Roommate Reading

On Saturday, September 10th, my roommate, Ms. Anne Holub will be part of a poetry reading with theAround The Coyote Fall Arts Festival. Her literal 15 minutes of fame will be sometime between 6pm and 8pm at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave, Chicago, IL. I highly suggest that you take public transportation to get there, as Bucktown/Wicker Park is always tough to park in, and the festival will just make it worse. But you should go, because if I, poetry reading neophyte, am going to go out and support her reading, you should go to support my listening.

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With Which Harry Potter Male Are You Most Sexually Compatible?
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Knitting Talk

I finished my dad's Xmas scarf, its the Men's Cashmere Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, a few days ago. I've been looking for a local source of Koigu Premium Painter's Pallette Merino (KPPPM) yarn for the Lacy Chevron Scarf from the same book for my mom's Xmas scarf, but haven't found it yet, so I haven't started that project. I've heard such wonderful things about KPPPM, that I don't want to just substitute another handpainted fingering weight yarn, thought I think that Cherry Tree Hill SuperSock might do it. I know that my Secret Pal sent me a hank of it, and if I could just remember where I put it, I would be able to see if it would work for the pattern. My LYS carries Cherry Tree Hill but not Koigu, and the CTH comes in 4 oz. hanks (vs. 50 gram hanks), so it wouldn't require as many ends woven in (which, besides lining, is my least favorite part of knitting).

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In the mean time, I have been trying to be motivated about using up my stash. Unfortunately, when I learned to crochet, I went on a yarn-buying binge at a big box store. So I have a lot of ridiculous, awful, acrylic yarn. Like Homespun and Chenille Thick & Quick. Another part of my stash is yarn from my grandmother, which is primarily acrylic from the 80s. It isn't a whole lot of yarn, and I'm not going to get rid of the better stuff, but there is a fair bit of Red Heart Super Saver, which I haven't found a way to make usable yet. I also went through a phase of thinking that wool was evil, so everything is a cotton blend or some other ridiculous synthetic. It all feels like shiny twine. What was I thinking?

Most of that stuff is just partial balls now, except for the seven balls that were purchased with the intentions of making the ribbed ribbon tank from Hip to Knit. I've checked gauge, taken measurements and restarted on that tank top, but its hard to get excited about form fitting, cotton-blend, beige tank top when you are pale, lumpy and not that into tanks. What was I thinking?

I have a few sweaters that have been unraveled, and some Cascade 220 that I intend(ed) to felt, until I discovered that felting required making my room smell like a wet sheep (which is similar to a wet dog and just as unpleasant), but mostly, just an uninspiring yarn stash. Its not even that big, so space isn't an issue, just the fear of waste. I guess that I can always make things for charity, but some of this stuff is just unpleasant. What was I thinking?

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All of this lamenting about my bad yarn decisions makes me realize that I need to get out of the house. Time for a walk, maybe I'll take a book and go to the beach. Yes, that's what I'll do. Thanks for listening.

But Daddy...

I want a sheep! And now, he could get me one (at least for a year). All through our trip to England in 2003, we saw sheep in the countryside, and I kept asking my parents for one. In high school, my friend Liz loved sheep (but she didn't knit or spin or anything) and really wanted to have one and enter it into the Hennepin County Fair. Now, we could have sheep without having to take care of them.

I wonder if they will let you buy the adoption for a special event, but then pick out the sheep when its adoption time (whenever that is).

Hmmm... must investigate further and enlist my mother.

so I don't save them up...

Your Ideal Relationship is Serious Dating

You're not ready to go walking down the aisle. But you may be ready in a couple of years. You prefer to date one on one, with a commitment. And while chemistry is important, so is compatibility.

What's Your Ideal Relationship?

The Llama Song

Flash » The Llama Song go and see, but be warned that there isn't a stop button, so you have to navigate away from the page.

10 years ago: I lived in Deerfield, was 13 years old and getting ready to start 8th grade. I finally had my braces off, still had glasses. Generally homely and unhappy.

5 years ago: I lived in Minnesota, was 18 years old and getting ready to go away to college at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. I was working as an aid to a special needs boy at a school age day care. Life was pretty good.

