Update on the Imagination Contest

If you read this blog all the time, you know that I set myself the challenge of entering the Lion Brand Imagination Contest.

Well, it has to be submitted tomorrow, and I'm not even done the knitting, let alone the finishing, which is going to be extensive, so this post will be short, and you can expect nothing up here tomorrow!

As usual, it's my own fault. I have a hard time finishing/letting go of projects because if they're done, what will I have to do?

And this is especially boring for you because, I can't publish photos of it! You're going to just have to imagine that I'm busy and doing lots of really neat stuff to finish this.

But if you want some really entertaining stuff from a knitter, you should read today's post from The Yarn Harlot. Actually, her post isn't really about knitting, it's about baseball, and it has a very funny science fiction twist at the end.

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If you're reading this and it's still daytime, the SyFy Channel is running a Primeval marathon on their daytime rotation as I write.

But don't touch that dial just yet! BBC in America is doing the same thing with Torchwood!

There's a new Warehouse 13 on SyFy tonight, and a new White Collar and Covert Affairs on USA, too!

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I have to get going. I have a lot of knitting and even more finishing to do, and somewhere in all this, I really need to get some groceries, so I'm going to be very busy today and tomorrow.

Have a wonderful week, and I'll be back later!

Valentine's Day Is Tomorrow!

I'm dragging myself out of a hypothyroid stupor to write this, so I hope you appreciate it!

I'll start with Valentine's Day. Do check the link. There's a lot of history in the Wikipedia listing, and it's very interesting!

Anyway, Crazy Aunt Purl has two blog posts up about Valentine's Day. The first one has a link to a contest, but I'm mentioning this first because the contest ends at midnight tonight, so if you want to enter, do it quickly. I already entered!

The second one is just a wonderful read, written by a woman who has really found herself. She makes me feel happier after reading this than I have in a few days, and is worth the read. Very inspiring!

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If you're entered in the Knitting Olympics, The Yarn Harlot has a post up about it here. If you follow her on Twitter, you'll know that she went nuts last night because NBC didn't broadcast the opening ceremonies in real time, but delayed it for quite a while. She was upset that she didn't know exactly when they lit the big torches in the stadium so she could cast on. If you're reading this right after I write it, I retweeted some of her comments, and you should still be able to read them in my tweets in the sidebar.

I recorded the opening ceremonies on my DVR (such as it is) and watched other stuff last night, mostly from my DVR, because although CBS said earlier in the week that they would show a new (I think) Ghost Whisperer and Medium, they decided at the last minute not to do it, and showed junk instead. I can only assume that they thought everyone would be watching the Opening Ceremonies, so why bother showing anything worth watching? I was disappointed!

So, anyway, I watched stuff on my DVR and kept switching to the opening ceremonies, wondering when the torch in the stadium would be ignited. I did that for several hours before getting distracted by a ghost story, and really shared Steph's exasperation! First of all, they had 1-1/2 hours of not opening ceremonies in their opening ceremonies. I think it's a terrible tragedy that the luge went out of control and that someone died, but I didn't feel it was really essential to watch it several times, even though NBC obviously did.

And then, there were hours of inane programming. I did like that everyone in the audience had flashlights, and that they all had them on and were waving them. Maybe it would have been more impressive if I was watching the whole thing, from beginning to end, but I just tuned in periodically, usually in the middle of something, thinking "What is this?" Sheets pulled up to look like mountains (?) with skiers and snow boarders floating in the air? What's that all about?

Part of my annoyance and disinterest is because I waffled around for a while trying to decide on a project to make for the Knitting Olympics. When I finally made a decision, it was late enough that although it was possible for the post office to get my Knit Picks order to me yesterday, it wasn't very likely, and in fact, didn't happen. I'm not supposed to be able to get packages on the weekend, even if the post office delivers it today, I theoretically can't get it. I'm going to try to at least find out if my package was delivered today, and if it was, I'm going to try to get it.

I may sign up for the Ravelympics with a small project to keep me feeling like I'm doing something until my package arrives.

So, since I couldn't cast on during opening ceremonies, I was bummed (over and above being depressed by the hypothyroidism), and didn't really want to watch something on TV when I couldn't participate in it.

Which leads me to my other frustration about the Olympics. I used to love to play sports (except baseball). Watching other people play sports, though, is just boring! The Olympics does have some sports that are interesting and unusual enough that I do enjoy watching them on TV (especially figure skating), but the Opening Ceremonies is not one of them.

