Knitting in the Dark

UFO resurrected

I'll be the first to admit it. I am not monogamous. Not when it comes to knitting. I have entire bins of projects that I should go back and frog to reclaim the yarn but I have a hard time giving up on these projects.

But every once in a while something makes enough noise in my mind and demands to be heard.

I fell in love with this pattern the first time I saw it. This is Girasole by Jared Flood. And like so many of his patterns it is absolutely gorgeous. The original pattern calls for a yarn that was a bit out of my price range. I believe it was Pastaza by Cascade. It's a gorgeous yarn and I have 3 skeins in my stash to make some house socks some day, but for this particular project I wanted something a bit more wooly. After picking up a couple skeins of KnitPicks Full Circle for a small project I knew I had found my yarn. It didn't hurt that it was on sale too.

I'm on my second skein so far. Like all circle shawls/blanket the beginning give quite a false sense of how quickly this project will go. It won't be until I get to those outer rings that the slog will begin. But the lace patterns are small and I think this will serve as pretty good mindless knitting. So far I'm on the beginning of Chart D so here's hoping I can keep up the momentum.

In other news I enjoyed a 2nd day off today after my fairly brutal week. I'm beginning to actually feel human again. I spent a portion of my day out on my new bike (I'll share some pics soon. She's so beautiful!), had lunch with a good friend to celebrate her birthday (belated though it was) and then helped her to walk her cats. A first for me.

And my roommate caught a fish in the pond behind our house!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This is my day

It has been one hell of a week. Long 13-14 hour days followed by a 5 show weekend. So I am very excited to be in the middle of a day off. So much of my life gets put on hold when I'm trying to open a show, and in reality I wouldn't have it any other way. There is something to be said, in this day and age, about being forced to focus so completely on one thing for an extended period of time.

But that was last week. Today is about this.

And maybe about cleaning up that mess in the background...

And maybe about going out and purchasing a bike.



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My today

It occurs to me sometimes that I still have a blog and I never write in it. But it always seems to cross my mind on the days when I'm running around like a crazy woman. And today is no exception. But I have found a moment where I am sitting at my ipad for a rare moment of stillness and I thought I'd like to share what I'm looking at right now

Today I am teching Little Mermaid for BalletMet. For those of you who have experienced a tech you know approximately how much sleep I am working on right now. For those of you that don't let me break it down a little bit.

Yesterday I arrived at the studio at 8:45am to frantically get some paperwork done (because, of course, my printer at home is out of ink) and then ran to the theatre to be there by 11am to hand out paperwork to the crew. Once I had done that it was discovered that there were a ton of changes/decisions made that required me to spend the next 2 hours frantically updating all that paperwork. And then begging the wonderful house stage manager to print it out for me (because our printer here is broken)

We then commenced tech, working from cue to cue and letting the lighting designer fix any cues he needed and the deck crew to try moving this show around. At 6:30 last night the dancers joined us and we did our best to get as much run with everyone. We didn't quite make it.

So we left the theatre last night around 10ish and I headed back to my apartment to, you guessed it, work on paperwork.

Around 1am I decided that sleep was more important than paperwork.

And then at 8am I was back at the theatre. Rinse and repeat.

For anyone who doesn't know me personally I think it is important for me to tell you that I absolutely love my job. I get to organize huge games of make believe. And what other people pay a lot of money to see I get to see on a daily basis and I get paid for it.

I'd just like more sleep.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Capitol Theatre, Columbus OH

Bigger on the Inside

It should be no surprise that I am a fan of The Loopy Ewe. Sheri has created a wonderful online space and community so I'll forgive her for moving to Colorado at the exact same time that I finally moved back to the midwest. Just like last year I am taking part in Camp Loopy. The idea is that she puts out a challenge, you have a certain amount of time to finish and get a picture of it up on website. This time around it was using over 400 yds of yarn working a pattern designed by someone who lives in another country. As a huge fan of Dr. Who I couldn't resist Bigger on the Inside (Knitty's most recent surprise pattern). I cast on May 27th and finished blocking it yesterday evening.

The color is much closer to Tardis Blue, but it was night time with very little natural light anywhere in my apartment.  And I love the little Tardis' (is the plural of Tardis  Tardi?  We'll never know because in the series there is only one...)

In non knitting news I am on my way to the zoo today with my friend Megan.  Did you know Columbus has one of the top zoos in the country?  It's Jack Hanna's zoo.  And I hear a rumor he's in town!  Wish me luck on what is destined to be a hot and crowded (but still tons of fun!) day!!

