FiberTribe

Uninspired but Still Kickin'

Eh. I tried, Laurie, I really tried last night to get a good picture of the lovely shawl you gifted me with. I gave up after uploading and deleting 4 tries. Will try again with more inspiration (and daylight).

Anyway. I'm just not inspired to knit this week. Heresy, I know. But I have been buying knitting books, including Sasha Kagan's recently issued learn to knit book. Has anyone else looked at this?  I'm on the fence about returning it. Since I obviously know how to knit, I bought it for the patterns and stitch ideas. But taking a better look when I got home, it just doesn't seem like anything that special for the $20 price. When I compare it to, say, a Rowan book or especially a Rebecca.  Speaking of Rebecca, does anyone know of a source for the new Rebecca and/or the Rebecca Home that was issued a while back? My LYS gets them late if at all. And my fingers are twitching already to knit up something bright and springy.  Maybe Eloise will do the trick...

In reading news, I just finished Ann Patchett's  (she of Bel Canto) latest book, Truth and Beauty: A Friendship. It's a non-fiction account of her 20+ year friendship with a woman she met at the Iowa Writers Workshop.  It's an odd book recounting a love but not sexual relationship with her good friend. Beautifully written, it's somehow unsettling as any book about a relationship with a downwardly spiraling deeply brilliant soul can be.  I deeply admire her honesty and exploration.  It does satisfy that urge I always have to know more about the person who writes books I admire. And there is something about her quiet prose that reminds me of Kathleen Norris's book, Dakota. If you don't know Norris's work, whether non-fiction (Dakota, The Bennington Virgin) or her poetry (many volumes) you are in for a serious treat. The bonus is the Dakota plains picture on the cover of Dakota. I bought that book long ago for the haunting picture and found a gem and touchstone to which I keep returning.  Norris recounts her moving from NYC to Lemmon, South Dakota to takeover her grandmother's house and property. Go. Find her. She is wonderful.

More Mad, Tuscan Love...

Courtesy of Matteo....

and the dawn over Stromboli (from a house in Calabria)...

such lovely colors to take me from winter discontents...

Mad Love...

...is what I wish I was in. Sigh. I have the January Blue Grizzlies, evidently. Vague discontents, with scattered showers of pissant attitude, lethargy, and just can't seem to get my feet under me, so to speak. Oh, I'm soldiering on, always do, just don't much feel like it. Nothing suits, no zing, restless and aimless as hell. Cristo, I sound like a rainy day 4 year old with "nothing to do, Mommy...". Ack.   

Something is coming, a change, something...Ya know, sometimes it's no fun being intuitive. I can feel it coming but I don't know what it is.   

I think I need to knit something deeply red.

If you haven't read Marlena de Blasi's, A Thousand Days in Venice, go. Run, even. It's lovely and lifts even the winter spirit. I'm reading the follow on book, A Thousand Days in Tuscany (she and her Venetian, blueberry-eyed beloved up ship and move there) and it's just as good, if quieter.

Better days comin'. Buona notte, belle donne. Mwah.

Knit Night Out

Whoo, hoo! I found me some Tribe! Actually, this is Knit Night Out  at the Borders in Ft. Lauderdale, organized by Catherine, she of the lovely aran sweater to follow. From left to right (and I'm sorry, chicas, I'm horrible with names, will fill in the blanks later):  Martha (who finished her first KO ever, a light blue fun fur scarf which she promptly gifted to her friend Sharon), Andrea working on a Vogue 2002 ribbed and surpliced sweater, Beth, and Dawn. Those are Betsy's legs you're looking at to the right.

Sharon, the giftee, wearing Martha's just-completed scarf, with Betsy looking on as she coaches her knitting.

The lovely Dawn back in South Florida

Catherine's lovely aran. (sorry, CW, the photo sucks. the better one was blurry)

And here is Sharon once more, modeling her new scarf.

Is it 10 PM Already??

Well, peeps, I'll be brief and let you know that I'm still out here but more in the mood to read than write. 