I'll feel better and write happier after my thyroid problem is solved.

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My DVR has developed an aversion to next Thursday, just like it did to that Wednesday last month when it wouldn't display any digital TV guide data at all! Trying to watch TV without a clue what's on is very frustrating! I really hope that my TiVo is installed by Thursday so that I don't have to contend with the piece of junk that Comcast fobbed off on me!

I got an email yesterday about the Shorty awards (awards for people who tweet on Twitter), and one of the categories was about the most helpful service tweeters, and they listed someone from Comcast. I've been tweeting to her about my many, many problems with Comcast. We'll see if she's actually helpful. Nobody else at Comcast is actually helpful! They are polite, and say things that make you think they're trying to help, but 99.9% of the time, they don't do anything to help!

If you're looking for TV service, do NOT choose Comcast! They haven't delivered what they promised in any one month of the over three years I've had service with them, but they've charged full price for the pitiful excuse for service, and even managed to find ways to get me to have to pay even more than I agreed to pay for what they're not delivering! As I've said many times, if I could get any other TV service here, I would've switched within the first two days of "service." At the moment, I'm currently hoping that having a TiVo can eliminate them to a greater extent. I do know that it's possible to watch some shows with TiVo via the internet, and I'm going to do everything in my power to eliminate all but the most basic service from Comcast.

To be fair, their internet service seems OK, but overpriced.

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SyFy will be having some good daytime programming on all next week! Monday will bring us V, Tuesday they're showing Joan of Arcadia, Wednesday it's Haunted (with Matthew Fox--check out part of his famous Lost tattoo!), Thursday brings First Wave, and Friday we have Sanctuary.

Most of the shows that have been showing new episodes did their season finales last week. Of course, there's still Lost on Tuesday, which is almost worth not having new episodes of everything else. The Big Bang Theory and Castle might or might not be new. My digital TV Guide says there's no information available (as usual). There's a new Human Target on Wednesday and The Deep End and Past Life on Thursday (they're new shows and don't have anything to rerun). I haven't seen The Deep End at all yet because there were other things I wanted to see more, but I have it marked to record on my cruddy DVR and with any luck, I'll actually record it on my TiVo. Human Target and Past Life are excellent new shows and I heartily recommend them! There's one show that showed part one of their finale last week and will be finishing it this week. Thanks to the brain fog caused by the hypothyroidism, I can't remember which one. Aren't I helpful?

I'll be so glad when the drug stores can get my medicine again! I hate feeling this way!

Have a fabulous weekend, and there will be a new episode of Legend of the Seeker on Sunday night!

Ignorance and Possum Fur

I met Franklin over the internet by reading his blog, The Panopticon, a while ago because he's a friend of The Yarn Harlot, and she talks about him from time to time. He's as funny as Steph is, and a delight to read. If you don't read his blog and you're a fiberartist, you should!

Yesterday, I checked Google Reader and he had a new post up, which I enjoyed, commented upon, and checked off the little block that said to email other comments to me.

Was I in for a surprise!

I got one of the comments from a woman who obviously is totally uninformed (or possibly misinformed) on the subject she was commenting on. Her lack of understanding was particularly disturbing, especially since I've heard this misinformed opinion before and I just can't forget the whole thing.

First of all, here is the specific post I'm talking about. Please go there and read it (unless you've lost interest already, in which case, skip this whole post). If you're a fiberartist, you'll find it funny!

Franklin deleted the offending comment, but since it was emailed to me, I have the text of it, which follows:

Socks made out of a dead animal? Really? Personally I think that THAT is what's disgusting, not the creature in the photograph.

And shame on all the people calling an animal ugly. It looks as it is meant to look, as do you. What a horrid thing to say about an animal with no voice of its own.

If those socks were mine I wouldn't be able to even look at them without thinking of a creature dying in a trap. Wherever you stand on the necessity of killing them, it certainly should never be something to be celebrated, or even dismissed so callously in favour of gushing about how soft and pretty the dead animal's hair is now that it's been turned into socks for you.

This would be less disturbing if I hadn't heard this viewpoint at least once before. I'd like to respond to the person who commented (who is nameless, and has no available email address now due to the fact that Franklin deleted it) when he posted the following comment:

Hi, smaytch. Disagreeing with my point of view is fine - I have no problem with that. Insulting my readers (and me) under the guise of taking what you consider to be a moral high road is not. I've only deleted one comment in the years I've been blogging. Now yours makes two. Keep a civil tone or go elsewhere. Thank you.

