Blather and Manic Monday

I read the Maggie Sefton book, Dropped Dead Stitch, this weekend and I wasn’t very impressed. It seemed like she was working too hard to make it a mystery and to tie the knitting into the story, which seems funny, as most of the people in the story were knitters. I don't know why, but I liked her first two novels better. I think I am done buying her hardback books; the last two just weren’t as good.

I fixed all of my mistakes on the on the one row pattern scarf and am back to where I started, grrr. I really hate it when I do something stupid like that. Maybe that is God’s way of telling me to slow down and smell the chocolate and that I am human.

We went to see Angels and Demons this weekend and it was great. I don’t go to the movies very often because I get so bored sitting still. This time I came prepared with a baby blanket and a sock; I knit exactly ¾ of a row. I was so enthralled with the movie that it did not bother me to sit still and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Have a wonderful and knitterly day!


If you joined the circus, what act would you most want to perform?
I wouldn’t perform, I would take care of the elephants.
Would you generally be overdressed or underdressed at a party?
Underdressed, I hate it when I am the most dressed up person in the room.
Do you feel that children should be sheltered from unhappiness?
Yes I do, to a certain degree. Children do not need to be aware of the hate and discontent in the world; they do not need to know of their parents problems (work, alcohol, or marriage). Children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood and then be gently brought into the real world as they grow up.

Blather, Manic Monday

We are home!

The trip home seemed to go much smoother than the trip to GA did when we had a deadline. We wanted to be there in time for the hooding ceremony, which was at 7pm so we were very rushed. But coming home, we took our time and enjoyed the view. We arrived home Sunday evening to very angry cats and thirsty plants. DD2 and I are both sick with the creeping crud, but we had a great time.

I didn’t get nearly as much knitting done as I had planned, my hands and arms are hurting badly when I knit lately, and aspirin is not cutting it. I may have to mention it to the Dr. next time I go in. I did work on all of the normal stuff I have started (baby blanket, socks, sweater of many stitches, etc. . , but I thought I would be able to knit a lot more than I did.


I read Debbie Macomber’s new book, Summer on Blossom Street, last week and enjoyed it, though I liked 20 Wishes better, but I do not know why. Isn't it weird how a book can either grab you or not? What is your opinion on the two books?



If you could completely redecorate any room in your house at no expense to you, what room would you choose?
My bedroom. The furniture that I brought with me from GA is big furniture, and the Master bedroom is not very masterful, so there is little room to move in the bedroom right now

Which hour of the day do you feel goes the slowest?
Twilight always seems to drag to me.

If your birthday could be in a different month of the year, when would you have it?
I am good with March, it doesn’t matter when my birthday is.

Blather, Contests, and Manic Monday

Whooosh, no knitting for me today. Conference planning, conference shopping, and conference set up. Yuck yuck yuck. And then dinner out with a group of the people from out of town. I would much rather sit home with the animals and knit! I think I am becoming a curmudgeon. lolol

CONTESTS

Erin at $5 Dinners is have a Home Depot Giveaway, a $50 gift card, which I could use for my garden. How about you? Go here to enter, very simple.

Sugar Hiccups is also having an easy to enter contest. Just go here and make a comment and you are entered.

I am also feeling a contest coming on, I plan on making it an easy one I prefer them to the ones that make us jump through hoops to enter. Come back in a couple of days and I hope to have it up.


Describe to me your favorite lounging clothes.
I prefer jammies, however because I like to have the drapes open, I normally will wear yoga pants and a plain white t shirt. Very comfy and practical.

If you promised to never lie again in your lifetime, in what area would it be hardest to uphold the promise?
I can’t answer this because then the world would know my secrets. hehehe

Give a one word answer to the question "why is life worth living".
Joy

Manic Monday

Yeah, the sun is out and it is a beautiful day. It was cold and snowy all weekend, which is why the yarn mess finally was resolved. We watched movies all weekend; I got up and moved around (vacuuming, cooking, re-arranging bookcases) while my slug daughter lay on the couch for most of the weekend. lololol I was also able to work on the sweater of many stitches while watching movies, so it wasn’t a total waste. I will probably be a hundred years old before I finish that sweater, now I know why people become so enamored of socks, almost instant gratification.

How was your weekend?


How often do you change your toothbrush?
Every couple of months, I hate it when the bristles get stale.
What is your favorite item of clothing to shop for?
Shoes and lingerie
Do you use social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)? Which do you use most often?
I do have a Facebook account, but it is stupid to me so I stick with my blog.

