Wool & Words

Run, don't walk to visit the Smart & Sassy Women. Thanks to Two Purls for the link.

Posted by KnitNut at 02:30 PM | Permalink

No ripping tonight after all. I spoke to the intended recipient, and we decided to have a fitting so that we could see which sock was the better fit. That way, if I have to rip, I'll just rip the one that is too big/small.

I'm knitting away on my poncho.

Posted by KnitNut at 09:31 PM | Permalink

I've been oh-so-faithful to the Pippis, knitting feverishly on #2. I discovered, much to my horror, this weekend, that the gauge has changed from 8 stitches to the inch to 9.

*commence head beating on desk*

I discovered this fact when I was--wait for it--knitting the heel flap and put the #2 and #1 together for a moment of what should have been bliss. It was hell. #2 is about an inch too short, and ripping back to the beginning of the flap and adding an extra inch won't do it because these are--wait for it--KNEE SOCKS, and the calf decreases are in the wrong place, etc.

So, after a bit of consultation with the fabulous Margaret Heathman at my LYS (Margaret is the freakin' best knitting teacher in the world!), I've decided to rip them back to the ribbing (cause that's ok enough and there's no freaking way I'm going to replay that elastic business again), and do the whole thing all over again.

When I get home tonight I'll grab a glass of wine and commence the ripping. If you hear much anguish and wailing from the general direction of Watkinsville, GA, know that it's just little ol' me and the ball winder duking it out. Cheers!

Posted by KnitNut at 02:42 PM | Permalink

When I haven't been unpacking, sorting, hanging, writing, reading, knitting, I've been spinning on my drop spindle. I took a class last weekend at my fantastic LYS (Main Street Yarns & Fibers in Watkinsville, Ga), and while I don't forsee much spinning in my future, I have tried to practice a bit every day so that I can get better at it.

This weekend I took a stranded knitting class. My practice piece, a yellow and blue armband, came out quite well. I think I may make a hat.

I'm wiped, though, so I'm going to hit the hay now. Just wanted to post a little update. Have a great Monday!

Posted by KnitNut at 10:57 PM | Permalink

So I'm flirting with a new "craft"--scrapbooking--and I've been meditating today on an interesting observation/question.

Why, when we have so many electronic options available for archiving information, are women (mainly) spending thousands (a low estimate, I'm sure) of dollars annually to purchase paper and other earthbound, physical supplies to record their life experiences? I wonder sometimes if it isn't, in part, a desire to connect to the unwired world, a natural response to an increasing lack of connectivity to people. When I look at some of the magazines with their endless parades of sample pages, I get a sense that I'm seeing something false, a representation, for example, of what these women want their children to be instead of a record of who they are. I don't mean to sound harsh...it's just kinda freakish to look at these lavish spreads celebrating children with no event attached to them. It's like a cardboard cutout of life. At least, that's how I see it.

And the altered book thing? What is that all about if not an attempt to reclaim the printed book, an acknowledgement of its impending disappearance and eventual status as artistic artifact.

Don't know why I'm thinking these things. I just wanted to get my 20+ years of photos into some books with some journaling.

Posted by KnitNut at 09:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My pal, Gwen, posted a link to this piece on her LiveJournal today and I felt compelled to pass it on. "Why Nerds Are Unpopular is a meditation on nerdom and school culture that, while pessimistic (this is the nerd's side, after all), really resonates not with my memories of school (cause I've blocked those out), but with my administrative experiences.

This quote, a comparison of schools to prisons, was enough to make me really consider the value of homeschooling:

In outline, it was the same at the schools I went to. The most important thing was to stay on the premises. While there, the authorities fed you, prevented overt violence, and made some effort to teach you something. But beyond that they didn't want to have too much to do with the kids. Like prison wardens, the teachers mostly left us to ourselves. And, like prisoners, the culture we created was barbaric.

My final reactions:

A pessimistic view, but an honestly stated one. And I must admit that I have had some of these same leanings and observations.

I think that schools are too large in general to be effective. Quite frankly, while having lots of activities may be admirable, kids need attention and caring more than they need to be able to pursue X while at school. I went to an all-girl Catholic school for most of my primary & secondary education. There were 50 girls in my graduating class. We had the major sports for girls at the time, a variety of clubs, and that was about it. I took dance lessons outside of school, was involved in church activities (at my mother's behest), and often took summer classes because, quite frankly, I liked being in school. And I think I liked it because my experience was so wonderfully small.

