Coffee, Cats n' Yarn

I Have Measured out my Life with Coffee Spoons - Poetry on Fridays

2012-01-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

Friday again? Funny how that seems to happen. It is a dismal day outside. We are in the dead of winter. Last year at this time the event called “Car-megeadon” occurred. Unlike snow-megeadon where we were buried for two weeks, Car-megeadon happened when we suddenly had an ice-snow squall. The government was slow in closing down and the sudden storm stranded hundreds of commuters and caused the commute of thousands to be tens of hours long. I waited three hours for transportation (subway was overrun) and ended up walking home most of the way; nine miles out of 12, a friend found me and gave me a lift home the last three miles. If I remember right I think I bathed in coffee that evening, I was so cold (not dressed well for snow). I only mention this event because right now it is pouring rain outside, there are flowers blooming and the temperature is 64 degrees in January (there’s no climate change issue, riiiiiiiight).

I’ve had a busy week at work and busy at home. The Naked Kidz have been surprisingly understanding about my exhaustion and lack of playing time. Writing on the workshop is doing well and I should be able to start on time.

I should do homage to coffee since it has been my main substance of nutrition for about a week. I was going through poetry to do today when I came across a quote attributed to T.S. Elliot; “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” It’s a line in the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (Prufrock and Other Observations, pub. 1920) which is the poem for today.

I’m indifferent about T.S. Elliot. Some of his writings and speeches border on being anti-Semitic; none of which in my opinion suggest that he hated or mistrusted Jews and Arabs, but rather an ignorance of the issues surrounding the movement coming out of Nazi Germany and the British Empire’s subjugation of its non-white subjects. It’s hard to reconcile his poetry with some of his beliefs, but we are going to accept the prose for what it is and leave the person to history and Hashem.

Everyone have a safe and dry weekend. If you are interested in the reading more about this prose and T. S. Elliot, click on the title and it will take you to the Poetry Foundation. The poster is available for sale at this link on Etsy.com. just click on the image.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
By T. S. Elliot

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”

Let us go and make our visit.
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.
In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be time

To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair —
(They will say: “How his hair is growing thin!”)
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin —
(They will say: “But how his arms and legs are thin!”)
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

For I have known them all already, known them all:
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And I have known the eyes already, known them all—
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
And how should I presume?

And I have known the arms already, known them all—
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)
Is it perfume from a dress
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
And should I then presume?
And how should I begin?

Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? ...

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet — and here’s no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.

And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it towards some overwhelming question,
To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”—
If one, settling a pillow by her head
Should say: “That is not what I meant at all;
That is not it, at all.”

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
“That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.”

No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.

I grow old ... I grow old ...
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

New Hope Redo

2012-01-26T13:21:00.002-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

We've done/posted this before, but we used different heads. I just wanted to try it with a better set. We like these heads better.

Sunshine gives me a Woody - Wednesdays of Wonder

2012-01-25T09:39:00.001-05:00

Sunshine gives me a woody
Originally uploaded by Meir Cats

Even in the dead of winter you have to get your sunshine when and where ever you can. You also have to make sure every part receives a sufficient amount of U/V rays.

Everyday I'm Shufflin'

2012-01-24T12:17:00.000-05:00

You’re right; I haven’t blogged in a few days. It’s not that I haven’t anything to say, I can usually find something to chat about. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t thoroughly researched, read, tested, unpacked, crocheted or just used anything enough to provide a proper opinion. I’ve really want to start this workshop on time (Sunday, February 5th) and all of my focus has been trying to have the materials, examples and written documentation tested and corrected. Even now as I write this post I have to get ready for my weekly office sit-n-stitch. I crocheted gifts for everyone in my section of the office last year for the winter holiday season and that prompted some to join me for my weekly Sit-n-Stitch, at least that’s what they said they wanted to do. I hope they show, but even if they don’t us regular fiberhollics will always keep the welcome mat out for them.

I wanted to do a review of the Loom Knitting Kit from Martha Stewart. I haven’t had a chance to actually use it yet, just look over the pieces and parts. We are going to use loom blocks during the workshop (a last minute addition, alternative techniques) but I just received the kit yesterday and will need a few days to work with it and provide a full account of the pros and cons of this kit. I will have that for you sometime in February after the workshop has started.

Naked Kidz are doing well; sold some of their cards (you remember, we started a line of cards last year) to some stores out in Texas thanks to a friend of mine that marketed them for me. We are still doing this on a small scale, but sales are still puttering along, still promising. The cats themselves are doing well. They hang in windows and cling to the little bits of sunshine. I had to wash their electric blanket the other day along with them; all were getting a little ripe and I purposely did not plug it back in to force them to come out of the covers and seek out the sun and each other.

