Finished the Blue & Purple socks. Information on them on Ravelry. I'm very happy with the results. Cat Bordhi's little hint on how to make the transition from heel/foot to leg to avoid holes was fantastic. That tidbit can be found on the videos I mentioned in yesterday's post.
I started out as a true blue, cuff down, DPN sock knitter. Didn't think there was any need to do it any other way as that just work perfectly and why fix somethin' that ain't broke! Then I tried afterthought heels. Okay, they work nicely, too. Magic Loop changed my sock knitting life, and I haven't even missed my DPNs. Toe up was still too much of a hassle until I finally mastered Judy Becker's Magic Cast On. For now, toe up, Houdini Socks are my preferred way of making socks. I love the way the heel fits, how professional the toe looks and how much easier it is to fit socks to others.
My friend, A, gave me a ball of green ww wool yarn she's not fond of to make Mittnz. Didn't use it for that, so CO a pair of wool house socks last night. Although just the toe is finished, they feel warm already. They will be donated to our next blitz, Feetz.
I occasionally write about living with my disability, Asperger's Syndrome. Today, I'd like you to go to Rachel's Blog and read about a bad day. This is how we feel, when the hope of having family and friends try to understand who we are, how it feels and accept us anyway, fails. Many of you will not bother to go read it, and some of those who do, will end up angry at me for putting this issue into your lives. The anger will be directed at me and whatever relationship I had with you will be gone. If I'm lucky, it'll all happen without a direct confrontation. I'll just quit hearing from you. (Don't worry, I won't keep IMing, I'm used to it.) When I'm not lucky, it'll happen with a great display of fireworks and ravaging words of anger.
There is a certain percentage of the population that hone in on those of us that are different and treat us in the most horrendous ways (understand, as I do, that my description of horrendous is how it makes me feel inside, not something most of the world would define as horrendous. Most people would say I'm overreacting. But trust me, that's how it feels...horrendous). They don't have to even know us. We are often the ones that are referred to as people that have "victim" tattooed on our foreheads, we emit some energy that triggers a violent (verbal to physical) response in others. When these people are confronted and really think about why they reacted that way, they can't give a reason. But the anger is there, the agitation, the drive to remove our genes from the gene pool.
We have these people, whom I call Genetic Bullies (they, having a gene for cleansing the species of weaklings), are in our families, (which are the hardest for us to deal with because we have this silly dream that family members love you no matter what), they are in our acquaintances, in our working world, and in our social environments. They "know" they shouldn't or can't act upon this rage inside them in a civilized world, but it doesn't diminish their reactions to us. The smart ones begin subtle campaigns to have us removed from their familial contacts, work environment, and social area. It makes it near impossible to keep a job. Getting the jobs are not too hard, keeping them is a whole 'nother story.
When it's happened so many times in one's life, one can safely say it's not a paranoid delusion. It's a reality. And it affects how we interact with our world. I've met a knitter, new to our knitting group and we seem to fit together like a handshake. Yet, I'm so tempted to change my name, phone number and disappear because it's the first time in 6 or 7 years I've extended myself past my immediate living environment. My past attempts have not survived and didn't end well.
You see, we don't have casual friends. Generally the people groups, as far as emotional commitment, are slight acquaintances or BFF. Nothing in between. And when you are a BFF, it's a total commitment on our part. Sort of a "love at first sight" thing. When those fall apart it's unbelievably painful. And the next time a person appears in our world we run, because the pain of it ending badly is too much to bear.
Unlike the popular hype, people on the autistic spectrum crave human company. We may not want to be right in the conversation, but we love being around people. There is a term for children, generally preschoolers, who like to play near others but not with them. It's called parallel play. Two kids will both be playing house, but it's like they are next door neighbors, each doing their own thing without interacting with each other, perfectly content to be near but not interacting. Lots of autistics feel this way. "In the world but not of it." Sometimes, however, we do find someone we'd like to be with. Kids rush into the relationship and bounce back from the rebuffs many times before they begin to be wary. By the time one reaches 50 it's easier just not to attempt the relationship. Lonely, but much safer.
