I've made two scarves, so far, with this particular pattern, which was created by designer Martina Behm.  The pattern has 42 "teeth" which is why she named it "Hitchhiker" (of course).

The first one is made of superwash merino/silk hand-dyed by a lovely lady in West Cork, Ireland, named Jo Kerrigan.  My daughter got the yarn for me as a gift.


       I love how light and delicate it is--very nice drape, I think.

The other, is also from hand-dyed yarn that my daughter got for me--except this she had to spin for me before she gave it to me.  The "colorway" is named "Dragon Scale" by its dyer, the owner of Greenwood Fiberworks.  It's a bit thicker yarn, but I love the way the colors changed as I knit the scarf:

             

Looks like dragon fire, doesn't it?

There is a kit that you can buy that includes four 100-yard skeins of hand-dyed wool-silk blend yarn and a silk scarf dyed with the same colors.  The idea is to knit a scarf out of the yarn in such a way that you can thread the silk scarf through the knitted scarf (and there are several ways it can be threaded).

I made a purple one for my mother for Mother's Day:




And I bought a brown and teal dyed kit to make one for me.  I started that one, but my knitting got tighter as I knit, for some reason, and the scarf began to get too narrow.  I decided to "frog" it (rip-it, rip-it, rip-it) and will try using the yarn for something else.

I did make another scarf in a scarf, however, when I found a scarf in colors that my daughter loves (yellows), and then got some yarn to go with it.





I also made what is called a mohair bias loop (which is joined in such a way that you can't find the beginning or ending) and it was fun to learn how to make.


          

• Wed, 18:59: I can tell by the invites to Goodreads that I keep getting that I need to get back in there and update my book list.

One of the crazy things I did last year was adapt a Vogue Knitting pattern and use up some sock yarn I bought.  (I don't like to knit socks, so I had to do something else with it.)  The really crazy thing about it was that I threaded a whole bunch of seed beads onto the yarn for the middle part of the pattern, and I hope to show the results below.  (The original pattern was for a cowl, and I turned it into a sort of collar.)




Three braided concentric circles, with the beaded one between the other two.

And this is how it looks when I wear it.





I entered it in the state fair last year, and won a third place ribbon.  The judge's comment was something along the lines of "clever work, but too heavy to wear."  Wrong!  Oh, well.

People would ask me, which I was knitting it, what I was making, and I'd put it over my head to show them.  Of course, that meant they saw it "on" my head, like a headband, and several said I should just make it like that.  So I made a couple of single circles as headbands out of some leftover sock yarn (my daughter loves to make socks):



.

Well, uploading the photos went much better this time.  Whew!

How about if I share some photos of the things I knitted this past year?

I "frogged" (unravelled--called that because you "rip it, rip it, rip it") two sweaters part way because I didn't like the way they looked when I had finished them. 

One is dark green and has a bunch of cables     




 and the other is purple solid at the yoke and then varigated.



This is way more trouble than it's worth.

(I wrote this ages ago, but I thought it would be a good thing to make available online, so I'm putting it here in my livejournal blog.)

Editor on a panel at a con says, "Don't start stories with a weather report."

Reality check:
Go make a pile of as many different kinds of published stories as you can find (especially stories that editor has bought, or if it's a published author, look at stories that author has written).

Read the beginnings. Notice how many of these start with a description of a scene and the kind of weather happening in the scene.

Ask yourself why the editor would advise against starting stories that way. Were any of those starts boring? Did any of them have a character in the setting, noticing/experiencing the weather? Did any of the "weather reports" go on for too long?

Were any of them wonderful to read? (In my opinion, Tony Hillerman, who starts almost every one of his chapters with a weather report, can keep doing that for as long as he likes. I love his chapter starts. Which is remarkable because I usually find large chunks of description very boring, especially when they are weather reports at the beginnings of stories. However, in the hands of someone who knows how to do it- -and I've asked Hillerman how he does it (he doesn't know, or so he says)--even a weather report can be a hook.)

Next step, analysis:
What about Hillerman's weather reports makes them work for me? What about other weather reports makes them boring? Is there something I can learn from these examples?