Still trying to work out which conference I will attend this year; BlogPaws or BlogHer. I would love to do both, but not in the budget. I wouldn’t try to take all three of the Naked Kidz to Utah with me, maybe just Moshe Moshi, but I’d have to ship his equipment. I guess I could buy it all there, but I’m not sure it’s good for us this year. BlogHer is in New York and would give me a new set of people to me. Again, I would probably only take Moshe Moshi. That too would be a chore, but not as much as Utah. I’m still not sure what I will do. I’ll talk about that later. For now it’s back to my regular job…opps! Almost noon time, grab some lunch and stitch away!

My Dragon - Poetry on Fridays

2012-01-20T10:18:00.002-05:00

Because the Chinese New Year was coming up soon I wanted to do something in relation to it. There is much of Chinese poetry that is beautiful, but I couldn't find the right bit of prose to put up in the short amount of time I had allotted to search. I'll do better with that and start to present poetry from other parts of the world as this feature on my blog continues.

This year coming is the Year of the Dragon. I was going to try to explain the Chinese zodiac, animal cycles, wood/water/fire dragons...I'm already dizzy. It's a bit complicated and I just could not do it justice. I know Dragons are brave, unafraid, powerful and often underestimated by the arrogant, but Dragons are also loyal and fall in love very hard and their feelings can be hurt deeply by betrayal.

There are also wild stories I came across in mythology; lot's of people having sex with Dragons. I am not going there. What I did find very interesting is that unlike other cultural myths like fairies or chupacabras or white whales, every culture on this planet has a Dragon myth/story which makes you wonder if this creature really existed at one time, or maybe they still do and are just hiding.

Out poem for today is by writer J Kennedy who often signs his writings by the name "X". He too has an interesting story of himself you may be interested to read on the Poetry Foundation website. The image I got from the website. Dark Roasted Blend, which I'm still not sure what the site is about. The artist named Taelir did not have an email or a working link for further information, but it is a cute image.

Enjoy your weekend and remember my advice; don't screw with Dragons. You'll get burned.

My Dragon

By X

I have a purple dragon with

A long brass tail that clangs,

And anyone not nice to me

Soon feels his fiery fangs.

So if you tell me I'm a dope

Or call my muscles jelly,

You just might dwell a million years

Inside his boiling belly.

Mo' Books, Mo' Hooks

2012-01-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

Continuing our conversation on books I’m using for the afghan workshop, the following two provide a fresh and innovative resource for your creative mind. Beyond the Square: Crochet Motifs: 144 Circles, Hexagons, Triangles, Squares, and Other Unexpected Shapes and Around the Corner Crochet Borders: 150 Colorful, Creative Edging Designs with Charts and Instructions for Turning the Corner Perfectly Every Time could possibly be the only books you will ever need to make granny square afghans.

Both edited by Edie Eckman, a well known writer, teacher and crafter in crochet/knitting, both of these books give you unique ideas on shapes, color and texture. Just like most crochet books that I endorse, these books provide clear pictures and instructions and pattern charting to help reinforce those instructions.

And don’t just think afghans when looking at these shapes and patterns. Need to jazz up an old tank top? How about edging the arms or the bottom edge, or maybe a collar? New table runner for a special occasion, pillows, wraps, skirts? How about a combination of motifs and free-forming? There are endless possibilities, two very useful books that won’t go out of style anytime soon.

Maybe after I complete the afghan workshop, we will do some of the other things mentioned above, that’s if I get enough good feedback from you ~!oP

Wordless and Speechless

2012-01-18T12:30:00.001-05:00

We have darkened this photo for up to 24 hours as a symbolic gesture to raise awareness about the potential impact of two pieces of pending U.S. anti-piracy legislation - SOPA (The Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (The Protect IP Act).

~~While the inclusion of this blackout screen is merely a symbolic gesture -- not an actual allegation that this photo violates any copyright~~

~~we wanted you to take note of the harmful impact these bills could have on innovation online. For more information see http://blog.flickr.net/.~~

Book It!

2012-01-17T13:40:00.001-05:00

We are going to talk about some of the books I use for reference and are going to use during the afghan workshop here at CCn’Y. You are not required to purchase these books and many of the patterns I will reference you could probably find online somewhere if you search for it. I use a lot of online references, but nothing ever replaces a book or piece of paper in my hand. Maybe when I get the chance to purchase digital books or create my own and when I have an opportunity to replace my dead and departed laptop or give in to getting a tablet I might feel somewhat differently, but I still like books.

