yarnaholic

Library School!

2012-01-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

I did it! I got into library school and I started last Monday. I've got three classes, two online and one "live" class. It's only been a week but I am not overwhelmed yet, which is a good thing, right?

I'm working on school stuff so knitting has fell by the wayside. Two crochet blankets sit right next to my chair looking at me and telling me I should work on them. I will eventually. I know where my camera is and it's charged so I will take pictures of them too.

But today it's all white and snowy outside, I don't have to work and nothing is due for school until Tuesday and most of that is done and ready to turn in. So I think I might curl up with a blanket and some pleasure reading. I've got The Descendants, The Book Thief (which I already read, but my new book club is reading it this month, so I need a refresher) and Rules of Civility. Decisions, decisions.

Too long

2011-09-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

I know it's been too long since I've posted. I'm sure no one read this anymore, except maybe Jenni, because she keeps telling me I should post again!

I'm definitely on the downward slope of a midlife crisis. I did all the fun things, like piercing my ears, and wearing acrylic nails. Now I'm questioning the decisions I made along the way - like not finishing my bachelor's degree sooner, or foregoing any kind of career to raise my kids. I guess I am not questioning staying home with the rugrats, I wouldn't give that up for anything. But I wonder if I could have done it all, career and kids. I've always said I think that someone or something gets short changed in that deal, but now that my kids are almost grown I feel like I have nothing important to do, right when I feel like I should be doing something important.

I applied to library school. I'm stressing about getting in. My grade point average from 20 years ago was less than stellar. But I had to try, because you know what? The one thing I know is that i was meant to work in a library and my instinct tells me that I would make a great librarian. There is no place I feel more at home and on top of my game. We will see.

I'm into knitting massive projects. I finally finished Marijo's afghan. I will take pictures after I weave in the rest of the ends. I think there were about 5,000. No really, let's do the math here. Four colors per square equals 8 ends. 64 squares X 8 ends per square is (hold on here, I have to find a pencil and paper or the calculator on the computer which I am not sure how to use) 512. Is that right? It felt like a lot more. Although 512 is a lot.

Now I've started a ten stitch zig zag blanket. It's a pattern from ravelry by Frankie Brown. It seems fun so far. I'm going to go work on it right now, before I go to work at 12.

It's been a while . . .

2011-03-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

I've been stressed out. Used to be that would have me turning to the blog, but this time I just holed up with some books and lots of reality tv. But I figured a blog post couldn't hurt. It seems I have given up on my camera. I need to charge it up and start taking pictures again! Or, I could just use my fancy new smart phone! I got a Droid X and am finally getting used to it. By used to it I mean I'm not accidentally calling facebook contacts that I haven't talked to in years. I didn't know when I linked my facebook to the phone that it would list all of my fb friends in my contacts list! And I'm getting better at typing on the touch screen. But I still haven't figured out how to put pictures on the computer. I've taken a few of my recent projects. Baby Church's afghan is documented (it's ok, because I'm giving it to my friend Kristin tomorrow and I'm sure she won't read this because no one thinks I blog anymore) and my Savannah's blanket is done too. Both of these projects are crochet, inspired by Linda's hexagon experiment. I loved her pictures and decided to try myself! I've always had trouble with the corners on granny squares, but I figured a hexagon doesn't have to be shaped like a square. In fact, it shouldn't be square shaped at all! I like a hexagon. Just started on a log cabin-y mitered square afghan for my sister-in-law. I like it. It's nice, simple knitting, perfectly suited for tv knitting, which by the way, is my favorite kind of knitting. I have a job. I work as a clerk five days on, five days off - which you would think would mean M-F, a week off, then M-F again, but you would be wrong! It's W-F, M & T and then the next seven days off. It's called part-time, but the days I work are full days. I kind of like working four hours a day better. I've been missing Savannah's volleyball games and I may miss Sophie's softball games and I don't like that. I am a stay-at-home mom and I feel like nothing should interfere with that. And if you could see the pile of laundry after working for five days? I feel like all I do on my days off is wash clothes. Blah. But I shouldn't complain. The reading specialist at my kids old elementary school, who moonlights at a yarn store, told my Sophie about the schools monthly knit night and told her to invite me, so I'm going to hang with the knitting teachers. I hung with a lot of teachers in Alpena (none of them knit though) and they were all very nice so hopefully this will be fun. They are knitters right? It will be fun. I'm going to a knit night on April 13 I'll figure that Droid out and post pictures next time. I promise.

I knit a whole something!

2011-01-28T17:04:00.001-08:00

I finished a knitting project! A one scrunchable scarf, out of this really pretty yarn with a goofy name - Plymouth Mushimushi or something like that! (I used the color #15) And - I'm almost done with a hat - Felictiy - from the same skein. It's a huge skein. Really. Something like 400 yards.

I haven't really finsihed any knitting since we moved home. Oh sure, there are single socks floating around, but not even the start of a second sock.

I did finish two ripple crochet throws. Well, one still needs fringe. But I'm fringed out.

I think the reason I finished the scarf and have nearly completed the hat is simple avoidance. You know, denial of reality. Too much crap is going on in my life right now. Issues over which I really have little or no control. But I can control how much knitting I get done. I'm also getting very good at how much laundry I let stack up too.

Anyway, I'll post pics soon. I've just got to delete some of the pics on my memory card and load the little card into the computer and post them.

Oh - and another really good way to avoid reality? Kindle. You hear about a good book, push a couple of buttons, and there the book sits, right in front of you! Instant gratification. It's dangerous really.

Mice

2010-10-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well . . . .

We are all settled in here in Clawson. My girls are doing great. Joe's working here and there and I'm still looking for a job, but all in all, we are ok.

Except for the mouse.

We moved back into our lovely, clean, freshly painted home and it's stayed clean, believe it or not. So when I saw the mouse poop in the bottom cupboard, I wanted to cry. I don't like mice. They are disgusting, sneaky, creepy little rodents and they belong outside, far, far away from my house, not in my freaking pristine cabinets!

I will show no mercy. I was all for poisoning the little bastard and his family. But Joe pointed out that when you poison them, they have to go somewhere to die, potentially in the walls and that's just creepy. He also said the Billy the Exterminator didn't like using poison. I told him if he was willing to call Billy the Exterminator and have him come over and kill the mice, I'd be all about not poisoning him. Of course, Billy costs money and since we are unemployed, we went with the traps. Oh, not the humane traps. Look, if they want to live, more power to them - they just need to live OUTSIDE. Inside, all bets are off. So we put out the old fashioned, snap their little spines, mouse traps.

All that did was provide the little fuckers a steady meal of peanut butter for a couple of days. Once again, I pointed out the need for poison, but Joe, in his wisdom, said perhaps we should try a more sensitive trap. I said fine. But if they ate the damn peanut butter again, I would by the d-con myself.

This morning Sophie woke us up by telling us there was a dead mouse in the cupboard! Victory! Joe threw it in the garbage. But that reminded me of what a friend did, when confronted with the dead mouse in the mouse trap.

She made her teenage son take the thing out and swing it around the front yard a couple of times so all the other mice would know what happened to mice that ventured into her house! Genius. As another friend pointed out to me, you've got to let them know who's boss!

My blog got mentioned in my Alumni Newsletter!

2010-09-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

Does that qualify me as famous?

Really, Kalamazoo College's Be-Light E Newsletter mentioned me under the Class Notes section - and I totally did not send that information to them - so who did?

I was totally shocked, they mentioned that I had a blog and that in it I chronicled my experience of finally finishing my SIP twenty years later, and linked to that post! I feel kind of cool now!

But guess what? Not only am I now finished with my SIP, but I've completed my gym credits and in December (which is when they print up the diplomas) I will be the proud owner of a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a French Major from Kalamazoo College! Yay!!!!!!!!! Although, word to the wise for other people thinking of majoring in French - double major in some kind of business-y thing, because really, I'm not very marketable at the moment. I plan to remedy this by taking the GRE and getting into Library Science School, but really, it would have been much easier to do when I was younger.

moving back home

2010-09-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

I've posted it on Ravelry already, but I thought I'd do it here. I'm moving back to the D. Or, well, the metro Detroit area, which is the place I call home. I tried to call Alpena home. And I'm very sad to be leaving. I'll miss my friends, my job, my book club, the swans in the river, the snowy winters (really, I mean it, I love the snow). Oh, I know I complained but I thought this was where I would be, for a really long time, and so I adjusted. Only to have the rug pulled out from under me. From under my entire family really. I'm not ready to talk about why we are leaving, but someday I will be. I can't wait for that day.

But in an effort to look on the bright side, here is a list of shit I won't miss in Alpena.

1. Road kill that lays on the side of the road for weeks at a time.
2. The melting plastic smell that permeates the air 4 out of 7 days a week from the panel processing plant in town.
3. The way the most of the locals look at you like you are still a stranger after two years.
4. The absence of any real Mexican cuisine.
5. The lack of a decent bookstore (ok, at least there is one here, but let's face it, it's substandard)
6. The absence of any real Chinese food (really what I mean is that there is no Young's here!)
7. The only radio station that played semi-decent music (it's catch phrase is "playing the 80's, the 90's and now" emphasis on 80's and really it should say "80's no one listened to)
8. Going to the store without showering and seeing at least three people you know.
9. How the "important" people here think that they really are important
10. All three McDonald's and all three Subway's.

His first (that I know of) "college story"

2010-09-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

So. The 18 year old found some friends, of the smallish rodent variety, in his apartment. Three mice to be exact. Now, he IS a boy, and we've had mice in our houses before, a couple times and he didn't seem to traumatized. However . . . .

Last night I was IM'ing him on Facebook, and I asked if they had seen anymore mice - here, I'm just gonna quote the conversation verbatim. Read it, it's pretty funny.

Me: Did you see anymore mice?
JB: I don't know.
Me: What do you mean you don't know? Any mouse poo?
JB: I don't know. I don't venture into the quarantine area.
Me: (chuckling) The quarantine area? Where is the quarantine area?
JB: My room.
Me: Where are you sleeping?
JB: The couch.
Me: Did you get your clothes out of your room?
JB: No, only a select few.
Me: Ok, you know mice can smoosh themselves flat enough to go underneath a door.
JB: Taken care of
Me: How
JB: Hoodies rolled up along the edge of the door, smashed in with a large metal box.
Me: How long is the "quarantine" going to last?
JB: Until the PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) stops.
Me: LMAO - are you having flashbacks?
JB: IT'S NOT FUNNY!
Me: It's kinda funny! LMAO
JB: It's like you are making fun of a war veteran!

I'm sorry, I just thought this was hilarious. I'm still picturing my 18 year old son curled up in the corner of his couch with the computer actually having flashbacks about mice running across the floor and his cousin throwing a shoe at them, stunning them, and then beating the crap out of them. It is kinda funny, isn't it?

Forget Cat Bordhi

2010-08-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

Ok, too hard. I'm back to knitting a plain old vanilla sock. My Cat Bordhi creation was ginormous and didn't so much resemble a sock. I know when to say when.

always read ahead

2010-08-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

So I started a Cat Bordhi sock, and I thought the beginning was odd, because there were like, 15 different cast on amounts. I picked the one closest to 64 figuring that would be normal. I picked sixty.

You had to cast on 60 on a size 2 (I used 3 because it's all I had) straight needle (I used a double point because it's all I had AND I had to smoosh all the stitches on there and pray none fell off) and knit 1 1/2 inches of linen stitch ( I think that's what it's called, it's all "slip wyif, k1") back and forth.

Then you have to join it in a circ on two circs , size ones, (which I have!) and knit8 more rows of this pattern. Then comes the trouble.

You are supposed to downsize the whole cotton picking thing by four stitches. Turns out I should have cast on 70, not 60. Need I say I literally spent from 5 to 9 getting that two inches knitted before I realized I messed up? Did I frog? Hell no. I increased 4 stitches and am praying the thing goes over my foot. We'll see. I don't hold out high hopes. I see frogging in my future.

Read ahead people, always read ahead.

Cat Bordhi - mind blowing

2010-08-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

I got the two latest Cat Bordhi books from the library today - New Pathways for Sock Knitters and the one after it, something about insouciance. They are (as the title of the post implies) blowing my mind! She has rewritten the sock. She calls it "sockitecture". No more leg, heel flap, gusset, foot, toe. She has sort of rerouted the whole heelflap/gusset part, so that you can increase, basically anywhere to make room for your heel. It's crazy. I can't claim to understand it yet.

My problem is, I am not patient. I don't want to knit the little baby socks on huge needles to practice, and Cat says I must practice. But I don't wanna. I want to knit all the really cool looking socks in the book. I've had this problem before. It's why I can't knit two socks on two circs or magic loop. I tried to do the projects instead of the practice projects. Does anyone else suffer from this particular form of delusion? Maybe there is a support group. Or better yet, maybe there is an enabling group, that can tell me exactly how to not do the practice crap and still be able to knit the fun stuff!

Lots of work and play

2010-07-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

So, I sewed up the ends of two pair of socks, and am part way through my second pomatomus, but I screwed up and the sock is in time out.

I have spun another ounce of Andrea's roving. It's heavenly to spin, except every once in a while a piece of fluff flies up my nose. I just wish I was as fast as FatCat, because I haven't even got halfway through my four ounces, and I want to knit something with it!

I suppose if I were the kind of person who stayed with one project until it was finished I'd be done much faster with the spinning, but I'm not, and really, I don't know any yarn people who are! We can't resist the pull of starting a new project. Each WIP is like a badge of honor, right? So I started some socks - Big Tease, from the Joy of Sox - with my new loopy ewe solid, sereknity. It's gorgeous.