1 year ago: I was finished with my internship at the Yale Rep and the Yale School of Drama. About to move back to Pittsburgh and finish my last semester of school. Spent the summer working for my dad in his Sign-A-Rama franchise.

Yesterday: Cast on for my Ribbed Ribbon Tank from Hip to Knit, one of the first projects I ever planned on making. Finished a proposal for a project that we don't really have time for at work. Ordered lots of flooring and plastics.

Today: Mailed my second-to-last package to Christie, my secret pal. Got a new binder for knitting patterns. Talked to my dad. I might clean the apartment tonight.

Tomorrow: Do laundry, finish UFOs that are gifts for other people, make sure that the apartment is clean before the roomie gets home at dinner time.

5 snacks I enjoy: Plain potato chips (esp. Pringles low fat and Baked Lays), Keebler Fudge Shoppe cookies, raspberries, french fries, Town House crackers

5 bands/singers that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs: umm... maybe the Indigo Girls, maybe Barenaked Ladies, but I can't think of any others.

Things I would do with $100,000,000: Finish the Purnell Center for the Arts. If there was anything left after making sure that the PTM program would continue on (and not as the redheaded stepchild), I would buy a nice condo or townhouse (I refuse to own grass), pay for my sister's school, and pay back my parents for *my school* bills. If there was anything left after that point (which I doubt that there would be), I would stash it away with a good investment banker for the future/special things, and then live off of my salary working at Crazy Bob's 24 hour House of Scenery. Maybe I would first stash away 5 or 10 million, pay off the school bills (a comparative drop in the bucket, even with Natalie going to med school someday) and buy a living situation, then finish off the PCA with the rest. That seems like a better order of operations, and then everything could get done, because any amount of money could be sunk into the CMU SOD.

5 locations I'd like to run away to: Maui, Ireland, Isla de Margarita in Venezuela, Big Island in Lake Minnetonka, an island in the Mediterranean (notice a theme there?)

5 bad habits I have: picking my nails, drinking coke, putting off laundry, leaving trash in the car, not pressing my clothes.

5 things I like doing: Knitting, reading, planning, spending time with J, checking up on blogs

5 things I would never wear: a poncho, gaudy jewelery, Bush/Cheney support propaganda, non-earlobe piercings, tattoos

5 TV shows I like: Gilmore Girls, Mythbusters, Alias, Judging Amy, Modern Marvels

5 movies I like: Bend it Like Beckham, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Good Will Hunting, Whale Rider, Monsters, Inc.

5 famous people I'd like to meet: Al Franken, Bill Sapsis, Tom Robbins, Jennifer Garner, Kristin Davis

5 biggest joys at the moment: hmmm... independent living, knitting, Anne, Natalie, Jeremy

5 favorite toys: Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles, IBM Thinkpad T42, the tool that pulls ribbon through tubes, TiVo, air conditioning

5 bloggers tagged (if they made it this far): David, Peg, Val aka BabelBabe, Christie aka SweetRattle, Elise (bc Andrea is just too darn busy with Avi and she's on school break right now)

Let's play!

From my super-duper SP5 Spoiler, Christine
(yes, she revealed early, since I had to turn off anonymous comments on my blog, but its cool, I've been curious, and its almost the end of the month anyway)

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth full sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around for the coolest book you can find. Use what's actually nearest to you.

Really it's been ten years, anyway.

A Thousand Acres
by Jane Smiley

Two other books were closer, but they didn't have 123 pages.

I'm a Knitting Geek!

But you already knew that...

-----BEGIN KNITTER'S GEEK CODE BLOCK-----

Version:1.1

KCR++ Exp+ !SPM Steel? Wood? Bam Pl+ Cas- AddiT? Den+++(+++) Boye? Syn- Nov- Cot Wool++ Lux+ Hemp? Stash Scale Fin Ent? FI? Int- Tex+>++ Lace>++? Felt Flat Circ+ DPN++ !ML Swatch+ KIP+ Blog++ SNB EZ FO+ WIP Gauge@ L>- F- S+ DK? W+++ B+++ ALT@ Cr Q-- X- Em+ Sw-

------END KNITTER'S GEEK CODE BLOCK------

WTF?

and no, not Williamstown Theatre Festival.

