yay.

I'm thirty. Remember when you were a child and 30 was older than you could comprehend?

My celebration started wonderfully with a phone call from my area manager (at 8:09) asking me to please come in and do the year end cleaning of my bus. I then got to open the second and third cards in a series from Mathboy (his family motto is "Nothing in Moderation") and listen to lots of moaning and complaining from him that the boss lady had had the nerve to call before nine and ruin all of his scheming and planning to start my day with a smile. Evidently there was meant to be singing and flaming brownies.
Now I'm off to spend my birthday detailing my bus (which I had planned on doing anyways), feeling ill (still running a low grade fever), and, hopefully, going to the doctor's office to see if she can figure out what my problem is.

Still Alive

(edited to try to repair the odd spacing and ask what bloggers problem is with spaces and pictures.)

Long overdue post with PICTURES!

Firstly . . . about two weeks ago, I met up with Alyson, Chris, Kelly, Phoebe, and Valerie (no that link's not a mistake, Valerie is one of the brains behind Yarn4Socks) at Knit'n'Knibble in Tampa. From there we went to dinner (well, Alyson, Kelly, Phoebe, Valerie and I) at Pane Rustica which was delicious, reasonably priced, and under lit. Our third, and final stop, was a nearby Barnes and Noble where we chased away an older woman (who was so deeply ensconced in her cozy chair that she'd actually brought a blanket from home) by being unruly and giggly. Well jeez. What else can you expect from a gaggle of knitters?

From left to right: Me, Valerie, Alyson, and Kelly.

Photo credit goes to Valerie's very patient husband Reuben.

The following Sunday was our usual knit-out at (lately) Jason's Deli where Sandy was kind enough to model her clap-in-progress. Incidentally, I'm working on one in the same colour (because I abandoned put the SWS one on hold). The yarn is Lionbrand Microspun in Lilac. Because of course periwinkle blue is the first colour I think of when I think of lilacs. *sigh* Anyways.

The monkeys were completed in plenty of time to be gifted to my mother in law this last Sunday but on Friday I decided to make something else to go with them.

Any guesses what?

Here's a hint (Mathboy made this part)

Oh! Saturday we picked up The Deathly Hallows and I read it on Monday. Like Kelly, I devoured it in about 5 hours. My problem now? Mathboy won't read it until he's finished the series he's reading right now . . . and he wants to read the first six in the Potter series before he reads book seven. *sigh* Keeping mum about it for goodness knows how long is liable to kill me.

Lastly, here's the evil large green bug who's been munching on my roses. Anyone know what it is?

I'm off now to consume large amounts of orange juice, ruby red grapefruit juice, and soup in an effort to combat whatever the heck it is that's been inflicting a fever and headache on me so that I feel somewhat human tomorrow (not feeling one's mortality on one's birthday is kind of a nice thing) and on our trip to Virginia Friday.

Ravelry

So I toddled over to Ravelry to see where I am on the list . . . .

Found you!

• You signed up on July 3, 2007


• You are #13011 on the list.


• 7143 people are ahead of you in line.


• 4187 people are behind you in line.


• 32% of the list has been invited so far

*sigh*

Graft and re-Graft

Ordinarily, I wouldn't feel the need to point out the silly things that I decorate my blog with but LOOK! It's a skinny cute little knitting me (with pointy ears! )! If you want your own cute little knitting you, head on over to www.meez.com and join. In the space where it asks who referred you, type cornssss (note the fourth s) and you'll get five free coinz to deck yourself out (can't get the knitting or the wedding ring without coinz). In the interest of full disclosure, I also get coinz for any references that join up . . . but they're of no use in the real world. Also, Kelly? They've got Hairspray outfits! I'm ashamed to admit that I could easily send hours in there messing around and playing dollies.

On to the knitting content. I finished monkey 1, did something that I was calling kitchenering, and decided that it looked absolutely horrible. There are no pictures because it was very very bad, however, I do have witnesses to the badness.

Last night found me on the couch, muttering and grumbling as I returned to this point:

Once I got back to the start, I ran the video found here, watched it maybe three or four times, gritted my teeth and settled in to graft my little heart out. In the end, I did this:

I could only be more pleased if it'd looked like this on the first try.

And so, I'm proud to present Monkey 1.

The cool sock blocker is a bent-out-of-shape coat hanger. I found the tutorial here thanks to this post of Kristy's.

Tonight you'll find me on the couch doing this:

and watching Mike Rowe play with reptiles on Dirty Jobs.

Incidentally, Monkey 2 came to the immigration offices with me yesterday and evidently the size 2 bamboos she's on were not deemed nearly as dangerous as the zeros that Boudica was on. No chin poking test this time (the last time I was at the immigration offices, the screener checked to see how dangerous my needles were by stabbing himself in the chin repeatedly with them.) and while I was able to while away my time without getting bored, all of the knitting I did got frogged thanks to a ginormous error made as soon as I got there. I got my new stamp and so I'm good to go for another year. Next year at this time, I'll be able to apply for my long term (ten year) green card. Woot!

Monkey Passion

On Tuesday, the monkey sock and I went to its place of conception. I'm only about three or four inches away from the toe and rather pleased with myself.

Here's Monkey enjoying the music and lights.
























Today, Mathboy and I went for a stroll around our wildly overgrown back yard and found this lovely little fellow and his entire family and all of their friends attempting to overthrow our backyard. I really need to get out there and mow. In case you're curious, that's a purple passion flower

Mean spiritedness?

I'm a horrible person. Mathboy and I received a wedding invitation from one of his cousins today. This will be her third wedding and I'm just aggravated by the whole thing. You see, the invitation included two things that should not normally be included in a wedding invitation:

1) Registry cards directing us to the places where they've registered for a heck of a lot of stuff for two people who are evidently already cohabiting . . . one of whom, as I mentioned, has already been around the block twice.

2) What amounts to a coming out announcement. We had no inkling that Cuz was a lesbian but it was made plain in the invitation that entreated us to join in celebrating the marriage of so-and-so's daughter to so-and-so's daughter.

Bah. I don't think I'm a homophobe . . . but maybe I am. Maybe I'm reacting in this manner merely because I think that homosexuality is wrong. I don't dislike gays and lesbians. I grew up with an honorary uncle who was quite gay, one of my childhood friends came out about five years ago, I had a friend who had two mommies, Mathboy has an aunt who came out 15-20 years ago . . . I like most of these people (the exception is the former friend who decided that people disliked her because she was gay and not because she was a raging bitch) and all are welcome in my home. I just happen to think that the lifestyle is wrong. I also think that illicit drug use and cigarette smoking are wrong and yes, I know that habits/addictions are chosen and many would argue that homosexuality isn't. I don't really want to go there.

Anyways. As long as you're not harming anyone else, I really don't care what you do. How does all of this circle around to Cuz and her partner? Well, sending an invitation to a same sex wedding without giving any of the family (including elderly and conservative grandparents) any idea that you lean in that direction, or are even involved with anyone, kind of smacks of confrontationality (is that even a word?) I'm probably particularly irked because we've tried to keep the lines of communication open but any contact, including Christmas cards and wedding invitations from our end go ignored and unanswered.
What do you all think? Am I just being an uptight, judgy, right wing bitch?

Edited to Add: Mathboy tells me that I am, in fact, a homophobe . . . but he also says that I can't help it. My contention is that I can dislike a behaviour or action without disliking the person.

Happy Independence Day!

With malice towards none...With charity for all; With firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan-- to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.

~Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1865

Happy Canada Day!

^click me!^

Ok, Choke Me.

Booo, hiss! There will be no Oreo sharing this Sunday as we have familial obligations in Okeechobee for the day and it's unlikely that a) I'll be back before 8 and b) in any shape to go anywhere after the drive down and back. There is a shiny spot in this though . . . think of all the knitting time I'll have!

