Cool Yule (sorry, I couldn't resist!)

The Winter Solstice is here, so I thought I would share some links about it. This will be my last post before Christmas, so I wish you all a very blessed holiday season. Hope everyone gets what they wanted! Peace, S

http://www.knowth.com/winter-solstice-2006.htm

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html

http://www.candlegrove.com/home.html

Winter Wishes

Oh tomorrow night we will have so much fun! Tomorrow night we will have so much fun! Because tomorrow night we get to give and receive gifts from our secret Santa’s!

Do you like my song? I made it up just for the occasion. I am so excited! I have no idea who my secret Santa is, so I can’t wait to find out!

In other news, the lovely purse that I made for Kevin’s sister? I’m keeping it for myself. How selfish of me, right? But see, I didn’t know what to make for his mom or his other sister or his sister in law. And since time is limited, I opted to go with a different gift. Each one of them is receiving a set of three bracelets, made by a friend of my aunt. I hope that they like them.

And as for his brother and brothers in law and his dad? They get nothin’. Because how many guys do you know who would like a handmade craft for Christmas? And I don’t know them that well and so I have no clue what they would like.

Speaking of gifts, Kevin’s present is on its way to my house – he already knows what it is, so I can tell you guys. It’s a humidor.

He picked it out himself, so he better like it! Also, I will probably get him a little something else, since I sort of owe him a belated birthday present. Yes, I was a bad girlfriend. I didn’t get my boyfriend a damn thing for his birthday. Well, he did get something, but I shan’t discuss that in polite company (snicker, snort)

So, since I’m not making anything for the Fisher ladies, my X-mas knitting list is rather short, and I may actually be able to finish everything! I’m knitting a hat for Kevin’s best friend, a baby hat and maybe some booties and/or mittens for a coworker’s new baby, and two scarves for my aunt and another coworker. Although, I may just give Sarah the yarn and needles to make the scarf herself – she’s a knitter in a very loose sense – I mean she has completed several things, including a felted cat bed, but she isn’t really, a, well, Knitter. So what better way to suck her back in than to gift her with some truly yummy yarn and needles?
The yarn I picked up for her is Mountain Colors Twizzle.
Here is a picture from the net. I am not sure if this is the same color, although it looks like it. Yummy isn't it?

The scarf yarn for my aunt is not so yummy. It’s Fun Fur. Yes, that Fun Fur. I don’t mind this stuff, it does make a soft scarf, and it’s what I used in some of my first scarves, but I guess I’ve turned into a bit of a yarn snob. Oh well.
That’s all I’ve got folks. See you guys Wednesday!

PS One of my very dear patrons, Jimmie, is in the hospital. I love this woman, she’s like a grandma to me, so if you guys could send some good thoughts her way, that would be awesome. Peace and bright blessings. -S

Short and Sweet

Thanksgiving was lovely. Christmas needs to be further away. I finished a lovely felted bag for Kevin's sister last night. So, that's one present down, another dozen or so to go. Yippee! Aren't the holidays fun!
All my neighbors have lights and decorations up. We have one sad little tree. I am going to try and do more this week. Seriously, we look like the grinch house.
Brownie meeting last night - all went well. The girls made snowglobes out of baby food jars. Too cute. Next month - cookie sales! Someone please restrain me from buying more cookies than we can fit in the house...
Peace.

Hope You Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Try not to kill your relatives!
Peace and Blessings, S

The Cat's in the Bag

Just so that you know what kind of nut house I live in, this is where Smudge was this morning. We didn’t put him in there. He got in all by himself, although how remains a mystery.

Also, to prove that there is actual knitting that gets done, here is a (bad) picture of the hat I am making for Eden.

It is from a pattern called Whale of a Tail. When you get to the top, you make two little fins that look like a whale’s tail. Super Cute. She picked it out herself. She loves to go to Sophie’s with me, so how could I refuse when she wanted to pick out her own pattern and yarn for her own hat – never mind that her Grammy had just bought her a lovely Hello Kitty hat and gloves set – she needed to have this hat. And she is just too cute when she looks up at me and says “Please mommy?
Peace and bright blessings.

Week in Review

This week has been really shit, and not so shit. I’m supposed to continue with the chiropractor for like six months – sucks, because of the $20 co-pay each visit – but I know that in the end I will be glad I did.
First Brownie meeting on Monday – I’m excited and scared and I keep bouncing between “Oh this will be great!” and “Oh my god! What the hell was I thinking!?”
We got our open enrollment information yesterday – double suck, because we are getting screwed. More about that another day.
U of L lost the game last night – ouch.
Ryan was late with child support – surprise surprise, and he hasn’t paid the whole amount he owes me yet.
Because Ryan was late with the child support, I am a week behind on after-school fees – luckily they are okay with this as long as I am paid in full by November 20.
Instead of going to pet the sheep and alpacas and be surrounded by wooly goodness this Saturday, I get to clean and paint in preparation for the meeting Monday.
The Ferncreek Lyons club, which my aunt is a big supporter of, is having an all you can eat pancake breakfast Saturday morning - $4.00 for as many pancakes as I can stuff in my mouth? Yeah, I’ll be there. I’m going to need the carb load to get me through the painting and cleaning.
Kevin has finally admitted that I am without a doubt the most wonderful, fabulous girlfriend in the world, for reasons I won’t go into here.
I get to start my Christmas shopping this weekend, something I have mixed feelings about. I love the hunt for the perfect gift, but I despise the malls, and the traffic and the teeming masses of people.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I love Thanksgiving. Anytime its okay for me to stuff my face with turkey and dressing and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce is a good time for me.
We got rid of two kittens last Sunday – only two more to go.
I have both Saturday and Sunday off this weekend, a very happy thing indeed.
I finished one of my fingerless mittens Wednesday, although I’m thinking I may rip out and take off a few rows and redo the thumb, but for now, it’s done.
Instead of casting on for the second mitt, I cast on for a hat for Eden because I was sick of her asking me when it would be done. And honestly, I like making hats. They are quick and easy, like scarves, but more interesting to knit.
I guess that’s all folks.
If you make it to the wooly goodness at the fairgrounds this weekend, pet some sheep and alpacas for me okay? And sniff the fiber. It always freaks people out. Peace

Following Tara's Lead

Take a guess at:
My name:
The love of my life:
Where you and I met:
Take a stab at my middle name:
How long you've known me:
The last time that we saw each other:
Do I drink?:
Your first impression of upon meeting me/seeing me:
One of my favorite things to do:
Am I funny?
My favorite type of music:
Can I sing?
The best feature about me:
The worst feature about me:
Am I shy or outgoing?
Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules?
Do I have any special talents? If so, what are they?
Would you call me preppy, average, sporty, punk, hippie, glam, nerdy, snobby, or something else (what)?
Have you ever hugged me?:
My favorite food:
Have you ever had a crush on me?
If there was one good nickname for me, it would be:
Your favorite memory of me:
If you and I were stranded on a desert island, I would bring:
Are we friends?
Do I believe in God?
Who is my best friend?
Will you repost this so I can fill this out for YOU?

Pain in the Neck and a Finished Object!

Happy Belated Halloween! I would have posted yesterday, but I was in too much pain. Yesterday morning I was in the shower (relax, its not dirty) and I went to wash my hair, when all of a sudden my shoulder said “Nope, don’t think so.” And decided to revolt and try to leave my body. So I had to call my chiropractor and beg to be seen. I did manage to make it through outreach that morning – luckily the mentally challenged don’t mind if their storyteller looks a bit like the Bride of Frankenstein – but then I had to leave. I have decided that my chiropractor is my new best friend. You may remember that a couple weeks ago Advil was. Well, while I am still forever indebted to the makers of Advil, I am now also indebted to my fabulous and totally super fine, chiropractor, Dr. Troy. If you had seen me yesterday, compared to how am I today, you would know how amazing he is. I went in, he popped my back and cracked my neck and voila! I’m like a whole new woman. Of course, he obviously has a sadistic side – having my number 5 and 6 vertebrae popped back into place was not exactly fun – but at least I can turn my head to the side now. And I can raise my arms up over my head, something that makes getting dressed much easier. I saw the wonder doc again this morning, and he popped a few more things back into place, and so while I’m not 100%, I feel much, much better. And I get to go back Monday and have him do it again. I’m not exactly relishing that part – like I said, it does hurt a bit, but damn, it feels so much better afterwards. Almost like good sex. Ya know, when you get a little carried away, and – alright, alright I’ll stop.

In other news, I actually finished a project! Okay, so it wasn’t a big project, like Kevin’s sweater, it was just a little hat, but still – a whole finished object! Bet you thought they were a myth here at the House of Asparagus. They do exist, and here is the proof – one finished Sophie’s Sample Cap #1.

This pattern was super easy to follow and can be found at the most wonderful yarn shop in the state of Kentucky – Sophie’s. I worked this one up in Noro Silk Garden with Berroco Suede for the black stripes. As I may have mentioned, I am a big fan of the Noro yarns, and Silk Garden proved to be just as fabulous to work with as Kuryeon. The only problem is that I forgot that silk doesn’t have has much stretch, so the hat is a little on the, um, snug side for me, hence the reason why E is modeling it. Since I really like this pattern, and this yarn, I am going to make another one, only I’m going to cast on a few more stitches. I had some Silk Garden left, so this is definitely a hat that can be done with one ball, and since that Suede was left over from a previous project, the total cost for this hat, not including needles, was something like $11.00 – I think that’s how much the Silk Garden cost, I can’t find my receipt. Not bad for a super cute little hat that can be made in a variety of ways, for lots of people. I’m thinking of doing a more manly cap for Kev – something in dark blues or greens, and maybe even a few for Christmas presents. It didn’t take to long to work up, maybe 8 hours total knitting time. It may have been less than that, I’m not really sure since I worked on it off and on, here and there for about a week.

So my next goal is to finish my fingerless gloves for me, a scarf for a family friend and the Big Alpaca sweater for Kev. I am going to set aside the Waving not Drowning socks until after the holidays. I totally messed up the pattern repeat at SnB a few weeks ago, and I don’t have the heart to frog and re-knit them right now. It’s November, which means it’s time to really get crack a lackin’ on Christmas knitting.
Peace chicas.

I almost forgot

Kittie Pictures! So cute, don't you want to take one home? In this picture we have Smudge, who is acting as the kittie pillow - that's his big fluffy tail. From left to right - Jill, Shygirl, Smudge, Jack and Midnight. Don't ya love how midnight is all "I'm just gonna hang out here for a while." And Smudge, he's just resigned himself to the whole ordeal. Right after I snapped this, he tried to move to the lower seat cushion, only to be followed by the younguns. For the record, Smudge is the older bro to these bitty kitties.

And then we have this cutie pie pic. This is Miss. Jill, all snuggled up on a towel, which E left atop my knitting bag and her backback. I love how cats can just find the oddest places to have a nice little lie down. Too cute!

And Now for Something Completely Different

I give you… Strange Brew. Alright, so it isn’t really super fancy or anything, but give a girl some credit, okay? I am not exactly the most computer savvy of girls – as my boyfriend will gladly attest. I was going for a lovely Autumnal feel – hence the oranges with a touch of brown, and a little red for good measure. Notice that I’ve also added some new lists – a listing of Works in Progress, and a list of the books I’ve read for each month, starting with October, cause I know ya'll have just been dying to know what I’m reading, right? And eventually I may add a list of books I really want to read, but for one reason or another haven’t.
In other news, I made it through the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk yesterday. I’m really proud of myself for doing this, especially since I didn’t train or anything. So, I made it, and this morning I am paying for it. If I could find the inventor of Advil, I would kiss their feet – it truly is my best friend right now. And special thanks to all of you who donated.
This afternoon I have an interview and I am super nervous. Wish me luck! Peace, S

Swap

KTTW X-mas Swap Questions
What is your favorite yarn? Is there a yarn/fiber you really hate?
I really really love Noro yarns. I can’t stand cheap acrylic yarn.

What do you use to store you needles, projects, gadgets in?
I store my circs in a fabulous Ashland Sky Knitsack, and my DPNs in a pretty fold up case from the House of Trek. I store my straights in an old canister.

Do you have an Amazon wish list?
Why yes, yes I do.

Do you like candies and sweets? Specifically…
Definitely! I am a big fan of the shaped Reese cups, like the pumpkin and the X-mas tree.

Do you practice any other crafty habits?
Not really. I’ve tried some, but nothing sticks like the knitting!

What type of music do you like? Hate? Are you MP3 compatible?
I love girly music. Like Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones, the Indigo Girls. And my all time favorite band is U2. I don’t like rap so much. And I think I’m MP3 compatible.

What is your favorite color? Is there a color you don’t like so much?
Purple, pink and turquoise. I’m not into earth tones.

Do you like hats, mittens, scarves, ponchos?
I like gloves and scarves, I’m neutral on hats, and I really don’t like ponchos.

Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
But of course!

What is your needle preference?
I am a big fan of Clover Bamboo, and Addi Turbos. I like straights and circs, and even on occasion DPNs.

Is there anything you collect?
Anything with turtles or goats.

Are there any books, magazines or patterns you are currently coveting?
I really like sock patterns, especially Mountain Colors. I also like basic technique books. I think they are handy to have around, and it seems like there isn’t one that has everything.

What size are your feet?
I wear a women’s size 7 ½ shoe.

