Yes, it's another of those stinkin' hot weeks, so not much knitting happening here. That's also due in part to a two-day bout of sciatica I had earlier this week - a big ball of not fun. However, today at lunch I finally got the heel flap of Peter's sock done and am ready to turn the heel - huzzah! I love turning heels, it's fun to watch that perfect little 3-d corner emerge out of a flat piece of fabric. So hopefully that will be tonight, though we do have a whack of bookkeeping and other office-y stuff to catch up on, now that the office is finally put together properly (both computers and a printer, all networked and working). However, it is stinkin' hot, so office stuff may wait 'til tomorrow. To Be Decided.
Right now though, it's time to find something quick and easy for dinner - preferably that doesn't involve the stove. Did I mention it's stinkin' hot?
More knitting soon, I hope!
Jul 27, 2006
Jul 22, 2006
Oh my, what have I done?
What with all the unexpected "little things" that pop up in the first weeks of cohabitation, Peter and I have found that the budget is, to put it mildly, a little strained. We won't starve but the plastic is mounting and that always makes me nervous. See, it is the nature of a credit card to be totally maxed out when something very expensive and essential breaks on your car (which is also essential). So - more income required.
Now, what does a knitter do who needs more income? There are options:
So, I'm optimistic and looking forward to the challenge. Also the discount, which will come in very handy at Christmas-shopping time when I can buy crafty gifts for certain beloved friends and family members. (That way I don't have to knit for them this year - clever, hey?)
In the meantime, this looks to be my last totally free weekend for awhile, so I'm planning to spend it baking and knitting and watching silly movies on TV. I'm making good progress on a new triangle shawl (now that it's no longer too hot to knit, thank God!) and working away on Peter's Mega Boots sock - I had him try it on last night and it fits his (bold and manly) calf perfectly! So kudos to The Arachne Sock Calculator, it looks like it's working out perfect! Though I still find it odd to be counting rows on a sock, but whatcha gonna do? Going to try to get the heel done today so the foot can be travel / at work knitting for next week.
Something smells good - I think breakfast is ready. Gotta love a man who cooks!
Now, what does a knitter do who needs more income? There are options:
- Sell some stash. Yeah, right. That's not happening.
- Knit for pay. Possible, but time-consuming. The hats have not started rolling out yet and I haven't found my market yet, either.
- Work in a yarn store. Where I will add to stash and bring home no money, but have lots of fun.
- Work in a crafts store that does sell yarn, but not exclusively, and offers a nice staff discount. WE HAVE A WINNER!!!
So, I'm optimistic and looking forward to the challenge. Also the discount, which will come in very handy at Christmas-shopping time when I can buy crafty gifts for certain beloved friends and family members. (That way I don't have to knit for them this year - clever, hey?)
In the meantime, this looks to be my last totally free weekend for awhile, so I'm planning to spend it baking and knitting and watching silly movies on TV. I'm making good progress on a new triangle shawl (now that it's no longer too hot to knit, thank God!) and working away on Peter's Mega Boots sock - I had him try it on last night and it fits his (bold and manly) calf perfectly! So kudos to The Arachne Sock Calculator, it looks like it's working out perfect! Though I still find it odd to be counting rows on a sock, but whatcha gonna do? Going to try to get the heel done today so the foot can be travel / at work knitting for next week.
Something smells good - I think breakfast is ready. Gotta love a man who cooks!
Jul 17, 2006
It's too dang hot!
That is, it's too hot to knit. Today is 42 degrees (celsius) with the Humidex, which is stupid hot. Yesterday wasn't much better. Saturday was too busy to knit, with an exam and then general weekend chores. I did manage to get a few rows in today on Peter's sock but that was in my nice air-conditioned lunchroom at work. At home, it's just too stinkin' hot to knit.
Looking forward to Stitch'N'Bitch Wednesday evening, where the coffee shop is generally refrigerated to the point that I feel I should bring a sweater or shawl. Maybe I *will* bring a shawl, just to show off a previous FO and keep from freezing. But right now, it's too stinkin' hot. And it's making me cranky, because today was not the best of Mondays and usually some knitting calms me down and puts me in a better mood. So I'm reading blogs instead, and you know what? EVERYONE is having a stupidly hot day and appears cranky about it.
To heck with it. I'm going to eat a mountain of Jello and Cool Whip and watch silly movies for the evening. And pray for a LONG rainstorm.
EDIT: My day just got 150% better - I got an email from my daughter. Love you hon!
Looking forward to Stitch'N'Bitch Wednesday evening, where the coffee shop is generally refrigerated to the point that I feel I should bring a sweater or shawl. Maybe I *will* bring a shawl, just to show off a previous FO and keep from freezing. But right now, it's too stinkin' hot. And it's making me cranky, because today was not the best of Mondays and usually some knitting calms me down and puts me in a better mood. So I'm reading blogs instead, and you know what? EVERYONE is having a stupidly hot day and appears cranky about it.
To heck with it. I'm going to eat a mountain of Jello and Cool Whip and watch silly movies for the evening. And pray for a LONG rainstorm.
EDIT: My day just got 150% better - I got an email from my daughter. Love you hon!
Jul 8, 2006
Sock it to me baby!
It's sock time at Chez Kit & Peter - too warm lately to knit anything big, besides which a lot of stuff is still in boxes and socks are fun. :)First up, another pair of socks in Marble. This yarn is 100% acrylic but is really a pleasure to knit with - very soft and the colour changes are so pretty! These ones are about 2" longer than the first pair and I still had substantial yarn left over - I could probably get knee-highs out of one ball! The next pair of these in the queue though will be for Peter - I've got a nice rusty-autumny colourway that I think will be sufficiently masculine for him. But first...
Here is the start (about 1/2 the leg) of his Mega Boots Stretch sock #1. Here's the specs for the yarn; the colourway is #701, which you can (hopefully) see in the picture goes from navy blue to gray and light blue in very subtle striping. It's a luscious yarn to knit with - I've found before that knitting eeny-weeny sock yarn makes my hands cramp but no problem with that in this yarn. The pattern is from Arachne's Sock Calculator, my first time trying it but it's very thorough! The only thing that has me worried is that the ribbing seems a tad loose, but Peter's got such muscular calves it should be all right.
