Episode Thirty-five: Ennui and Normandy

Well, we're having the first winter storm of the season. The mountains are capped with snow, the sky is grey, it's 39° (I hear you..."Hey! It's the DESERT! What's with the snow and temperature?!"), and the day is bleeding ennui.

Not least because my husband is here and I'm here (though it's much greyer today).

But Ennui and Turn of the Screw go well together so no complaints...much.

Today, chapters 10-11. You won't BELIEVE what happens today! Ai yi yi!

Charity knitting! Fixes to the Blogspot site! Felted Doggy Toys! More funny things! Holiday presents of fibery knitty things! (Does he love me or is he just feeling guilty for spending New Year's in Paris with his Brother and Dad?)

Was Santa good to you!?

Many thanks to Nikolle Doolin for her SEXY reading of Henry James' Turn of the Screw.

NOTE:
My RSS feed is down. The file is there, but I can't update the feed. You can listen through the little G-Cast player on the Blogspot site or download the episode directly from the Library (down to the right on this page--see, I told you there were improvements!). I'll fix the feed to iTunes as soon as they let me.

Episode Thirty-four: Backaches and Boxes

This week—Chapters 6-7!

The Other Nina sent this very helpful, eminently bookmarkable link to help me with mosquito bites. There's actually a lot of great info here...and this site has a very interesting looking hand/foot/everything cream. Lotions just don't work on me. If it doesn't say "cream" I don't buy it. Well, I bought it and thank you Nina!

And, here's my attempt to rekindle a love of Weird Al...Yoda!

Many thanks to Nikolle Doolin for her SEXY reading of Henry James' Turn of the Screw.

Episode Thirty-three: The Kindness of Strangers

This week--Chapters 6-7!

Okay, and you're not really strangers but y'all sure are kind!

Some fun with You Tube and Dante

Julie's socks (whoo hoo!) and 1400 A.D. knit pic

More Organic info from Dawn (worth a look-see)! Seventh Generation and Land Stewardship Project

Janet's pomo fun

And then--That Darn Governess and her latent class and boy issues!!!

BTW: we didnt' have time for these which I got off of a Knitter's Review forum. Did you know these superstitions:

** It's bad luck to leave a project unfinished. The intended recepient will get bad luck from the unfinished item.
** Stabbing your needles though your yarn balls brings bad luck to anyone who wears something made from that yarn.
** Don't knit a pair of socks for your boyfriend or he'll walk away from you.
** If you knit one of your own hairs into a garment, it will bind the recipient to you.
** Knitting for children you may have in the future, but before you are pregnant, is bad luck (it may prevent one from getting pregnant, or bring ill health to the baby).

And

Interesting Latvian beliefs about mittens

1. Mittens and socks should be knitted in summer, then they will be warm, soft and strong.

2. One should not wash new mittens when there is an old moon,
they will lose their color and let through the wind.

3. One should not wipe their nose in a mitten. Whoever does that never gets rich.

4. One should not give their hand to another with a mitten on, otherwise they will give away their luck.

Many thanks to Nikolle Doolin for her SEXY reading of Henry James' Turn of the Screw.

Where'd She Go???

Shortly I'll be uploading pix of the boxes that I'm buried under. I just dug the computer out of the melee. Forgive me, but I'm not at all sure when the next 'Cast is going to get up. It may have to wait until next Thursday. We didn't get possession of the house until 48 hours after we were supposed to have keys, so...painting the entire house had to be completed in about two days.

There were two of us.

I'm sleepy.

And I don't know where the mic is.

Soon, though. As soon as possible...

Thank you for your forbearance. Until then, dream of odd governesses and corrupted youth.

Anon,
Heather

Episode Thirty-two: I See Dead People...

Hey Look!

Which Classic Female Literary Character Are you?

You're Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen!
Take this quiz!








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Whodathunk?

Then there's this one too:

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!








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You should also check out Stephanie/Lumie's blog (gorgeous work!)

Then go here and get smart, RIGHT NOW!

After expanding your brain, you can crack yourself up with my friend Peter on his podcast.

Don't forget to get your SantaCon on! When you're done with that, embrace your inner Earth Mother and find out the skinny on Organics.

