Bye, 500!

Posted on January 20, 2010 by HappyGoth

(I took this photo by accident but I kind of like it.)

This is post #501! Which means that the last post (the one about onigiri) was my 500th, and that is so awesome.

So. No contest, because I’m really bad at those. Really bad. As in the winner of the last one, Dawn-E, has not yet received her prize.

Anyway. So this seems like a good time to reflect on the blogging and think about what I’ve learned after writing 500 internet-based non-private journal entries.

1. Don’t blog about politics, religion, gender or abortion unless you’re ready for what will happen. I blogged about all of those in one post and while it was nice to see my stats rise a bit, the emotional stress was unwanted.

2. If you post to other people’s blogs and then link to your own, your traffic will increase for one day only. Blogging by yourself will not make that happen.

3. Blog about something you care about. If you don’t really have anything worth blogging, then hold off until tomorrow, because it’ll be better for everybody in the long run. Boring posts are as bad as no posts at all.

4. Blogging is a great way to practice your creative writing skills. In the beginning, I was unsure of this, mostly because I didn’t understand how writing about yourself could challenge a person to grow and improve as far as writing goes. But after reading Gabbiana’s blog over the years, it has become clear that blogging is an excellent way to practice and improve. This blog started as a knitting blog, but now it’s really a way for me to talk about what I’m interested in, and practice writing well.

5. Picking up from #4, blog about something you like. It doesn’t matter what it is – food, cats, babies, work – blog about things that you’re passionate about. I blog about things that I like, mostly India and crafting, but there are other things in there. Lately the blog has come to be a way that I can share what I like with other people (actually, this is because I have done very little knitting lately, but it sounds nice, doesn’t it?).

6. If you don’t want to do it any more, then don’t. Nobody’s going to judge you for that.

7. If you’re not having fun any more, then stop for a while. Blog burnout sucks. This is why I don’t blog on the weekends, and if I need to take a break for holidays or vacation, I take a break. There’s no sense in stressing myself out unnecessarily.

And that’s that.

My lunch today was delicious – leftover onigiri plus some veggies to offset all that rice. Only downside? Onigiri doesn’t reheat very well.

Seaweed

Egg

Smoked salmon

Bonito flake

Here’s to the next 500 posts.

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Onigiri

Posted on January 19, 2010 by HappyGoth

I haven’t gotten much done lately, although I did go out for some wicked ramen and then made some onigiri, right in my own kitchen. I made one by hand but it was merely ok. I have asked the husband to purchase some smoked salmon, so that I can expand my onigiri filling options. What can’t I fill onigiri with? If I use sugar in the bowl of water instead of salt, could I make mango-filled onigiri? Or perhaps coconut? I see experimenting in my future.

UPDATE:

Well, you can fill onigiri with whatever you like. The husband likes his grilled, and last night he requested one filled with cheese for him to grill up.

This is perhaps the best idea he’s ever had. The rice is all crispy and the cheese is all melty and it’s delightful.

I also learned that when you cook 2 cups of rice, you end up with roughly 10 filled onigiri. I made 9, one of which was the cheese one. The others were 2 smoked salmon, 2 seaweed salad, 2 bonito flake and 2 sesame egg. I ate 4 for dinner (I think I have an onigiri problem), and then saved the other 4 in plastic wrap, to be eaten this evening before project night.

I’m still not great with the hand-shaping. I have a little plastic form, and it works great. The ones I make by hand are not as perfect, which is generally a problem for me in most areas (I’m a perfectionist).

This evening will be spent sewing seam bindings into my Mughal garb. And then perhaps searching for some cheapo churidar on Ebay, to cover my butt (literally) in the eventuality that I can’t sew some before Midwinter.

UPDATE 2:

Here is the hand-made onigiri I mentioned:

Yum yum.

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Patterning

Posted on January 15, 2010 by HappyGoth

I have been on a big patterning kick lately. I think there comes a time in learning where you aren’t satisfied with copying what someone else has done (except in piano, where I’m totally happy playing other folks’ compositions) and want to move on to your own stuff. You learn to paint in different styles by copying other folks’ styles, and then move on to developing your own. You follow the drills your soccer coach gives you until you’ve memorized them and then you use them in your own way (and you decide you don’t want to do those long running and shooting moves so you stick to being a defender for the rest of your short high school soccer careeer). You learn to knit scarves and hats and socks and you painstakingly follow the patterns because you’re afraid to screw up.

