Wandering Pup

Thanks to D.H.

2011-04-28T10:23:00.003-04:00

Sitting in awareness -
What happens next?

Turning 'round the arrow of attention,
The direct way, the rapid way
It seems-
So much of what the wise ones
Have to say makes more sense now.

What next?
Remember to keep looking
with the single eyeless eye
Remember to keeping seeing
Who You really are

Deeper deeper
Clearer clearer

Remember to remember God
Practice disappearing.

haiku

2011-01-17T13:12:00.001-05:00

sundogs this morning
as I was driving eastward
listening to Sufjan

Snow! Snow! Snow!

2010-12-01T10:38:00.002-05:00

Woke up to snowflakes drifting down and a light accumulation in our yard. Kinda pretty! This reminds me though, I'm gonna need to buy a snow shovel; one didn't come with the house :)

Go Crash, Go! A Retro Gamer's Delight (was a treasure-guarding dragon)

2009-07-08T00:49:00.003-04:00

Hi again everybody! I hope that everybody is enjoying the summer so far and that this finds you in good health and spirits. Some of you may recall my intention to do my own version of the "one red paperclip" project, except starting with a pack of gum and trading my way up to a new car. First, I traded the gum for a fierce dragon figurine. Well, I am glad to report that the dragon has found a new happy home. He was last seen heading towards his new abode with wings unfurled in the brisk October breeze... and then the holidays and life intervened and put the project on hold for a bit.

*BUT ONLY A BIT!*

In his place I am now pleased to offer you a retro video gamer's delight! Up for trading is an original Sony Playstation, complete with all cables and a controller. The system is in excellent condition; very clean. In addition to the console, I will include a copy of the "Greatest Hits" edition of Crash Bandicoot (which I am told is semi-rare). See how Crash's story began! Defeat the evil Doctor Neo Cortex and his henchmen! Save your girlfriend Tawna from nearly-certain doom!

All this can be yours! Just contact me via email with your offers to trade. I am open to all suggestions for items to trade, but the more exotic/unusual/titillating the better! I look forward to hearing from you!

Natural Nursery Knits

2009-04-18T14:09:00.002-04:00

Natural Nursery Knits, by Erika Knight

Quadrille Publishing Ltd, UK 2009

This book, subtitled "Twenty handknit projects for the new baby", combines the recent trend for knitting with eco-friendly fibers with timeless designs that are sure to be warmly received. The projects presented by Ms Knight go beyond the traditional blankets, hats and booties, although those are here too. Some of the more unusual patterns are those for a stuffed giraffe, a bird mobile, a rabbit-shaped rattle, and a cot cover that combines sewing and knitting. I particularly like the pattern for the teddy bear and plan to make it for myself.

The book not only explores a wide range of patterns, but a variety of natural fibers too. Many people immediately think "eco-cotton" when green fibers are mentioned, but the book also has patterns written for baby alpaca, bamboo, milk cotton (casein-based yarn) and hemp, among others. The suggested colors are all natural plant-based dyes as well.

The photography in the book is gorgeous and serves very well to show off the appeal of the finished items. The patterns are written in a clear, non-verbose style. British terms and metric measurements are used throughout (as to be expected) but shouldn't present any real problems to North American knitters.

Recommended.

New Adventure/Update

2009-03-19T00:27:00.001-04:00

Time to bring y'all up-to-date on what happening... The henley is really close to being finished -- am racing my way down the second sleeve and should be done in just a couple of days. I also finished my first "real" crochet project: an improvised cap following Nancy of Woven Art's instructions. Am looking for my next crochet project now.

There has been a change of plans regarding the next knitting project(s). I was going to do a top-down aran, but the intended recipient let me know that he wants socks instead. So I'm going to do a pair of garter-rib socks in Brown Sheep Wildfoote, colorway Jungle. I also am planning on a pair of Spiraling Coriolis in Wildfoote Symphony for another friend.

Probably the biggest non-knitting news is that I have decided to supplement my teaching income by becoming an Avon lady, so to speak! I signed up as a representative a few days ago and have been perusing my start-up kit. I will have a web shop up shortly where you may browse and buy, or I would be very happy to meet you in person to show you the latest products from Avon. The current brochure is good until the end of this month and has hundreds of great deals. Please leave a comment if interested. Thank you!

Learning Another Language

2009-02-26T01:35:00.002-05:00

So, I've decided to remedy a gap in my knowledge of fiber arts and to learn how to crochet. I bought some lovely green crochet cotton and a hook and The Crochet Answer Book and have begun to make a simple single crochet dishcloth. It's going well so far. I can see that there are a lot more possibilities to crochet than I had ever imagined, and it may even be a more versatile, anarchic craft than knitting (which will always remain my first love). I am open for suggestions for other good beginner's projects before I dive in to making afghans!

In other news, the top-down henley is going very well and quickly. I have about 4.5" left to go on the body and then I'll do the neckline and the sleeves. I am also already thinking about the next sweater project; I would like to do the Jack's Aran Pullover from Men in Knits, but convert it to top-down if possible... any suggestions about that?

More Social Web Stuff

2009-02-05T02:06:00.001-05:00

I just have signed up for Twitter and can be followed @ wanderingpup on there as well!

New Stuff

2008-12-30T07:09:00.004-05:00

Well, a belated update... Christmas vacation has been fine so far, and I have been especially productive on the knitting front, if not so much on the writing.

After I finished the garter rib sweater, I wanted to do a small project and so I taught myself the brioche stitch from EZ's Knitting Without Tears. It's incredibly quick and fun once you get the hang of it, and I love the fabric it produces. So I used that to whip up several watchcaps for presents and for personal use. Later, I discovered this website, which sparked my imagination even more with ideas of what to do with this stitch.

I have also been working on two sweaters: one Wonderful Wallaby hoodie in orange, for a friend, and another Lopi-style seamless yoke in fall colors for me. They are both proceeding apace. I expect that the Lopi will probably be done by the second week of the new year and the Wallaby hopefully by the end of January.

After I finish those, I have another sweater project lined up -- a Celtic Aran, but I haven't yet worked out the design or calculations for that one.

While working on the sleeves for the Lopi, I had a little bit of a brainstorm for a way to do mittens and gloves, two at a time, seamlessly. I haven't seen the method that I am thinking of described anywhere in the literature, so I want to research a little bit to see if this is really original or not. I also want to do a test knit to verify that the method will work, but it seems like it should.

My other knitting resolutions for the new year? To clear out some UFO's lurking in my project area... in particular there are two hats that I need to finish, and a pair of socks. Plus, I want to start exploring Cat Bordhi's books. In non-knitting but still fiber-related resolutions, I really want to learn to weave, both on the traditional loom as well as card/tablet weaving. I think that non-fiber resolutions should probably go into a separate post...

I guess that that's probably enough for now, so I will sign off and wish everyone a very Happy 2009!

Mail2Blogger Test

2008-12-15T06:21:00.001-05:00

This is a test of the mail to blogger gateway service, so I can easily
post updates while we are away. I mainly want to make sure that the
formatting works alright, without spurious line breaks and such.

I know that the blog has not been very active lately, and for this I
apologize. The last couple of weeks have been very busy. I did
successfully finish NaNoWriMo '08 though!

NaNoWriMo update #2

2008-11-04T21:18:00.001-05:00

I have broken the 5000 word mark, so I am more than 10% of the way thru this crazy project!

NaNoWriMo update

2008-11-02T01:23:00.003-04:00

So far so good with the writing. I am at 2128 words after about 24 hours and have a good idea of what writing I want to do tomorrow. I am trying to build up a cushion for later in the month. The widgets over in the sidebar have been kind of sketchy, because the main site is working under quite a load at the moment. That's why they don't always reflect the most up-to-date word count.

Bring On The Craziness!

2008-11-01T01:26:00.000-04:00

NaNoWriMo 2008 has officially begun! I am at 403 words so far; 49,597 to go!

Go Crash, Go! A Retro Gamer's Delight (was a treasure-guarding dragon)

2008-10-27T00:24:00.000-04:00

Hi again everybody! Well, I am glad to report that I have taken another step towards my goal of a car, and the dragon has found a new happy home. He was last seen heading towards his new abode with wings unfurled in the brisk October breeze...

In his place I am now pleased to offer you a retro video gamer's delight! Up for trading is an original Sony Playstation, complete with all cables and a controller. The system is in excellent condition; very clean. In addition to the console, I will include a copy of the "Greatest Hits" edition of Crash Bandicoot (which I am told is semi-rare). See how Crash's story began! Defeat the evil Doctor Neo Cortex and his henchmen! Save your girlfriend Tawna from nearly-certain doom!