If you want to be better at crocheting, it’s just like that old adage about how to get to Carnegie Hall, practice, practice, practice. If you want to be a skilled crocheter, that takes more than just practice, it takes flexibility, variety and imagination.

The Carnegie Hall reference is relevant in that only a small amount of musicians/artist have graced its stage compared to the number of musicians all over the world. I know lots of great musicians who I love and have never done the Hall. Doing Carnegie I don’t think makes you the best ever. What usually sets the Carnegie honored is the uniqueness they bring to the craft.

Any art you participate in will be the same. There are many great knitters and crocheters, better than some of these people who do these books, but the people who you are seeing in the books bring more than just skill to the plate and it’s not just chance or opportunity. Even with some of the ugly stuff I find in books, what is being done is different; either in color, technique, presentation, fiber or application.

I cannot make you an extraordinary afghan crafter or even an extraordinary crocheter. I don’t know that I’m all that different from you to be truthful. But, what I can do is provide some expertise, some ideas and share what successes and mistakes I’ve made over the years with this yarn obsession. Can’t make you the best crocheter, but I’ll bet I can make you a better one.

Reference Books

Unless you just have one of those minds that never forgets anything, every versatile crafter has reference material. I have several books and those books all have notes in the margins or little pieces of paper stapled to a page when I catch an error or do something a bit different with a stitch. There are many reference books out there for knitting, crochet, weaving and the like, but I have found one series of books that I rely on more than other books, new or old and they are the Harmony Guides.

The Harmony Guides are just that; guides. They explain how to do a stitch. In some of the guides not only do you get an explanation, you get a picture and/or a pattern chart. During the workshop one of the things we will go over is how to read and write a chart. There are times when no matter how many times I read a pattern it just doesn’t click in my head what the hell they’re talkin’ about, but there has never been a chart I haven’t been able to read and figure out if you know what the symbols mean. A chart with a pattern will make any stitch or project obtainable to you no matter what your skill set. Bless my heart, I do not read Japanese, but most Japanese pattern books have charts and I do just fine in figuring them out.

Another book that is good for reference, especially for beginners is the Encyclopedia of Crochet by Donna Kooler. When I decided to get a bit more serious about my crocheting, this was the book I picked up. Honestly, not wild about some of the projects in the book, but the stitch guide makes it well worth it. Ms. Kooler did an update of this reference last year. I have not looked at it, but I am about to receive a copy of it and I will do a review later, but for now I recommend the 2002 edition and I’m sure you can find one on Amazon used at a great price.

Hope that gives you a great start.

Monday is Mine

2012-01-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday everybody! It’s a federal holiday (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day) so I have the day off to do as I please. I’m just hanging around the homestead, do a bit of cleaning, make some soup, bathe the naked kidz and hopefully get some crocheting in.

The write ups for the afghan workshop I think are going to be great. I’m having loads of fun writing for this. I have a couple of baby blanket commissions to do over the next couple of weeks and am using that experience in the workshops. I’m trying to get better pictures and even some video and that will be available on YouTube. It is more work doing this by myself than I thought it would be, but that’s okay. This is fun.

The naked kidz are all doing fine. They are loosing hair for the winter season. I in the beginning always thought that was weird; they carry more hair in the summer than they do in the winter, but if you think about how cats and dogs shed it make sense. Cornish Rex Cats tend to only keep one of the three types of hairs most cats and dogs with fur do have, down, up or natal hairs and guard hairs. C-Rexes by genetic makeup only have the down hairs. Guard and natal hairs are most commonly shed seasonally, but down hairs shed too. There are some C-Rexes who don’t shed at all and some who loose the hair altogether. For mine, Jake will loose most of his hairs but it always comes back. Maus for the longest time didn’t have any hair on the blue parts of her body and only small amounts on the white parts. She would loose what little she did have in patches. This year she grew new hair all over her body, but is starting to loose it in patches again, I’m hoping just for the winter. That’s why you see them sometimes in shirts and sweaters. Bathing will take some of the hair you see in the video off today, but it doesn’t harm them. Of course Moshe Moshi is naked all the time, but we do have to work on some blackheads under his chin today.

This week in preparation for some of the workshops I will be talking about some of the books I am using for the lessons. There will only be so much of a pattern I can post online without infringing on copyrights, so it will behoove you to consider purchasing some of these books for your collection. They are all great books and will supply you with many ideas for ages to come.

