Whiskers on Wednesday and Blather

The kitties are napping because they are soooo tired from tearing up mama's left over Christmas paper all night.



Last night was a very bad night! Poor Di could not quit coughing (a side effect of the heart failure) and the hydrocodone was not working, even though I tripled her dose. I ended up sitting with her trying to calm her for hours, and she just kept looking at me begging me to make it stop. The oddest thing of the whole night was that she still had the energy to chase Onyx off the bed (though I had to lift her back up on the bed.) This is how I know that she is not ready to leave me yet. She still eats, goes outside, and chases the cats through the house. My eyes are hurting from crying with her all night, but her breathing is much easier today and she wants to play. This is very hard.

I received the yarn I ordered from
Elann today, but now I am too tired to use it, but that company is so fast, I love them. The additional colors are great and blend well with the existing yarn in the scarf. I think I am going to knit tonight, no matter how tired I am, simply because I am excited to see how it works out.

Have you noticed how many people are selecting words of the year instead of resolutions? Why is a word better than resolutions, isn’t it almost the same thing in a general way of thinking? I don’t usually make resolutions or “Words of the Year” because it just sets me up for failure, which is not a good thing. I can feel cruddy enough about what I have or have not done throughout the year. I normally spend this time of year depressed anyway because I am getting older, (March 15) I reflect on failures and aging and how short life is, I have given myself a panic attack a couple of times thinking about the shortness of life (isn’t that stupid). It is funny though, I am sad this year, which I am sure is partly related to our move, but getting older is not as depressing to me this year as it has been in the past. Now, its like, “Oh yeah, another birthday. Will I get good presents?” (My family starts asking what I want for my birthday on Boxing Day, lololol. So I hope I am getting the swift and ball winder I asked for this year.) Yes I know that sounds like a little kids way of thinking, but do any of us ever grow up all the way? And you have to admit that it is fun to open presents. :-)

I have to go give Di some more cough medicine, and make a cake. Toni has made me want chocolate and I ate it all over the weekend. I am sorry if this post is depressing, but that is not how it is meant.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day and accomplishing what they want to accomplish.

DeLurking Day 09

Yes, today is Delurking Day! This means that everyone who reads a blog should comment on that blog, at least for today, not just popping in and out. Comment and let the blogger know you appreciate what he/she is writing, or if you don’t like it, let them know that also. I know that I appreciate any comments, constructive comments are especially helpful. And it does not matter if you are repeating what someone else has said, you are just verifying what the other commenter has stated, and that is a good thing. I know that I will be going back and commenting on blogs I have visited before I realized what day it was :-) Show your fellow bloggers your appreciation and comment on their blogs!

I want to make some improvements to my blog, so of course that means I have a few questions from all of the people who know more about it than I do.

First, how can I set up my blog so that I get an email everytime I receive a comment on my blog? I would love to respond to all the comments, but sometimes it is a little cumbersome if I have to generate all the info, especially when I know the system can do it for me.

How do I create a blog button? Is there someone who I can contact (and of course pay) to do it for me or is it something I have to learn how to do by myself?

I appreciate any help you can give me.

BTW, since when does a 40% chance of precipitation lead to a foot of snow? after reading the weather report, I went to bed figuring the weather would be like yesterday’s, cool and windy; however I woke up this morning and was stunned to see more snow (and it is still snowing).

I hope everyone is having a great (and warm) day!

The Darn Scarf and Contests

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas on how to fix the darn scarf that is too short, they were great; it is times like this when I realize how wonderful the blogging world and especially knitters are. I did call Elann, and just ordered some complementary colors of the same yarn, I will frog part of it and then work the stripes in. I am wondering how to do this to the beginning of the scarf though, the cast on edge, am I having a brain fart or what? I have never had to do this before, I am normally very certain I have enough yarn. And I will be again, for all future projects!

I have started another scarf, and I am trying a weird pattern that is coming to me as I knit and it is using the most awful yarn I don’t know why I am using it. But you know, I think the recipient will like it, don’t know why but. . .

Now, I have another question for everyone. I have the most wonderful alpaca that I purchased in Boulder Co from a woman who raises prize winning alpaca’s. I have 900 yards and the color is a blend of browns, grays, and cream that will go well with my new winter coat (a very impractical cream color, but very warm). So now I need a suggestion for a pattern for a scarf and /or hat. I am open to any and all suggestions, even if it takes me until next winter to complete it. I have a difficult time selecting patterns for specific yarn, so please provide any info on a scarf or hat that will be wonderful in the alpaca.

Contest
Major Knitter is having a contest for her new Ravelry Group, Finish It or Frog It in an attempt to complete or get rid of projects that we all have sitting around. Here is where you enter; she even has buttons for finishing or frogging, which are very cute.

