Okay, here’s a unique question.

You know I’m in NJ, but my best friend–you remember Dawn, right? The one I gave my Peacock Shawl to?–She just started studying how to become a film producer at AFI in Los Angeles. Her team is gearing up for their first project and, because they’re also the first group, they’ve got a tight schedule.

What she desperately needs is someplace to film a couple of scenes in what looks like it could be a graduate student’s apartment–you know, clean and decent, but not chockfull with things like stainless steel appliances and such.

She’s new to LA–she’s lived in California for over 10 years now, but only just moved down from the Bay area–but this means that she doesn’t know a lot of people she could ASK this of yet.

They would need to film over October 4-7th, during daylight hours, and they need a kitchen with a window, and a bedroom with a window. (It doesn’t even need to be an apartment, technically, because they could film it as if it was one.) They have practically no budget, but could afford to pay about $300.

I know–it’s an odd request, but, well … I promised I would pass it on …

Please leave a comment if you think you’d be interested–or know somebody who would be. Dawn is a responsible 40-year old and I’ve known her since she was 7, so I’ll vouch for her basic human decency. (Or, really, would I be asking a bunch of people 3000 miles away for a favor? Well, I mean, you ARE yarn people, after all–you just probably have MUCH better tans than I do!)

Thanks, everyone!

This has been a FSA (Friend Service Announcement).

Tags: Friends by --Deb
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Well, some extra reading material is never a bad thing, right?

I’ll, um, just add it to the top of the pile. It’s GOOD to have recreational reading, though!

Today has been a crazy, late day. Everything’s been just a little off. I over slept–not by a lot, just by one alarm clock “snooze”–but enough to throw things off. Then, I goofed when I measured out my oatmeal this morning and ended up with soupy gruel instead of, you know, oatmeal. I even tried adding some 1-minute oatmeal to the pot (I always eat the Old-Fashioned, 5-minute oatmeal) to thicken things up, but to no avail. But by the time it was done … well, not done, exactly, but it was late enough I didn’t have any more time to mess with it … because I HAD added extra oatmeal to my extra water, there was too  much of it to fit into my bowl and still have room for enough milk to cool it off enough to be able to eat it. So I had to dump some into the garbage, and I was still eating at 7:20, when it’s time for Chappy’s breakfast. You can imagine how he felt about that!

Then, we had thunderous, torrential rain this morning, with lots of thunder and lightning. Huge amounts of rain–there was so much coming down the hill toward the office door, I was afraid my car was going to wash inside the building. (Well, not literally.) We had a client come to visit, and just as he walked in the door at the height of the storm, I noticed my phone wasn’t working. Neither was one of my office neighbor’s phones … but everybody else’s was. (I don’t know why either.) But I had to get everybody in the office off the phones so I could reboot the phone system–all as quickly as possible, so I could get into the meeting with the visiting client.

Um … the rest of the day kind of followed the pattern. Late home for lunch because of the meeting. A suddenly-swamped mailbox this afternoon. Headache from the shifting air pressure from the storm. Tired, tired eyes from the computer.

But, there was one, huge bright spot.

(Well, other than Chappy–who always makes me smile.)

And, you’ll like this one. Because, I’ve got something else you might want to read–an Interview with Kay and Ann from Mason-Dixon Knitting at Knitting Scholar!

As in–an interview with me, over at my book review site. How cool is THAT? (You, um, DID know they’ve got a new book coming out next week, right?) This was SO much fun! Not only that, I only sprung the idea on them on Sunday night, sent them the questions yesterday, and had them back today with great answers. Funny, entertaining, insightful … just what you’d expect from Kay and Ann. Part one of the interview is up right now; part two is coming up in a day or so…

Tags: General by --Deb
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Well–here’s Ingenue, so far. I’ve finished the raglan shaping for the top and just put the sleeve stitches on waste yarn to keep them out of the way while I focus on the front and back of the body for the next while. I know, the pictures aren’t the best, but, well …

Oh, lordy, I was going to update the pictures on the Chappysmom calendar over at Cafe Press this week (in case any of you wanted a 2009 edition), but … who’s going to want my pictures of yarn, when they can have this calendar from Franklin?

