It is four oclock, and dark outside. Not like sunset-ish dark, not getting dark, not gloaming, but dark. Night time dark. This sort of thing could really mess up one's sleep indicators.
The SO is a little bit ill today - he's been fighting this thing off for weeks, I think - so he's having a duvet day and sleeping. I've been taking him cups of tea periodically, just as he does for me when I'm not well. I've been sitting on the sofa, reading the Yarn Harlot's Blog and knitting in circles. I'm waiting on a book getting here so I can make a pair of socks. Just having something to pick up and put down again is so nice.
I'm wearing the cardigan today. It's lovely, very soft and all warm fuzzy inducing because I know I made it all myself. I crocheted in the buttons, so if anything goes wrong with them or I want to change them, I'll have to frog the edge on one front of the cardigan. I feel like they're good and secure, though, so I'm fairly happy with them. It's all in all, a very neat cardigan, and looks lovely hanging up, too.
I've been wandering around various knitting/crafting/yarn forums, and simply do not understand why some people look down on crochet so much. I cannot understand the mindset that it's a lesser craft, particularly since nobody seems to give any reason why! There's just sniffing and 'oh. crochet.' People are strange.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Monday, 7 December 2009
Buttoned
I handed in the essay this afternoon, and am so relieved to have it out of my hands. I went straight from the university into town, to the yarn shop to buy buttons for my cardigan. I ended up getting star shaped shell buttons, which look lovely. I will find a way to take a picture and put it on here of my cardigan.
I'm going to add another few rows to the sleeves - they just exactly reach my wrists, so they are a little short when my arms are bent - and then I'll just weave in the ends and this cardigan will be done with.
The cardigan is very soft, and a glorious shade of turquoise. It's just about hip length, with full length sleeves, and buttons with five star buttons up the front. I took it into the yarn shop to pick out the buttons, and Magz, one of the people who works there exclaimed over it. She seemed very impressed, which was nice. We chatted for a while, and she showed me how to knit with DPNs which I've never managed to get around to before. My next project is socks.
It was lovely to just stand around and chat with Magz. We talked about roleplaying and Magic: The Gathering, and books, and vegetables, and writing, and all sorts of things. She recommended that I read Gormenghast, which sounds wonderful. I'm reading something trashy and mediocre at the moment, because I've also been reading literary theory and Shakespeare, so I needed something to allow my brain to switch off.
I got home at about half past three, and had breakfast - yes, I handed in my essay on an empty stomach. I had porridge, but since we're out of golden syrup I had to have it with brown sugar and cinnamon, which is my other favourite way to eat it.
I'm going to add another few rows to the sleeves - they just exactly reach my wrists, so they are a little short when my arms are bent - and then I'll just weave in the ends and this cardigan will be done with.
The cardigan is very soft, and a glorious shade of turquoise. It's just about hip length, with full length sleeves, and buttons with five star buttons up the front. I took it into the yarn shop to pick out the buttons, and Magz, one of the people who works there exclaimed over it. She seemed very impressed, which was nice. We chatted for a while, and she showed me how to knit with DPNs which I've never managed to get around to before. My next project is socks.
It was lovely to just stand around and chat with Magz. We talked about roleplaying and Magic: The Gathering, and books, and vegetables, and writing, and all sorts of things. She recommended that I read Gormenghast, which sounds wonderful. I'm reading something trashy and mediocre at the moment, because I've also been reading literary theory and Shakespeare, so I needed something to allow my brain to switch off.
I got home at about half past three, and had breakfast - yes, I handed in my essay on an empty stomach. I had porridge, but since we're out of golden syrup I had to have it with brown sugar and cinnamon, which is my other favourite way to eat it.
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Sleeves
Well, I got up this morning and thought about my essay while I watched the second dollhouse episode from last night and carried on crocheting a sleeve on my cardigan. Then I watched dollhouse again (yes it was that good and Summer Glau is awesome and I think that Enver Gjokaj is easily the best actor on the show) and crocheted some more. Then I read some blogs and watched QI on iPlayer and thought about my essay and started on the second sleeve, having finished the first.
Come six o'clock I went and ate a teaspoonful of peanut butter straight out of the jar, because when you're a grownup who lives in her own flat with her own internet connection you can do that, which is exactly how I thought it would be when I was little and getting told off for eating peanut butter out of the jar (although I use a spoon now, which I didn't always then). Then I sat down and bashed out the last paragraph of my essay, and now I only have the intro and conclusion to do, so that'll be done before bed, and my references will be done tonight and I'll do a last look over tomorrow, because it doesn't have to be in until five o'clock.
