PianoKnits

A new spin on my 40th

2008-11-27T16:47:00.005-05:00

Today definitely marks a new phase in my crafting history. My 40th birthday passed a couple of weeks ago, and to mark the occasion I ordered myself a new Ashford Kiwi wheel from Spun Fibre Arts in Burlington. Well, it arrived today! After picking it up (and acquiring a couple of skeins of Noro Silk Garden and Diamond Irish Worsted for some hats) I headed to Lee Valley Tools for some clear Danish oil finish.

I've given all the parts one coat of oil finish - I think that's all they will need. Now I need to let them stand until tomorrow, when I'll buff them and start attempting to put the thing together.

The drive wheel:

Bobbins:

Treadles and flyer:

Footman, parts of the base:

I have been spinning intermittently on a drop spindle since the summer, and it is great fun. This past week I finished my first handspun, from a merino sliver hand-dyed by the Fleece Artist. I do believe I'm hooked:

I'm sure all you spinners out there will agree with me: Life definitely does begin at 40!

September back-to-blog special

2008-09-02T23:50:00.003-04:00

Well, once again I've been sidetracked from posting here, but I haven't quit knitting altogether. Herewith, a pic-heavy summary of what I've been up to.

This is an old Interweave Knits pattern (Fall 1997) by Dale of Norway for a children's pullover. It's very 80s/90s boxy, but I wanted to try some Nordic-style colourwork for my daughter.

Closeup:

More kiddie goodness:

What will become a pair of felted Ugg-style slippers. Pre-felting, of course. The pattern is the Alpine Boots from Fiber Trends (scroll down to CH-47). There was a completed pair of adult slippers on hand at Wool Trends in St. John's (great store), and my daughter insisted on having some. So here I am knitting double stranded with Funky Fur (sniff!) on 10mm circulars.

Pomatomus socks, designed by the brilliant Cookie A. These were in Socks that Rock Lightweight in the Highway 30 colourway, which seems to be no longer available. I ran out of yarn, but fortunately Lettuce Knit had a skein left.

And my little surprise:

Why yes, it is a Cascade Little Si spindle, part of a beginners' kit from Spunky Eclectic. (The fibre is from the Fleece Artist and is really meant for thrummed mittens, but I had to try the delicious handpainted colourway.) I have been fatally bitten by the spinning bug, no thanks to Ravelry where a real spinning epidemic is raging. Like I have the spare time to take up another craft, really. What about my sewing? What indeed; the spinning bug has no mercy and I must spin more and more! It is some kind of evil magic spell, no doubt about it. Muahahahaha!

The sweater of Sisyphus

2008-04-02T18:50:00.002-04:00

Having completed St. Brigid, I am now embarking on a couple of new projects. Or trying to, anyway. Full of enthusiasm and hubris from the completion of an involved Aran sweater, I jumped headlong into this:

This is a child's pullover designed by Dale of Norway and published in the Spring 1997 issue of Interweave Knits, which is of course sold out, so I purchased it for too much money on eBay because Claire loved it. As a sort of compensation, I decided to knit the sweater in Patons Astra rather than in a Dale yarn or a similarly expensive natural fiber. After all, Claire is going to get it absolutely filthy and I'll want to machine wash it, right??

So off I go. I made a lovely swatch in the round using all the colours Claire requested (she is into blue these days):

Well, the first three times I started it, I twisted the join. Yes, I laid it down and checked to see if it was twisted before I joined it. But, uh, not on the floor.

So I restarted a fourth time. I laid it down on the floor and joined it properly, and it was 100% untwisted. Well, I got home from adjudicating a recital on Saturday night, and opened my bag to knit, and ... it was gone. Gone, I tell you! After I bought an indestructible Tom Bihn bag in ballistic nylon with the world's biggest snap buckle so nothing would ever fall out. So yes, it's gone ... along with the 2.5mm Inox Express circular I was using for it.

GAHH!! So I gave up for a few days and started a simple self-patterning sock for B. in shades of grey:

Then today I finally managed to start again. It is joined correctly, and it is never leaving the house except if Claire is wearing it!!

After the moth-eaten saga of St. Brigid, sometimes I wonder if the universe is telling me not to knit. Well, pthhhhh Universe, I'm not listening!

Happy Easter! St Brigid is finished!!

2008-03-22T23:02:00.002-04:00

I can hardly believe it, but it's finally done. Forthwith, the photolog:

Pieces being blocked in front of the fireplace:

My row gauge, as usual, was off, but I was planning for this in a way, and so my St B has a somewhat closer-fitting, less boxy shape than the original design. I'm happy!

The finished product:

On me (note ever-present cat at lower right):

I left off the turtleneck ribbing ... just as well, as even after ordering 8 more skeins of Hebridean 3-Ply from Virtual Yarns, I was still running a bit short. I think the wider neckline is more flattering on me anyway.

I find a certain wonderful symmetry in the fact that on the day I finally reached this goal, another person I admire reached a long-awaited goal as well. Kudos and congratulations to our finest figure-skating artist, Jeff Buttle, on winning his first world championship!

Another goal I reached this month: I premiered a piano concerto. I'm not sure why I haven't been writing about it here, but I guess I've just been spending all my time practising it. I'm wondering if I should start a separate blog for music stuff ... any thoughts?

Anyway, next on the agenda: a Nordic sweater for the lovely young lady in the top picture, from the spring 1997 issue of Interweave Knits. Here's hoping it doesn't take me 3 years to finish this time!!

Low-rank nerd

2008-02-14T03:45:00.001-05:00

That seems about right. I'm about as nerdy as ACB apparently, but not nearly so much as sogalitno. No doubt if there were a classical music nerd quiz I'd be off the charts ...

St Brigid: I ordered some more Hebridean 3-ply to make it full-length, especially since my row gauge is always off. No doubt there will be a visible dye lot mismatch after all this time ... but I'll try to use the new stuff mostly on the back at this point. Hope it comes soon (and then I can test out my swift and ball winder, increasing my knitting geek score!)

Meanwhile Johanne is doing fantastically well with hers. Way to go!

Happy new year. Oh wait ...

2008-02-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

Good grief, is this my first post of 2008? Gah. I really need to get better about this.

In any event, the Monkey socks are done!! They feel great on the feet too.

Next sock priority: to darn the Eleanor socks, which already have a hole in them (Darn!)

Also I am 3/4 (at least) of the way to completing the back of St Brigid. It's getting kind of routine now but the yarn and cables are so lovely that it's still a pleasure to knit.

And, in sewing news, I completed a Dora-themed nightgown for Claire (Kwik Sew 3105). My gathering and ruffling skills are improving a bit. It's still not perfect, but I'm OK with it. She's been wearing it to bed, so at least the major goal is accomplished.

Next sewing project: a T-shirt from Wazoodle's Grab Bag for girls, using the ever popular Jalie 2005 t-shirt pattern.

In other news, I am fiercely attempting to memorize the concerto I'm premiering next month. Fun times.

All right, here's hoping I don't skip another month!!

Random photo goodness #1: A platypus on my cat (sorry, stuffonmycat.com):

Random photo goodness #2: Matching father-daughter chinrests:

If you want to get more knitting done ...

2007-12-30T21:15:00.001-05:00

get Santa to bring your 4-year-old a Leapster!

5 pattern repeats now done on the Monkey sock:

Actually, I think my concentration is improving a bit. I will take any improvements in brain function I can get at this point!! Practising is going pretty well too. Did I mention I am premiering a concerto in March? Eek! I am trying to memorize bits of it. Thank goodness it's very much in a tonal idiom ... I memorized some Takemitsu last year and it took me forever. (Great stuff, though ...)

Merry Christmas - Rugby is done!

2007-12-26T12:19:00.000-05:00

I was very happy with the size and fit of the finished sweater. I was a bit short of yarn so the collar is not as long as the pattern directed, but I think it looks OK. Buttons are still needed but I'll let DH pick them out. He seems happy with it and has been wearing it around the house. Yay ... 6 months of brown stockinette was worth it!!

Now back to the Monkey socks:

Also I'm quite looking forward to using my Chapters and Amazon gift cards! Claire is the proud owner of a Leapster L-Max, an art set, some puzzles, and lots of other goodies. I hope Christmas was good to all of you who celebrate.

The struggle continues

2007-12-07T10:47:00.001-05:00

Blocking rugby sweater
Originally uploaded by eusebius24

Having finally made it out of three months of being fairly constantly sick, I am now, at last, making some knitting progress. The Rugby sweater is blocked and drying - next is the polo collar and button bands (I hope I have enough yarn left!!)

Sewing has been at a standstill since I finished the Madison Avenue dress in October. I hope to resume over the holidays, with a Dora nightgown for my daughter and maybe a T-shirt pack from Wazoodle.

On the performing front, I played a good recital with a flutist last weekend, attended by exactly 10 people. Blah ... I have to get my publicity skills working. Being depressed and sick didn't help, but I think I should be able to manage the next one. The choral concert I'm playing on Sunday is far better advertised, and should attract a good crowd. I had to practically rewrite a couple of brutal organ parts for piano. We'll see how they come off.

My little pumpkin

2007-11-01T18:15:00.001-04:00

morningpumpkin.JPG
Originally uploaded by eusebius24

Sorry I haven't been around - the start of term completely engulfed me. Anyway, to get things rolling again, here is Claire in her pumpkin costume yesterday (Simplicity 3593). More pics are over at Flickr. Here she is getting ready to go off to school (She wore the thing all day!!)

It took about a week to make the pumpkin, which has a broadcloth outer layer and a fleece lining. The stem is stuffed with fiberfill. Claire noticed that the girls on the pattern envelope all had black shirts, pants, and gloves, so of course she had to have them too!! To fluff her up, I used bath towels, which got a bit bottom-heavy... next time I think I'll buy some tissue paper.

Oh, and there I am in the background with my new haircut. Yay for bobs!

First dress ever!

2007-08-26T02:02:00.001-04:00

dress11.jpg
Originally uploaded by eusebius24

I sewed this dress on Friday. The pattern is Simplicity 3749 and I used a cotton seersucker from Fabricland. It's a simple pattern, but it's the first dress I've ever done and the first facings I've done since junior high (much more successful, I might add). I have a Flickr set documenting the construction of the dress ... maybe it will be of some use to beginner sewers.

You know you have a blog called PianoKnits when ...

2007-08-23T00:18:00.001-04:00

... you're playing the piano part of Schubert's "Gretchen am Spinnrade" and you start wondering how the heck anyone could knit with any fibre spun like that!! And I'm not even a spinner. Yet. (Feel free to convert me.)

Thanks to Non Sequiturville for putting me on to this great image.

Anyone for tennis?

2007-08-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

I was very fortunate to be able to attend the Rogers Cup singles and doubles finals yesterday in Toronto. Even though I was in the Fan Zone (read: nosebleed seats) I had a very good view of the action.

I was working on Jaywalker #2 the whole time:

Congrats to Justine Henin, one of my favourite players; Jelena Jankovic, who showed real fight; Ai Sugiyama and Katerina Srebotnik for their first Tour doubles title together; and Cara Black and Liezel Huber, a finely-honed doubles machine!

Claire came home with a cold on Friday and now I'm down with it, but it isn't too bad thanks to Dayquil. I did skip my run ... the first one I've missed in seven weeks, alas. I hope this hiatus won't be nearly as long as the last one.

I did manage to complete a throw pillow, my first ever sewing project to include buttonholes. Again the directions were from the ever-useful Sew Simple magazine. My machine has a super-cool automatic one-step buttonhole feature. Fun times! Zorra graciously agreed to appear in this shot.

Slow and steady

2007-08-17T15:41:00.000-04:00

Since we got back from Newfoundland on August 7, things have been pretty crazy. I didn't expect to be playing or coaching nearly as much as I have. So things have progressed slowly on the crafty front. On the Rock I finished the back of DH's pullover:

Rows and rows of stockinette, but the Naturally Tussock DK from New Zealand is lovely, flecked with all kinds of tweedy bits. I also finished my first ever Jaywalker, in Socks that Rock Lightweight. The colourway is Fairgrounds, which is nice and summery:

My first completed sewing project in August is the bag from KwikSew 2320. It was fun, but I probably should have bought some heavier machine needles for sewing through four or more layers of fairly sturdy cotton. My thread kept breaking, which usually doesn't happen with Gütermann thread. Anyway, I learned to install grommets and reviewed a bunch of other construction things, which was nice.

Now on with the second sock, and the front of the pullover. I'll get back to St Brigid when that's done. Sewing projects in the queue: a buttoned pillow cover for our new chair in the living room; matching aprons for me and DD; some pajama pants with contrasting cuffs (this and the pillow are from Sew Simple 1) and a tunic from some African printed cotton I bought from Wazoodle a while back.

Very sad news this week of Richard Bradshaw's passing. The Collaborative Piano Blog has a collection of links to obituaries and memoirs. I still have not visited the new Four Seasons house in Toronto... early childhood and opera houses don't mix too well ... but I do appreciate all Maestro Bradshaw did for our Canadian opera scene. He will be missed.

Losing my Socks that Rock virginity

2007-07-20T17:11:00.000-04:00

Whoops, so much for my G-rating. Well, the Opal Kid's Socks are on hiatus ... I realized too late that I would not have enough Fleece Artist left for 2 socks, so now I will finally cast on my Socks That Rock in Fairgrounds:

I was loving the colour changes and the smoothness of the hand while winding the skein, so I think knitting this up will be sweet. These will be Jaywalkers for me, and then when they are done I can stripe them with the leftover Fleece Artist for some pretty crazy colour action in Claire's socks. Also I have cast on in some lovely tweedy Naturally Tussock DK for DH's polo-collar pullover. It will be reams of stockinette, but that's about what my addled brain can handle right now.

Off to Newfoundland for two weeks of visiting the in-laws. I hope this year Claire will be old enough to start to appreciate what a beautiful place it is. It ain't Disney World, but there are some pretty neat things happening. I'm hoping to take her to places like the Salmonier Nature Park and maybe on a whale watching boat tour. Meanwhile, challenges for me include 2 weeks with the in-laws ... perfectly lovely people of course, but living in anyone else's house has never been my forte; 2 weeks without a piano; and staying OP with Weight Watchers. I have now had nearly 3 fantastic weeks on this plan and I am loving it, and I've lost 6 pounds already, so let's see if I can keep things going. The good news is that my in-laws, besides being lovely people, are very health-conscious and always have good choices in the house.

Random cuteness for your enjoyment, dear reader.

Who is that masked monkey?

Here we see the Arctic fox in repose.

FINALLY an FO...

2007-07-09T12:04:00.000-04:00

The Fleece Artist socks are DONE!
Pattern: Eleanor from Socktopia
Yarn: Fleece Artist Nova SocksNeedles: 2 2.75mm circs
Completion date: July 8, 2007

With the leftover yarn, I've started a pair of Opal Kid's Socks for Claire. This will be my first official Summer of Socks 2007 project. I realize I'll never keep up with the likes of Wendy, but I'm involved with a couple of other projects now (non-knitting ... details to come) so I'm happy just to be able to participate.

Another little project

2007-07-03T15:25:00.001-04:00

It only took about 3 hours today to construct this very simple purse, again from KwikSew 2320. It has a zipper opening and a simple cord as a strap. Fun times!

I'm baaaack!

2007-07-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

I actually can hardly believe it. After nearly three months of fighting the evil sinus infection, I am back on track again, eating healthy, running, working, and crafting. Grateful doesn't begin to describe it! I only hope that I can keep things moving, and not overdo it as I'm so tempted to do. I did restart the C25K running plan yesterday and it felt good. Also I have joined Weight Watchers online ... I learned so much from Sonoma but I think I need to incorporate that into a slightly more flexible plan.

Knitting is progressing glacially, but sewing seems to be going a bit faster. Some recent little projects:

Placemats ... very fast except for handsewing on the 24 little buttons. I considered getting a button foot for this, but the effort involved just to obtain it was just about equal to sewing on the buttons by hand ... maybe next time.

Some tarted-up tea towels. This is my first attempt at hand embroidery, ever. Good thing it was intentionally simplistic!! "Clixby" is a nickname for our daughter, and "Pekka" for our cat. Yes, our cat has a nickname. Don't ask. Both this project and the previous one were from Sew Simple magazine volume 1.

A small change pouch for my husband. The pattern was KwikSew 2320, a learn-to-sew pattern with fantastic instructions. My first ever zipper! My next two projects will be the purse and drawstring bag from this pattern set.

This weekend we had a visit from my brother and SIL ... just lovely. Then yesterday we made a trek out to a local festival that was going on over the long weekend. Claire got to ride a couple of midway attractions and had her face painted:

ROWRR!!!

Sick again

2007-06-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

Hi folks - remember the nasty sinus infection I had a while back? well, it's back ... explaining why I haven't had much to blog about lately. I am still working on detangling the washed, unraveled St Brigid yarn, and the Eleanor socks should be done soon. I've been sewing a bit too, making placemats, pillowcases, and other simple things. (Even a zippered case!)

Anyway, I'm waiting to find out whether I need more antibiotics, and hope to be on the mend soon so I can share more pics and progress with you!

Meme time!

2007-06-11T19:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Chelsey for the tag:

4 jobs I have had in my life:

1. Shelving books at the library in high school ... and getting caught reading the books.

2. Teaching German lab in university ... and totally forgetting about my first day at work.

3. Typing car serial numbers onto carbon duplicate forms.

4. Sam the Record Man! Best ... discount ... ever.

4 films I can watch again and again:
1. The Big Lebowski As a friend of mine says: "Pee-your-pants funny."
2. Hannah and Her Sisters
3. The Lord of the Rings (all 3 movies)
4. The Remains of the Day

4 places I have lived:

1. Toronto
2. Saint John, NB
3. Montreal
4. Hamilton

4 TV series I watch:

1. Hi-5
2. Dora the Explorer
3. Go Diego Go
4. Zobomafoo
Do we sense a pattern here?

4 places I have been on holiday:

1. New England
2. Dominican Republic
3. Newfoundland
4. Banff, AB

4 things I do every time I am on the Net:

1. Check email
2. Read bloglines and news feeds
3. Check Figure Skating Universe
4. Check Google Calendar

4 things I would NOT eat for anything in the world:

1. Cilantro. UGH
2. Anything with visible eyeballs
3. Anything with tentacles
4. Hardboiled eggs. Gag!

4 places I would love to be right now:

1. Tuscany
2. Japan
3. On the beach in PEI (Prince Edward Island for you non-Canadians)
4. At Deborah Voigt's recital in Toronto this evening!

4 people I tag, if they have not been tagged already:

Natalie
Heather
Wendy
Shannon

Knitting update

2007-06-08T10:47:00.001-04:00

2 repeats done on the back of St. Brigid:

At this rate, I should have the thing done by the time I'm, oh, FIFTY. And this is with only two projects on the needles, people. It's the damned internet. I need to focus ...

I did manage to finish the first Eleanor sock, finally.

I do like how the lacy pattern shows up in the Fleece Artist. Interesting without being over-busy. The second sock is on the needles now ... no 2nd sock syndrome for me.

Another cool thing that happened this week was that I became one of the lucky beta-testers for Ravelry. I am in the illustrious company of Marina and Theresa, among other fabulous knitters and knitbloggers. It's very cool to be able to compare your projects directly with those of others, and to see multiple versions of a project you're contemplating. Major kudos to Jess (frecklegirl) and Casey for this great endeavour.

I've been getting back into sewing on a very small scale, pursuing some of the little projects in the first issue of Sew Simple. My finishing techniques are, predictably, somewhat spotty, but improving. And they don't seem to mar the finished products too much. Next up: a purple pillowcase for my purple-obsessed little princess, some placemats, and some hand-embroidered (!) kitchen towels.

The preshrinking part would be a lot easier, of course, if my dryer was actually pumping heat instead of just air ... but I guess I'm being unconsciously enviro-conscious then, aren't I!

Classical music and museum culture

2007-06-05T10:36:00.000-04:00

Lawrence Kramer, whose work I've admired since I started grad school so many years ago, weighs in on how the classical music world can learn some new tricks from visual art museums. I think that some of the more forward-looking ensembles are already thinking along similar lines ... I Furiosi and eighth blackbird come to mind ... but more of us could definitely stand to ponder these ideas.

No. 3!?

2007-06-05T09:14:00.000-04:00

I see that Chris at the Collaborative Piano Blog has put together a ranking of Canadian classical music blogs (using Technorati ratings).

Amazingly, PianoKnits comes in at no. 3.

This inevitably brings to mind the eternal adage: "If you're number 3, you don't try at all!"

Also, Chelsey (bless her heart) has gotten on my case about not posting enough ... in the nicest possible way, of course! So, I think I'd better start stepping up to the plate a bit more.

Soon to follow, then, a knitting roundup, and possibly some reflections on the season (Royal Conservatory exam season, that is!!)

Tag! I'm IT!!

2007-05-22T12:13:00.000-04:00

I feel all cool, because somebody finally tagged me :) Thanks Kozy Kitty! I've been quite sick this week and bad about blogging, so this is a good impetus to make an entry. According to PhD Knitter, the rules are as follows:

The Rules: Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

OK then!

1. My Siamese cat rules the house and everything in it.

2. My father-in-law is the oldest of 21 children, all with the same mother & father.

3. I am nuts about watching figure skating. Everything I know I've learned from Skatefans and Figure Skating Universe (well, not quite everything, but a large amount).

4. I was in university for more years than I spent in elementary and high school.

5. The number of letters after my name is now larger than the number of letters in my name (not including my middle name).

6. Although my first word was apparently "car-car", I don't drive.

7. I am the proud owner of five out-of-print Alice *more books.

Photos may or may not be added later ... at the mo I am too exhausted to go looking for them.

I tag Chelsey, sgeddes, Natalie, Heather, and Jessica! Watch your comments ladies!!

Super keen

2007-05-14T17:47:00.000-04:00

Now here is a navel-gazing post (literally): my new Keen shoes.

I normally wouldn't post shoes, but the purchase was partially inspired by fellow-blogger Steph, whose commenters pointed out that the Mary Jane style was highly suitable for showing off handknit socks! Also, like her, I have quite wide feet. Thanks for the tip Steph!

Not too much knitting progress to report. I should finish the first Eleanor sock in a couple of days. Plenty of piano-related work is coming my way, and for that I'm very grateful! Also DH bought me a lovely gift for Mother's Day: Volume 1 of the Beethoven piano sonatas in the Henle edition. I already had a couple of other editions, but this was the one I really wanted (I've already been using Vol.2 for a good 20 years now!!)

I have been enjoying listening to early episodes of Cast-On and Lime 'n Violet ... it's fun to follow the progress of the shows.

Craziness abates

2007-05-09T14:00:00.000-04:00

Sigh ... only to pick up again this weekend as DH heads out of town for a conference. Well, it will be nice to spend some girl time with DD, and I did get some lovely things in the mail this week to amuse me:

A copy of A. *more's Tudor Roses from a lovely British eBay seller. Ah, I love this book already. I see myself making most of the things in here, but first off would be Henry VII for DH and Catherine Parr for me.

And:

Some really lovely stitch markers from Purl Blossom's Etsy store. Now I finally think I have enough to dispense with the old plastic ring markers altogether! What a nice reward for finishing a section ... to be able to slip one of these to the right needle. Little things excite me, I guess! Anyway, I highly recommend Purl Blossom's store for beautiful stitch markers, promptly shipped, and she plans to add other items soon.