However, if it doesn't fit right I'll frog and try another pattern. This yarn is nice enough to re-knit. :)Finally, another pair for me - these are heavy-duty socks in Patons Shetland Chunky (my old favourite!), that make for wonderful house socks. I knit them to the full leg length prescribed (9 1/2") and then fold them down to a cuff - perfect slipper socks. Obviously not needed now in the heat of July, but autumn is not far away and I like my toes toasty.
Still having palpitations about assembling the teddy bear - poor thing is stuck in a drawer until I get up my nerve. I really don't like assembly; maybe that's why I'm so big on socks lately? They're self-assembling. Plus there's always the cool factor of the heels and toes. Dang, I love heels and toes!
Jul 4, 2006
Van Morrison could never be this drunk...
I found this little game on Kine's blog and thought it was kind of fun... try it if you like:
1. Randomly pick a song from your music library.
2. Find the lyrics for the first four verses/chorus
3. Go to Google translation and translate the lyrics from English into German.
4. Take the new German lyrics and translate them into French.
5. Take the new French lyrics and translate them into English.
6. Post the NEW English lyrics and have people guess the original song
Well, I tried it with Brown Eyed Girl, because that was on the radio when I was driving back from the grocery store. Here's what Google did to Van:
He, where we went, days, as the rains came to the bottom jumping in the cave, Playin a new play, puddle pools and a current He, He to jump and in the fog of nebulous morning our hearts thumpin and you my brown examined daughter, you my brown examined daughter. What also always arrived at Tuesday and thus of the puddle pools of daylight slow down to descend the old well with a radio from transistor are, to slip and to push are dissimulated behind the wall of an elbow of rain all along the water fall, with you my brown examined daughter, you my brown examined daughter. You, we maintained above sing, point out Sha to you Lalalalalalalalalala unit of width my manner find there then strongly, since all myself my am there. I saw you precisely throwing there the other day, my, as you rose, my back of memory, Lord Einmal am me 'the overcome period, of the loves thinking in green grass forms behind the stage with you my brown examined daughter you with my brown examined daughter points out you you, there above when we maintained to sing Sha with Lalalalalalalalalala unit of width.
That hurt my brain. I must go knit a sock now to recover. Mega Boots ribbing is underway!
1. Randomly pick a song from your music library.
2. Find the lyrics for the first four verses/chorus
3. Go to Google translation and translate the lyrics from English into German.
4. Take the new German lyrics and translate them into French.
5. Take the new French lyrics and translate them into English.
6. Post the NEW English lyrics and have people guess the original song
Well, I tried it with Brown Eyed Girl, because that was on the radio when I was driving back from the grocery store. Here's what Google did to Van:
He, where we went, days, as the rains came to the bottom jumping in the cave, Playin a new play, puddle pools and a current He, He to jump and in the fog of nebulous morning our hearts thumpin and you my brown examined daughter, you my brown examined daughter. What also always arrived at Tuesday and thus of the puddle pools of daylight slow down to descend the old well with a radio from transistor are, to slip and to push are dissimulated behind the wall of an elbow of rain all along the water fall, with you my brown examined daughter, you my brown examined daughter. You, we maintained above sing, point out Sha to you Lalalalalalalalalala unit of width my manner find there then strongly, since all myself my am there. I saw you precisely throwing there the other day, my, as you rose, my back of memory, Lord Einmal am me 'the overcome period, of the loves thinking in green grass forms behind the stage with you my brown examined daughter you with my brown examined daughter points out you you, there above when we maintained to sing Sha with Lalalalalalalalalala unit of width.
That hurt my brain. I must go knit a sock now to recover. Mega Boots ribbing is underway!
Jul 3, 2006
Bears in progress
Well, the camera is still in a box somewhere, but I now have all the various bits and pieces of my first knitted stuffed toy knit up. The assembly has me a tad spooked (assembly always does!) but the instructions look fairly clear - the pattern is Paton's "Little Bears to Knit and Crochet". Quick knit in Shetland Chunky! Once I get bear #1 put together I have to make up his fraternal twin - the babies for whom these bears are intended arrived last week so I want to get their "welcome to the world" prezzies ready soon.
Also OTN: Marble socks (1 down, 1 past the heel) and soon to be casting on for Mega Boots for Peter. 2.25 mm needles and a size 11 foot. Pray for me!
Also OTN: Marble socks (1 down, 1 past the heel) and soon to be casting on for Mega Boots for Peter. 2.25 mm needles and a size 11 foot. Pray for me!
Jun 29, 2006
One more FO
Stopped in today for a sit'n'knit with the gals at Yarn Forward (in between shopping and step-building and then just plain falling down... boy will I be glad when this move is over!). Asked when the Chemo Cap contest/collection was over - I thought it was end of July. Nope, next week! CRAP on a STICK!
So, dug into the yarn bins (already shifted to the "staging area" in the garage) and found the cap-in-progress, and finished it off tonight. Again, sorry no pics but the camera is in a box buried under other boxes. Anyway.
The hat was in Mission Falls cotton, and after having done a bunch of dishcloths earlier this week and finishing up Mom's cotton socks, I've discovered what I believe many others before me have - knitting cotton makes my hands hurt. I don't know why, maybe it doesn't have the same "give" as wool / acrylic / whatever and so the same tension is more ... tense? Anyway, it makes my hands just ache after a couple of hours. So, I think I'll be avoiding cotton in future (except for more dishcloths as necessary, but maybe not a big binge of them all at once!).
That's it for now. Tomorrow the last of the packing happens, and the computer will be unhooked so no blogging until probably Sunday. So, if you're reading this on Saturday...
HAPPY DOMINION DAY EVERYONE!
So, dug into the yarn bins (already shifted to the "staging area" in the garage) and found the cap-in-progress, and finished it off tonight. Again, sorry no pics but the camera is in a box buried under other boxes. Anyway.
