I can't believe it....I'm on sock #2! #1 is done & completed & I'm on the gusset of #2. There's issues on both but I can live with them since this is my 1st official pair. I'll post photos when the pair is complete.
Some things I learned while knitting these socks:
1. Double points can & will jab you under acrylic fingernails, making a bloodblister & putting a dent in the acrylic. For safety's sake (and because I don't want to pay to un-dent more acrylic fingernails) & because I just love the way the yarn slides on those cables, I adore the Socks on Circulars method. It is FUN!
2.Picking up stitches where the yarn splits is not technically picking up stitches. It is making a mess.
3. Trying to keep track of how many gusset decreases you've done whilst having a marathon conversation with Anne and Sindy is impossible. Not because I can't concentrate on decreases but because laughing too much while talking about our husbands makes it too hard to hold needles never mind count.
4. Cats love expensive sock yarn more than they love tuna & mice. Dachshunds do, too but they're easily distracted by a squeaky soccer ball from their Auntie Peep.
5. Making socks is like smoking crack. One hit & you're addicted.
6. Knitting socks in the lunchroom at work will always lead someone to believe they can either touch your work in progress with WENDY'S BURGER GREASE ON THEIR DAMN HANDS or can ask you to make them a pair. Sure....that'll be $25. Yeah. Didn't freakin' think so Burger Boy.
7. If one keeps trying ON the sock it makes it difficult to finish.
8. Continually trying on the sock makes one realize how incredibly badly a pedicure is needed & how truly icky toes look without polish.
9. Reading ahead on the sock pattern directions & getting the entire toe done & kitchener-ed before the 3rd & final sock class will give you this incredible "Oh yeah, who's yer Daddy?" kinda feeling. Sock Smugness I call it.
10. Making socks is like smoking crack. One hit & you're addicted. (OK, that was #5 but I wanted to make sure everyone realizes it. Just saying "NO" does NOT work on this stuff).
Monday, October 23, 2006
From The Mouths of Babes #2
Our house liked the whole question & answer thing so we're back with #2. #3 is on the board now & we're all taking turns with doing the asking. Danielle thought of this week's question & Wow....was it a doozy:
If you could be president for a whole week what would you change in society?
Wow, pretty deep for a 16 year old .... their answers blew me away. Danielle said:
I would change the way we are treating Iraq. (Who says kids aren't aware of world events?!)
Mine was pretty wordy (I figured I had a week to get stuff done):
Fair warning-this one's llooonnnngggg (or just skip ahead to Day 7-that's the best day)
Since I have a week, I’m planning on getting more than one thing done (what can I say-I’m an overachiever!):
• DAY ONE: I’m the Commander in Chief which puts me in charge of all military. As my 1st decision, ALL troops stationed outside the USA are ordered stateside. Troops in Iraq head home 1st –the fact that our troops are being killed by Iraqi’s pretty much tells me we’re not welcome at this party anymore. We’ll be taking our toys & going home.
• DAY TWO: Close all of our borders. All of them. If you want to leave, fine, have a nice day. Coming back, though, will be tough. You must be able to prove you are a LEGAL US Citizen to re-enter this country. Don’t feel like you should have to prove that you’re a legal citizen? Tough nuts. Go to North Korea – they could use someone to test radiation poisoning on. (By the way, those troops that just came home? They’ll be standing guard along our borders to make sure no one gets in without permission). That same day English will be declared as the official language of the USA. All government forms, information, directions, etc will from now on be in English only. Don’t understand how to apply for Food Stamps because it’s not in your language? Learn. My ancestors did (my grandfather could read & speak 7 languages with a 3rd grade education; the least you could do is learn how to speak the language of the country in which you now LIVE). Anyone found to be here illegally gets no free passes. Go. Leave. Now. We’re sending you home. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
• DAY THREE: Cut off all foreign aid. Yes, all. To everyone. Charity begins at home and our “home” here needs some serious work. At the same time, declare all foreign debts owed to the US as “paid in full.” No one gets anymore money. Any private citizen can donate any monies they want to any cause they want but public funds won’t be used. We’ve helped the world for a long time-we need a financial break.
• DAY FOUR: Cap the price of a barrel of crude oil at a fair price. This is the most we’ll pay. That’s our final offer. Don’t like it Sheik Abdullarama? Tough. Sell it to another country that will pay your price. We’re your biggest customer ….we’ll be fair with you, you be fair with us.
