Thursday, December 24, 2015

French Christmas

Terping is tough!  You have to hear what's being said, hopefully hear things correctly, know your audience in terms of how to sign (including but not limited to ASL vs Pidgin Signed English or English word order, and at what vocabulary level), and you have to be a thesaurus.  And then there are the times when you have to be a linguist in other languages as well.  So it helps to have as much information in advance as possible.  

And then there are those moments. 

I was texting with a supremely capable interpreter who will be terping her church's Christmas program at DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center, seats 2600).  And as she was planning things out she asked me, entirely as an aside, what Noël means.  She may be fluent in Spanish, but I took 5 years of French classes and immediately texted back that Noël is French for Christmas.  And then furiously typed, using gloss (English transcription of ASL, written in all caps for easy reading on the fly) to hopefully clear things up: Noël means CHRISTMAS, not FRENCH CHRISTMAS.  In French, the word Noël translates to Christmas in English.  

I can just see her terping FIRST FRENCH CHRISTMAS ANGEL PROCLAIM... (The first Noel the angel did say...) and I would be rolling on the floor in absolute stitches, but at the same time, fully culpable.

It's an awkward song.  The angels don't say "First Noël" or "shepherds in fields".  That entire first verse is: time (The first Noël/Christmas), subject (the angels), verb (did say), object (was to certain poor shepherds), and location (in fields as they lay).  Then location again (in fields), description of interrupted action (where they lay keeping their sheep), followed inexplicably by weather?! (on a cold winter's night that was so deep).  And deep, as far as I know, is not even a meteorological term, and is only in there because poetically it rhymes with sheep.  Only when you get to the chorus do you hear what the proclamation is: CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS!  BORN KING ISRAEL.

Phew!

ASL is pretty.  And it is a lot of work to make it so.

Fortune's Shawlette

Finely spun yarn makes a project seem to advance slowly because it takes many more stitches to see inches progress.  Fortunately I've been crocheting since I was 8yo, so at least the stitches come quickly.  The only way my knitting moves with any speed is with chunky yarn on enormous needles.  Which makes for lovely, fuzzy, warm items which go underutilized in years like this one, with a 70F Christmas.  This shawlette, I've been working on all fall, inbetween other items.  I've also discovered I like that I can switch projects readily in crochet because a hook isn't tied to one item the way circular knitting needles are.  But I'm glad to know how to do both now, and glad too that Kernersville has a Monday evening "Stitchers Unite" gathering at Eclection, downtown, where I get to see knitting, crocheting, quilting, and embroidery projects advance.  So far my only contribution to the group has been the paradigm-shifting, innately Asian concept of keeping your fingers clean as you munch while you craft by eating Cheetos with chopsticks.  But in my defense, I haven't been going very long.

Anyways, here's my Fortune's Shawlette in lovely stripey deep pinks and purples.  I'll try to get a better photo of it spread out; the colors are truer in the picture of it being worn.  (Spread out it was on a navy blue cushion, that's how red-shifted the photo is.)

Thanks also to Colleen for the pattern!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

304 NC Reunion


C (about the glass planter of cactus): Where are the fishies?
B (since I was wearing a flower barrette): You're a senorita!

It's always fun to catch up with roommates, especially when the husbands and kids can join us.

 

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Infinity scarf - to make

Infinity scarf

The problem with knowing how to knit but knitting incredibly slowly is that the project list can now grow from both knitting and crocheting inspirations, but with knitting I don't seem to make progress within a project, let alone on the list.  It's ok.  I just need another 100 reps and I'll have it down pat. 

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Small furry frogs

(All our critters are "frogs", even those that look like furry potatoes.)

<sweetly>

Carrot?  Carrot!
...It's not a bribe at all!