Little Dee

This is a fairly new comic and available only on the web. It has a knitting vulture named Vachel. Go check it out. Oh and have a great weekend!

Knitting, knitting, and yes more knitting

but alas, no photos of knitting. I shall however amuse you with a photo of Guji Guji. Do not let that innocent face fool you. Right after snapping this photo, the lil tike pounced on my knees.

I've been tagged:

1. One book that changed your life: Zen and the Art of Knitting, Bernadette Murphy

2. One book that you've read more than once: I Heard the Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Bar and Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to the World's Drinks and How to Mix and Serve Them, by Michael Jackson (not THAT Michael Jackson)

4. One book that made you laugh: The Katurran Odyssey, by Terryl Whitlatch & David Michael Weiger (read it with thee Wyldman, the art work is amazing!)

5. One book that made you cry: Angela's Ashes: A Memoir, by Frank McCourt

6. One book that you wish had been written: hmmmm I need to think on this one.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Mein Kampf, by Adolf Hitler

8. One book you're currently reading: The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor

9. One book you've been meaning to read: The Road to Wealth: A Comprehensive Guide to Your Money--Everything You Need to Know in Good and Bad Times, by Suze Orman

10. Tag 6 people: Alana, Lola, Elspeth, Dr. Michelle (I'll have to look around for two more.....feel free to tag yourself)

Knitting stuff to come soon. Now it's time for bed. and reading a book.....what's on your nightstand?

A New Week

Sorry no intriguing titles today. After a glorious week of nice weather (felt like September/October here) we are now back to our normal August temps with all the added condiments -- haze, humidity.

So, next door I go to get some knitting done. There's lots (aka too many) projects on the needles but all are things that I really want to get done. And because I feel like I've been negligent in the photo department here's one of our smiling Felix taken just last night by Thee Wyldman.



p.s. Hey G1 if you see this.... Guji said to say hello to Miri. He would like to be cyber friends.

AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Declaring war on teenagers! All our telephones are DEAD! In need of recharging. Most bothersome.

So, to fix my newest predictament I'm going to install a phone with a long cord that is connected to the wall. Then ban the teens from the portables. At least I'll be able to follow the cord to find them.

More soon.

16+ Inches

Whoa!! Now if that title doesn't give Google a run for the money nothing will! As some people know I've just celebrated a birthday -- my 25th.....again. My mom and dad came to visit and have dinner with us; as did some other family members. My mom made a totally awesome cake. Since I can't share a piece with you here's a photo.



It's from one of the Martha Stewart Living magazines. A hazelnut torte. Those are layers of crepes - some 30 odd layers. The cream between layers is hazel nut oil with heavy cream whipped. And then topped with chocolate ganache. Truly sinful!!

The 16+ inches is what I did today.





Cut and donated to Locks of Love. The cut was done at Fantastics Sam's. It was really odd and quite a relief not to have that weight on my head. But it was pretty scary too. Let's face it, I've had it for quite a while now. But the gal did a really nice job and I can still pull it back and it doesn't take as long to wash it or dry it.



Big difference huh! The kids now want my husband to get his hair cut. It's now longer then mine. Next will be new glasses.

Knitting? Don't look for any here. Not that much going on that I can tell you about. But perhaps some news soon. Plus it's too blasted hot, hazy and humid to even think about knitting. We're thinking about swimming around here. And time spent in the River floating along with the tides.........

BTW, did you know that you can donate you empty ink cartridges from your printers to Locks of Love? Turns out that that is a main source of income for them. You can pick up pre-paid envelopes at hair salons that support LOL.

Terror Reigns here on the Severn

and his name is Guji Guji. Thee Wyldman and I walked up to the neighbor's and picked him up this morning. He's already run Nathan onto the bed after trying to climb his legs (bare legs); tried attacking Roscoe (his dad); and has totalled endeared himself to me. I've tried to pic of his face to share but terror holds still for no camera. Myla is going to be a bit upset when she returns from Hawaii to find that I've already brought him home but she'll get over it when she sees just how sweet he really is.

And yes, being totally white he does have one yellowish eye and one blue eye. And we're not sure yet as to the degree of his hearing. He has run and hid with the sounds of the trucks outside, likes the sound of beads in the plastic Easter eggs. So we shall have to see. I understand that there is a group for people with white deaf cats so I shall have to find it. If only for an informational tool.

My knitting is coming right along! I've gotten a "new wind" and have been writing and knitting like mad. Even with the weather I've still been able to get quite a number of hours in. I've also stopped knitting after 10:00 pm to give my hands and shoulders a rest. That's when I read. I've gotten lots read -- actually turning pages kind of reading!

So, off to the kneedles I go. Stay cool! And remember to drink lots of water in this heat.

By the way, mums the word. We haven't told DH about our new little treasure yet.

