I Love Magic Loop!

My brother gave me $$ for Christmas and I bought the Magic Loop booklet, a 24" Addi Turbo needle, and sock yarn. I've finished the first sock, I'm a third of the way through the leg on the second sock. But I'll hang on to my DPNs because they are still a time-tested method and there's no reason to totally give it up. Besides, I always have at least three sock projects going on at once and I need the needles!

My Christmas was interesting. I had to work the actual day, so the Thursday before, the DD and I drove up to Idaho to spend the weekend. I saw my friends, I handed out presents, I received presents, I knitted a lot, I ate a good early Christmas dinner (roast beef and smashed potatoes, thanks Mom!) and got to watch the family open my presents to them. My dad liked his knitted pears, my brother liked his socks, my nephew LOVED his SpongeBob blanket (I have a photo, but permission to post it was denied), the DD loved her socks and her slippers, my mom liked her slippers. I think I did okay. I gave RP slippers as well, and I am pretty sure he liked them a whole bunch too. *VBS*

I got sock yarn from my other brother, the new knitting calendar from my mom (but I asked her to return it because I'd already bought it for myself back in September!) and I got three Jon Anderson CD's from RP. I got Song of Seven, the first-time-ever-released-on-CD Animation, and In Elven Lands. He knows what I like, and it makes me smile. As soon as I got them home they went straight onto my iPod.

Sunday after church I drove back to Utah. Monday I went to work, and then was invited over to DF's house for Christmas dinner. Monday and Tuesday night I got to doggy-sit, but Wednesday morning I woke up quite ill. I was so dizzy I couldn't get out of bed. I called in half-dead at work, and didn't get up and showered until almost noon. I remained dizzy for the rest of the day, but went to work Thursday. Then I worked on Friday my day off to make up for Wednesday, and I still feel crummy. I feel like I've got a sinus headache, and pain right behind my eyeballs as well.

Tomorrow I get to make the drive back up to Idaho to fetch the DD. Then work in New Year's Day, and school starts Tuesday. A new year, one that I hope is better than the last one.

Happy 2007 to everyone. I love you all.

December (In Which I Learn To Link)

*tap tap*

Is this thing on?

4 months today . . . . . . . it's getting easier, but tears still hit me when I least expect it.

The strangest thing is happening. . . I have been getting Christmas cards from ladies on the Kirks Folly Fairy Forum. I've gotten three so far. Thank you to SilverCate, BriteRaven, and Casdo. Maybe I'm supposed to be sending cards to the Forum ladies too? All I know is it sure is nice to find something in my mailbox.
*eta* Today's mail brought WhichyWomn's card. Thank you so much Kim.
**eta** Thursday's mail brought FOUR cards! Thank you to PrnsGrace, WingedWaif, NancyJB and DragonLuvr.

No knitting photos, because all my current projects are super-secret-Christmas-gifts. I have had 2 big felting parties and I cried last night because I felted a bag *way* too much and now all it will hold is wallet and keys. So I get to knit it again and hopefully this time keep a better eye on it.

Weather has gotten cold, but not much snow yet.

So today at work is "Let's See How Many Rude People I Can Talk To Today" day. Do you ever call up a company and proceed to scream at whoever answers the phone? Yeesh! Maybe I should move to Albuquerque and work for Victoria's Secret. Then I could shop at Scout's LYS. Speaking of Scout, she is on her way to tape an episode of Knitty Gritty. And so is the Yarn Harlot, and so is Glampyre! I really need to order my DVR so I can record all the episodes of Knitty Gritty that I'm missing.

We got our second NFLST payout, so it's time to order my wheel. I want the Kromski Mistrel, but I think I want to spin on the shop model a few more times before I decide for sure. I was first thinking about the Prelude, but it is single pedal and single-drive. The Minstrel has double pedal and double-drive, but I am noticing I am over-twisting because I'm pedaling too fast. I guess I just need to slow down.

I went to Sweet Peas Natural Market on Friday to see what's going on there. And I had sold 4 recycled-wool handbags! I am so excited about this, because they have been displayed there since July and not one had sold. The owner has decided to consolidate the store (going from two rental spaces to just one) and she moved her consignment items to a different spot and that is when they started selling. So I bought some more sweaters last night and as soon as I get a few more I will felt them all and make more handbags.

Oh, I do have an FO that isn't a super-secret-Christmas-gift, but I don't have a photo of it yet. Out of the wool scraps from my handbags, I made a patchwork blanket. Same principle as the SpongeBob blanket that I made for my nephew, except with wool instead of polar fleece. It looks So Nice and it is so nice and warm and snuggly. I had it wrapped around me on Saturday at the SCA even we went to (those low-cut Venetian gowns leave lots of tender exposed skin and I was cold!) and I got lots of nice compliments. I need to add about 12 more squares to it to properly fit my bed, but I think the next patchwork project I make out of wool scraps will be a cloak or cape of some sort for the SCA events. Form and function all in one piece, which is my idea of smart design for sure!

The new Mag-Knits is up, and there is a cute bag designed for just one skein of Noro Kureyon. Well, I had one skein and Sunday night I proceeded to cast on for the project. It is just a little tiny handbag, but in the Kureyon it is just so cute! I felted it last night and even though it went through 3 cycles, it didn't shrink into nothing-ness like my ill-fated Patons SWS bag did. Maybe I need to make a Booga-Bag with the 3 skeins of Kureyon and see how badly it shrinks? I might be a lot less disappointed if I actually followed the pattern instructions! So back to my cute little bag . . . . It was designed by Chris at Stumbling Over Chaos and mine looks just like the ones in the pattern so that is exciting

Happy Thanksgiving

I sent the DD up to Idaho to spend the holiday with my folks, since I have to work. I don't mind working so much: we get double pay, we get catered lunch/dinner, it's usually very slow, and we have been asked to come in an hour early and so we get to leave an hour early as well.

What am I thankful for today? Mostly that RP's DD is okay. She had a serious health scare earlier in the week, but that has de-escalated and so all is well. Out of respect for privacy I will not say more, but suffice it to say: I rejoice along with them.

I am also thankful that the weather has been mild. It has been 60* here again the past few days, and I like that.

Gas prices are going down. I am making serious inroads in the gift-making department. Will add more as I think of them throughout the day.

*ETA*
So let me tell you how my whole TG weekend went.
I had to go to work for 5 hours, but it was fairly quiet and the catered dinner was yummy. Afterward I waffled between staying home and being miserable, or driving down to stay with friends in Ogden. I decided to go down, and I am glad that I did. They have a very open and welcoming house, and I always feel very loved and accepted there. The DD calls her Nana, and sometimes I do, too. I sat and cracked walnuts for the pies, and I watched while she cooked, and we talked, and we had supper, and we watched CSI (yay Roger Daltrey) and went to sleep. The next morning I hung out for awhile, but when people started showing up, I decided to go back home. I stayed home Friday, and my friend NN came down from Idaho and stayed the night on my couch, and we went back to Nana's on Saturday for "another Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat" and had a great time. NN wasn't quite so sure what to think of my friends, but he didn't fight too much about it.
Sunday I got up and went to church, and as it was Fast Sunday it was Testimony Meeting. I arrived a lilbit late so I didn't know what was going on. The bishop got up and informed us all that this was going to be a musical testimony meeting. If you felt so inclined, please come up, give the page number to your favourite hymn, and say a few sentences about it and we will sing one verse. At least a dozen songs were sung in this manner, and it was so amazing and wonderful. I wish we could do this a few times a year.
The DD came home shortly after I did and it was so good to see her. She had fun up in Idaho. My brother had stood in line at Wal-Mart for 24 hours to get the new Nintendo Wii so they spent the whole weekend playing video games.

Scout's Meme

I like Scout. I like her blog, and her sense of humour, the fact that she works at a LYS, and that she dyes the most awesome yarn I think I've ever seen. She has this nice and short meme that she posted a day or so ago, and has invited us all to participate. Here goes!

