He's There!

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

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

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

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

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

'Pider

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

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

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

Friday!

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

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

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

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 . . . . .

. . . . 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

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

(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

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

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

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

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

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?