And in between knitting and spinning and sewing, sometimes I go to work and try to wrangle teenagers. I had four teens working for me all year, doing all kinds of cool programs, making awesome sea serpents for our summer reading program and creating a final video about their experiences and how cool the library can be. It's not all just books people! There are fun things for teens at the library. Really, you propose something to us, we'll consider doing it. Like movie nights, a dance (where no one really danced but still had a good time) gaming days, the list goes on. Anyway, here is the final video that my teens made. They are all done working for me and I will miss working with them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj-PhqVTSg8

Invasion of the Earwig

2010-07-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

I can't figure out how to move the pictures so look at them first and enjoy the post later! 1.Yarn Hollow Haul. 2.Shepherd's Wool. 3. Mohair in Motion. 4. Wonder Why Gal. 5. My socks! from top to bottom: Plurks, Lohengrin, Pomatomus.

Don't worry - no earwig pictures. I was just "inspired" because as I opened up this window on the computer, I looked up and saw a FUCKING EARWIG crawling on my ceiling. Ewww. I hate them. We've had an unusual amount of them this year. Maybe the humidity? Anyone else in the lovely state of MI experiencing this phenomenon?

But look - I have lovely pictures of my haul from the Castle Farms Fiber Fest. People, this one is nice. It's in this gorgeous building near Charlevoix. It's full of vendors with lots of yummy stuff and if you go on Sunday you miss the super rich crowd of tourists buying yarn and yarn stuff even though they don't knit. Really. We heard a couple of them actually say "This would be really cool if you were a knitter". Dude, it's a fiber festival. What did you think there would be? Different kinds of oatmeal? That sounds fun.

Here's my stuff

The new sock yarn from Shepherd's Wool. Superwash (the variegated) and denim 100% wool. Her wool is so unbelieveably soft. And the colors! And, she's located in East Jordan Michigan. Which is up, just east of Charlevoix. Beautiful stuff.

Yarn Hollow. 3.6 oz. of soy fiber to spin! Pretty orange lace for a shawl, and a heavier laceweight which I think I can finagle into a mythos, from knitty.

And lastly, a bargain bin buy from Mohair in Motion. It's cotton, though, not mohair. Those people are some of the nicest people I've met at these fiber festivals. And they always have the best bargain bin around.

I also bought sock needles because I've got three pairs of socks finished, but the second sock of each is still on the needles because I don't have a sewing needle to graft them! Yes, I know I could've bought a sewing needle, but buying the new sock needles now enables me to actually work on four pairs of socks at once! How awesome is that?

Oh, and here is my alpaca from WonderWhyGal, I have lots left to spin, but I couldn't resist plying up my first spindle full, just to see what it would look like. Isn't it pretty?

Oh no. The earwig isn't on the ceiling anymore.

Spending Spree

2010-07-10T19:59:00.001-07:00

What's it called in psychology when you push down your feelings by doing something totally inappropriate? Well, whatever you call it, I think I'm doing it.

My son moved out two weeks ago. He's going to MSU in the Spring and is living in East Lansing with his cousin and trying to find a job for the summer. He was deferred at MSU for the fall, but we figured it would be a good idea to live down there, go to Lansing Community College in the fall and acclimate himself to the environment before January.

People keep asking me if I cried. Well, no. I keep telling myself he'll be back. I mean, I came home all the time from college, holidays and summer and such. So it's not like he really moved out. Come on!

But curiously, at the same time he moved out I found myself ordering yarn from the Loopy Ewe. Four different kinds of yarn. Did you know they have this awesome new Solid Series? I had to get two skeins each of Strawberry and Serenity ( I think that's the green color's name, but don't quote me on it).

And then I needed to try a new line - String Theory sounded fun. And they had this lovely color called Jade Fusion. A must have.

And since I was going with something new, it felt right to throw in an old favorite, you know, for comfort. So a skein of Trekking found it's way into my basket.

And last week the Tour de Fleece started. My knitting homies, the ZPDK, all joined the Team of Wonder, how could I not join too? I will admit, I am not spinning every day. Only because it's freaking hot as hell up here and I have no air conditioner. Did I tell you all the story about the air conditioner? If not, let me know because, while a bit embarrassing, it is quite funny. Anyway - it broke. And no one wants to pony up for a new one, so I suffer. Not so much in silence though. I think everyone I know is sick of me talking about air conditioning.

But I did manage to finish spinning up some Lorna's Laces roving, which was the very first "serious" roving I bought. I'm plying it up right now and thinking of what to do with it.

But all the ZPDK are talking about this Wonder Roving. I've resisted because the hubby has a thing about credit cards and the internet (did you know you can pay with a check at the Loopy Ewe? ) but then I realized that since my daughter has become an Ebay entrepreneur (the rule in the house is "hide it if you don't want Sophie to sell it") we have a PayPal account set up. And then, right when I was chatting with the ZPDK about Wonder Why Roving, I heard my husband say that there was money in the PayPal account! How convienient! I zipped over to Etsy, plunked two 4oz. balls of roving in my basket, asked for the username and password of our PayPal account and before my husband even knew it, bought the stuff! He figured it out when he got the confirmation email, but hey, I told him I'd pay him back on Friday.

The point is, do you think this little spending spree could be related to the kid moving away?

(Obviously, I've misplaced the camera again, but my girls are back from downstate and they both have cameras which I plan to snatch for a little photo shoot with all the new yarn and roving - pictures will be forthcoming!)

Beatiful Blogger! -blush-

2010-06-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Holly nominated me for a Beautiful Blogger award - which essentially means I have to tell you ten things about myself that you might not know. That's hard, because I tend to blurt everything out all the time, I don't have a lot of secrets! But I'll give it a go

1. I am a "pill" baby. My mom was totally on the pill (in it's infancy albeit) and got pregnant with me!

2. I'm married to my junior high sweetheart.

3. Bono is my hero. I may have already mentioned that. I love his music and his political involvement.

4. I love Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. It should NOT be classified as romance. Yes, Ms. Gabaldon can write a steamy love scene with the best of the Harlequin authors, but can they give accurate historical medical detail? I don't think so.

5. My middle name is Louise. I hate it.

6. I asked for drugs about 2 centimeters into labor for the first two kids and they turned out perfectly normal. Hopefully some pregnant person who thinks she needs to martyr herself in the name of natural birth will read this and realize it's not necessary. Oh, I waited till 7 centimeters for the 3rd kid, only because it is true that if you get the epidural too soon, labor can last longer.

7. I've never read a Jane Austen novel. I've tried a million times, because I have many friends who LOVE Jane Austen, but I just can't do it!

8. I think South Park is hilarious! Trey Parker and Matt Stone are satirical geniuses.

9. I'm sorry, but I don't think Denzel Washington is good-looking. (We're watching Training Day, that's why I said that, but I really do feel that if you don't SAY that you think Denzel is good-looking people look down on you.)

10. I love doing these "tell people 10 things about yourself"!

I don't know anyone else to send this too, but if you read it and feel like doing this on your own blog, go for it, it's fun!

10.

Have I Lost My Mind?

2010-05-20T17:00:00.001-07:00

I think I may have lost my mind.

When I got married, within about nine months I found myself in a "delicate" situation, as the Victorians referred to it! Knocked up, in current argot. And I was happy, really. It was all I had ever wanted, to be a mom, the stay-at-home kind, like my mom. You know, drinking coffee and gossiping with your neighbor while your babies played contendedly on the carpet nearby.

That shit never happened. By the time I was a stay at home mom (early 90's), no one else was a stay at home mom. If they were staying home they were babysitting other people's babies and had no time to gossip. Coffee wasn't to be enjoyed, it was the drug of choice you took in order to do all the running around the little people you were raising required. That's ok, I still loved it. I'd do it all over again. I miss when my people were little. I love them all now too, but I miss the cute. Now I've got smart (sometimes too smart, sometimes smart ass!) medium size and large people living in my house, eating enormous amounts of food and requiring even more squiring around.

So what do I go and do? Decide I need to make job into something resembling a "career".

I love the library. I would love to get a Master's in Library and Information Sciences someday, I actually state that this is my goal, but my goal is being put off for a bit because my son is going to Michigan State next year, and that's expensive! (Plus, I guess I should first focus on going to the gym enough times to actually receive the bachelor's degree). Short of being an official librarian, I've found myself being strangely ambitious. Not only am I a Reference Assistant and Teen Tech Trainer (only until July though), I'm now - get this - a Co-ordinator of the READ Literacy Program at my library!

I'm so excited about it. When we first moved up here, I became a tutor for the literacy program. I got 12 hours of free training for it, and it was awesome. I love language. It's why I majored in French. I wasn't so much into the whole literature analysis thing - I just really loved learning languages. Helping adults learn to read is really, teaching someone the basics of language. I found the whole thing fascinating.

So when one of our coordinators decided to retire to help care for her grandchildren I thought about applying for the job. But I thought no way would I be qualified. These awesome ladies that have been running the program have years of experience. Little did I know they were thinking of me! I'm so honored.

So now, on top of being a stay at home mom, because that is still my primary job - only one of my peeps is flying the nest anytime soon, still two to teach to fly - I'm a reference asst., teen tech trainer and learning how to be a READ Literacy Coordinator. I think I might have lost my mind. But I'm really excited about the whole thing! Maybe somewhere in the process, I'll relocate my mind and it'll be in better shape than before!

Blogging as Panic Attack Therapy

2010-05-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

Let's see how this goes. I am awake, it's 3:00 a.m. and I'm mid panic attack. Two xanax (just the .25 mg ones, not the heavy duty stuff) under my belt, I think the edge might be off, but I thought blogging might help, so here I am.

Hey, did I mention that I finished my SIP? A SIP for those of you who don't know anyone who attened Kalamazoo College, is a Senior Individualized Project. Essentially it's a thesis, that you have to complete to get your bachelor's degree from Kalamazoo. I finished taking classes at Kalamazoo in 1990. I never did my SIP. I did other stuff, like gettting pregnant, procrastinating, getting pregnant again and procrastinating some more, getting pregnant one more time and procrastinating again, working at my favorite library in the world, the Blair Memorial Library for seven years and raising my children as a mostly stay at home mom, and eventually moving to the tundra of Alpena (which this winter wasn't so much of a tundra). I have a great job up here at the library, but it's really part time and I was getting a little bored and my husband pushed me just hard enough over the line (really he called Kalamazoo and figured out exactly what I needed to do to finish) that I enrolled for my SIP. And about a month ago I finished it and mailed it in, all prettily packaged in that famous Black Folder.

This was quite a feat for me. I never thought I would do that kind of a SIP. When I was at K, I was going to student teach (they don't even have a teaching program anymore from what I hear) and that didn't require an actual researchy sort of SIP. And at that time in my life, the thought of doing a 30 page French literature analysis sort of made me feel queasy. Hell, it made me feel even queasier this time, but I buckled down and with the help of my advisor, Dr. Kathy Smith, I managed to do it. My french was atrocious, but it's sort of like riding a bike. After a while phrases and vocabulary started coming back to me, but in the beginning, I'm sure my writing sounded like a french kindergartener's - if not worse! But it must have been good enough in the end, because last week I found out I passed!

Now I just have to fulfil the P.E. requirements. Yes, one of the bonuses of going to a liberal arts college is that whole "well-rounded" education thing they are so big on. I was supposed to have had six gym classes while at Kalamazoo. Did I mention I am probably the least athletic person you will ever know? I finished two. Aerobics and Yoga. I dropped out of Ballroom Dance! So now, to make up those four credits I am officially a member of the Bay Athletic Club in Alpena Mi. My butt is on the treadmill at least 3 times a week until the summer in over and I've fulfilled my requirements. It's not so bad if you go at the right time. Early morning isn't so good, because all the real die hards are there and it's crowded and I get an inferiority complex when the girl on the next treadmill is full out running a marathon and I'm walking at the lowly 3 miles an hour speed. After school is brutal because all the high school boys, including some of my sons friends are on the ellipticals which are behind the treadmills, so I feel a little self-conscious. I mean, those boys know I'm fat, but do they really want to be looking at the fat, forty year old mom working out in front of them? No. So I've determined the best time is around 9 am to noon. This way, I get the little old men who remind me of my dad and the middle aged ladies who are shaped like me. I plug in the Ipod with my daughter's music on it, and off to the races I go. If by races you understand s.....l.....o.....w and steady wins the race! I'm trying. But I don't believe any of that bullshit about how someday I will just LOVE it and not be able to live without it! Let's get real - there is SO much I'd rather be doing. Knitting, reading, watching tv. Unfortunately those aren't going to get me the bachelor's degree. So off to the gym I go.

I think this might have worked. I think I might go lay down and watch some tv. Not FOX news, which my husband listens to when he has insomnia because he likes to point out all the factual mistakes they are making. That doesn't work for me, my blood pressure skyrockets and I yell at Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity or whatever "reporter" they might be featuring at the time. No, I enjoy reruns of Roseanne when I can't sleep, or any of the Real Housewives franchises from Bravo. We'll see what I can find.

I'm back

2010-05-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

Wow, I can't remember how to blog. I have another picture of a one row lace scarf that just disappeared, and yet I can't figure out how to cut the extra picture of me and my son. Jeez.

But I'm going to return to the blogosphere. I have lots of knitting to capture with my newly found camera and I'll probably rant about all the crazy political crap people post to me on FB. But I missed the blog and I hope people will still tune in now and then.

My boy going to prom, with his date and the obligatory picture with his mom!

My Baktus - yarn from Taos NM, purchased by my awesome husband while on a business trip. I didn't even ask him - he just did it!

An extra picture of me and my boy that I can't figure out how to cut.
Maybe I'll be able to figure things out eventually!

uh .. . . .

2009-12-16T13:25:00.001-08:00

So I watched a few more episodes of Big Love today . . . . and rear-ended some lady in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. Karma.

I'm Being Punished . . .

2009-12-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

For totally vegging out and having a Big Love Marathon for two days in a row. The water has stopped coming out of the faucets and my husband won't answer the phone! I know it's bad karma, but I just couldn't resist the season 3 episodes of Big Love on On Demand.

Really I should have some good karma, I literally washed almost all the clothes in the house yesterday, and we all know how I hate the laundry. And the roast is in the oven getting ready for dinner tonight.

I'm such a girl, I don't have any idea what to do! I need to learn.

3rd Level

2009-11-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

Everyone in my family has been sick. And now it looks like we are going for round 2. My littlest one (not so little really, she's 11) has a sore throat and fever. Kind of like what she had a week or so ago, only more sore, not as hot. What?!? I am the mother of 3, I kind of thought I had this whole sickness thing down. Sore throat, fever that doesn't wane = strep. But I don't know what to do with this whole coming and going fever thing. And the one thing I hate about up here, is that there are no pediatricians. And the clinic we go to only has walk in hours for sick people. So I get to take my 11 yr. old, unvaccinated against the flu daughter and go sit in a waiting room full of coughing, sneezing, germy people and wait for someone to look at her. I know because I did it last week with my other daughter. Fortunately child #1 has asthma and has been vaccinated against h1n1. Fun.

I found my camera. I just need to look for the cord, I know where it is, I've just not had time to look for it. But I took a picture of my latest spinning. I love it! It's merino/tencel - it's sooooo soft, and it's turquoise/grey and a weensy bit of brown. I'm plying-on-the-fly and I think it's about fingering weight, so I think it will become a special pair of socks, for me.

I also ditched the Pinko the Wave. It's back in the closet. I started the fountain pen shawl from the fall Interweave knits. It's turning out ok, but I'm using a variegated yarn and I really don't like variegated for lace. I wish I had known this before I bought a bunch of it.

Also going to start working on hats and cowls for 3rd Level Alpena. It's a group that works with homeless teens, hopefully to find them food and shelter, especially for the winter. It's sad what's happening up here, around the whole state I'm sure. But what's going on up here is that people who have lost their jobs downstate, are coming back to live with their families, many of whom have probably lost jobs themselves. We have one shelter up here, it has nine families in it right now and I'm not sure how many single adults. There are 100 homeless kids in the public schools, some living out of their cars. I'm going through my closests today, I know I have coats and such to donate. I complain about my kids getting sick, but I am so fortunate that my family has a warm place to live, food, insurance. I really think these things should be a right for everyone, not a luxury.

Why Do I Keep Knitting It?

2009-10-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

I pulled my Print o' the Wave stole out from the back of my closet. You remember, the one the ZPDK's were doing as a KAL oh, about a year ago? The one that as far as I can remember only Jaxypants and Spinny actually finished? Well mine was well under way. I was finished with the border and was knitting the never-ending-edging. (Ask Spinny and Jax.) I'm actually on the fourth side, when I put it down for a snuggle with the pups. It's cold up here and those dogs produce a lot of heat! I looked down, under my tiny little eight pound pup sitting snuggled up to my leg and just about had a coronary. Underneath the little shit, I saw my stole, all the border stitches on one needle of the circs, and where the 18 edging stitches were supposed to be on the other needle? Nothing. 18 little tiny loops of stitches sitting underneath a raspy dog paw. I moved him as gently as I could (not worried about him, worried about the stitches) but it was no use. Those suckers were dropping faster than anything I've ever seen in my life. I picked up what I thought might have been the 18 stitches, but turned out not to be. I dropped a few and found a few more, knitted the next nine rows of edging and what resulted is something I'm glad I don't have a camera to take a picture of.

Now I'm torn. I put a lot of work into this thing. I absolutely refuse to frog it. Refuse. Won't be happening. But now I wonder, should I shove it back in the closet for another year, since looking at it makes me want to cry? Or should I suck it up and finish and go back and try to make the crappy dropped stitch part look acceptable? Let me add, there are already many, many mistakes in this thing, but mistakes that a non knitter might not notice. This is not one of those mistakes.

What's a knitter to do? Anyone?

Really?

2009-10-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since I posted? Woah. That's bad. I think it's mostly because I have no camera, but blogs aren't just about pictures. It's about the words man. The words!

Words are awesome. Words in English are especially awesome. Thinking about writing 30 pages worth of words in French is boggling my mind. Thinking about reading all the words in French that will enable me to spit out 30 pages en francais is even more mind boggling. I'm into avoidance at this point and that means staying away from the computer, where most of my communication with Kalamazoo happens. I must push forward . . . .

Knitting? I'm stuck here. I'm suffering from a major bout of SSS. I've got two complicated socks half done and I just want to knit stockinette. It's all the television that is on. What with House, Heroes, America's Next Top Model, Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Project Runway, Flash Forward, and The Amazing Race I just can't look away from the tv to make sure I'm following a pattern!

Right now I'm working on a turban for my mil. The dreaded "C" word has struck my family again. She will be undergoing chemo and I thought she needed something snazzy yet comfortable to keep her head warm this winter. I plan on co-opting my daughter's camera (she lost the cable that connects it to the computer, so I figure if I buy one she'll have to let me use it) and posting pics soon of my knits, although as you may have deduced, the knits might be a little on the boring side in picture form.

Gotta jet, Heroes is waiting for me on the dvr!

Reference Desk at the Alpena Co. Library, Can You Help Me Find an Accredited Online University?

2009-09-10T11:08:00.001-07:00

Well, I've moved up. It is definitely a busier place and a tad more interesting than circulation. I'm doing more of what I used to do back in Clawson. But dudes, I still miss Clawson. The library, the city, the people, everything. So does Joe I think. I think we are what you might call homesick. The "glamour" (?!?) of Alpena has worn off, and it's just not feeling like home yet. I'm not giving up on it, and I've made some nice friends who go out of their way to make me feel welcome. I don't know.

On the flip side of that negativity, Kalamazoo College says all I have to do is take a few upper level French courses from an accredited university, take a few gym classes and attend a few lectures and shazzam! - they will award me with a degree! Now I just have to find an online university because as you know, an actual brick and mortar place doesn't really exist within reasonable driving distance of my fair city, and come up with some cold hard cash. It's doable.

My camera still eludes me. I want a new one, for I fear mine must have met it's maker in the move. But that would require me telling Joe that I lost a $200 camera and want a new one. That's a little scary. He gets mad at the kids when they do stuff like that, I can't imagine how he might react to it coming from me! Just jokes, he's a pretty mellow dude. But I've finished a pair of socks, have two SSS's (single sock sydrome socks) hibernating (although one of them's other half has been cast on) and am almost finished with my Rivulet scarf. I need documentation or people will quit believing that I'm actually knitting!

Things Are Looking Up

2009-08-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

I've been promoted! I'm movin' on up, literally! I'm going to work at the reference desk at the library, which is on the second floor (I work on the first floor at circ right now) - I forget the title, I think it's something like "Assistant Information Services Librarian", even though I'm not a librarian - yet! I'll take the title. It's more hours, more work that involves some thought, and I believe it will provide me with some interesting conversational fodder. We'll see.;)

Also, today I am going to meet with the Director of Northwood University, the only bachelor's degree program in Alpena. I'm going to finish my degree! I've been accepted and the director wants to discuss my transcripts. Fun. My degree will be in some sort of management, versus French (quite the leap!) but I'll have the piece of paper that apparently is like some kind of magic parchment that opens many doors.

Someone I work with said she had read in some paper or something, that people should stop getting bachelor's degrees, because it makes it harder for them to get jobs! What?!? It was funny because the director was in on this conversation and promptly said no and quoted a statistic - something like 90 percent of bachelor's degree holders obtain employment - I don't know the numbers but I was happy he said that. Life for me, would have been a fair bit easier had I finished college within the normal four year span. For my children, not getting a bachelor's degree isn't even something we talk about. When we talk about school, it's 16 years and then you can decide what you want to do, not 12. I've seen people do it differently and it's an easy out for a not so motivated kid. Sure some kids will pursue higher education no matter what, but not all of them. Some need a bit of a prod. I'm prodding mine.

On the down side, poor Sophie returned from camp with a sore throat. I'm hoping she wakes up feeling better. If not, we'll be spending the day at the doctor's office. Send good thoughts!

OMG

2009-08-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

I've turned into one of those people who never blogs.

I have many excuses. My camera is still missing. I live an essentially boring life. I wrote a really long blog entry dissing one of my daughter's friend's mother's but am afraid to post it, even though I didn't mention names because Alpena is one of those towns where if you say something about someone, someone else will see it and figure out who you are talking about. Really. Doctor's can't even share interesting case histories with anonymous names because someone will know. It takes some getting used to. I've stuck my foot in my mouth countless times so far.

I've been reading and knitting. It's hot. We are moved into our house, the garage is still full of crap. (My camera is probably out there somewhere, along with four missing library books and my college transcripts but the thought of searching through the hot garagae makes me hotter than I already am.)

So really, it's summer and I've not done anything worth writing about. School starts soon. When it cools off I'll look for the camera.

Shell

2009-08-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

Everything is out of our old house. We turned in the keys and passed a final inspection. Yay! Now all the assloads of stuff in the old house are resting peacefully in the garage. I don't like to look in there. Although I suppose I will have to get serious when the weather people start talking snow.

I'm back to work and knitting. I finished the back half of a shell, called Martina. It's pretty. Of course I can't show you because I still can't find the camera. I know it's in this house (or garage *eep*) because I saw it here, I know I did. But I can't remember where. And I'm too busy knitting to do an all out search.

I am also spinning and plying on the fly! I love it. I went to the Castle Farms Fiber Fest in East Jordan Michigan and bought some awesome roving. I'll give you the deets later, but when I got home I plunked down in front of the computer, googled me some ply on the fly lessons and taught myself a new trick! Instant yarn! It's nifty.

Well, that pretty celery green caron country yarn of which the shell is made is calling my name so I gotta go.

I'm Back

2009-07-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

I still haven't found the camera cord. I fear it is buried in the depths of the twisted mess that is being called "the box with electronic stuff". I don't even want to walk near it yet.

Moving blows. It would be fine if we could just stop now. We have all of our furniture and clothes here and unpacked, most of the kitchen and all of the electronics. Essentially everything I need to live. Oh, wait, some of the yarn but most of it is still over there, so let me amend that. MOST of what I need to survive.

But there are still assloads of stuff in the old house. Assloads, really. And this is after the great purge of 2008, when we moved up here! Let me tell you, I am ruthless. If it's a sock without a mate? It's going in the trash. Stray makeup? Trash. Old blow dryer? Trash. Sheets that don't fit beds? Trash. Now you may say this isn't ruthless, it's just normal. Well, not when you are married to a pack rat.

He comes from a long, distinguished line of pack rats. For instance, his grandmother saved everything. Everything. So much stuff they had to rent a dumpster to clean out her house when she passed away.

His mother? She buys things and sticks them in closets for Christmas's future. (She also regifts out of that closet, but that's another story) Her basement is full of stuff. When she decides to get rid of stuff, she can't throw it away, she must give it away and be sure of its use in it's new home.

Joe went through the girls bathroom and packed shampoo bottles with less than half and inch of shampoo in them (I will admit the girls should have gotten the little bit out and threw the dang bottles away!) And sheets in sizes we don't need anymore. His rationale? They cost money and we might be able to use them someday. NO! No, I say. No more. This house is smaller, we need less stuff. And I want to be able to buy more yarn! So purge we shall.

But right now I'm going to go knit.

Off the Grid

2009-07-16T13:53:00.001-07:00

Well, we are making the move. We had to, the cable got switched over today and you all know I can't live without my tv! But since this is "the country" apparently cable companies which provide internet,cable and phone service need three separate installment appointments, because one would be "too long". So, I shall have no phone till Saturday and no internet till next week.

On the Tour De Fleece front, Meg gifted me a beautiful leader shirt yellow and sparkly spindle! Even though I lead in nothing trust me. She also gave me some soft fluff to spin with, softer than anything my rookie hands have ever been on! Fun! I spun some in the new house.

On the plus side, while moving I'm bound to find the camera cord, so next time I post there will be pictures! Fleece, knitting, spindles and house!

See ya on the flip side!

Carpet Shopping

2009-07-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Don't do it at a chain store that sells tools and lights and appliances and paint and carpet. I won't name the store because that wouldn't be nice, but . . . .

All we wanted to do was price out some carpet.

First they told us about the whole 12 feet issue. Carpet apparently either comes in widths of 12 feet or some come in widths of 12 or 15 (the ugly ones!) Well we need 13 so guess what I was looking at?

Oh, and then we were limited by what was in stock, my selection became even smaller.

Then we decided to have someone come measure for us, before we made a final decision. We also wanted to take home the sample card.

It then took the clerk about half an hour to get enough information from us for us to be able to leave the store with a freaking sample card of carpet and an appointment for the 10th (the only date available for months-and by the way they have to measure before they will even sell you the shit)and then we were supposed to go somewhere else to pay for said appointment.

I told Joe we would go to the local furniture store and price carpet there because it couldn't be worse service wise than the place we were at. And I'd pay a few more dollars to know that someone who could work a keyboard was placing my order for me.

Tour De Fleece

2009-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm spinning! No, that is not a picture of what I'm spinning right now. Still can't find the camera cord, so just looked in the archives for an old picture. I am using that spindle, but I'm spinning the blue stuff.

I had plied a skein of the blue, a small skein, but I think I'm going to leave the rest unplied, skein it up and call it lace! It's pretty much even, kind of in between lace and fingering so it should work for a shawl. I don't have the right tools for plying. Of course I can always use the pop bottle method, which I've perfected in the past, but it makes me nervous. This will be better.

Oh, I hope I find the camera cord. I just took an uber cute picture of my spinning with Kibbles in the background. He's awesome. He started off as this crazy tasmanian devil like dog, who wouldn't even let you pet him and he's turned into a snuggler. Love him.

Back to spinning for the Tour De Fleece - Zombie Prom Date Knitters Represent! Woot!

They Worked

2009-07-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know, your good thoughts worked.