Step after that, immersion:
Type story beginnings that work for you into your computer. Type story beginnings that don't work for you into your computer. Notice as you type what is different about each. If that doesn't help, tear those weather reports apart. Examine their structure, the number of adjectives they have, the number of other parts of speech they have, the order of the various parts of speech. Diagram the sentences if you have to. Make a list of the different kinds of sentences and sentence structures. Disect the life out of them, but understand them.

Final step:
Decide for yourself how you are going to write.

Use this procedure as often as necessary.

Friend of mine posted these questions and her answers on her blog, and I decided to do the same, in solidarity with her, if for no other reason.

1) Do you always answer your phone? No. If my caller-ID doesn't give a name, I certainly don't. I figure they can leave a message.

2) It’s four in the morning and you get a text message who is it? Don't have texting. A four-a.m. call had better be from a family member, and it had better be an emergency.

3) If you could change your eye color what would it be? GREEN!

4) What flavor drink do you get at Sonic? If not water, then probaby root beer.

5) Do you own a digital camera? Yes.

6) Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes. The cat loved to watch it, and we loved to watch the cat watching it.

7) Favorite Christmas song? O, Holy Night.

8) What’s on your wish list for your birthday? I'd like to go on a Hawaiian cruise with Fun for Less Travel.

9) Can you do push ups? Yes, but I don't like them.

10) Can you do a chin up? Maybe one, maybe not.

11) Does the future make you more nervous or excited? excited

12) Do you have any saved texts? on a cell phone? I don't think so. Do have some saved messages, though.

13) Ever been in a car wreck? Not a serious one, thank goodness. I used to work for a research team that investigated automobile accidents for the Department of Transportation. Had me reaching for a seatbelt when I sat down to a desk.

14) Do you have an accent? My California cousins claimed I had a "Utah accent." <shrug>

15) What is the last song to make you cry? An LDS hymn.

16) Plans tonight? Spend time with family members.

17) Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Once, in college, and that led to me going to a counselor for a few months. Very glad I did.

18) Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Blueberries, chocolate, spinach.

19) Have you ever been given roses? Yes, a few times. Love the smell.

20) Current worry? Making good use of my time.

21) Current hate right now? Hate is a waste of energy. I don't approve of injustice and ingratitude.

22) Met someone who changed your life? Yes. There have been lots of people, teachers, friends, religious leaders.

23) How did you bring in the New Year? With family.

24) What song represents you? Hard to say, I have different "theme" songs, depending.

25) Name three people who might complete this? Sorry.

26) What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? prayer

27) If I were 10 yrs younger: I may not have gotten so involved with a particular literature organization.

28) What is your salad dressing of choice? Don't use much salad dressing, but depending on the salad, I like really cheesy bleu cheese or the Brianna's with the strawberry on the front--whatever it's called.

29) What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Probably McGrath's Fish House.

30) What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it? I do that already--make a big batch of something and eat it until it's gone. But I could eat salmon with mango salsa for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it--probably any kind of fish, for that matter.

31) What are your pizza toppings of choice? There is a gourmet pizza place called Wasatch Pizza that has one called the Pfeifferhorn with "Spicy sausage, Greek spinach, feta, mushrooms, rosemary and pinenuts on pesto" that I absolutely love. I also like pepperoni, and black olives, and even green olives on pizza.

32) What do you like to put on your toast? Honey (no butter or other fats).

33) How many televisions are in your house? One that's actually connected, the other one is for playing Wii and isn't connected.

34) What color cell phone do you have? Red.

35) Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right.

36) Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Babies. A few moles, a "bite" that didn't go away (and was biopsied--inconclusive). Still have my appendix and my tonsils as of this date.

37) What is the last heavy item you lifted? Kitty litter container.

38) Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No, but I’ve passed out. (My friend's answer, but it applies to me, too.)

39) If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? I don't think so. Deadlines make me a little frantic.

40) If you could change your name what would you change it to? Phaedre.

41) Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Yuck. Not for any amount of money. I try not to do stupid things for any reason.

42) How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Not even sure I have one pair. If I do, it's buried--I quit wearing them years ago, when they irritated the skin between my big and next big toes.

43) Last time you had a run-in with the cops? No run-ins, but I have experienced their involvement a time or two (in connection with auto accidents).

44) Last person you talked to? Husband--talked to him about tonight's plans.

45) Last person you hugged? Husband.

