This is what I've got for y'all: 1 month

It's getting easier and easier to move the hoop up and down my body. Knee hooping continues to evade me. I can take alternate arms in and out, but it's tentative at this point-- more practice is needed! I do the "revolving door" quite a bit in this video mainly because I haven't filmed myself doing it yet and wanted to see what it looks like. I'm also working on hooping to my opposite direction (or "current") but I plum forgot while trying to shoot this before my camera battery died. It also imported in a format incompatible with iMovie so what you see here is uncut-- try to enjoy the times I drop it/sling it almost into my neighbor's shrubs.

YAY!

A massive blog post, overdue

I made a to-do list last night at way past midnight, because I just wasn't sleepy yet and Kenny was still up too, attempting to fix my incommunicado iPhone. It actually was quite a scene, complete with sharp kitchen knife and insufficient lighting. I avoided trouble by making to-do lists and casting a discriminatory eye over the trouble brewing on my desk. Now that the Master's Degree Shiznit is almost over, I can start thinking about a rehaul of the massive amounts of papers that currently clog my desktop(s), both real and computery.

So on that to-do list was "do a catch-up blog post" and of course that sounds like way more fun than completing old Brain Gym homework so that I can finally get my certificate. Here we go, then:






Last weekend I went to Prescott, AZ one last time to present my thesis work at Colloquium. See, don't we look happy to be almost done? I stayed in a cabin (again) with Gina & Maria (again) which proved to be an excellent idea (again). Love renting cabins in Prescott. Definitely the cheapest and most relaxing option, although couchsurfing that one time was pretty awesome, too. At the cabins, though, we can walk to school and all around town, which makes the weekend all the more special.

I finished TWO pairs of socks while listening to all the presentations and on the planes coming back:

My 1st picot edge; yarn from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm (bought at MDSW 2008)


Laurie's "Secret Power Socks," made by special request for taking the MCAT.

For some reason, I always get more knitting done faster at Colloquium than anywhere else. Sort of sad that I won't be going to them anymore! I'll also seriously miss getting to see all my new MAP buddies all in one place. Also, I really love the weather there and how light and fresh the air feels. Plus the deliciousness of The Raven cafe, one of my favorite eateries ever. Here are our celebratory orange-pomegranate mimosas, so cold and perfect:


********

When I got back, I had only 3 days of work before a luxurious 4-day weekend, which was spent hosting my soon-to-be brother-in-law (can't have enough brothers, eh?) and having an absolute blast doing every possible activity one can do in Williamsburg and Virginia Beach. Soccer, go-carts, Ghost Walk, aquarium, kite-flying, beach jogging, many meals out, many meals cooked in, picnicing all over the place... it was pretty awesome. For all the pictures, go to Kenny's comprehensive Flickr set.





(I also spent a happy evening out with Kenny, in which we decided to live it up in full VA Beach style and drink tequila and walk around on the beach in the dark. Ah, love.)

Aaaughh! Happy Mother's Day!

My phone has been crippled lately by intermittent periods of NO SIGNAL. It surprises me by suddenly having signal when I take it out of my bag to check, and then when I excitedly start dialing a number it all of a sudden says NO SIGNAL. Hmph. Perhaps it has developed a condition which allows it to communicate with a tower only when it is tucked safely away in the darkness of a bag? It works for my pocket, too, apparently.

So I tried, during one of these after-dark periods, to call my Mom. A few seconds into, "hello? Hello??" and it cut off, so I have to say this here:


This veggie sandwich, priced at a lofty $8 at the Phoenix airport, represents my love for you. Made of simple ingredients, yet somehow so perfect when put all together on some nine grain bread. May your decorative toothpick always stand tall, Mom! May you have extra pesto mayonnaise, enough to cover all of your cucumbers forever! And may the lemon cookie on the side* tide you over through all your overnight flights to come! I love you!

*some of you probably looked for the lemon cookie, but it is not pictured. This is because I am a grown-up and may eat my dessert before dinner, if I like.

Oh, and also: BAAAAA!

Back from MDSW...

...and boy is my wallet tired! Ha. Just kidding, I budgeted pretty well. I was ready for the onslaught of pretty and soft, after last year's maiden voyage. First up, the yarn purchases!


Lame-o colors in a really great yarn for an even better price: sock yarn mill ends from Cherry Tree Hill, soon to be overdyed. Muahahhh.


More of my favorite Acero, from Brooks Farm (soon to be a Woodland Shawl for my self.)


