BeverlyArmyWilliams – Page 107 – Beverly Army Williams

Thanks, Mama-E!

Guess what? I won Mama-E’s contest! She’s gifting me with a skein of her wonderful yarn. I had a hard time choosing between Lollygirl and Puppymomma. I thought it would be fun to go with the Project Spectrum themed yarn. This is such a wonderful treat as I’m participating in Use What I Have. I made the last of my purchases yesterday (ok, I’ll use what I have until May 2), so it will be fun to have a pretty new yarn to play with during the month.

Go on over and give Mama-E some love. She gives it right back to you!

Thanks, Mama-E!

No Foolin’ –New MagKnits is Up

Happy April Fool’s day! I don’t have any plans for tricks, although that may change as the day progresses. Project Spectrum shifts into Orange and Yellow mode today–just in time for forsythia and daffodils, both of which I’ll post soon. I have some wonderful NolNoodle handspun that I want to knit up this month, after I finish my Sockapaloooza socks, of course! Today’s also the first day of Use What I Have month. I’ve fallen in love with Simple Sparrow’s blog and her work. She’s inspiring me to think more and more about pretty things and sewing. I will confess in advance, though, that I did not have a chance to pick up a few things needed for this month’s craft plans. So I will start to use what I have as of tonight. I’m excited by the challenge of it, and hey, tag, you’re it. Take a look in your craft closet (or drawer, or bin, or what have you) and look at what’s there. Then make something. A fun, creative endeavor.

The new MagKnits is up, and I want to share pictures of the patterns that appeal to me the most. The top of the list for me is Zombies Need Not Apply. I’m a fan of wrist warmers even if Neal tries to tell me that they don’t really make me warmer. My red wrist warmer works. Say that three times fast. The best thing about these wrist warmers is that there is a girly feature. See if you can find it!

I also love fingerless mitts. I like making them, I like wearing them, and I imagine these might look swank in some of the sock yarn I’ve managed to acquire recently. Hey, I’m moving to the Northeast. I’m going to need layers!

Now, my dogs are not big tough guys like the one shown here. I think this collar/leash is pretty clever, but if I’m going to knit for Tilly and Maddie (or any of their friends, like Abby, Charlie-girl, Charlie-boy, Bonnie, Daisy, Louie, or Romeo), I’m going to make Noelle’s sweet collar for them. Don’t you just love dog hugs, though? I can’t wait to see my mutts again…but now I’m wandering away from Magknits, aren’t I?

I’ve got a soft spot for black cabled items. I’m gearing up for bright spring and summer knitting, but this is super cute. I bet Cari likes it for post snowboarding. Am I right, Cari? And, I suspect that Nezumi could be easily translated into a cute matching cabled purse. Now how’s that for my punk/50’s glam girlie?

Thanks, by the way, to everyone who posted pictures of their favorite art. I learned about artists I’d never heard of before, and I also got to see some special art made by kids, fathers, mothers. If you haven’t posted, don’t get hung up on it being your ONLY favorite work. Just whatever strikes you right now. Let me know, too. I’ve enjoyed seeing the posts.

I’ll say it again. Happy April!

The Poet’s Garden

One of my favorite things about Chicago was my visit to the Art Institute. Dana, Dave, Allen C., Carson and I wandered about, sometimes together, sometimes alone, which is my favorite way to visit museums with other folks. I saw some Jackson Pollacks, some Picasso, the Ferris Bueller painting (you know you’re a child of the 80’s if you don’t have to click the link!), but my surprise favorite of everything I saw was Van Gogh’s The Poet’s Garden. Feast your eyes on this:

And, as you can imagine, this reproduction doesn’t even begin to capture the intensity of the color, the passion of the brush strokes.

What’s your favorite painting? I’d be hard pressed to pick just one, but I’m curious to hear about what’s rocking your visual world right now. In fact, here’s an idea: why don’t you post a link to or picture of your current favorite painting. Leave a comment here, and we can all visit around and see some good art.

Happy Birthday Scout!

Even though I could only swing by for a short while, the surprise b’day party that Carole put together for Scout was a load of fun. Noelle looked so pretty in her new top (read her post about seeing clothes in person v. online), and I loved Cari’s big bead necklace. She’s kinda punk, kinda 50’s glam. Gotta love a girl with style! Carmella brought chocolate truffles. Oh, didn’t you know? She’s a chocolate chef. A serious one. And she may be my new best friend with that plate o’ goodness that she brought with her!

Mona and I spent a lot of time together the last few days in order to make a little knitting supply case for the birthday girl. I’ll didn’t get pictures, but I know Mona did, so I’ll post them once she sends them (hey, send those pictures girlfriend!).

