a string quilt and and a nerd-out

It's late August, and I'm still on a knitting-hiatus quilting jag. I think it's the novelty, the fact that it's not a lapful of hot wool, and the fact that I'm not inspired by any particular knitting projects that have combined to make this the summer of quilting. I'm working on a string quilt right now. It's a really cool technique that involves paper piecing and lots of scraps. In a typical move for me, I am fanatically working on a project that will be finished just as the season for using it has passed: in this case, a picnic blanket. But I don't care -- the colors are just so beautiful together! I love how improvisational it is, too -- the color combinations and the width of the stripes are all pretty much random. I had a lot of scraps of Heather Ross Mendocino and Lightning Bugs fabric left over from various projects, plus quite a bit of Amy Butler fabric left over from sewing my sister a bunch of scrub caps and a little bit of Joel Dewberry Deer Valley left over from that recent wedding present project, but I did have to supplement with some fat quarters I bought, so it's not totally comprised of scraps. But I'd say it's about 60% scraps -- so not exactly free, but significantly cheaper than a quilt you bought all the materials for new.

My other obsession of late has been watching "The Pillars of the Earth," the miniseries of a Ken Follett book about the Middle Ages. I had to watch this one -- not only is it about the period I study (well, actually I'm a late medievalist, but let's not split hairs), but it also stars Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen)!

(Starz publicity photo)

It's really more of a "Medieval Times"-ish soap opera treatment than a historical movie, but it's pretty fun to watch. But it reminded me of a beef I have with "historical" movies: why do these movies always include someone inventing something modern? In this miniseries so far, they have invented Gothic ribbed vaults and the concept of buying on credit. In the recent "Robin Hood" movie, Robin invented the Magna Carta, for pete's sake!

Another thing that irritates me about "medieval" fictions: why does everything set in medieval England have to include some sort of goddess-worshipping witch woman?

(Starz publicity photo)

The one in this movie actually has dreadlocks, and in one memorable bit of dialogue, when the prior asks her why she doesn't worship god, she says, "I just worship her a different way." Ugh.*

Anyway, if you're a nerd like me, you should watch it! It's all on Netflix, if you subscribe.

The next time I post, perhaps there will be some actual knitting to talk about!

*by which I mean, not, "ugh, she thinks god is a woman," but, "ugh, why does every empowered woman have to be a witch?"

Wins of the Week

I am pleased to report of a number of wins, both epic and not. It has been a big week for:

1) Haiti Relief. Thanks to readers like you, I have been able to donate more than $100 to the American Red Cross, and I am only halfway through my pledge period.


2) Elephants. The new baby sweater is almost finished, and it is pretty freakin' cute. Question, though: I've been holding off on the button band because I am wondering if the body of this looks too long. Thoughts, gentle readers?


3) Snow. There was a minor snowstorm last week and apparently a biggie in the making. Which also makes this a good week for...


4) Delivery. I have just discovered the joys of Fresh Direct and PJ Wines deliveries. It's surprisingly exciting to get a pile of boxes from Fresh Direct delivered up to one's door -- kind of like getting a present, even though you know what is in it!


5) Cleaning tips from Ravelry: I pulled my beautiful cashmere spiral mitts out of my bag on Thursday and discovered that a red liquid ink pen had exploded all over the cuff of one of them. It looked like a bloodbath! But Ravelry forum posts came to the rescue: turns out hair spray and rubbing alcohol remove ink (in fact, I bet the hair spray works because it contains alcohol). So after some liberal hair-spraying and rubbing with alcohol prep pads (all I had in the medicine cabinet) and a good wash with shampoo and conditioner, this is what remains of the ink. The two little spots you see were quarter-sized deep red blotches. Pretty sweet! Plus, the mitts are now softer and fluffier than ever!


6) Fingerless mitts: the possibility of my spiral mitts' being destroyed led me to reconsider the fondness I have developed for them. They are surprisingly useful both indoors and out -- especially indoors, as my living room is quite cold and having just that little bit of cashmere around my wrists is surprisingly helpful in keeping my warm. So I cast on for a pair of October Leaves fingerless mitts with some Dream in Color Smooshy in "Gothic Rose" that's been languishing in my sock yarn drawer for more than a year. What a lovely pattern, and what a beautiful yarn! And fingerless mitts take up a surprisingly small amount of yarn. Which led to this being a good week for...


7) Cable earwarmers. This is a Bamboozled in the same yarn, held doubled this time. This is also a great pattern, and the only mod I made was to add a cable repeat (my row gauge was off from the pattern's) and to switch out the ties for buttonhole tabs.


Also wins, but not documentable in photo form:

8) Belated resolutions. I've been on a weight loss kick and have lost between 3 and 5 pounds, depending, oddly, on where I place the scale in my apartment. Magnetic anomalies? Ah, that reminds me...

9) Lost. It's back on, and it seems great so far. Much better than last season.

10) Emma. The Masterpiece Theater series has been adorable! Which leads to...

11) Cable TV. I finally caved and got cable for my apartment. I realize that both ABC and PBS are not cable channels, but my old antenna only picked up 2 channels.

12) Productivity. Shockingly, considering that the previous three entries on this list were television-related, I have been able to get a lot done in the last week and am now sitting smugly at the cafe blogging with hardly anything hanging over my head for the upcoming week. Indeed, the two pieces of reading I have stacked in front of me at the moment are not even things I have been assigned to read! (They are, however, medieval).

That's it! Anyone want another earwarmer picture?

Happy Beatrice Day!

With only a few minutes left in 9/9/09, here's wishing you all a happy Beatrice Day. Bea is all about the number nine in the Vita Nuova. She's nine when he first meets her, 18 when he sees her again, and the day of her death is the ninth day of the ninth month -- today -- with a bunch of other nines thrown in for good measure.



Ah, Bea. Light of Dante's life, fire of his... fervor for God.