Pollyanna Rainbow Sunshine and the Needles of Doom

Lyda here. Must report a major triumph in the progress on The Increasingly Inaccurately Named “Easy” Heart Quilt.

All of the strips of cloth are sewn together into one magnificent quilt top!!

I stitched the last two rows last night. I actually stitched a bit yesterday morning before work. Yes, before work. Because - say it with me - I AM INSANE.

The quilt top is all pieced together. Okay, maybe it’s only about 19 inches by 36 inches. BUT IT IS DONE.

After the stitching was done, I trimmed the seam allowances, and then ironed the quilt top. And loved it and petted it and called it George. I wish I had picture to show you. I think Anna-Liza would agree, that as well as being insanely obsessive, I am a bit critical of my own work. Heh, a bit. But even I have to say this looks pretty good.

The Resident Sith Master said it looks great and he’s much more objective. He also asked, “Are you ever going to make yourself a quilt?” Because I never have. Soon. I will probably do a baby quilt and a toddler quilt first, as someone in the family is expecting. But shush, in case these quilts turn out to be high school graduation gifts instead… But I will not be making a queen-size quilt for myself out of freakin’ two-inch squares. At least not exclusively. Ya’ll remind me of this in a month or two. Please? Hello? Bueller? Bueller?

And then he said, “It would really suck if you did all this work and then didn’t like it.” My innocent, non-crafting son.  When I told him that that has happened to me with other quilts, he just shook his head and went back to his video game. I think he may have muttered, “Quilters are weird.” Or maybe it was “Moms are weird.” He’s right either way, yes?

Has that ever happened to ya’ll? You work and work on a project (quilted, knitted, crochet, whatever), and when it’s done, you look at it and think: Meh.  Don’t ya’ll hate that?

I’ve learned that I must absolutely love the fabric - or at least the majority of it - when I’m making selections for a quilt. Even though it’s for someone else.

Once I offered to make a baby quilt for a friend’s daughter, and they insisted on pink. Ya’ll know, I’m not a fan of pastels. And definitely not pastel pink. I got too much of it as a girl and I wasn’t about to foist Hideous Pinkness on this child. Instead, I found the brightest hottest fushia fabric possible, and some other bright pinks. And made a quilt of shades of pink, from one small square at the middle in pale pink (the color the parents requested) shading to hot fushia at the edges. And I used the fushia for the backing and the edges.

Now I would probably use prints that included pinks and other colors. Also, I never again asked the parents what they wanted in the baby quilt. Heh.  But at the time I was making a point. A quilting rebel, that’s me.

But I digress…

Tonight I’ll move on to the backing. I’ll probably use solid red, as with a wall hanging the back doesn’t need to be fancy. And then I’ll start actually quilting the layers. I’m working on the design for the quilting.

Then I’ll complete it with edging - probably solid red for a framing effect - and a hanging pocket on the back.

But for now - - I’m doing the happy dance! The quilt top is together! 

Lyda here. I’ve read some books recently that were actually not written by Terry Pratchett. Oh, yes, I’ve been re-reading his too. Of course. But these were in addition to… Ya’ll know.  I thought I’d give ya’ll a quick book review today.

I read “The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History” by Katherine Ashenburg - which is about personal hygeine in Europe and the United States. Interesting, and sometimes - often - squirm-inducing. Not for everyone, but a fascinating and different look at cultural norms and behaviors.

Of the historical eras covered (versus modern day), I’d say a modern American would be comfortable with the personal cleanliness of the Romans. Unless ya’ll get squirmy about sharing your bath with 30 or so friends, neighbors, and countrymen. Got to get ready for that orgy. Ya’ll know. Actually, it sounds like the bathhouse was a great place to meet people and then… yeah, do what you were going to do at the orgy.

“I still love to wash in your old bathwater.” Yep, that’s the lyrics. See?

But after the Plague in Europe? Ugh. Let’s just say, it wasn’t all “huzzah” and quaffing ale. From the descriptions, I’m guessing the body odor in this time period would knock me right over. Not to mention the shit in the corridors of the castles. Oh yes, it was. 

