living simply...

• for a rainy day: some interesting looking articles on living more simply.

• speaking of simple, check out this fantastic little knitted toy: squarey. i'm thinking maybe one of my relatives needs this little guy.

• and, not so simply, charts and graphs and all sorts of pretty data on why people are occupying all sorts of cities these days.

• so what are the simple things? street art that makes your heart swell: BLU and david ellis collab.

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

• feet and bodies that move in ways that don't make sense and are the most beautiful: pumped up kicks/dubstep.

have i become someone who goes to the symphony?!

why, yes. yes, i think i have.

we went to the indianapolis symphony orchestra last night - my first trip - to see CARMINA BURANA. it was amazing - full choir for the final part, hilarious (and incredibly talented) operatic folks, a very talented orchestra (which was fun to watch in itself, since i used to play the cello). the coolest thing? we just got the youngest maestro ever to lead a big city orchestra, and he was showing his stuff in full force. his first public concert was a week ago, and there he was, leading the whole huge SOUND coming from the stage without using a page of sheet music. seriously - this whole piece, not a page of sheet music in sight.

i might have a little crush.

here's the indianapolis choir's flash mob of carmina burana at the airport earlier this year:


i think the ISO is going to have some exciting things on the horizon! can't wait to see more.

is this a sign i'm getting older?

because i get my music tips from npr lately - gold panda, "you"...


and i get great joy in things like harvesting worm poop...




and i like spending my sunday mornings drinking coffee and researching native trees and planning gardens...


and i get really excited and take way too many photos at orchid shows and conservatories...








and i like to spend weekend nights wandering the canal at sunset...


i may be getting older, but all in all, i guess it's not so bad.

papa watches me on google alerts, hi dad!

das racist, "sit down, man."


and from the indianapolis show - awesomeness!

Das Racist - "Who's That? Brooown!" from MonkeyEatsMonkey on Vimeo.

also, i'm sad i missed this show: cap'n jazz reunion in chicago last year.


and other stuff...


spring is my favorite... and fall... and summer... aw, shoot.


whatever... we have easter eggs!


we also have monuments.


oh, and we have new sweaters!


yes, we do.

heartbeats and apples...

today's jams: the knife, heartbeats. i just love the little 70s-looking kids skateboarding in some quintessential california neighborhood.


mirah, apples in the trees.


chris and i are going to look at houses in broad ripple on thursday! and a week from today, i will be sipping a pina colada in roughly 80 degree temperatures! hopefully with three - count 'em, THREE! - little umbrellas in it.

that's how it starts...

lcd soundsystem, "all my friends."


other sights of late: a wild chair at the french lick resort.


the amazing dome in this little middle of nowhere southern indiana town:


hiking in the snow at morgan-monroe state forest:




boombox getting cozy. it's hard to tell which end is which when he cozies up.


other cool stuff: sounds from the week - the forgetters, my favorite rock band boyfriend's new band! IT'S A DEATH TRIP, BABY.
videos of wonderful music stuffs here!

things i like, the recap...

i haven't done one of these in a while! things i have liked as of late: knitting ridiculous garments of clothing with leftover yarn.


whales named mr. splashy pants!


collecting wrist bands.


grand monuments you can climb to the top of.


finishing sweaters.


camping with my nephew who doesn't, in fact, hate me (he was in need of a nap here... really).


washington state. i want to hike the pacific crest trail now.


reflections on clear, clear water.


did i mention i think my nephew is the cutest thing on two legs?


also... the tulip train trestle.




also also, i don't have pictures of these things, but: seeing four moons of jupiter using binoculars. hanging out with neighbors on stoops, talking about movies. watching the international space station zoom past overhead. watching planet earth on impromptu sleeping bags on the living room floor. breakfast burritos. and cuddling.

new favorite article of clothing...

no, really. i love this thing so very, very much. and it's my first completed project in a while. made with the leitmotif pattern. pretty pretty. let's hope i don't shrink this one on accident.

my face looks stern. rest assured, i am elated.


extra-long arms, whee!


also, a lesson in pattern reading: i cast on just like normal without realizing the backs were designed to match up perfectly (if cast on is done appropriately). so yeah. whatever.


