Normally I do not shameless promote my zazzle products, but I think this one is very nice. My husband and I designed a shirt for The Girl, she loves unicorns. You can check it out here.
Now back to the show!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Girl
I forgot to talk about the conversation I had with The Girl while we were sitting in traffic in the wee hours of the morning on Friday. Apparently, the boy d’jour that she has been hanging around with asked her if it was weird to live with her aunt and uncle. She said she had lived with us a long time, since she was seven, so it really wasn’t that weird now. She also said that she liked to live with us because she has freedom and rules. Yeah! It felt good to know that in spite of all the troubles and tribulations that we must being doing something right.
I just wanted to share that as it was the highlight of my Thanksgiving.
I just wanted to share that as it was the highlight of my Thanksgiving.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving Update
I hope that everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Mine was good. It was just the 3 of us and we had tempura. It was delicious.
We also went to the movies before dinner. The Girl and I saw “The Mist” and DH saw “Beowulf”. We enjoyed “The Mist” a lot. And it made me thankful that I was not stuck in a grocery store with people I did not like. Plus, Marcia Gay Harden wears a lovely green sweater that I think I could actually copy pretty easily. I give it 3 ½ needles out of 4.
The Girl and I decided that we would go to the Outlet Mall at midnight on Friday. Huge mistake. We sat in traffic for 45 minutes the last 3 miles of the trip and it was cut that short because we went around traffic and butted in front so The Girl get to a gas station and use the bathroom. By the time we got over to the actual mall, there was NO where to park. People were parking on the gravel curbs and in front of the dumpster. We then decided to go forget about any Outlet deals and went to Eden Prairie mall which had opened at 1:00 am. We got some good shopping done and then I dropped off The Girl at home about 4:30 or so and headed to the mall near us. (This is the mall that The Girl is banned from until February). By 6:00 I was so tired I knew I should not drive home, so I called my DH and he took the bus over so he could drive me home. Of course, I had a couple of more stops before I could go home, so he drove me around and I ended the day at the 3 Kittens where they opened early for people with the special 3 Kittens card. I spent more there than any where else. After that I came home and slept, it was about 10:30. I figured out I had only had 2 hours of sleep in a 30 hour period. It totally messed me up all weekend. Normally, I get quite a bit done on Thanksgiving weekend. Well, usually get my shopping done and the tree up. I did some shopping and that was about it.
I did get some knitting done. I worked on my mom’s tank top.
And I did this yarn holder for a swap partner.
The Vikings won!!! 41 – 17 over the Giants! It was so great to see them win again this weekend.
So overall it was a good weekend. This week we will need to get the tree up and I will start wrapping gifts. I love wrapping gifts. It is one of my favorite things to do.
We also went to the movies before dinner. The Girl and I saw “The Mist” and DH saw “Beowulf”. We enjoyed “The Mist” a lot. And it made me thankful that I was not stuck in a grocery store with people I did not like. Plus, Marcia Gay Harden wears a lovely green sweater that I think I could actually copy pretty easily. I give it 3 ½ needles out of 4.
The Girl and I decided that we would go to the Outlet Mall at midnight on Friday. Huge mistake. We sat in traffic for 45 minutes the last 3 miles of the trip and it was cut that short because we went around traffic and butted in front so The Girl get to a gas station and use the bathroom. By the time we got over to the actual mall, there was NO where to park. People were parking on the gravel curbs and in front of the dumpster. We then decided to go forget about any Outlet deals and went to Eden Prairie mall which had opened at 1:00 am. We got some good shopping done and then I dropped off The Girl at home about 4:30 or so and headed to the mall near us. (This is the mall that The Girl is banned from until February). By 6:00 I was so tired I knew I should not drive home, so I called my DH and he took the bus over so he could drive me home. Of course, I had a couple of more stops before I could go home, so he drove me around and I ended the day at the 3 Kittens where they opened early for people with the special 3 Kittens card. I spent more there than any where else. After that I came home and slept, it was about 10:30. I figured out I had only had 2 hours of sleep in a 30 hour period. It totally messed me up all weekend. Normally, I get quite a bit done on Thanksgiving weekend. Well, usually get my shopping done and the tree up. I did some shopping and that was about it.
I did get some knitting done. I worked on my mom’s tank top.
And I did this yarn holder for a swap partner.
The Vikings won!!! 41 – 17 over the Giants! It was so great to see them win again this weekend.
So overall it was a good weekend. This week we will need to get the tree up and I will start wrapping gifts. I love wrapping gifts. It is one of my favorite things to do.
Monday, November 12, 2007
AAARRRRGGGGHHHH
AAARRRRGGGGHHHH
There, I feel much better. Work is driving me crazy. I took some silly strengths test for work last Friday and basically discovered I should not be doing my job. I have none of the strengths required for it. How’s them apples? I actually found the job I should have… working at the Reagan Presidential Library. Apparently stuff has been walking away there because they have not cataloged it well enough. AND my skills just happen to coincide with just that kind of work. There you go. I need to go work there and help out the country by preserve our history. I just do not know how to go about getting such a job. Sigh.
Over the weekend I went to the movies with the whole family. We were going to see Dan in Real Life, but at the last minute, we decided on Lars and The Real Girl. I can highly recommend it. It has many lovely knitted items, some of them hand knit. There is a hat I really liked and a cute pair of socks. There is also a scene with actual knitting in it. Oh yeah, it has a good story too. It is funny and sad, sometimes at the same time, which is pretty tricky to pull off. So I can recommend you go see it. I give it 3 knitting needles out of 4.
