I Just Want To Party All the Time
Wow, it's been a crazy bunch of days. Sorry I haven't posted in so long but work and holidays and family and schmoos and genetics dissertations have kept me otherwise occupied. But at least I have a crapload of pictures to show ya.
First things first: Anne Marie received her Ph.D. in genetics yesterday, and there was much rejoicing and partying. I went to her defense and it was fabulous, even though I know very little about metallothoneins and RNAi, etc. But she rocked out on her defense, stood up to the grilling of her committee, and now she's a doctor, baby! Go give her some love.
Here is Anne Marie with the gift that keeps on giving - a sno cone machine.
Crack open that champagne, Dr. Z!
I have many more fabulous pictures that I will be sending to Anne Marie and also withholding for blackmail in the near future. Hey, Doctor, we're all so proud of you. Congratulations!!! Oh, okay, here's one more funny picture.
Okay. So that was awesome. And then, on the Fourth of July (I'm working backwards in time here), I went to visit Jacob's parents and go see fireworks. Now -- I'll be honest -- I'm not really a huge fireworks girl. When I was little, we used to go to this totally rockin' Georgia summer tradition called The Laser Show. You get a bucket of KFC and a blanket, go to Stone Mountain, sit on the lawn, and watch the lasers. It's fun. But, after all the fabby lasers, there is a big fireworks display, and Cathy and I were scared of the noise. So we would hide under the blanket with our hands over our ears and cry. (We were fragile kids, okay? Stop laughing.)
So a little part of me is still wary of fireworks. But, seeing as how it's a holiday and everyone else is doing it, I went:
Everybody cheese out for the camera!
And it was fun. We sat right near a train:
I love trains.
And Jacob was a little grumpy.
But fun times were had by all!
Whew.
I'm exhausted now. Look at all the pretty pictures and avert your eyes from the lack of knitting content! Don't be mad, there's something very pretty coming very soon....I promise.
And the new Knitty came out, and I think it's hilarious and fun and creative. I might not wear all of it, but I applaud the Knitty peeps for stretching my mind about what can be knit! Loving Lolita Legs and ALL of the articles. Yay Knitty.
There's a thread going on over at Knitter's Review about knitting being sexy, and IS knitting sexy? and the stereotype of "only grannies knit", etc. There's a line of thinking that people who start knitting because it's the "hip and sexy" thing to do are not true knitters, or their knitting is less valid. I've been reading here and there and it got me thinking about me and knitting.
I started knitting because my friend Leslie, who is hip and cool, was knitting a hat and it looked fun. So, I tried it and liked it. A LOT. And I knit lots and lots of scarfs and dishcloths before I was able to move onto sweaters and reading patterns and all that jazz. But you know what? I prefer to knit hip things, because I'm a hip girl. And I wear hip clothes. I would never, ever wear many Fair Isle sweaters that I see because I hate the colors and crazy patterns -- FOR ME. But I totally admire that talent and skill, and I think it's great that there are so many types of knitters out there. And hell yeah I'm gonna shake the hand of a Fair Isle knitter, 'cause that shit is HARD.
Who cares how anyone STARTED knitting? Because your grandmother did, because Julia Roberts did, because your dog needs a sweater? Who cares? How does that affect me? It doesn't. Knitting has been around for a really long time and I don't think the idea that "knitting is..." anything could dumb down the craft, make it disappear, or invalidate it.
I think knitting should be whatever you want to be, for yourself. I personally think knitting IS sexy, but only because I think I'm so damn sexy. Just kidding. But if someone else thinks it's not, that's cool! It takes all kinds. Yay.
Comments (14)
Um, I just realized that you told everyone that we were scared of the fireworks. We were such dorks.
Yay knitting!
Posted by Cathy | July 9, 2004 4:32 PM
I *still* stick my fingers in my ears when the fireworks start. Imagine my horror having to walk down the street where a family was setting off an entire PAINT CAN full of fireworks in the middle of the street. Swear to God, I thought I would die.
Posted by Em | July 9, 2004 3:00 PM
. . . and amen becky!
Posted by aemcdraw | July 9, 2004 1:24 PM
love your site.
can i ask what digital camera you use?
(no shmoos, but a cuddly cat.)
:)
Posted by aemcdraw | July 9, 2004 1:21 PM
Just to echo jennifleur on the Stone Mountain sentiment... Wow - that sure brought back some memories! I grew up in Northwest Georgia and going to the laser light show was always a highlight of the summer. We'd BEG for our parents to buy us the little glow stick necklaces and earrings and we thought we were sooooo cool. Thanks for reclaiming the memory!
