Too Much Wool

ESL: Banana Pliet

On Thursday I went shopping. I had to. There was no more food, and I had actually gotten tired of eating food cooked by other people.

So, I did the Soho to Chinatown run. Actually, its the Union Square to Chinatown run.
The Union Square to Soho part of the journey doesn't count because I wasn't doing anything of blog interest.

The Soho run consists of:

1. Staying as far as possible from Broadway and the crowds there
2. Stopping at Purl to get something for someone else, believe it or not.
3. Walking down the block to Sullivan Street Bakery.
4. Meander down the quietest streets I can find to Sunrise Mart on Broome St. (Here's a link to an article about the other Sunrise location, which mentions the bakery of the evil tiramisu peddlers.)

And so we come to our next episode of linguistic delights.

I had noticed, when I walked in, someone at a table near the front door. I assumed she was giving out samples. I've seen tables set up there for that reason before. After I paid  the cashier told me to 'please enter the contest' so I went to the table. Any customer spending more than $10 got a chance to win an instant prize.

As an aside, I have some idea that this had to do with New Year's. I couldn't figure out any other reason for it.

So, I'm instructed to reach into a big fabric-covered cardboard box and 'pick a ball'. I reach in, and pull out a red ball the size of a candy machine bubblegum ball. I'm smart enough to know that red is good, and indeed I was a prizewinner.

Behold Banana Pliet. Or Pliet-Banana. It says both.

First issue. What is a "pliet"? A Google search turns up nothing. I suspect it might have to do with the ballet term plié.

There is some nutrition information on the back, which identifies the item as a "Baked Cake". Very informative, that.

I'm not going to give you the ingredients list or the nutrition information. I'll share with you the other piece of English writing on the original wrapper:

A fresh banana was wrapped in banana cloth gently for the cream that was fully used.

I'm still working on it.

I proceeded to Mott Street to buy vegetables. There my lack of fluency in languages other than English prevented me from having any idea how much my purchase totalled. I just handed over a twenty and took the change.

Touché.

Je pense?

An informal poll:

Which of these statements best describes you?

1. I think, therefore I blog
2. I knit, therefore I am
3. I blog, therefore I am
4. I blog, therefore I think
5. I knit, therefore I blog
6. I blog, therefore I knit
7. cogito ergo sum
8. je pense, donc, je suis

I woke up on the wrong side of the blog this morning.

The obligatory link.

titbits

I continue to enjoy my freedom. I've had all of my time to myself for the past 72 hours, and I like it -- a little too much. Somehow, this still hasn't translated into tons of knitting time, but I don't mind. I'm keeping busy. Long walks, bingeing on tiramisu, no schedule, no guilt, no one to answer to.

Here we have the ...... toys.... on the lawn at City Hall park.

I have several pictures that I took of these sculptures. I liked this one for the perspective pigeons.

I have ideas about what the inclusion of giant toy animals says about city government, but no matter what I think about hidden meanings, they're really kind of cute.

Once again I walked all day on Wednesday. Thanks to a blessed break in the cold weather, it wasn't too painful to be outside in normal (rather than arctic) clothing, and I was happy for the respite.

I'm almost (12 rows short of a wristlet) done with the second "Danish" wristlet. In the interests of knitting content, I'm including a picture of the first one (which I've worn at all times while knitting its mate). I think this is a much better picture than the one I posted yesterday. It shows the wristlet in actual use; for the record, they're amazingly warm.

Thanks in part to a late-night discussion with a friend, this post is abbreviated and I now know I weigh 8.3 stone. This is an entirely useless titbit of information. Trading British-isms in the wee hours of the night is fun, but not entirely productive. I'd have been better off knitting.

Absolutely nothing

Things I did on Tuesday:

I found out that a family friend in Thailand is all right. This doesn't lessen the shock of the disaster there, but does give me one less thing to worry about. I haven't mentioned it before, because I really don't feel that anything I say, or any links I could provide, would add anything to the news that's already out there for all to see. Do what you can to help.

