torKNIToh

2008-08-29T17:05:00.000-06:00

The We of Me

2008-08-18T17:42:00.003-06:00

Without going into too much detail, my marriage is ending. Shit happens and then things change.

Outside of all that crap, I've been spending some time spinning. And dyeing. Part of the Wednesday night spinning group is getting together at a local Saturday market to sell our hand made fibers. I sold my first hand spun yarn this past Saturday. (After my booth fee, I was in the green 50 cents.) But, who wants to buy wool when it's 100 degrees? I figure business will pick up when things get cooler. It's nice to sit with the gals on Saturdays.

I've enjoyed my dyeing and spinning so much I'm contemplating canceling my Spunky Eclectic fiber of the month club. I'm still on the fence.

I'm also making my first pair of socks using my own hand spun yarn. I've always wanted to do that. They are fairly thick. But, I figure I'll get better at spinning sock weight yarn.

I've been enjoying the CSA booty. My cooking has changed since it's just me now. So, I don't go to near the trouble I did before. Simple is good right now.

It's been very rough and rocky. But, my friends and family have been so supportive. And for that I thank you.

It's good to be back. Pictures soon.

Topsy-Turvy

2008-07-27T11:49:00.002-06:00

I've been quiet because my life has turned upside down.
I haven't been knitting much. Most of my time has been spent dealing with changes.
I'll be back once I get my bearings.

Wow

2008-07-12T18:22:00.002-06:00

Check out the raffle on Earthchicknit's blog. She is celebrating the one year anniversary of her son's near fatal accident. The story is harrowing. The gifts are fabulous. And, it's a wonderful cause.
I think we all have $5 to spare.

It's Over

2008-07-07T20:09:00.002-06:00

After 51 days off in a row, it was back to work today. Everything went fine, except for computer problems. I missed lounging around with my coffee for hours and hours in the morning.

I'm about done with the cuff of the second Mud Season sock. Then, it's smooth sailing. I started a diagonal garter stitch scarf with the Flowering Weeds hand spun. I'm not sure at all about the colors, but Tate said it looked good.

After work, I went to a local shopping center to run an errand or two. I got a call from Tate and she was about four stores down! So, we hung out and had an iced coffee and checked to see if there were any bargains at TJ Maxx. That was fun. She is on the cover of the soundtrack to Stay The Same, Never Change. It's the middle photo in the second row.

It's hard to get back into the routine of going to bed early again!

Happy Independence Day

2008-07-04T10:54:00.008-06:00

It's unseasonably cool today. In fact, we have the windows open. I don't think I can remember when it's been cool enough to have the windows open on the 4th.

Here is the July 2 installment from my CSA:

Corn, peppers, cucumbers, basil, green beans, chives, and broccoli. I had a couple ears of corn for dinner. They were so yummy they didn't need anything on them at all!

Wednesday evening, I met up with PJ instead of meeting with the Renegade Spinners. PJ gave me my June installment of Cottage Fiber's fiber club.

I just love the colors. And there is a whopping 11.7 ounces of fiber! I should be able to make something very cool with it once it has been spun.

I also picked up this:

It's a Drum Carder! Now, I will be able to card all the wool I have washed. PJ was kind enough to allow me to make payments. So, on Thursday, I fiddled with the drum carder and carded and spun up some of the Romney wool I have.

It's kind of blah as it is undyed. I'm thinking of dying this wool red. Because it is gray, it will turn out very muted when dyed, which I think would look good. The picture above is 2.8 ounces of wool. I have 3 pounds of this particular wool. Hoo boy. While Romney is easy to spin, it is not particularly soft, which is disappointing. I'll have to think of some type of outerwear for this wool.

So, most of Wednesday and Thursday was spent spinning. The rest of the Spring Flowers roving is spun. I did, however, work on the Mud Season socks:

Don't blow your fingers off setting off firecrackers!

June Fiber!

2008-06-30T20:58:00.002-06:00

I got my first Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club today. 6 oz. of merino with 30% mohair. The colourway is called "Flowering Weeds." I spent most of the evening spinning. I've got about half of it spun up. It was a nice break from knitting.

Plus, the weather was nice enough today to scour some wool. It looks as if the weather will be cooperative enough tomorrow, too. I can't believe June is over. I'm on my last week of my sabbatical.

It CAN be done!

2008-06-29T13:39:00.007-06:00

Okay, so I did complete a pair of socks in less than a week! Cast on June 21 and was finished June 27. And that was even taking a day to work on the cowl.

I found out, though, that some folks finished a pair of socks in a couple of days. That just seems impossible to me. Even so, I was glad to see that I could, indeed, knit a pair in a week.

I've cast on for a new pair of socks.

This is the Mud Season yarn from Spunky Eclectic. It was between the Koigu and the Spunky yarns, so I did a little drawing and Spunky won. I also decided to "come out" and photo ALL of my sock yarn.

I actually thought I had more. And for this week's challenge, I am attempting to knit two socks at the same time on one long circular needle. I'm using the Tofutsie's yarn for that pair. Right now, however, it just looks like a tangled mess.

I had the house to myself last night, so I watched HGTV. I noticed that a gal I went to high school with is a host. I smell a boob job and dental work.

CSA Booty, FO, and one down

2008-06-26T13:28:00.006-06:00

The first tomatoes of the season! And a bag of FRESH green beans. We had catfish last night using Barbara's recipe last night along with the green beans. I'm a convert now too. This is a terrific and easy recipe.

Today, I made a vegetarian cabbage Borscht soup using the cabbage from this week and the beets from the previous weeks. Tonight, I will make the very first BLT's of the season. It's hard to beat BLT's with vine-ripened tomatoes.

The Peacock Cowl is done.

Cowls are a terrific short project. Perfect for gift giving. I highly recommend them. They are also good because nothing is hanging down. Nothing gets in the way when you are picking up dog poop or riding your motorcycle.

I've completed the first British Columbia sock and I'm about 5 1.2 inches on the cuff of #2. Thanks to the craptastic picture, my foot looks like a tree stump, oui?

Please cast your vote for the next sock or I might be forced to draw numbers!

Cast Your Vote!

2008-06-23T14:38:00.007-06:00

The British Columbia Socks are coming along swimmingly. I love this sock yarn, by the way. For some reason, the center pull ball I wound was all in knots last night. It was a massive PITA to rewind.

Without further ado, please cast your vote for my next pair of socks.

The first one is Koigu. The second is Tofutsies. Third is Bonkers. Fourth is Spunky Eclectic.

Tonight, I am making Royal Chicken Cooked in Yogurt (Madhur Jaffrey) and Cabbage & Cauliflower in a Spicy Tomato-Mint Sauce (660 Curries).

Finished!

2008-06-22T15:06:00.003-06:00

Here is the Baby Surprise Jacket.

What I learned: Be sure to slip the first stitch when making this for cleaner selvages.

Yesterday was the first day of Summer of Socks '08, which I am participating in on Ravelry. I cast on for a pair of socks using the sock yarn I bought on vacation. By last night, I was making the heel flap. Consequently, my fingers were a bit sore. So, today, I've taken a break from actual knitting and finished up the jacket and plied the multicolored roving. The yarn is drying. I plied it with a purple-ish sewing thread.

We also made garlic scape pesto.

One Month

2008-06-20T09:49:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe that I've been on vacation for more than a month. It sure doesn't feel like it at all. As usual, I guess I had lofty goals set.

Recently, we made some Limoncello to add to our homemade moonshine. It uses 2 pounds of lemon zest to one quart of liquid. So, I have tons of lemons to use up. We used some of the lemon juice to grill some shrimp on the barbie along with chipotle pineapple. I just love grilled pineapple.

I've finished the Baby Surprise Jacket. I just need to sew it up and add buttons. I'm particularly proud of this because it's the first thing I've made made with my hand spun. The colors look like a sunrise to me. I rented the DVD from the library to help me out. I'd love to make another one, but I don't really have a baby to give it to. I just thought this pattern would work well with hand spun yarn and I wanted to give it a whirl.

While making the jacket, I had to stop and ply some more yarn. So, in a fit of startitis, I cast on for a cowl. Kim says that cowls are all the rage to make instead of scarves. These are great projects for gift giving.

The yarn reminds me of peacock feathers.

Here is the booty from our CSA bag this week.

Check out the wild purple cauliflower! I just love it when Dan gives us wonky veggies. I've made Cauliflower with Panch Phoran for my lunches this week. Later today, I'm going to make some Cabbage Borscht Soup with all the beets I have.

Here is the latest spinning. I love the colors of this one.

Happy Birthday Piddles

2008-06-15T13:34:00.007-06:00

Piddles is one year old today. Here's a picture of her right about when we got her. I tried to snap a photo with her birthday hat on today, but I can't seem to get her to sit still long enough for a picture. I'll keep trying.

Piddles is such a silly puppy. We play with her using the laser pointer (her name is Dottie) quite a bit. She still hasn't figured out it's not alive. We wondered what would happen when she saw her first lightening bug. Sure enough, she ran all over the back yard chasing them and eating them until she puked. I also like to put a few ice cubes in her outside water dish. She likes to stick her nose in the bowl and blow bubbles as she bobs for the cubes.

I've been working on the Baby Surprise Jacket out of my hand spun. Fortunately, I rented the DVD with Meg Swansen from the library. Right now, it just looks like a lump to me.

I've also been spinning up some roving I bought at the community organic farmer's market in Victoria. I forget the breed of the sheep. It's a natural brownish gray. I plied it with black crochet cotton. It's kind of boring looking, but I think it will make a nice pair of fingerless gloves. Spinning and knitting with black (or almost black) is monotonous, but everyone loves to wear those colors. I think it will be someone's Christmas gift.

The walnut tree in our back yard has been the bane of Sam's existence for years. Recently, I found a recipe for Nocino, so we made some today. I'll have to have a nocino party around Christmas to try it out. I'm also thinking of making pickled green walnuts. Later on, I can use the ripened hulls to dye wool. It makes a lovely brown.

The weather was clear enough over the past couple of days that I could process a small amount of wool. It seems to be raining about every other day here, so it's slow going. I'm not worried about it all that much, as it stays quite hot here until October.

Here's some more photos of Buchart Gardens.

Back to the Midwest

2008-06-13T12:43:00.013-06:00

Why is it that one needs a vacation after a vacation? I thought I had left the house in good shape before I left, but, alas, it seems that things got messy while I was gone.

It appears that it has rained and rained in my absence. It is hot and muggy here. I was glad to get home, though. I was SO glad to be able to take a long shower. You know how you have to have good bathroom manners when staying at another person's home (the 5 minute shower). I was very glad to be able to spin for a while last night. All my peeps were snuggled around me during the thunderstorm.

I've completed the Victoria Socks. I guess when you are only knitting on ONE thing, it goes fairly quickly. I finished them before my flight out, so I worked on the Perfect Storm Socks until my fingers told me to quit. A responsible knitter would work on the projects that she needs to complete. I'm fighting the urge to cast on for a new pair of socks or to start the thrummed mitten kit I bought in Victoria.

The last day of my vacation, I went to Buchart Gardens.

More stories and photos to come. Many thanks to Joe D. and San D. for taking care of my dogs.

2008-06-06T11:15:00.006-06:00

2008-06-05T20:19:00.002-06:00

Footprints

2008-06-04T13:39:00.003-06:00

Recycling is very big here.

They have a program in Victoria called the "Free Tree." Any household item that can be reused that you no longer want or need, you simply take it to the curb outside in the front of your house and set it by a tree. Then others pick up the toy or shoes or whatever to reuse. Kind of like an ongoing Big Trash Day.

They also only allow ONE trash can per "Suite." Most of the houses up here have been converted into suites. So, one floor would be a suite. So, three families live in one house. It doesn't matter how many people live in a suite; you only get one trash can per week. Anything extra has to be hauled yourself and you have to pay for the disposal.

The city also provides you with a compost bin. You separate the compostable waste to be used in your garden. So, things like vegetable trimmings etc. are separated from trash.

Recycling bins are picked up every two weeks. In Victoria, they accept a wider variety of recyclables than they do in Kansas. Cans (both kinds), all paper, and plastics are sorted from regular trash.

You can also take some of your recyclables to the grocery or liquor stores, where you receive cash to recycle.

It certainly makes it easier when the city encourages recycling.

I made it to a yarn shop this morning and got some booty. 2 skeins of Malabrigo in Loro barranquero, Fleece Artist Sea Wool Sock yarn, Fleece Artist Thrummed Mitten kit, and two braids of Fleece Artist roving.

Tonight, we pick up Caitlin's dad. We are all having a nice salmon dinner.

Victoria

2008-06-03T07:42:00.007-06:00

Sunday was a very long day of traveling. My first flight I was seated next to a 17 month old screaming toddler. The second flight, I was seated next to Mr. Hog The Arm Rest. The best flight was on Air Canada from Edmonton to Vancouver in a newer jet. Too bad the flight attendant was a knitting Nazi that insisted that my knitting had to be stowed prior to take off and landing.

I had to go through customs in Edmonton. This means completing a questionnaire on the plane asking you if you are packing heat or transporting infested monkeys. Then, you have to get off the plane and get your bag, standing in line to answer questions from an officer, and get in another long line to go past another officer. I felt like they were going to throw me in jail or something.

I took my very first ferry ride from Vancouver to Victoria. It was beautiful. I was not prepared for how much cooler it would be. I packed a wrap to wear, but I could only stand being outside for about 10 minutes before I had to go inside to warm myself.

On Monday, Caitlin and I took the dog on her morning walk. I guess most mornings she takes the dog to the beach. The beach is different here. The beach has stones and driftwood. Later on, we walked around downtown Victoria. Caitlin had to work in the afternoon, so Danny and I went to the Bug Zoo to see her give a tour. Then, Danny took me on a drive to see the houses and the University of Victoria. All of the houses in Victoria have little postage stamp gardens in the front yards.

I got a ton of knitting done. It's amazing how much knitting you can get done when you have no distractions.

Happy Feet and some FOs

2008-05-28T13:26:00.010-06:00

Tonight is Spinning and CSA pick up. The weather continues to be gray and wet. So, no wool processing. But, it's supposed to be nice for a few days, so maybe I'll do some tomorrow.

I got some new shoes. I love the colour.

And I finished the second Snow Squall sock. (It's about time!)

I wanted to get my size 3 needles cleared off for Vacation Sock knitting. Currently, I'm working on plain stockinette socks using the Perfect Storm colourway from Spunky Eclectic. It's all fine and dandy, but I'm knitting them on size 0 needles. I know I'll love them when they are done, but they will take for-freaking-ever. So, I think I'll bring some new fatter yarn for socks for vacation knitting and then pack these in case I actually get the vacation socks completed.

I also finished both pairs of the Felted Mocs for Caitlin and Danny. It's a pattern from Little Turtle Knits, which is out of print now. Too bad, because it's a great pattern. I'll take pictures when they felt them to fit. They are very cute felted up.

I'm knitting my first garment using my own hand spun yarn. I'm making the Baby Surprise Jacket. I've been reading about this pattern for some time on Ravelry and I wanted to take a swing at it. Supposedly, hand spun yarn makes the jacket look even better.

I realized that I missed my Blogiversary. I thought I had started last year on Memorial Day. But it was May 20. I'm always a day late and a dollar short. I'll have a celebratory give-away once I return.

I've decided to upgrade my Spunky Eclectic from the Sock Club to the Fiber Club. Now that I'm feeling a bit more confident with my spinning, I think I'll enjoy the fiber more. Plus, I have enough sock yarn to last me for the rest of my life. And then some.

Two and Three

2008-05-22T10:10:00.007-06:00

Tuesday, I decided that I would give NOT accomplishing a lot a whirl.

Everything is measured where I work. How much work you do and how well you do it. It's kind of hard to get out of that mode of thinking. So, instead of processing wool and cleaning out closets, I decided to poke around a local book store. I bought a hard covered book. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. I felt a little guilty buying it. Funny, because it's no big thing for me to get a new cook book or a knitting book. I like it so far.

It's all about Chinese here as of late. The cilantro chicken with the fresh water chestnuts we made Monday night was delightful. Fresh water chestnuts are fantastic! Though Sam remarked that it was too complicated or a weeknight meal. And I've been making things from my Kylie Kwong cook book. However, I've learned her recipes are far too salty for my taste, so they all need to be adjusted.

I finished the recycled sari silk garter scarf. I have yet to take a picture of it. I wasn't paying much attention when I cast on. I just wanted to be sure it was long enough. When I finally cast off, the sucka is about 10 feet long. Dustin and Tate stopped by in the evening to hang out. Luckily, I had made Jamaican Jerk Burgers, slaw and baked sweet potatoes, so there was plenty for everyone. I offered to give Dustin the scarf, but he declined saying it looked "older lady-ish." Grreaate. I cast on for a simple garter shawl using a beaded rayon yarn I bought years ago. But, after knitting a little bit, I just didn't like the way it looked. I actually wondered what possessed me to buy the yarn. It looked fugly to me. Does anyone have any ideas? Or does anyone want it?

Lately, that's been happening a lot. I get a small portion of a project done and it just looks fugly to me. So, I found some organic cotton in my stash and started the garter triangle shawl. It's very soft yarn. Last night I wondered if it, too, was fugly.

Wednesday, I cleaned the kitchen and refrigerator like a mutha. It was also the first pick up day for my CSA. This week's bag contained bok choy, spinach, lettuce, spring onions, and asparagus. I also got a dozen eggs and a small container of raw milk. I think I'll make a frittata for dinner tonight using the spinach and asparagus. And then a nice salad.

It was so nice to go out to dinner with my family Wednesday. The restaurant is less than a mile from my parents' house. It's increasingly harder for my Mom to get around. It was hard for her to walk from the front door to the table and to get seated. And it was kind of sad because neither one of my folks can hear very well, so conversation is hard in a public place. I ordered a soft shell crab appetizer and the veal liver. Tate got crab bisque and sea scallops. It's very kind of my cousin to spring for such an expensive extravagant meal.

I realized that I have the second felted slipper to complete for Danny before I go to Victoria. This morning I dug through the UFO basket and found it, but I couldn't remember where I had stopped. So, I frogged it and started over. That's okay, I hadn't gotten that far. Next, I have to make Caitlin and Danny a pair of the recycled sweater slippers. Those just take a few minutes to make.

June 14th is WWKIP Day. I'll be heading over to the Plaza for that. Anyone want to join me?

Day One

2008-05-19T14:58:00.009-06:00

My trusty beagle awakened my right on time--6:15. It would have been nice to sleep in, but then it's good to get things accomplished.

I started the day washing fleece. This is white merino I got off of Ebay.

Here is how I do it. Stuff the fleece in a lingerie bag.

Fill an insulated cooler about half way with HOT water. Add a bunch of Dawn dish detergent.

You don't want to move it around a lot. But, you do want to make sure it's submerged.

The cooler keeps the water hot. You are, after all, melting that lanolin off the fiber. I let it soak for about 40 minutes. Repeat two more times. Rinse three times in HOT water for 20 minutes or so. The middle rinse add some white vinegar.

Then, I spin it out in a salad spinner and set the lingerie bags on a little drying rack outside in the sun.

The process takes a long time, but it's not a lot of "hands on" time. Tomorrow, I will tackle the merino I bought at the Fiber Festival. It's a very light fawn color. I think it will look smashing blended with the white. And then dyed.

I certainly don't want to spend all my time cleaning. But, I do feel compelled to organize. I got the bathroom hall closet cleaned out. It wasn't that bad because I think I got around to it last year. I'm taking baby steps with the closets. The ones in my office and bedroom terrify me.

I've been reading about Vitamin D deficiency. So, I spent about 15 minutes in the sun today. I'm taking the holistic approach to my osteopenia. I've been taking Vitamin K2 supplements. I also need to get more calcium supplements. My mom has been taking Fosamax for years. She's now having troubles with her teeth and jaw, so the doctor has taken her off of it. I think she's been on it for 16 years or so. I was diagnosed with osteopenia at an earlier age than she was. I certainly don't want to be on a medication like that for years and years. Who knows what the side effects would be.

The recycled sari silk garter scarf is coming along nicely.

Tonight, we are having Cilantro Chicken with Fresh Water Chestnuts and Baby Bok Choy for dinner. I also got some Gai Lan to have with it. Or I could just make that for my lunch later this week. Sam took a half day off so we zipped over to the Asian grocer where we found everything for the dish. I'll let you know how it turns out. I've never had fresh water chestnuts.

I won't be going to Spinning on Wednesday. My second cousin is coming for a visit and she always takes the family to a swanky French restaurant. I can never decide whether to get the veal liver or the veal sweetbreads.

Sunny Sunday

2008-05-18T11:29:00.002-06:00

The Great Purge has begun! I decided to start cleaning up the laundry room, where crap has piled for a LONG time. I took five grocery bags and one large moving box FULL of clothes and bedding to a Planet Aid drop off box. I also took out two bags of trash. And that’s only about half of the room. The jury’s still out on whether I have enough stuff to make a garage sale worthwhile.

I got my hair cut and colored. He colored it a little darker than I’ve had it. And the top is light. Of course, I will never be able to make it look the way he does. We made beer can chicken, mashed cauliflower and sauteed mushrooms for dinner last night.

I saw that Kim was tagged for some sort of blog thing. I wasn’t tagged, but I’m going to play along anyway. Kind of like an annoying little sister.

What was I doing 10 years ago?

Things weren’t all that happy for me ten years ago. I was in the middle of my awful, long, expensive divorce. My husband was in arrears, so I was totally broke. The man I was seeing decided to call it quits because my soon-to-be-ex-husband vandalized his car outside my house one night. I think this was about the time that I picked up knitting (again).

What are five things on my to-do list for today?
(1) Post on my blog. (as we speak!) (2) Start washing the mountain of fleece I’ve purchased.(started) (3) Make a game plan for my sabbatical (4) relax and knit. (5) Get Piddles’ nails trimmed. (done)

Snacks I enjoy:

Chips & salsa. And not your standard chips or salsa. I like the designer kind. Chips & guacamole. 365 brand organic cheddar popcorn. I guess I’m not much of a snacker.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay off the house. Get ALL of the remodeling/home improvements done Sam & I have been talking about for years. Buy each of my kids a new hybrid car. Buy a second home. The jury is out where. I’d like to investigate the Pacific Northwest. Pay off Dustin’s school loans. Make a ginormous donation to John T.’s business. Pay for Tate’s college education at the school of her choice. Buy a drum carder.

Places I’ve lived:

Montclair, NJ, Overland Park, KS, Parkville, MO, Kansas City, MO, Prairie Village, KS. Man, I’m boring!

Five people I’d like to know more about:

Barbara, Kim, PJ, Marilyn, Jamie (the Shepherd)

I got Intertwined from the library the other day. What a cool book. Here I've been trying to make my yarn thin and consistent. This book show you how to create thick and thin yarn with blobs of this and that. So, I tried to make a skein or two of art yarn. I think I'll try to make a hat with it. I love the crazy bats.

It's finally here in all the glory

2008-05-16T12:52:00.003-06:00

My sabbatical just started. I'm off work until the first week in July. Woot!
I haven't had much to post about the last few weeks. The weather has been gross here in the Midwest. We lost our power this past Saturday in a wind storm. And the dang furnace had to be turned on a few times because it was so cold. We just never seemed to have more than one sunny day.

All of this left me quite grumpy.

All I could say over the last few weeks was:

It was cloudy today, so I couldn't take any pictures.
I feel grumpy.
I can't wait until my sabbatical.

Boring, huh?

Spinning is coming along great. I went to a teeny Fiber Festival this past weekend and purchased quite a bit of raw wool. I've spun some of it in the grease. But, the big plan is to wash and card it during my time off. I found out I can rent a drum carder from either the Fiber Guild or the Weaver's Guild. So, that's what I'll do with this wool. If I like it, I'll look into purchasing a drum carder.

I have an appointment at the salon for a cut and color tomorrow. Then, I'll set up an appointment to get my tootsies in order using the spa dollars I got at Xmas. CSA starts up Wednesday. The crappy weather is behind us. It's all good.

Because of my grumpiness, I didn't feel much like any complicated knitting. I've got another pair of plain stockinette socks on the needles. And I've cast on for a plain garter scarf using recycled sari silk. I'm knitting it horizontally rather than vertically. Gotta love garter.

I hope to keep you updated on how I spend my time off.

It's been a LONG time

2008-04-28T17:00:00.009-06:00

It’s just been too cold and cloudy to post. I wasn’t able to take any pics due to the natural light situation. Crappers.

I’ve taken the first two wet felting classes, and the third is this weekend. We’re supposed to make a purse. It should be a blast. Here are some of the things I have made:

It's hard to get a good shot of the scarf. Dang.

I’m about done with the Snow Squall socks. I’ve recently been validated regarding my preference to make SIMPLE socks. Knitting has been going slow for me; perhaps it is this icky weather that has got me down. I dunno.

The mitts are too large for me. I have one completed and the other almost done. Though I will give them to my son, Dustin, it’s always harder to knit for someone else. Especially for one that loses the things you make. So, these are at a stand-still.

And, I’ve been spinning.

Less like barf and more like yarn, eh?

I found out that the space that the renegade spinners meet might start to charge. This means that they will either break up or find a new place. Boy, I hope it’s the latter. Meeting with the renegade spinners has been a great help to me. I will be sad if my Glorious Night will no longer be.

I posted a response to Dave Daniels' Cabin Cove. I’ve pretty much been a wiener when posting comments on blogs. But, he actually responded to me and had some fabulous suggestions on becoming a better spinner. His work is phenomenal. I was quite honored to have a blog STAR respond to me. Thank you, David.

I have really been loving the Kylie Kwong cook book. Everything we have made has been spot on. We went to the Asian Grocer and got some more supplies. And, I finally found the Indian grocer nearby. Curries are next.

My sabbatical is less than three weeks away. Oh--Caitlin got a job! So, that is good. She has to have a job in her field to stay in BC.

The World's Longest Remodeling Job

2008-04-18T15:04:00.004-06:00

We started the remodel for the family room today. It took all of about an hour to pull the carpeting up. And the primer is just about finished. It occurred to me that we haven't done a remodeling job since 2005. That was when we did the second large remodel job on the house. We completely gutted the kitchen and finished up The 20 Year Remodel Job of the "Back Room" in 2005. After that, were burned out on remodeling of any kind. The first large remodel job was in 2003, when we replaced the windows, air conditioner, furnace, and gutted the main bathroom.

I bought this house with my former husband in 1984. I found out I was pregnant with my third child the week we signed our mortgage papers. We had immediately outgrown the home. It was supposed to be a starter home. When we moved in the Back Room was a screened in porch. Because we needed space, we decided to turn it into living space. However, my former husband was great at getting things "Half Done in a Hurry" as my mother would say. He got the walls done, windows put in, and a French door going outside. The walls weren't dry walled or anything. There was window inside the room that used to be part of the outside of the house. No electricity had been run. It was essentially a walled porch. And it stayed that way. I got pregnant the fourth time. And my former husband had trouble holding down a job, so money was always tight. When I would complain about getting the place fixed up, he would say, "When I have the time, I don't have the money. And when I have the money, I don't have the time." So, it sat half done for many, many years until we divorced.
After we got divorced, I had even less money. He was always behind in child support payments. When the kids went to his place for the first weekend, I was lost. I simply did not know what to do with myself. I felt as if someone had chopped off my arms and legs. Having an entire weekend alone, I decided to work on the house with what little extra money I had.
So, I would paint because it was cheap. I felt like I was reclaiming the house as my own place. And it was fun to pick out any color I wanted. It didn't matter what color I picked. There was no one there to disagree with me. So, I painted the walls crazy colors. I had an apple green kitchen, a lavender dining room, and a green living room. If I got bored with the color, I'd paint it a different color. So, the kitchen was painted watermelon and canteloupe. I painted my bedroom blue. And then sunflower yellow. The sky was the limit. One of my friends remarked that she loved to come over to my house because she never knew what color it would be on the inside. If I had some rare extra bucks, I'd pay a handy man to work on the Back Room. First, I took the window out. Then, put in electricity. Finally it was dry walled. That's about all I could afford.
Then, in 2005, we added a ceiling and carpeting and replaced the French Door with a sliding door. The Back Room was done! Or so I thought. While on vacation about a year later, the cats had a spaz and peed all over the carpeting. Plus, the carpet color was too light. It really showed dirt. I tried to get the carpet clean, but it was ruined.

After 24 years, I hope I finally get the job done.

Here Comes the Rain Again

2008-04-17T14:24:00.005-06:00

It's raining cats and dogs right now.

Unfortunately, I have a puppy that doesn't have sense enough to come in from the rain. It even hailed for a few short minutes, and she ran all over the yard trying to catch the hail pieces like they were popcorn falling from the sky. I'll probably be washing and drying dog towels all weekend long. Now when any hail falls, she runs to the door and can't wait to get out. Silly puppy.

I had a wonderful Glorious Night. I started out with a nice long bath, stopped off at the library to pick up some reserved books, and then had soup and salad at Whole Foods. I got my first bundle of fiber from PJ. It's hand-dyed merino. I'm a little worried about starting up with nicer fiber. I just don't want to waste it. But, I'm so sick and tired of spinning with undyed wool.

One of the gals brought me a beginning spinning video to watch. And there was a new woman that brought llama fiber to sell. I bought two sandwich size bags for 75 cents each. Another woman had made these adorable felted cows using sticks from her yard as the legs and then felted wool bodies and head. Then, she added all of this great needle felting. Another woman had completed a Baby Surprise Jacket, but she used the waist band, button band and collar of a toddler's jeans jacket. She had made oddball yarn to use for it. It was really cute. I guess the majority of the women are gearing up for a guild sale of some sort.

Strangely enough, Sam went to the doctor two weeks ago for a complete physical. This is just not like him. He explained that he hadn't had one since he was in high school. Considering he will be 40 next year, I think it's about time. The company I work for sponsors a free all-inclusive blood screening every other year, and his last one was horrible. So, maybe he just wanted to know what was going on. On his follow-up visit this week, he was prescribed high blood pressure medication and advised to get his cholesterol down or he would have to be put on medication for that as well. All of this means lighter cooking. We've been having a lot of Asian foods, fish and tofu. And, that's fine with me, I could easily be a vegetarian.

I've finished the Landscape socks. I fiddled around trying to use a new method for grafting this morning. I have never been quite satisfied with my results. But, this new method was a PITA , and I went back to using my tried-and-true instructions from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd.

I've got about 6 inches done on the second Snow Squall sock. I've been feeling kind of "meh" about my knitting lately. Perhaps it's having to finish up things and there is none of that initial excitement like when you are working on a new project. To remedy this, I cast on for the fingerless garter mitts from Weekend Knitting. They go really quick. I am using Visions Artisan Yarn that I bought at Cottage Fiber. It's a celery green color. If I get to be better at spinning, I would like to make these out of my hand spun someday.

