Don't Mind the Ice

Ignore that frost over there in the corner. It's just hell freezing over. Do you know why?

I've got a finished object.

With pictures.

How often does that happen?

I started this super-basic shrug about 2-3 weeks ago at the Ravelry/Pride meetup, and finished it up this afternoon. It was such a lovely, sunny day that I took my mannequin outside for the photoshoot.

The yarn I used is a mystery yarn that I picked up in Italy a few years ago. The ball band is long gone, but I remember that it was 100% linen. To date, this is still the only linen yarn I've ever worked with, but I love it. I bought two or three balls of it (I think it was something like 2-3 euro each; a steal) and used the first one to make a Turkish rib scarf for my mom while I was away. Somehow, it never got entered into Ravelry. :/ I feel like this is a gaping hole, somehow.

At any rate, I do know that it was purchased here, and if I remember correctly, it was the house brand. If you happen to be in Firenze, though, don't go expecting to find this exact yarn--it was on clearance and I grabbed the last two balls, so it's probably discontinued. Do check out some of their other yarns, though. This one was great to work with and I swear each ball has about a billion yards in it. The scarf I made for my mom was rather massive, and a single ball made this shrug--with some leftover.

Oh, did I mention? That yarn shop will also let you buy bulk yarns by weight. I did not take advantage of that when I was there (that would be a dangerous rabbit hole for me) but if I ever go back to Florence, I will.

The shrug itself is extremely easy: yok2tog all the way around the first round, then knit the second round. Repeat those two rows for about an inch, then split and work flat (substituting a purl row for the knit round) and work for 18". Rejoin in the round, and continue for another inch before binding off. For a finishing touch, I picked up stitches to add the ribbing. If I'd had a little more yarn left over, I would have added ribbing around the shoulder/neck/hem area, but I was about two rounds short of what I needed. Missed it by that much.

The conclusion of this project means that I'll be buckling down in earnest to make samples for the book soon--as soon as I nail down the final yarns and relay them to my publisher. At the moment I'm using some of my samples to swatch a couple of patterns that may or may not make their way into CENSORED. Right now the big challenge is that all of my yarn support yarns are much thinner than all of the yarns I worked with originally--by about half, if not more. Writing the patterns with the yarn held double would, I think, make most projects prohibitively expensive for the average knitter (at $32 a pop, who wants to buy eight skeins for a scarf? I feel bad enough asking for four...). At minimum, this means going back and reworking all of my charts and the thus-far-completed patterns...for a third time.

But, considering that last night the cat and I were fighting over who got to use the sample skeins as a teddy bear...I don't mind too much. Hey, when it's THAT soft, who can complain?

Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust

My travel plans died, thanks to Mount Whatsit in Iceland. My flight has been canceled, all flights are grounded until at least Thursday, and I can't contact the travel agency or either of my airlines by phone or email. I really wish I could teleport right now.

We don't know where we are staying beyond Tuesday morning, or how we'll pay for food. There might be a visit to the American consulate in my future, begging for assistance.

On my ipod: Keep Holding On--Glee Cast
On the night stand: Luck in the Shadows--Lynn Flewelling
In the DVD player: Tin Man
On the needles: random crochet hat.

Teaser

I would like to take a second and ask that people please not spam my comments anymore. I appreciate the feedback I get from people, but I really dislike having to go through and delete the trash that people have tried to post that is completely unrelated. I'm already moderating my comments; please don't make me have to stop allowing anonymous comments, too.

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One thing that completely boggles me about Florence is the number of master painters who lived and worked in this city and yet the lighting is so terrible. Maybe things were different back in the 1500s, when there were fewer buildings, but it's hard to imagine this city as anything other than tightly packed stone buildings.

Please pardon my poor photography. My camera cord is MIA, so I used the webcam on my laptop. It's actually not a bad photo, considering I had to tilt the screen to a 45 degree angle just to get the yarn into the shot.

