frog’s leap winery

BW’s parents were in town for the holidays, and on Monday we all headed out to Napa to take a tour of the Frog’s Leap winery.

It was my first time at a winery, and I was sort of awed by the barrels and fermentation vats. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that we started on our first glass of wine at 10:30 a.m.

This company is really great – they make their wines organically, sustainably, and irrigation-free, their employees are actual employees with fair wages and retirement plans, and their property, however small, has a sizable garden and very happy looking chickens!

A nice touch of the rustic. Good place to have a picnic, on a clearer day.

Throughout the valley the vines, rows upon rows of vines, are couched in the brilliant yellow and green of wild mustard plants. It’s quite a sight. The colors are so vibrant, and even the winter branches take on a vividness against the bright grey sky.

The icing on the cake? The migration of the starlings, which happens once a winter, happened on Monday. Our soundtrack was the constant twitter of hundreds of birds and our sky was filled with little black specks zooming around in packs, floating apart only to collide together again a moment later. Lovely.

More pictures here.

it’s snowing!

First snow of the season! My California heart is melting.

grad school SOCKS

Socks, guys. Not sucks. No no. Socks. Since August I have been on a sock rampage. With winter coming, I’m thankful for my rapidly accumulating sock stash. On the other hand, with our wood floors and lack of a mop, I’m not so thankful for the buildup of dirt and dust on the bottoms of all my beautiful socks. Maybe I should knit myself some house slippers while I’m at it.

First up are the Uptown Boot Socks from Favorite Socks. These were a trans-continental project, and somewhere during the move I lost half a ball of yarn. When I finished these I had just a teeny tiny ball the size of my thumbnail left. These socks got me knitting from the stash again and motivated me to finish a bunch of languishing projects all in a row. Bing bam boom. They also lulled me into thinking that I could knit while reading, which is not actually as true as I sometimes think it is. They’re knit in Rowan cashmerino and they are so soft and warm and lovely. One of these days I am going to knit something out of this yarn that covers my entire body. Like one of those baby burrito swaddling cloths. Or a beanie that covers my whole face.

Next, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you my first ever pattern-free socks. That’s right. I knit these babies on the fly. And they turned out perfect. I wrote down what I did as I knit, so I can type up a free “pattern-free” pattern for anyone who wants it, as soon as I get a chance. I know those patterns exist already, but they don’t include silly red heels and toes. These socks are super warm and soft and squishy and they do have silly red toes and heels and I love them.

I finished these giant fancy man socks (Gentleman’s Half-Hose from Knitting Vintage Socks) six weeks ago, but I didn’t get any good pictures while BW was here and he took them back to California with him, so they will forever look photographically unfinished. These socks were an epic adventure. I tore through the first sock, finished it in less than a week. These socks are like eleven inches high and one of the pattern rows is k1p1 so you can imagine the extent of my frenzy. The day I finished sock number one, my cohort went out drinking, and I LOST THE SOCK at the bar. Horror of horrors. Not only had I paid premium dollars for nice Koigu yarn and basically broken my hand knitting as fast as humanly possible, but now I would have to do it all again? Twice?! Unacceptable. Luckily, this all happened at a bar, so instead of moaning and rending my garments I just drank away my sorrow. A week later we all went back to the bar and my sock was hanging up on the wall. I screamed with joy and told everyone how lucky I was and danced around the room and promptly lost a pair of handknit gloves. That bar is no good for my knitting.

So I’m on a sock-roll. I’ve been working steadily on a blanket of leftover sock yarn squares, and with the leftovers from that project I’m making stash socks from Kristin Roach’s craft: post. Mine is the first project on Ravelry and that feels weird. I’ve gotten used to knitting crazy popular things and searching through other people’s photos for ideas. Oh well. Maybe other people will search me.

flash diffuser

I happened to have an empty cigarette box lying around (don’t ask me why) so I decided to take five minutes and make this cigarette box flash diffuser. And then I decided to take twenty minutes and play around with my new nighttime picture-taking capabilities.

These are leftover Halloween decorations, crammed into a martini glass. I think they look like a barbershop quintet.

Although from the side, they really just look like lollipops covered in Kleenex crammed into a martini glass. I really can’t believe I took this picture at 11:00 at night. The light is so … even? I don’t know how to talk about cameras. Someday I’ll have space for that knowledge in my head, but not today.

