Betrayals galore

Listening to: the pillows – Propose
Mood: Pained

Well, in the crafting area, I am one to always cheat on my knitting. I experimented with crochet (which turned to be my other drug of choice), dabbled with embroidery, tried plastic needlepoint, and sampled with loom knitting. And now I’m doing it again. This time, with weaving.

Got this from Modern Daily Knitting a few days ago, and I have been pretty much been having a ball.

Just the rather soothing meditation of pulling the woof across the warp and seeing the design come to life.

The only things I struggle over are the last few woof loops (New cereal flavor? Hmm.) and the crochet binding off, but I’m sure with a bit of practice I’m sure I’ll get it down.

Since the kit comes with enough fabric loops to make two holders, I cast on for the second one soon after I finished this one and spent a bit more time playing with color.

The fabric is sturdy, and I’m sure they will do well in the kitchen. I should give them a wash to see how the bind-off lasts – and also to set the fabric – but that comes later on. Right now, I’m already giving into temptation and ordering a few extra bags of loops for more color play. Also pro~obably for profit? Maybe?

Also, I regret to say that my body has been under rebellion for some time now. I woke up several Saturdays ago to find my lower back in turmoil and my legs cramping up. Which means only one thing: My sciatica has returned.

Long-time readers (and by that I mean pre and during LiveJournal) may remember of that amazing incident in which I bent over to pick up and fork, and spent the next several months (years) shackled with lower back pain. With the help of yoga stretches and weightlifting, I combated against the injury and did pretty well.

But then Covid happened.

With gyms closing and the additional depression caused by Mom’s passing, I fell into disrepair. I didn’t do much fitness. Heck, I even stopped walking around the town! Even now it’s hard for me to get back into fitness activity. It is very enraging and it calls for decisive action…if I wasn’t so damned comfortable where I am right now. -_-

“But Joe,” my inner crowd of voices object, “350lbs is NOT a comfortable fit for you, dude.” And I respond, “I know, but considering how the busses are and my school schedule is, what can I do?”

“Get a workout app,” one suggests.
“Eat less junk, more veggies,” another says.
“Get back into stretching!” several shout.
“Walk!” one says, wanting to shake some sense into me.

So I will. Later on today. Hopefully I will start with this recovery. If only to shut the crowd up.

It *has* been a while…

…hasn’t it?

Song: Neil Young – Comes A Time
Mood: Atypical

This is an effort to get back into writing, because 2020, nay, the past four years(!) was one massive shit for everyone except the rich, the privileged, and the Nazis. But 2020 was one of the worst years of my life, not only for the pandemic but also for the death of my mom, who – one hopes – died peacefully in March.

Damn, going to be a year already. My, time flies so swiftly. Flies even swifter when the pandemic and lockdown forces everyone to re-enact Groundhog Day.

This is also a bit of a middle-finger to the Instagram algorithms, who punish you for not being engaging enough. I will see about posting more here than IG or FB but who knows.

So, brief catch-up for the 2020 year, in no order:

• Modular crochet for the win!
• Mom passed
• Pandemic hit
  • Library closed causing me to lose my job as knitting instructor
  • Spent two months knitting a pullover
  • Bus lines ran themselves to the ground
  • No gym
• Got Animal Crossing New Horizons
  • Almost got a pure jock isle [evil laugh]
• Learned how to sew
  • Planning to make buttoned shirts
• Got ready for college
  • Welding tech for the win!
  • Learned how dangerous hot metal can get
    • Shirts got damaged
• 41st birthday
• Both cried and cheered at Biden’s win
  • Rolled my eyes so many times at Trump’s tantrums and rants
• Helped my sisters with their holiday errands
• Counted down the New Years with Animal Crossing
  • It was so beautiful!

What happens now? No idea. I’m losing steam, and I need to knit. I’ll catch y’all later.

*waves*

Poetry challenge No. 1: The Blitz

I follow a poetry/writing prompt group on Facebook, and every Wednesday they give new prompts to use until the following week. The latest prompts deal with novel forms of poetry:

The Blitz
The Bop
Cinquain
Found
Golden Shovel
Haiku
Nonet
Ode
Prose

Well, novel to me. I am not much of a poet, but I do write the occasional bit on Facebook. And I have read about a certain wordplay society known as The Oulipo thanks to Martin Gardner’s Penrose Tiles to Trapdoor Ciphers.

Writing a blitz poem bit mind-bending because it is a mix of word association and planning. You can read about the poem schematic here in the case you want to try your hand at this format.

Stitch a Decade
Knit a stitch
Knit a stitch
Stitch with love
Stitch with care
Care and worry
Care and ease
Ease with love
Ease it down
Down the rabbit hole
Down the briar patch
Patch it well
Patch with yarn
Yarn and needles
Needles of wood
Wood and steel
Wood from trees
Trees from the forest
Trees and their leaves
Leaves me alone
Leaves me at peace
Peace and love
Peace for sale
Sale or rent
Sale of the decade
Decade events
Decade over
Over and out
Over the hills
Hills of green
Hills and valleys
Valleys dark
Valleys with rivers
Rivers stark
Rivers rushing
Rushing to light
Rushing blindly
Blindly to me
Blindly to you
You are here
You are human
Human needs
Human dreams
Dreams to love
Dreams to weave
Weave the cloth
Weave it true
True to life
True and tried
Tried
Life

These are the end times

So Starbucks is going through training the new staff, and therefore they are going through the motions of making new things. Not a problem.

However, they are giving away what they make.

Even worse is that, although the place is packed, no one is picking the drinks up.

Except me. After a suitable interval of five or so minutes.