And the final section, on the growing American obsession with extreme cleanliness, is interesting. And also squirm-inducing. In a different way. You can read an excerpt of the book and listen to NPR talking to the author here.

Lyda here. Boy, do I wish I could have sat there with Anna-Liza this weekend, knitting and talking and watching her kids play in that neat coffee shop she wrote about yesterday. I think she posted pictures as part of her campaign to get me to move to Colorado. Yes, I am tempted. And I don’t even drink coffee. But hot chocolate… yum. But most of all - time with my BFF.

We did talk on the phone. For hours. Thank goodness for unlimited weekend calling.

We’re having another heat wave here in So. Cal. Yes, there is at least one fire burning - not near us.  Yes, it’s miserable - it was 95 degrees at our place yesterday, and here at the coast we don’t normally get temperatures that high even in August. On the other hand, Anna-Liza said they had snow on Saturday. We discussed trading weather for a day - we would love a day of snow, and she would like a warm summery day. Unfortunately, the weather gods and goddesses did not grant our request.  Or maybe the Quantum Butterfly is just flapping its wings too much. The heat does not make the breathing any better. Pant.

Friday night, the Resident Sith Master went to a movie with friends, and I watched “The Jane Austen Book Club” with the Dread Cat Tommy. He fell asleep; I enjoyed the movie and even watched all the special features before RSM came home. I didn’t read the book.  The movie was fun, with some really good actresses playing off each other. Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, and Lynn Redgrave. And the men were also good and very nice to look at. Hugh Dancy , Marc Blucas and Kevin Zegers - all a bit young for my taste, but very cute. Jimmy Smits, looking very good in his tux, definitely to my taste. Light girly entertainment, just what I was in the mood for.

Practically all weekend, while the Resident Sith Master played video games and I watched TV, I worked on The Increasingly Inaccurately Named “Easy” Heart Quilt. Which involved actual ironing. In the heat. Because I am insane. I also cooked - actually cooked with heat - breakfast and dinner both Saturday and Sunday. Yes, thank you, I would like a medal. But I digress…

Saturday, I gently picked out stitches on one square that was wrong, and then sewed a replacement square in place. Directional fabric can be a pain when you have a feline assistant who likes to move the fabric around.

I passed the halfway mark on stitching together the rows for the quilt top. By lunch time Sunday, I passed the two-thirds mark. By bedtime last night, I had sewn all but the last four rows together. It looks good at this point. All fingers crossed.

I will probably finish sewing the rows together tonight. Then I will need to figure out the binding, and the backing which will include a way to hang the finished quilt.

After I iron the quilt top. And pet it and love it and call it George.

Obsession. It’s not just a perfume.

“Still crazy…”

Anna-Liza here.

I have to confess, I have never, ever seen most of the TV shows Lyda mentioned in that post. Gilligan’s Island, Hogan’s Heroes and Star Trek are all exceptions. Just to give you an idea of the depth of my television illiteracy. BTW, loved Hogan’s Heroes. I was pretty fond of I Dream of Jeannie, too. In the ’70’s, I was watching Charlie’s Angels (and wishing my hair would do that Farrah thing–which would have been hideous on me, frankly), The Bionic Man and The Bionic Woman. And I remember Mannix and Berretta being staples, and Emergency! I’m pretty sure Randy Mantooth was my first Tiger Beat crush, although Parker Stevenson eventually supplanted him. Or maybe the other way around. Oh, and Tony DiFranco, who, as far as I know, is no relation to Ani.

But I digress. What is it that I do to relax if I don’t let my mind get sucked into the Tube of Mindlessness? (Although, as Lyda points out, there’s a lot of good stuff, too. PBS rocks, except perhaps for Barney.) Well, mostly knitting or reading, and most weekends I spend one morning at my favorite coffee place, Java Stop, knitting and watching the kids play and sipping a mocha. I’ve mentioned it before, but now I have pictures!

Kevin and Ellen, the owners, are super folks. Kevin does the baking, and he makes some of the best muffins ever. When I walk in, if there’s a line, there’s a fresh mocha sitting on the counter for me before I can even order! And they make ”hot” chocolate for the kids that is just warm enough to be called that without scalding their mouths. The kids like them and like going there, because there’s a toy closet and there’s a big space on the floor to play right next to it, with comfy chairs and sofas around for parents to hang out. Which is what we do.