• DAY FIVE: Declare the death penalty unconstitutional. If you’ve received the death penalty as a sentence then it’s a good bet you’ve done something horrific. Death is too good for you. You get to suffer in jail for the rest of your life. And not some namby pamby jail either. One out in the desert with nowhere to run to, where the food is awful, the heat is ever present & the sand flies are as a big as a Collie. The Warden? My sister, Meredith (and those of you who know her know what an inhuman punishment that is). All those empty cells on Death Row? Empty them out, clean them up, remove the bars & turn them into homeless shelters. It’s not pretty but it’s warm & dry & a better place to sleep than Central Park after dark.
• DAY SIX: Direct every single cabinet member, Congressman & Senator to take a pay cut of at least 40%. Cap my own Presidential Salary at $65,000. Raise the Federal Minimum Wage to $8.00/hour. Pass legislation to include an automatic annual inflationary increase in the Federal Wage level. Individual states have 12 months to raise their state minimum wage levels to meet the Federal Wage.
• DAY SEVEN: Knit. Even God rested on the 7th day. I’m going to need all the rest I can get. I’m just getting started.
And, once again, Brady, who is 10 just said it all:
Make peace in the world so we wouldn't have to fight.
Well. That pretty much said it all. Damn. Kids get you every time.
If you could be president for a whole week what would you change in society?
Wow, pretty deep for a 16 year old .... their answers blew me away. Danielle said:
I would change the way we are treating Iraq. (Who says kids aren't aware of world events?!)
Mine was pretty wordy (I figured I had a week to get stuff done):
Fair warning-this one's llooonnnngggg (or just skip ahead to Day 7-that's the best day)
Since I have a week, I’m planning on getting more than one thing done (what can I say-I’m an overachiever!):
• DAY ONE: I’m the Commander in Chief which puts me in charge of all military. As my 1st decision, ALL troops stationed outside the USA are ordered stateside. Troops in Iraq head home 1st –the fact that our troops are being killed by Iraqi’s pretty much tells me we’re not welcome at this party anymore. We’ll be taking our toys & going home.
• DAY TWO: Close all of our borders. All of them. If you want to leave, fine, have a nice day. Coming back, though, will be tough. You must be able to prove you are a LEGAL US Citizen to re-enter this country. Don’t feel like you should have to prove that you’re a legal citizen? Tough nuts. Go to North Korea – they could use someone to test radiation poisoning on. (By the way, those troops that just came home? They’ll be standing guard along our borders to make sure no one gets in without permission). That same day English will be declared as the official language of the USA. All government forms, information, directions, etc will from now on be in English only. Don’t understand how to apply for Food Stamps because it’s not in your language? Learn. My ancestors did (my grandfather could read & speak 7 languages with a 3rd grade education; the least you could do is learn how to speak the language of the country in which you now LIVE). Anyone found to be here illegally gets no free passes. Go. Leave. Now. We’re sending you home. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
• DAY THREE: Cut off all foreign aid. Yes, all. To everyone. Charity begins at home and our “home” here needs some serious work. At the same time, declare all foreign debts owed to the US as “paid in full.” No one gets anymore money. Any private citizen can donate any monies they want to any cause they want but public funds won’t be used. We’ve helped the world for a long time-we need a financial break.
• DAY FOUR: Cap the price of a barrel of crude oil at a fair price. This is the most we’ll pay. That’s our final offer. Don’t like it Sheik Abdullarama? Tough. Sell it to another country that will pay your price. We’re your biggest customer ….we’ll be fair with you, you be fair with us.
• DAY FIVE: Declare the death penalty unconstitutional. If you’ve received the death penalty as a sentence then it’s a good bet you’ve done something horrific. Death is too good for you. You get to suffer in jail for the rest of your life. And not some namby pamby jail either. One out in the desert with nowhere to run to, where the food is awful, the heat is ever present & the sand flies are as a big as a Collie. The Warden? My sister, Meredith (and those of you who know her know what an inhuman punishment that is). All those empty cells on Death Row? Empty them out, clean them up, remove the bars & turn them into homeless shelters. It’s not pretty but it’s warm & dry & a better place to sleep than Central Park after dark.
