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March 30, 2005
none for me!
So the eye surgery got postponed until next Tuesday. Grr. Oh, well.
Instead of going under the knife laser, I took Amy over to the yarn store and then we had lunch with her sister and the kids, then we sat around at her house and knitted. It was pretty domestic. I made a hat with some of the sari silk that I got at Artfibers, but I think I'm going to take it apart since it's way too freaking big.
March 28, 2005
gone to heaven
After an interesting but somewhat tedious class today, I walked up to Artfibers. I've been meaning to go for months (it's like four blocks from the A.C.T.), but haven't gotten around to it. What a FOOL I've been!
I was inspired to go because Stephanie was raving about their Chai silk yarn. Well, it's as gorgeous as she said. It was tough to pick a color, but I got the sort-of-rose color. Then I grabbed some earthy variegated Paco, a cotton/alpaca blend. It doesn't look spectacular on the spool, but the plain stockinette swatch they had was just stunning. Then I was lured into the corner where the hanks of reclaimed sari silk were hanging. I'd seen a lot of this at Stitches, and had been disappointed in the texture. But this stuff is sleek and heavy and smooth, and the colors are hypnotic. So I got some.
And then I saw the Kyoto. Holy Mary Mother of God. This stuff is positively luminous. It's like it's lit from within. It's a strand of lofty mohair twisted up with luscious, glowing spun silk in a *slightly* lighter color. Did I mention that it's luminous? I normally don't like the royal/electric blue family, but that's the color I got. I've never seen anything bluer. And holy shit, I thought I'd need sunglasses to look at the orange color.
I eventually had to leave because I was starting to get dizzy.
Less blogging, more knitting.
Posted by Kate at 7:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackMarch 27, 2005
Happy Easter
This has got to be the funniest thing I've ever read. It might be because I've had a long day and I've eaten a whole bunch of Peeps, but I am seriously about to die laughing.
Posted by Kate at 10:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBackMarch 26, 2005
Abbie, don't look!
I mailed Abbie's Cheshire Cat hat (and bonus other stuff) today, so I can post a picture of the hat (but not of the bonus knitted item), which is just too damned cute.
The show opened last night. It was fine, no disasters, and the audience seemed to like it. I left the gala early because my eyeballs were tired. I'm going to have PRK surgery on Tuesday at Stanford, and I'd had my pupils dilated earlier in the day. I wanted to have LASIK, but apparently my corneas are too thin. How absolutely unfair that there's a part of me that's prohibitively thin. Oh, well, at least this way I'll be getting some Valium.
March 24, 2005
De la Terre a la Lune
I got home from rehearsal last night (it was good) and discovered I didn't have anything to knit. (Well, I DID, but I didn't wanna knit on my cashmere scarf and I didn't want to work on Misty Garden, which is my at-rehearsal-or-the-dentist-or-stuck-in-traffic project.) So I picked up that Crystal Palace Kid Merino and my US10s and dug in.
Man, it's weird to work with this stuff after working with Manos. The two yarns could not be more different. The Manos is dense, textural, entirely of the earth, and the kid merino is so light I can barely tell I'm holding it. It's like knitting with cotton candy. When I cast on, it kept snagging against the hangnail on my thumb.
But I like it a lot. I can't wait for this little scarf (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts) to be finished. Alas, I can't knit very fast with it. Every time I start picking up speed, I make a mistake. Funny that this is so slow and plodding and the Manos was lightning fast.
Posted by Kate at 4:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackMarch 23, 2005
Mmmmanos
If it was a little less scratchy, Manos del Uruguay would be my new perfect favorite yarn. I just whipped up a hat with it, and it was unbelievably scrumptious to work with. The variations in color and thickness were absolutely fascinating, and they made every stitch interesting. I'm dying to make something else with it, but I'm not convinced I'll be able to stand it next to my skin. I think I'll make a wristband with the remains of the skein and try it out.
March 20, 2005
Sunday, Bloody Tech Sunday
It was actually not too bad. I've been through much, much worse Tech Sundays. This was pretty low-key. Still, there's a ton that needs to happen before we open. Some of the plays are really cool and good, and some of them haven't quite gelled yet, but I'm confident it will all come together as shows always magically do.
Yesterday I got a great big skein (440 yards) of beautiful, variegated deep blue Alchemy Promise mohair. It's scrumptious. I have no idea what I want to do with it. Any ideas?
