fever for the flavor

The man I live with, the Mr. HWWLLB, he is an amazing guy. Some of you know him. Sometimes I think he's a genius. His vocabulary could fill the state of Michigan. He is overflowing with compassion and always has the time to help out a friend.

He also loves to cook. It's all about the flavors. The man can use more spice jars in one dish than most people keep in their kitchens. The thing is, he has, er, interesting tastes.

Tonight he baked a birthday cake for a co-worker, whom he loves dearly. He asked me, what do you think: chocolate fudge cake with blueberry and orange, or with sour cherry syrup? I asked, what kind of cake does your co-worker like? Hm... a wrench in the works. I'm always begging him to just make a plain chocolate something. Without the fancy syrups and powders. I think he must find my tastes rather pedestrian.

Sadly, the blueberry-and-orange-chocolate fudge cake was not a success. I couldn't even swallow my sample - it tasted like medicine. Ick! I need to have a beer now to wash away the taste.

Now he is reluctantly baking a boring old red velvet cake to replace the failed one. It really was, unfortunately, inedible. But I'm sure that his co-worker will appreciate the boring new cake - after all, it's the thought that counts, right?

sunshine is a tonic

This was not a weekend for sitting in front of a computer! Glorious, sunshiney springtime has arrived here in the Kackalack (with sympathetic apologies to those from northerly venues), and not a minute too soon. Actually, with highs in the low 80's, it felt a bit more like summer for much of this weekend, but it didn't look like anyone let that spoil their fun.

We did a lot of stuff like take walks and work in the yard, but all I really wanted to do was get crafty! My creative juices are flowing again after months of the grey-skies doldrums. For a long time now, I haven't really felt like doing much of anything creative, and have just retreated to the couch to knit one pair of socks after the next (not that there's anything wrong with socks...). The sunshine seems to have worked some magic on me.

Saturday morning I went to the flea market to look for some junk jewelry. I promised to donate a necklace to an upcoming silent auction, and my stash of stuff to recycle was pretty low. I found a great old cloisonne pendant, some snazzy costume jewelry and a whole lot of great buttons (in the picture above). Then when I got home, a package was waiting in the mailbox. New yarn!



I'm planning to make myself a vintage-styled shell, and ordered some low-budget yarn. I have to say, this big direct-from-the-mill-prices company may be evil (are they evil?), but I like their cheap good yarn. This stuff is a blend of pima cotton and something called "modal," which is probably made by destroying the rain forests, but it's very silky, knits up with a lovely drape, and doesn't split. The shell is coming along nicely (sorry no pictures yet). It gave me the courage I needed to rip out the doomed cardigan.


Now it's nothing but a couple of balls of yarn again.

Sunday I dragged out all my beading supplies onto the back porch and made the necklace. I like how it came out, and if someone can tell me the correct name for this style (when one end pulls through a loop), I will be forever grateful. I keep wanting to say "bolo," but I know it's not a bolo.


What is it??

Well, whatever it is, it will be going to some lucky person who I hope will bid a lot on it, thereby helping to raise a ton of money for one of my favorite environmental organizations. I do need to come up with a good name for this thing, so please leave me your suggestions.

All in all, a lovely crafty weekend. I hope there are many more of them in our futures, friends. The world needs more crafts.

just when you thought it was safe...

They're baaaaaaaack! For the last two days, the hapless managers of knitting group listservs have once again been receiving 'cease and desist' notices from Yahoo!, thanks to the Evil Seamstress Overlords at Sew Crass/Sew Sleazy. Many of you know the backstory; if not you can go two months backwards in time and get all the details, starting January 12.

Dozens of listserv managers received the emails again this week, that Yahoo! had received complaints about copyright infringement on their listservs from SFSE. Two months ago when all this went down, our girl Debbie Stoller got her lawyers on the line, and these here lawyers advised all the groups to remove the term "stitch & bitch" from their group names, descriptions, etc on the Yahoo! Groups sites. Not because the infringement claims were based in fact, but because Yahoo! does not investigate the validity of such claims, they just delete you (and several groups were in fact deleted for non-compliance). So we made the changes, grudgingly. Here in Raleigh we call ourselves "SnB_Raleigh" (and you know what the SnB stands for).

