Archives for November 2006

I Am Nail-Biter, Hear Me Chew

Published on 29 Nov 2006 at 11:39 pm. 32 Comments.
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OK. You guys need to help a sister out. I’m a nail-biter. Always have been, always will be. I’m a hair twirler, too, but that’s neither here nor there. It’s the nail-biting I’m concerned with. I’d show you a picture, but my mom would be totally embarrassed. She’s been trying to get me to quit doing it since I was a kid. But I was too sly, and far too orally fixated to be assuaged.

And now. Well, now I’ve gone and gotten myself on a tv show. And not just any old tv show, it’s Knitty Gritty. Basically, it’s hand p0rn. Well, I’ve never actually seen the show, but I can only assume that there are lots of close-ups of beautifully manicured hands doing all sorts of crafty things. Hands that don’t look like the discarded chew toys of a baby T-Rex.

Now, I’m not here to ask for help to quit biting my nails. Hell no! I just need to figure out a way to cover them up without resorting to asking Stephanie for one of the many hand-knit socks she’ll have with her.  And seeing as how I can barely manage to keep up with my lip and brow appointments (note to self, get a lip and brow or a moustache comb), manicures are completely out of my league.

SO. Any of you local gals care to help a scraggly-nailed sister out?

Where should I go? Does anyone have a swear-by favorite? I’m willing to go anywhere in the Boston/Somerville/Cambridge/surrounding area, but if you have a place further away that is amazing, I’m willing to travel within an hour of Boston.

What should I ask for? I don’t want big, long eye-poking nails. I don’t want to slice an artery accidentally in the shower. I just want them to look like they aren’t on the body of a stressed-out neurotic person. Plain, no fancy colors, maybe just something light and nuetral. So what do I get? I don’t know Thing One about this stuff, so treat me like a child here. Acrylic, porcelain (is that even a choice?), is there a specific style?

How long does it take? How much time should I allow for Digitalis Metamorphosis?

Heeeelp! And thanks in advance for your sage advice.

*Tune in mid-December for Part Two of this post: “How Do I Get These Freaking Things Off!?”

 

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Mock and Roll 2006 – New Tour Dates!

Published on 29 Nov 2006 at 10:45 am. 10 Comments.
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Just in time for the fancy season, two new tour dates have been added! Consider it my holiday gift to the world.

Since I’ll be in the neighborhood filming an episode of Knitty Gritty, I’ll be popping into Unwind in Burbank, CA

12/9 – Burbank, CA – Unwind, 1-3pm (818 N. Hollywood Way)

 ***

And join us at Graceful Stitches for an evening of fun! Graceful Stitches is a non-profit yarn shop that donates its profits to cancer research. Our very own Maryse is a volunteer there!

12/14 – Medfield, MA, Graceful Stitches, 7:30pm (event is being held two blocks from Graceful Stitches at a home improvement store called Master’s Touch – 5 Janes Street, building is on Rt. 109)

Hope to see you there!

 

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Hitting the Wall

Published on 18 Nov 2006 at 6:43 pm. 30 Comments.
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I started this blog because I enjoy writing and was excited about knitting. And by doing these two things in combination, I somehow stumbled upon an amazing community, great friends and of all things, a book deal. Call it passion, call it harmonic convergence, call it dumb luck, call it whatever you want, it really is a dream come true. So why do I feel like I’ve hit a wall? Repeatedly. Without a helmet.

How is it that because of my writing and knitting, I never have time to write or knit anymore? It’s like some twisted version of the Gift of the Magi. The whole process of not only writing, but supporting a book has become all-consuming. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you how long I’ve been at it. I feel like the last two years have been a big blur, like I’ve been on a merry-go-round turned up to eleven. Even the fiberglass horses are looking a little queasy. And when I try to leap off, I land on a roller coaster full of shrieking Girl Scouts with Pink Eye. Basically, my life lately can be summed up by one sentence: “What, are you freaking kidding me?”

I have no problem working hard. In fact, I love it. I get a sick sense of satisfaction from working an insane amount of hours and exhausting myself. Working in the software industry and starting with a company from the ground up has conditioned me to accept an occasional (and sometimes not-so-occasional) 16-hour workday as par for the course. It feels really good to work your ass off and actually reap the rewards.

