Finally...

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for your kind and enthusiastic responses to my trip to Bali this summer!  Sometimes I forget that developing myself as a human being is just as important as developing myself as a musician, and I shouldn't feel guilty about this trip because I know that it will help me in both areas more than I can even begin to imagine.

It would appear that the weather here in Wisconsin is doing its best to act as a primer to what I will encounter when I set foot in Indonesia in July.  It has been in the high 80s since this weekend, even hitting 90 on Sunday (with equal amounts of humidity: 80-90%).  And poor Margene is down there in Utah getting snow - it just doesn't seem right!  I've been checking the weather in Bali every day lately and it seems that the sweltering heat we've had here the past couple of days is about what it's like AT NIGHT in Bali.  As I write this it is about 1:30am in Bali and the weather is 88 degrees Fahrenheit with 90% humidity.  Remind me to sleep in the fridge...

This weather (which I will try not to complain about - I chose to complain about the winter and I can't complain about both) is not very conducive to knitting.  The last thing I want to do is cover my lap with wool as I sit out in the sun.  Instead of knitting (even lace makes my hands sweat - I know, gross!), I've been spinning!

See?  I even managed to finish something!  This wool was gifted to my last year by the generous Anne, who hand-dyed it in what she described as sort of a Black Watch Plaid colorway (I still have the original email, I didn't want to risk forgetting what it was!).  Blues and greens - my favorite!  I measured this yarn at 21wpi, which just is not true.  It's a solid fingering weight, teetering into sport weight at times.  I have no idea about yardage though.

I should probably mention that I started spinning this last June.  Seriously, I worked on it for 11 months! 11 months to spin 4 oz. of beautiful hand-dyed BFL.  That's just ridiculous.  One day I'll own a spinning wheel and I might be able to do things a bit more quickly...

I made a 3-ply yarn for the first time.  At this point, pretty much every spinning project I do is a first time for something because I'm so new to it.  Anyway, I took the big length of wool and split it into three shorter lengths, thereby unevenly distributing the hand-dyed colors (one strip had a lot of dark blue, one had more green, and one more white-ish) and then I split each of those strips lengthwise into 6 skinny strips.  Totally random, because I had no idea how better to make it work.  Hooray for finishing something!

Now I just have to finish the school year.  Next week is my last week of classes, then I have finals and then I graduate!

Of course, I'm never too busy to notice those things that so often get overlooked...

...they may be weeds, but I still like them.

Ramblings

The odd thing is, I didn't tweak this photo at all.  The tulips really were glowing like lightbulbs...

I rarely do a random post like this, but I feel like I have several unrelated things I want to share/talk about.

Thing 1:  I haven't been knitting very much lately.  I think it is mostly due to the fact that I have three current projects on the needles - my Autumn Arbor Stole, my Evenstar Shawl, and the Cubism Afghan.  In my mind they all seem to be such long-term projects that I have little motivation to work on them.  I feel that because in any given day I can hardly make even the smallest dent in any of them, it's not worth my time to do it.  I know, I know, my logic doesn't really make sense, but that's the way I feel.  I long for a project in which I can see visible progress from day to day, but I would feel guilty starting anything new knowing that my brother's blanket isn't finished.  A quick fling with some colorwork would be so nice, though...

Thing 2:  In four weeks I will officially be a college graduate.  This does not freak me out or make me feel nauseous.  On the contrary, I am very excited to finally be completing my undergraduate career.  I would be lying if I said that it was smooth sailing (though as most of you only know me through this blog, it would be difficult to guess.  It's interesting to look at my life through the lens of my blog - noticing what I've included and what has been omitted), but I did enjoy my time here.  This might be terrible of me to say, but I'm not even sad to be leaving some friends behind when I move to Pittsburgh.  I don't say this to mean that I don't cherish them, I say it because I've learned over the years that the friendships that truly matter don't disappear when you leave.  They're always only a phone call, an email, a road trip, or a plane ticket away.  I'm not sad to be leaving my friends behind because I know that they'll still be present in my life.