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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So, the negative about pulling out so many old, favorite knitting books to write reviews about them? My already-overflowing bookcase has started disintegrating into chaos. Because it’s overflowing to begin with, I’ve got horizontal piles of books, and piles of books balanced on the top … not to mention the knitting magazines overflowing their holders. The extra bags of yarn that have been piled there haven’t helped matters, either.

Then, I’d pull books out, and somehow, they would lose their places and there wouldn’t be room to put them back … As I say, chaos.

So–an hour or so of work later, at least I’ve got everything more or less tidy. The yarn is organized and all in the appropriate bins at the top of the closet and, for the moment at least, the books mostly all fit. (Um, we’ll see how long that lasts!)

Also? Today would have been Katy‘s birthday. I know, I tell you this every year, but for some reason, I’m really missing her today. Or at least, right NOW.  So, here are some (blurry) photos-of-photos of her because, darn it, she was so beautiful….

Tags: Family, General, Katy, Jilly, Muppy by --Deb
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How cool is this? My very own business cards! Black, with the logo on the front; white with my knitting-stitch icon on the back. They look just fabulous, don’t you think?

Although, in retrospect, I should have made the composition book with “Reviews of Knitting Books” a bit larger–it’s a little hard to read. But, hey, they’re fancy-schmancy business cards that I designed myself, so … no complaints! (And, can you tell I’ve been having WAY too much fun with that little cap?)

Speaking of Knitting Scholar, I got a mention in Ivy’s Knit Spirit podcast, which is also cool.

Oh, and also–my review of Nancie Wiseman’s “Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques” is up. Next review coming? Elizabeth Zimmerman’s classic, “Knitting Around.” Also coming up? Casual Elegant Knits: Classy Designs for Men and Women. I’m even getting a review copy for it, which is fantastic because this way I get to SEE the book I wouldn’t otherwise have gotten. (In fact, the author is in the middle of a blog tour this week, and today is at Fitter Knitter.)

How does one GET on a blog tour, anyway?

Additionally, guess what else I did? I signed up for advertising space on Ravelry. I looked into Knitty‘s advertising, but it was hundreds of dollars, and I asked for rates for Knitter’s Review and haven’t heard yet. Ravelry, though? Something like $10 a month, depending on where the ad goes. So–to help spread the word, that seemed pretty reasonable.

In fact, it seemed SO reasonable, I signed up for TWO ads.

Because–why not? It’s the beginning of September–plenty of time to get a Tannenbaum hat knit in time for the holidays, right? If I sell two patterns it will more than pay for the cost of the ad, and if it doesn’t? Well, I tried!

Okay, so … other stuff. It’s raining, because Hanna came to town. They had been forecasting rain due to start in the early morning hours, but as it turned out, it didn’t start raining here until after 3:00 in the afternoon. Which meant that Mom and I were able to go out for coffee for the first time in weeks without getting drenched. And Kim, who was handing out flyers this morning (announcing a meeting to protest the NJ Transit cutbacks at Mt. Tabor), didn’t get soaked doing her good deed, either.

But, other than reading and doing computer things, and listening to the pounding rain this afternoon–the first real rain we’ve had in weeks, so no complaints–it’s been a quiet day. Chappy is thrilled because he’s had his family home practically all day, and had LOTS of pets, scratches, and other outward signs of adoration. (Well-deserved, of course.)

Oh, and I got a comment on yesterday’s post by another Chappysmom. A woman with a Leonberger dog named Chappy who came across my blog when she googled his name. (It’s so nice to know I’m not the only person who does that.) Hi, Judi! Hope your Chappy is as happy as my Chappy!

I wandered around the yard last night with my camera. It’s amazing how many tree leaves have started to turn already, since it HAS been so dry.

Tags: General, knitting book review by --Deb
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Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
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You know that irresistable temptation feeling? The one you usually get when you’re faced with luscious yarn?

