Goals - 25%

In December, I wrote down a few goals I hope to accomplish this year. First among these was to read 50 books by the end of the year. I'm holding strong at 16 so far:

1. The Modigliani Scandal - Ken Follett
2. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - Marina Lewycka
3. Blueberry Muffin Murder - Joanne Fluke
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer
5. Holidays on Ice - David Sedaris
6. How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff
7. Lady Chatterly's Lover - D.H. Lawrence
8. Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
9. The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
10. The Plot Against America - Philip Roth
11. The Post-Birthday World - Lionel Shriver
12. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto - Michael Pollan
13. The Devil and Miss Prym - Paulo Coelho
14. Cavern - Jake Page
15. How Starbucks Saved My Life - Michael Gates Gill
16. Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life - Amy Krouse Rosenthal

The bold titles are those appearing on the "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" list. I didn't count 2 Poe short stories as books, but adding to that the 5 above, I've now read 56 of 1001 (a whopping 5.59%). I understand why the suggested time period for this is "before you die."

Out of the titles above, I'd have to say that Cavern was the worst. The only reason why I read it was that it takes place in the town where I live. Besides the plot being totally ridiculous (pre-historic bear that can hibernate for 50 years at a time and lives in a cave awakens and starts eating people), the writing was horrible. So, do bears have emotions? Page would have you think so - apparently when bears eat someone, they are "enraged" (not, say, hungry?)

Some of the highlights were Wide Sargasso Sea, a book about the life of "the madwoman in the attic" from Jane Eyre. The story was beautiful and haunting in all the right ways. Also particularly hilarious was Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. This isn't a novel, but rather a series of very short essays, alphabetized, focusing on random snippets of Krouse's life. I wish I had written it, since at times I was convinced it was actually about me.

I haven't gotten to the colorwork thing yet. This mostly has to do with not having appropriate yarn... if only I could just walk over to the yarn store and get some. But since there is no yarn store within a 150 mile radius, I have to think up enough stuff to order to get free shipping at KnitPicks.

The Modern Letter Project is currently on hiatus (their hiatus, not mine.) Frankly, I'm glad. Out of the 6 letters I was supposed to receive, I only got 2. I was very close to quitting, since writing letters and getting no reply was annoying. I guess it's back to friends. Do you want me to send you a letter? Say so in the comments!

I love hats

It's true. I love hats. I also love knitting hats: they're fairly quick, and the possibilities are endless. Also, they are (most of the time) knit in one piece, so that when they're done... they're done. Here's my latest hat, just in time for the beginning of our 7-month Southwest summer.


The pattern was a free Ravelry download: Just Like a Peasant Cap. There is also another similar pattern available on Ravelry, which is knit in the round rather than flat & seamed, but I liked the gathered look in the back. (Oh yeah... I used Berocco Comfort, which is an acrylic blend. It is very soft & I would definitely use it again.) I LOVE the double seed-stitch pattern, and will definitely be using it in other projects. I wish I had made the gathered part a tad bit smaller, since the hat is slightly back-heavy. Of course I always have one or two regrets every time I finish something... but that aside I LOVE this hat.

Even Kiska got in on the hat action (she is fond of chewing on the ties.)

Wow

No projects finished yet, but I would like to report that I saw Inappropriate Shorts Man again at the gym yesterday. But, he was wearing gray shorts instead of the red ones. They looked exactly the same - I imagine him coming across a really good sale and saying to himself, "Wow, these shorts are such a good deal! I'll just get one in every color."

In the circus that is my place of employment, another co-worker came to work wearing a chain that connected her ear piercing to her labret piercing (upper chin/lower lip area). I asked her what would happen if someone pulled on it, or if she got it caught on something. She replied, "Well, no one's ever pulled on it." Then I said, "What if I pulled on it?" She hasn't spoken to me since.