My blog just got spammed! Go to the comments here, its the last post that I put up just a little bit ago. who the heck spams a blog? I guess that with all the spam filters out there, the bad guys have to get through somehow, but really? spamming a blog comment section? That's just weird.

I'll delete them if they keep happening, but for now, I want the proof out there.

Yay!

You're Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice by
Jane Austen!


Which Classic Female Literary Character Are you?
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Less than retail AND on sale!

Lorna's Laces Angel for $13 regular price? Wow. Its $14.50 retail in Chicago (both Arcadia Knitting and Knitter's Niche) and then its on sale. And you can get ANY color, because its all special order. So you have to wait a long time. But oh boy! Besides, I can never get just the right color in town, so I'd have to wait for that anyway.

Yarn Sale!

Bo Peep's Wool Shop has all yarns on sale for 15% off, and Featured Items at 40% off. And needles and notions are on sale too. Rock on.

Ick ick ick ick

I have found my hero of the day! We have a guy in who saved me in the hallway today. He killed and disposed of the horrible cockroach that was blocking my way. Even walked across the lunchroom to deal with it. He is great. Wish I remembered to ask his name. Here's a picture of what we were up against:

Desk!

That is my new desk, if you follow the link, that I got for half the list price because it was on sale. I was concerned about taking up too much common area space, but its nice to be able to work on the computer without being on the couch. And now the printer has a place to live. The desk is just the right size for my apartment, and I think that it will double as a craft table nicely.

If you didn't follow the link, the desk has four legs (instead of particle board panels), a lower shelf and the top, and it is made of solid wood. The only not-so-sturdy parts are a few pieces of plastic in the hardware asssortment used to assemble it, and I don't think that they make or break the piece. It also matches my dresser, nightstand and bookshelf. I still would like the mirror, and someday when my room is larger, the bed with underbed boxes. If I ever have a dining room that needs a table, the line can take care of that as well. There is more matching furniture for the living room, but I don't want to wear out your link-clicking finger. Can you tell that I like my stuff to match? For some reason, there is no appeal to me in hunting through antique shops or garage sales for just the right piece to go in a room. And I'm not going to spend the kind of money that "real" furniture costs. As far as I can tell, department store-type furniture costs more because they have sales people and deliver it assembled. And you can't have it in your house the next day.

There you have it, Leksvik is my favorite IKEA furniture line. and Kosta Boda is my favorite art glass brand. If I ever get married, I will absolutely be registering for beautiful Kosta Boda serving platters and vases. I discovered my affinity for their products when my cousin Amy was getting married and I spent a lot of Saturday afternoons in the Marshall Field's housewares/china departments with my mom and aunts. I don't think that she asked for anything from KB, which is her loss, really.

Short Hair

Kate has asked if short hair is really better. The answer is no.

I like being able to put my hair in a ponytail that doesn't look ridiculous. I don't have to blowdry it if I don't mind it being wet. I can make it be pretty in many different ways if I care that much. I look like a girl. I can braid it. I only have to get it cut when I feel like it, instead of every 4-6 weeks. It doesn't get in my eyes when it grows. No one calls me "sir" on the bus. If I wear it down, the shop guys tell me I look pretty (that's a double-edged sword, but a girl needs an ego boost sometimes).

Short hair took just as much or more work and was less attractive. That's all there is to say.

I'm a follower, but its fun!

From There are no bad ideas via SBR: Selectively Biased Rants

1. Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (maybe/maybe not).
5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.

I think that I am going to change #6 to what I would hire you for at CSSI, if any job was available.

Here's what David has to say about me... (he switched animal for "picks a job for you from ArtSearch")

1. You're a paperwork machine.

uh, if you say so... which you do.

2. Green Eyed Lady

Brown Eyed Girl

3. Berry Blue

That's a Jell-O flavor? ick. why eats that?

4. Beware of Shiny Object Boy

I can only imagine that this refers to Mr. Train, but maybe not. He's the only Shiny Object Boy that I have to watch out for though.