Tomorrow, we will pull this gawd awful carpeting up out of the family room. Then, the painting begins!

Endless Winter

2008-04-12T12:24:00.003-06:00

It's been spitting snow today and the wind is blowing quite hard. I am so sick of this stoopid winter. UGH. We had a fire last night, and I'm going to start it up again momentarily. It's also a good day for French Onion Soup. I've started caramelizing the onions. The soup and the fire make the cold blustery weather bearable.
I've turned the heel and finished the gusset of the second Landscape sock. For all you sock knitters, you know this is the Home Stretch.
Five more weeks to go until my sabbatical begins! Hopefully, I'll have the majority of my knitting projects completed. In addition to knitting, spinning, and felting, I plan on getting this place organized. It will be The Great Purge of '08.
Tomorrow, I take my first wet felting class. I bought a couple of round bars of soap to make felted soap for gifts.
I've got Friday off of this coming week. It's Big Trash Day Eve. I plan on ripping out the carpeting in the family room and dragging it out to the curb.

Glorious Night

2008-04-10T15:17:00.004-06:00

Wednesday Spinning Night needs to be renamed Glorious Night. I was ready to go about an hour early last night, so decided to grab a bite at Whole Foods beforehand. I picked up a salad and a small cup of cream of asparagus soup. It was lovely. They had a different type of salad dressing there that was just delightful! It is Wild Thymes Meyer Lemon Salad Refresher. I know I've said I've sworn off bottled dressings, but this was light and refreshing. So, I bought some!

Then, it was off to the spinning group. This was the monthly meeting for the KC Fiber Guild, so some gals attended that. Then, a whole bunch of women joined in afterwards. There were lots of spinners and one woman brought a drum carder. And, the shepherd brought her lamb.

My spinning is getting a bit more consistent. I even got a few remarks that I was doing much better. I found out that PJ from Cottage Fiber has a Fiber Club, so I signed up for that. I'm getting pretty sick of spinning the uncolored roving.

I got the Chinese and Indian Cook books in the mail yesterday. Yippee.

I'm up to the heel flap on the Landscape socks. I love this sock yarn. The colors are so pretty.

Tonight, we are having roasted cauliflower with soy-ginger sauce and scallions, roasted salmon, and a simple green salad with the new dressing.

When I drove home from work today, it was blinding sunny AND raining at the same time. Big alligator tears were plopping on the windshield. There was a little boy in the passenger seat in the car in front of me leaning his head out the window trying to catch the drops in his mouth. Spring is in the air.

Tate on Tuesday

2008-04-09T05:54:00.003-06:00

Tate came over after work last night and we made Eggplant Parmigiana, Asparagus with Citrus, Parsley and Garlic, and a simple green salad with a vinaigrette. The recipes are from Molto Italiano. It's one of my greatest joys to cook and eat dinner with my kids. She's gotten quite good at cooking too. (She works in a hip restaurant kitchen here in Midtown.) It was fun gabbing and cooking. She indicated that she is now thinking of taking some fashion design classes.
I was wiped out afterward. Probably from staying up way past my bedtime Monday night to watch the NCAA basketball game. (I still can't believe the Jayhawks won.) Plus, Piddles barfed all night long Monday night. I spent most of Tuesday washing towels. Poor thing. She's all better now.
Tonight is Spinning Group. There is an actual Fiber Guild meeting tonight. But, there are always a few renegade spinners who skip the meeting and hang out in the kitchen. That's where I'll be.
Time to pad down the hallway to work.

Twisted

2008-04-07T14:29:00.005-06:00

I've been trying to spend a little more time practicing spinning. While I'm still producing yarn barf, it seems to be going a bit better. I'm getting a tad more comfortable with my wheel. Best of all, the wheel isn't as interesting to the pets, so I'm interrupted less. The only problem is that this takes away from knitting time. Oh well. My goal is to get good enough to be able to attend Yarn School next year. And then, someday, I really, REALLY want to go to Rhinebeck.

I'm still plugging away on the second Landscape sock. I have really wanted to cast on using the Manos Tate gave me. I just can't come up with a good idea for two skeins of Manos. I've already made one "My So-Called Scarf," so I don't want to do another one. I really love this colourway. Any ideas?

Friday, I went mental on Amazon. I bought Jerk: Barbecue from Jamaica, Simple Chinese Cooking, and 660 Curries. Barbara recommended the first two; I can't remember how I heard about the third. It was probably Barbara. Oh, I can't wait to start cooking with the CSA produce!

Kim recently posted pictures using different color settings on her camera. What a FINtastic idea. I had to try it. Unfortunately, I don't think I have as nice a camera as Kim does.

I found out today that we are getting a substantial tax refund. Hoo Boy.

A bit more progress

2008-03-31T15:01:00.006-06:00

One sock down. Well, except for kitchenering the toe.

I hooked up with Tate last night and she bought me some yarn in Amsterdam. (I can't really get a good shot of it because we have had NO sun for days.) Isn't it lovely? I'll make a scarf out of it. Oooh how I want to cast on.

I fiddled around and wet felted roving around soap yesterday. I gave it away before I took a picture. It was loads of fun. I'll probably make some of these for Xmas gifts this summer. I'll need to get some fabulous hand made soaps.

Tonight, I am making Nigella's Red Shrimp and Mango Curry from Nigella Express for dinner. Very quick and easy peasy. Well, I'm off to work on the socks.

Finished!

2008-03-29T16:08:00.004-06:00

I finished the knitting portion of the Lady Eleanor wrap on Friday night. It's a crappy picture because we have no sunlight. All that's left is blocking the piss out of it, adding the crochet edging, and then adding the fringe. I've read that other knitters find adding the fringe a PITA. When I added the fringe to the Nicco Wrap it was annoying; however, it was the beads on the fringe that sent me over the edge on that one. (I still haven't gotten that done yet.)

I'm back to knitting on the Landscape socks now. I wasn't able to translate the pattern I used on the leg portion to the tops of the socks after I picked up the stitches for the heel gusset using the magic loop method. So, it will be plain stockinette. Crappers.

It feels good to finally get something done.

Sam is making chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight. I haven't done much around the house today at all. In fact, I even took a nap. I hope that doesn't jump up and bite me square in the ass tomorrow.

A Great Day

2008-03-27T16:23:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was a fabulous fiber day. I got my March Spunky Eclectic sock yarn in the mail. This yarn is called "Mud Season." The inscription reads:

Every year around this time her in New England we begin what is fondly called "Mud Season" or Spring. The blue skies herald Spring and the melting of snow. The melting of snow means mud, which slowly gives way to new growth.

I like this colourway. I also got the new Spin Off magazine in the mail. Someday, I hope to understand everything they are talking about.

Unfortunately, I got the dreaded email that PJ is closing down Fiber Cottage in April.

Then, I finally got the nerdlies to go to the Wednesday Spinning Group, which is held at an old Indian Mission nearby. Boy, am I glad I went. There were about 8 women there. All working on various fiber crafts. One woman was spinning on a hand spindle she had made from a CD and a crochet hook. She was using raw fleece that was given to her by another member of the KC Fiber Guild. Her spinning was amazing. It was as thin as sewing thread. Another woman was making random skeins of yarn from odds and ends, which is funny because Knitty has an article about it this month. There was another woman that I recognized because she used to work at the same place I do. I had no idea she was a wonderful knitter and a fiber-head. I brought my wheel and sucked it up to spin my rudimentary yarn. But, they were all encouraging. Near the end of the evening another woman showed up. She happens to be a Shepard for a living! There was an article about her in our local newspaper recently. An army base pays her to let her sheep graze for weed control. When she walked in, a teeny little lamb was following her. The lamb was a week old. Apparently, the lamb is a twin and got confused about who her mommy was. So, she started following the woman around instead of her Sheep mommy. I had never held a baby lamb before. The lamb was smaller than the Piddler. I was having such a good time, I lost track of time and got home past my usual bed time. And then I was all excited and couldn't get to sleep right away.

The Shepard Woman will be teaching the wet felting classes I'm taking in April. Maybe I can buy some raw fleece from her. Who knows. I'm definitely going back to the Wednesday Spinning Group.

Another coincidence is that I received a comment on Ravelry on one of my knitting projects from Prudence Mapstone. She is the author of the Freeform knitting and crochet book! I thought that was quite an honor. She also invited me to join a group called the Pink Group. She is asking for people to make pink scrumbles, which she will assemble into garments to sell at an art show in Australia to benefit breast cancer. So, I rounded up all my pink odds ends and started a scrumble for her.

I have tomorrow off. Yippee. I might actually finish the Lady Eleanor wrap. I think I bought way too much yarn for this project. When I finish, I'll have a give away for the rest of the Soy Wool Stripes. It felts nicely. One of you can have some fun with it.

Tonight we are making fish tacos. The weather just sucks here. I think I can talk Sam into making a fire to curl up by.

Scrumbling Toward Ecstasy

2008-03-25T15:22:00.005-06:00

A few years ago, I purchased Prudence Mapstone's book on freeform knitting and crochet. The plan, at that time, was to use yarn I bought on Ebay that had been hand spun and hand dyed with natural dyes. I haven't been able to bear using the yarn as it still has the wrappers that the woman made for the yarn that lists the organic items used to dye the yarn in her handwriting. Things like marigolds and such. The bundles of yarn just too pretty to look at.

The other day, while exploring Ravery, I found that there is a scrumbling group. So, I thought it would be fun to at least attempt it, even though I'm not all that good at crochet. It seems to suit me as I'm a random person. And this way, I can use up all the jillions of smidgens of glorious yarn I have tucked away. It's also a way to take a wee break from long-term projects. I also just love the word scrumble.

This is a quiet week at Chez TorKnitoh. Hopefully, I can focus on getting closer to finishing something. One of my co-workers recently admitted to me that it takes her about a week to finish a pair of knitted socks. Boy, did that make me jealous. I think that's the advantage of only knitting one thing at a time. Even though there is a lesson to be learned here, I can't bear to be that monogamous. I'm too scrumbly, I guess.

I think part of the problem I'm having with finishing my current projects is that I'm not happy with the yarn I chose. I opted to use a more affordable yarn for the Lady Eleanor wrap. While it's not all that bad, I don't love it. And even though I spent an arm and a leg on the Noro sock yarn, I hate it. If I hadn't spend so much money on the yarn, I'd set fire to these socks.

Last night, we made sear-roasted cod with horseradish aioli & lemon zest breadcrumbs with a pea salad. It was yummy. Tonight, it's some sort of baked pasta. We'll just make it up as we go along.

I had quite a scare this past week. Dustin has been sick with a sore throat for a bit. Then, his mouth broke out in all kinds of canker sores that he couldn't seem to get rid of. He opted to visit the emergency room on Good Friday. The nurse said that it was more than likely stress that was causing the canker sores. However, he was concerned about HIV and opted to test for that. The test results came back negative. That was a huge relief.

Unfinished Funk

2008-03-23T07:41:00.007-06:00

I was surfing the other day when I hopped over to see what Kim was up to and she had a post about being in an in between project funk. I could totally relate. Here I have all of these long-term projects on the needles that seem to be taking for-freaking-ever. That compiled with the endless cloudy days has left me in a funk. Those who know me well, know that if I don't have anything nice to say, I don't say anything at all. So, that's why there's been a long silence.

I do have some good news. I got my passport on Friday. Here they said it would be a couple of months but it turned out to be just a couple of weeks. I also got the time off I requested around my sabbatical approved. So, it's written in stone: I have from May 17 to July 7 off with pay. The countdown begins: 8 weeks to go.

Caitlin sent an email letting me know that she blew out her fuzzy feet slippers. She's got them held together with duct tape. And Danny is so fearful that hers will blow that she is rationing wearing them. So, I quickly made some felted moccasins for her. The last time I made them slippers, I mailed Danny's first and then followed up with Caitlin's. I learned that those two are competitive, so everything has to be equal. So, I'm in the midst of making a pair for Danny to mail off. Silly lesbians.

I also found that Martha Stewart published a felt slipper pattern a while back. So, I've used her pattern to make slippers from recycled felted sweaters from the thrift store rather than trying to make my own pattern. They are fast and fun to make. I set up my sewing machine in my office. It was nice to hear the whir of the machine. Years ago, I used to sew my kids clothes and a bunch of mine. I forgot how much I like to hear the sound of the sewing machine run.

I also signed up for two wet felting classes in April with Cottage Fiber. That should be a total blast.

I had an appointment this week and grabbed the long languishing landscape socks to knit while waiting in the office. After knitting a bit using this fabulous sock yarn, I realized that I hate knitting with the Noro Kureyon sock yarn. It has no give. It twists up on itself making knot after knot. It flies off your fingers as you knit. Frustrating. However, I spent an arm and a leg on this yarn, so I'll be damned if I don't finish these socks.

The diswarsher is installed and Sam and I are back full force in the kitchen. We were supposed to have some friends over for dinner last night. But, they canceled because the wife and the daughter were both sick. I had gone to a LYS and bought some "beginner" style knitting needles. I had big plans to teach the little girl how to knit. Maybe next time. We had planned on making smoked meatloaf, mashed cauliflower, sauteed mushrooms and peas with fresh thyme and garlic. We had all the food, so we made the meal for ourselves anyway. Since I spent the majority of Friday cleaning the house, it's all done. Those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers with Febreze are fabulous.

I think I'll spend today working on the Lady Eleanor Wrap. It's a welcome change to be knitting on larger needles after jacking around with the damn Noro socks.

Light at the end of the tunnel

2008-03-14T05:34:00.002-06:00

Sears called yesterday to postpone the part yet again. I went bananas and demanded to speak with a supervisor. I was promised a manager call back. I had been promised that before with no call back, so I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. A few hours later I did receive a call back and they decided to replace the dishwasher and gave us $500 to spend on a new one.
So, we zipped over to Sears and ordered a Bosch. It will be delivered to the store on Monday. A friend of ours will pick it up and install it on Tuesday. Yippee.
The last couple of days I've gotten my crochet on. I dug up the vertical stripe blanket and worked on that in the evenings. I visited Kim's blog and saw she had won a blog contest from Faith. I checked out Faith's profile on Ravelry and she has made the most beautiful crochet blanket, which I added to my queue. I figured I'd better finish the crochet blanket I've started before attempting another blanket. I'm not sure what I'll do with this blanket when I'm done. I've wanted to make each of my kids a blanket as a keepsake. I'm just not sure they would want an acrylic crochet blanket. Dustin and Tate have seen the blanket and gave it a thumbs up. It could be that I'm just a yarn snob.
We've been keeping things simple here for our dinners as of late. I just don't want to generate a crap load of dishes and pots and pans. Last night, we picked up a pizza at Whole Foods to bake at home. We had to dress it up with more ingredients, of course. Before that it was burgers on the grill. Nothing fancy.

Sears Seriously Sucks

2008-03-12T16:16:00.003-06:00

Sears called Monday and the part is still on back order. Where are they getting this part? Mars? That was the sixth time they called to tell us it was on back order. Terrible, awful, harrible customer service. Never buy from them.
The weather has been warmer and the dogs have been playing outside. Things are picking up at work. I'm scheduled to work overtime on Saturday. Hopefully, it won't be busy so I can get some knitting done.
I fell off the wagon and cast on for another pair of socks. These are made out of Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn. I'll have to snap a picture later on. I'm making them very long. So much for concentrating on finishing up those WIPs. Oh well.
I've been reading up on circular sock machines. I'm intrigued.

Whirlwind Weekend

2008-03-09T04:05:00.002-06:00

It's just been a really busy weekend.
I took a half day off on Friday and had lunch with an old friend at Guadalajara Cafe. Then, it was off to the post office to apply for my passport. My dad called late in the afternoon and wanted to have coffee, so I met him at Starbuck's to listen to him complain about his health and the stock market.
I made beef stroganoff ala Nigella for dinner Friday night and cleaned like a banshee because Sam's folks were coming for a visit on Saturday.
I treated myself to breakfast at Room 39 Saturday morning and stopped by The Studio on the way home and bought 2 skeins of malabrigo. Then, it was off to Costco with the in-laws, where they bought us a 42" HD TV and groceries. Later, we had to go to Time Warner to switch out the cable box for HD TV, so we went to Korma Sutra for lunch. I sure have had a fun time going out to eat all weekend long!
I woke up at 3 (daylight saving time) this morning and could not get back to sleep. I think I'll flick on a light and get some knitting done.
Tuesday marks the one month anniversary of being without a working dishwarsher.

I guess I'll try again.

2008-03-04T16:56:00.003-06:00

I left immediately after work to the post office to have them process my passport. I'd forgotten how gross standing in line at the post office is. I mail my stuff from the UPS store or the post office's kiosk. I kept thinking about how postal workers go mental while I stood in line for about 25 minutes when there were only 4 people in front of me. So, when I finally got to the counter, they told me that the only process passports until 3 p.m. Sombeetch. I guess I'll try again tomorrow.
Tonight, we are making our take on a BLT salad for dinner. Romaine, cherry tomatoes, bacon, homemade croutons, avocado, and thinly sliced red onion with a buttermilk dressing I make. I've gotten to the point where I won't purchase salad dressing anymore. It's just so much better made up fresh, and the possibilities are endless. Our latest splurge was DaVero Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's superb on salad greens with lemon juice, sea salt and fresh black pepper. Simple and elegant.
I plan on spending the majority of my night sock knitting.
I am required to drive into the office for a stultifying meeting tomorrow. UGH.

This

2008-03-03T21:44:00.003-06:00

I got a bunch of things done today.
Passport pictures taken. Ratch's gift mailed. And I got a new phone. My phone was so old that it didn't cost me a penny. Then, I stopped off at the bath shop and got this. And this. All to take a bath with this. Glorious.
We made this for dinner tonight.
Dinner was delightful last night. My mom was so happy. I had burnt ends. I think it's been over a decade that I've had them. And Tate brought me a magazine and even bought me this knitting book.
No knitting today. Crappers.

Super Saturday

2008-03-02T10:11:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was just gorgeous. It's hard to believe that snow/rain/thunder is expected tonight.

I spent the majority of yesterday cleaning and running errands. I went to Lowe's and got the paint for the family room. I also found the laminate flooring I like. It's not as cheap as the stuff at Costco, but I like it. It doesn't make sense to get something you don't like just because it's cheap.

It looks like slate flooring. And the wall color looks like a chocolate milkshake. I'll paint the trim first (white) and then the walls. Now I just have to figure out how to keep the pets out of the way while I paint.

We went to the Asian market downtown to get the stuff for Thai Style Chicken Soup, which we made for dinner last night. I still can't get over how cheap that place is. And they have wonderful herbs for a fraction of the cost at most grocery stores. I hope they have garlic scapes when the warm weather arrives. Maybe I'll get some with my CSA produce this spring. I'm dying to try them. I volunteered to be a recipe tester for Cook's Illustrated magazine a while back. I thought that would be something fun that Sam and I could do together. We will be making Stuffed Portobellos with Pork and Fennel today.

I got my February shipment of Spunky Eclectic sock yarn in the mail yesterday. I'm so glad that I signed up for the sock club. It's so nice to get a little package in the mail each month.

I really wanted to cast on for something new last night. But I'm going to stick with my Focus on Finishing, so I can get the WIPs done before my sabbatical begins. I've been working on Lady Eleanor. I've got 12 of the 17 tiers done.

Tonight, we go to dinner at Jack Stack Barbecue to celebrate my Mom's birthday. It will be nice to have the entire clan together.

Winner (s)

2008-03-01T09:52:00.002-06:00

And the winner is (drum roll, please)
Ratch!
I just met Ratch online at Ravelry. She and I share the same birthday. Heck, we're almost neighbors.

We decided to have two winners just for the heck of it.

And the runner up?
Barbara from Tigers & Strawberries.
I don't remember how I stumbled upon Barbara. I've been a reader for over a year now. But ever since, we have been having the most wonderful dinners. Thank you, Barbara. If you love to cook, check her out! Every single one of her recipes are spot on. There has never been a failure at our house.
Winners, please send me your address at adair(at)kc(dot)rr(dot)com.

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-02-29T16:59:00.004-06:00

My Mom is 88 today. But, in Real Birthdays, she's only 22. (She never gets tired of that!) I sent her 2 dozen roses. And she's celebrating all weekend long. That's good, because she's been stuck in her house all winter long.

I finished the Clown Socks. I didn't think I'd like this colourway to begin with, but I really do now.

We went to Costco to try to return my dumb cell phone. But, I've had it too long, so I have to go through Sprint. They tell me a cell phone is only supposed to last two years. Like Joni Mitchell says, nothing lasts for long. We also checked out the flooring, and it is substantially cheaper. What I thought would cost around $800 will end up at around $300. Not much selection, though. I'm not sure the wood types they had will look good. I'll paint the walls before I decide on the floor.

I got my new makeup in the mail today. Maybe I won't look like a hag for my passport photos. I also got a size 0 42" circular needle from KnitPicks.

Tonight, it's grilled tri-tip, hassleback fingerling potatoes, and a salad.

It's sunny and mild--perfect for grilling. All you gals on the East coast: this weather is coming your way. Hang on! Relief is on the way.

The drawing is tomorrow. Thanks for all the comments!

Gray, Gray Thursday

2008-02-28T15:43:00.003-06:00

Piddles came out of her surgery well. She’s still groggy. I asked the Vet about this product, and he said it was a good one. We’ve been giving it to The Beagle for less than a week and her legs are less stiff. She’s also not as bitchy.

I got my hair cut yesterday. Next, it’s off to get the passport pictures taken and then apply for the passport.

Sears called AGAIN to report the dishwarsher part is on back order. That was it. I had to call and make a stink. To top it off some phone rep was a jerk to me. Boy, did I let him have it. “Are you smarting off to me, son? Let me speak with your manager.” The end result is I’m receiving a $100 gift card from Sears.

I think I might make Tomato Soup for dinner tonight. I love using the immersion blender. I feel like I’m on Iron Chef.

Keep the comments coming. I’ll have a drawing tomorrow and will post the winner Saturday.

Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day.

2008-02-25T16:50:00.005-06:00

It has been one gray February. Today was a gray and windy Monday. It’s so yucky and muddy outside.

Alas! The Mailman came and brought me this:

My prize from Kim. Thank you, Kim! Note the Ocean Grove postcard. (That is where we had our most wonderful family reunion many years ago.) I will most likely make a hat from this. I’d like to pass on the good karma, so I will have a drawing from the names for a gift from anyone who posts a comment. (YES, I am encouraging comments. Come out, come out where ever you are.)

I’m going to try very hard to finish up all the projects I’ve started prior to my sabbatical. I’d just like to have a clean slate when I am on sabbatical. So, I’m going to try like hell not to cast on for anything new. Let’s see how long that lasts. It’ll be hard as I should be getting my Spunky Eclectic sock yarn any day now.

Over the weekend, I ordered a new circular knitting needle (size 0) for the Noro sock yarn. It’s mighty thin. The KnitPicks needles are the way to go. I also ordered some new make up. I haven’t bought any new makeup for a LONG time. I hope this turns out okay.

I’m making Cilantro Chicken for dinner.

What will the gift be? Oh, something knitting related. Either a skein of yarn or an Elizabeth Zimmermann book. And some little trinkets to brighten your day. Like mine was today from Kim.

Wonderful Weekend

2008-02-24T10:25:00.002-06:00

Friday night we had the traditional Sue ‘n Sam Didn’t Get Fired dinner, which consists of steak, baked potato and Caesar salad. It was nice to have something fairly simple as this week has been trying for me at work.

When they rebuilt my computer, all the settings and macros I use were lost. It’s just been a massive pain in the ass. What normally takes me just a few minutes takes me at least three times as long. And I still don’t have all the programs I use loaded. The work computer people are telling me that it’s my internet connection. Sam says it isn’t. I really don’t know what to do about it. I’m a bit tired of the conflict. Friday, I had to go into the office and work to check if it was my internet connection and they put me at some station that was half the normal size with a giant pole in the middle of it. And I was in the middle of the call center, so I had to listen to kids take thousands of calls all day long. UGH.

I had to spend the majority of Saturday cleaning. The place really needed it. I also spent some time setting up various appointments. The Beagle goes in for a Day of Beauty today. Piddler gets fixed and chipped Thursday. I have a hair cut on Wednesday. In the afternoon, I went to the Grand Arts Gallery where I saw the film Stay the Same Never Change by Laurel Nakadate. My daughter, Tate, is in a major portion of it. She did a great job. The worst part was listening to some jack-off talk about art before the film. I felt like Woody Allen in Annie Hall. It was fascinating to watch someone make downtown Kansas City look so hauntingly beautiful. I was in a haze when I left and saw the beauty of downtown as I drove home at sunset.

I made fish tacos for dinner Saturday. Later, I fiddled around trying to make a prototype pattern for felted shoes/slippers using some of the sweaters I purchased from the thrift store. Then I picked up the long neglected Lady Eleanor stole for a bit.

Today, I hope to spend the majority of the day knitting. Though, the kitchen needs attention again. I’m going to start planning the menu for some guests we will have over for dinner in March. That should be fun. The part for the dishwarsher is still on back order. This time, they tell me it will be here by Thursday and installed on Friday.

Victoria, Here I come

2008-02-20T18:46:00.002-06:00

I purchased my tickets for Victoria, British Columbia last night. I fly into Vancouver and take a long ferry to Victoria. It was substantially less expensive than I thought it would be. In fact, I would most likely be able to afford to go visit the girls each summer at that price.

Next, I have to get a passport, which is required. And then I need to take some time to work on my laptop so that it has everything I need. I hope to post daily during that time so that you can see how lovely Canada is.

Right now, I can’t bear to work on the laptop because my work computer shit the bed and I’ve had to spend the last few days dealing with that. UGH.

I had a particularly glorious day on Monday. I spent the morning tidying up and then took off for the thrift stores. I was in search of 100% wool sweaters. Some to felt for needle felting. And some to harvest for recycled yarn. I couldn’t believe how cheap it was. I bought 12 sweaters for the price one skein of sock yarn.

Two of the sweaters are handmade. No tags. And they are made quite well. One sweater is a blue mohair cardigan. I thought it would be great to use this yarn for a pair of fuzzy feet slippers for me. I wasn’t sure if it was a acrylic blend though. As I went to rip it apart, I saw what a nice job this woman did making this sweater and I didn’t have the heart to go through with it. So, now I’m wearing this when I have to go outside briefly. Like to the garage etc. and I don’t want to put a coat on. This sucker is warm! It will replace an old torn up cardigan of Sam’s I’ve been wearing for the last several years.

I also was in search of those awful thin acrylic scarves that your mother used to wear. People also use them to learn to juggle. Thrift shops used to be stuffed to the gills with them. But, alas. No scarves. I plan on finding some and adding snippets to my yarn as I spin for some bling. I am inspired by Ozark yarns. If you can find any, let me know.

After thrifting, I treated myself to lunch at an Indian restaurant. Delightful. Oh. I also ended up at a LYS and bought some Noro Kureon sock yarn. It is quite twisty. It was a major pain in the ass to wind into a cake.

I was thinking that I’d go to the KC Fiber Guild meeting tonight to hang out with the spinners. But, it is just too damn cold. I had to drive to the office to swap out computers today and I about froze my fingers off carrying that stoopid computer around in the cold. I know where the meeting is held, but the thought of carrying my wheel in the dark in an unfamiliar place in the freezing cold sounds unappetizing to me. I’ll wait until the weather isn’t so gross.

Next, I will be in search of laminate flooring for the family room. One of my girlfriends at work suggested going to Sam’s or Costco. BINGO. It’s much cheaper there. Thank you M8K. I’ll be checking that out tomorrow.

So, I think I WILL be able to afford the trip, the new floor and a CSA membership after all. I’m excited about the CSA membership. I hope to post a bunch about the surprises I get each week in my bag.

And what have we been cooking? I made a fabulous Chicken and Cashew stir-fry on Monday night. Last night it was crab salad with Asian dressing. Tonight? We are ordering a pizza. I am sick to death of doing dishes by hand.

Long Weekend, Part 2

2008-02-17T16:08:00.007-06:00

Another long weekend. Aaah. Today was my second Saturday.

Yesterday, I went to Cottage Fiber for a Spinning lesson with my wheel. Another woman was there for a lesson at the same time. This is going to take lost of practice as you have to move your feet separately and your hands separately. It’s kind of like riding a bike. I’m really awful at it right now. But, if I keep practicing, I know I’ll have my Aha! moment.

We made New England Clam chowder and fish sandwiches for dinner last night. The clam chowder was wonderful. A definite repeat.

It was busier than I’d seen it at Cottage Fiber. Customers came and went. I got some needle felting supplies and doodled around with that.

I found out that Noro has a new sock yarn. I must have it. It’s crazy since I already have three socks going right now. I’m on the home stretch on the Clown socks, though. I added some embroidery to my coat. I finished the Chinese New Year beret. It is very floppy.

The puppy was up at 4:45 this morning. I hustled her off to the Exercise pen but, it was too late. I was awake. What is most annoying is that she comes to the door but won’t come in. So, I have to stand there coaxing her in with the door open several times. Hoo boy, I want to smack her.

The part for the dishwarsher is on back order. The damn thing will be another five business days. UGH.

The Joy of Sox

2008-02-14T17:52:00.002-06:00

I am not a monogamous knitter. Socks are great for that. When you tire of one, you can switch from one partner to the other. Currently, I have three pair on the needles. A threesome. I’m such a ho.

Many of my friends don’t understand the allure of handmade socks. Ah, but until you’ve worn a pair you cannot comprehend the sheer private luxury of a perfect fitting sock. And they are a fun knit. Depending on the yarn, you can add a stitch pattern to the leg and the front of the foot.

I finished the first of the Snow Squall socks today. The wrinkle about socks is finishing the second one. One of my friends advised, “So. Make them all different.” Now there’s a thought. There is a quirky gal at work that showed me that she bought some designer socks. The socks are sold in sets of three and all are different and yet coordinate. Though I made the second circus sock identical, I think I’ll embrace making each sock unique from time to time.

Happy VD.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

2008-02-13T17:51:00.002-06:00

I cannot believe it. I entered a Blog contest and was randomly drawn as the winner. So, I'll be receiving a yummy skein of Malabrigo. Ooh La La.
Check out Kim's blog. I think I'll have to hold a contest to encourage more comments.
I've still been working on the Chinese New year hat. I'm just about finished with one of the Snow Squal socks. Then, I'll have one of each of the Spunky socks. That's right. Not a matching pair. Yet. I hope to have the other Clown sock done by the time my February sock yarn comes.
We plan on making Veal Oscar for dinner tomorrow. A simple green salad and some type of small new potatoes.
Tonight, we will keep it simple with buffalo burgers and my fabulous Cole Slaw.

Long Weekend

2008-02-08T13:33:00.000-06:00

I tried to post Friday, but Sam updated my computer and I couldn't figure out how to stop the pop-up blocker, so I couldn't add photos. So, this may be a long post.

On Thursday, I was feeling kind of Blah and checked out time off bank and saw there was time off for Friday. So, I snatched it. The plan was to make a fabulous Pakistan inspired baked fish and rice dish with green chutney that night. So, I went shopping for some of the ingredients. Somehow, I found myself at a LYS and I bought this:
I would've liked to have slept in on Friday, but the puppy seems to be getting up around 5:15 a.m. I managed to slip her in her pen so I could grab about an extra hour of sleep. The major thing I did on Friday was do a uber cleaning of the kitchen. I feel like I just did this not that long ago. But, we cook a lot, and things seem to pile up. I felt like we had about 2 square feet of counter space to cook on. So, I got everything cleaned. Countertops, microwave, oven, stove top--you name it. It didn't really take all that long. I thought it would be a good way to start the weekend. After that, I piddled around with some knitting. I've finished my first project for 2008. Sheesh--it's about time. A black beret using Malibrigo. The only thing is that black is so hard to photograph.

Saturday, we went to the River Market in seach of Shao Hsing wine. We went to Kim Long market and found everything on our list. As we left, there was a parade to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Drums and cymbols and several giant Fu Dragons. With Buddha in a strange mask at front. As I was watching, Buddah stepped away from the parade and gave me a hug! Maybe this is my lucky year. I even found this Health Rice at Kim Long, which is a mixture of all types of rice including Forbidden Rice, red rice, and brown rice. This is what I will have with my Natto for breakfast.

After Kim Long, we went to this nearby HUGE Asian Market for a look-see. The produce was incredibe. We bought bunches of basil to make Pesto. Everyting was CHEAP. We even went to the fish and meat department and found that they have live crabs, lobster, clams, and oysters. And tons of fresh, FRESH whole fish. Fish cooked in a salt dome is coming soon. I even found Panch Phoran.

We bought some dumplings for lunch and then Sam took a nap. But I was still so jazzed. So, I took off for Cottage Fiber and bought a Lazy Kate and some funky yarn for mitts. I also scheduled time for a lesson with the wheel this coming weekend. She had another student there while I was shopping. Some know-it-all Ho that I recognized from a Knitting Guild event. UGH. But, it was still cool to watch PJ show the know-it-all Ho how to spin.

Saturday night we made Ocean Broccoli Beef. We added Thai chilies to the recipe and those things were HOT. It turned out well, though. However, the dishwarsher broke. Good thing it's still under warranty and the dude is coming tomorrow.

I'm still working on the socks and I've cast on for Chinese New Year. A beret using the new yarn and this pattern. I think the colors will go with everything.

Here is the progress on the socks. I took these pictures yesterday and I'm working on the gusset of the Snow Squall socks now.

Where did I go?

2008-02-03T13:50:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted in a while because I really haven't gotten that much done. Here it is February and I haven't got one single FO to share. How embarrassing. I'm still working on the clown socks. I've cast on a second pair of socks with the Snow Squal yarn. There were several attempts at casting on for a project other than socks using that yarn, but none of them really pleased me. I ripped out the black Koohaas. Instead I'm making a Rollin' Beret for me. So, I guess I've been casting on and ripping out. One step forward and two steps back. And then there are all my other UFOs marinating on the UFO basket. These days, I've been doing a bunch of non-fiber related annual hassle type things like getting the animals' vaccinations and licensing, car tag renewal and other groady things. (And who really wants to hear abou that?) Hopefully, I can get a bunch of the things off the needles in February.

If all things go as planned, I should have May 17th through July 6th off. I'm planning on being in Victoria June 1 through 10 too.

Today seemed like a good day to make a big pot of chili.

Fibergasm

2008-01-26T14:29:00.000-06:00

Today I went to Cottage Fiber for a spinning lesson. I was under the impression that the cost was $10 for about an hour and a half. But, because I have a techno-spindle, which she makes and sells, the lesson was free! FREE! Although it is rudimentary at best, I am spinning on the techno-spindle. I think this is one of those things that you have to practice and practice to get right. Don't laugh!

I was in absolute heaven there. Tons of cool fiber, yarns, looms, spinning wheels--you name it. She shares the space with a weaver. He had one ginormous loom that was about 14 feet wide. And another smaller loom that he had warped with colors that correspond with the stars. The warp was from his astrological reading. How interesting. The place was totally inspiring. And the woman who runs it is so very cool.

She showed me how to card my own fiber so I can create my own colourways and roving. So, I bought some fiber and carders. I'm so jazzed.

During our conversation, I learned that she intends to close her shop. She's been in business for three years now and has not received the support from fiber artists she thought she would. Now, that's a bummer. I finally find a place I LOVE and it's going to go out of business. I know that the owner belongs to the KC Fiber Guild, so I'll just have to join that next.

When I came home from my lesson, I had a package from Spunky Eclectic waiting for me. Here is the new color.

It is called Snow Squall. The inscription reads: If you've ever lived in snow country when a really big storm is coming in there is a weird mix of grey and blue in the sky. One minute you have this crystal clear turquoise and the next it's deep blue and then all of a sudden it's grey and about to snow.

I also got my spinning wheel earlier this week. I talked to the woman that owns Cottage Fiber and she can give me lessons. I can't wait. But, I'm going to spend time with my hand spindle so I can get the hang of it.

I was hoping to have my socks done from last month's Spunky Eclectic sock yarn. I was busy knitting away when there was a pet fiasco. Piddles chased the cat sown the hallway and he hauled ass into the office and jumped up on the desk, tipping over a FULL glass of water all over my lap, keyboard, and my knitting, which was on my lap. The whole ball of yarn was soaking. So, It's currently drying out.

I've put that muddy puppy down for a nap. I'm going to spin, spin, spin.

One down

2008-01-21T13:41:00.000-06:00

I finished one of the clown socks. I never would have purchased this colourway on my own. It was my first shipment from the Spunky Eclectic Sock Yarn Club. I decided to be a good sport about it and knit it up anyway. I wondered if I was out of touch and these types of colors are actually fashionable. Dustin remarked that he liked the socks when I was knitting on them when I was over at my parents' house yesterday. So, maybe it is cool and I'm just an old fart. However, I hope that my next shipment is more of a subdued colorway.

I've been trying to have Natto and rice for breakfast each morning. It's incredibly cheap, filling and about 330 calories. My fascination with Natto is that it is supposed to help prevent osteoporosis, which my mother has been ravished by. The Japanese have Natto with rice for breakfast. The Japanese also have a very low osteoporosis rate. And when you think about it, the Japanese don't use a bunch of dairy products in their cuisine. They have to be getting the calcium somewhere. About a year ago, I was diagnosed with osteopenia, which is the early stage of osteoporosis. The doctor put me on Actonel, and I was pretty good about taking it for about 6 months or so. I am a little wary of the medication because the long-term effects of taking it can cause a degeneration of the jaw. This last time my mother was in the hospital, they took her off Fosamax as they wondered if some of her swallowing issues were caused by the drug. She's been on Fosamax for about 10 years now. So, I'm trying to have Natto once a day in hopes that I can avoid getting worse. This meant a little shopping trip to the local Asian grocer today so that I could stock up on Natto. I also purchased Soba Noodles for my lunch today. I used this recipe and it was very good.

I put the stock in containers and have it all in the freezer. I forgot what a gigantic mess making stock is. I really didn't want to spend the majority of my day off in the kitchen. But I also don't want to start the work week with a messy kitchen. I should probably go clean my office. But, the second sock is calling me.

3 Day Weekend

2008-01-20T13:45:00.000-06:00

It's a three day weekend for me. Yay.

My plan was to spend the majority of my time cleaning like a banshee. When I separated from my ex-husband about ten years ago, I spent most evenings going through the clutter. He is a huge pack-rat. I got the garage and basement all organized. I've noticed I've gotten kind of slack since the kids moved out and now my crap and Sam's crap has been piling up. So, I wanted to go through stuff and reorganize. I've been going through stuff and chucking it or boxing it up to donate and getting everything as neat as a pin.

I returned two tops my MIL gave me for Christmas and had a $110 credit at Dillards. I high-tailed it to the housewares department. Normally, it would take me about 3 minutes to blow through that at a kitchen store like Williams Sonoma. But, this place didn't have that great of a selection. It took us a long time trying to find something suitable to get. I ended up getting a rice cooker and an immersion blender.

I found myself taking a break from all the cleaning by knitting on socks. I'm just using a plain sock pattern. However, I am using the Magic Loop method and it is going very fast. This yarn is too bright for anything but that. It's very soothing to knit socks. And this bright colourway is just what the doctor ordered. It has been so cold and gray these days.

I discovered that Piddles has chewed the corner of the carpet in the family room. I'm not upset about it because my plan is to replace this awful carpeting with some type of Pergo flooring. Hopefully, this Spring. The dogs just make too much of a mess to have carpeting.

We are making a huge pot of chicken stock. I roasted the chicken pieces and the aromatics before getting them into the pot. It should make a nice rich stock.

My mom's condition seems to be stabilizing. She went to the doctor on Friday and had a blood test. They still haven't figured out how or why she is losing blood.

25 Things I Never Get Tired Of

2008-01-17T16:08:00.000-06:00

I was reading some of my favorite blogs when I found that some people were posting a list of 25 things they never got tired of. I thought this was a spin on a gratitude list worth giving a try. So, here is mine. Not in any particular order.

1) Laughing with my kids
2) Casting on for a new project
3) Hot tea in the morning
4) The smell of freshly cut grass
5) Cats purring
6) Reading cookbooks
7) Listening to Joni Mitchell’s music
8) Chips and salsa
9) Going to the farmer’s market
10) Fresh tomatoes straight from the vine
11) Browsing through yarn shops
12) Joy perfume
13) Trying a new recipe
14) Teasing my coworkers
15) The ocean
16) Making things for my kids
17) Long, hot baths
18) A fire in the fireplace
19) Happy Hour with my coworkers
20) Wagging dog tails
21) The first sign of Spring
22) Sleeping in on the weekends
23) Watching people
24) Buying magazines
25) Tuberoses

Sicko

2008-01-12T07:51:00.000-06:00

This cold I've caught has kicked me straight in the ass. Sam took the last of the cold medicine leaving me with one dose yesterday. And as the day progressed, I became more and more miserable. He brought some more home with him when he came back from work, but they took a long time to start working again.
I didn't have the energy to make dinner, so Sam made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Always a hit in my book. And he uses sourdough bread and white sharp cheddar, so they are very tasty indeed.
I found myself dozing off before ten last night, so I packed it up and went to bed. But, every time the cold medicine would wear off, I'd be up to take more.
I've got a ton of cleaning to do today. Rainy weather and Basset puppies do not mix well. I figured that I can clean and slip in a few rows here and there. However, I just took my first dose of cold medicine and I've taken the P.M. blend by mistake, thanks to my 48 year old eyes. Crappers. I'll probably be dragging soon.
I had to frog the Koolhaas hat again (#2!) as I messed up the ribbing. Now I am even more determined to figure this one out.
I won't be able to attend Sunday Dinner at my parents' house this weekend. Their health is too fragile to be around anyone who is sick. They still haven't determined what the cause is for my mother's loss of blood. Though this hospital visit has taken it's toll on her over-all health, she sounds okay on the phone. And she's still experiencing pain in her stomach region.
Maybe I'll make some chicken soup with Matzo balls for dinner tonight.

Chart Hell

2008-01-10T17:10:00.000-06:00

I had gotten about half way through the first pattern repeat of Koolhaas, when I realized that I misread the chart. Blast! So, I've frogged it completely. I'll figure out charts this year if it kills me. It can't be that hard.
I didn't knit at all last night, but spent the evening in the kitchen. We made Eggplant Parmigiana. Tonight, it's Pollo al Diavolo. Yes, I'm dabbling around in my new copy of Molto Italiano. It is served with a simple parsley salad.
One of my friends at work feeds fresh veggies to her dogs along with the dry food each day. For the past week or so, I've been adding steamed vegetables and small amounts of fresh fruit to their dry food. I thought maybe it would take a little weight off of the Beagle. At first, she didn't like it, but now they both go for the fresh food first. And I've noticed that the Beagle isn't wolfing her food down.
I'll get the ribbing done on Koolhaas tonight and work on Lady Eleanor.
I've caught Sam's cold. Damn it.

With a side of stress

2008-01-08T15:30:00.000-06:00

I spent the majority of last night in the ER with my Mom. I got home in the wee hours of the morning, so I took today off. I was afraid the the Alligator Puppy wouldn't let me sleep. But, she was great. She was content to sleep in her exercise pen with her lovie until late in the morning.
I got to watch hours and hours of awful late night television with my Mom. She made some particularly funny remarks about the erectile dysfunction medication commercials. "Look at the way the women look at the men!" "Now they are sitting in two tubs staring at the sun? How stupid is that?" And then we watched some lengthy infomercial for Mineral Makeup. "Well, of course the 'before' looks bad. They aren't even smiling." I brought my knitting to the ER, but was too tired and stressed out to knit. Ditto this morning. I felt like I had been beaten all over with a ball peen hammer. Later on, I decided to treat myself by casting on for Koolhaas using Malibrigo. I love, love, love this yarn. It's sooo soft. Maybe one day I can make an entire sweater out of this yarn for me. It's such yummy yarn.
Oh, I ended up getting one of the techno-spindles from my sister! It just arrived late. I'm so happy about that. Next, I will take a spinning lesson from the Cottage Fiber Studio.
We found a Chinese restaurant that delivers. Tonight, we will order from them. I plan on taking it easy and going to bed early.

Kick-Ass Clown Feet

2008-01-06T11:37:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when I get the urge to cast on for a new project, it makes me feel good to wind yarn. Here is the Spunky Eclectic sock yarn for December of '07 that I wound up. My son, Dustin, will chide me saying, "Don't be afraid of color." Holy cow this is bright yarn. I think I'll call it Circus because it makes me think of the colorful clowns jumping and hollering.

I have a friend who is very shy. But, she always wears kick-ass wild shoes. She says that's her way of being outgoing. And she can always tuck her feet under her desk if she feels shy. This is definitely kick-ass wild colored yarn. But, I'm not the kind of gal that would hide something kick-ass.

I'm not sure if I'll make the socks for me or use it to make a pair of socks for Dustin. Although he appreciates hand made things, he's not the best at keeping the things I make him. They end up getting lost. So, it's hard for me to rationalize spending many hours on something that will be left carelessly behind. Bad knitting Karma, in my opinion

The weather has warmed up enough to finally melt the block of ice that was my back yard. Now it is a mud pit. And Piddles returns from her outings drenched in mud. I'm on my third load of towels that I've used to clean up the Trusty Beagle and the wiggly Alligator Puppy.

Good news: my Mom has been released from the hospital.

Hospital Knitting

2008-01-05T13:44:00.000-06:00

My Mom has been in the hospital since Thursday. She went to the doc for extreme shortness of breath and was admitted to the hospital for tests. They found that she has esophagitis and is losing blood. She also has extreme anemia. The oxygen level was very low in her blood, which caused the shortness of breath. She's had four blood transfusions. Thankfully, the esphagitis can be treated with medication. However, while she has been in the hospital she contracted a lung infection and is now on antibiotics and breathing treatments.

I've been bringing the Lady Eleanor Wrap with me. And I'm almost 50% finished.

Hopefully, she will be released tomorrow. Next month, she will be 88 years old. But, because she was born on February 29th, she will really only be 22 years old.

Fearless Knitting

2008-01-02T17:07:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've been knitting for a while now. But I'm still intimidated by techniques or patterns. This year, I'd like to try some new techniques and tackle at least one pattern that scares me.
Here are just some of the patterns or techniques that intimidate me:

Charlotte's Web Shawl. I bought a custom blend of yarn for this. The shawl is stunning. I'm totally intimidated by lace and chart reading.
The Rogue Sweater. Look at those bad cables. There is even a Wiki page for this sweater.
Clapotis. I have the yarn to make two of these. I started it once and I couldn't get the pattern. Maybe I'm a tard.
The Brioche Stitch.

I spoke with a LYS owner about Charlotte's Web and she said chart reading was a breeze and she would help me. For free. She had the same "Oh it's no big deal" manner that I have when I'm showing one of my friends a new technique. It still happens to me, too. Something looks too complicated and I don't have the confidence to try it.

So, maybe that's another thing I will tackle this year. One of my knitting fears. Cables, chart reading, or the Brioche Stitch.

I'm off to make a couple of trays of chicken enchiladas. One for me and one for my daughter. Her BF got roughed up leaving a bar this weekend. I thought it would be nice that they wouldn't have to mess with dinner.

2008

2008-01-01T10:58:00.000-06:00

It's finally here. The election year and the year I take my second sabbatical. Yippee.

Making New Year's Resolutions was something that didn't interest me for years. But, in recent years I've made some simple attainable resolutions that have turned into habits. So, here are my resolutions for 2008:

1) Throw out, give away or donate 5 things from my scary attic and basement each week.
2) Get out and walk. Shoot for every day. No dogs.
3) Work in the yard at least once each week.
4) Learn to spin.

I will receive my annual company bonus in February. I've probably spent it three times over in my head. I'm toying with joining a CSA, but I think the money would be better spent on reflooring my family room. I wish I could do both, but some of that money is ear-marked to buy a plane ticket to visit Caitlin in Victoria B.C. when she graduates from college in the Spring. I've always wanted to go to Canada. So, I will be able to mark this off my personal bucket list.

I've also been planning how I will spend my sabbatical time. That's one month off with pay. I'll most likely tack on some of my own personal vacation time. So, 5 weeks or so off in one monstrous chunk. I'll probably spend about 10 days in Canada. I'd like to go to Harveyville and spend an entire week alone drowning in in fiber-related heaven. But, that might not be doable. And I'll either clean out the damn basement or the attic. And knit to my heart's content.

I've got a pot of black-eyed peas simmering on the stove for good luck. And I'm spending the rest of the day knitting happily with my trusty Beagle and Alligator Puppy by my side.

A Review of My 2007 Knitting

2007-12-30T10:40:00.000-06:00

One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of my knitting progress. The advent of Ravelry has made that so much easier. I've also found that by writing this blog, I've become more conscious about my knitting and life in general. For years I resisted New Year's Resolutions or goal setting of any kind. By keeping track of the things I make or accomplish I've found that setting goals is satisfying rather than frustrating. Before I set any goals for the coming year, I thought I'd review what I've accomplished.
So, here is the list of the Things I Made in 2007
1 and 2) Fuzzy Feet for Danny & Caitlin
3) Dog sweater for Billy
4) Reversible Cable Scarf
5) A hat for me
6) Corporate Camo
7) Noro Striped Scarf for Dustin
8) Noro Striped Scarf for Caitlin
9) Fetching glovelets for Caitlin
10) Garter glovelets for Danny
11) Chanel-ish Cardigan Jacket for Tate
12) Watercolor socks for me
13) Shibori scarf for Tate
14) Hyde Park Pullover for me
15) Stolen fingerless mitts
16) My So-Called Scarf for Danny
17) Socks for Tate
18) Nikko Wrap

WIPed

2007-12-29T12:36:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd dig through the marination chamber to evaluate all of my Works in Progress (WIP) and give you a peak.

Here we have Lady Eleanor from Scarf Style that I cast on a few days ago. I'm using Paton's Soy Wool Stripes, which is a cheaper alternative to using Noro Silk Garden. I like the colors. And the technique is not hard at all. It would have been nice to use the Noro, but I didn't want to spend over $100 to make a wrap. I'm about 1/8 done.

Next, is the Knitting Pure& Simple Top-Down Cardi. This would have been a fast knit if I hadn't been impulsive and cast on for so many other smaller projects. I'm not sure how I feel about the stripes on this one. The yarn is very thick and I'm planning on wearing this instead of a coat. I've got the body completed and have started on the first sleeve.

The Landscape Earth socks are at a stand-still. And I simply had to have this yarn for my birthday.

The next few projects have really been sitting around. Here is the crochet blanket. I have made this thing too damn big. It's over ten feet long. And it takes for-freeking-ever to do one stripe. I was considering just giving up on this one. But, I received some encouragement from one of my dear co-workers, so I'll plod along on this one. Plus, I think I want to make each of my kids a blanket before I kick the bucket so they can have a keepsake of some sort.

Here is the Ribbi Cardi. This has been sitting around for well over a year. I have the back, the fronts and one sleeve finished. All I have to do is finish one sleeve and put it together.

The blue is a Koigu baby surplice cardigan from Vogue Knitting Spring 07. The sleeve portion is perplexing me. I saw some completed baby cardigans at the KC Fiber Guild's annual sale, so I think I may have figured it out. Then, there is Tate's sock. I just have to graft the toe of the second sock. And last, we have the ruffles scarf. I just need to bind this one off. I slept in late this morning and awoke to the smell of caramelizing onions. Sam had started a pot of French Onion Soup. He loves making it. I'm enjoying a bowl right now.

I've entered 44 projects in my queue on Ravelry. I wonder what Evil Knitting I will complete in 2008.

Happy Boxing Day

2007-12-26T16:40:00.000-06:00

Leave it to the Canadians to have an extra day to box up your gifts and get the house in order. If only we had that holiday.

On Christmas Eve, I received my first package from Spunky Eclectic. Sock yarn in 80's Party Dress colourway. I'm not so sure it suits me. It was a nice treat, though.

This Christmas, I didn't receive most of the fiber-related gifts I asked for. Alas, no spindle. I was expecting that. Maybe next year I'll put all the things you need to make Meth on my list. My love for knitting and spinning has been labeled "an obsession." I guess it's all in how you look at things. I call it a passion.

I did receive Nigella Express for Christmas. Tonight, I'm making Red Shrimp and Mango Curry for dinner. I'm off to work on Lady Eleanor. Entrelac is a new technique for me. It looks difficult, but it's not hard at all.

I leave you with a picture of a puppy bum.

Christmas Crap

2007-12-23T10:27:00.000-06:00

I believe it's a wrap. Yep, I've got everything done, including the wrapping. This year, I made gift giving easy by stopping off at the Licorice Door to get booze. Buy it, stick it in a gift bag and Bob's your Uncle.

So, now I can sit back and relax. I'm not spending much time cleaning this weekend. It always seems like the house turns into a wreck on Christmas Day. So, I figure I'll just get to it then.

We had another snow storm last night. Both of us were nervous because the lights flickered many times. And since it was about 18 degrees, the house would get mighty cold fast. Even though I wanted to have a fire, I'm saving the wood in case we have another stupid power outage.

I haven't been up to much besides getting the Christmas Crap done. In addition to shopping and wrapping this also includes last-minute blocking and finishing of knitted projects. I try to steer clear of knitting projects close to the holidays. I try to knit them throughout the year to have on hand for birthdays and Christmas. Less pressure. That being said, I cast on and finished a hat. I'm not sure that I will use it as a gift. I think my yarn choice was bad for this particular pattern.

Sam loved the French Onion soup so much he made it himself during the week. We have both been inspired by the current Cook's Illustrated and Fine Cooking magazines. Last night we made Cobb Salad Wraps because I was craving blue cheese.

The parental units are not having Sunday Dinner tonight because Christmas is so close. I can't remember the last time they did not have a Sunday Dinner when they were home. That leaves me all day and all evening to putter around here. Tonight we are either having Chinese Pork and Shitakke Mushroom Wraps or Sweet Potato, Chipotle and Apple Soup.

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, which means that the days will now get lighter. Thank goodness. I am really hating seeing night time come around 4:30.

Caitlin sent me pictures of the knitted items I sent them. I see that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

I've Got the Power

2007-12-15T11:05:00.000-06:00

For now anyway. We lost our power at about 5 a.m. Wednesday. The reason that I knew this is because the stupid janitor at the elementary school we back up to was running the snow blower at 4:30 a.m. Always the optimist, I figured that it wouldn't be long before it was restored. However, it was around 11 p.m. when it came back on. So, I took the day off and watched the temperature drop. Once it dropped about 10 degrees, I built a fire. Without power and very little sunlight, there's not much to do. But, I had my trusty Beagle and wiggly Basset to snuggle with.

I managed to finish the Corporate Camouflage shawl. I really like it. It was an easy knit. I'm thinking of making another. Maybe with some of my hand spun yarn.

I joined the Spunky Eclectic Fiber club, so I will be getting fiber to spin in January. Hopefully, I will get the spindle I want for Christmas. I also got the pencil roving I bought from Etsy. in the mail.

I'm back to working on the KP&S Top-Down Cardigan. The weather is perfect for a nice thick cardigan. I'm going to make French Onion Soup for dinner tonight.

Ice, Ice, Baby

2007-12-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

The ice storm hit. Thankfully, we still have our power. It's days like this that I'm glad that I work from home. Since the weather was so crappy, I've just been puttering around the house. We recently made an extra tray of chicken enchiladas just for this occasion. Piddles has had an awful time trying to get around in the ice. She's already uncoordinated. The ice has just kicked it up another notch. Precious and comical.

In my surfing around the Internet recently, I've located the Menu For Hope charity. Food bloggers have put together prize packages and for each $10 you donate you get a raffle ticket for the prize of your choice. I realize my very small readership isn't much interested in cooking, but the prizes are fabulous. I won't tell you what I've bid on, because I intend to win it.

United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, they give food to an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 56 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People. Check it out.

Poor Little Kitten

2007-12-10T16:12:00.000-06:00

I went to Whole Foods yesterday to get supplies to make a seafood gumbo. Now that the weather has turned cold, I've been taking out the hand knits to wear. Instead of a coat, I was sporting one of my heavier sweaters. I was also wearing the hand made fingerless mittens I'd just finished. So new that I hadn't even snapped a picture yet. Well, I took them off in the produce section somewhere. I remembered I'd left them about two blocks away from the store. But, alas. They were gone. Always the optimist, I've called a couple of times to see if they were returned. I hope you enjoy them, whoever you are. But, you can bet that I'll be checking out every one's mittens for a while.
It's a great pattern and they knit up quickly. I've already cast on for another pair. I'm using some of the yarn I used for the green Hyde Park sweater. I like them out of Noro Kureyon better. The first ones I made used some Kureyon with a lovely reddish colourway.
Ravelry has tempted me to cast on for a bunch of projects. Aside from the mitts, I've cast on for this hat. I'd better get back to the thick top down sweater now that it's cold. I'd really like to wear that instead of a coat.
I think I've got most of my Christmas presents. I'll have to run to a couple of stores in a couple of days when the weather gets better. Plus, I found a 30% coupon for Border's. Gotta love that. I feel a CD or a book coming my way very soon. Part of the fun of Christmas shopping is buying yourself a present or two. Over the weekend I bought some pencil roving from Etsy. If all goes well, I'll receive a groovy hand spindle for Christmas and try (again) to learn to spin. I figure I'll learn on a hand spindle and then move on to a wheel, if all goes well.
We attempted to make gnocchi over the weekend. What an unbelievable mess. It left the kitchen such a wreck I wondered if it would ever get clean again. I think we're going to try again soon now that the dust has settled.
Now that there is snow on the ground, the birds are using the bird feeder I have attached to my office window. This provides the cats endless entertainment, and I've enjoyed looking at the pretty birds while I clack away on my computer.
It's been a busy two weeks. Out to dinner at a glamorous French restaurant and a trip to the salon for a cut and color being some of the highlights.

Sunday Puttering

2007-11-25T10:33:00.000-06:00

Slept in again. Aaah. Though, I did dream about work, which I hate. When I first started my position (a thousand years ago), I used to dream in Word Perfect. Control, Alt, F7.

I don't know how Sam gets the pets to keep quiet. They never listen to a thing I tell them, just like my kids. He says he threatens to beat the crap out of them.

The pot roast turned out wonderful. I think I'll always use Alton's recipe. Oh, I did not add the raisins. Yuck. I bought the supplies for California Rolls. Sam is practicing making sushi. Hopefully, we'll have those later on today.

I love, love, love the shawl pattern. It's just like the name of the pattern. Simple but effective. I think I needed a no-brainer quick project. The dog sweater and the slippers weren't that fun to make for me. Probably because I haven't yet seem them on the recipients. I've used four kinds of yarn for the shawl. Noro Kureyon, Manos del Uruguay, an artisan hand spun, and Malibrigo worsted. Now I understand the fuss about Malabrigo. The yarn is glorious. Soft, light, and warm. Maybe one day I'll make a sweater for myself out of it.

The pets thoroughly enjoy the fire.

A Saturday All to Myself

2007-11-24T13:39:00.000-06:00

I did bet to sleep in, thanks to Sam keeping the pets quiet. It was snowing when I woke up. Ugh. But, Sam had a fire going, which seems to make things better. I started a pot roast, which is bubbling away in the oven presently. I usually make my mom's recipe, but Sam wanted to try Alton's recipe. We altered it, of course. I like having a saucy pot roast with veggies. We'll add carrots, potatoes, and parsnips. And serve it over noodles.
After the Thanksgiving dinner, we were all sitting around the table chatting at my sister's house. Sometimes, my sister will lead the conversation by asking my folks some questions about their childhood or early life. My mother always sang silly songs with her sister, who is now gone. So, my sister asked her to sing some of the songs she sang with Aunt Jean. My mother explained that most of the silly songs she knew were taught to her by her uncle. Being of Scottish decent, they were mostly Scottish songs. So, my mom started up one of her silly songs and then out of the blue Dustin joined in. He knew all the words of a very long silly Scottish song. My mom had sang this song to him when he was a very little boy. It was a special moment to hear them singing at the table for everyone.

A Good Day Off

2007-11-23T18:10:00.001-06:00

My goal today was to clean the chaos that used to be my kitchen, get the pets all in order, and work on laundry. The kitchen: pristine prior to making dinner tonight. Pets: pretty good. Laundry: not sul bad. But, my main goal really was to relax and knit. After all, it's my last vacation day for 2007.
I've finished the Fuzzy Feet for Caitlin. I'm not going to bother taking a picture. Like the dog sweater, it will be much more exciting to see them modeled on the recipient. And thanks to Ravelry, I've cast on for a shawl. So, I spent most of the day relaxing and knitting.
The weather has gotten cold just in time for the holidays. I've really been enjoying wearing my hand knits. In particular, my socks.
Thanksgiving went smoothly. While my sister cooks the turkey for the family meal, I cook one for us. I bought an organic turkey from Whole Foods. I don't know what came over me when I was there. But, I bought a premade brining kit. Never again. I will always make my own brine as I have in the past. This one was too salty and too sweet. I didn't care for the way it flavored the meat at all. I've found that if we take the skin off, it's not so strong. But, it still made my gravy taste funny. It's a shame, in my opinion. The skin is my favorite guilty pleasure. And an organic turkey ain't cheap. I did do one thing different, thanks to Barbara. I took it out at 150 degrees. So that it would be at 160 after it rests.
I made taco soup for dinner tonight. Though, I've modified mine to something that is totally different. We use ground turkey and V-8 for starters.
No OT tomorrow! Maybe I can even sleep late.

Girl's Night In

2007-11-17T20:55:00.000-06:00

It appears that Saturday nights are a solo gig for the Suzinator. Girl's Night In! Sam is studying a new computer system language, or something.
We went out for sushi late in the afternoon at Whole Foods and I brought back a salad for later.
I worked overtime again today. And I also went to a fiber artist sale. I found some interesting things about spinning. That will be the next thing I lose myself in. (If only I was more co-ordinated.)
I've finished the dog sweater. It doesn't make sense to post pictures at this point. Once I receive pictures of it being modeled, it will be far more effective.
Caitlin sent me an email asking for felted slippers this week. So, I've got them on the needles, and I hope to mail the knitted gifts soon. Then, I cast on for The Black Pearl! I bought some hand spun hand dyed yarn for it today.
Man, I cannot believe Thanksgiving is almost here. I have not done any prep for that at all.

Blasted Time Change

2007-11-11T16:39:00.000-06:00

The blasted time change has me all in a tizzy. I really hate how it gets dark so early. I wish we didn't have Daylight Saving Time. Though, my favorite day of the year is when we get to have that extra hour that is unaccountable for. I used to want to have that as a super power. Being able to stop time so I could do all the things I wanted to do.

Lately, I've been interested in Japanese cooking. I love making Miso soup for lunch. Today, I went to an Asian grocery store downtown in search of Natto. They had not heard of it. I guess I'll just have to keep looking. Natto is very interesting to me. And I might even like it because I like stinky food, like blue cheese and Kim Chi.

I've also been reading about Bento making. Though I'm not interested in the elaborate kind at all. Japanese food interests me because it's so healthy.

The scarf I impulsively cast on for is finished. I'm going to give it to Danny. Now I'm concentrating on the dog sweater as Danny indicated she was anxious to receive it. I figure I'll get those done and give Caitlin the green scarf I made earlier this year. I still have to block the dang thing and take pictures.

What I really want to cast on for is this. I've been collecting some nice yarn to use for it. It's too dark to take pictures today.

I've also been thinking of how I'm going to spend my time off in 2008. I have my sabbatical, and plan to go see Caitlin graduate from college. I also get all my regular vacation time and will roll over vacation time. I believe I have 60 days off next year. I think one of the things I will do is clean out a bunch of stuff around the house and get rid of a bunch of crap. Sam was thinking we could even have a Crap Sale. I think I would definitely want a sign that said just that.

Flight of the Conchords- Business Time

2007-11-10T12:11:00.001-06:00

Shoes

2007-11-03T17:22:00.000-06:00

She was a much older woman. You can always tell by the shoes.
Danny O'Keefe

I'm always in search of a pair of shoes that I can wear with my handmade socks and wear to work. I think I may have found them.My in-laws came for a visit today. Consequently, I cleaned for a bit last night and before they came. I think I might have actually been ready this time. My MIL loves to shop and is very lavish in her gift giving. After bringing us a huge truckload of fire wood, we took of to buy shoes. MIL has diabetic feet and has to be very careful about the shoes she gets. She's already lost one toe to neuropathy. So, after unloading the wood, off we went to a swanky shoe store. I really didn't want to get anything. Lord knows, my MIL has gotten me enough cool pairs of shoes. But, they wouldn't take no for an answer, so here's what I got.

Man, these are great. I think these may be the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn! I'm always blown away when I see the young gals wearing the pointy-toed heels at work. That ship has sailed for me. Probably in the form of platform shoes.

After shoe shopping, we were off to Costco. The pace my in-laws keep is amazing. Here they are in their mid-60's and they wear me out. They bought us a ton of groceries. I've filled the freezer with meat and veggies, got canned items, and toiletries. After they left, we went out for lunch and fell asleep. Tonight, Sam is studying a new operating system, so I high-tailed it to Whole Foods and got some Cioppino for my dinner. I'll be spending the evening knitting, doing laundry and puttering around Ravelry.

Shoes the Full Version

2007-11-03T16:57:00.001-06:00

Disaster Strikes!

2007-11-01T16:37:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when you leave a puppy alone for five minutes. Not to worry. I was able to salvage it. Note to self: put knitting on the table before you go to bed.

We had less than 20 trick-or-treaters last night. I'm wondering if that's just a thing of the past now. What with all the mental cases out there. We didn't even have the dumb high school kids that comprise the majority of the trick-or-treaters. And only two of the pets complied with costumes.

We went to bed EARLY last night. Even though the puppy got me up early, I went back to bed and slept until 8:30. (I had to work the late shift.) I had originally planned on cleaning before work. That's what happens when you tell yourself, "I'll just get back in bed for 15 minutes."

Joms seems to be doing fine. Whatever it was on his leg is gone and he's back to his normal self. And no more incidents with Daisy. Though we've totally cut any food other than her dry food. And we've done so with Piddles too. Hopefully, some weight will drop off of the Beagle. I'll start up walking them again this weekend.

Tonight, it's meatloaf, sauteed mushrooms, and mashed cauliflower. I know we just had mashed cauliflower; but it's SO good.

Crappers

2007-10-28T08:11:00.000-06:00

Joms got out yesterday. He's been running out the door quite a bit lately only to return a few hours later. I never worried all that much about it since he stays pretty close. Except for last year, when he bit someone. The woman filed a police report and the cops came to the house. Well, it appears that he's injured himself somehow. He hissed at me last night and now he's hiding in the laundry room. I saw him skittering in the kitchen this morning and he's limping. So, it looks like I'll be going to the vet tomorrow.

I've been spending time getting my projects logged in to Ravelry. this means rounding them up, taking/editing photos, logging the photos into Flickr, adding notes and comments. It's time consuming, but it's interesting to have them all organized. Plus, I've been checking out what other knitters have made or are making. I'm amazed at the many levels of creativity many of the knitters have. Many have several hobbies such as spinning, photography, writing, or cooking. It's very inspiring. I found a cool pattern an impulsively cast on for this. Pattern can be found here.

Last night I made grilled steak with a blue cheese jalapeno sauce. Whole foods had some lovely artichokes, so we had those with the steaks. I bought some meatloaf mix at the butcher shop yesterday. I normally mix my own. So, we'll have meatloaf and mashed cauliflower with horseradish this week.

Yard work today. maybe someday my back yard will be pretty.

To the Frog Pond it Goes, Bye-bye Pi

2007-10-25T16:13:00.000-06:00

I've decided to rip out the Pi Shawl. I made a stupid mistake with the lace. And after going through Ravelry, I've determined that I have nowhere near the yardage I need to make the shawl. And it would just look crappy to add something else to this hand dyed yarn.
It's always funny to me to see the reaction that my non-knitting friends have with ripping knitting out. They simply cannot believe it. But I just don't see the point of keeping on after a big mistake because it will always bug me. Or I won't wear it. Then, what's the point? I definitely like the pattern. I'll have to scour my stash to see if I have the yardage in a different yarn.

I've been reading other knitter's blogs about going to Rinebeck, which is the NY Sheep and Wool Festival. It's held every year the third week in October. Someday. Someday.

Recently, I've noticed that the Beagle has been acting funny after walks. At first she wouldn't be able to make it up on the couch on the first try. Then, getting down she looked stiff. Today, she fell up the step coming in the house from the back yard. Both the front and the back legs gave out. She's not all that old. I'd say 6. She can still put her legs out behind her when stretching out, so it's not her hips. I'm not exactly sure what to do about it. I realize she needs to take some weight off. I already have her on low calorie dog food. But, I guess I'm going to have to eliminate any treats or scraps. I think I will continue taking her on walks for now, just so she can lose some weight and gain strength. Maybe she needs a low dose of aspirin for the joints. I'm not ready to go through the downward spiral thing again. It seems it hasn't been that long since I lost my last dog.

The Overtime Vampire

2007-10-20T16:13:00.000-06:00

Ah well, I worked 11 hours of overtime this week. Dang, it's hard to be glorious when OT sucks the life out of you. Since I've been working so much, there's not much to report. Cooking has been rather boring. I've been knitting on the projects when I can. The house is a wreck! I had planned on cleaning like a banshee today after work. But, alas, I'm too tired. There's always tomorrow, right?

I really have no right to piss & moan. This is a volunteer thing.

I had asked Tate to bring the knitted things I've made her. She brought over a ginormous bag last Sunday. I had forgotten about some of the things I had made her. It was finally sunny enough to photograph them so I can log them into Ravelry. I have asked my sister to do the same tomorrow. It's nice to keep a log of the projects. I wish I had taken pictures of the things I've made John and Dustin. But, I'm sure they were lost a long time ago.
Tonight we are making Greek Gyros and I'm starting the sauerbraten. It was nice to tinker in the kitchen for a bit.
I was puttering around Ravelry and had the urge to cast on for Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi Shawl. And here I was telling myself to pick some quick projects next. I'm using some sock weight two-ply I bought from Tracy Bunkers' open house some years ago. This as "dud" yarn and very cheap. I think it will look pretty for the shawl. It's a lovely red color, bought during my Red Phase. If I don't have enough, I'm sure I can find something else to use for the edging.
Pictures soon.

Awful, Harrible Rainy Day

2007-10-13T11:28:00.000-06:00

It's been raining like crazy. The worst part is that Piddles hates the rain. I tried and tried to get her to go pee, but no luck. After making her stand in the rain (and listening to her cry) she promptly came in an pooped on the floor. I felt like a monster. She spent the entire morning in her Xpen whimpering.
The Overtime Project is back on again. Seems they still don't have enough warm bodies. So, I'll be doing OT until the end of the month. It's taxing in some ways, but I do like the money.
I've worked on the KF socks this week and the crochet blanket. The blanket is a cat magnet. If I set it down, I'm sure to find a fat cat slumbering on it when I return. I've also been spending some time entering my stuff on Ravelry. But, I figure it's going to take a LONG time, so I might as well get some actual knitting done instead of entering info about it.
I think I'll make the BLT salad for dinner tonight.

2007-10-07T13:31:00.000-06:00

After spending quite some time logging in my knitting information to Ravelry over the weekend, I decided to clean out my office/studio. I was ruthless. I decided to face the fact that there were some knitting projects that I didn't even want to salvage. I would never wear them, I could not for the life of me remember where I was on the pattern, I hated the yarn now. So, into the trash they went. I took quite a bit of time, but now it's spotless. (The closet is jammed packed and harrible, but the room is clear.)

Last night, we made pork tenderloin, sauerkraut with apples and bacon, and fried green tomatoes. They had all the sample tables out at Whole Foods when we were shopping. One of the tables had samples of sauerbraten and braised red cabbage. It was delightful. I'm definitely going to make that soon. It's nice to see all the fall produce again. I also worked on the crochet blanket. It's about 2 feet wide now. Only 8 more to go. I went to the Wild Oats in the suburbs to buy apples and blueberries to make spiced blueberry applesauce today. The store had hardly any merchandise in it. When I was checking out, the checker told me the store was closing. Bummer, because Whole Foods doesn't have a juice bar. I always liked having the two stores because they carry different things.

Relaxing Saturday

2007-10-06T09:23:00.000-06:00

I had a nice birthday. We went out for breakfast at Poco's on the Boulevard and then to Room 39 for lunch. I heard from all the kids, my family and friends. That made me really happy. Then, I made crab cakes for dinner. Sam watched Piddles this morning so I could sleep in. (8 a.m. Woo Hoo.)
In between entering my stash on Ravelry I worked on the laundry and cleaning. Sam tried his best to keep me from doing laundry. (You're NOT cleaning and doing laundry on your BIRTHDAY!) But that kind of stuff doesn't really bother me. Plus, there was a ton of laundry to do. How did I ever survive doing laundry for four kids and a husband? I'm trying to remember. So far, I have 40 yarns stashed. And that's just the tip if the iceberg. I'm sure I'll have well over 100. Yarn is all over the place in the spare bedroom and office. I've been having to unearth all of my yarn in the various hiding spots. It looks like a tornado ran through those rooms.
So, today I'll continue to work on cleaning the house in between entering my knitting data on Ravelry. I wonder who has the largest stash so far... (I'm such a nerd!)

Happy Birthday

2007-10-05T05:05:00.000-06:00

to me. I'm 48. Oh well.
I took the day off from work, so I've got a long weekend ahead of me.
I received my invitation from Ravelry a couple of days ago, so I've been playing around in there. Quite a site. I've already received an email with pattern corrections from a designer. I might actually get my knitting organized. Amazing.

Patience is a

2007-10-02T15:48:00.000-06:00

Well, the casserole last night was gross. Don't make it. I wanted to throw the entire thing in the trash, but Sam took it to work to share with his co-workers. What does that say?

Tonight: spaghetti and meatballs. I know, I know. Making 6 lbs of meatballs is not in keeping with the KISS weeknight meals. Alas, I didn't have time on Sunday to make them ahead of time. So, bite me.

I dropped an egg while making the meatballs and summoned the dogs in for a quick clean-up. This didn't fare well with the puppy, as she ran to the family room to barf. It was her first time barfing, so she was upset. She was so cute with those little sad eyes looking at the piles of barf. Oh, if only I had the camera handy. I can't wait to replace the carpeting!

I took her outside afterward only to discover this:

Whut thu Hull???

Anyone?

I've been working on the Knitting Pure & Simple Cardigan. It really is going pretty fast. I tried it on today, and it looks as if I have maybe 7 inches to go on the body. And since the yarn is so thick that won't take much time at all. It's going to be a heavy duty cardigan. A real work horse.

Well, I'm under 200 on the Ravelry waiting list. With my luck, it will be stuck on 4 for several days. I'm dying to see what other knitters are doing.

I've got a little more of my OWN time

2007-10-01T14:39:00.000-06:00

The Fuzzy Feet are complete. These slippers are for Danny. And I'm done with the second of the socks on two circs, with the exception of Kitchenering the tip. I prolly should make Caitlin a pair before I mail then out.

I'll be moving the Nikko Wrap to the Stall Wall. It just needs more beads added. And beading is such a pain in the ass. I'm wondering if I'm just too dumb to have figured out the easy way.

On Saturday, I listened to some of the Pod casts on Knit picks. I was surprised to find out that the owner has about 7 projects on the needles at all times. Maybe it's because she wants to encourage us all to buy more stuff from her web site. Or maybe she's just not as strict with herself. After hearing that, however, I certainly wanted to cast on for more projects.

But, I resisted.

I'm kind of holding off to see what happens when I finally get on Ravelry. I'm under less than 1K now. I'm excited. I wonder how many projects other knitters have on their needles. And what everyone else is making. Maybe I can get some help with the dang Baby Surprise Surplice Wrap too. I'm also waiting to see if I get any of the Kaffe Fassett Sock Yarn soon. If I do, that will be my next sock project. On one long circular.

I decided that I have to pair down my weeknight cooking. While I was working overtime, we had carry-out more than I'd like to. It left us both feeling yucky. And while I'm glad that I'll have some more time, I want to keep our weeknight meals simple. I think I'm going to do more cooking on Sundays, so that the weeknights can go smoothly.

I made some chicken stock on Saturday. I love making stock. I'll hope to be making matzo ball soup this week. Or I can it freeze the stock for later. Tate mentioned that they brown their bones where she works. So, that will be next. She also mentioned a technique where you drop cold water on the roasted bones to cause them to open. That way, when you boil them you get the most bang for your buck.

So, I'm going to start working on the Knitting Pure & Simple Cardigan again. I remember saying that it would fly off the needles. I guess that is only if you don't have Knitter's ADD.

Tonight I made Sopa Seca. I used up the rest of the roast turkey I had instead of smoked turkey. I also used Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes and added some chorizo I had on hand.

Quiet Friday

2007-09-29T04:58:00.000-06:00

Sam had to pull an all-nighter at work Friday night, so I had the evening to myself. I took the dogs on a walk. (It's getting easier!) I went to Whole Foods and bought Cioppino for dinner and a salad for lunch today. I got a little knitting done. Not much, because the dogs were running all over the place. Nell turns into an alligator puppy when she gets tired. Snapping at everything. I gave the puppy a bath, cleaned out her crate, and turned in early. I kept waking up because I had trouble regulating my temperature.
I had a nice lunch with my mom, Dustin, and Tate on Thursday. It's good to get out in the middle of the day once in a while. The weather has be beautiful.
Today is the very last day of the overtime project. I'm ready for it to be over. I want my time back. With any luck, I should be on Ravelry by next weekend.

2007-09-24T18:23:00.000-06:00

I'm obsessed about being admitted to Ravelry. As of now, I'm 4,580 in line. Maybe I'll get my invitation by my birthday.

I've turned the heel on the second sock and I'm hoping I can get the second Fuzzy

Foot finished with the yarn I have left.

First Day of Fall

2007-09-23T12:36:00.000-06:00

Happy first day of Fall.
I took yesterday off from the volunteer overtime project. I wasn't feeling all that great when I woke up, so I decided that I needed two days off in a row. It was nice to get the house in order. I had lunch with my dad. I got a new hair cut that is darn cute. I was inspired by Caitlin and Danny to have a more modern wash & go type of style. Dustin and Tate had been encouraging me to grow it long. But, it was driving me crazy, so now I'm sporting a new chin-length razored do. I was considering coloring it again. But my hair stylist insisted that my natural silver was pretty and that it simply needed a few things for extra Oomph. So, maybe I'll have him even out the color and add some dramatic streak or something.
I was thumbing through my recipe books and tumbled upon The Complete Book of Breads. I think my brother got this for my birthday some 25 years ago. I used to make Sunset White Bread for my kids when they were little. So, I thought I'd make it again. It didn't rise well and was a flop. I figured I could use it for croutons or something. We made Hot Browns for dinner last night using the bread. It is a Kentucky favorite open-faced sandwich made with toast, roast turkey, cheese sauce, and bacon. It was simply awful. I couldn't even eat mine. It looked like a big brown pile on the plate. Yuck.
In the past, when Fall arrived, I used to spend most of my knitting time in a hurried frenzy making gifts for Christmas. After I figured out that this took a considerable amount of joy out of knitting, I decided to stop. There was no need to make a gift for every person. Nobody else makes each gift. Now, I make things throughout the year. This year, I'm not sure that I will even cast on for another gift between now and Christmas. Better to get the things I have started completed.
I finished reading our book club selection, "Wait Till Next Year." I enjoyed the parts about history very much. However, the first part of the book about her early childhood told through rose coloured glasses was a bit boring. And, I found myself skimming over the play by plays of particular baseball games.

I spoke to Dustin yesterday. His cat, Willa, died Thursday night. He seemed to be taking it fairly well. It's so hard when you help a four-legged friend die.

questionnaire

2007-09-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

I found this questionnaire on a blog of a blog of a blog.

I’ve done it
I want to do it
No interest

• Afghan (Does the crochet blanket count?)

• I-cord
• Garter stitch
• Knitting with metal wire
• Shawl•
Stockinette stitch
• Socks: top-down
• Socks: toe-up
• Knitting with camel yarn
• Mittens: Cuff-up
• Mittens: Tip-down
• Hat (too many to count)
• Knitting with silk
• Moebius band knitting
• Participating in a KAL
• Sweater (Yes, very much so)
• Drop stitch patterns
• Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
• Slip stitch patterns
• Knitting with banana fiber yarn
• Domino knitting
• Twisted stitch patterns
• Knitting with bamboo yarn (wool-bamboo blend)
• Two end knitting (???)
• Charity knitting
• Knitting with soy yarn
• Cardigan
• Toy/doll clothing
• Knitting with circular needles
• Baby items
• Knitting with your own handspun
• Slippers
Graffiti knitting (???)
• Continental knitting
• Designing knitted garments
• Cable stitch patterns
• Lace patterns
• Publishing a knitting book
• Scarf
• Teaching a child to knit
• American/English knitting (almost every day)
• Knitting to make money (no, that’s why I’m in law school )
• Buttonholes
• Knitting with alpaca
• Fair Isle knitting
• Norwegian knitting
• Dying with plant colors
• Knitting items for a wedding (as a wedding GIFT)
• Household items
• Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
• Olympic knitting
• Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
• Knitting with dpns
• Holiday-related knitting
• Teaching a male how to knit
• Bobbles
• Knitting for a living
• Knitting with cotton
• Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
• Steeks
• Knitting art
• Fulling/felting
• Knitting with wool (virtually all the time)
• Textured knitting
• Kitchener BO
• Purses/bags
• Knitting with beads
• Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
• Knitting and purling backwards
• Machine knitting
• Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
• Stuffed toys
• Knitting with cashmere
• Darning
• Jewelry
• Knitting with synthetic yarn
• Writing a pattern
• Gloves
• Intarsia
• Knitting with linen
• Knitting for preemies
• Tubular CO
• Freeform knitting
• Short rows
• Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
• Pillows
• Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
• Rug
• Knitting on a loom
• Thrummed knitting
• Knitting a gift
•Knitting for pets
• Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair (Ick, on purpose?!)
• Hair accessories
• Knitting in public

~tired~

2007-09-18T18:41:00.001-06:00

I guess I was really tired. I worked 11 hours and 45 minutes yesterday and was simply beat. Every particle of me was tired. We watched a couple of programs on the Travel Channel. I must admit that I liked Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and enjoyed it. We also watched some Jackass eat all sorts of gross stuff in the Middle East. I was pushing it to stay up after I ate dinner. But, going to bed early did wonders.
No knitting tonight. Just resting on the couch.
However, I made roast chicken, mashed cauliflower with horseradish, and corn off the cob for dinner tonight. Tomorrow, Pot Roast. I hope to publish a recipe I made up this weekend. BLT salad. It was a total hit.
Early bed time again tonight. I hope I feel more like myself tomorrow.

2007-09-15T15:21:00.000-06:00

One sock completed. I should have made the cuff longer. And they fit a tad too tight on me. These will be a gift for someone with teeny footsies. I can't wait to see if the Magic Loop method is even better.

We bought a new stock pot. It's friggin YUGE. We made stock yesterday and I used all the veggie and chicken scraps I'd saved in the freezer. I think I'll make some gumbo later this week.

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. Maybe it's because everything was so peaceful and orderly when I had time off. I definitely had more time to do fun stuff when I didn't have to work 40+ hours per week. I feel like I haven't accomplished as much as I'd like to and everything is half-finished. This could be caused by hastily casting on for the fuzzy feet AND a sock. Or maybe I'm just tired. I'm glad that the pets are settling down somewhat, but I sure do wish I could sleep in a little later on the weekends. Or maybe it's because it's been cold and gray.

There's a new Knitty issue out there. I really enjoyed David Demchuk's article. I keep checking to see when I will be accepted to Ravelry. There are over 8,000 people ahead of me. This is an incredible idea.

2007-09-12T16:24:00.000-06:00

I'm so glad the weather has been cool enough to have the windows open. It makes the house smell so good, and the Boyz are happy all day long.

The sock is coming along swimmingly. Now, I'm on the foot section of the sock. And only after one week! I'm glad I have years of making socks on double-pointed needles as the mechanics are easier for me to picture.

Here is how you nab your sister's chewie. Ever so slowly. Oh, and in the end, Daisy was successful. I'm glad that they are getting to the point where they can snuggle. Once they really start sleeping together, it's going to be much easier.

I smoked a pork loin roast today and will serve it with a Carolina style Cole Slaw. I used the electric smoker, so it was pretty hands-off.

Pretty good, for a Monday

2007-09-10T18:31:00.000-06:00

The XPen training went much better today. Maybe everything seemed to go better since I slept like a Rock last night.

The pets have been having little moments where they all get along.

Socks made on two circs definitely does move a ton faster.

I'm done with the cuff and started on the heel flap. And I didn't have much time to knit this weekend, what with the puppy. That's darn good for 6 days. I'm using Addi Turbos, which are very different from bamboo double points. That's what I've been using for years. The Addi's are slick. The bamboo hugs the yarn. My first attempt at socks on two needles, I dropped a bunch on my first round and had to start over. But, it seems to be going well. I'm not too whippy on the resting needle. It seems to get in the way. After this pair, I'll try the Magic Loop. When I attended my class with Sally Melville, most of my classmates were knitting socks using this method. Although, I'm not quite sure what you do when knitting the flap. I guess I'll find out.

I started knitting when I was probably about 12. And knitted (if you can call it that) until I was around 15. I picked up knitting again, after Dustin was born. My Xhusband's cousin was totally into knitting socks. Nancy said she liked knitting socks because it wasn't expensive, there was a lot of knitting, and you could really use what you made. Keeping in mind that this was 25 years ago, there was very little yarn to choose from and the same goes for needles, etc. The yarn was much bulkier and there were only metal needles. I remember when I took my first class and brought my socks in. The teacher was wistful when I showed her my socks. She told a story of how she made custom Argyle socks using the Fraternity colors for her college boyfriends (including their initials) until she figured out that they were simply dating her for the socks.

And so it was my second return to knitting where I learned to love making socks. Lots has changed. I was a tried and true double-pointer until a few days ago. And there is a ton of beautiful sock yarn out there. The yarn is much thinner, so you can wear them with shoes. And there is a nylon content to help them wear well. There are even clear plastic boots specifically made to show off your hand made socks. But, they sound hot and unhealthy for my tootsies.

Sam made blue cheese burgers for dinner tonight. Excellent. Go, Sam.

Dead Tired

2007-09-09T13:02:00.000-06:00

3:30 a.m. I am awakened by the television. I go to the Living Room and tell my husband to shut off the TV and go to bed.
3:40 a.m. I go to the couch to sleep because of snoring.
4:00 a.m. The strange noise starts. I wonder if it is the puppy waking up. But, I do not hear any whining. The Strange Noise goes intermittently until
5:00 a.m. The puppy wakes up. I take her outside to do her business and then put her back to bed. We are done by 5:08 a.m.
5:15 a.m. The Strange Noise is coming from the kitchen. The Boyz are trying to rip open the bag of puppy food I left on the counter top. I put the food away and shoo the Boyz off the counter top.
5:30 a.m. I shoo the The Boyz off of the couch.
5:40 a.m. The Boyz have a Kitty Kung Fu fight. I sequester them to the basement.
6:15 a.m. The Beagle wants to go outside.
7:20 a.m. The Beagle wakes the entire household up with her loud beagle barking.

We went to Teocali yesterday. It was okay. I was hoping for something a bit better. I got some cleaning done, too. I made the Beef with Lemongrass over Rice for dinner last night.

Tonight is Book Club. I'm sure I will try to get to bed early tonight. My attempt to take a nap this afternoon was a bust.

Short Week

2007-09-08T06:15:00.000-06:00

I'm glad it was a short work week. Whatever order and tidiness went to hell in a hand basket. Probably because we cooked some more complicated dinners. I've got to remember to keep it simple stupid during the work week. It just feels like the entire house is a war zone.
Before we got the puppy, there was a balance with the pets. Now, everything is off kilter. I expected it, but sometimes it's a bit much to deal with. The other pets have been acting like I don't pay enough attention to them. I feel like I've been running around making sure that every one's needs are being met, when before it was quite peaceful and simple. I'm sure things will eventually settle down. Eventually.
The exercise pen (XPen) training is going fairly well with Nell. She has to stay in the XPen while I work. I take her out very often to potty etc. And, she eventually stops whining and settles down. The problem is that she starts it all up again when I walk through the room. So, I'm sort of a hostage in my office. I think twice before getting up to get a glass of water, etc. Also, The Beagle has been stealing all of the smaller chewies and treats from her like a vulture.
After work, I've been trying to take her on a walk to run off that Puppy Energy. She won't really walk on her own. She just cries and sits down. Then, I tried taking her with the Beagle. Sheer comedy. But yesterday, we went all the way down the block and up another. Nell likes to hold Daisy's leash in her mouth like she's taking Daisy on the walk. If Daisy didn't pull like a mother it would be wonderful.
We had our kitting club meeting on Wednesday. It had been some time since we had met. One of the gals was making socks using the two circular needle method in Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles. I had taken a class to learn this method when the book came out. The class was a flop because the teacher wasn't prepared at all. I left the class thinking that if she couldn't figure it out, then I probably never could either. But, seeing how it was done inspired me, and I cast on for a pair of socks using this. I have over two inches done on the cuff, so it does move a lot faster. I'm a bit annoyed at the dangling resting needle, so I may try the Magic Loop method next, which is just using one very long circular needle. I do love making socks. They are like reading a summer novel. Kind of predictable with just enough to keep your interest.
The one thing I want to do this weekend is go here. However, I need to clean like a Banshee.

Back to Work

2007-09-04T04:50:00.000-06:00

Nell slept all through the night! From 9:45 to 5:15. Not too shabby.
I've learned there are two things I must remember:
1) Lock the door to the exercise pen after Nell leaves. Otherwise, a fat Beagle goes in to steal the chewies and treats.
2) Do not set your knitting down anywhere except the table. Otherwise, Nell finds a way to get it and drag it all over the place.
Yesterday, she got the second Fuzzy Feet slipper off of the foot stool. In like 5 seconds, she had the stitches off the needle and the yarn wrappped around her head. Lucky thing they are made with Lamb's Pride, which is a sticky wool so the stitches were somewhat intact.
We went to Whole Foods yesterday where I found chicken feet. So, I made chicken stock last night. And, yes, I've taken a picture of the feet to email to Caitlin.
I took the Chantix last night before bed and woke up around 4 all nauseated. I don't think I can do coffee this morning. I think I'll wait a bit to take the morning pill when I'm not so queasy.

Last Day of Vacation

2007-09-03T07:58:00.000-06:00

Oh, well. It had to come to an end.
Sam made dinner last night. He wanted to recreate the flavors of one of the courses we had at Blue Stem. So, he made shrimp with orange, red pepper, and avocado served over basmati rice. It was really good. I picked enough plum tomatoes and made roasted tomato soup for today. I'll make grilled cheese sandwiches with a loaf of sourdough and a good cheese to eat with the soup. It was interesting, because both of us were cooking separate meals in the kitchen together.
Nell has been getting better with her exercise pen training. The crying subsides after about 3 or 4 minutes now. Just in time for going back to work tomorrow.
I've started back on Chantix to quit smoking today. You have to start out gradually and work up to two pills each day. I forgot that it makes you nauseated. Maybe that's why I quit drinking coffee a while back. Blech.