I'm knitting a a chemo cap in some sort of purple synthetic yarn that the lovely Phyllis, breast cancer survivor and one of the LYS staff women, swears to me is the best thing ever for a chemo cap. I've got two women to knit these for and it purely sucks. Major suckage that they must go through chemo, minor league sucky is the knitting of this cloying yarn. I have never before knit on double points and if I have my way, I never will again. Size 8 bamboo dpns, 5 of the damned things.  They keep falling out of the stitches since I am a loose knitter and/or because I don't know how to manage them. And I am beyond annoyed with the actual knitting. The yarn sticks to itself enough that I can't get a good look at the stitch definition to be sure I haven't mucked up the 3/2 rib pattern.  How DO you all knit socks on these torture devices? I'd go mad.  It's fiddly and not at all portable as it should be. I wanted to do more charity cap knitting but unless one of you kind souls has pity on me and enlightens me as to what the hell I'm doing wrong, caps will get added to socks on my "not in this knitting lifetime" list. 

In other knitting news, maybe it's post-holiday let down, etc. but I'm just not in much of a mood to knit. Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that I must do at home and orifice. And medical/dental maintenance things, etc, etc, yadda yadda. But oh, am I in a mood to read knitting books and mags. Heh.

To all of you out west, I hope you're warm and dry inside a cosy house, hopefully with a fire going in the woodstove or fireplace. Do not, repeat, do not go outside to shovel the driveway. Trust me. It will only snow on top of your neatly cleaned pavement. Ok. Enough babble. Say goodnight, caroline...

Blame it on Iris, who got it from Gina, who got it from Pats, who got it from Delia, eh.

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. caroline
2. Gaudess
3. Dee

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. womanontheverge
2. caroline
3. carolineg2u

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. wicked sense of humor
2. am one hot mama when I wanna be
3. intelligent AND curious

THREE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Have trouble finishing things
2. I don't do change well, I get attached (to people, houses, furniture)
3. I can get very low energy

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE

1. Ukranian
2. Russian (NOT the same)
3. Southern Italian (Campania)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Fundamentalists of any stripe including Republicans
2. Grasshoppers. I hate them.
3. Not being able to provide for myself.

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Coffee
2. My tribe including Blogland
3. All 6 senses

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. Black suit
2. Cosabella thingies
3. Turquoise ring I bought from Abraham Begay at the PowWow

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS (at the moment):
1. Dave Matthews
2. Coldplay
3. Neko Case

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (at the moment):
1. Copperline
2. Letting the Cable Sleep
3. Coming down the Wire

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
1. Learn to drive a motorcycle
2. Snowboarding
3. Kite surfing

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Harmony & deep love
2. Amazing sex
3. Trust

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE:
1. That's just the way it is
2. I do
3. Instant karma's gonna get you

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX (or same) THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. Ass
2. Lips and tongue
3. All the yummy parts are waxed

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:
1. Get up early
2. Set foot in *almart
3. Knit with acrylic

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Knitting
2. Reading
3. Diving

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Go back to Bhutan
2. Have amazing sex
3. Sleep

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1. Medical intuitive/healer
2. ESL teacher in Bhutan
3. Global gypsy

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Back to Bhutan
2. Tibet on motorcycle
3. Venice

THREE KID'S NAMES:
1. Valerian
2. Genevieve, pronounced as you do in French
3. Kai

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Live right on the ocean, warm ocean
2. Learn how to really, really love
3. Make a real and positive difference in a few lives

THREE WAYS I AM STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. I love, I mean LOVE cars, especially fast cars and working on cars
2. I curse fluently in 10 languages
3. I love sex and I'm not monogamous by nature

THREE WAYS I AM STEREOTYPICALLY A CHICK:
1. I love long hair, hot shoes, and ruby red nail polish
2. I am always late
3. I like to be wined and dined

THREE CELEB CRUSHES:
1. Kevin Kline
2. Amy Irving
3. Dave Matthews
4. Seal

Finnless in Gaza

Well, actually, in Miami, but whatever.  The Finns have taken wing and are on their way back to Helsinki and Lempaala. The house is echoingly silent and Kiley the Cat runs amok, yowling at the top of her lungs for attention. It's good to have some solitude 'cause I worked a very long, intense day. It's not so good, 'cause Gomez is a MOM and MOMs cook every night and carolines get to eat good, fresh food with no muss, no fuss.  Well. Actually huge muss but no fuss.

And the week ahead should be interesting. All the clients are back and raring to go and I'm staring at an Everest of challenges.  As Pogo said, "We is surrounded by insurmountable opportunities." heh. Here in the northernmost city in Latin America, nothing gets done between December 15th and January 15th. Life is good. And if it isn't, eat more cake and take another hit of the coquito (a sort of Latino island egg nog spiked with vast amounts of high proof rum, etc. one thimblefull will flatten you.)

