Love and Hate

And it's not even Cookie's fault! But I do love my Cookie.
Okay, icky friendy stuff aside.
I love The Loopy Ewe. Can I just tell you? I ordered my bag (which I also love) on Friday morning. The darlings packed it all up and shipped it the same day (after writing a personal welcome to the Loopy Groupies on the invoice) and it was waiting for me on Monday when I got home from work. LOVE the service. Also, love the perks. This was my sixth order, so in with my bag and my lone ball of Trekking, there was another tote, a pattern in a nice sleeve, a skein of my favorite sock yarn (CTH) in my favorite colors, a keychain and a little bag of mints. Now people, I am a bargain shopper when it comes to yarn (see below for more on this) and they aren't marking up all their stuff more than any other shop I see. I think they just like to make customers happy.



Also, I LOVE my new bag! This thing really has enough room for the better part of a sweater, plus all the stuff I usually try to stuff in my purse. It's going to make a fantastic diaper bag, and it's so soft I can't stop petting it. (Plus it's all cruelty-free and stuff, not like I really care about that when it comes to soft leather, but still) I am a fan. Even the DH complimented it.



Now for the hate part. I hate my attitude about myself and money. (Not my attitude problem. I am PERFECTLY fine with that.) Ages ago I got myself into some heavy debt, and got into the habit of not buying ANYTHING useful for myself unless it was completely unavoidable. I wore the same clothes for YEARS, I used my chipped dishes and grocery-store-cooking-aisle flatware, I saved my cups from Taco Bell. Somewhere along the line, laziness trumped frugality, so I bought junk food and ate out a lot, while still denying myself the ability to buy anything useful. Even after the debt was gone, or mostly. Enter DH, who is a spendthrift extraordinaire. The man can find more reasons to spend money than a knitter standing next to a bin of half-off Sea Silk. I have curbed his spending somewhat, but also managed to ingrain further that I Should Not Spend Money on big stuff. I will piss away a little here (Target) and a little there (Costco) and still eat out, but I AGONIZE over spending money on, say, a diaper/knitting bag, or maternity clothes. (People, I am 22 weeks pregnant and still squeezing into my pre-preggo clothes. Hooray for low rise.) I have been thinking about yarn for Linden for, well, since the day that pattern became available. I asked my dear Joan, who has exquisite taste in yarn even though she voluntarily knits with Noro, and she suggested Beaverslide. I have heard fantastic things about Beaverslide, and every blogger I read who's knit with it loves it heartily. Margene, the aforementioned Joan, Jared, Cara, all raved about it. I've wanted to try it and here's the perfect chance, it's from Montana, and I have been waffling for WEEKS. Because it's expensive. It's not too expensive to afford, it's still less than a comparable coat at the store, and it gets rave reviews. But I have to argue with myself to say I deserve it. WTF is that, people? I think nothing about dropping $50 on a meal out, I buy lipsticks when I'm depressed and could easily spend the cost of that yarn at the salon getting a cut and some shampoo. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME why I will spend chunks of cash on fleeting things like food and haircuts, why I will piss away $20 here and $15 there on trifles and nothing, and can't bring myself to spend $30 on a pair of pants or buy the Good Yarn that would be perfect for the sweater I actually DREAM about? What the hell is my problem?
And also, shopping for real estate bites ass. Especially when you aren't even in the same freaking state as the shopping. And the husband, who does most of the communication with the realtor, does not entirely listen to the wife. I need to punch something.

Apparently random is all I got.

As I am primarily a lazy human being and I can't be bothered to think of anything coherent.
The Bug is potty training. He was doing okay with #1, though #2 required vigilance and the ability to recognize impending doom. Suddenly, none of it was good (at home - at school he's fine) unless he's entirely pants-free. Apparently, crapping on Thomas the Train is okay, but crapping on the carpet is not. They're going to LOVE him at school tomorrow.
I am making progress on The Socks That Ate My Summer.



I don't know if I'm worried about packing, or if I'm nesting already, but the last couple of weekends have found me cleaning out and ruthlessly purging stuff from closets. Last weekend it was the coat closet, from whence I removed probably 15 coats and sweaters, a broken toy from 7 years ago that we never got around to exchanging, about 40 gift bags and 2 or 3 pounds of dog hair. This weekend it was the armoire and my bathroom. The armoire is an entertainment style one, so instead of having nice useful shelves it had space for a giant TV, and it had become a catch-all. I cleaned it out, folded up some stuff and stored it nicely in there, purged a whole bunch of makeup that had been hiding under all the junk, and collected another bag for Goodwill. The DH is not truly as impressed as he should be.