There is no blood or gore either, I know some of my previous movie reviews would indicate that I see only movies with guts gushing out of people, but that is not always true. However, it is rated PG-13 due to the adult nature of the story, so do not bring the little ones because they are not going to grasp the nature of the story. Plus you will need to explain why you can buy life size dolls that are anatomically correct on the internet to your kids. Are you ready for that discussion? You may be asking yourself why I would be bringing this up. Well, there were several kids in the audience who kept getting up and running around the theatre. Not as bad as when we went to see Matrix II and there was a toddler screaming through 2 hours of the movie, but irritating nonetheless.
I did not do much knitting over the weekend. I am not really even sure why, I just didn’t. I really did not do much of anything. I did go to the movies without my knitting, which I normally would not do, but we decided to go while we were having lunch. Plus, I did not do any knitting during the game on Sunday due to the brutal beating the Vikings were taking. I can not knit while crying. :)
I did some knitting last night while watching TV. I am making some little bird house ornaments for my MIL. They are really quick to knit up, but I need to felt it and then do needle felting, which I have never attempted, so we will see how it goes.
There, I feel much better. Work is driving me crazy. I took some silly strengths test for work last Friday and basically discovered I should not be doing my job. I have none of the strengths required for it. How’s them apples? I actually found the job I should have… working at the Reagan Presidential Library. Apparently stuff has been walking away there because they have not cataloged it well enough. AND my skills just happen to coincide with just that kind of work. There you go. I need to go work there and help out the country by preserve our history. I just do not know how to go about getting such a job. Sigh.
Over the weekend I went to the movies with the whole family. We were going to see Dan in Real Life, but at the last minute, we decided on Lars and The Real Girl. I can highly recommend it. It has many lovely knitted items, some of them hand knit. There is a hat I really liked and a cute pair of socks. There is also a scene with actual knitting in it. Oh yeah, it has a good story too. It is funny and sad, sometimes at the same time, which is pretty tricky to pull off. So I can recommend you go see it. I give it 3 knitting needles out of 4.
There is no blood or gore either, I know some of my previous movie reviews would indicate that I see only movies with guts gushing out of people, but that is not always true. However, it is rated PG-13 due to the adult nature of the story, so do not bring the little ones because they are not going to grasp the nature of the story. Plus you will need to explain why you can buy life size dolls that are anatomically correct on the internet to your kids. Are you ready for that discussion? You may be asking yourself why I would be bringing this up. Well, there were several kids in the audience who kept getting up and running around the theatre. Not as bad as when we went to see Matrix II and there was a toddler screaming through 2 hours of the movie, but irritating nonetheless.
I did not do much knitting over the weekend. I am not really even sure why, I just didn’t. I really did not do much of anything. I did go to the movies without my knitting, which I normally would not do, but we decided to go while we were having lunch. Plus, I did not do any knitting during the game on Sunday due to the brutal beating the Vikings were taking. I can not knit while crying. :)
I did some knitting last night while watching TV. I am making some little bird house ornaments for my MIL. They are really quick to knit up, but I need to felt it and then do needle felting, which I have never attempted, so we will see how it goes.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Latest news
So work has been sucky this week and I have been trying to just make it through, and then yesterday I found out my piglet won for last month’s book on the Knitting the Classics group. Yeah! It has no eyes because The Girl thought it looked better "simple". She wanted it so now it is hers. The book we read was The Book Thief. It is a good book, but very sad. I would however recommend it. I have one Christmas present finished. I will get a photo of it this weekend and post it. I have been knitting every night this week and that has helped with the stress. I am looking forward to getting some more gifts done this weekend as well as my scarf I have been working on for my self. I have discovered that I really do not like knitting scarves all that much. They are quite tiresome.
When I was in high school, I convinced my mom to knit me a Dr. Who scarf. It was perfect and I wore it all the time. I did not however realize how mind numbingly boring it must have been to knit. My mom is a saint!
Thursday, November 01, 2007
New Toy
Guess what came in the mail this week? My new digital camera!
Here is the hat I knit for my DH.
Here is my dog…our eldest one, Miss Moonpie. She is going blind hence the whitish eyes.
Here is some stash which I bought on the LYS Shop Hop day.
It takes great pictures. I am very pleased.
Look for more pictures in the future. OOO it is so exciting!!
Here is the hat I knit for my DH.
Here is my dog…our eldest one, Miss Moonpie. She is going blind hence the whitish eyes.
Here is some stash which I bought on the LYS Shop Hop day.
It takes great pictures. I am very pleased.
Look for more pictures in the future. OOO it is so exciting!!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Dedicated to the one I love
Today is the anniversary of when I met my husband. It was 20 years ago today that I fell in love with the man of my dreams. So today my blog is going to be about him…
***Soppy love crap ahead be warned***
I often tell people that he is the greatest man to walk the face of the Earth. He is not a powerful or rich man. In fact, he is a stay at home uncle. But he cooks for me and cleans the house and makes all those stupid phone calls for vet appointments and plumbers. Usually if people question his greatness, I point out that we spend many an evening with him reading to me while I knit. Does it get better than that? I do not think so!
We like a lot of the same movies and entertainment. While I veer more towards movies like “30 Days of Night” and he towards “My Dinner with Andre” we both love action films (all the Bourne films) and sarcastic comedies (Monty Python anyone) and of course all B-films (Bert I. Gordon is our hero). He taught me to like opera, and I taught him to appreciate heavy metal. We both like to go to live theater and discovered early on that small odd production were more our style. He introduced me to Philip K. Dick and H.P. Lovecraft. We both did (and still occasionally do) role playing; in fact we met at a role playing convention.
