Dogs Steal Yarn

Sadie wonders where the knitting content went

There has been some knitting going on. Small bits here and there, mostly. My energy's been going toward grad school (classes started again last week), leaky windows, freelance work, and that novel-flavored beast I've been yammering on about. I'll post some knitting progress photos soon.

I've been knitting for babies lately, and hopefully on Friday I'll have a photo of a very cute little boy in an eggplant hat. Let's all cross our fingers for a smooth adoption, okay? No, not me. A friend and his husband are adopting, will pick the baby up on Friday. That's all I'll say for now, for fear of jinxing. If all goes well, I'll meet him on Friday and pop that hat on his month-old head. The first of many knitting gifts for this kid, I promise.

The inevitability of tag

I've been tagged again, this time by the always lovely Mindy. You know...the movie list thing. Here goes:

1. The last movie you went to see in a theater:

Um...It’s been a really long time. Do you know what movies cost in the theaters these days? Oy vey. So I only go to the theater for movies I absolutely must see. That hasn’t happened much at all lately. What’s up with that, Hollywood? So the last movie I saw in the theaters was Supersize Me. I think we saw that in the late summer. Man, did that make me happy to be a vegetarian. Sixteen years and counting, thankyouverymuch.

2. The last movie you watched at home:

I watch a lot of movies at home. Last night I watched The Dreamlife of Angels. There’s a green sweater in that movie with a rip down one raglan seam that I must recreate. Also I must become a brunette with a tiny pixie nose and a clever scar across one eyebrow. Oh yeah—and French.

3. How many movies do you own?

Um...very few on DVD (we just got a DVD player a few months ago as our holiday gift to each other). I have boxes and boxes of VHS, most of them Hong Kong films from the eighties and nineties, copied from laser disc (remember those?) from someone I knew in the nineties who was the manager of the HK section in Kim’s Videos on St. Mark’s. I lived on St. Mark’s back then and whenever I popped in to see Barry there was a new videotape... In case you didn’t know, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ripped off mercilessly from the period martial arts films from HK that came before it. Want to see it done right, without the big budget? Watch Tai Chi Master and Greensnake. Like those and I’ll be happy to suggest more.

3. What was the last movie you bought?

Death in Venice

4. Got Netflix (or a similar service)?

Absolutely. We have it instead of cable. I love my NetFlix.

What are the next three movies in your queue?
The Wings of the Dove
The Sweet Hereafter
Burnt by the Sun

5. List five movies you adore/mean a lot to you:

Ashes of Time by Wong Kar Wai. Starring many of the most wonderful HK actors of the eighties and ninties, including BOTH Tony Leungs and Maggie Cheung, the most beautiful woman in the world. Also, the late and very much missed Leslie Cheung. Sigh.

Days of Being Wild also by Wong Kar Wai. Also with Maggie, Leslie, and one Tony. (Leung Chui Wai—the hotter one. Also known as Little Tony. I saw him in concert in Atlantic City in ’96.)

Harold and Maude. I think I watched this at least three times a week when I was sixteen and seventeen and made all my friends watch it. This movie really truly did change the way I look at the world and I could still watch it over and over again, though my VHS copy is worn to nearly unviewable. I need to replace it with DVD soon.

Harvey. See above. Ditto for this one.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Yep. It made the list. Why am I always surprised when something new becomes an all-time favorite? Anyway, it was brilliant. Then again, I seem to love everything Charlie Kaufman does.

6. Name your guilty pleasure movie (or genre):

Um... porn? No... I guess I’d have to go with Dirty Dancing. Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

7. I'm adding a question here, because it's something I very much want to hear from others. What's your favorite quote from a movie?

Mine's from Harold and Maude. Maude says, "Dreyfus once wrote from Devil’s Island that he would see the most glorious birds. Many years later in Brittany he realized they had only been sea gulls... For me they will always be glorious birds.”

8. Name 3 people to whom you're going to pass these questions on, and why:

1. Norma, because she rocks and I want to know what movies she likes.

2. TrickyTricot, whose blog is so new I don't even know his real name yet, because he needs to come out and play.

3. and Valentina, because she’s got the most amazing green boots and is my clothing color-combining hero and I bet she’ll suggest some films I haven’t heard of yet.

Forget the leaky windows

It's Alison's birthday*! Go wish her a happy birthday, please, because she is utterly wonderful.