Let’s see, last week R didn’t see E at all, not even on Wednesday, b/c he had so much work to do at the shop, he was just killing himself trying to catch up. And now his WIFE is picking E up from school and, while he’ll take her Saturday, he thinks she “needs a little break” from staying the night at his house, since last time she kept waking up every couple of hours. I wanted to scream and yell and throw a great big ol' hissy fit. But I didn’t. Because you can’t get blood from a stone. I am out of ideas. How can I make him see that what E really needs is to spend more time with him, not less? Any suggestions, other than running him over with my car and collecting SSI, would be greatly appreciated.
In other news, I am so looking forward to knitting tonight. I had to miss last week because R was an ass, and E had conferences. I am happy to say that she is doing fabulous.
Why is it that sitting in front of a teacher makes me feel like I’m in school again? I swear, I was so worried that she was going to tell me what a horrible parent I was, and how my 6 year old keeps saying things like, “my mommy says its stupid women can’t be priests”, and “my mommy told me that boys have penises and sometimes they call them wieners.” But, thank god, all her teacher had to say was that E was doing well, she just needs to learn to listen a little more and not talk so much ( guess that apple fell pretty close to this tree, eh?)
And this week has been crazy! SC is on vacation this week, and so it is just me, myself and I. They’ve managed to scare up some help for me, but I feel like I’m just slacking off when I let someone else do the work. I’m all like, “I can handle anything. I am super employee!” I swear I have no idea where this work ethic comes from. You’d think I would have been “unionized” by now.
Yesterday I got to go to Triad’s Senior Day Out, and it was fun, fun, fun. I love doing stuff like this. I think it is so great to get out and meet other people who work with seniors, and who I can get ideas from. It was also fun to see some of my patrons out. Most of them recognized me, but it took a minute to process how they knew me. Guess I look pretty different when I’m not ensconced in a big moving bus.
The fun-est and funniest part happened early in the day. These two older men, who spoke very little English, came back around the booth while I was on potty break, and they took these two clipboards I had, complete with LC apps. I wouldn’t have known it was them, but the nice lady from Practical Care Solutions across from me let me know. And later on, a lady took one of the TBL tapes I had on display. I found out she had it when she sent her friend over to get one! I had to explain that they weren’t a give-away, just for display. The lady who took it didn’t even have a player! And I still can’t figure what those men wanted with the clipboards. I’ll tell ya what, old folks + freebies = madness.
Today I took a Merit Exam for a job I applied for in Frankfort. Keep your fingers crossed kiddies, I’m hoping I at least get an interview. And lucky me gets to take another exam on Friday for a different position. Joy. Did I mention that both tests take place at 8 am, and that I got the notices on Saturday? And that I am the only one in my department this week? Good times, good times. Peace.

Soap-box

After reading L’s post about her arch-nemesis, her step-kids mom, I feel like I must respond. Please know that not all of us moms are like this!! Ms. Money-hungry gives us all a bad name. I swear we aren’t all like that. I wish that E’s dad was as committed to her as T is to his two kids. This mom should just be thrilled that she gets support from him, both emotionally and monetarily. Every time I talk to R I have to remind him that he needs to pay child-support. And I can’t remember how many times we’ve been to court over it!
To be fair, he’s really not a bad dad. I honestly think he does the best he can with what he has. It isn’t his fault that he was born with such a tiny brain. I’m sure it’s hard to remember to do things like pay your child support and pick your kid up from school on time when your brain is only about the size of an ostrich’s.
But I digress. To all the shrew ex-wives out there, I just want to say, STOP! You are destroying your children emotionally! They will hate you for putting them in the middle of your fight. Be glad that you have an ex who cares about the kids. Be glad that you have a person who you can rely on to pick the kids up from school, and help with homework. Be grateful that you have an ex who attends sports, or choir practice or dance recitals. Because there are too many of us out here who would kill to be in your shoes. Your anger and spitefulness will burn a hole in your kid’s sense of self-worth. They are your most valuable asset, not the size of the child support check you receive. Remember that, or you will regret it when they are older and can see you from a distance.
Whew, okay, I'm going to step off my soap-box now. Peace.

Apparently I didn't mis-spend enough of my youth

You Are 40% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

Damp

When I came down the hall at work this morning, I knew that once again, our office had taken on water during the rain. Luckily someone from the children's department was here on Saturday, and they picked up all the bins and boxes that were sitting on the floor,so we had very little damage. Goddess Bless people for going the extra mile!
The last time it flooded bladly down here, we lost several $1000 worth of books. This time, we just have to deal with the smell. It stinks down here folks. And I can feel the mold invading my sinuses - yucky.
Some of the other branches didn't fare so well. Apparently 2 of our West End branches flooded pretty badly, and a couple of our East End branches did too. One is still not completly operational. And K has a lots of comp. problems to deal with today, since several computers were also damaged during the flooding. Joy.
But, it could have been worse. Remember those picutres from the 1937 flood? There is one where the statue of Abe Lincoln is half under water. My office is directly behind that statue. Small favors right?
Hopefully the rest of us made out okay too. Peace and dry basements to all. -S

La La La

Well I had hoped to have some pictures to post, but alas, I forgot my camera. So, sorry, no pics. Besides, they would have been boring, since very little knitting has occurred this last week at the Carter Looney Bin. My tendonitis has been acting up, and in order to not be in constant pain, I have to rest it a bit. Hopefully it will okay for me to at least do a little knitting tonight at SnB.
I have been a good girl and not bought any yarn in at least a month, despite there being many, many temptations at Sophie’s. My goal is to complete at least two projects from my stash before I purchase any new yarn. I’m thinking it may be time to cast on for the fingerless mitts I bought cashmere for last year. And maybe to try and start on the cardigan I planned to make with the Cotton Stria I bought after Christmas. And of course, there are always socks and dishcloths to knit, as well as that sweater for K. And then there are the baby items I want to knit for a co-worker. So, I should be able to finish something soon, right?

Can we say "Brain Fart"?

So I’m working on this sweater,and I’m trying to figure out how many stitches to cast on, and I come up with a number and I cast on. As I’m doing this, I’m thinking, wow, this looks awfully big. But I keep on trucking.
After about 6 rows, I’m thinking, no way is this right. This is waaaay too big. Like it could only fit Hagrid big.
So I stop (points for me) and try to figure out what I’ve done wrong. This was on Tuesday.
I just figured out why my numbers were off. I took the total chest circumference measurement and multiplied it by my stitches per inch. The problem? I’m knitting the sweater flat, in pieces, not in the round. Duhh.
So, if I take the original number, divide it in half, and add about two inches for seams to each side, do you think I’ll end up with the right number of stitches? I plan to find out tonight.

Also, where was everyone last night? We missed you guys. Hope things are alright. Peace.