Once we have all our food and drink gathered, I usually settle into my favorite chair by the window,

take a few sips, and start knitting. The kids have their snacks sitting on the floor  

(yes, they’re in their pajamas) and then start playing, and I can watch them, talk with them, and have conversations with whoever else is there while knitting away. I probably get most of my progress done there! If I ever win a knitting prize of some kind, I’ll have to include Java Stop in my list of thank-yous, for providing me with a way to keep my kids entertained while I got my projects done! I’ve certainly gotten farther on Eris there than anywhere else since I took it out of hibernation.

So anyway, Kevin and Ellen don’t have a website, and they don’t have internet access in the café (which means you rarely see someone sitting and staring at a laptop). They do have a cozy, comfy place to hang out and have conversations, read, (or knit, whatever), with excellent coffee and really good breakfast and lunch fare. And they’re big supporters of locally owned stores and community events. And, since there’s a limit to how much I can actually spend there, I figure maybe I can send a few more customers their way.

But not too many. I want to be able to grab my favorite chair when I’m there.

(If you’re wondering, they’re in the historic hotel building at the corner of 3rd and Main in Longmont.)

Lyda here.

The Magic Box of the title is television, people. Television. I know. Ya’ll are disappointed. Sorry.

Ya’ll know, I’m TV obsessed, and I watch way too much. I do prefer quality shows with excellent writing and acting, and I watch a lot of PBS and non-fiction shows. I also rent a lot of movies, both fabulous and bizarre.

But I’ll watch almost anything, if only to mock it. TV at our house is an interactive sport.

TV takes me to distant planets, to the farthest reaches of our own little world, and deep inside the most fascinating species of all, Homo Sapiens. It gives me time with geniuses and monsters (safely!), and it does it all in an hour or two, and usually with built-in snack breaks. TV teaches me and challenges me and lets me laugh and cry and think - or not think. It keeps me company, and lulls me to sleep on the really bad nights. All in the comfort of my own home.

So, anyway… when I read this post at knitche (Linda’s blog), who got it from Emily’s blog, ya’ll know I was fascinated.

Here is Empire Magazine’s list of the “50 Greatest TV Shows” ever. But this is definitely not MY list of the 50 greatest. I’m not the only one who disagrees with this list. Also, this is from a British magazine and the shows were apparently chosen by popular vote, so there are more British and more recent shows than might show up otherwise. TV Guide did their own Top 50 list in 2002 - which is also controversial.

But I rantingly digress…

I was going to do the “50 greatest” meme. But then I decided it would be more fun to do a meme on THE WORST TV SHOWS OF ALL TIME!

There is the TV Guide’s 50 Worst list done in 2002. And then there is Senior Sock’s list, which is much funnier. And this list of UK’s worst. And this list of worst 60s shows.

But I wanted to include only shows that I have actually seen. Yes, coming out of the “terrible TV” closet, as it were.

And then I thought, what about the shows that I loved that were cancelled really fast? And the guilty pleasures? And the just plain weird shows?

So here (at last) is:

The Pollyanna TV meme:

THE WEIRDNESS OF HUMANS, TV EDITION

Category: It Seemed Like a Good Idea At The Time…

“Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories” - Spielberg! What could go wrong? Uh… yeah…

“Manimal” - How do you pitch something like that to a network?

“Cop Rock” - Just weird. And not in a good way.

“My Mother the Car” - You mother is a what? That’s what he said.

Category: Admit It, You’ve Seen Every Episode (or was that just me?)

“The Flying Nun” - Gidget Take Flight, what’s wrong with that? We like Sally Field, we really like her.

“Gilligan’s Island” - This show gave us the all-important question: “Ginger or Mary Ann?” Plus, it was educational. We learned we could make anything out of coconuts.

“Three’s Company” - You laughed, I know you did.

“Baywatch” - Gorgeous people in skimpy clothing leaping in and out of the waves and running in slow motion… Uh, what were we talking about?