Scout’s Meme:
1. How and when did you learn how to knit/crochet? Who taught you?
I learned in February of this year (2006). I began taking my daughter to SCA meetings (Society for Creative Anachronism) in January, for fencing lessons as a Christmas gift. I sat around and got to know the other ladies there, and a couple of them were knitting. I had an unfinished cotton dishcloth stuffed into a drawer at home, and they inspired me to get it out and at least finish it. I had been shown how to knit garter stitch and YO increase Continental style, but I found that it hurt my hands and I couldn't knit for more than a couple of dishcloth rows. So at SCA, they taught me English-style, and I have been off and running ever since! It helps that the LYSO brings her kids to fencing practice, too.
2. How has this craft impacted your life? (besides financially!)
I have become good friends with the afore-mentioned LYSO, and we see each other outside of the store for various social functions. And I am a very high-strung person, easily prone to freak-outs. Knitting helps me get in a calmer place. But if I am someplace where I am told I cannot knit, the freak-out liability increases exponentially.
3. Pick at least one person to talk about who you have met through the knit-world and why you are thankful to have met them. Feel free to get all mushy.
If you mean bloggers, I haven't met any face-to-face. But I read lots of knitting blogs, and I tend to read all the blogs that THEY read too, at least once. I have commented on a few, and even gotten replies back. That always makes me feel special.
4. Comment and let me know when you post this in your blog so I can read them all.
You will be duly notified!

Knitting content:
I finished my second Mega-Boots snock. I only had to do the toe decreases and graft it closed and now I have a lovely pair of squishy snocks! I made the leg part 70 rows and I have gobs of yarn left over. This leads me to believe that with the leftovers of this, and the other whole ball, I could do knee snocks a la JanuaryOne. She emailed me to tell me that she would help me figure out the formula, because I have tried it several times and just got ten kinds of frustrated. But these look so nice, they have a subtle stripe effect like Trekking does, and it's lovely.

Snow!

WTH????? Yesterday it was hovering near 60* all dang day. Today all it did was be ugly and snowy. "If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes." *sigh*
So I am definitely not in love with this colourway of Boku I got. I am 40 rows into the body of the bag (64 rows is what the pattern dictates) and I stopped at the NSLYS to show them how it's working up. They ooh-ed and ahh-ed over it, and I agree that it looks nice, with even tension, and correct gauge, etc. But this amalgamation of colours just isn't for me. I hope it felts down into something I can handle, but if not then it will be a gift for someone who I know won't be as critical of it as I am.
I finished my nephew's SpongeBob blanket. It's not too bad, considering I stash-busted every bit of it. Apparently I have Too Much Fleece if I can do that!

The squares are 12", which makes the blanket 48x60. That's a nice size for a 4-year-old boy who has extremely tall parents.

And I have declared this FaeryKnits' De-Lurking Day! If you happen to read this post, PLEASE leave me a message, or send me an email at tola dot faery at gmail dot com. Here I am, thinking only Gina reads this because she's almost always the only commenter! I am greedy, I want to know how many friends I have. Terrible personality trait, but at least I admit it!

Tech Training Part Deux

It's bad enough that our interim team lead is a Soup Nazi, but my 20-something tech trainer (I am old enough to be her mother) is offended that I would like to knit while listening to her go On and On about nothing which interests me in the least. Consequently, only 10 rows have been accomplished on my second MegaBoots snock. Although I must confess to unfaithfulness because I have casted on for another felted Booga bag. My LYS doesn't carry Noro Kureyon, which is the brand specified in the pattern (click on Scout's blog and then go to BoogaJ) so yesterday after work I wandered up to the not-so-LYS in Smithfield to see what they had. They do carry Noro Kureyon, but only 6 colourways and none were particularly inspiring. So I chose some Plymouth Boku which is very similar and $2.50 cheaper. I am still in the experimenting stage, you see. Not so in-love with the colourway I chose, so this will probably become yet another gift. Odd that the first bag I made seems to be the one I enjoy the most.

I hate this tech training thing. But if I say too loudly that I dislike my job, the universe will see to it that I have no job at all to complain about. I don't like scary, uncertain things in my life. I like exciting, good things . . . . . but not the other. I hate being at a crossroads.

11 1/2 Weeks

No, that's not the name of the sequel to a perfectly awful movie. It's the length of time that's passed since MCM left. Coincidentally, it's also the same amount of time that he quit smoking the first time. If he had stayed quit, he would most likely still be here. If you use tobacco, please please stop. That is all . . . . . . . .

Back From the Abyss

Okay, it wasn't the biggest abyss I've ever been in, but the past few days have been "challenging". And I am having a hard time describing exactly why, which is frustrating as well. And I'm not about to say that I won't feel that way again tomorrow, but for today, I feel great!

I decided to work a couple of extra hours this morning, so I went and did that. Only two hours talking to the Stupid People wasn't so bad, in fact the time just kinda flew by. I finished the cuff of my second Lana Grosse MegaBoots snock and then it was time to go home! I went to church and knitted another 30 rounds on the snock, which always makes me feel productive. And then we came home to the yummy smell (and taste) of dinner from the crock-pot. My friend told me about a new recipe last night and I decided to try it. It was very yummy, although there are a couple of tweaks I would make to it. I can barely boil water, so for me to actually cook something edible is quite the accomplishment.

After lunch, I decided to tackle a sewing project. I make felted handbags out of recycled wool sweaters, and I had a huge box full of unused sweater parts that were starting to get on my nerves. So last night I ran them through a wash cycle and this morning I laid them all out to dry and block. When we came home from church, some were still a bit damp, so I threw them all in the dryer to finish. And then I sat on the living room floor and cut out blanket squares. I have made many many polar fleece scrap blankets, and I used the same blanket square pattern as I use for those. I wound up with 30 squares, and some bits left over for the next go-round. Every 12" square is pieced in either two, three, or four pieces. My next step is to lay them out on the floor and decide how I want them to go together. The stitching-up part is always the part I hate the most though, because wrangling a growing pile of squares is a bit tricky. And as I've never done a wool one before, I reckon this one will be even more so.

I also dived into the fabric stash (yay stash-busting!) to get polar fleece blanket squares for my nephew. My mom mentioned that he likes SpongeBob, and I actually found a 3/4 yd piece of SpongeBob fleece. Well, that's not big enough, so I went looking some more and came up with three matching solids to put with it. I've cut out as many squares as each piece of fabric would yield, and now comes the fun part of piecing it all together. I do both 12" and 6 1/4" squares. Obviously the smaller ones make a 12" square when 4 of them are pieced together. I've never photographed any of my fleece patchwork blankets although I've made over a dozen of them. I gave one to MCM two years ago for Christmas, and that's the only one I'd really like a photo of. I'd like to have it back, but I have the feeling it's already been thrown away, along with the wool snocks I made him earlier this year. *sigh*

My house is still a mess. My kitchen needs serious cleaning, and all my piles of projects have taken over the living room. I haven't folded this week's laundry yet, and the only reason the trash got taken out is because I asked the DD to do it. But I am still happy. I've gotten things done, I've gotten things started, I actually cooked food that was edible and hasn't made anyone sick yet. I worked two hours today so that I can leave early another day this week, and it feels so good! I never know how long these good feelings are going to last, so I have to really enjoy them, and try to analyze how they come about. Life isn't always crappy. I wish I could remember that . . . . . .

Happy Halloween!

I won the family punkin carving contest!

I can't believe it. I don't think I've ever won before, and we have been doing this a long time. And mine was really a rush job, I had barely walked in the door from driving 2 1/2 hours to get to Rexburg and I had less than an hour to get a finished product. So that's why it's such a simple design.

Just got back home, and I am wiped out. And I have a hella busy week ahead of me too. I didn't get to go play in the sand like Some People I Know.

I've been thinking about MCM a lot today, since it was Fall Back. He hated the switch back to standard time, because it meant he rode the train home in the dark. A small consolation is that next year we get an extra week of daylight savings time, so that our precious trick-or-treating-aged children will have extra time in daylight to go around begging for candy. I don't know why this wasn't figured out decades ago. I know MCM would have some caustic kid-hating smart-ass comment to make, and although I wouldn't necessarily like it, I'd laugh along anyway. Because I pick my battles, and fighting over a dumb off-the-cuff comment made by someone I care about is not a way I like to spend my time. MCM, I still miss you . . . . . but the pain isn't quite as bad.