Of course, when you expend that much gusto on two things – work and book – it starts to wear a little quicker. I find myself wishing there were an extra day in the week, a secret one that no one else knows about where I can knit and write and correspond with friends, maintain relationships, change litterboxes, sit still for more than 10 minutes without feeling like I should be staring at a computer or worrying about what I should be doing but am not. I seem to have gotten myself onto a human-sized hamster wheel. And what’s worse, I think the wheel has come free of it’s cage because I feel really far away from my life. Everything feels very automated and rushed. Even leisurely activities have a time slot in my head. And rather than enjoying them, I find myself thinking about what I need to do one the rest period is over.

And what’s even worse is that I’m really starting to annoy myself. The constant second-guessing of myself, the worries about who I am and just who the hell do I think I am (two very different things, I assure you). Worries about book sales and publicity and future projects are just swirling around and I can barely see past them. If I could see past them, I’d realize just how lucky I am that I have a job that allows me the freedom to take off for signings and events. And that my friends and family are really understanding with my even shorter-than-before-term-memory issues and lack of even the most rudimentary social skills. And that my husband is the most patient man on earth, because anyone else would have packed up and left by now, but instead, he does the laundry.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that hot damn, I’m tired and frustrated and freaking out just the tiniest bit and thanks for hanging in there. I blog regularly throughout the day in my head, it just never seems to get to the screen. I think I need to allow, no, demand a chunk of time every day for some quiet time. When I don’t think about work or the book or all the trappings that go along with it. This isn’t a promise to blog more because let’s face it, I’ve never been prolific. But it is a promise to remember to stop and enjoy my life, and a big part of that is writing and knitting.

 

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Woo Hoooo!

Published on 8 Nov 2006 at 5:48 pm. 16 Comments.
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There are many reasons to feel like this today, not the least of which is the Democratic sweep of the House and most likely the Senate. And the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld and hopefully a better handle on the situation in Iraq. And that we have the first ever female Speaker of the House. Our future is looking brighter than ever.

And on a more personal note, well – ask Marnie.

*thud*

(to be continued when I’m more able to retain my bodily functions.)

 

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Stuff. And some things.

Published on 2 Nov 2006 at 12:56 pm. 21 Comments.
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In a last minute Hail Mary Pass, I will be signing books at Stitches East in Baltimore this weekend!! The fine folks at The Elegant Ewe are letting me sit in their booth in Friday, Saturday and Sunday! I am beyond delighted at their generosity. I did a signing at their store last Saturday and they have a gorgeous selection of yarn and original patterns. Definitely worth the trip. Moreso than Dunkin Donuts, even. Their booth appears to be back by the stage, it’s #1124. You can see a layout here.

Looks like we’re near the Knit Doctor. I think I may bring my sad little Branching Out scarf. It was going so well.

 

And then I messed up the lace pattern and started in the middle of one repeat. Or something. I’m not really sure how to undo fuzzy mohair lace. I’m hoping the answer isn’t to restart the whole stinkin’ thing. It’s been in hiding for about a year and a half now, I think it’s time to address this situation.

 

 

While at the Elegant Ewe signing, the MOKS was gifted with it’s most inspired piece yet. ErickaJo of Armed With Pointy Sticks presented it to me. She is a fellow lover of all things bad-in-a-good-way. I was stunned that she was willing to part with it. It’s truly a thing to behold. I was rendered speechless, such was my horrified delight.

I give you the Teddy Bearstrocity, modeled by my loving mother, Stella.

 

Here she is engulfed by a raging sea of tiny bears. You can see that there’s one inexplicably patriotic one on the left side.

 

 

And here are the stealth butt bears. They kind of blend in, but if you keep staring at my mom’s backside, you’ll see two stragglers on the bottom right side of the sweater. It’s strange, almost like the front of the sweater was just a little too much for them, so they strolled around back. Maybe they snuck back there to smoke a cigarette, who knows. This thing is like a Faulkner novel in the making. There’s a lot of story among these little bears. Thanks, ErickaJo!

And lookie here! A finished object. Two, in fact, but it’s kind of hard to photograph both hands at once without a complicated system of levers and pulleys. Or a tripod. Anyhoo, each one only took a few hours, it was in incredibly satisfying project. Simple, but interesting, and hella fast! Plus? I love them! They were made to go along with the Irish Hiking scarf. I guess I should make one of those now. You can find the pattern for the wrist warmers here.

 

I used the cormo I got from Fox Hill Farm at Rhinebeck. Soooo soft. I have Kellee to thank for my new fave yarn. Such an enabler, and that’s why we lurve her.
 

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