I finally got the Hexie blanket washed and ready for mailing. Today I search for a box and with luck, tomorrow it will be heading to the Reservation with the hope it'll be including in an upcoming auction there. I received more Hexies while I was on vacation, so today I hope to pull all those out, lay out another blanket and start joining them.Some of you may know I homeschooled all six of my kids. In actuality, I unschooled them. John Holt started this trend in Growing Without Schooling. My philosophy is that people will learn what they need to know when they need to know it. My youngest daughter, at almost 28, decided she needed her GED in order to persue an educational path. She took her pretests over the last two weeks, and without any prep at all, no classes, no study guides, just walked in off the street and took the tests, she passed them all with the lowest score at 510 and the highest score a perfect 800. "Approximately 68 percent of all graduating high school seniors earn scores between 400 and 600 on the GED standard score scale. Only 2 percent of graduating high school seniors earn scores lower than 300 or higher than 700." I'm proud!
If you have someone in your life that has Asperger's Syndrome please go read The Waiting Game on Rachel's blog. She describes what an afternoon for us is like.
Check out these great photos of the President, family and staff. Great candid shots of his first 100 days in office!
There's been a lot of stress and changes going on here in our household. Youngest Daughter has lost her long time client who has been moved into hospice. Finding new client(s) and full time work is not easy. However, the client's daughter is giving us much of the furniture in the client's now not needed apartment. So we are getting rid of things and getting new things. Change is good...just very hard for those of us on the autistic spectrum (everyone that lives in this house).
Youngest Granddaughter put something in the Wii yesterday. It no longer works. It can be fixed, it just takes money (read above paragraph). I went into a sheer panic. I've been using the Wii Fit to exercise since February 2nd. Now in just a few hours I have to figure out how to get my hour of cardio in without it's help. I'll do it, but change is hard for those of us on the autistic spectrum.
Lots of brain dead knitting going on here. I thank the stars daily that my vacation to Tennessee is already paid for.
I have made great progress on my Deathly Hallows socks! I started them last September when we were on the way to Disneyland, and just got caught up in other things. It took me forever to finish up the toe on the first sock. Now I'm hoping to get the second one done by Monday. I want to wear them to the Renaissance Festival on Monday. John Elder Robinson has written a book, Look Me in the Eye about his experiences growing up with Asperger's Syndrome. Check out his address to a Random House audience.
I finished up the Houdini Socks that are a gift for my Eldest Daughter's birthday at the end of March. They are made of Cascade Fixation, a cotton and elastic sock yarn. They feel like heaven! Cushy, soft, clingy....This is fantastic yarn to work with! Enjoy!
Finished up the Rainbow Hat to finish the whole set of sweater, mittens and hat. The hat is just a tube with two rounds of eyelets at the top and I cord woven in one set to close up the top. The second set provides "growing room". It's been nice and cool since Thursday, rain and in the 50s. However it's up to the 70s tomorrow and that way all next week, so it may be awhile before the hat is needed.
Keeping the "We" in "Yes, We Can!"
I'm very proud to say I didn't buy anything yesterday. I didn't even leave the house... I did make something, and started something else. How was your Black Friday?
In this time of remembering how good our lives are in spite of economic uncertainty.
Black Friday. A pregnant woman was sent to the hospital and a Walmart employee was trampled to death by New York Walmart customers who broke through the doors shortly before opening time. A human sacrifice to the altar of the almighty dollar. Really people, it's time to stop and think. Jamie Sue has a few words about it: This website isn't just about giving handmade gifts, or shopping indie crafters. At it's core it's not about Christmas either. Believe it or not, it's not about rejecting all your material possessions or vowing to never shop again. It's about making a change in your attitude about what is really important. It's about valuing people over property and spreading the word that rampant, unchecked, materialism at the expense of human thought, feeling, and life is NOT ok. Christmas just happens to an excellent opportunity to make changes in your purchasing habits and a great time to emphasize family and friends over stuff and things.
Let's see, mine has: yeast, flour, butter, honey, milk, and this last time, textured vegetable protein (TVP or soy). Not only is it better tasting, I know what everything in my bread is. Oh, and it's less expensive. And the baking warms up the house on cold winter mornings. It smells good, and tastes very good.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Dark colors are so hard to photograph. This is the progress on my sweater, which isn't much. I tried three times to add a design using Mosaic Knitting. I guess the only way I'll be able to do it is if there isn't anyone in the house...which narrows it down to just about never. So I'll have to develop Plan B.
rating: 5 of 5 stars Another good book in the series. Lindsey Boxer and the rest of the Women's Murder club solve two more murders and make San Francisco a bit safer for a day or two.
One murder concerns an Angel of Death, deciding which hospitalized patients should live or more importantly, die.