In other news, the Sew? I Knit project for April has been announced: a bag. I’m having a hard time deciding what shape to make, although I’m lusting after a sort of baguette style knitting bag, so I may go look for a pattern. But I’ll have to do that fast as I’ve signed up for the Use What You Have project that Simple Sparrow engendered. By joining this group, I’ve agreed to only use those things in the month of April (for crafting) that I have on hand. I have more than enough. And as I’m moving before too long, it wouldn’t hurt to use up some of these goodies.

Back to Scout’s b’day. It was great to be a part of her celebration because she’s one of the many ABQ SnB knitters who rock my world. I appreciate having the companionship of a group of smart, fun women every Tuesday night. I can’t begin to tell you how much my knitting skills have improved in the past year, and I credit the SnB for that. And Scout started it all.

So, baby, on your birthday, I gotta say thanks for getting us all together. Love ya!

Chicago’s My Kind of Town

First, thanks to my blogging lovies for kind, smart thoughts about my last post. Aquairians tend to have this dark brooding side under our gay exterior, and I’m no exception. We are forward thinkers, though. All the books say so.

My whirlwind trip to Chicago was a delight. I stayed at the Palmer House Hilton. Now, before you think I’m all fancy, I shared a room with four other English grad women. What a thrill to walk into the lobby of the Palmer–just click on this picture to get a sense of the over-the-top ornateness. Which I respond to.

D’s friend Aaron took us out to Italian Village, which was the best Italian I’ve had since my trip to Rome in November. My paper went just fine; someone actually talked to me about it at the end of the panel. I heard some good papers as well, but then took off to see some of the sights. Including the beautiful lake. Did I ever mention that I miss water?

So here’s what I learned about myself this weekend: I’m a city girl.

I never really knew for sure. I grew up in the suburbs of the Springfield/Hartford area, then lived in Westchester County. I’m going to be moving to a more rural area than I’ve ever lived in, although my friends from Colorado/Nebraska would scoff at what I’m calling rural. But here’s the deal. I stepped off of the subway, looked around, and felt happy, felt comfortable, felt at home. There was humanity teeming around me, buildings soaring above me, thought and culture and action all around. And I only realized how much being in a city made me happy when Carson said that he looked up and thought "where’s the sky." I looked up and thought "I’m home." I love knowing that about Carson. I love knowing it about myself. So where do you feel most comfortable.

All this is not to say that I don’t love nature or that I don’t enjoy being in the woods with the pups or that I don’t love swimming in the Hudson. It is to say that I know one more thing about myself for sure.

Now, for the knitting part of our program. The Jaywalker remains unfinished, but I have started the toe decreases. And lookie, lookie at what Mama-E has gone and done. It’s PoMo yarn, dyed to match the blog. Isn’t it swank? Check out her other colors, too. Mermaids is one of my faves.

If you haven’t already seen Scout’s sample of Allison’s new pattern, go look. I bought the pattern as soon as I heard about it, and I can’t wait to be done with some of my "required" knitting (ok, I don’t mean that as a bad thing, just stuff with deadlines) so I can make one of my own.

I spent some time today working on two top-secret projects. I’ll post pictures once their recipients have gotten them. I’m off for a hot bath (thanks for the bath cubes, Michelle), a no-pudge brownie, and some Sex in the City.

I’m Really Trying

Really. To have a good attitude. But it’s been a hard day for me. Three years ago today, my ex asked for a divorce. Sure, my life has changed in ways that I had dreamed of, but never thought would happen, but the divorce still stinks, in more ways than I’m willing to get into here, more ways than anyone would want to read about.

Except late last night and early this morning I trashed the false starts that I was working up into an essay for my Creative Non-Fiction workshop and wrote about this week, three years ago. It was painful. I had to restrain from being nasty, which I wanted to be at times. You see, my ex is a musician, a good one, one I admire, but he aired a lot of what to me was (is) very private when we were going through a difficult time. And I resent that. And now I’m worried that I just did the same thing in writing this essay, but I tried, I really tried, to write it with the compassion that I feel for him, for our failure. Which is a lot of compassion. Along with guilt. And sorrow. And, weirdly enough, joy.

I have a new relationship now. Well, not so new anymore, but a different one, with a man who has so many admirable qualities. But at times I wonder if I can trust myself. I mean, how do you go from a love that you believe in with all of your heart, a marriage that, despite some big problems, is at least based on love, on even more than that, yet still collapses, to anything else? It’s a much bigger leap of faith for me to love Neal, a much bigger risk for me. Yet so much easier at times than it ever was with F. If I’m not willing to trust my feelings, though, if I don’t at least try to, I would lose out not just on the happiness Neal and I have, but on the part of me that is an optimist, the part of me that wants to believe in the things I believed before F. asked for a divorce.