5. I remember you critting your first year before I had you in class. Something about some huge group project for Basic Design.

Yes, that was the Grandfather Clock. We had to incorporate color theory into some form of sculpture or model. So we did ours based on the Norse mythology of Loki. The group was Val, Nick, Alex, Ellen, Holly and I. Just imagine that group. Think real hard. Now laugh. You can imagine how the dymanics there worked out.

6. ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - Houston, TX, US
Job posted on August 2, 2005

The nationally recognized Alley Theatre (LORT B and C) seeks qualified individual for year-round position of Assistant Technical Director. Major responsibilities include CAD drafting with AutoCAD 2005, ordering materials and supplies, working with motion control, and shop supervision. Computer skills necessary. The Alley produces a minimum of nine shows in two spaces over ten months, plus a two-show summer series. Ability to work with varied personalities and time tables a must. Salary commensurate with experience plus benefits package. Send resume and references to Kristin Fox Siegmund, Production Manager, ALLEY THEATRE, 615 Texas Ave., Houston, TX 77002. Fax: 713-228-0527. Email: jamieg@alleytheatre.org. No phone calls, please. EOE.

The Alley sure seems to be changing a fair bit of staff this year. For right now, I like my job, but that is the kind of job that I would want, so good picking.

7. Are you really a klutz?

I'm more messy than klutzy, and definitely not graceful by any definition. However, I seem to only get seriously hurt when I have too much on my mind or I'm angry or stressed. My solution to this is to stay away from dangerous things (like bunk beds and power tools) and to try to maintain calm and peace in my life.

So many crafts, so little time

I craft on Monday evenings with a group of lovely girls in the Crafty Ladies. I mainly knit, because I like that, but they do all sorts of things, and as far as I know, everyone knows how to make things with sticks or hooks and string. Coming up in September is Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park, where the Ladies will have a booth/table to sell our wares. and then, in November, there is the DIY Trunk Show. This brings me to what I need ideas for. I need to make something to sell. Or somethings. And in the long run, I'd like to have my own business name because well, it seems like a good idea.

Here is my list of ideas for things to make:

• Etched glassware (maybe numbered wine glasses? multilingual labels (wine - vino - vin - wein)? flowers on vases? candle holders?)
  
• handknit cotton coasters in sets of 4 (organic is an option here)
  
• Gocco-printed note cards - I'd have to come up with some clever ideas for things to put on them, but it would be a great excuse to buy a Gocco
• handknit tampon/pad purses (also good for a wallet, phone and keys) I've made one for me and my roommate suggested that maybe I could make them for Renegade.
• Sculpey buttons (using the translucent kind that picks up printed and colored pencil images)
• Knitting notions/accessories--beaded stitch markers, bead bracelet row counters, point protectors (gotta check on the suitability of my idea first), large head blocking pins.
• braided fabric/rag rugs/coasters/placemats
• felt/embroidered sewing needle books
  

Now, I realize that I'm not going to make a ton of money at this, but the other girls seem to have a lot of fun with it, and the community of craftsters out there is pretty cool, so I want to find something that I at least won't *lose* money doing.

I can't do marble magnets, needle cases, felted bags, soap, felted flowers, shrines, buttons, cozies, or t-shirts because other girls do those things in the group. If you go to the webpage, you should know that Janine, Kat and Tabatha are no longer with us, having moved away, but I don't want to make any of those sorts of things anyway.

So, if you have any thoughts on products for me, then share away via comments or email. Coming soon: Ideas on business names and a contest!

So soft and tiny

Over the weekend, I finally justified buying Last Minute Knitted Gifts with the birth of Avi Samuel Chetlin (who really is quite adorable). I wanted to make the baby booties in it from Lorna's Laces Angel yarn, so of course I needed the get the pattern. The color in the picture isn't noticeably off, but in real life the stitches aren't as visible or defined. I used the colorway Lorikeet because in the skein it reminded me of all the stripes in his room, though the colors aren't the same. Knit up, they seem like just the right booties for Andrea's baby.