The parts I find disturbing is the repeated theme of "dead animals" and the lack of any understanding of what was talked about.

Here's what I'd like to say to the author of that comment:

If you've ever brushed or combed your hair, or gotten a haircut, by your reasoning, you should be dead! And if you have a cat or dog and you've ever brushed their coat to get rid of excess fur, you've been as cruel to them as these animals have had to endure. Yes, I know that getting a haircut is considered a fate worse than death by many two-year-old humans, but it really isn't.

Most animals who contribute "fur" for yarn have the shed fiber combed or brushed from their coats. Some of them, especially sheep, who have had shedding bred out of them, are sheared. They probably consider it as traumatic as a two-year-old, but it doesn't really hurt them. In fact, many people keep rabbits as pets and for their fur, and the process is called "rooing", where the person runs their fingers through the fur to remove what has been shed. Most rabbits that are kept this way will try to get into your lap to have you remove the excess fur because it feels good, and they like to be petted.

"Fur," in this context is "Protein fiber from an animal other than a sheep." Sheep produce wool, not fur, and it is usually removed by shearing rather than rooing, although some of the older breeds can be rood. In this context, "fur" is not a pelt, it's just fiber!

By the way, this doesn't apply to this particular sock yarn, which is produced commercially, but if you ask a spinner about the fiber content of a sweater or other garment, you'll probably get back not only what kind of fiber it is (as in wool, rabbit fur, etc), but the name of the particular animal it came from. Example: "Is that wool?" "Yes from a corridale sheep named Flapjack!"

I have a bag of wool waiting for me to spin it at the moment, and the person who grew the sheep not only sent me the wool, but the sheep's name (Daisy).

In the future, please find out what people are talking about before commenting on it and revealing your ignorance!

For any of you who had the misguided idea that knitters were in any way harming animals, you're wrong about that!

I used to have some friends who lived in New Zealand and raised sheep. Those sheep were allowed to roam free for the most part, and live the life they would have had in the wild, while being protected from predators and had someone checking to make sure they had enough food, and stayed healthy, got their shots, got rid of parasites, helped with lambing, etc, and generally took care of them. Once a year, they were shorn, which was necessary to keep them cool in the summer since shedding has been bred out of them. What's so bad for the sheep about that? I'm sure they were as happy about getting shots as two year old kids are, but not taking care of them would be even more cruel.

I feel like it's my responsibility to make sure that ignorant people get educated about my chosen pass-time. So, non-knitters please read!

And for all you knitters out there, please step on this attitude wherever you find it, and consider it your job to let people know that we really are not harming animals.

Happy Heathen Rites of Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring! 

It started a little before 8 am here. Today is the Spring Equinox (also called the Vernal Equinox), from an astronomical standpoint. That means that the sun is directly above the equator today, and the day and night are equal. Find out more in the link to Wikipedia.

I'm looking forward to more sun, warmer temperatures, and lots of sneezing, coughing and exhaustion from tree pollen.

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There was just so much to talk about yesterday that I either omitted things or found them later. So, here goes a try at getting the rest up here. This is mostly short items, but a lot of them.

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This is the United Nations International Year of Natural Fiber! I didn't know anyone else was celebrating what I have ever since 1988, when I learned to spin! Unfortunately, they plan to stop celebrating it at the end of the year, not go right on like I will. With any luck, this will make the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival the best ever this year!

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I got a comment on yesterday's post!

Thanks Jo for all of your excellent posts...and not just the ones about what I'm up to with you. You are an outstanding writer and artist and my life would be so much poorer of an experience if not for meeting you that August day in College Park in 1976!

John, I really would have missed out if I hadn't met you, too. Never in my life have I known anyone who is so supportive of the creative people around him, and I'm honored to be one of them. Everyone around you does better work and gets opportunities that they never would have had if not for you.

And you're really the best friend ever, right up there with my Mom and Holly as the best friends of my entire life. 

I wouldn't have had the chance to do the covers for the Steve Canyon DVDs if not for you. And I wouldn't have a computer if not for you. Yes, thanks Laura, I haven't forgotten that you gave me the computer, but you wouldn't have known I needed or wanted one if not for John.

I never would have had a chance to work on movies if not for you, and I never would have had my own IMdB page, either.

