I’ve got nothing.

No, no, not as in “I’ve got nothing to talk about.”

I’ve got nothing in my knitting bag.

Not only is my sweater done (except the buttons), but so are myAspen-handspun  wrist-warmers. (Well, except for weaving in the ends.) On the plus side, I’ve got something new to read….

And there’s the spinning, too. I’m really happy with the way this yarn is looking.

I wound some yarn into balls, too. The color looks very brownish-yellow because of the light (hey, it was rainy, and the light does reflect pretty yellowy off those walls), but you’ve seen this before. It’s the STR Carbon that I spun last year. It didn’t all fit on my ball-winder at one time, so I wound it into two balls.

The only problem is that I don’t know exactly what I want to do with it.

Sheesh. I really can’t remember the last time THIS happened! Obviously it’s a good thing I started those socks on Friday. Although the first one is already up to the heel, so that’s not going to last very long….

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Empty // 6 Comments »

Well, as close as makes no difference, my Flutter-Sleeve cardigan is done. I still need to sew the little tabs onto the sleeves, and sew on the buttons, but that’s not exactly going to be a strain (grin). I finished sewing the side seams last night and washed/blocked it to get the sleeve cuffs behaving, and now am just waiting for it to dry so I can do that last little bit of sewing to make it 100% done instead of just 99.5% done.

The buttons, to remind you, are these. Though, again, the camera isn’t reporting the colors accurately. Believe it or not, the third one down (Montrose) is actually the best match, even though to the camera it appears to be a completely different color. The Donan (the top) is a lot more brown than green, and looks good as an accent. Mom and I both have a soft spot for the Vencencia button–which seems a little fancy for a simple sweater, and yet looks lovely.

I have to make up my mind soon, though, because as soon as this sweater is dry, I don’t have any more excuses!

Otherwise? I did some serious dusting/vacuuming this morning to get my bedroom clean. My asthma’s been bothering me the last couple of days (and, have I mentioned, I hate having asthma!), so I figured I should make a point of getting my room as clean as possible. (With, of course, the awareness that doing the cleaning myself may simply aggravate the problem, but what can I do?) And when I haven’t been cleaning, or cooking, I’ve more or less been curled up on the couch with Chappy. I’m reading a really good mystery, A Test of Wills, which I’m grateful is the first in a series, because I’m enjoying it quite a bit and am always thankful when there’s more. It takes place in 1919 England and Inspector Rutledge is trying to drag himself back from shell-shock from the war, and it’s just really very good.

This reminds me, though–it’s just about the end of the month and I need to get my monthly reading list posted in two days … well, at least it will give me something to do in my knit-less state. Because, except for the almost-finished wrist-warmers and a (yawn) pair of socks I started in self-defense the other day so I’d have something to do at the hair salon, I’ve got nothing. No sweater. No shawl. No interesting projects of any kind. Sigh.

Here’s a nifty link for you–recreated photos from Hitchcock’s classic movies. Some gorgeous photos, there. It reminds me of those Annie Leibovitz Disney photos (also beautiful).

Oh, and because these are fun once in a while (seen at Sandy’s):
83 words

Speedtest

• Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Fluttering // 11 Comments »

Back to the center of town for Mom and me today. It was a beautiful day but a little chilly–about 40 degrees and breezy. The sky was blue-blue-blue, though.

Just like last weekend, we went in for some coffee. (Oh, and that big hole in the shopping plaza they’re renovating? I didn’t get a picture, but they’ve put up a cinder-block wall, so now there’s basically an alley through what was the center of the building–which is an improvement over a big hole, but I’m still dying to know why.)

Anyway, after coffee, I went for a haircut. It’s only been two months since my last one and I really prefer to stretch them longer than that, but it was starting to get to the point of needing a cut and since I want to look my best next month when I get to meet all those sheep, lambs, goats, and kids (not to mention Susan and any other fellow bloggers who might be at the MV Fiber Festival), well, I figured it was better to get it trimmed now. As usual, I won’t know until tomorrow how good the cut actually is, but since I haven’t been screaming in front of the mirror like I was after that awful cut in November, the signs are propitious.

Speaking of signs … Spring is definitely coming!

Oh, and take a look at this amazing cake–decorated with frosting roses to look like map of the world.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to watching this Bewitched episode where Samantha and Darrin go back to determine whether he would still have married her if he knew she was a witch … Hulu.com is addictive!

• Tags: General, Hair • Permalink:Cutting // 4 Comments »

        

When we were little, whenever my parents would throw a party, this bowl would come out of the cabinet–a big one for chips and a little one for dip. Invariably, it was onion dip–you know the one, made with sour cream and Lipton Onion Soup Mix? We adored the stuff and, frankly, thought they should have more parties because that was about the only time we ever got to eat it.

Anyway, it’s a very 1960/1970’s kind of bowl. For Easter last week, we thought it would be nice to bring it out for old time’s sake. A blast from the past, as it were. My sister’s face lit up with recognition the minute she saw it.

And, of course that’s onion dip. Sure, salsa and tortilla chips would have worked, or some other, more modern dip but … why break with tradition?

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Dip // 11 Comments »

There’s no real progress to show you tonight because, well, things DO look pretty much the same as they did yesterday, though progress is being made.

But since that makes for a boring post, how about a couple links for you?

Like, how about this fabulous video of what 1930’s designers expected people would be wearing in the year 2000? (The man’s suit at the end is just hilarious.)

And, in a similar vein, this article from forty years ago predicting our lifestyles here in 2008 is pretty fun, too.  Some of it is pretty close, really, but um, I don’t know about anybody else, but I don’t make anything like150 mph on the way to work in the morning.

Of course, if you want to see what the future will really be like, check out what kind of laptops we’ll be using.

Those links are from the Clicked blog over at msnbc, but here’s one of my own.

Did you see these absolutely adorable pictures from the MV Fiber Farm blog yesterday? Because, oh wow, those pictures are the cutest. Especially the one with three itty bitty cuties being carried in a bucket.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Futuristic // 3 Comments »

We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close. I sewed in the shoulder seams and now it looks like it’s going to grow up to be a sweater.

The next step is picking up the stitches for the cuffs of the sleeves. Then sewing the side seams and sewing on the buttons. Um, after I decide which buttons. Clearly, though, we’re talking a couple more nights, tops, before this is finished, which means I really need to find my next project… soon!

And, here–a picture of my beautiful boy, basking in the sun in his crate. He had another morning spent behind bars today, because we’ve still been having problems with our phones–and internet. Hopefully (knock wood), this is fixed now, but not until I got a call at the office asking me for the user name and password for our router’s security settings. The technician needed to change the channel setting, but couldn’t without either getting the password or resetting back to the original settings–which would have meant that my parents wouldn’t be able to get on the internet until I came home at lunch and reset the wireless settings either on their computers or on the router. So. Since I couldn’t remember the name and password over the phone, and couldn’t begin to tell them where to look for the piece of paper I’d written them down on … I came home. (Luckily, it’s a short drive from the office.)

Naturally, my laptop didn’t remember the settings since I’d obviously done a complete clearing of the cache since the last time I changed router settings, so I had to rummage through the three possible spots I could think of that the settings were written down. (And, really, as an aside, it’s a little frightening that I’m the family expert on this kind of thing. What do I know about computer security?) I did find it, though, and he changed the setting he needed to, and fingers-crossed, our phones haven’t had problems since. Let’s hope!

Hey, remember a year ago, when my DVD-recorder was having that weird problem where it kept changing the time by an hour, all on its own, for no apparent reason? The one that caused me to be DVD-player-less in my bedroom for over two months? Guess what my DVD-recorder is doing?? Sheesh. Like I can afford to buy a new one right now?? Unbelievable. So much for “fixed.”

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Head and Shoulders // 7 Comments »

Here is my “it’s-really-not-that-gray” sweater, stretched leisurely out on the blocking board.

It needs to finish drying before I can sew the shoulders together.

The shoulders need to be sewn together before I can knit the sleeve cuffs.

Which means that–since the only other knitting project I have at all is my wrist-warmers–I have nothing to knit tonight. Unless I wanted to work on the wrist-warmers (yawn).

I could spin, though. I started plying this last night but didn’t get very far at all. See, I started, but only did this tiny little bit. For two reasons. One, by the time I’d pulled out my plying bobbin and gotten the smaller brake-knob installed, I was getting pretty tired. But, two, my the bedroom light at 10:30, I wasn’t entirely sure I loved it plied together, and immediately worried that there wasn’t enough of that beautiful blue showing. So, since it was late and I was tired, I stopped there for the night, figuring it would be easy to start fresh if necessary, without having wasted much by plying them together.

By daylight, though, I DO like the look of the yarn, and will therefore go forward with the plying.

Tonight would be a good opportunity, too, since I’ll be up in my room tonight. It’s Tuesday, so Mom will be watching “Beauty and the Geek” at 8:00, which is usually my knitting time. I really don’t like reality shows though (sorry), so while I wouldn’t dream of interfering with Mom watching one she likes so much, well, I’d rather be upstairs. I just can’t really knit in my room because, comfy as my red chair is, the lighting for it is pretty dismal and it gives me a headache to read (or knit) in it after dark. Especially since the light next to the chair is more or less eye-level (glare always irritates my eyes) and between me and the television–which makes that worse. Usually this isn’t an issue because I’m usually either in the bed or sitting on the floor, leaning against the red chair’s ottoman, and so have plenty of light. It’s just, these rare occasions (grin).

Now, I’m going to sum this up because we’ve been having trouble all day with our phones and our modem–the problem that Optimium still hasn’t managed to fix–and their signal has been wavering in and out all day. It’s just safer to get this posted now, while I can! Have a great night, everyone.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Now What? // 5 Comments »

My Flutter-Sleeve cardigan isn’t quite as far along as I thought it would be, because it turns out that my two button bands are different lengths. I know, it sounds crazy, but when the instructions read, “Knit until band reaches the shoulder when slightly stretched,” It’s not exactly the most definite instruction, you know? And it turns out that I apparently felt “slightly-stretched” meant different things when I knit the first one than when I knit the second. So I’m going to have to tear out the seam on the second front and add a few inches onto the button band, and then sew it on again. THEN I can block it, sew the shoulder seams, knit the cuffs, and be done.

Even with the backward step, though, I’m still one step closer to being finished. My button candidates arrived today.

I’ll remind you first that this yarn–for God knows what reason–is hard to photograph properly. It keeps wanting to photograph as gray unless the flash is on, so I can’t entirely vouch for the colors in these pictures. But I’m going to show you two of each anyway–one with the “gray” sweater and one with the green (aka the same sweater). Just for comparison’s sake. Mostly because the buttons seem more accurate in the non-flash photos, but the color of the sweater is better in the flash-photos. Oh, and I’m providing links to the Button Drawer page for each, so you can see their pictures of the buttons.

Donan.

Swirl Lines.

Montrose.

Vencencia.

I tell you, this button-decision thing is hard! (There are two I particularly like, but I’m not going to say which ones just yet. You know, in case anybody wants to give me their opinion!)

I got my copy of Spin-Off today–and guess who got a nice write-up? Yep. The Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm. Woohoo!

Marnie had a shawl highlighted, too.

And in the Vogue Knitting that came on Saturday? A nice paragraph or so about Modern Yarn in Montclair.

It’s so nice when friends get the recognition they deserve, don’t you think?

Oh, and the plying decision about the singles I finished yesterday? I still think they’d look great on their own, and I still think that blue is fabulous all by itself … but when I think about it, I keep thinking about them together. So, I think that’s what it’s going to be!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Fluttering Along // 19 Comments »

Yep. Easter. So the family was here and a good time was had by all. (Here, the picture of the loving brother and sister. “You can put your arm behind, but don’t touch me!”)

Sure, there was the last-minute change to the menu because the turkey didn’t smell right and for some reason Mom didn’t want to risk poisoning the entire family. (Go figure.) So she ran out to the grocery store and bought split chicken breasts and we had those, instead. Along with the trouble-making lemon pound cake and strawberries that I made for dessert. But everything tasted good. And everyone was in a good mood, too.

Chappy had a wonderful time but is now completely exhausted. He barely got any nap-time in today at all.

My sister went digging through her old art portfolio while she was here and found this (ahem) self-portrait from high school. Please, let me reassure you that her hair was never quite this big or square.

