"6!"

And no that's not the infamous beginning of the number of the beast...or maybe it is!



Six-burgh


We were way excited here at Casa Black n' Gold. So excited we drank a bottle of champagne when I calmed down enough to handle the stemware without breakage. Luckily, we were smart enough to take Monday off. (Champagne kicks my ass, but I do love it so.) Probably should have toasted with an Ahrn... I, as is usual, couldn't even watch the last 4 or so minutes. I hate to say it, but it speaks to the fact that I'm not a native 'Burgher (only by marriage). That and I still can't say "dahntahn" properly.

Here's what I did to stop myself from chewing my fingernails to the knuckle.



This is Wrap Me Up to block #4. My LYS had their usual Superbowl sale on Sunday afternoon. (No, not during the game. We here at football central wouldn't be caught dead shopping no matter who was playing.)I went specifically to get my "contrast" yarn for Wrap Me Up, because I decided I was going to "knit ahead". We were only supposed to finish the first three blocks. You can see a bit of the mitered squares block if you look closely. I was trying to figure out what to do with my hands during the game, that wouldn't be too fiddley (no socks) or that I wouldn't have to prompt myself with a pattern (no Lace Ribbon, though that desperately needs attention), that left WMU. I was so focused, even drinking hard cider, that I finished the half-linen stitch block and added the ruffle. That's what you see in pink. I'm not sure that particular pink is the best contrast choice, but it is fun. I have no idea if the pattern is executed properly, or if I have the correct number of rows, but what the heck. That bit of the shawl will have history knitted in.

While there I also snagged three skeins of-are you sitting down-cashmere, in "wine", for, probably, a cowl - at HALF price. Youza! I shouldn't have purchased anything, I had just spent a fortune on Monday what with the class and half the yarn for project (Cynthia has to order more Noro in the colorways I selected). And since I chose the winning team...thank you Stillers...I can also get 20% off the yarn for one project, but I think I'll have to let that slide.

To wrap this up, here is an "in progress" photo of the Lace Ribbon scarf in Koigu KPM. (With more gratuitous Steeler stuff...)

And there is a story here. I was in Philly in September for a workshop. I had some time one evening and walked to Rosie's Yarn Cellar - a great little place. (It never ceases to amaze me how much fine yarn a little space can squeeze in.) They had several kinds of yarn I've always wanted, but never had to opportunity to try. One is Koigu. I chose that lovely apricotty yarn, bought two skeins, after discussing my plan with the nice clerk who was unpacking boxes, and went on my way. I didn't have the pattern (Lace Ribbon) with me, but she knew the pattern, and thought that two skeins would be plenty. When I got home, I realized it wasn't enough. So I called a few days later, and another nice clerk (they all must be lovely), sent me another from the same lot. Fast forward to January 2009, I've just finished one skein (175 yds), and I've got barely 20 inches. Yikes! That means that even with blocking I may get a scarf between 60 and 70 inches. I'm a long scarf kinda gal....think Isadora Duncan. So now, roughly 4+ months later I call Rosie's again, and AGAIN, a nice clerk searches the Koigu and finds THE LAST skein from this lot. It turns out it is her favorite color too, and is delighted she can send the last skein to a good home. She apologizes because it seems to have gone up a $1 in price, but...this is the best part, they only charge me $1 to send it...AND I get in two days later. Granted, I won't need it for months at the rate I'm going, but jeepers. How can you beat this?



Here's a close-up.










If you're ever in Philly. Trek to dahntahn, (ignore all the Eagles/Phillies banners), and stop in Rosie's. You won't be sorry. And if you're ever in Central PA, stop in Stitch Your Art Out and say hi to Cynthia and Kim, great yarns, lovely location. Stop at Watkins Dairyette down the street for a custard. They also do quilting, and if you're not a quilter....you'll be tempted to start.

Nobody asked me but ....

(with apologies to Bob Smizik)

I am just not a Noro fan. I joined a monthly knitting group yesterday. We're going to be working on Wrap Me Up for the better part of a year. (It is knit in blocks.) Of course, when one joins a "class" one purchases the materials at the host shop. I have no problem with this, however, since a self striping yarn was needed my choices were Noro's, Silk Garden, Kochoran, or Kureyon, or a discontinued (but lovely) Ella Rae. The Silk Garden and Kochoran put the project out of my price range, and though there was enough of the Ella Rae, the subdued colors made me think that I'd be sick of this project well before the year was out. I'm pretty tactile when I knit and Kureyon, as lovely as it is colorwise, is pretty rough. Please tell me it will soften up upon washing and blocking.....I know it's not Malabrigo...but just a wee bit softer. Anyone? I know I'm not good with progress photos, but I'll try and do better with this. Right now I'm working on the first block, a series of three mitered squares. Noro, of course, is just looking "loverly".

I've been trying to be "flexible" with this new administration, after all, they don't know where all the bathrooms are yet, but I find myself becoming horrified at the insensitivity. I'm beginning to get the feeling that the only thing that matters is what the "friends" think. (Please to define "friends" any way you wish (e.g., "friends who got you elected", "friends in the world community" (like Iran? eep!), "friends in congress", etc.). Bi-partisian, my big hairy butt (BHB).

Bruce the "Boss" is coming to town in May. It was just announced yesterday. I nearly died when I heard the price of the tickets. As most of the rest of the country, we're belt tightening: while no one is talking "layoffs" (higher ed is thought to be "recession proof"), we have a hiring freeze, it will probably be extended to faculty soon. Salaries have been frozen, so no cost of living increase. We're running programs on thinner and thinner shoestrings. But we're supposed to pay $175 for tickets, with probably a dose if his political ideology as a side dish. One hundred and seventy five clams for tickets in a recessive economy! Working man's band my BHB! Anyone want to bet he'll sell out? (As an aside, Bruce would have to pay me to go to his concert. Not my type of music.)

I'm losing my mind. Not too long ago I saw a blog post that described a knitting book that looked interesting to me. I can usually find the book even if I don't remember the title if I browse Knitpicks or Amazon. No such luck this time. I can't even remember why it attracted me. Have no idea what this means, but I'm annoyed with myself.

As with knitting projects I usually have multiple books going at one time. I have an audio of the Seduction of Water, which I'm enjoying immensely, and I picked up Twilight to see what all the fuss is about. And I have to say...I don't get the Twilight thing. When I read the Potter books, I "got it". It was clear why they appealed to people. This, I'm not getting. Maybe it's the vampire theme. I was never a fan of Rice's books either. I'll read the series, but other more interesting things will probably come and go in between.

Update and knitting...at last!

Mother-in-law update. I spoke to her yesterday afternoon, and after an unexpected extra night's stay, she got home around 11:00am yesterday (Sunday) morning. I spoke to her around 4:00pm and with God as my witness, she sounded perkier, and more upbeat that I did. Remarkable for someone who spent 2 nights in a hospital. The one institution where getting what one usually needs most (rest) is nearly impossible. She was experiencing no discomfort, and was tickled by how amazed everyone on the staff she encountered couldn't believe her age. She is now considering getting those "skin plumping" creams to try and minimize some of her wrinkles. All righty then..... moving on.

Here is the headband I started, I don't know how many times, there were so many.




I like the way it looks....(though there are mistakes that are not obvious), but it is hard for me to wear.



I also learned a few interesting tidbits. DO NOT try and do stranding fair isle on DP needles. It is technically possible, of course, but it is a major PIA if the needles are just a little short. Stick with a circ and your life will be much happier.


It is hard for me to wear because I have to slide it over my head, and then up UNDER my hair. I have shorter hair these days and the size of the band pushes the hair up in back. I'm thinking the button and narrowing of Calorimetry is much better for me.

I also finished Morgan. Photo shoot to follow. My DH who is on thin ice, rejected it however, because he is "uncomfortable" with the varigated yarn I used. Sheesh. Men!

This is how I want to be....

On December 27th we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday. She turned 90. Now I read a lot of postings and board messages about evil in-laws and how much trouble they cause etc. But I'm here to tell you, I won the in-law sweepstakes. My in-laws are golden-even, for the most part, the siblings and spouses. So here is a photo of dear Marcella, celebrating her 90th at a local watering hole. (Please note that she is surrounded by wine and champagne. I promise only one of those is hers.)







