Knit Addictions

What About Dick?

We got tickets for last night's performance of Eric Idle's new 'staged reading' play called What About Dick? OMG! My face hurt from laughing so much! It was fantabulous! With all my favorite comedians, it could hardly not be funny... Billy Connolly, Tracey Ullman, Eddie Izzard, Tim Curry, Emily Mortimer... of course... Eric Idle himself! Wow! It was brilliant! What a privilege. It's moments like that when I'm glad to live in Hollyweird!!!

KNIT KNIT
It's finally gotten chilly enough to face some serious knitting again. I dug out the oh so not punk style knit from the top down black sweater that I've been working on for two years now (off and on!) for Bam. This thing. I tell ya. I had tried to be clever on the bottom ribbing and used the same size needles so it wouldn't get so super ribbing tight. But it looked AWFUL! So I squared up to the task and frogged the bottom and got all those stitches back on the needles. Whew. Nearly done ribbing the bottom now on needles two sizes smaller. After that... only one more sleeve to go and then he can wear it. Finally. I think it is a classic example of how knitting can happen over a loooooooong period of time. That's probably the most positive thing I can say about this UFO.

I have a list of babies to knit things for. I'm opting for nice little washcloths as it's fast and easy and I can actually get it done. If anyone else has super fast ideas? Plus the babies don't outgrow the washcloths. (unlike hats etc.) The list of babies is like.... hmmmmm. ... 10 of them? Somewhere around that number.

HOW SOCIAL CAN YOU BE?
Ya know what almost drives me crazy? All this social networking stuff. How much time can you honestly spend on it and still have a productive day? And what does it get you anyway? Square eyes from staring at your computer? Do we really need to connect with people in this way? Meosphere so I can let everyone know where I've been and what I AM ALL ABOUT. Myspace - more about me. Oh wait, I have a myspace profile for every one of my versions of me... Rock n Roll TV, Punk Knits, Share Ross, Bubble... etc etc. Friendster are still going. Podshow. Facebook. Linked In. Twitter so my 'followers' can know what I'm doing at every moment. The sick thing? I am on EVERY ONE OF THOSE! Okay, I don't exactly maintain them very well. But at one moment, I was suckered in to thinking, yeah! This will make my life better!

Seriously, if I really kept up on all of those networking sites in a way that was active... I would simply not get anything else done! How do folks do it? Are they all teenagers with no lives? We've become a society addicted to expressing who we are and which movies we like and which tv shows we like and what bands are our favorite. Maybe the dude in High Fidelity had it right .... "You're not defined by who you are. You're defined by what you like." Truer words were never spoken.

With that in mind, if you love Billy Connolly, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard and you love Keith Richards equally along with some Neil Young and the shows Heroes and Damages... chances are... I would probably truly love to know you. LOL!

Hotter than Hades

Wow. It's been over 105 everyday for nearly a week now. I think some of my braincells have actually melted away. We did manage to get to the beach TWICE this past week. Here's a shot post swimming/boogie boarding and ready to go have lunch....

Can you see the amazing bag on my shoulder? It's a pink bag with skulls on it and a fellow knitter named Cher sent it to me! I love it!!! Thank you Cher!!!!

It's been almost too hot to knit but I've still managed to sit on the couch with the A/C cranked and have nearly completed the log cabin baby blanket for the 4th grandkid. Gotta get it done!!!!!

What else.... nothin' much really. Just been hot. We filmed Angels and Airwaves the other night. Started at 10pm and finished around 5:30am. Even though all-nighters are rough... I didn't mind cuz even at that time... it was easily 95 degrees!

Alright... back to video editing.....

Buzz buzz buzz

Life has taken many unexpected turns lately. One of them...Bam (hubby) has so much work on board...we can barely keep up. He edits a lot of 'making of' type pieces...you know...behind the scenes stuff for bands on record labels. Lately..we've been on the Nelly Furtado set, Lifehouse, Rise Against, Janel Parrish (new Bratz movie) and tomorrow the new video for Prima J, two young musical cousins. That stuff along with editing Chris Cornell and Enrique Iglesias...and we've still managed to put out Rock n Roll TV. Whew. Let me just say...I'm now working full time as a Final Cut Pro editor which I never thought was in my future!!! ha!

