Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays to all! And to all a good weekend.

Bamboo knitting needles make great gifts!

You are bamboo.Warm, cozy, and thoughtful, you take your time and
enjoy how things feel, smell, and taste. You
love the craft and beauty of traditional
things, and you value the comfort and
experience of knitting as much as the results.
But while you are reveling in your warm cozies,
don't get stuck. Warm is wonderful, but so is
the whole wide world!

What kind of knitting needles are you?
brought to you by

My inner baaa

Which flock do you follow?
this quiz was made by Alanna

Goodnight, Gracie

It was a year a go on Thanksgiving that we had to put my Gracie girl to sleep.

I had just come up to my parents' house after working the late shift at Burger King when my parents told me that something was wrong with Gracie. She couldn't move her back legs; she just dragged them behind her. I checked for nerve response by pinching the skin between her toes and she didn't even look. She was happy to see me, though. She was always happy to see me. My parents said that they would make her a veterinary appointment as soon as possible the day after Thanksgiving.

I had only been asleep a few hours, when my father woke me up. "We can't wait. She needs a vet. We thought you might want to go."

I got up and anxiously helped my dad carry Gracie out to the car, wrapped in a blanket. We went to an emergency vet clinic, where they sent out a stretcher to cart my Rottie into the building.

We were ushered into an exam room. I watched as a woman about my age came in with her parents, all dressed up for the holiday. The woman carried a blanket that held her precious pet. They were sent to the exam room a little down the hall from ours. A few moments later, they reemerged, this time the woman weeping over the blanket as her parents tried to console her.

They brought Gracie into our exam room on a stretcher. The vet came in and told us we had a few options. She said they could do surgery, they could do a CAT scan, or they could put her to sleep. She mentioned that givne the age of Gracie (she was 10) and the severity of her condition, that we might only be determining the exact cause for putting her to sleep. I didn't want her to suffer any more, so I asked for them to put her to sleep. They asked if I wanted to be with her in her final moments. I said absolutely.

They wheeled her out and brought her back in with an IV in her front paw. The doctor gave us a few moments to say goodbye. I hugged her and told her what a good girl she was and how much I was going to miss her. The docotr administered the syringe full of medication to stop her heart and in a few moments, my Gracie girl was gone. I bawled, but I also remembered what a great dog she was and we reminisced about Gracie during Thanksgiving dinner.

God, I still miss her!

Sockos

Here's the very first pair of knitted socks. I finally have pictures! I knew they didn't match, but I didn't care; I wore them anyway.
Then I made the chocolate-colored one a twin, so the wheat-colored one is the third wheel. More accurately, he's the not-quite-large-enough-wheat-colored third wheel. I can't believe how warm they are and how cheap! Wool-ease is available at my friendly neighborhood Pat Catan's for about $2 a skein and I can make a pair of ankle socks to fit my size 11 1/2 feet with one skein. [doing a little happy dance] I can't buy socks that fit in the stores that cheap! So, once Christmas gifts are done, I'll be knitting myself a herd of hand-knit socks!

On a different note, I found a new KAL and I just about died when I saw how gorgeous one of the proposed patterns is. Upon completion (which is tentatively set for next Halloween) I will be able to become The Mad Tatter. I plan on utilizing every string-craft in my repertoire to create this costume and I hope by announcing it here that I will actually follow through. I am so excited!!!!

Snow is a four-letter "S" word

So I just went outside to chase after Jaws who had forgotten the bounds of the "yard," when I noticed white stuff on the fallen leaves outside. Could it be? Yes folks, we have our first official snow of the season here in Kent, Ohio. You know what that means, don't you? Neither do I, but it was rather surprising this morning since all week the temperature has been hovering near 60 or better.

Now for the bad news: my mood has been less than healthy lately and I'm not sure what to do about it. I ran on my treadmill last night, hoping the endorphin boost might help, but all it did was get me sweaty and inspire me to start on a quilting project which was abandoned 15 minutes later, leaving me with a flurry of fabric scraps on the floor.

When things get bad, I do not contemplate suicide, I contemplate relocation. I calculate how far I could get on the contents of my bank account and what I would take with me. How I would move somewhere and start a new life where no one knew me, preferably somewhere small and New England-y or somewhere out West, like Montana. When things get really bad, I find a nice rock to hide under and wait for someone to notice. However, since most of my interaction with humans takes place on the phone, no one really notices. Fortunately, I am going home this weekend. Unfortunately, that means I will get no schoolwork or housework done, furthering my overwhelmed-ness. But at least I get to knit and eat home-cooked meals.

Knitting "muffins"

A few years ago, I was employed by a grad student to watch her 2 children while she went to class. She had a daughter (5) and a son (9). I started working with them in October, so the weather was fast approaching cold. I picked up the girl from daycare one day and she was all bundled up in her winter coat, her hat and mittens. I put her in the back seat of my car and on the way home she asked "Lisa, can I take off my muffins?"
Trying not to giggle too loudly, I asked "What, sweetie?"
"Can I take off my muffins...mittens? I know they're called 'mittens,' I just like calling them 'muffins.'"
"I like that too! Of course you can take off your muffins."