Thing 3:  This is really the most exciting thing, and the main reason for this blog post.

A month ago, had you asked me what my summer plans were, I would have told you that I would be returning home to spend my summer broke and unemployed, counting down the days until I move out east for school.

Well, plans have changed...  Instead of spending my summer in Minnesota, I will be hopping on a plane and flying out of the country for the first time!  I will be flying abroad to spend a month at an intensive summer music program.  No, I'm not going to Vienna or Paris or Italy.  In fact, I'm not even going to be studying Western Classical Music at all!  This summer I will instead find myself studying the traditional performing arts of Bali in Indonesia!!!

You see, I'm currently taking a class on the performing arts of Bali and I think it is absolutely fascinating!  It is taught by an ethnomusicologist who has spent a great deal of time in Bali herself studying the music and culture.  Her husband, in fact, is a famous Balinese dancer and musician who now leads the gamelan gong kebyar ensemble in which I play here at school.  I applied to a summer institute in Bali and was one of 35 people from around the world accepted to come to Bali to study with a professional gamelan, as well as famous dancers and musicians from around the island.

If you're curious what the music sounds like, this Youtube video (sorry, I don't know how to actually embed a video into the post) is a good example of what gamelan music sounds like, with the added bonus that you get to see one of the traditional Balinese dance forms!

While on the island, I will get to attend music, dance, and drama performances, as well as temple ceremonies.  I'm particularly excited to see a shadow puppet show and a mask dance.

Although I won't be studying Western Classical Music, I'm considering this both a study abroad to continue my musical education and a graduation present to myself.  I know I can learn a lot from this trip and I am eager to arrive to begin my studies.  I am already taking several lessons a week on the different gamelan instruments in addition to the weekly ensemble rehearsals hoping that I will be well-prepared for my time in Bali.  Through my class I am learning not only about the performing arts, but also about the culture, history, traditions, and lifestyles of Bali.  Of course, I will be sure to take plenty of pictures while I'm there to share with you all when I get back.

Some may think it's unwise to take a month off from studying clarinet right before beginning grad school, but I think this is going to be an invaluable, once-in-a-lifetime experience and, to be completely honest, I sort of need a bit of a break from "classical" music.  (Don't tell anyone I said that, though.)

I am very excited to be experiencing Bali in this way.  However, I have mixed feelings about the idea of being a "tourist".  I don't like the idea of viewing another culture from the outside, with a camera in one hand, a map in the other and a fanny pack around my waist.  I'm glad that I will be spending my time with many Balinese people, eating home-cooked meals, experiencing not only their culture, but also sharing stories about my own.  I will, for the most part, be experiencing true Balinese culture, and not simply the "tourist culture" that is so prevalent on the island.  I really can't ask for anything better.  Now I just have to keep my fingers crossed that I won't come down with a crippling case of culture shock! (...or food poisoning.)

P.S.  Is it weird that I haven't bought my plane ticket yet, but I've already planned what knitting projects I'm going to bring?  Do you think they have any good yarn shops in Bali?  I wonder if they even have sheep...

Improving

I'm happy to share with you all that I have not been cursed with any more major misfortunes since my key/toilet incident and I am beginning to think that my luck is on the rise.  My ankle was healing nicely, and I now have a key for my room again, and for those things I am thankful.

Sometimes, however, we do have a bit of control over our lives and I have to say that I've sort of screwed myself this time.  This past week I had Thursday and Friday off from classes as our mid-term break, and it happened to be perfect timing for several reasons.  The first being that my little sister is in a circus and I was able to drive home to see her show on Thursday night.  It was really fun (and quite frightening) to watch the circus! - she does the trapeze.

I was home long enough to snap a picture of my latest creation before heading off on the second part of my weekend adventure.

I wish I had taken better pictures before leaving, but as it is I snapped this one while running out the door, so it's the one that you get.