We are trying to buy a house, and we were getting the runaround from the mortgage company we were working with. First our rep got fired and no one told us. We only found out because after we hadn't heard anything for 10 days, we called him. No one had even looked at his files so our file had lain on his desk doing nothing for two weeks.

Then the lady who took over his file didn't make it a priority. I don't know, but if you are a manager and you fire someone, don't you think it should be a priority to take over that persons workload? We would call her on the daily only to hear "I don't know anything yet, and I don't know when I will, and oh, could you send us this paper that you said you already sent?" I thought Joe was going to stroke out.

Then we found out that our first house which we had a VA loan on, and sold 15 YEARS ago, is still listed as having an outstanding VA loan. We thought we were toast. This was Tuesday and we were supposed to close yesterday. Joe called the lady and told her this was bullshit, the agent had had his VA certificate from day one and should have known this was a problem. He told her we are facing the possiblility of being homeless because the person we are buying the house from now wants out of the deal. The lady did nothing. Nothing.

So we went to a bank here, and within 24 hours, were approved for an FHA loan. That was the result of all your good thoughts. We won't be homeless. In about two weeks we will be moving to our new house. Thank you all so much.

Good Thoughts

2009-07-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

If anyone is out there, you don't have to post a comment or anything. And just so you know, everyone in our family is fine, but we are facing a crisis here, and I really believe in the power of good thoughts. So if you are reading this and are inclined to, please send some good thoughts our way. Thank you.

Same Old Story

2009-06-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

I can not find the cord that hooks the camera up to the computer! I have pictures people! Of finished objects, like socks and sweaters and the beginnings of a mitten. Somehow in the craziness of making the house "show ready" the cord, which previously stayed attached to the computer, has disappeared. I know someone thought that having that cord attached to the computer would make prospective buyers uninterested in this house. I just wish the someone who thought that and moved it would tell me where they put it!

rip

2009-06-25T16:27:00.001-07:00

Everyone my age is in shock today. Children of the 80's have lost two icons.

Every little girl in my neighborhood played Charlie's Angels. I never got to be Farrah, I was the plain little brunette girl, so I was Sabrina. I wanted to be Farrah though. I let my mom cut my hair so it would look like Farrah's when I was in fourth grade. Disastrous.

And Michael Jackson? Wow. Thriller was the album in high school. By college we used it to irritate the crap out of our neighbor boys. We would put Beat It on the stereo, turn the volume up to 11 and open all the doors and windows. We'd hear boys slamming doors from every end of the dorm! Even with all the incendiary things written and said about him that no one will ever really know are true or not, you have to respect the music.

Rest in peace.

Ornament

2009-06-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

I am now officially throwing my hat in the ring for the ornament position at the Bedford house.

You know, ornament. One of those wives whose husband makes all the money. The one's whose job description entails such things as shopping, volunteerism (the kind where you ask people for money, not the kind where you actually physically have to DO anything) and golf.

I don't know how to golf though, so I'm going to suggest that knitting take its place.

Apparently, this is all I'm qualified to do anyway. I suck at housework, so I figure we can just hire someone to do that for us. And I don't have an official bachelor's degree (even though I went to a prestigious university for four years) since I didn't student teach and finish, and God knows that a stupid piece of paper means more than the experience of going to the school for four years and living twenty years of life raising kids could possibly ever mean.

So my husband has a good job right? All those years being a stay at home mom with no pay (although he insists the food and shelter should have been pay enough), I figure I've earned a few years as "ornament".

wwkip

2009-06-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

I went to our Alpena Library WWKIP. I couldn't stay long enough for all the fun, because Sophie had softball. But that's ok. I knitted. A little. I tried to spin on a bottom whorl drop spindle. I did not succeed. (I actually thought it was a messed up top whorl spindle without a hook) I took pictures, I just need to unload them.

Meg went, I hope she took pictures. She was there when all the fun was going on. I wonder if they used the ginormous knitting needles Wanda brought? I'm sure she showed everyone how to properly spin with a bottom whorl spindle.

Joe went to Traverse City for three days. I couldn't go because I have to work. It's the Summer Book Club at the library and they won't let you leave unless you are in the hospital, dying. So I'm stuck here while he's over there golfing. I could be shopping people. Do you know how much I miss shopping?

Anyway, I don't work tomorrow or today, so I plan to knit. And watch tv. Maybe some housework, but it is low on the priority scale.

Last Day of School

2009-06-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am now the parent of a senior in high school. This my friends should be impossible. The child was born yesterday! I swear, it seems like yesterday and sometimes he does things like lose his cell phone down the passenger seat of his car and not be able to find it, that make him look like he was born yesterday.

And today, his father decided it was ok for him to drive downstate - a four hour trip - by himself! Ok, his dad is driving in front of him for about three hours, but still, what's a mother to do? Luckily Sophie has softball tonight, so I will distract myself until I hear that he has made it. How am I ever going to let him leave for college?

This is the face of the winner of the 5th grade spelling bee! She beat the smartest boy in fifth grade!I have a terrible case of startitis. Started - sock two of the martian sunshines; started - sock one of hypnosis (from awesome Eclectic Sole book); started - Sitcom Chic - I had to start this one because I bought the yarn from my friend Meg who had terrible stash tossing trauma selling me her wonderful $1.00/skein buy of six skeins of Cotton Ease. Seriously, she looked ill. But she did it, and I've got three rows of red sweater cranked out. I've got to find something to make her feel better though. Gonna go toss my own stash!

Where Tracy Gets Her Groove Back

2009-06-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

That whole travelling sock escapade had me down. I felt guilty and hurt, I so didn't want to knit those socks, but I felt bad knitting anything else. Well, I'm done feeling that way. Here's my Argosy Blankie, my first Finished Project post the socks.Knit for a baby being born this summer. This blanket was so fun to knit. I used Vanna's Choice - gasp - I know it's acrylic. But it was fun to use, it's soft. And since I can't go to my lys anymore, I'm sure I'm banned and I wouldn't want to give them my money anyway, I've been forced to shop for yarn at Wal-Mart. Or the internet! And you can get anything on the internet! And the ladies at Loopy Ewe are not mean to you. It's a bonus.

I joined a Cookie KAL on Ravelry. Here's the June pattern from her new book. It's called Sunshine. I'm calling mine Martian Sunshine - you know, because of the little green men from Mars, and my yarn is green!These are for me. I will appreciate them even if they turn out ugly(which will never happen because it's a Cookie Pattern and I love everything Cookie!). I would never tell myself they were ugly. I would simply be appreciative for their warmth throughout the crazy winter, fall and spring in Alpena, which neccesitate a person wearing woolens.

I don't think the intended recipient of the blankie will be unappreciative either. While I don't expect her to vocalize her appreciation I'm sure she will be feeling it while snuggled up in her new Argosy!

It is so nice to knit for people who appreciate your stuff!

Restless Saturday

2009-05-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

I have great plans for today. Finish my Argosy blanket, maybe spin and start an Argosy scarf with the spun yarn (can you tell I really dig this pattern?) Plug in the camera battery charger so I can take pictures, take a road trip to Petoskey to check out the cool book store that's supposed to be there.

Unfortunately I probably won't do any of those things. My house is dirty. Or rather, the house I live in, which people get to tromp through and judge on 24 hours or less notice, is dirty. And I signed some damn piece of paper which says I will keep it clean or someone will get litigious with me.

Someone complained about the yard not looking spiffy. Well. When we moved in there WAS NO YARD. There is a small triangle of dirt in the back, which changes with the seasons. Fall, it's rotting leaves, winter is snow, spring and summer are alternately mud, weeds, and dry dirt. Sometimes we'll hack down the weeds, but honestly it looks better with the weeds. We hacked them down yesterday. If no one buys this house, it will not be because of our not taking care of the yard, as I mentioned, there is NO YARD.

Someone also mentioned that the carpet is dirty. It's cream. Someone put it in, someone who only had a small baby and a wife living on the carpet. I have 3 children, in varying sizes, with varying degrees of dirt on them at all times. Cream (white) carpet is bound to get dirty. Not trashed mind you, just a little dull.

So we clean the carpet. No biggie. Just a time sucker. But did I mention where I live it is only Spring and Summer for an infinitesmiley (however you spell it) small amount of time? It's spring now, and I'm stuck inside cleaning. I can't even get over to my new house to plant or mow or weed the garden which also has a devestatingly short lifespan, because I don't technically own it yet!

So I want out. I want out of Alpena. Not forever, just for a few days! Heck I would take a few hours, but it takes a few hours to get ANYWHERE from here! I am a city girl! I miss the mall! I miss bookstores! I miss restaurants! I miss cars going by! I miss kids playing pick up ball outside my house! I miss the mail man walking by! (He drives by in a regular car here!) I miss my family who almost all still live in the city like normal city raised people do! I miss my neighbors and going down to visit them and gossiping about all the people I've known for 12 years because that's how long I lived in my home. I miss going to my kids school and finidng someone to talk to before a program starts.

I know some of that isn't only found in the city. I guess what I really miss is home. This isn't my home. I don't know if it will ever be. I miss home.

I'm sorry for being maudlin. I'm going to go plug in my camera right now, then go enjoy the sunshine, I don't care if I get sued for not doing my laundry!

American Idol

2009-05-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

I know everyone out there who watches is probably all bummed that Adam didn't win, but look, I think things worked out well for all involved.

Yes, Adam is a more versatile and powerful vocalist. That's why it's good he lost. If he had won, he would be stuck to American Idol forever, doing their kind of music, which isn't what suits him best. This way he's free to be the artist he wants to be and feed off of American Idol press. I can't wait to see what he does.

Kris needed American Idol. He's more low key, and while not a particularly powerful singer can do cool things with his voice. He reminds me of Elliot Yamin, who was one of my favorite idols ever. I can't wait to see what Kris does either. I just wish he didn't have to sing that cheesy "No Boundaries" song. Haven't the powers that be at AI figured out that no one likes that?

Anyway, I found my camera and I'm charging it this afternoon. Pictures of knitting forthcoming. This is my WIP list :

1. Pinko the Wave (haven't come up with a more suitable name yet!)
2. Sock of my own "design" (really I cobbled together some other people's designs)
3. Another sock, that's been frogged at least twice and now isn't really a sock but a ball of yarn
4. An Argosy baby blanket (this is my favorite right now!)

I am also doing some quilting, applique roosters to frame and put in my new house. I used to quilt all the time but knitting dragged me away.

New House

2009-05-12T13:09:00.001-07:00

houses

2009-05-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

We made an offer on a house. It's nothing special, but it meets our needs and it isn't butt ugly. Because trust me, while it may be a buyers market elsewhere, the pickings in Alpena are slim.

This house is literally the only one that doesn't need major work that we've looked at. It still needs to have ugly wall paper torn off of two bedrooms, but the kitchen cabinets are cute and have been remodeled in the past decade or so. Most kitchens we've looked at are straight out of the seventies. You know, avacado appliances and plastic brown cabinets. The height of fashion in 1975 perhaps, not so much now.

There is one more house, complete with said kitchen and shag neon green and red carpet that fits the bill size wize. It's actually in a nicer area, but I spent 12 years living in a fixer upper that never got completely fixed up. I'd prefer not to do it again.

The pink blob is still blobish, but making it's way to becoming a stole. I started another pair of Kai-Mei's, love them! I'd take pictures but the camera is mia. I think someone in this house might know where it is, I need to ask!

Ode to a Pink Blob

2009-05-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

That big pink blob? That is my Pinko The Wave, getting it's edging! Celebrate good times, come on! Although I hear it takes a while, I'm enjoying knitting the short repeat and connecting the stitches. It's good tv knitting. And it's good "avoid gettting your house "show ready" knitting.

We think we are going to be able to move from this house to another. It's a bittersweet sort of blessing I guess. I love this house, it's why I agreed to move to Alpena, but times being what they are, our house downstate hasn't sold and we can no longer afford this house. I am a lucky woman, there are a few houses here that totally meet our families needs, if not being everything we want. We won't be homeless, and really, I'll have more money for yarn, so it's a good thing, right?

As well as Pinko - which I'm thinking of renaming to something to do with cherry blossoms (the yarn reminds me of cherry blossoms!) I'm cranking out a pair of Pomatomusus, or Pomatomii as I like to refer to them. Out of Berroco Comfort Sox, which, while splitty is uncomparable for it's cheapness and comfort factor. Wash it a few times and the socks are more comfortable and better looking.

Clawson's library millage passed! Go BML! I'm so happy for them, but I must admit I am a bit jealous. I would give my eye teeth to still be working there. I miss the library and everyone in it so much. I can't wait to see the new children's area!

Everything's Coming Up Socks and Lace

2009-04-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

So, I wussed on the socks and am using some very ugly variegated yarn that in no way "flows" or "matches" that of the other participants in the travelling sock . . . that means the "ladies" should be happy!

But to make up for the fact that I am a wuss, I've been working on the travelling socks only in the car. I have plenty of other stuff to do!

I got my new Cookie A. book the other day. It is awesome. Full of awesomey awesomeness!
And a couple of days later I got my Harmony circs! I love them! Love, Love, Love them. I also got Harmoy dpns. I haven't so much used them yet. I'm saving them for a craptastic day when I need uplifting.

But look what I made! That is the right sock of a Kai-Mei from Cookie's book. Isn't it lovely? I love it. I've cast on for the left one and am knitting the miles of ribbing while I watch the finale of Heroes online. Hey did anyone see Chuck last night? OMG, I love Zachary Levi.

And Pinko the Wave? All the repeats are finished! I almost had to kill the cable guy for ringing the doorbell, because he made me drop five stitches in the last freaking row! But I saved them. Now I've got to see how those other ZPDK girls figured out how to spread out the stitches you have to pick up for the border. I messed it up once. I'm not leaving it to my math challenged self to figure out!

Nervousness

2009-04-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

I'm nervous. Today I am going to go meet my "student". I signed up to tutor for the READ program here, a program to help adults learn to read. My student is supposed to be a very high functioning reader and I'm wondering how I can help. The ladies that run the read program seem to have more faith in me than I have in myself . . . I'll see if I can live up to that.

