But Mom...

Happy Birthday USA

2011-07-04T05:21:00.001-07:00

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Roxanna

2011-04-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

Poor Roxanna! That ear cleaning really has her perplexed! www.heideho.wordpress.com

Animals of YouTube sing "Deck the Halls"

2010-12-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

2010-02-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

I do not want to lose the posts on this blog. Therefore, I will keep it open by making an occasional note. Cheers!

NOBODY'S HERE!

2007-02-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Go to www.heideho.wordpress.com.

Moving?

2007-01-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

I may be moving to a new blogsite. I'm currently trying to set it up. I will plagiarize Marvin the Martian by saying that "Blogger has made me very, very angry!" Heck, I can't even make my Macros functions work this morning for making a hot link. Anyway the new address is: http://heideho.wordpress.com/ . Like I said, this may be temporary.

2007-01-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

The last ride in Scabby was met with enthusiasm. We'll get him back up to my parents' sometime soon.

Another needle casualty means that the widowed needle will be sent to M ama-E for her shop project.

After fruitless searching for a bright

and funky bedspread/comforter for

A1 that we could afford we had an idea.

A bag of fabric scraps were spread out and we're contemplating a very freeform quilt.

Any suggestions, etc from quilters out there

(Karen) will be met with sincere appreciation. The pillow

cases shown are out inspiration for

colors.

I frogged back the sweater to begin the decreases again below the bustline. I didn't like the angles created from those I'd done previously. they were too sharp and my chest would have looked pointy. Small, but pointy. Bonny loves frogged yarn!

2007-01-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to prevent next December from mirroring 2006's I've joined Beverly in The Organized Elf. It's very encouraging to hear others' ideas and to be reminded of tasks.

The transmission has been replaced on my van and we can pick it up tomorrow. I'm not sure when we'll get Scabby (my Mom's name for her van) back up to my parents' home though because my DH has to leave again on Sunday.

Now off to make the Friday night pizza. Cheers!

If I go back to work

2007-01-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

how in the world will I ever deal with this...

I'd like to claim this is an isolated event, but it's a daily mess resulting from A1 & A2 getting ready for school.

Notice the toys amidst the hair accessories? This is because A2 plays instead of doing what she's supposed to do. In fact, she always waits until the last minute when I've been transformed into some raving lunatic before beginning to brush her teeth, etc.

And this is just one small part of one room. The kitchen, bedrooms, living room and hallway are also casualties of daily chaos.

I must get a job, but a word of warning to those who reside with me... without drastic changes we will be buried alive.

2007-01-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

Well howdy and welcome to 2007! The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve was a whirlwind of activity (hence the lack of blogging, etc.). Karen and Kelly (her DH) stopped by sans kidlets for an overnight playdate. Her recent acquisition of some lovurly Trekking XXL sock yarn and dps led to some quality knitting and visiting time. She cast on her first pair of socks which promise to be warm and beautiful. And she WILL NOT succomb to Second Sock Syndrome or I shall nag her relentlessly.

On New Year's Eve we had our traditional Game Night. This year we had some different faces at the table. Several dear friends were ill or otherwise unable to attend. And there was the welcome addition of the Quast family. Mr. Q. was the realtor who worked so hard to find us our new home. He has a daughter who now plays frequently with my three.

And after a 10 year "vacation" home with my kids I'm now looking for work outside the home. Putting together a resume is proving challenging. My education is limited to a Bachelor's Degree in English and Sociology... no teacher certifications and no Master's Degree and no technical certifications. Six years of military service operating what is now outdated communication equipment doesn't seem marketable either. So today I'll attempt to meld past skills with creativity, practicality and mommy wisdom to produce a "Wow, hire me!" document. The result may be suitable for lining the bottom of our parakeet's cage, but it's a start.

On the knitting front I've cast on a top-down, one piece cardigan in some red, Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I purchased this yarn last year, but since no patterns have reached out and grabbed me I've decided to just make my own. The yoke and bust will be solid with some tapering or shaping below the bustline. Then the bottom will be a lace pattern. There are several floral and column style laces l I'm still kicking around. The sleeve length will depend upon how much yarn I have.

2006-12-27T14:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay

I sleep all night and I work all day

I don't know how the rest of you are feeling, but I'm ready to tear down the holiday trappings and wrap up 2006.

Christmas here was extremely low key. The girls each received roller skates from Santa so they've been in and out of the house ever since. My DH and I didn't exchange gifts because we're just thrilled to be in a new house. The girls were told ahead of time that we didn't have much money for presents, but none of them complained, whined or were otherwise ungrateful.

I always try to make something for them for Christmas. This year A1, A2 and A3 each chose what they wanted.

A1 is the fashion authority and resident clothes horse. And because a girl can never have too many accessories she requested a hat and fingerless mitt set. Here she is "working it." Oh, to be 10 and so self-assured.

A3 is a true girly girl. She adores anything pink and her passions fluctuate between My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake. Several toys must accompany us where ever we go, no matter how short the errand or trip. These toys are often left in the van, my purse or just plain lost . Now A3 has a pink backpack made just for her toys and there is a magnetic snap closure for added security.

As I blogged about last week, A2 requested a dolphin. Hours were spent searching for a knitted dolphin pattern, but to no avail. In desperation I even drove down to some Portland yarn (I hate driving, especially in heavy traffic). Then Fitknit sent me an email with a link to a knitted whale pattern with the idea that I could modify the whale and make a dolphin. The site, Aussie Jean's Toy Knitting , beheld many delightful patterns. And who should wander in while I was admiring her patterns but A2 herself. A2 thought the whale was okay, but she became enamoured with the dragon. As a result, gears were switched and this reptilian fantasy was began. Whew, it was quite a challenge to knit this in the allotted time. A2 fretted and "supervised" throughout the process. The dragon turned out much larger than I expected, but she loves it. Jean's patterns were easy to follow and very reasonably priced. Thank you Fitknit!

Now off to the grocery store. These people just won't stop eating! Thank heavens my parents loaned us a vehicle while we're waiting to get our transmission replaced. Cheers!

All I want for Christmas is...

2006-12-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

no, not my two front teeth, I already have two Chicklet sized chompers that would rival Mr. Ed's in girth. What I really, really want is a transmission for my 1997, 6 cylinder, automatic Dodge Caravan. The poor old thing lost it today while my DH and A1 were heading to the store. It just dropped* . Ker plunk. Luckily they weren't too far from home. I'm searching the internet tonight and wrecking yards tomorrow (via the telephone, obviously) for a used transmission.

I'm thinking that Jessalu's bumper sticker curse is contageous. And believe it or not, I thought of her and the curse while installing this . And although it isn't technically a bumper sticker, it is the closest thing to one I've had.

I took advantage of the girls' last school day and wrapped presents in their absence. I stink at wrapping packages, but I didn't want to resort to the reusable gift bags. There is just something satisfying and necessary about ripping the paper off of packages at Christmas time.

The dolphin hasn't been cast on yet because of other pressing matters, but maybe tomorrow. One of the "pressing matters" included baking and decorating gingerbread people for A1's school party.

Other than some last minute knitting and vehicle repair, we're as ready for the holiday as we'll ever be. Hope you're all remembering to slow down and enjoy yourselves. Cheers.

* Okay, it technically did not "drop" out on the ground, that was just the sound the engine made as it died. I wonder if I could knit a transmission?

2006-12-19T06:50:00.000-08:00

Well howdy! Things are full-speed ahead, like always here at the looney bin. On Sunday A3 celebrated her 6th trip around the sun.

Here is a picture of my littlest when she was only a few days old... This is probably one of the only times in her 6 years that she's held still.

Her party was fun, and true to the nature of 5 & 6 year olds, it was all over the place. The trampoline and dress up clothes trumped pin the tail on the donkey and the other planned activities. No worries, we just let them run and do whatever kept them busy and happy. Chaos reigned supreme and this is the only picture taken of the festivities. All that can be seen of the birthday girl is some hair and the back of a pink dress peeking out from behind dad. The intended crafts, etc. were bagged up and sent home with party guests.

On Saturday... or was it Friday? Anyway, last week a box arrived. Our mail is delivered into a locked mailbox cluster with two attached, locked package compartments for large boxes. The larger boxes can only be opened with special keys. These keys remain in the locks of outside of the empty package compartments and the keys can only be taken out when the mail carrier inserts her magic key into a lower lock, thus releasing the key that opens the package box. When someone has a package one of the package keys is placed into their little private cubby so they can retrieve their package. Well, whenever I get mail the first thing I do is see if there are keys missing from the outside of the package cubbies. If so then I wish really hard for one of them to be in our box. After all, packages are fun! The other day I opened our little cubby and beheld one of the magic parcel keys. I did a happy dance and immediately ran to the other side of the cluster to open the compartment. And what I saw triggered peals of laughter. Not just the little tee hee giggles either, but rather the whooping out loud, snorting kind of laughter. Any neighbors witnessing the display made mental notes to avoid the crazy lady. I skipped back home with the box. The source of the giddiness was a box covered with this packaging tape.

The box was a prize package, courtesy of the Yarn Pirate! I won a contest she had sponsored and this was the loot. Argh, the booty still has me imitating Jack Sparrow (rather poorly though).

The treasure included: Yummy candy, a heavenly scented candle, wonderful hand balm, two kinds of wool wash, size 3 bamboo dps and the most amazing yarn from Sheep Shop Yarn Company.

The candy was immediately devoured, and the needles were fortuitous indeed. Just that very morning I had broken a size 3 dp needle while making a hat. Thank you Yarn Pirate, you saved my arse!

And yes Cindy, I know that I vowed "No more Christmas Knitting" several weeks back. What can I say except that, I'm weak, a fiber addict, a sucker for requests. My daughters asked me for Mom-knits for Christmas. Can you believe it? They want me to make them something! A1 and A3's requests are no problem. But A2 wants a knitted dolphin. Yikes! I found a book with a dolphin pattern, but since nobody has the coveted book in stock, it wouldn't arrive until after Christmas. So, today's engineering feat: transforming short rows into Flipper. It could get ugly. Cheers!

2006-12-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

Isn't electricity amazing? Today I happily baked, washed clothes, vacuumed, bathed and was warm and comfortable. Power outages always remind me how lucky we are to live in a place where running water and shelter are often taken for granted. My parents live in a small coastal town and power might not be restored in that area for up to a week yet! Thank heavens that they have a woodstove and of course they can always come here. Spending yesterday unable to use the computer, cook, or do the other "important" tasks penciled on my to do list turned out to be a welcome respite. Staying warm and boiling water on the campstove took top priority. Christmas card mailing didn't seem so dire. The peace and quiet was refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely grateful for the restoration of creature comforts. In fact, that Ghandi/Zen moment could only be the result of short term inconvenience. Facing a long-term power outage would leave me grumpy. And bored, cold children would drive me crazy. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my parents, all those living in that area and the workers having to clean up branches, etc. from the power lines. May they all rejoin the modern world quickly and safely.

We visited Santa and Mrs. C. today at a local motorcycle shop/hangout. What a great couple! They were so genuinely nice and happy to be around. Some years Santa has seemed rather out-of-sorts, but not this time. They even talked with Mom and divulged some of the Christmas wishes.

I'm Weird!

2006-12-15T16:50:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by Cindy to fess up to six weird things about myself. Anybody who knows me is aware of the diffeculty of this task. After all, how do I choose a mere 6 quirks to share. Well, here are some in no particular order.

1. I like fruitcake. It's one of the reasons I look forward to the Christmas holidays. But it has to be a real fruitcake made with rum and other good stuff, not just those dyed, imitation fruit bits. Are those even real food?

2. I don't like breathing the same immediate air as others. I often hold my breath when walking by groups of people. Especially if they look unkept.

3. I HATE it when bed sheets aren't perfectly smooth and they don't hang evenly over both sides of the bed. The foot must be tucked in evenly too, all the way across, regardless if it's my side of the bed. I can't sleep in a messy bed. Ever. I occasionally jump out of bed and rearrange the sheets. It drives my husband crazy.

4. I can't sit still. Even now my legs are moving. This is partially why knitting is a favorite activity. It's something socially acceptable that I can do while talking to others, watching television, etc. For some reason people tend to feel uneasy if you're doing jumping jacks while holding a conversation.

5. I like dipping French fries in milk shakes. This grosses my husband out. And what's funny is that all three of my daughters like to do this too.

6. I worry. I worry about everything. I worry about worrying too much. Sometimes I wake up because I'm worrying in my dreams and then I worry because I'm not asleep. When this happens I usually get up and make a snack. This time of year it's often fruitcake or some other high-calorie treat. I worry about how bad it is while I eat it. After I'm done eating then I often go back to the bedroom, rearrange and re-tuck the sheets. Then I'll climb into bed, with my back facing my husband so we don't breathe the same air, and go to sleep until the next worrisome dream.

And now I tag anybody reading this to show us your weird. I'll bet you aren't as strange as I am.

The power went out last night at about 7:45 pm and it was out until after 4:00pm this afternoon. I couldn't knit because the house was too cold so I dug out the Pendleton blanket mill end rag rug and finished it. Because of the size it required full body contact, thus forcing me to generate body heat . It measures 6'8" in diameter and is 2" thick. Because it's wool it's very warm. This is a non-surprize Christmas present for a dear friend. My wrists may never be the same again. Ouch!

Beta Blogger Bites

2006-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

Switching to the new Beta blogger was not, I repeat, NOT a good idea. I won't bore you with my frustrations on that front. Hopefully I can figure out how to switch back without deleting my blog.

Yesterday this lovely 100% silk yarn in Kaleidoscope arrived. It was hand dyed by Dave over at Cabin Cove. I've never had silk yarn before and it's amazing. The colors are so pretty! I've no idea what to make from it. Perhaps I'll just sleep with it under my pillow.

Now off to hang curtains and bake some cupcakes and wrap Christmas & birthday presents. Another storm is upon us, which means rain, wind and probable flooding in the lower regions. No worries though, we're prepared. Cheers!

Aaack! Several people have confirmed my fear of not being able to restore my previous account with the old blog version.

Are you Ho Ho'd out?

2006-12-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

I'm Ho Ho'd out. After mainlining my morning coffee I reviewed today's itinerary. Yikes! One awards assembly, a doctor's appointment, finishing the Christmas cards, a trip to the post office, making an appointment for the van (please don't die), shampooing the hallway carpet, and picking up supplies for A3's 6th birthday party all must be done before 3:30 today.

But the miracle of hot, running water will be my salvation. Tonight I shall lock the bathroom door and ignore children, cats, the husband, etc. while indulging in a selfishly long bath.

I've been making some last minute Christmas knits, but as they aren't felted yet there is nothing to share. Here's to hoping you all get a few minutes to yourselves. Cheers!

Crash

2006-12-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Yup, that's my new nickname. For the past week my balance has been completely whacked. I stagger around like a Skid Road bum. No longer do I walk down a hallway, I just bounce off one wall and then the other like a pinball. Last night's intended victim, the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Luckily that thing is huge and it fought back. When I lost my balance and fell against the tree its sproingy (is this a real word?) branches bent and then flung me away from it. Because Bonny had previously stripped the bottom portion of the tree of all ornaments there were no casualties. The only injury to report was to my dignity.

My DH returned home from a week in Las Vegas where he attended an IT conference. Because it's his guard unit's drill weekend though he'll be away most of the weekend, so we still won't see him. There is a Christmas party scheduled for tonight but the lack of a babysitter will probably keep me from attending. This might be a good thing. It would be really embarrassing to knock over the grog bowl before partaking of the spirits therein.

I made another hat yesterday, but it's rather sloppy looking, even for my tastes. Time to give up free form and get serious again. I'm thinking socks.

The final yarn installment arrived from Mama-E's Fall Sock Club. It's lovely shades of grays and greens. Green is my favorite color.

While in Vegas B bought me jewelry. And who said that geeks aren't romantic. These are genuine gold-plated latinum Star Trek earrings from Star Trek The Experience. Thank you honey.

Friday!

2006-12-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

Friday is my most favorite day of the week. It heralds the beginning of a weekend not yet spent. And kind of like a beautifully wrapped package with unknown contents, the potential and excitement of not knowing what's inside are sometimes better than the gift itself.

While slurping the elixer of life this morning I browsed the internet. A normal activity. However, what I found soon had the precious liquid squirting out my nose as I laughed with glee.

Here are some links. This reminded me that I always assumed I'd wind up the crazy cat lady. The possibility still exists.

Not all cooking utensils are socially acceptable, no matter how well they may work.

And a note to my darling husband. DO NOT SHOP FOR ME AT THIS SITE just because you can't think of a Christmas present. Money wasted on these items would much better be spent on yarn.

Enjoy your weekend all!

Hurry up!

2006-12-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

This time of year many folks hum Christmas Carols as they go about their daily business. In my head "The William Tell Overature" plays quickly and loudly. Over and over again. Letters have yet to be written, cards and packages haven't been mailed, decorations are only half way up and there is no stockpile of homebaked goodies in the freezer. But shopping is completed (thanks to Visa and the internet). December weekends are booked with holiday social gatherings. School concerts and performances threaten to usurp many weekday evenings, leaving little time to eat, clean or complete other essential activities. Is it just me or does this Christmas treadmill go just a little bit faster each year? And still that mental muzak keeps playing, urging me not to slow down.
Earlier last week I bailed on the Christmas knitting commitments. This week the decorating was halted midstream, actually, midstrand of lights. Yesterday I purchased some store bought cookies and Stollen to keep on hand in case of unexpected well wishers. This is not selling out, but rather saving what remains of my sanity. And to promote emotional well-being at least one hour a day has been spent doing something that I WANT to do.

First, I painted our dreary family room. The original color resembled a worm soaking in the bottom of a puddle... you know, that creepy not quite pink and not quite gray color . So now instead of drowned invertebrae, we have a bright cheddar colored accent wall and the other walls are painted a very pale gold color (they look white in the picture).

(I do not know where the dark spot on the ceiling or on A3's cheek came from. They only appear in the pictures)

The "tacky" rug I'm crocheting out of the Pendleton blankets is underneath the rocking chair. I hope to make it really large eventually. And yes, A3 is wearing a bathing suit top in December. It's her day off from kindergarten and mommy apathy has set in. Gone are the days of accessorizing my childrens' outfits with the bows in their freshly coiffed hair.

Here's another therapy hat. Hats are wonderful to knit because no patterns are needed and blocking, etc. isn't necessary. I can just knit mindlessly. This last detail is essential.

Here is our rather spartan, Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. I tried explaining the "less is more" concept to my girls, but they didn't get it. Finally I gave up and just told them I was tired and that they could add more decorations if they so chose. After several minutes they too decided the understated look was in. We're going to relax and have fun this year damn it!

I almost forgot. Here is the latest addition to our family. A1 got an early Christmas present yesterday. His name is Juji. Juji is still in shock from leaving the pet store. He hasn't made any sound at all. Bonny (our young kitty) desperately wants to check him out, but the door to A1's room remains shut, much to her dismay.

Alicia,

2006-12-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Alicia in college, 1989

or as my daughters call her, "Miss Lish", came down for a visit on Sunday. Alicia and I met many years ago while waiting for the mail in our college residence hall lobby. We've been friends ever since.
Some Lish facts:
~ She doesn't like catching nightcrawlers, but she'll fish.
~ She grew up in Toppenish, WA
~ She's the youngest of four children, but two of her siblings have passed away
~ She moves... a lot. As a result we've lost contact on several occasions, but she always tracks me down.
~ She does amazing bead and leatherwork.
~ NOBODY can stack wood as fast or as neatly as Lish
~ She's funny, but quiet. If you don't listen carefully you're bound to miss something funny.
~ We've always had the most fun just "doing nothing" ... It's a Pooh sort of thing.
~ She will give you the shirt off her back, and her pants, and shoes and coat. Heck, if you asked she'd probably even give you her underwear... I've never asked.

Anyway, she drove all the way down here just to check out our new digs and say, "hey." She brought her friend, Becky along for the ride. While she was here we drove down to the Pendleton Mill outlet in Washougal. Pendleton wool is amazing, but I've never been able to afford it... Until now.

I was introduced to the tables full of mill ends and blanket remnants. And even though it wasn't yarn I felt the same rush of excitement a fiber addict experiences in a yarn store. These were very long strips of fabric. And the reason I only purchased two bags of remnants was because my youngest daughter played Houdini on us and disappeared. She hid in a circular clothing rack and pulled her feet up out of sight. Shopping was halted while everyone frantically searched in vain. Finally my eldest daughter found her. Once the felon was apprehended and restrained in her car seat she was assigned a full time warden, me. I think that poor Becky almost had a nervous breakdown.

Upon returning to our house Lish pulled this out and presented it to me! This is a very beautiful and very large blanket. It was only put on the table for this picture, it's been on my bed ever since. I was and still am speechless. I love it.

The afore-mentioned scraps were wound into large balls. I'm attempting to crochet a rug. A1 says it's the tackiest thing she's ever seen. I'll have her know that I'm capable of much tackier.

And in the meantime, I'm bugging the heck out of Lish. She's been in one place for far too long and I think she needs to move to the Portland area.

Gratificationus Instantaneous

2006-12-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we all need a quickie. Hang the long courtship that takes place between yarn as it searches for "the right" pattern. Ditch the formalities of toying with gauge swatches. Plunge with abandon into soft squishy fiber with sticks furiously ablaze. Frenzied knitting ends suddenly, sooner than expected. No blocking and only a few loose ends to clean up, then just walk away. No need for drawn out, awkward goodbyes. You are left feeling satisfied and rejuvenated. Commitment to a long-term fiber relationship no longer feels like a trap. Such have been my recent projects.

Fetching in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino edged with glass beads

A1 reluctantly models a hat made with some
plain old Cascade 220 and a whim.

These quickies have felt so liberating that I might have a few more "flings" before entering into an enduring fiber relationship. Cheers.

Saturday in review

2006-12-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning blue skies greeted us. After a leisurely pancake breakfast and lots of silly girls (friends spending the night plus our own silly ones) we ventured out to choose a Christmas
Tree.

We returned home just in time to pick up the mail which included a delightful parcel from V, my Coffee Swap partner. The heavenly scent of freshly roasted coffee could be detected even before opening the box. Man, paper flew as I tore into this box!

And inside, starting at the top from left to right:
A lovely card with wonderful letter written by V , TWO coffee mugs, one is a MiGo traveling cup WITH A HANDLE! Partially due to my M.S. and partially due to just being a naturally born klutz I tend to spill and drop a lot of cups. Most traveling cups do not have handles so my caffeine is usually restricted to "at home" drinking. And the beautiful pottery mug next to it was hand thrown by artisans at the Plymouth Plantation. I love these cups. Next were 5, yes FIVE packages of premium roasted coffees from Boston Best Coffee Roasters. Three gourmet chocolate bars were also included. These have been hidden away for those late-night sweet tooth urges because I don't want to share them with my girls who cannot yet fully appreciate the difference between good and mediocre chocolate.(mean mommy).

And finally, the piece de resistance... this is 400 yards of hand dyed superwash from Mind's Eye Yarns ! Pictures do not begin to serve justice to the beautiful blues and purples of this amazingly soft yarn. It has a glossy sheen reminescent of silk. I keep stroking it and sniffling it. No immediate projects come to mind yet, as I'm still in the infatuation stages, but once the excitement has worn off a little then projects can be pondered. Thank you very much V for sharing such wonderful Boston goodies. Now I'm off to brew some wonderful coffee and catch up on my blog reading. Cheers!

Hauskaa syntymapaiva Papa Porgy!

2006-11-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

Today is my Grandpa Porgy's 86th birthday! Grandpa was born in Butte, Montana. His father, Eino, had fled the family home in Finland 4 years prior to avoid conscription in the Russian army. Wilma, Grandpa's mother, had immigrated to the United States from another region of Finland at the age of 19 3 years before his birth. Grandpa spent the early years of his life moving throughout Montana, Idaho and his family even traveled back to Finland briefly (his name can be found at Ellis Island where he re-entered the USA). At the age of 6 he was put into his first English speaking school. Prior to this he spoke Finnish and got on well in a variety of other languages spoken by other immigrants residing within the mining community. He worked for awhile alongside his father in the copper mines, but eventually he left Montana and moved to Washington State. Here, at the age of 19, he met and married my Grandma Helen. Over the years Grandpa worked many different jobs, but his primary income was as a fisherman. They had two sons, five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Sadly, last year Grandma Helen passed away. Grandpa misses her very much, but he stays active and remains involved with all in the family. His younger brother, Teino, lives in Olympia.

10 Facts about Grandpa:

1. His 2nd and 3rd toes are "webbed" about 1/3 up.
2. The end of his left index finger was pulled off in an industrial accident. He has fun playing jokes with his missing finger and this is an endless source of fascination for all under the age of 10.
3. He and Grandma wintered in Desert Hot Springs for over 30 years.
4. Favorite past times include golfing and fishing.
5. He is extremely superstitious, especially regarding Friday the 13th. Not surprising considering one of his boats, The Gail, was struck by a cargo ship on Friday the 13th. Luckily nobody was seriously injured and all were rescued.
6. Grandpa can build or fix just about anything ever made and he loves working with wood.
7. Grandpa still fishes and digs razor clams.
8. He's an avid reader.
9. He calls everyone in the family on their birthdays and sings "Happy Birthday" to them.
10. He's my last surviving grandparent.

Baa Humbug!

2006-11-29T06:58:00.000-08:00

Ho ho hum, it's that magical time of year again. Most of our neighbors have decked their homes and yards in true Griswold fashion. Lines at the post office are excruciatingly long and even local gas stations are pushing holiday gift giving to a whole new level. So yesterday as Christmas Muzak assaulted my eardrums at the grocery store I decided it was time to get in the spirit.

Trips to the attic yielded boxes of lights and a crick in my neck. Note the neat and orderly state of these lights? Yes, that is sarcasm. But Bonny was delighted with the new smells and chewy strings.

The fruits of several hours' labor... one lone tree with lights and a wreath on the door. But this wee tree has sparked my enthusiasm to do more. I will have the happiest, brightest and probably most offensive house in the cul-de-sac by week's end.

And as far as not fulfilling all of my Christmas knitting plans... I've adopted a new philosophy. 2006 is not even a remotely plausible goal for most intended projects. So this year lots of homebaked cookies, breads, jams and jellies will be given in lieu of handmade socks, hats and other fibery gifts. And I'll just consider myself "ahead" for my 2007 Christmas knitting!

And since no knitting UFOs or WIPs haunt my needles I can relax and enjoy starting a deadline free project of my choosing this evening. Whoo hoo hoo hoo, could life get any better? Cheers y'all!

Turkey Day, smurky day.

2006-11-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

What is it that they say... that the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry? Don't worry I shan't go on to butcher either Burns or Steinbeck. But I will endeavor to coax pity for our sad little Thanksgiving.

Friends and relatives received invitations weeks ago for a traditional meal served in our new home. Because of the distance we didn't expect many guests, but we were delighted when several called with "yes" RSVPs.

Tuesday I picked up our new dining room table. Wednesday afternoon the turkey was prepped, the pies were baked the salads made and all vegetables were washed, peeled and ready for cooking.

The good china and crystal were located (this is a big deal considering our, ahem, still unpacked boxes in the garage). All was in order for our feast.

Thursday morning I awoke with the flu, or some cheap imitation thereof. Gory details aren't necessary, all imaginable symptoms were present.

As a result, previous plans were abandoned. The bird was crammed into the oven without ceremony, without a final basting of butter and definitely without the wine-soaked cheesecloth wrapping suggested by Martha. The table wasn't set and hors d'oeuvres plates weren't arranged. I went back to bed.

About an hour prior to the guests' arrival I crawled into the shower. After ensuring that my children were dressed and the cat box was scooped I moved the ever-present pile of unfolded clothes from our living room into the bedroom. I kicked the door shut on my way out. The housework was done.

Mom arrived and saved the day. She made the gravy and finished cooking the rest of the vegetables. Great Auntie Ruth helped dish it up and set the table. Between the two, dinner was served in a timely fashion.

It was not formal, or even pretty (note everyday dishes, mismatched glasses, etc.), but the company was pleasant and everyone enjoyed a quiet meal.

Guests enjoyed after dinner entertainment,

And I went to bed early. Not a stellar holiday, but certainly not the worst in Thanksgiving history.

Not a great weekend for knitting progress either. Nausea and fatigue quashed all desires to knit or spin. My sister's vest is done, but it's rather boring. Just a seed or moss stitch with simple cables. She requested a neutral-colored vest to slip on in the evenings. It was made with Heirloom Easy Care 8 ply. Very soft and pretty yarn, but it tended to split.

Gobble Gobble

2006-11-22T14:51:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oompa loompa doom pa dee do

2006-11-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

I just love the songs sang by the Oompa Loompas in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory each time a naughty child meets a horrible demise. During this past year Mama-E created beautiful colorways which corresponded with Project Spectrum for her sock club members. July's color was named Beau after Violet Beauregard and August's colorway was dubbed Augustus for Augustus Gloop.

And true to their namesakes here we see Augustus busily gorging himself on chocolate while the ever-pushy Violet (Beau) becomes the first to be knitted into socks.

Now off to clean house and sneak in a few rows of knitting while visions of small orange men and those catchy songs are fresh in my noggin'. And because I love to share, here are the words sang by those sage fellows.

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do I have a perfect puzzle for you

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-dee If you are wise, you'll listen to me

What do you get when you guzzle down sweets?