(Thanks for making me smile in the midst of house crisis. The immediate problem has been resolved. Repairs loom in the spring, but we can relax for now...and save those pennies. I love my house. It's worth it. I love my house. It's worth it. I love my house. It's worth it. Repeat until convinced.)

*Actually, her birthday is the 28th, but since she's in Australia it's her birthday RIGHT NOW as I write this...

The joys of the hundred-year-old home

It's raining inside my studio.

Melting snow from the roof appears to be dripping through the ancient rotting window frame and onto the floor. It must have dripped like that all day while I was at my client's office, ran through the floor and through the plaster ceiling and wall in the dining room, as well as another rotting window frame in there. Oh yeah. And onto the floor and a piece of art that doesn't belong to us. (No, Lawrence, not your painting. That's safe and dry in the living room.) We knew all along we'd need to replace the windows, but we'd been hoping to put off that major expense for a while, since we just came through the major expenses of rewiring the whole house and replacing a plaster ceiling and replacing the furnace chimney lining.

We're somehow out of duct tape. I know. No homeowner should ever let themselves run out of duct tape. I had to use clear packing tape and that pathetic blue painter's tape to attach plastic dropclothes to the windows to catch the water, but the tape isn't holding as it gets wet. Billy is right now buying the appropriate emergency supplies--duct tape, another plastic dropcloth, and frozen yogurt.

Me? Now that I've done all I can do tonight (No, I'm not going up on the roof in the dark with a foot of snow up there) I'm just sitting here, panicking ever so slightly at the thought of what this is going to cost. No yarn or books or paintings got wet, but a box of papers did. I'm afraid to look and see what's inside, because I'm sure whatever it is is totally ruined. And I'm not even thinking about my beloved hardwood floors just yet.

If you're looking for me, I'll be that girl huddled in the corner cracking open another diet Dr Brown's Black Cherry and weeping quietly, wondering how much blood you have to sell to raise the money for new windows.

Tag. Apparently, I'm it.

Lala has passed the baton. How can I say no to a woman with:

• Fabulous hair?
  
• Fabulous dogs?
  
• Fabulous taste in women?
  

She's tagged me to answer these questions. And so I shall. See, I'm nice like that.

1. Total amount of music files on your computer:

5.18 GB. iTunes tells me that’s 3.5 days’ worth of music. That’s less than I expected. Then again, at least half of my cds still haven’t been uploaded.

2. The CD you last bought is:

Ipecac Neat by P.O.S. after seeing him open for The Hold Steady the other night. I probably would have still bought it even if he hadn’t flashed that disarming smile at me when I told him I’d enjoyed his set. He's pretty damn charming.

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

“Lifter Puller Vs. the End of the Evening.” I’ve got my “LifterSteady” playlist going on iTunes right now. Ooh... “Sangre de Stephanie” just came on. How can a song with a chorus that goes “We’re Budweiser, we’re benzadrine. We went down on the smoke machine” manage to be so incredibly sexy? I think it's the bass. Either that or the reference to red rubber sheets. (Okay...so maybe it's not the rubber sheets. There really isn't anything sexy about rubber sheets. Brings to mind bed-wetting. Though, if you're into that... Never mind.)

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:

My top five vary from week to week, day to day. Here’s what’s in heavy rotation right now.

“Twilight” by Elliott Smith, off From a Basement on the Hill. The album was released after his death, which makes the listening experience rather bittersweet, to say the least. This song is absolutely beautiful.

“Solid Gold Sole” by Lifter Puller. With lines like “The dancefloor looks like Normandy. The smoke, the foam, the misery,” how could you not love this song? Impossible.

“Such a Lovely Thing” by Devotchka. You are listening to Devotchka, right? Bet you had no idea you loved accordions quite this much.

“Trouble” by Cat Stevens. What can I say? Harold and Maude will always be one of my absolute favorite films.

“Alley Flowers” by Jolie Holland. Okay...anything at all by Jolie Holland, really. I’ve been listening to both of her albums a lot lately.

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons) and why?

Sutton because he’s got great taste in music that, if I recall, has very little in common with my great taste in music. Plus, he never does stuff like this on his blog and I want to see if he'll actually post it.

La Brainy because she’s got great taste in music that has quite a bit in common with my great taste in music.

Alison because she has great taste in most everything and I like to pass her things.

Why yes, as a matter of fact, the rock show did rock.

