Knit Luck is here

Heya Peeps!

so I actually did something goofy and I built my own website at

http://www.knitluck.com

So in the future all updates will be posted there.

Portland Knitters! I Want To Go to the Knit and Crochet Show.

So, I got this nifty postcard in the mail reminding me about the Knit and Crochet Show in Portland the weekend of May 15th through the 17th.

Now, I know that I live in the land of Stitches. And I know that it would be much cheaper for me to go to Stitches. And I remember when I went to the Knit and Crochet show when it was in Oakland and it wasn't nearly as glamorous as Stitches, but I'm hoping that the Portland show might be better.

Besides.... It's Portland! I've always wanted to go to Portland. There's some sort of hipster mystique that I'd like to explore... despite the fact that I, myself am not really a hipster. But then there's also the music scene! I'd totally see a show in Portland.

But alas, I don't think I can afford a flight and a hotel. Maybe I should find another knitter who might let me stay at their house. So, yeah, if you're a Portland knitter who wants to go to the Knit and Crochet Show and you wouldn't mind putting me up for a day or two, leave me a comment. I promise I'm laid back and easy-going and perhaps I'll bring some knitting goodies to sweeten the deal.

GG

Going Green For the Holidays

Hey friends,

I work for a web design company and I'm blogging for them, so please go there and check out my post about sustainable holiday tips.

Find out what to do with all of those random yarn scraps.

and

Find out what to do with all of that quilting fabric you're never going to use.

Last Minute Christmas Knitting

Oh, Block It!

The good news is that many of my Christmas knitting projects are knitt-ed.

The bad news is that they all need to be blocked.

Thankfully we are only 6 days away from the big C and I do still have time, but let's face it. My apartment's a mess. There's a resident cat who will investigate my blocking knits and walk all over them.

My bathroom sink is not appropriate for soaking knits (a less than ideal bathroom is one of the downsides of inexpensive rent in the San Francisco Bay Area), and I still have yet to purchase a squirt bottle.

But hey, that squirt bottle will get two birds with one stone: blocking and teaching the cat not to walk on my knitting.

GG

Grenadine Girl Song

So I was doing some vanity googling and discovered that Jovian, has done a Grenadine Girl track... and I actually dig it.

Click here to listen.

Bleah

Divorcing is not good for your health. Until recently I wasn't making a whole lot of money and I didn't have a lot of time, so that meant that I was eating some pretty crappy food. I took advantage of this time to indulge in some old junkfood favorites like macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, mc donalds and burger king.

This is in stark contrast to my previous diet, which was optimized for my thyroid problem. I only ate organic and ate more fruits and vegetables. I stayed away from processed foods and only ate whole grains.

Six months later I can feel a difference. I don't have as much energy. I keep waking up in the middle of the night.

So I guess my new year's resolution (yes I'm already thinking about it) is to eat better.

No more crap.

More fruits, more veggies
Only organic
take vitamins
and exercise more

It's just a matter of getting rid of the old bad eating habits.

I've read a bunch of Mary Shomon's books as I am a believer of taking responsibility for one's own health. I was skeptical of her stance about diet mainly because I didn't see a big difference in my energy levels when I stopped eating white breads and pastas. Now I'm realizing that when I first got diagnosed as hypothyroid I was already eating an organic diet.

Now having been eating crappy food for the last year I can totally see a difference and it sucks. So I'm thinking about doing the restart diet from Feeling Fat, Fuzzy and Frazzled.

Sorry boyfriend, I think this means you're going to have to start eating healthily too.

GG

Making Up for Last Year

If you can imagine last Christmas was pretty awful, even with everybody's best intentions. There were people I didn't buy presents for, Christmas cards that didn't get posted. I'm hoping that people understand.

This year I'm trying to make up for all of that.

I've been shopping and knitting like a wild woman. The bargains are just too much to pass up. I'd say more, but then people's presents wouldn't be such a big surprise.

But I can tell you about the presents I bought for myself. It was mostly a lot of music.

Katy Perry - One of the Boys
Of Montreal - Hissing Fawns, Are You The Destroyer
Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob

I've been listening to a lot more music in the past year, because it helps me get through the shitty parts of the year and because it makes my long commute bearable. This is why I refer to my car as the traveling disco, even if I'm the only one dancing.

GG

One Year Ago

I did something crazy a year ago today.

I left my husband. Right before Christmas.

Admittedly, it wasn't very nice and I hated hurting someone who I did love. But it was the best decision for me. A year later I am much happier. I am more confident, more self assured, more self aware, more connected to my family, pursuing things closer to my skills, and I'm with someone better suited to me.

I hope that my ex is happier. I'm thankful that he and I have been communicative.

But that basically sums up why I haven't been blogging publicly. I didn't want to drag all of the yucky details for everyone to see. And it's been tremendously painful and difficult. But here I am on the other side and I've missed blogging.

so I'm back.

Grenadine Girl

le weekend

Went to the Maker Faire this weekend, which was fabulous! It was nice being surrounded by like minded crafty maker folks and awesome to be milling around the same crowd as Adam from Mythbusters!

It was also nifty to be hanging around with my boyfriend. We wandered from exhibit to exhibit checking out whatever tickeled our fancies. It was low key and easy going. He seems to have the same attention span that I do. We got a little taste of everything.