Lesson learned? Be open to all and any opportunities cuz ya just never know where they'll lead.

There was one super cool moment...we were in Venice Beach shooting stuff for the Lifehouse video on a side street. One of the crew guys walks over and says...do you know whose house you're standing in front of? It was Dennis Hopper's! That was one of those....wow, I live in LA moments!

In the meantime...here are some goofy pics from my recent book tour travels.

That's in Seattle...while Bam and I were out hunting for food suitable for us raw vegan types. No easy task when it's 10 at night!

Here's some shots taken with this laptop, my beloved Macbook Pro....

The first one is me and Bam's brother Jon. The second one is Jon, Bam and me using the lovely feature in Front Row that takes your picture with the laptop and can distort any number of ways. It's like being a kid all over again. Ya have this great big hefty computer that can throw massive files around like their penny candy...and what do you do? You play with the goofiest feature on the computer that makes everyone laugh with the instant gratification of seeing how stupid and silly we can look. I love it!

Yeah, the tour was a blast! So amazing to meet knitters and just get to chat! Next up is Sonoma on the 22nd at 6 pm at Bella Yarns. Then on the 24th, I'm doing a double header with Joan McGowan-Michael at The Knitter's Studio here in LA. Joan is super sweet and is mega talented. She has been in the fashion industry for years and knows design inside and out!

Meanwhile, I'm waiting to hear back from the powers that be at Knitty Gritty about a show they are doing for charity...Warm Up America. I think we're waiting for Tori Spelling to confirm a date!

MOVIE JUNKIE WITHDRAWAL
With all the work on board ...we haven't seen any films for what seems like ages. Haven't even seen Pirates yet!!! egads! I'm losing my title as official president of the movie junkie club. Anyone have any comments on Pirates? Is Keith hilarious or what?

CHEAP THRILLS
My biggest thrill right now is getting to have a manicure. You might laugh...but this is a relatively new thing in my life. I never had one until I was in my 30's and now I've been getting them semi-regularly. Bam can't stand the smell of nail polish so he insists I go out to a salon to get my nails done. I don't know if he seriously hates the smell or if he just says that so I'll treat myself...but either way works and gets me to go spend the money and time on myself.

In the world of nails...I did find an AMAZING nail person on Melrose in Hollywood. Luca at Cookie Nails. OMG! She does the most insane nails ever. Leopard print, skulls, hearts, the absolute craziest acrylic stuff in the universe! She is from Japan and I guess it is all the rage over there and has not caught on yet in the States. Anyway...she is part of the next episode of Rock n Roll TV. I wish I had time to drive over there to see her...but alas...I shall have boring boring boring nails this week. I'm still not complaining though...I LOVE being girly and going to get my nails done now.

SIGHS AND SMILES
Monday would've been my dad's 81st birthday. I celebrated by playing piano and simply thinking of him and my mom being together. I guess that's all we can do when they're gone. Honor them in our little special ways.

Skydiving, Dalai Lama and Africa

What could all of that possibly have in common? I have no idea! ha! But it's all happening.

SKYDIVING
Yes, I'm jumping out of a plane this Sunday. Skydivergirls.com called me up this past Tuesday and said 'we need a web celeb to do a tandem jump for our show. You interested?'. After a few hours of research and heavy thinking....I answered yes. Then Bam decided this had to be a family experience....so we're jumping out of the same plane. First time for both of us. I'm so excited, terrified, eager, nervous and etc etc. etc. The place is Skydive Elsinore. They've been there since 1959 or something so that helps. Plus my niece and a nephew have both done this. That helped too. Whew!!!!!!!!! If you live anywhere near there.......wanna come out and watch the exploits..........we jump at 11 am. CAH-RAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or you can always watch the episode on skydivergirls!

DALAI LAMA
I just had to write about this because I saw him give his now famous speech on compassion when he was in LA. The speech was wonderful. But what I didn't expect was his incredibly mischievous persona. Wow. If you get the chance to hear him speak, definitely go. What a unique man he is.

