What's good for the basil...
Posted by Elizabeth on 05-23-2010 at 11:28 am Time for a garden update! I planted a bunch of carrots a while ago. Last week, I got around to thinning them out, and I still have around three dozen (maybe a few more) left. If they all make it to adult-hood, we should have some tasty carrots this fall. The chives have finally gotten large enough to be put to use, so I think I will be getting some baking potatoes at the store today for lunches. Parsley, similarly, has enough foliage to be added to my next batch of chicken stock and to contribute to Husband's omelets. The rosemary is putting on another growth spurt. Next year I will probably try to get a new plant started in the spring; this one is going to out-grow the container here in a bit. Today and yesterday are some of the first sunny days that we have gotten since I set the basil outside, and it has responded by putting out two new sets of leaves in the last two days. This weather is going to continue for most of the next week, which means we will, eventually, have some pesto from the patio garden. My love for pesto is deep and abiding. Yesterday, however, was the last day for the spinach. We didn't get more than a double-handful of leaves from all the plants put together before they all bolted from the heat. Part of the trouble is that I planted them about three or four weeks too late, and part of it was that we had some really unseasonably warm weather back in April. So, I pulled up what was left and will be planting some morning glories in the basket for the rest of the summer. Yes, they are strictly ornamental, but seeing the big purple and red flowers in the morning makes me smile, and it will give our windows some shade in the mornings as well. This fall I might put some more spinach out after the basil is all gone. This is the status report. This afternoon I am going to check on the pepper plant, which is being fostered on a friend's patio. They get more sun than we do, so it should be happier there.
Nothing to report
No, no I don't have anything to talk about right now.
All I have been working on are two super-secret projects. One is about half-done and has a looming deadline. The other is... ten percent? I think? It's big. And time-consuming. And Secret. And so gorgeous that I really, really want to take pictures and show them off, but I can't. Why, yes, I do plan to taunt you all until the holidays. Or until the project is finished and I can move on to something else.
The smaller one should be done sometime in the next week, and then I can both a)start on something that I can discuss, and b)wait until the recipient sees it and then post pictures here.
Well, I guess the other thing I have been doing is altering some shirts for a fellow fencer. I'm down to the last one at this point, but it's a bit more time-consuming than the first three were. Not much, just this is the only one that I have had to mess with the hem instead of just making the darts bigger.
Actually, that might be kind-of interesting to write up. Anyone interested in learning how to alter shirts?
High-water cozy?
Well, the alphasmart cozy went through the wash twice, and has come out like this: It's a bit short, isn't it? I think I made a math error, but even if I didn't, that was the point at which I ran out of yarn. The second version will get cast on once I check the numbers a second time. I am toying with the idea of having it be bottom-up (starting at the base of the keyboard) instead of top-down. Which would be more irritating as a finish: grafting 35 stitches on each side (70 total) or dealing with a 70 stitch two-sided cast-on?
Dusting off
I (finally) got a picture of the socks I knit for the Husband! This was the first time I think I actually talked him into putting them on, since I finished them up just when the weather turned warm. They now reside in his sock drawer, and will remain there until October. The knitting status might be a little quiet for a while, because I am getting a jump-start on some holiday knitting and at least two of the people that I am working on things for read this blog. So, you might get cryptic, photo-less updates, but that will be about it. Sewing, though! Oh, do I have sewing lined up. As soon as I have my iron back, I am going to knock together a summer skirt, I have some (paid!) alterations work lined up for next week, and I have picked the Tudor Monstrosity up again. Why are you on the floor? It's not that funny. Last night, I went through the fabric stash (no, I did not take pictures) and found all the pieces. This morning I started on the last bits of seam finishing on the underdress bodice. The state of the dress is pretty much the same as it was in this post from July 2007. I also tried on the corset and bodice last night, and they all still fit fairly well. I think I might have cried if they had not, because I do not have enough fabric to re-cut the bodice and still get enough skirt out of the whole thing and the corset took forever and I really, really don't want to have to re-sew all those boning channels. I did decide, after all, to hand-sew the whole thing. Maybe not the skirt seams, but everything else will just be less frustrating that way, even if it is more time-consuming. This is going to be my hand-work for the next week or so (waiting on some supplies ordered for Giant Secret Knitting Project), and I will see how far I get. The hard work on the underdress (the pattern, mainly) is already done. I just have to execute the plan.
How would you combine the two?
Writing and knitting do not generally go together. This is not to say that there is not a lot of people who do both, just that it is hard to do both at the same time, what with it being hard to type with yarn wrapped around your fingers. My script is not done. Not even close. I do, however, have a much better idea of what I need to do with it, now that April has given me the kick in the pants to get started in the first place. But what, you ask, have I done with the month besides not write? I am working on an Alphasmart Cozy pattern, that's what. The yarn is the very last of the leftovers from the Harry Potter scarves of two years ago. I think I might have done some of my math wrong, but we shall see. Probably I need to lengthen the straight bit at the bottom. The trouble with felting things is that you cannot really tell before you felt them how they will look afterward. The swatch, for example (that felted rectangle on top of the Alphasmart) started out as a 5.5" square. Now it is about 4.5x4". It shrunk more vertically than horizontally. The cozy will probably do the same. The other reason it looks a little strange is because I ran out of yarn just before I needed to knit the flap that would close up the bottom. Fortunately, that is the least-important part, fit-wise. We will find out the next time I wash a load of sheets or towels, which will probably be this week. After I see what modifications I need to make, I will knit a new one in the yarn left from my sweater (that I just realized I never posted pictures for). I have about half again as much of the sweater yarn than I did of the scarf yarn, so it should be plenty. Maybe after the Alphasmart is no longer naked I will be able to get some writing done.
Wrong Tree
I think I have been asking the wrong questions regarding my hobbies. This whole time I have been concerned with which ones I enjoy most, and trying to carve out time for those from the rest of my schedule. That question really has no answer. I think I need to start asking what I want to accomplish with them, not individually but as a whole. What do I want to do with myself? My hobbies are all things that make me less dependent on others, except fencing. Knitting, sewing, baking, and gardening are all activities that produce (or can produce) necessary objects: clothing and food. Writing is a bit trickier, but it does provide me with entertainment. Fencing dose give me focus when it comes to fitness, which I cannot manage on my own. Exercise for the sake of exercise is not really my thing. Looking at my hobbies in that light, I am not doing too badly. This last month has demanded a lot of work in the "garden", so I have had less time to spend on writing, knitting, and sewing. Things in the garden are about to slow down now that most everything is planted, so I will have more time to focus on writing for the rest of the month. All we have is time, and as long as I am using mine in at least one way that I enjoy, I will try not to feel too frustrated (why no, my script is not going very well!). This is also going to have to change how I look at sewing plans, come to think of it. Last week, I actually had to purchase a pair of pants because I put off making them for too long and had a pair die on me. I needed a pair for work more quickly than I would be able to make them, so off to the mall I went. In the future, I need to look at sewing the way I do baking: plan ahead and make time, and make sure the ingredients are on-hand early. Er, materials. Whatever. Meaning, I need to go buy some black pant fabric sooner rather than later, so i can replace my black pin-stripe pants before they fall apart. Working this out has made me feel better about the whole situation. Hurray for early-morning epiphanies before tea! Also, garden pictures!  Chives and potential carrots  Giant Italian Parsley  Spinach This is what is out so far. I have my pepper plant still inside for at least another two weeks, depending on weather, and the basil is too tiny to think about going outside yet.
Done. I think.
Posted by Elizabeth on 04-11-2010 at 11:14 am I am pretty sure that I have finished planting things for the summer. Note: This post would include pictures of the tiny plants in their pots, but right now my deck is full of dirt-daubers and carpenter bees. Neither one is particularly painful, but I would rather not get stung anyway, or let them into the apartment. I will try to get some shots this evening, when everything has calmed down. Last week all the carrot seeds went out, the basil got its start indoors, and yesterday I planted the last of the spinach for the spring. Thus ends my mucking around with seeds, until the fall anyway, when I may or may not plant more spinach. I am also considering doing some garlic, but I haven't made up my mind about that yet. This was also the week of transplanting things. The bell pepper was the first thing to move, into a newspaper pot made from these instructions. It is not quite consistently warm enough to put it out on the patio yet, but it needed more dirt than what the peat pot had to offer. This is a decent compromise, and I hope it lasts until the weather warms up a bit more. The chives went into the window-box that the carrot seeds got planted in. They seem to be doing fairly well, but have only been out since Wednesday. The parsley went into my second hanging basket (the first is full of spinach), and is showing a bit of improvement. The basket is probably a bit on the small side for the GIANT Italian Parsley variety that I have, but I think it will be close enough. I do wish I knew where we were going to be next year (or in five or ten years, for that matter) so I could make some long-term plans for the garden space. The garlic, for example, I probably will not be able to move with, and I will not know whether I can winter-over the parsley or a couple of carrots to try to get some seeds next year. But, you know, wishes and horses and all.
Faux Frenzy
I did tell you all that I am not really trying to write a 100-page script this month, right?
Currently I am sitting at about 14 pages of script. Probably about halfway done with the scripting part of the game right now. Formatting is going to be a bear, though, once I get the writing done.
Today is mainly going to be more planning, I think. I know I ought to have done it beforehand, but I think I did not realize exactly how much planning goes into one of these, or what kind I would need to do, until I got started. It is a learning experience, after all. The next thing I need to write up is all the information the various characters are trying to conceal from each other in the various scenes, which should be a good time. Then I only have to come up with witty banter to bridge things, which is fortunately a strong suit of mine. Plotting? Not so much.
I am really enjoying writing the investigator character. He is a cranky, insular sheriff who would just as soon lock up and then hang everyone if they cannot come up with an idea of who specifically killed the victim. Stupid acting troupes, coming to his town and making trouble.
With my head cut off
Posted by Elizabeth on 04-03-2010 at 10:28 am When did I become such a busy person? Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons (when I'm not working) are fencing practice, Wednesdays are write-ins, and there is usually a movie night sometime during the week. Last night was the Script Frenzy kick-off, and we have another write-in for that on Saturday afternoon/evening now. In about half an hour, we're going to get haircuts, then it is off to the mall or grocery store, haven't decided which yet. This Sunday I'm apparently attending a bar-b-que hosted by one of Husband's friends/coworkers, and next Saturday is given over entirely to our once-monthly D&D game. In between all that, I have been trying to write, bake, garden, knit, sew, and spin.
I hate to say it, but I think I am going to have to start giving up on hobbies. Spinning is the one I am least infatuated with (I like it, don't get me wrong, but it won't ever be an all-consuming passion), so I think after I finish the fiber I am spinning now, that one is done. Sewing is on hold for a bit. I need clothing a bit more quickly than I am able to make it, so I am actually going to buy some this weekend. Just a pair of pants, but I had a pair die this week and it is leaving a gaping hole in my wardrobe. My closet is not particularly full, so when something dies it needs to be replaced.
Baking at the moment is largely limited to quick breads and muffins, anyway. Experiments will wait until after April (and the Script). I think do I need to defrost that pumpkin puree this week for breakfast muffins and something to take to the gaming group.
I am only knitting on one thing right now. Shocking, I know, but I only have two things on the needles at all, and one is the Sock Yarn Blanket, a v-e-r-y long-term project. The other is a pair of socks for the Husband, which might as well be called a long-term project. I am about halfway through the foot on the second sock (toe-up, so I have the heel and cuff yet to go). After that, I think I will start on my mother's birthday/Christmas present (depends on when it gets done, her birthday is early November). I have to find the right kind of lace weight for it, though.
That is what is going on, and that is probably enough of a ramble for a Saturday morning. The script is going relatively well; I have not really done anything yet today but I am caught up for yesterday. Today will be mostly outlines and character notes, which will actually end up in the final game. I think that means I can count it for my page count.
Progress?
Posted by Elizabeth on 04-01-2010 at 12:45 pm Script Frenzy is under way.
I did not make it to midnight last night; work was crazy yesterday so I ended up going to bed about 9:30. I got up at 5:00 this morning, though, and got quite a bit done. I only have about half a page (give or take) to write this evening to stay caught up, and that isn't counting the title page or the character list. If I count those, I am actually a bit ahead.
However, I doubt I will make it to the goal. Not because I don't think I can, but because I am not actually trying to write a full-length play. It probably will not be the full 100 pages. Even if I include the background on the characters, the setting, and all of the side information that they are not supposed to reveal about themselves in the game unless directly asked, it might not make 100 pages.
Which really means that I have no excuse what so ever for not finishing this project this month, I guess.
I did trim the cast down to just eight players and an inspector. The Mayor of the town might make an appearance in the script, but I doubt he will be in the final game.
I hope my 'Frenzy shirt arrives in the mail today!
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