Once in the Jurassic about 150 million years ago, the Great Sun Buddha in this corner of the Infinite Void gave a discourse to all the assembled elements and energies: to the standing beings, the walking beings, the flying beings, and the sitting beings--even the grasses, to the number of thirteen billion, each one born from a seed, assembled there: a Discourse concerning Enlightenment on the planet Earth.( Read more... )

Here's a shot (courtesy of jeliza) of my silk/stainless steel thread, and of the back of the jacket, about 35 rows along. Since switching to the bamboo needles (#2) I've really picked up speed, which is an interesting paradox. Metal needles are usually the fastest to knit with, but I was so nervous of slippage, I slowed down considerably when using them with the silk/steel. I'm still knitting slower than I do with a larger needle and a stretchier fiber. As I've written before, the thread is slightly stiff, and has no "give" to it, which makes it more challenging for me to maintain an even tension and appearance.

I love this project.

Happy Juneteenth, everybody!

For all my whining and caterwauling, I feel very blessed in my friends and family. You guys rock.

My head hurts. Still. The day it stops, will be a day of great rejoicing.

I have nine rows of 186 teeny-tiny mesh stitches done on my jacket. About to start the tenth row. I really don't get this excited about other, relatively-simple projects. I am clearly a fiber masochist.

There's a plan to go to the zoo today, which I want to participate in, head willing.

I want blueberry crepes. Or maybe Black Forest ham.

Tonight I started on a new knitting project that I'm actually excited about. For those who aren't sick of hearing about it, it's a jacket conceived by Japanese knitwear designer Setsuko Torii for Habu Textiles. It's made of a fiber composed of silk bound around a stainless steel core, originally used in making oil filters. The stainless steel gives the fiber a memory, and the ability to be scrunched into different shapes. It also makes it very rigid, and not malleable and stretchy like wool.

My jacket will look much more like this one, which is hand knit rather than machine knit, and black and navy rather than a grey and brown marl like Habu's sample garment. The combination of the navy and black creates this rich dark blue, pricked by the silver of the steel.

I'm knitting on 3 mm needles, which (for the non-knitters) are somewhat small for creating a large piece of clothing, and so far I've only gotten six rows done since casting on this evening, but I'm hooked. The fiber is tricky enough to be interesting, but not too difficult so far. The mesh I've knitted to this point is very even and neat, which is nice, to be honest. I'd been wondering how my knitting skills were going to stand up, using such an odd and somewhat-unforgiving material.

Despite my headache, I spent a lovely afternoon with drakemonger, javagoth, garpu, and sirriamnis at Knit in Public Day. After knitting, we had delicious British food (sausage rolls, pasties, fish and chips). Much talking and laughter, both of which I realize I've sorely needed.

I came home to find that my silk/stainless steel jacket kit had unexpectedly arrived from Habu Textiles, so it was a quick dash to the knitting store for some needles, to be able to start immediately (in fact, I have a third of the stitches cast on already).

My head still hurts, but I feel refreshed and revived. The day was beautiful, the company was great, and I've started an exciting project.

I love krautboy.

Do you?

By Doug Whiteman
The Associated Press
Published: March 4, 2009

http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/04/business/view.php

COLUMBUS, Ohio:

Amber LaPointe's introduction to one of the most popular natural tourist attractions in the United States came from small square pictures on a white disc.

"It was like you could look into a world away," said LaPointe, who is 28 and from Toledo, Ohio. "My only image of the Grand Canyon was from the View-Master."

The iconic discs of tourist attractions, often packaged with a clunky plastic viewer and first sold to promote 3-D photography, are ending their 70-year run after years of diminishing sales.

Collectors like Mary Ann Sell of Maineville, Ohio, are dismayed.

"The whole summer I was 5 years old, before I went to school, I traveled the world via View-Master - it was great, and now kids won't have the opportunity to do that," said Sell, 57, who owns thousands of scenic discs.

Fisher-Price, based in East Aurora, New York, will keep making better-selling discs of Shrek, Dora the Explorer and other animated characters, a spokeswoman, Juliette Reashor, said in an e-mail message.

Sean McGowan, a toy industry analyst with Needham, said View-Master had been in decline since its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s.

