Rachael Herron's Blog, page 56

Falling Slowly

I just lost my mind and spent two hours recording "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova on the ukulele and accordion. Wanna hear it? It's such a great song that it's hard to completely butcher it (although I gave it my best shot). Play it here, or right-clicking on it should allow you to save and open it in iTunes.

FallingSlowly

I am reminded that I don't mind making a semi-fool of myself in public (a total fool -- yes, I hate that. But I'm not shy about certain things, like having a great time making music as well as I can, all by myself).

For those who'd like the ukulele chords, they're C, F, Am, and G. Super simple.

(Also, if you haven't seen the movie "Once" from which this song is taken, you totally should.)

 

Graff

I'm passionate about street art, especially that done by women. Oakland is a prime place for this kind of beautification, and I've meant for a long time to find a large mural done by women graffiti artists earlier this year. We found it today, and it's even more awesome than I'd imagined. Done by seventeen female artists from all over the country, it took three days to complete.

Isn't it incredible? It's down off Mandela Parkway, at about 22nd or so. More pictures at Flickr, and this is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of it from one of the artists, TooFly from New York.

Knit-In

We had an amazing time knitting-in at Occupy Oakland the other day.

Kristine and Adrienne the Verb-ers came, bringing Cookie A and Ysolda.

Hi Kristine! Hi Cookie!

Also in attendance were Janine, Maia, and another woman who'd heard about us on Twitter (not sure she wanted her name used). And Alicia and Julianne (new knitters, both! Yay!) came with Margie (a long-time knitter). 

The best part? The new knitters we attracted. I love these photos.

This guy was working SO HARD at his new talent, and his face was nothing but delight as he realized he got to keep the needles and yarn.

And this is Alex and Janine (did he realize he had the best teacher in the world?). He came from Occupy Amsterdam after he heard what happened in Oakland last week. He was completely lovely and a total knitting natural.

Afterward, I took the hat I'd made out into the camp to find someone to give it to. It felt odd to do it that way, but it's what the supply tent had recommended we do. So I peered into people's lives from outside the tent-flap. I heard a couple of people arguing. Many were talking seriously and intelligently. A lot of people were laughing. I found this guy (another Alex) standing chatting with some women under a high pitched tarp. "Anyone here need a hat for nighttime?"

"Me!" he said. "Me!"

He loved it. He was a great hugger. And I love this photo:

Next time: we'll fry people's minds with spinning. Oh, yeah. I can't wait. (Thinking possibly of Friday the 18th for this, barring bad weather. Can you come?)

(It's going well, by the way. The conversation is really, really starting, and things like chat on this blog and out in the streets is exactly what we need. After the Oakland General Strike the other day, we were spending our dollars locally in our favorite Oakland bar, Baggy's. We were approached by a rather rough looking guy from the valley. He was union and had been sent to Oakland with his coworkers for the strike, but he had no idea what was going on or why we had participated. For THIS, we said. For this moment that a guy in a bar who wouldn't normally talk to our group approaches us (two of the three of my group were union, he was surprised to find out) to talk about how we, together, can make things better. How we can switch to credit unions. How we can keep our dollars local, pay in cash, insist on patronizing businesses who keep their business local. It was an extremely moving moment, and we had a connection. Just like I had that connection with both Alexes (Alexi?). Just like we have our connection here. Again, all polite comments welcomed! Thanks for being awesome.)

The Photo Fallacy

There are so many similarities between novel writing and knitting, and I've remarked on them before, but these things bear repeating:

1. Work done every day, even a few lines or a few stitches, adds up into books and sweaters.

2. Sometimes when you finish something, it's a piece of crap. That's when the tricky work comes: figuring whether it's salvageable and then working out HOW to do that.

I *almost* finished my Levenwick sweater last night. This is what it should look like:

(I just realized I fell for the photo fallacy again. This sweater, even if made right, would not suit me. And I'm just noticing that now. I just wanted to BE her. Grrr.)

I'm not going to show you what it DOES look like, not until I decide what to do with it. The arm scyes are way too deep -- apparently I was just knitting along and didn't notice that at all. The reverse stockinette rolls and flips in all the wrong places. The lace doesn't hold up, and I'm not sure blocking will help at all. I was SO FRUSTRATED and upset last night when I tried it on -- it's been a while since a sweater defeated me, and that's what this feels like happened.

I still have to knit the hem (which calls for applied i-cord -- HA! As if I would waste my time). I think what I'll do is slap-bang on a quick hem of some sort and weave the ends in loosely, and then wash the damn thing and block it. (Oh, how I resent the time I'll have to put in doing this.)

But I think, even when I do this: It's been a grand waste of time. I'll have to decide what to do with it. I won't frog it -- the idea of doing that gives me hives. It's nice, inexpensive yarn, nothing worth working hard to save. Maybe I'll donate it to someone at Occupy Oakland. (Hey! Knit-in tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1pm in the plaza, you're welcome to come -- knit something warm to give away.)

Now, when it comes to writing, I'm used to editing. It's my favorite part, actually. I love moving and deleting big blocks of words around and reworking them. In my current work-in-progress, I have 100,ooo words, with 50,000 unused words in the trash bin.That tells me I'm getting close.

But knitting? Anytime it doesn't come out exactly the way I want the first time, it feels like I've only been wasting my time. I don't quite understand why my brain feels like this, but it has something to do with TIME. I don't have enough time in this life to knit all the sweaters I want to knit, just like I'll never read every book that's on my list. It frustrates me to waste time reading crappy books or knitting sweaters that don't suit. I don't keep reading bad books to see if they get better, and if I'm not totally in love with a pattern, it doesn't do to reknit it.

I'd rather sit on the couch and figure out the math for my accordion sweater. At least if I screw that up, I can only blame myself. Also, it's FUN to do that kind of math.

New Goal!

But first: new shawl.

This is the Lacy Baktus, and I made it in Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted Long Print LP (sexy name, right? Rolls right off the tongue) in Apple Prchid. Yes, that's the what the label says. That can't be Apple Orchid, since that doesn't make any sense. They mean Apple Orchard, don't they? Because that's the color I see in this.

It's fun. I haven't blocked it -- probably never will. It doesn't seem to need it.(And it was FAST! Not more than a couple of weeks of not much knitting.)

It even (and I didn't expect this, it being lacy and all) looked good on Lala.

I went out to lunch with Clara Parkes while wearing it, and she took this photo:

(Hang on! Did you see that thing I just dropped? Wait, let me get it; it was a name.... But I know. Clara Parkes! She's a peach. I mean a Prchea. And she wrote the lovely, lovely foreword for A Life in Stitches, and I'm lucky.)

NEW KNITTING GOAL

You know those old Mary Maxim patterns? Like this beauty?

And Hoedown, now out of print:

I WANT A MARY MAXIM-LIKE ACCORDION SWEATER. Can't you just see it? Musical notes, like Lala's, on the front. An image of my accordion on the back. Oh, be still my nerdy little heart. Easy to chart, right? Something like this (thanks to this fine program):

Except it would be in BLUE. Ahhh.

I have two sweaters and a scarf to finish before I can start this, but it's kind of all I can think about. Obsession. I haz it.

Occupy Oakland

You already know I love my town. But I hella heart Oakland even harder this week.

It's not a movement for "hippies," although hippies are proudly involved. It's not a movement by slackers or the homeless (although the Occupy Wall Street camps are becoming known for medically treating and feeding those who need it).

This is important. It is about YOU.

I'm going to tell you what I'm planning on doing, right after I share what Thomas Friedman said in the New York Times yesterday.

Citigroup had to pay a $285 million fine to settle a case in which, with one hand, Citibank sold a package of toxic mortgage-backed securities to unsuspecting customers — securities that it knew were likely to go bust — and, with the other hand, shorted the same securities — that is, bet millions of dollars that they would go bust. [emphasis mine]

This is just one news story in a long list of wrongdoings that need to be addressed, solved, and changed. This is immoral. And wrong. And worth thinking about.

If you need a quick one-minute explanation of what this is all about, watch this. (Also, it's funny.)

 

I've been a union member for more years than I haven't been in my professional life, and I believe in the way they work. (Sometimes they don't work, but that's for another day and a different discussion.) So far, the SEIU, ILWU, Carpenters, Longshore, and AFSCME unions are supporting the General Strike. The Teamsters are providing food for the day. The Oakland Education association is endorsing the strike. The Oakland Teacher's Union has unanimously endorsed it.

So this Wednesday, for the General Strike, this is how I'm protesting: I'm going to Patelco, a local credit union, and I'm opening a joint household account with Lala, and a business account for myself. Then we'll go to Bank of America and have them wire all our funds to our new accounts. Then we'll go to Wells Fargo and do the same. 

I'd been loath to do this for a long time. Why? Because I was the slacker. I've been with Bank of America for more than fifteen years. All my bills are paid with a few clicks. It was too much hassle, I always said. I'd have to spend time setting up the bill pay at a new bank. We'd have to change our direct deposits. We'd have to change every auto-payment we have online. Moan, groan, grumble, moan.

Then I realized this: credit unions are locally owned, non-profit co-ops.

It was as if the light bulb blinked on. Who do I want to support with my really hard-earned dollars? Wall Street? Or my local non-profit? It'll be a couple of hours of hassle. Big deal. And it will actually affect the outcome of all of this. (There's a good article here on a credit-union convert.)

(I have to admit, there's a small part of me that's concerned that I'll lose readers because I'm posting this. Not YOU, darling. Of course not you. But what about the people who have just read one of my books? The ones who pop by to see what I'm all about? And they find this? Clicking the Publish button is something that is difficult for me. It's a fear I have trouble letting go of. And I suppose it just comes down to this: I'm letting go of it. Right now. It's okay if the 1% don't like me. This is more important.)

The Best Article I've Read So Far

If you read one thing, read this. This is why the author Lili Loofbourow didn't buy into all of this uproar at first but eventually she "Got Off My Computer and Onto The Street At Occupy Oakland." She says (God, I could have written every one of these bullet points):

• I do not believe the police are evil.
• I do not believe in utopian societies.
• I distrust extremists of whatever stripe.
• I believe inflammatory rhetoric shuts down rational thought.
• I was (and remain) afraid of nighttime Oakland—the desperate Oakland that Occupy Oakland insisted on caring for and actually living with.
• I am lazy, prone to migraines, and unwilling to be cold, wet, uncomfortable and in constant danger of arrest.

In short, I'm a moderate: small, fearful, skeptical, selfish, with privilege aplenty...I have an iPhone, for heaven's sake. I am, moreover, a liberal with a lifelong habit of opting out of the political conversation—and out of most kinds of activism—because I find its language dishonest, combative and unjust.

But she changed her mind. The rest of her article, and what she found, is here. It's beautiful.

Follow the Occupy movement on Twitter by using the hashtag #ows for Occupy Wall Street or #occupyoakland for OccupyOakland. It moves fast; it's the best place to keep up.

Do not confuse the complexity of the issue with chaos.

Occupy.

Project 333 update

I'm into joining things. You might already know that (let's do a marathon after never having run a mile! Let's write a novel in November!). But then I'm into modifying the rules as I see fit (if possible -- it's quite easy to modify NaNo to suit a person, less easy to run a marathon with anything but 26.2 miles).

Project 333 is just up my alley, and easily (too easily?) modified. The goal is simple: for three months, wear only 33 items. That includes shoes, jewelry and accessories (excludes jewelry you never take off, underwear, inhome loungewear, and workout clothes used solely for workouts).

I was drowning in clothes I didn't like. I'm not a big shopper and rarely buy new clothes, but I love a good thrift store run. I can come home with bags of things that, because I didn't try them on, end up fitting badly or not at all. And thrift stores also inspire in me that surety that I can become a new person (like a person who wears overalls! Usually a bad idea!). I'm much more critical when it comes to new clothes, which are usually restricted to jeans, undies, and dresses. If I'm paying $25 for one item? It had better look good. (Yes, I'm cheap, except for certain weaknesses. Fluevogs, I'm looking at you.)

So I had a closet full of bad ideas. I was ready for 333.

I separated my clothes (and shoes) into piles:

1. Junk - 2 trash bags. It was astonishing, really, the amount of clothing I had that needed to be thrown away. Jeans ripped through the crotch. Old tee-shirts with so many holes at the belly-button that the breeze blew through. Broken flip flops. Why was I saving these? Just in case? In case of what? (And yes, I know I could have recycled these items, cut them up for rags or repurposed them somehow. I didn't, though. I barely carved out time for this project -- I had to remain realistic.)

2. Donate - 9 trash bags. This was the bulk of my clothing. If I didn't love it (and I mean LOVE it -- I had to be convinced I would practically die if I got rid of it), even if it still fit and was in good repair, I put it in the donate pile. (My sister Bethany came over that night and made out like a BANDIT, which was nice, since she just got a swank new job and needed new clothes anyway.)

3. Love - large stack. I didn't presort them into the 33 pile, I just piled the love (and treasured sentimental) items.

Then, once the majority of the bags were in the hallway, I started going through the Love items, trying to cull them down to 33. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD THAT WAS? I had no idea it would be so hard, and I immediately started cheating. Using my cheats, I finally got the items to 33. You see that pink bin up there? It's larger than it looks in the photo. Everything that I loved that didn't make the 33 cut went in that bin and got stored in the top of my closet. In January, I'll donate what I haven't worn in my 33 pile (I'll bet there will be something) and then open the bin and decide if I want to cycle things in/out.

Oh, you want to know my cheats? Okay.

Rachael's Cheats:

Handknits - no WAY do those count, but it's true these are more frequently culled than anything else I own.

Uniform - This felt more like the allowed workout clothing of the project. I have to wear it one place, and one place only.

Jewelry - I don't have much, and it's all costume, but I'm trying to remember to wear it more. I did go through and get rid of a lot of it, everything I didn't love.

Belts - I only have four, but... okay, I have no excuse. I just don't count them.

Bags - I've gone down to carrying only two bags -- a large green shoulder bag when I'm working or writing (the laptop fits in it) and my poppy Queen Bee purse when I need something smaller.

Handmade things made AFTER the project began - The night after I did the culling, I needed to make a skirt from a Hawaiian shirt for my dad's wedding, so I'm enjoying that as a freebie.

Also, from all my wild thrift store purchases, I couldn't quite get rid of this.

Can't you just FEEL the velvety, shiny nap of that astonishingly ugly shirt? Yes, it's actually shiny in real life. It's amazing, right? I actually put the shirt in the bag to donate, thinking I'd never get around to repurposing it, but Bethany made me keep it (the only thing she made me keep) and she was right. It made the cutest skirt.

So this, shown below, is just about what I'm left with. (Two pair of jeans -- that fit -- are to the right of the folded skirts.)

[image error]

For the extra curious (I always am), a list of everything I kept for the 33 is below in my own cryptic clothing shorthand.

Overall Findings So Far:

I am SO happy with this challenge. It's so enjoyable to go to the closet and love everything in it, to feel good in everything. Everything fits. Everything flatters. And I've been finding this surprising thing: I'm out of my perpetual day-off uniform -- sweatpants and torn tee-shirt. I still own those sweats and a few of the non-holey tees (inhome lounge wear! Honest!) but instead of wearing them around the house, I'm wearing real clothes. When I decide to run to the grocery store, I just grab my wallet and keys, instead of looking down at myself and saying, "Dang. Can't go out like this."