Everyone stay warm and get some sunshine if you can.

As Simple as Soup - Poetry on Friday

2012-01-13T09:43:00.001-05:00

This is supposed to be National Soup Month. I’ll have to find out how this process of decreeing a day National this or that Day really works. I suppose I already know how. I suppose if it is a local designation, your Mayor or City Council can make it official. Your Governor can do that for you at the State level; your Senator or Congress person can make it national. My issue should be why are my representatives wastin’ time doing special recognitions for nonsense. I can understand a person or a living creature; a disease or a virtue. We do this crap because of lobbyist of course, but the designated day I guess can be a positive thing. I guess now that I think of it it’s not much different that a holiday. Okay, I like soup. It can have a month.

The stores are really into it. Williams Sonoma has all of their soup stuff on sale. So does Cooking .com and Whole Foods. Soup is easy, why are we trying so hard to get people to eat soup? Maybe it’s the connotation of it. Soup was the food of poverty, not sure when it became a fashion. Soup is the food of simplicity, although with some of these recipes out here you would think it was a chemistry project. Soup is stock/water and vegetables, sometimes meats, sometimes fruit, salt and pepper but not more. Don’t complicate what works.

I have a couple of baby blankets to complete, some snuggle time with the naked kidz and a little soup making of my own (squash and apple soup) so off I go to crochet and cook.

Today’s poem is Potato Soup by Daniel Nyikos. Maybe you should simmer some goodness this weekend yourself.

Potato Soup

By Daniel Nyikos

I set up my computer and webcam in the kitchen so I can ask my mother’s and aunt’s advice as I cook soup for the first time alone.

My mother is in Utah. My aunt is in Hungary.

I show the onions to my mother with the webcam.

“Cut them smaller,” she advises.

“You only need a taste.”

I chop potatoes as the onions fry in my pan.

When I say I have no paprika to add to the broth,

they argue whether it can be called potato soup.

My mother says it will be white potato soup, my aunt says potato soup must be red.

When I add sliced peppers, I ask many times

if I should put the water in now, but they both say to wait until I add the potatoes.

I add Polish sausage because I can’t find Hungarian,

and I cook it so long the potatoes fall apart.

“You’ve made stew,” my mother says when I hold up the whole pot to the camera.

They laugh and say I must get married soon.

I turn off the computer and eat alone.

Eating Naked

2012-01-12T12:29:00.000-05:00

Going Vegetarian, we are coming along, slowly but surely. Some aspects of it have been hard. I stated in a previous post that I didn’t know how I was going to handle feeding the naked kidz. The kidz eat raw red meat, mixed with appropriate nutrients and other stuff, but they eat roasted poultry, mostly chicken (I’ll explain why some other time) and it was often my habit to nibble at the carcass when I stripped the meat from the bone. It’s no big deal, I wouldn’t have any guilt from doing that and I’m not so addicted to chicken I just can’t say no (although my chickens are delicious). It’s the “habit” part of it I have to get over. Just like when I stopped smoking a few years back. It was my habit to smoke when I got out of bed, at the bus stop, with my first cup of coffee. It wasn’t necessarily just the addiction of the chemical and nicotine, but more about breaking and changing my routine that had developed over a number of years that allowed me to stop smoking permanently. Though I still want to smoke at times, choosing not to is easier because I no longer had it as a routine part of my day.

Some of you have been sending me cookbook suggestions and recipes of which I appreciate. I’ve been reading and eating off of the Mediterranean/Asian diet website for a while, even long before I decided to do this and between that, your suggestions and altering some of the recipes I commonly eat in my cookbooks, I’ve been eating rather well. Planning out meals has been a chore but that also is a habit I’m learning to adjust. I am a big soup person and this is the season for soups…well, there is always a place for soups, both hot and cold, but I’m a fan of hot soups, so there it is. I was thinking since you are chiming in to read this that maybe I will post some of my food and recipes on the blog. I’ll put up a tab at the top menu bar and since “Naked” is a big thing here on the blog I’ll give it a naked name. Your suggestions are welcome.

I had Roast Cauliflower Soup yesterday, delicious.
Mediterranean-Style Roast Cauliflower Soup

Dreaming in Orange - Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Occupy Me

2012-01-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

Monday, Monday, Monday. I don’t dislike Mondays. I think that has more to do with how I feel about my job than anything else. I can remember working for my previous employers, when my work sucked big time how much I hated Mondays. Now, I usually get ticked by not starting my Mondays off right. Doctor’s appointment this morning, Doc is late which made me late and I couldn’t immediately get my morning cup of Joe ‘cause of course the line was too long. I sat down and immediately started working (I like easing into my work)…and though it miffs me, I got over it quick enough.

