FaeryKnits

Craving

2011-11-01T15:35:00.002-04:00

Falling . . . . . .

2011-06-11T20:55:00.002-04:00

. . . . .down the rabbit hole.

Birth Control?

2011-06-08T19:24:00.001-04:00

Seen in a gas station in North Carolina.

WANT

2011-05-11T17:27:00.005-04:00

www.pocket-wheel.com

Seen in ASDA

2011-02-14T11:18:00.002-05:00

Clickety Biggety

De-Stashing

2010-05-17T20:46:00.005-04:00

Barcelona (sold), Seacoast, Frolic (sold), Lilacs (sold), Maple Vanilla (sold), Jack Frost. $20 each via Paypal.

MD Sheep and Wool 2010

2010-05-04T10:52:00.019-04:00

The VIP has been blogging this over at his blog for several days, and he took lots more pictures than I did, so check his out.

I am just here to show you the haul. First, pins from Zippy:

Next is yarn from Creatively Dyed, Serendipitous Ewe, and Shelby B:

Then we have six skeins of Adorn Sock from Three Irish Girls:

And the desperately-desired Rainbow Bright bundle:

And that's it! Well, except for the sidewalk broom, and the festival t-shirt.

New Digs

2010-03-08T19:10:00.002-05:00

Yeah, yeah I know it's been three months since I've blogged. Bite me. Depression does nasty things to your calendar, such as totally erase weeks and weeks. So what have I/we been doing?

Endured Christmas. I didn't even decorate, except tape all the cards I received onto the wall. The DD always helps me put up the tree, and I didn't want to have anything to do with it this year with her not here. I watched Carson Daly ring in the New Year and decided that he is channeling Dick Clark. Pretty good trick, since Dick is still alive.

Watched The Who doing the Superbowl Halftime Show. They should have played Athena.

Took an impromptu trip to White Plains NY where we watched the Olympics Opening Ceremonies. Scored a vintage pair of Wiss sewing shears at a thrift store for two bucks.

Completed my Knitting Olympics/Ravelympics project. I chose the Sixteen Cable Hat and knit it in Three Irish Girls worsted-weight superwash yarn in the Waterlilies colourway. It turned out nice, and I mailed it to the DD last weekend.

Lived through the most snow Philadelphia/SJ has had in recorded history. I swear, it was like being in Idaho the winter of '88. Crazy.

Moved. Only ten miles from our previous location, but in another county and another ward. The rent is a third less than our last place, and there's no stairs for me to climb. My depression may have been exacerbated by the knee pain I've been having and I am much happier knowing I do not have to climb stairs just to enter or exit my house. We took the last load over here a week ago, and I have been spending a lot of time (and having lots of energy) unpacking and arranging. The VIP was gone all Saturday morning and in those short hours I managed to place about 15 bookshelves and emptied about a dozen boxes. There is still much to be done however. My goal is to have it look nice by the end of March. I want my house to look nice this time. Before it was just utilitarian and I had no desire or drive to keep it looking good enough for company. But now maybe I can manage it. I am also going to be more pro-active about de-cluttering my crafting/knitting/sewing supplies, books, and music. Why keep a whole CD, tape, or record for one song? Rip it or buy it off iTunes, and get rid of it. I am not going to keep piles of sewing projects out half-done. I am going to finish the UFOs and move on. Same with my knitting.

First thing to finish will be my scrap Koigu Clapotis. Since I have only three repeats left, I don't think that will take too long. Then I have two single socks that need mates. After that, I will reward myself and cast on another Sixteen Cable Hat.

Spring seems to be just around the corner. I've heard rumours it's to be almost 60* tomorrow. 60 is fine. Higher and I begin to suffer.

Make a little goal and work on it.

Solution, sorta

2009-12-10T10:07:00.002-05:00

The VIP got a new crepe pan to replace the one that broke the last time he made crepes. He christened it last night and we ate crepes with copious amounts of Nutella. I still need to get a new jar for the DD though.

Sigh

2009-12-06T19:34:00.003-05:00

I bought my daughter a big jar of Nutella to put in her Christmas box. Step-son saw it and opened it up for one spoonful. There was already an opened jar in the cupboard. What do I do now?

Smacked by a Cosmic Clue-by-Four

2009-12-01T10:03:00.004-05:00

I cannot find my size 11 KnitPicks Options needles. I have no idea where they are, so I guess I'd better take inventory of my WIPs and see if I can locate them.

1-- Pi Shawl. Size 7 Options, tons of stitch markers. Still at row 70.
2-- Cascade 220 scarf. Size 7 16" KP circulars. This is a mindless project that is sitting around with no definite end date. I should put it in the car as emergency car knitting.
3-- Brooklyn Tweed scarf. Size 8 straights. 39 stitches, 4 balls of Jojoland Rhythm.
4-- Brooklyn Tweed scarf. Size 8 straights. 19 stitches, 2 balls of Jojoland Rhythm bought in NYC at Knitty City the last time I saw LL.
5-- Socks for FIL. Size 2 circulars. Need to finish in a week and get them in the post.
6-- Socks for the VIP. Size 2 circulars. For anniversary/birthday/Christmas and the first one is already done.
7-- Socks for me. Size 2 circulars. Lorna's Laces orphan skein bought somewhere in Philly or Jersey.
8-- Socks for me. Size 2 circulars. Regia's Kaffe Fassett line. First sock done, second sock at heel. I really want to finish this sock, but need to spend time on the FIL socks to finish them first.
9-- Clapotis. Size 7 straights. Various hanks of Koigu mill-ends bought at Rosie's.
10-- Colonnade. Size 11 circulars, not nearly long enough, hence the search for my KP tips.

These are all I can think of at the moment. I'm not at home to go looking, but I'm mentally searching through all the places I hide my knitting projects and this is all I'm coming up with. Where are those size 11 tips?

Post-Thanksgiving Crafting

2009-11-30T07:51:00.002-05:00

So now my favourite holiday is over and the crazy season is upon us. I just hate the mad scramble to find "stuff" for people. I try to look for small, perfect gifts through the year rather than cop out and give a Borders gift card that required no thought at all. And of course then there's the economy which as we all know is crap. I see no reason to go all-out and over-extend myself even more than I already am just to save face. I'm knitting for many of my gifts, and some folks are just getting a beautiful card. I know that my good friends will understand because it's not about the "stuff", it's about how you show people you love them through service.

My list is short but hopefully it's meaningful. I need to hurry and get my overseas gifts done and shipped first, and then whatever gets done, gets done.

I Caved

2009-10-05T09:59:00.003-04:00

I finally submitted to peer pressure from my Haddonfield SnB buddies and signed up on Facebook. You can find me as Tola Faery. I keep it open all the time, same as my Gmail page, but I'm not constantly updating or even checking. I can't afford another time suck. I've currently got 4 socks OTN and a second sock in need of casting on before it becomes a terminal case of SSS. It's for a colleague of the VIP, who is always willing to give him his Enbrel injection when he needs it. She is an Amazon Woman, and the first sock is suitably large. I used almost a whole 50g ball.

Other socks are a pair of Coriolis for the DD, a pair of short socks for the Spawn, a pair of short socks for me out of an orphaned skein of Lorna's Laces that I bought a year ago in Germantown, and a pair for a dear friend who just had her world turned upside-down. I'm too far away to hug her, so I have to make her some socks. Plus, I'm teaching a sock class at the Haddonfield SnB on Tuesdays.

I'm also "working" 4 days a week, babysitting at a local gym. It's just from 9a-12p, and sometimes I don't even have any kids. It's not high-paying, but it gets me up and showered and dressed before noon (or 5pm) and it will pay for my sock club. I should probably have given up the sock club when I first lost my job, but I really love it.

The VIP and I are going to Rhinebeck in two weeks. I'd better find our Ravelry buttons from MSW so we get recognized. I wonder where I put those?

We have done two craft fairs this season, and have a third lined up. The VIP was such a big help and he actually quite enjoyed it. I didn't sell any of the coin purses I make from the handles of IKEA shopping bags, but I did sell a few baby hat/mittens sets and some coin bracelets and a decent amount of glass magnets. I actually need to sit down and make some more of those. They sell better when there's a bigger selection. I need to get some more organza bags too, so another excuse to go looking on Ebay. (Like I need an excuse too go on Ebay.)

Okay well a couple of kids have arrived, so I need to go pay attention to them.

Dear Daughter

2009-09-23T12:16:00.002-04:00

I found it difficult to think of just one flower to represent you. I thought of the classic beauty of roses and how when I see them I am reminded of your beautiful soft skin.

The sunflowers and daisies make me think of your bright smile when you're happy and content with everything in your world.

The flowering trees of spring represent your youth and your incredible potential.

The wildflowers that grow alongside the roads remind me of the places you'll go.

I'm tempted to say that the corpse flower makes me think of how rotten and stinky you can be sometimes, but I won't.

After a lot of thought, I think that the bird of paradise flower makes me think of you the most. It's a flower that looks like a bird; it is exotic; it is spiky and poky; and it is like nothing else. You are totally unique, and I love you for it. You will be an incredible adult, if you can just get through this teenage thing!

Love, Mommy

NYC Again

2009-07-24T22:09:00.004-04:00

The VIP and I went to NYC a few weeks ago to see my brother LL before he leaves for his master's program at Durham University. His program is a year, and he says he plans on staying two more years, working.

So early on Sunday July 5, the VIP and I drove up 295 to the train station in Trenton to catch a train to Penn Station in NYC. It was my first train ride, and although I appreciate the speed and efficiency of rail travel, I'm not sure I love it. Anyway, the trip took a bit over an hour, and LL met us outside of the station where we planned our day. But first, the gift-giving. I had a vintage Hawaiian shirt that was my dad's when I was a kid. He out-grew it years ago, but I snagged it because it held such great memories for me. It needed a bit of mending, but it washed up great. LL seemed to like it, anyway. And the VIP had dragged out every last bit of British currency that we had hanging around the house and it added up to almost 74 pounds! I put it in a zippered bag. At first LL was gobsmacked, but when we explained that it would be good to have some cash in case the exchange booths weren't open when he arrived, he was quite grateful. Besides, what are we going to do with it?

We headed down to Greenwich Village to visit Myer's of Keswick. We bought all manner of British goods, and admired Molly the shop cat. Apparently she has her own Facebook page.

After that, we wandered around looking for lunch. I was wanting pub food, but we came across a hummus restaurant first. LL had never had hummus, and he was game, so we had hummus.

The order of what we did the rest of the day is very fuzzy, but we rode the subway a lot, went to Knitty City, went to Times Square looking for pressed penny machines, found them at ESPN, Bubba Gump's, Sbarro Pizza, and M&Ms. LL showed us the new Times Square Plaza, where the city basically has blocked off a couple of blocks and set up lawn loungers and bleachers for those who wish to linger. We also hit a street fair organized by the USO, and ate really good burgers at a place I can't remember the name of. It was an awesome day and I had a lot of fun and I will really miss LL. He is with my folks right now for a few weeks so that's good. My DD is there with them too, which makes me much more relaxed about her being gone.

Still no job to be had, but I apply at about a dozen places per week. At least now I'm getting unemployment and so the bills are getting paid.

June was incredibly wet, but July has been drier and hotter. I much prefer the cooler, wetter weather. Apparently I turned 40 this year!

In Fours?

2009-06-28T17:44:00.003-04:00

Ed McMahon on Tuesday June 23. Not totally out-of-the-blue, as he was 86 and had some health issues recently.

Farrah Fawcett on Thursday June 25. We knew this was coming, as she had been battling cancer for three years.

Michael Jackson also on Thursday June 25. A big surprise, and I'm a bit upset by the fact that the media coverage of his death overshadowed Farrah's. But he was a showman.

Billy Mays on Sunday June 28. So far it seems to be Natasha Richardson-like, but time and autopsy will tell. I liked him, even though he screamed on TV.

Whatever happened to "bad things happen in threes?"

One wonders what God needs with this bunch all together.

An Old Story

2009-05-22T13:38:00.002-04:00

I never blogged about it when it happened, but I will now.

Around the last time LL came to visit us, we noticed that one of the mattresses on the bed was slowly sinking lower than the other one. The VIP bought this bed over 20 years ago when he lived in Germany and it is quite ingenious. It's all wood, and comes to pieces with the effort of two people. This makes it easy to move. Instead of having one king-sized mattress, it has two extra-long twin mattresses. They are a bit hard, but we bought some nice foam mattress pads and I'm fine. The only bad thing is that we cannot get mattresses here that fit the frame. If we replace the bed, we replace the whole entire thing, and I'm not willing to give up the easily movable thing yet. Anyway, a couple of days after LL's visit, we broke the bed.

The first night, I slept on the mattress on the floor, and the VIP slept on the bed in the extra bedroom. But that wasn't very friendly and neither of us slept well. The next night we dragged both mattresses out into the living room and had a campout of sorts. That was much more fun. The next day was Saturday and we went to Home Depot for some lumber and huge bolts. For about $20 and a couple hours of finagling, we fixed the bed!

But I have to tell you, camping out on the living room floor really was fun.

Stalled

2009-05-18T17:18:00.004-04:00

The VIP and I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool which he blogged about here and here. Since he did such a good job, I will refer you to his observations.

I bought a ball of Opal sock yarn, a secret present for a friend, and some Kollage square needles which I have already returned. I like the idea of the square needles, but the cable is floppier than wet string. Absolutely no good for Magic Loop use. The manufacturer says they are tinkering with a firmer cable so I will try them again when that comes out. The VIP bought sheep's milk cheese, which tastes nice but is very over-priced, IMHO. I had a good time, but we missed a whole building. The sharpening booth was in the same building as The Fold, so we waited until 4pm to drop off our scissors to be sharpened. He did an awesome job though. I know I have at least two more pairs of sewing scissors that need attention. I wonder if he will be at Rhinebeck?

Up To A Little Fun

2009-04-30T13:49:00.009-04:00

I do not sit and watch QVC all day long. But I do watch the Kirks Folly shows. I really love KF jewelry, and I've been to Fairyland 2000 which was a fancy-dress ball held at Belcourt Castle in Newport RI, and I've been to a factory sale. Now I've been to a QVC live show and it was so much fun! The set is so much smaller in real life, and the models don't just sit there and get draped with jewelry. They are jumping up and down constantly, taking off and putting on new pieces as the previous ones sell out.

After the 2-hour show, Jenniefer, Helen, Lindy and Hannah all came out to the foyer for pictures. I had dressed carefully, but as usual I look a fright. But Braveheart looks mighty fine!

I made sure to get a photo with Captain Jack Sparrow. The DD will be so jealous, because she is in love with Johnny Depp.

And I met up with my friend Kim who is known on the KF Forum as WhichyWoman. She is such a dear, and I wish we lived closer together. I admired a necklace she had on and she took it off and gave it to me on the spot! I will always think of her when I wear it.

I Am Not Lazy

2009-04-14T13:18:00.001-04:00

My body absolutely needs 12 to 14 hours of sleep every day in order to heal.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Gall Stones Don't Kill You

2009-04-08T13:56:00.002-04:00

You just wish that they did.

Huge thanks to:

The VIP who took such good care of me for the 96 hours I was in the hospital, and for keeping everyone updated with blog posts and phone calls.

Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers and other ward friends who have called.

The Haddonfield SnB Group, and the Mount Holly Bevy.

My ER doctor and nurse, the ultrasound tech, the CT scan tech, my surgeon, my second surgeon, the house doctor, and most of my nurses.

Mom and Dad and Gram for their prayers and the lovely flowers.

My Cote du Ciel family for all the good wishes sent my way.

My blogging and Ravelry friends for same.

And most especially, Morphine!!

Unavoidable Interruption of Service

2009-04-02T16:13:00.004-04:00

We would like to apologise for the current interruption of service of Tola Faery.

This is purely temporary.

For information, please see the VIP blog.

Soxy Pix

2009-03-11T20:49:00.006-04:00

Some recent socks knitted for family and friends.

Five Days Without Internet

2009-02-09T10:21:00.003-05:00

Is six days too long. Seriously, we had no internet at home from Wednesday evening to Sunday afternoon. We could check web-based email and read the news at work, but after 5pm we had nothing. Thank goodness the cable still worked, otherwise it would have been Very Bad. We did discover though that we could hook up one of the laptops to the cable box, and record stuff off the DVR and clear out some space. There is no need to keep a whole hour of a certain program if I only want to keep a 5 minute segment. Technology is cool! If you should receive a DVD in the mail from us, it's because we yanked it off the DVR and wanted to share it with you.

But we had a good weekend despite that. And finally by the time the internet was back up, all we wanted to do was check email and Alison's progress. Don't forget to keep her in your prayers, please.

Why NPR is My Favourite News Source

2009-01-19T12:45:00.002-05:00

You can go here and see if our new president is keeping his promises. Isn't Obameter a great word?

Please

2009-01-13T08:06:00.002-05:00

Pray for Alison.

Desperately Seeking . . . . .

2008-12-29T11:07:00.002-05:00

Trekking XXL colour 71. Nobody has any on Ravelry. If anyone has it, I'll pay the going rate for Trekking in your LYS plus shipping.

Overheard

2008-12-15T16:04:00.008-05:00

I was at Woolbearers Saturday night for their Christmas Finishing Frenzy because I was determined to finish my BFF's socks (and I did!) About half of the people who showed up I have never met before, so it was nice to talk to new people. The conversation turned to the topic of "Stupid Stuff People Ask" and one of the new ladies told one she heard the other day: "Why are the stars so much brighter after an earthquake?"
*blink blink*
"Ummmmmmmmmmm cuz you're special?"

PS The yarn is Trekking 147, 3x1 rib on 56 stitches and size 2 circular needles.

What To See Your First Time to Philly

2008-12-11T09:15:00.006-05:00

After going to see the Liberty Bell, and Ben Franklin's underground house, you take your out-of-town guests to the Magic Garden on South Street! In a city chock-full of American history, said guest is more awed by an entire city block covered with mosaics. I agree, it's very cool! Go here to see more photos. I am still waiting for LL to send me his photos, so I'll add them to the set when I get them.

Gratitude

2008-11-28T08:45:00.003-05:00

(A day late due to severe turkey-coma)

I am most grateful for my family. My husband the VIP, my DD, and brother LL. My folks and granny, and other assorted siblings and their spawn.

I'm grateful I have a job that isn't too difficult, that I can leave at work at 5 o'clock, and that I work with the VIP.

I'm grateful that I like living here out on the east coast. I can't imagine much worse than hating where you live, even if it isn't what you're used to.

I'm grateful that all our dinner leftovers fit in our fridge, and that we will have lunches for the next week due to my excellent skillz (ha!).

I'm grateful that LL is coming to visit us tomorrow!

And I'm grateful that Tan's daughter wasn't anywhere near Mumbai while travelling in India this week.

8 Things (tagged by Lynn)

2008-11-17T16:10:00.004-05:00

My friend Ms Ravelled asked me to play along on the 8 Things meme, so here goes!

8 Favourite TV Shows: (I am including shows that are currently in production)
1-- Criminal Minds
2-- CSI: NY
3-- CSI: Miami
4-- CSI (Las Vegas)
5-- Numb3rs
6-- Pushing Daisies
7-- Top Gear
8-- Martha Stewart

8 Things I Did This Weekend:
1-- Slept a lot
2-- Enjoyed "private time" with the VIP
3-- Was rear-ended while stuck in traffic on Rte 70
4-- Took my Charlotte's Web Shawl out of time-out and knit 4 rows
4-- Finished a pair of socks and decided they were too big, so I gave them to the DD
5-- Cleaned the kitchen after the VIP made dinner and our week of lunches.
6-- Went grocery shopping
7-- Re-organised part of the storage unit
8-- Dropped off some more wool handbags at the consignment shop

8 Things to Look Forward To:
1-- The weekend!
2-- The new episode of Top Gear
3-- Maybe finding a new knitting group in Haddonfield on Tuesdays
4-- Drinking hot chocolate from Wawa
5-- Lower gas prices
6-- Seeing LL the weekend of Thanksgiving
7-- Hoping that most doctors' offices will be closed on Black Friday and therefore *not* calling me
8-- Finding a Queen Victoria shilling on Ebay

8 Favourite Restaurants:
Pass. I am *so* not a foodie!

8 Things on My Wish List
1-- Knit all of my sock yarn
2-- Buy more sock yarn
3-- Acquire a circular sock machine so I can make 1 and 2 happen faster
4-- Learn Irish Gaelic
5-- Go to England/Ireland/Scotland/Wales
6-- Buy a cute, big enough, old house and enjoy its ambience with the VIP and maybe a cat
7-- Not to have to take Prozac
8-- Be happy or at least not unhappy with the way I look

8 People I Tag:
You're all grownups, if you wish to play along please do! Pick a list and leave a comment so I can learn about you.

<3

Yep, It's A Full Moon

2008-11-12T12:06:00.006-05:00

It is insane here today! I have had every single crazy in the entire state of New Jersey on my phone today, and it's only noon! I tell ya, I am *thisclose* to seriously asking the next idiot how s/he dressed him/herself this morning. I need to be at home, drinking some Stephen's Hot Chocolate, watching the Kirks Folly show I recorded yesterday, and knitting all manner of things. So who wants my calls?

Our Trip to NYC

2008-10-23T10:01:00.008-04:00

Wow what a fun day! I totally recommend a day trip to NYC when you're feeling sad and picked-on.

We left the house about 8:30am, to get to church by 11am. We made it, and met LL (my brother) in the foyer. He was decked out in his tailored grey Italian suit and looking oh-so-metro. We only stayed for Sacrament Meeting, then we went to lunch at a Caribbean restaurant called Malecon. Oh my goodness, the roasted chicken was amazing! We also had fried yucca (a first and last for me), rice, fried bananas, and beans. We all ate our heads off, and still had two take-home boxes stuffed full. We stopped off at his apartment to put the food in the fridge and change clothes. Then we hopped a subway down to Times Square.

I'm glad I had a seasoned subway veteran with me on my first underground excursion. I would have for sure gotten lost and confused if I had been on my own. We came out of the underground, blinking, and acting like tourists. I had forgotten my camera, so I borrowed LL's. He just emailed me the pix yesterday, and I figured out Flickr this morning. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to let you all see them! Until then, click here.

We passed by Radio City Music Hall, and the NBC Studios. We were convinced to go up to the observation floors of the Rockefeller Center, and that's where we got the best photos of the city. Then we had some hot chocolate in the Starbucks downstairs. A panhandler asked me for my spare change; I gave him 23 cents. I think he was offended, because he chased after us, asking for more. After that, we got DD some oboe reeds, and then we hit the M&Ms and Hershey's stores. I overloaded on both chocolate, and pressed pennies. We got back on the Subway headed back to LL's apartment. Three brothers got on, selling bags of M&Ms, "not as a fund-raiser, but to put money in my pocket." We can respect enterprising young people, here's your dollar. It being Sunday, there was someone preaching a bit of fire and brimstone. Although as I listened, I didn't hear anything that contradicted what I believe in.

We got back to the apartment (a space that I cannot believe that four 20-something men occupy, as it is clean) and collected our leftovers and took our leave. We got lost trying to leave, but we ended up seeing the Yankee Stadiums and we didn't get into any too-scary neighbourhoods. We stopped and had dinner at Cracker Barrel (my suggestion, I love comfort food) and fell into bed when we got home. It was a wonderful day!

Rhinebeck Stay-cation

2008-10-13T11:35:00.003-04:00

We are not going to Rhinebeck. We want to go, some of our favourite people are going to be there. But we cannot justify the gas money to get there, and 2 nights in a motel, plus spending money. I have been agonising over this for a few weeks, and yesterday was Fast Sunday, so I prayed about it and got my answer. I am sad not to go, but I honestly wasn't properly prepared both financially and mentally. I knew that going to such a huge event takes personal organisation, and mine is in short supply since I seem to be using it all up at home, trying to get all my stuff put away.

However, I will be going to Stitches. My LYS is offering a bus trip that includes transportation and admittance and the price seems very reasonable to me. It will be a very long day, but I'll be able to meet up with AlisonH and I'll be with my friends from Woolbearers. It will be okay, I feel that this is the right decision.

ETA
I found out today why we aren't going to Rhinebeck. We are going to NYC to go to church with my brother instead.

Feeling Different

2008-09-30T09:30:00.002-04:00

The house is slowly getting more organised. I try to do something every day, even if it's just putting one thing away. Some days I get a lot more done, which helps in the morale department. Saturday I woke up and showered, then started in on the laundry, cleaning the kitchen, emptying boxes and putting away their contents (easy to do when they are CDs and we finally got the CD shelves stabilised) and taking out trash.

The VIP and his DS went to a nearby U-pick farm and got us three bags of Empire apples. I'm not sure if this is an old breed, which has gotten a new lease on life, or if it's a new hybrid. It's good though! The DD unfortunatly missed her marching band practice, because her room was not cleaned. I felt bad for her, but I finally had to put my foot down and insist. She got it cleaned up wonderfully by Sunday night.

Sunday we had to speak in church. I had stayed up Saturday night writing the talks while the VIP cooked. Okay I totally lifted the talk from the church website, but at least I told everyone that I did. I know it's not really in the spirit of preparing a talk, but at least I know I didn't teach false doctrine. The VIP decided he was too sick to go to church, so I gave both my talk and his. The topic was prayer, so I got him back by saying that I pray a lot when he is driving.

Monday morning I woke up feeling like I was Going To Die, so I didn't go to work. I spent the day sniffling and sneezing and wiping and feeling Like Cr@p. I got quite a lot of the VIP's new sock knitted, and I watched 2 John Wayne movies. I also took out some trash, emptied a box, and eventually took a shower. The DD had to go to the doctor for her yearly school physical, so I had to go along for that. Then we went to Ikea for dinner and to get the screws to put the computer desk back together. I know we saved those stupid things, but we sure can't find the plastic baggie we saved them in. We got stuck in construction traffic on 95 on the way home, so we got home very late. I was tired of feeling the way I did, so I took a Claritin and went to bed.

Now to explain the title of the post: I hate taking cold/allergy meds. The side effects of the darn things are often worse for me than the original symptoms. But after 2 days of sniffling and sneezing and blowing and wiping, I just wanted to not have to. So now I don't have to, but I feel quite disembodied. And Claritin is supposed to be the one that doesn't affect you! I went to work today, but if I still feel this bad at lunchtime, I'm going back home to rest. No movies today, just sleeping. I just couldn't resist Hatari yesterday though. I love that movie. I have the DVD, but I will watch it on tv every time it comes on, all the way to the end.

Scared Out of a Year's Growth

2008-09-18T10:25:00.004-04:00

Seminary (catechism) classes started this week. Since we are not in Utah or SE Idaho, we don't have the luxury of release-time classes, so we have to do early-morning. I survived early-morning seminary, mainly because in my senior year my dad was the teacher. (Remember, Shauna?) Personally I don't get seminary. Why does having five more hours of religious instruction per week on top of the three gotten on Sundays plus the whatever-amount on Wednesday nights make a difference? Are teenagers so stupid that they need it? Speaking for myself, I only went because I was expected to, not because I wanted to. Except for spending more time with my dad that final year, I don't really think I got a whole lot out of it. I enjoyed my teachers, and being with the other kids, but I saw them every day at school anyway, plus Sundays and Wednesday nights.

So in our new ward, they have decided that seminary is Monday, Tuesday, and Friday mornings, with another lesson on Wednesday nights. Not Thursdays. Today is Thursday. My alarm went off as usual at 6:15am. I got up and went to go make sure the DD was up and getting ready for school. Her bus comes at 6:50 and if she has ignored her own alarm, she can still get up and ready for the bus when I get up. No child. The house was completely black. No evidence of bathroom activity (except that toilet really needs to be cleaned) and the bedroom is its usual tornado-like state. The computer was asleep, so it had been at least 30 minutes since it had been touched, and the front door was unlocked. Calls made to her cellphone went to voicemail. Panic mode ensued.

Being the practical person that I am, I wasn't about to start calling the cops until I was presentable, so I got into the shower. The VIP called the school, and reported our "missing" child. I called her phone again and left a message this time. I got dressed hurriedly and located my keys, intent on driving the neighbourhood. I was halfway down the stairs when my phone rang, playing Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, which is the DD's ringtone. Apparently, it was decided to hold seminary on Thursday mornings as well, but we the parents had not been informed.

Pass the Xanax, please.

Parenting

2008-09-17T09:35:00.003-04:00

So I need to know if I handled this correctly. Last night after work, DD cornered me and begged for a trip to StuffMart for a new backpack. Yesterday before work she had cornered me and begged for the VIP's backpack, which request I politely declined. I told her I would buy her a new one at StuffMart after work. So we went, and it was LOUD. Sometimes I just get over-stimulated and I Can Not Deal with the cacophony of daily life. As soon as we got the backpack and a couple of other items, we got out and went home, and I retired to my bed. At 9:30 she came in and requested another trip to StuffMart for index cards. I told her to ask the VIP to take her as I was in no shape to go out again. I assume that he did, because I saw index cards in her room this morning. So as I was getting ready for work this morning, she called me. She was already at school, and wanted me to bring her oboe to her. She had forgotten it. I declined. I simply did not have time to do that and get to work on time. One day in band class without her instrument of choice is not going to kill her, and it may propel her to remember it tomorrow. So am I awful?

Discoveries

2008-09-08T10:57:00.006-04:00

I found the lunchmeat! Unfortunately it was not in the same box as the leftover cheese-and-onion pie. I found that a day later. All had to be dispatched to the great garbage disposal in the sky.

I found my chocolate stash. It's fine. I shoved it under my bed.

I didn't lose my yarn stash. I made sure I packed it and moved it myself, and placed it in the new house and it has not moved. It is still there.

I found the shims that go under the shelves so that they dont fall forward and kill somebody. They are at Lowe's in the pre-hung doors section.

I opened my housewarming gift from DG. She knitted me three beautiful dishcloths and included a bottle of Bath & Body Works antibacterial soap. The computers aren't up yet so no photos have been downloaded off the camera. But believe me, they are lovely and will be loved. I miss her so much!

DD's birthday lasted several days. We finally ended it on Saturday by taking her to dinner at an international buffet with a Mongolian grill. She thought that was pretty cool. The VIP gave her a gift card to Barnes & Noble so we spent another couple of hours there looking for books. She still has one item coming in the mail from England. She asked Grandma for more books, which I gave her the night before her birthday because she had been so helpful with the moving. I think she made out okay.

I am having to be more creative about storing things in this house. One of the bookshelves has been called into action as a space for storing kitchen ware. As soon as we find the cookbooks they will go there as well, but it is also going to hold the rice cooker, the crockpot, and some other like items. I can't really store anything on the balcony and not expect it to get weather-damaged. I'd like to take advatnage of an end-of-summer sale and get some patio furniture, but it would be a shame to have it sitting out there all winter getting ruined. So maybe we will just get a couple of folding chairs that we can take out there on nice days.

I've been re-organising the sidebar, hopefully making it more easy to find what you want to read. All ideas welcome.

And go give Lynn some love. Her children's father is having serious health challenges and it is affecting them all.

And locals, let's meetup at Philadelphia Knit in Public Day.

Heavy Labour

2008-09-02T11:45:00.004-04:00

This is just a note to say that I am still here, although I've been AFK during the move. We have one laptop up and running, but using the keyboard and mouse is a pain so I do the minimum on it. We are moved in, and I would like to publicly thank a certain person that works with us by the initials GW for all the incredible hard work he served us with. We could not have done it without him at all. I managed to hyper-extend both knees early on in the game, and had to spend most of the time directing from the top of the stairs. A big thank-you also to the Elders Quorums from both the Pennypack Ward and the Medford Ward.

Now comes the part where I do my best trying to get everything organised and put away. Tonight's job is putting the bed together not only so that we have a place to sleep, but also space to store boxes underneath while I get other things taken care of. I don't even want to think about all the stuff that has to be done, so I'm giving myself one big job at a time to accomplish.

The DD turns 14 tomorrow, September 3. She is a mostly-good girl and I'm proud to say she is my daughter. She has been a challenge to me, but I can see that she is growing up and will be an exceptional adult with wonderful service skills. I love her very much, even when she pushes every button I have. If you'd like to send her a birthday greeting, post in the comments and I'll pass them along to her.

Love you all, forgive my intermittent-ness please?

Two Years

2008-08-06T06:28:00.005-04:00

I wear my LiveStrong wristband still, I put it on the day Mark was diagnosed with cancer, which was 3 years ago. He lived 49 weeks, and eventually died from lung, liver, throat, and brain cancer. I still cannot believe he is gone, and even though I believe my religion, I have questions about where he is and what he is doing. I miss him terribly, and I am always seeing things I think he would laugh at.

More Changes Afoot

2008-07-22T08:09:00.005-04:00

This is a warning: if there are links on the sidebar that you like to read and haven't bookmarked, please do so. I'll be cleaning up that area soon and I don't want anyone sad that they can't find a favourite blog anymore.

I got a job! It's not spectacular or glamourous, but it pays more than minimum wage and it's at the same place that the VIP works, so we drive in together. And as we are moving in a month, we will be even closer and hopefully saving money!

I am still begging for foreign coins. I've been buying some on eBay, but I always want more.

I've been knitting a Pi Shawl, and I am at row 67. I have been at row 67 three times now. I think somehow my start-of-round marker has gotten moved, so I'm all confused in the lace pattern. This is my first real attempt at lace, and except for the constantly being lost, I am quite enjoying it. I finished a pair of Sunday socks for the VIP, which he loves. I used a dark grey variegated Trekking, so it was fairly boring. I'm knitting a pair of socks for myself, out of some discontinued Trekking that I bought from someone on Ravelry.

I'ts still very hot here. Sunday we went to the shore though. By some miracle, it was hot and sunny every single place except right on the beach. It was cloudy and foggy, and even though the temperature was still warm, it was just the perfect beach day. I didn't have to worry about getting sunburned at all. We found lots of shells to drill and paint and put on the Christmas tree, and we saw two seagulls playing tug-of-war with a crab. The skinny seagull won, but the fat seagull went and got his own crab that turned out to be even bigger. We started the day by attending our new ward. It is barely big enough to be called a ward, but apparently they are getting quite a few new families in the next few weeks. They are very friendly, and I think we will really enjoy it. We brought my friend DG because she is moving to California in about three weeks and we will miss her. She and I are enough alike to enjoy each other's company, and enough different to always have something to talk about. Even the VIP enjoys being around her.

So who is coming to help load and/or unload the truck?

All The Best Freaks Were There

2008-07-03T00:07:00.007-04:00

And still no photos, but this time I'm sure you won't mind too much, because I got a HUGE bruise last weekend. The VIP and I (along with our friend Stochastic) went down to the Fillmore on South Street to see a Fish concert. (And that's Fish with an "F"!) As the VIP had to go to the train station to pick up Sto, so I was left at the Irish Times to hold a table. If you're not a Freak (that would be a Fish fan) then you wouldn't have gotten the email telling where there pre-gig meet-up was. The VIP is, so he did, and we went.

I sat and waited for the guys to show up, and then we ordered dinner. The Irish Times actually does pretty good Irish bar food. The meet-up was scheduled for 6-8pm, because the concert started at 9. There were CDs and DVDs and t-shirts being sold. People were eating and drinking and swapping stories. Then I saw some activity at the front door, and I looked . . . . and beheld . . . . . Mr Derek "Fish" Dick himself. It took me a moment to recognise him because even though I watched the Kayleigh video a thousand times, that was over 20 years ago, and he's changed just a bit. However, he's still six foot eight inches tall.

The whole bar erupted in shouts of adulation, and he was escorted over to the corner booth where he held court. Sto got right in line, the VIP was a bit further back, and I was stuck baby-sitting our stuff. So I stood on a chair and took pictures. And then I fell off the chair and got the afore-mentioned HUGE bruise on my left thigh. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain, but I didn't. As soon as Sto came back, I went and joined the VIP in line. It came to be my turn, and I asked Fish to sign my t-shirt. It's the VIP's, and it's from the first year the Garden Party was held. He signed it, the VIP took our picture, and then we swapped places and then we left. All those years ago I never ever thought in a million years that I would meet Fish.

So now to the changes. We are moving. The VIP's contract job has turned permanent (yay!!) and I have been offered a post with the same company. I start on Monday. They have a small call center, seven seats. They are growing though. It will be nice not to have to drive nearly an hour, 35 miles each way, with gas at over $4 a gallon. I was in charge of finding us a new place to live, and I looked at about 20 places in 2 days. By the third day, I had narrowed it down to four places, and took the DD with me. The first we only looked at the outside of, because I had already seen it twice. The second place, I got lost trying to get to, so I figured that was a sign right there. The third place, we got to actually see our apartment, not just the model. It is scheduled to be renovated prior to our occupancy. The DD pronounced it good, and didn't even want to see the fourth place. The rent is about the same, but we are going up 20-25% in size, plus it's only 5 miles from work. And even less to the Trader Joe's. The DD gets a large bedroom, which includes a huge Harry Potter cupboard, plus her own bathroom. We also get a large bedroom and en-suite bathroom, plenty of closet space, and the living room is large enough to accommodate the VIP's huge piece of wall furniture and his many computers. I'm not sure yet where my sewing machine will go, but it is fairly small so I doubt it will be too big a problem. I'm excited about a new place, but not about the actual move itself. I swear, didn't I just move?

Where Are My Red Pyjamas?

2008-06-09T10:26:00.004-04:00

We are having a heat wave here in the Northeast. I'm not going outside unless I absolutely have no choice. It's even too hot to walk the half-block to the pool. I'm hanging out inside in my underwear, and occasionally jumping in the shower trying to keep somewhat cool. I begged the VIP to turn the AC on, just to 80*. I can handle 80*, if the humidity is low. I have no idea how I survived in Kiribati, with 120* temps and over 90% humidity. I guess I was younger then.

On a different note: does anyone have any foreign coins they don't want? I'll even take Canadian. I'm also looking for Opal #1235. Everyone who has one listed on Ravelry won't part with theirs.

No Pictures . . . .

2008-05-24T22:35:00.003-04:00

. . . . because the VIP downloaded all our camera memory cards onto his laptop and then erased them all. So until I get that reversed, no photos. And since a blog post is Boring without photos, no blog posts until I get my pictures back!

Girls' Road Trip

2008-05-14T10:43:00.018-04:00

Last weekend my friend DG and I decided to have a girls' weekend and she rented a car and we drove to Palmyra, NY. I was in charge of navigation and I done goofed up, so we were almost to Canada before we realised we should have taken a left turn at Syracuse. Oh well. We got there, and our motel was on the banks of the Erie Canal, so we took a walk down the path. It was a nice walk, helped unkink my body which was sore from sitting in the car.

The next morning, DG had a reservation for the 11am session in the Temple, so we did a bit of sight-seeing beforehand. We saw the Smith farm and its buildings, and a view of the Temple from there. My photo turned out blurry, so I stole this image from the Hill Cumorah website. You can tell, because we went in May, and the leaves in this photo are obviously turning colour. I am disappointed that my photo is blurry.

DG went in for her session, and I waited in the car for her. I did some knitting, and I had a little nap. Then she came out and we continued on our tour of the Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove. It is so quiet in there! The paths are dirt, but are smoothed well. I don't think it would be difficult to take a decent wheelchair through it at all. They ask you not to remove any material from the site (leaves, flowers, grass, etc) but I will admit that I flouted this rule. Someone had dropped a plastic baggie (I sincerely hope it was a young parent who overlooked the fact that their toddler discarded it) so I did pick that up and carry it away. And of course, as I thought it would be inappropriate to shake the dust off my feet as I exited the Grove, some dirt came with me. But I think that's probably okay. The paths twist and turn, and there are many benches to sit on to rest or to contemplate. It's one of those Perfect Places. When you think of the words "forest path" this is what your mind conjures. I could very much feel the Spirit and the presence of God and Christ. I have never been a very gifted writer, so I have difficulty in putting into words my experience. All I can do is encourage you to go there yourself. Even if you are not LDS, it is still a lovely and peaceful place. I hope to bring the VIP and DD there this summer.

When we returned back to the farm, we went through the houses. As a knitter/spinner, I was pleased to see handknit socks hanging up to dry by the fireplace, a spinning wheel with a skein-winder and a basket of roving nearby, and socks-in-progress. Clickety-Biggety

After all that, we drove a few miles to the Hill Cumorah. When they say "hill", they mean it. I thought I was Going To Die while climbing it. But the view from the top is so beautiful. I had brought my special copy of the Book of Mormon with me, and it wanted its picture taken with Moroni.

Our last stop was at the printing press. That ink on the floor is original and from that time-period. The press is still in operation and facsimile copies are produced from it. You can buy them in the bookstore next-door.

On our way home we took a short detour to Chenango Forks NY, birthplace of some of my ancestors. When I go back, I want to stop at the cemetery and find the graves.

I had a great time, and I want to thank DG for inviting me to go with her. She is moving to California soon, for school. I will miss her very much.

Because Even I Am Tired of Not Seeing a New Post Up Here

2008-05-06T11:33:00.002-04:00

We really have been doing things around here, I promise. The VIP got a new job, which he started yesterday. Unfortunately it's 35 miles away in the opposite direction where he used to work. So far I haven't gotten up the nerve to learn the drive so I don't have the car.

DD has been feverishly working on getting her homework caught up so that she can go on the school band trip to NYC this Friday. I have been so frustrated with the non-communication I've been getting from her teachers that I finally went in and spoke with the vice-principal. And I think all that did was make me feel better by unloading, I don't think it actually accomplished a single thing.

I've met Colleen, and we have started a weekly KnitNight at her place. The VIP goes to his second job on Thursday nights about 30 minutes from Colleen's, so I tag along, leave him there, and we girls go play yarn. We have been joined by a few others, but most often by Miss Laura, who is a lot of fun. We eat and drink and laugh and knit and sew. As soon as summer is here for real and our complex pool is open, Colleen will come to our place for a day poolside. She is selling my recycled-wool handbags on her Etsy site, so go have a look.

This past weekend we went to Haddonfield NJ, which is a cute town. There is an English shop there, and the VIP likes to buy food and candy and ginger beer. Around the corner is a fun eclectic shop that sells, among other things, Birkenstock shoes. They were having a Spring Trunk Show with a sale of $20 off per pair of shoes. I chose a pair of pink Tahitis, and have been getting them broken in. I still haven't given up hope of finding my bag with my pink Madrids in it, but I needed a new pair anyway. The DD and I wandered some more and found a cute shop called Pure Couture, which specializes in upscale consignment. The owner loved my wool handbag and asked where I got it. When I said that I make them, she got very excited and wants me to put some in her shop! So needless to say, I have been sewing the past two days!

Actually, I've been sewing quite a lot lately. I've been teaching Colleen how to sew, and we started with pillowcases. So I made a couple of sets for me as well. I've been mending slacks and shirts for the missionaries because they have enough to do without worrying about that too. **If anyone who reads this has any gently-used black men's dress shoes in size 14, please contact me. There's a missionary here who wears size 14.** I organized all my thread and other sewing supplies, and I've actually emptied some more boxes that have been stacked in DD's room. She is unimpressed with my slowness, but at least there is some progress.

Okay, back to sewing.

She Held My Socks!

2008-04-09T10:52:00.005-04:00

It's all yellow and blurry, because the flash wasn't on. But we went to Annapolis and met the Yarn Harlot! Scroll down and you'll see the photos she took of us. We had a great time. The VIP had brought his laptop, and he spent the time waiting reading her blog and making comments on it. She is a great speaker, has the natural ability to spin a yarn (pun intended) and is just all-around Nice. She told us about The Worst Day on a Book Tour, and since it has been almost three years since it happened, the story has gotten better with the retelling. I almost peed my pants, it was so funny to hear her tell it. And then her talk was over and she went on downstairs to sign books. We were # 125 in line, so we waited awhile. Remembering her harrowing 14 km hike on St Patrick's Day, we brought her a 4-pack of Guinness, and a glass to drink it from. I also gave her my pair of Jaywalkers that I didn't like for myself, and I think she liked them. It was so great though, because even though she had already been through 125 people, when we walked up, she looked straight at the VIP and said "I remember you!"

Lynn has written new lyrics to a favourite Primary song. I have had the original stuck in my head all week, because there are some beautiful white trees blossoming around here. Lots of what my dad calls "tulip trees" too. And then there's this one that hangs like a weeping willow, but has tiny pink blossoms. So beautiful! I do love spring.

LYS Review

2008-03-30T08:30:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was the first Saturday we have had in awhile where nobody had anything at all scheduled. So after doing Nothing for awhile, the VIP and I went to a couple of LYSs. I am going to review one, as I'm going to leave the other one for another time.
Nangellini is in Center City Philadelphia. We were lucky in the fact that it stays open until 8pm on Saturdays. It took awhile to get there, as we were coming from Germantown. It was just as easy to go through town as it was to find I-95 to follow the GoogleMap directions. We saw some *interesting* parts of town, I'll tell you what. We went through Temple University, we passed the Shriner's Hospital, and then finally when we saw the statue of William Penn, we knew we were almost there.

Nancy who owns Nangellini has awesome hair. I was so fascinated by it that I forgot to take a picture! But the good news is that they have knitting meetup every Sunday afternoon, and the VIP says we can go sometime. She had just finished an amazing shawl, which the VIP photographed. She didn't have a whole lot in the way of sock yarn, although she had a lovely selection of Silky Wool that her assistant Nicole says that lots of folks use to make socks. I wound up buying two hanks of laceweight yarn, because it was such an incredible price and I *may* double-strand it and make socks with it. That was on the advice of the lovely Nicole. They very kindly wound it into center-pull balls for me and we chatted about all the wonderful yarn and the artwork and the clothing that she has for sale there.

In case you want to go, you can park for free in the Whole Foods parking garage. Apparently at some times you must get your parking ticket validated with a purchase, but when we went it was free parking time so we didn't have to. We bought supper there anyway. They have a wonderful buffet for $7.99/lb.

Here are a few more of my favourite images from yesterday. Enjoy! Click for big, it is worth it.

Yes! We Are Going

2008-03-27T12:47:00.005-04:00

Finally, after 25 years, I am going to a Yes concert. They are coming to Baltimore and I bought our tickets today. Now I need to pay for them! I have some wool patchwork blankets I'd like to sell on Etsy, but I don't know how to get started. Can anyone help me?

PS I also have a pair of Jaywalkers knit from Austermann Step that I will never wear. Anyone want to buy/trade for them?

He Is Risen

2008-03-23T16:04:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter to everyone. As much as I love Christmas and all that it signifies, I love Easter even more. For one, I don't have to fret about endless parties and gifts and all that. It is just mostly a family day, with an extra-nice dinner if you like. This year Easter means even more to me. I feel like this should really be New Year's instead of January 1. I hope you all have a wonderful spring, and that you get what you want and need.

Occasional Zinger

2008-03-19T21:31:00.005-04:00

Last night, it being a Tuesday, the VIP spent time with his DS (my DSS). I was commandeered to drive to NJ, because the VIP has been sick lately and was too exhausted after work. So I brought my sock-in-progress, and the pair of socks I had just finished for DSS. He is such a joy to knit socks for, because he loves anything I make for him. Anyway, after supper, they were working on his homework. He had some vocabulary words. Here is the convo:

VIP: "What do you call the back of a ship?"
DSS: "The stern."
VIP: "Correct. And don't ever call it the 'hind-quarters.'"
DSS: "No, because that would be the poop deck."

Want to see my latest Kaffe Fassett socks?

This just in:
Madeleine Albright loves to knit socks!

I Like It Here

2008-03-13T07:53:00.001-04:00

Go have a look at my beautiful city.

And then go have a listen to this woman from Philly, who does amazing accents.

Now With Actual Knitting Content!

2008-02-29T13:33:00.019-05:00

Since there's an extra day this month, I decided to post. Hang on!

In the left-hand column is three shots of the same pair of socks. Before I left Logan, the LYS got in some 100 g bags of Bearfoot mill-ends. I bought a couple, wound up all the little tiny skeins into walnut-to-golf-ball-sized balls, and tried making a somewhat fraternal pair of short socks. I used my regular needles, and my regular stitch count, but they fit my DD. So they are hers. I'm not a huge fan of Bearfoot for socks, anyway. I still have 200 grams left, in basically two colourways, so I think I'll make a couple of Moebius scarves to have on hand for whenever I need a gift for someone special.

The right-hand column is yarn given to me by Prairie Mama as a going-away gift. DD saw it and begged for socks from it. The yarn pooled quite strangely, but DD loves pooling socks. The second photo down is a pair for the VIP, which started out life as a Brown Sheep mistake, which I overdyed. One sock has a Harry Potter-like lightning bolt going up it. The last photo is proof that I have actually been knitting for myself as well. All of these are mine. All have Wendy Johnson's short-row heel (which I finally learned!) Across the top is Austermann Step, Regia Kaffe Fassett, and Opal Zebra, which I overdyed pink. On the bottom row is Regia Galaxy, the new Noro sock yarn, and Lorna's Laces. I haven't worn or washed the Noro yet, but I did knit it on a half-size larger needles than I normally use, because although it has nylon, it is not superwash. I am expecting it to felt a bit, but hopefully it won't shrink too much. If it does, one of my small-footed friends will have a nice birthday present! There's one more pair that I made for the VIP's son, but they got given away before being photographed. I'll be spending most of the weekend with him, so I'll see what I can do about getting a photo.

Currently I am working on another Kaffe Fassett pair. I think I want to collect all twelve colourways, and then after I've got all the regular socks made, make monstersocks with all the scraps.

Now that I've got that out of my system, I can concentrate on my second Stuff I've Noticed post. It will also be picture-heavy, so it may take me a few days to get it together. Talk amongst yourselves until then! I also have visited a few LYSs in the area, and have some reviews.

Of Special Interest

2008-02-20T09:19:00.002-05:00

I got an email from LDS Living this morning, and there was an article about a young lady who has written a song around the special prayer that President Hinckley offered on behalf of the youth of the Church. Please go here for more information. You can download the song for free by right-clicking, and saving. I have iTunes, so I just saved it to my desktop as an mp3 file, then imported it into my iTunes.

Taking A Poll

2008-02-18T12:46:00.002-05:00

Hi folks! I am taking the time now to clean up my sidebar links. I need some input, such as what links do you go to and browse, and which ones do you not? Are there some blogs or websites you think I and my three other readers would enjoy? Does anyone know what happened to Whoopsy Daisy? She seems to crop up and disappear without warning from time to time.

I've got another edition of "Stuff I've Noticed" brewing, but I'm going to wait a bit while I think of more stuff. In the meantime, please comment! Tell me what you want to know, or want *me* to know.

Stuff I've Noticed

2008-01-31T08:53:00.000-05:00

I've made some observations in my month living here, and I'd like to share them.

We have to drive ten miles to get to church. And, said church has a brick-and-wrought-iron fence around it, and the gates lock. Last Sunday we had a potluck dinner after church. It looked like a bunch of piranhas had swum through. And far too many women wear pants and jeans to church. I still don't have the story behind that, but I'm surely going to ask about it! Our lesson manuals are distributed in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The banks are open seven days a week.

There's a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner. Their Milky Way hot chocolate is really good.

It's humid here.

They have so many streets and roads here, that they have run out of names. You may *think* you're on the right road, until you realise you want Bristol Pike, not Bristol Road. Also, there is a Street Road here. Talk about unimaginative!

There is a turnpike here. What that is, is a highway that you get to pay to drive on. Supposedly it is maintained better, but so far I haven't noticed that. The fun thing about the turnpike though is that they have these things called Service Centers. These are like rest areas on steroids. Each of them has a different name, and they are usually named after prominent historical figures. There is not only a gas station, but a building that houses at least two different choices of eating establishments, plus a convenience store. The restrooms are clean, well-lit, and climate-controlled. Many of the Service Centers have a pressed penny machine, which is fortuitous, since I collect pressed pennies. While you are driving on the turnpike, you'll see a sign stating the distance to the next Service Center. It also lists the brand of gas station, and the current price of gas. Also listed are the restaurants. That way, if none of those floats your boat, you can drive on. I think Service Centers are way awesome.

There is no Deseret Industries here. And the Goodwill store leaves a lot to be desired. But there are a million antique stores around.

The squirrels here are grey, not red. And they are FAT! They look like those pickups with an extra set of wheels on the back.

There's a laundromat down the road from the school. The sign outside says "AUNDROMA", because the L and the T fell off. I just *know* there's a little girl running around here named Aundroma, because her mom thought it was a cool name.

People talk funny here. I have to ask everyone to repeat themselves, because the first time it just didn't compute.

But overall, I like it here. I like the trees and the hills. I like being in a smallish town, but close enough to the city. And I like being near my brother.

Ceiling Cat Haz U 2

2008-01-28T07:51:00.000-05:00

Our dear Prophet has passed away. My mother called me last night about 90 minutes after it happened, to tell me. My wonderful DD woke late this morning, but took extra care to dress in church clothes, in respect for President Hinckley. The Rexburg Temple is due to be dedicated next Sunday, and as I understand, plans had already been made for another member of the First Presidency to be there, rather than him, so it will probably go on as scheduled. If we follow tradition, President Monson will be ordained as prophet in the next few days.

I will miss President Hinckley. He has been so dear to us, even before he was Prophet.

Ceiling Cat Haz U Nao

2008-01-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

If you don't already know, this is what I'm talking about.

Stuff Is Missing

2008-01-20T18:37:00.000-05:00

You *always* lose something when you move. But I have lost some very precious things, and I'm quite upset about it. First and foremost, my marked-up scriptures. My working copy, so to speak. My BoM has something written on every single page, and the notes began in 1996. I even notated the pages where my daughter scribbled on them. Now, all is not totally lost, because before I left Rexburg, I made a copy of my BoM for a friend, and I know she would lend it back to me for a few weeks while I re-copied it. My D&C and Bible aren't marked up as much, and because of that I think all of those notes made it to my small-edition. The bag they are all in, is a special Kirks Folly bag that I got when I went to Fairyland 2000. It's a nice bag, but I really just want the contents. I am also missing a bag that has my pink Birkenstock sandals that my Mom bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I *think* it also has the special door-holding-open rock that I've had since 1991. I could be wrong on that count though. And then there's the sock yarn. I've lost my sock yarn. Not my huge sock yarn stash, but my leftovers stash. All the remnants of all the socks I've made. I had enough there for at least another six pairs of socks.

I have gone through almost every nook and cranny in this tiny house, and I have not come across these items. I am positive they all got into the truck with us. I am even sure I've seen them in the past 3 weeks. But now they are nowhere to be found.

Oh, and I woke up this morning with a sore throat. It's 20* outside, too.

We are home of the sharks......... yay?

2008-01-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

*Today we have a guest blogger, DD*

Kai. So mai mommy and I went to the middle school to register for schooly... We got out of the car. We walked up to the scary doors of education and security. IT WAS LOCKED!!! There was a sign on the doors that told us to ring the bellithingy. So.... We rang the bell thing and the door unlocked. Kai, the first thing you see when you walk in is:

So take a little moment and uhmm... GAZE upon the very real-stuffed shark. I BELIEVE IT TO BE BEAUTIFUL....

Okais well lets stop staring at the purty sharkie now. SO! I shall continue my story.

Well, after seeing the shark, I was kinda excited. We walked into the office and..... there was the secretary. AHHHHH!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!! Waaaaaah she's really scary. Wowzers! *cough she kinda looks like a dragon cough* Yup yup. And so after a veryveryvery long time of giving her papers and her yelling at us for not having the right stuff, she sent us out to the BIG scary hall of edjumacatin to wait for the registration secretary. Well, here is a picture of how it was while we were supposedly "waiting" for the registration secretaryperson.

Wowies!! It was... BORIN-nuuu i mean it was so much fun and HAPPY BUNNIES!!! hehehehehehehehe I like orange juice.

I think the only thing keeping us from falling asleep was making fun of the office peoples names.... WHICH we did take a picture, but i don't really feel like putting it on here.

Well, the registration secretary came back and we talked to her for a bit. She is KINDA COOL! But, ya kno, not.... cool. And we had to fill out this paper thingy for gym clothes... grr i do not really care for gym.

Yes well this unpleasant experience could not have possibly prepared me for the next few days of.....ABSOLUTE HORROR~!! dun dun duuuuun... or for mathnetters, dun dun dun dun. DUUUUUUN!

My Oscar Acceptance Speech

2007-12-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

It's way longer than 45 seconds, and some of it is repeated from that last post. So go get a beverage of your choice and put on a CD and we'll get this started. And if you've got a short attention span, too bad. I am naming Everybody here so you don't want to miss your own name.

In no particular order, I would like to thank my DD, for getting through the day with grace and maturity. I forgive you for forgetting my shoes! My parents, for their love and support both moral and financial. Tan, for some lovely Wollmeise, and a wonderful girls' day out. Come to Rhinebeck! Kim and Val, for sock yarn, chocolate cake, and well wishes. Rita, Brenda and Tina, for being such neat LYS-people. Monica and Cheryl, for the beautiful pink laceweight yarn. Tina and Ronda, for pizza and company, and good girlfriends. Liz, for the wonderful experience of a three hour pedicure! That was so relaxing and thoughtful. Rae, for being an awesome boss. Sheron, JeCo, JeBla, Cory, Jean, Stan, Jacq, Michelle, and all my other teammates at Convergys. I will miss seeing you. Pam, for tea and sympathy. My doctor Deb, for making a house call to see to the ulcer on my dad's leg, and talking to me and DD at all hours of the day and night. My home teachers Marcus and Pat. My visiting teacher/RS President Becky, for saving my arse at the last minute. My neighbours Mindy and Darin, and Chelcie and Jesse, for taking my extraneous stuff. Daryol and Rena, for schlepping my bed up to Idaho, and for running the music at the wedding. I will miss you guys immensely. Jeanine, Barbara T, Barbara A and Barbara C for helping my mom. Kolette, for being so patient and waiting arounnd until we got there, and for keeping me company while I got dressed. Marjorie and Kelsie, for insisting on trying to make my hair look sort of presentable, and for being in charge of photos on my camera. Emily, for waiting as long as you possibly could before going home to a hungry infant. Flora and Aggie, for being our best man and matron of honor, and for doing our flowers and general fix-it folks. We love you So. Much. Mole and Mani, for being game enough to dress up in your card gowns. You both looked absolutely beautiful. Tamar and Jamukha, for bringing your children and also Christian and Carol with you. We are so glad you joined us. Paul, for going through what was probably one of the hardest things in your life. Don't let this affect you negatively, please. Shauna, for always being such a wonderful example to me. I am so glad I followed my prompting to find you. All of our guests from 11th Ward and 1st Ward. I am glad you thought enough of us to come see us on our day, even though we were so delayed. Kevin, for marrying us, even though you'd only been a bishop 2 weeks. Any wedding after ours will be a piece of cake! Josh and Charity, for upstaging us by being in the hospital having a baby! Luke, for sending me a congratulatory text. Guy and Machel, for not only coming to help us clean, but also for helping us re-pack the RV. The staff at the hospital in Kimball NE, for hauling the doctor-on-call out to look at my infected finger on Christmas Eve. Walgreens, for being open on Christmas Day. Flying J, for having such nice showers and restaurants. Mary and Duncan, for meeting us in Middlebury IN for lunch. I wish it could have been longer. Paul and Alison, for helping us unload the RV while wearing church clothes in a downpour. Barbara T again, for taking DD with her to Baltimore to visit her daughter while we drive across the country. I didn't have to worry one minute about her. Helen and Adrian for hosting Barbara and DD, and for letting me covet your pink wool blanket. It exactly matches my yellow one and it will be very happy with us. Liz and Ronda again, for calling me this week. I really miss you guys. Tina again, for sending me random texts. I have this terrible feeling that I am forgetting folks. If I've forgotten you, leave a comment reminding me. I promise to get thank-you cards out as soon as I can find them!

We Tied The Faery Knot!

2007-12-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

I got married on Friday, but I've been so incredibly busy that I'm just now posting. We are in a Flying J truckstop in Evanston, WY where we slept in our rented RV last night.

I don't have all the photos yet, only those taken on my camera, by our 14-year-old photographer. As soon as I get the photos from other people, I'll post some more.

We had under-estimated the speed the RV could travel and, as a result, were 90 minutes late to our own wedding! But we were forgiven, and everyone had a good time. We took about 10 minutes to get dressed, then flew down the aisle so that we could get to the good part of eating dinner! My DD had forgotten my box with the things in it that I needed, including my shoes, so I didn't wear any! Our dear friends Aggie and Flora were our best man and matron of honour, and they dressed as the Snow King and Queen. The poor bishop had been put in less than 3 weeks ago, and it was his first wedding. But he did very well, and it was all fine. I wish you all could have been there, but we had such fun with those who were able to come. I want to give particular thanks to Daryol and Rena, who brought my bed from Logan to Rexburg. I wanted to give it to my folks for their guest bedroom, and more particularly my grandmother who is currently occupying that room. I also want to thank Kolette and Marjorie, who helped me get dressed. And Emily, for waiting as long as she could before leaving to go home and feed her baby. Mole and Mani, for dressing up in their card dresses and looking so beautiful. To Shauna, for being Shauna. To Paul, for coming so early, and staying so late. To Barbara, Barbara, and Jeanine, who helped to decorate and put the food together. I'll have to do some more thinking and continue this post later.

Countdown

2007-12-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

So I'm going to post this and then pack up the computer.

Last week I spent time with my friends. Monday, I met Tan and we shopped and had lunch. She gave me a skein of Wollmeise in this incredible black/purple colourway. And the bag it came in, has knitting instructions in German, which will be helpful if I ever run across a pattern written in German and I need to translate it.

And then Tuesday I got together with Val and Kim. I got some lovely sock yarn, and I got to see Val teaching Kim how to use a drop-spindle. Also pictured is some sock yarn I received from Tina on Thursday.
Also Thursday was our LYS's gift exchange. I had brought a skein of KnitPicks Bare superwash worsted. I had meant to buy the Bare sock yarn but I made a mistake. What I got was some Regia in a colourway I've been wanting for a long time. There should be enough to make a full pair of socks for myself. Friday was regular fiber night at the other LYS, where I received a beautiful skein of pink laceweight yarn.

Tonight I'm getting together with three more friends, and Wednesday is my last SCA meeting. Thank you, everyone! I will miss you all very much.

In Search Of . . . .

2007-12-13T14:21:00.000-05:00

Please, if I could get all you little detectives out there in blog-land to help me, I'd really appreciate it. I am looking for a specific item. To wit: Pentel brand R.S.V.P ballpoint pen, fine line, pink colour. I have tried in office-supply stores, but they have the more basic colours. I need pink, because that is how I make notations in my scriptures, and have done for over 15 years. I don't really like gel-ink pens, I much prefer ballpoint. So if any of you are out shopping and run across this little gem, please let me know. Thank you!

Back to our regularly-scheduled program of packing.

And This One Reminded Me of My Daughter

2007-12-12T16:04:00.000-05:00

This Reminded Me of My Dad For Some Weird Reason

2007-12-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

Update

2007-12-07T15:18:00.001-05:00

My jaw is still sore, but the pain is much less.

The counter is down to 14 days, and I am beginning to Freak Out! Several wonderful people have come over for an hour or two and we have gotten quite a bit done. Tonight my plan is to clean out the pantry, and take all the canned goods to the concert on Sunday at the Tabernacle. If you're in my area, please come to this concert. Craig Jessop is directing our choir on two pieces. Since this is the closest I will ever get to singing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, I am very excited.

Only one more week of work, and I'm taking Monday off to go play with my friend in Ogden. Tuesday night is a hen party with some more friends, and Thursday is our gift exchange at the LYS.

I am currently having severe knitter's ADD. I need some Knitalin I think. I have only one FO, and I actually already wrapped it up without photographing it. I am just 10 rows and the toe away from finishing PB's socks, so those should be done tonight. They have been so incredibly boring, so it has taken me over a month to knit them. I've taken many breaks to knit on more interesting projects, but as a consequence, I've finished nothing. Okay not totally true. I finished a Monstersocken yesterday. Now *those* are interesting to knit. Not boring at all.

I've still got space on my calendar for packing/cleaning help.

Little-Known Fact

2007-11-30T03:00:00.001-05:00

Apparantly you can sprain your jaw.

Last Wednesday (you know, T minus one) there was no school. So DD stayed home and "packed her stuff". I called her about halfway through my shift to remind her that before we could leave for Grandma's house, all the trash had to be taken out and the kitchen thoroughly cleaned. I should have just left right then, when she told me that she couldn't take out the trash, because the outside bins were full. But I didn't listen to that mother's intuition. She called me awhile later and said she was "finished", and could she please go to her friend's house until I got home. Again, I should have gone home. I didn't.

When my shift (full of even stoopider and crayzier people than usual) ended I went home, expecting to load up Moby Dick (did I forget to mention that I'd been driving the white Cadillac since Halloween?) and get going on up to Rexburg. DD wasn't home, but all her stuff was hanging out next to my front door. I looked a bit askance at it as I unlocked the door and rushed upstairs to use my very own, private ladies' room (see previous post). I proceeded to round up all the trash and take it out myself, because I never leave the house for more than a day without removing the trash and making sure the kitchen is clean.

~~Dun dun DUN~~

The outside trash cans were all lined up neatly, ready to be taken away by the City of Logan. They didn't look stuffed to the gills; their lids were barely pushed up. I opened a lid, ready to throw my Hefty bag in. I saw clothing. And books. And videocassettes. And appliances. And lamps. And red.

The DD was able to hear me tell her to come home from two blocks away without the benefit of Cingular.

She decided (for the first time in about ever) that discretion was the better part of valour, and that she had better help me remove all non-trash from the trash bins in a very timely manner. This done, we proceeded to wash two loads of laundry, take out every trash can in the house, and get that kitchen the cleanest it's been since we moved in. And then we loaded Moby Dick.

I don't really like driving. I prefer driving a standard to an automatic, because if I'm going to be stuck behind the wheel, at least I want to be entertained by having something to do. Clutching and shifting, preferably while eating, drinking, or talking on the phone, qualifies as entertaining. I can drive with my knees for several miles, when need be. I totally want to drive on the Autobahn and see what I'm capable of at 120 mph.

Moby Dick is a car that our family was really grateful to get. He came to live with my folks right after my uncle died. It had belonged to my aunt, and it was her errand-running outfit. He's a two-door Cadillac El Dorado, in pearl white. At age 38, I felt a lot conspicuous driving it, even if it were for only a month while my cute little beluga whale (white Ford Escort) was being convinced to keep going for just a few more weeks.

Ol Moby has been feeling his age the past little while. He chose to manifest it by refusing to warm the interior of the car, on the coldest day of the year so far. It takes two and a half hours to get to Rexburg from Logan, mostly going the speed limit. I hate being cold. Once I'm cold, it takes a lot for me to get warm again. I clenched my jaw the whole two point five hours.

It's been a week now, and I am still breakfasting on 600 mg of Advil, with a 10am chaser of Tylenol, followed by a 1pm second round of Advil. (Rinse and repeat.) And copious amounts of Diet Coke and chocolate. (And don't think I haven't noticed that I can buy Diet Coke Plus in Idaho, but not in Utah.) I've returned Moby Dick to his parking space in Rexburg, and retrieved my cute little beluga whale and have been quite entertained by driving it around town this week.

It's for sale. Won't pass Utah state inspection, but Idaho doesn't care. I hope the car I get in PA will be a standard. I like shifting.

For Sale or Trade

2007-11-26T22:11:00.000-05:00

I am down-sizing, and I have some magazines that need new homes. I have several years' worth of Martha Stewart Living Weddings, including the premiere issue. All are in very good condition, except the premiere issue, which I bought off Ebay and it's seen better days. I also have about eight years of Herb Companion. All six issues of Breathe magazine (it was short-lived), and several years' worth of Yoga Journal and Yoga International. All of these are in good to very-good condition, as I take care of my things. If you're interested, send me an email or leave a comment. I really don't want to just toss them.

~~ETA~~
The Yoga Journal and Yoga International have found a new home.

Mayday!

2007-11-25T14:27:00.000-05:00

Which, translated from the French, is m'aidez. That means "Please help me!" See that ticker on my banner? It is counting down days. Now subtract a day, and that's how many days I have left to pack up and clean my apartment. My DD thought it was all beyond her, and so she went to stay with Grandma until it's all over. So I have no help at all, and I desperately need some! Mostly I need someone(s) to come and keep me company while I do what needs doing. If someone(s) *wanted* to dig in and also do what needs doing, I wouldn't turn them down. Add to this, a pair of socks for the VIP's DS, a pair of socks for my friend PB, a pair of socks for the VIP, the second of a pair of wristwarmers for my DD, *and* a Baby Surprise Jacket for my nephew who is due around Christmas. All of my extraneous furniture has new homes, except my entertainment center. I just have to empty all the shelves and drawers so that said furniture can go live at their new homes. I have plenty of boxes, and I know where to get more if I need them. I have plenty of packing tape. I have all the cleaning supplies. But please, I need someone to come help me. Please?

Ravelry

2007-11-20T09:15:00.000-05:00

I'm in!! Username is TolaFaery. Now how do I set up a Flickr account?

SCA

2007-11-19T19:26:00.000-05:00

Our local newspaper has published an article about our SCA group here in Logan. As with any news story, they got part of it right. Ignore the comments, they are made by people of small mind and smaller imagination.

Antsy

2007-11-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

You signed up on October 28, 2007
You are #49865 on the list.
3945 people are ahead of you in line.
6886 people are behind you in line.
79% of the list has been invited so far

Random Pet Peeve

2007-11-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

*Warning* Absolutely no knitting content

The ladies' room where I work has 16 stalls. I really really hate it when I've entered a stall, and someone comes and occupies the stall right next to me. I like my privacy, and I've been known to move stalls just so that I can get it. Or I wait until the other person has finished and then I take care of my business.

Does this bug anyone else, or am I just strange?

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T20:04:00.000-04:00

My
pumpkin
didn't
win
the
grand
prize,
but
I
think
it
was
the
best.

In knitting news, I've made Halloweenie Socks from Trekking 81. Siri made some too, and called them Starfish Socks, because they reminded her of the purple and orange starfish along the Oregon Coast. I made them 2x2 rib, all the way down on 68 stitches, and then gave them to DD because they fit her better. She loves them, and I'll be making another pair for myself, because I really love this colourway. I also made a pair in Trekking 155 for the VIP, but they have been lost by the USPS. So that means I get to re-purchase this yarn and re-knit this pair.

These are made from the sock yarn I bought at Woolbearers when I went to visit the VIP last month. I really love this yarn so much. It has some nylon in it, but it's not superwash, so they have felted just the tiniest bit, and this makes them so incredibly soft and lovely. I have two more colourways of this, and I cannot wait to knit them into socks.

And that's about it. Don't eat too much candy!

~~ETA~~
Big thanks to the VIP who spent three hours on the phone with me, getting my wireless router and laptop all hooked up. He has the patience of an almost-saint!

I Cannot Even Believe This

2007-10-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

If rappers, gangsters, and prisoners want to off each other, I say fine. Less tax-payer money being directed that way if there are fewer of them. But now, Lucky Dube's luck has run out. I am so sad.

I first heard Lucky when I was in college at BYUH, from 1990 to 1993. He had an inimitable voice and style. You could always tell a Lucky Dube song from the first few notes, just like you can tell a U2 song. It's just his "sound". His voice was sweet and unique, like Jon Anderson's. He wrote and sang about social problems in both his native South Africa and around the world.

Rest well, Lucky. God bless your family.

He's There!

2007-10-19T19:02:00.000-04:00

After wasting ten minutes goofing around on Google Maps and getting him lost, I called the Borders store and got better directions. In case anyone wants to know, the Borders in Marlton NJ is just south of Brick Road on Route 73. He walked in, told me there were at least 150 people there, and then the call dropped. Poor Steph is unfortunately not feeling well, so hopefully she doesn't overdo it. More updates as the evening progresses.

~~Later~~

Here is her blog report. And here is the photo that is on his camera.

Why Yes, It Is Slow at Work

2007-10-16T22:57:00.000-04:00

Because Tina asked if it was.

Big huge thanks to Kim, who found me a ball of Trekking 126 on Ravelry. Since I haven't joined (although Tina, Kim and Val are threatening to sign me up under dark of night) I asked her to please scout out and see if anyone had a ball they no longer wanted, and someone did! I'm so grateful, because I've been wanting this yarn for quite awhile now.

Today at work, we were greeted with the dismal news that Comcast is cracking down on us, and no longer will any non-Comcast material be allowed on the call floor. This means no more knitting. A moment of stunned silence while we mourn. I have so much nervous energy that I must do something with my hands while I am waiting the seven and a half hours to go by. I took eleven calls today. Four of them already had the Comcast Digital Voice (which we are not only required to actively sell, but will be terminated if we don't sell enough), one of them had had it, but had cancelled his account a month ago. The remaining callers were not interested in any way, shape, or form in giving even more of their money to Comcast. I don't blame them at all.

So I couldn't knit. Although I did hold the WIP in my lap for part of the day, I only actually knit on it while I was on my break. I wasn't supposed to surf the blogs or news sites, although I did. I tried to read some Conference talks, but I just couldn't concentrate. After the people that I talk to left, I listened to podcasts on my pink iPod. I've now finished the second season of Cast On and I'm almost caught up with Lime and Violet.

Ms Knitingale got our blanket squares. Scroll down past the spider story to see. And I made a KnitPicks order, but I ordered DK weight Bare yarn, not sock weight. Anyone want it? Six bucks (plus two if I have to mail it) and it's yours. Or I'll trade for bags of Razzberry M&Ms. I'm not interested in DK weight, and it's not really worth the trouble to send it back. I'll just be more careful to order the right stuff next time!

No photos right now, for two reasons. One, the camera is never upstairs when I am blogging, and yes, I am too lazy to go and get it. Two, most of what is on the needles right now (or recently off the needles) is SSK and hasn't reached its new home yet. Although, I couldn't stand it a minute longer and cast on Trekking 108 for a pair of socks for me. I got through the ribbing and 5 rows into the leg while listening to Whistler's show last night. Whistler is a dear friend of mine. I think we've known each other about five years. He invited me to the Jethro Tull concert last Tuesday in Salt Lake City, and it was awesome! I wished that DD had been able to come, because she plays flute in her school band, and I think she would have liked to hear Ian Anderson do his thing.

So that's it for now. Need to start going to bed at a more reasonable hour because these nightmares are affecting my sleep.

How to Learn the Names of the States and their Capitals

2007-10-15T12:54:00.001-04:00

Sing to "Turkey in the Straw".

Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Indianapolis, Indiana
and Columbus is the capital of Ohio
There's Montgomery, Alabama south of Helena, Montana
Then there's Denver, Colorado under Boise, Idaho
Texas has Austin, then we go north
To Massachusetts, Boston and Albany, New York
Tallahassee, Florida and Washington D.C.
Santa Fe, New Mexico and Nashville, Tennessee

(Elvis used to hang out there a lot, ya know)

Trenton's in New Jersey north of Jefferson, Missouri
You've got Richmond in Virginia; South Dakota has Pierre
Harrisburg's in Pennsylvania and Augusta's up in Maine
And here is Providence, Rhode Island next to Dover, Delaware
Concord, New Hampshire, just a quick jaunt
To Montpelier which is up in Vermont
Hartford's in Connecticut, so pretty in the fall
And Kansas has Topeka; Minnesota has St. Paul

Juneau's in Alaska and there's Lincoln in Nebraska
And it's Raleigh out in North Carolina and then
There's Madison, Wisconsin and Olympia in Washington
Phoenix, Arizona and Lansing, Michigan
Here's Honolulu; Hawaii's a joy
Jackson, Mississippi and Springfield, Illinois
South Carolina with Columbia down the way
And Annapolis in Maryland on Chesapeake Bay

(They have wonderful clam chowder)

Cheyenne is in Wyomin' and perhaps you make your home in
Salt Lake City out in Utah where the buffalo roam
Atlanta's down in Georgia and there's Bismarck, North Dakota
And you can live in Frankfort in your old Kentucky home
Salem's in Oregon, from there we join
Little Rock in Arkansas; Iowa's got Des Moines
Sacramento, California; Oklahoma and its city
Charleston, West Virginia and Nevada, Carson City!

That's all the capitals there are!

Song courtesy of Wakko Warner

Harlotty News

2007-10-10T15:56:00.000-04:00

The Harlot is coming!!! The VIP has graciously agreed to go and see her and get a book signed for me. I informed him of the Really Good Idea to bring her beer, so he entreated me to quickly knit her a beer bottle cozy. He is planning on wearing his Opal Tiger socks pinned to a headband to look like ears, so that hopefully he will get enough notice that she will photograph and blog him.

He is a very good VIP, so good in fact that it is hardly necessary for me to print out and distribute Ms Harlot's Helpful Holiday Hints Post. So I am going to go home and grab the scraps of Opal Tiger and hurryknit a beer bottle cozy, then shove it in a box along with my copies of Knitting Rules and At Knit's End so that hopefully it will reach him before Oct 19.

Mr Rogers

2007-10-04T12:23:00.001-04:00

I found this nice piece about Mr Rogers today while wilfing. Take a moment and read why we all miss our best neighbour.

'Pider

2007-10-01T12:44:00.001-04:00

So we have a cute little boy who lives next-door to us. I think he is 3, his name is E, and he is very very cute. But we have to keep our door locked because if we don't all of a sudden he is inside, trying to let our bird out of his cage. Well yesterday, we neglected to lock the door after taking some trash out. Since we were expecting our home-teachers, we didn't think this was a big deal. The door opened, and E walked in.

"Wanna see my daddy-long-legs?"

Have I mentioned this kid loves bugs?

"Oh E, take your friend outside. Hurry!"
"Okay. Oh, where did he go? Bye!"

Since my vacuum broke two months ago, you can just imagine what my brown carpet looks like. There is no way on earth we are going to find a stray spider. Happy October!

Le Sigh

2007-09-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

Remember I said I was making Nagini Socks for the DD? They don't fit. I am through seven repeats out of nine on the leg, and I had her try it on. It's way too tight. Since she picked out the yarn and the pattern, I am going to have to rip it back totally, and figure out how to add repeats to the special snakeskin cable. The pattern is written toe-up, but I figured out how to do it top-down. I am getting gauge, but either I need to increase the needle size (I'm on a 2 1/2) or else I need to increase the stitches. Any ideas? Has anyone made these socks?

However, these are very very nice, and not only because they come in a pink package. So far I can only find them in single-serving size, but I'm hoping I can find the bigger bags soon.

New Convert

2007-09-22T12:15:00.001-04:00

I got my friend Allie to start a blog, because she is probably the funniest person I know IRL.

Friday!

2007-09-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

Except I have to work tomorrow, so that's not much fun.

So I've been learning stuff during the Summer of Socks. I've tried two different short-row heels, I've done toe-up, I've done one of the new Cat Bordhi designs (same sock, actually), I've done Jaywalkers, I've experimented with dyeing my own sock yarn, and now, just in time for the last day, I've learned not only how to cable, but cable without a needle. (I think there are far too many commas in that last sentence.)

For my final trick in SoS, I'm making the Nagini socks for my DD. I'm using the green sock yarn I bought for the VIP in Chicago. It's okay, I have more interesting stuff for him now. But I am witholding these socks until she has no more scabs on her legs. She is an incessant scab-picker and it drives me crazy! I swear, she got those mosquito bites in June.

So today is the last day of summer. I believe I will keep knitting socks though. Autumn of socks sounds just fine to me!

TLAP

2007-09-19T10:43:00.000-04:00

Well blow me down, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day!! Or over here for those of you across the pond.

What do pirates knit with? Yarrrrrrrrrrrrrn
Where do pirates go to have fun? The Carrrrrrrrnival

Got any others?

Oh, MDK has a good post today, as well as PDF links.

Catching Up

2007-09-17T21:38:00.000-04:00

In a random-type order, we have some catching-up to do.

This last weekend was not only my uncle's funeral, but also the Great Basin Fiber Fair. I saw my LYSO, 5 ladies from my knitting group, and Tan! I think I scared her because I recognized her on the spot, and I don't recall ever seeing a photo of her full face on any of her blogs. But we also ran into Val and Kim, so we *had* to have a group photo. I like how Tan and I coordinated our colours, but she looks better in it than I do. It matches her hair nicer. Wow, I need to go brassiere-shopping. Why didn't anyone tell me???

There were also fuzzy alpacas to be seen and petted. Wow are they ever soft! I just love those hair-dos.

And a couple of photos of my trip to Philly. Me and the VIP, and the new sock I started while there.

I caught the VIP being put to work, winding hanked sock yarn into center-pull balls. He is a fast learner, and he's so cute too!

Okay that's enough random-ness for today.

Arrivals and Departures

2007-09-12T15:46:00.001-04:00

Departure first:
My dear uncle Richard was escorted home on Sunday morning. I will miss him, I wish he could have stayed longer. But he was so miserable at the last that I am glad for him now that he has gone. The services are Friday and Saturday, so we will go down to SLC Friday after school.

And now the trip:
I hate air travel. But so far I've never missed a flight or really had a tough time while flying. I got to Newark Friday night, where my dear VIP was waiting for me with two dozen red roses! My bags were offloaded quickly and we waded through the thick air to the car and onto the route into NYC. We wound up on the wrong tunnel, but we eventually found our way to 42nd St, and a parking garage. But then the real *fun* began. We didn't realise that Chez Josephine was literally across the street and up just a couple of doors from the parking garage, so we walked clear up to 7th, never finding what we were looking for. I called my brother who was waiting for us, and we got even more lost. Finally we decided to go back where we started from and start again. But my brother had already decided to come looking for us, and we were found! We were greeted warmly by Jean-Claude himself, and he took my roses and put them in the "refrigerateur" while we ate. We sat and ate and drank for 2 hours, and then since we still had driving to do, we parted. It was a wonderful experience, and I'd like to recommend the seafood sausage.

Saturday morning we went to Mt Holly and Woolbearers. I met Suzie, Beth, Kelly, Meghan, and Val. We stayed for probably two hours, enjoying the company, knitting, talking, eating, winding hanks of yarn into center-pull balls. I love this group already, and I feel really fortunate that I'll have a ready-made coterie once I move to PA. Suzie took our picture and blogged about us. We bought some of their lovely hand-dyed sock yarn in Midnite Sea, and I started the sock already. It is striping up wonderfully, and DD expressed interest in a pair out of this colourway as well.

After Woolbearers we went to Trader Joe's and bought a whole lot of food and goodies. I picked out some things to take back to DD, including sour Jelly Bellys, some fun tortellini and tiny ravioli, and Joe-Joes, which are like Oreos. I love this store, it is so awesome!

Sunday was church. We got there and had quite a time finding a parking space. It turned out that they were having Stake Conference, hence the parking issues. Since I haven't attended Stake Conference in years, it was interesting. There were eight speakers, four of which were recent converts. It was nice to get their perspectives and views, as well as a bit of Baptist spirit. The congregation had a few folks in it who haven't quite gotten all the "amens" out of their systems. It was really enjoyable to hear, because sometimes I think Mormons are too quiet. After church we went back to Mt Holly where we went to the farmer's market and bought some lovely German smoked meats and cheese. I cannot remember the names of them, but the cheese is incredibly wonderful. It would make awesome grilled-cheese sandwiches. (~~ETA~~ It's Cooper Sharp, and only available on the east coast.) After there, we went back to Woolbearers, because the VIP had bought me some sock yarn before I got there, but he had neglected to get it wound into center-pull ballls. I stopped in another shop quickly, and he went on ahead to get started. When I walked in, he was in the back, busy with the swift and ball-winder. We talked with Suzie for a few minutes, and then got on the road to get to IKEA before they closed.

Of course, you must eat when you're there, so we did. And then we wandered around for a long time, gathering up various and sundry necessary items. As we were exiting, my mom called me, telling me about my uncle. It was a quiet ride back home. We unloaded the car, and went for a snack at Cracker Barrel. I wasn't really hungry, but I had a salad. When we got back to the house, we started building a CD tower. We got almost finished, but were at a point where we needed to use a hammer, and it was too late at night to do that. It got finished the next morning.

Monday I had to leave. It was quite the adventure, getting all my chocolate souvenirs packed up safely. We got to the airport in plenty of time, and the security line was the shortest I've ever been in. The plane was a bit delayed but not too seriously. It was one of those new Song Airlines planes, with satellite tv. Movies and games cost money, but tv and radio were free. A cool feature was the map that showed your exact location, and minutes elasped and remaining. It also showed altitude and outside air temp. I knitted on my new sock, and I ate chocolate, and I napped a bit, and listened to podcasts.

It was a wonderful weekend, and I had so much fun. Obviously I have skipped over some stuff, but that is stuff I think I want to keep to myself for awhile.

Desperately Seeking . . . . .

2007-09-06T18:30:00.001-04:00

. . . . Trekking XXL in colourway # 126. Yes I know it's been discontinued, which is why I'm begging for it here. I'll buy it or swap it.

On my way to Philly in the morning! Eating dinner at Chez Josephine tomorrow night.

Hiccup

2007-08-30T10:08:00.000-04:00

So my daily wakeup call from the VIP came just a little further east than Philadelphia. Anyone care to hazard a guess just how far east? No guesses? Okay I'll tell you. Dublin. As in Dublin, Ireland. My 6:30am is 1:30pm over there. He got communication from his cousins two days ago that his uncle is failing. Bizarre, don't you think? My uncle and now his uncle. So he packed his bag and found a flight and got flagged by TSA for extra-special security checks. The flight was scheduled to leave at 8:45pm, but actually left at 12:22am. I know this because I tracked his flight through the US Airways website. When I went to bed he was still in the air, and he rang me this morning on the train from Dublin to Limerick. "It's so incredibly green here, not at all like Utah/Idaho!" *blink* "So take lots of pictures and get me lots of postcards so I can see too." I'll post some photos when he sends them to me, that way we can all enjoy them. And just so you know, I am *really* repenting letting my passport expire.

Things To Do At Convergys When It's Dead

2007-08-28T12:38:00.000-04:00

(With apologies to Mr Warren Zevon)

1 -- Knit. That's obvious. What is currently on my needles? Well, it's SSK (Super Secret Knitting). Other stuff is a Miner's Blanket Project square, sock yarn I've dyed, sock yarn I've won, as well as various and sundry UFO's that are *still* haunting me. "Aawooooo".

2 -- Read the news.

3 -- Read and comment on lots of blogs. (Not linking, you can click on anything on the lists at the right.)

4 -- Listen to podcasts. I stick one iPod earphone in my ear, underneath my headset. When a call comes in, I pause the podcast and take care of the customer. If I got caught, my @$$ would be grass, but oh well.

5 -- Make lists.
A -- Stuff I need to pack for my trip.
B -- Phone calls I need to make.
C -- Errands I need to run.
D -- Things to do in Denver when I'm dead. (Just kidding. I meant to say things to do in Philly when I'm there.)
It's pretty much interminable.

6 -- Write blog posts.

~~ETA~~
7 -- Chat with Marti on the secret g-chat!

8 -- Enter Coke Rewards numbers to get cool free stuff.

9 -- Play Bejeweled.

Still Here

2007-08-27T13:15:00.000-04:00

So I went to my niece's wedding this weekend down in Salt Lake City. She is actually my cousin's daughter, not my sibling's daughter, but in our family we don't freak out about correct nomenclature. It was a lovely reception, even though I got lost driving to it. I was able to see all my cousins and their spouses, and my aunt's brothers were there as well. I had gone to IKEA first and gotten some more chocolate, which I was afraid would melt. But the reception treats were ice cream sundaes courtesy of Leatherby's which is a local ice cream parlor chain. I was able to borrow room in the ice cream freezer and so my chocolate stayed nice and un-melted.

Afterwards, I went back to my uncle's house, to eat some supper and see him. I told him we all missed having him there. He really would have loved being there. It was a beautiful venue, and there were lots of people to talk to, not to mention ice cream! I also told him my VIP sent his greetings. As I reached down to give him a hug, he asked me: "Why can't I just die? Why am I still here? I just want to go." What do you say to that? I told him that maybe somebody is coming to see him, but I honestly don't know. I reminded him that his father, his brother, and his son are all waiting to escort him when it's time to go. I am going to miss him so much, but for his sake I want him to go soon.

My brother in Idaho Falls apparently has asked my mom a couple of times if he should come see our uncle, but my mom is kinda not able to make decisions right now and she didn't give him an answer. So I called him up yesterday morning and told him if he could manage it, to make a quick trip and go down. I hope he does, but it's all right if he can't. I've no idea if my mother's other daughter has bothered to show up or call. Since she just lives in Layton, you'd think she would. My brother in Brigham City has gone twice, and so have I.

So basically I am just waiting for The Phone Call. We will go about business as usual, with Harvest War and DD's birthday this weekend, as well as a nephew's baptism. And then my trip to Philly is the next weekend. We have so much planned to do, including dinner with my youngest brother in the Theatre District. I haven't seen him since February, and I miss him.

Next post won't be so sad, I promise.

On Going Home

2007-08-22T00:23:00.001-04:00

See this handsome guy? That's my Uncle Richard. The other people are my DD and his wife Mary. Photo taken two years ago at my brother's wedding. Why am I posting this? Because my dear uncle is about to be Called Home. DD and I drove down to Salt Lake City yesterday. We literally drove up to the house at the exact same minute as my mother in her car, and my father and grandmother in his car. My other uncle passed away 18 months ago, while everyone was at my great-aunt's funeral in Oregon. My poor grandmother really hasn't quite recovered from that, and here she is, about to lose her oldest son.

If you're at all spiritual or religious, please include our family in your prayers and good thoughts. This man saved my life when I was a child. He has always been so happy, kind, generous, and loving. I have so many stories to tell.

Thinking of Others Today

2007-08-17T12:12:00.000-04:00

Go give Alicia some love. She had to put her sweet dog down on Wednesday.

And please go look at what Flo is proposing. Knitters (especially those with Utah connections) let's make some blankets for our miners' families.

~~ETA~~
Go here for an update on Flo's blanket squares, including more details and an address to send them to. C'mon Utah knitters, let's represent.

What I Did Yesterday

2007-08-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

Any guesses?
How about now? For all my love of pink, most of what I dyed yesterday is shades of blue/teal. But that's because I had six skeins of nasty-coloured mustard-yellow worsted-weight yarn. Three different dye-lots, so I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with them. I did immersion-bath dyeing, using Jacquard's Brilliant Blue. I am not unhappy with the result, but I wish it had dyed a bit more evenly. The ball is 4 ounces of natural wool, dyed with the injection method. I had a small bit of chartreuse, a bit larger amount of lilac, and a lot of turquoise. It is still wet, sitting out in the sunshine trying to dry. I will probably make Moebius scarves with this, and edge them with purple mohair, to use it up. The bottom row is what I am most proud of, though. From the top: 50 g of Univeral Pace, originally yellow, overdyed with Jacquard's Pink. Turned more orange than salmon, but I may re-dye it at a later date. Next is 100 g of Opal Zebra. Immersion-dyed in the same pot as the Pace. I do like pink and black. Then we have two 50 g balls of Paton's Kroy sock yarn. I used Jacquard's Pink, Lilac, and Brilliant Blue. The next hank is 100 g of KnitPicks Bare. I used only the Pink and the Brilliant Blue, and overlapped them in the middle. After that is another 100 g hank of Knitpicks using Lilac, Brilliant Blue, and Chartreuse. What a violent green it produced! Below that is two 50 g hanks of Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, using the Lilac and Pink again. And at the bottom is two 50 g balls of Sirdar Snuggle Baby Bamboo, in Brilliant Blue and Chartreuse. It's only 20% wool so it took the dye much differently. But I do like it! I won't be giving Scout a run for her money anytime soon, but I can see why she likes to do it.

Memories

2007-08-09T14:22:00.000-04:00

La Petite's post today is so sweet. The French translates basically "You excite me more than a 20-year-old girl." I think. VIP?

What A Difference A Year Makes

2007-08-06T13:49:00.000-04:00

MCM has been gone a year. The first 10 1/2 months were so incredibly hard, but the last six or seven weeks have been a complete 180* change. I still miss him, I will always miss him. But I don't cry anymore (well hardly, anyway).
So the VIP came to visit. It was wonderful. Now if you'll notice my ticker, I've got a month to go before I see him again. He brought me some wonderful fibery presents, some of which have already been sampled. I got four 50g balls of Soxx Appeal yarn, in three different colourways. One colour there is two balls of, because it is green, and he wants socks out of it. I've already completed one pair of short socks for me. This pair took me a whole week, instead of just three days. The Soxx Appeal yarn only has 3% nylon and 1% elastic, but it is a highly-twisted yarn, so it has a long of sproing. It took me twice as long to knit with, because I was worried about keeping my tension loose. But I really like the resulting socks. Row gauge is off a bit, so keep that in mind if you decide you'd like to try some.

He also got me two balls of Opal Tiger. Two balls will make three pairs of socks! I am going to have to be a bit creative here. And he also brought me eight ounces of Romney/Columbia roving, dyed bright pink. I wound one hank of it into a bump yesterday, and began spinning with it. It is so nice and greasy, it feels wonderful.

And so here is the FO gallery:

Obviously the first pair is Trekking 100. I love this yarn. I think I am going to try to collect as many dyelots of this as I can. Who wants to help me? The second pair is Cat Bordhi's Coriolis Sock from Knitty Gritty. I totally FUBAR'd it up, but it's not too bad for a first attempt. They fit fine, and they are very warm. Instead of using the Austermann Step like she did, I bought two skeins of Brown Sheep sock yarn in two different colours. I really like how they turned out, plus I still have yarn left over for some short socks. The third pair is my Soxx Appeal short socks. You can see that they are quite short. I ended up with two feet of yarn left over. That's a bit too close for comfort, in my opinion. But I will definitely knit with it again, although I will probably go up to a size 3mm needle. The last pair is Fortissima Disco. Although this is very pretty yarn, I didn't like knitting with it. The metallic strand made it not as stretchy as wool yarn usually is. These socks actually went into time-out twice: once while I did the Trekking 100, and again when I did the Soxx Appeal.

So hopefully all these photos will appease you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have about a hundred errands to run today. I need to drop a bag of stuff off to the DI, fetch my meds, print some photos, go to the LYS . . . . . stuff like that.

Too @#$% Hot

2007-07-30T20:35:00.000-04:00

I've got FO's to show off, as well as presents. But it is just too freaking hot to go outside and take photos. How I wish my fridge had an icemaker. How I wish my house didn't have a west-facing living-room window.

But, I am grateful that I have a lovely house, with a fridge. (Just in case Someone thinks I'm not grateful.)

Short of showering with my clothes on (which I have done, BTW) how can I keep cool?

~ETA~
I found this short movie about Crown Fountain. I'm going to think cool thoughts.

My SCA Name

2007-07-26T14:04:00.000-04:00

I will be registering the following as my official SCA name shortly:

Duchess Tola the Charitable of Wimblish upon Frognaze.

The VIP has been named: Emperor VIP the Idle of New Invention.

Find your Peculiar Aristocratic Title here.

Blasphemy

2007-07-21T23:01:00.000-04:00

I do not like Jaywalkers. There, I said it. I love the yarn I used for them, which was Austermann Step, and it was a minor miracle that they match exactly. But I did not enjoy knitting them nor do I like how they fit. To be fair, I will probably try them one more time, but not decrease quite so much during the gusset because I cannot for the life of me figure out why she has you decrease to fewer stitches than what you started with. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate some enlightenment. So fighting with the Jaywalkers is why it took me so long to post. Mleah!
However, I do have a few projects that I finished and enjoyed and here they are. I tried a short-row stockinette heel for the very first time. It was excruciating to work through the pattern instructions, but I made it and here is the proof. The yarn is Online Supersocke and I like it very much. My LYS doesn't have very interesting colourways of it, but I know they exist. The hat is for the DD. She chose the yarn from my stash (yay!) and designed it, and I knit it to her specifications. It is Plymouth Encore in black and off-white, basic stockinette cap. At the end, instead of drawing the yarn through the remaining loops to finish it off, I did a few inches of i-cord. DD made a pompom to go on the end, and she proudly wore it all day every day for the rest of the week. It looks incredibly cute on her and I am proud to say that I made it and she actually wears it! The short socks are made from the Regia that I bought while on my trip in Chicago. I really really love this yarn. And my new KnitPicks size true 2 needles had arrived in time for me to use them and I have found my favourite needles. I did the short-row heel again and I think it looks a bit better. I know it was easier.

And now for something completely different! Look at this wonderful yarn. My friend Val dyed and spun it and was showing it off at Fibre Night last week. Of course since it has so much pink in it, I was admiring it muchly. And she gave it to me! She is not in love with pink as much as I am, and knew that I would give it a good home. I love this yarn! Here is her post about it, you'll need to scroll down a bit because it happens to be a biggish one. She doesn't think it's spun tightly enough for socks, but I think I will try it anyway. I will get some reinforcing nylon for the heels and toes and just see what happens.

And see my ticker? It is slowly but surely counting down the days until the VIP arrives. We are both extremely excited about this event. He went looking for a LYS the other day, and found Woolbearers. He says he is bringing me a bag of squishy goodness so that's another reason to be excited!

And in case you were thinking that I was going to completely ignore the Huge Event of the week, rest assured that I am not. I pre-ordered my copy and showed up at my local Borders store about 1:15pm yesterday to get my purchase wristband. I was #123 in the silver (second) group so I only had to actually wait about 45 minutes after midnight to get my copy. I came home and read the last 2 chapters and went to bed. Now I can rest, and actually enjoy reading the whole thing. And I won't watch a movie unless I am with someone who has seen it and will tell me how it ends. Yes I am very well aware of my extreme weirdness.

FaeryKnits

Craving

Falling . . . . . .

Birth Control?

WANT

Seen in ASDA

De-Stashing

MD Sheep and Wool 2010

New Digs

Solution, sorta

*Sigh*

Smacked by a Cosmic Clue-by-Four

Post-Thanksgiving Crafting

I Caved

Dear Daughter

NYC Again

In Fours?

An Old Story

Stalled

Up To A Little Fun

I Am Not Lazy

Gall Stones Don't Kill You

Unavoidable Interruption of Service

Soxy Pix

Five Days Without Internet

Why NPR is My Favourite News Source

Please

Desperately Seeking . . . . .

Overheard

What To See Your First Time to Philly

Gratitude

8 Things (tagged by Lynn)

Yep, It's A Full Moon

Our Trip to NYC

Rhinebeck Stay-cation

Feeling Different

Scared Out of a Year's Growth

Parenting

Discoveries

Heavy Labour

Two Years

More Changes Afoot

All The Best Freaks Were There

Where Are My Red Pyjamas?

No Pictures . . . .

Girls' Road Trip

Because Even I Am Tired of Not Seeing a New Post Up Here

She Held My Socks!

LYS Review

Yes! We Are Going

He Is Risen

Occasional Zinger

I Like It Here

Now With Actual Knitting Content!

Of Special Interest

Taking A Poll

Stuff I've Noticed

Ceiling Cat Haz U 2

Ceiling Cat Haz U Nao

Stuff Is Missing

We are home of the sharks......... yay?

My Oscar Acceptance Speech

We Tied The Faery Knot!

Countdown

In Search Of . . . .

And This One Reminded Me of My Daughter

This Reminded Me of My Dad For Some Weird Reason

Update

Little-Known Fact

For Sale or Trade

Mayday!

Ravelry

SCA

Antsy

Random Pet Peeve

Happy Halloween!

I Cannot Even Believe This

He's There!

Why Yes, It Is Slow at Work

How to Learn the Names of the States and their Capitals

Sigh