other things i like: boombox t. cat!


the zoo! and cheetahs!


and, most notably, CHEETAHS SPOONING!

my current jam...

gorillaz, "rhinestone eyes."


other things i love: my amazing friends. sunday tea party with sally-mander sunhat!


new dresses.


gifts of handknitted shark magnets!

the perseids...

i am a fan. i have nothing more i want to say in this particular forum, other than... wow. i don't wax romantic in general these days, but last night was the most perfect night.

in lieu, i give you this. my most played song, according to itunes. magnetic fields, "100,000 fireflies." who knew? but also fitting.

a forgotten skein of malabrigo + my grandma's pattern book = love...

i was going through the many half-finished projects hanging on the back of my front door (that's where current and not-so-current projects go to get finished or languish) the other day, and i realized i had a gorgeous skein of highly saturated, blue-purple malabrigo yarn. just sitting there! how could i?! i discovered the magic of malabrigo when i took a trip to several yarn stores in philadelphia this past may. what a dream that yarn is.

so yesterday, feeling rather tired of working on my mom's christmas sweater, i decided to do up a quickie cowl from my own head. i wanted something with a fun pattern for the main part, but with a split extended bottom edge for extra warmth without having to worry about increases to make it fan out. i decided, in the end, to do a split foldover top, as well. currently, it's blocking, but i might even add a button along the top neckline to cinch it in even more (this was after walking around town in the bright sunshine and cold, cold air... i forgot that it gets COLD here).

the central pattern was from a knitting book my grandmother gave me years ago. the book is from 1971, and it is literally hundreds of pages of nothing but knitting stitch patterns. there's a cabled section, a ribbing section, a reversible stitch pattern section, etc. etc. it is truly amazing. strangely, i also just received the book "reversible knitting" by lynne barr - it, too, is amazing in almost exactly the same way. i look at all of the stitch patterns, and my mind immediately begins thinking of all of the amazing garments i could work up in each stitch. so. cool.

so anyway... enough about me. here's the grandma's knitting book cowl!




better detail of the lacy pattern:


for my own future record (please only use these notes for personal use, not for sale)

- co 103 (or any multiple of 4, +3), do not join.
- work in 2x1 ribbing back and forth for 3”, maintaining a 3 st garter stitch edge at beginning and end of each row.
- join to knit in the round, place marker, k 1 row, decreasing 8 stitches evenly.
- start main pattern (i used “baby variegated ribbing” from an ancient knitting book my grandmother gave me years ago).

baby variegated ribbing:
r1 - p1, k3, p1 - rep from, end k2.
r2 - k2, p1, k3 - rep from, end p1.
r3 - same as r1.
r4 - k2tog, yo, p1, yo, k3tog - rep from, end yo, p1.
r5 - k2, p1, k3 - rep from, end p1.
r6 - p1, k3, p1 - repeat from, end k2.
r7 - same as r5.
r8 - p1, yo, k3tog, yo, p1, yo - rep from, end k2tog.

- continue with pattern to desired length, ending with either row 2 or row 6.
- k 1 row, decreasing 8 sts evenly.
- work 2 rows in 1x2 ribbing, then split. continue knitting back and forth in established rib for 3” or desired length of neck foldover section.
- bind off all stitches loosely.
- block with neck folded down. attach button to foldover extra fabric if desired.

in other news, since it was not only NOT raining but also sunny as heck the past two mornings for the first time in i-can't-even-tell-you-how-long, i went for walks both days. and, of course, took pictures. apparently, someone is looking out for me (my initials are cw, for any who don't know), and this is on the corner right by my house:


my favorite trees are the ones that change from the outside in - little flashes of red on all of the edges. this one is right next door to me, so i get to watch it transform.


a different tree, more color.


i also realized this morning, while walking past a church with these beautiful mums, that i have been dressing lately in the colors of mums. seriously. this was my outfit yesterday, and today the color scheme is basically exactly the same.

works in progress... always a work in progress...