I spent the weekend trying to do some crochet for my workshop. Naked kidz really competed for my attention. Saturday was lovely but I had a lot to do so instead of taking the kidz for a stroll I wanted to just walk them. It was funny; as soon as I put Moshe Moshi’s leash on he jumped into the stroller. “No, No honey, we are walking”, I take him out the stroller, he jumps back in. “No sweetheart, we are walking…”, take him out, Maus jumps in. Jake is just sitting back and watching all of this. You see, I live in a three-story walk-up (no elevators), so lugging it down and then back up the stairs is a chore. I gave in anyway and wheeled them once around the park. Then I needed to update FaceBook and they all decided to "Occupy" my efforts and kept jumping on me and sitting on my arms and hands. THEN, I was crocheting out sample swatches and Maus would either sit on the string or run down the hallway with a skein of yarn. I did get my workout…In spite of the distractions I think everything is coming along well.

My transition to vegetarianism is tough. I bought the naked kidz a chicken (they eat roasted chicken with their canned food) and it smelled…wonderful. It was really hard not to have some. I made some squash and apple soup and that seemed to diminish my craving so that is coming alone too.

So all be it hurried and not like I planned, Mondays ain’t so bad. Enjoy your Monday.

I'm Late!

2012-01-06T13:02:00.000-05:00

It's my own fault. I could have done a pre-post yesterday and have it come up automatically. I came into work this morning thinking I would do it then, but with more on my plate than I thought I got lost in my real job and then it occurred to me I hadn't posted for Poetry Friday. So in lieu of my usual end of the week commentary, I post the most famous lyric for lateness. Everybody enjoy your weekend!

I'm Late

The White Rabbit, Alice in Wonderland

I'm late, I'm late for

A very important date.

No time to say hello, good-bye,

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late

I'm late and when I wave,

I lose the time I save.

My fuzzy ears and whiskers

Took me too mych time to shave.

I run and then I hop, hop, hop,

I wish that I could fly.

There's danger if I dare to

Stop and here's a reason why:

I'm over-due, I'm in a rabbit stew.

Can't even say good-bye,

hello, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late.

Ode to the Ugly Afghan

2012-01-05T15:50:00.000-05:00

I am a hooker….crochet not the other oldest profession, although historically they are linked, but I’m not here to talk about crochet’s seedy past. It’s not that I don’t knit or weave. I guess I learned to crochet first and that is what has stuck with me.

When non yarn-craft people find out that I crochet, their first reaction is usually a remark; “…oh, my Bubby/Nannah/Grandma/Aunt/Mother use to do that…” Then I get a story about an afghan in someone’s house. Sometimes treasured, sometimes scorned, but almost always ugly. From knitters the comments are more towards the ease or lack of ease of the craft although they love the speed at which items can be produced, and they too have the ugly afghans stories.

I too think most afghans are rather ugly. I actually use to make ugly afghans on purpose. Whenever someone in the family got married, had a baby, bought a house, one of the elder women in the family would make an afghan. As the next generation took that responsibility over we went one step further; we would put one off-color or ghastly bright color, off center a block or change a stitch pattern towards the end of the project. As a joke we did this to guarantee it would not match the décor in your home which was how we felt about the design elements in the previous generations’ aesthetic.

Other than us, no one intentionally thinks what they make is ugly. I can make the argument that anything crafted out of love, charity or a giving spirit has a beauty to it that goes beyond the aesthetic quality and I do believe that, but that would be me being philosophical and not honest. There are many ugly afghans and I’m guessing it’s due to the craft knowledge of the creator. Either we just follow the pattern colors or we try to guess what is “pretty” instead of what is practical and what will last.

I’ll let you in on a secret (not really a secret but you may not realize this) about patterns, designers, yarn companies and publishers. All of these elements conspire to get you to buy their books, using a specific yarn or yarn from that company and in some cases promote a colorway. Most designers make their money off the sale of the patterns. The yarn company that bought the pattern or is sponsoring the work determines the colors. That’s not a bad thing, but the problem is that most of us crafters don’t know enough about yarn or is not confident in our knowledge to choose a different yarn, weight or texture. We cling to the pattern dictates like gospel and just like the gospel, it’s old.