And then one day, you don’t. You pick up a pattern and think, “wow, that’s boring. I could do better.” So you look at the pattern, and you apply your knitterly knowledge to the pattern, and you come up with something that started with that basic pattern but is wholly and totally you. That is such a fabulous feeling. This (which I have blogged before, but only in passing) is the first of those things for me:

My dad is balding and his head gets chilly. He had this cap he wore that was wearing out, so I decided to knit him a new one. I found a pattern on ravelry that was one of those free ones that comes with acrylic yarn, and it was basically a simple ribbed stocking cap. All ribbed. I decided that was boring. I could knit a ribbed band and then do something else. So I did. And here’s how you can do the same:

Yarn: any aran weight wool will work. I used an acrylic/wool blend so my dad can just throw it in the washer.

Needles: size 8; one set circular (12-16″ works best) and one set DPN (for the decreasing)

Gauge: um, I didn’t check this. The pattern called for worsted and I used an aran/semi-bulky, so go from there. I’ll try to figure that out and let you know. I hadn’t intended to share this so I didn’t measure, but my hubris has gotten the better of me.

Directions:

Using the circular needles, cast on 88 stitches with a long-tail cast-on.

Join, being careful not to twist the work (I move the first stitch to the right needle and the last stitch to the left needle and knit the first row)

Knit in k2 p2 rib for 3-4 inches (depending on the size of the wearer’s head; this is a man hat so I measured on my husband)

For the next 4 rows, purl.

After the purl rows, knit plain until your hat measures 7 inches.

Decrease row 1: K2, k2tog*; repeat from * to the end of the row

Decrease row 2: knit

Decrease row 3 & 4: K1, k2tog*; repeat from * to the end of the row

And then Happygoth discovers that she doesn’t have the patten on hand, so she can’t really tell you how to finish it. When you’ve done all your decreases, you should have a number of stitches less than 20. Thread the yarn end through these remaining stitches, secure, and then weave in all the ends. I will make sure to put the actual stitch count in here in the next couple of days.

So. That is the hat.

But! But, you say, I want a nice pattern on the top instead of plain knitting! I’m glad you said that. I am in the midst of making another hat for my brother, and I wanted it to be different. My mom gave me a stitch dictionary for Christmas and there’s a pattern in there I wanted to try. Makes nice little zigzags. So I started to knit it and lo and behold, the pattern is wrong! Totally.

Cue up the scrap wrapping paper and a pen and in about a half an hour I had this:

v v – v – v v –

– v v – v v – v

v – v v v – v v

v v – v – v v –

– v v – v v – v

( v is knit and – is purl)

It works, much to my amazement.

And then, in the same theme but not in knitting, I worked with Lea to pattern a Mughal garment, and she’s promised me photos to post. I will show that off. I know also how to improve it in the future, so there’s that.

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I did no knitting yesterday

Posted on January 14, 2010 by HappyGoth

Or the day before that, or the day before that, or all of last week. I’ve been working late. And because I’m a dork like that, here is my running train of thought for ALL OF YESTERDAY (because I know you were totally waiting to see that).

9:15 – Why are my knees cold? The didn’t get cold yesterday, and it was colder then. Was I wearing pants yesterday? Yes, I think I was.

9:45 – Haha. View all at once! That is so droll.

10:15 – Why is this sari so cheap? Oh! Because it is hideous!

10:55 – I love saris. It is so cold outside. I am too nervous to wear them, anyway.

11:00 – Wait… Swarovski crystals? Seriously. On a sari. What. (am looking at http://www.nallisilk.com) Time to stop browsing this. I could buy these, but then again, where would I wear them?

12:00 – These copy changes are never-ending. I will be changing copy in my sleep tonight.

12:45 – eek! printing. WHY DID YOU FREEZE, INDESIGN? I did not tell you to do that.

2:15 – aw, man. It’s going to be a late night.

4:00 – is it time for cheese yet? no? I’ll have more coffee, then. Wait. That’s stupid. I won’t sleep tonight, either.

4:30 – this coffee is great.

6:15 – oh, wait. The point of Jeopardy is to win the most money, not just answer the most questions. Duh.

7:00 – so hungry. perhaps we will order food. I hope it is steak

8:00 – when is the steak coming? I want my steak.

8:30 – mmmsteak

9:00 – whew. Only a little more to go

10:15 – wait. how is it 10:15?

11:00 – ugh. I am over this.

11:15 – should I wait for everyone else or just go home?

11:30 – woo! going home!

11:45 – I hope nobody is hiding behind the garage, waiting to mug me. That would suck.

12:15 – zzzzzzzz

I know. Thrilling.

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You’re lurking.

Posted on January 14, 2010 by HappyGoth

I know you are. I often wonder who reads this blog, aside from the folks who comment or tell me they read this blog (mostly people I know personally).

Today is, apparently, National DeLurking Day (or so says The Gori Wife). Or maybe it was on the 12th. I am finding conflicting information, but I’ve gone and commented, so now it’s your turn.

Go on. Don’t be shy. Say hello! And just for fun, answer me this – where in the world are you right now?