So what sparked the latest round of infringement claims, since not a one of these groups has the phrase "stitch & bitch" anywhere on their site these days? Nobody's quite sure yet, because the Evil Seamstress Overlords won't give a satisfactory explanation, but one of the current theories is that they searched message archives for the phrase "stitch & bitch" and then issued complaints of copyright infringement because someone dared to type their beloved phrase in an email to the listserv. Some of the group managers went so far as to instruct their group members never to utter the phrase in type again. The rest of us just made sure our archives were set to "members only." I'm actually subscribing to this particular archive-search theory because SnB_Raleigh has received no such complaints, despite many postings on the topic using the phrase, because our archives have always been private (and we screen new members).

But our story twists... Several of the group managers sent polite counter-complaints to the Yahoo! Copyrights division, insisting that there was no use of the phrase "stitch & bitch" on their sites, so the alleged infractions had no basis. And SHAZAM! By last night several groups had been cleared of the complaints. Finally, a point scored by the local knitting groups in this now-seemingly-endless litany of harrassment by the Evil Seamstress Overlords.

What I can't stop wondering is, Why Are They Doing This? WHY??!!?? We don't stand to gain anything (except a connection to traditional women's networks) by using the Stitch & Bitch phrase, so why is SFSE policing it so militantly? The main clue from this current round of cat & mouse is the response message received by a few of the group managers who sent inquiries to SFSE regarding the complaints. Here's what SFSE had to say:

Due to trademark infringement, your group has been removed because of content and graphics on your site. We request that you remove the term Stitch & Bitch from your website to avoid "confusion" with our Stitch & Bitch Café. We will continue to police our mark.

In order to preserve your group and communication with others, we strongly urge you to use our Stitch and Bitch Café under the classification of Stitch and Bitch Groups. If you do this, you will be able to build, expand and communicate with other sewing, knitting, and crochet groups. This is a free service. You will not be charged to use it. However, if you make any derogatory comments or any malicious slams you will be banned and your email and/or your IP address will be blocked.

If you had a trademark, you would do the same. We have noticed that people are doing this now. If for any reason you feel that your site does not fit within these parameters, please respond as soon as possible. We appreciate your cooperation.

visit us at www.sewfastseweasy.com and buy the best beginner sewing book, "Sew Fast Sew Easy: All You Need to Know When You Start to Sew" by Elissa Meyrich, sewing patterns, *Stitch & Bitch**TM* sewing and knitting products, and classes.

In other words, we're the only game in town, kids. Use our forums, buy our new line of "Stitch & Bitch" TM products, or get the hell out of Dodge. Other than a tart challenge posted by Knoxville Stitch & Bitch, the sound of crickets is nearly deafening over on the officially-sanctioned SFSE "Stitch & Bitch Groups" page.

If you're interested in the nitty-gritty, check out the legal background over at the Girl from Auntie.

no discipline

Do any of y'all have this problem? I am essentially a gift knitter. A huge part of the motivation to finish a project is the fact that it is intended for someone else. So I HAVE to get it done; for a birthday, for Christmas, whatever, there's a deadline.

This works well with my personality, because I am basically without self-discipline of any kind, and I am also that special kind of generous reserved mostly for Leos: I love to give people extravagantly hand-made things that they probably don't want or need. I'm also somewhat hyperactive, and knitting is like a meditation that calms me and slows me down; it's not really about a goal or a product, but a process. Having an intended recipient gets me to the finish line. This is like an inverse of the Bugheart gift-making impulse, which is in hyperdrive but less directly deadline-oriented.

So here's where the problem comes in: I can't really make things for myself. Okay, I can squeeze in a pair of socks or MAYBE a scarf once in a while, but this sweater I'm trying to make for myself? Not this winter, y'all. Who am I kidding - it's already spring!


Remember me? From two months ago, back when it was still winter and there was still a glimmer of hope?

Monday night I was working along, trying to pretend that the slow progress was pleasant and meditative and not driving me CRAZY, listening to all the terrible news from around the world (thanks a lot, BBC World Service). And it struck me that the neckline was way too deep. Not the look I was going for. Not the cute vintage cardigan look. So, I tried it on (because Barbara Walker is a goddess and taught us all that we can try on garments at any stage in the process! Top-down knitting - WOOO HOOOO! ahem, pardon me.) and yes, the neckline was way crazy boat-neck too deep. So... I put it aside, but it must all be ripped out.

And it's spring. When will I ever find the motivation to re-design and knit this whole damn thing?? For my birthday? For Christmas? PLEASE. Not happening.