Not much knitting progress to report. This week was nuts. I worked pretty much every day, including Sunday, and DD was sent home from daycare with pinkeye on Thursday so no knitting time on Friday.

Nonetheless, Sleeve #2 of St Brigid is coming along but since you've already seen sleeve #1 I didn't think another pic was necessary. I also managed to turn the heel and make the gusset on Eleanor Sock #1. It was cool doing this on two circs for the first time:

As I've reported on runagogo, I'm getting to the end of Week 5 of C25K. W5D3 is the fearsome day where you finally run 2 miles non-stop. Going from 3 to 8 consecutive track laps seems like a lot ... but I guess I just have to think about the half marathon and how this is less than one-sixth of it. Doesn't feel like it, I'll tell you!! The good news will be that everything after that feels easier.

I also finished reading Ratking, which I enjoyed very much, and I'll be looking forward to further installments in the Zen series. How sad that Michael Dibdin is no longer with us.

Summer of Socks 2007

2007-05-02T20:57:00.000-04:00

Jessica, a fellow knitting musician, is hosting this year's Summer of Socks KAL. I have lots of nice stash built up now for socks, so I'm looking forward to some socky cameraderie!

Name that musique concrète

2007-05-01T10:51:00.000-04:00

Alex Ross links to a video of John Cage appearing on the TV game show "I've Got a Secret" in 1960. He is performing the piece "Water Walk", which uses all kinds of everyday objects, including a bathtub, a vase of flowers, a blender, and a rubber duckie, to create a surprisingly threatening-sounding atmosphere. The audience is in stitches ... I'm not sure if this is sincere amusement or just nervousness. An amazing television event.

Take action

2007-04-30T07:54:00.000-04:00

A terrific sermon at my church yesterday has inspired me to renew and strengthen my commitment to helping end poverty and homelessness in Canada and around the world.

I have some plans, but the first thing I want to do is draw your attention to these sites for more information:

Habitat for Humanity Canada
Micah Challenge
Make Poverty History

Please check them out. Thanks!!

R.I.P. Slava

2007-04-27T15:33:00.000-04:00

The great Mstislav Rostropovich died yesterday.

The calm after the storm

2007-04-27T15:16:00.000-04:00

This past week has been insane. Hence, the lack of posts. But I have made some progress:

On the left, a nearly-completed Sleeve #1 of St Brigid which will have a full extra pattern repeat in it. On the right, the Eleanor sock in Fleece Artist.

Also some stash enhancement:

From left to right: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Fairgrounds; Naturally Tussock DK, for a polo-neck pullover for DH; various colourways of Meilenweit Meeting, from the lovely Robyn of Red Bird Knits.

In other news ... planning for DD's birthday proceeds apace. I've stencilled a treasure box for her party ... costumes and the like will fill it ... but I don't want to post a pic yet for fear she'll spot it. So that will have to wait until after the party next weekend. I have a choir gig on Sunday and possibly some more accompanying work in May, but otherwise things are calming down. I've completed Week 3 of C25K as of today, w00t! I hope to be back to half-marathon form by the fall.

Schumann meets Bach in Ohio

2007-04-20T18:01:00.000-04:00

An important musicological discovery at Baldwin-Wallace College: a collection of Bach's works annotated by Robert and Clara Schumann and possibly Johannes Brahms. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has more.

Before/after

2007-04-20T10:17:00.000-04:00

No, no weight loss photos. I have lost 7 lbs though (grin).

Before:

After:

Fortunately it wasn't as tangled as I thought, so I managed to get through the winding without too much trauma. Thanks for the encouraging comments!

So now I've been able to start a new sock, my very first on two circulars, thanks to the great instructions by Washington KnitWit. The pattern is Eleanor, one of the excellent free patterns at Socktopia.

I am loving how the Fleece Artist is knitting up!

Playing by heart

2007-04-20T07:26:00.000-04:00

Is it always better for pianists to perform from memory? British pianist Susan Tomes provides an anti-memory perspective. She's not the first to make this argument; Gilbert Kalish leaps to the mind. But she makes it eloquently and reasons well.

Personally, I like playing from memory; it gives me confidence and freedom. But I can certainly appreciate Tomes's POV, and I'm definitely too lazy to memorize chamber music.

Go go gadget girl

2007-04-16T11:34:00.000-04:00

Lookie here:

That's a Palm Treo 700p. Sweeeet! It replaces my ancient cellphone as well as a Palm that died recently; the camera and wireless modem capabilities are nice bonuses. I may try moblogging soon ...

Meanwhile, the Meilenweit socks are done.

Why do the toes look different? It's a long story, but I rather like the funky look.

Now I want to get started on my Fleece Artist merino, but somehow I managed to tangle the skein:

So if anyone has suggestions on (a) how to untangle this efficiently or (b) what would be a rocking sock pattern for this yarn, I'm all ears!