Pros and Cons

They are everywhere.  It seems as if you can rarely make a decision without there being some sort of drawback somewhere along the line.  It sometimes makes me miss the black and white of childhood. 

But for someone who has moved as much as I have during my life the pros must outweigh the cons.  Sure, I've had to leave behind some wonderful people but I have learned my true friends are with me in spirit if not always in the flesh.

But there are so many pros!  Challenging yourself.  I think I learn more about who I really am with every move.  I have the chance to reinvent myself every time so the things I hold onto become more important with every life change. 

I've had the chance to reconnect with an old friend from college.  Her spirit and love of life literally has me laughing 90% of the time we are together.  What a gift to find her again. And in the few short months I've been here she has already influenced my life so much.

I get to discover a whole new city.  After living in the country for 9 years (an experience I will always treasure) I am back in a proper city.  But not a huge city (Thank goodness, I don't know how those who live in New York can do it! Kudos!!) I'm looking forward to the summer when I can get out and about and really explore.

Also, did I mention that 2 good friends are moving up?  They are a couple and he got a job with OSHA and she will be moving up to be with him in August!!!!  I literally can not wait to explore with them!

But today I'm going to share with you another one of my pros.  I love to create my space (Go figure.)  This is the first time I am living by myself in over 10 years and I am enjoying it while it lasts (as I'm moving in with a new friend in the fall to save money)  I'd forgotton how to enjoy my own company and I've relearned that skill with a vengeance. 

I really wanted to put some art on my walls but with a limited budget I had to look outside of the purchasing option.  This is what I came up with.

 

 


For a few years I was working with Never Enough Yarn in Winchester taking pictures of their new stock to put up on Ravelry and on their website.  I have to admit I love taking pictures of yarn.  It stays still.  And it's pretty.  So I took some of those pictures and made them black and white.  Then I took the recolor tool and recolored one skein.  This is how I feel when I walk into a yarn shop.  After I get over being overwhelmed by all the pretties my brain tends to hone in on one skein that is really calling to me and everything else seems to fall away. 

 

So these three prints are now hanging over my swift and ball winder!!  Instant Art!

WIP

So one of the great things about getting organized is finding all those works in progress that for one reason or another were put aside.  I admit I am a fickle person.  Something about being the youngest and living alone without anyone to take care of besides myself means that I tend to do what I want whenever I want (within reason.  I'm not Trump!)  This method of living means that I am fairly content with few regrets but it also means I have a ton of works in progress.   But all this playing with yarn this weekend has inspired me to pick up some of them again.  

For instance, I really want to finish this for next winter.

It is the Min Ulla scarf by Elinor Brown.  I fell in love with this before it was published in Knitting Scarves from around the World.  A book that I find VERY inspiring. 

Also, my Adalida Cardigan is so close to being done.  Just the pockets to finish up.

And maybe a couple of loose ends to weave in. 

But today is for finishing up my organization and hopefully not getting distracted by the beckoning projects.  Wish  me luck!

All things change

About a million years ago I lived in Winchester VA and worked for a small theatre company that I loved.  I was surrounded by things that were familiar and comfortable.  But life has a way (or at least my life has a way) of thinking it's funny to throw all that up in the air just to see where everything lands.  And I have landed.  I have landed in Columbus, OH.

Now no worries.  My split with Wayside was amiable but sad.  No hard feelings had by anyone.  In the world of the arts things are unpredictable (and anyone in the arts knows that is a VAST understatement).  Just to give you an idea of how quickly things move here's how it played out. 

I took a 2 weeks of vacation to save the theatre some money.  I came back on a Tuesday and found out that in order to stay open they would have to go non-union.  On Wednesday I made plans with my family to move to California and live with my sister.  On Thursday I saw an ad online for a company where a friend of mine from college worked.  On Friday I had an interview and that evening I was hired.  1 week and 2 days later my parents flew in from California and we drove me (and a lot of my stuff) to Columbus.  And 2 days later I started my new job. 

So needless to say things have been a bit of a whirlwind. 

So now I work for a Ballet Company.  "Wow, Malia, have you ever worked in dance before?"  Well...nope.  Honestly, it took about 3 months before I felt like my legs were back under me, but now after 7 months of being here I can honestly say that I love it here.  It feels wonderful to be back in a city.  So many things to inspire me on a daily basis.  And right on top of that list are the insanely talented dancers with whom I now work. 