"That's not what the kids are looking for in the back seat of the car," he said. "They're looking for a DVD that plays on the back of Daddy's seat."

Because of its limited shelf space in stores, McGowan estimated, View-Master brings in less than $10 million a year, compared with overall revenue of $5.92 billion for Mattel in 2008.

Peering through a View-Master at images shot from the top of the CN Tower in Toronto or the rim of the Grand Canyon could induce vertigo because they were so vivid.

As for other locations, the "jungle room" at Graceland, the Elvis Presley museum, is on a disc. And the actress Mary Tyler Moore used the View-Master to check out vacation spots on her television series.

Mark Finley, the general manager of Finley-Holiday Films, which distributes View-Master scenic discs, insisted that the souvenirs - which their inventor, William Gruber, introduced in 1939 with backing from a postcard company - still had appeal. Shops at Yellowstone National Park, for example, typically sell 8,000 View-Master sets each year for as much as about $13, Finley said.

But Clinton Brown of Columbus, who will turn 4 on Sunday, voiced disappointment with the View-Master, which his mother, Karina, had bought for him.

"It's boring," Clinton said, his mother's fond childhood memories notwithstanding.

McGowan, the analyst, said the demise of the scenic discs was sad but not surprising.

"When I was a kid, everybody I knew had a View-Master," said McGowan, 48. "Hardly anybody has it anymore."

Insomnia. Hm.

Only five???? Here's the five I'd pick right now, with longevity in mind. There's no telling what I'd pick tomorrow.

1. Orlando, by Sally Potter
2. La Dolce Vita, by Federico Fellini
3. Ran, by Akira Kurosawa
4. Rosemary's Baby, by Roman Polanski A Better Tomorrow, by John Woo
5. Solaris, by Andrei Tarkovsky
6. Casino, by Martin Scorsese

ETA: Okay, now I'm cheating and second-guessing. Maybe I really do need a horror flick.

As I said, there's no telling what I'd pick tomorrow.

Use your widest skillet here to get the eggs as thin as possible.

1 scant tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 scant tablespoon olive oil
3 - 4 good quality eggs, well beaten with a big pinch of salt
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
6 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, raw or browned in a skillet ahead of time
2 big handfuls of pea sprouts, chopped green beans or peas
1+ tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

In a large, clean skillet, heat the toasted sesame and olive oil. When they are nice and hot (but not too hot!), pour the eggs into the pan, count to ten, then gently swirl the pan to create a thin layer of egg evenly distribute across the pan. Cook this thin omelette for about 45 seconds or until it sets up. Fold the eggs over on themselves and cook for another 30 seconds or so (but avoid scorching) before transferring to a cutting board. Let it cool a bit, then slice into strips. Set aside.

Don't bother cleaning the skillet outright, just scrape or wipe out any remaining egg. There should still be enough residual oil to cook the onions over medium high heat for a minute or so. Stir in the wild rice and tofu and cook until heated. Now stir in the pea sprouts, and cook for 20 seconds. Gently add the eggs back into the skillet and finish by adding the tamari. Use a spatula to stir until the tamari works its way around the pan. Taste, and adjust - more salt (or tamari), or maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes...

Serves 2-3 as a main.

Still sick, but slogging along. Thanks for your good wishes. I appreciate them.

Chai is truly the drink of the gods at times like these. I just keep downing cup after cup. If I don't watch out, I'm going to be vibrating out of my skin from overcaffeination

I was giggly all day yesterday, like an adolescent boy. It must have been the lack of oxygen.

I still can't read normal type, but I'm one more day closer to being able to. Woo!

Jane bought me a HUGE iced vanilla latte this morning. Delicious!

I'm still coughing a lot, but otherwise feeling okay. This is definitely not the worst case of bronchitis I've ever had. Hooray!

I wish I could read or knit right now. I've an optometrist's appointment this next week, and have been listening to various audiobooks, but I'm getting grumpy. Who knew that a drug could cause such a mess?

I love winter, but I'm really looking forward to spring this year.

I have no brain, and I must think.

I want to be amused.

Enough with the snow already. We are not a snowy people.

Have any of you knitters tried square knitting needles? I must admit to being intrigued.

Grump: "Curl" is not spelled with a "K."