Doesn't she look great? And, though she says her memory isn't what it used to be (who's is?), she's sharp and connected.









Here she is checking out the pearl bracelet we had made to match the long strand of pearls around her neck. (We stumbled across that pearl strand a few years ago and gave it to her for Mother's Day. She wears it alot because there is no clasp.) Because she has difficulty manipulating clasps, we had our jeweler replace the traditional lobster claw with a magnetic clasp and add a guard chain. It is perfect.





Before we left the house she asked me if she should wear the pearls. "Oh yes, indeed", I said. "Definitely!"


Today this dear lady is having surgery - for breast cancer. Her younger sister died as a result of breast cancer over thirty years ago. As you can imagine we are all concerned about the effect of general anesthetic on a person of this age, and I'd appreciate positive thoughts and prayers, or whatever is your habit, for Marcella. She's kind of like a Timex. Takes a lickin' and keeps on ticking. But you can't have too many positive thoughts.

No self-esteem?

Is it my imagination, or has the world gone stark raving mad? Doesn't ANYONE have any SELF-esteem?

If the Borg wanted to assimilate our planet, now would be the time....... The non-conformist part of me is getting the "creepin' eeps"....bad.

The Building of New Nation

On this day, as the rest of the world cannonizes, coronates kisses the ass of swoons over a guy who won an election, I'd like to post something about a real grass roots nation. One that precedes and will outlast this and future presidents.

This was published nearly three years ago to the day. To those uninitiated with Pittsburgh and it's environs it might explain some of the hysteria that will be building over the next two weeks. While some of the names have changed, or retired, most of the context remains the same. The author is a Pittsburgh media figure, best known for his wacky on air commentary, and snarky sense of humor. A man after my own heart. It was written in the aftermath of a drag down, knock out fight to fund two new sports stadiums, with a third, a new hockey arena, on the horizon. (The new hockey arena is scheduled to open in 2010, after much drama!)

Nation Building
January 18, 2006
Scott Paulsen

Think about this the next time someone argues that a professional sports franchise is not important to a city's identity:

In the 1980's, as the steel mills and their supporting factories shut down from Homestead to Midland, Pittsburghers, faced for the first time in their lives with the specter of unemployment, were forced to pick up their families, leave their home towns and move to more profitable parts of the country. The steel workers were not ready for this. They had planned to stay in the ‘burgh their entire lives. It was home.
Everyone I know can tell the same story about how Dad, Uncle Bob or their brother-in-law packed a U-Haul and headed down to Tampa to build houses or up to Boston for an office job or out to California to star in pornographic videos.
All right.
Maybe that last one just happened in my family.

At this same time, during the early to mid-eighties, the Pittsburgh Steelers were at the peak of their popularity. Following the Super Bowl dynasty years, the power of the Steelers was strong. Every man, woman, boy and girl from parts of four states were Pittsburgh faithful, living and breathing day to day on the news of their favorite team. Then, as now, it seemed to be all anyone talked about.
Who do you think the Steelers will take in the draft this year?
Is Bradshaw done?
Can you believe they won't give Franco the money – what's he doing going to Seattle?


The last memories most unemployed steel workers had of their towns had a black and gold tinge. The good times remembered all seemed to revolve, somehow, around a football game. Sneaking away from your sister's wedding reception to go downstairs to the bar and watch the game against Earl Campbell and the Oilers - going to midnight mass, still half in the bag after Pittsburgh beat Oakland - you and your grandfather, both crying at the sight of The Chief, finally holding his Vince Lombardi Trophy.
And then, the mills closed.
Damn the mills.


One of the unseen benefits of the collapse of the value systems our families believed in – that the mill would look after you through thick and thin – was that now, decades later, there is not a town in America where a Pittsburgher cannot feel at home. Nearly every city in the United States has a designated “Black and Gold” establishment. From Bangor, Maine to Honolulu, Hawaii, and every town in between can be found an oasis of Iron City, chipped ham and yinzers. It's great to know that no matter what happened in the lives of our Steel City refugees, they never forgot the things that held us together as a city - families, food, and Steelers football.
It's what we call the Steeler Nation.


You see it every football season. And when the Steelers have a great year, as they have had this season, the power of the Steeler Nation rises to show itself stronger than ever. This week, as the Pittsburgh team of Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Bettis and Porter head to Denver, the fans of Greenwood, Lambert, Bleier and Blount, the generation who followed Lloyd, Thigpen, Woodson and Kirkland will be watching from Dallas to Chicago, from an Air Force base in Minot, North Dakota, to a tent stuck in the sand near Fallujah, Iraq.


I have received more email from displaced Pittsburgh Steelers fans this week than Christmas cards this holiday season.
They're everywhere.
We're everywhere.
We are the Steeler Nation.


And now, it's passing from one generation to the next. The children of displaced Pittsburghers, who have never lived in the Steel City, are growing up Steelers fans. When they come back to their parents' hometowns to visit the grandparents, they hope, above all, to be blessed enough to get to see the Steelers in person.
Heinz Field is their football Mecca.
And if a ticket isn't available, that's okay, too. There's nothing better than sitting in Grandpa's living room, just like Dad did, eating Grandma's cooking and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Just like Dad did.


So, to you, Steeler Nation, I send best wishes and a fond wave of the Terrible Towel. To Tom, who emailed from Massachusetts to say how great it was to watch the Patriots lose and the Steelers win in one glorious weekend. To Michelle, from Milwaukee, who wrote to let me know it was she who hexed Mike Vanderjagt last Sunday by chanting “boogity, boogity, boogity” and giving him the “maloik”. To Jack, who will somehow pull himself away from the beach bar he tends in Hilo, Hawaii, to once again root for the black and gold in the middle of the night (his time), I say, thanks for giving power to the great Steeler Nation.


All around the NFL, the word is out that the Pittsburgh Steeler fans “travel well”, meaning they will fly or drive from Pittsburgh to anywhere the Steelers play, just to see their team. The one aspect about that situation the rest of the NFL fails to grasp is that, sometimes, the Steeler Nation does not have to travel. Sometimes, we're already there.
Yes, the short sighted steel mills screwed our families over.
But they did, in a completely unintended way, create something new and perhaps more powerful than an industry.
They helped created a nation.


A Steeler Nation

This is not imagination or wishful thinking at work. There are two things we can always count on when we travel. There is ALWAYS a Penn State Alumni Association chapter or Blue and White Club somewhere in the vicinity--including odd places like Chapel Hill and Ann Arbor. And there is ALWAYS a self-proclaimed Steeler bar. Like Bubba's Beach Club in Virginia Beach, or the 5,000 member Steeler Fan Club of Maryland, based in Baltimore, the Steeler Fan Club in Italy, oh yeah, there's the group in Vegas, and Oklahoma City. So you get the drift.

Is it bizarre, yeah, sorta. But if you'd have ever lived in the 'Burgh, you wouldn't bat an eye. Is it weird that I get choked up about it, sorta. But in a good way.

Time to Paaaartay!

Noooooo!! It's not what you're thinking....I'm, personally, so sick of hearing about the inauguration, that I could throw up....more about that later.

It's this nation that we here at Casa Black n' Gold are so very excited about.



Steeler Nation


I can tell you that it got pretty tense yesterday for awhile. Now it's going to be a fun two weeks!

Gotta have priorities kids, and if I'm going to drink kool aid it's not going to be the kind that is being drunk in Washington now. Yinz can make mine an Arn (Iron City Beer).



The great news aside. Here's my take on the whoop-de-do. I'm extremely proud (unlike certain soon-to-be first ladies, snarky? yup! true? also yup! She had to win to be "proud"--what's up with that?) to be a citizen of a country that every 4 or 8 years has a completely civilized transfer of power. The only guns and uniforms are those that are ceremonial or for the protection of the folks. I also never had a doubt that a person of another race (gender, creed etc.) would be elected eventually. I, unlike those who turned racism into a cottage industry-Jesse I'm a'talkin to you, do not believe this is a "prejudiced" country. Are there bigoted and prejudiced individuals? Yes there are, and there always will be. There are as many (maybe more) people who would refuse to vote for a Morman, as there are who wouldn't vote for a woman, or a Muslim. This is also bigotry in my book. At least it is today in contemporary society. So I'm sick of the plates, and the coins, and the waxing poetic about history. If we were really a country of equality, this would just be another celebration of a peaceful transfer of power.