I'll leave you with some pictures of the dogs "protecting" me from the rabid killer gopher tortoise who made the very poor decision to enter our yard a week or two ago.

"It's alive!!!!"

"Get Tachi! Get it"

For those who are concerned about the fate of our visitor, I locked the dogs in the house and gently removed her from the yard. She was last seen working her way north. And, for the record, the Gopher Tortoise is not known to be particularly blood thirsty or threatening unless you happen to be a slow moving piece of vegetable matter ;-)

Mail Call

Hooray! I got mail! A totally unanticipated package from some friends on Canada's west coast.

Packaged in a re-recycled box (that I used to send some gifts to Mathboy once a long time ago. Before I knew what a destructive toad Tachi was)
Look! Canadian Double Stuf Oreos . . . and a pretty puppy card. And packaging peanuts.
The Oreos will likely be joining me at Starbucks on Sunday if anyone's interested in tasting them.

Incidentally, Monday's mangled bits of metal were size 000 aluminum Susan Bates double pointed needles from this set.

Roller Skating Sox and Evil Pets

On Friday I did a field trip to a Tampa Roller Rink. I worked on the Clap for a few hours and then decided that I really need to cast on my Monkeys. I completed my cast on, joined it and had just begun working in the round when a woman walked up, asked if I was knitting socks and began fondling my yarn. Clearly a Knitter. As I'm rather shy (shaddup Sandy and Kelly. It's true!) and don't do well one on one with strangers, I didn't really have much to say. In retrospect, I could have asked if she had any wip's with her, would she like to join me, where she buys her yarn . . . So, stranger from the Roller Rink? If you're reading this, I'm not snotty...until I get to know you :-)

Monkey at the roller rink. Forgive the crappy cellphone pic.

The weekend was fairly uneventful, I was late getting to Panera because we spent Sunday afternoon in Tampa visiting with some of Mathboy's relatives but once I got to the restaraunt we had a giggling good time.

This morning I interrupted an impromptu "learn to knit" session on my bedroom floor. I've had to dissuade the dogs from thinking they could knit in the past but evidently I wasn't forceful enough in pointing out that 000 needles are just not a good idea for beginners. The needles were cheap, and it was my fault for being foolish enough to leave them where the rotten beasts instinct driven darlings could eat them but I'm still royally ticked.

I am a follower. And a joiner. But mostly a follower.

The sorting hat says that I belong in Hufflepuff!

Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot, and treat them just the same."

Hufflepuff students are friendly, fair-minded, modest, and hard-working. A well-known member was Cedric Digory, who represented Hogwarts in the most recent Triwizard Tournament.

 

Take the most scientific Harry Potter
Quiz ever created.

Get Sorted Now!

All Your Yarn are Belong to US!!!!

What do you want Puny Human?
Begone now.

Will Penicillin Work at This Stage?

I have a confession to make. I've caught the Clap. I thought I was safe, in fact, I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even think it was dangerous anymore but it seems that I was wrong.
Let me explain. Mathboy's favorite aunt has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and ever since she received her diagnosis, I've been wondering what I could knit for her. I thought about this, this and even one of these but frankly, she's just not a frilly person and while the Dragon Wings would probably do nicely I'm afraid of it taking longer than we have. Of course, there was also the small matter of decent laceweight not being free. As I looked at, and eliminated, each pattern a sibilant whisper echoed in the back of my mind.
"What about clapotis?" I had all sorts of arguments against it; it's more of a scarf than a wrap - it calls for sock yarn doesn't it? But, in the end, it drew me in and I'm trying it in the SWS natural blue colorway. I've swatched and the only thing I'm really worried about is getting the stitches to drop nicely . . . SWS is a little sticky. My other concern is that it's not easily washable and it is going to the house that Red Heart keeps warm. That being said, I'm probably overthinking it at this point in time. After all, I still need to finish the anniversary throw . . . crap, by this weekend. Gotta go!

Happy WWKIPD!

WWKIPD

Playing with Linguistics

What American accent do you have?
Created by Xavier on Memegen.net

Canada. You probably get irritated when British people and Europeans think you're from the States, but over here we wouldn't make a mistake like that.

Take this quiz now - it's easy!

We're going to start with "cot" and "caught." When you say those words do they sound the same or different?

Different Same, no wait I mean different, maybe, a little bit different... Same

So Spoiled

Evidently the budgetary constraints don't extend to alcohol :-)

I should explain. One of my all time favourite alcoholic beverages is the Cherry Cheesecake. It's a mixed drink that consists of one part Cranberry juice and one part Vanilla Schnapps. I've been wanting one, I kid you not, for a year. However, Vanilla schnapps had proven themselves to be nearly impossible to find here. I would go into liquor stores or bars and ask and always get blank stares. Finally I approached the owner of an ABC who was from Boston and he knew what I was talking about. I was so excited . . . until he told me that he hadn't ever seen any Vanilla Schnapps outside of the Northeast. My next step was begging friends and family who were travelling north to please, please, stop in a liquor store and see if they could find me a bottle of Dr. McGillicuddy's delicious vanilla elixir. No dice. I resigned myself to waiting until I could make a trip home to Ontario where I would make a pilgrimage to the LCBO and stock up. Well, last night, Mathboy came home with a mysterious brown paper bag.

Oohhh, Vanilla Liqueur. How nice. And then I noticed the little scrolly bit on the label above the name.

It's Dr. McGillicuddy's! Albeit a fancy import *snicker*. I love that you can buy Molson's and Labatts in the import section too...not that I would. Anyways, I had a bottle of cranberry juice in the fridge so I was finally able to satisfy a year long craving. Mmmmmmmm. Go find this stuff if you can. It even comes with a little tag filled with recipe suggestions (next on my list of things to try? The French Tickler) but you can pretty much mix it with anything. Hurray for Canadian booze.

Holy Hannah!

Remember this? Well, it seems Ms. Fields liked it soooooooooo much that she wore it again.
That is all.

Moving on

Boudica is on a time out, thinking about what she's done

You'll notice that I've frogged her completely and even rewound the yarn and now she's going to hang out in her little orange bag while I focus on other things. Like this:

My sister and brother in law are celebrating their first anniversary on Father's Day and I'm making a small afghan/throw for them to celebrate the occasion. Yes, I know that I only have 17 sleeps left to complete it. Thank goodness for my Clifford needles.

No Pictures, Just Grumbling

I should have known better than to approach a pair of socks named after Boudica with anything less than the utmost respect because people? They are kicking my booty. I've cast on for them no less than six times since Friday morning and I'm still not past the first dozen rows! The toe technique that Designer Mim has chosen is, according to Sensational Knitted Socks, an "easy" toe. Mmmhmmm. Yep. Easy. Easy like giving yourself stitches in the sole of your foot. Sure it can be done but not without considerable amounts of discomfort, cussing, and alcohol. I'm almost at the point (and knowing I can do this is why I love knitting) where I'm going to rip the whole thing out, again, and just do a short row toe which for the record is easy.

What's really ticking me off is that I know that I'm smarter than the yarn but I just can't seem to grasp the technique I need here. It doesn't matter what videos and descriptions I use online because I need someone to look at what I'm doing and either show me where I'm going wrong or tell me if I have it right (Mathboy says it looks good to him but the boy's a muggle). I would love to wander down to my not so local yarn shop for help and advice but there are two problems. A) as I've mentioned, they're kind of far away and B) I don't feel comfortable going into a place of business with items not purchased there and asking them to help me. It would be different if I could pick up a couple of skeins of sock yarn or something while I was there but I really do need to hold off on unnecessary spending for the duration of the summer. I guess in the end I'm just going to have to keep plugging away, trying things, until it looks right.

That's enough whingeing. I'm going to go take another crack at them (socks, if you're reading this, I have nothing but respect for your beauty and intricacy) and contemplate how much I would love a Caramel Coretto from Second Cup right about now.