And in today's chapters, listen for the allusion to Jane Eyre that ol' Henry snuck into the first minute of this chapter.

As we continue our governess will continue to show her true colors--not a pretty picture.

And today's chapters reveal a bit more of James' brilliance. The Governess--who may still be nuts--does see someone who looks like Peter Quint. She had seen no pictures of him, but describes him to Mrs. Grose--well enough for her to identify the vision. Of course, the problem is...he's dead.

So, the mystery deepens...

Many thanks to Nikolle Doolin for her SEXY reading of Henry James' Turn of the Screw.

Oh, and I've moved all the links to previous episodes to the right side of the blog page at Craftlit.blogspot.com. There was a question as to why the files are so blasted big, and I'll tell you--I'd like to know that too! I'm working on it...

Episode Thirty-one: Apologies All Around...

(Apologies although I blathered quite a bit anyway...)

This week, chapters 2-3!

More Amazing Crochet from Dawn, some victorian pruditry, more wonderful emails from y'all, how to be an ostritch rather than a governess, and a little background on our author.

His dad was a Swedenborgian (say THAT three times fast) and I thought--when working through the "ghost" question--this quotation was ellucidating:

Although James had rejected in the beginning of his career "spirit-rappings and ghost-raising", in the 1880s he become interested in the unconscious and the supernatural. In 1908 he wrote that "Peter Quint and Miss Jessel are not 'ghosts' at all, as we now know the ghost, but goblins, elves, imps, demons as loosely constructed as those of the old trials for whichcraft; if not, more pleasingly, fairies of the legendary order, wooing their victims forth to see them dance under the moon." Virginia Woolf thought that Henry James's ghost have nothing in common with the violent old ghosts - "the blood-stained captains, the white horses, the headless ladies of dark lanes and windy commons." Edmund Wilson was convinced that the story was "primarily intended as a characterization of the governess".

Then there's the "corruption" question. Ah...the tangled web...

ALERT:
I just this second got this email from MaryBeth--right after uploading the 'Cast. Darnit. But it's worth noting here:

Loved your comments on the Fog Index. I'm a technical editor, and I have the following quote by Melville on my wall at work: "A man of true science uses but few hard words, and only those when none other will serve his purpose; whereas the smatterer in science thinks that by mouthing hard words he proves that he understands hard things."

Is that not brilliant?! I love Melville...but I'm not gonna do Moby Dick...not for a couple of years, anyway. See how I love you?

Many thanks to Nikolle Doolin for her SEXY reading of Henry James' Turn of the Screw.

Newsflash:
So, I fixed the little GCast player...but they've also tweaked it. If you want to, you can put a Craftlit player on YOUR site.
No really!
Under the player it says "subscribe free" and "Add to my page." The first is a subscription to the GCast feed (if you have the Libsyn/iTunes subscription there's no reason to change). The second link will give you HTML to paste onto your page.
Cool, no?

Episode Thirty: The Screw Turns...

Cool things to check out: Crochet Sea Creatures not to be believed (Thank you Dawn!), Check out Yarn-a-go-go's site and then check into NaNoWriMo! It's not too late! Then there's The Thread Project (One World, One Cloth), and I ran out of time to talk about My Paper Crane from Heidi.

I'll never do this to you.

Here's Henry, by the way:

I think you'll need this over the next few weeks.:

Character List
Anonymous Narrator
Probably represents Henry James. (Diagetic Level 1)

Douglas
The one in posession of the Governess' manuscript. He may have been in love with her. (Diagetic Level 2)

The Governess
The protagonist--twenty-year-old governess of Flora and Miles at the country estate of Bly. (Diagetic Level 3)

Mrs. Grose
A servant at Bly; illiterate, respectful.

Miles
A ten-year-old boy; charming, well-behaved, and very attractive.

Flora
An eight-year-old girl; beautiful and well mannered.

The Children’s Uncle
The governess’s employer; good looking but aloof with odd requirements for the job...

Peter Quint
A former valet at Bly; “infamous” throughout the area of Bly.

Miss Jessel
The governess’s predecessor; a lady, young and beautiful but “infamous.” Apparantly had an inappropriate relationship with Quint.


