Thursday, January 29, 2009

When 54 equals 36

We are currently in Phoenix, AZ. The weather (of course) is gorgeous. And not related to anything at all, my "s" on the keyboard is sticking. It wasn't the last time I used the computer and is now sticking. If I end up with some wierd form of tendonitis, it will be directly related to the "s" key.

Anyway....I checked the weather report. But apparently not very well. Mon we left PA for our trip. Drove south (didn't want to run into snow on the quicker but northern route). Made it through PA and MD, went into WV next. And ran into sleet, snow and ice. Through West Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma. It was only after getting west of Oklahoma City that the conditions improved. At times we travelled 30-35 miles per hour. And we were afraid to stop somewhere because we didn't know how much worse everything would be when we got back on the road. The 36 hour trip took 54 hours. We stopped twice for two hours each time. We stopped at Panera once and Subway once, got sandwiches and got right back on the road. Whoever was in the passenger seat (usually me) was not ever able to sleep. The conditions were too bad to relax enough.

Even though the mileage may be more, if we do this show next year, we will take I-40. The southern route would have been much better.

I do have a bit (small bit considering how long I was in the car) of knitting. If I take any pictures sometime soon, I'll tell ya about it!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Yarn Harlot and I

I have come to the realization that I do not have enough silence in my day. I haven't been sleeping well at night even though I'm exhausted. And when I do sleep, I have wierd dreams. I won't bother you with the one night before last - it still creeps me out!

But last night, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee showed up at my house! Totally unexpected, but she came knocking at the front door. She brought a chicken for the next night's dinner and needed two limes for the marinade. Steph wasn't too happy that I only had lemons in the house. She did like the soap in my shower (from gotsoap.com) and teased me about needing to buy toothpaste. (Even in my dreams I need to go to the store! Yikes) She's just as entertaining, witty, and fun in "real life" as you would expect. I'm not sure what she brought to knit, but of course there was knitting.

There are several bright, glaring problems with this whole thing. All seem about equally important, but the most obvious are:

a. I don't know Stephanie! She'd be welcome, but why is she showing up at my house??
b. We don't live in the same country even.
c. She's a vegetarian. Brought chicken for dinner??

At least it was fun while it lasted.

If we ever get everything ready, we are leaving for shows in Phoenix and Denver. Wish us luck!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Let's see if I can do this!



I know I will be person 80 kazillion who downloads this. But it's worth it. My favorite part? Aside from the singers of course. The white haired/bearded caucasion gentleman and the younger black woman singing to each other.

Edited later: Well, embedding a YouTube video was much easier than I thought. But now HBO has removed it. I think I saw a German (?) based video link on Ravelry. I'll change mine if the other link works.

Boring seems to be going around!

I've read a few blogs lately that all have the same lament - Everything is boring! Well, it is winter. Like so much of the country, I am getting almost daily snow. Boring. It is bitter, bitter cold. Boring. I'm working a lot. Boring. Not much knitting. Even more boring!

Let's have a link-fest! While driving along minding my own business earlier, I was thinking about the whole boring thing. I'm pretty boring in print. In person, not usually as boring (at least I hope not!), but I need someone to bounce words off of. A Gracie to my George if you will. And while I do have a somewhat dry sense of humour, that sure doesn't come across well in print. But anyway.....I was thinking of people's blogs I've read lately that aren't boring. So I am going to do some links and ask you to do the same. Tell us about some blogs that you enjoy. And not the wildly popular ones, please. The Yarn Harlot and The Pioneer Woman don't need extra readers - thousands read already.

I love Marguerite's photography. And she's a wicked knitter to boot.

Alwen lives in "sw outer nowhere, Michigan" - so if anyone's weather will make you feel better, hers will! She recently made a double knit nametag! Scroll through. And she knits with thread! I kid you not. She sometimes uses Valdani thread - the same brand that I use for machine quilting!

Amber was who got me started on the whole boring thing. She then has put up multiple posts - including one loaded with pictures of things she got at the farmer's market. It's winter, right?! Quite a haul.

Michelle not only was given a beautiful shawl/stole, but she recently repurposed some yarn into a lovely hat for herself! Go check it out!

In the "more popular" category, but not to be missed is Kathy. Adorable grandchild, adorable Sofee, and some wonderful knitting.

Chan's is the knitter of Michelle's lovely stole. For details and info, be sure to scroll down a bit. At the top right now is a lovely tribute to her late father. If you're inclined to tears, this might do it, so you are warned. But she does end the post with a funny story about the man.

In the team category, I like Anne and Martina's blog. I enjoy their blog all of the year, but especially the dishcloth swap Anne has instigated. Dishcloths? Why yes - always the right size, easy time commitment and always needed!

And while I said try not to list the more popular blogs, I can't leave out The Rainey Sisters. Another "team" blog. Right now, you will be treated to adorable knit elephants and a stunning Bohus.

I hope you will do a blog post of your own full of fun links. And please leave a comment here with a link so we know to check out yours. It would also be nice to leave comments on the new-to-you blogs!

Happy Monday everyone!

Friday, January 16, 2009

A Question about Comments

I have a question about comments that are left on my blog. And now that I have come out of my shell (those that know me in real life are laughing their heads off about that!) I've started getting a few comments. Of course, the secret is to actually leave a comment or two on the vast array of blogs that I read. Duhhh....

Sometimes I get a real email address for the person leaving the comment. Such as sallyjo@yahoo.etc (not that i know as SallyJo, but you know what I mean). But a lot of the time, the return email address is noreply@blah, blah, blah.

How do I let the person with the noreply know that I appreciate the comment - or even pose a response? If it's a real email, that's easy. And I may or may not send an email back - I think I usually end up leaving a comment on that person's blog. And to me, that works out great (hope they feel that way too!).

It's not like I stay awake nights worried about it or anything, but I would like to be able to respond. Any suggestions, ideas or hints??

Is it dinner yet?

I've been using my crockpot a lot lately. I work from home. Which usually means that I don't have set working hours. I really appreciate the convenience of dinner being ready whenever I'm hungry! Finding the Crockpot Love group on Ravelry has been a lot of fun. And finding the Crockpot 365 blog has been great! I just made the Salsa Chicken and black bean soup recipe. Oh.my.gosh. That is so good. The smell made me hungry and it was tough waiting until dinner time! I used dry beans that I soaked overnight. And you do need to remember one thing with dried beans - salty or high acid foods will not let the beans get tender. I cooked the beans and broth alone for several hours on high before adding the rest of the ingredients. I also added some chopped onion, garlic, bell pepper and some sliced carrots. Absolutely yummy.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

It's been a week?

A week since I last posted. Wasn't it just a couple of entries ago that I said I would make every effort to post several times a week? Hmmm....so tell us, Felicia, how is that working for you?

Oklahoma City was nice. I was too tired by the end of the day to venture off the hotel to convention center path, so I never found a great restaurant for dinner. I tried a couple of different places that were all just ok. But it's not like I starved. The weather was wonderful. And I have never seen so many women with very long hair in one place! Honestly....at least three women with hair at or below their hips! One with hair that was probably to the back of her knees! Most were in jeans, so I really don't think it was a religious thing. They just wore their hair very long.


But I never posted the finished Christmas stocking! I had it finished around the 22nd - and then found out the baby didn't need a stocking - in fact already had one. So I guess this one is going into a drawer or something until I need a Christmas stocking! I highly recommend this pattern! Scroll down to the Christmas stockings. With the recommendations from Ravelry, I cast on more stitches than called for in the pattern. With the multiples used in the stitch designs, either 80 or 84 stitches will work great. I still need to weave in the ends, block and sew a lining, but I'm callin her done!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

From the Headlines, On the Road

From the news....Consumers cut back on their borrowing in record setting amounts. So tell me, how is not borrowing bad? The fact that for a change, American's are not spending more than they earn is bad. Isn't the current economic situation a direct result of ....hmmm....spending more than we earn??? So now "they" are telling us that living on credit is good? I am very confused.

"recession proof Big-M*cs" - The burger giant has used its dollar menu to hold onto its cash strapped customers. The concern is that when income levels are down, our diets suffer. The money isn't as available for fresh fish, produce and whole grain foods. According to statistics, lower income usually equals more obesity and the health problems associated with obesity. With less food dollars, people fill up on calories at the expense of nutrition. And with the dollar menues offered by all of the fast food chains, people will be filling up on high calorie, high fat, low nutritional value items. The thought of a "value" meal for dinner at any of the fast food chains turns my stomach - I can't stand the thought of eating that. Think I'd rather have oatmeal or popcorn for dinner!