If you can't tell, that is a knitted pear.  I mentioned Salihan Laugesen's Perry the Pear pattern on my podcast a while back, and she sent me the pattern for free as a thank you!  I definitely recommend checking out the pattern as her pear looks much more adorable than mine.

I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece held doubled for the body (in the "Willow Leaf" colorway) and I think US size 7 DPNs, but I didn't actually ever check the size, so I'm not positive.  This was one of those grab'n'go projects.  All I knew was that I wanted a sufficiently tight gauge for a stuffed toy, so I wasn't too preoccupied by the yarn or needles I was using.  I also used little scraps of Cascade 220 for the stem, mouth, and leaf.  I substituted this leaf pattern because I liked the shaping details a bit better.

He may be a bit frumpy, but he served his purpose, which was to act as a quick knit to contrast the other more long-term projects I have on the needles.  (Let's face it, I needed something to show all of you wonderful people).  I was going to stuff him with some really horrendous novelty yarn I have locked away, but I was afraid it would peek through, so instead I cut open an old pillow and used its innards to stuff him.  I have some Cotton Fleece in two other shades of green and am toying with the idea of making a couple more pears to add to this one, but I haven't decided yet.

Oh!  Back to how I screwed myself.  The second part of my weekend adventure was that it just so happened that my three very best friends and I all happened to have this weekend free.  Seeing as how one of us is married, one is in grad school, another is doing the "real world" thing, and I am living in a completely different state, we don't get to hang out very often.  We jumped at the opportunity and decided to spend the weekend at the Wisconsin Dells!

I re-f*ed up my ankle on a waterslide (it was totally worth it!   ...the first time), but other than that it was really fun!  We have a tradition of going on water-themed vacations (water parks, canoe trips, lazy rivers, etc.) and they are always a blast.  I am so happy that I was able to spend time with my friends again and I reeaaaallllly needed a break from school (5 weeks left!).  The screwing myself part came when I got back to campus and was instantly ambushed by the mountain of unfinished homework that I happily ignored all weekend.  This week is going to be a bit of a stress-fest, but it's the price you have to pay, right?

Dear "This Week"...

Dear "This Week",

I know that we only just met a couple of days ago, and I do honestly hate jumping to conclusions, but I have to be honest with you.  What we have going on right now isn't going to work out.  Yes, I know I should give you a chance, but you've had a couple of those already.

Take yesterday for example.  You (being Monday that day) and I (being Peter, as I normally am) thought a quick jaunt to the gym would be fun.  After all, my studying was done, my rehearsals were over, and my friends were there waiting to play volleyball.  I know I'm not very athletic, and I know I only go to the gym once every couple of months, but seriously?  My plan was to play a couple of games of volleyball with my friends.  Your plan, which seems to have been the one that manifested, involved ending the night with an odd sort of crunching/popping sound coming from my ankle, which, as it turns out, was the sound of one or more of the ligaments in my ankle tearing.  You missed my bones though, if that's what you were going for.  So... thank you Monday, I had fun, but let's not do it again.

As I was (quite understandably) upset with you after that, This Week, you decided it would be good to approach me as a day named "Tuesday," as Monday and I clearly did not hit it off too well.  Well, This Week, let me tell you... you didn't fool anyone.  What I think tipped me off was when you decided to throw all of my keys into the toilet and flush them into the netherworld.  In those three short seconds, you managed to lock me out of all of the residence halls on campus, my own dorm room, my work (where my clarinet is stored, so I guess that's off limits too), heck, you even locked me out of the hallways leading to my work, and, ironically, the clarinet reed room (which is ironic only because I just put that key on my keychain...  ah... in the presence of Sunday, when you first wandered into my life).

Honestly, This Week, I know the ankle thing was kind of humorous a little bit, and the key thing was definitely funny (although those keys are $50 a pop...), but if this is how you're going to treat me, I think we're going to have to go our separate ways.  I'm sure you had grand plans for my date with "Wednesday", but I think I'll pass.  It has been suggested that you have plans to hit me with some well-aimed bird poop, but I will have none of that.