I got a ton of spinning done. As in, this bobbin was completely empty as of 12:00.

As in, I only just finished the first of the navy-blue/tweedish bobbins this morning, then started the second one … and finished it. All in one afternoon. Along with helping to cook and stopping to eat and laugh.

Which also means that now it’s decision time. Do I ply the two colors together? Or do I ply them seperately and then just knit them into the same project?

I took a short length of the singles and let them twist together to get an idea. Here they are against three different backgrounds, and in three different lights.

I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about keeping them separate but … I kind of like that. Darn. I was hoping this was going to be an EASY decision.

But, really, I’m still astounded at having spun over four ounces of roving this afternoon.

Did I mention that Chappy’s tired?

Oh, and about that movie meme from Friday. All but two have been identified. (I’m particularly impressed with Jessalu for getting that old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie.) Since there are two left, though, how about another clue, each?

4. Original clue: Not exactly a soup question, now is it? Second clue: The key to a woman’s heart is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time. Finding Forrester, answered (finally!) by Risa.

6. Original clue: Don’t swim, Fredric, take the dingy! Second clue: Tarantara. Tarantara. Pirates of Penzance. Ina got it!

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Easter (with Spinning) // 10 Comments »

Mom and I went out for coffee this morning at the new SmartWorld coffee shop that just opened up in town. The interesting part is that it moved into the space that Starbucks had been in for years. Starbucks–which has been gone since December–is moving. Do you see that grey-bricked corner location in the currently-being-updated shopping plaza directly across the street? Yep. That’s going to the be the new Starbucks. I suppose the two competing coffee shops could technically be closer, but, um … not by much!

What I’m really curious about is–down at the end of that shopping plaza–what used to be the Key Foods grocery store now has a big hole. Not just in the facade, which is being updated (something about 30 years overdue), but that gaping hole? It goes all the way through to the back of the building. I’m just dying to know what they’re doing! The rest of the plaza is just getting a face lift, but that one section is getting major reconstruction surgery, but why? Nobody knows what that store is going to be, either. We’ve heard that it might be a Walgreens, but I’ve also heard that that deal fell through, so who knows? It’s interesting to watch though.

While we were having our coffee, I worked on my wrist-warmers. The yarn is the Aspen color, merino-tencel from Spunky from a few months ago and I just love it. Soft, pretty, gorgeous colors. Blue and golden-brown is one of my very favorite color combinations.

Afterwards, we stopped at the grocery store for some last-minute things for Easter dinner tomorrow. While we were there, we bumped into our next-door neighbor in the refrigerated-food section, and when we got to the check-out line, we saw our next-door neighbors from the other side. That’s certainly the first time that ever happened. I mean, really, what are the odds? And then … we were buying some strawberries for dessert and as I lifted the container out of the grocery cart … it opened. Strawberries went everywhere–onto the check-out conveyor belt, on the floor, in the shopping cart. Everywhere! I ran back to get another container while Mom dealt with the, um, overflow, with the help of a store employee with a broom who was actually finished sweeping them up by the time I got back. I’ve certainly never had that happen before. If anything, those containers are usually hard to open!

Of course, I needed something to go WITH those berries, so I baked this afternoon, too. Everything went fine until the cake was in the oven, because that was when it overflowed the pan. The cake itself didn’t burn, but we still had a nice, smoky smell wafting around the kitchen. In fact, when I opened the oven to put in the coffee cake for tomorrow’s breakfast, there was a whole cloud of smoke in there. I just hope it didn’t flavor the cake. Smoke is an excellent flavor for bacon or ham, but not really ideal for cake, you know?

Other than that? We took Chappy out for a walk, and I spent much of the day curled up with Harry Potter. I’ve been re-reading the series and … honestly, I’m pretty proud of myself … this is the first time I’ve read the Deathly Hallows since it came out in July. Considering how much I love to re-read books, that shows admirable self-restraint, you know. Especially when you consider I put it aside for two hours tonight–just as I got to the end–so Mom and I could watch Enchanted. (And now I have the “That’s How You’ll Know” song in my head–good thing I like it.)

My Vogue Knitting came today, and this sweater caught my eye. You know that I need another project for when my Flutter-Sleeve cardi is done, and that’s going to be any day now. I finished the second button band tonight and now need to block the pieces, sew the shoulder seams, and then knit the sleeve cuffs … and then, it will be pretty much done, except for the side seams and the buttons. But, obviously, that’s not exactly going to take me forever, so I need another knitting project, soon! I never actually wear lace sweaters, though, but this one sure is pretty. I haven’t actually looked at the yarn requirements, but I AM still looking for a pattern to go with that Sublime yarn I got last July. (And, jeepers, I can’t believe that was the last time I bought a sweater’s worth of yarn!)

And, this shrug? I have no need for it myself, but oh, what a beautiful wedding accessory. The way the pattern meets at the back with a knitted rose, and those renaissance lace cuffs? Such a pretty, romantic piece. There’s another picture here. If I were getting married, this is definitely a shrug I would consider.

Okay, I’ve got to go find out if Harry can save the world or not…. (grin)

• Tags: Baking, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Saturday // 13 Comments »

What? Another Chappy?

Impossible! Because, of course, there could never really be another–my boy is totally unique.

But look at all that fur.

There must be enough there for another dog, don’t you think?

Really, he’s had quite a day. While I was home at lunch, I ground his nails (which, naturally, he just loves), but rewarded him with a short, brisk walk before I headed back to the office. Then, because of the holiday weekend, I got out an hour early, so that gave me time to do his haircut AND his weekly bath before supper.

Really, it’s been quite the spa day … pity he doesn’t enjoy it more.

I still can’t believe that Easter is this weekend. It’s the earliest it’s been since 1913, and won’t be this early again until the 23rd century. I was proud of myself, though, for remembering how they determine the date each year–the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring equinox. Thursday was the equinox, and today is the full moon. Really, it could only have possibly been one day earlier, so this is really as early as it gets! A couple people at work were complaining that they barely had time to get their St. Patrick’s Day decorations up before they had to take them down for the Easter decorations. (I know, it’s tragic, huh?)

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I saw this meme at Mim’s and thought it sounded fun:The rules:1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie (or get them out of your capacious memory).
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

1. Emergency! Everybody to get from street! The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!. Answered by Pat. (Though, the line just isn’t the same without the chorus of voices in thick, Russian accents. That movie is just hilarious.)
2. Fate is the foolish thing. Take a chance! The Gay Divorcee, answered by Jessalu. And I’m very impressed! I didn’t think anybody would get this one, from an old, black-and-white Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie.
3. Verbal ability is a highly overrated thing in a guy, and it’s our pathetic need for it that gets us into so much trouble. Sleepless in Seattle. Answered by Judy.
4. Not exactly a soup question, now is it? Finding Forrester, answered (finally!) by Risa.
5. I don’t know. It’s a mystery. Shakespeare in Love. Answered by Kirsten.
6. Don’t swim, Fredric, take the dingy! Pirates of Penzance. Ina got this with the second clue: “Tarantara. Tarantara“
7. Laugh it up, fuzzball. The Empire Strikes Back. Okay, Sue gets credit–it took her two tries to get the title, but since she described the scene, I’ll give it to her (grin).
8. Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes erroneously Singin’ in the Rain. Answered by my sister, Patty.
9. Oh, but “baby fish mouth” is sweeping the nation? When Harry Met Sally. Answered by Alexis.
10. Well, there’s the usual things: flowers… chocolates… promises you don’t intend to keep. Beauty and the Beast. Answered by Mim. (I love that line, too. Did you know it was adlibbed by David Odgen Stiers?)

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Another Chappy // 18 Comments »

You know, knitting isn’t the only thing you can do with a pair of sticks.

Sometimes, they’re more fun to just put into your hair.

(It’s just a pity that my hair never stays up. I think the record–even with excellent twisting, great hair sticks, and firm closure–was about four hours. Still, pretty!)

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday, Hair • Permalink:Sticks // 8 Comments »

You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What? (Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)

It’s been far too long since I answered one of the BTT questions myself, which, you know, is pretty silly since I’m the one asking them in the first place.

So, me? Simple. When I hit the end of a book I plunge full-steam ahead into the next one. I mean, it’s pretty clear that I have a reading addiction, right? You could probably call me a chain-reader. Even when I finish a book at bedtime, I still need to find another book to read before I can go to sleep, so it’s ready to go. As I move around the house, I always have a book with me, so it’s available at a moment’s notice. The only time I really pause between books? When I can’t find just the right one to “click.” I call that being “Bookless,” and it’s a tragic thing (sniffle).

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:After the End // 8 Comments »

You know, the sad part about having only one “real” knitting project is that it makes the knit-blogging really kind of dull. I mean, look at my knitting bag. All green Silky Wool and nothing else. It looks lovely, it does, but it doesn’t leave me a whole lot to say. I’ve got one button-band done and just need to mark the location of the buttons and then knit button-band number two with holes to match. Exciting stuff, huh?

Then there’s the spinning. I have been getting a fair amount of regular spinning done and am actually getting pretty close to finishing this first bobbin of the dark navy tweedish kind of yarn. No, really, it’s a daaaark color. Just, um, pretend I didn’t have the flash on. (Except, you know, I did because otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all.)

Today’s weather was pretty blah, too. It rained all day. More or less non-stop. So, no walk for Chappy. The highlight of his day was my sister and niece stopping by to pick up Mom for a trip to IKEA. My niece needed a new desk/worktable for her bedroom and they asked Mom to come along–which, naturally, she hated (grin). They stopped by the house to pick her up which meant Chappy was able to give one of his patented “I’m so happy to see you!” greetings … and, yeah, that was about the highlight of his day. That and getting to do it again when they brought Mom home at lunchtime. The bad part was that, each time, they only stayed a few minutes before leaving again and then everything went back to dreary again.

But, here’s an announcement for you. I know how much you knitters love a good cause, and that many of you love sci-fi and fantasy books as well. Well, Terry Pratchett (author of the Discworld books) recently came forward with the announcement that he has Alzheimer’s. He’s donated approximately a million dollars to Alzheimer’s research and his fans are trying to match that. They’ve only been collecting for something like four days and are up to about $70,00 (35,000 British pounds) … So! I have a special hatred of Alzheimer’s, since it’s what (finally) killed my grandfather back in 1967, before they really knew what Alzheimer’s was. He stayed home with my grandmother until the end–and she luckily had great neighbors and relatives who helped out. On the rare occasions Dad mentions it, he’ll say that my grandfather almost took her with him, it was so incredibly difficult, taking care of him. So, yes, I’m definitely supporting this one, for the grandfather I never got a chance to know. You can donate to the Match it for Pratchett site or to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust directly. Oh, and there are t-shirts, too. Whether you ever read the man’s books or not, it’s a good cause, folks. Do you know that they’re predicting that 18% of all baby boomers will develop this disease? That’s one in five people out of an entire generation. Talk about scary. Match it for Pratchett!

Do know that tomorrow, the 20th, is Sweater Day in honor of Mr. Rogers, right? Wear a sweater tomorrow!

And, remember that adorable, baby lamb I mentioned on Monday? Sad news. But at least, today, life is moving onward with a few new arrivals….

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Blah // 5 Comments »

It was a very “Monday” Monday today. We’ve been having trouble with our phones for a while now, so today, Optimum was here yet again, this time to get our alarm system hooked back up. But in the meantime, they needed to run new wire an try to make sense out of a tangle of cables that other technicians have left over the years. All of which meant Chappy was confined to the laundry room and the hallway just outside it for hours. We took him for a walk at lunch, and he was so anxious to get OUT, he pulled me all the way to the front door. One of the technicians (nicely) joked, “Who’s taking who for a walk?”

And, meanwhile, tonight is yet another night that the poor little guy is just exhausted. All that frustration of wanting to chase people out of the house and not being able to!

Otherwise, well, it was Monday, what can I say? At least the sun was shining.

Now, just a few links for you.

Did you see this incredibly tiny and precious lamb today? Say “Awwww” with me.

I ordered some buttons for my sweater, and am hoping that I made a good guess as to the color. It’s tricky on the computer, of course, and my Dad laughed at me when he walked by an saw me sitting here holding one of my sweater pieces next to the screen.

Did you see? We’ve got a new neighbor. (Three miles away counts as a neighbor, right?) Another “Awwww.”

• Tags: General • Permalink:Some links // 6 Comments »

So, back at Rhinebeck, I had bought two bunches of roving from the Sheep Shed–the blue merino, which I’ve been raving about for weeks now, and a black/blue/brown blend of corriedale. The plan had always been to spin them into singles and then ply them together, like I did with that peppermint/magenta combo that I put together for my Tatami sweater.

But then, the blue is so gorgeous–now I keep wondering. Do I really want to dilute the color by plying it with something else? I’m thinking probably not, but at the same time, they really do look fabulous together. The only way I can be sure is to spin up the other roving and then take a long, hard look at the two of them.

Now, this picture was taken in direct light, so the blue looks more turquoise than the real yarn does–it is NOT this light a blue, the first picture is much more accurate–but the brightness helps show that the same color blue is part of the other roving. There’s no question that the two look great together.

The second roving is spinning up … well, actually a little darker than this … but it almost looks like a dark, navy blue. Or dark gray with hints of blue. Something like that.

(Actually, as a side note, I am so frustrated with my camera right now. Things it’s supposed to do, it’s not doing–like Macro when it’s on the Auto setting. Or reversing the picture when the LCD screen is turned 180 degrees. Or taking anything like a decent picture when it’s on the “P” setting where, theoretically, you can set the settings to anything you want. Which means the only decent photos are coming from the Auto setting but it’s not letting me use Macro. Even though it’s supposed to. Argh. So, you know, we won’t even discuss the aggravating nature of the not-quite-right colors. I mean, I agree with everything Claudia said about wanting settings to play with, to learn with, but… there’s a reason I’m reaching for my Elph more and more these days. It’s got fewer settings to play with, but it also hasn’t arbitrarily decided that there are some that it just won’t do any more. It’s never let me down.)

Ahem. So, anyway, I’m going to spin the, we’ll call it, Navy singles and then decide whether I want to ply them together or not. But even if not, I’m thinking that these two NEED to be in the same sweater. For obvious reasons, the colors are so happy together. Wouldn’t they look great in some kind of a stranded, color-pattern kind of sweater? You know, so long as I have enough yardage? (grin)

Speaking of sweaters, I finished the second front on my Flutter-Sleeve cardi last night. Now I just have to knit the front bands, the cuffs on the sleeves, and sew it all together. And, oh yeah, find buttons. I went through my entire button stash this afternoon, looking for something that would work, but nothing quite does. I found one–only one–possibility, but they’re not ideal and the buttons are a trifle small. So … now I have to figure out where I can get buttons. There aren’t any good, brick-and-mortar, button stores around here that I know of, so it’s either go to a LYS with my fingers crossed, or try the online route.

Do you realize, though? I’m almost done with this sweater, and I don’t have another project lined up yet? Yikes!

Meanwhile, it’s Sunday, and it’s been a relaxing one. Chappy didn’t even get the haircut that he needs, but he did get plenty of nap time to catch up from the rigors of yesterday. (He said he can’t remember the last time his tail was this tired.) But since it’s Sunday, that means that tomorrow is Monday, Chappy’s least favorite day of the week.

See? This is him trying to find his Happy Place so he won’t have to think about it.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Spinning Blue // 6 Comments »

So, since we don’t get HBO any more, and since I’m such a fan of John Adams, and it’s supposed to be so good …

I don’t suppose any of you with HBO and a DVD-recorder would want to record the mini-series for me, would you, huh?

It’s seven parts, starting tonight, and stars Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as John and Abigail Adams, and it’s been getting rave reviews pretty much everywhere. Darn it, it looks so good.

• Tags: General • Permalink:John Adams? // 6 Comments »

It’s not exactly the best photo in terms of composition, since the only one you can see clearly is Risa, but see what Chappy and I did today? That’s Risa, Alex, and Kat all on our couch … and waaaaay in the background, in the far corner, is Chappy.

That would make you think that he was trying to avoid the four-year-old-inspired chaos, but in fact, he was thrilled to take part. His tail barely stopped wagging the whole time, except for when fatigue set in and he took a nap. The one who was wary was Alex, who didn’t want much to do with Chappy at all. He sort of petted him a couple times, but mostly, he was happier when his Mom was between him and Chappy. I thought he’d gotten over that, but I guess not.

The new surprise was that Katherine wanted to sit with ME. That’s definitely never happened before. Not only did she share my chair with me for a while (taking Chappy’s spot), I actually got hugs and kisses. AND got to help her on with her coat! Wow. That’s huge. We all entertained my parents, too–Dad even came down and watched the end of Stuart Little with us because he was so enjoying the sounds of laughter coming from the family room. (We’ll just gloss over the part where Kat fell on a walk and needed to come back to the house for band-aids. Or when Alex’s feelings got hurt because she wanted to play with me instead of him at the end of the visit, so that he sat on the driveway and sulked. And we’ll hope it wasn’t my banana bread that disagreed with Risa. But, um, really, why dwell on the bad parts?)

Now that he’s had a chance to sit down and relax, Chappy is exhausted. (For some reason, spending the day with two four-year-olds has that affect.) I don’t think there’s any question but that he’s going to sleep well tonight.

(Oh, and this is the dirty look he gave me for taking that picture. “Mom! I’m trying to SLEEP!”)

I finished my blue merino singles last night. And still, got to tell you, I love, love, love this color. Though, honestly, it photographs differently every time (grin). Also, yes, one bobbin was evenly-wound by my woolee winder, and one was wound by me manually moving the yarn guide on my my wheel’s flyer. So, I’m a little obsessive, what’s wrong with that?

I have a Saturday Sky picture for you, too, though technically I took it yesterday morning on my drive to work. Actually, the sky on Thursday on my way to work was pretty stunning, too, but I had a police officer right behind me and felt kind of funny pulling over just to take a picture, so I sort of skipped that one.

Oh, and Kat’s new earrings are adorable–little, sparkly pink flowers. And now, I need to clean kisses off the television. The twins got all involved in the scene where Prince Phillip woke up Sleeping Beauty….

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:Silly Saturday // 5 Comments »

Okay, so maybe I’m a little vain about my curls. As I go through my old archives, I keep coming across posts where I talk about my hair or show pictures of my hair, and really, well . . . what can I say? I like my curly hair!