Because I want this country to continue to be successful and safe, I am hoping for the best for BO. God help you sir.

The car says.....

..... it's 1 F. Bad car.

(It's a running joke that I always ask my husband when we're driving "What [temperature] does the car say?" This is actually rather important when we're driving over Cresson Mountain between Altoona and Pittsburgh in the winter.)

Yeah, it's winter, yeah, it's Central PA, I get it!

So, since last Tuesday, we've had multiple days of freezing rain/sleet, snow, and now biting cold. If you live anywhere it snows, you'd recognize this cold. I call it freezing nose hair weather. The severe weather alert thingy on my browser has been getting a real workout. It's great for the meteorology students though. Must be boring taking meteorology at say...Stanford. Actually, we haven't been this cold (sub-zero), for around five years - that is according to the wonks over on Science Park Road at Accuweather. So I suppose we're spoiled. I'm wearing double layer wool long underwear. Do you blame me?

Wanna see what it looks like here today -- Campus Weather Service. I think this pretty much illustrates the genesis of SADS. And if you're really bored check out the Bad Meteorology page. (The author, a distinguished professor, plays the bagpipes and has been known to wear a kilt. How can he not have a sense of humor?)

But I'm bored with the weather. I'm having a knitting crisis. Back in the late 80's early 90's I easily knit 3 fair isle sweaters. I had no problems managing the colors. I knit two fisted. I made it up, I was knitting in a vacuum - no online, no knitting buddies or yarn stores. It was, as I recall, if not "easy", "not hard". I need to photograph my fair isle sweaters for proof. Last night I cast on for a little fair isle headband, and it defeated me - totally. I used this pattern from Nanette, Ankara. Lovely no? Well, first my cast on was too loose. I redid the cast on. Then as I was starting the pattern, it really looked bad. Not just beginning bad, but REALLY bad and the stitches loosened up by the minute. I'm going to try once more with a smaller needle. I couldn't even get the two fisted rhythm going. Sigh.

Right now I have the Morgan hat blocking/drying. Still finishing to do before I have a verdict. Beware that the pattern for the brim (peak) insert doesn't print properly. The designer doesn't know what to do about that and neither do I. Right now my peak is a little smaller than I think it should be, but I'm going to go with it anyway.

I also have a Lace Ribbon Scarf on the needles, in an apricot colored Koigu. Verra nice, but I need something a little more challenging, and W.A.R.M.

I still owe birthday photos, and now I'm thinking about the fair isle sweaters, should document those somehow.

Stay warm!

I'm back ....

.... and not happy. I'm never satisfied according to my DH, which is perfectly true.

Here's what's on the agenda for today:

AN ICE STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 PM EST WEDNESDAY.

PRECIPITATION WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION DURING THE MID TO LATE MORNING HOURS. FOLLOWING A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW AND SLEET... A PROLONGED PERIOD OF SLEET WILL OCCUR DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS... BEFORE GRADUALLY MIXING WITH AND CHANGING TO FREEZING RAIN LATER TONIGHT. A SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION OF ICE BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE THIRD OF AN INCH IS LIKELY OVERNIGHT IN AREAS FROM HARRISBURG NORTHWARD TO STATE COLLEGE... WILLIAMSPORT AND BERWICK. AN INCH OR TWO OF SLEET AND SNOW IS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN.

The weather channel calls it "disruptive ice". What a euphemism!!

As I was leaving the building for lunch (actually to run to the bank and buy birthday cards), I ran into a friend and we chatted on the sidewalk for about 15 minutes. With my unerring good timing, just as I had left the building it began to sleet (freezing rain?) lightly. After about 15 minutes of catching up, Lisa asked, "Is it my imagination or is the sidewalk feeling slippery?" It wasn't her imagination. The sidewalks, the roads, EVERYTHING was feeling slippery.

I skated to the bank, stopped to buy birthday cards, and skated back. The roads were white with ice by this time.

Now why couldn't it do this when I was home with my Morgan on the needles and a cuppa raspberry tea?

And that damnable weather thingy on the bottom of my browser keeps popping up the severe weather alert. THANKS ALREADY I know!

A Hit and Run...

We made it through the holidays with a minimum of bumps (there are always a few), but here we are.

We celebrated my dear MIL's 90th birthday on Saturday (pictures to follow). Now one might think that we celebrated in an assisted living center or a little dreary home with lace coverings, but nope. We celebrated at a local watering hole, with the birthday girl sipping a glass of wine. When you see the photos you'll be amazed. I'm always astonished by her. If I'm this good by the time I'm 70 (presuming I make it), I'll count my blessings.

We're leaving for home today after an errand or two and stopping at Dellalo's Italian Food Store on Route 30 in Janette, PA. Best....everything...nearly, on the planet. When I travel on business I try and route myself past Dellalo's. It's worth a trip just to sniff the heady air.

Now home, to reclaim the landfill that is our house, and kick back for New Year's. Thank heaven.

One note: After a high in the teens on 12/22, it was 68(!) on Saturday. I got to wash the car even!

Hope you all had (have) wonderful holidays, and see ya on the flip side.

Where I've been...

Yikes, I got caught unawares this holiday. I'm usually pretty good when it comes to having stuff done. Nope, not this year. I've been completing things like crazy to try and mail them out. Fortunately, most everything is inside the state, and I don't have to worry about mailing stuff.

Here's what I did last weekend:



This is a version of a "simple ornament" pattern from Bead and Button a gazillion years ago, when they actually published such things. In order to get even close to the correct colors I used the "underwater setting" on my camera. How weird is that? This is for my sister-in-law. She spends much time taking care of the parents and DH and I feel she is taken for granted. About 10 years ago I began to make her a new ornament each year. Even though I'm running out of ideas, I feel that I still want her to know she is appreciated.









Then because DH family was having a "yankee gift exchange" and I didn't have to do anything specific, I made this one:



This is the same pattern, but with different "frosting". I realized as I was decorating my tree that it is hard to find places to hang ornaments with tons of fringe, no matter how pretty they are. I used fire polished crystals in the connectors in this piece and it turned out too big. (Working with beads is a crap shoot even more than knitting.) So I had to cut it apart and start over. I like the way it turned out though.





As it turns out, we will not be participating in the exchange, so ha! I get to keep this baby. I've not made a new ornament for myself in ages, so I'm pretty tickled.



The gift exchange is a sore point in our house. In prior years, you got someone's name, sought suggestions, and bought one nice ($50) gift. This year, with the same limit, you just buy a gift and, as per the yankee gift exchange "rules", each person randomly selects a gift. Rules are here, except, in my experience, the next person decides whether he/she wants any of the open gifts before opening another. So you could get golf balls or gift cards. I've been involved in these exchanges when they've been loads of fun because the gifts were small, inexpensive and funny. I, frankly, think this gift exchange is going to be an exchange of Macy's gift cards for the most part. DH simply refused to participate. I was going to participate with the ornament and a...ta da...gift card. But as it turns out we will not be there on Christmas, so problem solved.

Actually, to be honest, I've not fared very well in these gift exchanges over the years. Last year was the strangest. I got a blanket with sleeves, and a tea cup that holds about a quart of liquid. It is too heavy to hold....really. No one ever contacts my DH for suggestions. On the other hand, not only have the givers contacted me about him, I've on occasion purchased the items for them. So he usually gets exactly what he wants.

You see we have no family in this area. So we have to travel every holiday. This year we are working up to Christmas Eve, and don't want to have to pack for what would be 6 days away, and travel on Christmas. Also I'd have to sleep in a bunk bed for the duration. So we'll not be traveling until the day after Christmas, which suites me fine. We'll be celebrating my MIL's 90th!! birthday on the 27th. It will be much less chaotic than Christmas Day.

I've also learned that you can't bead and knit at the same time. (I was holding out hope that it was possible.) So I rushed to finish:




Embossed Leaves sock pattern. Great pattern, odd instructions. I changed the heel, toe, and needle size. And I'd change the toe further the next time. The leaf pattern is outstanding though. These will be in the mail today to my dear MIL.











For my FIL, A Hat Fit for a Boyfriend:



My FIL is ALWAYS cold. He wears a hat most of the time, even to sleep. I made him one of these last year, and he wore it alot--he was so cute. Last year's was blue to match a cardigan we bought him. So I thought gray (though "underwater" it looks tan) would be a lovely compliment. I started this at 3:00 am on Friday night. And finished it off Sunday morning, pre-Steelers drubbing.










So I packed these items in little "take-out" container gift boxes and into the mail they'll go. They should be in Pittsburgh via priority by Wednesday.

So now I'm starting on Morgan for my DH, but there's no rush (and if his attitude doesn't improve he's going to get coal in his stocking not Morgan). I had a devil of a time with gauge, and I'm still not sure I'm going to be successful with this yarn. Yet, again, odd pattern instructions. She wants you to knit this on two circs. That's OK by me, but you start out with 8 stitches, which is WAY too fiddly on two circular needles. I gave up and went to 4 dpns. Still fiddly, but not nearly as frustrating.

So that's my story. I don't know if I'll be able to post until after the first of the year. We shut down here tomorrow, and we'll be up and running again on the 5th.

Merry Christmas to all of you, and may whatever holiday you celebrate be lovely, and joyous, and sheesh, let's really hope for peace, especially domestically, in the New Year.

P.S. I learned on Saturday that my hairdresser's husband, a state trooper, will be going to the inauguration, assigned as part of the PA State Police Mounted Patrol. He's excited, and she's petrified (and it has nothing to do with how either of them voted). So good thoughts for Trooper B and Cosmo (his horse).

P.P.S. My weather vane is telling me that it is 9 degrees, working up to a high of 17. Think it's too cold to wash the car?

You tell 'em Ruth!

I'm so glad there are articulate people out there who say [nearly] exactly what I'm thinking...


http://www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/pg/08343/933584-152.stm?cmpid=bcpanel1

Irony is indeed the word....

The comments made me laugh. When DH sent met the original news release a few days ago, I asked the same question. "What will they do for the Lion?" I didn't even notice it yesterday because: 1) the news had broken over the weekend; and 2) ho hum, another student DUI. (Wouldn't it make you nervous to drive around here on weekends though?)

In case your entire world doesn't bleed blue and white as ours does, you may not know that Penn State is going to the Rose Bowl in January. A very big deal indeed. (Not as big as a National Championship, but, hey, they let Iowa beat 'em!) So whatever will the Nittany Lions do without their mascot--who apparently thought cramming enough friends into his vehicle so it sagged, was a good idea. Oh yeah, then driving at twice the legal limit of BAL.

To put all your minds at ease here's the followup:

http://www.centredaily.com/126/story/998840.html

A fellow cheerleader will sub until after the first of the year. So even though Mr. Sheep (I'm not kidding) will not get to go to the Rose Bowl, there will be a Nittany Lion in the Rose Bowl Parade.

Whew!! All the faithful are much relieved I'm sure.

Please note that the Lion receives a full scholarship. Not bad. It's not an easy job, however.

I'm guessing that drunk students urinating in parking lots, don't count in the "crime" stats.

Yin/Yang.....

The yin

http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/996594.html

Tempered by the fact that I have to go "shopping" for a new snow shovel. (The yang--in case anyone is wondering.)

Look at what I did...

...OK, this is not going to be so impressive to certain graphic artists among us. But during our statewide meetings this week we had a little hands on iMovie 8 seminar. I created this.



These are photos taken at the PA Grand Canyon and the environs of Wellsboro, PA. The water you see is Pine Creek a kick ass trout fishing stream. Wellsboro is noted for being a dark circle on a satellite map. There is limited cell service and only small town type businesses. Think Deliverance. We love the area though. The rock pyramids on the bank of the creek are a mystery, but we found odd rock formations all the way down the trail we took to the creek. It was rather mysterious. It was my first attempt at creating a video since, well, a lifetime ago. This was way easy, but I can see it can turn into a time sink.

And the knitting elves are back! Last weekend I completed these.




Monkeys in Socks That Rock "Stormy Weather". Storm something anyway. But look at the heel. This is an Eye of Partridge heel. Look at the difference between the leg of the sock, and the heel and gusset.








Weird huh? The colorway knits up completely differently in the heel and gusset.





I also finished a "waiting to be felted" hat. I was going to put beads in it, but I got too lazy and didn't bother to dig through my stash to find beads that fit on the yarn (worsted weight wool). No time this week for a work-in-progress photo shoot. I'll just have to wait until this weekend when I hope I'll have time to felt it.

I've moved on to a pair of Embossed Leaves socks, in Socks That Rock lightweight, Cobble Creek. Notice a pattern here. I do love me STR, but I also have some Dream In Color Smooshy which will have to wait until I'm done with my Christmas knitting to use it. I've realized that I have been knitting tons of socks, but for other people. I need more hand knit socks.

Anyway, have a great Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to sleeping.

This is so accurate.....

.... it's incredibly spooky. Ok, maybe the "balanced" part is off....

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

6 Impressionist, -4 Islamic, -9 Ukiyo-e, -8 Cubist, -6 Abstract and -8 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not always be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Last time's the charm....

I know yunz (that's Pittsburghese in case it's unfamiliar) are wondering why I just didn't let go of this media research stuff. Well, here in academia you can count on a couple (OK,more than a couple) things: 1) political correctness rules; 2) the only diversity that is enthusiastically embraced is that of the rest of the "community"; 3) it is a mortal sin to admit to getting your news anywhere besides NPR/PBS; 4) the only print media worth reading is the NY Times. If you admit to watching Fox News, in particular, you may get your parking pass taken away, and they won't sell you coffee at Saints (local, excellent coffee shop) anymore. The "community" firmly believes there is little (they admit to a little) bias in the media as a whole. (An aside: I don't eschew NPR/PBS, or print media. I DO NOT read the NY Times as a rule, and I don't JUST get my news from Fox. There are too many accessible sources on the internet to only read one point of view.)

So, now, here are studies, (though NPR/PBS wasn't included I grant you), that simply decimates that thinking. And from a source that these people think is second only to ...well...Barack Obama. And because of the source it gives me the opportunity, the next time someone says, "I only listen to NPR, I certainly won't listen to Fox", for me to reply, "According to Pew research, during the last election, Fox had the most balanced and unbiased coverage. You probably didn't have all the information." The according to Pew Research are magic words in these here parts.

So that my friends is my story and I'm stickin' too it. And Bezzie, I don't think it is petty at all.

Now for the important stuff.

*****************************************************************************

Dear Knitting Elves,

Why have you deserted me? I scaled my Christmas knitting way back I decided on 3 pair of socks, and one felted hat (and a beaded ornament, but that's not knitting). The cats will have to survive with purchased gifts. Yet, I am not finished with the first pair of socks. How can this be. Last year, I pelted through socks (1), scarves (2), hats (2), AND a kitty tunnel. I am still waiting for a zipper from zipperstop for my Ribby Cardi (they are trying to match my yarn), and I have a Lace Ribbon Scarf in Koigu on my needles, just languishing. Yet, I have hardly knit at all this week, and not because I don't want to.

I beg you!! Come back! I'll leave out cookies, filet, champagne, anything!!

Hugs,

Somebody stop me....

...before I hurt myself.

This has just come out, from, again, the venerable Pew Research Center.


http://people-press.org/report/470/favorite-campaign-journalists

Bill O'Reilly is both the most and least liked journalist. In my book that means he's doing something right. However, if you read more closely, you will see this

At the top of the Democrats’ list is Keith Olbermann of MSNBC (6% of Democrats named Olbermann).

Olbermann is their "most liked" journalist (and I use the term loosely) I've not heard him recently, but remember him from ESPN. Major ass.

and this

Among those who name the Fox News Channel as their main source for campaign news, 52% are Republicans and only 17% are Democrats. By contrast, among those who rely on MSNBC for their campaign news, 50% are Democrats and only 11% are Republicans. Similarly, CNN’s campaign news audience is largely Democratic – 45% are Democrats and 13% are Republicans.

from here

http://people-press.org/report/467/internet-campaign-news

Ok, absorbed all of that? Now go to the research below, and just look at the graph (read the research findings too if you can stand it), which is ...umm....telling for want of any other terminology. Here's a hint, compare the coverage of the two candidates between the two networks.

http://www.journalism.org/node/13436

What do you notice about the coverage between where most Republicans get their news and where Democrats get theirs? Kool aid anyone?

FYI: Pew is a highly respected non-partisian research institute. Pew funds research at all our major educational institutions. A Pew grant almost assures tenure (just in case you're wondering).

And I like to directly source my data, something MSNBC, and many of the other news outlets, do not do on a regular basis.

Some things I think, I think....

1) I was getting mail out of my box, and another resident of the townhouses, stopped me and said "Is that a Kate Gilbert scarf?" I was wearing my clapotis. It was draped over my shoulders, not spread out. I have no idea how she recognized it. It turns out she attended a knitting group in Paris that Kate belonged to. She, herself, is not a knitter, but a good friend of hers is. We briefly discussed the dazzling nature of Kate Gibert's pattern. But I was tickled that someone actually recognized it.

2) In my last post I quoted an Ann Coulter (heaven help me) piece. In a Sunday (11-9) paper (not local) her article appeared. This is how that passage looked:

This was such an enormous Democratic year that even John Murtha won his congressional seat in Pennsylvania after calling his constituents racists. Question: What exactly would one have to say to alienate Pennsylvanians? That Joe Paterno should retire?

See what's missing? Check the previous posting. I don't know if I am outraged or entertained by the [PC]omission.

3) That extremists who are interested in hurting this country could care less about the political setting. Just look at the acts of terrorism beginning in the 70s, and then who was president, or what party was in power. Yeah, it's a little bit of work....so what, suck it up. (You can start with the Iranian hostage crisis, and move on to the bombing of the Beruit barracks.)

4) A few months ago I ran into a fellow I used to work with. He was freshly back from a 5 month tour in Iraq. I hugged him and told him how happy I was to see him looking so well. We chatted for a few moments and I asked what his assessment of the situation was. (I always like to defer to people who are/were involved in any event.) He said that we, here, are clueless because our media is not being honest with us. The situation is improving daily, and he has hopes that we'll be able to bring most of our forces back soon. But...he cautioned we have to be careful, with "that nut" sitting just across the border. It was as honest a reflection as I've ever heard.

5) When this gentleman was shipping out we had a good-by party for him, and I spoke to his wife for a few moments. I asked her how she was "holding up" - trying to be empathic and all. She looked me dead in the eye and said, "Geeze I'm fine. Of course, I'm praying he'll be OK, and come home promptly, but I have no sympathy for these whiney wives. If you marry a man, and he's wearing a uniform at the wedding, you'd better expect that he'll be shipped out into danger one of these days." So there! I guess she told me.

6) From, Deborah Howell, the ombudsman (ombudswoman?) of the Washington Post, the entire article appeared on the Op/Ed page on 11/9. (Emphasis mine.)

An Obama Tilt in Campaign Coverage

The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces on Obama, 32, than on Sen. John McCain, 13. There were far more negative pieces about McCain, 58, than there were about Obama, 32, and Obama got the editorial board's endorsement. The Post has several conservative columnists, but not all were gung-ho about McCain.

Stories and photos about Obama in the news pages outnumbered those devoted to McCain. Reporters, photographers and editors found the candidacy of Obama, the first African American major-party nominee, more newsworthy and historic. Journalists love the new; McCain, 25 years older than Obama, was already well known and had more scars from his longer career in politics.

The number of Obama stories since Nov. 11 was 946, compared with McCain's 786. Both had hard-fought primary campaigns, but Obama's battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton was longer, and the numbers reflect that.

The article also goes on to discuss their lack of attention to Rezko and other issues, and the soft scrutiny Obama was given.

Seriously, go take a look. Use bugmenot.com if you don't want to register.

Nice of you now, Washington Post, to do a chest beating mea culpa, after the damage [to the fourth estate] is done. Wasn't ANYONE paying attention for the past 18 months? No we don't forgive and no, those of us who have not been sipping kool aid, won't forget. You, along with others, do not deserve fourth amendment protection.

7) Ol' Deborah refers to this http://journalism.org/node/13307 research article from the Pew Research Center. If anyone pooh poohs the "slanted media" accusation again, please refer them to this. Especially if reporters crying as they give their reports isn't enough. There is a huge difference between an op/ed page and news, and this bias was/is evident in the news pages. We STILL don't know anything beyond the obvious about this soon to be president, because news journalists let their bias rule their stories. This is not about a better v worse candidate, a better v worse campaign, this is about information left unexplored because of an agenda.

8) I am beginning to sound like a raving right-wing loon. This bothers me. My voting record, with regard to party, like my knitting, is rather spotty. I've only ever voted for one party for president twice in a row (and it may have been a mistake). That being said, I have been appalled at what has been going on in the media, at rallies, on the internet, and in classrooms. The fact that we now have a president-elect who can count the number of DAYS he has spent as a Senator is pretty scary to me. And all because many, many people don't want to really assess issues, ask hard questions and demand answers. Instead they launch ad hominem attacks (e.g., Caribou Barbie, etc.), get news from the Daily Show, and make assumptions ("support the troops, bring them home) without ever asking the players. Maybe the ultimate decision would have been the same, however,I have no confidence that this one was made by an generally informed electorate. It was an electorate who just wanted to get rid of George Bush.

9) And finally, I am now addicted to Korean Tea in a jar. I am trying to cut down on some caffeine, though I don't drink a lot of it, caffeine is a "trigger" for hot flashes, and this is a nice substitute. My current favorite is Citron, but Pomegranate is pretty good too.

10) Thanks to all the veterans, and those currently serving, who have responded, regardless of their own politics, when their country called. In my world, that's my dearest husband (Vietnam), my father (WWII), my father-in-law (WWII), my maternal grandfather (WWI)- who refused to fight for the Russian army (in Poland) because they wanted him to bring his own horse, he immigrated to the US and fought in the United States Army. No horse required apparently. I am very lucky because they all returned whole and safe. Thanks to Rick for accepting the posting to Iraq, even though he didn't have to, to Ted of Drive By Thinking (come back safely), and thanks to all those who sacrificed their lives. You (and your families) are all heroes in my book.

Edited to add (1:30 pm EST):

This must be my week for standing in the cold for my "country".

I attended a Veteran's Day ceremony with my husband. These ceremonies are put together by the student veterans group here at Penn State. The length and type of ceremony varies from year to year, but this time, they outdid themselves. From the bagpiper who piped the colors into position, to their speakers, to the 21 gun salute (that the university had to warn the community at large was going to happen so no one got "excited". We did have a sniper on campus once with lethal results.) The speakers though, really got me.

John Magill Jr. served three years in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 17th Airborne Division during World War II. His unit received the Presidential Unit Citation for its jump into Germany behind enemy lines. Magill was awarded the Purple Heart with two clusters, three bronze battle stars, and a Bronze Star for his actions in Operation Varsity, and in 2002, Magill was inducted into the Legion of Honor-The Chapel of Four Chaplains. He is a Penn State alumnus.

Joining him is Lt. Col. Douglas A. Etter, the executive officer in Pennsylvania's Office of Veterans Affairs. Etter functions as the chief of staff for the deputy adjutant general-Veterans Affairs, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. He is responsible for the oversight of Pennsylvania's six veterans homes and all of the state's veterans programs. Etter is a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom for which he was awarded the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star Medal.

Mr. Magill actually broke up several times while describing his final jump in Operation Varsity, and how we are losing the last of our WWII veterans. It brought tears to my eyes, and made me wonder, how people who just denigrate our military can just ignore heroes like him. Lt. Colonel Etter, spent 18 months in the Iraq theater, and described the ultimate sacrifice of too many of his troops.

OK, then the piper, a woman BTW, played Amazing Grace, my father's favorite hymn, and that was all she wrote for me. I just don't understand how anyone can fail to understand that these people have a higher set of ideals than the rest of us. This is a personal decision and a calling.

By now, I realized my feet might not be connected to my body anymore (thank goodness for hand knit socks and for Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate).

You know the world has spun off it's axis

...when I agree with Ann Coulter. I admit, sometimes her snarky writing gives me a giggle. But in the same way you can't help looking at a drunk student in a Batgirl suit. (Yeah, I saw this and it was in September, not Halloween.) But this week she writes this:

This was such an enormous Democratic year that even John Murtha won his congressional seat in Pennsylvania after calling his constituents racists. It turns out they're not racists -- they're retards. Question: What exactly would one have to say to alienate Pennsylvanians? That Joe Paterno should retire?

See what I mean about a car wreck. Only I wish it weren't true. I am completely baffled by the good folks in Altoona, Somerset, Johnstown and points west, among whom I have some respected friends and associates, and this isn't the first time I've wondered. What the hell were you people thinking? Are the earmarks worth being called racist and redneck by your own Congressman? Apparently.

And the answer to the last question is yes. That might do it. Not in our house, but elsewhere.

I swore that I was not going to fash any more and go back to knitting. But this was too good to pass up.

Oh yeah....and she ended with this.....

For now, we have a new president-elect. In the spirit of reaching across the aisle, we owe it to the Democrats to show their president the exact same kind of respect and loyalty that they have shown our recent Republican president.

Is this what they mean by poetic justice?

The end is in sight.....

Well, it wasn't this morning. I walked to my polling place (it is less than a block from the house), and the line had about 50 people in it. They were standing all the way back to the picnic pavilion. My polling location is the local Knights of Columbus (a Catholic service organization, they do bingo and lots of picnics). This is PA, and it's chilly in the morning. So my hands would have been too cold to knit as I stood in line. We're expecting the low 60s today, so I'll go back during the day.

None the less, while I'm extremely concerned about a BO presidency, I am floored by the behavior of our fourth estate and that concerns me more than anything. If things keep going the way the election coverage has been handled (e.g., Chis Matthews and "Softball" etc.) who is going to be "watchdog". We don't need a press smiling benevolently at everything a new president (of either flavor) does. We need a press that is going to ask the questions we would ask, without reservation. Anyone else have no hope for that?

And finally, thank you Governor Palin! You performed the ultimate service for all women in this country, though some won't think so. You "outed" the feminists. I cut my teeth on the feminist movement in the mid-70s, but somewhere in the late 80s I began to realize that what I had thought and learned as feminism (equal pay, the right to choose ...everything, standing up for ones self, etc.) was way out of the feminist mainstream. Instead, feminism was blaming everything on discrimination, whether it was or not, not the right to choose-but the absolute necessity of abortion, the right NOT to be a stay-at-home mom (and heaven help those that chose this option), and the right NOT to disagree with any of these tenents. In other words, it wasn't about rights at all, it was about being a victim. It wasn't about having freedom, it was about a new kind of cage. But like many women of my generation, I went about my business, stepped on the toes that needed stepping on, and didn't worry about the rest. Apparently, Governor Palin, thought the same thing. So what if I have 4 (and one on the way) kids why can't I be governor....why not indeed?

So when she was picked as the VP choice and the Sally Quinns and the Gloria Steinems, as just two examples, hauled themselves out of their cauldrons, and began the barrage of criticism, they let the cat out of the bag. Rather than embracing this a different model of feminism, they disparaged it. Rather than celebrating diversity, they dumped on it. This woman has a husband who handles housework and childcare, he supports his wife, the uh, GOVERNOR of Alaska (a little more responsibility, then a journalist and a editor, don't you think?), and because she chose to give birth to a 5th child, knowing he would have challenges, is a religious person, and has values that conflict with their antiquated philosophies, they attacked. And they attacked in the very same way that they were critical of way back. They attacked her fitness as a MOTHER. For cripes sake--when I interview someone for a position, I can't even ask if they are married (male or female) because the Sallys and Glorias determined that that was a discriminatory question! The response of these whiners was more illustrative than any writing I could have done. I can't give credit for this, but the best quote I read during this election was "Tolerance ends, where diversity begins." This seems like it should be the new liberal mantra.

To all the Sallys and Glorias, we're here, we're not whiney, and we're happier and more satisfied than YOU. And if we're not, we take responsibility for our own lives. Get used to it.

And just for fun, I thought I'd show you a deep dark knitting secret. I hate the idea of hauling charts and instructions around. So instead of trying to follow a chart, and keeping track with post-its and highlighters, for every pattern I knit here's what I do:


This is a monkey sock, but that little ring of colored index cards there-that's the pattern. I simply write one row of the pattern on each card, punch a hole in the corner, and slide a ring through it. As I go through the pattern I flip a card. The card on top is my place in the pattern. I never have my cards flip around, and it is quick, easy and portable, for someone who is not very careful transporting knitting. Also you can put something down for a long period of time, and go right back to it without post-it notes, or pencil marks or whatever. Easy peasy.


Want a closer look?






The only down side is when you have very LOOOONG patterns--way too much writing. But the up front work is worth it.









Edited to add (2:00 pm EST):

I stood in line, in 54 degree chill, for nearly two hours to vote. Why? Because the Knights have TWO precincts in their hall. Precinct A has all the apartments housing the students in our neighborhood. Precinct B has residents. Guess where we fall? Yup, you got it, precinct A. The precinct B had NO LINE AT ALL! Yes, read that again. NO LINE. To add insult to injury, there were annoying helpful poll workers (outside) asking you to check your precinct to make sure you're in the correct line, and they are all wearing and handing out Obama stickers. Nice huh? The inside folk, can't show their political affiliations. Then there is the "cheerleader". An idiot excitable woman, probably a student, who kept walking up and down the line, asking if people wanted coffee or water, and literally screaming "Aren't we EXCITED? We're VOTING! Wooo hoo!" I was knitting a sock, but she never came near enough to me for me to stab her with my #1 needles. What I wanted to yell was...where the hell were you people two years ago when we elected a governor and a senator. And NO, "we're" not excited. My husband participated in a miserable war 30 odd years ago, and we exercise this right yearly. It's not excitement. It's a duty, and an honor, and if you've been 18 for any length of time, and this is the first time you're voting, then you should be ashamed not excited! So if all the twenty-somethings who were in line around me, were "excited" to vote, then I have grave doubts that they were even informed.

To make myself feel better, I took a few MORE minutes away from the office, and went to my LYS and vented to Cynthia, the owner, and squeezed the Ella Rae laceweight, and bought some Lamb's Pride to felt a hat for my sister for Christmas.

I have to admit Ted of the "Drive By Thinking" blog comments is probably right. These people are going to get what they think they want, and we're going to be magically transported back to the 70's. By then they'll be working and trying to get established, and damn, those payroll taxes are gonna be killer, and geeze, why are all the goods and services going up (to make up for the higher taxes they'll be paying out). Oh yeah, and then there's the thing where the people with money, who understood this to begin with.......they don't wail about moving to Timbuktu because we have a liberal president. They'll simple protect their assets, take their investments out of the market, and jobs will dry up. (Anybody remember Herbert Hoover?) They'll show up again when they aren't penalized for making sound financial decisions. Some people never learn.

Blog blah.....

So much has happened since I last blogged. My dear old Mac, which I had been nursing along, kicked the proverbial bucket. Here's a confession, I don't "own" a computer. I've always worked in an environment where I had more technology than I knew what to do with. I had to move to a new position about two years ago, and they are not Mac friendly. In fact, they are so untechnology savvy that we may as well all be entering sales for Lands' End. Everybody has to use the same thing. I could go on about this, but I've spent enough personal time agonizing so I won't waste any more. Just let it be said that the entire philosophy rubs my systems analysis side raw.

I have been very slow in finishing knitting. I do however, have the scarf I blogged about some time ago. It was the gift for my cousin.



This is a moebius in the chevron pattern.

1 skein of Apple Laine in Bubble gum. I added some clear beads just for giggles (and because I have a million beads)and feel guilty because I'm not using them.




This is a tag, that I use when I make and gift jewelry. I designed the logo, and had it printed.

Both of these photos are too red, and the label looks pink. If I wasn't so lazy I'd make it look white, like it's supposed to.

The Short Version

I semi-recovered from my cold, but the cough hung on again. The doc thinks it is more likely allergies, since it happened at the same time of year, again. The treatment is the same regardless.

I am at the point in life when one's hormones get wacky. I now have absolutely no ability to regulate my body temperature. One moment I'm cold, the next I can't get my clothing off fast enough. It is going to wreck hell with all the wool I have in my wardrobe. I also can't sleep through the night anymore. As a result, I'm a very pleasant person to be around (hah!), and I don't need extra luggage when we travel. I just have to pack the bags under my eyes.

We spent about 10 days on vacation. I still didn't sleep, but, not sleeping was much more pleasant. This was the view off the back deck.



This was looking west, and on clear days you could see a beautiful mountain range.













This was taken on a hike at a nearby state park.



There are these hidden gems all over the state. Oh, yeah, that's Daniel Boone.


Not long after this was taken, I made the strategic error of following ol' Daniel up a ridge just to the left in that photo. It was getting dark, and my vision is not good at dusk, so the blazes were not visible to me so I just followed along. We made it to a flat, well marked ridge trail and began to walk out of the forest. That is until Daniel decided he knew a short-cut. By this time it was quite dark, and the short-cut, took us along a sketchy trail near a run (a small body of running water, we're lousy with "runs" in this state). When we finally saw the park road, even Daniel was reduced to using my headlamp to navigate. As we picked our way out of the woods, a park ranger pulled over, and waited. I figured he was going to read us the riot act for not being out of the park because it was well past sundown. Well, instead he asked what we were "hunting". Huh? Other than hunting for a short-cut, we don't hunt. I think he thought our hiking poles were weapons, and that we might have been hunting along the "no hunt" line where deer hide. Apparently, the deer know exactly where the no hunting line is drawn. What we didn't know is that it is musket and bow hunting season. (Actual shotgun deer season doesn't start until late November.) Anyway, he was a really nice fellow and we chatted with him for about 15 minutes and he never mentioned that we were tardy.

I am so fed up with this election crap, I just don't know what to say. Here are just a few "gems".

For a green guy, Obama's crap fliers are outnumbering McCain's 8 to 1. And they are ALL addressed to me. I've save them all. I'm going to cut my address off and give them back to the dopes handing out MORE paper at the polls, advising them to recycle.

I JUST figured out that I have to work on election day night. Yup - from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. So I have to go to the polls sometime during the day. Who knows how long that will take. I should have filed an absentee ballot, but I never thought about it. Am I just an idiot or what?

I wasn't going to vote for either of these people, but I just cannot put my defacto agreement on income redistribution. Just can't. And those that think they're going to get a tax cut...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Or socialized medicine.....HAHAHAHAHAHA!! We have a bizillion dollar bailout to fund now. Time to connect with reality folks.

More to come. Not fast, I'm using Vista, and yes, it is as crappy as all the Apple commercials say.

Farewell, goodby!

I can only hope that I can inspire someone .0001% of this!



Randy Pausch Memorial

They can put little skeins of sock yarn on the seats at my memorial.

I'm back....

Didn't know I was gone didja? I actually started this post about a week ago and....well, got ANOTHER $&*%#^ summer cold. So I stayed home on Friday. I spent Thursday night coughing up a lung, and not sleeping, so I just gave up.

When last I deigned to be here, I was moaning about not finishing my Hanging Garden Stole....well, voila!


On the first day of my vacation (way back in August), I soaked this baby in the sink, spun it in the washer to get the water out, and blocked it on my living room floor with blocking wires. (I know that using the washer as my spin dryer horrifies some folks, but I put the piece in a "delicates" bag, and watched very carefully.) Though I expected the blocking wires to be a major pain in my rear, they were not, the thing blocked beautifully. It is about 24 inches wide and 84 inches in length. Seeing this confused my husband, who thinks I'm a lunatic anyway, but he wisely refrained from mentioning the knitted piece lying in our living room. You can't tell from this photo, but there are "tiny tim" (4mm x 6mm, tear drops) heliotrope beads on the ends, and druk (round) heliotrope beads throughout. Heliotrope beads are blue with a silvery wash. Very pretty.






You can see the "tiny tims" better here.













And the druks here!






Hanging Garden Stole, Sivia Harding pattern
KP Alpaca Cloud (3 skeins) laceweight in (I think) Tidepool
For more experienced lace knitters this is probably a slide on ice. For me it became a slog. I think it was the laceweight. But I do love the finished product. I ended up using TWO lifelines at a time. Because it was a 40 row repeat, each time I hit rows 20, 30, etc. I added a life line.




I then decided to concentrate on finishing my Ribbi Cardi (another Bonne Marie creation), and started a moebius (yes, another) in Apple Laine for my cousin. Let me tell you about my cousin. She is about 10 years older than me, I was a piss ant kid and she was a teenager. Now she's in her sixties (early, I'm not ancient yet). She takes care of both her mom (my Aunt Monica) and MY mom, her aunt (Monica's sister). All I'll say about this woman is that she is going STRAIGHT to heaven. No questions asked! None. Nada. To take care of two elderlyish ladies is something that leaves me in awe.

None of us siblings live near my mother. We're all about 2 - 3 hours away by car. So, close enough that we can hot foot it home if she needs help, but far enough that we can't drop in for dinner. So this cousin sometimes does things like driving said mother to appointments and things when she can't drive herself. (You know, pupil dilation, sedation etc.) So I started the moebius so I could send her something to thank her. She needs to know that she is appreciated now, and doesn't have to wait for the "big escalator" to the sky.

So I started the moebius on said August vacation. Worked on it for about a week. It made great car knitting because it was round and round and round (and round), and when I wasn't contemplating how I was going to murder my DH and hide the body (his putzing around made us way late for a concert that was about 90 minutes from home, we did make the wine and cheese reception though), I was knitting. Then on my birthday, my second day back at work, I began to feel "yucky", I had to go out of town on business, the next day, and by the end of the week, yoi! I just happened to get an appointment with a PA in the doc's office to look at a mysterious "rash" on my legs (you really don't want to know), and they found that I had a low grade fever. Clearly, I was failing. The reason this is important is because by Saturday night my low grade fever was going up to a full blown fever. I spent a glorious (weatherwise) Sunday, sleeping, and when I dragged my carcass out of bed to make me some tea, I sat down with my moebius, and promptly discovered that I screwed it up. If you've ever knit one of this babies, you'd discover, that while it is a simple knit, it a mess if you drop a stitch. And this is a lacy pattern. (Damn that Viggo Mortenson!) I ended up spending about an hour trying to retrace my steps, and then pulled the whole mess out. This is also a chore with a moebius, by the way. Ten days later I am NEARLY back to where I was. Sometimes I knit fast, sometimes I'm positively glacial. But it's the journey, right?

Anyway, I'm hoping to finish this piece sometime this week/weekend. Then a photo shoot. You've seen it before, and the color is reminiscent of the silk one I did a year ago. I love to knit them, but they take forever. You cast on 181 stitches and you are effectively knitting 360 in each round. Who knew. I am still on second sleeve island on the Ribbi.

One last thing. I'm not watching the conventions with any real attention, or at all really. Kool aid drinkers patting each other on the back have no real attraction for me. I watch O'Reilly occasionally for the "high/low lights", but feh....reruns of the Office are better. However, I was home last Friday when the Palin nomination was announced, and I couldn't help grinning. I had seen the ad from McCain, congratulating Obama on his historic nomination, and all I could think was he (McCain) knew, that less than 24 hours later, he'd be announcing an equally historic nomination. It knocked Obama out of the swooning news cycles. (The other thing I found interesting was that the first comment from the Obama campaign was "She has no experience." Huh? "Pot, kettle, kettle, pot?" That's all you got?)

Anyway, central casting couldn't have come up with a better character than this women. Can you just imagine the conversation? "We need a traditional conservative, female or minority, who doesn't press their views, fights corruption, doesn't stand on ceremony, and is an independent thinker. Portfolio experience more important than specific experience. Maybe this person should have "real life" experiences too." I don't know if it will work out, but it is truly a brilliant strategy. Me? Cynical?

The knitting gods are laughing.....

Oh, long about 3 weeks ago I had one, ONE, forty-eight row repeat left to knit on my Hanging Garden Stole. As I mentioned in a prior post, I've been struggling with this for over a year. It was my first foray into more complicated lace, with lace-weight yarn. (Yeah, I did Branching Out, but it didn't seem that complex.)