Posted by Kate at 9:34 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBackohmyfuckinggod
I love the show tunes channel on DIRECTV. I really do. However, having to hear MICHAEL FUCKING BALL sing "The Winner Takes It All" really, really, really, really freaks me out. It's so horrible, I can't turn it off. I want to call the Abba people and ask them if they authorized this, and if so, can they please send me some of the DRUGS THEY WERE ON WHEN THEY DID.
Margaret, back me up on this!
Posted by Kate at 12:19 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBackDiscomboobulated
Went to the Pear today to try to be helpful. Was weird to be let loose in somebody else's theatre. Tech is tomorrow. Not convinced the projector situation will work as planned. Convinced that Ron and Jossie will make it cool anyway.
Just got back from seeing Blithe Spirit. There were many martinis onstage (without ice in the shakers, which puzzled me). Made me thirsty. Am now having drinkie.
Posted by Kate at 12:15 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBackMarch 18, 2005
gauge, shmauge
The Cheshire Cat Hat is finished. It looks pretty great, but it's kinda big. Next time I make one, I'll cast on fewer stitches and that should help. Also, I'd like to tweak the decreases towards the bottom. It sort of drops off a little too fast. But it looks swell on, and I'm sure Abbie will dig it. It's nice and warm, and very festive.
I still have a migraine. Could I have a new head, please?
Posted by Kate at 11:52 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBackMarch 15, 2005
It's not a production meeting without a baked potato
I'm supposed to be at a run-through right now, but I left because my head feels like it's about to fall off. Will coffee help or hurt my head? How about some Vicodin and gin?
Posted by Kate at 9:30 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBackNot the sun, but maybe one of its beams
Dear Baby Jeebus,
Please let this be the Triumphant Cable Deal we have been praying for for six years, one month and a week. Don't jerk us around. We hate that.
thank you,
Kate
March 14, 2005
Naughty
I sort of came home with some yarn today. In the interests of full disclosure, that's an issue of Rebecca, two sets of needles, six balls of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk (some of it came today from eBay), another ball of Filatura 127 Print, some delicious Crystal Palace Kid Merino in an extremely girly pink, and My First Manos.
The alpaca is for Abbie's cheshire cat hat (yes, I'm working on it, hold your horses), the mohair is for a scarf for me, and the Filatura and the Manos are for random hats.
I got the alpaca at a different LYS, Uncommon Threads, in Los Altos. They had some stuff that my normal store doesn't have, and they've got shitloads of patterns and books, but they weren't super friendly. I was there for almost two hours looking for a pattern for a bed jacket for my mommy, but couldn't find anything. Not once did the women there acknowledge my presence or offer any help. The lady who rang up my stuff was very pleasant and complimented me on my Hollycraft pendant, but I was still a little put off. Still, their prices are good, and they stock Lamb's Pride.
I finished off that hat last night and it's super cute. Kinda hot for July March, but still, I like it.
Less writing, more knitting.
March 13, 2005
projects
1. The Manolo said I couldn't wear them, but I defiantly finished my legwarmers and wore them around the last night. It's not like I'm going to wear them with a miniskirt! Yeesh. Anyway, once the novelty of knitting on DPNs had worn off, they were a bit uninteresting to knit, since they're in plain stockinette. I used Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK in "frolic". I didn't love knitting with it. It was a little scratchy and I didn't like the way it squeaked under the needles. The legwarmers themselves aren't scratchy at all, though.
2. The bamboo circulars are working much better with the cashmere yarn. It's still slow, though. I can't get over the feeling like I'm going to break them. I'm determined to do at least one pattern repeat a day, which is no problem, since it's the world's easiest lace pattern.
3. A couple of months ago I bought a ball of Filatura Di Crosa 127 Print on a glowing recommendation from one of the girls at my LYS. I'd been intending to make a hat with it once I learned to knit in the round. Last night as soon as I'd woven in the ends of my legwarmers, I dived into my stash and cast on with this stuff. I LOVE IT. It's reasonably soft for 100% wool, and it knits up very neatly, but what I am addicted to is the color variation. It's mostly one main color (in my case, a rich navy blue) with intermittent streaks of bold contrasting color. The random patterns it creates are just fascinating. I gotta go get me some more of this stuff.
Posted by Kate at 12:19 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBackMarch 12, 2005
Yum
I admit, I was a little slow to embrace the Genius That Is Sondheim. Troy made me see the light, and now I'm a believer.
Anyway, Troy and Rob and I went to see Sweeney Todd at Foothill last night. It was marvelous. Our seats were front row center (thanks to Miss Vicki), so close that we were practically on stage. It made the whole show, especially the numbers with the whole ensemble on stage, extremely visceral. The acting was great, the singing was marvelous, and it was delightful to get to see Jake singin' and dancin'.