46) Favorite Season? Autumn, because it eases itself on down the road into winter--spring is second, though around here, it is more like winter refusing to let go, and when it does, summer blindsides us.

47) Favorite Holiday? Christmas.

48) Favorite day of the week? The day I'm living right now.

49) Favorite month? September (because of my birthday? because of autumn? because of school?--I love learning).

50) First place you went this morning? To look for the morning paper outside. First place away from home--Church.

51) What’s the last movie you saw? SALT (we saw it at the dollar theater).

52) Do you smile often? I smile a lot when I'm working in the Salt Lake temple. The rest of the time, not quite as much, but still pretty often.

Okay, it's been a while, hasn't it?  I could try an exhaustive update, but maybe I shouldn't.  Maybe just the highlights?

We had a particularly capricious spring here, even more capricious than usual, and the cold lasted into June (but I really don't like the heat of summer, so I was happy for that).  I have claimed to suffer from SADD in the summer because I don't enjoy the sun (I much prefer cloudy or fully overcast days).

I participated at the Salt Lake City science fiction convention, CONduit, again this year.  It feels like a family reunion with all these people I know but only see once a year--like distant cousins and aunts and uncles.

I have seen two productions of Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW (my favorite of his plays) so far this year.  One was in March--Utah Shakespeare Festival road production--and had a Wild West setting--you haven't seen Kate the Cursed until you've seen her packing pistols--it was great.  The other was last week at the Babcock Theater in the basement of the Pioneer Memorial Theater on the University of Utah campus.  That one was more traditional, but, as always, there were interesting little tweaks and bits of business that made it different from all the other productions I've seen.  I was reminded that I probably saw my first live production of Shakespeare in that theater--I know I saw more than one play, but the only one I can remember for certain is A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

Also went to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in July and saw A MERCHANT OF VENICE that was very thought-provoking, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and a musical version of GREAT EXPECTATIONS (which I have to read now).

I attended a couple of genealogy conferences the last week in April and learned all kinds of great stuff that I still haven't assimilated.  I was able to get a library card to the Library of Congress while on a visit with my husband to see our daughters in Northern Virginia, and got to do some research there.  Also did some research in the National Archives and in the Daughters of the American Revolution library.  Didn't find any new information about ancestors that would move my pedigree back any further, but I did find some interesting material on ancestors I already know about, and I collected some information that I hope will help me sort out a family that might be related to me.

And I got some knitting done.  Finished a fancy cable sweater for myself before it got too hot to knit sweaters, then knitted a jacket for the grandson who is due to arrive this November, and a pair of gloves to replace my old favorites.  I'll try to upload photos, but I'm not sure if it will work.



Well, it looks like it did work.  Yay!

One last item.  I don't like to run, though I have been known to do it after seeing a particularly exciting movie (for some reason, that brings out a desire to run in me), so I tend to think people who run for exercise deserve to be admired (but, then, I think anyone who is themself enough to be wierd deserves to be admired).

I have a daughter who ran track in high school, and she has a goal of running a marathon.  I also have a son-in-law (married to a different daughter) who ran in the Wasatch Back (a group/relay long-distance race that takes something like two days to complete--I think) a few years ago.  Yet another son-in-law (married to a third daughter) has run in a Ragnar (I hope I have that right), a race like the Wasatch Back, but in another state.  He has also run a half-marathon this summer (at sea-level), and yesterday he ran in the Deseret News Days of '47 marathon, finishing in just under 4 hours and placing 175th of those who finished.  I understand he is hurting today, but for whatever it may be worth, I am proud of him, and I hope he doesn't ever do anything like that again.

This past week I attended the Brigham Young University science fiction symposium and moderated each of the four panels I was on (I don't mind moderating, in fact, I rather enjoy it, so I get to do it a lot), and I also commented on a few other panels from the audience. Because the symposium is at BYU, there are always a few discussions of religion and especially of LDS (Mormon) intersections of one kind or another with speculative fiction.

One of the things I noticed was that this year I seemed to be more into the LDS aspects of these questions than I think I have been in the past.  For example, from the audience of a panel on blogging for writers, I asked if the panelists ever talked about being LDS when they posted on their blogs. 

