Mobile phones are utterly annoying. People are too busy texting and/or yapping when they show be driving, watching their snot-nosed spawn, or conversing with their dinner companion. Thus, I resisted owning one for years, but I caved after Mum's stroke.

Am I glad I did! Without my (camera) phone, I would missed the opportnity to document this quintessential Pittsburgh gem.

For those not versed in the fine patois of Pittsburghese, "yinz" is the plural form of you. Vosotros, Ustedes, Y'all... yinz get the picture.

Get this. I have another finished knitting project. Like Lorelei, this was an easy project, but it languished because I am so lazy about finishing and seaming.

Maarit Shurg (from a Yarn Central newsletter)
June 13 - June 18, 2009. Seamed August 20, 2009 (during Project Runway's All-Star Challenge)
Less than 2 balls of Rowan Calmer, #481 Coffee Bean
#11 US needles

The finished garment pleases me in theory, but not in practice. I am not entirely convinced of the wearability. That bit of exposed skin between the the shrug and the dress annoys the hell out of me! Maybe I am more of a "wrap girl" than a "shrug girl"?

Moving is hell. I cannot imagine the hysteria and the nightmare that moving (the contents of) a house and other people would have induced in me. Moving my personal belongings proved to be enough of a trauma. Actually, the moving was easy, it is the unpacking that is so difficult. Unpacking, the organizing, the finding homes for things that is so problematic for me.

If taking nearly three weeks to unpack suggests that I am a procrastinator, then
the story of Lorelei will fully convince you.

Lorelei from Yarn Play

34" size (modified the waist for a tighter fit)
~4 balls Rowan Calmer, #462 Chiffon
(from the frogged Ribby Shell)
~ 1/2 ball Noro Silk Garden #34 (left over from Clapotis)
#7 US needle

February 15 - March 5, 2009: knitting
March 5 - Mid-June, 2009 languishes forgotten in my trunk
Mid-June - July 24, 2009: struggling with crochet edges
July 25, 2009: knitted bind off results in a boa constrictoresque bottom edge
August 13, 2009: rip back to slip stitch crochet edge, ignore armholes, and call it "good enough"

Given the length of time from start to (wearable) finish, I think many were expecting me to either give up or frog the garment. Not so! I am so pleased with the result, and once the humidity reaches a tolerable level, Lorelei will be shown around Pittsburgh.

Closet Case

New York City dwellers (rightfully) complain of small and/or non-existant closets. Given that so many city apartments are the size of a closet, it stands to reason that the closet would be even more confining within that space. The closet in my Chelsea apartment was terribly small, but it seems airy compared to the closet in my bedroom at my parents' house. While the house appears to be large from the outside, the lack of space and storage is almost stifling.



The closet dimensions are -- brace yourselves -- a decent 47" wide by 12.5" deep. Yes, I have a bit more than a foot of closet depth in which to smoosh my clothing. This has brought about a sort of clothing reckoning, and I have begun the process of purging clothing that I really no longer need.

Speaking of need...we are still minus internet at the house, but I am working on that.