Three is the Magic Number

3 years since my dad passed away
3 fabulous children left behind
3 amazing grandchildren miss him too
3 shows in tech this month
3 shows in tech next month
3 months later and I still have my menorah out
3 sewing machines to go to the repair man
3 days time my mom will visit (SO NEED TO CLEAN THE HOUSE)
3 times 3 times 3 times 3 and then some are the number of projects on the needles and hooks

How to find a job -

This is my new approach to finding a job:

DEAR SIR OR MADAM:

LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!

This is how I feel I should start all my cover letters when applying for a job!

LOOK AT ME!!!! I really want this job. I would not be wasting your time with my whack costume designer/ costume shop management resume/retail experience if I really did not want to work for your organization. I have no interest in killing myself time and time again, getting my hopes up even, about a position I didn’t think I was qualified for and capable of doing.

LOOK AT ME! Why would I spend all this time and energy researching your organization and what you are about if I really did not want to be there? Do you actually read these cover letters? Do you see that I am trying to tell you about how I want a career in International something or other so I can go into the Foreign Service? Did you not notice the whole “has experience working overseas” bit or the “years of management and über-multi-tasking” bit or that this applicant and speaks another language and would happily take on 5 more if it meant I had the job?

LOOK AT ME! And what about the fact that you have posted this job *3 times* in the last 9 months? If you did not like my resume the first or second time, why did you tell me to apply again? Why don’t you send an email, postcard or voicemail and tell me you are not interested? Why, when I call to confirm that you have received my information, you tell me to call back as you are just too busy to check? And when I call back at the time and date you proposed, you get snippy with me? (See, you *do* need and assistant – you are overworked and need someone to help you get it done.)

Now here, let me hem those pants for you as they are a bit too long.

Call me!

Thank you for your time,

Marietta AFGH


PS Check out my cute new hair!

How did it become March already?

In KNIT OR GET OFF THE POT fashion, I have not blogged in 2 months and then some. I try to be consistant in my errors.

Why? Well, some for being busy and some for trying to find the perfect job (not happening) and some for sheer laziness.

And now I am super busy again just like last spring - with the Skating Costumes and 2 College productions - both Shakespeare and knitting ANOTHER sample for Mission Falls Yarns (YIPPEEE) and then there were those Olympics to watch in which I lost track of all time while bedazzling skating costumes. There were also some scary costumes too.

Something I did teach myself this January was Double Knitting - ohhhh it is so very cool:

here is side one:



and if you flip it over, you get this:



I am still looking for a new career/job - but until then I am in Tech rehearsal on March 15th until the end of April. Not only are there the two University productions, there are 3 other shows coming up too! All good - just very busy. And I have to plan Max's 3rd birthday.... I so want a Pirate Themed party :)

Happy Holidays!

And another 2 months has passed.....

Of me not posting on my blog
But you can always find me on Facebook – I just spend way to much time there – it is true.

Since last posting, there was Halloween…well, so I heard. I have been told of a fabulous holiday where children WANT to dress in fun costumes and got Trick-or-Treating for yummy candies….not my son.

After a lovely morning of “Thanks Mommy! It is so cute!” - all I got was his back and cries of “Take it off! I don’t like it!” A morning of Mommy–love turned into an afternoon of cranky, crying, not going out baby. I was C-R-U-S-H-E-D! I cried too…I had fantasies of a fab motherhood/childhood moment of going to the parade and Maxim in cute Halloween costume….dashed away by the whims of a 2.5 year old…oh wait he is 2.5!!! Of course! So reality checked back in and then there was alcohol after he went to bed
(There were chaps by the way. And a hat.)





So then November flew on by…
In the first week – actually the first 2 or 3 days of the month, I got a last minute text message and was asked to make this dress. For SHOWBOAT at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA (Did I mention they won a Tony last year?)


As quick as possible – as in cut and sewed on Wednesday, fit on Thursday, altered and fit again on Friday, and then the finishing was passed on to someone else to have ready for photo call on Saturday evening. . I hope nobody looks to close to the inside……For a quick faking of a Victorian day outfit complete with fake bustle, it was not bad. I do wish I had changed a few lines, such as knocking the shoulder seam down the back or the doing the front princess seams a bit differently, but you do what you can….

Then there were the doll clothes!!!! OMG! Tiny seams! Tiny pockets (for their tiny handkerchiefs of course)! And I had the easy lot – there were also tiny jean jackets with all that top stitching! This was another Simplicity project that I was a part of and the moment it was done there was *another* Simplicity project and there is even another one to be finished before the end of the year. So yeah – I have been a bit busy...

And I have not even gotten to Thanksgiving! Another story, another time...