And so far, the new year's sole resolution has been a good one. Today was a day to savor it being almost over.  I didn't think I had it in me to blog tonight, but reading a few of your blogs energized me. Either that or it was due to snarfing up a bowl of asparagus so thin and tender that it was asparaghetti, laced with balsamic vinegar and rice parmesan. Now don't go, 'ick'.  It's really very good. And you may notice that I cooked. Gomez aka Mothra Stewart, has had her effect on me.

Eh. Knitting, you ask? Well, I did pick up some 60% off Tibetan sari silk at the LYS last week. I swatched and it's knitting up at a fairly chunky gauge. Not sure what to make with it. You just wait till you see the pictures. Problem is, I have only 560 yds. Any ideas?

And not only am I the Queen of the UFOs, I now have a mountain of UPOs: Un-Photographed Objects gifted to me and going begging for their blogday sunshine. Have mercy for I am truly ragged. Laurie gifted me with a Tartelette shawl (yes, I AM the luckiest giftee in the world. no, yer stinkin' cashmere (or Noro or whatever) doesn't count 'cause you still have to knit it up). And goodies from Michelle and Margene and Corine. You get the idea.  I'm about piling it all up in the middle of the table and taking one big mish-mash photo tomorrow.  Maybe I'll plop Kiley in the middle of it all.  High time she held up her end of this blog.

So. Like Chaka Khan said, tell me something good...

Day 3

...of 2005, eh. The sole resolution I'm inspired to make is to find something to enjoy in every day this year. To savor each day even if the only thing to savor is that it's over...This is my backdoor way to stretch the speeding days out, 'cause, dude, those calendar pages are just whipping by.

We are still with Finns here, chez FiberTribe. It's been fun and now tonight is the grand packing adventure or how to fit the Santa loot into the suitcases including a one extra donated to the cause.  If you knew how small my house is you'd hold your head at the inevitable chaos we've had here. But Gomez and her girls are so much fun it will be way too quiet when they leave on Tuesday. 

I hope to resume normal blogging (with photos, whatta concept!) then.  One fun knitting moment this past weekend, though. We all went out to the Miccosukee Indian reservation on New Year's Eve to see the Pow Wow they have every year.  It was a pale shadow of it's former self, hardly any people there but the girls got to see First Nation's dancers from all over the country, and to spend some of their holiday loot after GREAT deliberation, amongst the stalls and stands. Eli and Laura both bought dreamcatchers and Eli also bought a shell necklace and a bow and arrow set.  And a feathered hair tie. She and Laura will be stylin' from their American vacation upon return to Finland. 

Ah, yes, the knitting moment. Well, to fill in for the lack of First Nations exhibitors, they've allowed in many folks selling typical wares (textiles, rugs, taiwanese immitation turquoise rings, etc.) from South and Central America. At one such booth, I noticed a woman knitting a complicated aran cabled sweater. I held up my knitting and we instantly bonded. She was knitting without a pattern (yes, an aran) and was stuck because she had just resumed knitting after a hiatus and couldn't remember how to turn the cables.  Her sister in law had shown her quickly and she couldn't recall. I demonstrated a cable without a cable needle and she was off and running. She lives up in Hollywood, Florida only about a half hour away from me so we exchanged numbers and info and hope to meet up at the knitting shop I've just heard about up in Hollywood.  So how cool is that? We are everywhere!

And in case you were wondering, knitting is not part of the Miccosukee tradition but the amazing patchwork known as Seminole patchwork IS. And the skirts and jackets and kid's outfits on display and better yet, worn by the tribes people were really wonderful to behold.  Sorry, no pictures. I tread softly when I'm on the res since so many others don't.  I'll see if I can find a link for you next time...

AND, I did buy a beautiful turquoise ring from Abraham Begay, a Dine (Navajo) silversmith. He had the most beautiful work on display. If anyone is interested, he lives and works out of Flagstaff, Arizona.  Since the fair was so slow, we had time for a good long chat and I learned much about different sorts of turquoise and about current Dine politics, including the intractable and long-running Hopi-Dine land dispute.  And that the Dine have voted to allow gaming on the res after so many years of opposing it. It is against the Dine way but there is just no other way to bring in the dollars needed to bring electricity and running water to many of those on the res. And jobs. Mr. Begay is personally against it but understands why the measure won. He lives and has raised his kids in Flagstaff because there's just no way to work and live on the res. And he believes his kids and others are losing the language and culture because of that. And not that I'll remember it but he did kindly tell me how to properly pronounce the word "Dine" which means 'the people' and is the name the tribe calls itself.