Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Yeah, I'm it, I'm it!

Okay, so this blog tagging thing is going around. Thank you Anne-Marie for tagging me!

I found the "rules" on Chante's Blog.
Rules:
1. Each player starts with 8 random facts about themselves.
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their 8 random things and post the rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and post their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I tend to be a little bit of an "over sharer" so I will try and censor myself .. a little. But, I am going to use lots of pictures - didn't Anne-Marie look cute on the Cat Chow box?

1) My mother's parents both worked for Aramco in Saudi Arabia. My grandfather, Paul, was recruited as a Petroleum Engineer and my grandmother, Elizabeth, as a Nurse. They met there, fell in love, got married (all my grandmother had to wear was her best dress - it was black!), my grandmother was fired, had my mother, and they became the first westerns to live in Abqaiq (pronounced Ab Cake), Saudi Arabia. I believe the picture on the left was taken on their wedding weekend on Bahrain Island. You can read the whole story in Chapter Two of this book.

2) From the time I was 6 months old until I was 27 months my family (Dad, Mom, older brother Paul) lived in
San 'a', Yemen. My father was the Military Attache at the American Embassy. We were "evacuated" when the hostages were taken at the American Embassy in Iran. I say "evacuated" because my mother, "just didn't see why we had to rush, we were leaving soon anyway!" This is a truly random fact about me because I do not have a single memory of my time in Yemen.

#3) I was raised by a retired military intelligence officer turned onion farmer and a teacher in a very small town just northwest of New York City. Pine Island, New York, is mainly drained swamp land. The soil is so rich, it is black - and actually quite beautiful. It is hard to believe that this place exists less than two hours from New York City. It is a great place to visit in the fall if you have kids - all of the trucks and tractors, and it is really close to orchards for fruit picking.



4) I graduated in 1999 from Skidmore College with a Bachelor of Science in Theater with a concentration in Acting!!!!!!!??????????? A Bachelor of Science just means you have more credits in your major, but it also just makes it sound like B.S. I miss the way acting used to make me feel, but by the time I graduated it just wasn't worth it anymore.

5) Since graduating from college I have lived (in this order): Newnan, Ga - Atlanta, Ga - Danville (Bay Area), Ca - Sacramento, Ca (which I fondly refer to as the Albany of California) - back home to Pine Island - Boston, Ma - and now in Astoria, NY. Astoria is by far my favorite.

6) I moved to New York from Boston to complete a 15 month Ultrasound program. I have been looking for an Ultrasound job seriously since passing the ARDMS registry exam in February. (There were two tests - one in Physics and one specially, I took general abdomen). It has literally been going nowhere, but I DO NOT WANT TO MOVE again. So, if you know anyone who works in a Radiology Dept. anywhere please let me know. It just seems to be the sort of job where you have to know someone to even know that a job exists - in NYC anyway.

7) When I lived in Sacramento (how I even got there is a long story) I got a job for an Event Planning company called, The Fun Company (save your jokes, it gets better). The Fun Company provided the services for LARGE company picnics. We would bring all of the BBQ equipment, carnival games, bounce houses, etc. We serviced the entire west coast from Oregon to Mid Texas. In order to get the equipment to all of these places I learned to drive stick on 30 foot
30,000 lb truck. I am 4' 11" - I had to drive w/ a pillow behind me in order to get the clutch all the way in - you do a lot of shifting up and down the mountains of Washington and Oregon. Oh, and I had to wear this t-shirt (this is the back):



8) My favorite appliance is the Sharp Warm and Toasty. It is a microwave/toaster oven in one unit. It king of freaks me out - there is metal in the microwave - but it cooks veggies like you wouldn't believe! Also, in the summer you can cook without using your huge, heat creating oven. The warm and toasty comes a close second to my Melitta 1:1 coffee maker - it makes coffee a cup at a time, in less than a minute!

I tag Gail, Kris, Cindy, Judes, Senora Fuerte, Kristina, and Jen (with the best blog name ever), and Brian Williams.


And don't forget to check out my Etsy store: www.knittingewe.etsy.com

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Better Early Than Late!

I am please to announce that my Etsy Shop is now open!
In case you were wondering, THIS is the big project I have been alluding to over the past couple of posts. If you have any suggestions - or god forbid notice a grammar, syntax or spelling error - please let me know
It's funny to realize that choosing and cutting the fabric, finding notions and cord, sewing, falling down, were the easy parts.
I would like to introduce you to the difficult lady of the process:
Lucy - the Knitting Ewe on the Go

I created Lucy with the cunning use of rubber stamps, scanner, photo editing software, printer, a black sharpie, and my kitchen table. Putting a push light on the wire rack under the glass top made it the perfect tracing table. Considering I do not draw - Lucy is pretty great. Special thanks to Penelope, the skate board was her idea. Dan, the best roommate EVER, was that voice that everyone needs during a creative process. The voice that says things like, "I really can't tell what that is suppose to be."