If you're wondering why that yarn is on toilet paper tubes (yes, you're not mistaken) it's because both of those are my handspun. I've been doing a ton of spinning. I actually used up the last of my fiber that I brought with me the other night (that would be the purple and blue ball. It's tussuh silk). Thankfully, Alice brought her entire, untouched stash of fiber, so I have probably two to three pounds of bamboo, silk, and I think some corn fiber to play around with. It's a great deal--I get to spin her yarn (a task she isn't too crazy about), and she gets pretty yarn to play with. Lately I've been in more of a spinning mood than a knitting on, so I don't even mind that I won't get to use what I've made.

What I have made, however...Well, obviously, this isn't all of it. The solid blue is Navajo plied bamboo. I've tried plying before on my spindle, and it always ended badly, usually with tangled, dirty yarn. So I started winding the singles off onto tp tubes, and then Navajo plying, which means I can turn a single into a three ply. Only one strand to deal with! I am in love with this technique. Because there are more plies, the yarn is more even and stronger. The only problem I'm having is that it can be difficult to prevent tangles if I have to stop in the middle. I have to be very careful about how I put it away and how I pick it back up again. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here is a youtube video that shows it pretty well. Actually, I think it might be the video I originally learned from. I start out a little differently--make a slipknot from both the leader and the single together, then just cut the knot off when I'm done.

Solace

I'm a baby when I'm sick. I'm an even bigger baby when I'm away from home. Maybe it's because I'm a spoiled only child, but all I want to do is curl up in my own bed (which is a water bed, extra special), under my blankets with my pillow (because no matter how long I stay in another place, my bedding never smells right), talk to my mom once or twice through the day, and sleep with a stack of DVDs on one side of the bed with a nice pile of familiar books on the other. I want to know what medicines I'm taking, how long I have to wait before I see results, and how I will react to them. When I'm away from home, I don't have any of these things. I'm suck with a standard issue mattress, rough sheets, pillows that are too flat, and a funky smelling blanket. I have to guess that I'm taking the correct meds at the right time in the right manner, and hope that they work. Will I feel better by the next day? Or will it take a week?

Yes, I'm whining.

The one constant I've had the last few days have been my books. I recently started re-reading Madelyn Alt's Where there's a Witch (Bewitching Mysteries #5). I started reading this series a few months ago out of curiosity sake. I was looking for a good mystery and I thought, "Paganism? And Mysteries? Perfect!"

I wouldn't call these books great literature. But they're fantastic "popcorn" reads, as I call them. They aren't too serious, often funny, and I really like all of the characters. I love the way Ms. Alt has blended the world of the metaphysical into the here and now, in a way that is easily grasped. These don't feel like fantasy novels. The way magic is described makes the reader feel like they could follow in Maggie's footsteps, see what she sees, feel what she feels. And really, isn't that what magic is all about? Blending it into the everyday?

There's a little romance, lost of mystery, and a touch of fantasy. The perfect read for a day when I'm not feeling well. So, if you want something to read, check out the first book, The Trouble with Magic
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I realized I haven't posted a picture in a while, so here's one from the garden inside the cloister of Santa Maria Novella. We've had two tours there this week for different classes, and I really like the garden, despite the fact that it is small. The important thing is that it has trees! Three of them! I miss growing things. There aren't any flowers here that aren't in pots, no trees by the side of the road, not even grass growing along the sidewalk. The only animals I've seen have been a few dogs on short leashes, and hoards and hoards of pigeons.

I miss Hermes, and also my parents' dogs. So, if you have someone furry in your life, give them a little love from me, 'kay?

Shake, Rattle and Roll (or not)

[<--the Arno, as seen from my favorite street in the city] Ohio gets several tornadoes per year (about 16), and many, many violent thunderstorms. From the time I was little, I usually slept through them. It takes a pretty bad storm to wake me up. I've slept straight through a tornado watch in which my mom was gathering everything to go down to the basement to safety. When she told me about it the next morning, my response was, "What storm?"

