February 18, 2005
Mr. DeMille, I'm Ready for my Close-up
(No posting on Monday, Dear Readers! Instead, we'll be having a President's Day Loll-on-the-Couch-and-Watch-Movies day, churning out fleece blankets.)
If you’re looking for the Mysterious K, today you’ll find her in her ivory tower, resting on her velvet-covered divan, and eating bon-bons. 
This happens once every few years, the day after she “has” to do a day-long photoshoot with a famous baseball star. (He played for the Mariners, retired in 2004, and his initials are EM. Mariners fans, I’ll let you do the math.) Top that off with the fact that she’s been asked to be a judge at a high school art competition and she’s become just too-too for woids. As she said, “Wax a girl’s eyebrows, slap a pair of red sneakers on her feet, and look out, world!” So, while I remind TMK that she is still the same woman who, while attempting to blow a bubble, only succeeded in launching her entire wad of gum into a high arc that landed it splat in the middle of the poker table, let’s move right on to Dulaan. Or would that be aan to Dulaan?
Wednesday night was the monthly Guild meeting and was slated to be the night of The Grand Dulaan Announcement. I was practically salivating at the thought of handing out flyers to a captive audience of 80 or 90 knitting devotees. But, alas, the Universe decreed otherwise. For the first time since I’ve been attending Guild meetings, we had no announcements. When I discovered this, my mood shot straight to the big red bulb at the top of the CrankyMeter. I believe the phrase “crap weasel” even escaped my lips a time or two. But Dear Reader and Fellow Guilder MaryB took me aside and soothed my jangled nerves, reassuring me that Dulaan was already a happenin’ project and that I musn’t fret. (Sheesh, but that woman has a remarkable ability to calm me down and make me laugh at myself!) Besides, the reason we had no time for announcements is we were treated to not one, but two, mega-star speakers: Carol Rhodes, the technical editor of Spin-Off magazine, and designer Maggie Jackson who recently published “Maggie’s Ireland.”
Carol presented a slide show about the different sheep breeds and various types of knitting in Scandinavian countries, and Maggie, with her wonderful, rich Irish brogue and self-deprecating sense of humor, talked about her experiences as a knitter and businesswoman and had some of the Guild members model some of the show-and-tell items she had brought. One item in particular was fascinating. It had a very organic and abstract design and could be worn as a skirt, strapless dress, halter-top dress, and wrap. Not my cuppa tea the whole organo-abstract thing, but I had to admire the free-thinking creative energy behind it, something I was not blessed with. Give me a detailed pattern, a large, detailed picture of the finished results, a chart to fall back on in case I don't understand the written instructions, perfect gauge, the exact same yarn used in the pattern, the exact same needles used in the pattern, an online forum where 20 other people are knitting exactly the same thing, and Bob's yer uncle.
While the jury is still out on whether we’ll be able to have a genyoowine Dulaan Gallery, today I have the pleasure of posting two pictures from Brigade members. The first is the contents of the ever-to-be-revered First Box:
Thank you, Kathleen, for this photo! It really made the whole project come alive for me.
And the second photo is from Nathania who has, as you can see, 11 hats sitting on the Dulaan runway. (Time for some premature mathematical musings. 11 from 491 is...borrow the one, subtract one from one, one from eight, zero from three...480 items to go! Although, if we include the two fleece blankets, that’s 478. And if you include the onesy-twosy items I have been collecting from co-workers and Feral Knitters, that’s about 463. And if you include the four items I've knit, that's 459. We're whittlin' away, dear friends, whittlin' away!)
Edgar! You had a photo shoot with Edgar Martinez! Wow, I met him once and he was so nice. I used to go to the games with my dad when the Mariners were considering changing leagues. There was a huge "Save Edgars Job" movement because the other league doesn't have a designated hitter. I don't watch baseball anymore but he was one of the cornerstones of the mariners for so long. I hope you had a blast even though it was so tiring.
Posted by: Jayme on February 18, 2005 12:16 PMJayme: Edgar IS a very nice guy. Easy-going, funny, and a good sport about all the cameras and lighting (not to mention the autographed balls!) As far as not watching baseball--this season may be kind of exciting to watch, at least at the beginning. The M's have made some HUGE changes this year, although they haven't, and probably won't, find a replacement for Edgar. TMK
Posted by: The Mysterious K on February 18, 2005 12:22 PMJayme, okay, I'll say it, since TMK seems to be too modest. This is her THIRD photoshoot with EM, and she has another one this summer. But she promises to still talk to us little people when it's all over...