As another example, on a panel I moderated on creating religions for fiction, I cited an LDS novel by a nationally published LDS mainstream author who was telling the story of an LDS character as she struggled with a nasty divorce.  Though she talked to family members and friends about her struggles, she never (in the book) talked to God. 

Well, LDS people are urged to pray continually, so my point was that this LDS character had not been portrayed as being true to her religion because the author did not show her doing something that should have been almost automatic to her, given her upbringing in her religion as presented in the book.  I found the story particularly irritating for that reason.  (And I told the audience that when you use a religion in a story, you need to make sure your characters behave consistently in connection with their religion, or it doesn't work.)

Another example (and I will stop the examples with this one), from the audience on a panel discussing why there seem to be enough LDS writers of fantasy that people are noticing and remarking on it, I pointed out that most people don't seem to self-identify by their religion the way we LDS do.  It seems to me that, for the most part, only Jews and Muslims self-identify as much as LDS people do.  So most other writers are not particularly known by their religion, nor are the religions of most other writers even mentioned, so far as I have noticed.

So why am I giving these examples?  Because I have decided that because I self-identify as LDS I need to include that aspect of myself in my blog.  And I hope I can make it interesting when I do.

I'm trying to be like Jesus.  That's pretty central to how LDS people define being "Christian."  And He shared what He believed because of His love for all creation.  He served others, He was humble and submissive to His Father's will, and He loved.

I've had the opportunity for over a decade to serve as an online moderator of one kind or another.  I was asked to be an "assistant sysop" on the late, lamented GEnie bulletin board system (one of the few casualties of Y2K), and I have since gone on to moderate the Hatrack River Writers Workshop forum on Orson Scott Card's www.hatrack.com website.  I have learned, I hope, to serve other writers. I have tried to be humble in my interactions with them online.  And I have loved doing it.

And that is part of who I am.

Current Mood: contemplative

Most writers who have received feedback on a story have probably been told, at least once if not more often, that they need to "show, don't tell."  There are lots of explanations of what that means, but when I say it, what I mean when I talk about "showing" is using enough words to help your readers feel as if they were watching the scene, and what I mean when I talk about "telling" is summarizing things that aren't all that important, so the story can get to the important stuff.  So when I say, "Show, don't tell," I am asking for more words about the important parts and fewer words about the stuff that connects the important parts. 

But there are other times when we could apply this recommendation.  How about when we're talking about being loving to one another?  We can "tell" someone that we love them all day long, but if we don't "show" our love, they may not believe us.  And if we pick the wrong way to "show" our love, that also isn't going to get the message across.  (The meaning of the message is in what is received, not in what was sent.)

So in order to really "show" others that we love them, we need to find out how they feel loved.  Some people feel loved when they receive gifts that are clearly selected with their interests and preferences in mind.  Some people feel loved when someone does something for them without being asked.  Some people feel loved when someone spends time with them, doing what they like to do.  Some people feel loved through physical contact--hugs, kisses, just a simple touch, or more.  Some people feel loved when someone takes the time to share their thoughts and feelings, even if it is "telling."  Some people feel loved when someone just says "I love you," especially if they don't do it very often.  Some people feel loved in more than one of these ways.  Everyone feels loved when it is clear that thought and consideration has gone into the showing.

Most of us have heard of "the Golden Rule," but that rule can be confused with the one that says, "do unto others what you wish they would do for you so that you'll feel loved," which can actually be kind of selfish and manipulative.  Giving someone flowers because that's what you wish they would give to you will not get you flowers, and may frustrate the other person who couldn't care less about getting flowers.

We all have our own way of feeling loved, and some call that our "love language."  What is particularly frustrating is if someone loves you, but doesn't know what your love language is.  And we can't fall back on the "if you really loved me, you'd know" argument because love doesn't make us telepathic.

So herewith is a plea not only for showing along with telling (being told you are loved can be very meaningful, but it needs showing to support it), but also for finding out how to show.  If you don't know how those you love feel loved, and you can't figure it out (either from the crazy things they do for you that you don't really care about, or from the things that they get very excited about when you accidentally do them), sit down and talk to them.  Ask them if you could do anything in the world for them, within reason, what would it be?  And think about how their answer can give you clues to their "love language."

Then go forth and show, don't just tell.  This world really does need more "love, sweet love."