I went back to the Rubin Museum of Art and saw the Kenro Izu photography exhibit. This was worth the entire trip into Manhattan. A picture of his from Angkor Wat reminded me of the photos my sister took there. A print of one of those pictures would make an excellent holiday gift (Yo! pay attention, sister).

I continue to read Cloud Atlas. It continues to enchant me. This leaves precious little time for knitting. When I reach that state of nirvana that consists of being able to knit from a chart while reading, I'll be on another plane of existence (or so I like to think).

The new issue of Piecework arrived. I was actually surprised, with this issue, to find something I didn't like. The momentary disappointment was quickly dispelled by the excellent articles. You can see the table of contents for this issue on their website.
There are two knitted projects, one of which is a shawl pattern by Evelyn Clark, the other being a wristlet pattern by Nancy Bush. The wristlet pattern accompanies a short article on Danish nattrøjer which includes pictures I hadn't seen before. Anything about nattrøjer is good news. I continue to love Piecework.

I did manage to make one 'Danish' wristlet. It just so happened that I had one skein in an odd dye lot of the exact yarn called for in the Piecework pattern. Of course, being close to midnight when I took the picture, and being a knit/purl pattern, its very hard to accurately show any detail. It's a generic Scandinavian star design with borders at the top and bottom.

Although I'm in love with the idea of wristlets, I realize now that I've completed one that they bear a striking resemblance to the (currently retro-style) terrycloth wristwarmers from the late 70s. I'm trying not to let that interfere with the happiness I have from completing one small knitted item. Considering that I'm having flashbacks to the 70's, this is rather difficult.

 

Here are a couple of links I became obsessed with on Tuesday.

This one is an excellent article on darning. Whether you've made socks that are in need of repair or just wondered how its done, this looks like a good primer with excellent photographs. All of this is academic, as I haven't actually darned anything. But I provide the link for your darning pleasure.

Apropos of absolutely nothing, this is an article from Wikipedia on ligatures. I've always liked ligatures. I never said I wasn't a little weird.

 

Knitsense

I seem to have lost my knitsense. Here I am, at home and surrounded by pounds of wool. I have not yet knit a stitch. Considering that its currently 22˚F, this isn't such a great thing. I went out and thought, "Thrums would be nice."

I don't have thrummed mittens.

It also occurred to me that once you're outside and its 22˚, it's already too late to think about the sweaters you need this winter. But I do have a ... something that's closer to finished than started, so I'll be getting back to that shortly. Once I convince my thawing brain that stockinette stitch is possible even after a 72 hour plus hiatus.

It also occurred to me that this blog would be more interesting if I had a constant parade of fabulous objects to show. It would be preferable if these were things I had actually made, but ...... um, not right now (I have a headache?). I don't have any. I mean, I guess I could take pictures of socks I haven't blog-whored. Not really exciting socks, but they are Koigu and they are finished. They're not from my sock drawer - they're still brand-new.

I could also take another tack and tell uplifting and inspiring stories of generosity and kindness in the world. It's seasonally appropriate and I've recently been showered with undeserved kindnesses.

For example:

Susan has gifted me beyond all reason and belief. In today's mail this was waiting:

My very own Sophie purse. Handknitted for me. You have no idea how touched I am by this gift. No one (my mom is the possible exception) ever makes anything for me.

What looks like a sparkly decoration is actually a set of four handmade stitch markers.

I was probably the last knitter on earth to not own a single beaded stitch marker. That has now been remedied and I am the thrilled owner of these four stitch markers.

Then there's another story, one of gifts hastily given and memories not dimmed by time or distance (did I ever mention that my mom used to call me Sarah Bernhardt because of my over-dramatization of everything?).

Once upon a time (about 8 years ago), a friend brought a visiting guest from Japan to a local quilt show. I was one of the quilters who met this lovely woman, Miyako Suwa, and spent time with her over the course of two days. She made the most amazing quilts, generally miniaturization's of traditional patterns, and I learned that her next project was a yo-yo quilt.