Pornography industry needs $5B bailout - Frankly, I think Congress asked for this. Congress is the one that opened the barn door. Once the government decided that they needed to/should bail out private businesses, where is the line drawn? And where can I sign up for my own bailout? Because I can show tax documents that will show the change in my income level over the last few years. I need my own bailout! And when I find out where to apply, I'll let you know too.

Edited to add this one because it was too good to leave out! http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AkfMruBdjGqt0IHMT94mHjB1_aF4/SIG=11o753oui/**http%3A//thinkprogress.org/2009/01/07/teen-pregnancy/

Shoot - the whole "cut/paste" thing didn't work right. And now I can't find the same headline again. Anyway, it was something along the line of "Once a strong abstinence only state, GA now leads nation in teen pregnancy." And I have probably mangled the whole thing. drat.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Brussel Sprouts?

From the hang tag on my tea:

"We would be in paradise if Eve had tempted Adam with brussel sprouts."

from a feminist persepective, we would be there if Adam would have been tempted by them.

On my way to Oklahoma City for the Winter Embroidery Show. Wish me luck!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

What's in your spam folder?

I check my spam folder on a regular basis before deleting. In my work email, I've found orders and legitimate inquiries. In the personal folder I find an occasional personal email or newsletter I've signed up for. But most of the time? It's amazing!

I can get free clothes and diapers for my new baby (menopause anyone??), breast enhancement (the holiday gift men really want), penis enlargement (Hmmm...) and pet grooming tools. I can get money - there are an awful lot of people in my spam folder who receive LOTS of money. Or a job....as a nurse, policeman, federal officer, mystery shopper, and I think I get invited to join the military (see menoapuse above). I can also get a job as a massage therapist (see breast augmentation above), lots of cheap cars (right now I think anyone can get a discounted car), and more dates than you can shake stick at. Well, if you're getting augmentation at both ends, I imagine the dating can be a bit over the top. Plus pictures! Don't forget the pictures...sounds like more than Flickr has in all their files. I also get a new credit score about every 15 minutes and new auto insurance quotes just about as often. My private email account is with Yahoo. And while it may get a tremendous amount of spam, the spam folder works wonderfully. And it is good for a bit of a chuckle. Now if I could just get my dates scheduled between the surgeries and insurance meetings and job interviews I'd have it made!

Friday, January 2, 2009

NaKniMitMo

Jan has been named National Knit Mittens Month. I can go along with that. I mean, the koolhaas gloves were supposed to be part of that. I haven't done much charity knitting for awhile. So I'm thinking to do some mittens for that - either Mittens for Akkol or CIC. Probably plain vanilla mittens. Or maybe some Very Cabley Mittens I also want to knit the Druid Mittens pattern since it was published in the Fall Vogue. Those will be for me! And not too long ago, I bought the book Knitting New Mittens & Gloves by Robin Melanson. Maybe something from there like Golden Bracelets (technically gloves, but who cares!)or Jack in the Box Mittens. I'm not sure if/when I'd make them, but I really like the idea of the Strata pattern. Strata consists of coordinating gloves, fingerless gloves and short fingered gloves to mix and match and wear together depending upon how cold it is. Ingenious!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!

Like the rest of the world I'm sure, I am thankful to have survived 2008. Part of the year was fantastic. And of course, parts weren't. And like so many in the world, I am really looking forward to Jan 20. How much more can GW pillage our country before he leaves office? I think that makes two posts within about a week critizing him - probably means I'm being "watched" by some anti whatever group. So be it. He hasn't found a way to tax speech - yet. Give him another 19 days though.

Yikes. Didn't mean to start that!

It's been a good knitting year for me and not a very good quilting year. The no sewing room puts a crimp on that. Knitting is so very portable. I'm rather between projects right now. Which means that I grab my mitered square blankie when I head out the door. I finished the koolhaas hat and one glove. It started out as fingerless mitts - changed to fingerless gloves, then full gloves. I haven't started the second yet, but will do so shortly. I don't do well with multiple projects it seems. Other than the blanket of course. It seems that once I put aside a project, it can be awhile before it gets worked on again. I need to keep that trait in mind and make sure the second glove is started.

Blogolution! Last year, I optimistically started Blog 365. And did fairly well - until I had to go on a road trip for a show. Screeching halt to the whole 365 thing. So this year, I will make an effort to post several times a week. I'd love to say Mon-Wed-Fri, but I know that isn't reasonable either.

May 2009 bring us peace and a start down the road to properity.