You call me bitter, but I prefer "tangy".

Oy... I spent the morning (a lovely very un Late-November almost Thanksgiving kind of sunny) explaining to creditors why I was behind on payments: Namely ANOTHER client has put their installation off until spring AFTER I took a gamble and bought all the plant materials before hand (sales...couldn't resist)... So, now I have 3K worth of plants to prep for winter storage and that much NOT in my accounts. OY. It will be fine, eventually. I just hate being in this position.

Driving away from the house, I saw a racoon had been killed by a car on the road near front of the house...I debated what to do about that, and then I realized I had forgotten my wallet on the kitchen counter and had to go back anyway. I avoided the racoon, got my wallet...then sighed and got a pitchfork and shovel and proceeded to bury the 25 pound carcass (thankfully not ripped up... Looks like he got clipped in the head) in the nearby woods. No animal deserves the indignity of getting bloated with gas and maggots and then have their guts ripped out by some jerk speeding in a monster truck. RIP, Rocky.

Finished a mobius scarf for my friend who has just been through the trial that is sending her stalker to jail for 20 months. I think she deserves something soft and comforting. I'm going to try to post a picture, but as it was taken with my cell phone...it may not show up as I'd like...we'll see.

Pictured modeling my friend's gift is Nicci, who works at Close Knit on Alberta in PDX. She's a supermodel trapped in the body of a curvy Filipino woman. I asked if she'd model this green mobius, usually worn as a scarf, and she instantly pulled it down perfectly over her shoulders and struck this pose. The fact that the hat has a flower of the exact same pea green was Kismet. Bless her for doing this.

On an unrelated subject. I have to admit, what I want to improve my mood RIGHT NOW... is a lovely furry tummy like my friend Ken's to rub my face on. That would be better than coffee or anything. Was that TMI?

OMG! SQUEEEEEEEEEE!

I so needed this.

I guess the clone look is back. (works for me)

More pictures for those who asked... These were taken yesterday at Knit/Purl's knit night with an I-phone. We were passing the photos around and someone said I looked like Clark Kent in the hat and scarf knit by his girlfriend. LOL! (Of course we ALL know that Lois Lane was just a beard: She was hootching it up with Wonder Woman and Clark and Captain America were sharing some sweet-sweet love on a nightly basis.)



It's my Wave Scarf and hat set... a variation on a traveler's cable rib (2 sided) scarf. The yarn is Cascade 220 Merino wool...The blue is "Pacific" and the green is "Shire".

Mwah, y'all!

I should be outside working in the wet, but I can't bear to.

SO ANYHOO...

I got a tailoring commission... this cute gal who works at the knitting store got a purple aran sweater knit by her mom... Beautiful patterning, turtleneck, decent wool (if a little softly spun and prone to pilling) ABSOLUTELY HUGE, widthwise, on her. We're talking the shoulders fell to somewhere around her biceps and the sleeve cuffs were about 4 inches beyond her hands. Long story short...I sized it against a sweater she liked, took it home, figured out where in the pattern I could cut and reshape... did so. I had originally intended to baste it together and she'd do the final stitching together, but I could see that the shoulders were going to be a bit tricky, so I ended up finish-sewing the whole thing myself...brought it to her, minus the SIXTEEN INCHES OF WIDTH IN THE BODY, AND 3 IN THE SLEEVES THAT I HAD REMOVED. She ran to the office to change, as I sat up front and chewed my nails because I could have really fucked this up big.

She walked out and I heard, ala "Project Runway"...Michael Kors saying,

"THAT SWEATER FITS HER LIKE A DREAM!"

It looked like it had been knit on her body (and bless her heart, she has a fantastic body). Stupid me, I forgot to take a "Before" picture...but she promised that she'd find one, and we'd take some "after" shots. Everyone was delighted and I made $$$. (Love that!)

I wish my coffeehouse would not let this one (possibly homeless) guy into the shop. He's not as disreputable looking as some, and he doesn't smell as bad as some, but I can't stay in the room when he's here: He still smells bad enough to burn the hairs in my nose. I've found myself turning around and going to a less favoured coffee house when he's here.

Yes, I feel uncharitable and guilty... but that funk is TOO FUNKY!

Today, I remembered that it was Green Shirt Thursday as I was getting dressed, but of course I have misplaced my phone, so I can't take a picture of it. Oh well.