tonight. tonight was a good night. me and one of my favorite people tried to make temporary tattoos of yoshitomo nara pictures, and it failed miserably. that was sad - i was so excited for my yoshitomo nara tattoos! c'est la vie. they smeared all over and still aren't "setting" four hours later. whatever, temporary tattoos. you suck.

but then we went to an art show, and i was thoroughly excited by kevin's paintings. thomas and i discussed buying the one that cost, oh, $2,300 and sharing it - just toting it between houses every month or so. just beautiful - just a picture of a guy sitting in his living room with his foot up on the top of a little television, but oh. so nice.

then we got dinner, because, lordy, hunger to the nth degree. then to a show at the video saloon. sadly, i just was not feeling social. it was one of those evenings where you end up seeing all sorts of people and being glad to see them, but not really feeling like interacting. you know? which is difficult in a noisy bar.

self portrait day today: outside the indiana university art museum, reflected.


and works in progress. i decided to try my hand at recycling yarn. my goodness, what a pain in the ass it is to unravel a sweater! however, i did get a lot of nice, ivory colored cotton yarn from a massive men's sweater for $1.50. i'm making myself a cabley dress, darnit!


and this is a long overdue selbu modern hat for a dear friend. i fear the purple and aqua parts are going to be too subtle.

on my hermitude of april 2009...

warning: nearly all non-crafty stuff here! general life stuff follows.

i have some wonderful people in my life. i mention something about "quitting" on facebook, and less than 24 hours later, i have words and thoughts and actual, physical gifts on my doorstep to help cheer me on. more about that in a bit.

what am i quitting? smoking. that's right - i'm a smoker. have been for nearly half my life now, more or less. isn't that awful and hideous? i kind of think it is. see, i don't WANT to be a smoker. i haven't WANTED to be a smoker for probably 8 to 10 years now. i have never smoked at work or when i visit my parents; i have always been embarrassed by it and didn't want to be identified as a smoker. i recognize it is a completely idiotic habit (okay, addiction). it's also ridiculously expensive... and stinky... and generally pretty gross. and yet i haven't been able to come even remotely close to quitting except for one three-month period where i was climbing mountains and hiking 30 miles every weekend. so why now? i think i'm just fed up with myself. there are, to be sure, things i like about myself. there are also a number of things i don't like about myself, and i had a wake up call of sorts with a good friend this past weekend. and *palm to forehead* i realized, quite suddenly, that while there are things i don't like about myself that are not easily fixed, there are quite a few things i can do to be a better person, a better friend, a better me. quitting smoking, cutting back on booze, and being a better friend are all things that i can do now and feel good about. really, i guess i finally had it with myself.

you're probably sitting there thinking, well, duh, christie... if you can quit when you visit parents, go on work trips, etc., what's the big deal? the big deal is i am seriously my own worst enemy. if left to my own devices, i could play on the internet and chain smoke for hours. so this week, i have decided to either be a hermit or to hang out with non-smoking friends. during my hermit hours so far, i have a) put on very comfy clothes and my bunny slippers, b) watched countless hours of bad television on hulu, c) knitted a sweater and started a hat and a dress, d) paced the apartment, e) gone to bed at 9:00 just so i wouldn't have to try to function anymore, f) stopped drinking (i have poor impulse control when drinking), and g) eaten what seems to be about my body weight in sherbet (speaking of, i'm out of sherbet - must run to the grocery store!).

so what if it's only been roughly 43 hours since my last cigarette? back to the "i have the best people in my life" comment at the beginning. i got home from work and was warned there was a present waiting for me on my doorstep. what could that be, you ask? RED VINES AND CHOCOLATE PRAYING JESUS HANDS, of course! and, because the gift giver is crazy awesome, the jesus hands come with a whole PRAYER written on the inside. ridonk. is that sacrilege to eat jesus' hands?


do you know how much i love red vines? so very much. they're my favorite candy in all the land. i love that i have friends who love me so much that they know of my love for red vines *and* will go out and buy them for me.


judging by my excitement over these two items, my general need for sherbet, and general oral fixation issues, i'm guessing i might gain a bit of weight. not the best thing in the world, but at least my lungs will be nice and pink again soonish.