Manic Monday

It snowed again this morning. I wish I could say home and read again. . .


Do you enjoy brain teasers or do you find them frustrating?
It depends on my mood, sometimes I can sit and do them for ever and other times I just have to get up and move.

Do you have any unusual collections?
Nope

What do people notice about you within the first hour of meeting you (other than appearance)?
I don’t know, that I like to laugh? listen? or. . .

Blather and Manic Monday

Well, between knitting the sweater of many stitches, watching Twilight and trying to untangle the mess of sea color yarn, I managed to find time to read this weekend. Grace suggested this book and I loved it. Normally when I read a mystery, I can figure out the end by at least the halfway point in the book (except for Stephen King and Agatha Christie) but I did not who did it until the end, which was great. It kept me entertained and made me want to knit when they described the yarn in the knitting shop. I will be looking for more books by this writer, Sally Goldenbaum.


Do you screen your phone calls?
Of course, why else was caller ID invented.

When was the last time you lost your temper?
Yesterday, I didn’t feel well and it felt like the whole world was being stupid. I eventually realized that it was me that was being stupid and went home and went back to bed.

When you're lost, do you ask for directions?
Well, it depends, if I am lost finding a location, I am stupid since I have a GPS for my car. If I am lost in life, I do sometimes ask for directions, but don’t always receive the answer I want or understand.

Chatter and Manic Monday

Aren’t the daffodils gorgeous? The weather here is wonderful right now, I was able to sit on the park bench and enjoy the sun in the front yard on Sunday.



Sunday was my birthday and I got the most wonderful gift from DD1, can you see them
in the cruddy pictures. I have so many hanks of yarn that have not been touched, because I was too lazy to wind etc. Now I can get it done and use the yarn. . . I see lots of sock knitting and some lace knitting in my future, no excuses now. DD2 took me to the spa and got me a pedicure and a manicure that were wonderful, and she took me out to dinner. It was a great day!
As you can see by this mess of yarn, I have my work cut out for me :-)




I have been working on the sweater for my class; this is turning out to be the sweater that does not want to be knit. I am sure that it will not fit or there will be something wrong with it, IF it is ever finished. My first invisible cast-on looked awful, so I took it off the needles, rewound the yarn and started over. Next, the devil cat pulled off half of the stitches, so I had to gently pick all of them up, making sure they weren’t twisted and I did not miss any. Let’s see, what happened next. . Oh ya, the connecter fell apart from the cable on my Options, which took me another forever to fix, and finally, the devil cat attacked again. I am not careless when I knit, so I am wondering if it is just the Ides of March or if I am sabotaging myself. The Cashcotton is wonderful and I love the fabric that is slooooowly coming to life, but it is a big sweater for a fluffy person which means there must be lots of stitches. I tried to take a picture of it, but of course it looks really crumby, maybe I can try again tomorrow. Oh well, keep that sense of humor, its critical. lolololol

BTW- I called Knitpicks this morning and they are shipping me a new cable with correctly attached connectors ASAP. I love this company!


Are you a saver or spender? Since I am still buying yarn I must be a spender.

Do you prefer to walk around barefoot in your home? Socks? Shoes? I walk barefoot whenever I can, I hate shoes, guess that comes from spending so much time at the beach when I was young.

Do you talk to yourself? Yes, is there a problem with that? I also answer myself, which does not scare me at all.

Blather, Manic Monday, and Contests

I started my homework swatching for my class on Wednesday; I am still not sure which fabric I like best. I guess I will take a poll in the class and see what they think. It’s wonderful to have such definite opinions about important things. :-) I am still trying to decide what to do with my time off at the end of the week. I will have 5 glorious days to myself to do exactly what I want to do; the problem is I cant think of anything. Any suggestions?

I forgot to tell you, I read a couple of books last week, one of which I found out about from Grace. That one was the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Patillo and it was a heartwarming book, I enjoyed it. I also read Fed Up by Jessica Conant-Park and Susan Conant; it was a mystery about chefs, foods and romance. It wasn’t Agatha Christie, however it was entertaining.


What would you do with an extra hour each day?
Knit
Do you wear a watch? If so, tell us about it. If not, how do you keep track of time?
I don’t wear a watch, if I need to track time I use my cell phone. I try not to pay attention to time unless I am at work and have deadlines.
If it were possible, would you want to know how many days you had left to live?
No, I don’t want to know how many days I have left; I would just worry about it. I like not really knowing what will happen in the future and just living my life as it happens, with goals and wants.

Contests-

Shelley is having a contest here, all you have to do is leave her a comment stating-"You know spring's coming/or it is spring when......" Please tell her I sent you.

Irish Eyes is having The nearly Thousandth post Contest, here. All you have to do is leave a comment about lace, she is trying to get her lace mojo going so she can complete a lace project. Please let her know I sent you.

Nothing, Knitting, and Manic Monday

I am so proud of myself. . . NOT! I am such a slug! I actually did nothing on Friday night and Saturday, just like I wanted to. It was so cool, the animals and I just laid around; I read, watched TV and knitted a bit. I started the Agatha Christie book, And Then There Were None, (this book used to be 10 Little Indians, but I guess it wasn't PC enough) for the Whoduknit group. I read this book when I was a teenager (I have loved mysteries for ever) and because it was so long ago I couldn’t remember the whole thing, just the basic premise. It has been fun to pick up a book that I haven’t read for sooooo many years and I am enjoying it. BTW, I aced the class from last week, and learned a great deal, but it was still hard to sit through :-)

Sunday, I ran errands as we were running out of all pet food and toilet paper, both critical items in our house. The cats were most unhappy as we were out of canned cat food and they prefer that to dry. So, I gave them tuna, aren’t they spoiled?

Here is a picture of the little medicine bags I have so far, I have another one on the needles, they are good for doing nothing :-) I also found these little buttons and elephants at Michael’s to put in them. Now I have to finish the third one and find buttons for the front of the bags. I hope they make some kid happy. Remember, if you want to get involved you can go here.









Of all your favorite foods, which one would you find the most difficult to give up for the rest of your life? Any Mexican food or Pizza, they are my life blood, there is no way I could give up any of them.

Which month of the year do you thing best describes your personality? March, the windy month and the Ides of March.

If you could be a contestant on any game show, past or present, which show would you pick? I hate game shows, I can’t think of any show that I would want to be on.

Knitting Blather and Manic Monday

Well, the so-called Dr Who scarf is done. All of the ends are woven in, the fringe has been added, and it has been washed (that means there is no animal hair on it for 5 minutes). It is approximately 65 inches long without the fringe and 10 inches wide. My daughter seems to be happy with it and I have to admit, I like it to, even if it was a little boring to knit. Now I may make a hat of some sort to match.

I started the fingerless gloves from here, I just love them! I think DD1 will also like them. I am still working on her black scarf with the lace diamond chain, it may be another scarf, but at least the chain takes away some of the boredom.

BTW, Monica is having another decluttering/spring cleaning challenge. I think I am going to do it again, just because I should get rid of more stuff. Go here to enter.


What is your favorite candy? For some silly reason, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is my favorite, even though I know we are supposed (and it is more sophisticated) to eat dark chocolate.
Name one thing that you'd want to receive as a gift for Valentine's Day. Nothing.
Can we truly love someone who loves another? For a while, then eventually the love runs out.

Knitting and Manic Monday & Contests

I have gotten a few questions about the Dr. Who scarf, (I am now calling it the adapted Dr. Who Scarf since we made a few changes to the original.) I took my daughter to Michael’s and had her pick out 5 or 6 colors that she wanted in the scarf of Vanna’s Choice (DD2 uses the floor as a closet so there is no sense in putting a great deal of money into wonderful yarn that cannot be thrown in the washer and dryer.) I am finding the yarn to be easy to work with, and it isn’t tearing up my hands like most acrylics do, it’s not splitting and it is not snagging. I will definitely be using it again. DD2 selected red, navy, espresso, gray, and linen as the colors and they are mixing together nicely. Here is a picture of it so far, look at all the ends that are going to have to weave in, (but I enjoy weaving in the ends, I wonder why that is. I think this scarf is going to be a test of that). Anyway, she likes the way it is turning out, and that is all that counts.

I did accomplish most of the things I wanted to this weekend; I emptied 5 boxes and cleaned off the deck. I also made a run to Goodwill with the things I rid of for the month of January. One of my goals for the year was to get rid of 5 things every month and I made my goal for January. I got rid of another purse, a decorative throw that does not match my décor anymore, 3 books, extra hoses from CPAP machines, and a headband. I wish it was just as easy to lose weight as it is to lose junk.


What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?
The Bus Songs by Toby Keith.

How much time do you spend each day in your commute? (Or if you don't work outside the house, how much time do you spend in your car or other preferred mode of transportation?)
10 minutes, is that cool or what! When I lived in Atlanta, my commute was 45 minuted to an hour and a half, so this is great.

What's your favorite wardrobe item and why?
Yoga pants, they are wonderful and verrry comfortable.

Contests
We have a few contests to enter. I think everyone is bored since the holidays so. . .

First, Jane at Grammiknits is having a contest for her 500th post celebrations. To enter go here and tell her what you do to combat cabin fever. Very easy and simple.

Aunt Kathy is also having a contest for the month; it runs through the 28th of Feb. All you have to do is go to her blog to enter a comment, and every day that you comment you get another entry.Very cool!

And finally, Wendy is having a contest to celebrate her etsy shop. She has handmade needles, felted bags, and wonderful crocheted items. Go here to enter and also check out the etsy shop.

Wow, I forgot about Grace’s contest (which is really dumb because she always has such great contests). She is having a Follow Me Contest, all you have to do is click on the Follow Me link and you will be registered for the contest. She is giving away a gorgeous shawl or the yarn for a different shawl. Go here to enter.

Please let everyone know that I sent you.

Manic Monday, Some Knitting and A Question

What gives you hope? Children usually give me hope, and reading the good things people do for others gives me hope. Knowing that a better future is right around the corner gives me hope.

How often do you get your haircut? Describe your worst haircut. I don’t have a set time for a haircut, I get one when I have a coupon or my hair is driving me nuts, whichever is sooner. My worst haircut was a combo haircut and perm, when I was done; I looked just like my grandmother, even though I was only 39. It was awful

What's your most treasured piece of jewelry? Why? I have some emerald earrings and a necklace that my daughter gave me (which is why they are my most treasured pieces.)

I found a stitch for the black scarf I am making for DD1, I was browsing in my “Field Guide to Knitting” and found the Diamond Lace chain and I think it will be perfect. It is simple, and perfect for running down the middle of the scarf, plus I don’t have to fuss with a chart on this one, which will make it quicker. I am using Caron’s Simply Soft so it can thrown in the washer and dryer, this will make the problem of dog and cat hair easier to deal with.

You know, I really love working with fine wool and blends, but with all the animals in my house, it is just too hard to take care of the yarn and then to use it afterwards. When I made J’s scarf it was so full of hair that I took it outside and shook it, but the yarn could not go in the washer and dryer, so the hair was pretty much knit into the scarf. However, T’s scarf was with washable wool and a wool blend, when it was done I threw the darn thing into the washer and dryer (gently and lightly) and it came out beautifully. How do others deal with that issue? Do you have a room where animals are not allowed to go for knitting? Alternatively, do you just ignore the hair and pretend like it is not there?

Have a wonderful day!

Knitting and Manic Monday

I have decided that blog posts should not have to include a title. I have such a hard time putting a title on a post that there have been times when I just said to heck with it. Most of the time the title "Blather" pretty much covers the whole thing.

I did get my Knitting Journal started, as I have to re-knit the lost scarf for THE Boyfriend. (Yes, I decided to call him THE Boyfriend, some people were offended that I called him Numbnuts, even though he wasn’t.) I have also purchased a tub for all ’09 presents so I do not lose them. I have also started another scarf for DD1 and am working on a scarf for DD2. I wish I could knit as fast as other people do, I always feel so. . .mmmmmm? . . . slow when I read other peoples blogs and they have knit a hat in an evening or a sweater in 2 days. I wish someone would tell me what the secret is to knitting a hat in an evening. I have a project in the bedroom, one in the livening room, and I always have one in my purse (which I picked out because it was big enough for a small project). So why does it take me so long to finish a project?

Remember this post about the scarf for my friend? It turned out great, but of course, I forgot to get a picture. While I was knitting it I had my doubts, but once is was soaked and blocked it looked great, the yarn bloomed nicely so it was soft and scrunchy. She liked it and has worn it so I was pleased. I made an Irish Hiking scarf for someone last year, and I think it ended up in a bag destined for a thrift store. That’s okay though, because I know whomever it ends up with will use it because they want to, not because they feel like they have to.


Manic Monday
Do you have any idiosyncrasies or unusual quirks when it comes to food and/or eating? I want the food to be served at the correct temp, if the soup should be cold, I want it cold not room temp, however if it is supposed to be hot, I want it hot. And, if the tomatoes are overripe, do not put them in my salad, put them in a soup or stew :-).

Have you ever written love letters? If so, do you still have any of them? Nope, nada

How easy or difficult is it for you to say you're sorry? I don’t have a difficult time saying I am sorry, if I feel that I am wrong about something; however if I do not feel that I am wrong, I have a very difficult time with it.