Schrodinger's Kittie

So, I’m sure a lot of you figure I’ve totally given up on knitting. That isn’t the case, though it has been very slow.

I finished up the seed block blanket I was working on and gave it to Mike. No photo of the finished project. I’ll try to get one the next time I’m down on Liberty. He absolutely loved the blanket. It’s the perfect size for traveling on the bus or just curling up under. I certainly wouldn’t use it as a afghan; but, it suits the purpose for which it was created. That purpose being a small blanket for tossing over your lap or used while traveling. It’s big enough to cover you in a bus/airplane/car seat without being obnoxious.

There are currently two projects in the works. One is a baby blanket for Paco’s latest addition. I’ve been designing/working on it for forever, it seems – and, it’s slowly coming to a finish. I figure by the time the newborn is a toddler, I should have it finished. Here’s hoping it actually lays flat when I finish – I’m working from the outside in, which is always a challenge. For some reason working outside in has more issues with laying flat than working from the center out.

I had to order more yarn.  I had no idea I’d burn through so much!  I get a feeling this blanket is going to be a lot larger than I anticipated.  Not a problem in the least – but, when you figure I’m working on US 3 / 3.25 mm size needles…well, it does take a bit of time to finish a project.  Especially when you get a bit bored by the repetitive nature of the pattern.  I do enjoy how it is turning out, mistakes and all.  The people receiving it will love it no matter what it looks like; but, it’s nice to be happy with something you are designing and creating yourself.

As there is so much of just a single stitch (knit, knit, knit, knit…yeah), the project can get a bit tedious at times, so I am also working on a pair of twisted rib socks for myself.  They are being knit on a pair of US 1/ 2.25mm needles.  I lost the band to the yarn so I’m not sure exactly what it’s called, though I know it’s a German import.  I love it…except that it splits like crazy!  Ah well, c’est la vie.  I like how it feels knit up; and, will enjoy wearing them after I’m done…and, it serves its purpose of giving me a break from the incessant knit stitch from the baby blanket.

We went out dancing at Swallow’s Inn, last night.  I’d forgotten how much I love that dance floor.  It’s tiny, but a pure joy to dance on.  Mike and I were receiving all sorts of compliments from people.  It was a little disconcerting; but, I do have to admit it’s nice to have your ego stroked like that, sometimes.  I always enjoy listening to the Honky Tonk Kings.  They are a good band that understands the difference between good listening music and good dancing music.  I wish more bands could figure that out.  They had a good number of people up from San Diego to support them, which I thought was wonderful.  Ken even showed up – which was a surprise.  For some reason, I’d believed he wasn’t going to be there.  I always enjoy getting to dance with him.

As for the Honky Tonk Kings…they will always have a special place in my mind/memories.  I originally met them when they played at Swallow’s Inn in August.  They were the group that wound up causing me to start making the drive south to San Diego and the Renegade every weekend. Which is where/how I met Mike.  Lot to be thankful for, there. Amusing that the guy who the first thing I noticed was that he was in my way has wound up being such an intrinsic part of my life.  Isn’t it interesting how life takes its various twists and turns to get you someplace you had no idea you needed/wanted to be?

Speaking of said fellow…I think it’s time I grabbed my knitting and went and curled up with him for a while to watch one of our favorite shows, “How It’s Made“.  And, if it strikes his fancy, maybe I’ll make a London broil with Yorkshire pudding and English peas (or green beans) for dinner.

So…I decided I needed some pep.  Some spice.  Some colour and spark to help cheer me up.  To that end, Brat, your socks are still on hold.  I will do something on them before the end of the month.  Promise!! Hah – but even one stitch counts as something, doesn’t it? Neener neener.

Anyway, I needed a pick me up.  The STR colourway I’d been using for a set of RPM socks got frogged.  I just couldn’t make myself enjoy the knitting of the pattern.  And, if I’m not enjoying it, why am I doing it?  Seriously, it’s a hobby, not a job…so, yeah.  Out came the work I’d done on the RPM pattern.  Then I dug around the house and found a pattern I liked in one of my very few sock pattern books (Folk Socks by Nancy Bush).  I chose the Mamluke pattern and am doing it, unlike her natural and blue afair, in black and Firebird.  Mmmmmm tasty.  I love how it’s turning out and it’s just the spark I need to cheer me up.  It’s obvious I love how it’s turning out, or I’d have stopped quite a while back.  I despise the black yarn (Wildfoote).  It splits and…it’s just not my yarn of choice.  But, I had it in my stash from an aborted sock request from a couple of years ago and so it got chosen as the background colour of choice.  None of the other colours would have done the Firebird justice.

As for what’s got me down?  Well – people are rarely what they portray themselves to be.  It’s rare that you find one who truly seems to be 100% genuine.  And, when – after a while – the facade shatters and the real person is let come forth into the true light of day.  Well.  Rarely is it something that one would wish to actually look at too closely.  So, I’m doing some house cleaning, so to speak.

I try very hard to be who I am.  I don’t lie to people – even when it hurts or alienates them.  I try very hard to be forthright and honest and up front.  I actually lost one person I adore because of being honest.  I could probably have strung them along while I tested an opportunity that had presented itself.  Instead, I was honest and forthright – and, I will probably never hear from them again.  While I will miss them, I can still feel good about myself because I honoured my standards and stayed honest and upfront.  I’m sure there are parts of myself I’d rather not have bandied about under a mega-watt bulb.  But, I do my best to be comfortable with all I say and do, so that I am never ashamed of myself.  I have enough baggage from before I learned to be so forthright.  I certainly don’t need to add more to it!

So, cleaning house and getting rid of leeches and slugs and other such things that find themselves hiding in the dark.  It will be a trying and nerve wracking time.  But, I think, at the end of it all – when it’s all said and done – that I will be better for having done it.  But…in the mean time…to see me through…I have colour!  Bright, popping, zapping, in your face colour…and it is good.

So I ordered a new book today. I probably shouldn’t have; but, with my points to redeem, I slashed the price down to a third the normal price and just couldn’t pass that up.

The book? The Thermodynamic Universe.

Sidharth’s new paradigm has been dubbed “fuzzy spacetime.” Its core principle is that the physical laws that govern the Universe were not set a priori at the moment of the Big Bang, but have arisen as a result of fluctuations occurring among particles and fields. For example, both the velocity of light and the value of the gravitational constant are not arbitrary numbers, but can be deduced from thermodynamic and stochastic considerations.

The first two chapters summarize the mainstream approach to physics and posit the viability of emergent laws. Subsequent chapters summarize Sidharth’s “universe of fluctuations,” and show how it can be applied to describe phenomena on both the largest and smallest scales of nature. Several surprising revelations follow. For example, dark energy, which came as a shock when it was discovered by mainstream cosmologists in 1998, is actually a logical consequence of fuzzy spacetime; the theory predicts that the Universe’s expansion will be accelerating via a small cosmological constant. Additionally, a series of so-called “large number coincidences”—links between seemingly unrelated physical values—can be satisfactorily explained by Sidharth’s framework.

I have two other books that I’m looking forward to getting at some point, too. But, with finances how they are, I’m having to wait until I can get killer deals on them as well. The two books? The Eclectic Sole and New Pathways for Sock Knitters.