• DAY SIX: Direct every single cabinet member, Congressman & Senator to take a pay cut of at least 40%. Cap my own Presidential Salary at $65,000. Raise the Federal Minimum Wage to $8.00/hour. Pass legislation to include an automatic annual inflationary increase in the Federal Wage level. Individual states have 12 months to raise their state minimum wage levels to meet the Federal Wage.
• DAY SEVEN: Knit. Even God rested on the 7th day. I’m going to need all the rest I can get. I’m just getting started.
And, once again, Brady, who is 10 just said it all:
Make peace in the world so we wouldn't have to fight.
Well. That pretty much said it all. Damn. Kids get you every time.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
From the Mouths of Babes
In our kitchen we have a dri-erase board for notes, memos, etc. This week, inspired by reading "Welcome to the Great Mysterious" I posted what I hope to be a weekly question for our family. It's something fun & hopefully, will make us all think just little outside of the box. This week's question was:
"If you could have the ability of any animal or insect, what would it be & why?"
Danielle (age 16) and I answered it ...Brady, who is 10, also answered it. Here's our responses:
For those of you that don't read 10 year old, here's a translation of Brady's response :
Kmodo Dragon. Why? Cuz I'd be huge & be able to eat a car.
Leave it the 10 year old to be really basic & say just the right thing. Wouldnt it be a pretty cool world if some of us were huge enough to eat a car? (OMG, I just realized how HUGE my ass would be in that world!)
So....what ability do YOU wish you had?
"If you could have the ability of any animal or insect, what would it be & why?"
Danielle (age 16) and I answered it ...Brady, who is 10, also answered it. Here's our responses:
For those of you that don't read 10 year old, here's a translation of Brady's response :
Kmodo Dragon. Why? Cuz I'd be huge & be able to eat a car.
Leave it the 10 year old to be really basic & say just the right thing. Wouldnt it be a pretty cool world if some of us were huge enough to eat a car? (OMG, I just realized how HUGE my ass would be in that world!)
So....what ability do YOU wish you had?
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Room With a View
OK, so not so much a room as an office. Here's my view, a bit blurry but you get the idea....
And here was the view out my window a few weeks ago:
Yes, indeedy folks that's a Praying Mantis. And it was heeeuuge. It was also incredibly cool. I was so infatuated with this bug that I had to go outside & get pictures. Everyone in my office thought I nuckin' futs & laughed the entire time. My friend Loren walked behind me saying "Now you know if that thing flies off the window & tries to eat your face off I'm gonna laugh like hell". This is Loren with a fuzzy smirk:
I laughed last, though. Zeke (what I'd dubbed my new buggy friend) stayed calmy on the window & let me snap away. It was very sad to see him be torn from the window by a nasty crow a few hours later but it was kinda nice while it lasted.
And here was the view out my window a few weeks ago:
Yes, indeedy folks that's a Praying Mantis. And it was heeeuuge. It was also incredibly cool. I was so infatuated with this bug that I had to go outside & get pictures. Everyone in my office thought I nuckin' futs & laughed the entire time. My friend Loren walked behind me saying "Now you know if that thing flies off the window & tries to eat your face off I'm gonna laugh like hell". This is Loren with a fuzzy smirk:
I laughed last, though. Zeke (what I'd dubbed my new buggy friend) stayed calmy on the window & let me snap away. It was very sad to see him be torn from the window by a nasty crow a few hours later but it was kinda nice while it lasted.
Le Cinema (or How I Will Spend My Wednesday Night)
OK, now I know I don't have a life (although my sister Katie does tell me that, while I don't really have a life, it is life like in many ways) but how sad is it that I'm getting excited over a night of TV?
It's not sad at all when you consider the line up:
7 PM CSI Repeat (I so want to nibble Gil Grissom's umm...never mind)
8 PM Jericho (It's like the movie "The Day After" only better acting & with nummy Skeet Ulrich (I would start at his toes & stop at all the good parts)
9 PM LOST Whatmore can I say? It's LOST for goodness sakes! There's all KINDS of yummy man goodness on that show (and a question for any other LOST fans...am I nuts or is Michael Emerson just the teeniest bit hot in a creepy kinda way? I think Id nibble...but just a bit)
10 PM Project Runway - this is it - almost the last one. Oh Lord, please let that freakin' psycho Jeffrey fall on some scissors or something!
And of course, while watching all of this I'll be working on this:
Yes indeedy....it's a SOCK! And far far better than the 1st one I ever made. I've turned the heel & am working on gusset decreases now (I'm half through that)....I'm halfway done. I can't wait to finish it.