I either want a re-do, or I'm hibernating until Next Week comes around...

without love,

Peter

Dear Spring...

Dear Spring,

That's more like it.

                    Love,
                                Peter

I Would Be Amused, Except...

...except I'm tired, cranky, and over-stressed.

So instead of being amused, I am just plain upset.

I would think this is beautiful, except...

...except today is actually April 8th and not January 8th.

Come on Spring, you were doing so well!  Stand up for yourself, would ya?

...because I am NOT amused.

Stopping In For A Bit

How nice it is to have warm weather again!  Spring is slow to appear here in Wisconsin, but there are sure signs all around.  Birds are returning, the grass is growing again, the weather is slowly warming up.

I used to be unappreciative of Spring - what a ridiculous notion!  How could I not revel in the warmth, be inspired by the rebirth of new life all around me, stand in awe as I think about the long journeys of migratory birds?  I can't say I took Spring for granted... I am, after all, a Minnesotan... but these past few years I have looked forward to it more and more.

I wish that Spring had the power to return life to my knitting as well.  It seems to have gone into hibernation and is too stubborn to be awoken by the beautiful birdsongs.  I have started a new semester (trimester, really - my last as an undergrad!) and find little time to do any knitting.  My senior recital is on April 10 and I have been spending every spare minute I have practicing and preparing for that.  I hope that once it's over, I might have a bit more time to get back to my knitting.  My course load this term seems entirely manageable and my classes are incredibly interesting, so I find myself in the library studying even when I have already completed all of the assigned reading for that day (dork, much?).

As far as knitting goes, Evenstar has stopped growing.  I haven't worked on it since the middle of March.  I have only knit two of the four clues that have been published so far.

There is just something about it that's off for me.  I can't put my finger on it though.  This is just one of those projects that I am not overly consumed with a desire to knit on it all day every day.  The yarn is absolutely wonderful (you can't argue with silk, alpaca, and cashmere).  I honestly think it may be the needles.  I'm using Addi lace needles for this, and I just don't know if they're my favorite.  Also, because the yarn is made with somewhat inelastic fibers, the yarn doesn't have much spring to it, which I think also adds to my feeling that something isn't quite working.  And to be completely honest, I don't think this pattern is that great.  There, I said it.  I really can't be too critical as I know that I can't design something like this, but for me, I don't know if I'm going to be happy with the end results.  I'm thinking about ripping it and using the yarn for something else, but I'll give it a bit more thought before I do that.

Of course, there is a project I have on the needles that I do love to death and want to knit all day every day.  It would be the long-lost Autumn Arbor Stole by Anne Hanson.

I started this shawl back in June '09 using the recommended yarn - The Woolen Rabbit Whisper Merino Laceweight - gifted to me by my sister for my birthday along with the pattern (they came as a kit).  I'm using the Mystic Mountain Pine colorway (I think) and it is absolutely gorgeous.  I don't think you can tell in this picture how many colors there really are in this hand-dyed yarn.  I love knitting each and every single stitch just to watch the colors flow through my fingers.  The pattern itself, as I tend to expect from Anne Hanson, is deceptively easy and entirely intuitive.  I have to ask though, do the colors look splotchy or pretty?  I can't decide.  I have a feeling that when it's all blocked out it'll look better (and the pattern won't be as obscured).

Here's a close-up so that you can maybe see the colors a bit better:

Really though, a picture just can't do this yarn justice.  It is absolutely gorgeous.

...and that pretty much wraps up what I've been doing.  I haven't touched any other projects, and haven't even knit an entire pattern repeat on the Autumn Arbor Stole, so I can barely say I've even been working on that.  I just had some spare time this afternoon (class got out early) so I thought I would blog to give you all a bit of an update about what's going on around these parts.

I just love Spring!