As expected, The Hold Steady show last night was fantastic. Apparently word has officially gotten out about these guys (maybe due to both Spin and Rolling Stone naming their album Almost Killed Me the #1 best album you didn't hear in 2004) because the Mercury Lounge was packed. Packed. I still managed to wiggle my little way up to the front. Gotta see Craig Finn close enough to watch the sweat drip, you know. It's really the only way. Of course, by this point in my show-going life you'd think I would have learned that it's better not to stand directly in front of the guitarist's amp and directly under a speaker. Yeah. My ears are still ringing.

They played a lot of new material. Sounds like the new album (due out in the spring) is going to be amazing. One song in particular, "Stevie Nicks," floored me.

For some reason I never expect all that much from opening bands, but one of the opening acts, a rapper named P.O.S. was really great. Great enough that I bought the CD. He doesn't seem to have a website, but he's worth looking for if you want to do some poking around. I'm a sucker for good lyrics and he's got 'em.

Last night I made a bit of a confession to Craig. When I'm working on the novel, I use his music--from his previous band Lifter Puller and from The Hold Steady--as a kind of shortcut to get my head to where it needs to be for my main character. (I've told him this before.) Well, much as I've been careful not to let this happen, one line from a Lifter Puller song snuck into the book, albeit in an ever so slightly modified form. So I told him this and said I'd be fine with changing it if that wasn't okay. But it is okay. He's given the lyric lifting his blessing. (Now let's hope he actually likes the way I've used it when he reads the book. Yes, he will most certainly be getting a copy of the book when it exists in actual book form.) No, I won't tell you what the line is. Lifter Puller fans will have to look for it themselves in the text. And if you aren't a Lifter Puller fan (what's wrong with you?! kidding. kind of.) then this is your official tip-off to start boning up on the lyrics if you want to play "Find what Cari stole." Why am I making so much of one little line? Dunno. Because in my overtired state it amuses me.

They've got two more dates listed on the site right now. If they're coming to your area, do yourself a favor and check them out. (Sutton, this means you!)

Oh--and the new drummer played with them last night. He rocked.

And now a bit of news: Yesterday afternoon, before heading out to the show, I finished the first draft of the novel. Yep. Tomorow I start revisions. It still hasn't totally hit me, but there it is. I've got a completed first draft--and now the real work begins.

Don't make me get my paintbrushes, young man!

With only three scenes left to go in the first draft of my novel, one of my characters dug in his heels and absolutely refused to speak. Thought he was clever, delaying the inevitable end of the book and all, but around here we have ways of making reluctant characters talk. I painted him as the main character would see him. Once I got him onto the canvas, he opened right up and I was able to write the scene.

Introducing Mark: Q to Seventh Avenue (oil on canvas, 18 x 24)

Here's a detail:

So now there are only two scenes left to go. Closing in on the end, and I definitely have mixed feelings about it. It's exciting, but also sad to know I'm coming to the end of my time with these characters, and that soon I'll only be able to visit them in revisions. They won't have anything new ahead of them. Not on the page, anyway. I may do a series of paintings with characters from the book. It'd be a good excuse to hang out with them for a while longer, anyway.

Tonight Christina and I will be braving the bitter cold to go see The Hold Steady at the Mercury Lounge. (Special date with my Xina, no husbands or anyone else allowed. Dinner first, then the rock show. Woohoo!!! See you tonight, little girl!) Full report tomorrow or Friday. I'm sure it'll be a great show... pretty much a guarantee when the mighty mighty Craig Finn takes the stage...

Ingredients for a perfect holiday Monday

1. Your two closest friends on the planet (other than husband, of course. Boys go in a different column. This recipe is for a girl day.)
2. Snow outside.
3. Warm and cozy inside.
4. A movie that one of you loves and the other two have never seen before. If Johnny Depp and Crispin Glover are in it, all the better.
5. Freshly baked oatmeal cookies.
6. Veggie samosas from that health food place on Bedford.
7. Grape tomatoes.
8. Plenty of knitting to keep hands busy during the movie so they don't constantly reach for the cookies.
9. Go ahead--have a cookie. Have another. They aren't that big.
10. Whoever's home you're in, look at her art. Have her pull out her latest work and also stuff going back to BFA and MFA. Everyone else then gets to talk about what they're doing and each person must come away from the day with some fantastic new idea inspired by the other two. This will happen on its own. If it seems to be happening too slowly, eat another cookie.
11. After the movie and the art talk, go to a nearby cafe and wash those cookies and samosa down with some pecan pie and coffee. Chat with the cafe owner about sock knitting. There will be more art talk. Indulge in it. Especially if you're in a cafe called Le Cafe Starving Artiste.
12. Hugs goodbye and then the two of you whose home was not the gathering place for the day must walk together to the subway, then hug goodbye at the turnstile because you're taking separate trains.
13. Repeat. Often.