So, all the time from noon to now, I’ve had:

A caramel machiatto
An iced coffee
A cappachino with extra whip
Two samples of their sandwiches
A sample of their chocolate coffeecake
A very berry hibiscus refresher

No, I’m not vibrating, it’s the earthquake. There is an earthquake, right?

Powerlifting post no.091

Sometimes you’re 17
Sometimes you’re 65
Sometimes you’re giving it your best try
And nothing’s right and nothing’s right
– The Old 97s, ‘My Two Feet’

Today was apparently was when I felt seventeen, in which i felt invincible enough to combine bench and deadlift in my workout.

Never again.

Well, I must confess, I really liked it. Really really liked it. Not enough to do it again within the month, but you get the point. All I know is that I will be needing a hot shower and maybe a painkiller in the night.

So yes,I have been getting stronger since I started the powerlifting program. Current stats:

Deadlift: 5x265lbs
Bench: 5×175
Squats: 5×175

These are five-rep max set, and I know I can go more, but just enjoying these numbers for the moment. And of course, I’m just coasting along various coffee highs as I do so.

Now to see if I can accomplish a squat/bench day.

So where are we again?

I was all set for enjoying Spring when I realized, “Shit. When did I update the blog?”

Truth be told there is precious little to talk about. The days go by with the swiftness of time. Nothing but the soft hiss of sand through the hourglass.

No, I tell a lie.

​

A little thing I am making with sport weight acrylic. Yeah, I know. Whoever heard of sport weight acrylic? Certainly not me. But there’s that thing of pure fascination. And this is certainly fascinating.

The yarn is Lion Brand: Mandala. Colorway is ‘Pheonix’. Right now, I’m just knitting, hoping that something will work out in the end. Or not. Who knows.

It is better than the hourglass, eh?

Letting it out

Now Listening: Atmosphere – We Ain’t Gonna Die Today
Mood: Exhausted

So, last we met, we have started the Marley, and I might have used up all of the time between the last entry and this making it. Might. *cough*

Name: Marley by Tin Can Knits
Needles: US11
Yarn: I cannot believe I had so much scrap wool yarn to make this. Er…various stuff, all wool.

I had to scour the yarn bins to look for more yarn. And I found lots of them. Most of them worsted, of course, but I found lots of sport, fingering, and lace. After this stripe of dark green, I decided to make a rainbow, and I sorted out colors.

I forgot that I had several skeins of discontinued KnitPicks lace and fingering yarns, so they went in. Some leftover sock yarn. Lots of scrap from other projects.

Watched a lot of Sailor Moon SuperS while knitting it. Also took it wherever I went, where I got lots of compliments on it.

I casted off yesterday, and spent about ten minutes or so weaving in all of the ends that I couldn’t on route of knitting, then I tossed it into the washer.

Yes, you read that right, I tossed it into the washer. I filled the washer halfway and put in about a half-travel bottle of baby wash, then I gently placed the blanket into the bath. Closed the lid and let it agitate for ten seconds, then opened it for three or so minutes. Did that twice more before letting it soak for ten minutes, drained the water out. Repeated for the rinse, making sure the water did not hit the blanket while it was filling.

Sadly enough, I did not have enough foam square tiles for blocking, so I improvised: placing a few unused garbage bags on the floor, making an appropriate rectangle around them, and pinning the blanket’s lace border on the tiles, making sure not to stretch too badly. But it worked!

[imagine there’s a photo of the living room floor with the described here]

So yes, it turned into a really nice thing. Squishy and drapey. Oh, and it grew! It was 33x52in. before blocking and expanded to a generous 33x57in. Really nice and warm. Perfect for the summer nights when the AC dips to a frigid 75F. Yes I know it isn’t really. Hush.

Letting it in

I have no idea what is going on to this tablet. Everything is just so wonky with it, crashes all over, and its just crazy. I think I might have to do a reset to see how it goes. *sigh*

How’s you guys? I am cursing the fact that I had to trip ove a shoe last night and thus spraining my right thigh and knee. Nothing major but dammit, the mere presence of it has me skipping the gym. And I was so wanting to do today’s workout…

At least I’m enjoying the knitting.

Funny back story: Getting bored with crochet, i was looking through the wonderful blog of Tin Can Knits, and they were talking about blankets. Namely, the largest, bulkiest blanket I have seen so far. I mean, look at that post and tell me that is one of the coolest things you have seen. I’ll give you time to read through the post.

…

Done? Good! Carrying on!

The blanket got me inspired. I looked through my stash and found lots of stash yarn that I know I am not going to use. Things like seven skeins of natural wool. Or thirteen balls of scrap. You get the idea.

So I cast on. And it is growing huge.

The pattern comes in four sizes, each one based on yarn weight. I chose the Bulky option, for which I am holding various worsted and lesser weights double (or triple). Right now it is giving me this squishy fabric that drapes rather nicely and will probably do more when blocked. Yes, I do understand the complcations that might occur when it is time for such a thing. We will do something unadvisable and ignore those complications until we are done. Or until the yarn runs out. Hm.

Impromptu Poetry

So, while I’m on Facebook, I occasionally see posts from a local poet by the name of Edward Vidaurre. He’s a very neat guy; I’ve seen him recite his works in person. Anyway, these posts are prompts. He gives five words and tells us to write a poem with them. I’ve been meaning to post them on the writing blog, but I think I can do better if I put them here.

In the darkest of yesteryears,
mermaids drifted through the seas
speaking in heavenly dialects,
luring sailors to their dooms.

===

Raindrops in my heart
Tears falling all around me
Sorrow is the sea

===

The smell of watercress
renewed dissolving memories
of me and you, walking barefoot
through the thorny garden.
Tears falling, reliving such glad moments.

===

I strolled the urban cupolas
Enmeshed with the rails.
The threnodies of trains
Leaving me numb
As they passed
Above me, the sunlight strobing.