I had a bag of pieces and some finished yo-yo's that an Amish friend in central PA (near State College) had given me. I knew I'd never use them, and I thought that Miyako would probably be touched by a gift of vintage quilt pieces. Mind you, I wasn't being particularly generous, I just didn't think I'd ever use them. I received a beautiful piece of Japanese silk brocade later that year, as a thank-you gift. Memory of the entire event faded from my memory.

About two weeks ago, I got an email from the mutual friend who had introduced me to Miyako. She said that Miyako's quilt had won an honorable mention award at the International Quilt Festival in Houston (the biggest show in the country). Miyako had sent me another gift, as a thank you for the gift of some of the pieces of her prize-winning quilt, Welcome!!

On Thursday, I received her gift. An absolutely exquisite hanging, which now graces my hallway. Red, celebratory, and reminding me of brief kindnesses long ago, I want it to remind in the coming year of how little acts of kindness aren't forgotten.

 

holiday whirlwinds

I've got a few musings from the holiday weekend, which is all I'm going to be able to manage for Monday morning. Sorry about posting two list-type entries in a row.

If you're going to be stuck in an airport, I'd recommend Cloud Atlas  by David Mitchell as a book to get stuck with. It got me through 4 hours in the airport and the flight home, complete with turbulence. I was thoroughly and completely able to lose myself. Considering I was ready to kill someone, this was very good.

Thirty degrees farenheit is not cold. -2, near Lake Michigan, is cold.

I love Australian cattle dogs. Even when its -2 out and they want to play. Not being a "dog person", this is actually quite remarkable. I miss Attila already.

If a leak in the ceiling above your computer develops 12 hours before you're due to leave town, its a test of your character. It's not pleasant but you'll survive. I'm living proof.

Nieces and nephews improve with age. They improve exponentially after they reach legal drinking age.

Living with absolutely no internet or computer access for 72 hours is not pleasant. It can be muddled through but its not a pretty sight. I'm now convinced that laptops are not optional, but physically necessary for survival.

Detroit is only pretty when you fly over it at night. Ditto Milwaukee, Erie and Newark.

I didn't knit for 72 hours. I brought plastic needles and laceweight wool, but was unable to pay enough attention to actually start a project while I was gone. I didn't have a seizure, an anxiety attack, DTs or any other serious withdrawal symptoms. I'm still pondering the meaning of this.

Do you know this woman?

You know, I've been doing this blog-thing for a couple of months now. I've been reading blogs for about two years... and I still think they're weird. I realized just how weird when I went to Rhinebeck and recognized people. In only one or two cases did I recognize the actual persons (Cari and Stephanie), while in others I recognized knitted objects. And I knew things like the names of people's pets, their children, and where they lived.

And no one knew me. It was kind of like being invisible. Well, almost. Except my shawl got a lot of attention.

So, the 100 things list. You know..... I said wasn't going to do it. Because its just way too weird. I mean, okay: If I walk into a LYS and someone recognizes something I'm wearing from my blog (hasn't happened yet, btw) that might be cool. But the rest of this stuff?

