Break in a Five-Item List - Days 1 and 2

For the last few years, I've tried to make a habit of posting five-item lists each day during the month of January. Since I seem to usually lose steam during week three, and I just started a two-week break from work, I figured I'd start the tradition a little early, and use it to add a little structure to my giant window of unscheduled time.

This weekend has been my first Christmas away from home, and so a new experience. However, because it isn't Christmas in Russia until 7 January, it doesn't feel very much like Christmas. I know it is on a conscious level, but I don't feel it very strongly here.

On Christmas Eve, I:

1. Discovered the excitement that is Virtual Choir 3.0. Downloaded and began learning a voice part.

2. Acquired yarn and needles for a hat I promised to a co-worker.

It was super foggy in Vgrad.

3. Ate a pizza from the street stand that I've been intending to patronize for months now.

(Taken while waiting for the pizza.)

4. Left my cocktail selection up to the bartender, which resulted in three very different, interesting, and sugary drinks.

5. Knit and watched Love, Actually, intermittently chatting with Amoeba.

On Christmas, I:

1. Woke up and was promptly invited to a puppet show, which was fantastic.

(L to R: M, Дед Мороз, fecknom, Снегурочка, and B)

2. Finished my co-worker's hat.

(Windscheif, by Stephen West)

3. Bought a grey and purple striped sweater. Thin, but very warm.

4. Ate dinner at the local German restaurant, and engaged in an obnoxious and tiring discussion of women's rights, privilege, victim-blaming, racism, and general giving-a-shit-about-the-world. (This was probably the part of the day that made miss folks from home the most.)

5. Talked to my family, and was thankful: I have no idea how people lived abroad or navigated long-distance relationships pre-Skype.

I'm settling in for another night of movies and knitting. The difference with tonight is that instead of knitting a simple hat, I'll be getting into the meat of this colorwork sweater that I've been planning for so long. It's going to be intense, but a friend reminded me (via blog) of a quote that suits this project well:

"Just don't worry; worry ruins your knitting."

Elizabeth Zimmerman

Bumazhnik (boo-mahzh'-neek)

This cute little cabled бумажник (wallet, in Russian) was designed specifically with women in mind, though people of all genders are welcome to find use for it. Just big enough to hug an ID and a couple of bucks and knit at a small, tight gauge for a slim fit, this is the perfect sort of thing to conceal on one’s person (i.e. stash in one’s bra) as they head out to a club, or to any location where a person needs some cash, but might not feel like taking a purse. However, it works perfectly well in a bag or pocket, keeping the essentials together. It can even fit a key (without a keyring attached)!

Materials:
US size 00 (1.75 mm) needles (2)
cable needle (I used a third US 00)
sock yarn (not much)
tapestry needle

Instructions:
CO 44 sts
First row: purl across.

Next:
Work as follows, using the chart:
RS rows: k13, chart, k13
WS rows: p13, chart, p13


Chart:

8 (WS) - - VV - - VVVVVV - - VV - -
7 (RS) - - VV - - VVVVVV - - VV - -
6 (WS) - - VV - - VVVVVV - - VV - -
5 (RS) - - VV - - VVVVVV - - VV - -
4 (WS) - - VV - - VVVVVV - - VV - -
3 (RS) - - VV - - CABLE - - VV - -
2 (WS) - - VV - - VVVVVV - - VV - -
1 (RS) - - VV - - VVVVVV - - VV - -

Key:
V = knit on RS, purl on WS
- = purl on RS, knit on WS
CABLE = put first 3 sts on cable needle, let rest at back of work, knit 3 sts, k 3 sts from cable needle

Repeat the chart a total of 6 times, and work the first two rows again, ending before the row that would contain the 7th cable twist.

Next row: k13, p2, k2, p1, k2tog, k2. Turn work
Next row: p2, p2tog. Turn work.
Next row: k3.