Not to mention relieved to finally have a decent haircut.

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday, Hair • Permalink:Vanity // 5 Comments »

The short answer is … yes.

The longer answer? Yes, we’re going to the MV Fiber Festival.

We’re staying at Brady’s NESW, which looks lovely and includes breakfast. (And, incidentally, had one more room available if anybody else was looking.) The interesting part? The room only has one, queen-sized bed. Mom and I have shared a bed before, so this is fine … except, she’s never shared with Chappy before. And, of course, he’s never shared a bed with her, either. So that could be interesting (grin).

The other interesting thing is that Brady’s doesn’t have internet access. Yikes! How’s a girl (and her mother) supposed to update her (their) blog(s)? And, as to Chappy? Well, maybe Susan will come up with some kind of doggie daycare for the day, but if not? We’ll think of something.

I wouldn’t want you to go into Chappy withdrawal. I got up from my chair the other night and glanced back …

He looked so darn cute. Draped around the pillow, over the arm of the chair, and just looking remarkably comfortable. Awwwww!

Is it just me, or does he look like he’s trying to decide if it’s worth getting up to follow me?

• Tags: Chappy, Family, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:The Short Answer // 10 Comments »

First things first–here’s a current look at my Flutter-Sleeve cardigan. That’s a finished back, a finished front, and the beginning of the second front. It’s moving along nicely.

Now, in other news, Mom and I have desperately been trying to figure out a way to get to the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Festival next month. I mean, could it be any more perfect for us? First, it’s our absolute favorite place to visit, which I think you’ve probably noticed. Second, um, hello, Fiber Festival. Sponsored by the MV Fiber Farm, one of whose shares of wool I’ll be getting from this Spring’s shearing. Which, of course, is what triggered this fiber festival in the first place. Put together by Susan, who sent Mom and me that great package in January, to ease the Vineyard-withdrawal for Mom. You know, Susan, the one with the blog with all those adorable, new lamb pictures?

This isn’t going to be a fiber festival on the scale of, say, Rhinebeck, but still … wool, vendors, fun people, sheep, goats … all on Martha’s Vineyard. What’s not to love? And, besides, Mom and I both want to be there for the FIRST one, even if we can’t make a yearly habit of this (assuming Susan wanted to do this again next time). All this started, of course, with her deciding that opening up “Shearing Day” to the share-holders would be kind of nice. Who knew it would explode into a full-fledged (if small) fiber festival? I mean, you think, a flock of sheep and goats, a shearer, some new friends … simple. Not!

There are two tricks, though. One, um, have I mentioned that money is tight? And, two, we have to bring Chappy. I am, of course, always delighted to spend time with my boy and show him off. (You may have noticed.) Spending a weekend with him is not exactly a hardship, and we always take him to the island with us. But, um, the actual Festival, I’m sure, doesn’t allow dogs. Which means from 10:00 - 5:00 he’ll … stay in the car? It hardly seems fair, and of course we’ll visit frequently, but still. It’s not exactly ideal, and it does limit the options as to where we can stay, but leaving him home isn’t an option because Dad will be away that weekend, too. (Talk about a rarity.) Luckily, Chappy doesn’t mind the car when it’s staying still. (Oh, yeah. The carsickness. That’s another problem! And that the inn we might be staying at doesn’t have internet access–yikes!)

Anyway, these are things and decisions and numbers that Mom and I have been crunching the last few days, because we both really want to go–even Mom, who doesn’t spin or knit. (We’re anxious to meet Susan, too.) We figured, though, that since we’re having to postpone (read: cancel) our usual May trip (that pesky money thing again), two days in April seem … fair. Right? I mean, at the very least it will give Mom a chance to replenish her scone supply.

• Tags: Family, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:Festival? // 8 Comments »

Okay, the embedding didn’t work, so you’ve got to click over to the site, but it’s worth it. Go here . . . Lookybook. It’s a cute little site with scans of picture books, and this one, The Princess and the Pizza by Mary Jane and Herb Auch is just adorable.

And, psst! Did you know the new Spring Knitty is up?

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Princess and the Pizza // 4 Comments »

There’s not much to talk about on the knitting front today–although, actually, I finished one of the two fronts to my Flutter-Sleeve yesterday. That’s not that exciting, though, and there aren’t any pictures, so, we’ll just slide past that.

Chappy, of course, is as adorable as ever, but I can’t rave about him ALL the time. (Well, I could, but you might get bored eventually.)

So, instead, because it’s her birthday, I’m going to talk about my grandmother today. Not the one to whom I owe the family-famous “Grandma Cake.” No, the other one. Mom’s Mom.

This is the grandmother of the famous diamond ring story. The one who, er, visited Mom and me at the Sweet Life Cafe. The one to whom Chappy owes his name.

Because, you see, Grandma grew up on Martha’s Vineyard. She graduated from high school there, her mother is buried there, and she had enormous ties to the island before she moved to New Jersey and met my Grandfather.

She brought my Mom up every summer of her childhood, to romp around Oak Bluffs with her friends Willie Jones and Jackie Robinson. To be spoiled by her godparents. To go to the beach. To ride the Flying Horses. (That’s Grandma kneeling, and Mom is the itty-bitty tyke on the blanket.) All of which, of course, has made my mother absolutely love Martha’s Vineyard. Which she’s passed on to the rest of us.

 Unfortunately, my grandmother died when I was 9 years old. I distinctly remember the day–June 22nd, the last day of third grade, and I was setting the table for supper when the phone rang. It was grandpa, asking to speak to my Dad–which scared me right off the bat because, why would he ask to speak to Dad first? And I remember the sound of Mom’s scream when Dad passed on the news. It was totally unexpected. She’d been in bed with a cold but–so far as we knew–relatively fine, until her sudden heart attack. She died in my grandfather’s arms and Mom still says that that was the worst day of her life.

 Since I was fairly young when we lost her, I don’t have that many stories of my own to tell about Grandma. (Her name was Maude, by the way.) I wasn’t old enough yet to really sit and talk and laugh with her … but I know that Mom got her sense of silliness from her, and passed that on to me. In fact, Mom has also said that she used to get silly with her mom the way that I get silly with her–obviously something she and I would have had in common.

She also crocheted–I’ve got a box filled with beautiful, dainty handkerchiefs with handmade lace around the edges, for which I give her great credit. I’ve tried doing that myself and find it far too hard to see what I’m doing with the crochet hook at such a small scale.

 And, um, did I mention her love of Martha’s Vineyard? (grin) Because, you know, if she hadn’t loved it so much herself, and had such ties to it, she wouldn’t have brought Mom there so often when she was little. And then Mom wouldn’t have loved it enough to infuse that into her kids and her grandkids. And then, certainly, I wouldn’t have a dog with a Martha’s Vineyard-inspired name. (Two of them, technically.) Considering how much I love Martha’s Vineyard, I’m really very grateful for that.

And, of course, those stories that I’ve got–like that diamond ring story–are certainly good ones. But the best thing I owe to my grandma?

 My mom.

Happy birthday, Grandma!

• Tags: Family, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:Grand // 16 Comments »

So, first, you make oatmeal cookie dough and spread it in the pan. Then you make brownie batter….

… and pour that over the top.

 

When baked, you get a two-layer cookie with oatmeal and brownie intermingling in the most mouth-watering way. The idea is inspired by the FatWitch breakfast brownies, but the recipe is my own. Or, well, really, they’re the recipes that came on the boxes, but putting them together was my idea. The Baker’s Chocolate brownie recipe is still my favorite, and the oatmeal cookie part was adapted from the oatmeal-raisin cookie recipe on the Quaker Oatmeal container. (No raisins, no cinnamon, but otherwise the same.)

It makes for a really thick cookie (which my Dad insists on calling “cake,” sigh), which is why I baked it in my Edge Pan. I didn’t trust it to bake evenly in a regular, rectangular pan … although, really, it probably would have been fine. And, besides, I LOVE my Edge pan! Everyone should have one (grin).

This, plus making pot roast, is basically how I filled my day. (The pot roast? Browned in the pan, and then cooked in a combination of beef stock, red wine, and a splash of tomato sauce, since we were out of tomato paste; seasoned with a bay leaf, parsley, Worchestershire sauce, a dash of allspice, a little minced onion, and salt and pepper. Yum.)

Our house smells good today!

There was some spinning, too…. And, of course, some reading. (Yes, I finished Fool’s Errand, which I started yesterday afternoon, and am now onto yet another book.) We got Chappy out for a walk, too–at least it was sunny today.

Which at least helped the agony of Daylight Saving Time. Sure, I got to sleep later than usual because it was Sunday, but it still felt like I was getting up an hour early (and tomorrow is going to be agony). And then, the sun was glaring in my eyes when I tried to sit with Chappy this morning . . . it didn’t get bearable until after lunch. And when I came upstairs to check my email around 3:30/4:00, the sun was angled just so coming in my bedroom window, so that it was glaring in my eyes. Sigh. And I can already tell you that it’s going to be in my eyes when I head downstairs after my shower, too, which is going to make reading, knitting, and watching television challenging until the sunsets. (Because we have a very loose-weave drape on our sliding doors, and it does NOT block the sun.)

I tell you, Daylight Saving Time is like having jetlag without having the fun of a vacation, first.

• Tags: Baking, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Jetlag // 10 Comments »

This picture pretty much encapsulates today for you . . . in the cozy house with Chappy while the rain streams down outside.

Okay, technically, Mom and I went out for coffee this morning, which we usually do on Saturday mornings, but that was, what, an hour? Hour and a half? Away from the house, so it barely counts. (Except for the fact that we split a cinnamon bun–Mara’s makes excellent cinnamon buns and is worth getting a little wet for.)

Otherwise? Well, it will say a lot about my day when I tell you that I’m on my fifth book since this time yesterday. Yesterday, I was finishing up Crystal Dragon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller–which I finished just before 8:00 last night. Then I went onto The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope (yawn), then Dark Watcher by Lilith Saintcrow (okay), which I finished about 12:30 last night. Then I picked up Standing Still by Kelly Simmons and read the first couple chapters before going to sleep. This book, incidentally, I picked up because Kelly mentioned it on Ravelry, and well, isn’t this what you do for friends and acquaintances when they get their books published? And, well, if she’s on Ravelry, that means she’s a fiber person and therefore an acquaintance. I finished that around 1:00 this afternoon (good), and am now reading Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb.

And, I can’t help it. I was too tired to do anything constructive like spin or work on the computer, so I just read instead. Reading is easy.

Oh, I also spent about an hour sitting in the living room with Mom and my spinning wheel, which was ideal. She worked on her cross-stitch and I spun, which was soothing and productive and yet gave my eyes a nice rest. May I just say how grateful I am that I’ve improved enough to spin with my eyes closed? In fact, it was so relaxing, I almost fell asleep while spinning, which would have just been too strange–which is when I got up to make some tea instead. I drank that, read a bit, and then figured I should write a post since it’s been a couple days since I wrote a “real” one. The plans for tonight? Supper, and then Mom and I are going to watch The Queen (which neither of us has seen yet).

All in all, a lazy kind of day, but Chappy’s just glad that all of us are home. Even if this heavy rain did mean that he missed out on any chance for a walk today! But . . . lazy is good once in a while, right?

Oh–and for those of you affected, don’t forget to change your clocks ahead tonight for Daylight Savings Time. (Grumble, grumble. I hate losing sleep, and having to get up an hour “early” is not fun, either, which makes this coming Monday one of my least-favorite Mondays of the year.)

• Tags: Family, General, Reading, Weather • Permalink:Wet // 9 Comments »

 

Is it just me? Or does the rather unusual internal shape of this tomato remind you of anything?

(And, what? Doesn’t everyone like taking pictures of their food? I mean, sure, it might be a little unusual that I stopped in the middle of making my lunch to go back to the car to get my camera out of my purse, but, well, wouldn’t anyone?)

(Just me, then? Oh.)

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:You Say Tomato… // 8 Comments »

You know, it occurs to me that I haven’t shown you any finished pictures of my Snow Squall singles since I washed them.

The color, again, was from Spunky Eclectic, and the fiber is Icelandic wool. I can’t tell you how much I adore this color–gray wool with blue and green dye. But I do kind of wish it were a softer wool.