And then there are just some people (you know who you are) who are just not blessed with good taste. There is nothing wrong with good ‘old country ketch style, but unless that’s the décor in your home or the home you are making the afghan for, your lovely long-worked afghan is headed for the thrift store or buried in a closet only to be pulled out for the dog, a visiting cousin or off to the nursing home with grandma.

Since many people often seek my council in creating afghans and because I get lots of questions about afghans and am known amongst my friends of at times being a little too…”honest” about what was used to make it (I can be a little blunt at times, but it’s an enduring quality.. I gots nothin’ but love fur ya) I decided I would do a bit of an afghan workshop here on the blog. I’ll be posting information about yarn/fiber choices, book and online referencing, techniques, color, patterning and construction. My purpose is to help you make heirlooms, something that will be used and you would be proud to hand over to the next generation to stand the test of time and fashion and not just settle for the fashion of the day, or yesterday in most cases. We will explore Mosaic, Free-Form, mixed medium, alternative shapes. Don’t worry, we will not be giving up the tried and true granny square, but rather show you different ways to think about how to present them.

I am in the process of creating the sample swatches, photography and editing the content of each post. I will probably start the first lesson at the beginning of February, and there will be giveaways of yarns/notions/craft/books so even if you’re just tuning in to read about the naked kidz you can still have a chance to win!

This will be fun, I’m so excited…I hope you will be too!

The afghan pictured is from a weblog " Fuck Yeah Granny Square".

2 out of 3 (faces) Ain't Bad - Wednesdays of Wonder

2012-01-04T08:23:00.000-05:00

In their defense, it was cold...

2011, Buh-Bye

2011-12-31T10:26:00.000-05:00

You, our readers were the best part of 2011. Happy New Year and best wishes to all - Love CHo, Maus, Jake & Moshe Msohi♥

New Every Morning - Poetry Friday

2011-12-30T08:29:00.000-05:00

I know I have to have dozens of pictures of the naked kidz staring out the window in my bedroom or off the balcony door in the dining area. Though I’m sure at times they are looking at birds or seeing another cat walk across the parking lot, most of the time they just sit and stare at what I perceive is nothing. Are they thinking about running free? Are the pondering the height at which they sit? Do they wish they were someplace else – are they happy to be here with me? There is certainly no way to know for sure, but what I do know is that they look out that window with a stare that says “hey, that’s new”.

This has been a tough year for many around the planet, much less here in the U.S. We’ve seen terrible tragedies and hardship and it is hard to know where each day will take us. But not all of those days were bad days. Each of us found moments in a day or two filled with hope, solace and comfort in what we saw or experienced. Scarlet O’ Hara was right, tomorrow is another day. We don’t have forever; the day may bring an end to some. But also the day can bring perspective. I don’t mean delude ourselves to avoid the painful moments. I mean to realize not all moments in a day are in pain or sadness or ugly.

When it’s tough to carry my day I know I can start each day fresh and cling to those moments where life is magic and precious and appreciate what is new and special even when the view is the same.

Everyone have a good start to your new beginning in 2012. And a special thank you to my naked kidz for allowing me to appreciate my view. I’ve learned to love life that much more by seeing it through your eyes.

New Every Morning

by Susan Coolidge

Every morning is a fresh beginning,

Listen my soul to the glad refrain.

And, spite of old sorrows

And older sinning,

Troubles forecasted

And possible pain,

Take heart with the day and begin again.

Doing it for Fun

2011-12-29T13:28:00.000-05:00

I had a good holiday. The naked kidz made out very well, receiving many toys and treats from their friends, fans and family. If I didn’t thank you individually, please accept this as our truly heartfelt appreciation for your generosity. You sent me some beautiful cards and pictures of your furry, hairy, scaly and naked kidz and I will treasure them always.

I did a bunch of crochet this season, but my baking this year did exceptionally well. I guess booze in cakes is the way to go. My most requested cake was the ones with fruit and booze. I make a slight variation on Christmas pudding and fruit cakes. It’s a texture thing, Americans like more cake and less fruit in their fruit cakes, a bit more smooth than chewy and this year I was more successful with that than in previous years. I also took a chance and put very little dairy if any in the cakes this year, using alternatives to see how well they worked. No complaints; cool.