“Hogan’s Heroes” - Doesn’t everyone run a successful spy operation from prison camp? And hide the tunnel exits under the dog house? The dogs knew who the good guys were.

“ALF” - Furry alien. It told us about the 10th planet way before the scientists did, too.

“Mork and Mindy” - Maybe my favorite thing about this show, other than Robin Williams of course, is that it was a spin-off from “Happy Days” - the show which spawned ”jump the shark“.

Category: But Why??

“House” - Why does anyone put up with this guy?

“Dougie Hooser, MD” - In one timeless episode, 16-year-old Dougie has to give a vaginal exam to a classmate he wants to date. Apparently being the last doctor left on the planet? I was more embarrassed than either of them. I was only watching it to make fun of it! And I was recovering from surgery and desperate! And the sun was in my eyes! It wasn’t my fault!

“Barney & Friends” - Don’t even get me started.

“The Jerry Springer Show” and all of its ilk - REALLY don’t get me started.

Most “Reality” TV - Ya’ll, I can understand “Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars” and the other talent competitions. But most “reality” shows are just too horrible to even think of watching. Even the commercials for these shows make me cringe. And none of it is “reality”.

Category: Worst. Sequels. Ever.

“The Ropers” - Let’s not knock at that door. A sad waste of some talented actors.

“Still the Beaver” - I admit it, I included it for the name.

“AfterMASH” - Oh no.

Category: Cancelled Too Soon AKA “We Hardly Knew Ye”.

“Richie Brockelman: Private Eye” - “The thing of it is…”  A quirky young private eye, smart enough to solve crimes and dorky enough to live with his parents. Whenever I see Dennis Dugan in something, I think, “Richie!”

“Cleopatra 2525″ - Three sexy tough and barely dressed chicks battle various deranged and mutated bad guys in a post-apocolypic world, and then go dance with gorgeous guys in cool futuristic bars. What’s not to love?Totally awesome soundtrack, too.

“Greatest American Hero” - That dorky red costume! Those terrible landings!

“My Hero” - An alien superhero falls in love with an average woman and learns that saving humans is easier than understanding them. Very funny. I don’t know how many episodes they made, but it wasn’t not enough.

Category: Guilty Pleasures

“America’s Next Top Model” - I find this weirdly fascinating. This season, they took pictures in a meat locker with the women dressed in meat. Who came up with that?

“Power Rangers” - Long ago, when my son was little, I watched because of him. He’s long since moved on, but I find this show kitchy fun and still catch an episode sometimes. Especially when I’m sewing on a Saturday morning. Fact to know for future quizzes: Tommy the Sith apprentice cat is named after the original Green Ranger.

Any sci-fi show, no matter how hokey - If it’s sci-fi, I’m there. But what would you expect from someone who still quotes the original “Star Trek”?

Lyda here. 

Go over to Faith’s blog and read this. And then read this. And think about it.

Then if you can find it, watch this NOW story, about ”Daughters for Sale” in Nepal. It’s actually - surprisingly - a hopeful documentary, as alternatives and education and empowerment are helping to stop the practice of selling daughters into slavery.

Recently, I also watched a 20/20 two-hour special, “Prostitution in America: Working Girls Speak.” This program focused on women working the streets and in one of the legal brothels in Nevada, not those sex workers making hundreds or thousands from each visit with a client. Apparently, they ran this show at this time because of the recent incident of the politician and the high-class prostitute.

The show and the prostitutes talked about the film “Pretty Woman” a bit.

As in “The reality is nothing like…” 

These women living night-by-night on the streets or in the brothel were not the plucky romantic heroines of comedy movies.

These were women trying to make it through the night.

This kind of prostitution is not really about sex, or sexuality.

It is about power. It is about exploitation of the powerless.

Most women and men - and girls and boys - walking the streets have almost no control over their lives. They live in incredibly degrading and dangerous conditions. They almost never escape. They are beaten, abused, humiliated, and murdered. To learn more, visit these websites.

Not really very pretty, is it?

At least, I would if I could. You know how if you screw up your knitting, you frog it and try again? I wish I could do that. Try again, I mean.

Here follows “A Tale of Two Kisses”.