Posted by natalie | July 9, 2004 8:10 AM
Congrats, Anne Marie! Loved the shots. And is that a karaoke machine I see?
P.S. If others say that people who started knitting because it is hip and trendy aren't true knitters, they need to just chill. I started knitting when it WASN'T so "hip", but I did it because I needed something to pass the time and I wanted to do something creative with my hands while stuck in bedrest. Even now, knitting over here still hasn't become as "trendy" as it is in the States, and there are rare few French knitters who knit in public. But I knit on, and am NOT a grandma, and I only knit things that I think are fashionable. Does that make me an untrue knitter? ANYBODY who picks up the needles, for any reason, and knits because she finds enjoyment in it and has fun creating something with her hands, is a true knitter. (And you don't need to be knitting since you were a little kid to be one!)
Posted by Becky | July 9, 2004 1:46 AM
Yes, there is knitting content! I see you using your technicolor dream bag! Whether knitting is cool or not, as long as we enjoy it and want to do it, that is what matters! I'm sure DH would say knitting is not sexy because I'm paying attention to my knitting rather than to him!
Posted by Evelyn | July 8, 2004 6:30 PM
I wouldn't even call myself a knitter (my two completed projects include a scarf that is way too big and a small crocheted blanket for my parents' jack russell, oh, and a cell phone case for my little sister), but I certainly know a lot of knitters, so I feel credible enough to say this:
If someone wants to knit something with chunky yarn on big needles, let them! People making fun of this "recent trend" are only discouraging beginning knitters from getting better and continuing on with the craft. Everyone has to start somewhere, just like Carrieoke is saying here.
Sorry - I just seem to run across this anti-big- yarn/needles sentiment a lot, and I think it's not very supportive.
Thanks Carrieoke for being all-inclusive and supportive of everyone! Good knitting isn't just about completing complicated projects, it's also about community and helping each other out, no matter how long you've been knitting.
Posted by Valerie | July 8, 2004 3:29 PM
I've been knitting for, like, 27 years (sheesh!) and it's always been sexy. (Only not that many knew it before now.)
You rock, Carriedoll.
Posted by Rachael | July 7, 2004 10:56 PM
I definitely agree that knitting is incredibly sexy and that it doesn't matter why you started knitting -especially if you keep it up. Someone who isn't a "true knitter" won't last very long anyway but at least they tried it. :-)
I also agree with you about the pattern thing. There are so many I admire that I know I wouldn't never wear myself.
Posted by pipstar | July 7, 2004 8:50 PM
I think knitters are sexy. Knitting requires an element of passion (or obsession in my case), and I think being passionate about something is sexy.
I think I am afraid to see the rest of the pictures from last night...did Jacob really sing Big Bottom at Wild Wing?
And PS...The Sno Cone machine is the best gift ever!
Posted by Anne Marie | July 7, 2004 3:38 PM
Know why I started knitting when I did? I had thought about it for a long time. But the reason I started when I did is that my twin sister started. On one hand, it made me feel like it was something I could do, when before I had been worried about it being hard. On the other hand, I didn't want her to leave me in the dust, so there was an element of competitiveness there. But now I'm glad that we're both doing it and have a pretty similar skill level because we can talk about it together and when we learn things we can help the other one learn them too.
I know what you mean about patterns that are really interesting on a certain level but that you would never wear. Sometimes I look at a pattern and I start to think I would like to knit it, and then I ask myself whether I would ever buy such a thing in a store, and I realize I would never buy it, much less wear it, and I shouldn't be knitting it, but that it was just an interesting piece that seems fun and/or interesting to knit.
Posted by susan | July 7, 2004 2:44 PM
I completely agree with you on the knitting thing, Carrie. I think it is awesome when people learn to knit, no matter what their motivation. You have to start somewhere, right? You cannot start from the beginning knitting Fair Isle sweaters, after all. I love when I see people knitting- I don't want it to die out and to do that it needs to adapt to today... Eventually, the older generation will not be around and we need young knitters to carry on the tradition.
Oh and your technicolor bag looks awesome in that picture, by the way. :)
Posted by frecklegirl | July 7, 2004 1:50 PM
You are right! Knitting is sexy, knitting is for everyone. And who cares what you knit, how you got started or how old you were (or are).
It's up to you and it's all knitting.
Posted by margene | July 7, 2004 1:06 PM