I'll admit that I've heard the rumors.  Let's just say that people in theatre are not always kind about dancers.  But if their sterotypes are true then I am very very lucky.  My dancers and kind, fun and have a work ethic that just blows me away on a daily basis.

                

 

So after all this change some things were neglected. (This blog of course being one of those things) Also, you can imagine that with a week and 2 days to pack my yarn organization pretty much went out the window.  I was lucky enough to find a one bedroom in Columbus (and by me I mean my amazing parents!) with a ton of storage.  So when I moved in it all just got thrown in a closet and whenever I wanted something I would wade in and try to find it.  Not the best system in the world, but it worked for a few months. 

But I have 3 glorious days off this week and I decided to go in and toss the stash as well as get myself organized again.  And silly me, I thought that while there might be one or two things missing from my stash page on Ravelry for the most part I was up to date.  Hah!  After going through this is the pile I was left with to photograph and get up.

So, um, yeah.  What I thought would be a one day process is now easily going to take the weekend.  But I always feel so much better when it's done.  Well, that and it keeps me from going to the yarn shop and buying more.  Nothing like pulling all your yarn out to remind yourself that you have more than enough.

 

 

Once upon a time I was a sporadic blogger. And then I dropped off the face of the earth. I went on tour with the Kennedy Center, I knit a ton of stuff and I returned to Virginia. I made a lot of friends, I didn't get to see my old ones nearly enough and I realized as little as I blogged before I missed it. So for the one hundredth time I resolved to blog again. And then another year went by. So here I am time 101 and I realize I really do miss checking in here. So cross fingers I'm going to resolve once again to try this out. And while right now I have 15 minutes til my production meeting (I sense part of the problem here) I will leave you with the last thing I finished. With details to come!

Fiber Festival!

I have a great job, but it is the kind of job that makes taking vacation whenever I want fairly impossible.  So festivals like Rhinebeck or Maryland Sheep and Wool aren’t really an option for me.   So every year I look forward to the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival.  It’s a small festival, but it has grown every year I’ve gone.  This year was no exception.  First off the loot:

From the top left corner: 4 skeins of a semi solid fingering weight from Serendipitous Ewe.  I think I fell in love with the name as much as the yarn and the color.  The colorway is Grey Matter.  8 ounces of roving from  Avalon Spring Farms, in a very pretty blue/green colorway called Lady of the Lake.  3 braids of roving from a new favorite.  River’s Edge Fiber Arts had an outside booth filled with gorgeous roving and batts.  I loved it so much I bought a braid on Saturday and then went back on Sunday to pick up two more.    The 2 big skeins on the bottom are from Woven Gems.  Every year I make a point to stop by here and say hi.  Beautiful charcoal grey alpaca just waiting to become a shawl.  The next two skeins are from Dragonfly Fibers (link is to their etsy store, but Loopy Ewe also carries them) the caked yarn is from Wolle’s Yarn Creations.  Last year I stopped by their booth, but didn’t buy anything.  And I regretted it.  So this year I made sure it was one of the first places I stopped.

All in all I am very happy with my purchases!! 

And God help me, there is a yarn shop opening 3 blocks away from where I work this week.

But for now I leave you with pictures of Festival!

Featherweight

I love complicated things.  People, shows, and knitting projects.  It feels more like an accomplishment to me if I have to work hard for it.  So finding a project to work upon at work can be a challenge.  It has to be simple enough that I don’t constantly have to look at it, but complicated enough to make me want to keep knitting at it.  So I love this new trend of cardigans in laceweight yarns.  I looked at both the Whisper and the Featherweight Cardigans before settling on the Featherweight.  Mainly because it is sized up to my size and I wasn’t in the mood for math when I was casting on.  So when my birthday came around in the beginning of July I went to Never Enough Yarn to search for something special.  I decided to treat myself to this.

This is a skein of Pagewood Willow Creek in Woodsy.  It was love at first sight.  But I’ve been bitten by the laceweight variegated bug before and always been disappointed.  (That brings the strangest picture into my head.  Like a daddy-long legs painted a million different colors)  I’m of the camp that believes that complicated stitches like lace and cables look best in solid or semi-solid colors, so that you can really see the details.  So while I loved this skein I really had no practical purpose for it.  So I bought it. Of course.

And after a few days of staring at it decided that it would be perfect for Featherweight.  And I figure, despite the fact that it is knit on size 6 needles, that it would take FOREVER.  Which is okay, because it would be perfect booth knitting.  After 3 weeks of knitting I am past the arm increases and working on the 10” of body.  (6 down 4 to go)