My First Meme

48 Things You Could Not Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? For the purposes of this blog, Tolajyn.
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I was given this name by the Silver Elves, about seven years ago.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? When did I last think about MCM so hard it made me cry? Thursday.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not particularly. But I've met one or two folks who like it for some unknown reason.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Not a huge lunchmeat fan, so I'll eat whatever's available.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I sure hope so. But probably not.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? You're reading it!
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope, they got yanked when I was 8. They took my adenoids too, but they've since grown back which is why I have the weird nasally thing going on with my voice that I LOATHE.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Not for all the tea in China. But when I was in college I was in ROTC and I went rappelling a few times. I got to the point where I wanted to try it out of a helicopter but I never got the chance.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Count Chocula of course!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I wear Birkenstocks 90% of the time. The one pair of sneakers I do have, I bought a half-size too big on purpose, just so that I DON'T have to untie the laces to take them off. The alternative is replacing the laces with soft-stretch elastic which I did to the DD's shoes when she was small. Worked like a charm!
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No. Neither physically, mentally, or emotionally.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Depends on the day. I like Farr's Huckleberry a whole lot, but there are just so many other flavours out there!
14. SHOE SIZE? Before pregnancy, 7 1/2. After pregnancy, 8 to 8 1/2. But in Birkenstocks I am still a 37 regular.
5. RED OR PINK? You seriously have to ask?
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I am too tightly-wound.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Obviously, MCM. He's been gone 2 1/2 months now.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Everyone as in the three people in the world besides my mother that reads this? Knock yourselves out!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans, pink t-shirt, and one hand-knit snock and one orphan sock. We don't wear shoes in the house.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? A Godiva caramel that my mother bought for me.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The Dividing Line Broadcasting Network. It's Rene's show and he is playing Porcupine Tree's Renevant. I am not loving it, although he played an hour of Yes awhile ago.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Any and all pinks.
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Patchouli. And Grapefruit Kiss lotion from Vicki's. It's discontinued.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The DD. She was downstairs watching TV and I am upstairs. I hate yelling through the house so it was easier to call her cell phone. Before that it was my mother.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? I don't know. If it's a guy, probably how much he looks like Jon Anderson. I'm not attracted to women.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I like all the people I stole this from.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Coke with Lime.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Baseball. Go Cubs!! (and for MCM, Go WhiteSox!)
29. EYE COLOR? Teal green. Really.
30. HAT SIZE? Average.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No. I've had glasses since age 12 and the one time I tried contacts they bothered my eyes. I'm kinda interested in Lasik, but I probably won't do anything about it.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Roast beef with smashed potatoes and gravy, and baby carrots. I request this for my birthday dinner and one year I even got it for Christmas dinner. When I graduated college from BYUH, my mom and grandmother came over and one night they made it for me. Now that is love.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings. I HATE scary movies.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Yes please and plenty of them.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? I have to choose just one? I can't choose.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Pass.
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Pass.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Not reading any books right now. I have 5 magazines I haven't even opened yet though. MSL, Faerie, MaryJane's Farm, Country Home, and Country Living. I love magazines.
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? My mouse (duh).
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Did I watch TV last night? I think I watched The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants the night before.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Yes and Jon Anderson music. Also my daughter laughing. And MCM's voice. I have about 15 minutes of messages he has left on my answering-machine over the years. And RP's laugh.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Neither. DD likes the Beatles though.
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Tarawa, otherwise known as Hell-on-Earth.
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I don't have one.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Idaho.
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Snagged from a bunch of knitting blogs...

Maybe if I blog I will feel better

Ennui has hit at Chez FaeryKnits today. I love autumn, and to have to be cooped up inside on beautiful fall days just kills me. Especially when my doing-fun-stuff partner has to work all weekend and I have Friday and Sunday off. If tomorrow is nice, maybe I will skip church. I love church, you all know that. But my favourite days don't happen every day and with winter soon coming, I need to go enjoy the sunshine while it's still here. We'll see . . . . . If the weather co-operates, we are planning on traipsing through a 13-acre corn maze Monday or Tuesday afternoon and gutting punkins that evening. What in the world do I have to have Ennui over? Hell if I know, but I have it.

So, time to count my blessings. With photographic evidence.





About 50 pelicans playing in the air a couple of weeks ago. They were so high up I could barely see them, but they were so loud!






This is what pelicans look like, but this photo is from Spring 2005 when RP and I went to the Great Salt Lake.







I finished BT's snocks and gave them to her last weekend. Not quite so matchy-matchy (to quote the Yarn Harlot) but she loved them, and I guess it was a good thing to have when you're not able to move much and you have a cold house.




Two sets of wristwarmers (with thumbs!) one for me, one for the DD. And yes, the photo of me is the best one of that particular photo-shoot. *sigh*




Me with Nana in a period dress she didn't actually make with me in mind, but it looks as though she had. I feel pretty and I love Nana!








Ever watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? I do sometimes, and Ty Pennington has So Much Energy! And the crew is in Logan this week. We haven't gone to see the house because yesterday when I wanted to go it was raining to beat the band and I was in a crabby mood because my feet were cold and I didn't have the right shoes on. Tomorrow is the reveal, and I believe the show will air on ABC in December. The DD knows one of the children in the family from school.



And I bought my pink paint! Now I just wish I knew how to paint. Will someone help me?

So yeah, I feel a bit better now. Still have the Ennui, and I need to somehow summon the energy to clean out my closets. I miss my mom being more active because she's always pretty good at that kind of stuff. I wish I missed my sister, because she is super good at that kind of stuff. Not that she ever really volunteered to help me with that . . . . . I guess I do miss what I wish she was. Was that cryptic enough for you?

*ETA*
I think I must have low-blood sugar. I forget to eat most of the day. My stomach no longer gives me that "I'm hungry, feed me" feeling and hasn't since 1994 when I almost starved to death. When I have Ennui or I get crabby, I think I need to try to think if I've eaten yet and remedy the situation before I have a melt-down. And honestly, I don't think peanut M&Ms are the answer. Gnome sane?

Lost Weekend

Well not really a lost weekend, but it happened a week ago and I'm just now getting around to talking about it.

Last Wednesday after SCA, the DD went home with Nana to get ready for Crown Tourney down in Provo. Thursday I got up early (for me) and drove to Idaho. Saw JN and BT and MB and KJ and of course my folks. Found a lovely dress to wear to the reception. I had brought one, but this one was way better. It has pink roses on it!

Friday I hung around the house, ran errands in town, saw BT again (she had hurt herself and had to stay home and couldn't go play with me) and also MB again. On a whim, I rang up AW and she was actually home! I stopped by and we got milkshakes at Arctic Circle and sat outside and talked. She has a new grand-baby that I got to admire.

Saturday my mom went with me to Idaho Falls and we did some shopping. Found a great pattern at the LYS. I can't tell you what it is, because it figures heavily into holiday gifts this year. I traded some lotion at Vicki's, but I apparently chose the wrong thing because it wasn't appreciated by the person I was hoping would like it. So a trip to Ogden is imminent, to trade it again.

Saturday night was the reception. I walked in, and immediately saw someone I know from work. Apparently she is the bride's sister! I also saw lots of my friends who live in JN's neighbourhood.

Sunday of course was church. Saw all the rest of my friends, and even made a new one! There is lovely lady who was teaching the Relief Society lesson who moved in after I left last year. If our paths had crossed earlier, I know we would have been friends. Another reason to look forward to going back to Idaho as often as possible. I do have to mention something that the youth speaker said: This young man has had many health challenges over his short 14 years. He recently had his second kidney transplant (his mom was the donor) and he has always been a very sweet and sensitive child. I remember one memorable Testimony Meeting where he got up and told us all "I love you back". I have always remembered that. So it was his turn to speak this past week. And I've heard him give his testimony enough to know that this is a talk you don't want to be sleeping through, and sure enough, he didn't disappoint. The topic was Agency, and he decided that his example would be comparing the high school kids who drink, and the ones who don't. According to him, it looks like the party-ers are the ones having the good time, and the ones who just take a date to the school dance are the boring ones. Not so, because the good kids will be tired in the morning, yes, but they will also have great memories. But if you're drunk, you don't remember anything! Anthony, I can't wait to see what you grow up to be.

After that great talk I had to get going, so I could get back on the road. Music and the Spoken Word was on the radio, and as I was driving along, the announcer stated that the next piece by the Choir and Orchestra would be Hurry Home. I always link certain phrases that I hear to titles of Yes songs, and I figured there had to be more than one song called Hurry Home, and there was no way that this was the Jon Anderson song I am so familiar with. But the next words out of his mouth were "by Jon Anderson" and I almost had a wreck! I stopped the car and just listened to the wonderful performance and marvelled that Somebody In Charge of what the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings, thought that a Jon Anderson song was worthy. It's something I have known for years, but to actually hear it happen was pure magic. Thank You to that person, and to the Choir and the Orchestra. You did an amazing job, and I wish I could find a recording of it.

Speaking of Jon Anderson, his third solo album Animation has finally been issued on CD. It's £15, plus shipping and as far as I know it's only available one place. Click on the YesWorld link in the sidebar for more info please. I hope it comes to Amazon because I have to have it. I have Olias of Sunhillow, I have mp3's of Song of Seven and Animation, but the ones from Animation are from a vinyl copy that had been converted. And we all know my copy of 3 Ships is a total bootleg but aside from the very expensive Japanese import, it is not available on CD. But now Animation is, so maybe 3 Ships isn't far behind. Ebay is full of other bootleg recordings, some of which I have mp3's of. My whole iPod is filled with Yes and JA. It is true, I am the original YesGirl.

*knitting news*
One of my merino/alpaca snocks got a hole in the heel over the weekend. I am so sad because I love those snocks. I examined the other pair and they too are starting to wear thin in the same place. Maybe I should reserve them for sleeping only and not walking around on.
Also, today I finished one Opal snock. It's one of the DreamCatcher colourways which is fairly pretty, but I'm probably going to be hard-pressed to want to even cast-on the second one. I have decided I am not in love with Opal. I have the rest of this ball, and one more full one and part of another one. I will use them as I practice perfecting my Perfect Snock Pattern, but that's it. It's not very soft and squishy. For all I whined about the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that I hand-dyed and knitted into snocks, they feel better than the Opal. I know me, having just one snock will bug me, so I'll do the other one. And I'll probably hurry, just to Get It Done. But I won't enjoy it.

WIPs and FOs

So in my last post I teased about all my numerous WIPs, and I refused to share pictures. This time I am sharing pictures, but ONLY of the WIPs that have now turned into FOs. I am a very private person, and I choose what I want you to see!



DD's hat that needed the black removed. DONE!



BT's snocks (on the left). To be given to her this weekend. DONE!



A crocheted bag. FROGGED! (I wasn't kidding when I told you crochet kills my hands. I decided discretion was the better part of valour and I gave up gracefully.)

Still working on my second Booga Bag, about halfway done now. And I am playing with working on the snocks. DD thinks I should be working on her wristwarmers, since I am halfway done with the second one. I want to get my bag done first, so I can felt it this weekend. My washer's load selector is permanently broken on Extra Large (which is way better than broken on Extra Small, where it was before. Thank you RP, for fixing it twice!)

So I only work 3 days this week, I am off after Wednesday. Thursday morning I am on my way up to Rexburg for a fun-filled 4 days. The DD will be going on another camping trip, this time in Provo. JN's son is getting married and I will be going to the reception. And I need to go have a look in the storage shed and see if I can find a few things. I know what box I want, but I'll bet you anything LilBro has a bunch of his stuff parked in the way still.

My mom and grandmother spent a couple of days here with us, and it was so nice to have them. Mom is taking Gram down to Salt Lake to spend a few months with my uncle. They left this morning, and although I've called said uncle's house twice, I cannot get anyone to pick up or return my call. So needless to say, I'm starting to get a lilbit upset. *ETA* She just called, so no need to Freak Out.

And because I could not stand it, I gave Mom her Christmas gift already. And I forgot to photograph it so I'll have to do that this weekend. I know me, I'll get her something else for the real day. I'm such an idiot.

I need intervention

Hello, my name is Tola, and I'm a yarnoholic.

It is pathetic and slightly disturbing. I counted up all my WIPs, and I had 11. Eleven. Four of them are snocks. Sick and wrong. Yes, I photographed them; no you can't see. It is Too Embarrassing. However, I did get busy and finish one of them. Actually, it was a hat the DD is making, I had to tink back 2 rows of ER because she had joined in some black to some teal green. Not a good combination. So now it would stand to reason that I am down to ten WIPs. . . . not so, I cast on for another Booga Bag Friday night. Got the i-cord done, and finished the bottom at work today. Picked up around the edge and have got 2 rounds done already. This one will be bigger (I hope) and will hold more "stuff". But it's not pink, it's blue.

Two of the WIPS are crochet projects, and I think I'll frog one because I have lost interest and crochet just plain hurts my hands too much. The other one is the circular jacket from Interweave Crochet. If I only do one round at a time, I think I can do it with a minimum of pain.

Went to the LYS the other day. She had just gotten in some Colonial rosewood DPNs, in 5.5 inch length, sizes 1 and 2. She let me try one with a sock-in-progress and I Have To Have. . . . . soon! If I thought Addi Naturas were pricey, these are even more so. I honestly dont care about the type of wood, although rosewood IS very pretty. But the length is perfect, the points are perfect, and the finish is perfect. Saving my pennies now . . . . . To make myself feel better, I bought a set of Brittanys in size 2. I do like the length of them but I still hate the points and the finish. Will I ever find the Perfect Sock Needle to go along with the Perfect Sock Pattern?

Am I the only person in the world who shops out of the laundry basket every day? About every 3 months or so I look at it and realize I am missing So Many Clothes, because they have migrated to the bottom of the basket. So tonight was my quarterly fold-and-put-away-the-clothes-hour. I emptied two baskets AND a box left over from moving a year ago. I know, I know . . . . . I always feel so much better when I do it but in another three months I'll be doing it again. I also went through my closet and tried on all my jeans and threw out several pair because there is No Way In Hell I will ever wear them again. I do like getting rid of stuff, but the actual process isn't so much fun. My next goal is to put away all the books and magazines that have been languishing in piles on my bedroom and living room floor.

Fun Day Off

So my friend BT drove down Sunday for a quick visit. Her husband is away for a few weeks and she thought she'd take some time and come see us. She was only able to come for a few hours but we had loads of fun anyway! We drove into Sardine Canyon and wandered the roads in Mantua. She loves to see the fall colours as much as I do, but like me, she won't go by herself. We didn't do anything glamourous or even strenuous, we just got up in the hills and enjoyed the pretty scenery.



See?



MCM would have loved this photo. It has a lens flare in it.



Some scrub oak.

And now for some knitting content:
Lion Brand has a new 100% wool yarn out now, appropriately called Lion Wool. I bought some at Wal-Mart cuz I was there and it was there and it was pink and well . . . . . you know how I am with pink wool. Besides, I wanted to make a felted bag, and I didn't want to buy $$ Noro Kureyon yet until I get better.


So here is my Booga Bag prefelted




and post-felted

It's hard to tell that it is so totally smaller after felting, because I didn't include any other item in with the photos for scale. I'll remember that next time. However, let's just say that Lion Wool felts really really well. Almost too well. I bought 2 skeins of the print, and one skein of the solid. I haven't weighed the remainders, but I'd say I have about the same amount of each skein left over. Next time I will buy the same amount, but cast-on more stitches for the bottom and use up ALL the yarn (after I've made the i-cord) and then join the print and just knit until I run out. That would get me a bigger bag, and I wouldn't have so much left over. I hate wasting anything. I have to say though, that I rather like the stripey thing going on. I didn't do a thing to make it do that. When I joined the second skein, I used the russian join and the print matched up perfectly. Of course, a few rows later, there was a big huge KNOT in the yarn, so I had to tink a few stitches, pull out some from the skein and find the pattern repeat and do another russian join. I wanted to do that join instead of a knot because I knew that in the felting process it would work out much nicer. So all in all, I am very well pleased with my end result, except for the size. But for my first felted bag, I think I did quite well. The girls at work were all very admiring, which always makes me feel good.

And we also have snocks! These are not for me, they are for my friend JN. She chose the yarn (again Lion Brand Magic Stripes) and I think they turned out quite nice. And I have No Idea How It Happened, but the stripes match up perfectly. I couldn't do that again if I tried!


Modeled by me because JN lives in Rexburg. If she sends me a photo of them on her feet then I'll post it.

That's about it for now. As usual, if I think of something I'll do an ETA. I did add some photos to my last post, so go take a look.

Confidential to RP: Heroes come in many guises. You never know who considers you their hero.

*ETA* Here's a photo of JN modeling her snocks


She says they fit perfectly, I can't wait to see them in person. I am going to her son's wedding next weekend and I'm so excited to go back home and see my friends!

Monday-itis

As a rule, I don't generally mind Mondays. My work schedule gives me split days off, so unless I've traded a shift with someone or taken paid time off, I don't really have a "weekend". For me, Monday is just another day. Having said that, I hate the computers at work today. Slower than cold tar, and ornery as all get-out to boot. I'd had enough with fighting with the blasted thing and I just left.

So how's your weekend? Mine was nice. Thursday night I took the DD down to her 4-day camping trip. And of course, the weather turned to fall this weekend. We had rain in the valley and snow up in the hills, and the temps dropped. I went and saw her Friday night and took her an extra sleeping bag borrowed from RP. I went Saturday afternoon and attended Court (I really wasn't dressed for the occasion, so I stood in the back) and witnessed DD's guardians for the weekend receive service awards for their many years of service to the SCA. It was so nice to see that, I felt all happy for them. I didn't know hardly anyone at the event, so it was nice to see someone I do know get recognized like that.
Driving down there Saturday, it was so pretty through the canyon. I had to stop the car and take some photos. The leaves are starting to turn, there's some snow up on top of the hills, and there was some fog. It all looked like an autumn faery-land. I just love this time of year, it is the most beautiful to me. And I thought of how MCM would have enjoyed seeing my photos. He loved the mountains and nature in general.
Sunday was my final trip to the campsite to retrieve the DD. Everyone I spoke with said she was very well-behaved and is invited to attend Crown Tourney next month in Provo. With such glowing reports, I will be happy to send her. I am needing to work hella overtime for the next four weeks, but today I just couldn't manage to stay another minute. Tomorrow I will begin the fight again.

I found some yarn at DI last week. A whole pound of vintage mogul-spun wool. It is the most atrocious shade of aqua (reminds me of 50s/60s era appliances) and I am going to have to over-dye it to get it to behave. If it were just blue I'd use pink and make a purple. But as it has green in it, that would be a Very Bad Idea. So I am going with navy, trying to darken the whole hue into something prettier than what it currently is. As for what I'll knit with it . . . . no idea yet. But I've wound it all into little hanks, all ready for my dye-pot. I want to do it tonight.

I got a new niddy-noddy this week. And I've got a couple of wooden expanding racks that I will be using to display hanks of yarn on. I need to get my gallon of pink paint mixed, so I can get my little items painted to match each other. When I finally get my wheel, I will paint it pink too. I cannot wait!

And Apple has updated the Nano . . . .it comes in pink! But they have also updated the Shuffle and now I'm torn. I truly don't want anything bigger than 1 or 2 GB, because I like to reload it every few weeks and make a new mix. And I don't want to spend a whole bunch of money because what if I lose it? I want to be able to replace it easily. So . . . . . . . I'll probably get the new teeny-tiny Shuffle (it's a clip-on this time!) and just *wish* it were pink. But I downloaded the new iTunes and I'm not so enamoured of it. Maybe there's a learning curve to it.

And tonight is the world debut of a song called "No Kites" made by my very own brother, DJ Sid. It is being played tonight for the very first time on DLBN by Whistler. You're always invited to stop by the archives and download the show to listen to at your leisure. PLEASE download the show! Even better, PLEASE come listen to it live, and hang out in the chatroom with us.

I LOVE THIS WEATHER ! ! ! It's better than spring!
*ETA*
Not the snowy rainy windy wintery crap; the nice cool, clear beautiful days.

A Public Thank-You

To WhichyWomn and Geanie (both of whom have commented here). Look what I found in my mailbox last Wednesday night:
It's a handmade card by/from Geanie, by way of WhichyWomn. And there is a tiny silver angel pin on it. I took the pin off and put it on my brassiere strap the minute I saw it, but I put it back on the card for the photo shoot. Geanie made the card, then enclosed it in a swap package for WhichyWomn and asked her to forward it to me. I got it on Wednesday but I've been so busy I haven't had time to post. I didn't want them to think I am ungrateful. I am so grateful for caring friends, no matter where they live. This has been a difficult month, but I want to thank all of my wonderful friends and family who have held my hand and let me cry and have been supportive of me. You will be blessed for your good works, of this I have no doubt.

And since it's been a week since I've posted, some more rambling musings. Thank you in advance for your indulgence.

Today was NFL kickoff. I am So Upset. I am tech trained, but my current team is a non-tech team. With today being the first NFL regular game, we had all hands on deck so that we could fill all the orders for NFL Sunday Ticket. Have I mentioned that for every sale of the NFLST, we get a $5 commission? I got ZERO sales today, on the busiest day of the year. Why? Because I was told I had to log into the technical queue instead of the activations queue. I helped 50 people *watch* their NFLST games (because the first day there is always a glitch and every single receiver seems to think it needs to be reset before it will broadcast the games) but I never once sold a subscription. For every sale today, each agent got 2 drawing tickets and drawings were held every hour. Okay prizes, nothing spectacular. But I wasn't even in the running. I don't care about the dumb prizes, I care about the commission. How else am I going to buy my wheel? We *did* get a nice catered lunch though. And . . . . I have to admit I had a kick-@$$ outfit on too. A few weeks ago we all got t-shirts with the DirecTV and NFLST logos on them, front and back. I never wear the t-shirts they give us at work, because they are Too Big and I hate them. But I figured I could show some "team spirit" and wear the dumb t-shirt. But not as a t-shirt, no. I made mine into a skirt! And it looks so awesome. Photos to come, I have to show someone in person first. The DD said if I wear it to church, she won't sit by me. Well I wasn't planning to, but now I just might. The ladies there would just shake their heads at me. They have finally figured out I'm not a Molly and I never will be and even though it's alien to their world, I think they might actually be starting to like me for who I am.

And Friday night was Spinner's Night at the LYS. I used one of the Kromski wheels at the shop (the Mazurka). It spins lovelily (not a word, I don't care) but I find the wheel radius is too small for me and I have to pedal too fast to get anything done. Next time I'll try the Symphony which is a larger radius wheel, but a double-drive. The Prelude I'm thinking of buying is between the two in size, but a single-drive. Who knows, I may try the Symphony and decide it's The One. And the DD wanted to spin, so she was started on a Minstrel, which is double-drive. It took her awhile to get the hang of pedaling, but she spun for a solid hour and this is what she produced:Not too bad for a first-timer. Pound, Euro, and quarter included for scale. I have international readers, you know!

Last Wednesday was SCA. We are getting ready for Harvest War which is next weekend. After SCA, the DD and I drove up to Idaho because we both had dental appointments at 7:30 am Thursday morning. I didn't sleep at all because my parents have a grandfather clock that bongs every fifteen minutes. I got no sleep, and I ran myself hard the whole day (as usual) and then had to drive home that night and work the next six days. The good news is neither of us need any immediate dental work (I need a crown, but I've needed that for 18 mos). I also went to see my chiro, stopped at the LYS there and got some way cool Lana Grosse sock yarn. She had a sample sock displayed and I Had To Have the yarn. And my LYS doesn't carry Lana Grosse. And I also got my hair cut. Not short, just a trim.

Tomorrow is 9/11. When I was in college in Hawaii, we survived Hurricane Iniki on Sept 11, 1992. It happened about the same time as Hurricane Andrew and even though it was stronger, it didn't do nearly as much damage (only 4 deaths) and so it wasn't covered by the media nearly as much. Jurassic Park was being filmed on Kauai at the time, and cast and crew had to be evacuated because Kauai and Niihau were hit the hardest. So five years ago, I had pulled out my commemorative t-shirt that my friend had designed and sold because I wanted to wear it on the anniversary of the hurricane I survived. As soon as I turned on the news, I put the t-shirt away. I haven't worn it since. As bad as the hurricane was, its gravity has been superceded by the events of five years ago and I feel disrespectful to those who died if I were to wear it. My love for the month of September has been marred forever, and I sometimes feel guilty for enjoying a beautiful early fall day. Do I think too much? I just hope that in 20 years' time, that 9/11 doesn't become another day off where we have picnics and backyard barbecues and pool parties like Memorial Day and December 7. Americans being what they are, it probably will. Hey Yarn Harlot, can I move to Canada?

Happy Birthday

Twelve years ago I almost died. And now, every single day my daughter defies death! Just kidding, I love her and I'm glad she's here.

We had so much fun today! After church RP took us to Crystal Hot Springs where we stayed and played for two hours. It's a local hot springs, but instead of regular mineral water, it's salt water. And I mean it's really salty. There are several pools of varying temperatures, but the coldest pool is fresh water, so you have a chance to rinse off the salt before you go. They have a water slide, but it is closed on Sundays. I didn't like the water slide last time I went so I wasn't sad at all.



After we were thoroughly water-logged, we had dinner at Denny's. As usual, RP had to harrass the waitress. But she was a good sport about it and we had a nice dinner. And then back to the house for cake and ice cream!