May thanks to Nikolle Doolin for her SEXY reading of Henry James' Turn of the Screw. If you check out her site you'll see why she's so good...except for that blasted microphone...

So Sorry...

But I really must enjoy my husband for a bit longer.

I should be back with you by Monday...and then, the screw will turn!

Episode Twenty-nine: SOARing Through California

Some good blogs to check out (from SOAR attendees: Rachael Herron, Janine Bajus, and Brooke Sinnes, oh, and Stephanie...I think you know her); a really cool listener's site (Spinneret) regarding My Friend Irving; some pics (scroll down) and some detritus that I need to get out to you (below).

A good Challah recipe. Heal the world through cooling!
and a nice Jewish crafting guild (just in cast you thought they didn't exist!)...

The Red Thread Project! How cool is this!

And some stuff I found but didn't have time to talk about b/c I blathered too much: The sounds of (good) music can be found at NPR

In need of Knickers?
Check this out?

Hook up with next year's mystery stole (number three).

Awesome matress stitch (plus!) tutorial. Which I needed.
Sadly.

You can see the photo album of SOAR pics here.

Technical Difficulties

While the podcast is ready to go, the internet connection here isn't. I'm uploading about 4 KB a minute. It's going to take 181 minutes to upload the 'cast--if the computer doesn't stall again.

So...

Soon...

Episode Twenty-eight: Full Disclosure

I think I promised you pics of a skull jacket that I knit. I forgot to mention that my 17 hour sojurn did give me the time to finish the baby hoodie. The carpet under the jacket, just so you know, is the floor of the Samsung Comfort Room at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport.

Very comforting, no?

'Nuff said.

Here's the front.

Here's the back.

Ain't that grand?

Next week, SOAR audio (if there's a high-speed port) and after that, HENRY JAMES! The time has finally come!

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Episode Twenty-nine: SOARing Through California

Some good blogs to check out (from SOAR attendees); a really cool listener's site (Spinneret) regarding My Friend Irving; some pics (scroll down) and some detritus that I need to get out to you (below).

A good Challah recipe. Heal the world through cooling!
http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/holiday/jewish/recipes/235867
and a nice Jewish crafting guild (just in cast you thought they didn't exist!)...

The Red Thread Project! How cool is this!

And some stuff I found but didn't have time to talk about b/c I blathered too much: The sounds of (good) music can be found at NPR

In need of Knickers?
Check this out?

Hook up with next year's mystery stole (number three).

Awesome matress stitch (plus!) tutorial. Which I needed.
Sadly.

You can see the photo album of SOAR pics here.

Episode Twenty-seven: An Itch You Just Can't Scratch

Skeeter Syndrome, and why I hate reserchers...well...not hate...but really strongly prefer the applied sciences...

Allergic reaction to mosquito bites identified for first time—"skeeter syndrome"
MILWAUKEE—Bug bites are a standard annoyance for those who spend time outside during the summer months. The consequence for most is uncomfortable swelling and itching at the site of the bite for a short period of time. However, young children, immune deficient persons and those previously unexposed to mosquitoes are at increased risk for a severe reaction to mosquito bites according to a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Canadian researchers recently identified this reaction as "skeeter syndrome," defined as mosquito-bite induced large, local inflammatory reactions accompanied by fever.

Large local reactions to mosquito bites are under diagnosed and sometimes assumed to be infectious in nature when in fact, they are the result of an allergic reaction. In this study, researchers studied five healthy children between the ages of two and four with no history of allergy to insect bites. Each had been diagnosed with cellulitis, a bacterial infection of the skin and tissue that is usually found on the face, neck or legs. The children developed extreme redness, swelling, warmth and inflammation within hours of a witnessed mosquito bite. Several months later the children were tested for allergy to mosquito. Blood tests confirmed that the children had been misdiagnosed: the symptoms they experienced were the result of an allergic reaction to a mosquito bite, not cellulitis.

People with skeeter syndrome should minimize their exposure to mosquitoes to avoid experiencing an adverse reaction. It is important to increase the awareness of skeeter syndrome so those affected can avoid unnecessary diagnostic procedures and antibiotic treatments.