AFRICA
Okay. I'm not the one going to Africa. But I did build the website for our friend's non-profit that is digging wells in villages so that the villagers can have clean water. You can read all about it here. As you can see, they need donations....

AUNT JUNE
How could I write everything and leave her out? OMG! Yes, there is a new person in Rock n Roll TV. Aunt June from Minnesota. She is rather unique in her outlook as she delivers the 'rock news'.

KNITTING!
I did finish the baby cardigan. I need to snap a pic! It's adorable!!!!!!! Next in line...is a sweater for Bam that is nearly done. But I changed the neckline and it's slowing me down on sewing it all together. I'm worried that it will look crappy and I'm simply hesitant to put it together just to have a lousy looking sweater. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I guess I shall have to face it sooner or later!

I might be doing another taping of Knitty Gritty.....but this one would be a little unusual....I'll keep you posted!

Also in the knitting world........we have plans for a knitting video podcast. Just need to find the time to make it happen!!!!! Egads!

Well, those are my long overdue updates!

Aghast and Ahchoo!

In the Aghast category........I stumbled onto this site and thought it was too hilarious not to share! Ya gotta love it. Good fun.

In the Ahchoo category.........you may recall Ziggy the kitty a couple of posts back...alas. We had to give her away. (it was a very tearful parting for yours truly.) She is now happily with her new owner who is not in the least bit allergic to her. Yes, the sneezing and sniffling got to me and I couldn't imagine being like that for another 15 years. (plus itchy eyes and throat!) We decided it was unfair to Ziggy if we kept her for too long and then gave her away later. As it turned out, a customer at the Stitch Cafe overheard me talking about her and said her friend needed a kitten. So there ya go. Serendipity or what?!

Well, it's hot again here in Hell-Ay. But not as hot as yesterday. Stay cool, buy those fancy light bulbs to save the planet and make love, not war.

How To Change the World In Three Easy Steps

We went and saw "An Inconvenient Truth" and while it's a great film and the message is excellent..........it left me wondering if I'm doing enough. I ended up stumbling around the net and reading my Plenty magazine in search of miracle cures for the planet.

1. Become a Freegan. This is extreme but easy if you're willing to go there. Wow! Okay. I'm a raw vegan and I thought THAT was extreme. But being a freegan? hmmmm....makes you realize how much waste we truly have in America. Confounds the brain, doesn't it?

2. Become Self-sufficient. Bam and I sincerely studied this site. It has a lot of interesting solutions and a very cool way of life. These folks are to be truly commended for a dedicated way of living that makes a statement, helps the planet and probably helps their souls! Wow!!!!

3. Sign every petition you can and buy those energy efficient bulbs whenever possible and turn off everything electrical in your house whenever you can and carpool when you can and and and and.............

You see......the thing is.........we got into a state of 'eco-anxiety' this week. At some point, I have to believe I'm doing what I can and the solution DOES start with a simple approach to taking small steps in our own lives. I can't really take on the whole world right now. With that in mind...........whew!

Let's knit!
I've finished the felted kitty bed but it needs one more wash cycle to shrink up a bit more. It's too hot to knit anything else but I've got Bam's sweater nearly done. Just a few inches away on the sleeve!

VIRTUAL REALITY
I joined Second Life to see what the heck it was. Must admit, after messing about for an afternoon.........I still don't 'get it'. It just seems like a great time waster and lord knows, I don't need another one of those. If I really wanted to waste time, I'd get a satellite dish so I could watch tv again!!!!!! Anyone care to explain the phenomena known as Second Life?

SPEAKING OF GLOBAL WARMING
It was so hot today in LA........I just couldn't get past brain fog. Way over 100. yuk. All I can say is.........let's work to stop global warming cuz this sucks and you can't knit when it's like this!!!!!

Freaky Friday

UPDATE
My back is finally getting better! After two surgeries in my youth, you'd think I'd know how to take care of it right? But I had slacked in my walking and that was lame of me! So I'm back to good health and thank you all for your wonderful emails/comments!