When I had finished the first sleeve, I sat and just wore the cardigan for a little while, with the left sleeve done and the right sleeve not started. It was nice. It's a big project, my biggest yet, and I'm really glad of it. I love crochet. On Tuesday, probably, I'm going to go and buy some buttons for it, although I don't know what colour to get so I'll take the cardigan with me, done up with safety pins probably, and see what I feel like in the store. I have nine rows on the second sleeve to do, and then a couple of more rows in the body for length and then the edging around the fronts, and then that's it done. Lovely.
But right now, I'm going to go and make my supper, and I'm having caramelised apple with wholewheat pasta and cheese and peas and a little bit of mayonnaise, because that's yummy, and I only have to cook for me tonight. Lovely.
Come six o'clock I went and ate a teaspoonful of peanut butter straight out of the jar, because when you're a grownup who lives in her own flat with her own internet connection you can do that, which is exactly how I thought it would be when I was little and getting told off for eating peanut butter out of the jar (although I use a spoon now, which I didn't always then). Then I sat down and bashed out the last paragraph of my essay, and now I only have the intro and conclusion to do, so that'll be done before bed, and my references will be done tonight and I'll do a last look over tomorrow, because it doesn't have to be in until five o'clock.
When I had finished the first sleeve, I sat and just wore the cardigan for a little while, with the left sleeve done and the right sleeve not started. It was nice. It's a big project, my biggest yet, and I'm really glad of it. I love crochet. On Tuesday, probably, I'm going to go and buy some buttons for it, although I don't know what colour to get so I'll take the cardigan with me, done up with safety pins probably, and see what I feel like in the store. I have nine rows on the second sleeve to do, and then a couple of more rows in the body for length and then the edging around the fronts, and then that's it done. Lovely.
But right now, I'm going to go and make my supper, and I'm having caramelised apple with wholewheat pasta and cheese and peas and a little bit of mayonnaise, because that's yummy, and I only have to cook for me tonight. Lovely.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Wrimos
I just got back from the TGIO party from NaNoWriMo. Our Municipal Liaison was there, along with her support captain, and there were two other wrimos, too. We talked about novels and writing, of course, but we also talked about the forum, theories of what we want to do next year, pep talks, reading, crafting, renaissance faires, costumes, wedding dresses, the bead shop and so much else. We had dinner and sat there for over three hours in total, having a good old blether. It was wonderful.
It's so silly. I've won NaNoWriMo three times, failed it my first time, which makes over three years that I've been doing this and I did not meet up with another wrimo at all before this evening. Everyone there tonight was smart and interesting and funny and it was brilliant just hanging out with these people.
I've been hard at work on essay today. I find it so overwhelming - not the blank page, but the part where you write a paragraph and that one paragraph is five hundred words long and it's all you can see on the screen and there's nothing but words. I wrote fifteen hundred words about the role of deceit in the dark knight and Henry V and I have another five hundred tomorrow, plus intro and conclusion. I'm quietly confident. It's going to work. I think it's an okay essay.
I'm going to watch Dollhouse now, while I start the sleeves to my cardigan. Then I'm going to bed, because I am tired. Gnight, folks.
It's so silly. I've won NaNoWriMo three times, failed it my first time, which makes over three years that I've been doing this and I did not meet up with another wrimo at all before this evening. Everyone there tonight was smart and interesting and funny and it was brilliant just hanging out with these people.
I've been hard at work on essay today. I find it so overwhelming - not the blank page, but the part where you write a paragraph and that one paragraph is five hundred words long and it's all you can see on the screen and there's nothing but words. I wrote fifteen hundred words about the role of deceit in the dark knight and Henry V and I have another five hundred tomorrow, plus intro and conclusion. I'm quietly confident. It's going to work. I think it's an okay essay.
I'm going to watch Dollhouse now, while I start the sleeves to my cardigan. Then I'm going to bed, because I am tired. Gnight, folks.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Tonsils
I've been feeling sort of cross-ish and out of sorts all day. Vaguely unsatisfied with just about everything. I sent the SO out to the games workshop a few hours ago, and have found some good quotes and made some decisions.
I was just sitting here thinking, 'bother, I think I'm going to cry' and there's really no reason for it, but then I thought to check my glands and yes, they're swollen, so I suppose I'm about to have tonsilitis. Lovely. Hopefully I'll still be up to going to the TGIO dinner tomorrow evening, with the other Stirling NaNoWriMoers. Our lovely ML is coming down and I'm really looking forwards to meeting all the other crazy people who did it this year.
I think I need another cup of tea and then I'll think about making supper.