Eating as much as an elephant eats

What are you at getting terribly fat?

What do you think will come of that?

I don't like the look of it

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-da

If you're not greedy, you will go far

You will live in happiness too

Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do

I have another puzzle for you

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-da-dee

If you are wise, you'll listen to me

Gum chewing's fine when it's once in a while

It stops you from smoking

And brightens your smile

But it's repulsive, revolting, and wrong

Chewing and chewing all day long

The way that a cow does

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-da

Given good manners, you will go far

You will live in happiness too

Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do

I have another puzzle for you

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-da-dee

If you are wise, you'll listen to me

Who do you blame when your kid is a brat?

Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat

Blaming the kids is a lie and a shame

You know exactly who's to blame

The mother and the father

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-da

If you're not spoiled, then you will go far

You will live in happiness too

Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do

I have another puzzle for you

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-da-dee

If you are wise, you'll listen to me

What do you get from a glut of TV?

A pain in the neck and an IQ of three

Why don't you try simply reading a book?

Or can you just not bear to look?

You'll get no...you'll get no...you'll get no commercials

Oompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-da

If you're not greedy, you will go far

You will live in happiness too

Like the Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do

Here comes the sun...

2006-11-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the clouds parted and provided a much-needed respite from the blustery wind and drenching rains which have dampened both spirits and the ground in the northwest. Thankfully the roofer repaired the skylight and replaced some broken roof tiles prior to the latest storm so we stayed dry.

After our errands A3 and I drove down to Multnomah Village in south Portland to visit Northwest Wools. The shop was delightful. Much of the yarn is arranged by colors, rather than by brand. As a result you would find Cascade mixed with Manos Del Uraguay, Opal, etc. This arrangement made me want to mix yarns together, felt something and knit freeform without patterns, guage, etc. The walls were lovely to gaze at, but my feeble brain wanders easily. This type of shopping opportunity often leaves me buying yarns with no end project in mind. In other words, I add to my out-of-control stash. The clerks/owners (not sure who was a proprietor and who owned the shop) were all very friendly, they let me touch and sniffle yarn without giving me funny looks, etc.

Multnomah Village itself is rather Bohemian. Translation, lots of college-aged kids in ugly clothes and dread locks who reek of patchouli and lots of strange little shops. It's very reminescent of Fairhaven up in Bellingham, but without the splattering of "exclusive" shops and restaurants. My only reserve in being there with my daughter was that I don't think that was tobacco being smoked on the sidewalks.

Upon returning home we all seized a moment to soak up some sun in the back yard.

When the mail arrived it brought my new license plate frame (courtesy of Scout's Swag). It was immediately installed. Now I'll feel like a rebel with a bad-ass attitude in my mini-van. Whoo hoo!

Culture Fool

2006-11-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

Have y'all seen the new Comcast commercials featuring Mr. T bursting through the shower wall of a man butchering the words to a well-known song? Well, I AM A KNITTING CULTURE FOOL! IF we subscribed to digital cable or if I visited cool websites like DIY then I would know who Vickie Howell is. As most of you probably know she hosts a television show called Knitty Gritty.

Last week I ordered some yarn from Scout's Handpainted Swag. When the yarn was dyed and ready to send (I don't think Scout ever sleeps) she e-mailed me to say that Vickie Howell and I had both ordered the Rosalie colorway at the same time, it was dyed in the same batch and "How cool was that?". Now any of you who have conversed with me either live or via email know that I'm a bit of a scatterbrain. I just assumed that Vickie Howell was somebody from a knitting swap I'm participating in. As a result the following emails between Scout and I became a "Who's on First" type of exchange. She soon ascertained that I had no clue as to Vickie Howell's identity so she kindly sent me a link. I am now enlightened!

This is the gorgeous yarn (and some much-needed "Heal My Hands") which arrived yesterday.

And here's a close up envy shot...

Not only is this yarn gorgeous, but it's soft too. I don't know what to make with it yet, but for now I'm happy to just fondle it, stare at it and know that somebody famous has the same yarn dyed in the batch.

Today's Bento lunches for the girls consisted of do-it-yourself mini pizzas. The idea was shamlessly copied from somebody else's blog as their version of the popular Lunchables. The crusts are simply some mini pita breads picked up in the deli section of a local grocery store. The homemade pizza sauce can be squeezed out of a small hole which is cut into the corner and covered with a sticker. Not only are these less expensive than Lunchables, but I can control sodium, etc.

Now off to Portland to have some documents shredded and run a few other errands. If you have a moment today then pop over to Cindy's blog and give her a virtual hug or a quick note. The poor dear is recooperating from having a tooth extracted. Ouch!

2006-11-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

This may be a sign that I need more coffee than usual this morning , but these "purls" of wisdom made me laugh while opening my morning email (thank you Todd).

Deep Thoughts for Those Who Take Life Way Too Seriously:

>Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.>
> The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.>
> A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.>
> If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.>
> When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.>
> Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.>
> Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.>
> Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.>
> Life isn't like a box of chocolates . . . it's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, could burn your butt tomorrow.

2006-11-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was spent volunteering in A3's Kindergarten classroom, paying bills and grocery shopping. This doesn't sound like much, but those tasks, coupled with the normal cooking, cleaning, homework help, etc., ate up the entire day. Translation: no time for knitting :(. Today doesn't look promising either, but a girl can always hope. The victims of neglect:

Embossed leaves
in Mama-E's "Beau"
feeling sadly
alone and forlorn.

Bonny reminding me
that I have a second
knitting UFO,
my sister's cabled vest,
waiting my attention too.
(She's making it "important"
by sitting on it).

One of the daily challenges faced in our home is school lunches. Most schools, ours included, serve horrible tasting food that is low on nutrition and high in simple carbs, fats, etc. And pb&j from home quickly becomes old hat. Coupled with that is the guilt associated with straying from a previously healthier diet. We used to be "almost vegetarian". Meaning we still consumed dairy and some seafood. I know, vegans would scoff indignantly and call us dietary posers. Also eschewed were processed flours, fried foods and anything with preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup. Anyway, we're trying to revert back. My selfish reason being that my butt is shall we say... Taking on a life of its own and now usurping territory previously reserved for the backs of my thighs and the small of my back. These boundary disputes require immediate attention before an all-out war ensues.

Well, V, my coffee/knit swap buddy has an ingenious solution which I'm attempting to copy. Each day she packs delicious and nutritious O'Bento style lunches for both her daughter and herself. My first attempts:

Because A2 is particulary fussy, I've decided to allow her to continue to have her fruit snacks, but eventually these will be phased out too.

Because several of you have inquired about the containers I thought I'd "come clean". These are nothing more than odds and ends from my plastics/avalanche cupboard. The creative person I copied this idea from, uses cupcake papers as dividers for many of her foods to keep them neat and organized. Pretty much any old container would work. My girls seemed more impressed with using the toothpicks to skewer their food bits than in the food itself or in the packaging.

Now, off to call the roofer & complete other tasks which interrupt my knitting.

Coffee Swap Questionnaire

2006-11-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

Contest Question: Where is my favorite place to get a cup of coffee? Tully's

Fiber portion:
1. What am I knitting right now? Currently I'm attempting to spin with a drop spindle (and boy do I drop it) and knit a shawl with the resulting yarn. I'm also working on a pair of Embossed Leaves socks and a cabled vest.

2. What yarns am I coveting? Many yarns top my list... as long as they aren't acrylic or novelty yarns. I covet them all.

3. What's my favorite yarn and why? I love Socks That Rock, Cherry Tree Hill, Mama-E's, oh heck, I don't have a "favorite." I just am not much into pastels.

4. What's my favorite yarn store and why? I seldom go to a real, live yarn store, most of my purchases are via the internet. I visited a really nice yarn store down in Portland called, The Yarn Garden. I'd love to find time to visit all of them eventually.

Coffee Portion:

1. Whole bean or ground? Whole Bean
2. Fully-loaded or decaf ? MUST HAVE CAFFEINE!
3. Regular or flavored? Isn't coffee a flavor? I just like plain coffee.
4. How do you drink your coffee? Is this a trick question? Why from a cup of course. Hot with milk or cream and NO sweeteners.
5. Favorite coffee ever? Tough call. No one cup stands out.
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? I'm in the lower end of the "fussy" category. If only grocery store coffee is available (Folger's, Maxwell House, etc.) then I'd rather have tea. But I'm not holding out for $50.00 a pound beans that have passed through the intestinal tract of a lemur.
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? Chocolate or any kind of pastry/starch.
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? No styrofoam cups... ever. That's equivalent to knitting with squeaky acrylic yarn on scratched up aluminum needles. Eeeek!
9. What treats do you enjoy with your coffee? Is this just to see if we were paying attention to #7?
10. Yarn/fiber you love? Wool, silk, cotton or other natural fibers in just about any blend.
11. Yarn/fiber you hate? Acrylic and novelty
12. What's on your needles? Socks, a cabled vest and a shawl.
13. Favorite colors? Autumn colors, neutrals and greens
14. Allergies? Aspartame (I avoid all artificial sweeteners though) and penicillan. I doubt my yarn or coffee will be laced with antibiotics, but just in case...
15. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? Nope, I'm good.

Coffee, paint, water & leaves

2006-11-09T22:49:00.000-08:00

Mmmm, I LOVE coffee. Good coffee. It's been my drug of choice for 35 years and I've no intention of giving it up... ever. And knitting is my most favorite pastime. With that in mind there was no way I would pass up a knitting/coffee swap. Matches should be made soon.

Most of yesterday was spent painting my youngest daughter's bedroom. She wanted pink and loves fairies. So the entire room was painted pink and a floating fairy castle mural now adorns one wall. The fairies themselves are Wallies. She is ecstatic with her new room. I was pleased too until my DH came home and proclaimed the castle to be extremely phallic. Phthtt to him anyway.

The rain continues to pummel the pacific northwest and my "sunroom" continues to leak. Because we have a tile roof there aren't a lot of contractors who can/will do repairs for us. So the soonest appointment will be in 3 weeks. We took the appointment and now I'm doing a sun dance in hopes that more damage doesn't ensue while we wait.

Embossed leaves are continuing nicely. I love this sock pattern and hopefully this pair will be completed this weekend. Stay drive everyone.

2006-11-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Following yesterday's elections I believe it's safe to say that the color of the day is blue.

The annoying head cold drags on relentlessly.

This morning will be spent grocery shopping and cleaning house.

I hope to spin and knit some more on the shawl later today. This is far and away one of the homeliest items I've produced. Yet I keep going, maybe in hopes that sheer size will make up for ugly.

Soggy & Wet

2006-11-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

All signs of this past summer's dry spell have been erradicated by torrential down pours. Having lived in western Washington for most of my life you'd think this would seem like no big deal. You learn to take road closures, soil erosion, clogged culverts and leaking roofs in stride.
But this is too much.

This would be the roof between the skylights in my knitting room. And that large bubble (diameter of a softball) would be pooled water under the paint, slowly moving down the slanted ceiling.

And this is my favorite knitting chair. The inspector said that it's just a flashing problem and that it's no big deal structurally. That's a relief, but I still re-located my yarn. No sense taking any chances.

Yesterday I received a prize from Karen. It is a skein of Superwash Merino, hand dyed and donated to Karen's walk-a-thon by Scout. The colorway is called "Daisies" and it is very bright and happy on an otherwise dull day. Thank you Karen and thank you Scout! My DH honed in on and finished off the candy even before the kids could. Better him than me!

A3 had her stitches removed yesterday and she's healed beautifully. Children are amazingly resiliant.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

2006-11-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

Happy happy joy joy! I have my first cold of the year. Gotta love those burning eyes, sore throat and oozing head goo. Once school starts the countdown is on. Children are transformed into little germ frigates teeming with festering microbes. And small people who fail to wash their hands become walking petri dishes.

Not much knitting to show here. Small amounts of spinning with the drop spindle have yielded enough yarn to add a few rows onto the rustic shawl. This is obviously NOT a dainty lace wrap destined to be worn out at a summer evening concert. My goal is simply to make this large enough for a friend of mine to use on chilly evenings at home. This wrap will not take offense at four legged friends who shed fur or wipe nostril sauce and drool on it's edges. This wrap will welcome the attention, knowing that it provides warmth and comfort to all it encounters.

Off to tackle the never-ending laundry mountain. And as a dear friend, Karen, once pointed out, "Unless you're naked, the laundry is never done."

Paperwork bites

2006-11-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

Today has been spent sorting through piles and piles of paperwork.

This is a "rustic" shawl started with my humble homespun. This drop-spindle stuff is addicting. I couldn't wait to try knitting with it.

And Whimsical Knitting is holding a contest over at her blog. She wants to see what y'all have been knitting. She wants to see your creations modeled, BUT they must be used or worn in a way other than what they were intended for. My elder daughters flat out refused, but A3 succombed to Halloween Bag bribery (hence the lollypop).
A3 is modeling the latest in handknit must haves for the up-coming holiday season.

This fun and fabulous hat is sure to turn heads. And it doesn't just make a fashion statement, but it's also highly functional. Just turn it over and it doubles as a handy doggy bag. And it's extra-large size allows you to hide bad hair or to discretely bring home a leftover smorgasborg ham or turkey. (my felted knitted bag).

If second helpings leave you gasping for breath then this shirt's for you! Simply slip into the little girls' room and re-wrap your top. You're ready for dessert. (scarf)

Make a statement with this one of a kind skort/leggings. Notice the handy potty portal. (my Noro pull-over)

No time for a pedicure? No problem with these ultra-chic party slip-ons. Your toes will be hidden, your corns comfortable and your bunions blessed. (mittens)

The final accessories in A3's holiday ensemble are these delightful gloves. Heavy drinkers will appreciate the lack of fussy finger holes. The multi-colored pattern will hide food stains and extremity frostbite is minimalized when house keys are fumbled due to the single pouch design. (socks).

Mama Mia!

2006-10-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

On Saturday some lovurly platinum roving arrived from Mama-E. It's all shiny and silvery and beautiful. The drop spindle Cindy (check out Cindy's stunning Victoria shawl she just finished) generously gave me last year made her debut and this was the result. It may not be pretty, but I enjoyed giving it a "whirl". Okay, bad pun.

Monday the 2nd installment of yarn came from Mama-E's C-Eyeber Fiber Fall Sock club. This colorway is titled "Indian Corn." She was spot on with the colors.

And here is my first attempt at the Embossed Leaves sock pattern in none other than Mama-E's famous Beau colorway from July. This picture does not show how pretty the colors are. I love the pattern too, except that I substituted a plain 1x1 rib for the twisted rib. It's more comfortable both to knit and to wear in my opinion.

Notice a theme here? Mama E is unabashedly and almost solely responsible for enabling my fiber addiction during this past week. I say THANK YOU, my DH... not so much. If he's a really good boy then maybe I'll make him a Willie Warmer with my platinum handspun! Just kidding, it aspires to a higher destiny.

Little Miss A3 is feeling much better now. Thank you very much for all of your kind comments. She's going to be a "butterfly, unicorn, pirate" for trick-or-treating tonight but the candy will have to be saved someplace safe from a hungry Dad and sisters. Have a safe and happy Halloween everyone!

Ouch!

2006-10-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we picked up our "punkins" for the massacre.

Tops were removed.

Disembowlment commenced.

The carnage...

yielded ghoulish fiends.

And all was well until A3 did a swan dive off of the loveseat in the family room and landed mouth first on the hearth edge. Her lip split open and two of her teeth came through the side of her lower face. This warranted a trip to Portland to the urgent care clinic. 3 hours later we left with exhausted girls and B had a raging headache. This morning A3 stayed home from school. She can't talk or eat solids because of a rather large stitch in the corner of her mouth. The medical people were nice and they gave her a witch, now named Daisy, for being so brave. Daisy's nose came off during the visit and one of the medical technicians stitched it back on. Today we will rest.

Drum roll please...

2006-10-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

There were a total of 38 people who played. Thank you so much! I wish I could have sent something to all of you.

The names were entered into our state-of-the-art selecting machine.

A specially trained technician was brought in to officiate.

And the randomly chosen winner is...

Cecily!
Congratulations Cecily. Please email me with your snail mail address so I can send you your goodies. hpresson at comcast dot net. You live in the same city as Miss Cindy Lou! Must be some really good knitting/fiber karma back there.

I'm done with painting the kitchen except for a few touch-up places where the blue painter's tape was applied crooked. It's now a cheerful, happy kitchen.

(I only took a picture of one small corner because the rest is still cluttered. Hopefully we'll finish the unpacking this weekend. Whoo hoo!)

Thursday

2006-10-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Only one day left to enter the drawing for the yarn and other goodies. Just leave a comment on the posting from Monday.

I've spent the morning cleaning and painting in the new kitchen. Talk about gross. I pulled the stove out to paint behind it and there was about a decade's worth of food spilled down and baked onto the sides. I had removed the pan drawer and cleaned the floor under the range when we first moved in, but the entire unit hadn't been pulled out until now.

The kitchen has tons of storage and I love it for the most part. One of the only minor things I wanted to change was the color.

It was a dreary institutional green. This shows the lowered ceiling between the lights and cupboards. The fleshy colored walls will also be painted eventually.

The green is being replaced with a pale yellow. Because the skies are gray so often the brighter colors really help liven up the house.

My good friend, Karen, is almost done making this service star for her friend, Eugenia, to display while Eugenia's brother is deployed.

Karen is a wonderful quilter and this is a special gift that I'm sure Eugenia will treasure for years. I hope her brother returns safely from Iraq.

Hope you're all having a delightful Thursday.

A Kodak moment...

2006-10-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Only 3 more days to leave a comment and enter the contest one post down.

Our friends, Dan & Zoe have a friend visiting from California. Dan took a picture of Zoe & her friend to remember the moment. Apparently Riley, their pooch, didn't want to be left out.

Zoe is one of those amazingly talented people. She knits, bakes, cooks gourmet meals, makes fabulous handmade cards and scrapbooks avidly. I wonder if this photo will be cropped? Hee! Riley is a good pooch. But hey, when nature calls you've got to answer. Hope you're having a nice visit Zoe!

BLOGIVERSARY CONTEST!

2006-10-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all, it's my one year blogiversary so I'm holding a contest to celebrate! I absolutely love my Blog. Not only do I get to vent and rant, but I've "met" some really great people on-line. Many of you possess disgustingly abundant amounts of creativity and talent. And then there are those Super-Humans who have more energy than that annoying pink bunny. Some of you are side-splittingly funny. Occasionally I'll wander onto the blog of somebody truly annoying, but that isn't any of you good folks... really.

My DH and I were setting up a trivia quiz, but I'm tired and uncreative. Most of his questions revolved around Science Fiction Characters, TV Shows and Movies. Do any of you really care for whom Walter Koenig's character in Babylon 5 was named? I didn't think so. Well, the trivia idea was ditched. Somebody else is currently running a limerick contest so asking for poetry seems redundant.

How to enter: Easy peasy, just leave your name in the comments section of this post and on Friday, October 27 at High Noon Pacific Time there will be a random drawing.

The Prize:
5 Skeins of Knit Picks, Shadow, in the Lost Lake Colorway.
2 Bars of Trader Joe's organic chocolate. Yum.
1 Skein of hand painted Anne by Schaefer Yarn .
Miscellaneous other goodies too.

Spread the word. Lurkers are welcome!

Pictures from the past several weeks...

2006-10-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

I found my disk reader! Here are some pictures to accompany the recent posts.

This is the Procion Dye and Henry's Attic Cotton that I purchased from A Willapa Connection.

Here is a picture that Ruth took of A2 & A3 modeling hats in the display window of the A Willapa Connection.

The completed SKB (please disregard the sweat pants).

A closeup of the sleeve.

Large finished socks. I like the mindless ease of knitting with self-patterning yarn for travelling, but I look forward to knitting something not quite so easy during the next go-around.

The Liv sweater. I made the sleeves flared/bell-shaped and knit them on dps in the round rather than flat with standard needles.

Upcoming contest!

2006-10-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hooray! We finally made it to the new house. The PODS were delivered and unloaded and the girls have been registered in school. Now we're just navigating boxes and trying to unpack. This process may take a few weeks.

I'm still using my DH's laptop but hopefully the pcs will be set up early this week.

I finished all of my UFO's while staying in the hotel. BUT, I didn't like the way the vest turned out so I took it apart and frogged it back to below the armpits for another go.

I have lots of pictures, but alas, my card reader is packed. Expect to be bombarded at that point.

The PODS adventure went splendidly. Nothing arrived broken or damaged. The contact people were all friendly. The arrivals and pick-ups occurred in a timely fashion and it ended up costing less than using a U-Haul, Ryder or other do-it-yourself move.

Tomorrow will be my one year BLOGIVERSARY! And to celebrate the auspicious occasion I'll be holding a contest. I'm still working out the questions for this contest and I've starting assembling a prize package. Hopefully all will be ready and posted soon.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm off to catch up on some blog reading before resuming the unpacking.

Knitting Stores!

2006-10-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Remember last week when I said we were taking a drive over to Raymond to check out a yarn store? Well, I neglected to share the experience with you all. The store is called "A Willapa Connection". Ruth greeted us at the store and entertained both the girls and me for over an hour. The store has a great selection of Lamb's Pride and they will special order any of the Henry's Attic yarns currently not in their stock. I purchased some soft, nubby (but not boucle) cotton as well as my first batch of acid dyes to experiment with. Ruth was delightful and she took some really cute picture of the girls. We will definately be making this a regular stop on our drive out to Grandma's house.

Today the three girls and I ventured out of our hotel suite in search of Carpe Vinum. It is a Portland wine store that is owned and operated by Karen's brother, Mike. I have only met Mike once or twice before briefly but he was extremely helpful and friendly. Genetics are truly freaky. I swear that Mike and Karen are clones with the exception of that whole gender thingy... and the goatee.

After leaving Carpe Vinum with three bottles of wine we explored a little bit. We drove past three yarn stores in a relatively small area. The only one we stopped at was the Yarn Garden. The Yarn Garden has three large rooms of yarns, one room with needles and accessories and a coffee/tea shop called the Sipperee (I think). Fiber overload left me drooling, but I only purchased three skeins of yarn. I am still unable to post pictures. My only criticism of the Yarn Garden was that parking was almost non-existent. I think this is the norm for many city businesses though.

I'm off to gaze at the blogs of others while I still have some computer time. Cheers!

Hey there!

2006-10-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the girls, cats, B & I are now residing at the Staybridge Inn by the Portland airport. There was a lot of paperwork to do down this way, etc. to prepare for the house signing so we re-located from my parents' house on Saturday. I've finished two of my four knitting UFOs so far. Yeah! Today we're going appliance shopping for a refrigerator, washer & dryer and microwave for the new house. Tomorrow we'll try contacting the girls' new school district office to register them for classes. I love the area down here. There is lots to do and see. Lots of yarn stores to explore too.

Hey there!

2006-10-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

We're officially homeless now. The girls and I are squatting at my parents' and B is staying with friends down in Oregon. I've made a half-assed attempt at home schooling the girls while we're here. Mostly we've been taking field trips though and the spelling, grammar and math only take about an hour total each day. Today we'll drive over to Raymond, WA. The main goal each day is to impact my parents as little as possible. They are busy and the house is small so this was a big inconvienence to them when we moved in. The kitties are doing well in the garage. I'm working on the four UFOs and some progress is being made. I think there is a yarn store over in Raymond that we may visit while exploring. Not much else to report. I can't load any pictures from here, but I'm taking lots for later. Ciao y'all (Italian hillbilly for goodbye).

2006-09-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

The PODS were picked up today. Now that they're gone I'm finding lots more items that should have been packed... oops. A1 is spending one last night with her best friend, Brianna. We had a "going away/birthday" party for A2 today. The girls' art teacher from school showed up. She is truly an amazing lady. She actually made tye-dyed shirts for our family and she even gave each of the party guests a custom dyed shirt. In addition Mrs. Lee (the art teacher) put together an activity kit to keep us entertained while in moving limbo. This is a picture of A2 and Mrs. Lee sporting their new tie-dyes.

We will miss you Mrs. Lee!

I picked up my SKB sweater for the first time in over a week. After picking up the stitches for the second sleeve I discovered that I'm 8 stitches shy compared to the first sleeve. I have no idea how this came to be. Was the mistake made on this sleeve or on the first one? Where are the missing stiches? Can this be fixed without having to frog an entire sleeve? I don't know the answer to these questions, but chocolate will surely help. Now... where can I find chocolate?

2006-09-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Just a quick note between packing. Who knew we had so much shit... we've ordered not 1 , 2 or even 3 PODS containers, but 4! And here all this time I thought we were frugal, simple people. Turns out we're just blatant materialistic consumers after all.

From October 2nd until Oct. 16th the girls and I will be living with my parents out in Grayland. They are right in the midst of cranberry harvest so we'll be adding extra chaos to an already hectic time of year. Nothing adds humility to life like moving back in with your parents at the age of 39!

Because Mom and Dad only have limited dial-up access, blogging will be severely limited. I'm feeling withdrawal pains and I already miss everyone out there in the blogosphere. The good news is that I can help out a little by sorting cranberries in the warehouse or by pulling sacks (they dry-harvest out here instead of flooding so lots of heavy moving and lifting of the berries is involved).

ALSO, I intend to finish all of my UFOs while there. And if there is still time leftover I'm bringing my drop spindle to practice with in the evenings. Last year Miss Cindy sent me a wonderful Ashford Spindle during SP7 that has yet to be utilized. Oh, a quick note of clarification, my KNITTING UFOs, not quilts, cross stitches, paintings, etc.

The girls will be out of school for several weeks, but they are doing very well in their studies and I don't believe they'll be behind in their new school. Of course the environment will be different and an adjustment period is to be expected. We'll miss Elk Plain School of Choice. It really is a stellar school and the teachers and staff are amazing. During their "break" they will have their bicycles, the beach, their Great Grandpa Porgy to play with and other activities to keep them busy.

Well, no new pictures to share. That is all.

Shopping

2006-09-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my sister drove up from Rochester to take A1 on her birthday shopping trip. I acted as chauffeur for the two. My sister has 1 child. He is 17 years old, has never been in trouble, gets excellent grades and is every parents' dream child. He wore whatever was given to him when younger and now he buys his own clothes.
A1 is 10 years old. She is moderatly well-behaved but she wants to be a fashion designer. She is very particular about her wardrobe. She is too big for most children's clothes and women's clothes don't fit her properly yet. As a result, shopping for her presents special challenges. Striking a balance between what she likes and what I deem is appropriate often has us leaving stores empty-handed. But in all fairness to A1 many of the hooker shirts, short skirts, etc. even have her saying, "No way!"
So what happens when one unsuspecting aunt is thrown in the retail jungle to help scavenge for acceptable pre-teen clothing? Heh, heh, heh.

This outfit is from Gymboree (Children's clothing store for those of you who don't have children). This is what Auntie had in mind.

This outfit is from Gen-X. This store caters to teens and the hip-hop type crowd. Stores like Old Navy, Gottschalks, Burlington Coat Factory and Ross Dress for less had basically the same offerings, but down one notch on the slut chart. These stores were more A1's speed.

After the 3rd store my sister's eye was twitching. And I didn't even have time to comment on clothing because she nixed it before the mean old mom could. At one point she proclaimed, "I'm glad I have a boy!" as she sat on the floor outside a dressing room waiting for the latest reveal. Ho-bag outfit viewing had worn her out.

At the end of 3 hours A1 had 5 shirts, one skirt and a jacket. Here is her "wild" shirt and the skirt.

I really like the little olive colored jacket that she bought... if it was only a couple of sizes bigger then I could borrow it.

My face hurts today from laughing so much at my sister's horrified reactions. I was able to sneak away to a Michael's (not my usual location) and pick up the beads necessary to finish my sweater.

It was a good day.

Welcome Late Harvest & Farewell Dear Friends

2006-09-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

Today's mail yielded a wonderful bounty. This beautiful skein of fibery goodness is none other than Mama-E's first offering in her C*EYE*BER Fiber Sock Fall club. It is appropriately named, Late Harvest and I'm in love with this. Thank you Mama-E. You really out did yourself this time around!

This happy delivery helps soften the blow of saying goodbye to our beloved chickens. Today my ladies will go live with a nearby retired couple who have many free-roaming animals on their farm. The chickens will have a long and good life there. I'd like to think that they will miss us, especially Peeper. From left to right they are; Peeper, Spotty, Ariel and Raven.

Peeper came to live with us when she was only 2 days old. She was blind and her fate had been death until we begged the sellers to let us have her. Her eyes were crusted shut and we had to wash them several times a day to help them open. Her right eye still weeps sometimes. Raven came to live with us several weeks later to keep Peeper company. Spotty and Ariel had belonged to our neighbor and he gave up raising chickens and two came to live with us.

FALL!

2006-09-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of Fall. Welcome to pumpkins, Halloween, brightly colored leaves, cranberry harvest at my parents' and a big happy 9th birthday to Karen's daughter, E! It seems like just yesterday that Karen's husband called to tell us about her unexpected early delivery.

Because A3 is home with a stomach bug today I've had some time to assess our household. And "Fall" for me translates into "I've managed to FALL behind... on just about everything."

And since pride goeth before the "fall", I humbly present some of the "behinds".

First is the SKB. Production ceased on this sweater because I ran out of beads and Michael's is temporarily out of stock of the ones needed.

Next up, unmatched socks. Mates for many of these probably reside in the pile, but I've not taken the time to sort them.

Another often-neglected chore here is the mending. Here are some of the clothing items my daughters have left for me to repair. The last pile sat unmended until they were finally donated to charity.

The laundry room remodeling came to a screeching halt when it came time to install the new cupboards and cut and install the molding. My arms just won't seem to hold anything over my head anymore so once again, my dh must complete what I've started.

Another knitting UFO to add to the SKB and the Liv Sweater is this lone sock. I temporarily misplaced the needles to complete its mate.

I've mindlessly knitted a few cotton dishrags because while I was looking for beads to finish the SKB sweater I happened across this gigantic skein of cotton yarn that matched my Fiesta dishes. But these are just adding to my "falling" behindedness .

I don't want any of you to get the wrong idea though, and avoid me in case this lack of finishing is contagious. Over the past 24 hours I've finished an entire tub of Lloyd's Shredded BBQ'd beef, a bag of Dove's Dark Chocolate Promises and another Janet Evanovich novel. So I do manage to complete some things.

And now for something completely different... a while back I purchased a new pair of circular needles. Because my LYS was out of Addis in the size I needed I tried some of the Crystal Palace bamboo circulars. I HATE these and will never buy them again. Not only did the plastic strip between them bend and kink horribly and permanently , but there is a knot near the connecting point of the needles and the plastic strip. This knot caught on the stitches something fierce, resulting in language inappropriate for small children. This knot is visible near Bonny's paw. We both give these a big paw's down.

Happy Birthday A2!

2006-09-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today is my middle daughter's 8th birthday. Here are some facts about A2.

She is the spitting image of my late MIL except for her coloring... she has blonde hair and blue eyes like my mom.

Not one day of her life has passed where she hasn't cried.

She's worn glasses since she was two years old.

She's extremely athletic

Bird watching is one of her favorite hobbies

She's an amazingly talented artist

She can make "armpit fart" noises with just about any part of her body.

She intimidates some adults by calling "bullshit" on things and questioning authority. She has NEVER believed in Santa and at the age of 6 she even questioned the existence of God.

She frustrates her dad more than any other person on the planet.

She loves all animals and insects.

She would be really mad if she knew I was posting this picture. It was taken when she was two years old. She was playing dress up and put this fairy costume on all by herself. The back of the skirt was folded up and obviously fairies do not wear undergarments. I sneaked this picture in while her back was turned and have since dubbed it "Fairy Tail".

I love you A2, Happy Birthday!

New House Pictures

2006-09-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the house we're buying down in Ridgefield, WA. I'm very tired and have not taken the time to list these individually so they may not be very clear/big or if they are then it may take some time to download. After the girls are in school and I'm caffeinated then I'll try listing them individually.

2006-09-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Another picture-free post. I'm just posting a quick update from my husband's laptop (computer, people, minds out of the gutter) while we're down in Portland.

We found a house outside of Vancouver, WA. I'm really excited because the girls will each have their own bedroom and it has a wonderful sunroom just perfect for knitting! The house sits on just over 1/2 an acre and it's flat and fenced so the girls will have a place to play and there will be room for a small garden. Another bonus is that it's all one story so navigating stairs won't be an issue.

When we return to Spanaway tomorrow it'll be back to finishing up the remodeling of the laundry room. Our four chickens will need a new home. They are very tame and hopefully there will be somebody out there interested in friendly fowl... as pets, not fried or stewed. Abandoment guilt abounds!

Cheers!

2006-09-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

The house sold. It closes on October 2nd. Which gives us 19 days to finish up here, find a new place and move. Yippeee!

PSA for Fiber-aholics!

2006-09-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

Miss Cindy over at Knit Won Purl Too is having a yarnalicious contest. To win all you need to do is visit her site and find the September 10th entry. She is knitting a gorgeous Victorian Shawl and if you make a guess regarding the finishing date of said shawl then you'll be entered into a drawing to win some fabulous yarn. And get this, you don't even have to guess correctly, any old guess will do. So head on over and good luck y'all.

Yikes!

2006-09-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Please disregard the folded over collar, I was trying to take this picture myself. I'm obviously going to have to rip out and make a different version of the neckline on this SKB if it's to be worn without a camisole or undershirt. To say the neckline is plunging is quite an understatement. I'll try to work on it again this evening and then I'll just have the sleeves to finish. Right now it's off to Home Depot to buy more building supplies. Cheers!

2006-09-07T04:31:00.000-07:00

We're still upset over Steve Irwin's sudden death. I mean heck, if this man who successfully flirted with dangerous beasts unscathed for years can be killed so quickly then the rest of us poor saps seem even more vulnerable. The girls and I enjoyed watching his shows and they are pretty sad. My heart goes out to his wife, children and other friends and family.

I'm 1/2 way through installing vinyl tiles of the adhesive sort. They were very cheap and considering the unevenness (is that a real word?) of our floor there weren't too many options. There is no way in the world that I could wrangle a large roll of flooring and standard tiles are way too heavy. I just hope this crap stays stuck. I've never used them or lived with them before and I have no idea how well they hold up.

I've started installing drywall too. Obviously it was much needed. The fugly panelling wasn't only dated, dark and dreary but poorly installed too. Visions of drunk monkeys with hammers comes to mind. There are large areas with no nails and then other places where the nails are only inches apart. The edges have uneven gaps which were hidden behind awful foam strips. I think these strips are what is used for molding in trailers.

Last night I painted the back of the house where B installed the new siding. It may require a second coat, but only daylight will tell.

I'm sore. I miss knitting. I frogged part of the SKB and decreased above the ribbed section. I also chose to only use the beads on the first row of each lace pattern instead of the 1st and 3rd rows. The beads were distracting from the lace pattern. I hope to work on it again next week.

Cheers all.

Philosophy

2006-09-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Is the phrase "Out of sight out of mind," or "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't." more appropriate for this scene?

I know my DH is cringing since I told him that I'm replacing the laundry room floor while he's away.

Here are some pictures. These will either send him over the edge or ease his mind.

These show the subfloor preparation as well as the tile which will be put in tomorrow or tonight.

Honey, are you still there? Do you still love me?

What I've learned about the Simple Knitted Bodice

2006-09-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody, Karen needs our support raising money for the walk against diabetes. And as if feeling good wasn't enough, everyone who donates will be entered into a drawing for some great prizes!

Trying to sell and find a new home and the girls starting a new school year have consumed almost every waking moment. Hence the lack of posting. In the evenings I've been working on my Simple Knitted Bodice for the KAL.

Let me preface the following comments by saying that I LOVE this pattern. I'll definately knit this again, but with a few changes based on what I've learned on this one.

1. I knit loosely and needed to downsize my needles. Apparently so do many others making this sweater. I don't know if this is due to substitution yarns or if there are just many of us loosey goosey's out there.

2. Elann's Peruvian Silk is nice to work with. It's like a slightly softer version of Cascade 220. There is some splitting but I attribute this to the way I hold the yarn rather than a defect in the yarn itself.

3. The smaller size is still rather large for me. If I make one for myself I'll drop down an additional 7 stitches or so for the purl ribbed and lacey areas to make it more form fitting. Hopefully the purl ribbing place around the neckline during finishing will make this wearable without another shirt underneath.

4. Stringing beads is tedious, but worth it. I was quite liberal with my beads, placing them only 1/2 inch apart.

5. Because my beaded yarn was so densely beaded I am only using this for every other row of the lace (the plain knitted rows). My goal was to create a subtle accent, not something too flashy.

6. When knitting with beads it's easy to become caught up in "placing" the beads exactly where you want them. Although this is probably the proper way to knit with beads it was extremely slow. As a result, I began just sliding them (they do tend to slide and move) to the general stitch and when all is said and done I'll use a crochet hook to coax beads from the inside of the sweater to the outer side.

7. Using a sandwich bag worked great for me to keep my unused yarn from tangling while working on the beaded areas (trial by tangle kind of thing). I hold the sandwich bag to the sweater in progress with a cable stitch holder. Not pretty or professional, but effective for a klutz.

8. The intended recipient of this sweater may receive socks instead. I like it.

9. I really need a haircut.

Fried food, apologies and quitting.

2006-08-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hey there, a few months back one of the ladies from down under was inquiring whethor or not black-eyed-peas and collard greens, etc. were real food or just funny sounding names. Well, here's a picture showing some foods served regularly in the southeastern U.S.

Clockwise: The top, smaller dish contains collard greens with onions, ham and vinegar. At 2:00 we have fried okra. 5:00 is blackeyed peas. Where 7:00 would be you'll find fried green tomatoes and finally, at 10:00 is cornbread with honey. To the right of the plate is a glass of sweet tea.

It seems I may have spoke in haste regarding the real estate agents representing our house. According to a different agent in a different city, many of the reasons for not doing an open house and placing ads in real estate magazines were valid. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are doing all they can, but rather that I need to lighten up on them for the time being and just keep talking with them. In other words, I'm sorry for calling them deadbeat losers this early on in the game. I'm so ashamed.

Speaking of being ashamed... I gave up the notion of a garage sale. I'm not organized enough to pull it off with the amount of time at hand. So today I bagged up all of the clothes to be donated to a family shelter and virtually everything else was piled by the road in front of our house with a "FREE" sign. I do not exaggerate when I say that most items were gone within 1/2 hour. Who would have thought that shirking responsibility could feel so good. I'm free!

Lest you think I've quit absolutely all of my duties then let me assure you that I did cast on a sock last night and I knit during the early morning hours. Okay, so this isn't really a duty, but they are destined for the Christmas box. That's kind of responsible.

2006-08-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today I knitted my swatch for the simple knitted bodice KAL. I'm still uncertain about using the beaded yarn for the accents. The original pattern calls for Tilly Tomas silk yarn and a TT accent yarn featuring sequins. I'm not really a sequins kind of gal. Not that it was really an issue because there was no way I could afford the TT silk. This Peruvian Highland Silk is a wool/silk blend from Elann in the Autumn Purple colorway. The beads are some inexpensive Czech glass beads purchased at Michael's crafts. Stringing beads for knitting is very time consuming and any hints or tips would be welcome. Official cast-on for this project is on Sept. 1st.

*We have another house showing tomorrow and unfortunately the house and yard look horrible. The kitchen is about 1/4 of the way painted and all of the outlet covers are missing and there is masking tape absolutely everywhere. In addition, I just pulled the HUGE pile-o-crap out of the garage and dumped it in our back yard so I could sort and set up for a moving sale. It looks like Fred Sanford lives here. "Look out Elizabeth, I'm coming to join you!"

*just a note, this will be the second walk through and our "realtors" are nowhere in the loop.

Today...

2006-08-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

while I was painting my ~~ass~~ kitchen...

(I fell off the ladder against the wall)

my girls entertained themselves by transforming a once-clean bedroom into tent city,

and Tasha & Bonny took a nap in the same room without fighting.

A rather quiet and uneventful day so far at Chez But Mom. After our grocery store trip this afteroon I plan on perusing my new book and magazine that Cindy sent. Later all.

WOW!

2006-08-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took the A-Team school clothes shopping. Keeping up with three children in a mall while trying to accomplish a task is dreadful. I hate shopping not involving book or yarn stores. Our promising and fruitful beginning wasn't meant to last.After an hour or so A2 & A3 became bored and A3 actually started hiding in the center racks of clothing while I was looking at clothes for her sisters. A2 started complaining about everything. And I mean everything. Between anxiety over A-3's hide and go seek routine, A-2's relentless whining and A-1's desire to dress like a hooker I finally called it quits. BTW, it's time to leave a store when the sales signs say, "$20.00 off on jeans." Holy cow, I wonder what the starting price was!

Driving home provided ample opportunity to ponder uncompleted painting and home repairs. At one point I considered returning to the mall.

But I came home to a most unexpected and amazing surprize. Cindy sent me a sanity package. Inside there were TWO skeins of her very own handspun. It's lovely and soft. But the wonders didn't stop there. There was also a copy of Nancy Bush's "Knitting Vintage Socks". I have long coveted this book! In addition she included the summer 2006 issue of "Spin-Off" with fabulous patterns and articles. There was a box of chocolates (yum), she also put in three beaded bracelets and a brand new notepad for my to-do lists. My daughters immediately seized the bracelets and proceeded to play dress up, so the bracelets aren't in the picture. Cindy, you are so thoughtful and I'm honored to receive the handspun you've worked so hard on. Thank you!

News from the land of Oz

2006-08-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060823/sc_nm/
environment_australia_kangaroos_dc

The middle toe on a kangaroo's back foot can slice a person open. And the big red kangaroos are huge and strong... heck, I wouldn't even want to try wrangling with a small gray for that matter.

So I wonder if Steve Irwin will be the pill administrator. "Crikey, this beauty just sliced me from me Adam's apple to me naval."

Also, I wonder how they track who's been dosed and who hasn't. The same slow roo could end up receiving 20 pills and start sprouting all kinds of estrogen related growths. Then they'd need to create a marsupial mammary holder.

All joking aside though, I hope this works and I applaud Australian officials for trying different humane methods. This beats the heck out of clubbing them... I know, bad pun, but I do feel sorry for the baby seals. Kudos to Australia.

Parade of Neutrals

2006-08-22T19:46:00.000-07:00

In honor of August's designation as "Neutral" for the project spectrum challenge here are some neutrals found at our little corner of chaos...

First to be featured is the delightful "Augustus" (as in Gloop) from the talented Mam a-E's C*eye*ber Fiber Sock collection. Who knew beiges and grays could be so exciting! This blend is just perfect.

Second in the ~~neutered~~ neutral hall of fame is J's Vest. J.V. heralds from my imagination, size 3 Addi-turbos and Heirloom 8 Easy Care 100% wool from Australia. Upon reflection this vest does fit the "neutered" description as well. It is comprised of a seed stitch and some simple cables. Hardly a "ballsy" or innovative pattern.

Third we have the long-neglected Liv Sweater. The pieces for Liv were completed long ago, and she merely awaits assembly. My aversion to finishing stems from past disasters which have rendered garments unwearable or so incredibly sloppy that the wearer looks deformed. "Calling Dr. Frankenstein, can you breathe life (Liv) into these parts and make a sweater?" I'm imagining Gene Wilder with his wild-eyed expression and bushy hair as he hoists Liv's unassembled body to the tower top. Mwah hah hah.

Next up in the neutral parade is was my first toe-up sock started two weeks ago. The creator (me) was seriously displeased and therefore this went by way of the froggy pond to the great sock heaven in the sky.

Finally, what parade would be complete without a beauty queen performing the classic wave to adoring fans as she passes in a classic Corvette convertable... Oops. Due to technical difficulties we are unable to showcase this portion of the neutral festivities. It seems that our beauty queen refuses to wave... or for that matter even come down from her new perch. Distraught at changes in her environment, Miss Bonny has sought refuge on top of my kitchen cupboards. She really is neutral colors and beautiful too. Her tail was twitching impatiently. Is this close enough to a parade wave?

The real estate saga continues. I've reviewed our contract and nowhere in it does it state what the realtors are obligated to do. The contract merely protects their rights as representatives. It doesn't expire for the standard three months. I'm trying to encourage and motivate them. My efforts are being documented should they be needed later.

Cheers!

2006-08-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Not much to report from the looney bin. We're still packing, painting and dealing with all of the usual moving and house-selling annoyances. I signed up for another KAL. I have two other UFOs to be completed before I can cast on. And rather than use the suggested silk yarn I'm going to use something from my embarassingly large stash.

We've had one house offer, which we declined. The prospective buyer had some strange requests and a contingency on his house selling. His house is located in the Hill-Top neighborhood of Tacoma. Shudder. The HT area is notorious for drugs, shootings, gangs, etc.

Our realtors are very nice and they'll talk the ears off a stone statue. If you are from the southern USA then insert, "Bless their hearts" here to indicate an impending slam. But they've not actually done anything beyond putting a sign in front of our house. I'm pushing them for some kind, any kind of published advertising and an open house. They aren't very keen on my suggestions. Heck, the flyers in the box attached to our yard sign aren't even complete. There is no mention of the number of beds/baths or square footage of the house. Call me crazy, but I'd consider these to be major selling details.

B. left to begin his new job in the thriving metropolis of Portland. As much as I detest cities there are some great amenities in Portland, including:
1. The airport there is easy to access and not anywhere near as crowded as SeaTac.
2. The MAX commuter trains are fast, frequent and efficient so there is no need to actually drive in the city if you so choose.
3. Powell's Books Not only is this a really cool bookstore, but on September 6th everyone's favorite knitting author will be there!
4. Lots and lots of yarn stores.
5. Not much difference time-wise to my parents' home, we're just coming from the opposite direction.

Not much else to say. Hope everyone is well.

2006-08-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

Today we must buy shoes. All three of my girls have outgrown theirs... at the same time. I'm rather pleased with the timing though because usually they do this mid-school year. AND I have a coupon for shoes. They want Heelys, but it isn't going to happen. Afterall, we're talking 6 pairs of shoes total because they need both athletic shoes and dress shoes. Sorry kidlets, next go-around in the cosmos you'd better be born to Bill Gates instead of Ma and Pa Kettle.

I found a new favorite knitting blog/read called Knitsisters. Many of you may already be privvy to the gaeity and humor these ladies provide, but I'm a newbie. I've spent over 1/2 hour this morning perusing the archives. Icarus in Vegas, hee hee. And knitters turned murderers/ terrorists. These gals are a hoot.

Wild Waves was fun. I enjoyed spending some one-on-one time with A2. Too bad cloning isn't viable yet. I'd take 5 copies. 1 for each of my daughters, 1 bad clone to do laundry and housework and 1 to spend time with B. Me, the original, would knit of course. Sorry, I digress. Wild Waves was fun, but horribly expensive, parking alone was $12! When we entered they did a thorough bag check. I congratulated the young man for taking security so seriously and his reply was that it was only a food and drink search. Huh? So I could have brought a WMD into the park but my bottle of water and bag of peanuts would have been confiscated! To say that the food inside was expensive is a gross understatement. AND although I could see no water fountains for drinking the park was willing to sell small bottles of water for $3.25 each. After paying $18.00 for a locker to stow away our towels, clothes and my empty wallet we proceeded to ride on several water slides, dry attractions and even one roller coaster. We left exhausted, wet and broke and arrived home in time to eat dinner and say goodbye to my Mom.

Mom drove all the way up from Grayland to spend the night and help us out. She kicked butt on the house and yard clean up and then baked chocolate chip cookies with A1 and A3 to boot. I'm both grateful for the help and impressed at her accomplishments... and she isn't even cloned. When I grow up I want to be like her!

14 Years!

2006-08-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

August 15, a day that will live in infamy... okay, so maybe not. But 14 years ago B & I became official. Happy anniversary B!

This picture* was taken just before the limousine pulled away from the church. We ran (literally) down the aisle and kept going out the door. The driver whisked us across town to the reception where we were the first arrivals. We popped open a bottle of champagne and awaited our guests.

After 15 minutes no guests had arrived and the first bottle was empty, so we opened a second. Towards the bottom of the second bottle we began passing it back and forth, no need for silly little fluted glasses. Still no guests. Where had everybody gone? Maybe they were pissed because we ran out of the church without saying goodbye . Or maybe this was the wrong wedding reception and we were drinking somebody else's champagne.

Hick. No worries. People we recognized began arriving. They told us that the town's drawbridge had opened up to let a ship pass and that mechanical problems prevented it from closing again. But now the problem had been fixed and everyone arrived all at once... almost.

At this point the reception line, consisting of my parents, his parents and finally the two of us, was supposed to greet the guests. Neither set of our parents were there so B and I were the reception line. Due to the aforementioned consumption of champagne I remember nothing that was said and take no responsibility for crude or offensive remarks.

Other than the drawbridge incident and one table collapsing at the reception this was an uneventful beginning to our lives together.

*Disclaimer: I did NOT pick out this parade float/wedding dress. The story regarding this is long, boring and unremarkable.

2006-08-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Liq ui fy (lik'we fi') v. 1. to cause to have a liquid quality 2. process of aging body going to hell, most pronounced in females following childbirth.

I ro ny (i'ren e) n. 3. a combination of circumstances or a result that is the opposite of what is expected or might be considered appropriate

cow ard ice (kou erd is) n. 1. lack of courage; esp., shamefully excessive fear of danger

My middle daughter's Girl Scout troop has an outing to Wild Waves planned for Tuesday. I agreed months ago to attend this outing with her. Keep in mind that I have every intention of fulfilling this promise. . . I even coerced my mother into coming up and watching her sisters while the two of us go.

So today A2 informs me that she wants to ride the roller coasters. "Great!" says I.
She explained, "I can't go unless you ride too mom."
cricket, cricket
I answered, "I can't A*****, because of my disease."
"Why can't people with M.S. go, Mom?"
My answer to her was, "It's not because of the M.S., it's because of coward-s ." (Afterall, one of those actually turns you upside down.)
"You're going to ride the water slides with me aren't you mom?" she asked next.
I replied, "Sure, just as long as I can wear shorts and not a bathing suit."
cricket, cricket
"Why don't you wear a bathing suit mom?"
"Because my body has liquified and doesn't stay where it's supposed to anymore."
"Why, mom?"
My reply "Because I am 39, have 3 children and no time for spas, exercise or even showers on some days."
A2, "You don't love me or you'd wear a bathing suit." I find irony in this statement considering her gestation, birth and breastfeeding contributed to 1/3 of the liquidation process.

The compromise: I will wear a bathing suit under my shorts and shirt. Said overclothes will be removed if, and only if, there are rules expressly forbidding them. I will go on the smaller water slides and any other ride that doesn't loop-the-loop or drop straight down. When I'm old I had better be put in a good home.

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

2006-08-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lookie what I have and you can't have some... neener, neener, neener! Okay, gloating is over. I phone ordered the last skein of Mama-E's Cloverhill special yarn and it arrived today. Hooray for Mama-E! Thank you Cloverhill! I'm sure there will be more of this there soon.

Voice of Guilt

2006-08-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Following a hard day's packing and a much needed shower I climbed into bed to knit before falling asleep. The stage was set. Koigu cakes made. Needles poised. Badcaul pattern on my lap. Socks in the starting gate. Guilt voices start.

them, "Say there, you have packing, cleaning and filing to do."

me... (insert cricket noises here)

them, "You should at least fold clothes, there's a big pile of them at the foot of the bed"

me... still silent

them,"Isn't this supposed to be neutral month in project spectrum? Don't you have a mystery sock KAL? That yarn isn't neutral and there are pictures. Besides, Christmas is only 5 months away and you're behind with your sock knitting for men. All you've made are girly, bright colored socks.

me... still silent but picking up pretty Koigu and looking in the sock yarn stash basket. Pretty Koigu trades places with sensible, Baby Ull in a sensible gray colorway.

them, "You can't use that pattern, it has a picture!"

me... still silent but getting grumpy at the guilt voices. Pattern is put away. I cast on blindly and just start knitting.

them, "Say there, don't you have two knitting UFOs to finish up before starting something new?"

me, loudly "What more do you want damn it? I'm knitting large gray socks! It isn't like I can piece together a sweater in bed. Leave me the hell alone!"

B in a confused voice, "What did I do?"

Ranting, packing & a wee bit of knitting.

2006-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

The packing is excruciatingly slow, heavy and painful. When did we acquire so much crap and why is it so heavy? In addition to packing and sorting we were subjected to another pain in the ass of the moving type, a.k.a., the realtors (shuddering inwardly and reaching for vodka). The real estate market has cooled significantly following the past few years' red-hot sales. But this is Spanaway and folks here are a little s-l-o-w. Heck, the mullet hairstyle is still "in". Developers and builders here are no exception. They are ploughing up fields and woods left and right in order to build cheaply made high-density housing. There are also a lot of military personnel due to the proximity of Ft. Lewis and McChord AFB. Many folks using V.A. loans opt for new houses because they are easier to finance and the housing inspectors don't delve deeply into spec. homes because of the sheer quantities being built at single locations.

These houses are built on 4,000 sq ft. lots, house sizes start at 1,500 sq. ft. and they are priced from the $290,000's. These houses are being built less than one mile from our current house. Last year this same property consisted of lovely pastures with grazing cattle. Our house is one of the older ranch style houses in the neighborhood. It is 1,680 sq. ft. with 1.22 fully fenced flat acres and a separate 2 car garage w/shop. It has been completely remodeled (except the laundry room). It is definately nothing fancy, but it's a solid house. Even so, the realtors said we can only get $265,000 for it. WTF?

We've decided to leave our washer & dryer, refrigerator, etc. with the house. Much of our larger furniture will be sold prior to moving as well. It's dreadfully expensive to move and store unnecessary items... especially those that have seen better times.

The jaywalkers knitted with Mama-E's Junebug are finally done. Procrastination on these socks was partially due to the fact that I have long, skinny feet and these are designed for shorter, normal width or wider feet. I've made Koigu cakes from the KSKS yarn that Liz sent and I'll cast on tonight. I've never made toe-up socks before!

In other news, two nights ago a loud noise woke me up at about 2:oo am. It sounded like somebody falling against the house underneath my bedroom window. B is working graveyards so it was just the girls and I at home. I peeked out the window and couldn't see anything. But I'm not exactly stealthy and we don't have a well-lit yard. Just the same, I picked up the cordless phone (so I could dial 911 and talk with a snarky dispatcher who probably wouldn't send anybody out) and proceeded to double check all doors and windows. There were several more thumps and sounds of muffled voices. Not once could I see anybody outside my house and I fell asleep holding the phone. The next morning I chalked it up to my overactive imagination and nervous personality. Turns out that the same night someone broke into a house just two doors down and stole some items while the owners were away. The housesitter watching the house between us (they were also on vacation) and the burgled house heard voices. She got up and saw a man and woman outside the house next to her. She did nothing though because they weren't disturbing the house she was in. Hello, it was 2:00 in the friggin' morning and the older couple who owns that house were away? If I had actually seen anybody, I would have called the police... regardless of which house they were burglaring/robbing. What is with people? Cindy, could I borrow Dylan Thomas the wonder dog? My cats aren't loud enough.

Obviously this information will not be volunteered to anybody interested in purchasing the house. I just hope nobody asks me about crime because then I would have to let them know what a crappy neighborhood this is!

Quick Updates

2006-08-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

PACKING: One of the PODS is half full already and I believe a third or fourth container may be required. The bathroom has been painted and I'm currently working on staging (removing "stuff", cleaning, painting and sewing valances) in A1 & A2's bedroom.

BIRTHDAY: Today A1 is officially 10 years old! She chose waffles with blueberries and whipped cream on top for breakfast. Her party will take place sometime in the next week after B gets home. This picture was taken when she was 7 months old.

KNITTING:Terri and others were right, I've had to keep some evening knitting going for sanity's sake. I fell asleep last night after just a few rows on the Jaywalkers.

BURIED: Due to packing, etc. daily activities have been seriously neglected. Unfolded laundry continues to pile up, as do the unharvested apples. I hate waste and the apples on the ground make me feel panicky.

FAREWELL: As some of you know, B has been in the Air National Guard for near 23 years and his latest squadron is located in Portland, OR. His new permanent civilian job will be working for a different Portland based guard unit. As a result, he will transfer to the new unit following this weekend.

Yesterday he was detained on his way to Commander's Call to discuss issues with another unit member. Upon his late arrival to the assembly he found those present standing in a semi-circle at parade rest (feet apart, hands behind back and looking straight ahead). The commander called the squadron to attention, gave the order to present arms and they all proceeded to bombard B with water balloons. Here are some pictures that were taken during and after the carnage. Please note that individuals purchased said balloons and no taxpayers' dollars were spent.

Ready, set, go!

2006-08-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

PODS containers will be delivered tomorrow so I can start packing. A 5 gallon bucket of semi-gloss contractor white paint will be applied throughout the house to freshen up grungy walls (by yours truly of course). Painting sucks, but it does help. I'll start with the bathroom after my caffeine fix. The realtors are scheduled to be here Monday so selling contracts can be signed. Lots of items will be donated and sold, much to the dissappointment of the girls. It's a safe assumption that not much knitting will be finished over the next few weeks. I'll post opinions regarding the PODS moving experience when all is said and done. We've hired a full-service moving company and have moved via U-Haul and Ryder in the past. Neither experience was pleasant. Hopefully this will be better. A1 turns 10 on Saturday. I'm not sure what kind of party or celebration we'll have for her. She's requested money for clothes shopping. It works for me, as long as mommy frugality and fashion input are involved. I don't want her blowing all of her cash on an over-priced ho-bag outfit. Cheers all!

CHANGES!

2006-08-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

B. called me about an hour ago and HE GOT A JOB! He starts on August 20th and it's in Portland, OR.

Now the race is on to pack up and sell here and find a place there. Whoo hoo!

Stunned, blown away and some sentimental ramblings

2006-08-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's mail carrier delivered not one, but two packages. As I ran out to meet her she said, "Must be more yarn."

The first package came from Disentangled from a contest that she held last week. Included in this package were two skeins of KnitPicks' Memories in Yukon, a package of stitch markers, two pretty sticky pads with a matching card and a hand-held stitch counter. Thank you so very much! I am completely astounded at your generosity. The yarn is so pretty and I can't wait to knit with it. And I've never had a stitch counter like this. No more fumbling with the little turn dials on the barrel counters. Thank you again.

The second package was from my KSKS pal, Liz. Liz went above and beyond with her sewing for the KSKS. She created not one, but two lovely project bags and in addition to those she made a coordinated knitting notions/accessories pouch as well as a double point case of her own design! But wait, there's more. In addition to the four wonderful bags she included coordinating stitch markers, a pattern for Badcaul, toe-up socks by Anna Bell, a Keychain Sock Blocker and yarn to make a mini sock, an adorable sheep card... oh yeah, and just a couple of skeins of KOIGU! I sat in disbelief for several minutes and then read her lovely note. Then I started to cry.

Anybody reading the past couple weeks' of posts here might think I'm an emotionally unstable freak. Rest assured that this is not the case, I am just your average freak. Six months of high stress from unemployment and lack of insurance has left me on edge and feeling very negative. Sometimes it feels like the entire world is going to Hell in that proverbial handbasket. Constant reports of wars, killer heat, incompetent leadership and the media focus on the shallow, Hollywood crowd (I don't give a rat's ass about Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson or Brad Pitt) tend to magnify the troubles of our world.

Last night while pondering the amazing kindness I've experienced over that past several weeks I realized that the world is still a good place. Not only have people that I've known for years, (Marta, Karen and my family) been generous and supportive, but people that I've never met in person have bestowed encouraging words, advice, levity and in some cases even treasured gifts. I will always be grateful for the day that Sherrill chased me down in the school parking lot and gave me her blog address. I'd never heard of a blog before and now I can't imagine life without it and all of you wonderful people that I've come to know. Thank you!

Now, in honor of all of the worlds' great people I am going to work on the PIF surprizes for as many people as possible! Sometimes we all need to be reminded about the kindness that still exists.

HELP!

2006-07-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've always been vocal regarding my sewing machine aversion. Today I unpacked an old machine that belonged to my late FIL. I had never looked inside the case, but I kept it around so my girls could have it to learn on. I had no idea it was quite this old. My guess is that it's from the 1950s or 1960s and obviously machines have changed. I have no idea how to thread this, let alone operate it. I'm off to eBay and the Singer site to search for a manual. In the meantime, if any of you brilliant and kind people know anything about how this works then PLEASE, oh please, email me or leave a comment. Thank you!

Stitch selector? Stitch width?

Pay it Forward!

2006-07-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

This morning I picked up my mail from the neighbor and guess what? Mama-E surprised me with a "Pay-it-Forward" gift. I'm speechless. In the envelope were these lovely green glass beaded earrings on their own "PIF" card! Thank you Mama-E, I love them and green is my favorite color. Now it's my turn to PIF and surprize someone. I have about 4 ideas and I'll work on them throughout this week.

Laundry was washed and dryed and now there is a pile of unfolded clothes at the foot of my bed that would rival Mt. Everest. But some applesauce was made out of the apples that had dropped while we were away, a minor amount of knitting progress was accomplished and a prototype apron was completed.

Whew!

2006-07-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Our whirlwind tour of the thriving metropolis of Grayland, WA is complete. For your viewing pleasure here is a photo summary of the trip:

A view of my parents' cranberry bog. There are little green berries throughout at this time of year.

Sadie Mae. Sadie will be 1 in November and the girls had a good time playing with their new "Auntie". Here she is with her favorite toy, a ball I felted for her.

The A team roasting marshmallows.

Willapa Bay from Uncle Wally's boat. Uncle Wally, Grandpa Porgy and I went jigging for anchovies.

A birthday present from my brother, David. He made the frame in his shop and the picture is of my Grandfather on one of his boats. The outside wood of the frame was actually wood left over from the building of this boat, the Miss Helen.

Knitting was embarrassingly neglected. I did a few rows of my sister's vest.

Today will be spent catching up on laundry, making applesauce and sewing an apron for the Apron Along. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Checking in between road trips

2006-07-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

We arrived home last night from our trek to Bellingham. B & I lived there for about 10 years and we share many fond memories of places and people there. The girls and I arrived at Marta and Dale's house shortly after lunch. She has remodeled her kitchen and their back yard is like a mini-paradise. They seem so very happy together and her grandson, Nicholas, is staying with them.

Marta accompanied us to The Wool Station in Fairhaven where I found just the right yarn to make a vest for my sister. It is machine washable 100% wool from Australia and it's very soft. She wanted something neutral and this fits the bill nicely. I'm winging the pattern. Just a basic seed stitch with simple cabling.

From there we stopped briefly by Karen's house before checking into the hotel. Dale came by to pick up Marta and he brought with him the sad news that her friend, Dude, had passed away. We are so sorry for Marta and everyone else who loved him.

The girls went swimming and then we ventured over to Karen's again where she fixed us all some yummy BBQ for dinner. She then presented me with a wonderful surprize. It's a birthday/Christmas present for several years' running... it's a stunningly beautiful quilt! She made this for me and I love it. I don't know what the pattern is, but there are flowers quilted throughout the plain muslin and she even signed the back. Thank you Karen!

The girls played with her 3 kids for awhile and then we left to do a bit of a drive-about. Our old house is for sale and it was interesting to see how skewed property prices are now in Bellingham. And from what I can gather, they've actually leveled out and even came down a few thousand over the past year or two. This same house was for sale about 3 years ago and they were asking about $300,000. The amount of development in Whatcom County is amazing too. It's just not the same quiet town I remember.

The next morning we visited again at Karen's then made some pb&j sandwiches and walked around the Western Washington University campus. B & I both graduated from there many years ago. The campus wasn't immune from development either. The rugby field, one of the football fields, the soccer field and the place where I took archery have all been replaced with buildings. A1 proclaimed she wants to go there someday too.

A3 became ill on the way home and wouldn't you know it, there were accidents and traffic was backed up. It took over 5 hours to drive back. I've cleaned most of the vomit out of the van, but I'm waiting for it to cool down before I shampoo the seats, etc. Once again, it's too hot for outside activities. We're supposed to leave tomorrow evening for my sister's house and then on from there to my mom and dad's.

Sunday

2006-07-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Lorinda is holding a yarn contest! In order to be entered into the drawing you must find 5 things about her on her blog and post them in her "comments" section. Go check it out, she has lots of material to work with as this is in celebration of her 400th post!

Yesterday I had a surprize visit from an old friend. Not to say that she is old, but rather that we met in 4th grade and wreaked havoc on our parents' insanity during our Junior High and High School years. Karma is kicking in too, while we were catching up over coffee my eldest wandered into the kitchen and proclaimed, "I'm entering puberty, I'm starting to get hair..." . Before she could finish the sentence I whisked her out of the room. Luckily the said friend has children (Yes, Trek, it would have been worse had she been naive to the antics of children). I enjoyed seeing her and her children, but she has been through a lot over the past few years and I'm sorry to hear about that. She's strong and smart though, many people in her situation would have broken.

I managed to finish a pair of socks yesterday. It's bloody hot here but we have a heat pump that keeps the house nice and cool. My point is, that many knitters world wide have a valid reason for avoiding fiber, I can't claim such hardships, I'm just lazy. I dyed the yarn for these with some Wilton food coloring. The pictures show the socks much lighter than the colors in person. There are lots of dark browns and even some hints of black and the orange isn't quite this bright. I call the color "Nutmeg" and the pattern is one of my old favorites.

Hopefully my Jaywalkers will be finished today. I finished the pieces for my Liv sweater, but I don't know if blocking will be accomplished today.

Tomorrow the girls and I are taking a trip up to Bellingham to visit friends there. Rumor has it that there are FOUR yarn stores and I hope to check out at least one of them.

Yesterday I received some dps that I purchased from an eBay seller. They were shipped promptly and the price was extremely low at 13 sets of 5 each for $25.00, including shipping. They are brand new and still in their packages. Unfortunately, the bamboo is unfinished. As a result, the yarn "sticks" to the wood and it feels like knitting with chalk. I'm going to talk with my brother about the best way to finish these. Hopefully they can be rendered usable without too much work.

I know what I want to make now for the apron along. I just need time. Because B is away for National Guard Annual Field Training the kidlets are keeping me busy 24x7 for several weeks.

Helena, Paljon kiitoksia!

2006-07-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hauska paiva!
Today's mail contained a very special surprize knitting magazine. Moda arrived all the way from Suomi (Finland), courtesy of my cousin, Helena! Kiitta (thank you). What a wonderful and thoughtful surprize. There are so many wonderul patterns in this (55 knitting and 47 sewing) that I don't know where to start. The charts are well-written and hopefully some translation programs will have me knitting these beauties up soon!

Helena herself is an accomplished knitter. Many of the family members there are extremely talented. They harvest, spin and weave flax, paint, crochet, embroider, sew and knit.

Someday I hope to travel there and visit. Thank you again!

The proverbial straw

2006-07-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday that final piece of insurance chaf wafted down from the cruel heavens, pushed me off balance and sent me stumbling down the cliffs of insanity ("Princess Bride" reference). Without dwelling on details here is the condensed version...

Over the course of 6 frustrating months I've spent countless hours on the phone with government agencies, insurance companies, drug manufacturers, doctors' offices, M.S. organizations and assorted others. The goal of these fruitless, circular exercises being obtaining medical insurance and prescription coverage for my husband and myself. The good folks at Verizon Benefits (former employer of husband) refused to send COBRA paperwork until their legal deadline obligation on June 18. All other insurance options failed so this Monday I mailed Verizon a check for $1,935. to cover medical coverage for B & I for part of June, July and August. I enrolled us via the telephone, contacted our former HMO and ordered my medications. Months of research were at an end. We had insurance. All was well.

Yesterday the HMO called to say that Verizon had no record of our COBRA account (I provided the given account number) and that I'd have to pay the $1,475 up front for my shots. After calling back Verizon they informed me that it could be several weeks before they sent confirmation paperwork to me... and they were unable/unwilling to fax anything to the HMO.

Call it tenacity, stubborness or bitchiness, I don't care. The next set of phone calls was to a prescription assistance organization (I'd already registered with them, but my application is still weeks from being processed). Because I enrolled in COBRA my paperwork/application isn't valid with their office and needs to be sent elsewhere. From there I called the M.S. Society... worthless. Next call was to the drug manufacturer. Heck, at this point I was up for expired meds at a discount. I know that prisoners receive meds so holding up a convenience store was starting to sound like a plan.

I tried one more call to a support group for the meds. While retelling this story for the eleventy-billionth time I snapped. All went dark around me, my face burned, my chest began to tighten. I don't know if I screamed or not, but hysterical sobbing ensued and the poor lady at the receiving end of the phone call was at a loss.

B woke up (he sleeps days because he works graveyards at a temp job) and stumbled into the kitchen. The lady placed me on hold and I continued to alternate between ranting and crying.

Several minutes later the nice lady actually came back. She is helping me by locating and having 15 days worth of shots Fed-Exed out on Monday! I'm flabbergasted. This should be enough to get me by until Verizon gets their paperwork out! So, now I'm embarrassed about my behavior and grateful for the kindness and patience of a nice stranger who didn't hang up on me. If I ever win the lottery, find gold in my yard, etc. I will repay this company for the shots and do something really, really nice for the lady. I don't know if she was supposed to do this so I'm not mentioning her name here.

Knitting time was scarce yesterday, but I did manage to cast on a second sock. I'd post a picture, but for some reason they aren't loading. Much redemption is in order following the boo boo pictures divulged in the last post. Heck, the fear of bad knitting juju may have chased away any readers. Cricket, cricket, cricket... hello, is anybody still there?

I hope that Cindy, Jessalu, Dipsy and everybody else plagued by dangerously hot temperatures stays safe and cool. Cheers!

Welcome Karen and a new contest.

2006-07-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Karen has started her own blog! Hooray and welcome to Karen.

Knitty Mama is holding a fun contest. She wants to see if any of us knitters out there have knitting catastrophe stories that can equal or surpass her story of knitting an Anouk for her niece. Well Knitty Mama, here are some never-before-seen photos. I may have to enter a witness protection program after fessing up to these "boo boos".

This was a bad year for sweaters at "But Mom". First we have the multi-colored silk cardigan. The pattern came from my Noro book (I can't remember the title and I've since loaned the book to a friend). The silk is recycled sari yarn, hence the multiple colors and unusual textures. All went well until the blocking. I had no idea that silk would be so heavy and that the sleeves could stretch so much. Also, one of the thin spots broke and unravelled. Lessons learned from this project: first, use the recycled silk in conjunction with another yarn for strength and elasticity. Second, make something small that won't be worn, this shit's heavy. My daughter is modeling it and she is NOT happy about wearing this monstrocity.

Next we have the birthday-present-that-wasn't. This was supposed to be a lightweight summer cardi for my friend Karen (see above). It was made with Knitpicks Shadows using a pattern called "Stella". Once again, all looked well until the end. The sweater felted while blocking and it ended up being a strange, wonky shape which renders it unwearable. Because of the afore-mentioned felting this cannot be frogged. Sorry Karen, I have socks for you! Once again, A1 is thrilled to be photographed.

In addition to these I just frogged my attempt at Picovoli and there are 4 badly felted purses residing under the cardigans. Dang, that's a lot of fiber failings. Maybe I should take up another hobby. Cheers!

Way cool idea!

2006-07-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

While blog surfing this morning I happened up on this http://bunchkinknits.blogspot.com/. Bunchkin has made and documented the making of her very own duct tape dress form. I rarely sew (hopefully this will change soon) and lately I knit mostly socks so it wouldn't be of much use for knitting. I have no idea where we'd keep it either, but I still want one.

Cabin Cove Dave is hilarious!

2006-07-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this afternoon I was enjoying my daily dose of blog. I lurk a lot and even comment on several peoples' sites. One of my favorite reads is Cabin Cove Dave's knitting and quilting blog(s). Dave lives the life of my fantasy alter-ego. He is a talented quilter, knitter, dyer and he can sew up a storm. And obviously comedian can also be added to his resume'. He has posted an answer to that age-old joke and philosophical question about why the chicken crossed the road. I do not know if he wrote this or not, but the humor is appreciated regardless.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on THIS side of the road before he goes after the problem on the OTHER SIDE of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his CURRENT problems before adding NEW problems.
OPRAH:Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
GEORGE W BUSH:We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road,or not. The chicken is either for us or against us. There is no middle ground here.
COLIN POWELL:Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road…
ANDERSON COOPER - CNN:We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
JOHN KERRY:Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it. It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
NANCY GRACE:That chicken crossed the road because he’s GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN:To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART:No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer’s Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS:Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY:To die in the rain. Alone.
JERRY FALWELL:Because the chicken was gay! Can’t you people see the plain truth in front of your face? The chicken was going to the “other side.” That’s why they call it the “other side.” Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like “the other side.” That chicken should not be crossing the road. It’s as plain and simple as that!
GRANDPA:In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS:Isn’t that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart-warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and then went on to accomplish its life-long dream of crossing the road.
JOHN LENNON:Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.
ARISTOTLE:It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
BILL GATES:I have just released eChicken2006, which will not only cross roads but will lay eggs, file your important documents and balance your check book.Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra…#@&&^( C … Reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN:Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
BILL CLINTON:I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE:I invented the chicken!
COLONEL SANDERS:Did I miss one?

Thank you Dave, you made my day!

Why am I getting flowers?

2006-07-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

Look at what my dear friend, Marta, sent me! Aren't they pretty?

Marta and I met years ago when I worked for the City of Bellingham's Finance Department. She worked for Municipal Court directly across from me. One day I noticed that she had a calendar from Finland on her wall and we started talking. Turns out that her parents were from Finland (my Grandpa is too). We were both called "pahaska housa" (probably spelled wrong) as a term of endearment as children. Roughly translated it means "shitty pants". Don't ask, I don't understand that myself. Anyway, Marta is to this day one of my dearest friends. She'll give you the shirt off of her back and always find something humorous when everything is going to hell. She's been through a lot in her life, including three husbands, being a single mom and worst of all, the loss of her only daughter, Elaine. Through everything she remains strong and positive. Someday I hope to be half as wonderful as Marta.

So why is this wonderful lady sending me beautiful flowers? Tomorrow is my 39th birthday... crap, that's close to 40. Honestly, I've been so busy that I lost track of time and for the life of me, I couldn't fathom why flowers were being delivered. Luckily she had the foresight to have "Happy Birthday" on the card or I would have remained in the dark. Could this be early dementia?

I cast on a pair of socks this morning. Something quick and easy may help offset yesterday's disappointment with Pico-I-don't think so-voli. I've also narrowed my apron choices for the Apron-along down to something that covers my entire front and something with pockets.

Happy Monday everyone!

Frogging, stinging, picking, gifting and joining!

2006-07-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Picovoli is a form-fitting, knitted version of a t-shirt. Picovoli should flow with the natural curves of one's body. It should move comfortably with the wearer. The pattern was meticulously written by Grumperina and countless knitters have executed her design with great success. So what in the world happened here? I did a test guage and adjusted my yarn and needle sizes accordingly... really. I thought it would fit as directed too. The size looked accurate right up until the point that I slipped it on to check my post-bustline decreases. Obviously it's wrong. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Picovoli is headed for the frog pond. That bites.

Where we live there is a big problem with yellow jackets. Summer months are spent scooping them out of the pool, spraying nests and making sure to not leave food or anything else out that will attract them. We've tried just about every kind of insecticide spray on the market, but they always come back. I average 3 stings per summer but until this year my daughters have been spared. The other night while sleepily digesting an evening meal my reverie was shattered with the most horrible sound imaginable to any mother. A3 was screaming. And this wasn't the "I'm pissed at my sister" or "I skinned my knee" screaming, it was sheer terror. She had wandered too close to a nest of yellow jackets and been stung several times. Luckily the stings were mostly limited to her legs, but one got her on the right eyebrow. We immediately applied a paste of baking soda, meat tenderizer and water and gave her Benadryl. This is what she looked like the next day. Luckily she only suffered local reactions. So now I'm on the prowl for an insecticide that really will work. If any of y'all know of some good (legal) bug killer then please let me know. Most of the stuff that worked has now been outlawed.

Before getting too hot I picked a little bit of lavender from our garden. There were lots of bumble bees, honey bees and butterflies to keep me company. I don't mind the honey or big bumbles, my hatred is limited to the waspy, hornety, yellow jackety kinds of bees. While picking away one of my neighbors came over with some fresh peas from her garden. Because they will be away for several weeks she generously offered to let me have her raspberries while they are away. I hacked ours up so bad during a pruning attempt that they aren't producing this year. Anyway, the peas will be kept raw and added to a garden salad.

In other news, Sherrill has the Apron Along up and running. She even has an awesome button available. Hopefully I'll remember how to post it to my sidebar this evening. Right now I'm off to the garage to look through my fabric stash!

Apron Along?

2006-07-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Two days ago the multi-talented and ever-busy Sherrill posted a picture of an apron she sewed, along with a delightful homage to the neglected apron. And although she said she did not write this, I am glad she shared it. Here is a copy:

Aprons
I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into thekitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that

"old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

So here's the deal... would anybody out there be interested in joining an "Apron Along"? If enough apron enthusiasts contact Sherrill then she will get one started! She has even generously offered to share her own apron pattern to whomever might want it.

Just think, this is a perfect time to start those holiday gifts. And who wouldn't love a handmade apron with a card containing a copy of the Apron tribute?

We're Done and Thank you Deb and Apron tribute!

2006-07-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hooray, we're done! The car's crammed full of dirty clothes, bedding, pine needles, sit-upons and other crafty delights and it all reeks of Off Mosquito Repellant and campfire smoke. Everything will be unloaded later, everyone is bathing as I type and then we're on to naps.

Last night I discovered our air mattress leaks. We ended up sleeping inside an open-air covered shelter for fear of rain that never came. All in all it was a fun experience. I enjoyed being with the girls and helping them earn their badges, meet new friends and try new activities. They were mostly an attentive, respectful and fun bunch of girls (some had their moments, but that's typical for all children). The adults... well, most of them are extremely nice ladies. They volunteer their time and money to make camp fun and wonderful. But as with most organized events, politics and cliques manage to find their way in and wreake havoc. Enough said.

Upon arriving home I discovered a package patiently waiting on the back porch. Inside this package was none other than this:

That would be 410 yards of Merino Wool sock yarn dyed in the Desert Flower colorway from Deb at Fearless Fibers! It is scrumptious and destined to be transformed into these socks. For some reason these lovely colors make me feel like cables. Thank you Deb, I am in awe of your beautiful dyeing job and I can't wait to knit them up!

The ever-talented Sherrill over at Baa Bonny Belle has written the most wonderful tribute to aprons ever. Not only should everyone drop by and read it, but we should encourage Sherrill to start up a sew-along or exchange as well!

And don't forget Ferg's adverb contest, it ends in two days!

Now off to wash and condition A-3's hair, check on my chickens and take that nap.

2006-07-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here are most of our girls waiting to be picked up by their parents. (picture is purposely blurred for privacy reasons). Notice that most are sitting? That's because we ran their little patooties off today. And in spite of "You Knit What?" featuring hideous God's Eyes in a recent Fug offering, I am NOT foisting off any of my crappy acrylic yarn on our campers. The way I see it, their parents owe us big time for sending them home tired and and ready for bed. They also should thank us for not sending them home with hideous and useless keepsakes.

Daily Knitting Withdrawal has been alleviated thanks to winning a contest from Deb at "Fearless Fibers"! She recently finished knitting an incredibly large and beautiful shawl. For her contest people had to guess how many stitches were in her creation. The actual number required to make her mitered shawl totalled 250,512! Holy sheep, Batman, that's one heck of a lot of knitting. And guess what? I'll get some of Deb's beautiful Merino sock yarn for a prize. Hooray and thank you Deb!

Patti, thank you for the thank you card, that was really sweet.

Gone Camping

2006-07-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Day Camp is fun... so why can't I move this morning? Would it be wrong to create a Brownie Try-it (badge) where the girls have to pull an elderly person in a wagon all day and bring them food and drinks? No knitting to report. Hope everyone is doing well. Cheers!

Happy Birthday David! & Scout's Meme

2006-07-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Today is my brother's 36th birthday. Happy birthday David!

Not much new here, just cleaning out the laundry room today. It's a hot, boring job, but necessary job.

Scout's "Wanna Know a Secret" Meme . I now tag each and every one of you who reads this to tell a secret that might make your friends/readers lose respect for you. Come on. Play with me. Please? Ready, set, GO! I expect to see some good ones out there. Go post!

Here is something that I don't normally share with my peers. I love fishing. Please don't hate me PoMo Golightly or any other vegetarians or fish lovers out there. Summer days make me long for mountains and fishing. Must be a hold-over from childhood. We used to camp and fish a lot.

This picture was taken in the Cascade Mountains outside of Winthrop, WA. Those would be rainbow trout and yes, I caught them all! The sneer indicates that this was taken during my early teen years, but I can't remember exactly when. The aforementioned brother was probably the source of my annoyance.

So there you have it, I'm a hillbilly. I detest malls and shopping (except for books and yarn). And on that note, I'm off with my shovel to scrape up some roadkill for the stewpot.

Happy Saturday everyone and don't forget to enter Ferg's contest. She dyes up some delicious yarn!

Catch Up Friday!

2006-07-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Just a quick catch up from this corner of blogland.

First off, a HUGE welcome to Grace Caroline. She was born just two days ago in the land down under and now Terri of Lilypily Yarns is a proud grandma! Grace is just beautiful and you'll notice that she's sporting a lovely hat made by none other than Grandma Terri herself!

Next in news blogland is the announcement of another YARN CONTEST! The ever-busy and extremely talented Ferg is holding a contest. Ferg is a retired school teacher who has noticed a trend or dynamic in the English Language towards simplification. Among her observations is the dwindling use of adverbs, hence her contest.

I'm after the BEST use of the adverb "best". In order to show how you know it's an adverb, you have to use it in a sentence and then let me know that you know it's an adverb by telling what it's describing.

1)I shall give the contest till the 16th July. Ten days should be enough.

2)Answers can be sent as comments to this posting and I will repeat the BEST three in a new posting after the 16th.

3) Anyone can tell everyone about the contest because I'll need all the publicity I can get if I want more than three or four responses!

Gillian will personally hand dye yarn and mail it to whomever provides her the most creative answer (correctly used of course). It's been quite some time since I was in school and although I always detested sentence diagramming, etc. the incentive of beautiful yarn makes this sound like a fun challenge.

I'm pretty much ready for next week's Girl Scout Day Camp. Here's a picture of our flag...
I finished it last night except for the name tags. The girls will have to come up with their own camp names and stick those on the giraffes.

I'm looking forward to this annual adventure with the exception of the overnight camping part. My almost 39-year-old body doesn't take kindly to a night of sleeping on the ground anymore. Cripes, getting old rots.

In yesterday's mail my P.S. Sock Club yarn came from Mama-E! Talk about some gorgeous purple yarn. Here's a picture of it with some of the non-dead flowers left in my long-neglected garden. I can't wait to start some grape-a-licious socks with this yummy yarn named "Beauregard" (as in Violet Beauregard from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

While I've been preparing for next week my girls have been pre-occupying themselves in the pool and with other backyard activities. Not exactly the most exciting summer on record, but not terrible by any means either.

B is running between school and a temporary graveyard job. The poor feller doesn't have any time to relax, but we hope that the classes will enable him to find a great job with benefits and decent hours. Medical insurance is very underrated. I'm still trying to figure out how to finance medication for the two of us. We found a program for the girls. But I won't dwell on the long and sordid details of this endeavor.

In the evenings I've been knitting a few rows here and there before falling asleep. Currently on the needles is a Picovoli sweater. I'm using some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino and size 2 Addi-turbo circs. for this. The yarn is soft and delightful to work with. And although I love Addi-turbos, they are almost too slippery to use with this smooth yarn. Being a tightwad prevents me from purchasing another pair of bamboo circulars though.

Hope everyone is doing well. I see that Cindy's poison-ivy has cleared up enough for her to start spinning again! Cheers.

Indepence Day!

2006-07-04T04:43:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July for all of you from the USA and Happy 4th of July to the rest of the world too (let's all party)! We were awakened at shortly after 3:00am to rolling thunder which shook the house. Many people here in western Washington complain that it always rains on the 4th of July. Personally, I find it reassuring. Afterall, the Einsteins down the street from us hardly practice discretion when setting off their fireworks. Each year on the 5th we police the yard for paper, sticks and other debris that has blown our way. So far the rain has never prevented us from eating bbq, waving the flag, being with family or friends or feeling patriotic and extremely fortunate.

For us the festivities actually began on Saturday with the annual Fourth of July Parade in Tokeland, WA. At the end of the parade there was a picnic complete with sack races for the kids and a bagpipe band.

And this visit held a special surprise because my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Wayne were visiting. I haven't seen them in 9 years! My cousin, Mark, will return from his 4th tour in Iraq in August and he's getting married. I haven't seen Mark in almost 20 years. Not to sound cliche', but were does the time go?!

We left A2 with my Mom & Dad for several days and she is having a grand time at the beach.

Yesterday Dad turned 65. Happy Birthday, Dad! I finished his hat (while watching the parade) and successfully made him some cardamom bread. It wasn't near as good as Grandma Helen's, but it was edible and recognized as caramom bread so I was happy.

Yesterday's mail included a package from Sapporo, Japan. Inside there were gifts galore courtesy of JRS . Several weeks back she held a contest to "Name the Song". She showed words from a Karaoke song that she and a friend performed and the first three people to correctly name the song received Japanese goodies. The song was "Centerfold" by the J.Geils Band and it induced a 1980's flashback. Anyway, inside the package were socks, a bag (just the right size for knitting accessories), my very own chopsticks, 5 adorable erasers shaped like sushi and noodles and three packages of rice candy for my girls. Thank you J! I'm looking for baby knitting items for you.

Cindy out in St. Louis is recovering from a bout with some poison ivy and promises some July spinning. She's very talented and I can't wait to see what flies off of her wheel!

And in other blog news, the world is still awaiting the arrival of Terri's new granddaughter. Terri has been knitting up a storm and that will be the best-dressed child in Australia!

I'm a sleepy slacker.

2006-06-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

This has been a l-o-n-g week. Last Friday I was asked to be a Girl Scout Day Camp leader. I did this last year and it was fun. But last year I had almost 2 months to plan our activities, purchase supplies, etc. This is not the case this summer and there is only a little over a week left before camp. As a result I've been running wide open from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm everyday. My sanity and creativity are stretching pretty thin.

The only knitting I've done is the sock bag for the Knit Sock Kit Swap. Originally this was going to be a simple, but cute machine sewn fabric bag. Given the poor relations between sewing machines and me, compounded with new time restriction experimentation and do-overs were not options.

My pal likes green, red and purple. She also collects hearts. With this in mind I set out to create a quick and easy felted bag. But because I thought a pattern wasn't necessary the "quick and easy" bag turned into something time consuming (although still simple). The bag turned out okay... it's functional. However, that whole 4-H crafty look is quite evident.

Ironically, I still ended up having to sew the lining. The handles are detachable so she'll have the option of a using short handle or a shoulder strap. The shape is a little wonky, but extra chocolate may be just the necessary distraction. Maybe a bottle of wine too. Can we send wine?

Because the chances of my swap recipient seeing this are slim to none

(I don't think she's ever been here before) I'll throw caution to the wind and post photos.

Tomorrow I'm going to bake some cardamom bread (Finnish coffee bread) and knit a hat for my Dad's birthday... I hope. Here's where I plead with the powers that be to let tomorrow be errand free so I can stay home. If all goes well I may have time to soak and reblock the afore-mentioned "crafty" bag!

In the meantime, if anybody knows any giraffe songs or giraffe crafts I'd be delighted to hear from them. (Our camp group will be the tan and brown giraffes and they are third grade level) I can only think of one song remotely relating to giraffes. And now the theme from the Toys-R-Us commercial is stuck in my head.