1. I like snakes and used to have a pet boa.
2. I talk to wild birds.
3. I'm allergic to cats. I've only been allergic to cats since I was 20.
4. I think I have a good sense of humour.
5. I used to be a heavy smoker.
6. I haven't ridden a bicycle since I was 13.
7. I've never had a drivers license.
8. I'm not proud of #7. I might have to change that.
9. I love to cook.
10. I had one c-section 16 years ago and am deathly afraid of having another.
11. I get keloid scars.
12. On an almost daily basis I want to smoke cigarettes...
13. I stopped smoking almost 4 years ago.
14. I've lived in Brooklyn for all but 5 years of my life.
15. I'm allergic to milk but eat dairy anyway. In very limited quantities.
16. I lived in 4 states besides NY in the 5 years I didn't live here.
17. I think drinking tea solves many problems.
18. I've never lost a set of keys.
19. I don't think I've ever been part of the "in" crowd.
20. I used to believe in reincarnation but I don't anymore.
21. I have one tattoo.
22. I've had my nose pierced for 16 years.
23. I pierced my nose and several earring holes myself. I almost never wear a nose ring but can do so whenever I want.
24. I don't believe in luck.
25. I've never dyed or permed my hair.
26. Now that straight hair is in style, mine is going gray.
27. I've never met my biological father. When given the chance I chose not to.
28. There's nothing I'd like to do more than travel.
29. I've hardly traveled at all in my life.
30. I'm half Italian. Half of that is Sicilian.
31. I have a really vicious temper.
32. I wore my hair in a bun every day for 10 years.
33. I now wear it down all the time.
34. I like spicy food for breakfast. Sweet food in the morning makes me gag.
35. I hate opening presents in front of people.
36. I have an excellent memory.
37. I lost an ex-lover to suicide.
38. I still have trouble with that.
39. I've never shot a gun.
40. I have a small knife collection.
41. I almost never wear pants.
42. I love to play with words.
43. I'm just barely 5 feet tall. I no longer mind being very short.
44. I've never gone to a movie alone. This worries me.
45. I think polar fleece is evil.
46. Except for my sister, no one in my family knows I blog.
47. I've considered not telling them so I can talk about them.
48. I'm hypersensitive to both color and smell.
49. Quilt show judges always criticize my color choices.
50. I teach color and design classes at a quilt shop.
51. I drink both coffee and tea. I don't drink coffee in the evening or tea in the morning.
52. I love dark chocolate. And only dark chocolate.
53. I'm extremely loyal to my friends.
54. I think of myself as shy. No one else does.
55. I curse prolifically.
56. I rarely talk about my religious beliefs.
57. I can quilt 10 or more stitches to the inch.No one else in my family knows how to quilt.
58. I'm two months shy of 37 years old.
59. After I learned to read, I did almost nothing else for years.
60. Now I knit the way I used to read. I still read, just not as much.
61. I often like being alone.
62. I eat seaweed on a regular basis.
63. The thing I hate most in the world is crowds.
64. Being stuck in a tight space comes a very close second for 'most hated' thing.
65. I've never been afraid of spiders. I don't understand being afraid of spiders.
66. I have nightmares about my computer that remind me of hallucinating.
67. When I was little I used to hallucinate when my fever broke.
68. I think polyester should be banned.
69. I never listen to the radio.
70. I almost never watch television, but I love movies.
71. I think handmade things are better. period.
72. I don't play any musical instruments.
73. I can't sing well, but I wish I could.
74. I would like to learn to speak several languages.
75. I love shoes. My feet generally don't love shoes.
76. I did very well in school.
77. I hated school most of the time and often didn't attend.
78. I ran away from home when I was 15.
79. Sometimes I think I'm not competitive. Other times, I know I am.
80. I procrastinate a lot.
81. I dislike people who are small-minded.
82. I often feel more comfortable around children than adults.
83. I used to think I was very intelligent. I'm not so sure about that anymore.
84. This is the 3rd time I've written this list. The other two were edited as not being fit for public consumption.
85. My favorite food is ...... I don't have one.
86. I was very skinny for most of my life.
87. I've gained a little weight and now I realize how vain I am.
88. I don't have a favorite colour either. But red is at the top of the list.
89. I can't stand pretentiousness.
90. I mouse with my left hand. Otherwise I'm right-handed.
91. I think that people see me in a very different way than I see myself.
92. Browsing bookstores is my favorite way to kill time outside my house.
93. I love thunderstorms.
94. I'm a 3rd generation Brooklynite. I do not have a Brooklyn accent.
95. I sometimes think I'd like to live somewhere rural. and raise sheep.
    
96. I love watching the sun rise.
97. I'm wishing this list made me sound more ..... intelligent than it does.
98. I used to think this list would give the reader some insight about me... I no longer am sure of that.
99. I deeply believe that there is more to the world than most of us are willing to see.

I stopped at 99.
On purpose.

