Unfurnished Brooklyn

I is a colidge student

I'm always in college. Something always gets in the way, and I take a semester or two (or three) off. And now that the end is finally near, I'm thinking of grad school.

I was even thinking of law school. Because I'm not as stressed out as I could be.

I get to the campus, and go to the room where I thought the class was meeting. Empty. I go to the English department, locate the course, find the new classroom, troop across campus and- a different class is meeting there. I ask around, and am told to go across campus to another building. Almost: there's a note on the door explaining the course has been moved. Right next to the second room I went to. Back across campus. Walk with another student who can't find the damn class. He crochets. How did we get to talking about that? Because...

I'm carrying a large, clear plastic bag filled with yarn from KnitNY. I swatched up the (not so very) Big Kureyon that I'd purchased intending to make a scarf and hat for myself. It looked even better than in the skein. It needs to be a sweater. So I went back for more, before that dye lot disappears forever. I also bought a couple more skeins of Kureyon color #92: I made a ribbed hat for myself from one skein, and Cheburashka claimed it for herself, so I'm making a matching scarf for her. Brat. But hey, it is tax free week, and that includes yarn.

Anyway... my first class. I would describe the professor as really, really laid back. Another student asked me, "do you think he's high on drugs?" I'm hoping he's just mellow. Very, very mellow. But it seems as if it will be a good course. I haven't written in a long time. My writing muscle has atrophied. And now I'm in a writing workshop with a bunch of fresh-faced 20-somethings who "always knew, even when I was a kid" that they would be writers. There will be a lot of group exercises. I hate group exercises. I'm sure I'll hate them even more when I'm paired with some kid who's just rarin' to go after I've been up all night with a sick toddler. Good thing I'm not working: someone might get hurt.

Um... when did I become an old coot?

BoooooooBaaaaaaah!

Has anyone seen Boobah? Don't go to their site if you've just dropped acid. You'll lose it.

I'd heard of Boobah, and hoped to avoid it, but I needed something to distract my not-a-morning-person little girl while I get her dressed for daycare. Having survived Teletubbies prepared me somewhat for this show, but I'm still a little creeped out.

The Kewpie-doll heads are cute. I admit that. But the way they retract into their big cowl necks... and they curl up into what looks like fig halves... Am I reading too much into this? Is my mind filthier than I thought? Geez... The televangelists went crazy over Tinky Winky- wait til they get a load of this.

Get my learn on

Today I went to the college to pay my tuition and snag any books I may need for my courses. That's the part I hate: having to buy overpriced books just for a chapter or two, and selling it back for a fraction of what I paid. What a racket. Fortunately, two of the three classes are creative writing workshops, so I only needed one book for the publishing course. I ended up shopping the aisles, checking out what books are used for other English courses, and ended up buying a book of short stories by Lev Tolstoy, and James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man. Amazing book, and I'm only a few pages into it.

I'm halfway through my Noro jacket. I'm using #13 needles, so its pretty quick. Even though I did take breaks to make a few hats. I purchased the Rogue pattern from girl from auntie, though I've two more Noro projects to complete before I get started on that. It's a cool pattern, though. I couldn't resist. Man, I've got projects coming out of my ears. And tons of writing to do. I guess I'm set 'til summer.

Oh, by the way: was that you I saw knitting on the train today? Hmm?

Real post tomorrow. I hope.

Can't get it together this weekend, so look at this. I got it from Redheaddread's blog.

Oh, and Ive started a new album for projects completed this year. Take a peek!

Who? What? Where?

What a crazy week. A wild rollercoaster ride.

Spent all damn day up at the college. My records were even more screwed up than I thought. Computers went down when we finally came to a conclusion. It was exhausting.

Cheburashka has been acting out for a few days. I think its a combination of my own preoccupation with things I need to get done, and her schedule with her father getting changed around. She asked a few times if I'd pick her up from daycare. Yesterday I did, to surprise her, and things were cool. Today I didn't, and we went at it again. I think we need to get ourselves back on track. I can't do anything about her father changing his schedule, but I can keep ours going as usual.

On the bright side, I got a couple of packages today: my Silk Garden yarn and my pattern book by Cornelia Hamilton. Beautiful designs using Noro yarn. Yesterday I swung by Seaport Yarn to pick up some Chinchilla yarn to make a chemo cap for a friend, and got to fondle all their beautiful yarn. And snagged some Lamb's Pride Bulky (sable) for a felted Bucket O' Chic. You know, since I'm making hats and all.

Speaking of which, I made two ribbed watch caps from Kureyon: one in shades of blue that has been in my stash for at least 2 years, and the other is shade #92 that I picked up at Knit NY. The blue cap was a special request by my eldest nephew (I hope the other 17 of'em don't catch on and ask for hats!). The other was supposed to be for me, but Cheburashka took a liking to it and it is now her hat alone.

During my daylong stay at the college, I finished the back of the Noro Iro jacket. And half of the sleeve/front panel. The jacket is constructed of a back piece shaped like an inverted T, in garter and stockinette. The front panels, sleeves, and pockets are knit together in one big piece. It goes pretty quickly, using #13 needles. And the yarn is soo soft (just gotta watch out for the knots).

Went on another ripping frenzy: deconstructed a scarf in red Blue Sky Alpaca, and a failed attempt at a mini-Janda (from Knitty, in 1824 Cotton) for Cheburashka. I still don't know what to do with the Prism...

