Almost free

Dan and I leave for our little camping trip on Friday (and we're actually going for three days without the dogs!). Even though the quarter is over for my editing job, things have been frantic around here! Since the last post, I have:

• decided on a school
• registered for classes
• left a job
• started a new job
• learned how to use a sewing machine
• and much, much more!

I'll be gone till the fifth, and when I come back I hope to have vacation knitting projects to show. The forecast insinuates that it'll be cool enough to knit with wool, but we'll see about that.

Dear Secret Pal,

Thanks for the lovely birthday gift.

Did you make the cases yourself? They're fabulous (and I'm not just saying that because I have a fear of sewing machines)!

I am totally ready for portable summer knitting now.

I haven't decided how to use the yarn you gave me during the swap, but when I do, expect lots of pictures (I have recently upgraded cameras to the Canon 10d, which will be coming in the mail any day now).

Thanks a lot!
Veronica

Life is good.

The weather has been glorious lately. On my birthday I got to spend some time in the yard with my girls:

And I've even got some knitting to show (and some marigolds, too- the hanging baskets are only five bucks at Meijer right now!):

Have a good day!

Congratulations are in order

belatedly, to my friends Joe and Michele, on their marriage:

and to me, for attaining the ripe old age of 26.

Have a good day.

All of these photos were manipulated to make them look a little more like lomography (frankly, I'd rather take spontaneous photos with a decent camera and let the serendipity happen in post-processing, but that's a debate I'd rather not have...)

I'm just too loose.

I have tried three different times to knit a sock this week, and I have come to the conclusion that I am the World's Loosest Knitter. I think that I'm going to have to go down to US00 to get gauge for the yarn I've got (Fleece Artist and Lana Grossa both!). I was hoping I could stay in the positive integer range for needles, but probably not. Now what do I do with this size 1 Addi Turbo?

I finished the shawl, blocked it, wore it, stretched it out, and haven't reblocked it, so I have no photographs yet. I'm also working on a freeform kind of project with some recycled red cotton tape yarn. We'll see if it fits.

They've got these cartoonishly big balls of Sugar 'n' Cream cotton at Michael's in my kitchen colors- robin's egg blue and a pink/red variegated. I should pick some up as a birthday gift to myself.

But then again, everything I buy this month I consider a gift to myself. Case in point: the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale. :)

Could it be?

Could I have been TAGGED?

It's true. For the first time in this blog's history, I have been included in a wacky internet meme. Thanks, knitting blogring neighbor!

The rules of the game are that I must reveal 7 random facts about myself. I then need to tag 7 others & list their names on my blog. I also have to leave those I tagged a note in their blog comments letting them know they have been tagged & to direct them to read my blog for the rules of the game.

1. I have been a vegetarian since high school. I am not a preachy vegetarian- I don't care what you eat as long as you don't care what I eat. If, however, you try to convince/coerce me to eat meat or deride me for my decision, then I will preach at you at every opportunity. But I do not mind a meaty joke now and then. :)
2. I have played all of the Pokemon games for the Gameboy. As an adult. And I did collect them all, thank you very much. It should be noted, though, that all of this predates my relationship with my husband (which puts it in early adulthood, but still).
3. I voted for Nader in the 2000 election. I was so naive. :) I don't regret it- Gore still carried my state with a wider margin than the votes cast for Nader.
4. I am returning to school in August for graduate work in linguistics, but it is my secret dream to be a wedding photographer.
5. I graduated at the top of my high school class. And I graduated from University of Michigan with highest distinction. And I got perfect scores on the SAT, ACT, and GRE verbal tests. School is the one thing I have always been really good at.
6. I have never, ever been able to do even a single pull up. Phys ed is something I have always sucked at. (#5 + #6 + love of Star Trek = dork)
   
7. I bought a letterpress last month, but damned if I have a clue how it works.

I elect to tag the following peeps:

Mike
Holly
Tracy
Erin- my knitting blogring neighbor on the other side (hi!)

And that's all you get.

Color + Light

The rides have been pulled down and the carnies have fled. But this is what St. Sebastian's parking lot looked like on Saturday night:

More are available here. Tracy and I walked around and took pictures. We splurged on an elephant ear that has effectively fucked up my digestion in a way I haven't experienced in a while. But at least the pictures turned out- my little point and shoot is doing the trick for now, but dreams of a real camera have been shelved for the moment. Vandal had a digestion problem that effectively fucked up the money I had potentially saved toward my new toy. But at least I know that $120 means that blood coming out of a puppy is not always the end of the world (but man, did it feel like it at the time!).

To cheer myself up, I poked around at yarn on the Internets. And I found this:

This is the most gorgeous yarn I have ever seen. It makes STR and Lorna's look a little, well, bland to me. This is what I think of when I think of vibrant. This is the beginning of an addiction.

This is what I want for my birthday.

Good boy, Carson

Carson passed away yesterday, on my aunt's birthday. She had to put him down because his health had deteriorated and he was suffering.

He was a good boy. Early in his life, he would bark incessantly at men (I remember a weekend my parents were dogsitting, and my dad just decided not to be around the house after listening for a couple of hours), but as he aged, whatever abuse of fear from his past faded, and he became affectionate and docile. My grandmother called him Barrymore because of his dignified profile which he showed to everyone (especially if you were petting him).

