Knitter's Weekend Part I: Pride Columbus Meetup and Yarn Crawl

It's been a few days, so I'm mostly recovered now from a very busy weekend. It was so much fun though--I seldom go out, let alone with people (because REASONS, mostly involving the fact that I'm a broke hermit). But on Saturday I got to meet a whole slew of Ravelers at Columbus Pride.

We started off at the Columbus Pride Parade, which was just all kinds of fun. Here are a few highlights:

I think this should be my next car. What do you think?

There were some really funny signs in the parade, but I couldn't snap a picture of my favorite: "If we've learned anything from Harry Potter, it's that you can't live in a closet."

These guys just made my day. There was also a Sebastian and an Ursula.

 We had perfect weather for the parade. It was sunny and bright without a cloud in the sky. Even though it was 90+ degrees, High Street had a great breeze going so it felt much cooler and wasn't at all unbearable.

After the parade, we headed up to one of the local yarnshops, where I bought the two center cakes of yarn pictured below. The rest came from our after dinner stop of Michael's.

Back row (L-R): Red Heart Unforgettable in "Parrot" and "Dragonfly."
Middle: Cascade Ultra Pima #9778 and #9781.
Front: Loops and Threads Elegance in "Ocean" and "Smoky Plum."

You can't tell at all that I have a favorite color pallet, can you?

 The Ultra Pima is 100% cotton, but I think it's much nicer to work with than most other cottons. I think it's a little easier on the hands.

I almost swapped this one out for another variegated purple or aqua, but decided that I needed to mix it up a little. Besides, I love the sherbet-like colors in it.

Unfortunately, the others are all 100% acrylic, but they're so pretty that I think it makes up for it. Anyway, I'm not above using acrylic. Unforgettable looks slightly Noro-like in the ball, and since I can't use Noro because of my allergies (and the fact that it feels like a kitchen scrubber to me) I think this is a decent substitute.


We ended the day with Mexican food and margaritas (well, they had margaritas. I had iced tea, because I am not so fond of the alcohol and suspect that drinking would end very badly for me (also for REASONS).

It was a fabulous day, and also completely exhausting. I can't wait to see everyone again next time!

Stash Enhancement

The suitcase full of yarn got a few additions this week. My check for the Joann's Knitting and crochet booklet (due out in December) came this week, so I promptly deposited it and bought food, followed in short order by yarn (see? I have my priorities straight. Sometimes).

First, my Knitpicks order came in. I can't show you all of that, since I don't know if my swap partner reads this blog (I highly doubt it, but better safe than sorry). I can, however, show you this yarn:

I love the color. This is partially for me--I get to knit something out of it, and that's great because it's my favorite color and I'm in the mood to knit socks after those illusion projects--and partially a gift, since the finished object is going to someone else. Which, you know, completely justifies the purchase of yarn.

KnitPicks "Comfy Fingering" color B979

Speaking of those illusion projects, though, I'm about to cast on for the next pattern (which I will actually have to work out by hand before I can write it down, unlike the others). The pink was on a super clearance at The Yarn Shop. I got three balls for $6. The white was a little pricier. I'm not completely sold on either, even though they are the pallet I wanted. The yarn I wanted to use would have been about $40 all told, and was a little out of the budget. I'll try this and see how it works out. Swatching for that project will commence later tonight.

It amuses me that the name of the yarn is "Dazed."
Feza "Dazed," color 46.

Cascade "Ultra Pima," color 3728

  Those color names sure are descriptive, aren't they?

I was able to cast off the Super Secret Project #1 earlier, and it is blocking on the floor in front of my closet as I write this. A note for anyone who wants to buy me a Christmas present: I want a Steam Buddy. It's a little gadget meant for steaming wrinkles out of clothing, but knitters use it for blocking--especially blocking acrylic, since it doesn't wet-block very well.

Now if you will excuse me, I have a book proposal to write.

Window Shopping

Rawr, why must I be tormented when I'm broke?

I have about thirty things I want to purchase this week, but I've had to put them on hold thanks to bills. And then I get an email that KnitPicks is having a sale--not just a 50% off sale, but there's free yarn involved, too! Arg!