Babies

I have reached the age where it seems that everyone I know has started giving birth. Knitting is a rather time-consuming activity, so I've turned to my second love, sewing, for some instant satisfaction. I recently set off two sets of baby bibs:

The pattern is a great one from Bend the Rules Sewing - and I had so much fun picking out the fabrics. Forget cartoon bunnies and cutesy flowers, babies need pirate skull bibs. And ones with flames on them.
___

Random things that have been on my mind lately:

1. I read a lot of book reviews, since I don't want to spend time on something that turns out to suck. But I wish people would stop criticizing memoirs by saying they are "self-indulgent." It's a MEMOIR! It automatically is self-indulgent by it's very nature!

2. I also wish people would stop describing things, particularly food, as "nutty." "The butter gives it a wonderful nutty flavor," or "This wine has a nutty taste," or even "Adding olive oil makes it more nutty." Butter, wine, and olive oil are not nutty. Peanuts are nutty. Cashews are nutty. The only way to make something nutty is to put nuts in it.

3. There is a man who works out at my gym who wears the most inappropriate shorts I've ever seen a man wear in public. I'm pretty sure I own underwear larger than these shorts. Think women's boy-short bathing suit bottom. Spandex. Bright red. These shorts leave nothing to the imagination. NOTHING. It's horrible... but I can't look away, like a train wreck.

4. One of my co-workers was recently arrested for biting another guy's ear off. I'm not scared he'll do anything to me, but every time I see him at work I can't help but thinking, "Dude, that guy bit someone's ear off!"

Looking ahead...

With a huge sweater project out of the way, I feel like I can finally start thinking ahead to all of the enticing projects yet to be knit... the other week my mom & I visited White Sands National Monument, near Alamogordo, NM. That place is ridiculous - giant dunes of white, white sand everywhere you look. It's like being at a really big beach... with no water.

While I'd like to say that my quest to experience new places & be well traveled motivated our journey, the fact that there is a yarn store in Alamogordo did not escape my attention. I mean, I didn't drive 3 hours each way to go to a yarn store or anything. I went to see a National Monument. Yah, that's it. I came away with two colors of Berocco Comfort - an acrylic (gasp!) yarn. But its soooo soft, and at buy-one-get-one-half-off, I couldn't really pass it up. Plus I'm all for yarn that doesn't require special care.

(Get off my yarn, bad cat!)

The blue is for the Two-Toned Ribbed Shrug from Fitted Knits, and the Purple is for Just Like a Peasant Cap (both Ravelry links.) Also in the works is turning my Jaywalkers into Crosswalkers.

Finished!

I finished a sweater! I admire people who can just churn these things out, since it takes me several months to complete a sweater. I started this one last November. Without further ado...


There were several men fishing down by the river when I took pictures of myself in the park during lunch. They probably think I'm insane. But then again they're the ones fishing in a river that you can't swim in for all the disgustingness.

The pattern is from Garnstudio Drops Design, 97-18 Tailored Cardigan. I changed the garter stitch border to seed stitch, and I did the shaping at the sides rather than in the middle. Once again, the sleeves didn't fit. This is the second Drops pattern this has happened with, but then again maybe its just me. I used somewhere around 9 skeins of Elann Callista (Cotton/Linen) and size 4 needles. I know the cardigan looks really short, but that could be because I'm wearing a really long shirt underneath it. But I'm also 4'10", so you taller ladies might want to add length to this one.
Despite some problems with the button situation (they're in a weird place and kind of pull - I used a safety pin to hold part of the button band down), I'm very happy with this sweater. It's one of my favorites so far, and I can imagine wearing this one a lot in the future.

Crud

So I caught the evil illness that has been going around the world it seems, and it pretty much laid me flat. I'm jealous of people who can spend the day reading or knitting when they are sick, because all I can do is stare at the TV with my eyes half-closed trying to remember how to breathe. Thus I haven't knit anything for about 5 days now. I did take some blurry pictures of my quilt (the one I've been working on since last summer), since I have some progress to show:


I'm planning on adding at least 3 more diamonds, to make a square. Then, depending on how much I can stand making these same blocks over and over, I may add another border all the way around. I love the results of quilting, but it takes so much devotion - you can't just sit in front of the tv or bring it with you in the car - you have to sit down in front of the sewing machine and concentrate on what you are doing. After about half an hour I really need to see what happens on "America's Next Top Model" and the quilt gets abandoned for another 3 weeks.