Or “A Tale of A Dork”.

Lyda here, trying to answer Marin’s semi-challenge  and in the spirit of other people’s recent blog posts (this and this)… the topic at hand is this.

But this is not a list of My Best Kisses Ever. I tried to do that, but it was way too… Depressing? Distracting? Weird? Yeah, let’s go with “weird”. Anna-Liza is privy to all my secrets; she can corraborate the weirdness.

So, this is actually about the first guy who ever kissed me.

When I was 16, a great and very attractive guy from my youth theater group asked me out on My First Date.

“Oh god, this is going to be one of those stories.” “Yes. Yes, it is. Hush up.”

He was older (a senior!) and had a car and knew all this cool music and introduced me to “Queen,” which was all very cool, but more importantly, he understood the theater geek thing, and the semi-activist-hippie thing, and most importantly, he was funny and smart and sweet and a great guy, and we were friends. And I had a very serious crush on him. Did I mention he was gorgeous too? Really fantastic eyes, and sensous lips, and seriously handsome, and… Sigh. I think I still have a crush on him.

Hey, maybe this was the beginning of my obsession with cute guys with dark hair and twinkling dark eyes? Hmm…

The date was scary-wonderful. I was very very nervous. I hadn’t even held hands with a guy before. He was great, and I was terrified. He had the whole date planned. We went to dinner (at an ice cream parlor), and then saw a movie. I have no idea what movie. I spent the movie trying to remember to breathe, and wondering what to do if he wanted to kiss me, and what if he didn’t want to kiss me, and what if he didn’t like me, and was I sitting close enough, or too close, and… Crazy girly stuff. Ya’ll know.

After the movie, he drove to the elementary school and parked, and we walked and talked, and sat on the swings and talked. For hours. With the moon and stars above. Magical.

I was seriously smitten. And I had no idea what to do when he drove me home and we got out of the car. There we were, standing on my sidewalk, he held my hands, and then he kissed me.

And I kept my lips tightly together. Hey, what the hell did I know? That’s how I’d done the few stage kisses I’d have…

He looked at me kind of puzzled and confused and oh god I hope not but I think maybe hurt, and said, “That wasn’t much of a kiss.”

How I wish I had just said, “It was my first. I have no idea what to do.”

Instead, I just stood there like the idiot I was. He kissed me again, but as I still didn’t know what to do (hello: relax mouth, part lips, maybe even participate!), it was not much better. Totally my fault. If I could frog these kisses and try again, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Sigh. Despite my complete dorkiness, we went on more dates. We even had our own star - the evening star, which I now know is the planet Venus. How perfect is that?

He continued to be wonderful, I continued to be a dork.

I think he thought I wasn’t into him, when I was so totally into him. I was just so terrified of screwing up - that I screwed up. Dork. Dork. Dork.  He went away to college the next year, and no doubt dated non-dorks who had half a clue about kissing.

We stayed friends and saw each other a few times after he went to college, but I was still a complete dork and still had no clue how to act around him, and even though he might have still been a little interested in me, I still didn’t know how to tell him I was still crazy about him.

Fast forward several years and much… um… education for me, yeah, we’ll call it that.  He called me one year when I was home from college for Christmas break, and came over to see me.

Once again, I was so nervous I could hardly talk to him. I really liked him so much, and still had a crush on him. I was so embarassed because of my dorkiness with the whole kissing thing on the first date, and my continued dork-osity at each meeting.

After an hour or two, he said he had to go.

We walked outside and he took my hand to jokingly shake good-bye. And then he took my other hand. And I was blathering away pretending I was a normal human being and not the world’s biggest dork. Not that I was fooling anyone.

And he kissed me.

Oh.

My.

God.

If our first kiss is the bottom of the scale of Kissing Wonderfulness - completely and totally because of me, did I make that clear enough? - this kiss is at the very top. Beyond the top. Way the fuck off the scale.

Perfect in fact.

One of the top ten kisses in the entire history of the world. Like the narrator talks about in “Princess Bride” - that perfect.

This is a kiss that I would never ever frog. A kiss I will remember when I’m 105 and have forgotten my own name.