He makes me laugh and he always seems to know what to say when I am feeling bad. He has put up with me and my crazy family for 20 years without complaint.
He is my partner and my friend and I am thankful everyday we are together.
***Soppy love crap ahead be warned***
I often tell people that he is the greatest man to walk the face of the Earth. He is not a powerful or rich man. In fact, he is a stay at home uncle. But he cooks for me and cleans the house and makes all those stupid phone calls for vet appointments and plumbers. Usually if people question his greatness, I point out that we spend many an evening with him reading to me while I knit. Does it get better than that? I do not think so!
We like a lot of the same movies and entertainment. While I veer more towards movies like “30 Days of Night” and he towards “My Dinner with Andre” we both love action films (all the Bourne films) and sarcastic comedies (Monty Python anyone) and of course all B-films (Bert I. Gordon is our hero). He taught me to like opera, and I taught him to appreciate heavy metal. We both like to go to live theater and discovered early on that small odd production were more our style. He introduced me to Philip K. Dick and H.P. Lovecraft. We both did (and still occasionally do) role playing; in fact we met at a role playing convention.
He makes me laugh and he always seems to know what to say when I am feeling bad. He has put up with me and my crazy family for 20 years without complaint.
He is my partner and my friend and I am thankful everyday we are together.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Mainly Movie review
Over the weekend I did something new and exciting. I dyed yarn with Kool-Aid. Oh Yeah! It turned out really nice. I was going to take pictures, but I could not get the lame digital camera to work at all. So no pics today. Sigh. We had enough points on our credit card to get a new one so I told the DH to get one so I can take pictures for my blog. It should be here in a couple of weeks. Yeah!
Monday night The Girl and I went to see “30 Days of Night”. We both enjoyed it and found it quite scary. Several reviews had complained about the gore, but I did not think it was any worse than most of the horror films made today. It was bloody, but then again it is about vampires. It sorts of goes hand and hand. It held my attention and the vampires were successfully creepy and not at all attractive, which I think is a breath of fresh air. My all time favorite vampire movie is “Near Dark” just because I think it is a more realistic portrayal of how someone who can not hold a job and kills for a living would actual live. How do vampires get all the money they always have in movies? It has always bothered me. The vampires in “30 Days” are basically a pack of animals, which is a reasonable portrayal of such creatures.
I also finished the hat I am making for my co-workers husband last night. Now I just need to do the neck warmer. I am going to make up my own based on some other patterns I have found. I want it to match the hat I made.
I have several UFOs that I need to finish. Plus Christmas presents. I really need to get working on those as well. I do not know which to do first. I would like to finish up stuff I started, but then I start to worry I will not get the presents done. Arrrgh.
Monday night The Girl and I went to see “30 Days of Night”. We both enjoyed it and found it quite scary. Several reviews had complained about the gore, but I did not think it was any worse than most of the horror films made today. It was bloody, but then again it is about vampires. It sorts of goes hand and hand. It held my attention and the vampires were successfully creepy and not at all attractive, which I think is a breath of fresh air. My all time favorite vampire movie is “Near Dark” just because I think it is a more realistic portrayal of how someone who can not hold a job and kills for a living would actual live. How do vampires get all the money they always have in movies? It has always bothered me. The vampires in “30 Days” are basically a pack of animals, which is a reasonable portrayal of such creatures.
I also finished the hat I am making for my co-workers husband last night. Now I just need to do the neck warmer. I am going to make up my own based on some other patterns I have found. I want it to match the hat I made.
I have several UFOs that I need to finish. Plus Christmas presents. I really need to get working on those as well. I do not know which to do first. I would like to finish up stuff I started, but then I start to worry I will not get the presents done. Arrrgh.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Just a brief update
I did hit all the stores on the Shop Hop last Friday. There were 3 that I had never been in before. One of them was really nice and I will probably go back to it since it is not far from my work. The other two were okay, but not extraordinary and way too far away for me to go to regularly. I only spent about $100; very good for 7 yarn shops!
I finished the dreaded merino scarf. I handed it in last night at Guild. The gal who I made if for, could not make it to the meeting so I do not know if she will like it or not. The scarf I received was nice enough, but a little small. That is partially my fault since I said I wanted enough left over to make a head band. However, I think she used a smaller needle than I would have on the pattern so it is really dense. I am worried that it is too small and I will lose it. I will have to wear it a little and see what I think. My husband came with me to Guild last night. The Girl has been sick the last few days and was particularly crabby. He felt sitting with a bunch of knitting strangers was better than being at home with her. She was still crabby when we came home because she did not think it would take so long. I have been going to Guild one Tuesday a month for over a year and normally I do not get back until after 9. Last night we were home before 8:30. Arrrggh!
I finished up a duck last night for a Swap-bot partner. I think I will make another one so she will have a pair. It was really quick to make.
I other news, my co-worker has expanded her order to a hat and a neck warmer and upped the price to $50. So I picked up yarn on Friday and I am going to get that made up.
It is Wednesday, which means hubby has improve tonight. So hopefully I will be able to get a lot of knitting done.
I finished the dreaded merino scarf. I handed it in last night at Guild. The gal who I made if for, could not make it to the meeting so I do not know if she will like it or not. The scarf I received was nice enough, but a little small. That is partially my fault since I said I wanted enough left over to make a head band. However, I think she used a smaller needle than I would have on the pattern so it is really dense. I am worried that it is too small and I will lose it. I will have to wear it a little and see what I think. My husband came with me to Guild last night. The Girl has been sick the last few days and was particularly crabby. He felt sitting with a bunch of knitting strangers was better than being at home with her. She was still crabby when we came home because she did not think it would take so long. I have been going to Guild one Tuesday a month for over a year and normally I do not get back until after 9. Last night we were home before 8:30. Arrrggh!
I finished up a duck last night for a Swap-bot partner. I think I will make another one so she will have a pair. It was really quick to make.
I other news, my co-worker has expanded her order to a hat and a neck warmer and upped the price to $50. So I picked up yarn on Friday and I am going to get that made up.
It is Wednesday, which means hubby has improve tonight. So hopefully I will be able to get a lot of knitting done.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Thursday notes
So, DH had Improv class last night and I was able to spend a quiet evening knitting and watching TV. The Girl was mad at me most of the evening because I did not want to drive my husband to class and thereby drive her around too. I am not sure why she wanted to go with, but I was already in my p.j.s and my husband wanted to drive himself. Any way, I watched “Pushing Daisies” which was okay, but a tad bit too quirky for my taste. The reason I bring it up though is that it was revealed that the P.I. in the show knits when he is stressed. Since the main guy had brought his childhood sweetheart back to life he had knit “a slip stitch vest and 2 gun cozies”. I just loved the idea of a gun cozy! It was the funniest thing in the show.
I was able to knit about 5 inches on the dreaded merino blend scarf. It is due at Guild next Tuesday, so the end is in site. Yeah!!
I need to knit a farm animal for a partner on swap-bot and I am also working on a novelty scarf for The Girl. She picked out what yarns she wanted and it is going well. I will get it done fairly quickly.
There is a gal here at work who has offered me $20 to knit her a hat. I know it is not really enough to pay for my time, but I really like to knit hats. I think I will take her up on the offer.
Then, I need to get cracking on Christmas presents. I know most of what I am going to make, so I think I will be okay. We will see.
I was able to knit about 5 inches on the dreaded merino blend scarf. It is due at Guild next Tuesday, so the end is in site. Yeah!!
I need to knit a farm animal for a partner on swap-bot and I am also working on a novelty scarf for The Girl. She picked out what yarns she wanted and it is going well. I will get it done fairly quickly.
There is a gal here at work who has offered me $20 to knit her a hat. I know it is not really enough to pay for my time, but I really like to knit hats. I think I will take her up on the offer.
Then, I need to get cracking on Christmas presents. I know most of what I am going to make, so I think I will be okay. We will see.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Bad Norwegian
I can’t believe I missed Leif Erikson day yesterday. I am half Norwegian and I still missed it. Dang! Well, Happy Belated Leif Erikson day! Have some Rommegröt and be joyous.
I other news. I finished “The Chocolate War” last Friday. It was pretty good, not much character development, but that is probably because it is teen fiction. It was depressing in the end. I do not know how this made it on the top 10 list of banned books for 2006. Your average teen would be exposed to more sexual innuendos in an episode of “2 ½ Men”. My husband and discussed it and he thinks it is because it shows authority in a bad light. Perhaps, but really, most kids get that watching cereal commercials and anything by Disney.
This whole banned book week has reminded me of a discussion I had with a friend of my many years ago. He was totally against the Harry Potter books. I knew this and really never bought it up because I did not want to get the lecture about how they were evil. I always enjoyed them. Well, I mentioned we had went to the movie and he was pooh poohing that when he said that he was looking forward to “The Lord of the Rings” movie coming out. I was flabbergasted. He said he loved those books. I pointed out that the Harry Potter books were basically LotR lite and he got defensive. I think he was told by someone that the Harry Potter books were bad so rather than reading them and finding out for himself, he was spouting a party line. I do not think he went out and read them, buy I hope it made him think a little.
Over the weekend it was excessively hot here. It was 87 on Saturday. Yuck. I finished up a hat for DH. I will post it here as soon as I get the photo.
He used it yesterday because a cold front has come in and yesterday’s high was 47. A 40 degree swing in 3 days! Pretty cool, huh?
I am glad for the cool weather. It has been a long time coming.
I have taken this Friday off of work so I can participate in the 2nd Annual Shop Hop. I plan on hitting all 7 stores in one day. We will see if I am successful. I have it all mapped out so if I get too tired half way through, I can pick up the rest on Saturday. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
I other news. I finished “The Chocolate War” last Friday. It was pretty good, not much character development, but that is probably because it is teen fiction. It was depressing in the end. I do not know how this made it on the top 10 list of banned books for 2006. Your average teen would be exposed to more sexual innuendos in an episode of “2 ½ Men”. My husband and discussed it and he thinks it is because it shows authority in a bad light. Perhaps, but really, most kids get that watching cereal commercials and anything by Disney.
This whole banned book week has reminded me of a discussion I had with a friend of my many years ago. He was totally against the Harry Potter books. I knew this and really never bought it up because I did not want to get the lecture about how they were evil. I always enjoyed them. Well, I mentioned we had went to the movie and he was pooh poohing that when he said that he was looking forward to “The Lord of the Rings” movie coming out. I was flabbergasted. He said he loved those books. I pointed out that the Harry Potter books were basically LotR lite and he got defensive. I think he was told by someone that the Harry Potter books were bad so rather than reading them and finding out for himself, he was spouting a party line. I do not think he went out and read them, buy I hope it made him think a little.
Over the weekend it was excessively hot here. It was 87 on Saturday. Yuck. I finished up a hat for DH. I will post it here as soon as I get the photo.
He used it yesterday because a cold front has come in and yesterday’s high was 47. A 40 degree swing in 3 days! Pretty cool, huh?
I am glad for the cool weather. It has been a long time coming.
I have taken this Friday off of work so I can participate in the 2nd Annual Shop Hop. I plan on hitting all 7 stores in one day. We will see if I am successful. I have it all mapped out so if I get too tired half way through, I can pick up the rest on Saturday. I think it is going to be a lot of fun.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Reading
Yesterday I decided to go to the library and check out some banned books. Oddly, there is no reference to banned books week at the public library. I would think they would want to celebrate diversity. It was odd. Anyway, I checked out “The Chocolate War” and “I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings”. I had never read either one of these books. I had never heard of “The Chocolate War” and I was reading it when I got home and my DH asked what I was reading. I told him that it was one of the top banned books of 2006. He was surprised since it was so old. I was shocked to see it had been written in 1974. I guess teenagers never really change all that much. It is a good book so far.
I was wondering why I had never even heard of it when I realized that I really did not spend much time reading “teen” fiction. I read a couple of Judy Blume books and then went right into Heinlein, Bradbury, Stephen King and Kurt Vonnegut. No time for teen books. Not really much time for anything reality based, because, well reality sucked. This does not include biographies and history books, which I love. I know this seems like a contradiction, but I consider the past not as real as the present. It is always under debate as to what happened. (I have a degree in history and I was reading history books on my own when I was in high school. Yes, I was THAT popular! :) )
I still gravitate towards the fantastic and the surreal. Perhaps this is not good, I am not sure. I know that life is far more complicated than most books can portray.
One reality based fiction book and movie I did love was “Mystic River” and that was mainly because it showed how angry someone who is bereaved can be. I find that death is often portrayed with sadness only, but I know that when my sister died, I was pissed off. And the whole custody battle was a nightmare. I remember reading some Anne Tyler book (“St. Maybe”?) in which some guy’s brother and sister in-law dies and he takes custody of the kids. Of course these kids were just little angels and had no ill effects from the loss of their parents! What a load of hogwash. It just really sort of ticked me off. Would it kill her to say go talk to some people who are raising someone else’s kid(s) and see what it might really be like?
Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant.
I was wondering why I had never even heard of it when I realized that I really did not spend much time reading “teen” fiction. I read a couple of Judy Blume books and then went right into Heinlein, Bradbury, Stephen King and Kurt Vonnegut. No time for teen books. Not really much time for anything reality based, because, well reality sucked. This does not include biographies and history books, which I love. I know this seems like a contradiction, but I consider the past not as real as the present. It is always under debate as to what happened. (I have a degree in history and I was reading history books on my own when I was in high school. Yes, I was THAT popular! :) )
I still gravitate towards the fantastic and the surreal. Perhaps this is not good, I am not sure. I know that life is far more complicated than most books can portray.
One reality based fiction book and movie I did love was “Mystic River” and that was mainly because it showed how angry someone who is bereaved can be. I find that death is often portrayed with sadness only, but I know that when my sister died, I was pissed off. And the whole custody battle was a nightmare. I remember reading some Anne Tyler book (“St. Maybe”?) in which some guy’s brother and sister in-law dies and he takes custody of the kids. Of course these kids were just little angels and had no ill effects from the loss of their parents! What a load of hogwash. It just really sort of ticked me off. Would it kill her to say go talk to some people who are raising someone else’s kid(s) and see what it might really be like?
Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Blah
I am feeling a bit of ennui today. It rained over the weekend. It was the 8th rainest September on record here in MN. I can really tolerate only so much rain, I do much better with snow. And the Vikings lost to the Packers. Always a depressing ordeal. I could not find any US 7 – 6” DPNs anywhere I went. What is up with that?
I have a bad case of startitis. I just am having difficulty finishing any projects. The most important thing I have to do is the scarf for my swap partner at Guild (the merino blend one). I have been plugging away, but it has been difficult. If I knit to long, not only do my eyes itch, for some reason my face starts to go numb. I hate merino.
I am close to finishing a hat for my DH. However, I can not finish it until I get some size 7 DPNs. Blah.
I do have to get going on Christmas presents. I ordered some rainbow striped yarn for The Girl. She wants rainbow knee highs. That is going to be one of her presents.
I wanted to make a tank and some anklets for my mom. I am going to make Scrabble bags for the in-laws. I have not started any of these projects. Although I do have most of the yarn, so I guess that is a start!
I have a bad case of startitis. I just am having difficulty finishing any projects. The most important thing I have to do is the scarf for my swap partner at Guild (the merino blend one). I have been plugging away, but it has been difficult. If I knit to long, not only do my eyes itch, for some reason my face starts to go numb. I hate merino.
I am close to finishing a hat for my DH. However, I can not finish it until I get some size 7 DPNs. Blah.
I do have to get going on Christmas presents. I ordered some rainbow striped yarn for The Girl. She wants rainbow knee highs. That is going to be one of her presents.
I wanted to make a tank and some anklets for my mom. I am going to make Scrabble bags for the in-laws. I have not started any of these projects. Although I do have most of the yarn, so I guess that is a start!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Various topics
RIP IV
My last short story I read was (again) from Everything’s Eventual. It was “Riding the Bullet”. It was the most thought provoking story in the book. It is about a 21 year old college student who is hitching a ride home to see his mom who is in the hospital. He gets in a car with a dead man who makes him choose between himself and his mom who will get to live. He chooses his life and feels guilty when he gets to the hospital. His mom is still alive, in fact she lives another 7 years, but he knows he has signed her death warrant. However, he does spend the time he has left with her making every day count. Is it better that he knew she would go and spend quality time with her or to not know and live his own life? It made me think about these questions. It is the natural order of things that parents die first. I know that when my sister died, it was crushing to my mother. I know she felt she should have gone before any of us. But to live with the knowledge that some how you might have shortened your parent’s life would be very hard.
Read a Banned Book
Tomorrow is the beginning of Banned Books Week. Here is the ALA website. Go to the website and find a banned book to read. Down with censorship.
I was surprised to see how many I have read. I, of course, have always read whatever I damn well pleased and have never thought about whether or not it was approved by anyone else. So perhaps that is why. I also found the lists interesting. There are some books I could see why someone by be offended, but others are just baffling. The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999 has Stephen King’s “Cujo” on it, this book does not even deal with the supernatural; it is just a rabid dog. It is not a very good book, but offensive? What the? And all the Judy Blume, when I was in 5th grade our English teacher would read us these books in class. No one was permanently damaged by “Blubber”. So I urge you to visit the website and read something that will make you a rebel!
FOs
Yes, I do actually knit. Here is proof. These are some dishcloths I made for my mom. Pretty cool huh?
My last short story I read was (again) from Everything’s Eventual. It was “Riding the Bullet”. It was the most thought provoking story in the book. It is about a 21 year old college student who is hitching a ride home to see his mom who is in the hospital. He gets in a car with a dead man who makes him choose between himself and his mom who will get to live. He chooses his life and feels guilty when he gets to the hospital. His mom is still alive, in fact she lives another 7 years, but he knows he has signed her death warrant. However, he does spend the time he has left with her making every day count. Is it better that he knew she would go and spend quality time with her or to not know and live his own life? It made me think about these questions. It is the natural order of things that parents die first. I know that when my sister died, it was crushing to my mother. I know she felt she should have gone before any of us. But to live with the knowledge that some how you might have shortened your parent’s life would be very hard.
Read a Banned Book
Tomorrow is the beginning of Banned Books Week. Here is the ALA website. Go to the website and find a banned book to read. Down with censorship.
I was surprised to see how many I have read. I, of course, have always read whatever I damn well pleased and have never thought about whether or not it was approved by anyone else. So perhaps that is why. I also found the lists interesting. There are some books I could see why someone by be offended, but others are just baffling. The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999 has Stephen King’s “Cujo” on it, this book does not even deal with the supernatural; it is just a rabid dog. It is not a very good book, but offensive? What the? And all the Judy Blume, when I was in 5th grade our English teacher would read us these books in class. No one was permanently damaged by “Blubber”. So I urge you to visit the website and read something that will make you a rebel!
FOs
Yes, I do actually knit. Here is proof. These are some dishcloths I made for my mom. Pretty cool huh?
Thursday, September 20, 2007
SO IT GOES
Yesterday I received a phone call from my DH. He found a kitten in The Girl’s room. She had snuck in with on Tuesday night. After much discussion, we decided we would keep said kitten, but that it would be The Girl’s responsibility. She needs to take it to the vet, feed it, clean up after it etc. If she ceases to do so, the kitten will have to go back to her friend’s house or to a rescue site. She agreed to this conditions, plus she lost her phone privilege for 2 days for sneaking it in. I do not know if this is the right solution, but I hope so.
Work has been crazy this week. I know I normally say nothing about my job, but it is affecting my knitting. Last night after our running around was completed, I was too tired to knit. It is a terrible situation. I did sort though some yarn. I was looking for some yarn. I would like to organize my stash better so I can find stuff easier. I did some minor adjustments, but not a huge one. I am not sure if it is better to organize by fiber or by yarn size or both.
How is everyone else’s stash organized? What seems to work the best? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
RIP II
I have been reading the stories in Stephen King’s Everthing’s Eventual. Some of the stories are quite good. One that I read was 1408, which the movie is based on. The movie has the same feeling as the story, but is very different. I enjoyed both for what they were. Hotel rooms can be very scary.
I forgot to mention that I am now on Ravelry. I am knittingchaos on there as well, so if you are on there, stop by and check me out. I do not have much on there yet, but who knows what will be coming up.
Here is a task list thing that I stole from theladywyvern.
Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.
Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bagsKnitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public
Work has been crazy this week. I know I normally say nothing about my job, but it is affecting my knitting. Last night after our running around was completed, I was too tired to knit. It is a terrible situation. I did sort though some yarn. I was looking for some yarn. I would like to organize my stash better so I can find stuff easier. I did some minor adjustments, but not a huge one. I am not sure if it is better to organize by fiber or by yarn size or both.
How is everyone else’s stash organized? What seems to work the best? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
RIP II
I have been reading the stories in Stephen King’s Everthing’s Eventual. Some of the stories are quite good. One that I read was 1408, which the movie is based on. The movie has the same feeling as the story, but is very different. I enjoyed both for what they were. Hotel rooms can be very scary.
I forgot to mention that I am now on Ravelry. I am knittingchaos on there as well, so if you are on there, stop by and check me out. I do not have much on there yet, but who knows what will be coming up.
Here is a task list thing that I stole from theladywyvern.
Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.
Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bagsKnitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
RIP Week II
My short story this week was actually two from Stephen King’s “Everything’s Eventual”. I read “Autopsy in Room Four” and “The Man in the Black Suit”. They were both well crafted, but not really scary. I one thing I don’t like is that at the end of each story is an author’s note about the story which really takes the mystery out of the tales. I know I could just not read them, but I find if there are words on a page I must know what they say. I think I will continue reading the stories this book because I have it now and I have never read any of them before. I have read a lot of Stephen King in my life. I actually think my favorite of his short stories are in “Nightshift”, but I could not find my copy. My favorite King short story is “Strawberry Spring”. I find that he sometimes writes tales that are wondrous and other times they are just fair to middling.
I knit a baby hat for a co-workers new grandson. I do not know if it is going to fit as it seems really small. Of course, I do not know what size babies heads really are since I do not interact with them on a regular basis.
She did seem to like it though.
I need to start working on the scarf for the MKG scarf exchange. I am not very excited about it since the yarn I received to knit with is fingerling weight Cashsoft, which means merino. I am allergic to merino. When I knit with it, I can only knit for about 30 mins before my eyes start to itch like mad. Plus I have to make sure that I do not let it touch my forearms or it burns like crazy. It is the only wool I have found that I react so violently to. It really sucks since everyone else is the opposite and there is more and more merino blends out there.
I knit a baby hat for a co-workers new grandson. I do not know if it is going to fit as it seems really small. Of course, I do not know what size babies heads really are since I do not interact with them on a regular basis.
She did seem to like it though.
I need to start working on the scarf for the MKG scarf exchange. I am not very excited about it since the yarn I received to knit with is fingerling weight Cashsoft, which means merino. I am allergic to merino. When I knit with it, I can only knit for about 30 mins before my eyes start to itch like mad. Plus I have to make sure that I do not let it touch my forearms or it burns like crazy. It is the only wool I have found that I react so violently to. It really sucks since everyone else is the opposite and there is more and more merino blends out there.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
RIP challenge I
I did actually read a short story for my RIP challenge on Sunday. It has just taken me a while to post.
For my 1st short story, I read H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Rats in the Walls”. It is a tale about a man who buys his ancestral home in England only to discover a terrible family secret. Last summer we went to see a one man show of this story at the Fringe Festival. It was quite close to the story.
The story is told by the main character, Delapore (de la Poer) after the fact. He changes the Americanized spelling of his name back to the ancestral spelling when he moves to England.
I like reading Lovecraft because he describes the scenes in great detail. You feel like you are transported to the locations. You are in the horrifying twilight grotto. Yet, he does not explain everything to you. There are questions left in your mind when you finish reading the story. You have to piece together what it all means.
The rats – no one sees or hears them except de la Poer and the cats. Could it be the power of suggestion from the stories he has heard in the village? Is it the supernatural? It seems to be supernatural since he dreams of the grotto before he sees it. Of course, since the story is told after the events, so his memory could be defective. Are the rats a metaphor for the de la Poer family?
The location it self seems to evil. It seems like many immoral acts have occurred there throughout history. Have the de la Poers been there since before Roman times? If we go forward in time, would the site be subdivided and filled with suburban sprawl? Would this induce madness in those people as well? Or are only de la Poers affected? In which case, is it safe from evil since it seems most of the de la Poers are gone?
Where did all of the victims come from? Where the de la Poers breeding them? This is sort of implied, but how many people could they actually breed under ground. Were some kidnapped from the surrounding area? Were people invited to dinner and not allowed to leave?
So many questions… no real answers. Dear reader it is up to you to decide.
For my 1st short story, I read H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Rats in the Walls”. It is a tale about a man who buys his ancestral home in England only to discover a terrible family secret. Last summer we went to see a one man show of this story at the Fringe Festival. It was quite close to the story.
The story is told by the main character, Delapore (de la Poer) after the fact. He changes the Americanized spelling of his name back to the ancestral spelling when he moves to England.
I like reading Lovecraft because he describes the scenes in great detail. You feel like you are transported to the locations. You are in the horrifying twilight grotto. Yet, he does not explain everything to you. There are questions left in your mind when you finish reading the story. You have to piece together what it all means.
The rats – no one sees or hears them except de la Poer and the cats. Could it be the power of suggestion from the stories he has heard in the village? Is it the supernatural? It seems to be supernatural since he dreams of the grotto before he sees it. Of course, since the story is told after the events, so his memory could be defective. Are the rats a metaphor for the de la Poer family?
The location it self seems to evil. It seems like many immoral acts have occurred there throughout history. Have the de la Poers been there since before Roman times? If we go forward in time, would the site be subdivided and filled with suburban sprawl? Would this induce madness in those people as well? Or are only de la Poers affected? In which case, is it safe from evil since it seems most of the de la Poers are gone?
Where did all of the victims come from? Where the de la Poers breeding them? This is sort of implied, but how many people could they actually breed under ground. Were some kidnapped from the surrounding area? Were people invited to dinner and not allowed to leave?
So many questions… no real answers. Dear reader it is up to you to decide.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
State Fair Revue
We had a fabulous time at the State Fair on Friday. We got there a little before 7:00 am and got really good parking. We eat a fantastic breakfast at the Blue Moon Drive in Diner. Where we watched Laurel and Hardy’s “Sons of the Desert” while sitting on old car seats and eating a delicious meal. Then it was time to head over to the Creative Activities building to help set up the Minnesota Knitters Guild booth. We accomplished that in time for them to open the building. So my DH and I wandered around the building looking at all the beautiful hand crafts. I am going to get my stuff together so I can enter something in the Fair next year. I don’t expect to win, but it would be fun to try. Susan Rainey won the sweepstakes ribbon for a drop dead gorgeous sweater. You can check it out on theraineysisters.com. She has a bunch of stuff she won ribbons for on the site. She is a really awesome knitter. There were a lot of really beautiful works there. I also looked over the canning. I think I will can some salsa to enter for next year. I make excellent salsa. At least according to DH, because I myself to do not eat it.