Maybe it’s just the semester creeping up on me, giving me the mean reds. This hasn’t been a fun blog to read the last few days, but the nice thing about the mean reds is that a trip to Tiffany’s usually does the trick. And while I’m a long way away from Fifth Avenue, I do have my next Sex in the City dvd. And I may just stay up and watch a few episodes.

I’ll be in Chicago over the weekend. Think of me at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. I’ll be reading my paper entitled "Writing Across Communities: Peer Reviewing Among Diverse Students." Sure, I know you want to read it.

Oh, and you want some knitting content? Here’s a teaser. I may finish Jaywalker (the first sock, stop laughing, you!) this weekend. I WILL finish it. And start on my Sockapaloooza socks. ‘Cause that deadline’s coming up fast.

And thanks, everyone, for the kind comments about Grandpa G. His wake is today, and that hasn’t helped matters for me. I wish I could be there. But your kind words mean a lot to me.

Sad Day

My mom called me early today to say that my ex’s grandpa passed away on Saturday. Grandpa G. had a sparkle in his eyes and a mane of thick white hair. He was smart–one of the best read men I knew. F. and I would give him books for Christmas or his birthday, and he would smile and tell us how much he had enjoyed reading whatever we’d given him, how he looked forward to reading it again. He was active in union organizing, an amazing golfer, and a good man. Please send up a prayer for Grandpa G.

So Much to Tell!

Let me start with my final SP7 package and reveal. Michelle from Soap Fibar Gal in Cape Cod is the Queen of Spoiling PoMo Golightly! Get a load of these goodies.

See the skein of handspun all tied up with the lovely ribbon? And that tempting felted je ne sais quoi peeking out from the wrapping? Wouldn’t you have ripped it open, even if you’d just spent hours on an airplane, and it was 12:30 a.m.? Of course you would.

Look! A Lucy Bag in a fabu tomato color. I may get nutty and line this baby with lots of pockets to hold knitting stuff. Because, as you must surely agree, this bag longs to be my knitting bag. I hear her crying from the kitchen chair where she’s perched right now: "Put your Jaywalker in me. C’mon baby, I NEED a project!"

But lest you worry that poor Lucy has never had the chance to hold anything in her tomato-y embrace, take a look at all these goodies! In her sweet note, my fabu SP wrote that there were things to help with my gauge issues (ah, she’s an avid reader!), something to keep my feet warm (yes, they’re still cold!), something to hold my knitting (Lucy, my love!), and something to help me survive the dryness in NM, along with other goodies. Um, SP, how did you manage to knit all those socks on your blog while putting together this package? Do you ever sleep, dear SP?

What was Lucy holding? A knitting journal, 0000 dpns (ok, are you trying to be funny!?!), a nifty gauge ruler, my favorite Yankee Candle scent, Clean Cotton, handlotion, soaps by the soap gal herself (or so I’m assuming!), two skeins of Knitpicks Landscapes in Mesa, a variety of bubble bath goodies, a candle, and fabrics in Project Spectrum pink. Isn’t she the best? Thanks for all of the wonderful treats, Michelle. You really made this so much fun for me! xx

While waiting in the Minn/St. Paul airport yesterday, I saw TWO knitting pals from NM: Jenny, on her way back home from London, and Kim, on her way back from a shower in CT. We were all on the same flight, all had knitting with us. Jenny mentioned some new stash that I can’t wait to see posted on her blog. Go check it out.

I had a bad airport moment, though, when a young man told me that UCONN had lost yesterday. They weren’t up by much as Neal drove me to the airport, and so, yes, I’m sad to say, I lost faith in my boys. Luckily, when I called Neal to let him know I was home, he set me straight. The crisis passed.

While visiting Neal I had digital cable Internet hooked up at his house. I can’t deal with dial up while there any more, and now, dears, I don’t have to. We even went to the computer salvage place in town and got him a new second-hand computer. He’s pretty pleased with it in his Neal-ish way.

Notice how I’m tracking back? Because even though the new system was set up on Saturday, I haven’t had a chance to update here. So it’s ten days, all at once.

