Knit-Nerd-Rant

[ via ] First, I've been so overwhelmed by the positive response on Ravelry and the sudden, dramatic uptick in hits that Blogger told me about after I posted my recent knitting patterns! I'm so excited that people actually bothered to look at my silly little posts! So here I present you with one of my favorite new creatures in the world, Grumpy Cat . Grumpy Cat makes me giggle like I've lost my marbles (high likelihood that it's true). And one quick update, I'll be out on a boat with the boyfriend's family for an extended holiday vacation. Should there be some sort of cosmic catastrophe on the 21st, should be interesting. Massive tidal wave/tsunami, I might be more safe than most or get totally destroyed. Zombie apocalypse on land, I'm gonna be just find. Enormous asteroid impact, we're likely all screwed. One way or another, I may be back. Until then, gaze into the infinte grump of Grumpy Cat surrounded by a Christmas wreath.

This is a very simple blanket, and pretty mindless to do.  I had a bunch of donated yarn from a friend - a collection of inexpensive craft store yarn - some boucle and some fleece.  I wanted to get rid of it, and thought this would be a great gift for someone who needed something warm and fuzzy. Supplies: I used a size 8 long circular (and also a size 6 circular, details below) I used up 2 very large skeins of the purple boucle, 2 skeins of pink fleece yarn, and 1.5 skeins of the acid green 4 stitch markers to mark the corners Cast on 80 stitches on a size 8 circular (or straight, depending on preference). I used long-tail/slingshot cast-on. Work 6 rows in stockinette Row A: Knit 5, [yo, k2tog], repeat [] until 5 stitches remaining, knit 5 Row B: Purl 6, [turn stitch around and purl, purl], repeat [] until 5 stitches remaining, purl 5 Repeat Rows A and B until the piece is nearly square Work 6 rows in stockinette Keep 80 stitches on needle - don't bind off...

So this funky little thing is a Moebius plush that I decided to make for my father, a geometer. I had some difficulty wrapping my brain around it, and reached out for help to Ravelry when my brain felt overwhelmed.  Got some great tips that went straight into the pattern for this little guy. Materials: I used size 6 double-pointed needles (4) Ancient, mind-bending green worsted-weight acrylic yarn (less than 1 skein) and about 3-4 feet of a contrasting darker green for stitching. Using a very thick yarn for this size needles meant that the piece is fairly stiff and sturdy.  If you're a looser knitter, try a smaller needle or thicker yarn to get this combo for yourself! Cast on 33 stitches on dpns (I used slingshot/long tail cast-on). Transfer 11 stitches to each of 3 needles for knitting. Row 1: knit, join into round Row 2: [knit 1, slip 1 stitch purlwise at end of dpn], repeat [] 3 times Continue rows 1 & 2 until piece is about 30 inches long an...

[ via ] Ok, this one has been brewing for a while (there are more long-standing grievances to file, but this is sufficient for now).  I have a deep and abiding hatred for Pinterest.  It's unabashedly gender-role enforcing.  It's basically a place where straight, white women go to collect pictures of aspirational interior design, fashion, recipes, saccharin inspirational quotes, and they accumulate. More accumulation - as if that's what we need to cure the ails of society.  They tack up meaningless quotes that they think are insiprational that are usually historic/literary quotes taken out of context or meaningless drivel. They decorate homes they can't afford, select outfits they will never be able to buy, find makeup tips they will never use, and pin recipes they will never bother with.  It's the ultimate way to feel like a domestic goddess without ever actually trying anything. There are some snarky pins that I run across, including some I don't underst...

So, the great thing about living in DC is that we have such a strong relationship with politics. Particularly the (mostly white) professional population that comes from all far-flung parts of the US to work in federal government, non-profits, think-tanks, and the like tend to be very highly geeky and obsessed with politics.  The rest of the city natives (mostly black) have shown wholehearted support for Obama, in keeping with the traditional support for the Democratic party in DC for ages, and have been energetically vocal.  DC went for Obama with 91.7%.  I'm surprised it was that low. Conversations in coffee shops, on the Metro, in bars, and on... blogs... have obsessively followed every detail of the campaigns.  Some of it is definitely connected to individuals hoping that their jobs will be secure - from political positions to non-political civil servants afraid of politicians pushing federal spending cuts that would jeopardize their positions and career traj...

A while ago, a woman from my church community gave me a large bag full of knitting odds and ends, since she was no longer able to do it herself.  I had recently started a monthly "Fibre Party", basically a nicer name for a Stitch-n-Bitch group, at the church and this woman decided that I would be able to give these odds ands a happy home. When I opened it up, there were some amazingly kitschy acrylic yarns, a couple random darning needles, a set of very long, straight size 8 needles, and a whole bunch of old patterns.  The patterns are AMAZING. Between the fantastically cheesy (see the photo above) to the fantastically hideous Christmas stockings, it was a real treasure trove.  There were 2 thick books of sweater patterns for men and family full of Scandinavian fair-isle patterns from the mid-1940s, some children's sweater patterns from the 1970s, 1970s christmas patterns and random mimeographed versions, and a couple more odds and ends. Particularly the forced poses...

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...