Posted by Kate at 12:33 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBackMarch 10, 2005
Another Good Deed
The lovely and fascinating Schuyler needs your help! If you've got any spare cash, please consider helping this remarkable girl and her family.
March 8, 2005
Poker with the Criminally Insane
Bad night at the poker tables. The first tournament wasn't so awful. I lost, thanks largely to the machinations of a crazy person, but I came in sixth after being down to 400 in chips , and I caught one of the really good players bluffing. That was a small pot, but it was a satisfying one.
The SECOND, however. Ugh. I got seated again with the CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY person. I swear every single time I called, he would call and/or bet after me. First I had AJ suited. I bet it pre-flop, after the flop and on the turn. There was nothing but crap on the board. Finally I checked on the river, he called and had AQ. Yeesh. Then he beat my pocket jacks by pairing up a queen (which was a fair enough beat). He now had most of my chips. Finally, I got big slick. I went all in and he called me with K3 off, and caught a 3 on the flop. How do you call with that hand? This was several hands AFTER he'd not called with big slick in a gigantic two-way all-in hand, which he would have won.
This guy plays like a lunatic. It's so frustrating. He folds when he should call and calls with absolutely nothing. Grrrrrrrrrr. I really don't mind losing to someone I can learn from, honest. But this annoys the crap out of me.
Posted by Kate at 11:07 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBackGood Deed-doers
I'm way too unorganized to put together my own fundraiser, but I know some exceptionally cool chicks who are raising money for some great causes. If you can afford to, I urge you to help out! I can't think of a better way to celebrate International Women's Day.
Amy is going on a walk-a-thon for the March of Dimes, and she'll just have had surgery!
Kris is going on her fifth annual MS Walk to support her brother Tom!
Stephanie has formed an offshoot of Doctors Without Borders called "Knitters Without Borders". She's gotten her faithful readers to donate over $60,000 to DWB!
Rock on, ladies!
Posted by Kate at 2:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBackMarch 7, 2005
You know it's time for bed when...
...your leg warmer starts to look like a cast cozy.
March 6, 2005
Tiny Needles
Last night I started working with the lace-weight cashmere I got at Stitches. Man, it's a beeyatch. I can't quite get the hang of the itty bitty size 1 needles. The aluminum tips just won't grab onto the yarn. Is there such a thing as bamboo circulars?
With Rob home and unable to move, I've prepared three meals a day for a couple of days and cleaned up after all of them. How do regular housewives do this every day? I'm pooped. And there's still laundry to do! I do have to say, though, that the tortilla soup I made last night was freaking awesome. And I sure miss my mobile, helpful honey.
Tonight it's takeout and nice thick Brooks Farm Mohair on number 8 needles. I need a rest.
(Here's the aforementioned Brooks Farm Mohair. The piece is a lot longer now, but you get the idea.)
Posted by Kate at 12:56 PM
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March 5, 2005
easily amused
This chick cracks me up on a regular basis, but this blog entry made me spit coffee on my monitor...
Posted by Kate at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackMarch 4, 2005
Poor Footie
So here I am on a Friday morning, wondering what I'm going to do for the next four days. Poor Rob had his foot (I guess it was his ankle) surgery yesterday and he is basically immobile until Monday. He seems to be feeling okay, though he won't share his Vicodin with me, and he's extremely cranky (justifiably) about the prospect of four days with no shower.
Rob and I don't usually spend a *lot* of time together. It's going to be interesting to see how we pass the time cooped up together in the living room. I think I need to go buy him some new video games.
p.s. Oh, yeah, and I got the gig at Renegade! I'll be working on their production of "Skyscraper" this fall. Woohoo!
p.p.s. I finished Ruffles. It rocks.
March 2, 2005
Nuttin, Honey
I had an interview to stage manage for Renegade yesterday. Other than that, I didn't leave the house. I barely got up off of the couch. I actually got up early enough to go to Yoga, but the gravitational pull of the sofa was too great. Once I was out of the house, I could have gone to the store to get lettuce so we could have salad with our leftover lasagne, but did I? No.
I just sat around, knitting, watching TV and playing the Sims2. University is out. I think maybe I'll go to the horrible, horrible Newpark Maul and get it, even though I ordered it from Amazon. You'd think they would have shipped it already, but they haven't. Fuckers.
Somebody from TiVo brought in lemons yesterday. Rob came home with four of the most gorgeous lemons I've ever seen. What should I do with them?
Posted by Kate at 12:15 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack