How much, really, is there to say about Monday?

The weekend’s over. Back to work. Same old, same old….

The weather was beautiful, though. Seventy-five degrees (that’s twenty-four Celsius), with a breeze, blue sky, fluffy white clouds.

You know, the kind of day that’s perfect for taking your dog to the park . . . if, that is, you’re not sitting at your desk at the office.

Knitting wise, my Mystery Project seams to be coming along nicely.* Mom’s socks finally have heels, so we’re at the half-way point. (Finally.)

The sweaters? Barely creeping along toward completion. Slog, slog, slog…

And, really, that’s about it–and so I’m giving you this totally gratuitous eye-candy shot of my Tibetan Dreams yarn. So, so pretty, this stuff.

Now, since it IS the end of the month, I’ve got to finish getting my reading list entered . . .

(*And no, that’s not a mis-spelling. It’s a hint.)

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Quiet. Too Quiet. // 7 Comments »

My poor mother had an unnecessarily early start to her day today. I woke up at 6:06 and had to go to the bathroom, so I got out of bed, told Chappy that I’d be right back, and slipped out of my room, pulling my door mostly closed behind me. Just like I’ve done countless times before . . . Except, this time, he apparently decided that six a.m. counted as morning and not night-time, and so he hopped off the bed and went trotting down the hallway into my parents’ room, where he promptly stole my father’s socks from the floor next to the bed and got my mother out of bed to chase after him . . . I apologized profusely after I’d retrieved the socks and ushered Chappy back into my room to climb back into bed, but the damage was already done. Mom couldn’t get back to sleep. All my fault. Well, Chappy’s really, but still! The boys both enjoyed the "adventure" though–Chappy thought this was great fun, and my Dad was glad to get a chance to see him before he left for the golf course. (Most weekends, Chappy and I sleep in and so don’t see Dad until he gets home around 3:00–the two buddies miss saying good morning to each other.

Really, it’s just as well that Mom got a head-start on her night’s sleep by dozing through the movie we watched last night . . . ironically, "While You Were Sleeping."

So, anyway, I haven’t been quite so busy today as I was last weekend, but I did manage to get a few things done.

Like, finishing that first half of my Tibetan Dreams yarn. I finished plying it, wound it into a skein. (Well, two, technically.) And then I gave it a nice, warm bath before hanging it up to dry.

Sadly, it’s photographing more like autumny-shades of oranges and reds than the golds, purples, magentas that it really is in person, but it’s still awfully pretty.

Not perfectly spun, of course, but still, really lovely.

We took Chappy out for a nice, medium-length Sunday walk, too, which we enjoyed even if he didn’t get to see any of his neighborhood friends.

I baked some corn muffins, which made an excellent afternoon snack, with a cup of tea alongside.

Made a pot roast.

Ordered a zipper for my Celtic Icon. This is firmly an act of wishful thinking, because I’ve got a ways to go . . . but I like to be prepared. And am hoping I guessed right on the color.

Curled up with a good book.

Used my Scooba to clean the floors. (I do love my Scooba!!)

Spent the entire day with Chappy . . . which is exactly as it should be

All in all, a pretty good Sunday. Hope yours was good, too!

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Early to Bed and Early to Rise…. // 9 Comments »

Doesn’t this look idyllic?

Two wheels, side-by-side, out on the porch on a lovely day . . .

Just two wheels, though. My Little Gem and Risa’s Tina.

Kim wasn’t able to come at the last minute because the time of her son’s first Little League game of the season had been changed or written down wrong or forgotten . . . something like that . . . and it fell right into the middle of what was going to be her spinning lesson.

We were disappointed, of course, because we were looking forward to seeing her, but somehow managed to soldier on . . .

I spun up a bobbin of my Tibetan Dreams roving, and then Risa lent me her high-tech lazy kate . . .

Which I plied about half of before I ran out of steam.

Risa worked on a couple of things, but ended up concentrating on this lace-weight, beautiful, coral-colored silk. The picture doesn’t do it justice (although, you know, click on it for the full size because you’ll want as much of a close-up as you can manage. It’s that pretty.

Except for the tail-lashing I got from Chappy when I finally got home (his descriptor, not mine) . . . and the full-over sniff-check when he realized I’d seen Risa and the twins without him . . . and the indignation when he realized that I’d petted a CAT while I was gone . . . well, except for that, it was a really nice day.

Even if Kim couldn’t make it.

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Spinning Our Wheels // 7 Comments »

Well, let’s take a look back at today, shall we?

• First, it really started with the fact that I had trouble getting to sleep last night–highly unusual for me–and so lost precious sleep-time.
• Our power went out over night during a thunderstorm (which I slept through). According to my Mom, the power blinked off and on and off and on several times.
• So, this morning, as as I was waking up, I heard my parents down at their end of the hall, moving around, setting clocks . . . unusual, since while they’re usually awake before me, it’s rare for Mom to be out of bed ahead of me.
• This morning, though, about 45 seconds before my alarm beeped, she came down the hall and tapped on my door. "I thought you might want to get up a few minutes (hah! seconds) early so you can reset your clocks, help Dad with the television…."
• Um, television? The cable-box in their bedroom was being difficult and so, about four minutes after I dragged myself out of bed after too little sleep, I was sitting on the edge of their bed, holding two remotes and trying to figure out what the problem was. For the record, all that needed to be done was an official reboot of the box . . . but it took me about five minutes to figure that out. It might have been a little faster if I had been able to, you know, focus my eyes.
• Even though I got up right on time, I ended up running late anyway. So unfair.
• Did I mention that it was still raining? So my morning basically started lousy, and then continued cloudy and bleary with the whole too-little sleep, too-little light, too-little time thing.
• Fine. I grumbled my way to the office and pulled in next to a police car, because apparently somebody set off the burglar alarm. No big deal, but it was the second false alarm this week. (grumble)
• Worked. Talked briefly to my sister. We commiserated about our sore teeth, because she was at the dentist yesterday morning . . . same dentist as I was, but no, she didn’t knit. (For the record, I don’t knit while he’s actually doing the work, either–just in the "okay, stay closed until this hardens, I’ll be back" parts.)
• Came home at lunch to find Mom urgently on the phone with the sound of a wet-vac in the background . . .
• Yep, the basement was flooded. For the first time in years. Because, of course, we have two sump pumps and serious water-proofing and all that but . . .
• Well. The plumber was at the house last week because the sump pump was somehow pumping its water, not into the yard where it belonged, but in the garage. Which, you know, ultimately isn’t a good thing. So, he fixed that  . . . except . . .
• Except . . . he somehow forgot to, um, secure the pipes down in the basement, so with last night’s storm and all the extra water, when the sump pumped, instead of gushing up the pipe and out of the house, the water was gushing directly into the basement. Oy!
• Luckily, Mom was sitting in the kitchen around lunch and heard the gush and went downstairs to look . . .
• Lots of water. Well, not more than an inch or two, but covering more than half of the basement.
• Did I mention that we have a finished basement? With wall-to-wall carpeting?
• On the plus side, the plumber was at the house in about half an hour after Mom called, and immediately took over the wet-vacuuming from Dad.
• And then the plumbing company sent another truck to really clean.
• The fact that their equipment tripped the circuit breaker at least three times is kind of irrelevant, right?
• As of right now, our basement is more damp than wet. The rug is shampooed with mold-resistant shampoo, and the cement floor in the storage room is clean.
• We’ve got fans going to help move the drying process along, but . . . I’ll say it again. Oy!

On the plus side, the evening has gone better.

• Tonight was my niece’s school play, her very favorite musical of all-time, 42nd Street. Which makes the fact that she was in it, during her senior year, that much better.
• So Mom and Dad headed off for Pennsylania about 4:15. Which works out well, because it hopefully helped Mom stop obsessing about the basement. She is NOT a happy person when there’s something wrong in her house!
• I spent the night building a new blog site for Booking Through Thursday, importing all the old archives, creating a new button–all that kind of thing.
• And then I made some tea and sat with Chappy, a good book, and watched Stranger than Fiction. We saw this in the theater last winter and I thought it was charming. (My parents were bored.) So, I took advantage of having the television to myself, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now, I’m kind of tired, my tooth’s a little sore. (Not terribly, just a little achy.) And I’ve got a fun-filled, fibery day tomorrow with Risa and Kim. So, um . . . g’night!

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Yes, I had a fun afternoon today. Another trip to the dentist for another crown (sigh).

But at least I got some knitting done while sitting there with goo in my mouth. I mean, that’s something, right?

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Fun Fun // 9 Comments »

Oooh . . . pretty pretty pretty yarn!

This skein of Balland Skein sock yarn, in the Sargasso Sea colorway just came today. It’s going, I can tell, to be one of those colorways that’s difficult to photograph but is oh, so beautiful. Teals and browns and blues and greens . . . I’ve been admiring her colors for a while now and couldn’t resist.

Good timing, too . . . not because I was in any danger of running out of sock yarn, though. Oh no! Quite the opposite, in fact. But because I got an email last night that made me feel angry, sad, hurt, shocked, surprised, upset, unloved, disappointed . . . all that fun stuff . . . (And no, I’m not going into details. It wasn’t "personal," just something that was badly handled that could have been done diplomatically, and, well, whatever. We’re trying to work it out. Moving on.) But anyway, I needed the cheering up.

Especially since it’s raining again, too.

And WKRP is going to have to wait because Mom wants to watch American Idol’s concert tonight, so I’ll be upstairs in my room tonight, which still doesn’t have a DVD player (which two months on is absolutely ridiculous). That also means I won’t be getting any knitting done tonight, either. (And, watch, she’ll see this post, feel guilty, and will come downstairs apologizing at 8:00…. Which, Mom, would be silly!)

Sigh. I guess it’s just one of those days.

At least I have pretty new yarn to fondle. And I got Chappy out for a walk at lunch when it was still sunny. That’s definitely something!

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:One of Those // 21 Comments »

Let’s see, what’s new?

Um.

Well.

At least I have something interesting to watch. Season One of "WKRP in Cincinnati." Anyone else love this show as much as I did? I mean, granted, I was only 12 when it started, so I wasn’t the most discerning critic, but that doesn’t change the fact that this show was great fun. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the "turkey" episode again….

Actually, there has been great progress done  on my Mystery Project. The knitting is about 95% done. I’ve got a few details to create and the finishing work to do, but the bulk of it, clearly, is done. This is great news–there’s no question that it will be finished for the family "Birthday Season" in May/June. Phew!

This means I can start addressing some of my attention to my usual collection of never-ending projects. You know, the Celtic Icon, which has sleeves about 5" long at this point. The Tatami which is about half done. The socks for my Mom that I’ve been working on since February and aren’t quite at the halfway point yet. Sigh.

Slogging is the word.

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Reliving Cincinnati // 15 Comments »

I finally did what I’ve been meaning to do for the last few weeks–I did a thorough cleaning of my room.

This picture is from midway through the process, around 11:30 this morning. The curtains are in the wash. The windows–inside and outside–have been cleaned. I’m so grateful that my parents thought ahead when they built this house 31 years ago and picked windows that can be tilted inwards for cleaning. Not as easily as the current models, perhaps, but ground-breaking for the 1970s. They’re thermal windows, too, with two layers of glass and removable mullions in between . . . I didn’t bother cleaning the inner layers today (that only gets done about every 5 years) but that’s a blessing, too. So, anyway–clean windows.

Also in this picture, all the bedding it is ready to go in the wash–Chappy’s giving it a last-minute fluffing–so that just the comforter, the feather bed, and the pillows are on the bed. I’ve also started clearing the floor for vacuuming, but have already done the edges. The handle of the Dyson is right up front. I think I’m the only one in the house who’s actually used all the attachments.

Here’s where we are right now–the furniture is all back in place. (I’d pulled all the movable pieces away from the wall.) All the surfaces are dusted, and I even used Pledge on the wood–something I rarely do, but is nice once in a while. I cleaned all the pictures and knick-knacks with Windex.The curtains are back up, the bed is made. The spinning wheels back in their places. I’ve even got the windows open to let fresh air in (and hoping I won’t be paying for it later with all the pollen in the air). The only things left to do is get Chappy’s crate cover out of the dryer and back onto his crate, and to dry the orange throw for my chair.

For some, strange reason, I’m a little tired!

That didn’t stop me from giving him his much-needed haircut this afternoon, though. Or from taking him for a walk, where he got to see one of his favorite doggy-friends. So, I wouldn’t want you to think I’ve been neglecting him!

I haven’t been neglecting my fibery-duties, either. I’ve got my first bobbin of Tibetan Dreams spun up, and am just about to start my second. The colors in the picture don’t do it justice, this stuff is so pretty!

I also got a lot of knitting done last night–on the Mystery Project, so I still can’t show you–while watching a movie with Mom. "Big Night" with Stanley Tucci and Tony Shaloub. I saw it mentioned on somebody’s blog a while ago–can’t remember whose, anymore–and bought a copy. It was sweet, and oh lord, the food looks SO good. I’m just dying for a really, really good Italian meal now. It’s was an odd little ending, though, with nothing really resolved, but that’s the way life is, huh?

Here are a few more tree pictures for you. Mom spotted these at the park yesterday–kind of the sylvan version of the "The Lovers." Two completely different kinds of trees just twined around each other. I did my best to get that in a photo, but . . . They’re at a rather precarious angle, don’t you think? Bad for the trees, but as an image . . . it’s like the one tree has wrapped the other it its arms and is leaning in for a passionate kiss. Not something you see in the woods every day, you know?

Incidentally–for any of you Fair Isle knitters who love the Jamieson and Smith shetland yarns–did you know that they’re discontinuing a bunch of their colors? If you need any, order now!

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Spring Cleaning // 13 Comments »

For you computer experts out there–a technical question. Lately, my computer’s been working very hard–at 100% CPU usage, according to Windows Task Manager–and the list of "Processes" is lengthy, but unlike the "Applications," I can’t tell a valid Process from an invalid one.

Any ideas on what I should try to get my computer functioning at a normal level again? I’ve run anti-virus and anti-spamware checks and it SEEMS like things are working normally (if a little slowly, which makes sense because, well, obviously things are busy behind the scenes). But, those "processes" are a mystery with names like "mxtas.exe" or "ati2evxx.exe" . . . things which may well be entirely necessary, but how is anyone who’s not a programmer supposed to know?

Edited to add: Thanks, folks. Process Library was very handy, and I just bought, downloaded, and installed Uniblue’s Power Suite which seems to have helped. Gotta love internet security, huh?

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Technical Question // 5 Comments »

Yep. It finally feels like Spring. Late spring, even, since the temperature was up near 80 today . . . that’s quite a jump considering I was wearing a wool sweater and socks to work just two days ago!

We took advantage, though. Mom, Chappy and I went to the park this morning and walked for about 1.4 miles. I would have kept going, but Mom was getting tired, and Chappy was panting, so we turned back to the car at just about the .7 mile-marker. We did stop for a couple pictures . . . though Chappy was more interested in the stream than in the camera.

Afterward, we stopped at the Whole Foods market and I ran in and picked up some bread, lettuce, tomato, and turkey bacon and when we got home, Mom and I had BLTs. I do love a good BLT sandwich–and so does Mom–so we pick up some turkey bacon every now and again. It doesn’t compare to the "real" stuff, but since Mom can’t eat that anymore, I’m willing to accept a substitute now and again. Chappy’s not picky, either–he was more than happy to eat some. My little boy does love bacon!

This afternoon, all three of us relaxed. I sat and read. Mom watched a movie on TV. Chappy napped.

Ahhh…..

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Spring // 10 Comments »

Still not that much to really TALK about . . . knitting, spinning, going to work, reading books . . . all of that usual stuff.

But on the plus side, it finally feels like Spring. Low 70s. Sunny. Blue sky.

How nice was it? Well, Chappy not only got a walk today, he got TWO.

I even brought my camera to take a few pictures of two of the pretty trees in the neighborhood.

The first one? I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but I love that spray of fanning branches reaching upward. It looks lovely when it has leaves, mind you, but I think I like it best when you can see the framework.

The other is a magnolia tree, ready to burst into bloom. There are several magnolia trees in our neighborhood, but this one is right at a corner, so that you practically walk right underneath it . . . making stealing a photograph or three very handy (grin).

And then, look what I got in the mail today! A note and a consolation prize for Chappy’s adorable feet from Laura over at JenLa. Aren’t they cute? One of them was unfortunately broken in transit, but so what? They’re cute anyway, and really, considering Chappy didn’t actually win . . . who cares? Thank you, Laura!

Did you know the Interweave Knits Summer preview is up?

Did you see Indigo Muse’s "Project Hokie Hope" to support the VA Tech’s victim’s families?

I’m even more glad than ever that I cook Chappy’s food myself. I do use a food mix from Sojourner Farms (they make them for dogs and for cats, incidentally), but I trust their ingredients and know exactly what kind of meat and protein and extras my dog is eating. With the news lately, that makes me feel much better.

Please head over and wish Liz a happy birthday tomorrow, huh? She’s even giving out a prize!

Now there is one other thing that came today. My copy of "Teach Yourself Visually: Handspinning." I’ve only flipped through it so far, but it looks like a fabulous resource–great, clear pictures of everything, lots of details, very thorough. At least, at first glance, you understand, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be disappointing, you know? It looks great.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Finally // 9 Comments »

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another
and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal
station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a
decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should
declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely
to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate
that Governments long established should not be changed for light and
transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that
mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to
right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably
the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute
Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such
Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —

(section edited out)

— And
for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the
protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our
Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

That Thomas Jefferson sure did have a way with words . . . even if I have always liked John Adams better!

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Do you folks in the U.S. realize what a bad week the middle of April is? Not only the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, but also the anniversaries of Waco, Columbine, and the Oklahoma City bombing.

And tax day.

All in all, a good week to keep your head down….

But while doing so, wear orange and maroon tomorrow, April 20th. All part of Hokie Hope in honor of the Virgina Tech victims.

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Bad Week // 12 Comments »

Has anyone noticed that there are whole swarms of knit-bloggers in the last couple of days who have nothing to talk about?

Anyone?

(crickets)

Yep. Me, too.

There’s just really not that much to tell tonight. Our power ris working again, which means that not only is the stove working again, but so is the hot water heater . . . which made things like dinner and my shower tonight much more pleasant. It even stopped raining for just long enough to get Chappy out for a walk after work.

That’s about it, though.

Although, please do go over and say some kind words to MeBeth . . .

Booking Through Thursday

• Okay, there must be something you
  read that’s a guilty pleasure . . . a Harlequin romance stashed under
  the mattress. A cheesy sci-fi book tucked in the back of the freezer. A
  celebrity biography, a phoned-in Western . . . something that you’d
  really rather not be spotted reading. Even just a novel if you’re a
  die-hard non-fiction fan. Come on, confess. We won’t hold it against
  you!

To be honest? I really can’t think of anything. My reading habits are an open book, as it were. I post everything I read each month, log in everything, and have all my books pretty much there for anyone (in the house) to see. Do I tell everybody I meet how much I love fantasy and science fiction? No–but I don’t tell everyone how much I adore my dog, either. Are there are a couple books in my collection that are somewhat trashier or less erudite than others? A handful. And there are a couple self-help books that I wouldn’t shout to the world (like, how to improve your handwriting, or how to hypnotize yourself . . . they seemed like fun at the time, you know?). But really, I’ll just say that there’s pretty much not anything in my library that I would be mortified for you to know about . . . or at least, not that I can think of!

Here–see? I’m really disgustingly open about the stuff I read, huh?

Download BOOKS.xls

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Silence // 15 Comments »

Since the more serious topics are breaking my heart today, I thought I’d just touch on light things today.

Like, our refrigerator decor–since Chris posted hers.

As you can see, we’re big on family photos.

And, of course, Martha’s Vineyard paraphenalia.

Here’s a closer look at two of my favorites–a Peanuts cartoon from a roll of paper towels (of all things), and a quote from Thomas Edison that I love. "If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."

That Nor’easter still isn’t quite gone yet. It’s still been spritzing little bits of rain on and off all day. But at least the roads downtown (or, all the ones I saw) are clear. And most of my co-workers’ basements are at least improved up to the "damp" stage if not actually "dry." So that’s something.

And, at least I can make a cup of tea. That’s something, too. (We’ll just ignore the fact that my parents went out to the movies with friends, leaving me home without the means of cooking supper . . . I mean, I told them to go and have a good time, and I meant it, but so much for the "We’re all in this together" attitude. Not that Dad really misses the stove not working . . . I’m not entirely sure he even knows how to turn it on. But that’s another story.)

Oh, and my morning oatmeal cooked quite nicely in my cheap little rice cooker . . . although tomorrow I’m going to need to stir it a little more often to keep it from boiling over….

Back on that serious subject, though? A page of links to online presences of the victims–My Space pages, articles, awards, blogs . . . bunches of things about the way they lived their lives.

Like I said. Heartbreaking.

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Frivolous // 9 Comments »

Today was too interesting a day.

First, there was the fun commute into work this morning. The center of town was flooded, so I had some tricksy detours to make to get to the office. But that was okay. It’s not badly flooded, though there were a number of roads closed. It just made things interesting.

Then, we were short-handed at work because a number of people either couldn’t get in or had flooded basements they needed to deal with. Which made working today . . . interesting.

Of course, then there was the shooting at Virginia Tech. Oh God. That’s way too much "interest" for any day. I can’t believe it . . . so awful. I’ve never been there myself, but my uncle and my three cousins all went there  . . . decades ago, sure, but still . . . So many people . . . Oh God, oh God, oh God . . . Way too interesting in all too horrific a way.

Then, after supper, just as I was finishing my shower, our house had its own little brown out. Well, we and our next-door neighbors. Some things–like my room, the family room, the refrigerator–had power. While others–like the stove, my parents’ room, the rest of the kitchen–did not. So, for a while, we were all sitting together in the family room, watching television together. The electric company did come, and they mostly fixed things . . . we have most of our power back (and are grateful), but not enough to run our electric range . . . which means that we can’t cook anything for a few days. I think I can make oatmeal in the morning in my cheap little rice cooker, but . . . no tea for a while. Unless I run out tomorrow to buy an electric kettle, which could work . . . But. No cooking? Meals are going to be . . . interesting.

Who knew I’d be longing to hear the pundits talking about Imus and rap music again? The Governor almost killing himself by not wearing his seatbelt? Or the flooding from this massive storm?

Things have been just way too interesting today.

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Too Interesting // 12 Comments »

Oh no. Not again.

My prayers are with all of them . . .

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Oh No. // 3 Comments »

Well, it’s been a wet, wet day here, though less windy and stormy than they had forecast. As in, really no wind at all. But we HAVE gotten about 3 inches of rain. Our backyard is a muddy mess, and Chappy is ever so grateful for his roofed little bathroom.

So, what’s a girl to do on a wet, dreary Sunday like that? Well, my main objective for the day was to do some much-needed cleaning in my room and bathroom . . . Um, well . . . that didn’t happen. Not even a superficial dusting–for which, since that would take all of two and a half minutes, there’s really no excuse.

What I DID do? I spent a lot of time making the house smell yummy . . . I made some pumpernickel bread (thank you King Arthur), baked a "Grandma" cake (our family favorite) and then put a pot roast in the oven for most of the afternoon. The house smells like "Sunday." Mmmm. (And, no, no pictures–it didn’t seem like a fair thing to do!)

Of course, curling up with a book and a warm puppy is always good on a rainy day, too . . . and I did do some of that. Chappy in particular is still tired from yesterday’s guests . . . you know how exhausting playing host can be . . . especially when it cuts into your napping time. That was worth it, though, because Risa, the twins, Chappy, and I all had a lovely time. Those of us with two legs went to the mall first, had lunch at the food court (thanks, Risa!), did some shopping, played in the meant-for-children play area they’ve put at one end of the mall. Which, I must say, was pretty impressive–a walled-in, well-padded, carpeted-floor, things-to-play-on, safe, clean area for young children to blow off some steam from a busy day of shopping and (hopefully) behaving properly in stores. And, with comfy seating for the adults. That was great, actually. The twins played, and Risa and I knitted.

Afterward, we headed back to my house, where we snacked (Pirate’s Booty–very popular indeed), played . . . mostly with Chappy’s toys . . . watched a movie (Little Mermaid), went for a walk . . . that was great for the first half until Kat decided she was tired and wanted to be carried, which Risa refused to do, so, um, Alex, Chappy and I walked on ahead . . . with Alex holding onto Chappy’s leash . . . talking about sticks and colors and doggy-poop bags (a process about which he was fascinated) and sort of left Risa to deal with the "Stop! Carry me!" That stopped once we were back in sight of the house, though, and since that was the "worst" part of the whole day . . . not too horrible. (Well, for me!)

My parents went out for my Dad’s high school reunion–a dinner cruise around Manhattan that was fully paid for by an anonymous classmate. As in, the whole evening–including an open bar–only cost everyone the cost of getting there. Impressive, huh?? They still don’t know who the benefactor was, although he/she was definitely there (and, I hope, having a really fabulous time). So anyway, since they were out, I invited Risa and the twins to stay for supper . . . especially since the two of them (the little ones, that is) had already expressed an interest in eating something I already had in the house. So, I cooked, and Risa, Alex, and I ate  . . . but Kat completely slept through supper. Risa tried to wake her up, but she was more interested in sleeping than in eating, so . . . I sent the leftovers home in case she wanted them later on.

After they left, Chappy and I watched a movie (Star Wars–haven’t seen that in years) while I worked on my mystery project, which I’m happy to tell you, is coming along nicely. I’ve got some of it blocking right now, but am not done with the actual knitting yet….

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Soggy // 10 Comments »

Well, I wasn’t expecting this today.

We had pouring rain on Thursday, and yesterday, while dry, was cold and cloudy and raw . . . basically, yesterday was February all over again.

And then tomorrow, we’re due to get a monster, killer, Nor’easter . . . though more rain than snow.

Who would have expected the day in between to start out so darn pretty?? It’s down-right "park-able" as we say in this family . . . perfectly nice weather for taking Chappy to the park.

But, since we were expecting something somewhat greyer and colder, more forbidding, Risa and I already made other plans.

Poor Chappy.

Now, for your distraction, take a look at this nifty site. Or click around this one. Or even this clip on YouTube. Because this man does some absolutely amazing woodcarving. I mean, how many people can carve their own (floating) Ferrari? Or furnish an entire house . . . including a basket of knitting . . . out of wood?   

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Happiness // 4 Comments »

Nothing particularly original tonight, so . . .

Booking Through Thursday

• Have you ever missed an important appointment because
  you have become so engrossed in a book you forgot the time or were up
  so late reading that you didn’t wake up in time? Been late to work
  because you couldn’t resist the temptation and left the house too late?

No, I’ve never missed an appointment. (I’m always early to pretty much everything.) And I haven’t been late to work . . . well, not by more than a minute or two . . . though, there have been times when I’ve really needed to finish a chapter and had to push things a bit. Missing sleep, though? Oh my yes. In fact I have a "rule" that I won’t let myself start a new, tempting book any earlier in the week than Thursday, so that if I get sucked in and stay up too late, it’s only a day until I get a chance to sleep in (grin).

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:BTT // 7 Comments »

So, since I still can’t show you my Mystery Project, and my other knitting projects are pretty much at a standstill, I thought I’d show a little more of my Turkish Spindle. Especially since I "start" a little differently than instructed in the book. The booklet, written by Wanda Jenkins, wife of the woodworker Ed Jenkins, is excellent, don’t get me wrong. But it has you start by tying a slip-knot at the bottom and then tying the fiber to the end of the leader at the top . . . which I find problematic.

Although, I’ll admit that my method uses twice the amount of yarn over the same length, which adds some extra weight . . . if I’d had any lace-weight yarn handy for this tutorial, though, I would have used that . . . a double-thickness of lace yarn would be close enough to a single-thickness of sock yarn that I think the difference would be negligable . . .

But anyway, here we go!

First, take a long length (a couple of yards/meters) of yarn and tie a knot at the ends, making one, long loop.

Wrap the yarn around the bottom of the spindle, under the "arms" and feed one end of the loop through the other.

Pull tight to secure, and then wrap the yarn onto and around the arms as instructed.

Introduce your spindle to the fiber. (It’s always good to be polite.)

Now, make a similar loop at the end of your leader yarn, and thread some of the fiber through it.

Pull tight. At this point, I fold the drafted fiber in half around the leader so that it will twist back on itself, giving a doubly-sure join as you start–both from the leader grasping the fiber, and from the fiber basically locking around around the leader yarn.

Add twist . . . well, you know the rest!

Of course, it never hurts to have an admirer lending support…. Chappy actually posed for this photo, which is practically unheard of. Usually he turns his head away from the flash of the camera, so looking up and smiling? Priceless.

Oh, boy, did the Ann over at Mason-Dixon Knitting ever come up with the perfect knitalong for me at this point. The Slogalong. Remember last month when I bemoaned the fact that my existing projects were endless? And which, naturally, have slown down even further since I started my Mystery Project? I think I definitely have to sign up, huh??

And, I thank you for the compliments on the pansy pictures yesterday. I hope none of you thought I’d actually taken them myself. To have pansies (that many at least), I’d need to garden, and we already know that I don’t do that. (Achoo!) I have a hard enough time keeping my house plants alive. Hurray for Google, huh?

For the record, though, yeah, I still think my Tibetan Dreams roving is looking like pansies.

And, hurray for the Dillon Panthers. Not only was the season finale excellent, but it got some encouraging news. Fingers crossed for season two!

Hey, that story about Joshua Bell I told you about the other day? Picked up by Reuters. I still love that story.

I can’t believe Risa got another new toy.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Turkish Delight // 8 Comments »

Turns out, the Tibetan Dreams roving doesn’t remind me so much of roses as pansies….

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Pansies // 12 Comments »

I was a busy little spinner this weekend, you’ll be so impressed.

Not only did I finish my second bobbin of Big Yellow Taxi on Friday night . . . the first bobbin, of course, I did at Liz’s last month . . .  but between Friday night at 9:00 and Sunday night I spun up four ounces of my never-ending roving. As in, spun two bobbins of singles AND plied them.

Honest!

Last night around 4:00, it looked like this:

Two bobbins of slightly over-spun singles. I had my wheel on a higher ratio than usual and there are some little pigtails in the singles that didn’t come out when I plied so there are some small, hard places in the yarn . . . which, frankly, would bother me more if I weren’t kind of sick of this roving by now. It’s still soft, it’s still beautiful, it still spins up wonderfully, but it’s still here. It should have grown up and moved out long ago.

My deal with myself is that I can spin other things from my spinning stash so long as I alternate between this mountain of roving and the new, exciting stuff. That seems fair, don’t you think?

And so, as of last night, I’m spinning my Tibetan Dreams roving.

Look how pretty it looks in my hat, waiting to be spun. Like little corriedale roses . . .

In fact, that’s exactly what this roving makes me think of–a garden of roses. Purples, yellows, golds, peaches, pinks . . . it’s like a flower shop. Very Springy.

And, of course, it’s effortless to spin. No pre-drafting necessary, and it’s just gorgeous.

I mean, really . . . gorgeous. Vibrant, vivid, fabulous color.

I do find that my two main criteria in knitting is that I like yarn that is soft, and I like creative color combinations. I’ve nothing against white, black, beige, but I xan’t remember the last time I knit or spun something that wasn’t some sort of color.

Of course, I don’t know that this, as a finished yarn, is going to be something I ever knit anything from, or would wear . . . I won’t know until I’ve got the finished skein in front of me . . . but in the meantime, my eyes are drinking in the colors.

It’s such a relief, too, to have spinning progress to show you, too, because there’s nothing I can show you from the knitting side. My mystery project is moving along . . . I’ve finished my first skein of Cascade 220 . . . but obviously I can’t be more specific. (My sister even asked me yesterday to tell her what the surprise was, as if! How does she know it’s not something for her?? All I’ll say is that I’ll be able to show and tell by the end of our family gift-giving season in May and June.)

Oh–and the cake in yesterday’s Easter picture? Homemade crumbcake, made from the recipe in the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated, which just arrived a week ago . . . I used two of its recipes for Easter, so its timing was perfect! (The other one was the "Better than A-1" steak marinade. You know, in case you’re interested.)

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Round and Round and…. // 12 Comments »

Happy Easter, everyone!

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Easter // 9 Comments »

So, here we are on the nameless Saturday of Easter weekend. Have you ever noticed that all the other days in this weekend . . . starting with Thursday, really . . . have special monikers, but not Saturday? Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, (plain, ordinary Saturday) and then Easter. The biggest day on the Christian calendar. (Although, really, I’ve always been more of a fan of Christmas–birth without having to be crucified first. Not nearly so much anguish.) Anyway, I’ve always felt that this Saturday deserved some kind of extra title, because, well, all the other days do . . . but what, really? Waiting Saturday has always seemed appropriate to me. Not only because the disciples were waiting (well, they didn’t know, of course, but still), but because as a kid, the night the Easter Bunny came was almost as hard to sleep through as the night Santa came….

So, what have I done with my Saturday? This morning, Mom and I went to the bookstore and the grocery store, and then I baked. Cake for tomorrow’s dinner, and a crumb cake for breakfast. We took Chappy for a walk, too, but otherwise . . . that pretty much sums up my day. Tonight, we watched "The Holiday" with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, which I thought was relatively cute and amusing but kind of long-winded. It certainly could have been edited some more, tightened up a little, but still. Good for a holiday weekend. I got an hour and a half’s knitting done on my mystery project, too. Thankfully, it’s moving along reasonably quickly–faster than my "real" projects are–and someday I’ll actually be able to show it to you….

Now, here’s a great article from the Washington Post. What would happen if one of the world’s foremost violinists busked in a DC subway station during rush hour?On his Stradivarius, nonetheless. Would people notice? Would he draw a crowd? Be ignored? Great article . . . and the snippets of online video are interesting, too.

And, that’s pretty much it for tonight. Not even a Saturday Sky picture for you (sorry). Hope everyone’s weekend is going swimmingly, and wish you all a happy Easter, whether it’s a day you celebrate or not. (Because, you know, if not, I wish you a happy Sunday–it’s a win-win all around.)

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Waiting Saturday // 13 Comments »

Sorry. No time to blog. Too busy playing around and making my own maps . . .

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Mapping // 1 Comment »

Because, really, how could I resist? I just adore this photo…..