The other is a series of high priced call girls that end up posed in classic automobiles.
Although we have no clues to the identity of one murderer, we have far too many suspects for the other.
If you know someone with Asperger's Syndrome, here's some ideas on how to have a better relationship with them. Now, not all Aspies have the same preferences, or to the same degree, but it's a good start on understanding how to make the relationship more comfortable.
When you get done with that turkey this week, put the carcass in a big pot, add lots of water and boil it down for homemade turkey broth. You can use it to make stews and soups throughout the winter. I use a big spaghetti pot that has a colander in it. Makes it easier to separate bones and meat from the broth. Once the bones are cooled, I go through them looking for good meat that can either be kept in the broth or saved and frozen for soups later on.
Cool the pot of broth in fridge. All the fat will rise to the surface and become solid. Just carefully spoon it off and reduces the fat content of the broth. Or keep it to add calories in your soups. Your choice.
Leftover turkey meat can be frozen to add to turkey soups and stews later on. Even if you only paid $.50 a pound for your turkey, you might as well get as much for your dollar as you can. Here's a more flavorful recipe for broth.
To make vegetable broth, save all the clippings and parings when you prepare fresh veggies. That's right, carrot tops, celery leaves, potato peels, etc. Put them in a bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, boil them all down. Strain and freeze. We made great veggie and bean soup from this broth when my kids were little. They called it Garbage Soup!
Beef broth can be made from saving bones or buying soup bones from the butcher.
I got quite a bit done on my sock yesterday. About two more inches until the toe decreases. I'm glad I chose the simple vanilla sock to do as any stitch pattern would be lost in the stripes. ETA: I just found this new knitting magazine, knotions, and the Sampler Socks are really a good idea for self striping yarns.) I really like how the two skeins of yarn compliment each other. Although this sock doesn't look much different than any of the other commercial self-striping yarns, I like that no one will every have a pair "just like" mine. So far, all votes are Yea! for Red Heart Heart & Sole sock yarn. It's about the same price (minus the shipping) of KnitPicks Felici Self-Striping, which would be comparable. It's not merino which Felici is, but if your local chain store carries it, it's instant gratification. Although Minnesota (where I grew up) doesn't always have the lush autumnal colors that, say, Maine or Vermont does, there were days that were almost like a carefully planned fireworks display. I miss those markers of seasonal change. Here in the desert we don't have the same brash statements from Mother Nature. Everything is gradual and slips in without notice. These socks are my tribute to the autumns I miss.
From Accepting Asperger's Syndrome: Thinking back over my life up until now, I am amazed by the sheer amount of effort those with AS must make just to get through each day, by the amount of coping techniques we must intuitively come up with and practice. We are bombarded every day with so much overwhelming sensory information. Our clothes are too tight, making eye contact can literally hurt, the sounds of everyday conversation, of a clock ticking or someone tapping a pencil against the desk can drive us out of our minds. Certain smells can overwhelm us, the lights are too dim or too bright, we just don’t feel comfortable in our bodies. It’s very hard for us to actually relax, because there always seems to be a threat lurking somewhere.-Kate Goldfield
rating: 3 of 5 stars Kinda of a scary book. Connolly has rewritten some of the well known fairytales to create another new story from them.
It was good. It kept my interest and there were several times I put my knitting aside and just read. It causes one to look inside to see what it is that makes oneself.
Not something I'd give to young children, but a tween or teen might find it interesting.
Abby's comment on yesterday's Asperger's post reminded me of Jenny Joseph's poem, Warning.
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people's gardens And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausages at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay our rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple. Perhaps around 50 we do finally start, at least, to give ourselves permission to quit following the rules everyone around us thinks we should follow.
I finished up Bones sock #1! It's just a little big for Youngest Son so I think once washed and blocked it'll be just perfect. I really am happy with the way the color pattern picked up again in the foot but find it so interesting it's got narrower bands of red and white stripes than the top! How weird is that. But it's find, it didn't pool and that's really what I was afraid of.
Second sock has been CO and about five of the seven leg inches finished. The patterning is similar which is very surprising since this skein has four breaks in the yarn. It's the damaged skein of Hill Country Yarns I bought from Discountyarnsale.com. I e-mailed both companies and Hill Country never responded and Discountyarnsale said they'd credit my account but never followed up to say they had. I emailed them with new pictures twice yesterday and got their canned response, but no human has contacted me yet.
The breaks in the yarn all occurred in the first inch and a half of the sock, before the pattern had really established itself, and they are all in the white yarn.
Youngest Daughter and granddaughters spent the night at a friend's house last night which gave me a nice quiet evening and morning. Eldest Son and I are going to the movies to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian today. I always enjoy going to the movies and I'm expecting this one will be as good as the first one.
Youngest Granddaughter's first speech therapy session will be this Wednesday morning. When the evaluator was here, she questioned whether we really wanted the "autistic label" on her. I've thought about it a lot since last June when my sister said the same thing. It really isn't a label to those on the spectrum, it's part of our identity. So we don't shy away from it anymore than we might shy away from using "Native American" or "Irish". I guess we still aren't past the day that these kinds of words are derogatory nouns rather than the adjectives they really should be.
Isn't it cool? All my knitting books in one easy location! I'm going to get more of them for the Harry Potter books and maybe my Diana Gabaldon books! Just scattered over the wall....
Very little knitting done yesterday. I have a tooth ache and it was just easier to kick back and read. I still have a tooth ache but I can't afford to lolly gag around! I did get the buttons for Presto Chango and got those sewn on, the sweater washed and blocked. So not it's ready to be packed away till this winter and see if it fits Youngest Grandson at that point. If it doesn't, it'll either get put away for next grand child, saved as a baby gift for someone, or sent off the Cheyenne River Reservation.
I just read this really well written article, The Girl With a Boy's Brain, about a young woman with Asperger's Syndrome. Although I have many different issues than she does, I have many in common. It's a good glimpse into the life of a person with AS.
So, I'm on the last leg of the first sleeve! (How's that for a mixed metaphor?)
I attached the sleeve and began the tedius round and round. The ribbing is about 8 inches long so there is plenty of grow room in it. So I have bit to do on that and thinking I could get it done over the weekend kinda was a dream instead of a guesstimate!
I've got a cold! It's not a bad one, just one enough to be annoying. Rought throat, runny nose... blech! Guess it's a good day to sit and knit!
Watched a really good movie yesterday- Mozart and the Whale. Okay, it's not going to every get nominated for any big awards... It's a love story about two people with Asperger's Syndrome. I, along with my mother, daughter, two sons, and two grandchildren have AS. I also have a grandson that is Autistic. The story is about how difficult it is for two Aspies to live with each other...but I wish it had touched more on how difficult it is for Aspies to live with Neuro Typicals (NT). That is what most of you people out there are.
Most of what one reads about AS is how it affects children. I wish there was more out there of what it's like to be 54 and have internalized all the pain and struggle of being different, trying to be normal, and just never being able to succeed. And never knowing what it was that caused the problem. Not only not have a diagnosis, but never being able to see/understand what the behavior was that was unacceptable. So, one finds that seclusion is the better than the pain of rejection. Enough. It begins to sound lik whining.
My granddaughter was just notified she has a snow day! Mixed blessing....
So, I'm on the last leg of the first sleeve! (How's that for a mixed metaphor?)
I attached the sleeve and began the tedius round and round. The ribbing is about 8 inches long so there is plenty of grow room in it. So I have bit to do on that and thinking I could get it done over the weekend kinda was a dream instead of a guesstimate!
I've got a cold! It's not a bad one, just one enough to be annoying. Rought throat, runny nose... blech! Guess it's a good day to sit and knit!
Watched a really good movie yesterday- Mozart and the Whale. Okay, it's not going to every get nominated for any big awards... It's a love story about two people with Asperger's Syndrome. I, along with my mother, daughter, two sons, and two grandchildren have AS. I also have a grandson that is Autistic. The story is about how difficult it is for two Aspies to live with each other...but I wish it had touched more on how difficult it is for Aspies to live with Neuro Typicals (NT). That is what most of you people out there are.
Most of what one reads about AS is how it affects children. I wish there was more out there of what it's like to be 54 and have internalized all the pain and struggle of being different, trying to be normal, and just never being able to succeed. And never knowing what it was that caused the problem. Not only not have a diagnosis, but never being able to see/understand what the behavior was that was unacceptable. So, one finds that seclusion is the better than the pain of rejection. Enough. It begins to sound lik whining.
My granddaughter was just notified she has a snow day! Mixed blessing....
.jpg)
It's not a bad one, just one enough to be annoying. Rought throat, runny nose... blech! Guess it's a good day to sit and knit!
