Sorry about the lack of actual posts. Been having a sort of blog writer’s block. That depression post really upset and worried my Mom and Sister and then I was just outright embarrassed about exposing such a raw nerve. That, getting booted off The Duke City Fix’s weblog feed page (I’ll admit I was pretty critical of them but what a childish petty thing to do especially with the recent post about the open possibilities and varying voices of the blogosphere), and reading a post on one of their authors’ personal sites that had a mean comment making fun of knitters then another author said on her personal site that by wearing the color pink and retro clothing that I’m succumbing to the right-wing conspiracy to control women. So I’ve been pretty self-conscious about what I can write about that won’t have strange consequences, spark panicked phone calls, or be subject to general condescending derision.

Don’t you hate feeling like that?

About the right-wing conspiracy to control my body. Well, that may be true. But these guys are plotting no matter what I wear. On the one hand those assholes might be more open to hearing my opinion when I’m wearing pearls and a twin set rather than my Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo shirt. But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what I’m wearing and I think it’s creepy and manipulative to tell other people what not to wear. Unless your name is Trinny or Susanna - no, not even the tlc channel ripoff people. And mocking women for their chosen hobby, well, that’s not a very pro-woman attitude either. Shame on you both.

I consider myself a post-feminist, I can kick your boyfriend’s ass at Tekken and Trivial Pursuit, use an oxy-acetalyne torch welder, make one hell of a pot of chili, knit you a scarf, and do phone tech support all while wearing fuzzy pink slippers and a pink angora cardigan over my Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo Shirt. I do not read Cosmo (or any fashion magazine for that matter), watch red carpet fashion commentary shows or reality tv shows that aren’t on Bravo, call other women sluts, whores, or the c word (the very occasional bitch sometimes slips in but I’ve been hanging around the dog circles a lot where it’s freely used in a different context). Nor do I sit around in public places analyzing what other people are wearing.

I’m too busy trying to get through the day without a panic attack, depressive episode, inadvertently being rude to anyone, making sure all the living beings in my house have food and water and are relatively filth-free, that the perpetual dry patch of skin on my hairline isn’t showing, or that my clothes don’t have obvious stains on them to worry about what other women are wearing. In fact, I consider the act of criticizing the way other women have freely chosen to live their lives to not be a very feminist attitude. As long as they know their options and aren’t telling me what to do with mine, it’s bully with me.

And if you’re interested in the major role women’s fiber work has played in history I highly recommend a book called Women’s Work.

In knitting news (avert your eyes ye knitsnobbies) what started out as a felted purse became a felted kitty bed. I was working with four different color variations of Noro Kureyon (51, 126, 52, and 87 bought in the bargain bin at my lys if you’re curious) and found myself manipulating the stripes so all the different shades and colors would be more cohesive - which sort of defeats the purpose of self-striping yarn I guess but it was a fun experiment and I have a lot of little balls left over. But even with the interesting color variation, it sure wasn’t looking like a purse I’d want to carry out in public and I didn’t think it would be for the person I was originally making it for either. So I made some extra ribbing at the bottom to match the top (which lent a nice bend to the shape it turned out) and decreased into a circle and it became a top-down cat bed instead. I assure you, the aereolish pink rings and slight nipple of extra knitting on the bottom were pure chance. What’s really funny is the bed was for my cat cup bed-loving cat who’s the only male pet in the house (aside from Cody of course). But he’ll like it it’s warm and boys love their boobies. Straight boys do anyway. Phunq’s neutered though. In any case he’ll like it. Now if I can just get him to pose in it for a photo without getting excited and thinking it’s time for pets.

But it also makes a fabulous dog hat.

Right now I’m working on the chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in Fiesta Raspberry Mocha Rayon Boucle for my mother-in-law. It’s going to be a bit late for Mother’s Day but she’s assured me she’s ok with that. But it’s very, very long and will take a while. I’ve found that the rayon boucle lends itself very well to the pattern when my hands aren’t being sweaty. When they are being sweaty I’m working on a black purse in what I *think* is Wool-ease and will have some Lion homespun and fun fur embellishments. Sort of hard to explain what I’m going to do with this purse but here’s hoping it’ll be fabulous.

In non-knitting news Cody and I went out for sushi with Aubrey and her husband on Thursday. We had a great time and all four of us agree what a shame it is we met right before they have to move to Minnesota. But online friends are always welcome too. Hopefully they’ll visit sometimes, and we have plans to hit the Fiber Arts Fiesta together before the move. We did a swap (a cute strawberry needle case I special ordered from the ebay lady that made mine for some crystal palace chenille yarn!) and I love that we both brought extra prezzies. I added some shoyeido body powder and a sun shaped bar of soap since it had been her birthday (not much but it’s what I could find) and she brought me a buttonhole bag she’d made! It was such a nice night and they have one of the cuter “how we met” stories I’ve ever heard. Between Aubrey and Tim and the new friends I’ve made at knit night (like Meg and Jenny) I’m so glad I’ve taken up this new hobby. Critics of knitting and trendyknitters be damned.

So what kind of knitter am I?
(made by another fun knitblogger who’s also obsessed with her dog)

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer.
You are through those knitting growing pains and
feeling more adventurous. You can follow a
standard pattern if it’s not too complicated
and know where to go to get help. Maybe you’ve
started to experiment with different fibers and
you might be eyeing a book with a cool
technique you’ve never tried. Perhaps you
prefer to stick to other people’s patterns but
you are trying to challenge yourself more.
Regardless of your preference, you are
continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as
well you should since your non-knitting friends
are probably dropping some serious hints, these
days.
http://marniemaclean.com

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

the quiz was snagged from the decorator crab whose site I found through my new favorite forum.