Hi. Chappy, here.

I don’t know if you all know, or not, but next week is my birthday and I want to invite you all to a party!

No, really. I love having guests, and the more, the merrier, I always say.

Mom, though, told me that our house isn’t big enough for ALL of you, and suggested a virtual party, instead. Well, it’s not the same thing (is there cake at a virtual party?), but if it’s the best I can do, I don’t want to complain. Because, I want to celebrate! (wag)

So, here’s what I thought we could do. I’m going to invite you–right here, right now–to help me celebrate my birthday. Since you can’t bring biscuits or toys to a virtual party, and since Mom said that it would be conceited of me to ask you all to say nice things about me, what I want is for each of you to tell a cute, happy, funny, sweet, or just generally good story about one of the fabulous dogs you know. (Because, you know as well as I do that my species is just wonderful, right?)

What if you’re a cat person and don’t know any good dog stories? Well, first, I personally don’t understand how you can BE a cat person, but Mom keeps telling me that cats are perfectly nice and that if a person can’t have a dog, it’s still better for them to have some kind of furry, four-legged creature to love which, I suppose, is true. But still, you have to understand that I AM a dog, so if you’re a cat person, I want a funny, possibly even embarrassing, story about a cat you know. Because, they just are all so smug and think they’re so perfect…. (Oops. My prejudices are showing.) But, you know, nothing bad, but something a little embarrassing, like the time they ran nose-first into a mirror. (Be quiet, Mom!)

What if you’re not a cat OR a dog person? You poor, poor human….just do the best you can, and we’ll try to make allowances. (wag)

So, tell me your stories here in the comments on this post and Mom promised that there would be a party favor for at least one lucky person. I’ll personally take time out of my celebrating on Monday (the seventh, my actual birthday) to select a winner, but your story has to be HERE to be eligible. (I’m bred to be a hunting dog, but Mom never trained me to hunt anything more complicated than crumbs on the kitchen floor.)

Isn’t this exciting? I love parties–especially when they’re all about ME. Though, still, I wish there were some way you could send biscuits over the internet…

Hope you can come! My tail is wagging already!

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Please R.S.V.P. // 26 Comments »

Well, it’s been a long time since high school, but here am I, with my best friend Dawn and our friend Jenny, also known as Silvia (long story). We three used to hang out a lot together–and you can see why I always felt so darn short!

Today, Dawn and her brothers threw a surprise birthday party and I was invited, as was Jenny, her husband, her daughter, and her parents–who happen to be Chappy’s very favorite neighbors.

There was a lot of fun had with a little bubble “grill.”

The cake was pretty popular, too–especially with the smaller set. This enterprising young man pulled over a chair to try to get a better look–or a taste! Unfortunately, the adults stepped in before he got too close. There were a couple more attempts to take advantage of that chair, too, to no avail.

The cake was tasty, but the best part?

The label on the box. What WERE they thinking when they wrote these abbreviations?

All in all, a nice day–except for the periodic rain showers. And the fact that poor Chappy had to stay home. How did the weekend go by so FAST?

• Tags: Friends • Permalink:Picnic // 2 Comments »

Isn’t this a nice face to wake up to? When I got out of bed this morning, Chappy draped himself over the ottoman (his hind legs are on the floor behind it) and just looked so cute, I reached for the camera, even before putting on my slippers. He does this all the time–on weekends, as soon as I actually get out of bed (where we’ve already said good morning), he heads over to the ottoman and we say good morning again. That’s the kind of boy Chappy is–the more “good mornings” he can squeeze into a morning, the happier he is!

I know, such a shock that I thought he was cute, huh? My family laughs at me every time I look at Chappy and say, “Oh, how cute!” but, well, he IS!

And if all that cuteness isn’t enough to wake a girl up in the morning, well, there are plenty of opportunities for caffeine in town, since Starbucks reopened the other day, after being closed since December. But now they’ve got some serious competition–right there, across the street, in Starbucks’ old location, is Smart World coffee. We’ve been anticipating this coffee stare-down for months now, and it’s finally here. I mean, our town isn’t THAT big, you know? And there’s Mara’s, the independent coffee shop/bakery around the corner, too. Three businesses dedicated to serving people coffee and baked goods, all clustered around the same intersection.

After our coffee, Mom and I went to DSW to take advantage of my coupon for shoes, and I bought these very cute Rocket Dog ballet flats. Comfortable, and they should look good with skirts, and so will be great for work. I know what you’re thinking–I just bought a computer I couldn’t really afford, what am I doing buying shoes? But the thing is, I have the hardest time coming up with footwear in the summer. (I even started a thread on Ravelry the other day.) I hate wearing sandals, and I’ve got tender, sensitive feet who complain about stiff shoes, so when wearing shoes “barefoot” (as in, no socks or stockings), they’ve got very particular requirements about softness and such. It’s HARD finding footware that isn’t too hot, isn’t too hard on my prima-donna-ish feet, looks acceptable with skirts for work, and, oh yeah, aren’t too expensive. So … just, don’t pick on me, okay? I resisted the siren call of the bookstore today, doesn’t that count for something?

Oh, and good news, the new computer was shipped and should be here on Tuesday. In the meantime, Mom and Dad have been sharing his computer very nicely. First Mom’s car, now Dad’s computer … I wonder what they’ll be sharing next!