The teachers knew me and everyone there. We'd all passed through their classes at one time or another. The classes were small enough that we got individual attention. We had school spirit activities where everyone attended and cared. Parents were actively involved in school fundraisers--if they weren't, there might not be a school.

Was this idyllic? Probably. Certainly there were problems, and the school is no longer open due to the decision to open the Catholic boys school to girls. But even though I was just as much an outsider in some of the senses that the author states, I think my experience of that was mitigated greatly by the smallness of the school. If you caused someone pain in that environment, everyone knew about it, and you felt really freakin' bad. There were no street-sized corridors swarming with students where you could disappear after your attack; that girl was probably going to be in the next class with you. No way to hide or to avoid the effects of your actions.

So, what do you think?

Posted by KnitNut at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Busy day, busy day...and it's not over yet.

I started the day off with a visit to the library to get the key to my study carrel. I really feel like a doctoral candidate now--I have my own little piece of library real estate and can begin checking out books and journals to my carrel at will.

Once the first blush of carrel acquisition faded, I returned to my teaching life and graded the first round of journal assignments. I only have 11 students in my class this semester, so it wasn't a huge project and I had them ready to return during class.

After class, I had lunch in the office with Jennifer, my first office mate from UGA. She was waiting for the results from her writtens (she passed!) and we chatted about life and grad school. Later, I went to class.

Yes, you read that right. I went to class. I'm taking a class.

It's actually a dissertation device. The class is an open workshop for humanities computing grad students where everyone works on their own project. Since I'm going to be doing pedagogical research involving the department markup program, EMMA, this is the ideal place for me to set up my data formatting and collection. Wahoo! I've already got over 400 data files to mine since my spring lit classes were all marking poetic texts as part of their journaling. If I geek out with the XML & Ruby speak over the next 2 years...well, get over it! :-)

After class I had a mission to accomplish. When I moved to Watkinsville, I left behind many of the comforts of city life, not the least of which is garbage collection. I could, for a monthly fee of about $15, have my trash collected. But I figured, why bother when I can bring my garbage to the county recycling center that is literally around the corner for the measly price of $1 or so a bag. The only problem is that the county approved bags didn't fit into my garbage can (too narrow), so I had to find a new one. Target failed me, but Wal-Mart had the goods--a narrow, stainless steel can with a foot pedal and removable plastic liner. Life is good indeed.

And so I leave you all to unpack my new garbage can and knit my way through some late night television. The Pippi #2 is moving right along--I'm past the calf decreases and heading toward the heel. I will be so happy when these are done.

Have a great night and knit something fabulous!

Posted by KnitNut at 10:42 PM | Permalink

Just a quick note to fill in:

1. Saturday--spend the day unpacking, sorting, and cleaning out one layer in the apartment. Also took a handspinning class--more on that later.
2. Sunday--more cleaning, sorting, and general housekeeping merriment.
3. Monday--teaching and syllabus sorting.

I'm tired, but getting back into the swing of things. When the house is settled (pictures up, things in proper place, etc.), I'll feel a little better.

Oh, and Pippi #2 is moving right along. I'm in the middle of the calf decreases. If I continue at this rate, I'll be giving these by Labor Day. Wahoo!

I've got many socks to knit for Steve and me. So I really need these done.

Posted by KnitNut at 11:40 PM | Permalink

Which flock do you follow?
this quiz was made by alanna

Thanks to The Bridge Troll for the quiz link. I must admit the questions were a bit goofy, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Off to teach!

Posted by KnitNut at 09:04 AM | Permalink

I've just finished the ribbing on Pippi 2. Yes, I have miles of mindless stockinette ahead, but, oh, golly, I was sick of that ribbing!

Now to bed. Goodnight moon.

Posted by KnitNut at 11:58 PM | Permalink

I type this from the comfort of my big-assed queen sized futon while watching Never Been Kissed. Ah, the joys and wonders of wireless. Thank you, Rachel, for your fearless adoption. You inspired me, and I am grateful.

Of course, my lap is feeling a tad bit warm. But anything for progress.

I've gotten a wee bit done on the syllabus front, a couple of rows done on the poncho, and I'm soooo close to finishing the ribbing on Pippi number 2. The syllabus is, of course, the most important thing, and I'm prepared for tomorrow's class at least. This weekend I have to figure out the rest of it.

Posted by KnitNut at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I want to get off!

Seriously.

