Happy Solstice

Sorry to have been gone so long. It seemed like after a day at work either ducking not-so-good situations or just being totally worn out from trying to be upbeat, I had no words left. Well, that's not true. But they weren't words worth reading :-)

While I was gone I had a birthday. I always enjoy my birthday. For one thing, it means that I'm alive and the $#*&%^ didn't get me yet. For another thing, I'm one year closer to Medicare and I'll be ever so glad when it gets here because hopefully then I can become unemployed. Maybe I'll starve, who knows. But I'm ready for a nice change in life.

I spent part of that day at the lake taking pictures and enjoying the solitude of a quiet Sunday morning that was sunny and relatively warm. And just taking some time without a lot of distractions.



I've done some knitting. Hershey helped me knit a scarf and we even finished it. Yummy, warm and soft.



Yarn: Valley Yarns Williamstown from Webs
Pattern: Ummm it was in one of those knitting a day calendars. Really easy. One side is K3, P3. The reverse is K1, P1. And it looks the same on both sides oddly enough. I do wonder how people come up with these stitch patterns.



There are some socks on the needles. I call them Monday socks. There have been a series of meetings on Mondays and I take them with me. Last Monday I got a bye on the meeting but I kept to the plan and turned a heel and did the gusset on one of them. I think the yarn is from Knitpicks. I know I've had it for a long time.



I made a winter kitchen curtain. The LQS was having their grand opening after moving, and after standing in line at one of 3 cutting tables for what seemed like hours(people were buying hundreds of dollars worth of fabric!), I came away with a piece of batik with snowflakes in it. It makes me smile.



And there was also a sale on fleece at Hancocks so I now have new shams for the loveseat pillows as well as a piece of light camel colored fleece to act as a sort of slipcover, and a piece that turned into a large throw. Lots of snuggles on that now.



I took naps. Oh, this isn't me. My hair isn't blonde.



And now, I'm a little chilly. So I think it's time to go grab that fleecy throw and knit on a mitten. Hope you're warm and snuggly where you are and that life is treating you well.

I Am Sooooo Glad

that it's Friday! It's really been one of 'those' weeks.

Monday and Tuesday were spent at home being up close and personal with a heating pad. Sunday I was on the step ladder hanging curtains back up in the living room. Stepped off the bottom step so that I could see a football replay. Oh, but oops. I was on the next step up. Big step down in which I really tried hard to drive my right hip up through the top of my head. Dang...I just can't get rid of my klutz reputation.
But once I got enough drugs in my system it wasn't all a bad thing. Lots of Cold Case Files and knitting and napping.
So I go back to work on Wednesday and discover that all sorts of bad things are happening at my place of employment. All quite complicated and probably not appropriate for blogging...and very scary. My dept. director keeps trying to give us the sense that this isn't really total disaster. But he's talking to us with tears in his eyes? We shall see. Please great employment office in the sky...I really need one more year. Please? Pretty please?
In an attempt to bring calmness and contentedness into my life, my evenings have been spent with eggnog (alcohol free) and yarn. Two of my most favorite things in the world. Apparently though, I'm somehow transmitting my inner thoughts to the animals who can't decide whether they need to race around madly or pile up on me until moving is difficult :-)


So I decided on the way home tonight that other than changing my sheets and doing laundry, I wasn't going to do anything that NEEDED to be done this weekend. Just knit and spin and nap and catch up on blogs.
Hmmm, when I booted up the computer I got this message that a problem had been discovered on my hard drive. Like I know what I'm supposed to do about that. I clicked on through and got on line without difficulty but who knows how long that will last?
Is this some sort of cosmic glitch?
I guess I'd better hurry up and look up a recipe for chai tea. So I'll have something to do if I become unemployed and without a computer.
Hopefully see you later this weekend. What have you got planned?

Weird...

Saturday after a rudimentary bit of housework, I set off for the near west side of the City with specific shopping goals in mind.
There was hopefully going to be new nail polish for my toes, possibly and MP3 player and some cotton yarn for a dishcloth.
First stop was Ulta for a little set of OPI nail polish that was in the previous Sunday paper. I love OPI but it's rather expensive for my budget so the chance to get 3 tiny bottles for $4.95 sounded like a mood brightener. I enter the bright store populated with a lot of staff, all young, thin, and dressed in black. I didn't see the product at the front of the store and when I asked, I was told they'd sold out. At which time, the associate turned back to her coworker to continue their conversation. Now, I really hate to be smothered by sales people, but I would have thought a good thing to say was something like, "I'm sorry, we've sold out. We do, however, have these whatevers that are also really cool and a good buy." Or perhaps, "Would you like to see our other OPI polishes?" But nada. I wandered around a bit, finally found a little set of red and green polish, paid and left. I felt rather invisible. Was I just not dressed appropriately for such a spiffy store? Did it not appear that I had any money to spend? Or did they just not care? Since there were very few shoppers in the store I would have thought there would have been more effort.
Next, to the Best Buy next door. I know that I can't afford an iPod. But there are other options, and I wanted to talk to someone who could tell me the differences and help me come up with a solution. I also really want a new camera, mine is sooo heavy.
There were a few more shoppers in here, but not nearly what I'm used to seeing. I first went to the camera section, zeroed in on some I'd read about. Lifted them up and played a bit. I counted...I picked up 10 different cameras, reading the info posted and peering through the view finder. After probably 15 minutes, I then went to the MP3 section. I gazed longingly at the iPods, moved on to the other kinds and tried to determine what made each special. Probably 15 minutes there too. And in that 30 minutes, NOBODY said "Can I help you?" I thought perhaps they were all busy selling Wii-s (how do you type that plural?). Or some other big gaming thing. Or the latest in computers. But the associates there are fairly visible in their blue shirts, and there just weren't any around. Well, except for the checkers (there were NO lines) and the guy at the door. As I left, he asked me if I'd found what I was looking for. And I honestly said "No, I was looking for a sales associate".
And then off to Hobby Lobby. That place was packed!! I got my yarn and got in line to check out. All the checkout lines were staffed. Most people had lots of purchases and I'm nosy. I love to see what other folks are buying. Seemed to be fabric, yarn, paint, paper, glues and beads along with some decorations. Everyone skipping Ulta and making necklaces for their girlfriends? Or skipping Best Buy and their non-existent staff and knitting iPod cozies?
On the way back to the vehicle, I did make another quick stop at Petsmart so Zoey could have a weekend treat. And once again, it was packed. Pets WILL have their treats and food.
I read all about the poor economy and how it's going to affect holiday spending. But guys, if on the off chance someone comes in to spend, it would be really nice to have a bit of help.

Can Nutmeg Make You Sleepy?

Came home from work on a blustery, damp and very cool day and once the kids were fed I made nutmeg sauce for my pound cake. Ate a bit of supper and topped it off with warmed pound cake with nutmeg sauce. Ummmmmmmmmmm yum! Granted, I ate way too much but oh how good it tasted.

Then settled down with some knitting and Keith Olbermann. I was especially interested to hear his comment on Proposition 8 in California. I wish he'd done this before the vote. But, in my experience, those who believe that gays are the spawn of Satan aren't likely to change their minds. Here in my state, I've heard all the sanctity of marraige arguments, but considering the divorce rate here I find them comical. Which doesn't win me any popularity comments.



Then it was time to watch football. I do remember reaching for the remote to change channels. Listened a bit to Maddow. And the next thing I remember was waking up at 0100 or 1:10 AM. I was halfway sitting up and halfway leaning over on the pillows at the end of the loveseat. My knitting was in my lap with a cat sleeping on top of it.

Up long enough to turn out the lights, take my PM meds and put in my eye drops. I guess I was tired? Woke up with the alarm this morning at 5 and now it's time to get all spiffed up for another day!

Hope yours goes well. Any fun things to do today?

Christmas Past

One of my holiday traditions is a trip to the mall so I can go into Williams-Sonoma and buy myself a Christmas treat. For someone who isn't all that into cooking, I am just fascinated by all the kitchen things they have and they always have mixes for something good to bake. To my budget, they're expensive but it's a once a year treat.

For some reason, last year's purchase never got made. And on Saturday, when I got the bread flour canister down, I discovered it behind hiding back there.

So on Sunday, almost a year later, I baked it. I think I'm glad it was postponed because it was just the perfect treat.



I got all involved in football and knitting yesterday, but tonight, I'll make some nutmeg sauce to go with it and have a totally calorie laden Monday night.

On the knitting front, I finished the houseshoe but it looks like crap so you aren't going to see it. I'm thinking that the ribbing is going to be completely frogged and done over. We shall see.

Yum!

Lots of scrubbing and laundry and sweeping and mopping happened here today. And, I put that fuse back in the car and now the lights work properly. A strange noise that has kept me company on the way to work and back is still there. I thought it was the antenna trying to go up, but apparently that's not it. Oh well, so far it's just annoying and everything major is working. I'll have to try and see my mechanic sometime this week.

But the highlight of the day was this..



It's been forever since I've made bread. I had a bread machine for a long time and initially I used it a lot. But when the new wore off it just gathered dust so I traded it for a dust buster and something else that I can't remember now. I really prefer doing it by hand but I wasn't sure I remembered how. Well, I can read a recipe, but the part I was concerned about was just knowing when the dough felt right. It was soooooooo good to knead that dough. And you know what was even better?

Having a warm bread/butter/honey supper. A cold glass of milk just made it perfect.

All Hail!

Wednesday afternoon my secret grins and thumbs up were temporarily suspended. I was minding my own business, standing at the copier when the most horrendous noise occured. Our building is really a metal building wrapped in brick but the metal roof was reverberating with a monstrous pounding noise. We all ran to the only view of the outside..the door. And beheld amazing pouring rain, vicious wind and a ton of hail. In places the ground was white. The road that runs by the building looked like a path through a pasture from all the leaves and dirt and such that had been carried by the rain that ran across it. All quite tremendous and exciting!

But, alas, my camera was at home. And an even greater alas....all my car windows were down! Hey, just 30 minutes before I'd been out doing work errands and the sun was shining. There were some clouds in the west but nothing looking too grim.

OMG! There was enough water on the floorboards to splash in. Hail covered the seats. A folder that had been lying quietly on the front seat was now draped across the back of a seat and the paper that had been in it was soaked and scattered about including one that was plastered to the headliner.

Using a trashbag as an underpad, I headed to the car wash to avail myself of their super vacuum. Swish, gurgle...much of it was sucked up but the car was still super wet. And the LIGHTS WERE ON. They were on when I approached the car. They were on at the carwash and they were still on when I got back to work. I turned off the delay and they stayed on. I moved the light switch and they stayed on.

I have a good battery but I don't think it's going to last through the night with the light on. So off to the gas station.

I'm sure that the guy thought I was some ditzy old woman. After all, it was overcast and my lights are supposed to come on when it gets dim. Eventually, he agreed to perhaps remove a fuse. So he sticks his arm up under the dash and his arm was immediately soaked from draining water. Uh oh.

Finally, a big fuse under the hood was removed and the lights went out. But so did the speedometer and all the other dash lights. It's odd to drive down the street and not be able to see if you're in danger of being ticketed.

He says that it should dry out in a day or two and then I can put the fuse back. :::crossing fingers::: Fortunately yesterday was quite windy so much of the upholstery is much drier and we are to have nice weather on through the weekend.

Oh, and this morning I'm thinking the wind blew out the pilot on the furnace. At least it won't turn on. Off to check on that now.

UPDATE: Just as I hit "publish", the heat turned on. Yay! It's gonna be a great day!

So, what exciting things are going on in your life??

Ooops!

This rather obscene looking project is really going to be a houseshoe. I'd finished the foot and started on the ribbing for the cuff. Alas, apparently I shouldn't knit and watch election returns at the same time. I was to pick up 44 stitches around the opening to the foot. I picked up 14 and knitted happily along, holding my breath at times as I watched the results come in. That cuff wouldn't even go over a flashlight!
Frogged that and decided that now I had these great big lumpy holes where the stitches and been pulled tight as I added the cuff yarn. So frog some more.

It's a new day. And it will be a better houseshoe.

Mystery Solved!

The strangest thing happened repeatedly last week. From Wednesday on, every morning when I got to work I'd have a piece of something in my eye. Well, not really IN it but around it. A fuzz that would just drive me crazy. Nothing I could see. I'd rub my eye, spend time looking in the mirror trying to find it all to no avail. Eventually, by mid morning, it would be gone and all was well.
Curiously, before I left for work, all would be fine. I thought of a couple of possibilites.
A cat hair that somehow found it's way to my eyes as I told everyone goodbye.
A piece of spinning fiber that somehow found it's way to my eyes as I walked out the door.
So, I quit spinning in the morning. I told the cats good bye from a distance and still....a very annoying something in my eyes.
But then, on Sunday afternoon, the mystery was solved. I'd decided to go to Sonic for a half price drink and as I approached my vehicle I saw the culprit. The sun was coming from the west and highlighting my driver's window. And gracefully arranged there were gossamer strands of a spider web. It wasn't a big beautiful web, but rather infintesimal strands going here and there. Most importantly, it reached from the front side of the window area to the seat belt bracket on the side. And the spider, a teensy weensy one. I went back in the house and got a cup and relocated her to a more appropriate area. For me anyway, she perhaps wasn't as thrilled. I guess she'd been living there for awhile and every night she practiced her weaving skills only to have me tear things up. And at work, the window was down and perhaps the wind kept her from restoring things during the day. As I cleared out the web, I was amazed at how fine it was. Not like the usual ones that I walk through and then feel all over myself. I couldn't feel it at all on my arms and hands. But when it would get to my eyes, it became an invisible annoyance.
And yesterday? No itchy, cranky eyes. Sorry spider. I hope you found a new place to spin so fine.

Sock That Vote!

Yes, I got to vote early yesterday. Our early voting only started on Friday but there was a really long line. And I was running work errands and didn't think I'd better stop. So up early yesterday as usual and was there at 7:30 with about 50 people ahead of me and they didn't open for actual voting until 8. I had my sock-in-progress in my GoKnit bag hooked onto my belt loop so I happily stood in line and visited and knit. Pretty much had it done by the time we started moving much. I know that I cancelled out the vote of the guy in front of me, and I also know that probably my vote was cancelled numerous times. But still I think it's very exciting that this election is bringing in so many new voters. I was told that in my county there have been thousands of new voters registering and the election board folks have been working really late hours getting all of them in the computer.

Anyway, so here are the sockies. They're fraternal twins..my first. I'm not sure why as the ball bands had the same lot number on them. But ohhhhhhhh they are lovely squishy and soft. The yarn is one of my prizes from Knitty Otter's contest.



Yarn: Ditto Color 4807
Needles: 2.75 and Size 1 dpns
Time spent: uhhh maybe a couple of weeks off and on.

I came home..finished the toe and grafted it. Took their picture and headed off to the next town to take part in the Grand Opening of the new



in the next town over, 10 miles away! It's so nice to not have to drive 30 miles to buy catfood. It's not that they use some bizarre brand, it's just that here there is not much choice. The parking lot was almost FULL and it's a big lot. And there were at least a bazillion dogs and their people inside. And a lot of doggie noise. I got some food (and used my $5 off coupon) and picked up all the freebies and headed home.

Almost too much excitement ;-)

Updates

Update Number 1
Yep, the water heater is dead. It's gone and a new one is in it's place. The plumber has to come back tomorrow to put on a something or other but it's functional. Once I write the check, unless there are more charges than the estimate, I'll have $7.48 left in my checking account. Hey that's better than an overdraft! And please, if you have any nice deities that will grant wishes, I'm really hoping the inspector won't find any problems. No pics (and aren't you glad?). However, with my propensity for naming everything, I have decided to name it Jolie...because..are you ready? It's HOT. Ok..don't laugh, see if I care!

Update Number 2
Re my CSI post. The latest info from the newspaper is that police stopped a 17 year old boy for erratic driving..possibly DUI. There was a passenger. Passenger would not get out of the vehicle. Passenger was dead. And although the officer told me it was a 'gentleman', it was a woman from out of state. Cause of death has not been released. The very sad thing to me is that the young man is local but they cannot find anyone to claim him. I mean, no family, no friends. That's just wrong!

Update Number 3
My good friend Katya (yay...you're back out online!) wanted to see my consistent spinning. So I wound some down on the spindle and took it's pic. I never said it was a skein or anything close to it :-). It's a start though.



One thing I have to figure out though. When this spindle gets kinda full it just doesn't want to spin. So I've been winding whatever off on toilet paper cores. But, if I were really spinning well, how would I connect all the different pieces?

And this isn't an update but it is a good example of making do. I was on the loveseat knitting and watching tv with the meezer cat. He was sleeping and I wasn't really paying any attention. But when it was time to put things away, I discovered that Mary had decided to join us. And, since apparently we were taking up all the space, she just piled on top.

Balance?

The weatherman is predicting a rather cool front coming through in the middle of this coming week. We've had a couple already but nothing that required turning on the furnace. That time is coming though so this afternoon I scurried down to the basement to
1. Retrieve my long sleeved shirts
2. Try once again to light the pilot light on the furnace. I had a plan and I had a book on tape going so I wouldn't get too frustrated if I had to keep relighting.

The first part went well; the shirts were actually where I thought they were! And that gave me hope that for the first time in years I'd actually be able to get it to stay lit. The furnace and the water heater live in a little enclosed closet sort of thing. I opened the doors and removed the covers to the pilot area and sat down to light it. That's when I noticed the water. On the floor inside the closet. Not deep but it did cover the area. Hoping against hope that there was a leak where the water comes into the heater, I managed to get my creaky self back on my feet to check. Dry as a bone! Oh hell...just what I wanted to do. Buy and have installed a new water heater. &%$&^%@ Words better left untyped spewed forth and with a very whiny face I went back upstairs to pout.

But, it was a gorgeous day outside. So I thought at least I could pout out on the porch swing. And that's when the balance thing started to happen.

I wasn't home yesterday when the mail arrived, but no matter. There wasn't anything particularly interesting in it. But what's this??? Behind one of the big flower pots I can see something white sticking out. OMG! Look!



I can't really capture the rich jewel tones of this BFL which I ordered midweek from Jessie at A Piece of Vermont. I wasn't planning on ordering anything, just went to monitor shop, so to speak. But the colors! It wasn't payday yet, but who cares. I could replace the money with cash left over from my spindle and fiber last weekend. She shipped it Thursday and it arrived way down here in two days!

I've petted it and loved on it and took pictures of it and then put it back in it's bag with some lavender for good luck and placed it in the little fiber tub. No way would I attempt to spin it until I'm a better spinner (although today I did actually spin a bit of actually consistent yarn!).

Then tonight the phone rang. It was my friend Leava saying that she and her hubby had gone to their cabin for the day and she brought back her old wheel and I get to use it this winter! She said it's a bit tricky, or eccentric, and she'll teach me first on her Louet so I'll have a better idea of what's supposed to happen.

So, although I'm going to take a big hit on my wallet, I've gained fiber and a chance to spin on a wheel. I think it's a balance..or at least close. And I'm smiling.

20 Years

As I arrived at work yesterday, in the midst of folks trying to get clocked in and ringing phones, etc, my boss said something to me and hugged me. Whaaat the? I didn't really hear what she said (or wasn't paying attention) and at first I thought something horrible must have happened that I didn't know about and she was trying to console me. But she was smiling. Hmmm... After answering a few more calls and getting things unlocked she said, "So how does it feel?" I had no idea what she was talking about...and figured that I was supposed to know all about it. Senility setting in so rapidly? Finally I realized that it was my anniversary date. The day I first hired on ... 20 years ago! About that time another boss person came in and handed me this basket. And there was even yummy cake.



Ohhhhhh that cake was so good! And Starbucks coffee! I've never had any of it for home. And this morning, when I went into my kitchen I pretended I was at a neighborhood coffee shop in my pretend metro neighborhood.

20 years...wow that's a really long time. A lot of things have changed since then. Some gains, some losses and not only in weight. I'm not who I was then, and sometimes I miss that person...mainly I miss the strength and agility I had back then. Really though, life is better now. Cause 20 years ago I couldn't knit! And I didn't know all y'all. Yep...I think I'll stick with the present. How about you?

CSI in the Neighborhood

This is REALLY a Sunday post. I awakened at 5:30 this morning with a cat meowing very loudly in my ear and lights flashing through my windows. And when I peered out the door, I saw 8 police cars with their lights flashing and crime scene tape strung out everywhere but especially around my next door neighbor's front yard. An officer assured me that they were ok, but that "a gentleman driving the pickup parked in front of their house was dead". And that's all he would tell me. other than that the ME had been called and that the victim had already been put in the funeral home limo.
I guess I was supposed to go back inside but instead I sat on my porch swing in my tshirt and pj pants and watched everyone. I found out later from my neighbor that they had been there since at least 3:30 AM. Most of the officers seemed to be just walking around and talking quietly but there was a small group of people wearing chinos and long sleeved tshirts with POLICE in large very bright letters down the sleeves and across their backs. I've never seen anyone in this sort of uniform here in town. There was a young looking woman writing a lot of a tablet and looking in the truck. Dummy me thought perhaps they were police cadets who would get regular uniforms once they completed training.

So, because I just kept thinking about them, I called the police dept on the non-emergency line this afternoon and asked about them. The person who answered the phone said they weren't our police and where and when had I seen them. I gave her my address and the time and she told me they were OSBI people. So they called in the state criminalists, and maybe someday I'll actually know what happened.

Several years ago, a lady down at the end of the block was having a bunch of work done in her yard and also had a new driveway poured. There was yellow caution tape across the front of it. At that time, I went out and walked every morning with a friend and she asked me about the tape. I told her about the driveway and we went on about our business. Later as I left for work, I realized that the caution tape had been replaced by crime scene tape and there was a police officer sitting in his vehicle outside. I stopped to talk to him and he told me that she had been murdered. One of my coworkers was married to a cop and she thought it was hysterical that I knew nothing about it. Apparently it had been discovered just as it got dark and they'd set up big halogen lights so they could see to investigate and they lit up most of the block. At least this time, I did notice something was going on.

And tonight, I'll try to remember to check and make sure the door is closed before I go to bed.

Fiber Fun

Edited to add: I wrote this yesterday evening and then just crashed before I thought to push PUBLISH

Friday afternoon and evening and all day yesterday was spent in the company of other fiber lovers. Spinners. Knitters. Crocheters. Weavers. Rug Hookers. Basket Weavers. And a mixture of all the above. What fun!



And I have a new spindle via eMail sort of. One of the dealers wasn't going to be there so she sent it on approval. It's an Ashford and I love it. And, I can spin! Rather thick yarn but most of the time it's at least sort of the same diameter. And that's thanks to someone named Megan Lacore who posted a video of the park and draft method on You Tube.





I took fiber that I already had, but also came home with several ounces of various types of wool. There was a talk on these various breeds but much of it got lost in my brain so I'm going to look each one of them up on the internet and print out the info so when I'm using it, I can know more about what I have in my hands.



I also got to use hand cards..I love doing that! And finally got to see someone use a diz. How cool is that thing? Amazing that the fiber just sitting there in those combs would turn itself into some roving after going through the diz. I watched one friend just spin away without even having roving. Just spinning from the little wads of fiber. I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon! And I learned how to do locker hooking using roving. Wow what a rug you could make!

And there was lots of eating and talking and talking and laughing and eating and talking. I'm exhausted! I think being sociable is just exhausting.

The Real Me??

I saw this test over at Sara's and just had to try it. I'm not sure if I like the results. Although, some of them are almost uncomfortably true. Take your pick. /shrugs

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Meet Della

No, Della is not this kitty visitor although kitty is quite pretty. And NOT mine. Just one of the kitties who come to visit me. Fortunately, he/she seems to be well fed and healthy so I think kitty must belong to a neighbor.



This is Della. My new-to-me clothes dryer. The real life Della was a hard scrabble lady who, by necessity, clawed her way through life but always had time for a gawky girl. Hopefully this Della will be the same. It's been a long time since a dryer lived here. And wonder of wonders, the city water was clean enough to actually do ALL the laundry at home. So I start this Monday with a pouch still full of quarters and clean underwear. What a concept!



There has been knitting going on. I had to totally rip out the big section of the blanket as somewhere near the the first miter I added a stitch. But it is reknit now and folded up neatly in the drawer. Now I have to get more yarn. There are two unrelated socks on needles as well as two that are related but not much to show yet. More about them maybe this evening.

Last week was a total bitch and I was so glad that I had my yarn to come home to and spend time with..and there are two prepositions hanging in space. Sometimes life is so not fair. But, knit on!

So, what's up with you?

October

started out as a major bitch! I came home from work soooo angry. But seeing this tempered the anger and by the time I went to bed I was feeling much better and singing too! Thanks Ann and Kay! Y'all are too much!!!!!

Some Don't Like Mondays

And I can sympathize. After a very good weekend full of housekeeping, and knitting, and football and visiting with friends, it's very hard to get excited about going to work. However, considering the alternative, I'll just go in with a smile on my face and be thankful that I can continue to earn my living. There are cats and a dog to feed, and me too. And yarn that hasn't been purchased yet. So...off I go. Hope your day goes extremely well!

I'm a Winner!

Knitty Otter had a contest.
E I E I O
And in the contest I got second
E I E I O
With sock yarn here
And sock yarn there
Fun book
Chewing gum
Chocolate, chocolate everywhere
Knitty Otter had a contest
E I E I O

Go over and see what I won because the pictures I took really, really suck! Yummy sock yarn that I've never seen before and have been cuddling with. And a really fun book...except I think I wore some of those items. Makes me wonder what future generations will think of some of the things that are designed now.

So now that I have the yarn for the Lady Sweater, and softball sock on the needle, it's time to show progress. 'cept there hasn't been any. Softball was rained out and/or games have been out of town. They start so early that unless they are here, I can't get to them in time to watch. Lady Sweater? Not even a swatch.

But I have been knitting. Last summer I bought a bunch of Rowan Spray during Webs' Summer sale even though I had no idea what it would be like. Somehow it just called my name and it was at a price (then) I could afford. One morning while eating Cheerios, I decided it should be a afghan. EZ's garter stitch. Oh it's mostly mindless but my gosh, it surely makes my hands hurt. Size 15 needles in hands used to maybe sometimes using an 8 is a new adventure. I've been knitting like a mad dog because I don't think I have quite enough and I need to see how much more I need to buy. My plan is to knit two of the pieces. Count balls of yarn used and then check the rest of the stash. Since it's supposed to be handwashed or dry cleaned I'm thinking that it probably isn't the smartest thing I've ever done. No way could it be hand washed! But hopefully any hair balls will clean up well by spot cleaning. Cause you KNOW as soon as it's done and blocked, somebody will grace it with a gift!

Here's a sucky pic of it so far.



And no, I don't have a yellow floor.

And here's a better pic of the yarn.



And now I have to go hop in the tub and get dressed because today I'M GOING TO THE STATE FAIR! Getting all ready for sheep, and cinnamon rolls, and goats, and gyros, and cows, and funnel cake, and quilting, and corn dogs, and knitting and candy apples, and spinning, and ferris wheels and and and. Actually I don't think I can eat all that but gyro and funnel cake are definitely on the list.

See ya laters!

Softball Sky

It was a very drizzly evening as the girls headed out on the field. Gray,overcast and wet.

But later, if you looked west you saw this



And, if you looked east you saw this.



Double beauty and a real treat. Just think, all the folks inside watching tv probably missed it.

New Stuff

After a week of extremely tiring work followed by extremely tiring evenings, I took Saturday off. Well, almost. I did the laundry first and got some groceries, then hopped into the car and went to the City. Had lots of fun at the LYS, talking and laughing and buying yarn. Most fun was that I had a $20 coupon to turn in on the price. Yay! And there was a stop at Barnes and Noble and Michael's. And a futile stop at Best Buy.

Got home mid-afternoon just in time to watch the first (on tv that wasn't ppv)OU football game! Another yay! Even if I did doze off sitting up and was awakened when a cat climbed onto my shoulder.

Finally play time was over and I thought I'd do the ironing so I didn't have to do it today but bleh...the iron doesn't work anymore. And I love that iron! I think I might be able to fix it but not today. So another trip out to secure a new iron. How exciting is that? And, as another treat, I got a package of those watering balls. If they work, I'm going to get another pair. Some of my plants are rather awkward to water and this could be a lot easier and less potential for mess.



The yarn? Cascade 220 in a deep piney with a sort of blueish undertone for February Lady Sweater. I've never knit a sweater so this should be interesting. I bought yarn for a sweater this summer but I didn't get enough. Note to self...don't just guess at how much will be needed. Today after all the chores I ignored yesterday were done, I sat down to mark the pattern so that I'd not get mixed up on how many stitches were needed in any section. I got out my brand new fluorescent yellow highlighter and was going great guns when ooops...I forgot that it was printed on an inkjet printer and the highlighter smeared the numbers. So I'll print it out at work maybe on the laser. It's always something. :-)

But now it's time for more football..or maybe a nap. I am for sure a happy girl today.

Living Out of a Box

Well, sorta. For the last two weeks, I've been putting all the books in the living room and bedroom in boxes and toting them down to the basement. I didn't realize how many there were or how heavy they were. I finally wore completely out so some of the knitting books and notebooks are in their boxes in the play room. All furniture was dragged out into other spaces and a deep cleaning began. Walls were washed (if I'd planned better, I would have painted) in anticipation of the great Labor Day/Rug Doctor weekend. Which would have been easier if I hadn't had to drag furniture from one room to another in the midst of it. But it's done. And I can paint later..maybe.



The box? Well here it is. Current knitting. The stripey sock is also known as Softball Sock since the only time I knit on it is at The Girl's games. And school ball just started. The gorgeous seagreen/blue yarn is a new acquisition. You can see it better here.



Totally yummy goodness from Jessie at A Piece of Vermont. Its 60%merino 30% Bamboo and 10% Nylon. Undoubtedly the most luxurious sock yarn I've ever had. So far, I have the ribbing done for one sock. After this weekend, my hands hurt too much to use my smaller needles. But just petting it occasionally makes me very happy

And next to it is the project getting the most time lately. A winter scarf that's easy on the hands and brain. Just what I need right now.



And a new magazine that arrived in the mail...and tucked inside it are bills that came the same day. Note to self: Pay bills before they get lost. And something from Netflix and the remotes.

Late yesterday I brought in a dresser that was in the play room to replace the non-functional cabinet model tv that used to be used as somewhere to put the little tv that works. It's now on the front porch waiting for bulky trash day. How redneck is my life?? Oh yeah, baby! This dresser will give me a lot of storage in there. Now to figure out what to do with the stuff that was in it. And the wall stuff needs to be moved. The clock will stay, but Gold Hill and sheep and Beatrix Potter have to find a new space.



Much to do. But today is Labor Day! It's, for me, ranks right up there with Christmas. The winter holiday will always be beloved if only for all the sparkle and twinkle it adds to life. But Labor Day...it's about ME and YOU and all the others that work for a living.

And it will be celebrated on the loveseat with my feet up. And it will include lots of hopes of good fortune for those affected by Gustav. Hang on Terri! And the scarf will grow a bit. And email will get answered. And maybe...err..probably a nap.

One Sock, Two Socks

Green Socks, New Socks



Just getting a picture took awhile since my boy Hershey felt it necessary to rub his face all over them first. I'm not sure if he was staking a claim on my feet or the wool :-)



Embossed Leaves by Mona Schmidt from Interweave's Favorite Socks (25 Timeless Designs)

Yarn: Knitpicks Bare fingering weight dyed with lots of Green Apple Kool Aid.

Needles: Well used Crystal Palace Bamboo Size 2.

Cheats...Well ok, so I did a regular long tail cast-on. I haven't quite figured out the tubular that Ms.Schmidt uses.

Loads of fun to knit and I love the way they turned out. Thank Ms. Schmidt and Interweave!

Next up? Not sure. I need to make the 2nd Pride Sock mainly so all those balls of yarn can be put up. But I'd kind of like to try my hand at the STR Monkey or perhaps a scarf. Or..maybe all of them at the same time. Nah...that's probably not a great idea.

A Colorful Gift

And it didn't come in the mail, or for that matter, from a person. I have a crystal hanging in one of the west living room windows. Usually as the sun moves over that way, it makes patterns on the floor or sometimes on living room walls. But yesterday, when I came home from work and walked into the dark dining room, I saw this playing in the corner.



I decided it was there to give me hope for whatever. There are always surprises and sometimes they are very nice. I hope today brings you a nice surprise

Too Damn Hot!

Someone I know and love is moving south and I'm thinking maybe that's what's causing this heat wave! I don't like summer and this just adds insult to injury. The weather man said it was 104 here (in the shade). But in my shade it looks like this.

Blogger won't let me upload pictures. So imagine a thermometer that says 110
And, in spite of watering every day, my tomatoes and zinnias look like this.

Imagine dead flowers and dead tomatoe plants

There are advantages though. Yesterday I had almost convinced myself that I 'needed' to drive over to the City to check out the 2 LYS and see if I could find something I could afford to make the February Lady Sweater. I have no idea if I could even do it having never knitted a sweater before, but I've read through the instructions a number to times and at the moment, I even think I understand them. So I got all excited and then I opened the door. It was like walking up to a blast furnace. I turned around and came back inside and decided that I'd rather get back in my jammies and knit on my sock. Oh look, there's almost a pair!

Imagine sock #2 about 3/4 of the way done.

I thought I would have them both done by now but got derailed last week with another corneal erosion. This one was different. Usually it hurts like hell (kinda like if you're in shorts and sitting on leather car seat on a hot day..when you get up it feels like all the skin on your thighs just left only this is in your eye); I go to the eye doc, she puts in a bandage contact and pain drops and shazamm it feels all better. Still have to deal with all the drops and stuff but usually in a day or so it's much better and I can get back to fun stuff. This time it wasn't as serious. No cells were lost just kinda banged up and the discomfort wasn't so bad. But the next day something was terribly wrong. I couldn't see worth a darn. If I closed that eye I could see kinda ok, but that eye's vision was like looking at something through moving water. There was no way I could focus. Apparently there was some swelling and since it was over my cornea it was kinda like a faceted something. I dunno. I just know it sucked. I discovered that if I patched it, at least I got rid of all the discordant visions, but my other eye surely got tired of doing all the work. If it hadn't been end-of-month I would have stayed home from work. All's well that ends well and now it's all fine and I just have to get caught up on missed blogs and emails and my 2nd sock.

It's 8:45 PM and I just let the dog out. It's basically dark out, and I checked the thermometer. Oh wow, it's cooling down. Now it's 107! But there is hope. There was a football game on tv last night!!! Woohoo, football once again approaches! There will be an autumn!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Oh I had just the best time at the Fiber Christmas in July thing! Got to see people I haven't seen since spring and meet new folks too. AND, I actually got to spin (badly but still) on two different wheels!

A lady had a Babe for sale (and I even could afford it) but she didn't really know much about it, so she took it and Kerri, Bruce and I to a vendor. The one this lady had was a single treadle and I just sucked. I was kinda scared because I thought I couldn't even do this. It wasn't the spinning...I expected that to suck. I just was so uncomfortable with the treadle. So she let us try a double treadle. Yayyyyy that was so much better for me. We played a bit there and went on to gawk at other things. Bruce was a real help. He asked a lot of umm.. mechanical type questions that I didn't even know. So we wandered around some more and then later on, I introduced Kerri to my friend Gwen. Gwen is an amazing spinner and we told her our tale of the Babe. She invited us to spin on her wheel but explained that she had purchased it for convenience of travel and didn't recommend it to a beginner because it was rather tempermental. (LOL I wrote down Gwen's Wheel but didn't write down it's name duh) I don't think Kerri enjoyed it much, but I sat down and just was immediately comfortable with it. Spinning still sucked but the treadling was great!
I was in love! She told us to try lots of wheels before choosing one and now we know of a vendor of various wheels in our area and she said we could come and play. Now...all I need is money!

It's awkward since there are things I NEED that require money and I feel somewhat guilty for even thinking of spending big bucks on a wheel. But, who knows, maybe someone will upgrade and decide to sell their used wheel.

At one point, I was sitting on the floor (all the vendors were INSIDE in an airconditioned building on the fairgrounds!) looking at a Schact Ladybug. Just kind of touching it and I noticed this woman kept giving me these 'looks'. Turns out she was in the process of buying it. Sorry! But it was a really cute wheel and I like that style rather than the more traditional looking ones.

I came home with a couple of brochures so I can gaze longingly :-) And I came home with this.




More fiber that I can't spin but gosh it's so beautiful. I had to just have a bit of it for inspiration!

It was all quite fun and maybe the best part was just enjoying being with Kerri and Bruce. What a fun couple! Kerri is a beginning knitter now thanks to the trip up and back and has plans for a baby blanket! It will probably be gorgeous. She catches on to everything so fast. Sucks that she's already spun and plied two skeins of yarn from her drop spindle :-0 !

So it was a day of lots of fiber, lots of fun, lots of giggles and grins. Can't beat it!

Hurry Up Weekend!

What a week this has been. A person in my circle died Monday evening. I wasn't extremely close to him but he was extremely close and related to good friends. A young man so doubly difficult. So it's been a week of getting food, plants and paper products arranged/delivered. I don't know how it is in other places, but here death and funerals are about FOOD and lots of it. The grieving friends and family become sort of a reunion. Lots of stories and tears and laughter.

And, in the midst of it, The Boy turned 18. I was pleased that everything sort of went on hold so that he could have a really good birthday in spite of everything else. And that involved food too. Really good unhealthy chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with white or brown gravy, green beans with bacon, homemade ice cream and of course, birthday cake!

And if that wasn't enough food, a rep brought lunch to work...bbq brisket, baked beans etc. My diet has not been the greatest but it all really tastes good.

The funeral is tomorrow, and besides going to work and a funeral, I need to get a ton more food over there for the family. Lots of people contributing...I'm NOT a cook. I primarily transport stuff and provide paper stuff. Paper plates, napkins, toilet paper...hey there are a lot of extra folks at my friend's home!

But it hasn't been totally fiber free. I did dye some yarn some night (I can't even remember when, but long enough ago that it's dry. I call it watermelon yarn. Base is Paton's Classic Wool that was napping in my stash. It's a gift for my friend Kerri who says she likes bright colors. It's not quite this garish in natural light, but by the time I got home this evening it was dark outside. It reminds me of watermelon.



I hope she likes it. On Saturday bright and early I'm tagging along with her and the hubby and heading to the northeastern part of the state for a Fiber Christmas in July affair. I've never been before, nor has she, so there will be two of us gawking at all the fiber and wheels and animals. She wants to learn to knit (she's a crocheter now) and hopefully I can teach her at least a long tail cast on, and knit and purl. Hopefully she won't need help counting. I'm going to give her my stitch and bitch book for some backup.

I am soooooooooo excited about this adventure. Fiber and friends. What fun. And just two more sleeps until it all comes about!

Ready for Toes

Actually a couple rows into the toe, but alas I have to do some tinking. My count is already off. It was the dreaded 9 PM curse. I usually go to bed between 9 and 10..closer to 10. And I've discovered that once 9 PM arrives, I get in the 'one more row' mode..and hurry. And then I make mistakes. So I'm trying to not knit after 9. But gee, the toe! It's not a regular sort of toe and I was excited to see how it happens. And now after 4 rows, I'm off count on one needle. Hopefully I'll have time this morning to tink it back.

Want to see? Here ya go.



I am still just loving this pattern! I think it's very pretty and it's fun to do and I can DO it.

Where Did the Weekend Go?

Boy, that went way too fast. Maybe it was those naps that make me think I fell into an alternate time zone! It was just HOT. So the only outside stuff that got done was a wee bit of weeding at 6 AM yesterday morning.

Zoey seems to be just fine. Gave her a buzz cut yesterday morning and she's quit looking like she might melt. I don't think I need to quit my day job and take up dog grooming though ::shrug::

And the sock continues to grow and I continue to love knitting it. Now that I'm on the foot it just speeds along since the pattern is only on two needles. I did take an update pic before bed last night. But I guess my mind was on sleep instead of photographing because it was all crooked on my foot and you can't really see the pattern. Not only should I not knit after 9, but take photos too, I guess.

Hope your weekend was great and your week even better!

Whew!

Yesterday was one of those use-it-or-lose-it vacation days. Preplanned for about umm 48 hours. And, indeed I did have plans. So it was up at the usual time 0500; laundry was washed; and after my cereal off to the laundromat. By 0900 I was back at home with clean clothes/linens etc and had done the grocery shopping. The grocery was having a sale and KoolAid was 12 for $1 so I stocked up for dyeing fun.

Did a bit of ironing and then sat down to make a list because I was going to the City! Was going to go to the yarn store and show off the handspun that Josette sent me and hopefully get some ideas on something cool to knit with it. And to Barnes and Noble and out for a late lunch.

So I'm making this list, and my dog Zoey starts making some weird thumping sounds. Sort of like if she scratches her ear and her foot hits the floor. She was on the other side of the table so I leaned around to see what she was doing and it looked like she was scooting her butt.

"Hey! Don't do that, let's go outside!" That's when I realized what she was trying to do was stand up. She'd been sleeping soundly for awhile and I know sometimes after a good night's sleep bodies can get rather creaky. I went over and helped her up only to catch her as she fell over to the left. She's looking at me like HELP. I rubbed her left leg and hip a bit. No owies noted but she just couldn't stand. I called the vet and scooped her up and off we went. Carrying her big self down the steps was a trick but she was very quiet and not trying to get down so that helped.

By the time we got out there she could stand for a second or two..thank goodness he helped me get her on the table. He wiggled everything still no owies noted. She had a bit of a temp and let him know what she thought about rectal temps by pooping on the table (NOT something she would normally do). He suggested that I leave her for a bit and I agreed.

Well, that cancelled any plans to go to the City. It was not that I could do anything by staying home, but I just wanted to stay close in case I was needed. So back home. I tried knitting on my sock but I was too antsy to settle. So I did some house stuff and tended to some paperwork. Finally he called me about 3 and said she had just been sleeping but was now up and moving a bit in her big cage and told me to come out about 5:30. Left me enough time to run to the next town where I got a birthday card for The Boy (it had to be one that 'sings') and found a new issue of Simply Knitting.

Went to pick her up and she just seems fine! He has me giving her an NSAID twice a day as he's thinking it is related to some disk problems. We shall see. I think it looked more like a TIA. Although those usually affect a whole side instead of just one extremity.

Finally got supper done and cleaned up and just sat down to knit when the doorbell rang. It was The Girl and her sister with good news. It seems that Dad may not have to go to Iraq after all. :::crossing fingers and toes::: And by the time they left it was bedtime. Maybe knitting tonight.

Show Off!

New things to show you. Finally I have completed, if not a sock, then a sock top. And, sometimes I had to count past 4. I have had such fun with this pattern. My gnat-like attention span is happy because every row is a bit different but not difficult. This may actually become a pair! The yarn is some Knitpicks Bare that I dyed awhile back. It was going to become another pair of Monkeys but apparently I got distracted or something. I stumbled upon the yarn again one evening and thought that the following morning I'd look out the pattern.

But that night, I dreamed I was wearing a pair of handknit socks, and knitting another pair. Specific socks, but I didn't know what they were. They weren't in my printed out patterns. And I'm not skilled enough to imagine up something like them. I was on my way out the door to go to work when I had a thought. I dashed back in and pulled Favorite Socks (Interweave) off the shelf and there they were! Embossed Leaves socks by Mona Schmidt. I'm quite pleased since I've followed a chart! First time for stitches.



But heh, I don't think I'll be knitting the ones I dreamed I was knitting anytime soon. A bit past my skill level I think. :-)

The other goodies in the picture arrived in the mail this week. A surprise gift for no reason from my friend Ann who's not blogging right now I guess. There's a kitty cat magnetic book marker. (No worries about it falling out!) And some adorable tiny rubber duckie magnets. And a magnet that says "Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is". And the adorable card says "Success consists of getting up once oftener than you fall down". I loved each of them. But today, I became aware of some things at work which might mean I need to hang on tightly to them and memorize them. Good timing, Ann girl!

And now to go start a heel.

Getting To Know Me

Maybe you really don't want to..'tis your choice. I'm not vain enough to think you've been waiting a long time for this post. Actually, it's so I'll stand a chance at winning a prize over at Knitty Otter's.

Getting to Know you Contest Questionnaire:

1.) How long have you been knitting?
Since sometime in 2005. I was way late coming to knitting. Not because I didn't want to knit, but because I couldn't figure it out from books and knew nobody that knitted. Finally a yarn store opened in the City and I took your basic knitting class. Still have my first swatch too!

2.) How long have you been knitting socks?
I think since the spring of 2006. It was after I started the blog..that's all I know. And I was sooooooooooo proud of them!

3.) What do you do with a problem like Maria?
Help her and Tony get out of Manhattan!

4.) What is your all time favorite sock yarn?
Cabin Cove or Regia. A lot of people don't like Regia apparently but it's been good to me. I've used a lot of Knitpicks dye-it-yourself too. I haven't used very many different ones. I have some yummy Cherry Tree that I need to find just the right pattern for, and I want to try some of that Dream in Color sock yarn. Have you used it? Such delicious colors!

5.) Toe Up or Cuff Down?
Cuff down. I keep saying I will learn toe up but I just can't quite get there from here.

6.) What's your favorite color (this week or for all time)? Do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

This week it's teal and chocolate. Not that I have anything that color except for a little notebook. In summer I wear a lot of orange/pink/lime stuff. In winter I'm quite drab for some reason

7.) Do you have a pet(s)?
Oh yeah! A neurotic dog named Zoey, and 3 cats. Mary, who is 19 years old and demands respect and a street-bred Siamese Hershey, who's about 13 and my snuggliest kitty. And last, but not least, Mercy the calico helper cat. She likes to help a lot although she's really not too good at it.

8.) Babies: Oven Roasted or Barbecued?
bbq all the time!

9.) Besides socks what is your favorite type of thing to knit?
Mitts and mittens. My goal is to someday create a wonderful thumb!

10.) What's your favorite scent?
Vanilla and freshly mowed clover.

11.) What music are you really loving right now? Like a song or a band?
Today I'm listening to Dave Brubeck on Pandora.com

12.) How many pairs of socks have you hand knit?
About 10, I think.

13.) What's your favorite treat? Salty or Sweet?
how about both? Ice cream, chocolate syrup, and nuts sprinkled on top.

14.) What was the most interesting thing you smelled yesterday. Not good or bad necessarily, just the thing that stuck out most so that you actually took notice of it.
Let's just say the dog had an upset tummy and leave it at that.

15.) Needles - DPN's: Wooden, metal or plastic?
Crystal Palace bamboo. Love 'em!!!

16.) What is your favorite sock pattern that you've knit? What do you recommend?
Right now I'm knitting Mona Schmidt's Embossed Leaves socks from Interweave's Favorite Socks and I'm really loving them. I loved Monkey too. But most of my socks are ribbed tops.

17.) The last Question: If you were stuck on a deserted island who would you want with you, what knitting would you want with you and would you ever want to leave?

I would want my boy cat and some sort of MacGyver person there to build shelters and stuff. I would want all my dpns and a large assortment of yarn cause I have the attention span of a gnat. And yes, I'd want to leave cause I really hate hot weather and I'm thinking that's what you'd have.

So there you go. If you do this, be sure and let me know so I can come snoop :-)

I Was Going To Show Some Knitting..

I've knitted off and on this week on a sock, with plans to show it's progress this morning. However, everytime I picked it up I noticed a glitch on the first row after the ribbing. Not a missed stitch that I could pick up. I'm not sure what it was but it was wrong. I told myself that it wasn't really all that obvious, and it wasn't really. But I couldn't live with it and all that knitting hit the frog pile leaving only the ribbing. Maybe tomorrow there will be some progress.



In the meantime, I'll show you something of great interest at work for the last couple of weeks. A bird (not sure what kind, maybe a barn swallow?) built a mud nest over the light outside our door.





All well and good, and occasionally we would hear a little peep. But apparently as the wee things grew and became more obvious, the parents decided we were going to hurt them so getting into the office became a game of dodge-bird. They didn't actually hit anyone, but they did make for an interesting entrance/exit. Nobody told on them so they just kept after us and we became quicker and more agile. Finally the little beggars apparently learned to fly and left home. And once more, going to work isn't very exciting.

Such a Good Weekend!

This has been a very rewarding long weekend. The weather was beautiful. Hot, but not as muggy as it could have been.



It actually started Thursday evening. A last minute trip to the library got me books to read and this lovely flower from the librarian. I forgot what she said it was, and don't you love my vase. It's beauty was gone by morning but what a glamorous addition to my kitchen window for a while.



Ribs, burgers, and hot dogs off the grill and last night my good friend Jackie came by and brought me yellow squash from her garden and cold watermelon all cut up and ready to eat. Ohhhh it was so sweet. And fireworks (on tv..no mosquitos!)

And I kept myself quite happily entertained. I finished repotting the houseplants and they are all happily back in their places except for one. The Norfolk pine had to go up a size in pot and once it was all done, I discovered that it's too heavy for me to carry. So it's in a shady place on the patio. It's really too broad for my little house, so I'm sure it's happy spreading it's branches. This ivy was so twisted and tangled around it's support. And then I discovered that the support was actually broken off at soil level.



What to do? I rummaged around in the garage and chose an old fence picket; cut it off and put push pins in as guides and now it's much neater and it can spread out a bit in it's bigger pot.



I put supports around my baby tomato plants. They are volunteers that came up in the pot of zinnias and now have a home of their own. They are way off schedule since they didn't sprout until everyone else had big plants. But maybe by fall I'll have a tomato. And who knows what it will be since it won't be the same as the Romas of last year. A mystery!



There was more shrub trimming. I can't do it for long at a time, but each morning of this weekend, I've been out early and did a bit.

Inside, I dyed up some little pieces of an old canvas drop cloth for a project that's still sort of in the planning. I think it will need some adjustment as they shrunk a bit in the hot dye water. Once again, I didn't read until the end of the instructions on the dye packet and so once they were all in the dye water I discovered that I was supposed to have added salt. OK I did...just not how they had directed. And I'm thinking that contributed to the mottled effect. Which is just super because that's how I wanted it. I wadded up some of the pieces after they'd gotten wet and it made for some nice marks. But ye gods, it took a long time to get clear water when I rinsed them. Finally used some Synthrapol. That worked well and I think I'll try it on some yarn I dyed years ago that wants to rub off on everything. Can't use it the way it is, that's for sure.





There was lazy time spent reading while sprawled across the bed with the fan blowing on me. Note the goofy bookmark. It was an experiment to see if I could get sharp marks with a Sharpie on some more of the canvas. Uh nope. It tends to bleed out a bit. Will have to rethink another project. Maybe a paint pen?



Today is about washing the bedroom curtains and starting to sew a sundress with my new (as of December) sewing machine. I did get it threaded without much difficulty! Yay! Haven't quite managed anything other than straight stitching but it's a start. And oh my, it's so quiet!



And, of course, my new delicious yarn!

It's been such a good mix of friends and projects and getting things done and being lazy. I could really get used to this!

So, what did you do on this gift of a 3 day weekend?