random saturday

ok, i've dubbed this one random saturday.

first there's this. for those of you who watch good eats, and havent seen feasting on asphalt, you are missing a HUGE treat. apparently watching people eat on the road is a big deal this summer. there's paula dean's boys, and right now unwrapped is doing a "road trip" show. then there's food finds, and that one show that i can't recall, that ate around cities or themes. while paula's boys do a fine job, y'all need to step back. alton has it in the bag. i LOVE alton brown. granted, i wouldn't want to do like the misses lime & violet with their yarn (listen to their latest podcast. oh dear!), but his wit is fantastic, as well as his insight. it's been on once tonight, so it should be on again at midnight central time. go check it out!

Edit: Alton is acutally on right now, at 11 pm. no schmuck boy tonight.

then there's my crazy kid. Liam. have i ever told you how cool he can be? he was raised a head-banging baby, and to this day, hasn't gotten into that hiphop bitch ho slap around the bitch crap that alot of kids like. he flipped when he found out i'd bought him an ac/dc notebook for school. what he doesn't know about is the ac/dc sleep pants i found him for his birthday. yes, he's getting other stuff (god, i couldn't inflict just clothes on him, let's get real). he'll flip.

and he listens to mandatory metallica on Z92 (local station that plays classic metal & new stuff too. my only issue is their disgusting morning show. no music, just these two assholes who feel the need to denigrate any and every one they think will be funny. sigh) there's another station here in town 89.7 the River. they play a lot of alternative rock (ska, death metal, punk, indie, and on sunday mornings, Pacific Street Blues). they also play local bands (although they've only played mark's band, centerfuze, a few times, just not up their alley). and they also play older metal that doesn't get regular air play. they played "When It Comes To Me" by Metallica, which is an older song, in the good old days before they decided that they needed a bigger slice of the pie and lars decided to be a wimpy baby. (sorry, some bitter issues there). He'd never heard it before. He was in AWE. and the best part is this is one song where i can just belt it out, and sound absolutely amazing(i know, lorna, i should sing some wehre else other than my car or SoP). my normal range is second soprano (i can't break glass, i spose i'm a lot like sheena easton (shout out if you don't know who she is, and i'll see if i can find some links)). it helps to know the song, lol. now, i know, there were a few people at SoP a couple of weeks ago that feeled slightly betrayed with the "regularization" of groups like ac/dc and metallica, but i say more power to them. if it causes them to tour again, i'll pay the money, and take my son! hey, i took steph to Red, White & Rock (spondered by 93.3 the Dam, before they became a shit kicker station (at least they play classic country!)) three years ago, and Linkin Park not long after that. Liam wanted to go see Rob Zombie when he was here, but the opener (i can't place it right now ) was notorious for graphic lyrics, so that was a no go. Hell, Staind is back out, and playing next weekend. God, i wish i could go! anyway, this is a knitting blog, right?

Jennifer had her baby yesterday morning. the one day she came to work (on friday after the shower) i had left the damned thing at home. so i' going to wait a few days to let baby & momma settle, then i'll call her & find out wehre she lives, and deliver the sweater.

for charity, i've just stuck to making sqares at work. it's easier that way, i don't have to think.

I've started making my felted purses again, and i'm disgusted with the first one. it ended up short & wide, which is fine. the big problem is that the edge rippled on me. i'm using a really big book wrapped in press & seal wrap (it's a hard cover, those survive that stuff well), and have it blocking in my dish drainer. we eat at mark's mostly, so there are few dishes here. the flap turned out relatively well, although it did cup a bit. i wanted a pointed flap that wasn't too deep, so did an extra decrease in the middle. it's doable. just that damned ripple maybe i can fold that bit in & stitch the lining to it. i'm almost done with an all red one, and will wash it probably monday or tuesday.

however, tonight, i don't even WANT to look at needles & wool. it was 99 again today, and since it stormed over night, and we got a brief shower around 11, the humidity is through the roof.

today was tax day in iowa (no sales tax on clothing & shoes, up to $100 per item) so i took sean & my mom to walmart in Council Bluffs. we had to wait til afternoon, because i had a last minute doctor appointment (i'll explain) in the morning, and Sean's music lesson was at noon. first off, we had to park in the north 40. if i had been thinking, i would have dropped sean & my mom @ the door, and just made myself walk, but iw as being blonde, sigh. i was already starting to overheat. we were there for 2 frigging hours. fifteen minutes of that was spent looking for sean. it wans't really his fault. he's got a cold, and has been eternally thirsty, so asked if he could go hunt for a drinking fountain. i told him i'd stay in the men's department (liam's into everything men's except t-shirts). after waiting 10 minutes, i got concerned. i went to the restroom, looking for him the entire way, and no sean. sigh. so i had him paged twice, while waiting by the restrooms. no luck. so i described him to the cashier (she was manning the self checkouts, so she woulnd't be too distracted, and told her to nab him & page me. he'd know my name, lol. i thought i heard my name, and rest room, so i checked again. no luck. went to the video games & the toys. no luck. finally, i hit up one of the ladies at the stands they have with red vests, and asked her to page him again. apparently, he heard it, he paged me again, to the fitting rooms. he did what i'd taught him! we had had issues with him wandering off while we were shopping, so i taught him to go to customer service (fitting rooms worked, too) and have me paged. YIPPEE! while i was upset about not finding him, and was about to call a code adam, the fact that he used his head, and thought about what to do, thrills me to death. maybe we're working closer to him coming home.

Liam wasn't with us, because he had chosen to pick a fight with sean over a lego's magazine, and then wanted to argue with me about it. they both had lost the priviledge of playing video games at walmart (an easy way to keep track of them, lol) because of the fight. liam kept trying to tell me that sean started it, and i told him that it takes two to fight, so they'd both get a consequence. he started to argue about that, and since i was already hot & cranky, i told him, fine you don't get to pick out your clothes, you can stay home. i can still get away with that, one, he's a boy, and two, he's almost 14. he doesn't totally doubt my taste in clothes, yet.

anyway, having learned my lesson about finding my mother in walmart (for those who don't know, she's deaf so i can't have her paged if she goes somewhere else other than where i'm expecting. the last time this happened, i had to call a code adam, and have them hunt her down. it took an hour to find her!), i had established a meeting point with her. sean had been very good, so i told him he could go pick out a toy, then meet me & grandma in the produce section (much easier to find than "the men's department, lol). i found her, told her to wait there for sean, and i'd go pay for my stuff. that took 20 minutes. then i found her & sean, debated about the price of the toy (he'd been told $5 or less, but since he'd been so good about getting himself found, i cut him a little slack), then took everyone to find another check out & checked my mother out. of course, i'd forgotten socks for liam & mark, so i grabbed some of those, quickly (thank god there was a rep in the sock aisle, i couldn't find mark's socks (he wears the super huge mega socks, he wears a size 14 shoe)), and we checked out my stuff & hers. then came the fun of finding the van. i think the battery is dying in my key fob, because i have to be really close to make it work, so i couldn't even hit the panic button to find it. fortunately, it was only 2 rows over, and just as far out as we had gone.

then there was the mad dash to the hall the reception is going to be. we left walmart at 4:40, and i was supposed to meet the lady there at 5. i made it, but just by the skin of my teeth!

now, to the doctor's appointment. no, I'M NOT PREGNANT! let's keep that straight. this baby factory is closed for business. however, i got my old summer favorite back. the city decided i needed to clean up my yard, which is mowed, at lest, unlike the neighbors down the street who have weeds all over their yard that stand as tall as 4 feet. i think they've mowed twice this summer. needless to say, i finally got the phone # i needed to call their asses in. sauce for the goose, don't ya know. so guess what happened. i got poison ivy AGAIN! that's it, i'm getting my doctor to recommend a dermatologist early next spring, and i'm getting desensitization shots. the big problem with poison ivy & me is this: i'm hyperallergic to it. while most people get a rashy spot from contact with the oils, unles they get more contact, it stays where the oil has gone. (by the way, the oils can stay active for DAYS after clothing has been changed. if someone has poison ivy, be very careful about doing their laundry.) not me. i get one spot, and my antibodies freak out, and i start to break out EVERYWHERE. i worked on my yard thursday, and was very careful not to touch anything if i could help it. (i used my clippers, and liam used gloves to transport the crap to the compost heap. does he have poison ivy? HELL NO. it started with a faintly itch y patch on my waist (yes, i was dressed, fucked if i know how it got there) yesterday afternoon. by last night, it was a very itchy patch, and i had to change my shorts to keep from rubbing it. this morning, it had spread to my left arm, my left jaw(yes, i have two, don't you? how else do you think i'm so chatty!), and my scalp. in my hair. and i have chronic itchy scalp on top of that. yes, i'm just thrilled! so i went to the doctor. the funny part is this: while i use a different doctor for most of my regular "maintenance" appointments, the last minute ones get to be who ever has an open slot. in the 2 years i've owned this house, i've had to go to the doctor THREE times for poison ivy. and this fill in doctor has had me every time. and he remembered, lol. so he asked me what i wanted to do. now, that is a comfortable physician. the usual steroid pill packs that they give most people don't work on me. i've tried before. this PI thing has been going on for 5 years. i got it 3 times in one year, and the pill pack worekd the first two times. the third time, they gave me two (the rash came back as soon as i stopped after the first one), and after the second one ws done, i immediately broke out again. that's when they brought in the big guns. prednisone. god, i hate that crap! it upsets my stomach (even with food) forever. that time, they started me with 60 mg for 3days, and then dropped it like the pill packs, every 3 days. i was so sick. so, when i got it the first time 2 years ago, here, they suggested a shot of steroids first, and then a smaller dose to start (50 mg for 3 days, which means being on them for 3 days less!), and it worked well. so it old the doctor this, and he said, ok, we'll do that. i LOVE that doctor's office. they are all no-nonsense, (i've seen 3 others besides my own doctor, plus the PA), and will listen to you. and my doctor actually had the "safe sex" discussion with liam last year, while i was in the room. i thought he was going to fall through the floor. too funny. and they all have senses of humor, too! i've had a few popous asses (the doctor i transferred to when i was pregnant with stephanie, & moved), and this office is refreshing. and the office staff is friendly, and sociable, whle still being professional. and they even ask after my mother! (since she started going to the hematologist for her monthly blood thinner checks (she had a heart valve replacement in '86)) she doens't get in there as often as she did).

anybody interested in wedding news? if not, too bad, i'm going on! WE MAY HAVE A MINISTER! sean's foster parents are heavily involved in their church (hes' a lay minister), so we asked them if they could recommend anyone. he couldn't find anyone. however, her mom lives up by us, and she asked her if she could think of anybody. her neighbor is a retired minister at a church that is just upt he street from mark's house! we talked to him, and he wants to meet in the next few days, but it's looking good!

i got the last few addresses i needed (the west coast cousins were tough, i had to hunt them down via an older cousin that was a long distance call (and you know, they all want to chitchat because i havne't talked to them in a while (how's your mother, how's life, how old are the kids, i cna't believe they're so grown) and then i get to hear their news). i called my cousin shirley, who i always liked (she was different, if only because she was a thorazine baby, and has one arm that ends in two fingers at the elbow (i could relate to the differentness, even in my young days (most of my first cousins are 20 years or more older than i), just because mine wasn't a physical difference)), and she told me her older brother now lives in indonesia most of the year (comes back for holidays & tax time) (he won't be coming, lol), that her sister had divorced & sold her house, so she needed to call her aobut the addy, and that her daughter (2 years my junior) is getting married on the same day! too fucking funny! (in case y'all havne't noticed, i've not stated my wedding date here, because i know a certain personage reads my blog, and i really don't think he needs to know this information. if you wanna know, and i know who you are, email me. i'll tell ya). so the west coast cousins won't be coming. oh well. however, shirley is a traveler (rv& bikes) and may be through this way some time next spring. i've told her that now i have all these addresses, i might just organize a get together, so we can all see each other again. some of them i havent' seen since the last time she was here with her husband, daugher, and grandson, and that was well before daddy died.

tuxes have been measured for.
caterer has been met, & seen the hall (the outside, at least, she's suitably impressed.)
more floral tape was bought today, and i'll be starting flowers, soon.
and erin is contemplating throwing a shower for me @ SoP. a yarn shower! I LOVE IT! no bachlorette for me, i'm not interested. mark's not having a bachelor party either.


ok, i can't think of anything else, and i feel that my computer may take a dump on me, so i better hit publish post, and skeedaddle.

ONE MORE EDIT: I just saw a commerical for a new body wash by Softsoap. It has protien extracts from CASHMERE. is that possible? they'd definitely have a market with fiberistas!

TTFN!

i'd post a pic

except i'm too frigging hot & lazy. i finally broke down & turned on the ac, so liam & i could sleep, but i'll have to check the sump in the morning. the frigging float sticks & then i end up with a flooded basement. mark promises that he'll replace it soon, but it won't be this weekend, fer sure. mark & gang will be going to get fitted for tuxes (the boys will have their final fitting the week of, if i have any say about it, they all grow like weeds, and liam is changing minute by minute!) saturday morning, mark has rehearsal saturday afternoon, and we're going to move a fridge, and take my wedding dress over to Mom's sunday morning, so we can start working on the alterations. sigh. i need to dig out my corset. ugh. i'll just have to remember not to belly breathe.

wedding:

we have chairs rented.
i have invitations printed.
stamps are bought for said invitations & rsvp's.
i've got a good beginning on the rsvp's. i've had to hand stamp them, because the printer ink smears on the glossy cards. oy.
flowers are bought, some returned and others purchased, and sorted by type. i can't do a lot more, because i can't find the floral tape i bought, so i gotta go buy more.
cake is ordered, and flowers & other accessories are bought and given to mark to give to his coworker to give to his wife (god, i hope they make it!).


i need to work on addresses for my list.
we need a minister. oy. mark has been trying to get ahold of the unitarians for MONTHS (the main minister in town has had several family emergencies, poor guy) and the church secretary said she'd try to email him one more time. i do have 2 back ups. sean's foster father is a pentacostal minister. while i don't want to put him in any kind of ethical or legal quandary by asking him, i have asked if he can recommend any one. if all else fails, we call the court house and get a JOP. not what mark wanted (he wanted a christian wedding), but at this point, beggers will NOT be choosers.
i need to coordinate between erin & sherril for jackets for the wedding.
i need to work on jewelry to coordinate (i may just say wear what you want, just let me see it first).
i need a ringbearer's pillow (that will come with altering the dress, it has a train, and i'm cutting that thing off, and will use the excess fabric for the pillow).
which brings me to altering the dress (and test driving the corset, i was a bit smaller when i bought it, thank god it laces up).


GOOD GOD, WHAT AM I FORGETTING?

Sean:
he's having a rough week. i don't think he likes his new day care (they don't do near as much stuff as his old one did), and he's been in trouble every day this week. and yesterday, he had to try me on again. he got several consequences. i was verging on a migraine by the time i dropped him off with the foster mom. visitation did finally get authorized, so now the foster mom & i dont' have to coordinate with the foster care specialist to do what we need/want to do.

cross your fingers he behaves for the tux fitting saturday.

knitting? well, a little bit. i'm working on bags again. i dug out both the bags i had felted, and found the fabric for the lining and the findings for the handles. now i gotta get to cutting & sewing (ugh, this part i hate). and i cast on for a new one.

ok, i'm whipped. i'll catch y'all later.

i made it, sort of

I finished the sweater! saturday night. sigh. i wasn't done by the time i needed to leave, so i wrapped the whole shooting match in pink tissue (thanks for that, rabbitch! (my stitch markers came wrapped in it (oh, didn't i tell you about those, i will))) (ok i'm at it with the parentheses again) and stuffed it in a pink gift bag, needles & all.

when i got there, i asked that she open it first thing. then i sat & worked on it during the shower. everybody thought it was cute. here it is up to friday night.

this was about 830 friday night. i screwed up & picked up the stitches for the hood on the wrong side, and discovered it 8 rows in, so had to frog it. i think i would have made it otherwise. i did get to the bind off for the hood, but had to scram at that point because mark & i had to go to fremont to look at wedding cakes. the wife of one of mark's coworkers does cakes, so we decided to go with her, thinking that we'd get a break. boy, howdy, did we! they decided to do the cake for us for material costs only, as a wedding present. my wedding cake is going to cost us. . . . now, sit down, ok, i don't want to be responsible for any head trauma. . . . $40. no, i'm not missing any 0's, or any important bits of my sanity (that i haven't already lost). you're reading it right. lovely wedding gift, i'd say!

Sean news:

he seems to be doing well at the foster family, although by thursday morning, he'd already earned a consequence. he had a hard time getting up, and just lay there, so she took his video games for the day. go, foster mom! he was a bit difficult for me thursday afternoon, but i'm sure alot of it was that he was gonna try mom on because he'd not had to "mind" me for a month. he found out the hard way, for sure.

unfortunately, we were unable to see him over the weekend because my(ahem) "caseworker" couldn't get her head out of you-know-where, and call the agency foster care specialist back, and get him the paperwork necessary to do so. well, she'd better get it in gear, because mark is taking everybody down to the tux shop next saturday!

wedding news:
i'm working on invitations. we're printing them up ourselves, using some pretty paper i got at office depot. i think it's a lot cheaper to do it this way, and will look just as nice. i'm all about saving money!

now i gotta scram, i gotta get to work!

wellllllllll, maybe not!

dammit. i was gonna post a pic of the baby sweater in progress (yes, it's a sweater) and here's the pattern. my other intention, was to show progress pictures every hour either until i got it done, or died and went to bed. anyway, it is one where you start on the back, cast on more for the sleeves, work over the shoulder (no shoulder seams!), then down each front (it's a cardigan), and then seam and pick up stitches for the hood, and icord for the ties. i've got the back, one sleeve, and one front done. i'm working on the second sleeve as we speak. it progresseth apace (verily, i say!).

i do have a question for y'all. i have discovered that a lot of the knitting i do is intuitive. a lady was having trouble with doing attached icord last night. now for any of you who have been here from the beginning, i had the PFH. aka the Poncho From Hell. it was made with lion brand homespun and red heart clouds (yeah, different gauges, they do work ok together though), knit top down, with a slit for a zipper. the intent was to wear this at work when the air conditioning decided that it was in meat locker mode (this was a meat packing plant in one reincarnation). any way, because this was in stocking stitch, and i didn't want it to curl, i decided applied icord was the way to go. however, this poncho ended up hanging to my knees. and yes, i think i had a half a mile of icord to apply. ouch.

anyway, back to the story. she was having trouble with a purse she was making, to felt. what i didn't realize until she sat down when i told her i knew how to do applied icord, is that she was using the applied icord to seam two pieces together. i've never done that before. so, i took it from her, turned it inside out, and figured out what becky, our knitting doctor at sit & knit, had been showing her, and proceeded to show her again. and i showed her enough that she actually got half the bag seamed!

what amazes me, is that it only took a few minutes to figure it out. my question is this:

are you an intuitive knitter, or not? do you just jump in, or do you have to have it all laid out for you?

i am insane

ok, gang, call the guys in the white coats.

i'm knitting this:
i started this last night. for a baby shower for a coworker. saturday afternoon. fortunately, it's on 10's, and it's bulky weight yarn, so i may actually make it. i've already switched to another color (white, duh!), so it continues apace. wish me luck!


also, before i forget, my wonderful, generous friend jen gave me the most darling stamp, of a dragon knitting. imagine that! i forgot to take a pic, but i will try to get one on here in the next few days. too darling!

and now, i must scram, because i'm going in to work late, and i still need lunch!

damn it's hot

you know it's hot when you buy ice cream bars and frozen fruit cups, and the 3 minute ride from the store to your house results in needing to eat the bar in a bowl, and your spoon sinks to the bottom of the fruit cup. i kid you not, i went to the store earlier at 5, and it was 106. that's just too fucking hot. as it is, right now at 830, with the sun having just gone behind the big hill to the west of me, it's 97. oy

dear anonymous, i'm not flashing my tattoo. if you wanna post your real identity, or send me an email, i'll think about it. there are certain "people" who read my blog that i'd rather not do that for.

for anybody else who wants to know what it is, pipe up. same conditions, though.

and now, for the pictures i promised you, of my knitting bag. i warn you, it's a bit frightening to realize i get THAT much stuff in one small canvas (well, it's not suitcase big) bag.

Ok, here's where it starts. this is my knitting bag. now, for a fair warning, this is also my work bag, that i tote my necessities in.


yeah, that's a lot of crap. the amazing part is i haul this stuff back & forth to work EVERY day. I thought you might like a little relief from the baggy madness, so here's mark's cat, joplin. she decided to be cute, so i had to take a picture. she doesnt do this very often, as she's relatively shy. she's also 11.

And here's the stuff in a slightly more organized way. ok, some is obvious, lol. however, that pile of paper in the lower lefthand corner, is pay stubs, time off sheets, and merit awards. work papers. in the lower right, stuff totally unrelated to work, but i think i made phone calls on it. i think. upper right is knitting related, with the two yellow blobs next to the gold box (my kit with stitch markers, needles, tape measure, etc) being yarn labels for the katia ingenua i've been using for cloud hats. middle of the pile is my hair brush, hair ties, and the fingerless mitts erin made me for christmas (it can get damned cold when the air conditioning actually works, and my hands are getting more & more sensitive to the cold). upper middle are my water bottle, lotions, vitamins, etc, with that black thing with the yellow end being the miniature extension cord we made since i can't lock my tv. the white end has a receptacle that will not allow a normal plug. the other end is at the end of my tv cord, and when liam doesn't have this little extension cord, he can't plug the tv in. sheer genius. thank you, honey. upper left is an avon catalog, and next to them are toys. i work in mail order, for a company that sells novelties, toys, and other stuff that you'd find in a dentist's treasure chest, or a kid's goodie bag. the green thing actually glows in the dark (liam had to show me). the little ziplocks in the middle hold cancelled stamps (i collect them for online angels, they can turn them into cash to buy bibles for missionaries), my white out pen, cough drops, and werther's original toffees (these keep me awake at work!) also, you will note some candy at the bottom, and i believe a half a bag of cornnuts as well.

i admit it, i'm a pack rat. things tend to get tossed in my bag, and forgotten until days/weeks/months later. sigh.

so, yarn yenta, ya happy? this is my entry!

TTFN

have you done this?

thanks to momcast for this. it's kinda interesting!

Bold the ones you've done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married (and going for #3!)
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days (during the divorce)
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (igot 2nd though!)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country1
00. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat(and alligator & buffalo & elk & venison and....)
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

ok, that was 72 out of 150. not too bad. how about you? lemme know if you do this in comments, i wanna see!

a $3 splitter later . . .

can you believe it! the only thing that was wrong was my cable splitter had gone bad! oy!

well, i WAS gonna show you the latest sp8 contest, by our darling yarn yenta, but my camera batteries are dead, dead, dead. i think i'm gonna have to buy a new set of rechargeables, though. they don't hold their charge very long any more. what's that, you say? enough about batteries? you wanna hear about the contest? ok, ok. here's the gist. you know we all store all kinds of odd stuff in our knitting bags, right? (unless you're totally anal (and for those who are anally impaired, i apologize (about your impairedness, did you really think i was gonna say sorry?!?!?!?))) (ooo, feel the parenthetical goodness! (i'm working on a heat overload and sleep deficit, ok?)) (and yes, my ac is fine, i'm just cheap). ANNNNNNNNNNYWAY, before i was so rudely & crudely interrupted by her (i'm schizophrenic (and so am i)), she asked us to dump our bags, and show them off in all their messy, kitschey, chatchkey (sp?)-loaded glory. and i got a doozy. so you'll just have to wait.

sean news: he's back to his regular hospital, they effected all the necessary repairs to get the kids back, and we met with a potential foster family tonight. they sound like they'd be a good match, as they do much of what we do at home, so there wouldn't be a large problem with transition when he comes home. and here's a good one for you: the father is a drug rep. and he has the same problems with some of the drugs that i have. will have to talk to the doc about that. i'm getting way too many confirmations about my suspicions on the drugs he's on. and they're having the same problem we've been having: contacting the caseworker. that's why he's been in the hospital so long, she was on vacation last week, and didn't put it in her voice mail, so no one knew. i gave them her supervisor's name, so they know who to go to if she drags her feet again.

and in other news, we've replaced my ring. we found the identical thing online, and snapped it up as soon as we saw it (except it's a half size bigger, my knuckles are starting to show some arthritic damage, and i don't want to have to get it cut off).

and a HUGE thankyou to chicken lips, my darling sp8 pal. i got a small "take care of yourself" package about a week ago, full of candy bars (die, diet, die!) and purse sized lotions, plus a tiny mug ornament and a heart shaped digital clock. i still have 4 candy bars left (it's warm enough in here, i'm gonna have to refrigerate them again!) and i'm having to beat liam off with a stick!

i'm contemplating another package for my pal, but am running out of inspiration. i think i'll need to consult the cards/crystal ball/palm/knots on my head and do some figgering.

i've missed you guys, so whoop it up in the comments. i wanna see a party in there!

TTFN

ok, that's it!

i know i've reached rock bottom with my puter! i'm at the LIBRARY typing this, as we speak. how frustrating! i'm in the process of saving everything that i can't replace data/program wise on my puter, and then i'm dumping the whole bloody mess. i can't take it any more. one of my coping skills has been reading blogs, and posting here, and i haven't read most of my blogs for so long it will take me weeks to catch up! growl.

and so, no pics, since i'm at the library.

a few updates, though.

mark is going to the doctor wednesday to see what the doctor thinks. he went to see the shoe guy last wednesday, and he told mark that he didn't think mark was ready to go back to shoes yet, and that when he does, it will be with a plate attached to the bottom of his shoe, so he can get the support he needs (i was under the impression it was going to be an insert IN his shoe). mark is threatening to wear redwings to the wedding. NO WAY IN HELL! he even said the whole wedding party should wear redwings. i don't think so. i'm thinking of calling the shoe guy myself and seeing what he says about teh wedding. i think i would even prefer the cami boot to redwings! argh!

wedding plans run apace. got some key stuff in place, now if only we could find a minister! ack! and at this point, i've given up on having the shawl done in time. there's no way. i can't work on it when i'm tired, and the only time i have to work on it is when i'm tired! gah!

sean is still in the hospital. however, there was a sprinkler system incident on his floor, and they had to close down the unit. he's been transferred to a different hospital, which is twice as far away, and has screwy visiting hours. don't they know parents have to eat, too? oy. don't know if he'll go back to where he was or not, depends on the timeframe for the repairs they need to make, and if they find a home for him or not. at least he was finally approved for the foster care. that was a concern.

and, again, thanks to all of you who have been so supportive, and helpful. your comments have at least eased some of the pain and frustration of what i've been dealing with.

TTFN!

thank you

you guys are fantastic. i've had more emails with comments telling me to hang on, it will get better, or that i will get better, and i think i've had more cyber hugs than i believed possible.

i promise more knitting stuff soon. however, my puter is still acting up (amazing it came up tonight!) so i'm working on backing all my stuff up, and then the axe will fall, and i'm wiping this sucker & starting over.

as for sean, he's doing well at the hospital. we had a meeting on friday, and determined the best path for him at this point is theraputic foster care. so he won't be home for a while. sigh. he was not happy about it, and still isn't, but understands that this is the best choice for & by him. and the nursing staff has promised that i will be involved in every step of his care & transfer, when the time comes. it's still hard to leave him there every evening, but i know it's for the best. i'd much rather do this now, than bail him out of juvie when he's 16.

liam is handling this well. in fact, i think he's enjoying the one on one time he's had with mark & me, since the focus has been on sean for so long. it' s never intentional to ignore the well-behaving child, but when so much of your energy is focused on the "bad" child, the "good" one falls by the wayside. and i've learned something very interesting about liam, as well. he's always been a talker, but now i think he talks more when he's nervous or upset. he's been talking ALOT the last week. i'm ready to ask him to write down what he's thinking, for 2 reasons. reason 1: it's a good exercise for him, makes him think about what he's feeling & thinking about all this. reason 2: it's hard to write & talk at the same time!

mark's foot is doing very well. doctor is very happy with the progress, but still won't let him go back to work until next week at least. poor mark is bored out of his mind. at least he can drive now. and yes, jen, with dr. approval.

well, i must dash, i gotta get my box together for dulaan (it ahs to mail wednesday!)

TTFN

sigh

i know, i know, the last y'all knew, sean had busted my ring, mark's foot was slowly healing, and i'd been knitting.

well, there are a few changes.

Sean went beyond ring bashing. We had to admit him to a local hospital, and he's there now. and yes, it's that kind of hospitalization. It's very, very hard to take your baby to the hospital, and even harder to leave him there, and beyond bearable to know that he's not coming home. we had the care consultation today, and it's been determined that the best course for him is to put him in theraputic foster care. i worked so damned hard to bring him home, and now he's gone again. i know it's not my fault, i've been told over & over & over by every professional involved in sean's & our lives that mark & i had done everything that parents should do, and that he's just beyond our level of care. tell that to my heart. tell my heart that the screaming and crying & stomping on the top of vans, and calling me nasty names (it wasn't the words that bothered me so much (i've been called worse by bigger & badder, and wasn't intimidated then) as the attitude behind them) isn't my fault. that i couldn't do more, and not sacrifice everything else. i just want my baby home.


ok, here's the tissue box. i know i need it.

mark's foot is doing very well. he's in a cami-boot (those big black ugly things that are a velcro lover's wet dream), but still has to keep much weight off of it. he has driven, but only if he's the only adult available. otherwise, he rides.

knitting has been at a minimum. i can't take my knitting in to the hospital, for obvious reasons. i haven't tried crochet yet, as it's not as soothing, and i can't lug my wheel EVERYWHERE, which would be ideal. i've finished a few hats for dulaan (go wish ryan godspeed in her healing. at least chocolate is looking attractive).

i'm just tired. i don't think i've slept a restful night's sleep in 2 or 3 weeks, and it's starting to tell. the only reason why i'm up so late tonight is the fact that my computer has been a total ass, and i've not been able to maintain connectivity for more than 10 minutes at a time, and that is spent doing valuable things like check my bank statement, and email sean's GAL (thank god for that woman, she's been our hero!). so if i don't respond to comments, that is why.

i don't do this very often, as i'm not terribly open about my spirituality, but pray for us. to whomever it is you worship. we need the help, and i don't care if it's buddah, or allah, god, yahweh, the triune goddess. please.

title

i know, really original, but i'm lacking. i'm tired. we've been staying at mark's since thursday night, to help out while he's laid up with his foot. the surgery went fine, and we've been getting through the dressings (once we discovered we could use non-stick pads, life got MUCH easier). however, i'm tired. i've been on full mom-alert since thursday, so don't sleep much while mark tosses & turns. he says he's sleeping well, but he moves alot (more than usual) and kicks that foot, like he's trying to get the bandages off in his sleep, which is kinda funny, since he usually sleeps with his socks on anyway (was that TMI?).

i do sit here with heavy heart, though. sean has been having trouble, ever since the med change in late may, and today was damned close to the last straw. i've been taking my rings off to wash my hands so i can help mark with the dressing changes (he insists on taking the final pad off himself, as he can handle hurting himself much better than letting someone else do it for him), and had forgotten to put them back on last night. this morning, when i went to put them on, my engagement ring was missing. as i've been so tired lately, i started to cry. mark got up (which he's not supposed to do) to help me look, when sean finally confessed that he'd taken it. when we told him to fetch it, he told me he'd accidentally stepped on it, and broken it. he brought down 2 pieces. there's still 2/3 of the ring missing, and all the stones. it had 3 sapphires. one of the pieces he'd brought down still had the prongs, but no stone. he said he knew where 1 stone was, but when he came back down, he said he couldn't find any of them. i'm crushed. devastated. needless to say, such wanton destruction has garnered this child absolutely no privileges. but it doesn't bring my ring back. i tried to explain to sean how much it hurt me to have him break my ring. i told him it was like tearing up a picture of great-grandma ruth, or taking scissors to great-grandma mac's quilt. i don't think he ever got it. he apologized a couple of times, but so many times before it's been completely empty. i don't know waht to do.

ok, enough depression, how's about some pics?

this keyhole scarf is made with some unidentified yarn that i got in the yarn swap last january. i got this yarn from jen. it's a nice, soft, superbulky weight. very nice to work with. in fact, i'm casting on for a hat in this stuff as we sit here. this & the hat are destined for Dulaan. i gotta hurry, though, everything has to be there by july 1.

This vest is made with my own handspun. now, when i swatched it, for sweater wizard, it came up using size 7 needles. however, i am notorious for being slightly inconsistent with my bulky handspun, and this came out a bit stiff. not too bad (it's made with merino, how stiff can that be?) but still, it would be best suited for wear over something else. this should fit a toddler (2 or 3?)
This is the handspun i got from the roving i'd bought from spunky eclectic (i'll link later, i promise) this is 2-ply, and i think maybe dk weight. i've got 2 more "skeins" of roving in this colorway, so i've got plenty for SOMETHING. god knows what.
this stuff is actually quite pretty, and i just found out it's got silk noil in it. it was a bugger to spin; just ask spinnerella. she's the one who gave it to me, lol. it came with my plying box (no, dear, it's not done yet, i have to sand it again after the last coat of polyurethane (don't buy the spray stuff, sheesh)). it is nice though. i'm still deciding what to do with it. this is navajo plied.

and now i must be off. we're spending the night at mark's again, and i just stopped long enough to grab another week's worth of meds for sean, his boots, and some shorts for me to wear to work

and yes, i did wear my tank top for WWKIP on saturday. even though it didn't get any warmer than 68 (brrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

just a note

to let y'all know i'm going to be semi-out of touch for a week or so. mark is having foot surgery tomorrow morning, and we're moving in for a while to help him out. i would access from his puter, but for some odd reason, my screenname freezes all the time. go figger.

TTFN!

you're not gonna believe this!

i found this posted on my AC4C yahoo board. yarn theft. big time. go read it, it will blow your mind!

you might be a redneck if your motor home used to be a school bus.
. . . you don't know a single joke clean enough to tell the preacher.
. . . you've moved home to be closer to a pay phone.
. . . your kids' school bags have Dale Earnhardt (jr.) stickers on them.
. . . you can light a cigarette while handcuffed.
. . . you've ever spray-painted yoru dead shrubbery green.
. . . you took your homework with you on your honeymoon.
. . . your company went out of business because your ladder broke.

ok, i owe you

i'm way behind on my posting again, just been too busy & tired.

mark has to have minor surgery on his foot. it's never fully healed from the infection from several months back, and the doctor wants to remove a callus as well. on top of that, he has to start wearing orthopaedic shoes. on size 14 feet. brother, can you spare a dime?

sean & i survived being home together for 6 days, now let's see if we survive the summer.

mark's folks are moving, so we've been helping as we can. they're having a garage sale today & tomorrow, so we went there and helped move stuff upstairs, and ended up leaving liam there to help carry & tote. it was AMAZINGLY quiet last night!

and now i must dash, i gotta go to work (at least it's friday)

food for thought

i found this article, this morning. it's about the ramifications of extending lifespans. if any of you have read the methuselah series (i can't remember exactly the name, lol) by Robert Heinlein, you'll have a vague idea of what this could mean. in those stories (To Sail Beyond the Sunset & Methuselah's Children come to mind) the "elders" originally came from a breeding program developed by the Howard Foundation (ironically, the founder died of old age at 48). You couldn't get in unless, at achieving adulthood, all your grandparents were living (or died from tragic accidents). no life-extending treatments occured until much later in the series. If i recall rightly, the oldest man was over 1000 years old. I don't know if I'd want to live THAT long, but i've often said i want to live to be 100, and see all that happens & comes to pass. i've got 60 years to go, lol.

on to other things. i took some more pictures of my peonies .
This bush opened up beautifully. I love peonies (my grandmother grew them, imagine that!) and i like the dark ones best. these aren't the darkest available, but they're still a gorgeous color.

unfortunately, there was a heavy downpour last night, and my bush is on the ground :(. I'm hoping they come back up, but have little of that.

Remember the funky easter egg roving i had, that came out so oddly? well, here's the yarn i got from it:
This is all spun from the same roving, and if you look closely, they do have coordinating colors. my question to you is this: if i decide to sell this yarn (it's approximately sock-dk weight), should i sell them separately? or should i sell them as a set? the more purple one is 310 yds. the lighter one is 140. considering the ultimate goal is to sell the yarn i spin, would you purchase them together? opinions, please! and it is 2 ply (not navajo, like i usually do, lol).

and since i'm on a new mission to TRY to keep up with my calendars, here goes:

you might be a redneck if you've ever used firecrackers to blow up an anthill (that's not redneck, that's kids in general!)
. . . you've spoken to Elvis through a psychic (now, that's just psychotic)

Knitting Calendar
5/23: Hackey Sack. very cute, but i think i'd be using worsted weight kitchen cotton, as opposed to the sport weight recommended. imagine the abuse it will take.
5/24: Royal Quilting Vest. This looks thoroughly fascinating. i just may have to make it for myself, especially considering it has directions for both flat & in the round (no seams, ooorah!).

Crochet Calendar
5/23: Net Shopping Bag. this is lovely, but it's made with hemp. kinda hard to get. definitely would make nice gifts though!
5/24-25: Vintage Thread Holder. This is most definitely charming. I don't know what i'd do with it though (i know, carin, i could make it for you to go with your civil war costume, right?)

and now, something i haven't done in a while,

What I'm Reading:
The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (book tape in the house)
Wizard & Glass by Stephen King (book tape in the car)
The Dark Tower by Stephen King (i wanted to read the hard copy before i listened to the tape (which i'm not sure is out yet!)
i've actually been slacking off a bit on the reading, as i've been home, and running like a mad woman.

and yes, there is progress on the t-twist, and other projects, jsut nothing appreciable, and i'm sure everybody hates the "here's one more inch" pictures. just use your imagination, lol.

TTFN!

two important things (one for omaha-ites!)

first there's this. jen sent me this link, and i think it's important to check out. amazing that cancer can be caused by a common VIRUS. go check it out.

and then, for some fun, there's this. Franklin has created a t-shirt for WWKIP day, which is June 10th. go check it out! he's also got a master list of cities. if your city isn't on there, if you email him by wednesday (5/24), he'll add one. go check his blog out, all the details are there.

and since i got nuttin' cuz i posted last night, i'm gonna catch up on calendars. here we go
!

you might be a redneck if you ask to open a savings account and the teller says, "With what?"
. . . your name is in the Guiness Book of World Records in the "sideburns" section.
. . . you think lite beer means your bottle is almost empty.
. . . you advertise on the inside walls of portable toilets.
. . . your birdhouse used to be a Clorox bottle (that's recycling! once again the line between redneck & hippy has been crossed)
. . . you keep a musical instrument in your bathroom (and we're not talking butt trumpet!)
. . . your alarm clock has only one hand.
. . . you empty your pockets and there's just a pile of change, bullets, and lint.
. . . your rehearsal dinner was at Hooters (that's just tacky!)
. . . you've ever used a spoon as a musical instrument (let's hope you don't keep it in the bathroom!)
. . . your Ph.D. stands for post hole digger.
. . . your uncle is better known as "The Goat Man."
. . . you list the community service you did while in jail as a job reference.
. . . you believe Silence of the Lambs is waht happens when your cousin walks near the barn (ew!)
. . . you have sores on your lip because they keep sticking to the beer can while you're ice fishing (i wanna know why this one is in may, and not december or january?)
. . . you've ever studied for a rectal exam (again, ew!)
. . . your highest-ever test score was for cholesterol.
. . . there are cigarette burns on your wedding dress. (now, that's just sad)
. . . your Arizona State shirt is from the penitentiary, not the university.

and one of my own making: You might be a redneck if the only way you know who Mario Batali is is from his Nascar Cookbook (i kid you not, they announced it saturday!).

Crochet Calendar.

5/6-7: Sushi Pillow. This is cute. I may make it for steph's new apartment (since i know she doesn't have shit.)
5/8: Lacy Shell Poncho. This is pretty, but not my cuppa.
5/9: Avatar. This is a granny type square, by the inestimable drew. this is definitely a square i could use for charitable purposes.
5/10: Celebrity Shawl. This is pretty, but it's got tons of fringe, and i cannot imagine trying to manage making & wearing this, particularly since it's done in homespun. sigh.
5/11: Irenic. another granny square, combining sc & dc, by drew. definitely good charity square.
5/12: Filet Crochet Scarf with Embossed Flowers. this is definitely pretty, and according to the pattern could be worked in wool, or linen, silk, etc. definitely a versatile pattern.
5/13-14: Sunny Day Afghan. hmmm, this looks like it has potential, maybe i'll use to to make snuggles for this month's project. but not in the homespun, ok?
5/15-16: Tahoe. another drew special, and this is definitely a thick, durable square. and it's two day's worth! wow! definitely an intricate square.
5/17-18: Dolly's Cape, Tam, & Muff. i'm not sure about the picture, but i'm not terribly impressed with this pattern.
5/19: Net Poncho. say it with me slowly. Disco is Dead. The 70's are over. nuff said.
5/20-21: Flibbertigibbet. Drew has done it again. This is a cute square, but much too airy for any charity purposes. might use it as a pretty coverlet for the bed, though.
5/22: Double Hook Potholder. tunisian crochet postholders, apparently done on the double hooking techniques. i've never quite figured it out (and other than a few abortive attempts, don't ahve any real desire, either)

Knitting Calendar
(i'm WAY behind on this one, so bear with me)
3/29-30: Silk Tweed Sweater. this looks to be a simple sweater, with lovely yarn. however, it comes in 3 sizes (the smallest of which is 39", amazing!)
3/31: Basket Weave Eyelet. this is a cool stitch. i will have to keep it in mind.
4/1-2: Sweet Caroline Bonnet. this doens't do much for me. the stitch pattern is a little weird (2 sized needles from what i can tell) and the colors they used were not terribly attractive together. sigh.
4/3: Spring Melody Child's Sock. this is designed with beads, but who's to say i couldn't leave the beads off and use it for Dulaan or A4A? even dirt poor little girls who are orphans need pretty things (and this pattern isn't terribly holey, either)
4/4: Opening Night. lovely glovelets made with cashmere/silk yarn & pearl beads. very nice.
4/5: Indulgence Pullover. looks extremely simple. good for charity.
4/6-7: Absolutely, Positively Reversible Scarf. cute enough. it's predominantly moss stitch, which is not my fav (i throw, not pick)
4/8-9: Adult Bonnet with Angora Trim. this is cute, but i wouldn't wear it, lol.
4/10: Party Merino Shawlette. this is doublestranded merino & some ribbon stuff. it's ok. the pattern mostly depends on the texture created by the double-stranding.
4/11: Bit of Lace Magic Stripe Socks. lace socks that still look good in the self-patterning yarns that lion brand puts out
4/12: FLiP, the Fun Little Purse. this is cute, but it uses ribbon yarn.
4/13: LIght as Air Scarf. this runs the opposite of the last pattern. the last was bulky weight ribbon done on small needles for a firm fabric. this is sock weight yarn done on large needles for an airy effect. interesting.
4/14: Spring Shell. this is cute, but it's worsted weight cotton. can you say "heavy?" i knew you could.
4/15-17: Spring Cardigan. this goes with the shell, and even more concerns this.
4/18: Colored Baby Booties. These are done with sock yarn, and quite darling.
4/19: Contemporary Ascot Scarf. the update to this older pattern is the new yarn. ok.
4/20: Dishcloth Duo. I actually have this pattern elsewhere. It was wildly popular, because it was translated from a japanese pattern. i did make the scrubbie, but it came out odd (probably my wacky gauge.)
4/21-23: Hannah's Poncho. very cute. too bad there aren't any charities taking ponchos. i ahve no little girls to put this on, sigh.
4/24: Small Simple Flower. These are done with sock yarn. you make the petals, then assemble them. very cute.
4/25: Opal Kid's Socks. These are done in Opal Brasil, and they are WILD. i love 'em.
4/26-27: Asymmetrical Jacket in 3 Colors. This is nice. i might even make it for myself!
4/28: Waldron Island Hat. This is cute. i think there's bobbles, but not huge hangey ones, from the picture.
4/29-30: Arches & Pillars. Nice lace pattern.
5/1: Simple Elegance. this is made with soy silk. all together now . . . "oooooooooooooooo".
5/2: Cabled Circular Seamless Baby Booties. These are just too darling. they're made with fingering weight, though, so not so much my thing (i like charity baby things that go FAST)
5/3: Book Sweater. This cracks me up. it's not a book cover, per se, but something you slip over the book. whee!
5/4-5: Lake Ontario Socks. These are NICE! however, you could probably make 3 or 4 pair of them, with all the yarn you have to buy for them!
5/6-8: Hemp Spa & Bath Duo. oooooo, i like these. i wonder if linen yarn would work, hemp is so hard to get in the states. i hear christmas presents calling my name.
5/9: Summer Net Chanel Jacket. i like this jacket alot, and the yarn sounds very good for summer, but that ugly noodle yarn trim has GOT to go.
5/10: Pyramids & Triangles Placemat. I like this. and it's done in worsted weight cotton. about the only use i can see for worsted weight cotton, beyond dishcloths.
5/11: Asymmetrical Lace Poncho. this is ok, but the style does nothing for me. and the model seems to think the same thing, from the look on her face.
5/12: The Pismo Hat. done by our lovely marnie. this hat is NICE!
5/13-14: Houndstooth Key Chain Bag. um, yeah. houndstooth should say it all.
5/15: Stuff Diagonal V-Neck Shell. i liek this. i could see me wearing it (after i lose about 30 pounds!)
5/16: Ribbon Wave Scarf. this works by doing extra wraps per stitch in growing and declining intervals.
5/17: Laurel Baby Set. this is made with pima cotton. can anybody tell me what's special about that? other than this stuff looks very nice in the pics. it's an afghan & sweater combo.
5/18-19: Rosa d'Amore. these are beautiful, but must be done in fine gauge yarns, and ones that will hold their shape (no merino for these!)
5/20/21: Glam Poncho. There seems to be a preponderance of ponchos in this month. hmmm.
5/22: Striped Baby to Toddler Pullover. i like this, but it's knit on size 0 needles. umm, yeah.


well, well, i caught up!

toil & trouble

whew. mark's been put on limited duty at work, and can't walk around at all. his foot's gone wonky again, and the doctor wants him to stay off it, as the wound is in a high pressure area of his foot, and since he's so damned tall, there's lots of downward pressure. so i've done the dishes twice at his house, and run for the laundry, and hauled lawnmowers back & forth (yes, i bought a new one, but it gets locked up the moment it's not in use!), and generally had an exhausting weekend, preceded by a fight over eating out friday night. he felt he should stay home, even though i offered to drive, and to drop him off at the door (we went to applebee's, cuz i had a $25 gift card). i guess he would have been on his feet for a sum total of about, hmmmm, 10 minutes? but no, he wouldn't go, so we went without him. i was pissed. i'm not now, but sheesh. i tried to talk to him after we got home (he sent me an email asking if i was ready to talk), but he wasn't in the mood to hear my side, and i was in misery because of my mouth and migraine (the weather, on top of being hot on friday, was up & down because 3 fronts went through) so the conversation went no where. i hate fights like that. we ended up apologizing to each other in the morning ( as we always do).

anyway, so here's what i've been doing:
This is a kitty eggroll from knitty. i figure this yarn looks like it was cooked very badly, lol, raw in bits & burnt in others. i'm working on a second (just have to stuff & sew it up) in the same yarn. my intent, as this month's AC4C project is for an animal shelter in the oregon (i hope!) area, is to do one for her and one for the local shelter. i've gotten the proportions, so i'm whizzing away at it. i'm also planning on doing the wonton portion of the pattern as well. you will note that this is in a ziploc bag. it's the only way to keep jimi out of it! (yes, i'll make one for him & joplin, after the month is up). i got the second one completely knitted while i waited at baxter for what i was told would be a 2 hour project (the protection package, you know undercoat, rustproofing, etc, etc, ad nauseum). i got there at 10. at 2:25, i finally got my van back. UGH! not only did i finish one egg roll, but 2 books! the one was Song of Susannah by Stephen King (the dark tower series, i'm almost done!) and the other was Paths Not Taken by Simon Green (tales of the nightside, actually quite good, if a bit smutty for my 13 year old. i may let him read them in a few years). granted, i didn't start either book there, but i finished a good 100 pages of each book. oy. the lady who was secretary for the service department apologized sincerely several times, so i'm not terribly perturbed with her. what pisses me off is that it took much longer than they told me it would, and didn't tell me until i actually asked. and since i was in the waiting area, my cell didn't get reception, so mark couldn't call me. i had to walk out of the building to call him, and when i finally left, there was no answer. on top of his foot, they called him into work, and he had to take the boys with him. fortunately, they allowed the boys to sit in the lobby while he took care of business. however, no note, and it was extremely obvious that they'd left abruptly. had me worried.
whew! ok, then, here's what else i've been working on:
I finally decided what to do with that delicious cone of cotton that Yvonne(whew, woman, you've got quite the url!) sent me as a secret pal gift. i decided to copy her. she'd bought some for herself, and was doing the t-twist from knitty (gee, is there a trend here?), so i decided that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery. this is designed for us busty gals, and i liked it. however, in order to get gauge, i had to drop from the recommended size 8, to a 4. damn my loose knitting! however, it doesn't seem terribly uncomfortable (the egg roll is done with worsted yarn, done on 3's!), and the fabric is relatively drapey. and, unfortunately, even in a sunlit picture, this isn't nearly so purple. more fuscia than this.
This bit of handspun loveliness is something that i received as a KR secret pal gift over a year ago. i started to spin it up, then abandoned it for a while. with the recent spate of spinning, i was inspired to finally finish it up. this varies wildly from worsted to sockweight, but i gave it to erin as a belated birthday gift (her birthday was in march), and she loved it. the interesting bit is that she wound it into a ball at SoP, and sarah (who is due may 27th with her second child, so we'll excuse it, lol) asked if it was NORO! i am suitably humbled, indeed! it is pretty, though, isn't it? i've started spinning up the easter egg dyed wools, but since i forgot to get a picture today in the sun (they are very subtlely colored), i'll try again tomorrow. they are turning out quite lovely!
and since everyone else is posting flowers, i thought i would as well:

I love peonies. and these are the only flowers that i have in my yard. it was neglected for a number of years, and i'm still trying to just keep it contained. these are a little early (they are supposed to bloom around memorial day) but there are enough buds that i think i will take some to put on my dad's, sister's & grandparents' graves. i may even call the cemetary, and find out their policy about planting at gravesites. i want to plant tulips at grandma's grave. i've always associated red tulips with her, she always had them. Here's a closeup of the lovelies. this color is actually pretty close to the color of my new "me" project!

i'll catch up more later.

TTFN

go vote

as many of you know, i'm a member of the abcalong ring. i know, i know, i don't have the buttons posted, but i am absolutely clueless when it comes to that stuff. i just know i'm a member. well, apparently, with the "I" contest, i am a finalist. so go vote over at the ringleader's blog (is it janine, i'm so confuzzled). Edit: i fixed the link to the blog to vote, and i'm sorry, Anne, i told you i was confuzzled!



now, this bit of inanity is absolutely ridiculous! this has got to be some kind of constitutional violation or something!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060517/ap_on_re_us/unmarried_couples


and this is just frigging funny.
http://www.knittinguniverse.com/xrx/athena/tipdetail.php?ID=1380

i had a whole post planned, but my mouth is rebelling (i had that damned crown seated, and now i've got a bruise on my jaw), so i'm going to bed

TTFN

what a day for a daydream

however, i sit here for the THIRD day in 2 weeks, and the fourth in 3, that i am home in the afternoon with sean. he threw up at school again. we are all (his teacher, the health aide, mark & myself) of the firm opinion that he is faking it. granted, he is really throwing up, but he knows how to force himself to. i was called out of work friday, and today. i understand that he's sick of school, and he's sick of his teacher (they have a lovely hate/hate relationship going on) but he's only got SEVEN stinking days of school left! (6th graders get out 2 days early, it's a part of tradition at his elementary). actually, this is the 5th in a month, but mark fetched him last time. mark doesn't have any vacation time left, and i had to take FMLA without pay to fetch him friday and today. granted, i don't want to be at work, but not this way!

anyway, enough venting for now. apparently my secret pal's name is . . . .. chicken lips. now that is an original email name. she even sent me a bunch of rednecks. a woman after my own heart!

and, now the pics i've been promising since last saturday:

these are the lovely ladies of Mason-Dixon Knitting. Kay & Ann. ok, i'm a dork, but i'm not quite sure which was which. i think kay is the one with the longer hair, but i'm not making any accurate suppositions today. they're talk was lovely, and they are lovely ladies. in fact, they've inspired me to try linen. hmmmmmm, hand towels (for me alone!)

and here's carin with her spinning wheel that saturday. i've got pics of her actually KNITTING somewhere, but be jiggered if i can find it at the moment. i THOUGHT i'd downloaded it.

and the moment you've all been waiting for!

finished Sockpal000za socks!
They went in the mail on friday, when sean admitted that he wasn't sick at all, (or said I'm all better now, mommy (yes, he said mommy)), so we walked to winter quarters bookstore to find a nebraska postcard, and then to the postoffice to mail it. they look a little odd because they slid off the blockers as they dried (grrr). i hope she likes them?

and now, for mine!

these came to me all the way from germany, lovingly knit by munna reichelt. i had forgotten to put that i prefer shorter socks (although anklets can drive me buggy!) and she got them right anyway! the blues are magnificent (and came out pretty accurately here for once!). she sent me the ball band from the yarn (it's superwash) and a nice post card from munich. the chocolate, believe it or not, still exists (that wedding date is looming up close, and i've got a dress to fit in to, or i'm gonna have to wear a corset! (lawsey!)), but i'm eating a little every day. very tasty! thanks, munna, they're great! and thanks to allison and all the sock sisters, too! particular thanks to ina for posting such magnificent updates! i even got picked for one! woot!

and now for some dastardly doings.


i bring into evidence item # 1. lucy neatby sock yarn. this is stuff that made all of us drool at SoP thursday night. (this will be referred to as LN for further ease of typing)

and now, i present for your inspection, item # 2. this post. you remember the one. where the all mighty government decided that they needed my wedding money more than i did.

and now, for the synopsis. jen was roaming about SoP thursday last deciding if she wanted to buy yarn or not. several people had fondled LN, and i kept saying "sock yarn, get thee behind me." i'm broke. well not exactly, but considering i've got a wedding to pay for, i'm broke. she picked up 2 skeins, broke them down to unwound hanks (still tied, mind you) and asked which one we liked. i spoke up for the crayola one, cuz i'm a crayola kinda gal. several of us agreed, but jen decided she liked the other one because it had pink in it. so, we're sitting there, watching jen & becky (lovely employee of SoP who has become friend as much as anything else) sit at the ball winder fighting the hugely tangled skein of LN, and sympathizing. finally, becky conquered it, and we turned away, lest we jinx the miracle (trust me, it was a miracle). next thing i know, jen plops this ball in my lap. WTF? "just shut up and take it" or something like that, in any case. i did thank her, but she's a stinker! dire doings indeed! like i NEED more sock yarn! (dont' get me wrong, i LOVE sock yarn, and maywell have gained an addiction to sock knitting, but hey, a girl's gotta call a stop sometime, right?)

and now i must stop, because i was a spinning fanatic this weekend (i promised jen & carin i'd teach them to do 2-ply on thursday, and thought i'd better be spinning up 2 bobbins-ful) and my wrist is crying "foul!"

TTFN

sp8 questionairre

ok, here goes

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

i havent' found a fiber i haven't liked. of course, i've never knit with linen, soo . . . (hint, hint)

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

my UFO's? actually, i have a 7 drawer cart where i try to keep all my straights & circs, and a pitcher on my computer desk where i keep the lion's share of my dpn's.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

um, i've been knitting for 3/4th's of my life. i'm 40 (for the pal that doesn't want to do the math, that's 30 years, lol) i think i'm an advanced intermediate knitter. steeks still scare the living daylights out of me.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

yes, i ahve an amazon list. just search under my name.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

vanilla. sandalwood. jasmine. magnolia. peony.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

does a knitter buy yarn? dark chocolate. (but i'm trying to lose weight for my wedding, sigh)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

i spin, and crochet, and sew. i do alot more spinning & crochet than sewing, though, lol

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

my stereo can play mp3's if they're on a cd. however, my musical tastes are EXTREMELY eclectic. such as the grateful dead, and gaelic/irish, classic rock, and QUEEN. there's more, but ask, and i'll tell ya if i like it or not. if it's any help, i haven't heard a song on Cast On that i didn't like.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

i love deep blues & purples. but i like everything (except mustard yellow) and will knit it all.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

my fiance & i have 2 cats (one lives with him for now, but she's coming over here when he moves in). i also have 2 boys age 11 1/2 & 13 1/2 (they insist on the half) and two daugthers age 20 & 21.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

i'll wear mittens & hats. i own a few scarves, but i never wear them (even the handspun, hand knit ones). i own a poncho, but i never wear it either.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

anything small and fast. although i have a penchant for anything challenging. i'm trying to knit the peacock shawl from fiddlesticks (not having much luck at this point, though)

13. What are you knitting right now?

finishing up my sockpal000za socks, a vest for Dulaan, the peacock shawl.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

YES! and it doesn't have to be handknit, either.
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

most of my needles are metal, with about even spreads of straight & circs. i do like wood needles, although i don't own a whole lot. plastic is ok, but i don't care for it as much. (i'd like lots of the smaller sizes of circs (short, too) i dont' seem to have many of those (although i'm sure they're scattered everywhere, see # 2)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

no, but i need to.

17. How did you learn to knit?

my grandmother gave me the beginnings, and i taught myself the rest.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

i refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me.

19. What is your favorite holiday?

HALLOWEEN! that's where my sewing comes out. if you'll look for my "I" post, you'll see waht i DO sew.

20. Is there anything that you collect?

dragons, faeries, and FIBER!

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I have IK & Knit Simple. i LOVE the Knitting magazine from GB, but it's hard to get it regularly here. i had 2 lovely secret pals that would send them to me.

i would like the Eris pattern from A girl from Auntie (or called auntie, i can't recall, sigh)
i would also like alterknits, knitting nature, andany # of the barbara walker treasuries. i bought #one for a secret pal, and damn near kept it myself! i would also like more dpn's in the smaller/ huger sizes. i've got most of the middle bits.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

entrelac. lace knitting without tearing my hair out!
23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

i have knit socks, but mostly for other people. i suffer from a hot foot, and wear my birkenstocks whenever i can (when there's not more than an inch of snow on the ground). if you really want my foot measurements, i'll post them later, leave me a comment

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

my birthday was 04/01. and yes, i turned 40 (shudder).

also, just so you know, i'm allergic to bananas and watermelon, and can't stand the scent of either, to include artificial ones. while i adore tropical things, i have to be careful there's no banana in it. i also don't care for mint (a child hood aversion i've never really gotten over)

any questions about anything, jsut leave me a comment!

anger & frustration

i'll post about yesterday later, i still haven't downloaded the pics yet.


i'm pissed. and upset. and angry & frustrated. we left our fairly new lawn mower in the back yard yesterday, because mark didn't have the time to come fetch it as he had rehearsal (yes, he's back to playing again, hallelujah!) . we left here around 5, and the lawnmower was still here at that point. i came home this morning, and the lawnmower is gone. this lawnmower was in replacement of one that was stolen from mark's last year. this is going to make the 3rd lawnmower i've bought in 3 years! (the first was in replacement of an old one that died). i'm sick of this. i bought liam a bike 3 years ago for his 11th birthday, and it was stolen off my enclosed front porch last summer. they had to OPEN THE DOOR AND WALK ONTO MY PORCH to do this. and i have a fenced in yard. they had to actively open the gate, and walk to my patio, and push it out my back yard. when i asked my neighbor if he'd seen anything, he told me that he can't even leave his garage door open while he's mowing (he has a riding mower, he has a corner lot) because someone stole a battery charger out of it while he was mowing.

why can't people leave shit alone? i don't live in a bad neighborhood (i wouldn't have gotten the kids back, if i had), it's much like the one i lived in in blair (small town north of omaha about 20 miles for those who don't know). except for this. i'm tired of it. i don't have a shed, so i can't store or lock anything up. i'm tired of it, and i'm going to do something about it. next weekend, i'm going to home depot and buying a few sheets of plywood, and i'm building a lock box to put stuff in. i just don't understand. it's not like they'd get that much for it at a hock shop. gee, maybe $50? not enough for a rock, or a bag, and maybe enough for groceries for 2 or 3 days, or maybe a week, if they ate frugally. damn

i guess i owe you

a calendar update. i'm hopelessly behind. however, i'm going to show pics first:

This messy little bit of green & white is a toddler vest for dulaan. it's in my handspun that i've been showing off here. it's actually quite greener than this, but for some odd reason, teh white shows up better. i seamed it with some matching redheart yarn, just because it was easier to seam with, lol. i'll be doing the arm holes & neck this weekend, if i finish the sockpal000za socks.

This picture of jimi is a bit blurry, because he was vigorously licking his tail, of all things! and the little shit had it brought up between his legs. what a goof!

ok, i'll do the crochet calendar, since i'm most behind on it.

here goes:

3/18-19: Crochet Hook Case. Kinda cute, could be used for other things. and it's felted. i like that.
3/20: Unisex Cap. This is nice, and has some post work as well. however, i don't think i'd do it for a guy (maybe a little boy)
3/21: Unisex Scarf. the colors are the same as the cap, but the pattern is completely different. it's a keyhole scarf, as far as i can tell, but it's done in lion brand homespun. hmmm. have to think about that. i'm not terribly enamoured with that stuff (the PFH was made in homespun)
3/22: Forget-Me-Knot Earings. These are cute, and little enough not to be gaudy. and they're blue. i should have named this blog the blue dragon mad knitter, lol.
3/23: Ruffled Scarf. This is made with granny squares with a ruffled edge. looks interesting.
the yarn is a bit fuzzy though.
3/24: Ponytail Thingie. a scrunchie with danglies. not for me, but maybe someone under 10.
3/25-27: Lacy Scarf with Symbols. It's a scarf made with mohair doilies. I like it, but god, imagine frogging mohair crochet!
3/28: Monk's Hood. i like this alot. it's simple and i've used the same pattern to make an afghan. it's single crochet, but with the chain alternating, makes for a much more fluid fabric. i may make this for myself. i've got some lovely yarns from secret pals i may use for this.
3/29: Sassy-Brimmed Hat. I like this! it's cute! i may make it for my SIL. i could see her wearing it. i think i'd have to use cotton or silk yarn though, she's in georgia, andit's much to warm for anything else down there.
3/30: Crochet Dude's Afghan. Asperity Square. Apparently he's got a whole list of squares in here somewhere, and this is teh first. it's a nice solid square, and i may use it for squares for AC4C, since i'm tired of the standard old square granny minus the holes. this is fairly hole-free.
3/31: Elysium. Another crochet dude square, but this one has a few more holes. i do like it, though, i may use it for another purpose.
4/1-2: Openwork Scarf. this isn't as airy as it sounds. it alternates bands of openwork with bands of solids, so while it's not as solid as a garterstitch scarf, per se, it is enough to keep warm with. the model is annie modesitt's son, and he's a cutie.
4/3: Bucket Hat. oh yeah. i like this one. and it's sc, too. right up my alley!
4/4: Ikebana Wrist Corsage. while this is kinda cute, i can't see a real use for it, other than play dress up for the wee ones. another under 10 pattern.
4/5: Beret. the discription says something about military millnery chic (go annie!) but i don't think any army guy would be caught dead in this. not to say i don't like it (i do!) but it's not quite "masculine" enough for army/navy (choose your branch). and it' s made with a K hook! oofdah!
4/6: Brimmed Granny Skull Cap. This is darling. even with the fun fur in the brim. i just might experiment with this one.
4/7: Blue & Yellow Basket. double stranded cotton. oh my aching hands! it is cute, though.
4/8-10: Crocheted Buddha. hmmm. this is kinda cute, but the way his face is embroidered, he looks more like Loki! any buddhists out there offended by a crocheted buddha? i'll have to ask Cuzzin Tom, i suppose. i thin khe's buddhist, isn't he?
4/11: Raillery. Square # 3 by drew. once a gain, a bit holey, but i think i cna find a use for this, too.
4/12: Easter Carrot. This would make a cute rattle, just insert a bell in the middle of the stuffing. i think i need to make a bunch of these (groan!)
4/13: Hat with Flower. this would have made a sweet easter bonnet (it was cold and rainy easter day, perfect for this hat). almost looks like the hats the flappers wore in the 20's.
4/14-16: Pat's Teddy Bear. This bear is cute! a nice job done, too. and the designer's name is Patricia Easter. how appropriate is that, on easter weekend?
4/17: Classic Crochet Beret. the biggest difference between this one and the previous one is gauge. the last was done with a K hook, and htis is done with a D (and cashmere yarn, but that's just a technicality (ducks!))
4/18: Beautiful Bullion Square. i hate bullion stitch. this is. . . interesting. not my cuppa, but definitely interesting.
4/19-20: Picot Edged Ribbed Gloves. i don't normally go in for crocheted gloves, but these are pretty. and the biggest advantage of these gloves: i can make the fingers fit me. most gloves have fingers too long for me. sigh.
4/21: April Dawn Square. i definitely like this one, despite the bullion stitch. this one has a more symmetrical (maybe tidy) use of them, and doesn't look so doscombobulated.
4/22-23: Puff Dog. this square was designed by a 12 year old with technical assistance from his mom (the creator of the april dawn square). go boy! (yes, it was a boy!)
4/24: Crochet Cloche Blank. the first time i read the description of this i thought it said "military" and not "millinery". oy. it is cute, though.
4/25: Apple Blossom Time Square. again with the bullion stitch. a veritable orgy of them. of course most of the last ones were designed by the same woman, lol. this is nice, but again, a few much in the hole department.
4/26: Butterfly Wing Shawl. this has a fitted feel to it, with the curved upper portion to fit around your neck & shoulders. nice stitch pattern.
4/27-28: Kattiwampus. This is a nice drew square, but it's too holey for most of mypurposes. will keep it in mind for adult gifts.
4/29-30: Black Button Purse. the buttons are rainbow colored, but the purse is a nice black thick & quick woolease, kinda kitschy, but definitely cute.
5/1-3: Crochet Picture Hat. I knew as soon as i saw this pattern picture, that it was annie's hat. it's the millnery references. this is very nice, and if i can find time, i might make it for my bridesmaids. then again, maybe not.
5/4: Sunflower Bullion Square. you know how i feel about bullion stitch, but it really does look like a sunflower!
5/5: Tic Tac Toe. cute, but too holey. why wasn't there a "mexican" pattern for today?


ok, i'm competely exhausted. i'm going to bed

mama said there'd be days like this

but she never told me my child would ask me to make baked goods for tomorrow's bake sale 10 minutes before the grocery store closes! however, i am mom, and woman, here me roar (bake, whatever!)
have any of you ever heard of that "cooking" show on food tv called semi-homemade? that woman ain't got nothin' on me! these are store brand tube sugar cookies, one batch decorated with the new swirl toll house chips. these are caramel/chocolate. quite tastey. i have to send something for the cake walk and something for the bakesale. the bakesale items have to be in 2's or 3's. so the chip cookies will be in 3's and the plains will be in 2's, in ziplock bags.

then there's this:


the cake walk portion of the evening is supposed to be something large, so i bought a box of family sized betty crocker brownies (thank you , dahlink, you're a life saver!) and tossed in the remainder of the chips and half a bag of pecans. these are cooling as we speak, and i'll cut them in the morning and split them between 2 plates (no SANE family would eat the whole panful in one sitting (who said we're a sane family? please note the time of this post!)). this is ALL going to school with sean (pray for him!) as they have to be there earlier than either mark or i can get them there otherwise. and then there's the blasted carnival. oy. i'm tired already.


now, i don't know about you, but i don't ever recall doing something like this to my mother. i always let her know in advance (at least not 1/2 hour before she had planned on going to bed!) when something like this was needed. granted, my mom was a farm wife, and would have had the leisure (chuckle) to do this in the morning, and deliver them at the appointed time. but still. so now, i'm completely worn out. however, i've made lovely progress on my sockpal000za sock (yes, i know i'm late) and have about 1/3 of the foot done. here's a pic of their progress as of monday night!

aren't they purdy? and i've been working on them between switching out cookie sheets and baking pans. but now, i must collapse in bed before my eyelids fuze open. blech

Nothing

Nothing from nothing leaves nothing, ya gotta have something, if you wanna be with me!


ok, now name that tune, and artist.

cuz i got nothing.

does anybody else have a sound track in their head? continuous music playing, and the tune changes with new musical suggestions, or a phrase that triggers a choice? the above lyrics popped up in my head when i was contemplating the title of this post. when i worked at the steakhouse at Ameristar, i used to sing all night long (there's another song, lol). when i left, one waitress, joan, said she'd miss my singing (she said she'd miss me too, but ya know). i love music. i had always wanted to play in band, but there was no money for instruments, and they didn't do the rent-to-own thing back in my day (god that makes me sound old!) i wanted to either play the flute or percussion. i've always been drawn to sweet high sounds, or major deep, crashing sounds. never any middle ground with me!

alas, i must bring this nothingness to an end, i must fly to work (blech) (it's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys)

ttfn!

I is for Inheritance

All around us are ghosts. I see my father's grin in my son's face. I hear my grandmother's lilt in my daughter's voice. I look at my hands, and see the knotted veins and strains of a life lived hard, lived like my mother:

I see in my face the determined jaw of grandma ruth, and the twinkle in the eye of grandma mac. i see the thoughtfulness (hence the set of my jaw) and the love. the grey in my hair is an evolution set in motion by them, while i watch my hair change in the same patterns as theirs did.









I'm surrounded by my family, by those who have gone before me. i have the leather pouch my father would carry tools in as he went about his daily work on the farm. i have the desk that grandma mac used to sew her quilts, and clothes.





I have the pie safe that grandma ruth used to store her things, while she knit blankets to warm all those she loved:










I've inherited these things from my two favorite women in the whole world. Both the physical and the emotional. I knit & sew for my family.



I sew halloween costumes, so the dreams my boys envision can come true, if only for one enchanted night.






I knit for my daughter who i even cannot seem to make happy, despite my best efforts, when they turn to others for their laughter.








And i craft for those who have no one else.


I take these gifts i've been given by my grandmothers, and great grandmothers, and all my ancestors and do my best for everyone. It's my Inheritance.

for our pals down under

i have the Knit Bits calendar, which is a 365 day calendar, and while i've decided that to share that one every day is going to drive me into carpal tunnel, i thought, on Anzac day, April 25, that thought should be shared.


This is a day when Australians and New Zealanders remember World War I and their servicemen. Recently, a veteran of that war told this story: "You know when one of my mates was dying out there in the trenches, he gave me the socks his sister had made for him. They were great socks, not those flimsy things you buy in the shops. When I came back I went looking for that girl - and i married her. You know it was all because of that pair of socks. I've never had any other sort of socks." He was married to his sock knitter for fifty-one years.

Kathryn Gunn quoted in KnitLit, edited by Linda Roghaar and Molly Wolf.


wow.

and here's something else for you to ponder. while i was cleaning the living room yesterday, and going through all the packages i've just set aside rather than throw them out, i found my receipt from when i bought the Peacock shawl pattern. it had a poem on it, that i'd like to share as well.

The Prayse of the Needle

To all dispersed sorts of Arts and Trades,
I write the Needles praise (that never fades)
So long as children shall be got or borne,
So long as garments shall be made, or worne,
So long as Hemp or Flax, or Sheep shall bear
Their linnen wollen fleeces yeare by yeare;
So long as Silk-worms, with exhausted spoyle
Of their owne Entrailes, for mans gaine shal toyle:
Yea, till the world be quite dissolu'd and past;
So long at least, the Needles use shall last;

By John Taylor (1580 - 1653)

nuff said.