Jared Flood, known to knitters everwhere as "BROOKLYN TWEED" brought himself and his equally cute (and equally unavailable) brothers to Yarn Garden last night for a book signing. I didn't need the book, but friends were nice enough to take a photo of the charming uber-knitter and me. The other photo was just me standing in line working on a scarf. It was looking at these photos that I thought: Holy buckets, where's my gut? It's gone! I guess I have lost weight.

Last night I stayed up late and watched "Monsters vs Aliens" and knit on a scarf...I'm working on speed knitting technique... I can, for brief stretches do about 2st/second doing a K1P1 rib. I just have to get that consistant... it's all about the light, small, delicate, relaxed movements. Very hard to let go of tension.

I find this movie way better than I expected. Reece Witherspoon is wonderful as Susan... There is something so real about her voice and her delivery. Seth Rogan plays BOB, the blob (one of my childhood nicknames, ;-P ). There is footage showing him recording it in the special features section. When did he get so totally boinkable?

Anyway, I've finally broke down and started using the little ceramic heater I use to heat my bedroom. It makes getting up far easier, and my sleep is far better when I'm not shivering after I've kicked off the blankets by accident...it doesn't really HEAT the room as much as take the edge off. Anyway, this morning, I figured out why my washing machine is covering the floor with water, and how to run it so it won't. (I won't bore you with the details...ask if you're interested).

I found my gym membership card...I don't have to purchase a new one for $10. Yay!

I found a missing library book I had searched for FOREVER... I swear to god my house has gremlins: I've gone through that bookcase a MILLION TIMES and today, it was sitting on top of the books in the case. It was just uncanny.

So. 3 good things starting my Monday morning... Let's hope this trend continues.

OK, I'm on a social networking site called Bigmusclebears.com. I've met a lot of really wonderful guys through that site and have kept a lot of those friendships for many years, of which I'm very thankful.

You have the ability to have your e-mail address linked through the site, if you don't mind someone contacting you.

This guy who is visiting Portland has been contacting me as of late to meet. I, being a gracious host, said sure... If I have the time I'd love to show a guest around blah blah blah...but he's seen pictures of me, and I don't know to whom I'm speaking, could he please return the favour?

He sent a bunch of nudes. Wonderful body, but no head on any of the photos. I said that the body is wonderful, but it's kind of difficult to talk to a penis over coffee. Would he please send a face photo?

He said that he's not interested in coffee, he just wants to crawl all over me. (If you know me, you know hook-ups aren't my thing). I replied, "And you don't think seeing a face is important for that as well?"

He said, I understand but I'm private and I'm not showing my face here. To which I replied, Let me get this straight... You want to have sex with me but you won't let me see your face. What? Are you going to wear a paper bag the entire time?

Ok, I thought it was funny. I mean really...GROW UP! Unless you're a major public figure, you REALLY have no excuse.

What is the difference between Grey and Gray? I always spell it Grey. I think it's grey-er. The "ay" version looks to cheery to me. enough on that diversion.

I finished darning the lightweight cashmere sweater... The seams were done in an eyelet fashion, so that tiny elipses of whatever was underneath would show through along the seams. Very pretty, but in a soft yarn like cashmere, disaster: anywhere there was tension on the fabric, the yarn tore..leaving gaping holes rather than cute eyelets. I restitched all the seams BY HAND thank you very much... It looks like a brand new sweater. No more eyelet seams, but it won't self distruct anymore. (and that repair work will cover my car insurance payment).

BUT...bills bills bills. I am heading to a client's to do some yard work. Clean up pays better, and they have some unbilled hours to collect on as well...so that will be a nice payment. I love doing knitwork, and it pays well enough, but there is a different mindset: I can usually cover my finances with 3-4 medium jobs/large payments a month with the horticulture, whereas with the knitting, I need to do several small jobs a week: approx 5-6 week will cover my finances. Part of me really would love to have a little shop where I do repair work and retailoring. I almost feel guilty charging for it, I love it so.

Please forgive my talk of finances...but have you ever noticed, that a lot of Jane Austen deals with Money: The Bennetts are land poor Gentry. The Elliotts have to retrench because the wastrel father has outspent his income and their cousin hopes to marry a daughter (Anne) so to gain access to some inheritance and secure his financial future against his debtors. The Dashwoods lose their home and lifestyle due to the death of a father, unfair inheritance laws, and the scheming of a avaricious (or is it greedy) sister in law and weak-willed half-brother. Mr. Willoughby married Miss Grey for her 50,000 pounds rather than Marianne, whom he loves, because he has lost his inheritance from Lady Allen due to his debauchery with the ward of Colonel Brandon. Money seems to be both the irritant and the catalyst to a life well lived.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?

