On the walk to campus, i have to cross a slightly rickety old footbridge with an icy cold stream underneath. This morning, I observed the result of a week of under 40 degree weather. Icicles. HUGE icicles lining the bottom of the bridge. I saw that they were formed by the splashing as the stream ran over some rocks next to the bridge.
This spawned an idea for a fascinating art installation/ science experiment.
I ran home for some woolen yarn, (biodegradable in case of accidents) and scissors, and found a large stick nearby. After tying a rather halfhazard series of lines on the stick, i lowered the yarn ends into the water. Hmm. Not visually stimulating enough. I retrieved the stick, retyed the yarn into a loose net, and tried again. Ahh! However, the ends of the yarn, instead of dangling in the water, floated along the surface. I retrieved it again and, after prying gravel out of the frozen path, tried again. Perfect! I wedged the end of the stick in some roots and left it. Tonight we will have a low of 12, perfect for lots of ice formation. I took several pictures before I left, and will go out and take some bright and early tomorrow morning. I am too lazy to post any pictures tonight, as the photoshop cleanup, (contrast and levels adjustment) will take half an hour and my other computer (the one in the craft room).
I have plans for several other experiments with water, ice and yarn, including weaving yarn around existing icicles and seeing how new ice forms. There will be plenty of documentation for you all, never fear.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Fog, Blogs and Batik Remnants
The best therapy, I have been told, is to keep busy. If that is so, than I have enough therapy to last a hundred lifetimes. Between working graveyards on the weekends, being a full time student AND a full time housewife, and all of the projects I keep getting myself into, I hardly have a moment to just sit and be myself. Yoga has been very helpful, though and I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.
Walking to school on Wednesday was an quiet and introspective experience, due to the massive amounts of fog. It was so thick that I felt like I was the only person in an unformed world, that I could reach out and impose my will on the shapelessness around me. It was so cold that the fog had frozen like frost on cobwebs and grass. When I got to class, I finally felt cleansed of all of the miasma of misery, loss and self doubt that had surrounded me for so long.
Then a teacher took it upon himself to ruin my lovely introspective mood by telling me to be grateful that I had lost my baby because it would interfere with my studies, and that a little grief was good for my art. I wanted to kill the bastard. Luckily, I am a coward and was able to choke back my grief and rage long enough to go back to work. If I had an ounce of self-respect, I would file a formal complaint with the Dean. Luckily for him, I am to chicken to rock the boat.
Anyway, on to more interesting news. It turns out my new nephew is due in May, not March, so I have plenty of time. I spent the afternoon sorting fabrics into piles all over the floor to see how many batik remnants i managed to steal from my old roommate, the Quilting Queen. I have decided on a quilt with a plain square background in blues and greens, then I will applique orange and red koi fish on top. The hand quilting around the fish will imitate ripples, with a celtic braid around the edge. It's gonna be about 4x3 feet.
I am almost done with my sister's legwarmers, although I was disgusted to discover that the two balls of yarn I got were from two different dye lots! One is a pale cream, and one is a slightly more beige cream. I am highly annoyed and will most likely have to overdye with coffee or tea. Is salt the correct mordant for tea? I will have to check.
Walking to school on Wednesday was an quiet and introspective experience, due to the massive amounts of fog. It was so thick that I felt like I was the only person in an unformed world, that I could reach out and impose my will on the shapelessness around me. It was so cold that the fog had frozen like frost on cobwebs and grass. When I got to class, I finally felt cleansed of all of the miasma of misery, loss and self doubt that had surrounded me for so long.
Then a teacher took it upon himself to ruin my lovely introspective mood by telling me to be grateful that I had lost my baby because it would interfere with my studies, and that a little grief was good for my art. I wanted to kill the bastard. Luckily, I am a coward and was able to choke back my grief and rage long enough to go back to work. If I had an ounce of self-respect, I would file a formal complaint with the Dean. Luckily for him, I am to chicken to rock the boat.
I am almost done with my sister's legwarmers, although I was disgusted to discover that the two balls of yarn I got were from two different dye lots! One is a pale cream, and one is a slightly more beige cream. I am highly annoyed and will most likely have to overdye with coffee or tea. Is salt the correct mordant for tea? I will have to check.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Fluff
Little Hawk invited company over for the weekend, so I spent all of Friday tidying and even bathed Mew and Coraline. A little watered down conditioner, well rinsed, made them soft, soft, SOFT. Then I sat in front of the mini-heater and brushed the kitten until she was dry. I had a huge pile of fluff afterwards, and I think I will save it until I buy a spindle this week, so I can practice spinning.
