Stitch & Kvetch

moving out

2006-12-08T17:37:00.001-05:00

Due to Blogger's association with Google, Stitch and Kvetch is moving and changing names. Find me at http://www.thepatternslave.typepad.com

Thanksgiving

2006-11-24T23:22:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a lovely day. Ours was nice. We are at my sister's. Good (but long) drive - left late, arrived late. Kids have been well behaved, so far. We went to the zoo today. It was fun and the boys got to make build a bear animals that are supposed to be unique to the zoo as opposed to one that can be found in any build a bear store. Little Man picked the snow leopard (after much coaxing not to pick the same thing as his brother) and Stinkerton picked the polar bear. My sister got the whole thing on video. Very cute. If you get a chace to go to the St. Louis zoo, go. the penquin exhibit alone is worth the time. Someimes the penquins even jump out of the exhibit and waddle around in the aisle. Wish that had happened today. It would have been great. Besides, admission is free and how many zoos can say that? Tomorrow we're going to the Botanical Garden for the Chihully exhibit. We missed this (mostly) when it was in Atlanta. Progenitor had a major to-do blow up and has been working on that. He will have to get a suit tomorrow and fly to Miami or DC to file something and request a temporary restraining order against a government agency trying to change some rules that negatively affect an entire industry. (Can't say which one at this time and I'm not exaggerating about the impact.) As a result I'm not looking forward to the trip home. I'm really, really hoping he can delay leaving till Sunday. We're supposed to go see Spamalot that afternoon. I'd hate for him to miss it (and be out the ticket). I finished Little Man's wavy scarf last week. I also completed two hats. One to match Stinkerton's Wavy Scarf and the other to coordinate with Little Man's Wavy Scarf. LIttle Man's scarf was done in Nashua Wooly Stripes in the fiery color (progressive reds/oranges) and his hat is in CP Iceland in orange (as if there is any other color, right?) He's not happy that the hat does not match his scarf like Stinkerton's, but I've explained that hte yarn shop is out of that yarn. He'll wear it eventually. Stinkerton is thrilled with his hat. I supposed to be working on a Tilly Tomas evening bag for the shop, but forgot to pack the right needles. I need double points (the 2 circs aren't cutting it for this one). I'll find a knit shop tomorrow so I can get that done. It I get the bag started before we leave I should be able to finish on the way home (provided the Progenitor can travel with me). In the meantime I'm working on the lace scarf and my Nebraska Tee. One for when I can think and the other for when I don't have to. Later Gator!

Time in a Bottle

2006-11-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

That's the name of the Unikat sweater from the Fall 2004 Knitters. It's finished. Actually, it's been finished for over a week now. I'll have MIL take some pics of me in it later tonight and try to get them uploaded. Sundays at the shop are going well. I got to play in the front of the store yesterday and I rearranged some things to hopefully move them along a little faster. It will all have to be moved again in a week or two when the new stuff arrives, but in the meantime those skeins should be more visible and hopefully sell a bit more - less to move! Messed up my wrist somehow. I'm hoping it's not carpal tunnel, but given the quality of the pain and the occasional numbness, I'm fearing the worst. It started off feeling like a sprain, but rather than getting less, the discomfort increased. I've been wearing the brace I was given last year for the tendonitis in my elbow (it was a wrist brace b/c all those knitting motions move the tendons in the elbow) and so far it's helping. It's off right now so I can type and I'm really feeling it. No, I'm not taking anything. At least, with the way I knit, I can knit with the brace on. Slowly, but at least I'm still knitting. Am heading to my sister's for Thanksgiving. Should be fun. Haven't seen her or her family in a little over a year. We're planning on seeing Chihuly in the garden and Spamalot. Yay! I've been wanting to see Spamalot and we missed the Chihuly exhibit when it was here in Atlanta. I'm looking forward to the drive to get some quality car knitting done. It will be either the Chevron Lace Scarf for the AL shop, the Nebraska tee, or a Last Minute Purled Beret for my sister. Have to get the kids to bed. Catch you later.

2006-11-15T11:05:00.000-05:00

no title, again

2006-11-09T09:37:00.000-05:00

Disappointed with the elections. Not so much b/c of the results, but more b/c of the turnout. There really no excuse for a turnout of only 50-60%. We really do take our freedom for granted in this country. If I recall correctly, Iraq's first election had something like a 93% turnout and they had to worry about bombings. Knitters Review has an awesome article this week. Be sure you check out the author's Red Tent Baby Blanket while you're at it. I have the collar finished on Unikat and one sleeve stitched on. I might actually be able to wear it this weekend - provided it fits; it's been a while since I started this. Read the cutest book at the boys' school the other day. It made me smile. What is it with me and titles, lately?

no title

2006-11-08T10:01:00.000-05:00

I just about have my materials ready for my Chevron Lace Scarf class. The scarf is about 1/3 done and I went ahead and blocked it and put it on a holder to leave at the shop. I'll get a picture up soon. I've decided I really do want to finish the whole scarf so I'm going to start on the other end and I'll graft the stitches once it's done. I'm also working on swatches for this in a solid yarn and in some of the koigu from the FBS. I'm beading the Koigu and have worked out several charts for it. Once I knit some up, I'll know better what I like. No progress on the pink Cascade Sierra sweater for my friend's little girl and now the pattern is hiding from me. Unikat is still waiting to be finished; I would have finished her during my last trip to my parents' house if I'd had the right needle with me. FBS is ... well you know where she is. Gelato is in my knitting bag needing only handles and a flap. I'm into the ribbing on Something Red Chocolate and the first ribbing increase row just doesn't look good. I'm going to try the increase Jacqui at Woolwinders (MD) suggested. I've stalled about half way through my inventory. I think it's a case of severe denial. I'm working at The Purly Gates on Sundays. Last Sunday was my first and it was busier than I expected after the first hour or so and the last hour was very busy. I even sold a kit for my Serendipity Shawl. It was fun and couple of knit-buddies were kind enough to stop by and just sit and knit to keep me company. I especially liked that some of the customers had had no idea we would be open. Once January rolls around, the shop will only open one Sunday a month.

Wouldn't it be more like floating up?

2006-11-02T10:57:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say (for once), but I felt the need to post so that those few people who actually stop by to read know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. That really is an odd phrase, don't you think? One can't really fall off the earth, right? Even if one were to fall off a cliff, the ground would be right there waiting at the bottom. No knitting of any note is going on here. I am about to admit defeat on the FBS. My notes, the number of stitches I have, and according to my reading the chart for the previous knit row all indicate that I should be on row 5 of repeat 7. So how the heck to am I ending up with the wrong number of stitches? ugh. Back into time out she goes. Peri Klas once wrote an article about her "great unfinishable" - a Kaffe Fasset sweater. Maybe this is mine. Hope not, since I'm supposed to teach a simple lace scarf in a couple of weeks. aack!! I have to finish that project immediately, if not sooner. Super Secreat Snarky Pal questionaire: 1. What kinds of things do you like to knit? Most anything, scarves and baby things still seem to be what I'm able to finish at the moment. I've been having attention span issues lately. I'm starting to enjoy simple lace patterns despite my experience with the FBS. 2. Is there any one thing that you are just dying to have and haven't/won't purchase for yourself? I haven't tried dying any yarn, yet. I've been afraid to take the plunge. 3. What scents do you like? I usually just say none, but that sounds strange b/c I actually do like to smell things. Fragrance is such a subjective thing and then there's the whole allergy thing. Wool, lavender or citrus are usually fine, but with the boys, candles are not an option. 4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, but it's all confused with the Progenitor's list, so it's hard to tell what goes with whom on the list. 5. When is your birthday? June 7. 6. Do you celebrate Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwannza/Yule? Hanukkah 7. Do you have a favorite color? Food colors and pretty much any shade of green unless it has a lot of yellow-gold in it. Yellow and I are not good friends unless I keep up my highlights - and since George went on leave after he and his partner adopted their little girl, that's not happening for a while. 8. Any colors that you absolutely hate? Nope. The more colors the better in my book. 9. Any allergies to fiber? No, thank goodness! 10. Anything else your pal should know? My boys are constantly destroying my measuring tapes. I've learned the hard way not to get the cute ones. Fortunately, they've learned to leave the knitting needles alone.

Pardon me. Do you have any Grey Poupon?

2006-10-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

For my 150th post, I thought I'd find out how much I'm worth.

My blog is worth $2,822.70. How much is your blog worth?

I could buy a lot of funny tasting mustard with that. In honor of my 150th post, I'm having two contests. The first person to post a knitting joke that makes me laugh out loud will get a prize from my stash. The second contest is a blatant effort to get a free button. I am utterly button challenged. As I'm considering a name change, I'm looking for a button for any of the three names. Stitch and Kvetch, Tink & Drink, or The Pattern Slave. The Winner will get some extra special yarn from The Stash. E-mail me at levis_mama at yahoo... you know the rest.

In other news:

I finished the Flower Wreath hat from Itty Bitty Knits. I took a picture of it and will post as soon as I can figure out how the 'rents camera works. This is an incredibly cute pattern. I think the flowers are supposed to go all the way around the hat, but that doesn't seem very comfortable for the baby, so I just did the front.
I also ripped FBS back to a row that was done correctly, only to get to row 5 and frak it all up again. I'm on the seventh repeat so I'm sure this isn't a pattern error. Well, it could be a pattern error and I've screwed up this row 6x already. This is driving me nuts, b/c the previous row has the correct number of stitches.
I was all set to finish the Unikat sweater but I forgot to pack the bloody needles.
I finished the back and about 1/2 of the front of the pink Sierra sweater. It's a trendsetter pattern that has 4 pink lacy sweaters done in ScoubiDu (what a name rip off). I forgot that pattern, too so I can only move a little forward on the front before having to stop for the armscye shaping.
I'm halfway through Little Man's scarf in Nasua Wooly Stripes. Orange, of course.
I'm into the first ribbing increase row on Something Chocolate, but don't like how the increases look. Jacqui at Wool Winders told me a different increase (purl f/b) in the purl part of the rib on the right side rather than M1 on the wrong side. I think it will look much better.
The Gelato bag for the shop is completely frakked up. After I wove in all the ends I realized that the straps and flap are on the sides of the bag rather than on the front and back. I dread going back to it, but I have to get it done for the shop - and soon.

I went to Knit Happens today. It was rather disappointing. I'd heard so many nice things about this store on some D.C. area blogs and I drove 40 minutes to get to it. (I actually braved the Beltway for the 1st time in over 15 years!) I was not greeted after they were done with the customer at the register except for the clerk to say "excuse me" to reach past me while helping a different customer. I was mostly ignored left alone, which is usually fine. I just prefer to be greeted and asked if there is anything I'm looking for. The only reason I learned about the sale items in the back room is b/c I overheard the gentleman teaching a sock class pointing it out to his students. The most absolutely most annoying thing, however, was that the price labels were huge (approx. 1.5" x 2.5") and placed on the front of the label that you can't see the name of the yarn, and in some cases yardage or content. The name of the yarn was on the label, but not the other info.

Next time I'm not making the special trip. Ten years in retail providing, frankly, excellent service to my customers left me more than a little picky about service. I'll stick with Wool Winders in Rockville and Yarns International in Bethesda. Stitch DC was nice when I visited last year. The primary lines represented in the shop Westminter fibers (Rowan Nashua Jaeger) and KFI shop - heavy into Debbie Bliss, light on Noro; some Arucania, Magellanes and Patagonia, Laines du Nord, Louisa Harding. No Lavold. They also had some domestically produced yarn - Koigu, Fiesta, Cherry Tree Hill (very little) and another I can't recall. There was a little Millenweit sock yarn - also on sale - a little Mission Falls, Misti Alpaca and a nice feeling superwash wool I can't recall the name of. Almost no novelty yarns unless they were in the 60% off bin. GGH/Muench was being discontinued and on sale 35% off. I bought some brown cotton for a Picovoli Tee or maybe a Green Gable if I have enough. Jade Sapphire cashmere was 40% off and I picked up 2 hanks in turquoise 4 ply for a lacey-ish cravat to go with the new green coat. I didn't go through the individual patterns, but the selection of pattern books for the lines they carried was terrific. The book section was nice. The comfy chairs are much too close to the bookshelves, making it nearly impossible to get to the books if someone is in a chair. Other than that, the store is clean and well lit.

new form of prison torture developed in MD

2006-10-13T17:22:00.000-05:00

I'm being tortured with network T.V. The 'rents don't have anything beyond the most basic cable and the only comfortable places to sit in the house are in the living room. I can feel my brain cells melting away with every passing minute. They made me watch Survivor. The worst thing about it is that it's like a car crash... you can't help but keep looking. And on top of that, they crank the volume to hear the show and when the commercials comes on, I'm just about blasted out of the room. Daddy won't give up the remote and let me handle the volume at all. (Which is really annoying b/c I'm not the one in the room with impaired reflexes. And no, they have an ancient T.V. that doesn't do the volume levelling thing that newer T.V.s can do.) I think I know what they're getting for Christmas in '07. My brain hurts. I should have bought some aspirin when I was ~~hiding out~~ running an errand at the drug store. On the upside... Went shopping with Mother today and found a really cool leather coat at Sym's (sort of like Burlington Coat Factory). It's lime!! I'm so thrilled with it. I will admit to being a coat hoarder (as well as yarn and bags; shoes...eh, not so much), but I do use most of my coats. I like to be all matchy-match. Sad, but it's a "Monk" thing. The other thing that happened was that I ran into an old housemate (from 15 years ago!!) this morning. It was so cool to see him and to see him looking great. I'm trying to find some time where we can meet for coffee or maybe lunch. I'll have to remember to snag a couple of pics of the boys from Mother. I never do have up to date pics on me. I made it to WoolWinders yesterday. This is where I took my first class with Annie last year. Jacqui, the owner, is such a nice lady. I'm planning on a trip to Knit Happens in Alexandria tomorrow - they have Sunday hours! Yay! Lastly, I finally found the mistake in the Flower Basket Shawl. I'm going to make a little progress on it this weekend. I'm on the seventh repeat (I think the pattern calls for ten), and just started the second ball of Koigu. I'll probably work till I'm 1/4 of the way through the third ball and then start the edging. I think someone told me hers took 2.5 balls with the edging, but it never hurts to play it safe. Have a lovely weekend.

busy busy

2006-10-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

Not a lot getting done, but am knitting away. I found a cute hat in itty bitty knits to do for a friend who's due next week and am working on another kid sweater for a different friends little girl. I'll post pics eventually. Will be visiting the 'rents in MD and if they upgraded from dial up, I'll be able to post. I'm brining a couple of UFOs to work on. FBS will be one of them. I'll have plenty of quiet time to tink the couple of rows that I need to tink and then I'll be able to make a little progress. Only got one taker on the Organyzalong - Moze. So she and I will be working hard - after Sukkot is over. I've started entering the info, but can't get it to upload onto the PDA. I need to contact the handybase people and ask what's up. Sure is a pain going through everything, but it's reminding me of yarn that I loved once and don't anymore and yarn that I loved and have hopes for. I've got a lot of knitting to do. catch ya later.

OrganyzAlong

2006-09-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

I stole this idea from WendyB (doesn't look like she keeps a blog) at KR. I'd join over there but I'm not on KR too often anymore. The general idea is to go through The Stash and sort and organize. This can include other knitterly items. It can even include non-yarn stash - fiber, fabric and the like. It's a great way to stir creativity, remind us of projects we've had in mind or intended, and to cull the stash. Not that The Stash necessarily needs culling, but the first blush of love for some yarns may have faded and another ~~fanatic hoarder~~ fiber artist may be able to create something out of said yarn. Maybe even different categories for prizes! Any takers? Anyone know how to make a button?

oddities to see

2006-09-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

knitting club promo If only I had a prom date... Oh Luke! Are you blogging this? Been to the library lately? Take a look at what's inside your head. This is just SOAP! Steak - it's what's for dinner. I've gotta get some sleep. 'night all.

heartsore

2006-09-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

"Where were you?" "What were you doing?" These used to be questions that were easily answered by my parents' generation, "What were you doing? Where were you [when you heard Kennedy had been shot]? Now these questions have a meaning for me and my generation. They no longer refer to a distant past, but a much more recent and painful event in our own lives. One that we would prefer not to believe happened. One that in some ways was more like a movie than real life. An event that did not just make history, but changed the course of history. "Where were you?" "What were you doing?" Eventually my children are going to ask me these questions. How will I ever be able to convey the magnitude of shock, horror and grief? How can I possibly express my fear that this will happen again in their lifetimes? How can I reassure them once they know this can happen? I guess the next question is "What will I do?" For now, I hope and I pray, and, most of all, I remember. Where was I? What was I doing? I was 7 months pregnant. My first child was due in exactly 2 months. I was sick for most of my pregnancy and mornings were the worst. I had arranged with my boss that I come in later in the day - a little extra sleep seemed to help. I got up around 8:30 a.m. or so, (threw up a time or three) and got ready for work. It was about 9:45 when I got in the car and turned on the radio. The first thing I heard was that a plane had crashed into the pentagon. I remember my first thought was "Oh my God. It's another McVeigh." I called my husband, horrified. He knew. I asked why he hadn't called and he said he'd assumed I was listening. He told me about the WTC. I was so wrong. It was much worse than I'd first imagined. When I arrived at work, I was able to check the internet some. Pictures were slow in coming, and the newsites were slammed. A couple of people were able to grab the photos and e-mailed them around the office along with status reports they were coming across. Some of my colleagues were worried and afraid it would happen here. They wanted to go home. I remember telling someone who asked why I wasn't going home - our building was too short for us to be in danger. I know it sounds like I was being a smart ass, but I wasn't. It was just logical to me. I decided to stay at the office for a little longer after we were told we could go home. As long as I was at the office, I didn't have to deal with it. I didn't have to decide when to turn off the television - knowing I wouldn't be able to; T.V. wasn't available at the office. I don't remember being afraid for the baby. I worry some now, though. Too many have forgotten the anger and outrage. Too many are more interested in playing the blame game than in rooting out a pernicious evil. Too many are more interested in blaming America than in understanding that this type of hate has nothing to do with us as a people, our government's policies or our culture. It is simply hate with no explanation. Too many would prefer to use the attacks of September 11, 2001 for their own purposes, be they political or personal. Too many would prefer this country divided and in danger than united against the threat these people pose. What happened to United We Stand?

Marco!

2006-09-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

Polo! Jessalu sent me a wonderful box of fibery, and sugary goodness that arrived on Monday. It was such a nice surprise to find a box at my door. Let's just build the anticipation, shall we? careful... careful... Almost revealed!! I feel like I've discovered China!! It's The Man, himself!

Toys for the boys! And sugar, too! Gotta love the gummi bears!

mmmmm... fiber.

Spunky Eclectic, a little bag with some lovely carmine and chartreus roving (some of my favorite shades together). The white fiber you see is some of the softest merino I've touched and some Kool Aid!! Last but not least, The Twister Sisters Sock book. woo hoo! dye and how to do it! yay!

The boys say, "Thank you, Miss Jessalu!"

Little Man says "I'm going to keep this safe!"

Thank you very much, Jessica. I love it and can't wait to get started. Next stop... dunno? Well, neither did the real Marco Polo! You'll see when it gets there.

Finally, a picture...

2006-08-25T16:51:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of shots of Little Man in his New Tweed Top Down Cardigan. In the second shot, you can see why I need to reknit the button band/collar. It's just too low a v-neck for a zipper. This post brought to you by...

Cornholio Productions, Inc. More Tee Pee for your Bunghole.

Brrrr...

2006-08-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

Why is it that two of the coldest days of my life that I can remember were both in California? The first was 4th of July, 1996 in San Francisco. Hats and gloves, man. Hats and Gloves! I may have even had on long johns... The second was this day. February 1st or 2nd, 2006 in L.A. It was misty, wet, damp, and cold. I mean, really, really cold. Probably not above 60F. Not that bad on the global scale, but I was so sick with the flu that I spent the entire day shiverring. What do you mean there's no friggin' yarn??? It says "Knitting Factory!" The Force is strong in this one... hurry up and give her yarn before she breaks out the pointy sticks. Sursa II is going to be ripped back a little and reknit. I'm just about out of yarn and have about 8 inches or so to go. oh well. Something to do at the movies.

home and back to school

2006-08-21T19:25:00.000-05:00

O.K. Catch up time. The last few posts were short little cheaters. He's the scoop on the rest of the trip and some more recent occurrences... The rest of our vacation inSt. Simon's was wonderful. I'd been skulking around the Fuzzy Mabel website for a while and since I was finally in town, I made it a point to find the shop. The owner is a lovely lady. The shop is pretty, well organized and had a great sale room. Yup, you read correctly. Room. ohboy! ohboy! ohboy! She really is having a great sale right now, too. Regia, Fiesta, and many others... So check it out on-line. I made it home with just a few goodies, including a Philospher's Wool kit, some red Regia sock yarn, some Isledyllic Dreams sock yarn (locally handpainted) in lovely shades and a skein of Mountain Colors Mohair in Northern Lights. Of course, I have yet to upload any pictures. (Surprised?) I highly recommend shopping there. Fuzzy Mabel was a highlight of my trip to St. Simon's Island. The beach was really nice. SSI is not shell collecting territory, but we found a live sand dollar and lots of little crabs kept coming up to us in the water. What was really cool was seeing the porpoises both in the estuary near Ft. Frederica and just off the shore by the King and Prince. I'd never seen wild porpoise before. It was very cool. One even did a flip. The boys were very excited. The first day of school (TODAY!) went off with only one hitch. I slept through the alarm. Whoops! Woke up at 10 till and rushed out the door faster than I ever have in my life. I had the kids eat in the car. Thank goodness for granola bars, bananas and Ovaltine. We were late, but it could have been worse. I could have had to carpool w/someone. After days and days of telling me "I'm too little to go to school" Little Man woke up and said "Yay! I get to go to school with big kids!" Of course, afterschool was full of "I'm too little to do" whatever it was we were discussing. Can't win 'em all. The boys both enjoyed their days. Stinkerton even had homework. Little Man did make it through his first day of school nice and dry. We found Power Ranger light up shoes for about $11 last night when we picked out Stinkerton's new shoes. Little Man can wear his Power Ranger shoes if, and only if, he stays clean and dry the day before. Given his obsession with all things Power Rangers and his great enjoyment of shoes that light up, I think we have a winning strategy here. I will also use his fancy schmancy new shoes as an incentive to get him to do other things I want him to do. Like, pick up his toys, get ready to go, etc... Whatever works, man. Whatever works. All night Knit Knight at TPG last Friday. The shop is two years old and celebrating with games and prizes and sales galore. The all night knit in was great. I got there a little after 9 p.m. and things were in full swing. We played "Let's make a deal" with knitting gadgets. and Knitting Trivia. I won the trivia and won an Offhand Designs knitting bag. Not that I really need another knitting bag... I am such a bag ho. I also learned a bit about personal grooming about which I had no clue. Well, I had a clue, just not the the reasoning behind said grooming choices. K, you are quite eloquent. Things pretty much finished up around 2 a.m. A good time was had by all. I've started getting the inventory actually entered. It took a while to figure out the format and screens I want. The better it's organized now, the easier it will be to search and/or filter later. I'm having a problem getting the software to sync with the PDA, though. The old test databases are running and syncing, just not the newest one. Very annoying. I'll get it input and then see what can be done. It's more important to get it all entered at this point than to get it to sync. I made progress on Something Chocolate, as well as screwed it up. The armholes are way, way too big, but we came to the general consensus last Friday that seaming up the arms holes a little will be o.k. If I were to work back and close the armholes to where the armholes would be the right size, the width of the back would be affected. Since the back is just right, I'm going to give this a shot and see how it goes. If it's awful, then I'll either re-knit or performsome kind of surgery. We pinned it and so far and things seem to be hanging all right under the arms. I also started a cute little Fiber Trends bag for the shop. (AC76 Gelato Bag) It's orange and fuzzy. I'm just about done with the body and it's moving along quite smoothly. Since this is being felted, I probably should have been knitting continental.... whoopsie. next time. My efforts at spinning have been thwarted by the misbehaving DVD. Found this link via Peaches and Purls. It's Dew on the Kudzu. Check 'em both out, y'all.

been there did that... and might like to do

2006-08-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

Stole this from AmyDe. Life's to do list - Completed items are bolded Items in Pink are things I think I'd want to do. 01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink 02. Swam with wild dolphins 03. Climbed a mountain 04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 05. Been inside the Great Pyramid 06. Held a tarantula 07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 08. Said 'I love you' and meant it 09. Hugged a tree 10. Bungee jumped 11. Visited Paris 12. Watched a lightning storm at sea 13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise 14. Seen the Northern Lights 15. Gone to a huge sports game 16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 18. Touched an iceberg 19. Slept under the stars 20. Changed a baby's diaper 21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon 22. Watched a meteor shower 23. Gotten drunk on champagne 24. Given more than you can afford to charity 25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 27. Had a food fight 28. Bet on a winning horse 29. Asked out a stranger 30. Had a snowball fight 31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can 32. Held a lamb 33. Seen an eclipse 34. Ridden a roller coaster 35. Hit a home run 36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 37. Adopted an accent for an entire day 38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment 39. Had two hard drives for your computer 40. Visited all 10 provinces or all 50 states 41. Taken care of someone who was drunk 42. Had amazing friends - and I thank God every day for them. 43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country 44. Watched wild whales - got to watch porpoise last week. 45. Stolen a sign 46. Backpacked in Europe 47. Taken a road-trip 48. Gone rock climbing 49. Midnight walk on the beach 50. Gone sky diving 51. Visited Ireland 52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love 53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them 54. Visited Japan 55. Milked a cow 56. Alphabetized your cds 57. Pretended to be a superhero 58. Sung karaoke 59. Lounged around in bed all day 60. Posed nude in front of strangers - no photos, but art classes. 61. Gone scuba diving 62. Kissed in the rain 63. Played in the mud 64. Played in the rain 65. Gone to a drive-in theater 66. Visited the Great Wall of China 67. Started a business 68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 69. Toured ancient sites 70. Taken a martial arts class 71. Played D&D for 6 hours straight 72. Gotten married 73. Been in a movie 74. Crashed a party 75. Gotten divorced 76. Gone without food for 5 days 77. Made cookies from scratch 78. Won first prize in a costume contest 79. Ridden a gondola in Venice --does Vegas count?? 80. Gotten a tattoo 81. Rafted the Snake Dead River 82. Been on television news programs as an "expert" 83. Got flowers for no reason 84. Performed on stage 85. Been to Las Vegas 86. Recorded music 87. Eaten shark 88. Had a one-night stand 89. Gone to Thailand 90. Bought a house 91. Been in a combat zone 92. Buried one of your parents 93. Been on a cruise ship 94. Spoken more than one language fluently 95. Performed in aisles at Rocky Horror 96. Raised children. 97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour 98. Created and named your own constellation of stars 99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country 100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking 103. Had plastic surgery 104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived 105. Wrote articles for a large publication 106. Lost over 100 pounds 107. Held someone while they were having a flashback 108. Piloted an airplane 109. Petted a stingray 110. Broken someone's heart 111. Helped an animal give birth 112. Won money on a T.V. game show -- I would so win on the Price is Right. 113. Broken a bone 114. Gone on an African photo safari 115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced 116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol -HooRah! 117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 118. Ridden a horse 119. Had major surgery 120. Had a snake as a pet 121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon - been to the edge and felt very small. 122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours 123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states 124. Visited all 7 continents 125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days - with Daddy when I was 11 or so. hated it. 126. Eaten kangaroo meat - No, but I've had Dromedary. 127. Eaten sushi 128. Had your picture in the newspaper 129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about 130. Gone back to school 131. Parasailed 132. Petted a cockroach 133. Eaten fried green tomatoes 134. Read The Iliad 135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read 136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 137. Skipped all your school reunions - they've only had one so far, don't think I'll do the next one either. 138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 139. Been elected to public office 140. Written your own computer language 141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream 142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 143. Built your own PC from parts 144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 145. Had a booth at a street fair 146: Dyed your hair 147: Been a DJ 148: Shaved your head 149: Caused a car accident 150: Saved someone's life Followed the calling of my heart and converted to Judaism. Prayed at the Western Wall. Had a massage on a Malaysian beach. Swam in the Indian Ocean. Walked past the open window. __________ I wonder what percentage of people actually admit to No. 88?

Flip Floppin' Part II

2006-08-16T11:41:00.000-05:00

Look here to see the genius that is Drew.

vacation

2006-08-07T18:41:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh. two days on the beach down and four to go. Actually just two more, most likely. St. Simon's is lovely. the condo we rented is just as nice as expected. We're planning on one day in Savannah to take a lookey-loo. So far, only one small sunburn on me in a spot I deliberately didn't put sunblock on. a small burn on a missed spot on the Progenitor's back and the beginnings on pinkness on Little Man's deltoids. So far, all is well. Progenitor has some work to do tomorrow morning, so I'll running off with the boys for a bit. Found a yarn shop via The Force. St. Simon's Stitchery. Nice lady, but I'd've liked it better had I been greeted when I came in and not ten minutes later. I bought a needle I need for the Nebraska Top Down Tee. I picked it up again since it's good car knitting, but the bamboo needle I put in it is a bit too pointy for the yarn. Nebraska is a little splitty and with that needle, I have to look at what I'm doing - not good for in the car. The new turbo will solve that. This project was one I frogged last February. I took it back to just before the wonky (oh!-aren't-I-so-smart) increases under the arms, so now it's just a matter of knitting in circles for hours on end. I started Something Chocolate, but goofed in the initial inreases so I'll rip it back and restart it. I'm only a couple of inches in so no biggy. Sure is nice to be out of the knitting rut and doing some meaningful stitching. stitch at you later.

Flip Floppin'

2006-07-29T16:18:00.000-05:00

And no, I'm not talking about a certain senator from Massachusetts. I'm talking about these ever so casual shoes. Those wonderul minimalist sandals that are meant to protect the sole of the foot from hot sand or pavement. The String Bikini for the foot. When I was at the office a couple of weeks ago (and again this week), I noticed a lot of people wearing flip flop sandals or shoes (and I use that term loosely) that were pretty much only a sole and a couple of strings to keep it on the foot. Am I the only person who finds this to be totally inappropriate in a professional setting? If one wouldn't wear a dress that only covers 10% of the body to the office, why wear a shoe that only covers 10% of the foot? It's not like the people you work with want to see your funky, ugly toes. I mean really, if your foot isn't at least 45% covered (and slacks can play a part in the coverage), then the shoe should stay at home. It's one thing to wear a slingy-thongy shoe/sandal to a party, even a relatively formal one, if the shoe is dressy enough for the outfit, but flip flops? Oh, and speaking of toes, if the toes or heels are hanging off the shoe... the shoe doesn't freakin' fit! Just get over the fact that you have size 9 feet and quit buying size 7 shoes - I don't care how cute they are or what a good bargain they are. Trust me, stupid is always more noticeable than cute. Another thing, we humans no longer have to claw our way up trees to avoid predators. Clip your toe nails to a normal length - and by normal I don't mean match the excessively long, can't-dial-a-phone-without-using-a-pencil fingernails. If you can't wear your closed toe shoes because your toenails add two sizes, then cut your freakin' nails. That being said, I will freely admit to being pretty conservative when it comes to clothes - notwithstanding my orange argyle sneakers. The swatching for teh corset in the PLymouth Bamboo hasn't worked out. While lovely, the yarn has no memory - like silk. So once washed, the yarn is flat, but with a lovely drape. Back to the drawing board. I'm considering the purple Rowan Calmer I have - I really want to make this in purple Sebasiancat has had the run of the house while Troublecat has been locked up. one incident of spraying on the shelves. That's it. I am starting to think that they just can't live together.

Too tired to rant, today.

2006-07-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

I finished the EZ BSJ. (Hey, D&G, if you could please send me a pic? I forgot to take one.) I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out. The Plymouth Dreambaby DK knits up nicely. I'd use it again if I had a baby gift for which I didn't already have yarn and didn't want to spend much money on. It only took 1.5 balls. I needed to keep careful notes on where I was in the pattern. EZ was just brilliant and obvoiusly could do The Math in her head. Let's just say that I am not so gifted. Having a sheet with all the stitch counts really helped. I don't think I'd make another one of these for that reason. It's easy, but you really need to know where you are. Unless, you're AmyDe and can do The Math in your head. I picked up Daddy's Big Mexico socks again. I still need to go back to sock one and rework the toe to the appropriate length, but sock two is coming along just fine. Good carpool knitting. Sursa II is well on her way. I've started the second ball and the decreases. The decreases would probably not look quite so wonky if I actually followed the directions and did a decrease on every row rather than a double decrease on the knit rows. hmmm... I kind of like how it looks though and am considering trying to get the other side to look the same (on my next one - it is good movie knitting) even though it's the increase side. I started swatching for Annie Modessit's Ribbed Corset. I'm using (or planning to use, we'll see how the swatch turns out) Plymouth's Royal Bamboo in a lovely grape shade with a corresponding variegated yarn. I really wanted to do the whole think in either the leaf or the pumpking shade, but everyone - and I mean everyone in the shop that night- said not to. It's such a shame when your favorite colors are the ones that flatter the least. At the moment I'm looking forward to getting started on this, but I'm being a good girl and waiting for my swatch to dry. I'll unpin Unikat tomorrow and start seaming while I wait for said swatch to dry. I bought Big Girl Knits. I recommend this book to anyone of any size. The garment construction information alone is wonderful. And really, how many of us knitters has never needed to alter a pattern to accommodate one feature or another? Between this and What Not to Wear (the UK version) I'll finally start adding a little variety to the wardrobe. Three Dog Knit finally had its last howl. They are officially closed. I'm sorry to see them gone. The store was pretty, and the folks nice, but they only carried KFI yarns for the most part. I did very well at the 50% off sale. I really do need to take some pictures. I picked up some Noro Iro, a skein of Kochoran, a little Cash Iroha and a bunch of Debbie Bliss cashmerino in the aran and baby weights. I think I know what I want to do with the Iro and I need to start a couple of the baby projects soon. Little Man is starting the transformation from diaper wearer to Pantless Wonder. He's been going on and on about Power Rangers (ugh!) for a few months now, so we've been telling him how Power Rangers don't use diapers, they use the toilet. I broke down and bought Power Rangers underwear and he's doing pretty well with it. (And before you ask, yes they're still making the show and no, I have no idea how he even knows about Power Rangers. It must have been through a kid at the preschool.) M&Ms are helping too. He isists on watching Shrek while running around pantless. I'm fairly certain that when he's older he'll hear Smash Mouth and need to find the nearest bathroom. Stinkerton is already excited about school starting again. He's been talking about it for a week or so now. MIL's eye surgery went swimmingly! No more macular hole! Doctors still have no idea what's wrong with Daddy and are lightly considering the problem to be Metabolic Encephalopathy. Mother has made it clear that she will tolerate (not her words, but most certainly her attitude) a visit from me - she had sister there twice in a month. If I didn't want to lay eyes on Daddy myself, I wouldn't bother at all. I always feel like such an inconvenience when I go up there - even though she doesn't drive and I help her get her special trips and errands done. Part of the problem is that I recognize that I am My Mother's Daughter. I soooo want to slip the woman some Xanax. Grossly, unethical and dangerous and I'd never, ever do that to anyone... but oh! how tempting. To see my mother not anxious for once in my life... Sebastian cat has been locked up in the guest bath for a few weeks now. We let him out tonight and will see how things go. If this doesn't work, I really don't like the alternatives: 1. make him an outdoor cat (he's declawed and we have foxes & hawks in our neighborhood), or 2. euthanize. Not an easy decision and one we need to settle soon. I'll be working next week and the following week we will have our first real family vacation. Nothing work related. No side trips to visit relatives just b/c we happen to be in the same region of the country. Just us, the kids, and MIL at the beach. Buy stock in sunscreen!

Yarn Aboard!

2006-07-17T20:04:00.002-05:00

This just looks like so much fun. I've been waiting and waiting for the sign ups to happen and now I'm all signed up! I've got to get a box together. I'm not sure where I am on the list, so I need to have it ready. Amanda, you are the best for setting this up. Next time in New Orleans, I've got to meet you. Not much else going on. I still haven't uploaded the pics, (bad me! bad me!) but I did get all the CD's from Walmart. It was only about $5 or so per roll of film to be put on CD. Much easier than scanning in the pictures. Progress has been made as far as pictures go - it usually takes me a year to get film developed. I finished the Baby Surprise Jacket for the shop in the Plymouth Dreambaby DK. I liked it, but I'm not sure I'm going to do this again. Too much counting. I was constantly referring to my cheat sheet to make sure I hadn't missed any of the increases and decreases. Man, EZ was a genius! How she ever worked this out, I'll never understand. I did start a chevron scarf in Kertzer's Ovation and Irise for the other shop - The Taming of the Ewe opening in Jacksonville Alabama in September. These two yarns are samples I picked up at TNNA last month. I like the Ovation very much. It's so close to crack (Kid Silk Haze) that it could be called methadone. Rowan's KSH retails $12-14/25g ball and the Ovation is around $9/20g ball. So it would defintely be a great substitution. I'm really enjoying working with it in all it's silky, mohairy goodness. I'm working 6 rows Ovation and then 4 rows Ovation/Irise together. I can't carry the Irise up the sides w/o ruining the look of the scarf, so there will be ends and ends and ends to weave in. I would have carried the two yarns together the whole time, but I have twice as much Ovation as Irise. This will be quite pretty, I think, once it's blocked. Kertzer makes a great bamboo needle, by the way. The nicest I've found, except for the cable. Addi will always be my favorite b/c of the cables. Three Dog Knits is still open for all you Noro Hos. I made out pretty well and need to go back for more. I did pick up some DB Cashmerino Aran in a perfect green for Stinkerton and the perfect blue for Little Man. I also picked up some DB Alpaca Silk dk in a rich (not quite navy, but not royal) blue to make the Somewhat Cowl - someday, eventually. My eyes are bigger than my needles. Oh, I started Sursa II in the Noro Transitions while we were at the movies Saturday. I'm not sure it's going to be quite enough yarn and I may have to pick up another skein at 3DK next Saturday. This project really is excellent movie knitting. I don't think I had to look at what I was doing more than a few times. We saw Pirates of the Carribbean. Apropos that I started Sursa II during this movie. I started Sursa I durring Kingdom of Heaven (the other Orlando Bloom movie). Pirates was formulaic, but exactly what I expected. Fun, fun and more fun. Johnny Depp (swoon) as a pirate running around all dainty-like is just hysterical, especially when compared to how all the other ManlyMen move. I heard that Johnny Depp (swoon) based his character's movements on Keith Richards (ick). All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Pirates and will be very happy when the third movie comes out. (Of course, all this talk of pirates has me thinking of Mickey Mantle - "she smelled just like an angel should smell"- still makes me chuckle. ) SebastianCat seems to be doing a little better. Progenitor caught him spraying the last time we let him out and immediately locked him the utility room. That was two weeks ago. We just let him out yesterday and so far so good. TorubleCat is most displeased. Little Man's latest thing (aside from refusing to use the toilet) is to tell me that he loves everyone but me. "I don't like you." When I ask why, he tells me "because I'm big now." (sigh) And he not even a teenager yet! He really hurt Stinkerton's feelings this evening when he said that he didn't like Stinkerton, either. Poor Stinkerton. He heard this and immediately started crying. I had to convince Stinkerton that Little Man didn't really mean it and then convince Little Man that he does love Stinkerton. And he still doesn't like me. He goes through the whole list of people he loves and I'm not even listed after the cats. I always knew he'd be a heartbreaker. The Unikat Sweater is still pinned to the blocking board. I really do need to seam that puppy and get the collar done. FBS is still untouched. Inventory is not even started b/c I haven't had time to learn the software and get it sync'd with the PDA. Time Time Time. Where did all the time go?

update

2006-07-03T12:45:00.000-05:00

BSJ is not yet complete. I have just a few more rows and it will be done. oh yes... it will be done. Am still undecided as to what to start next. FBS still awaits... I"m starting to wonder if she's meant to be a "great unfinishable." So many projects are calling to me. I think I need idiot knitting, and soon. Either a blanket to work on durring movies or I'll start on Sursa II. The yarn is just sitting in the cabinet waiting to be knit up. And then there's the alpaca I got at market that should be enough for a sweater for Stinkerton - or a great shawl! I did get the yarn I want to make the corset top and I'm looking forward to starting that. It's a complicated knit though, so I'm going to wait to start after the kids are in camp for the mornings. Pictures pictures. who's (whose??) got the pictures? WalMart does! I had them just make CD's of all the film and disposable cameras and I'll get them today. Update on the cat: we are waiting to hear the test results from the vet. In the meantime, we've let him out of the utility room (TroubleCat is most displeased) and so far (keeping my fingers crossed) he hasn't peed on anything. I asked Katey and Laurie re: cat rescues in the area and got some good leads. We may end up listing him on a couple of sites depending on what the vet tells us later this week. AmyD, what game were you all playing? I found something with a Count of Monte Cristo lookin' dude (actually he looked more like the guy on the Sandeman port) and am now confused as to what would be the best game to start with.

happy day (for everyone but my cat)

2006-06-27T17:44:00.000-05:00

Everyone go over to Charisse and see her wonderful news!! Hurray Hurray!! I got a little knitting done on the EZ jacket. I'm just about done with it. It's an interesting knit but I had trouble at first with the double decreases and the marked stitch. Once I made it to the increases I was in much better shape. I am at the final 12 ridges and then I just need to seam it up. Nothing else to report knit wise. Not sure what's next to deal with. I want to finish the FBS. I've been hoping for some quiet time to deal with it and haven't been able to make any. Once I get back on track with it, it should move quickly. It really was progressing nicely till I screwed it up. I still want to do Something Red in the brown cotton (Blue Sky Alpacas), but I also like the cotton sweater in Knitty - great lines, hideous colors. I'm thinking something tasteful (unlike the original) a solid pale yellow, with maybe a little contrasting trim. I'm not a fan of that designer's work (remember the one skein my ass wonder?) , but this one might be nice. About the cat... Sebastian is most likely going to be put down. For a long time TroubleCat was sick. She had nasty SPIKEY bladderstones and she was peeing all over the place. I blame how long it lasted on my previous vet who refused to sedate her (put her in the happy box) in order to do a proper ultrasound and kept insisting that it was a behavioral problem. New vet did the right thing and she is now my cats' vet. Once that was done, the stones were taken out last fall and she's been fine since. However, b/c it went on so long Sebastian decided to start spraying in response to TroubleCat. At first it was just where she was peeing, but since she recovered he's been at some particular spots. We've tried everything! Sticky tape, aluminum foil, medication, extra litter boxes, you name it. Lately, and this really is the last straw, he's been following the kids' activities and peeing on what they are playing with. Not their toys...yet. But he did get one of Little Man's special blankets and their Bear Rug. Yesterday, I found where he peed on all the board games (adult) which the kids like to pull out to play with the pieces. This was done in the last couple days and all the games were ruined, and there is now a spot on the hardwoods that I have to figure out how to get the stain out of. (I hear peroxide is best.) We knew he hated the kids, but this is going too far.** He's now locked up in the basement utility room. (Not unexpectedly, he started spraying in there now, too.) Progenitor had enough of all this last summer and wanted to put them both down, but I pleaded and he let me have the problem more thoroughly investigated. He forgave TroubleCat when it turned out to be stones and is willing to look into a medical reason for the problem before making the final decision. I called the vet today and will take him in one more time to see if it's treatable. If it is, he gets treated and hopefully the saga will end. Whether or not he gets treatment will depend on what the treatment is/costs. We spent over $700 on this cat two summers ago and Progenitor is hesitant to do so again; I can see his point. The vet did say that this sounds like a set in behavior and if there is no medical cause, then she can understand euthanizing - especially since we have kids. She was very understanding and said she would feel better checking him out first. We've investigated cat rescue, but really believe that burdening them with him isn't fair since the likelihood of him being placed is low - not disclosing what's going on with him would be grossly unethical. Cat rescue is burdened enough as it is. Given all his other problems he's miserable enough that killing him (let's just dispense with the euphemisms) is a mercy - at least that's what I tell myself. I feel bad about it, but not as bad as if (a) one of the boys got sick b/c of it or (b) he has to live locked up in the utility room for the rest of his life. **They boys are at least smart enough to get me when they notice it and not play with what they find. Oh well, that's the end for today. BTW: what the heck are meeples?