Challenge 3: Disharmony

Sublime and Peachy have been feeling a bit neglected. Some very good books, some plans with friends, some tiredness, and the lack of good television, have meant my knitting pace has slowed. They knew going in that I was fickle, but I guess my great progress with Kiwi had led them to believe things would be different. And to be fair, I thought I'd be a little further along by this point too. So, Sublime and Peachy (with their various supports: resin circs, woodens circ and a stitch counter) have decided that they needed their own compositions to demonstrate their feelings. (Even though I think their themes are similar enough that they could share, but I'm trying to be supportive here.)

So, Peachy has decided to re-craft the lyrics of Genesis' "Easy Lover" into:
"Easy Knitter"
Easy Knitter
She'll tangle you up believe it
Make you bitter
Before you know it you're unraveling
She's an easy knitter
She'll start your skein but then just leave it
She's just a flitter
She's not devoted to finishing

She's the kind of girl you dream of
Dream will knit you u-up
You'd better forget it
You'll never get it
She will knit a bit and leave you
Knit you and then peeve you
Better forget it
Oh you'll regret it

No you'll never change her, so leave it, leave it
Hide your stash cause seeing is believing
It's the only way
You'll ever know

Easy knitter
She'll tangle you up believe it
Make you bitter
Before you know it you're unraveling
She's an easy knitter
She'll start your skein but then just leave it
She's just a flitter
She's not devoted to finishing

You want her to hold on to you
Knit you and to purl you
You'd better forget it
You'll never get it
For she'll say that there's no more
Till she finds a yarn store
Better forget it
Oh you'll regret it

And don't try to change her, just leave it, leave it
You're not the only skein, ooh seeing is believing
It's the only way
You'll ever know, oh(Repeat)

She's an easy knitter (she's a easy knitter)
She'll tangle you up believe it (tangle you up)
Make you bitter
Before you know it you're unraveling (you're unraveling)
She's an easy knitter
She'll start your skein but then just leave it (just leave it)
She's just a flitter
And I'm just trying to make you see (trying to make you see)

And for Sublime's piece:

"Alone"
She found me and she seemed so nice
She promised a good knit along
I thought we'd be together
But I guess that I was wrong

I saw no reason to worry
I ignored the rumors I had heard
She was so attentive at first
I thought they were jealous words

She talked me into making changes
She said that at the beach
I would not blend in well
I should let her dye me peach

That was when I should have guessed
That's how I should have known
My color turned out less
Like a peach, more a traffic cone

And then she started knitting others
But promised I was still the one
Said we needed to act like a team
And that variety could be fun

I spend more time in her purse
Than out being purled and knit
I have bonded with her keys and cell
Her gum has quite the wit

And even when we're knitting
She barely even looks
Can't remember what row we're on
Tries to knit and read a book

Things People Should Know #4

Dear Dancing People,

If one has decided to use the name Hijack for one's dance troupe, then you should expect that you need to be particularly careful in airports. Understandably - the word hijack does not have happy or even dance-oriented associations for most in the air industries. So, it would follow that if you are traveling (by plane) about the country, and one or your props is a fake bomb, that perhaps some care is called for. As anyone who has had anything questioned or confiscated at an airport knows, the defense that your item made it without incidents the last time(s) you traveled is a weak one. There are many stories people could tell you about nail cutters, safety pins and the like that were found unsuitable for plane travel. Air security is still a tense issue in this country and amidst all of the potentially dangerous items (such as those above), I think we can all agree that air security is most assuredly not supposed to allow bombs. Yes, this one was fake - but wouldn't anyone try that excuse. And in fact - the Philadelphia air security did their job and disposed of it. So, on behalf of the lovely folks who had their travel plans delayed while the airport was evacuated, and future travelers whose paths you will cross, please consider not traveling with your fake bomb.

Sincerely,
Someone with air travel plans this month

The Amazing Lace Non-Update

Hello! I know you haven't heard much from me (or Sublime, or Peachy) about the Amazing Lace recently. Peachy and Sublime are very excited about the latest challenge and have been busily crafting away their entries. (They say if I knitted them more, they wouldn't have so much time, but that's a long story.) So, the upshot is, we should have something shortly.

Not A Button Whore

But they are so pretty! Yes, I have added myself to the Yarn Addicts list. Trust me I may be soomewhat new to this hobby, but it is already taking up a over the door shoe rack, and three baskets.

Someone Else's News: Changing How You See

I heard this story on my way in to work this morning: Going Binocular. You may be familiar with Oliver Sacks, having read his books (The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat) or seen movies adapted from his books ("Awakenings", "At First Sight"). Well he has a tangential role in this story of a woman born cross-eyed who had spent much of her life seeing monocularly (rather than binocularly, as most of us do).
I don't want to recap the whole story for you (after, NPR did a really nice job already), but I just want to touch on some things. (So, go read/listen to the story and then come back, how about). Anyone who has taken a psychology or neuroscience course has probably heard the story of the cross-eyed kittens (kittens born cross-eyed, are unable to see binocularly even after surgery). It is one of those things that is fascinating from a nature/nurture perspective.
But the story of Susan Barry is also interesting from a perspective of adaptability. She spent fifty years seeing monocularly, and until she hit college she had no idea she was seeing differently than other people. Barry drove, worked as a professor, and did all these things with no apparent difficulty.
And then of course, she met a wonderful doctor who didn't say - no, it's too late to help you. Or why would you want to try to change it now. But, sure let's try this. And...it worked! And Barry discovered that things really do look different in stereo. (Remember that thing they would have you do as a kid where you stuck your thumb in front of you and then looked at with both eyes, and then each eye separately. To over-simplify, Barry was looking at the thumb with one eye at a time.)
So, I started my day today with great thoughts about adapting, coping, perceptions, our ability to change, and the beauty of seeing a snowfall with both eyes at the same time.