addressed, solved, and changed. This is immoral. And wrong. And worth thinking about.

If you need a quick one-minute explanation of what this is all about, watch this. (Also, it's funny.)

 

I've been a union member for more years than I haven't been in my professional life, and I believe in the way they work. (Sometimes they don't work, but that's for another day and a different discussion.) So far, the SEIU, ILWU, Carpenters, Longshore, and AFSCME unions are supporting the General Strike. The Teamsters are providing food for the day. The Oakland Education association is endorsing the strike. The Oakland Teacher's Union has unanimously endorsed it.

So this Wednesday, for the General Strike, this is how I'm protesting: I'm going to Patelco, a local credit union, and I'm opening a joint household account with Lala, and a business account for myself. Then we'll go to Bank of America and have them wire all our funds to our new accounts. Then we'll go to Wells Fargo and do the same. 

I'd been loath to do this for a long time. Why? Because I was the slacker. I've been with Bank of America for more than fifteen years. All my bills are paid with a few clicks. It was too much hassle, I always said. I'd have to spend time setting up the bill pay at a new bank. We'd have to change our direct deposits. We'd have to change every auto-payment we have online. Moan, groan, grumble, moan.

Then I realized this: credit unions are locally owned, non-profit co-ops.

It was as if the light bulb blinked on. Who do I want to support with my really hard-earned dollars? Wall Street? Or my local non-profit? It'll be a couple of hours of hassle. Big deal. And it will actually affect the outcome of all of this. (There's a good article here on a credit-union convert.)

(I have to admit, there's a small part of me that's concerned that I'll lose readers because I'm posting this. Not YOU, darling. Of course not you. But what about the people who have just read one of my books? The ones who pop by to see what I'm all about? And they find this? Clicking the Publish button is something that is difficult for me. It's a fear I have trouble letting go of. And I suppose it just comes down to this: I'm letting go of it. Right now. It's okay if the 1% don't like me. This is more important.)

The Best Article I've Read So Far

If you read one thing, read this. This is why the author Lili Loofbourow didn't buy into all of this uproar at first but eventually she "Got Off My Computer and Onto The Street At Occupy Oakland." She says (God, I could have written every one of these bullet points):

• I do not believe the police are evil.
• I do not believe in utopian societies.
• I distrust extremists of whatever stripe.
• I believe inflammatory rhetoric shuts down rational thought.
• I was (and remain) afraid of nighttime Oakland—the desperate Oakland that Occupy Oakland insisted on caring for and actually living with.
• I am lazy, prone to migraines, and unwilling to be cold, wet, uncomfortable and in constant danger of arrest.

In short, I'm a moderate: small, fearful, skeptical, selfish, with privilege aplenty…I have an iPhone, for heaven's sake. I am, moreover, a liberal with a lifelong habit of opting out of the political conversation—and out of most kinds of activism—because I find its language dishonest, combative and unjust.

But she changed her mind. The rest of her article, and what she found, is here. It's beautiful.

Follow the Occupy movement on Twitter by using the hashtag #ows for Occupy Wall Street or #occupyoakland for OccupyOakland. It moves fast; it's the best place to keep up.

Do not confuse the complexity of the issue with chaos.

Occupy.

(PS – Any kneejerk or rude comments will be deleted (and I'll make an extra donation to Occupy Wall Street in your honor). My blog, my rules. All kind, polite opinions of any variety, however, are welcomed and appreciated!)

I'm into joining things. You might already know that (let's do a marathon after never having run a mile! Let's write a novel in November!). But then I'm into modifying the rules as I see fit (if possible — it's quite easy to modify NaNo to suit a person, less easy to run a marathon with anything but 26.2 miles).

Project 333 is just up my alley, and easily (too easily?) modified. The goal is simple: for three months, wear only 33 items. That includes shoes, jewelry and accessories (excludes jewelry you never take off, underwear, inhome loungewear, and workout clothes used solely for workouts).

I was drowning in clothes I didn't like. I'm not a big shopper and rarely buy new clothes, but I love a good thrift store run. I can come home with bags of things that, because I didn't try them on, end up fitting badly or not at all. And thrift stores also inspire in me that surety that I can become a new person (like a person who wears overalls! Usually a bad idea!). I'm much more critical when it comes to new clothes, which are usually restricted to jeans, undies, and dresses. If I'm paying $25 for one item? It had better look good. (Yes, I'm cheap, except for certain weaknesses. Fluevogs, I'm looking at you.)

So I had a closet full of bad ideas. I was ready for 333.

I separated my clothes (and shoes) into piles:

1. Junk – 2 trash bags. It was astonishing, really, the amount of clothing I had that needed to be thrown away. Jeans ripped through the crotch. Old tee-shirts with so many holes at the belly-button that the breeze blew through. Broken flip flops. Why was I saving these? Just in case? In case of what? (And yes, I know I could have recycled these items, cut them up for rags or repurposed them somehow. I didn't, though. I barely carved out time for this project — I had to remain realistic.)