And then he said a few more things, as I stood there stunned and wanting to kiss him for days. And other things. Which I knew about by then. Oh yes I did.

And then he left.

Leaving me standing there, dazed…

And I never ever told him how much I really really liked him.

I never told him that he was the first man who ever kissed me.

I never said… whatever would have kept him standing there kissing me like that.

I’m a dork.

All because I was too embarrassed to say, “I don’t know what to do.”

‘Cause he would have been a great teacher.

Sigh.

He is one of the best guys I’ve ever known. And possibly - probably - the nicest man I ever dated. Heh, I can hear Anna-Liza saying, “The LAST nice guy you dated…” And she should know.

I think of him every time I hear Queen, any Queen song, especially from this album, which was kind of our album. Every time, it all comes back to me. The excitement, and the rush of girly feelings. Also, the embarassment, and the dorkiness of me, and worst of all, the horrible nagging fear that I hurt him.

I wonder where he is now… And if he is appreciated as the amazing kisser he is…

And if he ever thinks of me.

The Dork Who Loved Him.

Happy Birthday Will! No one knows the exact date he was born, but it’s traditionally celebrated now because he was baptised April 26, 1564. He died on April 23, 1616, so I guess that’s another reason that today’s his day.

“Brush up your Shakespeare, Start quoting him now” -  from”Kiss Me Kate!”

Ya’ll know that when we’re not talking zombies or fiber, or giggling like the twelve-year-olds we are, we do mention Shakespeare . In passing, as it were. Maybe more than a bit. And apologize to him.  A lot.

Here’s to the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon! You can find his complete works here, and it’s searchable, which is awesome. No zombie hits, but five pages of mentions of “monster.” All the Shakespeare quotes included in this post came directly from that site.

Shakespeare is the most filmed author of all time. Beginning with silent films, versions of Shakespeare’s works have been filmed throughout the world. His works has inspired all kinds of adaptations, from musicals like “Kiss Me Kate!” and plays like “Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead“, to films as diverse as ”Theater of Blood” (1973) with Vincent Price (which I must have missed… must find!) to “Romeo + Juliet” (Leonardo DiCaprio, Clair Danes) which used guns and cars but with Will’s original dialogue - it’s… original… to “Get Over It” (2001).

Shakespeare has been featured in TV shows from “Quantum Leap” (he leaps into a production of “Wives of Winsor”, I can’t wait to see this one) to “The Simpsons” to “Moonlighting” to… some episode of some show that is filming this week, no doubt.

The Melancholy Dane (Hamlet) is considered by many to be the greatest role ever written, and has been played by Sir Laurence Oliver (I highly recommend his very faithful film version), Sir Richard Burton, Kenneth Braughnaugh, and a fair number of women. Plus, well, everyone who can somehow arrange it. Including Mel Brooks in “To Be or Not to Be” (1983). Very highly recommended, very funny and touching - the Shylock speech from “The Merchant of Venice” has real bite in this.

Although some prefer King Lear. Or Richard the III. (Have you seen “The Goodbye Girl“? Richard Dreyfus is hysterical as Richard in a very odd production!)  Will wrote for actors of all ages, sometimes because he had a great actor of the right age to play the part.

Lady MacBeth is the prize for women - a very meaty role (heh). And of course Juliet, and… There are a lot of great roles for women. Will wrote strong women well (sadly a rarity even today), even though in his lifetime, of course, there were no females acting. On stage, at least. In bedrooms, another story I’m sure. But I digress…

Of course, the prize for “playing the most Shakespearean roles in one production” has to go to anyone who performs ”The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” (also known as “The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)”, a parody in which three actors do all of the plays. All of them. Well, shortened versions. “Hamlet” in 43 seconds. Really. Read that link. If you get a chance, definitely see this. You might get to play Ophelia! And then you could put it on your resume!  Look, there’s a film of it - must see!

“I must be cruel, only to be kind.” Hamlet, Hamlet (act III, scene 4)

So I must include a pop quiz. I warned ya’ll to study last night!  Anna-Liza got 8 out of 10, and I only got 6 right.