GRRR! Bad Mood

Do you ever wonder why it is that women can’t just be in a bad mood? Why is it that whenever I am in a crappy mood, it has to be PMS? Why can’t I just have a bad day? Maybe I just didn’t get enough sleep. Maybe I didn’t get my full coffee dose this morning. Why can’t I just be. in. a. bad. mood? GRRRR!!!! And the person who asked me if it was PMS, was another woman!
I mean come on, isn’t bad enough that we have to deal with that type of attitude from men, now we’re doing it to each other? WTF?
Men are allowed to have bad days. And we women folk are supposed to give them their space, and basically let them walk all over us while they’re pissing and moaning. Oh sure, this isn’t said out loud, but it sure as shit is implied. I don’t care what the spin doctors say about women and men having reached equality. That is a great big pile of horse shit, and anyone who bends down close enough can smell it.
We still place all sorts of socially imposed gender roles on ourselves and each other; we even do it to our kids. I know that I have been guilty of this with my own daughter, despite being a raging feminist. It’s hard to escape the norms of society, even when you know that those norms are misplaced.
For example, even though I was raised in an era where women can be pretty much any damned thing they want to, I still deeply crave the traditional female roles of wife and mother. I want the little yellow house with the white picket fence and 2 kids and a dog running in the yard. I wonder what it would be like to be able to stay home and have my only job be to take care of my family. I imagine that it would be just as hard as what I do now. But I also know that I will never be Donna Reed. It just isn’t in the cards for me.
I envy those women who do stay at home and make their families their full-time jobs. To me, that would be a luxury, something that would require that I have a husband who could support us on his salary alone.
When did that switch happen? When did it become that only the wealthiest folks could afford to have only one partner working? Surely throughout history it has been the poorest folks who had to have both parents earning income to make ends meet. Why is it that our society acts as if this is some new phenomenon, and makes the working parents feel so guilty about having to work? Why is it that the ultra right accuses working moms/dads of being bad moms/dads, but doesn’t support a welfare program that would allow them to stay at home, or at least work part-time? Wow, I have really gone off on my soap box haven’t I? I just get so pissed off at our society some days. Shit, today, a little fluffy critter could probably piss me off.
And for the record, no it isn’t PMS. I didn’t sleep well last night, I have a ton of crap to do at work, my office is a mess, and the weather is kinda stinky and if it stays yucky, I won’t be able to go to Waterfront Wednesday and see Old Crow Medicine Show, which I really want to do, even though it means missing knitting tonight.
And if I want to have a bitch fest about that I can. (sticks out tongue and makes pouty face)

Very long post about vacation, in which we discover how many ways Stephani can find for the word "amazing"

I have reluctantly returned from vacation. While part of me is glad to be home, and sleeping in my own bed again, another part of me wants to get back in the car and drive 12 hours back to Amelia and never return. It was quite simply one of the most amazing places I have ever been. If you ever get the chance to visit – take it. The only thing that was disappointing was that the only yarn shop within 30 miles had closed. Not like for the season closed, I mean completely, no longer any evidence that it once existed closed. But a dose of serious window shopping quickly cleared my disappointment.
The place we stayed, Amelia Island Plantation, is like its own little village. It’s designed so that you never have to leave. There is this super cute market/store that had awesome chocolates and gelato, as well as staples, like milk, and nail polish remover( one of the few things I forgot to bring). And, there is an awesome spa, which I was unable to visit, do to my serious lack of funds. There are also about a dozen little boutique shops, and three or four yummy restaurants. We stayed in this amazing villa, with a view of the beautiful beach just steps away. The part of the island we were on is pretty well protected from over-zealous developers, and a lot of it still looks wild and untamed.
There were salamanders, and turtles and so many egrets and herons I lost count. K went fishing and caught 3 blue crabs and 2 croakers, and 2 what I think may have been sergeant majors. There was a mama turtle (land, not sea) laying eggs on the dunes outside our villa, and we saw four or five loggerhead nests marked off on the beach. Oh, and we swam with dolphins. Yep, that was so cool. Our first day there, and we were sitting on the beach, and K points out this pod of dolphins, about 3 yards from where I had just been wading. It was amazing. Then, on Sunday, we were swimming and as I start to head to shore, I hear K call my name, and I turn and not 20 feet away are 3 more dolphins. Such a sweet way to end the vacation.
I think we ate at every restaurant on the Plantation, and they were all good. Seriously, the dinner we had at one was better than the dinner we had at Vincenzo’s.
Yes, my vacation was wonderful, and I have my amazing boyfriend to thank for it. He may not be the most sensitive of guys, but he sure can plan a good vacation. And, he was so sweet.
He called me "darlin". I know he’s going to scream when he reads that, and probably turn bright red, but too bad. It was so sweet you guys. We were walking over to the shops and such to have dinner our first night there, and I don’t remember what we were talking about, when all of sudden he says, “Blah blah , Darlin’, blah blah.” Notice that I have no earthly idea what it was that came before or after "Darlin’"? I was in such shock, I was almost speechless (almost). And, then, like five minutes later, he did it again. Maybe this type of behavior is routine for some males, but not mine. He has never, in the 17 months we’ve been together, called me anything other than Stephani or Steph. I’m the one who rarely calls him by his given name. So, I was floored, and delighted and well, flabbergasted. Apparently the salt air makes my boyfriend more, well, boyfriend-ish.
So, all in all, the whole experience? Priceless. Wonderful. Marvelous. Stunning. Incredible. *sigh*

What a long strange trip it's been (or rather, will be)

Since this is my last post before vacation, I thought I’d leave you all with this: I have strep-fucking-throat. Isn’t that grand? I’m leaving for Florida in two days, and I have strep throat. Hopefully, please gods, let it be so, I will be all nice and healed by Wednesday, but right now, at this moment, I am not so sure.
I’ve been on antibiotics since Saturday, and I’m feeling only slightly better. I don’t ache from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet anymore, but my throat is still icky and sore, and I sound like some 100 year old floozy.
Yesterday, I sweated so much, my sheets were literally soaked. Like, at first, I was sure I’d peed in the bed. But, it didn’t smell, so I know it was just sweat.
I am only at work because a) there is no one else here today, and b) I’m off the rest of the week. I really want to just go home, and curl up in bed and sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep. And, I’d really like to be able to eat some real food. I’ve been living off toast, soup and tea for three days, and I want a hamburger! But, I know that if I even try to attempt to eat a burger right now, my throat will most likely declare a mutiny and try to bail.
Two days people, just two more days, then I’ll be in the car, driving far away from here. Bliss. See you ladies next Wednesday.

Gar! BAAAAD Code! Bad!

Either I made an error when I copied that code, or it was a bad piece of code. Well obviously, since I am perfect and never mess up anything, it must be that it was a bad piece of code. But, you should still go check it out. Every girl should have a pirate name!

Arrr! My Pirate Name

My pirate name is:

Bloody Ethel Bonney

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Bugger of a week

This week has pretty much S-U-C-K-E-D. The only thing keeping me going is this: one more week to vacation! And, of course, knitting tonight. See you ladies then, I'm out - S

Please Welcome

Now appearing for the first time - Ellie and the new Babies. Yes, please note that this is what happens when you take a stray cat in, try to find her a home, are unsuccessful, she escapes for three days, comes back pregnant, has her first litter of four kittens, only two of whom you find homes for, your mom lets her out before you can take her to be fixed, and she comes back pregnant again - she has her second litter, this time five kittens. I tried to get a better picture of the kittens themselves, but my camera was not cooperating. We have two tabbies, one tortie, one solid black, and one calico. Currently the calico is the house favorite, simply because they are pretty rare. These five join the two boys left from Ellie's first litter, Spot and Smudge.
Spot and Smudge joined our other cats - Katie, Twiggy, Mushu and, of course, Ellie. So, we currently have, lets see, eleven cats in our house. We really have become the crazy cat house. So, if any of you would like a sweet kitten, or know someone who would, the new babes will be ready for adoption in 6 weeks.

Hot. Really, really hot

It is H-O-T hot people. Seriously hot. I am fairly certain that I have sweated off a good 5 lbs today. I think my brain may be melting. Last night, I stayed up and watched Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life, so that may be why another reason why I feel like I’m down a few brain cells also.

I managed to get K to embrace a little of his inner geek this weekend. Saturday, we bought Scene It! The Music Version and played like four rounds. As I was paying for it, he’s all like, “You know that you’re going to lose horribly right?” And, of course, he was right. Music trivia is his forte. But hey, the game was on clearance for $9.18, down from $37.00, and I held my own pretty well. When I got a chance to play that is.
If you’ve never played the game, I’ll sum it up real quick – you roll 2 dice, a numbered dice, and a category dice. You move your piece around the board the number of spaces shown on the first die, and then you have to answer a question based on the category die. If you answer correctly, you get to go again.
Have you ever seen someone hustle pool? You know, they let the opponent make a few shots, pretend to be not so good, then, bam, they hit them with some crazy trick shot and sink like 4 balls at once, and the opponent doesn’t have prayer? Well, it was a lot like that. Not pretty people. But, it was fun.

In other news, I’ve been making slow progress on my ballband dishcloth. I finished up the Blueberry hat, and started on a blanket for a coworker’s baby. It’s just too dang hot to knit. All I want to do is have a nice lie down in front of the fan. And, since E is spending the night with her dad, that is exactly what I plan to do.

Sadly, I will be missing knitting this week. I know you are all heartbroken. Try not to snag all the good yarn, and I’ll be back on the 9th.

And, as of Wednesday, it will be 2 weeks until vacation. That’s right, in just 15 days, my big fat ass is going to be doing a fine impression of a beached whale. Now I know ya’ll are sorry to have to miss that!

Imagine a creative title here

As promised, here are some pics of my new sock bag and DPN case from my swap with trek.
They really don’t do these lovelies any justice.















And some Ball Band progress.







And a new hat for charity knitting. I’ve done about an inch of K2 P1 ribbing, and have just started stockinette. When I get to the very top, I’m going to switch to green. It shall be called Blueberry.










In non-knitting news, I finished two good books this week. Angels Fall, the new Nora Roberts. It was good. Pretty much what you’d expect from her hardcover books. Girl goes to remote location to heal, girl meets boy, who helps her to heal, some mystery/murder happens, girl and boy become involved, and end up saving the day and each other. But, it has strong characters, a consistent plot, and better editing than some of her more recent works. Maybe she’s finally hired a new editing staff. I’ll give it a 3 and ½ out of 5.
I also finished Scent to Her Grave by India Ink, a pseudonym for Yasmine Galenorn, who writes the Chintz n’ China series I love. This one is set in a small beauty salon. The main sleuth, Persia, is some type of aroma therapist, but she’s been to college for perfumery or some such thing. I liked the general idea of the story, although I thought that it had some repetitious spots. It was like she forgot that she had already told the reader about such and such a place, or person. I like the Chintz n’ China series better overall, but I could get attached to this character as well. The premise is that Persia finds a dead beauty queen in the shop one morning. The local police immediately focus on one person as the killer, and Persia and her family/friends, set out to prove that the person the police have in custody isn’t the killer. It includes some possible love interest tension, as does the Chintz n’ China series. The outcome was a nice twist, one I didn’t immediately see coming. I’d give this book a 4 on a scale of 5.
And I am so excited about seeing our sock yarn tonight!!!! That's it, I'm done.

Ball Band-wagon

I have finally succumbed to the simplicity and beauty that is the Ball Band Dishcloth. Yes, it’s true. And in order to score some Peaches and Cream Cotton, I had to do a deal with Devil. I went to Wal-Mart.
I tried other places first. Meijer and K-mart both carry Lily Sugar n’ Cream, which is very close to Peaches and Cream, so I picked up a few balls at both places, thinking it would be enough-that I would be able to quickly conquer my desire to make a Ball Band Dishcloth.
But alas, none of the ones I started had that pretty bright feeling to them, like the ones in Mason Dixon. I needed to find some bright colored Peaches and Cream. And so I went to the last place I knew for sure carried P and C – that evil mega monster Wal-Mart. And behold, they had not one, not two, but three brightly colored, striped colors of P and C.
And I bought all three. Darn those Mason Dixon ladies. If they hadn’t knit up such luscious dishcloths in the first place, my soul would still be mine… And, have you seen the Elmore-Pisgah website? http://www.elmore-pisgah.com/ So many beautiful colors, so many yummy balls of yarn waiting to be knit into dishcloths. Perhaps if I order from the company directly I can regain my place in knitter’s heaven?

And, did I mention that I am anxiously awaiting a package in the mail from the lovely and talented trek? http://trekcelt.blogspot.com/ Hopefully containing a pretty pink sock bag and matching dpn case? And yay for me, she works with swaps, so even my non-credit card holding dark ages self was able to get hold of her wares. I love a good old-fashioned barter.

24 days to go until vacation. This will be my first real vacation since E was born. We’re planning to be down in Amelia for 4 whole days. We’re going to leave Wednesday after I take E to school (it’s her first day of first grade) then stop halfway there, spend the night, get up Thursday and drive the rest of the way, and leave Monday morning and drive straight back. I went ahead and took that Tuesday off just in case though.
So, I will officially have K all to myself for 6 days. I think we can do it. We’re taking my car, so if he misbehaves, I can always just leave him down there. But, now that we’ve talked things over, like how I felt about him paying for everything, and how I didn’t want him to come back later and try to hold that over my head,(which he swore, on pain of a knitting needle through his eye, he would never do) I really am looking forward to it. Since we’re taking my car, and I’m paying for the gas, I feel like I’m actually contributing to the trip. And, since we had our talk, things have been better overall between us, like we’ve cleared the air, and can move forward. Oh. Wow, I have really rambled on. I should probably go now, and if any of you are still awake, you should go too, and have a martini or something, since you made it all the way to the end.

Pictures!!

And now, without further ado, I give you, Pumpkin Head!

First I cast on 74 stitches using a size 8 16 inch circ. I worked some orange Encore in 2 x 2 ribbing until it felt like it was time to change to some green Encore. When I started the green, I wanted it to look like points, ya know, like on a real pumpkin, so I carried the green along and knit every 5th stitch green, then the next row, I knit the stitch before and after that first green stitch in green, and so on, until I had no orange stitches left, and I had made the complete switch to green. I continued working the green in plain stockinette, and began doing decreases every 10 stitches every other row. But then I decided it wasn’t decreasing fast enough, so I started doing every row, then after a few rows like that, I began decreasing every 4 stitches, then every other stitch, until I had 6 stitches left. I worked the 6 stitches for about an inch to form a stem, and then bound off, and voila, one pumpkin hat for a bebe. While I think it looks pretty nifty from the outside, it looks kinda scary from the inside.

I’m all afraid the baby is going to get some stray tiny body part entangled in the lengths of yarn that run the inside of the hat for like an inch or so. Am I being way too paranoid?
Also, I think I may have made it either too long, or not long enough. While I rolled it up on the doll’s head (an original Cabbage Patch circa 1980 now bringing joy to its second generation of Carter girls), I think that it would look better unrolled, but if I unroll it, the only baby it would fit would need to have been spawned by Coneheads. So, it isn’t perfect, and next time I make one, I’ll probably make it longer, and then maybe I’ll make a third one and make it shorter…

Newish book review

I purchased a digital camera last week, so I’m going to try and work on adding some pictures to the old blogola, but it may take me a while.
I finished a pumpkin hat for the Harlot’s WIC lady in Cal. While I borrowed the idea from Holly, I really sort of just made it up as I went along. I’m going to grab some AA batteries tonight, so hopefully I’ll have pics up later this week.
And, I know I said I would try and review (using that term very loosely) The Knitting Way, but I left it at home and I don’t want to review it without having it in front of me. I will say that if you are looking for lots of patterns and pictures of said patterns, this is not the book for you. The only pictures are in black and white, and there is usually only one picture of the item. However, it does have some really cool stuff to say about the meditative and spiritual aspects of knitting. More to come.
In other knittinb book news the copy of Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush that I have been waiting for finally arrived today. I am so going to buy this book. It has lots of great sock patterns, as well as some fun history of sock knitting. If you liked Nancy’s Folk Socks book, you will like this book too.
It has great pictures; simple, easy to follow instructions and charts; and in the first part of the book, Nancy includes 4 different types of heels, and 6 different types of toes. She also has timelines of fun facts on the bottom of the pattern pages. (Fun for the history geeks among us that is.)
She also lists the full information for the yarns she used, so that swapping a yarn should be pretty easy. I hate it when a pattern just says “Yarn used WoolHouse PinkPetunia” and that’s all. Or just, “Worsted weight wool, 50 oz.” or “2 ply yarn, 280 yards” I want to as much information as possible, so that if I need to substitute a different yarn, I can without too much worry that it will mess up the pattern. But I digress.
All in all, I think that this book will make a great addition to any sock knitter’s book shelf.

Sorry, I couldn't resist

'What" will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

NEW CAR!!

First, Thanks to everyone for the Good Birthday Wishes. Second, Lots of LOVE and HUGS and KISSESS galore to K for the flowers. They are so pretty, and best of all is NO ROSES(Sorry if you are a rose fan. I just don’t care for them that much) Since I don’t have a digital camera with me, here is a pic snagged from the Nanz and Kraft website of what the flowers look like: (although I have a different balloon)

Apparently, that didn't work. Hmmm, I guess I need to figure out how to do this. Sorry.

Third, I got my new to me car!! I went with a 2004 Hyundai Accent. It’s a bare bones, no frills little car, and I LOVE IT! She is super cute and actually pretty peppy for a little car. And I mean little. I can reach every door from the driver’s seat, which is good since it doesn’t have power locks. It doesn’t have power windows either. But it does have killer AC, a tape player that works, so I can actually use the CD and IPOD adapter, driver, passenger, and side curtain air bags, 4 and 5 star ratings from the NHTSA and gets 30-35 MPG. But the best part? Total cost, out the door: 9385.00. How f’ing great is that? Oh, and did I mention that it has less then 30,000 miles on it? And 2 1/2 years left on its bumper to bumper warranty, and 1 year of free maintenance? So, if anything goes wrong, it won’t cost me a dime, unless of course it’s a tire that blows out, but even then, the tires are small, which equals inexpensive. And, I have heard that it should lower my insurance. WOO HOO! I made a practical car purchase. I may actually be becoming a responsible adult. Ok, so maybe it’s a little soon to assume that…

Hodegpodge

Alright, go ahead, ask me how far along I am on my charity knitting… I deserve to be flogged with the yarn, for I have done absolutely nothing. I bought the yarn, and I was all psyched to get started, and now… well I just haven’t really been in the mood to knit. I can understand what Liz was saying about apathy.
There are so many causes that I hear about, and think, “Oh yeah, I can totally get behind that” or “That is so awful. Someone should do something about (insert cause here)” When I was pregnant with Eden I read Ariel Gore, the original hip mama, and was so blown away by her spirit. I was all about working to bring about change and fighting the man. I was going to be the super cool, hip activist mom, and teach my daughter about how to be a super strong, assertive woman in our male-centered society. Then the baby was actually born, and I was so busy just trying to make it through the day, all thoughts of activism flew right out the door.
So, the other day when I read the Harlot’s post, it stirred up all my activist, hippie thoughts again. I’m thinking, here is something I can actually do. One of the hardest parts about being active and taking a stand against, or for, a cause, is that I don’t have a lot of spare time to do everything I would like to. But knit a baby hat? That I can do. So why I am stuck? I still feel very passionately that the cause is worthy of my time.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been preoccupied with my life and my own drama this past week. It was E’s 6th birthday, and between the cake, the presents and the parties, we are both pooped. Next year, I’m having one party. My families will just have to suck it up. E had three parties. Yes, THREE. One with my mom’s family, one with her friends, and one with my dad’s family. Oh, and we took her out to eat on her actual birthday. It was almost as much fun as Christmas, when I was driving all over the city trying to get her to 3 different Christmas parties. Oh what fun it is to be the child of a broken home, who then has a child and splits up with the kid’s father…
But, in good news, I am hoping to go by a new-to-me car tomorrow. I am soooo excited!!!! Everyone keep their fingers crossed that it all works out. I’m worried that I won’t be able to get a car I really like for what I can afford. I don’t want to have to settle for some ancient, fugly POS car. I’m hoping I can at least get one made in this decade. Wish me luck!
PS, A newish knitting book also arrived in my delivery box this afternoon. It is called The Knitting Way: A Guide to Spiritual Self-Discovery. I've only had a chance to flip the pages, and if you are a visual person like me, I am thinking this may not be the best book for us. It appears to have only b and w pics. More information to come..

My hippie side is showing...

Quickly girls! To the Needle Cave! We have work to do. If you haven't already, hop on over to the Harlot's sight, and read her post from today, then shout "Hooray for Boobies!!!" and start knitting those hats.
Let's help spread the word- boobie milk is the bomb for babies, and more new moms need to be made aware of its benefits, and how to find support if they are having trouble.
In our society we view nursing as taboo and becasue of this many women never see anyone nurse until they have a baby themselves. No wonder so many women have trouble breastfeeding! Let's give this noble cause our full support, for the babies and the moms.

Sentimental Sappyness

So I haven’t talked to K since the blow up yesterday. I hate this. I was up till like 2 am last night, going over our whole relationship in my head. I hate it when we fight. I'm sure some of you out there are wondering "Why is she with him?" I've asked myself that same thing a few times,and the answers are always the same.
Of course the biggest reason is that I’m so stupidly head over heels for him. But it’s more than that too. We have fun together. He makes me laugh. I can’t see him and not want to smile. He went into the yarn shop. He’s been trying to understand the yarn obsession. He lets me talk on and on and on. He thinks The Princess Bride is one of the best movies ever. He took me to see Coldplay. He goes for walks with me. He talks to Eden on the phone. He likes to go to the zoo. He’s a closet geek. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
Our relationship isn’t perfect. Sometimes it’s a bit like watching a train wreck. But despite our differences we’ve been together for over a year. Even when we are driving each other crazy, there is this underlying fact: we love each other. He is my darker half, just like I am his lighter side. We are different in a lot of ways, but in some very fundamental, basic ways, we are like two halves to the whole. I know that is so super cliché, but as some writer said, “Clichés are clichés because they are true.”

Longish post

I think I may have mentioned a time or two that my BF can be a bit, well, insensitive. I can deal with this most of the time. I know that it is just part of who he is. But other times I get so fucking pissed off at him for being a rude, inconsiderate ass. Like today for example.
We, meaning the two of us, together, are supposed to be taking a trip to Florida in August. Already, he has planned where we will be going, and where we will be staying. I’m perfectly fine with this, since he has been to the place we are going before and I haven’t. However, I would like to think that when we get there, we won’t be doing only things that he wants. Today, I found out differently.
Now, all of my friends know that I love to knit. Not only do I love to knit, I love to look at and shop for yarn. I have been known to wander around Sophie’s fondling the yarn, much like a cat marking its territory. I love fiber, what can I say? Most of my friends also know that K and I have been dating for over a year. I have been knitting since before he and I started dating, so it should have come as no surprise to him that I have been looking around the net to see if there are any yarn stores in the vicinity of where we will be whilst in Florida, and also if there are any worth visiting on the way down there.
First, K made the remark that “We aren’t stopping so you can buy yarn.” He doesn’t want to have to get off the interstate and go out of the way so I can explore yarn shops. That’s fine, I can understand that – it’s already a 12 hour drive, and we only have a few days to spend down there, so he wants to make good time – that’s cool. So then I mention that there is a store in the town we are going to be near that I would like to visit, and ask how far from Jacksonville we’ll be. (There is a store down there also, but I don’t want to drive a long way to get there) Do you know what his response to that question was? “This is not some yarn expedition”, said in a rather nasty tone of voice. To which I replied “Jesus Christ K, chill out.” So he looks at me and says “Fuck you.” Then walks off.
Now, I am willing to admit that maybe my response left something to be desired, but I hardly think it deserved that response. I should mention that K is paying for the trip. He wants to go on vacation, but I can’t really afford to right now, so he said he would pay for everything. I told him I didn’t want him to do this, but he insisted. The above argument is just one of the reasons I didn’t want him to pay for the whole trip. See, I know that he’s thinking, “Why should she have any say in what we do? It’s not like she’s paying for anything.” It becomes not our vacation, but his vacation, with me along for the ride.
After this fight, I am terribly afraid that the whole vacation will be all things that he wants to do, places he wants to go, with little or no consideration for me. K seems to like taking me places and doing things that he thinks I should like. Not what I really will like. It often feels like he doesn’t really know, or understand me.
So I am worried that I will not have a good time on this vacation, and so I will be angry and nasty the whole time, which will in turn make him angry and nasty, and then no one will enjoy what could and should be an awesome chance for the two of us to go away together and spend more than one night at a time with each other. Oh my, I am so conflicted…

Riddle me this...

Here is a quick riddle for you all:
What word begins with and ends with an "e", but typically only has one letter? See you all at Sophie's!! - S

Birthday birthday

First, congratulations to Liz and David and Lucinda and Trevor!!

So, I mentioned to a certain someone that my birthday is only a month away, and that I had been eyeing a few things. Well, that someone may still need a little extra help so here, without further ado is my birthday list:
(For those among you who couldn’t care less what I want for my birthday, you have my permission to resume you normal lives, such as they are >^..^<

The portable case with gadget pocket found here:
http://www.organizedknitter.com/cases/gadget/bubblesteal.html

Or, a spot in the Fall Sock Club over at Mama E’s, since I missed the Project Spectrum club
http://www.mamaespot.com/blog/?page_id=34

Or, one of these fabulous kits from Knit and Plenty, as seen on the Harlot’s site:
http://knitandplenty.com/products.html

Or this fabulous pattern from The Garter Belt, whose purchase also benefits Breast Cancer Research
http://www.thegarterbelt.com/ww_fanny.html

And of course, a gift certificate to Sophie’s is always welcome.
(Did I mention that at Christmas, he actually went into the store??!! And not like right inside the door, but all the way baby!)

Okay, I’m done.

Pretty day

Too pretty to be inside!!!! I want to go home, but alas I have an hour left. Waaaa!!!! I cast on for K’s sweater last night. Deep breath everyone. I know I know, the curse. But I’ve been looking around (okay reading the poll answers from here: www.knittersreview.com) and I think that since K and I have been together for eons (ok, so maybe it just seems that way some days) its safe to start the sweater. At least I like the yarn, so if I need to I can rip the damn thing back and make myself a comfy blanket.
Yes, I have enough yarn to knit a blanket. When I finally snuck up on K and throttled him with the sheep, I discovered that his chest measures 49 ½ inches. Yes, you read that correctly. And, he likes his sweaters a bit loose and longer than average. Someone please ram a needle through my skull. Why does my boyfriend desire a sweater knit in oatmeal colored yarn, with no fancy stuff?
Thank god he chose that bulky alpaca. I’m getting three stitches to the inch, so the twitch in my eye may have only spread to half my body by the time I’m done.
He wanted me to put ribbing on the edge, but I kindly told him no dice. My baby’s a big guy, and ribbing on the bottom of his sweater – not a good look.
Also, I started on the second blue sock. And, I’m still working on the pink Jaywalker. It is kicking my butt. Because the pattern is tight I can only knit on it a little a time before my hand cramps up. But, it looks pretty.
Just like today. So pretty. I picked a magnolia bloom from one of the trees outside and brought it inside, so know my desk smells like yummy lemons.
And I’ve been reading mysteries. (Did I mention that I’m getting more like my mom everyday? Scary) I finished the Chintz n China series by Yasmine Galenorn, I highly recommend them. They are fun and well written. You can find out more here: www.galenorn.com I finished this series too: www.maggiesefton.com
I'm going away now. The sun is calling me... must head towards the light...

Knitting book lust

So my long awaited and lusted after copy of Mason Dixon Knitting arrived last week, and I finally had a chance to crack it open and really delve into it last night. Let me just say, this is one of the best knitting books I’ve ever come across.
Every knitter who wants to move beyond the basics should own a copy of this book. Not only does it have some fun patterns, it has a lot of advice and encouragement for moving beyond store bought patterns. It’s like having a little knitting muse sit on your shoulder saying, “Go ahead, try it, you know you want to.”
Looking through it and actually reading the advice and stories Ann and Kay have included, I kept finding myself going, “Yeah, I can do that.” And “Wow, think about how that would look in this color – yarn – stitch.”
It is awesome. I am definitely going to be adding it to my top ten must own knitting books. And anyone who knows me knows that I don’t just buy knitting books wily nily. They are way to damned expensive, but this one, well this one is definitely worth the cost.

WooHoo

Go me, oh yeah, I rock. I totally figured out how to add links to my blog. Alright, pick yourselves up off the floor and stop laughing now. We all know that I am totally un- savvy when it comes to computers and anything hi-tech.
And yes, I realize how ironic it is that I'm dating someone who works with computers all day and yet, still, I have no computer sense. I mean, like I have the sense to know that one should never, ever try to remove anything from a computer with tweezers - while the damn thing is still on!
True story! Some idiot in our computer learning center actually did this. These are people who are hired to assist the public with the computers. And this is how intelligent they are. God I love my job.
You would think that working in the field I work in, we would have, on the whole, intelligent people working here. You would be wrong. And not just a little wrong - seriously wrong. I am not sure how some of them made it past grade school let alone a Master's program. That's right - MASTERS.
To be fair, it really is just a lack of common sense. And a lack of intelligence. And no sense of reality. Or how to be helpful. Or polite. Or, I really need to go now....

ARGH!!

What is it with MEN? After bugging me about a stupid sweater for months - months people - I am finally ready to start on one, and the jack ass won't let me measure him. "You already measured me" Sooo, that was ages ago. You could have grown, or shrunk by now. Alright, so I lost the measurements, but still. He's been griping about this forever and mumbling about how I'll never knit it, and here I am, yarn all swatched so I know my gauge, pattern chosen, needles ready - and I can't cast on because someone won't let me measure them!!!! Argh!!!!!!!!!!!

Bad Girl

Hello my fellow yarn junkies. I was a bad girl yesterday. I took horrible advantage of the fact that a LYS is going out of business and therefore having a sale on everything - literally - everything, including needles and books and bags, oh my. I bought more sock yarn. Yes, I know I have many many skeins already, but one can never have enough right? I also bought some DPNs in a size 2, thank god, in bamboo from Clover. I can't stand the ones from Lakewood. They suck.
So, then of course I had to cast on a new sock. But did I use the new yarn? Of course not. I used the yarn Lucinda traded me. It is going to make a lovely pair of ankle socks for me. K thinks the striping yarn is too girly - yea, that means more stick a needle through my eye boring socks for him and his huge ass feet.
Also, today I got Big Girl Knits - gotta love a pattern book for the over size 14 crowd (see B I told you I'd gotten fatter)
And, I left a comment on Jordana Paige's blog, and she responded!!! She liked my bag idea!! How f****ing cool is that??!!!
So, know I'm off to SnB to buy another set of size 4 DPNs so I can finish E's sock. Alright, first I have to pick E up and make sure the Ass comes by to get her, then its off to SnB. Adios fellow yarn addicts.

No title today

Let me just say that getting to meet the Harlot herself was totally amazing.
I wanted to tell her how she was such an inspiration, and how much I admire her and her writing, because the way she talks about yarn, and knitting and well, life in general, is so right on. She gets it. That is such an amazing thing. But of course I just stood there like the village idiot.
And I think that I was almost as bowled over that she recognized Liz's sock as Liz was. I wanted to jump up and down and screech out "She knows your sock!!!!" in a voice so high pitched dogs all over Lex would have been howling, but I managed to restrain myself. Suffice it to say that the whole trip was awesome.
As soon as I learn how to post pictures and links, I'll try to get some up. Which reminds me that if anyone out there can help instruct me on that, I would be very grateful.

Happy happy joy joy

Tomorrow I will be traveling with some of the girls to Lexington to see the one, the only, YARN HARLOT!!!!!!!!
Yeah baby, live and in person at the Bluegrass Festival of the Book! Words can barely express how I feel about this.
I wasn't going to be able to go, but then I realized that I'm not the only in my department, and I asked someone to work for me, and they said yes, and now
I get to go!!!!!
The downside is that I fell yesterday at work, and totally f'ed up my left hand - yes, the one that was still operating at full functionality. So, now I have this stupid Ace bandage on my hand, and even though it is going to hurt like h-e-double hockey sticks, I am going to have to cast on a sock today, so that my sock and her traveling sock can have their picture taken together.
Ohmygod I am so excited about this!!!
Hopefully we can steal her away from Lexington before the gigantic blackhole of its lameness can suck her in. She obviously doesn't know that Lexington is Lame, and that the Ville is super rockin'.
Hopefully we can convince/bribe her into coming to Sophie's on a Wed night to join the girls of KTTW. That would be so super cool. Seriously, it would be FABULOUS.

Betrayal

My hands have betrayed me.
That is how it feels. I had expected that one day they would,since RA runs in my family, but not so soon.
I'm only 26. And already my hands are failing me. Or, to be more precise, my wrists.
They ache. They are sore and weak. It hurts me to knit more than a few rows at a time. It hurts me to type, to hold my daughter, to hold a book. And that hurts my heart.
Maybe its silly and melodramatic of me, but so what.
Because my hands are failing me.
They have betrayed my trust in them to do the things I want them to do.
They are weak, and because they are weak I am weak.

Order from Chaos

I know that some may find this odd, but well, I enjoy untangling yarn. Really.

I understand that some of you may now need to be revived with smelling salts, such is your hatred of untangling a messy, knotty tangle of yarn, especially considering that said yarn is a lace weight wool that likes to pill on itself, creating nasty little snags of bunched up fiber.

But me, I love it. I guess it has to do with my love of order. I like for things to be all neat and tidy and in lovely little balls.
It should however be noted that if my mom read that, she would be on the floor laughing, because I am a not so tidy housekeeper. I said I liked for things to be nice and neat. But when you have a 5 year old and one too many cats, nice and tidy becomes the stuff of dreams.

So, I create the order where I can - through the yarn. I take this knot of lovely wool and I slowly work my way through it. Around and through, over or under, a gentle tug here, a loop there, and eventually I end up with a tidy little ball of yarn. Order from chaos - I'll get it where I can.

Numero Uno

Oh my. I've done it. I actually created my own blog. And now, I'm posting to my own blog. Oh joy oh rapture. Um, yeah, I guess that's it for now.