This is actually a photo showing off the hat I knit to celebrate Veterans'Day, but LO! I AM WEARING A GREEN SWEATER! ON A THURS! IT'S INADVERTANT, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT DOESN'T COUNT.

Included are more pictures of said "quarter hat" including a jaunty way of wearing it that makes it far more amusing. Sorry for the crap photos~ Taken with cellphone at coffee shop. And yes, I knit this in a day...It was going to be a scarf, but I decided that I wanted to do the scarf with a slower ribbed cable repeat, so I turned the foot that I'd already made into the body of the hat. Enjoy, folks.

PS: I'm doing knit commissions this year to suppliment income. I have hats, scarves, shawls, and I can custom make anything. It's not too late for X-Mas or Hannukah or Solstice, or "You can leave your hat on...!"

Cheers!

Blood test results: Dramatic gluten allergy. I'm picturing the Villi in my small intestine spontaneously breaking into "Here's Where I Stand" from CAMP. Anyway, I'm relieved to know why my borderline bad tummy has gotten so evil in the last year. I'm sitting in a coffee shop, surrounded by people eating bagel sandwiches...I've just celebrated with a gluten-free "golden macaroon" that tasted like it's main ingredient was woodshavings, but I don't care. I've got my pamphlets and booklets on what I can and cannot have, where's good to shop, what's good to use as alternatives.

I'll stop boring you all with this, now.

BTW. My waistline hasn't looked this good since Jan of 03. I guess there are "side effects" to this allergy... I can't gorge on muffins or scones anymore.

I'm feeling a little tired and depressed today, and I don't quite know why. I have work, I'm depositing money in the bank. We even have sun.

I went on a date last night. It wasn't bad...the guy is visiting so it's going no where. I was a bit disappointed with the food at Stanfords. $7 for a wedge of iceberg lettuce, even with a little tomato and blue cheese is just way way WAY too much to charge.

My Pro-coach, Arjay, drew my local coach's Pro-coach, Brandi...at Boogie By the Bay in SF last month. This is all improvisational dance to the random song selected for them. They may be familiar with the song, but don't know what it will be until they actually hear it. This vid doesn't capture the energy in the room...it was REALLY AMAZING.

Went to a dance last night... I had something totally unexpected happen. There is a beautiful young Asian woman who is a FANTASTIC dancer. She's dating the local rockstar~ The best male competitor in the area. Anyhoo, she was sitting out a dance and I asked her. We had a lovely dance...nothing exceptional, just very nice and sweet. I pride myself on the smoothness of my dancing and my gentleness to my partners. Afterwards, she gave me a HUGE hug and thanked me profusely for the dance. I was blown away.

I had a very good time dancing, got in some lovely dances, and best of all, didn't have an upset stomach for the first time in I can't remember.

I thought I'd tempt fate and for breakfast, have some granola bars I'd bought as a healthy Halloween treat for my )non-existant) trick-or-treaters. BAD IDEA. The tummy pain and bloating is back. The gluten intolerance seems more and more likely a culprit.

Ok, that might be an overly dramatic title. I was given a commission to finish a sweater vest for a lady: He neighbor had started it and made it about 2/3 of the way up the front and back, and then "became late" as they say in "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency" books. Anyhoo, client asked that I finish it for her so she could give it to the daughter (Her's or her late neighbor's...I never was never clear).

I finished it mere minutes ago, including some surruptuous repairs of a couple of the more glaring errors of the late lady's work. It hasn't been blocked yet, but here's what it looks like. (Lovely purple heather merino wool: Cascade 220 heathers~ col #2450 if you're curious). There is something especially joyous about completing work for someone who's passed on: It's as if I was saying, "Look, death didn't REALLY stop you!"

I'm happy with it. The photo doesn't thankfully show the apparent differences in our knitting...suffice it to say, I have a bit more experience and the top of the sweater is a bit more even and mistake free than the bottom. I'm sure the client will be delighted.

Ok, anyone who's been reading by blog as of late knows that I've been kvetching about a very upset tummy for quite a while. Being a self employed craftsman with only catastrophic health insurance... I've kind of laid low, and hoped it would sort itself out. To no avail.

A casual mention on Facebook of how terrible I felt after only eating one small muffin yesterday morning led an aquaintance to mention that his spouse as Celiac disease: a gluten allergy/intolerance that causes damage to the intestinal villi. I went down the list of abdominal symptoms and had EVERY SINGLE ONE. FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!! I was a bread baker...I LOVE my gluten!!!! Poo! Nasty foul smelling floating tan fatty Poo!!!!