I finished the cotton brocade sock, and cast on the second. This one will be teal with burgundy dots, the reverse of the first one. I also cast on a washcloth with baby cotton, since I realized that my brother and sister in law are having a baby in March, and I want to have a pile of lovely things for them. I plan to have as many washcloths as will come out of this skein, a few hats, and a quilt. I am going to go through my fabrics tomorrow and decide what to use for the quilt.
Now I am going to go join Little Hawk and Mew in a nap.
I finished the cotton brocade sock, and cast on the second. This one will be teal with burgundy dots, the reverse of the first one. I also cast on a washcloth with baby cotton, since I realized that my brother and sister in law are having a baby in March, and I want to have a pile of lovely things for them. I plan to have as many washcloths as will come out of this skein, a few hats, and a quilt. I am going to go through my fabrics tomorrow and decide what to use for the quilt.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Back in the Saddle
I managed to go to class today, and planned a crocheting session with Bunny, Kitten and a grad student who I have not known long enough to give a proper blog name. After that, I wandered home through campus and gathered up a big handful of lovely fat acorns.
Also, I am in progress on some socks that are turning out to be a lot of fun. They have a knit one stitch, slip one with yarn on the right side, knit one pattern that ends up turning into a bunch of tiny, interlocking triangles. I am knitting it up in a worsted weight cotton, and it looks like a Turkish brocade.
Last but not least, I had to show off my button stash, now tripled due to Bunny's generosity.
With these, I plan to make a whole basket of these:
Also, I am in progress on some socks that are turning out to be a lot of fun. They have a knit one stitch, slip one with yarn on the right side, knit one pattern that ends up turning into a bunch of tiny, interlocking triangles. I am knitting it up in a worsted weight cotton, and it looks like a Turkish brocade.
I just finished up a hat made with a pile of scrap yarn for a friend who gave me a teapot for my collection. It is primarily wool, with a cotton hem so it's not too itchy.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Eyas
This post is rather long and rambl-ey, so I will start with the TL;DR.
I was going to have a baby. I am not any more.
I skipped my period in December, and began to get a bit suspicious. I was also starting to wake up nauseated. Little Hawk refused to get prematurely excited, so off we went to Walgreens and came home with a fancy digital reader. Ding! Negative. We decided it was too early to tell and promptly forgot about it.
Then I skipped my next period. I was definitely having morning sickness, was exhausted all the time, and was very hormonal. Since my nausea ended about 4 every afternoon, I was glowing, and as happy as I have ever been. Three more negative tests later, Little Hawk and I were confused yet excited. We did a teensy bit of name discussion and decided that the odds were in our favor. After all, several knowledgeable people had told us not to rely too heavily on tests. So we went to the doctor for a blood draw. Little Hawk was fully on board at this point and was rushing to kiss my belly at every opportunity and whisper messages to the "maybe baby."
We were both so tense, we didn't get any sleep the night before. After drawing blood, the doctor told us that we wouldn't find out until Monday, but that a preliminary urinalysis suggested that I had an infection. Terrified that an infection would explain away the nausea, we rushed to the internet. Nope. Uti's are often a symptom of pregnancy. We returned to being excited. So excited. SO SO EXCITED.
Then I had a miscarriage on Friday night.
I spent the last three days locked in the craft room and knitting, and if the socks I was finishing acquired a certain amount of tears, they won't be harmed by a bit of preshrinking. I was doing fine until we turned on the tv- and the channel had a show on where they were delivering a baby. Little Hawk and I both broke down in tears.
While we both understand that this is one of the simple truths of trying for babies, it doesn't make it hurt any less. I managed to go to work this weekend, but couldn't bring myself to go to class on Monday and face all my friends who were so happy for us.
We're going to be ok. Eventually. In the meantime, I'm going to cry into my sister's unfinished left legwarmer. Bamboo yarn doesn't shrink, right?
I was going to have a baby. I am not any more.
I skipped my period in December, and began to get a bit suspicious. I was also starting to wake up nauseated. Little Hawk refused to get prematurely excited, so off we went to Walgreens and came home with a fancy digital reader. Ding! Negative. We decided it was too early to tell and promptly forgot about it.
Then I skipped my next period. I was definitely having morning sickness, was exhausted all the time, and was very hormonal. Since my nausea ended about 4 every afternoon, I was glowing, and as happy as I have ever been. Three more negative tests later, Little Hawk and I were confused yet excited. We did a teensy bit of name discussion and decided that the odds were in our favor. After all, several knowledgeable people had told us not to rely too heavily on tests. So we went to the doctor for a blood draw. Little Hawk was fully on board at this point and was rushing to kiss my belly at every opportunity and whisper messages to the "maybe baby."
We were both so tense, we didn't get any sleep the night before. After drawing blood, the doctor told us that we wouldn't find out until Monday, but that a preliminary urinalysis suggested that I had an infection. Terrified that an infection would explain away the nausea, we rushed to the internet. Nope. Uti's are often a symptom of pregnancy. We returned to being excited. So excited. SO SO EXCITED.
Then I had a miscarriage on Friday night.
I spent the last three days locked in the craft room and knitting, and if the socks I was finishing acquired a certain amount of tears, they won't be harmed by a bit of preshrinking. I was doing fine until we turned on the tv- and the channel had a show on where they were delivering a baby. Little Hawk and I both broke down in tears.
While we both understand that this is one of the simple truths of trying for babies, it doesn't make it hurt any less. I managed to go to work this weekend, but couldn't bring myself to go to class on Monday and face all my friends who were so happy for us.
We're going to be ok. Eventually. In the meantime, I'm going to cry into my sister's unfinished left legwarmer. Bamboo yarn doesn't shrink, right?
Sunday, January 9, 2011
It's Snowing. Again.
I love watching our cats react to the snow. None of them are allowed outside, so they sit in the window and stare at falling snowflakes. Every once and awhile, a particularly large one falls and they freak out and hide under the couch.
My knitting projects have been slowly accumulating, but I am working through them at a reasonable pace. Right now, I am working up a pair of socks for Little Bunny in a variegated wool/silk blend, with striped soles and a 1 to 4 rib cuff. I am pin-striping the soles with orange for added strength and plushness, and 1 to 4 rib just means I purl four and knit one. The yarn is a rich, dark orange-yellow-green-blue-magenta. I have another skein of the same colors in a much lighter shade, and am thinking about using it for another pair of socks using a yellow for the stripes.
Projects on my list:
Socks for Bean-Bean
Gloves for my Dad
Leg warmers for my little sis
Hat for my littlest sis
Socks for Little Kitten
Sweater and scarf for my mom
Finish my Nausicaa sweater.
Finish Little Hawk's afghan
My knitting projects have been slowly accumulating, but I am working through them at a reasonable pace. Right now, I am working up a pair of socks for Little Bunny in a variegated wool/silk blend, with striped soles and a 1 to 4 rib cuff. I am pin-striping the soles with orange for added strength and plushness, and 1 to 4 rib just means I purl four and knit one. The yarn is a rich, dark orange-yellow-green-blue-magenta. I have another skein of the same colors in a much lighter shade, and am thinking about using it for another pair of socks using a yellow for the stripes.
Projects on my list:
Socks for Bean-Bean
Gloves for my Dad
Leg warmers for my little sis
Hat for my littlest sis
Socks for Little Kitten
Sweater and scarf for my mom
Finish my Nausicaa sweater.
Finish Little Hawk's afghan
Friday, January 7, 2011
New Year, Old Problems
Little Hawk and I spent the month of December in Texas with his family, trying to rest up our stressed and bruised psyches. I truly enjoyed his wonderful, open, and loving family, and am looking forward to seeing them again at Thanksgiving. However, when we returned home, all of our problems and stress returned in an avalanche of uncertainty.
We don't have very much money. Little Hawk's disability makes just enough to cover our rent, utilities and his health insurance, which just got raised another hundred dollars. Since I am a full-time student, I only make about $700 a month, which isn't quite enough for all of our other bills, groceries, car payment, ect. Every month, we have to find something to cut, and every month, extra bills pop up. For example, last month Little Hawk got a new wheelchair, and our co-pay was over $300. This month and next month, Little Hawk's disability will be temporarily reduced by $200, and we have several extra doctor's appointments, with copays.