The hat was in Mission Falls cotton, and after having done a bunch of dishcloths earlier this week and finishing up Mom's cotton socks, I've discovered what I believe many others before me have - knitting cotton makes my hands hurt. I don't know why, maybe it doesn't have the same "give" as wool / acrylic / whatever and so the same tension is more ... tense? Anyway, it makes my hands just ache after a couple of hours. So, I think I'll be avoiding cotton in future (except for more dishcloths as necessary, but maybe not a big binge of them all at once!).
That's it for now. Tomorrow the last of the packing happens, and the computer will be unhooked so no blogging until probably Sunday. So, if you're reading this on Saturday...
HAPPY DOMINION DAY EVERYONE!
Jun 28, 2006
I've been meme'd!
I was surfing a bit this morning and hit this on "Sock It to Me", so decided I'd play. You play too! Or, if you're here strictly for knitting content, I cast on a new pair of Marble socks yesterday and am halfway down the foot of the first one. Dang, these are a quick knit! Pictures once the move is complete and the camera found again. Now, PLAY!
1. Copy & paste.
2. Bold the ones you’ve read.
3. Add four recent reads to the end.
4. Tag! - you're it!
(I'm adding an asterisk after ones that I haven't read, but are sitting on the shelf waiting)
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown *
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger*
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald *
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger *
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6) - J.K. Rowling
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story - George Orwell
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
1984 - George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) - J.K. Rowling
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden *
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) - J.K. Rowling
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter 5) - J.K. Rowling
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown *
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Book 1) - J.K. Rowling
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson
The Secret History - Donna Tartt *
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) - J.K. Rowling
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Ender’s Game (The Ender Saga) - Orson Scott Card
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson *
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving *
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien *(yeah right, I'll never get through them!)
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Shadow Of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Unberable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
The Nature of Blood - Caryl Phillips
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules -Ed. David Sedaris
I Know This Much is True - Wally Lamb *
Empire Falls - Richard Russo
American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - Adam Cohen & Elizabeth Taylor
Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
Seeing - Jose Saramango
White Teeth - Zadie Smith *
Sophie's World - Jostein Gaardner
Ursula Under - ingrid Hill
Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder
In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez
God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
The World According to Garp - John Irving
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks
Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
* The Stainless Steel Rat - Harry Harrison
* The Key to Rebecca - Ken Follett
* How to Practice - the Dalai Lama
* Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
Book Meme
From here1. Copy & paste.
2. Bold the ones you’ve read.
3. Add four recent reads to the end.
4. Tag! - you're it!
(I'm adding an asterisk after ones that I haven't read, but are sitting on the shelf waiting)
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown *
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger*
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald *
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger *
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6) - J.K. Rowling
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story - George Orwell
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
1984 - George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) - J.K. Rowling
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden *
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) - J.K. Rowling
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter 5) - J.K. Rowling
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown *
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Book 1) - J.K. Rowling
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson
The Secret History - Donna Tartt *
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) - J.K. Rowling
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Ender’s Game (The Ender Saga) - Orson Scott Card
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson *
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving *
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien *(yeah right, I'll never get through them!)
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Shadow Of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Unberable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
The Nature of Blood - Caryl Phillips
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules -Ed. David Sedaris
I Know This Much is True - Wally Lamb *
Empire Falls - Richard Russo
American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - Adam Cohen & Elizabeth Taylor
Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
Seeing - Jose Saramango
White Teeth - Zadie Smith *
Sophie's World - Jostein Gaardner
Ursula Under - ingrid Hill
Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder
In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez
God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
The World According to Garp - John Irving
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks
Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
* The Stainless Steel Rat - Harry Harrison
* The Key to Rebecca - Ken Follett
* How to Practice - the Dalai Lama
* Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
Jun 27, 2006
Procrastination in Pink
I'm on vacation this week so that means lots of sleeping in and general lazing-about, mixed with short bursts of productivity. Yesterday I finished a pair of socks (Mom's orange safety socks, sorry no picture - the camera is packed) and sewed in all the ends of my dishcloths for the new house. Then I watched two movies and read a whole book. NICE!
Today I caught up newsgroups and blogs, and saw that Teresa had added this avatar-thingy to her blog, and I thought, "that looks like fun", so I just made one myself. It looks a fair bit like a cartoon-me, except for the figure. They really should have options other than "anime porn princess" for figure type. Note to Teresa: It's sheer coincidence I came up with the same outfit as you. But it's okay, we're in different provinces. :)
Well, the avatar-thingy didn't look right with the old blog format, so I decided to pink things up for awhile, just for a change. Which is helping me avoid the last two assignments of my correspondence course (only for awhile, they have to get done today, period). But first there will be - SHOPPING! I have to buy new bed linens (for the new bed, woohoo), and a few odds and ends of householder-type stuff, because moving day is coming up fast. Still a few things to pack but I've run out of boxes, so they may have to wait for a later trip.
Unfortunately, all the knitting is packed, except for the red&white headscarf, which I frogged back to zero (didn't like the way the edging was coming out), and the beginning of a blanket in White Buffalo, which is hardly 30+ humidex knitting! I could go dig something out of the bins I suppose, but I'm not really motivated to start anything new right now. I had to frog my second purple sock back too - messed up the heel turn and it didn't fit at all, so it's frogged to zero and re-balled as punishment for misbehaving. ;)
Mostly I just feel like sleeping, which I do have the time to do, but opportunity is something else again. Hard to nap here (the old place, aka Mom & Dad's) and we don't have the keys (or a bed) yet for the new place. That's something I'm greatly looking forward to, actually, is being able to have a nice quiet nap in my own home. Provided, of course, that the neighbours are reasonably quiet too - the guy on one side of us might be a problem, but then again maybe not.
Which leads me to another thought - rather than clutter up here with non-knitting content, I think I'll start me a second blog. Ooh, inspiration has struck. More to come...