But that's not until 1:00 p.m. Right now I'm cranking out Pinko and watching the last three episodes of Lost that I missed. Holy crap! Sayid shot Ben! Jack won't save him! I'm on Hurley's page, why aren't they all disappearing? You can't mess with the space time continuum! One more episode to go.

Oh, and lots of laundry. Laundry out my ass. If one more person in this house shows me an article of dirty clothing, I will not be held responsible for what happens.

Wisteria and Pinko

2009-04-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

Here's my completed Wisteria. My pictures suck. I think I might take it outside and have a photo shoot with it. What is crazy is that the sweater fits me, but my skinny almost thirteen year old can wear it and it fits her, in a different way of course, but still looks nice!
And here is Pinko, nine or ten repeats in, I can't really tell. But coming along swimmingly.

Froggage

2009-04-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

I had to frog my Pinko The Wave. I made another mistake and had 81 stitches and couldn't figure out how to fix it! That is the bummer about lace for me anyway. I can not fix a mistake. Sometimes, I stress sometimes, I can tink, but when you start tinking the knit3tog's, it's too much for me to handle. I absolutely can not do that thing where you tink back to your mistake area, and drop the stitches and reknit up. That sh*%'s crazy.

But I started over, and am about six repeats in and on a roll. I think I've got the pattern mostly memorized, so that helps. I will finish this knit. I. Will. Finish. This. Knit. If I say it with enough emphasis, it's got to help, right?

In between I knitted a Embossed Leaves sock from Louet Gems Fingering Weight, in red. I've got to take pictures. I have my camera, I just need to find the charger.

I'll leave you with some Washington D.C. picks. I loved the WWII Memorial. My dad was in the Navy during WWII, in the Pacific. I wanted him to go with us, but he insists he doesn't want to remember the war, but he enjoyed the pictures! Hope you do.

Spring

2009-04-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

This is what Spring is supposed to look like.
It doesn't look like that here.

Those are the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C.

This is my new obsession.

It's the Darkside Cowl. It's teal, my daughter Savannah requested this color. This is my daughter Sophie, modeling. Isn't she gorgeous? Hers is on the needles in purple. It took about six hours to knit, no sh*%! I'm knitting these for everyone for Christmas.

Is Print o' the Wave Cursed?

2009-03-24T07:07:00.001-07:00

Spinny had to frog because she forgot the invisible cast on, Holly frogged because she just wanted to, and I've run into a slight problem. On repeat nine or so, I noticed that about two repeats back, my little zig zag pattern didn't zag, it just kept zigging for a repeat. Oops. I'm not sure how to fix it, short of just ripping back, but I can never pick up lace stitches. Pinko the wave . . . meet time out.

So I'm spinning, spinning, spinning the blue stuff. I'm thinking of making a cowl. A cowl is a nice portable project for our trip to D.C. Yep, we are leaving Friday. I've got to charge the camera, get a memory card for it, since it only holds about 15 pictures, and pack some clothes and stuff.

Better go.

Pinko the Wave

2009-03-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day! I'm wearing no green, unless turquosish counts (these are my pretty blue monkeys all finished) but I'm working on my Print o' The Wave Stole for the ZPDK knitalong so I'm all good. I like to call my Print o' the Wave, Pink o' the Wave, because it's pink, and isn't a pinko like a socialist or something? The way stuff is going now I'm leaning towards the socialists. I mean we aren't hearing how the executives in France and Canada are taking million dollar bonuses from the taxpayers are we? But I digress. Here's Pinko the Wave!
I started early, I did not knit all of that today. I needed a head start because I'm slow. And I was in between projects that I wanted to work on so I just started it. There was an article in Interweave Knits about how I don't have to justify starting stuff, so I won't! :)

This is the Biological Clock sock from Eclectic Sole. Did I mention how kick ass that book is? It took FOREVER to knit the plain old stockinette foot from the toe up and I was so excited to start knitting cables that I skipped the first two charts and started on chart three. Ooops. Last night at knit night at the library I pulled it out and started on chart one. It's gonna look cool, although due to my inept photography you can't tell yet.Some other random pictures? This is from the laundry catastrophe I think I mentioned a while ago. The jug sprung a leak. Yikes.And this is my baby boy's basketball team. They went undefeated until the last game which they lost by 3 points in overtime. See number 11? He's a senior. Here's a good story. He's a good kid, no trouble, good grades and at lunch one day, because he's a teenager, he decides to take the bet that he won't be able to drink an entire gallon of milk at lunch. I know, not bright, but harmful to no one other than potentially himself. So he's chugging away at the milk, the entire cafeteria is cheering him on, the lunch ladies catch wind of it, stop him and get this . . . . . .the authorities that be, suspend him. Ridiculous. My husband the coach, gave him the "Golden Milk Jug" award at the last game in honor of his supberb milk drinking effort. The kid said he almost finished it, about an inch left in the bottom of the jug and he was sure he would've made it because he was past the puking stage. You gotta love teenage boys! Number 4 is my boy. And the guy with no number is the husband.

Really, I Swear I Still Knit

2009-03-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

I am knitting, I swear. I've almost finished those pretty blue monkeys, I've started the Biological Clock socks from Eclectic Sole (which by the way, is the coolest sock book EVER) and am up to the chart on the first one - they are toe up! I'm working on Traveling Socks for my lys, and spinning the pretty blue yarn still. I'm looking at my Wisteria sweater. I've lugged the bag with it in it around with me a few times. And I've pondered the last row of the jacked up Adamas shawl that I need to finish by June and that I put away back in, oh I don't know, October? It makes me sad. One row away and the stitch count is waaaaay off. What to do, what to do?

I've got pictures and I've got my camera, unfortunately, I'm missing the cord that hooks the camera to the computer.

Oh, and the kidney kozy is still on the table.

I just can't finish anything!

house stress

2009-03-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

We have to move, we haven't sold our house in Clawson and we can't afford to stay here without doing that. Alpena sucks. There are no houses around here that I would want to live in. I spend all day on freakin realtor.com and forsalebyowner.com and I can find nothing. Nothing! I want to cry.

Ok, that little pity party is over. My new obsession is Facebook. Word Twist and Pathwords are where I waste a great deal of time when I should be doing house work. But housework sucks and I'm improving my language skills. Important, no?

I'm also spinning away and watching American Idol and Survivor. And Heroes, Friday Night Lights and House. And I hear America's Next Top Model is starting soon, although I fear Tyra may have jumped the shark. We'll see, I'm loyal and I'll give her one more chance.

Off to play word games and charge up the battery on the camera. I'll take pictures of the crap houses for you!

Pretty Blue Yarn

2009-02-23T05:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my pretty blue yarn. I made it! It still suffers slightly from the whole thick/thin thing. I have a problem when I'm pulling the yarn down into the spin, I think I grab too much too hard. I think you are probably just supposed to gently guide the stuff down.I also need to learn how to do better lighting for my pictures! I need a camera class. But guess what? No camera classes today, no any classes today! Why? Snow day! Saturday night, no shit, it snowed 15 inches! No snow when we went to bed on Saturday, more than a foot on Sunday morning! It was surreal. The only joy I got out of it was watching the dogs slide down the hill that the steps on the back deck had become. Quite amusing! Well, the kids are still quiet so I think I will take this opportunity to spin some more pretty blue yarn.

Spinning Catastrophe

2009-02-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today I had a near spinning disaster.
Look at that, that is fluff, spun up all nice and wound onto a makeshift bobbin (let's just call it what it is, a 20oz pop bottle) which has all of a sudden plyed little parts on the top and the bottom onto itself! Yikes!

I took a 2 liter "Mountain Holler" (I love that knock off name!) and carefully unwound until the bottom mess was all taken care of. I think I can fix the top part later. Disaster narrowly averted. To reward myself, I spun some different fluff. Pretty aqua fluff which I will photograph at a later date.

Before the disaster, I was watching Heroes online and knitting a Monkey. Monkey is a feel good sock. It knits up so fast (I'm almost finished with one leg) and it's such a pretty pattern! I needed this, since I just finished my Rivendells! They are awesome and they weren't hard at all, but I wouldn't call them quick. But definitely worth the work. I'll take pictures of those later, too.
Tonight, since I'm all caught up with Heroes, I plan to have a marathon knitting session on the pink kidney kozy while watching House and Heroes. Maybe I can finish it up!

Running Around Like A Mad Woman

2009-02-12T13:04:00.001-08:00

I hate those days where I'm so busy I barely have time to sit down. Work five hours instead of four because someone called in sick, leave work to pick up smallest child from school, run home to get purse which left at home because it was hidden under a blanket, leave home to pick up middle child and friend from after school activity. Drive friend home, drive home, hop in shower, figure out what to give kids for dinner because hubby and I must go to some fancy (business casual) shindig for dinner (Yay, I don't have to cook!) roll home who knows when (hopefully before all the good tv comes on tonight) sleep for some undetermined amount of time since I've developed insomnia, wake up in the morning, run small child to school, run nephew to school, run to work and be there for 8 hours, come home to hopefully someone already having made dinner.

Thursdays and Fridays are a little whack chez Bedford, but what I do notice is that being this busy generally means I don't have any panic attacks, and that's a good thing.

Have a nice weekend everyone and try to squeeze in a little knitting!

2009-02-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

I can't knit. I'm restless. I can spin, but the fluff keeps breaking and only pissing me off. I have too many projects started and I don't want to work on any of them. I'm on my last episode of Lost, which means I can watch the real time show tonight. That's good.

I've decided to go on a diet. It's not going well. So far today I ate eggs with feta for breakfast with ice water. That was good. So was the half a turkey sandwich with dijon mustard and a pinch of mayo, if you don't count the sourdough bread. The not good part? I ate five pieces of Dove chocolate and not the healthy dark chocolate kind. And I really, really, want another turkey sandwich. I also don't want to be fat anymore. (See the double chin? And that's with me holding my neck up to camoflauge it!)
Conundrum.I think I need to be busier. As much as I love my knitting/watching old tv on the internet lifestyle, I think I need to be out of the house more. So I'm going to tutor adults who can't read. I'm actually pretty jazzed about it. I went to the first four hour training session yesterday and thought it was fascinating. I think I can do it.

Tomorrow we are going to the chamber of commerce dinner. Another dinner where I have no clue how to dress or act. Business casual. To me, that is an oxymoron. Business is suits and casual is sweats. I have sweats, jeans and one dress that doesn't scream business really. And I can't go shopping because my nephew has the car.

Anyone watching American Idol? I absolutely love the guy, Danny I think, whose wife passed away. Love him. Love him like I loved Chris Daughtry and Eliot Yamin. Neither of whom won, but both of whom produced records. This guy has a story though so maybe America will keep voting for him.

Gotta go finish watching Lost. That island is just so mysterious, right Holly? And what the heck happened to Claire?

It's That Time Again

2009-02-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

Holly, over at knitwithsnotforyou put out the word that she needs prayer shawls for the Hope Lodge, just like last year. Perfect timing, because I was tired of knitting round and round on sleeves (plus, being almost done I would have had to go on a search for dpn's to finish the cables at the cuff) so I dug up some dk pepto pink yarn that I thought I would make a baby sweater out of, and cast on for a snowdrop shawl. It's going smashingly. The color isn't really my style, but I figure somewhere out there, someone will absolutely love this color and I'm thinking really good thoughts while I knit, interlaced with some "Oh my God, Sawyer is so freakin' hot!" thoughts because you know I'm still watching Lost.

Sawyer would be on my list. You know, the list of five people you could make out with even though you are married. It's not a real list, because really, it's never gonna happen and if I were lucky enough to meet the five people on my list, I would vomit all over them in excitement, so I don't think they would be kissing me. Here's my list :

1. Bono
2. Sawyer from Lost
3. Jack from Lost
4. Sayid from Lost
5. Chuck from Chuck

Yeah, I've been watching a little to much tv. The list is subject to change. The only person whose been on my list and never been off since college would be Bono. He'll never leave the list and he will always be first. Who's on your list?

New Obsession

2009-01-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

I've found a new obsession. Lost. Did you know that ABC has recently placed every single episode online? So I do laundry and watch Lost. I'm almost through season one. And I can't figure out why I never watched it before! It's like a parade of eye candy! I can't pick my favorite!

There is of course, Jack (who I've thought was hot since he played Charlie on Party of Five)
And Sawyer, oh my, those eyes and that whole bad boy thing!
And Sayeed? I don't even have words. I think he's my favorite right now. He's a touch kick ass Iraqi with a sensitive side. Yikes.
And I love Charlie, he's cute too, I just don't have time to cut and paste anymore pictures - I've got to get back to my obsession!

Knitting Math for Dummies

2009-01-25T08:47:00.001-08:00

I finished the body of Wisteria last night! It's totally wearable. Now the only chance I have of screwing it up is the sleeves. Much less of a percentage than the whole sweater, and I plan on upping my odds, but having my friend Terry show me how to do two sleeves at the same time on two circs! I'm super hyped about the whole thing.

Also still cranking away on the second Rivendell sock, although I will admit I've taken a break of sorts. I was sucked in by all the spring color on the cover of Creative Knitting. My friend Bonnie is getting married and I thought I could whip up a spring afghan in a couple of weeks with big needles and big yarn right? A couple of problems . . .
1st, once I started knitting? Not so much the spring colors I was going for, more like baby colors. Oh well, I figured they would be good colors for baby Jack, Spinny's grandchild to be, so I continued on.

Next, the f"in pattern sucks. I'm sure it contains mistakes. I also read part of it wrong, but it still has mistakes. Like in one part it says "*k1, inc, repeat from star to end, k1 (202 stitches)". Here's the problem, you start with 135 stitches, if you increase after every stitch, don't you end up with more than 202? I did! Now watch, one of you math whizzes out there will show me up and tell me somehow that works out. But I don't think so.