Here is another contest at the $5 Dinner blog she has great meals, though we sometimes add a salad, just because salad is part of dinner in our house, but they taste great and save me money. She is having a contest for a Designer Lunch Tote Giveaway. They are very cute and you get to select your own tote. You can enter here.

Friday Fillins

Let me say in advance, I am a serious chocoholic in relapse :-)

1. It's January; blah.

2.Chocolate and sleep is what I crave most right now.

3. Cork and wine go together like chocolate and sleep.

4. Chocolate is so nourishing.

5. Let us dare to eat more chocolate.

6. I love my home, but it is out of chocolate.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping and knitting (not sure of the order), tomorrow my plans include running errands, getting my new dryer fixed and Sunday, I want to sleep, knit and eat chocolate!

Knitting Issues and DOT

I have been working on a scarf in Elann Highland Chunky off and on for a couple of months, using a knit 5 purl 5 to get a different texture. It is now 55 inches long without blocking, and I just ran out of yarn. I have used 3 balls of the yarn and cannot believe that it is not longer, it would be great if I was making it for me, cause I am short, but it is for a man who is 6’3”, so it is way tooooooo short for him. The only thing I can think of doing is calling Elann
in the morning and hoping that they have some more in the same dye lot (though I am not holding my breath). I guess I could frog the entire thing and make it narrower, 55 inches is a lot of knitting, but that is what I will be doing if Elann does not have more of the yarn available. So now my question to everyone is, what would you do in the same situation? I like the way it looks and it will keep J warm, but. . . . Please let me know what you think the ideal solution is. The color is not as boring as it looks in these pictures, but indoors at night is not the ideal situation for picture taking.
In my last post I asked how people got things completed so quickly and Darcy told me (and Aunt Kathy agreed with her), “The secret to knitting a hat in one night is to sit for 6 hours doing nothing but knitting while your 2 toddlers torture their father and trash the house and you lose all feeling in your bum and hands.” I laughed, but don’t think that would work in my case, first I don’t have any toddlers and second my bum would hurt if I sat still that long. lololol

The scarf for THE Boyfriend is going well, however the yarn is turning my bamboo needles blue. I kind of like the looks of the scarf, what do you think? BUT, how am I going to get the dye off the needles without it rubbing off onto other yarns?

And for Dogs on Thursday here is a picture of my Di all cuddled up in her blanket with her bunny rabbit, snoozing without a care in the world-
YES, I have a very spoiled dog!

I hope everything is going well for everyone!

What Painting are You

Click here to create your own painting.

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.

Lucky

I have been very lucky this year, especially with contests (which I normally do not win.) I have won several and just won a couple more. Do you remember this post
when I discussed Survivor Gabon on Ravelry? I was very derogatory (shame on me, that will teach me to judge a book by its cover) about the contestants who were assigned to me, expecting Bob and/or Sugar to be the first contestants voted off. Guess what??! Bob won! Which means that I was the winner from group 7 on Ravelry. The rest of the group has been so generous I want to make sure and thank them all. But looky, I got my first two pair of Knitpicks Harmony needles. I have been dying to try them out, but could not justify it as I have every other needle I could possible want, but now I can try them without feeling guilty.
I also received some scrumptious yarn from Aunt Kathy that is very soft to touch and look at. Jane gave me a gift certificate to Amazon (just in time to buy some new books). I got note cards with cats on them; a yarn called Himalayas, that will make a great Urchin hat, and a Ravelry button. As I said, the people on my team were very generous..

I also won one of the tote bags that Darcy was giving away here. I am going to buy the book, Knit Two on my way home from work tomorrow night with a gift card I received for Christmas.

I am grateful to everyone who has allowed me to win their contests in the past year. Thank you!

Blather and a Contest

When DD1 was home, she was hoping for snow and wouldn’t you know it the weather was in the 40’s almost every day (except for a couple of really cold freakish days).
She was very disappointed, but I think she had a good time anyway. We went for a ride up to Breckinridge so she could see the snow and the Eisenhower Tunnel.
We also went to Red Rocks just to look around; however that is almost the extent of the sightseeing we did while she was home, since she worked me to death during the first week of her visit. Here are a few pictures from our touring



I have a question for all of you. . .DD1 has been living with her man for a couple of years now and they have purchased a home together and are quite happy. The problem is I don’t know how to refer to him when writing or talking about him. Do I just call him Numbnuts, her significant other, or what? Or I could just call him DD1’s SO. I need help here, everything is so cumbersome, he is not a boyfriend or a husband so what do I call him? I know others have to have this issue, how did you settle it? Any help is appreciated. I guess for today he is Numbnuts, just because I can.

Anyway, if you remember I started Christmas knitting back in July, when Jane scared me into it. I completed a scarf for Numbnuts as the very first thing for Christmas of 08. Then we moved. Of course, I started looking for it in December so I could wrap it and put it under the tree, but guess what. I have not been able to find it anywhere. I know that it is back with some Noro Silk Garden (20 skeins of it) that I also cannot find. This is driving me nuts and I do not know where to look now. It’s not as if I live in a 10 room house, I live in a tiny townhouse, where could I have hidden it? I am stumped and of course I am also reknitting a scarf for him. Grrrrr

DD2 received a Wii from her boyfriend for Christmas and it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. We have had a great time playing with it. There is an issue though, have you ever heard of Wii injuries? I have what is known as Wii elbow (or tennis elbow for those of us who are a little older than generation X). It is an old injury that I thought had disappeared forever with the last cortisone shot I received about 7 years ago, but evidently, it is back. I love the tennis game, and I figured since the controller was so small it would not be an issue, but I am now in a brace for the duration and am not supposed to play, knit or use the computer for extended periods of time to rest the area. Now how is that going to work since my job is computer based? And, if I can’t knit I will not have any excuse not to clean house, so where does that leave me? I hope the brace helps, because I do not see any of that happening.

Contest-
Jane at Grammiknits is having a contest on her blog called, The Things I did Right in 2008. All you have to do is tell her what you feel you did right in 2008, very simple and fun. Some of the comments are hilarious and great fun to read. Go enter here and tell Jane what you did right in 08.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone and thank you for the wonderful holiday wishes. I hope you all had a great time and were able to celebrate (or not) as you wanted to do. We had a wonderful Christmas season, both of my daughters were home and we played and worked and had a great time together. DD1 and her man left on New Year’s Eve, but it was wonderful to see them again. I have so much to say, since I have not been blogging, that this will be a long post so get comfy (but don’t worry, I will save some for tomorrow).

This year for the first time ever, I was not concerned with having enough presents for everyone, it was very weird. In years past I would actually go deep into debt to buy more and more presents so everyone would be happy, but for some reason I did not have that need this year and it was wonderful! I set my limit and actually came in under that. It is great to know that the holidays are over and I do not have to rob Peter to pay Paul. Another new learning experience for 2008.

I have been reading everyone’s blogs and seeing how everyone has kept track of their knitting and such for the year. Trek even lists what books she has read for 2008. I have never done that, but I purchased a journal yesterday at B&N with a gift card and plan to start tracking my knitting. It is amazing to me that people keep track of their projects and know exactly how much yarn went where. I don’t know if I am organized enough to do that, but I am going to try it and see if it helps me de-stash some of the miles of yarn I have sitting around here.


I did get the big ass wrap finished, here is a picture of it. I used a garter stitch on the ends to avoid the curling issue I was having and it looks okay, imho. I gave my daughter two different shawl pins, one was the little owl poorly pictured here, and the other one was a wooden stick pin that you can see in the picture of the wrap. I told her the story of the stick pin; I purchased it as a set of two at the Renaissance Festival in Atlanta a couple of years ago and used them to hold my hair in a French twist. One of the set was lost in the move and I loved the way the other one looked on the dark green of the wrap, so when she was trying it on I offered it to her also. She likes it like I did on the green so she took it and used it instead of the owl; I am now going to make her another scarf that she can use the with the owl.

Yeah, I did it, I made the deadline for getting rid of 50 things.
34. Face wash that I was allergic to but was too stupid to throw away.
35. A brown sweater that my daughter likes and I did not.
36. A mattress that was moved for no apparent reason.
37. 5 wreaths that I used to use outdoors (there is no place to put them here).
38. More yarn that was disgusting.
39. A set of King size sheets that I didn’t like
40. A dead orchid that I thought I could revive, but gave up on after a year and a half :-)
41. A new mixer that died after the second batch of cookies (it was a cheapo I bought because I have not yet unpacked the good one).
42. A group of coat hangers, we have way too many as we bought more while we were in the hotel and then received a box of them when our household goods arrived.
43. A bunch of cables that I found when unpacking.
44. A shower curtain.
45. Curtain rings.
46. 2 stuffed animals
47. A book, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War (yes I have resorted to listing them separately, but I figure this is fair since I have already gotten rid of over hundreds of books because I was too lazy to list them separately, or maybe because I didn’t want anybody to see the kind of crap I will sometimes read).
48. A set of queen size sheets.
49. A wooden hair pin.
50. And finally- A few books on tape.

I am so glad I got rid of all that stuff that I think I am going to keep on with this little adventure. I have a hard time getting rid of stuff, I love stuff, but I discovered that I feel lighter when I get rid of some of it. Why keep stuff if I do not need it? I think I am going to try and get rid of 5 things ever month for the next year and see how it goes.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year’s Day.