2. Donate – 9 trash bags. This was the bulk of my clothing. If I didn't love it (and I mean LOVE it — I had to be convinced I would practically die if I got rid of it), even if it still fit and was in good repair, I put it in the donate pile. (My sister Bethany came over that night and made out like a BANDIT, which was nice, since she just got a swank new job and needed new clothes anyway.)

3. Love – large stack. I didn't presort them into the 33 pile, I just piled the love (and treasured sentimental) items.

Then, once the majority of the bags were in the hallway, I started going through the Love items, trying to cull them down to 33. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD THAT WAS? I had no idea it would be so hard, and I immediately started cheating. Using my cheats, I finally got the items to 33. You see that pink bin up there? It's larger than it looks in the photo. Everything that I loved that didn't make the 33 cut went in that bin and got stored in the top of my closet. In January, I'll donate what I haven't worn in my 33 pile (I'll bet there will be something) and then open the bin and decide if I want to cycle things in/out.

Oh, you want to know my cheats? Okay.

Rachael's Cheats:

Handknits – no WAY do those count, but it's true these are more frequently culled than anything else I own.

Uniform – This felt more like the allowed workout clothing of the project. I have to wear it one place, and one place only.

Jewelry – I don't have much, and it's all costume, but I'm trying to remember to wear it more. I did go through and get rid of a lot of it, everything I didn't love.

Belts – I only have four, but… okay, I have no excuse. I just don't count them.

Bags – I've gone down to carrying only two bags — a large green shoulder bag when I'm working or writing (the laptop fits in it) and my poppy Queen Bee purse when I need something smaller.

Handmade things made AFTER the project began – The night after I did the culling, I needed to make a skirt from a Hawaiian shirt for my dad's wedding, so I'm enjoying that as a freebie.

Also, from all my wild thrift store purchases, I couldn't quite get rid of this.

Can't you just FEEL the velvety, shiny nap of that astonishingly ugly shirt? Yes, it's actually shiny in real life. It's amazing, right? I actually put the shirt in the bag to donate, thinking I'd never get around to repurposing it, but Bethany made me keep it (the only thing she made me keep) and she was right. It made the cutest skirt.

So this, shown below, is just about what I'm left with. (Two pair of jeans — that fit — are to the right of the folded skirts.)

For the extra curious (I always am), a list of everything I kept for the 33 is below in my own cryptic clothing shorthand.

Overall Findings So Far:

I am SO happy with this challenge. It's so enjoyable to go to the closet and love everything in it, to feel good in everything. Everything fits. Everything flatters. And I've been finding this surprising thing: I'm out of my perpetual day-off uniform — sweatpants and torn tee-shirt. I still own those sweats and a few of the non-holey tees (inhome lounge wear! Honest!) but instead of wearing them around the house, I'm wearing real clothes. When I decide to run to the grocery store, I just grab my wallet and keys, instead of looking down at myself and saying, "Dang. Can't go out like this."

My mother trained me well: when you get home, change into play clothes so you don't ruin the good clothes. I'm 39 and have done this my whole life. But where did that leave me? With a bunch of nice clothes I didn't like and a lot of tee shirts with holes in them.

I should wear what I like, even if the items get covered with pet hair. And eventually (this is hard for me to admit, truly), the things I like will wear out and I will have to buy new things. And that's okay. That's just fine. That's what happens.

So yay. Thumbs up. I'll keep you posted.

List:

Shoes	Red cowboy boots
	Red Danskos
	Fluevog pumps
	Ruffle black heels
	Low Aerosole black mary jane
Tops	Gray scoop short sleeve cowl
	Purpe scoop short sleeve cowl
	Blue scoop short sleeve cowl
	Red Vee Ruched thin tee shirt
	Slouchy black thin blouse
	B/W thin pattern tee
	Polka dot b/w tank
	Ruffle black tank
Blouses	Plaid
	Safari blouse
	Grn/whi polka dot blouse
	Blue denim ruffle blouse
Skirts	Martini skirt
	Eddie Bauer plaid gray skirt
	Green/gray polkadot skirt
	simple black skirt
Hoody	Lexington
Pants	Jeans blue
	Jeans black
Overwear	Black thin shrug acrylic
	Gray sweater vest
	Black slouchy thing
	Grn plaid wool jacket
Dresses	Navy blue fancy
	Black dress
	Red/black dress
	JLo black dress
	b/w slouchy dress
Not Included:	Handknits
	Jewelry
	Underwear, belts
	Tanks, tees used in working out
	Sweatpants (lounge)
	Uniform
Made things	Hawaiian skirt
	skirt/cape – remake into skirt
	gold skirt