Otherwise? It’s been a hot and muggy day, which means no walk for Chappy. It’s just downright icky–but then, you all know I hate summer weather. Especially hot, humid summer weather. And tomorrow I get to go to a barbeque … weather-wise, I am NOT looking forward to that at all, though the event (best friend’s father’s surprise 70th birthday) itself should be nice.

• Tags: Chappy, General • Permalink:Coffee Wars // 3 Comments »

Pie, anyone? (Peach-Strawberry pie, bought at a farm stand for Dad for Father’s Day. The colors were just gorgeous!)

Brought to you by:

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

Don’t ask me what it is, because I’m really not sure yet myself, but it’s something, anyway.

It’s being made in the Saffron yarn I got from the MV Fiber Farm at the Festival last month. Isn’t it lovely? 70% kid mohair, 30% cormo and so, so soft. Great color, too!

Okay, so that problem I’ve been having with my keyboard? It’s not going to be bothering me for much longer. Mom’s computer has been visited by the Blue Screen of Death. Tradition for the last, oh, four or five computers has been that when I get a new computer, I pass my old one to Mom. We’ve both been very happy with this arrangement, and with the exception of my D and S keys, and the fact that the battery doesn’t last for much more than 30 minutes, I wasn’t in any rush to get a new computer. Especially when you consider how awful the money situation is. But, then the BSOD struck and since I am (sadly) the family “expert” there appears to be no way to salvage the poor thing. So, as of tonight, I am the preumptively proud new almost-owner of a HP Pavilion DV6871US which should arrive on Wednesday. Mom will then get this computer and since she never unplugs her computer to take anywhere, and she always uses a separate keyboard, the two things that are annoying me shouldn’t be a problem for her.

Now I just have to hope and pray that Vista doesn’t cause me problems. And that the new keyboard has a good “feel” to it (and that all the keys work). It’s a gamble, ordering one without ever having seen it! In the meantime, I’ll make sure that MY backup is current so my files are ready to transfer. Luckily, I was able to get Mom’s computer up in Safe Mode and got her pictures and such copied off the hard drive. And I back up my own computer fairly regularly, AND even signed up for Mozy. But, folks, if you don’t regularly do backups, DO THEM NOW!

Oh, and sadly, this article explains the traffic, flashing lights, sirens, and helicopters this morning. What a sad start for tonight’s high school graduation.

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:Blue Screen of Death // 8 Comments »

Okay, I love Kyle Chandler as much as the next girl, but this is a little overkill, don’t you think? I pre-ordered Season One of Early Edition and it came today. Three copies of it! Which is two more than I really need. I’ve contacted Amazon to see if it’s possible to return them without having to pay the postage back, but still–I’m excited to see it. I loved this show when it was on the air–about a man who gets tomorrow’s newspaper today and runs around trying to prevent catastrophes before they happen. What’s not to love? And, did I mention it has Kyle Chandler, aka the coach from Friday Night Lights? (Does anybody else remember him from the short-lived Homefront?)

We’ve had wacky weather today–on again/off again clouds and sun, which made for some very interesting clouds. I took this on my way home at lunch. In fact, I pulled over into a school parking lot and got out of the car in the rain to take the picture, just because it was so cool–the blue sky and sunshine, the wisps of dark cloud. Just … nifty.

And then, I stopped on the way home after work to take these, because I’ve never seen cloud formations quite like them. Heaps of vertical clouds (not to mention one very mushroom-ish cloud, but since the news hasn’t mentioned anything catastrophic in NY this afternoon, I’m pretty sure this is just Mother Nature playing tricks.)

Of course, to take those pictures, I had to stop right in front of the farm stand up the road, at which point the big, “Fresh Strawberries” sign that’s been calling me all week dragged me into the store.

So, yes, I bought some strawberries. And some blueberries, while I was at it. And a couple peaches, too. (Hey, I LIKE fruit.)

They are now cleaned and sliced in a bowl in the refrigerator. (It would have been rude to use their parking lot and not buy something, right?)

Oh, and about my keyboard? I’m pretty much stuck with what’s ON the laptop because I don’t have a desk to work at–just a bedtray. I sit on the floor while I’m using it and slide it out of the way when I’m not, but there is nowhere to put an extra keyboard. Even if I wanted to prop it in my lap, where would I keep it when I wasn’t using it?

There were a lot of tributes to George Carlin yesterday, and I spent really too much time browsing among his sketches on YouTube last night. I admit that I prefer the ones with little-to-no bad language, but the man was brilliant at observation. And so, instead of sending you to yet another video of him being hilarious (which he was), I’m sending you, instead, to Psychology Today to read his last in-depth interview. I found the link at Copyblogger (a great blog about writing, by the way), and the interview is amazing because the man was so darn smart. High-school dropout or not, he had a flair for words and expressing himself in such a way as to make you think about thinks you hadn’t noticed. (His routine on “stuff” is one of my favorites. So, okay, I lied–ONE link to a hilarious video.)

One last link, just because I find it interesting–I don’t have kids (except Chappy), but this look at the way parenting has changed since I was a kid was fascinating. Of course, since I don’t have kids, it’s easy for me to say!

Oh, and the knitting? Yawwwwwwn….

• Tags: General, Sky • Permalink:Can You Have Too Much? // 10 Comments »

It’s been a while since I showed you how the shopping center in town is coming along. I know you can’t really see many details–I took this on Saturday from across the street with Chappy’s leash attached to my wrist, so there wasn’t a whole lot of opportunity for getting just the right shot.

Another picture from town–a water fountain set into a little traffic triangle down at the end of Broadstreet. All the flowers and shrubs looked so pretty and, besides, it was kind of hot and we were all just as happy to stop in the shade for a couple minutes.

Otherwise? Still quiet and kind of boring here–knitting-wise at least.

igh.

And, heavens, this laptop keyboard is driving me nuts! The D an* the S just don’t want to work reliably an* it’s wreaking havoc on my writing an* typing kills…. *o very aggravating. (I’ll ju*t leave you to in*ert the mis*ing letter* on your own for thi* paragraph. I figured I woul* ju*t let the letters fill in or not a* they chose so you coul* see how often those two letters are really mis*ing when I type. Canne* air just doesn’t cut it, an* there’* no way I’m going to try to OPEN my laptop to clean it out from the inside! Argh!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Town Center // 3 Comments »

Such boring knitting to show you! The bottom of bag #2 is done, and I’ve just started the sides. Yep. Riveting, I know. I feel exactly the same way.

I gave Chappy a haircut today, which he badly needed. He’s been looking kind of shaggy lately, and now he looks all nice and trim. Though I keep looking at him and seeing curls I missed. He recognizes that particular look in my eye, though, and ever-so-casually gets up and leaves the room before I can reach for the scissors, though (grin). That’s okay, he still looks so much better than he did. I know there are lots of people who don’t groom their Boykin Spaniels at all, but I like my dog to look trim, and Chappy needs haircuts a lot more than Katy did

Speaking of Boykin Spaniels, I heard about the perfect “club” for them the other day: The Dang Yankee Boykin Spaniel Club. Isn’t that a great name for a club?

Boykins, of course, are the state dog of South Carolina, and so most of the breed activities take place down south–entirely out of reach for me and my carsick boy. There’s a lot of politics going on with the breed, too. The original breed organization is at BoykinSpaniel.org and has been registering the breed for decades, since 1977. They were/are against the breed becoming part of the AKC, though, wanting the breed to remain focused on good, healthy hunting dogs, rather than show dogs. But, there has been movement from people who want to participate in AKC events, and so another Boykin Spaniel organization started up, the Boykin Spaniel Club, which started in 1997 and has worked hard to get the breed into the AKC. That started what amounts to a civil war in Boykin Spaniel circles, with some people loyal to the original group, and some loyal to the newcomers out of sheer desire to be able to show their dogs in the AKC shows, or do AKC agility, or whatever.

Now, personally, since I’m not a breeder or a dog-show kind of person, I don’t really feel strongly one way or another. When I first got Katy in 1999, I truly longed to be able to train her for obedience showing and to participate in obedience and agility, and the AKC is really the only show in town, since I’m so far away from “Boykin Central” in South Carolina. (Yes, there’s the UKC, but their shows don’t tend to be easily accessible from NJ, either.) So, I would have been thrilled if the original group had started the process for AKC membership. They didn’t, and so this other group–which the AKC considers to be the official breed club–stepped up. So, I’m torn. I feel loyal to the original group (not least because it’s through them I found Katy in the first place, and it’s with them that Chappy is registered), but at the same time, I like the idea of (theoretically) being able to take Chappy to a dog show, which is only possible because of the “upstarts.” And, as you can imagine, the fighting between the two groups is bitter.

One thing I find interesting, though? The breed description for the pro-AKC-group is quite different than the description of the independent, but older group. According to the Boykin Spaniel Club, the breed should have a double-coat and brown eyes–no amber eyes like Katy had. The Boykin Spaniel Society, though, allows them and does not require a double coat. Chappy, for the record does not have a double coat. Which means, of course, that he doesn’t live up to the “new” standard as seen by the AKC. Not that he’s a show dog, or that we particularly care, and he IS registered with the BSS, so we’re content with that and I’m sure we would be made welcome if we ever made it to South Carolina.

Oh, and the Dang Yankee Boykin club? They’re loyal to the original BSS. The politics are interesting, huh? Who knew that there was so much back-biting among dog fanciers??

• Tags: Chappy, General • Permalink:Jeez… // 3 Comments »

Well, that’s done…

Normally, a finished object would be a GOOD thing, but since I’m still in the Project Doldrums, this just means that now I need to find something ELSE.

Sigh.

In the meantime? I started another of these in a different color. I mean, don’t get me wrong. This is a lovely little pattern and all, and the bag will come in handy. I just want to find something FUN to knit.

• Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Doldrums // 8 Comments »

Some needlepoint with some cool texture for your viewing pleasure.

I’m particularly fond of the framing job on this picture. (I know, it’s hard to see.) We had brought it to a framing store and played with different mats and frames to find just the right combination. I loved the marbled-purplish mat, and the girl helping kept trying to get me to do something else. Then she reached up and picked up this garish, gilded, frame that I would never have picked in a million years. I was already making a face and thinking, “Ew!” when she put it next to the marbled mat and … perfect. The two of them worked wonderfully together and were the perfect complement to the texture and colors of the picture.

You probably wouldn’t really want to go to a framing store with me, because it takes me forever to find the right combinations, but really, after all the work making the pictures, they deserve the perfect frame! (grin)

Hmm. I sense a photo-series coming on….

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Iris // 5 Comments »

I have almost nothing to show you or to talk about today. My knitting is boring. No socks (at least I didn’t join the Summer of Socks this year, because I still can’t do anything). I’m knitting i-cord for the handle for my string bag, and you can imagine how exciting that is. And, otherwise? No inspiration about what to do next.

Sigh. At least the weather is lovely. About 75 degrees and no humidity to speak of.

Now, I haven’t done Booking Through Thursday in a while, which is ridiculous since I run the thing, so here we go:

Think about your favorite authors, your favorite books . . . what is it about them that makes you love them above all the other authors you’ve read? The stories? The characters? The way they appear to relish the taste of words on the tongue? The way they’re unafraid to show the nitty-gritty of life? How they sweep you off to a new, distant place? What is it about those books and authors that makes them resonate with you in ways that other, perfectly good books and authors do not?

I like this question, because it speaks to what makes reading so important to me. I read all sorts of things, and for a variety of reasons–to learn new things, to be inspired, to be entertained, to escape. But the books that keep pulling me back tend to have a few things in common. First, they have good stories. I find I don’t have much patience for stream-of-consciousness, meandering kinds of books. I like a nice, solid plot, the more complicated the better. Second, good characters. Which is to say, interesting characters that I can care about, preferably likeable. Third, good writing, a nice touch for the way words and imagery interact to make the feel of the story as multi-dimensional as possible. A book with a gripping story but mediocre writing usually isn’t going to pull me back. Fantastic writing with a yawn-inducing story? Um, no. And characters who are flat or boring or totally unlikeable? Those are the books I’ll end up closing.

Oh, and as an extra plus? I do love a story that takes me someplace else, but that feels real. I don’t care if it’s historical fiction, China, a fantasy universe … I want to feel like I could really be there, and that the world is real. I’ve read books that take place in the real world, in current times that felt completely unrealistic, and I’ve read books in completely imaginary worlds that felt like I could step through the page. Given a choice? I’ll take a book that FEELS real. In fact, one of the reasons I’ve always liked really good sci-fi and fantasy is because they give the author a chance to put “real” people in unreal situations and see what happens. How can you not be intrigued? (grin)

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:BTT: Flavor // 5 Comments »

I know, you’ve been desperate to see some signs of knitting, haven’t you? Well, here you go. My string bag, almost finished. A couple more rows, a bind-off, and then handles. But, seriously, I need to find something more “serious” to do.

And, here’s a blast from my past. There’s a thread on Ravelry for graduates of New Jersey schools, and I saw someone who posted the same middle school and same high school as I went to, only two years before me. When I clicked on her Ravelry ID, I realized that I knew her! In fact, we were good friends my sophomore year, before she graduated and headed off to college. Here’s a picture of her and my best friend at the Renaissance Festival. Because, naturally, after I found her, I went rooting through my old photos (grin). Talk about a small world. We’d completely lost touch sometime during college, so this was particularly fun, running into each other.

Speaking of high school, guess what I was doing 23 years ago tonight?

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Stringing Along // 13 Comments »

So, I couldn’t post last night because we had no electricity, no internet, no phones… From 6:15 at night until 3:11 this morning, it was dark and quiet in Chappy’s house. (Which is why today’s picture of puppy-Chappy is courtesy of 2001.) Breakfast, though, was normal and things were going smoothly until about 10:00, when Mom called me here at work to tell me the power was out again. (Updated to add: The power came back around 11:30, but went back out again at 1:00. Nobody–including the power company–seems to know exactly why. The outage last night was caused by lightning, which makes sense, but today? Who knows? But it’s kind of frustrating!)

So! This hopefully won’t affect my blogging habits LATER (though I wouldn’t count on it at this point), but in the meantime (just in case), I’m taking a couple minutes from work to say hi, because I wouldn’t want any of you to worry (grin).

And, oh yes, to give you a chance to participate in a World Record.

Mozilla is coming out with Firefox 3 today, and they’re trying to make a World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours. So–since Firefox is by far my favorite browser, I figured I’d help spread the word. I would have downloaded it ANYWAY, but since they’re going for the record, I’ll make a point of downloading it today.

Provided, of course, that I have electricity to do so when I get home later…

• Tags: General • Permalink:Enforced Radio Silence // 5 Comments »

So, this morning, after making blueberry pancakes for Dad’s Father’s Day breakfast, I made bread dough.

I used leftover rice from dinner the other night, sesame seeds, wheat germ, and a dash of molasses and vegetable oil, in addition to the usual flour, yeast, salt, and milk.

The finished loaf came out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Isn’t that a wonderful use of leftover rice?

I actually made three loaves, but only baked one of them. The other two are in the refrigerator, waiting to be baked later in the week.

It came out very nicely, and tasted great with a little butter while it was still warm from the oven. I haven’t made this recipe in ages, but there’s something about the rice and sesame seeds that makes it toast into wonderful, crisp toast. (Because, really, what’s the point of toast if it’s not crisp?) In fact, it’s one of the few times I really like peanut butter, because this bread, toasted, with peanut butter melting into it? Yummmmmm.

Oh, and Bonus Points to Carrie for correctly spotting the detour my weekend reading took. Because, yes, since last night I have read The Black Stallion, The Black Stallion Returns, Son of the Black Stallion, Black Stallion and Satan, The Black Stallion’s Filly, and The Black Stallion Revolts. Hey, they’re children’s books, they’re supposed to be fast reads. And still pretty entertaining in that wide-eyed, 1940s boy’s adventure story kind of way–the kind written with lots of action and lots of exclamation points, but which is still just fun. They’re mirrors of their time, but they’re entertaining, and I haven’t read them in years. In fact, the only one that shows up on my reading list is the original Black Stallion book, which I last read on August 4, 1997.