A Happy Christmas to all.... and a restful and peaceful weekend to those who celebrate otherwise.

RMA Review, unvest, etc

I think I'm in love with a museum.

I did it. I went to the the RMA  (the Himalayan art museum that almost bit me) on Wednesday. The only glitch was, I hadn't noticed that Wednesday is their one day to close early (5pm) so I didnt' get to spend as much time there as I would have liked.

The museum is phenomenal. If at all possible, you must go there. Immediately.

The space itself is just wonderful. The exhibit spaces are peaceful, and simply laid out. Each floor's exhibit circles around a central spiral staircase (the location was formerly the home of Barney's and the staircase is a remant from that era.)  If you take a look at their exhibitions page, you'll see that the exhibits are done floor by floor, with each floor having a theme. The art is mostly from Tibet, Nepal, India and China. It was all stunning.

I've also not been to a museum in the city for quite a while where the security and docents were that pleasant. When I was welcomed at the door, I truly felt like an honored guest.

I only got to see about 4 of the 6 exhibit floors, and I didn't get to spend enough time on any of them. I had especially wanted to see the photography exhibit of Kenro Izu's work on the lower (theater) level, but didn't even get to peak at it. I fully intend to get there again right after Christmas, and spend most of a day taking my time and seeing everything.

In knitting news, we have this:

Something that looks suspiciously like a sleeveless vest. This is remarkable for a number of reasons.

• It's almost a decent picture of me (mostly because my head is turned)
• I took it by myself with the timer on my camera
• It's not actually a vest
• It fits me
• I love it.

I'm getting excited, and actually looking forward to working on it. I've now begun the increases on the sides. That tidbit is the kind of thing Norma-who-shall-not-be-linked- two-days-in-a-row might say 'blah blah blah' about, but I maintain my position that someone out there (besides myself) has to be thrilled that the thing is now larger than a sportsbra. If only because it means that I'm that much closer to starting an interesting project when this is over. You really have no idea how much I dislike stockinette.

turning points

Winter Solstice was a nice change. The weather changed from insanely cold to just normal winter cold. I got out and kept busy, which was also refreshing, having been afflicted with lethargy that I was powerless to fight for the last several days.

In the spirit of my new-found momentum, I'm planning a trip Wednesday afternoon to The Rubin Museum of Art, the museum that (almost) bit me on the ass the other day.

I met Cara for the first time on Tuesday. We got together at Purl and shopped together and then had coffee next door at Once Upon a Tart. We both had fun, and I'm hoping that sometime after the holidays we can get together again. It was great to get to meet her, and was my first planned get-together with a blogging friend. (Rhinebeck didn't count, I didn't plan on meeting anyone there. Any and all blogger-stalking that happened there was done by Norma   accidental and cannot be held against little ol' me.)

I bought some Silk Garden, for this Hat and Cowl. I have no idea why. It stuck in my mind that 3 skeins would make both, and having coveted this colourway of SG since I'd first seen it, it gave me an excuse to buy it. I also have a lovely discontinued colourway of SG somewhere, all neutrals. But .... I have FOUR skeins of that. It wouldn't work, you see.

There's something ochre-y; a yellowish/greenish on either side of the Silk Garden. That appeared mysteriously in my house on Sunday. I don't know what the hidden meaning of it is, but I suspect it will reveal itself eventually.

I also started a new flared lace smoke ring, this time in 100% alpaca. Yes, I know, this is my third one. Right now I need something mindless, soothing, and totally devoid of shaping for my sanity. I need subway knitting, knitting I can do on absolute auto-pilot (or several glasses of wine/eggnog/holiday cheer) and this fits the bill. I never mentioned that the other day I schlepped along the smoke ring pattern, yarn and needles for an entire day, thinking I was going to cast on on the train. Ha! I forgot that it was 168 sts cast on and I also forgot to bring any stitch markers. When I made the two previous versions I used little vinyl hair elastics between every pattern repeat. Mindless knitting, indeed. I'm sorry about the blurriness of the thumbnail. Sometimes the contrast on the pic is low and the thumbnail is bad, but it seems as though the popup is clear and true. Please click on it for more detail.