I have no commissions for the rest of the season, just doing mostly for me this winter. I’m working on improving my knitting technique and some alternative crochet techniques like hairpin, broomstick and looms. I’m teaching classes in crochet this year and working on video instructional classes in afghan design and construction. For right now I’m working on a swatch samples portfolio which was the reason I bought all that Vanna’s Choice on sale a week ago. I always do a sample swatch of an afghan I’m making for a commission, but having a client decide on what they want can be time consuming when they can’t envision the pattern. I do pictures of squares sometimes and put together a picture composite and that works well, but for some being able to touch a sample usually makes the deal. My afghan design now days is much higher-end than what I use to do (some of you know about my famous intentional ugly afghan past). My primary career here at the Smithsonian changed and my side job in fiber changed too with my clientele. What I do now takes longer to make. Often people just know they want a specific color scheme but not a specific pattern so I am making some swatches of my more expensive and elaborate patterns so that they can see exactly what to expect and can make our adjustments from there. Unless one has a specific pattern in mind it’s usually up to me what the pattern will be so the swatches help those undecided folks. For right now, it’s wonderful to just crochet and not be on a tight deadline.

I am looking forward to the year to come, building the Etsy store, doing more things with the blog, more interaction with YOU and just enjoying being here and doing what I love. If you have some suggestions on what you’d like to see from us in the coming year, please let me know.

Sunshine - Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-28T08:37:00.000-05:00

Boxing Day Origins

2011-12-26T00:12:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for something that explains the origins of Boxing Day, I got nothing for you. The day-after-Christmas holiday is celebrated by most countries in the British Commonwealth, but in a what-were-we-doing-again? bout of amnesia, none of them are really sure what they're celebrating, when it started or why.

The best clue to Boxing Day's origins can be found in the song "Good King Wenceslas." According to the Christmas carol, Wenceslas, who was Duke of Bohemia in the early 10th century, was surveying his land on St. Stephen's Day — Dec. 26 — when he saw a poor man gathering wood in the middle of a snowstorm. Moved, the King gathered up surplus food and wine and carried them through the blizzard to the peasant's door. The alms-giving tradition has always been closely associated with the Christmas season — hence the canned-food drives and Salvation Army Santas that pepper our neighborhoods during the winter — but King Wenceslas' good deed came the day after Christmas, when the English poor received most of their charity.

During Advent, Anglican parishes displayed a box into which churchgoers put their monetary donations. On the day after Christmas, the boxes were broken open and their contents distributed among the poor, thus giving rise to the term Boxing Day, maybe.

But wait: there's another possible story about the holiday's origin. The day after Christmas was also the traditional day on which the aristocracy distributed presents (boxes) to servants and employees — a sort of institutionalized Christmas-bonus party. The servants returned home, opened their boxes and had a second Christmas on what became known as Boxing Day. This explanation I'm told is not plausible according to some of my historian friends. Most masters of a house hold would have found it expensive to box a gift to family much less wrap a gift to servants. Gifts of food and money would have been handed out without the surprise part (show me da money!).

So which version is correct? Well, all, neither. No one, it seems, is really sure. Both the church boxes and the servant presents definitely existed, although historians disagree on which practice inspired the holiday. But Boxing Day's origins aren't especially important to modern-day Brits — Britain isn't known for its religious fervor, and few people can afford to have servants anymore, anyway. Today's Boxing Day festivities have very little to do with charity. Instead, they revolve around food, football (soccer), visits from friends, food and drinking at the pub.

Boxing Day has been a national holiday in England, Wales, Ireland and Canada since 1871. For years in which the holiday falls on a weekend, the celebration is moved to make sure workers still get a day off (except in Canada, where it remains Dec. 26), but since visits to Grandma and other family obligations are fulfilled on Christmas, there isn't anything left to do on Boxing Day except eat leftovers, drink and watch TV. Just as Americans watch football on Thanksgiving, the Brits have Boxing Day soccer matches and horse races. If they're particularly wealthy or live in the country, they might even participate in a fox hunt.

The annual Boxing Day fox hunts — which have been held all over the English countryside for hundreds of years — were imperiled in 2005 when Parliament banned the traditional method of using dogs to kill the prey. Despite the dogs' limited role (they can still chase the animal, but they can't harm it) hundreds of thousands of people turn out at Boxing Day fox hunts around Britain.

The Irish still refer to the holiday as St. Stephen's Day, and they have their own tradition called hunting the wren, in which boys fasten a fake wren to a pole and parade it through town. Also known as Wren Day, the tradition supposedly dates to 1601, to the Battle of Kinsale, in which the Irish tried to sneak up on the English invaders but were betrayed by the song of an overly vocal wren — although this legend's veracity is also highly debated. Years ago, a live wren was hunted and killed for the parade, but modern sentiments deemed it too gruesome.