It seems I can add a new accomplishment to my list: last night, I slept through an earthquake. According to this article, it was a 4.2, and hit at around 10pm. Alice and I were watching a movie in our bedroom and didn't feel a thing (though I did notice that the faucet was dripping in the hall bathroom after that. Maybe the vibrations loosened something?).

I'm fine, we're all fine. It's just strange to think that I didn't notice an earthquake, though I know why I didn't feel it. Firenze sits on top of a marsh--not terribly unlike the one that used to make up Madison County, in fact. So even if the bedrock is shifting, the marshland acts like one of those foam mattresses, the ones they advertise with the girl jumping up and down and the wine glass that doesn't spill, and absorbs all of the kinetic energy, so the city on top is like that wine glass. A few people might feel a little something in the ground, notice the water in the cup on their nightstand vibrating, but you don't really feel anything unless it's a fairly significant shock. In fact, though Florence has fairly regular earthquakes (which I didn't even know until last week) there's never really been any recorded damage. The David's never been knocked over, none of the sculptures have fallen off the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio has never lost bits of itself into the Arno. Just as an example, here's a picture of the Chapel Saci just finished restoring. It was heavily damaged in the flood of 1966, when (I think) 13 feet of water covered central Florence:

I'm not a big geology buff, but I think that's pretty cool.

Ciao, Bellas.

I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I just moved to the other side of it.

I had to take a few days and acclimated. Between jet lag, insomnia, a cold, and then general whirl wind of figuring what was needed immediately for the apartment, what could wait, what fees still needed paid (ha, that was an adventure in and of itself), topped with "where the hell is all my cash?" (No, it wasn't stolen. I just forgot how quickly one can burn through euros), "Why hasn't my loan disbursed the full amount?" and trying to remember where I left the pharmacy, grocery store, and book shop the last time I was here, it's been a little crazy.

I'm slowly picking up the pieces of the "me" side of my life--hobbies, enjoyments--and trying to fit them against the "them" side of my life--school, the new schedule. On the bright side, insomnia means I've written 10-15,000 words since we got here. I'll go to be around ten or eleven, toss and turn for an hour, get up, and then scribble my soul out. It's like I can't sleep until the words are on paper. Once they're down, I go back to bed and sleep, no problems.

The first day of classes was yesterday. In the morning, we were introduced to the conservation curriculum. In the afternoon, we put together smashed flower pots. This morning was the "graduate seminar," in which we debate some of the ethical issues of conservation (should a statue be left outside for all to see, where the weather can get to it, or shut up where no one can see it, but remain preserved for future generations?).

I haven't taken many pictures yet, just a few of the Arno, which is my favorite part of the city. A lot of people think I'm weird, because I don't spend all of my time in churches and museums, and would rather be outside walking around. The last time I was here, in 2008, I took a really demanding course that was made up almost entirely of field trips. During our 3 day trip to Rome, I happened to be next to a tour guide while waiting in a Queue. He asked to see our itinerary--he was ex-military, and showed American living on local Army bases the sites. His eyes almost fell out of his head. He handed back the sheet and said he'd plan that trip for a week, not a weekend. He didn't understand how we could possibly get through all of that in just a few days.

Honestly, neither do I. The experience left me a little burned out. I'll go to the churches and the museums for class, fine, but I want to spend my free time elsewhere. The only one I visit of my own free will is the costume museum at Palazzo Piti.

But anyway, that's beside the the point.

Up next is painting conservation. Not terribly eager about this one, but it's a requirement so I'll just have to slog through it. Then I'm going home to get a head start on some of these essays. I've got several due at midterm, and since everyone always puts them off to the last minute I'm going to try to get a leg up on things.

Happy Birthday to Me

Yep, that's right. Another year older, as of 8:49 pm, EST. And what a great two days it has been.

I got some of my presents early, things from my mom because apparently, I'm hard to shop for (when did this happen? Seriously. Three words: Amazon Gift Card. That's all you need to know). Both of them came from work--one of those IHome thingies that you can charge your ipod on, and wake up to actual decent music rather than annoying morning shows (that alone makes it worth the $39 price tag), and a super comfy dress in a cotton jersey, light blue. I need to make a couple of alterations, though, so no pictures.

