Neomera Knits

I’ll try to keep up with progress posts for the duration. No promises on if they sound coherent, though.

Also, this is too funny.

Wish me luck!

Just a brief entry here. Tech is over and we’re into previews now. *whew* I actually got out of work at a reasonable time today- before it was dark out! I spent most of my day putting plugs on cables. I decided around 1 o’clock that I never wanted to see another cable ever again, and sushi would solve everything. When I returned from lunch, I discovered much to my surprise that I had help! At my theatre we don’t have interns. We have apprentices. Long-suffering, over worked (even more than me!) and frighteningly useful young ladies, and somehow, though a bit of luck, I ended up with them all in the greenroom putting ends on cables with me.

I can’t raise their pay or give them vacations, but I can totally make sure that they know how much I appreciate everything they do that makes MY life easier. Thanks guys!


(left to right we’ve got Sara, Emily, Margaret, Meghann (who is in fact, not an apprentice, but still pretty cool) Kelly and Whitney. They totally rock.

Today is the last day of tech. Tomorrow morning is our first preview, so it’s all sprinting from here. Hooray! Thursday I go get my hair done so I can remember I’m a girl and to celebrate the soon-to-be-opened show. Also to relax my way into Friday. We all know what happens Friday, right? The Yarn Harlot’s Knitting Olympics, of course! My name hasn’t yet made it onto the list of knitters- boy howdy do I hope I make it there. I want to be official! But regardless of Olympic List status, I’ve decided to knit for Team Wales. Various political quibbles went into the decision, I will admit, but mostly I thought the dragon was cool.

Of course, what happens three days before the olympics start? I get a craving. A Stash Enhancement craving. I’m trying to be strong, to avoid looking at the online yarn shops, but it’s oh so tough. Something fuzzy and soft… something warm and yummy… mmmmm more alpaca… some cashmere you say? No! I must be strong until the end of the month! The Rogue Hoodie calls, and Tubey is very nearly done. Oh lord, I hope I can finish that before Friday- I don’t know if I could stand not finishing the last few inches during the olympics, and if I break from competition for that, I’m done for.

You know how Sherlock Holmes could tell you what you do for a living just by looking at you? I think that if I gave a picture of my bedroom floor to Sherlock Holmes he could probably deduce my social security number, there’s so much stuff on it right now. It always gets particularly messy during tech, but I’m beginning to suspect myself of perhaps just ignoring the problem in hopes that it will clean itself magically. There is no excuse for the wool and the spindle to be laying across a heap of books. Or for the bag of stuff for Goodwill to pick up to be lounging cozily with a teddy bear. There is a pile of mismatched socks lurking near the foot of the bed.

When did I stop caring that my room is a total wreck? I can barely sit down for fear of sharp pointy sticks being in the way. I found no fewer than three half-started projects this morning while I searched for my shoes. I think once things settle at work, I am going to have to have a major room-cleaning party. By which I mean I’ll have to invite someone over, have a few drinks, and tell them not to let me leave until I’ve at least gotten rid of all the orphaned socks. Really, I’m sure I never had that many socks…

Sorry about the relative lack of posts the past few days. I’ve been busy at work gearing up for tech. Now, I realize I just said that in public, and that unless you’ve worked in theatre you probably don’t know what that is. The short-short explanation is that tech is where everything finally comes together: the actors and the costumes and the set and lights and props and everything that is going into the show. The slightly longer explanation is that tech is an enormous pain in the neck.
Today is our 10-out-of-12 number one. We’re only allowed 2 of these and we have one day scheduled in between to fix the usually mind-numbingly long list of fixes we have to do on the set and the lighting. A 10-out-of-12 means that in one rehearsal for cue writing and whatnot, the actors can be expected to be here for 10 out of a 12 hour period. Rehearsal today is from 10 am till 10 pm, and they get a 2 hour dinner break at 3. What this ends up meaning for those of us backstage is that we are usually waiting for the all too brief moments when we can get onto the stage and get work done. Usually that means we get in at 8am or earlier, work through the dinner break, and we’re here after rehearsal for a production meeting till maybe midnight. There’s been so much to do on this show that I went home ans took a nap. Then I went and bought knitting needles. I’m exhausted! (ok, so that was kinda sarcastic. Sorry.)
This show has been unexpectedly easy so far. My boss and I are kinda waiting for something to blow up- there’s no WAY a show can be this smooth. Well, nothing I can do, really, except wait for it, and hope it’s not too bad when it hits. Oh, and knit through the evening while I wait for the meeting. If you’re curious, here’s here’s a little video our marketing team has put together, and I have some pictures that I snuck into the balcony and took. Enjoy!

Here’s our props mistress adjusting shoes for the Sneaker Graveyard while the scenic designer looks on and my boss notices that I’ve got a camera.



These two are rehearsal in progress. It’s an Anansi story combining hiop hop culture and American sign language. It’s actually pretty interesting, I think. Sorry about the fuzziness, I’m kinda still figuring out the camera.


Wait, how’d that sneak in there? This is where I am with Tubey. I’ve been working during rehearsal when I’m just waiting. Our costume shop manager and Resident Knitting Goddess let me put it on a form to see how it’s shaping up. Pretty cool, huh?