Shiori's Stories

Weekend Update!

So, I had a busy little weekend!  Here's the break down.

Saturday - Shane, Nancy and I went to the Seattle Knitting and Fiber Expo.    We actually began our day by having breakfast at El Greco. I love that place.  I find the restaurants on Broadway are generally not very good.  Most seem to cater to the lowest common denominator.  For example, Thai on Broadway uses ketchup on their Pad Thai!  I know...unbelievable.  El Greco, I am happy to say is an exception.  So, after a delicious breakfast, we made our way out to SeaTac.   I must say I was not expecting much.  The expo's class list was dismal.  I am not in the least interested in machine knitting despite owning a machine knitter.  Additionally, the vendor's list looked small but I went anyway and I am glad I did.  I spent about $500 in yarn, fiber, and fabric.  The real score was a pelt of Lincoln.  The pelt has a beautiful variety of colors, ranging from white and apricot to black and charcoal.  I fell in love instantly.  I bought it without even glancing at the price.  Shane is now its lucky custodian.  It keeps him warm and comfortable at work.  We split as soon as we had made our purchases, however.  None of us saw anyone we recognized and the crowd was not really ...well, our crowd honestly.  Everyone there seemed to be over 65.  Is it the machine knitting? 

Because we spent so little time at the Expo, we decided to take a little LYS tour of our own.  We hit Acorn Street, where I bought several lace shawl patterns.  We then went to Weaving Works, where I decided to finally buy some Rowan Denim.  I have always liked the look of that yarn but I am not a big cotton fan so, I held off purchasing any.  But this is for Nihon Vogue so I made the leap.  My plan is to knit swatches in various cable and lace patterns, so I can get a little head start on the class.  I am so looking to forward to that class!  I guess it is the hardworking Capricorn in me.  Yet, I am cusp Sagittarius so I should be a little too fiery to much enjoy uphill slogs (as this promises to be).  Oh, who cares!

Sunday - I went to Fusion Beads to attend a chainmaille class.  This was OK.  Generally, when I take a class like this (IE. one day only; less than 4 hours; and I will never see these people again), I find there is someone, usually another student, who I hate to the depths of my dark soul.  There is never any good reason for it.  It can be as simple as the way they laugh or the way they monopolize the instructor or conversation.  Well, true to form, there was someone there I couldn't stand.  Luckily, I didn't have to work with her or sit next to her or I would have hit her for the few homophobic and racist remarks she made.  What is it with people lately?  Does warm weather make folks break out with discrimination?  No wonder I hate summer! Despite her, the class went well.  I learned the pattern very quickly and made a bracelet for myself in about half the time we were alloted.  I got out of there as quick as I could.  Shane and I decided to relax buy going to the University Village Barnes and Noble, where I bought a few magazines.  We then went to dinner at our favorite Indian restaurant, Preet's.  You must go there!  It is in no way like other Americanized Indian restaurants.  The selections are few but all of them are good.  Try the eggplant. 

Monday - I know, I know...Monday is not the weekend but I don't work.  Everyday is the weekend to me, toots!  Anyway, after staying home and catching up on the laundry (some weekend, eh?), I picked up Nancy and Shane so we could all go the Feral Knitters meeting.  I have only been to this group a few times.  I like everyone I have had the chance to meet and the skill of nearly all of them blows me away.  In this small group is several kilo-tons of knitting power.  The meeting overall was fun but there was a strange moment in the beginning.  Like I said, I have not been attending very long, so I don't expect folks to have much to say to me or Nancy.  Honestly, I can be hard to get to know.  However, I always try to be inclusive.  When a group of us entered the small back room, Nancy and I made an effort to spread out by moving to the end of the tables.  We soon realized that no one was going to sit next to us.  They all hovered at the far end of the tables, squeezing together to bunch up even more.  No one spoke to us or even looked at us for 30 minutes.  It wasn't until other folks arrived that anyone addressed us.  There was no more room at that end of the table, so they had to sit next to us.  Happily, I did enjoy talking to the folks who did sit near us.  I know knitting groups can be clique-ish but, I have never felt so excluded before.  I hope they warm up to us in the future.  Nancy, Shane and I would  love to continue going.  However, we are beginning to wonder if we smell bad or something.

Of course, I didn't get much knitting, spinning or weaving done.  The moon booties are 95% finished.  I've just got to sew the second one up and felt it.  Luckily, the sun has been making appearances. So, if I can get the booties felted soon, they just might dry out in a day or two.  Usually, it takes a week up here, living under the tress like we do.  I have been spinning mainly on my charka.  I am quite fast at it now and can spin finer than I can count wraps per inch. Really! I've got the find the magnifiers to see the threads side by side.  Alas, I have picked up the habit of over twisting the cotton.  This, of course, developed as a consequence of my trying to break the habit of under twisting.  Live and learn and learn and learn and finally shout and throw things against the wall.  Weaving...well, I finally did a few more rows.  But, I don't like the way the sample is turning out.  So, I've decided to resley the reed at a tighter epi, whenever I get around to it.  I would laugh if it didn't hurt so much.

Tucker - she had one week without any accidents!  Yea!!  We have been taking her out to walk every hour or so and after every meal.  It seems to help.  She will be 18 in June.  Unbelievable!