Lucy is a very useful ewe.

I used her to make this button (which is also on the sidebar of my blog):


knitting ewe button

It still needs a little work.

The banner for my shop:

Banner Maker Pro 6 was the perfect tool for the button and banner - they also have a 15-day trail period.

She will also appear on the tag that will be attached to each item. Lucy on the front with care information, etc. on the back. I also made business cards so that I can give them to people when they ask me about my "lovely handmade bag".

I am going to be creating a special limited edition - available by special order only - Sit 'N Knit New York - bag. How special? Well, I ordered the silk screen printing kit today. The first will be raffled on World Wide Knit in Public Day.

WOW, I DID IT!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Lucille Clifton

I listen to WNYC all the time. I listen on-line via Itunes Radio. During the day I listen to FM (93.9) and in the evening, when the FM station plays classical music I switch to AM (820). I was listening to News and Notes this evening when the host, Farai Chideya, introduced me to the amazing poet, Lucille Clifton. This is my new favorite poem:

wishes for sons

i wish them cramps.
i wish them a strange town
and the last tampon.
i wish them no 7-11.

i wish them one week early
and wearing a white skirt.
i wish them one week late.

later i wish them hot flashes
and clots like you
wouldn't believe. let the
flashes come when they
meet someone special.
let the clots come
when they want to.

let them think they have accepted
arrogance in the universe,
then bring them to gynecologists
not unlike themselves.


Let me hear an Amen! Yes, this is my new favorite poem.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Laughing without making a sound

My Mom loves to laugh, she just doesn't make any noise while doing it. She laughs by smiling really big and shaking, really hard. I have to say that during my acting days this made her a bad stage mother. I love it when she really gets going. Her face gets really red, tears roll down her cheeks, and she generally looks like her head might blow off. This is very hard to describe in a positive way, but I love my Mom's laugh! The only times it ever bothered me were when she did it in public during my obnoxious teen years. In retrospect, my favorite time was when she "laughed" for a good five minutes when my dentist told her I would need to see an Orthodontist because of my "small mouth".

Several years of braces and retainers later my teeth are okay, but my mouth is still small (and my Mom still laughs whenever she hears this). This is my excuse for often biting off way more than I can chew. I am postponing my "Big Reveal" until Sunday, May 27th. I just want everything to be a little more "perfect" than it is now. May 27th also holds special meaning for me. Four years ago this May 27th I survived a major medical procedure. Now, May 27th will also be the anniversary of ........ Can you feel it? Suspense?!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Big Ouch - So Worth It!

I have a really big project in the works - all will be revealed by Friday, May 18. I had a list of six places to get to in about 4 hours. My first stop was The Ink Pad. I was walking along minding my own business when this old lady punched me ... okay, I tripped over a curb. I didn't cry, but I wanted to, especially when I saw my pants!
I hobbled into the little convenience store/cafe on the corner where I bought some band aids and asked for a wet napkin. I felt really bad for the people sitting at the tables, but I had no choice but to grab a chair and clean myself up. My right knee is really bad - and my right palm is bad, but could be worse. I decided to continue with my day, and I am so glad I did. I even managed to stay on my diet. I passed
this by while still teary eyed from my kiss with the concrete.


Look what I found at The Ink Pad!

I couldn't have even imagined anything more perfect. Totally worth the skinned knee! Can you feel the suspense of my big reveal building?





The rest of my day went by without injury. and I even made it to M & J Trimmings before they closed. I was literally their last customer of the day.





I am now clean and bandaged:












Despite my wounded hand I got a good deal of knitting done while riding the subway today. I am almost ready to start the heel of my second Pomatomus. The yarn is Sundara's
redemption from her previous offerings. I am absolutely in love with the April offering of her Petal's Collection, the Dahlia.


You're right Penelope, there's light at the end of the yarn ball! (Yeah, I just linked to Penelope's long awaited blog for the first time!)

Here are two more teasers before the big reveal:


I want to give a shout out to Chante and the awesome bat of roving that I bought from her Etsy Store, Harlem Purls. My package arrived in the mail right away and I love the complimentary stitch marker that came with it. I love the color, which was true to her posted photo, and as soon as I have time that drop spindle of mine won't know what spun it!



I've got work to do - big reveal in less than 4 days!!!!

Monday, May 07, 2007

Knitta Sock Exchange!

Here's a little slide show of the socks that were exchanged at Sit N' Knit New York's secret sock exchange. Sorry that I wasn't always sure who had knit and who had received which socks, but I did my best. Here's a tip, after the music starts you have to hit the play button and you may also want to drag the speed to the slowest setting. If you liked the song you can download it here. Enjoy!










SOCK+EXCHANGE
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Make your own | Click to play

Friday, May 04, 2007

SSHHH, I have a secret!

Tomorrow, my knitting group, Sit N' Knit New York, is having it's sock exchange party. I'm ready! This is all I will reveal for now ...