Starts and Stops

Remember me? It's been quite awhile, hasn't it?

The job is ... well, a job. Not much is going to be interesting to relate, but they're paying me. And getting paid is good. So, no complaints. (Well, yes, since you asked, I'm sure I could find something to complain about, but I'm not going to, okay?)

While I was off work, I did manage to finish something (precious little for all the time I had, though).

I present to you the Midnight Rapids socks.



The details:

• Pattern: River Rapids from Sock Bug.
  
• Yarn: Twinkletoes sock yarn from Over the Rainbow Yarns (ebay).
  
• Seriously, will you believe me when I tell you that I didn't modify this pattern at all? I didn't even change the cast on number. The only thing I did differently is that I used DPNs. I'm serious, these could be factory specified socks.

I also taught myself a new technique:



That is the very beginning of the Stained Glass Scarf from Handknit Holidays (I think). I didn't realize when I decided to start it that it was double knitting. You can read all about double knitting here or here.

The technique essentially creates a "right side" on both sides of the pieces, making it idea for scarves, potholders, or anything else you a)want to see the back of, or b)want to be really, really warm.

It's strangely both intricate (remembering which way to wrap the strands) and boring (it's still stockinette). And you're basically knitting every row twice, which is not an ego-boost if you're trying to gauge how many inches of knitting you can do in a certain amount of time. And it's a really pain to rip out. At all. Don't make mistakes, or learn to live with them.

Of course, every project at Chez SilverRose needs an added level of complexity the designer never thought of:




Willow likes to sit on my book. Every Single Time I put it on the tray table, he hops up and lays on it. And, my friends, a part Maine Coon cat mutt is not an inconsiderable amount of cat to try to move.

Tomorrow, I'll be updating my reading list again.

Putting my time to good use

Yesterday I did this:



And this:



And this:



That's reshelving and cataloging a grand total of 454 books. This does not include my TBR pile, books I've borrowed from other people, or books that didn't happen to be somewhere near the shelves when I did this (such as the ones in the bedroom and by the tub).

Whew! At least I'm using my jobless state to accomplish something, I guess.

Wait, I know how to read too

Updating the summer reading list:

• Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier (233)
  Like her other book, The Lady and the Unicorn, Girl is a very slim, almost stark volume concerning a work of art. This time, it's the mythical maid Griet who serves as muse to Vermeer. This novel seems much more restrained than the other one, and has a lesser cast of characters. In fact, other than Griet and the Vermeer family, you don't really get to know anyone else. Which makes sense, as this primarily concerns Griet, a lower-class citizen of Delft. She herself is restrained, closed. I don't truly have much to say about the plot, because it's, well, the plot. That's not the interesting part of this novel. The interesting part is watching the flow of events follow inexorably one after another, and the effect they have on the people of Delft. (No, this is not the same thing as plot.)
  
  
• Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, Bart Ehrman (260)
  I am really, really loving this author. I'm disappointed that this is the last book I own by him. He's definitely on my list to get once I have a job again (which will ironically mean I can read less). This book looks at all of the extant writings we have (both canonical and not) to figure out who these famous apostles might really have been, and how they were remembered by the early Christians after their death.
  

Also, for one of the first times ever, I abandoned a book. I started reading Jesus and the Lost Goddess, and found the premise so preposterous that I gave it away after reading the first ten pages. Normally, I'll read an author's opinion whether I agree with it or not. And the premise sounded interesting, or at least what I thought the premise was sounded interesting: the life of Jesus can be viewed as a retelling of a classic pagan myth cycle. Cool, huh? but what they really wanted to get across was that everything about the life of Jesus, including his life and that of the disciples and apostles, was completely and utterly made up. And I just can't get behind the idea that NONE of the people in the Bible would have existed. Perhaps Jesus was just an apocalyptic Jewish prophet, and not the son of God, but we have far too much evidence that he actually existed to take it for granted that he didn't.

So. On to another book.

Summer Reading Stats:
Books read: 5/14
Nonfiction: 2/5
Pages: 1204 (still pathetic)

Why yes, I do know how to knit

Let's see. House clean-ish. Exterminator successful. Job hunt still on. CONvergence over. What now?

Ah, yes. Knitting. Finally.

See this?



My very first ever toe-up sock. I'll let you know how it goes.

And ... Check it out: Wonka's Night Out is a hit!

Luckiest Creature says we were a favorite room party.
And we got a mention in the Asian American Press.

How cool is that?

98 degrees at Chez SilverRose

...and not a cloud to be seen.



That's 30 degrees hotter than I like my weather. Where are the ferocious summer storms? Anything to break this heat.

Also, I went to the post office to pick up my great purple package for this month's project colorswap:



Thanks, pal!

Back to your regularly scheduled blog

Well, now that CONvergence is over, I can go back to normal life.

...

Hmmm. I'm not sure I still remember how to do it. Let's see.

• I'm reading "Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene" by Bart Ehrman right now. This is the same man that wrote "Misquoting Jesus," and I'm absolutely in love with his writing style. It would be awesome to actually be able to take his classes.
  