Really, between the Black Stallion jag this weekend and the Little House books two weeks ago, my reading list for the month is looking very healthy!

Hey, Mom pointed out this blog to me–written by a Border Collie named Fenway. Chappy’s a little jealous that he has a blog of his very own, but I think he’s really just as happy to let me do most of the writing. It’s not like he doesn’t guest-post here and on Mom’s blog from time to time, right? And in the meantime, he gets to snooze while I do all the work. (He’s a smart boy!)

• Tags: Baking, General, Reading • Permalink:Bread // 2 Comments »

Well, I didn’t get to knit in public today, because we were celebrating my sister’s birthday.

All in all, that seems like a perfectly good reason, don’t you think?

The only bad part? Thunderstorms, which Chappy did not enjoy. They started at my sister’s around 2:00, and more or less rumbled all afternoon. We drove home around 5:00 and got “ahead” of them because it was still perfectly dry here when we got home … for about half an hour, and then it started rumbling here, too. Chappy is SO glad that part is over!

We even lost power for about 5 minutes, right in the middle of a big storm scene in the movie Mom and I were watching. The Black Stallion, from 1979, with Teri Garr and Mickey Rooney. Some of the most beautiful scenery, and, really, what a gorgeous horse. Great music, too. Who cares that they made Alec about 6 years younger than in the books, and put that ridiculous helmet on him in that race at the end? I haven’t seen that movie in years, but I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t help but think, though, that that movie would never get made now. A children’s movie with all those long, quiet scenes of just a boy and his horse? The slow-moving plot with stretches of silence? Not nearly action-packed enough, and yet I’d be terrified to see how they’d “adapt” that book into a movie these days… tiny quibbles or not, the 1979 version is just beautiful. (The sequel, though? Equally beautiful to look at, but baaad.) Hmmm. Come to think of it, it’s been a really long while since I read the book, too….

• Tags: Family • Permalink:KIP (Knitting in Private) // 4 Comments »

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Rhododendron // 2 Comments »

I know, it’s not much, but this is all I’ve got to show you by way of a current knitting project–the base of a string bag, just waiting for the sides to start.

Fascinating, I know.

Let’s see … in other news, I did something I haven’t done in ages. I made popcorn tonight. Not that naughty, microwave popcorn–the real stuff. Made in a pot on the stove, served with a little salt and a little butter. The only inconvenient part is that then there’s a pot and bowl to clean up. Well, three bowls–one for each of us. I used to have this beautiful, glass, microwave popper that worked as a serving bowl as well as a popper, but it broke. (Twice, because the replacement broke, too, darn it. I miss that popper.) Although, stove-popped tastes best. For some great tips and flavor ideas, check out this thread.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Popcorn // 8 Comments »

I got stopped in traffic on my way home today. Kind of unusual, really, since most of my drive is along quiet little back roads. But while I was sitting there, I realized that, duh, look out the window! Because I was stopped right on the bridge that goes over Indian Lake. I’ve shown you a picture of this lake before, mind you, but not from this angle. Look at that view, huh? Even to the hawk (?) coasting above the water.

The most amazing part? Look at the sky. It’s actually blue, not that hazy, imitation blue it’s been for the last four days. I took this picture at lunch–it’s the first time in weeks, or even months, that I saw interesting-enough clouds worth taking their picture. This one is kind of cool, I think, because even though I rolled down the car window, it almost looks like I took it through a smeary window because that one cloud is almost transparent.

Hey, did you know the new Knitty is up?

Speaking of Knitty, I do have something on my knitting needles right now, but I’m pretty much thinking of it as a stop-gap kind of project. The Everlasting Bagstopper string bag from last year’s Knitty. I pulled out some Hempathy (Ravelry link) from my stash and figured it was worth a try. It’s something, anyway, and certainly better than a totally empty knitting bag.

Oh, and you’ll be glad to hear that Chappy got a walk today. Yes, we’re all relieved (grin). He said it was almost worth having to suffer through those huge thunderstorms last night.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:Indian Lake Revisited // 5 Comments »

I’ve mentioned that poor Chappy hasn’t been out for a walk since Friday because it’s been so hot, but have I mentioned how bored he looks? Unlike a/c-deprived dogs, he hasn’t been stretched out on the floor panting through this heatwave, but he’s been draped over the arm of his chair in the window, looking listless and bored, bored, bored.

Well, that won’t do!

On my way home at lunch today, I was trying to come up with something he and I could do for the 25 minutes of my lunch break that is usually filled in with a walk. Sometimes I’ve inflicted things like nail-trimmings or quick haircuts on him. And neither of us minds the occasional missed day–it just gives us a chance to hang out in the window together–but after three days of that, he deserved something fun, so I decided to pull out the clicker, and we could work on a new trick or something–but it would give him something to DO, which was the whole point.

I came home, made my sandwich, and then grabbed the clicker and some treats and headed into the living room, with Chappy happily beside me, because that’s something we haven’t done in ages. (Don’t ask me why, because it’s great fun for both of us.)

I sat down on the ottoman and waited for him to do something, anything … so he started “throwing” his tricks at me. Sit! Down! Bravo! Spin! And when I didn’t click any of those because I was looking for something new, he started barking at me. Not in a mean-bark kind of way, but in a, “Look at me, Mom!” kind of way. (You know, in case I was missing that he was doing such a fabulous play-bow.)

After a few minutes of this, Dad came downstairs to see what was going on, and when he saw it was a lesson, sat down on the couch to watch. (Because, no, having an audience isn’t the least bit intimidating when trying to learn something new.) And then he started to ask questions–what was I clicking for? Why was he barking? And when Chappy would glance over at him, he’d tell him, “No, I don’t know what she’s clicking for, either.”

So, that was our first distraction.

Then, the lawn-mowers arrived in their big truck-and-trailer and started to unload the mowers and blowers and other assorted noise-makers. Naturally, Chappy had to excuse himself from the lesson to run to his window to announce that they were there (even though we knew that already), but he came back to the living room quickly enough when I reminded him I was sitting there with treats, but now, he kept looking past my shoulder to keep an eye on the mowers. (They can be dangerous, you know.)

So, that was our second distraction.

Then, third distraction, the UPS truck arrived. (Sigh)

Then Dad lost interest because he couldn’t figure out what I was clicking (though Chappy was doing just fine when he wasn’t staring out the window), and finally I gave up, too, and headed into the kitchen to eat my lunch. I figured that at least I’d given him something to do, even if for not as long as I would have liked … and, besides, I had one more thing in mind for him.

I ate my lunch and then went to sit with Chappy on the chair in the dining room for a few minutes before I had to go back to work. I’d been there for all of 5 minutes when my sister pulled up. She and Mom had gone to visit an old friend this morning, but Patty had to get back home to pick up my nephew from school, so they had to cut it short. But Chappy was thrilled when they came in the house. I’ve told you how much he adores saying hello, and two family members at once? Even better! Though Patty only stayed about 5 minutes, and then he had to say goodbye (his tail stopped wagging), followed very quickly by MY having to go back to work.

As I say, though, I had one more idea for Chappy-entertainment. I took an empty Kong toy out of the freezer, filled it with kibble (which we keep around the house solely for this reason), plugged the end with a little cream cheese, and then had him sit while I hid it. I obviously didn’t hide it very well, though, because he found it in about 30 seconds flat, and since I’d put it on his chair, it was held perfectly in place by his blanket and pillow, so that he didn’t even need to HOLD it to clean it out.

He enjoyed it, though.

And the best part?

He doesn’t look bored anymore.

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Chappy’s Ironically Exciting Lunch // 7 Comments »

Despite a couple efforts at different swatches for inspiration, my knitting bag is still empty (sigh). Which means I don’t have any knitting to show you.

And then, it’s hot, so I’ve basically been staying in the house for the last few days. Well, that, and the office today, but that means Chappy hasn’t had a walk since Friday, so he’s kind of bored.

So, really? Nothing really worth writing about. Sorry about that, folks!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Still Empty // 4 Comments »

Do you realize that (as we write out the date here in the U.S., anyway), that today is six, seven, eight? And that at 9:10 this morning, that made for 06/07/08 9:10? Just a little trivia for you.

As for my cardigan, I got tired of waiting for it to dry–lying flat on the blocking board, it wasn’t making any real progress–so I moved it to my Wooly Board. I ran blocking wires along the bottom to keep it straight, and I ran one up the button band for the same reason. (And, I must say, it is so very handy having a guest room I can prop this up in, so poor Chappy doesn’t need to risk poking himself in the eye.)

As you can see, though, it angles ever so slightly to the left. My yarn wasn’t perfectly balanced, and so there’s just a little extra twist.

See? They lean, just a bit. No complaints, though, it’s still gorgeous and perfect and, being up off the bed, hopefully I’ll be able to actually try it on tomorrow.

Because, naturally, what ELSE does one do on a day with temperatures in the 90s? Wearing a handmade wool sweater is of COURSE going to be your first choice!

As to my next knitting project? Still a mystery. I read in front of the television last night and didn’t work on any socks while out for coffee this morning. My knitting bag is still empty, poor thing. I’ve been searching through my books, looking for ideas on what to do with that lovely MV Fiber Farm yarn, but all I can really decide is that I’d like it to be something to keep my head and/or neck warm during the winter, and that I’d love for it to be two-sided–the gold on one side, and the green on the other. I love the way the two colors look together, but don’t really want them intermingled, like in stranded colorwork. Ideally, whatever-it-is would be two-sided and reversible. And versatile. And, of course, warm and relatively wind-proof for walks. That doesn’t seem impossible, or anything, does it?

Or, I could browse through the stash and start another sweater, bypassing the lovely green and gold yarn, maybe by doing another top-down cardigan a la Barbara Walker, to go with my beautiful blue one. It certainly was one of the most rewarding sweaters I’ve made in a while (not least because it’s one I should actually get to wear). I could just pick a stitch pattern and go to town, no worries. It could be fun.

But, still, there’s that lovely MV yarn, just sitting there…. I love it, I really do, but I don’t know what I was thinking. I KNOW that I tend to dislike smallish projects, and yet I bought two skeins of yarn in different colors, even. Talk about the thinking process breaking down. At the very least, I should have at least bought the same colors! (grin). But, they ARE so pretty….

