The Same 5 Meals

So today is New Year's Eve. Andrew and I traditionally stay in, not wild about the crowds trying ever so desperately to ring in the new year. A nice meal, a bottle of wine, movies.

As I mentioned, I like to cook. They tell me I'm okay at it. Sadly, the man I married likes to eat the same things, over and over and over and over and over and over. Really, my expansive repetoire is wasted. So tonight, I'm making lasagne. Again. I have the recipe memorized and could do it in my sleep with both hands tied behind my back. And creme brulee. Never done that before. Yawn.

This time, however, I'm baking rosemary foccacia.

I just can't do the same food twice. I just can't.

My next sweater

Undaunted, I continued on. I found a pattern in a Family Circle knitting magazine I'd had for centuries, always thinking I'd knit again (I'm a visionary....).

It calls for Lion Homespun, which I've used and didn't think it would make a good garment. I also wanted a nice black sweater to wear with an asymetrical skirt I'd bought. There's a lovely knitting shop in Edwardsville (Knit One Weave Two) where I found some Manos wool. I thought I wanted a little more sheen to it, so I found some Crystal Palace Mikado Ribbon at Myers House in Florissant (I can't recommend this shop enough -- huge selection, knowledgable owner and employees, and more than half of them share my name).

It's simple: garter stitch edgings, stockinette body. But the yarn makes it look special.

See how boring I am? I get all excited just imagining the creative ways I can mix and match yarns to create just that right look.

Knitting, the Beginning

I'd learned early, somewhere in the range of 8-9 years old. Mom taught us (I have a sister) for, I think, a Girl Scout badge. I'd learned to knit, purl, increase, and decrease, everything you need for a scarf or shawl.

I'd tinkered with it through the years. I spent most of my crafty youth on needlework, such as needlepoint and cross, because it's relatively cheap and I didn't have much extra moola.

I pretty much gave that up in my 30's, as law school did nothing for my eyesight and I had a job that required too many hours.

I got another job and, one day, decided to really learn to knit. I went to some good knitting stores, bought some nice yarn and some good bamboo needles, and set to. I then decided that I could learn to make a sweater. I read books, learned to read a pattern, and chose a super-simple pattern from 25 Gorgeous Sweaters for the Brand New Knitter. I recommend this book for your first sweater -- they are simple, and they aren't that fugly stuff from Wal-Mart.

I bought some Tahki Soho Tweed and some nice bamboo circulars, and what ho, a sweater emerged. Unfortunately, it came out as if it were made for an ape -- it was way too big, the body too cropped, and the sleeves too long. Thus, I learned the importance of gauge. I ripped it out and went on to other things.

I then, on a whim, bought an Incredible Sweater Machine off of Ebay. I learned to use it, and while not terribly versatile, can do stockinette faster than by hand (FYI -- don't let anyone tell you differently -- it is NOT a time saver to do anything other than stockinette on that thing). I decided to do the sweater again, this time translating it onto the machine. It turned out pretty well, don't you think?

Unlike the last one, it actually fits.

At some point after that, I discovered the unmitigated joy of discount yarn off of the internet. Good yarn, retail, is very expensive (this is one EXPENSIVE hobby, but my excuse is "Andrew bought a BOAT. Until I've purchased the equivalent of a bass boat in yarn, I'm good.") When the yarn was discontinued, I bought 11 more skeins at more than half off. It's going to turn into a coat from the Best of Lopi book.

"Memories of the Ford Administration"

An Updike book, not really about the Ford Administration. But I'm old enough to remember Watergate (watched the hearings endlessly -- see how boring I am? I was a 10-11 year old kid, watching congressional hearings) and Ford. I don't remember Ford being as universally loved then as he is now, but that's probably true of many leaders past and present.

What I keenly remember about the Ford Adminstration are two things: the pardon, and the WIN buttons.

Had I known he was going to start the careers of the two senior Darth Vaders of the current administration, I would have paid more attention. Instead, I read 31 Days by Barry Werth.

Boring? The Challenge

Drew doesn't like my blog concept. "Boring?" he says.

Oh, I'm boring.

My hobbies are reading, cooking and knitting. It doesn't get much duller than that, does it.

I go to work, I come home, I cook, read and knit. Except when I don't go to work, and then I clean, organize, and then read, cook, and knit.

And, whether you people like it or not, I'll be posting my projects. Sure, sure, that won't be boring to knitters, but it sure will bore the rest of you.

In The Beginning.....

Yeesh. I'm so lame. I take a week off of work, and one of my projects is to start my blog.

Sad.

Well, first I did a home inventory for insurance purposes.

Sadder.

So anywho. I'm not sure I have anything worthwhile to share, but I've decided a creative outlet might be good for me. I'm sure it won't matter a tinker's damn, but what the hey. I'll be all cool and join the 00's before they turn into an "I Love the 00's" on VH1.

So, if you want to feel better about yourself by comparing your life to my ever-so-dull one, welcome aboard.