[From: "Skeeter syndrome." J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;104: 705-707.]

The SCA has my hat (I think)!
Maybe I should engage in Guerrilla Knitting?


Governess Gone Goth



WEAVING!?!?!
Orange Juice Carton Basket
Tragic Crafting...

But more importantly:
Why don't the folks on Survivor start studying how to do this THE SECOND they send their application in???

Cheap sock blockers for those of us with less dough than fiber.

Tucson, Meet Yourself! No, meet YOUR self. No really, meet...em...the food was great.

And, importantly, I promised you Hessians. So here:


APOLOGIES! Dateline: Dallas, TX, 3:00am, Terminal C7, Samsung hospitality lounge.
I flew to NYC to surprise my husband on our 10th Anniversary, and am currently stuck in D-FW airport (grrrrrrr) at 3AM. I was supposed to be home five hours ago. Don't get me started...just please know that your podcast page was supposed to be up a long while ago.
The Libsyn page should have loaded though, on Thursday, and the rss feed should have dumped the 'cast onto iTunes.

At least, that's what I set it up to do...

I'll get the little GCast player up on this site ASAP.

Thank's for your patience!



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Episode Twenty-six: Tarry With Me Awhile and Wait...

Learn the origins of the name "Tarrytown"
as you
listen to Geoffrey Crayon's Sketchbook.

You should also check out Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York!


Meet my man Irving (aka "Mr. Knickerbocker"...).


And his spectacularly (self-)designed home on the Hudson.





Someday plan to take advantage of the Legend.


Imagine yourself as part of the Hudson River School which I had no time to talk about but will try to get to next week.

And a little on the Mather Boys, Increase and Cotton (who NAMES these people?!) and their attitudes towards Witchcraft.
Here's Cotton:


The DomiKNITtrix's spectacularly appropriate skull pattern (which is free for a bit longer).

A non-Socks-That-Rock club--NAYY but it looks nice!


And a nice theory/site for socks. They're gorgeous and there's something about not-quite-matched socks that appeals to the eccentric in me...
"Mismatched with Care in Vermont"
I love that.


And once again
Thank you Heidi for goodie box! My 2-1/2 year old must march every day to "76 Trombones". Thank you so much!

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Episode Twenty-five: Yeah, But it's a Dry Heat, Right?

Yeah, But it's a Dry Heat, Right?

Don't try this at home--eye-scraping dry eye! EW! This week! Beauty and the Beast. No, not this one Or this one This one! (sort of...) By the woman with the long French name (that would be Jeanne Marie Le Prince de Beaumont). And, more on Bettleheim and Kohlberg...and a world lit only by fire. And, drum roll...the Faroese as it stands now... Soon, there will be an updated pic for that too. Thanks to Tina for reading this week and Joshua Christian who is my hero. The gorgeous Allison spindle from The Spindle Guy! And an UPDATE on our Craftlit Completions Gallery! Take a look at the GORGEOUS yarn Aimee in NJ has spun and dyed. These colors are amazing! And don't forget to visit beautiful Bisbeeland, Arizona! And an UPDATED update! (dateline--10/5/06). I finished the shawl. It was nothing but a pile of goo when I was done. Then I washed it and threaded my own do-it-yerself lace wire through it (18 guage picture wire) and WOW IS THAT SUCKER BIG!!! It's taking up the entire length of a twin-size bed. I'd seen other evidence of this on blogs, but to see it live and in person—it's a thing of beauty and a joy forever (or as long as it lasts, I guess...). Now if I can just dye it... If I can get my 6-year-old to hold the camera still enough I'll get a pic of it on. And an UPDATED update of my update (dateline 10-9-06): Thank you Heidi! How wonderful to get such an unexpected goodie box! I'm actually ditching my work today to read Spinning Designer Yarns while listening to "76 Trombones". You have no idea how much I needed that lift today. Thank you! Book talk begins at 15.08. Listen to 25 audio.

Episode Twenty-four: Mellow Yellow?

This week we listen to "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, and a little bit of "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster.

Gillman (here she is)

is a particular favorite of mine. She wrote Herland which I'm (slowly) reading for Librivox. Great little book!

