Sunday, May 31, 2015

O.U.C.H.

Finn is always on the couch when I am, lying right up against me.  Last night, he was deeply asleep when I accidentally startled/woke him, and he tore into my hand.  
I've had ice on it ever since (slept with an ice back tied in place), but it's a mess.  I bruise so easily anyway, this is going to continue to look hideous for a while.

Knitting, obviously, is on hold for a bit.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Has This Ever Happened To You?

In the last couple of days, I have cast on, and unravelled, so many projects, knitting has almost become a chore.  The yarns and the patterns didn't work together, or the stitch count kept being a problem, or the cats decided to make biscuits on my work. . .  A three-colored shawl called to me, but I could only find two of the colors I bought specifically for it.

AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!


I need to be inspired by something like this:
or this:

The Travelling Scarf is on the move! Kim has finished her part, and sent it on to Knitter #4.
 It's looking very pretty, wouldn't you say?  Stay tuned for more progress.




Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Just Random Words

Riley enjoys some sunlight after last night's storm,

which Finn Corgi-slept through:

Fortunately, the worst of it was over by the time I had to go to Briton's and give Buddy his insulin.  Yep, good ol' Buddy Cat has diabetes, and his diet has to be carefully regulated, and he needs insulin injections twice a day.  Briton wasn't able to do it last night because rehearsals began for his next play, Moonstone, in which he is the lead, Franklin Blake.  I have to go back tonight and tomorrow night, but it's for Buddy, and it's a chance to see Briton act again.

Speaking of actors and parts, there is a Hugh Laurie (David Nix in Tomorrowland) action figure:
The card says "Fully poseable."

So. . .

Very long, sad days around here lately.  I had to cancel today's therapy session because I couldn't afford it.  The first of next month can't come soon enough.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Yarn

Thank you for your replies to last post's prompt!  It's always fun to (sort of) peer into your friends' minds.

I failed to show you something kind of amazing that came in this month's KnitCrate.  It's a yarn from HiKoo called "Abracadabra," and it changes color in sunlight.  Really.  Here's what it looked like when I got it out in the sun last week:
Then, in the time it took me to walk into the kitchen, it had gone back to this:
You can still see a hint of the pink at the lower left.  How cool is that?  I have no idea what to make with it.  A nice airy summer shawl might be nice.  Once I see what it's like to work with, I may need to order the colorway that goes from white to purple.

Came across this somewhere;  I think it's spot-on:

Have a good week!

Friday, May 22, 2015

Fill-Ins

I found a variation on this question online the other day, and thought it would be interesting to see how you would answer.  A couple of my answers follow.

If I've learned anything from knitting, it's. . .

1.  . . .that knitters are among the most generous people on the planet.
2.  . . .that good yarn makes a big difference.
3.  . . .that you never remember what you bought the yarn for.  And when you try to match said yarn to a pattern, you either have too much or not enough.
4,  that bamboo, wood and other "exotic" needles are nice to knit with, but Boye aluminum ones are the best back-scratchers.



I hope you all have a safe, fun holiday, and remember to always

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Can't Keep Up

I have "enrolled" in a lot of websites over the years, and some I invariably forget about.  I have to remind myself that I'm on Pinterest, for example.  There are a certain set of sites I visit each day, and anything out of that routine I just lose track off.

For instance, I had completely forgotten that I had an account at Hub Pages.  I got an e-mail today telling me about a change in some protocols or something there, or I still wouldn't have remembered it.  I checked in, though, and found this.  I kind of like it:

Tentative Creative Steps

When I was a young teenager, my mother tried to teach me to knit. Her mother had taught her, as she had been taught by her mother, and so own back as far as I know. The first attempt was when I thought knitting was desperately uncool, and, even though I understood what she was showing me, I acted as if I didn't. Mama was exasperated, but I was getting out of something I found akin to learning how to churn butter. (Which, by the way, I was also taught to do.)
As stubborn and unyielding as I was then, I am now so very disappointed that I didn't start knitting those 10 to 15 years earlier. So much teen angst and (real or imagined) drama could have been handled with the simple click of needles.
Knitting, in case you are unaware, is extremely meditative. In addition to appealing to your sense of creativity and love of color. Dive in. The yarn is fine.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Mundane

There is so insanely little going on in my life day-to-day, that I struggle with producing blog posts.  Last week, there was all the yelling and chest-clutching and sobbing, which left me completely exhausted, and an easy victim of You-Think-Your-Head-Has-Hurt-Before-Puny-Human-JUST-WAIT.

Today, I've beem able to listen to a couple of nice thunderstorms while knitting.  I'm cleaning up lots of yarn leftovers, making triangles for the bunting at our yarn shop.  I'm also making little pin cushions, which will probably wind up in the etsy store.  Oh, yes, and elephants. Always elephants.

I've been feeling the pull of all kinds of charities lately.  Well, "charities" isn't quite right --- "opportunities to do good/help someone out" is better.  There are, fortunately, or, unfortunately, a lot of ways out there to help.  I'm involving myself in some of them.

Before the rain moved in, a couple of the girls relaxed on the back porch:
Thank you for posing, Erin and Madeleine.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

I, II

. . .never knew I wanted to be a teacher until I taught my first class.  When I was growing up, I wanted to be a Secret Service agent.*  Then, for several years, I wanted to be a paramedic.^  Now, I want to be the person who comes up with names for yarn colors.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





*

^

Monday, May 11, 2015

I

. . .have been on 24-hour crisis hotline duty for both of my children the last 4 days.

. . .will not be going to Chicago.

. . .feel a horrifying headache coming on.

. . .stepped on a bee Saturday night.  I'd forgotten what a sting feels like;  it's been forEVer since I've had one.


Saturday, May 9, 2015

Hard. Truth.

Both my children are struggling with Real Life Stuff right now.  And, as if RLS wasn't hard enough just by itself, their Real Life Stuff slammed into them like sledgehammers.

Mothers always want to help.  Sometimes we help too much.  Sometimes, even though it pains us, we know we can't help.  We shouldn't.

Real Life never gets easy.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Photo Journalism

The Travelling Scarf is now in Oregon!  If you've signed up to knit, watch your mailboxes:

Yesterday was a really good hair day:

Hershel went to therapy with me, to sort of "christen" my therapist's new office:

Over the weekend, my guy Jerome Flynn ran in support of white lions:

He also, it seems, had words with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau:

Today's t-shirt features George Clooney characters:

I failed to include a photo of my regular room service breakfast when talking about Stitches South:
The little salt and pepper shakers are as adorable as that tiny bottle of Tabasco I got in Folly Beach.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Forecasts

One week from today, I will be in Chicago.  My idea of flying to and spending a day in a city got Kathy to kindly invite me to come see her.  All I have to do is put some knitting, a book, and my billfold into a carry-on bag and be on my way.  Plus, the temperature there may allow me wear a pair of boots!


Over the weekend, I finished a delicious throw.  A friend had sent me the yarns --- all Colinette, rnaging from mohair to jersey tape to "bulky" boucle--- and the pattern was a soothing Feather and Fan:
Pinks and creams and gray/browns and some expertly-placed yellow;  it's so pretty.  It's not chilly enough to use it just now.  You are allowed to squish it, though, year-round.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Life on the Couch

"She leaves her yarn everywhere!"
 

"I think Finn needs you to move that yarn. . ."

48

If you've ever rented a movie on Amazon Prime, you know you have 48 hours in which to watch it.  (By the way, why do we "watch"...