Alas, I don’t have any pictures, but I had a nice day today. I took the day off from work and went to visit my niece at college–the first time I’ve visited her at school. It’s been a while since she and I had a visit, just the two of us. I finally got to meet her roommate, too, after hearing nice things about her for months. (A girl, incidentally, whose grandmother was my 6th grade teacher. What are the odds?)

Anyway, I met her at the hotel … she doesn’t actually live ON campus, but off-site in a nearby hotel because there wasn’t enough housing at the school. So, I met her at the hotel and we visited for a while. I brought her some granola, fresh from the oven. Chappy–since he couldn’t come himself, but wanted her to know he was thinking of her–sent one of his toys as an ambassador. He said she could bring it back on Sunday when she comes to the house.

Then, we went to the Barnes & Noble practically next to her room. We got something to eat at the cafe and then browsed through the entire shop together. That really was fun! You know that I adore bookstores, of course, and it’s particularly fun to do it with someone else so you can compare thoughts about the books.

Or, well, okay. When I’m doing serious browsing because I want to buy stuff, I prefer to wander around on my own. But social browsing? Entirely different thing. So today? The fun kind. About four hours of chatting with one of my favorite people, that makes for a good day where I’m concerned.

The best part is we’ll see her again on Sunday for Easter, along with the rest of the family. How is it possible that it’s Easter weekend already? And April? How’d that happen so fast?

The tricky part now is coming up with a good dessert. Tiffany went to a nutritionist recently because of some ongoing, er, digestive issues and found out that she’s sensitive to wheat and sugar. Not quite an allergy, but two things she should avoid. She said that, since she’s started trying to eliminate them from her diet, she feels a lot better–which is great. But … Wheat? Sugar? That pretty much eliminates all baked goods, huh? Though we did kind of agree that pie would work. Minimal amounts of wheat in the pie crust, and controllable amounts of sugar. So. I guess I’m baking a pie on Saturday!

Anyway–nice day. Wholly enjoyable. Thanks, Tiffany!

Tags: Family by --Deb
1 Comment »

We had visitors yesterday–Risa, Kim, and two little monkeys! Not so little anymore, actually, since they’re learning to read. This is Kat reading me the Dr. Seuss classic “10 on Top” which, I don’t think I’d ever read before. (Yes, there ARE books I haven’t read.) I do love that magic moment when kids start reading, though it’s easy to forget how hard it is at the beginning!

I honestly don’t remember how hard I thought reading was, when I learned. I’ve told you how I remember the moment when the concept “clicked” and I remember having to learn all the words, and getting stuck from time to time, but I remember it being easy(ish). Maybe my big sister had something to do with it. I had a role model to try to emulate. And I do remember starting by half-memorizing books that Mom read to me, so that I could half-guess at what the words were because I knew the story they were telling. Kind of like how it’s easier to remember song lyrics that rhyme because you know what that line has to sound like.

Anyway, it was fun, watching/helping the two of them read from the huge pile of  books they brought along with them. Kim helped, too, and Risa looked thrilled to be able to sit and knit while I amused her children (grin). Even if that meant I didn’t get as much knitting done as I had hoped … worth it, though.

Chappy is still exhausted from all that entertaining. It’s tiring being that adorable for an audience, you know.

You’ll be pleased to know that the ottoman is helping. I’ve got Chappy using it to jump UP onto the bed, but he’s jumping down next to it. Hopefully that will come, but while the jump down is a harder landing than I’d really hope for him, it doesn’t worry me as his Mom as much as the difficulty of jumping UP. And at the moment, the ottoman is in the hallway outside my room. It’s blocking the bookcase, but I haven’t come close to tripping over it yet. Lifting it over the bed four times in the last two days got old really fast–especially since there’re no handles or anything to make the lifting easy. And while it’s not heavy, it’s awkward and I’d guess around 15-20 lbs … and I haven’t put anything into it yet!

But, speaking of kids?

I saw a brand-new baby born on the Lambcam this afternoon–new baby Grover! So cute! They only had three pregnant nanny goats this year, and named all the babies for Muppet characters. They started with boy/girl twins named Gonzo and Camilla (check out their video!). Then two twin boys, named Statler and Waldorf, and now Grover. So much cuteness they’ve got romping around that barn!

