Kathy's Meme, and No Spoilers, Please!

I am still working through Clue 2 from the Vikings MKAL.  The 3rd and 4th have been released, but, since I'm not there yet, I haven't looked at them.  Clue 4 signals the end;  I'm hoping not to find out what I'm making just yet.  My best guess is a shield/round shawl-type thing.  I'm on a section of stripes right now.  The straight needles have just about run out of room, so everythng will be moved onto circulars soon.

If tomorrow is a primary day in your state, please, PLEASE vote.  We are the engine of Democracy,  you know --- the voters.  We make it run.

Now, to Kathy's inspired questions:

1.Favorite refrigerator magnet:

A complete Nativity scene.  I collect Nativities, and that is the most unique one I've ever seen.

2. Favorite two color combination:

Black and gold.

3. Are you ready for March weather?

Only if it is Winter-like.  We haven't had enough coldness here.  I don't like Spring, and don't even get me started on Summer!

4. Have you ever made something with leftover yarn that you liked as much as the intended project?

Absolutely!  Barbie clothes from sock yarn leftovers, for one.

5.Does your pet watch TV?

No.  Finn used to perk up if there was barking or howling in a program, but he'd run to the front door to bark about it.

6. What's the largest needle size you own?

I have a 50.  The largest I've ever actually used is a 35.  It was like knitting with a table leg.

7. Would you rather have the cake or the frosting?

As a general rule, the frosting.  But it all depends on the type of cake. . .

8. The last time you got into something for free?

The last play Briton was in;  I used his comp ticket.

9. Have you knitted more hats or socks in your knit life?

Hats.  By a mile.

10. Do you know a Leap Year 2.29 birthday person?

I do!  My Best Friend Shari.  She turned "14" today!

For February 27th

This one might be a little difficult for some (*cough*me*cough*.)  Your next square should be made with yarn

THAT IS A COLOR BEGINNING WITH THE FIRST LETTER OF YOUR FIRST NAME.

Okay, "K's" --- what do we do?  Kale?  Kiwi?  Are we prisoners of green (as in "Kelly")?

Stitching Projects

Well, well, well. . .  There'll be a new color prompt tomorrow!  Because, you know,

My goal for the weekend is to knit some "off-script" squares.  I went through a couple of boxes of yarn the other day, and came across some skeins I think will work into nice ones.

Right now, I'm working through Clue #1 in the Vikings Mystery Knitalong.  This is just about at the end of the clue.  The aqua "waves" at the top are very pretty, don't you think?  I'm not happy with the look of the last short rows on the middle section, but this already looks like it will need heavy duty blocking, so that may work out fine.

I actually started this twice last night.  On my first try, my stitch count was WAY off.  The second time worked.  I believe Clue #2 is available, so this will be larger the next time you see it.

Better Late. . .

I let time get away from me this month with regard to my commitment to Chewy.  It dawned on me one day recently that I hadn't gotten my e-mail for selecting the samples I wanted to try.  One e-mail later, that was corrected, and yesterday, a box was delivered to my doorstep.

First up, Hill's Science Diet dental dog chews.

Rupert has very bad breath.  Rupert also has never been a treats sort of dog, but I was hoping to kill both birds here.

The bag I was sent was for medium-sized dogs, so I had to carve out little pieces for him to try.  He sniffed at a piece, but refused it.  An utter strikeout.  Fortunately, my daughter's housemates have a dog that these can be passed along to.

Secondly, Gourmet Carnivore cat food.

As thoroughly as Rupert disliked the dental chews, the two cats here who eat canned food dove into this.  They (Lily and Erin) are both gravy lovers;  they will lick the gravy from their food first, then eat the pieces.  And this food has all kinds of gravy.  They were in Feline Heaven.  Another winner!

Chewy allows me to receive free samples of its products each month in return for honest reviews of what I receive.  There is no remuneration whatsoever.

Still Leaning

Ten on Tuesday helps me out today.

Ten Things That Are My Favorites Right Now

(This is a good one;  I like this one.)