• I'm doing homework for religion. It seems weird to be getting back into formal training after so long, but nice.
  
• I'm cleaning. We're having a ... sanity problem here. Hopefully the exterminator will be able to fix it. (Please, for the love of all gods, DO NOT leave me your horror stories in the comments. My sanity is fragile at the moment.)
  
• I'm doing some desultory knitting, but nothing big on any one project, which makes it hard to photograph.
  
• I'm job hunting. I have a possible temp position (I'll know by Monday), and maybe a contact at a bank. We'll see how that pans out.

And, er, that's about it. Eventually, I'll do something interesting again, promise.

Costume Diary: Reconstructing Wonka

All posts in the costume diary for Reconstructing Wonka:

• Part 0
  
• Part 1 (Wonka's Shirt)
  
• Part 2 (Wonka's Vest)
  
• Part 3 (Oompa Loompa Undershirt)
  
• Part 4 (Wonka’s Accessories)
  
• Part 5 (Room Party Pieces)
  
• Part 6 (Oompa Loompa Wig, Room Accessories)
  
• Part 7 (Oompa Loompa Suit in progress)
  
• Completed Costumes

Reconstructing Wonka: The Costumes

Okay, I took over 80 pictures this weekend, so if you really want to see them all, they're at Wonka's Night Out 2006 That's an awful lot of traffic for a Geocities site to handle, so if it's down when you try to look at it, just check back again after the hour.

Here's a few of the pictures I wanted to make sure to show everyone, because they show the completed costumes. (Can I tell you how insanely happy I am that I'm DONE?)


The banner to let everyone know what room Wonka's Night Out was in. Dan painted the letters onto a piece of upholstery vinyl. They're supposed to look like the "W" symbol on the Oompa Loompas' suits.


Mr. Willy Wonka (post shaving). Doesn't he look lovely?


Dan, Ryan, and Matt hanging out before we opened the doors. Matt's shirt says "Volunteer Oompa Loompa," and was designed by Dan. We all wore one. Though (as you'll see later), the women's shirts were a bit different.


Ryan as an Oompa Loompa setting out for adventure. I couldn't be happier with how the suit turned out. (And Dan talked me into making the bag for him.)


Ryan and Dan taking a break in character. The woman is asking Willy Wonka if his toilet is edible. Sadly, I didn't hear his reply.


During the day Dan and Ryan entered a boffer weapon tournament as Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompa. Here's Wonka himself at the tournament table.


Included just in case you were wondering what I looked like all weekend - tired and busy!

Did you miss me?

We all had a great time this weekend, and our party was more successful than we all imagined.

I'm still cleaning up pictures, and I've got a job interview yet this afternoon (YAY!), but here's a taste:

Down to the wire

So, how do you keep a seam in place on fabric that can't be pinned, and won't hold a crease?



Along the same lines, have you ever considered trying to put in a set-in zipper that you can not pin, baste, or crease?



This is not the prettiest zipper I've ever put in, by a long shot. But it holds the suit closed and, at this point, that's enough to make me deliriously happy.





All it needs now are the wrist, leg, and neck ridges. Those can't be done until Ryan gets here tonight, so I've found some spare time to play with. In reality, I have a notebook to cover, a bag to make, feet to stuff, and a wig to glue.

But I might sneak in a little of this:

WTF?

Blogger is being really weird right now. I'll fix it later.

T minus 2 days

The only change is that my living room is getting harder and harder to walk around in. I have a few hours today, and then all day tomorrow to finish the Oompa Loompa suit:

T minus 3 days

A few random pictures from my living room. We're all running on sugar and caffeine right now.

The costuming wall, now sporting a mock up for Ryan's jumpsuit:


Ryan, in the middle of Oompa Loompa wig sculpting (and having the mockup taped to him and drawn on):


Preparing to start cutting into the special-order, $10 a yard vinyl. That can't be pinned, because the holes will never go away:


Leia, hiding in the suitcase I'm trying to pack shoes in:


A twin mattress, being painted to resemble a giant candy bar:


The curtain that will separate the "public" part of the room party from the bathroom and storage area:


It all has to be done by Friday. We believe in living dangerously.

Reconstructing Wonka: part 5

But first, my Saturday Sky:




Today's Reconstructing Wonka post is dedicated to the periphery of the room party. You've seen me making costumes; here's a look at what else is going on at Reconstructing Wonka HQ.

Today, I went out and bought this:



This is 4 ounces of, strangely enough, PINK roving. Why? Because in the movie, the elevator goes by a room where Oompa Loompas are shearing pink sheep. Willy Wonka doesn't want to talk about it. And I have to do something while I'm not bartending, so I'll be spinning pink wool.



We've also given ourselves the monumental task of wrapping 2000 Hershey's miniatures in a special wrapper.



Dan drew each character for a specific type of candy bar. Five of these have "golden tickets" that people can bring to our room for a special prize. We have about 300 wrapped so far.



I am still sewing, by the way. Here's the beginning of the mockup for the Oompa Loompa suit. The vinyl comes on Monday.