September is my most favouritest month of the year. The weather is my kind of perfect, plus school is back in session! In less than two weeks is the big SCA camping event called Harvest War. The DD has been planning this outing for months. As I am sure you can guess, I do not camp. I will take her down to Mantua on Thursday after school, and I'll go down again Friday evening. I have to work both Saturday and Sunday that week, due to NFL, but I'll go down in the evenings to hang out for awhile. I love the temps being lower at night and in the mornings, then getting sunny and warm during the day, but not too hot. I like sunny, but I don't like high temps. I love early fall, I just wish it were longer around here!


This is the DD getting her dress fitted. We bought jacket nylon so the thing will wear like iron.

Okay that's it for now, maybe more later.

Illness . . . Day Three

It's just an end-of-summer cold (and truthfully, I'd rather have it now and be done with it than get sick in the middle of winter) but I am Just Too Busy to get sick. To quote The Grinch: "My schedule wouldn't allow it!" (It's true, I adore that movie. I also love parentheses.) So I dragged my sorry @$$ outta bed and got myself to work at 8am, and instantly regretted it. MW came and sat next to me and told me I looked Awful. I told her I felt Awful, so we were in agreeance (to quote Fred Durst, who is an idiot.)

I should have stayed until 5 or 5:30, but I only made it until 3pm. I stopped at La Tormenda and got some tacos. Wow I think that's my new favorite place to eat for sure! And then since I knew I was off tomorrow, I went and ran most of my errands today so tomorrow I can just stay home and veg out. I went all the way up to Pepperidge Farm, but it wasn't Mint Milano day. By some bizarre twist of fate, I ran into an ex-boyfriend and I comported myself admirably. A lil hug, a lil small-talk, and off he drove again. That whole episode in my life was Just Bizarre and while I'm glad it happened, it still threw me off-kilter for quite awhile, and I try not to think about it. So back to the goodies at PF: huge bags of goldfish (haha, i typed "godfish" at first!) crackers, but they were parmesan-flavored and I only like plain. So I got me two lil bags of the plain, a bag of Mint Milanos, and a bag of Marbellas. Apparently these are new . . . . they looked yummy, and cookies bought at the PF thrift store are $1.25 a bag so you can afford to be adventurous once in awhile. Oh, and I may or may not have gotten four pounds of Godiva chocolate, and I may or may not have already eaten a good handful of same.

And in Smithfield I stopped at the LYS there. I found me some size 7 Brittany Birch needles and the summer's issue of Interweave Crochet. (Yes it's true, I'm an occasional hooker.) I had failed to pick it up when it was at Borders, and there is a way-cool jacket in there that I am sure I can make. I've crocheted for 20 years, I've only knitted since February 2006. But crocheting hurts my hands and knitting doesn't so much.

And then I went and did my weekly Deseret Industries crawl. I found some fatigues, and called up the DD to ask her if she would wear them if I bought them. There was a choice between size small and size medium. They are somewhat adjustable, and I know she's almost the same size as me, so I got the medium. I should have tried to find a large, as these have no wiggle room in them at all. But, they were five bucks, and they are official US Army-issue, so they will wear like iron. I told her she didn't have to wear them to school unless she wanted to, but they are her official play pants, and she is a lower-GI. Ha-ha, THAT was funny!! She is So Hard on her clothes that I just cannot afford to buy brand-new clothes for her. I know she hates always having thrift-store clothes, but I have thrift-store clothes and so it's not like I'm making her do something I wouldn't do myself. I also found a leather jacket (has a tear in it, I think I'll find some pink duct-tape) and a wool sweater to make into another handbag. And my yarn find: 7 skeins of Sirdar Chenille, in eggshell. Each skein priced at $6.95, I got the bag for $3. It may turn into the jacket from Interweave Knits. It is slightly thinner than the yarn used in the pattern, but I think that will make it even more open. And it's not HUGELY different: the yarn in the pattern measures 120 yds/50gr, and this chenille stuff is 170 yds/50 gr. I am going to wind a lilbit off and see if it will take dye.

And then I went home. I fed the DD, I came upstairs and talked with RP for a few minutes, and then I went to bed. 90 minutes later I woke up to sneeze. I took another dose of Claritin and one of Airborne, and I've sat here writing this. I'm going to finish in a lilbit and go back to bed. Since I left work 2 hours early, I should really see about making that up tomorrow. But I know me, I'll get interested in the daily lineup of HGTV, DIY Network, and Travel Channel and I won't move. I really need to get a second receiver upstairs in my bedroom so I can lay in bed and watch, like I did when I was carrying the DD. Speaking of said child, she turns 12 on Sunday. Am I really 37?? I don't feel like I am, I know I don't LOOK like I am. And I sure as heck don't act like it either.

Oh, and I have another FO. I finished DF's scarf that he wanted in trade for making my handbag-display-stand. It took me 1 1/2 days of knitting at work to do, I am embarrassed that it took me so long to get going. I took a pic of him and I'll post it on the FO post soon. And I LOATHE ENTIRELY plastic size 17 needles. I'm not too wild about my Addi Turbo size 17s either, but the plastic are terrible. I want bamboo!

*ETA*
I got some wood size 17's. Apparently Clover doesnt make them in bamboo that big. But that's okay!

Some FO's

Despite everything, I have been knitting. I've even been finishing things. To prove it, here are some photos. Top left, 75% - 25% wool/alpaca socks, two pairs. Top right, Lion Brand Magic Stripes socks for my Faery Swap Sister MoonRose. Bottom, wristwarmers.

There's more, but it hasn't been photographed yet. As soon as they are, I'll edit this post.

*ETA 9/10/06*









Left: DF's scarf. Right: Debbie Bliss Baby CashMerino socks, hand-dyed by me.

I Peed in the Woods!

Earthshattering, isn't it?

No, really . . . . . . this is Very Big for me, because I LOATHE ENTIRELY (quoting the Grinch here)

camping in any incarnation, including having to pee outside. This is because of 2 reasons:
A-- I've never been on a good camping trip in my life. Girls' Camp was traumatic, so much so that I never went back after my first year.
B-- When I was married, I was basically on a four-month camping trip, in a third world country. The very fact that I made it out alive still astonishes me.

But, if you're gonna hang with RP, then ya gotta learn to pee in the woods. The last time I was with RP in a place where I had to PITW, I ran across a rattlesnake. I was freaked out; he went and threw rocks at it.

I had So Much Fun today. We went up past Hardware Ranch and went riding on the Polaris Predator. He has been telling me for months how much fun this is, but I've been lamenting the fact that he sold the Jeep awhile back and bought the Predator. I only got to go in the Jeep once, but I had such a great time. And of course you already know how much I love to go in the pickup. But today, it was The Best Time Ever. The weather was perfect, warm but partly cloudy. Hardware Ranch is about 17 miles past Hyrum, and I think the trail we went on is a couple of miles past Hardware Ranch. We rode double, even though the Predator is really only a one-person machine. My arms are so tired from hanging on so tightly. We were up there for probably a couple of hours, and it was so amazing. Of course I forgot to bring the camera, I left it in the pickup. But trust me, it is very pretty. And I saw a couple of trees starting to get their fall colours, so in a few weeks we can look forward to seeing that. This photo was taken after the ride, but you can see the vehicle and the beginning of the trail that we took.
We got back to town and I took a 30 minute shower, trying to get all that dust off. For future reference, do not shower or put on clean clothes (except underwear) if the first big thing you are doing that day is riding. It's a complete waste of soap, shampoo, lotion, and makeup. Brush teeth, wash face, brush hair, and get dressed in yesterday's clothes. Trust me on this one.

At 5pm I left town to go over to his town, because his county fair was starting, and he had entered a photograph. He got a third-place ribbon (which is bogus, because I saw tons of other photographs that weren't as good with second-place and even first-place ribbons on them) and he was a lilbit disappointed. We wandered around the fair some, I got to see the sheepies, we couldn't find any goats. Here's RP with a friendly black sheep.
There was a whole building of chickens and bunnies, but only three Angoras in the whole bunch. Pretty lil guys, though. In the home-arts building I saw a very nice felted bag which had gotten a blue ribbon. But that was the ONLY knitted or crocheted item made with actual wool. Everything else was acrylic! It was disgusting to see all that time and effort put into something made with inferior materials. And I didn't see even one skein of hand-spun yarn, although I know there's a category for it. So very sad.

All in all, a really awesome and fun day. And now back to the real world tomorrow. Yesterday seemed to be all remote-control programming. I hope tomorrow isn't Searching for Satellite Signal day.

*ETA*
I told RP that I think all that bouncing around on the Predator may have bought me some extra time before I have to go see my friendly neighborhood chiropractor. I have a rib that is basically permanently out of place (a lil going-away present from the sperm donor) and it manifests as a constant shooting pain in my right scapula. My chiro is in Shelley Idaho, and when I can squeeze in a visit on my way to see my folks, I do. But it's been a long time since I've seen Dr Jed and I was getting to the point where I was going to have to plan a special trip up for an appointment. But I may be able to postpone it, or at least wait until I am already going up that way. Another reason to love the Predator!

Three things . . . . . . .

. . . . . . have happened since August 6. These three things attest to me that MCM has indeed kept his promise to become my guardian angel.

And I would like to also publicly thank my Faery Swap Sister Believer2 (Linda) for the wonderful and lovely package of goodies that showed up a few days ago. Of course I didn't take a photo because we basically opened it all up and have begun devouring (figuratively speaking) it already. Next time I will show some restraint and document first! And Moonrose, I finished your gift, but I can't just send one little item, so I have to find some more Perfect Things to include. It won't be as big as last time, please understand that my mind has been elsewhere the past few weeks. And also, a big Thank-You to Gina, who has left some comforting comments.

Off tomorrow to spend time with RP out in the hills. It's getting to be fall, the time of year when I have this incredible, overwhelming urge to Be Somewhere Else as much as possible, trying to cram in eight thousand things before tons of snow and below-zero temps make that impossible. I want to go see the trains again, and Spiral Jetty, and other places I haven't seen yet.

Oh, and in case you didn't already know it, I am a heretic. (Sorry Mom, for all those curse-words I inflicted upon you this morning. But that crazy driver really had me convinced I was about to be Gone.) I sanded and shaped my Brittany birch DPNs. Both sets. It took surprisingly little time and I wish I had thought of doing it 4 months ago. I have HATED those cursed Brittanys from the first day I tried to use them. I thought they would be So Handy, being 5" long and all. . . . but the tips are too blunt for my liking (I LOVE the tips on my Addi Naturas) and the finish just drags the yarn down and so I have loathed using the lil buggers. But I am currently making some wristwarmers (out of some lovely 75/25% acrylic/wool Plymouth yarn that I got at the DI in a hella-big bag for four bucks) and the 7" long Clovers are just Too Big, and I don't own a set of Addi Naturas in size 5, and the Brittanys were just There, staring at me. So while I was trying to help the blind lady and her deaf husband program their new remote, I pulled my handy-dandy emory board out of my recycled-wool handbag and proceeded to circumcise afore-mentioned Brittany birch size 5 DPNs. And when I got home, I did the size 3's. I like them now. Not as much as Addi Naturas, but enough to actually use them. And that phone call? 47 minutes long. I finally took pity on her and sent a tech out at no charge to program her remote. DirecTV is going to be so glad I'm switching to a non-tech support team next week. I have never given this many credits in a MONTH as I have the last week doing tech support. And my team-lead . . . . . I'm old enough to be his mother. Yeah, I know. The main reason why I'm moving teams.

So. So. Sad.

And nothing else . . . . . . . . . .

Mark Christopher Matura

6/14/56 - 8/6/06

Good night, good night....
Look at that moon shine so bright.
And tonight he smiles
Especially for you.

Sleep tight, sleep tight.
Know everything is alright.
And tonight I will be here
Watching over you.

Sweet dreams, sweet dreams.
It is never as real as it seems.
And in the morning when you wake up
I will be right here.

Sleep on, sleep on.
For no matter how dark or how long
It may seem that your night is
I will still be here.

So be still, be still
For you know that I always will
Tonight and forever
Be watching over you.

For tonight and forever, be watching over you.
So sleep, little darling, sleep on through.

I will be watching over you.

More craftiness

This is part of my efforts at dye day earlier this week.



In the original skein



And re-skeined

I love them both and I cannot wait to do more. I did one more thing, but it is still drying so as soon as I can photograph it I will.

Oh, and I now have 342 yds of spun and plied corriedale. I have probably 4 more ounces to spin and ply and then I will start looking for a pattern. I am leaning towards felted clogs.

*ETA*
I finished spinning and plying the rest of the Corriedale. I have 412 total yards. And just in case anyone thinks it's a good idea to wind your last bobbin into a center-pull ball and ply from that. Do Not Do It. Just don't. Very Bad Idea. I had a terribly off-balanced skein when I finished. It has straightened out with washing, but who knows what it will do when I knit with it? And I have 223 yards of dark brown lambswool all spun and plied. Maybe I'll make me some house snocks.

Something to get my mind off other stuff

This is my latest FO, another Paris Loop Poncho, designed by Glampyre, posted on MagKnits. This is the 4th time I've made this, and I love it more and more every time I make a new one. This was made specially for my friend LT from work. She was having a rough week, because she had been overlooked once again for a position on the coaching team. She is very good at her job, and I felt sad that this had happened. To cheer her up I said I would knit her a poncho out of some yarn that she admired (NoBo from wallyworld) if she would just pick the colour. She chose the one that matches her hair almost exactly, and I think it just looks so nice all finished and modeled. The rest of the story is that just three days ago, she was told she had been chosen to move to the coaching team, so instead of an "I'm so sorry you didn't get the position" present, it's an "I'm so glad you got it!" present. A personal note to LT, Thank You for having faith in me and for being such a good teacher. I can't make it without your excellent tutelage.

Watching Over You

MCM, don't leave before I get there.

I love you.

*Mleah

I just did NOT have the spinning groove yesterday.

Today I will be trying to dye yarn, but I don't have all the supplies I'll need so more than likely I will just be observing. Oh well, I can learn lots that way too.

*the sound of me sticking out my tongue

PS. using a spinning wheel has improved my skill on the drop spindle oh about a thousand percent. That's a nice feeling.

Look What I Did Today!

Wow! I desperately need a new brassiere. ICK!!

I spun and plied 189 yards of brown corriedale. Okay well I didn't spin ALL of it today. This is my third Sunday I've spent spinning. And I learned how to ply today as well. This is so much better than using the drop spindle! I have decided that all my bonus money from work will be going into a spinning wheel fund. I've already sold 40 NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions. Each one of those adds $3 to a Visa gift card I'll get after the promotion is over in October. No idea what wheel I'll buy. I've spun on three different ones now. I am not going to be a wheel snob and only consider one kind. If it's a saxony or a castle or a fold-up, none of that matters. I just want one!

Upcoming trip

I am going to Chicago, probably in less than 3 weeks. MCM is having longer periods between lucidities, and I need to go and see him. I have spoken with his friend there, and she has graciously offered to collect me from O'Hare, and let me stay at her place while I am there. I am so grateful to her. I am really at a loss for words, I can barely string coherent thoughts together. I have so much planning to do, so I cannot allow myself to lose control much. I am so afraid of having a seizure in the middle of all this planning and so I am keeping a Very Tight Rein on my emotions. How can I live without my best friend?

Deja Moo

Same bullsh*t, different day. I hate, loathe, and despise technical troubleshooting. I would seriously much rather fight with people about the state of their past-due accounts than re-program somebody's remote control. I would rather be *GRBH than attempt to tell someone the most effective way to hook up their entertainment system. But having said that, I am still getting up early to go to my third day (of six) of tech training. However, I will be going tomorrow with hella chocolate stuffed into my recycled-wool handbag, and as many Diet Cokes as still reside in my fridge. I think I am down to my last one though, and I don't think I have any change for the vending machine either. Wheaties, nothing! The true Breakfast of Champions is hella chocolate and Diet Coke.

Yesterday while I was in the middle of having a panic attack about coaxial cable and RCA cables, and S-Video cables and who-knows-what-all, my pocket started ringing. It was RP, asking what time I would be home. I said I reckoned about 4pm. He told me he would be by at 4:30 and we were going up to Porcupine Dam. Well, a trip in the pickup, I am All Over That! Got home, found some water bottles, found a hair elastic, went potty, and at 4:30 we were off on adventure! It involved falling down a hill, washing off in a river, dinner at McDonald's (I got Jack Sparrow in my Happy Meal) and a road turning into a river. This last sight so astonished me I couldn't even take a photo. I want to be with when he tackles that with a buddy. Four hours after we left, we were home. I just love going in the pickup.

Totally bedtime. I have to be somewhat awake for training tomorrow. So much info is being crammed into my head, I know I have leakage as soon as I leave. Oh, and if you haven't been able to guess my acronym, GRBH stands for gang-raped by Huns. Have a great day!