PSYCHO
Found this totally insane knitting site and just had to share....Cah-razy or what?

ALMOST DONE
I've only got one sleeve left on Bam's sweater. It's from a Rowan pattern book to give my brain a rest from the creating process and ya know what? I think it's gonna look okay. Kind of on the boring side...but hey, that's alright.

UNCOMMON
I'm committed to go on Uncommon Threads with the incomparable Myra Wood! We're filming it on August 7th and yours truly will have to brush up on her crochet skills (think hook challenged person here) but with Myra's unusual approach and freeform techniques....I'm sure I'll be fine and I'm very excited! I'll be involved in this project ...isn't it cool?

LOG CABIN
Speaking of Myra and freeform...one of the techniques in freeform knitting is log cabin knitting. You can see it used in the new Mason Dixie knitting book and I'm gonna make a couple of baby blankets using that technique for some upcoming babies and young infants in my life. It's all garter stitch and yet it keeps you interested! I love it! Plus one could go mad with a Mondrian style piece couldn't one? hmmmm...yes, one must find those primary colors and one must knit a Mondrian blanket for a special baby! (all spoken like Inspector Clouseau!)

POD PEOPLE
Our video podcast, Rock n Roll TV has signed up with the number one major podshow network, podshow.com. They're launching the network publicly in the next few weeks so that will be exciting to see what happens. So far, nothing much has changed for us but we're happy to be part of a family of shows like the Dawn and Drew show and Rock and Roll Geek and ...well, there is that possibility that we may even get to make a living out of it! Imagine that! Making a living doing something creative and fun!!!!! (not to mention I could get a lot more knitting done again!)

FRIDAY GOOF
Well, it's super duper hot here in LA yet again and we're gonna head out to the coolest place in town...the movies! Yep. I read the book and thought it was very funny so we're off to see The Devil Wears Prada.

New Look, New Day!

Life
Wow! It's been a month. Lame! Okay.....Let's see.....I've been "Stumbling" a whole helluva lot. You have to have Firefox as your web browser and then prepare to waste a LOT of time. This extension is the best for discovering GREAT sites on the net. My new fave thing to do when I'm bored and tired of everything!

Hmm......still raw. Almost always kick off the day with a 'green smoothie'. Yum! Feeling good from it all but am not being anal about it. I mean, if we get a craving for chicken or something, we're gonna have it. Life is too short!

Winner!
OMG! The weirdest thing.........a week ago, we were driving along and the radio was on. They were babbling about Blondie and the New Cars and caller number blah blah....so I called....and I WON TICKETS! Yep. We went and saw Blondie and the New Cars at the Universal Amphitheater. (now gibson). Anyway.......it was fun and free is always a good price in my book!

In the family dept....
My mom's piano is on a truck out here to us. I am excited and somehow nervous as well. I know I will cry when it gets here ....both with joy of having such a beautiful Sohmer upright piano and also ....well, because it will bring up all those memories of my mom playing it and me and her playing duets on it and laughing and laughing. Wow. It's gonna be weird.

In the band dept....
Nothing much. Our bassist is out of town all the time. So Bam and I are playing around with other ideas musically. Who knows!

In the yarn dept...
Still knitting when I can. Haven't finished anything I've started in the last few months! I'm so scattered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Must finish. Must finish.

Super fun.........
Wanna know who you were? This is fun!

RNR TV dept...
Things are heating up. We may have some cool changes coming up. In the meantime, we're shooting up to San Fran for the Vloggercon in early June. Bam and I are even scheduled to help out in a seminar as 'speakers'! What a kick!

Alright. New Look new day........over and out.

Oh To Be Idle For a Day!

Sheesh! Where have I been?

Well, I spent one week in Minnesota packing and helping sort stuff for the bank to sell my family's house. Sigh. It was not a fun week. But I survived and I'm glad it's over. The only two positive things I can say are that my niece, Kathryn is planning to move to Los Angeles in the fall. Hooray! And that I have inherited my mother's Sohmer upright piano. Hooray!