Spent the whole day with Christina and Alicia at Christina's gorgeous new apartment in Bed-Stuy. We watched Dead Man, which is one of Alicia's favorites. Perfect day. Absolutely perfect.

Alison is a goddess

That's right. Alison *last name mumbled so I can keep her all to myself* is a goddess of all that is good and thoughtful and tasty and beautifully designed and... and... she's overwhelmed me this time.

(Speaking of overwhelmed, thank you all for your wonderful congratulations and encouragement. It means so much to know I have your support. What a community we have going here, hunh?)

So the wonderful Alison, upon learning that I've never tasted passionfruit, made passionfruit curd for me. Yep. From the fruit. From scratch. Just for me. And put it in a spectacular little jar. And then wrapped it up with such care you wouldn't believe, along with Australian Fruit Spice, which I can't wait to try, and mailed it from Sydney. A goddess. See? I didn't exaggerate.

What I've done to deserve such kindness, I have no idea. I've been ordered to boil it for safety, then refrigerate. When it's solid again, I get to eat it. My first taste of passionfruit! I predict an empty jar by Sunday.

We now pause for a moment of intense giddiness

I just wrote the three hundred and fourth page of my novel.

Yes, 304. Which means I cruised past the 300-page milestone this afternoon. As you may imagine, I'm feeling rather giddy at the moment. Insanely pleased with myself. Don't worry. It'll pass in time for me to write again tomorrow. It's not like I finished the damn beast, after all.

But the end is in sight. End of the first draft, anyway. Homestretch time, baby. Maybe another forty pages to go? Or sixty? Not much more than that. And then comes the revision. And then more revision. And then...well, yeah, revision.

But 304!!!

Okay. That's all. Just wanted to share a bit of the glee.

Lizard sock revealed

Because my foot has the flu, Big Doll has agreed to model the lizard sock for you.

Why am I calling it the lizard sock? Because my foot has the flu, the sock has agreed to model itself in a close-up.

There are reptilian spines all along the cuff. Six of em. They amuse me to no end. It was really hard to take a picture where you could see them at all. The yarn is so busy that the colors swallow everything else in photographs. As I knit the sock, it started to remind me of a lizard I had when I was a kid and so... Well, there you go. The mystery top is a turn-down cuff with lizard spikes. Hope it wasn't too anticlimactic for you.

Now I need to make the second one quickly, because I smile every time I try on this first sock. Luckily I'm feeling well enough to knit today. Thanks so much for your well wishes, and to everyone else who is also sick, get better soon!

Ugh

I have the flu. Get this--I don't even feel like knitting. Not a stitch since Friday night. Crazy, hunh? I finished the melted crayon sock with the surprise whatchamagig at the cuff days ago, but haven't yet been able to get it together enough to weave in all the endy bits and take a photo. Hopefully tomorrow.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to crawl back to my bed.

You'll recall that I predicted a sock binge...

Rejection's an unavoidable part of my profession. On days when I'm not rejected I find it pretty easy to accept this fact. On the days when I do get rejected, though... Well, depends on the rejection. Today I got two big helpings of it. Nothing tragic or permanent. Nothing affecting the novel, luckily (or I might have been writing this while hiding under my down comforter). But still... two in one day challenges that crusty old exoskeleton I keep round my ego. I soothed the sting with liberal amounts of diet Dr Brown's Black Cherry soda and some sock knitting.

This is the Columbine Peak pattern from Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles in Lorna's Laces Motherlode.

This one is the start of my own pattern, using a mystery Regia colorway that I think of as melted crayon box. Andrea gave it to me a couple years ago because it was too ugly for her stash, but it's been growing on me lately. The red at the cast-on edge is waste yarn, as you probably guessed. Something fantastic is going to happen up there. Just you wait and see.

Now, if you'll please excuse me, I need to get back to my sock knitting and dreaming of a world where no one has the legal right to say no to me.

New socks for the new year

Two skeins of merino superwash from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.