I checked the size with a coworker who also has a newborn, as they seemed ridiculously tiny to me, but he says that they will actually be too big for a newborn, but not for long. At least they won't be too small. For scale, I took a picture of them on my drafting table with an eraser. You can see the mayline in the corner. These things are tiny! In the picture above, they are sitting on top of the cubicle divider.

The booties were so easy and quick to make that now I am going to make at least two more pairs. One for Charlotte, Rick and Rachel's daughter, (in a pastel, but not pink, colorway) and one for Henry, the new son of a shop apprentice. There is tons of leftover yarn, but not enough for a whole second pair, in the 50 yard skeins. I wonder what to do with it. Angora and lambswood is not the most durable fiber mix, so a scarf is out, but I'm sure that I'll find something.

Family Tree

My last name is Kelsey, I have reddish-blond brown hair, freckles, pale skin and go by Katy. I have always been under the impression that my ancestry on my father's side was Danish. This is entirely based on a fourth grade genealogy project that required us to research a country that we were from and color in a paper doll-type shape with the folk costume of that country and a flag for the same country. I chose Germany. My mother was certain of this ancestry and the flag was easy to color. I did, however, call my paternal grandmother and ask. Her first real answer to "where is our family from?" was "Utah from Illinois" aka Mormon. The very first answer was "I don't know, why would you want to know?" These answers did not help with my school project. Eventually she gave me the tidbit of "from Denmark a long time ago" and that her maiden name was Metz. By that point in the phone call, I was frustrated by the lack of information and was settled on Germany for the project.

J is going to Ireland for 23 days, so we've been talking about Irish things a fair bit. He knows that part of his background is Irish and is not the first person to question my longheld assumption that I am German-English-Danish, with no mention of Irish ancestry.

My paternal grandfather's first name was Faro. Faro Kelsey. According to J, that is very Irish. I have no idea. But now I'm curious.

On my mom's side, we have an entire book dedicated to her paternal ancestry. My great-uncle Henry wrote and self-published a book called "Doerr Ways" in the late 1980s. Her mom's maiden name was Harris and my grandmother grew up in California, raised by a widower father and a housekeeper. Besides that Rex Harris was of English ancestry, I know nothing on that side.

So, how does one go about researching a part of the family that, as people, is of no interest to you, but as lines on a family tree is fascinating? I would really like to know all of the branches of my family tree to the point of entry in North America. I don't think that I will have to go back more than 150 years to do that, and think of the neat wall hanging that I could make. Like the Black family tapestry in HP6, but without the evil stuff. Another question is, with such a small number of people on that side, why hasn't anyone been keeping track of this stuff? Is there a family Bible out there?

I could ramble on about these questions for hours. Maybe in another post. For now, does anyone know where to even start? I guess that I have to talk to my parents and the crazy aunts and maybe make a chart to start filling in. Well, at least the chart making will be cool.

Geez, I'm such a dork.

A trip to the zoo

The boy that I've been seeing (you've probably read a post or two) and I had a super duper day on Saturday. It was totally worth getting up at the butt crack of dawn (though it wasn't really, since it was summer, 7:30 is more like the shoulderblades of dawn) to go to the Green City Market, the Lincoln Park Zoo, eat blueberries and crackers on the porch, play Set in the living room, cuddle/nap on the couch, eat dinner at the short tables at Kopi and hang out in my apartment. Yup, that's three (3) meals together in one day. Lunch didn't really happen, but there was much grazing throughout the day.

That picture up above is a Sichuan Takin. It is a smelly, funny looking creature, related to the musk ox. Both sexes have horns. And it was ridiculous looking, so Jeremy took a picture of it. I have cropped out the zoo enclosure portion of the photo for your up-close viewing of the creature.


I love flamingos. So we took more pictures near them. I was unaware that some flamingos are ugly. And some live in the mountains of Chile.


This is a picture of J and I. He is very tall, which leads to a very long wingspan, which equals arms long enough to hold the camera to take a picture of himself. Pretty good aim, if I do say so myself. He go both of us, fairly centered, and some flamingos too. Oh, how I love those ridiculous pink birds.

Did you know that there are commercially prepared flamingo food pellets? I didn't either.

Have a great day!