Darn it..

...and I'm not talking about socks. It started last night. I'm kicked back in my recliner, knitting and minding my own business, when all of the sudden there's a fierce horrible pain in the spot where my toes join my foot. It was like... do you know the movie "Contact" with Jodi Foster, well that sound from the radio signal they received from the array... that shrieking noise is how the pain in my foot felt. STAB STAB STAB STAB It didn't do it for long, but it kept coming back every few minutes. I'm used to phantom pains here and there, been living with it all my life, really, but this was sharp and mean. I was puzzled as to what was going on. The second symptom, I recognized. Anytime one of the kids gets hurt and shows me their wounds, I get a more than usually intense sympathy pain. stab stab -- UH OH, I'm coming down with something -- Then the achiness, then the shrieking pain from the night before is in my knee.... I hope it doesn't keep traveling upwards =( Anyway, these are the symptoms, (for me, anyway) of a low grade fever. RATS!!

I guess this altered state has got me pensive. I think too much for the most part, but do you ever have this experience? Like you find a blog that you really really like, and you faithfully comment for ages (and by ages, I mean a couple of years) but they totally ignore you. Like they seem to respond to everyone BUT you? I don't know, I'm sure I'm paranoid, but sometimes I really get the feeling that I'm annoying them by commenting. So, is there actually anyone out there that doesn't want comments from as many people as possible?

For me, I really miss all the comments I used to get before I fell off my gourd and the blog got deleted, and blah blah blah. For the record, those of you that have stuck with me through thick and thin, sane and not, are all the more dear to me for it. It's just, I really miss, don't slap me, being popular. =( I know this is SO Junior High/High School, but it's true, I can admit it, I'm human and I know my faults (all eleventy million of them) indulge me one shallow weakness of vanity. (one that YOU know about anyway, there are a few more, but my shallow vanity prevents me from exposing it you) Is that irony or satire? (or neither)

Anyway, I've been knitting a bit today, but mostly surfing the four sites I surf looking for new activity, new blogs to read - all this in between taking care of my three and then by 1pm, my sister's three. I should have just kept knitting. Oh well, when I stood up and held it out in front of me, my youngest started jumping up and down and saying, "I LIKE it, I LIKE it, it's so LONG!" I had to just smile and give him a hug thinking, "How many four years olds would make a big deal over lace?" Clearly, only those belonging to us yarny crafter types =) **BEAMING PRIDE**

Now I'm off to knit a bit more and watch Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory =)

Fun and Lace

Check out this awesome nickname generator I saw on Jac's World's blog. Sawyer from Lost gives it to you, it's cool. Especially if you have a hard time resisting the 'bad boy' type. lol So my new handle is Sugarpop! Too funny. Most everyone else just calls me Sweetie, but I guess it's the same. I always just thought my husband called me that just hoping eventually it would be true. hehehe Then when strangers started calling me it, I figured I must look the part or something. =)

I finally picked up the lace again yesterday, after having enough rest that knitting no longer felt like something I was doing with 10 thumbs. I am now halfway through repeat number 21. It's getting quite long! I'm starting to think I may have yarn left once it's long enough to be a stole. Either that, or I'm going to make an obscenely long stole and wrap it around and around like a sari. =)) Haven't decided yet.

As usual, the sunset fireworks are still going on. Here's the latest show.

















Whatever I don't like about this area, I do love the sky.

You Make My Day

Thanks for nominating me Chris! It's nice to know I was able to brighten your day a few times, you've done the same for me on many occasions as well.

Now for the list of the blogs that make my day, in no particular order.

Isa at Tricotine is always inspiring and takes wonderful pictures.
Everyone loves Stitchy McYarn Pants, of course, and so do I.
Gary over at Free Your Voice always makes me think, and/or laugh out loud and always has the coolest pictures.
Amy at Dyed in the Wool is a kindred spirit with an eye for design and a keen wit.
Renee from Froggie Meanie always has the cutest pictures and designed the prettiest little sweater I've ever seen.
There are always those certain bloggers with whom you end up being friends for life, especially when you find you have cool stuff in common. Rebekah at Knick Knack falls in this category.
I think Shannon has already been nominated in this category, but it's true for me, too, Dreams of Yarn frequently makes my day.
I've only been reading Micah's ReaALitY Tour for a few weeks, but the high energy, hilarity and varied content always leaves me in a good mood.
Susan at Hyperactive Hands is a great talent and a new mom with adorable baby pictures to share, how can it NOT make my day over there?
Over at My Life as I See it, Catrin always has something interesting going on whether it be awesome knits or pictures of her latest holiday.
Then there's Kaity, an up and coming designer, sock knitter extraordinaire. You have to check out the awesome socks over at Kaity Knits....A Lot.

Of course, no one is required to participate just because I nominated them and I never read the rules, but anyone who wants to spread the love - go forth and prosper =)

Thanks to those of you who offered your opinions about which photo I'm going to use for my new Ravitar =) There was one the stood out as a favorite to most everyone, and it wasn't the one I expected or favored from the start, but it grew on me, too. So that's the one I chose.

AND....... rest

WHEW! What a great Saturday that was! I got all the essential cleaning done spit-spot, tip-top and had a wonderful time with my out of state cousin and his wife. It was just about as perfect as it comes. I didn't have to cook anything, since I provided the place, and the back yard and the grill. My brother made me a killer margarita. I think I should have only drank half of it though. I should know by now to stop when I can't feel my lips. No side affects today though, thanks to loads of water 4 advil and 2 exced. migraine - not all at once, of course! I think it was the customary 4 hour intervals. Anyway, he made sure I was sufficiently chill, that's for sure. About half-way thru it, I said to my brother, "Um... is this thing unUSually strong, or do I just need protein." He said, "It's unusually strong and rather large." "Ah, ok" giggle - Yeah, I totally shoulda put it down then.

In view of the days of major activity, today, I rest, and play and knit a little. (one row, so far, but planning to finish at least one repeat, which should put me around 20 or so total)

There's something that I told y'all I was gonna do WAY last Spring. I finally did it. A photo shoot of my new guitar. Here she is in all her glory.

Isn't she faboo?

While I had her out, I decided to try to take a profile pic of myself. Well, we all know how that goes, right? I am not one of these internet chics that can put the camera at arm's length and turn out something that won't burn your retinas. It's sad.

I've never really been very photogenic, since I think it has something to do with being relaxed. lol It takes load of pictures to get a few decent ones. The last time I did this, if you recall, I was working on my portfolio. It took HOURS to get just 3 decent shots, and I wasn't much happy with any of them.

This time I was a bit more relaxed, since there was no portfolio pressure. There also may be some residual tequila in the works, not sure.

I'm going to post the ones I like on Flickr. AND, if you care to participate in an experiment, I'm interested in your opinions to help me decide which one to use for my new Ravelry profile pic.

This one isn't in the running =) I just think it's silly.

Hopefully I'll get some knittin' done today and have something to show for it soon. I'm actually getting better at this lace thing, I can actually read the chart! It's a super easy chart, true, but it's good practice for my secret project to come which is mostly ALL chart stuff. eeek! I was looking at my current project a few days ago and discovered a mistake on about the 3rd or 4th repeat! LOL oh well, it's just a few misshapen leaves, NO WAY I'll start over for that. So weird how you can't always see that stuff in the beginning of a project.

Well, I think I hear the Super Bowl in the background, so I think I'll go check it out, out of morbid curiosity =)*)

I'm wearing my Cowboys T-shirt just to be spiteful.

***EDIT*** Check out this contest over at Ridiculous Obsession and tell her I sent ya =)

Nada Nada Pescada

Spanish for "Nothing, nothing, fish" - It just rhymes so people say it when someone says, "Hey Baby, que paso?" I have been cleaning, in a paced and very methodical way, which is very different from the cleaning of past April. Cleaning Frenzy is what I usually do, and then everyone scampers for cover and can never find anything ever again. I don't know which method is really better. I've been cleaning for days, like three days. This place is... well it's, I don't want to admit what it is, a heaping pile of rotting something. Not quite that bad, but that's how I feel about it. We all know I haven't been on my game for, oh how long now?, for freaking ever? Too long. Nothing like out of towners coming in to motivate a person, though, so I'm doing my 1st Annual Spring Cleaning in Dang January. It's 1AM now, and I'm wound up from the Cleaning Marathon. (Hey, new term!)

Generally, I'm fairly even, not too easily shaken, etc, but there is something about cleaning that just winds me up. I think it has something to do with the fact cleaning was used as punishment when I was a kid, so it's like memory association, fuming/cleaning, something. I've probably mentioned that before. This time though, I think it has been really less about the past and more about the present and how every single person here leaves mess in their wake and they are not much for helping with the disaster that ensues. I understand it from children, and I can get them to do their part when the time comes. One way or a chocolate bar, I can get them to cooperate. But when grown people wander around and mess up things left and right and then just leave it, I start to get pissy. Not after the first day, or even the second day, my patience runeth over and now it's going to be acid on someones head grrrrrr. Toss things here, toss things there leave them there for 3 years and then expect me to know where they are. How does that work? I love that commercial where the engaged couple are talking about what to do with the guy's stuff, and the girl has a vision of a flame thrower and the choir music is playing. I've had that vision a few times, but it would have to be Metallica, instead. There's more rant in here, but I'll spare you. This is sufficiently horrifying for now.

Any, so I've been cleaning all day for 3 days, and I still have a good 3 days worth left. Most of that is sorting through the mountains of paper and clutter that one accumulates when people go around throwing stuff all over the place. I only have half of ONE day left, so I'm really having to get creative in this process. I have to mention that I am SO blessed to have an 8yr old boy who dearly LOVES to vacuum the stairs, (where did HE come from?) because I seriously HAYTE it! I don't love dusting either, mainly because I'm SO allergic to it, but I discovered today that I can do most of that with my vacuum, too. (slow learner, I know, give me a break) (I think I must be talking to the voices of my parents that rattle around in my head, I really wish they would shut up sometimes) what was I talking about? Oh yeah, dust, sucked up into the vacuum and not into my sneeze machine. wooo hoooo! Score one for ME!

So here I am blogging in the wee small hours trying to wind down, so that when I get back in bed and the snoring starts somewhere too close to my ear, the urge to kick is sufficiently gone. I really need the basketball, MAN, or something. This the feeling, that feeling I get, it's pent up stuff. I've been advised to find some sort of activity where I can just smash the heck out of something, like the racquetball, or whatever. I need it NOW, but I can't just run out and do that in the mid of the night =( A punching bag, the big kind would do, but where would I put that thing? My house is so weak it'd probably fall down if I hung one of those somewhere in it.

It's not all, bad, of course, I'm reclaiming my house, that's a good thing. Even with lots left to do, SO much has already been done, I feel lots better already. I did get to break some old printers, that made me feel good, too. OK, can you stand more ranting? It's okay if you can't, just run away now. Here's a stupid story:

For some very odd reason, people give stuff to my husband. I don't know if he just looks needy (not likely) or if he's just that rude that he asks them for stuff? No clue, but, he comes home with printers, like STONE AGE printers, old crap computers, big giant cd changers from like the first year they made them, and the biggest TV I've ever seen, and SO DANG OLD, it's BUGLY. WHA? and WHY GOD WHY? Plus, he buys printers, and computers and .... gosh you get it by now, right? So we have 4 lame broken printers from who know where, 2 on the shelf that we bought, that have been out of ink SO long they can't seem to ever print again. (I didn't know they did that, but WHATEVER) So he's shopping for a printer again, (very quietly, b/c I had no idea) and says his normal, "What do think about the deal on this printer with these features.... blah blah blah." I'm like, "Dude, I SO don't care, don't talk to me about printers unless you get rid of all these stupid other printers before I throw them in the street." He laughs, cuz he's stupid that way, "Yeah, those things are worthless, anyway, I'll get rid of them." Did he? NOPE, so I did, yesterday?, no it was the day before, so that's... Wednesday. There is NOTHING so freeing as carrying some heavy plastic and metal piece of JUNK and I mean crap, and throwing as hard as you can into a trash can sitting on concrete. It was GLORIOUS. It gets better... heheheheheeeee So all these printers are in the trash can, the rolling plastic kind you take to the street. Anyway, since our garage is also a dumping ground of all manner of monstrous boxes of random junk from the back of his truck, we can no longer fit the trash and recycle carts in it. They live at the top of a VERY steep drive way on just the other side of the garage door. So, when he came home that night and shut the garage door, it slammed on the top of the bin and the thing vomited printers all down our driveway in the COLD COLD wind and dark. He was SO irritated. Too bad he didn't throw them away RIGHT when he had the chance. When he angrily told me the story, I laughed. Yeah, I laughed, because I'm stupid that way. GLORIOUS

Russian Join Process

This particular join has been one of my favorites since I heard of it and I use it lots.

Here goes.

The only supplies you will need are as small a needle as possible with an eye that will still accommodate the yarn you are using, a pair of scissors (maybe), and the two ends of yarn you want to join.


Basically, you just loop or hook each yarn end with the other and thread each end of yarn into itself.


Easier done, than said, actually, which is why I am here to show it to you now.

I like to loop or hook them together from the beginning because of all the times I've forgotten this step and had to start over.

VERY annoying, yes.

Thread your needle with one end and insert the tip of the needle between the plies of the same piece of yarn fairly close to the place where the two pieces are hooked together.

I sort of wrap the yarn around after I divide a ply to keep them from separating too much.


So, insert and wrap, insert and wrap, for quite a distance down the piece of yarn.

(so you don't have to do this process again because it's not long enough yet)


Once you get a good bit of yarn spliced and scrunched up on the needle, pull the needle (and threaded yarn, of course) through the splices.

Apparently, I'm showing this process in slow excruciating detail.


My camera was giving me fits (and so were the children) and then my legs fell asleep, so I may have lost track of what in the world I was doing.



I was using the timer on the camera, so I could use both hands in these shots, so it took a ridiculous amount of time.



AND the brand new batteries (normal, not camera rechargeables) were already starting to die, even though I had just put them in when I started this process.



















AND, at this point I turned everything around because the WIP was on the right side of the table, and the yarn was really short.















So, smooth the scrunched parts down and pull the yarn tight.








Now just do the same thing for the other side.








Thread the needle with the other end and insert it back into itself between two plies.







Do the splice and wrap thing again. It doesn't really LOOK like I wrap it, but I do.







Splice and wrap until you think you've gone too far, I like to try and fill up the whole needle.







Pull the needle through and smooth down the scrunchy stuff.







Then pull it tight.









In the end, the result looks something like this. You can see where the two join each other from the little tiny loop there in the middle of the backwards S.


If the ends are too long, you can trim them, but be super careful. I did this whole process last night and I was too tired to be using scissors, I guess, and I must have snipped one of the plies. I only discovered it after I knit to that point, just past my join, and the yarn was coming undone. In case you didn't realize it, that means I've shot this process twice. I had much better light today, than last night, so it's all for the best, even though I was REALLY in the mood to knit last night. (which is why I forged ahead in spite of bad lighting)

Anyway, hopefully this wasn't overly detailed and decently understandable. Let me know what you think or if you need more detail, I'll add/edit if you need me to do so.

Wordy Wednesday

In just 3 days I have taken 64 pictures? Wow. Well, my son took a couple, so it's probably more like 60 or 62, but still. I took quite a few on my walk. I would have been more, but my batteries were dying. I think my rechargeable battery pack is going downhill. It's lasted a few years, though, so I guess it's time. I seem to recall saying last year around this time, that I really need a new camera. It's still true, but this camera does have it's redeeming qualities.

