Bohemian Bluestocking

There is a reason they are called....

2008-07-17T18:47:12-04:00

Mass-holes. They are from Massachusetts and they are *fill in the obvious blank*.

Let me explain:

I was running late to work this morning. Nothing unusual. I am more often than not 10 minutes late to work. I stopped to get coffee at the combo Shell Gas/Dunkin Donuts on my way. Hey, I was running late. I placate my draper with coffee -- caffeine is a great smoother out of many things. I pull into the center(turning) lane of of traffic, get my blinker on, there is a car in front of me who is turning too. There is gap in the on-coming traffic, just long enough for both of us to make the left turn, with no hestitation. So of course she hesitates, and I peep my horn, one single light peep, to let her know they is someone behind here, and she needs to move a bit more quickly, so I don't block traffic. They I scoot around her, and get into the drive-through lane, order my coffee, pull up to pay.

SHE IS WAITING FOR ME AS I GET READY TO PULL AWAY FROM THE DRIVE-THROUGH WINDOW.

I have my window down, and she says, "you are a crazy woman."
Me: "You waited for me to come through the drive-through?"
Her: "You are a dangerous driver. You and your fancy vehicle, you need to go back where you came from." (My license plates are from NH; the 2002 Jeep Liberty is on loan from the parents, it is *not* a really fancy vehicle. Cool, yes. Fancy, no)

She, on the other hand, is driving a brand-new Mercedes cross-over SUV. (What she had can be found through that link, MSRP starting at $45,000, Liberty was about 1/2 that)

I give her "oh, god, what a wack-job" look and quickly drive away.

There is a reason I tell people I am from New Hampshire. We tend not to scream at people in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot. Unless we are related to them. ;)

My Jeans Do Not Gap!

2008-07-05T19:11:59-04:00

God, I love my new jeans! I got a new pair last week, after a fashion meltdown, bewailing the moment when I realized I needed new clothes. I go to Lane Bryant, because I am zaftig, amd to be honest, I am tired of buying my jeans at Sprawl-Mart.

The don't gap at the small of back. It's a miracle. And they are TWO sizes smaller than I expected, because I am a very curvy girl. (I guess. That's what the jeans say. They talk to me and say -- cathee, you're a curvy girl, go two sizes smaller than you were thinking.)

The only problem, of course they is a problem, but a small one(s): They are 2 inches too long, easily hemmed. And they are bootcut, but a bootcut verging into flares. I narrowed the leg from the knee down, grading from nothing to 2 inches at the cuff, so they look more traditional bootcut, slightly wider than straight-leg.

In addition to fixing my jeans, I was able to finish up the two grocery bags and now I have a coordinating set of three to take to StopNShop.

Wondering what to do on the day off....?

2008-06-30T18:27:42-04:00

I have a day off. In my current theater incarnation, I have 1.5 days off(1/2 of Sunday, and all of Monday, when the theatre is dark) I came in today to do a couple of hours work, truing up a shawl-collar vest pattern, which I will cut tomorrow afternoon, after my draper has trued and cut a tailcoat using the same lining.

But what to do now that I have the rest of my evening? Probably go home, clean the apartment a bit, keep knitting on the sweater I've started, maybe start another pair of socks, if so inclined. Not very exciting, I admit, but more reassuring that I can have a seemingly normal life, if I choose.

What! a dreary day

2008-06-26T17:56:16-04:00

It's still raining here in the Berkshires. And it's rained a lot this spring and early summer. Sun would be really nice. And I guess I'm just down. There is always a slight trough after technical rehearsal. Our next show, Othello, hasn't really geared up yet, or maybe *I* haven't really geared up for the next show. And my project/build list looks a bit daunting: Several floor-length dusters, tailcoat, shawl-collar vest, pants, empire-waist wrap dress, and a gyspy-ish soutache-embellished bodice. Now, admittedly, I am not building *all* these garments, but, as 1st hand, I need to keep an eye on their progress, and more importantly, need to be able to speak intelligently about them -- which is probably the harder component of the two.

And no, I am not whining about it. Just a a slight wave of "oh god, what have I done...."

But I am off work a bit early this afternoon, which worries me a little, as if I am missing something vital, and it will dawn on me later tonight.

So I'll go home, make some real dinner, and work on my quilt a bit. Yes, there is a project that does not involve yarn. I've collected enough 30s style blue/red/yellow prints to make a lap quilt. I bought a pattern, called Bento Box, looks a bit like a abbreviated Log Cabin. After the 1st run at the lap quilt, I'll move onto a full-size in Japanese print (hence Bento Box, because it looks a bit like the layed school lunch boxes used in Japan)

Wow....people are reading my blog....wow

2008-06-24T18:44:53-04:00

So, I don't pay much attention to my blog stats, because I assume I'm out there in the ether, on my own -- except for Beth S. -- who I know reads it :) But I looked recently, and yes, someone's reading it. Not that I have facinating things to say, but hey, I have something to be said.

The update is I am hard at work in the costume shop at Shakespeare & Co., that regional theatre(note the 're' -- very important...) in Lenox, Massachusetts, nestled in the Berkshires, "America's Premier Cultural Resort," according to the country's promotional materials. Which really means the area is full of second-home owners and the touristas, coming to imbide "culture" in the form of Tanglewood, Norman Rockwell, and the various theatres that abound.

The reality is gridlock, crabby customer services, and new yawk accents clamouring in the humidity of July and August. ugh.

I just wait for September and they head further north to gawk at the leaves. Yeah -- they're pretty, but jeez, making a special trip?

So I am making costumes, and knitting my little heart out so I'll have stuff to sell this winter. And a home-cooked meal is probably not within site any time soon. darn.

All's Well That Ends with me knitting a wig

2008-06-22T18:14:23-04:00

It can be soooo nice to see your stuff on stage. And this week it's even doubly nice, since it's a knitted item on stage. I knitted a wig for a current show at Shakespeare & Co, the regional theater I work at. And here are the pictures:(courtesy of their website/Kevin Sprague/Studio Two) And it actually looks like a wig, though slightly flat on top, the curls were a little tight to get into that small circumference. I am pleased, and as soon as I can get some close-up construction photos, I'll post those.

Fetching is not so fetching

2008-04-29T18:07:12-04:00

I want to like this pattern. Really. Really I do. For the most part, I like Knitty stuff. But this one is harder to love. There are a couple of things that I can't call quite knitter-ly.

The whole thumb thing. A gusset is not that hard to figure out. Come on, people! When I made these, finally, it went right in the purl "ditch."
That whole picot edge thing doesn't work. You want the picot eyelet to line up with the purl stitches, which is doesn't. But it does on mine....
And the stubby little thumb looks stubby. If there is a gusset, the thumb doesn't look stubby. End of story.

So here is my version of Fetching, looking much more fetching, I think. Though the photo is not great, I admit.