Nostalgia

Those of you who are new visitors to this blog may not know that the name "Ranger Sarah" is from the days when I worked as an NPS Park Ranger. I wanted a place to record all of the funny & crazy stories that come from working with the public. Here are some of those stories from 2 1/2 years ago, for your reading pleasure.

July 6, 2005:
Every once in a while, I'll encounter someone whose logic I cannot grasp. Take the following conversation, which took place on a cave trail with a 60-year-old man.

Man: So, what's your name again?
Me: Sarah.
Man: Oh, so are you Dutch?
Me: Um, no, I'm not.
Man: That's weird, because my mother's name was Sarah and she's Dutch.

August 3, 2005:
The other day I was walking through the cave, when I saw two guys standing by a pit with a ladder going down into it. It is an old ladder, falling apart, and is just there for display. It is attached to the top of the pit with a long metal pole that is embedded in the rock, and the ladder hangs off of that pole. The two guys seemed really fascinated with this metal pole. One says to the other, "Wow, how do you think they got that metal pole stuck in the rock like that?" His friend replies, "Maybe the rock was softer back then."

I've also come to the conclusion that not many people know how far a mile is. (It's 5,280 feet.) On the elevator, people always ask how far the elevator goes, and when I answer "750 feet," they will inevitably ask how many miles that is. One man even attempted to answer that question himself, saying, "Wow, that's like 2 1/2 miles!!"

August 8, 2005:
Working at the information desk, I've been asked all sorts of things. Mostly it's just "Where's the bathroom?" or "What time is bat flight?", but on occasion it gets interesting. One person recently even asked me what the meaning of life was.

Yesterday, however, I got a winner. A very old man asked me if I would go on a date with him. 75 years from now. In heaven.

Apparently, this old man (who is traveling with his wife) is going across the country trying to round up 288,000 dates in heaven, 75 years from now. Why this number? Who knows. After all, this man is asking people FOR DATES IN HEAVEN. When his wife came up to the desk, I said to her, "Did you know your husband is asking other women for dates in heaven?" She replied, "Yes," and smiled. I guess she's not planning on being there herself.

As to my answer, I told him that I didn't know what I'll being doing in 75 years, and I'd probably be busy that night.
---
While I don't necessarily miss my job, I have to say that the entertainment value of encountering thousands of people a day was well worth it. Now, as a graphic artist, I encounter a whole other group of crazies. (Like the guy who wanted me to change the picture of the football player in his ad to one that looked "less gay." But that's a story for another day.)

You Make My Day

Thanks to Dove Knits for giving me the "You Make My Day" Award! She gave me a great compliment & let me know that I'm not just talking to myself out here. I have to pick 10 bloggers and pass the award on, and from the 99 blogs I regularly read, it was difficult to pick just 10. There are so many funny & crafty people out there; I'm glad that the internet exists to egg us all on in our collective obsessions.

1. Books I Done Read : Her snarky sense of humor always makes my day
2. Book Chase : Book reviews that make me want to drop everything and READ
3. Reluctant Mango : Mango is never satisfied, always trying something new - and inspiring me to do the same
4. The Happy College Knitter : Her conversational writing and great projects make my day
5. Whispering Pine : Her beautiful photography keeps me coming back
6. Tentenknits : Classy, classy knits
7. Knits & Pieces : Her beautiful knits give me inspiration
8. Sew-Mad : This girl can SEW!
9. Bibliolatry : Her book reviews are right up my alley
10. Yarnmonster : What a talented knitter!

Calorimetry

Another instant gratification project (if by "instant" you mean "knit this thing three times.") It's Calorimetry from Knitty, in Noro Silk Garden. The first time I knit this, even though I got gauge, it turned out HUGE. So I ripped out the entire thing and started over. I knit a few rows, and it was obviously too small. So finally I cast on 104 stitches on needles 2 sizes smaller than called for, and its just right. Even though it's never really cold enough for hats outside here in Southern New Mexico, it is cold enough for hats inside. We keep the heater down low, and end up bundling up inside to compensate.

(Interesting fact: currently on Ravelry, 3,163 Calorimetries have been made. WOW!)