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I think it only fitting

Posted on January 12, 2010 by HappyGoth

That he has “cool” in his name:

Kevin Cooley

His photos are dreamy.

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Goodbye, 2009

Posted on January 11, 2010 by HappyGoth

You are not missed.

Now that everyone has gotten theirs out of the way (and I’ve overcome my annoyance at reading them), here’s my 2009:

  • Learned a bit of Hindi, and made a friend on the internet (hi, Vishal!)
  • Switched personas from 13th century French to 16th century Rajasthani Hindu (this is the happiest decision I’ve made in the SCA ever)
  • Entered my first ArtSci competition, and did passably well (I shall have to be flashier next time, as I want largesse; I am that shallow)
  • Sat with my brother in the deepest median on a highway in Arkansas, waiting for a tow truck to come dig him out.
  • Used up two jars of ghee
  • Developed a taste for Indian sweets
  • Lost 10 pounds
  • Lost two elderly cats (well, actually my parents lost them, but they were family pets when I was a child)
  • Witnessed my husband get his very first speeding ticket
  • Sewed my first bit of garb not from a ready-made pattern
  • Block-printed the fabric I used to make said garb
  • Turned a heel mostly by memory
  • Kitchenered several toes, mostly by memory
  • Saw Avatar twice (and then three times in 2010, already)
  • Produced a short film
  • I developed a deep and enduring love for Bollywood, and worked through an obsession with Hrithik Roshan (he’s a fine dancer, though)
  • I helped a friend avoid arrest at DragonCon
  • I made lots of new friends
  • I accepted a deputy seneschal position for the South Downs
  • I successfully arranged a site reservation for Red Tower
  • Although I did not camp, I attended my first camping event
  • Mastered spinning
  • Went to my first sheep and wool festival

There was a lot of other stuff, most of which I don’t really remember. However, it was an okay year, except for that part at the end, which sort of sucked.

Here’s to 2010 and its potential for awesomeness. I expect to be un-disappointed.

So far this year I’ve taken on the mantle of Reservation person for Midwinter, so I’m off to a pretty good start.

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one frame of fame

Posted on January 8, 2010 by HappyGoth

And it could be yours! I have one.

See if you can find it.

Go to it!

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French toast

Posted on January 8, 2010 by HappyGoth

Atlanta, you are so charming, bless your heart.

It snowed last night, for quite a while. My evening class was cancelled (I gave my students homework, anyhow – no getting off that easily), and this morning my car was pretty darn coated. We have no ice scraper, so we did our best. Thank goodness for serious defrosters. And then I drove very very slowly to work, while all the other idiots drove quickly and fishtailed all over the place (the roads remained icy), and one particularly stupid person drove with hazard lights flashing, and then by the time I was very close, I had a little string of cars behind me, following me. So I suppose people weren’t as upset with my slow driving as I thought. I got to work on time, anyhow.

And then with so many people driving in from the suburbs, we had a little impromptu pizza party and were told to go home early. Not bad for the first Friday back from vacation.

As an homage to the exciting emergency, we ate some French toast, made with yogurt, as we have no milk. The yogurt made the french toast better, I think.

Kind of lovely, actually.

See? The roads are clear now, except in shady spots. I’m on the couch, working from home. I plan on watching Bollywood and knitting afterward.

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Photos!

Posted on January 7, 2010 by HappyGoth

Of my holiday! And other things!

Firstly, it snowed in 2009, and I have proof. Granted, I was in Alabama, but it snowed nonetheless.

So picturesque!

I like it when stuff like this happens at SCA events. It looks perfect.

And then it snowed in Arkansas!

Quite a bit, actually, for Arkansas.

And so then there was this part when my brother got himself into a ditch and a guy tried to pull him out, slinging mud everywhere (the guy meant well), and here’s what the husband’s coat looked like:

He gets it back from the cleaners today (which is good, because it’s predicted that we’ll have snow again).

For Christmas, we make a cake and then sing happy birthday to the Baby Jesus (I was four. It seemed like it made sense, and we like doing it, so it continues). I iced the cake myself:

Eating cake, playing poker. You know. The usual way you celebrate the spirit of the holiday, right?

The Holy Family. I think we’ve only set Joseph on fire once.

I knit a hat for my dad. The pattern wanted the whole thing to be ribbed, but I ribbed only a little and added a decorative purl band. I like how it fits. He does, too. He didn’t take it off the whole time we were there.

My mom’s best friend likes earrings, and purple. She also has a good sense of humor. We made a fake bottom for the box we put her real earrings in and hid them under these monstrous things. She said she liked them a lot. I am suspicious.

My mom didn’t want me to take her picture, but it turned out very well. Isn’t she lovely? I think so.

And that was my holiday! I’m working on a hat for my brother. I gave him the ball of yarn wrapped in a box, with the promise that it would be a hat soon. I better get to that.

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