Tags: Friends, General by --Deb
7 Comments »

I got a BIG box in the mail, but it comes with a small dilemma.

The backstory: In our old house, on the nights Chappy was allowed to sleep on the bed, I’d drag my red ottoman over so he’d have something to jump on to make getting up and down easier. Once we moved, though, my red chair is in a completely different room–no longer an option. Since then, he’s been jumping up and down on his own. Except, I have a TALL bed (which I love), and he’s getting older, and there have been a few times when he’s been sore so that I’ve lifted him up and down … but, still, the jump is a strain.

So, I decided to get one of those cube, storage ottomans. There’s just enough room in the corner of my bedroom for one, and I figured that, even though it’s a lot smaller than the red one, it’s still better than nothing. I looked at them at Target last week, and they were selling for $70 but I decided I didn’t want to lug it home and would order it online. I got on the computer that night and found the same thing for $15 cheaper but no shipping charges. Yay! I ordered it, and it came today. It’s nice, it’s sturdy, it fits … it’s all good.

Except, I didn’t quite think through where to put it. Yes, it fits in the corner, but Chappy always jumps up and down closer to the door. It’s too tight and narrow for him to jump up on the other side (even if I could talk him into it). But, while it fits IN the corner, the only way to get it to the other side of the bed is to lift it. It’s not a heavy item, but … that’s going to cause trouble. Especially since I’d be lifting it over the corner of the dresser, with breakable things on it…

It’s not like I can leave it in the middle of the room. What you see here is about all the floor space I’ve got.

See? Almost nothing. In fact, to be able to take pictures that showed you any real floor space at all, I had to stand on the bed to do it.

If this whole, lift-it-over-the-bed thing doesn’t work, the only other option would be to move my nightstand from behind the door, over to the corner next to the closet (where I will have some interesting problems with the floor lamp, but, hey) and put it there instead. It’s not ideal, though, because I’d need to walk around the bed every time I need a book. And I reach in to grab books off the pile a LOT.

But, well, it would be for Chappy, right?

But, see? The ottoman fits so nicely in the corner, right next to the window.

Oh, the yarn?

Six skeins of Juniper Moon Fiber Farm mohair/cormo blend.

It’s a really lovely, honey-cream color, and I got it on sale. How can you beat a deal like that?

Of course, I just noticed that there are no tags on this yarn, which means as soon as I put this away I’m going to forget all the specs. I guess I’ll have to make my own labels!

Tags: General by --Deb
10 Comments »

A set of nature-themed colored buttons. Rocks, wood, pebbles–who cares that they’re plastic?

Brought to you by:

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
2 Comments »

I was GOING to write a post last night. A good one. Witty, clever, funny, informative. It was going to be GREAT.

And then our power went out.

One minute I was sitting in my room, playing around on Ravelry, the next, it was suddenly very, very dark except for the glowing computer screen on my laptop.

Now, this was our second outage of the day. Yesterday morning, there was a 2-car accident on Rt 10 that knocked down a pole or two and we lost power for a couple hours. Okay. These things happen. But … 9:30 at night? Maybe it was something to do with the wind, but, whatever. It was our first power outage in our new house. (Technically second, but the first after dark, and since they both happened on the same day, I don’t feel like quibbling.) ANYWAY, since it was the first time this has happened in this house, there was a bit of a scramble to remember exactly where we’d stashed the flashlights and the little battery-operated lanterns Mom likes so much. I prefer candlelight in power outages, but had to remember where my matches were, but yes, I started out with a flashlight, too, because it was faster and Chappy was freaking out.

When I say “freaking out,” I don’t mean he was having hysterics on the rug or anything, just that it was Different! Scary! New! Different! Weird! And, Different! So he naturally had to bark at it, though whether the “it” was the darkness or the electric company or the three of us for disturbing his pre-bedtime naptime, I’m not really sure. Whatever it was, though, he sounded the alert as soon as the lights went out. “The power’s out! The power’s out! Hey guys? Did you notice? The power is out!” All while we’re trying to call out to each other about flashlights and such and move around without tripping over the chocolate-brown dog busily barking every time we raised our voices.

Not that this was a BAD experience, mind you. First, the power was only out for an hour or less, so that’s not terrible. I gave Mom my iPod Touch to play with because she was bored and the little lantern-flashlights don’t really give enough light for easy reading. Dad got ready for bed because “What else is there to do?” And me? Well, my Netbook battery lasts for HOURS. Toshiba wasn’t kidding when they told me the battery life was great because I have yet to run it further down than 20%, and that’s with using it all day, so I turned my computer on. I couldn’t do anything with the internet, it’s true, but MS Word worked just fine, so I opened up my book and did some work. It’s amazing how much you can get done when there’s literally no distraction except the occasional question from down the hallway. (“How do I find more games? Ooh, Mahjong!”)

Naturally, when the power came back, Chappy thoughtfully announced THAT to all of us, too. “It’s back! It’s back! Things are making weird clicking noises, but the power is back!”

Anyway, that’s why you didn’t get a post from me yesterday. Yes, I could have written one at 10:30 when the power was back, but by then the inspiration had gone.

Tags: General by --Deb
2 Comments »

Okay, the body of the sweater is DONE!

Next up? Sleeves.

And, button bands? Not actually necessary. The front cables are a series of Xs and Os, and I knit a button hole into each of the Os. You can’t really see them, because they’re kind of hidden by the close of the O, but they’re there … which is perfect, because it gives me the option of leaving it exactly like this, or, if I choose, adding additional button bands later. But, I don’t HAVE to.

Chappy had a sneaky morning today … he somehow got my bedroom door open around 8:00/8:30 and wandered down the hallway to visit his grandparents. Actually, as Dad describes it, he slunk down the hallway, like he was afraid he was going to be yelled at. But no, it was cute. They said good morning and even let him out to make his puddle, and then he came back up into our bedroom, jumped his front paws up to give me a kiss (“Mommy, guess what I did!”) and then went back to sleep until I got up around 9:00.

We’ve told him that ONE time, it was cute, but not to make a habit of it! He also got a nice, long walk today and then pretty much slept the whole afternoon. I made granola and a batch of oatmeal bar cookies, and some pot roast. I also gave Chappy a haircut this morning, miraculously BEFORE Mom vacuumed. (I have a knack for giving him his trims just after, and then, poof, little tufts of chocolate fur all over.)

Back to work tomorrow, though. It was a really lovely weekend, even if a little warm for this time of year. I’m worried that my two rooms are going to be uncomfortably hot come the summer, but am waiting to see how efficient the air conditioning is. There’s no question, though, that on the days when it’s not hot enough to turn it on (like this weekend), the streaming sun in the back of the house definitely heats up this room. A lot. In fact, I’m kind of hot right now, but, well, there’s the light right behind me, and the computer in my lap … man, I absolutely hate being hot! I never complain about being cold, but truly detest feeling hot and sticky. Sigh…

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
4 Comments »

Today we got together with the family–my sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and my brother-in-law’s brother, his wife, and their daughter and son.

This is Joshua, who was born on my birthday in November.

His big sister Kaitlyn (though, I’m sorry to tell you I’m still never sure how to spell her name). She was taking my picture, here.

Jigsaw puzzle, anyone?

Kaitlyn DID give her brother the gift we brought him, after she thoughtfully unwrapped it for him.

Isn’t that teddy bear meant for me? I want it…

This picture of my Mom, sister, and Dad just cracks me up. (I’m sure Mom will hate it, as she does all pictures these days, but the dirty look she’s giving Dad, and the teasing smile he’s got, along with the amusement on Patty’s face … I love it.)

I had to snap this picture just as we were leaving–the teddy bear sitting in Joshua’s little chair.

The only one left out? Poor Chappy.

He forgave us just as soon as we got home, though. Although my guess is that the second walk we took him on definitely helped!

Tags: Family by --Deb
Comments Off

I still have some vacation days leftover from last year, so I took today off from work, and what a beautiful day it was. Spring is DEFINITELY on the way.

Mom and I spent the day running errands. we’re seeing my sister’s in-laws tomorrow–the ones whose wedding we went to 5 years ago (where we got the Bamboo plant from today’s eye-candy), and who now have two children, both Scorpios, one of whom shares my birthday. They bought a house nearby last Thanksgiving, not to mention our old living room furniture, and we’re going to see it tomorrow. So, we needed gifts for the little ones, which made Target our first stop.

Then we went into the center of town for coffee, and passed this new store, Rude Chic, and got pulled inside by a really adorable tote bag that said “Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them.” (Not a sentiment I encourage, mind you, but the illustration was funny and not at all serious.)

SUCH a fun store, my friend Cindy would love it. It’s a gift store, with plenty of clever and amusing things, but it’s amusing with an edge, with a snarky, sarcastic air to it. Not enough to go over into that unattractive, cynical, no-fun-to-be-with kind of way. More like one of the cool kids from high school that dressed great, but with a little quirk, and had a snappy, zingy wit that just made hanging out with them fun. Mom and I laughed our way around the store. T-shirts that said “Rock is Dead. Long Live Paper and Scissors.” Clever cocktail kits. Some creative jewelry. A silicon “saw” for cutting cake or lettuce. Memo pads to declare the “Mood of the Day” or to write out your “Paper Email.” Just … fun, bright, clever stuff.

For budgetary reasons, I restricted myself to one purchase–several file folders that I think are just what I needed.

Then, because we had a coupon, we went to the Viking bakery.

Remember the lemon-filled cake I tried baking last November when I was craving my old favorite from a long-since closed bakery, the Third Crown? Except I was still adapting to the new oven, my lemon curd refused to congeal until it was overcooked goo, and the frosting was just way, way, WAY too sweet?

Well, I put my coupon to good use.

That was much more the thing! (And definitely prettier.) Sweet? Well, yeah, bakery cakes usually are, but it still tasted good… it just kills me that I can’t manage a vanilla buttercream frosting that doesn’t taste ridiculously sweet so that I could just bypass bakeries for this sort of thing (grin).

Still … it doesn’t hurt once in a while, right?

Like I said when the man asked what I wanted written on the cake.

“Because.”

Sometimes, that’s the only reason you need to treat yourself to a day off.

Tags: General by --Deb
1 Comment »

So, I’ve had this little pot of bamboo for four and a half years. It was a wedding favor at my sister’s brother-in-law’s wedding in August 2005. Ever since, it lived in my bathroom. Three stems died, but one of them hung in there and made the move with us last November.

It didn’t seem to like the new bathroom, though, probably because there was no natural light. And one by one, its leaves turned yellow. Even when I moved it to the hallway … yellow, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to throw it away.

Then, this morning, Mom pointed out the single, green leaf sprouting from the top.

There’s hope yet.

Brought to you by:

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
2 Comments »

Well, I liked the Peace Fleece (Sheplova Mushroom DK weight) that I made my Ribbed and Cabled Cardigan in so much that I signed up for the Wholesale program.

Do you know about their Wholesale Program? In short, anyone can sign up. You don’t need to have a store or a business, you can just be buying for a group of friends. You just need to place an order of $100 or more, BUT the yarn is actually cheaper. Like, $4.50 for a skein instead of $7.50. I don’t know about you, but I have easily dropped $100 on yarn from time to time, so this seemed like a no-brainer to me. You just need to sign up in advance. As I understand it, they occasionally put freezes on accepting new wholesale clients, but apparently not right now.

For three or four sweaters’ worth of yarn, even I could justify spending $100 right now, but still, in honor of the IDEA behind the wholesale offer, I asked three of my local knitting buddies if they’d like to place an order.

I had barely hit “send” in my email when Risa was saying, “Me, me!” She ordered this gorgeous medium “Patience Blue“. It’s really a little darker than in the photo–bright, direct sunshine today–but that means you can see some of the color variations that would otherwise be lost.

Kim took one look at the new colors on the front page aand was asking for this one, Baba’s Sienna,” a gorgeous rust/green combination which is going to look fabulous on her.

Me?

Seven skeins of their new “Kalinka Malinka Blue.” It’s a lovely grayish-blue heather that I can already tell is going to be difficult to photograph but which I love anyway.

I think this second photo is closer to the real color. If I thought he’d wear it, I’d make my nephew a sweater in this yarn in a minute, it would look so fantastic on him. (I think he’d wear the color, but have doubts about the slight scratchiness of the yarn. It doesn’t bother ME, but he usually avoids sweaters. But, man, this sure would bring out the blue in his eyes! I would love to see him in it.)

I also bought 5 skeins of “Kamchatka Seamoss” in the DK weight, which is exactly the kind of oceany blue/green I adore.

For good measure, I threw in two more skeins for myself, mostly because I liked how they looked on the website and wanted to see what they really looked like. “Glasnost Gold” is the one on the left (it’s not quite so neon-bright-orange out of direct sun), and the other is the peacock-y “Baltic Blue.”

Oh, and for good measure and ease in making future decisions–a color card. They really have some great colors–some that are pretty solid, but bunches with those little tweedy, heathered, hand-dyed kinds of subtle variations that add a little depth without drawing attention to themselves. My one complaint is that I wish they offered the same variety of colors in their DK weight (which I get a lot more use out of) that they have in their Worsted weight.

Honestly, how can you NOT be impressed with the folks at Peace Fleece? Not only is their mission statement “A yarn company committed to helping historic enemies cooperate and prosper through trade,” but they make a beautiful yarn, too. 30% Mohair/70% Wool. 200 yards per skein of the worsted weight, 350 yards of the DK weight. It’s good, sturdy yarn that wears well but isn’t too scratchy. These are GOOD people. Check out what their website says under “Wholesale Support”

Let us know how we can help your store, school or buying group sell Peace Fleece. We have knit up samples that you may borrow for six weeks at a time, videos of our work in Russia and a display book we are in the process of making. For those in the New England area, we also present a multi-media program to stores, knitting groups and schools for a modest fee.

I’m not the only one impressed, am I? They sell patterns, too, and hand-painted buttons, and … well, just go check them out, would you?

(And, no, they didn’t pay me to say any of this at ALL! Not unless you count the discount on yarn, but since that’s available to anyone, I don’t see how it could. It must just be the giddy happy yarn fumes.)

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
7 Comments »

I mentioned at lunch today that it was Pi-Day (3.14 etc), and I barely had the words out of my mouth and Dad was saying, “What do you need?” So he headed to the grocery store for emergency pie making supplies. Premade pie crust and frozen fruit.

When he was checking out, the woman on the register called over to her boss, “I’m clocking out and following this guy home.” Tee!

Frozen peaches, frozen blueberries, tossed with sugar, flour and a dash of cinnamon, then dotted with butter. The entire assembly process took about 7 minutes once the groceries were in the house.

The pie with all its edges tucked in, ready to go in the oven. I never try to do the pretty, fluted crust around the edges for a few reasons. One, the premade crusts don’t reach over the edge of this, my favorite pie plate. Two, nobody here really likes eating the crust edges. So, I fold the top crust in, along the outside of the bottom crust and kind of tuck them in together, which pinches the edges closed enough. Then, when it bakes, yes, you end up with a thick crust at the back, but it’s covered in fruit juices and much more “edible” (for Dad) than the drier, crispier crust on the edges of more traditional pies.

Besides, it’s easier.

And see how pretty? The finished pie has a ring of fruit juice around the edge, but nothing burnt, nothing bubbled over.

But, the best part of celebrating Pie Day?

My favorite furry pie eater is acting like himself. Spring in his step, joy in his heart. Yay!

He didn’t get out for a walk, though. It showered on and off all day. And when I say “showered,” I mean RAINED. Hard. We even had thunder! In March! Practically unheard of. The odds of us having timed a walk so that we would NOT have gotten drenched are pretty slim, and anyway, he wasn’t giving any hints over by his leash, either.

Incidentally, I got a ton of knitting done yesterday. First on my sock at McDonalds with Risa and Kim, then on my sweater while we all watched the Toy Story movies … and even more later while watching “Catch Me If You Can” with Mom. My sweater’s just past 15″ long now from the neck.

Believe it or not, Spring is coming. Gray and wet (really, really wet) as today was, looking out back, there are hints of real, fresh green.

Hey, did you know the Juniper Moon Fiber Farm Lambcam is up and running again? And not only that, but they had their first babies of the season about two hours ago, live on camera. Two twin baby angora goats. Awww! I haven’t seen both of them on camera yet, but I have seen at least one of them crawling around.

I’ve got two videos for you.

As much as it kills me, this is practically a perfect ad and it didn’t use a single word. It’s just perfect, and you will particularly love it if you like dogs … but even if you don’t, you should watch. It’s beautiful and beautifully done.

And then, this one has been making the knit-blog rounds the last couple days, but I wouldn’t want you to miss it. It’s just a wonderful evocation of what a warm home is–using yarn.

(Don’t miss this little gem, either–the “making of” film behind that commercial.)

(I’m not the only one who loves a truly good television ad, am I?)

Tags: Baking, Chappy by --Deb
3 Comments »

Chappy’s been really quiet the last couple of days.

On Thursday, he was clingy, wanting to be with one of the three of us (preferably me). He didn’t seem sick or in pain, just … quiet and clingy.

In fact, I came home from work and he was sitting on the chair next to his Grandpa, and had been there for a while. Well, okay, everybody can have a bad, clingy kind of day once in a while. Nothing to worry about.

Then, Friday morning, he woke up and seemed okay. I made and ate my breakfast, fed him, and went upstairs to get ready to leave for work, when Mom calls up, “Deb, Chappy’s having trouble with his leg again.”

You might not remember, but a year and a half ago, I got a frantic call at work from Mom because Chappy wouldn’t put any weight on his foot, and was drooling and throwing up, shaking like he was in great pain … but by the time I got home (after calling the vet and making an emergency appointment), he seemed fine. We all shrugged it off as being some weird kind of leg cramp that must have hurt a whole lot to make him throw up like that.

But then, yesterday morning, it happened again, only this time I saw it. It was definitely a leg spasm of some kind because he wouldn’t or couldn’t put his back, right leg on the floor, as well as shaking and drooling. As soon as I came downstairs, I sat next to him and he crawled into my lap and just shook and drooled while I massaged his leg. He was doing better when I left for work (though I felt AWFUL leaving him!), but he basically just slept all day yesterday, while being pretty careful about how he lay down. For the most part, he was lying down–preferably on something soft–and then more or less not moving anything more than his head.

Now, he does often have some kind of muscle kink in his back leg. When he lies down on his left side, he always stretches out the back right leg with an extra kick to get it comfortable, but he’s eight and a half years old.  A stiff muscle or joint isn’t exactly unheard of in middle-aged dogs (and humans). And I could certainly believe that he could have turned or jumped badly and twisted that in a way that hurt.

But at the same time, there was something about the way his head was shaking that seemed odd to me, more pronounced than a “I hurt” kind of quiver. It didn’t make me feel any better when I googled “dog leg spasm” when I got to the office and the first site that comes up talks about seizures … because it almost looked like it could have been a mild kind of seizure. He was awake and aware, and able to crawl into my lap as soon as I came down, but it also seemed to take a lot out of him, considering how much he slept yesterday, and how much he wanted to be with us throughout the day. He even followed me into the bathroom at one point, which he never does, but he wanted to be near me that badly.

All in all, I’m thinking I should take him to the vet for them to check his hips and legs sometime soon, huh? Poor little guy.

He was clingy today, too, though not so much–and more alert and like himself in between naps. Which was good, because he had company! Risa and the twins, who we haven’t seen since September (when they were the only bright spot on an otherwise awful day).

I actually met them at McDonalds first. (And no, Chappy was NOT happy about my leaving and I’m told he whimpered after I left.) The kids worked off lots of energy in the play area while Risa and I sat and knitted. And then a surprise–Kim joined us! That made the knitting extra fun … and almost possible to ignore how LOUD that glassed-in play area is on a crowded, rainy Saturday. Holy cow, it was loud, and after two hours I had had it, so we came back here.

This was Risa’s first visit to the new house since, just about the time I was ready to invite her over to see it, she went and sprained her foot. So, we gave her the tour, and then made some coffee (because, naturally, we hadn’t drunk enough coffee already), ate some cake, and then we all sat and watched the Toy Story movies. They sat on the couch, and Chappy curled up next to me on our chair … though he slid down and took over a little more real estate each time I got up.

The best part was that, not only was it great to see them, but I think the visit cheered Chappy up, too. If he had still been feeling like he was yesterday, I would have called to postpone, but since he was just a little clingy this morning, it seemed worth the risk, and I think he really enjoyed seeing them. He’s tired now, of course, but it seems more like a “I spent the afternoon with Mom’s friend and the monkeys and now I’m tired” kind of tired.

Speaking of tired and quiet time … I’m kind of beat myself …

Tags: Chappy, Friends by --Deb
5 Comments »

Here’s looking at you!
(A self-portrait from 2005.)

Brought to you by:

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
Comments Off

No, no not the BLOG lights, silly!

The window lights!

