Still Here!

Whoooa, I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. I guess when I talk to y'all in my head, it should be while I'm at the keyboard. Sorry.

Lots going on here. Well, perhaps not a lot if compared to truly exciting lives, but certainly in mine.

WHEELS: First of all, after a couple of months of really unreliable transportation which culminated in antifreeze all over the driveway...and then after a couple of weeks while my vehicle was hospitalized, I once again have wheels. It was a great day when Lily came back home and I could drive without a light coming on or a gauge getting wonky. There is NO public transportation here. Rides to work weren't a problem and I occasionally got to go to Walmart but other than that I was home. Fortunately I can entertain myself pretty easily.

Then, the weekend after I got Lily home, there was an advertisement in our local paper about Tai-Chi classes starting. I knew the person getting it organized, called and signed up. I have been hoping for this for a long time. And I LOVE it! I used to have a tape given to me by someone who had studied for years but the tape broke and I was never quite sure what I was doing. Our instructor is a hoot! And no, I'm not going to try for a Jackie Chan movie. This is designed for seniors, although he does occasionally show us how the movement we are working on translates into martial art. But hey maybe I can be in a laxative commercial someday. And, yay...it doesn't requite that I go out and buy special clothing or mats or blocks or knit a mat bag. Or sit on the floor! I can sit there, I just can't get back up.

Yesterday I zoomed around doing errands and worked in the yard a bit, gave Lily a bath, did laundry. All that Saturday stuff. Today was going to be about staying in my pjs all day with some blog reading. I stopped at Laura's early...then followed a link to her friend's so I could look at a picture and at the end of that post saw a reference to these Cupcake Mitts. Oh the crow in me rejoiced at the bright colors and mixedy up stitches! Reminds me a lot of Kristin Nicholas' work..not that I've ever actually seen her books but I surely like the pictures! And, there was still a pattern left. Must have! Which would have been rather simple if I could have remembered my 'name' on Etsy or my password on Paypal. (I've been really trying to be frugal). Finally I got it all together and the pattern arrived in my mailbox. Gotta love the innernets!

But wait..it calls for DK yarn. I have nary a skein. OMG, I must have it NOW! So, sacrificing jammies, I got dressed and headed for my new (almost)LYS..SWAK in the City. I'm so glad those Guthrie ladies decided to open a store closer to me!

And the yarn? Berroco Comfort DK. Yeah, acrylic but the softest yarn I've ever felt. Love it!


So now, once I make supper and clean up, it's back to jammies and my knitting needles. I'll have to explain to the sock I just started that it gets to nap tonight so I can at least get a few rows done.

And...in case you wanted to know more about me...

Your Score: Rabbit

You scored 21 Ego, 14 Anxiety, and 18 Agency!

IT was going to be one of Rabbit's busy days. As soon as he woke up he felt important, as if everything depended upon him. It was just the day for Organizing Something, or for Writing a Notice Signed Rabbit, or for Seeing What Everybody Else Thought About It. It was a perfect morning for hurrying round to Pooh, and saying, "Very well, then, I'll tell Piglet," and then going to Piglet, and saying, "Pooh thinks--but perhaps I'd better see Owl first." It was a Captainish sort of day, when everybody said, "Yes, Rabbit " and "No, Rabbit," and waited until he had told them.

You scored as Rabbit!

ABOUT RABBIT: Rabbit is generally considered Clever by his many friends and relations. He is actually a much better reader and writer than Owl, but he doesn't consider it worth mentioning. Instead, Rabbit's real talent lies in Organizing Plans. He organizes rescue parties, makes schemes to reduce Tigger's bounciness, and goes on missions to find out what Christopher Robin does when he's not at the Hundred Acre Woods. Sometimes, however, his Plans do not always go as Planned.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are smart, practical and you plan ahead. People sometimes think that you don't stress or worry, but this is not the case. You are the kind of person who worries in a practical way. You think a) What are my anxieties about and b)what can be done about them? No useless fretting for you. You don't see the point in sitting around and waiting for things to work out, when you could actually work them out today and save yourself a lot of time and worry. Your friends tend to rely on you, because they know that they can trust you help them work things out.

You sometimes tend to be impatient with people who are less practical in their ways. You don't have much patience for idiots who moan about things but never actually DO anything about them. You have high expectations of everyone, including yourself. When you don't succeed at something, or when something goes wrong despite your best efforts to prevent it, you can get quite hard on yourself. You need to cut yourself some slack and accept that everyone has their faults, even you, and THAT IS OKAY. Let yourself be faulty, every now and then, for the sake of your own sanity.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test written by wolfcaroling on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(wolfcaroling)

Thumb Up!

Not thumbs up as there is only one. This went a bit better although I still ended up with a couple of gaps. The whole mitt seemed to take forever. I looked through a plethora of patterns and instructions. The majority of it came from EZ. Only problem was that she reminded me of my mom. You know how moms do. You ask a question about how to prepare some dish and they'll say soemthing like "Add ____ until it looks right" As if you knew what this uncooked something was supposed to look like. So I'm knitting along and she said something to the effect of "When it's time for the thumb, do blah blah blah." I don't know when it's time for this thumb. I'd stuff my hand in the mitt and think ok..it will go here. and then when I actually did the knitting with the contrast yarn, I'd realize it was too high or too low. So...ripppit! This yarn held up nicely through all my do-overs and I had a lot of fun with it.

One thing I really liked was that after the ribbing was done, EZ said to make it smaller by doing some K2Togs, I can't remember exactly how it was written and besides I guess I'm not supposed to say. But you did that for several rows and it really snuggled down the wrist and then you went back up to the regular count. It really seems to make it feel more comfy and secure.

I think it's mate will be a gusset thumb again and hopefully eventually I'll be able to do either and well. It's the year of the thumb?

But tonight, I think I shall crochet a bit. It's been a long time, hope I remember how.

What are you doing these days???

They've got me pegged

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Duh!

I forgot to even show off my award.

Apology,Warning and 10

First the apology. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life because of blogs. And this holiday season, and even after, I received the nicest packages from Ann, Laura, and Cookie. Because I blog, I took pictures of them so I could show off a bit. I truly thought I had done it..showed off, that is. I was horrified to realize I hadn't so was going to do a make-up post. That's when I discovered that not only had I not posted, but I'd not uploaded the pics and yesterday I most diligently emptied the camera card. I am soooo sorry. Thank goodness I also thanked them personally. I received yarn and Hello Kitty goodies, and rubber ducky goodies and Christmas goodies. You'll have to wait for next year to see the Christmas things but I will try to get pics up of the yarns and fabric soon. Damn brain!

A warning. Unless you are incredibly rich, or your husband/partner is or you're well connected with influential people, DO NOT BECOME SERIOUSLY ILL. A coworker who is younger than me is facing this now and it's incredible. I knew that the medical system is flawed, but I didn't realize how badly. The one drug that they've successfully used to treat her illness costs $5000 a month! Her insurance would pay 80% of it, that leaves only $500 to come up with when you are too sick to work. The solution is that she can obtain it for free from the drug company. Hooray, right? But only if she totally quits her job and is ruled indigent. Thank God or someone that she and her mom fairly recently went in together and bought a little house. I just hope (besides hoping against hope that the drug works) is that her mom can afford to keep up payments, utilities and food. If it were me, I'd be s**t out of luck. Quit my job and I'd be in the street. Well, not really. I have a couple of friends that I think would take me in. But I wouldn't be able to take my cats and dog and as far as I'm concerned I just don't think I could cope with being sooo dependent on a friend. So...either get rich in a hurry or stay really healthy. Just because you have insurance, you are still not safe.

Now on a brighter note, Devorah and Cat both honored me with this award.

Oh heck, I forgot to copy the rules. Not to matter cause I'd probably break them anyway. I do know that I am to share 10 blogs with you that Make MY Day. I'm also supposed to tell them I did this but, nah..probably won't as some probably don't even know I exist.

Every day I stop by Dave's and Devorah's and Sara's and Cat's and Ann's (hoping that she'll post) and Paul..hoping that he posts too. What ARE the two of you up to anyway? And Katya's and Cookie's and the Harlot's These are my friends. I truly believe that. Even the Harlot..I've learned a lot from her and in reading her books I sometimes think she's read my mind a couple of times.

But I thought I'd share some other blogs I read and really enjoy.

Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy...Alicia is the greatest! I love her pictures, her home, her pets, her husband. Don't worry Andy! If you've read the Hallmark magazine that's on the stands now, you will have read an article about her/by her. She, to me, is an incredible inspiration on how to turn something perfectly horrid into something much better. I can't wait until her book comes out! And besides, her puppy Clover is too cute for words!

Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits..I'm lucky enough to have won one of Julie's rabbits. Took me a really long time to click fast enough, and quite awhile to save up the change. What an incredible knitter, and even better, what an incredible mother who faces the challenges of raising a lovely family while dealing with autism. I'm so thankful that she has allowed me to be a part of her community. Go now to see Edgar the Elephant! Adorable!!

Kirsten at Through the Loops. One of the first that responded to a comment I made, a very good designer and the lucky mom of some beautifully photographic children. One of these days I'm going to get really brave and make that blue sweater.

And then there's Vicki at Sereknitty. She takes some of the most gorgeous photos and knits beautifully. And I'll always be forever grateful that she put my blog in her sidebar. OMG was I ever excited the day I discovered it.

And from the sidebar at Sereknitty I found Ree at The Pioneer Woman. OMG what a woman!! Sometimes I read and laugh until tears run down my face. This is a real woman married to a rancher and the mother of a bunch of punks. But wait...there's a whole cast of characters! And a lot of horses and cattle and kids and AMAZING photography and she's from my part of the country. And that's not all...she cooks! Big time. Not that winky-dink-drizzle-a-stream-of-sauce-and a tiny piece of something on the plate kind of meals...real food. And, you don't have to have a gourmet market to get the ingredients. I love Ree and I bet you will too!

From my area to far north, meet the Lynne, at Socklady Spins She knits the happiest socks I've ever seen..and monkeys too! And if you want to know about the weather in Newfoundland or see some great snow pics, this is the place to go. Oh good, the weather forecast has been upgraded..it's only supposed to be mid-20s below zero this week instead of in the -30s.

Then, there's the Farm Witch who spins the most incredible yarn; raises kids and animal with equal success and tells stories like no other. And has a heart as big as forever.

And Loribird at From the Wool Room I first 'met' her when she was still in Alaska. She's one busy lady and now is back in college. I can't see how she does it all!

And don't forget What Housework? Besides writing, and dyeing and knitting and tending to her family, there are chickens and Milo..just don't let Milo near your hand.

Is that 10?? If not, make up the rest on your own. The dryer beeped and I need to go work on a mitten thumb...yes the quest continues!

Ahhhh Wednesday!

The last two evenings have been quite busy (and for the most part, unexpected)and knitting time was almost non-existant. I did manage to get the cuff on mitten #2 done while listening to The Girl chatter about boys. But tonight, ahhh tonight..there is absolutely nothing on the schedule. So, I'm hoping once supper is over it can be me and the cats on the couch with yarn. :::crossing fingers::::

What's up in your world?
xo

At Least It's Colorful

And if you don't notice the weird thumb, it doesn't look like the knitting is too bad. That's because you can't see the area between the top of the thumb and the mitt. OMG I ripped that out a bazillion times and still it looked like swiss cheese. It's a bit weird because I've made fingerless mitts that have a partial thumb and I don't remember having that much trouble. I need more practice, I guess. Oh, and yeah, if you're going to make the thumb a different color, you need to start it on the gusset. But I did get really good at M1s.

Yarn: Plymouth Encore from stash
Needles: Crystal Palace Size 6 dpns
Time: ??? off and on yesterday but the cuff was done.



Another source of color in my space is much better behaved. Well, unless you remember that Christmas cactuses are supposed to bloom in December. When it was little, I used to put it in the dark for awhile and bring it out so that it would bloom then. Now, I figure who cares. I would hate being shut up in a dark closet. So it just blooms whenever it wants, and actually blooms more than when I did it 'right.



So there ya go. Happy Monday xo

Much Better!

Yay, I can get my hand in there! That's all that got done because knitting was preceded by a plant showering/watering and the clean up involved when the sprayer handler decides to, for some reason, point it at the kitchen as opposed to pointing it at the plant.



And that's all from me for now because I went back to sleep after the alarm, and after shutting old Mary out so she couldn't drool on my ear until I woke up. And then got entangled in Jonathan Bosworth's site while eating my oatmeal. So...laters xo

Oops

I'd planned on showing you one FO and one in progress shot this morning. But best laid plans of mice (and yes this is a pun)and Susan.

First up the mitten. I really want to make some stranded mittens. Like Bird in Hand that just amaze me with their beauty.

There's a couple small glitches:
a. I've never done stranded and this doesn't seem like the place to start.
b. More importantly, I've only made one baby mitten and it was definitely a beginner effort and not one to keep to wear or give away.

So, I downloaded a basic mitten pattern. Got some yarn out of the stash and cast on the amount of stitches called for using #4 dpns as called for. I knitted the cuff. I thought I'd try it on. Uhhh I can't even get my fingers through it. I counted..count is right. I took it off the needles and onto stich holders so the stitches could thread out. OK fingers will go through but not my thumb. I think I need to use larger needles. Maybe I knit too tight. Frogged and into the basket.

Then the mouse. I've been making some little catnip mouseies. I started out with a pattern. A cute one. But then switched to just some ribbing and stockinette. They don't last long around here because Zoey the wonder dog LOVES catnip. And she has big teeth. So, if you turn your back...it's ripped to shreds and she's eating the spilled catnip. Someone I love just got a new cat and I thought this would be a good little gift. I've been experimenting with different sized needles and have finally settled on 4s as they give a good close knit fabric. So...to last night. Zipped through the mouse, ready for the bobbles that become ears. Yeah, these are fun now. Bobbled ready to make them pointy and shazamm it was if I'd had a small explosion in my hands, knitting and needles went 6 different directions and bobble went kaplooey.

I went to bed. There's always tonight.
xo

Oh Christmas Tree

No, you aren't confused. It really is January 8, and yes the tree is still up. Almost all of the other decorations have been put away and replaced by whatever is supposed to live in those places. But I just can't take down the tree. I don't know if it's because I enjoyed it so much more this year since I was home more, or what. I really started to take it down, and was hit by such great sadness as if a dear friend was going away, never to be seen again.

Sheesh! However, I also decided what the hell. I'm old enough now to not care too much about what I'm supposed to do. So it's still up and still twinkling. And, if passers by laugh when they see the lights through the windows, they'll just attribute it to my general weirdness. After all, I also sit on the sidewalk and take pictures of my feet (to show off new socks) :-)

Weird Weather!

Saturday was in the 70s..yesterday it was 75. In January! Still going to be warmish today but the cooler weather returns on Tuesday, or so say the weathermen.

Saturday seemed to be a very sleepy day. I slept well Friday night but still woke up sleepy. I was doing dishes and realized that I was thinking about how good it would feel to be lying down :-). So the day was interspersed with little naps. Or long naps. And not a whole lot was accomplished.

So Sunday, which according to Cat was Jammie Day became the day to get things done. Laundry and ironing is done. The car is washed. Gave the dog a haircut; not as short as it usually is but at least her feet don't look as big as a saucer. House vacuumed. New windshield wipers were purchased and installed. The patio was swept.

I did manage to mark one thing off the "not weekly" list. The junk drawer in the kitchen is all nice and tidy! Yay me. It was driving me crazy and I'm so glad I don't have to think about it any more.

BEFORE



AFTER



Oh, and a trip to Walmart to purchase plastic drawer things. They had a special and I got two. Well, actually purchased one...stuffed it full and went back for another one "just in case I get more yarn". Most all of the yarn in these drawers is worsted. There is 1 skein of Cascade 220; a couple partial skeins of the same; 2 skeins of Noro Kureyon (where did that come from??) and a lot of Lion Brand wool and Woolease; and a number of skeins of Paton's wool. Ha...I'd buy it on sale because in the old storage system I had no idea of what I had. And some Plymouth Encore. Lots of playtime ahead for sure!

But best of all, some serious porch swing sitting. The winds were too strong for knitting so I read a library book and daydreamed and watched kids out on their new Christmas skate boards and bikes. Nice!

Now it's Monday once again. And I have a job and I love my coworkers so I'm going to be happy about it.

Laters. xo

Friday Night in the Big Town

Yes, at long last it's once again Friday night. Such a time of anticipation and ... uhh laundry but never mind that.

And so how would such a unique individual as me spend such a night? Creatively? Obsessively? Perhaps a bit of both. Much time has been spent this evening doing this



Pattern sorting. There are sooooo many downloaded patterns around here. I hesitate to even think about going through them all. But there were a big stack here on my desk. Three stacks were made:
1. I think I really like this and maybe someday I'll try to make it.
2. I've already made this..loved it and want to make again.
3. I really really really love this and want to make it. Now what do I have to gather in order to do it.

I'm thinking that there are going to have to be a number of 16 inch circs purchased fairly soon. Too bad I can't seem to gather a bunch of patterns that use the same size. Maybe those new bamboo Knitpick ones. I have discovered that my hands truly like bamboo better and they don't get cranky so quickly. I guess it's that they're warm.

And some research needs to be done too. Some of the patterns call for yarn I've never heard of so I'll have to try and figure out what might work since often the pictured yarns are too expensive for my pocket.

Lists have been made, now it's time to put it all up so I can go to bed and dream about knitting hats and bears and mittens. Or maybe I'll just dream of Jon Bon Jovi again.

A slight distraction

Ya gotta wonder about dreams. I woke up the other morning and knew that I'd had a dream that would make folks laugh if I told them about it. But I couldn't remember a bit of it. Hours later, sitting there at work in front of my keyboard I remembered. And burst out laughing. It seems I dreamed that friends of mine were telling me that this guy really ummm..well, really wanted to get to know me very, very well. Wanna know who it was?



I don't have any idea why I would dream about Jon Bon Jovi. Certainly nice scenery though.

I am Somebody

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Countess-Palatine Susan the Strange of Lesser Wobbleton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

so there!

An Omen??

I wrote a rather long post yesterday with pics and everything but alas it has disappeared.

Is this an omen of how 2008 will treat me? Or is this a good thing since somewhere in there were a list of goals...and I seem to have forgotten what they were. At least now I know why nobody commented :-)

I do remember part of it though. I want to wish you and yours the very best in 2008. And may all the bad things forget where you live.

From Me and Mine

to you and yours! May your day be a good one. May your yarn never tangle and always be free of knots. May dropped stitches be found before 10 rows later, and may they be picked up easily. May all felting be on purpose. And may you find all the soft and cuddly parts of your life and cherish them.

FO's and a Happy Surprise

Yes, finally there is an FO here. Yay! There really is some good that comes from doing nothing but take naps, watch Court TV or A&E and knit.



I think I started these in October but they got ignored for awhile. I can't remember why. I made them a bit too long as most of my socks seem to felt a bit or shrink a bit or something. Once I've had them on for awhile they stretch out but I was thinking that they might wear out faster that way. Then today I realized that the only ones that had that problem were my Knitpicks..or maybe the Regias and the Monkeys all just happen to be longer. Oh well...they aren't that too much too big. And yes, there really is a PAIR. I tried taking a picture with both of my feet up on the door and promptly tumped over!

Sometime towards the last of the week I decided I wanted to make a pair of socks out of some Cascade 220 that I had. I found a pattern. So, I got out the bag that has worsted in it and found it. Hooray...except it wasn't enough. I really thought I had purchased two skeins of it...but there was only one there. :-)

Yesterday was hideously cold and the north wind was blowing snow and the roads were slick. I really didn't think I wanted to drive to the City for yarn. Besides that I haven't quite recovered all the energy I wasted last week. Oh well..there are other things to knit.

While blog reading, I read a sad story over at the Farm Witch's. It seems someone she's spoken of before had her whole house burn down. Saved the kid and her purse and a sock on the needles. And, she (FW) asked if anyone had any yarn to spare.

Well sure, I have sock yarn. Not fine handspun but sock yarn all the same and I think it breeds because some of it I don't remember buying. So this afternoon I was gathering up some needles and stuff for a kit..you know, scissors and tape measure etc. And then opened up the cedar chest to get out some yarn. And there...right in the middle of the sock yarn was the other skein of the Cascade.

So, I think I'll eat supper and start a sock! If I don't see you again, enjoy the week! Do something that makes you feel good whether that be a bath or starting a new project of sleeping through the 25th. And be glad you have a home! xo

Not Much

going on here other than cough, wheeze, pant. I went back to the Dr. on Monday and was told that if I wasn't better by today, I would go to the hospital. I'm better, really I am. But sheesh this stuff is big time bad. So I've been being really really good. I've got to get better soon. I'm almost out of groceries. Well, that IS an exaggeration, but I'm almost out of the stuff I eat/drink all the time.

In the meantime, I haven't been a total slug. I made myself a new hat. I was looking for a pattern for a hat with earflaps, printed out a couple and then off to read blogs and found exactly what I wanted.

Meet Thorpe: And no..I'm not modeling it..you don't want to see that!
Specs: Miscellaneous stash yarn that I have no memory of.
Needles: Size 10.5 CP dpns
Time Spent: Not really all that long considering all the naps I take.




I should have made the small size, and then realized it a bit late so I cheated on some of the next rows. For what it's really supposed to look like and on gorgeous models go see Kirsten. It's much cuter there and the pattern is free and fun.

A Little Bit

of snow is all that fell yesterday. I'd heard predictions of from 4-6 inches but it swerved northward before it made it this far east I'm told. Still pretty coming down. I think we got maybe an inch. Still sticking to the grass and bushes but the streets are just wet.

I had big plans for fun yesterday but except for finishing up the holiday cards, I spent most of it curled up on the couch. That respiratory stuff that I had a couple of weeks ago came back with a vengeance on Friday. Didn't feel really bad but was coughing a lot by the time the work day was over. Fed the animals, threw a load of clothes in the washer and started shivering like crazy. I was so cold. It was cold outside and I thought it was just that my bones were cold. But a bit later I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and my ears were as red as Rudolph's nose. Uh oh..temp of 103. So dosed up with Nyquil and headed for the couch. Where I remained until 3 am and my fever broke. Again I was freezing LOL. Changed into real pjs and read a blog or two and headed back to the couch. The cats were thrilled. There's no way I can sleep on there without major cuddling going on. Someday I will maybe get a regular couch instead of a love seat.

Woke up feeling a bit better although all my muscles are so sore from coughing. I was truly glad I had no errands to do but a bit sad that I felt too bad to do any of the fun things I'd lined up. I won't complain though. I could have been as unlucky as Katya...geez girl!

Oh, I'm wondering if any of you know about the legality of buying prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies. And if you know of some that are really legit. Apparently I'm not googling right because although I can find lots of Canadian pharmacies, I can't find the answers to my questions. I buy my meds from our hospital and get a good deal on them, but they cost several hundred dollars a month. They deduct from my paycheck but they never deducted the total amount, instead they deducted 1/4 amount every pay period (every two weeks). I was really happy with that as it allowed me to pay bills, buy food for me and the babies, and even some yarn and fabric now and again. But a new policy has been instituted. The $9++ that I'm behind will be deducted in equal payments from now until July 1st..which will make my take home a bit larger. However, all meds must be paid for completely when you get them. I just can't quite figure out how I'm going to do that. I am amazed at the difference in Canadian prices. For some of the really expensive ones, it's like 50% less. Something is wrong with that picture. I'm going to talk to my PCP about maybe switching some of them to less costly ones, but I've asked my cardiac doc before and he's always said no. And they are all working well. /sigh. I'm sure I'll get it all figured out eventually.

UPDATE: I found the info so you can just disregard :-)


In the meantime, Hershey says a nap will make everything better.

You Say It's Your Birthday~~~~

Do you hear the Beatles singing? No? Maybe it's only at my house cause It's My Birthday too yeah! And I just love it! I don't think I've ever not wanted to recognize a birthday..after all, it IS all about me :-) And as for getting older..well for me it's a good thing. Hey..I survived another year and can look forward to the next year to come. More yarn, more knitting, more fabric, more books more friends, more giggles. Yay!

Today at work, my office coworkers and I are going to have pizza for lunch..AND breadsticks too. And the weatherman says he will 'give' me snow later in the day. Which may mean that I save money. Because an Oklahoma City branch of a nummy yarn store is opening Saturday and I'd planned on helping them celebrate. No matter. I'll stay home and be warm and snuggly (I hope)

If it's not your birthday today...well pretend like it is and do something nice for yourself. French toast maybe?

Paying it Forward

In the midst of watching the lights flicker (still on, yay!)I signed up for this over at Cat's blog. Sounds like great fun to me and no biggie time limit. Here's how it works.

The guidelines: "I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

Want to participate? Be one of the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post and make the same promise on your own blog.

Note: Realistically I will not be knitting you a cabled sweater. But I promise you that whatever I make you will be made with lots of care and love.

And a request...please keep the people affected by this storm in your thoughts. People are dying from using bad choices in keeping warm. Who knew the generator had to be way away from the back door. Not me. And I would imagine there are others that nobody knows or cares about that are suffering. Today in Oklahoma City they opened the Convention Center so people that have just reached their limits can find some warmth and food. I have a friend that's been without power since Sunday. She's ok, but I know from experience that it's very wearing. Anyway, just keep them in your thoughts.

And hug your thermostat :-)

Oh the weather outside~~~

The day's adventures started early. The power went out with a bang around midnight but Mary, the most demanding cat, didn't care. "It's 5 AM and I'm starrrrvvvinnng!" Clamping on my headlight I fed them, and discovered that Zoey is absolutely terrorized by that light. I guess she thought it was chasing her. So whimpering, she hid out behind the love seat. As soon as they finished, we all went back to bed to listen to the radio which picks up one of the local tv stations. Guess what. It's icy and the power is out.

All snuggled up we went back to sleep until dawn sort of arrived at 7:30! I can't remember when I've slept that late. Although very cloudy and dim, I at least could get around without the light.

So, off to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. One pan of water heated makes a big mug of instant coffee (I know) and a big mug of instant oatmeal (blech, I much prefer real oatmeal) and enough water that once cooled can provide face washing, teeth brushing etc. A bit more heated and dishes are done.



Then with a full tummy we went out to explore a bit and to maybe get some ice off the car.

It was a bit tricky exiting the patio, but the intrepid explorers found an alternate route.



If it wasn't so destructive, I'd have to say it's absolutely beautiful. But then sometimes the most dangerous things are the most beautiful.




This little branch is about the size of a skinny pencil. The rest is ice..I'm not sure how ice can be all around something. Must freeze fast before it falls off. I measured 1/2" thick ice on the trunk of my car.



In the center of this picture you can maybe see a broken off tree limb. I don't know where the rest of it is..I'm thinking it's on the roof.



I got a call that the office once again had lights and just as I was trying to get excited about going to work MY lights came on. Yay!! A bath, clean hair and off I go again.

All day long it rained. And rained. And rained. Very uncomfortable as it was very cold but NOT freezing so the streets and sidewalks got much better. The trees are still a disaster. And on the evening news they said that there were 638,000 electric customers without power. I am so blessed!

Lights are a bit flickery tonight and they say there might be freezing drizzle but for now I'm warm, safe and have knitting to do.

See ya tomorrow maybe! xo

More Ice Means Home Early

Home early today as ice or something took out a transformer and my office had no power. It gets really old sitting in the dark listening to the computer batteries beep. As per usual, our emergency lights didn't come on. Plant services brought us a couple of flashlights...they had more, but it seems that D batteries are on back order. :-/.

Unfortunately, there was no power at my house either. Although very gray outside, there was enough light to see my way to the basement and I retrieved My Buddy propane heater and the little one burner propane cook thing. Got them all hooked up, made sure I knew how to turn them on and then I heard a really weird noise. Took me a minute to realize it was my printer turning itself on. Yay..lights! Camera! Action!

Well, not too much action. I'm making a batch of potato soup..it reheats nicely in case the power goes away again. And the down comforter is at the foot of the bed just in case. That funky headlight is in my knitting bag and I have a sock that at this point is just mindless stockinette and some quilt pieces cut out and lots of books and fresh batteries in the radio/tapeplayer/cd thing. I'm good to go. I just hope I'm prepared for nothing.

The roads were really better than they were this morning but we get periodic batches of freezing rain so I'm sure when the sun goes down (I know it's out there somewhere) that will all freeze again.

And so it goes on this frozen prairie. xo

Ice, Ice, Baby

That's what the outside world has been about today. Fortunately I got to stay inside except for brief forays to retrieve propane from the garage and jaunts with Zoey. Except for that, it's all been about the inside.

And inside, it's been warm and happy. Christmas lights on alllll day. Fabric to be cut out. A bit of sock knitting. Just a lot of fun things.

And after fighting with yucky respiratory stuff for way too long, I felt really good. Even when not feeling so well, I couldn't complain too much as I'd dodged it for the last couple of years. Or, perhaps as someone suggested, I needed a rest. Certainly got that. Lots of naps were taken. Lots of tea drank. Mindless tv and some mindless reading. Must have worked...either that or it was the steroids :-O



And I even have a new friend. Meet Axel all the way from the UK, brought into the world by Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits. He was a bit shy at first and thought that he could hide in the tree and check things out before jumping into the softie community here. Now all is well, and he's been telling all sorts of tales to the other bears and lambs and cats and moose and reindeer and hippopotomii that share my home.

Time for lights out now..and the hope that in the morning they'll come on, unaffected by freezing rain weighing down the lines!

xo

38 Things?!?!?!?

Cat tagged me...a while back, and I guess I forgot. So, I really will try to get this done.

38 Things About Me That You May Or May Not Want To Know......

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night. My friend Jackie, who is a total goof!
2. What were you doing at 0800? Driving to the grocery.

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Painting cardboard.

4. What happened to you in 2006? I kept breathing? Nothing earth shattering other than knitting a cable. Well that's pretty important!

5. What was the last thing you said out loud? (to my dog) "It's MY sandwich!"

6. How many beverages did you have today? A pot of coffee, a glass of iced tea, a bottle of water and am working on a little Coke now.

7. What color is your hairbrush? Gray

8. What was the last thing you paid for? Food, sweatpants.

9. Where were you last night? At home...knitting and talking on the phone.

10. What color is your front door? Light Brown

11. Where do you keep your change? In a rubber squeezie which is so dorky and makes me giggle or my car's ashtray pr a mug on my desk

12. What's the weather like today? Cold, gray, damp...love it!

13. What's the best ice cream flavor? Rocky Road or at this time of the year..eggnog.

14. What excites you? Doing stuff with The Girl, shopping with friends, snail mail that doesn't require remittance.

15. Do you want to cut your hair? I got kind of carried away the last time I cut it so uhhhh no.

16. Are you over the age of 25? I can barely remember 25...I think I had a really good time tho.

17. Do you talk a lot? Sometimes.

18. Do you watch the OC? No.

19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes.

20. Do you make up your own words? Of course!

21. Are you a jealous person? No.

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter "A". Amy

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter "K". Kindra

24. Whose the first person on your received calls list? I'm not even sure what that means, but on my answering machine it's Sara.

25. What does the last text message you received say? You can add more time today!

26. Do you chew on your straw? Not when I still have something to drink.

27. Do you have curly hair? No.

28. Where's the next place you're going to? To the living room to put up the Christmas tree and watch football.

29. Who is the rudest person in your life? He's not in my life anymore and I'm truly thankful for that.

30. What was the last thing you ate? A raw carrot.

31. Will you get married in the future? Oh..please NO.

32. What's the best movie you've seen in the past two weeks? The Thin Man..well actually all but one of the group. There was a Thin Man marathon on tv last Friday and I love, love, love those movies.

33. Is there anyone you like right now? I'm thinking this questionnaire was written by someone wayyyyyyyyyy younger than me.

34. When was the last time you did the dishes? This morning.

35. Are you currently depressed? Nope.

36. Did you cry today? No but I sneezed.

37. Why did you answer this post? Because adorable Cat asked me to.

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey....Last time I tagged I got chewed out. I think they are fun but lots don't so I'm chicken to ask.

Thanksgiving Moon Preface

It's sooo bright outside tonight. The moon has a ring not only right around it but another one way farther out. Either my less than sophisticated camera or my less then really good photography skills make for a rather grainy indistinct image. But in real life, it's awesome. So put on your imaginary glasses and erase the graininess and sharpen the sky between the moon and the outer ring. Right now I am especially thankful for the friend that gave me the head's up on it and for having my digital camera so at least I know if I vaguely got it.

Thanksgiving Moon

Recipes

I love looking through recipes. Not only for the images they conjur up in my brain, but also it's like going through a scrapbook of portions of my life. Scribbled on the back of office memo pads; neatly written on index cards or cut from the paper; and now, printed off on the computer. Found in little specialty books. They all recall friends/foes/family..many of whom are no longer here. It used to make me sad, but now it's like the proverbial 'over the river and through the woods' Thanksgiving. Getting to remember with fondness and laughter. And in at one case, she didn't like me at all all...but gosh, she made great pumpkin bread. :-)



Sometimes there are terms that aren't widely stated anymore. And it's a good thing that none of these were written with gel pens because those accidental spills of oil or eggs would have long ago wiped out the words.



Off to do a bit of baking

Thrummed Socks?

Sometimes when there is a weather change coming, my feet along with other parts of me become quite uncomfortable. And regardless of the season, what they want are "fat socks". Now obviously that's a little odd in July..but oh well, I'm a little odd most months.

At work, my woolen socks are good and if I plan what I'm doing, I can manage to stay at my desk for a good period of time with my shoes off and feet out of sight. My feet are never really excited about shoes.

But recently, while doing mitten research, I became interested in the idea of thrummed socks..even if I had to just haul in a thermos of tea and everything I might need for a couple of hours so I could wear them and stay on the couch at home.

In reality at home...oh I am so ashamed...I wear el cheapo acrylic (probably) fat socks like you find hanging on an end cap at a big box store before Christmas. They're soft...I can wander outside in them and get them filthy and throw them in the washer. And, if they get a hole, who cares??? I am too fond and proud of my handknit woolen socks to treat them like that.

So, this past weekend, I purchased two new pair of these non-fashion items for like $2.99 for both. One a solid color, the other had a pattern. My knitting mind couldn't wait to get the little cardboard things out so I could see. Were these stranded??? How did they do this?



Uhhh...like this?



And yes, you can pull out each little strand. I guess that's so the foot part will be warm and the top part will be air-conditioned??

Be safe. Have a good Wednesday!

Yikes!

First of all, the little homemade felt dried..the middle is very strong, the edges where it's thinner..not so. I tried taking a pic of it but the colors were allll wrong. Maybe before I leave for work it will be light enough.

But the yikes is for something totally different. Yesterday when at the yarn store for things they didn't have, I did get a copy of Knit Simple. I mean..I was there, I had to shop, right?? And Sara, no this isn't the same mag we were talking about on the phone.

I'm glad I got it. There was a very interesting article about Alan Dart who does a ton of toy patterns for Simply Knitting (Sara..that's the one :) )I really knew nothing about him because when I googled, I got links to patterns that people were selling on ebay. Never my gnomes pattern though. /insert sad face.

It also had a feature about an afghan made of squares. And in each square was a different sheep done in intarsia. Or I suppose you could convert it to afghan stitch and cross stitch them on. I wasn't at all familiar with the yarn, so off to Google again. I found the first one listed and quickly decided that this project in this yarn was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my price range. But because I like to torture myself I kept clicking and found this site. Apparently this was published before. Neat, eh?? But I think it's got room for a lot of possibilities in the little blocks..and the charts are in the magazine.

I've put this off long enough. It's Monday, and I must get ready for work so that the weekend will get here sooner. Hope today treats you very very well.

More Felting

Early this morning I stacked the two felted sweaters on top of an XL knit shirt I have so you could see how much they shrunk. But the sleeves on the tan one were really bothering me. So back in the pillow case it went and spent more quality time chatting with tennis balls and old jeans. I find it fascinating how different fibers felt in such different ways and times. Now the tan one is about the size of the green one and talk about bloom! Whoa, one fuzzy piece of fabric. I put it and the rack outside for awhile this morning so that the strong breeze would maybe give it a head start on drying but mostly it became adorned with bits of dry leaves so back in it came.

The rest of the morning was spent putting up new plastic on the bathroom window and one of the living room windows and washing two of the blanket curtains. At least two windows are now all clean and fresh for winter. The other ones would have been but the lovely town water system decided to belch brown water so laundry came to a screeching halt.

What's a girl to do if she can't finish the curtain washing? How about shopping? Off to Michael's where they had yarn on sale. I've been wanting to try that Paton's SWS so I got 4 skeins of that and 3 skeins of Paton's regular wool..I forget it's real name and I'm too lazy to go look.

I stopped at Barnes and Noble and did not buy a single thing. This is history! I did look a lot though. The new Spin Off has an interesting article about sock knitting machines. I saw a box of knitting pattern cards called "Hat's, Mittens, Scarves" I really wanted them..I think because I liked the picture on the front and I thought the little cards would be cute. But I'm a little hesitant to buy something that I can't see inside. What if they are all really weird or something. So back on the shelf for them.

Then off to the for real yarn shop for something they didn't have and then home to the still very damp sweater.

But I'd been thinking about wet felting. So after supper was cleared up I decided to experiment. The only roving I have is gray but I wanted something with some color. So off to the play room and the box of needle felting roving stuff. I put a piece of some sort of net/kinda looks like an old timey curtain fabric on a tray. Pulled off some pieces of the roving and kinda spread them all out and then went back and stacked the next layer going in the opposite direction. I could have put more on there but I didn't want to waste it in case it was a disaster.



Then I folded the netted stuff over it and wet it down with soapy water. And then I kinda massaged it with my hands. When it was kinda stuck together so I could pick up this sandwich, I put it on one of my rub boards and rubbed it really well both vertically and horizontally and catty corneredly, then flipped it over and did the other side. So now I have something else to watch dry. :)



If it works, I'll be asking for sources of small amounts of roving. I do so love making messes and playing in water!

So how was YOUR weekend?

Felting Fun

The have-to-be-done stuff was done quickly today, and then it was time to felt those sweaters that Paul sent me. Actually the process started a day ago but there was a wee glitch. I always put the items to be felted in a zip up cotton pillow cover so that all the resulting fuzz pellets won't end up clogging the washer. It never occurred to me that one might someday come unzipped and the sweater in all it's shedding glory would be freed. Until Friday morning that is. And bein's as it was being such a cra**y week, I shut off the washer and went quietly off to work.

So last night I scooped out water by pitcher and poured it through a strainer into a bucket and then refilled the washer at it's lowest setting. Aha..left alone, the fuzz floated to the top and I was able to scoop the last bits out.

Not much more progress last night since I crashed very early and slept through until 2 AM. At that time I watched a bit of the goofiest movie and went to bed for real. 2 AM was just too early to get up.

This morning, just barely up before daybreak, and the regular laundry was done quickly and then it was back to felting. The green sweater felted the most, and I'm noticing that for some reason the sleeves of the tan sweater aren't as felted as the body. I don't quite know what to do about it though.

Oh and look at my new helper. I'd been looking at it at the W*Mart, as the laundry stuff is right across from cat food. I couldn't really justify it for drying socks so I do them one pair at a time and they dry on the cookie rack cooler thingy. But now...tada! From this..



To this..



And on the bottom shelf hiding away are socks and tennis balls. This would be really nifty if it weren't in the 70s and the heat was on. A nice fit over the vent, I'm thinking. And since you can take the mesh "shelves" off (although it will fall over if you took off the cross bars that hold them), it would work for drying bags that need to stand up on their cereal boxes. A good investment, I'm thinking.

No Rabbit For Me

Work continues, for me at least, to be ummm difficult. And I am the happiest girl to know it's Friday! I'm surely hoping that a great attitude adjustment can happen over the weekend. Running errands, cleaning house, doing laundry and playing with fabric and fiber has never sounded so good!

Yesterday I had high hopes that my fast fingers would secure me one of Julie's Little Cotton Rabbit. I've saved up and the cash is in what I call my little bunny bank although it looks more like a fruit jar. Alas, my fingers weren't quite fast enough (I was #2 on one tho) so I shall just content myself with reading this story! Some people are soooo very talented and isn't it just awesome that they share themselves with us????

Last night I was supposed to be getting together with some friends for fibery stuff and chat and tea. I was so tired and what I really wanted to do was cover my head with a blanket and sleep. However, since I'm so thankful that once a month we do this I thought I could at least make an appearance and then leave early. Ha! Of course that didn't happen. By the time I had been there 10 minutes I was revived and laughing and all busy with show and tell. My friend that got me started on the penny rug was seated next to me, and happily petted the new wool from Paul. :-)

So all's well that ends well and...it's FRIDAY!

Wooly Wednesday

When I left work today, I just wanted to come home and hide under the covers. It was NOT a very good day. Actually it ended up really grim. However, there was a surprise awaiting me on my front porch.

Paul was very kind and found some felted wool for me at Rhinebeck! When we chatted before he went, I said that I was looking around here in thrift stores for woolen sweaters that I could felt but they seem to be few and far between..or non-existant in this area. So not only did he send me the felted wool, but also two of his very own sweaters that he no longer wore. I feel really badly about felting them but I shall overcome those feelings because I really really need some bigger pieces of fabric.



The felted sheets are an alpaca/wool blend and they are sooooooooo soft. And I'm really amazed. They are just like a nice woolen fabric..but totally different from the pieces I got at that guy that vendored at our fiber thingy. See how these are sort of puffy and you can see needle puncture rows? It's a solid fabric..it just looks all different. Is this fun or what??



The wool was wrapped neatly in tissue with a piece of heavier paper over the top. And look what the heavier paper was! I'm going to be shopping for a poster frame this weekend. Way cool!



Only one small ummm, challenge perhaps. It seems that Hershey is inordinately fond of the darker piece and was doing his best to appear immoveable. Too bad sweetie..it's mine, all mine! Thanks loads Paul!!

Reds

It's the time of year that I dearly love. I love the colors of the turning leaves all gold and red and bronze and maroon. (and I really want some Turning Leaf wine just because of the name. Has anyone actually tasted it?)I love walking through their crunchy brothers and sisters that have fallen to the ground. It's just THE best thing.

And every year it's the same. I can't remember when the leaves are supposed to be turning and falling. I'd be happy if it started in September. An old farmer once told me that when the leaves hang on to the tree for a long time, it means a bad winter. And that winter he was correct. But, if you don't know when they are supposed to fall off, there's no way for me to know if they're late. Well, I'm thinking if it was January it would be fairly obvious.



I have no idea of what kind of tree this is. This rather blurry pic was taken from the parking lot at work using the zoomy setting. And was accompanied by some quick movement when someone drove up behind me and honked their horn. I wanted to show how it's turning color in sections. The next one is better, and taken with me balancing in a shrub bed. Oh, and because it was only fair, I'll share a photo of one of the shrubs. Don't want to be playing favorites.



House stuff is as done as it's going to get. My friend Jackie and I are going to take some food over to another friend's house. Her m-i-l recently died and is in route back here for services. There are a lot of relatives, and after talking to her, it was decided that we'd bring a bunch of stuff for sandwiches rather than hot dishes. We really need to get going because I bought a big amount of shaved ham with the idea that I would take a small portion of it for my supper last night. OK, so I had more than one sandwich. And am working hard at not eating more. Would be a bit embarrassing to arrive with just a few lonely pieces of ham in the meat packet.