Knit-Nerd-Rant

This is by far the most distinguished, elegant, and heartwarming response to senseless bigotry and bile from someone who, IMHO, doesn't deserve the popular fame that she has. When Ann Coulter visited the college where I was studying years back, some fellow peaceniks and I went to see what she would spew about (and it was free, so it's not like she made any additional money because we were there). The vitriol, ignorant hate speech, and "shock" fodder simply made me angry. Friends who had known me for years said they had never seen me so angry - literally shaking to contain my disgust and anger.  When I simply couldn't take it any more - after just one more intolerant and racist remark - I shouted "RACIST" at her before marching out of the auditorium.  I still feel a little more patient than those who had been heckling her with phrases like "must be nice to have daddy's money" or "anorexia rots the brain". Clearly, Mr. Stephens...

These are my M&Ms as they came out of the bag. I am convinced that they are segregationists. I could not stop myself from sharing.

So, since I finished the socks for the boyfriend, I've been having to figure out what I want to do next. The lambswool in the black bag above was reclaimed from a truly hideous GAP sweater found at a rummage sale and is just begging to be knit into a cozy, lovely sweater. The teal is smooth cotton/silk blent that seems perfect for a shirt, and the red and brown cotton/wool blend are going to be socks for me at some point with cheerful stripes. The next question came up when in my new office, the temperature outside plummeted and offices in DC generally don't just flip from AC to heat right away. Ours designates October 15th as the day to switch on the heat. All day on Monday, my co-workers and I were shivering trying to stay warm, wearing our coats around the office, and salivating over the idea of having some nice, hot tea (another thing we're still figuring out in the new space until we can get microwave/water heating system up...). I realized that one thing I re...

So, this year, I turned the age of my birthday! Most people I know it's happened when they were 5, celebrating their birthday on the 5th - what a waster. Now I'm in my late 20s and had been looking forward to the celebrations for years! I remember thinking when I was young that it would be so cool to have my golden birthday, and that anticipation was sitting in the back of my mind for decades. It finally happened at the end of September, and it didn't disappoint! I was able to take the day off of work (through a last minute change of a couple schedules) so I went for a 6.5 mile hike through Glover Park on a gorgeous day. Got home a little muddy and a lot sweaty, washed up, and watched a classic English film with the boyfriend. Then I opened my cards and a present from an old friend to reveal the Dr. Who TARDIS mug that you see above! It's perfect for work, once we get a coffee maker set-up, since the lid will hopefully keep it warm until I get a chance to actua...

[Image Source: 1 , 2 ] **Seeking to avoid all spoilers for folks who have not read even the first one** So I have finally finished the full series, and I've made plenty of jokes about how this series is like crack. I got the first one free, but once I started, I couldn't stop. The stories are written with lots of action constantly, so that as a reader, there's always an anxiety building about what happens next. While it's not a challenging read, given that it's intended for the "young adult" crowd, it's definitely well-paced.  New and unanticipated consequences from the ending of the first volume continue to surprise and intrigue, and when one might be lulled into thinking that the danger is about to be over and both protagonist and reader might get to enjoy a rest, *BAM* some new twist totally changes the situation. It's a different way tot look at the typical coming of age story - how does a young woman define herself while ot...

So, I go to the library to pick up the final Hunger Games book, and I was in for a surprise. Theory is that crack dealers always give their clients their first hit for free, knowing that they will simply be so addicted and the dealer makes his/her money back many times over. Such is the case with this series. I got the first one free through a Kindle loan and have read that one and the second installment in a week each. This is a normal week, just reading it while commuting or at the gym. Back to the story with the story of the library book, I had two surprises waiting for me on Monday when I stopped at the DC Public Library by my office. When I first walked in, it turned out to be Irish Book Day, and they were handing out free copies of Irish novels, so of course I pick up 2. I can never turn away a free book. The second surprise was waiting for me in my latest hit.  I opened it up and within the first few pages, I noticed something. **Spoiler alert** The...

This is actually the back of my latest skirt, all lovely wool from the bits of thread collection, and it's fully lined. I rarely do true linings, so I'm pretty proud of it. It's the same basic model as the others - tube with darts at top and a slit at the bottom of the hem, but I added an actual waistband this time. That is all.