daniinnc's Xanga

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 01:06:48 GMT

OK, guys. My new blog is up at Blog*Spot . One reason I switched was to make it easier for you guys to comment without having to register. I'm hoping this means that I'll hear from a few of you more often. I'm not expecting anything brilliant; I just want an "I'm here" so I know who's reading me. (How's that for comment begging?)

I used Blogger for my first attempt at this about two years ago, so you'll see a few of my old posts. In hindsight, the writing looks much better than the stuff I have been posting this time around. I stopped because I thought my writing came across as stilted, but now I think it is worse. Anyway, check me out in my new home.

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Thu, 30 Dec 2004 01:23:23 GMT

In Flux

I am considering some changes to my blog, as I've said earlier. Most likely, I will be moving to Blogger. I'll leave a link here once I make the move. In the meantime, I won't be posting for the next few days. It will take me a little while to figure out how to set up things the way I want. See you soon!

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Tue, 28 Dec 2004 01:18:07 GMT

Theme for the New Year

Making resolutions has never been a priority for me, and setting goals makes me nervous. However, giving myself a needlework theme for the year seems to keep me focused. The theme for 2004 was Family Knitting, and I think I did pretty well. ABM was the only one who didn't get a handmade item, and if I try really hard I could probably make his scarf by Friday.

For 2005, I am leaning toward The Year of the Afghan. There are so many afghan patterns I want to try, but I have been scared off because I have trouble completing large projects. However, I think if I focus on afghans that consist of squares or strips I might be able to finish two or three next year.

My other choice for a theme is 20th-Century Knitting. I have a small collection of vintage patterns that I have never used. My idea was to confine myself to patterns that were printed before 2000 and document my progress on my blog. The main difficulty I see with that plan is that many of the patterns would require me to do some MATH (ahhh!) to make them wearable. Still, I am attracted to the idea of having a 1950s-style sweater or two in my closet.

Any thoughts?

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Sun, 26 Dec 2004 14:50:20 GMT

My Christmas Gifts

My biggest and most important gift was that the kids were happy with and thankful for the things they got. That has been my main holiday focus for the past couple years. Since we can't afford to give them the moon, I really want to make sure that they at least get one or two of the stars they point at.

As for material gifts, I didn't get much. ABM pretty much decided that the gift giving part of Christmas is for the kids, so we don't buy a lot for each other. It took me a while to mature and get to this point because I grew up in a household where presents were the sole focus of Christmas and there were a LOT of them, even for the adults. ABM's childhood was just the opposite, so as long as you show you remembered him by getting a little something then he is happy.

Anyway, ABM bought me The Big Book of Knitting by Katharina Buss. This purchase shows the difference between us. I pointed to the knitting book display at Michaels' a couple weeks' ago and told him that a knitting book always makes a great gift. When I said this, I was thinking of this year's more trendy offerings like Stitch and Bitch Nation. He, of course, was thinking of something more practical. Don't get me wrong, though; I am very appreciative of his choice. It shows me that he takes my knitting seriously. Also, he said that he picked that book because it had lots of interesting necklines in it and he thought it might help me with my neckline problem (I avoid knitting sweaters because I can't seem to knit a neckline that doesn't look stretched out.) That shows me that he stayed awake at least once or twice when I was rambling on with some tale of knitter's woe. Katharina Buss' book may not be the sexy choice, but I bet I will probably refer to it a lot more than all the cute pattern books I have on my shelf now.

Friday, December 24, 2004

Fri, 24 Dec 2004 23:39:10 GMT

Still knitting

It is 7:30p here, and I am still knitting! I showed the Beaujolais hat to ABM and he felt that my bunch of grapes looked more like flowers. I had a huge leaf out to the side and I was going to stitch a vine from the grapes to the leaf, but he still thought it would look like a flower. He suggested that I make a couple smaller leaves and tuck them under the grapes. Normally, I would be insulted at his frankness; for some reason I expect him to love all of my work without reservation . Today, however, I accepted his comments with the correct spirit. Perhaps the fact that we were both working on creative projects at the same time today and exchanging suggestions enabled me to see that he doesn't hesitate to tell me when something doesn't look right because he is confident in my ability to make it better. If only I could remember that six months from now!

Anyway, I still haven't even looked at C1's Kittyville hat today. I probably won't even get to it until 9p. This shouldn't be a problem since we won't even get around to putting out the kids' presents until 11p. We haven't wrapped a single thing because we didn't even start shopping until Sunday. I keep trying to get ABM to let me put each kid's presents in a trashbag with a big bow on it, but he isn't having it. We're going to be up all night wrapping, as usual. Think of me as you are tucked snugly in your beds .