It's not sad at all when you consider the line up:
7 PM CSI Repeat (I so want to nibble Gil Grissom's umm...never mind)
8 PM Jericho (It's like the movie "The Day After" only better acting & with nummy Skeet Ulrich (I would start at his toes & stop at all the good parts)
9 PM LOST Whatmore can I say? It's LOST for goodness sakes! There's all KINDS of yummy man goodness on that show (and a question for any other LOST fans...am I nuts or is Michael Emerson just the teeniest bit hot in a creepy kinda way? I think Id nibble...but just a bit)
10 PM Project Runway - this is it - almost the last one. Oh Lord, please let that freakin' psycho Jeffrey fall on some scissors or something!
And of course, while watching all of this I'll be working on this:
Yes indeedy....it's a SOCK! And far far better than the 1st one I ever made. I've turned the heel & am working on gusset decreases now (I'm half through that)....I'm halfway done. I can't wait to finish it.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Bad Blogger, Bad!
Holy Craptastic Batman, I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged ANYTHING.
"Bless me Blogger, for I have sinned. It's been 25 days since my last post." Oy.
I have good reasons. Honest.
1. Work has been kicking my ass. And, if you've seen my ass, you know how huge of a job that is. I am now comfortably esconced in my office (office, yes I said OFFICE! I am no longer a cubicle dweller! I have real walls, a ceiling, a door & a view of the parking lot! Go me!) and no longer have the multitude of distractions that I used to have in my (rather cozy) cubby. Which means, undeniably, that now....I can get more work done. While a good thing in the professional sense, in the personal sense, it's incredibly exhausting.
2. I have been a mad stitching FIEND. I've been taking classes (Continental Knitting, Stranded Knitting Parts I & II & Socks Part I) & working on the projects for those plus making a commission crochet blanket (which for some reason took forfuckingever). The next time I agree to make something from Lion Brand ANYTHING (but especially Homespun) will someone PUHLEASE hit me in the damn head with a brick? Dumb, Donna, incredibly dumb.
3. I've been sick as a dog. Twice. The whole upper respiratory thing, complete with cough, chills & mucus that is otherwordly. I'm on my 2nd batch of Keflex & my 1st batch of cough medicine w/codeine (Keflex + Codeine + Empty Stomach + Nausea = Puking X Hallucinations. What a long strange trip). All of this has made me incredibly irritable & my coworkers have a heard this statement more than once:
"If you don't leave me alone I will LICK YOUR PHONE."
It's effective if not a teeny bit disgusting.
My penance for letting all this stuff interfere with blogging? Besides the 10 Hail Marys, that is?
Photos, I promise.
"Bless me Blogger, for I have sinned. It's been 25 days since my last post." Oy.
I have good reasons. Honest.
1. Work has been kicking my ass. And, if you've seen my ass, you know how huge of a job that is. I am now comfortably esconced in my office (office, yes I said OFFICE! I am no longer a cubicle dweller! I have real walls, a ceiling, a door & a view of the parking lot! Go me!) and no longer have the multitude of distractions that I used to have in my (rather cozy) cubby. Which means, undeniably, that now....I can get more work done. While a good thing in the professional sense, in the personal sense, it's incredibly exhausting.
2. I have been a mad stitching FIEND. I've been taking classes (Continental Knitting, Stranded Knitting Parts I & II & Socks Part I) & working on the projects for those plus making a commission crochet blanket (which for some reason took forfuckingever). The next time I agree to make something from Lion Brand ANYTHING (but especially Homespun) will someone PUHLEASE hit me in the damn head with a brick? Dumb, Donna, incredibly dumb.
3. I've been sick as a dog. Twice. The whole upper respiratory thing, complete with cough, chills & mucus that is otherwordly. I'm on my 2nd batch of Keflex & my 1st batch of cough medicine w/codeine (Keflex + Codeine + Empty Stomach + Nausea = Puking X Hallucinations. What a long strange trip). All of this has made me incredibly irritable & my coworkers have a heard this statement more than once:
"If you don't leave me alone I will LICK YOUR PHONE."
It's effective if not a teeny bit disgusting.
My penance for letting all this stuff interfere with blogging? Besides the 10 Hail Marys, that is?
Photos, I promise.
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