It feels like time for another TealArt post, so here I am. I remember a while back I made a resolution to separate my entries out more and provide fewer long rambling entries, and more single topic entries. So much for that. My father (hi dad!) would quote someone who said “sorry for writing a three page letter, I didn’t have time to write a one page letter,” and I feel really bad for forgetting who it was. I’m going to be embarrassed. Everyone else, check the comments to see who it was.
Anyway, I’ve agreed to do a news segment for a podcast, which should be fun, but I need to write that up. I did some test recording, and my sound quality is pretty good, but it’s so much harder than I thought it would be. After so long on the radio where I wasn’t forced to listen to myself, it’s almost crazy making to record things for pod-casting.
I read my story for the circle games podcast (which I’m going to start calling Circular Games) and there are a couple of things that I need to fix. I though I was done, but there were a couple of editing flubs. It takes about 10 mins to read, and I have the rest of the first cast pretty well laid out. It should happen this week.
I’m reading a book about Embodiment and Cognitive Science (which creatively is titled Embodiment and Cognative Science). And it’s interesting read, in that social science way. I’ve been reading a lot of French body-centric theory/writing (Anti-Oedpus, Discipline and Punish) this summer. I’ll probably have something more to say about this shortly. I’m not sure if I’m learning anything exactly, but it’s a great book both as a reference, and as a gateway to connect psychology and social/cognitive science to feminist and queer embodiment. Because both disciplines (ha!) are both studying a lot of the same phenomena, and there isn’t a lot (any?) crossover. If I were designing a course in embodiment theory, I’d definitely include parts or all of this book. The author is also on the faculty of a school on the gradschool list. Here’s hoping.
Ok, so having said that, as you can see from the title of this post, I totally meant this to be a post about knitting accomplishments and decisions. So lets get on with that.
I’ve finished the body of a second sweater for this summer. I named it, creatively, “Teal Tunic.” It’s just a basic drop shouldered, gansey style, crew necked number. The neck line isn’t perfect, and it’s a bit bigger than I wanted it to be, but exactly as bit as I was planning for it to be. I did a guage swatch, I just have an unrealistic idea of my body. Sigh It think it will be nice. And hasn’t been blocked and it doesn’t have sleeves, (or cut arm holes, yet) so I really don’t have an idea. I think it would fit my dad, but I don’t think it would look good on him. I’m going to finish it, because it could still surprise me, but I think I’m going to chalk it up to poor planning.
I’ve started the first sleeve on the Turkish pullover. It’s going very quickly, and I’m starting to like this sweater again. The neck of this sweater, also didn’t come out as perfectly as I hoped, but I haven’t blocked it, and I think there’s still potential. I guess I’m a little disappointed because I thought that the sweater design would be salable in its current form, and I think I’d need to knit another model, and I so don’t have the will to do that now. I might block it out before I’m done with the sleeves to see how it turns out. I’m more hopeful about this one.
My next sweater is going to be a remake of Alice Starmore’s “Faroe” which I’ve already knit once. I really like this sweater. Her patterns are also really good, so I think this will be a good shift. I think I’m going to change the collar a little bit, so it’s shorter (because I feel, that if you’re neck’s cold, you should wear a scarf, sweater collars are harder to change at whim.)
In other knitting news, I’ve discovered Pattons Classic Merino, which I think is a fabulous wool. The Teal Tunic is of this wool Competitive with Cascade in my book. It’s softer. Not as firmly spun, so I think Cascade wins out for things like Arans and socks, but I’m defiantly going to be using this yarn more in the future. It also sells for 5 bucks a ball at Michael’s, and you can’t beat that.
Anyway, I’m going to leave you with the following thought, and get back to other more productive persist.
Is there anything better in the world, than a comfortable keyboard and a hot cup of black tea with a dash of milk in a familiar cup? I submit that there is not.
Cheers!