Today I caught up newsgroups and blogs, and saw that Teresa had added this avatar-thingy to her blog, and I thought, "that looks like fun", so I just made one myself. It looks a fair bit like a cartoon-me, except for the figure. They really should have options other than "anime porn princess" for figure type. Note to Teresa: It's sheer coincidence I came up with the same outfit as you. But it's okay, we're in different provinces. :)
Well, the avatar-thingy didn't look right with the old blog format, so I decided to pink things up for awhile, just for a change. Which is helping me avoid the last two assignments of my correspondence course (only for awhile, they have to get done today, period). But first there will be - SHOPPING! I have to buy new bed linens (for the new bed, woohoo), and a few odds and ends of householder-type stuff, because moving day is coming up fast. Still a few things to pack but I've run out of boxes, so they may have to wait for a later trip.
Unfortunately, all the knitting is packed, except for the red&white headscarf, which I frogged back to zero (didn't like the way the edging was coming out), and the beginning of a blanket in White Buffalo, which is hardly 30+ humidex knitting! I could go dig something out of the bins I suppose, but I'm not really motivated to start anything new right now. I had to frog my second purple sock back too - messed up the heel turn and it didn't fit at all, so it's frogged to zero and re-balled as punishment for misbehaving. ;)
Mostly I just feel like sleeping, which I do have the time to do, but opportunity is something else again. Hard to nap here (the old place, aka Mom & Dad's) and we don't have the keys (or a bed) yet for the new place. That's something I'm greatly looking forward to, actually, is being able to have a nice quiet nap in my own home. Provided, of course, that the neighbours are reasonably quiet too - the guy on one side of us might be a problem, but then again maybe not.
Which leads me to another thought - rather than clutter up here with non-knitting content, I think I'll start me a second blog. Ooh, inspiration has struck. More to come...
Jun 22, 2006
Pack and purge, pack and purge...
First it was movies, then books, now yarn - the "pack and purge" fiesta continues! Tonight, after running out of boxes in which to pack books (again), I decided to bite the bullet and purge the yarn bins. Managed to empty out one full and about 1/3 of another of the big-ass Rubbermaid totes. Now I can use the totes for packing/storing seasonal clothing (very little closet space at the new house).
So, two big green garbage bags full of yarn, which happily have found a home already - there's a local lady who's teaching knitting to kids at a summer program and was looking for yarn on FreeCycle, so the timing was perfect. And I was ruthless, too - if I didn't have definite project plans, or if ball bands were missing, into the bags it went. Lots of wee part-balls and like that, also some novelty yarns that had lost their novelty! (ha ha I'm so funny...) I hope the kids enjoy it and I've asked her to pass off any surplus to the Project Linus ladies here in town too - I've a feeling that yarn may be travelling for months to come...
Not a lot of knitting time unfortunately but I have finished a few dishcloths for the house and worked a couple more inches on my funky purple sock. Pictures will have to wait - the camera's already packed. The frog and re-knit of Mom's second sock foot I'm hoping to get done this week while I'm on holiday but I don't know if I'll have the patience. Time will tell.
On the upside, the purge/stash dive unearthed a whole bunch of balls and part-balls of Shetland Chunky that I'd been hoarding, so there will be lots more work-boot socks for Peter and house-socks for me come wintertime. I even found the dark green I'd been saving for his sweater collar/cuffs trim, whenever I get that sweater going. I've got two sweaters for him and three for me planned, so I think I'll alternate - once we get settled in of course! Still so much packing to do...
So, two big green garbage bags full of yarn, which happily have found a home already - there's a local lady who's teaching knitting to kids at a summer program and was looking for yarn on FreeCycle, so the timing was perfect. And I was ruthless, too - if I didn't have definite project plans, or if ball bands were missing, into the bags it went. Lots of wee part-balls and like that, also some novelty yarns that had lost their novelty! (ha ha I'm so funny...) I hope the kids enjoy it and I've asked her to pass off any surplus to the Project Linus ladies here in town too - I've a feeling that yarn may be travelling for months to come...
Not a lot of knitting time unfortunately but I have finished a few dishcloths for the house and worked a couple more inches on my funky purple sock. Pictures will have to wait - the camera's already packed. The frog and re-knit of Mom's second sock foot I'm hoping to get done this week while I'm on holiday but I don't know if I'll have the patience. Time will tell.
On the upside, the purge/stash dive unearthed a whole bunch of balls and part-balls of Shetland Chunky that I'd been hoarding, so there will be lots more work-boot socks for Peter and house-socks for me come wintertime. I even found the dark green I'd been saving for his sweater collar/cuffs trim, whenever I get that sweater going. I've got two sweaters for him and three for me planned, so I think I'll alternate - once we get settled in of course! Still so much packing to do...
Jun 18, 2006
Lots of news!
Here it is, just in time for Father's Day - dad's "Service Cardigan". This sweater gave me more than a few headaches but did come out beautifully in the end. It even fits! Now that it's done I think I'll do small projects for the next little while - especially since I'll be MOVING! Woohoo, yes, Peter and I are finally "shacking up" and will be moving in less than two weeks - EEK!!!! I have to get packed and organized tout suite - fortunately, the new place is basically move-in ready; just a good going-over with dust & mop and we'll be ready to go. It's a bit on the small side (read: "cozy") and when we were measuring for furniture, etc., I forgot to factor in my stash bins! However, there's a fair bit of storage room in the front porch so they may find their home there.
I'm excited beyond measure about this - we've been waiting SO long to be able to do this, and it literally fell right in our laps just this week. When things are meant to be, they work. :)
In other news, Mom's second sock is finished but requires a semi-frog. Somehow I messed up the decreases at the toe and it's about an inch shorter than its mate. Hrm. So I will rip and restart tonight - hopefully can just rip back to the problem area without going too far!
So, there probably won't be much blogging for the next couple of weeks because there's so much to do. (Like set up Internet at the new place!) In the meantime, think "good weather moving day" thoughts for me and I'll post pics of the new place (complete with my planned knitting corner) as soon as I can.
Happy Father's Day bloglanders!
Jun 11, 2006
Christmas in June
The KnitPicks order arrived! Look at these goodies...At the back, 16 balls of Wool of the Andes in Winter Night (blue) and 1 of Coal (black). These, along with either the two Cranberry (red) or Hollyberry (burgundy) - the four balls at the left - will become Peter's Christmas sweater. Probably the Cranberry, because that will make it perfectly Habs colours. Very cool.
Then from left to right, we have:
Shimmer in Morning Mist
Shimmer in Deep Woods
Alpaca Cloud in Tide Pool
Alpaca Cloud in Stream
Alpaca Cloud in Moss
Alpaca Cloud in Autumn.
All these are laceweight, some of which will become "Elizabeth I" scarves and the rest, something else lacy. The "Moss" has been reserved by Mom for her birthday gift next February (she wanted three, but is getting one. Yes, I'm mean).
Finally at the far right are two hanks of Sock Memories in Smores. SMORES! I'm gonna have toasty feet in these socks, for sure.
And that, my good Bloglanders, is the last yarn to enter this house until August. But ooh, is it ever pretty! I want to start a lace scarf and those Smores socks right away... but other things have priority right now. This evening I will be assembling Dad's cardigan. Mom's second sock is still waiting to be finished, and I really need to start those teddy bears soon. Besides, most of this is in skein form and really needs a swift to be wound properly - which I don't have. Maybe I should ask for a swift for my birthday?
In other news, we have a house! At least, we're at 99% of having a house, still a few details to iron out. But it looks good for cohabitation by the first of September. JOY!
Of course, part of the cohabitation involves each of us weeding out some non-essential "stuff", so the last week of June will be sorting and pre-packing and setting stuff aside for a yard sale in July. All good. There may be some yarn in there - some of the current stash falls under the "what was I thinking" category and really should go to a new home. We shall see.
Jun 8, 2006
Dad's sweater is done!
Well, it's all knitted, anyway. Sat down tonight with the last 1/3 of the 2nd sleeve and watched Star Wars Episode III: You wasted your money again. Except I saw it free on TMNOD, so neener. Movie was crap but just long enough (2 1/2 hours) to finish the sweater. Exactly, actually, I cast off the last Sith... er stitch - just as the final credits came up. So woohoo!
Which means now that I have to sew the darn thing up - the least-fun part of knitting (IMO). I think I'll reserve that particular segment of cussing and squinting for Sunday afternoon, since I'll be spending Friday afternoon on bookkeeping, Saturday afternoon on homework, and Friday/Saturday night sleeping - a lot. I've been very very tired again for oh, about a month, and finally saw the doc about it, who ordered the usual blood tests, etc. It's probably just the heat and usual early-June work stress, but it's smart to get things checked out.
So now the sweater is done(ish), there's just that dang orange sock to finish (gods, it's taking FOREVER and makes my hands cramp). Then I can do fun things and charity things and more socks and those teddy bears for the impending twins. Gak. The twins are due any day now, but unlike the Harlot, I will not begin the knitting until they actually arrive safe and sound. Besides, you can't really appreciate a teddy bear until you're at least 6 months old, I think.
Tiger balm and bed. Goodnight bloglanders.
Which means now that I have to sew the darn thing up - the least-fun part of knitting (IMO). I think I'll reserve that particular segment of cussing and squinting for Sunday afternoon, since I'll be spending Friday afternoon on bookkeeping, Saturday afternoon on homework, and Friday/Saturday night sleeping - a lot. I've been very very tired again for oh, about a month, and finally saw the doc about it, who ordered the usual blood tests, etc. It's probably just the heat and usual early-June work stress, but it's smart to get things checked out.
So now the sweater is done(ish), there's just that dang orange sock to finish (gods, it's taking FOREVER and makes my hands cramp). Then I can do fun things and charity things and more socks and those teddy bears for the impending twins. Gak. The twins are due any day now, but unlike the Harlot, I will not begin the knitting until they actually arrive safe and sound. Besides, you can't really appreciate a teddy bear until you're at least 6 months old, I think.
Tiger balm and bed. Goodnight bloglanders.
Jun 4, 2006
I will buy no yarn in June or July
There. I told Peter, I told Bundy & Kid, and now I've told the bloglanders. I WILL BUY NO YARN IN JUNE OR JULY. Nor any knitting needles, pattern books, magazines or other knit-related accessories. In fact, I may just have to ground myself from even visiting my favourite LYS because I have basically no willpower when I go there. Like zero - I have spent my last $5 on half-price sock yarn just because it was half price. No more of that. Discipline!
'Cuz, here's the thing. Peter and I want to live together. Soon. Then we can be married (JOY!) and all live happily ever after, etc. But this living together thing ain't cheap, and sacrifices need to be made. I currently have 4 almost-full-to-the-brim Rubbermaid totes (big'uns) full of stash. I have stash in my trunk and stash on my bookshelves and somewhere in my closet is stash I was looking for in the totes and couldn't find. So. I DO NOT NEED ANY MORE YARN. Not for the foreseeable future, as I also have a huge project list which will entail knitting up a lot of that stash.
However. (or, if you prefer, BUT - - - )
August is my birthday and also our vacation to Manitoulin Island. While we are at Manitoulin I will be visiting the fine proprietress of Freshisle Fibers, to get more of her lovely Suffolk wool. Maybe even the watermelon sock yarn, if she ever catches up her Harlot-induced glut of orders. :) And for my birthday I totally intend to ask - maybe even beg - for gift cards at Yarn Forward. Because, simply, I love that shop, and the ladies that run it are my knitting-mentors and also good friends. Plus I have a whack of discount points to use so I want to make the most of it. :)
So in August, yes, I'll be getting some yarn. But otherwise, it's time to be responsible (*sigh*, she said) and look at the bigger picture, which involves things like curtains and throw rugs and probably a few gallons of paint and yeah, the car's going to need new tires by fall, etc. etc. But it's all to the good. I'm looking at it as a delayed Lent season sort of thing. So y'all are my witnesses - knit from stash only for the next two months. Pointe Finale.