All this can be yours! Just contact me via email with your offers to trade. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,
Jon

A Fierce Treasure-Guarding Dragon

2008-10-17T01:11:00.000-04:00

Hey again everybody. Well I am happy to report that I got an offer for my brand-new pack of gum and so I am one step closer to my goal of trading up to a car! I was offered a solid pewter dragon statue for the gum by a guy who had heard about both my project as well as one red paperclip and wanted to help out.

So, today I swapped the gum for the dragon, which is pretty sweet, I gotta say! It's a hand-carved and hand-cast figure of a dragon guarding his gold with a sword and a bad-ass sneer (see pics).

In other circumstances, I would keep him and feed him the charred remains of all who dared trespass our domain. But, I am a man on a mission and so the dragon's gotta find a new home with anyone who loves dragons and is willing to trade something bigger and/or better for him. Contact me thru the same means as before.

Thanks!

A Shiny Pack of Gum

2008-10-14T22:22:00.000-04:00

I recently came across the website one red paperclip and was inspired by the story of a guy who started with the titular paperclip and traded his way up to a house.

My goals are more modest: Right now we are a one car family and another vehicle would be great to have right now. I have a brand-new, never opened pack of Orbit Spearmint Gum that I would like to trade for something bigger and/or better.

Ideally, I would like to trade my way into a Toyota Prius, but I am flexible about that.

So, I am willing to consider any serious offers to trade for the pack of gum pictured below for something bigger or better, as I mentioned above. Contact me thru the comments section here, or email to jon.stevenson AT gmail DOT com.

I am looking forward to trading with you!

Thanks and all the best,
Jon

Getting settled back in

2008-08-23T09:21:00.000-04:00

Well, obviously we are back home... the journey back was long and mostly uneventful, although we did have a delay in Paris. The very next day, we had to get back to work, which went fine, although we were tired.

Now we've been able to catch up a little bit on sleep and are looking forward to the weekend! Also, I finally had a chance to go thru the photos and select some good ones to put up on the web. They can be found here. I haven't had time to put individual descriptions on them yet, though. Just ask if you have any questions about them...

Heading Home

2008-08-18T10:19:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody,

I apologize for not being more punctual with my blog posts. It's been a busy end to the trip. We are back in Cairo and heading out tomorrow for home. We should be back by late tomorrow afternoon EST.

I plan to write more after we get back safely home!

The Island at the End of the Road

2008-08-11T14:36:00.000-04:00

We have found a place with better net access and so I figured that I should write a little more about our journey thus far.

We are still in Siwa Oasis and will be here for a couple more days. We are planning on going out into the desert -- the dunes of the Great Sand Sea -- tomorrow night and camping. On Friday we head back towards Alexandria for the weekend, then Cairo at the beginning of next week and then homewards.

This places is truly unlike anywhere else I have been before. I would love to return here. This journey has convinced me of two things: 1) I think I'm part desert rat and mountain goat, 2) I think that I take after my ancestor Sir Francis Drake. I love wandering and think that I have a natural talent for it. I am seriously thinking about how to do a round-the-world voyage!

Yesterday we explored the area surrounding Siwa. There is a small mountain north of town named Jebel Mawta -- the Mountain of the Dead. When the Romans had an outpost here, they buried their dead in niches cut into the rock. The topography of the land here makes catacombs unfeasible. During the battles fought between the Libyans and the Egyptians for control of the oasis, the Siwans would also hide in these niches.

We also went to see two ruined temples nearby: Alexander's temple and the Temple of the Oracle. Frankly these were kind of disappointing, although the story connected with them is interesting. Alexander the Great came here when he was in Egypt and sought the advice of the oracle of Zeus Ammon. Exactly what the oracle said is lost to time, but Alexander took it as comfirmation that he was a demigod and meant to establish an empire.

After the temples, we took a break at the pool known as Cleopatra's Spring (although there is no evidence she ever visited it). This is one of the most popular places that locals come to cool off. A lot of them wanted me to take pictures of them diving and so on. I didn't jump in, because I'm not a good diver, but Dave did and had a great time.

After that, we took the caretta back to town via a scenic route that goes by another mountain -- Jebel Dakhrour. Then we needed a siesta! I wasn't actually very sleepy, but I rested and finished the basketwork socks and cast on for the green King Charles socks that I had mentioned before.

In the evening, we hung out in the market square for a bit, had coffee and smoked the sheesha. Then we ate in a restaurant Albabenshal atop the ruined fortress Shali that overlooks the town. I had camel stew, which was very tasty!

In the next few days, I will try to fill in the gaps about our time in Alexandria, as well as updating on our current activity.