Resources for freelancers

2007-04-15T08:55:00.000-04:00

Check out the new series on freelancing over at the Collaborative Piano Blog. I will be following with great interest!

So Joshua Bell walks into a subway station ...

2007-04-15T08:43:00.000-04:00

Jodie weighs in thoughtfully on the much-publicized Joshua Bell busking experiment. Personally, when I read the article I felt that the results were utterly predictable. Some of my fellow-students who have busked in the Toronto and Montreal transit systems have gone on to become respected orchestral musicians and soloists ... perhaps not of Bell's fame and acclaim, but solid musicians nonetheless. Their recognition and earnings were no better or worse than Bell's, and some made quite decent money. I don't think the self-preoccupation of commuters rushing to work must be a sign of the demise of classical music or Culture In Our Society. See, for example, Alex Ross on the state of classical recordings now vs. 1988.

Ouch!!!

2007-04-11T14:57:00.000-04:00

Piano movers in the UK dropped a Bösendorfer!!

Wednesday miscellany

2007-04-11T11:57:00.000-04:00

Knitting report:

St Brigid progress continues. 2 1/2 pattern repeats done on the sleeve. I hope I am doing the increases right. As I fold the sleeve around my arm I wonder if it will be too tight, but I'll keep going for a while.

Meilenweit Sock #2: I've finished the gusset decreases and I'm knitting on the foot now.

Health report:
I'm on a bit of a kick. I am on Wave 1, Day 2 of the Sonoma Diet which I've been on and off for about 4 months now. I love the Mediterranean food and don't feel deprived at all. Also, I signed up at Runagogo and restarted the Couch to 5K running programme. I feel great already!! I hope I can keep this up.

Piano report:
Ugh. Trying to get inspired to practice. I guess it's been a heavy semester and right at the moment I'd rather be knitting, running, and playing on the computer. Nonetheless, I have a concert with a local chamber choir on the weekend and a bunch of performance juries coming up, so I need to get busy.

Blog report:
Jeremy Denk made me laugh out loud yesterday.

Fridge report:
Wendy challenged us to reveal the innards of our refrigerators! OK, I'll take you up on that:

I remember when my fridge was nearly bare (grad school) but now that I'm eating veggies and have a daughter, things are a bit different ... At least there aren't as many science experiments in there as there once were!

Sleeve #1 in progress

2007-04-06T19:21:00.000-04:00

Some progress to report on St Brigid:

After swatching on 3.75mm circs, I found that the end result was a bit too wide, so I frogged and swatched again on 3.5mms. This gauge was near-perfect. So I forged ahead, this time deciding (like many on the St Brigid KAL) to begin with a sleeve as a secondary gauge check. This morning I noticed that I'd made a stupid mistake in the Chart B cable, so I restarted -- making today the official start date. I managed to finish a full pattern repeat this morning!

St Brigid underway again

2007-04-04T21:57:00.000-04:00

I have finally ripped out all of the moth-eaten St Brigid pieces, and started re-swatching with 3.75mm bamboo circulars (Kertzer) with a ball I hadn't used up yet. Tomorrow I'll wash the used yarn and hang it to dry.

I'm getting about a half-stitch wider than the recommended gauge, but I think that will just accommodate my piano butt ;) My row gauge is, as usual, short, but so am I, so that works out OK.

Today I played a song by John Corigliano for the first time: "Christmas at the Cloisters". It's really an excellent piece and I hope I'll have the chance to do more.

Last week of classes

2007-04-04T02:13:00.000-04:00

A looong day of piano teaching at the university yesterday. This time of year is always a mix of emotions: excitement at hearing a year's work come to fruition; frustration when a student doesn't follow through on commitments; and general exhaustion after a long semester. (this last would be improved if I'd be more consistent with eating and exercise, but that's a long-term project ...)

I had an exciting breakthrough with a student yesterday. She has worked very hard all year, but today she really began to understand that music needs to be felt physically and emotionally ... not just comprehended intellectually. Her resistance was expressing itself through a stiffness in the core of her body. I got her to play her pieces quite slowly, listening to the vibrations of each note and of the transitions between one note and the next, feeling what happened in her body as she responded to those vibrations. A natural, sincere musicality began to emerge. I hope that she trusts herself enough to follow these instincts ...

Thanks again to Madeline Bruser for her wonderful book. I would love to take part in one of her Vermont music/meditation workshops someday.

OKC (obligatory knitting content): A few more stripes complete on the body of Sock #2. Socks are so great for car trips ...