A New meme

Got this one from Gina who got it from Jacqs.

Bold the ones you've done.. Add one of your own.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it -- frequently!
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can -- and it felt really really good!
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends -- still do!
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone -- only if this includes having 1 bathroom and 2 teenagers
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school -- no, but I am planning on it
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating -- does this include fish?
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life
151. Swam in the nude in the moonlight

Orgami Crane Earrings

Rebekah from Knit-Knack is collecting dog/cat blankets for an animal shelter. And in true knitters fashion is making it fun and will be giving out prizes! Myla and I made a pair of orgami Crane Earrings as a prize. Here's a photo of the pair I'm sending.



Neat huh! So I guess if you want to win these little beauties, you better get those needles a clickin' and send in some goodies for the doggies and kitties. And yes, there is a possibility that we have more.....

Not much knitting

but lots of gardening! Here's the start of the second planting of green beans. I love how you can practically watch them grow from day to day! I share a garden with two other families too. Makes gardening so much more fun. Like knitting, I enjoy the zen of weeding and transplanting and watching things grow. Here's the first planting of the green beans. I love fresh green beans! And hopefully I'll be able to freeze some for this winter.



Here's the tomatoes that I didn't start, they just volunteered. All of them. Really. And they're doing fine even. My aunt planted hot peppers so we should have plenty of tomatoes for salsa!



This is the herb garden. There's lots of lemon thyme, two rosemary, oregano, Mother of Thyme (no I don't know why it's called that, I just like it), and there are two types of basil. Mixed in with the oregano are more volunteer tomatoes. I left them there cause it just seemed natural.



The brilliant green in front of the herbs are the 4 O'clocks. It's too early in the day to give you a photo of them but when they bloom it's quite the sight to see. I was told that people walk down our street in the evenings to see them. What a nice pat on the back!

By the way, if any of you want your own 4 O'clocks send me your address. When they go to seed later in September I'll send you some. But beware, even so they are annuals they re-seed themselves all over the lawn! I get to spend hours during the summer moving them back to the flower beds. And they seem to double every year!

Well, back to the needles. Later!

Fun fun fun!

Got this from Bonne Marie

Genia is a Bone-Eating Circus Monkey ...with a Battle Rating of 5.8 To see if your Food-Eating Battle Monkey can defeat Genia, enter your name:

More shortly, gotta go pull weeds outta the garden. OHHHHH! I'll post a pic of the garden for you too.

Speaking of High School......

This weekend was graduation ceremony of Old Mill High School. The Fighting Patriots. The Red, White and Blue. And my son, Nik; my cousin, Chris; and their buddy, Casey. The Three Muskateers have made it through high school and even with all their differences are still fast friends. Somewhere in this vast sea of blue gowns and caps are the boys. The white side are the grrls. This graduation has struck me in a weird way and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Seems like not that long ago we were reading R.L.Stein books and making paper mache dinosaurs.



Here's a rare photo I'm hugging my boy! and he's letting me and even rarer a photo of me. ugh!

So, do you remember me mentioning that my puppy kat, Roscoe made it with the neighbor's kitty, Katrina and is now the father of really really beautiful 3 little boy kitties? Here's a pic of them with their mommy. I got to see and hold them and play with them for the first time today. I'm in kitty love!!





And because it is June and the Spectrum project color for June is blue, here's a little beauty for you..... now back to those kneedles and I'll have some knit content for later this week and some more kitty pictures to show off to you too. Really. Now go on.

Nothing Says Hell Like High School

Got hooked up to this one from Cara. Sorry, I don't have a pic to post. I'll ask my mom but don't go holding your breath. LOL!!!!


Fill in the blanks about your senior year. The longer ago it was the better.

1. Who was your best friend? Mary Ball and Julie Rausch in Germany and Mary Barber and Denise Horn in Texas

2. What sports did you play? Cross Country, track, basketball, softball, gymnastics

3. What kind of car did you drive? I didn't get to drive until the very latter part of my Senior year. It was a family car -- AMC Hornet. I totally believe that if anyone went to the car graveyard put key in the ignition it would still run today!

4. It's Friday night, where were you at? Football game, baseball game. Or sitting on a roof watching movies. There was a drive-in not far from my house. The houses were being built but gave the best view. Church's Fried Chicken, 6-pack of Coke, Lays potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies! Those were good times.

5. Were you a party animal? No.

6. Were you considered a flirt? Not really, I was more of a prankster. Filled the Capt of the Football Teams little VW with Rice Krispies. He left his sunroof open and it just seemed like a fun thing to do!

7. Ever skip school? Yes, but I had to call my mom to warn her first.

8. Ever smoke? Yes.

9. Were you a nerd? No, I was a jock and an artist.

10. Did you get suspended/expelled? No.

11. Can you sing the Alma Mater? Can't really sing at all!

12. Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. Reilly, he was also the CC and Track coach. Looked like a lepracun. Miss McKee, English and English Lit. She made writing papers interesting and loved lemon drops.

13. Favorite class? English first, and Humanities.

14. What was your school's full name? Austin High School. If you're ever in El Paso you can see a giant "A" on the mountain. We used to carry bell jars up the mountain with oil and light them for home games. Quite a sight to see.

15. School mascot? Panther

16. Did you go to Prom? Yes I went to my junior and senior proms. Didn't have a date for the Senior Prom until 2 days before. And then I even made my dress.

17. If you could go back and do it over, would you? NO!

18. What do you remember most about graduation? When the ceremony was over and everyone was tossing their hats in the air I remember seeing my dad's face way up in the seats. He shook his head and I kept my hat in my hand.

19. Favorite memory of your senior year? Our class trip was to DisneyLand in California. I was terrified of falling asleep on the bus and stayed awake the whole drive there and back....but fell asleep on the "Small World" ride.

20. Were you ever posted up on the senior wall? huh?

21. Did you have a job your senior year? Just babysitting and lawn work.

22. Who did you date? Didn't.

23. Where did you go most often for lunch? My senior year I hung out in the Art Room. I always had a project going on, or was helping out someone else with theirs. Unless it was track season, then you could find me on the track running laps.

24. Have you gained weight since then? Yes.

25. What did you do after graduation? I was a cook at the Golf Club on the base. I had the dinner and early morning shifts to pay for college. Then I was transferred to waitress at the NCO Club.

26. When did you graduate? 1979.

Library

Okay, back from the library and here is how the reading list is going to look for the next two weeks or so:

James D. Doss
The Shaman Sings
Grandmother Spider

Ngaio Marsh
Artists in Crime

Max Allen Collins
Majic Man
Damned in Paradise

Carole Nelson Douglas
Irene's Last Waltz

Gregory Maguire
Wicked
Son of a Witch

Okay, so Wicked and Son of a Witch are not mysteries but I've been wanting to read them for a while and now just seems like the right time. How is your reading list shaping up?

Back to the kneedles.

p.s. Yes, some of the books I picked up are on tape. It makes it easier to knit at the same time. Also, we got our photoless problem worked out! YEA!!

Man of Steel

Okay with a title like that it should really get the ol' Google a rolling today! Actually the point of the title is a bit of trivia. On this very day (June 1st)in 1938 the first Superman comic was published. And he doesn't look a day over 28!

Today is also the start of the Summer Reading Challenge. So I'll be off to the Library to pick up some mysteries to give today a proper kick off! My challenge is two mysteries a week and all my reading materials will mainly be from the Public Library cause those guys need to stay in business too. It's important to support your PL. I will put up a list of reading/listening materials when I return.

Knitting? Yes! Loads! I'm surrounded by baby bonnets, baby socks, and mitts. I've had a lot of fun designing these little gems.

Lets not talk about photos. Sore subject.....

Later tater.

Summer Reading Challenge

Amanda is hosting a Summer Reading Challenge. Sounded like fun so I thought I would join up too. Sometimes someone challenging me to do something is just the kick in the butt that I need. Go here to get the 411 on the challenge, sign in and pick up your button.

My challenge is two mysteries a week. And I'm counting audio books as part of my reading. If you like mysteries here's a GREAT site to get more information on writers and the books that they've written. It's called Books n Bytes and is pretty current. There's also information on other book catagories too (SciFi, non-fiction, etc.)

Of course I've been knitting! Lots of baby bonnets, booties and socks. A friend thinks she can sell them so I've been stocking up. They're quicker to knit them adult sized socks!

Sorry about no photos. Still trying to figure out this blasted program!

btw.....Roscoe is a daddy! Katrina had 3 kittens all just beautiful! They are about 3 weeks old now and their eyes are open. I can't wait to see them.

Makes perfect sense to me!

You Belong in Dublin

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

Nope, still no photos

Sorry, I'm working on the photo department of my brain. It's just not wrapping itself around the program enough to enable me to post any photos. So my totally adorable photos of DC Zoo's panda sleeping in a tree; a majestic tiger taking a swim; the Bald eagle couple posing; and a rather comical photo of Miss Bonnie O crossing the "O Line" will have to wait. BTW, Miss Bonnie is an orangutan and the O Line is a series of heavy wire running across part of the Zoo which allows the orangutan to cross above the crowds.

June 2 Finally got it figured out!! FINALLY!! This is a photo of Miss Bonnie making her crossing. Pretty neat huh!

But I did come across an intresting meme to pass on to the rest of you. I got it from Brooke at Drunken Monkey Knits who got it from Cara at January One. First you go to Wikipedia.com and look up your birthday without the year. This is a really cool site! Easy to get lost here! Great for kids needing to write papers but don't know what to write about.

Anyway, I digress.....

Look up your birthday on Wikipedia then:

• post three interesting events
• three people who were born on that day
• three people who died on that day

Events:

1. 1661 - The first banknotes in Europe are issued by the Bank of Stockholm.
2. 1782 - First performance of Mozart's opera The Abduction from the Seraglio.
3. 1790 - The signing of the Residence Bill establishes a site along the Potomac River as the District of Columbia (seat of government).
4. 1880 - Dr. Emily Howard Stowe becomes the first woman licenced to practice medicine in Canada. (okay, I know this makes 4, but I thought it was rather interesting!)

Births:

1. 1821 - Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader (d. 1910)
2. 1889 - Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player (d. 1951)
3. 1967 - Christopher Rocancourt, French impostor and con artist (now there's a story!!)
4. 1968 - Larry Sanger, American co-founder of Wikipedia

Deaths:

1. 1882 - Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady of the United States (b. 1818)
2. 1996 - John Panozzo, Drummer of STYX (b. 1948)
3. 1999 - John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette are killed in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The Piper Saratoga aircraft was piloted by Kennedy Jr.

Okay, it's your turn now. Go try it.

I've noticed that since I'm not working I've had the WORST case of startitis. And we're talking really really bad case of this. And of course nothing is getting completed. But there is lots of stuff on the needles. I have a lovely sweater of unknown yarn in a pretty mint color that I've been working on for the Hurricane Princess. It's from a Debbie Bliss book but can't remember the name of it at the moment, it's a kimono style knit mainly in one piece from back to front (increases make up the sleeves) then a ribbed collar that is picked up and knit. I've also got two cotton spring/summer type tops on the needles but they're screaming at me that I'm not doing them right. Things that scream at me get put in "time out" so there they sit.

More again soon! Back to the kneedles.

WOW!! It's April!

I've joined Project Spectrum! It just sounded like way much fun and I love color, and I really love the challenge of finding color to "fit the bill" so to speak. This month's colors are orange and yellow!

In all the fun (NOT) of not blogging last month I did finish the projects I was commissioned to do. And they came out very nice if I do say so myself. And our computer crashed and needed a new hard drive installed -- but all is well now. I just need to learn the new stuff again -- we now have Windows XP as opposed to 98 and they are different.

There was a HUGE personnel change at the Yarn Shop and I was not included (I'm out of a job -- anyone hiring?) So I'm healing my broken heart and getting on with my knitting! I've decided that I need to free some of my yarn that has been patiently waiting for my attention but isn't going to get it. I will be making it available to all interested. A link will be provided soon.

Also I'm going to start making some of my own patterns available. gasp!! This is an even larger step for me and even just the thought of being checked over makes me hyperventilate.

Also, it looks like I'm going to be a puppykat gran as my Roscoe fell hook line and sinker for a lovely little vixen up the street. In all fairness we will help find new homes for said pupkits and probable adopt one ourselves. Needless to say, when the "check" comes in the boyz will have a visit to the Doc <<>>

So that's it for now. I'll be a better blogger now. I'm off to learn how to make photos available.

Deadlines, deadlines and more deadlines

Sorry for not posting. But I've decided with the pending deadlines it's best this way. I'll be back in March to perhaps WOW you all!

For now, back to the kneedles!!

NOW!

The Wrap that Genia built

Here's a photo of the Ribbed Wrap Jacket that I've been knitting for the past week. Yesterday I sat with it to figure out how much yarn I had left, and dove into the stash to find yarn for the collar.

First thing I found out was my gauge was way off. And I mean really off. So I ripped out the whole thing, swatched two other needle sizes, and have cast on once again. This was hard as I had knit the whole back and 3/4's of both sleeves. OUCH! But it is back in the works again and I'm quite happy with the gauge.

Second thing I found out was the yarn that I thought I had, I really didn't. Blast! It's still the same yarn, only same weight. Supposed to be body knit in an Aran weight yarn, collar knit inan DK weight. Collar will not be knit in DK but in Aran.

Third thing I've noticed with this knit piece is I really like what is supposed to be the wrong side better then right side. So I'm reconstructing the directions and making it suit me and my purposes and hopeing for the best. So it will be the same only quite different.

Also, I think since I'll be using the reverse side of the wrap I'll knit the collar as a lace rib. This could get interesting! Stick around and see. For those of you who have color blind monitors (like mine) the main body of the wrap is a tweed grey, the collar will be a maroon/red shade. Both yarns are Cottage Craft which is a real favorite and quite lovely to knit with.






Also for a diversion from my own stupid mistakes, I've been knitting some Jaywalkers. I'm using Reiga 4fadig which is a great sock yarn. They should be complete soon so I can cast on some red ones!

Back to the needles! Big big project on the way.