Oh, and have I mentioned lately that season 4 of the Murdoch Mysteries has finally come out on DVD? It was actually released on the 25th, but I haven't been able to purchase it yet. Another (fairly) recent release (at least, one I only recently found out about) is the region 1 edition of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec has finally worked it's way down to a semi-reasonable price on Amazon. I've wanted to see this movie since before it came out in theaters in France, but have yet to find a way to watch it here in the states. As soon as funds allow, both of these DVDs will be coming home.

In the meantime, I'm satisfying my urge to watch period film with Netflix. I finished up the BBC's Wives and Daughters last night, and it was quite good, though I liked their North and South better. Right now I'm watching Bramwell, which is something like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman meets Murdoch. Actually, it's got me wanting to watch Dr. Quinn, too. I loved that show when I was a kid, and it was Mom's favorite (though I was always perplexed about why though thought it was a good idea to drastically change the actress who played Colleen in the middle of the series the way they did, and for such a different actress. It wasn't exactly a seamless transition. But I digress). I love watching period films/tv when I'm knitting. I guess it's the whole history meets ancient craft thing. But it's always engrossing, and period dramas tend to age so much better than their contemporary counterparts. Also, costumes! Typewriters! What could be better?

Speaking of knitting, I finally got the paperwork for that knitting pattern I'm getting published (this month has been so exciting, professionally!) so I cast on for Northman #3 at last. I was putting it off until I had final confirmation from the publisher, but now that it's here I should be able to whip it out rather quickly. It usually doesn't take me more than a weekend to make a hat, and I love this pattern. It's so much fun to do colorwork. It's probably my favorite technique after entrelac.

Which reminds me, I should get back to work.

News From the Front

When I packed for the Steampunk Empire Symposium, I came prepared for everything. We brought food, water, a first aide kit. I packed a second set of panty hose (which is good, since I put my thumb through the first pair as I was putting them on), and I even brought along a second knitting project, just in case (as if there was any hope of me knitting 90% of a tank top in fingering weight lace on size 3 needles in three days).

I did not, however, plan for a dead battery.

The camera said it was fully charged when I checked it. We arrived, I took two pictures, it flashed the low battery symbol and then refused to turn on. I even tried swapping the battery with the one in my cell phone, but alas, they were not compatible. So I posted on the Empire website and on Twitter, pleading for anyone at the convention with a compatible battery or charger to contact me.

So far, no luck.

I'm making do with Missouri's cell phone camera, since the Iphone camera is far superior to my crummy %^&* !$@$#  %^$%^ Samsung that I've been fighting with since day one. When we get home I'll be able to get some of the photos from her, but for now this is the only one she's sent me and I have to say that it's one I'm immensely proud of:

Yes, that is the back of my head. While I realize that this is normally not considered an ideal shot, I'm happy because that purple thing in my hair? and the shiny silvery things? That would be a Knitpicks 42" circular sock needle.

The reason it is in my hair? Well, long story short, it's the best place I've found for it, since I don't have the heart to throw away needles.

The longer story: Back in December, I ordered two Knitpicks circulars to work on Christmas presents (you know, those purple socks that I was knitting for far too long? Yeah, those). They arrived, I opened the package, and cast on. Three rows in, the cable snapped. I emailed the company, and a week later they sent a replacement. The replacement (seen above) has one of the worst joins I have ever seen between the cable and the needle. It doesn't just feel awkward, you can see where the metal sticks up around the cable. The yarn catches something awful. I knit one row, then switched to another set of needles. This one was being used as a stitch holder for another project while I used the good needles to finish the Christmas socks. I pulled that project out of hibernation yesterday to bring to the convention, put it back on the good needles, and just didn't have the heart to throw the crappy ones out. Then this morning I was trying to do my hair and inspiration struck. I'm already the weird girl with the knitting, so why not take it a step further? I don't think anyone has actually noticed (not even the girl who was sitting behind me in a panel using a set of the same needles to make a Dr. Who scarf). I've always heard really good things about this brand, and it saddens me that I've had such bad luck with them, but I think it's time to move on. I'm perfectly happy using them as hair sticks. Maybe I can add beads to the cable and do something really nifty with it when I get back!

