Oil Versus Coal

Somewhat random, as environmental issues aren't usually my milieu, but I was intrigued by this article from Wired Magazine's blog. In a nutshell, the story posits that coal is the bigger problem, environmentally speaking. Intriguing. Anyone out there with a technical background care to comment?

25 Things

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.

Ah, well. This is a meme I thought I'd successfully dodged. But turns out, my dear Boy-O has got the bug. So here it is:

1. I hate, hate, hate, snow/cold/winter with a flaming purple passion. This is one of the big reasons I live in Oregon: snow is rare enough that it is an "event" here.
2. I love knitting giant warm, wooly, cable-y things -- the more complex the better.
3. Ironically, all my published pieces thus far are very simple.
4. I just don't 'get' the sock knitting craze -- it bores me to tears.
5. Despite this,  I love sock yarn.
6.  I'm addicted to word games. I joined Facebook not to keep up with my friends, but to feed the addiction.
7. I was thisclose to attending Kendall Culinary College. 
8. I swore never to dress my kid in pink, b/c I didn't want to give in to gender stereotyping.
9. These days, approximately 85% of the clothes I buy for Z are pink or have pink accents.
10. The sound of Z's singing makes my heart tingle.
11. I think my husband is smarter than me -- and I'm happy about it.
12. I worry that my daughter will someday bring home that boy -- you know, the sort I dated before I met her dad.  
13. I love being near the water, but I can't swim.
14. I detest camping, but love hiking.
15. I secretly wish naked were an option.
16. I have unrealistic expectations about my knitting speed, despite 23 years of experience.
17. If I weren't a knitter, I would totally be a house blogger. 
18. Every summer, I taste melons to see if I still dislike them. 
19. I hate being in the outside lanes on bridges.
20. Driving terrifies me.
21. I'm a perfectionist and a procrastinator. This often leads to comedy.
22. Despite vivid recollections of pregnancy and birth, I would totally do it again.
23. I hate going to sleep. It always seems to interfere with all the stuff I want to do.
24. My poor dogs are still not over being displaced by the children.  
25. I think my kid is the best thing that ever happened in the history of the world -- and that I am a genius for marrying her dad.

Anyone else? Let me know if you do it.

At Long (Long) Last

Dudes: 'member this teaser of a post from back in September? (It feels so long ago that I'd nearly forgotten about it). But finally, the new issue of KnitScene has hit the stands and you can see the cuteness that is the Triple Slip Vest! 

(Photo shamelessly stolen from Knitscene's web site. All their rights reserved, etc., etc. Go see the bonus photos there.)

I love this vest. As always, I try to design the things I would like to wear. And for me, that means casual, yet feminine pieces you can easily integrate into your wardrobe.

I very much hope y'all like it as well. I can't wait to see it in the wild.

(Next time, I'll show you the original submitted sketch -- v. different from what you're seeing here. But I love this version, too.)

For My Next Trick...

NaKniSweMoDo!

So now I'm going to turn this:

(crap cell pic, sorry. Disco'd colors of KP Sierra, from when it was still Sierra)

...into something resembling a garment. By the end of January. Did I mention that I thrive under pressure?

SonOfAB..

In really, really, really irritating news, Portland's mayor has just revealed himself to be a predatory jackass -- and a big, fat liar. Ugh. I'm furious. 

You Say You Want A Resolution? (2009 Version)

I've got three:

Last month, while fondling a gorgeous skein of Dream In Color Starry (Ravelry link, since DIC doesn't have this on their own site) -- and reluctantly packing it in Mom-O's Christmas gift -- I rashly made a resolution. I'm blessed with an abundance of stash, and it makes zero sense for me to be coveting this (admittedly gorgeous) stuff when I haven't even scratched the surface of what I've already got in my possession. 

I often joke that *my* hobby is yarn collecting -- the knitting is just an adjunct to that. But it's started to feel truer than I'm comfortable with, so I said to the Boy-O that 2009 would be my Year of the Stash.

Of course, when I said that, I didn't realize that the new year was coming up quite so soon. ;-P

But, in for a penny, in for a pound, eh? Therefore, with the obvious exceptions of commissioned projects or sample swatches that I absolutely cannot do with any of the yarn already here in the house, this year's knitting will be from things already in my possession. 

#2) Now that Miss Z's a little bit older, and some of my time can belong to me again, I really, really need to do more submissions. I'm doing so much designing in my head, and it's totally frustrating not to be able to put it out there in the world. My goal is to get something out at least once a month. It's a small goal, but I think it's achievable.

#3) Finally, finally, finally, I am going to start publishing my own stuff. I've been threatening to get on this for months now, and I'm feeling like it's about time I put up or shut up.

So there you have it: the Tom & Bel KnitGoals for 2009. What are your knitting plans for this year?

Back From Outer Space

(No knit content here today, but check back tomorrow: new and possibly insane developments are coming soon.)

Boy-O, the kids and I just did the grand tour of Chicago, visiting my folks and his to show off our adorable baby. 

Exhausting, but worthwhile. Next visit, though, they are definitely coming to see us.