Civic duty

I ventured downtown today in order to be a responsible citizen and cast my vote. As I expected, the main parking lot for the Board of Elections was full, but they were thoughtful enough to point the way to other parking venues. Unfortunately, one of the venues they indicated had several unmistakable signs indicating that parking in said lot in order to vote would result in one's car getting towed. Fortunately, there were several overflow lots that were not only free, but had actual parking spots available.

The line itself was not bad. The local paper had likened it to a line at an amusement park--long, but in constant forward motion. The set-up was very well-organized and from the time I walked in to the time I left, it was only an hour. The news later reported people waiting in lines that extended out of the building and down the street, which I can only imagine probably quadrupled the wait, but it's good to see that people are actually voting.

On the move

I am moving to PA! Finally my Beloved and I will actually live in the same house! [We've spent the past 8 1/2 years not even living in the same state.] It's been a crazy month trying to pack everything up for the move and there is still a whole lot of work to be done.

For the past 2 years, my stuff has been taking up space in my dad's garage, haphazardly packed in cardboard boxes. So, I have been repacking everything...sorting out duplicate items for my little sister...throwing out things I should have discarded long ago...finding things I forgot I had...taking impromptu trips down memory lane and finding boxes of paperwork that need to be sorted through. Oy, the paperwork! I fear I will kill another of my dad's shredders trying to destroy all the stuff that is not safe to simply throw away.

Mice have destroyed quite a few things [my favorite red chair among them--it was my first piece of furniture and it was ugly, but it was super-comfy] and in a way I am somewhat grateful for their destructive intervention. They have helped me whittle down my belongings to a more manageable size. There were things I was keeping that, for some reason or another, I felt I could not throw away, but once the mice had gnawed, nested or pooped on something, I found it much easier to discard the item. My only regret is I wish I had been more careful packing up my yarn...the mice chose some of the handspun wool over the cheap acrylic yarn, but I can't wonder at their choice of natural fibers over the synthetic. [sigh]

Watch me

Be sure to scroll down and read The Master Plan

Why my dad rocks

Instead of using this:




I get to use this: [cue angelic choirs]



My dad bought a replacement pedal for the Janome and so this past weekend, I was finally able to assemble the skirt I made from my very own pattern [via this book] with this material:



I will be wearing said skirt later this week and I will post pictures later...In the meantime, I will do the Dance of Joy!

Infernal Machine

I am itching to sew, but my machine will not cooperate. There's an issue with the tension that I can't seem to remedy. [grump] Plus, my mom's machine is out of commission since the power cord/foot pedal has run off and join the circus. [That's my best guess, anyway, since it's nowhere to be found.]

Got it right on the first try

The Recipe For Lisa

3 parts Sass 2 parts Genius 1 part Playfulness Splash of Originality Finish off with whipped cream

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Shamelessly backdated

Happy cookie day! This weekend was one of my sporadic "make and bake" weekends...except, I only did the baking part. I made several batches of cookies: (clockwise from left) Gingersnaps, Snickerdoodles and Shortbread. They are for a Halloween party at Corrupt & Cutie's house this coming weekend. I'm so excited with how perfectly they came out! (Unlike the photo, which is unbelievably blurry, even after touching-up.) It makes me want to bake dozens more cookies! Although, I feel my cookie-mania is a bit ill-timed. I fear if I get carried away crazily creating cookies, I'll be burned out baking-wise when the holidays (with their requisite sweet edibles) roll around. I've already experienced a bit of foreshadowing when this past summer I went a bit overboard with banana bread. It'll be a while before I make anything even remotely resembling a quick bread. [shudder]

Inspired

Well, here I go again! I've been lurking around a few sites recently that have inspired me to get in touch with my sewing side...and reunite with my blog, which has lain so patiently all these months.

I was flip-flopping on starting the Wardrobe Refashion challenge. While I am confident I can avoid buying anything new off-the-rack, I doubt my abilities as a seamstress to be able to assemble clothing that I could actually wear out in public that wasn't a costume. But...it is a challenge, right? What the hell!

I, The Mad Tatter, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 4 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that my thriftyness brings! Signed, The Mad Tatter.

Let the insanity...er, I mean, the craftiness begin!

Finally!

Remember those gloves that the dapper gentleman in the picture below is modeling? (Go ahead and take a peek...I'll wait.) Well, I finally finished them. The right glove went so well that I should have known that the left one would give me problems. Yeah, I only had to restart the &@#ing thing 10 times. Yes, 10. Of course, now that I've had so much practice, I could probably whip out a pair in my sleep in about 2 days, which is good, because I owe a pair to my sister and a pair to my father. [Sigh] I need to hone my sizing skills a little. The right glove is noticeably larger than the left one and the left pinky is a little too short. I blame that last part on my anxiety to finish the glove. In any case, I will post pictures as soon as I unload all my pictures from summer vacation from my digital camera.

We remember

For all those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks five years ago today...

Fast forward

Well, I am back again. We'll see for how long.

Update: I have graduated from Kent State University with my Bachelor of Arts in English. The whole teaching thing didn't work out. It seems to be for the best, though. I ended up moving back home, so all my stuff is taking up half the garage, which my father is hoping to have back before the snow flies. I have recently landed an editing job at Thomson West. I'm really excited about the company and I'm looking forward to retiring from there. Now, I just need to find an apartment...

I have more time for knitting now, so I have started a pair of cabled gloves. I actually found a pattern that included an intarsia snowflake pattern, but since I have never made gloves before, I thought I'd try something a little less complicated. Of course, I've never done cables before, but it seemed a little less threatening than working with more than one color.

I was a baking fool this weekend. I made 2 apple pies, 4 dozen apple cinnamon muffins from scratch, and 2 dozen frosted cupcakes. I wanted to make a coffee cake and some English muffins, but I just don't think the house is large enough to contain that many baked goods. Next weekend.

It's so weird having so much free time. I keep thinking that I need to be doing something, like studying or writing a paper. It is very bizarre that I lament that there is nothing on T. V. when a few months ago, I wasn't even watching it.

Crawling out from under my rock...and a new idea

Well, I've decided to rejoin the blogging world. How I've missed it!

I came up with an interesting idea yesterday. After reading the new challenge for Self Portrai Tuesday, I wanted to start something new and totally random--something to do with a journal. So, I thought and I looked at fabric and [REFRAINED from buying any!!!] I got a pizza and I picked up a sketch journal and I came home and I thought of verbs.

Yes, verbs, those funny little words that make you DO things. I thought it might be fun if I could be given three verbs a day and I had to go do them. While all verbs are open to interpretation, some are easier to adapt than others. For example: "surf" Lacking much of a wave center here in Kent, OH, I could surf the internet. Not overly flexible. But "play" or "think"--the possibilities are endless! With "think" I am going to encourage myself to think of something new or challenging.

So, last night I combed through a few issues of a certain temporal magazine I had lying around and started cutting our verbs. Useful verbs, mind you. Nothing harmful or destructive.

Now, drumroll please..........the words for today are:

THINK

TAKE

DRIVE

Speaking of take, I was wishing that I would take my digital camera everywhere I went yesterday. I saw an SUV that had some truly awesome Star Wars stickers on it [Sith Happens and WARNING: fully-charged light saber on board!] and I met a cat with two names at an art supply store.

Well, off I go! Got some verbs that need to get done.

That's me all over

You Are a Seeker Soul

You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges. You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions. Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist. Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!). Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others. And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you. You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically. Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas. Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Mourning

My mother passed away in the early hours of January 1, 2006.

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.