Anyway, the convention. So far, I've spent too much money, taken a wonderful dancing lesson (with actual men! Normally when I take dance lessons its all women and I always have to dance the male parts. This was such a nice change!), been eaten by a werewolf (twice), gotten a massage, spoken with an excellent author who can apparently command the weather, oggled more costumes than I could possibly ever make in a lifetime, nearly bought a corset, drooled over a lovely treadle Singer sewing machine, gone to Target in full Steampunk regalia, and bought a handkerchief with flamingos on it, just because.

Full details to come.

P.S. It appears blogger ate the comments from my last post. So if you leave a message and it never makes it to the site, please take it up with Google. I know that I for one am not loving the new layout.

Fashionably Late

My roommate, who really doesn't get the whole typewriter thing, but supports it anyway, got me this shirt as a random surprise. It showed up on February 1, which is just kissmet. If you want to snag your own, you can find it here along with dozens of other lovely typewriter themed artwork in all forms.

Typecast #9

Clockwork Couture

The only thing I dislike about the site? The authentic typewriter key bracelets.

A Moment of Weakness...

...has resulted in the purchase of a typewriter. It's not here yet, but I'm thinking...this model is very common. It's not really to my liking aesthetically (wrong decade, though I like the general shape, and the wrong color most assuredly), so I'm wondering: How do you in the typosphere feel about modified typewriters? Do you prefer them "stock", just cleaned and oiled, or are you secretly jonesing for something more unique and artistic looking? Is it okay for more common machines? Not at all? What kind of modifications would you make, were to you make them?

Typespotting and shopping

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but I just got back from the bank. In their window display they had two typewriters--an Oliver 9 (much cleaner than my own), and an Underwood portable that wasn't fooling anyone about it's ability to actually type, since the type bars were sticking up at strange angles and the lid was cockeyed. Wanted to take a picture but I believe photography is frowned upon in banks so I resisted the urge (couldn't get a good shot from the front of the building, anyway).

On the way back from the bank, I had to stop at Walmart and picked up a CD for my mom. Found a Dean Martin disc for $5 and couldn't resist. She loves Dean Martin. And of course, my present to myself was 2 Fast and 2 Furious, so now I have the entire franchise on DVD, with the exception of the new one that just came out. I'm thinking there will be a marathon later tonight when my friends come over for dinner. :)

Typecast #4

Sent from his Royal highness, Prince Henry, my Royal KMM. Click to enlarge.

Personal History

It is hard to believe that less than five months ago, I didn't even know that the Typoshere existed. Sure, I had a vague idea that somewhere out there, a few people might collect one or two old machines, but that they actually still used them and that there was a community around that usage was completely unknown.

My family has always been late getting into the technology game. Up until 2000, we didn't own a computer. For most of my childhood, we had an electric typewriter that technically belonged to my grandparents, who where early adopters and had a computer. When I was ten or twelve I spent hours creating "magazines" on it and typing stories. Most of my 4-H projects were typed on it (I don't remember what it was, other than blue. GE or IBM, maybe?).

I remember when I was about five, I saw a copy of an old ad for an Underwood standard (probably a No. 5, or something earlier) and asking my mom what it was. It didn't look like plastic model. As soon as the word "typewriter" was out of her mouth, I decided that I wanted one.

That idea went on a shelf for a really long time, party to practicality, funds, and the fact that I live in a matchbox. It wasn't until I got Henry for Christmas that I thought about revisiting that idea of typewriter collecting I'd had as a child.

I don't have much of a budget for typewriters or the space to store them. My bedroom is 9x10 and has to contain everything I had in an apartment, with the exception of some furniture and kitchen supplies. Since Christmas I keep looking around for things I can get rid of, but most of my belongings fall into three categories: Clothing, books, and craft supplies. I'm already down to the bare minimum on all three (though I want a Nook for my birthday, which should help with the shelf space).

Neither of these facts has stopped me from trolling Ebay and watching items like this Royal, or this one. I have determined from now on, however, I'm only getting portables. At the moment, I seem to be attracted to Royals (wonder if I'm biased? Nah...). So far I haven't won anything (probably a good thing). I'm wondering though...what is your limit when bidding in typewriters? Mine is extremely low ($40 including shipping) since I'm broke, cheap, and have to space, but how do you determine the "value" of a typewriter? It makes me wonder when I see listings like this that keep expiring and being relisted at ridiculously high prices, and rejecting offers (originally it was $500; now it's down to $395. Myself and at least two or three others have made offers, but it's still there). Maybe I just have expensive taste?

