i'm so behind

ok, i know, i've been lax about posting again. so, here goes.

mark's foot is doing very well, his blood pressure isn't. he goes back tuesday to see what they'll say.

sean is doing better. the boys spent friday night away, and they were very well behaved. i think the meds finally kicked in. the clincher will be monday when he goes back to school (he were out friday).

work is boring as usual, and now they're keeping tabs on daily allocated time. i got a slip in my folder that i had fallen below the 90% mark (by .24, sheesh). i always thought it was averaged. gee, maybe that day i had to pee alot? who knows with this lunatic asylum. gee, let's treat us all like we're 12 years old, and have no sense of responsibility. sometimes i get up to go pee out of sheer boredom, because we're not allowed to do anything at our desks, now. sigh.

i spent friday and saturday night at mark's, so i've been behind on my blog reading as well. we're going over to his folks this afternoon to watch iowa state play basketball (i don't know who the opponent is, lol), and then coming back to mark's to watch the superbowl. i could care less, actually, and haven't watched it in years, but the boys (liam in particular) want to watch it, and who knows, maybe the commercials will make it worth it. i'm taking lots of knitting.

speaking of knitting, i FINALLY got something done with the grey yarn i've been wrestling with for 3 days. i did a crossed stitch basketweave looking thing. it looks pretty good. and i'm almost done with #9.

i went to hobby lobby yesterday, and they had flowers on sale for half off, and i've been waiting for a sale like this, so i bought a TON of flowers. hey erin, we got some work to do! lol. i also bought a skein of chunky wool-ease, in an olive green, and that is going to go for squares as well. those will work up quick, lol. i jsut have to figure out what i'm going to do with them. i'm thinking i'll do 2 different squares in each of the olive green and charcoal, and swatch them in 6" squares, which i can stitch into a 12 inch square as well. the wool-ease will be for a4a, as i can't use it for any other ac4c project. i finally found a use for the leftovers, lol.

and since i'm soooooo behind on the calendars, i'm just gonna do them all. back the regular schedule tomorrow (if i'm lucky, lol)

You might be a redneck if your school cafeteria serves venison.
. . . you use a piece of bread as a napkin.
. . . you've ever been on television not wearing a shirt (gee, does that mean playgirl is redneck?)
. . . you have a front door but no steps to get to it.
. . . you have a tennis ball on your truck antenna.
. . . your birth announcements inclue the words rug rat.
. . . your dog wears a shirt with cut-off sleeves.

Knit Bits
1/23 One of the oldest and most unique crafts, knitting has been virtually untouched by modern inventions. Needles have been made lighter and the yarn more interesting, but the technique remains the same. You still use only two needles a ball of yarn, and two basic stitches - knit & purl.
1/24: If you can go into almost any store today and find beautiful knitted sweaters, hats and scarves, you might ask - why bother to knit? But the "shear" joy of wearing a sweater you made and the accomplishment you feel from the whole process is well worth the effort.
1/25: Yarn companies offer free patterns for easy-to-knit projects that you can make by using their product. Some designers share their favorites with the general public on the Internet. Copyrighted patterns are free for personal use - just don't copy and distribute them to others.
1/26: woolgathering\WOOL-gath-uh-ring\j(noun): indulgence in idle daydreaming.

In Wales, woogathering, or gwlana, was a social custom adopted to provide for poorer wives of laborers who did not have access to wool of their own to spin. It involved walking along hedgerows and stone walls and picking off wool that was left behind as the sheep had passed by. Later, after the custom was in little use, woolgathering was considered an unprofitable enterprise. Its practitioners were perceived to wander aimlessly and gained little for their efforts. Hence the association of woolgathering with your mind wandering aimlessly. - Merriam-Webster Dictionary
1/27: The fact is taht women woolgatherers would begin their walk as early as 4 o'clock and could pick up 2-4 lbs in a day. Friendships developed amon woolgathereres as well as local farm families. These women might do chores of an evening at a farm in exchange for room and board for the night. - From Hip to Knit by Judith Swartz.
1/28-29: Sally Fox of Aguila, AZ, is developing, though careful selection and cross-pollination, a naturally colored cotton that is long and strong enough so that it can be spun on industrial machines for mass manufacturing. Several colors are now available. - from Knitting in America by Melanie D. Falick
1/30: Yarn fibers come from multiple sources. Natural animal fibers that can be spun into yarn come from sheep, rabbits, goats, alpaca, vicuna, and even the musk ox. Plants give up yarns such as flax and cotton. Of course, fibers such as nylon, acrylic, and polyester are all strictly man-made.
1/31: Gauge is the most important principle in knitting. People knit so differently in matters of tightness or looseness that it is totally impossible to recommend one size of needle for everybody. Gauge means the number of stitches that you achieve to one inch using the wool and needles you plan to use on the project. Get the gauge right and your measurements accurate and the sweater will fit. - from Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann
2/1: Worsted-weight yarn is useful for everythign from garments to afghans to accessories. Bulky yarn is heavy, thick yarn and works well for heavy sweaters, coats, and afghans.
2/2: Every generation puts its own spin on the craft, and for today's knitters the emphasis has been on using chunky yarn and fat needles for quickly completed projects; exprimenting with exotic fibers and creating colorful garments. - from Stitch'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook By Debbie Stoller (not STOLE-IT!)
2/3: Right now handicrafts in general and needlework in particular are flourishing in a new Golden Age of popularity. Perhaps the hectic pace of modern life leads people to seek moments of peaceful satisfaction. Perhaps today's more cultivated tastes prize the inimitable beauty of handwo9rk above the lesser charms of machine-made goods. Perhaps the labor of the needles seems attractive to more people because it is now a luxury rather than a necessity. - from A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G.Walker
2/4-5: Yarn comes in different plies. But this has nothing to do with the thickness of the yarn. One-ply yarn is a single twisted strand of yarn. Twist two together and you have a two-ply yarn. Three strands twisted together make a three-ply and so on. Three ply silk would be a much thinner yarn than a one-ply of sheep's wool.

Crochet:
1/25: Neopolitan Ribbon Scarf. non-pattern. nuff said.
1/26: Alpaca Weave Scarf. this is interesting. you do a type of filet, then take strands and weave them the length of the scarf.
1/27: Crochet Mary Jane Slippers. These are very simple but cute.
1/28-29: Mobius Scarf/Shawl: This is doen with lace weight mohair, and is very interesting how it's done. and it's a true mobius as well (i still think it's spelled wrong, lol).
1/30: Blue & Gold Flower. This is done with lion brand chenille and cotton, and is very pretty. would make a nice pin, or an embellishment, depending ont he colors you used.
1/31: Snowflake Picture Frame. This is darling! of course, that looks suspiciously like little max (annie modesitt's son). a good granny gift.
2/1: Girl's X's & O's Scarf. This is darling. it starts with a simple dc scarf done in stripes, but then is embellished with circles that are stitched on in contrasting colors, and the fringe is crocheted. cute.
2/2-3: Chevron Circus Gloves. These are cute, but i think, unless i was doing these for a child (or a lunatic, lol) i'd use more subdued colors.
2/4-5: Toast Coaster. These are kitschy, and cute. and very easy.

Knitting

1/23: Felted Bag. this is icelandic wool and mohair. it's cute.
1/24: Eric's Super-Warm Dog Walking Hat. this is knit in a tube, both ends closed, and then one end tucked into the other, for a double thick hat. very nice.
1/25-26: Bavarian Strolling Socks. apparently these are called such because of the color combination used. they are very nice. i'm sensing sockpaloooza material? (yes, i joined, lol)
1/27:Tomm'ys Tartan Vest. hmmm, this is nice. theyr'e trying for more sweaters/vests for the march project of a4a, so maybe i'll adapt this to my handspun?
1/28-29: Easy Elegant Moebius Scarf. this is not done in true moebius fashion. it's worked, then twisted and seamed. still it looks nice (and it's spelled right, too!)
1/30: Cable & Rib Cap. this is cute. this would be good for dulaan (which i need to get started!)
1/31: Trellis & Ridges. This is cute, and as stated, would be good for a cardigan, baby afghan, or sock. i don't think i have a good use for this right now, though, because i need solid patterns. maybe this would work for sockpaloooza as well?
2/1: Match My Coat Cap. cute, but the name is odd.
2/2-3: Americana Sampler Socks. These are cute, too, another candidate for sockpaloooza (i could go through both calendars, and find a ton, it's just a matter of choosing one, lol)
2/4-5: Neck Nestle. aka neck warmer. another dickey. sheesh. this one is beaded.

What i'm reading
Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings (book 2 of the Belgariad)
Man of My Dreams by Sherrilyn Kenyon (et al, lol)
The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice (book tape in the House)
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice (book tape in the car, i'm on the last tape, whoopee!)

and now i must dash, my hands are killing me from all this typing and i need to get to mark's.
tootles!