Siwa Oasis

2008-08-11T02:46:00.000-04:00

Hi there. We've arrived safely in Siwa after a ten-hour bus ride. The place is beautiful and I plan to say more about it after we get back to Alex and Cairo. The only net access here is dial-up...

...To Alexandria

2008-08-07T16:02:00.000-04:00

We have safely arrived in Alexandria after a very smooth and relaxing train ride thru the Nile Delta. The Delta is very flat and green and dotted with small villages. When we were in-between inhabited areas, the landscape could just as well have been located in Iowa or Indiana! The area we went thru was mostly dedicated to growing corn.

Arriving in Alex was a bit interesting, because we didn't know that there are two train stations. We got off at the first one instead of going to the end of the line. This meant that we got a little lost on the way to our hotel. Fortunately, we flagged down a motorist to ask directions and he insisted on taking us to the right place. He didn't even want gas money... We're planning on taking him out for dinner to say thanks!

The hotel here is twice as expensive as the one in Cairo but still only $30/night. We get more than twice the value though, because this one has AC, bathroom en suite, satellite TV and a fridge!

This evening we ate at a kebab place kitty-corner to the hotel. The place has great food for really cheap prices... the combined bill for our meals came to just over $8! I discovered a new thing: Fayrouz pineapple soda, which I found quite refreshing. I think I'll miss that when we return...

After the meal, we decided to walk some of it off along the Corniche along the sea. We walked over to and around Midan Sa'ad Zaagloul, which is the main hub of activity around this part of town. There were lots of folks walking and sitting along the wall overlooking the water. The beach right here is rather rocky, so tomorrow we intend to check out the sandy beaches further east.

Onward...

2008-08-07T04:19:00.000-04:00

Greetings!

We are still in Cairo but are about to head over to Ramses Station after getting a little something to eat. We are looking forward to checking out Alexandria. Pretty much every Egyptian that we've talked with says it's a beautiful, great place.

Yesterday afternoon didn't totally go as planned. The Arabesque was closed, and so we ducked into the courtyard cafe at the Nile Hilton, which was good, although expensive by local standards. Afterward, we went to Ramses Station to buy our train tickets, which was a tricky process. First, you have to figure out the proper window to go to, and then you have to communicate with an agent who basically doesn't give a damn. Our first choice of train was sold out, so we got one a little bit later in the afternoon. It's still going to be express and aircon, which I am looking forward to!

Hot Time in Cairo...

2008-08-06T06:08:00.000-04:00

After two long but uneventful flights, we landed in Cairo yesterday evening. The first thing that struck me is that the airport has been modernized a lot from when we were here 6 years ago. The airport road seems to have been upgraded as well. The El Hussein Hotel, on the other hand, has not. The only rooms available had the bathroom down the hall. But it's alright for a couple of nights...

We checked in and rested for an hour or so, then hit the square. Midan Hussein is where the Mosque of Hussein is located. Hussein was one of the Prophet Muhammad's grandsons who was martyred. He's very important to the Shi'a, but ordinary Egyptians who are Sunni regard him highly too. Unbeknownst to us, there was a festival in his honor in the square last night, so the mosque was all lit up and there was music and dancing in the square. We soaked it all up, and I wound up dancing with some of the dervishes who were there. I got all hot and sweaty (and thus the title).

We also got a little something to eat at the Egyptian Pancake House. The "pancakes" are known as fiteer in Arabic and are really more like crepes stuffed with whatever sweet or savory fillings you'd like. I had mine with meat, cheese and veggies... yum!
After all that we slept very well...

Today so far we changed money and walked along El Mouski, which is a pedestrian alleyway with all sorts of shopping along it. We bought some fresh baked bread and bottled water from street vendors for breakfast. After finishing up here, we intend to go to the Arabesque Restaurant for lunch (nearby) and then go to Ramses Station to buy our tickets for the train to Alexandria.

I'd say the trip is off to a good start!

Ready Teddy Go!

2008-08-04T10:57:00.000-04:00

Today is the big day that we've been waiting for for months now... we're about to take off on our trip to Egypt! I intend to keep posting updates as we go, and of course take lots of pictures too!

The Buddha Does Not Sleep

2008-07-29T23:02:00.000-04:00

The raglan is done and it turned out very nice! I am glad that my calculations for the sizing and gauge worked out well.

I have gone back to working on the basketweave socks. I am knitting my way down the foot and probably have about 2.5" before the toes. Also, I've decided on a texture for the green socks: King Charles brocade.