I'm not the only one who seems to be enjoying it, though. Even though the humans in the house are annoyed by the noise, Hermes will lay down near wherever I'm typing and take a nap every time I pull out the KMM. But then, we all know my cat is an odd duck.

Type Spotting Sunday

There hasn't been a typecast in a while, and probably won't be for at least a few more weeks for a couple of reasons. First, with both of my parents home all day, every day now, I don't have a lot of alone time to write one. For some reason, I'm the only one in the house who doesn't find the sound of a typewriter annoying. (Prince Henry is most offended by this)

Second, there just hasn't been a lot of typewriter action happening. Between by budget and my storage space, I don't have room for new typewriters. And until the '53 gets moved out of the garage for car show season, I don't have any place to work on Oliver. I'm thinking that at some point I'll post their conservation profiles as pages, but there are a LOT of photos involved, so that will likely wait a little while, as well. I'll see about putting them into a slide show and uploading it to youtube so make it more concise.

I did, however, spot another Royal KMM (Henry's twin) in an episode of Charmed I was watching last night. It's Season 1, Episode 17, That 70's Episode.

I squeed and had to go back at snap a pictures. It's amazing that I missed it after the number of times I've watched Charmed, but then again, prior to this past Christmas I wasn't exactly looking for typewriters.

Oh, and if you are a type-writer loving techie, I did spot a laptop cover with a vintage-looking screenprint of an Underwood on it. I loved it, but I couldn't manage to pry the $38 out of my hot little hands, and they don't seem to have any more. Of course, it's not as expensive at slightly less-cute example I found by Thomas Paul. But my search of their website did turn up this typewriter and this sewing machine.

Have you made any cool finds this week?

Shopping Mojo

Mom and I went to the Scott Antique Market at the Expo Center today, and I somehow managed to satisfy almost all of my nerdy habits--and I did it for less than $50!



On the right, you can see a cone of yarn--roughly 5-10 pounds (I'm awful at guessing weight, especially after I've carried it around all day and it feels more like 20) of cotton yarn, for $10. Perfect for dying!

On the left, right in front of Henry, you can see two comic books. Two issues of New Teen Titans. I haven't opened them up yet to check the date, but I think they're from some time in the '70s. One of them is about Starfire, and the other involves Raven going berserk. I picked them mostly because they centered around my two favorite characters. I was hoping for some NightWing action, but no such luck. Both of those together were $5.

My favorite (and I think you can guess which it is and why) is the new/old typewriter in the middle! It's an Oliver #9 from 1912, and is in this great olive drab color (and I can't believe I just said that. Normally I hate anything that can be considered olive or drab, let alone both together). This machine is interesting because of how the text works. You can see in the photo below, the type actually comes down from the side, rather than up from the center. It was just so cool, I knew I had to make an offer. When the guy said he wanted twenty bucks for it, I jumped on it, no haggling. (He did give me $10 off the original price since it was the last day of the sale.) Another interesting thing is that every key has a either a letter or number, and a symbol on it. And judging by the look of the keys, this beauty has hardly been used in the last 98 years.

There is a lot of rust, however. One of the spool caps appears to be rusted in places, and the other is missing while the spool itself won't go back into it's proper place. The return on the carriage is very sticky, and platen is as hard as a rock. There was more dust on the thing when I picked it up than in most parts of the Sahara. I gave it a first cleaning tonight and found some lovely little surprises under the grime, but the rest will have to wait until tomorrow. For right now my goal is to de-gunk it and go over it with some steel wool, then it will likely hibernate on a shelf as a display item for a few weeks until it warms up and I can apply the rust remover to both it and Henry, someplace where the cat won't get tempted to take a lick when my back is turned (like the garage).

I really want to stay up and get more done, but it is getting late and I must be up early tomorrow for school. I don't even have time to make all of my notes about Oliver right now.

Soup

There were three things that we desperately needed yesterday, and didn't manage to find until after I made that last post. The first was deoderant. Neither Alice nor I had one small enough to qualify for a carry on. We found a Boots (pharmacy)directy across from the mall, about a block from our hostel. It's a gorgeous mall with lots of interesting shops, and inside, wouldn't you know, there was a huge bookstore that was going out of business! I got a Torchwood novel for £5 (they're $10-12 in the States, and with the exchange rate it was only about $7-7.50), a new deck of tarot cards (one that I can actually read! This is so exciting!) and a present for a friend back home. Everything was only £20, and would have been about double that back in Ohio.