Posted by: Ryan on February 18, 2005 12:34 PMI'm so happy to see the Dulan project doing so well! I'm going to write Nathania but thought you might know the answer to my question (just seriously tried to type question to my answer and you may just have that!) but do you know what pattern she used for these hats...I have visions of me cranking these of my needles!
Posted by: Rebecca on February 18, 2005 01:14 PMI join! I join! I can pretty much guarantee a hat by the end of the weekend (and I have too many ideas for both the yarn I have and my local peeps).
Posted by: Seanna Lea on February 18, 2005 01:23 PMI cast on for my first Dulaan hat last night! (I guess you can add me to the list).
I ordered Ann Budd's book of patterns so I can whip out child sized items with ease.
Posted by: Kris on February 18, 2005 01:23 PMQuestion: Are we supposed to label our stuff like it looks like Nathania did or is she just really on the ball?
Posted by: Susie on February 18, 2005 02:33 PMSusie, I THINK--based on what I read on Nathania's site--that she knit and labeled the hats earlier for some other project, not for Dulaan (although the Fates have decided that we are going to be the lucky recipients). All F.I.R.E. needs is one sheet of paper--one cumulative list--indicating what you've knit, and what size each item is (and your name and address, and all that good stuff).
Posted by: Ryan on February 18, 2005 02:55 PMI'm SO in love with Edgar! (I know this fact, in light of my recent statements regarding Cuzzin Tom, make me seem fickle, or polyamorous or something, but they are both out of reach, so I get to love them both.) He just gave me a nice warm secure feeling when he was up at bat. *sigh*
Went to JoAnn's today and those kits were $12.99, so I just bought fleece. It turned out to cost the same but it will be a slightly larger blanket. My friend thought it was funny that I am sending some Mongolian child a blanket that says "Peace" and "Love" all over it. Good Buddhist statements, those. Kidlet and I will work on it Monday, our day off for lying on the floor like slugs. And makin' blankies.
Posted by: Patti on February 18, 2005 04:15 PMRyan,
I made the cutest pair of Dulaan mittens(Green Mountain Spinnery, bought from France, made in Vermont going to Mongolia, wow, and then made an even cuter one with size 0 needles, (Mountain Bearfoot ruby river)! I woke up thinking about my mitten! The other one will be dome this weekend.
Now I am thinking about Edgar. TMK, Is he working in the Mariners front office or is he at Spring Training? What's happening with him?
Ryan, all I did was remind you what you already knew--that the Dulaan project is well on its way (due in great part to your blog!!!) and there is still plenty of time to recruit new knitters. And speaking of Dulaan--seems to me that the spirit is really flowing among the bloggers and I think we could safely raise our "quota" to 2,000 items. I know we can make this--and personally, I'd rather have the bar a little higher than too low. Have already cast on for another hat (to add to the 2 already done and one sweater).
I love Edgar! TMK, I am so jealous that you've actually gotten to meet him. We've been Mariner fans forever--took our kids to games when they were babes in arms and our oldest is almost 26, so you can see how long that is! Seems as though Edgar was a part of the ambiance from day one! We were at his last game and the ceremony that followed last summer--tears, cheers and goosebumps all around. What a great guy!
I'm off to Gig Harbor tomorrow and Sunday--two days of classes! whooohooo!! Lucky me!
Mary B
Ryan's right, the labels were affixed for another purpose and I didn't get them removed before the photo shoot. the pattern is Mini from Rowans Bigger Picture Book in Rowan Big Wool. It could easily be adapted to any chunky weight yarn.
Posted by: Nathania on February 18, 2005 09:32 PMOk, thanks Ryan and Nathania, for clearing that up for me.
Posted by: Susie on February 19, 2005 10:30 AMI just started a scarf tonight to send in for the project. I have a hat and another scarf already to go. Checked my stash and have enough yarn to make at least three pairs of mittens, maybe some socks as well!
Posted by: Sheri on February 19, 2005 06:47 PMAdd me to the Dulaan project list. I have a couple of finished projects without a home that I will send. One is a scarf from the Quechua yarn from Elann. The other is a hat out of Elann's Highland Wool - pattern from my mother's notes from the late 1940s! I've been wanting to try some thrummed projects and Mongolia sounds like the perfect place for them to go.
Posted by: Cate on February 21, 2005 07:25 AMI did it. I finished my first Dulaan hat (infant sized to start) on Sunday and have a picture up on my blog. This is just a great way to use leftovers (though I bought yarn to supplement leftovers, because I haven't been doing this for too long).
Posted by: Seanna Lea on February 22, 2005 01:56 PM