Quick, distract them with some pig-licking:

Two, three, four…

“Kiss Me Kate!”  - Cole Porter and Will Shakespeare - awesome!

Shakespeare is quoted more than the average person on the street knows:

What, you don’t say that all the time?

Perhaps you’ve heard a version of this?

Other phrases from Will: “With bated breath” (Merchant of Venice), “a foregone conclusion” (Othello), “methinks the lady doth protest too much” (Hamlet)… it goes on and on.

Shakespeare is in fact so interwoven into our culture that it would be impossible to extricate ourselves from his influence.

And why would we want to?

Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined. - Second Witch, Macbeth (IV,1)

She’s talking about this guy, not anyone’s ex. Just to clarify.

I don’t know how Will would feel about ending with that, so I’ll end with a knitterly quote instead:

The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and
ill together: our virtues would be proud, if our
faults whipped them not; and our crimes would
despair, if they were not cherished by our virtues.
- First Lord, All’s Well That End’s Well (IV, 3)

Lyda here. I did have a good weekend. Not only did I watch “Black Sheep” and a lot of TV, I got some errands done and worked in the garden. I didn’t get to the second movie yet, but I have it for a week, so…

And I worked on the Increasingly Inaccuractly Named “Easy” Heart Quilt.

Mostly I worked on the quilt all weekend, with minor breaks for food, sleep, and errands. Believe me, I wouldn’t have done those if I hadn’t had to, but a person needs food. And drugs  legally prescribed medication.

All 36 rows were completed by Saturday. So I started sewing the rows together into the quilt top.

But first - ya’ll knew it wouldn’t be that easy, right? - I had to do the dreaded ironing of the seams.

I ironed the first row and held it up to the light. And decided I need to trim the seam allowances.

The 1/4″ seam allowances were showing through the fabric, and I didn’t like that. The pieces I cut out were two-inch squares. The finished size in the quilt of each square should be one inch. I could have cut 1 1/2″ squares, but the seams would have been difficult to sew on my machine, and  would have left me no margin for error. Plus my cutting board only has one-inch intervals marked on it.

So, I trimmed the seams on the first four rows, ironed them, and stitched them together using 1/4″ seam allowances for the row-joining seams. And then trimmed those long seams.

Then I ironed the piece I had just created. I held it up to admire it. Four rows together! Woo-hoo!

And then I saw it. The very first row had two pieces in the wrong places. Which totally messed up the heart pattern.

This shall not stand! But I could see how to fix it.

I carefully pulled out the stitches in the seam between row 1 and row 2  - but only for the length of three squares in each of the two spots I needed to change. I weilded my seam ripper very slowly. “These things must be done delicately. Delicately. Or you hurt the magic.”  Then I pulled out the stitches connecting the three squares in each spot on the row, flipped them around, and sewed them back in place. And presto! A perfect row.

And a confirmation that the 1/4″ seam allowances were definitely the way to go, despite the need to trim them later. Sewing 1/8″ seam allowances - - not easy on my machine.

After that, I proceeded, but with more caution. I checked the pattern repeatedly before trimming the next rows. Then checked it again before trimming the long joining seams.

By the end of Sunday, I had 11 rows stitched together - yes, correctly, thank you very much. I didn’t have to rip any more seams.

I also discovered that some of the red fabrics are bleeding onto my ironing board cover. Which means I need to be very careful ironing the yellows which come next. I’ll use a pressing cloth (AKA an old t-shirt or maybe even a paper towel) so the red doesn’t transfer onto the yellows. It also means that I need to be careful when I use these fabrics for other projects. This quilt will be a wall-hanging, so it doesn’t really need to be washable. But other projects might.

Almost a third of the quilt top sewn together. The final look is beginning to emerge. I like it and I think it will be beautiful.

And ya’ll, if I ever try to make a bigger quilt with such teeny tiny squares, please stop me.

Now I have to go see if I can find that pattern Jane is looking for…

Lyda here.

It’s “Hug Mother Earth” Day!

So, here are some things that can help the planet. You’ve probably heard them before. Most of them are no-brainers. No brains? Zombie Army sad.  Some of them save you money. Some of them are even fun!