Just when we were about to despair, we happened across what we thought was a grocery store but is closer to a miniature Target and discovered our holy grail--£3.50 bath towels. Our last hostel provided us with daily linens free of charge, but this place charges £5 for a tiny, un-absorbant towel. (Later, I went back to this same store for shoes and socks. My boots are great for site seeing and traveling, but not after four days in a row. I was going to back a second pair, but there wasn't room. Alice and I have purchased a third bag, both to replace the one whose zippers all burst yesterday as we were about to get on the plane--not her fault, honestly. Cheap bag construction--and also so we could sew the openings closed and use the broken bag as a checked item for the stuff we're bringing home (mostly books, but there will be chocolate and snacks that we've missed from home and can't get in Italy as well).

All of this meant that we could get the third thing we really needed, which was a shower. We chilled out at the hostel for a while, then went for dinner, which was Burger King. Italian burgers are good in their own right, but they're different. And we both wanted chedder cheese.

Since we were now clean and refreshed, we went back to the mall to look around more slowly. We carefully avoided the book store, since it was very dangerous for the health of our bank accounts, and this was when I got the cute little ballet flats that I'm wearing right now.

I went to bead early, and didn't wake up until 4:30 when seven of our roommates came back from night clubbing. One of them at least was drunk enough not to care if he lowered his voice or not. I didn't get up again unil 8:30, and it feels wonderful to finally have slept more than two or three or five hours.

On deck for today is another stroll through Hyde Park, since we know roughly where to find Peter Pan now, followed by a site seeing bus. In Edinburgh, this was the cheapest, best way to see the city, and it's a reasonable bet that it's the same here. Often you can buy one ticket, get on and off at will through the day, and see more sites in one day than you would otherwise. We're going to get our obligatory touristy shots today since it's Sunday and a lot of things will be closed.

Well, my 50p internet has about run out. Now I just need to find an ATM. While this trip has been cheaper than I thought it would be, I still think we're going to be surviving off of bread and soup for the next few weeks to make it through the end of term. At least all of our supplies and things have been bought now. And I'm determined to make anything else we might need if I can.

Browsing

I was updated my book list, and realized that when I finished Where there's a Witch the other day I hit my 52 book goal. It seems a little like cheating though, since the last book was one that I read earlier in the year, so I'm not going to count is as officially finished until I read one more book. And I think I might up my personal challenge to 75 books, or something like that. This has been a really fun challenge, and I know I've read a lot more in the past year than I have the last four years I've been in college. I'm looking forward to next year. Maybe I'll up the stakes to 104 books in 52 weeks?

Speaking of books, I've been keeping up with my writing. I hit a stall point in "High School Never Ends," so I opened up a novel I was working on last year and haven't touched in months and cranked out 2,200 words yesterday, which broke 45k and makes it the longest thing I've ever written. On hand I'm really proud, but on the other I kind of feel like an underachiever. Still, it's a step in the right direction so I'm going to celebrate it.

I also broke down and got a FictionPress.com account. If you want to read "Life is a Zoo," I've got the first three chapters posted. You can find my profile at www.fictionpress.com/~SinePenn, or search for either my pen name (Sìne Penn) or the title of the story.

Working on Fiction Press reminded me that I have a FanFiction.net account languishing away with an unfinished story, so I logged in and imagine my surprise when I discovered that I have a story with 166 reviews, and even though I haven't posted a thing in over three years my stories are still averaging 50 hits a week, with my two most popular getting about 20 apiece. One of them has over 11,000 hits and 46 people signed up to receive notices if I update. I'm still startled but so happy--I didn't think anyone would like my work that much, and I haven't done any networking or anything on ff.net--haven't even logged in for about two years. It makes me want to finish that story, just because of how warm and fuzzy the reviews and hits make me feel.

Alice and I have been watching an anime called Saiunkoku Monegatari, which is really fantastic--drama, lots of humor, great characters, and a little bit of romance. I'll load about six episodes at the school, and then we watch them bundled up under comforters in the evening. By law, we aren't allowed to turn on the heat yet, and even then only for 8 hours a day, so our apartment gets really cold in the evenings We think one of our neighbors has turned theirs on though, because it's warm--almost hot--at night.