Juster is a freakin' genius. Really! I can't read nearly as much of his book as I'd like, but (here HE is)

I will introduce you to this decidedly not just-for-children book.

Thanks for your patience getting this 'cast out.
Long week.

Visit Jen!

Today, "The Yellow Wallpaper" was read by Justine Young, and "The Phantom Tollbooth" excerpt was read by Yours Truly. And, as always, our opening music was provided by Joshua Christian at Garageband.com, for which I am eternally grateful.



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AGAIN: Please Stand By...

Sorry!

Technical difficulties.

Should be up by Friday.

Many apologies!

Episode Twenty-three: Return of the Chicks

Well, sorta.

We have a story about a chick (I couldn't find two by women that would fit into an hour--we women seem to go ON a bit) and another by and about a chick.

I like.

I'm also excited because, while I'm pretty sure you've read or heard the first story (which I'll write about second), I'll bet you...um...something small...that you've never read anything by out other writer, but I'll bet you know her name.

Edna Ferber.

Here she is.

Fascinating woman. Here's another pic of her. I think she bears repeating.

Know what she wrote that you've probably seen but not read?
Show Boat
That's right, the story that became the "Ol' Man River" musical. Our Girl took on the issue of race relations way before it was in vogue. And what else?
Giant
Yes, THAT Giant.
(Isn't he hot? Sigh...Wonder if he could'a played Darcy...hmmmm)


See? Toldja you knew of her.

So, Edna won a Pulitzer, wrote gazillions of stories, shows, and novels. Prior to writing for herself and her adoring public, she was a newspaperwoman (yeah, that'd be in 1902 at the age of seventeen). Not surprisingly, she wrote a lot about women. Not surprisingly, that wasn't always pretty. She often had characters in her stories, like today's story and in Showboat, where a characer faced prejudice and...well...not always triumphed, but came off looking way better than the other shmo.

She also got to hang out at the Algonquin Round Table.

And I Am Jealous.

Our other story (the first you'll hear) is a classic by Guy de Maupassant. (I love saying his name!)

That's him.
Oddly Trotsky-like, no?

Like many, many men of his day (1850-1893) he started as a civil servant and only later was able to flex his scribe muscles. He's considered part of the "naturalistic school" for what's that's worth. The cool thing...well...not "cool" so much as interesting, is that he died young--like Poe--and as he aged (and grew sicker--shhhh syphillis--shhhh) his stories got more and more bizzare--like Poe.

He tried to kill himself, was committed, and died in the sanatorium. Sigh...

Today, "The Diamond Necklace" was read by a mystery reader, and "The Woman Who Tried to be Good" was read by Eva Marie. And, as always, our opening music was provided by Joshua Christian at Garageband.com, for which I am ever grateful.



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Episode Twenty-two: The Center Cannot Hold

This week is hard for me on so many levels. I think you'll see a decided darkness to the stories. However, "dark" doesn't mean "bad." And this week, our readers are good! Whoo hoo!

This week, "Second Coming," read by me!
Here's Yeats
Ambrose Bierce's "The Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge."
Here's Ambrose (ain't he dashing? Note the rapscallian twinkle in the eye...)
And Edgar Allen Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."
Here's Poe (you can tell he had a hard life, no?)
If you've never read it before, after listening you should get a copy of Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles and read "Usher II"; trust me, you'll feel so smart. And once agian, if you have teenagers, THEY will feel so smart! Always nice to be part of the inside joke.

The Poe is done as a low-rent radio play, complete with sound effects. It's really rather fun...even if their Italian is lousy.

De Grave...ah hah hah hah...
A good Poe is good to find.

And for any of you who are interested in Lady Macbeth and her hand-washing. A New York Times article for you (I hope you can load the page!).

Today, "Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" was read by Matthew Fulton, and "The Cask of Amontillado" was read by Messers Zack Weismuller and Ryan Huser. As always, the theme music was "Chasing Hiro" by Joshua Christian, podsafe music from Garageband.com.

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Just heard that episode Four, Five, Fifteen, and Sixteen were AWOL. You should be able to get them from the links here. Sorry about that!