First off: Almost done with the 33 1/3 book on Loveless. Halfway through City of Glass by Paul Auster. Waiting for Jan to finish the nifty-looking NYRB Press book about the Thirty Years' War.
But back to knitting.
It is rather difficult to do yarnovers and decreases in the blind dark, while sleep deprived, but I managed to do it. I have a full hexagon done on the Basalt tank, all of which was completed at B-Fest. I also have several more inches on the monotonous but cute angora sweater, although I coat myself in fuzz every time I knit on that. I have two socks above the heel flap; they aren't from the same pair, but hey, two socks, right?
Right now, though, my main focus is de-Flashdancing the Hourglass Sweater. Taken in 5.5" from each sleeve: Check. Crochet cast-off sleeves: Check. Pulled hem line from bottom hem: Check. Now, I have to cast off the bottom in a regular fashion, then pull out the top hem, knit it up higher, and crochet cast-off up top, too. Nice and tight, that crochet cast-off.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Sweater/Knitting Update.
Not much progress on the sweaters this week. Well, I’m still working on the interminable yoke for the Men’s Sweater, and have allegedly hemmed the top of the Hourglass. Problems with further progress on these two:
- Both of them are so large now that they are burdensome to carry around and knit in public.
- It is hard to knit a sweater for a person you don’t want to see the sweater when you’re always around the person.
- Stupid, stupid me! I must always remember to Google “(pattern name) problems” before I start into knitting it. I should’ve especially known better about the Hourglass from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, since I knew there was a problem with the Men’s Raglan Zip-Up pattern as written. But noooo, so I got all the way to hemming the top and learned of the “Flashdance Problem”. That is, the neckline is difficult to keep on both shoulders. Sure, the 80s are back, but I’d like my wool/mohair sweaters to keep me covered. Cranky Uncle Greg actually laughed at me when I tried this sweater on over my shirt at Pub Trivia. This is becaus CUG is a DICK.
And so... I’m ripping it out, back to the turning row for the hem at least, and will knit in a ribbed neckline of some sort. I now have to decide whether I should match the ribbing on the lower hem and cuffs, too. I’m glad I did a provisional cast-on with both of those, so this choice won’t involve ripping out my cast-on.
Also, I discovered socks this week. Bad.
I’m going to a 24-hour B movie marathon from tonight to tomorrow night. I have a bag full of knitting projects to work on, with a range of difficulties so I can move to a 2x2 rib scarf by the time I can no longer function fully. This bag includes the Tiffany angora sweater and the Basalt tank, so I’ll get some sweater work done.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
2007.4: Highway 61 Revisited (33 1/3) by Mark Polizzotti
A good book about my favorite Dylan album. This is one of those basic 33 1/3 books, with lots of background stuff about the recording sessions, and gossip about the likely subjects of many of the songs. It makes me want to delve further into the Dylan Encyclopedia I received at Christmas.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Sweater a Month/Knit Update
I have no pictures right now because my computer's busted and JZ took his camera with him out of town, so it's a text-only update.
Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts: I have precious little to go on this one, actual-knitting-wise. A couple more rows on the yoke, the turning row for the hem, a few more rows there, and then it's on to the finishing, which mainly entails hemming everything.
Man's Raglan Zip-Up: I'm on the 2nd sleeve, after which it's the yoke. And... I also need to get around to buying the zipper to sew into it, but I'm waiting to block it out before I do that.
Angora pullover: Stopped working on this to focus on the first two, so still about 4" into the first side.
Many, many other projects: Pretty much same as I was (aka, did nothing on them this week).
I'll be going to a movie marathon tomorrow, and will then be going to a BIG movie marathon the weekend after that, so I'm going to try to crank out some easy projects while there.
Monday, January 15, 2007
2007.3: Consider the Lobster, David Foster Wallace
Well, I really like DFW's essay work, so I really liked this. I was amazed that the essay about lobsters, which featured many paroxysms of conscience about eating animals, actually ran in Gourmet. Also, the John McCain story, while entertaining, is still incredibly long and hard to get through, even the second time around. Randomly enough, a company briefly mentioned in his article on talk radio (Arbitron, a Nielsen-style radio ratings system) just called the office this morning, thinking this was a private line.
Are you bored with reading what I'm reading? Would reading the same kind of list, only by a famous dude with a killer Jewfro, be more fun for you? If so: What Art Garfunkel has been reading, 1968-present (found on Bookslut).
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Reasons Consider the Lobster was not the first book I read in 2007:
- Holy (insert expletive of choice here)
. The John McCain article is this long? I already read an abridged version of this monster in Rolling Stone seven years ago, and it was super-long then. - I left it at my apartment and instead read other things before I went back there.
- The airline tickets I’m redeeming for AAdvantage miles are my bookmark, and I can’t redeem them online until next week.
Anyhow, moving on:
2007.1: The Female Thing by Laura Kipnis. It was fun, it was bitchy, it was smart. I like her work and don’t quite understand the people who complain that she offers no answers. She does offer an answer, it’s just that her answer seems to be the adoption of a Marxist-Socialist regime.
2007.2: 69 Love Songs: A Field Guide (33 1/3) by LD Beghtol. It’s written by one of the vocalists on the album. It includes a crossword puzzle and features two references to Nancy Mitford. I don’t understand how Susan hasn’t read this yet.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Book Count 2007
2007.1: The Female Thing by Laura Kipnis
2007.2: 69 Love Songs: A Field Guide (33 1/3) by LD Beghtol
2007.3: Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
2007.4: Neil Young's Harvest (33 1/3) by Sam Inglis
2007.5: My Bloody Valentine's Loveless (33 1/3) by Mike McGonigal
2007.6: All Downhill From Here by John Sellers
2007.7: Exile on Main Street (33 1/3) by Bill Janovitz
2007.8: The Thirty Years' War by C.V. Wedgewood
2007.9: Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA (33 1/3) by Geoffrey Himes
2007.10: Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark (33 1/3) by Sean Nelson
2007.11: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark
2007.12: Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
2007.13: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
2007.14: Chuck Klosterman IV
2007.15: Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang
2007.16: Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
2007.17: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
2007.18: Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures (33 1/3) by Chris Ott
2007.19: The Wizard of Oz by Salman Rushdie
2007.20: Therapy by David Lodge
2007.21: The Sun King by Nancy Mitford
2007.22: Belle & Sebastian's If You're Feeling Sinister (33 1/3) by Scott Plagenhoef
2007.23: The Commitment by Dan Savage
2007.24: The Art of Fiction by David Lodge
2007.25: Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
2007.26: The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
2007.27: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
2007.28: City of Glass by Paul Auster
2007.29: Ghosts by Paul Auster
2007.30: Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
2007.31: Thinks... by David Lodge
2007.32: The Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime (33 1/3) by Michael T. Fournier
2007.33: The Byrds' The Notorious Byrd Brothers (33 1/3) by Ric Menck
2007.34: Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation (33 1/3) by Matthew Stearns
2007.35: Molecular Gastronomy by Herve This
2007.36: Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love (33 1/3) by Carl Wilson