So I've resorted to spinning to quiet the nervous breakdown this almost caused me. This batch of fluff is never ending. It's spinning up pretty, but it's essentially the same fluff I've spun up before and this pretty blue fluff is waiting for me underneath the white fluff. But I only have one spindle, therefore I must finish the white fluff first.

Well we are soon going to cruise around the greater North East Michigan area, looking for houses. It's what we do for fun on the weekend. Really, what I want to do is see Slumdog Millionaire and Milk but alas, these films are not showing in Alpena. Instead my options include My Bloody Valentine and Bride Wars. Mmm, not so much. I think I'll take my knitting with me in the car.

I'm Being Interviewed!

2009-01-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

Linda over at Fat Cat Crochet, got interviewed by one of her blog friends, who requested that she interview people and I said cool, interview me! Here's what she asked :

Has your camera grown legs? Where does it go missing all the time?

I can't see the legs, so I'm assuming that little people make off with it all the time, and on occasion I've been known to put it somewhere so I'll remember where it is, and then promptly forget where that might be!

What made you decide to blog?

My friend Kristin of Kristinknits blogs and I thought it was so cool! I love to write, I love to knit and even if absolutely no one read what I wrote, I still would love doing this! The fact that 2 or 3 people actually read my stuff? Amazing! And, those two or three people have made this move to Alpena bearable for me - thank you cyber friends!

You’ve been knitting and crocheting a long time. What has been your most favorite project? Why?

That's a tough one. Whenever I start a project it becomes my most favorite, or sometimes, the one I hate the most! I'll say right now, one of my favorite patterns is Monkey for socks. It goes quick so is very rewarding.

Worst knitting disaster?

I've had many. The worst? Well, the unfixable balls of knotted up yarn that my dogs get ahold of would probably be the worst, because they mean I can't even try to use the yarn!

If you could do anything, go anywhere, no holds barred, (kids, hubby, pets taken care of, no worries!) What would you do?

Ok, if I could do anything it would be this - instantaneously finish the last three classes of my bachelors degree, and then get a master's in library science. I know that sounds lame, I'm sure lots of people pick sunny vacations and such, but really that's my dream. Oh and I found the camera!

Rivendell!

Oh Joyous Day!

2009-01-20T05:52:00.000-08:00

George's last day in office. Barack is moving in! Yay! I'm so excited, I almost cry when I see coverage on tv. How crazy is that? I don't care. I'm full of hope. I know stuff won't be fixed right away, but I believe in this man, that he is a good, honest, wise man and that he has the best interests of the people of the United States in his heart.

I'll be at work when he is giving his speech, I'm gonna try and bring it up on the internet, library voices be damned. Patrons should be able to watch too!

And after all that, American Idol is on tonight! Woo hoo!

Better go finish my first Rivendell, I'm gonna find my camera and take pictures soon!

Back Up North

2009-01-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

And I bet you can guess what it's doing? That's right my friends. Snow. But it's actually very pretty. I didn't even mind snowblowing the driveway after my car wouldn't make it up the hill.

It's probably a bad thing that the computer is so close to the laundry room in my house, because I really should be folding the massive pile of laundry that accumulated in front of the dryer while I was gone. Seriously, people do their laundry and then leave the pile of clean clothes directly in front of the dryer. I don't understand it.

I knitted downstate. I finished one of those Noro/Jared Flood/stripey scarves. Very pretty. Documentation forthcoming. Now I've got to do laundry.

Granny Katherine

2009-01-01T06:58:00.000-08:00

My mom passed away last night. We are headed downstate for the funeral. I'm so glad she came up here this summer and so glad I got to see her at Christmas.

More of the White Stuff

2008-12-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

Today is the 23rd. It's still snowing. There was a brief, almost full day respite yesterday, but the clouds moved back in in the evening and the snow flies again. And it's supposed to snow tomorrow. But Christmas and the day after are supposed to be clear. Then comes the dreaded "wintry mix" on Saturday but hopefully I will be downstate and miss that whole mess, although when I come back I may very well not be able to get up the driveway.

Sweater is cranking along. About halfway through the body. I love knitting in the round.

Camera is sort of missing again, thus the lack of pictures, but I'm sure I'll find it soon. In case I don't get back to the computer for a while, Merry Christmas to everyone!

Super White Christmas

2008-12-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

First let me just mention that the above picture was about six inches of snow ago.

In Detroit, if it snowed before Christmas you would cross your fingers that it would stay cold enough that the snow wouldn't melt before Christmas day. There is no way the snow if melting here before Christmas. It could be a whopping 50 degrees and the snow still would not have time to melt before Christmas because there is so much of it! Check this out, we've had a Winter Storm Watch posted in the corner of the local tv station all weekend long! It say "Winter Storm Watch for NE Michigan until Monday". One of the many things I've never experienced in my 40 years of life until I moved up here. (Like paying with a personal check at a restaurant! What?!?)

Anyway I've come to terms with the snow. There is no doubt it is beautiful. And when it snows it doesn't seem so cold. And it's pretty cool to sit in front of the fireplace (gas log - I'm allergic to the real stuff) and watch the fat flakes falling in the woods behind my house. Very Christmasy.

I'm rocking along on the Wisteria sweater. I love it. I'm knitting it with cheap circs, the kind that the cable turns in on itself, but since I'm almost done with the yoke chart, the weight of the sweater is making the cable stretch out and now it's fun!

Feeling Groovy

2008-12-18T05:28:00.000-08:00

Why? Because I spent two hours tying knots in fleece. Fleece blankets are flying out of my ears. Not really, just these two and a MSU one for my son. But trust me that's a lot of knot tying.

And so to reward myself I picked up this.

It's Wisteria from Twist Collective. My friend Terry got me a gift certificate to the Twist Collective and made me this cool slouch hat which look just lovely modeled on the unwilling Sophie. ("Mom, please don't put pictures of me on your blog!")

I wish I could stay home and knit it. But I have to work. I debated calling in sick but none of my excuses sounded good enough.

Oh, by the way, I'm totally reading Twilight. Edward and Bella. I think about them whenever I'm not with them. What is the mysterious power this teen novel holds over the middle age women in the world?

My Own Yarn!

2008-12-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

I finished a scarf knit from yarn I spun and dyed! How cool is that? And it doesn't even look too bad!
I started an Odessa with some yarn which I mistakenly thought was Malabrigo sock yarn. It was really Malabrigo silky wool, too good for my feet. Not for my head though!

I got a package in the mail from the Loopy Ewe. My first. You could say my Loopy Cherry has been popped, but that would just be juvenile and gross, right?
And here's a funny and something to be wary of if you have children who will someday drive in the snow. You might think they are so little and it's far away and such, but trust me, yesterday my boy was 2 and now he's almost 17, so just sayin . . .

There is this stupid kid in our sub, who is 17 (not my kid) and drives a little gold pick up truck like a maniac. Seriously, I drive my car like a little old woman around these winding, snowy, roads which are bordered by like 2 feet high snow walls and trees. All it takes is a little too much gas and it's over people. I mean like stuck, getting people to help dig you out or you are stuck 'til the thaw.

Well obviously he was going TOO FAST around the curve and buried himself in a 2 ft snow pile! I'm hopin' I can take a picture, it should still be there. I'm pretty sure he hit the tree (he's not hurt) and had to be towed out by his older brother! My son saw the aftermath, thank goodness, although his little Toyota Camry would have probably just bounced off the snowbank, no way would it have climbed up it!

The moral is if you get your kid a car, get a little one with airbags and tell him not to be stupid and please drive SLOWLY, and cross your fingers and hope for the best because really, that's all you can do! Yikes!

Guess what?

2008-12-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

I think it stopped snowing. Cross your fingers, knock on wood, do whatever you have to do. I'm venturing outdoors, no snow is currently flying and only "flurries" are forecast. It's still brutally cold but I knit, so I have scarves and stuff to combat that!

Ode to White

2008-12-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

Oh White

You are everywhere

The sky above

The ground below

Over the water

Flying through the air

Go the F*&^ away!

Seriously, it's the second snow day in a row here. Everything is white. The mailbox is almost covered. People put little orange balls on the antenna of their cars so the snow plows don't plow them over. There seems to be a temporary lull right now, I see an yellow orbish shape through the blinds, could it be the sun? I've got to go, I need some vitamin D!

Look What I Got!

2008-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Holly,(scroll to 12/23) Kristin (scroll down to Valentine's Day), look what I got!
Yep, the much awaited (or dreaded?) Amish Friendship Bread! I only say dreaded because I'm not sure I know enough people to give it away to! I do however, love watching it grow, especially when it starts moving of its own volition across the countertops, remember Kristin? My neighbor gave it to me, I'm sure she was searching her brain for people to give it to too.

Look what else I got. That's the snow I was telling you about. Guess what? It's supposed to snow six more inches today! Last night at our library party people were telling me how unusual this is, for it to snow everyday for like three weeks. Uh huh. That's exactly what people told me when I moved up here in February and it snowed everyday for like three weeks.
I know the west side is getting hammered too, and even some places over by Detroit, so it's really not just Northern Michigan, it's Michigan. Why do we choose to live here again? Because it's pretty, right?

And here are my boring socks. Pink. They are ok, they'll probably go in one of the girls' Christmas stockings - I'm pretty sure they are over Santa, although we tell all of them if they tell us they don't believe, they aren't getting any gifts, so we live under the pretense that Santa still visits the Bedford home!

Off to smoosh my bread!

Socks on a Sunday

2008-12-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

I finished my socks. Basically, while watching House and doing a couple of loads of laundry, I knit a sock in a day. Amazing. For me anyway. I don't know if that's a good thing or it means I'm too obsessed with knitting. Or House.

Started another pair of socks of which I have no pictures. They are pink. Stockinette. Boring, but nice to knit while watching tv. I stalled on the shawl. Not because it's hard or anything, but I'm in no hurry. And I do need to finish the secret mitten swap mittens. I fear I may be knitting mittens for a giant. I'm at the thumb gusset and wonder if they might not be woman sized. Maybe they would fit the Ogre over at Holly's house? A reknit may be in order.

It's still snowing here. On top of the railing of the deck rests 21 inches of snow according to my hubby. That's cumulative for the whole season so far but still . . . I don't think I've ever seen a winter with that much snow, that I can remember anyway. My poor little Chevy Malibu moves like an old lady with a cane trying to make the turn out of our subdivision. I'm all for good gas mileage and not polluting the earth, but I think I might need something with four-wheel drive.

Gotta go to the work party today after work. We are supposed to eat and then decorate the library, but I think I may just eat and beat a hasty exit, seeing as how I still have to decorate my own house.

Anyway, hope everyone had a nice weekend. I'll try and take some pictures of the snow for those of you who don't often get the pleasure of such beauty. :)

Three Things

2008-12-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

The three things I'm doing today :

Knitting - working on sock #2 - I switched these to just plain stockinette socks - does anyone else hate cable needles as much as me? Especially with socks?

Spinning - bought this lovely fluff downstate. Lovely brand name fluff - Louet - they have fluff up here, but not as nice.Watching House - I love House and Target had a whopping sale on it Black Friday. My niece works at Target so she picked us both up seasons two and three.
Combined, it makes a perfect snowy day off Wednesday chez Tracy.

Snow

2008-12-01T05:23:00.001-08:00

1. Look what I found this morning when I opened my front door. (pic. 1)

Guess what? It's a snow day.

Check out my deck,(pic 2.) and just FYI the branches on this skinny tree by the deck are so weighed down with snow they are leaning over the edge of the deck and oddly enough they look decidedly phallic! No pictures, this is a almost g-rated blog!

Back in August, Holly and I bought yarn to do a knit along. Yummy Briar Rose Wistful yarn. I've been knitting my socks and mittens and squares and waiting for the right time to start a knit-a-long, and I just can't wait anymore. Holly can just catch up with me later. (pic 3)

Anyway, the pattern calls for 700 yards of yarn and I only have 500. So I took out one of the repeats in the pattern (which the pattern tells you how to do, yay!) and I'll maybe take a couple out of the length. Anyone think that will be enough? I'm clueless, just rushing headlong into a project when I know I don't have enough yarn, that's me!

Well the kids are still asleep so I think I will go knit until the chaos begins!

And can I just say Internet Explorer sucks ass, it won't let me move the pictures around! Back to Foxfire for me!

Yarny Stuff

2008-11-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

There has been knitting ,

and dyeing of yarn,

and mittens! One finished, another on it's way! I did have to frog the second one because apparently I thought I had two right hands (I put the thumb in the wrong place).
We are going downstate and my ability to access the internet will be greatly hampered, thus I bid you all a Happy Turkey Day! See ya when I get back!

What I Wish I Could Do Today

2008-11-20T05:20:00.001-08:00

. . . instead, I have to go to work. Oh well, gotta feed the habit somehow!

The George N. Fletcher Alpena County Public Library

2008-11-19T05:40:00.001-08:00

. . . or some variation therein. I'm not quite sure of the order of the words. Anyway, here's where I work. This is the circ desk (technically the only place I'm allowed to "work" but whatever . . .)
Here's the reference desk, that's Meg behind the computer. She is one of my library knit friends.
And this is the Monday night knitters, a recently started knit group at the library. I've been twice. It's fun. Although when asked about good yarn deals and I told them about the sweet Cascade Heritage available in Tawas for $12.50, they blinked. I don't think they thought it was a good deal. I'll have to turn them on the good stuff, that's all.
Yesterday I went to my first book club meeting. My kinda book club. Wine, food, a little book talk, and a lot of other talk. We were supposed to read anything by Geraldine Brooks, and may I highly recommend Year of Wonders. It was awesome. It was funny because as I was being introduced to people, I totally recognized one of my son's teacher's names, because I didn't get to talk to her! I was like "Oh, you're the biology teacher I didn't get to talk to!" and she was like "yep, when I heard the name I thought he was yours" and on the plus side she said he's a good kid and doing well. I didn't press her further because I'm sure teachers don't want to talk shop outside of school. But that's totally Alpena for you. I'm hanging with the kids teachers, another thing that doesn't happen so much downstate.