1.  I Am Malala

2.  My Lego Abraham Lincoln

3.  My Funko Pop Severus Snape

4.  The rain

5.  Marie Callendar's Peach Pie

6.  Contouring make-up

7.  Napping on the couch with Rupert

8.  Edy's Frozen Custard

9.  Sweatshirts

10.  Mouth  (Go.  Just go.  The Coconut Jam alone is worth the trip.)

Lots of Leaning

Being unable to come up with any blog fodder on my own, it's good some people I follow are posting nice, interactive things.

First, the gifted Kelli wonders if anyone would be interested in a knitalong.  Some of you may know that Kelli designs breathtaking things, so you're sure to get something wonderful out of it.  I'm in, but only if there are no DPNs involved.

Camille signed me up for the Vikings MKAL, even though I don't watch the show.  (Briton does;  he's hooked.)  If you click the link, you'll see the wonderful colors we get to use.  Mine came today.  Time to get winding.

And, of course, since it's Monday, it's time for Kathy's meme!

Name a Favorite:

*space  to knit in

Beachside, sitting beside an open window.

 *commercial running now

I don't have an answer for this one;  sorry!

*Disney song

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" from "The Little Mermaid."

*Summer Olympic event

Track Cycling has always amazed me.

*Charity

Heifer International

*first sign of spring

I am not a fan of Spring, but I do like buttercups.

 *thing to get in the mail

Personal letters or cards.

 *accessory 

Earrings.  If I'm not wearing earrings, it means I'm in a bad place.

*candy

Caramel.

*cleaning supply

Anyone who knows me is joining me in laughter here.  What is this "cleaning"?

Mr. Rickman

Alan Rickman sort of started the Knitters' Hunk contest.  

My first online friend, Roxanne, and I used to needle one another almost constantly about our respective tastes in men.  (We do to this day, in truth, though we have each mellowed.)  She could never understand my attraction to him.  Or so, at least, she said.

We went back and forth, all in good fun: "My crush is cuter than your crush."  One day, Roxanne said, "Why don't you have a contest to decide this once and for all?"

Hmmmmmm. . .

Hello, The Knitters' Hunk.  And the first winner?

Any fun you have in KH, and now KC, thank Alan and Roxanne.

He would have turned 70 today.  It still stuns me to realize that he isn't on the planet anymore.

Frayed

Okay.  I have been trying all week to work on things for Bridget's "Harry's Hundred."  All but one of them have been forcibly removed from the needles because THEY WEREN'T WORKING.

Think how much I could have accomplished in that amount of time!!!

Today

Making one of these cardigans:

Mourning the loss of Harper Lee.

Watching NASCAR Daytona 500 practice.

Receiving an aweome surprise from my son:

Grinding through 1 x 1 ribbing for a hat.

Polishing my nails:

Celebrating the release of this:

You?

Nice

Today, I made a concerted effort to do absolutely nothing.  Granted, I've been doing nothing for 5+ years, but this was a wee bit different.  In the last couple of weeks, I've has something to do, something to anticipate, something to think/worry about every day.  With Madeleine's vet visit Tuesday, and getting Hannah to and from her doctor's appointment yesterday, all my obligations came to an end.  So, today, I could shower or not (I did), know I had enough provisions to keep me from having to make a grocery run, know there were unlikely to be any frantic phone calls --- just relax.

I finished my Presidents' Day square:

I don't know about you, but I'm trying to find different stitches for each square.  If a particular yarn won't take to something, stockinette is the default, but I've been very lucky so far.

I found this in a catalog the other day.  Is this beautiful, or what?  The pattern is for a long, long tube, stuffed and then knotted.

I'm well aware that one of the draws here, for me at least, is the spareness in the photo.  I like crisp lines and "plainness."  But that is still a gorgeous, and brilliant, knit design.

Yippee!!

Madeleine had another blood glucose curve run today, and the results, the doctor said, were "perfect."

She doesn't need another check for a month to six weeks, which, bluntly, my checking account welcomes.  But that she's where she ought to be right now just THRILLS me!!!!!!!!

Now, I do have to skosh back on her food a little bit.  But not too much, since insulin dosage is determined by weight.  Still:

What Day Is It?

