Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Just for Fun

I found this over at Robin's blog, very interesting.
My only complaint....I'm just not the type that can pick only 1.....there were so many photos to choose from and I felt a bit frustrated...so many of these are only just 'close'.

Like the treat...that would actually be that dark, black chocolate....and the favourite landscape (being torn between the woodsy thing and the ocean thing and the mountain thing...you get the idea). So have a bit of fun if you have the time.

Happy Knitting to All, and continue to make.good.time.


Friday, February 23, 2007

Happy Birthday, Carolyn!

Let's hear a big Happy Birthday to Carolyn, my lovely MIL, she lives waaaaaay down south, southern Texas, what they call the Valley area.

She is a lovely and most gracious southern woman, lots of fun, she has 2 beers lunches, her favourite. And she is one funny lady! And yes, I love her.

Bobby and I flew down to their home last Spring, spent a couple/three days, and get this, they have a grapefruit orchard on their front lawn, seriously, and it's beautiful. Their grapefruit is the very best I have ever eaten....that sweet red kind.

They took us down into Mexico while we were there, one of the day-trips...they also took us out on a dolphin watch, amazing. Yes, we got to see real live wild dolphins swimming around, they'd come up to the boat and check us out, look us over, it was absolutely amazing.

We ate good food, drank good liquor, walked in sand, watched for alligators,(yes, from their back yard), I did some knitting while I was there, (surprised?). I'm telling you, a good time was had by all!

I don't get to see Carolyn nearly enough, oh sure, Bob gets to town more often, but Carolyn? not enough. She should be here next month sometime and I'm hoping we'll all be able to get together, do some of that eating and drinking and laughing stuff that we seem to do so well.

I've got some photos from that trip, I'll check that folder and see if I can find a couple to show, she'll probably want to whap me a good one (just please mind the divot, thank you) but she won't...whap me that is, she WILL probably want to.

I did find the photos, let's see how they do.

Here's Carolyn,

(did I mention how pretty she is?) we're out on the dolphin watch, very windy day, the pooch belonged to the nice lady who took us out on the water. Really nice dog.

See the dolphin?


This is Bobby and I, we stopped off for yet more 'refreshments' and to walk some beach.


Yep, the alligator I told you about, photo taken from their backyard. Seriously.



Some fun and games......what birthday would be complete without some fun and games?

Also, putting the dancing kites in here, just in case Carolyn missed them a few posts ago.



Dancing Kites
http://www.kitelife.com/videos/demo/bethell_promo.htm



I'm a Porsche 911!



You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.


Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.




My Fortune Cookie told me:
Your therapist has you mixed up with another patient. Don't believe a thing she tells you.
Get a cookie from Miss Fortune




My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Her Most Serene Highness Lady Marianne the Incomplete of Hoptonshire by Leer
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title




Your Monster Profile

Demon Nightmare

You Feast On: Fried Chicken

You Lurk Around In: The Ocean

You Especially Like to Torment: Blondes




You Should Rule Jupiter

Huge and hot, Jupiter is a quickly turning planet with short days and intense gravity.

You are perfect to rule Jupiter, because you are both dominant and kind.
You have great strength and confidence, but you never abuse your power.

You are always right. Even if you make mistakes, you compensate for them... before anyone knows it.
Headstrong and ambitious, you always have a goal in mind. You are optimistic and believe thing things will always work out.


And of course, a little fun for my knitterly friends.....






What Kind of Knitter Are You?




You appear to be a Knitting Purist. You are an accomplished knitter producing beautiful pieces with a classic feel. You sometimes lament losing half of your local yarn shop to garish novelty yarns. Perhaps you consider fun fur scarves the bane of knitting society and prefer to steer new knitters towards the wool and cotton blends. Some might call you a bit of an elitist but you know that you've been doing this craft long enough to respect the history behind it and honor it with beautiful piece that can last a lifetime. http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!








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Happy Birthday! Carolyn.

Happy Knitting to All and please, continue to make.good.time.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Mind the divot, please.

Full steam ahead. I've a busy busy day today, running errands, dropping off papers at the recycling bin at the school, library pick up (socks on 2 needles book), post office, etc. several stops to make.

I'm going to give you some yarnporn today....some, not all of it (the anniversary trade goodies not being shown today), just the birthday, and the 'just because' and the 'care' gifts...all of it incredible goodness.

Long awaited Peace Fleece shots:

Lauren's Coral (worsted weight)


Anna's Grasshopper (worsted weight)



Sheplova Mushroom (sport weight) this is in reality a much richer, deeper brick red....Norma has this on her needles and has been having the same problems getting the true colour across via photo.


Kamchatka Sea Moss (sport weight)

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to SIL Deborah, this yarn gives me major swoons.
Oh, and those were a birthday gift.



Fleece Artist sock yarn, beautiful don't you think? Look at those colours...I could nearly swim in those colours, certainly I could eat grapes in a pool in those colours... I know you'd like to touch it too. Ask me how it smells. (heavenly)....I received this from Ms.K, (no disguise angel that she is) we sent each other care packages in January and I just couldn't bring myself to show the WHOLE package all at one time, it would seem somehow nearly boastful in a way, but you'll see items here and there....of course you know I have thanked her e normal mousely many many times already and I'm going to thank her again...THANK YOU!


Would you look at this? Sundara Yarn, sock yarn, beautiful hand dyed so soft 100% Merino sock yarn. This is gorgeous, and heavenly shades of green, the colour is called Juniper over yellow, (there's not even a hint of that 'acidy' colour going on here). Gretchen sent this to me, OUT OF THE BLUE, along with a Tom Waits CD, I don't know about you but I have a real soft spot for Tom Waits and his rawness and his particular sense of humour, just love him. He serenaded Bobby and I on V-Day during the dinner hour, heh. Gretchen, you are such a sweetheart, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!! I also would like to take a moment...and ask you to reconsider this blogless state you're in, you really are going to wish you had a blog in a few days....yep....they're easy to do...plenty of folks to help you along, I know I'm not the only person out here wanting to see your Snowdrop.....you don't *have* to blog every.single.day. Obviously. Hmmmmmmm? Don't you think there just might be a blog on your path? Could ya'll sing out some encouragement in the comments?.....you KNOW you want to read more......



Pretty,eh? I just had to have me some of this, from Lisa Souza, it's Blue Faced Leicester, sport/DK weight, in her Mars Quake colourway, it is gorgeous, it is so soft, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but I love this yarn (yes, to distraction) for now I'm quite content to pet it, fondle it, tickle it, listen to the giggles. This, and only this, one skein mind you, was my birthday mulligan, for me, I'm going to be selfish on this one, she's mine.


That's enough yarnporn for now, I still have the anniversary stuff (the traded goods) to show but I've not taken photos yet. I will.

I will have you all know that I DID finish Dana's socks and they will be posted off and winging their way to her today. Can we all throw in a big YAY? I think so.
It was very hard to part with them, seriously painful. I also have a little story about that particular yarn. But I'd like her to receive them before I tell it. It's good, it's all good, funny...and good.

The news around here today...I am so screwed. I have 3 major-ly important birthdays coming up...(why does February have to be so short?), one on the 28th (yes, 1 week away) the next on the 2nd of March, and then the third on the 3rd of March......I am so screwed. How does time get away from me like this.....I've started some socks for the first BD....and I wanted to make the Swallowtail for the third BD, but...ok, I've read around blogland it's a fairly quick knit, it's not HUGE but I keep reading... 'a week and a day', that's not going to cut it. WTF and what to do. I am so screwed. I'll figure something out. I will. (and no, they don't wear hats, they have scarves, and the fingerless mitts...)

The other bit of news, that distracted thing? I really think I need to be more cautious about that 'whappin' the forehead' behavior...and I caution other forehead whappers to maybe lay off a bit on the whappin', because..... right after my birthday (12 Jan) I noticed this little red spot on my forehead...thought it a zit and did the usual thing we do (I know you do that so don't even try to look all innocent like) and realized quite quickly it wasn't a zit. I left it alone. I didn't pick at it. I did watch it however, with great interest and just a bit of horror. That 'thing' grew, fast, ugly, I named it, many names, one of them I'll even write here, Igneousa.....like volcano rock? yep. It was ugly. Of course I went to the doc, (Bobby says "I hope it doesn't make her throw up when she looks at it" heh, funny guy) she looked at it and indeed make a kind of sour puckery face, said she'd get me in to a dermatologist to have it looked at.....jump through insurance hoops for a few days....finallly get an appointment for..wait....the 28th of March. Hmmmmm, at the rate Igneousa is growing, well, let's just say it could be crawling or walking by the 28th of March. A good friend of mine suggested I call the dermatologist office and request to be put on their 'cancellation list', (I have very bright friends, I need them, I am very blessed to have them) so I called said office, made my request, they put me on their list...and they called the.very.next.morning! I kid you not, (did they really actually have a 'list'?) they could get me in that afternoon, I had Gracie with me, it was a Gracie day, I talked with Deidre about it, now I don't mind taking Gracie with me but it worked out Grandma Sandy arranged to come get the girl. So, went, he looked at it, told me what he thought it was, all I wanted to know was...can you take it off...but of course, if you'd please follow me? Do you all really want the details? yeah? oh boy... He shot the area with 'numby' which actually hurt and I uttered some obscenities.. then although I couldn't feel 'pain' I could feel the pressure, it felt like he had to have been kneeling on my head (you know, to get that really good leverage?) and digging...(I'm thinking, 'whoa dude, my skull is RIGHT THERE!! and fully expecting him to be scraping bone) but the pressure wasn't all....oh no....I could 'hear' (you know, inside your head?) the scalpel cutting it away, that with the pressure thing...grp...but. It's gone. Bobby looked at the....'divot' and said "We could take a photo, it looks like a bullet hole" yeah. He's my funny honey. But I've been waiting to 'hear back' you know, for the biopsy report. I got it yesterday....as ugly and nasty as Igneousa was on the outside, it appears that her soul was benign. Good news. I've wanted and needed to whap myself on the forehead but have resisted the last few days, divot doesn't care for it.

Life is good.

Happy Knitting to all and continue to make.good.time.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Guest Blogger on board....

I present my friend, Gretchen. You probably recognize her name from comments she leaves behind in her blogland reading wake, doesn't happen too very often but her comments are always great. Which is how I 'met' her....back before the holidays...our Blessed Harlot was doing her usual holiday spin and Gretchen left a comment for her...something like, "hey, where's the summer countdown lady and Rams, can't they make a knitting schedule like last year" granted, not verbatim but you get the idea, well....I just so happen to be the 'summer countdown lady' and I emailed Gretchen telling her I hadn't been consulted..heh...seriously, it really tickled me that someone would even remember the 'summer countdown lady'....so without further ado....

Here's Gretchen!


First I need to thank Marianne, our knotminder, for giving me this opportunity to expose myself. Not often do I get this chance with such a, well, enthusiastic kick in the pants. She was scrounging around for something to blog about (have you noticed the lag time here, since "I am Such an Idiot.?"), and I made the mistake of suggesting a list of possible topics, including the 6 weird things thing… Apparently, I missed that entry, but then I made the mistake saying that I could do that - meaning I could easily find 6 weird things about her, but, she twisted it around and begged - really begged - me to be a guest blogger. What's a girl to do. I do wonder why anyone would really care about six weird things of a stranger. In my corner of the world, most strangers, by definition, are weird to me. Naturally, weirdness falls away as they become less strangers and more acquaintances and finally friends. Ultimately, I find, the circle is complete as they become closer friends, I see their weirdnesses all the more, and love them for it. So it was with our Marianne and me. That, too, is how I come to be here admitting weirdnesses to people who have never read my voice…

1. Though anyone who drives in front of me may argue, I insist I am not a tailgater. I have no urge to push you on, get past you or otherwise harass you. Nope. I just see you as the next car to get behind. So if there's a seven-car space between us, my subconscious goal is always to close the gap between us. That's all it is. Occasionally I will snap-to and realize I may be a little close and back off or change lanes. But really, I mean no harm.

2. I only drink coffee at work. What's up with that? I can count on one hand the times I've ever made myself a pot of coffee at home in the morning for my own consumption. But the third thing I do after I get to my cube, after taking off the coat and plugging the laptop back in, is move to the coffee place. Please don't stand in my way. And then - just one cup. A big one, but only one.

3. Though I was a vocal major in college, I would really rather not sing alone in public. Ever. I can. I do on occasion, and I think on those occasions I do well enough. But I am the world's most reluctant vocalist. It's not really about shyness, lord knows, or fear. I just think people don't need to hear an average voice elevated to some other place because I found myself unable to get out of it. Stick me with 3 or 7 other people singing different parts and it's a whole different ballgame. Still, I think it's strange.

4. I know I'm not alone in this, but it doesn't change the fact that it's weird. I am not otherwise compulsive in anything. But my socks and shoes must go on Left/Right/Left/Right. No exception. If I somehow (how?) mess up, everything on my feet has to come off and I must start over. Luckily messing up hardly ever happens.

5. Something related to knitting? Hmm. The idea of the fur of small, domesticated (or not), non-standard fibre (that's for you, Marianne) animals -- for illustrative purposes say cats, dogs, possum, whathaveyou -- spun into yarn makes my stomach turn, and my skin crawl. Oddly enough, rabbits are the exception that proves the rule, as they say. Once you get to sheep, goats, llamas, I'm fine. In fact, I seek it out. And will happily shell out a large-ish proportion of my disposable income on it. Furthermore, I am respectfully curious about those big prehistoric animals - bison, musk-ox and that 'q' stuff. Not enough to hand over $60 for a skein that won't make a scarf to go around my neck, let alone cover my chest, but respectful. And listen, really, I don't hate those smaller creatures - love them all (except maybe the possum), and my head will even argue with my psyche about it (what is the frickin' difference - all soft, all 4-legged, all fur - what exactly is your issue?). I can't help it. I'm a Pisces - the psyche will win out, always.

6. I can't - really can't - sit down and knit or spin until all my chores are done. This can mean days of no knitting. Or picking up needles after the late news, or falling asleep in bed with needles in my hands. But the dishes must be washed, beds made, laundry done, rooms picked up, errands run, general tidiness abiding. Then I can knit. Maybe this is only weird if you know me. Because I haven't really been up for any fabulous housekeeping awards ever in my life, if you know what I'm talking about. So, maybe a bonus weirdness to make up for it…

I adore my dentist. Really. He is a fine guy. Doesn't make you get the crown until you absolutely have to. Wouldn't think twice of giving you another hit of numbing stuff even if you're being a baby. Love the guy. Maybe it's because I had a valium-induced reaction to our first encounter. He was, I don't know, reaming out my tooth root with a little itty-bitty file in his hand in my mouth AND apparently he had to do this in a way that had to be in a regular rhythm up/down/up/down, AND because I was very, very relaxed with the Valium he gave me to relax me, AND I had music going in my ears to avoid listening to all that sound (you know what I mean), AND my head was getting pushed back into the little headrest pillowy thing on that aerodynamic chair very rhythmically, I had, appropriate to nothing, and out of nowhere, well, let's call it an impure thought. I had this sensation of perhaps being part of some sexual rendezvous while getting my root canal. Just the sensation, you know, cuz I. Am. Stoned. Let me make it abundantly clear that nothing of the sort was going on, but as my head was pushed back again, and again, and again, I just couldn't get over the similarity…it was amazing. How can I not love the guy?

I think that's just about enough, don't you? Let's never speak of it again. Come back, Marianne, darlin', come back...


OK, it is I, Marianne, and yes, I might as well be 'blogless' as of late, I've pretty much been whappin' my forehead for several days....tis a sad sight.
I will admit that I did indeed beg Gretchen to guest blog for me, and yes, it was some serious begging going on too, but ya know...now that I think about it, there was no fibre deal involved....dudes, she's easy. Oops, ya'll keep quiet about that, not a word! I mean it. Not.A.Word.

I do want to tell you something.....

She's knitting a Snowdrop Shawl, yes. She's nearly completed a Snowdrop Shawl, yes. Snowdrop Shawl (the shawl our Blessed Harlot designed, that Snowdrop Shawl)

Gretchen, thank you so much and I sincerely hope you come back to guest blog again, I'll beg. Again. I'll beg big time......XOXOXOX

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

"I am such an Idiot"

I'm not a football fan. at all. I meant to try and catch some of the Puppy Bowl with the Kitty Halftime...at least that's what I think happens. But didn't.

It was also International Pajama Day...but due to going to the market with my Mom on Sunday mornings...I couldn't even pull that one off, except that when I did get back home and everything washed and put away the sweats came back on and I snuggled in my chair and did some knitting. I also, once again, got to have one of those lovely moments where I get to whap my forehead and tell myself "I am such an idiot".

The socks I'm making for Dana....I finished the first one, and of course had to try it on and admire it (hey, I always bathe the handknit gifts before they're sent off) and I should've been listening closer because there were bells sounding off. Definitely. But did I 'hear' them? Hah! I started sock #2 and I'm working through the pattern, enjoying it thoroughly, then those bells got louder...wait a minute...I grabbed up sock #1 and gave it a good looking at, (you all can start shaking your head in dismay, you know, start in now so you'll be in really good form when you read 'it'). Now I've made socks using this pattern at least a dozen times, it's a favourite of mine....you are supposed to re-arrange the stitches before you start your heel in order to get the pattern to look right..did I? hell no.

The other thing that concerned me though...during the winter my hands dry out something awful. I don't use lotions or creams on my hands when I'm knitting because I don't want that 'stuff' on the yarn....but Ms.K had sent me some Knitters Little Helper, Blue Sky Alpacas,Inc puts it out and it is fabulous. The ingredients are said to not corrupt your natural fibres....so I thought great, at last something I can use...and I did....it's great...it also changed the tension on my knitting and of course improved it, I hadn't realized just how much having dry fingers would make a difference....so I was thinking I'd frog that first sock back, yes, all the way back and knit it again while using the hand stuff...taking care of both problems....Dana, I am so sorry, it will be a few more days...but you will be so much happier with your socks, trust me.

Today has been a Gracie day and this morning we made some Irish Soda Muffins, Dee has the recipe posted, they're very good, easy to make, did I mention they're really good! I did use a light sour cream, didn't sprinkle the tops with sugar...I think they're delicious. I'll be using the basic recipe and adding different dried fruits, currants, apricots, cranberries, sound good? Thank you Dee!

Angie's husband Jeff is doing very well, recovering from surgery and hopefully will get back home soon!

The Peace Fleece order arrived, this is really good stuff, beyond wonderful. I've not had a chance to take photos yet, will soon, suffice it to say this yarn gets fondled on a daily basis, several times a day, I marvel at the colours, it smells good, I put my nose in it to smell, this turns into huffing, I have to pry it away from my nose...it's that good.


Happy Knitting to all and continue to make good time!

Friday, February 02, 2007

This Blogger's (Silent) Poetry Reading

We Sat Smoking at a Table … May Sarton (I really love her writing)


We sat smoking at a table by the river
And then suddenly in the silence someone said,
“Look at the sunlight on the apple tree there shiver:
I shall remember that long after I am dead.”
Together we all turned to see how the tree shook,
How it sparkled and seemed spun out of green and gold,
And we thought that hour, that light and our long mutual look
Might warm us each someday when we were cold.

And I thought of your face that sweeps over me like light,
Like the sun on the apple making a lovely show,
So one seeing it marveled the other night,
Turned to me saying, “What is it in your heart? You glow.”—
Not guessing that on my face he saw the singular
Reflection of your grace like fire on snow—
And loved you there.