Anyway, I'm off to finish squares and plying. Soon I'll be able to enter the oh so fun world of dyeing my own yarn!

square weekend - plying week

2008-11-17T08:52:00.000-08:00

I finished two more squares this weekend, plus one that I was experimenting with and seems to fit the proportions.

So I decided to take a break today and ply my spun yarn. Fun! And while I ply, I'm watching Chuck! I love Chuck, he's totally cute and the show is funny. I believe I am fully converted from abc to nbc. Chuck, Heroes, The Office. What more could you ask for? Plus, while I usually watch Thursdays episode of Grey's Anatomy online on Monday, stupid Firefox won't let me. Does ABC have a deal with Microsoft or something?

Oh well, off to fold laundry, play and watch cute boys on the internet!

The Squares are Coming to Eat My Brain!

2008-11-13T05:40:00.000-08:00

I am stalled on squares. I don't have it in me to make one more square. To cast on, knit a bunch of rows and then realize that no way in hell is this pattern going to be 12 inches square. Are you feelin' me Holly?

I need your help. If anyone knows of a foolproof 12inch square knit pattern that isn't like rocket science, because I've never claimed to be a rocket scientist (the closest I came was rocks for jocks in college, which I did quite enjoy, possibly because of the cute jock with awesome hair who sat in front of me) send it my way, please!

I only have until December 15th. I finished 6, but need five more. I have five pitiful looking specimens who are nowhere near the right size just staring at me. How do people have the patience to knit squares so big?

And I have to go to the dentist today. They are going to tell me that I need to have a tooth pulled and two dental implants. Yuck. Do you know how much implants cost? I do. $3000 dollars for one! I know because I had a tooth pulled about 5 years ago and that's the number they gave me! I said no thanks, I'll live with the hole. But now the tooth next to the whole needs to come out so I will either have a ginormous hole in my mouth (it's molars so you can't see them, but I need some to chew with) or go bankrupt because my teeth suck.

I need the knitting gods to give me some powerful mojo to make this all go away!

But really, have a nice day! :)

Tawas Bay Yarn Co. . . . .

2008-11-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

Rocks! Yes, it's an hour away, but I've found my new lys! They had everything! Tons and tons of yarn and even an annex, which is open on Saturdays and it's where she sells stuff on clearance!

We were taking a trip to West Branch to visit the outlet stores and I insisted on stopping by the yarn store. I made a haul! I can't show you all of it, because some is secret, but look what I found! The elusive Cascade Heritage sock yarn. I've never before seen it in the wild, only on the internet. They had both solids and handpaints, I got one of both!
They are so soft, especially considering that they weren't super expensive as sock yarn goes.

Oh and they had every kind of needle you could imagine! Addis, dpn's in all sizes, stuff I haven't seen up here at all!

And people sitting around knitting and chatting, telling me about the best stores in West Branch and discussing the pros and cons of dpn's vs. two circs vs. magic loop (we all agreed we like our dpns!) I could have stayed all day except I had a teen, a husband and two pre-teens in the car who kept texting me to hurry up.

Today I found some Red Heart to make the Special Olympics scarfs. Wally World actually had stuff I was looking for! Read more about the Special Olympics scarf project chez knitwithsnot!
And on a sad note, look what Bits did to my yarn! I need this skein. It's half of a project that I'm half done with. I don't even want to think how long it will take to unwind.
And on a happy note - Bits is doing well. He opens his mouth, yawns, barks, eats whatever you give him (unless it has the painkillers he's taking in it, in which case he turns up his nose and glues his jaw shut - only my nephew can get him to take it) They put him on anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics just in case, they weren't sure what was wrong, but he's back to his old self so keep your fingers crossed for him!

Bits

2008-11-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

Bits can't open his mouth. He won't eat. He yelps when you force his mouth open. He won't play because he's afraid to pick stuff up. He won't take treats. He will lick peanut butter off your finger. But we are worried. Of course I googled jaw pain in dogs and came up with a bunch of hideous things it could be. The internet is not a good thing for hypchondriacs. So I'm taking the little dude to the vet this morning.

If you are the kind of person that prays, could you send a shout out for him? Or if you don't pray, send out good thoughts into the universe. I'm personally doing both. He's the life of this house. The personality, the one that will just snuggle up in your lap and let you love him. We need him around.
Thanks.

Virgin Voter

2008-11-04T05:43:00.000-08:00

We voted! I took my nephew to vote this morning. He was a virgin. I documented the occasion. Here he is pre-vote (I don't think he's seen daylight on a Tuesday this early in a few months at least)

Here he is after we voted! He got a sticker, it's on his hat.
Here is how much knitting you can do when you are in line at 8:30 in the morning in Alpena on voting day

Pre vote

Post vote
We didn't have to wait in line at all! Honestly? I would've like to knit at least a few stitches. Oh well, at least the sock came with me. It will always be my 2008 election sock.

I Live in the Land of Camo

2008-11-03T08:43:00.001-08:00

We went to a wedding this weekend. The bride was beautiful, her dress was gorgeous. The bridesmaids wore gorgeous deep purple gowns, and the 3 little flower girls wore precious little white dresses. Guess what the guys wore under their tuxes? Camo patterned vests and ties! They actually looked nice! Not my choice necessarily, but not bad. I so wish I had brought my camera. Oh and guess what the favors were? Little mini feed bags filled with candy corn! Even the couples two month old son had on a little tux with a camo vest! Joe was especially impressed with the baby's shiny little tuxedo shoes.

It's bluck up here. Rainy and gross. It's warm and that makes it worse. Cold and bluck is ok, but rainy, warm and bluck just enhances my seasonal affective disorder. I don't even want to knit. All my knitting is bluck. Oh, and to top it off? There is no school today. And loads of laundry.

But tomorrow is voting day. I know I will be in a better mood. Hopefully the best sort of mood at 8:00 p.m. when the polls close!

Hope everyone is having a better day than me!

Is it Winter?

2008-10-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, it snowed. Well really it snowed Tuesday night, . . . and freakin' stuck to the ground! Oh and it didn't melt until about noon! People, it's October! It's also Northeast Michigan so I shouldn't be surprised and in my head I'm not, but in my heart I'm not ready. My heart is still in Southeast Michigan, where maybe, maybe (but probably not) it will snow around Thanksgiving, or really, closer to Christmas.Thank goodness that's not my car - I have a garage now that you can actually park cars in and you don't have to scrape snow off of them! This is some poor soul's car in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. I used to live in Kalamazoo. It didn't take me long to get used to it's crazy lake effect snow winters, in fact I liked them. I was younger then.

Behold my birthday present. It feels dirty, because it's all hidden like in my garage. It should be out on the lawn because truly, it's not dirty to be a Democrat. I know lots of other Democrats and they are fine upstanding citizens. Maybe that's my mission up here, to teach the poor Republicans that Democrats are people too.I'm so excited to vote! I'm going to drop off my daughter and go get in line at the Word of Life Baptist Church (that's where I vote, which I also find weird - downstate you vote at schools, not churches)and wait to pull the lever, or fill in the dots, or poke the holes, however you do it in Michigan now! I'm smart, I can figure it out!

2008-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Knit Night at the Library! It was the first one and about 20 people showed up! Awesome, I didn't bring the camera because I didn't want to freak people out, but I'll bring it next time, because apparently the fact that I was knitting lace freaked people out. In a good way. But I felt like a show off, which I'm totally not. I spent a good portion of the evening telling people that they too can knit lace, all ya gotta know is yo, ssk, and k2tog and you are hooked up.

(It's actually much farther along than that, I just haven't taken pictures of it recently)

Yesterday was my birthday and guess what I got? I'm totally going to take a picture of it tomorrow because it's too dark to take one now, but . . . .

I got an Obama/Biden yard sign! Yay me! Unfortunately I can't post it in the yard because of stupid association rules, but I put it in the garage window so everyone can see it. People are already giving me the evil eye. I live in the Republican haven of Northeast Michigan. But I refuse to keep my mouth shut or my opinions to myself. So there!

I also got a tee shirt that says "Obama Mama". Lovin' it. Now you all know where I stand, don't hold it against me. I live with a republican and he still likes me most of the time. (Although in this election he's voting with me, first time ever!) So I'm ok. Really.

Oh, and Saturday night? Got my first roadkill. Well, it wasn't technically mine, since I wasn't driving, but it was the first roadkill I've experienced first hand. We were coming around a curve, fairly fast (faster than I would've liked but Joe's boss was driving so who am I to say anything) and the porcupine just sort of walked into the car. Boom. Gone. Then the other passengers spent the rest of the ride looking for eyes. People, this sort of thing does not happen where I come from. Street lights. Miss them.

Oh and I also got invited to be in a book club. Fun! But even the book club in run by a republican, although she is a teacher and she kept herself so neutral that I assumed she was a democrat and totally embarrassed myself expressing my opinions. But the invitation still stood so she musn't have minded too much! Things are looking up in the Northeast corner of the Lower Peninsula. But I still miss home.

It Wasn't Lost

2008-10-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

The camera wasn't lost. Savannah was peeking over my shoulder and saw that I thought it was lost and quickly informed me that she knew exactly where it was, in her room! I should have known, little camera hog that she is. It's what she wants for Christmas, a tie blanket and her own digital camera. Hmmm. . .

Anyway, here are some pictures of fluff . . . well it used to be fluff now it's string! Well actually it's the fluff that's left to be spun and the spun fluff too and my gorgeous spindle from Spinsanity. Speaking of . . . my birthday is Sunday and my husband is now in Lansing. I've been asking him every day if he's gotten to ThreadBear yet to buy me a new spindle, because every girl needs more than one you know!I made a good dent in that fluff ball, because I knitted away on the lace last night (that's it sitting behind the fluff and only have 20 more rows or so to finish! So while I was watching America's Next Top Model, I spun!That's the cool sock I was telling you about. It's a pattern called Simple Pleasure from my friend Terry Ross. It's just two rows repeated but with this yarn, I think it looks so cool! The yarn is kind of brownish with hints of green and purple and it's white Panda Silk that the owner of the lys overdyed. Silk apparently doesn't take dye well so the white shows through. The effect of the dye, along with this pattern reminds me of knights in armor! I love it. I wish I was a better photographer so you all could see what I'm talking about.

Well I've got to go to work today. No knitting for me. :(

The Camera Ran Away

2008-10-22T04:43:00.000-07:00

Once again, my camera is incognito. Do you notice a trend here? It's a bummer too because I started a cool pair of socks with neato yarn and they aren't beige! I'll take a picture when I find the camera. It's sure to show up.

Today I've promised monogamy to the lace project. It has fallen by the wayside, due to my new love affair with the fluff. I've spun almost 8 oz. of beige fluff. It's all wrapped around coffee cans and coke bottles (one pepsi bottle snuck in there, the traitorous thing!). I think I'm going to google plying today when I can't knit lace any longer and read up before I try it again.

I was gonna go get my haircut, but who wants to do that on your day off when you know you could be knitting? I'm really letting myself go here!

Off to look for the camera.

Huntin' Season

2008-10-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a sign that said to me "Welcome to Northern Michigan". It was attached to the local fruit market and it said:

"Complete Deer Processing Done Here" (no of course I don't have a picture, I have not yet learned to keep my camera in my car to take advantage of such bloggable moments)

At first I thought, being the southeast MI girl that I am, now why would the deer need to be processed? It's not like you can OWN a deer like a pet or anything, they don't need licenses . . . oh . . . they mean processed, like bologna. Yikes.

Now I'm not getting on a soap box or anything, because I like meat just as much as the next carnivore, although I prefer to get my meat all nicely packaged and anonymous from grocery store. I'm just not a hunter. And here I am in the middle of hunting land. My husband keeps warning me that soon I will see dead bambis adorning the roofs of people's cars. I honestly don't know how I will deal with that.

And it's not just bambis. Some guy from my husband's work, got a bear license and killed himself a bear. He says they make pretty good jerky. Although he just got a little bear, supposedly the big ones are better meat. Surreal.
By the way, did you know if you google images of bears you get the most interesting content? Why? I don't understand. I've never called it a bear!

The Spanish Award for Spreading Friendship

2008-10-17T14:10:00.001-07:00

Holly gave me an award! For spreading friendship around the world! How sweet! Even though so far I've only spread it mostly around Michigan, Oklahoma and Canada, I still think this whole blogging thing is really cool.

So I've got to send this award to other people who I think are doing the same. I'm new, so I don't know if I can think of the required eight people but here are a few who fit the bill for me.

Kristinknits - she introduced me to this whole blogging thing, love her!

Megbean - she of the awesome spinning and knitting, my Alpena Library buddy

Terry Ross - Oh awesome designer of socks, my first friend in Alpena, met her on Rav

Ok, I also would like to give an extra shout out to FatCat, Spinsanity, Amy and Kristina whom Holly also awarded with this award! That makes seven. I'm still searching for number 8!

Fluff Turns to String - Who Knew?

2008-10-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Here's what's left of my fluff

Here is what it became!
I had 8oz. of fluff, I wonder how much yarn it will make? I'm thinking if I ply it, it will be between dk and fingering weight. Yes, it is still suffering from a slight thick/thin problem, but I'm getting more control every time I pick up the spindle. I love it!

It's so nice to be back in the library. You wouldn't believe the things you miss. Like the smell of a drunk. It's not so much on the breath, but an odor of alcohol that just wafts off the body!

Or people returning books that smell like smoke and have cat hair stuck to them with some unknown substance.

Or realizing that the entire juvenile picture book section is just as messed up at this library as it is everywhere else.