But anyway, we're watching this series, which is great. I love the story, the characters, and every night we keep wishing we had more. The only problem, is this:
Manju buns. Well, there are several kinds of steamed buns that pop up in this series, but they're the most common. And I want some! We both do. So much that we're braving the awful Italian-Chinese to try a new place and see if it's edible. I don't know if they'll have the buns, but I'd be happy with some garlic chicken, mushrooms, or beef and broccoli (maybe I should learn to cook? Nah). So if anyone knows of an Asian groceries or bakeries (is that a contradiction? Most of the grocery stores in Florence are run by Asians, but the only "ethnic" food they sell is ramen) in the area, let me know. I'll let you know how our foray into Chinese-Italian cuisine goes.

Sigh

By now everyone has probably realized that I'm not the best at the whole promotional advertising thing. I try, but really, not that good at it. So, after much debate, I decided this week that I am closing down my etsy shop. Basically, I'm taking offers. Want something? Just tell me how much. I'm sick of looking at this stuff. I've still got items that were posted when I originally made set up the shop. I had things that I wanted to add, but they just weren't cost effective. Since it opened in 2007, I've lost over $100 to etsy, either through fees, shipping, or materials. I tried the whole "you have to spend money to make money" thing, and it really never worked out. So, either it sells or it's gone. Some of it I might give away or tear apart, but a lot of it will probably end up in the trash--like the wool. I doubt the local thrift shop will take roving, and I don't know any knitters here who aren't allergic to it. So, save a fleece and make a purchase. Really.

It's just been kind of depressing in general in internet land for me. See, on top of shutting down my etsy site, I also have been skimming though the job boards on ravelry, and it's like a graveyard there. All of these "ISO Work" listings, and no one hiring. There has to be a way for a group of skilled fiber artists of varrying sorts from around the country (or the world) to make a living doing what they love. I just can't think of a way to do it that would provide fair pay to everyone without giving the customers sticker shock (or outright heart attacks, if they didn't die laughing first). What do you guys think? Some kind of fiber arts collaborative? I keep thinking of programs that I set up for spinners and knitters in third world countries, but those women get paid pennies (even if they're still paid double what anyone else in the area receives), and then their products come here and we get $40-50 balls of yarn, or $150 sweaters. So how could an American female support her family on her knitting without charging thousands of dollars? How could she do it with a product that normal people could afford and find useful?

Any thoughts would be welcome. It just doesn't seem right that there are so many people out there with these skills and the exact same problem finding employment, and yet no way to join the two.

Graduated

Well, it's official. I'm graduated, and have joined the ranks of the working adult (*snort*). The day before the ceremony, my graduation present to myself (ordered a couple of months ago) arrived in the mail. You can veiw him here (You may need a Den of Angels account in order to see the thread).

I won't tell you how much I raked in from my graduation party. I will, however, tell you that I ordered a Mac Mini and a new printer (the printer was free, by the way, once I send in the rebate), so you can do the math on your own. Mac makes me squee.

So far, being Graduated isn't that exciting. Especially since I requested to start working 40 hours and am stuck with 18-25, which is exactly what I was putting in during the school year (that sinus infection? Totally a result of working 7 days a week for two months immediately after having my wisdom teeth out).

I started knitting again. I'm making a sweater out of the Spa yarn at JoAnns (is that Carron? I think it might be. It's bamboo/cotton/acrylic). I'm about halfway done with the first sleeve. Pictures when it's a little more exciting.

Speaking of excitement...I have none. See you when I do.

Resigned

Yesterday was a bit of an anticlimax. We went back to Lafayette park, picked up "Worth it?" and then Mrs. Alice's Mom took Alice shopping (I was there too, but it wasn't my kind of store (It wasn't Alice's either, for that matter) and I've already spent too much money on this trip, so I hung back in the shoe area with a notebook). We went to lunch at Panera (I highly recommend the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, which is saying something since I don't normally like Panera except for their bagels).