See what we’ve got? Not just one set of vertical blinds, but TWO

So now we can cover up the Palladian window when the sun is blinding … which is most of the afternoon. Or when it’s particularly cold outside. So, yay for us!

It was kind of weird seeing people over there while standing on the second floor, though…

And Chappy is just exhausted. This installation thing really cut into his nap time, you know? And he’s not as young a puppy as he used to be…

Of course, he’s still probably tired from his long walk in the park on Saturday, the first time we’ve been there in MONTHS.

We were sad to see these trees had fallen, though. Mom called them the “huggy trees” because the two of them were so intertwined with each other. Together to the end (sniffle), though it looked like they brought four or five other trees down with them at the far end. It was like a mass suicide of trees. (Or murder suicide? I wonder who investigates this kind of thing for trees?)

Tags: General by --Deb
5 Comments »

Some Furry eye-candy.

Brought to you by:

Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
4 Comments »

It’s National Grammar Day again. You know, “March Fourth/Forth.”

What better way than to sing the theme song? “March Forth: The Grammar Song”

Tags: General by --Deb
2 Comments »

Yes, that’s me with Rachel’s new book.

You DID know that our very own knit-blogging friend had her new novel published, didn’t you? It came out yesterday. How to Knit a Love Song.

Romance isn’t my usual genre, but I’m nothing if not supportive of a fellow knitter-writer, so naturally I bought a copy. It came today, and I read the whole thing. (What? Like you didn’t already know that I’m a fast reader?)

The book begins with Abigail driving up to a rusty gate, ready and eager to claim her inheritance. Her dearest friend and mentor has died and left her a cottage … the problem? It’s uninhabitable, and her nearest neighbor (the dreamy cowboy Cade) is hostile, to say the least. His house, her cottage, and the ranch he runs all belonged to his aunt–a woman who seems to have a remarkable similarity to Elizabeth Zimmermann. She, Eliza, is described as being one of the great knitters of the last century, famous for her ingenuity and fearlessness.

Against his will, and hating every minute, Cade lets Abigail sleep in his spare room while she gets her cottage set up, and it doesn’t take long for sparks to fly. Cade is furious about his aunt having broken up his property. Abigail is just relieved to finally have a place to call her own, and a chance to get away from her ex. (Well, more of a stalker, really.) She is determined to turn the cottage into a yarn shop, and Cade is just as determined to prevent it.

Of course, things don’t go as the two of them planned, either of them. There are a series of events that throw them together–a torrential rain, a bat, a stray alpaca, a fire … and they both recognize their attraction.

Are the basic plot points kind of predictable? Well, yes. Except for some minor details like Betty being a natural spinner, and Abigail’s perfect charm for the farmers at Tillie’s, I wasn’t really surprised by any of the things that happened … but that doesn’t change the fact that it was an enjoyable book. You did a great job, Rachel!

But, what I really want to know? What happened to Clara after the scene in the alley? And, did Betty ever come back to spinning?

If you didn’t already know, the book is available from Amazon.com both in paper and in a Kindle edition.

Tags: Reading by --Deb
4 Comments »

Hey, look at that–the fronts are the same lengths as the back.

Do you know what that means?

They’re ready to join together so that I can continue knitting this in one piece. I’ll be very happy indeed to be able to knit the rest using only one strand of yarn at a time, with no dangling needles to get in the way.

I just have to figure out how many stitches to cast on for the sides. As you know, my Celtic Dreams was too large–which is why I ended up ripping it out not that long ago. What I’m trying to remember … back from 2006 … is, how much did the blocking on the wooly board stretch the sweater in the first place? Because I seem to remember it fit better before that? There’s no question that the wooly board stretched it … which, of course was the point, but I won’t be doing that again!

Hey, you DO know that today is Rachel’s publication day, right? The day her brand-new book, How to Knit a Love Song comes out? What are you waiting for? Go get it! I’ve ordered mine!

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
1 Comment »

Here’s what I read in February:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

8. Writing to Learn by William Zinsser

9. Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

10. Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
11. Scout’s Progress by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
12. Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
13. Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
14. Carpe Diem by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

15. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
16. Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott

17. Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia McKillip

18. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

19. Sock Club by Charlene Schurch & Bet Parrott

20. Nature’s Wrapture by Sheryl Thies

21. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by --Deb
2 Comments »