Friday, December 24, 2004

Fri, 24 Dec 2004 22:52:37 GMT

I don't get it

OK, I was watching The N, which is the teen version of the Noggin channel. (Yes, I watch teen programming. It is how I relieve stress. Don't judge me.) A commercial came on for one of their reality shows called "Girls vs. Boys". The promo called the finale a "sexually charged showdown". What? It is my understanding that the average age of their viewership is 14. Do they need a "sexually charged showdown"? What truly aggravates me is that The N has refused to air several episodes of "Degrassi: The Next Generation", which happens to be one of my favorite shows, because they thought their viewership couldn't handle it. The creators of "Degrassi" handle all their tough subject matter (drugs, physical abuse, teenage pregnancy) in a very responsible matter. I plan to introduce M, my 11-year-old, to the series next month. How can The N air all the "who's gonna hook up with who" mess that you get on a reality show, but they won't credit that same audience with the maturity to handle "Degrassi" in its entirety?

Friday, December 24, 2004

Fri, 24 Dec 2004 16:39:35 GMT

Blogger or Xanga?

This blog was started on a whim several weeks ago. I had a blog briefly two years ago, but I just couldn't get the hang of the whole thing. When I signed up to comment on someone else's Xanga blog recently and saw how easy it was to set up my own blog, I just did it. Since starting this blog, however, I've noticed that most of the blogs in the Xanga community seem to belong to teenagers. I'm wondering if my blog would fit in better somewhere else like Blogger or Pretty Posies. What do you guys think?

Friday, December 24, 2004

Fri, 24 Dec 2004 16:22:59 GMT

So Close!

I'm taking Gina the Buddha Baptist's lead and refusing to stress out during these last few hours before Christmas. I didn't finish all the things that I wanted to stitch, but I am close. Thanks to the religious training the kids have been getting, they understand that they are blessed no matter what is (or isn't) under the tree this year. On a practical note, the twins know that their birthday is in three weeks so they'll be opening presents again soon .

Yesterday, I outdid myself by almost knitting C2's Beaujolais hat in one day. Yes, I posted previously that I started it on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the pattern that I am using is for a adult-sized hat and it is knit back and forth on straight needles. Not only was it turning out too big, but the purling was slowing me down. After reading through the pattern again on Wednesday night, I realized that it is just a basic paperbag-style hat with grapes and a leaf sewn onto the front (a Nicky Epstein specialty). I'm usually a blind follower, but the holiday spirit enboldened me and I ripped out the 3" I already had and cast on again in the round with 20 less stitches. The hat turned out perfectly! All I have to do today is knit and attach the grapes and the leaf, as well as add the kitty ears and earflaps to C1's hat.

Below is the book that contains the pattern for C2's hat. I've also knit the Moon Trees hat from this book, which was tricky but it turned out well. When I think of Nicky Epstein, I usually think of knitted embellishments (I have that book, too!) but this book isn't as heavy on appliques and embellishments as you would think. There are several hats that rely on intarsia and textured stitches to provide interest. It is an older book but it is still pretty cool.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Thu, 23 Dec 2004 17:25:14 GMT

Have I started knitting yet?

No, I have not . I have been helping my husband find the Kappa Alpha Psi symbol on the internet so that he could use his router to put the letters on a paddle that he made for one of his friends. Can you say "last-minute Christmas gift"? Some things are more difficult to find on the internet than you would imagine. After 30 minutes of searching, I finally hit on the idea of looking on eBay. Sure enough, I found an auction with a close-up picture of the lettering. ABM is sure to leave me alone for the rest of the afternoon after this.

It is now 1:30p. I am going to take a bath, eat some soup, see if I can find a SpongeBob chart online, and finally get down to my knitting.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Thu, 23 Dec 2004 16:04:35 GMT

Christmas Eve Eve

No, I didn't stutter . Today is the eve of Christmas Eve, and I have the day off. My husband ABM is about to leave so he can take care of a few last-minute Christmas errands. My niece Kjr is in Georgia with her parents, and my three youngest kids are with the MIL. My eldest child M is so happy to have the TV to herself for a change that I probably won't see her leave the couch all day. That means I am free to knit until my fingers fall off!

I have adjusted my expectations a bit. This is the Christmas season, so I feel that as long as I get done by mid-January I'm doing good . M and DJ's gifts are done; my niece and my carpool buddy already have their gifts. I already informed ABM that I am shooting for New Year's Day to be done with his mother's scarf. If I can finish C1 and C2's hats by tomorrow night, I'll be happy.

Working with wool and soft acrylics on the last few projects has totally ruined me for the cheap stuff. I started C2's hat yesterday using Red Heart. It isn't Red Heart Soft or Light and Lofty or any of the other new novelty stuff they've come out with -- just plain ol' Red Heart. Plain ol' stiff Red Heart. It felt like I was knitting with twine or something. I still contend that Red Heart has some of the most beautiful color combinations in their variegated yarns, and it is a great yarn for kids' items because of its cost and easy care requirements. However, I may have to relegate it to use on my knitting frame where it won't hurt my hands so much.