A mirror shot, so you can see how the flash is really contained. I don’t usually take pictures with my eyes shut tight. My thinking was that if I couldn’t see you, maybe you couldn’t see me in all my sleep-deprived, bags-under-my-eyes, makeup-free unkempt glory.

I’d like to think this new cheap toy will help me with my blogging, since I am desperately behind on my knitting updates and that is in large part due to the crappy lighting in my apartment. But, realistically, I’m in my first soul-sucking semester of grad school. I’ll see you when I see you. And when I do, I’ll probably keep my eyes shut tight.

how to stay warm in the winter

It’s only October and my first Rhode Island winter is off to a bad start. We’ve had weather in the 30’s and 40’s, which means I’ve been tromping around our heat-free apartment in hats, sweaters, and a minimum of two pairs each of socks, gloves, and pants. Despite today’s comparable heat wave (high of 51!) I didn’t feel up for much outdoor activity, but I did manage to make it a whole four blocks from my house to Acme Video, and I’m glad I did, because for the bargain price of two dollars, I picked up a local zine filled with tips for how to stay warm during a brutal, loneliness-inducing, finger-reddening east coast winter.

I’m still digesting all my new helpful information (insulate! sit up straight! don’t wear toe socks!) but in the meantime, here’s how I’m keeping warm on my Saturday night: a cheap bottle of wine, a stack of New Yorkers, a Pasolini film, some light reading, and my very first sweater project. Details on the knitting will come, once my mental time is a little bit more my own. For now, I’m off to weigh the joys of freshly-baked brownies and oven-heat against the burden of post-brownie dishwashing. Dilemma.

so much to do, so little time

After missing the What Cheer? Brigade’s big fall show, the Rise of the Herbivores fundraiser for RIVA (seriously I missed that?), a night of super short stories at WNWN, and the Titless! fundraiser show, I am actually feeling a little overwhelmed with all the things Providence is offering for me to promptly forget. So in the name of organization and prideful city participation, here’s a list of things I’m excited about in the next few days.

China Mieville is reading tomorrow at the inconvenient hour of 2:30 p.m. I’m really only interested because BW was really insistent upon my reading Perdido Street Station, which I never did. However, because he kept repeating the name over and over, I now feel like I’ve read the book and thus feel a great affinity with this author. Also, the Literary Arts events haven’t let me down yet. (By the way, this super random looking picture is actually one of Mieville’s illustrations.)

On Thursday Sharon Marcus, author of Between Women, gives a lecture on the drama of celebrity…

…which is pretty drastically rivaled by a pinup party at Jerky’s. With Live Burlesque. From someone called Sparkles McTitsy. How can I possibly pay attention to a lecture on Victorian identity when I know I could be watching live burlesque from McTitsy?

Waste Not Want Not presents us with Beowulf, performed by the traveling Baltimore Annex Theater. Bands Ambergris and Barkley Dog will open.

Moliere’s Tartuffe plays Sept. 24-27 and October 1-4. I’ve never read Moliere but he was mentioned in an article I read last week for my new very favorite class, and really that’s good enough for me.

Finally Why? is coming to the Middle East Club in Cambridge on October 1. If I can find someone to take me, I’m going for sure. If I can’t find someone to take me, well, I’ll be weighing the joy, familiarity and comfort of seeing my favorite Oakland band against the anxiety of going to a new city alone and the taxi fare across state lines. Hmm.

I am feeling the beginnings of a cold, so really I’ll be lucky if I make it to ANY of these, but it sure is nice to know that so much is available to me. It turns out that Providence has a lot to offer and would be a really amazing city if I only had time to explore it and embrace it with any sort of devotion.

arts and crafts

I dropped in on an art show tonight at Waste Not Want Not, in downtown Providence.

I arrived a fashionable hour late, but only a few people had arrived.

There were, however, cupcakes!

The show, “AS IS,” consisted of work made from found objects and salvaged materials.

The work was done as part of a class at Steelyard, and eight students contributed work.

The show took up only a small corner of the shop, so I wandered around a bit.

Waste Not Want Not is a non-profit thrift store, which also sells the work of independent artists.

This is the yarn corner, a source for Knit and Natter crafters.

The store also has some works perpetually on display, as well as a small open workspace in the back.

AS IS didn’t really pick up, so I walked across the street to my new very favorite shop, Craftland.

Part gallery, part quirky store, Craftland celebrates all things handmade. I’ve been describing this place as an Etsy you can walk around in.