Sunday Again

I love to read the blogs who post almost every day, but I know that I'll never be that committed to doing it. I am currently working at least 45 hours a week and trying to keep a somewhat clean house and normal relationship with my DD. But if I have the goal of posting once a week, and I can meet that goal 75% of the time, I will think well of myself.

First of all, I would like to thank my Kirks Folly Faery Swap Sister Believer2. I love Kirks Folly jewelry, and I have quite a large collection of it. The photo of me in the crown? That's a KF crown. Not the one I bought (but now I'm wishing that I had). A few weeks ago, one of the ladies on the Kirks Folly Forum (whichywomn) suggested that we have a Faery Swap. I signed up, and I have been having so much fun looking for little items to send to my Swap Sister (who shall remain nameless until she receives her package). I will admit that some of the things being lovingly packaged into her box were gleaned from the dollar store, but just because they didn't cost a lot of money doesn't mean they weren't chosen with care. Besides, where else are you going to find Fairly OddParents bandaids?
Isn't that just lovely? My Swap Sister Believer2 had this sent to me. It totally looks fresh, but it isn't! It's preserved somehow, and I hung it up in my living room, right over my Kirks Folly display I have there. It fits in so well, and I just love it, so thank you very much Believer2.
And this is my DD, modeling RM's DD's poncho. I finally got it and his socks mailed off last week, they should have been received by Saturday. I told him to take photos. He may not want to post his DD's photo, which is why I had my own DD model it. If he gives permission, then I'll post the photo that he takes. Again, this is NoBo brand yarn, bought at evil wally-world. As much as it pains me to shop there, we do not yet have a Target. And besides, Target doesn't have a crafts/fabrics department. *mleah*
And this is the display rack that my friend DF made for me to put my recycled-wool handbags on, down at Sweet Peas Natural Market. I approached the proprietess several weeks (months) ago about having a consignment corner of items that are locally-made that would appeal to those who would shop in an organic market. She seemed amenable, and I asked DF to make this for me. He brought it over last week Wednesday, and DD and I took it right over and filled it up. I am so excited about this, but we still need a sign, and some decent hang-tags. I am also going to be putting in my hand-crocheted cotton bags too. Not string-bags exactly, as these are made with Sugar n Cream cotton yarn, and quite small. Photo later, but these little bags have been quite popular with the girls at work. I've sold several to them, and also SheWhoWillNotBeNamed bought some off me last year. I wonder if she's destroyed them now?

"What Goes Up . . . .

. . . . must come down. Spinning wheel, got to go 'round."

I did my first spinning on a wheel tonight! Okay, I will be excruciatingly truthful and tell you that this is NOT my very first time on a wheel. About 2 years ago (maybe 3, I don't remember) my mom took me to visit her friend KS who is a spinner. She let me try, and I have a golf-ball-sized ball of lumpy-bumpy yarn. It's awful, but I will keep it forever, because I made it, and I was determined to finish that wad of wool she stuck in my lap when I first sat down.

Cut to Snake River Fiber Festival. Remember I bought a drop spindle and a half-pound of Corriedale roving? I have been trying to spin yarn on that thing since. Not a whole lot, but some. When I went to Spinners' Night on Thursday, one of the ladies there took pity on me and said I could come out to her house and she would teach me on a real wheel. So today after church I called her and we went out. At first, she ran the wheel and I just drafted and spun. But after a few minutes I was running the wheel too. I probably spun for 2 hours, but I finally had to stop because my knee was getting sore and I could tell I was getting tired. My right knee has some pain/stiffness in it. I am too young for arthritis, and I really have no idea what it is. But I am thinking that the gentle exercise of spinning might help it. We shall see. My yarn is over-twisted, but I like it much better than using the drop spindle, that's for sure. Next week I'll spin on another bobbin, and the week after I will ply. I am sure I can think up a good felting craft for this first spinning. I am feeling so proud of myself!

Knitting news: I finished the second 75/25 sock today. I bought more wool of the same brand but a different colour Friday night. I am still trying to perfect my own personal sock pattern, and so I keep on buying wool. I have some awesome Trekking XXL I want to use for a pair for myself, but I want to wait until I've figured out the Perfect Sock Pattern. And I need to cast on for Poncho #4, this one for my friend. I think I've figured out the too-tight cast-on issue. I am going to cast on double the amount of stitches, then k2tog after 2 regular rows to get to the correct number. I am going to practice one more time on some scrap yarn with smaller needles just to make sure first though.

Well, it's time to go home . . . .

I really do not have the words to describe the stupidity we witnessed tonight. So let me start from earlier in the day:

It was dead at work (as I knew it would be) and a team had already been sent home by the time MW and I went to lunch. When we came back, our team had been given opportunity to go home as well, and we took it! I called an old friend (RP) on my way home, and he asked if DD and I were going to come over and bug him later that afternoon. I said we might, it depended on how things looked at home when I got there. Well, DD had trashed the kitchen, so I made her clean it up. She also had to do the chores I had asked her to do that morning. I spent a good 2 hours sewing, getting a project almost finished and a couple of items mended. I called RP and said we were on our way. We got there about 7pm (it's 22 miles from door to door) and hung out, watching Trading Places. I had never seen it before so I wasn't familiar with the story. He loves movies but hates explaining them to me so I didn't get much out of it. I sat on the couch and knitted on my sock.

As soon as that was over, we got in the pickup and drove down to Brigham City, where there was supposed to be a decent-sized fireworks show. He stopped at WalMart first to do some shopping, then he decided he was hungry and we went to Winger's. I wasn't hungry, I just had a Diet Coke and knitted on my sock. After that, we wanted to find a good place to watch the fireworks. We didn't want to be actually in town, because we knew the traffic would be insane to try to maneuver. So we started up Sardine Canyon, looking for a side road or a driveway, or something where we could pull in and park to watch. We found a good road (good is a relative term when you're talking about off-roading) and started up it, going higher and higher to get away from all the other outfits up there. We found a good spot and pulled in, but then both RP and DD noticed what looked like a small campfire, getting out of control quickly. RP is as prepared as any Boy Scout, and he started the truck back up and we didn't have time to find our seat belts before he was on his way up the trail. We met a car coming down it, and if we'd had enough presence-of-mind, we'd have blocked its way from going further. There was no tag on the front, and they were going too fast down the hill for me to make out a tag number on the back. Besides, we were also moving quickly up the hill to get to the fire.

We pulled in and I swear he was out of the truck before it was completely stopped, unlocking the tool box in the back to get his shovel. DD and I sat inside, collecting all the bottled water we could find. I had no idea if anyone already on the scene had called it in, so I did. Dispatch informed me there was a truck on the way. As soon as we could see it coming, RP came back and moved the pickup back and away so that the firetruck could get into place and the firemen could do their job. While he was out there, I'd heard a loud bang and saw him jump. I thought it was some sort of firework that had been out in the brush and had been lit by the brush fire. He said no, he was pretty sure it was an unfired bullet that had gone off. "Come to a fire and get shot at!"

The BoxElder County firemen jumped off their truck and pulled their hoses out. RP went and got one of their big shovels and proceeded to put out spots that was further than the hose could reach. A few minutes later a truck from Mantua pulled up (officially making this a two-alarm fire). In the middle of all this, the fireworks show started, and as I wasn't wearing the right kind of shoes I wasn't going to go traipsing around in burning sagebrush. I stood in the bed of the pickup and watched the fireworks. DD decided she wanted to help, so she trotted out after RP. He set her to looking for embers and stomping them out or alerting the firemen if they were too big. She has good eyes, she did a good job. I got out of the pickup and went over to where another family was standing and watching. They said they witnessed the fire start. A guy had lit a small firework and thrown it. It went into the brush instead of the dirt, and started a fire. They said at first he did try to put it out with some bottled water, but then realized it was bigger than that and he got into his car and drove off down the hill as fast as he could. That would be the car that we met on the road.

We hung around awhile longer, talking with the other family there, and watching the rest of the fireworks show. The firetrucks had gone back down to town to get another tankful of water. As soon as they were on their way back up we got into the pickup and left the scene. It was exciting, we had fun! We usually do have fun whenever we're with RP. When we got back to his house, I gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, for being a hero. So much I could say here, but I will not, to protect his privacy. However, he knows he is a hero to me for much more than just helping put out a fire tonight.

And for those of you wondering about the title of this post, it's the punchline to a story my dad tells about his father. About 70 years ago, he took all his children out to light off fireworks outside of town. The very last pyrotechnic started a field on fire, and according to my dad, his dad said "well, it's time to go home". It has basically become a family tagline for any situation that requires a hasty exit.