Oh, and if the Ottawa SnB gals are reading this - I placed my KnitPicks order in May so it doesn't count. Neener.
Tomorrow will be update on WIP time. I knit my tuckus off this weekend!
'Cuz, here's the thing. Peter and I want to live together. Soon. Then we can be married (JOY!) and all live happily ever after, etc. But this living together thing ain't cheap, and sacrifices need to be made. I currently have 4 almost-full-to-the-brim Rubbermaid totes (big'uns) full of stash. I have stash in my trunk and stash on my bookshelves and somewhere in my closet is stash I was looking for in the totes and couldn't find. So. I DO NOT NEED ANY MORE YARN. Not for the foreseeable future, as I also have a huge project list which will entail knitting up a lot of that stash.
However. (or, if you prefer, BUT - - - )
August is my birthday and also our vacation to Manitoulin Island. While we are at Manitoulin I will be visiting the fine proprietress of Freshisle Fibers, to get more of her lovely Suffolk wool. Maybe even the watermelon sock yarn, if she ever catches up her Harlot-induced glut of orders. :) And for my birthday I totally intend to ask - maybe even beg - for gift cards at Yarn Forward. Because, simply, I love that shop, and the ladies that run it are my knitting-mentors and also good friends. Plus I have a whack of discount points to use so I want to make the most of it. :)
So in August, yes, I'll be getting some yarn. But otherwise, it's time to be responsible (*sigh*, she said) and look at the bigger picture, which involves things like curtains and throw rugs and probably a few gallons of paint and yeah, the car's going to need new tires by fall, etc. etc. But it's all to the good. I'm looking at it as a delayed Lent season sort of thing. So y'all are my witnesses - knit from stash only for the next two months. Pointe Finale.
Oh, and if the Ottawa SnB gals are reading this - I placed my KnitPicks order in May so it doesn't count. Neener.
Tomorrow will be update on WIP time. I knit my tuckus off this weekend!
May 23, 2006
Twofer Tuesday
Look! A pair of socks! Yes, the lonely right foot now has a toasty-warm and happy left-foot mate. I really like this Marble yarn; it knits up quickly (though it can split if you don't keep an eye on it), and the colours are both soft and rich. The socks are remarkably warm - I think a sweater of this stuff would be almost too warm - at least knit at this gauge. And there's enough left in the ball for about another whole sock, so the other two pairs I have already bought yarn for will be made "regular" sock length instead of ankle length. And, for bonus, they fit comfortably inside sneakers (and therefore work shoes) so I can funk up my work and weekend wardrobe a bit with these. Really, they're very quick to knit - I may make a pair in every colour that Marble comes in! And, at $6 a ball (approx.) where 1 ball gives a pair plus, they're fairly cheap socks too (at least compared to some of the sock yarns).Ah yes, other sock yarns... I did cast on sock #2 of Mom's Safety Socks tonight and got a 1/2 inch of ribbing done. We're off to the races now!
May 22, 2006
Monday, monday
It's weird when a long weekend ends. It feels like today has been a Sunday - laundry, baking, general getting-ready-for-the-work-week stuff. But there was also lots of downtime and tomorrow will be Tuesday which makes work all strange too. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a long weekend, it's just that it puts me out of whack a bit.HOWEVER - I got stuff done, yessirreebob! See here, the first of mom's "Safety Socks", custom-fit and fitting pretty well. Although it does pooch a bit around the ankle bone, but she swears it's comfy, so it's all good. Now I just have to do the other one, but I messed up the cast on yesterday and had to frog it back to zero. Will try again tomorrow. Yarn is Jawoll Cotton.
See also, the "Seaweed Shawl", which is Fleece Artist "Curlylocks", not their new Sea Silk (oh, how I covet the Sea Silk!). When I saw this yarn in the store I thought it just looked like seaweed on the beach. Which made me homesick. So I had to get it, but I'd only been knitting about a month at the time so I was actually afraid to knit it up. Not anymore! I really, truly, ADORE Fleece Artist yarns (I know I've said this before), but this one, being my first, I think will always be my favourite. I don't know what that white blob in the bottom of the picture is, but the colours I think show up rather nicely. I didn't measure it but it reaches to my knees in back if I hold it at my shoulders, and to my butt if I actually wrap myself up in it. Light and warm and pretty and wonderful. And MINE ALL MINE!Also finished the front of dad's cardigan, but no picture of that. Sleeve #1 is well underway - about 1/3 done, I think. Going to work on that pretty steadily this week in evenings so I'm hoping to have 2 sleeves by this time next week.
AND - I created a hat. Yes, from-scratch-my-own-design. Which is pretty cool, because I really hadn't planned on creating a hat when I made it. I was noodling around with some camel hair yarn (gorgeous stuff, BTW) and playing at making a skinny scarf. I held it up to the light and Peter said, "You know, that would make a cute hat." Ok, what the hey! I frogged the scarf and restarted it as a hat. And it's kinda funky and cool and I don't look silly in it (Yumi said so, it must be true).
I intend to submit the pattern for the 2007 Pattern-A-Day calendar (and post it free here too, of course), but I want to test-knit it in a couple of other yarns first. Hence, no picture yet. Once I get a couple more prototypes done I'll post pictures and pattern. I'm actually planning to make these for sale but need to scope out potential "real world" markets as I'm not ready for online salesmanship yet! So, more to come on that later. But it was a pretty cool long weekend.
May 19, 2006
A busy week of knitting and other things
If you read this already on "KnitTalk", there is other stuff here but you can skip the beginning. I'm recycling tonight. :)
Well, a soggy spring has sprung here in Ottawa and in my business that means "crazy-busy at work" time. Finding myself pretty worn out by the end of the day and just wanting some QNT - Quiet Needle Time. Last weekend I picked up Tara Jon Manning's "Mindful Knitting" and I'm really appreciative of how that wee book has given me a deeper understanding of how my knitting destresses me. Usually I knit in front of the TV in the evenings, but for this week I left the box off and just knit. The first time was hard because my mind wouldn't shut up - I was mentally watching "Simpsons" reruns, for heaven's sake! But the next evening, and the next, I found I could really just sit and knit. And it made me feel really, really good.
The book also deals with "regular" seated meditation - so far, I stink at that. I'm too fidgety, that's why having the knitting to focus on is so good for me. BUT - there's also a big point made of being "in the moment" in everyday living of life, and I've been working on that as well; here are a few "in the moment" joys I really appreciated in the past few days:
Happy Victoria Day / Memorial Day weekend, everyone!
*Like A Monkey On Acid. No, I will not explain the provenance of this expression - but really, just picture it in your mind. Now I bet you're doing it too. :)
Well, a soggy spring has sprung here in Ottawa and in my business that means "crazy-busy at work" time. Finding myself pretty worn out by the end of the day and just wanting some QNT - Quiet Needle Time. Last weekend I picked up Tara Jon Manning's "Mindful Knitting" and I'm really appreciative of how that wee book has given me a deeper understanding of how my knitting destresses me. Usually I knit in front of the TV in the evenings, but for this week I left the box off and just knit. The first time was hard because my mind wouldn't shut up - I was mentally watching "Simpsons" reruns, for heaven's sake! But the next evening, and the next, I found I could really just sit and knit. And it made me feel really, really good.
The book also deals with "regular" seated meditation - so far, I stink at that. I'm too fidgety, that's why having the knitting to focus on is so good for me. BUT - there's also a big point made of being "in the moment" in everyday living of life, and I've been working on that as well; here are a few "in the moment" joys I really appreciated in the past few days:
- Lilacs are blooming everywhere and with all the rain this week the scent is staying low; I love the smell of lilacs more than almost any other smell, so that's been heavenly. I've stopped dead in my tracks a couple of times to just smell lilacs. Wonderful.
- Also in flowers, the dandelions are everywhere too, and twice this week when out driving I've been caught in "snowstorms" of dandelion fluff. Something about that just makes me grin LAMOA*.
- A hot bubble bath. No, really, I think I'd go mental if I didn't have the capability of running a hot bubble bath in an evening when I want to. Just feeling the muscles relax, the mind slows down... ahh.
- And again, knitting. Beautiful things made by my hands make me proud and happy. And it's SO tactile, so soft... it's hard to find the right similes for it but it's all good.
Happy Victoria Day / Memorial Day weekend, everyone!
*Like A Monkey On Acid. No, I will not explain the provenance of this expression - but really, just picture it in your mind. Now I bet you're doing it too. :)
May 14, 2006
Happy Mother's Day from head to toe!
Happy Mother's Day to all knitfolk and bloglanders! It was a good knitting-week (we will not speak of hockey, hockey is now dead to us until the fall), and I have actual Finished Objects - woohoo!
First finished object, though, there is no picture. The shawl for Peter's Mom, which she loved, and which was the perfect colours on her. yeah, no picture. My bad. Trust me, it's pretty on her. Take the colours from the WIP picture and blow it up to the size of Mom's shawl and you got it. So. Onward!
I finished the first chemo cap for the Yarn Forward contest / fundraiser last night, and dropped it off today - but AHA! I remembered to take a picture first! So, here is a (I think) pretty funky and just plain pretty cap, in Eden which is a bamboo yarn, feels like silk and is both warm and really girly. :)
Funny thing about this picture though - that's not a head model the hat is on. It's an upside-down teddy bear, affectionately known as "Football". Football has been with me since I was 13 years old (Christmas gift, IIRC), and has seen me through many difficult times. I thought it appropriate to instill some of his positive karma in the hat before sending it on its way.
Now here, we have two pictures of my right foot. You will notice my foot is wearing a new sock, which was actually not accounted for in the massive WIP listing from last week. But it was in the car and got worked on at the doctor's office and at Tulipfest where I was volunteering today, and then well... I had to finish it. The yarn is Marble, 100% acrylic and mighty nice stuff to work with. As you can see it's self-striping, with very subtle changes, and there's a grey marl running through it too which further softens the colours. These are to be bedsocks for me because my feet get cold at night. Pay no attention to the lumpy bit at the heel, I mucked up the turning a
bit but the sock is still super-comfy. The pattern is "Socks in Three Sizes" by Joan Fernbach, which I found on knitting.about.com - though of course I tweaked it a wee bit to custom-fit me.
You know what I notice though? No matter how much weight I have lost, I still have "cankles". *sigh* So be it.
Also well underway is Dad's cardigan-front part 2, about 30 rows to go and it's done. And Mom's poor wee orange sock is coming, but it appears to be at the black hole stage. This too shall pass.
And tomorrow is Monday - and May is now half over! EEEK! Seriously, someone has to slow this calendar down; in three months we'll be coming BACK from our Manitoulin vacation. For which, incidentally, I have grand knitting plans. But more on that later. To quote the great Sherriff Bart, "I always keep my audience riveted!" Or something like that. Happy Mother's Day, everybody!
First finished object, though, there is no picture. The shawl for Peter's Mom, which she loved, and which was the perfect colours on her. yeah, no picture. My bad. Trust me, it's pretty on her. Take the colours from the WIP picture and blow it up to the size of Mom's shawl and you got it. So. Onward!
I finished the first chemo cap for the Yarn Forward contest / fundraiser last night, and dropped it off today - but AHA! I remembered to take a picture first! So, here is a (I think) pretty funky and just plain pretty cap, in Eden which is a bamboo yarn, feels like silk and is both warm and really girly. :)Funny thing about this picture though - that's not a head model the hat is on. It's an upside-down teddy bear, affectionately known as "Football". Football has been with me since I was 13 years old (Christmas gift, IIRC), and has seen me through many difficult times. I thought it appropriate to instill some of his positive karma in the hat before sending it on its way.