It's like home! (Not really, because the Blair Memorial Library will always be my library home and nothing can compare. It's the best library ever, I swear. All that stuff I mentioned above? You only experience that if you work in a library. Patrons of the BML only see the good stuff. Promise! If you ever visit Clawson, stop in and ask for Kristin or Elizabeth and tell them I sent you. Really.)

Feelin' Kinda . . . Eggshell?

2008-10-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Everything I'm working on today is eggshell. Maybe. It's that off white color that can't be described . . . or can be described, like, a thousand ways, you know, like Eskimos and snow.For example, above, you will see my first official big ball of fluff, from one of the LYS's. The owner said it drafts easily, and she was right. It's just like the fluff Spinsanity sent me, it drafts awesome! So awesome, I'm not even really spinning the thick/thin sort of yarn, just the slubby kind!
Now, I have a lace horror story. Those of you who are faint of heart should probably stop here. It was ugly. I don't have very good photographic documentation, but I think I can accurately describe it. See the largish hole below?
Well, I was happily knitting along, having pretty much memorized the repeat, watching some awesome episode of one of my tv shows (this was so traumatic I've forgotten which one) when a largish puppy running at full throttle lunged across my lap ripping the needles right out of my hands!

I sat there, with my hands in mid air, in total shock. I was desperately afraid to look at the yarn. I took a very deep breath and picked it up. And entire repeat plus had slid off the needles. And no, I did not have a life line. I think I stopped breathing. And then I started swearing. I probably called the puppy some names he really didn't deserve. And then , as if the lace were my own baby, my momma instinct kicked in. I became calm. I grabbed an extra needle and picked up what I thought looked like stitches and to the best of my ability, I counted the stitches before and after and managed to figure out where in the repeat the horror began, and restitched it! While it's not perfect, I think when blocked maybe the person it's being made for won't even see it. She's not a knitter so it's ok.
Lace pictures look like crap until you block the stuff. I've got five more repeats plus one more smallish chart and I'll be done! Then I'll get the good stuff for you!

Now I should really go make the lemon bars I promised my children. I promised them last night only to realize I had no eggs. I had a small revolt on my hands. I promised after school the lemon bars would be waiting for them, and I fear for my life if they are not on the counter. If you don't hear from me soon, maybe someone should call Alpena and check! :0

Brief Update

2008-10-11T10:11:00.001-07:00

The dryer is fixed. Laundry is being done. Life is back to normal?

Knitting the Adamas shawl, on the 8th repeat, gonna add a lifeline just in case.

Want to start more socks, but. am. fighting. the. urge!

Job is fine, work tomorrow, get paid time and a half!

Husband away for a week, just me and the rugrats.

House clean, time to go knit. (or spin!)

Don't Move To Northern Michigan

2008-10-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sure, it tries to suck you in with all it's watery and fall leafy splendor, but don't fall for it. Because if your freakin' dryer breaks?

With clothes in the washing machine,

on laundry day,
there is only one person who can fix it! Guess what? He isn't coming to your house for at least two days, and then on the day he is supposed to come, he doesn't call to tell you when he will be here!

But oh well, screw me, because like I said, only game in town. This I know for sure would not happen downstate. Downstate there is a plethora of appliance fixers. If one of them is impolite enough not to call, you call another one, and for a sufficient amount of money, someone shows up at your house relatively soon and fixes your damn dryer!

It's the same with the video stores. One video store. If they don't have what you want, too bad. But guess what I saw at Wal-Mart today? A DVD vending machine. No kidding! You slide your credit card, pick from the list of newish dvd's and boom, there ya go. A dollar a day. Way cheaper than the video store. But weird.

Anyway, it's all sucky and rainy, and I have dirty clothes and dirty carpet all around me. (I can't clean the carpet until the appliance guy comes because my dryer is on the second floor and you all know how those appliance people can be with their dirty wet boots) I'm trying to work on my pretty lace and it's going well . . . now. Two days ago, I was on the 7th repeat of fourteen, when I realized I had screwed up on the fifth repeat. Now, I knew that I had had to pick up a stitch because I was one short, but the denial part of my brain was working overtime and said "Oh Tracy, it won't even show, don't worry!" Ha. When I tried to frog back, there was no way those stitches were going back on the needle. I had to frog the whole damn thing. Now I'm on repeat five. But it's ok. Because so far so good. (I just knocked on the desk)

Register to Vote Today

2008-10-06T04:46:00.000-07:00

If you haven't done so already, in Michigan, this is your last chance.

Go to the Secretary of State. I know, it sucks, but bring some knitting, your sure to get some done.

Get in line, wait, knit, and tell them you want to register to vote. Then you get to vote in the presidential elections.

Awesome. Easy. It's your responsibility as an American. And then if things don't go your way in November you totally have the right to complain. And I'll even listen to you . . .provided you voted!

The First Step is Admitting You Have A Problem

2008-10-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

I have a horrible case of too many wips. Not so much startitis, because I started all of these projects at really different times, just never finished them. Witness . . . .
1. The brown yarn? For my NYOBE squares. I'm on number 8 of 11, if you don't count the 12th one I need to knit for myself, so really, wouldn't you want to start another project too?

2. Orange yarn? My pretty Briar Rose Scarf. A couple of repeats shy of finishing if I want a nice, medium length scarf. I told myself when I started I would make a really long one you could wear a bunch of different ways, but a girl can change her mind you know.

3. That bluish yarn stuck in the book? That's a second sock. You guys know all about Second Sock Syndrome, right? Hey, at least I cast it on.
4. Moving on to the second table (my knitting is taking over the living room) we have a shawl, a wedding present for my former boss, who is getting married in June. I know, June SEEMS like a long way away, but it's lace, and it's big and I'm sure it will take me some time.

5. That pink yarn is not mine! My baby is knitting a scarf! She knits so tight, that I have to knit a row for her now and then to loosen it up so she can fit the needle into the stitches! She knits alongside me at night while we watch delicious reality tv!

My job. I am a total wuss. At my old job, we would work the circ desk for an hour at a time, then work on whatever else needed doing, come back and work the desk for a second hour, etc..., but we were only ever on our feet for about an hour at a time. Here? Yesterday, I stood for seven hours. Thursday it was five. I won't take a picture of the wicked blister on my toe, just suffice it to say, it freakin' hurts. Otherwise, it's nice to be back at the library. Same computer system, so I don't really have any of those freak out moments, where you think you've broke the computer, or accidentally charged someone, like, hundred of dollars. Just learning this libraries policies and I should be fine. And my feet will toughen up. Especially when they see a paycheck and can walk over to the LYS and by some roving. No yarn right now, but stuff to spin? It's a new thing to stash. :)

GO ME!!!!

2008-10-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

I got a job! I am now employed as the new circulation person at the Alpena County Public Library! YAY! I'm psyched! It doesn't pay well, and as the director pointed out, it's the bottom of the totem pole for sure, but it's what I loved doing back in Clawson at the Blair Memorial Library (always the best library ever!) and I can't wait to start! I start training tomorrow. Awesome!

So today I have to knit and do laundry like a mad woman. Oh, and I want to spin some more. Here, let me see if I can find the pictures of my yarn. There it is on the spindle . . . .
And there it is wound into a skein! It's very twisty. I for sure over twisted it, which I hear, can be a design feature, but not the one I was going for.

Did I mention the second best part about working at the library? Knitters. I hear there are like, five serious knitters there! I met one lady, who knits yarn that she spun from her dogs fur! And Meg, she rocks. Check out the pretty scarf she spun and knit for her boss' retirement, it's on her blog, you may have to scroll down.

The first best part about working at the library? It's a combination of things. First, I will have money to buy yarn and fiber! Second . . . it's around the block from the LYS!

I'm Smitten

2008-09-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

I've caught the spinning bug!

I bought a lovely top whorl spindle from Spinsanity at the Norther Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival this weekend, and I've spun yarn! It's not even the worst yarn. It's not the best, but not the worst! I'll post a picture of it tomorrow. I wish I had bought more fluff while I was there.

I was there to help sew up the Hopps for Hope Blanket with Holly (did I mention she's famous? Seriously, people were all like "Hey it's Holly!" "Hi KnitwithSnot" it was awesome! I know a celebrity!) and another Zombie Prom Date Knitter, Jax, who it just happens, is a student at my Alma Mater, Kalamazoo College. Go Hornets! Here they are after their freakin' four hour plus trip from the west side!And here's some of my haul! Besides my spindle, I got some awesome Briar Rose Fibers. This is a picture of Robusta, which I didn't buy, but won! For the sewing up prize from Holly! She's awesome. I'm making the Big Cable Seed Stitch scarf. The pattern is on Ravelry.I also bought some Briar Rose Grace which is like 1200+ yards of the skinniest lace weight yarn, it's gorgeous. And some, well some sort of DK weight Briar Rose for a knit a long with Holly. I'll get the deets when I take more pictures.

And look at the bunny! Spinsanity bought it! This is how she introduced the bunny to us. "Hello, I'd like you to meet my divorce" Why? Because she bought this bunny unbeknowst to her DH! I would not have been let in the house. But Spinsanity can write it off as a business expense because she will spin it's fur!I loved the fiber fest and the Zombie Prom Date Knitters. I feel like I found my people. Yarn and fiber everywhere, people who understand my obsession and don't look at me like I'm weird, they speak my language (gauge, fiber content, superwash, angora, drafting, whorls, shafts . . . )
It was like going home!

Off to knit some more scarf!

I Can't Wait for Snow

2008-09-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard me right. Snow. Nice clean white stuff, that coats the muddy backyard. So when the dogs come back in the house after a nice marathon chase session, the white one won't be black! I've washed the damn dog once this morning, let him out to poop, and he's filthy again! I'd take a picture but of course the batteries are dead in the camera.

Otherwise, fall is beautiful in Northern Michigan. So far it's not cold, sunny, blue skies and pretty leaves falling from trees. Oh, and the kick ass Lake Huron which I got to admire up close yesterday when we went to the shin dig at the Yacht Club thrown by some people from Joe's work. It was totally my kind of shin dig. Let's put it in perspective, I wore black khaki pants and a cute shirt and I was overdressed! There was steak and baked potatoes and about six different desserts and I didn't have to do a thing but eat and look out the window at the waves!

Still waiting to hear about the library job I interviewed for. Really, I don't see how they can't hire me, they use the same computer system I did and I've done that job for seven years, and I know if they called my references they would get awesome reports because they loved me back at the Blair Memorial Library! :) We'll see.

Getting ready for the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival. Going to meet Knit With Snot there and sew up the Hopps for Hope Blanket. If anyone who made squares for the blanket reads this, thank you for making them. I know my sister (she of the Hopps) would have loved it. And on the subject, October is Breast Cancer Month, actually I think they might have changed it to Women's Cancer Month, which is good. So go get your pap smears and mammograms.

Gotta go clean puppies.

Stash Reduction

2008-09-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting . . . and crocheting. I've been bitten by the bug. Although the knitting bug is calling me back. Maybe because I'm crocheting with -gasp- acrylic yarn! Have you noticed though, that it is much cheaper to knit with good yarn than it is to crochet? Crochet takes up much more yarn, so say you want to make a baby afghan, really if you make it out of acrylic (which this one is actually kind of pretty with a shiny thread twisted in) it costs about $12. If I were going to use superwash wool or even Plymouth Encore it would be more than twice that. Which I would totally do, if the baby were related to me, but it's not, so I went cheap.

It's another wubbie, for someone else at Joe's work. I'm getting tired of it. I. Must. Finish.

In an effort to make it look like the stash is depleting itself (false, I've just hidden away the old stuff in places I know hubby won't look) in time for the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival, I am multi-projecting! Look at my four squares for NYOBE.

Admittedly, only two of them are perfectly 12 by 12. Now the other knitted one is just a smidge wide, I think I will still send it off because I know I could work it in. The other is crocheted! It was supposed to be 12 by 12 and if you can manage to flatten it out it is, but it's sorta wonky. I think there might be extraneous stitches in it. I'm going to block it myself and see what happens.

And because I needed a change, a pretty blue sock, Undulating Rib from Favorite Socks. I definitely have to make my sock yarn stash look used, because I want more sock yarn! So excited about the Festival. It's my first one! I'm a Festival Virgin! There is not much I can say that about anymore. :) Hey - blogger won't let me post anymore pictures in this post. Is that right or am I doing something wrong? I'll post the blue sock later.

Ah Youth

2008-09-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

Remember Shaun Cassidy? Da Doo Ron Ron Ron, Da Doo Ron, Ron! Andy Gibb? Love is . . . Thicker than Water! Remember Michael Jackson before he turned into a total freak? I've probably totally dated myself. Who did you worship as a tween?

These, my friends who don't have tweens, are the latest obsession at my house and in the tween world. The Jonas Brothers, also known as the Jo' Bros. Kevin, Joe and Nick. Sophie has developed a little shrine for them in her room, this being the centerpiece, on the wall behind her bed. Nick is her favorite with Joe being a close second. Joe has very thick eyebrows, thus demoting him in her book. And she thinks Kevin is gross. He's old after all. 18! Anyone remember Hanson? Think Hanson for the 2000's.

Just thought I'd share. On to knitting . . .

I present . . . the Parade of Socks!

Starting with Paraphernalia
Followed by Mochatini
and finishing it off, Spring Forward!
The mochatinis I started ages ago, I got tired of the cables. The Spring Forwards I finished in like three days! So fun and easy. And the Parphernalia's are my favorites! They took a couple of weeks, but I love the way the cables twist up the sides!

And here we have the sum total of my productivity yesterday, an 2/3 complete back side of the Celtic tote. It looks cooler in person and I'm sure when I sew the dark yarn around the cables and felt it, it will look even cooler. I'm a little worried about gauge. It seems a little small. But I have a front loading washer so I'm sure it won't felt as much as if I threw it in a regular washing machine, right?
Whoa, I thought I had made that picture up there disappear. I hit backspace too many times and it was gone! Thank heavens for undo!