In an effort to tidy up, and also, to keep the DH and the Bug from ripping my needles out of my knitting again, I put my SIPs (that's Socks In Progress) in the cool black and white box from Sephora.



It holds two SIPs comfortably, plus some notions and a few extra things. I am thrilled to find a use for the box, partly because it keeps my knitting mostly safe, and partly because DH has stopped threatening to throw the box away. (I am genetically incapable of disposing of boxes.) I say "mostly safe" because



the Bug likes boxes as much as I do.

Reading up on fleece, I came across the opinion that a dirty fleece attracts bugs more readily than a clean one. The general consensus was that fleeces should be stored relatively clean, in cotton rather than plastic, in a light location if possible. This is bad news for the dirty fleece in the closet in the plastic bag, so I planned to wash it this weekend. Then I read that dirty fleece has a slim chance of being contaminated with toxoplasmosis, which is Not Good for pregnant chicks. Fortunately, I read that a stay in a standard domestic freezer will kill off the little buggers. And so...



Five pounds of corriedale are currently sharing space with the chocolate and the chicken. I expect to wash it in smallish batches in the next several days.

GAWD I miss coffee.

The Bug thinks his fighter jets make good phones. He had a whole conversation with Daddy about Thomas the Tank Engine with those things pressed to his ears.



I'm super proud of the kid, though - he came in the other day while I was watching Star Wars (ANH) and he was enthralled. The next morning when he woke up, before he even opened his eyes, he said, "I wanna watch space ships." A chip off the ol' nerdy block. I love it.

I ordered my new diaper bag from The Loopy Ewe the other day. I was all excited about having a unique bag until Notorious Norma mentioned that all the cool kids going to Rhinebeck had one. Oh well, if I can't be unique, at least I got in on the Hot New Thing while it was still Hot and New. Anyway, that purchase made me an official Loopy Groupie (which I am thrilled about, for some reason) and got me to a $25 credit. I have quite a bit of sock yarn and want to knit what I have, so I'm thinking lace. Maybe lace for Christmas presents. What is your favorite laceweight (that TLE carries)?

Randomness abounds

Some more environmental Bush crap to keep an eye on. (It's like he's ACTIVELY trying to be the most detrimental president our baby country has ever seen.)

Flying turd.


The good thing about ridiculous heat is that yarn dries in about 12 seconds when hung outside.



Handpaint. Going for southwestern, ended up with Clown College. (It's much brighter in person.) Still, will make fun socks.



Dip Dye. I'm pretty happy with this one, even though there isn't as much difference between "medium" and "light" as I'd like.

If you can't tell, I was going for my own version of Duets yarn. Not to sell, of course - it was her brilliant idea - but just for my own use. I suppose it's one of the dangers of handmade. Those crafters among us think, man, I could totally make that! (Recently after a skein of Wollemeise went for $90+ on eBay, someone on Ravelry asked a general question regarding the upper limit you'd pay for yarn. Apparently, I will spend $25 on a skein, but not $28.)

Of course, with me, it can never be easy.



There is a fine line between tying the skein too tight and too loosely.

Hooray - an article pointing out that thin and fit/healthy are not necessarily the same thing!

Debit cards don't like the dryer.



I love that the Bug's hair is long enough to play with in the tub.



I also love that when he looks into that mirror, he says, "SO handsome." Heh.

Till my dyeing day.

Warning: cranky whining and moaning ahead. Skip this post if you don't wanna read it.

What does one do when it's &)%#*(&@)()%^& hot and one's ankles are &*)#&(@)(*$& swollen?
One attempts to do a quick dye job for some instant gratification. Alas, the best laid plans, and all that...



After two days of untangling (that pile up there was only half the original skein) I finally got two roughly equal balls. (Not bad, given that I broke the yarn once at random and was only two grams off.) Anyway, I skeined up one of the balls...



...and decided to attempt something I saw Jen do once, a million years ago. Only in this case, I wasn't using RIT, or taupe, or salt, I was using Wilton's and vinegar. I left it a little too long before I dumped the second part in, so the third part will be almost white, but hey, that's why they call it an experiment (and also why I do't cook).



For the rest of the day, I am going to indulge my cranky-ass self by sitting around complaining about the heat.



For those of you who think I'm a wuss for whining about 84 degrees in the house, keep in my that I showed you my thermostat. The thing that is supposed to regulate the A/C. The thing that is NOT set to EVER reach 84 degrees. There is something wrong with the &%)(#@*(&@)(%&*#$()@) thing and I must turn it off periodically to get it to work again. (The DH thinks the compressor is icing over since it's been so humid here, and we have to turn it off to let the ice melt before it will work again.) During the week this is not a problem - I set it way high while we're gone and when we come back the cool comes on and all is well. When I'm supposed to be sitting with my feet up to reduce the swelling, and "laying down" makes me sweat, we have a problem. What, you mean that isn't the best time to have a large pot full of boiling water in the kitchen? Huh, that's an interesting point of view.
Anyway, in between bouts of whining about the heat, I've been working on the Lene sock. Did you know, if you Keep Your Shit Tight™ and your husband or child pulls the needle out of your stitches, the stitches pop out of the wraps and you have to rip the whole heel? Yeah, I serve as a warning of what not to do. Anyway, I have moved past the heel and have at most four pattern repeats before I can slap some ribbing on the sucker and call 'er done. I can't wait - Twist Collective has gotten me all in the mood for fall (I dunno why, since we have nearly three months of summer left in this horrid place) and I'm not allowing myself to buy yarn or pattern until I finish and mail those socks!

I tried to get a picture of the dog sleeping with her tongue sticking out, but when I got out the camera she woke up. I got the next best thing.

How do you make a blonde dizzy?

Stick her in a round room and tell her to quickly find the penny in the corner!

Or, go here. The blonde is already dizzy, but there's yarn!

Yup, tomorrow, 08/08/08, and 8:08am La's etsy store opens with her fiberific tribute to inspiring blondes.



Go forth! Buy! Knit! Just keep your hands offa mine.

Wow.

The responses to last post were very interesting and intelligent. I believe that was my favorite post ever and it really made me think. (Mostly I hate that, but in this case it was a good thing.)
The most interesting thing, I thought, was that those who favored genetics actually proved my point (in my thinking). Sarkasmo indicated that she'd lost weight, but at her current activity level she doesn't lose more. BigAlice mentioned that it took an extraordinary level of effort to lose weight, and that her brother did it once but didn't maintain it. To my way of thinking, both of those comments indicated that they COULD lose weight. Their genetic makeup may have made it more difficult than it would have been for someone else, but they did it. Sarkasmo lost to a point and has maintained from there, and BigAlice made the decision that the level of effort necessary to achieve further weight loss was not fitting in with what she wanted out of life. Both ladies (and one brother) lost weight - they just didn't lose weight down to Hollywood standards. For which I am profoundly grateful, cuz, YUCK.
Anyway.
I have no knitting, I have no pictures. It's been hot, dry and yucky. The rain is supposed to come back tomorrow YAYIT'SABOUTDAMNTIME but it's still gross outside. The DH is off again to California to do a whirlwind real estate tour. I'd go with him, but I'd never leave the beach, so I'm holding down the fort here while he checks my list of homes against what he should know about me by now after eight freaking years knows about my tastes, likes and dislikes, and his own. It is my profound hope that he will find The One that is really great (unlike the previous three The Ones, all of which were purchased before we could make an offer) and I won't have to think about anything anymore. For those of you who don't know what the hell I'm talking about, what's new? we are planning to move to southern California at the beginning of the new year and leave Satan's armpit behind.
In other news, I have made another boy. DH is ecstatic, I'm pretty happy (because the boys will share a room and I'll get a craft room back) and I'd be completely over the moon if he hadn't blabbed the name we hadn't decided on completely yet to everyone, including the namesake of the name I hadn't settled on yet. (Sorry Uncle Jim Bob, we're naming him Billy Joe instead of Jim Bob like we said before.)
If you are inclined, send nice thoughts or prayers to my little bump. There's nothing wrong with him except that his mother is completely neurotic and stresses over all the things that could be wrong. Maybe you should send valium instead.

So, I have this question

It's about weight issues, so if you're easily offended and plan to flame me after reading, let me save you the time - if you flame instead of discussing nicely and intelligently, your opinion means nothing to me. Kiss kiss!
Also in the interest of full disclosure, I am obese. Significantly so, according to the NIH - a BMI of 37.1 which comes out on the NIH scale as "WAY FAT". I may be paraphrasing. (And it has nothing to do with my pregnancy, as I have not gained much of anything yet.) And it doesn't seem to affect my self esteem (at this point in my life) one little bit. I rock, and I know it. :-D
So, there's this study on weight discrimination, and there's a little bit of hand-wringing going on for the subject. There's lots of discussion about how we're all getting fatter, how our kids are getting fatter and showing signs of heart disease and weight related ailments before even teenage years. How all our food is junk and our lives revolve around TV and computer. Doctors and scientists point to this alarming trend as signs of the apocalypse. I think we can all agree that this seems to be the case (the increasing weight part, not the apocalypse part). There is where opinion diverges. Some people say that overweight people are just slackers and slobs, they're lazy, they should pay extra for their healthcare and their weight related issues, including wider airplane seats, extra for the bus, (OMG, think of the extra gas you'd save if your ass wasn't so big!) etc. Then there are the people who wring their hangs and say, Oh, it's not their fault, it's soooo hard to lose weight and stay active! We mustn't discriminate just because someone is overweight! Oh my goodness.

GAG.

Now, I'm not going to try to tell you that our version of "overweight" isn't completely fucked, or that it's easy to lose weight and stay thin. BUT. I know people who have done it, successfully. (I have not, but that's due to my choices, not my genes or the fact that Twinkies magically absorb into my skin because Nature says I should be fat.) However, our collective national weight is INCREASING. 100 years ago, people were, on average, thinner than they are now. Someone is trying to tell me that it's all genetics that make people get fatter over generations? Fatness as natural selection? I don't think so. We are becoming a nation of sitters. Especially people like me. I sit at a desk all day, then I come home and either sit in front of the internet or sit on my ass and knit or spin. I HATE exercise. I HATE to sweat. I LOVE to eat, the fattier the better. Given the choice, all things being equal, I will NEVER choose to exercise, or pick broccoli over ice cream. And this makes me fat. Yes, I had fat parents, and skewed food issues as a kid, but MY CHOICES RIGHT NOW are what makes me fat and keeps me that way. Knitting is more important to me than exercising. Air conditioning in my car is more important to me than walking to work. If the loss of some opportunities comes along with those choices, shouldn't that be a consequence I'm willing to accept?
I mean, if your doctor reeked of smoke, wouldn't you wonder about his priorities, and the kind of gall it would take for him to instruct you on health issues? Smoking is evil and addictive and hard to quit (ask me how many times I've done it) but we view it as a choice not to break the addiction and look down on people who still do it. Or at least pity them while we're fake coughing about the smell. We chide them for willfully damaging themselves and we scold them for making our collective healthcare costs and taxes rise. How is that different from being overweight? It's hard to lose weight and keep it off, just like it's hard to quit smoking and stay quit. It's expensive and damaging to the health, just like smoking. It causes chronic diseases, just like smoking. So if we cut fatties a break and say it isn't their fault, don't we have to do the same with smokers? (Cuz I'm so starting again if we do.) If your nurse is so obese that she requires oxygen, wouldn't you wonder about her ability to care for you?
I'm not suggesting that all weight discrimination is equal. I have a desk job that requires no more of my body than my brain and my fingertips, and the ability to occasionally walk to the printer. I don't even have to walk to a meeting room if I don't feel like it. So discrimination in my field is senseless. (Actually, you could make the argument that my fat ass is well-suited for sitting all day, and that since I am sedentary by habit and by nature, I'm less likely to get fidgety and spend time away from my desk.) What about police officers? Fitness level and weight (to some degree) is an important part of the job. What about flight attendants? If they have to scoot sideways down the aisle because they're too wide to walk straight, is that their responsibility, or should the airline make the plane wider to accommodate? Obviously I haven't mentioned people for whom weight is a disease or injury-related issue, or people who lack the ability to exercise in any traditional manner. I also haven't mentioned people who are discriminated against because the hiring officer doesn't like looking at fat people. I briefly touched on our society's skewed view of weight/overweightness. (For an eye opener, see this slideshow.) I'm not saying that people who are fat should be ashamed of themselves, or that they are inherently worth less than people who are thin. Or that fat people aren't sexy, or smart, or funny or all of the above. I do suggest that, in absence of medical reasons for overweightness, fat people can (and do) get thin by choosing to do so and consistently upholding that priority over the desire for cheesecake or the wish to sit and veg in front of the computer/tv/knitting pattern/whatever for a night or ten. And that if I don't choose to do so, I can expect there to be some consequences of my choice. Am I wrong?

I have almost nothing

Except I have this:



My sad camera-phone photo skills do not show the glory of this dessert. Peach, kiwi, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry and strawberry on fabulous custard in a touch-me-and-I'll-disintegrate pastry shell. Oh. Yeah.

While photographing that (what? My coworkers already know I'm insane) I felt the need to show you my desk, so you might understand me and the way my brain works.

(La, you might want to look away at this time. No, seriously. Okay fine, you were warned.)



Yes, it really does always look like that. Occasionally I tidy it up, file things, toss trash, etc. But then I can't find anything.

While I was doing that I figured I'd better at least pretend I still knit.



This sock has stalled for many many reasons, the last of which was that I was POSITIVE I'd knit it long enough for the foot but I wanted to measure to make sure. The sock to the right has been to Toronto and back for a fitting, and the length was good. (Width bad, hence new sock.) I was so sure I was almost done, and last night I measured to make sure and found out I have FOUR FLIPPING REPEATS left. Sigh. I can't afford to have SSS on this one since I still have to knit a THIRD sock (see "width bad" above). (At least having to knit both socks means I'll be eligible for sock-drawings for SoS, right?) I love sock knitting, but I will be thrilled when this particular albatross is in its new home warming the feet of a certain smart-ass Canadian/Danish blogger.

A random conglomeration of crap

If my little crepe myrtle looks like this after a little rain, you'd think I'd water it and make it look like that all summer, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong.



DH sold his boat last week, and the Bug was inconsolable. I had no idea that a 2 yr old could actually process the fact that the boat was going to live with someone else and that it wouldn't be coming back. Or maybe he just didn't want to share.

I left my Lene sock at work, so I have been doing something else this weekend.



The line at the "cafe" at Costco was too long yesterday, so the DH spontaneously decided on Chuck E. Cheese. OMG. What a hell hole. The Bug, of course, loved every ear-splitting, animatronic, shrieking, whining, crying, sticky, crowded minute.



The DH is in southern California for just today, while I am at home researching these.

I am particularly prone to infected tastebuds, and they SUCK.

Friday morning we all happened to be up quite early, so we got dressed and went to breakfast before work. We went to the neighborhood greasy spoon, where I got a nice bit of eye-candy.



The picture is craptastic because I was trying to kinnear them, but there must have been 30 cops in there having breakfast when we got there. (Shrub was in town on Friday so I assume they had just finished extra traffic duty or something like that.)

The Bug is being disturbingly quiet, and I must go check out what he's doing. Don't let the innocent pose fool you.

Playing along

(ETA proper linkiness and the warning that people are totally weird today and it's freaking me out. If I don't post for a while, somebody check the Tucson area police blotter to see if I need to post bail.)

So, KnittyOtter is doing a thing. I am blindly following the crowd going to play too, of my own free will!

1.) How long have you been knitting? 5 or so years, I think.

2.) How long have you been knitting socks? 2 years, since the original Knitting Olympics.

3.) What do you do with a problem like Maria? Seems like letting her out of the convent and giving her a bunch of urchins and a sexy Austrian in a uniform straightened her out right good.

4.) What is your all time favorite sock yarn? Cherry Tree Hill.

5.) Toe Up or Cuff Down? Toe up, please.

6.) What's your favorite color (this week or for all time)? Do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? Mostly hate baby pink. Love blue/gray/periwinkle/violet.

7.) Do you have a pet(s)? Three dogs, a young son, and a husband.

8.) Babies: Oven Roasted or Barbecued? I prefer them raw. They're so crunchy.

9.) Besides socks what is your favorite type of thing to knit? You can knit something besides socks?

10.) What's your favorite scent? White musk from the Body Shop. Hot sidewalk when it's raining.

11.) What music are you really loving right now? Like a song or a band? Nothing really.

12.) How many pairs of socks have you hand knit? I dunno, 15?

13.) What's your favorite treat? Salty or Sweet? Yes, please.

14.) What was the most interesting thing you smelled yesterday. Not good or bad necessarily, just the thing that stuck out most so that you actually took notice of it. My own perfume is the only thing I can remember right now.

15.) Needles - DPN's: Wooden, metal or plastic? Metal circs please.

16.) What is your favorite sock pattern that you've knit? What do you recommend? Um, I like them all kinda the same.

17.) The last Question: If you were stuck on a deserted island who would you want with you, what knitting would you want with you and would you ever want to leave? Cotton/bamboo blend tank tops. Addi turbo needles. The DH, the Bug and the Noob. And an always on, high speed internet connection and infallible laptop. Oh yeah, and a gourmet chef who enjoys giving massages.

A PSA

That's right, a public service announcement for the betterment of our nation.

If you work in a service industry, like, say, a restaurant, do not bring your child to work in lieu of childcare.
If you cannot avoid bringing your child to work for some inexplicable reason, ensure said child has plenty to keep her entertained and QUIET.
If you do not, ensure that she does not make herself at home at a customer's table when said customer walks in, hot and tired and overhungry and CRANKY.
If she does, ensure that she does not say, "Excuse me, that's my seat" when the customer returns from the bathroom, so the customer stands at her own table waiting for explanation from her husband and wondering who the fuck the annoying kid is.
If she does, when the customer asks her son what he wants for lunch, ensure that she does not answer as though the customer is providing her food.
If she does, ensure that her bossy self the annoying little brat the rotten little beast the adorable child does not tell the customer's 2 year old that he's coloring his picture wrong and demand he do it differently.
If she does all of the above, do not TELL the customer how cute the child is and ask if she is being a bother. ASSUME she is being a bother, and take her away from the table immediately.
If the customer finally succeeds in communicating to you that the child is a bit of a bother and the customer and her family would like to eat in peace, restrain the child and avoid allowing her to run past the customer's table multiple times, whispering and teasing the customer's child.
If she does, make sure when the customer takes her son to the potty, your child does NOT scold the customer for bringing the boy into "her bathroom".

These tips should help you avoid having customers want to return with a tranquilizer gun and deal with the problem themselves.

All cuz of Cookie

Cuz she's so much fun to blame.
Actually, I'm not blaming her for anything, but she's also fun to poke. (Hi Cookie! Don't plot my disappearance, please!)

Anyway, I felt the inspiration to get all lovey-dovey. Here's a list. Maybe tomorrow I will post a list of things I hate and blame Cookie for that too.

I love:

Cookie.
Rain.
The potential for rain.


The smell of rain.
The feel of rain.
The sound of rain.
Montana mountains.


The scent of Gramma's garden.
My rubber kid.


Magic loop.
My new sewing table.


My new sewing machine.


The drawers on my new sewing table.


The fact that my car said it was only 89 degrees out at lunchtime today.
My pumpkin scented candles.
The fact that Addis are bendable.


The Furminator.
The little devil on the How Evil Are You quiz.

You Are 50% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side. Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Purty flowas.
Purty flowas in the rain.
The fact that the rainy season has started early here in Allah's Frying Pot (Can you sense a theme?)
Strawberries.
Nectarines.
Nectarines.
Nectarines.
Plums.
Nectarines.
The idea that karma will get those spammers.
Hand-knit socks.
The idea that, come January, I will never have morning sickness/all day sickness/night sickness again.
Nectarines.
The beach.
Dreaming about camping in Yosemite.
Dreaming about knitting by the campfire in Yosemite.
Dreaming about not getting eaten by bears in Yosemite.
The Ped Egg. (OMG, totally works.)
Bedtime.

I wish I could go to The Wild!

But I'm going to Montana instead. I may or may not do any of the following:

• Knit


• Spin


• Talk to relatives if they're not being annoying


• Shop for yarn


• Wander in the toolies and look for moose


• Run away from any moose I come upon


• Blog

Back later.

As it turns out

I still remember how to knit!



I knitted the cuff on this sock on Sunday afternoon, decided it needed to be shifted 2 stitches, ripped, and reknit. I expect I might actually finish it tonight at Knit night. It's Dizzy Blonde yarn in the JenLa colorway, in the Charade pattern. It's a little snug over the ankle, prolly due to the PSSOs, but once I get it on it fits very nicely. It doesn't count toward SoS, but it does count toward my summer goals.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, my Lene socks, which will be my main traveling project next week, DO count for SoS, even though I've already knit a whole one - it is too snug and must be ripped. Sigh.

A new post to make the whining go away

Or at least not be the first entry on the page.

Oh, but first - whoever keeps finding my blog by searching for variations on "lusty grandmother videos" - whatever you're looking for, my blog ain't it. So sorry to have wasted your time.

So. Last night I was all whiny and weepy. I puttered around on the computer and whined to Cookie that she didn't blog to entertain me yesterday, and she responded with a nice rant that made me laugh, and a pat on the head because that's what you do when faced with mental people. I didn't want to watch TV, do laundry, clean the kitchen... WTF would I do with myself for a whole hour before bedtime? I'm sad to say that reading didn't even cross my mind, even though I owe Lene a book meme thing. (I also owe her socks. GAH.)
OH YEAH, I used to KNIT! Well, I didn't feel like knitting quite yet. It was too far to go out to the car like 20 whole feet away to get my knitting bag. I did, however, remember that I wasn't crazy about my handspun sock yarn, and had read that Etherknitter replied hers and liked it better. Hmmm, that sounded easy and brainless, so I did it.
(I would like to take this moment to say that even though everyone has told me I could use 3-in-1 oil, and didn't have to buy the expensive Ashford oil, I had to buy it anyway to get some other parts I needed that were only sold in kit form. That oil ROCKS. I hadn't touched my wheel in two months at least, and it still spun quite well without oiling.)
Anyway. I replied my sock yarn, and discovered there was now enough room on the bobbin to finish plying the last little bit of singles I couldn't fit when I first plied. I added them on, and discovered to my delight that the bobbins were fairly even. I'd split the roving by weight, but one bobbin looked fuller than the other. However, when I finally plied the last bits, I was left with



about three yards. Woo!

I wound it back onto my swift (soooooooo much better than a niddy noddy!)



Washed it, hung it to dry (which happened in about 10 minutes, thank you obscene heat and no humidity). I thinks I likes it.



One sock's worth, about 225 yds/55g. Heavy fingering on average, though the yarn itself varies from DK to cobweb. Heh. Brown sheep roving (I think), dyed by me using Wilton's royal blue and black. (I intentionally did it all wrong so the dye would break, which gave me the nifty purple.) I have yet to spin the singles for the other sock's worth.

Fluffy thought the whole process was boring. She couldn't even be bothered to hold up her head to watch.



And now, a random photo of a gecko belly.

Waaaaaaaaaa!

The DH just took the Bug and drove off for an overnight "camping" trip. They'll be home by noon tomorrow. This is the first time I've been away from Bug overnight since he was a fertilized ovum, and I'm not taking it very well. (I started crying before Bug's car door was all the way shut.)
Additionally, if Noob would allow me to drink water without getting sick, I'd appreciate it. It's too hot to give up drinks.

Anyway, if you need me, I'll be here, having a pity party and watching Bob the Builder.

If you're gonna spew, spew in this...

I miss Garth...

Anyway, I decided the other day that if I'm going to be sick regardless of what I eat, then by FSM, I'm going to eat something good.



Pumpkin spice muffins, with one lightly frosted with cream cheese for added deliciosity.

I know you're jealous, so I'll tell you my recipe. You won't even believe it.

1 box of spice cake mix
1 15oz can of pumpkin
1 egg

Mix, bake at 375 for 15-ish minutes, take out, enjoy.

Go forth. Make. Eat.

(As an added bonus, these don't seem to make me sick.)

Wow

You want lurkers to come out and comment, just announce a pregnancy! ;-) Thanks for all the congrats, well wishes, and commiseration. The energy is creeping back into my life, though sadly, not for handwork, and the nausea is reduced, though not gone entirely. I went back to work in the office yesterday, and three different people told me, "Wow, you've really lost weight!" LOL I overdid it a bit yesterday, so today I'm back at home in my too-big, untied-drawstring pants, hiding out in the A/C and listening to water music. (Currently, either Yanni, George Winston, or some of the Lifescapes things you can get at Target. Ottmar Liebert is on my work-music playlist too, but his music puts me in mind of late afternoon Mediterranean heat and dancing in the piazza, and it's just too hot for that right now.)


C'mon, Sunday.

