Knit-Nerd-Rant

[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.

As with the millions of other self-indulgent blogs out there, this is simply a means for me to gather some random portions of my life. Topics of interest may include but are not limited to: Knitting, quilting, sewing, reading, pop culture, music, religion, international relations, science, space, feminism, philosophy, consumer finance and credit, disability rights, human rights, gay rights, civil rights, fantasy novels, fantasy novels other than Harry Potter, computers and software, movies, tv, science fiction movies and tv, automotive engines, cooking, fresh produce, psychology, football, the other kind of football, and yet the other kind of football, hiking, kayaking, sunburn, and dealing with family. If your interest continues beyond four hours, you should check with your doctor, because clearly there is something wrong with you. Also, I'll probably want to be your friend. So, a bit more about me so that you have some idea who this particular self-indulgent and at least m...

So, my mother has always been able to grow anything that came her way.  If it came to her sickly and limp, she'll have it full, lush, and strong within a month.  Sometimes I wonder if she's part wizard, and maybe I'm just a squib of sorts.  Over the past few years I have been finding my own way to horticulture, and have managed to kill very few plants!  I'll admit I've started small, with hardy plants that can take a bit of abuse. Today, I finally went out to my local small business garden store , and finally got some new, larger pots for some of the newer plant babies, some more potting soil, and some special soil for the new lavender plant, as well as some long over-due fertilizer.  I also picked up some small plants for the new office.  My employer is moving to a new location, and we're all very excited to have windows, and great big windows right near our desks, too! Southern and eastern exposure means we can have some real plants around! I'm starti...

[ Image Credit ] Note:  I am making a serious attempt to keep this spoiler-free, so just about everything included here is limited to what is set out early in the book and my general reactions to the book.  It's a fun and interesting read, so I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone! ___________________ So, I finished the Hunger Games  within a week, which is pretty quick for me.  It's usually too hard to find really solid amounts of time at once to sit down and read for hours, as much as I'd like to.  It's a quick read and it's a really gripping read.  It's fun and fast-paced, and I found that it created a lot of anxiety for me as I read it. I found the main character, Katniss, very easy to relate to, being a brunette from what is basically the East Coast in the Appalachians, she's tough, she's determined, and she's practical.  She doesn't leave a lot of room for softer side of life because she doesn't see the value...

As I was trying to find an intarsia pattern for the back of my planned cardigan, I wanted to find something that would be unexpected - not something sweet and wholesome that someone's grandmother would make.  I combed through the internet looking for something, then I realized I could create my own pattern! So I found an image that was from a color-in page for a kid's pirate-themed party of a skull and crossbones.  I increased the size of the image and set it as the background on an Excel spreadsheet.  I then re-sized the cells so that they would resemble that of knit stitches (while now I realize my error, I should have aimed to make them square, but mine were a bit more narrow than that).  Then I carefully formatted all the cells that would be the contrast color for the pattern by selecting them and using the "Check Cell" pre-fab formatting.  This meant that the contrast cells were all dark grey and had an extra border.  Then I took the full field (...

  [Image credit: totally stolen from an ebay listing for Zippy Pins ] Normally, I bring knitting with me on the bus as I commute to and from work, but the past few days, I've been just reading on my Kindle app, since I got a loaned copy of the Hunger Games .  This means I've been knitting a lot less (I have made some progress on the socks for the boyfriend, but not as much as I'd like) and my hands are mostly still during my commute.  I realized today that my hands are totally antsy and just want to knit up a storm again.  Must knit... must knit! Knit and purl!  Ahem... Worst of all, I just learned about a yard sale at an apartment building about a mile from mine... and both fabric and yarn were specifically mentioned in the advertizement.  This could be a very bad... I have to admit, however, that reading the Hunger Games is getting to be a bit of a stressful experience.  I find it a pretty disturbing reading on a lot of levels.  Fir...

  So here are my new skirts that took up much of my weekend.  The first one (shiny one to the left) was made from this fabulous vintage fabric found at a rummage sale at the Silver Spring Stage , where is also the same event where I found the couch that the skirt is laying on.  It's hard to capture by photo, it's a gorgeously shiny deep grayish-teal.  The second one I found at the fabric shop of Bits of Thread a few days ago.  it's a buttery smooth wool with royal blue/indigo and black houndstooth that's just fantastic.  It's real houndstooth, not any wimpy print.  (For those in the know, houndstooth is a big deal for Alabama football fans, so this is just a little extra fun.) I've found that with my ... ahem... ample figure (honestly, from the waist down, it's mostly solid muscle from a childhood spent playing sports and dancing), a pencil skirt is generally the way to go.  And luckily, it works out that the way my proportions are, I can s...

Alright, so how's the old score card? Sew 3 new skirts that are office-appropriate Fixed one skirt that was too big, and made 2 skirts from scratch (details and pics to come). Given how much work the blue/black houndstooth one was, I'm calling this one achieved. Watch my current Netflix (Melancholia) Nope, still need to do that, since it's one I wanted to watch with the boyfriend. Go hiking! Instead decided to go for a 5k run on Saturday morning, and that's about all the weather wants to permit. Forecast has been showing rain out through Friday. Boo.  Thought about a muddy hike, but just didn't have the energy. Clean the apartment A bit... Do laundry Find the fridge light bulb (Someone accidentally un-plugged the fridge, making me think that the light had burned out, since it was still cool and so I removed the light bulb thinking that I needed to replace it. I put it down somewhere and have completely lost track of it.) In my genius, I tota...