Eastside spinners will be meeting this Thursday!  I've been looking forward to it.  We have had a few more folks join since the last meeting so I am hopeful that this will be a bigger meeting.  Keep your fingers crossed! 

Good times!

I had a great time at the latest meeting of Eastside Stitchers.  Such a great group!  And some of them actually read my blog!  Thank you, guys! 

I was gratified to hear that there is agreement about the egregious nature of the racist comment made at the OTHER spinning group.  Suzanne rightly pointed out that some of the most racist folk out there are those involved in mixed marriages.  I have always wished it was different, but people marry for lots of reasons.  Sometimes, those reasons are the racists assumptions they make about their partners.  I am lucky that Shane is sensitive to things like this.  Many of the people I dated (yes, the phrase is gender neutral - I did date girls) were not. 

I have come to grips with my haircut.  I can delay my planned suicide.  I had really hoped for a cut more on the lines of Cookie's 'do.  I should have brought a picture with me.   I think dyeing it red might help.  I'm thinking big red streaks in the anime style.  I love the anime style!  Granted, I am not so interested in anime (who could be interested in little girls and boys that turn into animals?) but I love the way they dress.

Nancy pointed out that short hair always makes me look more Asian.  I agree.  It is one of the things I like about short hair.  When I was a child, I tired many things to look more Japanese.  I always felt lucky being Japanese (I still do) but disappointed that it was not obvious.  I just have never fit the stereotype.  My brother looks very Japanese, however.  This is one of the joys of being multiracial.  Some siblings pass, some do not.  Anyways, in kindergarten, I actually smeared yellow finger-paint all over my face.  I had remembered my father referring to my mother as "yellow." Yep, he is one of those inter-marrying racists. I thought the yellow pigment would help me look more like mom.  Sad, huh? I thought I looked great.  My father, alas, was not amused. 

I finished the sample skein for my friend. It went OK.  The colors are rather muted but then she did leave a lot of white areas on the top.  The top was also just a little felted.  I hope she likes it.  I can finally get back to the baby camel/silk top I was spinning. Charity's top was nice but the camel/silk is so yummy!

The moon booties continue.  They should be ready for felting by this weekend.  I have yet to pick out another knitting project.  I must admit to being a little hesitant as I will be so busy with knitting once the Nihon Vogue class starts.  Nevertheless, someone at Eastside Stitchers (I have forgotten who) was crocheting the cutest monkey amigurumi.  I was thinking it would be just the thing for my nieces.  Coco was born in the year of the monkey, so it would be perfect for her.  Camille would then get a sheep amigurumi.  Cute, eh?

The weaving has moved from "I really need to get on that!" to "I don't want to look at it!  It makes me feel so guilty!"  What to do, what to do?  I think a picnic blanket would be so much fun.  Luckily, Judith MacKenzie McCuin is teaching a weaving class this June.  It is weaver's choice, so maybe I will work on it then.

Oh, I forgot to mention I took a class in viking knit at Fusion Beads this weekend.  The class was fun and the wire-work was easy to learn.  I actually finished a bracelet for Shane and he actually wears it!  I call that a victory!  Honestly, he will wear anything I knit or sew for him, but it is different for jewelry.  He is not really a jewelry guy and he is very tough on the pieces he does wear.  So you can see why I am glad the viking bracelet seems to be working out.  This weekend I have another class at Fusion Beads in a chainmaille technique with which I am not familiar.  I hope it is as fun as the last.  Also, I will be shopping at the Fiber Expo.  Fun, fun, fun!

Yucky haircut!

Ok, so I am not any kind of fashion maven but I was thinking that my look was getting a little tired.  My haircut was a self-inflicted bob.  I liked it at first.  However, it is always a bad sign when I stop looking in the mirror.  I know it means I am feeling at a total loss when it comes to styling.  Shane was also getting to pretty shaggy.  So, we made some appointments.

The salon was pretty nice.  It is an Aveda salon so it means they are always trying to sell you Aveda products.  The free shoulder massage was nice but the masseuse was like 95lbs and I weigh nearly 3 times that much.  I mean how hard could she push?  I am pretty picky about massages, though.  So I am not really being very fair.  My mother was trained in Shiatsu by a Master in Japan.  No one is better than Okaachan!

Anyway, even though the stylist was nice and gave Shane a great cut, I hate what she did to me.  I hate it so much I even cried a little this morning.  I am fat so my head already looks like a ball.  Did she have to make it worse?  Does she hate fat people?  I am seriously thinking of letting it grow out before I leave the house again.  See you all in 3 months!

In other news, Tucker is getting worse.  She is very old (17 and a half years) but still happy to see us come home and eager to eat.  On the other hand,  she is beginning to refuse to walk and now has fecal incontinence.  We have old sheets spread all over the house.  That works for us but it seems clear that is a little weird for her.  She just looks uncomfortable.  I know that my parents would have put her to sleep by now but I just can't.  Just dicussing it makes Shane cry.  I know we will have to replace all of the carpets when Tucker does pass on so part of me says "What's the hurry?"  Another part wonders "Is is fair to the dog?'  I just don't know.

Some good news - a member of Eastside Spinners has offered to host the next meeting.  I took her up on the offer immediately.  We usually meet at Soul Food Books but a new book group has begun meeting on the same day.  There simply isn't enough room!  Also, I cannot stand to listen to middle aged, lonely women waste their time discussing "The Secret."  Yuck!