It's Presidents' Day, silly.  And it's also a day for a Blankapalooza color prompt.  Put the two together, and your next square should be

RED

WHITE

BLUE

or

ANY COMBINATION THEREOF.

If you've been keeping up with each prompt, this should be your fifth square.  If you'd like to show the other Blankateers some of your work, send a picture to me, and I'll share it.

And don't forget to knit something for Bridget's "Harry's Hundred."  Plenty of helping others knitting to be done.

The Twelfth

My Hero.

Yesterday was my birthday, too.

Flowers from my daughter.

A Lincoln pendant from my son.

And, for plain, sheer squee-ee-ness

A Lego Lincoln with a tiny Gettysburg Address.  Can you imagine??  It was from my first online/blogger/knit friend, Roxanne.

It was my best birthday in years.  I also got some great gifts from others of you, which I'll share later.  

It was a good day.

Day to Day

Today was the day for meeting with my tax lawyer.  It used to be a pain, when the trust Dale left for us was new, and how to collect and use all the information the return needed.  Over the years, things have gotten easier and smoother.  My appointment was at 2;  I was back in my car at 2:13.

It's been cold here the last couple of days, and all of us are trying to find ways to stay warm.  Riley monopolizes one of the air vents in the den, clearly sure that the one other vent in the room is enough for the other five of us.

Bobble Eyes

My eye color square for Blankapalooza is done:

Of course, the photo doesn't show the true color of the yarn.  And the yarn isn't exactly the color of my eyes, but it was the closest I could come without using sock yarn.  And the sock yarns had lots of other colors that are definitely not my eye color.  Hope you each found a usable match.  The next prompt comes next week, on the 15th.

We had a lot of snow here yesterday.  It snowed several times, coming down heavily and being blown all around by heavy winds.  The little that stuck was gone by sundown, but for a while, it was like living inside a snowglobe.

Hermit Monday

I am so grumpy and leave-me-alone today.  Can't figure why.  The weather's nice, there are no deadlines to meet, the team I wanted to won the Super Bowl:

Thank goodness Kathy has given us a new meme, or I couldn't be bothered to post today.

Ssk or Knit2tog?  SSK.  I just like doing it.
Double your yarn or knit faster? I'll say double my yarn, because I like to use 2 or 3 strands of different yarns together.
Ravelry or Pinterest  Ravelry.

Stop n stretch or drive right through  Drive right through;  my father modelled that for me.
Mountains or desert  Mountains.
Watch sunrise or watch sunset  It depends on where I am, honestly.  And the time of year.

Flu shot or no flu shot  I started getting flu shots when I was teaching pre-school, and just haven't gotten out of the habit.
Tissue with lotion or plain tissue  With lotion, though the budget often requires without.
Mosquito repellent or cover up  Repellant.  It's easy to carry a dryer sheet with you.

Walter Payton or Payton Manning  I can't choose.
Pets in your bed or close the door  On the bed.
Wash your fruit or not  Depends on the fruit!

I Feel Like Photos Today

This is a wonderful picture of Viggo, don't you think?

As it is of our beloved Alan.  I still can't quite comprehend that he is gone.  I still cry occasionally.

So cute.

You just can't beat puppy butts, can you?

In case you ever wondered just how big Shaquille O'Neal is.

This little guy makes me smile.

And this makes me gasp.

Next Square

Happy February, Everyone!

We'll go pretty straightforward this time:

WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES?


(ETA: Am I the only one standing in front of a mirror, holding different shades of yarn --- blue, in my case --- up beside my eyes to get the truest color?)

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Moments/Events/Days in My Life I'd Like To Repeat

1.  October 20, 1988,

2.  June 17, 1992,

3.  The days I found out I was pregnant.

4.  My wedding day.

5.  Living in my first apartment.

6.  The dinner for my Daddy's birthday when I cracked him up with his gift.  (A Customize-Your-Caddy kit for the car he bought from Porter Wagoner.)

7.  The trip to Panama City I made with my children and my best friend.

8.  Any Bee Gees concert I ever attended.

9.  Any summer when I was in elementary school.

10.  Seeing the Lincoln Memorial, Ford's Theatre and The Petersen House.