Apparently Craftland began as a holiday craft fair and has only recently evolved into a full-time year-round storefront.

In fact, they’re having a grand opening “hoo-ha, fete, celebration, whatever you call it” tomorrow from 5-9 pm, with music and drinks and prizes and a pinata!

Walking home, I saw these koi fish vases I’ve been eyeing over at delight.com…

…and this lovely flower. On a trash can.

back to school shopping

On our first day of school, we walked over to campus to find a mini farmer’s market, complete with Deleuzian lettuce, vegan fudge-dipped apples, and invitations to help the cheese. 

rawktucket

This weekend was the first annual Rocktucket block party, part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival. Which means, of course, that I ventured a whole town over to see live music and socialize with other people. And I thought Providence would be small and uneventful. Bah!

I was pretty excited, since I thought a street party with dance music, pizza, cheap beer and vegan ice cream couldn’t help but feel like a little part of Oakland on the East Coast. In a way it was sweetly familiar – how refreshing to see plaid jumpers and choppy haircuts – but Rhode Island’s local music scene seems to have an earnest-white-guy dance-rap slant to it that’s a little jarring after Oakland’s embarrassed awkward irony and folksy tinge.

First up were B. Dolan and Sage Francis. I’m not a huge fan of either, but they had hand motions and silly string and they made me laugh.

Plus, how can you not love someone willing to wear that patchwork dreamcoat?

Cambridge’s Big Digits played next, and while they didn’t really knock my socks off, they were at one point wearing chain-mail helmets. So, you know, that’s something.

And then we had the PVD Dance Troupe, whose self-stated purpose is “to change the way people think about organized dance troupes.” I applaud the attempt, but there was really nothing organized about this group. I think, here, the point is not that we in the audience enjoy ourselves, but that those onstage enjoy themselves and, maybe, rub off on a select and lucky few. There was a crazy spirited dance circle right beneath the stage and if I had been more inspired by any of the day’s music I think I would’ve enjoyed joining in. I’ve been really itching to dance.

PVD Dance Troupe featured not only fishnets, leg warmers and wrestler headgear, but panties, bandanas and basketballs as well. I’m wondering whether the qualifications for joining the PVD Dance Troupe are just, well, being willing to go onstage sans pants.

Javelin, a Brooklyn duo, lent chime synths and electronic beats to the dancers. I’m liking the music better streaming from the internet than I did when it was happening in front of me, but it’s nothing personal. At that point, after getting half a beer dumped into my shoe, I was ready to call it a night. 

After we left the Tucket we headed to downtown Providence to grab some dinner. What the burrito shop we stopped at lacked in flavor and authenticity it made up for with the delightful oddness of $2 Gansetts and Jäger on tap. All in all, not a bad night. It was nice to get out of the house, but I’m really not sure I’ll ever understand this town.

in which I crochet

The other night, at the knit night downstairs, we were talking about crochet. I piped up: “I’d love to crochet, but I can’t read the patterns. I just end up single crocheting row after row of a big rectangular lump that I can’t turn into anything, and it’s really frustrating.” The crocheters in the group looked crestfallen, and rightly so. I mean, if I heard a knitter say the same thing, I know my heart would sink a little. When I got home, I got to thinking. Why do I need a pattern to crochet? No one is sitting here watching me mess around with my crafting, I don’t have to answer to some sort of crochet overlord, so what difference does it make if I know the language, the stitches, the precise way to turn a corner (or whatever you call it)? Isn’t it more important that I learn to do something I know I’ll love, even if I end up with a method that’s not quite normal?  I’ve obsessively sought out knitting patterns for the simplest things, and I really haven’t seen any advantage to that strategy. In fact most of the time I ended up restricted by my pattern, tied to something I wasn’t sure I wanted when I knew I could do something just as good myself. So I’ve decided my approach to crochet will be a little more free form. It’s good to let yourself follow your instincts, right?

Last night I had a dream about a college acquaintance I never quite meshed with. In the dream she walked up to me and said, “You know I really hate you, right?” Instead of engaging with her, I just turned and walked away. Look at me growing up all over the place.

Then again, each time I reach for my cup of tea this morning, I spill half of it on myself. I suppose maturity, like all things, is relative.

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(My pictures of this project thus far are terribly lit, but here’s a better idea of size and shape. I’m having some serious ruffle problems, but I figure if I keep adding rows, it will work itself out.)