Bam and I are still 'raw'! He has come up with loads of amazing gourmet raw vegan entrees now. OMG! Mind blowing recipes. I try to keep up, but let's face it, that is a talent. I have a talent for eating what he creates! Ha! We go to this farmer's market every Sunday and let me tell ya, it is fantastic and chockful of local organic farmers! yummmmmmm!

Now let's move on to the knit stuff............

EXTREME
Has everyone and their dog seen Theresa Honeywell's Knit Motorcycle??? Holy bat wheels, batman!

Go to Flickr to see her whole set of 'Extreme Craft' which includes embroidered tattoos. Wow. She deserves the Punk Craftster of the Year award. Which I think I shall invent!

On my sticks
I am making Bam a much deserved and long sought after big wooly jumper. Now that I work in a yarn shop, I get a discount and can afford that Rowan stuff! ha! So Fergus with an altered collar and some Big Tuft probably added in the cuffs,.....is on the way!

THE BAG O' BONES
The Stitch Cafe and I paired up and cooked up a crazy bag idea with stripes and a heart, skull, and star charms dangling off it....all in a kit with our skull needles. You can view the commercial and watch my imitation of pirate-ese.
quicktime: http://blip.tv/file/get/Shazza007-StitchCafePunkKnitsBagOBone599.mov
windows: http://blip.tv/file/get/Shazza007-StitchCafePunkKnitsBagOBoneWindows652.wmv

KILLING TIME
Sometimes, it all gets to be too much and I just need some mindless entertainment. As a big fan of the Da Vinci Code (cuz I LOVE LOVE LOVE games and puzzles).....I stumbled across this quest which you can put right on your google homepage (please tell me you have one, right? cuz they rock!)....Once you get caught up ...you only get one puzzle a day and they get progressively harder. Talk about brilliant marketing for the film?!?!?! WOWSA! I am blown away! And....I love the quest! I feel so.....utterly bamboozled by the great marketing team at Sony. And I don't care.

Well.........I think we are going to the beach today. First time in months! Crazy to live in So Cal and not go to the beach right? It's the only place I truly stop working!

Over and out fellow knitters.........fellow crazy people, fellow game addicts, fellow mellow yellows, fellow schmellows.....marshmellows......hmmmmmmmmm..............I'm losin' it.

Quad and Raw

QUAD
What a mad mad weekend! On Friday night, my friend, Kastle invited me to Quadrophenia (look up THE WHO if you don't know what I"m talking about!) with her. It's a staged production and I braved the hail storm (yes, hail storm in LA!) to go and check it out. Together we braved the insanity known as 'which color wristband do you have' inside the Avalon Theater to figure out where we were allowed to sit. Wow! After all that craziness, it was definitely worth it. The lead character is played by Stephen Shareaux who was the lead singer for Kik Tracee and he is reeeeeeeally well suited as a singer in a big production play. Overall, it had its high moments and I don't get out much to plays so for me, it was a gas.

Saturday, we had a client in our recording studio. So that was fun!

RAW
But during this whole time........we have been reading and absorbing this book about living a raw food lifestyle. Since this particular book is written by two chefs, we found it particularly interesting as the recipes are verrrrrry delicious. At the same time, my friend told me she had a juicer she no longer wanted so we graciously received her juicer for free. We are going for the raw life. So far, I feel terrific. No cooked foods is agreeing with me. It's weird to eat like this at first, but I'm liking it, I'm liking it. Plus, I get to eat pretty much as much as I want! God knows, I love to eat! I've been reading alot over on this forum and finding lots of sites dedicated to the raw food lifestyle. We will eventually get an ice cream maker and make our own dairy free/soy free ice cream!!!!!!!! Imagine eating a gallon of home made coconut ice cream?! I can!!!!!

Notice how I go straight for the sweets part of it all? Actually, I'm craving sugar waaaaaaay less now that we've been doing this for a few days. We're still not what they call 100% raw.........we are transitioning. But we're both into it. I feel soooooooooooo damn Californian. Bloody hell. First the feng shui and clutter clearing and now this! What's next? Hypnoretrospacetravel-therapy???????????