I've gone 24 hours without grain, and I'm feeling decidedly better. Time to find a way to get the tests done. They look expensive. Still...I'd far rather it be Celiac than Cancer.

The thing that is really getting me...Oats. oats might be a possible yes/no grain. I LOVE oats... My horses eat oats. (Ok, I'm leaving that in... this happens to me all the time... I can't get used to the singular: My one horse eats oats). I eat oats.

I can easily handle the diet, and I'm sure I'll get used to spelt. Grumbly badger.... now with less gas.

WAIT A MINUTE....BEER? I CAN'T HAVE BEER?!? THAT'S NOT PLAYING FAIR!!!!

Gorgeous autumn day in Portland.

I got a phone call from the yarn shop that brokers my work...I think I mentioned a sweater I had gotten: The late mother had knit it for her daughter, and the cuffs were shot: They had been (poorly) repaired once before and now just needed replacement. I found a yarn that was incredibly close and proceeded to replace one cuff (using the weird crossed stitch every other row technique the late mother used). A little voice in the back of my mind said: You'd better call these people and let them know the cost: I called, got an answering machine, stated that I'd have to reknit the cuffs, but it wouldn't take that long and the price would be pretty reasonable: XYZ (My rate x the 3 hours to do the work) plus the $6 ball of yarn.

I finished the one cuff and it looked WONDERFUL. THEN I got the phone call from the client who said, that she had no idea "it would be so expensive!" and that they'd swing by on the first to pick up the sweater. Uh oh... I told her the cuffs were so damaged, they weren't repairable, and had to be reknit...and as I'd never had anyone refuse my cost before, knowing that my rate was one of the lowest of ANYBODY I'd ever spoken to... Anyway, one cuff is already finished, but I won't charge them for it... They just have to buy the skein of yarn I used.

The husband picked up the sweater on the first...I've not even heard a thank-you from these people. I hope the late mother visits the daughter in her dreams and calls her a CHEAP UNGRATEFUL BITCH who never appreciated all the work that she had done for her. I could give them the benefit of the doubt that money was extremely tight...but why would you drive in from WA to a yarn store in PDX to deliver a sweater if you couldn't pay to have it fixed? AND how FUCKING much does a phone call and a "THANK YOU: YOUR REPAIR LOOKS BEAUTIFUL." cost?

The cuff on the right side is the repaired one, obviously. Oh well. I'll call it a Mitzvah, but I'd still be nice to get a "Thanks"!

FIDIOT!

Here's a question of the day.

I was making a comment in guiser's LJ and I realize I didn't have the proper term.

I'm not talking term "ex" or former... I'm talking, as if I was currently dating said person. Is there a term for the status between Boyfriend and Partner?

Someone you're in a relationship with...living with for 2 years (and then the relationship just ENDS {when he leaves you for the fancy successful Cubano guy with the condo on Biscayne Bay).

FYI...the "former" situation~
Boyfriend: too small.
Partner: too large.
Lover: he didn't put out NEARLY enough.
Husband: yehRITE! no way.

Any suggestions?

Maybe Bette Midler had it right: Fiance: The man I'm currently f@cking. (If only he'd let me F@ck him, huh!)

13 years ago it ended. That was my last one, too. I'm not bitter, just frustrated. Too damn choosey for my own good.

I was just chatting with someone in Seattle who I met when I was the west coast swing instructor at the Emerald City Hoedown last spring. I was looking forward to teaching there again, but just heard from the fellow I'm chatting with that they lost money on the event last year and will be using local teachers. Kind of fucked, actually...as the reason that locals attend classes at those events is to learn from someone new. My classes were VERY well filled, and the class did very well: I got very good feedback.

My friend suggested that I run a WCS group class concurrent with the event, during a time when they only have line dances or something non-similar scheduled. I don't want to complete with the hoedown, or draw students away from their event...but GOSH DARN IT...Last year they just covered ONE night of my hotel, and otherwise I wasn't paid... Grrrrr.

The local instructors I think they'd pull from the GLBT community, at last regard, weren't very good. This is the big problem with LGBT dancing: when we pull only from the community, and there is no crossover, we tend to be very isolated, and it tends to be the blind leading the dumb. I've busted my ass in the GLBT AND open dance community to become a better dancer/teacher. I've worked very hard at competing and have done pretty good this year. My big concern is that I want our community to be good dancers...as good AT LEAST as the open community.

Frustrated.