Aubrey, this pair is for you!

I cast on a pair of the Inner Child muffins from the Hip to Knit book. Since I am a very, very poor college student, I opted for the 2 straight needle pair (since I can't afford more DPNs at this time, although they are on my Christmas list) and I am knitting in Caron Simply Soft yarn (in Grey Heather), which is available at my local Wal*Mart for $2 a skein. In spite of the fact that it is pure acrylic, it is very soft and easy to work with.

I will post pictures of my WsIP next weekend when I go to visit my parents; they have a digital camera. :)

Not sure I require an opulent lifestyle...

Your Birthdate: July 8

Watch out Donald Trump! You've got a head for business and money.You'll make it rich some day, even if you haven't figured out how yet.A supreme individualist, you shouldn't get stuck in a corporate job.Instead, make your own way - so that you can be the boss. Your strength: Your undying determination Your weakness: You require an opulent lifestyle Your power color: Plum Your power symbol: Dollar sign Your power month: August

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Goodwill Hunting

God, I love Goodwill! It's the only place I know where I can spend $30 and walk away with a whole new wardrobe of designer clothes! My most recent reason to go to Goodwill is to find knit sweaters to recycle. Which brings me to my story:

I went to my LYS today to pick up the Fiber Trends Felt Clog pattern because I could not justify doubling the price of the pattern with shipping and waiting days for it to arrive, when I could drive a few minutes (or 1/2 an hour) out of my way and pick it up myself. Then I looked at how much yarn I would need. about 800 yards. Okay...average skein of yummy Reynolds Lopi = 100 yards. I would need at least 8 of those, at $6 a skein= way too much to pay for a pair of clogs. Soooooo...I am going to go through the sweaters I have snagged from Goodwill. At $3.50 a piece, and sometimes 1/2 price, I figure this is a much more economical way to experiment, as I am a felting virgin. [blush] I will let you know how this little experiment of mine goes. I plan on starting the clogs as soon as I can frog the victims...I mean, uh, sweaters.

I am also DESPERATE for a digital camera. I won what essentially amounts to a $100 gift card to Best Buy in the McDonald's Monopoly game and I'm thinking I may give that to my parents so they can get me a decent digital camera for Christmas. 'Cause they don't sell yarn at Best Buy and I already own as much of Neverwinter Nights as I care to right now. Than I can actually have pictures! Not only in my blog, but in my life! [I have a terrible habit of taking pictures and never having them developed. I know I at least have 3 rolls from a vacation to New York City that are almost 10 years old. Hell, I probably still have undeveloped film from high school, and I graduated...sheesh! 12 years ago! Maybe I should ask for that for Christmas...

Halloween Part II

Greetings, gentle Reader! It is that time of year again. Time for costumes and trick-or-treating! Time for ghost stories and haunted houses! Unless, of course, you're the type of person that views Halloween as evil and then you are just sitting at home with your lights off while kids file past your house saying "No, don't go to that house. They don't give out candy." I just have four words for you partypoopers: More candy for us!

My Belovéd and I traveled to the other side of Pennsylvania this weekend to visit Jon & Kat, some friends of ours, for the weekend. I found out that this past week they got engaged! I'm so very happy for them!

We basically just lounged around for the weekend, eating and shopping at flea markets and thrift stores. Why is it that the good thrift stores are over 5 hours away? I don't even think we have a good flea market around here. We have an "Antique Mall" where there are some antiques, but mostly just overpriced old stuff.

I found some sweaters that I can wear (including a yummy cream Liz Claiborne angora/lambswool sweater for $4!!!) and some sweaters I can pull apart for the yarn and some lovely scarves. Kat and I decided that we have the perfect symbiotic shopping relationship. I have good luck, generally, when I go to a thrift store. I can find stuff that I want that actually fits most of the time. I also have the ability to share that luck with the people who accompany me. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself!) Anyway, I helped Kat find some really sweet deals and she kept me from buying half the store. We had a great time!

Morgan (Kat's puppy) and Jaws (my puppy) got along well, although Jaws wouldn't chase Morgan as much as she wanted. She darted from room to room, play-bowing to Jaws to chase her, but he just wagged his tail and watched, mostly.

We had a fabulous turkey dinner followed by a showing of "The Life Aquatic," for which My Belovéd dressed up once again as Steve Zissou. I promptly fell asleep after Esteban was eaten and did not awaken until after the end credits. I think I'm all Zissou-ed out.

"A disaster! It's a disaster!"

I have relatives living in New Orleans and their lives were devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

My Uncle John escorted my Great Aunt Ann back down to her apartment near the French Quarter. One of her windows was broken, her awning had collapsed and her fridge needed to be cleaned out, as all the food had rotted. It took 2 days to clean the fridge and she still wasn't satisfied. She stomped through her house muttering "A disaster! It's a disaster."

Meanwhile, my cousin Neil, his wife Allison, and their 2 children, Neil Jr, and Jennifer were much less fortunate. The items they were able to salvage from their house were all from the attic and were not enough to even fill the bed of a pickup truck. Their house is ruined. Their second floor collapsed into their first floor. Their walls are covered with black mold. All of their belongings are waterlogged and unsalvage-able.

Neil Sr. sent pictures back with my Uncle John of the devastation. There were cars on top of fences, through roofs, and in swimming pools. There were houses in the middle of the streets they once lined. On the houses were the spray-painted marks of the search and rescue teams, noting the date, their initials and the number of living and dead they found. There were warnings spray-painted on some houses. There were invitations to loot on others. Some houses became billboards, advertising where to reach the former occupants; leaving word that pets had been found; thumbing their noses at the storm that had robbed them of their residence and their wordly possessions, but not their lives or their dignity.

Halloween Part I

This weekend was FABULOUS!!! I really didn't want to start out this week, but here I am stuck in the middle of it already.

Heather & Charles' party was a whole lotta fun! Their costumes were smashing, as usual. Charles has honed his sewing skills over the past few years. He said he made "everything but the boots, the socks and the underwear." Heather outdid herself once again in a stunning cream number made with material she found for a steal at WalMart. The great deal allowed her to splurge on the underfabric of her dress, which on sale cost $20/yd.

I felt Karen's baby move in her belly, which was one of the coolest things ever! Plus, the baby was wearing a costume too. Underneath her geisha robe, she wore a plain white tee shirt with a thought bubble drawn on it. In the thought bubble were the words "This is my constume!"

I went as a Sith-in-training. Not nearly enough face makeup, but it was cool. I found a bracelet at The Mission, an alternative clothing store where my little sis, Adrienne, works. I used the bracelet as the basis for my face makeup by repeating the pattern of the design in the "tattoo" on my face, centering the design around my eye. Carl (my Belovéd) was kind enough to paint the design on my face with the stage makeup from my Makeup for Stage & Screen class. I returned the favor by frosting his beard so that he more resembled Steve Zissou, Bill Murray's character from The Life Aquatic. I also knit the obnoxious red cap that literally topped of his costume. Not everyone at the party knew who he was supposed to be, though. One of the first comments as he walked through the door was "Hey Papa Smurf!" Following that, there were several requests for him to do the voice of Travelosity's Roaming Gnome.

As the evening wore on, we crowned the new Queen of Halloween (I was the Queen last year, so I got to do the honors). Actually, the new queen was supposed to play Dracula in an impromtu wedding ceremony revolving around the theme of the party: The Vampire's Wedding. A Bride of Dracula, a Best Man, A Maid of Honor and a Minion were assigned by the draw of "toe tags." A hasty and amusing ceremony was performed with all lamenting that it was not caught on video. After the ceremony, Her Majesty called for the start of the Halloween games. The Ring Toss was a disaster for everyone but those who used The Force (ahem, ahem). Out of 45 tries (15 people each armed with 3 rings) I was the only one who got a ring on the pole. And I'll be damned if it wasn't a fluke. It was my first toss and I wasn't even aiming. The subsequent tosses were more calculated, but less successful. I won a plastic chalice filled with candy that came in rather handy when Her Majesty opened the Candy Casino. Black Jack was the featured game of the night, although a feeble attempt was made to play roulette. My other sister, Erin, cleaned up and walked off with all the Mini Twixes (which had a value that translated to $10 each in American currency). [Hershey kisses were worth $1; Mini KitKats were valued at $2; and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups were worth a generous $5.)

I will post pictures when my father emails them to me.

Latest knittings

As you may already know, my most recent obsession is knitting socks. I knitted my first pair this past week...sort of. The first sock that I knitted is an oatmeal color and is actually a little too short for my foot. I wear it anyway. My second sock is a chestnut-chocolate color and is the right size. A mate for the second sock is in the works, but I fear I may not have enough yarn for a second of the same color throughout. I may have to use the leftover oatmeal color to finish the toe. I'll post pics when I can get my hands on a digital camera...which will hopefully be this weekend.

This weekend will also be filled with Halloween fun as very dear friends of mine are gathering for the annual Hallow's Eve party at Heather and Charles' house. I was Queen of Halloween last year and this years duties will include crowning the new King or Queen. We will also be debuting our latest short film "The Newlydead Game." It turned out extraordinarily well since the whole thing, from conception to completion, only took about 6 hours. I also look forward to Heather & Charles' costumes. Each year they make their own period pieces. After debuting them at their annual party, they take them down to New Orleans for the Halloween bash that is nearly as large as Mardi Gras. I'm not sure if their plans have changed this year, due to Hurricane Katrina.

My Halloween costume is still in the works. I currently lack the drive to do much of my own sewing. [I think that may become a New Year's resolution, and a rather good one. ] I usually just slap together a few staples from my costume chest [okay, it's not really a chest, it's more like a cardboard box in my attic.] This year the only idea that has stuck is a Sith. My Belovéd has created a Light Saber for me and it really would be a shame not to show it off. As for female Siths, it really was a shame that George Lucas didn't explore that possibility further.

The hour of "CSI" draws nigh.

à bientot