The Bahamas celebrate Boxing Day with a street parade and festival called Junkanoo, in which traditional rhythmic dancers called gombeys fill the streets with their elaborate costumes and headdresses.

And of course, there's the shopping. England and Canada's Boxing Day evolved into a major shopping event in the 1980s — the equivalent of post-Thanksgiving Black Friday. But this year, many of the sales started earlier in an effort to boost the slumping economy.

Boxing Day has evolved from a charitable day to an extended Christmas afternoon. It's a holiday with presents that have already been opened and a dinner that has been eaten. It's a holiday best spent lounging around in brightly colored sweaters, wondering, lazily and lethargically, what to do next. Come to think of it, it's a wonder Americans haven't adopted it yet.

Rockin' Around the Tannenbaum

2011-12-25T00:30:00.000-05:00

Everyone here @ CCn'Y is wishin' all who celebrate a most Rockin' of Holidays!

Everybody be safe, remember those in need (human and animal alike) and enjoy your holiday.

Chinatown, here I Come!

2011-12-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

SAKE!!!

Santa's Packed and Ready

2011-12-24T00:30:00.000-05:00

eCards at JibJab!

We'll, it's Christmas Eve! I don't know about the UK or other western countries, but here in the United States we are out shopping full blast today. Christmas Eve does not often fall on a Saturday and all those last minute bargains are flying off the shelves. Many of the large department stores have been open 24 hours a day for the past week. I hope all of this turns out well for the economy. I've been in Germany on a Christmas Eve and most shops would have been closed, but that was a long time ago and it may have changed since then.

Usually during this holiday, groups from many of the area synagogues will be at the shelters, nursing homes and food kitchens serving those in need or alone a little holiday cheer. I actually look forward to it, although I'm praying for the day when there will be no need for it again. Passed that I am going out with friends to Chinatown tonight and make merry at one of the restaurants, but before that even I am going downtown to do a little shopping on my own.

So with your shopping done and while you sit by your fires, virtual or real (ours is semi virtual, electric with fake flames) drink some cider, draw close to love ones, watch a holiday movie and go to bed. Santa says he's tired and he has a lot to do, so hurry up.

Sleep tight everyone.

Miricle - Poetry Friday

2011-12-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

I ♥ December. Yeah, you do at times get to see some of the worst people have to offer, selfishness, greed, indifference; but overwhelmingly I can see the hope that is humanity and the good in all people around me. We can be generous, patient and kind not only when we want to be but as a natural part of being human.

I ♥ the pageantry and sentiment that is Christmas, the whole gift-giving thing even outside of the religious connection is a wonderful concept for us as people. You come to the end of a year, you put away all pain and animosity, you cling to what is really important in life and you can express that in a gift.

My Jewish heritage is especially important during this time. Hanukkah is not a minor Jewish holiday. It's practice has expanded throughout the years but the significance of the event has always been valued by the descendants of the people who lived it. As Jews, we celebrate the miracle of the oil lasting eight days. But for all people not just Jewish, we can embrace this event as our own. The true miracle of Hanukkah is that even when times are tough and it's hard to believe, light can overcome darkness.

December is a time for miracles and I can see miracles worked in the hearts and minds of all my fellow humans beings. Whether Jewish, Muslims, Gentiles, just plain folk, everyone should look closely at the people around you. They smile a little more, give a little more, connect a little more, believe a little deeper.

We will be posting small this weekend, but please know that I am thinking of each of you. Have a safe weekend and enjoy it in whatever you chose to do. Today's poem are the lyrics from Mantisyahu , Miracle.

Miracle

by Mantisyadu

Just livin’ in the miracle, candles are my vehicle

Eight nights, gonna shine invincible

No longer be divisible, born through the struggle

Keep on moving through all this hustle

Head up, heads down through all of the bustle

New York City wanna flex your muscle

Look so down, look so puzzled

Huddle ‘round your fire through all the rubble

Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all

Do you believe in miracles

Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you?

Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right

Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle

Against all odds drive on till tomorrow

Wipe away your tears and your sorrow

Sunrise in the sky like an arrow

No need to worry, no need to cry

Light up your mind no longer be blind

Him who searches will find

Leave your problems behind you will shine like a fire in the sky

what's the reason we’re alive – the reason we’re alive…

Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all

Do you believe in miracles

Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you?

Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right

Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle

Eight is the number of infinity one more than what you know how to be

And this is the light of festivity when your broken heart yearns to be free

Do you believe in miracles

Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you?

Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right

Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle