4. Crochet a doile (31x31) or, The Eternal Feminism

The Complete Book of Crochet. 1946. Mathieson, Elizabeth L. Greystone Press, New York, NY.

History of Crochet
"Today, when crochet is enjoying such unprecedented vogue, it is doubly interesting to delve into its past and discover that what once helped save a nation from starvation became the accomplishment of queens. By curious irony, though its history dates back to the sixteenth century, crochet only came into its own with the birth of the Machine Age and has been growing in popularity ever since.

"The word itself is derived from the French crochet, meaning hook. Originally the crochet hook was one of a number of tools used in the intricate process of lace making. As time when on, a repertoire of stitches and designs evolved, and crocheting graduated into a separate and pleasurable art. In the beginning it was was almost entirely a convent art, classified with other types of handiwork under the general heading of nuns' work. It took a famine - the great Irish Famine of 1846 - to give crochet its greatest impetus. At the time nuns taught it to their pupils and the proceeds derived from the sales of crocheted articles helped alleviate existing miseries. It was then that it became, along with playing the harpsichord, one of the graceful accomplishments of the well-born young lady.

"Fascinating and versatile, crochet has become one of our best-loved handcrafts. With hook and thread agile fingers are capable of producing an endless variety of beautiful modern and traditional designs, each with its own special charm. Probably one of the loveliest is that known as Irish Crochet, famous as far back as 1743 when the Royal Dublin Society awarded prizes for outstanding examples of the art. During the famine it became more generally popular when rare patterns of old lace were so skillfully copied by the Irish girls.

"The machine has brought us many comforts and luxuries, but when it comes to the touch of beauty which is every woman's birthright, nothing, it appears, will ever supplant the charm and inimitable loveliness of the "handmade." This is especially true of crochet. There is a joy in wearing it, a subtle magic that goes into it, that the machine cannot copy or equal. That is the secret charm of crochet - whether it is done for profit, or as a hobby, a means of brightening a wardrobe or beautifying a home. It is an art that grows on you."

I am all about the hyperbole, but this lady takes the cake. I started reading this around 11:00pm last night.







I attempted a few different doilies, but then I read on to the chapter...

Irish Beauties [and since I am one of those, I thought this would be the more appropriate place to start my birthright crochet career]

"Way back in 1743 Irish crochet was winning handwork prizes. Today connoisseurs still consider it one of the loveliest designs in the crochet family. The world has done a lot of changing in the intervening years but The Eternal Feminine remains essentially the same - home and family still her dominant interests - the same need to make her surroundings attractive.

"For two hundred years exquisite examples of Irish crochet have graced the homes of beauty-loving women. As a decorative accessory it is extraordinarily versatile. Even a small amount used as a trimming - either as an edging or insertion - can transform a counterpane into a notable beauty, give an everyday tablecloth party manners [or Betty Friedan a headache]. Curtains, pillow shams, dressing-table skirts - any number of household needs - acquire new personalities [like Sybil] when treated to an Irish edging."

All feminism aside, they ARE very lovely patterns. You can see the Irish Roses, periwinkles, thistles, and heather in the laces below.



I decided to try 7577 with silk I frogged from a scarf Mart got me for Christmas a few years ago and a crochet hook I yoinked from Jenna when she was moving to Brooklyn. Turns out the crochet hook was too large for the gauge silk thread I am using. So! I HAD to go to the yarn shop and get another hook. Dang.



Crochet has an entirely new set of abbreviations which I hope to forget quickly.

20. knit an adult-sized sweater or cardigan (31x31)

Also, I registered with ravelry! http://www.ravelry.com/people/banannas. I fell behind with noting my stash though, so when I go to post about 1. knit all the things, I'll update it then.

I started with a picture of a unicorn silhouette, found in a google search.
http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/File:Silhouette_unicorn.jpg

Then I used a (life-saving) website, http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/ to make the picture into a knitting pattern:


Half-way through the project, I decided to add a little flare to the sleeve, so I drew this pattern on top of the unicorn pattern so the scale would be correct.


I used 3 single pound skeins of Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool for this project. The pattern "Piers" by Martin Storey in the Rowan Vintage Knits book. I followed some parts of the pattern, but apparently you really should follow ALL the parts of the pattern. I used different sized needles and did not use the same weight yarn, so my shoulders are GINORMOUS, and the collar chokes me.

With the front and back plackets sewn together on one side, with one sleeve attached.




All the seams sewn, no collar yet.


Final product!

21. make garden needles (32x32)

First, find some great big sticks from which you will make your needles. I found mine on the side of 95South in the small wonderful.


Then shave off all the bark and things that yarn would catch. I tried to use a planer for this task, ended up bruising my hand something heinous.


After abandoning my tools for Daddy's more extensive set of chisels, I managed to chisel off all of the little knots and bumps on the sticks. There were still lots of splinters and rough wood so I thought I'd try to use the table sander for the job.


Shop chic: ear protections, eye protection.

Bonus of the wood shop: a ventilation system to suck the dusty air outside, a room-wide vacuum machine hooked up to the radial arm saw, table sander, and band saw (fucking brilliant)

In the following picture, from left to right, you can see the progression of work. The first needle was finished with a planer, the second with the chisels, the third with the band saw and the table sander. This method turned out very well. The first one I did was with a piece of drift wood collect from the Fenwick marsh, but there was only enough wood for one needle. The second time around, I tried using some pine driftwood, which was breaking apart too easily. The third time was charmed. The driftwood was most likely from a poplar tree.




Luckily, I was able to spare the natural knob at the base of the needle. They ended being about four feet long and about an inch and a half in diameter.




How to tell if you are a carpenter's daughter:
1. Your snot looks like this

2. it's not coke, just sawdust, I swear!

3. you can take a nic and keep on ticking.
4. your modus operandi is trial and error, that way you get to use as many tools as possible.

27. watch the AFI's Top 100 Movies (31x31)

This item made the list on December 22, 2010. Up until that day, I had seen 38 of the films, indicated by an emboldened title. I have kept track of the movies I've seen since then by adding the date next to the title.

1 CITIZEN KANE (1941) - December 22, 2010
2 THE GODFATHER (1972)
3 CASABLANCA (1942) - January 28, 2011
4 RAGING BULL (1980) - December 27, 2010
5 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952) - July 11, 2011
6 GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) - January 26, 2011
8 SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
9 VERTIGO (1958)
10 THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)

11 CITY LIGHTS (1931) - January 25, 2012
12 THE SEARCHERS (1956)- July 11, 2011
13 STAR WARS (1977)
14 PSYCHO (1960)
15 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) - January 26, 2011
16 SUNSET BLVD. (1950) - January 12, 2011
17 THE GRADUATE (1967)
18 THE GENERAL (1927) - July 10, 2011
19 ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) - January 6, 2011
20 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

21 CHINATOWN (1974) - December 28, 2010
22 SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
23 THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940) - January 18, 2011
24 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
25 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
26 MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939) - June 7, 2011
27 HIGH NOON (1952) - July 12, 2011
28 ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) - January 22, 2011
29 DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) - January 26, 2011
30 APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

31 THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) - September 8, 2011
32 THE GODFATHER PART II (1974) - January 4, 2011
33 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
34 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
35 ANNIE HALL (1977)
36 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957) - July 8, 2011
37 THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946) - August 12, 2011
38 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) - January 26, 2011
39 DR. STRANGELOVE (1964) - January 30, 2011
40 THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)

41 KING KONG (1933) - July 7, 2011
42 BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) - January 22, 2011
43 MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) - January 26, 2011
44 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
45 SHANE (1953) - July 17, 2011
46 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) - December 24, 2010
47 A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
48 REAR WINDOW (1954) - August 12, 2011
49 INTOLERANCE (1916) - January 24, 2011
50 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)

51 WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
52 TAXI DRIVER (1976) - December 25, 2010 (this is NOT a christmas movie, btw)
53 THE DEER HUNTER (1978) - January 23, 2011
54 M*A*S*H (1970)
55 NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) - June 8, 2011
56 JAWS (1975)
57 ROCKY (1976)
58 THE GOLD RUSH (1925) - July 12, 2011
59 NASHVILLE (1975) - July 25, 2011
60 DUCK SOUP (1933) - July 26, 2011

61 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941) - February 5, 2011
62 AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973) - January 28, 2011
63 CABARET (1972)- July 10, 2011
64 NETWORK (1976) - January 22, 2011
65 THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) - September 7, 2011
66 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
67 WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966) - February 9, 2011
68 UNFORGIVEN (1992)
69 TOOTSIE (1982)
70 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)

71 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
72 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) - December 30, 2010
73 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) - December 24, 2010
74 THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
75 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967) - January 23, 2011
76 FORREST GUMP (1994)
77 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976)
78 MODERN TIMES (1936) - December 26, 2010
79 THE WILD BUNCH (1969) - July 11, 2011
80 THE APARTMENT (1960)

81 SPARTACUS (1960) - July 21, 2011
82 SUNRISE (1927) - July 21, 2011
83 TITANIC (1997)
84 EASY RIDER (1969) - July 6, 2011
85 A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935) - August 8 , 2011
86 PLATOON (1986) - February 3, 2011
87 12 ANGRY MEN (1957) - January 25, 2011
88 BRINGING UP BABY (1938)- July 9, 2011
89 THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
90 SWING TIME (1936) - June 8, 2011

91 SOPHIE'S CHOICE (1982) - August 9, 2011
92 GOODFELLAS (1990)
93 THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) - July 18, 2011
94 PULP FICTION (1994)
95 THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971) - June 9, 2011
96 DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) - February 3, 2011
97 BLADE RUNNER (1982) - January 26, 2012
98 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942) - August 10, 2011
99 TOY STORY (1995)
100 BEN-HUR (1959) - January 11, 2011

16. Fold a 100 origami cranes and give them to someone special (32x32)

This winter has brought major changes to my environment already; and also a change to the underlying motivation for existing. That sounds ridiculously dramatic, but there it is. I made a choice to move back in with my family in Arlington, VA. There was the beautiful apartment in DC which was just as huge as the last one in Delaware and it had parquet floors and southern facing windows, looking out onto a little bit of park and graveyard. utilities included. cat-friendly. wonderful art-deco foyer. I had all the papers in order and had guarantors for the rent, seeing as I am not fully employed.

But it didn't feel right.

Something in my insides knew it wasn't the right move to make. So I asked myself, what would my abnormally ultra-fiscal-responsible sister do in this situation? She would move where the rent is cheap and where I don't incur MORE debt. She wouldn't really see it as a strike against her pride or independence, because in the long run, debt-free is independence. I am shifting. The past couple of years has been driven by seeking the next scheme, the next beautiful place to live, the next sexy opportunity to write about on facebook, all for the sake of doing it while I can, while I'm young, while I'm single, while I'm childless. Now, I am staying put. I'm nailing my fins to the floor. It's been accepted by all my immediate family that I am not moving again until one of three conditions is met: a) I get an amazing professional position somewhere outside of commuting distance, b) I pay off all my debt, c) I get married. oi.

This is pretty heavy stuff to acclimate to, but I've been lucky that there are so many things to do in DC that I have been able to stave off the depression which I assumed was coming. I mean, I just thought, moving back into Mom's basement, I am going to get into a deep funk. But holy shit the weather this winter has been fabulous! I have gone on a few long rides, have been getting to yoga, reconnecting with friends from college, helping my family re-organize the house, work some temporary jobs, go swimming. All excellent things which naturally keep my sads from appearing. Here's where they did show up: gift giving. This year I was so totally uninspired for making holiday cards or what to knit for people. I didn't have anything to give to my family on Christmas other than apologies. I tried to excuse the shame by saying that it's unreasonable to have ONE DAY of gift giving in the whole year (which it is, mind you, just not something which excuses empty hands on that particular day. I think this philosophy also applies to my general dislike of birthdays, new years eve, and mother's day.)