My mother trained me well: when you get home, change into play clothes so you don't ruin the good clothes. I'm 39 and have done this my whole life. But where did that leave me? With a bunch of nice clothes I didn't like and a lot of tee shirts with holes in them.

I should wear what I like, even if the items get covered with pet hair. And eventually (this is hard for me to admit, truly), the things I like will wear out and I will have to buy new things. And that's okay. That's just fine. That's what happens.

So yay. Thumbs up. I'll keep you posted.

List:

Shoes
Red cowboy boots


 
Red Danskos


 
Fluevog pumps


 
Ruffle black heels


 
Low Aerosole black mary jane



Tops
Gray scoop short sleeve cowl


 
Purpe scoop short sleeve cowl


 
Blue scoop short sleeve cowl


 
Red Vee Ruched thin tee shirt


 
Slouchy black thin blouse


 
B/W thin pattern tee


 
Polka dot b/w tank


 
Ruffle black tank


Blouses
Plaid


 
Safari blouse


 
Grn/whi polka dot blouse


 
Blue denim ruffle blouse


Skirts
Martini skirt


 
Eddie Bauer plaid gray skirt


 
Green/gray polkadot skirt


 
simple black skirt


Hoody
Lexington


Pants
Jeans blue


 
Jeans black


Overwear
Black thin shrug acrylic


 
Gray sweater vest


 
Black slouchy thing


 
Grn plaid wool jacket


Dresses
Navy blue fancy


 
Black dress


 
Red/black dress


 
JLo black dress


 
b/w slouchy dress


 
 


Not Included:
Handknits


 
Jewelry


 
Underwear, belts



 
Tanks, tees used in working out


 
Sweatpants (lounge)




Uniform


 
 


Made things
Hawaiian skirt


 
skirt/cape - remake into skirt


 
gold skirt

Winners

The randomly-drawn winners of Lisa's book (alerted via email) are: Connie, Helen, MaddyG, Cheryl, and RoseK. Huzzah! Thank you for commenting!

Me: Had a great time at Dad and Lola's wedding. She did all the catering and it was THE BEST FOOD I've ever had at a wedding. It was real, island food, and I'm still dying over the memory of that pork. And that lau-lau. Oh, lordy.

I haven't gotten permission yet to post photos of people, so please just believe me when I say that everyone was gorgeous in their Hawaiian garb, and the (cup)cake was amazing:

And Bethany gave me permission to post a couple of her pictures:

I look a wee bit confused, don't I? That's because I was! But so fun, it is SO much fun to play that thing. All in all, an awesome, happy time, and our biggest congrats to the new couple!

Whirlwind

Whew! That was soooo fun! My little book tour is over, and I had the best time last night at Bookshop West Portal. PEOPLE CAME! Lovely, fun, wonderful people, and I soon as I saw that they were there, instead of relaxing, I got even MORE nervous, because wouldn't you want to impress a crowd like this?

[image error]

My sister Bethany is making a face, so it's her own fault it gets posted like this--this cracked me UP. (Also, the Herrons, especially sister C, are MASTERS of the crazy-photo face).

I was beyond excited. Bookshop West Portal is where I gave my first reading, and it remains my favorite, because it always becomes a party. I bring wine and cookies, people nosh and gab and hang out and hug and I LOVE IT. It would do to remember this when I spend a whole afternoon sick with dread that no one will come.

(Apropos of nothing, if you find it hard to read the font on this new page, don't forget for all webpages you can hit Ctrl+ to make the font bigger, or on a Mac, Command+.)

So this: I hope you will read either/both of my new books. I will stop pushing them now, because really, I'm more comfortable pushing other books, and LOOK! Here's one now!

LISA BOGART

She has a new book out, Knit With Love, and she's DARLING, with the biggest grin you've ever seen. I got the chance to ask her a few questions about her book.