I was just sitting here thinking, 'bother, I think I'm going to cry' and there's really no reason for it, but then I thought to check my glands and yes, they're swollen, so I suppose I'm about to have tonsilitis. Lovely. Hopefully I'll still be up to going to the TGIO dinner tomorrow evening, with the other Stirling NaNoWriMoers. Our lovely ML is coming down and I'm really looking forwards to meeting all the other crazy people who did it this year.
I think I need another cup of tea and then I'll think about making supper.
Essay
I'm feeling all grumbly about this essay at the moment. I've watched the Dark Knight so many times. I watched my selected scenes twice this morning, trying to choose between them which to write about, and I've read the entire screenplay twice and the scenes I'm considering four times each. I am tired of this essay, and I'm not even certain which question I want to do.
I've pulled out books from my bookshelf on Philosophy and Literary Theory. I've reread Henry V and watched some of the scenes from that film, trying to find a scene or speech that I can write about in contrast with whichever one I end up choosing from the Dark Knight. I have about seven books on the sofa with me now, and a bunch of post-its with essay notes on them, and a bunch more chopped into strips for impromptu bookmarks.
It certainly doesn't help that the SO is across the room from me, laughing at QI while I'm trying to work. Maybe if I got out of my pyjamas it would help me to focus, but at the moment I want to push the essay away, spit it out, and say 'No more essay for me!'
Maybe if I send the SO out to the games workshop to get out of my way, it will be easier to focus. Right now, I don't know. Deciding once and for all on the question and the extracts would be a really good start.
Sigh. I love my course, I really do, but I hate when the questions are this dense.
I've pulled out books from my bookshelf on Philosophy and Literary Theory. I've reread Henry V and watched some of the scenes from that film, trying to find a scene or speech that I can write about in contrast with whichever one I end up choosing from the Dark Knight. I have about seven books on the sofa with me now, and a bunch of post-its with essay notes on them, and a bunch more chopped into strips for impromptu bookmarks.
It certainly doesn't help that the SO is across the room from me, laughing at QI while I'm trying to work. Maybe if I got out of my pyjamas it would help me to focus, but at the moment I want to push the essay away, spit it out, and say 'No more essay for me!'
Maybe if I send the SO out to the games workshop to get out of my way, it will be easier to focus. Right now, I don't know. Deciding once and for all on the question and the extracts would be a really good start.
Sigh. I love my course, I really do, but I hate when the questions are this dense.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Porridge
I had a sandwich for breakfast this morning, and so I was going to have porridge for lunch to balance it out, but we're almost out of milk. Maybe enough for a cup of tea, but certainly not enough to have on porridge, and I was planning to make pasta bake this evening, too. I suppose I'm going to have to get dressed and go and buy some milk.
Yes, it's two in the afternoon and I'm still in pyjamas. I spent this morning watching the dark knight and crocheting. I'm done with Christmas presents, and so on to the cardigan for me - whoopee! It's so lovely and soft, glorious to use, fabulous colour. I was worried about the puckering of the yoke at first, but it's straightening out nicely now there's more to it. I'm about to divide for sleeves, I think. I've used up one entire ball already and am somewhere around halfway through the second, so I'm very glad I got five balls in total. It's a DK weight yarn and meant to be worked very loosely and lacily on a 6mm hook, but my 6mm hook is plastic and not as nice to use as the rest, so I've gone up a few sizes in the pattern and am using a 5mm hook. Hopefully it will be warmer and a better fit, and it's certainly growing very fast.
I was watching the dark knight because I'm writing an essay on it for English. It's certainly very interesting (although I have some issues with how women are treated in it) and there's plenty to say on it, but it feels odd applying Kierkegaard to Batman.
Well, I guess I better go get dressed and get some milk. Not looking forwards to going out in the cold, but I suppose I'll live.
Yes, it's two in the afternoon and I'm still in pyjamas. I spent this morning watching the dark knight and crocheting. I'm done with Christmas presents, and so on to the cardigan for me - whoopee! It's so lovely and soft, glorious to use, fabulous colour. I was worried about the puckering of the yoke at first, but it's straightening out nicely now there's more to it. I'm about to divide for sleeves, I think. I've used up one entire ball already and am somewhere around halfway through the second, so I'm very glad I got five balls in total. It's a DK weight yarn and meant to be worked very loosely and lacily on a 6mm hook, but my 6mm hook is plastic and not as nice to use as the rest, so I've gone up a few sizes in the pattern and am using a 5mm hook. Hopefully it will be warmer and a better fit, and it's certainly growing very fast.
I was watching the dark knight because I'm writing an essay on it for English. It's certainly very interesting (although I have some issues with how women are treated in it) and there's plenty to say on it, but it feels odd applying Kierkegaard to Batman.
Well, I guess I better go get dressed and get some milk. Not looking forwards to going out in the cold, but I suppose I'll live.
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