We came back to the apartment. I don't know how, but Alice and her mom got into a blow-up fight about her future. It mirrored exactly a discussion I had with my mom a few weeks ago, only there was less shouting and more bawling when we did it. Basically, it goes like this:

Mom: "Why aren't you doing anything with your life?"
Daughter: "I'm trying, but there are no jobs out there."
Mom: "You're a college grad, you should have a job."
Daughter: "No one is hiring entry level positions, and I'm not qualified for anything."
Mom: "So just pick something and apply. You can't afford to be picky in this economy."
Daughter: "I know, but most of those jobs won't pay enough for me to live on. I have to make X amount, and they only pay half that!"
Mom: "So decide what you want and work towards it! Just find a way to support yourself in the mean time!"

At which point it spirals horribly downward when the mother realizes that after four years of art school, neither of us feels qualified for an art job, would rather introduce our skulls to a nice brick wall than work in art, and other than eventually getting published, neither of us has any idea what we want to do with our lives anymore. We're caught in an endless cycle: To get a good job, we have to leave Ohio. In order to leave Ohio, we need a good job--I have $500 in my bank account, and my current job isn't going to give me enough to live on. Basically, I'd need a $1000-2000 signing bonus, and who is going to give me that?

After fifteen minutes of shouting, I left. I went for a nice long walk, got a Baskin Robbins shake, and came back slowly to find Alice and her mom beading together at the kitchen counter like nothing had happened. Because that's the great thing about moms: one minute you're at each other's throat, and the next you're baking cookies (and for the record, these arguments usually start because Alice and I both get pissed off and pig headed in the same way our dad's do, so technically, it's their fault. And that is my (late) mother's day gift to everyone out there: it's all the guy's fault).

In the evening, we went back to the Torpedo Factory, which was having a sidewalk sale/open studio night. It was interesting. Alice wanted to show me the fiber artists, since if you are Fine Artist doing fiber at CCAD you're automatically not as good as the painters and belong in Fashion, and the Fashion people look down on you because you aren't "couture" enough (even though most of them wouldn't know couture if it bit them in the ass). A lot of them were really interesting, but I don't want to touch a gallery with a ten foot pole right now. The little shows like Code Pink are fine, but I've had enough of the art world. I need some time off.

We ended the night by watching movies on FX. Action, blood and gore: the perfect ending for the day. No plans for today, since Alice has crossed the University of Virginia off her list, and they still haven't replied to my email.

Apologies; I'm getting back into that bad mood I didn't want to broadcast.

Round Three

No, I didn't go back to Barns and Noble (though don't think the thought didn't cross my mind).

After a group nap (greatly needed on all sides), we drove out to Old Town Alexandria and went to dinner at a little burger place called Five Brothers. They are a chain store, and I know they have a location in Akron, so if there's one in your area you should definitely check it out. They have really good food, and for being in the DC area, they're pretty cheap. Even though it's a chain store, you walk in and immediately feel like it's one of the mom-and-pop '50's dinners.

From there, we walked through the Old Town. All of the buildings were built in the 1700s, so I took several pictures of the historical sites. I guess there's a church there where George Washington went, but we didn't walk past it. Instead, our first stop was a bead shop called the Potomac Bead Company. If you are into jewelry making at all, then check out their website. They have really good prices on Swavarski crystals (like 12 4mm rounds for under $2). I haven't checked out their online shop thoroughly yet, but the girl at the counter did warn me that not everything in the store is available online yet, so if you happen to be in the area I would highly recommend going in person.

After that we looked in a little Art and Craft shop (I think that's the name; I forgot to grab a card). They had some really interesting stuff in there, and I nearly took half of it home for my mom--it was a little out of my price range, though (even if I hadn't just spent $70 on books)(hey, that was research material. I was perfectly justified), and then went down to the Torpedo factory. It's not a factory anymore, but rather an indoor space with lots of little shops that is open at each end (I did take pictures). Sadly, the place we where heading for was closed for a special event, but we plan to go back later this week, and I took lots of pictures of the river since the Factory is right on the water.

Then, it was Holy Land part deux: A Ben and Jerry's store. I didn't even know they had stores, I always just bought the pints at Walmart. I had a strawberry kiwi sorbet cone, and it was really good (wanted to try a flavor they don't have a Walmart). The tables have little cartoons on them with the history of the company, and it's really interesting--like the whole concept started with a $5 correspondence course on how to make icecream.