Still . . . here it is. Something like 430 yds of laceweight Icelandic in an absolutely wonderful color . . . the only problem now is to figure out what to DO with it. It’s a little scratchy for a wool shawl. Although, of course, my Pi-are-Square shawl was Icelandic singles…. although I don’t remember that being quite so scratchy. Any suggestions?

In the meantime, my Flutter-Sleeved Cardi is moving along nicely. The back is completely done and I’m just through the short-rows section of one front. Unusually for me, I’m knitting the fronts separately. I figure the entire pattern is spelled out by number of rows, so the likelihood of all the pieces ending up the same size seems pretty good. The color isn’t great here, though–the green looks very grayish, but, well, what else is new? (grin)

And . . . darn!

Well, I wish I’d known this yesterday. Not only was March Fourth the only day on the calendar that is a complete sentence (which, of course, I posted about three years ago when this blog was new), but it was also National Grammar Day. Who knew? (I mean, other than Sharon at Daily Writing Tips, which is where I saw it.)

And . . . could this be true? Could Friday Night Lights be coming back for a third season? Oh, I don’t want to get my hopes up!

Now, Chappy’s looking at his toy, so I should go . . . or maybe he’s looking at his crate, which seems like an even better idea, since I’m rather tired myself….

• Tags: Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Snow Singles // 9 Comments »

So, after a day of wearing your wonderful, handknit socks . . . what do you do with them?

Sock-washing is one of the topics that came up on Saturday. Kim lets them pile up and then does a big wash of bunches of them. Risa uses the Harlot’s method of wearing them into the shower, thereby avoiding “laundry” altogether.

I still like my method best. When I get ready for my shower at night and take my socks off, I fill up the sink with a some woolwash like Soak, a drop of shampoo, or a squirt of conditioner.

Then, while I’m in the shower, the socks soak. It’s that simple.

By the time I’m done with my shower, the socks are clean. I gently wring out the water and hang them in the shower to dry. I used to lay them flat on a towel on the counter, but Chappy enjoyed trying to steal that (grin). The hang-to-dry method is safer for the socks.

And, that’s it. I can’t really imagine an easier method, not really. Soaking them while I’m in the shower takes care of the hard part, and they dry themselves with no additional effort from me. All I have to do is fill up the sink in the first place, and then remember to drain it and take the socks out. Not really that much of a strain on my mental resources, you know? And my socks are always clean, since I wash them the day I wear them, and there’s never a pile of dirty socks waiting to be cleaned. AND it is so simple, I don’t consider this “laundry,” either.

Now, did you catch that I use conditioner to wash them? This is another thing I’ve been meaning to mention. A couple weeks ago, Mom, Dad and I were chatting about hair (don’t ask me why Dad was chatting about hair–he’s had a crewcut since high school), and Mom said, “One time, I accidentally used conditioner to wash my hair [shudder].” I said, “I use conditioner all the time.” “But I used it instead of shampoo. [shudder again].” “Yes, that’s what I mean.”

This isn’t completely new news, even in the knit-blogging world. In fact, Wendy posted about it just last month. I’ve even mentioned it myself, though not recently, and it bears repeating. Shampoo, even the ones touted as “moisturizing” usually have harsh cleansing agents–usually sulfates–that are bad for your hair, so that your hair then requires conditioner to add the stripped-moisture back, like putting on hand lotion after washing the dishes. Except, it’s healthier to avoid the stripping in the first place. Conditioners often have plenty of cleansing agents in them to begin with–they just need a little extra time to loosen the dirt. (You can read more about conditioner washing here. And here.) It’s true that not every conditioner is eligible–the ones that have non-water-soluble silicones, for example, would just build-up on your hair, but there’s a large number that work, and they’re not always the expensive ones, either.

It does make a certain amount of sense, if you think about it. I learned in high school chemistry that oils dissolve oils. The ancient Romans used oil for their own bathing, after all, and you can clean your own skin with oil even now (Either with purchased products, or by mixing your own out of 50/50 castor oil and extra virgin olive oil, with maybe a drop or two of aromatic oil for scent.) So, really, why wouldn’t conditioner work to clean your hair? And, for that matter, your wool? I’ve been cleaning handknits in conditioner for years . . . and since it’s conditioner, it doesn’t have to be rinsed out, which leaves my knits extra soft and smelling nice. V05 Kiwi Lime is still my favorite, though their new Tea Therapy Vanilla Mint, both available at the local drugstore for a couple dollars,works really well. And they cost a lot less than the Wen products. (Though I’ll admit that I’ve tried that and like it, too. On my hair. It’s a little pricey for washing socks.)

Now, a couple other links for you:

Did you hear that Jody is launching her very own online magazine, Knotions? Good luck, Jody!

I have to say that I love Ysolda’s newest pattern, Verity, a lovely, slouchy beret–look how fabulous it looks–and with her curls, too.

And, you DID know that today is a Sentence, right? I posted about it over at Punctuality Rules.

• Tags: General, Hair, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Dirty Socks // 13 Comments »

Well, I finally got around to winding my Snow Squall singles onto my skein winder, though I haven’t yet summoned up the courage to take them off and see how twisty they are. They took 218 rotations of the winder, I believe it’s a 72″ circumference at its widest point, so that’s 436 yards (398 yds)–plenty for something like a lace shawl, if I felt so inclined, although I think it’s going to be too itchy, really, for lace. The picture doesn’t capture the green in the yarn very well, either, which is a shame. I just loved this colorway, but have my doubts about the usefulness of the yarn. Because, again, it seems kind of itchy, although maybe washing it will soften it a bit. Maybe? The recap, for those who haven’t been playing along: this is 4 oz of Icelandic singles in the Spunky Eclectic “Snow Squall” colorway, which is not only beautiful, but apparently comes with magical powers.

Otherwise? Pretty quiet day today. I started spinning bobbin #2 of those blue merino singles. Did some reading (would you believe I’m on book #3 of the month already?). Went for a walk with Mom, Dad, and Chappy. Did some basic dusting and some laundry, but … nothing particularly productive.

Chappy, really, was just glad to have me home. He gave me SUCH a greeting when I got home yesterday, and Mom and Dad said that he basically sat on his chair all day yesterday–not interested in playing (though they tried) and basically didn’t do anything all day except help Dad out with a few snacking emergencies. He obviously was not happy that I was gone most of the day, and while he really does have to acc