Anyway, I'm in the last repeat...it's so exciting. Each row, I think, "last time for row nn", I was in the forties (going to row 55), and thinking I've finally got it, after 13 repeats! When I find that I accidentally pull a few stitches off my needle. OK, I take a deep breath, and pick up the stitches, or so I think. (Insert Jaws music here.) I knit another row, and damn, damn, double damn, triple damn, HELL, a hole has formed - IN MY LACE! OK, more deep breaths. I try to pick up the pattern, but it is beyond my skill. Here's the good news, I have a lifeline placed at row 40. So I thread a #1 needle through row 40, and pull back. Looks good. That is until I knit row 41 and notice ANOTHER hole. This cannot be happening!!

Again, I try to rework the pattern, but no go. You may not believe this, but I have a second lifeline placed at row thirty. For those playing at home, I am now pulling out over 10 rows, that I thought I'd never do again. You'd probably like photos, but I didn't have the heart.

Here's the kicker......I pull back to my LAST lifeline, and find that I missed stitches in that row too!! What the hell is wrong with me? I haven't needed to use the lifelines until now, the last repeat, and I can't even pick up all the stitches! Fortunately, I caught the stitches, got them back on the needles, and now I'm back to row 40.

I may not live long enough to finish this thing........

When you see bugs you know it's fresh.

Let me tell you where I've been.

Housecleaning. No, I'm not kidding. Once a year I hire an Amish woman (who has since become my friend), to houseclean for me. (Amish = no photos, sorry) In years past, my DH and I spent two WHOLE days cleaning our townhouse, once a year, top to bottom. My DH can give Adrian Monk a run for his money. (To his credit, the rest of the year he survives with my version of cleaning. Which I can tell you doesn't come close to his standards. Ah, well, ya' can't have everything.) But I digress. I used to look forward to these days with trepidation and loathing. At the end, I'd feel like I had been hit by a truck, and my hands would look like lobster claws. But we'd have shoveled out of the mail, and some of the flotsam and jetsam that accumulates over the course of a year.

Then one year he injured his back, and was incapacitated for over a week. When he was finally back on his feet, there was no way I was going to allow him to think about moving furniture etc. I hired two local women to come in and houseclean instead. (Let me define houseclean here: Wipe/wash walls and ceiling, move and vacuum under furniture, scour bathrooms, scrub floors, wash all the woodwork, clean the dishwasher (I kid you not, ya know all that crap that accumulates around the door?), wash windows (inside and out) all the stuff that a working person doesn't have time to do on any regular basis. Well, they did most everything in the course of one day, I helped by putting all our "stuff" (books, CDs, knick-knacks etc.) in boxes, and helping to move things when asked. It was much better, and even though it wasn't exactly as we did it before, it was fine by me.

The next year, I just went ahead and tried to call the same person back, but couldn't reach her. I learned about Mary Ann from a friend of mine, and she agreed to come. She brought along her sister-in-law Nancy to help, and it was like having two tornadoes in the house-and they were funny and entertaining to boot. And Mary Ann loves to do windows! When she is finished, you can barely see the glass. Anyway, it isn't inexpensive, especially since I have to pick them up and take them home (it's too far for the buggy), but I liked their work (and work ethic) enough to ask them back. This is the fourth year that I've had Mary Ann. This time she came with her two nieces. (It turns out Nancy and her husband purchased a food concession and are busy with their new business. The Amish are nothing if not resourceful.) Well, even though I have these folks to do the heavy lifting (so to speak) DH and I still have a lot of "prep" work. So it isn't a picnic. I still look forward to it like a trip to the dentist, but I gotta say, I much prefer it to doing it myself (with DH). You don't get "sidetracked" by trivia. Like cleaning out the junk drawer instead of just wiping it down. (BTW, Mary Ann wiped out the insides and outsides of the cabinets in the kitchen. I'd never do that!) Anyway, I take the day off as a "vacation" day, and do stuff that I'd rather have them not do, so they can focus on the hard stuff. With three people, they finished a little earlier then they had in the past, and I got them home by just before 4:00pm. I still had to "reassemble" the place. You know, nothing was in the place where it began, but all you have to do it organize/find it. You haven't seen my bath pouf, and my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book have you? I still feel like I was "grazed" by a truck, but at least my hands are not raw!

The bugs? Oh yeah, the bugs! Because all of these women live in the same rural neighborhood, one passes a number of farms, many of whom sell produce at farm stands. I stopped on my way home and got some sweet corn from a tractor on the side of the road, and as soon as I got home, I threw it in the microwave.

My corn cooking system is something like this:

Cut the silk off the top, peel the outer husk and snap off any long stalks. Allow a layer of husk to remain on the corn. Soak for a few moments in cold water. Throw in microwave (I usually do 3 at a time because of space.) for four minutes. Turn and do another three or four minutes. Rinse and repeat. At this point, cool slightly, and the silk and remaining husks will come right off. (I slice my kernels off the cob to eat. Expensive dental work.....) I'm getting to the bugs. When I'm husking the first few layers, I've learned to look for signs of insects and those charming little worms that like sweet corn. If I pick my own ears, I'm pretty good at spotting the signs. But this time the farmer put them in a bag for me instead. I got a bonus ear though. Anyway, this time there were several with tell tail worm signs and one ear actually had little bugs scurry out when I stripped off the first few layers. IN MY VERY CLEAN KITCHEN!! I washed them into the garbage disposal, cut off the chewed portion of the ear, and when ahead with the cooking.

That's fresh corn folks!!

Those little knitting elves....

..... were working very hard. 'Cause finally I finished this! Crest 'O the Wave scarf.



Franco looks lovely in it no? The one thing you can sorta see is that there is a distinct difference in the color of the two ends of the scarf. Sigh. I thought I'd have plenty Claudia's Handpaint (2 skeins, about 380 yards), but this pattern ate yarn like a champ. Then started the quest. The quest to find the same colorway. It's a handpaint so no two are alike. But some of these are like - completely different combinations of colors. Sheri from the Loopy Ewe came to my rescue and had a skein that came close.







What you can't see in the photo is that the waves are beaded.



I beaded the two middle garter stitch rows in the pattern (rows 10 & 11, for those playing along), and I beaded the last six rows of the ends. Using this method the beads show on both sides of the piece.

Looks fabulous, though I think I made it a little long than most folks have.











Here's the beading....



The beads are 6/0 AB iris. Large and easy peasy to thread.

Next up is my Hanging Garden Stole. I have ONE repeat to do. Unfortunately the repeat is nearly 50 rows long...in lace weight no less.

Still waiting.....

... for those pieces to knit themselves, but in the meantime here's what I've been doing.


This is a peyote stitch bracelet trimmed with freshwater pearls. (See the "bead" in the blog name means something really!) The backstory is that for the past oh, ten years or so I've made some jewelry for my sister-in-law for her Fourth of July birthday. She goes "above and beyond" to take care of my DH's parents and does a lot of the organizing for family picnics etc. Though my in-laws are pretty easy-going, ya'll know what it's like to interact this way with your own mothers. Frustration is a word you'd know well. Anyway, last year I sent her a unique piece that I didn't make because I ran out of time and ideas. This year I had to get back on the horse. When a pattern for this crossed my desk, I thought wow - perfect. And it is not that complicated to boot. All I needed was time. That's the hardest, most precious commodity.

Wanna see it up close. You can see the Swarovski crystals peeking out in this one.



Her birthday is usually deadly hot around these parts, so even though I toyed with the idea of a moebius, with beads natch, and even ordered the Apple Laine to make it, I couldn't imagine giving her a wool/silk scarf in 90 degree weather.

This bracelet has a slide clasp, my absolutely favorite kind of clasp for cuff style bracelets. Makes the bracelet really easy to wear. I'm going to make one for myself, with a few changes. Right now I'm waiting for some "button" style freshwater pearls to make an appearance.

Good thing she doesn't read this blog.

Next up, my scarf should finally be finishing itself.

While I am waiting ...

.... for the pieces I am working on to knit themselves...

I did this. And it was so astonishingly accurate I had to post it

You Are Indigo

Of all the shades of blue, you are the most funky, unique, and independent. Expressing yourself and taking a leap of faith has always been easy for you.

What Color Blue Are You?

Especially the funky part. There was one question about a "best friend" that I had a hard time with. I really don't have a "best friend". I'm married to my best friend. I often wonder what a shrink would make of that.

Be back soon....

..... I'm on hiatus!