Repeat these last two rows until all sts on the right side of the panel have been incorporated into the edge (16 more rows). Break yarn, leaving a tail to weave in later. Place these three sts on cable needle or stitch holder or spare yarn or another dpn.

Left half of the panel:
Next row: k2, ssk. Turn
Next row: p3. Turn.

Repeat these two rows until only three sts are left.



Finishing:

Using tapestry needle and mattress stitch, fold the rectangle lengthwise and sew a seam up the back (I used a one stitch seam allowance on each side). (At this point you can test it to make sure your contents will fit. It might appear to be really narrow, but it should stretch quite a bit. It’s meant to be a tight fit.) Centering cable on the front and evenly dividing stitches between front and back, sew a seam along the bottom, however you see fit. I picked up stitches from around the first row and used kitchener stitch. Finally, use kitchener stitch to connect the 3 stitch cables around the top edge. Weave in ends. Employ in daily life.

I Do Wonderfully Productive Things With My Time

I know this is the sort of thing that would have been much cooler for most of you (particularly anyone reading this who doesn't speak Russian, which is probably most of you) if I had done this super-lo-fi-recording-of-me-singing-and-playing-guitar style. However, my guitar's on another continent, and I have not (yet) used my time to figure out how to play this, uh, ... masterpiece of 80s pop culture?

Yep. You guessed it. I translated the Culture Club's 'Karma Chameleon' into Russian.

Карма Хамелеон (Культурный Клуб)

Покинутая любовь в твоих глазах целый путь
Эсли я слушаю твои ложи, бы ты сказала
Я мужчина без убеждения
Я человек не знающий
Как продавать противоречие
Ты приидёшь и уйдёшь

Карма карма карма карма карма хамелеон
Ты прийдёшь и уйдёшь
Любовь бы был лёгче, бы твои цветы как мои сны
Красные, золотые и зелёные

Я не слышал твои злые слова каждый день
И ты была такая милая, и ты сказала
Что мой любовь был как влечение
Когда мы цепимся - любовь сильный
Когда уйдёшь – ты пропавшая вечно
Водишь за нос, водишь за нос

Каждый день как выживание
Ты моя любовница не моя соперница
Каждый день как выживание
Ты моя любовница не моя соперница

Я мужчина без убеждения
Я человек не знающий
Как продавать противоречие
Ты приидёшь и уйдёшь

ps. I haven't actually asked any native speakers to proofread it or anything. I'm a little afraid they'd ask me what the lyrics mean, and I wouldn't really have a good answer...

the Great Legwarmer Adventure and an Unrelated Odd Encounter

The Great Legwarmer adventures is pretty exciting, unless you're really into knitting, in which case you might not care. Too bad, my friends. You'll have to read it anyway, in order to hear about my weird encounter with some people that were driving around Oberlin last night.

So, for the last several months, I've been telling myself 'Man, I really need to knit me some legwarmers.' For leg-warming reasons. More recently, due to the influence of Linden, I've been recently enjoying cheesy 80s pop music more than I ever have before, which increases the need for legwarmers even more. And sort of necessitates that they be in a ridiculously bright color.

I realized that I have a pattern for some good-looking l-ws in Simple Knitted Gifts, which calls for Cascade 220 stranded with some Kidsilk Haze, I think. I decided to try it using some Jo-Ann Sensations rainbow boucle. (Brilliant decision, I know.) I was thinking the yarn was too thin, and decided to double strand it. I got about 2/3 done with one leg, and decided I didn't like it, and was slightly concerned about having enough yarn. (The skein looked huge, but it was only 300g or so, and doubling it... it was a valid concern.)

Monday night, at my X Files ExCo (small 1 credit class taught by Linden and Liz), I decided to frog it and start over using a single strand.

Tuesday afternoon, the spring 2008 issue of Knitty was put up online. In it, I found Mosey. It is incredibly adorable, exactly what I've been looking for, and a perfect excuse to restart the legwarmer project using an entirely different pattern and yarn combination.