He was a loyal companion and a gentle pet. When it comes to dogs, that's all that really matters.

I get up early, and I go to bed late.

Such is the life of a woman with not one but TWO puppies.

The neighbors are playing Nelly. We HATE Nelly.

But I have had a little progress on the shawl. I don't know if it's going to get done, but there are almost two repeats done, and I'm starting to get the hang of it. I think it's going to get the bejeezus blocked out of it in order to get whatever I get done before the wedding into a shape I can wear.

There has been quite a bit of mail lately, and some of it was Secret Pal related. Thanks, pal!

This stuff smells so good, and I love the tin! I can't wait to have dry skin.


The journal is awesome and totally beats the wadded up yarn list I have tucked in my purse.


Love the yarn, love the color. I never thought pink would be my color this year!

Just a couple of pictures before I go to bed

I am going to sleep with my knitting tonight. Maybe I'll get some done. :)

In the meantime:

Introducing

Viking and Vandal!

After an 8-hour car ride, Dan and I finally have not one, but two little bundles of fur to call our own. It's already been exhausting, but we're adjusting quickly to the lifestyle of twin toddlers. We love them heart and soul already, and we're so excited for our life with them to really get started. They're settling in and checking things out- which means peeing on the carpet and eating every little particle the vacuum left behind!

Here's some more cuteness:

Complete cute overload available here.

Eventful days

Today:

Tomorrow:

Dusty Rose

Yes, I have been knitting. Not a lot, though- 3x1 ribbing is exhausting! The Tubey is about 7.5" into the body, with another 10-12" to go. Dan likes the colors, and so do I. It's a good thing, too, because it looks like I'm going to have quite a bit left over.

I bought some new yarn in the last week from Handpainted Yarn. I wanted to get something to match a dress I have for Joe and Michele's wedding at the end of May. I think I found a pretty good match, too:

It's the laceweight merino in a rose color, and while it's darker than the polka dots it's a great match. I want to make the Moonlight Sonata shawl on elann's free pattern page. It seems like a mammoth undertaking, but I keep telling myself it's only a 12 row repeat. It's only a 12 row repeat. 12 row. Repeat. I love the way the dots match up with the dots on the dress. The only question now is: can I get it done by then?

Spring is here. AGAIN

So, things have warmed up and greened up in Michigan. The trees are budding, children are playing in the street, midafternoon arguments are wafting through open windows at the trailer park down the way...

I worked a little on the body of Tubey yesterday. Picking up stitches is among my least favorite tasks in knitting, but after the second try, it looks okay. The back is going to need some serious blocking (and maybe an ironing) to make it lie flat, but it fits and it's not too wonky.

The library system here in town has a decent array of knitting books. Here are three I want, and one I want to make copies from:

I got the letter from Eastern- I got an assistantship working on the linguistlist. Now I don't know what to do. I'm meeting with the adviser on Wednesday. I feel like I'm being pulled in two distinct directions. Everyone's got an opinion on where I should go. And it's my fault- I have asked everyone. And then there's the decisions that come from the decisions: should we move? Should I quit one (or more) of my current jobs? Which one? I am afraid that no matter what I choose, I'm not going to be satisfied.

He thinks I should go to Eastern.

An Official Hooray

I got the letter from Wayne State today, as the adviser said I would. I'm in! Now all I need is to hear from Eastern, and to hear decisions on the scholarships.

In other news, Dan got a letter from Baker indicating that he will receive $2100 next year in aid. That is going to take a LOT of pressure off of us. What a relief to be declared officially too poor for school!

Bundt cake. Bundt cake.

It's one of those phrases that I can't stop saying. I love the sound of it! Bundt cake.

If you don't already have a Nordicware bundt pan, get one. Even if you don't like cake. Even if you don't have an oven. Get the damn cake pan! They're beautiful, and the cake I made turned out fantastic- evenly browned, not too crusty (and it's a low-fat cake!).

In other news: I got a cute postcard from my secret pal. Thanks again! I can't wait to see what comes next.

retro kitchen: note the blender, tablecloth, walls, cake...

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Distractions

I couldn't just keep going on tubey. I needed a distraction for a couple of days. I dug out all the crappy acrylic that is not actually attached to any needles and started this:

As you can see, most of my crappy acrylic comes from the 70s. Note the construction cone orange and lots of beige. I wanted to get better at picking up stitches before I got to the body of the sweater, so I picked a project that is nothing but picking up stitches. The center is wonky, but you can definitely follow my progress around the blanket. I think that once it's finished it's going to be dropped at the nursing home where Gramma Mae is right now. She can have it if she wants, or I'll give it to her roommate.

Last night Dan and I watched The Prestige for the second time. It was good to watch it again and catch all the little things we missed the first time (don't worry, I won't spoil anything). I really like that movie. There are plenty of little rewards for the closely-watching audience. While we watched, I started on the second sleeve of tubey. Finally!

I don't like the cuff, so I'm going to do something different on this sleeve, and then go back and change the other one, I think. I want to be done with this project by auditions, which is the second week of May. Think I can do it?

Goodbye, Kurt

Kurt Vonnegut is dead.

I remember stealing my father's copies of Player Piano and Breakfast of Champions down off the bookshelf as a kid. They were a profanely liberating experience. It was hard to imagine, however, that my father ever read them.

But he did.

The stripes took three tries!