Before I go I will show you a cute little sweater that I actually did make for Maxim- This time it is crocheted:















Pattern: Milo the Owl Sweater from CROCHET DESIGN FOR KIDS by Lucinda Guy
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool DK in Navy 011 (5.5 balls), Glacier 005, and Earth 018
Hook: E
Extras: none
Changes: no Owl or cross-stitch detail - may make the sleeves a bit longer by adding 3 rounds of single crochet in brown.

so here's what happened...

Last Spring a customer, who happens to be a designer, at the store was looking for a sample knitter who could fair isle. Well, believe it or not, I fair-isle pretty well (in wool anyway, I am currently realizing that the act of fair isle combined with cotton and me are not as pretty on first try, or second...but that is another story).
So she offered me the one time chance to knit a sample for her and she liked it and the yarn company liked it and now is in print in the MISSION FALLS DUET pattern book!
I made the Indie Vest by Simona Merchant-Dest (rav link).
So here are my pictures of the vest:




BTW - I LOVED knitting with this yarn and knitting this pattern, there are plenty of ends to weave in, which was a bummer, BUT the pattern was simple (for me) and the yarn was a dream.

I am currently working on another sample for the same designer and company. And once it is approved and out in print, I will let you know about that one too :)

On the more personal side of life, still job hunting. Had a couple of very good interviews. One of which I did not get, but an impression was made and she passed my resume onto another department. So I am not certain where it all stands. Just keeping my fingers crossed since I really like this new opportunity and the characters involved :).

And on a Max note - we are debating between a cowboy or a pirate for Halloween 2009 :) I want pirate but I think he would rather be a cowboy. I am taking the day off from the store and Max and I are going Trick or Treat-ing in the Apartment bldg...maybe we will go to an event at a bookstore or something terribly stay-at-home mom like :) (I cannot wait!)

Roadblock

Just over 3 months since I last blogged. ACK! It is a disgrace in the land of blogging, I know.

Sad – pathetic even! (Imagine Snagglepuss saying that)

What was I doing? You really want to know?

Well let’s take a look in the life of me in pictures:


Studying for the FSOT (and did not pass - barely - there is always next year)



Knitting


Jan’s wedding (for which I sewed the veil and made my own dress to wear – but no good pics yet)


Max looking cute in suit



Me sitting on couch



Okay that last one is obviously Daddy and Max on the couch. I admit - I am vain and any pictures of me sitting on the couch other than the one of the cool hair and studying for an exam, are absolutely horrendous!
Although that last one is mostly what I have been doing. Theatre is quiet in the summer and the lack of work has turned me into a non-creative couch potato.
No bueno.

The lack of employment is very frustrating. Financially and creatively.

I know. I know. Many of you might think to yourselves that this would be a perfect opportunity to use my time wisely and market myself more or become more creative and more productive. Maybe sew more for myself or Max or others even…..

Ummmmm…… not so much. I think that it is hard for those who have creative jobs to become more creative in these times. This is one of those moments that I am considering taking the other fork in the road and becoming more businesslike in my endeavors. I find it hard to create when the thing that has kept me in the black is the thing that is keeping me from getting a job.

There seems to be a roadblock in the employment department.

That roadblock is the so often heard phrase of “But you’re an artist….” or “But you work in the arts why would you want to work in an office?”
The second roadblock is my résumé and those who see it in a professional/non-theatrical setting.

I have an amazing résumé. (Of course I believe this :) afterall, it is MY résumé.) It just seems to me that the word THEATRE has been written in N1H1 flu ink or something and very few look past the titles and not see what I have actually accomplished. It is possible that I haven’t been clear enough. I have had some really good friends look at it for me and offer some brilliant advice on how to change the language and style a bit. Which I think has helped.
It doesn’t help that more than 10% of the country is out of work (I believe it is more than 15% due to those who have stopped looking for work are no longer on the official register and there are those like me who are “self-employed” artist types who are not eligible for unemployment based on your State’s unemployment laws). There are many talented people looking for work…so I know I am not the only one.

And maybe discussing this on my knitting blog is not one of my better ideas….but if the employers find this post then they must be truly interested in me and want to know who I am. Basically, they Googled :). There are some fabulous ‘made for Marietta’ type jobs out there (Museums and companies who deal with Language training…department of commerce is also very interesting to me …maybe going back to school?)….alas……

On a positive note (there are some good things here): I AM spending more time with Max, who is ridiculously cute, and I have been working more at the yarn store this fall and teaching a new Safari class on Saturday mornings.

I am also looking into teaching workshops at a local Art Co-op as well as teaching knitting and crochet at MC to students who have developmental disabilities - expanding on my experiences of designing costumes for ArtStream (who I will be designing for again spring 2010).


So it is not all bad.