I Am A Knitting Machine
Since I've returned from summer stock, I've finished two sweaters and started a third. I've finished a pair of hand-dyed merino socks for my grandmother and started a pair of Bert and Ernie style self-striping ones for myself. I'm already on the second sock! And there was a silk scarf and knitting lessons for a friend...
And, as usual, I have a few projects planned:
*Fix the straps on my cotton tank so that it doesn't gap in the armholes.

*Finish the cotton and viscose tape boatneck shell currently on the needles. It's self-striping, too, but the yarn is a bit odd. The matte areas are all cotton and the shiny areas viscose, which makes for very different textures. The viscose tape is very slippery to work with.

*A pair of socks for my grandfather for either his anniversary or Christmas. They're both in December. It's a joy making socks for him because he really appreciates them. He takes better care of them than I do! I'd pulled a hank of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Green Mountain Madness, but he told me that he doesn't like the color green. What an odd color to dislike, but I suspect that it dates back to his days in the army. So my mother and I headed up to Arcadia Knitting, where I picked up a more suitable handpainted Wildefoote yarn in Rhapsody. There's some green, but it's balanced by the other jewel tones.

*My long-awaited Peace Fleece Everyday Cardigan kit. I didn't have to wait long for it--SAW is very quick--but I've been waiting for the weather to cool off before starting on it. I've admired it for a long time in their catalog and even bought the sample color. Maybe after I make it, I'd like it in another color. I'm pretty fond of the tweedy moss green that I bought.

*Many, many pairs of socks. Lewis pointed out to me that one day all of my socks will be handknit. Ironically, I rarely wear socks unless it's really cold or I want to wear my shit kickers.

*I'm looking for a project for the amazingly luxe charcoal grey Peruvian alpaca that I purchased in SoHo last year. I've got about 1300 yards and it knits at six stitches to the inch. I've been waiting for the perfect project.

In Other News:

I finally got paid for the overhire work that I did in July. The check really was in the mail.

Leni Riefenstahl died this week at age 101. She was a remarkable lady. I wonder when it will stop being so damn controversial to admire her work. As she put it, the Nazi era was a mere 7% of her life (possibly less as she got older). Here's a link to the obit the NY Times ran: Riefenstahl link

I got a letter saying that I've been denied unemployment benefits. I went to the IDES office for clarification, as the reasons given seemed wildly inaccurate. The agent I saw didn't listen to anything I said, couldn't get my SS# right after being told three times, and didn't even stamp my card. I cried. I hate crying in public. So, I'm going to go back tomorrow and try to speak to another agent to get this all straightened out. As I said jokingly to my grandmother, for all the work this has been, it would be easier to just get a job. I'm sure that's their intent.

I went in for my annual and was told that I have to cut back on my sugar intake. I love sugar. I'm upset about this. It'll be another difficult behavior modification for me. I used tootsie pops to wean myself off of cigarettes and now I have to quit the pops too. I asked my diabetic grandmother for advice and she advised all things in moderation.

I turned down a stage management job tonight. The producer was offering $50 for a month's worth of work. With remarkable restraint, I told him that it was financially impossible. Just to cover transportation, I'd need $250!

Someone posted a factory management job on Backstagejobs.com. They were apparently drawn in by the term production management, but didn't read anything before making their post. Are there a lot of steel workers looking for theatre gigs? Or stagehands looking for second shift work?

One of my neighbors has a wind chime that plays the same notes as the ringtone on my phone. Sometimes, it will play them in the right order and make me paranoid about missing a call all night. Some people like wind chimes, but to me they're just noise pollution. Like the other neighbor who uses his leaf blower right outside my living room window everyday. Always when I'm watching something engrossing on TV, too. And if the noise weren't bad enough, there's also the crazy gas fumes wafting in the window. I often have to retreat to the other end of the house, which isn't cool. I wonder what he'll do when there are actually leaves on the ground!