Now here, we have two pictures of my right foot. You will notice my foot is wearing a new sock, which was actually not accounted for in the massive WIP listing from last week. But it was in the car and got worked on at the doctor's office and at Tulipfest where I was volunteering today, and then well... I had to finish it. The yarn is Marble, 100% acrylic and mighty nice stuff to work with. As you can see it's self-striping, with very subtle changes, and there's a grey marl running through it too which further softens the colours. These are to be bedsocks for me because my feet get cold at night. Pay no attention to the lumpy bit at the heel, I mucked up the turning a
bit but the sock is still super-comfy. The pattern is "Socks in Three Sizes" by Joan Fernbach, which I found on knitting.about.com - though of course I tweaked it a wee bit to custom-fit me.You know what I notice though? No matter how much weight I have lost, I still have "cankles". *sigh* So be it.
Also well underway is Dad's cardigan-front part 2, about 30 rows to go and it's done. And Mom's poor wee orange sock is coming, but it appears to be at the black hole stage. This too shall pass.
And tomorrow is Monday - and May is now half over! EEEK! Seriously, someone has to slow this calendar down; in three months we'll be coming BACK from our Manitoulin vacation. For which, incidentally, I have grand knitting plans. But more on that later. To quote the great Sherriff Bart, "I always keep my audience riveted!" Or something like that. Happy Mother's Day, everybody!
May 10, 2006
Sometimes you just have to stay home
Yes, I had to take another sick day today. Dagnabit. I was having a WONDERFUL day yesterday - good weather, work-productivity-good, visit-with-Peter-coffee-break, all's right with the world kind of day. Stopped into Yarn Forward to get something (nothing specific in mind until I walked through the door, but 25% off made me pretty sure something was coming home with me!) Picked up a couple balls of camel-hair/wool blend (I'm thinking bedsocks or wristers), a skein of Briggs & Little in manly-type brown-mix colours (scarf for dad, maybe), and then realized - hey, I should get that Patons Classic Wool for that vest I want... ha! So now I have six balls of Classic Wool in "Evergreen Mix" which is TOTALLY beautiful and will make a gorgeous vest for me to wear in the fall. Yay!
So to round out my day, I figure I'll stop at Starbucks for a beverage and knit a bit on Mom's sock. Ordered an iced hazelnut soy mocha. Yummy right? Right. Except the serving staff were arsing around behind the counter and must have mixed up the order because I got regular milk. Which I can't have. Which triggered a MASSIVE IBS attack within about 15 minutes. Which ruined my evening, led to no dinner and little sleep, and me staying home from work today. Which annoyed me, but there it is. Sometimes you just have to stay home. And then, I realize just 10 minutes ago that I also missed my writers' group tonight. Dammit.
On the plus side, a whole afternoon of quality couch-time means that the shawl for Peter's Mom is done for Mother's Day (have to weave in four ends, but that won't take long). And I got to see the HBO/BBC two-part movie "Elizabeth I", starring Helen Mirren. She was awesome in the role, and I don't care what anyone says, Jeremy Irons is a damn sexy man. Of course he dies at the end of the first half (oops, sorry!), but he's terrific. Apparently he's done some books-on-tape - I will have to seek them out because he's right up there with Sean Connery and Morgan Freeman with the "all-time great male voices".
So that was my day. And now it's over and time for sleep. Goodnight bloglanders.
So to round out my day, I figure I'll stop at Starbucks for a beverage and knit a bit on Mom's sock. Ordered an iced hazelnut soy mocha. Yummy right? Right. Except the serving staff were arsing around behind the counter and must have mixed up the order because I got regular milk. Which I can't have. Which triggered a MASSIVE IBS attack within about 15 minutes. Which ruined my evening, led to no dinner and little sleep, and me staying home from work today. Which annoyed me, but there it is. Sometimes you just have to stay home. And then, I realize just 10 minutes ago that I also missed my writers' group tonight. Dammit.
On the plus side, a whole afternoon of quality couch-time means that the shawl for Peter's Mom is done for Mother's Day (have to weave in four ends, but that won't take long). And I got to see the HBO/BBC two-part movie "Elizabeth I", starring Helen Mirren. She was awesome in the role, and I don't care what anyone says, Jeremy Irons is a damn sexy man. Of course he dies at the end of the first half (oops, sorry!), but he's terrific. Apparently he's done some books-on-tape - I will have to seek them out because he's right up there with Sean Connery and Morgan Freeman with the "all-time great male voices".
So that was my day. And now it's over and time for sleep. Goodnight bloglanders.
May 7, 2006
And in Other News...
Ok, two happy things to add.
One: Went shopping for summer pants (capri-style) yesterday and found some that fit beautifully, in - get this - size EIGHT! EIGHT EIGHT EIGHT! And also in 29" waist at a different store. Too exciting, because two years ago at this time I was up around a 14/34" waist. 40 lbs can make a big difference. Happy! (And Yumi, thanks again for shopping with me - it takes a really GOOD friend to tell you honestly how your butt looks in capri pants).
Two: I got an email today from The Harlot. JOY! I had sent her an email on Wednesday about how much I really enjoyed her latest book (and, well, everything she writes, basically), and she wrote me back, with compliments no less! Again I say, JOY! A little reminder there, that it's always nice to tell people you appreciate them - but it's double-nice when they appreciate you right back! Have you told anyone how great they are recently? Go do it now. It doesn't even have to be me.
One: Went shopping for summer pants (capri-style) yesterday and found some that fit beautifully, in - get this - size EIGHT! EIGHT EIGHT EIGHT! And also in 29" waist at a different store. Too exciting, because two years ago at this time I was up around a 14/34" waist. 40 lbs can make a big difference. Happy! (And Yumi, thanks again for shopping with me - it takes a really GOOD friend to tell you honestly how your butt looks in capri pants).
Two: I got an email today from The Harlot. JOY! I had sent her an email on Wednesday about how much I really enjoyed her latest book (and, well, everything she writes, basically), and she wrote me back, with compliments no less! Again I say, JOY! A little reminder there, that it's always nice to tell people you appreciate them - but it's double-nice when they appreciate you right back! Have you told anyone how great they are recently? Go do it now. It doesn't even have to be me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)