Random thoughts

I'm glad someone swooped in at the last second and snagged the Noro I bid for on eBay. Because I then found the same colorway for a lot less, and won that one. So, nyah nyah.

Why don't people step to the side after paying the cashier? I hate waiting for people to put away their change, find their Metrocard, put on a fresh coat of lip balm, etc, while I'm waiting to ring up my purchases. I'm not shy about telling them to move it along, but why do I have to?

I've ripped, washed, and re-wound the Colinette Prism, and made some swatches for three different sweater ideas. None of them panned out. Is this yarn cursed? Until I figure out exactly what to do with it, I'm going to put it aside. I'll finish the raglan for Cheburashka, and I cast on (and got part of the back done) for a jacket in Noro Iro. Maybe once these are done, a pattern for the Prism will fall into my lap.

Cheburashka and I baked really good pumpkin muffins, using a recipe from the fabulous Redheaddread. I'm always jacking her recipes, and they're always great.

I think I'm going to try to sell some of my stash yarn on eBay. Though I'm totally clueless about selling anything.

Happy Noro Year!

I go through yarn phases. One year it was Classic Elite, another Berrocco and Artful Yarns, another Rowan and Jaeger (that was last year). I buy other brands, of course, but some years certain yarn companies dominate my stash. This year, Noro has taken over.

I have Iro, for a jacket from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2003. I also have some green Cash Iroha I bought early last year and finally made a moss-stitch scarf out of. There was some mystery Noro I bought 2 years ago, which went through several incarnations before the final rip. It then became a scarf and hat set for Beavis. The color was a bit too manly for me (which is a laugh, considering my serious lack of girliness). Beavis was the only guy I could give it to who wouldn't think it a proposal of marriage.

Teeth, coffee, yarn.

Sometimes I hear what I want to hear. I admit that.

I heard the orthodontist say that by our appointment today, the expansion should be completed. What I understood was, we will take it out today. I also heard her when she said the purpose of the expansion was to separate the fused bones in my upper palate. I took that to mean they were just going to make some space, no biggie. I was wrong.

Yes, the expansion complete. My upper teeth are no longer in the wrong position: they are now correctly situated just outside my lower teeth. Yay. But the palatal expander has to stay in for another 6 weeks. Does that time frame sound familiar? It should, if you've ever broken an arm or leg. I have to let the bones that have separated heal. Blew my mind. Because there was no pain, no side effects, I'd gotten used to it and it seemed so very simple.

So, another six weeks. The orthodontist placed a sealant on the expander, so it doesn't shift toward the old position. I no longer have to crank it (pardon the technical jargon) every two days. And after it heals, we move on to braces. I'm thinking about springing for clear braces, instead of the regular ones. I think the whole expander episode was enough. Let's make the period with the braces go a little easier.

My orthodontist is conveniently located near Knit NY. So... guess where I ended up? I had coffee and a pastry, and worked on the sleeve of the Kureyon raglan. It was nearly empty when I arrived, but filled up with knitters and people wandering in for coffee. It was freakin' cold today, I don't know why anyone was wandering anywhere. I guess they worked nearby. I ended up buying another skein of Kureyon in color#92, and two skeins of Big Kureyon (color #7), and I'm trying to figure out the difference between the two. Seem the same, one is in a skein, one in a hank. Hmm. Anyway, hat and scarf for myself, despite my hat and scarf ban. I couldn't resist the color of the Big Kureyon, and I have a cool hat pattern for the Kureyon. Since I won't have any left from my sweater, I bought another.

Since I had the dental appointment today, I didn't go up to City College. That's tomorrow's adventure.

A request

Not a lot to say, I'm tired and crabby from my day at City College.

Ok, I will say this: I'm going to love going back tomorrow to show a certain professor what a fuckup he is. I was ttold by this man that I needed to take four courses. My understanding (after reviewing it with a dean), was that I needed a single credit, in any course I chose. I tried to explain this, and I asked if we could go over it together, but the idiot professor ignored me, saying, no, this is what you need (pointing to the list of classes he'd written down). Then he picked up a pile of papers, and began reading them, with me sitting there at his desk. As if to say, I have spoken- begone! What a dick. I wanted to say something smart, but decided to just walk out.

Sometimes being a pack rat is a good thing: I saved all my paperwork. Turns out there are some courses I'd taken that for some reason aren't in the computer. Yet I have my grades. So, tomorrow I'm going back. What really pisses me off was that he just dismissed me, and didn't bother to review the situation. There was no one waiting. It's not like there was a line of people and he didn't want to take the time. And I'm taking this to his superior, as well. Jackass.

Anyway- my request: I'm putting this out to the knitblog community, hoping I can finally locate this yarn. For a year I've been trying to find Tahki Capri. It's a cotton ribbon yarn. The color I need is oatmeal (beige). I think the color is discontinued- I can't find it anywhere. If anyone knows of where I can find 2 skeins of it, let me know and we'll work out a trade, or payment.

Ripfest 2004

I'm loving this rip-along. I'm just looking for more stuff to rip. Over the weekend I ripped (and started anew) a sweater for Cheburashka. Today I ripped out the sleeves and front panels of a jacket I nearly completed last year. Since I alternated skeins, I had to rip out two rows using the winder, then two rows by hand. It wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. Didn't take long at all, but I did leave the back for tomorrow.