Yeah, well … I really loved Eli Stone when it was on the air for its short season last Spring, and appalling money trouble or not, well … I had to have it. How can you resist a law show about a lawyer with a brain aneurism which may or may not be causing prophetic visions … many of which come in the form of musical number, and frequent appearances by George Michael? It’s just a delightful show. ABC was thoughtful enough to run some repeats over the summer. (Okay, they were on Saturday at 10:00, but I’m not complaining–we recorded them.) The fact that they aired repeats, though, gave me a chance to get Mom watching, too, and now she’s as hooked as I am … and now we can see the episodes we missed!

The one weird thing? In the bonus features, they talk to Jonny Lee Miller, of course, and while his character is purely American, he himself is British … but I’m so used to “Eli” talking with an American accent, that the actor speaking as himself keeps throwing me off! Still … watching the cast (Natasha Hendridge, Victor Garber, Loretta Divine to name a few) joking with each other is fun. SO worth getting this set.

And I’m not going to apologize for my pre-ordered set of Chuck, either. These two shows were by far my favorites of the new season last year (followed closely by the  The Big Bang Theory, which was a riot).

I know, there’s really no excuse … other than that the show is delicious.

On the plus side, my sweater is coming along. The blue … which is to say, the top of the sweater … is about 4″ long now and I just keep pausing to admire the color. I’ll say it again (because why should Mom and Chappy be the only ones to hear it), I LOVE this color. Love it, love it, love it!

My review of Inspired to Knit is up … please come over and read it! (For that matter, I wrote an article ABOUT writing reviews for Punctuality Rules!, too.)

Oh, and I’ve been Twittering lately … come follow me!

And–a funny cartoon that we all got a kick of today.

And, speaking of TV shows on DVD, Amazon is having a special “Emmy Deals” promotion, and since I am a big fan of getting tv shows on DVD, well, I had to point it out!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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If you didn’t see it, I compiled a list of all the new knitting books coming out in the next few months–or, at least, all the ones I could find on Amazon.

Guess how many there were?

Forty-four! That’s a lot of books!

Which ones have I actually pre-ordered?

• I love the cover sweater on Color Style, so that was one of them.
• The Mason-Dixon book–of course!
• The Yarn Harlot’s new book was a must and
• Franklin Habit’s just because I love his cartoons so much.
• The Classic Elite book because their styles are always so classy.
•  Melissa Leapman’s new cable book, because her first one was good, cables are so much fun, and that title just woos me every time I look at it.
• Boutique Knits, which surprised even me, because I’m not usually that drawn to accessories, but the preview pictures are so pretty–I think it was the hood that really got me.
• Oh, and the spinning book by Judith Mackenzie McCuin because, well, I had to!

Some of the ones I’m lusting after, but can’t fit into the budget?

• Nancy Bush’s Knitting Lace of Estonia
• Knitting on Top of the World by Nicki Epstein
• Knit One Below, because it looks so darn interesting, if only because I know so little about those kinds of stitches
• Wendy Johnson’s new sock book, because I’m sure it’s going to be good, but I almost always knit plain stockinette socks and can’t justify the cost.
• The Knitters Yarn Palette looks really interesting, too–it will be a great reference if it’s as good as it looks.

Sigh … books are addictive. Especially with that new habit of mine to feed.

And, may I also draw your attention to this post at the QC Report. My favorite quote?

Which leads me to what I believe; life is where you frame the picture. How we see ourselves is nothing more than the stories we tell ourselves, an accumulation of mental pictures which confirm the suspicions we already have. The things we remember and the things we forget, the parts of the story we place in the middle of the frame and the things we cut off or leave blurrily walking out of the picture are what comprise how we view each new event in our lives.

Tags: General, Reading by --Deb
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So, there I was, adding the blue yarn to my sweater. The dusky blue that I really love, that’s one of my all-time favorite shades. The color of a car I used to have …

Then I realized. It’s September 2nd. The anniversary of the day I GOT that blue car. How funny is that! Fifteen years ago tonight, I was the proud new owner of a 1994 blue Saturn SL2, and I’ve got proof. The Saturn dealer sent me a calendar to commemorate the event. AND they sent me Gimme Jimmy cookies in a tin shaped like a tire, too.

