ARDIRI

Please tell me they're kidding!

I have a blog for the meetup book club I run and this is what I literally get when I sign in:

Sorry for the inconvenience, we are performing some unexpected maintenance. Your dashboard is going to be unavailable for 730 days.

Yep!  You read that right--my dashboard where I go to make posts will be unavailable for 730 days--basically 2 YEARS!

I really, really hope they are kidding! 

Eye Candy Knit/Fashion Blog

My gods, this site is full of beautiful pictures (scroll down to see cat & yarn photo), inspiring fashion photography, and gorgeous knits!  You must head over to Knit Creations of a Curious Mind.

Conflicted

I need to share the conflicted feelings and a few questions that are swirling in my mind at the moment.  Please bear with me (and please share your opinion).

• Dogged brought up the issue of using other people's pictures (without permission) in blog posts, stating that she does not use other people's pictures in her posts as her blog is a log of her crafts and not one of other people's crafting (not her exact words).

• I've actually used one of Dogged's pictures, but emailed her for permission* (and received permission)  to use it on my blog.  I asked Dogged if I could use her picture as I felt that it really showed off the pattern in a better fashion than those pictured on the pattern author's site.  (The fact that she has a statement on her site that warns others not to use her stuff without her permission was the impetus for me to not post her picture until--and unless--I had her express approval to do so.)

• Generally, this is the case when I use other people's photographs (and try to remember to give them clear credit for their work and photography) on my blog.  ("This is the case"--referring to the fact that I use other peep's pics because they are an exceptional example of a pattern knitted or sewn up, not in reference to emailing a person to ask for their permission to use their pic.)

• I also use other people's photographs as a way of remembering visually and easily pieces that I wish to knit in the future.  Of course, Ravelry will perhaps eventually negate this sort of compiling of ideas on my blog.  But I don't yet have my Ravelry invite, nor do approximately 14,000 other individuals wishing to get on board as the site is still Beta.

• And, yes, I do use del.icio.us to keep track of the things I'd like to make.  Additionally, though, I do like to share the things I'd like to make (via posts to my blog) with the handful of readers who frequent my blog.

• Finally, I have to admit that, on the few occasions when I have seen my work (via my photographs) on other's blogs, I have been thrilled to be featured on their blog.  Naturally, this thrilled-ness may result mainly from my being an almost-novice in the bloglandia of knitting, but it also truly reflects my joy that others appreciate my work and want to share it with their readers.

• So, I'm conflicted.  I understand what Dogged is saying, but I also know what I feel.

• What about you?  What do you feel, think, believe, and understand?  Please share with me!!!

***Nota Bene:  This is in no way a snarky attack on Dogged, just an honest reflection on the ideas she has shared in her blog post here.   Truth be told, her site is one of my favorite reads!  Furthermore, I've sent her a trackback so that she may be made aware of what I've written here.***

Hello, there!

Just wanted to drop a line and say: "Hello, there!" 

Super busy playing catch-up with school and working after being so sick for too long.  Picked up three new students for tutoring whom I absolutely adore; they are all very studious and determined to improve their written and conversational English skills (they are all three each spending a year here in America as "exchange students*" from Korea).  Thus, yesterday, I worked a straight 7.5 hours with no break or lunch!  Mucho, mucho worn out!

Point is: I have so many people I want to visit at their blogs and re-delurk (I primarily went into lurking-mode while sick).  And soon, I shall.

I also want to do a quick photo/word "tutorial" on how I made my simple blankies for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive.  I am hoping to do that tomorrow or Saturday. 

Then I promised a friend who happens to be a community college professor that I'd help grade her 90+  finals papers on Sunday.

Oh, and substitute half-day tomorrow as well as attend a party Saturday night at some hotel an hour or so away for one of John's relatives.

And there is YARN! coming in the mail!    Yippee! I ordered some yarn from Elann (in Milk Chocolate) to make the Roundabout Leaf Tank from Knitting Nature (I so hope it works as a good yarn substitution--eek!).

Finally, I have 4 beanies and 2 sweater vests that need to be photographed and sent to the Afghans for Afghans charity drive.

Busy.  Busy.  Busy.

*As for "exchange students"--they are not what one would label traditionally as "exchange students" as they come here for a year with either one or both of their parents rather than living with an "American Family".  In my experience, this is very common for Korean students and their families.

I exited the Matrix of Bloglandia (and lived to tell the tale)!

(Above yarn: On needles-Alchemy Bamboo in "Forest Waltz" and the other is Hempathy in color 10)

A bit late, but at last I shall do a small recounting of the wonderful day (Sunday, January 27th) I spent with Elaine of Kim-Chi Crafts.  This was our first meeting outside of the world of blogs, swaps, email, and some snail mail holiday cards.