1. Out of everything you've ever knitted, what's your favorite, and why? (I know it's like asking a reader what her favorite book is, but give it a shot.)
    Gee, you start with the tough questions. This is going to take some thought. (Insert dramatic pause.) Okay. I've got it.
    When I was pregnant with my son I went through a nesting fit like most moms do. At the time I worked in a little needlework shop that featured needlepoint and knitting. There was a great knit group meeting on Tuesday mornings but I never joined in, I was a needlepointer then. I had stitched my baby-to-be a lovely needlepoint sampler and was just waiting for the name and date to finish it. But what I really wanted was something I could actually use when the baby was born. Barbara came to my rescue.
    Barbara was the knit guru of the Tuesday morning group. She insisted that I could knit a sweater for my baby. I hadn't knit in years, in fact I had to be reminded how to cast on. But Barbara helped me pick out a pattern for a tiny cardigan. Then she patiently helped me with each phase of the sweater. I was so surprised as the little sweater grew on my needles. The how-to of knitting was still within me. It was exciting to have this skill reborn just as my son was about to be born.
    I finished the tiny cardigan. It's (one of) my favorite knitted objects. I look at it and remember how scared I was to change colors, to set in the sleeves, and to make the buttonholes. I still marvel that it turned out so well. (It took me years before I knit myself an adult size sweater.) I love his little sweater. It reminds me of how knitting returned to my life, of my friend Barbara and of when my son was tiny. It also reminds me to be brave in my knitting, to take on a challenge.

2. What gave you the idea for your collection of essays?
    I had read Betty Christiansen's book Knitting for Peace and I was fascinated by all stories behind different knitting charities. I started out looking for local stories like that. What I found were a lot of knitters very passionate about their craft. Not everyone knits for charity but it seems that every knitter has a big heart and is willing to share her time and wool with the world in some way. The stories that emerged were a collection of knitters caring for each other in so many many ways. It's my hope that these tales will help knitters celebrate their joy in the craft as well as inspire them to share their labors with others, in whatever form that takes. And some of the stories were just too fun not to pass on.

3. What's your favorite kind of fiber?
    I like the fiber of the moment. I am more frequently drawn to the color of yarn than the fiber content. I love Pagewood Farms Denali, a cashmere sock yarn. Decadent. But this summer I knit a sweater and a skirt from cotton and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Cotton has this reputation for being difficult, stretching out and not having any give. And while those things can be true I had success knitting with it. My fiber of the moment right now is alpaca. I'm making an afghan for my son. He's a freshman at Boston University and my California boy needs some warmth. I'm using Drops Alpaca in 15 different colors, my idea of fiber color bliss.

4. How long have you been writing?
    I'm one of those girls who wrote angst filled poetry as a teen. I kept journals and poured out every minute thought on the page. But just as my knitting was reborn with my son, so was my writing.
We lived a time zone away from family when my son was born. And I longed for the grandmas, aunts and uncles to see him grow up, but geography was keeping us apart. So I started writing down all the little things that were going on in our world. I documented his first steps. I wrote about his adorable adventures in the park. I told them all the silly things that happened. This was in the days before we were all connected online so I actually sent letters to all my relatives. The first seven years of my son's life are chronicled in detail. (He'll die someday when I show a girlfriend or fiancée. teehee.)

Giveaway:

In exciting news, Lisa's publisher has let me have FIVE of these books to give away, so leave a comment to enter.

(And now I'm off to my dad's luau wedding. Looking forward to the festivities! Aloha!)

The Final Reading!

And the first!

This is the final stop on my little book tour, but it's the actual official first reading for Wishes & Stitches. I love Bookshop West Portal, and they've been so kind to me, and I'd love you to come on Thursday night at 7pm if you're local. I'll bring wine and a gift or two to give away.

Bookshop West Portal
80 West Portal, San Francisco, CA
October 20th, 7pm

Then I'll be done telling you how nervous I get about these things and how I have dreams that I will show up with various important parts of my clothing missing and/or in disarray. (I've dreamed I've showed up in an ACRYLIC STOREBOUGHT SWEATER. Can you imagine? I'll give every person who attends ten dollars if that ever happens. I swear.)