So I went online and ordered some nice summerweight cotton-blend yarn to make a lacy shell to wear under blazers. Yes... for myself. Okay, but here's the thinking: if I design it, and the pattern is good, I can publish the pattern, right? Now, there must be deadlines involved with such a thing, right? Right? So maybe I can knit for myself.

We'll see.

How do y'all do it?

haiku on south dakota

cowboys draw nearer
between them and our wombs: one
ruth bader ginsberg

400WORDS4U

Got Jesus yarn?

Every day on the way to work I walk past this car, which is always in the state government parking lot between my house and the office. This is SO dang North Carolina. Everybody and their granny has a personalized license plate here, and a heckuva lotta them are about Jesus. A heckuva lotta them are also mis-spelled. What I want to know is, if HE DYED 4 ME, where's my stinkin' yarn?? Do I have to wait for the afterlife to cash in?

The other funny thing about this car is the person who drives it - not really who I would have expected. I'll let you all guess as to the sort of person who would pay to have this license plate.

So, how have you all been? I've missed you so much! My work schedule has been keeping me from the internets generally, so as part of my much-anticipated lazy Sunday today (no painters!!), I've been tooling around checking out what all's happened since I dropped off the face of the earth. Bugheart has joined a 30-day photo-posting project, and her photos are incredible, so I highly recommend checking them out. Jay has officially launched his blogiversary celebration challenge, and I am dithering about whether to enter. Can my wrists handle another serious knitting challenge on the heels of the Knitter Olympics?? (You see my medal up there, right? Ahem.) But the prizes, OH the prizes! A highly tempting enticement.

Maybe the challenge is a good idea. Right now I'm just fooling around making some slow progress on a surprise project for someone who I can't tell you her name (Secret *cough* Pal *cough*). I don't want to arouse the anger of the surprise gods, so I'll just show you a little peek at the yarn.


peek!

I'd love some motivation to get moving on the all-for-me merino/silk/cashmere Silk Road thingy yarn cardigan... perhaps the challenge is just what I need. Perhaps.

Lazy Sunday has been great so far: getting up late, chilling with Mr. HWWLLB, veggie fritatta for luch, soaking up lots of sun in the fresh air while doing some yardwork, a quick trip to the store, a chocolate croissant, and any minute now Kristy's coming over to fire up the compact portable steamer and do some serious blocking. Did I mention she's bringing wine? She's bringing wine. And she doesn't care that I haven't vacuumed or tidied up in about a month. Ah, this is the life! Why can't every day be a Lazy Sunday?

country-fried girlfriend

Y'all, I'm sorry I haven't been keeping in touch with you this week. Trust me, I didn't go anyplace exciting. This is pretty much the sum of it.


At the office: work. At home: more work.


Break time: tea and cookies.

Then, back to work. I am so fried.

I can't wait til Sunday, when I will lounge in bed all day with tea and yarn and cats and the vampire book, doing nothing productive whatsoever. It's going to be great. Unless the house painters show up.

Right, the house is being repainted. We found out last Saturday morning around 8 am, while in bed, zonked out unconscious delicious sleeping resting, when there came a knock at the door. We ignored it.

Then footsteps along the side of the house. Maybe a thief. Who cares - go back to sleep. Then, a few minutes later, CLANK. A ladder at the bedroom window, and someone climbing past. Then, scrape scrape scrape on the side of the house.

Let me just say, I am not really very cheerful in the morning. I do not like to be awakened suddenly. Just ask HWWLLB - he has scars to tell the stories of untimely awakenings. So I went outside and met the painter - Lozario. Nice guy. He told me that my landlady had left us a message the night before that he was coming. So I went inside and checked the voice mail. Yes, in fact, she had called Friday night while we were having dinner with some friends, to say that someone was coming by in the morning to scrape the house. Thanks for the advance notice.

Y'all remember Flakette, right? This is the same landlady whose cat we have inherited, and who was AWOL for about five or six months. She's back with a vengeance.

I'm not going to repeat the whole conversation I had with her here, because I can't say my attitude was particularly, well, flattering, to me. She's not so good at reading people, Flakette isn't. After our little chat about the painting, she mentioned to me that she thought we ought to rake some and clean out the gutters. And now I'm really not typing any more of this unlovely story. I think that in future when she calls, she'll be asking to speak with HWWLLB - he's so much more pleasant with nutcases than I am.

So you still need something to read? Go check out Billie's new blog - Hum Buzz Whir! It's great, and she's in a much more pleasant mood than I am!