The best part of last night? We finally got our air mattresses blown up, so I don't have to be cramped on the loveseat anymore. Not that I can complain, since Alice has been sleeping on the rug (and the concrete floor). Still, it was a big improvement. Now if only I can get a blanket that is about six inches longer, we'll be in good shape.

Exhaustion

Yesterday I was walking around the area immediately around the apartment, and I happened across the Holy Land: Barns and Noble. Normally, a chain store wouldn't be that exciting, but it was a book store so I went in anyway. I found a whole bunch of reference books that I'd never seen before. In the end, I walked away with $50 in Element Encyclopedias: Ghosts and Hauntings, Secret Symbols, and Spirits. I've never seen this series in paperback before, so I snapped those up right away. Alice got two others, the one on Secret Societies, and one of Magical Creatures. If you are into writing about fantasy (particularly from a realistic or urban setting) then these books are great resources. I also highly recommend the Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, which lists herbs, deities, creatures, and everything you could possibly need.

After round two with B&N (Yes, I actually went twice; once on my own and once with Alice and her mom) we went to the theater right next to the B&N (they must have known I was coming: Books and movies, both within walking distance!) and saw the Star Trek movie. So AWESOME! When I get back to Ohio I'm going to take my mom to see it, if she hasn't already. I remember sitting on the living room floor drawing, while my mom crocheted the afghan we have on our couch and watching Star Trek. Never the original, but Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and bits of Enterprise. This movie was like the best of all of them, rolled into one fantastic ball of action, so go spoil your inner geek and watch it if you haven't already. It was totally worth the $10.50 ticket (Arlington makes me wince).

Today was the start of the Code Pink Vigil. We took the Metro into DC, and ended up getting there early. You can take the Blue Line from the Pentagon City Mall up to McPhearson center, and then walk a block to Lafayette Park where it's held (Is my love of the metro weird? It's my favorite form of transit. But more on that some other time). We went to lunch at Potbelly's at 17th and Pensylvannia Ave, then killed some time at Renwick Gallery and their craft exhibition. Mostly it was wood and metal with architectural drawings by the Greene brothers (who were actually born in Ohio before moving several places and settling in SoCal). In the gift shop though, I found another great book: Cloth and Human Experience. It's actually listed as being an Anthropology book, but it's so cool. It's a study of how fiber, fabric and clothing affect the fabric of a society (pun intended) (am I earning enough nerd points this entry?). I did take photos, but I can't post them until I get home.

I set up "Worth It?" on the lawn and knit on it a little. If you are in the area, you can feel free to knit a few stitches or a few rows, and leave a message in memorandum of a loved one. I wish that I could have stayed for more of it, but I just wasn't able. Ashley and I weren't feeling too good, so we came back to the apartment and crashed for an hour...or two. And that is where we're at now. Up next is a quick stop at target, and then we're off to Old Town to check out the little shops there, and then we're going to Five Brothers for dinner. I'll let you know how it is tomorrow!

New Etsy Items and a Sale!

Oh, hey. This is a fiber blog, isn't it?



Four new spinning batts, 7 ounces of 3-ply hand spun merino, a clutch made from recycled fabric and handmade paper, a mini journal with a suede cover, a hand dyed silk headband and two hand dyed silk scarves (only one is show), and a laptop-sized tote bag.

I'm also having a sale through April 11:

~ All spinning batts are 50% off the list price
~ Free US shipping on all items from the SALE and STASH sections of my shop and international shipping is 1/2 off
~ All purchases will receive a free surprise jewelry item

Go check it out!

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My knitting has gone by the wayside a little. Working with those wool spinning batts and spinning up that yarn has aggravated my wool allergy, so the two little projects I was working on in wool have been abandon. I'm actually going to be giving away a partial ball of yarn that I spun using the colors from the Cherry Limeaide Fiz (third column, third one down) because I can only knit a row before my eyes start itching and watering now.

My other knitting project was in cotton. I was teaching myself double knitting...until my (brand new) circular needle broke. So far I've had really bad customer service from the place where I ordered it (8seasonknitting on etsy, which has suddenly disappeared with no warning).

All of my other projects have been for school, so I don't feel much like talking about them now.

I've also been invited to show some work at the CODEPINK Mothers day event in DC. Still hashing out the details, but it looks like I might be traveling down there between the last day of school and my graduation ceremony. For more information on the event, got here.