And I haven't even mentioned what a fabulous artist you are. And that's only a small part of your creativity. How many people have dreamed of making movies and creating special effects? How many people have dreamt of bringing back a wonderful series like Steve Canyon? How many have done it? 

You did it!

You are the best!

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Just because you aren't John, doesn't mean you can't comment on my blog, you know. I love comments, and might even answer yours!

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I found a great tutorial on how to do applied I-cord! I'm going to add it to my sidebar so you (and I) can find it again! 

There was time that this tutorial would have driven me crazy and I'd have had a hard time doing it, but since I found Knit Picks needles, I've discovered that the sharp points they have make picking up stitches easy without a crochet hook. I just insert the left needle in the place I want to pick up the stitch, and then knit it! Easy as that! I love Knit Picks needles! So, if you have trouble picking up stitches the way she shows, you might try needles with sharper points or inserting the left needle and then knitting as a way of picking up a stitch.

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The new Knitty has an unbelievable lace shawl called shipwreck in it! I am absolutely in love with this pattern! There's another triangle called the Aeolian Shawl that I thought was very pretty until I saw Shipwreck. Among the other patterns that are so beautiful are Ripple, and many more neat patterns and especially Fit + Float, a beautiful lace scarf that gets lacier at the ends until the ruffle.

I'm really going to have to make the Shipwreck shawl! I'm already thinking about changing some of the center patterns, but I love the big net-look edging! And the iridescent beads are just perfect on it! I like the hearts, too, but I think it needs starfish on it somewhere. The leaves in the third pattern out from the center look like seaweed, and I can't bear to remove the hearts, so I guess the stars would have to be in the very center. I'd rather have them where the leaves are, though. But look at that border! It looks like a net, but it also looks like water washing up on the beach in that photo, and when worn. I love it!

Oh, I have to do this!

Get the pattern on Knitty!

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Science fiction is pretty thin on TV tonight unless you're into Battlestar Galactica. If you are, we're already in the middle of a BG extravaganza. Today, the SciFi Channel is actually the All-Battlestar-Galactica-all-the-time channel.

Who is the last Cylon? Who cares?

I liked the original BG, and I really wanted to like the new BG. 

I loved the original Starbuck. And I really wanted to love the new Starbuck. I like Katee Sackhoff, and if you take away Starbuck's viper, and give her a T-34, she's me. So, I really, really, really wanted to like her and the show, but it all went wrong for me somehow.

And I just couldn't, no matter how much I tried.

So, for those of you (like John) who love the show, don't let me be a wet blanket, this is your day, enjoy!

Other than that, we do have a new episode of Dollhouse, and it promises to be a good one.

Have a great Spring!

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PS--The Yarn Harlot is making Battlestar Galactica socks!

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Another PS--You should really watch this even if you're not a fiber artist and/or don't like sheep!

These people made art out of sheep, and it's SO funny! You'll love it!

So Much Is Happening!

There's so much going on today that I probably shouldn't take the time to post this, but there's so much to tell.

John is starting to get the photos from his trip to Reel Stuff back. Here's one of them:


There's also a friend of his, Matt Tauber, who put up a post with more photos in it, and you can see it here. The post has some great photos in it and an eyewitness account of his experience. Since I couldn't be there, it's much better than I could do. So, check it out.

From what I understand, there will be more photos here about it soon, but don't forget to check out his blog at Steve Canyon on DVD!

And here's a photo I stole from his blog.

What I should be doing right now is one last round of changes on the inside cover for the Steve Canyon on DVD Volume 2. It's the one page that John hasn't shown anybody, and he has one last option he wants to look at before he makes the final decision. I'm at that stage in the proceedings where I can't wait for it to be finalized and done with. Once that's over, I'll be waiting to get my copy in the mail. After that, it'll be waiting to get the information for the third volume. I'm sure you're getting the drift now. I'm always wanting the next thing.

It's so close to being done that I'm really excited! John is anxious to get it done, too!

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Stephanie Pearl McPhee was interviewed (via phone) on the Graham Norton show. 

Greg Kinnear was on the show and they talked about the word that Steph invented with his name. You can see that section of the show on YouTube. They showed Steph's blog on the show, too. You can catch the announcement of the show on Twitter, too.

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Vicki Howell is having another contest for a copy of her new book over on her blog. There is also a photo up of one of the designs in the book, and I have to say that even though I'm not big on crochet, I really love this one! If you're a crocheter, don't miss this one!