1. Use reusable bags instead of paper or plastic. You can make your own - extra points for using stash or recycling material you already have. Remember the 70s purses made from old jeans?

Or you could buy bags, like the ones from Envirosax. Right now, they are giving away free shower timers if you buy a pouch of 5 bags.

Okay, I got this link from Laurie’s post today. Recycling ideas - what, doesn’t that count as earth-friendly? 

Quick, distract them: Look, ya’ll, they have piggie bags!

2. Plant something.

Plant a tree. But first - really think about what tree will be happy in that spot forever. How tall will it be? How deep will the roots grow, and how far will they stretch out? Will the tree flourish and grow there for a hundred years -  or will it have to be chopped down in five or ten years because it is threatening the foundation, or its roots are in the sewer pipes, or its branches are in the electric lines?Think about water consumption too. There are lots of drought-tolerant trees available.

Pick the right tree for your area and for the spot where you are planting it. The people at the nursery can help you. A tree deserves to have a long and happy life, and you make that happen by planting wisely.

Sorry, I get carried away. But I hate it when a tree gets cut down because someone didn’t think about all this.

Or plant a bush or two, or some seeds. Ya’ll know to use organic stuff in the garden too, right? Right. Grow some herbs in a pot. Put a plant on your desk. If you have a brown thumb, try succulents, which I’ve found are harder to kill (sadly, I have killed many plants in my life).

Be aware that some plants are poisonous to pets and kids. They often don’t say this on the label, so you have to look it up or ask.

ZOMBIE PROTECTION: As far as I know, there are no plants that are poisonous to zombies, but they can be detered somewhat by tall thick hedges with thorns.

In case zombie deterrance is a consideration in your area.

3. Reduce your energy use. Switch to long-lift bulbs. Yes, they cost more, so every time a bulb burns out, replace it with a long-life bulb.

Switch to rechargable batteries (we even have them for the video game controllers).

Do what your dad told you - Turn stuff off when you’re done. Including your computer and monitor at work. Every day.

4. This one is simple, but hard: BUY LESS. I admit to having problems when it comes to fabric and books, and we all know about yarn… But maybe we can cut back in other areas.

5. Use the library. I haven’t bought a magazine in a very long time, and I no longer have any subscriptions - instead, I check out a lot of magazines. My library has movies and music too. I buy fewer books this way, but my reading selection is wider because I browse the New Arrivals section.

6. Shop for used treasures at garage sales, thrift shops, and resale and consignment stores. You get more unique items, at better prices, it’s better for the planet - and it’s an adventure! Think of the blogging potential! Plus, your money is going to a family or a charity instead of one of the Evil Empires. If you can afford it, antiques are earth-friendly too!

7. Swap with friends. This should be easy for knitters, who are experts at doing this with yarn. Parents do it with kid’s stuff already, but it can be expanded to include kitchen gagets, books, music, whatever…

8. Save water. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth. Do full loads in the dishwasher (and let the dishes air dry). Do full loads in cold water in the washer (and only dry your clothes as much as they need, or hang them to dry - saves energy and is better for the clothes too). Give your yard only the water it needs - and don’t water the sidewalk. Reduce, reduce, reduce.

9. For women - consider a menstrual cup and/or cloth menstral pads.

Personally, I’m done with all that, but a hysterectomy is kind of an extreme way to reduce one’s footprint on the earth…

10. Here’s the one that embarrasses my kid the most which is a total bonus!: Scrounge.

In my neighborhood, Saturday and Sunday afternoons are prime scrounge times. People put “Free” signs on stuff that didn’t sell at their garage sale, or that they are getting rid of. Some apartment complexes are good for this too - people leave things by the dumpster when they move out, so the best time to check can be at the end of the month. I have friends who call this “dumpster diving” but I personally have not ever actually gotten into a dumpster. Just wanted to make that clear…

I have a long and proud history of scrounging. My first couch came from neighbors who were moving - they first got it the same way - and went off to a new home thanks to a “free” sign. That’s at least four homes for one couch and there were probably more. 

Six Degrees of Couch Ownership.

Okay, maybe not a proud history…

But think of how much I personally have kept out of landfills - Awesome!