I did knit a few rows on the Sw.....r. Remember that? It was wool, it was brick red, and it was bigger than a breadbox. Yeah, that. Nothing is wrong with it. I made tremendous amounts of progress on it while watching DVDs my sister had loaned me. Then, the lethargy hit and I was screwed. At this point, I'm up to the waist of the ... thing. I've completed all the shaping decreases, and am 2 rows into 3/4" of knitting that happens before I begin to increase. To my utter astonishment, this seems to be right on target with the actual shape of my body. Since nothing else in the universe ever fits right, I'm suspicious. Which is slowing me down.

Intelligent, professional-type people out there, 'fess up. This mental block that I'm trying to deal with --- there's got to be a name for it, right? Anyone care to phrase it politely?

Food, for thought

So, here we are. The shortest day. The longest night.

First things first. Someone should have warned me to not bother posting this week as it seems that everyone is on vacation and no one is reading blogs anyway. I thought that the crocheted chaos equation was the most interesting thing I'd seen in days. I just hope someone else enjoyed it.

Second things second. Remind me not to post hideous pictures of myself that make me look even more like a witch than I normally do. I swear, at least two people told me that yesterday's picture was the better of two choices before I posted it. I've always done an incredible Margaret Hamilton/Wicked Witch of the West imitation, but I didn't think that kind of thing caused permanent damage.

Thirdly, I have been absolutely unable to accomplish anything. A friend who goes  for things that I cannot comprehend claims that nothing gets done during the week around winter solstice. This year, at least, I'm inclined to agree. This means, no pictures unless you want me to start being rather .... creative. Bear with me. I know better than to try to force anything. If you knew me, you'd agree that it isn't safe.

And now, another recipe.

I have ideas about things that I should be eating. Having a serious aversion to sweet orange vegetables (yams, winter squash, carrots), but thinking that I ought to be eating them anyway, I've come up with a few recipes that I actually like. Unlike my cookie recipes, which are pretty exact for textural reasons, my other recipes tend to be vague.

Somewhat original recipe #2: Butternut squash

1 medium sized butternut squash
shiitake mushrooms - as many as you can afford, 4-8 oz.
1 can whole peeled tomatoes - imported, preferably. Luigi Vitelli brand is my preference
1 small (15.5 oz) can chickpeas
garlic in generous quantity
olive oil, of the virginal persuasion
salt, pepper
chipotle chile powder
thyme, dried or fresh
paprika - 1 tsp (optional)

What to do:
Cut the squash in half. Remove seeds. Then, with a very sharp knife and lots of patience, peel it and cut into chunks. Size depending on personal preference/patience.

cut ends off tomatoes where necessary. Quarter them.

Peel garlic. slice. (I don't mince it, I'm not trying to hide anything.)

Remove mushroom stems and slice into 1/8" strips.

Sauté mushroom slices and garlic in olive oil. Before the garlic browns, add tomatoes. Add butternut squash chunks and spices. I usually add some water (not too much unless you feel like eating soup) to facilitate the cooking of the squash.

Simmer, partially covered, until the squash is extremely tender. Add chickpeas (being canned, they're already cooked) towards the end of the cooking process.

How to eat: Serve hot with crusty chunks of bread. Or on noodles (like egg noodles). Or with rice.

About spice quantities: I like this quite spicey. I found the chipotle chile powder (which is basically smoked jalapeño peppers) covers up the squashlike taste of the squash. To me, this is good. I use about 1/2 teaspoon or so. Adjust to taste. Salt and pepper are always a personal thing. I use a little thyme in this, but not much. I like paprika, but only if its very good quality. Otherwise its just red powder and tasteless. I have a lot of opinions.

About the beans: I think that black beans would make a gorgeous colour combination in this dish. Very dark red kidney beans likewise. I'm fond of chickpeas in general and use them with very little provocation.
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What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more. (Hamlet IV iv/W. Shakespeare)