Also, it was a way to justify buying this GORGEOUS jade green Ella Rae Classic I've been ogling for four months. I purchased it Wednesday afternoon, and cast on Wednesday evening.

No regrets so far. Nor do I expect any.

THEN. After two OSCA-related meetings last night, the first of which was responsible for me missing dinner at the co-op, I walked to the co-op to get some leftovers. Fortunately, there were some plates of food saved that hadn't been claimed, because our leftovers fridge had been too warm and we had to throw out all of the leftovers. I'm getting ahead of myself. ON THE WAY TO THE CO-OP, there were a couple of guys in a van, clearly from out-of-town, who stopped to ask where the Ivy Tree Inn was. For those of you who know the area, they were on Morgan St and Professor St, so I tried to tell them the Inn was about two houses away on the other side of their vehicle. They didn't really listen though, to what I was saying. Instead:

Guy: "Are you Russian?"
Me: "Huh?" (I was a little taken aback. Since I spend so much time studying Russian language and politics, it was like a stranger knowing something about me.)
Guy: "Are you from Russia? The Ukraine?"
Me: "Um, no."
Guy: "Really? You sound Russian. You speak with a Russian accent..."

I told him that I study Russian, but thought to myself that I'm pretty sure it hasn't changed how I sound when I speak English. But hey, I like Russia. I'll take it as a compliment.

Exciting new things! + Lent

First of all, as part of my Lenten discipline (Lent having sneaked up on us so quickly) is this complaint-free world thing I heard about on Ian and Margery's show on FM 107.1 (a MN radio station). So, I'm not complaining, gossiping, or unconstructively criticizing. Or rather, I'm trying to teach myself not to. I'm also trying to get in a small amount (no definition, just some) recreational reading each day, because I've found that while I'm at school, that almost never happens. Sad face!

On to the excitement! NEW BLOG! RUSSIAN blog! Whoa. Dang. This is going to be fun. It's exactly what I've been looking for: an outlet for translating all of my ridiculous interests into Russian and imposing them on classmates! Because really, they HAVEN'T heard enough about the X Files yet. Also, I shall hopefully translate (for no reason whatsoever) at least one knitting pattern into Russian. Not that I have any idea what that would look like. ...I don't think anyone else in the class is this excited.

As far as the scheduling goes, I think I'm reaching a point where it's all coming together. I think I liked the Theater and Revolution class (in the Russian dept.) I took today. So, I think I'm going to drop out of Econ 101, which wasn't feeling productive, and do a private reading instead. I'm thinking about focusing on Anna Politkovskaya's works. I could even try to read some articles of hers in Russian... we are learning participles, after all. I hear it will transform my reading capabilities.

Other than that, there's not much going on. I didn't knit on Monday (I forced myself to rest after last weekend's marathon sessions), and I don't think I knit yesterday. I'll have to knit at least one row today.

Also, I'm trying an experiment. It hasn't worked yet, but here's my hypothesis: If I affix sudoku puzzles to the wall next to my bed and have a pencil stored nearby, when I wake up in the morning and don't want to get out of bed, I can do puzzles to help me stay awake, but still get the satisfaction of not leaving a warm bed for a little while longer. Maybe I should make one of my alarms designate 'puzzle time'. It's a thought. Or I could try NY Times crosswords...

Well, this post has devolved into inconsequential topics. We'll end it here.

Super Stition!

Last night I was looking over my syllabus for Russian 102. I didn't get much sleep Wednesday night, so I was looking at the homework for the 26th, instead of the 19th. Now our Friday Russian class is usually a discussion (we're watching a long movie in small pieces), so we don't typically have work to hand in. However, next Friday (and oddly enough, today, too) we have homework to turn in. Why? Because, according to the syllabus, there's this Russian суеверие (superstition) that says:

If you fail to do your work for the last Friday in April your nose will drop off!

Now: is that not the greatest superstition you've ever heard? Beats the heck out of black cats walking around.