I haven’t completely abandoned the knitting. I’m working on a yummy scarf.
I’m about a third of the way done with it.
I’ve put down knitting for my old obsession: words. Words in books, words in documentaries, words in movies. I’ve fallen in love with my words again and it is moving me to tears. In such a good way.
A couple of weeks ago, I started watching Simon Schama’s The Power of Art. Professor Schama teaches art history at Columbia University and I love him. The Power of Art is a series he made for BBC 2. It chronicles the lives of 8 artists (1 per episode), culminating in what he believes is each one’s best work. Andy Serkis (of Gollum and King Kong fame) plays Vincent Van Gogh.
The first three artists are Caravaggio, Bernini, and Rembrandt. The Bernini episode gave me a fantastic idea for a novel. I started writing, but unfortunately it was wiped off my hard drive this past Tuesday when my computer malfunctioned. I plan to rewrite, though. Today I started watching the second disc, which begins with Jacques-Louis David, the painter of The Death of Marat. I started to realize that Schama reads paintings like I read novels. And today, right now, I am in love with the brain of the man who wrote this stuff.
I never “got” art. I know when I think a picture is pretty. I know when I don’t like something. But in watching Schama discuss Joseph Turner’s piece Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On), I was moved. I never liked impressionism that wasn’t Monet. Hearing Schama explain the symbolism made me understand Turner’s work in ways I never thought of art before.
After my last literature post, I read Born Standing Up, Steve Martin’s memoir about why he started and stopped doing stand up comedy. Steve Martin can turn a phrase and create an atmosphere.
Tonight I listened to Selected Shorts on NPR - a program in which famous actors read short stories. John Lithgow and Bill Irwin read. Irwin read “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. Together they read “The Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear. Lithgow rolled the r in the phrase “runcible spoon.” Literally I felt a thrill. Literally. And then Lithgow read “The Monkey’s Paw.” We all had to read The Monkey’s Paw in high school, didn’t we? The story of the middle aged couple who get three wishes. Their adult son dies and they wish for his return. It’s scary. But the way Lithgow read it… Chills up my spine.
I had forgotten I could feel like this about words. And I was an English teacher.
Right now. It’s coming out. I’m breathing. No tears.
Now that I am secure in a new job that doesn’t require me to read a ton of essays or planning materials, I have time to read fiction again. And let me tell you that I’m wallowing in it. To the expense of my knitting, I am a little sad to say…
Right now, I’m reading:
It is the best book I’ve read since The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay three years ago.
I read on the BART. I read in the tub. I read at lunch and dinner.
This novel is its own world, and I want to live in it.
I am still knitting. I knit a bunch of stuff at Mom’s house over Christmas vacation. I made a hat and some coffee cozies (which still need to be felted). But all I want to do is read. For real.
Here’s the hat, though. I got the pattern from Ravelry.com. I made it from Malabrigo Worsted in Frosty Pink.
Here’s the Quant I made from Noro Silk Garden.
Here are the coffee cozies. I started with the skull & crossbones pattern and then charted some folks’ names onto some other ones.
Back to the book. We’ll talk again soon!
Post-Christmas Photo Posting Post
Date: Thursday December 27, 2007Posted in: Knitting, Finished Objects, Yarn
Whew! Now that Christmas is over, I can finally post the stuff I’ve been knitting. All finished. Yay!
For Grandma:
The Jackie O purse from Pursenalities Plus. She said she liked it!
For Grandpa:
The Licorice Hat from Stitch N’ Bitch Nation. He said it was just the thing for when he excercises. It’s a little too beanie-ish, but we can do another hat for him another time. It was fun to knit, though!
For Poppy:
A modified cell phone cozy meant to hold his binoculars. It works!
And last, but not least, for mom. Embossed Leaves socks from Favorite Socks. I started them on Thanksgiving Day and finished them on Boxing Day while watching Ocean’s 13. With Eddie Izzard, thank you very much!
The cardboard tube I received in the mail was a poster of a web comic called Little Dee. In October, they ran a sea shanty for ten days (I believe) and it was very cool. One of the characters is a knitting vulture, so knitting comes up more than once in a while.
I still don’t know for sure who sent it, but I strongly believe it was Glen. Was it you? It’s lovely, and now that I have a job again, I can have it framed and put it up in the house! Hooray!
So Christmas was definitely merry. Yesterday I hit up the post Christmas sale at Half Price Books. I got THREE books for under $16. It is so good to have books to read and time in which to read them again. It’s a wonderful life…
It’s Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas…
Date: Tuesday December 18, 2007Posted in: Knitting, Things to Do While Knitting
I was able tonight, for what felt like the first time in a few weeks, to spend the evening knitting. And I watched:
and:
I can’t post pics of the knitting, as it’s still Christmas presents (I hope I can finish in time - got a long plane ride ahead of me on Friday).
Happy…
The title is an Eliza Doolittle quote, in case anyone’s interested.
Someone sent me a Christmas present. Last week. It is a cardboard tube marked, “Do not open until Christmas.”
I don’t recognize the return address, which is in Washington state. I don’t have any friends there. And the postmark is from MA. I don’t know anyone there either.
My curiosity has reached a fever pitch, but I am being good and not opening it. I don’t want to spoil anyone’s surprise by opening it too early. However, I am probably going to open it on the 20th, as I’m flying to Houston on the 21st and I don’t want to take it with me.
So, whoever you are, thanks. And I’ll express my appreciation later, when I open the thing.
I know it’s been a good while since I’ve blogged. There are a couple of reasons. One is that the new job does take up rather a lot of my time. Right now, I don’t begrudge it. The other reason is that when I am knitting, I’m working on Christmas gifts, which I don’t want to reveal. No surprise spoilage.
So, I’m not gone. I’m just taking a little break. I’ll post again when I get onto some non-Christmas gifts, or when the gift recipients have seen their gifts. Whichever comes first.
I got a new job teaching technology at a downtown SF company. It is very very cool so far. Turns out, a couple of my colleagues are former high school English teachers. And KNITTERS! And boy are they nice. One of them, Katie, is a brand new hire like me. The other, Jennifer, has worked here for a good while. We are all going to be friends! Hooray for friends!
Where do I live? San Francisco!
Why do I live here? Because I LOVE it!
“Cigars, aftershave, antacids, cash,… and yarn. You’re a knitting detective.”
Date: Friday November 23, 2007Posted in: Things to Do While Knitting
Meet Emerson Cod.
He is from the show Pushing Daisies. Jeanie turned me on to it. It’s awesome and cute, and Emerson, the detective above, knits.
Watch it.