After the Creative Activities building we hit the Education building and picked free stuff: bags, pencils, pens etc. I impressed a lady with my knowledge of Israel and got two mints instead of just one.
Then we wandered around for a while. Stopped by the Pet Center to look at dogs. Always a must. We wandered into the 4H building and discovered a new sport: Rabbit Agility. It was too much fun. The rabbits were jumping various jumps and going up and down an A-frame. It was a riot. There was a Flemish Giant participating. It was like a rabbit from “Night of the Lepus”. We had a malt at the Kiwanis booth. They sell malts that taste just like the ones my dad used to make, nice and malty. We stopped and bought a wild rice burger, which was very good. We stopped in the Agriculture building and checked out the Crop Art. We then wandered down by the Empire Commons so DH could stop by Al Franken’s booth. We went into the Empire Commons and I looked at some very nice yarn they had there and of course we looked at the butter sculptures. For those unfamiliar with this tradition, every year the Dairy Princess, Kay of the Milky Way, and her court are sculpted out of a 60 pound block of butter. The poor girls have to sit in a refrigerated glass booth while the sculptor creates a bust out of butter. Apparently, in the olden days they used to hand out crackers with the butter which was removed from the block, but at some point it was decided that this was a health issue.
We sat and rested for a bit and then went to the sheep & poultry barn and looked at sheep and rabbits. Which are in the same building, although I do not consider them either sheep or poultry. Then we stopped by the buffalo and the alpaca booths.
We had a couple of brats and of course a deep fat fried candy bar on a stick and headed home. We got home at about 4. So it was a long day.
There were quite a lot of things we did not hit: the cow barn, the biggest pig, the art building, the world bazaar, the all you can drink milk booth and a ton of other stuff. We were taking it easy. But it was a perfect day to be at the Fair, it was 75 and sunny with a little breeze. Maybe we will have to try to get over there again before it ends. Of course, there is always next year.
After the Creative Activities building we hit the Education building and picked free stuff: bags, pencils, pens etc. I impressed a lady with my knowledge of Israel and got two mints instead of just one.
Then we wandered around for a while. Stopped by the Pet Center to look at dogs. Always a must. We wandered into the 4H building and discovered a new sport: Rabbit Agility. It was too much fun. The rabbits were jumping various jumps and going up and down an A-frame. It was a riot. There was a Flemish Giant participating. It was like a rabbit from “Night of the Lepus”. We had a malt at the Kiwanis booth. They sell malts that taste just like the ones my dad used to make, nice and malty. We stopped and bought a wild rice burger, which was very good. We stopped in the Agriculture building and checked out the Crop Art. We then wandered down by the Empire Commons so DH could stop by Al Franken’s booth. We went into the Empire Commons and I looked at some very nice yarn they had there and of course we looked at the butter sculptures. For those unfamiliar with this tradition, every year the Dairy Princess, Kay of the Milky Way, and her court are sculpted out of a 60 pound block of butter. The poor girls have to sit in a refrigerated glass booth while the sculptor creates a bust out of butter. Apparently, in the olden days they used to hand out crackers with the butter which was removed from the block, but at some point it was decided that this was a health issue.
We sat and rested for a bit and then went to the sheep & poultry barn and looked at sheep and rabbits. Which are in the same building, although I do not consider them either sheep or poultry. Then we stopped by the buffalo and the alpaca booths.
We had a couple of brats and of course a deep fat fried candy bar on a stick and headed home. We got home at about 4. So it was a long day.
There were quite a lot of things we did not hit: the cow barn, the biggest pig, the art building, the world bazaar, the all you can drink milk booth and a ton of other stuff. We were taking it easy. But it was a perfect day to be at the Fair, it was 75 and sunny with a little breeze. Maybe we will have to try to get over there again before it ends. Of course, there is always next year.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Rain… rain… rain…
Rain… rain… rain…rain… nothing but rain. It has been raining for about a week. I am so sick of rain. I finished one of my toe up socks. I will get a picture of it up soon. I promise. I am not very good about the whole picture thing just because I do not have a good digital camera. I have one that we bought at a garage sale for $15. It works, but it is kind of hinky.
Tomorrow I will be attending our State Fair. Yeah!!! I love the Fair. The Minnesota Knitter’s Guild is having a booth tomorrow and I volunteered to help set up. So I will get there early and have all the fun I can stand and leave before the huge hoards of people show up after work. Last year at the Fair there was an incredible and very bizarre sock monkey dress. One couple were looking at it and the woman said “Where would you wear that?” and the man responded with awe in his voice “ Where wouldn’t you wear it?” That is what makes the Fair so great. The diversity. I will give a little update after the Fair as to what I saw. Maybe over the weekend.
Tomorrow I will be attending our State Fair. Yeah!!! I love the Fair. The Minnesota Knitter’s Guild is having a booth tomorrow and I volunteered to help set up. So I will get there early and have all the fun I can stand and leave before the huge hoards of people show up after work. Last year at the Fair there was an incredible and very bizarre sock monkey dress. One couple were looking at it and the woman said “Where would you wear that?” and the man responded with awe in his voice “ Where wouldn’t you wear it?” That is what makes the Fair so great. The diversity. I will give a little update after the Fair as to what I saw. Maybe over the weekend.
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