I had a great time in TN with MB. I "forced" a shopping spree on her: makeover, new shoes, new purse, new clothes. I think I may look for a job as a personal shopper. It’s fun to get other people to spend their money! Especially when they buy you a bag to match their new one. Aren’t I a spoiled little sister? We booked our beach house for this summer (we’ll be in Old Saybrook, CT this year, a change from our usual OBI trip), got my taxes mostly done (note to self: Income Earned statement is a critical component to tax processing), and perhaps almost as fun as hanging out with my cool niece and nephew was my visit to my favorite TN LYS, Threaded Bliss Yarns.

I adore TBY. I adore Sheila. I adore Rudy. Sheila and I were wishing we could trade lives…I’m envious of her beautiful yarn store. There is a WALL of Cascade 220. I bought pinks and green for my Noni purse (scroll down on the Threaded Bliss Yarns post to the Baguette. That’s the one I’m making). I was debating colors, normally not big on making the color shown, but those pinks and green together are perfect. Perfect and pretty. I can’t wait to finish up some socks and get that baby knit. I also got a preview of Mason Dixon Knitting. Yes, the artwork is Hatch. Yes, it’s a big book. Yes, you want a copy, and so do I. Thanks, Sheila, for a fun morning!

Finally, or rather, to start this big adventure, there was AWP in Austin. I love Austin. It’s plain and simple. Dinner at Guero’s one night–delish! Here’s my new life goal: I will be a writer who lives in a hotel permanently. And that hotel will be the divine Driskill. You may visit me there. Friday night Valerie, Bernard, and I had drinks in the bar. A pint of Guinness poured by an older Irish gentleman for me. Yes. Then after dinner elsewhere, Valerie and I persuaded our companions to return, to just take a look at this treasure. So we sat at the piano bar, listened to sweet music, and drank a little Texan drink. We ended the night back at our hotel, danced a dance or two to the rocking (!) band, then Valerie and I enjoyed the piano playing of Mark Sundeen, author, dancer, pianist, singer. By the way, pick up a copy of The Making of Toro. You will laugh. You will thank me.

I’m back on East Coast time, so it’s very late for me. I’m going to toddle off to bed now.

I’m Off

I’ll be on a plane heading to Austin in a matter of hours, so I’m going to keep this short. I’m taking a boatload of school work on my spring break with me, but I’m hoping to get ahead on a few projects. On the knitting front, after dropping five stitches at SnB Tuesday night, I tried on the Jaywalker. Yes, the first one. Yes, I"m still knitting it. I couldn’t get it over my heel, but everyone assured me it would stretch. If not, my UNM girly, R., has tiny feet. She may be getting a cute pair of handknit socks. I think my SnB friends were trying to keep me from having a Jaywalker meltdown. But I’ll be ok. Really.

I’m taking them with me on the trip, and because I’m such an optimist, I’m also bringing the Retro Rib sock pattern from IK Winter 2004, yarn and two US 2 circs. That’s my Sockapaloooza project. I’d best get started! I’m also bringing the pattern for a cute felted bag. See, I think I have a month off rather than ten days. But let’s just see what I can accomplish.

I’ll try to post while I’m away. If not, I’ll be back soon!

A Winner! And More Project Spectrum!

Miss Zinnia Paddle Put Lendrum, meet the world. World, meet Miss Z. Although there were a lot of good contenders, I decided to extrapolate from Trek’s suggestion of Zihna (a Native American word for spins) to get to Zinnia. A skein of fun yarn will head her way before the end of the week.

It was just me and the Rev for boxing today, which means I got a good workout but am now too tired to cook any dinner. I will, though, because I’m also hungry.

It’s that time in the semester when I’ve just had it with everything. I get tired of doing coursework, I am tired of doing coursework. But, it’s all for the greater good, these 13 credits, right? Someone convince me, because I don’t feel convinced right now. Luckily, spring break is in sight. I’ll get to see Austin for the first time, and then I get to visit my sister and then to CT for a Neal and doggie fix. Two more days.

Rather than leave you with my gloom and doom, I’ll post Project Spectrum pictures. I worked on my Sew? I Knit skirt last night, but it is super short, so I’ll have to add some length before I take any pictures. I did, however, make these cute pincushions using leftover skirt material and felt. I gave them to my UNM sewing friends (well, one sewing, one cross stitiching). They were really fun to make and went super fast. The perfect way to end the day yesterday, and a little random act of kindness is always a good way to start the week.

Author: BeverlyArmyWilliams

Thanks, Mama-E!

No Foolin’ –New MagKnits is Up

The Poet’s Garden

Happy Birthday Scout!

Chicago’s My Kind of Town

I’m Really Trying

Sad Day

So Much to Tell!

I’m Off

A Winner! And More Project Spectrum!

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