Today, however, I got this:

Counter Clockwise, that would be a handmade necklace from Alice, a set of ergonomic interchangeable crochet hooks (more on that later) and a travel journal from my parents, and a picture of one of the crochet hooks and the test piece I was working on while talking to my uncle on the phone.

Of course, no birthday would be complete without a present to yourself. In my case, I splurged and spent $13 (don't laugh; that's almost two hours pay from my job over here) to get myself this:

That's right. I'm going back to Italy. The letter came yesterday, and I was dancing around work with excitement.

I'll be spending September 2-Dec. 15, then coming back to the US for two weeks, and then flying back Jan. 7-April 22. Alice and I are already plotting spring break in Cardiff. Torchwood sightings, anyone?

I know, some of you are probably wondering why I'm going back. Well, there are a lot of reasons, foremost among them being that if I'm a student, I don't have to repay my student loans just yet. Also, if I want to get into grad school for conservation of textiles, then I kind of need a conservation background, not just an art one, so going back to Saci is pretty much the only way I can get into grad school at this point (which is good, because if I'm not in school then I loose all of my insurance. Which is really, really not good.

Of course, I'm still on the market for that Canadian husband resembling Kyle Schmid so that I can move to Canada and gain citizenship, but alas, no one presented him to me gift wrapped (not that I would have objected unwrapped), so I'll have to settle for the Blood Ties DVD set, which, coincidentally, came out yesterday. Yet another wonderful gift that the world has chosen to present me with!

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Okay, now for the knitting portion of the show:

Like I mentioned, I got those fancy ergonomic crochet hooks from my mom. I'd been eying them for a while because of my carpal tunnel, but alway nixed them because, well, I'm broke, and it didn't seem right to buy a fancy set of hooks when I already have at least one hook in every size from F on up, and two or three of my most used sizes.

I tested them out while I was on the phone with my uncle, like I said (his birthday was yesterday, by the way. This might be one of the reasons we are so close, despite the 2,000 miles between us).

I have two grips that I use when I crochet, alternating between an underhand grip (the most common, which is a lot like how I'd hold a pencil), and an overhand (which I only use when my wrist hurts and involves my index finger and thumb running on the the top and side of the hook, parallel to the shaft, with the other three fingers curled around it). So far I've found it easiest to use the trigger handle, but the frustrating part of this set is that it forces you to hold the hook in a certain way. I suppose that's the point, training you to change the way you do things, but so far I find all but one of the grips somewhere between awkward and downright uncomfortable. Also, the hook can only face one direction, regardless of how you hold your hand, which is unspeakably irritating.

I'm still using them though, and trying to adapt. If you are interested in the hooks, you can find them here. They run about $15 for two handles and six interchangeable hooks.

My current fiber projects include the blue sweater (still plugging away at that second sleeve), the sample project shown above, a crocheted death cloak/Anubis mask for Anubis (the details of which will be available on the ResinCast blog sometime next week), and a whole hell of a lot of spinning.

In the last two weeks, I finished with the silk/bamboo blend that I began ages ago (remind me never to hand blend fibers. Pain in the arse)then plied the lot, spun the left over blue bamboo into a gorgeous single, spun the black into a single which got turned into the afore mentioned death robes/Anubis mask, spun and plied together the leftover silk, and have begun spinning a blend of grey milk fiber and hot pink merino into something resembling sewing thread, that will eventually become a three ply. If I can get the fibers to stop coming apart at the wrong moment.
Vanyel, of course, is reveling in the attention, since he sat and collected dust for so long. And plying means that he gets to spend time with his beloved Lazy Kate, Tylendel. He is a very happy spinning wheel at the moment. I'm not sure how to break the new that he won't be coming to Italy with me, especially since I don't want to leave him be hind anymore than I want to leave behind my cat, but some things just can't be helped. He's way too expensive and valuable to ship.

And that my dears, is the end of this long-winded update. Hope you enjoyed. :)