I hope you’re all staying cool. It’s in the mid-90s here, and humid, the first really hot day we’ve had so far. And, have I mentioned lately that I hate hot weather? My sister, the birthday girl, is participating in a community-wide garage sale today, and I certainly hope that she’s staying cool. They’ve got lots of trees for shade, but no air conditioning, and on a day like this, that can really make a difference.

• Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Six, Seven, Eight… // 10 Comments »

Continuing the family “Birthday Season,” today it’s my sister’s birthday.

Now, I took this picture last month, when we were up for my brother-in-law’s birthday. I love the way my sister looks–confident, happy, striding forward with a flower in her hand … but the original picture wasn’t exactly the most flattering for the rest of the group. So … I cropped Patty out and let her be the focus of the picture. I mean, it IS her birthday, doesn’t she deserve to be the main feature for the day?

Of course, I couldn’t leave it there…. We’ve never been on Martha’s Vineyard together (no, really, never), so I tried to find a picture of me that she might like to visit, but the proportions were all wrong … this was the best I could do. (She’d obviously gotten bored with the photo shoot and was wandering off to enjoy the view.)

Anyway, happy birthday to my big sister. I hope you manage to stay cool today!

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Happy Birthday! // 4 Comments »

Well, she’s had her bath.

And now she’s stretched out, drying.

  With all her buttons in place, of course.

Oh, and you want a better look at exactly how much yarn I had leftover? I rolled it into a ball, which is smaller than a golf ball. It neatly fits in the tiny plastic envelope that the buttons came in, with the extra button to keep it company.

Now, is that good planning, or what?

Well, I mean, OTHER than the fact that I finished this just in time for the first heatwave of the summer?

And, um, the fact that I have absolutely no other project waiting in the wings and my knitting bag is EMPTY??

Okay, so maybe I didn’t plan everything as well as I could have….

Have a nice weekend, everyone! I bet YOU have stuff to knit….

• Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Bathing Beauty // 3 Comments »

Brought to you by:

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

Yep.

That’s right. The knitting is done and THIS is how much yarn I have left. I would maybe, maybe, have considered one more row on the neckband, but it wasn’t necessary and, well, look at this! Such a small amount of yarn to be leftover from an entire sweater, especially when it was handspun and there simply was not any more to be had. A nice, comfortable amount to keep around in case of unexpected emergencies.

Perfect. (happy sigh)

Now, I need to block the sweater to make the hem lie flat, and I need to sew on the buttons. I haven’t decided which I’ll do first, but neither is going to happen tonight, and I’m not showing you the finished sweater until they’re done. But … yay! I am just so ridiculously pleased with the way this sweater came out. Its length is perfect, falling right at my hip bone. The sleeves are 3/4 length and I hit just the right rate of narrowing them without having given it any real thought. AND they got to the point of the ribbing with exactly 48 stitches–perfectly divisible by four for the 3×1 ribbing I wanted to use at the cuffs without requiring any additional decreasing. The color is great. The drape and feel of the fabric is soft and cozy.

It’s SUCH a relief to finally end up with a sweater that’s going to fit and look good and be eminently wearable. Unlike Autumn Rose, which just couldn’t compete with my wonky gauge issues. Or the Flutter-Sleeve cardigan which looks lovely flat but I’d need to be at least four inches taller to wear. There are a couple things I can think of that might (might!) salvage it, but I just haven’t the inclination. So, this sweater? Entirely done by hand and being so very obliging about the entire process? I can’t wait to show it to you.

And, to think, it looked like this just a few, short months ago.

Oh, I’ve been seeing some beautiful flower pictures around lately (like Carole’s post today), but here are some more for you. So, so lovely! There are no words. And, Lord, I sure would love a macro lens! There are, I admit, things I want more (You know what they are), but that’s definitely on the list.

You realize what this means, don’t you?

My knitting bag is empty again.

Uh-oh.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Perfect Timing // 2 Comments »

Yep, one little neckband to go, sew on a few buttons, and this sweater is done. So, so close!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Almost…. // 6 Comments »

This is going to be a short, short post tonight because my “S” key is sticking like you wouldn’t believe and it’s making typing an irritating experience. I’ll dig out a can of air later or tomorrow, but for right now, this is the best I can do.

So, the quickie update? I just need to bind-off my sleeve stitches and then all that will be left on my cardigan is the neckband.

Woohoo!

  (Yep, that’s it!)

• Tags: General • Permalink:Sssticking Ssssss // 4 Comments »

It’s hard to see the details, of course, but if you look really carefully (or, okay, just trust me), I’ve started the ribbing on the sleeves. They are–or are just about to be–3/4 length which is one of my favorite sleeve lengths, and I figure I can put an inch or two of ribbing and still have enough yarn for the collar.

I did consider doing a hem instead of ribbing. It would have mimicked the hem on the body and the double-knit button bands, but I figured I didn’t need extra width on the ends of the sleeves. Instead, I opted for 3×1 ribbing which will give it a little inward pull without looking too much like ordinary ribbing, you know?

But, really, this mean this sweater is CLOSE to being done. Woohoo!

Photography question for you: Over at the Digital Photography School forum (a great message board for photography tips, may I just say), they have weekly “assignments” and the one coming up this week is for contrasting colors–photos using opposite colors on the color wheel. Like, say, blue and orange. For this week’ project, which of these two pictures do you think is a better photograph? (As in, not necessarily the best rendition of my current knitting, but the best-composed photo.)