Soon, though, we leave for Montana. I will be forced to restart the handwork, because we are driving. (Yes, even with gas prices as they are, it's cheaper to drive than to fly.) Four full days of driving, out of the nine we will be gone. That constitutes a lot of car knitting. I have plans to restart and finish Lene's socks during that time (first pair for Summer of Socks, yeah!), and I'll be bringing the Charade socks out of my JenLa yarn. It's quite possible that's all I will bring, though if the mojo strikes hot and fast, there's a nice little yarn shop there, and the Mountain Colors factory (complete with baskets of millends, for $1 an ounce) just up the way. I wasn't really looking forward to this trip. I'm one of those who, when I feel bad, I curl up in the fetal position and DON'T go with the flow. However, I just looked at this



and now I'm excited for the trip. Wooo Montana!

K is for (I'm skipping J)...

Knocked up!



Yup, it's true. All that whining, pissing and moaning I've been doing about being tired and having no mojo? It's all being sucked into the Noob. Now I can be more specific, whining about no mojo, no energy, morning sickness nausea all freaking day long, etc. (A side note: how does anyone ever become bulimic? It's nuts. I've lost 5 pounds so far and IT. SUCKS.)
Today we had the first ultrasound (known to us old hags as the Nuchal Translucency test, part of the barrage of genetic shit they try to make you take because you're an old bat if you're going to be north of 35 when the baby is born, most of which I'm ignoring) and the wee beastie wiggled all over the damn place and forced the tech to swirl around and around trying to get just the right angle. It took forever, which was cool because I got to watch Noob wiggle and flop and flutter, but she kept trying to make him/her roll over just a little, by forcibly jabbing the wand into my belly. Not a fan of that particular aspect, but still! Much activity, much wiggling, tiny hands, tiny feet, some hiccups, and that crazy little fluttering heart. I heart the heart.
(Incidentally, the Christmas counter is not actually for Christmas - this noob is due on 12/25.)

A little facial profile for your viewing pleasure.

PSA

If you're working from home for a little while, and you don't turn your computer off at night, and as you're drifting off to sleep you think, "Gee, I haven't saved in a while, I should maybe do that, and probably back up too...", GET OUT OF BED AND DO IT RIGHT THEN. OR, don't whine when you discover that fairies or Bugs reset your computer during the night and all your last days' work is gone.

It's all Cookie's fault, as usual

I think Stacey used that title for her goals too, but hey, whatever works. Cookie's one of those pushers who is subtle enough that you don't even realize the brainwashing. It's true. Try to resist her.
Anyway, the idea behind this is to list out goals for summer knitting. I joined the Summer of Socks and promptly lost any and all mojo for yarn and needles, so this is going to be designed to ease me back into the swing of things, slowly. (When I say I lost the mojo, I lost it completely. Monday I wound a bobbin of plied yarn into a skein, and that is the first time in over a month I've touched yarn except to move it out of my way. That mojo was GONE, yo.)

ETA: the original contest linky is here.

So. My goals.

• Finish all socks on the needles. I can think of two offhand, but I think there are more.


• Knit one pair for me, out of something I dye myself. (I have the dye bug for cotton now since BigAlice and her lovely article.)


• Knit either BYOB or Traeth.


• Crochet more tiny lace angels for my aunts' Christmas gifts. My goal is three each, a total of six.

That is the extent of the main list. I'm not going to kill myself knitting or berate myself for making crazy goals. (Hell, at this point, if I knit one whole row on anything I'll call it a success.) If time permits and/or my mojo comes back all screaming-eagle, I have a few more ideas, in no particular order.

• Knit a pair of socks for DH.


• Knit the baby-sized practice socks from the Cat Bordhi mind-blowing book.


• Finally get off my butt and make Morning Glories.

Need some help before I go nuts

Like quick, because I'm pretty close to the edge already...
Recently, a blogger (I believe it was a knitblogger) posted about finally learning the name of a flower. It's got a nearly spherical cluster of purple star-shaped flowers on a long tall stalk, that comes out of a tuft of leaves that look like giant grass. I see it all over the SoCal coast when I visit. Does anyone know either what this flower is or who that blogger was? It's threatening the last shreds of my sanity.

ETA: Y'all came through. The flower I was thinking of was Lily of the Nile, though a couple of you pointed me to Allium, which are pretty excellent-looking too. I thank you all - my remaining bits of sanity are fragile indeed. :-)

I just really think you should read

this.