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Sleeping // 15 Comments »

Lucky Chappy. He’s got new bling for his collar.

(And, I can’t believe I just used the word "bling.")

Isn’t it cute? A silver tag that I bought from Etsy. Because, well, doesn’t Chappy deserve something beautiful?

Useful, too, because it’s got his phone number on the back. Very important, you know, because he doesn’t have a wallet to carry his I.D. in, and a microchip is handy (he has one, of course) but still not as convenient as a phone number on the collar!

Wait. What’s that?

You want to know what it’s sitting on?

Well . . . okay . . .

Two soft, beautiful, gorgeous ounces of 50/50 tussah silk/cashmere, dyed in the Opal colorway.

My camera couldn’t capture the greens in the roving–it focused more on the blue and purple, but trust me. It’s got all three of them, and they are just too, too beautiful.

I don’t know when I’ll get to spin this, mind you. I’ve got bunches of others waiting their turn. But I already know how luscious this is going to be. I spun some of this last summer, remember? In the colorway Reds that I got from my Yarn Aboard pal. So I know how wonderfully this is going to spin. The current plan is to use this to try out the lace-kit for my Little Gem, which has been waiting since November.

But, ooh, it’s tempting….

Here’s an interesting link–what if we taught English the same way we taught mathematics? Language skills taught out of dictionaries and grammar guides, used only for necessities, not for joy, for pleasure, for beauty . . . because, the point here is that’s how we teach math. For balancing checkbooks, doing basic calculations, but never for the joy of it. Now, I’m not nor never have been a math whiz, but I did the advanced stuff in high school, and found pleasure in balancing an equation or solving a proof . . . there’s a beauty there, too, that so many students never see because they’re stuck with an uninspiring methodology . . . food for thought, huh?

And, it might be getting bad reviews, but Chappy still wants to see this movie… the commercials on tv are so cute. How do I break it to him that the movie itself is supposed to be bad? Or, would he just not care, what with it being a movie about a smart dog, and all? Of course . . . what with Chappy himself just being a dog, he’ll probably believe what I tell him, huh?

At least he’s got a nice new tag on his collar . . . or, well, will as soon as I pull out the pliers…..

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Jewels // 8 Comments »

Okay, the Journey Wheel finally made her way up the stairs and is now playing interference . . . just in case the Little Gem and the Lendrum get any ideas.

Of course, the Journey Wheel isn’t feeling its best right now. The string around the Flyer wheel broke, and while I was trying to adjust that, the string tensioning the spring also broke, so now I’m trying to get it back in working order, but still can’t get the flyer drive band the right length, have everything rotate as it should AND stil be able to close it and put it in its case.

Really, when I’m done here, JW and I are going to have a friendly little chat.

I don’t want you to think that we’re angry with each other, though, because we’re not. We’re working together to solve this should-be-temporary little problem.

And in the meantime, I’m letting her hold this pretty braid of Vesper Blue-Faced Leicester roving in Pacific that came today. Turquoise and brown . . . mmmm . . .

Now, I’m going to get a head start on Thursday, with  . . .

Booking Through Thursday

1. Just out of curiosity, as we enter into Passover and Easter season
   . . . have you ever read the Bible? Just the odd chapter or Psalm? The
   whole thing? (Or, almost the whole thing? It’s some heavy reading, of
   course, and those "begats" get kind of tedious.) I’ve read most of the Bible, but not all of it. Pretty much all of the Old Testament, though I skimmed a fair amount of the prophets . . . it got kind of redundant. (Sorry.) The New Testament? I’m stalled somewhere after the book of John…
2. If so, was
   it from religious motivation or from a literary perspective? Stuck with
   nothing else to read in a hotel room the Gideon’s have visited? Any
   combination? Curiosity more than anything else. There really are some beautiful passages in there, but I’m not exactly zealous enough to plow through some of the most boring parts. (Well, some of it IS boring; that’s not sacrilege so much as, well, fact.) It’s certainly true that there’s a lot of wisdom in there. I was raised as a Christian, and thought it behooved me to address the original text, as it were . . . and, seriously, one of these days I’ll get all the way through to Revelations. Really!
3. If not, why not? Against your religious
   principles? Too boring? Just not interested? Something you’re planning
   on taking care of when you get marooned on a desert island?
4. And while we’re on the subject . . . what about the other great religious works out there? Are they more to your liking? I’ve read some of those, too, yes. I find the comparisons fascinating, and the different world-views endlessly interesting. My favorite analogy of religion? That all religions–all of them–are trying to get to the same peak of the same mountain–the answer to all your questions about why we’re here, the meaning of life, all of it. But all of them are approaching from different angles–some have hard paths, some have easy. Some (like, say, the ones that promote human sacrifice), have their routes blocked by avalanches or crevasses. But they are all trying to get to the same place. I love that. Because to me, it doesn’t matter what you call God (if you call Him at all), but asking the questions, and trying to be a good person that matters.

And, honest, that’s about as "deep" as I’m going to get tonight!

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Chaperone // 11 Comments »

We’re doing spindle testing here at ChappyR