ChildHood complete

2007-04-02T22:57:00.000-04:00

Pattern: ChildHood by Natalie Wilson from Knitty Fall 2003
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 100% Superwash Merino in Crocus (535) and Mallow (025)
Started: February 2007
Finished: April 2, 2007

Claire was pretty happy with it! Thanks to Natalie Wilson's ingenious button/snap design, she can snap and unsnap it all by herself (though I fear she'll rip the wool) and she's a big fan of big hoods for her head. The crocheted koala bear puppet was an FO for Grandma today! What do you suppose Claire's favourite colour is?

I finished the ribbing on Meilenweit Sock #2 and did an inch or so on the leg.

Today was my lucky day ... I was summoned for jury selection. I waited around at the courthouse for a couple of hours (no knitting needles allowed, but I did get to read a few chapters of The Art of Practicing -- see sidebar). Then we were all called into the courtroom and told that our services were not required, as the trial had been adjourned. Woo hoo! An unexpected afternoon off ... hence the FO.

One down...

2007-04-01T08:18:00.000-04:00

The first Meilenweit Cotton Fantasy sock is done. I was especially happy with the stripey heel.

And, in a tribute to Wendy, I present Zorra, my Internet-ready Siamese cat.

FutureSocks/loveyarn

2007-03-31T18:39:00.000-04:00

Ah, the joys of payday.

I finally managed to acquire the sew-in snaps for ChildHood (at the incredible cost of CDN$0.75) and had the additional pleasure of a solid half-hour of browsing at our superlative LYS, The Needle Emporium. Pictured above: my very first skein of Fleece Artist Nova Socks, and a couple of skeins of Regia Bamboo Color ... also a first. I also bought the two most recent issues of Interweave Knits ... just yummy. I am thinking ahead to some potential future projects:

The Bonsai Tunic and Merrymaiden Dress (for Claire) from the Spring issue, and Nantucket and Venezia from the Winter issue. That's just for starters! Any opinions on what I should do first? After St Brigid, of course (and I also have a 70% complete Rogue waiting around).

By the way, I am thrilled that I've had even a few lovely comments so far! Thank you! I love the sense of community out here in blogland.

The Piano - animated video

2007-03-30T23:00:00.000-04:00

Me thinks I doth post too much. But this was lovely. Thanks to Karen from the piano-teachers yahoo group for sharing.

Blogistemology

2007-03-30T22:19:00.000-04:00

I don't think I realized until after I created this blog that just as I was considering it, a massive blogversation was going on about just why we all blog. See the excellent posts by Steph and Emilee, along with tons of comments, for more discussion.

Steph's blog And She Knits Too has inspired me for a long time, partly because I have a PhD from the same school as she does and so much of what she writes just strikes a chord with me (ha ha ha, no pianoknits pun intended). I think there are as many reasons to write as there are reasons to read, and perhaps some of them will not even arise until after we begin. "How can I know what I think, until I see what I say?"

Musicians as entrepreneurs

2007-03-30T07:34:00.000-04:00

All freelance musicians, please read this article immediately.

I really wish they'd had courses like this when I was in school. The more I hear about classical musicians as entrepreneurs, the more I think that it's really the future of our art.

Status quo

2007-03-29T20:37:00.000-04:00

I have a near-FO - ChildHood from Knitty Summer 03 for my nearly 4-year-old daughter. I just need to get some sew-in snaps. (Can you believe that one of the local Fabricland stores didn't have them?!) This is done in Mission Falls 1824 Wool.

My current WIP is this sock in Meilenweit Cotton Fantasy. I am using the free jacquard stripe sock pattern I got from the Patons web site (though I can't find it there anymore). It's a very simple top-down pattern with a slip-stitch heel. I plan on expanding my sock construction horizons sometime soon, but this pattern is so perfect for the self-striping yarns.

Next project: an oldie that's new again -- St. Brigid from A. *tarmore's Aran Knitting (see this recounting by The Girl from Auntie for info on why I'm not using her full name). I ordered the yarn from Virtual Yarns when Claire was a baby, and the designer's daughter recommended the colour Red Deer for me on the basis of a photo of us. But for some reason (the craziness of new motherhood, most likely) I never completed it, and the pieces I did complete got eaten by moths!! So I am ripping out and starting fresh. Here is the mess as it stands today:

Eeeeeeek!!

Hello, world

2007-03-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

Greetings earthlings! This is eusebius, pianist, teacher, mom, knitter, and sporadic spiritual seeker. Not necessarily in that order!!

I've blogged before, but reading some of the great blogs out there right now has inspired me to re-join the fray. Some of the ones that are motivating me the most include:

* The Concert - a singer posting about the evolution of her budding career (and herself)
* Stranded on Fair Isle - amazingly prolific and skilled knitter in Ohio
* The Rest is Noise - a deservedly famous blog by one of the best American writers on music
* The Collaborative Piano Blog - keeping us all in the loop about accompanying, coaching, and Bathroom Divas

No plans to try to "keep up" with these esteemed predecessors ... I've done too much of that in my life already. But I will step forward ...