The Secret Life of Walter Knitty

Okay, I dont have a proper camera, only the one in my laptop, so they’re crappy photos but photos nonetheless.

The first two pictures are the Anne Shirley scarf from Knitty.  It was going to be for my ex-mother-in-law for Christmas.  That was until I realized that there was no way I could knit 560 yards of nearly lace weight yarn and have my other knitting projects (parents, brother, boyfriend) done by Christmas.  It’s my first real lace project.  Other than reading charts for cables, I havent read many lace charts.  So, there has been a lot of starting and stopping, getting help, and ripping out.  The third picture is the Lace Ribbon scarf, also from Knitty.  The photo isnt any good and doesnt do the yarn justice.  It’s a mostly purple sock weight yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts here in Portland.  I went to Twisted a couple of weeks ago for yarn.  If you’re ever in Portland, they’re a cool buch of people.

It’s cheesy, but I’m working on a Noro Striped Scarf for my Dad.  It’s halfway finished, and is going to be up his alley when it’s finished.

It’s Thanksgiving Day, but my gluttonous gratification must be delayed.  (please insert a melodramatic sigh) I’m not having Thanksgiving until Saturday with Donna (my ex-mother-in-law) at the beach.  I’ve always wanted to have Thanksgiving at the beach.  It seems like such a novelty.  Maybe it’s the whole being from Iowa thing.  Either way, I’m totally stoked!  I never really cared about Thanksgiving until I’d had it with her.  It’s a bigger deal for my family here than Christmas.  My boyfriend is also coming with me.  I’m pretty excited about that too.  He’s going to meet my Oregon family for the first time.  We take the bus to Tillamook tomorrow and come back Sunday.  We’ve been together for two years and have never gotten away, and while my family is going to be there and we wont be alone, it’s still getting away.  The place we’re going is very quiet (except for evil barking Dachshunds who get into other peoples things and eat their chocolate)

There is cleaning, baking, and laundry to do.  Whatever you are doing, whenever or wherever you are having Thanksgiving, Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

I’m making the “Anne Shirley” scarf from the latest issue of Knitty for my ex-husband’s Mom.  (She adopted me and says she loves having a daughter.)  After ripping out the damn thing several times I finally got the hang of the pattern.  Only thing is that I never did the reverse.  It’s supposed to make a completely reversible scarf.  The pattern is lovely but right now I cant decide whether or not to rip the fucking thing out and re-knit it.  I know if I did it would make the pattern pop out more.  (If I had a camera I’d show you what I have already).  I dont want to rip it out again (ugh!) but have come to the realization that not everything I want to knit by Christmas is going to get done.  I still have stuff for my parents and brother to knit, my gay boyfriend and his partner, ex-husband, a close friend, and my boyfriend.  Oh yeah, I got volunteered to knit a scarf as a birthday gift for one of the girls at work. 

As I was rushing out the door to catch the bus (almost didnt make it, yes it was one of those mornings.  And I couldnt decide what to wear) I realized that not everything is going to be done in time.  My parents, brother, boyfriend, and birthday gift are going to have to take priority.  Especially if I want to bake anything at all this year. 

Damn it.  Why cant my fingers move faster.  I guess this is a long and rambling way to say I’ll probably end up ripping out the Anne Shirley scarf AGAIN!  God fucking damn it.  At least holiday spaz out loves company.

I’ve paid such close attention to both terms of GW and gang over the last 7 years, that now knowing he’s actually going to be gone, and that the person replacing him is calm, intelligent, curious, and kind gives me a sense of relief.  I feel like I can concentrate on other things like novels, knitting, cooking, appreciating the turn from fall into winter, gardening. etc.

My beets, carrots, spinach, and endive are growing.  Even though it’s cool and rainy the beets seem especially happy.  The tarragon, parsley, and onions are taking their time but once they’re brought in they should start to sprout.  Besides, it’s just me so who cares if I dont get any onions until March.  I can spend mental energy thinking about my spring garden.  I can spend mental and physical dexterity on Christmas knitting on which I’m woefully behind.  I’ve knitted one hat and one scarf.  I have knit half of another scarf and one hat is nearly finished (only decreases and binding off)  I’ve joined The Samurai Knitters Holiday Craft Spaz Out-Along.  As soon as I figure out how to get that damn button on my site.

Thankfully, I’m getting a lace lesson at work this morning.  But there are still mittens, hats, and scarfs to knit along with a birthday present and one pair of socks.  (pssst: The Thuja pattern from Knitty works itself up in a couple of days)

None of this means I’m going to completely stop paying attention, nor does it mean I’m not going to read Madeline Albright’s new book, but for the first time in 7 years I think things are going to be okay.  We have lots of problems and the economy is worse every day.  There have been nearly one million jobs lost this year and that is not going to change any time soon.  But, smart people are in charge again!  Yea!  Right now, that’s enough for me.  So, now, let’s begin with the Holiday-Crafting-Spaz-Out-Along!!!

By now you know that Barack Obama has been the first African-American to be elected President of the United States.  I would never have thought I would see this in my lifetime.  America has a deep and not too distant past of ugly racism.  It wasnt long ago when you could lynch an African-American without fear of reprisal or prosecution, when people were murdered for the simple act of trying to register African-Americans to vote, when an African-American boy was murdered for nothing more than being accused of whistling at a white woman.  African-Americans were not allowed to sit at the same lunch counter or drink out of the same drinking fountain as white Americans.  It wasnt until the 1970’s that Oregon finally repealed the laws that made it illegal for an African-American to own a home.  Martin Luther King Jr. was shot for encouraging African-Americans and all Americans to dream of a more perfect Union.

That racism is not in the past.  America still has a lot of racism, just look at how John McCain and Sarah Palin ran their campaign.  Barack Obama has a funny sounding name so you should be afraid of him, he “pals around with terrorists”.  Their campaign tried to insinuate that because Obamais African-American with a Muslim sounding name that he was somehow associated with terrorism and was not a “real American”, and that “real Americans” should be afraid of him and of what his Presidency could mean for the country.  Colin Powell talked about this in his endorsement speech and there are videos on youtube of people standing in line at McCain/Palin rallies with racist signs or monkey dolls with Obama stickers attached.

That we as a nation somehow rose above this, all this, gives me a feeling of pride in this country.  That we still can choose to live up to the ideals in our Constitution, that we can choose to live up to our better selves.  Obama was right when he said that only in America is his story even possible.  That the child of a man from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, raised by his grand-parents in Hawaii, could seek and be elected to the highest office in the land. 

I’m not saying that I think starting tomorrow everything will be perfect.  Obama and his administration have inherited a whole host of problems: the economic crisis, 2 wars, Gitmo, torture, America’s tarnished reputation, etc.  It’s a whole clusterfuck of problems that are not going to be easy to solve and which will take time to solve.  We’re going to be screwed for a good long time economically.  I do breathe a sigh of relief and am grateful to know that smart people are going to be in charge again.  And the fact that if something (god forbid) happens to Obama, Sarah Palin will not be our next President.

Today’s gift from the NYT.  Here is an exerpt

5. A McCain victory would be good for liberalism. Look at recent history. Jimmy Carter and a Democratic Congress begat Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton and a Democratic Congress produced Newt Gingrich. Who knows what would follow a President Obama and a Democratic Congress? Here’s one possibility: President Sarah Palin.

Aaack.