One of the things that I love about this camera is also one of the things that really frustrates me. I like to be able to control the focus, which is why I REALLY have to have an SLR next time. I like to turn off the flash, focus and shoot. I can do all of that with this camera, except the focus is the type that you push the button, and it focuses (or refuses to do so) and then you shoot. This has given me some serious bouts of eye twitchin'. It has also given me some really cool stuff, as well. Shooting something a little out of focus makes a great subject for a painting, for instance.

Like this one from my walk on Monday

I also enjoy smearing photos, so to speak, which is basically just catching motion in the picture.

Like these

The one on the left, also from my walk & the one on the right from a concert, his dread locks were fun to shoot

It's really fun to play with lights at night, as well. I don't have any of those shots at hand, since SOMEONE deleted them from this computer, after they had been meticulously cataloged and described. (ARG! Walk the plank ye scurvy toad!)

ahem

When my camera is playing nice and focuses well
I get some really nice stuff, too.

Oak Trees are cool. I love how twisted and bent and gnarled they can get.


<-- I wonder who lives in there? There was plenty of stuff to take pictures of on my walk, the pic to the right is a dry creek bed. It's really more of a drainage gully, or whatever. There are places where there is water standing most of the time, but there's only running water during a good rain. It like a flash flood place, so there is a lot of erosion.

And where you have erosion you can often find fossils! I found a few on my walk, which brings me back to my frustration with my camera. When you have an auto focus camera with a macro setting, you are supposed to be able to get close to things and focus. This particular camera has serious issues with this setting, and it REALLY chaps me. I tried and tried to get a good pic of something really weird in one of the rocks I picked up. It has fossilized things on both sides, and I actually picked it up for what was on the other side. When I got it home, I saw the other fossil, it was much more interesting. It looks like a claw or talon or something. It also(since I see faces in stuff) looks very much like an eye, which means I also see nose and mouth, now - so I have an odd cyclops looking fossil thing. I may have gotten one good picture of it after slaving over it for half an hour.

Well it's not good, but it shows what I mean, both by the camera refusing to focus and by showing why I see a face in this rock. lol

The mouth is perfect! It looks like an odd alien Picasso thing, right? lol

OK! Enough with my imagination.


Are you tired of hearing about bread yet? If so, RUN AWAY!

ni

The varied flours I got on Monday were very interesting to work with. I let them rise the first time much longer than 12 hours, more like 20 or 24. I let the whole wheat/barley loaf rest WAY too long the second time, which caused it to really flatten out. This means I sort of lost control of it when you flip it upside down off the thing it's been resting on, onto a towel. So when I plopped it into the baking bowl it hit sorta hard and folded in on itself and I think it fell a little, but it still turned out ok. The crust is VERY hard, but the inside is a very nice texture. I decided that this is the type of bread you break instead of cut, I've always wanted to say, "Come! Break bread with me." ( I don't know why, sounds like something Abraham would say )

The other loaf was made with spelt flour. Now that stuff is very odd to work with. It didn't hold together like normal dough. It was really sticky and freaky, so instead of chancing getting a towel tangled up in it, I used two of those strong paper plates and bunches of flour. I really expected it to not be bready at all, but it turned out rather nice. Maybe next time I'll scrape some of the flour off? The flavor is AMAZING! It's really different and I don't really know how to describe it. I think it would be really good with a strong cheese. It was a great with coffee! It's very moist inside, though, so maybe I need less water in the next attempt.

Anyway, it's been great fun making bread and trying out some different flour. Thanks Micah! =)

I'm most of the way through the 17th repeat on the Fern Lace Stole and I am seriously close to the end of my first yarn cake, which means ***bomp bomp BOM*** The next post should be my Russian Join demonstration! OH, did I mention that my next yarn cake is a different dye lot? (and that I totally don't care -- yet) Anyway, it may end up being slightly two toned, but it was over a year ago when I bought the first one, so the odds of finding the same one, not high enough to attempt it! Well ta ta for now, my lovelies, I'm in the mood for tea. (what are crumpets, anyway?)