And, of COURSE I still have the calendar! I never actually used it as a calendar–it still starts with the January 1994 page–but naturally I kept it for the picture. That was a big day for me.

This had been the first car I’d bought entirely by myself, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the whole experience. Before that, I drove a 1988 VW Golf GL, in Champagne, and I absolutely adored that car. I got that my junior year in college and was thrilled with it. The only thing I ever had trouble with with that car was the tires. Even when its gas filter clogged up one time, when I was visiting my best friend in Massachusetts, it STILL got me home. (It stalled every time I took my foot off the gas, but luckily there wasn’t much traffic.) Granted, I couldn’t get to work the next morning, but still–it didn’t leave me stranded in the middle of Connecticut, either, so no complaints.

I hadn’t actually bought that car, though. My parents did. It was in my name, but while I was in school, they made the monthly payments. I took them over when I graduated and got a job. When that car was 6 years old, I decided it was time for a change, but at the time, my sister was in desperate need of a car. She had moved out to Pennsylvania and had driven her old car into the ground with all the miles she had to put on. But money was so tight, on one salary, they just couldn’t afford a new car. So, I sold her the VW.

I printed up a mock-up of the window sticker from the original purchase. (Yes, I had kept that, too.) The deal was that she could pay me each month whatever they could afford until the car was paid off–and I let her do the bookkeeping for it. When, years later, she told me it was paid, I believed her (grin). And in the meantime, I put down some of my own money for this Saturn. And, since I was being such a good sister, my parents chipped in the extra $2000 so that I could get the higher-powered model rather than the base model.

Yep. This was a good car, too.

And, I sure did like that color!

Tags: General by --Deb
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Look! Pictures of actual knitting. Knitting that’s bigger than just a sock or a string bag! (I know, I’m giddy, too.)

This is the neckband of my Ingenue sweater. The neck will be this lovely, mild brown, and the rest of the sweater will be that dusty blue that I love so well.

It’s been a pretty quiet day, here at Chappy’s house. We were all still tired from our busy (but fun) family weekend. And Mom DID insist on scrubbing the dining room rug again, even though Dad and I both said we really didn’t see any stain left. Or, at least, not enough to warrant that much more work! As it is, I’ve spent most of the day upstairs in my room instead of in the dining room to avoid the cleanser fumes.

What about this picture of gorgeous Chappy, though, huh? He was lying in the sunspot and I looked at him and said, “Oh, you look so handsome. Please just let me take your picture,” as I reached for the camera. Well, he DID. He actually posed for the camera for exactly as long as it took for me to snap one picture–then he hopped up and came over and gave me a kiss, as if to say, “There you go, Mom. I love you.”

Isn’t he a nice boy? Of course, he’s been teasing Mom all day. First, he gave her the “You’re invisible and I can’t see you” treatment while he ran around the house saying good morning. Don’t ask me why, but he does this almost every weekend–he’ll look right past her to go running to Dad, even if she’s calling his name. Then, while she was getting dressed, he stole the slipper out of her closet–right in front of her. He carried it downstairs to his favorite “I’ve got a trophy” spot in the dining room, and then went back and stole the second one! The sneak!

But, otherwise? Quiet, with beautiful weather. We four did go out for a walk around the block around 1:30, but mostly stayed in one place.

I did order some business cards for Knitting Scholar, because it’s something I’d like to be able to promote. I thought about Moo cards–which I really do love–but since I could get more business cards for less money, I opted for the standard size. (And, no, that didn’t really make sense to me, either. I wonder why bigger is cheaper?) I wonder how you get on those “Blog Tour” lists that publisher’s do when a new book comes out? I don’t exactly have a big readership (yet?), but am getting some decent page-view statistics for a blog that’s only a week old.