My love-dove, John--silly-rabbit he is--warned me that Elaine may perhaps not be a knitter, but a 300+ pound man posing as a knitter to meet women.  I took this with an invisible grain of salt; as in, I laughed in his face and told him I knew Elaine was real and that I had indeed seen a picture of her fiance, her dog, and herself that was included in a Christmas card.  "Ah!" he replied, "What a great way to fool you.  Excellent ruse!"  I laughed heartily and proceeded with my plans to meet her in Berkeley.  AND, by gods, Elaine is Elaine, and she is not a 300+ lb. man with bad intentions, but a very pretty young lady who is superbly nice, has excellent taste in yarn shops and is a superb button maker to boot (See all those Cyrano's Creature Comfort Drive Buttons to the right--proof of her rockin' skills)!

We hit Article Pract, her LYS, and I had no intention to buy yarn.  I had specifically gone to one of my nearer yarn stores, Fashion-Knit in Walnut Creek, to fondle yarn just a few days before in hopes of getting that "wanting feeling" out of my system.  But to no avail!  Fashion-Knit has nothing on the warm ambience and great presentation of yarns of Article Pract.  I gave in.  I came, I fondled yarn, and I left the store with yarn, a few needed circular needles, and a cute Article Pract Bag.  Dangerous Territory, indeed, it is, this Article Pract!!!  I also bought a couple of skeins of Malabrigo Worsted wool in Forest (each skein has 216 yards and knits up on a size 7-9 needle AND costs only $12!!!) which I intend to return for store credit till I can find a sweater that I want to make with this yarn as it is soooo soft and beautiful and two skeins will not a sweater make!

This was followed by a trip to the bookstore Book Zoo, a quick jaunt to a pet store to see if they had Mamoko's special I-am-a-cat-&-I-have-IBS-CatFood.  Wrong store and they didn't have it, so I settled on some kitty toys instead.

We then went to Rockridge and ended up at Cactus Taqueria because I was needing some food--"savory food" as Elaine called it, not sweet food.  I was surprised by the tastiness of the Mexican food since I am not a big fan of Mexican food and usually eat it as fast food (a big plate of whole beans, a small cheese quesidilla, a can of Pepsi, and some salsa & chips--which can be had at my local Taqueria for $4.10 and I still have enough beans and chips to have dinner or breakfast the next day!)  Anyhoo, Cactus Taqueria has awesome salsas, especially the pineapple--yes, pineapple one. 

After eating we sat in the taqueria and talked and knitted away.  Odd location for knitting, but we made it work nonetheless.

Next time we meet we plan to hit up her local fabric store--StoneMountain & Daughter Fabric--where I intend to get me some of that adorable gnome fabric.

For Elaine's version of the day click here!

Pen Pals and Blogs

I really love this whole secret pal/secret swap buddy thing. It is so nice to be part of a group of like-minded, or rather like-hobbied individuals. Between reading other’s blogs and sending (or getting ready to send) individuals their gifts (SP8), dyed yarn (Dye-O-Rama), and socks (Sockpaloooza); I feel as if I am making some connection with other people outside my small circle of acquaintances. I’ve found that while being employed and in graduate school —especially since my school is a major commuter school—it is tough to not only make friends, but to make time to hang out with them and the ones you already have. Plus, there is a great amount of constant guilt that accompanies being a grad student. I am always thinking that I should be doing something related to school and when I’m not I berate myself mentally. Then there is the stress of student loans hanging over my head. Basically what I am trying to say is that I am thankful for this opportunity to meet others through these exchanges and through blogs.

 

Now for a short story from my childhood—when I was a kid, about 10-11 years old, I was an avid pen-pal-er. I always had a pen-pal of some sort and would eagerly check the mail each day in anticipation of getting letters. In eighth grade, I even got my own P.O. box separate from my parents. (My parents—or rather my stepfather—always lagged in getting the mail to me. When the post office was open, the postperson would just give me my mail over the counter, but if it wasn’t I’d have to wait a few days sometimes till my dad would remember to bring the mail home from work or wherever he left it last.) While I may be wary of the postal workers going postal, I have fond memories and a dear appreciation for my town’s little post office.

 

One summer—out of the blue—I started receiving letters from

Tennessee

or

Alabama

(or somewhere in the south) from a pen-pal. I knew nobody in that area so this person must have somehow gotten my address—probably through a pen-pal service. She was really nice and sent me letters, cards, and gifts and also included her address so I could write back. I felt so special getting letters from my secret pal. I wish I could do that for some person today, but I’m sure most people would be freaked out and figure it was some sort of scam or that they were being stalked!

 

And now I am going to be quite silly and indulgent. I am going to take a relaxing bath and watch the documentary McLibel on my laptop—at the same time! Tomorrow I’ve another day of substituting and then tutoring in the evening, so I shall relax now in prep for manana.