We have only been home two days, and are already trying to decide what to sell so that he can go to Urology and get the mass in his kidney scanned. Yep, he has what I think could potentially be kidney cancer, and we can't afford the $25 or so to get it looked at.
Understandably, this is a strain on our emotional health. Little Hawk fell and hit his head yesterday, (he's fine, don't worry) and when we were in the ER getting it checked, the doctor started asking if he or I were seeing a counselor or a psychologist for the stress. As I explained the situation to him, the reality started to sink in and I broke down.
I feel like we are in a vicious spiral that we can't escape. I feel like should quit going to school and get more hours at work to pay the bills, but Little Hawk won't stand for it. Plus, if I don't graduate, I will never earn more than I am now and we will never escape. I cook from scratch most of our food to save money, but that takes away time from studying and keeping the house up, which I feel is my responsibility. Little Hawk is slowly selling off his collectible books and silver in order to pay the bills, but our electricity is two months late and we are almost out of valuables.
However, even in these dark times, I always have to remember how lucky we are. Yes, we have a car payment. However, we also have a car, a good, safe, dependable car that won't need any fixing for years yet and we can trust. Yes, we have rent, but for a nice, big duplex that we can keep pets in, it's unbelievably cheap and our landlord is very kind. Yes, Little Hawk's insurance is astronomical, but at least he HAS insurance. We have wonderful friends, who, although as poor as we are, support us emotionally and help keep our spirits up. In this economy, I'm grateful to have a job, let alone one that pays above minimum wage. We have food to eat, and, as long as they don't turn the power off, a warm place to sleep. We love each other, and that counts for a lot too.
Hopefully, my Etsy store business will pick up. I am going to be selling lots more handicrafts, like my ceramics, knitted items like socks, and beadwork. I will also be trying to sell baked goods here in town. Foccacia, anyone?
We don't have very much money. Little Hawk's disability makes just enough to cover our rent, utilities and his health insurance, which just got raised another hundred dollars. Since I am a full-time student, I only make about $700 a month, which isn't quite enough for all of our other bills, groceries, car payment, ect. Every month, we have to find something to cut, and every month, extra bills pop up. For example, last month Little Hawk got a new wheelchair, and our co-pay was over $300. This month and next month, Little Hawk's disability will be temporarily reduced by $200, and we have several extra doctor's appointments, with copays.
We have only been home two days, and are already trying to decide what to sell so that he can go to Urology and get the mass in his kidney scanned. Yep, he has what I think could potentially be kidney cancer, and we can't afford the $25 or so to get it looked at.
Understandably, this is a strain on our emotional health. Little Hawk fell and hit his head yesterday, (he's fine, don't worry) and when we were in the ER getting it checked, the doctor started asking if he or I were seeing a counselor or a psychologist for the stress. As I explained the situation to him, the reality started to sink in and I broke down.
I feel like we are in a vicious spiral that we can't escape. I feel like should quit going to school and get more hours at work to pay the bills, but Little Hawk won't stand for it. Plus, if I don't graduate, I will never earn more than I am now and we will never escape. I cook from scratch most of our food to save money, but that takes away time from studying and keeping the house up, which I feel is my responsibility. Little Hawk is slowly selling off his collectible books and silver in order to pay the bills, but our electricity is two months late and we are almost out of valuables.
However, even in these dark times, I always have to remember how lucky we are. Yes, we have a car payment. However, we also have a car, a good, safe, dependable car that won't need any fixing for years yet and we can trust. Yes, we have rent, but for a nice, big duplex that we can keep pets in, it's unbelievably cheap and our landlord is very kind. Yes, Little Hawk's insurance is astronomical, but at least he HAS insurance. We have wonderful friends, who, although as poor as we are, support us emotionally and help keep our spirits up. In this economy, I'm grateful to have a job, let alone one that pays above minimum wage. We have food to eat, and, as long as they don't turn the power off, a warm place to sleep. We love each other, and that counts for a lot too.
Hopefully, my Etsy store business will pick up. I am going to be selling lots more handicrafts, like my ceramics, knitted items like socks, and beadwork. I will also be trying to sell baked goods here in town. Foccacia, anyone?
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