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Well, I entertained myself yesterday (and wore myself out) by going over to the new JoAnn Fabrics here. When Holly and I were at AC Moore last weekend, there was some really pretty yarn that I liked a lot and I've been regretting not buying it ever since. I love the sock yarn that I bought instead, but I wish I had also bought the sparkly, shiny, blue sport yarn, too. The stuff I keep picturing in lace with blue, dark plum and/or white iridescent beads scattered around the bottom.

The first sock, by the way, is nearly done. I have less than an inch before I start the toe shaping. Photos soon.

Somehow, I thought that there might be a good chance that JoAnn would have it, too. I was sadly mistaken. I did find more of the yarn that I liked so much for the Mobius hood, which I really need to get back to knitting. I bought it, hoping that there will be enough to make a poncho with. Then I can wear the poncho with the hood over it. Of course, I can wear the poncho or hood separately should I wish to, always assuming that the hood actually turns out to be wearable. This is all very experimental.

But the hood has to be done by the end of this month for the Harry Potter House Cup KAL/CAL I'm involved in. Getting stuff done works better for me when I have a deadline.

If it does turn out well, you can expect a hood/poncho pattern for sale soon. And another pair of patterns for the book I haven't been working hard enough on.

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There's a new Supernatural on tonight, and not much more in science fiction (or, in this case, fantasy) TV news.

I caught Galaxy Quest and They Live right before they came on in the last couple of days and recorded them, but haven't watched them yet. They're both movies I've watched multiple times and still love.

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I just finished reading Twilight and enjoyed it immensely. There were a lot of strange reviews of this on Amazon, and some of the reviews are grossly misleading. 

One thing a lot of people went on about was the way it's written. The consensus seems to be that it's badly written, which wasn't what I found at all. Accusations were made that there are misspelling, grammatical errors, and more in this book. I found two typos, and that's all. And I was really looking for this after all the reviews. The writing is very clear and allows the story to move at a brisk, easy pace. It's a quick, easy read, and hard to put down. It portrays a teenagers first love very well, so if you'd like to go along for that rollercoaster ride again, here's your chance. 

One thing most of the reviewers missed is that this told as a first person narrative. That's why it's submerged in self-doubt, and dripping with nauseous detail about how beautiful/wonderful/smart/funny/you get the picture the object of her affection is. That's the perspective of this hormone bombarded teen, not necessarily the truth that someone else would see.

The book exaggerates the whole teen love experience by making the heroine's boyfriend a vampire. Making vampirism a metaphor for lust is something that's been done over and over, so there's nothing new in that, but it's done well here. And yes, it's very mellow dramatic! So is first love. Get over it! If you don't want to read gooey trash, skip this. But I found it fun and definitely worth a read.

I have the next two sequels for this on request at the library, but in the meantime, I'm getting back to The Dresden Files series by rereading my favorite from the series, Blood Rites. It's my favorite because Harry gets involved in making a movie. It's only when he shows up for work that he discovers the movie is porn. This leads to more humor than most of the Dresden books. Well, it may have something to do with the fact that I've worked on some low-budget films (science fiction, not porn) myself. I love all the Dresden books, but this is my favorite so far.

I have to get busy and finish the alternate view of the inside front cover for Steve Canyon, Volume 2. Before John has a meltdown. He's not pushing me or giving me a hard time, but I know he wants to.

Have a great day!

Don't Blink!

The episode of Doctor Who entitled Blink will be on BBC in America later today and sometime tomorrow. This usually means that it will be on at least once next weekend, too.

This may be the best Doctor Who episode ever, even though the doctor only appears as a peripheral character. It's a little horror story, perfect for the Halloween season, and it stands on it's own, even if you're not interested in the Doctor.

Check your TV schedules, and don't miss it!

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Back last summer, Holly and I went to see Stephanie Pearl McPhee at Borders nearby, and while we were there, we met a wonderful woman named Tonks. There is a newspaper story out about her, and it tells a lot that I was completely unaware of. She's a great lady that you will be enriched by reading about. If you're a member of Ravelry, check out her projects from the first link.

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It's a rainy, chilly Saturday, and I'm not going to bother to do much of anything today except knit and watch TV. I had planned to go to the grocery store, but today is one of those days that make retirement worthwhile. You can look out the window at how dreary it looks and just not go out at all.

It's not raining, but otherwise, this is a very appropriate photo for your enjoyment.

Have a great weekend!