The trip to Savannah was fantastic. We just sort of wandered around, saw lots of cool stuff, and ate way too much good food. Perfect vacation capped off by an all too brief visit to the beach on Sunday.

Word of caution, though, to seaside travelers--hurricane season is a bad time to visit the Atlantic Ocean. While we were well out of harm's way, we didn't really know that until Charley decided to bypass GA altogether, so our relaxation was kinda hampered by a sense of impending doom.

But I'm back in Watkinsville now, shamelessly procrastinating the construction of a syllabus for the class I'm starting on Friday. Of course, that procrastination is taking the shape of unpacking my bedroom, one of the many rooms in this apartment that remains to be unpacked and settled. *heavy sigh*

And I haven't seen my orange boys in almost 2 months. I hear them all the time when I'm on the phone with Steve (well, I hear Merc--Zeus is quiet). It's just not the same, though.

Posted by KnitNut at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So I'm off again, but this time, it's for fun.

Steve and I are headed to Savannah, with a potential trip to Tybee Island if the mood strikes. Ta Ta!

Posted by KnitNut at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I arose this morning disoriented. Where was I? Before I opened my eyes, I flashed every awakening scene from the past 10 weeks in my head, flipping through them to find just the right snapshot. Whew. I'm in my own bed, Mr. Bear snuggled at my side, my copy of A Gathering of Lace occupying the empty spot in the bed. Home.

I toddled off to the kitchen to make some coffee and found a delightful family of ants out for a morning stroll across my countertop. The 409 rainstorm put a damper on their plans, and they returned to their windowsill doorway in a torrent of Raid And & Roach Killer. We'll see how long it is before they return for another visit.

Picnic thwarted, I started the coffee, had some breakfast, and settled down to sift and sort through my mail. Then I picked up the phone, called my old water/garbage/sewer provider to cancel service at my old residence, since the new tenants still hadn't seen fit to make arrangements to pay for their own water and garbage. Sigh. I'm sure they're perfectly nice people, and had I not been dashing off to LA when I discovered this problem in early July, I would have disconnected the service myself then. It will all be sorted out, for me at least, on August 12. That's when the water gets shut off and the clock stops on billing in my name. Hopefully they'll call me tonight ready to trek over to the Water office tomorrow to settle the bill.

While I'd love nothing more than to stay home all day, I'm going to go to knitting tonight at 4. It's good to return to routine.

Now I'm off to unload the car. Sigh.

Posted by KnitNut at 09:32 AM | Permalink

I'm home! Home! Home! Home!

HOMEY, HOMEY, HOMEY HOME!

I'll write more tomorrow when I've recovered from my delirium.

It's good to be home.

Posted by KnitNut at 11:45 PM | Permalink

If for no other reason than to roll that there calendar over to August, I blog today.

I've been packing up in preparation for my return journey home. A busy week, for sure, what with visiting friends and family, finishing classes, and trying to find ways to stuff all the stuff I brought down here AND the new things (cause I just HAD to shop) into the car. I teach my last 2 days Saturday and Sunday, and then Monday I depart from Baton Rouge for cooler, less humid climes.

Let all the people in North Georgia say what they want; you don't know hot till you've experienced a Louisiana summer.

When I've gotten to my hotel Saturday night (or Sunday, if I'm too tired Saturday), I'll regale you with tales of my shopping adventures and projects underway. Dialup connections aren't the best for uploading pictures. *heavy sigh*

I am currently working on (wait for it) THE PIPPIS and a poncho from FCEK (look at the green poncho under "Poncho Parade"--don't hate me cause I'm knitting with TLC Amore). I've put the Nymph Pi away until I return to GA because I need a consultation with Margaret at my LYS about a new lace pattern for the third panel. I started off with the diamonds in the original, but I made a mistake (that has sort of been corrected) and decided that I'd rather use a different pattern to finish it off. So the Pippis are out of the holding pen. Last night I started the decreases on the toe for (I'm so embarrassed by this) the first one, and I'll be starting up sock number two at some point in the next week. I can actually have these finished within the next couple of weeks if I really put effort into it. And I have to, because I've got yarn for at least 3 pairs of socks I want to make for ME!!! Hehehe.

The poncho is my nod to current fashion trends. I don't know how great it will be for blog photos (it's black) but I will say this: the yarn is soft and cushy and feels nice in my hands, which for acrylic is really saying something!

Posted by KnitNut at 10:35 PM | Permalink