Finally found the perfect "midnight purple" blue to go with my goldenrod-colored Koigu. Mmm, the things they could be together...


Because I wanted to try something from Shelridge Farms last year, but didn't get a chance. Eh?


Loved the display mitten so bought the yarn! Lovely Green Mountain Spinnery. I want to work there someday.


These people (The Bransonas) were nice. It was close to the end of the day. Liked the colors. Probably shouldn't have bought more sock yarn, though....


Oh my god, splurrrrge! It was the very end of the day, and Holly was buying one... I love it I love it I love it. Isn't it pretty?! Here, you need a detail shot:

Oh yes, pumpkiny pumpkin deliciousness. Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, roving for needle felting projects with the kids at school:


And I got a mug and a pair of earrings from Jennie the Potter, who was nice beyond belief and with whom I'm totally going to do a last minute interview for my thesis chapter on clay-- if she has a sec. And we can't forget the lamb kabob, kettle corn, maple sugar candies and (though I'll admit it, pretty gross) soft serve with a peanut-butter flavored dip top. It didn't digest so well, probably cause there wasn't much real food in it.

So when I laid out all this new yarn to be photographed and dutifully entered into Ravelry, I realized something...

Hmm...


Why yes, I am a Unitarian Universalist, how ever did you know?

Week 2's video, a few days earlier than expected

Because today I leave for MDSW, and wanted to show you that I can ALMOST CORKSCREW!

On making hoops

(You know, for the kids!)

Kenny finally got me to watch the Hudsucker Proxy a few nights ago, and I loved its early Cohen Bros. style. So many of the things I love about Raising Arizona were present in Hudsucker Proxy, too.

So, it seems that buying a hoop costs way more than making one does, if you are only factoring in the cost for making one. The materials that go into one single hoop are pretty inexpensive, but you can only buy the right kind of pvc tubing in a large bundle-- large enough, say, to make 8-10 hoops depending on size. Since the kids at school line up to use my hoop, I figured why not go into a wee business and make them custom ordered?



I got 12 orders on the first day (yesterday). Boy, was I ambitious. Doing just eight of them took me 5 hours. And I priced them whimsically, without much thought, at $10/hoop. Then Kenny helped me crunch the numbers, and... it turns out that with startup costs (I ordered some purple mirror tape online; I had to buy the pvc cutters, etc) I'm turning the tiniest of profits. And they are easy to piece together but a bit laborious to tape up. I think maybe $15 would be better, but you know, I needed the practice. Who in their right mind, before having made any hoops at all, would try to make bank?



So I got into a rhythm last night, with Kenny's help, of "cut the pipe, blowdry the ends, insert the connector, duct tape the seam. Repeat." Then watch 30 Rock, the Office, and Dollhouse while taping, taping, taping them up. I have to say, they feel great! So solid, so round, such a nice weight.

This morning I took them out to be documented and played with:


The biggest one...


And the smallest one.


Can I do both at once?


How about ALL of them at once?!


Nope. But three is fine.

I am officially almost out of mirror tape (and I will be by the time I finish one order this morning, thankfully the last one that wanted purple) and completely out of 100psi tubing, the lighter kind. I guess instead of thinking about the little profits, I can think, hey, I got my cutters for free. And I can now make myself any kind of hoop I want, which is fan-freaking-tastic.

I can't wait to bring all these hoops to school today-- it's Santa Hoop!!

I'm getting so excited about MDSW... which is somehow this weekend! I'm going to be at Guido's After Party on Saturday night... anyone else whose going to the festival should come out and have a drink with me while we listen to see if we won any door prizes!

I am looking forward in anticipation to the yarn I don't need but will surely buy. And the lamb kabobs. And the sunshine. Should I bring my hoop? *off to check the Ravelhoopers Forums to see if anyone else will be going*

Hooping: Week 1 progress

I made this little video (very roughly, by the way-- be warned about a possible abrupt ending) so that I have something to compare to in a month's or year's time.

Skillz breakdown thus far:

1. Waist hooping: got it, but having trouble maintaining an even thrust when walking around
2. Hip hooping: sporadic and speedy at best. Work in progress.
3. Hand work: got the hand offs, got the halo, but need H-E-L-P with floats. Argh.
4. Dancing in the hoop: um. You be the judges. But gently. If I move my arms too much, my torso forgets what it's doing.

To be continued in a week or two, depending...

[Many thanks to Kenny for leading a disgruntled me through the woods to the new W&M amphitheater, which instantly turned into my new favorite place ever.]

A bit of happy inspiration

For summertime, for practicing, for amazing skillz: