The Frog and the Daisy

That's all she wrote.

2009-01-16T17:20:00.002-05:00

If anyone is still actually bothering to check this blog, I'd be surprised. Somewhere in the middle of last summer, the desire to post weekly suddenly up and left, without so much as a 'see ya later'. So it's time for me to call it a day and officially end this blog.

This has been an interesting experience for me. I was never a fan of my own writing, and yet I decided to start a blog, and I kept it going for more than 2 years. People actually read what I wrote and commented on it and everything. Wow. But I guess I got it out of my system, and it is somewhat time consuming. I've noticed that I do a lot of time-consuming things, and many of them don't really do much for me. I'm on Ravelry and Facebook, and I probably don't need to check them ten times daily. I watch a lot of TV, and I don't need to do that either.

I need to eat whole foods. I need to talk to my daughter and my husband. I need to hang out with my friends. I need to create things, like yarn and garments and paintings. I need to work on my house. I need to work on me. For many people, writing is cathartic or therapeutic, or both. I think it was that for me, for a while, but no longer.

So thanks for stopping by, everyone. I'll see you around. Who knows, maybe one day I'll begin to write again. But right now, there are other things I have to do.

:o)

Long time no blog!

2008-12-06T14:46:00.004-05:00

Hey! Anybody still bothering to check back here? I wouldn't blame you if you stopped. It's been a damn long time. Thankfully, my last post was a wish that actually came true, and I do believe with all of my heart that perhaps this country is finally headed in the right direction.

That being said, I can't let go of what Bush has done to us over the past 8 years, so I'll be posting two articles about the interview he just did with Charlie Gibson. Both articles are posted on Arianna Huffington's blog. Enjoy! And who knows, maybe my next post will be about knitting or crocheting or spinning. ;o)

The Dog Ate My Presidency
by Stu Kreisman

Wow. I just watched GW's first "exit interview" with Charles Gibson on ABC. Was this man actually elected President of the United States twice? (Okay once)
Bush said he didn't "sell his soul for politics." No, but he did sell the country to his friends. Taxpayers were swindled out of trillions of dollars handed over to Bush's cronies for no-bid contracts in Iraq, New Orleans, the "War On Terrorism", "Faith-Based Initiatives" and countless other unknown programs that will be uncovered in the next couple of decades.
In the interview he said his biggest regret was the intelligence failure in Iraq. Taking no responsibility what-so-ever, he blamed the failure on other administrations. Regarding the economy he said he's sorry that it's happening but it's not his fault, blaming his predecessors again. He didn't feel that he was a hindrance to John McCain's presidential campaign. His biggest disappointment? That there were no WMD's in Iraq. Rats!
This is a pathetic little man with absolutely no idea of the carnage and destruction he has caused this planet. He ran the country like he ran his baseball team, the Texas Rangers, although he probably respected the sanctity of baseball a lot more than the sanctity of human life.
This guy does not have a friggin' clue. How do you walk through life so oblivious? There are still bodies floating in the streets of Galveston, he has succeeded in destroying the entire city of New Orleans, he started a war in Iraq because he wanted to, thousands of Americans died in an act of terrorism on his watch, the economy is in a shambles, good people are losing their jobs and homes, they can't afford to see a doctor and this moron smiles like he doesn't have a care in the world. This is what happens folks, when you vote for someone you'd rather have a beer with.
Good God, this man is beyond contempt. He has absolutely no respect for the country or the people. He doesn't have the capability for empathy or any self-introspection. I have a gut feeling that when he looks at himself in the mirror, he still believes that his biggest mistake was trading Sammy Sosa.
Shame on him for doing this to us. Shame on us for letting him.

Bush's Interview with Charlie Gibson Marks the Start of His Effort to Revise History
by Mitchell Bard

The inevitable campaign to revise the history of the George W. Bush presidency has apparently begun. In an interview with ABC's Charlie Gibson broadcast on Monday, the soon-but-not-soon-enough-to-be ex-president made several eye-roll-inducing statements that feel like the first salvo in a war to completely recast the Bush years.
I'm all for Barack Obama's mantra of looking forward. I was even fine with his decision to let Joe Lieberman back into the fold. But sometimes it's okay to look backwards, and we have to make sure our history is accurate so that we decrease the chances of repeating our mistakes. And the eight years of Bush's presidency were chock full of sins, mortal and otherwise. That's why I think it's essential that, as a country, we are vigilant about not letting Bush or his team of enablers prevent us from remembering what actually happened when he was president.
For example, in discussing the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Bush claimed: "I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess." He makes it sound as if he was a passive receiver of the reports on the subject, and that the existence of WMDs was the real reason he started the war in Iraq. We know now that neither of those claims are true; that the president cherry-picked intelligence information to make his case for war in Iraq, and that the weapons of mass destruction were merely a pretense for that war. As former CIA director George Tenet told Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes last April, as early as the day after the 9/11 attacks, the White House had started using the tragedy to justify action in Iraq, with Pentagon advisor Richard Perle telling Tenet, "Iraq has to pay a price for what happened yesterday, they bear responsibility," even though Tenet knew that Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks.
The Iraq war must be remembered as being a result of Bush's foreign policy objectives, not as an unfortunate byproduct of Bush getting bad intelligence on WMDs.
What really bugged me about the Gibson interview was Bush's effort to portray himself as a compassionate advocate for the American people. He said at one point: "One of the things about the presidency is you deal with a lot of tragedy -- whether it be hurricanes, or tornadoes, or fires or death -- and you spend time being the comforter-in-chief." But it was Bush's disdain for government and the people it serves, as evidenced by his policy of appointing unqualified political cronies to run agencies like FEMA, that helped intensify the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the biggest natural disaster his administration faced. People died while Bush and his administration did nothing. That should be the take-away point from the Bush administration's handling of crises, not that he was some kind of "comforter-in-chief."
Similarly, Bush made wholly ludicrous claims to Gibson about trying to change how partisan Washington was. He said he "knew that the president has the responsibility to try to elevate the tone, and, frankly, it just didn't work, much as I'd like to have it work." He would have liked to have it work? This is the president whose Justice Department asked nonpolitical appointees about their political allegiances (and researched their political activities). This is the president who treated the Justice Department like his personal law firm, ensuring that it protected his administration's officials rather than the rights of the American people. This is the president whose administration outed the identity of an undercover CIA agent as retribution for her husband writing (accurately) that a claim made in Bush's State of the Union address was false. And this is the president who commuted the sentence of an official in his administration who had been convicted for lying and obstructing justice in the investigation of the identification of the CIA agent.
In short, this was the most political, divisive president in recent history, who took the approach that "working together" meant doing exactly what he wanted. For him to now claim that he wanted to "elevate the tone" of political discourse is absolutely laughable. Bush said, "9/11 unified the country, and that was a moment where Washington decided to work together. I think one of the big disappointments of the presidency has been the fact that the tone in Washington got worse, not better." But nobody was more responsible for the deterioration in the tone in Washington than the president himself.
I was also struck by Bush's effort in the Gibson interview to absolve himself of blame for the subprime mortgage crisis and near collapse of the financial system. He said:
"You know, I'm the president during this period of time, but I think when the history of this period is written, people will realize a lot of the decisions that were made on Wall Street took place over a decade or so, before I arrived ... And when people review the history of this administration, people will say that this administration tried hard to get a regulator."
Look, by no means was Bush the only one responsible for what happened. The Clinton administration also moved to free the financial industry from regulation. But it is certainly false that Bush "tried hard to get a regulator," with recent reports (like this one from, of all places, Fox News) revealing that the administration ignored warnings about the imminent dangers posed by the rampant practice of extending of unwise mortgages. To me, the big point here is that no president (maybe even no political figure) has stood as more of a towering symbol of the leave-corporations-alone, the-free-market-cures-all approach to governing than Bush. And the recent economic collapse has been a total repudiation of this position. For Bush to portray himself now as someone who sought to limit the abuses on Wall Street is nothing short of absurd.
Bush also made silly statements in the interview on topics like immigration and how he "kept (Americans) safe for eight years" (conveniently forgetting that he was the president during the 9/11 attacks and how his administration ignored warnings that some kind of terrorist action was imminent, including a memo entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" ), but you get the general drift.
We need to push back on efforts like this interview to recast the Bush presidency. It's important that we remember that Bush is not the "comforter-in-chief," but the guy who oversaw and/or was directly responsible for illegal wiretapping, the demise of habeas corpus, the adoption of torture, denying and then ignoring global warming, failing to address America's dependence of foreign oil and failing to develop any kind of energy policy that didn't involve putting more money into the pockets of oil companies, blocking advances in stem-cell research, eschewing competence in government in favor of ideology and religion, the subprime mortgage scandal, numerous government failures in areas ranging from FEMA to mining to product safety, the politicization of the Justice Department, the shoddy treatment of veterans, deteriorating relationships with the rest of the world, and, most of all, the unnecessary, financially draining, national-reputation-staining, poorly managed war and occupation in Iraq, which will stand as one of the greatest foreign policy blunders in American history and resulted in the loss of thousands of soldiers, the disruptions of the lives of tens of thousands of military personnel and their families, the placement of U.S. military preparedness at a dangerously low level, and the expenditure of approaching a trillion dollars (including the disappearance of billions of dollars for which there is no accounting).
The colossal failures of the Bush administration should be what is remembered about Bush's eight years in office, not some feeble attempt to show what a principled guy he was.
When asked by Gibson what advice Bush had for Obama, Bush said: "One of my parting words to him will be: 'If I can help you, let me know.'" For the sake of the country, I hope Obama never calls on Bush to help with anything. After eight years of failure leading to the dire circumstances in which the country finds itself, I'm not sure we can stand any more of Bush's help.

Please vote for Barack Obama on November 4th.

2008-09-10T21:06:00.004-05:00

Jonathan Freedland
The Guardian
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The feeling is familiar. I had it four years ago and four years before that: a sinking feeling in the stomach. It's a kind of physical pessimism which says: "It's happening again. The Democrats are about to lose an election they should win - and it could not matter more."

In my head, I'm not as anxious for Barack Obama's chances as I was for John Kerry's in 2004 or Al Gore's in 2000. He is a better candidate than both put together, and all the empirical evidence says this year favours Democrats more than any since 1976. But still, I can't shake off the gloom.

Look at yesterday's opinion polls, which have John McCain either in a dead heat with Obama or narrowly ahead. Given the well-documented tendency of African-American candidates to perform better in polls than in elections - thanks to people who say they will vote for a black man but don't - this suggests Obama is now trailing badly.

More troubling was the ABC News-Washington Post survey which found McCain ahead among white women by 53% to 41%. Two weeks ago, Obama had a 15% lead among women. There is only one explanation for that turnaround, and it was not McCain's tranquilliser of a convention speech: Obama's lead has been crushed by the Palin bounce.

So you can understand my pessimism. But it's now combined with a rising frustration. I watch as the Democrats stumble, uncertain how to take on Sarah Palin. Fight too hard, and the Republican machine, echoed by the ditto-heads in the conservative commentariat on talk radio and cable TV, will brand Democrats sexist, elitist snobs, patronising a small-town woman. Do nothing, and Palin's rise will continue unchecked, her novelty making even Obama look stale, her star power energising and motivating the Republican base.

So somehow Palin slips out of reach, no revelation - no matter how jaw-dropping or career-ending were it applied to a normal candidate - doing sufficient damage to slow her apparent march to power, dragging the charisma-deprived McCain behind her.

We know one of Palin's first acts as mayor of tiny Wasilla, Alaska was to ask the librarian the procedure for banning books. Oh, but that was a "rhetorical" question, says the McCain-Palin campaign. We know Palin is not telling the truth when she says she was against the notorious $400m "Bridge to Nowhere" project in Alaska - in fact, she campaigned for it - but she keeps repeating the claim anyway. She denounces the dipping of snouts in the Washington trough - but hired costly lobbyists to make sure Alaska got a bigger helping of federal dollars than any other state. She claims to be a fiscal conservative, but left Wasilla saddled with debts it had never had before. She even seems to have claimed "per diem" allowances - taxpayers' money meant for out-of-town travel - when she was staying in her own house.

Yet somehow none of this is yet leaving a dent. The result is that a politician who conservative blogger Andrew Sullivan calls a "Christianist" - seeking to politicise Christianity the way Islamists politicise Islam - could soon be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Remember, this is a woman who once addressed a church congregation, saying of her work as governor - transport, policing and education - "really all of that stuff doesn't do any good if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God".

If Sarah Palin defies the conventional wisdom that says elections are determined by the top of the ticket, and somehow wins this for McCain, what will be the reaction? Yes, blue-state America will go into mourning once again, feeling estranged in its own country. A generation of young Americans - who back Obama in big numbers - will turn cynical, concluding that politics doesn't work after all. And, most depressing, many African-Americans will decide that if even Barack Obama - with all his conspicuous gifts - could not win, then no black man can ever be elected president.

But what of the rest of the world? This is the reaction I fear most. For Obama has stirred an excitement around the globe unmatched by any American politician in living memory. Polling in Germany, France, Britain and Russia shows that Obama would win by whopping majorities, with the pattern repeated in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. If November 4 were a global ballot, Obama would win it handsomely. If the free world could choose its leader, it would be Barack Obama.

The crowd of 200,000 that rallied to hear him in Berlin in July did so not only because of his charisma, but also because they know he, like the majority of the world's population, opposed the Iraq war. McCain supported it, peddling the lie that Saddam was linked to 9/11. Non-Americans sense that Obama will not ride roughshod over the international system but will treat alliances and global institutions seriously: McCain wants to bypass the United Nations in favour of a US-friendly League of Democracies. McCain might talk a good game on climate change, but a repeated floor chant at the Republican convention was "Drill, baby, drill!", as if the solution to global warming were not a radical rethink of the US's entire energy system but more offshore oil rigs.

If Americans choose McCain, they will be turning their back on the rest of the world, choosing to show us four more years of the Bush-Cheney finger. And I predict a deeply unpleasant shift.
Until now, anti-Americanism has been exaggerated and much misunderstood: outside a leftist hardcore, it has mostly been anti-Bushism, opposition to this specific administration. But if McCain wins in November, that might well change. Suddenly Europeans and others will conclude that their dispute is with not only one ruling clique, but Americans themselves. For it will have been the American people, not the politicians, who will have passed up a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start - a fresh start the world is yearning for. And the manner of that decision will matter, too. If it is deemed to have been about race - that Obama was rejected because of his colour - the world's verdict will be harsh. In that circumstance, Slate's Jacob Weisberg wrote recently, international opinion would conclude that "the United States had its day, but in the end couldn't put its own self-interest ahead of its crazy irrationality over race".

Even if it's not ethnic prejudice, but some other aspect of the culture wars, that proves decisive, the point still holds. For America to make a decision as grave as this one - while the planet boils and with the US fighting two wars - on the trivial basis that a hockey mom is likable and seems down to earth, would be to convey a lack of seriousness, a fleeing from reality, that does indeed suggest a nation in, to quote Weisberg, "historical decline". Let's not forget, McCain's campaign manager boasts that this election is "not about the issues."

Of course I know that even to mention Obama's support around the world is to hurt him. Incredibly, that large Berlin crowd damaged Obama at home, branding him the "candidate of Europe" and making him seem less of a patriotic American. But what does that say about today's America, that the world's esteem is now unwanted? If Americans reject Obama, they will be sending the clearest possible message to the rest of us - and, make no mistake, we shall hear it.

I'm here physically...

2008-08-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

... but mentally I'm still on vacation. We were in Ocean City, NJ last week, and next week we're going back up to Lake George, where the picture above was taken. That's Banana walking down the dock. Then it's back to work and school. Yuck. But I hope to post more come September. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Golly.

2008-07-18T16:37:00.002-05:00

I haven't made a post in two weeks, but it feels like an eternity. Things are good here. I can't believe how quickly the summer is flying by. I am getting nothing accomplished around my house, but I hope to change that shortly. I am going to start by using my basement for what it was built: to store crap that I don't want upstairs. I'll go through it later, I just want to declutter my upstairs living space and have some breathing room. I never go in my basement anyway except to clean the litter boxes, and boy I tell ya, that is a treat. I really want to begin getting rid of large things - sofas, bookcases, desks, etc. I want to reclaim the breezeway from the Barbies who have taken over. I want to tear up carpeting. I want to paint. I want to turn my house into the house I've always wanted, and I want to stop bitching about it. Sometimes I forget that I need to be proactive about making change happen in my life. I also forget that you don't need to spend a fortune to make changes. My friend Sahfi is good at redoing furniture and making it look cool, and I hope to take some cues from her.

I was exercising a lot for about a week and a half, and I need to get back into that as well. We are going to Ocean City in two weeks, and I want to try and accomplish some sort of exercise on 8 or 9 days before we leave. I also intend to go for a run on the boardwalk every day that we are down there. I can't wait. We'll also be going back to Lake George in mid-August, and this time WT will be coming with us. Yay! I think we'll be staying on the lake, and the place that (I hope) has availability has canoes and kayaks that the guests can use, so we can exercise and have fun all at once! And then it will be back to school. Dag.

My dad seems to be doing pretty well. He is building a spinning wheel. From scratch. 'Cause that's the kind of stuff my dad does. He also bought an autoharp and has been playing it every day since he got it. I am hoping he will inspire me to pick up my dulcimer and guitar and practice them. Banana and I went to visit Dad yesterday and we had a grand old time. We had creamed Spam and peas on biscuits for lunch (trust on this one, it's truly delish) and homemade lasagna and salad for din-din. A good day all around.

On the fiber front, I've been trying to get some old WIPs out of the way. For some reason, my friends find it amusing that I am knitting mohair and wool legwarmers right now. I can't imagine why they would make fun of me whilst I knit with @#$%^&* laceweight mohair. In July. In the Philadelphia suburbs, where an average summer day is about 92 degrees with 80% humidity. Makes sense to me. I am also working on a 2 x 2 rib scarf for the Banana, in pink sparkly yarn, which is just so my thing. I also need to start my Green Gable over, which I began approximately 17 million years ago and frogged because it was way big. And then I can start knitting a whole bunch of other stuff. Oh, and because I wanted a quick FO, I crocheted a fat-ass afghan and used up about 15 skeins of yarn from my stash. Woot. Because again, nothing says summer like a 20-pound afghan. Thank goodness for central air.

On a completely different note, isn't Costco remarkable? The other day, I bought a DVD/VCR player, a raincoat for Banana, socks for WT, and about four pounds of chicken. Where the hell else can you buy all that stuff in one place?? Crazy, I tell ya.

'Kay, that's it for now. If you actually made it to the end of this boring and rambling post, I commend you. Hey Anne Marie - join Ravelry. ;o)

Communing with nature

2008-07-03T09:14:00.005-05:00

So as many of you probably know, the Banana and I went to Lake George with our lovely neighbors John and Regina, who were very kind and generous and let us stay with them at their lake house. We had a great time!

We got to go out on the lake three times. The first day we went out on the Mohican, which is one of several larger boats that give tours of the lake. We went on the Morning Discovery cruise, which lasted a good five hours, and showed us pretty much the entire lake. It was gorgeous, and even though the clouds were threatening, we never got rained on while we were on the boat.

We communed with nature. Great blue herons were everywhere! This one landed on the dock at Blackie and Martha's, and we enjoyed watching it walk about before it took off again.

We got to go out with Wes and Charlotte on their boat. That was really, really fun. Wes is John's brother, and Charlotte is Wes' wife, and they are super people. The Banana was pleased to be wearing her Cinderella life vest.

After boating with Wes and Charlotte, we went to the Algonquin for dinner. I have seen this scene painted many a time: on the wall in Regina's classroom, as a pastel, on Regina's cast when she broke her ankle. It was wonderful to actually see it in person, and it is just as gorgeous as one would expect. We ate al fresco and enjoyed the fresh air along with our food and drink.

Here's another lovely view of Lake George. It is about 32 miles long (who knew?), and 3 miles wide at the widest point. It's easy to see when John and Regina go up there every chance they get.

The Banana enjoyed swimming as well. This little beach just opened up in Ticonderoga, and we went there several times. It was quiet, clean, and, as you can see, picturesque. I was happy to just sit on a bench and watch Banana splash and collect snail shells and build sand castles.

This is the Mohican. There are two other steamboats: the Minne-Ha-Ha, which is a bit smaller, and the Lac du Saint Sacrement (the original name of Lake George, by the way [original in that is was the first name given to it by Europeans, but I digress]), which was larger than the Mohican.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

We went for a walk behind Wes and Charlotte's house, and Charlotte showed us this charming little waterfall. The forest floor was covered with ferns and the air was clean and fresh and all was right with the world. The only thing that would have been better is if WT was there and not in Pittsburgh on business.

Upon our return, Banana started camp. I love her little pooky head, but it sure is nice to have some alone time. My dad and I took advantage of this and went to the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, which is a stunningly gorgeous public garden.

The trees are beautiful, the flowers are beautiful, everything is just beautiful (sensing a theme?).

It is relaxing and serene, and we had a lovely day to boot.

I even got to visit the Eiffel Tower! In spirit, anyway.

There is a lot of statuary at the Morris Arboretum; Dad and I think this is Jizo.

And of course, the flowers are not to be missed. Actually, you couldn't miss the flowers if you tried.

Like this one...

... and this one.

And quite honestly, what's a lovely outdoor trip to an arboretum without a few of the girls in tow? Here's Hibou admiring the roses.

Poppy felt right at home in the Fernery. Everything was her size!

Hibou found Mercury to be quite charming.

Poppy spent a few quiet moments with Buddha in the grotto at the Fernery.

All in all, this past week and a half has been refreshing, renewing, and relaxing. And I still have seven weeks of summer to go! I'm off to spin and knit and crochet and dye, and and and ...

Fab Ravatar

2008-06-22T15:36:00.001-05:00

I'll see you guys next week - the Banana and I are off to Lake George...

Out of the mouths of babes

2008-06-22T07:03:00.001-05:00

At 8 am this morning from my five-and-a-half-year-old:

"Was King-Kong born monsterly huge, or did he become monsterly huge?"

I made yarn!

2008-06-21T15:23:00.003-05:00

It's not good yarn, and it's not pretty yarn, but I made it with my own two hands (and my spinning wheel). Take a look!

Here it is on the bobbin. Pretty nifty, eh?

Here it is skeined on the niddy-noddy that my dear dad made for me.

Getting a nice bath in the sink. I like the squiggley parts.

I then plied it and voila! Yarn! I used the wool that came with my wheel, which was kind of old. It had a lot of lanolin in it, and it felt like it had been sitting around for while, as it was very sticky. No worries though, it is nice and clean now.

This spinning stuff is really fun. I didn't think I would like processing the wool, but I do. It is truly amazing to take a raw material and turn it into something that can be useful. I think it's the first time I've ever done that before. Now I know how my dad feels when he takes a rough piece of wood and cuts it and sands it and nails it and glues it and polishes it, and it turns into a bookcase or a lamp or a clock. Remarkable!

Here are my two lovelies, WT and the Banana. Aren't they cute? I love them. :o)

Squeee! New toys!

2008-06-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

Tee hee, lookit what I got!

This is a used Ashford Traditional which I ordered off of eBay. It shipped (quite quickly, in fact) all the way from New Zealand. I love it. I love spinning on it. I am going to ply soon. I can't wait. I have already spun three and a half bobbins worth of yarn, and on the second bobbin I managed to spin yarn with no squiggles due to overspinning! I am quite proud of myself. One thing that totally helped me out (aside from my wonderful friends Regina and Debbie) was the book Start Spinning by Maggie Casey. This particular wheel has scotch tension, and I had no idea what in tarnation that was. Ms. Casey's book explained perfectly and allowed me to find the tension that was right for me. I love spinning!

Here's my other new toy. Meet Poppy! Isn't she cute? She is a Piccadilly Encore, and I think she's just fab. Her stock clothes are totally awesome, and her coloring is beautiful. I just need to figure out how to make her hair perfectly straight. All PiccaEs are packaged in a way that gives them this weird bend in their hair, and I don't like it. But she's such a cutie.

And here are all my girls together, one big happy family. Left to right, we have Hibou, Twyla, Dulcinea, Capucine, and Poppy. At the bottom we have two unazukin (the little orange and white guys) and two jizo. Jizo are protectors of women, children, and travellers; I happen to be all three of those things. :o) My dad made the light colored jizo on the left, and he gave me the gray colored one in the middle. My dad rocks.

Be sure to check out the link to Doris Chan's blog in the side bar, because she is a master crocheter and she absolutely cracks me up.

Next post: fibery goodness!

How many five-year-olds?

2008-06-09T17:46:00.001-05:00

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Meme and Blythe dolls

2008-06-03T21:13:00.006-05:00

Hi! I haven't posted for a while. So here I am! Here's a meme I found on Raining Sheep:

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Well now, let's see. It was June 1998. I was working as a temp in downtown Philadelphia, having just extricated myself from a horrible work situation as a nanny for a terrible family (parents, really; the kids were fine). I was broke but happy because I had many friends. I went on a boatload of dates with guys who had real jobs and took me to nice restaurants. They called me after the first date. It was 3 months before I met WT. ;o)

2) What are five non-working things to do on my to-do list today?

Oh hell, let's see. What the hell are 'non-working' things? Hm. I have to register for fall classes, sign up at the swim club, pick up or actually make an appetizer for Sip -n- Knit tomorrow night, put away clean laundry, and clean the kitty litter box. What fun.

3) Snacks I enjoy:

Where do I begin? Doritos, chips and dip, spinach-artichoke dip, cookies, chocolate, cheese. You get the point.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire.

Quit my job. Buy a house for me and WT and the Banana, and for my brother, my dad, my close cousins, and anyone in WT's family that he wanted to buy a house for. Pay off all of my debt. Buy a flat in Paris. Travel extensively all around the world. Start two community centers for disadvantaged kids - one in North Philadelphia and one in Camden, NJ. Buy a loom and weave. Hire a private yoga instructor. Plant a vegetable garden and a flower garden. Travel some more. Buy more yarn. Buy more Blythe dolls. Give money to any of my friends who needed it. Help people who need help paying medical bills. Have a lot of pets. Adopt some kids.

5) Places I have lived.

In order from birth to now:

Lindenwold NJ (23 years)

Vancouver WA (one month)

Middlebury VT (six weeks)

Paris France (ten months)

Philadelphia - downtown (1.5 years)

Philadelphia - Roxborough (one year)

East Norriton PA (8 years)

6) Jobs I have had.

Kids' shoes salesperson, movie theater concession salesperson, British Airways customer service agent, human resources adminstrator, travel specialist at a dot com, waitress, nanny, candy shop girl down the shore, remedial reading and math tutor, ESL teacher, C-print captionist, mother, wife.

7) Peeps I want to know more about.

(In no particular order) Jesus, Gandhi, my dad, my mom, my brother, my husband, my daughter, Picasso, Buddha, myself.

***

I know all of you have been going through Blythe doll withdrawal, so here you go.

Hibou, Twyla, and Dulcinea are showing off their new accessories. Aren't they just adorable?

Wait just a minute, who in tarnation is this little tart?

Bonjour, je m'appelle Capucine!

Hello Capucine, and welcome!

One big happy Blythe family. Aw.

Two human-sized FOs and no dolls

2008-05-22T16:41:00.003-05:00

But both FOs are crocheted! Mwahahahaha I lured you unsuspecting knitters in. So how's it going? All is dandy chez moi. I actually managed to finish two projects, both of which I am quite proud and pleased with. I know I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition, but I'm afraid you're just going to have to deal with it. Let's look at some lurvely pictures, shall we?

Here is yet another big-ass granny square. When I need to crank out a project pronto, B.A.G.S. is my go-to pattern. It never lets me down. I'm quite fond of this one. I used Caron Simply Soft - I'm pretty sure I bought 24 skeins of it at Wal-mart (gasp!) for less than $30. Gotta love it. And it is, indeed, simply soft. Kinda shiny, too. This blanket will be going to Botswana this summer to keep a child in an AIDS orphanage warm. I do hope they like it. I'm going to try to make at least one more before my next knitting group meeting, which is next Wednesday. This one only took 4 days, and the next one I make will be made of bulkier yarn with a much larger hook. Fingers crossed for me, peeps.

Wow, I love this shawl. I've actually already worn it. This is Eva's Shawl by milobo, from her blog Without Seams (link in the side panel). It's a free pattern. It's super easy, but really pretty, and the yarn is to die for. It's really soft and warm, and the color is gorgeous. I used four and a half skeins of Araucania Atacama. I really like Araucania, I must admit. I have two skeins of yellow worsted weight in my stash, and I think that will become a scarf sometime soon.

This shawl has already come in handy, as spring has not yet quite arrived in the Mid-Atlantic region. Basically, it's been rainy and about 55 degrees every day for what feels like the last 72 years. However, it is supposed to be quite nice this weekend. If it isn't, I'm going to find a meteorologist and beat the tar out of them for misleading us. But not my brother - he's a meteorologist, but I beat the tar out of him enough when we were children. Although he got in a few good shots too. I used to have a scar on my shin where he kicked me whilst wearing bowling shoes. Ow. He also threw a dictionary and a remote control at my head, but I deserved it because I was really a mean big sister. We get along really well now. Even though he doesn't tell me when he's dating someone.

Aren't you glad you asked?

Can I tell you how much I love barbecues and picnics? I'll be going on one picnic and to three barbecues this weekend. Yippee! Today at school, there was an assembly about Memorial Day, and it was really quite touching. A bunch of the kiddies got up and spoke about their grandpas and great uncles and cousins who were veterans or who had died in battle. Then one boy at the end played Taps on his trumpet, and that damn near destroyed me. Wow. I heard Taps at the end of the day when I visited the American Cemetary at Omaha Beach in Normandy, and man, that was powerful. It really made me appreciate the people and things in my life. I have a computer, and I have a blog where I can type whatever I like, and I don't have to fear for my life or my family's life. I have a family, and I love them, and they love me. I have great friends. I have food on my plate, a roof over my head, and lots of toys.

Take a moment to be thankful for the things you have. And thank a veteran if you see one. They deserve it.

Guess what I got?

2008-05-19T20:57:00.002-05:00

I'll give you a hint. It has a wheel on it, and it spins, and you use it to make yarn. Yes, that's right, I got me a spinning wheel! Woo hoo! I am terribly excited. It's a used Ashford Traditional, and I got it off of eBay. It is actually being shipped here from New Zealand, where they are made. I thought I wanted a Kromski Prelude or Sonata, but the Sonata was too expensive, and I hadn't tried a Prelude, and after perusing different groups on Ravelry and reading their posts, I decided that the Ashford was the one for me.

I just came into some spending money, and I wanted to buy something worthwhile, something that I would have for a while, something that would be useful or a keepsake. Not clothes, not food, nothing like that. So naturally, the first thing I ordered was another Blythe doll. How could I not? I should be receiving my new Can Can Cat early next month. Yippee! She'll be my first fantasy hair girl (for you non-Blythers out there, that means she has ridiculously colored hair; in this case, it's blue).

I was then torn between a loom and a spinning wheel. The looms that I was considering (rigid heddle looms) would have been more affordable at first, but I would have had to learn a whole new craft, and with that comes a boatload of all new supplies, and that costs a boatload of money. Once I've paid for my wheel, then all I really need to get is roving, and then I can make my own yarn, which in turn feeds my knitting/crocheting addiction. So the wheel made more sense for me, don't you think? And wheels are prettier than looms. ;o)

My dear neighbor and friend Regina let me try her wheel out the other night, and I actually did a pretty good job. I also used my new drop spindle that my dad made for me, and I really like it. Regina was spinning Suffolk wool. Many people apparently look down their noses at Suffolk wool, because the sheep are bred for their meat, not for their fleece, hence the fleece is really rough. However, it was really good for me because it is really sticky and very easy to draft. Drafting (pulling the yarn out and making it thin right before it gets twisted into yarn) is really difficult for me - I either don't draft it enough and end up with a huge slub, or draft it too much and it pulls right apart. The Suffolk made it easy. And of course, Regina being the generous soul that she is, gave me some Suffolk. Yay!

It's funny, if you had told me five years ago that I'd be knitting, crocheting, spinning yarn, and collecting Blythe dolls, I would have laughed in your face. And yet here I am. As I get older, I realize that I don't give two craps about what people think of me. I like who I am, and I am going to pursue my interests regardless of what others think of them. My friends like me for who I am, and I've made many good friends because of my interests and hobbies. What more could a girl ask for?

Oh, and one more thing...

2008-05-08T20:45:00.003-05:00

I'm on a yarn diet. For reals this time. From now until the end of the year.

The only time I am allowed to buy yarn is if Carol has a Sip-n-Knit at her house and has her stuff for sale. Other than that, fuggeddaboudit.

FYI - a Sip-n-Knit is held on every other Wednesday during the summer. We get drunk and knit and chat. It's great fun.

So yeah. I have so much yarn it's not even funny. Well, maybe it's a little funny, but I probably find it more amusing that my husband. But it's time for me to get serious and knit and crochet. I might even get crazy and start to sew this summer. There's just no telling what I might do. I'm crazy. Watch out.

***

Tomorrow is my last day at my current job. On Monday, I'll start doing the same thing I do now (note-taking for hard-of-hearing kids) at a new school, working for the same organization. I have to say that I am pretty sad to leave the school in which I currently work. My student, with whom I have worked for the past three years, is all growed up now, and is going out in the big world to do his community study, which is essentially an internship from now until the end of the year. This is the first time in my life I've had to leave a job that I really like. I'm sure I'll like the new school. I already know the woman who will be my boss, and I met the special education department head, and she gave me a hug. That's always a good sign. But I've made some good friends over the past three years, and it will be sad to not see them every day any more. But oh well. That's life. You move on. It doesn't mean I'll never see them again, I'll just have to try harder to see them.

It's strange; this summer seems like a landmark summer. I'll be 35 years old in 3 weeks. Banana will be going to first grade next year. My student will be in college. I'll get a new student. I feel like I've aged a lot lately. But I don't feel old, just older. Does that make sense? It's like I've become more aware of the passing of time, and how precious life and time really are, especially when they are good. I was listening to the radio on my way to work this morning, and they played 'Dear Prudence' by the Beatles, which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. Apparently, the Beatles were at the same ashram as Mia Farrow's sister Prudence. She was sitting in a hut, meditating, and they implored her to come out and see all the beauty around her, and that's where the song came from. That's a cool story, and poignant too.

I try to go out and play and see the sun as often as I can. You should too. It's beautiful.

So what did you do this weekend?

2008-05-05T20:22:00.004-05:00

I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool! Yippee! It was so much fun. The bus ride down wasn't bad at all (don't ask about the bus ride back; I-95 is bad). There were cool peeps on the bus, and we had a good time. I've heard many people say, via blogs and Ravelry, that Saturday was one of the busiest days anyone has ever seen at MDSW. I don't doubt it. The line to buy festival merchandise was 2 hours long (I did not wait in that one), and the line for food was half an hour long (I did wait in that one). I didn't wait in any lines to buy my yarn. Apparently, I was one of the only event-goers who didn't purchase any Tess or Socks That Rock. Oh well, I can't afford that stuff anyways.

So here are some pictures!

Everybody from Montco Sit n Knit knows these lovely ladies! My buddies Meg, Aileen, and Liz.

Here I am with Amy aka vismajor on Ravelry, and Jess herself!!

Here's me again with Kate, who I met at Loop when Doris Chan was there. Kate is fabulous, and I hope I get to see her again soon!

OMG, here's me with Lolly! She is way cool and is just as fantastic in person as she is in her blog, if not more so. Note the tree behind my head looks like a crown or an Afro. Either way, I'm stylin'.

Here's an angora goat! Goats are funny. Noisy, too.

Here are some nice alpacas. They sure are cute, but man are they dumb. Truly. Apparently the brown one on the left liked to kick, so we kept our distance.

Oh yeah, and I bought some yarn. Heheh. The first booth we came to was actually the one I wanted to visit the most, Cestari. I have purchased their yarn at the Lamb's Wool in Lansdale, and I really love it. It feels nice, it smells nice, I love the colors, and it is mostly cotton, which is good for me because wool is just too dang warm sometimes. The color above is Blackberry; I haven't decided what to make with that yet. The color below is Raspberry, and I think I want to make the Tussie Mussie sweater with it.

Below is some Peruvian Alpaca which I purchased from the Yarn Barn. It is soooo soft. Each skein has ~650 yards!! Holy moly, that right there is enough yarn to make a whole sweater. I'll be making another cardigan out of this, I just need to decide which pattern. Probably something simple.

And for my last purchase, we have some roving from Bartlett Farms. I said I wasn't going to purchase any roving, but each bag is eight ounces, and cost only $7! Resistance was futile.

Honestly, what post would be complete without pictures of my girls? Above is the newest member of our screwy little family. She is a Prima Dolly 2 Saffy, and I've named her Twyla. I made her dress and curled her hair; isn't she cute?

Here are all of the girls together. Hibou is on the left, Dulcinea in the middle, and Twyla on the right. Note that Hibou and Dulcinea are both sporting new tights, sneaks, and necklaces. The tights I ordered from Shopholican on Etsy, the necklaces are from ArtSchoolDropout on Etsy, and the sneaks came from Mimiwoo on eBay. Woo! This is fun. Really, it is.

Well thanks for stopping by, everybody! *mwah* <3

Doug must be quite the ladies man.

2008-05-01T07:36:00.001-05:00

I saw this sign in Wisconsin., originally uploaded by wastedinthekeys.

Guess who I met?

2008-04-28T20:38:00.004-05:00

Yeah, that's right.

I was so close to him!

He is as amazing as he ever was. How I wish he could run again.

But man did he look tired. I didn't post the pics of Billy boy standing on the platform with Joe Hoeffel and Allyson Schwartz, with his mouth hanging open and him staring blankly off into the distance. He's been stumpin' hard for Hillary, and he averages 6 or 7 stops a DAY. That's a lot for a 61-year-old guy who's already led the most powerful country in the world for 8 years. But man, once he got that mic, he was off, and we hung on every word. He is truly a gifted speaker.

I still voted for Obama though. ;o)

OMG, how cute are my girls? That's Hibou on the left, a Prima Dolly Ashlette. She's sporting a newly-set coif, as her box hair was atrocious. Dulcinea got a wash too, but I decided to braid her hair, and damn, she looks cute! Stay tuned, as there may be other additions to my burgeoning Blythe family (I know most of you can barely wait). Oh, and I crocheted both of their dresses and made Dulcinea's hat too.

***

Is it me, or are a lot of people getting pneumonia lately? It's kinda scary. One of the teachers I work with has had it, and he's only 38 years old. The husband of one of my classmates has had it for two weeks, and he is only 30 years old! My dad's girlfriend has it too. I've never known so many people to get it like this, and just have it hang on. Yikes.

***

I'm really anti-war. Like big time. Especially the Iraq War, because it is senseless and we have been lied to like never before, and we've lost over 4000 American soldiers, countless thousands are still suffering physical and emotional pain, and not to mention the number of Iraqis that have died. What a travesty. However, that is not to say that I don't support our troops. And it is 100% outrageous that we are not taking care of our soldiers properly when they come home. Get a load of this article on CNN.com. Our soldiers, our countrymen and women, are coming home to this disgusting situation at Fort Bragg. This is what they get for serving our country and risking their lives for nothing? This is how we treat them? And you know this is only one of many, many situations like this, or worse. How can this happen? Seriously, it is all George W. Bush's fault. I'm serious. His lack of care and empathy permeates his entire administration, and they are all a bunch of emotionless, greedy drones, just like him.

Dude, the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is THIS WEEKEND!! I can't wait! I am really going to try to not spend too much money. Really and truly. But all of a sudden, I feel the urge to knit shawls and stoles. And I don't have any fingering or laceweight yarn to speak of. Hmmm...

Talk atchas later. ;o)

This fits me to a T

2008-04-23T11:24:00.001-05:00

You're an Emu!

Tall, thin, and a bit lacking in poise, you have a gait all your
own. You never seem to manage to get your projects off the ground, despite giving
the apperance of being able to do so. You're beginning to feel a bit defensive about
your precious bodily oils. Contrary to the rumors, you have never actually done a
mating dance at a college debate tournament, nor do you say the word
"mep".

Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Beauty

2008-04-19T21:41:00.001-05:00

Photos taken by my father in our backyard

An important object

2008-04-17T10:08:00.002-05:00

I face an internal conflict every day. I want stuff. I like yarn. I like dolls. I like clothes. I like things. And much of the time, I wish I didn't want so much stuff, because stuff generally doesn't bring you genuine happiness - family and friends and sunshine and fresh air and good health usually do that for me. But every once in a while you come across something, a thing, that is important and should be protected and preserved.

My friend Robin in my knitting group asked me to repair a crocheted afghan for her. It belongs to a friend of hers, and it was kind of falling apart. So naturally I said yes.

This afghan was made of about 20 colors of old acrylic yarn. It was hard to tell how old it was, but this thing has existed for a long time. It is composed of multi-colored granny squares, edged with black yarn. It was large and heavy - I had to stand up and hold my arms over my head to stretch it out and get a good look at it. Many of the squares were separating from each other, and two of the squares were actually coming unravelled. So I sat down and started to repair it, this thing.

It smelled kind of funny. Sort of like an old person. At first it bothered me, but then it grew on me. I took a closer look at this heavy, aromatic thing. It was covered in pet hair. I couldn't tell if it was a dog or a cat, or if it was one pet or more, but definitely pet hair. The blanket was very warm. And I began to think of the person it belonged to. I've never met her, but I get the sense she might be older. Maybe the pet is her only companion. Her pet and her blanket. Maybe they watched TV together, and the pet snuggled up next to her on the blanket. She obviously loved her pet, if she let it on the blanket, and she obviously loved the blanket, if she was having it fixed. I wondered if she made the blanket, or if someone made it for her.

I have a blanket that my aunt made about 30 years ago. It is yellow and white variegated scratchy acrylic, a big granny square afghan. I stole the blanket from my parents when I went to grad school, and I kept it when I moved back home and got an apartment in Philadelphia. It went with me to my apartment in Roxborough, and now it is with me and my family in our house. The cats like it, the Banana likes it, WT seems to like it, and I like it.

Banana got 5 handmade blankets when she was born. She loves all of them, but one of them is her favorite, and has been since she was about 3 months old. It's crocheted, in four colors, and it's just the right size and weight for a little girl. I don't even know how I knew that it was her favorite blanket when she was a baby, but I figured it out. She always went for that one, even though she had multiple choices. She can't sleep without it. She talks to it and kisses it. She takes it places, even though we leave in the car for fear of losing it. She loves that blanket.

What is it about a blanket? And not necessarily just any blanket, but one that someone made for you? Maybe it's because it's like a big hug. It's so comforting. Or maybe it makes people feel safe - I remember cowering under blankets during thunderstorms when I was a child, feeling protected. But it's more than that - I just can't explain it.

So yeah, some things, some objects, are valuable. People always talk about what they would save in a fire; I remember Liz discussing that on her blog a little while back. After ensuring the safety of my husband and daughter, I'd save my photos, because those are memories, and I'd save my mother's ashes, which are in her copper watering can on my bureau, and then, if I had time, I'd save the blankets.

Now THAT'S crafty.

2008-04-15T10:11:00.001-05:00

No, I'm not pregnant. Just found this to be hilarious.

Worst. President. Ever.

2008-04-10T21:06:00.001-05:00

By Scott Horton, Harper's

“It would be difficult to identify a President who, facing major international and domestic crises, has failed in both as clearly as President Bush,” concluded one respondent. “His domestic policies,” another noted, “have had the cumulative effect of shoring up a semi-permanent aristocracy of capital that dwarfs the aristocracy of land against which the founding fathers rebelled; of encouraging a mindless retreat from science and rationalism; and of crippling the nation’s economic base.”

America’s historians, it seems, don’t think much of George W. Bush.

Now in all fairness, historians should wait a while before passing judgment on a president’s who served recently, much less one still in office. But the current incumbent is a special case. After all, 81 percent of Americans, according to a recent New York Times poll, believe he’s taken the country on the wrong track. That’s the highest number ever registered. The same poll also says 28 percent have a favorable view of his performance in office, which is also in Nixon-in-the-darkest-days-of-Watergate territory.

But, as George Mason University’s History News Network reports, the historians have a different measure. They want to stack him up against his forty-two predecessors as the nation’s chief executive. Among historians, there is no doubt into which echelon he falls–his competitors are Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce, the worst of the presidential worst. But does Bush actually come in dead last?

Yes. History News Network’s poll of 109 historians found that 61 percent of them rank Bush as “worst ever” among U.S. presidents. Bush’s key competition comes from Buchanan, apparently, and a further 2 percent of the sample puts Bush right behind Buchanan as runner-up for “worst ever.” 96 percent of the respondents place the Bush presidency in the bottom tier of American presidencies. And was his presidency (it’s a bit wishful to speak of his presidency in the past tense–after all there are several more months left to go) a success or failure? On that score the numbers are still more resounding: 98 percent label it a “failure.”

Historians Rate George W. Bush a “Failure”
This marks a dramatic deterioration for Bush. Previously he wasn’t viewed in the most positive terms, but there was a consensus that he wasn’t the “worst of the worst” either. That was in the spring of 2004. In the meantime, Bush has established himself as the torture president, the basis for his invasion of Iraq has been exposed as a fraud, the Iraq War itself has gone disastrously, the nation’s network of alliances has faded, and the economy has gone into a tailspin–not to mention the bungled handling of relief for victims of hurricane Katrina. In 2004, only 12 percent of historians were ready to place Bush dead last.

Here are some of the comments that the historians furnished:
“No individual president can compare to the second Bush,” wrote one. “Glib, contemptuous, ignorant, incurious, a dupe of anyone who humors his deluded belief in his heroic self, he has bankrupted the country with his disastrous war and his tax breaks for the rich, trampled on the Bill of Rights, appointed foxes in every henhouse, compounded the terrorist threat, turned a blind eye to torture and corruption and a looming ecological disaster, and squandered the rest of the world’s goodwill. In short, no other president’s faults have had so deleterious an effect on not only the country but the world at large.”

“With his unprovoked and disastrous war of aggression in Iraq and his monstrous deficits, Bush has set this country on a course that will take decades to correct,” said another historian. “When future historians look back to identify the moment at which the United States began to lose its position of world leadership, they will point—rightly—to the Bush presidency. Thanks to his policies, it is now easy to see America losing out to its competitors in any number of areas: China is rapidly becoming the manufacturing powerhouse of the next century, India the high tech and services leader, and Europe the region with the best quality of life.”

Cuz ya can't, ya won't, and ya don't STOP

2008-04-10T18:39:00.002-05:00

Cuz ya can't, ya won't, and ya don't STOP

Ya can't, ya won't, and ya don't STOP

AdRock, come and rock the sure shot

Seriously, who can resist a little Beastie Boys? Not I. One thing that I positively cannot stop doing these days is making clothes for Blythe dolls. I know most of you think I've really gone around the bend, but there is something so satisfying about finishing a project in two hours. And I don't know what it is about these damn dolls, but they are addictive. They really are. In fact, I ordered another one. Yes I did. So deal.

Here's Dulcinea modeling her new couture. Not bad, eh? I didn't use a pattern, but used the same formula in Monica Brown's C3 Crochet Crop Sweater that I made last year. It worked well, and I only had one false start before I got it right. That's really good for me.

Here's a close-up. The ribbon is glued on. No way in hell am I going to sew it own. These dresses are all made from the top down, and there is zero seaming. Yay for zero seaming.

This one is for my dad's Blythe doll, Bridget. Since he made me two spindles and a niddy noddy, the least I can do is clothe Bridget for him. Sheesh.

And last but not least, finished just this evening, is a dress for my soon-to-arrive doll, Hibou. She is a Prima Dolly Encore Ashlette, for those of you who are into that sort of thing. Hibou is the French word for owl. It is just a darn cute word, and since Blythes have big eyes, I figured it would suit her to a T.

I will get back to making practical things one day. WT is impatiently awaiting his sweater vest, and I'm really close to finishing the Sunday Market Shawl.

It got up to 70 degrees today, and boy does that make me happy. I raked and mowed the front lawn and tore out a bush and swept and Banana played in the dirt, which is really really good. I'm sick of princesses. I want my girl to play in the dirt and have fun doing it. It was good to be out in the fresh air, making my yard look nice.

WT has been doing contract work for more than a year. Yesterday he just heard that his position is going permanent as of April 16. It will be a little less money per month, but he gets paid time off, short and long term disability, life insurance, and myriad other benefits. In this day and age, I am so grateful that we are both gainfully employed, can pay our bills, have two cars that run, and a nice house to live in. I am grateful that we can afford to send our daughter to a good school. I am grateful for my husband who lets me buy Blythe dolls and go to fiber festivals. I am grateful for the hyacinths in my neighbor's yard, and the forsythias and daffodils in my yard. I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for spring.

Stuff for you to look at

2008-04-06T20:17:00.003-05:00

So I actually finished some stuff lately! Pretty neat-o, huh? Below we have the Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher. I used a little less than 2 skeins of Cotton Ease. I'm pretty happy with the fit, but it grew a fair amount as I wore it. I'm anxious to see what happens when I wash it and dry it - it's in the washer as we speak!

Next we have a little hat I whipped up for Dulcinea in about a half hour. I made it out of some leftover Debbie Bliss denim yarn that I had laying around. I think it's pretty cute! I made it up as I crocheted.

I also made up this pattern as well. This one took about 2 hours, as it is mostly single crochet, and I used a much smaller hook. The yarn is from France - I think it's La Droguerie. I forget the fiber content, but it's really nice. I got the yarn in a swap I did last year. I let my dad have this hat for his Blythe doll, Bridget.

Next we have a pom-pom hat for Blythe (yes, I know, but it gives me such a sense of satisfaction to finish three things in a weekend!). I got the pattern from the Blythe Kenner Yahoo! group. It is very easy, I just have to seam the back, and make and sew a pom-pom on the top. I am going to make a fisherman's sweater to go with it. I used Cestari's cotton/wool 70/30 yarn in the Mint colorway. I like it.

Last, but most certainly not least, we have the Sunday Market Shawl. The name of the designer still escapes me, but it's on Ravelry if you're interested. I love this yarn. Love. It. It's soft, and the colors are prettier in person. I'm making this on size 13 needles, so it's working up pretty dang quick! I'm close to dropping the necessary stitches and binding off. Can't wait. It will need a serious blocking those, as the sides are rolling like a mofo.

***

I made dinner for my family and a friend tonight, and it was lovely. I made a pretty tasty dinner last night too. I really notice a difference in my health and well-being depending on what I eat. When I eat like crap (such as loads of carbs and sugar), I never feel full and always want more, and I feel tired and yucky. When I eat healthy food, I can go for longer without eating, I don't snack as much, and I have more energy. This all seems so elementary, but I'm one of those annoying people that you can talk at forever, but I need to experience it for myself in order for it to really hit home with me.

So last night I made baked chicken with a little seasoning, sauteed spinach with garlic, sesame, and olive oil, and roast cauliflower with lemon, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. I usually hate cauliflower, but my friend Julie made this for me last week and it is so. yummy. Seriously. Tonight I made a pork loin with tarragon, mashed potatoes with sour cream and fresh chives (not healthy, but way freakin' tasty), and peas and corn. For dessert, we had ice cream with fresh strawberries and fresh blackberries. Yum. I have enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I also exercised twice this weekend! Yesterday, I walked about 4 miles on the Schuylkill River Trail in Valley Forge National Park, which is lovely and peaceful (except when a train goes by across the river). I saw ducks and geese and cormorants, and heard spring peepers peeping away. The air was clean, the sun was shining, and it was great. Today, I went to the gym and worked out with weights. I didn't like it, but I know I have to do it. I much prefer to exercise outside, but when I'm pressed for time and the weather is yucky, the gym it is. Gotta do whatcha gotta do.

I only have 5 more classes left this semester! I can't believe how quickly it's gone by. I am thinking of taking a one-week class this summer; we'll have to see what the money situation is. The more classes I can get out of the way now, the better. Plus, the one in the summer is a French class, and I know I would enjoy it.

That's about it for now. Thanks for stopping by. Have a good evening, and I'll talk to you guys soon. I have to go do laundry. Wheeee. ;o)

Hiya!

2008-04-02T10:36:00.003-05:00

It's been a while, eh? In between dealing with a sick 5-year-old, Easter, Spring Break, and turning in a 10 page paper, I managed to do a little knitting. I finally finished my Lacy Ribbed Bolero, pattern by Kelly Maher. I made it with Lion Brand Cotton Ease, two skeins in Terra Cotta. I'm fairly happy with the result. It's a smidge bigger than I might have liked, but it is comfy and warm on a spring day when you just need a little sumpin' sumpin'. I don't much care for the sewn bind-off or my seams, but they are minor details. There are no mistakes in the lace section, which is nice. I see myself wearing it fairly often.

I also just started the Sunday Market Shawl, which is a pattern I found via Ravelry. I forget the designer's name, but I'll post it when I write my next post, with pictures. It is essentially like a Clapotis, but instead of knitting it on the bias, it's knit straight, and you drop the stitches right before you bind off. I'm using Universal Yarn Deluxe Chunky in this groovy striped colorway that has mint, olive, tan, and taupe in it. It sounds grody but it's actually quite nice. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like the stripes, but I think it will look pretty neat once I drop the stitches, almost sort of a plaid. I managed to knit up one whole skein last night, which is some mighty fast knitting for yours truly. I am using size US13 needles, which also lends itself to expeditious knitting.

I need to finish the second Baby It's Cold Outside sweater, and I also need to get back to work on WT's Peter Easy vest. I had to frog a good part of it because it was way too big. Live and learn.

Talk at you soon. Smooches.

Countdown to MDSW

2008-03-24T10:26:00.002-05:00

As you can see, I've changed the ticker at the top of my blog. With Maryland Sheep and Wool coming up in a little over a month, there is no way in hell that I am going to make it to the end of the year without buying yarn or fiber. So I'm just trying to be realistic.

I'll start the yarn diet again when I get back. ;o)

Happy Easter!!

2008-03-23T10:02:00.001-05:00

Going to San Francisco, originally uploaded by Maria*PA.

Baxter wishes you a Happy Easter. Now go enjoy your pagan rituals.

It's been a while

2008-03-22T21:27:00.002-05:00

Howdy. This week has gone by so quickly. I had off this week. The first few days were fun. I got to see friends, see my dad, see art, go downtown, all that good stuff. On Tuesday, the Banana commented that she had a stomachache. At about 9:30 that night, she barfed on the sofa, and so there went the rest of my spring break. Oh well. At least she is feeling better, that is by far the most important thing. And I'm also immensely grateful that we have a new washer and dryer - they were most certainly put to the test on Tuesday night, and I'm happy to say that they both passed with flying colors.

My knitting group's 3rd anniversary party was on Wednesday night, and a good time was had by all. We had brownies and cookies, door prizes, and a yarn and magazine swap. We laughed and had fun and helped each other with projects and relaxed. I do so enjoy those times together with that group of women.

Work continues on several projects. I was almost done the back of WT's vest, when I decided to hold it up to him, and lo and behold, I was knitting him a mini-dress. WT is not a mini-dress kind of guy, so I ripped way back to below the armholes and we shall try again.

I also picked up my Lacy Ribbed Bolero that I started last August. Liz finished hers in a flash, and so I decided to get going on mine for the 3rd time. It actually looks pretty good this time. I hope to finish it in the next week or so, I really have the lace pattern down.

I finished one Baby It's Cold Outside baby sweater for a friend, and need to finish the other one pronto, as Baby Miles has been born and is residing in NJ, sweaterless, as we speak. Gotta warm up that poor child, for crying out loud.

Dad made me yet another drop spindle, this one a top whorl. It's really cool. When I get it, I'll take pictures and post them. So in less than a month, Dad has made me two spindles and a niddy-noddy. And my neighbor Regina gave me a bag full of wool which I can wash and card myself! Laura Ingalls, watch out!

I am so frickin' tired I could put my head down on the keyboard and go to sleep right now. I also have a headache. I'm super fun, aren't it? I'm going to bed. Pictures later. Love youse guys.

I have the bestest Dad ever in the world!

2008-03-14T13:37:00.003-05:00

Lookee what he made for me! It's a niddy noddy so I can skein the uber thick and thin yarn that I am spinning! Oh my gosh! It's so cool!

Squee! for new patterns

2008-03-13T08:12:00.002-05:00

The Spring Knitty is up and running! Woo hoo!

It just keeps getting better and better

2008-03-11T09:52:00.005-05:00

The spring preview of Interweave Crochet is up, and I must say that I love almost everything in it! Below are a few of my favorite projects.

30th Street Station Skirt by Kathy Merrick

Dots Blanket by Kristin Omdahl

Floral Lace Belt by Christina Marie Potter

Geometry Dress by Lily M. Chin

I would love to add more pictures, especially of Kathy Merrick's Kathryn in Beauly Dress and Hat, the Tolmie Cardi Vest by Monica Welle Brown, theTroubador Socks: Chrétien de Troyes by Danielle Kassner, and the Woodsland Tunic by Jill Hanratty, but of course Blogger is being pissy and only allowed me to show you the above projects.

Kim Werker has really done an outstanding job with this issue, and the designers are really going out on a creative limb (and very successfully, I might add). As usual, there are so many things I'd like to make, and so little time and resources to do so. Oh well, just gotta pick and choose. And I also need to finish the 10 projects that I currently have on the needles/hooks.

Only 3 more wake-ups until Spring Break!! Woo hoo!

Another something new!

2008-03-09T08:02:00.007-05:00

Thanks to Carol, I see that we have a new online knitting magazine. Knotions is the work of SavannahChik, who has been knitting and blogging for quite some time now. The first issue will be coming out this fall, but in the mean time, go on over and take her survey. I already like the layout, and it seems that it will be a pretty comprehensive type of publication. Let's support SavannahChik in her endeavor!

In other news: spinning is going. I obviously need to practice. A lot. Right now, I am creating the world's thickest and thinnest yarn. Ever. But I am going to persevere, and dye it with Kool-Aid, and knit up the world's thickest and thinnest scarf when I am done spinning. The cats are not helping me spin - they like to eat the roving. Considering I already spent eight hundred gajillion dollars on Joey because he likes to eat non-food items, I will be keeping the roving well hidden. Pictures (of the yarn, not Joey) to follow shortly.

I am still working on the Peter Vest for WT, two BICOs (which I really need to finish, because their recipients should be entering the world at any moment now), and sundry other projects that have been in hibernation forever. I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday cleaning, so it is my fervent hope that I'll actually be able to knit and/or crochet today. We'll see. Banana will be attending her 9th birthday party since September today. This crap is expensive.

Later, gators!

It's very important to try on as you go

2008-03-05T21:59:00.003-05:00

Doesn't this color suit me well? Obviously, I need to make it a shade longer, but with summer coming, well... maybe I'll just bind off now. I think it looks just adorable.

BTW, what do you guys think of my new hair color? I was sick of mousy brown and decided to go spicy!

I may have to subscribe to two more magazines

2008-03-04T08:50:00.002-05:00

Honestly, if I'm going to spin, then obviously I should subscribe to Spin-Off. Right? Right? And if I'm going to learn to weave, then I should subscribe to Handwoven. Makes sense, doesn't it? I am a magazine addict. I can't remember the last time I read a whole book, cover to cover, in a reasonable amount of time. Magazines are perfect - short articles, pretty pictures, and all sorts of websites to look up!

It is my intent to keep Interweave Press going all by myself. I seem to be doing pretty well so far.

I should probably go work now. See ya.

What kind of sandwich are you?

2008-03-04T08:45:00.002-05:00

You Are a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

You live your life in a free form, artistic style.

You are incredibly creative and at times, quite messy.

Deep down, you are a kid at heart. And you aren't afraid to express it.

Your best friend: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Club Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Dad comes through!

2008-03-03T10:31:00.003-05:00

As I knew he would. What a guy! He made me this wonderful little drop spindle. I can't wait to try it out. There is a great tutorial on YouTube by a woman named Abby Franquemont - she seems to explain the whole process rather clearly, so I need to watch it a few more times, and then give it a whirl (ha!).

So does buying roving break my yarn diet?

Uh-oh.

2008-02-28T15:20:00.007-05:00

I currently have over 170 knitting and crochet projects queued on Ravelry. That's a whole heck of a lot. Some are small, some are big, some are easy, some are complicated, but they are all things that I want to make. So what's a girl to do?

Find a new hobby, of course.

I was looking at Lolly's blog, and she has taken up weaving. My dad made me a little loom when I was small - it was big enough to make a skinny scarf. I really liked it, and I think he still has it in his basement. I was thinking of fetching it and giving it to the Banana. I began to do a little research, and there are plenty of places (well, two to be exact) to learn to weave in southeastern PA - the Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers in Manayunk, and The Mannings in East Berlin. Both are reputable and have a long history of producing magnificent artists. Then, I posted on a Ravelry group that I was interested in learning, and dontcha know that there is a woman living not far from me at all who has volunteered to let me borrow her rigid heddle loom and book to learn before I buy! How generous is that!

And then I got to thinking, well, if I'm going to weave, and I already knit and crochet, why shouldn't I just spin my own yarn?

So of course I called my father and casually mentioned that a drop spindle would be easy and cheap to make, and how fun it would be to have one. ;o) My dad's good with the woodwork.

Why oh why can't I just sit at home and craft all day? Wah. This working nonsense is for the birds. I'm sure WT would agree - he would like to sit at home and play his guitar and watch Steven Seagal movies. But we sort of like to eat and have heat and stuff like that, so off to work it is.

At least I get summers off. ;o)

Snow day = FOs

2008-02-23T15:07:00.003-05:00

Hey everybody! Banana and I had a snow day yesterday. Now generally I'm not a big fan of the snow, but when it means I get a three-day weekend I LOVE it.

Needless to say, I got some crocheting and knitting done!

I finished my second Tiramisu Blanket, pattern by Alicia Paulson. I made it with Red Heart Heathers, and I'm pleased with the outcome. I managed to lose some stitches in the middle, so it's not really square, but the edging helps disguise it. All in all, a lovely little blankie that will hopefully keep baby Gavin warm whenever he gets here.

This was a quick, lovely little knit. This is the Baby Bib o' Love from Mason-Dixon Knitting. Instead of making two straps that meet in the back, I made one to come all the way around front, because when you're trying to put a bib on a baby in a highchair or bouncy seat, you inevitably end up pushing their heads forward, and they generally don't like that. All it needs is a button and it's done. This took me about 2 hours and less than one skein of Lily Sugar 'n' Cream.

Here's another one. I like the greens. I think I'll put a little elephant button on it. ;o)

I've made a considerable amount of progress on WT's vest considering I'm not the fastest knitter in the world. I do love stockinette, it goes so quickly! I really like this yarn too - it's Cascade Sierra. It's pretty soft and not splitty and easy on the hands.

And here is one of the gorgeous roses that WT gave me for Valentine's Day. Yay for flowers!

The Next Big Thing?

2008-02-21T15:42:00.002-05:00

You really have to love Ravelry. I mean seriously. Everyone should join, even if you're not a joiner (coughhackAnneMariecoughhack). I saw a pattern for this groovy little capecho (Now who pronounces this kuh-PAY-cho? Like I did the first time I saw it because it was like Spanish or something? But no, apparently it's cape-cho, because it's a cross between a cape and a poncho. Who knew? But I digress.) on Ravelry called Sherblet. I was delighted to find out that it was a free pattern! So of course I queued it and began to look at the other patterns offered by the same person. Turns out this person is actually people, named Robin Dodge and Rachel Clarke, and they've started a website called MetaPostModernKnitting. They just published their first issue, and they have six patterns, all for free! They will publish two 'official' issues per year, but will also published things in dribs and drabs between issues. They also take submissions.

I love it! Go check it out!

And now for something fun

2008-02-20T11:14:00.001-05:00

Stuff

2008-02-20T09:09:00.004-05:00

Things are going. I got to go out on a date with my husband last Friday, which was awfully nice. We went to Totaro's in Conshohocken, a lovely little restaurant tucked away in an unassuming neighborhood with a wine list to die for and food that is fabu. I had lobster mac and cheese (seriously, that's what it was called): penne pasta with cheese and cream and butter and chunks of lobster. Yum. WT had lobster and veal. More yum. It was nice to sit and talk and drink and just have fun.

Saturday and Sunday I got to spend time with my gals down the shore in Ocean City, NJ, which is one of my most favorite places in the whole world. Five of the girls from knitting group and I rented a HUGE place at 27th and Asbury. We talked, knitted, drank, knitted, ate, and knitted. A good time was had by all. The only drawback was that I couldn't stay for longer.

On Monday, Banana and I went to one of those places where you can paint your own pottery. Sheesh, talk about expensive. Surprisingly, my dear daughter painted a princess bank. I painted a spoon rest. My father and I often talk of splitting the cost of a pottery wheel and kiln. I do so love to work with clay. Although clay and yarn are probably not a terrific mix. Oh well. Maybe when we move into our country estate and have a barn (hahahahahaha) Dad can move in and we'll have an art studio. Which of course will be next to WT's recording studio.

I started making a vest for WT in Cascade Sierra, and I'm really happy with the progress I made thus far. I like the Sierra - it's nice to work with. The vest is very simple, a free pattern from Berroco. I had originally wanted to make either the River Forest Gansey by Jolene Treace or the Cobblestone by Jared Flood, but I currently don't have enough yarn for either of those, so a vest it is. WT is happy because I'm making something for him. :o)

I also need to get started on a sweater that I've been promising the Banana for months now. I have some Ella Rae Classic Print in greens, lavenders, and pinks for her. I'm going to use the sweater recipe from Ann Budd's Knitter's Book of Handy Patterns. It will be the first time I'm using this, I hope I don't screw it up too bad!

I am about 95% done my second Tiramisu blanket, and then I can get started on two Baby It's Cold Outside sweaters to go with the blankets. Hopefully I can get these done before the babies arrive!

I have knitting group tonight, which is always something to look forward to.

***

This is generally a difficult time of year for me. I hate February. It's so grey and damp and cold and just... bleh. My mother's birthday is coming up, and I miss her. I can't go outside. My house is dirty. Blah blah blah. I'm sick of winter and it's not spring yet. Carlos, one of our cats, has decided that when the alarm goes off at 5 am it's okay to jump on my head and stand on my chest with his pointy little paws, even though I don't get up until 6-ish. The cats are messy. They knock shit over. Kvetch kvetch kvetch. I want it to be sunny and warm so I can open the windows and air out the house. I want to eat fresh blueberries.

Okay. Enough complaining. Have a great day! ;o)

Tee hee - most excellent bumper sticker

2008-02-18T00:02:00.000-05:00

Toys

2008-02-12T18:59:00.001-05:00

Yay! I got my Labbit!

Eating his yummy popsicle. Cherry? Raspberry? We'll never know for certain.

What labbit doesn't enjoy some fresh grass?

He would be right at home at a Phillies game this summer. Hey! That gives me an idea...

He can wear his gas mask as we drive by the sewage treatment plant just off of I-95.

I had to pick up the Banana early today because her school let out at 11:30 am. It wasn't even snowing yet. Crimy. So we got home nice and early and what did I do? Laundry? No. Pay bills? No. Wash dishes? No. Clean the kitty litter? No.

I made Dulcinea a new outfit! How cute is that? I got the patterns from the Blythe Yahoo! group. I didn't even have to sew it, I just glued everything. I'm fairly happy with it.

'Kay, that's it for now. As you were.

I'm a blogging fool!

2008-02-09T19:21:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! I've been busy. Let's start with the yarn room (WT would call it the music room - I supposed it depends on your point of view). I was getting pretty sick of the way it's been looking recently, so I organized it.

Before

After

Much better, isn't it? I actually have a much better handle on what's in my stash. Even when this was organized before, it was pouring out of the bins and on the floor and all. Now it is neatly confined. I filled two and a half kitchen trash bags with yarn I don't want - it will be donated locally to a women's shelter. I also got together 2 smaller bags full of yarn to be swapped at my knitting group's third birthday party. Yay!

And look! I finished something too! This here is your basic garter stitch scarf. I had two skeins of The Fibre Company's Savannah DK in lime and rose, so I knitted until it was all used up. I changed colors every two rows. I'm happy with it. It lays flat, and it's comfy and warm and pretty. Sometimes simple is the way to go.

I think I like the 'wrong' side better than the 'right' side. The yarn has a rustic feel that I like.

I found this pink hat while organizing my stash. I made it on a loom about two years ago. Banana liked it, so she gets to keep it. It's made out of some really soft acrylic stuff.

I crocheted this hat about 3.5 years ago. It was one of the first hats I ever crocheted. Banana likes this one too, so she's going to keep it.

Look! Unazukin! Aren't they cute? When you ask them a question, they nod or shake their heads. Kind of like a Japanese magic eight ball, only cuter.

This is the last yarn I bought. No more new stuff until 2009. I usually don't buy 100% wool, but I fell in love with this colorway. I have about 600 yards, so I'm thinking I'll make a cropped sweater or something.

I purchased Knit Picks Memories in the Geranium colorway. I'm going to make socks! At least, I'm going to try to make socks. We'll see what happens.

I bought Universal Yarn Co.'s Pace in blue and dark gray to make socks for WT. He likes the colors, as they are nice and manly and they match his work clothes. And at $3.50 a ball, who can resist?

I was going to post pictures of the Memories and Pace, but Blogger is being an asshole and I don't have the patience to try to format anymore tonight. Maybe next time.

So there you have it. FOs, stash, organization, and unazukin. Yay!

One more time

2008-02-08T15:37:00.000-05:00

Maybe it'll just be one more time this year. But yes, I'm starting another yarn diet. I went to Crafty Me in Conshohocken today to buy sock yarn and dpns, and perhaps some other pretty yarn, but now I'm done. Last time I went for about 4.5 months without purchasing yarn. This time? I'm going all the way to New Year's Eve baby. That's right. More than 10 months without a yarn purchase. Think I can do it? I think I can. Help me out peeps. This is the Year of Stash for Me. By the time I will allow myself to buy yarn again, Banana will be in first grade, I'll have a new job, and God knows what else will be different. Oh wait, I know - I'll have more money. Because I won't be spending it on yarn.

Woo hoo, wish me luck, here I go!

An award? Pour moi?

2008-02-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Liz, Ann, and Mo over at Crossroad Knits for giving me this!! And now I get to give it out too.

All a y'all make me happy, and I check your blogs a LOT. So here you go!

Knits and Pieces
Des Aiguilles et du Fil
Moonstitches
Neither Hip nor Funky
Through the Loops

WTF

2008-02-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

So my dad comes over yesterday, and we're talking. As some of you may know, I would like to lose some weight. I'm not overweight, but I'm not where I want to be. None of my clothes fit well anymore, and so on. Anyhoo, I'm talking to Dad, and he says to me, "Well, my jeans felt kind of tight, so last week I finished up all the snacks in the house, and since then I've lost 5 pounds."

insert sound of steam coming out of my ears

So my dad cuts out snacks for one week and loses 5 pounds. That reminds me of the Cathy comic strip where Irving wants to lose some weight, so he skips lunch and loses 33 pounds. Why in tarnation can't I do that? Gah.

***

I got my Spring 2008 IK yesterday, and the patterns are even better up close than on the website. I know a lot of people are unhappy because they feel that all of the patterns look the same, but I like them a lot. And two of the features were shot in Philadelphia! Woo hoo!

***

Our knitting group is in the 2008 Stitch 'n' Bitch Calendar! I think we are August 20th (Anne Marie, correct me if I'm wrong). It's a great picture - too bad our fearless leader isn't in it, for crying out loud.

***

Yesterday was Banana's kindergarten play, which was pretty much the cutest thing ever in the whole world. The kiddies did a great job. Banana was a leopard. She did really well saying her lines; in fact, all of the kids did. No crying, no breakdowns, nothing. The songs were great. Who knew that kindergarten was as much fun for the parents as it is for the kiddies?

***

I've been working on a simple garter stitch scarf, and I must say I'm quite pleased with it. It's pink and green, kind of a little too Lilly Pulitzer for my taste, but the yarn is kind of rustic, and I like that about it. I got it on sale at Loop - two skeins of The Fibre Company's Savannah DK. There's a fair amount of veggie matter in it, but it doesn't bother me much. I'll post pics soon, I'm almost done.

That's about it for now, talk to you all soon!

I loves me some kitsch

2008-02-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so you should all know by now that I have a Blythe doll named Dulcinea. Here she is in all her glory:

However, I'm starting to find myself attracted to more than just Blythe. I love a lot of Japanese kawaii-type things. Below we have some more.
This here is a Labbit. He is designed by Frank Kozik and can be found on the Kidrobot website, which is really a hoot. Labbits come with four different items that you can stick in their mouths. I do love the popsicle.

Here is an unazukin. You can 'ask' them questions and they will 'answer' you by either nodding or shaking their heads. I just think they're cute, and there is a nearby company called Firebox which sells them for a reasonable price. You can also find them on eBay.

So yeah. I'm into dolls and toys. Am I regressing? Perhaps. But at least I'm regressing in a fun, safe way. And I'm still knitting and crocheting and bathing and going to work and taking care of my child and husband and cats, so I don't think it's time for an intervention just yet. ;o)

Nostalgia

2008-01-29T18:48:00.001-05:00

My father and I email each other almost every day. Today he included some lovely family photos that make me feel nostalgic, and both happy and sad at the same time. Happy because they are pictures of people whom I love dearly, and sad because many of these people are gone and I miss them terribly. But mostly happy. :o)

This is a photo from my parents' wedding day, June 8, 1968, in Cherry Hill, NJ. From left to right, we have my maternal grandmother (Ruth Elizabeth, but she went by Betty), my maternal grandfather (Elmer Glenn, but he went by Glenn), my cute mom, all of 21 years old, my cute dad, all of 26 years old, and his parents, Mattie and Earl. My dad's parents were old enough to be the parents of my mother's parents. If that makes any sense at all. In this picture, you see a clue as to why this blog is called The Frog and the Daisy - daisies were Mom's favorite flowers. I will also have you know that the month after my parents were married, my mother's wedding dress was on the cover of Modern Bride. Good taste runs in the family. ;o)

I adore this picture. In the middle is my grandmother Mattie with her sisters, Gladys (on the left) and Minnie Lee, who we called Aunt Sis. My grandmother was the youngest - Gladys was born around 1891, Sis around 1894, and my grandmother in 1899. This picture was taken around 1974 or so - get a load of those outfits! The Hardesty sisters were stylin', no? The sisters were long-lived: Grandma lived to be 84, Aunt Gladys lived to be 91, and Aunt Sis lived to be 96! I hope I take after them.

Here's my dad. This was probably taken around 1978 or 1979. He made that guitar himself. He still has it, and it's really pretty. He has also made a few dulcimers, one of them for me. I should really practice it - it sounds positively lovely. I used to go to sleep to the sounds of my father playing his guitar. That too was lovely.

I so value photos. They take me back to places that have been buried in my memory for such a long time. It's easy to forget how dark my Dad's hair was, or what my Aunt Gladys looked like, or how my grandma looked when she smiled. Photos help me hang on to people longer than real life did. I can look at the first picture and see my mom healthy and pretty and smiling and happy. I can see three sisters, still together after 80+ years. And that's good.

Days go by...

2008-01-28T12:16:00.001-05:00

This video is from a few years back. Generally I don't pay much attention to music videos, but this one tells such a powerful story. So here you go.

Here's what I'm gonna make

2008-01-25T16:52:00.000-05:00

Dude. Can you believe this issue? I am so in love with it. Seriously, there is rarely a time that I want to make FIVE things from one issue of a magazine (okay, so maybe I loved the last Knitscene issue, but like I said, it's rare). Get a load of these projects!

Banded Peasant Blouse by Mary Jane Mucklestone

Flutter Sleeve Cardigan by Pam Allen

Fountain Hat by Katie Himmelberg

Holly Jacket by Theresa Schabes

A Good Stripe Dress by Mareike Sattler

How cute would the Banana look in that dress? Oh my goodness.

That's it for now. Love y'all.

All done

2008-01-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

I finished the Herringbone Neckwarmer by Craig from Loop. I really like it! It was a quick and easy knit, I love the buttons, I love the yarn, and I love the pattern. The only thing I don't like is my right hand edge (top edge in the pic below). For some reason, when I finish a knit row and go to start a purl row, I have this ginormous loop of yarn at the end of each row. Sometimes I can purl tightly enough to wrap it up and hide it, but as you can see I'm not successful at this all the time. I think it looks sloppy, and I don't like sloppy! Anyhoo, I'm happy with the neckwarmer anyways. I used one skein of Sheep Shop One. I love this yarn (did I already say that?). I also love the buttons. Both the buttons and the yarn were purchased at The Lamb's Wool in Lansdale, PA. They have a nice selection, especially for you spinners and weavers out there!

I think I'll be starting another Tiramisu shortly. I also need to wrap up some WIPs that have been hibernating for quite some time now.

I'm going to bed. Happy Friday and have a good weekend!

Interweave Knits Spring Preview

2008-01-23T23:33:00.001-05:00

Edit: the link to the IK spring preview does not appear to be working any more. :o(

Edit 2: I linked to a Google Cache, so see if that works.

Edit 3: The Interweave site now proudly displays the Spring Preview!

Oh man. I already have 116 projects in my Ravelry queue, and now I have to add 5 more. The IK spring preview is up, and there are so many gorgeous projects I don't know where to begin. It looks like Eunny and her co-workers took a cue from Carol, as many of the projects are made with fine yarns. This issue really makes up for the last issue; I probably won't make anything from Winter 2007. But my goodness - Mary Jane Mucklestone's Banded Peasant Blouse, the Holly Sweater, the Flutter Sleeve Sweater - they're so pretty! So much knitting, so little time.

I went to knitting group tonight (or Sit n Squeeeeeeee, as me, Aileen, and Liz decided to rename it, in honor of our founder and fearless leader, Anne Marie) and I had so much fun. I am so fortunate to have met such a fun-loving groups of wackos like these women. We help each other out, we make each other laugh, we try to make Rosemary snort, we listen to Sahfi talk about her cabled sausage casing, and a good time is had by all. What more could a girl ask for?

Life is good. Nighty-night.

Scarves

2008-01-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

Here it is, in all its glory: The Chevron Scarf, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I used two skeins of Koigu KPPPM: one in blues, purples, and greens, and one is greens, peaches, and pinks. The colors are gorgeous; these pictures just do not do them justice.

This yarn is really soft and drapy. I just love it.

I actually blocked this scarf like I was supposed to. If I hadn't, it would look like a really colorful, expensive rope. The chevron pattern tends to pull the scarf in on itself, and the blocking really worked wonders. I guess that's why people do it. ;o)

This is the Herringbone Neck Warmer by Craig Rosenfeld at Loop in Philadelphia. It only takes one skein of Sheep Shop One, and I bought two wooden buttons to finish it off. Had I been able to knit today, I probably would have finished it. Gotta love big needles. This yarn is gorgeous. It almost has a pearlescent quality to it, and the colors are really saturated. This is also going to be one very warm neck warmer.

I have off tomorrow. Yay. I don't have work or school, so we are going to head on over to NJ to spend a day with my padre. It's going to be cold, and he has a wood burning stove. Guess where I'm going to park my behind all day?

Good night y'all. Sleep well.

L'Echarpe sans fin est fini!

2008-01-19T23:44:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the Chevron Scarf. I should have pics to put up tomorrow. I started it in October, and took a hiatus from it in December. I have been working on it every day for at least the past week. I'm happy with the results - the colors are so gorgeous. I washed it in Eucalan (!), and now it's blocking(!). I feel like such a grown up knitter! I'm abusing exclamation points again!!

I just started making the Herringbone Neckwarmer which can be found on the Loop blog. It takes one skein of Sheep Shop One yarn, which is so pretty I want to marry it or something. This puppy is going fast, as it's knit on size 11s. I hope to finish tomorrow; I have some cool buttons for it, nice wooden ones that will look good with the yarn.

That's about it for now. Pics tomorrow. Love yas!

Not a whole heck of a lot going on.

2008-01-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

Ah, today is Friday, and this weekend is a long one. That's good.

My knitting and crocheting friends are coming over tonight for an impromptu crafty get-together (okay, maybe not too impromptu; I sent out the invite on Monday).

I'm going to see my chiropractor for the second time today; she also happens to be one of my knitting friends. Getting your back cracked and adjusted is so satisfying.

I'm almost finished L'Echarpe sans Fin, otherwise known as the Chevron Scarf from LMKG. I seriously could probably finish it tonight, but then I have to block it. Aggressively. I really like the way it's coming out, and I might buy another skein of Koigu to make the Purl Bee Beret to go with it. I've never knitted on DPNs before, and frankly, I am somewhat fearful. It looks complicated.

Banana and I got our hair cut. How come my kid gets the hair I've wanted my whole life, and I get frog fur? She's got the lovely, straight, sunkissed blond hair that looks good even when she's just woken up. I've got... Velcro.

We got my favorite kind of snow here yesterday. It snowed for several hours yesterday and looked very pretty, and now it's all gone. Yes.

I need to exercise.

Once I've finished the Chevron Scarf, I think I'll bust out the LMKG legwarmers, which I started about this time last year. I need to finish them. Then I'll finish the Puzzle Scarf. Then I'll finish the Green Gable. Then I'll make another Tiramisu blanket, this one in blue. I also need to make two baby sweaters before March. I'm thinking I'll go with Julie Armstrong's Baby It's Cold Outside, because it's cute and crocheted and warm and quick.

So there you have it. Have a lovely three day weekend. Pictures next time.

Here's an answer for all those rabid knitters

2008-01-14T22:17:00.000-05:00

Straight from the keyboard of Sandi Wiseheart...

Why not a separate Crocheting Daily newsletter and store?

A lot of folks ask this. Wellll...we had to start somewhere, and so we started with knitting. We have plans for growing our crochet offerings in the future, but we did not want the crocheters to have to wait to be able to find their favorite projects easily, either in the free library database or in the store. So: we're using the same database for knitting and crochet, to give everyone easy accessibility, and we look forward to the future when we can provide the crocheters with their very own "home sweet home" in the Interweave webiverse.

She's too dang nice.

FOs, yarn, and Dulcinea

2008-01-10T19:35:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! I actually completed something! Take a look-see.

You probably recognize this as My So Called Scarf. I used two skeins of Araucania Nature Wool that I bought on sale about a year ago at A.C. Moore. The color is really lovely, muted, not too loud. This scarf also turned out to be softer than I thought it would be - what a plus! I like this stitch a lot, but my edges looked like crapola, which is why I edged it with one round of single crochet. I finished this at Stitch n Bitch last night. Can I tell you how good it was to see all of my friends? I missed them so these last 4 months.

Here we have the Tiramisu Baby Blanket, pattern by Alicia Paulson. This took a little over 3 skeins of Red Heart Soft Yarn in Off White. This truly is soft yarn. It's nice and squishy. I really enjoyed this pattern - it's mindless crocheting, but the result doesn't look mindless at all.

Here's how I broke my yarn diet. This is the Classic Elite Four Seasons Cotton to make Cathy Carron's Cabana Tee.
And here is the Casco Bay Sport from Halcyon Yarns. Can I tell you how dang nice the ladies are at this place? I had to call them up, and they were just as pleasant as could be. I will definitely be shopping from them again. I will be using this yarn to make Regina Rioux Gonazalez's Singular Tee.

Yum. Hempathy. I'll combine this with some Cool Blue Hempathy in my stash to make Edna Hart's Marly Boatneck. Can't wait! I think the blue and green will look really nice together.

Who can resist this face?

I know some of you probably think I've gone off the deep end, but there is something about playing with dolls that I guess I just never got out of my system when I was a kid. And I can knit clothes for Dulcinea too. And crochet them. It's all good. ;o)

I have plans.

2008-01-03T11:07:00.000-05:00

Just you wait and see. I have big plans. I'm going to go on another yarn diet. Yes I am. And this time, not only will it be a yarn diet, it will also be a pattern diet. That's right. No yarn and no patterns. And I'm going to go for longer this time. I think I'll go for six months. You read that right. Six months. I have a boatload of books and a boatload of yarn, so I'll go for six months without buying either one.

But first I have to go to Saucy Louise and buy 80 gajillion Japanese craft books. Then I'll go on another diet. Kind of like the Last Supper. Or Mardi Gras. It'll be a hoot. It'll be good for me. It'll be good for WT and Banana too, because I'll be able to focus and make stuff for them.

Oh yeah. I have plans.

Fare thee well, 2007

2007-12-30T22:02:00.000-05:00

Wow. I can't believe another year is gone. I just got used to writing '2007' on my checks when I pay the bills.

I can't complain about this year. I went back to school (again). Banana started kindergarten. We all went to Sante Fe. We had a good summer. My dad sailed across the South Pacific safely and lived to tell his tale. My brother graduated from college and got a good job that very day. I still have a good job. We got two cats, both of whom are still alive. We have our house. We have our jobs. We have our health. We have each other. I've got family, friends, love, and art.

What more could a girl ask for? Happy New Year to all of you, my friends.

Quite a long post

2007-12-28T17:25:00.000-05:00

Like everyone else, we've been quite busy around here chez DaisyFrog. We've gone through an expensive, harrowing ordeal with one of our cats, but I'll save that story for another day. Or maybe I won't tell it at all, because the little bastard now appears to be fine after eating something that disagreed with him.

Anyhoo, how about some FOs?

This here is a lovely tea cozy crafted for my brother. Being the Renaissance man that he is, Glennjamin enjoys his daily tea, and so I made him a tea cozy. The gray is Plymouth Encore Worsted, the red is Malabrigo, and the pattern is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I crocheted it instead of knitting it because it needed to be finished in a timely fashion. I am fairly pleased with it, although it is a bit large. Whatever. Glennjamin seemed pleased.

Here is the same thing, this one for my father. This was also crocheted (hdc) in Plymouth Encore Worsted, and the size came out better on this one. I created a very subtle pattern by crocheting in the round in one direction for 3 rows, then reversing for three rows, and so on. I am pleased with it! This was a quick and easy project.

This here is a bear for my cousin's son who is about 17 months old. The head and body are done, I just need to crochet the arms and legs and sew it together. This is loosely based on Camilla Engman's Bedfellows pattern from The Happy Hooker. I think it's going to look pretty dang cute when it is finished.

Here is my first Bainbridge Scarf, pattern by Minty Fresh. Again, it is crocheted instead of knitted. I created the ribbed effect by crocheting through the back loop only on each row. I'm happy with it except for the little tassel-y things at the end of the ties, but I broke the yarn too short, so I didn't have enough to weave it in. Stupid on my part. I am making another one of these in dark green mercerized cotton. Please excuse my waddle in the above picture.

Tis the season to treat oneself! These books were availabe on Amazon.com for only $10.17 each; how could I resist? The patterns in Lacy Crochet are really pretty and not too futzy or prissy in my opionion.

The patterns in Amigurumi appear to be well laid-out. I need practice in crocheting various shapes, and this book will most certainly provide me with that practice!

My family was waaaaaaay good to me at Christmas this year. I got some music - if I weren't married, and if Eddie Vedder weren't married, I would marry him based simply on his cover of "Hard Sun". Holy moly, that is one mighty fine song. And who woulda thunk that Robert Plant and Allison Krauss are a vocal and artistic match made in heaven? Not me, but that they are. Whoa. And I haven't listened to Gomez or Norah Jones yet, but honestly, how bad can they be?

And of course, I got me some booky-wookies. (Not like Chewbacca, no.) I love Crochet Me. It is one mighty fine book. I am definitely making the Victorian Shrug/Wrap from the cover. I also love Amy O'Neill Houck's Babydoll Dress. *Le sigh* So many patterns, so little time.

I think Annie Modesitt is brilliant. I don't like all of her patterns, but I admire her creativity and lack of attention to the rules. This book is gorgeous. There are about 10 patterns in here that I want to make.

My neighbor Anne Marie gave me this book, and it friggin' ROCKS. It basically gives you recipes for eighty bajillion sweaters, with different options for sleeves, bodies, pockets, cardigans, pullovers, collars, and whatever else you can think of. I will be using this A LOT.

This here is Dulcinea. You may remember me mentioning that my dad has a Blythe doll named Bridget. I knit her an outfit. When Dad first got Bridget, I really thought he had gone around the bend. But the more I looked at her, and the more I looked at other Blythe dolls, the more I realized that I actually kind of liked them. A lot. So my dear Dad surprised me and got me Dulcinea for Christmas. She is a Medieval Mood reissue, just in case you were wondering. She is pictured above with Hemingway.

Dad also got me this Jizo statue. Jizo is the protector of women, children, and travelers; coincidentally, I happen to be all three of those things. Neat, huh? Isn't he cute? He will be residing next to my happy fat Buddha.

And now for the piece de resistance. Oh yeah. Those are roller skates baby. Quadline Dominions with 100 mm wheels. Are they sweet or what? WT got these bad boys for me for Christmas, and I LOVE THEM. I can't wait for the weather to get nice (oh wait - I live on the eastern seaboard. That won't happen until June) so I can skate my ass off. Literally. My ass needs to be skated off, as well as my waddle and my spare tire. So not only am I going to kick some retro 70s ass, I'm going to look good doing it. Okay, maybe not look good WHILE I'm doing it, but I'll look good AFTER I do it. I'm sure I'll look like a moron while I'm doing it. Because that's how I roll. Ha! Get it? Roll? Roller skates? Tee hee hee!

I need some sleep.

***

So you may or may not have noticed that my yarn diet ticker is missing from the top of my blog. Yeah, I blew the diet about 10 days before it officially ended. Whatever, good enough. I will probably start a new diet shortly. So you wanna know what I bought?

Cotton Ease in Almond for Zephyr Gal's Juliet
Cotton Ease in Indigo for Zephyr Gal's Tree Jacket
Red Heart Soft Yarn in Off White to make a layette for my cousin's wife
Red Heart Heathers in Blue to make a layette for our pregnant lesbian friends
Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy in Vivid Green and Cool Blue (blue in stash) for Edna Hart's Marly Boatneck from the latest issue of Knitscene
Casco Bay Sport in Pale Blue and Brick Red for Regina Rioux Gonzalez's Singular Tee, also from the latest issue of Knitscene
Classic Elite Four Seasons in Barn Red and Natural to make Cathy Carron's Cabana Tee, also from the latest issue of Knitscene (can you tell I like this issue?)

I also at some point want to make (from the latest issue of Knitscene) Katie Himmelberg's Phiaro Scarf, Kathy Zimmerman's Wildflower Tee, Ann Budd's First Time Tube Socks, and Cecily Glowik's Pebble Hoodie. Because, you know, I have all the time in the world.

***

I can't believe that Christmas break is almost over and it's almost time to go back to work. I am going to see friends this weekened, and Banana and WT and I are going to Longwood Gardens on Monday. Monday night we are hosting our annual New Year's Eve bash, where Anne Marie comes over, gets drunk, laughs silently, and slaps her knee. A good time is had by all.

I wish you all a lovely rest of your holiday season, and a wonderful 2008, where all of your dreams come true. :o)

Thanks for stopping by.

Benazir Bhutto

2007-12-27T21:51:00.001-05:00

I have to admit that I don't know much about Benazir Bhutto. The first I heard of her was when she ended her self-imposed eight-year exile and returned to Pakistan. Upon completing some superficial research, I find that she faced many difficult challenges: charges of money laundering against her and her husband, being ousted from office twice, attempts on her life, the murders of two of her brothers, the inability to fulfill campaign promises.

But something about this woman struck a chord within me. From the first time I saw her, I was taken by her fearlessness. On her first day back in Pakistan, an assassination was attempted. The bombing killed many of the people who were protecting her. And still she marched on. She was unafraid.

It's so rare to see someone in this day and age who believes in something so much that they will pay any price to see their dream realized. And that's what Benazir Bhutto did - she paid the ultimate price. Now her children have lost their mother, her husband has lost his wife, and Pakistan has lost a fearless fighter for democracy.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2007-12-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

Deck the halls with boughs of horry

Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra

'Tis the season to be jorry

Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra

May all your dreams come true this holiday season!

Bjork wears crochet (and wears it well)

2007-12-21T22:47:00.001-05:00

She's a wacky chick, that Bjork. I think I'll wear my makeup like this for the holidays.

Oh wait. I don't wear makeup. Nevermind.

Christmas meme

2007-12-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

welcome to the holiday edition of getting to know your friends!

1. wrapping paper or gift bags? both

2. real or artificial tree? artificial :o( because of the cats

3. when do you put up the tree? usually 2 weeks before christmas

4. when do you take the tree down? some time in January.

5. do you like eggnog? yes, if it's homemade

6. favorite gift you received as a child? red 10-speed.

7. do you have a nativity scene? yes, Banana just made one out of construction paper

8. hardest person to buy for? my dad

9. easiest person to buy for? my daughter

10. worst gift you ever received? clown-head chia pet

11. mail or email cards? mail, but not this year or last

12. favorite holiday movie? The Christmas Story.

13. when do you start shopping? right after thanksgiving

14. have you ever recycled a present? oh yeah

15. favorite thing to eat during the holidays? Uhhh... everything?

16. clear or colored lights on the tree? colors

17. favorite holiday song? Hmmm... I'll get back to you on that one, there are so many good ones

18. travel or stay home? stay home

19. can you name all of santa's reindeer? no

20. angel or star on the tree top? star

21. open presents 12/24 or 12/25? One on Xmas Eve, the rest on Xmas day

22. most annoying thing about this time of year? missing people who you can't visit with

23. do you decorate your tree in any specific theme? no

24. what do you leave for Santa? Nothing. This year we will be leaving "9 fresh carrots" for the 8 reindeer plus Rudolph :o)

Fiber paradise

2007-12-15T17:28:00.000-05:00

Behold. Feel free to genuflect at any time.

This is a private yarn stash, peeps. PRIVATE. As in, owned by one person. Jebus. This room is bigger than my house, and it's full of yarn. Good God.

I found this over at MochiMochiLand, via Ravelry. I believe it belongs to her mother-in-law. I wish I knew her mother-in-law. I would visit her a lot. She'd never know if a skein was missing here or there, right? I can't imagine she would.

***

I wrapped almost all of my Christmas presents today, with the exception of WT's and Banana's. I'll wait until they go to bed. I also cleaned my kitchen, cleaned my living room, vacuumed, washed the sheets on the beds, and even washed the slipcover on the sofa. I've been quite the domestic goddess today.

I'm going to go crochet something. Have a nice night!

Christmas cookie recipe - best ever

2007-12-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

Christmas Tequila Cookies

1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup (two sticks) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit (dried cranberries or raisins)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups all purpose flour
1 liter bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila (silver or gold, as desired)

First, sample the Cuervo to check quality.
Take a large bowl.
Recheck the Cuervo just to make sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour another 4 ounces Cuervo in a measuring cup and drink.
Turn on the electric mixer.
Beat one cup of the butt er in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one teaspoon sugar. Beat again.
At this point, it is best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK.
Try another 4 ounces, just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy.
Break two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, picking the frigging fruit off the floor.
Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with ascrewdriver.
Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift 2 cups of salt or shomething.
Chekc the Jose Cuervo onsh more.
Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
Greash t he oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

Cherry Mistmas!!

One month to go; finish-itis

2007-12-09T11:44:00.000-05:00

I've set a new record for myself. I haven't bought any yarn since August 8th. Not even a little bit. Nothing on sale. Nothing to finish a project. Zip.

Whew.

My next crochet/knit goal that I am setting for myself is to finish everything that I currently have on the hooks/needles. This would include:

the Green Gable sweater
three afghans
a toy for my cousin's son
three scarves
a shrug

I also need to unravel my Green Tea Raglan sweater, as it is too small and itchy and I know I'll never ever wear it. I would really like to finish all of these projects before I jump into anything else, especially considering that many of the projects that I have lined up for myself are relatively involved. As I mentioned previously, I'd like to make two sweaters for WT (although Liz warns me to pace myself here; she knows what it takes to make a big ol' sweater for a big beefy husband!), two sweaters for the Banana, and myriad projects for myself including gloves, hats, sweaters, and vests. And I'd also like to make at least one Vintage Stripe Afghan.

I'm going to go ahead and make my New Year's resolution today. I am going to have finish-itis, instead of start-itis. I am going to finish all the projects I currently have in progress, and I then will not have any more than four projects going at the same time. I think this is reasonable.

Thanks for stopping by, and, uh, go Eagles.

Fluffy.

2007-12-06T17:27:00.001-05:00

0000fluffy, originally uploaded by jbsky3.

Bwahahahahahahaha

Absinthe makes a comeback

2007-12-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

You know, I've never tried absinthe, mostly because it's never been available to me. I feel a special kinship with this liquor, though. My master's thesis was about American expatriates in Paris during the 1920s (les annees folles), and absinthe is often mentioned in their writings. This article in the New York Times details the resurgence in popularity of this lovely drink. And I'm trying to think of where I saw it, but I recently found somewhere an absinthe dispenser (for lack of a prettier term). It was a lovely work of metal and glass, four spouts, and a clear bottle to hold the absinthe.

I want to try this stuff! Surely some of the fancy-schmancy restaurants downtown will be carrying it shortly. Who's in?

I'm done!

2007-12-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

Since Sunday, I have completed a 6-page online portfolio, a video, and written three papers. Everything is due in class tomorrow. It feels soooo goooooood to be finished this work and know that I have more than a month off before I have to go back to school again. I'm going to go to bed now, knowing that I am free!!!

Jebus, why all the hostility?

2007-11-30T22:01:00.001-05:00

Many of you may be aware of or subscribe to Sandi Wiseheart's Knitting Daily newsletter. I find it mildly interesting, and they generally offer free patterns at the end of each post, many of which are very nice.

Sandi started this newsletter back in April, I believe. In that time, I think three of the posts have been dedicated to crochet. Three posts out of about 85 or so, according to some comments I read.

One of the more recent posts was written by Kim Werker, editor of Interweave Crochet magazine. I subscribe to both IC and IK, and I like them both very much. Do I like every single pattern in each magazine? No. But I like a lot of them. One of my favorites from the latest issue of IC is the Melange Sweater by Katie Himmelberg. If you haven't seen it, it's a gorgeous sweater with a knit body and crocheted sleeves and collar. I love it. I was not upset to see a half-knit garment in my crochet magazine either. However, judging by comments left on Kim's post, many people are upset that the folks at Interweave Press would have the audacity to include articles on the lowly art of crochet in Knitting Daily. Here's a little taste of the feedback Kim's post received:

Enough with the crochet already!! I know the mag exists, please stop trying to push this stuff on us!!!
And yes, I know how to crochet. I learned to crochet before I learned how to knit, but this is called KNITTING Daily.
Comment by: Gretchen M November 14, 2007

I don't crochet and have no interest in learning. If I wanted to read about crochet I'd subscribe to a crochet magazine.
What's the difference between knitting and crochet? While knitting patterns can run the gamut from beautiful to fugly, all crochet patterns are fugly.
Comment by: Sherri C November 14, 2007

Here! Here! I agree!!! If you wanna talk about crochet, then make a 'crochet daily' don't torture me with this crap. I too learned to crochet first, and you know what.... I HATE it!
I've posted before about disliking the crochet mixed in with the knitting. Its happened enough now that sometimes I dread opening my knitting daily email because I figure it is either a sales pitch for a book I can't afford to buy or it is about crochet.
I am seriously considering unsubscribing to this newsletter because of it.
Comment by: Patricia G November 14, 2007

Um, not to be uppity or anything, but if I were interested in crochet rather than knitting, I would subscribe to a crochet newsletter. If this is called "Knitting Daily" why are we getting all of this stuff on crocheting? If you'd like to go this direction, please alert us or change the name to "Crochet Daily" so that we can sort out the info we are interested in. Just my two cents. I'll probably cancel out if it is going to be crochet-oriented. There are other knitting sites. Thanks.
Comment by: Janet L November 15, 2007

Thank God for this woman:

I've just caught up reading everyone else's posts and ENOUGH with the whining about crochet already. My God! What a bunch of snobby, spoiled-rotten babies! One would think you had been physically threatened into reading the post for the day. It said at the very top who that day's guest writer was. You didn't HAVE to read it. You are also being unimaginably RUDE to a guest that Sandi invited to fill in for her. How mortified Sandi must be at the treatment her fill-in has received. Shame on each of you for your childish and petty behavior!
Comment by: Shannon J November 19, 2007

Can someone explain all this goddamned hostility to me? I started out as a crocheter, and I still consider myself to be primarily a crocheter. I can knit and I like to knit, I'm just sort of slow at it and I hate fixing mistakes in knitting, particularly when working in a pattern. Do I hate knitters? No, I admire them and the beautiful work they produce. Do I hate knitting? No, I subscribe to one knitting magazine and most of my books contain knitting patterns. Do I like every crochet pattern I come across? No - if I see one more freakin' sweater with a granny square motif in it I'm going to puke. I will also puke if I see one more freakin' Fun Fur knitted scarf (yes, they are still out there!). I would like to knit socks, but I can't imagine knitting a blanket - it would take me forever! Both are valid crafts, and each has advantages over the other in one situation or another.

Can't we all just get along?

I should be doing homework.

2007-11-29T21:57:00.001-05:00

Oh well, tough noogies. I'm going to blog instead.

Back at the end of April I thought to myself, "You know, I'm clearly not spending enough money, and I could use some additional responsibility and headache in my daily life. How can I remedy this terrible situation?"

The answer? Why, go to the SPCA and adopt two kittens!

The kittens, or catlets as Banana refers to them, are now nine months old and wreaking havoc on my already havoc-wreaked house. Being the brainiac that I am, I thought nothing of living some lovely, expensive, delicate laceweight kid mohair lying about in the open.

Note cute cat head at bottom of pic. Also note the goddamn yarn strewn about.

Fuck.

The little jackass is back for more.

Actually, I'm fairly certain it was his brother who did it, not him. Although the catlet in the picture, Carlos, has been known to take my Koigu for a walk. And the Araucania Nature Wool. And the cheap-ass acrylic. It's great fun. Really.

Here's a super-duper secret Christmas gifty-poo for a family member of mine. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and it was really quick to make as well. Gotta love it.

Here's a simple side-to-side double crochet afghan. I'm not so sure this will be finished in time for Christmas. Oh well. I am pleasantly surprised with this yarn. It's just acrylic, but I like the way it's working up and almost making a pattern. I was afraid it would pool in an ugly way or look too much like camouflage.

This here is My So Called Scarf. This also going to be a Christmas present for a close family friend. The yarn in person is not quite so lavender, it's more of a gray or mauve. It's really pretty, and I really like this pattern. I can see myself making more of these in the future.

Here's another ginormous afghan. I'm pretty sure this will be going to the Banana's teacher for Christmas. It's made of a thin boucle, and I'm surprised at how light it is. It's really warm and soft too, and I have a lot of this yarn, so I may have to make a blankie for myself. Maybe.

I have a lot of knitting and crocheting that I would like to do before Christmas, and I'm not so sure it's going to get done. I should be able to finish the granny-square afghan and So Called Scarf in time for the holidays, and I think I can bust out two Bainbridge Scarves if I crochet them. We shall see. I won't be knitting or crocheting or blogging much in the next week, as next Wednesday is my last class. I need to write 3 papers, make a video, and do an online technology portfolio in the next week. And work. And sleep. And take the Banana to ballet and a party. And take WT out to dinner for his birthday. And stuff.

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

Wish me luck.

***

I am a bad knitter and crocheter. I haven't made anything for my husband or daughter! Next year is their year. My goal is to make two sweaters for each of them by this time next year. I want to make a basic pullover and a basic cardigan for the Banana, and I want to make Brooklyn Tweed's Cobblestone and LMKG's Forest Gansey for WT. I already have the yarn for all except the Forest Gansey.

Think I can do it in 12 months? I think I can. Might be time to put another ticker at the top of my blog. We'll see.

That's all for now. See ya later, alligators!

That for which I am most thankful

2007-11-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

Photo of Banana by my father

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T10:58:00.000-05:00

Things for which I am grateful:

My family
My job
My house
My health
My friends
My crafts
Good food
Music
My pets
Nature

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Come to the dark side

2007-11-20T08:51:00.001-05:00

If you are on the fence about the beauty of crochet, go to Moonstitches' blog and check out her Rhubarb Scarf. It is GORGEOUS. All of her other stuff is fantastic as well. Her zakka owls are adorable - I really need to learn how to sew.

Oh, what the hell

2007-11-17T13:29:00.000-05:00

I can't stop meme-ing! Saw this on Sharon's blog, so here we go.

38 things about me that you may or may not want to know.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? My daughter.
2. What were you doing at 0800? Lying in bed, talking to WT.
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Crocheting a Christmas gift.
4. What happened to you in 2006? My mother died.
5. What was the last thing you said out loud? "If you want to tell me something, come in here, don't yell from the living room!"
6. How many beverages did you have today? So far: one hot chocolate, one hot tea, one coffee.
7. What color is your hairbrush? I don't brush my hair - makes it frizzy beyond belief.
8. What was the last thing you paid for? A bunch of stuff at Target.
9. Where were you last night? Home watching TV and crocheting.
10. What color is your front door? Clear (it's glass).
11. Where do you keep your change? In a bowl on the kitchen counter.
12. What’s the weather like today? Breezy and chilly.
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Cookies n cream.
14. What excites you? Travel and good music.
15. Do you want to cut your hair? Just got it cut about a week ago.
16. Are you over the age of 25? Fo shizzle.
17. Do you talk a lot? Depends on who I'm talking to.
18. Do you watch the O.C.? No.
19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Yes.
20. Do you make up your own words? Yes.
21. Are you a jealous person? Sometimes.
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter "A". Anne Marie.
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter "S". Sara.
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? WT.
25. What does the last text message you received say? "Can you get my notes from yesterday for me?" From my student at work.
26. Do you chew on your straw? No.
27. Do you have curly hair? Oh yeah.
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? A 5-year-old birthday party at Kids n Clay.
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? My niece's (by marriage) husband. He's an idiot.
30. What was the last thing you ate? Country Joe's Scramble at Ray's Diner.
31. Will you get married in the future? Nope, already married, once is it!
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? I can't remember what I watched on TV last night, much less in the past two weeks.
33. Is there anyone you like right now? Of course! That's kind of a silly question.
34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Uhhhh... two days ago? Maybe?
35. Are you currently depressed? Nah.
36. Did you cry today? Thankfully, no.
37. Why did you answer and post this? I think memes are fun.
38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey: No. You may respond of your own free will.

Norah Gaughan, Volume 1

2007-11-15T08:29:00.001-05:00

I like to knit and crochet and paint and cook, but I generally don't think of myself as creative in the sense of having a unique vision. I'm good at copying what other people do. That being said, I really admire designers who are able to bring together many elements that please me. Right now, one of those designers is Norah Gaughan. Have you seen the designs in her latest volume from Berroco? They are gorgeous. Below are two of my favorite ensembles. (I'm sick [AGAIN], so I'll probably be blogging a lot today. Instead of writing papers for class. Or sleeping. Or knitting.)

I was never a huge fan of knitted skirts, but the one above is just sensational. Just the right length, the pattern is not too busy, not too poufy, and Lord knows it has to be comfy as well as stylish. And I'm all about the comfort factor. I also love it together with the long sweater and scarf, although I'd probably leave out the pom poms. I'm not really a pom pom kind of gal.

Here's a different take on a comparable theme. The colors are lovely, and I am really digging the knitted belt used to cinch the vest high at the waist. These designs also make me want to run out and spend hundreds of dollars on fabulous boots. Cuz, y'know, I have hundreds of dollars just lying around to spend on thigh-high suede boots.

Jebus. So many gorgeous patterns, so little time and money...

You have got to be kidding me

2007-11-15T08:21:00.001-05:00

I saw this article on Yahoo!. This is preposterous. I have never been offended by this, and I can't imagine that children would be either.

Give me a break, for cryin' out loud!

Television

2007-11-13T22:07:00.000-05:00

As I sat down this evening to get my weekly fix of The Biggest Loser, I began to think about the role that television plays in my life. I try not to let it rule my evenings; I have been known to turn it off if nothing strikes my fancy. But then I began to think of TV through the course of my life...

When I was a kid, the sound of the TV on at night was very comforting to me. My brother and I shared a room right down the hall from the living room, and I remember lying in bed, listening to the hushed tones of the TV and of my parents' voices. Some TV show themes make me particularly nostalgic: Welcome Back Kotter, The Waltons, and others. Life stood still on Saturday nights at eight o'clock when The Muppet Show was on. The four of us, Mom, Dad, Glenn, and I, would gather on the sofa to watch Kermit and Miss Piggy and Gonzo and the rest, and laugh our butts off.

I would race home after school to watch TV, and wake up extra early on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons. Who didn't love the Superfriends (Wonder Twin powers, activate!)? I was addicted to The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, and Little House on the Prairie. The best movies were on the UHF channels at 4 pm on Sundays: Clash of the Titans, Godzilla, and all the kung fu movies.

As a teenager, TV was a way to bond with my mother. We'd watch Moonlighting together, or Miami Vice, and sometimes Magnum, PI. We lusted after Tom Selleck and Bruce Willis, but not so much Don Johnson - a little too slick for our taste. TV brought my brother and I together too, as who could possibly miss Pee Wee's Playhouse? Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho!

In college, I started to watch the 11 o'clock news as a way to unwind (what can I say, the 90s were good to me). In grad school, my roommates and I would invite everyone over to eat, drink, watch X-Files and The Muppet Show in French, and play cards. It was cheap and fun.

Now I watch Sesame Street with the Banana, and they still show some of the skits they showed when I was a kid. This summer, I really got into the Phillies, and the games became a way for WT and I to spend time together. TV has always been a big part of WT's life, as his father was a newscaster for quite some time in Philadelphia and New York. As I flip aimlessly through all 300 channels that we now have, I still pause sometimes to watch Little House. It takes me back.

While TV may not be the optimum way to spend my evenings, I sometimes have difficulty turning it off. I also spend too much time on this here dang computer. ;o) Even in this day and age of seemingly endless new technologies and gadgets, there's still something a little magical about television. And it's not always what's on at the moment.

Three months down, two to go

2007-11-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Hola. It has been exactly three months since I bought yarn. Gah. I can't believe I've made it this far. I am already scheming as to what I am going to buy on January 8th. Cotton Ease. Malabrigo. Araucania Nature Wool. O-Wool. Cestari. Silky Tweed. Mmmmmm... yarn.

In other horrifically boring news, I have to write two papers in the next week. Why the hell do professors think they can get away with NOT giving me deadlines? Jebus, I hate that. Tell me when it's due! He even had the temerity to tell the class we could hand in all of our papers over Christmas break. No! I will not! So being the procrastinator I am, I have let it all go to the end of the semester. You would think I would have learned by now, but no. I have not learned.

Started My So Called Scarf. Can I tell you how much I love the stitch pattern? It's awesome. I believe it is the same pattern as for the Herringbone Poncho in LMKG. I'm generally not a poncho kind of gal, but this one just speaks to me. I think maybe I'll get some Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool or something. I have some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted, but it's blue, and I really think this poncho needs to be off-white. It just looks good that way.

Dude, Thanksgiving is in two weeks. What the hell.

My dad bought another fire hydrant for his backyard. He now has four. They don't work, mind you - they are purely for decoration. That's my dad.

Christ I am boring.

See ya later, alligators. ;o)

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired

2007-11-05T08:28:00.000-05:00

***WARNING - PITY PARTY DEAD AHEAD***

I've been sick since Halloween and I don't like it. It started out as laryngitis, and has now morphed into a chest cold. I haven't slept well in a week, and I'm not a nice person when I don't sleep well. When I try to go to sleep, my chest and head get all gunked up and then I can't breathe properly. Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh. Pooooooooor meeeeeeeeee.

Ahem. Now back to our regularly-scheduled programming.

***

In other news, the upside to being sick is that it allows me plenty of time to ignore papers I should be writing and internet research I should be doing, in favor of knitting and crocheting! I have started two news projects - another secret gift that I can't post about, and another afghan (shocking!). I just need to crank these bad boys out so I can move onto other things, like a couple of Bainbridge Scarves. I also want to make a My So-Called Scarf - I love that stitch pattern! Not sure what yarn I'll be using though. I have some lovely Araucania Nature Wool, but I fear it may be too itchy to be worn right on your neck. I love the color variations in kettle-dyed yarn. Jebus, I can't wait for this frickin' yarn diet to be over. Thursday will be THREE months since I bought any frickin' yarn. Frickity-frick frick.

***

I want more tattoos. I am currently obsessed with LA Ink and Miami Ink. My favorite artists are Hannah Aitchison and Chris Garver. I love Hannah's use of color, and Chris is just a damn fine artist. I think I'll try to get on LA Ink, and just let Hannah go nuts all over my right shoulder with flowers and birds and butterflies and dragonflies and frogs and God knows what else. That would be cool. And I'm all about being cool. It's all about image, folks. :op

'Kay, that's it. TTFN.

Peculiar Aristocratic Title

2007-11-05T07:55:00.001-05:00

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Her Noble Excellency Sally the Cosmopolitan of Chortling Chesterton
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Two finished objects

2007-11-02T12:18:00.000-05:00

Well, here's one, anyways:

It's a lapghan, made of Jo-Ann's Sensations something-or-other. It's acrylic and fuzzy and soft and I like it. This will be a Christmas present for someone at the Banana's school. Didn't take too long to make, which is always nice.

I can't show you the other FO because it's a present for someone who reads my blog. Sorry. But I'm really happy with the way it came out, and it only took me about 4 hours to make it! It was originally supposed to be knitted, according to the pattern, but that would have taken way too long, so I crocheted it. It's a little big, but for this project it's not a huge issue. I'm going to make at least one more for someone else I know who reads this blog on occasion. :o)

Here's the Banana on the right with her little friend. They dressed as twin pink fairy princesses for Halloween, in case you couldn't figure it out. They had quite a good time, and collected a fair amount of Halloween booty. Sweet!

I went to therapy last night, even though I could hardly speak due to a lovely case of laryngitis. And by therapy, I mean knitting group. I haven't been since mid-August due to class on Wednesday nights. It was so good to see everyone!! Class ends December 7th, and you better believe I will not be scheduling classes on Wednesday night next semester. ;o)

TTFN!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T13:17:00.000-05:00

Answers; and holy moly!

2007-10-29T08:58:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! First of all, two (2) crochet and knitting authors left comments on my last post!! Holy cwap! Thank you Doris Chan and Amy O'Neill Houck! Must stop abusing exclamation points!!!

Second of all, I did not buy yarn at Loop. I really really really wanted to, but I was good. The yarn diet is still on! They had all that gorgeous Koigu, and GeeYouKnit's pretty hand-dyed yarn (save the variegated red for me, Elizabeth!), and tons of Blue Sky Alpacas, and Malabrigo, and and and... *sigh* (I did buy Doris's new book, two patterns from Blue Sky Alpacas, and two back issues of Vogue Knitting; like I said before, no one said anything about a pattern diet.)

Sahfi actually introduced the French Meet-up to me, and she found it on MeetUp.com. The group is fabulous - people from all walks of life, all levels of fluency, and no one is pretentious or snotty. It's just really a lot of fun. Go to MeetUp.com if you're interested, and join us! The more the merrier.

And I must thank my dear friend Liz for posting that picture of the chocolate chip pie on her blog. I went to Nova's website and followed the link and downloaded the recipe and actually made it yesterday, and WT and my brother and the Banana and I had some and Jebus, that is some good dessert. Especially when it's warm with vanilla ice cream.

Last but not least, we went to church last night (!) to hear the Banana sing in the choir, and I did not get struck by lightning.

Life is good.

I met Doris Chan!

2007-10-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

Oh, today was so much darn fun. I went to Loop, one of my favorite stores of all time, and I got to meet crochet guru Doris Chan! Look! There we are together!

She is a totally cool lady, and I bought her latest book, Everyday Crochet, and she autographed it for me. I also met and talked to three really neat ladies, Yvette, Kate, and Mary, and I saw Craig, the owner of Loop, and Elizabeth, one of his esteemed employees who also happens to dye some gorgeous yarn. Doris showed me how to do foundation single crochet, which is when you create your foundation chain and your first row of single crochet at the same time. It is efficient, easy, and it pretty much ensures that your inital chain isn't too tight. I also discovered (or rather, Doris discovered), that I wrap my yarn differently than everyone else. Who knew?

Here's Doris's magic hands showing Craig how to do something (I think it had to do with joining motifs). You can see Craig's Babette there on the table, and yes, it is made out of Kersti. These pictures don't do the colors justice, it is gorgeous.

This here would be Koigu. Lots and lots of Koigu. Be still, my beating heart.

I love Loop, and I love the fiber arts community in our area, and I love Philadelphia, unlike some people I know (Sahfi!).

***

After my fabulous afternoon at Loop, my friend Sahfi met me there and we went and had lunch, then went to a French meet-up. I spent some time in Paris about 10 years ago, and Sahfi lived in Montreal for several years, and we are trying to improve our rusty French. I think it would really help if we had our French meet-up in a bar. My French improves drastically when I'm drunk (at least I think it does). The group is organized by this nice guy named Pascal. He is Quebecois, and I'll be damned if I can understand half of what he says. But he is patient with all of us, and it's a great opportunity to get together with like-minded people and just have a lovely time downtown.

***

So what are you all doing for Halloween? I'm playing hooky from my night classes and taking the Banana trick-or-treating with a friend we met at the pool this summer. It will be fun. She is going to be, in her words, a 'pretty pink princess'. I swear, I don't know where this child came from. When I was a kid, for Halloween, I was (in no particular order) a clown, a firefighter, Wonder Woman (one of those horrid plastic costumes with a mask that didn't allow you to breathe that cost $5 at Woolworth's [remember Woolworth's?]) a ladybug, a black cat, a witch, a fairy, and a Catholic school girl (that last one was post-college when I lived downtown and was single). I haven't dressed up in quite some time. Probably because I generally feel pretty freakish most of the time these days.

***

Have a good week!

Eight Random Things

2007-10-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

D'oh! Just noticed that Sharon tagged me for this meme! So here goes...

Before I had my daughter, I could only fall asleep lying on my back. During my pregnancy, however, I had high blood pressure, so I had to lie on my left side all the time, especially at the end. So now I can't fall asleep unless I'm on my left side. (I never promised this would be exciting.)
I went roller skating at the Echelon Roller Rink in Voorhees, NJ, (RIP, *sniff*) every Saturday morning from the time I was 7 until I was about 12 or 13. I intend to take it up again when I get roller skates.
I went to grad school for French because a. my French sucked when I graduated with my BA and b. I was afraid to get a 'real' job.
I spent two summers (1992 and 1993) in Ocean City, NJ. Our apartment was a third-floor walk-up, one block from the boardwalk.
I have 4 tattoos and intend to get more. If it weren't for my need to get a 'respectable' job, I'd probably get at least one half-sleeve done.
I'd also like to dye my hair blue or purple, but again, the whole job issue...
I just discovered Scottish Highland Dancing and hope to take lessons within the next year.
Growing up, I also assumed I would get married, but I was never one of those girls that planned her dream wedding from the time she was 5 years old. Everybody at my wedding ate chicken because I didn't feel like counting and submitting different meal requests.

So there you go. :o)

***

Dude, I am totally going to see Doris Chan tomorrow at Loop in Philadelphia!! Squee!! And then I'm going to go speak French in the afternoon!! Squee!! This is seriously going to test the old yarn diet though. Apparently, they just got in a big old shipment of Koigu, both Kersti and KPPPM. Must. Resist. The. Yarn.

Will Blogger cooperate today?

2007-10-20T08:35:00.000-05:00

Yes it will! I actually have real, honest-to-God photos of things I'm making right now! Who woulda thunk it.

Below we have my eight bajillionth B.A.G.S. Okay, actually it's my fourth, but there will be many more to come. I have a LOT of acrylic yarn in my stash, and my goal is to turn it all into afghans. Good thing I really like to make afghans. This one will probably either go to the Banana's teacher or principal for Christmas. They are both awesome ladies.

Can I tell you how much I love Maie Landra? I mean honestly, get a load of the colors in that scarf below. One of these days, I'm going to save up a couple thousand dollars and buy enough Koigu to make myself a sweater. This is a slow knit, but it's nice and portable, so I can take it to Banana's ballet lessons, which is nice.

And then we have... Frank. I can't really pronounce Calorimetry, so I just call it Frank. Can I be frank with you? This is fugly. I knew that one strand of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed would be too drapy to use, so I held two strands together. Now it's too bulky. And it's weird, because separately the blue and green are really pretty, but together they bore the living daylights out of me. I also should have read how everybody who made this modified it from the original pattern - I would have been far more successful. I'll probably frog this because I can't stand to see good yarn like this go to waste (I love this yarn). On the flip side, I did learn how short rows work, so that is useful info, even if they didn't do the wraps to prevent holes. I will be less afraid to try short rows in the future. Thanks, Frank!

So I got my latest issue of my yoga magazine, with a hot young thing on the front twisting her body into ridiculous poses that open the hips and massage the gut and allow your qi to flow and balance your chakras and release ama from your liver and all that good stuff. But of course the first thing I noticed was her outfit.

Get a load of those awesome leg warmers! And they're crocheted! I immediately emailed the mag, and they were kind enough to get back to me and let me know that the pattern comes from Diana Designs. I googled it, but I'll be damned if I can find it. If you happen to come across it in your travels, would you send me the link? You guys are the best.

Time to go help the Banana get on her leotard and tights and tiara and tutu and bracelets and rings and necklaces. Ballet attire is certainly different from when I took ballet coughhackthirtycoughhack years ago.

Hm.

2007-10-15T20:32:00.000-05:00

I was going to upload some pictures tonight, but then I realized two things: one, Blogger is not allowing me to do so, and two, I don't have any pictures of the things I really want to blog about. So that's kind of dumb.

All is quiet here in our little neck of the woods. I got my homework done early for class, which isn't due until Wednesday, for crying out loud. Look at me with the mad study skillz. Dag. WT and the Banana are sleeping soundly in bed. The cats are shredding or barfing on something in a dark corner of the house. All's right with the world.

Work continues on the Chevron Scarf and a crochet border on a community project which must remain secret right now. Ravelry still rocks. I miss my group, though. It's like therapy. However, I will be going to Loop on October 27 to see the one and only crochet guru, Doris Chan. That should be freakin' awesome. After watching Ms. Chan and her magic fingers, I'll be going to French Meet-Up, also in the cit-tay, so I can practice my mad French skillz. I'm all about the mad skillz these days.

I went to Barnes and Noble today and didn't buy a single gosh-darn book or magazine. Wow. My will power these days is off da hook (I am so street). There were a lot of books to choose from too. Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair. Crochet Me. Bag Style. Knit Two Together (or whatever the hell it's called, the one with Tracey Ullman). Lots of good stuff. But I went to get the IK holiday issue, and they didn't have it. Pffft. Ooh, have you seen the Suss Cousin's knitwear book? It's really nice. I'm liking it; it'll definitely be going on the ol' Christmas list.

WT and I will be going to a concert on Sunday. By ourselves. We might even go out to dinner beforehand. By ourselves. I can't remember the last time we went to a concert, and hubby is a musician for chrissake. I'm looking forward to it too, as it's a venue I've never been to before, the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ. I've heard good things about it.

Jebus, this post is even more boring than the previous one, isn't it?

I'm going to bed. Maybe next time I'll have pictures. Maybe. ;o)

It's good for you!

2007-10-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

And so the purge continues...

2007-10-08T20:21:00.000-05:00

Still no photos pour vous, sorry. But that doesn't mean that things aren't happening around here. First, I cast on for the Chevron Scarf from LMKG by Joelle Hoverson - can I tell you how much I love it? Oh sure, everyone in the Milky Way galaxy has made one, but mine's special. It gave me an excuse to buy two skeins of Koigu, for crying out loud! And it's Koigu I've had for a while, so the yarn diet is still going strong.

Speaking of which - it's been two months. Two freakin' months since I bought yarn. Not bad, eh?

One of my projects on the needles is (are?) the Legwarmers, also from LMKG. Because I'm a big old dork, I made one and have not yet made the other because trying to knit 58 stitches in the round on 12" circs is enough to drive a woman to drink (which sometimes is not a bad thing, but I digress). So I was on a Ravelry forum, and someone suggested that I knit it flat and seam it.

Duh.

So that's what I'll be doing. Finishing my scarf and finishing my legwarmers and finishing up a thuper-thecret gift for a friend and stuff.

***

Right, so this post is entitled 'And so the purge continues...', so maybe I should actually discuss that. I told you we cleaned out a closet (OH MY GOD THAT IS SO THRILLING SALLY), and this weekend I cleaned part of my basement and took a whole carload of stuff over and donated it to the thrift store (OH NO YOU DINT GIRLFRIEND [OH YES I DID, BELIEVE IT]). You can actually see my basement floor! And boy, does it need to be cleaned! But I tell ya, it feels good to get rid of crap that we are not using. I've discovered that my environment is either a reflection of or an influence on my state of mind - either way, when my environment is cleaned and organized, so is my brain. So I feel good.

***

I just read over this post, and my GOD is it boring. Sorry about that. If you read it and bother to come back, I promise I'll have pictures or a movie or something for you next time. Oh, is anyone going to go see Doris Chan at Loop? Lemme know...

Thanks for stopping by. ;o)

Well, I guess I did mean it!

2007-10-02T21:28:00.000-05:00

Back on August 8th, I posted about motivation and stuff, as it pertains to my life and those around me. Since then, I've done a fair job of keeping up with some of those goals that I set for myself, which is rather surprising in a pleasant way. I'm a big talker and a small do-er. So let's review.

1. I undertook a yarn diet. Monday will be two months without a yarn purchase. Not even to finish a project. Nothing. This is monumental.

2. I said I'd be nicer to WT and the Banana, and more patient with them. This was hard. I know that sounds pretty crappy (like, how hard is it to be nice to your dang family, for crying out loud), but I managed to sort out some stuff that was bubbling around inside of me, and now I think I am far nicer to be around. Basically, WT is the type of guy who says what on his mind, and I'm the kind of girl who stews about things for eons. Not healthy. I'm getting better.

3. I said I'd exercise more and be healthier. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there. I have yet to lose any weight, but I think my diet is better, and I went to the gym 3 times last week, which is pretty gosh darn good for me.

4. I wanted to purge my house of unwanted items. WT cleaned out his closet, and today I took that stuff (one trash bag full) along with 3 more trash bags full of clothes and shoes to our local thrift store. In addition, I donated an old vacuum, an old iron, an old dustbuster, and other sundries. I also recycled a lot of cardboard and paper today. I have reclaimed a closet. Hallelujah! We are going to work on the basement this weekend. Together.

So when I look back at what I've managed to accomplish over the last two months or so, I feel pretty good about myself. It's empowering, and I need to remember this when I start to feel defeated. It's all good.

***

So knitting and crocheting - yeah. I've made some progress on the ripple afghan, but I'm going to run out of some of the colors before I'm finished crocheting the number of repeats that I want. Hmph. Guess I'll go til I run out of those colors, then put it aside until I get some more scraps.

For some reason, I really want to start crocheting amigurumi and dolls and whatnot. I've really become enamoured of them lately. God knows I have eighty gajillion skeins of Caron Simply Soft and myriad other acrylics, but I want to wait until I'm done with Christmas presents before I start the amigurumi.

***WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT - REFERENCES TO ME AND THE HUBBY BUMPIN' UGLIES***

One of the things I love most about my hubby is his ability to compose silly songs on a moment's notice. He's a musician, and majored in English Lit in college, and those two things combined with his sense of humor make for some damn funny little ditties.

As I was cleaning today, I came across a little song he wrote for me:

[cue blues guitar]

Touch your butt
Touch your breast
Pretty soon, I touch de rest!

See your belly
See your nose
De rest of you concealed by clothes!

You make me laugh
You make me jizz
I'm so glad
My wife you is!

Goddamn, that is some good song writin'! Is he talented or what? He's also working on a song about dirt (as a rebuttal to every song ever written and/or performed by Jewel), and a song called 'Runaway Rose', about my former Persian feline pet who 'went to live on a farm'.

Oh yeah. Life is good. :o)

Quiz: Is It Time To Clean Your Kitchen?

2007-09-29T08:50:00.001-05:00

I'm here to help! When life gets in the way, sometimes it's difficult to know if your kitchen needs a good once-over. Below are some questions you may want to ask yourself to help you determine if it's time to Clean Your Kitchen!

Does walking across the kitchen floor in bare feet feel like walking across an Atlantic City beach after Labor Day Weekend?
Do people in white lab coats appear at your door and say, "We're here to collect the penicillin cultures"?
Does your babysitter say, "Hope you don't mind, but I ate some of that shrimp stir-fry in the fridge", and you say to yourself, "Shrimp stir-fry?"
Do you have difficulty determining the color of your countertops?
Do you have difficulty determining if you have countertops?
When you see something skitter across the floor, do you say to yourself, "Was that a mouse or a cat-fur tumbleweed?"
Does your cat finish licking his ass, only to look up at you as if to say, "Dude, that shit is nasty", meaning the kitchen?
Is your stainless steel sink stained?
Have you ever said to yourself, "Bah, the heat from the broiler will kill the germs?"
Do you have meat in the freezer that is older than any of your children?

If you answered 'yes' to any of the above questions, it may be time to clean your kitchen. Don't be afraid to consult a professional, like a parent or an OCD friend.

Next week: Is It Time To Clean Your Bathroom?

PS - No, of course none of these questions arose from personal experience! Jeez, what kind of housekeeper do you think I am?

Nice!

2007-09-27T08:45:00.000-05:00

All sorts of knitting/crocheting related things are happening. First, I just learned that my cousin's wifey-poo is having her second baby in March. Woo hoo! I made a blankie for their son Cole, but I want to make a whole layette for the next one. I'm thinking a Tiramisu blanket, Saartje's Baby Bootees, a bonnet from LMKG...

The newly formatted Crochet Me is up and running, and it's pretty darn cool. It's kind of like Ravelry now, where there is a community, and each member has their own home page and stuff. I like it! A lot of good designers are already on there - Kim Werker, Amy O'Neill Houck, Natalie Zee Drieu (sp?), and many more.

Elizabeth from Gee You Knit and a bunch of other people are trying to get a Philadelphia Ravelry meet-up going. We've been discussing it a lot on one of our forums, and it looks like it may happen in either Manayunk or Roxborough, which I think is an excellent meeting place for both city dwellers and suburbanites. I'll keep you posted, I'm sure it won't be limited to just Ravelrers!

The ubersecret Xmas present is progressing, but I probably won't give to the person for whom it was originally intended (my dad), because although I like it, it won't match his living room. So I'll just make another one. :o)

What else? I taught a friend of mine (Gloria) to knit, and taught another dear friend (Erin) to crochet. Yay! Spreading the word of the craft(s). (Again with the parentheses! [I think I need a parenthetical intervention.])

See ya later, alligators!

You gotta hear this.

2007-09-25T14:55:00.001-05:00

This is a song done by Eddie Vedder for a new movie coming out called "Into the Wild", based on a book by Jon Krakauer. This song is absolutely amazing. I could listen to it all dang day.

I never said anything about a pattern diet...

2007-09-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

So you guys all know that I am on a yarn diet - no yarn purchases until at least January 8th! And I've been good. I've resisted the temptation. I'm proud of myself in this department. But dammit, there are so many cute patterns out there! I want to make them all. Never mind that I have startitis (2 projects on the needles/hooks, 4 hibernating). I had to get some of them. Le sigh.

So here's what I got:

Juliet from Zephyr Style
Tree Jacket from Zephyr Style
Cables and Lace Kimono Jacket from Sweaterbabe
Charming Shawl-collared Cardigan from Sweaterbabe

Aren't they cute? I probably have enough yarn in my stash right now to start making them. But first things first - gotta finish the Green Gable, and the Rusted Root, and the Calorimetry, and the Christmas Present #1, and the legwarmers, and the Lace Ribbed Bolero, and the...

PS

2007-09-20T14:58:00.003-05:00

Just ordered a beta-design t-shirt from Ravelry. Will the madness never end?

Oh. My. Lord. Knitty.

2007-09-20T14:32:00.001-05:00

Hola. Have you guys seen the Fall Knitty? Holy mother of God. It is fabulous! I want to make everything! The sweaters are to die for. And there's toys to make! Squee! And it's free! I queued up about half of the current projects to my Ravelry queue (damnit Anne Marie, get on the list, woman! You'll love it).

Now I need to go make a Calorimetry, also from Knitty, for Liz's Single Skein September project. I was inspired by hers. Then I need to bust out a couple of Bainbridge Scarves by Minty Fresh. Oh yeah.

I'm feeling inspired. Don't anyone stop me! :o)