Hey, Chappy got to do a good deed today. While we were out walking at lunch, we saw one of our neighbors pulling out of her driveway with a disgusted look on her face. She’s been sick and her mother came to help with the kids, and she went out to bring the dog in … unclipped her from the run outside, brought her into the garage, and then let go of the collar … and Ella took off. Because Ella–one of Chappy’s good friends–likes to escape and run around, playing tag, or whatever. (Don’t get me started on how terrible this is, especially since I lost Katy to a car.) But, anyway, Ella’s Mom asked us to keep an eye out for her. Well, as luck would have it, just a we got to the intersection, we saw her and called her name–she saw Chappy and came tearing over to visit. Now, if it had just been Mom and me, she might have come near us (I’ve done this before) but she might not have come close enough to grab her collar. But with Chappy? Well, she was MORE than happy to hang out with Chappy until her Mom came driving back around. So, Chappy did his good deed today and helped out a friend.

And, of course, the whole rest of the walk home, Mom and I were talking about how concerned we were about Ella being loose–she’s a medium-sized, gray dog who practically blend in with the street, making it hard for a car to see her–and about how her Mom really didn’t look like she felt well at all, and how glad we are that Chappy’s not the kind of dog to enjoy running away. I’m not saying he could never get loose or lost, because accidents happen, but we’ve got two dogs in our neighborhood who think that running off on their own is just the most fun thing ever. Sure, 50 years ago that’s how every body’s dog acted, but these days? Much as I like Ella’s family, it’s just irresponsible, and I’d hate to see anything bad happen to such a sweet dog.

Now, I just need to figure out what my next knitting project should be … obviously, I’m going to need a new one soon. And, what luck, this nice, wool cardigan is going to be ready just in time for Summer! (grin)

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Boy Scout // 7 Comments »

First things first–for our Sleeve Watch update, you can see that they are moving along nicely. When I try this on (well, try on ONE sleeve, anyway), it comes just past my elbow, which is fine. Any length from here is perfectly satisfactory. I might even deliberately opt for 3/4 sleeves anyway, just to make this sweater that little bit more versatile.

In terms of yarn–I’ve got this much left. I’m not exactly sure how much is in there, and the center of the ball is pretty hollow, so … we’ll see what that translates to (grin).

Here’s a better idea of the scale of that collapsing ball of yarn.

I did some baking today, too. I finally got to try out a recipe from one of the cookbooks I won from Marsha in April.

I’ve been drooling over this carrot cake recipe in the Fresh Start cookbook. Actually, it could be either muffins OR cake, and I opted for cake. I used my Baker’s Edge pan, which I love, but which made frosting it rather challenging (grin). Worth it, though, because this was a YUMMY recipe, and I didn’t even need to grate any carrots for it–it uses baby food, strained carrots instead. Nifty, huh?

Dad and Chappy approved.

Mom and I turned our extra “MV Fiber Farm” pin into a refrigerator magnet, too. And I dusted and thoroughly-vacuumed my bedroom. And did laundry. And took Chappy for a nice, medium-sized walk. And have been working my way through the Little House series, and feeling all the while that, compared to the hard-working pioneers, I am a lazy, lazy person (grin). Which, really, compared to them, I AM (bigger grin).

• Tags: Baking, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Sleeve-Watch // 6 Comments »

Here’s what I read in May:

1. The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters (350 p.)
2. Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters (381 p.) The last two “Amelia Peabody” mysteries. I read through most of the series last month. Delectable series, although the earlier books are better, I think.

3. The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby (209 p.) Exactly what it sounds like–a book on photography. Each page is a tip or a method written as simple advice, as if you and the author were out on a shoot together. Lots of useful hints, though many of them require a DSLR to use … but not all of them! Short, simple, helpful.

4. A Fine Fleece: Knitting with Handspun Yarns by Lisa Lloyd (156 p.) Tips on preparing and spinning a fleece, and then patterns for using the yarn–including some very nice patterns. Good book, though I wish some of the sweater photos were less “artistic” and more practical in terms of seeing the actual shape of the sweater.

5. Search the Dark by Charles Todd (310 p.) Second Inspector Rutlege book, taking place just after WWI. I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first one, a nice, intelligent mystery with an engaging lead character who’s stricken with a post-traumatic-stress-syndrome ghost of his very own who “comments” on the case as it moves along.

6. Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) by Bryan Peterson (158 p.) Another photography book, and a really good one. It explains very clearly, with some lovely photos as illustration, what exactly “exposure” is in a photograph and the whys and hows of taking advantage of it. I was really impressed with this one.

7. The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde (382 p.)
8. The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde (378 p.) Ah, Jasper Fforde, with his wacky and totally unique sense of humor. These are his two “Nursery Crime” books–in the first, Detective Jack Spratt (with his new assistant, Constable Mary Mary) investigates the mysterious death of Humpty Dumpty, and in the second, he looks into the disappearance of an investigative reporter known to her friends as Goldilocks… Silly, funny, totally creative. I admit that I like the Thursday Next books better, but, really, no complaints. These were both highly enjoyable.

9. The Game of Kings (Lymond Chronicles, 1) by Dorothy Dunnett (543 p.)
10. Queens’ Play (Lymond Chronicles, 2) by Dorothy Dunnett (432 p.) The first two of the Lymond Chronicle books–one of the best historical fiction series