Finally, inspiration struck. I would fold 108 origami cranes and send them out for the holidays. I used scrapbook paper collected from Delaware FreeCycle when Cara, Gundry, and I were putting together Nora's baby book, and the bingo paper collected when I went to bingo with Rachel, Adam, and Jude last Spring.



I did some research on the significance of crane origami and the japa mala (the string of 108 meditation beads). I folded them in Sarah's nearly empty apartment in Beverly Hills, on the 704 bus to Silver Lake to have lunch with Gretta, at Tiffany's after yoga in the park at Runyon, on the airplane from LAX to IAD with Sarah, Tiny, and Guillome.



Finished up the rest at Cara's with her lovely cat, Tea Bags, while watching the UK version of Being Human (which is SO much faster than the US version. also, the werewolf is WAY better in the US version, just sayin).



Sent them out today, not to just one someone special but 108 special someones.

4. close out corporate bank account, open up checking at a credit union (32x32)

Last year, I believe, Wachovia Bank, was sold to Wells Fargo. I had banked with Wachovia for at least ten years, never really had any difficulties with them. They let me set up my online bill pay, all of my statements were emailed to me, not wasting lots and lots of paper. I have banked with Suntrust, PNC, First Virginia, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Capital One at some point in time since I was 12 years old. I am not the most responsible person when it comes to money and have had to close out accounts due to mismanagement with nearly all of them.

After the 2008 bailouts more people started talking about the way to show displeasure with the banking institutions was to put your money in credit unions. There was a Facebook event to boycott banks and it had the V for Vendetta mask and I found it very compelling that so many others were acting against for-profit banking institutions. My parents set up an account with Navy Federal Credit Union when I was born to save money for college (which I quickly drained as soon as I was in school). They both worked for the Navy at the time, which is how it was set up back then. Now you can pay a $20 fee and open up an account with them even if you have no affiliation to the Navy. Consumer Reports circulated an article recently on the subject of for-profit versus non-profit banking institutions. I found a few points cogent and interesting.

1. 650,000 new accounts were opened in credit unions shortly following the Bank of America $5/mo checking account fee proposal.
2. To maintain an annual checking account, it costs the big banks $350-$450; but $175-$240 for the smaller community banks and credit unions, due to the lack of economies of scale.
3. This is the tip of the iceberg regarding fees. Megabanks (Chase, Bank of America, Citibank) are so inefficient that they have to pass the lack of interest revenue onto their account holders.

And so, today, I transfered most of my money into NFCU and will start to do the pain-in-the-ass business of setting up my bills there, setting up the bookmark on my laptop, etc. I don't know how to do it exactly, but I know that I have the capability of doing banking from my phone too. It took me years to trust ATM deposit transactions so, we'll see how long it takes me to work it on my phone.

UPDATE:
October 27, 2012 I paid off the balance on my Wells Fargo account (because there was an automatic withdrawl from the U.S. Department of Education which I forgot about) and closed out that account permanently. I now only bank with Navy Federal Credit Union which has a mobile app for my phone and so far, so good, so easy!

9. open up an etsy stall (31 x 31)

This is another item for which my procrastination is mind-boggling. But I have finally opened up an etsy stall. So far I have only posted items dredged from the far-reaches of my mother's attic, but I hope to figure out how to post some of my knitting soon. Most of my knitting things though have been made for friends, so I'm not quite sure how to post items which I could make for a stranger, or how to post that I can make intarsia blankets to order. More investigation necessary!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/missbanannas