Some of the favorites:

1) the burning lady which was part of an exhibition from last year's burning man
2) the mento diet coke explosions
3) Adam from Mythbusters
4) yarn shopping (but sadly not buying)
5) Robot Wars
6) Robot Battleship Wars
7) the big robot giraffe
8) rockets!
9) gigantic cupcakes
10) DRAGON man!!!!!!!!!

Saturday was pretty good too. Saw Iron Man, which gets thumbs up, went to goodwill and splurged at Barnes and Noble. Had a fire in my parents' fireplace, drank tea and watching Radiohead in the Basement.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh

KL

hooray for me

So since I've moved I really haven't been able to make it up north for my regular knit night. I decided to find something a little closer to home on a night I'm not working two jobs.

I was a little nervous because I've been feeling depressed and it's been difficult to get out of that mindset, but I met a lovely group of ladies AND a hand-dyer! And I bought another skein of sock yarn. It was a phenomenally beautiful yarn, exactly what I'm looking for to cheer me up. It's white, with almost tie-dyed blues purples and plums (my colors). It had to take an exceptionally beautiful yarn for me to bust out more cash considering how obscenely large my yarn stash is. The unfortunate thing is that I can't find the ball band so I have no idea the name of the dyer except that her name is Joanne. I've got to find her on Ravelry. I'm beginning to realize that I'm a lot happier with a pair of socks to work on.

I'll post a photo of the yarn and get to the bottom of the dyer later.

It's nice to get back into the knitting.

GG

Pourquoi?

Things I need to do for myself:

1) improve my French
2) make more friends
3) do more social stuff
4) meditate
5) read
6) write
7) join a book group
8) take a chill pill
9) find a new knitting group
10) save money

New Home

Welcome to my new home.

Photos of the new apartment to come soon.

GG

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

This blog has had it's time and place, but now it's time to move on.

Keep your eye out for Knitluck.com where I will eventually host my new blog.

Thanks for reading

GG

Hi

So I've noticed that people still come by here to visit despite the fact that I haven't written, so it's inspired me to write.

Some people are coming here because it's the only way they know what I'm up to.

Most of my friends know that a lot has changed.

For one thing I have a new job. And since I don't like to discuss work much I can't say much about it except that it's in the city and I like it. This job has nothing to do with knitting. Nor can I knit on the job anymore. But that's ok. That's how one actually makes a living.

There's a lot of pain in these changes. Each bit of happiness is touched by sorrow.

And my knitting book got rejected. Not a huge surprise given the industry and my lack of experience. I'm trying to decide what to do with the patterns I've created, trying to decide whether to send them to magazines and if so, which publications.

But overall I'm doing alright. Everyday is different.

GG

I'm An Aunty

Of course I had to post a photo of her wearing something I knit.

GG

About That Justice Album...

It won't play in my car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stupid Recording Industry paranoid assholes. I PAID you for the music, let me PLAY it in my car.

There's a good reason I haven't been blogging of late, but I'm not ready to share it yet. Might be a while before I write again...

GG

Early Morning Music Thought

Somebody please remind me to buy the Justice album!!!

And that's Juice-tees. It's French.

GG

I Live In San Francisco and You Don't #9

Hide and Seek in the Legion of Honor

in formal wear.

This is a dream come true for me!!!!!!

Does anyone want to come with?

A First For Me

It's holiday season and for the first time ever I'm just not that into it. Not that I'm against it, or depressed about it or that I don't want to partake in it. I just don't feel it. I'm not in the mood to get all geared up. The holiday shopping, the parties. Albeit I've done quite a bit on the holiday dress front, but as for the actual holiday. I'm just not interested.

Maybe it's because I've had huge Christmases for the last three years. Two at my own house with lots of friends and family and one in Australia with more friends and family. As much as I loved those occasions they kind of wore me out. It's a lot of work this Christmas cheer.

I don't even want to Christmas shop. I'm broke anyway. That's where the working part-time hasn't worked out for me. I honestly do not have the cash to do Christmas I'd normally do. Strangely enough instead of feeling bummed out, I'm actually relieved.

So I'm making lots of holiday gifts. Scarves, sweaters, bags, baby booties etc.

Because you know. I just haven't knitted enough this year.

On the book front I did get a confirmation receipt from the book publishers, which was a victory in itself. They didn't take one look at it and say "Return to sender" Score one for me!

Also I finally watched La Vie En Rose. I'd been wanting to watch this film for ages, but just never got around to it. I'm so glad I waited. You know how you end up seeing things at exactly the right time you're meant to see them? It's a beautiful, untraditional biopic. Some people found the editing to be a bit unsettling, especially the juxtaposition of Edith Piaf's childhood scenes and adulthood scenes. However I felt the whole thing to be so thoroughly French. It wasn't your typical Hollywood biopic and the American audience is so used to seeing stories presented in a cut and dry fashion. A causes B, which causes C, very linear. La Vie En Rose takes a different approach focusing on emotional nuances. Anyway... I found it fascinating. The thing I love about the French is that their national identity is so profoundly human, it comes from a place of universality whereas others can be a bit more "holier than thou" and exclusive. Perhaps that's why so many people wish they could be French.

Anyway it has been a good week. I am thoroughly happy.

GG

Ok, it's out of my hands

The book proposal was mailed today. There were a few comedic errors that prevented me from sending it yesterday, but it's out and now it's up to someone else.

party time excellent.

GG