Does anybody have ideas of how to boost my Knitting Scholar readership? I’m really hoping that this blog takes off, and am hoping that it pays for itself–and bringing in some extra money would be great. (Again, money things here are scary scary scary. We all really love our house, you know?)

Oh–and my review of Vogue Knitting–you know, the big reference book–is up over at Knitting Scholar, with great thanks to Kim who lent me her more-current version so that I could compare my old, 1989 edition to what’s on the shelves today. (And, really? Barely any difference at all. Except for the actual patterns at the back of the book, I’m at a loss to say what, exactly was “Updated!” in the newer edition.) Anyway, the review is up, so do feel free to head over and take a look.

Tags: General, knitting book review, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Here’s the list of books I read in August:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1) (309 p.)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) (341 p.)
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) (435 p.)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (736 p.)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) (870 p.)
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) (652 p.)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) (759 p.) All by JK Rowling, of course. Do you need any more of an explanation than this? Harry, Ron, and Hermione save the world from Voldemort….

8. An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker (238 p.) One of my favorite kind of science books–fascinating topic. What makes the wind blow? Where does oxygen come from? Why are free radicals so deadly? What makes the air move? Really fascinating, and told in a highly entertaining way. (Well, for a science book.) Each topic is introduced by telling the story of the people who were instrumental in each discovery. It was just great.

9. The Thrall and the Dragon’s Heart by Elizabeth Boyer (294 p.) An old book from my library. (I was in high school when this came out, and it’s no longer in print.) It’s a fun, scandinavian-themed romp, though. A fantasy story about Brak, who is given a dried Dragon’s Heart to help defeat an evil magician… yeah, awful description, but I’ve always liked Elizabeth Boyer’s books–they’re totally unique and have a sense of fun about them. Especially the earlier books. (Her last series got a lot darker.)

10. The One Kingdom by Sean Russell (463 p.)
11. The Isle of Battle by Sean Russell (467 p.)
12. The Shadow Roads by Sean Russell (433 p.) My least-favorite series by one of my very favorite authors–it’s not one I read often at all. (In fact, I’d only read the final book once.) It’s a classic kind of fantasy story, but with a lot of “mystic” kinds of things happening–floating down rivers that suddenly change course, getting lost in a land where there is no exit–and I tend to like my stories a little less “fuzzy” than that. Still, they’re good books–when I’m in just the right kind of mood!

13. Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques by Wendy Bernard (167 p.) Fantastic new knitting book, great designs, and helpful guidance for modifying them. (Full review here.)

14. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (726 p.) Oh, my. Such a LOTR knock-off, but I loved this book when I was in high school. A magical quest to save the world, with a group of companions (young men, a dwarf, two fighters, elves, and a druid) questing for the one item that will defeat the ultimate evil … basically, it’s just a condensed version of Lord of the Rings. In fact, as I was reading, I was thinking, “There’s the Council of Elrond, there’s the sundering of the Fellowship, there’s the capture of the hero…” Basically, it’s a good enough book for what it is, but, well, it’s a knock off. The author took the series in a  new direction afterward, mind you, but still …

15. Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier (516 p.)
16. Foxmask by Juliet Marillier (560 p.) A scandinavian/celtic duo. This is another author that I love, she writes just beautiful fantasy. I enjoyed the second book more than the first, but still–two stories here, one rooted in Norway, one in the far northern British isles. Just lovely.

17. Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle Over Global Warming by Chris Mooney (276 p.) Drier than the “Ocean of Air,”above, but still interesting. This book explores the concept of global warming as it spread through the American scientific community, taking the politicians along in its wake. I felt it got a little bogged down in statistics from time to time, and it’s not quite as readable as that last book, but still, it was good to read … though, I admit, I got a little bored toward the end.

18. The Deer’s Cry: A Book of the Keltiad by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (323 p.) Part of her “Keltic” series, this tells the story of Brendan, an Irishman who, in 453 AD took his people on a journey to escape the Christian influx spearheaded by Patrick … except, he didn’t just journey across the ocean, he took them out into the stars to found Keltia. Sci-fi Irishmen in space … ahhh….

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by --Deb
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